Hex 24

24. Hamlets (Southern Hex)

Along the road are scattered nine tiny hamlets, ranging from three to six houses in each, surrounded by a ditch and possibly a wooden palisade. Fields of crops, pastures and fruit trees stretch to the north and south of the road. 2d4 adults, 2d8 children and 1d4 elderly tend the animals and crops.

Typical farm implements, items of everyday life, and some small amounts of food can be found at any of the hamlets along with cows, chickens, sheep, etc.

If the goblins are rampaging the area, all of these hamlets will be abandoned, each with a 60% chance of having been ravaged by the goblins (crops will be burned, animals slaughtered, 50% chance that the people will have been butchered as well).

Hex 24

24. Lake Fincher (Eastern Hex)

At the top of a 100’ tall plateau the locals call Demalias Tor is a small lake called Lake Fincher. Here, on the western edge is a small fishing village, simply called Fincher or Lake Fincher. The village is home to seventeen men, eight women and eight children who live in 8 ramshackle huts. The men fish during the day with nets from boats which are pulled up on the shore at night. Nighttime the men gather in one of the huts to drink and tell stories. The villagers are rather xenophobic, shunning strangers to the point of aggression. The men will threaten strangers, but they are more bluster than bravery. Once a week the fishermen take their wares (fresh fish and dried, smoked and salted fish) and trade with the people of Tiresh Village (Hex 30A).

The women of the village are allies of the Witch of the West Wind (See NPC encounters) and two nights a month go off in the forest to dance pagan dances with the witch. If the village is molested in any way, the Witch of the West Wind will seek out those who bother her “innocent daughters” or their families. Indeed, there is a 5% chance that the Witch will be encountered near the village if she still lives.

The villagers have little treasure (2d6 sp and 4d12 cp) but each of the women has a tiny charm around her neck which offers protection from disease and can be used to call the Witch of the West Wind (by rubbing it and calling her Truename).

TO FINISH: Map?

Hex 15

15. The Watchers In The Woods (Eastern Hex)

Three Ettercaps live in trees here. They have rarely preyed on humans because the Sisters of Mercy (Hex 25)  and their Treant allies (Hex 19) have kept them under their thumbs. However, they have grabbed a couple goblins and have not had any reprisals from the Sisters or the treants, so they are becoming more bold. If their lair is invaded, however, they will defend themselves.

Around the lair are game trails leading to pit traps and trip wires strung between trees that cause spiked logs to crash down (for 2d10 damage) or to grab prey at the ankle and hoist high up in a tree, both DEX check (at -2) to avoid. 

The lair is interconnected webs and branches high up in the trees here. The husks of two goblins are webbed in the lair as is a pouch containing 132 sp, a dagger, the bones of many animals and the husk of a giant spider, the last of a group of spiders that laired with the ettercaps for a time.

ETTERCAPS (3): AC 6; MV 120'; HD 5; hp 19, 21, 21; THAC0 15; #AT 3; D 1-3/1-3/1-8; SA Poison; SD Traps; SZ M; Int Low; AL NE; XP 260, 270, 270. 

Hex 9

9. The Drowning Pool (North Hex)

A Water Weird haunts a deep, slow moving pool in the river in the northern part of this hex, attacking creatures as they come within 20’ of the pool unless they throw something blue into the water as they pass. The locals call this part of the river the Drowning Pool, though they pass on the tradition of tossing small blue stones and the traders who boat through this area always carry a bag of tiny blue stones which they toss in a few at a time when the water stirs.

The Weird will travel up or down the river a bit to chase prey but generally won’t leave the bounds of the hex and doesn’t like the typically fast moving current of the river. Evidence that the party has rid the river of the monster would certainly gain the thanks of the people of the region, and possibly a bounty to boot. The Weird’s lair is at the bottom of the center of this pool in a deep muddy hole, containing 164 small blue stones, a blue silk scarf, 7 blue topaz (worth 70 gp each), a blue bonnet, a blue painted shield (Banan’s Wall, shield +1, can create a wall of force once per day).

Hex 14

14.  Faller Village and The Tumble (Western Hex)

            This village sits at the cross roads of King’s Way (East West) and the Forest Road (south) which becomes Mine Road (north). About 50 buildings are arrayed around the village square, most of which are homes. Notable buildings in the village are a Common Barn (A), village Chapel (B), Traveler’s Rest (C) and local Headman’s House (D). Most of the townspeople are farmers, though one is also a decent farrier and another works leather competently. The village is fairly poor, though not destitute. Most of the people look out for one another and, while travelers come through fairly regularly, they are wary of strangers. Some unusual goods might be able to be obtained in the village, though at a steep cost. 

On the east side of the village the ground rises in a steep slope topped with ruins. The locals call the ruins "The Tumble" and rarely bother with them, unless they need stone for some project or another.  Occasionally children will play in the tumble, though parents (rightfuly) discourage it. These are the Ruins of St. Turias' Reliquary. Deep beneath the ruins is a secret which enthralls the people of Faller Village.

NOTE: Faller Village and the Tumble are fully detailed elsewhere.

TO FINISH: Maps, Image

Hex 42

42. The Chantry of the Deepflame

On the mountainside here are the ruins of the Chantry. Two towers of radically different design and construction mark the obvious entrance. A bit higher up to the the East is another pile of ruins, a chaple or temple. Much higher up, to the West, is a somewhat hidden entrance to the ruins. If watched, goblinswill be seen coming and going through the small, eastern tower and possibly some griffons winging above the Eastern ruins.

TO FINISH: smaller outdoor map for chantry? Image

Hex 39

39. The Whispering Tree (North Hex):

A huge, twisted yew tree grows here, apart from any other trees in this clearing. When the wind blows, it sounds like a voice whispering indistinct and haunting words from the trunk of the tree.

The trunk is hollow.  High up in the branches (treat as a secret door unless someone climbs the tree searching for an entrance) is a hole in a V in the main trunk that provides access to the hollow trunk.

Inside, the hollow trunk is 3’ in diameter, but nearly smooth, running the full height of the tree (from the V to the ground is 30’, and an additional 22’ below ground beyond that). It is difficult climb inside the tree trunk (nearly impossible for non-thieves, so non-thieves fall through the trunk to the small chamber below, though the slight angle of the trunk slows the fall a bit, damage for a fall is 2d8. Thieves suffer -20% penalty for climb sheer surfaces because of the tight quarters inside the trunk.

Beneath the tree is a chamber, completely encased in the roots of the yew tree. The chamber is a sphere, about 11’ in diameter. Those who fall into the chamber are entangled by the roots (treat as entangle spell, DEX or lower on d20 extricate). Those who climb down into the chamber do not suffer such a fate. Hidden amid the roots of the tree are five Coffer Corpses which will emerge one every two rounds beginning two rounds after the first person enters the chamber. The second Coffer Corpse that emerges has a broadsword, the fourth Coffer Corpse has a magical shortword (Harishar, the Queen’s Blade a shortsword +2 that shines as a Light spell on command and detects evil). Buried among the roots are 343 gp, a silver chalice (with winged horsed engraved on the inside and angels in bas relief on the outside – worth 120 gp) and a leather pouch containing three rubies (worth 100gp, 200 gp, and 500 gp).

TO FINISH: Image