Hodgepocalypse Ontario: A Thousand Fragments - Part 3 - The Green Creep

The Green Creep of Northern Ontario stands as a testament to the unintended consequences of humanity's experiments with genetic manipulation. Here, the landscape has been transformed into a churning sea of verdant chaos. From the remote wilds stretching north of the Beaverfolk Militia's outposts to the rugged forests flanking Timmins and Thunder Bay, the Creep's tendrils spread relentlessly. This unnatural biosphere pulses with life, bearing exotic and mutated plant species with strange luminescent blossoms, vine-like roots capable of movement, and mossy carpets that whisper with an eerie intelligence.

Within this zone, nothing is static. Trees grow faster than normal, their bark shifting with the seasons. Carnivorous shrubs lie in wait for unwary prey, while creeping ivy may swarm en masse at the scent of fear. This environment thrives on competition, absorbing and adapting the DNA of every creature it touches, sometimes warping it beyond recognition. It is both a lush Eden and a menacing abyss—a place where the line between plant and animal blurs into obscurity.

The Green Creep's encroachment is not without consequence. Its spread creates friction with the Graveyard, an ancient enclave dedicated to preserving the memory and spirits of the dead. To them, the creeping tendrils threaten the sanctity of their consecrated grounds. Meanwhile, Dominion Patrol forces, representing order and control, fight a losing battle to contain the Creep's reach. Entire regiments have been swallowed by emerald waves, their bones repurposed into thorny brambles as a grim warning to trespassers.

Yet, paradoxically, the Creep draws the curious as well as the fearful. Harvesters, enigmatic psychic plant scientists, venture deep into this forbidden realm. They scour the shifting foliage, collecting specimens and communing with the Creep’s latent psychic field. To the Harvesters, this chaotic wilderness represents unparalleled knowledge and boundless potential—a laboratory where nature itself is the experiment, and evolution is both the weapon and the prize.

Environmental Effects

Aggressive Plant Growth

• Effect: Vines, roots, and other vegetation may suddenly grow and entangle characters. Dexterity saving throws (DC based on terrain density) are required to avoid being restrained or grappled.

• Combat Variation: Areas of dense foliage may cause difficult terrain, slowing movement and providing cover but also potentially creating opportunities for ambushes.

Illusory Glades

• Effect: The Creep sometimes generates illusory terrain, leading characters astray, obscuring paths, or hiding dangerous obstacles. Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) checks are required to see through these illusions.

• Additional Threat: Illusory areas might mask ambushes or hazardous ground, making movement and navigation perilous.

Localized Reality Warping

• Effect: Areas with particularly strong Creep influence might experience minor reality distortions. Time may slow down, distances warp, or gravity fluctuate.

• Mechanic Variation: Spells and abilities may behave unpredictably, such as altering their effects, duration, or area of impact.

Mutagenic Spores and Pollen

• Effect: Characters must make periodic Constitution saves (DC based on proximity to dense vegetation) or suffer temporary mutations. These could range from gaining disadvantage on certain skill checks due to growths or impairments to temporary beneficial adaptations (e.g., enhanced perception or poison resistance).

• Mechanic Variation: Cumulative exposure increases the difficulty of saves and may lead to permanent mutations after a set number of failures.

Nutrient Drain Traps

• Effect: Patches of the Creep's ground may leech health from living beings walking over them. Affected characters take necrotic damage and must succeed on a Strength save or be immobilized for one round as roots wrap around their limbs.

• Recovery Challenge: Healing spells may work at reduced effectiveness due to the Creep's persistent influence.

Nutrient-Leeching Ground

• Effect: Certain areas sap energy, causing exhaustion levels unless appropriate precautions are taken (such as specialized footwear, protective rituals, or using known paths). This leeching effect represents the parasitic nature of the Creep.

• Rest Restriction: Short and long rests may have reduced benefits unless characters have the means to ward off the Creep’s influence.

Psychic Plant Field

• Effect: Prolonged exposure can cause intrusive thoughts, paranoia, or hallucinations, forcing Wisdom saves. Failure may lead to temporary confusion, charm effects, or even direct telepathic communication with the Creep itself.

• Long-Term Effect: Characters affected for too long may develop an attachment to the Creep, becoming unwilling to leave the environment without intervention.

Toxic Air Zones

• Effect: In certain dense areas, the air itself becomes toxic due to noxious spores or gases. Characters must succeed on periodic Constitution saves or suffer poison damage and potential status effects like poisoned or incapacitated.

• Variable Intensity: Levels of toxicity may fluctuate based on weather conditions, plant activity, or the influence of Harvesters

Sites of Note

The following are listed as major locations designed to be a crucial location and moved based on story needs.

The Blooming Sea

• Description: A vast field of ever-blooming, exotic flowers with shifting colors and intoxicating scents. These blooms emit pheromones that can enthrall and control those who come too close.

• Special Features: Highly valuable for their rare medicinal properties, the flowers are guarded by mutated plant-creatures and Harvesters seeking samples.

• Challenges: Mind-affecting pheromones, shifting floral patterns that create mazes, and the allure of rare, magical blooms with dangerous side effects.

The Crimson Basin

• Description: A low-lying region where the sap of the Creep accumulates, forming pools of caustic red liquid. The sap serves as both a mutagenic substance and a deadly trap for creatures lured by its bright glow.

• Special Features: Home to sap-drinking predators, alchemical nodes where the sap has taken on sentient qualities, and Harvesters performing dangerous extraction rituals.

• Challenges: Toxic fumes, acidic terrain, sudden ambushes by sap-enhanced creatures, and traps laid by opportunistic rogues or cults seeking power.

The Emerald Wall

• Description: A towering barrier of interwoven roots and vines blocking a key passage through Northern Ontario’s wilderness. This “wall” is semi-sentient and defends itself with thorns, traps, and mobile plant defenders.

• Special Features: Acts as a natural border between the Creep and more “stable” areas, with various hidden entrances and riddles leading inside.

• Challenges: Breaking through the wall requires solving environmental puzzles, overcoming aggressive plant guardians, and navigating maze-like pathways within its structure.

The Heart of Verdant Flux

• Description: The dense core of the Creep, where mutated flora pulses with a near-constant bioluminescent glow. Massive tree-like structures radiate psychic energy, and the air is thick with spores.

• Special Features: Acts as a hub for the Creep’s consciousness, exhibiting powerful psychic effects, increased plant aggression, and rapid mutational growth. It is considered sacred (or perilously fascinating) to Harvesters.

• Challenges: Constant mental assaults, aggressive plant defenses, shifting terrain, and powerful magical effects that warp reality itself.

The Hollow Grove

• Description: A hollowed-out glade where the trees resonate with a natural psychic hum. This grove is a place of contemplation and mystery, attracting Harvesters, druids, and other mystics seeking visions from the Creep.

• Special Features: Offers temporary boons to psychic abilities, visions of the past or future, and rare flora with mystic properties, but at the cost of mental strain and exposure to the Creep’s influence.

• Challenges: Delusions, psychic attacks, tests of resolve, and competing factions vying for control of this hallowed ground.

The Living Catacombs

• Description: An ancient cavern network below ground that the Creep has invaded, creating labyrinthine tunnels filled with parasitic vines and living roots. The catacombs' walls pulse as if breathing, and echoes of whispers fill the air.

• Special Features: Home to predatory plants, nests of mutated insects, and hidden Harvesters' laboratories. The catacombs' layout is in constant flux, making it difficult to navigate.

• Challenges: Twisting tunnels, collapsing passages, constant danger from mobile flora, and treacherous encounters with lost explorers or corrupted wildlife.

The Towering Bloomspire

• Description: A colossal flowering plant that has grown to resemble a tower, climbing hundreds of feet into the sky. It is both a fortress and a living organism, shifting and growing in response to perceived threats.

• Special Features: Serves as a meeting ground for powerful Harvesters, containing chambers filled with exotic specimens and living walls that alter shape.

• Challenges: Scaling its heights, navigating changing interior pathways, contending with defensive flora, and unlocking ancient knowledge hidden within.

Cottage Delves in the Hodgepocalypse:

In the Hodgepocalypse, “Cottage Delves” transforms familiar notions of Canada’s idyllic “Cottage Country” into a thrilling network of dungeons brimming with magical peril and hidden secrets. Nestled in the real-world Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, Cottage Country is known for its tranquil lakeside retreats, lush forests, and rustic cabins, where urbanites escape to relax and reconnect with nature. In this post-apocalyptic fantasy setting, these beloved retreats have become places of great danger and opportunity, where mutated wildlife, enchanted cabins, and mystical landmarks challenge adventurers to navigate shifting trails, confront ancient spirits, and survive the perils that lurk behind every cabin door. By blending the region’s real-world charm with a darkly whimsical twist, Cottage Delves invites players to explore and conquer a reimagined wilderness.

Enchanted Cabins of Chaos

• Design: Each cabin acts as a micro-dungeon, distorted by magical energy or fallout. They might shift location or twist their interiors to bewilder intruders.

• Encounters: Populate cabins with magical guardians, sentient furniture, mischievous fae, or corrupted spirits of former vacationers. Some cabins could offer refuge—at a price—while others lure explorers into deadly traps.

• Twist: Some cabins may hold portals leading to pocket dimensions, requiring players to complete tasks to escape or retrieve valuable artifacts.

Haunted Landmarks and Folklore Terrors

• Theme: Iconic landmarks like old inns, watchtowers, or even ghostly cottages serve as dungeons, haunted by spirits or inhabited by eldritch creatures.

• Encounters: Players may face ghostly apparitions tied to tragic pasts or deal with folklore-inspired threats like spectral moose or haunted campfire spirits.

• Questlines: Resolve curses, uncover lost histories, or release tormented spirits to restore balance to these places.

Mystical Lakes, Streams, and Underwater Delves

• Lakes as Portals: Some lakes may connect to hidden underwater dungeons or serve as gateways to other planes, where strange aquatic races and creatures dwell.

• Challenges: Diving into these waters could be perilous, with ancient guardians, waterlogged ruins, and puzzles that must be solved underwater.

• Curses and Treasures: Objects fished from these lakes could carry magical blessings or curses, altering the fate of those who wield them.

Resource Scarcity and Survival Mechanics

• Focus: Certain delves emphasize resource scarcity, forcing players to find food, clean water, and shelter to survive.

• Crafting Opportunities: Scavenge rare ingredients, magical reagents, or components for weapon upgrades from the environment, making survival a rewarding but challenging task.

Ruined Campsites and Survival Challenges

• Theme: Former campsites have become overrun by mutated wildlife, rogue elementals, or the remnants of lost civilizations.

• Encounters: Players may face creatures born from magical contamination or engage with remnants of a pre-apocalypse society trying to preserve traditions.

• Loot: Hidden caches containing lost survival gear, enchanted cooking utensils, or rare herbs for crafting potions can be discovered amidst the chaos.

Seasonal Shifts and Dynamic Dungeons

• Design: The layout, hazards, and enemies of certain delves change with the seasons. In winter, frozen lakes open icy caverns; in spring, overgrown foliage hides deadly predators.

• Strategy Shifts: Players must adapt tactics to handle the unique challenges of each season, from blazing forest fires in summer to frostbite-inducing storms in winter.

The Shifting Trails

• Wilderness Paths: Overgrown hiking trails have become labyrinthine paths, constantly shifting under the influence of wild magic or malevolent spirits. They may lead to hidden shrines, deadly groves, or mysterious delves.

• Guardians and Allies: The trails could be controlled by druidic factions, sentient flora, or nomadic tribes. Players may need to outwit or ally with these groups to progress.

• Environmental Puzzles: Weather-based puzzles (fog, sudden rainstorms, etc.) and terrain challenges (mudslides, root-entangled paths) add depth to exploration.

Cottage Dwellers and Factions

• NPCs: Introduce magical hermits, survivalist clans, or mutant hunters who have claimed dominion over these delves. Some may offer quests, trade opportunities, or become fierce rivals.

• Factional Tensions: Compete with or aid factions vying for control over key locations, balancing alliances to gain rare rewards or uncover secrets.

The Copper Syndicate: 

Inspired by Northern Ontario's mining history, this faction is composed of miners and engineers who harness the power of earth-based magic. Their knowledge of mining techniques allows them to create advanced machinery and weapons. They might have magical artifacts sourced from the depths of their mines.

The Ghosts of the Railways: 

A faction composed of former railway workers and wanderers, they move between the remnants of towns and cities via old rail lines. Their magic could revolve around speed and time manipulation, allowing them to traverse great distances quickly and engage in guerrilla tactics against rival factions.  The majority of these are what’s known as Fate Fugitives, living ghosts from the past.

The Timber Coalition: 

This faction consists of lumberjacks and environmentalists who have banded together. They utilize their knowledge of the forests to gather resources and maintain sustainable practices while facing off against those who exploit nature. Their magic could involve nature manipulation or enhanced forestry abilities.

The Urban Remnants: 

Formed from the survivors of urban centers like Sudbury and Thunder Bay, this faction represents a blend of technology and magic. They focus on scavenging old-world technology and melding it with magical enhancements. Their leaders are Faustian Mechanics who control both machines and magical forces.  The biggest population of this Remnants is located in a rebuilt town of Armstrong.

The Wanderers of the North: 

Nomadic tribes that have adapted to the changing world. They move with the seasons and have a rich oral tradition that includes powerful stories endowed with magic. They might harness the spirits of the land, calling upon ancestral powers to guide them. 

Monsters of the Creep

The following are the most common Monsters to be discovered in the Creep.  Full details are located in the Book of Danger and the upcoming Monster Manual 2:  Psychic Boogaloo and Machines Too!

• Big Bad Maw
• Boreal Tigers
• Corpseman (from the Graveyard around Thunderbay)
• Cryobears
• Gryphon, Canadian
• Hyenadon
• Megamoose
• Telehare
• Terminator Pig
• Primals (Particularly Blood Diamond Elementals)
• Rad Muskee

The Chitinous Ascendant

• Description: Rising from the depths of Abitibi Canyon, the Chitinous Ascendant stands as a testament to the Void Covenant's relentless adaptation. This immense hive structure resembles a series of interconnected, spiraling towers of dark resin, chitin, and luminescent fungal growths. It pierces the earth and sky, serving as both fortress and sanctum. Dense networks of tunnels extend underground, forming mazes filled with chambers for breeding, command, and experimentation. When night falls, the hive emits an eerie glow, casting pale-green light across the transformed land around it.

• Special Features: The uppermost spire, known as the Resonant Apex, functions as a beacon, amplifying pheromone communications across vast distances. Throughout the hive, scent markers can be "read" by members of the Covenant, making it an ever-shifting maze for intruders. Central to its core, a Slick Shroud Pool teems with Sick Slugs, whose secretions alter the surrounding terrain. Intricate resin-coated passageways feature shifting walls and chambers, influenced by hive leaders to entrap or mislead attackers.

• Challenges: Navigating the hive is perilous. Outsiders must contend with shifting paths and defensive mechanisms triggered by scent markers. The surface layers of the hive bristle with defenses, including swarms of aggressive Void Covenant drones and razor-edged resin traps. At its core lies the Heart of the Resonance, guarded fiercely by powerful caste leaders embroiled in their own political struggles. Those seeking to reach the apex must unlock layers of encrypted pheromonic language—decoding the whispers of revolution within the Void Covenant itself.

• Environment Transformation: The former canyon has been reshaped into a vibrant, toxic swamp of bright fungal blooms, pools of phosphorescent liquid, and jagged chitin mounds. Lurking within are Glitterpillars that shimmer like stars and Gunship Dragonflies, patrolling overhead to rain destruction upon intruders.

• Inspiration & Lore: Like the “little black flies” that “hum and buzz” in quiet swarms, the Void Covenant’s scent-based communication fills the air, unnoticed by those untrained to hear it. But for the Covenant, every step, every pheromone trail, is a whispering hum—a reminder of silent revolutions and the endless struggle to bend the world beneath their many-legged march.

The Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat

Nestled in the heart of Northern Ontario’s wilderness, the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat has transformed into a vital stronghold of resistance against the Green Creep. This sanctuary, maintained and operated by Little Bears, exemplifies the resilience and ingenuity of its tiny yet mighty inhabitants. Far beyond the Beaverfolk lands, the Habitat has become a hub of survival and defiance in the midst of an otherwise hostile wilderness.

The Little Bear Stronghold

The Habitat’s original purpose as a polar bear conservation facility has evolved. Its enclosures, fortified and retrofitted with scavenged materials, now serve as protective walls against the creeping menace of mutated plant life. The Little Bears, with their remarkable mechanical skills and community spirit, have turned this facility into a bustling center of activity.

• Fortifications: Walls reinforced with metal plating and clay bricks provide a sturdy defense. Towers, equipped with salvaged weapons, give the Little Bears vantage points to keep the Green Creep at bay.

• Mechanic Workshops: Repurposed enclosures are now workshops where Little Bears tinker with train engines, repair equipment, and create improvised weapons to protect their home.

• Community Garden: A small but vital crop garden provides sustenance. Sweet-loving Little Bears have taken great care to cultivate berry bushes and fruit trees, protected from the encroaching Creep by ingenious barriers.

Armored Trains and the Link to Moosonee

The Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat is more than a fortified camp—it is the southern anchor of an essential railway link to Moosonee and the arctic seaports of James Bay. With no roads connecting the area, the armored trains maintained by the Little Bears are the only lifeline for survivors traveling between the south and the isolated communities of the north.

• Train Features: These rolling fortresses are clad in steel, armed with turreted defenses, and powered by engines kept running through the tireless efforts of the Little Bears. The interiors are designed for long hauls, with compartments for passengers, cargo, and defensive units.

• The Journey: Each trip northward is a harrowing adventure. The Green Creep sprawls across vast swathes of wilderness, with mutated flora and fauna attacking the trains at every opportunity. Little Bears accompany each journey as engineers and defenders, their innate mechanical aptitude making them indispensable.

Little Bear Society at the Habitat

The Little Bears of Cochrane have built a unique society within the Habitat. While their matriarchal or patriarchal governance is typical of their communities, their proximity to advanced technology and the challenges of the Creep have fostered innovation and camaraderie.

• Leadership: The community is led by "Grandpapa Cochrane," a charismatic Little Bear with a knack for uniting bears and non-bears alike. Weekly meetings in the Habitat’s central hall ensure everyone has a voice in the community’s future.

• Language and Communication: While outsiders struggle with Bear Speak, the Little Bears’ polite nature ensures communication is never an issue. Their penchant for adopting human names often results in delightful monikers like "Grizzle Frank" or "Honey Abigail."

• Relations with the TEDI: The Raids of Light, a faction of guardian TEDI, have found a welcome home here. Their skills of combat and magic complements the Little Bears' resourcefulness, and their mutual respect has forged a powerful alliance against the Green Creep.

Plot Hooks

1. The Last Train to Moosonee: A vital shipment of medicine must reach Moosonee, but the Creep’s influence has intensified along the route. The players must join the Little Bears to ensure the armored train makes it through unscathed.

2. Creep Breach: A new strain of the Creep has bypassed the Habitat’s defenses, threatening the community. Players must help the Little Bears uncover the source and eliminate it.

3. The Missing Grandpapa: Grandpapa Cochrane has disappeared during an inspection of the northern rail line. The players are enlisted to track him down before morale plummets and the Habitat’s defenses weaken.

4. The Arctic Alliance: Word arrives of a faction of Little Bears in Churchill under siege by the Green Creep. The players must escort reinforcements and supplies to the beleaguered community.