Barrow of the Great Mothers

Deep into the woods west of Saryer’s Overlook is Greenshadow Vale, a secluded valley of whispering pines and moss-covered ruins. Among the ruins is the hamlet of Mother’s Watch, a settlement of hunters, herbalists, and charcoal-burners who believe the valley is watched over by the spirits of the Great Mothers, the fabled original founders of the settlement. On the west embankment of the valley, looking down over the small lake at the heart of the forest, is a massive ancient barrow mound that is sacred to the locals as it is claimed to be the resting place of those same Great Mothers. The only locals that visit the area of the mound regularly are the charcoal burners who have been tasked with keeping the area clear of trees. Hunters in the woods who see people in the valley will keep an eye on them in case they are travelling to the barrow. If either hunters or charcoal burners see anyone going into the mound, they will bring reinforcements to ambush them as they depart.

Large moss-covered steps descend down to the heavy stone door at the entrance to the mound. The door has obviously been handled and damaged recently (the charcoal burners resealed the door behind a would-be tomb robber, trapping them within). Beyond the door is a small sump with a gravel bottom to collect rain water that leaks under the door. Most of the barrow is constructed of large stone slabs set as walls and ceiling with dirt packed in behind them forming the mound proper. The two rear chambers are set on the actual rocky floor of the valley, and the lower chambers were painstakingly cut from that same rock.

Each of the chambers is a tomb for one or more of the Great Mothers. They were legendary forest‑speakers, able to commune with the beasts and trees of the valley. They chose this vale as their resting place so their spirits could continue to watch over the wilds. But even their powers failed to unveil the dark evil that exists beneath these lands, the dark heart of the woods that has slowly twisted the residents of the vale to their current xenophobic, superstitious culture. The dark heart of the woods has corrupted the eternal slumber of the Great Mothers, and they are now ghouls, ghasts, and wights. And they hunger.

*The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 7,200 x 10,800 pixels (24 x 36 squares). To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to either 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) or 140 pixels (for the 10‘ foot squares that work with the furnishings as shown) – so resizing the image to 1,680 x 2,520 pixels or 3,360 x 5,040 pixels, respectively.*

[https://dysonlogos.blog/2026/06/16/barrow-of-the-great-mothers/](https://dysonlogos.blog/2026/06/16/barrow-of-the-great-mothers/)