WH4.4 – The Reed Maze

• Suggested Level: 2–4
• Quest Giver(s): Thane Alris (if worried about Perrik),
  or Freddie (if players ask about the maze)

Summary

After the ferry Juniper was found wrecked and half-sunken near East Bend (WH4.2), most assumed the halfling passenger was drowned or taken. But last night, someone swore they heard a voice—Perrik Tanglefoot’s—calling faintly from the tall reeds west of the crossing. A carved reed-weaving token tied with green string was left on the edge of the path, half-soaked but intact. It’s one of the good-luck charms the Reedweavers give only to family.

The signs all point to one dreaded possibility: he’s wandered—or been pulled—into the Reed Maze. A place where reeds grow unnaturally tall and thick, forming shifting corridors and illusory paths. Freddie refuses to go near it. Cerris warns the place is older than maps. But if Perrik is in there… he needs help. Fast.

Upon Arriving

The path fades beneath your boots as reeds overtake the trail. Towering, seven feet tall and tightly packed, they sway as if breathing with the wind. Somewhere in the distance, a broken ferry plank rests on a mudbank. And beside it — a faint glimmer. A charm of the Reedweavers. Perrik’s.

The reeds part ahead like a verdant throat rising nearly ten feet tall in spots. They almost whisper against one another—not rustling, but as if speaking at your approach.
Paths shimmer in the breeze as they fork and twist, seeming to shift behind you. Light warps on the water’s surface and for a moment gazing at your own reflection, you smiled back…but, YOU weren’t smiling.

Objectives

• Navigate the Reed Maze to find Perrik.
• Avoid or overcome the maze’s illusions and hazards.
• Uncover the origin of the unnatural maze (optional).
• Return safely—if possible.

Key NPCs

• Perrik Tanglefoot – May have seen something “wrong” and gone catatonic or terrified.
• Freddie – Warns that the maze shifts “like it’s listening.”
  • Refuses to enter if he joins the group.
  • “He didn’t run off. That lad may be bold, but he’d not skip the fare. If he’s out there, it wasn’t his choice. And if the Maze took him… we best be quick, or he’ll never come back the same.”
• Cerris Fenwild – Believes the reeds here are “touched by something that remembers too much.”
  • “The Maze remembers those who trespass… and sometimes it keeps what it finds.”

The Maze Structure (Skill Challenge or Map)

For a map, have players begin with Map #1. When they enter, roll d20 and re-roll on 1 or 20 until they find Perrik.

5, 8, 10 are encounters: Moss Elemental, Reed Phantoms, and Lesser Will-o-wisps. 18 will teleport them back to 1.

If run narratively:

• Requires 3 Navigation Successes before 2 Failures.
  
  Use: Survival (DC 14) to track paths, Perception (DC 13) to spot trail markers or waterflow direction.
  
  On each round, one PC can attempt a check. Other PCs may aid.
• On Success: Players find Perrik quickly and avoid major hazards.
• On Failure: Encounter one or more of the following:
  • Moss Elemental (CR ¼) ambush
  • Reed Phantoms (illusion hazard)
  • Will-o’-Wisps (lures that mislead)
  • Maze Reversal (return to starting point)

Combat or Hazards

Moss Elemental
Small plant elemental, CR ¼

AC: 13 HP: 16 Speed: 20 ft.

STR 12, DEX 10, CON 14, WIS 10

• Slam: +4 to hit, 1d6+2 bludgeoning
• Entangling Roots (1/day): 10-ft radius; DC 12 STR save or restrained 1 turn
• Mossy Form: Advantage on Stealth in wetlands

Reed Phantoms (Illusion Hazard)
Trap-like terrain effect, not a creature

• Triggers when player fails Perception or Insight (DC 13)
• Phantom forms mimic lost loved ones, old memories, or future selves
• WIS Save DC 13 or become Charmed for 1 minute, drawn deeper into maze
• Cleric or Druid can dispel with Channel Divinity or Dispel Magic

Lesser Will-o’-Wisp
Tiny undead, CR ½

• AC: 15 HP: 18 Speed: fly 50 ft.
• Resist: Lightning, Thunder, Necrotic, Bludgeoning, etc.
• Shock: +4 to hit, 2d6 lightning
• Lure Light (1/short rest): A glowing illusion 30 ft away, DC 13 WIS save or creature follows light 1 round

Perrik Tanglefoot (Noncombatant)

• Halfling commoner: AC 11, HP 6
• Has a small reed charm he believes kept him safe
• May have seen something the players didn’t—gives a cryptic statement:
  “They’re not reeds… they were watching.”

Rewards

• Safe return of Perrik gains favor with Reedweavers and Cerris.
• Perrik gives the party his “Reedluck Charm”: Once per long rest, reroll a failed Navigation (Survival) check in marshes or swamps.
• Optional: Small token from Beory — a glowing reed that lasts 1 week, shedding dim light and always pointing back to Reedwatch.

Lore and Follow-Ups

• The maze may be partially alive, a remnant of Beory’s raw, unfocused memory or a place “pinned” in time by marsh spirits.
• May connect to WH4.7 – Reeds of Destiny, where time and fate intertwine.
• Some illusions speak in an ancient dialect of Flan or Aquan, hinting at a submerged past or curse.
• If the players press Perrik about what he saw, use the following layered response
  • Initial Response (Cautious, shaken, vague)
    He lowers his eyes, fiddling with a bit of woven reed in his fingers.
    “It wasn’t just the reeds. They weren’t still. They moved like they had… joints. I saw a path, then it closed. Like something was breathing. I thought I heard you callin’ me, but… you weren’t there.”
    He glances up nervously.
    “I think they knew I was there.”
    
    Insight DC 10: He’s hiding details out of fear of ridicule.
    
    If Gently Encouraged (with kindness, calm, or insight)
    Perrik bites his lip, then speaks low, as if the reeds might hear.
    “There was a place deep in the maze, all quiet. No birds. No bugs. Just water… black like ink. And in it—my face, but older. Looked right at me. Smiled. Said ‘Not yet.’”
    “Then the reeds shifted and I ran. But I don’t think I left alone. I think something followed.”
    
    Arcana or Religion DC 13: Suggests a planar or temporal ripple — maybe fey, echoes of the future, or a sentient memory.
    
    If Pressured or Magically Compelled
    He stiffens, goes pale. Voice dry.
    “It touched my thoughts. Slid around in my head like oil in a bowl. It showed me things. A city swallowed by water. A tower made of woven reeds. A mouth in the earth. I felt the roots of the world move.”
    “And then I saw myself… not me-me, but me if I’d never left. Still there. Watching. Waiting.”
    He suddenly looks away, trembling.
    “That part of the marsh… it remembers things we forgot. It’s not just alive. It’s awake.”
    
    Wisdom Save DC 13 (if players spend too long listening): One PC may briefly glimpse an intrusive vision — a twisting maze of reeds forming an eye.