Kindlewhilm Glade
Rest is not always peace. Beauty is not always mercy.
“Some places teach you by hurting.
Kindlewhilm teaches by holding you too gently.
And sometimes that’s worse.”
—Griswold Cain
I arrived in Lanton Hollow with damp moss on my shoulders and a name that no longer quite fit. The trees leaned in a little closer the further south I went, until they began to arch like ribs over the trail.
Kindlewhilm Glade doesn’t hide. It welcomes. The trouble is what it offers: rest, ease, and the permission to stop trying. For some, that’s healing. For others, it’s a kind of death.
You don’t wander into Kindlewhilm by accident. You go there because part of you already gave up.
And part of you still hopes it’s not too late.
The Setting
Kindlewhilm Glade
A wide, golden-green meadow wrapped in silent forest. The grass leans inward. The moss glows faintly without source. Birdsong plays five notes in perfect repetition. There is no wind. There is no rot. Time doesn’t pass—it lingers.
Beneath the glade lies a vast fungal resonance field. It stores thoughts. It soothes memories. It offers peace, but not without consequence.
Sleep once: forget a fear.
Sleep twice: forget a reason.
Sleep thrice: forget that you meant to leave.
Lanton Hollow
A quiet village north of the glade. Everything is pleasant. The people are kind. The days are long.
Some residents are real.
Some are not.
Even they don’t always know which.
The Mood
The glade smells like cinnamon bark, warm stone, and old mint. The air is warm but never hot. Moss doesn’t compress. Springs taste faintly like tears you don’t remember crying. Nothing decays. Nothing breaks. And you always feel like you’ve forgotten something important.
Lanton Hollow’s inn has no owner. Its meals are always fresh.
A massive oak near the square holds jars of flickering light.
Some whisper.
Some laugh.
One calls your name, very softly, when you pass.
The Premise
Kindlewhilm is a soft trap.
It doesn’t attack. It doesn’t demand. It offers rest—deep, healing rest—and only asks that you don’t leave too soon. The longer you remain, the more you forget why you ever wanted to go.
The glade doesn’t need to keep you.
It just makes leaving feel like betrayal.
The Glade’s Creatures
- Spoolhares — Thin, long-legged hares with fur like unraveling thread. They synchronize their breathing with sleepers. Staring at one too long may cause a player to feel like they’ve already lain down.
- Hollowlings — Gentle, smiling echoes of those who stayed too long. Not ghosts—resonant imprints that hum lullabies and say things you didn’t tell them.
- Thimblecrickets — Glowing, silent insects. Found near sorrow. Following them may lead to memories you didn’t know you’d lost.
- Kindleblooms — Pale, translucent flowers that grow only when someone dies peacefully in the glade. They can preserve or erase a memory if handled with intention.
Mechanics
- Short Rest: Fully heals. DC 14 Wisdom/Insight save or gain 1 level of fatigue when leaving.
- Long Rest: DC 16. On failure, forget one motivation, bond, or piece of purpose.
- Three Rests: Character may believe they live here. Will resist leaving or forget the party.
- Divination: All answers feel correct. The glade offers calm illusions, not truth.
The glade doesn’t force choices.
It simply makes staying feel natural.
Story Hooks
- A child with no shadow walks into camp and asks if you remember her. You don’t—but she knows your name.
- A dying NPC begs to be brought here. They disappear at dawn. A flower grows where they last slept.
- A memory thief is selling bottled Kindlebloom essence to nobles. But someone else's grief is inside each one.
- A mirror in the inn reflects an older version of the viewer—one who never left.
- A party member vanishes, then returns smiling. They claim only a moment passed.
If They Stay
If a player accepts the glade:
They are not dead. They are not gone.
But they may now live in Lanton Hollow—smiling, gentle, and kind.
They may reappear later. They may never be seen again.
If the party resists:
It doesn’t follow. It doesn’t forget. But later—when something breaks inside them—they may find moss underfoot. Or hear five birdsong notes where none should be. Or feel the earth beneath them, breathing. ༶⁺˳✧༚
Residue and Relics
- Kindlebloom (Item): A translucent flower that holds a single memory. Can be offered to another, or burned to forget.
- Spoolhare Fur: Soft and frayed. Causes dreams to stretch longer than sleep. The same dream may return again and again.
- Echo Leaf: A broad, curled leaf sometimes found beneath sleepers. When held, faint familiar words may be heard.
- Mossglass Thread: A green fiber pulled from stone near the glade’s center. Tied to the wrist or tucked in a book, it helps you forget something small.
“The glade never says no.
That’s what makes it so hard to leave.”
