Trail of the Lady
For Characters of level 4-6
The characters spot a set of large trails. They are in cericular motion, and some branches lie broken on the ground.
- With a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check, a character can deduce that the footprints belong to a skullshield ladybug (p.25). If the character succeeds on this check by 5 or more, they also know it is injured; one of its legs drags through the dirt.
The trail heads west, into a crystal formation, then stops. In the vicinity, the trail continues, but a second trail seems to have followed the same path, a while after the first. The second trail is different from the first trail;
- A successful DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) check reveals the second set of tracks to be of a bipedal creature, wearing a robe that drags over the gound.
The trail heads west, into a crystal formation, then stops. In the vicinity, the trail continues, but a second trail seems to have followed the same path, a while after the first. The second trail is different from the first trail;
After following the two tracks, the characters stumble upon an old lady, covered in pink crystal, hunching over the body of the skullshield ladybug. The crystal hag (p.26) is scowering through its remains, but may notice the party approach (passive Perception 14). The hag is not immediately hostile, but asks if a woman can do her work in peace. If met by any other response than compliance, she will change her demeanor and perform the Song of the Crystal.
Encounter information
If the hag attacks first, count the Song of the Crystal as the initiating attack. Afterwards, roll for initiative. points of interest:
- The hag does not kill a player directly, on their deathbed, she proposes to heal the player fully and forget about this attack if they do a small favor for her.
- If the hag falls below 50 hp, she will use crystal (tree) stride, and flee to her lair.
If the hag flees and the party chooses to chase, the following chase scenario can be ran; To catch up to the hag, the players must succeed 5 times before failing three times. For each complication, a skill can be used to overcome it. Once a skill (for example Investigation) is used, it can not be used again for this chase sequence. Furthermore, a character may only try to solve a complication with a skill they are proficient with. The players may be very creative with their resolutions; the DM can modify the DC for each action depending on its difficulty
| Complication | Resolve example |
| A 40 ft deep, 20 ft wide crack in the earth blocks your path; the hag seems to float right over | Athletics check (Jumping), Investigation (finding another path/ locating place with the least distance) |
| The hag blasts crystal dust towards the party | Use of the gust of wind spell, Survival (finding the path even while blinded) |
| A giant flee attempts to attack the party for disturbing its meal | Dexterity saving throw (DC 14)/ Animal Handling (calming the beast down) |
| A natural sand trap slows your movement | Nature (Knowing how to move through soft sand), Acrobatics (Moving through soft sand with ease) |
| A glowing tree stands catches the party’s eye | Arcana/Investigation (Use the tree of transportation to close a large distance (2 successes) |
| A small river passes through the land. A giant cricket stands near it in a stupor. | No action required; immediate success |
| The hag uses its Silent Image to make it seem it is running in another direction | Investigation/Arcana (Decypher the Illusion), Perception (hear something in the right direction) |
If the hag is caught, she will fight till the death if she is unable to make a deal with her captors. She uses her minor mind reading to figure out the desires of individuals to persuade them she can be of use. If she is killed, the following things are on her person:
- Potion of Giant Toad: Turns the a creature into a giant toad while retaining their mental stats. The creature turns back after it hits 0 hitpoints as a giant toad, or after 1 hour.
- A bag of 11 fingers (spellcasting focus for evil characters)
- 22 electrum
Additionally, roll two times on the Added Treasure table below:
Added Treasure
| N. | Treasure |
| 1 | 3d6 magical teeth; each deals 1d4+1 slashing damage to whatever creature is named when they are thrown; a creature can throw up to 5 teeth at the same time. |
| 2 | 1 soul coin |
| 3 | A bag of crystal dust (100 gold) |
| 4 | A scroll of 2nd level (Any warlock or druid) |
| 5 | A drawing of a goblin girl and an old woman covered in spiked crystal |
| 6 | one pitch black eye; the eye can be used to cast blindness as a second level spell (DC 13) |