The Witherwild

A peaceful, quiet land faces a spreading corruption.

The Pitch

The Fanewick was once a place of great abundance and peace, dangerous to those unfamiliar with the land, but a cornucopia to those who respected its ways. When Haven came and forced the land into Eternal Spring, a dangerous bloom known as the Witherwild took hold and now threatens the lives of all who live there. In the Witherwild campaign, you’ll play unlikely heroes from humble beginnings who are reckoning with their newfound duty to save the people of this land from dangerous corruption.

Overview

Fanewick is a wild and untamed land, long avoided by outside forces. The woods are dark and twisting, ﬁlled with Faint Divinities that perform small miracles and services for its inhabitants, but are just as likely to lure travelers off narrow paths to their ruin. Seemingly harmless expanses of ﬁeld hide bogs that will englut entire armies, consuming heavy artillery as quickly as it can cross the border. This wilderness fosters hardy people who are bold enough to raise families where others have not and strictly follow the unique rules that keep them safe. They remained insulated from the wars of their neighbors until plague forced the people of Haven to desperate acts.

Haven was once the most powerful force in the region; for centuries the high stone walls into the capital bore the phrase “The Godless Gate.” While the original meaning has been lost to common knowledge, some dusty tomes and ancient records state that the founders of Haven wished to be free of the inﬂuence of the Faint Divinities that dominated the surrounding regions. They hatched a plan to kill one of the mightiest of these deities, known as the Shun’Aush the Granite Ophid. While their exact method of deicide is forgotten, their victory ensured Haven’s dominance in the region for centuries to come. They made their home behind its remains, which became the mighty walls that Haven was known for. But the Shun’Aush would have his revenge. As the Havenites carved through its stone body, the ﬁne dust left behind settled into the surrounding earth. There was a time of prosperity over many centuries while the scales of the god remained undisturbed. But progress is it’s own pressure and the increased productivity demanded by a growing population brought the ancient stone dust to the surface as farms tilled deeper soil, and mines hacked into hidden stone. The same walls that brought the city security, became the crucible that incubated a virulent plague.

Over the last two years, over half of Havenites fell to a disease known as the “Serpent’s Sickness.” First, victims’ cough up dust, soon after their skin breaks out in a scaling rash, then their body hardens beginning ﬁrst with the ﬂesh, bones, soft tissue, and ﬁnally their origins ossiﬁed. Once within the organs, “the serpent” moves so quickly, that victims petrify where they stand, leaving the city of Haven ﬁlled with statues of victims in their last moments of agony.

But, the High Magus of Haven, Archmage Phylax discovered a rare red ﬂower that could cure the Serpent’s Sickness. Challengingly, these buds only grow proliﬁcally across Fanewick in the spring, but for every 10,000 of the common white-petaled blossoms, there’s only one of the rare red blooms the cure requires.

Things got so desperate in Haven that they had no choice but to invade if there was to be any hope of saving their people from the plague. So it came to pass that Haven sent forces into Fanewick, to round up the scarce red buds. They plunged into the deep wood, and under the guidance of Archmage Phylax, stole the Reaping Eye from the most powerful Faint Divinity that protected the land, the Great Owl god Nikta, the Sheperd of the Seasons . Though few believed the wizard’s stories, he was correct: the Sheperd of the Seasons kept the Fanewick in balance by turning its eye ﬁrst for ripening, then ruination, upon the land, maintaining the cycle of seasons, of growth and decay, of death and rebirth. With the Reaping Eye removed, Nikta can only watch over the Fanewick with the Eye of Renewal, forcing it into everlasting spring.

In the year since, Haven has conquered the bogs, turning them into ﬁelds to harvest red ﬂowers. The endless growth that once seemed like a gift quickly evolved into a scourge known as the Witherwild–the ﬂora and fauna of the Fanewick have ﬂourished, unchecked and uncontrolled. Animals swell to massive size, trees warp, twist, and begin to hunt people, vines creep along the forest ﬂoor strangling all they touch. This explosive growth is unconquerable and unrelenting, with no force able to stop the metastasizing verdance for long.

Prior to the Serpent’s Sickness and the Owl God’s endless growth, your party lived a peaceful life in Fanewick or life of toil and conquest in Haven. But when the danger demands a response, even the unprepared (and perhaps unwilling) must make a stand.

Tone & Feel:

Dynamic, Whimsical, Cozy, Uncanny, Epic, Heroic, Adventurous, Thrilling

Themes:

Verdant, Ancient, Serene, Haunted

Inspirations

The Legend of Zelda, The Dark Crystal, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Communities

All communities are available, but some have unique aspects within the Witherwild campaign.

Loreborne and Highborne

In Fanewick, knowledge is the most valuable commodity and those who have expertise have the most power. This economy of information functions primarily on gifting and trading, and wisdom would be considered acceptable collateral for a weapon or warm meal. As such, Loreborne community members are the wealthiest in the Fanewick and might be smaller, distinct groups of hunters, historians, or artisans, within larger villages.

What knowledge did your community teach you that you must now protect or share?
What are you able to accomplish because of your upbringing that others outside your community do not understand?
You once traded important knowledge for something terrible. What did you impart and what did you gain in return?

In Haven, the wealthiest members are Highborne, having inherited riches that were built in the walled city over generations. While the Highborne of Haven were more insulated from the Serpent’s Sickness, like any disease, none were immune.

Who have you lost to the Serpent’s Sickness? How did it affect you?
How did your family make their wealth? Have you rejected or embraced their core set of ethics?
You grew up in a world of abundance but were kept from learning something about the world. What was this knowledge and when did you discover it?

Ridgeborne, Underborne, and Wildborne

While not exclusive, players who choose one of these communities (Ridgeborne, Underborne, and Wildborne) likely come from a portion of Fanewick. Members of these groups are most often raised in the deadly environment of Fanewick, which has only become more dangerous as the Witherwild progresses. Each has unique customs that allow them safe passage through dangerous terrain and the territory of Faint Divinities, which may be freely shared, or closely guarded secrets.

In exchange for protection from the Witherwild for themselves and their families, some Fanewick from these groups have been forced to take jobs as farmers in Haven’s ﬂower ﬁelds. Though it is back-breaking work performed for a nation-destroying their land, the Haven ﬁres burn back the ever-creeping Witherwild, offering safety.

What faint divinities do you give tribute to and how have you been rewarded in kind?
You displeased a god of the Fanewick. What did you do, and what misfortune befell you or a loved one?
You fled the place of your birth. What were the circumstances that drove you to leave?

Orderborne

Players might choose to build Orderborne characters if they want to play current or former members of the Haven Army that invaded Fanewick. Though the army brings violence into this land, they also carry with them incredible grief for a homeland succumbing to disease and pain.

What regrets do you carry with you from your conquest of foreign soil?
What kindness did an enemy combatant bestow upon you in an hour of need? How did this change your view of the people of the Fanewick?
You were charged with planting a rumor in a Fanewick community. What is it, and do you plan to carry out this mission?

Slybourne

As the Haven army represents the current martial power in Fanewick, those who wish to play Slyborne characters might come from rebel groups of Fanewick seeking to expel the invading forces from their lands. Depending on the nature of the tactics they employ, a character’s association with their Slyborne community might align with, or go against their upbringing.

Who among the Haven army do you wish to exact revenge upon and why?
You joined an insurgent group that’s working to free this land from Haven’s grasp. What has given you doubts about the leadership’s methods?
Someone you love is a member of the Haven Army. How have you used your position in the rebellion to protect them?

Seaborne

Both Fanewick and Haven have a coastal border. The majority of Fanewick’s Seaborne communities focus on local travel to neighboring regions and seaside living in smaller groups, while Havenites tend to live in large ports that ship and receive goods from distant lands.

You recently traveled by sea over a vast distance. What went terribly wrong on that passage and how has it changed you?
Growing up on the sea taught you a skill few have. What did you learn and how when did it save your life?
You used to sail with a companion. Who were they and how do you remain connected?

Wanderborne

Wanderborne communities can be found in both Fanewick and Haven, though safe travel has been severely restricted due to the military occupation and the expansion of the Witherwild. Players might choose to build characters that come from one or neither country, and they should make clear decisions on their personal views, and the views of their community, on the invasion of Fanewick.

What do you do to keep your small community safe, independent, and hidden from Haven’s forces?
Because of your communities’ transience, you have loved ones in both Fanewick and Haven. How has this affected your relationship with the invasion?
Your community travels to protect something. What is it, and why does it keep you from settling down?

Ancestries

All ancestries are available, but some have unique aspects within the Witherwild campaign.

Clanks from Haven are commonly made from iron and steel while Clanks from Fanewick are typically constructed from wood and stone.
Some fungril that live in the Fanewick since the Witherwild are noticeably larger than members of this ancestry from other regions.
Some Drakona, Fauns, Firbolgs, and Inferis that live in the Fanewick since the Witherwild have noticed their horns growing faster and longer.
Many families of Galapa and Ribbets that lived in the bogs of Fanewick were displaced by Haven’s army when they invaded.
Anyone, particularly those from Haven, may carry the Serpent’s Sickness, which stiffens their movements and gives them only a limited time to survive without a cure.

Classes

All classes are available, but some have unique aspects within the Witherwild campaign.

Sorcerers, Druids, and Rangers

Those with the abilities of Sorcerers, Druids and Rangers are most common throughout Fanewick. If you’re playing one of these classes, consider how you might your connection to the natural world might be impacted by the Witherwild.

Wizards and Warriors

Those with the abilities of Wizards and Warriors are very prevalent in Haven. There is a large Wizarding School in Haven that teaches fighters and healers. The Haven Army is primarily composed of Warriors and School of War Wizards. If you’re playing either of these classes, consider what your relationship to the Haven Army is.

Vengeance Guardian

Many Wicklings who seek revenge on, or the expulsion of, Haven from Fanewick have the abilities of Vengeance Guardians. If you’re playing this subclass, consider what ideals or institutions you might be protecting.

Syndicate Rogue

The Haven Army sends spies into Fanewick communities to gain information on planned attacks and to manipulate public perception. If you’re playing a Syndicate Rogue, consider how they might be connected or impacted by these covert operatives.

Player Principles

Draw from Humble Origins

You come from a place not built for war. Think about how your life before picking up arms to fight the Witherwild impacts the kind of hero you’ve become. What from your upbringing has proven useful? What do you need to leave behind?

Treat Death with Importance

Taking a life should not be done without consideration, desperation, and consequences. Remember those you’ve lost and those you’ve slain and allow it to affect your choices in the future. Is there

Embrace Vulnerability

Find your character’s humanity and showcase it whenever you can. Be as vulnerable during quiet moments as you are vicious during violent ones. Open yourself to your allies, even if you close yourself off to everyone else.

GM Principles

Paint the World in Contrast

Subvert expectations by giving space for the nightmarish to charm and the beautiful to terrify. Give the PCs visions of the natural beauty of the Fanewick that has run roughshod across the region, breaking the bounds of the bogs and forests, and devastating homes and communities. Show the grim and ordered life behind Haven’s walls, but also show the culture, art and progress that has come out of centuries of security and safety. In a place of long nights and days, dual seasons, and two nations in conflict, look for ways to highlight bold dualities.

Make the Details Whimsical

Inject humor and lightness into the inhabitants of this land. Allow the Faint Divinities to look and operate within the story in uncanny ways. Though they wield incredible power and influence, these gods may also spend their time wandering the Fanewick in search of a victim to prank or impart a harsh but humorous lesson to. Despite the trauma this land has endured, find room for joy, ritual, and celebration.

Show Them True Danger

Though it may be tragic, bodily harm is not the worst tragedy that can befall your players. To illustrate what’s truly at stake, use the PCs origins in the Fanewick or Haven to show them what they stand to lose. The events of this campaign may change or destroy their homes, family, friends, or even their core beliefs. Offering players ownership of their backstory gives them something to fight for.

Offer Alternatives to Violence

By illuminating non-violent approaches to problem solving, the PCs can actively become a part of breaking the brutal cycle that binds this world. Some corrupted beasts simply need to be shown compassion in order to free them. The conflict between Haven and the Fanewick shouldn’t only be solved with blood and blade. What threatens both could also unify them. Give the PCs opportunities to mend old wounds, right past wrongs, and heal the rift between Haven and Fanewick from within.

Create Multidimensional Allies and Adversaries

No adversary or ally is all good or all bad, and they each have multidimensional lives. Even the most congenial ally should be hiding darkness inside them, hoping their failings will go undiscovered. Those painted as evil should sometimes do the right thing, even if it’s for the wrong reason. Just because a player or NPC is from Haven does not make them a villain, and, conversely, not all the inhabitants of the Fanewick are virtuous. Finding the nuance, complications, and deeper motivations of the people of Haven and the Fanewick will lead to richer interactions, more complex moral choices, and a deeper sense of attachment to the world for the players.

Distinctions

The Weeks of Day and Night

The day and night cycle of the Witherwilds occurs weekly, meaning the sun rises for an entire week before setting into a nighttime of the same length. This has an impact on everything from agriculture to trade, as many merchants refuse to travel through the long, dark night. But this cycle doesn’t just affect the people of the Fanewick, it’s dictated how the wondrous ecology of the place has evolved. Days and nights are accompanied by entirely different natural soundscapes as the Fanewick’s nocturnal denizens sleep through the long days and stalk the woods in times of darkness while their diurnal counterparts sleep. The plants, similarly, live on this strange day/night loop, with many living out their entire life cycles in a week. Sun Rose vines make a thorny ascent to the top of the tree canopy over the course of the week, only to wilt under the light of the moon. Conversely, Night Bloom, a bioluminescent flower, that emits the smell of burnt sugar and decay, only blooms when evening falls, illuminating patches of forest; a godsend to anyone forced to travel in the dark.

The Serpent’s Sickness

The plague sweeping across Haven spares no one, and grants all a painful end. In the initial stages, victims are afflicted with a hacking cough laden with dust. Then a scaled rash errupts acros their skin, cracking their flesh in a unique and painful pattern. Since the initial outbreak, Haven officials have worked tirelessly to quarantine those in the early stages of the disease, but this effort has done little to stop the spread of the Serpent’s Sickness. Not long after, victim’s bodies will begin to harden, from their flesh, soft tissue, bones, and finally their organs will cease to function and solidify. The final stages of the serpent’s wrath is so quick, that many transform into statues where they stand, leaving all of Haven a cenotaph to a once great power.

Lady’s Veil

These small flowers grow in patches of sun throughout Fanewick. For every 10,000 blossoms of white petaled flowers, one will bloom a unique and vibrant red. These flowers have long been used in herbal teas across the region, with the crimson flowers holding a place in specific ceremonies. Even so, they were only foraged until the Havenites discovered Crimson Lady’s Veil is the only known cure for Serpent’s Sickness. Thus, they invaded Fanewick and began cultivating the flowers on massive farms in former bog territories. Though the theft of Reaping Eye has created an indefinite growing season, the red flowers remain just as rare, and Fanewick is permeated by a sickly sweet smell as the Haven Army races to mass-produce a cure for Serpent’s Sickness. Anyone outside the Haven Army or the farmworkers that’s caught with a Crimson Lady’s Veil will be killed on sight.

The Witherwild

This corruption, empowered by the endless spring, is spreading throughout Fanewick. Some believe the overgrowth began in the forest, others claim is sprang from the bogs, but this flourishing malignancy induces horrific changes and massive growth on anything it touches, transforming them into “Withered” beings. Plants sprint to life with a desire to consume all around them. Animals grow to immense proportions, with onerous dispositions to match their exaggerated teeth, tusks, and claws. Even harmless creatures that were once hunted for food have become dangerous and formiddable adversaries. When a person is corrupted by the Witherwild, either from a purposeful attack or accidental harm, they are transformed. They become a nightmarish hybrid of plant or beast, and their own changed body. The Witherwild will slowly replace the personality of victims with the same drive for consumption exhibited by the rest of the corrupt Fanewick. Though the Withered may manage to retain a semblance of who they are for a time, eventually they’ll face the final loss of their personhood. Some Wicklings believe the Withered are gifted with this power by the Nikta’s wrath and will thus drive the forces of Haven from the Fanewick and return his Reaping Eye.

The Gods of the Fanewick

Gods in the Witherwilds are not ethereal concepts that exist in another realm, but wander the land as incarnate beings, residing in both the natural world as well as within homes and small villages. As such, they are generally present in Wickling’s lives. Many communities, and even some larger families, even have their own small god, or tutelary spirit, that watches over them.

Belief and worship take on a different meaning here and there is a constant push and pull between the goals of both people and their dietific neighbors. The gods must curry worship from mortals, often by performing small miracles, acts of service, or by testing their resolve with tricks and curses. Mortals rely on the small blessings from the gods to keep them safe when traveling and working in the Fanewick. The most powerful and widely acknowledged of these Faint Divinities is the The Sheperd of Seasons, Nikta, as it’s had the most recent and visible impact on everyone in the Fanewick.

The various divinities of the Fanewick each have their own opinion on what is happening in regards to the Witherwild corruption. While some enjoy nature’s newfound dominance, many of the lesser dieties are wary of how out of balance the Fanewick has become. While their behavior and motives may be inscrutable, they are more accessible than gods that watch down from on high.

Hyacynis: They Who Spread Small Blossoms. A friend of bees and tiny flowers, who has embraced the Witherwild after seeing their influence and domain swell (literally) to immense proportions. They’re enjoying this metastasizing growth and do not see a reason to end it.
Fulg: Stacker of Stones. A small god who favors tribute in the form of smooth, stacked river rocks. He grants an abundance of bivalve and limpet growth on the rocks where they can be easily harvested. He is largely uninformed about the problems Fanewick faces, and prefers it that way.
Qui’Gar: Whispered Sweetness for a Thorny End. A quiet god who presides over the deaths of those who die in thorny bushes and briar patches. Traditionally she doesn’t receive many visitors, but the Witherwild’s corruptive growth has made her job harder and upended her quiet existence.
Oove: Watcher of the Night Bloom. One of the few local gods that has never been seen, but is often heard in the wilds at night whispering directions to lost travelers pointing them to the nearest source of Night Bloom. Locals claim that he leads those who displease him, or harm the nocturnal creatures, into dangerous terrain. It’s rumored that he watches over the Fanewick nights from his home on the moon.
Ikla: Sky Painter. Ikla’s artistic prowess and talent are unmatched, painting the skies of each weekly sunrise and sunset over the Fanewick in a myriad of scintillating colors. The rest of the week they could not be lazier and their demeanor is exceedingly unpleasant, offended that anyone would ask a favor of them during their time off.
Rohkin: The Wandering Horn. Rohkin watches over the many herds of horned creatures that reside in the Fanewick. In happier times he preserved the balance of nature and civilization, preventing overhunting. But since the corruption of the Witherwild has taken hold he’s seen his herds change into unrecognizable, dangerous beasts.

These are but a small slice of the hundreds, if not thousands of Faint Divinities lurking, relaxing, hunting, and playing throughout Fanewick.

What Faint Divinities do the PCs acknowledge and tribute, if any?
How has the Witherwild changed the personalities and dispositions of the Faint Divintities player encounter?
Which gods ally themselves with Haven to preserve the Endless Spring? Which align with the Fanewick?

The Inciting Incident

You can use the prompt below to start your campaign, or create your own.

With the Reaping Eye stowed in a secure vault beneath the central towner of Haven’s school for mages, seemingly impossible to recover, a secretive and dangerous rebel group, led by a mysterious figure known only as The Fanewraith (Wildborne Simiah, she/her), has hatched a plan to end the curse of the Witherwild: Find the The Great Owl, Nikta, and pluck out the Eye of Renewal. While this may solve the immediate problem… just as when Haven invaded, the long term consequences are not being considered.

Haven’s beleaguered spymaster, Kreil Dirn (Orderborne Drakona, he/they) is not a popular person in Haven. He is responsible for rooting out insurgents, stopping schemes before they have a chance to start, and keeping a close watch on Haven’s internal activities. Kriel has, openly, never agreed with High Magus Phylax’s (Highborne Human, he/him) decision to steal the Reaping Eye, and the consequences they’ve paid for that decision have been grimly vindicating.

Recently he uncovered the Fanewraith’s plot and is horrified by the possibilities of their success. Knowing he can’t send a troupe of Haven soldiers deep into the woods to hunt down the Fanewraith, stopping her before she enacts her desperate plan, Kreil uses their vast network of informants and spies to find a group of adventurers from within the Fanewick itself to bring the Fanewraith to swift justice.

The party is sent an invitation from Haven to meet with Kreil. But is his information correct? Does he have his own motivation or secret ambition? Whether they come from the Fanewick or Haven, the party will have to extend some trust to a person who is equally as dangerous and mercurial as the “enemy” they pursue. And what will they do when they find the Fanewraith? Bring her to justice? Side with her? Attempt to recover the Reaping Eye?

Kreil will advise the party to start their hunt for the Fanewraith in the treetop village of Alula, where he suspects she runs her operation.

Campaign Mechanics

Corruption from the Witherwild

Adversaries and Environments you use in this campaign can have the “Withered” tag added to their Type. When it does, also describe how the Witherwild has changed or impacted how it would normally operate or appear.

Anytime a PC takes Severe damage from an adversary or environment that is “Withered,” gain a Fear token and place it on a PC’s character sheet, now called a Wither token. When you do, the PC must roll their Fear die. If they roll at or below the number of Wither tokens on their sheet, they immediately take a scar and clear all tokens, describing how the Witherwild changes them permanently.

At the end of each session, clear all Wither tokens from the PC’s sheets and gain them as Fear. If a character ever dies with Wither tokens on their sheet, their body is instead taken over permanently by the Witherwild.

Session Zero Questions

What dangerous animal comes out during the weeks of night that isn’t out during the week of day?
What unique trait (appearance, smell, taste, etc.) does anything tainted by the Witherwild have?
What superstitions do you or your community have about traveling the Fanewick during the long nights?
What foraged food has become a staple of your community and how have they made it their own?
If you are from Fanewick, what commodity do you secretly enjoy that comes from Haven? If you’re from Haven, what delicacy from Fanewick can you not get enough of?

Map

Pass this map around the table during Session Zero and fill it in together.

[Map Image]