Designing an Enchanted Forest: A Fey Merchant Stall
Some ideas for running a fey merchant stall
Whilst dangers definitely lurk in the enchanted forest, there are delightful and whimsical elements as well. Fey creatures occupy many parts of the forest, and some of them are even willing to trade with mortals.
Whimsywort is a small gnome-like fey creature. He is amusing, and loves riddles. He runs an independent market stall in the Feywild, named ‘Whimsywort’s Wonders’. While he carries magical and useful items, players must pay careful attention to the price tags.
How To Find Whimsywort’s Wonders:
While Whimsywort’s stall is in the Feywild, it may be accessed from the material plane. In one of your enchanted forest rooms, a faerie circle is made on the grass out of mushrooms, flowers, and other plants. Players could be transported to Whimsywort’s stall by:
Stepping inside the faerie circle
Giving an offering to the circle
Taking/touching one of the circle’s plants
Solving a riddle or puzzle involving the circle
Shop Wares:
Whimsywort sells a small number of magical, unusual items at a time. Some ideas are:
Whispering Leaves: A small pile of dried, enchanted leaves. When held to the listener’s ear, they whisper a hidden truth or secret of someone/something within 100 feet. The leaves can be used 1D4 times before they crumble into dust.
Pixie Dust: A pouch filled with glittery pixie dust. When sprinkled, it allows a creature to Fly for 10 minutes. There is enough dust in the pouch for 1D4 uses.
Bottle of Moonlight: A small glass vial containing a shimmering, silvery liquid. When uncorked, the bottle emits soft, calming moonlight that illuminates a 20-foot radius for 1 hour. In that time, the light also soothes creatures, granting allies advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed.
Gossamer Gloves: A pair of finely woven gloves. While wearing them, the user has advantage on Sleight of Hand (DEX) checks.
Magic Acorns: These acorns can be planted in the ground and grow into a tree in 1D4 hours. The tree can be used to provide shelter or protection for the party.
Costs:
In the Feywild, your gold pieces have no value. Whimsywort charges unusual prices for his items, and these are a few ideas:
A promise to dance with a fey creature at the next full moon.
This should occur in-game, and potentially at an inopportune time for the players.
A lock of hair.
While this seems like an easy cost, a fey creature owning a piece of your hair should have consequences for the players. Perhaps by owning a lock of your hair, a fey creature can take on your appearance?
A secret.
The player must whisper a secret to Whimsywort that no one else knows. A great opportunity for character building.
A favour.
Owing Whimsywort an unknown favour is an excellent story hook for a later adventure. Who knows what task he may require of the players later?
A night of sleep.
If you are playing a game where there are exhaustion mechanics, this could have consequences for the players.
A memory.
This can be hard to roleplay, but if you have players who keep many notes, you could confiscate some of their notes to replicate giving up a “memory”.
Whimsywort could also be used as an encounter entirely separate from an enchanted forest. Perhaps your players come across a faerie circle while travelling along the road? Maybe Whimsywort has found his way to the material plane and set up his stall amongst an ordinary market?
Hopefully these ideas sparked your imagination! Let me know if you have any other suggestions for magical items at Whimsywort’s Wonders and what they might cost the players.
Some nice stuff here. You capture aspects of the fey in their post-Grimm or (dare it be said, these days?) Neil Gaiman iterations. Personally, I’d be tempted to inject a little more of that older, quixotic touch of uncertainty into the fey gifts. Rather than granting a fixed duration for the ‘fly’ effect, for example, you roll every round to see if it simply stops working and risks the character falling to the ground without warning. If a faerie gives you the power to discern secrets, you might find yourself in possession of uncomfortable knowledge - see the tale of the one-eyed midwife…The prices to be paid are interesting.