Long Pool

Long Pool fills a natural fold in the land, which the road skirts. Swaths of rushes surround the lake. During the spring, the frenzied croaking of mating frogs fills the air. After heavy rain, the road turns into a boggy morass.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 10, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second on the Road, Ten-Second LandmarkComment

Knut Auvo

Knut Auvo (CE male human) staggers along, under the weight of a bulging pack. Knut wears peasant garb, but carries an inordinate (perhaps suspicious) amount of adventuring gear. This blackhearted swine has looted a nearby abandoned campsite.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 9, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second NPC, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

Hierophant’s Path

Hierophant’s Path winds along a steep, wooded ridge overlooking the road. Local legend has it the adherents of an elder nature cult wore the path which ends on a craggy bluff. A singular monolith of rough hewn stone stands atop the bluff.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 8, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second Locale, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

Cold Brook Hollow

Cold Brook Hollow lies under a rocky overhang, at the head of a shadowed ravine. The stream’s chill waters flow from a deep cave and through a vine-strangled ring of curious monoliths. Low rumblings and a hideous fetor periodically emerge from the cave.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 5, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second on the Road, Ten-Second LandmarkComment

Wrecked Ship: Below Deck

Most cabins within an abandoned vessel offer little of interest, but occasionally something unusual can be found within.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 4, 202120 Things, Wilderness DressingComment

Brute

Brute (N male dog) bleeds from several deep slashes on his flank. This tall and lanky downcast mongrel lopes toward the party. Brute is skittish, and must be calmed. He bears a leather collar with his name, and the name of his owner: Eeva Kari.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 4, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second NPC, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

Dunstan's Hall

Dunstan’s Hall offers a warm fire and cheery welcome amid the ruin of an old church. Dunstan uses the church’s crypts for storage, and a crumbling wall and graveyard surround the inn. Rumours (inevitably) tell of hauntings, lost treasure and more.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 3, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second Locale, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

Aymer’s Gorge

Aymer’s Gorge cuts through a range of steep hills. Ancient oak forest alive with birdsong fills the gorge. Amid the trees, a river wends its way through three deep pools and over four waterfalls. It is a good place to camp.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 2, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second on the Road, Ten-Second LandmarkComment

Auni Kallas

Auni Kallas (N female half-elf) worships Behron, god of travel. She’s just starting out, but wants to visit every nearby village and town. She’s friendly and happy to travel with like-minded groups. Auni's also a survival expert.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 1, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second NPC, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

Gates & Portals: 10 Minor Features

Magical gates and portals are a staple feature of many dungeons. characters stepping through them are often whisked off to a new exciting (and dangerous) adventure locale.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 28, 2021Dungeon Dressing, 20 ThingsComment

The Three Maidens

The Three Maidens—ancient, worn obelisks of unknown origin—form part of the Blind Fiddler’s wall. Faint, illegible carvings cover the stones where they protrude into the street. Unknown to most, a fourth Maiden comprises part of the tavern’s cellar wall.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 27, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second Low City, Ten-Second LocaleComment

Windy Corner

Windy Corner is a busy junction. Here, three roads meet, and chaos ensues. It is often jammed with carts, wagons and frustrated pedestrians. Thieves and cutpurses stalk the crowd while pedlars sell refreshments of dubious origin from battered handcarts.

Gates & Portals: 10 Major Features

Magical gates and portals are a staple feature of many dungeons. characters stepping through them are often whisked off to a new exciting (and dangerous) adventure locale.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 25, 2021Dungeon Dressing, 20 Things Comments

Vappu Aikio

Vappu Aikio (CN female human) paints strange, otherworldly vistas of disconcerting aspect. Dwelling in a cramped, rundown garret Vappu is always short of money. Consumed by her art she cares little for her appearance or health. She seeks a patron.

The Blind Fiddler

The Blind Fiddler offers cheap beer, sour wine and wild times. Raucous laughter, drunken singing and wild yells often come from this ramshackle tavern. Kuura Tuntia (N male human), the gregarious alcoholic owner, welcomes any with coin. Drinking here isn’t for the faint-hearted.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 22, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second Low City, Ten-Second LocaleComment

Ventla’s Lament

Ventla’s Lament threads its narrow, crooked and gloom-shrouded way through the slum. Named for a streetwalker found dead years ago it is a fetid, dangerous place. Desperate, predatory folk live in the tottering houses flanking the alley. The watch never come here.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 21, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second Low City, Ten-Second AlleyComment

20 Pieces of Pit Dressing

Pits are a lurking danger that have spelled the doom of countless adventurers. Pits can be used to kill, injure or trap intruders, to block progress or to prevent escape. An explorer trapped in a pit with no way of getting out is at the mercy of the first creature or character to discover their predicament.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 21, 2021Dungeon Dressing, 20 ThingsComment

Tuure Raita

Tuure Raita (NE old male human) sculpts lifelike waxen figures which he paints, dresses and displays in a back room museum of his chandlery. Some figures depict normal folk. Others take more blasphemous, disturbing forms. Tuure emits a faint miasmic scent.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 20, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second NPC, Ten-Second Low CityComment

The Bard & Pyre

The Bard & Pyre is a place for serious and quiet drinking and gambling. Brawls are frequent, and deaths not unheard of, in this cellar tavern. Its dour owner, the ex-pirate Ari Tapo (NE male human), hates singing, dancing and music.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 19, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second Low City, Ten-Second LocaleComment

10 Things to Find in a Gelatinous Cube

Quintessential dungeon scavengers, gelatinous cubes engulf all in their path. Untold numbers of neophyte adventurers have met their doom in the depths of a gelatinous cube. Sometimes their death leaves behind treasure for luckier, or more skilled, adventurers to retrieve.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstJanuary 18, 202120 Things, Dungeon Dressing, Creature DressingComment