Talislanta The Savage Lands

I just recently purchased Talislanta: The Savage Land. It is not a ruleset per se, it is really a rules addition for running a Talislanta campaign using existing rules. There are three versions, 5E, d6 and original. I purchased the 5E version so I do not know, but I assume original uses Talislanta rules?

The Savage Lands is I believe something new for Talislanta. Before the setting assumed a Renaissance level setting with nations, cities and a fairly advanced civilization. The Savage Lands takes place in the distant past. A “Great Disaster” has recently occurred and all that remains are devasted wastelands populated by savage tribes. As in the original, Talislanta is populated by a large number of unique species many of which are playable races. There are none of the traditional fantasy races (elves, dwarves, halflings) but there are various races of humans or near-humans.

There is the dragon-like Drakkan, the plant-based Narada, the lion-like Shaka and a number of near-human races. Each has various pluses attached to choosing that race. Only a few have negatives attached to their attributes.

The Savage Lands is a low-magic setting, the rules recommend banning all magic-using classes in D&D and removing spells from Rangers. There is also an interesting option to run the game without classes. Under this method, all characters start with rolled ability scores but their proficiencies are the same. As they advance, new proficiencies are learned to create more and more unique characters. An intriguing idea for me.

Proficiencies are skills, languages, tools, and in this case medium armor, and martial weapons.

In Savage Lands, everyone is assumed to start as a member of a tribe. Each of the races has carved out their own territory and there are few races that travel indiscriminately between regions. The gazetteer for the Savage Lands reads like a more primitive and brutal version of Dark Sun. There are no nations, towns, or villages. Just tribes wandering wastelands.

A very good list of fairly unique monsters that fit well with the Savage Lands Setting is included in a bestiary. It is rounded out with an extensive list of demons. Random Encounter Tables per region are provided. Making this useful for a good sandbox style game.

Included in these random encounter tables is the chance of encountering a magical storm know as the Gyre. Another table is provided for random results of the Gyre. It is a magical storm that deposits misfortune wherever it goes. A Plague of Demons, a rain of monsters, curses and the like.

Playability

The setting and rules are very playable. Open wastelands with a legitimate reason for tombs, ruined cities and monsters is simplicity for a Dungeon Master. But there are also no cities, towns, villages, civilization or agriculture. Just wandering tribes defending their territories. This makes it very hard to have a party of mixed races. It makes it very hard for the player characters to find food and water or trade what they find in that ancient tomb. There is no coinage, only barter. Coins could be traded but only in the value of the metal. There is an extensive section on trade goods and their value to help the Dungeon Master.

I can see easily running a single adventure in a ruin or a sandbox style game for a short period of time but beyond that, I think that "tomb of the week" could get tiresome. Rules are provided for the players to run the entire tribe and advance their tribe in addition to their characters.

Finding a Colossus in the Wastelands

Golden Sands

I have finally made it to 200 posts. The first 100 posts took a few months as I was posting almost every day with a pile of old material to post. Since then I have had to write new material as I go which has taken a lot more time. I am attempting to keep my posts up to at least 5-8 per month. This week I add a very short, pulp sword and sorcery adventure.

Golden Sands

A short adventure that takes place in an empty expanse of the desert far from civilization. I have written it for Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells since I recently reviewed the rules.

Background

The City of Namrut was the center of a large kingdom in the distant past. Despite being located in an area of the desert that rarely gets rain. The discovery of an enormous underground aquifer allowed the deserts around Namrut to be farmed. I some point a catastrophe struck Namrut, the origin of which has been forgotten, the people left and the sands of the deserts covered over the city. Recently, some nomads claim to have discovered some ruins they claim are those of Namrut and they have been selling maps to the location.

Golden Sands

(1). Ruins of Namrut

Not much of the city is visible above the sand. One large, stone block building and a few piles of rubble. The building is 30 by 20 feet and 20 feet tall. Built of cyclopean stone blocks it is crumbling but intact. There are 3 alcoves on the west side. In two of the taller alcoves stand stone statues of a god-like figure. One is missing its head which is nearby on the ground. The third alcove is only 4 feet tall and appears to be a glyph-covered stone door.

In the shadow of the building, a skeleton of a man sits upright in the sand. The skeleton has been completely picked clean by the blowing sand. On his lap rests a pitted sword and he is clad in studded leather armor. About him, several leather sacks and equipment poke out of the sand.

The door can be opened by depressing one of the glyphs.  Characters must make an Intellect check (-1) to spot the glyph that can be depressed. The door will grind slowly upward and then become stuck. No amount of pushing will move it further up. The level of sand against the door drops as it goes up suggesting that it is spilling into the chamber beyond. The door has actually moved up 4 feet. Characters need only scoop out enough sand to slip under the door. This takes about 30 minutes. While characters are digging a group of desert bandits on camels attack.

Once a few feet of sand are removed characters can slip under the door but they will immediately slide down a short ramp of sand leading to the pit in area 2.  Characters must make an Agility roll at -2 (quite easy) to avoid tumbling into the pit.

The skeleton has the following equipment:

2 Short swords (small weapons d4 damage)

2 bundles of rope for a total of 120 feet.

10 iron spikes

1 hammer

2 empty clay bottles (water bottles)

1 bag of dried out food

1 tent

1 bedroll

1 change of clothes

1 suit of studded leather armor (Medium, -1d damage reduction).

1 pouch with 45 silver coins in it.

Judging by the state of the equipment and the vintage of the coins, this unlucky traveller died no more than a few weeks ago.

Bandits: No appearing 4, HD 1, Gains positive die if attacking with 2 companions.

(2). The Abyss

Inside the ruin is a roughly 20 by 30 foot chamber with a 15 foot high roof. A 3 foot wide ledge goes around the edge of this chamber around a shaft descending into darkness. The shaft drops sixty feet to the roof of area 3 below. There is an additional 50 foot drop to the stone floor at area 3. Characters falling in the pit will be killed when they strike the stone floor 110 feet below.

The Shaft

(3). The cistern of Namrut

Beneath area 2 is a large cavern. The rock of the cavern is hard and smooth and holds in most of the water that falls (rarely) as rain in the desert above. The cistern is enormous and is the reason Namrut could exist in the first place. A huge lake of water fills most of the cavern. A narrow ledge of stone on the west side of the lake is above the water level. The shaft from area 2 is over a path of cut stones that runs along the west side of the cavern to area 4 which is 80 feet to the north. The water in the cistern is clean and very cold.

(4). Temple of the Forgotten One

There well-preserved temple along the north wall of the cavern. Doric columns hold up a stone roof 40 feet above. In the front of the roof, stone stele depicts several unknown gods. Stone steps lead up to the interior of the temple. At the back of the temple is a 14 foot tall stone statue of a forgotten god. Before the statue the stone slabs of the floor of the temple appear to be loose, covering an empty space beneath.

Temple of the Abyss

The stone floor stones are too heavy for one character to move. Two or three characters would need to work together (allow a Physique check). However, as soon as anyone comes within two feet of the loose stones they are flung aside by a multitude of green tentacles.

The Thing in the Pit (1 appearing) HD 6, makes 6 attacks dealing 1d6 damage each (tentacles), gibbering voices force any within melee range to make a Willpower test or suffer a Negative Die to all actions until they leave its presence.

The creature is a nameless entity summoned by an evil sorcerer of Namrut. It caused the destruction of Namrut by cutting off the population from their water supply. It looks like a six foot in diameter blob with six, 15 foot long tentacles. In the center of the blob are three yellow eyes and a large mouth filled with 2-inch teeth.

The creature is resting on a large sum of Silver and gold coins (450 silver, 250 gold).

Isle of Respite

My Scarlet Heroes solo adventure in a modified B3: Palace of the Silver Princess ended with the death of the hero Ti Yasho.  But fear not, I cannot leave the Jade Sorceress and the island of Respite in a peril so I am trying again this time with a fighter.

I am also beginning with a wilderness adventure to give the lone hero some experience before he enters the dungeon.  I could use the random wilderness tables in the rules, but since I already have a setting in mind I have created a simple little hex map of the Isle of Respite.

Isle of Respite

The island is located to the east of Nordheim but experiences a slightly more temperate climate. The winters are short and cold and snowfall covers the island. The summers are fairly long and warm. The island has central highlands and a small range of mountains.

There are a number of small villages dotting the coastline of the island. The inhabitants of these villages get buy with fishing and some farming. The largest coastal community is Enrano being a full-fledged town of 4,000 people. Enrano is at the mouth of the Choitont river.

The population is predominantly human with a sizeable percentage of dwarves. The dwarves came to Respite as skilled laborers for the Jade Sorcerer many years ago. Some returned to their homeland but many stayed as skilled crafters. Most of the dwarves dwell in Haven.

The largest community on the island is in the interior around Crystal Lake. Qishan, Haven and the Jade Palace are all near the shores of the lake. The best farming on the island occurs in the valley of Haven around the lake. There is a steady flow of produce along the Choitont river to Enrano for shipment to other islands. The valley of Haven is also famous for wine production.

The Wenpo Uplands is a region of wooded badlands. All manner of fell beasts prowls this area and only the bravest adventurers venture here. Similarly, the Windsheath mountains are home to some small tribes of Shou that make venturing through the mountains dangerous.

History

Respite had only a small population of human fishermen until 180 years ago. Refugees from Xian settled on Respite including a powerful magic user known as the Jade Sorcerer. The Jade Sorcerer impressed upon the Shou that they should share the land and the Shou retreated to the Windsheath mountains. Artisans from all the lands were brought to construct a beautiful palace for the sorcerer in the hills overlooking the valley of Haven.

About 120 years ago, the red tide began to encroach onto the shores of the isle of respite. The Jade Sorcerer lent all of his study to the problem and discovered a way of keeping it at bay. The red tide was halted and did not advance any closer.

Recently the Jade Sorcerer decided that a long life of 240 years was enough for him. Tired of this plane of existence he expired and passed the throne to a young apprentice who he had adopted as his heir. For the past few years Argentia, the Jade Sorceress, has ruled Respite.

Since taking the throne Argentia has had to deal with a long line of suitors. Whether brought to Respite from tales of her beauty, wealth or the secrets of her magic (or some combination of the three) suitors have been coming two or three a month. Most bring gifts in hopes of impressing the young Sorceress.

Town of Pirn

For adventurers’ in a Stillwater Valley campaign, most of the places they can go for goods and services are limited. Padotan is the largest settlement in the valley and it only has a population of 200. Even with Padotan’s reputation as a place to buy and sell goods with no questions asked, the three or four merchant shops located in the village can only provide the bare necessities.

However, the town of Pirn, located just off my Further Afield Map to the east is an ideal location for adventurers to spend their hard-won gold on goods and services including a fair amount of simple magic.

Pirn Map

PIRN

Pirn is a small town with a population frequently in flux but rarely dipping below 1,200 or more than 1,600. There are about 200 buildings on a hill surrounded by a 25 foot stone wall. The town is at the westernmost terminus of the King’s Road and is the furthest extent of the reach of the Kingdoms known as the Realms. The Lord Mayor of Pirn is appointed by the King but the King makes his choice from a list of candidates sent to the King by the guilds of Pirn. Usually, the list has only one name on it. The Lord Mayor of Pirn is in complete control of the town in all but name.

Development

I envisioned a town laid out similar to late medieval towns in Tuscany. Situated on a hill for protection with a number of merchants maintaining lofty towers. The towers were originally built for defense before the stone walls were constructed. Now the towers are built for prestige. Each merchant wants to have the tallest tower. The towers on the town map are represented by the dark blue squares.

The area where the town is located is on the edge of the wilderness. Stillwater valley is relatively safe but goblin warbands have still be known to attack Pirn. The most recent unsuccessful attack occurred just 8 years previous. For this reason, there are few farmhouses located outside the walls of the town. Most farmers live in the town and maintain a small shack on their plot of land. There are also some farms located inside the walls of the town.

Modeling

I started off with a render of a market square. I was not following any plan at all. So I created the town map to use as a guide. I have completed most of the buildings around the Quarter Market a few of the side streets and a section of the wall including the Quarter Market Gate. It is doubtful I would ever model the entire town because it would be a lengthy undertaking.

The Quarter Market and the Black Witch Inn

One of Pirn's Towers, Blackwind's Home

Lowpoint Starport

I have not managed to post so far in the new year. Not that I have not been working on things. After a flurry of activity on the Bomar domed city I decided I wanted to go back and finish off my Lowpoint Starport I have been working on for months. Armed with more ability in Blender now it did not take all that long to finish off the 50 buildings of the starport.  Given that Bomar has 500+ buildings I will need to use more general methods to complete it or I will never get it done.

I have attached a bunch of images taken in the Lowpoint render.

Distance shot from out at sea

Lowpoint is located at the end of the Logaolos Point. A desolate, rocky point of land more than 100 kilometers from the Newalter, the capital city of Tusa. The original starports for Tusa were on the continent of Atsox. After the scream there was an accident at one of the starports and the entire continent became uninhabitable. Tusa was re-discovered by starships from Kaitos in 3072. At first ships landed on concrete landing pads wherever they could be built. Eventually, it was decided Tusa needed a starport. Heeding the lessons learned by the Atsox catastrophe it was decided to place the starport on a desolate peninsula.

The Overlook Hotel

Once the landing pads were in place, offices and warehouses were built, then bars and hotels for travelers drawn to Tusa for big-game hunting. Eventually, Logaolos Point Star Port or "Lowpoint"  grew to a few dozen buildings and a population of around 25,000.

The most popular Hotel is the Overlook. Perched on the edge of a cliff. The hotel has its own landing pad for air cars to take wealthy guests hunting on the continent of Moneaux. It also has elevators down to a building at water's edge where guests can charter a deep sea fishing boat.

The Piazza

Lowpoint is built around a central, open square dedicated to growing grass, plants and trees. I stayed true to my original map in most cases. Some items look fine on a map but out of scale in reality. Once I put down the buildings I realized the square was far too big. But I decided not to change it.

Khamid Tower

The most popular spacer bar is located in Khamid Tower residences on the piazza. The "Landing Pad" is located mid-way up the tower. It is recognizable from large hologram of an overweight spacer sitting on a rocket.

The Landing Pad does a brisk business late into the night

The bar/entertainment zone that draws in the locals from Newalter and beyond is Morley's Bar. Licensed gambling on just about anything. Large holo-screens and a good location right next to the Hyper-Loop terminus.

Morley's Bar

Wealthier travelers and spacers with their own air cars usually fly to Newalter and other cities and locations on Tusa. The locals who work in Lowpoint and live in Newalter come by Hyper Loop. A much cheaper way to travel. For a few credits you can get in a capsule and zip into Newalter in just 20 minutes.

The Hyper Loop Line

The hyper loop line comes into Lowpoint right beside the twin towers of the Frontier Alliance office. FA has a major office on Tusa at Lowpoint and it has a reputation of calling in debts on star ships and impounding them at the Lowpoint Impound pads. Some spacers with bad credit make a point of not landing on Tusa because of this.

The Montegue Hotel

Moving away from the piazza are the few areas of danger in Lowpoint. Muggings and car-jacking do occur in these areas. Lowpoint does not have much of a police force. Customs officers are the only police in Lowpoint and they are more interested in checking for smuggled goods.

Low Rent shops

Smaller shops offering financing and credit advances, lawyers, weapons shops are common in the back alleys of Lowpoint. Late night pedestrians are warned to keep alert.

Landing Pad X2

Two landing pads are set aside for a government run service shuttling passengers and cargo down from Tusa Highpoint space station. Moving goods from ships not configured for atmospheric travel. From the landing pads, passengers are moved by bus and cargo goes through customs inspection. Enormous tanks of hydrogen fuel are located not far from the starport terminal.

Viewing Lowpoint from the surrounding hills. A local farm boy is warned
of the dangers of Lowpoint by his Uncle Ben.

One last image taken from the hills outside Lowpoint. To provide scale I tossed in an air car and a few locals.

Mystery of the Lake

It has been a little while since I wrote anything for my system-free setting Stillwater.  So I put together a map focusing on the lake itself.

The Tlast stream flows into Stillwater lake and there is mysteriously no outflow from the lake visible to the residents of the village.  The locals feel that the south end of the lake is bottomless. Weighted lines dropped in the lake do not seem to touch bottom. On my map I have set the lake depth to 150 feet at its deepest point. But Gamemasters can decide on their own.

Stillwater Lake area GM Map

At the deepest point of the lake porous limestone allows the lake to drain slowly into an underground cavern and then out through the Calinor Abyss before emerging into daylight again as the Darkwash River. Locals are completely unaware of this fact. Villagers and explorers in the area think that the Lake is bottomless and will never fill up.

Fisherman from the village of Stillwater stick to the shallow water at the north end of the lake. The fish are plentiful in the shallow waters and to their mind, strangely absent in the south end. Also there have been a half dozen sightings of a lake monster in the south end of the lake.

One fisherman and his boat went missing just over a year ago after he set out for the south end of the lake. No trace was ever found. Not even debris from his boat.

The road south to the Wildlands and the village of Yarrow follows the lake until the south end when it passes up a hillside to the west before continuing further south. This is not a well travelled road. There is some traffic of traders coming from the Wildlands.

I have decided not to create statistics for the Stillwater Lake Monster (despite the temptation to do so). I did provide a hint of its look in the image in the post. It could be only tall tales, a green dragon that likes to swim in the lake or a giant serpent. Personally I lean toward giant serpent.

It is an easy adventure hook. Players could be hired to kill the Lake Monster after it attacks some fishermen from the village. A sage or wizard could pay the characters to retrieve a rare component from the Lake Monster (“bring me the spleen of the creature of the lake”).

Best not to fish in the deep water

The Dragon's Lair

Holidays so I am on the road. I decided to write up an encounter based on an oil painting my mother did a year ago showing a dragon demolishing a cliffside structure.

It does not fit perfectly into the Stillwater further afield outdoor sandbox map but I think I can fit it into hex 0903. In this location is an outcrop of rock called the “Severed Tip”. A 1500 foot tall spire of rock rising up in the Talenwood. The rock outcrop looks to be finger-like except it is cut off at the knuckle.

The Dragon attacks the Monastery

The Dragon’s Lair (hex 0903)
When people talk about “the dragon” in Stillwater valley they are referring to the old dragon who resides in tunnels carved into the side of the Severed Tip. The dragon has been a legend in Stillwater valley for as long as anyone can remember. Historians and sages say that the dragon took possession of the tunnels more than 300 years ago. At the time the tunnels were the monastery of a sect of monks of the god Ecix. The dragon forcefully evicted the monks and moved in. The dragon is occasionally a menace, going on month-long rampages, every few decades. There does not seem to be any pattern to the beast’s behaviour. The dragon has been sleeping quietly in his lair for the past seven years.

Reaching the Lair
The monks of Ecix were a reclusive group of scholars well known for their peaceful ways. They chose a very remote location in the wilderness to build their abode. The tunnels that the dragon now lairs in are built into the side of a cliff on the Severed tip at a height of 1100 feet. Access is possible by an overgrown trail to a location 200 feet below the entrance in the cliff face. To enter the monks used to let down a basket. The ropes, crane and basket are long since gone. Characters will have to scale the cliff face (or fly) to reach the entrance. A second entrance is possible in an opening above one of the interior chambers. The broken remains of a statue of Ecix (a bald, robed man with a look of contemplation) lies in the dirt at the base of the cliff.

Area 1: The Cliffside entrance
The entrance is an elaborate column and lintel facade carved from the mountain and faced with marble. Some of the marble has crumbled and fallen to the ground. One of the columns is broken off 3 feet up from its base. The dragon smashed the column as he chased the monks who survived his original attack. The entire facade is forty feet wide and forty feet tall. At its back are two narrow passages that lead to the main hall.

Area 2: The Temple Nave (Hall of the Dragon)
This is the largest chamber in the tunnels. An 8 foot tall statue of Ecix was against the east wall at one time. The dragon kicked it off the side of the cliff. The chamber is huge, with a 30 foot tall ceiling held up by five stone pillars. Colorful tiles decorate the chamber walls but they are blackened by fire. The tiles are arranged in geometric patterns. The dragon sleeps in this chamber on a mound of what it considers treasure. This is a 30 foot long pile of bones, cloth, broken wood and a fair share of gold, silver and copper coins.

The statistics for the dragon are left to the Gamemaster to develop as appropriate for your campaign. I would suggest that the dragon is a made a formidable monster that is a legend in the setting that players are always aware of and can aspire to confront. The dragon is getting on in years and can sleep for months without stirring (especially after a rampage). But its senses are still sharp. It can smell food (adventurers) that come within 100 feet of its lair and will be roused from sleep. The dragon has chosen this lair for the final sleep so it will fight to defend it to the death but it is not suicidal. The dragon would be willing to bargain if confronted with adventurers that it fears could kill it.

In the dragon’s treasure pile, amongst the debris, animal and human sized bones, are 2,000 silver coins, 9,000 copper coins and 1,200 gold coins. Also in the pile is a magic sword (+1 or equivalent), a magic wand (magic missile or equivalent), and a suit of magic chain mail (+1 or equivalent).

Area 3: The Kitchen (Northern Chamber)
To the north of the large hall is a debris filled chamber that was once the kitchen of the monastery. The alcove to the west is a stove with a chimney leading out to the cliffside (it is only 1 foot in diameter). A few of the monks died in this chamber. Their skeletal remains lie on the floor near a fire charred wooden table that was pushed on its side. There is nothing useful in this chamber.

Area 4: The Sleeping Chambers (Southern Chamber)
The monks slept in this chamber. All slept in equal wooden bunks. The lowest acolyte sleeping in a bunk beside the leader of the monastery. Most of the monks died in this chamber. A scattering of 10-12 blasted skeletal remains are scattered amongst the ruins of charred bunks. The former leader of the monastery remains as an embittered ghost. Long years of unrest have driven the monk (Brother Gitte) mad with anger. He wants the dragon to die but does not have the power to confront the beast. He will try to possess characters and attack the dragon without concern to the damage the possesed body takes.

Area 5: The Garden
The monastery had an outdoor garden and place of contemplation maintained by the monks to provide for their food. The area is 40 feet square. The walls are carved from the rock of the mountain and most of the ceiling 20 feet above the ground is removed allowing the sun to shine into the chamber. The floor of this chamber is covered in a deep layer of soil. The area is overgrown with bushes and small trees. There is a rough path crushed through the plants where the dragon lands and lumbers into his chamber. The tunnel to the Dragon’s hall is smashed from the dragon’s passage (he is no longer as slim as when he first moved in).

Hidden in the debris is the body of a famous warrior who challenged the dragon from lower down on the mountainside path. The dragon swooped down and chomped down on the warrior carrying him up to his lair. The dragon dropped the warrior’s corpse when it found it could not peel off the warriors armor to get to the tasty part. The warrior is wearing surprisingly intact magic plate mail armor (+2 or equivalent) and still clutches a magic longsword (+3 dragonslayer or equivalent).

Area 6: The Scriptorium
The “treasure” of the monastery was their unrivaled (for the area) collection of historical and magical scrolls and books. They were carefully cared for in this large chamber. The alcoves were individual study chambers for each senior monk. The dragon unleashed a blaze of fire into this chamber destroying most of the paper stored here. The initial blast of dragon flame destroyed a lot of the books but the subsequent fire burned for hours and destroyed what was left.

In the center of the chamber is the charred wreckage of several large tables and chairs. Some bits of paper still remain. The walls of the chamber are lined with the wreckage of wooden shelves and charred bundles of paper. The alcoves contain burned desks and shelves. The lone alcove to the north escaped most of the fire and the desk is fairly intact. If the 4 drawers beneath the desk are forced open (they were warped by the fire) a number of scrolls and books will be found intact.

I might detail the books found in a later post. Or it can be up to the individual gamemaster. Depending on the challenge offered by the dragon this could be a great way to offer the characters an appropriate reward. The adventurers could also be drawn to the dragon’s lair by rumours that a valuable magic book resides in its ruins.

Adventure at Galen's Ford

The Spirit at Galen’s Ford (hex 0715)

Just north of of Galenford Keep is Galen’s Ford. This ford across the Stajin river is named for a the village of Galen that used to be located at the ford. The village consisted of a dozen or so wooden buildings that were all put to the torch when Galenford Keep was stormed many years ago. Years later a small waystation was built at the ford to give travellers a place to shelter. It was run by a succession of factors working for the Merchants guild. The last of the factors was a devious man who consorted with river pirates and highwaymen. He arranged for rich merchants to run afoul of bandits or killed single travellers on his own. The bodies were dumped in an unmarked pit out back of the buildings near a copse of trees.

One of these travellers who was killed in his bed was himself a particularly evil man and he came back as an evil spirit (spirit, wight, spectre whatever is appropriate in your campaign). This evil spirit scratched at the doors and windows of the way station at night frightening away men and beasts. The factor dug up the corpse, burned it and reburied it with a stone slab placed on top. The next night the spirit was back scratching at his door. Eventually the factor went mad and burned the buildings down trying to kill the spirits but himself died in the blaze.

Galen's Ford Map

Today, travellers have no choice but to pass the Way station ruins and the ruins of keep on their journey into Stillwater valley. But few stay the night in the area. The experienced travellers of Stillwater valley make certain to spend the night in Whitewater and then pass through Galenford in the middle of the day. Occasionally, foolish travellers spend the night in the way station ruins and speak of moaning noises and scratching at the barred windows that continues until the sun rises.

Introducing Galen’s Ford to the players

The best method to introduce this short scene to the players is to arrange for them to be approaching Galen’s ford as night falls and bad weather nears. The building are damaged but they do offer shelter from the storm. The evil spirit can be put to rest with the normal methods for the type of creature chosen (reducing a wight to zero hit points) or if it is considered an evil spirit the creature can be put to rest by exhuming the body beneath the stone and properly burying it in a ceremony.

Stone Building (location A)

The stone building is the most intact. It is 40 feet long by 20 feet wide. The interior is full of charred wooden debris. The roof is mainly intact except at the front where the stone wall has collapsed. The building looks to have had two floors but the upper floor collapsed into the main floor. Careful searching could allow players to find the evil factor’s treasure. A loose floor tile reveals a shallow hole with a canvas bag inside full with 200 sp, 50 gp, and 2 pieces of jewelry worth 200 gp each.  It is very hard to find.

Wood Shed (location B)

The wooden building was likely a stable. The roof is gone and the charred walls are rotted and leaning precariously. The wall at the front has collapsed. There is a small chance that in high winds the entire structure collapses.  If characters are inside at the time they would be buried in debris.

Stone grave

Out back of the buildings are three, old oak trees standing fifty feet tall. Not far from them is a large stone slab (6 foot by 4 foot) lying on the ground. It appears something dug its way out from under the slab judging by the hole in the ground. Lifting the slab (300#) reveals a shallow grave. If the evil spirit is a physical evil then there is no body located in the grave after sunset. If it is daytime or the evil spirit has no physical body then there is a fairly fresh looking corpse of a man in tattered clothes. He has a gold chain and medallion around his neck (worth 500 gp it is the badge of the mayor of Pirn).

The Bandit Lair

If I am going to develop the area around Stillwater more than I am going to need to have a way of identifying the location hex on the map.  So I did the rather tedious task of numbering the hexes. I did it in paint.net so I have a version that has the numbers on a second layer. The version here was flattened to a single layer.

Numbered Hex Players version

Now the locations that have already been developed have a numbered location. Stillwater village is hex 1008, Crimson Moon Maze is hex 0703.

So if I wanted to write something about hex 0606.

The Bandit Lair (0606)

Located a short distance off of the north-south road between Stillwater and Mrorg Hall is the lair of a group of six bandits. The bandits have built a rough wooden palisade (six feet high) protecting four open fronted hunting cabins (three walls and a rough). They pretend to be hunters and trappers and they have some game and skins drying to prove it. But they make their living by preying on small groups of travellers on the road. Lone travellers are especially likely to be ambushed. Ned is the leader and he makes certain that one of his men is watching the road from a hidden location at all times. The bandits are weakly armed with spears and bows and lightly armoured with leather jerkins. A search of their camp will turn up some packs of equipment taken from travellers.

• Two bags for fine clothes
• One bag with assorted ropes, spikes, nails and hammers
• One bag with a leather armour in it that is rent with holes and unusable without repair
• One bag (under Ned’s bedroll) with 34 coppers, 12 silver a useable dagger and a leather pouch containing a map showing the location of Crescent Moon Maze that is located with an “X” and the comment “much treasure protected by kobolds”.

Bandits (6): Ned, Rufus, Tomas, Aswell, Gint, Hengi. Armed with Spears. Hengi and Aswell also have bows and 15 arrows. Ned wears a leather tunic.