The Nature GM

What happens in the mountains, stays in the mountains…

Travelling through the wilderness should feel exciting, dangerous, and explorative. I have created my own low-level wilderness travel rules that capture the sense of danger. What they do not capture is the sense of wonder that comes from stumbling upon something ancient and abandoned, some remnant of history, some distant horn sounding adventure.

The next few posts will be a series of side quests to place in wilderness travel that reward players for exploration. Some of these are rehashes of encounters that I have used before, adjusted to be suitable for any setting. They are best suited to parties of level 3-6.

Mountain: A Task Unfinished

Setup

The party is travelling through the mountains, preferably far from any current civilizations. They come across a battlefield graveyard with a weathered monument that describes a conflict from long ago. While the characters are nearby, a spectral figure in battle armor rises from one of the graves and hails them.

The Fallen Soldier

The ghost should be dressed and speak in an old-fashioned manner appropriate to the setting. The ghost may have a nearly severed head, an arrow through their eye, or some other grisly indication of how they died.

The ghost tells the characters that they cannot rest until their last task is completed: to light the signal fire on the high ridge. (The kingdoms from this battle are long gone, so it is completely symbolic.) The ghost asks the characters to complete this final mission that will grant them rest, and in exchange the ghost will tell the characters where the army hid a magical item they were transporting.

The ghost does not want to reveal the location of the magic item until the signal fire is lit. They are very adamant on this point and will become angry if the characters push too hard to get the information in advance.

Lighting the Signal Fire

The ridge is visible from the graveyard, and the ghost tells the characters to light a fire in the iron brazier. It takes about an hour to climb up the ridge.

While the characters are on the exposed ridge, a couple of manticores spot them and swoop down to enjoy an easy meal. Once the manticores are defeated, the characters can easily light the signal fire in what remains of the ancient iron brazier.

Finding the Magic Item

When the characters return to the graveyard, they find the ghost waiting for them. The ghost is at peace, and their form might appear whole without their grisly death wound. The ghost tells the characters how to find a small cave a short distance from the graveyard. As soon as this information has been conveyed, the ghost fades away.

The characters find the cave and locate a small, locked chest wedged in a crevice. The lock is rusty and can be easily removed.

Inside the chest is a copper goblet resting in a silk-lined indention. The goblet is embossed with a holy symbol appropriate to the past kingdom. Once a day, it magically fills with an opalescent liquid that can be consumed to regain a moderate amount of health (e.g. 3d4+3).

Swamp: A Ruby for Your Heart

Setup

The party is travelling through a swamp and pass through a row of shrunken heads on stakes. Some of the characters may have a sense of foreboding or an uneasy feeling. Ahead they see a wooden hut resting atop giant chicken feet. If the characters try to walk away, they instead find themselves walking towards the hut.

Brume

Inside the hut lives a powerful hag who calls herself Brume. She wears glasses with green lenses and may appear terrible and beautiful or grotesque and old. She wants to live undisturbed and collect items of value.

She tells the characters they have trespassed on her domain and must pay for their release. She asks the characters what they will offer in exchange for their freedom. She does not want anything they are willing to give up; she only wants something they do not want to give her. She offers to take the heart of the most good-aligned character.

Brume also wants a fist-sized ruby owned by the nearby lizardfolk chieftain. She will eventually tell the characters to retrieve that for her, and she takes one character’s heart as collateral.

(Note: If you are playing 5e, do not use any of the hag stat blocks as written because it will be hugely disappointing. Create a hag who is so powerful that the characters will not try to outright kill her.)

Lizardfolk Village

The lizardfolk village is made of huts raised on stilts that are connected by wooden platforms. The village sits on top of marsh water that is about three feet deep. The lizardfolk chieftain’s hut is in the center of the village. About 30 adult lizardfolk live in the village, half of which are warriors.

The lizardfolk tribe also includes a witch doctor who knows a handful of spells. She may also keep a pet alligator that lives beneath the huts. Her main concern is to protect herself and avoid danger, but she will become carelessly vengeful if her alligator is killed.

The lizardfolk chieftain is most concerned about his image as a powerful leader, which includes preventing his tribe from being annihilated. If the characters flee, he will make a show of pursuing them and “scaring them off”.

In addition to the ruby, the lizardfolk chieftain’s treasure trove might include items such as a necklace made of bones, a turtle shell filled with seed pearls, a candle that can be lit underwater, a tarnished pewter gravy boat, and a pouch of silver and gold.

Returning to Brume

If the characters bring Brume the ruby, she will return the character’s heart and allow the party to leave. To ensure they do not bother her again, she may transport them to someplace else in the swamp.

Closing Thoughts

I am of the mindset that travel is part of the adventure, and encountering strange magic in the wilderness adds to the fantastical nature of tabletop games. In the next post I will share more side quests for different wilderness environments.

The “Brume” version of Baba Yega is from In the Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip.