Encounters in a Spooky, Dark, Forest

Santicore 2011 Random Encounters in a Spooky, Dark, Forest'''

(credit to Danny Peck).This is one of the great tables in the Secret Santicore 2011 collection. Three Encounters in a Spooky, Dark, Forest [REIASDF]

1,Many flowering vines hang from trees in this area, the air is thick with their insanity-inducing pollen. 1,The party comes upon an inexplicably blighted grove. What little fruit remains is blackened with rot and full of maggots. 1,It turns out that Heart Truffles, a local mushroom delicacy that is currently popular in roadside taverns for miles around, grow exclusively on rotting corpses. 1,All the trees along a river are withered. The river is either poisoned or cursed. 1,A lone hanging tree stands in a clearing, with desiccated corpses still dangling from decrepit ropes. 1,A saddled horse flees a clearing in which wolves are feasting on its dead rider. The wolves pointedly ignore the horse in favor of the human flesh. 1,Dozens of rats scurry past, either fleeing some unseen threat or hastening to some new feast. 1,Shrieking bats swoop down in the night and try to feast on the blood of the party or their mounts. .5,What appears to be a noble hart from a distance turns out to be a ghoulish undead deer feasting on the remains of a hunter. .5,What appears to be a noble hart from a distance turns out to be a ghoulish undead deer feasting on the remains of its own herd. .5,A mangy mutt or black cat begins to follow the party and returns no matter how hard they try to chase it off. .5,A black cat begins to follow the party and returns no matter how hard they try to chase it off. 1,An ornate carriage drives past the party - with no driver. .5,A vampire’s thrall drives a carriage with a coffin in the back containing his master. He appears to be in a hurry. .5,A vampire’s thrall drives a carriage with a coffin in the back containing his master. She appears to be in a hurry. 1,An unmanned carriage almost runs the party over as it careens down the road pulled by panicked horses. 1,A whole caravan slowly proceeds down the road flanked by well armed and armored mercenaries. The merchants in charge decided to take a shortcut through the woods. 1,A band of traveling performers invite the party to revel with them yet seem not to have ever heard of any nearby towns or hamlets. .5,A mysterious hermit in rags looms over the body of a hind whose heart he has cut out and is currently eating. .5,A mysterious hermit in rags looms over the body of a hind whose heart she has cut out and is currently eating. .5,A panicked, starving man stumbles out of the forest, telling a tale of his lost band of travelers that was stranded in the mountains last winter, ran out of food, and fell to cannibalism. .5,A panicked, starving womman stumbles out of the forest, telling a tale of her lost band of travelers that was stranded in the mountains last winter, ran out of food, and fell to cannibalism. 1,A strange magical experiment gone wrong. Otherwise normal human with tentacles/extra limbs/eyes where they shouldn’t be. It attempts to make peaceful contact but might not know how. 1,What at first appears to be a somber funeral procession turns out to be a wedding parade - or vice versa. 1,A comely woman claims to be the wife of a woodcutter who lives in the woods. She invites the footsore party back her home to rest for the night. She is actually a witch who needs the party’s blood or souls for the ritual that keeps her youthful. 1,Shambling corpses wander out of a nearby peat bog. They move very slowly due to lead balls weighing down their bodies. .5,A well-dressed man leading a group of glazed-eyed people passes the party. The man wishes to pass in peace, but one of his followers is known to a member of the party, a friend or family member, perhaps. .5,A well-dressed woman leading a group of glazed-eyed people passes the party. The woman wishes to pass in peace, but one of his followers is known to a member of the party, a friend or family member, perhaps. 1,An entire village where people wear fashions that are at odds with the current era. If the party stays for the night, the village will be gone in the morning, along with one of the characters. When the village appears at sundown, the character will reappear, believing him or herself to be a member of the village. .5,A woman at a river bridge begs the party to dive in to look for her baby. When they turn around, she is gone. 1,The rain currently falling turns out not to be water but rather some strange substance such as blood or mercury. 1,Thick fog rolls in, making it hard to see much of anything. It becomes difficult to follow the road and might even conceal a natural hazard such as a ravine. 1,Unlikely weather occurs. It begins to hail or snow on a warm summer day. Hot, steaming rain falls in the middle of winter causing reduced visibility due to the steam. 1,Recent heavy rains have caused the river to wash away the bridge. The river’s still enlarged and running very swiftly, so the party may have to find another route or risk losing supplies or lives in a dangerous crossing. .5,A handsom man claims to be a woodcutter who lives in these woods. He invites the footsore party back his home to rest for the night. Heis actually a witch who needs the party’s blood or souls for the ritual that keeps him youthful.
 * REIASDF