Crumblestone Castle

Crumblestone Castle is cursed. Abandoned after its occupants sickened and died, it is a shunned place. Now even the place’s walls and towers have a leprous aspect as stone flakes away from the structure. Rank, noxious weeds fill the ruin.

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

20 Things: Mining Town

Urban adventures are often set in slums. In slums, the long arm of the law is often absent, thieves and cultists are rife; opportunities for adventure abound.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstMarch 8, 202120 Things, Urban DressingComment

Aili Kekko

Aili Kekko (CN female half-elf bard) terrorises fellow travellers with wildly off-key singing, terrible lute playing and inappropriate songs. The goddess of music cursed Aili for lampooning her consort, the legendary bard Vilimzair Aralivar.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstMarch 5, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second NPC, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

Hungry Gully

Hungry Gully grows a bit wider every year, and every year the locals add to the earthen 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.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstMarch 4, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second on the Road, Ten-Second LandmarkComment

20 Things: Borderland Landmarks

Much of the borderland is still unmapped. Some notable features have become local landmarks and serve as waymarkers or meeting places.

Bone Mill

Bone Mill stands by a river flowing through an old battlefield. Sometimes, bones washed out of ancient burials foul the mill’s mechanism. Sometimes these remains awaken from their long slumber, and undead beset the mill.

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

Bleak Hill

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.

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

Aamu Kare

Aamu Kare (LN female human) perpetually searches for work. This gloomy, withdrawn warrior has exceptional luck; she has been the sole survivor of several groups. Some call her lucky, others say she is a harbinger of doom. She struggles to make friends.

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

20 Things: Strange Magic Effects

As well as the mundane and the expected, dungeons can feature many strange or bizarre things. Adventurers delving into almost any dungeon are virtually certain to encounter and battle outlandish, alien creatures in the course of their explorations. They may also encounter any number of strange magic effects.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 25, 202120 Things, Dungeon Dressing Comment

Wiomet’s Tower

Wiomet’s Tower juts skyward from atop a bluebell-cloaked hill. Dense stands of hawthorn surround and fill the decaying tower’s sunken ha ha. Built for an exiled widow, the ruin is a gloomy place despite its idyllic surrounds.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 24, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second Locale, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

Tumblestone Quarry

Tumblestone Quarry cuts deep into Sentinel Hill. Overlooked by a crumbling watchtower, the quarry is a popular sheltered camping spot. A deep pool fills much of the quarry, and a path winds up from its chilled waters to the ruined tower.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 23, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second on the Road, Ten-Second LandmarkComment

20 Things: Strange Dungeon Growths

As well as the mundane and the expected, dungeons can feature many strange or bizarre things. Adventurers delving into almost any dungeon are virtually certain to encounter and battle outlandish, alien creatures in the course of their explorations. They may also encounter any number of strange things.

GM's ResourceCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 22, 202120 Things, Dungeon Dressing Comment

Serafia Miela

Serafia Miela (LG female human) stalks the road looking for the brigands who robbed and killed her man. She wears battered leathers and carries a spear. Vengeance burns bright in her breast; how she deals with it will make or break her. Darkness approaches.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 22, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second NPC, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

Warren Lodge

Warren Lodge—devastated by fire long ago—stands stark atop a grassy bank a half-mile from the road. Only crumbling walls and a fast-filling cellar remain of the grand house. Many rabbits dwell in the surrounds; here, hunting is good.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 19, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second Locale, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

St. Cuthbert’s Crossing

St. Cuthbert’s Crossing straddles the river where it flows over a narrow rock shelf. Wagon traffic across the ford is one-way at a time; arguments often ensue. St. Cuthbert is said to have raised the rock shelf to keep his feet dry during a pilgrimage.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 18, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second on the Road, Ten-Second LandmarkComment

Pieti Tuuli

Pieti Tuuli (NE male human) fears the characters are after him, and is skittish and guarded. Sweat soaks Pieti's tunic, as he hugs his bulging, damp pack close. He runs screaming from the group for the slightest reason. Pieti is a coward…and a murderer.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 17, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second NPC, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

The Wishing Tree

The Wishing Tree throws its vast crown over a busy crossroads. This elder oak is a shrine to Behron, god of travel, and many weary folk rest in its shade. A hoard of coins—offerings for a safe journey—stud the tree’s glimmering trunk.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 16, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second Locale, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

The Oratory

The Oratory juts from a hill overlooking the road. Prophets, madmen and hucksters regale traveller from this craggy, flat-topped outcrop. Most travellers pass by as fast as they can. Shouting matches here are common.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 15, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second on the Road, Ten-Second LandmarkComment

Perttu Kainu

Perttu Kainu (N middle-aged male human) wonders about so many things. Many aspects of life baffle the inquisitive Perttu. Balding, with a bad squint and a “colourful” dress sense he stands out from the crowd. For all that, Perttu is a kind, patient man.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 12, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second NPC, Ten-Second on the RoadComment

The Mason’s Arms

The Mason’s Arms stands near Tumblestone Quarry. Walled apple orchards surround this popular traveller’s inn, which is famed for its rough, dry cider. Vast murmurations of starlings swoop and wheel over the inn, at sunset during the winter.

Ten-SecondCreighton BroadhurstFebruary 11, 2021Ten-Second, Ten-Second Locale, Ten-Second on the RoadComment