Defenders of the Forest - Liber Fanatica

Chapter XII: Revolutions
in Progress
Lo r e n ’s Lo s t Bo y s
There are several reasons why Elves keep magically-gifted Bretonnian
boys in the Otherworld while allowing girls to return
home. First and foremost, the Cult of the Lady of the Lake is for
female prophets only; males cannot join. The Bretonnian codes
of chivalry afford Grail Damsels tremendous influence in human
society, and Damsels are in turn influenced by Elven Glamourweavers,
therefore it serves the Elves’ interests to reintegrate girls.
Bretonnian boys are also deemed more susceptible to corruption
than girls. Every magically-gifted boy might be a future Chaos
Sorcerer or Necromancer. However, Glamourweavers do not
wish the boys’ talents to be wasted. By keeping them forever
young in the Otherworld, the boys might live to see a day when
Mankind is more enlightened and they can return home safely.
Child-sanctuaries of Athel Loren are situated in the Otherworld
realms, where children are safe from the lure of Chaos. Occasionally,
boys who are judged “delinquent” must leave the
Otherworld to prevent their taint from spreading to the others.
Some of these boys live in Elven settlements as Fay servants,
whilst others are sent to live with forest spirits such as Bhati.
Jean-Michel has been entrusted to Bhati through no fault of his
own. He represents a security threat in the Otherworld where
Marianne can locate him telepathically. Until recently, living
with Bhati has been the only alternative to killing him.
Although some Elves consider Bhati to be a Chaos daemon,
others regard her as an essential part of nature’s balance, old as
Loren itself. Some Elves even send their own children to Bhati
for short periods as a form of discipline. Likewise, many Elves
would not tolerate an adult human mage like Ambrose Zarathusius
remaining at the Lost Boys’ Grove. However, most Elves
are oblivious to ‘Uncle Oscar’s’ existence. Both Zephyr and the
Glamourweavers approve of Ambrose, believing he’s a pure soul
and good for the children, so they allow him to stay without
ever mentioning his name to other Elves.
Ch a s i n g Ze p h y r
Time: Arrival at the Lost Boys’ Grove with Jean-Michel
Locations: Lost Boys’ Grove (7), Strangle Wood (8)
The child-spirit Zephyr arrives at the Lost Boys’ Grove ahead
of Marianne and the PCs. He intends to capture Jean-Michel
and return him to Bhati’s Grove with the other Branch Boys.
At some point during the PCs’
interaction with the boys or
Uncle Oscar, one of the Battle
Boys tries to lure Jean-Michel
away from the party. The boy
suddenly transforms into
Zephyr, snatches Jean-Michel
and dashes off to a giant rabbit
hole which exits the Otherworld
into Strangle Wood.
Pu r s u i t Th r o u g h St r a n g l e Wo o d
Zephyr is almost impossible to catch (see Special Ability pg.
128), but he can be tracked to the rabbit hole with a Follow
Trail Test. In Strangle Wood, Zephyr proceeds directly to the
Grove of Wayward Children and turns Jean-Michel over to
Bhati, thereby restoring the balance of things. Marianne is
capable of tracking Jean-Michel telepathically to Bhati’s grove.
If PCs previously passed the Trial of Zephyr (pg. 128), the
golden spirit attempts to lure the party away from Bhati’s Grove,
making brief appearances and laughing eerily from a distance.
If followed, Zephyr leads the party back to Le Preneur (for their
own good, of course). PCs who did not answer Zephyr’s riddle
and cannot find the rabbit hole must pass a Navigation Test or
become Lost in the Forest (see sidebar on pg. 130).
Co n f r o n t i n g Bh a t i
Bhati phases between trees in an attempt to avoid direct combat
and commands her Lilids from a distance. The Lilids will
pursue any PCs who approach the grove, allowing for the use
of diversion tactics to rescue Jean-Michel and the other Branch
Boys. If the Lilids are vanquished, Bhati retreats into the depths
of Strangle Wood. PCs who open Bhati’s pods and release the
Sleeping Boys hear a terrible, throaty wail echoing through
the forest. See the Grove of Wayward Younglings (pg. 126) for
further details.
After the Encounter
Strangle Wood is one of the places from which Loren earns its
grim reputation among humans. Trespassers face hit-and-run
attacks by Lilids, along with deadly flora such as Deathly-Thorn
and Strangle Root. Marianne won’t enter Strangle Wood unless
a PC accompanies her (provided Jean-Michel is already safe). If
the first Lilid combat goes poorly, Marianne urges retreat, even
if it means leaving the Branch Boys behind.
• If the PCs are with Marianne and Jean-Michel, Jean-Michel
leads them to a giant rabbit hole which connects Strangle Wood
to the Lost Boys’ Grove.
• If Marianne is with the PCs but not Jean-Michel, she leads
them to the Grove of Wayward Younglings by tracking her
brother telepathically.
• If the PCs are alone, they must pass a Navigation Test or walk
in circles for a day. After 3 failures, they are visited by Ariel,
Queen of the Wood (see “Becoming Lost” sidebar, pg. 130).
Success means they can find any previously visited location.
Th r o u g h t h e Wi l d He a t h
Time: Leaving Athel Loren en route back to Quenelles
Locations: A few miles southwest of the Sentinel (1)
Soon after the party departs the forest proper to journey across
the Wild Heath, they are hailed by a wounded ranger. The man
introduces himself as Patrice, a gamekeeper serving Marquis de
Vaubon (true). Patrice claims the Marquis sent him to find the
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