Defenders of the Forest - Liber Fanatica

Chapter VIII: The Laurëlorn
Forest
Ce l e s t i a l St o r m s
Unlike Athel Loren where Earthbound magic fluctuates gradually
with the seasons, Laurëlorn’s magic is in a constant state of
flux determined by the moon, sun and planetary positions. In
sentient zones, there is a 25% chance of celestial events occurring
every day. When an event occurs, roll 1d10:
1-3: Asuryan’s Rage interferes with Casting Rolls (-1), Magical
Sense (-10), and counts as the Summer’s Heat spell in sentient
regions of the forest at mid-day (see RoS pg. 154).
4-6: Morrslieb Waxing can double Insanity Points received,
and those touched by its light are also more prone to mutations
(-10 to resist). Confers a bonus to Casting Rolls (+1) but also
worsens Tzeentch’s Curse results (increase by one category).
7-9: Astral Conjunctions enhance Magical Sense (+10) and
confer a 1d10 bonus to all Casting Rolls for Rituals.
10: Storms of Magic can enhance spell effects like the Magic
Focus ability (see RoS pg. 191), but lightning wracks the skies
and magic users are more prone to Tzeentch’s Curse (extra Chaos
Die). Characters in a sentient region could be involuntarily
teleported to another sentient region, at the GM’s discretion.
Ad v e n t u r e Se e d
This plot thread can be expanded into a full adventure or
combined with other adventure seeds to make a full Laurëlorn
campaign.
Th e Bl a d e Re f o r g e d
The Sons of Ulric, a radical splinter group of the Cult of Ulric,
have infiltrated the main order’s current leadership. Through
hidden agents, a charismatic leader has orchestrated the theft
of the shards of Caledfwlch, the fabled Dragon Sword of Artur,
from the vaults beneath the Temple of Ulric. Claiming to be
born of the blood of Artur, the sect’s leader believes that the
wielder of the reforged blade will unify the divided Sons of
Ulric and become both High Priest and Graf of Middenheim by
divine right.
Now the Sons of Ulric carry the shards to the settlement of
Glassenberry, believing only the Elves of Laurëlorn can reforge
the blade. But with Middenland’s forces still depleted from the
Storm of Chaos and unchecked deforestation encroaching on
Laurëlorn’s border, Graf Todbringer correctly concludes that an
armed expedition into the woodland realm would risk sparking
a wider conflict. Therefore, Ulrich Schutzmann, Midden
Marshall in charge of Middenheim in the Graf’s absence, has
decided to assemble a smaller party to avoid undue attention.
Enter the Heroes
Recovering the blade of Artur is an ideal quest for adventurers
wishing to impress the powers that be. The cover for the
expedition is an innocent trip to harvest the exotic Moonflower
moss (pg. 111). The Guild of Wizards and Alchemists believe
the moss can be alchemically modified to cure humans like it
does Elves, and cure a plague afflicting Middenheim’s refugee
camps. An intermediary arranges for the PCs to meet Fanamis
Shassaran, proprietor of the Harvest Goose (AoM pg. 15) with
contacts in the Wood Elf community and the Fairs of Liadriel
from whom the rare herbs can be purchased. After gaining entry
into Laurëlorn, the PCs must track down the Sons of Ulric and
reclaim the Dragon Sword.
La u r ë l o r n Fo r e s t Ga z e t t e e r
The Laurëlorn is a mixture of normal and sentient forest with
both magical and non-magical locations. Locations with Navigation,
Forest Disposition and Magic capsule entries can be
considered sentient.
Po s i t i o n s o f In t e r e s t
The following are locations that can be found scattered throughout
the region.
A. Hill-Forts
Scattered across the Enchanted Hills, Human hedgefolk descended
from the ancient Belthani tribe guard the forest from
a series of hill-forts. Travellers seeking entrance to the forest
are guided to a Stone of Kern in the forest, where a feather
token can be left for the Asrai in the hope they return contact.
Different types of feathers signify different messages (e.g. offers
of friendship, warnings, requests for aid). An owl’s feather is a
request for counsel from the Asrai; a raven’s feather signifies possible
danger to the forest; an eagle’s is a call to arms. The locals
never reveal the location of a Wood Elf settlement.
B. Tree-Bridges
Scattered throughout the forest are a number of tree-bridges
crossing rivers or gorges that would otherwise be impassable.
These bridges are not constructed from timber; instead trees
are magically sung to bend and fuse with trees on the opposite
bank.
C. Stones of Kern
Ancient megaliths indicate the boundary of the Wood Elves’
domain in the Laurëlorn. Asrai mythology claims the stones
were placed by Kern, the son of Torothal. Stones located near a
Human settlement serve the humans as places to venerate the
forest spirits and placate them with offerings of flowers, figurines
or food.
77