Preparing for the Adventure

reveling in the warm sun and gentle breeze. Nestled

between the snow-capped peak of Icecrag Tor and
the beautiful waters of Silvershimmer Lake, the
village is mostly protected from the threats of the
wild. However, many dangers lurk within the Dark
Green Forest to the north.
Village children are sternly warned against
venturing too deeply into the dense woodlands lest
they become lost or the prey of wild beasts. On this
particular day, a young lad named Cecil Whitmore
(human youth commoner 1) disregarded the
warning, and journeyed too far into the forest with
his friends to find his favorite truffle mushrooms.

This adventure uses props that require about

30-minutes of preparation time at least three hours
before being played. Gamemasters will need the
following nontoxic household items.
One head of red cabbage
One pot large enough to hold three cups of
shredded cabbage and water
Water
One strainer
One large glass bowl
Three tablespoons of baking soda
One ice cube tray
One bottle of distilled white vinegar
One clear glass bottle.
Two props are being created: a clear potion
and several frost stones.
To create the clear potion, fill the drinking
glass or beaker halfway with distilled white vinegar.
To create the frost stones, do the following.
1. Finely shred 3 cups worth of red cabbage.
Place the shredded cabbage into the pot
and add water until it is covered.
2. Bring the cabbage and water to a boil, then
immediately turn off heat and let sit for
30-minutes or until cooled.
3. Pour cabbage water through a strainer into
a glass bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of baking
soda and stir until water turns bright blue.
4. Pour the blue mixture into an ice cube tray
or ice molds and freeze.
In order to avoid melting, leave the frost stones
in the freezer until they are found in game. GMs
concerned about making a mess should encourage
players to pour the clear potion into a bowl before
the players add in the frost stones.

Introduction
To begin the adventure, read or paraphrase
the following.
High above the sun shines and a cool breeze
blows across the lake. Everyone is taking advantage
of this beautiful day. Children are playing while
adults gossip, shop, and work outdoors. Shouts
shatter the days calm when a group of youth rush
into the village square, shouting at the top of their
lungs.
Madam Margareth! Madam Margareth!
Come quick! Cecils in trouble!

Once theyre calm, the children explain the

situation. Cecil is deep in the Dark Green Forest
and has fallen violently ill. In too much pain to be
moved, one of his friends stayed with him while
the rest rushed back to the village to fetch Madam
Margareth (halfling adept 9), the local healer. The
warm-spirited Halfling, still spry despite her age,
has tended to the health of Cerulean Blooms for
over fifty years.
Wasting no time, Margareth prepares her potion kit and summons the PCs to join her in an
expedition into the Dark Green Wood to rescue
Cecil.

Scenario

Rescue Party

On a warm midsummers day in the peaceful

village of Cerulean Blooms children play outdoors,

While the children know the general direction to

where they left Cecil, they ran home too quickly

to notice landmarks and are unsure of his exact
location. During the journey through the Dark
Green Wood they stop, clearly hesitant of which
way to go. The party can help figure out the right
direction in a number of ways.
Characters skilled in woodland lore can
search for tracks and clues leading to Cecil
by making a DC 12 Survival check.
Characters who know the area can use the
childrens descriptions of the grove where
they left Cecil to make a DC 12 Knowledge
(local) check.
Socially-oriented characters can calm down
the group and help them better remember
the path with a DC 12 Diplomacy check.
An agile character might make a DC 12
Climb check to shimmy up a tall tree and
scout the area for Cecil.
If worse comes to worse and the party finds
themselves unable to find the path, Madam
Margareth will take over and find the way through
a combination of years of knowledge, instinct, and
sheer stubbornness. Once the party locates the
grove, read or paraphrase the following.

Margareth rushes to Cecils side, picking up

the half-eaten mushroom. She holds it up to the
party, almost shaking with anger.
How many times have I told you children?
Dont eat wild mushrooms from the forest without
showing it to me first! Madam Margareth shuffles
through her potion case and groans in frustration.
I dont have all the ingredients I need to cure him!
The old womans mouth sets in steadfast
determination as she looks to the group. Ill need
your help.

The Quest
Pointing up with a crooked finger towards
the top of Icegrag Tor, Magareth explains that the
potion needed to heal Cecil needs to be mixed
with magical frost stones that can only be found
in an ice cave on top of the mountain. While she
stays behind to ease Cecils pain, the party must
climb the mountain and retrieve the frost stones.
She warns them that a vicious Yeti (CR 4) lives in
the ice cave and doesnt like visitors.
While she talks, Margareth mixes a clear
potion which she hands to a member of the party.
She explains they must add the frost stones to the
clear potion as soon as it is safe to do so. She tells
them the potion is only ready to use after it has
turned a purple hue and not to wait too long or the
frost stones will melt and become useless.
At this point, the GM should give the players
the clear potion prepared earlier.
To help the adventurers along the way, Madam
Margareth gifts a potion of cure light wounds to
each member of the party.

Once the path is sure, the party hikes deeply

into the forest. Despite creaky bones the aging
healer somehow manages to outpace everyone
else. She is the first to enter the grassy grove where
Cecil lies, rocking upon his side while grasping his
stomach. The pale-faced youth moans in pain. A
half-eaten mushroom lies on the ground next to
him.

Through the Dark Green Forest

The trek through Dark Green Forest to reach
the mountain takes two hours. Halfway through
the journey the party encounters hungry wolves
(CR 1 each, one wolf for every two party members)
looking for a snack. The adventurers either have to
fight the wolves or attempt to outrun them. The
wolves are not keen on following the adventurers

up the mountain and flee if reduced below half

their hp total.

stones prepared earlier and allow them to mix the

potion now.

Climbing the Mountain

Conclusion

The path up the mountain is narrow, with

treacherous footing and precarious handholds.
During the first part of the ascent, each character
should make a DC 15 Climb check or lose their
grip and painfully slide down the path, suffering
1d6 points of damage. GMs should remind new
and younger players that they can work together to
give each other Aid Another bonuses and that rope
can make the climb easier.

Once the party has mixed the magic potion

they will find descending the mountain an easier
task than climbing it was. Madam Margareth wastes
no time forcing Cecil to drink the purple potion
and within moments the boys color returns and
he calms into a restful sleep. The party has done it!
Cecil has been cured and he has learned a valuable
lesson: Dont eat wild mushrooms without asking
an adult to check them first.
For successfully completing their mission,
each party member earns 500 XP.

Halfway up the mountain, the party hears

a monstrous groan from the snow-capped peak
above. Read or paraphrase the following.

After Lesson

The ground begins to rumble violently and

the air fills with a roaring sound as, further up the
path, a wall of white rushes downward. Avalanche!

After the adventure, explain to the players

how the clear potion and frost stones were really
created, and ask if anyone knows why the blue
stones turned the clear potion purple. The answer
is:
Red cabbage contains a chemical called
anthocyanin which acts as a natural pH indicator
and changes color depending on the acidity of
its environment. When added to a highly acidic
environment (such as vinegar) it turns bright
pink. When added to an alkaline environment
(such as baking soda) it turns bright blue. In an
environment with a neutral pH, it becomes purple.
Since the baking soda contained in the frost stone
neutralizes the acidity of the vinegar contained in
the clear potion the resulting liquid turns purple,
a mixture of pink and blue.

To avoid the avalanche, each adventurer must

succeed a DC 18 Reflex saving throw. Any PC that
fails takes 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage as
they are pelted by ice and snow.

Reaching the Summit

Having reached the peak of Icecrag Tor, the
adventurers are greeted by a beautiful sight. From
here they can see the Silvershine Lake, their village,
and the entire forest. Just ahead lies the dark
opening of the ice cave.
As the party approaches the cave, a Yeti (CR
4) rushes out, roaring and angry, to attack. The
huge, white-furred monster, wants no visitors in
its home and the PCs must defeat it to reach the
frost stones.
The Yeti flees, sulking off into the ice and
snow if reduced to 5 or fewer hit points. Inside
the ice cave, the party discovers several cold frost
stones lodged loosely in the walls. The stones can
be removed with little effort.
The GM should give the players the frost

Credits
Author: Justin Andrew Mason
Developer: J Gray
Editor: BJ Hensley
Art & Design: BJ Hensley & Justin Andrew Mason
Layout: Daniel Marshall

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15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0a 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Madam Margareths Magic Potion 2016, Playground Adventures; Author Justin Andrew Mason
Young Character Options 2016, Rogue Genius Games; Author BJ Hensley
System Reference Document. 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook,
Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
System Reference Document 5.0 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls,
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and Dave Arneson.
The Hypertext d20 SRD. 2004, Jans W Carton.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn,
based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary. 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based
on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.