The Silver Bayonet: The Carpathians - Book Extract

It's two weeks to go until the release of The Silver Bayonet's first supplement, The Carpathians: Castle Fier. Before then, check out this sneak peek at a new monster from the bestiary and a few words from author Joseph A. McCullough...

The forest witch is a common figure in the folklore of eastern Europe. The most famous example is Baba Yaga, the witch with the chicken-legged hut, but it is also found in numerous fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel. In Romania, the witch usually appears under the name of Muma Pădurii, where she is a kind of neutral character, a defender of the forest.

This idea of the dangerous forest witch fits right into The Silver Bayonet, especially games set in a more remote, forested area. For the game, I took the idea of Muma Pădurii and expanded it a bit. Here she is still a defender of the forest, but also a bit of a corrupting influence. Her desire to defend makes the animals, and even the trees, aggressive and dangerous to any ‘trespassers’, no matter their intentions. In this way, the forest witch can be used as the central villain and target for a Silver Bayonet unit or she can just be a dangerous obstacle that must be overcoming when crossing through a forest. Unlike most of the monsters I have created for The Silver Bayonet, the forest witch is less of a direct threat and more a commander that needs to be eliminated in order to stop other threats!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOREST WITCH (MUMA PĂDURII)

Appearing as hideous old women, or hags, forest witches are actually fey creatures that dwell deep
in the forest. They often make their home in a small hovel, cave, or even inside large dead trees.
Forest witches are protectors of the forest and work their magic to heal sick animals and trees. However, they often take this duty to the extreme, kidnapping children to sow fear in nearby villages, using spells to cause insanity and madness, and commanding
the plants and animals of the forest to attack intruders.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And this is just one of the new monsters you'll find in The Carpathians: Castle Fier's bestiary as part of its two, competitive and solo/co-op campaigns - or to add into your own adventures. Is your special unit ready to face a forest witch and her minions?

The Carpathians: Castle Fier is out May 25th. Pre-order now.

And be sure to be back here same time and place next week for a deep dive into the art from Brainbug Design that brought this forest witch to life...

• The Silver Bayonet
• Wargame