Knights of the Order of the Blackthorn

Something is stirring in the Greatwoods. Beyond the Mossy Downs, across the Skipping River and through the Black Brambles, a darkness is spreading. It climbs all it finds, seeping into the bark of Ash and Birch, swallowing the vivid grass and poisoning the Wellspring. The protectors of the realm, the great and noble Knights of the Order of the Blackthorn, have set out to seek the cause of this oncoming shadow and to stop it from reaching the heart of the Greatwoods.
This one-shot has a cozy, earthy feel similar to Narnia with a hint of Arthurian adventure thrown into the mix. It is based on the "A Familiar Problem" one-page RPG which can be downloaded for free here. Much of the description is designed to be read aloud, but GMs can take the settings presented and formulate their own descriptions instead to create a different narrative tone. Description is indicated by italics. Regular script is information for the GM alone. This one-shot is designed for 3-5 players.

The Wellspring

The moon is high, a large full disk cascading silvery light upon the Greatwoods. Starlight dances with the wind through the gently rustling leaves, skipping and twirling down to cast ripples over the large pool of crystal clear water. They run to the edges of the pool, lapping the lush grass at the edge where a dragonfly perches on a long stem. The dragonfly rests, motionless as it is pulled by the gentle breeze, this way and that. It waits, the blade of grass it sits on barely bending beneath its miniscule weight. Its wings catch the starlight in their gossamer nets, tenderly weaving the light into delicate rainbow fractals.
A sudden movement in the grass behind it causes it to skitter away over the surface of the pool in search of a quieter spot to wait until dawn. A stag, as tall as a holly tree, steps into the clearing by the pool. Its vast, many-pronged antlers are draped in moss and vines. Fireflies flit in and out of the foliage, a glowing crown for the King of the Greatwoods. Behind him follow a large number of different woodland creatures. Snuffling, slinking, scurrying, they spread out around the pool known as the Wellspring to hear their King speak.

"Friends, it warms my heart to see so many of you here this night, though I fear I cannot bring you the warm news you seek. A darkness has once more entered the Greatwoods. Mial Magach, the sorceress, has been spreading a sickness across the northern lands. It chokes the leaves, swallows the grass, even threatens the lives of us beasts. I have called upon the bravery of our most noble Knights, whose mighty deeds have already inspired great bard's tales. The Order of the Blackthorn shall set forth this very hour to stop the spread of Mial Magach's darkness. I, sadly, cannot take my place amongst them as I once did, but rest assured that each and every one of these brave souls holds enough courage in them to vanquish any evil that threatens our lands. We honour them now, and send them forward with all our hope to light their path."

This is the chance to introduce your player characters! Give some description of their woodland surroundings as they set off on their adventure, leaving some room for roleplay if your table is so inclined before giving the description of the first challenge. Throughout the challenges players should be encouraged to find creative solutions to the problems before them. Reward novel ideas, allow players to find specific items they may look for and utilise appropriate stat rolls to see if they can pull it off!

The Mossy Downs

As you wander through the night, you are accompanied by pixies. They carry lanterns that fill the air with a soft yellow light. The gentle glow soon falls upon a great swathe of more open woodland, carpeted in a sea of bright green moss. The light, springy surface is delightful to walk across, or even for smaller creatures to burrow through.
Halfway across the downs, you are suddenly plunged into darkness as the pixies scatter into the trees far above you. Wondering what could have caused such panic amongst the spirits, you catch a scent on the air. Wet fur and muddy paws. A twig cracks in front of you as a large shape, similar to that of a fox but much bulkier, steps into the clearing. Its snout is shorter than a fox, its fur much darker and sleeker, like that of an otter's. Its tail is upright and swaying from side to side, and in its mouth is a large stick. The shape stops moving in the moment it sees you, the stick drops from its mouth and a low growl emanates from the back of its throat.
Characters can try to fight the dog, scare it off or communicate with it. If they attempt the latter, they will find it unable to speak their woodland language, but a high clever check will allow for communication of ideas through other means. The dog will be particularly interested in chasing any small amphibians or mammals, while large mammals will be more able to scare it off. Once they have successfully neutralised the dog, move onto the next encounter.

The Skipping River

Soon enough you come into sight of the Skipping River. A fast flowing stream hops from moss-covered boulder to mounds of multicoloured pebbles. It roars as tiny, blue-glowing water nymphs leap and hop across the white foam-flecked surface of the river. The banks are covered in lush green grasses before falling steeply where the water has washed away the side of the bank. An old, bent willow tree on the far bank leans across the river as if stooping its shaggy boughs to drink from it. Your path lies across the other side of the river, but no immediate crossing appears visible.
Birds will have no trouble as they can fly over, but should be encouraged to aid the rest of their team across. Amphibians are able to swim, but the currents here are very strong. Mammals will have the most difficulty crossing the river. Once all the characters are safely across the river, start the next encounter.
The gnarled willow tree suddenly shifts, its great long leafy branches swaying as it moves. It turns to face you, the wrinkled bark on its trunk forming an ancient face. Kind, deep-set eyes glowing a vibrant green stare out of their sunken sockets. A long, narrow nose twists up between them, the bark below it splitting open in a wide smile as a deep rumbling voice chuckles to itself from deep within the tree.

"Well, young Knights, you have made it across the Skipping River, and in fine style I might add. Your bravery is to be commended! I am Old Man Willow, the guardian of the river. I have information about the sorceress you seek that may help you defeat her. She grew up here, you see, and so is unused to very dry conditions. At least some of her skin must remain wet so she can breathe properly. If you can find a way to dry her out, it may give you an advantage against her magic. Good luck on the rest of your quest brave Knights, and do be sure to stop again on your way back through!"

Players may wish to ask follow up questions of Old Man Willow and should be free to do so. He has no further information on Mial Magach, but can answer questions about other sections of the journey ahead. Once they have finished their discussion with Old Man Willow they should set off again for the next encounter.

The Black Brambles

Following along the trail, the sound of the river slowly recedes into the background before becoming too faint to hear. As you travel, you notice the canopy above you becoming thicker, the light from the stars no longer peeking out from the foliage, the moon hiding its shine. The trees grow taller and closer together, becoming more gnarled and twisted as you keep moving forward. After a time it is almost too dark to see, even for your keen animal eyes. You realise that before you is a deeper blackness within the dark surrounding you. As you move up to it hairs and feathers stand up on the back of your necks, not from cold on this warm summer's night, but from dread. Dark brambles stretch up in a wall in front of you. Thorns as long as a badger's claws grasp out at you, a deadly tangled knot that bars your path.
Small mammals will have little problem squeezing through the brambles, but larger mammals and birds will have difficulty not getting caught on the thorns. Once they have made their way through the brambles, start the next encounter.
As you emerge, scratched and bleeding from muzzle and paw, you blink in the returned light of the stars. As you look up into the once more sparse and gently swaying canopy, you catch a deep rasping call on the wind. A raven swoops down to land before you on the ground. Its eyes appear blind with white cataracts, its feathers shining in oil-slick blues, greens and purples. It beckons you closer with one massive wing, before speaking in a harsh feminine voice.

"I am Orna. I have watched your journey with interest from afar. Mial Magach was a pupil of mine many years ago, but her interest in dark magics soon outgrew the powers of good I could teach her. I offer two things. One, this piece of advice. If you can force her to leave her home her power will be diminished. Two, this crystal orb. It will be able to contain her, but only if she is sufficiently weakened first. Try to capture her too soon, while she still has too much power, and the crystal will begin to crack. If you fail 3 times the orb will shatter, and you will have to find another way to contain her. I cannot aid you further I am afraid. Mial Magach put up protective charms preventing me from entering her home a long time ago. I will be watching from afar."

Mial Magach's Stump

As you continue to move into the night, you start to notice the colour bleeding out of the world around you. The grass becomes less green. The bark on the trees you pass begins to peel away from the wood beneath it. Dark mushrooms of all shapes and sizes pop up out of the black dirt, some emitting dark grey spores that fill the air with a musty, toxic scent. You all get a shock as you come across the carcass of some small rodent, unidentifiable through the black ooze that coats its body. More and more of this black slime appears as you move on carefully, tendrils of it reaching out from a colossal old tree stump that sits upon a great mound. The stump is covered in dark moss and mushrooms that drip, drip, drip the black ooze from their pointed caps. On one side of the giant stump is a great door made from wobbly yew planks that leak candlelight through the gaps.
Players may choose whether they knock on the door, burst in or do something else. Mial Magach will not exit her stump willingly at this stage, but will open the door to them.
The inside of the hut is drenched in candlelight. The smell of beeswax dripping onto wet moss fills your noses, along with the unmistakable scent of rotting leaves and flesh. Shelves line the walls of the stump, cluttered with all sorts of objects. Books, candles, acorns, conkers, dried woodland flowers, a whole shelf dedicated to different animal skulls. The floor is carpeted in a thick layer of damp moss, and in the centre squats an enormous toad. Her skin appears slick with the water and slime she lives in, covered in bumps and warts. She squints at you with sickly pale yellow eyes that have narrow, horizontal pupils. It is difficult to tell whether she has simply sunk into the deep mossy floor or whether the moss and slime have begun to grow upon her. In her hand is an ooze-covered yew wand, and upon her head is a large dripping mushroom cap. Mial Magach awaits.
Players must work out a way to weaken Mial Magach using the information they know. They must figure out a way to dry her skin, and a way to get her to leave her stump. Players may try to contain her before this point. If neither weakening mechanic has been used, it is impossible to contain her. If one has been used, the difficulty number for a check to contain her is 10. If both have been used it is 7. The skill used is based on how they are trying to use the orb (throwing it, extending the magic within etc).
If the players attack Mial Magach directly (rather than trying to trick or persuade her) then Mial Magach has two tricks up her sleeve:

1. Mial Magach will change form under the cover of a temporary mist to match one of the party members. It is up to the players to determine which is their real party member and which is Mial Magach.
2. Mial Magach will reach out with her magic and attempt to destroy the characters' tokens of home. Each character must roll a clever check to try and contend the magic. If they roll lower than a 7 then their token is destroyed and they take 2 stress points.

Once the players have Mial Magach contained, continue to the conclusion.

Conclusion

As you all stare at Mial Magach, she appears to shrink before your eyes, becoming smaller and smaller until she slides into the glass orb. You all gather around the orb, breathing heavily and staring at the very small, very angry toad that is currently sat inside of the orb. As you watch her, the first rays of the dawn begin to peek through the shadowy trees. Golden light hits the ancient stump, and at its touch the black slime begins to disappear. The inky mushrooms seem to shrink back into the surface of the wood, as if growing in reverse. The trees around you stand up taller as bright green leaves begin to grow at rapid speed along the lengths of their branches. The Greatwood starts to heal itself.
Under the new light of day, you make your way back to the Wellspring. A great number of beasts and spirits await your arrival, including Old Man Willow and the raven Orna. You move through the route for a parade that has been formed in the crowd. Pixies dance with dandelion clocks, mice and squirrels throw cherry blossom confetti. A young badger tugs on his mother's pelt as you pass and says "Mummy, I want to be a Knight when I grow up!" King Elaphus awaits you at the edge of the Wellspring. You kneel before the king, presenting the crystal orb before him as he speaks in a voice for all the newly hushed crowd to hear.

"Great and noble Knights of the Order of the Blackthorn. I cannot thank you enough for your service to our kingdom. You have placed yourselves at great personal risk in order to save this land. We are forever in your debt, but in a small attempt to repay a little of that debt please accept these tokens." A water nymph appears before each of you. Each bears a necklace with a glistening river pebble, and as they bestow these gifts upon you, you feel much of your strength returning to you, along with a slight tingle in your paws or feet. "May these bring swiftness to your stride and strength to your limbs. Now go and be merry, enjoy this golden day. Any danger that threatens our home again should know of the bravery and strength of the Knights of the Order of the Blackthorn."

Credits:

• A Familiar Problem - RPG system created by Marisha Ray and designed by Grant Howitt
• Article cover image - Nicole Sochor
• Spotify playlist- created by the author, music compiled from various artists and freely available on Spotify

All other work is created by the author. Feel free to play through this one-shot at your table, but please do not use any of the specific details for commercial use.

Character Creation

All characters are Knights of the Order of the Blackthorn, and therefore should take the title of Sir or Lady.
There are four categories of woodland creature you can choose to play. Each has their own mechanical differences (much like races in D&D). Simply chat with your GM about which category the creature you wish to play would fit into!

• Small mammals (e.g mice, hedgehogs, squirrels): Clever +0, Fierce +1, Sly +2, Quick +2. BREAK: Vengeance
• Large mammals (e.g foxes, badgers, deer): Clever +1, Fierce +2, Sly +2, Quick +0. BREAK: Fury
• Small amphibians (e.g frogs, newts, salamanders): Clever +2, Fierce +0, Sly +2, Quick +1. BREAK: Betrayal
• Small birds (e.g robins, blackbirds, starlings): Clever +3, Fierce +1, Sly +0, Quick +1 BREAK: Delusions of Grandeur

Tokens of Home

Each character should have a trinket that they carry with them as a symbol of home. It may have been a gift from a loved one, or simply something that reminds them of the Wellspring. Players should discuss this with the GM during the character creation stage. Examples are given below (players may roll on the table, but should craft a connection between their character and the object for themselves).

1. An acorn necklace
2. A leaf hat
3. A feather tucked behind the ear
4. A woven grass armband
5. A pondweed cloak
6. A flower braided into their fur

Pocket Magic adjustments

A couple of small adjustments have been made to the Pocket Magic spells available to be chosen by the characters in order to fit with the game setting.

• Speak with object becomes speak with plant - the flowers listen, and now they talk back.
• Summon horse becomes summon sprite - a small wood sprite appears. It is able to carry things and annoy people. 

Playlist for ambient music

I have created a Spotify playlist designed to be used with this one-shot. There is a simple 2-hour ambience that fits the tone well at the start, but if you want more nuanced ambience then the rest of the playlist is organised into sections. Each section fits a scene in the one-shot, and the sections are split by One second of silence. If you get to the end of a section's available music before your players have finished the corresponding theme, simply restart that section of the playlist.

The first song in each section and their corresponding scenes are as follows:

• The Wellspring - A Celtic Lore 
• The Mossy Downs - The Druid Giant
• The Skipping River - Charon's Burden
• The Black Brambles - Unsanguine
• Mial Magach's Stump - Black Swamp
• Conclusion - reuse the section used for the Wellspring, starting with A Celtic Lore