Roland's World - The Kingdom of Kern

Last updated: October 6, 2025

Red Fork

Red Fork is a little village three days northwest of the Town of Ovesta. Madame Wilma is the village elder in charge.

A supply train from RedFork to Ovesta has not arrived, it is three days late. Kiitaren Donovan, an Ovesta deputy, was sent to Red Fork to investigate.

All the buildings in Red Fork had been broken and crushed, except for well, tavern, blacksmith and two farmhouses. The Wanderers of the Wyld found a letter and a young girl's journal that indicated that a curse has befallen the inhabitants of Red Fork. After three days, the curse transforms its inhabitants into a black oak tree.

  • On Day 1, people feel thick and have aching joints.
  • On Day 2, people's hair have transformed into leaves.
  • On Day 3, people can't have food or drink, water in the well tastes strange (source of infection?)

    Bugbears seem to have rounded up and herded the inhabitants out of town. The trail went over a rise to reveal a very large tree surrounded by shrubs and bushes.

    Underground Garden

    An opening under the tree covered in thick natural coloured vince went down 200 feet into the earth to an underground garden. A dim purple light comes from magic purple crystals in the ceiling. Normal and transmuted black moss cover the walls and ceiling. The floor is covered with thick lush grash on bottom.

    Potter's Shed
    The Wanderers of the Wyld discovered a huge potter's shed, where Rako was slain by a shambling mound.

  • 6 male human prisoners in room next to main room in garden shed, almost worked to death in the garden
  • lots of different plants in the garden, some mutated - with purple stuff, but not let near them
  • lots of bugbears
  • from redfork, tell them to go up, take horses/pony back to Ovesta to report to Kingsman
  • black moss, when turned into a black powder, injested, contact and inhallation poison, can be thrown at us as a weapon
  • where it grows, white powder forms from dead vegetation around black moss, that can be used as an antidote
  • 1 female human prisoner chained to a wall, better health, more recent? - Kiitaren, deputy investigating - ran into Casher Startwist, a gnome, went with her to Redfork, but escaped from the Bugbears

    Garden #3
    This gardern has 3 sections: herb, pine, and cactus. The Wanderers of the Wyld walked towards the garden following some tracks made by a pair of small feet. Once near the pine trees in the garden, pollen put some of them to sleep, so they group retreated and entered through the herb section of the garden. From the cactus section, they could see a strange growth in pine tree section. Those who had not succumbed to the pollen investigated and found a dead gnome inside. Kiitaren recognized it as Casher by his Startwist Stilletto +1, an exotic gnomish weapon. Ellie picked up the blade and put it in her belt.

    As they left the garden to go to the next one, they were spotted by 10 bugbears wielding halberds. Their leader, the one with no nose ring ordered the others to move up and throw...an apple grenade?

  • Kiitaren salvaged 3 apple grenades to use after they had figured out how to activate them.
  • NOTE: knowledge religion, purple light is important colour to unholy trinity, seems to boost the bugbears

    Garden #2
    This garden has bushes with diamond shaped leaves with black veins and orange berries. Gorgonzola could sense these are not natural plants, and that they have been mutated by the purple light.

  • In the centre are 4 shrieking mushrooms, that alert the 6 purple striped plants with vines to the group. These mutated violet fungi have vines with a 15 ft reach, and they try to slap you with their vines to transmit their poison.
  • No treasure was found.

    Hay Pile
    This part of the underground garden has a ginormous hay pile with a large crate nearby wrapped in chains and locked.

  • Bugbear and rat tracks are all around the area.
  • No traps on the crate, cut chains, inside is a sick looking dryad, Elisa - her oak tree is being damaged
  • Freed her from Blackmort, the treant that rules this place, who is also the "Gardner"
  • Blackmort animated her tree and brought it underground

    Potted Fern
    Ring of giant ferns in a huge pot in the north of the underground garden - nothing special but the Wanderers of the Wyld also did not explore inside the center of the ring.

    Forest Grove
    A grove full of tall trees with a 200 ft oak in the middle is in the center of the underground garden. The large oak has a waxy sheen and is darkening. Two men are hung by their necks from the tree with rope. The remains of 3 or 4 broken trees, were once treants, but now lay dead with purple crystal embedded in them which give off a purple light. The air feels colder around this area.

  • Elisa the Dryad says that plants from the surface are being brought down from the surface into the underground garden so they can be mutated by the purple light.
  • Elisa the Dryad merges back into her oak tree, which starts to look healthier.
  • Elisa's earth elemental emerges from under the roots of the dryad's oak tree with a chest. Elisa gives them the 250 gp and the Potion of Flying as thanks for re-uniting her with her tree.
  • Cherry uses "Noir" to crack the four purple crystals which stops them from emitting the purple light.

    Garden #7
    pine tree area with glowing glow around pine cones, another section has giant squash and another section is filled with yellow flowers swaying back and forth in the area.

  • In the area filled with vines, they could hear water running. Ellie could detect an enchantment aura coming from area with water.
  • As they entered towards the source of water, the vines rose up and attacked.
  • They found a fountain with a statue of Gorgonzola's diety, Obad-Hai. The fountain has water flowing into a hole near the edge. Gorgonzola explained that water is used to bless Obad-Hai's followers, and if drunk it will give the benefit of a "bless" for one hour. Gorgonzola prays and gives a vial of water to each member of the Wandrers of the Wyld to use in their quest to stop Blackmort, the "Gardner"...

    Bugbear Lair

    The Wanderers of the Wyld returned to the relative safety of the dryad grove to rest for the night. Ash took the opportunity to use his remaining cure spells to heal Elisa the dryad further. Elisa thanked her fellow fey for his kind effort.

    When they woke in the morning, they could hear a patrol of 10 bugbears just beyond the grove. Ash and Krax went to investigate. They were able to move stealthily and get close enough to hear them. Krax could understand their tongue and heard how disgruntled that their chief had put poor Mork in prison, and how they could not leave since they were forced to follow Blackmoor. Krax reveals himself to the bugbears and promises to help them flee the underground garden if they could help them and provide information. Borak, the leader of the bugbear patrol, says they need to slay Vanek, the Bugbear Chieftain, if they are to get the rest of the tribe to follow. The bugbears agree to get those warriors who are with them out of the lair which will leave a much smaller contingent (about 15) who are still loyal to the Chieftain, along with a giant and something else dangerous that Blackmoor left to keep their tribe in line. They ask that the Wanderers of the Wyld promise not to harm the 11 females or 13 cubs. They have heard horror stories, shared amongst all the wild tribes, of so-called civilized folks taking their time to slowly slaughter a bunch of baby gnolls.

    Their bugbair allies have left the doors open into and throughout their lair. - open corridor to T-section, door to left - open door - guard room, 5 bugbears - halberds and apple grenades - hill giant with purple stripes strides up behind Dash, tried to color spray, but resisted, then ran, but had to wing it - 5 halberds = 10 gp x5 = 50 gp - gave back to bugbears - leather = 10 gp x5 = 50 gp - gave back to bugbears - 2 apple grenades - Kiitaren (used) - nothing on the giant - tattered tapestries, table has cracked ceramic tablet (historic = 350 gp) - loot

    T-section to east, door - cloak room - dead bugbear - stabbed to death - ring with a key (to prisoner door in the garden)

    T-section to west, door - tattered tapestries - secret door

    Large room through secret door, - large statue of a horse, lots of barrels, T-Rex Skeleton, - full plate armor (historical) - not magical - replica of the armor used by hero - sell for 2,500 gp (Cherry carry 50 lbs) - 6 barrel of whisky, 18 barrels of excellent wine - banned in the kingdom since was smuggled, - horse replica of the one ridden by the hero of the last battle of the empire, silver mane and tail -

    hallway 3 doors - first door - sounds like a kitchen, disable door to trap females and cubs inside - second door - long hallway turns - third door - large room with 6 bugbears - tables and chairs, and bunk beds - bugbear opens a secret door, a mummy comes out of a secret door to attack - mummy falls, turns to dust, something in its - 2 gold earings with amythest gems (100 gp) - loot - design looks like old empire stuff - nothing in the mummy room

    second door - top of the stairs , entire wall has a magic mirror, one of a pair, - can see what the other sees

    new door at top of stairs - leads to a big bedroom, used by chief, has the other magic mirror on the wall to see hall chief + 8 bugbears - chief seems to want to attack fey creatures - killed chief, tell the others to surrender and join their companions to leave Blackmoor service - morningstar +2 = 8,308 gp - Dash - studded leather +1 = 1,175 gp - sell - potion of cure light wounds = 50 gp x2 - Dash, Cherry - secret compartment - bag - forged coins, minted but not from the royal mint = 100 gp - evidence - belt - thief tools, masterwork = 100 gp - Ash - Potion of Cure Critical Wounds = 1,400 gp = 4d8+7 hp - Cherry - Potion of Gaseous Form = 750 gp - Ash - Oil of Keen Edge = 750 gp - kiitaren

    Before they depart the underground garden, the bugbears reveal that:

  • The key they found is for the single door leading to the prisoner quarters.
  • Blackmoor is often in his lab, through the double temple doors to the south.
  • The white powder they seek could be in the gardens to the south (gardens 5 and 6) that they have yet to explore.

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