Wiltroot Hall
Hall and Learning Platform
The trunk of an enormous dead tree rises nearly one hundred feet in the air. Near the ground, the wide trunk has been hollowed out and carved to form doors, windows, and a spacious learning center. Surrounding the tree is a wooden platform that overlooks the bog and walkways beyond.
This area is devoid of faculty, staff, or students, leaving the building full of class supplies. Up to three herbalism kits or poisoner's kits could be crafted from these materials, as well as up to three vials of antitoxin and two potions of healing.
Observation Hut A
The small hut in this clearing has a heavily thatched roof and a rickety door that swings open to reveal a sparse interior. A few wooden chairs and a heavy table with an attached cabinet make up the hut's furnishings.
The clearing outside the hut is uninhabited.
Mascot: Opening the table's cabinet inside the hut reveals a pest mascot (see chapter 7) gnawing on a cracked, strange-looking stone. The pest is one of the mascots the characters must catalog for Professor Sharpbeak, as mentioned in the "Mascot Hunting" section earlier.
Loot: The cracked stone the pest is gnawing on is an Ioun stone (awareness). The stone is malfunctioning and was discarded here. A character who tinkers with the Ioun stone for 1 minute and succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check mends the item so it functions as intended.
Southwest Clearing
Although the spongy ground here is covered in moss, it's easily traversable in comparison to the surrounding brush. A raised wooden walkway nearby overlooks this open area.
Mascot: This clearing appears to be empty. However, a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals movement in the western part of the surrounding brush. If the characters linger here for a round, they catch the attention of two ankhegs. The aggressive creatures attack, retreating back into the brush only if the characters reduce one or both of them to 10 hit points or fewer.
Once the ankhegs are dispatched, the characters see an inkling mascot poke its head out from the underbrush nearby. The inkling is one of the mascots the characters must catalog for Professor Sharpbeak, as mentioned in the "Mascot Hunting" section earlier.
Southern Outskirts
This open clearing features a notable pool of black, sludgy refuse in the southern corner.
If the characters approach the refuse, it reveals itself to be an aggressive black pudding. The black pudding has eaten the remnants of creatures slain in this region recently, so it's Huge. Its game statistics are otherwise the same. The black pudding tries to flee when reduced to 10 hit points or fewer, as do any puddings resulting from it splitting.
Southern Clearing
A ring of peat, decayed leaves, and beetle-infested animal skulls sit in the middle of this open clearing. The stench of rot is strong.
This clearing holds two clues to the evil activity taking place in this part of the bayou.
Finding 1: A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals a piece of chipped chitin plating. This plating sloughed off the mage hunters while they lingered here, but the characters can identify it only if they're familiar with mage hunters. If a character shows the plating to a faculty member, the faculty member says it could have come from a dangerous creature but is unsure of its origin.
Finding 2: Murgaxor's Scrawls. A successful DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals illegible scrawls in the dirt that match the writing in the journal the characters found in Sedgemoor last academic year.
Southeastern Clearing
Two lumps of slimy vegetation and moss stand prominently in the northeast corner of this clearing.
If the characters approach the two lumps, a guttural gurgle emits from them in tandem. Rising to stand is a fungal, mossy beast that groans, "Disturbed! I am disturbed!" before it attacks the characters. This momentarily animated fungal mass is a Plant but otherwise uses the stat block of an ettin. When it's reduced to 0 hit points, the creature melts back into the spongy bog floor.
Mascot: Once the fungal mass is dispatched, the characters can see a spirit statue mascot poke its head out from the underbrush nearby. The statue chuckles and says, "I'm quite bored of behaving as Professor Sharpbeak says. From now on, it's nothing but mischief! I'm a free spirit!" Convincing the statue that its work on campus is important and it should wear the band requires an action and a successful DC 14 Charisma (Persuasion) check. The statue is one of the mascots the characters must catalog for Profession Sharpbeak, as mentioned in the "Mascot Hunting" section earlier.
Observation Hut B
A small hut, its thatched roof drooping heavily, languishes in the southern edge of this clearing. A canopy of ancient growth looms over it.
If the characters approach the hut, it becomes clear that the leafy canopy is obscuring a giant scorpion. The aggressive creature attacks, as does the ankheg that steps out from the brush behind it. The creatures fight alongside each other—another unusual event in this area. If the characters reduce either creature to 10 hit points or fewer, it tries to flee.
Loot: Herbalism supplies cover a heavy table inside this hut—enough to assemble one herbalism kit.
Western Clearing
You arrive at the clearing to find two of your classmates cautiously eying two large, yellow, viscous puddles oozing out from the underbrush near the west side of this clearing.
The characters' classmates Urzmaktok Grojsh and Melwythorne (two Witherbloom apprentices; see chapter 3) came here to explore the area. Ever the overachiever, Urzmaktok is taking advantage of the empty grounds to gather plant cuttings. He hopes to study them through the Fantastical Horticulture Club and petition his Witherbloom professors for extra credit if he successfully nurtures them. Timid for a third-year student, Urzmaktok convinced the lonely Melwythorne to accompany him to the grounds, both so Melwythorne might tell stories about his grove and so Melwythorne could protect him from any dangers.
The two Witherbloom students had decided to approach the puddles when the characters discover them. When anyone steps toward the puddles, they jiggle and solidify into two ochre jellies. If they see the characters, the jellies climb up onto the walkway in pursuit of prey. An ochre jelly reduced to 5 hit points or fewer tries to flee.
NPC Actions: Once an altercation begins with the ochre jellies, Urzmaktok and Melwythorne flee to safety. After combat ends, any friendly word convinces them to help the characters track down and catalog the errant mascots. The characters have advantage on ability checks made to catalog a mascot if Urzmaktok or Melwythorne is present to lend assistance.
Observation Hut C
This large and well-maintained observation hut has one level above the walkway and another below it.
When the characters enter this building, they smell the pungent algae within a large fountain bubbling up from the center of the floor of the lower level. This is a naturally occurring spring. A pockmarked stone carving in the shape of a stylized, anthropomorphic wave surrounds and collects the water.
Javenesh Stoutclaw stands next to the fountain, tilting his head in confusion and ruffling his feathers while seemingly talking to himself. If the characters approach the fountain, they see that Javenesh is speaking with a water weird submerged inside it. Unlike most water weirds, this creature, named Lothannep, can speak and understand Common.
Lothannep lives in the fountain when the university isn't in session. Lothannep was bound generations ago to a pool located in the wilds off Witherbloom's campus. Lothannep's mage master released it long ago, and it has been wandering about as it pleases since.
Lothannep likes this hut but will be ejected once the Witherbloom faculty discovers the weird's presence. A character can befriend Lothannep by engaging it in friendly conversation and succeeding on a DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check, with advantage if the character is a Witherbloom student. The water weird can be persuaded to relocate to another body of water, but only if a character toward which it is friendly suggests it.
NPC Actions: Javenesh traipsed to this area on an errand for Tulk Tusktooth, the manager of Bow's End Tavern. Tulk asked Javenesh to collect water from this fountain for use in Chef Curtie Axechucker's special dish. Javenesh is trying and failing to explain to Lothannep why he needs the water when the characters arrive.
A character who strikes up a friendship with the water weird can persuade Lothannep to leave the fountain long enough for Javenesh to fill his tankard. Whether or not the characters help Javenesh with his errand, the owlin is amenable to aiding them with their mission to find the lost mascots. A character has advantage on ability checks made to catalog a mascot if Javenesh is present to lend assistance.
Mascot: Once the characters have interacted with Lothannep, they see a fractal mascot emerge from under a table in the hut. The fractal is one of the mascots the characters must catalog for Professor Sharpbeak, as mentioned in the "Mascot Hunting" section earlier.
Observation Hut D
Stained paint brushes and empty watercolor palettes are scattered on a table in this small thatched-roof hut, which has a view of large clearings to the north and south.
The table in the building holds enough materials to create a set of painter's supplies and a set of calligrapher's supplies.
Mascot: A mischievous art elemental mascot (see chapter 7) rests underneath the table. The art elemental is one of the mascots the characters must catalog for Professor Sharpbeak, as mentioned in the "Mascot Hunting" section earlier.
Northwestern Clearing
Tangled vines and trees draped with thick, hanging moss flank the northern edges of this large clearing. Movement in the foliage to the north gives the area a sense of being alive.
When a character ventures toward the north end of this clearing, two giant elk burst out of the foliage. The giant elk are angry and confused, and they attack. If an elk is reduced to 20 hit points or fewer, it regains its senses and tries to flee.
Mascot: Once the characters deal with the elk, they see a pest mascot (see chapter 7) emerge from the underbrush near where the elk rested. The pest is one of the mascots the characters must catalog for Professor Sharpbeak, as mentioned in the "Mascot Hunting" section earlier.
Northern Clearing
The wide wooden walkway here runs alongside a small clearing in the bog. A thick bed of mushrooms grows along the clearing's western edge.
A character who moves toward the clearing's western side sees a giant boar munching on the mushrooms. Like the elk in area Northwestern Clearing, the boar is angry and confused and initially attacks. If it's reduced to 10 hit points or fewer, it tries to flee into the bog.
Northern Outskirts
The boggy ground here feels firmer than at many of the other clearings, and flowering plants fill the area. It's a lovely, unexpected landscape within the marsh, as the delicate floral scents mix with those of peat and earth to perfume the air. This area is devoid of any creatures.
Loot: If the characters search this area, a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals an emerald-colored glint in the stamen of a large pink flower. This is an elemental gem (emerald), discarded or perhaps lost. If the characters speak to Witherbloom faculty members about it, the characters learn that no one has reported the lost item, so they're permitted to keep it.
Observation Hut E
A small hut with a thatched roof sits beside the wooden walkway that cuts through this large clearing. Two bulbous masses of fungus and vegetation grow in the southeast corner behind the building.
If a character approaches the southeast corner behind the observation hut, two brackish trudges animate. Like the elk in area Northwestern Clearing and the boar in area Northern Clearing, the trudges are initially hostile and attack. However, if a trudge is reduced to 20 hit points or fewer, it regains its senses and tries to flee.
Type
Brush
Location under
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