Quentin Lorekeeper Adventures · 005
Every Breath You Take
A hidden forest has stopped breathing. Enter Still Grove, test a desperate guardian’s failing solution, and break a cold-iron cage without letting its prisoner reach the Feywild.
Adventure Primer
Still Grove protects rare silver trees and a dormant Fey crossing. Ysra’s cold-iron ward stopped a corrupted wind spirit from crossing, but the cure is killing the grove and feeding the prisoner.
Adventure background
—called the Quiet Grove by local woodsfolk—occupies a low wooded rise east of the , several miles south of the and well north of . Fey magic bends attention and memory around the forest. Most travelers see scrub oak, a grassy ridge, or nothing worth remembering.
The enchantment protects groves of ancient . Their properly cured, wind-fallen wood readily holds enchantment, and craftspeople throughout the Sword Coast prize it for magical bows, wands, wind instruments, tool handles, and item cores. Without concealment, cutters could exhaust the grove in a season. is the only woodsman Aerdrie permits inside, and he takes only deadfall or storm-broken limbs marked by wind and white feathers.
At the forest’s heart, the oldest silver trees regulate a crossing to the Feywild. Their roots exist in both worlds. At dawn, reflections show another forest, flowers bloom out of season, and unseen birds sing through the mist.
Several weeks ago, a minor spirit of wind and passage reached the grove already corrupted. It attacked the crossing and twisted nearby beasts. , the grove’s mortal warden, could not destroy it. She drove cold-iron spikes into selected Fey-touched trees and built a cage around the crossing.
The ward stopped the creature. It also trapped corrupted magic inside the forest, poisoned the trees, and blocked the grove’s normal release of planar energy. The prisoner now feeds on the pressure of its own confinement. Still Grove is suffocating.
What really happened
- The was once a minor Fey spirit tied to wind and thresholds. The source of its corruption remains unknown.
- Ysra made a defensible emergency choice. Her ward prevented an immediate planar breach.
- The grove was hidden to protect its magic-bearing silver trees from exploitation; shielding the Fey crossing is a second purpose.
- Branch Feld is Aerdrie’s sole permitted woodsman. His knowledge gives the party a mundane route through the concealment.
- The outer spikes now trap corrupted beasts and stop natural wind. The four central spikes bar the crossing.
- Removing every spike at once would expose the Fey crossing while the Breath-Taker remains active.
- The safe solution is to release the outer ward in sequence, confront the spirit, and neutralize the four central anchors during the battle.
Adventure overview
| Chapter | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Wind Answers | Aerdrie recruits the party. Branch Feld can explain the Quiet Grove and guide the characters through its concealment. | 25–35 minutes |
| 2. The Breathless Wood | The party reads an outer ward and fights corrupted beasts that cannot leave the cage. | 35–45 minutes |
| 3. The Witch-Warden | Ysra explains her choice. Her maps expose the magical pressure the ward has created. | 30–40 minutes |
| 4. Letting the Grove Breathe | The party dismantles the outer ward in a skill challenge and chooses how much risk to take. | 25–35 minutes |
| 5. The Central Grove | The party defeats the Breath-Taker while removing four anchors that fuel its regeneration. | 40–55 minutes |
| 6. The First New Wind | The characters restore the grove, receive Aerdrie’s gift, and decide Ysra’s future role. | 15–20 minutes |
Adventure hooks
The chosen listener
If the party includes one or more elves, half-elves, druids, or rangers, chooses one of them as the listener. Prefer a character with an established tie to wind, birds, the Seldarine, the Feywild, or the protection of wild places. If several qualify, let the players decide which character first hears the stillness.
The seeking wind
If no character qualifies, Aerdrie’s sylph-like avatar appears to the whole party at dawn. She names Still Grove, asks for help, and sends a visible current of pale leaves south along the Coast Way. No character must adopt her faith or accept a personal destiny to continue.
The licensed woodsman
For a grounded lead—or whenever the party asks how to reach the grove—place at the Friendly Arm’s wood yard or beside a wagon on the Coast Way. He calls the place the Quiet Grove, knows why it is hidden, and can guide the characters to its boundary. Branch supplements Aerdrie’s charge; if the party missed or refused the divine message, his concern for Ysra and the silent forest is enough to begin the adventure.
Local signs
The party may also hear that birds avoid one stretch of the road, a courier lost half a day walking toward a stand of trees only a hundred paces away, or shepherds have found wolves staring east without making a sound. These signs reinforce the hook but are not required.
Running the adventure
Starting point. Begin at dawn on the Coast Way or outside the Friendly Arm. The forest lies east of the road and can be reached before midday. Branch may appear before or after Aerdrie’s message.
Level and rests. The adventure is written for four 4th-level characters. The party can take one short rest at Ysra’s cottage. A long rest inside the grove gives the Breath-Taker time to deepen the corruption. See “The grove’s breath” in chapter 4.
Necessary clues. Aerdrie’s wind or Branch’s directions always gets the party to the grove. The party always learns that iron harms the trees, the ward traps corrupted creatures, and the central anchors cannot be removed safely before the spirit is engaged. Checks reveal detail or advantages. A failed check never blocks the route forward.
Character agency. Aerdrie asks for judgment, not obedience. A chosen listener can reject the role. The avatar then addresses the group and asks whether anyone else will act.
Reward. Aerdrie offers to the character who takes responsibility for restoring the grove. The item is not restricted to a named character.
The Wind Answers
Aerdrie identifies a forest the road refuses to remember. Branch Feld offers a mortal account of its protected silver trees and a reliable path through the concealing enchantment.
1.1 The wind answers
Use the chosen-listener hook when a character qualifies. Otherwise, replace the final direction of Aerdrie’s attention with a look across the entire party.
The breeze fades. Grass stops moving. Leaves hang still, and the morning birds fall silent.
A single current of cool air circles the road. Pale leaves rise from the ground. White feathers tumble upward. Silver mist gathers between them until an elven woman takes shape in the moving air.
Her hair streams behind her like high clouds. Her feet do not touch the earth.
“There is a place near here where the morning cannot breathe. A guardian has bound a wound with iron. The wound remains.”
The avatar looks toward the chosen listener, if there is one, then points south.
“Find Still Grove. Learn what has been done there. Do not mistake a cage for a cure.”
The figure begins to scatter into mist. Her last words travel on a wind that moves south along the road.
“Listen before you judge.”
Appearance. The avatar is made from pale mist, wind, white feathers, and lifted leaves. Her hair moves like high cloud even after the road becomes still.
Roleplaying. Speak quietly and use short, exact statements. Aerdrie does not explain Ysra’s full mistake. The characters must listen to the guardian and inspect the ward.
What she knows. Still Grove is dying. Cold iron blocks its natural wind. A corrupted presence remains inside. Its silver trees and crossing must both be protected. She trusts Branch Feld to bring responsible help, but she does not know what first corrupted the Breath-Taker.
- DC 12 Intelligence (Religion): Identify the apparition as an aspect or messenger of Aerdrie Faenya. An elf, half-elf, or character familiar with the Seldarine has advantage on the check.
- DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana): Recognize that the avatar is a divine message carried by elemental air rather than a summoned creature.
1.2 Branch Feld, licensed woodsman
Use Branch when the characters seek local information, miss Aerdrie’s trail, or would benefit from learning why the grove is concealed before entering it. At the Friendly Arm, he is repairing a timber cart near the stable yard. On the Coast Way, he is tightening the same cart’s wheel beside a canvas-covered load.
A broad-shouldered man braces one boot against a wagon wheel and draws a pin into place with scarred hands. His axe is bound into its sheath with white cord. Beneath the wagon’s canvas, two fallen limbs show bark the color of tarnished silver.
He looks from the silent birds overhead to the white feathers caught in your gear.
“You’re looking for the Quiet Grove,” he says. “Question is whether you mean to help it or price it.”
Appearance. Branch is a muscular, sun-browned human with a short dark beard, powerful forearms, and scarred hands. He wears rolled green sleeves and keeps a white feather tied to his peace-bound axe.
Roleplaying. Use short, practical sentences. Branch studies how characters speak about the forest. Concern for people, animals, or living trees earns immediate trust; questions about yield, price, or ownership make him guarded.
Motivation. Branch wants capable help for Ysra and the grove, but he will not reveal enough for commercial cutters to return later. He calls the forest the Quiet Grove because even on healthy days its concealment swallows the road’s noise.
What Branch knows
- The Quiet Grove lies east of the Coast Way, several miles south of the Friendly Arm.
- Its Fey magic protects whose cured deadfall is used in magic items throughout the Sword Coast.
- Aerdrie permits him to take only wind-fallen or storm-broken limbs marked by a white feather or a sudden clean gust. He never cuts a healthy silver tree.
- The enchantment redirects attention and memory. Travelers who force a route circle back; an accepted guide can lead them to the boundary.
- Birds have abandoned the grove, Ysra has not met him at the boundary, and animals within make cries that carry no echo.
Guidance. If the characters appear willing to help, Branch guides them to the forgotten rise without a check. He leaves his axe and every other bare iron tool beneath his wagon’s false floor before approaching the boundary. He will enter only far enough to confirm the path, then remain outside so he does not add another life for Ysra to protect.
If threatened or convinced the party intends to harvest living silverwood, Branch withholds the exact route. Aerdrie’s wind still leads the characters forward, so this never blocks the adventure.
1.3 The forgotten rise
The wind leads several miles south, then pulls east. Characters who follow it or travel with Branch find the forest automatically. Characters searching without either guide must contend with the concealing enchantment.
The Coast Way stretches through open country, but the breeze keeps drawing east.
At first, nothing lies there but scrub and low hills. Then the wind turns. Open ground resolves into tree trunks. A rise that seemed half a mile away stands less than a hundred paces from the road.
Beyond it waits a forest that was not there a moment ago.
The concealing enchantment
The effect does not make Still Grove invisible. It redirects attention, distorts remembered distance, and nudges paths back toward the road. The ancient ward was raised primarily to protect the silver trees from harvesters; obscuring the Fey crossing is a welcome second defense.
- DC 15 Wisdom (Survival): Hold a true course by tracking wind, slope, and the position of the sun.
- DC 15 Intelligence (Nature): Notice that the same scrub oak and lichen-covered stone recur in a false loop.
- DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana): Determine that the magic alters attention and memory rather than creating a visual illusion.
On a failed search check, the party loses 30 minutes and returns to the same patch of road. After one failure, the chosen listener hears a whispered “east.” If no character was chosen, a white feather skims toward the hidden tree line. The second attempt succeeds without a check.
Dispel magic suppresses the enchantment in a 20-foot path for 1 minute. It does not remove the ancient effect.
1.4 Crossing the edge
The sound of the road disappears within a few dozen steps.
No breeze reaches beneath the canopy. Leaves hang motionless overhead. A feather falls from a branch and drops straight to the ground without turning once.
Somewhere deeper in the trees, an animal gives a short, strangled cry. Silence closes over it.
Regional effects
- Branches remain still even when wind moves beyond the forest.
- Insects crawl but do not fly.
- Birds repeat one broken phrase of song.
- Animals stare too long before fleeing.
- Dark veins show beneath healthy bark.
- Characters sometimes hear their own breathing louder than the forest around them.
Transition. A faint animal trail leads inward. The first cold-iron ward stands where the trail narrows between two white trees.
The Breathless Wood
An outer spike shows the ward’s cost. Corrupted beasts attack near the boundary, then reveal that the cage holds victims as well as a prisoner.
2.1 The first iron spike
An old white-barked tree stands beside the trail. A black iron spike as long as a dagger has been driven deep into its trunk.
The bark around the wound is gray and brittle. Red thread, a white feather, and a bundle of dried herbs hang from the battered iron head.
Checks and clues
Anyone examining the tree sees that it lives but is failing. The checks below add detail.
- DC 11 Intelligence (Nature): The tree is badly stressed. Its sap has receded from the wound as if avoiding the metal.
- DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana): The iron blocks Fey magic moving through the trunk and roots.
- DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine): Pulling the spike straight out would tear living wood. Loosening the bark and drawing it along the original channel limits the damage.
- DC 13 Intelligence (Religion): The thread, feather, and herbs are protective signs. The spike is a ward, not an offering or curse.
A chosen listener who touches the tree hears one word in a strained voice: “Held.” If no character was chosen, every creature within 5 feet hears the word as a breath through dry leaves.
Removing the spike. A character can remove it with a successful DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check or a DC 12 Intelligence (Nature) check made with a suitable tool. Magic that heals or manipulates plants succeeds. A careless failure deals 3 (1d6) slashing damage to the character and leaves the tree wounded, but the spike comes free.
2.2 Bound beasts
The attack begins when the party finishes examining the spike or moves 60 feet farther inward.
A branch breaks ahead.
Two wolves step from the undergrowth. Their eyes are milky white, and black veins crawl through the skin around their mouths. A bear pushes between the trees behind them, dark vapor slipping between its teeth with each breath.
None of the animals growl. They charge in silence.
Combat setup
For four 4th-level characters, use one corrupted and two corrupted . The bear begins 30 feet away. Each wolf begins 20 feet away on a different side of the trail. The party is not surprised unless every character failed to describe any watch or search after entering the grove.
Battlefield features
- Dense trunks. Two iron-spiked trees provide half cover. A creature can move through the narrow space between them only by squeezing.
- Roots and deadfall. Three 10-foot patches are difficult terrain.
- Outer boundary. The grove’s edge lies 50 feet west. A corrupted beast cannot willingly cross it.
- Ward trees. A creature adjacent to either spiked tree can use its action to remove the spike.
Enemy goals
The animals are frightened victims driven to expel intruders. They fight until incapacitated or until both nearby spikes are removed. They do not pursue a fleeing character beyond the outer ward.
Enemy tactics
The wolves use Pack Tactics against an isolated target. The bear attacks the nearest creature that harms a wolf. A beast that takes fire damage changes targets and attacks the source of the fire if it can.
Bound by the ward. A corrupted beast cannot willingly leave Still Grove. If forced across the boundary, it takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage and uses its next available movement to return.
Stolen breath. When a corrupted beast drops to 0 hit points, pale gray vapor leaves its mouth and races toward the center of Still Grove. A character sees this without a check.
Removing a spike. When a nearby outer spike is removed, a gust moves through the area and each corrupted beast has disadvantage on its next attack roll. If both spikes are removed, each beast must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw at the start of its turn or become incapacitated until the start of its next turn as the corruption loosens.
Adjusting the encounter
- Three characters or a depleted party: Use one wolf. The bear begins with 15 hit points.
- Five or six characters: Add one wolf.
- Seven characters or a strong party: Add two wolves. One enters from the rear at the end of round 1.
Aftermath
A beast reduced to 0 hit points by a melee attack can be knocked unconscious. A stabilized corrupted beast recovers 10 minutes after both nearby spikes are removed. Its eyes clear, the black veins fade, and it flees without attacking.
A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) or Intelligence (Nature) check confirms that the animals were altered by magic and remain otherwise natural. If every beast dies, the party still learns this from the retreating vapor and the bodies.
2.3 The pressure trail
Pale vapor and the first returning breeze point northeast. A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check finds prints from an elderly human, several repaired ward sites, and a narrow route to a clearing. On a failure, the party still reaches the clearing but crosses a breathless pocket. Each character must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or lose one Hit Die until the next short or long rest.
The Witch-Warden
Ysra defends the choice that stopped a planar breach. Her records prove the same ward now builds pressure around the Breath-Taker.
3.1 The root cottage
The trees open around a crooked cottage built beneath the roots of an enormous oak. Herbs hang below the eaves. Thin copper bells sway from strings, though no wind moves them.
An elderly woman stands beside a stone table. Rowan twigs, small bones, and feathers are woven through her white braid. She holds a wooden staff in one hand and a black iron spike in the other.
“If the wind sent you,” she says, “then it finally decided to stop complaining and do something useful.”
Setting
The cottage has one round room beneath living roots and a dry storage cellar. A stone table outside holds a map scratched into waxed boards. Inside are dried herbs, ceramic jars, wrapped iron tools, animal bones, mushrooms, feathers, and decades of notes. Nothing is valuable as ordinary treasure.
Appearance. Ysra has weathered skin, sharp green-gold eyes, and a long white braid. She wears layered wool, old leather, and a cloak stained with moss and smoke.
Roleplaying. She is suspicious, exact, stubborn, and dryly funny. She answers practical questions. She resists any claim that simply removing the iron would have been safe.
Motivation. Keep the corrupted spirit out of the Feywild and preserve enough of Still Grove for it to recover.
What she knows. The crossing is strongest at dawn. Cold iron disrupts the spirit. Corrupted beasts cannot leave the ward. The silver trees are dying. The inner ward must remain until someone can hold the spirit away from the crossing. Branch Feld normally meets her at the boundary, but she stopped answering him so the corruption could not use him as a path beyond the ward.
What she does not know. The sealed grove recycles the Breath-Taker’s corruption and lets it feed on increasing planar pressure.
3.2 A guardian’s answer
Ysra asks what the party has removed and whether any beasts survived. She is angry if the characters pulled every spike they saw without examining it. She is quiet, not grateful, if they spared the animals.
If accused of poisoning the grove, Ysra answers:
“I stopped it from crossing. I know that much.”
Ysra sets the iron spike on the stone table and looks toward the inner wood.
“But every morning since, this place has sounded less like a grove and more like a coffin.”
Running the conversation
- If the party listens, Ysra shows them the ward map without a check.
- If the party threatens her, she retreats into the cottage and uses entangle and fog cloud to escape through the root cellar. The adventure can continue from her notes, but she does not join the final battle.
- If the party removes a central anchor before speaking with her, the crossing surges. Add 10 temporary hit points to the Breath-Taker at the start of the final encounter.
- If the party proposes a controlled outer release, Ysra accepts the plan and admits that she needs help.
3.3 The ward map
The waxed boards show three rings: twelve outer spikes that contain corrupted creatures, eight inner spikes that distribute pressure, and four central anchors around the Fey pool. Crossed-out dates show that Ysra has moved spikes from dying trees.
The map automatically reveals the ward’s structure and the safe outside-in route. The checks below provide advantages in chapter 4.
- DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana): The inner ring stores and recycles planar energy. Gain one automatic success in the skill challenge.
- DC 13 Intelligence (Nature): The tree roots are trying to move energy toward the crossing but cannot. One character gains advantage on the first Nature or Medicine check in the skill challenge.
- DC 12 Wisdom (Insight): Ysra already believes the ward is failing and fears admitting that her only successful defense has become part of the threat. The party gains advantage on one Charisma check made to secure her help.
- DC 14 Intelligence (Religion): A prayer to Aerdrie can carry released pressure upward as wind. The first failed Religion check in the skill challenge becomes a success.
Rest and supplies
Ysra permits one short rest. She provides bitter tea and two poultices. A creature can apply a poultice during a short rest to spend one additional Hit Die. The poultices lose their potency after 24 hours.
Transition. Ysra wraps her remaining iron tools, takes up her staff, and leads the party toward the eight inner spikes.
Letting the Grove Breathe
The characters release the inner ward without breaking the central cage. Every careful removal restores the forest and weakens the final enemy.
4.1 The grove’s breath
Run this as a skill challenge requiring 4 successes before 2 failures. A character cannot use the same skill on consecutive attempts, and the party must describe how an approach helps remove, redirect, or heal a ward.
| Approach | DC | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (Nature) | 12 | Select a tree healthy enough to survive the next release. |
| Wisdom (Survival) | 13 | Trace the ward pattern and choose the correct next spike. |
| Intelligence (Arcana) | 13 | Redirect planar pressure through roots already touching the Feywild. |
| Intelligence (Religion) | 13 | Invoke Aerdrie or another nature deity to carry pressure upward as wind. |
| Wisdom (Medicine) | 12 | Open the bark around a spike and close the wound after removal. |
| Charisma (Persuasion) | 14 | Coordinate Ysra through a step she fears will expose the crossing. |
Appropriate magic. A creative use of druidcraft, lesser restoration, protection from evil and good, a spell that controls wind, or magic that restores plants grants one success. A spell can grant only one success unless it expends a spell slot of 3rd level or higher.
Success. Wind returns to part of the grove, leaves begin moving, and an overlapping Fey reflection becomes visible. For every 2 successes, the Breath-Taker begins the final encounter with 5 fewer hit points. With 4 successes and no failures, each character also gains 5 temporary hit points from the released wind.
Failure. Apply one complication from the table. Do not repeat a complication.
| Complication | Effect |
|---|---|
| Root lash | One acting character must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 4 (1d8) bludgeoning damage. |
| Breathless pocket | One acting character must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or have disadvantage on its next attack roll or ability check. |
| Fey echo | The acting character is frightened until the end of its next turn as the Feywild overlaps its position. |
| Ward surge | The Breath-Taker gains 5 temporary hit points at the start of the final battle. |
4.2 The choice at the last inner spike
After the fourth success or second failure, one inner spike remains. Removing it gives the party an open path to the central grove but alerts the Breath-Taker. Leaving it in place keeps the route narrow but preserves concealment.
- Remove it. The final battlefield has normal wind from the start. The party chooses its starting positions, but the Breath-Taker cannot be surprised.
- Leave it. The party can attempt a group DC 13 Dexterity (Stealth) check. On a success, the Breath-Taker cannot take reactions in round 1. The western 15 feet of the battlefield remain difficult terrain until the spike is removed after the battle.
4.3 Fey reflections
White-barked trees curve over the path. Their leaves show colors that disappear when viewed directly. Pools reflect a bright morning sky though the sun stands much higher.
A stag with flowering antlers watches between two trunks. Beyond it, distant towers rise where the forest should continue.
For the first time since entering the grove, a breeze touches your faces.
The stag, lights, distant towers, and enormous butterflies are harmless Fey reflections. They vanish if pursued. The breeze whispers “closer” to the chosen listener or to the character carrying the most removed iron spikes.
The Central Grove
The Breath-Taker draws strength from four central anchors. The party must fight the spirit and dismantle the last ward before its regeneration overwhelms them.
5.1 The threshold pool
The forest opens into a perfect circle. Ancient white trees rise like columns around a carpet of silver moss.
A shallow pool lies at the center. Its surface reflects none of you. Beneath the water waits another forest, impossibly green and lit by permanent dawn.
Four black iron spikes pierce the roots around the pool. Dark veins spread from each wound.
A tall shape gathers from ragged mist and dead leaves. Its face is a hollow opening. It draws in a breath, and every leaf in the grove bends toward it.
Roll initiative after placing the party at the western edge. Ysra begins beside one character unless she refused to accompany the group.
5.2 Combat: the Breath-Taker
Combat setup
The Breath-Taker begins 10 feet east of the pool and 40 feet from the party. Four ward spikes occupy the cardinal points around the pool. Three pale wind wisps hover 5 feet above the moss.
Battlefield features
- Clearing. The circular clearing is 90 feet across. The canopy is 40 feet high.
- Threshold pool. The pool is 20 feet across and 2 feet deep. It is difficult terrain. A creature that ends its turn in the water while a central spike remains must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or become charmed by the reflected Feywild until the end of its next turn. While charmed, it cannot willingly leave the pool.
- Ancient roots. The ring outside the pool provides half cover to a prone creature.
- Central anchors. Four cold-iron spikes fuel Stolen Dawn. A creature adjacent to one can use an action to remove or neutralize it.
- Wind wisps. Three trapped motes can be released for a short-lived benefit.
Enemy goals
The Breath-Taker tries to incapacitate the characters long enough to reach the pool after the last anchor falls. If it starts its turn in the pool with no anchors remaining, it begins crossing. A character must damage it or release a wind wisp before the start of its next turn to interrupt the crossing. If no one does, it escapes into the Feywild and the party fails the primary objective.
Enemy tactics
In round 1, the spirit uses Steal Breath against a spellcaster or the character nearest an anchor. It uses Gale Slip to cross the front line and force characters to turn away from the spikes. It attacks a character manipulating an anchor only when that character is within reach. Below half its hit points, it stays near the pool and uses cover from the roots.
Removing the central anchors
A creature adjacent to an anchor can use an action and choose one method:
- DC 13 Strength (Athletics): Pull the iron free by force.
- DC 12 Intelligence (Nature): Release the bark and roots without tearing the tree.
- DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion): Neutralize the anchor’s connection until the battle ends.
Appropriate Fey, druidic, restorative, or wind magic succeeds at the DM’s discretion. Whenever an anchor is removed or neutralized, the Breath-Taker takes 5 force damage and loses 1 point of AC until the start of its next turn. Once all four are gone, Stolen Dawn ends.
Releasing a wind wisp
A creature adjacent to a wisp can use an action and succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana, Nature, or Religion) check. On a success, the wisp disappears and the acting character chooses one effect:
- One creature gains advantage on its next attack roll.
- One creature regains 1d6 + 2 hit points.
- The Breath-Taker loses Suffocating Aura until the start of its next turn.
- The Breath-Taker cannot use Gale Slip or begin crossing until the end of its next turn.
On a failed check, the wisp remains and can be attempted again by another character.
Ysra in the battle
Ysra acts on initiative count 10. She does not take a full NPC turn. Choose one support action each round:
- Reinforce the grove. One character gains advantage on a check to remove an anchor.
- Warding chant. One creature gains advantage on its next saving throw against the Breath-Taker.
- Witchlight. Ysra makes one Witchlight Flame attack.
- Hold the crossing. The Breath-Taker cannot enter the pool until initiative count 10 of the next round.
Adjusting the encounter
- Three characters or a depleted party: Reduce the Breath-Taker to 52 hit points, remove its Choking Recoil reaction, and let each wisp heal 2d6 hit points.
- Five or six characters: Increase the Breath-Taker to 75 hit points and its Suffocating Aura to 15 feet.
- Seven characters or a strong party: Increase it to 88 hit points. At initiative count 20 in rounds 2 and 3, one character in the clearing must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be pulled 10 feet toward the pool.
Aftermath
At 0 hit points, the Breath-Taker uses Death Burst and then unravels.
The hollow shape shudders. Black leaves tear away first, then dark mist. Pale threads of stolen breath spill from its body and race upward through the branches.
For several seconds, the grove is silent.
Then Still Grove inhales.
Every tree moves at once. The pool ripples. Wind rushes outward through the forest in a warm, living wave.
If the Breath-Taker crosses instead, the grove still inhales and begins recovering, but the reflected forest below the pool darkens at its edge. Aerdrie does not award the necklace. Ysra asks the party to help pursue the creature through the crossing in a later adventure.
The First New Wind
The forest releases its corruption. Aerdrie gives one character a way to hear the wind, and Ysra remains to repair what the emergency ward damaged.
6.1 Tending the wounds
After the Breath-Taker is destroyed, the remaining iron can be removed safely. Ask one character to describe how the party tends the grove. Removing iron, pouring clean water over roots, planting something, casting druidcraft, speaking a prayer, or placing a hand against a wounded tree all work. No check is required.
If the party killed the corrupted beasts, new animal tracks appear at the grove’s edge within a day. If the party spared them, one recovered wolf watches from the trees before leaving.
6.2 Aerdrie’s gift
The wind circles the grove once. It returns carrying the smell of rain, pine, and distant flowers.
Silver mist gathers above the pool. Aerdrie’s avatar stands on the water without disturbing it. She looks at the recovering trees, then at Ysra, and finally at those who opened the cage.
“You listened before you judged. Keep listening.”
She opens one hand. A pale silver-blue chain rests across her palm.
Aerdrie gives the necklace to the character who took responsibility for restoring the grove. If the group prefers, she lets the party choose its bearer. An elf, half-elf, druid, or ranger is not required to use it.
6.3 Ysra’s resolution
Ysra remains Still Grove’s warden. She removes the unnecessary spikes and keeps several wrapped in her cottage for emergencies. If challenged, she says:
“A knife can cut a throat or cut someone free. The problem was never the iron. The problem was asking it to solve everything.”
Ysra treats the party as capable allies. She does not apologize for stopping the original breach, but she accepts responsibility for keeping the ward too long. She asks the party to bring her any evidence of where the Breath-Taker’s corruption began.
If Branch guided the party, he returns at the first clean birdsong. Aerdrie’s wind marks one storm-broken silver limb with a white feather, confirming that his permission remains. Branch takes the deadfall only after helping Ysra dress the nearest iron wounds.
Rewards
- Aerdrie’s Breath.
- Ysra’s friendship and access to Still Grove at dawn.
- Branch Feld as a trusted Coast Way contact for responsible craftspeople, woodland news, and safe passage to the grove’s boundary.
- Milestone advancement, if the campaign uses milestones and this adventure completes the level’s expected work.
- The party can always see Still Grove’s true location when traveling this stretch of the Coast Way.
Continuing the series
Still Grove can become a safe contact point for Fey lore, strange weather, herbs, magical plants, and unusual beasts. Its crossing can later provide access to the Feywild. Branch can introduce a future commission that requires a single piece of properly marked silverwood, while any attempt to steal living wood threatens both its enchantment and the party’s welcome. The unanswered source of the Breath-Taker’s corruption creates a future trail without delaying this adventure’s resolution.
Appendices
Complete table references for Branch, Ysra, the Breath-Taker, corrupted beasts, and Aerdrie’s gift.
Appendix 1: NPCs
Appendix 2: Stat blocks
Corrupted woodland creatures
Use the normal black bear and wolf stat blocks with these additions:
Visible Corruption. Gray-white eyes, black veins, dark vapor, barklike growth, or interrupted movement marks the creature.
Bound by the Ward. The creature cannot willingly cross the outer ward. If forced across, it takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage and attempts to return.
Stolen Breath. At 0 hit points, pale vapor escapes the creature and travels toward the central grove.
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