TEXT: The Witch 
  of 
  Underwillow 
  by Merric Blackman 
  A short adventure for 1st to 3rd-level characters 
   
   
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  The Witch of Underwillow ©2016 Merric Blackman  
  CIRREM’S TOWER and its logo are trademarks of Merric Blackman. 
   
  Cirrem’s  
  Tower 
  
   
   
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  1 
  The Witch of Underwillow 
  Introduction 
  The Witch of Underwillow is an adventure for 
  four to six characters of levels 1-3. The 
  expected playing time is about 2 hours. 
  The adventure includes a few opportunities for 
  the players to misconstrue what is occurring. It 
  is up to you to determine the true motivations 
  of the witch; the basic adventure assumes that 
  she wishes to lure the party into her clutches 
  to dispose of them, but you might prefer to use 
  her as a potential ally and patron who is 
  testing the competence of the adventurers. A 
  number of suggestions of alternative ways the 
  adventure could proceed are given in an 
  appendix. 
  In my campaign, her motivations were never 
  revealed, as the characters killed her before she 
  could even negotiate with them – the perils of 
  trigger-happy players. On the other hand, they 
  might have just been sick of the trials she’d put 
  them through... 
  Adventure Background 
  There is a small village on the edge of a great 
  forest. In the forest lives a witch; the Witch of 
  Underwillow. Her given name, not that most 
  people use it often, or indeed know it, is 
  Katerina.  
  Katerina, early in her life, swore service to dark 
  powers, and is known – and feared – by many 
  in the village. On occasion, she sends minions 
  – typically wolves – into the village to do her 
  bidding. The villagers follow her commands and 
  are silent to outsiders. 
  Katerina recently learnt that a party of novice 
  adventurers were coming to “her” village. She 
  knew full well what happens to witches who let 
  adventurers get too powerful, so decided to lure 
  the adventurers to her lair, weaken them with 
  some tests, and finally kill them herself (if the 
  tests don’t do it first). 
  Katerina also gives the tests to anyone trying to 
  ask a boon of her, as she values her privacy. 
  That they can be used to weaken adventurers 
  is just a bonus. 
  To lure the adventurers in, she arranged for 
  her wolves to steal a prized possession from a 
  simple-minded woman living on the edge of 
  town, and instructed the woman’s brother to 
  hire the adventurers to find it.  
  Synopsis 
  The adventurers come to a small village on the 
  edge of a great forest, where they learn that the 
  baby daughter of the innkeeper’s niece has 
  been stolen. Unbeknownst to them, the baby is 
  actually just a doll! 
  Their investigation of her home reveals that the 
  child has been dragged by wolves into the 
  forest. The adventurers are attacked by wolves 
  as they follow the trail, before finally finding 
  that the trail leads under a willow tree on the 
  edge of a stream. 
  Beneath the tree, they discover two tests they 
  must pass before they can recover the two 
  halves of a magic key that leads to the witch’s 
  quarters. 
  Once they’ve dealt with the witch – in whatever 
  way they deem necessary – they can return to 
  the village, although a last opponent, a great 
  dire wolf, will bar their way... 
   
  
   
   
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  2 
  The Witch of Underwillow 
  The Stolen Child 
  You have been in better inns, but at the end of a 
  long day’s travel, this one is good enough. The fire is 
  warm, the ale is plentiful, and the food surprisingly 
  good. A few merchants and their guards mingle 
  amongst the villagefolk, and the innkeeper, who 
  introduced himself as Imre Fekete, is very good at 
  anticipating everyone’s desires. 
  The front door bangs open suddenly, revealing a 
  distraught young woman. “My daughter!” she cries. 
  “They’ve taken my daughter!” 
  The young woman’s name is Marika Tothné, 
  the niece of the innkeeper. Marika is not 
  married and does not actually have a daughter; 
  instead she has a doll that she refers to as her 
  child. She is very distressed and a little simple; 
  although she is capable of looking after herself, 
  she gets confused about what is real at times. 
  If pressed about what happened to her, she 
  explains that wolves took her baby from the 
  back yard of her property while she was inside 
  getting some more clothes pegs for her 
  washing. 
  Imre knows that Marika doesn’t actually have a 
  daughter, but he has been ordered by the witch 
  to play along, and to make sure that the newly-
  arrived adventurers search for the missing 
  child. (He also doesn’t want to distress Marika 
  further). If the adventurers do not appear 
  willing to just rescue Marika’s “daughter”, he 
  will offer them a reward of 50 gold pieces. 
  If the adventurers detect that Imre is not being 
  truthful about the “baby” – you could require a 
  DC 16 Wisdom (Insight) check to determine the 
  deception, possibly using Passive Insight – then 
  Imre will reveal that several travellers have 
  reported that the local wolves have been acting 
  strangely of late, and he wants to get to the 
  bottom of it. If the adventurers are still 
  suspicious, and can persuade him to tell with a 
  successful DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) or DC 
  18 Charisma (Intimidation) check, he will tell 
  them about the witch; although he is terrified 
  that doing so will cause his family to be killed 
  by the witch. 
  Marika’s property is on the edge of town, 
  abutting the woods. The adventurers can get 
  directions to it from Imre. 
  The other villagers are concerned by this 
  happenstance, but none are brave enough to 
  enter the woods alongside the adventurers, and 
  the merchants and their guards believe they 
  shouldn’t get involved with the affairs of 
  strangers: they have goods to deliver! 
  Marika’s House 
  Marika’s house would have been a delightful place 
  when it was new – two or more centuries ago. 
  Unfortunately, time has not been kind to the 
  building. The chimney is askew, the guttering 
  gaping, and the roof doesn’t look that watertight. 
  You can see a line in the back yard from which a few 
  items of ragged clothing hang. Nearby lies an 
  overturned basket, large enough to hold a young 
  child. 
  A dark forest runs along the edge of the yard. 
  The clothes line contains clothes both for a 
  woman and a young child. The basket is lined 
  with a blanket, and the adventures can easily 
  discern wolf tracks all around it, as well as 
  signs of something having been dragged away 
  from it. The trail is quite clear, and adventurers 
  can determine which direction the wolves went 
  without needing to make a check. 
  A successful DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check 
  will determine that whatever was dragged away 
  was wrapped in a blanket; if the check beats a 
  DC 15, then the presence of ten wolves can be 
  determined, two of which seem to have been 
  dragging the child, while the others 
  accompanied them. The investigation will 
  reveal that the child does not appear to be 
  harmed, as there is no blood.  
  
   
   
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  3 
  The Witch of Underwillow 
  The interior of the house displays the life of a 
  single mother. Most of the house is quite 
  messy, although there are areas, such as the 
  spice racks and kitchen table, where some 
  semblance of order has been achieved. 
  If the adventurers search the house, it may be 
  possible for them to determine that the “child” 
  is actually a doll. I suggest a DC 18 Intelligence 
  (Investigation) check.  
  Into the Woods 
  The sun has no more than an hour to go before it 
  sets as you head into the woods, following the trail of 
  the wolves. The woods feel old; the trees loom high 
  overhead, and brambles and thickets are 
  everywhere. The wolves, however, have followed a 
  path that avoids the worst of the brambles; perhaps 
  an animal trail of some kind? 
  Four wolves have split off from their pack to 
  ambush any followers. Two wolves stand on the 
  trail ahead of the adventurers, while each of 
  the other wolves are hidden in the forest on 
  either side of the trail, ready to ambush the 
  adventurers from behind. 
  A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check 
  will notice the wolves on the trail, but a DC 18 
  Wisdom (Perception) check is required to notice 
  the wolves in the forest. 
  If you’d like to heighten the tension a little, you 
  can describe how there’s one pair of eyes 
  gleaming at the party from the dim forest in 
  front of them... then describe it joined by a 
  second pair of eyes. And you can take the 
  number of eyes watching the party even higher 
  if you believe the characters are strong enough 
  to take on additional wolves. 
  Four wolves can be a difficult encounter for a 
  first-level party. If the party does badly, all the 
  wolves flee when two of their number are slain, 
  and individual wolves flee when their hit points 
  are reduced to half or lower of their maximum 
  hit points. A higher-level party can handle 
  more wolves, but I wouldn’t add more than two 
  – the effect of Pack Tactics means that wolves 
  are a lot more dangerous than you might 
  initially assume. This encounter should let the 
  party know that the adventure is dangerous, 
  not end it when it has barely started! 
  Underwillow 
  Ahead, you can hear the sound of burbling water. 
  Soon, a river flanked by overhanging trees comes 
  into view in the fading light. A great willow tree 
  dominates your view, and it seems that the trail 
  leads to a dark hole beneath its trunk. 
  The entrance is shrouded by a wall of hanging 
  roots that will part for the adventurers as they 
  approach. The roots are unnaturally tough, 
  and can only be severed if they take ten or 
  more slashing or fire damage in a single hit. 
  The roots will lose all magical resistances if the 
  witch is slain. 
  Most of the remaining wolf tracks divert at the 
  entrance; only the two wolves dragging the 
  bundle go down below (and can be determined 
  to have left without the bundle later, with a 
  successful DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check). 
  The adventurers may determine that the realm 
  below the willow does not entirely exist on the 
  material plane; parts of the witch’s chambers 
  are contained in the Feywild, although this 
  makes no difference to the conduct of the 
  adventure. It just means the chambers take up 
  more space than would logically be beneath the 
  willow! 
  Beyond the wall of roots, the tunnel slopes 
  downward at a 30-degree angle for about forty 
  feet, before levelling off and continuing for a 
  further twenty feet before ending at three 
  wooden doors. 
  The doors to the left and right are unlocked; if 
  the adventurers listen, they hear no noises 
  beyond. The door straight ahead is magically 
  locked and possesses a golden key-hole. This 
  
   
   
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  4 
  The Witch of Underwillow 
  door cannot be unlocked nor broken down by 
  any means other than its proper key (which 
  can be found beyond the other doors). If the 
  characters listen, a successful DC 12 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check will hear a female voice 
  singing a lullaby. The witch will not respond to 
  any knocking or shouting; she only wishes to 
  deal with “worthy” petitioners, which is to say, 
  those who have overcome her challenges to find 
  the key. However, if the adventurers use a 
  knock spell (which will fail to open the door), 
  they’ll hear her laughing at their efforts. 
  Behind the Left Door 
  Behind the door is a large room, the ceiling and 
  walls festooned with roots. After ten feet of level 
  ground in front of you, the floor drops away into a 
  pit, twenty feet deep, its bottom containing many 
  bones, the flesh scoured from them. 
  On the other side of the pit, thirty feet away, you can 
  see a ledge. On the wall there is a golden key. 
  A great root, perhaps one foot in diameter, forms an 
  unstable bridge between the door and the key. 
  Crossing the root is likely to be easier than the 
  players will believe. Using it as a tightrope is 
  possible, and requires a successful DC 15 
  Dexterity (Acrobatics) check; treat the root as 
  difficult terrain. A failure on this check pitches 
  the character into the pit below. 
  A more sensible way of crossing the root is for 
  the character to wrap their hands and legs 
  around it and progress in that fashion. This 
  requires a successful DC 12 Strength 
  (Athletics) check for each round of movement, 
  but due to the prone nature of the movement, 
  treat it as one foot move for each three feet of 
  movement expended. Once again, a failed 
  check pitches the character into the pit. 
  Climbing into and out of the pit is actually 
  quite easier, requiring only a successful DC 8 
  Strength (Athletics) check. The greater danger 
  comes from the bones, which assemble into 
  skeletons when characters enter the pit. There 
  are twelve skeletons in total, although they do 
  not all animate instantly. One skeleton 
  animates immediately for each character 
  entering the pit. While characters remain in the 
  pit, one additional skeleton animates each 
  round thereafter until all have animated.  
  The skeletons will climb out of the pit 
  (requiring no check) to follow and attack 
  characters. 
  If a character’s fall into the pit is arrested (from 
  a well-placed rope, for instance), the skeletons 
  still begin to animate. 
  The key is easily removed from where it hangs. 
  When examined, it proves to be half a key, with 
  protrusions indicating where it can be matched 
  with its other half. If the adventurers match 
  both key-halves, they magically merge to 
  become one key, which can be used to unlock 
  the witch’s door. 
  Behind the Right Door 
  Behind the door is a room of about thirty-feet 
  square. It is dominated by two armoured statues, 
  each of which has a golden key hanging from a chain 
  around its neck. Both stand on pedestals with the 
  world “False” written on them. 
  A short column stands between the statues. A 
  plaque inset into it reads, “The statues can only 
  answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. You may ask only one question”. 
  Perceptive players may realise this is a variant 
  of the old Knights and Knaves puzzle. 
  Unfortunately, it’s complicated by the fact that 
  neither statue actually has the required key 
  hanging around its neck; instead, the key is set 
  into a niche behind the plaque on the pedestal, 
  which a successful DC 15 Intelligence 
  (Investigation) check can detect. 
  It’s likely that most players will try a variant of 
  “Do you have the correct key” or “Does your 
  partner have the correct key”. The statues will 
  always lie. The best question to ask is “Do 
  
   
   
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  5 
  The Witch of Underwillow 
  either of you have the correct key”, but it’s 
  almost certain that the players won’t think of 
  that. 
  If the adventurers attempt to remove the key 
  from either statue, they both animate and 
  attack. Treat them as two suits of animated 
  armor. 
  A group of first-level adventurers is likely to 
  find such a battle overwhelming. In this case, 
  although both statues animate, they are 
  treated as one creature – they share hit points 
  with the damage that one takes appearing on 
  the other. Only one of the statues may attack 
  each round, except in the case of a multiattack 
  when each statue attacks once. 
  The gold keys the statues are wearing do not fit 
  together or with the other half-keys, but they 
  are worth 10 gold pieces each. 
  The correct key is easily removed from the 
  secret niche; the statues will not attack as this 
  is done. When examined, it proves to be half a 
  key, with protrusions indicating where it can be 
  matched with its other half. If the adventurers 
  match both key-halves, they magically merge to 
  become one key, which can be used to unlock 
  the witch’s door. 
   
  The Witch of Underwillow 
  The witch’s lair is full of clutter, with the true 
  dimensions of the room being lost behind a lot of 
  freestanding shelves, tables and piles of things both 
  valuable and strange. You hear the sound of crying 
  from a nearby cot. 
  The witch herself stands behind a table upon which 
  are piled several vials. She has long auburn hair, 
  and is dressed in a grey woollen dress, spotted with 
  mud. Nearby, a large wolf studies you intelligently.  
  Exactly how Katerina, the Witch of 
  Underwillow, reacts to the adventurers is up to 
  you. Her pet worg, Tural, follows her every 
  command, although he will happily act 
  independently to protect his mistress. 
  Katerina has lured the adventurers here to 
  dispose of them. She has been observing them 
  in a scrying crystal as they’ve explored her 
  lair, thus gaining an understanding of their 
  abilities and tactics. If the adventurers attempt 
  to negotiate with her, she will lure them into a 
  false sense of security, perhaps offering the 
  baby back, before attacking with surprise if she 
  succeeds with a Charisma (Deception) check 
  against the adventurers’ passive insight scores. 
  If Katerina begins to lose the combat, she will 
  warn the adventurers that she serves powerful 
  spirits who will seek their revenge on them.  
  The crying baby is actually Marika’s doll, 
  enchanted by the witch to cry occasionally 
  when it is not being held.  
  The witch’s table holds three potions of 
  healing and two vials of alchemist’s fire, in 
  addition to a number of valuable potion 
  ingredients worth 50 gold pieces in total. 
  The floor is covered by thick rugs (bear pelts) 
  worth 20 gold pieces, and the shelves hold a 
  variety of keepsakes, trophies, strange roots, 
  and scrolls of bad poetry. A wooden screen 
  depicting a mountain view divides off her bed 
  
   
   
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  6 
  The Witch of Underwillow 
  and clothing chests, which hold both fine and 
  utilitarian clothes worth 30 gold pieces if sold. 
  Returning to Town 
  The journey back to town would be simple, but 
  for the presence of a dire wolf that ambushes 
  the party if it can. (This is the third of the 
  “there’s always a bigger wolf” encounters).  
  Why is there a dire wolf? If they slew Katerina, 
  this is the revenge of the spirits she served. 
  Alternatively, if Katerina has hired the 
  adventurers, it has been sent by one of her 
  rivals. 
  The dire wolf follows the party stealthily for a 
  while, before leaping out to attack the weakest 
  adventurer; it makes a Dexterity (Stealth) check 
  against the adventurers’ Passive Perception 
  rolls to remain undetected. By now it is night 
  time, so take that into account when 
  determining perception scores. 
  You may wish to have the dire wolf speak to the 
  party in a deep, guttural voice, taunting them 
  as it tries to tear them apart. 
  A third-level party could possibly face two dire 
  wolves, but given the damaged state the group 
  is in after the rest of the adventure, you might 
  want to go easy on them! 
  Ending the Adventure 
  If the players return the doll to Marika, she will 
  be overjoyed, showering the adventurers with 
  attention and gratitude, which may be just a 
  bit too much for certain people. Marika does 
  cook well, however, and gourmands are likely 
  to be happy. She will resist any explanations 
  that her doll is not a real child. 
  Imre, in addition to the 100 (or 150) gold piece 
  reward, gives the adventurers free room and 
  board at his inn for the next week, as well as 
  offering them an old map drawn on 
  parchment... said to be to an old treasure 
  hidden away in the forest. (You can determine 
  what it actually leads to...) 
  If the adventurers do not return Marika’s doll, 
  she is inconsolable. Imre respects that the 
  adventurers did try to find it, but expects them 
  to leave town soon, in case the disappointed 
  Marika tries to get revenge for the loss of her 
  “daughter”. 
  Variations 
  This adventure can be run in several different 
  ways; here are a few variations you could make 
  to the basic plot. 
  The Doll – The basic plot has the players 
  seeking a doll, although they believe it to be a 
  baby. The design intention is to keep the 
  players a little off-balance and to get them used 
  to the idea that not everything is as it seems. 
  Having Marika as delusional also brings in 
  some of the horror theme of the Ravenloft 
  setting. 
  The more traditional approach would be to 
  make the baby real, and Katerina has stolen it 
  to raise it as her own (in the way of the 
  witches). 
  Katerina could also have taken the doll to give 
  it a voice (so it cries), but the delusional Marika 
  doesn’t realise that Katerina is doing her a 
  favour; in this case, you have the potential of 
  role-playing with a kind-hearted Katerina at the 
  adventure’s climax. In this case, perhaps 
  Marika’s memories have been tampered with by 
  one of Katerina’s rivals; the same one who 
  sends the dire wolf after the adventurers. 
  The “Kindly” Witch - If you would like to use 
  Katerina as a patron of the adventurers, she 
  could have arranged all of this as a test of their 
  competence. Marika and Imre are fully 
  complicit in the scheme. In this case, if the 
  players kill Katerina, they’ll be very hostile 
  
   
   
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  7 
  The Witch of Underwillow 
  towards the players. Treat Marika as a 
  commoner and Imre as a veteran in this case.  
  Katarina could actually be good-aligned, or 
  perhaps she’s still evil, but wishes to 
  manipulate the adventurers for her own ends. 
  Further Quests – Katarina has a rival named 
  Charani who is attuned to birds and lives at 
  the top of a tree in the deep forest. Katarina 
  wishes Charani destroyed, either by killing her 
  or by having her tree cut down.  
  Katarina also requires the gathering of strange 
  ingredients – the tongue of a cockatrice, the 
  feather of a harpy, and the tooth of a werewolf, 
  for instance. She may send the characters on a 
  quest to gather the ingredients. 
  As you can see, there are a number of 
  possibilities as to how you could frame the 
  adventure... and likely more I haven’t thought 
  of. Have fun with it and enjoy! 
  Appendix: New Magic Items 
  SCRYING CRYSTAL 
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) 
  A scrying crystal is a lesser version of the 
  crystal ball. It is typically about one or two 
  inches in diameter and can be held in one 
  hand. While holding it, you can use the 
  clairvoyance spell (save DC 15), no more than 
  three times per day. While the spell is active, 
  you may change the location of the sensor as 
  an action, as long as it follows the normal 
  restrictions on its placement. 
   
  Appendix: Monsters 
  KATARINA, WITCH OF UNDERWILLOW 
  Medium humanoid (human), chaotic evil 
  Armor Class 10 
  Hit Points 16 (3d8+3) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
  STR 
  7 (-2) 
  DEX 
  11 (+0) 
  CON 
  13 (+1) 
  INT 
  14 (+2) 
  WIS 
  11 (+0) 
  CHA 
  12 (+1) 
  Skills Arcana +4, Perception +2 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 
  Languages Common 
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) 
   
  Spellcasting. Katerina is a 3rd-level spellcaster. Her 
  spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 
  to hit with spell attacks). Katerina has the following 
  wizard spells prepared: 
   
  Cantrips (at will): mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of 
  frost 
  1st level (4 slots): animal friendship, sleep, 
  thunderwave 
  2nd level (2 slots): alter self, invisibility 
   
  ACTIONS 
  Claws (Requires Alter Self). Melee Weapon Attack: +3 
  to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6+1) slashing 
  damage. This attack is magical. 
   
  Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) 
  piercing damage. 
   
   
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  Cover art Weeping Willow by Claude Monet, public domain. 
  Interior art of statue copyright © 2016 Patrick E. Pullen, from his 
  Art for Adventures Pack 2. 
  
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