Rod of Terror | Moorhaven | The Underway | The Savage Mountain | Six Landmarks
Rod of Terror
Magic Item
Hewn from dragon bone and etched with potent arcane symbols of horror and fear, the rod of terror is an object of malign power able to crush the will of the strongest warrior.
Imbued with the frightful presence of an adult dragon, the rod’s powers activate when it is presented forcefully, and the command word—the “donor” dragon’s name—is loudly spoken. A rod of terror has five charges and it regains one charge every morning. If the rod’s last charge is expended, there is a 20% chance the dragon’s bone will crack, rendering the rod useless.
Moorhaven
Moor | Traveller’s Inn
Also called the Moor House, this lonely traveller’s inn stands in the middle of the deep moor at an isolated crossroads. Here, several tracks converge near the ruins of an elder village. Of the village, nothing remains but hearthstones, low crumbled stone walls and the suggestion of a few fields and pathways.
Moorhaven, built with stone harvested from the elder village, stands behind stout walls and is a traveller’s haven. Herein can be found shelter from the moor’s unpredictable, savage weather and its denizens. Wolves prowl the moor while bandits and other unwholesome things lurk amid its pockets of wild, gnarled woodlands and abandoned mines.
Sometimes cut off for days or weeks at a time by foul weather, Moorhaven is amply equipped and provisioned to withstand a siege by weather or foe. Its landlord, Frithstan Kerrich, is a hardy soul. A retired mercenary, he employs a dozen of his old companions to guard and maintain the inn. A few other folk—orphans, potboys and the like—work at the inn, and it is a welcoming place. Some of the old mercenaries have other skills, and Moorhaven offers carpentry and ironmongery services for travellers who need repairs to their wagons or other gear.
The Underway
Subterranean | Urban
The Underway, a tunnel cut by dwarven engineers long ago, runs under the river cutting through a lazy market town. Built when good stone suitable for bridge building was unavailable, the tunnel is dank and dark and not a pleasant place to be after dark. (It’s not that nice during the day, for that matter.) The Underway is wide enough for a horse and cart to traverse, and ample bays cut into the tunnel walls enable passing traffic.
During the Underway’s construction, the dwarf miners discovered several natural caves below the town, and the tunnel threads its way between them—walls of rough-hewn, mortared stone blocks hinting at their positions. Sometimes enthusiastic locals on a dare, or neophyte adventurers seeking an easy challenge, break through a wall to explore what lies beyond. The local authorities act swiftly to seal these breaches, leading to endless, low-grade speculation as to what lies in the caves.
Guides, well-equipped with lanterns, linger at both ends of the Underway to guide travellers through the tunnel for a copper a trip. Guiding travellers through the Underway is a dirty, cold and thankless job.
The Savage Mountain
Bugbears | Kobolds | White Dragon | Mountain
Named for terrible winds, savage storms and sudden avalanches, the Savage Mountain stands above its fellows at the heart of a dense mountain range of perpetually snow-capped peaks.
Tribes of white-furred bugbears dwell upon its upper flanks while vicious white/blue-scaled winged kobolds have been reported lower down amid the mountain’s craggy foothills. All are servants to Agharagoth, an elder great white wyrm of unknowable age and unsurpassed power and cunning.
Agharagoth dwells near the Savage Mountain’s peak, and her presence is somewhat responsible for the terrible weather assailing the mountain and its environs. She dwells in a huge cave of ice and stone where she sprawls upon a vast frozen hoard of treasure that would make even the most jaded emperor seethe with jealousy.
No serious attempt to slay Agharagoth has been made in decades, and she grows fat and lazy. When she emerges from her indolence and stupor, surrounding nations pay her homage with gold and cattle to be left alone. All would prefer her dead and gone, but none are willing to pay the price for sponsoring a failed expedition.
Six Landmarks
Six Things | Wilderness
Bleak Hill stands stark above the surrounding plain. A score or more stone cists dot its oddly flat summit. The mysterious cists are long since looted. Rumours speak of secret shafts plunging deep into the hill from one or more burial sites.
Hungry Gully inches wider every year, and every year the locals add to the wooden span linking its two sides. When flooding weakens the span, travellers must make lengthy detours. Plans for a stone bridge stall on the subject of cost.
Keveral’s Point juts from a rocky escarpment overlooking the road. Its shape is reminiscent of a squashed human face. Folklore identifies the point as an immense slumbering earth spirit. Locals ascribe minor rockfalls and tremors on the point as its snores.
Slaughter Ford boasts a foul reputation. A century ago, water spirits drowned a great company of marauding orcs at the ford. Ill-hued lights, unwholesome noises and strange doings have since motivated travellers to seek safer routes.
The 400 wind their way over a lofty, craggy hill. Cut by unknown hands long ago, these vertiginous steps are in bad shape. The faint outline of a ruin sprawls across the hill’s summit. Folk atop the hill enjoy sweeping views of the surrounds.
Watersmeet surrounds six lofty crags of remarkable geometric alignment. Four rivers flow into the lake, churning up the water, making casual boating dangerous and difficult. Folklore tells of mysterious winged humanoids seen visiting the crags.
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