Wyrmbough Grove

Start-class article · First seen: s1 · Last seen: s15
Wyrmbough Grove
Wyrmbough
Portrait of Wyrmbough Grove.
Location
StatusActive
First seens1
Last seens15
FactionWyrmbough Grove elven council

Wyrmbough Grove is the small elven city at the top left of the world map, where the campaign’s first quest was played out in sessions 2 and 3 [11][9]. Its council, among them the alchemist Gwen Homora, sent the party into the Corrupted Redwood Grove for bark samples, and the cave beyond held the wyrmling Sunset is Nigh and the death of Cholmondeley, the campaign’s first player-character death [53][54]. The town mourned him at a fire on the village green, and the corruption that had been driving elves out of town lifted once the dragon’s hoard had fed the egg [14][26].

Overview

Wyrmbough Grove is the small elven city at the top left of the world map [9], where the campaign’s first quest began and ended. The party’s patron there was Gwen Homora, an alchemist who sat on the town’s council [10]. The land around the town was sick: bandits robbed travellers at the edge of the woods, the council’s hunters were going missing, and elves were leaving with their belongings [11][12][10]. The party traced the corruption to a lair across the poisoned stream, cleansed it at the cost of Cholmondeley’s life, and left by the road south in session 4 [13][14][15].

Geography and appearance

A small, forested elven town, in the DM’s words “very elven very foresty” [15]. The DM spoke of an inner city and, beyond it, “the outer corrupted part” of the Grove, reached by a path that winds through mists and crooked trees [16]. The corrupted redwoods are half an hour’s walk from the town [17][18]. Before the party acted, the corruption was driving people out; once the lair was cleansed the grove “breathes again” [14].

Layout

  • The inner city. The small city where the party began session 2, with a road out to the east, and the town from which elves were leaving with laden donkeys [11][12].
  • The council building. The main council building, where Gwen was generally to be found [19]. Commoners argued with her outside it, and there she told the party about the burial mound [20].
  • The square. The party left its cart and horses in the middle of the square; Nancy slept wet beside the cart [21].
  • Sunny’s stall. The halfling merchant’s stand of minor goods, with two sturdy horses in front [22]. The DM did not say where in the town it stood.
  • Fergus’s Grill and the cottages. A small eating house with a small bed and breakfast attached, where pretty much the whole town ate Fergus’s meat [23][24][25]. See Fergus’s Grill.
  • The village green. Where the fire of remembrance was lit for Cholmondeley [26].
  • Shamil’s forge. The blacksmith’s forge, found by asking around, where Vasquez worked through the evening [27][28]. See Shamil’s Forge.
  • The path to the grove. From the inner city the path leads to the outer corrupted part: the redwoods, the mound and, across the stream, the cave [16][17]. See Corrupted Redwood Grove and Sunset is Nigh’s Lair.

Inhabitants

  • Gwen Homora. Alchemist, on the council; brewed the party’s poison-resistance potions [10][29].
  • Fergus. Butcher and cook of the grill [24].
  • Shamil. The blacksmith, an elf with short braided red hair, a drippy nose and an accent that changes every word [30].
  • Sunny. A travelling halfling merchant [31][22].
  • Selenor. Stood behind Gwen when the party returned, and played the horn at the funeral fire [26]. His office is not stated at the table.
  • Amara. One of two elves the party met in session 1 [1].
  • Armin Whisperwind. A hunter caught and tortured at the dragon’s lair, found at the cave mouth and escorted home afterwards [32][33].
  • Nancy. Cholmondeley’s ward, who asked to stay with the party after his death and was, by session 4, left in the village [34][35].

Government / control

A council. Gwen speaks of “me and the council” and of “the hunts that we’ve employed” to keep the town safe [10]. The town answers to no great power in play: no Aurelian or Velkris presence appears.

Notable features

  • The burial mound. In the Corrupted Redwood Grove, the untouched mound is the ceremonial grave of 34 elves who died fighting the ancient green dragon, and of their leader Edvan, who struck the final blow with his long sword [36]. At dusk Harvo saw the ghostly echo of Edvan, with an empty scabbard, replaying the fight on a loop [37].
  • The Grove Wars horn. Selenor’s carved horn “once used in the Grove Wars” [26]. What those wars were is not said.

History in the campaign

Session 2: The Bark, the Dryad, and the Riddle that Wasn’t a Tree

Main article: Session 2

The party began in the town with six vials to fill with bark for Gwen [11]. Cholmondeley talked Nancy into minding the cart in the square, and the party set out at midday [38]. Back from the grove after half an hour’s walk, they gave Gwen the samples [39], traded their loot with Sunny [40] and ate at Fergus’s Grill, where Gwen brought five potions of poison resistance and the party took a cottage [41][42][43]. Next morning Nancy, who had slept beside the cart in the rain, walked out on Cholmondeley [44].

Session 3: The Lair of Sunset is Nigh and the Death of Cholmondeley

Main article: Session 3

At the council building, as elves left town, Gwen told the party about the burial mound [12][45]. The party cleansed the lair across the stream, and the grove “breathes again” [14]. That night a fire of remembrance was lit on the village green: Gwen laid six sprigs of mosswort in the flames and Selenor played his horn [26]. Sevryn spoke into their minds, sending them to Eldwythe [46]. Vasquez forged his gunblade at Shamil’s forge [5], and the party ate the wyrmling at Fergus’s, where Earthwing joined them [6].

Session 4: The Still Current, the Black Mask, and Hugo’s Pact

Main article: Session 4

The session opened at Fergus’s, where the dragon meat gave everyone five temporary hit points [47][48]. The party slept in Fergus’s hut, and the cart, which a small child had taken, stayed behind [49][50]. In the morning Hugo went back for a last warmed portion of dragon meat, which Fergus served with “Well, here you go, savior of Wyrmbough.” [51]. The party then left on the road to Gloamhearth and Mirestrand, with Nancy still in the village [52].

Session 15: The Death of Ruin and Althea Joins

Main article: Session 15

Wyrmbough came up once more, off-screen. Parting from the party, Phil Flowerforge, voiced by the DM, said that he and Briochebane would be heading to Arcanthys or Velkris, “or maybe Wyrmbough”, where he had heard “some strange things happening” [8].

Status

As of session 23. Active, and free of the corruption that nearly overwhelmed it. The party has not been back since leaving at the start of session 4 [15], and the town has been spoken of only once since [8].

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 2, line 20: Cholmondeley's recap of the unrecorded session 1 names the town, the elves Amara and Gwen, and the missing hunters.
  2. ^ Session 2, line 52-3334: The bark quest, Sunny's stall, supper at Fergus's Grill, Gwen's potions and Nancy's departure.
  3. ^ Session 3, line 134-176: The council building; Gwen names the burial mound.
  4. ^ Session 3, line 1972-1976: The fire of remembrance on the village green; Selenor plays the war-horn.
  5. ^ Session 3, line 2072-2120: Vasquez borrows Shamil's forge and makes the gunblade.
  6. ^ Session 3, line 2162-2226: Fergus cooks the wyrmling; Earthwing joins the party at dinner.
  7. ^ Session 4, line 58-302: The party leaves Wyrmbough Grove by the road south.
  8. ^ Session 15, line 609-611: Phil, voiced by the DM, names Wyrmbough as a place he and Briochebane might go.
  9. ^ Session 2, line 3002: Inline citation.
  10. ^ Session 3, line 172: Inline citation.
  11. ^ Session 2, line 52: Inline citation.
  12. ^ Session 3, line 148: Inline citation.
  13. ^ Session 3, line 1658-1660: Inline citation.
  14. ^ Session 3, line 1928: Inline citation.
  15. ^ Session 4, line 302: Inline citation.
  16. ^ Session 2, line 170: Inline citation.
  17. ^ Session 2, line 322: Inline citation.
  18. ^ Session 2, line 2700: Inline citation.
  19. ^ Session 3, line 134: Inline citation.
  20. ^ Session 3, line 148-176: Inline citation.
  21. ^ Session 2, line 3290: Inline citation.
  22. ^ Session 2, line 2808: Inline citation.
  23. ^ Session 2, line 2730: Inline citation.
  24. ^ Session 2, line 2990: Inline citation.
  25. ^ Session 2, line 3136: Inline citation.
  26. ^ Session 3, line 1976: Inline citation.
  27. ^ Session 3, line 2072-2084: Inline citation.
  28. ^ Session 3, line 2120: Inline citation.
  29. ^ Session 2, line 3142: Inline citation.
  30. ^ Session 3, line 2092: Inline citation.
  31. ^ Session 2, line 2746: Inline citation.
  32. ^ Session 3, line 492-546: Inline citation.
  33. ^ Session 3, line 1946-1962: Inline citation.
  34. ^ Session 3, line 1986-2032: Inline citation.
  35. ^ Session 4, line 52-56: Inline citation.
  36. ^ Session 3, line 176: Inline citation.
  37. ^ Session 3, line 2130-2146: Inline citation.
  38. ^ Session 2, line 100-164: Inline citation.
  39. ^ Session 2, line 2700-2706: Inline citation.
  40. ^ Session 2, line 2824-2884: Inline citation.
  41. ^ Session 2, line 2966: Inline citation.
  42. ^ Session 2, line 3140-3148: Inline citation.
  43. ^ Session 2, line 3222: Inline citation.
  44. ^ Session 2, line 3290-3334: Inline citation.
  45. ^ Session 3, line 172-176: Inline citation.
  46. ^ Session 3, line 2046: Inline citation.
  47. ^ Session 4, line 58: Inline citation.
  48. ^ Session 4, line 108: Inline citation.
  49. ^ Session 4, line 164-184: Inline citation.
  50. ^ Session 4, line 230: Inline citation.
  51. ^ Session 4, line 262-292: Inline citation.
  52. ^ Session 4, line 54: Inline citation.
  53. ^ Session 3, line 1252: Inline citation.
  54. ^ Session 3, line 1260: Inline citation.