Beneath the Moss 🌿

Episode 3 of Shadows on Wyrmwood Isle For 3-6 investigators of level 4

“The walls breathe here. The floors pulse. And in the depths… in the depths, reality itself begins to fold.” - Final journal entry of Dr. Elizabeth Winters

Introduction

Ancient stones shift beneath Wyrmwood Plantation, revealing a temple older than human memory. As a celestial convergence approaches, the boundary between realities grows paper-thin. The investigators must descend into this nightmare realm where space itself twists and turns, racing against time to prevent the completion of an apocalyptic ritual.

Act 1: The Descent

Initial Discovery

A section of moss-covered ground suddenly gives way, revealing worn stone steps descending into darkness. Strange symbols pulse with an inner light, and the air itself seems to whisper ancient secrets.

Entry Points: - Hidden sinkhole entrance - Plantation cellar connection - Eroded cliff face passage - Reality-warped doorways

The Upper Temple

Ceremonial Halls: - Floating candles - Moving shadows - Breathing walls - Shifting geometry

Preparation Chambers: 1. Robing rooms with living mirrors 2. Meditation chambers that bend time 3. Ritual cleansing pools of impossible depth 4. Storage areas with non-Euclidean spaces

Act 2: Archives of Madness

The Living Library

Players encounter: - Self-writing books - Floating geometric patterns - Time-locked memories - Reality-bending formulas

The Archival Spirit: > “I was like you once… seeking answers. But knowledge has teeth here, and it bites deep.”

Research Discoveries

Key findings: - Transformation processes - Cult hierarchies - Entity containment methods - Reality anchor points

Act 3: The Deeper Temple

Environmental Hazards

• Gravity inversions
• Time dilation zones
• Reality tears
• Memory bleeds

The Transformed

Encounter variations: 1. Partially shifted cultists 2. Reality-warped guardians 3. Cosmic-touched victims 4. Living architecture

Act 4: Convergence

The Final Chamber

Features: - Living walls of flesh and stone - Cosmic alignment windows - Reality-warping machinery - Pulsing energy conduits

Moira’s Revelation

Her form shifts and flows, cosmic energy crackling around her transformed body: “You see only the surface. The true depth of our transformation is beyond your comprehension.”

DM Guidance

Horror Escalation

Build tension through: - Progressive reality distortion - Increasing body horror - Cosmic revelation - Mental strain

Key Investigation Points

1. The Archives:
   • Hidden knowledge
   • Reality formulas
   • Protection methods
   • Ritual details
2. The Temple:
   • Ancient machinery
   • Power sources
   • Sacrifice patterns
   • Reality anchors
3. The Entity:
   • True nature hints
   • Weakness indicators
   • Connection points
   • Manifestation signs

Combat Encounters

Temple Guardians

2 Guardians (CR 4) - Reality phasing - Geometric weapons - Cosmic enhancement - Environmental control

Transformed Cultists

4 Cultists (CR 3) - Partial manifestation - Reality manipulation - Hive mind connection - Physical distortion

Moira Blackwood

Boss Enemy (CR 5) - Complete transformation - Reality mastery - Cosmic channeling - Environmental control

Environmental Challenges

Reality Distortions

• Distance warping
• Time dilation
• Gravity shifts
• Memory bleeding

Cosmic Effects

• Mental strain
• Physical warping
• Reality bleeding
• Entity influence

Character Developments

Moira Blackwood

• Progressive transformation
• Power manifestation
• Cosmic connection
• Human loss

The Archival Spirit

• Knowledge sharing
• Reality anchoring
• Warning giving
• Past revealing

The Transformed Collective

• Hive mind emergence
• Physical evolution
• Cosmic awareness
• Human remnants

Victory Conditions

Primary Objectives

• Locate ritual details
• Find entity weaknesses
• Survive temple
• Maintain sanity

Secondary Goals

• Save possible victims
• Secure artifacts
• Document discoveries
• Establish defenses

Challenge Elements

Reality Navigation (d6)

1. Spatial fold
2. Time loop
3. Gravity well
4. Memory trap
5. Cosmic void
6. Entity bleed

Transformation Effects (d6)

1. Physical warping
2. Mental merging
3. Reality bleeding
4. Cosmic awareness
5. Time dislocation
6. Spatial shifting

Transition Elements

Major Hooks for Finale

• Celestial alignment timing
• Final ritual components
• Entity manifestation signs
• Prevention methods

Minor Threads

• Reality anchor points
• Protection symbols
• Cosmic barriers
• Banishment techniques

Appendix: Temple Layout

Upper Level

• Entry chambers
• Archive halls
• Living quarters
• Preparation rooms

Lower Level

• Main temple
• Convergence chamber
• Summoning pool
• Reality breach

The temple thrums with ancient power as cosmic forces gather. Time grows short as reality itself begins to unravel, leading to the final confrontation that will determine the fate of not just Wyrmwood Isle, but reality itself.

“In the depths of madness, even stone dreams of transformation.”