Ebon Realms | Delthur’s Folly | Yellow Star of Dereth | Green Acres | Sarrian Wolfhounds
Welcome to the Sunday Supplement, Raging Swan Press’s weekly email for GMs. This week, we have one free download, one piece of legendry, one piece of lore and three miscellaneous campaign components for your game.
Should we develop any of these idea further? Comment below.
01: The Dread Dungeononomicon Sample
Download.
Behold, the (System Neutral) Dread Dungeononomicon. This is the third Dread Tome that Raging Swan Press has released. We now possess an ebon trio. An ebon triptych of sorts, if you will. Within, find all of our Dungeon Backdrops.
Don’t know what a dungeon backdrop is? Download this free sample and find out!
02: The Ebon Realms
Ashlarian Legendry (The Greatest Dungeon)
Far below the sunlit lands of the surface world lie deep, illimitable caverns cloaked in perpetual darkness. Here, through the eternal night, creep loathsome, terrible things that have never gazed upon the sun. In even deeper caverns lie the tumbled cyclopean ruins of long forgotten elder civilisations raised up by the troglodytes and even viler, older races when humans still lived in caves and marvelled at the miracle of fire.
But the Ebon Realm is not completely without civilisation. In huge caverns all but unknown to those who dwell above, the drow raise their dark, glittering cities and sacrifice screaming captives to venerate their depraved spider goddess. The joyless, doughty duergar mine the deep stone for its precious metals and waylay travellers while the secretive deep gnomes dwell in their hidden cities and strive against their duergar enemies. Innumerable tribes of troglodytes dwell among the ruins of their fallen subterranean kingdoms and war against one another for captives, food and the remnants of their once proud heritage. But even more terrible things lurk in the deep places of the earth.
Only the bravest and most skilled adventurers dare to invade the Ebon Realm. Mercifully, connections to the Ebon Realm are rare in Ashlar: one is known to lie in Gloamhold’s benighted, cursed depths, while ancient texts held in Languard’s Dreaming Spires hint at an entrance far below modern-day Dulwich.
03: Delthur’s Folly
Ashlarian Lore (Lost Mine)
Hidden in the wild uplands beyond the Selka River, the mine of Delthur’s Folly is a byword among the locals for a fool’s errand doomed to fail.
Delthur Madann, a scion of fallen Vongyth, came to Dunstone, the so-called Town on the Borderlands, 50 years ago. He sought precious metals he could use to hire and equip mercenaries to aid his folk in taking back their ancestral home from its new draconic overlords. He was widely decried as mad when he returned with wild tales of a deep sinkhole, a dark and cold lake and a hidden mine. To prove the veracity of his tale, though, Delthur brought back fist-sized nuggets of gold and silver! He would tell no one where his mine was, but recruited a small band of hardy miners before disappearing back into the wilderlands.
The only survivor of Delthur’s fated expedition—driven mad by his ordeal and raving of “the water’s sibilant whispers”—died shortly after staggering back into Dunstone a year or more later. Local legend has it that something terrible dwells in the mine.
And yet, every year, adventurers cross the Selka in search of the mine—gold and silver are said to yet lie within just waiting for someone to claim it. Some return empty-handed, and some do not return at all.
Now locally, the phrase “Delthur’s Folly” has become synonymous with obviously doomed, badly-thought-out plans and expeditions. In Dunstone, a “Scion of Delthur” is one marked for an early, foolish death in the lands beyond the Selka River. Many adventurers have thus been named over the half century since Delthur’s disappearance.
See: Dungeon Backdrop: Delthur’s Folly or the Dread Dungeononomicon
04: The Yellow Star of Dereth
Campaign Component (Wondrous Gem)
This fist-sized gem wrought by unknown hands in the shape of a great icosahedron lurks at the nexus of a great web of whispers, legends, rumours and fables. It has ever been thus since the curiously formed yellow diamond was uncovered centuries ago by dwarven miners delving ever-deeper into the dark and unknown places of the world.
Since its discovery, the Yellow Star of Dereth has passed through many hands borne upon a tide of blood, suffering, betrayal, avarice and death. A beautiful object of temptation and power, the stone’s value as a “mere” jewel is incalculable. It plays on the avarice and greed of all who gaze upon it. To possess it, brother has murdered brother, parents have spurned their children, and kings have burnt whole cities to the ground.
But the Yellow Star of Dereth is no mere gem; it is an extraplanar prison of supernal strength. A fallen angel cast out of heaven for some terrible and unspeakable, unforgivable transgression, languishes in the gem. Thus has the angel lingered for ages—mad, undying and supremely alone. Doomed to eternal life, she lingers unchangingly in the gem—seeing the world, tantalisingly close, through it and aching with all her heart to be part of it.
Immersing the Yellow Star in tears shed by a being of pure goodness sunders the prison, and this is ever the goal of the mad, corrupt angel imprisoned within. She uses her powers to tempt, control and bribe all those who possess the Yellow Star of Dereth.
05: Green Acres
Campaign Component (Noble Estate)
This sprawling country estate stands a half-day’s ride from the nearest city. It is a tranquil place of wealth, privilege and comfort. Herein dwells the supremely wealthy merchant-adventurer Eerik Vasara, late of many distant and fabulous realms.
This rambling, palatial manor stands amid beautifully sculpted and tended gardens and woodlands dotted with follies, reflecting pools and more. An ornamental lake complete with an island and a temple-mausoleum stands at the centre of the estate. A newly built high stone wall, erected at ruinous expense, rings the entire estate.
Eerik is something of a recluse—he never visits the nearby city. He is known, however, to throw decadent parties for his wealthy friends and business associates. Invitations to his parties are much sought after, and Eerik often makes a point to invite any newly-arrived adventurers to the city.
Outwardly, Eerik is nothing more than a respectable, tremendously wealthy merchant. However, he hides a terrible secret—he has been cursed by an elder civilisation. During a mercantile expedition to the sweltering, shining wastes of the far south, he fell prey to a terrible, pernicious soul trap. The leavings of an elder civilisation set to project their greatest sorcerer king’s mortal remains, the trap bound Eerik’s soul in a large ruby pulsating with coruscating crimson light set in the dead king’s chest.
The power of Eerik’s soul has returned the king to a semblance of life and maintains him thus, but the curse is flawed. If Eerik dies, so does the king. If Eerik travels more than a mile from the ruby, he dies. If the ruby is removed from the king’s chest, Eerik dies. Thus, for now, the two need each other, but Eerik is desperately seeking a solution. He throws parties to gather news of the world, maintain his wealth and status and to hire adventurers. Such folk he sends out in search of ancient magical lore capable of removing the curse, but he obfuscates the true purpose of their quest. Thus, for now, these many expeditions have yet to bear fruit and, all the while, the sorcerer king is at work on his own eldritch, necromantic research—a ritual designed to steal Eerik’s soul permanently!
06: Sarrian Wolfhounds
Campaign Component (Animals)
Bred for their intelligence, loyalty and strength, Sarrian Wolfhounds live with and aid the farmers of the dusty, rugged Sarrian Highlands in protecting their flocks and homes from marauding mountain lions. They are easy to train and beloved members of many shepherds’ families. These huge, powerful hounds have grey/brown shaggy coats and more intelligence than most dogs. A pack of Sarrian Wolfhounds is more than capable of taking down a mountain lion (or two).
Some enterprising merchants brought litters of puppies decades ago and have been selling trained Sarrian Wolfhounds ever since. Demand always outstrips supply, however. The hounds are much in demand, and fully trained mastiffs can cost as much as 500 gold coins. Although far from cheap, such canine bodyguards possess certain advantages over normal guards: they are immune to bribery and, with the senses of a feral wolf, hard to sneak past—even when they slumber.
Ashlarian (proper noun) of Ashlar; Campaign (noun) a connected series of adventures; Component (noun) a constituent part; Legendry (noun) a collection or body of legends; Lore (noun) knowledge and stories about a subject
Thank you for reading the Sunday Supplement; I hope some of the above material makes it into your game or sparks your creativity.
Remember, Everything is Better with Tentacles!
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