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  Blackbriars
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  Blackbriars
  “But she hadn’t been able to take root. She’d remem-
  bered the wrong things, and forgotten too much. She’d 
  remembered how to kill and how to hate, and she’d 
  forgotten how to grow.”
   
   
  — Naomi Novik, Uprooted
  Blackbriars is a Ravenloft adventure for characters 
  of 5th level
  Story Overview
  Adventurers from a distant land find themselves swept 
  away from the path to the gloomy village of Wayston. 
  Soon it becomes clear that all is not as it seems, 
  and the adventurers are swept up in a fight against 
  a nightmarish forest that (if it remains unchecked) 
  threatens to devour everything. 
  • Prologue: Seeds Bloom In Spring
  • Part One: Summer Days Dying
  • Part Two: Falling Like Autumn Leaves
  • Epilogue: Winter’s Discontent
  
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  Prologue: 
  Seeds Bloom In Spring
  Yet, no matter how deeply I go down into myself, my 
  God is dark, and like a webbing made of a hundred 
  roots that drink in silence.
  - Rainer Maria Rilke
  Overview
  Blackbriars is a Ravenloft adventure in which 
  a party of adventurers are born away from the 
  path and deposited in the small woodside village 
  of Wayston. They do not have to investigate long 
  before they realise something is awry. The wood 
  surrounding the village is alive, and it has woken 
  from a long slumber to prey on the poor villagers. 
  Blackbriars is a Horror Survival adventure. Wayston 
  is a bleak and doomed locale. As time passes, more 
  and more of the town fall victim to the evil that 
  inhabits the woods, until the characters themselves 
  either take the fight to the trees or meet a similar 
  fate. 
  Marks of Horror
  Blackbriars uses several tropes to achieve the de-
  sired feel. They should be used liberally whenever 
  appropriate to paint the blighted neighbourhood 
  surrounding Blackbriars with the right levels of 
  dread anticipation. 
  The Hills Have Eyes. The Blackbriars Wood has 
  a malign sentience, and the trees are constantly 
  watching their prey from a distance. This should 
  manifest as a constant sense of unease. 
  And Then There Were None. The Blackbriars Wood 
  chooses who it eats carefully. Slowly, the villagers all 
  vanish to its cavernous maws, and the characters 
  are left to themselves, to choose whether to enter 
  the woods or be picked off one by one. 
  Alterations to Magic
   Wayston resides in its own Demiplane, isolated from 
  all others. No spell, not even a Wish spell, allows one 
  to escape. Astral Projection, Teleport and all similar 
  spells cast with the intent of leaving Wayston simply 
  fail, as do all effects that Banish a creature to an-
  other plane of existence. These restrictions apply to 
  magic items and artifacts. Magic that allows transit 
  to the Border Ethereal is the exception to this rule. 
  A creature that enters the Border Ethereal from the 
  Wayston is pulled back into Wayston upon leaving 
  that plane. 
  For the purposes of spells whose effects change 
  across planar boundaries, Wayston is considered 
  its own plane. Magic that summons creatures or 
  objects from other planes functions normally in 
  Wayston, as does magic that involves an extrad-
  imensional space. Any spells cast within such a 
  space are subject to the same restrictions as in the 
  rest of Wayston.
  Whilst in Wayston, characters who receive spells 
  from deities or otherworldly patrons continue to do 
  so. Spells that allow contact with beings from other 
  planes receive nothing but a grim silence.  
  All Paths Lead To Death:  No spell or ability allows 
  a character to reliably navigate the woods sur-
  rounding Wayston. 
  Mists of Ravenloft
  A deadly fog surrounds the Blackbriars Wood and 
  engulfs any creature that travels more than an hour 
  away from Wayston in any direction. Even flying 
  creatures are subject to the fog’s effects, which are 
  as follows:
   A creature that starts its turn in the fog must 
  succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or 
  gain one level of exhaustion (see appendix A in 
  the Player’s Handbook). This exhaustion can’t be 
  removed while the creature is in the fog.
   No matter how far a creature travels in the fog, or 
  in which direction it goes, it gets turned around so 
  that it eventually finds itself back in Wayston.
   The area within the fog is heavily obscured (see 
  “Vision and Light” in chapter 8 of the Player’s 
  Handbook).
  Adventure Hooks
  In the events that begin this adventure, the char-
  acters are snatched away by the mists of Ravenloft 
  and placed in Wayston to unknown ends. There are 
  many ways to effect this, but the most conventional 
  is a variation on the Creeping Fog. 
  Creeping Fog
  You are traveling down a lonely road, tired from 
  the day’s exertions. Mist is creeping across the 
  path, which is becoming littered with brambles 
  and weeds. Your vision becomes blurry, then 
  completely obscured.
  When the fog recedes, proceed to “Approaching the 
  Town” in Part One: Wayston.
  
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  Part One: 
  Summer Days Dying
  “I never see that prettiest thing-
  A cherry bough gone white with Spring-
  But what I think, “How gay ‘twould be
  To hang me from a flowering tree.” 
  — Dorothy Parker
  Lay of the Land
  Wayston is a small town surrounded by a thick, 
  dark wood shrouded in mist. Until very recently, 
  a path wended through the wood to Wayston, 
  but it vanished overnight a few weeks before the 
  adventure begins. The village itself is a collection of 
  wood and stone houses.
  Population: 600 
  Government: Lord Blackfeather (usually not a 
  resident) rules the village in name, but his wife 
  (Lady Blackwood) has taken over during his illness. 
  Defense: Lord Blackwood once had a guard, but 
  they never returned from investigating the wood. 
  Commerce: Basic supplies are readily available at 
  first, but soon run out. The village has enough fresh 
  food to keep the town  
  Organizations: The Wayshrine, which contains 
  small shrines to the woodland spirits. It is overseen 
  by the elf Leora Moonshadow.
  Wayston’s Past
  Wayston was founded on top of an old druid circle 
  of standing stones, which was torn down for the 
  construction process. To appease the gods, the 
  foundations of the town were built to mimic the 
  stones, and angry nature spirits were thus laid to 
  rest. Nevertheless, the town occasionally suffers 
  from bouts of violent and unusual weather from 
  time to time, 
  Soon after the town was constructed, it became 
  apparent that the circle of stones was clearly 
  very important to some long dead spirits of the 
  Blackbriar wood. The insult was met with fury 
  from the wood, which rose up to assault the town 
  in large numbers. Only by the intervention of Saint 
  Lucia, and the creation of the Mourning Lantern 
  was the town saved. The lantern sat at the centre of 
  the village, protecting the town from assault by the 
  wood, and keeping the trees asleep with its silent 
  lullaby for over 200 years ago. A week ago, the 
  lantern was stolen.
  WAYSTON
  A
  B
  C
  D
  E
  F
  G
  
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  Approaching the Town
  When the characters first approach Wayston, read:
  The fog clears, and you find yourselves in an 
  unwelcoming wood. Branches twisted like claws 
  seem to catch on your clothes, as if to pull you 
  towards them. Dark and hideous trunks stare 
  down from on high. 
  Through the trees, you can see houses made of 
  wood and stone. Dark windows of dim glass show 
  candlelight glimmering in the half-light, offer-
  ing you the reprieve of civilization. 
  House Occupants
  If the characters explore a residence, roll a d20 and 
  consult the following table to determine the house’s 
  occupant.
  d20
  Occupant
  1-3
  Empty House
  4-5
  Wayston Citizens
  6-18
  Abandoned House
  19-20
  Blights
  Wayston Citizens
  A house of Wayston Citizens contains 1d4 adults 
  (LG male and female human commoners) and 1d4-
  1 children (male and female non-combatants). The 
  citizens are fearful and weary. They warn the char-
  acters not to stray into the wood, and lament their 
  inability to leave.
  Abandoned House
  This house is furnished only with the rudiments 
  necessary to eke out a miserable existence. There is 
  a 50% chance when entering an abandoned house 
  that the place is trashed, as if by violence. 
  Blights
  Entering a house like this causes the characters 
  to encounter 1d4 twig blights and 1 vine blight 
  kidnapping 1d4 commoners from their house. The 
  commoners are traumatized if rescued, and doomed 
  if not. 
  Wayston Lore
  Wayston’s citizens know the following bits of local 
  lore:
  • The wood is eating people, to take revenge on the 
  ancestors of Wayston who built the town on 
  sacred ground.
  • The trees are afraid of fire...just not as much as 
  you would hope.
  • The wood ate the path days ago, and now no-one 
  can get away from the village. 
  • The wood was once kept at bay by a relic at the 
  Wayshrine. Perhaps something happened to it?
  • The wood rarely kills people in the village, instead 
  they are taken one night and never seen again. 
  • The wood creatures are like humans, but cruel 
  and made vines or brambles.
  • If the wood gets very angry, it sends in huge ani-
  mated trees to smash houses.
  • The Lady Blackwood is supposed to be a great 
  sorceress, but she’s been inconsolable since her 
  husband became unwell.
  • Leora Moonshadow is an elf who has worked at 
  the Wayshrine for as long as anyone can remem-
  ber. 
  • Thessaly, an old woman who lives alone, is a 
  witch who eats children.
  People on the Street 
  d8
  People on the Street (Wayston)
  1
  Renata, an young woman who is leaving her 
  baby out by the edge of the wood. “It’s quick-
  er this way,” she says, through her tears.
  2
  Tomas, a woodcutter who is breaking his axe 
  over his knee. “Maybe the wood will forgive 
  us,” he says.
  3
  Hilda, a young girl who woke up this morning 
  to find her parents gone. 
  4
  Agatha, an old woman who seems at peace 
  with events. “I have lived a long life,” she says. 
  “I have no regrets.”
  5
  Jarek, a young man holding a torch. He means 
  to head into the woods and kill the source of 
  the evil...whatever it is. 
  6
  Otto, a young apprentice wizard. He’s sitting, 
  watching the wood. “I know they’ll come for 
  me,” he says. “I’ve seen it in my dreams.”
  7
  Ettie, a middle aged woman with three chil-
  dren, reading a book to them on the porch. 
  “Life goes on,” she says. 
  8
  A skeletal figure in a thick, hooded robe, 
  stroking a cat. It doesn’t speak. 
  
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  Areas of Wayston
  The following areas correspond to the markings on 
  the map above: 
  A - Summerhawk Residence
  Elias and Rowena Summerhawk are a local couple 
  with four children - Gitta (4), Evelina (7), Donia (13) 
  and Anya (16). It’s no secret that Rowena always 
  wanted a boy, but so far the world has not seen fit 
  to grant her request. During the day, Elias worked 
  as a woodcutter and Rowena takes care of the chil-
  dren (though rumour has it she was once a lady of 
  some renown out in the big city). Anya, the oldest 
  child, secretly desired to become an adventurer, 
  and recently vanished in the night. Elias is beside 
  himself with grief and anger at failing to protect her. 
  He’s looking for someone to blame.
  B - The Wayshrine
  A small, rather depressed looking stone dome 
  lies near the center of town. There are four en-
  trances, each marked with a 4 pointed star. 
  Inside, four altars are draped with coloured cloth 
  decorated with sigils representing each of the 
  fours seasons. 
  Tended to by Leora Moonshadow, an elf druid who 
  has tended it since the village was founded, the 
  Wayshrine is a comforting bastion of stability for 
  Wayston. The elf retains the appearance of her 
  youth, and bears a great love for the village, having 
  watched many generations live, grow old and die 
  under her careful stewardship. The shrine contains 
  four altars, one to each season. Leora performs her 
  rites daily as an offering to the gods, and rarely has 
  time to leave the shrine for anything longer than a 
  quick walk about town. She sleeps in a small room 
  off the main chamber, and spends much of her 
  spare time in a trance, meditating on the unseen.
  The Mourning Lantern
  The Mourning Lantern was once kept here, under 
  the altar to Winter. It was a sacred relic, crafted 
  from the bones of St. Lucia, who gave her heart’s 
  blood willingly to the wood in an act of contrition. 
  Leora is well aware that the absence of the lan-
  tern is contributing to the wood’s unusually active 
  malice. She knows how the original was crafted, 
  and can describe the ritual to anyone who asks. It 
  requires a living (willing candidate) to drain their 
  heartsblood into the floor of the wood, and for their 
  remains to be carved into a lantern in a process 
  that takes at least 8 hours for anyone with profi-
  ciency in a relevant toolset. 
  Carrying a Mourning Lantern grants that character 
  the following trait. 
  Blight Bane. While you carry this lantern, and it 
  is lit, blights and other evil plant creatures don’t 
  regard you as hostile unless you harm them.
  C - Thessaly’s House
  This wretched old hovel is dirty inside and out. A 
  mangy black cat lies on the doorstep, and hisses 
  at you. 
  A careful and foreboding woman, Thessaly (NG 
  commoner) has a suspicious air about her that 
  leads you to believe she’s hiding some kind of 
  secret. Children love to dare each other to step 
  into her yard, whereupon she invariably steps out 
  brandishing a broom, to the terror and delight of 
  the children. Be that as it may, people often go to 
  Thessaly under cover of night for stern advice or 
  harsh truths - she’s never been known to turn away 
  someone in need. 
  D - The Jumping Jack
  A tavern nestled at the heart of town, the Jumping 
  Jack is Wayston’s one stop shop for wine, beer and 
  merriment. A tavern crowded nightly with people 
  wanting to drown their sorrows, the prices are high 
  for the low quality of drink. The proprietors, cheery 
  halflings called the Mayspouts, love reminding peo-
  ple how much they have to live for. There’s a stage 
  in the corner where community theatre and per-
  formances are staged - poor performances are met 
  with a salvo of abuse from the clients in the form 
  of hurled food. Rooms are available on the upper 
  floors, one of which is being let to a rather tipsy elf 
  called Tazryn who seems to maintain a semi-perma-
  nent state of mild inebriation. 
  E - Linus’ House
  This rather unfortunate looking house has clear-
  ly seen better days. There’s clear evidence of fre-
  quent repairs to the doors, windows and walls, and 
  through the grimy windows a prying neighbour 
  might spy a bachelor pad gone wrong. This is the 
  accommodation of Linus the Carpenter, who is of-
  ten too caught up in his craft to notice such mun-
  dane concerns as washing or tidying. He’s currently 
  renting out his spare room to a half-orc thug called 
  Brontus.
  
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  F - Sanatorium
  The local sanatorium is minded by Meryn (LG aco-
  lyte), a local doctor and hedge witch who specializ-
  es in curing ailments of the spirit. The small house 
  has space for two patients at any one time, one of 
  which is currently a strange lady found lying in a 
  ditch not far from town. It seems she woke up one 
  day without any memories, and Meryn is doing his 
  best to help her return to living a functional life. 
  Memories of Yesterday
  The tiefling woman under the care of Meryn can 
  be aided by any character proficient in medicine, 
  and who dares to enter the woods to gather herbs. 
  Spending 3 days with the woman and tending to her 
  begins to restore her memory. Fragmented memo-
  ries occasionally return to her, and she warns the 
  characters that the wood is goverened by a hideous 
  treant, a corrupted guardian of the wood blighted 
  by unnatural forces. 
  G - Blackwood Manor
  A small, rather depressed looking stone dome 
  lies near the center of town. There are four en-
  trances, each marked with a 4 pointed star. 
  Inside, four altars are draped with coloured cloth 
  decorated with sigils representing each of the 
  fours seasons. 
  Lord Blackwood maintains a large 4 story house 
  with impressive and fortified windows in case of as-
  sault. He maintains a household staff of 10 people, 
  who take care of the house and his personal needs. 
  Unfortunately, he has taken sick over the past few 
  years, and is now in the terminal stages of an incur-
  able lung condition. In his sickness, his wife Ysa-
  belle Blackwood (LE human mage) is managing his 
  affairs, but it is common knowledge she lost their 
  fortune trying to save her dying husband. More un-
  charitable rumours suggest she may have poisoned 
  him in the first place and hidden the gold. 
  Fire and Vengeance
  Lady Blackwood wants the wood gone, and has no 
  time for games or relics. If approached, she does not 
  suffer fools gladly. She prepares her spells of fire 
  and light, and asks for an escort into the woods to 
  find the source of the evil and vanquish it before it 
  is too late. 
  
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  Part Two: 
  Falling Like Autumn Leaves
  “Trees there were, old as trees can be, huge and 
  grasping with hearts black as sin. Strange trees that 
  some said walked in the night.” 
  - Neil Gaiman, Fables & Reflections
  The Wood Walks
  Whilst the characters investigate the village, the 
  wood moves to slowly eliminate the key players. 
  Each night the characters spend in Wayston, the 
  wood launches an assault on the village, aiming 
  to kidnap a character or two from Wayston. Given 
  the vast numbers arrayed against the village, the 
  wood is more than likely to make off with someone 
  each time - the characters can’t be everywhere at 
  all times. The wood always divides up the forces 
  described below, allowing characters to avoid 
  encountering them en masse.
  The First Night
  The wood sends in the usual forces to scout out 
  weak or unresisting humans and take them back 
  into the wood. This light force consists of thirty twig 
  blights and 6 vine blights, which are split into 6 
  groups. The blights arrive at midnight, and assault 
  6 different locations. 
  The Second Night
  The wood realizes that the town might be better 
  defended than it thought, and sends in a stronger 
  force. This time, it sends in ten squads of blights. 
  Each squad contains three twig blights, three nee-
  dle blights and two vine blights. 
  The Third Night
  The wood moves to cripple Wayston. It sends ten 
  animated trees and thirty animated bushes to 
  attack the village from all sides. The trees converge 
  on the Blackwood Manor, and tear it down by hurl-
  ing rocks and digging up the foundations. If Lady 
  Blackwood is still alive and finds herself unaided, 
  she is captured by the wood. 
  The Fourth Night
  The wood is done playing games. A shambling 
  mound emerges from the treeline, and sets about 
  destroying everything it can find. If the mound is 
  not stopped, only a handful of villagers survive the 
  night’s events.
  The Fifth Night
  The wood sends its most powerful lieutenant, a 
  greater blight, to finish any resistance left at Way-
  ston. If the village is still openly defying the wood, 
  the blight is accompanied by 2d6 vine blights.
  Heading into the Wood
  There may come a time when the characters tire of 
  waiting for the wood to engineer their demise, and 
  attempt to head into it in order to solve the problem.
  The wood is dark and shrouded in mist. Trees 
  crowd around you, the wind whispering foul 
  nothings to you as dead leaves rustle around your 
  feet. There is a malign presence in the Wood. It 
  knows you are here.
   
  Characters who enter the wood for any reason must 
  wander for some time before they find the source of 
  the darkness. Consider using one or more of the fol-
  lowing encounters as they tread through the hostile 
  environment. 
  Encounter: The Boy in the Bough
  A haunting melody echoes through the trees. 
  The silhouette of a young boy sits up on a fallen 
  tree trunk, strumming. “Come,” he says, with 
  a voice that shimmers like the sun on moving 
  water. “Play a while. Forget your troubles.”
  This satyr is playing for the three dryads living in 
  the surrounding trees. All four creatures are cor-
  rupted by the wood, and become violent if a crea-
  ture ever tries to leave. Characters overpowered by 
  the satyr and dryads are tied to trees and forced to 
  listen to more of the music. The satyr will happily 
  keep listeners tied up until they die of deprivation if 
  it needs to. 
  
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  Encounter: Familiar Faces
  Spindly wooden caricatures of faces from the 
  village sneak around the edges of your vision. 
  Their faces, paralyzed in  endless wooden 
  screams, are suspiciously accurate and detailed. 
  These 2d6 twig blights are almost identical wooden 
  replicas of creatures kidnapped from Wayston. This 
  is what becomes of those unfortunate enough to fall 
  to the evil of the Tree. The blights have no memories 
  of their former lives, and cannot be saved. 
  Encounter: Billowing Leaves
  A wind picks up in the woods, and leaves begin 
  to blow around you. A nick, then a cut, then a 
  slash reveal the leaves to have razor sharp edg-
  es....this is a deadly trap.  
  Simple trap (level 5–10, dangerous threat)
  The wood conjures a vicious wind, which carries ra-
  zor sharp leaves to slice and dice unwary travellers. 
  Effect. The wind howls through the wood in one 
  direction. Each creature must make a DC 15 Dex-
  terity saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) slashing dam-
  age on a failed save, or half as much damage on a 
  successful one.
  Countermeasures. A successful DC 15 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check or a DC 10 Nature check allows 
  a character to recognise the signs of the breeze in 
  time to give them advantage on the saving throw. A 
  character warned in this way takes no damage on a 
  successful save. 
  Encounter: For the Birds
  A fluttering of wings nearby alerts you to the 
  arrival of an unkindness of ravens lurking on 
  the branches of trees all around. “Dead,” they 
  croak, in a sing-song chorus. “Dead as daylight.”
  This 1d4 swarms of ravens follow the party for 
  some distance, gauging the likelihood of securing a 
  meal if they attack. After some time, they get bolder, 
  which some of the larger ravens flapping in front of 
  their faces or defecating on them from above. 
  Encounter: Endless Slumber
  The grim and twisted wood breaks open into 
  a small clearing filled with bright red poppies. 
  The smell is sweet and sickly. 
  The poppies are deadly poisonous. A charac-
  ter who steps into the field must succeed on a 
  DC20 Constitution saving throw, or take 7d6 
  poison damage as the poison enters their sys-
  tem. A character reduced to 0 hit points by 
  this damage dies as their heart gives out.
  
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  The Root of Evil
  Eventually, the characters will stumble across the 
  source of the wood’s evil, as it leads them through 
  danger and death to weaken them for an easy kill.
  Encounter: The Gulthias Tree
  A black and distorted tree dominates a wide 
  clearing littered with stones and dead leaves. 
  Rocky ledges border it on three sides, and a 
  stagnant pool festers at its roots. Against the 
  tree’s trunk lie grey stone inscribed with strange 
  runes that glow with an eldritch light.
  The Gulthias Tree is the heart of the evil that 
  plagues Blackbriars Wood, pumping poisonous 
  thoughts into the air and land. The tree is not un-
  defended. 
  Awakened Trees. The Gulthias Tree is surround-
  ed by six awakened trees that animate if the tree 
  detects an assault. 
  Stagnant Pond. The pond near the tree’s roots 
  is deeper than it looks and hides a single ghoul, 
  currently in hibernation. It emerges if the pool is 
  disturbed, and drags a victim to a watery death.
  Druidic Charms. The glowing stones at the base 
  of the tree radiate a strong aura of abjuration and 
  transmutation magic to abilities which can detect 
  magical auras. There are five stones, and each is 
  marked in druidic with markings that denote an 
  enchantment protecting the tree from harm. Each 
  stone has AC17 and 5 hit points. Whilst any of the 
  charms are active, the Gulthias Tree is immune to 
  damage. The charms extinguish all non-magical 
  light sources (including those of a Mourning Lan-
  tern) within 120 feet of the tree.
  Wood Woad. The trees most formidable defender 
  is the wood woad that lives inside it. When it is 
  attacked, the tree sends forth the wood woad to 
  destroy the attackers and bring them back to be 
  bound to the tree. 
  Under Pressure. The Gulthias Tree calls out to its 
  hideous brethren when it comes under attack. At 
  the start of each round, 1d4 twig blights emerge 
  from the woods to join the melee. At the start of the 
  sixth round, a greater blight lumbers out of the 
  woods. 
  GULTHIAS TREE
  Plant, Neutral Evil
  A creeping evil which lurks away from the 
  sunlight, the Gulthias tree can be found on 
  any world, in a place shrouded in gloom or 
  darkness. The original tree was a byproduct of 
  the vampire Gulthias’ staking, but more trees 
  have been known to grow in any woodland that 
  falls to shadow. Spreading their seeds through 
  plantlike constructs called Blights, Gulthias 
  trees have one need only - to spread, consume, 
  and choke the live from anything that breathes. 
  Blights tear down healthy plants, and spread 
  infections wherever they tread. Weeds and mu-
  tations caused by a Gulthias tree spread incred-
  ibly quickly, turning blessed forests into horrific 
  nightmares in a matter of days or weeks.
  Objective: Cover the world in Gulthias trees, 
  and extinguish all life. 
  Motivation: The Gulthias Tree is motivated by 
  its nature, which is to consume and destroy.  
  Methods: Infect forests and send out blights to 
  corrupt new areas. Acquire humanoid disciples 
  by kidnapping them and turning them into 
  tree thralls. Force humanoid races to abandon 
  areas by destroying the local ecosystem. 
  Gulthias trees are Gargantuan plants, with an 
  AC of 10 and 35 hit points.  They have immunity 
  to necrotic, poison, psychic damage, and resist-
  ance to piercing damage. Gulthias trees have 
  vulnerability to fire damage.
  Fruit. Two magical fruits (evocation school) ripen 
  on the tree each year. Each fruit resembles an 
  apple, but it slowly extrudes from the tree like a 
  cyst. Up to a week before the summer solstice, 
  a ruby red fruit grows. Someone other than 
  a construct who eats a quarter or more of it 
  regains 70 hit points. In addition, any blindness, 
  deafness, and diseases affecting the eater end. 
  Up to a week before the winter solstice, a sickly 
  white fruit grows. Someone who eats a quarter 
  or more of it takes 70 necrotic damage. Each 
  fruit has 1d4 seeds that, if planted, grow leafless 
  woody shrubs that animate as twig blights after 
  one year.
  Tree Thralls. If a humanoid is bound to the trunk 
  of the Gulthias Tree, over the next 24 hours the 
  victim is sucked completely into the tree. Once 
  the victim is completely absorbed into the tree, 
  it becomes the tree’s thrall, and is expelled over 
  the course of 1 hour as a blight. More powerful 
  creatures might return as true thralls retaining 
  some or all of their class abilities. 
  
  11
  Blackbriars
  @deathbybadger
  1 square = 5 feet
  
  12
  Blackbriars
  @deathbybadger
  Conclusions: 
  Winter’s Discontent
  “There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to 
  some particular evil, a natural defect, which not even 
  the best education can overcome.”
  — Austen
  The Wood is Victorious
  If the wood is victorious, it knocks the charac-
  ters unconscious and ties them to the bark of 
  the Gulthias Tree. This gives the characters some 
  additional chance perhaps to escape, or find anoth-
  er way to kill the tree. If they fail in this, then they 
  meet their end at the hands of the tree, and their 
  forms are forever enslaved to the evil of the tree. 
  The Party is Victorious
  If the party manages to destroy the Gulthias Tree, 
  read the following. 
  The tree shrieks, a terrible agonizing howl that 
  ripples through the bark and shatters the sky. 
  Clouds boil overhead and mist billows through 
  the clearing, sweeping you away in a rush of 
  muffling, dense white fog. You are washed away 
  with the tide, and darkness claims you. 
  Depending on where your party were before they 
  were swept up by the woods, it is up to you where 
  the Mists of Ravenloft deposit them. Perhaps they 
  end up back where they came from, or perhaps they 
  are left stranded in a greater Domain of Dread. The 
  village of Wayston is left to an ambiguous fate...but 
  perhaps it will fare better now that it is out from 
  under the shadow of the Gulthias Tree.  
  Greater Blight
  Gargantuan plant, chaotic evil
  Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 149 (13d12 + 65)
  Speed 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  23 (+6)
  10 (0)
  20 (+5)
  6 (-2)
  10 (0)
  3 (-4)
  Damane Vulnerabilities fire
  Condition Immunities Blinded, Deafened
  Senses Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), 
  Passive Perception 10
  Languages understands Druidic but doesn’t speak
  Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
  False Appearance. While the blight remains motion-
  less, it is indistinguishable from a dead tree.
  Siege Monster. The blight deals double damage to 
  objects and structures.
  Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the  blight has 
  disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The blight makes four attacks: two with 
  its branches and two with its grasping roots. If it has 
  a target grappled, the blight can also make a bite 
  attack against that target as a bonus action.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) piercing damage.
  Branch. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 16 (3d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
  Grasping Root. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, 
  reach 15 ft., one creature not grappled by the blight. 
  Hit: The target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until the 
  grapple ends, the target takes 9 (1d6 + 6) bludgeon-
  ing damage at the start of each of its turns. The root 
  has AC 15 and can be severed by dealing 6 slash-
  ing damage or more to it at once. Cutting the root 
  doesn’t hurt the blight but ends the grapple..
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Oliver Clegg/Blackbriars, A Ravenloft Adventure.pdf