Regalia of the Abyss | Windy Hill | The Nihlstone | The House at Woodend | The Palace
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: Inner Cover
September’s inner cover presents 20 more cool words and the names of 20 fayres and festivals for your game.
02: Regalia of the Abyss
Ashlarian Legendry (Foul Artefacts)
This foul collection of three artefacts of surpassing and ineffable evil was forged aeons ago in the depths of the Abyss when the world was young. Now scattered and lost—or perhaps hidden—across the planes, the Regalia of the Abyss comprises the Abyssal Crown, Ebon Orb and Screeching Sceptre and contains immense power.
Each of the three items possesses various terrible powers of its own. However, possessing one or more of the artefacts enables the owner to also command various types of demons to do their bidding. The more pieces of the regalia an individual wields, the greater the demons they can command. An individual wearing the crown while wielding the orb and sceptre can control all but the most powerful of demons.
Those scions of good aware of the regalia are ever watchful for signs that someone is gathering the three artefacts. Such a person would be a power in their own right and almost certainly not acting for the greater good. The crown, orb and sceptre are malign objects steeped in the Abyss’s foulness; it is doubtful that any mortal—no matter how pure—could escape their terrible, corrupting influence.
Even the various demon princes are thought to seek the regalia as possessing them would enable a prince to destroy their enemies and extend their dominion over yet more Abyssal layers. News that a demon prince possessed even one of the pieces of the regalia would likely spark a terrible war that would inevitably spill out of the Abyss across the known planes.
03: WIndy Hill
Ashlarian Lore (Hamlet)
Three windmills stand atop this high hill, around which straggles a small community of sheep farmers, hunters and the like. The constant creaking of the three windmills’ sails is a perpetual backdrop to life here; visitors can find the sound maddening while the locals have grown accustomed to it.
A traveller’s inn—the Merry Coachman—stands about a mile west of the hamlet and services both visitors to Windy Hill and travellers using the Great South Road. Here can be had a cheery welcome and a soft bed. The Merry Coachman is a busy inn—much traffic passes up and down the Great South Road—and the inn’s ostler, Piri Tammi, works hard to make wealthy merchants and other notable folk welcome. As a result, he is well-connected and a good person to befriend.
In theory, Windy Hill falls under the domain of Aelfgar Stannard, lord of Ashford, who calls himself baron in the old style. However, plague savages Ashford and Stannard is rumoured dead or fled. Thus, Windy Hill—at least for now—is left to its own devices. One peasant family, the Saarelainens, own the hamlet’s three windmills. The Saarelainens are the wealthiest and most influential folk in the surrounds, and many locals look to them for leadership in Baron Stannard’s absence. To many, they are pillars of the community, but to a few surly locals, the Saarelainens grow above their station, and the family patriarch, Konrad, is derisively known as the “Windy Miller”.
UK Readers of a Certain Age: I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.
04: The Nihlstone
Campaign Component (Sinister Monolith)
Amid the wind-blasted peaks of a wild range of hills lurks a curious, giant-tall, jagged monolithic shard of black basalt-like stone. Thrusting skywards from the centre of a desolate and barren hollow, this is the legendary Nihlstone.
Nothing grows in the Nihlstone’s vicinity. The ground is of bare rock, swept—or perhaps scoured—free of all loose matter; here, there is no soil, no rubble and no pools of rainwater. The hollow is dead and empty except for the brooding, malign Nihlstone. In even the oldest stories of the first humans to explore the hills, it was ever thus.
The Nihlstone exerts a strange influence throughout its immediate environs. Things and creatures entering the hollow are inexorably drawn to the stone. At first, this influence is subtle, but as one gets closer, this effect grows stronger and harder to resist. Anything touching the Nihlstone is immediately disintegrated—instantly blasted into nothingness.
Some sages, who have studied the Nihlstone from afar, suggest it is—in effect—a stationary sphere of annihilation. Others believe that things brought into contact with the Nihlstone are not destroyed but are, in fact, instantly transported somewhere else—probably to another plane of existence. However, no one has survived getting close enough to examine the monolith, and thus, the Nihlstone remains a mystery.
05: The House at Woodend
Campaign Component (Isolated Manor)
A secluded manor house—the house at Woodend—stands at the end of a long winding track that meanders its way through Midsummer Wood. The house is built in the old style of centuries long gone and groans under the weight of years without number. It stands amid wild, overgrown gardens and exudes an aura of fatalistic decay.
A family of strange folk—the Valtari— dwell at Woodend but mostly keep to themselves. Rarely are the sallow-faced, pale-skinned Valtaris seen in the nearby villages. Inevitably, wild and lurid rumours about the family—that they are necromancers, werewolves or even vampires—circulate in the surrounding villages. Few commoners willingly associate with the Valtaris, but their gold, while strangely minted, is good, and vanishingly rare are the folk who willingly visit Woodend on even the sunniest days.
The truth of the Valtari is even stranger than the many rumours hanging over the family. The Valtari are skilled psychics who, as they sleep, explore the spirit- and dreamlands. They have journeyed far and seen much. Their sojourns require solitude and silence, and thus the House at Woodend suits them well. The family keep odd hours and sometimes lights blaze in the house’s windows until late. Other times, the place seems deserted. In certain occult circles, the Valtari are well known, and they occasionally welcome visitors to their home. These strangers—often strange and aloof like the Valtari—are noticed and much remarked upon in the local villages. Few find much welcome once they reveal the purpose behind their visit to the area.
And thus do matters lie, for now. Midsummer Wood is a strange place, and disappearances and deaths are not uncommon within. Events could conspire to bring the Valtari into violent conflict with their neighbours; death and murder could yet come to Woodend House.
06: The Palace
Campaign Component (Posh Inn)
This exclusive inn, centred on a sprawling fortified manor house of impressive opulence, stands amid rolling landscaped gardens, within a half-day’s coach ride of the nearby city. The east-facing central building, clad in white marble, glimmers and gleams in the morning sun, and the estate features stables, manicured gardens, a tranquil lake, several follies and more.
The Palace was a high priest’s personal demesne but was sold by the faith after his death sparked certain lurid revelations about his unconventional pastimes. Subsequently, the building and surrounding estate passed through a succession of monied hands before its current owner, Ari Jurva, bought the place.
Ari transformed the estate into an exclusive inn and, as befitting the luxuries and comforts to be found within, dubbed it the Palace. For those wealthy enough to afford the Palace, it is a welcome refuge and sanctuary from the hubbub and stink of the city. Unimaginable and decadent luxuries can be had within.
However, the Palace has a dark underside. Persistent rumours speak of a deep network of tunnels and chambers running below the estate in which the disgraced high priest pursued his unconventional pastimes. The entrances to these tunnels—if they do indeed exist—are long lost, but that doesn’t stop the occasional thrill-seeking guest poking about in search of them.
07: What Games Will You Play in 2026?
I recently asked the members of our Patreon Campaign what games or editions they’ll be playing in 2026. The results shocked me!
Read the Results (and let me know what you’ll be playing in 2026).
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!
Want the Markdown Files? Every member of our Patreon campaign gets the markdown files for the new-look Sunday Supplements to make it even easier to add them to their campaign.