This is a narratized version of my 2nd session of a Dolmenwood-inspired setting using Beyond the Wall for character creation, supplemented by Scarlet Heroes for solo RP-mods and additional reference material. The D&D Rules Cyclopedia to fill in some gaps.
Trespassers and Defilers
Sunnhilde Beararm, the local hero of the village of Gruinwalt, and Turri Greeneye, the Wych's Prentice, trek deep into the Farwode looking to clear the Old Watchtower of cultists who have made the crumbling ruin a base of operations. They stumble along animal trails in the shadow of a moonless sky. Being ill-prepared for an assault, the two are delighted to stumble upon a cache of weapons at the edge of a clearing with a few weapons (a battle axe, spear, at least a half-dozen daggers and a quiver of steel-tipped arrows), a couple of chain shirts and a few trinkets made of metal. The pair hastily re-equip themselves before marching on. Sunnhilde dons the chain shirt, keeps the battle axe as a back up to her trusty axe and keeps the spear ready to hurl at her enemies. Turri takes the dagger but has no use for the chain armor. Besotted by their good fortune and the urgency to move on, the pair do not search for signs of battle, trails or clues.
As they re-enter the woods, they are disconcerted as the illumination fluctuates from the near dark of the new moon to an all-pervading dimly lit aura of purple and gold, the eternal gloaming of the Fae realms. Remembering her Da's and Ma's stories, Sunnhilde remembers how faeries abhor iron and cold steel. She grumbles and refuses to discard the arms and armor that are sorely needed for the upcoming fight against the cultists and the demons they summon.
An angry forest spirit, a semi-incorporeal giant owl with green and silver feathers and nasty raptor claws, disrupts the adventurers plan to clear out the cultist base of operations and accuses the villagers of trespassing on and, worse, defiling the land. The adventurers decide to hold their ground and mount a full defense as they are not likely to escape. The forest spirit is swift and weaves through the forest like the wind.
Sunnhilde's stout shield takes a beating, staving off the first round of the forest spirits attacks while Turri explains why they are in the deep woods and that they are villagers from Gruinwalt. Upon hearing of that they came from the village south of the deep wood, the spirit appears angrier and presses its attack, raking Sunnhilde with its giant owl claws as animated vines to slash and pierce the village hero. Sunnhilde falls. Turri is about is about to take a fatal blow but manages to connect with a glancing hit with his charred staff. Not enough to wound the forest spirit but the touch of the staff startles the forest spirit.
The forest spirit suspends its attack long enough to interrogate Turri.
"Tower's Heart! It can't be. Your staff is black and ashen. Yet it still thrums with the enchanted might of the Towering Tree".
"The village Wych, Lora, gave this to me," Turri whimpers.
"And where is Lora now?"
"Passed on from this world. She fought a demon. She gave her life to save me." Turri is in tears.
For the moment, the forest spirit appears willing to accept Turri's story. The forest spirit ceases raging and transforms into a handsome raven-haired young man introducing himself as He-Who-Watches.
The Wych nor anyone else in the village ever referred to the Wych's staff as "Tower's Heart". There is more to the staff than just a charred length of wood and a sentimental reminder of Turri's tutelage under the Wych.
He-Who-Watches forces the adventurers to discard their metal weapons and gear but allows them to keep the Wych's staff, Sunnhilde's shield and their healing herbs. He-Who-Watches also allows the adventurers to bind their wounds and asks about the Wych's demise and the recent events in and around Gruinwalt. Turri applies the healing paste and ragged bandages to revive Sunnhilde. After the short rest, He-Who-Watches commands the vines to wrap around the adventurers' necks and bind their arms and hands.
He-Who-Watches remains convinced that the villagers have broken an agreement to stay south of the standing stones. The spirit calls upon creatures of the forest to put the adventurers' testimony to the test. Many of the animals have seen robed humans with goat-horned-helmets and masks encroaching on the forbidden woods and inhabiting a crumbling watchtower along the old wall. An adder attests to a battle at the standing stones between the robed-masked-men and the adventurers. A songbird titters about voles seeing the adventurers harvesting the bounty of the woods in the Wych's Yard earlier in the day.
He-Who-Watches presses Turri and Sunnhilde for more details about the herbs, flowers and other wild crops they collected and comes to the conclusion that the adventurers are trying to cure the crop blight. He-Who-Watches called upon his allies to bring a blight on the villagers' crops to serve as a warning. Lora, the village Wych, was supposed to have known that the eldritch green flowers were a sign of Faerie displeasure and ought to have alerted the leaders of the village that humans have trespassed north of the standing stones.
He-Who-Watches reluctantly agrees that the adventurer's reason for trespassing are different than those of the robed, masked humans but their people are nevertheless guilty of trespassing. He-Who-Watches is further displeased that the adventurers are undoing his work of warning and punishing the village for crossing the agreed-upon border. The forest keeper will continue to harass the village and should the incursions continue, He-Who-Watches will muster a force to wipe out the village.
After some more negotiation, Turri and Sunnhilde save their necks but must convince the other trespassing humans to retreat or otherwise remove the human presence north of the standing stones. The forest keeper provides tolerant consent, giving them until sunset of the 2nd day hence to resolve the matter with their fellow humans before the forest fae resolves the matter for them.
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