3. The Forest of Ghosts

Plot points/Scenes

Below is a breakdown of each scene within this plot.

Entering the Forest

The forest has a horrifyingly oppressive atmosphere. It feels like the unmoving air could choke you and the silence could deafen you. You can't help but feel like the forest itself is aware of your presence, and it is observing you with a cold malice. As you step deeper inside, you take a few glances back at your boat to make sure it's still there. Before you know it, the next glance you take is your last, as you can no longer see the shore past the fog and timber. The only thing left to do is go deeper.

Finding the Moss

After the party has spent some time wandering the forest and going through the standard encounters, they may begin to wonder if they're going the right way. As Egni said, it seems like the tree's location moves, and it's hard to know where it would be.

Hint A

If the party is smart, they may try to make marks on the trees to track where they've been.

If they use charcoal or some other on-surface method, they'll find that all of their markings are still there, but have been replaced with runes in a language that they don't understand (Druidic). If they can somehow comprehend the language, they'll all read "The still wind is a lie; fire tells the truth."
If they try to mark the trees by cutting them, it will turn into a tree blight and attack.

The hint provided by the trees indicates that if they have a torch lit up, it will move in a certain direction despite the lack of wind. Using that, they can follow the fire towards the final area. If the party happens to have a torch lit and seem stuck, have them all roll a perception check. Anyone with a 14 or higher will notice this fire/wind discrepancy. I would argue that they may notice something like this with spells or other similar effects.

Hint B

If the party is trying to look for clues (Investigation), have a chance for them to come across a tree with a distinct hollow. Looking inside, they'll see a bone-carved idol with Infernal runes on it (which Thad can read). If they touch any part of the tree itself while pulling out the idol, the tree blight will use a bite attack and begin combat. If they manage to get a good look at the idol, Thaddeus will know that the runes read as follows: "As lost as you are, to lead is my task. To find your way through, you need only ask." While that should be pretty clear, Thad can also Identify the item to ensure that it does what it says and isn't cursed... which it is! If they use this idol, it WILL lead them to the Pineclot Moss, but it will also turn into a set of animated armor made from spiked bones the moment they attack an undead.

Give Up

Other than that, the party might find their way through a series of Survival and Perception checks, especially with the help of Sulu's senses. If they go through all of the encounters and still haven't found the tree, then you'll need to have them stumble upon it.

Resting in The Forest

Taking a short rest in the forest will have no consequence outside of rolling on the Haunted Effects Table. However, taking a Long Rest will do much worse to the players' psyche. If they have no choice but to take a long rest, roll for one of the following events (d4).

Each player has a horrible nightmare detailing obscure representations of their fears or recently traumatic events in their lives. They must all make a Wisdom save of DC 13 or suffer from a long-term madness effect.
As the players are resting, they must make a Perception check with disadvantage. Whether they succeed or fail determines how soon they notice that they're beginning to sink into the ground, like quicksand. The area is considered difficult terrain and encompasses a 10 foot radius around each player. A creature that enters the area or ends its turn there must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or become restrained. Creatures restrained by the quicksand can use its action to make a Strength check (not a save). On a success, it frees itself. On a failure, it sinks 2 feet into the quicksand and has disadvantage on subsequent Strength checks made to escape it, until it escapes or sinks completely.
A ghost will attempt to possess one of the players. Make sure you WHISPER the request to roll this save. Roll 1d4 to determine the ghost's target based on alphabetical order (Iskander, Sulu, Thaddeus, Vaauna). If it fails, it will attempt to flee immediately, being outnumbered. If it succeeds, it will use the body in an attempt to kill the other players. Since you whispered the request, the hope is that the others won't immediately know why this is happening.
A lone dusk hag will sneak up near the party. If one of the players is still awake on watch, she will start by casting sleep. Assuming she's successful in knocking the target unconscious, she will look for a target (1d4 alphabetical) and use her Nightmare Touch before running back into the darkness. Curse: The cursed creature’s hit point maximum decreases by 5 (1d10) whenever it finishes a long rest.

The Unrelenting Wraith

The commander of a fallen infantry guards a lone tree surrounded by long-dead skeletons. He has made a claim to all of the souls who've fallen to the traitorous human scum of West Valentia, and he will not rest until he has retribution. As he summons forth the sword wraiths under his command, they notice one that looks familiar. One of the wraiths under his command is none other than Shoma the Wicked. Note: Stop being nice. These are soldiers that use actual tactics. They are ruthless and will not switch targets or retreat due to fear. Their goal is not to save their own lives; it is to kill anything their commander wishes dead.

The Aftermath

Once they players defeat the Sword Wraith Commander, the other wraiths will calm down. Those that they slew will re-manifest as unfettered ghosts, including Shoma. In this state, she is now mentally free from the effects of Wild Fever, and she will be able to tell the party what she knew before and after her death.

Her memory before her death is a bit hazy, but some things have resurfaced a bit more clearly. For example, she's almost certain that she contracted wild fever from a hag.
Almost two years ago, she went to a forest bordering this very place to find some ingredients for her potions. During that time, she encountered a strange old woman who looked like he was having a coughing fit, begging for help. Having plenty of experience with hags, Shoma wasn't easily fooled, and demanded that the woman keep her distance. The old woman revealed herself as a hag shortly after, still pleading for help, but she was now running at Shoma.
Something about the hag looked off, even past their normal ugliness. Her veins were visibly glowing with a haunting white color, and her spittle was sickly green. She had pustules and blisters all over her skin, with some even spreading to her eyeballs and tongue. She was clearly dying.
There was a brief moment where Shoma tripped while trying to get away, and the hag tumbled on top of her, screaming and crying in her face. Despite her best efforts to avoid it, she likely ingested a diseased bit of blood or spit. Shortly after, Shoma dug her dagger into the hag's neck, showering her in even more diseased viscera, and managed to escape her grasp.
When Shoma got back, she did everything she could to get rid of the disease, though she showed no symptoms at the time. Seeing as nothing was happening, she was satisfied with thinking that she either got lucky or managed to cure it without issue. After that day, it was a slow descent into dementia.
On the day of her death, she recalls the full identity of the person the Orians were looking for (Tydrus Stonefist, the dwarven artificer), but she will have no reason to bring this up without a prompt, since she doesn't care.
After her death, all she could remember was hearing the call of her commander. She wasn't old enough to be part of the Valentian Civil War like this wraith was, but she was once a soldier, and her damaged spirit must have clung onto something familiar.
After that, she only remembers a vague haze of fighting an unidentified group of enemies, then waking up in front of all of you.

After they've finished speaking with Shoma and gathering the moss, the players are free to head back to the ship. Inexplicably, their keelboat is immediately within view the moment they turn around. It's as though they never went more than 100 feet into the forest. Despite this final oddity, they are now free of the forest's malice; in fact, you feel as though the hateful presence is gone, and in its place is a sort of feeling you can't quite describe. The best you can think of is... melancholy comfort.

Themes

Ghosts are prevalent within the forest, as indicated by its name. All of them have vague memories of their past lives, and they've all been unable to move on from this mortal plane. Some are filled with grief or anguish while others are simply wrathful and desire vengeance against the ones who wronged them. The latter types are more likely to attack the party, while the former might be avoided or persuaded. There is a constant wind howling through the trees, and it consistently tricks the party into thinking there are distant voices calling out to them. Additionally, their eyes play tricks on them; many shadows from the corners of their eyes appear and disappear suddenly, while a feeling of going nowhere is ever-present. Getting lost and feeling deceived in some way is a constant.

Components

Goals

Find the Pineclot Moss.
Find the ghost of Shoma the Wicked.
If found, appease Shoma's soul so she can move on to the next plane.
Report back to Egni & Jorokk with the moss.

Hooks

Once the job is complete, the players will be rewarded.
There may be a cure for Wild Fever that results from this.
Shoma's soul will be at rest.

Stakes

Wild Fever will continue to spread if the cure isn't found soon.
Jorokk's condition will continue to worsen.
The Forest of Ghosts may become an even bigger problem.

Relations

Protagonists

Neutrals/Bystanders

Shoma the Wicked

Backdrops

Locations

Threats

The Forest of Ghosts is considered haunted, meaning the party will regularly encounter strange and scary phenomena. As suggested by TCoE, consider rolling on the Haunted Effects table when the following circumstances occur in the region:

A creature gains the frightened condition.
Multiple creatures are unable to see.
A creature is alone.
Midnight or another ominous hour arrives.
A ghost or other creature tied to the region’s grim history menaces the party.

Encounters

Be sure to review this page on D&D Beyond for details on each encounter.

Past Events

The Valentian Civil War
The Destruction of Fadoki Village (now a Ghost Village)

October 27th, Year 989, 11:00 am
Party XP = 19,250 / 26,000

To-Do List

Scene Prep

~~Entering the Forest~~
~~Finding the Moss~~
~~The Unrelenting Wraith~~
~~Resting in The Forest~~
~~The Aftermath~~

Additional Prep

~~Components~~
~~Relations~~
~~Backdrops~~

Creature Imports

~~Tree Blight~~
~~Animated Armor~~

Map Imports

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Other Stuff

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Details

Plot type

Chapter

Related Locations

The Forest of Ghosts

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