Haunted Woods
Based loosely on this GW2 event chain.
Strange lights have been seen in the woods near Rox. Those who have gotten close report spirits and a sense of foreboding overcoming them until they fled.
Upon approaching the place at night, they indeed see Spirits wandering the woods. They appear passive, although if interacted with they breathe a warning to turn back.
Deeper Story
The Ritualist (stat block lower down on this page) has tricked a small clan of dwarves into kidnapping young elves. Elves are chosen because of their innate magic, the young are taken because they have the longest lifespans ahead of them.
The Hook
If an elf is in the party, there's an attempt to kidnap them, which will fail if the player is at that session. The following morning after the attempt, some Lionguard will approach the party, asking if they've seen anything suspicious, and that several people had been taken from Lion's Arch. If it's inquired about they read off a list of names Which the party can either insight or come to their own conclusion of the targets. Whoever they are, they are specifically targeting elves. If the elf player happens to miss the session, they should come to the conclusion that the elf has been abducted.
A survival check (DC10) outside the compound spots horse tracks leading out towards the settlement, although as they follow it veers around the houses into the woods past them.
Deeper in the woods they find a woman dressed in dark wrappings, her eyes and hair covered by the cloth, alongside a small shrine to Dhuum and a brazier, with a crystal heart floating above the blue flames. The woman sees the party and immediately prepares to defend herself. She compels 3 of the spirits to defend her. Note that for balance, if the party is low-leveled, spirits only do 1d6, instead of 3d6 with their attacks.
| Stat | Score | Abilities | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP | 90 | ||
| AC | 15 | ||
| STR
DEX CON INT WIS CHA |
-1
12 0 3 1 1 |
Compel
Spirits |
The ritualist commands
2 nearby spirits to become hostile, joining the fight. |
| Legendary
Action: Spirit to Flesh |
The ritualist destroyes
one of the spirits, healing for twice the spirit's remaining health | ||
| Reaction:
spirit shield |
She compels a spirit to take an
attack for her. | ||
| Once the crystal is destroyed, she can
no longer compel the spirits, but any that she has under her control remain so. | |||
| Stat | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AC | 10 | The crystal cannot
be hurt by magical damage, but is weak to Bludgeoning. Any damage dealt to it is reduced by 5. |
| HP | 5 | |
| Damage
Threshold |
5 |
Aftermath:
Once the Ritualist is dead, the spirits are freed, passing into the afterlife. The party gains a level from the encounter. the Crystal Heart, or what's left of it, has no magic, but remains a valuable gem nonetheless. The shards can be sold for a sum of 300gp, or if repaired with mending over the course of a long rest, it becomes worth 1000gp to a discerning jeweler. On her body is found an emerald inlaid amulet