Art & Layout by Sofia Drawmore

The Ring of Seasons

A variable theater of the mind, social and
exploration adventure inside a magical artifact
“Keeping order is a season of unending cooperation.”
This adventure tasks the party with defusing problems between
creatures living in the wild and villagers living beyond the woods.
The focus of the stories outlined in this adventure is acceptance and
understanding of others, be it their different way of life or their
knowledge of the world. The party will experience the consequences
of inaction and the effects of xenophobia, seeing the world come full
circle. Traveling within the world of ring, the party will also see a full
year pass, season by season. This adventure taking place within a
ring allows it to be easily slotted into a pre-existing campaign. With
that in mind, it has high variability allowing the dungeon to feel
different if it’s used across multiple campaigns. If the DM desires,
one party member can roll or pick specific aspects of its world,
allowing the party to feel a direct connection to the ring.

The Cursed One

The party finds a powerful, magical ring while adventuring, but
before they are able to have it identified one of them puts it on. The
rest of the party discovers it is a cursed object right away, as the 1 Hex = 3 hours
party member who put it on is turned to stone. The statue that was
once an adventure holds out its hand and speaks in a stranger's Forest Dwellers and Villager Dilemma Biome
voice to the rest of the party. Duck-like Kobolds
Montane
These meek creatures prefer to flee and are only violent when pushed to it. In
Rainy, verdant forests
1 spring and fall they gather berries and roots in the forests and catch fish in spring
If the party decides not to put on the ring and instead and summer. During the fall they will see the strife present in the village and
with douglas and red
has it identified first, tell them the following: firs.
attempt to give aid, however the villagers are stubborn and xenophobic.
Wolf-like Gnoll
This is a powerful cursed ring known to be the last These creatures move into the forests during summer, following migrating deer Alpine
magical object made by the Nature-Wizard of which they believe are holy and destined only for them. They are not openly hostile Dense, predominantly
2
to strangers, but will attack those who draw too close. As fall comes around the snowy conifer forests.
Hellenhock. It’s said he died creating it, haunted by his villagers will begin hunting the deer as well, which creates hostility between the two Summer melt.
greatest regret. He failed at keeping balance when he parties. If the party doesn’t step in they will destroy the village by winter.
was needed most. Those who have found it in the past Wicker Goblins
put on the ring only to be turned to stone. When they Broadleaf
Goblins wearing wicker baskets for armor and clothing led by a bugbear witch live
Deciduous forests.
proved to be unworthy of attuning to it their petrified form 3
in the woods. In spring and summer they stay well separated from the villagers, but
Humid summers,
turned to ash and the ring teleported away. It’s said that during the fall an illness takes hold in the village and the witch catches the blame. If
followed by cold
the party doesn’t intervene the village attacks the witch and kills her. By winter the
if you are worthy of it, the ring will grant you the wisdom. winters.
goblins and villagers all kill each other.

Blue Head Lizardfolk Dry Tundra

If the party chooses to identify the ring magically or Lizardfolk, with blue heads and green bodies, living in forest caves move out to the High desert. Sparser
using some form of knowledge check after it has been 4
surface during the summer after a catastrophic cave-in. Some attempt to trade and forest. Drought
put on you can tell the above as well. live in the village. By the fall, the village has formed positive connections with the resistant juniper and
lizards in the village. By winter a group will have killed the forest lizardfolk, and is ash trees. Dry rocky
beginning to target lizardfolk in the village. earth.
Bear-totem Orcs
Tree Savanna
“If you wish to be free of the curse of the season unending, take my In the spring, Orcs living in the woods begin to migrate away. They’re friendly and
Dry, dry grasslands.
will tell the party that fires are coming and that a newly settled village didn’t listen.
hand and travel my woods. You must learn the value of peace if you Sparse, sparse canopy.
5 Summer comes with huge forest fires that are barely contained by the villagers. In
Dense oaks and
wish to gain my power.” the fall, the party must defend that the fires were natural, or the villagers will attack
acacia. Defined by a
the Orcs when they return in the winter. The Orcs will be upset that the forests
fire season.
were not allowed to burn themselves clean.
If the party touches the statue or takes their hand they are
Snakemen/Undead
transported into the powerful ring, where the first party member Snakemen live peacefully in the wild, building in the trees. They very openly
Rainforest
resides. Incredibly damp and
celebrate a strange lunar deity. In the fall, undead creatures begin to march out of
warm. Marshy, dense
6 the woods and attack the village. The dead rose because the villagers turned a
canopy cover. Mossy
traveling group away, and when they died in the wild they rose again to seek
cypress, rubber, and
Before the party decides to go into the ring, or before they revenge. The village blames the snakemen and their strange religion. If the party
Kapok trees.
doesn’t intervene, the village will attack the forest snakemen.
finish traveling into the ring, allow the first person who put
it on to roll 1-2 six-sided dice or pick from the Biome and Montane Alpine Broadleaf Dry Tundra Tree Savanna Rainforest
Spring Cold/Rain Cold/Snow Cool/Melt Warm/Dry Warm/Dry Cool/Mist
Forest Dweller table. These two elements will define the Summer Warm/Dry Warm/Melt Warm/Humid Hot/Dry Hot/Fires Hot/Rain
world within the ring and the community challenge they will Fall Cold/Rain Cold/Snow Cold/Sleet Cool/Dry Cool/Rain Warm/Rain
have to work through. Winter Cold/Snow Cold/Blizzard Cold/Snow Cold/Dry Cold/Dry Cool/Rain
Montane Alpine Broadleaf Dry Tundra Tree Savanna Rainforest

These fields are These fields yield These fields are These fields take
These open fields
Farmland

poorly organized for patches of wheat, Drought tolerant tilled very carefully in advantage of the
The Journey of Within the Ring optimum growth,
have a vision
corn, and pumpkins plants fill the fields, the spring. Water is abundance of water
breaker of hills and
The whole party, even the member trapped in stone, arrives inside prompting questions in the fall, sprouts of sprouting in fall and carefully collected growing dense
woods from the
if the village will have these plants can be yielding in spring. over summer. swaths of rice and
village nearby.
the ring through the door of a large stone tower, which shuts behind enough food. seen in the spring. Harvested in the fall. soybeans.
them, at the center of a forest. The party arrives in the ring during
These patches of Large rivers bleed
spring in the morning. If the party travels over an edge they loop A roaring rocky river There is a large A wide beautiful lake An ancient riverbed
Waterside

dry mud fill with into vast marshlands

which runs deep, frozen lake here filled with fish. It which once flowed
back around to the other side, and if they walk horizontally all the and has fish which which clearly has freezes over in the with water, villagers
large watering here. Bugs, fish,
patches in the fall reptiles, and
way across, meeting the ring’s inhabitants, the tower’s door will open migrate upwards in fresh water and fish winter and melts in
the spring. running under it. again in the spring.
have tapped
aquifers here.
where animals amphibians alike fill
again. If the party goes through the door, they will be sent forwards graze. these waters.

in time to the next season, seeing any effects of their actions in this Dense isolated Homes with Mud brick buildings
Tall A-frame cabins. Stone brick homes. Wood slat buildings
simulated ring world. After they go forwards in time the first time and cabins. The village comfortable with wide porches
Village

There is a small There is a big built high on stilts.

itself has a large basements. There and open floor
see the changes, allow the party to jump around as they see fit. tavern here that
retaining wall to help
distillery here which
are multiple awnings plans. They have a
Villagers often make
offers a hearty stew provides cider to any huge communal rice
keep snow drift in town to provide big community
and sour ale. thirsty travelers. and fish frys.
controlled. more shade. center.
If the party makes it to the “end” of winter and the worst outcome for
Duck-like Kobold Wolf-like Gnoll Wicker Goblins Blue Lizardfolk Bear-totem Orcs Snakemen/Undead
the chosen world comes to pass, the tower is open and the Nature-
Wizard of Hellenhock stands before them. He demands the party These fields are
The farest edge of
The goblins reside
Lizardfolk earn When fires come the
The undead lumber
Farmland

poorly organized for here after wiping out through these fields
learns from his mistake, and he sends them back to the start in optimum growth,
this area is where
the village in the
social credit with the water carefully
on their path
migratory deer villagers working collected for farming
spring. prompting questions
hunted by gnolls
winter, close enough
harder than anyone is used to put out the
towards the village,
if the village will have to steal from the potentially
reside. in these fields. fires.
enough food. ruins regularly. destroying crops.
If the party resolves the issues within the ring, helping the villagers
and the forest dwellers find peace in one way or another, the Nature- The Kobolds live In the fall, this is Lizardfolk living in Snakemen draw
Goblins gather food
Waterside

Wizard of Hellenhock will appear and free the trapped party member. here, residing on where the gnolls
here in the summer,
the wild have a
The orcs migrate in
water late in the day,
complex rafts begin attacking dispute here with used for moon
The party’s reward for this endeavor is the ability to return within the this area becomes a and out along the
anchored in place. In villagers, as they pull villagers in the fall rituals. The villages
place to test for waterside.
drier climates the up water. They camp over water access fear their water
ring as they see fit, enjoying the peace they worked for. rafts reside on stilts. here in the winter.
witches in fall.
that snowballs. fetching pilgrimage.

The ring cannot allow party members within it during combat or The village is Goblins gathering in A splinter group
The villagers here Villagers In the spring the
during time sensitive moments, and due to the illusion of the ring it have a loud
unaware of the the waterside area is forms in the fall to
immediately jump to village turns away
Village

Gnolls and their believed to be the fight the lizards still

can’t serve as a storage locker. The Nature-Wizard of Hellenhock bootstraps mindset
feelings regarding source of a rash of living in the forest,
blaming the orcs travelers just before
that urges them to before they’re even the party arrives.
can also provide guidance through the ring. never accept help
the migrating deer
and find the idea
illnesses in the fall &
they begin hunting
angry for not
wanting to work
finished putting out The xenophobia in
from others. the fire. the town is palpable.
backwards. goblins. together.

Writing & Layout by Lorel Drawmore