Sa

m
pl
e
fil
e
Forest Encounters River Encounters Corrupt Forest Encounters

e
fil
e
pl
m
Sa
 How to Use

How to Use
This zine is a micro setting for pen and paper roleplaying games. It is designed to work both
1

as a stand-alone setting or be plugged into your campaign world. Pull it apart or mine it for
content for your own sessions. It is statted out for Swords and Wizardry, but you can easily
convert it to your OSR system of choice or even 5E. This setting can also be a starting town,
and was used as such in the campaign it was orginally designed for.

Fitting Willow Into Your Existing Game

It is suggested that if you run this setting, you use it as a location that players get stuck in.
Willow is a backwater town, but it's used as a waypoint to be ferried upriver to a larger,

e
brighter, and bigger town. However, river ferries have stopped due to dangers on the river
and players must work on creative solutions to move on from Willow. Trade has also stopped

fil
because of the river problems, and the only equipment, rations and supplies are those your
players already have and that are sold in the Blue Brew and Dismal Dan's Supplies. The
surrounding forests are dangerous and stretch on for many days' travel, making the river the
most viable way to travel onward. Check out the rumours and hooks on pg 5 to find a good
reason why your players have ended up in Willow.
e
Play Style
You should play Willow in whatever play style you prefer, but it was orginally designed for an
pl
old school style of play where the following points are assumed to be true:

1. Players will be setting their own goals rather than following a narrative that has been
planned out for them very strictly by the Game Master
m

2. Players receive very little or no experience points from killing monsters, instead receiving
experience from treasure
3. Monsters will not be balanced to player level, but the GM will communicate to players a
rough idea of how safe or dangerous different areas are through NPCs
Sa

4. Wherever it would add more interest, players and Game Master will interact and describe
game play to each other instead of rolling skill checks
5. The game is dangerous; player death is very possible and healing is very limited
6. There is a focus on resource management; resources are being tracked by the Game
Master and players and there are consequences for running out
7. Players coming up with clever and creative solutions to problems is encouraged and
rewarded

Willow by Lazy Litch

Editing by Jere Hart & Tansy. Special thanks to all my backers. Also thanks to Enok Ripley,
Emma Savas, Lucile & Sydnie for playtesting, inspiration and fun. Special thanks to Indigo
and Noah for Zineclub. Thanks to my procrastination accountability buddies : Ava, Kya,
Francita Soto and Ed. Thanks to everyone who participated in zinequest.
 Willow
Village
Village
Map

e
fil
e
pl
m
Sa
Sa
m
pl
e
fil
e
3
 4 Willow Town
Deep in a vast wood, a town called Willow sits beside the Lake of Tears. The lake is framed by
weeping willow trees, their vines pouring into the lake’s dark green shores. Willow is not what
one would call an upbeat town. The rains here are relentless and the grey skies loom low like
a giant cage. Travelers do not linger here long; one night in the Blue Brew Inn is enough to
make most jump on the ferry and move on. But recently the ferries have stopped running as
something terrible has taken up residence on the river. Meanwhile, the town folk will not talk
about the noises echoing up from the staircase that descends below the lake, nor the broken
stone circle on the hill at the edge of town. The town's leader, a witch named Morose Morgan,
is a recluse and refuses to leave her island.

e
Origins

fil
Willow was established some 40 years ago by folk who came to the Lake of Tears to fish. They
first built a hut on what would later become Morose Morgan's island. Gradually expanding to
the shores, they found that monsters tended to stay away from the Seaweed Shrine (pg 14)
and so built a town around it. Since then, many peasants who cannot afford to buy a plot and
make a living anywhere else came to Willow to live a simple life. Some folk who suffered
terrible losses or had their hopes and dreams crushed found Willow a fitting place to start a
e
new, mournful life. Some folks who have great debts or trouble with the law come and settle
in Willow as the long arm of the law can't quite reach such a remote town. Some who settled
pl
did so because of their distrust and suspicion of magical folk, which is shared here.

Morose Morgan's Rule

20 years ago, a terrible blight turned all the wheat and potatoes black. The town was
becoming in debt as they relied on shipments of food and people were being forced to leave.
m

Just then, an old witch turned up in town and cast a ritual that removed the blight. Although
the residents disliked magic, they exhonorated her as a hero and offered that she take up
residence on the Island. Every year, Morgan performed rituals to help the crops, and her
power and authority grew steadily. She has become the defacto leader of Willow.
Sa

Legal System
Willow has no guards or soldiers. Accusations and disputes are posted on a noticeboard in
the Blue Brew Inn. A trial is then held before the town with Morose Morgan as judge. Magic is
illegal in Willow (besides Morgan's annual crop rituals). Practitioners are given one warning
before being exiled from the town. It is illegal to enter the Seaweed Shrine. Players will be
told this immediately upon arriving in the town and will be exiled if they disobey. Crow folk
(see pg 26) are not allowed in the town.

Economy
Everyone in Willow is a homesteader or artisan. A small amount of silver and copper
circulates in the town, with some moving in and out from trade. Every year, the residents
gather in the center of town and cancel out all their debts against each other.
 Hooks

Hooks - Reasons Why Players End Up Stuck in Willow

e
fil
e
Rumours About Willow Town
pl
m
Sa

Weather and Key Descriptors

 Key NPCs

6 Key NPCs

e
fil
Sania is the only upbeat Morose Morgan is the leader He has been stationed here
person in Willow. She is the of Willow town. An elusive by a council of druids to look
daughter of Esra and is sick hermit, she lives on an island after the river. He is devoted
of this town. She carries a alone. Morgan only comes to laziness. He studied magic
wooden sword everywhere
e
ashore to give offerings of just to learn a single spell that
she goes and invents fish in the shrine, perform conjures one hot meal a day.
pl
different stories about her the annual land fertility ritual Gifted with a bow, he only
life to everyone she meets. or abjudicate serious shoots arrows on strings to
The villagers don't know problems. She solves all reach objects that are too far
how to deal with her. Sania is disputes by gutting a fish away. He avoids all negativity,
m

hatching a secret plot to and reading its entrails. and is in denial about the
explore the Seaweed Shrine. She cannot be fooled. river being corrupted.
What Does She want? What Does She Want? What Does He Want?
Adventure Maintain tradition To minimize all his needs
Sa

Novelty Keep people out of the Avoid all work and negativity
Escapism Seaweed Shrine Increase his level of comfort
Friends Solve the mystery upriver Delicious food or alcohol
What's She Doing Now? What's She Doing Now? What's He Doing Now?
1. Shouting a rally speech in 1. Hanging fresh fish on the 1. Sleeping somewhere
the town center about killing willow trees strange
the dragon to the north 2. Gardening at her house 2. Eating his magic meal
2. Yelling excitedly at a sad Inside Her House: 3. Collecting a special moss
man about the dwarf A quaint cottage with a for new bedding
kingdom below their feet pantry stocked with cheese, 4. Being carried by Rat folk to
3. Shoveling in the stables as smoked fish, ale and bread. their burrow to be eaten - he
punishment for trying to Three potions of healing, a has not fought back yet
take off on one of the boats box containing 80gp, a because he wanted to go this
upriver magic book containing a direction anyway
ritual to help crops grow.
 7

e
fil
Grace Nerodia is smuggler. Bartholomew Brookshanks Previously a mage employed
She is much respected in is the son of a wealthy under a king in a distant land.
Willow for providing stolen merchant. His family name is There was an insurgency and
goods at discount prices. well known, and he has Esra had to flee with her
She trusts nobody and is
e
many siblings. All are older daughter Sania. She now
wanted by the law. Her boat and more successful than seeks to live a simple life as a
pl
was attacked on the river him. Extremely unconfident, river merchant, preferring the
coming into Willow by arrow Bartholomew feels like he is provincial waterways to big
fire from the trees. She worthless at everything. He city trade. She is secretly a
suspects bandits. Grace fantasizes of running away level 3 wizard. Like Grace, her
m

always sides with the from his family but is too boat was attacked by arrows
underdog. fearful to try. from the trees.
What Does She Want? What Does He Want? What Does She Want?
Stay one step ahead To appear competent Keep Sania safe
Sa

Avoid vulnerability Make friends Live a simple life

Uncover conspiracies Fall in love Keep her past secret
Avoid the law Forge his own path Avoid danger

The smallest of the ferries, it The largest of the ferries. It The fastest of the three, this
can only carry 8 people. It is can fit 20 people. There are boat has no weapons on
stocked full of crossbows. It two repeating crossbows board. It can fit 15 people.
is the easiest ship to sink. mounted on each side. They Esra has a spell that will
shoot 3 bolts per round. create a protective bubble
around the boat (+2 Ac for 5
minutes)