Hex 32

32. Hargeth’s Keep

A small hill rises out of the forest here, cleared but topped in ruins. Though the ruins are ancient, the forest has not reclaimed the hill.

Five hundred years ago, a warrior king named Hargeth (called “the Bold” by historians outside of the Highlands, called “the Fool” by most who inhabit this region). Hargeth was an invading king fromthe north who established a keep near the Rushing River here in his attempt to carve out his dominion in the untamed wilds. He destroyed a number of clans of giants and established numerous small communities in this region.  Though a conqueror, Hargeth's battle prowess impressed the local clans and he was raised to the status of High King. As High King, Hargeth put his people to work building numerous monuments to his own hubris. After twenty years of constant struggle, the goblins of the mountains and the other humanoids of the neighboring regions rallied under a viscous Fire Giant King and swept through the region, overrunning the keep and decimating all the villages and towns in the region.  Hargeth himself fought the Fire Giant King in single combat and slew the giant, but was himself overwhelmed by the Giant King’s minions.  Hargeth currently haunts the ruins as a Spectre (not the Spectre of the Dangerous Encounters section, Hargeth never leaves the ruins). Now the Lord’s Tower and a smaller guard tower are the only structures still standing on this lonely, wind-blasted hill.

32.1.   Ruined Gatehouse

All that remains of the gatehouse is the foundations, in piles of rubble, and a portion of the portcullis is buried in the ground here. Among the fallen stones are 13 skeletons that remain hidden and inanimate unless Hargeth is threatened, in which case the Spectre calls them from their tumbledown tomb to rise to his defense.  The skeletons have no weapons or armor.

32.2.   Guard Tower

This 25’ diameter tower leans a bit to the north. Arrow slits run up the sides of the tower, at even intervals along the length of the spiral staircase that rises the height of the tower (six floors). The first floor is covered in rubble, mostly the ruin of the upper floors. The stairs circling the inside of the tower are stone, but in rough shape. Each story climbed has a 20% chance per person on the steps of a collapse. If a collapse happens, the person in front of and behind has a 60% chance of experiencing a collapse (and this holds true for each subsequent collapse – 60% chance for the next person on the steps). The floors of the tower have nearly completely rotted and fallen away (thus the rubble on the first floor). Most of the roof has likewise fallen in, but hidden in the rafters, still mostly protected by the remains of the roof, is a leather satchel. The satchel contains a book, a dagger, three sealed sheets of parchments and a gold pendant. If the jumble of stone and splintered wood on the first floor is cleared and carefully searched (a very time consuming process), 143 usable arrowheads, 34 spearheads, 2 daggers and 4 battleaxe heads can be found.

The book is The Journal of Karian Daris, the Dagger is Bloodthorn and the pendant is Hargeth’s family seal, cast in gold, worth 100gp with a secret compartment containing a small, lead coin engraved with a spell (remove curse at 20th level). The three sealed sheets of parchment are Hargeth the Bold’s last will and testament bequeathing his kingdom to his heirs, the title deed to his realm (technically a barony bequeathed to him by King Ashtaran II) and a personal letter to a close friend revealing some hidden truth about Hargeth the Bold. The DM is free to use these parchments as plot hooks for future and the exact nature of them is left to the DM’s discretion/imagination.

32.3.   Lord’s Tower

This 45’ diameter tower rises the height of six stories, though the first story was two in height, so it had only five “floors”. It is in shambles inside. The first story contains the greathall that extends out to the west 50’ from the base of the tower and is fully 2 stories in height. This chamber is mostly intact, the slate roof sagging precariously under its own weight as the ancient beams rot and twist. Significant combat in this chamber could easily bring the whole roof down (10d6 damage, crushed and needing to be dug out or continuous crushing damage will occur – 1d6 per round until freed). Seated on a ghostly throne here is the Spectre of king Hargeht, brooding over the demise of his kingdom. He does not automatically attack. Roll for reaction. If engaged in melee, he will call up the skeletons from the ruined gatehouse (see area 1). The tower is gutted, all the floors have rotted away and crashed down. The inner staircases all having been wood, there is no easy access to the upper parts of the tower. The roof has completely deteriorated as well. About half of the highest (fifth) floor remains (the only flooring which has not collapsed and rotted away). The fifth partial floor contains the remains of a huge four poster bed, a chest and what may have once been a chair. A rug once covered the floor, though little remains of it today. Everything is rotted and ruined, but the chest on the fifth floor contains two necklaces: one gold and diamond (worth 1.500 gp) and one a string of pearls (worth 1,000 gp). If the chest is moved at all (other than opening it, which causes the lid to crumble), the chest will collapse on itself revealing a false bottom which contains a leather bag holding 123 sp.

TO FINISH: Image, map?

Hex 23

23. Basin Stone (Southern Hex):

            

In the center of the southernmost part of this hex is a large (8’ tall) boulder with four concave indentations chiseled into the surface, connected by channels which feed out to two channels at the bottom of the boulder. There is a 30% chance that one or two pottery jugs under the exit channels, catching water. Locals who gather rainwater that catches in the basins of this boulder and runs off through the channels claim that the water makes them healthier and live longer.

Water consumed directly from the Basin Stone in moonlight will heal one point of damage per person per day, but it loses all potency when transported away from the stone itself. Drinking water from the Basin Stone during a full moon bestows the effects of Cure Light Wounds, once per person per full moon. Healing potions poured on the stone in the moonlight and then recollected via the channels will become doubly effective when consumed and those poured during a full moon become triply effective (note the effect cannot be “stacked” i.e. – one cannot triple the effect, and then pour the triple effected potion on the stone to triple it again – doing so renders the potion inert). Pouring any other type of potion on the stone turns that potion to a mild poison (full effects at DM’s discretion).  

Hex 23

23.  Stones of the Fallen Kings (North and Center Hex)

            

Huge boulders dot the rolling fields here. Legends speak of these stones as the ancient grave markers of giant kings. Unknown runes mark some (random) boulders and, while the locals have no idea what they truly mean, that does not stop them from wildly speculating on what the runes might mean.

Hex 18

18. Creator’s Stone (Southeastern Hex)

            An oddly shaped boulder balances here. Legend says that the Creator, when the world was new, set this stone on these two pedestals, and when this stone falls, the world will end. The region has been through numerous earthquakes that have shaken the stone and toppled mountains, but Creator’s Stone has remained steadfast.

It is also called the Farseer Stone because, again as legend tells, on nights of full moon, those who climb to the top of the Creator’s Stone and meditate for the whole night can receive visions of the future.

Hex 16

16. St. Albaran’s Hunting Lodge

A large, round thatch-roofed structure stands here, with an open air roofed area on one side. Three Cloistered Brothers and nine Lay Brothers from the Monastery of St. Albaran (see Hex 28A) use this building as a base from which they stage hunting parties into the mountains to the north for mountain goats or into the forest to the west for deer and small game to stock the larder for the monastery.

16.1.     Animal Cleaning Area: This area smells of blood and offal, even though the monks are careful to clean it daily. Nightly, coyotes scavenge the area (4-16).

16.2.     Offal Burial: A pit has been dug here and the unusable portions of the animals are tossed into the pit daily. It also functions as the monks’ toilet. This area stinks horribly. Coyotes scavenge here nightly (4-16).

16.3.     Meat Smoker: This stone structure is where the monks smoke the meat to cure it for transport and storage.

16.4.     Wood Storage: Wood is piled 10’ high here, running the length of the wall.

16.5.     Corral: Eight mules are tethered here. The small structure here contains grain and hay for the animals.

16.6.     Firepit: Outdoor cooking area.

16.7.     Dining Area

16.8.     Sleeping Area

16.9.     Chapel: A small altar table is set here with two brass candle holders (worth 2 sp each) and a small statue of St. Albaran (carved limestone, worth 3 gp). Before the table are 16 prayer rugs, slightly blood-stained.

TO FINISH: Map, populate with monks 

Hex 14

14.  Hall of the Gnome King (Eastern Hex, in the ridge)

On the eastern face of a low mountain is a forgotten door. Few of the locals know about this place, and those few who do know this place shun it for being haunted by evil creatures. Occasionally some weary traveler will find his way to the door, seeking shelter from a storm or wolves or some other danger. Those people always disappear.  Around the door are a variety of footprints (belonging to the denizens of the Hall of the Gnome King, as well as his most recent victims, if any - see below) that can be clearly seen. The ground immediately around the Lonely Door is fairly barren so there is little cover under which to approach the location by stealth. However, the greater area is rather overgrown, so there is plenty of cover from which to observe the door. There is a cumulative 2% chance per hour of observation that a group of 4 Long Arms and 2 Chitterers (See Appendix – New Monsters) will emerge from the door.

The lintel over the door appears smooth but on close inspection, it is well weathered stone that was once carved in some kind of runes. It might be possible to discern something of what was once written there (in ancient gnomish script, “The Hall of the King Under the Mountain”).

The door itself is a smooth stone slab on which is carved an ancient gnomish rune for happiness or pleasure or enjoyment. There is no obvious means of opening the door.

There are two ways to open the door, which is immune to physical (and magical) damage.. When the door opens, faint music can be heard from below. The door can be forced open with a combined 46 Strength, though there is room for no more than 3 people to push on the door inward. Forcing the door open functions exactly the same as if the door is unlocked (that is, it will remain open for three rounds, then close and not open again for the same person(s) for 48 hours). To unlock the door, a person must trace the rune with their finger, and the door will open inward and remain open for three rounds, after which it will close and not open again for the same person for 48 hours. Inside, stairs lead down into the darkness and faint music drifts upward. Once the door closes, from the inside, it becomes solid stone wall. The rune to open the door from the inside is in the chamber below.

NOTE: The Hall is a "Highlands Location" that is fully detailed (about 20 locations, a handful of new monsters and magic items) 

Hex 9

9. Boat Ruins (South Hex)

A small riverboat hangs in a tree here, a smuggler’s boat having been piloted by a novice, caught during a deluge which caused flash flooding.

Beneath the broken deck is rotted cargo (mostly grain and salted meat in broken kegs and casks). The boat has a secret hold beneath the piles of ruin which contains the smuggler’s real cargo: 8 rotting corpses (all chained to an iron ring mounted to one of the ribs of the boat), a case of Holy Wine from the Western Empire (6 bottles, one smashed, one the seal is broken, good bottles worth 100 gp each) and now rusted weapons – dozens of swords, daggers and helmets. The weapons and helmets bear the mark of the Hamlish Empire.