Thurstle Island: Old Forest

The Old Forest fills the lowland interior of Thurstle Island. Travel between the clifftop locations around the perimeter of the island usually has to pass through the forest. 

The trees of this wood are crowded, gnarled and tired. Their creak and rustle hide other noises and it is easy to be surprised when moving along the paths. The trees are not friendly to visitors and many of the plants (from an older post) that live under them are deadly in their own right. 

How it Works

This is the central "blob" of the Thurstle Island map. It is a pathcrawl maze. Player characters will need to find routes through the wood in order to reach other parts of the island. 

• Most of the nodes are features of interest that are useful or interesting rather than dangerous.
• Conflicts and obstacles are concentrated on the paths. The first time, player characters travel across them they will trigger the keyed encounter. 
• If they find a way to placate the Druids, many of the more dangerous encounters will be avoided.
• Once the PC's have visited a node, they can "fast-travel" there with a single wandering encounter role
• DM Note: When moving over paths that have already been explored, any encounters that come up will be designed for quick resolution i.e. Druids throw javelins then flee into the woods. I don't want to bog down our gaming time re-hashing the same territory. 
• Many of the node locations contain stele (drawn in on the map) . These will reveal useful parts of the island's history and give clues on how to defeat the boss enemies. They will also grant XP bounties when discovered.

Over the Garden Wall

Factions in the Forest

The Druids

Of the human factions on the island, the Druids have been here the longest. They control travel through the woods and trespassers are met with ingenious traps and barrages of javelins from hidden ambushes.

The Druids venerate the old gods (Woden, Ulric, Mab etc.) but their worship is focused on the island's landvættir spirit, a guardian installed by Ulric to maintain the Twisted Wyrm's barrow-prison. 

• Locked in conflict with the cult based in the NW corner of the island.
• Tense truce with the Gothic settlers in Covetown. Conflict around the settlers harvesting wood  and facing Druid attacks has been stopped (at least for now) and the settlers are forbidden from entering the forest.
• The thegns of Cove Town pay tolls to the Druids to pass through the forest and plunder the Ancient City on the North side of the Island.
• Separately, the Smugglers pay passage through the wood to bring contraband from their hidden harbor into Cove Town. 

The Smugglers

The Smugglers maintain a small tree fort (mini-dungeon) within the SW corner of the forest. It protects the path to the caves where they bring in cargo (mapped/keyed dungeon) and they heavily patrol the area. 

• The Tree Fort is a mini-dungeon suspended in branches above the path. Arrows and javelins will rain down on any unauthorized party trying to pass.
• Smugglers carrying cargo will sometimes be found on the paths between the Caves. 
• The thegns buy contraband imported by the Smugglers but do not know where their stronghold is or how they get cargo onto the island. 

The Cult

Years ago, the Twisted Wyrm invaded the dreams of some among the Druids and thegns and recruited them to seek its restoration. Cast out of their communities for their new, heretical beliefs, they hide in the rocks to the northwest and wage a guerrilla war against the forest Druids. 

• The cult is corrupting trees and animals in the forest to fight on their behalf. Those affected by their influence turn black and sometimes begin to grow scales.
• The cult has spies in Cove Town that keep them appraised of events, gather resources and recruit new members.
• Visitors to the island who are neither members of the Gothic faith nor servants of the old gods are likely to be approached and recruited. Often they'll be hired. 

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