Saving Sprites

Player Buy-In

Over the last few weeks, your home has become a more dangerous place to live.
The weather has varied dramatically. In addition to the recent hail storms, wind storms, earthquakes, and fluctuations in gravity, there's been enough rain to flood the homes settled on the forest floor. Everyone, including the corgi familiars and mounts, have been relocated to the higher tiers of houses with the winged sprites.
The flora that would normally cause a tummy ache are now causing poisonous, sometimes even deadly, effects. If not for your town elder, these individuals would have been lost.
The fauna has grown in size and adapted to the environment.
You, yourselves, have developed new abilities as well.
As for your character, you've been in survival mode trying to take care of your community. Your skills have honed themselves at a faster rate than would normally be possible due to the conflux of magic and intense work performed over the last two weeks.
The town elder, Pyrantol, has noticed your abilities. They have asked you and three other sprites in your village to figure out what caused the changes. They are open to hearing your recommendations on how to proceed.

---

Note to GMs and Players:

I wrote this One-Shot with Pathfinder Second Edition in mind but left out some information so you can fit it into your game. The Encounters were created with Level 5 characters in mind, specifically those with the Sprite Ancestry.

---

Players, do not read past this point. Hope you enjoy the game!

---

GM Summary

Two notes, anything you need to know is located within this article. Any links provided are unnecessary for running this One-Shot but could provide a fun dive if you're interested in learning more about my world, Tarantellia.
The following story can be taken as guidelines. If you have a weather effect that you'd like to try out or if you party does not like spiders, feel free to change things up! Enjoy.

GMs! Click me for a brief Summary!

Two weeks ago, a medium-sized humanoid ran through the Arachnae Wilderness. (For perspective, your players are tiny, about 1 foot tall).
He was carrying what is referred to in Tarantellia as an artifact. It's a random stone that was naturally imbued with so much magic that it is now unstable.
This artifact affects the weather and everything living on the land.

Introduction to Your Players

My friends, thank you for coming to meet with me. As you know, something has changed in these woods. The weather, the plant-life, the animals, and even you have changed. I do not pretend to have any answers but I would value your input. I need each of you to go out, find whatever is causing these changes and report back so we can save our home.

— Pyrantol

Conversation with the Elder

Pyrantol will provide as many answers for the PCs as possible.

What is the source of the magic? What does it look like?

Unfortunately, they have not seen the artifact. To the best of their knowledge, it uses primal magics based on the types of effects occuring.

Which direction do we go?

The source of the changes appears to be in a North-West direction, about 3/4s of the way to the Webbed Temple. The PCs are familiar enough with the Webbed Temple to get their heading.

Note: If the players don't ask any questions, they may ascertain this information with checks. For example, a Nature check could tell them that the magic is Primal. On a high enough check, you could give them more information, like 'something must have been brought here from somewhere else.' If you want to provide them with Dubious Knowledge, you could tell them that magic is pouring out from the ground again.
Or, to move the story along, you can retcon and tell them Pyrantol would have told you... Feel free to pick what's best for your table!

Things they may find on their journey to the humanoid

Interesting Flora

Any plant enthusiasts in the group will be intrigued by some of the flora they find on their journey.
The fungi have changed. Edible fungi may provide interesting magic effects, like healing (1d6), improved skills (+1 to a skill check of the GMs choice), invisibility for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or another effect at the GMs discretion.
Other fungi will provide detrimental effects, like poison damage (1d6), a condition effect (blinded, confused, dazzled, enfeebled, frightened, sickened, slowed, or stupefied), or another effect at the GMs discretion.
If your players aren't interested in fungi, perhaps the bark on the trees have changed and could be used in a tea or some vines have changed colors or patterns and can be consumed. Either way, balance the positive and the negative. Have your players roll a medicine, nature, or survival check. DC 10-15

Absurd Weather

The players could run into some weather effects on their journey. There are a couple of things that the players may realize during this stretch of the journey: 1) they will need to work as a group to get through their journey; 2) this artifact is incredibly powerful and dangerous.
GM: You can run these effects with either individual or group checks in mind. Do what feels best for your table. Please keep in mind that sprites begin with a lower strength than other races.

Weather Effects

Rain

An intense and flooding rain pours down through the trees. The players will need to decided quickly (within 3 rounds) how to protect themselves. Athletics (Swim (DC 15) or Climb (DC 15)) or Acrobatics (DC 15) Check

Wind

Wind quickly streams through the woods away from the artifact, pushing the players back. To continue pushin forward, the players will need to perform successful Athletics (DC 15) or Survival (DC 20) checks. Each failure adds an extra 30 minutes to their journey.

Hail

Beads of ice begin flying through the air. Everybody needs to make a Reflex Saving Throw for 3 rounds.
On a critically failed save, the player take 6d6 cold damage
On a failed save, the player take 4d6 cold damage.
On a successful save, the player take no damage.
On a critically successful save, the player may halve the damage taken by another player.
The players may surrender their save to make a shelter with a Crafting (DC 15), Nature (DC 15), or Survival Check (DC 12). If 3 or more successfully make a shelter in the first round, all damage is reduced to half.

Earthquakes

The ground begins to shake and some trees begin to fall. Make a Survival Check (DC 15). If critically successful, the player may choose someone who failed their check to move up one step. If anyone has still failed, they make a Reflex Saving Throw. If they critically fail, take 4d8 damage from a fallen tree. If they fail, take 4d6 damage. If they succeed, take no damage. If they critically succeed, they may choose someone who failed their check to move up one step.

Gravity Fluctuations

The sprites may fly or run (the corgis may run) faster or slower than they normally do. Up may not feel up. No checks required unless on a time crunch.

Humanoid Scene

You approach a clearing. It's eerily quiet almost like the canopy is waiting with baited breath. The ground is cracked covered with blood stains of something being dragged. But the stain stops suddenly then disappear. You see a faint strand of something shimmering, too faint to be a rope. Following it, you look up and see a massive web. The body of whoever was here before you is dead and secured to the web.

A medicine check would tell the players that the person in the web (who is 2 sizes larger than them) died 3 days ago.
A nature check would tell them that (DC 10) the web belongs to an Ogre Spider, (DC 15) who is not here at the moment, (DC 20) but will return shortly.
If they detect magic, they're able to ascertain which stone is mundane versus the artifact.
If they look around the area, they'll find a container that can be used to store the artifact for safe transportation. However, the container is damaged.
They can try to take the time to mend the container or they can head home as is.
If they take more than 10 minutes, cause a ruckus, or touch the web, battle with an Giant Green Lynx Spider ensues.

Giant Green Lynx Spider - creature 5

NLARGEANIMAL

Giant Green Lynx Spiders dwell deep in the Arachnae Wilderness near the Webbed Temple. They tend to feed on smaller animals but have been known to prey on medium sized creatures. Opaque black dots and and spikes cover their translucent yellow and green legs. Their carapace is a vibrant green. Males have narrow green abdomens while the females have round green abdomens with brown or white accents. Creature created with the Giant Tarantula (Bestiary, PF 2e) and Ogre Spider (Bestiary 2, PF 2e) as templates. It has physical traits of the Green Lynx Spider (peucetia viridans).
Perception	+13
Skills	Acrobatics +13, Athletics +13
STR +6 , DEX +4 , CON +4 , INT -5 , WIS +2 , CHA -4
AC	23
Saving Throws	Fort +15, Ref +13, Will +9
HP	70
Speed	30 feet, climb 30 feet
Melee	fang +15 (+10, +5), 2d8+8 piercing plus Giant Green Lynx Spider Venom leg +17 (+12, +7) (reach 10 ft), 1d12+8 bludgeoning
Special Abilities	Giant Green Lynx Spider Venom: (poison) Saving Throw Fortitude DC 20; Maximum Duration: 10 rounds; Stage 1: 1d6 poison (1 round Stage 2: 1d6 poison, flat-footed, and clumsy 1 (1 round Stage 3: 1d6 poison, flat-footed, and clumsy 2; Stage 4: 1d6 poison and enfeebled 1 (1 round). Eerie Flexibility A Giant Green Lynx Spider can fit through tight spaces as if it were a Medium creature. While Squeezing, it can move at its full speed.
Web Sense: The Giant Green Lynx Spider has imprecise tremorsense to detect the vibrations of creatures touching its web.

Return Home

Upon returning home, the players have a decision to make. Do they suggest to the elder that the community...
...Leave the artifact alone, it's too dangerous to touch. We should move our community elsewhere.
...Destroy the artifact.

Show spoiler

Destroying the artifact is impossible to do unless another artifact is utilized. Even so, it's more likely that their homes would be destroyed instead.

...Get rid of the artifact, it's too dangerous to keep here. Send us or another group into the woods to relocate the artifact somewhere else.
...Contain the artifact, it's too dangerous to keep active but also too dangerous to allow it to exist.

Show spoiler

The damaged container can prevent some of the adverse side affects but may not prevent all of them.

...Bring the artifact home and use it. Yes, it might cause some problems but perhaps it could also provide strength.

Show spoiler

For the sake of this One-Shot, bringing it home won't cause an immediate problem. If you decide to vingette into the future, there might be some problems with this idea.

...Or something else? Use these options as guidelines to help you determine what occurs.
If you happen to run this One-Shot, let me know what happened! Maybe it will even affect future events in Tarantellia.

Tarantellia, The Claw Continent

Open full size

Major Characters

Pyrantol (they/them)

The town elder. Their primary motivation is keeping the town safe. While older, they're still sharp and do not suffer fools. They value the PCs input and hope to ascertain whether the community can stay or needs to leave.

Inspiration for Arachnae Wilderness

...yes, this was a backyard. No, the fences don't exist in the Arachnae Wilderness.

Green Tree

Growth

Ivy on Abandoned Cement Building

Leaning Tree 1

Leaning Tree 2

Mushroom

Mushroom Cluster

Reaching Trunk

Nearly horizontal tree leans across the land

Sapling

Split Tree

Maps for the One-Shot

Unfortunately, I did not draw up the maps in time. Here's a placeholder image in the meantime.

Still Weaving

Still Weaving

Still Weaving