TEXT:  
   
   
  RIVERAXE 
  VILLAGE 
  
   
  2 
   
  Riveraxe village 
   
  Rumours & Hooks: 
  The Riveraxe barbarians of the old forest are the 
  unmatched masters of herbalism in the midlands. 
  They have a place of special importance amongst 
  the tribes. 
   
  Mistress Rhea, a herbalist from Crow’s Keep, 
  wants an order of rare herbs and poultices 
  collected from Riveraxe village in Drennor 
  Forest. She offers her expert services in return for 
  completing this task. 
   
  Lord Bergolt of Northgate is dying of the White 
  Ash Rot. He believes the healers of Riveraxe 
  village in Drennor Forrest have a cure for him, 
  and is willing to pay handsomely to get it.  
   
  The Tribe 
  Few forest tribes have the luxury of settling in one 
  area, but the small (less than 100 members) 
  Riveraxe tribe have earnt themselves a permanent 
  home by becoming experts in herbalism.  
   
  The larger tribes rely on their secret skills for rare 
  healing remedies, and the Riveraxe clan stay out 
  of the various blood feuds and turf wars that 
  erupt from time to time, maintaining a scrupulous 
  neutrality.  
   
  Unfortunately for the tribe, a plague of giant tree 
  spiders have decimated their ranks and taken 
  over the area. By the time the adventurers arrive, 
  the spiders have eaten most of the barbarians, 
  and cocooned the remainder in a handful of huts.  
   
  The village appears strangely quiet. If the 
  adventurers study the area before entering, they 
  notice no voices or people moving about the 
  huts, and there is no challenge by any sentries at 
  their approach. If they arrive at night, there are 
  no cook fires or light sources visible. 
   
  A successful Perc (Detection) Test also notices 
  that there are few birds or other game in this area, 
  which is unusual. 
   
  Unlike most giant spiders, the tree spiders do not 
  build obvious webs. Instead, they lurk high in the 
  trees, waiting to drop their webs on unsuspecting 
  victims. After a successful hunt, the spiders gather 
  up their silk, which is re-absorbed and reused. 
   
  Although there is no obvious webbing, an 
  adventurer carefully studying the trees might 
  notice stray strands of black silk (caught on a tree 
  branch, tangled around a protruding root, etc) 
  with a successful Perc (Detection) test at 
  disadvantage. 
   
  100 ft up in the trees, behind trunks and in the 
  shadows of the thick canopy, the spiders wait with 
  nets of silk to catch their next meal. Areas 1–4 on 
  the map (p.3) indicate the trap sites. There are 
  2d4 spiders at each site.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Giant Tree Spiders 
  No. Appearing: 3d4 
  Armor Class: 13 
  Hit Dice: 3+1 
  Attacks: Bite (1d6+1 + poison) 
  Nat 19: special 
  S:14 D:16 C:12 I:2 P:12 W:10 Ch:4  
  Luck: 6 
  Move: 50 ft and may climb walls, ceilings, etc 
   
   
  
   
  3 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Male Giant Tree Spiders are 7 ft long, 
  camouflaged like the leaves and branches they 
  hide within (+2 bonus on hide checks). They 
  display basic teamwork and hunt in packs, 
  stalking their prey from the high branches before 
  dropping 5 ft nets of black silk.  A Luck (Dex) 
  save is required to prevent becoming entangled 
  and helpless. On their turn, a trapped victim may 
  spend an action to attempt to break free (an 
  opposed Str check vs Str 17). On a natural 19 
  attack roll, the victim is subject to a web attack. 
   
  The spider’s poisonous bite causes 1d2 Con loss 
  (a Luck (Con) save resists). An adventurer 
  reduced to zero Con falls into a coma, and  is 
  later eaten or used to lay eggs in. An adventurer 
  has a 25% chance of harvesting 1d3 doses of 
  poison from a dead spider.  
   
  The spiders have strands connecting all of the 
  trap sites, enabling them to signal each other. 
  Once an ambush is triggered at one site, the 
  spiders at the next closet site will converge on the  
  Map 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  same area in 1d4+1 rounds, and so on, attacking 
  the party in four waves.  
   
  If the male spiders are defeated, there remains 
  one other threat to contend with: high in the 
  trees, in the very uppermost canopy, sleeps the 
  female brood mother. This horrific beast is 15 ft 
  long, and takes 3d4 rounds to awaken after the 
  last set of male spiders signals her.  
   
  The brood mother is a canny, ancient creature, 
  and will observe the party before deciding what to 
  do.  
   
  If the party appears badly wounded, or splits up, 
  she will attempt to pick off individuals with her 
  web hooks, hoisting victims into the canopy to 
  face her alone.  
   
  If the party appears strong, and stays together, she 
  will attempt to avoid them whilst she sneaks 
  through the branches. If she gets the opportunity, 
  she will seek to retrieve some of her eggs and/or 
  baby spiders from the huts.  
   
  
   
  4 
   
  Brood Mother  
  No. Appearing: 1 
  Armor Class: 12 
  Hit Dice: 14 
  Attacks: Bite (1d10+1 + poison) 
  Nat 19: special 
  S:18 D:16 C:16 I:4 P:12 W:15 Ch:5  
  Luck: 13 
  Move: 50 ft and may climb walls, ceilings, etc 
   
  The Brood Mother is 15 ft long, possessed of sly 
  cunning and often hunts in packs with her smaller 
  males. As an action, she may drop web hooks 
  onto a target below her, hoisting them up into the 
  trees at a rate of 60 ft per round (a Luck (Dex) 
  save resists). Such a victim is not entangled, but 
  cannot move away from the monster without 
  spending an action to cut themselves free 
  (requires a Dex check). The brood mother 
  makes Off Turn Attacks. 
   
  On a natural 19 attack roll, the brood mother 
  leaps onto the target, crushing it beneath her bulk 
  and forcing a roll on the Injuries & Setbacks 
  table.  
   
  The brood mother’s poisonous bite causes 1d6 
  Con loss (a Luck (Con) save at a -2 penalty 
  resists). An adventurer reduced to zero Con falls 
  into a coma, and is later eaten or used to lay eggs 
  in. There is a 25% chance of harvesting 1d3 
  doses of poison from a dead female.  
   
  The Huts 
  If the party investigates the huts, roll 1d8 to 
  determine what is inside: 
   
  (1) 1d4 cocooned tribe members, each with 
  a 50% chance of being a corpse 
  implanted with eggs or 6 inch baby 
  spiders. Otherwise the victim is still alive. 
     
  (2) A ramshackle hut of broken furniture, 
  shelving and rugs: nothing of value.  
   
  (3) Amongst the ruins are 1d4 clay pots of 
  healing poultices. The poultices have a 
  50% chance of curing any disease or 
  restoring lost Str, Dex or Con, within 1d4 
  days.  
   
  (4) 1 x Carry Loot (LFG p.136) stashed 
  under a fur rug.  
   
  (5) A lone male spider, tending 1d3 
  cocooned tribe victims. The victims are 
  still alive and awaiting being implanted.  
  (6) A female child named Barbula, who 
  somehow managed to hide from the 
  spiders. She is scared but hopeful at the 
  sight of the party. She is ravenously 
  hungry and thirsty. Reroll subsequent (6) 
  results. 
   
  (7) 1 x Potion (LFG p.150) in a clay bottle 
  decorated with teeth.  
   
  (8) A blood stained willow staff adorned with 
  green crystals. The staff is magical, a relic 
  from a lost druidic order. Once every 
  1d4 days the user may cast Speak with 
  Plants. In addition, hostile plants will 
  only target the wielder if there are no 
  other potential targets. Reroll subsequent 
  (8) results.  
  
   
  5 
   
  Aftermath 
  If any of the villagers are saved, they are indebted 
  to the party, and will provide them with 
  numerous instances of free healing poultices, 
  food and shelter.  
   
  They can also offer passage through the forest 
  under the auspices of their tribe, providing 
  protection against rival barbarian clans. This 
  requires particular paint markings and the 
  wearing of a “safe passage” necklace.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  If the adventurers are here on behalf of the dying 
  Lord Bergolt, one or more of the surviving 
  villagers might be able to make up a healing elixir 
  for him (80% chance).  
   
  If none of the villagers are saved, their secret 
  healing skills are lost to the ages. If they’re lucky, 
  the party might locate a healing salve suitable for 
  Lord Bergolt’s condition among the ruins (30% 
  chance).  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  6 
   
  CREDITS 
   
   
   
  Author:  
   
  Stephen J. Grodzicki. Copyright © 2016. 
  Artwork: 
  Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission. 
  Some artwork copyright Maciej Zagorski and The Forge Studios LLC, used under licence, all rights reserved. 
  Website: 
  $1 Adventure Frameworks Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=645444 
  Low Fantasy Gaming:  https://lowfantasygaming.com/ 
   
   
   
   
   
   
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Low Fantasy Gaming/Low Fantasy Gaming Adventures & Settings/Adventure Frameworks (LowFG)/Adventure Frameworks #02 Riveraxe Village [white] (LowFG).pdf