TEXT: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE ANCIENT RUINS OF MOR 
  AND THE TOWN OF LESSERTON, ADVENTURER’S PARADISE
  LESSERTON AND
  MOR
  ©2011 Faster Monkey Games™
  FM123LM
  
  MORE ADVENTURES IN THE WILD EAST....
  In a long-ago historic triumph, the mighty Baron of Mor drove out the northern invaders and became Duke of Morland. He 
  and his descendants ruled over a Duchy of twenty thousand square miles, bringing centuries of justice, peace, and prosperity, and 
  even compelling tribute from the Wood Elf King.
  But that was the good old days. Then the Half-Orc Lord invaded, Great Mor was broken, and the Duke of Valnwall came in 
  to restore order. Morland became Eastern Valnwall, a place where civilization struggles daily with chaos, and heroes never have to 
  look far for trouble to ﬁ ght. These old-school adventures from Faster Monkey Games™ bring you to the front of the battle.
  PLUS:
  The TurnTracker Game Aid: The simple yet brilliant device for keeping track of time in the dungeon, with tracks for lanterns, 
  torches, rest periods, and wandering monster checks. The TurnTracker makes dungeons dangerous again!
  Bracol’s First Cache & Bracol’s Second Cache: The ﬁ endish treasure-traps of the Great Lich Bracol, written for Savage 
  Worlds™ by Joel Sparks, now come with free conversion notes that make them easy to run with Labyrinth Lord™!
  All the Treasures of  the World: Add some sparkle to your treasure rolls with these highly detailed supplements! GEMS 
  presents over 100 types of stones, plus sizes, quality, fakes, asterisms, evaluating and selling gems, and more. JEWELS gives you 
  over 50 jewelry types, plus elaborations like materials, alloys, plating, decor, construction style, gems, and artistic motifs.
  All this and more at fastermonkeygames.com
  Skull Mountain: At the very edge 
  of the dangerous Cloudbother 
  range, an ancient cult revives to 
  terrify the town of Wolford. You 
  must not only defeat the evil 
  cultists, but uncover the secret 
  behind their power. As of old, 
  the heart of the darkness lies 
  somewhere behind the Great Stone 
  Skull, in the smoldering interior of 
  Skull Mountain.
  Wheel of  Evil: The ﬁ ne cheeses 
  of Renneton are known across 
  the continent, and the whole town 
  works at raising the goats, sheep, 
  and cows, making the cheeses, 
  and storing them carefully for 
  aging in the nearby caves. When 
  kobolds break into the caves from 
  below and start a campaign of 
  destruction, the folk of Renneton 
  put out a cry for help. They can pay 
  well—if the cheese crop survives.
  Lesserton & Mor
  Wrack & Rune: Towns don’t come much poorer than Wrack, a tiny ﬁ shing 
  village clinging to the fog-bound coast of Eel Bight. No one would ever 
  come here, except that the last sighting of the trade ship Lady Elaine was 
  off the treacherous rocks of this shore. Ships go down in the Bight all the 
  time, but this one happened to be carrying the extremely valuable cargo 
  of an extremely impatient wizard. Recover it fast and keep him happy.
  The Hidden Serpent: Three 
  wretched fugitives spin a wild story, 
  claiming to be escaped slaves from 
  an underground base where evil 
  men forge a mercenary army to 
  threaten the peace. Jeff “Bighara” 
  Sparks puts a modern twist on this 
  classic fantasy scenario.
  
  PLAYER'S GUIDE TO
  LESSERTOn
  by Joel Sparks and Jeff Sparks
  ©2010 Faster Monkey Games
  The referee must have the complete Lesserton & Mor supplement to run this game.
  "The Adventurer's Paradise!"
  
  2
  Introduction to the Town  . . . . . . . . 3
  First Impressions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Lessers: The Folk of Lesserton. . . . . 4
   
  The Orkin
  Life Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
   
  Hunting Rumors
   
  Looking for Adventure
   
  Searching for Love
   
  Gambling
   
   
  GAMBLING GAMES OF LESSERTON
  The Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
   
  Going Armed
  Neighborhoods  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  OUTSIDE LESSERTON
   
  GATEWAY PLAZA
   
  MARKET SQUARE
   
  CRUIKSHANKS
   
  THE HEIGHTS
   
  KINSWALLOW
  Playing Lessers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
   
  1. Classes and Races
   
   
   
  ORKIN TRAIT TABLES
   
  2. Contacts and Enemies
   
  3. Background Skills
   
  4. Starting Poor
  The Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
   
  The Red Swamp
   
  Glory Road
   
  Ruins of Mor
   
  Wheaton
   
  Swampton
   
  The Alfpine Forest
   
  Kaye City
   
  MAP: REGION  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  MAP: LESSERTON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Player's Guide to Lesserton
  Player's Guide to Lesserton
  by Joel Sparks and Jeff Sparks
   
  Editor: Shelley Harlan
   
  Cover and original illustrations: Steve Zieser
   
  Map of Lesserton: Mark Allen; 
   
   
  calligraphy by Shelley Harlan
   
  Design: Joel Sparks
  ©2010 Faster Monkey Games™ fastermonkeygames.com
  Labyrinth Lord™ is copyright 2007–2009, Daniel Proctor. Labyrinth 
  Lord™ and Advanced Labyrinth Lord™ are trademarks of Daniel 
  Proctor. These trademarks are used under the Labyrinth Lord™ 
  Trademark License 1.1 available at www.goblinoidgames.com.
  
  3
  Introduction to the Town
  Founded by refugees from the fall of Mor, Lesserton 
  began as little more than a camp, clinging to an island of rock 
  in a vast wetland. Surviving soldiers took charge, organizing 
  parties to gather edible swamp grasses, hunt frogs and birds, 
  and cut timber in the Alfpine forest. From the ﬁ rst, people 
  drifted back to the smoking rubble of Mor, searching for lost 
  loved ones or forgotten treasures. Few returned. However, 
  occasional groups dodged the humanoid bands and magical 
  aftershocks to haul back items of great value: tools, weapons, 
  treasures. Retrieval missions rapidly became outright raids. A 
  rule of ﬁ nders keepers evolved: if someone were brave and 
  lucky enough to retrieve a treasure from Mor, it became his 
  property. Any surviving former owner had no further claim, 
  as he had proved unwilling to fetch the loot himself.
  Cautious folk decided that the best way to participate 
  in the unearthed wealth was to support raiding parties 
  from within Lesserton’s new stockade. The savviest started 
  businesses, buying up such desiderata as shovels and picks, 
  selling them to hopeful explorers. Mor was vast, its onetime 
  vaults deep and various, its great wealth scattered and buried 
  in ruin. A new way of life evolved: adventurers, merchants to 
  equip them, and entertainments for those who returned with 
  loot to spend.
  Over many years, riches ﬂ owed into town. Certain 
  merchants became very wealthy, diversifying into trade with 
  other towns near and far. Rich folk of Lesserton had the 
  capital for speculation and investment; some went broke, 
  some became richer still. Luxuries began to show up in town 
  that otherwise went only to the great cities. With the Dukes 
  of Morland dead, and the noble houses destroyed by war, 
  Lesserton became ruled by the merchant class. The Lessers 
  instituted a novel democratic government, heavily inﬂ uenced 
  by wealth of course. By the time the Grand Duke at Dolmvay 
  thought to reclaim the Morlands, the town was able to buy 
  him off, becoming an independent entity with a favorable 
  schedule of annual tithes. Every ﬁ ve years, every Lesser 
  gets to vote on candidates for Mayor and for the Chief of 
  the Watch. These men, and they are always human males, 
  appoint other functionaries based on patronage and proﬁ t, 
  but an eye on the next election keeps them from promoting 
  unpopular abusers of ofﬁ ce.
  Today, over 7,000 people inhabit Lesserton. The 
  surrounding swamp is useless for further expansion, so the 
  town itself stays small, but nearby agricultural villages like 
  Swampton have grown along with their rich neighbor. 
  First Impressions
  Lesserton sits atop a low, rocky promontory with swamp 
  all around. The mud-and-gravel Glory Road approaches from 
  the east, raised on a berm of rubble. The broad, grassy moors 
  begin right under the walls and stretch in all directions, ﬁ lling 
  the damp air with all manner of interesting smells. Stinging 
  insects plague the warm months, while in winter, frequent 
  mists roll in, bringing a miasmic tinge to every breath. Far 
  to the north, bare hills rise, but the town’s stony hummock 
  appears the only solid ground to build on for miles around, 
  and Lesserton clings to every inch of it like a lichen. A high 
  wooden palisade surrounds the town, and a wooden bell-
  tower watches over the incongruously massive metal gate.
  Inside town, the buildings crowd onto narrow streets. 
  Rubble from Mor makes up the cobbles and, with wood 
  from the Alfpine, dominates the rough construction. Horses 
  and other mounts seldom venture past the Market Square, 
  and  the crooked lanes meander, narrow and broaden, or 
  suddenly stop.
  Lesserton feels bigger than it should. The close-packed 
  buildings and the number of visitors make the streets teem 
  with life. A good look around clearly shows that this is no 
  farming town. Any given street likely holds a brothel, tavern, 
  boarding house, gambling hall, or all at once. Certain shops 
  appear to specialize in outﬁ tting explorers and adventurers.
  Things slow down at night, perhaps only because most 
  of the action moves indoors. Laughter, singing, brawling, 
  and general rowdiness echo into the small hours. Folk avoid 
  walking the streets late at night, or at least hire a linkboy 
  to light them home. At times, eerie sounds come off the 
  darkened swamp and weird lights ﬂ ash in the sky.
  The town relies on visitors, so a stranger might 
  commonly receive an offer of a drink or some friendly advice 
  about where to stay. Still, at some point in the conversation, 
  the Lesser will probably try to sell something, or at least gain 
  a gratuity for his pains. His recommendation of an inn or 
  outﬁ tter usually involves a kickback. Thus things go: the 
  town exists to make the traveler happy, so long as he pays.
  
  4
  Lessers: The Folk of Lesserton
  The people of this town, conscious both of their once-
  great neighbor and their own dubious reputation, wryly call 
  themselves Lessers. Most are humans, at least nominally. They 
  do not speak well of elves, and greet any such with disdain 
  or hostility. Dwarfs or gnomes might be treated better, but 
  none are to be seen. Characters can walk the street for days 
  and see only humans, some halﬂ ings, and a scattering of 
  shunned folk with varied, goblin-like features: the mongrel-
  bred people known as orkin.
  The Orkin
  Lessers 
  call 
  orkin 
  blood “the Taint,” 
  and 
  much 
  social 
  standing depends on 
  a plausibly untainted 
  status: “clean blood.” 
  Casting 
  aspersions 
  on someone’s purity 
  reliably causes a ﬁ ght. 
  Still, a great many folk 
  in all parts of town 
  have a bit of an odd 
  cast to their features.
  Any half-orc character 
  coming to town is taken for a “full orkin” and treated as 
  such. See “Classes and Races,” p11.
  Life Experience
  In Lesserton, every night is an adventure, and characters 
  on adventures should always earn experience. The referee 
  has rules for gaining XP by entertaining yourself and others. 
  Think of your PC as a classic ﬁ ctional hero, a bold individual 
  who grabs life hard and squeezes the juice from it, knowing he 
  may die in a ditch tomorrow. Such a person only diminishes 
  himself by hiding in his rooms at night, sword near to hand, 
  subsisting on iron rations and tepid water. Instead, you can 
  seek out many varieties of excitement in town, including 
  hunting rumors, looking for adventure, searching for love, 
  gambling, celebrating, and more.
  A successful carouse usually earns 1 XP for each gold 
  piece you spent pursuing it, in addition to the XP gained 
  from earning the money in the ﬁ rst place.
  Hunting Rumors
  If you are researching a particular topic, the referee will 
  decide if and when some information might turn up. If 
  you’re merely keeping an ear open for whatever’s afoot, you’ll 
  have to trust to luck. Either way, you’ll need to spend some 
  time and money, buying drinks and rewarding the talkative 
  or inﬂ uential. A high Charisma helps tremendously in such 
  endeavors. If you’re trying to ﬁ nd jobs, including adventure 
  for pay and the secrets of good places to explore in the 
  Ruins, you are instead “looking for adventure.”
  Looking for Adventure
  This quest seeks situations where decisive and capable 
  folk may turn a proﬁ t, ﬁ nancial or social, by aggressively 
  using their skills. Sometimes, such assertive behavior meets 
  with violent opposition, and things may deteriorate so far as 
  a mere brawl. On the other hand, showing yourself ready, 
  willing, and able can lead to the sort of work that suits 
  adventurers best. Once again, the investments are time, 
  money, and persuasiveness; the payoffs, varied and sometimes 
  inconvenient. In addition to XP from money spent on the 
  quest, trouble usually carries its own XP value, if survived.
  Searching for Love
  The quest for pleasant company consumes much time 
  and energy for certain characters. If you are of a more 
  abstemious bent, so be it: there are many other ways to while 
  away the evenings, and none will judge you the worse for 
  your decision. On the other hand, if the three-legged stool 
  of your soul cannot stand on wine and song alone, the bars 
  hold many people with similar ideas. Some of them may 
  even ﬁ nd you appealing.
  “Love” may mean nothing more than a clever ﬂ irtation 
  or a whispered conversation: Anything that afﬁ rms a mutual 
  attraction in an enjoyable way. Charisma heavily inﬂ uences 
  the quest for love, but the squat or snagglepate need not 
  despair. After all, others suffer similar ﬂ aws in their ﬂ eshly 
  prisons, and two of you might come to an understanding.
  To play this game, you must learn which spots to 
  frequent, and you must spend some cash. You may encounter 
  a variety of consequences, not always unpleasant.
  
  5
  Gambling
  “High risk, high gain” could qualify as a motto for 
  Lessers and their adventurous visitors, and almost every 
  local loves gambling. Lessers usually prove willing to wager 
  a coin or two on almost anything. Three unique local games 
  appear below. Educated folk also bet on chess matches; many 
  Lessers play checkers, backgammon, and nine men’s morris, 
  always for a coin or two at least. Races and ﬁ ghts can be 
  found and bet on. The referee has more details on the games 
  and gambling spots available, from penny tosspottle to the 
  arthropod madness of the Myriadrome to high-class, high-
  stakes games in private spaces.
  In general, a PC can earn 1 XP for each gold piece 
  of net value he’s ahead or behind at the end of a night of 
  gambling. Losses teach at least as many lessons as triumphs, 
  but breaking even earns you nothing.
  Gambling Games of  Lesserton
  Tosspottle
  Throwing a bottle blindly over your shoulder at a 
  chalked scoreboard on the ground.
  Stake: 1 sp and up; 1 cp among boys
  Players: 3 to 20
  Time for a round: One minute
  Blind Painters
  Cards with blufﬁ ng and multiple rounds of betting.
  Stake: 1 ep to 5 gp
  Players: 2 to 12
  Time for a hand: One turn
  Quist
  Cards with partners and logic.
  Stake: 5 gp and up
  Players: 4
  Time for a game: One hour
  The Law
  Depending as they do on repeat business, the Lessers 
  tolerate little out-and-out robbery or violence. Every 
  neighborhood has its Watch Station, and many businesses 
  have alarm gongs they can ring to summon the Watch at need. 
  As conﬂ icts arise, the Watch often settles them on the spot, 
  levying ﬁ nes in preference to force or imprisonment. Money 
  talks, but the outsider who offends against a respectable 
  Lesser can expect little sympathy; the guards tend to believe 
  the solid, tax-paying citizen before the wandering loner. They 
  react particularly poorly to groups of outsiders confronting 
  a single Lesser.
  Financial disputes can cost the traveler signiﬁ cant money. 
  Acts of violence result in a visit to the Justice Building, with 
  sometimes dire consequences. Typical punishments include 
  heavy ﬁ nes, total conﬁ scation of property, time in the stocks, 
  or even exile from town for a year or for life. Murderers incur 
  quick judgment and public execution in a grotesque spectacle 
  on a platform above the swamp. You should always think at 
  least twice before actually killing someone in town.
  Going Armed
  There’s no law preventing you from parading through 
  the streets in full arms and armor. However, the Watch tends 
  to look closely at those who are equipped for mayhem, and 
  blame them for any trouble that crops up. Entering a business 
  or residence in harness is very rude and cause for snubbing. 
  Brinkley’s, the Justice Building, and the Temple of the Divine 
  Purpose absolutely refuse entrance to armed folk. Keeping a 
  dagger at your belt is one thing, but little need for axes, plate 
  mail, backpacks, or rope comes up between the ﬂ ophouse 
  and the bar. The referee of a Lesserton game is not out to 
  ambush you in the street with a big ﬁ ght to the death, nor do 
  innkeepers allow strangers to walk off with great chests of 
  loot from your rooms. Be reasonable and save that stuff for 
  the road and the Ruins.
  
  6
  Neighborhoods
  Below you can ﬁ nd descriptions of the ﬁ ve 
  neighborhoods of Lesserton, as they might appear to a 
  character walking through them for the ﬁ rst time. The text 
  also details those institutions and businesses most likely to 
  be sought after or noticed by PCs. You can buy supplies, 
  ﬁ nd a place to stay, have a meal, and go to a bar just using 
  the Player’s Guide. The referee has more information about 
  these and many other establishments, goods, services, and 
  non-player characters, any of which you might discover as 
  you more thoroughly explore the town.
  OUTSIDE LESSERTON
  The Red Swamp surrounds the town on all sides.
  Glory Road
  This is the name given the muddy track that runs through 
  swampland to the Ruins of Mor.
  Walls and Gate
  A tall wooden palisade encloses Lesserton, above a 
  man-high rubble wall. At the Main Gate, a tower watches 
  the Glory Road and the swamps around. The gate itself is 
  a heavy door of strange, shiny metal, leading to a covered 
  passage watched by several guards.
  Entry toll: 1 gp
  GATEWAY PLAZA
  Just inside the Main Gate, the white stone Justice 
  Building and the adjacent Watch Headquarters dominate a 
  small cobbled plaza. Stocks in the plaza await prisoners. To 
  one side, a horse-yard contributes whinnies and the smell of 
  manure. To the other, a welcome sight: the long, low shape 
  of a beer-hall, with a friendly chimney at each end.
  Hengstʼs Horseﬂ esh
  The proprietor is a huge man with beetling brows and 
  two long, menacing fangs protruding from his lower jaw. 
  You’re not sure if he deals in horses or just eats them.
  Item 
   
  Cost
  Mule 
   
  50 gp
  Pony 
   
  50 gp
  Draft horse 
  60 gp
  Riding horse 
  120 gp
  Saddle & tackle 
  30 gp
  Horse training 
  500 gp
  Stabling  
  1 gp per night 
  Valnhalla
  Like a second home for the dedicated carouser, with 
  beer and cheer, meat and greetings, and vomit and acrimony, 
  all night long. Unlike most establishments, Valnhalla doesn’t 
  complain about people who want to wear their complete 
  adventuring gear whilst having a drink.
  Fare 
   
  Cost  
  Strong ale, half-gallon pitcher 1 ep
  Meat chunk 
  1 sp
  MARKET SQUARE
  Good paving stones smooth this broad square with a 
  central well. Stalls and open shops line the sides, while carts, 
  barrels, and produce bins crowd the central space from 
  morning till Night Bell. Among the smaller structures appear 
  a clean-looking inn marked WENTON’S; a fenced cluster 
  of stalls in front of a squat, windowless building marked 
  with a golden bee; a livestock yard; a two-story tower with a 
  cramped garden; and a large array of sturdy goods displayed 
  under the sign of a hunting horn cut in two.
  The Exchange
  This enclosure guards three fancy stalls and the door to the 
  vault-like Brinkley’s. One stall displays the sign of an iron star, 
  one shows a ﬂ ute, and one a painting of a hunting dog and a fox.
  
  7
  Brinkleyʼs Assurety Trust
  This imposing building handles a lot of money under 
  very heavy security. For a small fee, you can deposit a ransom 
  of at least 100 gp, in case you get captured by humanoids 
  in the Ruins. To prove you have a ransom, you get a pin 
  showing a bumblebee. It can save your life.
  Fox and Dog Jewelers
  Master Sand appraises and buys jewelry. For 5 gp or so, 
  he will issue a certiﬁ cate of value that lets you use jewels as 
  cash anyplace in town.
  Shawm Coinery
  Under the sign of an old ﬂ ute, this booth sells 
  coins to those who wish to change their cash into other 
  denominations. For payment, they demand these exact coins, 
  not an equivalent.
  To get: 
  You pay:
  10 cp 
  1 sp
  96 cp 
  1 gp
  1 sp 
  12 cp
  8 sp 
  1 gp
  1 ep 
  6 sp
  1 pp 
  12 gp
  1 gp 
  11 sp or 120 cp
  9 gp 
  1 pp
  Sign of the Iron Star
  Under the titular star, the sign at this shop shows the 
  words “Arcane MacGufﬁ ns,” possibly the owner’s name. 
  Pounded lead lines the walls. Dozens of amulets dangle from 
  racks, each marked with mysterious symbols.
  Item 
  Cost
  Amulet of Luck 
  1 gp
  Necklace of Protection 
  50 gp
  Special items 
  Varies
  Hornﬁ xerʼs Emporium for the Prudent 
  During market hours, this shop displays barrels and bins 
  of gear ranged under a tarp. A halﬂ ing clerk calls out offers 
  to anyone who might be an adventurer, stating that many of 
  the items here cannot be found elsewhere in town.
  Item 
  Cost
  Ale, 100-pint barrel 
  6 gp
  Backpack 
  3 gp
  Bedroll 
  1 ep
  Beer, 100-pint barrel 
  4 gp
  Block & tackle 
  10 gp
  Candles, 5 
  1 sp
  Chain, per 5'  
  20 gp
  Flint & steel 
  3 gp
  Grappling hook 
  5 gp
  Ladder, 10'  
  1 gp
  Lamp, clay 
  3 gp
  Lantern 
  10 gp
  Lantern, bull’s eye 
  20 gp
  Manacles, latching 
  20 gp
  Mess-kit, tin 
  1 gp
  Oil, pint, clay ﬂ ask 
  2 sp
  Oil, 100-pint barrel 
  20 gp
  Pick, miner’s 
  5 gp
  Pole, 10' wooden 
  1 ep
  Rations, trail, 1 day 
  1 ep
  Rope, hemp, per 5'  
  1 sp
  Rope, silk, 20'  
  5 gp
  Sack, large 
  2 sp
  Sack, small 
  1 sp
  Spade, iron 
  3 gp
  Spike, iron 
  1 sp
  Stakes, wooden, 4 
  1 sp
  Torch 
  1 sp
  Twine, waxed, 50' 
  1 sp
  Waterskin 
  1 gp
  
  8
  Madam Pearlʼs Cross-Eyed Palm
  Madam Pearl will tell your fortune for as little as 1 sp. 
  For a bit more, she will break out her magic cards and answer 
  your questions about the future.
  The Shroud of Steel
  Viktor Sarkoli deals in new and used armor.
   
  Armor 
  Cost 
  AC 
  Wt.
  Padding 
  5 gp 
  8 
  10 lbs.
  Hides 
  4 gp 
  8 
  20 lbs.
  Cuir Boili 
  35 gp 
  7 
  20 lbs.
  Brigandine 
  65 gp 
  6 
  40 lbs.
  Chainmail 
  85 gp 
  5 
  30 lbs.
  Target shield 
  15 gp 
  (–1) 
  10 lbs.
  Hide shield 
  10 gp 
  (–1) 
  15 lbs.
  Sign of the Butt
  A half-elf with a heavy accent deals in missile weapons.
  Weapon 
  Cost
  Crossbow, heavy 
  30 gp
   
  Quarrels, heavy, 10 5 gp
  Crossbow, light 
  20 gp
   
  Quarrels, light, 10 
  2 gp
  Longbow 
  50 gp
  Shortbow 
  35 gp
   
  Arrows, 10 
  5 gp
   
  Arrow, silver 
  10 gp
  Sling 
  3 gp
  Sling bullets, lead, 10 
  10 gp
  The Thirsty Blade
  Friendly smith Gladsome Muskox buys and sells arms.
  Weapon 
  Cost
  Axe, battle 
  9 gp
  Axe, hand 
  15 sp
  Dagger 
  4 gp
  Halberd (polearm) 
  10 gp
  Hammer, war 
  9 gp 
  Javelin 
  2 gp
  Sap * 
  5 gp
  Spear 
  4 gp
  Sword, long 
  15 gp
  Sword, short 
  10 gp
  Sword, two-handed 
  25 gp
  * A sap inﬂ icts 1d4 damage, 75% of it temporary.
  Wentonʼs Inn and Yard
  A clean and comfortable place to lay your head.
  Service 
  Cost
  Meal 
  1 ep
  Breakfast, quick 
  2 sp
  Ale, pint 
  2 sp
  Wine, cup 
  4 sp
  Shared room 
  1 ep per person
  Private room for one 
  8 sp
  Stabling 
  1 gp per night
  
  9
  CRUIKSHANKS
  The bustle in these crooked alleys speaks of long 
  occupation by large families. Buildings stagger two and three 
  stories tall, usually with teetering upper ﬂ oors of warped 
  wooden planks. Men idle on the corners, while groups of 
  sturdy women walk purposefully along bearing baskets and 
  parcels. Ragamufﬁ n children splash in rancid puddles or 
  race among the legs of the crowds. The smell of baking 
  bread wafts along above the odor of humanity, and from 
  somewhere comes the roar and clang of a working smithy. A 
  scribe idles in a tiny stall with a canvas awning.
  Burnside Armory
  A burly man works with horseshoes at an anvil, under a 
  metal sign declaring NO GEAR BOUGHTENED. Nothing 
  appears ready for sale, but a sword and a suit of chain armor 
  await repair.
  Closet of the Xorn
  This narrow building of black brick stands apart from 
  its neighbors. It has no windows, but an elaborate chimney, 
  and a harsh fume surrounds the place. The sign is a large 
  clay bottle, painted with symbols and the representation of 
  a three-armed beast. The halﬂ ing clerk inside is reluctant to 
  disturb his master the Alchemist, but grudgingly admits that 
  an unusual substance could be analyzed for maybe 100 gp, in 
  a day or two.
  Pottleby Ovens
  One pound loaf of bread: 4 cp
  Tracts by Lurcke
  A skinny fellow waits here for any business, reading a 
  small book with ink-stained hands.
  Service  
  Cost
  Documents read aloud 1 sp per page
  Letters written 
  2 sp per page
  Documents copied 
  3 sp per page
  THE HEIGHTS
  As soon as you wander into this neighborhood, you feel 
  out of place. No more orkin appear, and the few halﬂ ings 
  are in servant’s livery. The guards have an eye on you. Fine 
  townhouses line the cramped streets, along with a few very 
  exclusive-looking businesses. Outside one shop stands a gold 
  statue of a kobold in a wig. In a rare open lot, a few horses 
  with ribbon-braided manes prance on carefully-tended grass. 
  A fancy hotel sports the sign of a dark-silver pegasus. No 
  businesses seem ready to welcome you, at least if you’re not 
  wearing fashionable clothes, furs, and jewelry.
  KINSWALLOW
  If you’d been wondering where the really bad 
  neighborhood might lie, you seem to have found it. So 
  many cobbles have been pried up, apparently for use in 
  shoring up buildings, that the streets are a jagged patchwork 
  of mud and ﬁ lth. More than one man lies in the road, 
  passed out drunk, people stepping around him or aiming 
  the occasional kick. A slaughterhouse reek penetrates the 
  air, and the occasional squeal of a dying hog rises above 
  the constant barking of large dogs penned up someplace. 
  Orkin heritage is much in evidence, and many folk sport 
  pointed ears, strange tufts of hair, long fangs, or a bow-
  legged, waddling gait. Tents and shelters built up from 
  scrap and rubble provide sleeping quarters for those who 
  can’t claim a house or room. Muscular men of various 
  races squat bored in a dusty lot, some drinking tea. One 
  intact shopfront is painted blue with many strange symbols 
  in white. Above the door of a wooden house hangs the 
  mounted head of a bear. A few large buildings peer out 
  over the mess: a grand white temple, a sturdy two-story 
  building with barred windows and private guards outside, 
  a stone fort manned by the Watch, and a big barn painted 
  with the faded image of wriggling worms or bugs.
  The Brass Shield
  The building with bars on its windows is headquarters 
  for hiring bodyguards or security men, known as “Jimmy’s 
  Boys” after the owner, Jimmy G. The guards wear brass 
  shield-shaped pins. They work only in Lesserton. Private 
  guard with padded armor: 1 gp per day. If you’re a ﬁ ghter-
  type, you might even be able to get work here sometimes.
  
  10
  Fidelis Fighting Dogs
  Dozens of tough, short-haired dogs of all ages swarm 
  this fenced yard, barking furiously at all who venture near. 
  The brutish Eastminster breeds, trains, and sells the animals.
  Item 
   
  Cost
  Fighting dog 
   
  30 gp
  Training to obey new owner (recommended)
   
   
   
  10 gp, ﬁ ve days
  The Hermetic Laboratory of Doctor Eerie
  The blue-painted building displays a dozen bottles 
  of brightly-colored liquid in the window. Within, a female 
  clerk sells such curative draughts and takes any messages for 
  Doctor Eerie. The Doctor can analyze unusual substances or 
  mixtures, if the customer will leave the item for one day.
  Item 
   Cost
  Purgative draught 
  1 gp
  Restorative draught 
  10 gp
  Analysis 
   50 gp, 1 day
  Special items 
  varies
  Mama Haybornʼs Home Away from Home
  Space on the common sleeping ﬂ oor: 1 sp per night.
  The Myriadrome
  The common folk love the action in this huge barn-like 
  structure: Centipede races! Every night, hundreds gather 
  to wager on the squirming, foot-long vermin, who race to 
  reach some living bait like a staked-down giant beetle or 
  carnivorous ﬂ y. During the races, vendors sell cups of thin 
  beer for 1 sp each, and bookies take side bets. A board gives 
  the odds on each racer, identifying the beasts by the pattern 
  of three stripes painted on their backs. Five centipedes run 
  each race—bet on as many as you like.
  Bets with the Myriadrome must be silver pieces in a 
  multiple of the denominator (second number) in the odds, 
  up to the posted maximum of 10. For example, to bet on 3:2 
  odds, put down 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 sp. If the ’pede comes in on 
  a 10 sp bet, you get a total of 15 sp back: your bet plus a 5 sp 
  proﬁ t. A few high-rollers and their bookies even ﬂ ash gold.
  Temple of the Divine Purpose
  This large Lawful temple welcomes anyone who wishes 
  to attend services and honor the civilizing inﬂ uence and 
  divine necessity of Law. Plenty of Lessers wear tiny wooden 
  pendants or pins in the shape of the temple’s symbol, a 
  mallet. The priests even offer healing to those in need, for a 
  suitable service of course.
  Wentonʼs Original
  This run-down inn is like a strange, poorly-executed 
  copy of the Wenton’s at Market Square.
  Item 
   
  Cost 
  Double room 
  4 sp per person
  Meal 
   
  2 sp
  Ale, pint 
  1 sp
  Stabling  
  1 ep per night
  
  11
  Playing Lessers
  Whatever your fantasy game system, player characters 
  from Lesserton can be made just like any others. Since the PC 
  adventures in and around his hometown, you also get access 
  to a few alternatives and extras. Ask your referee whether 
  these options apply in your campaign. Page numbers with 
  “AEC” refer to the free Advanced Edition Companion™ rules 
  available from Goblinoid Games.
  1. Classes and Races
  Using the basic classes, almost any Lesser with a character 
  class is a ﬁ ghter, a thief, or a halﬂ ing. The Temple of the 
  Divine Purpose provides an origin for a few Lawful clerics. 
  Magic-users are very rare. A PC might be an apprentice in the 
  Platonic Order, expected to donate magic items in exchange 
  for new spells. Elves are right out.
  Using expanded races and classes from advanced rules, 
  such as the AEC, some Lessers are ﬁ ghter/thieves, and a few 
  are assassins. A ranger would be a swamp-roaming hunter 
  or an aspiring professional Ruins guide. A druid would be 
  a loner dwelling in the swamp or the elf-wood. A despised 
  half-elf might have learned basic magic from his wood elf 
  parent before suffering exile from the forest. Full-blood 
  orkin can be treated as half-orcs (AEC9).
  Pure elves, dwarfs, gnomes, and other races do not 
  inhabit Lesserton, although they occasionally visit. To play 
  such a race, or a “clean blood” human or halﬂ ing with no 
  orkin traits, you need the referee’s permission.
  Orkin Blood
  The Tainted: Most Lessers are humans or halﬂ ings with 
  a just touch of orkin heritage, which they deny.
  Full Orkin: Only full-blooded orkin have infravision, 
  score modiﬁ ers, and other half-orc traits. Many human 
  Lessers treat them badly. The Orkin Trait Tables provide a 
  wider range of appearances for the full-blooded.
  Orkin Trait Tables
  For an ordinary Lesser with a bit of the Taint, choose 
  or roll 1d6 to select one chart below. Roll the lower die type 
  listed for that Lesser’s single orkin trait. For example, a 4 on 
  the d6 indicates the Face chart. The lower die type is d10, 
  and a roll of 5 indicates that the character has thick, joined 
  eyebrows. This is his only orkin trait.
  For a full-blood orkin, roll 1d20 once on all six charts 
  below and apply all results. For example, a typical orkin 
  might have a gut, greenish skin, greasy hair, a fanged jaw, red 
  eyes, and pointed ears. Such folk have a hard time in town 
  and many live in the Ruins instead. The same result coming 
  up more than once can make a trait highly exaggerated.
  1. Body Appearance: d10 or d20
   1–5 
  Average
   6–9 
  Squat and broad
   10–11 Long arms
   12 
  Large feet, pointed toenails
   13–14 Protuberant gut
   15–16 Protuberant buttocks
   17–18 Waddling gait
   19–20 Roll twice more
  2. Skin: d8 or d20
   1 
  Pale, grublike white
   2–7 
  Tan
   8–9 
  Tan with irregular brown spots
   10–18 Greenish tinge
   19–20 Greenish with warts or ridges
  3. Hair: d12 or d20
   1–2 
  Very sparse, thin hair, nearly bald
   3–8 
  Thin and greasy hair in normal pattern
    9–11 
  Thin and greasy hair, and only on sides and back 
  of head
   12–13 Hair in sparse brown tufts
   14 
  Stiff black bristles here and there
   15–17 Stiff black strip of hair from eyebrows to back
   18–19 Strip of wiry brown hair from crown to neck
   20 
  Stark white
  
  12
  4. Face: d10 or d20
   1–3 
  Heavy, jutting jaw
   4–6 
  Single thick eyebrow
   7–9 
  Heavy whiskers
   10–12 
  Sloping forehead
   13–15 
  Long lower fangs protrude
   16–18 
  Nose smashed upward into snoutlike shape
   19–20 
  Roll twice more
  5. Eyes: d8 or d20
   1–6 
  “Whites” are yellowish
    7–10 
  Bugged out
   11–14 
  Reddish iris
   15–17 
  Vertical pupils
   
  18 
  Metallic green iris
   
  19 
  Roll twice more
   
  20 
  Roll again and apply to only one eye
  6. Ears: d12 or d20
    1–10 
  Somewhat pointed
   11–13 
  Thick, dangling earlobes
   14–17 
  Long points
   
  18 
  Fanlike
   
  19 
  Roll twice more
   
  20 
  Roll again and apply to only one ear
  2. Contacts and Enemies
  During your years in Lesserton, you’ve at least met 
  any other Lesser PCs, and found out what you do or don’t 
  have in common. In addition, a number of NPCs ﬁ gure 
  prominently in your life, whether as friendly contacts or 
  mutually loathsome enemies.
  Contacts
  A Lesser may know many people as acquaintances, but 
  there are a few he can rely on. Each character has a number 
  of contacts equal to half his maximum number of retainers, 
  rounding up, as shown on the next table.
  CHA 
  Contacts
   3–5 
  One
    6–12 
  Two
   13–17 Three
   18 
  Four
  The contacts are ordinary folk, close to the character’s 
  own social class. Each has his or her own reason for feeling 
  well-disposed toward the PC. You can make up your own 
  contacts, or the referee may suggest or deﬁ ne them.
  At need, you can call on a contact for help. The referee 
  has information on determining if your friend grants the 
  request. A contact might also call on you for help sometimes. 
  The response is up to you, but might affect your relations 
  over time. During play, you might lose contacts and
  gain others.
  Example Contacts:
  Grel the barkeep. You helped him out 
   
  with a loudmouth drunk once and you two 
  became friends. 
  Ursula the whore. You eat at the same cheap 
   
  lunch cookery, her having dinner while you 
  have breakfast.
  Ted the wanderer. You play cards with 
   
  him sometimes. 
  Mundil the shopkeep is your uncle. 
   
  Yarl the traveling merchant. You worked as a 
   
  caravan guard for him once and helped ﬁ ght off 
  some goblins. 
  An unknown person admires you from afar and 
   
  may appear to help when you least expect it.
  Enemies
  Optionally, you can add one more contact at start of 
  play, by also taking an enemy. For example, with a Charisma 
  of 10, you can have two contacts, or three contacts and 
  one enemy. 
  This sort of enemy doesn’t pull out a sword and charge 
  you on sight. Instead, an enemy is someone you have to live 
  with, but he or she dislikes you, opposes you socially, and 
  may even try to actively undermine your plans. It’s up to the 
  referee to decide when an enemy might step up his efforts 
  against you.
  
  13
  Example Enemies:
  The barkeep who is jealous of how much 
   
  attention the barmaid pays to the big, strong 
  adventurer. 
  The gambler that the PC beat at cards. 
   
  A jilted lover.
   
  An unknown enemy. You don’t know who, or 
   
  why this person hates you, and it can be hard to 
  tell their efforts from ordinary bad luck.
  Naturally, you might make new enemies in play, but that 
  doesn’t automatically earn you another contact. Also, just as 
  a contact’s regard may cool, an enemy’s hatred might fade 
  over time. You might even convert one to a friend.
  3. Background Skills
  Characters from Lesserton often did some work or 
  training in a mundane job before chucking it all to try for 
  fame and fortune. The chart below, a substitute for the 
  Secondary Skills table (AEC21), suggests appropriate 
  types of experience for a PC Lesser, who will retain some 
  familiarity with the tricks of that trade. No PC is a master at 
  these skills, however. If he had made a go of it, he would not 
  have become an adventurer.
  d100 
  Background skill
   
  01 
  Actor
   
  02 
  Animal doctor
   
  03–04 
  Baker
   
  05–06 
  Beggar
   
  07–08 
  Bird-stalker
   
  09–10 
  Blacksmith
   
  11 
  Boot shiner
   
  12 
  Brassmaker
   
  13 
  Brewer
   
  14 
  Brickmaker
   
  15 
  Buckle maker
   
  16–17 
  Butcher
   
  18 
  Candle maker
   
  19–20 
  Carpenter
   
  21 
  Charcoal burner
   
  22 
  Chef
   
  23 
  Chimney sweep
   
  24 
  Clerk, bookkeeper
   
  25–26 
  Clerk, shop
   
  27–28 
  Cook
   
  29–30 
  Cooper
   
  31 
  Cryer
   
  32 
  Dancer
   
  33 
  Dentist/barber
   
  34–35 
  Dishwasher
   
  36 
  Dye worker
   
  37 
  Feather gatherer
   
  38 
  Fortuneteller
   
  39–40 
  Fur and skin dealer
   
  41 
  Glassblower
   
  42 
  Graverobber
   
  43 
  Hair stylist
   
  44 
  Hat maker
   
  45 
  Hay and feed dealer
   
  46–47 
  House-servant
   
  48–49 
  Laborer, outdoor
   
  50 
  Laborer, warehouse
   
  51–52 
  Laundress
   
  53 
  Leatherworker
   
  54 
  Leech
   
  55 
  Luthier
   
  56–58 
  Mudlark
   
  59 
  Mule wrangler
   
  60 
  Musician
   
  61 
  Paper maker
   
  62 
  Petty ofﬁ cial
   
  63 
  Plasterer
   
  64–66 
  Porter
   
  67 
  Potboy
   
  68 
  Pure ﬁ nder
   
  69 
  Rag and bone man
   
  70 
  Ratcatcher
   
  71 
  Rope weaver
   
  72 
  Rugmaker
   
  73–74 
  Seamstress/Tailor
   
  75 
  Seed miller
   
  76–78 
  Shoemaker
   
  79–80 
  Shopkeeper
   
  81 
  Snitch
   
  82 
  Soapmaker
  
  14
  d100 
  Background skill
   
  83–84 
  Stonecutter
   
  85 
  Street vendor: Beer, soup, or tea
   
  86 
  Street vendor: Pans, spoons, tinware
   
  87 
  Street vendor: Produce
   
  88 
  Swamp gleaner
   
  89 
  Teamster
   
  90 
  Thatcher
   
  91 
  Tinker/Sharpener
   
  92 
  Tour guide
   
  93–94 
  Waiter
   
  95 
  Watchman
   
  96–97 
  Weaver
   
  98 
  Wigmaker
   
  99 
  Wood hewer
   
  00 
  Wool shearer
  Sneakiness! Even non-thief Lessers can use thief skills 
  a little bit. If your PC has a good enough Dexterity to get a 
  Thief Skills Bonus (AEC4), you can add the bonus to 0% 
  for a slight chance of success. Non-humans can also add 
  any racial Thief Skill modiﬁ ers (AEC7–9). Finally, Lesserton 
  halﬂ ings have different abilities than their country cousins. A 
  halﬂ ing Lesser has a base 90% chance to hide in cover while 
  in town or among intact buildings in the Ruins, but not in 
  the wilderness. While silent and motionless, he has a 3 in 6 
  chance to hide in shadows in a labyrinth, but only 2 in 6 in 
  the wilderness. 
  4. Starting Poor
  Unless the referee rules otherwise, Lessers do not start 
  play with the same riches as PCs made by the book. Instead, 
  your character starts with money equal to his Charisma 
  score in gold pieces, usually as a jumble of small coins. For 
  example, a character of CHA 9 might have 12 ep, 25 sp, and 
  50 cp. You also have a purse, a set of clothes, a cloak or 
  blanket, and worn sandals or canvas shoes. Wherever you’ve 
  been sleeping, they don’t want you to come back any more. 
  It’s time to seek your fortune.
  The Region
  The Red Swamp
  Usually just called “the swamp,” the land around 
  Lesserton sports solid patches among the soggy sand, 
  thorn bushes, bitter grasses, and silty remnants of former 
  streams. Bugs swarm the air and mud-patches bubble forth 
  foul gasses. Elegant birds stalk among the reeds and stab for 
  frogs and snakes. Some locals know the tangle of drier paths; 
  others must slog through trickle and tussock at a fraction of 
  their usual pace. In winter, the landscape turns to an endless 
  expanse of icy mud, tufted with brown sticks.
  Glory Road
  From the town’s Main Gate, the so-called Glory 
  Road runs roughly east across the swamps. An artiﬁ cial 
  berm elevates travelers from the marshy surroundings. 
  The Lessers surfaced the Glory Road with gravel at some 
  point, but much of it is now just mud. About ﬁ ve miles 
  from Lesserton, the road comes to the enormous ruined 
  city of Mor. The trip takes about three hours walking 
  briskly or on horseback, or double that when burdened.
  Ruins of Mor
  A dry, steep-sided valley surrounds great Mor like a moat, 
  with the former bed of the River Raddle at the bottom. Huge 
  stone walls jut up from a central, island-like mesa, enclosing 
  the ruin: nearly two miles long, or so they say. Inside, the 
  laws of men do not reach. Anyone in Lesserton can tell you 
  certain basic facts about the ruins:
  Mor is no-man’s land. You’re on your own.
   
  The walls are a hundred feet high, above the 
   
  several-hundred-foot depth of the river valley. 
  The easiest entry is across the rope bridges. The 
   
  Bridge Orkin charge a small toll. Horses won’t 
  cross the swaying spans, but mules will.
  You can also try picking your way through the 
   
  overgrown river bottom and climbing the River 
  Stair. Watch out for poisonous animals.
  It’s hard but possible to climb through the one 
   
  place where the old walls collapsed, at the far 
  north end of the ruins. 
  Inside, orkin clans hold a few fortiﬁ ed areas. 
   
  Some are willing to trade; others seek prisoners 
  for ransom; some kill to defend their turf.
  
  15
  Wheaton
  About twelve miles south of Mor, the road splits at a 
  small hamlet called Wheaton. The town offers little more 
  than a paddock, a grain buyer, and an inn with a taproom. 
  Lesserton is reached in an easy day’s travel. To the southeast, 
  the road becomes ever safer, running toward the farms and 
  towns of Eastern Valnwall. To the southwest, the road skirts 
  the Red Swamp and runs about 20 miles to Swampton.
  Swampton
  The folk of Swampton gather fruit and nuts, tubers, 
  small game, and timber for trade. Wagons leave Swampton 
  at ﬁ rst light and hustle to make Wheaton by nightfall. By all 
  accounts, Swampton offers little to amuse the traveler. Its 
  people lock their doors after dark in fear of creeping ﬁ ends, 
  frightening their children with tales of the Swamp Witch or 
  the Guernsey Devil. Travelers must put up in an old barn 
  converted to a common sleeping room. The two taverns do 
  not welcome strangers, but ale and wine can be bought by 
  the bottle. Sometimes the Barn turns boisterous, as traveling 
  groups make their own impromptu celebrations.
  The Alfpine Forest
  Beyond Swampton, and stretching away west and south, 
  thousands of scrubby pine trees grow in a poor, sandy soil, 
  the space between them covered by bracken, heather, berry 
  bushes, and ferns. Farther into the woods, oaks tower over 
  the smaller trees and shadows deepen among hickories and 
  vines. Loggers tread carefully, harvesting only from the edges 
  of the Alfpine for fear of the Wood Elves, who answer only 
  to their own King. In the dry summer months, wildﬁ res 
  sometimes tear through the forest. The elves protect their 
  core homesteads with magic and let the outer trees burn, 
  considering it a part of the cycle of nature.
  Kaye City
  Kaye is the nearest true city, three days’ travel from 
  Lesserton even under the best conditions. On the way, the 
  road passes through endless pastures, ﬁ elds, and tiny villages 
  of a few hundred humans or halﬂ ings. So far south, banditry 
  and humanoids are rare. Merchant caravans enter and leave 
  Kaye City frequently, and its annual Market Fest draws 
  holiday-makers from as far away as Great Dolmvay.
  Lesserton
  RUINS
  OF MOR
  To Kaye City
  R
  E
  D
   
  S
  W
  A
  M
  P
  F
  a
  r
  m
  l
  a
  n
  d
       
  Swampton
  RED RIVER
  Wheaton
  A L F P I N E  F O R E S T
  N
  Region of Lesserton and Mor. One hex = 2 miles.
  
  N
  Neighborhoods and major buildings
  Not to scale
  
  LESSERTON
  by Joel Sparks and Jeff Sparks
  ©2011 Faster Monkey Games
  REVISION 1.1 APRIL 2011
  TO
  REFEREE’S GUIDE
  
  ABOUT THIS BOOK  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3
  ORIGINS & CHARACTER 
  OF THE TOWN .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3
  ORIGINS OF LESSERTON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  EAST AND WEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  LESSERS: The Folk of Lesserton  .  .  .  .  .  .4
  THE ORKIN PROBLEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  CLASSES OF LESSERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  LESSERS ON THE STREET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  “THEY’RE ALL THIEVES...”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  OCCUPATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  ADVENTURERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  LIFE IN LESSERTON  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  INTOLERANCE AND REACTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  CONTACTS AND ENEMIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  JOBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  COST OF LIVING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  HAGGLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  SERVICES ON THE STREET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  HIRELINGS AND RETAINERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  RUMORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  BEGGING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  DANGER ON THE STREET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
   
  Pickpockets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
   
  Muggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  JUSTICE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 14
  THE WATCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
   
  Alarm Gongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
   
  Signal Horns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  MILITIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  BRIBES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  PUNISHMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  LIFE EXPERIENCE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 17
  LIVING WELL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  GAMBLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
   
  Gambling Games of Lesserton. . . . . . . . . . . 18
  SEARCHING FOR ADVENTURE, 
  LOOKING FOR LOVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  CELEBRATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  MISHAPS TABLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  PARTY FOULS TABLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  DRINKING PROBLEMS TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  DETAILED DRINKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
  ENTERTAINERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
  PROFESSIONAL COMPANIONSHIP . . . . . . . . . . 23
  SHOPS AND ESTABLISHMENTS  .  .  . 24
  DEvIN LEWIS, PETER ROBAMONDE,  
  AND THE BRUSH  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 58
  MORE ADvENTURE SEEDS .  .  .  .  .  .  . 60
  MAP OF LESSERTON  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 60
  “DEADLY CHANCES”  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 61
  INDEX OF FOLK .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 67
  REFEREE’s Guide to Lesserton
  Referee’s Guide to Lesserton
  ©2011 Faster Monkey Games™
  by Joel Sparks and Jeff Sparks
  Editing: Shelley Harlan
  Design: Joel Sparks
  Cover and original illustrations: Steve Zieser
  Map of Lesserton: Mark Allen
  fastermonkeygames.com
  See complete licensing information on page 68
  
  3
  INTRODUCTION
  ABOUT THIS BOOK
  By far the largest book in the Lesserton & Mor supplement, 
  the Referee’s Guide to Lesserton provides numerous, 
  intertwined persistent NPCs and a consistent setting for 
  town adventures or resting up between crawls. The referee 
  will wish to be familiar with the introductory material in the 
  Player’s Guide to Lesserton before starting this volume.
  Players would find many spoilers in this book, as well as 
  far more detail than they need, and should not read it.
  Unadorned page numbers, such as (p21), refer to this 
  book. PGL indicates the Player’s Guide to Lesserton; RGM 
  indicates the Referee’s Guide to Mor. LL refers to the Labyrinth 
  Lord core rulebook, a version of the classic basic roleplaying 
  game. AEC refers to the Advanced Edition Companion, a version 
  of the advanced rules. Both are available from Goblinoid 
  Game as free downloads: www.goblinoidgames.com.
  ORIGINS AND CHARACTER 
  OF THE TOWN
  ORIGINS OF LESSERTON
  Founded by refugees from the fall of Mor, Lesserton 
  began as a camp clinging to an island of rock in a vast 
  wetland. Surviving soldiers took charge, organizing parties to 
  gather edible swamp grasses, hunt frogs and birds, and cut 
  timber in the Alfpine forest. From the first, people drifted 
  back to the smoking rubble of Mor, searching for lost loved 
  ones or forgotten treasures. Many never returned. However, 
  occasional groups dodged the humanoid bands and magical 
  aftershocks to haul back items of great value: tools, weapons, 
  treasures. Retrieval missions rapidly became outright raids. A 
  rule of finders-keepers evolved: if someone was brave and 
  lucky enough to retrieve a treasure from Mor, it became his 
  property. Any former owner had no further claim, as he had 
  proved unwilling to fetch the loot himself.
  Cautious folk decided that the best way to participate in the 
  unearthed wealth was to support raiding parties from within 
  Lesserton’s new stockade. The savviest started businesses, 
  buying up such desiderata as shovels and picks, selling them to 
  hopeful explorers. Mor was vast, its onetime vaults deep and 
  various, its great wealth scattered and buried in wreckage. A 
  new way of life evolved, based upon adventurers, merchants 
  to equip them, and entertainments for those who returned 
  with loot to spend.
  The original refugees called their new town “Lesserton” 
  out of a mingled irony and humility in the shadow of the once-
  great Mor. Likewise they wryly call themselves “Lessers.”
  Over centuries, riches flowed into town. Certain 
  merchants became very wealthy, diversifying into trade with 
  other towns near and far. Rich folk of Lesserton had the 
  capital for speculation and investment; some went broke, 
  some became richer still. Luxuries began to show up in town 
  that otherwise went only to the great cities. With the Dukes 
  of Morland dead, and the noble houses destroyed by war, 
  Lesserton became ruled by the merchant class. The Lessers 
  instituted a novel democratic government, heavily influenced 
  by wealth of course. By the time the Grand Duke at Dolmvay 
  noticed Lesserton's existence, the town was able to buy him 
  off, becoming an independent entity with a favorable schedule 
  of annual tithes. Every five years, every Lesser gets to vote on 
  candidates for Mayor and Chief of the Watch. These men, 
  and they are always human males, appoint other functionaries 
  based on patronage and profit, but an eye on the next election 
  keeps them from promoting unpopular abusers of office.
  Today, about 7,600 people inhabit Lesserton. The 
  surrounding swamp is useless for expansion, so the town itself 
  stays cramped, but nearby agricultural villages like Swampton 
  have grown along with their rich neighbor. The populace lives 
  in uneasy detente with the orkin in the Ruins of Mor. The 
  Ruins-dwellers cannot make a good enough living to grow in 
  numbers; the Lessers trade with them cautiously, but stand 
  ready to destroy any large force that dares approach.
  From the wild bars to the friendly whores to the high 
  prices, the whole place welcomes adventuring types with 
  open arms and a greedy grin. Some visitors use the services 
  resentfully, forced to it by circumstance; others enjoy the 
  experience and use the town as a base for expeditions 
  throughout the area, not just into Mor. A few even go local.
  EAST AND WEST
  Lesserton is an Eastron town, that is, a town of Eastern 
  Valnwall: a loosely-defined region far from the Grand Duke 
  at Dolmvay and his legions and wealth. In the East, things 
  and people display rough edges; catastrophes lurk in the 
  past, distorting the present with hatreds and loss; blood spills 
  more easily. Mistrust separates the races; untold numbers of 
  murderous greenskins lurk in the dry mountains; and the 
  best and brightest often drift west to Dolmvay and beyond. 
  Eastrons tend to perceive Westrons as self-inflated, snobbish, 
  or over-civilized folk who couldn’t cope outside their 
  protected lands. Westrons may consider Eastrons boorish, 
  provincial, or even barbarous.
  
  4
  LESSERS: The Folk of Lesserton
  THE ORKIN PROBLEM
  The great army of the Half-Orc Lord contained troops 
  of every humanoid type, including countless crossbreeds, 
  barbaric humans, and man-like creatures of unknown 
  provenance. When the last Baron of Mor unleashed his 
  destructive forces, warping magics flared and flickered 
  throughout the collapsing metropolis, distorting the features 
  and traits of some combatants and locals who had not fled. 
  Admixtures of all these bloods, by the rapes of conquest and 
  by the realities of settling down over centuries, result in a great 
  many mostly-human residents lumped under the general name 
  “orkin.” Some orkin present a clearly non-human appearance, 
  the equivalent of a half-orc in the rest of the world. Most look 
  fully human, with perhaps a telltale trait or two.
  Lessers call orkin blood “the Taint,” and a great deal 
  of social standing depends on “pure,” untainted status. Sir 
  Untherous Plonk (p45) makes a good business certifying the 
  purity of prospective brides and grooms, plus the occasional 
  political aspirant. Casting aspersions on someone’s purity 
  reliably causes a fist-fight, or a duel among the wealthy and 
  pretentious. Nonetheless, in raw unspoken fact, the majority 
  of humans in Lesserton trace some descent from the mixing 
  of bloods, and probably many of the halflings do too.
  In Lesserton, “orkin” refers to the full-blooded folk. 
  Those born in town, but with truly goblinoid appearance due 
  to many orkin traits (PGL11), sometimes cannot live with 
  the heavy prejudice from the merely Tainted. Striking out 
  in independence, or shamed out by relatives, or driven out 
  by insensitive folk, such orkin often go to live in the Ruins 
  with one of the clans that scratch out a living among the 
  thornbushes, rubble, and monsters. See RGM5 for details of 
  these clans.
  Inheritance: In rare cases, the referee may wish to 
  randomize the outcome of a mating. P stands for a pure blood 
  human, T for a Tainted person, and O for a full blood orkin. 
  Thus PT, for example, indicates one Pure human parent and 
  one Tainted. Orkin born to non-orkin parents often get put 
  up for anonymous adoption or end up in the Ruins.
  Offspring Status by Parent Combination
   2d6 
  PT 
  TT 
  PO 
  TO 
  OO
   
  2 
  P 
  P 
  P 
  T 
  T
   3–6 
  P 
  T 
  T 
  T 
  O
   7–11 
  T 
  T 
  T 
  O 
  O
   
  12 
  T 
  O 
  O 
  O 
  O
  CLASSES OF LESSERS
  Though calling themselves Lessers, the folk of Lesserton 
  pay no special deference to noble rank. At best, they find 
  such claims amusing. The people distrust hereditary rulers, 
  a class who failed to protect their ancestors in Great Mor. 
  Instead, they place their faith in hustle, smarts, and money. 
  Long ago the town bought its independent charter from the 
  Grand Duke of Valnwall; they pay an annual tithe, but no 
  fealty or contribution of troops.
  Respect among Lessers goes first to the rich, especially 
  those who earned the money through hard work and 
  cleverness rather than inheriting it. The town officers, all 
  human males, receive the next level of deference, more 
  because they represent all Lessers than due to any personal 
  aspect. The merchant class enjoys prestige for their money-
  making ways.
  Humans have higher status than any other race, but 
  almost all of them have at least a touch of the Taint. Halflings 
  carry the Taint as well, and both races gradate themselves and 
  their families on the visibility of orkin traits. Full-blood orkin 
  are looked down on as inferiors, yet accepted as a necessary 
  part of life in Lesserton: too many to ignore, and a source of 
  cheap labor, if nothing else.
  Outsiders are viewed almost like beloved pets, or even 
  carefully-tended meat animals: They can never really belong, 
  but the whole town relies on them for its prosperity. Two 
  Lessers who don’t know each other, with a single shared 
  glance, will conspire to keep an outsider happy, to deprive 
  him gently of his money, or, if necessary, to deny him entrée 
  to society.
  Other intelligent, “civilized” races, such as dwarfs and 
  gnomes, are welcomed as not much stranger than most other 
  adventurers. The exception is elves: Lessers blame the Wood 
  Elf King for betraying his alliance with the Barons of Mor 
  and letting the great city fall. Elves are sneered at, or treated 
  with icy politeness if they have money to spend. Half-elves 
  fare little better, although tales of how one’s elfish parent 
  was a terrible person sometimes find a sympathetic ear. For 
  specific penalties, see “Intolerance and Reactions,” p7.
  LESSERS: THE FOLK OF LESSERTON
  
  5
  LESSERS ON THE STREET
  Among Lessers, women and children generally stay at 
  home or not far away. Except where noted, all named NPCs 
  are human males (aged 16 to 45) and all attributes are 9. There 
  are four types of ordinary individuals: Common Folk, Brutes, 
  Clever Sorts, and Old Souls. By default, a Lesser met in public 
  is a local human male of the Common Folk. For more variety, 
  the referee can roll on the charts below. Should the PCs and 
  NPCs interact, a reaction roll can govern NPC attitude.
   d20 Who Characters Bump Into
   
  1 
  Adventurers (p6)
   2–7  Individual
    8–20 Cohort of locals
   
   d100 Individual, Origin
   01–67 Human, local
   68–78 Orkin, full blood
   79–83 Halfling, local
   84–85 Halfling-sized orkin
   86–91 Human, Eastron
   92–93 Wood elf (Eastron)
   94–96 Halfling, Eastron
   97–98 Human, Westron
   
  99 
  Dwarf
   
  00 
  High elf (Westron)
   
   d12 Individual, Type
   1–9 Common Folk (default): AC 9, 5 hp, Saves 0 
  Level Human, 1d4–3 cp
   
  10 
  Brute: AC 9, 6 hp, Str 13, Con 13, Saves F1, 
  1d4–1 cp
   
  11 
  Clever Sort: AC 8, 3 hp, Int 13, Dex 13, Saves 
  T1, 1d4 cp
   
  12 
  Old Soul: AC 9, 4 hp, Wis 13, Cha 13, Saves 
  C1, 1d10 cp
   
   d12 Cohort of  Locals, most neighborhoods
   1–2 Small boys, mischievous (2d6)
   3–5 Teenage boys, tough (1d4+1)
   6–7 Grown women (1d3+1)
    8–12 Grown men (1d6)
   
   d10 Cohort of  Locals, Kinswallow
   1–2 Drunken male orkin (1d3)
   3–5 Intimidating male orkin (1d3)
   6–7 Female orkin (1d4), each surrounded by 1d4 
  children in shoes and high-collared shirts
   8–9 Rabble of semi-naked orkin children (3d6)
   
  0 
  Humans (1d4+1) slumming on business 
  (by day) or pleasure (by night); 1 in 6 
  chance to be Adventurers (p6)
  Each orkin group is 25% likely to ask for a spare copper 
  piece or so; moreso if the PCs look rich. Giving out a coin 
  causes 1d4–1 more groups to come up and ask for money, as 
  does giving to any of the new supplicants, and so on.
  “THEY’RE ALL THIEVES...”
  Though many claim to find Lesserton venal and 
  dangerous, perhaps correctly, surprisingly few folk suffer 
  violence, robbery, or burglary. In general the town prefers 
  to harvest a visitor’s coin in a way that leaves him wanting to 
  return, bringing his new-filled purse, another time.
  Nonetheless, in the local mindset, a little deception, 
  sleight of hand, and subtlety serve anyone well. All folk raised 
  in Lesserton can use certain thief abilities, if sufficiently 
  dexterous, and local halflings learn instinctively to fade 
  around streetcorners or behind piles of garbage. From a base 
  of 0% in the six percentile thief skills, each Lesser adds his 
  or her Dexterity Thief Skill Adjustment (AEC4) and any 
  modifier for halfling or orkin race. Even such low chances 
  allow the Lesser to make the attempt, taking advantage of 
  any circumstantial bonuses.
  Lesserton Halfling
  Pick Locks, Find/Remove Traps, and Pick Pockets: 5% plus 
  Dexterity Thief Skill Adjustment
  Move silently: 10% plus Dexterity Thief Skill Adjustment
  Hide in cover, in town or among ruined buildings: 90%
  Hide in shadows while silent and motionless: 2 in 6 in 
  wilderness, 3 in 6 in labyrinths
  Lesserton Orkin
  Pick Locks, Find/Remove Traps, and Climb Walls: 5% plus 
  Dexterity Thief Skill Adjustment
  LESSERS: THE FOLK OF LESSERTON
  
  6
  OCCUPATION
  The Background Skills chart in the Players Guide 
  (PGL13), while not boasting strict demographic accuracy, can 
  give a random occupation for a Lesser on the street.
  ADvENTURERS
  These charts allow creation of a random party of NPCs 
  with character classes, for any number of purposes.
  Number in party: 2d4–1
  Class mix: 1st NPC is always a fighter.
   d20 Additional NPC (using basic classes)
   1–4 Fighter
   5–8 Cleric
    9–13 Thief
   14–17 Halfling
   
  18 
  Magic-User
   
  19 
  Elf
   
  20 
  Dwarf
  Level
  Roll a single d10 to determine the level of all party 
  members at once. For clerics, add +1 to the result to find 
  level. For thieves add +2. For elves and magic-users, subtract 
  1. For example, on a d10 roll of 7, fighters, halflings, and 
  dwarfs use the unmodified roll and are all 2nd level. Clerics 
  have a modified result of 8, which also indicates 2nd level. Any 
  elves or magic-users are 1st level (with a modified result of 6), 
  while any thief is 3rd level (with a 9). 
   d10± Level
   
  ≤6 
  1st
   7–8 2nd
    9–10 3rd
   >10 4th
  Retainers
  A party with any members above first level is 50% likely 
  to have retainers equal to total levels above 1st. Two-thirds of 
  retainers are Men-at-Arms, rounding up; the rest are Porters. 
  See p9. For example, a party of four 2nd-level NPCs has four 
  levels above 1st. They are 50% likely to have three Men-at-
  Arms and one Porter.
  Equipment
  At 1st level, each character has mundane equipment as 
  appropriate and 1d6 gp. Typical starting gear:
  Fighter: brigandine & shield (AC 6), long sword, 
  	
  two javelins
  Cleric: brigandine & shield (AC 6), mace,  
  	
  holy symbol
  Thief: leather armor (AC 8), short sword, two 
  	
  daggers, picks and tools
  Halfling: leather armor (AC 8), sling, short sword
  	
  Magic-User: staff, two daggers, spellbook
  	
  Elf: leather armor (AC 8), longbow, long sword, 
  	
  spellbook 
  Dwarf: brigandine & shield (AC 6), two hand axes
  	
  At 2nd level, each NPC has 2d6 x 25 gp and a random 
  potion (LL107), plus spellcasters have a scroll of a random 
  1st-level spell (LL42 or AEC83–84).
  At 3rd level, each NPC has a total of 3d6 x 100 gp and 
  certain items by class:
  Fighter: a +1 weapon, shield, or armor
  	
  Cleric: a +1 mace, shield, or armor
  	
  Thief: 
  	
  potion of  invisibility or potion of  extra healing, 
  and an additional 3d6 x 50 gp
  Halfling: +1 shortbow or sling
  	
  Magic-User: three random scrolls and a 
  	
  potion of  
  extra-healing
  Elf: a 
  	
  longbow +1
  Dwarf: 
  	
  axe +1
  At 4th level, each NPC has 2d6 x 100 gp worth of gems 
  or jewelry, 3d6 x 100 gp in coin, and a roll on the Random 
  Magic Type table (LL107). Each class adds the following:
  Fighter: 
  	
  plate mail +1 or melee weapon +2
  Cleric: 
  	
  shield +1 and six scrolls: four cure light 
  wounds, one neutralize poison, one remove curse
  Thief: a random ring (LL108)
  	
  Halfing: a random ring, or 
  	
  elven cloak and elven boots 
  (LL118)
  Magic-User: a rod, staff, or wand (LL108 or 
  	
  AEC86) 
  Elf: 
  	
  elven cloak and elven boots or 12 arrows +2
  Dwarf: 
  	
  plate mail +1 or axe +2
  All random magic items for the party should be generated 
  first, and then traded among members if necessary to assign 
  each item to an appropriate user.
  LESSERS: THE FOLK OF LESSERTON
  
  7
  LIFE IN LESSERTON
  INTOLERANCE AND REACTIONS
  The neighborhoods of Lesserton are racially intolerant. 
  The penalties from the table apply to reaction rolls in many 
  situations, including finding jobs (below), haggling (p8), hiring 
  retainers (p9), dealing with the Watch, looking for services 
  (p8), and even begging (p12). The same modifier applies 
  to the d20 roll when searching for love or adventure (p19). 
  Contacts and bribery (p15) have their own modifiers.
  CONTACTS AND ENEMIES
  The Player’s Guide contains information on generating 
  PCs who hail from Lesserton. The referee must tell players 
  which rules he chooses to use, including limits on race or 
  class, Starting Poor, and Contacts and Enemies. For Contacts, 
  when a PC asks for a favor, the referee can apply these secret 
  modifiers to the 2d6 reaction roll. Payment, either in cash or 
  in mutual favors, can add –1 to –3. 
  Reaction modifiers for requests from Contacts
   
  Certain death: +10 
  Risk of death: +4 
  Certain arrest or punishment: +4 
  Risk of arrest: +3 
  Financial cost: +1 to +3 
  Valuable information: +1 
  Useful information: +0 
  Common information: –2 
  Easy favor: –3
  JOBS
  Ordinary, steady work is the very opposite of adventuring. 
  Still, PCs desperate for coin may wish to do odd jobs now 
  and again. Each can try a reaction roll once a day; a 5 or 
  better finds one day’s work as a clerk or laborer, depending 
  on abilities. A result of 3 or better finds work for six days, 
  which is one work week. Pay is 50 cp per 10–12 hour day.
  COST OF LIvING
  Spending the night in the gutter, or in a broken doorway 
  of Kinswallow, carries no formal price. However, the referee 
  can roll for wandering encounters: 1 in 6 every hour, as if in 
  a labyrinth. Typical encounters include brash groups of 1d6 
  drunks seeking to intimidate the impoverished for laughs, 
  tough groups of 1d4 thugs who become annoyed at people 
  sleeping on “their corner” without means to pay, pushy 
  Guards, and stealthy folk desperate enough to steal shoes.
  The cheapest way to survive in relative 
  safety is to sleep on the floor of Mama 
  Hayborn’s (p54), subsist on grass-bread from 
  the Bun Shack (p52), and drink only sulfurous 
  well water. Such a miserable existence costs 
  11 cp per day, allows no privacy or valuables, 
  and requires an iron will to prevent spending 
  another 10 cp or so on enough vile-tasting 
  alcohol to dull the pain. PCs forced to this 
  style of living can simply mark off 2 sp per 
  day and not expect to hang on to any quality 
  possessions.
  More standard living, for transients such as PCs, runs 
  about 1 gp per day, including meals, a bed someplace 
  like Wenton’s Original (p57), and a drink or two. Players 
  uninterested in detail can simply deduct 1 gp per day for cost 
  of living, plus another 1 gp if stabling a mount. The referee 
  can assume that such rooming includes adequate security for 
  the PCs’ possessions, except where the plot of a play session 
  dictates otherwise.
  BOARDING
  Renting a room or suite for a long term can save 
  considerable money. Finding a room requires a reaction roll 
  of 5 or better, including the neighborhood reaction modifiers, 
  to gain a landlady’s approval. Characters can try once a day. 
  Basic cost is 20 gp per month, including adequate meals, with 
  first and last month’s rent down. Small domestic animals 
  require a second reaction roll and each adds a cost of 2d6 gp 
  per month. Mounts must be stabled elsewhere, for 20 gp per 
  month when paid in advance.
  The wealthy may instead rent a townhouse in the Heights. 
  In general, the renter must be human and display respectable 
  dress and behavior, and then make a reaction roll of 4 or 
  better, trying once a week. Typical cost would include a 500 
  gp damage deposit and 100 gp per month, with at least three 
  months paid in advance. Each extra resident adds costs of 30 
  gp per month, or 15 gp for servants and children. Wages for 
  servants cost extra, if the character does not bring his own.
  LIFE IN LESSERTON
  REACTION MODIFIERS BY NEIGHBORHOOD
   
   
   
   
  Orkin/ 
  Dwarf/ 
  Neighborhood: Human 
  Elf 
  Half-Elf Half-Orc 
  Gnome
  Gateway Plaza/ 
  Market Square 
  0 
  +1 
  0 
  +1 
  0
  Cruikshanks/ 
  The Heights 
  0 
  +2 
  +1 
  +2 
  +1
  Kinswallow 
  +1 
  +1 
  +1 
  0 
  +1
  
  8
  HAGGLING
  Lesserton merchants are a hard lot, not given to offering 
  bargains. However, a penurious PC can always try for a deal, 
  since any sale is better than none. If the referee wishes to 
  determine haggling outcome at random, he makes a reaction 
  roll, with the usual Charisma, racial, and neighborhood 
  modifiers.
   2d6± Haggling reaction
   
  <2 
  The merchant agrees to a proposed deal up to 
  20% off.
   
  2 
  The merchant agrees to a proposed deal up to 
  10% off.
   3–5 No discount.
   6–8 No discount, and +1 on further reaction rolls 
  with this merchant today.
    9–11 No discount, and the PC can’t try any more 
  haggling with this merchant today without 
  getting thrown out.
   
  12 
  The merchant refuses to deal with the PC at all 
  and orders him off the premises. He can try 
  a new reaction roll at +1, no sooner than the 
  next day.
   >12 The merchant accuses the PC of theft or 
  intimidation and calls for the Watch. 
  The PC is never welcomed back to that 
  establishment.
  SERvICES ON THE STREET
  Flashing a little coin always catches the eye of nearby 
  Lessers, and many prove willing to assist a generous stranger. 
  When a PC looks around the street for help, the referee makes 
  a reaction roll with the usual Charisma and racial modifiers 
  and the neighborhood’s intolerance penalties (p7).
   d12± Reaction when seeking services
   
  <2 
  New friend! The Lesser performs the requested 
  task for whatever is offered, and then follows 
  the PC around hoping for signs of favor.
   
  2 
  Service available, and the Lesser is willing to give 
  a discount if requested, about 10%.
   3–5 Service performed as usual.
   6–8 Service available, but the Lesser negotiates for 
  a higher price. Double usual cost suffices; 
  anything less requires a new roll.
    9–11 Service not available, unless the referee wishes 
  to make it so.
   
  12 
  The Lesser jeers at the PC, points out his 
  ridiculous clothes or accent to others on the 
  street, and otherwise mocks the request. A 
  PC alone in a racially hostile neighborhood 
  may suffer confrontation unless he leaves 
  the area at once; if heavily armed, he instead 
  receives disdainful silent treatment from all 
  locals, with occasional anonymous insults or 
  dung thrown from behind.
   >12 Bad reaction (see below).
  Bad reactions to requests for services:
  A non-human in Cruikshanks, or a non-orkin in 
   
  
  Kinswallow, becomes the target of a group of 
  2d6 locals, throwing stones and dung and driving 
  him away. If he refuses to leave, and is not part 
  of an armed group, the locals attack with clubs 
  and fists (75% temporary damage).
  A non-human in the Heights has the Watch called 
   
  
  on him, and they politely but firmly escort him 
  out of the neighborhood. The neighborhood 
  Guards will remember his face.
  Otherwise, the Lesser agrees to the service, but 
   
  
  marks the PC as a potential victim. Examples: 
  He alerts thieves to where the PC stays or where 
  he keeps his coin, or arranges for a tavern server 
  to get the PC very drunk so the Lesser and his 
  friends can lift his valuables, or introduces the PC 
  into a compromising situation and generously 
  offers to cover it up if the PC can provide 3d6 x 
  10 gp for “considerations to the right people.”
  LIFE IN LESSERTON
  
  9
  Typical Street Services:
  Runner: 2d6 cp. Urchin (age 2d4+3) who will run a message 
  to another part of town.
  Linkboy: 1 sp. Boy (age 2d4+5) with a torch to light the 
  customer’s way home at night. Generally the linkboy is 
  somebody’s little brother, nephew, or cousin, reducing the 
  chances that the neighborhood toughs will try anything.
  Guide: 1 gp/day. Local male (age 2d4+12), 1 in 6 halfling, 
  otherwise human. Escorts customers around town to the 
  sorts of places they desire. May charge more for groups of 
  more than 3. Often receives small kickbacks from tavern 
  owners, innkeepers, shopkeepers, and so on for bringing in 
  business. Should the day go well, the guide often insinuates 
  himself at the dinner table or bar on the assumption that his 
  repast will go on the customer’s bill.
  Raconteur: 2 gp/day. An experienced guide, able to tell 
  stories about various locations and personalities in the town’s 
  past. These storytellers tailor their lore to the audience’s 
  interest, from the drily historical to the moralizing to the 
  salacious. The accuracy of their information may suffer, as 
  they tend to prefer a good story to boring facts. An answer to 
  a specific question is 75% likely to be correct.
  Alley cat: Cost varies. Cheap trollops without a room, 
  these poor folk take a customer into an alley or doorway for 
  quick, efficient service. Usually, an alley cat asks for 1 sp up 
  front, then additional money depending on how much time 
  she spent, to a total of about 1 sp per 5 minutes. Generally 
  a Brute watches from half a block away to apply force if 
  needed. Seven out of ten alley cats are human: on a d10, 8–9 
  indicates a full orkin and 10 a halfling. Ninety percent are 
  female: on a d20, a roll of 20 indicates a male, while a roll of 
  1 indicates a male disguised as a female.
  Protection: Cost varies. The toughest gang of idle men in 
  a particular neighborhood may approach nervous-looking 
  strangers and offer their protection, for perhaps 1 sp per 
  person per day, or more if the target seems well-off. Should 
  the customer later run into trouble, from a potential mugger 
  to an uncooperative shopkeeper, he can mention the name 
  of his “friend” and get a second reaction roll. Of course, 
  sometimes the result is worse than before, as the local greets 
  the so-called protector’s name with scorn or violent dislike. 
  Should the protector find that his name is being used by 
  someone who didn’t pay, he likely feels obliged to deliver a 
  sound beating, a fine of whatever’s carried, and an exhortation 
  to stay out of the area.
  HIRELINGS AND RETAINERS
  Certain locales attract the sort of folks who will take up 
  the challenge of adventuring for pay, or at least carrying sacks. 
  Four types of potential hirelings wander the streets and bars 
  of Lesserton: Porters, Men-at-Arms, Veterans, and Halflings. 
  All expect food and drink in addition to pay; none have any 
  cash, or they’d not be looking for work. The player characters 
  must convince the prospects to serve, as usual, by making a 
  Hiring Roll: a reaction roll of 5 or better (LL46–47).
  Porter: 0-level human Common Folk with 5 hp, AC 9. 1 ep 
  per day. Porters are also available as employees for 
  any unskilled labor with no Hiring Roll required. In 
  this case, they are not true retainers, have Morale 4 
  regardless of the Charisma of their employer, and 
  work only in Lesserton or within sight of its walls.
  Man-at-Arms: 0-level human Brute with 6 hp, AC 8 (padded 
  armor), dagger. 1 gp per day plus a quarter share of 
  any cash loot (1/4 what a PC gets).
  Veteran: 1st-level fighter with STR 13, CON 13, 7 hp, AC 7 
  (leather armor and shield), short sword, spear. 2 gp 
  per day plus a half share of any cash loot.
  Halfling: 1st-level halfling with DEX 16, 4 hp, AC 5 (padded 
  armor, shield), short sword, sling. 4 gp per day plus a 
  half share of any cash loot.
  Each appropriate location in the “Shops and 
  Establishments” section, pp24–58, lists what potential 
  retainers might be found there.
  LIFE IN LESSERTON
  
  10
  RUMORS
  When a character asks an NPC for advice or information, 
  a reaction roll of 5 or better may elicit one of the answers 
  below. The referee can also provide rumors as a service on the 
  street, during searches for adventure, or whenever he wants 
  to place some information. A PC from Lesserton knows one 
  rumor from each section.
  About the Ruins:
  Old Mor, eh? Well, it’s a pit of dust and poison 
  	
  snakes, sprinkled over with ghosts, and well salted 
  with subhuman murderers. The last Baron, he 
  blasted his own town to shards and flinders, just 
  to keep the greenskins out. And who runs the 
  wreck now? Orkin sorts, who’d never get in the 
  gate at Lesserton. Go cipher that one.
  Great Mor was the last civilized place of history. 
  	
  Temples of jade and gold, grand palaces, all the 
  people beautiful and wise. ’Twas the mightiest 
  stronghold of the earth, greater than anything 
  the elder races ever built, and weren’t they just 
  jealous about it. Indeed, Great Mor could never 
  have fallen if not for the treachery of the Elves, 
  dark take them. Now we squat in the wreck of 
  what was, in a fallen age, and just try to get by.
  No, I shouldn’t wonder if there was treasures yet 
  	
  to be found. The Ruins lie deep and broad, and 
  the few brutes who live there have no time nor 
  inclination for idle digging about. Why, just last 
  season some fellers came back with a sack of 
  little chestnuts made of gold, all alike. I forget 
  what became of them, nuts nor fellers both, but 
  it was a pretty haul.
  If you care to throw your only life away 
  	
  “adventuring,” you might at least do it on a quest 
  for the greater good. The Temple of Law has 
  sent many out to right wrongs and not a few 
  have become heroes thereby. [Temple of the 
  Divine Purpose, p56]
  Leave some gold at Brinkley’s to buy your life 
  	
  with! Sure, it’s expensive, but it’s better than 
  landing in an orkin stewpot. That place is so 
  tight, even the town keeps its treasure there. 
  [Brinkley’s Assurety Trust, p31]
  In bars:
  Never go in that Tasso place—it’s a tomb! He 
  	
  takes the unwary and turns ’em into statues. 
  [Tasso’s Museum of the Lifelike, p55]
  Thieves guild! That’s funny. Just an old story about 
  	
  scary men who lurk at night, rob rich and poor alike, 
  prey on the innocent, all in service of some vast 
  conspiracy of wizards and demons or something. 
  The truth is, certain low folk have nothing better 
  to do than jump a fellow for his coppers. No more 
  to it. If such scum could organize, they wouldn’t 
  be poor in the first place, eh?
  Why, a clever sort can make more at the races in 
  	
  a night than any month dodging face-eaters in 
  the Ruins. Just watch the betting and pick your 
  ’pede. There’s a secret pattern to it, but you’ll 
  have to guess it yourself! Never would I say. 
  [Myriadrome, p55]
  Gambling is a way of life here my friend. If 
  	
  you’ve wits about you, you can do well. If you 
  see poor old Master Lewis at a table, you’ll learn 
  something too. Gimped in both legs, he is, and it 
  hurts him to walk, but he never misses a hand of 
  cards if he can help it. [Devin Lewis, p58]
  To the heavily-armed or travel-stained:
  Out of towners eh? Valnhalla’s the place to 
  	
  meet your own type [p30]. Stay out of Sumpter’s 
  [Lesserton Alehouse, p36]. Never you mind 
  where that may be, neither.
  Going to the Ruins? Best spend freely at 
  	
  Hornfixer’s first [p35]. Tell him Waxbean sent 
  you.
  The Field of Truth [p26], outside town, holds a 
  	
  captive demon that eats magic. It’s the only place 
  for a fair fight, since no one can use sneaky elf-
  spells to cheat their way out of a pounding.
  If coin is scarce and you’re desperate, a good 
  	
  time is always happening at Fat Fanny’s down in 
  Kin’s Wallow [p52]. You ain’t picky, are you?
  Lonely feller, huh? Well, you don’t look a 
  	
  merchant prince, that’s clear. Roll by the Apacius 
  in Market Square [p30] for ten silver’s worth. 
  That news worth a few copper, friend?
  LIFE IN LESSERTON
  
  11
  Nasty bruise, traveler! You know, the Temple of 
  	
  Divine Purpose [p56] could heal that right up 
  for you, if you honor the Law as I’m sure you 
  must. No charge even, although a donation is 
  appreciated. In fact, for a small donation to my 
  own personal needs, I’ll give you directions right 
  to the Temple.
  To sneaky-looking sorts:
  Don’t get hauled before the Eel if you can help 
  	
  it. Mort the Eel—the magistrate [p16]. He looks 
  like there’s not a drop of blood in his body, 
  and he likes nothing better than condemning 
  poor folk to torment and death. Feeds on our 
  suffering, they say.
  Stranger, please tell me you’re not looking at the 
  	
  windows on the Sign of the Kobold [p44]. It’s 
  worth your life to bother those folk. Plenty of 
  fat purses in town, but that place and all in it fall 
  under the eye of the Brush.... Ach, forget that 
  bit, not important. Just watch your step.
  The Brush? Never heard of it. Be off.
  	
  The Brush? Well, if there were such a fellow, 
  	
  you’d not want to be asking after him, would 
  you?
  Oh, the Watch. The guardsmen are mostly 
  	
  reasonable fellers. Don’t throw around gold and 
  expect to get away with murder, though. Peace 
  must be kept, and that platform with the head-
  cage ain’t for showing pretty birds.
  It’s an open town. Still, be careful who you 
  	
  cross.
  To the scholarly or pious:
  You seem respectable enough. Why waste your 
  	
  time poking through those ruins? Thousands 
  before you have worked the ground down to 
  nothing. If you seek money, get a job someplace 
  decent up in Market Square and settle down. All 
  types are welcome in Lesserton, if they pay their 
  own way.
  Well, my friend, in Lesserton there are three sorts 
  	
  of folk. The orkin are scum, and deserve what 
  they get. Then there’s folk of clean blood, like 
  yourself, but from out of town and thus not to 
  expect the same treatment as locals. Us Lessers 
  true and tried, now, we mostly get a fair shake 
  from the government and each other, and that’s 
  enough to build on. Whatever you be, watch 
  your chance and don’t wait around for charity, 
  for there’s none within the walls of this town.
  To the foppish, noble, or wealthy:
  A world traveler such as yourself must not 
  	
  stray into Kinswallow, nor even Cruikshanks. 
  No doubt you can take care of yourself, but 
  the circumstances are most offensive and the 
  squalid little streets have nothing to offer you. 
  No, put up at the Pegasus [p43], my friend, or 
  seek a cozy house in the Heights if you plan to 
  stay among us long. The quality of the servants 
  in town is unfortunate, but one does what one 
  can. Everyone worth knowing frequents the few 
  decent places in the Heights. I’d be glad to show 
  you around once you get settled.
  A woman must be married, yet a man’s a fool 
  	
  to do so. ’Tis the conundrum of the ages! Still, 
  should you fall prey, do not neglect to run your 
  tender bride and her parents over to Plonk’s 
  [p45]. The man’s a popinjay, but a certainty of 
  clear blood is worth a hogshead of promises.
  LIFE IN LESSERTON
  
  12
  BEGGING
  Anyone reduced to cadging coins from passersby in 
  greedy Lesserton has a hard job. A character can beg only 
  as many hours per day as his Constitution, half that in cold 
  or rainy weather, and not at all in cold rain or snow. For each 
  hour, there is a chance that the Watch, probably responding 
  to a complaint, Rousts the PC: forces him to leave the 
  neighborhood, wasting that hour’s work. In the Heights, the 
  Watch comes by on 1–4 on a d6; in Kinswallow, not at all. In 
  other neighborhoods the chance is 1 in 6 per hour.
  At the end of an hour’s begging, the player makes a reaction 
  roll, adding his Charisma modifier instead of subtracting it. 
  An attractive beggar gains little sympathy, although he or she 
  might be propositioned or recruited as an alley cat (p9). The 
  neighborhood’s racial intolerance penalties (p7) add to the 
  roll as usual. Once driven from a neighborhood, a beggar 
  who returns makes reaction rolls there at +4 for the rest of 
  the day.
  Attacked: 2d4 Brutes pummel the beggar with fists and 
  clubs until he falls unconscious, strip him naked, and throw 
  him into a latrine, a filthy gutter, or Ritter’s Hog Pen. Damage 
  is 75% temporary.
  Arrested: Money confiscated, thrown in cell overnight.
  Evicted: Thrown out the town’s Main Gate, ordered not 
  to reenter Lesserton that day.
  Rousted: The Watch makes the beggar leave the 
  neighborhood, arresting him if he resists.
  Confronted: Locals make the beggar leave the 
  neighborhood. In the Heights, 1d4 wealthy sorts try to 
  shame the beggar into leaving and call the Watch if necessary. 
  Elsewhere, 1d4+1 toughs use intimidation and resort to force 
  if needed.
  Ignored: People brush coldly past, avoiding eye contact.
  Coins: This is the total for an hour’s begging.
  DANGER ON THE STREET
  Depending as they do on repeat business, the Lessers 
  tolerate little out-and-out robbery or violence. Every 
  neighborhood has its Watch Station, and many businesses 
  have alarm gongs to summon the Watch at need.
  To transport the day’s receipts, or their more valuable 
  products, businessfolk trickle onto the street at the changing 
  of the neighborhood guard post, and walk in a group 
  to Brinkley’s, following the Guards. They seldom speak, 
  preferring the illusion that each chose this schedule on his 
  own and the others just happened to step out at the same 
  time. A few coins quietly pass to the Guards as Market Square 
  and Brinkley’s draw near. Leaving the bank, people headed 
  home to the same neighborhood may suddenly recognize 
  each other and join up as far as their paths lie together.
  PICKPOCKETS
  Whenever a crowd gathers, certain folk may try to cut 
  a purse or fish in a pocket. Due to high risk and low profit, 
  only urchins and first-level thieves pursue the dipper’s art in 
  Lesserton. Player characters make tempting targets because 
  of their relative wealth, but they also carry weapons. The 
  referee can target a PC, or roll: a 1 in 6 chance of the party 
  encountering a pickpocket per hour spent in a crowded 
  market or audience.
  By preference, pickpockets operate in teams of three: the 
  dipper, a mule, and a bumper. The bumper stumbles against 
  or shoves by the target, the way many folk do in a crowd. On 
  a 1–2 on a d6, the target is surprised by the Bump and the 
  dipper makes his move. If the target seems alert instead, the 
  team moves on to someone else. If the dipper gets something, 
  he immediately passes it to the mule, a seeming stranger, who 
  secretes the goods and wanders away. Thus, if the dipper 
  should get searched, he has no loot, and can act indignant.
  Sometimes a halfling thief disguises himself as a human 
  child, in hopes of winning the crowd over should he get 
  caught. The false urchin loses all sympathy if discovered.
  LIFE IN LESSERTON
  BEGGING RESuLT BY NEIGHBORHOOD
  2d6± 
  Gateway 
  Mkt. Sq. 
  Cruikshanks 
  Heights 
  Kinswallow
  < 3 
  2d4 cp 
  1d6 cp 
  1d8 cp 
  1d6 sp 
  1 cp
  3–5 
  1 cp 
  1 cp 
  1 cp 
  Ignored 
  Ignored
  6–8 
  Ignored 
  Ignored 
  Ignored 
  Confronted 
  Ignored
  9–11 
  Evicted 
  Ignored 
  Confronted 
  Rousted 
  Confronted
  12+ 
  Arrested 
  Arrested 
  Arrested 
  Arrested 
  Attacked
  
  13
  These percentiles include the thief’s base skill, plus 10% for 
  working in a packed crowd watching a spectacle and 10% for 
  a successful Bump. 
  Success: The dipper gets the most accessible item on 
  the target: usually a belt pouch or its contents, 
  but possibly a scroll, dagger, or even a ring or 
  bracelet.
  Failure: The dip doesn’t work out. No one notices the 
  attempt.
  Seen: The victim is oblivious, and the dipper gets the 
  loot, but someone else in the crowd sees it 
  happen. If the victim has alert, suspicious 
  companions, such as most PCs, one of them 
  notices the dip. Otherwise, the witness is an 
  NPC. The referee makes a reaction roll to find 
  the witness’s attitude, modified by the Charisma 
  and race of the pickpocket and the opposite of 
  the victim’s modifiers. Meanwhile, the thief 
  attempts a second pickpocket roll, at the same 
  chances, to make the pass-off to the mule; on 
  a Failure, the dipper still has the goods, while 
  a Seen or Caught result means that the witness 
  sees the pass.
   
  2d6± Witness Reaction 
   
  ≤2 
  Laughs it off
   
  3–5 
  Accosts the pickpocket and quietly 
  demands a cut
   
  6–8 
  Calls the victim’s attention to the 
  pickpocket
   
   9–11 Calls for the Watch
   
  12+ 
  Calls for the Watch and tackles the 
  pickpocket
  Caught: The victim catches the pickpocket in the act 
  before he can get his hands on the goods. An 
  urchin immediately screams about the cruel 
  stranger hurting him, and gets a normal reaction 
  roll from the crowd.
  MuGGERS
  Stick-ups and muggings in Lesserton are generally crimes 
  of opportunity. Alert folk, armed characters, and those who 
  travel in groups or with linkboys seldom find trouble, so there 
  is no random chance of a mugging. However, the referee may 
  decide that a character is “asking for it” by stupid behavior, 
  such as being very drunk, walking alone at night, or venturing 
  into a neighborhood where his race earns him a reaction 
  penalty (p7). Any two of these might induce idle toughs to 
  rob a PC (1 in 6 chance per hour). All three at once—a lone 
  drunk in the wrong part of town—makes it nearly certain: 1 
  in 6 chance per turn at night, and 1 in 6 per hour even during 
  the day. Such confrontations are of two types: Muggings and 
  stick-ups, with the referee choosing the one to which the 
  PC looks more vulnerable. If the victim is drunk, roll 1d4 
  and apply it as a penalty to all his d20 rolls, or use Detailed 
  Drinking (p23).
  Mugging: A brawny thief sneaks up to knock the 
  character unconscious from behind. The PC attempts to roll 
  his Intelligence or less on a d20. If he succeeds, he notices 
  the thief, who runs away; on a 1–2 out of 6, the fleeing thief 
  surprises the intended victim and gets away clean. If the PC 
  fails the INT check, the thief attacks from behind with a sap, 
  taking a total of +5 to hit and doing 1d4+1 damage, doubled. 
  If the damage brings the PC to 0 or less, he is knocked 
  out; at the referee’s option, any damage gives a chance of 
  unconsciousness (Subdual damage, AEC142). The thief 
  quickly rifles a fallen victim’s pockets, with a 1 in 4 chance 
  to find any hidden treasures. Three-fourths of sap damage is 
  temporary, so if the PC has taken total damage equal to four 
  times his hit points, he is dead. Otherwise he wakes up in 2d6 
  turns with a sore head. Mugger: T1, AC 5, 6 hp, +1 to hit and 
  damage for STR; sap, 2d6 gp; Morale 8; XP 15.
  Stick-up: A masked man (T1, AC 6, 5 hp, knife 1d4; 
  4d6–4 gp; XP 10) steps out in front of the PC, brandishing 
  a knife and demanding money. 1d3 thugs (F0, AC 8, 4 hp, 
  fists 1d2+1, 75% temporary; 1d4–1 cp; Morale 6; XP 5) step 
  behind the PC at the same time. If the PC hands over a purse 
  of coins, or his visible jewelry, the thieves take it and run. If 
  he resists, they fight. If one of the zero-level thugs drops, 
  any others make a morale check. If the thief falls, the thugs 
  automatically flee.
  RANDOM PICKPOCKET
   d6 
  Dipper 
  Success 
  Failure 
  Seen 
  Caught
   1 
  Urchin 
  01–25 
  26–50 
  51–56 
  57–00
   2–5 
  Thief 
  01–43 
  44–86 
  87–92 
  93–00
   6 
  Halfling thief 01–48 
  49–96 
  97–98 
  99–00
  LIFE IN LESSERTON
  
  14
  JUSTICE
  Enforcing the law in Lesserton is a tricky task. Anything 
  that separates a visitor from his coins helps the city survive, 
  yet the customer must be willing and able to return another 
  day. The current Chief of the Watch, Byce Songbelay, recently 
  started his third five-year term due to skillful balancing of 
  his constituents’ needs. He and his men administer one set 
  of rules for human and halfling Lessers and another for 
  everyone else.
  As conflicts arise, the Watch often settles them on the 
  spot, levying fines in preference to force or imprisonment. 
  Money talks, but the outsider who offends against a respectable 
  Lesser can expect little sympathy; the Guards tend to believe 
  the solid, tax-paying citizen before the wandering loner. 
  Financial disputes can cost the traveler significant money. 
  Acts of violence result in a visit to the Justice Building, with 
  sometimes dire consequences.
  THE WATCH
  The three Watch Captains each supervise a shift of 
  Guards. Day Watch runs from Morning Bell to Night Bell. 
  Night Watch runs from Night Bell to Morning Bell. The 
  confusingly-named Second Watch runs dusk to dawn, giving 
  double coverage at night.
  The Guards don’t make regular patrols unless they’ve 
  heard about potential trouble. Instead, they sit in well-lit posts 
  and wait for citizens to come to them or ring an alarm gong, 
  with one pair making desultory rounds when the weather 
  appeals. A shift consists of one four-Guard patrol, plus one 
  Sergeant, at each of the four Watch Stations.
  The Deputy Chief stays at Watch Headquarters (p30) 
  during the Night Shift, and often until noon or later, depending 
  on when the Chief decides to come in. The Chief works until 
  about midnight. Each has his own staff of four Guards.
  Guard (84): F1, AC 7 (padded armor & shield), 7 hp, 
  Move 40', sap, short sword
  Sergeant (21): F2, AC 4 (chain mail & shield), 13 hp, 
  Move 30', long sword, shortbow
  Watch Captain (3): F3, AC 4 (chain mail & shield), 17 hp, 
  Move 30',  long sword, shortbow
  Deputy Chief of the Watch (1): F4, 22 hp, AC 2, Move 
  40',  chain mail +1, long sword +1, shortbow, STR 13 
  Chief of the Watch (Byce Songbelay): F5, AC 4, 25 hp, 
  AC 4, Move 40', sap, padded armor, long sword +2, ring of  
  protection +3, DEX 13, INT 13, CHA 16
  Alarm Gongs
  Any property owner can apply to receive a standard alarm 
  gong. If the Mayor’s folk consider the need “legitimate,” or 
  the applicant successfully bribes a petty official (p15), the 
  Watch delivers the gong and collects the official 10 gp fee.
  The gong is a convex bronze disc about two feet across, 
  hung on a sturdy frame. In the gong’s hollow back, metal 
  beads dangle on wires. Striking an alarm gong with anything 
  hard causes a distinctive, bright, shrill chime, audible from 
  a good distance. The local Watch Station sends men to 
  investigate, as detailed for each neighborhood.
  Signal Horns
  Only official institutions of the town command these 
  special, four-foot long horns. Coded blasts alert other town 
  authorities of the need for aid, the completion of secret tasks, 
  or emergencies. From Watch Headquarters, a dozen mounted 
  men, including one Sergeant, can reach any Watch Station or 
  section of the walls in 1d6+10 rounds.
  MILITIA
  In event of war, Lesserton can raise over 1,000 men, but 
  it takes months. When the Mayor declares military emergency, 
  he becomes Commander in Chief, the Chief of the Watch 
  becomes Colonel, and the Deputy Chief becomes Lieutenant 
  Colonel. At first, the town musters only 48 Guards led by 12 
  Sergeants, plus 12 mounted Guards with three Sergeants of 
  Cavalry. Another six Guard patrols become drill instructors; 
  in any month when they don’t fight, the town gains 132 
  soldiers and 10 Cavalry. Meanwhile, the town’s few veteran 
  halflings train their own race, producing 12 Slingers a month 
  plus leaders. After six months, the Militia is at full strength. 
  Further energies go into support and replacing losses.
  Infantry under Lt. Col. (F4): three Battalions under 
  Majors (F3); each with four Companies under Captains (F3); 
  each with three Platoons under Lieutenants (F2); each with 
  two Squads of 12 Privates (F0) under one Sergeant (F2) and 
  one Corporal (F1). 864 men plus 196 officers.
  Cavalry Company under the Captain of Cavalry (F3): 
  three Troops under Lieutenants (F2); each with 24 Troopers 
  (F1) and three Sergeants (F2). 72 horse plus 13 officers.
  Slinger Company (halflings) under the Captain of 
  Slingers (H3): three Platoons under Platoon Leaders (H2); 
  each with three Sections, each of eight Slingers (H1) under a 
  Sergeant (H2). 72 Slingers plus 13 officers.
  Bold PCs can achieve rapid advancement during wartime. 
  A party with non-humans may form a Special Missions Squad, 
  fleshing out the 12-man complement with NPCs.
  JUSTICE
  
  15
  BRIBES
  In old-school fantasy games, whenever an NPC might 
  abandon his duty and ignore his orders , the natural mechanism 
  is a morale check (LL47, LL56). The same rules apply when 
  the temptation comes, not from self-preservation, but from a 
  quiet offer of cash, goods, or services.
  Money or no, people don’t risk their lives or careers on 
  a bribe. A member of the Lesserton Watch might take a 
  cash inducement in a matter of judgment, but he wouldn’t 
  miscarry justice flagrantly, at least not in front of witnesses. 
  A clerk might be encouraged to move a PC’s job to the top 
  of the waiting list, but no one sits by and watches people steal 
  from his place of employment or wantonly destroy.
  For best results, the briber must show respect for the 
  target’s authority, indirectly suggest a course of action rather 
  than demand, and offer the bribe as a favor ostensibly 
  unrelated to the desired breach of duty. Tossing a purse at 
  a guardsman and sneering, “Leave us to our business, boy,” 
  likely results in arrest. Passing a few coins in a handshake with 
  a pleading look works better, or saying something like, “It’s 
  a shame to be discussing this in the street when it’s so hot 
  out. It’s much cooler in the beer cellar.” Should the briber’s 
  offense involve taking what is not his own, the property must 
  be returned; if that would be difficult, it must be shared with 
  the authority figure being bribed.
  If the referee rolls higher than the watch unit’s Morale on 
  2d6, the bribe is accepted. The senior person present takes 
  the offer and makes no reference to the transaction, saying 
  merely “Good day to you, sir.”
  Morale Check Modifiers for Bribery
  The briber wants the target to fail his Morale check, and 
  positive modifiers make that more likely. This differs from 
  a reaction roll, on which the PC wants the lowest possible 
  result. The magnitude of the dereliction sought changes the 
  morale check, and the modifiers below take the place of 
  the usual neighborhood intolerance penalty. Of course, the 
  referee may decide that bribes simply won’t work in certain 
  situations.
   
  Mod. 
  Briber...
   
  +2 
  Offers ten times the minimum amount
   
  +1 
  Offers double the minimum amount
   
  +1 
  Reaction roll modifier of +2 or higher
   
  –1 
  Assaulted someone, with no permanent damage
   
  –1 
  Orkin or half-elf bribing Watch member
   
  –1 
  Outsider, in a dispute with a Lesser
   
  –1 
  Reaction roll modifier of –2 or worse
   
  –1 
  Stole something worth more than 1 gp
   
  –2 
  Elf
   
  –2 
  Offended a shopkeeper or property owner
   
  –4 
  Offended a substantial citizen
   
  –8 
  Inflicted serious permanent injury
   
  –10 
  Killed someone
  On a modified result of less than 2, Guards charge the 
  character with attempted bribery, adding to the severity of his 
  sentencing for any other offense.
  Bribes and Local Relations
  Most successful merchants and proprietors have good 
  relations with the Watch, based not on cash payments but on 
  continuous cooperation. Guards can expect to pay bargain 
  prices for their meals and drinks, get served first, or receive 
  little extras. Sometimes, a Guard presumes too far and 
  generates resentment. Sergeants discourage such abuse of 
  privilege because it makes investigations much harder.
  MORALE AND MINIMuM BRIBES BY IMPORTANCE OF BRIBEE
  Watch unit 
  Other 
  Morale 
  Min. Bribe Non-cash Equivalent (examples)
  Guard 
  Clerk 
  8 
  2 gp  
  Pint of ale
  Pair of guards 
  Barkeep 
  9 
  3 gp  
  Bottle of wine
  Sergeant 
  Shop owner 
  9 
  5 gp  
  Personal services
  Sergeant with Patrol 
  Petty official 
  10 
  10 gp  
  Feast
  Deputy Chief 
  Brinkley’s clerk 
  11 
  100 gp  
  Invitation to high society event
  Chief 
  Magistrate 
  12 
  * 
   
  *
  * No one of such rank would risk his position except in the most extraordinary circumstances, and with Morale 12 they 
  need not even roll, regardless of modifiers. No amount of money would persuade such a leader to betray the town.
  JUSTICE
  
  16
  PUNISHMENT
  For minor offenses, locals get a lecture, confiscation of 
  any handy cash, and maybe a night in jail to cool off or sober 
  up. Outsiders get a heavy fine (4d6 x 10 gp) and kicked out 
  of town until the next day; repeat offenses, or inability to 
  pay, can result in a night in the stocks or even exile from 
  Lesserton for a year. Crude posters decorate the walls of the 
  Headquarters, showing the names and faces of banned folk.
  Imprisonment
  Upon taking a prisoner, the Watch manacles his hands and 
  feet, preventing movement at more than 10', and they drag 
  him to a holding cell in Watch Headquarters. If the offense 
  was violent, they also strip the prisoner naked, perform a 
  cavity search, and leave the manacles on while he’s in the cell. 
  Any cash carried vanishes; other possessions are held against 
  possible fines or confiscation, but whatever remains is usually 
  returned after any punishment concludes. If the offender 
  managed to make the Guards truly angry or frightened, they 
  may dole out a night of expert beating, reducing the prisoner 
  to 1 hp.
  Mort the Eel, Chief  Magistrate
  Mortimer Tofse, a thin, sour-faced Old Soul originally 
  from the town of Eel, takes the parochial prejudice of men 
  like the Chief and hardens it into a strict morality that he 
  considers self-evident. He powders his face stark white, to 
  avoid showing when he colors in anger, and greets every 
  story with the same rigid scowl.
  Hearings
  Hearings begin at Morning Bell, and proceed until 
  everyone imprisoned the day before has been processed. 
  Two Guards protect the Magistrate personally and two more 
  handle the prisoners. The Magistrate hears the complainant, 
  then the defendant, and then pronounces his judgment, 
  usually a fine. No one not directly concerned in a case may 
  speak to him; there are no lawyers or juries. Only five official 
  penalties are available: Fines, time in the stocks, confiscation 
  of property, exile from town, or death. PCs can attempt a 
  reaction roll to sway the judgment slightly, but the Magistrate 
  does not bend much. Even the best reaction won’t excuse 
  flagrant crime.
  Magistrate Tofse calculates a fine less by the seriousness 
  of the offense than by the apparent wealth of the parties: 
  enough to give the complainant some satisfaction or make 
  the defendant feel some pain, preferably both. The Magistrate 
  often reduces the award for any blameworthy behavior on 
  the complainant’s part, declares that the complainant owes 
  the defendant, or charges a fine to one or both parties for 
  wasting the court’s time. He announces the amounts as so 
  many “coins”; the constables understand this to mean silver 
  pieces from locals, gold from outsiders. Petty matters run 
  about 2d4 x 10 coins; acts of theft require restitution plus a 
  penalty of 2d6 x 10%. A thief who cannot pay receives time 
  in the stocks instead, a potentially dangerous fate. The town 
  does not use long-term imprisonment, as it costs too much.
  Inflicting a scar or the loss of a toe, finger, or teeth falls 
  into the category of impoliteness and results in a fine of 1d4 x 
  100 coins. Inflicting more serious, permanent injury generally 
  bankrupts the offender. Unless he can convince Tofse of a 
  compelling justification, the town confiscates his property, 
  keeps a “fair share,” and awards the rest to the injured party, up 
  to 2d6 x 100 gp. In this matter, even locals pay gold. Offenders 
  without means receive two days in the stocks; sometime during 
  the night, friends of the injured tend to appear and afflict 
  the prisoner with the exact injury he caused. The temptation 
  to extract “interest” is great but tradition urges restraint. 
  Somehow the Guards never catch these vengeful folk.
  Killing and Execution
  Killing falls into three categories.
  Justifiable homicide is no crime. Lesserton Magistrates 
  almost always hold it justified to kill someone entering your 
  home by night or threatening deadly force. Other stories have 
  an uphill climb to avoid a judgment of murder.
  Manslaughter is blameworthy but involves mitigating 
  circumstances, such as causing accidental death. Manslaughter 
  is punished with total confiscation of property, and an 
  outisder also gets banished from Lesserton for one year.
  Murder means deliberate killing without a compelling 
  justification. The penalty is death. The defendant receives one 
  week to make his defense, working from a jail cell and asking 
  friends or employees to gather evidence and testimony. Ratso 
  Whizzle (p58) shows up the day after any condemnation to 
  offer his services; he gets many investigation jobs this way.
  Before execution, wealthy defendants secretly receive an 
  opportunity to make extremely substantial contributions to 
  the town and escape during the night. Since the town already 
  intends to confiscate the condemned’s known property, 
  the bribe must be not only large but something otherwise 
  unavailable, such as contributions by friends and relations. 
  It takes tens of thousands of gold at the least to blind the 
  eyes of justice. Those who escape get their faces among the 
  “wanted” posters and the town pays the Blood Price. Even 
  the richest murderer faces execution should he ever return.
  JUSTICE
  
  17
  Execution Platform: Should the defense fail, constables 
  take the prisoner to the execution stand atop the town walls, 
  where a head-sized iron cage hangs from a sturdy chain. The 
  executioner, a masked Brute, lets the prisoner make a final rant 
  for as long as the crowd seems interested. Then he clamps the 
  cage around the prisoner’s head and cuts his throat. The cage 
  keeps the body upright while all the blood drains through 
  the slotted platform into the swamp, where scavengers await. 
  Then the executioner detaches the head with a huge pair of 
  bronze shears +1, which have acquired magical force through 
  decades of ceremonial use. The body goes to burial in the 
  swamp unless someone has paid for better treatment. The 
  head is folded into a sack, crushed, and burned to ashes under 
  constabulary supervision. Authorities believe that destruction 
  of the head prevents the body’s return, either as undead or 
  through life-restoring magic.
  The Blood Price: The town pays a blood price to 
  a murder victim’s spouse or oldest child, if such folk exist 
  in town: 100 gp per month for 12 months, funded by the 
  defendant’s property where possible. At the end of the 
  year, or if the recipients move out of town, the matter is 
  considered settled.
  LIFE EXPERIENCE
  To encourage players to explore all that Lesserton has to 
  offer, and to give characters more dimension than a set of 
  combat statistics, PCs earn experience for living it up. Each 
  gold piece or equivalent spent in pursuit of happiness earns 
  the character 1 XP, above and beyond the experience earned 
  by acquiring the money in the first place. The referee may 
  modify the XP award, of course, or deny it altogether for 
  utterly cynical and uninteresting exploitations of this rule.
  Typical ways to “get your money’s worth” in Life 
  Experience include gambling, searching for adventure, looking 
  for love, paying for entertainment, throwing enormous 
  celebrations, or simply living well. Coins spent gathering 
  rumors or paying informants also count, though not those 
  simply given away for no reason.
  Scholarly sorts can gain XP from spending money 
  on research, so long as the subject matter is abstruse and 
  impractical: cataloguing lepidoptera counts, but not learning 
  fireball. Tithes and donations to the Temple of Law or other 
  religious institution earn XP where not required by character 
  class. Any expense with no practical benefit can count, if 
  the referee considers it a sincere piece of roleplaying that 
  entangles the player with NPCs, Lesserton, and useful 
  adventure hooks.
  Limits of  Life Experience
  As a rule of thumb, Life Experience and carousing 
  should not earn a PC more than 100 XP times his current 
  level, per month. Furthermore, no more than half the XP 
  required for a new level can come from these rules. Variety 
  and pleasant living may expand a character’s horizons and 
  complement his studies and quests, but it’s no substitute. The 
  referee can allow slightly more XP in exceptionally amusing 
  circumstances.
  LIvING WELL
  Simply surviving runs about 1 gp per day; see “Cost of 
  Living,” p7. Should a character choose to spend his hard-
  earned loot on living better than necessary, he enjoys life 
  more fully, and that means XP. Unless the referee objects, all 
  such expenditure earns 1 XP per gp spent. The player should 
  specify where the PC sleeps, eats, and drinks, and account 
  for the expense. Luxurious businesses expect their clients to 
  display good grooming and appropriate clothes, which adds 
  to the cost.
  Luxury establishments include the Platinum Pegasus 
  (p43), with its restaurant and bar; the Parloury (p42); the 
  Rooster (p44); the Sign of the Boar restaurant (p44); Sign 
  of the Kobold clothiers (p44); and the pleasant company at 
  Bantam House (p46).
  GAMBLING
  Some 
  establishments 
  host 
  frequent gambling sessions. Player 
  characters can win money in such 
  games, or more often lose it, but 
  gain Life Experience either way. At the end of a play session, 
  characters earn 1 XP for each gp of net gain or loss due 
  to gambling; in other words, breaking even gives 0 points. 
  Gambling XP is in addition to points from originally earning 
  or finding the money.
  “High risk, high gain” could qualify as a motto for Lessers 
  and their adventurous visitors, and almost every one of them 
  loves gambling. The commonalty adore the creepy action of 
  the ’pede races at the Myriadrome (p55). Educated folk bet 
  on chess matches; many Lessers play checkers, backgammon, 
  and nine men’s morris, always for a coin or two at least. Fidelis 
  Fighting Dogs (p53) holds shady after-hours dog duels, and 
  the locals who control the Field of Truth (p26) stage frequent 
  bouts of bloody fisticuffs. The town also enjoys three unique 
  games: Tosspottle, Blind Painters, and Quist.
  LIFE EXPERIENCE
  
  18
  GAMBLING GAMES OF LESSERTON
  The mechanisms give abstract results, not actual rules.
  Tosspottle
  Equipment: Bottles, chalk
  Type: Random
  Stake: 1 sp+, or 1 cp among boys
  Players: 3 to 20
  Time: One minute per toss
  A large playing area, called the map, is marked into 20 
  different scoring areas, often chalked on the street or floor. 
  Any number can play; each places his stake on one of the 
  spots. A person who is not betting, the “tosser,” faces away 
  from the board and throws a large clay jug over his shoulder. 
  Whoever bet on the space where the bottle lands in collects 
  all the stakes, with a tip to the tosser. If the bottle breaks, all 
  bets are off. If the bottle misses the map altogether, the tosser 
  must yield to another. The game requires no skill, except that 
  the tosser is often in cahoots with a player. Pros avoid it.
  Mechanism: Each player rolls a d20 to represent the 
  random toss of the jug. The bet pays off 10:1 to each player 
  who rolls a 20; on a 1, the bottle breaks, and all bets are off.
  Cheating: Collusion, in which the tosser tells a player 
  ahead of time how he will aim and they share any profits. 
  An aimed toss is a missile attack against AC 0 to hit a certain 
  square, or AC 2 to avoid a particular square. A roll poor 
  enough to miss AC 9 misses the map completely and the 
  tosser’s turn is over. On a natural 2, an aiming tosser is caught 
  peeking and faces trouble.
  Blind Painters
  Equipment: Cards
  Type: Bluffing (CHA)
  Stake: 1 ep to 5 gp
  Players: 2 to 12
  Time: One turn per hand
  A workingman’s game of skill; a professional gambler’s 
  bread and butter. Players ante up and take turns dealing out a 
  deck of 36 cards, three to a player. The players consult their 
  hands in secret and choose one to reveal, then each must 
  decide how much to bet on his own hand ranking highest. 
  Then each shows a second card, followed by a second round 
  of bets. In either round, a player who doesn’t match the 
  highest bet must fold. A player who runs out of money is 
  out as well. The pots can get quite high. Variations include 
  “Anchors,” with a shared fourth card face up in the middle, 
  and “Triples”: three rounds with four players, dealing each 
  new hand from the remaining deck instead of shuffling 
  (adding card-counting strategy).
  Mechanism: Each player rolls 2d6 and adds the opposite 
  of his reaction roll modifier. A thief adds his +1 for his 
  training, and a non-human gets +1, as the other players have 
  trouble reading him. The lowest-rolling player loses the stake 
  amount. Other non-winning players lose the stake, plus an 
  additional coin for each point their roll exceeded the lowest. 
  The winner collects all the other players’ losses. For example, 
  in a 1 ep game, four players roll 4, 6, 7, 11. Respectively, their 
  fortunes change by –1 ep, –3 ep, –4 ep, +8 ep. Ties roll off, 
  the lower-rolling player losing an additional stake amount to 
  the winner.
  Cheating: Marked cards, sleight-of-hand. Punished by 
  on-the-spot violence.
  Blind Painters Deck: Four suits of 2–9, plus each has 
  an appropriately-named Ace. From high to low trump, with 
  Ace names: Magicians or Magic-Users (black Pentacles plus 
  the Witch), Priests or Clerics (red Hearts plus the Priestess), 
  Soldiers or Fighters (red Swords plus the King), and Merchants 
  or Thieves (black Staves plus the Mayor). Decks cost 2 gp.
  Quist
  Equipment: Cards
  Type: Counting (INT)
  Stake: 5 gp minimum
  Players: 4
  Time: One hour per hand
  The wealthy and stylish favor this complex game. It 
  requires exactly four players in two teams of two. Each player 
  receives a hand of 8 cards from a deck of 72. Communication 
  between partners is limited, but they bet on how many 
  cards they will collect between them. Then each of the 40 
  remaining cards is flipped over, each player puts a card on 
  top, and abstruse rules govern which player adds the card to 
  his score pile.
  Mechanism: One or two PCs can participate. If 
  matched with an NPC partner, the referee rolls 3d4+5 for 
  the partner’s Intelligence score. A magic-user adds +2 to 
  effective INT. Both partners on each side roll 3d6 + INT and 
  total the results. The difference between the results for each 
  side, multiplied by the stake, equals wins or losses.
  Cheating: Stacking the deck, or arranging secret signals 
  with a partner. A confirmed cheat loses much social status 
  and the right to collect outstanding gambling debts. The 
  proper folk will not play with him again.
  Quist Deck: 72 cards in six suits, each of 1–10 plus the 
  Balance (11) and the Wheel (12): Gold coins, gold stars, black 
  staves, black swords, red hearts, and red hands. “Short Quist” 
  uses only the 48 red and black cards, with 6 to each player. 
  Typical deck cost: 10 gp; up to 100 gp for beautiful versions.
  LIFE EXPERIENCE
  
  19
  SEARCHING FOR ADvENTURE,
  LOOKING FOR LOvE
  Adventurers often frequent drinkeries and the like in 
  search of rumors, tips, and jobs. Some also look for friendly 
  company. Each gathering place has its own chance of success 
  at these endeavors, based on the player’s attempt to roll the 
  character’s Charisma or less on a d20 (CHA check). Modifiers 
  vary by locale, and the neighborhood’s racial intolerance 
  penalty (p7) also applies.
  Adventure means anything that informs a future game 
  session, such as employment, useful rumors and clues, wrongs 
  that need righting, or a desperate stranger selling a mysterious 
  treasure for a pittance.
  Love includes any enjoyable interaction between mutually 
  attractive people, possibly no more than an extended flirtation. 
  In general, love can only be found with members of the same 
  race. Exceptions are up to the referee.
  On a natural 1, if successful, the result is immediate, and 
  may get the character thrown out. For example, a fight breaks 
  out (adventure), a dying man presses a map into the PC’s hand 
  (adventure), someone wants to make out in the back (love), 
  or an NPC becomes obsessed with the PC (love).
  Each Lesserton establishment where searching might 
  succeed lists modifiers and the cost per hour. Searching 
  happens at night only, taking 1d4+1 hours to check out each 
  spot. If the establishment closes, or the PC runs out of 
  money, before the required time elapses, the search fails. Each 
  night-spot can only be checked once a week for adventure and 
  once a week for love. To look for whichever comes along, the 
  character pays double cost per hour but can try both rolls at 
  once. Success at both probably means meeting someone who 
  is all kinds of trouble. Characters earn 1 XP for each gp spent 
  on these Searches, to the extent required by the rolls. This 
  Life Experience, of course, comes in addition to any points 
  from originally earning or finding the money.
  Mishaps: Optionally, a roll of 20 while searching for 
  adventure or love results in a Mishap (p20). If the roll also 
  succeeds, due to excellent odds, the mishap and the success 
  intermingle into a potentially complex situation. 
  Example: A human with CHA 10 goes out to try his luck 
  at finding something fun to do—searching for adventure. He 
  goes to Valnhalla (p30), a place with a reputation for wildness. 
  The player rolls 1d4+1 and finds that a search will take him 
  3 hours. Notes for Valhalla say that it’s open all night, costs 
  only 1d6 gp per hour, and has no penalty to searches, but 
  a roll made by 5 or less causes things to be slightly out of 
  control. Potential results for the PC’s d20 roll look like this:
   d20 Example Search for Adventure at Valnhalla
   
  1 
  Instant trouble. Brawl breaks out.
   2–4 Success! Find an adventure seed.
    5–10 Success by 5 or less: Pickpocket or fight.
   11–19 Failure.
   
  20 
  Mishap!
  CELEBRATIONS
  Characters can arrange food, drink, and entertainment for 
  many people over a period of hours or days. While expensive, 
  parties can aid the giver socially and, to an extent, earn him 
  XP. The minimum expenditure to create an enjoyable party 
  varies by character level, as shorthand for his increasing 
  resources and rising standards. The party can occur in a 
  rented establishment, such as Valnhalla, or under a tent in the 
  Market Square or outside the walls. Roughly speaking, each 
  2 gp spent covers an evening’s basic entertainment for one 
  guest. Spending more per guest makes a party more lavish. 
  Those with pretensions to wealthy society spend at least 10 
  gp per guest and often much more. “Heartiness” comes from 
  the total spent, regardless of number of attendees.
  Life Experience bonus is limited to one day of partying 
  per month. At the referee’s discretion, a PC can “save up” 
  his party days and do a multi-day blowout. The referee might 
  also award bonus XP, perhaps 5% or 10%, if the player goes 
  into enjoyable detail about the party planning, guest list, 
  entertainments, and so on.
  Party Cost per Evening 
  Heartiness 
  Modifier
  5 gp x level 
  Lame 
  –4
  10 gp x level 
  Tame 
  –2
  25 gp x level 
  Good time 
  0
  50 gp x level 
  Party 
  +2
  100 gp x level 
  Madness 
  +4
  Party Fouls: Similar to Mishaps but more extreme. 
  During each party, the sponsoring PC rolls a d20 and adds the 
  heartiness modifier. If the total exceeds his Wisdom, things 
  got out of hand. The referee chooses a result, or rolls 3d6 on 
  the chart on p21, at –1 per day of party beyond the first.
  Searching at Parties: PCs other than the host can use 
  parties as a way to search for adventure or love. The party 
  doesn’t “close” until the host says so, or his supplies run out, 
  or the Watch comes, or at least 2d6 hours elapse. Even after 
  the celebration ends, a character can try to keep an after-party 
  going, while he pays the Party Cost to determine Heartiness 
  and risks his own Wisdom roll to avoid a Party Foul.
  LIFE EXPERIENCE
  
  20
  MISHAPS
  Unpredictable outcomes while searching for adventure or love. Roll 3d6 and add Wisdom modifier.
   3d6± Result
   < 3 Backstabbed! The PC takes 1d4+2 damage, doubled. He doesn’t get a good look at his attacker. If the PC dies 
  alone, all his valuables are taken, and the Watch investigates.
   
  3 
  Beaten and rolled while unconscious. The PC is reduced to 1d3 hp and everything he carried is gone.
   
  4 
  Rolled while passed out drunk. Everything the PC carried is gone, and he is Badly Hungover.
   
  5 
  Robbery! See Muggers, p13.
   
  6 
  Sordid aftermath. The PC must save vs. poison or contract a social disease. Details are up to the referee, but 
  may include a +1 reaction penalty due to facial rash, a debilitating fever giving a penalty of 1d4 on all d20 
  rolls for 2d4 days, or a persistent discomfort imposing –1 DEX for a month. 
   
  7 
  Brawl! Immediate combat with 1d4+1 0-level locals. Each has AC 9 and 4 hp. Fists do 1d2 damage; a mug or 
  bottle does 1d3, and a stool does 1d4; 75% of all damage is temporary. If the PC falls unconscious and has 
  no friends present, the locals take his money and he gets no carousing XP for it. If the PC wins, he gets 5 
  XP for each foe. Allies who join in each draw another 1d3 locals into the mix. Using a knife, broken bottle, 
  or other deadly weapon results in calls for the Watch.
   
  8 
  Debt! The character blows all cash carried, earning XP for it. In addition, Lenny Longshanks, halfling bookie, 
  holds the character’s IOU for 50 gp x level. The PC gets XP for this money only when it is paid off. Lenny 
  will charge vigorish-level interest of 10% per day, but only the original debt counts for XP.
   
  9 
  Drunk and disorderly. PC is imprisoned and his cash is gone, but his other possessions are waiting for his 
  release, which requires paying a fine of 1d20 x 10 gp.
   
  10 
  Busted. The Watch imprisons the PC and confiscates his cash, but his other possessions await him on release. 
  In the morning, the Eel sentences him to a day and a night in the stocks for assault. His memory of events 
  is hazy, but folk he offended or assaulted may try to take revenge.
   
  11 
  Epic drunk. 1 hp damage, –25 gp x level with XP earned, Badly Hungover for one day, and Hungover for 
  another day.
   
  12 
  Good morning! The PC wakes up in a strange bed with someone he probably would not have chosen while 
  sober. Hungover, –2d6 gp per level with XP, and the referee makes a reaction roll to see how the new 
  acquaintance feels about the PC in the cold light of day. On a roll of 12, the acquaintance is not angry, but 
  panicked, as an angry spouse or paramour may show up any second.
   
  13 
  Badly Hungover for one day. –2d6 gp x level, with XP.
   
  14 
  Hungover for half the day. –1d6 gp x level, with XP.
   
  15 
  Tavern hero. The PC distinguishes himself as a generous, brave, or amusing companion. He is always welcomed 
  back to that establishment. –2d6 gp x level, with XP.
   
  16 
  New gambling buddies. The PC loses 20–INT gp, but gains XP for the loss and can now always find a game.
   
  17 
  Gambling winnings of 25 gp x level, with XP.
   
  18 
  Gotcher back! The PC took a stranger’s side in a confrontation. He gains a new Contact (PGL12).
   > 18 In addition to winning 50 gp x level at gambling, with XP, the PC wins an unusual prize: a treasure map, strange 
  artifact, deed to a distant property, or something similar.
  Hungover: –1 on initiative, rolls to hit, and saving throws, in addition to any other penalties.
  Badly Hungover: –2 on initiative, rolls to hit, and saving throws, in addition to any other penalties.
  LIFE EXPERIENCE
  
  21
  PARTY FOULS
  unpredictable outcomes while hosting major celebrations. Roll 3d6, –1 per extra day of  partying in a row.
   3d6± Party Foul
   
  ≤1 
  “It’s made from honey!” The PC innocently ingested a dose of Wild Honey (RGM7). He must roll his WIS or 
  less on a d20 or seek out more honey the next day, with a new WIS check after each dose. After as many 
  doses as half his CON,  he becomes addicted.
   
  2 
  “I accept!” Somehow, the PC offended a respected local with pretensions to upper class ways. The duel is set for 
  the Field of Truth (p26) on the next full moon (1d20+1d10 days). The PC is expected to pick a single type 
  of melee weapon and pay 50 gp in advance for use of the Field. The local then sends his second to find 
  out who the PC’s second is and try to settle the matter without violence. If the PC refuses, the duel must 
  go on, usually to first blood. If the PC is willing to negotiate, the referee makes a reaction roll for the local. 
  On a 2 or less, the local lets the matter drop. On a 3–5, he will drop it if the PC publicly apologizes. On a 
  6–8, he demands an apology and damages of 100 gp x the PC’s level. On a 9–11, he demands satisfaction 
  by duel. On a 12+, he increases the stakes by demanding a duel to the death. Failure to show, or cheating, 
  brands the PC a coward, imposing +1 to all reaction rolls in town for 1 year.
   
  3 
  “Don’t look now.” The PC greatly annoyed a named NPC, either the proprietor of the establishment where the 
  party was held or another prominent citizen. This person bans the PC and his associates from his premises 
  and becomes a social Enemy (PGL12).
   
  4 
  “Congratulations!” Sometime in the night, the PC apparently got engaged to be married, with plenty of 
  witnesses. The prospective spouse is a member of the PC’s race, of a sort rolled on the Individual, Type 
  chart on p5. He or she is excitedly planning a big wedding; the prospective in-laws make a reaction roll.
   
  5 
  “Nobody move!” Two Sergeants and eight Guards of the Watch (p14) charge into the celebration to arrest 
  everyone present. Any given NPC guest has a 1 in 6 chance to escape the dragnet, but all PCs face 
  imprisonment and fines for disturbing the peace, harboring unlicensed prostitutes, abetting Wild Honey 
  abuse, and corrupting minors. If the PCs fight the Watch and win, they have to flee town for good. If 
  they submit, all cash carried goes to the town, and they must face Mort the Eel (p16). Likely sentence:  
  1d6 x 5 gp fine for each guest; 2d4 x 25 gp fine for the party-giver plus two nights and a day in the stocks.
   
  6 
  “Watch your back.” A gang of toughs took offense and now they look for every chance to jump the PC and  
  his friends.
   
  7 
  “Busted!” The watch breaks up the party and claps manacles on the person they think responsible. All cash 
  on hand goes to the town; other possessions await sentencing: probably a night in the stocks and a fine of  
  50 gp x level.
   
  8 
  “Your bill, sir.” Expenses ran high, what with paying for broken furniture, approving the opening of barrel after 
  barrel of wine, and tipping that wonderful dance troupe that came out of nowhere. The PC spent 1d6 x 
  10% more than intended, but earns XP for it. If he doesn’t have the money, he gets no XP for the extra 
  and owes the balance to someone at 10% daily interest. When he pays off the debt, the original principal 
  earns XP.
   
  9 
  Roll 1d6+2 and consult the Mishaps chart.
   
  10 
  “It’s bad luck just seeing a thing like that!” During the festivities, someone stabbed, poisoned, or robbed 
  someone else, and the PC and many of his guests saw it. The culprit escaped and the Watch leans on the 
  PC to help track him down or take the blame.
  [continued on next page]
  LIFE EXPERIENCE
  
  22
  PARTY FOULS continued
   
  11 
  “A bet’s a bet.” Someone challenged the PC to accomplish a dangerous task in the Ruins, and he bet 1d4 x 250 
  gp x level that he would do it within one week. The task might be to discover a rumored location, slay a 
  particular monster, or retrieve a certain artifact.
   
  12 
  Roll 1d6+7 and consult the Mishap chart, p20.
   
  13 
  “Nice ink.” The PC awakes with a cheap bandage on a sore spot. Underneath he finds a new tattoo, either 
  someplace highly visible or someplace highly embarrassing. The referee can roll a random monster for 
  subject matter, make something up, or consult the Motifs table in All the Treasures of  the World: JEWELS, 
  from Faster Monkey Games™.
   
  14 
  Roll 1d6+12 and consult the Mishap chart, p20.
   
  15 
  “That’s my boy!” A Cohort of Locals (p5) enjoyed themselves greatly at the PC’s expense and now consider 
  him a fine fellow. The PC can call on them for a minor favor.
   
  16 
  “Release the vermin!” The PC gains ownership of a centipede stable, with 2d4 beasts, 1d3 staff, and 3d6 x 100 
  gp owed to the Myriadrome (p55) in back fees.
   
  17 
  “A token of esteem.” In gratitude for something—protection from bullies, prestige by association, or just a 
  good time—a well-off local gives the PC a potion, randomized from the list at Closet of the Xorn (p49).
   
  18 
  “This is the start of a beautiful friendship.” The PC meets a highly sympathetic NPC and gains a valuable 
  Contact (PGL12).
  DRINKING PROBLEMS
  Save vs. poison for each drink, with these modifiers:
  STR modifier
  	
  CON modifier
  	
  If currently damaged, use largest penalty below:
  	
  Any hp damage: –1
   
  ³
  Currently at 75% or less of full hp: –2
   
  ³
  Currently at 50% or less of full hp: –4
   
  ³
  Currently at 25% or less of full hp: –6
   
  ³
  Dwarf: +1
  	
  Half-elf: –1
  	
  Elf: –2
  	
  Female: –1
  	
  Each previous drink in the last hour: –1
  	
  Unused to alcohol: –4 (penalty reduced by 1 per 
  	
  drunken session, to 0)
   
  For each failed save, roll 1d12 plus the number of drinks 
  taken in the last six hours. Effects last as many hours after 
  the last drink as the total number of drinks taken.
   d12+ 
  Drunkenness Effect
   1–3 
  Pleasant relaxation
   4–6 
  –2 to Dexterity, –2 to hit
   7–8 
  –2 to Wisdom, –2 on saving throws
    9–10 
  –2 to Intelligence; +10% chance to forget a 
  memorized spell just before casting it
   11–12 Roll WIS or less on a d20 or procure and 
  consume another drink at once.
   
  13 
  Feeling friendly! Reaction roll modifier 1d4–2.
   
  14 
  +1 temporary hp
   
  15 
  Fall asleep
   
  16 
  Save vs. poison or throw up; –1 on next roll
   17+ 
  Save vs. poison or fall unconscious for  
  20–CON hours
  LIFE EXPERIENCE
  
  23
  DETAILED DRINKING
  On rare occasions, the referee may wish to chronicle  
  drink-by-drink details of an inebriation session, for example 
  if the imbibing occurs during delicate negotiations, or just 
  before a surprise combat. In those cases, or when players find 
  it amusing, the rules below provide a variety of effects.
  A drink of alcohol equals roughly one pint of beer or ale, 
  or a glass of wine, or a shot of hard liquor. Strong ale counts 
  as 1.5 drinks per pint. After each drink, the character must 
  save vs. poison. See “Drinking Problems,” p22.
  On a failure, roll 1d12 on the Drunkenness Effect chart, 
  at +1 per drink taken in the last six hours. Effects kick in 
  fully within 1d6–1 minutes, and persist, even while the drunk 
  sleeps, for as many hours as drinks taken. Thus having 10 
  drinks causes lingering effects for 10 hours after the last drink, 
  in addition to any hangover. All effects are cumulative.
  Any result of 12 or more makes the character Hungover 
  the next day: –1 initiative, to hit, and saves until after lunch. 
  A second 12+ result extends the hangover until dinner time, 
  or until the character takes a single new drink. A third 12+ 
  makes the character Badly Hungover all day: –2 penalties.
  A character who falls unconscious before throwing up 
  must save vs. poison again. On a failure, he throws up semi-
  consciously and passes out in a mess. On a 20, he moves 
  into normal sleep after 1 hour. On a 1, he chokes on his own 
  vomit, taking asphyxiation damage of 1 hp per round. If no 
  one clears his mouth, he dies after rounds equal to CON.
  ENTERTAINERS
  Countless folk attempt to make a living by performance, 
  and can be seen in public on market days, passing the hat. 
  A silver or two earns appreciation; for gold, the hat-passer 
  usually gives the donor a rousing salute. Sufficiently desperate 
  entertainers sometimes make a deal with pickpockets, who 
  work the crowd while the performers provide distraction.
  Some groups can be hired to perform at private 
  celebrations. For major holidays, an impresario may erect a 
  tent and present a variety of acts over two or three hours, 
  charging 1d6 ep for admittance.
  Sample Entertainers
  Crackpate Bill: This rag-clad street dweller eats anything 
  handed him. 1 sp for small objects; 1 gp and up for items 
  that must be broken apart and eaten in bits. Bill will take 
  any payment and agree to whatever is said, but will never 
  remember the discussion or show up to any planned event.
  Gershwina’s Exotica: Veiled dancing girls, directed by 
  the elderly martinet Madame Gershwina. 10 gp an hour per 
  team of four girls. Up to three teams available, each with an 
  unobtrusive Brute bodyguard.
  Iron-Throat Murphy and the Scamper Twins: 
  Murphy swallows swords and, in outdoor venues, breathes 
  fire; the twins juggle in colorful costumes and tell jokes.
   
  15 minutes, no fire: 15 gp
   
  20 minutes with fire: 25 gp 
  Master Cork’s Valnwallers: Acting company.
  The Perfidy of  the Wood Elf  King,  
   
  
  An Edifying History
   
  45 minutes, cast of 8: 35 gp
   
  30 minutes, cast of 4 to 6: 20 gp
  The Tragedy of  the Sea Queen
   
  
   
  45 minutes, cast of 8: 35 gp
   
  First or Second Half, 20 minutes, cast of 5: 20 gp
   
  Adults-only version, 60 minutes, cast of 8: 80 gp
  Clever Tomas and the Orkin Chiefs
   
  
   
  30 minutes, cast of 5: 20 gp
   
  15 minutes, cast of 2 or 3: 15 gp
  Old Mor Quartet: Slow, instrumental music for formal 
  events. 100 gp per hour.
  The Plangent Stars: Group of five musicians playing 
  lively folk songs. 5 gp per 30 minutes. Food and drink 
  appreciated.
  Skreeling Circus: Master Scarify leads his performing 
  rats through leaps and stunts. 10 minute set, 5 gp.
  The Seven Tumbling Bumble Brothers: Seven halflings 
  in white makeup and putty noses, attempting acrobatic stunts 
  with seeming determination, but failing again and again in 
  comical pile-ups. 20 minutes, 4 gp.
  Tom Rhymer: Curiously-dressed man plays the flute, 
  does a stamping dance, and improvises funny ditties on topics 
  suggested by the audience. Passes the hat, but not for hire.
  PROFESSIONAL COMPANIONSHIP
  Pleasant company is a luxury, because characters can 
  survive without it. Certain characters have no qualms about 
  spending money on companionship; for them, it increases 
  their breadth of experience and thus earns XP. Others will 
  prefer to avoid such transactions. Interested characters can 
  seek out alley cats (p9), or look for rumors (p10) until they 
  hear about one of the established houses: Apacius Relaxing 
  Massage (p30), Bantam House (p46) for high rollers, or Fat 
  Fanny’s (p52) for those without over-nice standards.
  LIFE EXPERIENCE
  
  24
  SHOPS AND  
  ESTABLISHMENTS
  The establishments below appear organized by the five 
  neighborhoods of Lesserton, plus a few outside the walls. 
  Each institution displays its own quirks, but they share certain 
  common details. As appropriate, each lists the Proprietor and 
  other staff, a description of premises and services, the Rates 
  or list of items for sale with number in Stock, the availability 
  of any Gambling, the prospect of finding Hirelings, the 
  results of attempts at Robbery, the suitability of Searching 
  for adventure and love, and an Adventure Seed for use by the 
  referee. Certain public buildings instead indicate the Facilities 
  available and the Complement of armed men and officials.
  OUTSIDE THE WALLS  .  .  .  .  .  . p26
  THE FIELD OF TRUTH     The Circle-Keepers
  GLORY ROAD     
  TONIC AGENTS
  GATEWAY PLAZA   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . p27
  The main gate and a small plaza just within.
  GATE AND WALLS
       Main Gate
       The Town Bell
  HENGST’S HORSEFLESH     Hengst
  THE JUSTICE BUILDING
       Mayor’s Office     Mayor Chad Wilson
       Justiciary Public     “Mort the Eel”     
       Town Vault
  LESSERTON WATCH HEADQUARTERS      
  Chief  Byce Songbelay
    
  Stocks
  VALNHALLA     “King” Rakamond
  MARKET SQUARE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . p30
  Busy square with established shops on all sides. 
  Additional businesses include a large haylot, a timber 
  clearinghouse, a barber, two shoemakers, a cooper 
  with water wagons, and many carts of  scraggly garden 
  produce for about a copper the pound.
  APACIUS RELAXING MASSAGE     Apacius Rolf 
  THE EXCHANGE:
       Brinkley’s Assurety Trust     Magnus Brinkley
       Fox & Dog Lapidary     Virgil Sand
       Shawm Coinery
       Sign of the Iron Star     Deli Ambiasson
  HORNFIXER’S EMPORIUM FOR THE PRUDENT     
  Sammish Hornfixer, Klaus Rollbarrel
  LANKWILER SILVERSMITH     Bonton Lankwiler
  LESSERTON ALEHOUSE     Burt Sumpter
  LESSERTON NAG LOT     Bruce Canebraker, Mungo Beans
  MADAM PEARL’S CROSS-EYED PALM     Madam Pearl
  THE PLATONIC ORDER     Master Scribe Ptolemus Binfane, 
  Master Zorus Bang, Mistress Punctilia Whippet, Father Bippin 
  Moreso, Master Malcolm Twiddle
  SATO FIDDLETON, SIGNS CARVED CHEAP 
  “Sapper” Fiddleton
  THE SHROUD OF STEEL     Viktor Sarkoli
  SIGN OF THE BUTT     Narsy Nightshade
  SLATER’S GENERAL STORE     The Slaters
  THE THIRSTY BLADE     Gladsome Muskox
  TOLLMAN SHOE BARN     “Gimp” Tollman
  WATCH STATION (MARKET SQUARE)
  WENTON’S INN AND YARD     Jasmine Blakely-Wenton
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS
  
  25
  THE HEIGHTS   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . p41
  Cramped area of  about 50 fine townhouses.
  CARLOS PAINFEATHER, AUTHOR
  THE PARLOURY     Ratch Gordon, Sebastian Valish
  THE PLANNERS GUILD     Ras Everburn, Robert Plumb, 
  “Pick” Grouser, Lally Bilgedodge
  THE PLATINUM PEGASUS 
  Blake Swenson, Rickhardt Ebersoul 
  The Pinion & Wingfeathers  Chef  Wiggums Knob, Fats Palisair 
  Forester Greelwood, Genius
  THE ROOSTER     Glim Sanders, Tully Swenson
  SIGN OF THE BOAR     Chef  Pechum Coronas
  SIGN OF THE KOBOLD     Madam Sousa Blakely
  THE SPRIGHTLY SPRINTERS OF FAR IRLLENDOM      
  Sir Aglet Honeyweed
  TRANG’S OF DOLMVAY     Chef  Eli Larkin
  VALNWALL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY      
  Sir Untherous Plonk
  WATCH STATION (THE HEIGHTS)     Sgt. Wonk Nelson 
  CRUIKSHANKS  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . p46
  Endless alleys, boarding houses, and small homes where 
  most Lessers live. Additional businesses include men who 
  make shoes in their homes, women who sew or take in 
  laundry, roving carts selling rags and tin pots, and beer-
  counters catering only to residents of a particular block.
  BANTAM HOUSE     “Lady W”
  BURNSIDE ARMORY     Ranter Burnside
  CLEGHORNE’S UNIVERSAL KNOWLEDGIUM AND 
  BOOKATORY     Vince Cleghorne, Polly Hawkins
  CLOSET OF THE XORN     Cranford Banes
  DEREK GODSWORN, MASTER WOODCARVER
  HELM OF THE HOB     Sir Holt Fessenden
  KAPNER JOINERY     Master Carpenter Jas Kapner
  POTTLEBY OVENS     Lars and Markus Pottleby
  SWAMP GATE (SOUTHERN)
  TRACTS BY LURCKE     Evan Lurcke
  TROTTER HOUSE     Devin Lewis, Snickers
  WATCH STATION (CRUIKSHANKS)
  KINSWALLOW  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . p52
  A.K.A. “Kin’s Wallow”: Run-down area bordering the 
  western wall, where most non-humans live. Buildings 
  in disrepair; vacant lots; improvised shelters; seedy 
  boarding houses; large families in small dwellings.
  THE BRASS SHIELD     “Jimmy G” Gonfalard
  BUN SHACK     Rasser Frasser
  FAT FANNY’S HUMP HUT     Fanny Grupo
  FIDELIS FIGHTING DOGS     Jenko Eastminster
  GRONK MAKE SAUSAGE     Gronk
  HERMETIC LABORATORY OF DOCTOR EERIE     
  Dale Sanders
  JOBBER’S LOT
       Tilly’s Tea
  MAMA HAYBORN’S HOME AWAY FROM HOME     
  “Mama” Robinetta Hayborn
  THE MYRIADROME
  RITTER’S HOG PEN     Hank Ritter
  RUSSO’S TANNERY     Binky Russo
  SWAMP GATE (WESTERN)
  TASSO’S MUSEUM OF THE LIFELIKE     Tasso Plumb
  TEMPLE OF THE DIVINE PURPOSE      
  Grand Ecclesiarch Ezekiel Force
  WATCH STATION (KINSWALLOW)     Sgt. Elburr Sivap
  WENTON’S ORIGINAL INN AND YARD      
  Willy Wenton
  WHIZZLE RESEARCH     Ratso Whizzle
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS
  
  26
  OUTSIDE THE WALLS
  FIELD OF TRUTH
  Outside Lesserton’s main gate, a narrow trail splits off 
  from the Glory Road (see below) and meanders north along 
  the edge of the swamp. In about half a mile it reaches a flat-
  topped hummock of rocky soil about 100 yards in diameter. 
  A flimsy wooden fence encloses most of the surface, with a 
  hut at the entrance: the headquarters of the loose association 
  called the Circle-Keepers. Inside the fence, a thick trail of 
  whitewash on the ground marks a circle 200 feet in diameter; 
  in the center, a ragged spike of stark white stone juts 
  from the ground, six feet high. On close examination, the 
  immovable rock shows a face-like shape. Some say it’s an 
  imprisoned demon; some say the Circle-Keepers carved the 
  face themselves.
  Unknown even to the Keepers, the stone is merely a 
  projection from a huge underground chunk of rock, brought 
  physically down from the moon by great magicians serving 
  the old Barons of Mor. When the full moon shows in the sky, 
  the rock resonates with its parent body, nullifying all magic 
  within 33 yards of the rock spire. The whitewash marks the 
  border of this effect, which also extends up and down to form 
  a sphere in the air and ground. This is the Field of Truth. 
  Here the folk of Lesserton meet to settle matters of honor: 
  negotiations, transactions, formal duels, bloody brawls, and, 
  most commonly, pit fights. The Keepers know the moon’s 
  role, if not why it works, and obscure it with rituals and false 
  notions. A random night has a 1 in 10 chance to show the full 
  moon, and the exposure lasts for 1d12 hours.
  No spells or magic items work within the anti-magic shell 
  of the Field of Truth. The shell ends all temporary magics 
  and suppresses permanent ones. Potion effects, previously-
  cast spells, semi-permanent effects like continual light, conjured 
  animals, or animated dead: all such magics wink out, never to 
  return. Actual magic items regain their functions 1d4 rounds 
  after leaving the shell. The referee makes the call on spell 
  effects, but permanent alterations, such as polymorph or glass 
  like steel, are not undone. Creatures summoned from alien 
  planes of existence, such as elementals or demons, vanish 
  back whence they came. Such beings can sense the effect and 
  usually refuse to enter the Field. Immaterial beings encounter 
  the Field as a solid, impenetrable sphere of blackness.
  During daylight, no one attends the circle. On one night 
  in ten, the moon is right, and the Circle-Keepers arrive just 
  after dark: one first-level magic-user or cleric of the Coin 
  God, plus 1d4 Clever Sorts, 1d4 Old Souls, and 1d4 Brutes. 
  They charge a fee for passing within the fence, asking a 
  minimum of 20 gp for folks they know from town, and 2d6 
  x 50 gp from strangers. The price buys a demonstration of 
  the Field’s power (a ritual with a light spell) and an hour or so 
  in the Field. When the parties to a personal conflict consider 
  it serious and inevitable, they arrange to meet here, paying the 
  Circle-Keepers to appoint a time and perform the ritual that 
  supposedly kills the magic. The Keepers respect the privacy 
  of their customers and ignore whatever they do, so long as 
  they don’t mess with the white rock spire.
  Pit Fights
  About once a month, professional toughs gather to fight 
  for prize money. On those moonlit nights, the Guards at 
  Lesserton’s main gate open it up to let the crowds walk over 
  to the Field for midnight battles, and to readmit them in the 
  wee hours for 1 sp each, none of which goes into the town’s 
  coffers. At the Field, entry to the viewing area costs only 10 
  sp, but six armed Brutes prevent spectators from actually 
  crossing into the de-magicked zone. Characters can choose 
  to enter various types of fights, all unarmed, mostly settled 
  by the loser being knocked unconscious.
  Bracket Series: 1d4 x 4 fighters face off, with 
  	
  100 gp to the ultimate winner and 20 gp to the 
  runner-up. Entry costs 25 gp, usually put up by 
  a sponsor, who makes book on the sidelines. 
  Betting always runs heavy.
  Battle Royale: All comers may enter the ring, 
  	
  putting up 10 gp each and fighting until only one 
  remains standing, or the Keepers call a halt due 
  to the limits of the Field’s duration. 2d10+5 men 
  enter the Battle Royale, and the winner receives 
  5 gp per combatant. It’s not officially allowed, 
  but should someone jump into the ring in mid-
  battle, or be pushed, the crowd always demands 
  that the newcomer fight along with the rest.
  Challenge Match: Going one-on-one with a 
  	
  Brute offers a purse of 1d20 gp.
  Hirelings: At a pit fight, PCs can find 2d4 Porters, 1d4 Men-
  at-Arms, and 1d4–2 Veterans.
  Robbery: Considerable purses may accumulate, but the 
  Keepers travel as a group and pit fight nights necessarily host 
  many tough customers.
  Adventure Seed: Jimmy G (p52), or a Brinkley’s Bee holder 
  (p31), or another local hires the PCs as guards for a hostage 
  exchange. As tradition demands, the parties meet at the Field 
  of Truth. Characters learn about the Field, possibly losing 
  temporary enchantments (such as continual light items) in the 
  process. See also “Deadly Chances,” p61.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: OUTSIDE THE WALLS
  
  27
  GLORY ROAD
  Lessers apply this name to the muddy track leading 
  through swamps to the Ruins of Mor. Among themselves, 
  the use is ironic, even comical; when speaking to outsiders, 
  it’s a sales pitch.
  Adventure Seed: Bandits exact tribute from groups returning 
  from the Ruins. For an example, see “Misfortune & Glory” 
  (RGM26) in the Jade Temple adventure.
  TONIC AGENTS
  When the weather is dry, the Platonic Order (p36) posts 
  1d4 apprentices outside the town gate. Their job is to make 
  the first offer for any magic treasure brought to town by 
  adventurers, asking whether any is for sale. They make good 
  offers and pay with a Brinkley’s draft in less than an hour, 
  and direct anyone needing items identified to the Order’s 
  headquarters in Market Square. Items purchased never 
  reappear on the market, nor in anyone’s possession; what the 
  Order does with them, they do not discuss.
  GATEWAY PLAZA
  A few buildings line the paved plaza behind the gate. 
  No hawking of  wares permitted.
  GATE and WALLS
  The palisade walls of Lesserton lack fine construction. A 
  base of stone, earth, and rubble rises from the rocky ground 
  to an average height of five feet. Above that, straight logs 
  from the Alfpine forest are bound into a single-layer wall 
  ten feet high, with the traditional semi-sharp tops and the 
  bark still on. As sections fall victim to weathering and rot, the 
  Watch replaces them. No general hoardings or battlements 
  run along the wall.
  MAIN GATE
  The Main Gate looks tougher than the rest of the wall 
  put together. The Lessers retrieved a huge metal door from 
  the Ruins of Mor, twenty feet wide. The door gleams with an 
  unknown sheen and resists every attempt to scratch or mar 
  it. It takes four men four rounds to open or close. When the 
  gate shuts for the night, the Watch drops two heavy logs as 
  bars on the inside.
  Entering town, the visitor moves through a square twenty-
  foot wooden passage, watched through a pair of murder-holes 
  thirteen feet above. An ordinary double fence-gate across 
  the far end generally stands wide open, unless the Watch has 
  reason to hold someone in the gate-house for inspection. A 
  thirty-foot tower stands above the main gate, always manned 
  by lookout Guards. Two ballistae command the horizon. 
  In the sturdy, slate-roofed cupola atop the tower hangs the 
  Town Bell. Stairs run up one outside wall of the gatehouse, 
  with the tower on the other side. The railed platform between 
  is the roof of the gate-passage, with crossbows ready to fire 
  through the murder-holes as needed. Thick hides hang on 
  the wooden sides of the tower and gate-house, hindering the 
  risk of fire. In times of trouble, the Watch pours barrels of 
  rainwater on the hides for added protection.
  Getting in or out of town with the Main Gate closed is 
  illegal and somewhat challenging. Whenever the urchins of 
  Kinswallow find another crevice to slip through, the Watch 
  covers it over. Brave, stealthy folk can sometimes climb 
  the wall, but they risk a good beating if the Watch sees it 
  happen.
  In practice, the Main Gate is the only gate. In two other 
  spots, one in Cruikshanks and one in Kinswallow, the wall 
  contains “swamp gates”: wall sections that can drop open like 
  a drawbridge in emergencies. 
  Complement: Eight Guards in the tower, two on the 
  gatehouse roof, and two on the ground inside the gate. One 
  Sergeant in the tower or nearby, with a Signal Horn to call for 
  backup. Two ballistae in the tower (see below). Two crossbows 
  on the gate-house roof. The Main Gate also stands within 
  shouting distance of Lesserton Watch Headquarters. See p14 
  for more on Watch statistics.
  Toll: A pair of Guards at the gate-house collect a coin from 
  each person entering the town: generally silver, but a copper 
  suffices for the utterly downtrodden, while caparisoned folk 
  of quality, like most PCs, are asked for gold.
  Robbery: ’Twere madness to assault a dozen or more armed 
  guards in a fortification, but should a character manage to 
  abscond with the day’s gate receipts, they total 2d20 gp, 1d100 
  ep, 1d100 + 100 sp, and 1d100 cp.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: GATEWAY PLAZA
  
  28
  BALLISTA
  Rate of Fire:
   
  1/4 rounds with crew of 2 (usual)
   
  1/3 rounds with crew of 3
   
  1/2 rounds with crew of 4
  Range: 100' / 200' / 300'
  Attacks as: Fighter level equal to crew
  Damage: 2d8 hp, or 1d6 shp
  THE TOWN BELL
  In the cupola on the watch-tower, massive timbers 
  support the Town Bell: a giant, tongueless bronze dome 
  struck with a two-handed mallet. The Watch rings the town 
  bell five times each day: at dawn, at Morning Bell, at noon, at 
  sundown, and at Night Bell.
  Morning Bell sounds “halfway from dawn to noon” 
  (somewhere between 8 and 9 am) and signals the opening 
  of the Main Gate. Usually a group of people already waits 
  to come in: 2d4 groups of swamp-folk taking goats, pigs, 
  or vegetable carts to market, plus a 1 in 10 chance of an 
  adventuring party (p6) returned late from the Ruins.
  Night Bell sounds “halfway from sundown to midnight” 
  (about 9 pm) and the Main Gate shuts for the night. To be 
  out on the Glory Road or in the swamp and hear the Night 
  Bell means sleeping on the ground that night.
  A double stroke of the bell calls for the attention of the 
  whole town: a ceremony or execution about to start, a famous 
  hero or noble arriving or departing, or some other moment 
  of ritual importance.
  Three strokes means danger. At the very least, the 
  entire Watch turns out to see what’s happening, whether a 
  frightening group or creature spotted, a single building on 
  fire, or a crowd turning into a mob.
  Four or more strokes means disaster: invasion, a massive 
  fire, widespread riots, or the like. Lessers grab what’s at hand 
  and rush out of doors, quickly filling the streets, or else hide 
  in cellars or closets. Those with heroic aspirations may not 
  have to look far for a chance to attempt great deeds.
  HENGST’S HORSEFLESH
  Proprietor: Hengst
  Hengst is a gruff, massive orkin Brute with forbidding 
  fangs (+2 reaction penalty; bite for 1d3 damage). He won the 
  right to corral his beasts just off Gateway Plaza by providing 
  mounts to the Watch. Animals raised under his expert eye 
  get maximum hp on the first HD. He can train a mount to 
  its owner: 500 gp, one month, rider must be available 20 of 
  those 30 days; thereafter the rider gets +2 on any DEX checks 
  required while mounted. The mount also comes when called, 
  and the rider can teach it a new behavior with two weeks of 
  solid training (LL48). Hengst can also tame any exotic beast 
  if it is at least part horse: one month and 1,000 gp per hit die, 
  and the rider must be available 20 of the final 30 days.
   
  Beast 
  Stock 
  Price
   
  Mule 
  2d6 
  50 gp
   
  Pony 
  1d4 
  50 gp 
   
  Draft horse 
  2d6 
  60 gp
   
  Riding horse 
  2d4 
  120 gp
   
  War horses 
  1 in 2 
  500 gp
   
  Saddle & tackle 
  1d6+20 
  30 gp
   
  Stabling 
  3d6 stalls 
  1 gp per night
   
  Vehicle 
  Stock 
  Price
   
  Erasmus Wagon 1d4–1 
  250 gp
   
  Maundycart 
  1d3–1 
  150 gp
  Pony: MV 180' (45'), AC 6, HD 1+1, Saves 0 lvl human, 
  Morale 5, XP 15. Move 120' with up to 150 lbs., 60' with up 
  to 300 lbs.
  Erasmus Wagon: Also known as a “plebe-haul,” this 
  large wagon has four heavy wheels, the front two on a 
  steerable axle. It tends to sink in mud and cannot navigate 
  the tight quarters of most of town. The Erasmus runs on 
  country roads, in Gateway Plaza, or in Market Square only. 
  Move rate: 30' with two draft horses or four lighter animals 
  (donkies, ponies, mules, or riding horses); 60' with four draft 
  horses or six lightweights. Basic load: 2,250 lbs. Half move 
  with up to 4,500 lbs.
  Maundycart: This town cart has four lighter wheels 
  and can penetrate any neighborhood, usually with cargo, not 
  passengers. It uses two draft horses or four light animals, 
  moving at 60' with up to 400 lbs. or 30' with up to 600 lbs.
  Robbery: Hengst resists violently. 1d100 ep plus stock.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: GATEWAY PLAZA
  
  29
  THE JUSTICE BUILDING
  This impressive building contains the Mayor’s Office and 
  administrators, the Justiciary Public, and the Town Vault.
  MAYOR’S OFFICE
  Complement: Mayor Chad Wilson, two secretaries; Town 
  Comptroller Baxon James, secretary, number-scribe; Clerk 
  of the Rostrum, two junior clerks; two maids, one butler, 
  two runners. Two town Guards present during the day, one 
  at night. Wilson commutes to his well-guarded townhouse 
  in the Heights by carriage, with an escort of two mounted 
  Guard Sergeants and eight Guards.
  Facilities: Reception and waiting room; Mayor’s welcoming 
  chamber; Mayor’s inner office; Mayor’s secretarial workroom; 
  Town Comptroller’s workroom; Town Comproller’s inner 
  office; Clerk’s offices; hall of records; several hidden safes 
  with excellent locks (–20% to pick); servants’ chamber; 
  refectory; storage. Alarm gong and signal horn.
  The large-windowed upper story of the Justiciary houses 
  the offices of the Mayor of Lesserton: always a human male 
  of age 40 or more. The office imposes taxes, as determined 
  by the Town Comptroller with heavy input from the business 
  community. Should the Mayor’s office communicate its 
  preferences in a legal matter to the Justiciary, traditionally 
  the Magistrate gives the advice very serious consideration. 
  The Mayor can also vacate a judicial sentence by executive 
  proclamation, but unless it comes in response to popular 
  sentiment, such a serious act could endanger his reelection.
  The Mayor’s office also maintains a list of citizens, with 
  roughly 85% accuracy. The Clerk of the Rostrum edits the 
  list as needed. A person with a year’s residence and some 
  property or business in town can make application and be 
  added as a matter of course. Should a local need to prove an 
  outsider’s lack of citizenship for some reason, the absence of 
  his name on the rolls makes proof enough. Anyone on the list 
  has the right to vote for Mayor and Chief of the Watch every 
  five years, plus on occasional referenda. In theory, any male, 
  adult, human citizen can run for either office upon payment 
  of a 1,000 gp registration fee. In practice, a candidate not 
  already cozy with the power structure will lose, even if it 
  proves necessary for him to meet with an accident.
  JuSTICIARY PuBLIC
  Complement: Magistrate Mortimer “Mort the Eel” Tofse; 
  two auxiliary magistrates; four or more Guards; three clerks.
  Facilities: Public hearing room; holding cell; magistrate’s 
  offices; tunnel to Watch Headquarters.
  For more on crime and punishment, see p16.
  TOWN VAuLT
  Dug deep into solid rock under the Justice Building, the 
  Town Vault holds the civic wealth of Lesserton. Passing all 
  the guards, locked doors, and other security would make a 
  full dungeon adventure. Thick lead sheeting lines the entire 
  excavation, blocking most magic. The Comptroller has a 
  special key giving access to the Outer Vault, which holds 
  coins sufficient to most daily needs: ten stacks of 100 gp, 
  twenty stacks of 100 ep, one hundred small bags of 100 sp, 
  and a chest of 5,000 cp. Roughly 2d6 x 100 gp go in and 
  out in the day’s course; at day’s end, the Comptroller locks 
  his number-scribe in the Outer Vault until the man finishes 
  counting and sorting the money.
  The great door to the Inner Vault requires the 
  Comptroller’s key, plus a giant key kept in its own safe in the 
  Mayor’s office. A third lock consists of eight sliding brass 
  knobs in a complex pattern. Every time someone opens the 
  lock, the combination changes; the formula appears on a 
  scroll kept locked in a secret compartment in the Magistrate’s 
  chambers. Any incorrect attempt to open the door triggers 
  alarms and traps, including sleep gas and a number of 
  expensive symbol spells. It takes four strong men to move the 
  door. Within, an AnimAte iron StAtue (LL98) attacks after 1 
  round unless it hears certain code phrases. The Comptroller 
  places any unusual amounts or types of incoming loot in the 
  Statue’s chamber; when the big door closes, the thing knows 
  to open the equally tough final door and take the new loot to 
  its place. 
  Beyond, among more traps, chests hold at least 50,000 
  gp in coin, plus a Class XXII Hoard (LL106) and anything 
  else the referee wishes to include. A secret panel hides a set 
  of shelves lined in lead and gold, archiving the town’s most 
  valuable documents.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: GATEWAY PLAZA
  
  30
  LESSERTON WATCH HEADQUARTERS
  Complement, day: 24 Guards, 6 Sergeants, 1 Watch Captain, 
  Chief Byce Songbelay.
  Complement, night: 12 Guards, 3 Sergeants, 2 Watch 
  Captains,  Deputy Chief.
  Facilities: Barracks; mess hall; galley; booking counter; jail 
  (four cells of capacity 10 each); interrogation cell; tunnel to 
  the Justiciary; stables with 18 riding horses and three stable 
  boys (one secretly a girl).
  For more on the Watch, see p14.
  STOCKS
  In the Plaza, a row of four stocks stands on a stone riser, 
  just out of view of the doors of the Watch Headquarters. 
  When in use, they bear massive padlocks (normal chance to 
  pick), naturally on the side away from prisoners’ hands.
  vALNHALLA
  Proprietors: Owned by a party of retired adventurers who 
  sometimes visit town.
  Night manager: Keefer “King” Rakamond, Brute with 
  a belt of  might giving STR 16. Servers: Six human females 
  with upthrust décolletage, flouncy barmaid dresses, tough 
  corsets, heavy makeup, and pointy shoes (1d3 damage, 75% 
  temporary). 
  Patrons: Mostly male. 4d6 Brutes, 1d6 halflings (generally 
  thieves), 1d6 orkin, 1d4 dwarfs, and 1d4–1 parties of 
  Adventurers (p6).
  Hours: Open for 12 hours, sunset to sunrise.
  Known as the place to go wild. A single long hall with 
  torches on the walls, straw on the floor (replaced every night), 
  long tables and benches to share. All races welcomed by 
  management, though no such guarantee applies to the other 
  patrons. 
  The servers roam with pitchers of strong ale, 1 ep the 
  gallon. Piles of cheap clay mugs cover the tables and floor; if 
  you want a clean one, bring your own. No food service by the 
  establishment, but vendors wander around with roast meat: 
  1 sp for a chunk, with much competition for the drumsticks. 
  Frequent fist-fights break out; usually, the first to be knocked 
  down admits defeat and sits down for a drink with the victor. 
  Anyone pulling a small weapon gets swarmed by 1d6+1 
  patrons. Pulling a big weapon causes the management to ring 
  his alarm gong to summon town Guards, but before they can 
  arrive, a fighter (d4 for level) usually stands up from a nearby 
  table to face down the “killer.” Successfully doing so means 
  free carousing for the rest of the night and a bonus of +4 to 
  +8 on Searches, depending on how dramatic the fight was.
  Gambling: Occasional Tosspottle in the back alley. Serious 
  gamblers have given up on Valnhalla because of the 
  impossibility of finishing a game without a pitcher or halfling 
  landing in the middle of it.
  Hirelings: NPC Adventurers often prove willing to join the 
  party, plus 1d4 Porters, 2d4 Men-at-Arms, 1d6 Veterans, and 
  1d4–2 Halflings.
  Robbery: Alarm gong. 2d100 sp and 2d100 ep in a huge 
  locked chest with a coin slot on top. Even in the wee hours, 
  1d6 patrons remain and may well object. Huge barrels of 
  strong ale in the back.
  Searching: Finding adventure and finding love are at a flat 
  roll. Cost: 1d6 gp per hour. An Adventure roll made by 5 or 
  less means common trouble: on an odd number, a halfling 
  tries to pick your pocket (28% skill, plus 10% per hour the 
  victim has been carousing); on an even number, a Brute takes 
  offense and tries to wallop you. Successfully dealing with 
  either event impresses the patrons and allows a second roll. 
  A Love roll made by 5 or less means a professional, costing 
  an additional 2d6 gp and requiring a save vs. poison to avoid 
  waking up on the street with your cash gone.
  MARKET SQUARE
  Tents, stalls, stands, and carts crowd the square between 
  the permanent storefronts, especially on weekly Market 
  Days. The public well provides ample, sulphur-scented 
  water, by the bucketful or through the long water-screw.
  APACIUS RELAXING MASSAGE
  Proprietor: Alpen “Apacius” Rolf, Clever Sort.
  Half an hour in a massage room with one of 2d6 
  impoverished young females: 1 gp. Each has a small supply 
  of greasy massage lotion. No food or drink. Open from noon 
  to midnight.
  Robbery: Rolf has an understanding with the Watch and 
  uses an alarm gong. 3d20 gp. 
  Adventure Seed: A thief known to a PC sticks up the massage 
  parlor. A few days later, someone finds him in the swamp, 
  turned to stone. Apacius Rolf acts as if he had something to 
  do with it while admitting nothing. 
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  31
  THE EXCHANGE
  A high fence encloses three stalls and the front entrance 
  to Brinkley’s Assurety Trust. Two Brass Shields (p52) guard 
  the entrance to the enclosure. They have an alarm gong.
  Brinkley’s Assurety Trust
  Proprietor: Magnus Brinkley, aging Clever Sort, latest in a 
  long line of Brinkleys. Magnus rarely leaves his highly secure 
  office and apartment within the building. Twelve clerks, 
  including 1d6 Clever Sorts. Six Brute guards at three rotating 
  posts: two at the door, two at the teller counter, two in the 
  inner chambers.
  Brinkley’s began generations back as a ransom broker for 
  adventurers, and still makes much profit from that business. A 
  mercenary or delver who fears capture or defeat can deposit 
  his own ransom with Brinkley’s. The institution takes a small 
  payment and provides a bronze pin, engraved with a picture 
  of a bee and a unique, three-digit number. Together, the clerk 
  and the customer pick two passwords: one to indicate that 
  the bearer of the pin is entitled to the ransom, another to 
  indicate that ransom should not be paid, perhaps because the 
  captive customer is being maltreated. To users of the no-pay 
  password, however, clerks reveal the existence and size of 
  the ransom.
  The Brinkley’s Vaults are dug deep under the town, in 
  tunnels lined with lead and bricks. In addition to many guards, 
  vault doors with combinations, and man-traps, the place 
  employs three 1st-level magic-users (AC 9, 3 hp) in shifts. The 
  mage on duty works in a concealed steel-lined chamber with 
  views through peepholes. He has the sleep spell memorized 
  and access to an impressive collection of scrolls, including 
  many copies of detect magic, hold portal, message, amnesia, arcane 
  lock, detect invisible, ESP, invisibility, stinking cloud, and web. 
  There are also 1d3 scrolls each of hold person, suggestion, globe 
  of  invulnerability (lesser), wall of  fire, and wall of  ice. The town 
  government spreads the idea that all civic wealth is stored in 
  Brinkley’s, though it’s actually in the Town Vault (p29).
  The Brinkley Bee: Minimum ransom: 100 gp. Fee: 5% 
  up front. Remainder refunded upon return of the pin. No 
  connection with the Bee Clan of orkin (RGM7).
  In the Ruins of Mor, most intelligent denizens recognize 
  the pins and may prefer to capture someone wearing one 
  instead of killing him. To ransom a prisoner, the captors send 
  a representative to Brinkley’s with the pin and its matching 
  password. Generally, they then release the prisoner, but keep 
  his gear. The Brinkley’s customer can specify more guarantees 
  than just his life: for example, promising a reward of 100 gp, 
  or 150 gp if he’s allowed to keep his arms. Brinkley’s records 
  all such details with the customer’s file.
  From Ransom to usury: Over time, with so many 
  deposits, Brinkley’s became the town’s de facto bank. They 
  pay 1% interest on any money kept in the vault for a full year. 
  On rare occasions, they loan out money in the form of draft 
  notes, usable in Lesserton and a few surrounding towns, at 
  interest of 1% per month. Common wisdom suggests that 
  failure to pay has painful consequences.
  The Brinkley’s Draft: A customer, identified by his 
  password and a clerk who knows him, can pay a 1% fee for a 
  “draft” of 100 gp or more: a scroll indicating an amount and 
  the person to whom it should be paid. The money comes out 
  of the customer’s account at once. The recipient must also be 
  an account holder; when he comes in, identifies himself, and 
  surrenders the draft, the face amount goes into his account.
  Depositing Items: Brinkley’s stores almost anything 
  in their vaults for the right fee, providing the claimant with 
  both a receipt and a pair of passwords. A small bundle, about 
  equivalent to the contents of a backpack, costs 1 gp per night 
  to store, with fees increasing by size. A large trunk might cost 
  5 gp per night. Payment of 1,000 gp in advance secures use 
  of a small walk-in storage closet for one year.
  Fox & Dog Lapidary
  Lapidary: Virgil Sand, Clever Sort. The establishment 
  does not bear his name because he owes his start to wealthy 
  investors, including Magnus Brinkley and Peter Robamonde 
  (p58).
  Gem purchasing: The premier jeweler in town, Sand 
  offers a fair price for any gem or jewel, with a 99% chance of 
  correct evaluation. On a d100 roll of 00, he instead judges the 
  piece at 2d4 x 10% of proper value. He never overvalues.
  Certificates: For a fee, Sand issues a certificate as to the 
  authenticity and value of a piece. He charges 5 gp or 2% 
  of the item’s value, whichever is higher. With fine tools, he 
  clamps the certificate to the item with wire and applies a lead 
  seal. Items so certified work as cash anywhere in Lesserton. 
  Should someone attempt to forge his seal of approval, they 
  earn Sand’s violent enmity.
  Gems for sale: On a Hiring Roll, a character can make 
  an appointment to look at Sand’s stock. He keeps 1d100 + 20 
  loose stones in Brinkley’s, selling for 25% above cash value. 
  The referee can generate random stones with All the Treasures 
  of  the World: GEMS, from Faster Monkey Games™, or simply 
  assume that Sand has the size and type desired.
  Price and value: In Lesserton, properly certified gems 
  and jewels work as cash. Purchasing such an item, however, 
  requires paying a premium of about 25%. For example, a PC 
  who finds a 100 gp gem can get it evaluated for 5 gp and 
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  32
  thereafter use it as 100 gp cash. Buying a 100 gp gem from a 
  dealer, on the other hand, costs 125 gp, with a certificate of 
  its value included.
  Typical gem item 
  Price 
  Value
  Moonstone 
  12.5 gp 
  10 gp
  Topaz 
  32 gp 
  25 gp
  Cat’s eye chrysoberyl 
  63 gp 
  50 gp
  Perfect opal 
  63 gp 
  50 gp
  Large black pearl 
  125 gp 100 gp
  Electrum ring, small yellow diamond 140 gp 112 gp
  Gold ring with cloisonné spinels 
  300 gp 240 gp
  Flawed ruby 
  313 gp 250 gp
  Good sapphire 
  625 gp 500 gp
  Platinum ring with good diamond 
  750 gp 600 gp
  Selling gems: On a reaction roll of 5 or better, Sand will 
  pay cash value for a gem after personally evaluating it.
  Custom work: On a Hiring Roll, a character can order 
  custom work from Sand, at a cost of 1d3+2 x 10% above 
  cash value. Small pieces take a week.
  Robbery: No one can reach the contents of the 
  Brinkley’s vault, where Sand’s stock resides after hours. Doing 
  a snatch and grab from Sand under guise of viewing the 
  wares requires the thief to achieve surprise (1–2 on 1d6), first 
  on Sand and then on the two Brass Shields at the Exchange 
  gate. The guards can bar the way as soon as they can act. On 
  the street, Sand carries 1d6 gems and jewels on his person as 
  well as 1d100 ep.
  Shawm Coinery
  Proprietor: Absentee. Clerks: a variety of Old Souls.
  Under the sign of an antique flute, a clerk tends this coin 
  exchange booth, always attended by a Brass Shield Brute 
  (p52). The slightly skewed exchange rates reflect the premium 
  that Devin Lewis (p58) will pay the Coinery for silver and 
  electrum, as he secretly wishes to get as much silver off the 
  street as possible. Several times a day, common folk bring 
  bags of 2d12 silver to exchange for copper at no fee.
  Foreign money is not accepted unless the customer first 
  pays a 5 gp fee to have each unfamiliar coin type assayed 
  by Virgil Sand. Then the money must be exchanged for 
  Valnwall coins at a 4:5 ratio; for example, the Coinery pays 
  out eight Valnwall gold pieces for ten foreign gold coins of 
  the same type. As usual, however, the Coinery is interested 
  in silver, and may offer a 9:10 ratio for coins with substantial 
  silver content. Most other businesses in Lesserton won’t take 
  foreign coins at all.
  Item 
  Price
  10 cp 
  1 sp
  96 cp 
  1 gp
  1 sp 
  12 cp
  8 sp 
  1 gp
  1 ep 
  6 sp
  1 pp 
  12 gp
  1 gp 
  11 sp or 120 cp
  9 gp 
  1 pp
  Robbery: Without supernatural aid, robbery would prove 
  most difficult under the gaze of the booth’s guard, the two 
  at the Exchange entrance, and probably a guard inside the 
  doorway of Brinkley’s. Coins go into a multiply-locked iron 
  box that’s also held by a four-part chain puzzle into a frame 
  built into the stall’s floor. A separate chest holds the change 
  available, starting each day with 1,000 cp, 500 sp, 250 ep, 200 
  gp, and 50 pp (total value 885 gp). Each coin type goes in a 
  different locked section, wrapped in papers of 10 coins. This 
  chest weighs over 250 lbs. The clerk has a dozen keys manacled 
  to his wrist, but the key to the manacle is elsewhere.
  Adventure Seed: Over time, silver and electrum become 
  scarce. Even large amounts of change are given in copper 
  coins. Thieves begin to concentrate on stealing silver jewelry, 
  housewares, and daggers. The price of a silver coin goes up 
  to 1/8 gp, and Shawm Coinery begins paying 25 cp for 2 sp, 
  when they can be found. The value of any silver jewelry in 
  PC possession increases by 25%. Sharpers hang around the 
  Glory Road, willing to trade one gold coin for 10 silvers and 
  offering good prices for silver loot. If the players have been 
  long absent from town, or not paying attention to the street 
  life, they may not realize the value of what they carry.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  33
  Sign of the Iron Star
  Proprietor: Deliketh “Deli” Ambiasson (5th-level magic-
  user), a transplanted Westron. Spells memorized: identify, sleep, 
  ESP, invisibility, suggestion. He wears robes of  armor AC 5 and 
  carries the staff  of  dimaggio, typically with 2d6+10 charges. 
  The staff  is a three-foot cudgel of polished, yellow ash wood. 
  It can be used one-handed as a club +1 or two-handed as a 
  quarterstaff  +1. In the hands of a magic-user or elf, this item 
  can cast detect magic or light at no charge. For one charge, it 
  can cast allure or shocking grasp (which affects the item’s melee 
  attack). For two charges, it casts identify. The staff can hold up 
  to 30 charges; it takes 500 gp worth of rare materials and 24 
  hours to replace one charge. Deli relies on the free detect magic 
  ability and would not consider selling this item for less than 
  50,000 gp.
  The sign above the shop shows an iron star and the 
  words “Arcane MacGuffins.” Sheet lead lines the sturdy 
  walls, preventing certain magic from outside. Deli deals in 
  magic items, mostly lucky amulets that have no actual effect. 
  Referees who dislike markets for magic items may wish to 
  leave out some or all of the items below.
  Deli and the Tonics: Deli hates the Platonic Order 
  (p36) and will never sell to them. If a character brings him an 
  offer that the Order made to buy an item, Deli matches it on 
  a reaction roll of 8 or less. 
  Robbery: At night, Deli folds up the entire booth into a 
  massive iron box, sealed with arcane lock, and has it carried into 
  Brinkley’s. During the day, the many guards nearby can stop 
  most sneakiness. If he suspects an invisible presence or the use 
  of spells, Deli immediately uses his staff to cast detect magic.
  Stock: Deli makes a new stock roll for the non-magical 
  amulets and necklaces every week. Other items restock only 
  once a month.
  Item 
  Stock 
  Cost
  Amulet of Luck 
  2d10+10 
  1 gp
  Necklace of Protection 
  1d4+1 
  50 gp
  Spellbook, blank 
  1d4–1 
  20 gp
  Spellbook ink, bottle* 
  2d6–2 
  100 gp
  Potion 
  1d6–4 
  var.
  Scroll, 1st-level magic-user 
  2d6–2 
  250 gp
  Scroll, 2nd-level magic-user 
  1d6–4 
  500 gp
  Miscellaneous magic 
  1 in 4 
  var.
  Unique item 
  1 in 6 
  var.
  * A bottle suffices to copy one level of spell into a magic-
  user or elf's book; e.g., a 3rd-level spell requires three bottles.
  Amulet of  Luck: A simple charm of stamped lead or 
  tin. No effect, although at the referee’s option, each has a 1 
  in 6 chance to resemble the holy symbol of some religion, 
  possibly provoking unexpected reactions.
  Necklace of  Protection: A fanciful necklace of silver 
  and mirrors. Deli offers to “charge up” the necklace; the next 
  morning he casts magic aura on it (AEC69).
  Potions:
   
  d6 
  Potion  
  Cost
   
  1 
  Bravery  
  750 gp 
   
  2 
  Invisibility, 1d4+2 turns (1/8 dose) 
  1,000 gp
   
  3 
  Invulnerability, 1d3+3 turns (half dose) 1,000 gp
   
  4 
  Levitation, 1d3+3 turns (half dose, AEC) 1,000 gp
   5–6 Spinner Antitoxin 
  600 gp
  A potion of  bravery grants 1d10 temporary hp and makes 
  the drinker immune to fear for 1d3+3 turns.
  Spinner antitoxin is non-magical and made by the Spider 
  Clan (RGM8). One dose lasts 1d4 hours and allows an extra 
  saving throw against any natural, injury-based poison, such 
  as a monster’s venomous bite or sting. If either saving throw 
  succeeds, the character has saved. If both saving throws 
  succeed, he avoids even the “save damage,” if any.
  Scrolls:
   d20 Scroll of  1st-level magic-user spell:
   
  1 
  Allure
   
  2 
  Comprehend Languages
   
  3 
  Dancing Lights
   4–6 Detect Magic
   
  7 
  Feather Fall
   
  8 
  Floating Disc
   
  9 
  Jump
   10–11 Light
   
  12 
  Mending
   
  13 
  Message
   14–15 Protection from Evil
   
  16 
  Read Languages
   17–18 Read Magic
   
  19 
  Scribe
   
  20 
  Shield
   
   
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  34
   d12 Scroll of  2nd-level magic-user spell:
   1–2 Arcane Lock
   3–4 Detect Evil
   5–6 Knock
   
  7 
  Levitate
   8–9 Locate Object
   10–11 Scare
   
  12 
  Web
  Miscellaneous Magic:
   d20 Item 
   
  Cost
   1–3 Wand of Light, 2d10 charges (AEC90) 
  500 gp
   
  4 
  Wand of Wonder, 1 charge  (AEC91) 
  350 gp
   5–7 Arrow of Location, 2d4 charges (AEC91) 800 gp
    8–11 Dust of Appearance, 1 pkt (LL118) 
  300 gp
   
  12 
  Dust of Sneezing & Choking, 1 pkt (AEC95) 500 gp
   13–15 Incense of Meditation, 1 block (AEC98) 
  250 gp
   16–19 Ointment of Healing, one dose (AEC99) 1,000 gp
   
  20 
  Robe of Eight Items 
  1,250 gp
  The robe of  eight items is a robe of  useful items (AEC101) with 
  eight patches: one each of dagger, filled and lit lantern, 10' 
  pole, 50' hemp rope, large sack, 24' wooden ladder, confused 
  mule with saddlebags, and 12' rowboat.
  unique Items
  Each of these items occurs only once, although the 
  tongue-tangler and tongue-waker come in multiple doses that 
  may be purchased separately. On a duplicate roll, the referee 
  can add new items, or assume that nothing is available that 
  month. Roll 1d6:
  1. BAG OF WINDS: Opening this black leather 
  sack releases a gust of  wind as the 3rd-level magic-user spell. 
  A character other than a magic-user or druid must make a 
  missile attack roll to direct the gust with precision. Each time 
  the bag is used, there is a 1 in 20 chance that it rips, causing a 
  wind storm in a 90' radius that knocks flying creatures from 
  the sky, prevents all use of missile weapons, stops sailing 
  vessels, and so on. The storm lasts 10 rounds. After it rips, 
  the bag is useless. 2,000 gp.
  2. LIFE-SAVER RING: This ring of colorful crystal 
  contains the life energy of Lawful clerics who willingly 
  sacrificed their bodily forms before passing to the next world. 
  When the ring’s wearer suffers an energy draining attack, he 
  can make a saving throw vs. death; if he succeeds, the attack 
  affects the ring instead. A life-saver ring can contain up to six 
  lives when created, but this example holds only two. When 
  both are drained, it becomes non-magical. 5,000 gp.
  3. MAGICIAN’S KEY: The mummified forearm of a 
  monkey, with a shrunken, hairy fist and a protruding bone, 
  carved like a key, at the other end. The thing contains 20 
  charges and can only be used by magic-users and elves. 
  Touching a door with the key casts hold portal at the cost of 
  one charge; rapping with the fist casts knock at a cost of two 
  charges. The key cannot be recharged. 2,500 gp.
  4. TONGUE-TANGLER: Three small, sparkling 
  crystals. A crystal dissolves in the mouth and tastes like sugar, 
  but the character who consumes one finds himself unable 
  to recall or use any languages for one turn. He cannot speak 
  intelligibly, write notes, read, use scrolls, or cast spells for the 
  duration. If dissolved in liquid, the substance remains potent 
  for only 2d6 rounds. 750 gp for one crystal or 2,000 gp for all 
  three together.
  5. TONGUE-WAKER: Two small balls of black sticky 
  substance. When one is placed in the mouth of a corpse 
  dead no more than seven days, it causes the dead creature to 
  answer one question, as the third-level cleric spell speak with 
  dead (AEC39). 1,500 gp for one dose or 2,650 gp for both 
  together.
  6. WATCHFUL TWINE: This fist-sized ball of 
  strong, white twine can be unrolled to a length of 50', in 
  any configuration. A ten-inch string can represent it on a 
  tactical mat. One end of the twine remains attached to the 
  spool. When the user gives the spool a special twist, the 
  twine activates. Should anything larger than a mouse move 
  across its line, within six feet straight up, it flares with magical 
  energy. The flare brightly lights the area for one round, makes 
  a loud popping noise, and delivers a painful shock to anyone 
  touching the twine. The shock does no damage but will jolt a 
  sleeping character awake. At the referee’s option, the twine’s 
  flare may surprise an intelligent intruder for one round, or 
  cause an animal to make a morale check. Once set off, the 
  twine must spooled up, laid out, and activated again. If the 
  twine takes even a single hit point of damage while unspooled, 
  it is destroyed. 3,500 gp.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  35
  HORNFIXER’S EMPORIUM FOR 
  THE PRUDENT
  Proprietor: Sammish Hornfixer, Clever Sort. Clerk: Klaus 
  Rollbarrel, halfling.
  A general store catering to adventurers. Hornfixer sells 
  adventuring gear at premium prices; on many items, he has a 
  monopoly in Lesserton. Certain gear he also buys used.
  Item 
   
  Stock 
  Price 
  Buys for
  Ale, 100-pint barrel 
  1d4–1 
  6 gp 
  1 gp sealed
  Backpack 
  3d4 
  3 gp 
  1 gp
  Bedroll  
  2d6 
  1 ep 
  –
  Beer, 100-pint barrel 
  1d4 
  4 gp 
  5 sp sealed
  Block & tackle 
  1d4 
  10 gp 
  5 gp
  Candles, 5 
  20 bdl 
  1 sp 
  –
  Chain, per 5' 
  150' 
  20 gp 
  5 gp 
  Erasmus Wagon (p28) 1d4–1 
  250 gp 
  50 gp
  Flint & steel 
  30 
  3 gp 
  –
  Grappling hook 
  2d4 
  5 gp 
  3 gp
  Ladder, 10' 
  1d4 
  1 gp 
  –
  Lamp, clay 
  1d6 
  3 gp 
  –
  Lantern  
  2d4 
  10 gp 
  5 gp
  Lantern, bull’s eye 
  1d6 
  20 gp 
  8 gp
  Manacles, latching 
  2d8 pr 
  20 gp 
  8 gp
  Mess-kit, tin 
  2d8 
  1 gp 
  3 sp
  Oil, pint, clay flask 
  2d20 
  2 sp 
  –
  Oil, 100-pint barrel 
  1d6 
  20 gp 
  10 gp
  Pick, miner’s 
  3d6 
  5 gp 
  3 gp
  Pole, 10' wooden 
  2d20 
  1 ep 
  –
  Rations, trail, 1 day 
  1d100 
  1 ep 
  –
  Rope, hemp, per 5' 
  800' 
  1 sp 
  3 cp
  Rope, silk, 20' coil 
  2d6 
  5 gp 
  2 gp
  Sack, large 
  2d20 
  2 sp 
  8 cp
  Sack, small 
  3d20 
  1 sp 
  2 cp
  Spade, iron 
  2d20 
  3 gp 
  2 gp
  Spike, iron 
  1d100 
  1 sp 
  –
  Stakes, wooden, 4 
  1d20 bdl 
  1 sp 
  –
  Torch  
  1d100+30 1 sp 
  –
  Twine, waxed, 50' 
  2d12 
  1 sp 
  –
  Waterskin 
  3d20 
  1 gp 
  –
  Robbery: Alarm gong. Iron lockbox bolted to the floor 
  under the counter, containing 1d100 gp, 1d100 ep, 1d100+100 
  sp, 1d100 cp. Emptied at night.
  Adventure Seed: Hornfixer is found barely alive from 
  a sword wound. No one was seen to leave, but a street crazy 
  (Crackpate Bill, p23) swears he saw a long, pointy bird fly out 
  the Emporium’s window into the sky.
  LANKWILER SILvERSMITH
  Proprietor: Bonton Lankwiler, Clever Sort.
  A homely loner with clever hands, Lankwiler makes a 
  good living creating and repairing jewelry, usually inexpensive 
  pieces for shopkeepers’ wives and the like. At any time, he 
  has 1d6 pieces in repair, plus 2d6 random pieces for sale. A 
  few typical items appear below; for more variety, the referee 
  may wish to use All the Treasures of  the World: JEWELS to 
  generate random jewelry, or else roll 2d10 gp for the value of 
  any random piece. Repair costs half the base value, and a new 
  piece sells for 25% over base value.
  Typical goods 
  Price 
  Value
  Copper ring 
  12 sp 
  1 gp
  Silver bangle or earring 
  5 gp 
  4 gp
  Silver ring 
  10 gp 
  8 gp
  Gold bangle or earring 
  12.5 gp 
  10 gp
  Silver necklace 
  19 gp 
  15 gp
  Gold ring 
  25 gp 
  20 gp
  Lankwiler can also evaluate jewelry for 1% of the value, 
  or a minimum of 1 ep. Lankwiler evaluates the worth correctly 
  on a 1–19 on a d20; on a 20, he is off by plus or minus 1d4 x 
  10%. On a reaction roll of 8 or less, after evaluating the item 
  he offers to buy it on the spot for its full value. Otherwise, 
  he provides a note in cryptic symbols, accepted by most 
  Lesserton merchants as proof of the item’s cash value. 
  Robbery: Alarm gong. Only the jewel currently under 
  repair is out; the rest reside in a locked steel box. The fine 
  tools, loupes, and supplies could fetch 100 gp from another 
  jewelsmith, or perhaps 15 gp from a fence. Lankwiler also has 
  a pouch of 1d100+100 ep and a short sword. At night, he has 
  a Brute from the Brass Shield accompany him as he carries 
  his entire lockbox on the short walk to Brinkley’s.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  36
  LESSERTON ALEHOUSE
  Proprietor: Burt Sumpter, Brute, who also brews the 
  ale. Cook: Goodwife Snarla Sumpter. Potboy: Dunce Wilson, 
  age 11. Servers: The Sumpters’ heavyset but kindly daughter, 
  Posey, plus the attractive but impersonal Ginny Folk. 
  Patrons: 3d6 Common Folk, 1d6 Brutes, 1 in 8 chance 
  of an NPC party.
  Hours: Open for seven hours after sunset.
  Informally called Sumpter’s, this is the most popular 
  imbibery for locals, with a bar, many tables, candle chandeliers, 
  and two outhouses. Sumpter dislikes non-humans; should a 
  full-blooded orkin darken his door, he charges forth from 
  the brew-room to drive the scum out with blows and curses. 
  Behind the bar, Goodwife Sumpter has a cherished bottle of 
  potion of  sleep (8 doses). One dose in someone’s drink knocks 
  him out, and nothing short of magic or injury will wake him 
  for 8 hours. She saves it for emergencies.
  Simple meal of vegetable stew, Pottleby bread, and 
  Renneton hard cheese: 3 sp. Pint of ale: 1 sp. Pint of mead: 1 
  ep. To rich-looking outsiders, Snarla sends Ginny to wait on 
  them and suggest the “standard service”: a meal and a pint of 
  ale for 1 gp, plus extra drinks for double the usual prices. 
  Hirelings: Hiring Roll plus 2d4 gp for drinks: 1d6 Porters or 
  1d4 Men-at-Arms.
  Robbery: Alarm gong. Resistance by Sumpter and patrons. 
  Cash box behind bar: 1d100+20 sp, 1d20–10 gp. Each day’s 
  receipts go to Brinkley’s the next day at mid-morning. Also 
  behind bar: Potion; 1d100 gp worth of alcohol in kegs and 
  bottles, difficult to gather and carry. Under a fireplace stone 
  in the Sumpters’ quarters, a coffer holds 180 gp.
  Searching: Finding adventure at –4. Finding love at –10. 
  Cost per hour: 1d4 gp. 10 gp per +1 to CHA check, to a 
  maximum of +4. Non-humans suffer an additional –6. 
  LESSERTON NAG LOT
  Clerks: Bruce Canebraker, Mungo Beans (halfling). Owned 
  by a consortium of merchants.
  Beast  
  Stock 
  Cost
  Mule 
   
  2d10 
  35 gp
  Pony (p28) 
  1d4 
  40 gp
  Draft horse 
  2d10 
  45 gp
  Riding horse 
  1d4 
  80 gp
  Saddle & tackle 
  2d12 
  30 gp
  Stabling  
  2d4 stalls 1 gp per night
  Vehicle  
  Stock 
  Cost
  Erasmus Wagon (p28) 
  1d3 
  225 gp
  Standing offers: Buy any two beasts and get 10% off. 
  Or buy 10 and get a free pony.
  Robbery: By day, cash dumped in a 200-lb. wooden chest: 
  1d20+30 gp, 1d100+50 ep, 1d100 sp. Beans bursts into tears 
  and either flees or begs for his life. Canebraker won’t fight, 
  but might try stampeding the animals at intruders. At night, 
  Beans sleeps in the hay; no cash. 
  MADAM PEARL’S CROSS-EYED PALM
  Proprietor: “Madam Pearl” (Pearl Bracerly), 1st-level cleric 
  of the Goddess of Fate.
  Madam Pearl works in a small, dark room behind a velvet 
  curtain. For 1 sp, she reads a palm and foresees eventual 
  success after hard struggle, phrased to suit her estimation of 
  the customer’s ambitions and desires. For 12 sp, she performs 
  a “full reading” using a Quist deck (p18). The customer asks a 
  question and Madam Pearl deals out cards for interpretation, 
  taking one turn. Once a day, the reading actually works as an 
  augury spell, but Madam Pearl does not realize the difference.
  Quist decks for sale: 2d6, 10 gp each.
  THE PLATONIC ORDER
  The Platonic Order was an ancient society, cult, or 
  philosophy—no one is sure which—dedicated to “The Old 
  Ways.” The Order had a mighty tower in Mor before the 
  fall; the group using their name in Lesserton today may or 
  may not have any connection. The group seeks to collect as 
  many magic items as possible for unknown reasons. Their 
  12 apprentices seek out adventurers with items to sell; see 
  “Tonic Agents,” p27. At their headquarters building just off 
  Market Square, the Order makes money by identifying spells 
  and magic items. Potions they refer to Closet of the Xorn 
  (later collecting a 10 gp finder’s fee from Cranford Banes; 
  p49). For all other items, the Order has an appropriate Clever 
  Sort sage. Rumors that the Order, just once in a while, keeps 
  an item and returns a less mighty substitute are surely false.
  Master Scribe Ptolemus Binfane identifies scrolls or 
  spellbooks for a minimum of 200 gp and 1 day, plus 100 gp 
  for each additional spell, 100% accuracy. He also performs 
  written translations of non-magical texts: 2 days and 100 gp 
  per page, 95% accuracy.
  Identifying other items costs 250 gp, and uses up one 
  charge if applicable. The sage takes the item to examine for 
  one day and then makes tries to roll his INT (16) or less on 
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  37
  a d20. On a failure, only partial information is revealed. On 
  a 20, the sage makes a second INT check: on success he 
  can find nothing and refunds 125 gp, on a failure he comes 
  confidently to a false conclusion.
  Master Zorus Bang (Sage/1
  	
  st-level magic-user) 
  can identify any item usable by magic-users.
  Mistress Punctilia Whippet (Sage/1
  	
  st-level elf) 
  can identify any magic armor or weapon.
  Father Bippin Moreso, Priest of Btah the Limner 
  	
  (Sage/1st-level cleric), identifies items usable by 
  clerics or druids.
  Master Malcolm Twiddle (Sage/1
  	
  st-level halfling) 
  identifies miscellaneous items.
  Succeed or fail, immediately upon identifying an item, 
  the Order offers to buy it for these prices:
  Potion: 200 gp per dose
   
  
  Scrolls: 200 gp plus 100 per additional spell 
   
  
  (same as identification fee)
  Cursed items: 250 gp (same as identification fee)
   
  
  One-use items: 250 gp
   
  
  Charged items: 250 gp for “few” charges, 500 
   
  
  for “many”
  Magic weapon or armor: 1,500 gp, or 2,000 with 
   
  
  extra powers
  Permanent misc. magic: 2,000 gp
   
  
  “Major” permanent item, at referee’s discretion: 
   
  
  2,500 gp
  A character can try to negotiate for a higher price with a 
  reaction roll, at a +2 penalty for anything except permanent 
  miscellaneous magic. A result of 5 or lower adds 20% to 
  the Order’s final offer. Whatever the Order does with the 
  things they buy, the items never appear in Lesserton or Mor 
  again. The group never offers items for sale. The town’s only 
  professional magic item merchant, Deliketh Ambiassen (p33), 
  hates the Order and won’t deal with them.
  SATO FIDDLETON,  
  SIGNS CARvED CHEAP
  “Sapper” Fiddleton is a Clever Sort with military 
  experience in undermining walls, finding sally ports, and so on. 
  He poses as a mediocre carver of wooden signs. Only a thief 
  can discover his reputation: he can point out the weaknesses 
  of any fortification, whether for stealthy infiltration or frontal 
  assault. If the customer brings plans, Sapper charges 350 gp 
  and finds a useful weakness on an INT check (13 or less on 
  a d20). If the job requires travel, the customer must get a 
  reaction of 4 or better. Sapper charges 750 gp in advance 
  of travel, plus 25 per day away from town, and gets an INT 
  check for each day spent inspecting the site.
  Adventure Seed: Someone anonymously offers Sapper a 
  large payment for an analysis of the walls of Lesserton itself. 
  He wants to find out who, without losing the commission.
  THE SHROUD OF STEEL
  Proprietor: Viktor Sarkoli, Clever Sort. Cuir boili armor (AC 
  6), long sword, longbow.
  This armor shop caters to adventurers and mercenaries. 
  Sarkoli has a small anvil and makes minor repairs himself, 
  contracting out occasional big jobs to Tollman Shoe Barn 
  (p41). He can fix most damaged armor for 25% of buying 
  price. Sarkoli also buys used armor and shields, no questions 
  asked, and fixes them up for resale, though they show signs 
  of use and repair. He has these products on hand:
  Armor 
  Stock Cost 
  AC Wt. 
  Buys for
  Padding 
  3d4 
  5 gp 
  8 
  10 lbs. 
  –
  Hides 
  1d4 
  4 gp 
  8 
  20 lbs. 
  –
  Cuir Boili 
  2d4 
  35 gp 
  7 
  20 lbs. 
  15 gp
  Brigandine 
  1d4–1 65 gp 
  6 
  40 lbs. 
  20 gp
  Chain mail 
  1d3 
  85 gp 
  5 
  30 lbs. 
  30 gp
  Plate & chain 
  1d3–1 100 gp 4 
  35 lbs. 
  40 gp
  Full plate† 
  1d3 
  500 gp 3 
  50 lbs. 
  200 gp
  Target shield 
  2d4 
  15 gp (–1)* 10 lbs. 
  5 gp
  Hide shield 
  1d6 
  10 gp (–1)* 15 lbs. 
  2 gp
   
  * Using a shield improves AC by 1.
   
  † Full plate requires two days for fitting, with the 
  wearer available for an hour each day.
  Robbery: Alarm gong. No cash on premises by night. Locked 
  door. Padded and cuir boili armor in loose piles; others have 
  padlocked chains run through them to wall bolts. By day, 
  Sarkoli’s lockbox holds 3d100 gp. Against a single armed foe, 
  or several unarmed, he fights.
  Special Items: Rarely, Sarkoli gets hold of a magical 
  armament. He deposits such items with Brinkley’s at once 
  but can arrange a showing to someone who displays the color 
  of their platinum. Once a month, a roll of 1 on 1d6 means a 
  “special acquisition.” Sarkoli won’t take less than 5,000 gp for 
  one of these items, and asks 7,500 at first. Unique items: only 
  one Mirror Shield or Death’s Head Cloak ever comes around; 
  thereafter, rolling that result means no item that month, or 
  the referee can place a new item.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  38
  Roll 1d6 for type of magic armor.
  1. SHADOW LEATHER: Supple black suit of a type 
  once produced for a wealthy gang of thieves. AC 6, 10 lbs., 
  +10% Hide in Shadows.
  2. HERO’S ARMOR: Fine chain suit with a steel 
  breastplate in the form of a golden sun. When worn, the 
  armor always emits a soft light, illuminating like a torch. AC 
  4, 30 lbs.
  3. ELF SUIT: Tough, dark green clothes sewn by 
  certain elf tribes, with curly-toed boots and a short hooded 
  cape with tassels. AC 7, 5 lbs., +10% Hide in Shadows when 
  outdoors, +15% Move Silently at all times.
  4. ORKIN HELM: These tall, pointed steel helms turn 
  up in the Ruins of Mor but probably do not come from orkin. 
  The helm covers the entire head and face (AC 3), eliminating 
  any CHA bonus on reaction rolls in many situations and giving 
  a +1 penalty on a d6 roll to hear noises. Looking through the 
  black glass eyepiece, the wearer has Infravision to 30'. 5 lbs.
  5. MIRROR SHIELD (Unique): A polished dome of 
  tough, lightweight metal. Improves AC by –2 and can reflect 
  gaze attacks: the user forgoes his usual attack, waits for a 
  gaze, and attempts to bounce the magic back as if making a 
  missile attack. If he fails, he must save vs. the gaze as usual, 
  but the shield gives +2. 10 lbs.
  6. DEATH’S HEAD CLOAK (Unique): Full-length 
  hooded robes in black cloth of unnatural durability. As 
  the wearer moves, subtle highlights ripple across the cloth, 
  sometimes forming fleeting images of leering white skulls. 
  Observers get an INT roll to notice, and reaction penalties 
  may result. AC 7, 10 lbs., usable by magic-users. 1 in 6 chance 
  to Hide in Shadows, or +10% if worn by a thief.
  SIGN OF THE BUTT
  Proprietor: Narcissus Nightshade, taciturn human/wood elf 
  crossbreed.
  A stuffed, painted archery target hangs above this 
  unfortunately-named shop. Raised in the Alfpine, “Narsy” 
  speaks Common poorly, but he holds a monopoly on quality 
  bows in Lesserton. Viewed askance by locals, Narsy reacts 
  with enthusiasm to other elves, inviting them to tea in his 
  workshop. To dwarfs and orkin, he is barely civil.
  Narsy sells weapons and ammunition; he buys used 
  weapons, but only unused or special ammo. He will only sell 
  elf-bows to elves. Should a non-elf show up carrying one, he 
  becomes very insistent about buying; if haggled, on a reaction 
  roll of 5 or less he doubles his usual buying price to get it. On 
  a 13 or worse, he hires a thief to steal it later.
  Weapon 
  Stock 
  Price 
  Buys for
  Crossbow, light 
  1d4–2 
  20 gp 
  5 gp
  Crossbow, heavy 
  1d4–1 
  30 gp 
  9 gp
  Longbow 
  2d4 
  50 gp 
  15 gp
  Shortbow 
  1d4 
  35 gp 
  10 gp
  Sling 
   
  1d4–1 
  3 gp 
  —
  Arrows, bundle of 10 2d10 bdl 
  5 gp 
  1 sp each
  Quarrels, heavy, 10 
  1d6 bdl 
  5 gp 
  1 sp each
  Quarrels, light, 10 
  1d4 bdl 
  2 gp 
  1 sp each
  Special Item  
  Stock 
  Price 
  Buys for
  Sling bullets, lead, 10 
  1d3 bags 
  10 gp 
  1 sp each
  Elf-bow, green 
  1 in 6 
  250 gp 
  100 gp
  Elf-bow, yellow 
  1 in 10 
  500 gp 
  200 gp
  Silver arrow 
  3d6 
  10 gp 
  5 gp
  Magic arrow (+1/+1) 
  2d6–6 
  200 gp 
  100 gp
  Lead sling bullets do 1d4+1 damage with Short 
  	
  Range 30', Medium Range 60', Long Range 90'. 
  Each bullet weighs 1/2 lb.
  A green elf-bow is small and does 1d6 damage 
  	
  with Short Range 70', Medium Range 140', Long 
  Range 210'. It weighs 2 lbs.
  A yellow elf-bow is over six feet long when 
  	
  strung. Indoors or in a dungeon, it acts as a 
  longbow. Outdoors, or with a very high ceiling, 
  it also has Short Range 100', Medium Range 
  200', Long Range 300'. It weighs 4 lbs.
  Magic arrows
  	
   always break after one use.
  Robbery: Alarm gong, armed response (Narsy has a green 
  elf-bow and two magic arrows behind his counter), 3d100 gp. 
  By night, no cash, no magic or silver arrows, no elf-bows; 
  double-locked door.
  Adventure Seed: Narsy asks the party to retrieve a green elf-
  bow being used by a bandit on the Glory Road. He will trade 
  two magic arrows or 250 gp for the weapon.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  39
  SLATER’S GENERAL STORE
  Proprietors: Mervin and Dotty Slater, Common Folk. 
  Clerks: 1d4 homely Slater children.
  Where the locals buy many of their sundries, groceries, 
  and clothes. The Slaters also stock a limited selection of 
  adventuring gear. They don’t buy used goods.
  Gear 
   
  Stock 
  Price
  Blanket  
  2d20 
  6 sp
  Bucket, 1 gal. 
  2d6 
  4 sp
  Candles, 8 
  20 bdl 
  1 sp
  Cards: Blind Painters deck 
  1d10 
  2 gp
  Chest, small wooden 
  1d4 
  7 sp
  Crowbar 
  1d4 
  3 gp
  Flint & steel 
  3d6 
  2 gp
  Hammer, light (same as weapon) 
  3d6 
  1 gp
  Hatchet, small (1d3 dmg, 1.5 lbs.) 
  1d6 
  1 gp
  Knife, small (1 hp dmg, 1/2 lb.) 
  2d6 
  1 gp
  Ladder, 10 ft. 
  1d4–1 
  1 gp
  Lantern  
  1d6 
  10 gp
  Oil, 8-pint cask 
  1d6–1 
  1 gp
  Pick, miner’s 
  1d4–1 
  4 gp
  Rope, hemp, 40 ft. 
  2d6 
  1 gp
  Stakes, wooden 
  3d20 
  5 cp
  Torch  
  2d12 
  5 cp
  Waterskin 
  2d6 
  1 gp
  Provisions 
  Stock 
  Price
  Beer, small, 1 gallon,  
  bring your own bucket 
  2d4 
  1 ep
  Bitter ale, Rakemoor’s Best, 1 gallon,  
  bring your own bucket 
  2d4 
  1 gp
  Bread, dried slices, 1 lb.  
  2d6 
  1 sp
  Butter, salted, 1/2 lb. 
  3d10 
  1 sp
  Cheese: Morland unaged sheep’s  
  milk, 1 lb. 
  3d6 
  1 sp
  Cheese: Renneton hard white, 1 lb. 
  2d6 
  2 sp
  Cheese: Renneton special blue, 1 lb. 1d6 
  3 sp
  Eggs, small swamp bird’s,  
  pickled, 1 lb. 
  2d6 
  1 sp
  Flour, wheaten, coarse, 5 lbs. 
  2d20 
  1 gp
  Garlic, 1/4 lb. 
  3d6 
  5 sp
  Grain, animal feed, 5-lb. sack* 
  2d10+20 
  1 sp
  Grass, sour swamp, 1/4 lb. 
  2d10 
  2 cp
  Ham, cured, 4 lbs. 
  2d4 
  3 gp
  Hay, bundle, 10 lbs.* 
  4d10 
  5 cp
  Mutton, 1 lb. 
  2d8 
  4 sp
  Onions, small, 1/2 lb. 
  2d20 
  5 cp
  Pork, fresh, 1 lb. 
  2d10 
  1 ep
  Porkfat, 1/2 lb. 
  1d100 
  1 cp
  Salt, 1 lb. 
  2d20 
  1 sp
  Seed, barley or wheat, 1 lb. 
  1d100+20 1 sp
  Swamp bird, fresh raw, 3 lbs. 
  2d4 
  1 ep
  Swamp bird, dried & salted, 2 lbs. 
  3d6 
  1 gp
  Wine, local berries, pint bottle (1 lb.) 3d6 
  5 sp
  * Five pounds of grain and ten pounds of hay is a good 
  minimum day’s feed for a mule or small horse (plus at least 5 
  gallons of water). Warhorses and those who work very hard 
  need more.
  Clothing 
  Stock 
  Price
  Belt, rough leather 
  1d8 
  1 ep
  Boots, work (2 lbs.) 
  2d8 
  3 gp
  Shoes, town (1 lb.) 
  2d6 
  2 gp
  Cap, cloth 
  1d6 
  1 sp
  Cloak, winter (3 lbs.) 
  2d6 
  1 gp
  Dress, womens’ work (4 lbs.) 
  3d6 
  1 gp
  Dress, maid’s (4 lbs.) 
  2d6 
  1 ep
  Dress, women’s social (5 lbs.) 
  1d6 1d4+3 gp
  Undergarments, men’s woolen (2 lbs.) 2d4 
  1 gp
  Undershift, women’s (1 lb.) 
  2d6 
  1 ep
  Shirt, men’s work (1/2 lb.) 
  3d6 
  1 ep
  Jacket, men’s social (1 lb.) 
  1d4 
  4 gp
  Trousers, men’s work (4 lbs.) 
  2d4 
  1 gp
  Trousers, men’s social (2 lbs.) 
  1d6 
  1 ep
  Vehicles 
  Stock 
  Price
  Jaunce  
  1d4–2 
  400 gp
  Maundycart (p28) 
  1d3–1 
  125 gp
  Jaunce: A two-wheeled passenger cart with two seats 
  facing forward and two back. Pulled by one draft horse or 
  two lighter animals. Move: 60' with two people; 30' with four 
  people or two people with luggage.
  Robbery: Alarm gong, but Slater sourly cooperates if any 
  family members are threatened. Children taught to flee in all 
  directions. 4d20 gp, 1d100 sp, 1d100 x 2 ep, 1d100 x 4 cp.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  40
  THE THIRSTY BLADE
  Proprietor: Gladsome Muskox, Old Soul. AC 8 (padded 
  armor), long sword +1, sap, dagger.
  Like Viktor Sarkoli’s shop across the street, Muskox buys 
  used arms for cleanup and resale. Selling him a weapon that’s 
  actually broken requires a reaction roll of 5 or less; even then, 
  he only offers about one-third his usual buy price.
  Weapon 
  Stock 
  Price Buys for
  Axe, battle 
  1d3 
  9 gp 
  3 gp
  Axe, hand 
  1d4 
  15 sp 
  5 sp
  Dagger  
  2d4 
  4 gp 
  1 gp
  Dagger, silver 
  1d3–1 
  50 gp 
  15 gp
  Halberd (polearm) 
  1d4 
  10 gp 
  3 gp
  Hammer, war 
  1d3 
  9 gp 
  3 gp
  Javelin  
  2d6 
  2 gp 
  5 sp
      Javelins, bundle of 6  
  10 gp 
  25 sp
  Mace 
   
  1d4–1 
  7 gp 
  3 gp
  Sap 
   
  2d4 
  5 gp 
  15 sp
  Spear 
   
  3d6 
  4 gp 
  1 gp
  Sword, long 
  2d8 
  15 gp 
  4 gp
  Sword, bastard 
  1d4–1 
  30 gp 
  8 gp
  Sword, short 
  1d4 
  10 gp 
  3 gp
  Sword, two-handed 
  1d3 
  25 gp 
  7 gp
  Robbery: Alarm gong, lockbox with 2d100 gp. By night, no 
  cash, locked door, weapons in locked cases except halberds 
  and spears.
  Special Items: On rare occasions, Muskox gets his hands 
  on a magical weapon. Each month, a roll of 1 on a d6 
  indicates one of the items below for sale, stored at Brinkley’s 
  and available for 10,000 gp. Each occurs only once, with a 
  duplicate roll meaning no item that month. Roll 1d6:
  1. GHOST GAUNTLET: This long, fully-articulated 
  glove of fine steel has two powers. Fitted over a crippled or 
  missing hand, it acts as a perfect replacement. The glove has 
  STR 18 but only for tasks done with the hand alone, such as 
  crushing a small object. The gauntlet’s other power activates 
  should the wearer be killed, paralyzed, or unconscious. For 
  one minute after he loses awareness, the glove can animate 
  the wearer’s arm, and it strikes at the first creature to enter 
  melee range, friend or foe. It surprises on a 1–4 and attacks 
  as the wearer, doing 1d3+1 damage plus the wearer’s STR 
  modifier.
  2. GREAT HAMMER: It takes two hands to wield 
  this huge steel-headed mallet: +1 to hit, 1d10+1 damage, 20 
  lbs. The hammer gives +2 to attempts to bash down doors, 
  forcing a Wandering Monster check from the noise. Against 
  an obstacle that requires pulling, prying, or bending instead 
  of bashing, the hammer gives no bonus. In combat, if the 
  wielder rolls a 1, he must make a STR check or send the 
  mallet flying in a random direction, striking the first target 
  within 15' as if the user were attacking.
  3. MACE OF REPOSE: Only a cleric can use this 
  heavy iron club (+1 to hit, 1d6+1 damage, 6 lbs.). The first 
  time it hits a particular undead target, the blow also acts as a 
  free Turn Undead attempt. If the blow does no damage, for 
  example because the creature requires a +2 weapon to hit, the 
  Turn attempt goes to waste. Certain highly evil beings may 
  recognize the mace and target the wielder.
  4. MOURNING BLADE: Bright silver bastard sword 
  +1. When used to deal a killing blow, it gives off a very loud, 
  keening wail and coruscates with a sparkling aura. The first 
  time they see this, foes within 30' make an immediate Morale 
  Check. The sound also forces an extra Wandering Monster 
  check once per combat.
  5. SLIPNEEDLE: A dull gray finish coats this slender 
  dagger; it never gleams or glints. In normal use it gets +1 to hit 
  and damage. Used to backstab, it gives +2 to hit and damage. 
  Furthermore, the special finish absorbs blade treatments; it 
  can be coated with poison without the usual 5% chance of 
  accidentally poisoning the user (AEC143). However, he can 
  still poison himself in melee by rolling a natural 1 and then 
  failing a DEX check. The dagger radiates faint evil.
  6. VELVET QUIVER: This soft green quiver weighs 
  only 1 lb. The wearer can draw one arrow per round from it 
  and never run out. Alternatively, he can call out the command 
  phrase “Never fail, my quiver!” and draw forth a special 
  result. All arrows break after one use; magic arrows and death 
  arrows lose their powers 1 minute after drawing.
   d100 Arrow type
   01–50 Silver arrow (5 gp value)
   51–75 Flaming arrow (burns up in two rounds)
   76–96 Magic arrow (+1 to hit, +1 damage)
   97–99 Death arrow (+2 to hit, 2d10 lightning damage)
   
  00 
  Magic arrow, but it rips the quiver, destroying it.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: MARKET SQUARE
  
  41
  TOLLMAN SHOE BARN
  Smith: Gorgio “Gimp” Tollman, one-eyed, aging Brute and 
  former militiaman.
  An open shed across the street from the Lesserton 
  Nag Lot. Tollman could afford a single apprentice, barely, 
  at 25 gp per month, but has not found one. Mounts shoed 
  immediately, 3 gp. Tollman can make serviceable armor and 
  weapons to order: he charges less money than the established 
  weapons dealers, but it takes weeks and he can only work on 
  one piece at a time.
  Weapon 
  Cost and time
  Axe, battle 
  8 gp, 1 week
  Axe, hand 
  12 sp, 1 week
  Dagger 
  35 sp, 1 week
  Javelin 
  12 sp, 1 week
  Mace 
  6 gp, 2 weeks
  Spear 
  35 gp, 1 week
  Sword, long 
  12 gp, 2 weeks
  Sword, bastard 
  25 gp, 3 weeks
  Sword, short 
  9 gp, 2 weeks
  Sword, two-handed 
  20 gp, 3 weeks
  Armor 
  Cost and time
  Target shield 
  12 gp, 2 weeks
  Chain mail (AC 5) 
  80 gp, 4 weeks
  Plate & chain (AC 4) 
  95 gp, 5 weeks
  There is a 1 in 6 chance for Tollman to have a used 
  Maundycart (p28) for sale for 100 gp.
  WATCH STATION (MARKET SQUARE)
  Complement: Four Guards, one Guard Sergeant. Doubled 
  during Second Shift (dusk to dawn). See p14.
  Facilities: Signal horn, spare shields, truncheons, nets, and 
  manacles; water barrel, torches, ladders, ram.
  Response time: For an alarm gong, three Guards and the 
  Sergeant come running in 2d4 rounds. For a general ruckus, 
  two Guards arrive in 2d6 rounds.
  WENTON’S INN AND YARD
  Proprietor: Jasmine Blakely-Wenton, Old Soul.
  This fairly clean, rambling one-story inn offers a common 
  meal each night, clean rooms, and a stable. Cook: Matron 
  Wilma Bucking. Pot boys and stable boys: Jem Hawkins, 
  Tommy Gray. Server: the respectable Wilhelmina Potter. 
  Maids: Tamra Potter, Wilhelmina’s granddaughter, supervising 
  the far more experienced halfling Portia Dogiron.
  Rates: Beans and mutton, decent bread, Renneton hard 
  cheese, fresh or dried fruit, cool well water: 1 ep. Pint of 
  ale, 2 sp. Wine, cup, 4 sp. Breakfast of porridge and a cup 
  of warmed ale: 2 sp. Room with two beds: 1 ep per person, 
  or 8 sp for one person. Stabling of ordinary mounts: 1 gp 
  including rubdown and food.
  Patrons: 1d6 x 2 Eastron farmers visiting town, 1d6 locals 
  drinking, 1 in 6 chance of a party of Adventurers (p6).
  Gambling: Blind Painters at 1 ep stakes whenever two or 
  more locals are present. They fleece visiting farmers when 
  possible.
  Robbery: Patrons likely to object. Alarm gong. Small 
  lockbox with 1d100 sp and 2d20 ep; second strongbox under 
  floorboard, 2d100 sp.
  Searching: Finding adventure at –8. Finding love at –7. 
  Additional –3 for non-humans. Cost: 1 gp per hour. Common 
  room open for three hours after sunset.
  THE HEIGHTS
  Peter Robamonde (p58) owns most of  these rows of  
  fine townhomes, rented out to Lesserton’s forty-odd 
  wealthiest families. A dozen upscale businesses occupy 
  a few well-maintained storefronts.
  CARLOS PAINFEATHER, AUTHOR
  This Clever Sort describes himself as “Author, 
  Painfeather’s Comprehensive Bestiary,” but the great project is 
  never quite finished. Thousands of loose pages and annotated 
  scraps of paper litter the cramped office in his townhome. It 
  takes a Hiring Roll to get an appointment with Painfeather, 
  at a bonus of –1 per 100 gp bribe to his clerk, Muckle Gray. 
  Appointments are in 1d4 days, or the same day for a result 
  of 1 or less. For 500 gp, Painfeather reports on any known 
  monster: the referee reads the creature’s core rules stats and 
  description to the players outloud, once. For an extra 250 gp, 
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: THE HEIGHTS
  
  42
  he provides a written report (description but not stat block). 
  If the monster appears identical to a different one, there is 
  a 5% chance that Painfeather gives the wrong result. He also 
  buys unusual dead monsters, if well preserved, for 1 gp per 
  hit point, but only wants rare specimens that fit in his house. 
  He uses the taxidermy services of Tasso Plumb (p55).
  Robbery: One night in three, a hired Brute from Jimmy G’s 
  Brass Shield arrives to accompany Muckle Gray to Brinkley’s 
  with 2d6 x 100 gp, leaving only 50 gp in the floor safe under 
  the library rug. On other nights, the safe holds 1d6 x 100 gp. 
  Painfeather sleeps upstairs.
  Adventure Seed: Painfeather seeks the body of a mimic 
  (AEC131) to examine. He would pay up to 50 gp per HD. 
  There are stories of such things living in the Ruins.
  THE PARLOURY
  Proprietor: Absentee. Night manager: Ratch Gordon, Old 
  Soul. Bouncer: A Brute from the Brass Shield (p52), often 
  changing. Bartender: Sebastian Valish, obsequious, uniformed 
  fop. Stockboy: Gus Gitten.
  A small bar in the same building as the Valnwall 
  Genealogical Society. Sir Plonk stops in most every night, 
  looking for love: possibly competing with a PC for the attention 
  of an attractive female, or bothering an attractive female 
  PC. An exclusive clientele gathers here to congratulate each 
  other on their appreciation of expensive drinks and clothes. 
  Characters not appropriately attired (at least 25 gp in clothes, 
  100 gp in jewelry, and no armor) receive immediate snubs, 
  such as being asked if they have brought someone’s carriage 
  around, or might wish to make their delivery tomorrow when 
  things are less busy. If intruders don’t take the hint, Valish 
  comes out from behind the bar to berate them while the Brute 
  slips up behind them, hand on his sap. Even characters who 
  earn a seat at the bar are on probation; tipping well speeds 
  the process. Anyone who causes very serious trouble, such as 
  property damage or robbery, gets targeted for punishment by 
  a shadowy organization (The Brush, p58).
  Patrons: 2d6 Old Souls and Clever Sorts, plus 1 in 3 chance 
  of Sir Plonk.
  Hours: Open for 5 hours after sunset.
  Rates: Odd-colored liqueur: 1 oz., 9 sp. Wine from far away, 
  1/2 pint: 1 gp. Wine from far away, bottle: 4 gp. Pickled egg 
  in silver egg cup with silver spoon: 4 sp.
  Gambling: None.
  Hirelings: 1 in 6 chance of a single Adventurer, randomized 
  as on p6 but with a wealthy background giving him cash and 
  gear as one level higher.  The party can hire him at a +2 
  reaction penalty and he requires a full share of cash loot plus 
  10 gp per day times the square of his level. 
  Robbery: Alarm gong. No resistance, but the clever staff will 
  memorize everything about the robbers for later retaliation, 
  legal or otherwise. 1d20+40 gp, 1d20+80 sp.
  Searching: Finding adventure at –10. Finding love at –5. 
  Additional –10 if not well-dressed and conversant with the 
  ways of the rich and beautiful. Additional –5 for non-humans, 
  except that elves are viewed with suspicion but also as exotic, 
  so they do all right. Cost: 1d6 x 5 gp per hour. 100 gp per +1 
  to CHA check, to a maximum of +5.
  THE PLANNERS GUILD
  Two-story guild building of attractive stonework, housing 
  four expert engineers and 16 apprentices, all Clever Sorts. 
  Apprentices receive room, board, and training, plus 10 gp 
  per month when actually at work on a project. Due to Lally’s 
  influence, 1d4 are female.
  The Guild can oversee construction of anything from 
  tents to castles. Floor plans for standard, small buildings are 
  for sale. Anything larger requires a 1,000 gp deposit and a 
  contract for 750 gp per month for the length of the project. 
  The Guild shrouds itself in ritual and strongly discourages 
  any freelance engineering in Lesserton, Mor, Swampton, or 
  nearby. Those who bring outside engineers into the Guild’s 
  self-appointed territory may encounter trouble with labor, 
  supply shortages, or even fires, bad water, or giant termites.
  Guildmaster Sages:
  Ras Everburn, expert in wooden construction
  	
  Robert Plumb, expert in raising fortifications
  	
  Pedarik “Pick” Grouser, dwarf expert in mining 
  	
  and stonework
  Lally Bilgedodge, female halfling expert in 
  	
  building on swampy ground.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: THE HEIGHTS
  
  43
  THE PLATINUM PEGASUS
  Proprietor: Absentee ownership. Day manager: Blake 
  Swenson, Clever Sort, brother of Tully at the Rooster 
  (p44). Assistant: Jennifer Bakkus. Night manager: Rickhardt 
  Ebersoul, Clever Sort. Five maids include Polly Hawkins, 
  who sometimes takes leftover food to Vince Cleghorne.
  A large and pretentious hotel for a town this size, offering 
  a unique level of luxury. Two Brutes from the Brass Shield 
  work security at all times. All rooms are on the second floor; 
  security keeps the stairs under watch and locks the door from 
  midnight to sunrise. The night manager lets confirmed guests 
  up with his key.
  Rates: The hotel will not rent rooms to orkin. Others require 
  a reaction roll of 5 or better, at a +4 penalty if not richly 
  dressed. 3 gp per night. Stabling referred to Aglet Honeyweed 
  at the Sprightly Sprinters (p45).
  Patrons: 3d6 well-off Old Souls and Clever Sorts, keeping to 
  their rooms at night, plus 1d4–2 parties of Adventurers.
  Robbery: In the locked hotel back office, a heavy iron safe 
  holds 1d100+100 gp and 2d100+100 sp. Coins go in a slot in 
  the top, but the door requires the keys of both night and day 
  manager to open. Before sundown each night, Ebersoul and 
  one Brute take all but 100 of each coin to Brinkley’s. About 
  six hours later, the safe receives 3d20 gp and 3d20 sp from 
  the till at the Pinion.
  THE PINION
  The restaurant on the ground floor of the Platinum 
  Pegasus. Chef: Wiggums Knob, halfling. Three cooks, three 
  waiters, two potboys. Wingfeathers, the bar area of the 
  Pinion, faces the hotel lobby. Barkeep: Federic “Fats” Palisair. 
  Server: Susannah Bloom. Special fruit-wine punch: 1 ep. 1d6 
  patrons by night. Open five hours after sundown.
  Rates: Lunch, 1 gp; elaborate dinner, 2 gp, plus 1d4 gp for 
  wine.
  Patrons: Well-off Clever Sorts, Old Souls, and Common 
  Folk: 2d6 at lunch, 3d6 for dinner.
  Searching: Find adventure at –9, find love at –9. Open for 
  five hours after sunset.
  Robbery: Protected by hotel security. Till with 5d6 gp, 
  2d6+20 sp.
  Gambling: Devin Lewis (p58) visits Wingfeathers about once 
  a week with a Blind Painters deck and gets 1d6+1 people to 
  join in at 5 gp stakes.
  FORESTER GREELWOOD, GENIuS
  This foppish Clever Sort (INT 18), a permanent resident 
  at the Platinum Pegasus, claims to be able to solve any 
  mystery. He also claims to require no money for his services, 
  but somehow never starts a job before securing a retainer of 
  250 gp. Greelwood tests the patience of fellow lodgers by 
  smoking a great deal of halfling pipeweed and practicing his 
  “fairy fiddle,” a three-inch, tin, violin-like device with a single 
  shrill string. On a case, Greelwood putters around town, now 
  dogging the characters when they most want him elsewhere, 
  now disappearing when looked for. Greelwood gets an INT 
  check every day until fired. On a success, he simply reports 
  that the game is afoot. On a failure, he calls his employer to 
  a meeting and presents a dramatic, unlikely, and completely 
  wrong story of the mystery’s solution. On a natural 1, he 
  arrives at some impossibly difficult, but useful and true 
  conclusion, whereupon he declares the case solved and 
  presents a bill for 20 gp per day, plus 1d10 gp daily expenses. 
  When paid, he reveals his deduction, always correct as far as 
  it goes but never solving the whole problem.
  Forester greelwood
  Illustration by Steve Zieser
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: THE HEIGHTS
  
  44
  THE ROOSTER
  Proprietors: Glim Sanders, Clever Sort, and Tully Swenson, 
  Old Soul.
  A small and respectable hostelry. The few rooms here 
  boast fine appointments and large, comfortable beds, with 
  hot water service in the morning and fresh flowers in season. 
  Females of a delicate sensibility find things to their liking.
  All Lesserton Clever Sorts, and most Old Souls and NPCs 
  with classes, know that Glim and Tully are male partners, a 
  practice considered chaotic by the Grand Ecclesiarch (p56) 
  but tolerated by most people. A PC can realize the same thing 
  by rolling Wisdom or less on 1d20.
  Rates: Room for the night: 9 sp per person. Dinner in the 
  dining room with the hosts: 6 sp. Breakfast buffet: 4 sp. No 
  stable, but on a reaction roll of 8 or better, they recommend 
  asking Aglet Honeyweed at the Sprightly Sprinters (p45), 
  about two blocks away.
  Patrons: 1d6 Old Souls or Clever Sorts, mostly Eastron 
  humans of good breeding, generally older married couples 
  or stylish men. Guests keep to themselves but most appear in 
  the dining room at dinner and breakfast.
  Searching: Not a happening place. Find adventure at –12. 
  Find love at –14, or –9 for male characters who prefer male 
  love interests.
  SIGN OF THE BOAR
  Proprietor: Absentee ownership. Cooks: Chef Pechum 
  Coronas, Old Soul; assistant chef Sasha Clementine, Old 
  Soul. Two waiters, two busboy/dishwashers.
  By a wry tradition, this fine restaurant serves no pork, 
  but every other sort of luxury meal appears on its few tables 
  according to season. Getting a same-day reservation requires 
  a reaction roll of 3 or better, at a –1 bonus for a bribe of 
  10 gp or more. So long as the requester looks human and 
  respectable, a table will be open in the number of days the 
  roll was above 3. Non-humans find that, even with a decent 
  reaction roll, somehow no reservation ever materializes. 
  One man dines at the Boar almost every night at his 
  reserved table: the enormously fat Peter Robamonde, wealthy 
  local (p58).
  Rates: Three-hour dinner, 25 gp plus 1d4 x 10 gp for drinks.
  Robbery: Two alarm gongs: one in the kitchen, one in the 
  dining room. Sasha Clementine works alone from morning until 
  mid-afternoon; she carries 1d20+20 ep to pay for deliveries. 
  When dinner finishes each night, after the Night Bell, Chef 
  puts 2d6+40 gp in the lockbox to which he holds the key. He 
  puts 2d6+10 gp in his pocket and gives 10 gp to Sasha, 2d6 gp 
  to each waiter, and 2d6 sp to each busboy. Unless threatened 
  with a deadly weapon or large group, Chef fights. Successful 
  robbers may suffer the revenge of the Brush (p58).
  Adventure Seed: Master Butcher Hank Ritter (p55) hires the 
  PCs for a few gold to guard a valuable evening delivery to the 
  Boar. Ralf Whistle carries a large package of “special meat” 
  carefully wrapped in cloth. At the Boar, Sasha Clementine 
  opens the back door to tender payment, when screams come 
  from within. An elderly peasant woman, Harriet Weatherdane, 
  has leapt at Peter Robamonde with a knife; when the PCs 
  rush in, two waiters hold her back. “Took my little Davy you 
  did! Murderer!” screams the woman. Robamonde only looks 
  befuddled. Sasha Clementine offers the PCs a quick 5 gp to 
  take Harriet away; prevented from killing, the crone collapses 
  into tears. If the characters investigate, they find that Harriet’s 
  “little” Davy was a full-grown teamster found dead in the 
  swamp months ago, his body worried by animals. Someone 
  told Harriet that Davy had just started work for Robamonde, 
  and she arrived at a possibly deranged conclusion.
  SIGN OF THE KOBOLD
  Proprietor: Absentee ownership. Manager: Madam Sousa 
  Blakely. Clerks: sprightly female Temperance Ebersoul, 
  sprightly male Holbrook Sanders. Tailor: Jeb Swatto, halfling.
  A gilded statue of a kobold in formal livery and wig marks 
  the location of this upscale toggery. Within, dressmaker’s 
  dummies stand in stylish poses, displaying the Kobold’s wares. 
  Lesserton has only a few rich people, but they compete heavily 
  for status. To truly stay up to date, one must own at least three 
  complete outfits and buy a new one at least three times a year. 
  The Kobold stocks many luxury items, no two exactly alike.
  Item 
   
  Stock Price
  Belt, wide leather, tooled 
  1d4 
  6 gp
  Belt, wide, worked in silver or gold 
  1d4 
  40 gp
  Boots, women’s, high hard leather 
  1d4 pr 25 gp
  Cap, leather, jaunty 
  1d4 
  4 gp
  Cloak, cloth, stylish cut 
  1d4 
  5 gp
  Cloak, fur, decorative 
  1d4 
  75 gp
  Cloak, fur, deep luxury 
  1d4 
  125 gp
  Hat, woman’s 
  2d6 
  6 gp
  Hat, woman’s elaborate 
  2d4 
  8 gp
  Hat, man’s with long feather 
  1d4 
  7 gp
  Dress, silk, plain 
  1d4 
  35 gp
  Dress, silk, patterned 
  2d4 
  50 gp
  Shirt, man’s 
  1d4 
  4 gp
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: THE HEIGHTS
  
  45
  Shoes, men’s 
  1d4 pr 10 gp
  Shoes, women’s 
  2d20 pr 30 gp
  Stole, fur 
  1d4 
  16 gp
  Trousers 
  1d4 
  3 gp
  Trousers, piped 
  1d4 
  6 gp
  Personal Shopping: On a Hiring Roll, a character can 
  make an appointment for the next day. Madam Blakely will 
  work with him for three hours and personally select enough 
  clothes to make up three head-to-toe outfits. Total cost: 
  350 gp, including tailoring and delivery. So dressed, a non-
  orkin character who behaves decently can gain entrée to any 
  business and almost any social function. Even an orkin may 
  receive the benefit of the doubt in many places.
  Robbery: A thief who takes time to case the store discovers 
  that no one in Lesserton would dare to rob it. Should PCs try 
  anyway, the employees are quick to leap to the alarm gong. 
  Sanders regards the thieves with scornful disbelief, because 
  the store is under the protection of the Brush (p58). Under 
  threat, he cooperates; the till holds 4d6 x 100 gp.
  THE SPRIGHTLY SPRINTERS OF  
  FAR IRLLENDOM
  Proprietor: Sir Aglet Honeyweed, charming elf Old Soul 
  with exotic Westron accent. Clerk: Dumbo, deaf-mute halfling 
  who scrambles to please.
  Pretty horses in a clean, grassy paddock. All beasts come 
  very well-groomed, with braided manes and tails, free “elvish 
  tackle,” and a squirt of perfume. Each has –1 on its rolled 
  hp, but Lessers with social pretensions prefer Aglet’s mounts. 
  He also stocks fancy carriages, brought in pieces from distant 
  Feyport and assembled locally at Kapner Joinery (p50).
  Item 
  Stock 
  Cost
  Riding horse 
  1d12 
  150 gp
  Pony 
  1d4 
  75 gp
  Whirligig 
  1d4–2 
  750 gp
  Calabash 
  1d4–2 
  850 gp
  Stabling, per night* 
  4 stalls 
  15 sp
  *Only for those referred by a respectable citizen.
  Whirligig: Fast and stylish, this light, two-wheeled cart is 
  meant to be pulled by two small animals such as riding horses. 
  Move: 90' with one person, 60' with two.
  Calabash: A whirligig with a folding leather roof.
  Robbery: Honeyweed himself carries a town sword (1d4 
  dmg, 100 gp) and 1d6 x 25 gp in jewelry; he also commands 
  a single sleep spell (LL39). During the day, the heavy iron-
  and-lead safe holds 1d4 x 50 gp, 1d4 x 5 pp, Brinkley’s 
  drafts to Honeyweed for 1d6 x 100 gp, and 3d6 ounces of 
  perfume, worth about 3 gp per ounce.
  TRANG’S OF DOLMVAY
  Proprietor: Absentee owner “Trang,” who apparently has 
  shops in several towns. Baker: Chef Eli Larkin, Old Soul with 
  Westron accent. Apprentices: Dana Crawley, plump young 
  female; Theo “Twigs” Morton, skinny young man. 
  A variety of baked goods and treats for the discriminating. 
  Crusty long bread: Half pound loaf, 1 sp. Sour boule: One 
  pound, 2 sp. Berry pie: 2 sp. Dainty pastries: Six for 1 ep. 
  Candied fruit bits: 10 sp for a paper box of 12.
  Robbery: Alarm gong. Daytime, 2d100 sp. At night, no 
  money, and a Brute from the Brass Shield guards the place.
  vALNWALL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
  Proprietor: The “society” consists of one Clever Sort, Sir 
  Untherous Plonk, with a monocle, a library, and an unhealthy 
  fascination with noble blood.
  Plonk claims to be the 37th Baron of Irrakith, a tiny, distant, 
  and possibly imaginary territory. He wears monogrammed 
  clothes and a town sword (1d4 dmg, 100 gp) and insists on 
  being addressed as “Baron,” or at least “Sir Plonk.” Attractive 
  females, however, he encourages to call him “Unthy,” paying 
  them a great deal of chummy attention. Services:
  For 100 gp, Plonk will give one subject a close 
  	
  examination and certify his or her “purity of 
  blood.” Certain classes of Lessers always get this 
  done for a new bride, to show that she is 100% 
  human with no orkin Taint.
  A similar examination can show paternity, if the 
  	
  putative father also appears.
  For either service, if consulted privately in 
  	
  advance with another 200 gp, Plonk certifies 
  whatever answer the customer prefers, unless the 
  opposite is so clearly true that it would damage 
  his reputation.
  Plonk’s other business is tracing genealogy, a long process 
  requiring multiple interviews, 1d4 months, and 2,000 gp per 
  month. The result is a beautiful, illuminated chart showing the 
  customer’s descent from a historical noble family, together 
  with a letter of authenticity. The charts are sometimes even 
  right: each has 2d10 x 5% accuracy.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: THE HEIGHTS
  
  46
  On a good reaction roll (5 or less), Plonk can also 
  scribe other sorts of impressive documents: 200 gp, plus a 
  like amount for each special service: large size, colorful ink, 
  foreign language, official-looking seals, “aging,” or keeping 
  the document's origins strictly confidential.
  Robbery: Plonk’s own outfit includes his sword and some 
  flashy but cheap jewelry with four-balled coronet designs 
  (100 gp value). He carries 1d6 pp and 3d6 gp. His library of 
  hundreds of books would be worth 3,000 gp to a collector or 
  university, but it weighs over 200 lbs. In a locked safe are 1d3 
  x 100 gp; during the day, it also holds 2d6 Brinkley’s drafts 
  for 100 gp each.
  Adventure Seed: Plonk gets a visit from a seemingly real 
  baronet, with retinue, who asks for proof of his descent 
  from the Barons of Mor. This customer will not settle for 
  fakery; any evidence lies in the Ruins, and Plonk wants the 
  PCs to find it. The powerful folk in Lesserton, on the other 
  hand, would greatly prefer that no one present a claim to the 
  long-defunct land grant placing Mor under noble rule.
  WATCH STATION (THE HEIGHTS)
  Complement: Four Guards, one Guard Sergeant. Doubled 
  during Second Shift (dusk to dawn). See p14.
  Facilities: Signal horn, spare shields, truncheons, nets, and 
  manacles; canvas awning, tea table and chairs, kitchenette 
  with small stove and tableware for 12. During the day, 1 in 
  4 chance of 1d4 attractive female waitresses paid by nearby 
  businesses to serve a meal of pastry, meats, and small beer.
  Response time: For an alarm gong, three Guards and the 
  Sergeant come running in 2d4 rounds. For a general ruckus, 
  two Guards arrive in 2d4 rounds.
  The Sergeants compete for posting to the Heights, where 
  trouble is scarce and often comes with tips. Day Watch in 
  the Heights, the true plum, currently belongs to Sgt. Wonk 
  Nelson and his boys, due to Nelson’s timely and discreet 
  assistance with a tricky arrest by the Chief a few months 
  back. Nelson keeps a jealous eye on the other Sergeants lest 
  they wrest away his prize. 
  CRUIKSHANKS
  The alleys and lanes of  Cruikshanks form a broad, 
  meandering swath between the Heights and Kinswallow. 
  Here dwell the workers and craftspeople, mostly human, 
  although with one block of  halfling-sized apartments.
  BANTAM HOUSE
  Proprietor: Madam Pernicia “Lady W” Wattle. Clerk: wan 
  girl Zippia Tumbledown, relieved from more taxing service 
  by reason of uninteresting personality and poor gambling 
  skills. Security: Two Brutes.
  So classy, it’s almost not a whorehouse. The street 
  entrance opens into a very small, windowless lobby, with 
  Zippia at the desk in heavy makeup. Regulars proceed into 
  the cocktail lounge. Others are asked into a small parlor and 
  offered tea until Lady W can come greet them in one turn, 
  or 1d4 minutes for those who appear very wealthy. Only 
  menfolk meeting her approval receive an invitation to enter 
  the lounge.
  In the windlowless but well-appointed cocktail lounge, 
  3d4 beautiful women in stylish clothes chat at high tabouret 
  tables, each with a checker board and the pieces for checkers, 
  chess, and other games. Two larger tables host four-player 
  Quist (p18). A patron buys drinks and sits across the board 
  from his favorite, entering a playful badinage where the 
  stakes he loses form the price of his later entertainment in 
  the upstairs boudoirs. Frequent side wagers include particular 
  services, double-or-nothing, and the like; the true devoté 
  even enjoys losing to a skilled girl and going home without 
  other activity. He returns another night eager to try again, 
  each setback adding spice to the eventual conquest of his 
  clever beauty.
  The Bantam House adjoins a plain one-story building, 
  accessed by a secret door, where the girls live. Lady W keeps 
  that fact quiet and no business is permitted in the dormitory 
  house.
  Hours: Open from Night Bell until dawn.
  Rates: Paid services cost 100 gp per hour, but for every half 
  hour of gambling, a character spends 3d6 gp on drinks and 
  makes an INT check. Failure by 4 or more makes an extra 50 
  gp disappear; success wins 10 gp off the price; success by 10 
  or more reduces the cost of service by 50 gp. The game need 
  not end until the lounge closes at first light.
  Robbery: The Brutes carry daggers, saps, and padded armor. 
  Zippia has an alarm gong in the lobby, though she will not 
  use it except in a disaster, as the patrons prefer not to meet 
  the Guards. Of the 1d10 patrons, each has a 5% chance to be 
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: CRUIKSHANKS
  
  47
  an NPC of level 1d3. Lady W wears 3d6 x 100 gp worth of 
  jewelry; the 3d4 girls each have 3d6 x 10 gp worth. Lady W’s 
  locked private chamber has another 2d6 x 100 gp in jewels 
  and a purse with 1d20 gp. A hidden safe contains 100 pp, 100 
  gp, and a potion of  invisibility. The till in the lounge holds 4d6 
  x 10 gp and 1d100 sp, and stakes at the tables constitute 2d4 
  x 50 gp more.
  Searching: Looking for adventure at –10, plus –5 for non-
  humans, +3 if specifically seeking a rich patron. Looking for 
  love at Bantam House is a bit silly, unless the character is 
  attempting to distract a patron to a less expensive encounter.
  Adventure Seed: A PC meets Devin Lewis and his favorite 
  Quist opponent, Horatia, at a Bantam House table. See 
  “Deadly Chances,” p61.
  BURNSIDE ARMORY
  Master Smith: Ranter Burnside, Brute. Apprentices: Smeel 
  Crawley, Lupo Ninefingers, and Doss Bogwater.
  Burnside neither buys nor sells used gear, but steadily 
  produces new armor for various clients. New armor by 
  Burnside is skillfully made and attractive. To place an order, a 
  PC must make a reaction roll of 8 or less. Strangers to town 
  must pay in advance. Time required appears on the table 
  below; with his apprentices, Burnside can work on up to 
  three orders at once. He can also repair armor and weapons 
  for 50% of new cost; this takes one week for a weapon, or 
  half the time to construct for armor.
  If the reaction roll is 5 or less, the character can order 
  custom-fitted armor, which has a lower effective weight for 
  that person only. The wearer must show up for measuring 
  once in the first week of work and again for final adjustments 
  in the last week.
  Armor 
  Cost AC Wt. 
  Time
  Brigandine 
  75 gp 
  6 
  40 lbs. 
  1d8 days
   
  Fitted 
  150 gp 
  6 
  32 lbs. 
  3 weeks
  Chain mail 
  105 gp 
  5 
  30 lbs. 
  2d8 days
   
  Fitted 
  210 gp 
  5 
  24 lbs. 
  4 weeks
  Plate & chain 
  125 gp 
  4 
  35 lbs. 
  3d8 days
   
  Fitted 
  250 gp 
  4 
  28 lbs. 
  5 weeks
  Full plate 
  675 gp 
  3 
  50 lbs. 
  4d8 days
   
  Fitted 
  1,350 gp 
  3 
  40 lbs. 
  6 weeks
  Other gear  
  Cost 
  Wt. 
  Time
  Crowbar 
  3 gp 
  5 lbs. 
  1 day
  Grappling hook 
  2 gp 
  4 lbs. 
  1 day
  Lock, normal 
  25 gp 
  1 lb. 
  1d8 days
   
  Good1 
  100 gp 
  1 lb. 
  1d8 days
   
  Excellent2 500 gp 
  1 lb. 
  2d8 days
  Manacles 
  15 gp 
  2 lbs. 
  1 day
  New key3 
  15 gp 
  – 
  1 week 
  1 –10% to pick
  2 –20% to pick
  3 Burnside can make a new key for an existing lock if the 
  customer leaves the lock with him for a week. With his shop 
  full of tools, he also has a 50% chance to pick a lock without 
  damaging it. He charges 10 gp for the attempt, which he gets 
  to within the day.
  Robbery: Vigorous resistance during business hours, plus 
  alarm gong. Lockbox with 1d100+100 gp, 50 sp. At night, 
  no cash; tools and armor chained up with four good locks 
  (–10% to pick).
  CLEGHORNE’S UNIVERSAL 
  KNOWLEDGIUM AND BOOKATORY
  Proprietor: Vince Cleghorne, ancient Clever Sort.
  Once a fine townhouse, this two-story building is now 
  crammed beyond capacity with books and papers of every size 
  and kind. Cleghorne works wedged behind a desk, a hunched 
  shape with every feature hidden by whiskers and dusty spectacles 
  except a huge warty nose. One-third of the time he is sleeping, 
  but it’s difficult to tell. From his dirty white cap extends a kind 
  of two-foot fishing rod with continual light on the tip. With this 
  aid he can barely make out the crabbed words in the thousands 
  of slowly decaying volumes that make up his life’s collection. 
  Should anyone show the slightest disrespect for Cleghorne, 
  his books, or obscure knowledge in general, he becomes quite 
  shrill and can’t be reasoned with until at least two days pass. If 
  anyone approaches him quietly, Cleghorne (INT 17) tries to roll 
  his INT or below on 1d20. On an 18 or 19, the newcomer gets 
  mistaken for Polly Hawkins, Cleghorne’s volunteer nurse, and 
  Cleghorne peevishly asks for some water. On a 20, Cleghorne 
  leaps in shock when he notices the person, scattering papers 
  and keeling over backward on his rickety chair. He must roll his 
  CON (9) or lower on a d20 or go into a coma-like condition 
  that inflicts 1 hp per day. He has only 4 hp total. Any healing 
  magic brings him out of it.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: CRUIKSHANKS
  
  48
  Anyone who spends more than one day at Cleghorne’s 
  encounters Polly Hawkins, a young but careworn Old Soul. 
  Polly comes from a deeply poor family, distantly related to 
  Cleghorne. She decided that the old man needed a caretaker 
  and appointed herself to the role. Polly can spare little time 
  from her job cleaning rooms at the Platinum Pegasus, but 
  often brings leftover food from the hotel and checks on the 
  man almost every day (5 out of 6). She would be attractive 
  except for a grotesquely broken nose, a gift from her father. 
  Magical healing could fix the damage, and unknown to 
  anyone, Polly has the potential to become a cleric if given 
  the chance.
  Services: The books and scrolls in Cleghorne’s house cover 
  almost any imaginable topic, in every known language.
  He will buy any book, scrambling together 
  	
  whatever money is at hand (1d100 sp) regardless 
  of the item. To purchase pricy or magical works, 
  he offers 1d6 x 10 gp for a scroll, or 1d4 x 100 
  gp for a book. It takes him one day to get a 
  Brinkley’s draft for such amounts.
  A character who makes a Hiring Roll can gain 
  	
  access to “the stacks” for 2 gp per day, and can 
  make an INT roll each day thereafter to find a 
  nugget of information relevant to current goals. 
  Every second natural 1 means that the PC finds 
  a loose page from a magic-user’s spellbook. 
  These spellbook pages do not radiate magic, 
  but require the read magic spell to interpret; each 
  holds a random magic-user spell (AEC84–85).
   
  d10 Spell level
   
  1–6  
  1st
   
  7–9  
  2nd
   
  10 
   
  3rd 
  Cleghorne does not want anything to leave his 
  	
  hoard; actually purchasing a book requires a 
  reaction roll of 4 or less and a lot of cash: 30 gp 
  for a loose page, 150 gp for a book, 300 gp or 
  more for a substantial tome.
  A character willing to steal can simply walk 
  	
  out with a page or scroll tucked in his clothes; 
  Cleghorne will never notice. To abscond with 
  a whole book requires a DEX roll, at –4 for 
  a massive tome; on a failure, the book drops 
  where Cleghorne can see it, and he angrily bans 
  that character from his shop.
  RANDOM BOOKS AND PAPERS
  If desired, the referee can use this chart for inspiration 
  when a PC pulls a random document off one of Cleghorne’s 
  crowded shelves. The document has a 1 in 6 chance to be in 
  a language other than the common tongue.
   d100 
  Random document
   01–02 Accounting ledger
   03–04 Architectural plans for a stronghold
   05–06 Blank book, low quality
   
  07 
  Blank book, 15 gp value, suitable for spells
   08–09 Book of fairy tales and legends
   10–11 Book of poetry
   12–13 Book of recipes
   14–15 Book, arcane
   16–17 Book, bestiary
   18–19 Book, classical myths
   
  20 
  Book, evil subject matter
   
  21 
  Book, formerly magical, key passages 
  vanished
   22–23 Book, geography
   24–25 Book, historical
   26–27 Book, holy
   
  28 
  Book, instructions on making traps
   29–30 Book, specialized knowledge (roll Background 
  Skill, PGL13, or referee’s choice)
   31–32 Book, travelogue
   33–34 Certificate of office
   35–36 Certificate of training
   
  37 
  Certificate, incomprehensible
   38–39 Clothing patterns
   40–41 Deed to property, minor
   
  42 
  Deed to valuable property, probably fake
   43–44 Floor plan of a building
   45–46 Last will and testament
   47–48 Letter, angry
   49–50 Letter, authorizing action
   51–52 Letter, love
   53–54 Letter, rambling
   55–56 Lists of numbers with no explanation
   
  57 
  Manuscript, illuminated (value 3d6 x 50 gp)
   58–59 Map of Valnwall, general (LL132)
   
  60 
  Map of world, speculative
   61–62 Map of Lesserton (p67, and PGL16)
   
  63 
  Map, imaginary
   
  64 
  Map, incorrect
   65–66 Map, location in the Ruins 
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: CRUIKSHANKS
  
  49
   67–68 Map, Old Mor (RGM4)
   
  69 
  Map, secret path through swamps
   
  70  
  Note, code word
   71–72 Note, trivial
   
  73 
  Notes in a dead or imaginary language
   
  74 
  Notes on non-human culture
   
  75 
  Notes, observation of monsters, cut off
   
  76 
  Pamphlet, salacious, crudely illustrated
   77–78 Personal journal, dull
   
  79 
  Personal journal, exciting
   80–81 Proclamation of holiday
   82–83 Proclamation of justice
   84–85 Proclamation of new taxes
   86–87 Record of military campaign
   88–89 Rules for a game
   
  90 
  Sheet music, elaborate
   
  91 
  Sheet music, original composition
   92–93 Sheet music, popular songs
   
  94 
  Sketch, competent
   95–96 Sketch, incompetent
   97–98 Story, unfinished
   99–00 Workbook, artist’s
  Robbery: Grabbing things and stuffing them in a sack always 
  yields a useless miscellany of random documents. Riffling 
  Cleghorne’s desk comes up with the 1d100 loose silver coins, 
  some of them bent or sticky. Even late at night, Cleghorne 
  works at his desk 50% of the time; anyone surprising him 
  causes a CON check to avoid a coma, as above.
  Adventure Seed: The referee might allow an INT check at –10 
  after every seven days of research to discover a treasure map, 
  intriguing legend, record of a magic item’s powers, history of 
  a location in Mor, or description of a hero’s tomb.
  CLOSET OF THE XORN
  Alchemist: Cranford Banes, Clever Sort. Clerk: Woebegotten 
  Lardbelly, morose halfling.
  The cramped front of this small shop has room for two thin, 
  close friends to stand, in front of the counter where Lardbelly 
  keeps ledgers and takes orders. Lardbelly is hard to impress, 
  reacting at a +1 penalty, but Banes counts on the halfling to 
  keep his own labors undisturbed. It takes a Hiring Roll, with the 
  penalty, to get Lardbelly to bring anything to Banes’ attention 
  the same day, with payment in advance. Otherwise, Lardbelly can 
  make appointments for 1d4 days later with a 10 gp deposit.
  In the back room, nestled among his hundreds of apothecary 
  drawers, bottles, scales, and burners, Banes can identify almost 
  any substance, from sinister venoms to pipeweed ash to dragon 
  blood. Analysis takes 2d10 hours; if more than 10, the customer 
  must return the next day.
  Non-magical substance identification, 50 gp, 
  	
  100% accurate.
  Potion identification, 100 gp, 95% accurate 
  	
  (d100). On a 96–99, he misidentifies it as a 
  random potion from the Potions chart below. 
  On 00, he incorrectly says it is a potion of  delusion 
  imitating the actual effect.
  1d4 random potions for sale from chart below, 
  	
  with a 1 in 4 chance per week of acquiring 
  another. Each has a 1% chance to be actually a 
  potion of  delusion that imitates the type rolled.
  On a second Hiring Roll, Banes can create one 
  	
  of these potions to order in two weeks.
   d100 
  Potion 
  Cost 
  Buys for
   01–02 Animal Control* 
  500 gp 
  100 gp
   03–05 Clairaudience 
  500 gp 
  150 gp
   06–07 Clairvoyance 
  500 gp 
  150 gp
   08–12 Climbing 
  500 gp 
  150 gp
   13–14 ESP 
  1,000 gp 
  400 gp
   15–25 Extra-healing 
  1,000 gp 
  500 gp
   26–34 Fire Resistance 
  1,000 gp 
  400 gp
   35–38 Flying 
  1,000 gp 
  400 gp
   
  39 
  Gaseous form 
  1,000 gp 
  300 gp
   40–43 Giant Strength 
  1,000 gp 
  400 gp
   44–66 Healing 
  500 gp 
  300 gp
   67–70 Heroism 
  1,000 gp 
  400 gp
   71–73 Invisibility 
  1,000 gp 
  300 gp
   
  74 
  Invulnerability 
  1,000 gp 
  300 gp
   75–77 Levitation 
  500 gp 
  150 gp
   78–79 Oil of Slipperiness 
  500 gp 
  100 gp
   
  80 
  Philter of Love 
  1,000 gp 
  500 gp
   
  81 
  Plant Control 
  500 gp 
  100 gp
   82–86 Polymorph 
  1,000 gp 
  500 gp
   87–95 Sweet Water 
  250 gp 
  100 gp
   96–00 Water Breathing 
  1,000 gp 
  300 gp
  * Roll on LL110 for type controlled, but using 1d10+7.
  Robbery: Dangerous, though possibly lucrative. Lardbelly 
  can kick the alarm gong that’s hidden under the counter; he 
  goes home at sundown. Banes sleeps in the lab and carries 
  his personal potions: one dose of human control, one invisibility, 
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: CRUIKSHANKS
  
  50
  and one neutralize poison. His massive safe has a hollow double 
  door filled with yellow mold (LL103). Locating the secret 
  trigger requires a Find Traps roll, and operating it requires 
  Remove Traps. Otherwise, pulling the safe’s handle opens 
  only the outer door, releasing a tumble of oozing yellow 
  stuff. Immediately, and again for each round that the safe’s 
  contents are handled, there is a 50% chance that the mold 
  sprays spores in a cone 10' long and 10' wide: save vs. poison 
  or suffocate in six rounds. The person opening the safe takes 
  1d6 acid damage and his leather and wooden gear is destroyed; 
  he continues to take 1d6 damage per round until he washes 
  off the mold with at least a gallon of liquid. With the outer 
  door open, a secret doors check can find the inner door and 
  how to open it, but that takes 10 rounds. Contents: 1d100 
  gp, any potions currently in stock, rare ingredients worth 4d6 
  x 100 gp to another alchemist only, and a bottle of Type 9 
  Poison (AEC143) labeled “NEUT. P.”: causes violent spasms 
  of all muscles; save vs. poison at +1 or die in one round; on 
  successful save, take 25 hp damage anyway. During the day, 
  the safe also holds 1d20 x 5 pp, 2d6 x 50 gp, a 1 in 4 chance 
  of a Brinkley’s draft to Banes for 500 gp, and a 1 in 6 chance 
  of such a note worth 1,000 gp.
  DEREK GODSWORN, MASTER 
  WOODCARvER
  It makes Godsworn, a Clever Sort, completely furious 
  that Sapper Fiddleton remains in business, when Godsworn’s 
  own carving and painting skills are clearly superior. Godsworn 
  makes a point of securing every possible commission out of 
  sheer artistic pride. Customers respond to his obvious fervor by 
  offering ridiculously small payments for their signs and carvings, 
  and Godsworn owes over 400 gp in rent and money borrowed 
  from Brinkley’s for art supplies. The artist stands on the brink of 
  begging for copper just to get drunk on Bun Shack swill.
  About 1 day in 6, Godsworn’s shop is closed and he is 
  working at Kapner Joinery for barely enough coin to cover his 
  interest payments.
  Robbery: Well-used tools of all sizes, worth 1d6 x 50 gp 
  to an artiste. 1d20 sp, 2d20 cp. The highly knowledgeable 
  can make a secret doors check to find a ten-pound piece of 
  precious wood worth 1d100 gp. If present, Godsworn may 
  suicidally attack with a carving knife (1d4). At night, roll 1d4: 
  on a 1 he is absent, on a 2 he is working, on a 3 he is asleep, 
  and on a 4 he is unconscious from strong drink.
  Adventure Seed: Godsworn, unshaven and reeking, staggers 
  up to the PCs in a filthy, paint-stained smock. If they give him 
  a chance to talk, he says that a shadow on the streetcorner 
  just tried to stab him, then fled up the side of a building.
  HELM OF THE HOB
  Proprietor: Sir Holt Fessenden, Master-at-Arms.
  Fessenden gives instruction in weapons and combat. 
  He claims to hold a knightship from a baron in the island 
  countries. His salle d’armes takes up the entire second floor 
  above Derek Godsworn’s workshop. Each ignores the other’s 
  noise, except when Godsworn is hungover, the stomping 
  drives him roaring into the street and away. Training has no 
  game effect unless the referee wishes, but Fessenden’s is a 
  good place for retainers to become 1st-level fighters, or for 
  role-playing PCs to work out. Typical fees: 15 gp per session, 
  or 1,000 gp for a year of lessons twice a week.
  HOLT FESSENDEN: F3, 23 hp, STR 16, DEX 13, AC 7 
  (padding), two attacks: longsword (1d8+2) and dagger (–2 to 
  hit, 1d4+2); thrown dagger: +1 to hit, 1d4+2, 10'/20'/30'.
  Hirelings: 1d6 Men-at-Arms, but as a current employer is 
  paying for their lessons, +1 on attempts to hire.
  Robbery: 1d10 x 5 gp, 1d10 pp, and 1d3–1 Brinkley’s drafts 
  to Fessenden for 1,000 gp. Swords hang everywhere, and 
  during the day, Fessenden fights back. He is too proud to call 
  the Watch unless greatly outnumbered.
  Adventure Seed: A young orkin swordsman, Sarat, is 
  challenging all comers, and beating them. Secretly, he is 
  possessed by his sapient sword (LL121), a Chaotic sword +4 
  defending with INT 12, Psyche 12; Special Purpose: Humiliate 
  human opponents; Special Power: Humans in melee with the 
  wielder must save vs. spells each round or lose initiative.
  KAPNER JOINERY
  Proprietor: Master Carpenter Jas Kapner. Three apprentices.
  Kapner’s barn-like woodworking shop makes furniture 
  in several levels of luxury, assembles and repairs carriages 
  for the wealthy, and turns out decorative housework such as 
  stairway spindles, window mullions, and moldings. In times 
  of financial duress, Derek Godsworn does skilled piece-
  work here for unskilled wages; he resents every minute, while 
  Kapner considers it charity.
  Stock: A typical piece of pine furniture costs anywhere from 
  1 ep for a stool to 25 gp for a massive desk of many drawers. 
  Similar work in finer materials costs 5 to 10 times as much.
  Robbery: During the day, the simple wooden cashbox holds 
  3d6 x 25 gp in Brinkley’s drafts plus 1d100 gp, 1d100 ep. Barn 
  doors locked at night. Woodworking tools worth perhaps 500 
  gp and weighing 100 lbs. Stacks of Alfpine logs, plus 2d20 
  ten-pound blocks of hardwood, each worth 2d6 gp.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: CRUIKSHANKS
  
  51
  POTTLEBY OvENS
  Bakers: Lars and Markus Pottleby.
  Coarse, wheaten bread: one pound loaf, 4 cp. Twelve 
  loaves, 4 sp. The brothers arrive from their small townhouse 
  before dawn and bake over 100 loaves; most customers come 
  and go by mid-morning.
  Robbery: During the day, 1d100 +300 cp, 3d12 sp. Lars hates 
  and fears thieves and threatens anyone acting suspicious with 
  a large cleaver. If present, Lars attempts to kill intruders, 
  while his brother Markus tries to get him to flee. 
  SWAMP GATE (SOUTHERN)
  At the southmost part of the town wall, thick rope 
  cablework supports a sort of hidden drawbridge. From outside, 
  it looks much like the rest of the wall. From inside, men with 
  axes can quickly cut the key supports (2d4 rounds, divided by 
  number of men), and a ten-foot wide section of wall falls out, 
  forming a ramp for escaping citizens or a desperate sortie.
  TRACTS BY LURCKE
  Proprietor: Evan Lurcke.
  Partly trained as a scribe, Lurcke makes a poor living 
  reading and writing for those who cannot. His “store” consists 
  of a tiny three-sided shack with a canvas awning that lowers 
  to cover the front at night. He gathers a bit more income 
  by discreetly providing salacious pamphlets to the menfolk. 
  Most of his stock, he lifted from Cleghorne’s. The text-based 
  pornography he recopies; the illustrated material lies beyond 
  his abilities, and runs scarce, commanding a higher price. If 
  the Temple of the Divine Purpose discovers his clandestine 
  sales, they will probably drive him out of business. He knows 
  only the Common Tongue, though he recognizes some other 
  languages by sight.
  Documents read aloud: 1 sp per page
   
  
  Letters written: 2 sp per page
   
  
  Documents copied: 3 sp per page
   
  
  Buying items from the “back library” requires a Hiring 
  Roll if Lurcke doesn’t know the customer:
  “The Naughty Adventures of Nancy Nightgown” 
   
  
  or a similar story: 4–8 pages, 1 ep
  “Lady M’s Illustrated Manual of the Arts of 
   
  
  Love” or a similar work: 16 pages, 2d4 gp
  Robbery: No alarm gong, no resistance. By day, 2d20 sp, 25% 
  chance of 2d4 gp. Also 2d6+40 sheets of paper, 3d6 quill 
  pens, small keg of ink, 2d12 salacious tracts, 1d4 illustrated 
  tracts. By night, no cash. 
  TROTTER HOUSE
  Proprietor: Devin Lewis.
  A tired-looking boarding house, notable only for having 
  three floors, Trotter House is owned and operated by the 
  seemingly-crippled gambler Devin Lewis. A room rents for 15 
  gp per month, in advance, but the house offers no vacancies. 
  Occupants include thieves working for the Brush, occasional 
  transient assassins, a couple of freelance prostitutes, a dealer 
  in Wild Honey (RGM7), and the notorious fence “Snickers.”
  Inquisitive characters might pick up these rumors:
  Shady characters like Trotter House.
  1. 
  Since Lewis can never go upstairs to check on his 
  2. 
  tenants, they can do whatever they like so long as 
  they pay the rent.
  Lewis likes to gamble at Wingfeathers (p43), Bantam 
  3. 
  House (p46), and the Myriadrome (p55).
  He also makes his way discretely to Fidelis to bet on 
  4. 
  the vicious dog fights (p53).
  Some say Lewis is Peter Robamonde’s brother, but 
  5. 
  possibly only because both men are fat.
  There is much more that casual inquiry does not discover. 
  See “Devin Lewis, Peter Robamonde, and the Brush,” p58.
  Snickers: This human male sports a single yellow fang 
  in his lower jaw; he has decorated it with gold inlay. Snickers 
  receives visitors in his second-floor room. A first-level assassin 
  listens from behind a door in case of trouble.
  Characters can attempt to sell goods of mysterious 
  provenance. Snickers can evaluate any item’s worth on a 1–17 
  out of 20; on an 18–19 he doesn’t know, but makes something 
  up; on a 20, he grossly undervalues it. People he has not worked 
  with before get +1 on the reaction roll to make a sale.
   2d6± 
  Snickers’ offer
   
  ≤2 
  50% of value
   3–5 
  25% of value
   6–8 
  10% of value
    9–12 
  Not interested
   >12 
  Not interested. May take a dislike to the seller 
  or suspect him of working with the Watch.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: CRUIKSHANKS
  
  52
  WATCH STATION (CRUIKSHANKS)
  Complement: Four Guards, one Guard Sergeant. Doubled 
  during Second Shift (dusk to dawn). See p14.
  Facilities: Signal horn, spare shields, truncheons, nets, and 
  manacles. Public well. Daily gift of cheese or fruit from some 
  merchant.
  Response time: For an alarm gong, three Guards and the 
  Sergeant come running in 2d6 rounds. For a general ruckus, 
  two Guards arrive in 2d6+6 rounds. 
  KINSWALLOW
  Run-down and crowded, “Kin’s Wallow” houses not only 
  over a thousand orkin, but many humans who lack the 
  means, acceptability, or desire to live in more reputable 
  neighborhoods.
  THE BRASS SHIELD
  Proprietor: Jamoquil “Jimmy G” Gonfalard, Clever Sort.
  Jimmy G provides Brutes as private guards: 1 gp per day, 
  2d20 available. They work only in Lesserton. Each Brute has 
  padded armor and a concealed sap (1d4, +1 for Strength, 
  75% temporary damage). Over the armor, each wears a black 
  jacket with a small brass shield pin. The client must provide 
  any other equipment. “Jimmy’s boys” turn a blind eye to most 
  client shenanigans, but he instructs them to walk away from 
  any job so vile that it could entangle the whole business in 
  legal trouble.
  Robbery: Unwise. The two-story offices are of sturdy 
  construction with bars on the windows. 2d6 Brutes hang 
  about at all hours except toward dawn, and the place holds 
  only 150 sp in a wall safe. Jimmy travels with two Brutes and 
  wears a chain shirt under his flashy cloak (AC 5), plus a long 
  sword and a pair of manacles. As a matter of professional 
  pride, he will never call for the Watch. His chain mail purse 
  holds 1d100 gp and 1d100+20 sp.
  Adventure Seed: Jimmy G needs extra toughs for a big event: 
  the halfling wedding of respected engineer Lally Bilgedodge 
  and a wealthy Eastron. The pay is terrible (1 ep each) but it 
  could be a good contact. The Eastron halfling may not be 
  who he claims. Did he find his identity in Cleghorne’s, or buy 
  it from Untherous Plonk? Or is he really a major property 
  owner in the lands around Kaye City?
  BUN SHACK
  Baker: Rasser Frasser, orkin.
  Truly unpleasant “bread” made from random swamp-
  grass seeds and wild yeasts. Eaten only by the poorest folk. 
  Half-pound bun: 1 cp. Subsisting on these buns for more 
  than a week gives –2 on all saves until the character gets three 
  days of rest and good food. Frasser also brews a vile beer, 
  available in indifferently clean bladders for 1 sp the half-
  gallon. The beer tastes of raw leather and causes the runs for 
  anyone not used to it.
  Robbery: 3d20 cp and 2d4 sp. Frasser runs or cowers. If the 
  Shack goes out of business, local orkin seek revenge.
  Searching: No chance of adventure or love, but an orkin or 
  half-orc can make a reaction roll without penalties to find out 
  about something happening in Kinswallow, such as a crime, a 
  rumor, or a private party just for his ilk.
  Adventure Seed: Frasser accidentally allows yellow mold 
  (LL103) to infect his open-air vats of dough and brew. It 
  spreads from vat to vat day by day, unless destroyed.
  FAT FANNY’S HUMP HUT
  Proprietor: “Fat” Fanny Grupo, orkin Brute.
  All welcome. Females on staff: 1d6 human, 1d4 orkin, 
  1d4–1 halfling. A door charge of 1 ep gets entry and a single 
  cup of bad, watered wine; 1 sp for more. Patrons may choose 
  a companion from the rowdy common room for 1d6+5 sp; 
  encounters are brief and frequently hilarious. Sometimes a 
  vendor wanders through selling Gronk sausages, 2 cp each 
  or six for 1 sp.
  Patrons: 1d4 human Brutes, 1d6 human Common Folk, 1d4 
  orkin Brutes, 1d4 orkin
  Hirelings: With a Hiring Roll and 2d12 sp for drinks, 1d6 
  Porters, 1d4 Men-at-Arms.
  Robbery: 3d20+60 sp and the opposition of clients 
  present.
  Searching: Useless.
  Adventure Seed: A man in black armor has been sitting in 
  the corner all night, not speaking or picking a friend. Fanny’s 
  scared and seeks the PCs to help.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: KINSWALLOW
  
  53
  FIDELIS FIGHTING DOGS
  Proprietor: Jenko Eastminster, Brute.
  The yelps and barks of countless canines echo from 
  this fenced yard with a pair of shacks, not far from the 
  slaughterhouse. Here, Jenko Eastminster breeds big, tough 
  dogs and trains them as guard animals: AC 6, HD 2+2, bite 
  2d4, Move 120' (40'), Saves F2, Morale 11, XP 35. At any 
  given time he has 3d6 trained dogs for sale at 30 gp each, 
  including the commands Stay, Come, and Attack.
  Unless the customer knows how to train animals, 
  Eastminster strongly recommends spending another 10 gp 
  on a five-day familiarization process. The buyer visits every 
  day and Eastminster teaches the dog to recognize and protect 
  its new owner. This also adds the commands Guard, Take 
  Down (non-lethal grapple), and Bay (keep a victim from 
  going anywhere). No more than two dogs can be familiarized 
  to a given owner per week.
  Gambling: Eastminster hosts dog fights after hours, taking 
  a cut of all bets. Such blood sport, while not illegal, is 
  considered in poor taste. About once a week at midnight, 2d6 
  human Common Folk and 1d6 orkin Common Folk show up, 
  1d6 of them leading their own muzzled animals. Each carries 
  2d20 sp, plus a 50% chance of 1d20 ep, for betting on the 
  fights, which go on until dawn. Usually, the losing dog dies 
  and ends up in Gronk sausages, unless it fails a Morale check 
  first and capitulates, and the victorious trainer can restrain 
  his own beast in time. Eastminster keeps his own favorite 
  fighter, a monster with 18 hp and Morale 12, and will take any 
  challenger, to prove to himself the dog’s continued right to 
  stud privileges. If PCs wish to participate in the fights, each 
  can roll his own animal’s hp and attacks.
  Hirelings: Attending a dog fight, characters can meet an 
  animal trainer for hire who, unlike Eastminster, will travel. 
  Robbery: The yard contains 4d6 vicious dogs, while the 40 
  or so bitches and whelps also burst into insane barking at any 
  intrusion. In Eastminster’s one-room shack, a heavy crossbow 
  hangs near at hand and his personal dog sleeps with him. In a 
  lockbox under a trap door under his bed, Eastminster hoards 
  1d100+500 gp and a potion of  healing. During the day, he keeps 
  1d100 gp with him in the whelping shack, where he does 
  business.
  Adventure Seed: Someone broke into the dog-yard, killed 
  a couple of big males, and smashed open the breeding pen 
  where Eastminster was confining some bitches in heat, 
  ruining a round of careful breeding. The intruder apparently 
  tried to start a fire as well, and the dead dogs were burned, 
  then partially eaten by their surviving cohorts. Eastminster 
  wants a full investigation but the Watch dislikes him. He will 
  give each PC a free watch-dog with personal training if they 
  can find out who’s to blame. The referee decides: was it a rival 
  trainer, or a Hell Hound (LL81)? If the latter, what happens 
  when the bitches give birth?
  GRONK MAKE SAUSAGE
  Proprietor: Gronk, orkin Brute. Workers: 1d4 Brutes and 
  1d4 Common Folk, all orkin.
  The giant orkin known only as Gronk found a large 
  grinder in the Ruins, originally meant for crushing stone. 
  He set up business in a ramshackle warehouse near Russo’s 
  Tannery. Gronk buys any meat whatsoever, at a flat rate 
  of 1 cp per pound, and sells sausages all over Lesserton. 
  Identifiable intestines are twisted into casings; the rest goes 
  into the hopper. An ever-changing staff of orkin work in 
  the blood-soaked, fly-covered charnel house. Any non-orkin 
  entering the building for the first time must save vs. poison or 
  fall to violent vomiting for 1d10 rounds.
  Robbery: By day, Gronk and his staff object; strongbox 
  under pile of pig guts holds 1d20 gp, 2d100 sp, 2d6 x 100 cp. 
  At night, Gronk puts the strongbox in a hollow in the earth 
  and puts his filthy mattress over it, retiring with a jug of Bun 
  Shack swill.
  Adventure Seed: The next time a PC has a meal purchased 
  anywhere in Lesserton, he finds a corroded copper ring in his 
  sausage. It bears a strange symbol.
  HERMETIC LABORATORY OF  
  DOCTOR EERIE
  Alchemist: Dale Sanders, bookish 
  female Clever Sort.
  Sanders poses as clerk for the 
  unseen “Doctor Eerie,” who does not 
  exist. Sanders enjoys secret ties to the 
  criminal underworld and a reasonable 
  working relationship with Cranford 
  Banes. She specializes in poisons and antidotes, but also sells 
  “curatives” to the sick or neurotic.
  Purgative Draught, 1 gp (water and bitter grasses): 
  	
  Save vs. poison. On failure, vomit at once. On 
  success, violent evacuation in 2d6 minutes.
  Restorative Draught, 10 gp (colored water, bitter 
  	
  herbs, and distilled alcohol): Grants 1 temporary 
  hp for one hour; further doses cancel the effect. 
  Also counts as a drink if using the detailed rules 
  on p23.
  Potion identification: 50 gp, 75% accurate, 1 day.
   
  
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: KINSWALLOW
  
  54
  Three general antidotes are always for sale, with 2d4 
  doses of each in stock. Each lasts one hour after drinking 
  and counters any poison already in the system, but does not 
  restore damage already taken.
  Antidote A counters spider venom. 200 gp
  	
  Antidote O counters snake venom. 200 gp
  	
  Antidote X counters venom of unnatural 
  	
  monsters. 500 gp
  If using the detailed poisons from the Advanced Edition 
  Companion (AEC143), Sanders offers two specific antidotes, 
  available to anyone:
  Specific Eight counters Poison Type 8. 100 gp
  	
  Specific Ten counters Poison Type 10. 1,000 gp 
  	
  in platinum, certified gems, or Brinkley’s draft
  Sanders also makes two illegal poisons, secretly for sale via 
  proper code words known only to thieves and assassins:
  Type 8, 1d3 doses available, 400 gp
  	
  Type 10, 25% chance of 1 dose available. 2,000 
  	
  gp in platinum or certified gems (no drafts)
  Robbery: The colorful “curatives” line the oiled paper 
  window, easy to grab. Sanders keeps a tray of 35 gold coins 
  under the counter, coated with contact poison that makes the 
  hands swell to double size and sends racking pains up the arms 
  into the chest (Type 3, AEC143: save or take 30 hp in 1d4 
  rounds; success causes 10 hp instead). A locked cabinet (–10% 
  to pick) holds the antidotes and specifics. A hidden panel 
  hides another locked shelf space (–20% to pick), lined with 
  lead and containing any Type 8 and Type 10 poisons on hand. 
  General laboratory gear and supplies, very bulky and delicate 
  to transport, could bring 2d4 x 100 gp from an alchemist. 
  Should Sanders have more than 200 gp worth of cash to take 
  to Brinkley’s at day’s end, she puts any platinum and gems in 
  the hidden pockets of her thick undergarment (AC 8).
  JOBBER’S LOT
  By first light each day, laborers gather to mill around 
  this dusty lot: 3d6 human Brutes, 1d6 orkin Brutes, and 1d4 
  halfling Clever Sorts. Employers come by during the morning 
  and call for “six men,” “a couple halflings who can fit under 
  a floor,” etc. Before noon, any who didn’t get work fade into 
  town to look for a drink and a shady spot.
  Hirelings: All present will work as Porters. For big projects, 
  the workers can gather 1d20+20 additional men by the next 
  day. On a Hiring Roll, the men can find 1d6 Men-at-Arms for 
  the next morning.
  TILLY’S TEA
  The rachitic old crone Tilly sells barely palatable tea, 
  brewed from swamp grasses, from a cart in the Jobber’s Lot: 
  1 cp per dirty cup. Half the time she also has miscellaneous 
  little sausages from Gronk, 3 for 2 cp. On cold mornings, she 
  does a fair business from any laborers with a little coin; on 
  hot days, she brews the tea anyway.
  Robbery: The jobbers protect her. Filthy purse tucked down 
  front of dress: 3d20 coppers, or 1d10 in summer.
  Adventure Seed: In a corner of the lot, pointedly ignored by 
  the other men, a pale, thin young man waits for work in the 
  ruins of very fine clothing. He attempts to look composed 
  and stoic. His hands are soft and uncalloused.
  MAMA HAYBORN’S HOME AWAY 
  FROM HOME
  Proprietor: “Mama” Robinetta Hayborn, orkin Brute.
  Truly bottom-of-the-barrel accommodations. No one 
  gets past the doorman, one of Mama’s numerous Brute sons 
  by one father or another, without showing a silver’s worth 
  of cash, which Mama promptly collects. Past the miniscule 
  office and lobby lies a single giant room cluttered with 3d20 
  sleeping bodies (1d10 during the day), each with its own 
  special noises and smells. Every 2d10 days the boys throw 
  some new straw on the dirt floor, but the fresh scent doesn’t 
  last long. At about noon, four Hayborn Brutes throw open 
  the big barn doors and drive through the room shouting, 
  kicking, and beating everyone outside. The hard cases who 
  won’t wake up get tossed out like sacks of manure. To enter 
  again requires another 10 coppers, and many of the inmates 
  depart immediately for corners where they hope to scare up 
  that much, plus the price of a drunk. Anyone who sleeps at 
  Mama’s gets patted down the first night; any objection is met 
  with derisive amusement by all conscious occupants. If you 
  have anything worth stealing, why would you sleep here? 
  Robbery: Robbing the place yields 4d20 gp in change and 
  the undying enmity of at least a half-dozen Hayborn Brutes. 
  Day or night, 1d4 are on hand to resist.
  Adventure Seed: One morning, the great sleeping floor is 
  completely empty (except for any PCs). What happened to 
  the many regular denizens?
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: KINSWALLOW
  
  55
  THE MYRIADROME
  Extremely popular daily centipede racing in a huge, barn-
  like structure (see cover illustration). Entry: 1 ep. Races nightly 
  at the Night Bell. Within, a crowd surrounds the sand pit race 
  track, against the low fence that usually keeps the verminous 
  racers from lunging into the audience. Five giAnt centipedeS 
  run each race (LL68). Each is defined by two colors painted 
  on its back in three stripes; for example, red-black-red or 
  white-blue-white. The trainers are known as “Centurions” 
  because each commands 100 foot.
  The referee rolls or chooses racers from this chart:
   
  3d6 
  Odds 
  Mod 
  Colors (optional)
   
  3–4 
  5:2 
  –8 
  Red-Black-Red
   
  5–6 
  2:1 
  –5 
  White-Blue-White
   
  7–8 
  5:3 
  –3 
  Orange-White-Orange
   
  9 
  4:3 
  –1 
  Blue-Red-Blue
   
  10–11 
  5:4 
  +0 
  Yellow-Black-Yellow
   
  12 
  3:2 
  –2 
  Red-Yellow-Red
   
  13–14 
  7:4 
  –4 
  Yellow-Blue-Yellow
   
  15–16 
  7:3 
  –7 
  Orange-Blue-Orange
   
  17–18 
  3:1 
  –10 
  White-Black-White
  Each player decides what stake to place, with a minimum 
  of as many sp as the denominator of the odds. That is, to 
  bet at 5:2, the player must put up 2 sp or a multiple of 2. He 
  can bet on any or all centipedes. At race time, each centipede 
  rolls a d20, modified per the chart. The referee rolls for any 
  centipedes that the players haven’t bet on, but a player can 
  roll for his own champion! The winner pays off at the stated 
  ratio. In event of a two-way tie, each winner pays off at half 
  rate, which is poor compensation but better than outright 
  losing. For example, two centipedes, rated at 3:2 and 5:4, tie. 
  They pay off at 1.5:2 and 2.5:4 respectively, so bettors on the 
  first receive 1.5 sp for each 2 sp bet; bettors on the second 
  receive 2.5 sp for each 4 put down. Any fraction under 1 cp 
  goes to the house. Betting in gold instead of silver requires a 
  Hiring Roll to find a well-off bookie. 
  Bookmaking, fisticuffs, and pocket-picking (p12) crop up 
  often in the crowd of cheering bettors. Vendors circulate with 
  cups of cheap beer for 1 sp. Total attendance: 2d100+30, 
  about 85% human, 10% orkin, and 5% halfling.
  Robbery: 5d6 x 100 sp in a massive steel lockbox, well-
  guarded by four Brutes and two clerks. Picking the pocket of 
  a random bettor: 2d20 sp.
  Adventure Seed: The PCs get to know a centurion named 
  “Hardtack,” who keeps running into trouble. See “Deadly 
  Chances,” p61.
  RITTER’S HOG PEN
  Master Butcher: Hank Ritter, Brute. Apprentices: Dolt 
  Ramsbottom, Finster Tubb, and the Brute “Little” Ralf 
  Whistle.
  Collection point for pigs and sheep brought to market 
  for slaughter. The squealing, manure stench, and periodic 
  death-shrieks create a strong impression. Ritter pays about 1 
  sp per 10-lb. weight on the hoof, and chops up the animals 
  according to demand. Those with strong stomachs can buy 
  raw meat here at wholesale prices: 1 gp per 25 lbs., 3d6 x 50 
  lbs. available.
  Robbery: Daytime: Stubborn resistance by Ritter; 1d100 gp 
  and 1d100 sp, deposited at Brinkley’s each night. At night, no 
  cash, but 5d20 hogs and 3d6 sheep, none inclined to silence 
  if woken.
  Adventure Seed: See “Sign of the Boar,” p44.
  RUSSO’S TANNERY
  Proprietor: Bannock “Binky” Russo. Three Brute assistants.
  Situated so the prevailing wind blows the smell over the 
  walls and south toward Swampton, this small tannery mostly 
  works wholesale. They can provide a set of heavy hides to 
  wear for protection: 2 gp, 20 lbs., AC 8.
  Robbery: By day, annoyed resistance and 3d100 sp. By night, 
  only a bad smell, four large wooden vats of unpleasant liquids, 
  and 2d6 x 100 lbs. of hides.
  Adventure Seed: A petty thief’s partly-tanned body, weighted 
  with bags of sand, turns up in the bottom of a curing vat.
  SWAMP GATE (WESTERN)
  A hidden exit ramp in the town’s palisade wall, like the 
  Southern Swamp Gate (p51).
  TASSO’S MUSEUM OF THE LIFELIKE
  Proprietor: Tasso Plumb, younger brother to the respected 
  engineer Robert Plumb (p42).
  A taxidermy shop with a few stuffed creatures on display: 
  a giant crab spider, the head of a higher baboon, a pair of 
  two-foot blue lizards, a giant ferret, and a hanging mobile of 
  five normal bats. Tasso can expertly stuff and mount exotic 
  creatures for 50 gp per HD. Small animals run 2d6+10 gp.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: KINSWALLOW
  
  56
  56
  Most of Plumb’s business comes from preserving corpses 
  for funerals. To merely wrap a poor man for the swamp he 
  charges only 5 gp. Preparing a good-looking corpse for more 
  formal interment costs 100 gp. Rarely, a mage orders a body 
  mummified: 400 gp, 1 week, body never decays but becomes 
  highly flammable and suitable for creating a mummy (LL89) 
  with animate dead. On the quiet, Tasso occasionally sells meat 
  to Gronk Make Sausage.
  Adventure Seed: A man buried in the swamp several days 
  ago appears walking around town by night in an ordinary 
  way, even finding a seat in Valnhalla and wordlessly awaiting 
  service for a while before wandering away. Tasso did the 
  mortuary preparations for this man, and for other revenants 
  that occur on later nights.
  TEMPLE OF THE DIvINE PURPOSE 
  (“Temple of Law”)
  High Priest of Law: Grand Ecclesiarch Ezekiel Force, 
  ancient 7th-level cleric. Two Subalterns: Mother Fabia Isolene 
  (4th), Father Risko Butternik (3th). Two Advocati (2rd): Brother 
  Theo Pottleby, Brother Winton Faynard. Six Initiates: 1st-level 
  clerics.
  Originally a modest, two-story wooden building, the 
  Temple now presents an impressive appearance. Over decades, 
  the finest marble and architectural details salvaged from the 
  Ruins have gone to decorate and expand the temple, cleverly 
  enough that it takes a close look to spot the many unrelated 
  patterns and materials.
  The Temple of the Divine Purpose serves the idea of order 
  in the universe and society, and thus honors all Lawful deities, 
  at least those of human aspect. The High Priest officiates at 
  important civil events, such as the announcement of mayoral 
  election results or visits by royalty. Otherwise he keeps to his 
  meditorium and his books of holy law. Mother Fabia meets 
  with important supplicants and otherwise administers the 
  temple’s daily affairs.
  One evening a week, the main hall fills to capacity with 
  around 600 people: mostly human women and their smaller 
  children, about 75 male humans, and a couple of ambitious 
  halfling families. Even the thousands of Lessers who don’t 
  attend services mostly acknowledge the Temple’s moral stature, 
  if only because of the “Hammer of Law”: a hammer-headed 
  staff  of  healing (LL115) chained to the main altar and kept in 
  a golden sconce. At evening services each day, a cleric wields 
  the Hammer to give 1d6+1 hp healing to anyone in need, 
  advising the patient to “Go and act in the ways of the Law.” 
  The Hammer only works once a day on each person.
  In a dimly-lit room, 2d6 Wild Honey addicts (RGM7) lie 
  at any given time, going through withdrawal; each receives a 
  touch of the Hammer to counteract the day’s wracking pains.
  The priests also offer more powerful healing magic to 
  those in need, but they make strong demands in return. They 
  make heavy use of the spell quest (LL24), an important part 
  of their doctrine of imposing the divine purpose on a chaotic 
  world. Characters receiving healing spells of level 3 or above 
  will receive a quest to accomplish some task important to Law. 
  The recipient is instructed not to resist (no save); if the quest 
  spell fails, the cleric may refuse the healing or even ban the 
  character from the Temple. In addition, a character under a 
  quest who attempts to ignore it suffers a curse (reverse of bless, 
  LL20): the first time he enters combat each day, he suffers 
  dizziness inflicting –1 initiative, –1 to hit, –1 damage, and –1 
  on morale checks (NPCs) for one hour. This happens every 
  day that the character avoids pursuing his quest goal.
  Quests are of a difficulty commensurate with the healing. 
  Examples: Expediting the arrest and punishment of a notorious 
  criminal; recovering a holy relic from the Ruins; laying a 
  troublesome ghost; eradicating a Chaotic priest and his followers. 
  Anything requiring the attention of the Grand Ecclesiarch 
  commands a mighty quest indeed. Characters can sometimes 
  persuade the Temple to accept major magic items in lieu of 
  quests. They do not like taking money, for reasons of dogma, and 
  it takes a lot to convince them to accept cash for spells. 
  Holy Ground, High Mass, and Clerical Spellcasting: 
  Like holy establishments in many large towns, the Temple of 
  the Divine Purpose has been in continual use by the same 
  religion for centuries. After a minimum of 100 years of such 
  use, with no desecrations interrupting, such holy ground can 
  acquire special powers. While in the building, the High Priest 
  casts spells as if one level higher. While at the main altar in the 
  GuIDELINES: REPAYING THE TEMPLE FOR SPELLCASTING
  Spell level (caster) 
  Sample task 
  Item donation, or 
  Cash donation 
  1st (Advocatus) 
  Listen to Lecture 
  – 
  500 gp
  2nd (Father Butternik) 
  Errand in Town 
  Potion or Scroll 
  2,500 gp
  3rd (Mother Isolene) 
  Quest: Trip to the Ruins 
  Magic weapon 
  10,000 gp
  4th (Grand Ecclesiarch) 
  Quest: Discover Truth of a Legend 
  Major miscellaneous item 
  50,000 gp
  5th (High Mass) 
  Quest: Conquer Chaotic Cult 
  Minor artifact 
  100,000 gp
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: KINSWALLOW
  
  57
  main hall, the second-ranking priests also cast spells as if one 
  level higher; in this case, only Fabia Isolene. High Mass increases 
  the High Priest’s bonus to two levels. This ritual requires at 
  least 500 lay worshippers, at least as many assisting clerics as 
  the level the High Priest seeks, and four hours of prayers in 
  the main hall. In the Temple of the Divine Purpose, a High 
  Mass allows the Grand Ecclesiarch to act as 9th level and thus 
  cast raise dead. Player characters might benefit from this power, 
  but in addition to the quest requirements, the Temple refuses 
  to perform the rite if the recipient is known as a Chaotic or 
  reprobate, and a person with a bad reputation in Lesserton will 
  not draw the needed 500 worshippers.
  Hirelings: A normal Hiring Roll finds a 1st-level cleric 
  available for a local adventure that generally furthers the 
  purpose of Law.
  Adventure Seed: Due to a generous donation (possibly from 
  a PC), the Temple seeks a new artwork to hang above the 
  altar: a large carved mural with the sun beaming down on 
  orderly orchards, hard-working peasants, neat castles, and 
  other symbols of correct behavior. The artist chosen stands 
  to make a great deal of money. Derek Godsworn hears, 
  incorrectly, that Sato Fiddleton has received the commission, 
  and sets out to defile the Temple in a fit of mad revenge.
  WATCH STATION (KINSWALLOW)
  Complement: Four Guards, one Guard Sergeant. Doubled 
  during Second Shift (dusk to dawn). See p14.
  Facilities: Stone fort with reinforced door and crenellated 
  roof. Roof-mounted ballista (p28). Rooftop fire ring with 
  wood and oil in a shed. Barrels of water, 25 days’ dried 
  rations. Signal horn, spare shields, truncheons, nets, and 12 
  sets of manacles. Small barred cell inside fort.
  Response time: Sergeant carries a whistle to call for backup. 
  All Guards carry manacles. For an alarm gong, two Guards 
  and a Sergeant approach cautiously in 3d6 rounds. For a 
  general ruckus, three Guards and a Sergeant arrive in 3d6+6 
  rounds. At night, the Sergeant carries a lantern and each 
  Guard has a torch.
  Nobody wants to work the Kinswallow station. The 
  bribes are terrible and the non-humans distrust the Watch, 
  not without reason. The current Night Shift Sergeant, Elburr 
  Sivap, stoically accepts his post, expecting no better. For years 
  he has advocated including full-blood orkin in the Watch 
  force, not out of liberal sentiment but to improve relations 
  with the populace. As a result of Sivap’s outspoken ideas, 
  Chief Songbelay dislikes him and takes every opportunity to 
  make his career difficult.
  WENTON’S ORIGINAL INN  
  AND YARD
  Proprietor: Willem Wenton, Common Folk.
  “The Original” is nothing of the kind. “Willy” used to 
  run the Inn and Yard currently owned by his former wife 
  Jasmine. In a series of events that still confuse him, the two 
  got married, fought constantly, and split up, with the Chief 
  of the Watch himself stepping in to tell Willy not to show 
  up at the Inn any more. Bewildered, but knowing no other 
  trade, the man opened a near-identical establishment in a less 
  desirable location. The Original imitates Jasmine’s services, 
  but attracts a sparser and less respectable clientele and thus a 
  less assiduous staff. Wenton currently does his own cooking 
  and would gratefully accept any new cook. Servers: Teeter 
  Partridge, an obvious idiot, and Carla Tumbledown, a known 
  hussy. Potboy and stableboy: The languorous and corruptible 
  Thatcher Reed. Maids: Rooter Wade, orkin, and Solla 
  Whiskerville, an older drunk who seldom shows up except to 
  cadge advance wages. 
  Rates: 4 sp per person for a double room; management may 
  sell the second bed if it’s empty. Meal of bean soup and hard 
  bread: 2 sp. Ale, watered, 1 sp the pint. Stabling: 1 ep, but 
  without a 2 sp bribe to Thatcher Reed, the beast will probably 
  not be fed.
  Patrons: 1d4 Eastron farmers, 1d4–1 local halflings drinking, 
  1d4 lowlifes, 2 in 6 chance of a party of Adventurers.
  Gambling: Tosspottle in the alley, or in the common room if 
  not crowded. Blind Painters game in progress on a 1–2 out of 
  6, or one can be struck up with a reaction roll of 5 or better.
  Robbery: Employees flee at once. Wenton’s many requests 
  for an alarm gong have met with continuing delays. Wooden 
  box with cheap lock (+15% to pick) containing 1d100 sp.
  Searching: Finding adventure at –6. Finding love at –5. 
  Additional –2 for non-humans. Cost: 1d2 gp per hour. 
  Common room open for 5 hours after sunset. A Love roll 
  made by 3 or less means a visiting professional: additional 1d6 
  gp cost and save vs. poison or wake up in Mama Hayborn’s 
  with nothing but undergarments. A Love roll made by exactly 
  4 brings Carla Tumbledown to the PC’s room; she forces 
  no saving throw but may pick up anything clearly valuable, 
  portable, and unwatched. 
  Adventure Seed: Masked figures break into Jasmine Blakely-
  Wenton’s in the Market Square, stealing sheets, forks, bottles 
  of wine, and even stools. The stolen items turn up in a pile 
  Willy Wenton’s common room, but he knows nothing of 
  how or why.
  SHOPS & ESTABLISHMENTS: KINSWALLOW
  
  58
  WHIZZLE RESEARCH
  Proprietor: Rattlepate “Ratso” Whizzle, halfling investigator.
  Ratso Whizzle: 3rd-level thief: DEX 16, INT 14, 9 hp, AC 
  6 (padded armor), two daggers, Morale 10. Thief abilities: 
  Pick Locks 37%, Find/Remove Traps 30%, Pick Pockets 
  40%, Move Silently 45%, Climb Walls 79%, Hide in Shadows 
  95%, Hear Noise 1–3.
  Whizzle specializes in trailing targets, reconnoitering by 
  stealth, eavesdropping, and otherwise quietly investigating. 
  He charges 15 gp per day, plus expenses. Ratso is Lawful: he 
  obeys his own notions of honesty. Should he decide not to 
  pursue a client’s aims, for example by failing a Morale roll, he 
  immediately tells them so and stops taking money.
  Whizzle knows of the Brush, and suspects that a wealthy 
  property owner controls them, but has avoided appearing 
  interested in the details.
  Adventure Seed: Someone is paying Ratso to tail the PCs 
  and make extremely detailed reports on their movements. 
  Also, if a PC gets arrested for murder, Ratso shows up the 
  next morning at the Justiciary and offers his investigative 
  services. See “Justice,” page 14.
  DEvIN LEWIS, PETER 
  ROBAMONDE, AND THE 
  BRUSH
  Several businesses in Lesserton with “absentee  
  ownership” secretly belong to a single owner. For these 
  establishments, the property, control of the business, and 
  all profits belong to Devin Lewis, a reclusive figure of great 
  wealth. Largely through the figurehead of Peter Robamonde, 
  Lewis owns the Parloury, Sign of the Boar, Sign of the Kobold, 
  nearly half the townhouses in the Heights, three blocks in 
  Cruikshanks, and some tracts in Kinswallow. However, the 
  connection is well hidden. Few know of Lewis; those who do 
  think him a crippled boarding house keeper with a weakness, 
  and a talent, for gambling.
  Attempts to track ownership of a business require 
  bribing a clerk in the Justice Building (a petty official, p15). 
  On a success, the clerk allows a day’s access to deed records. 
  Each day allows an attempt to roll INT or less on a d20; 
  a magic-user adds +2 to his INT. A success finds relevant 
  documents. The deeds list various owners, such as “The 
  Society for the Benefit of Madam R’s Grandchildren” and 
  “The Bristleman Providential Association.” In turn, another 
  bribe and another day’s research show those organizations to 
  be account holders at Brinkley’s. The staff at Brinkley’s are 
  far too discreet to allow access to account information, and 
  security is tight. Only mind reading, invisible reconnaissance, 
  or similarly supernatural abilities could gain access to the facts: 
  each account holds 3d6 x 1,000 gp and can be accessed only 
  by Peter Robamonde or his duly authorized representative.
  Tracking down Robamonde is easy enough: he lives 
  in a beautiful, double-sized townhouse in the Heights and 
  is known to dine nightly at the Sign of the Boar (p44). In 
  person, Robamonde is enormously fat, bland, smiling, and 
  seemingly an idiot. He rarely speaks; accompanying servants 
  (1d4) make his needs known.
  Hunting for rumors (p10) about Robamonde can have 
  two effects. Success reveals one of the facts below. A failed 
  roll alerts the shadowy group known as the Brush, and they 
  begin watching the PC who made inquiry. Two thieves of 
  first level take turns tracking the character for at least a week 
  after his last attempt to find information.
  Rumors of  Robamonde
  That’s not his real name. (T)
  1. 
  He only pretends to be stupid. (F)
  2. 
  He owns the Sign of the Boar and won’t allow them 
  3. 
  to serve pork. (Mostly T)
  His grandmother made a fortune dealing in properties 
  4. 
  in town. (F)
  Robamonde takes care of a crippled brother. 
  5. 
  (Almost T)
  He’s never seen to give orders or conduct business. (T)
  6. 
  peter robAmonde (born Peter Rippin): STR 13, DEX 6, 
  CON 18, INT 4, WIS 3, CHA 9, AC 10, 11 hp, Move 20', 
  Saves F0.
  If 
  watching 
  Robamonde’s 
  house, the PCs fall under surveillance 
  themselves. At all times, one second-
  level thief observes the townhouse 
  from a rooftop shelter across the 
  street. At night, this lookout is a 
  full orkin with 30' infravision. Any 
  Brush thieves already following 
  the PCs will check in with the 
  lookout; otherwise he assigns two 
  thieves to track anyone who seems to be watching the house. 
  Should a character actually approach the house by stealth, the 
  watchman pulls a cord to ring an alarm gong at street level. 
  The Guards respond quickly (1d3+2 rounds) to any alarm 
  at Master Robamonde’s house, because he is rich, causes no 
  trouble, and has a staff that freely distributes gratuities.
  DEvIN LEWIS, PETER ROBAMONDE, AND THE BRUSH
  
  59
  Servants come and go from the townhouse. Rarely, every 
  2d10 days, a group of four armed men travel to Brinkley’s, 
  guarding a clerk and a Brute porter carrying a chest. The 
  clerk, with a dated document, a key, and a code phrase, can 
  access Robamonde’s accounts. Going to Brinkley’s the chest 
  is 75% likely to carry 1d100+250 sp and 1d100+100 ep, 
  many of them collected at Shawm Coinery (p32). Returning 
  from the bank, the chest is 50% likely to contain 1d100+50 
  gp and 1d20+25 pp, but never silver or electrum. The guards 
  have studded leather armor (AC 8), light crossbows, saps, and 
  short swords. The clerk carries a portable alarm gong, which 
  takes him a round to set up.
  The Brush
  Lesserton has no thieves’ guild. If the cutpurses and 
  footpads follow any organizing principle at all, it’s their tacit 
  understanding with the Watch. Skimming off some cash 
  that might otherwise leave town is tolerated, but killings 
  and running wild are bad for business and result in rapid 
  crackdowns.
  Devin Lewis, however, employs a cadre of thieves, spies, 
  and assassins, and this group jokingly calls itself “the Brush.” 
  Some say the name is short for “brush with death,” since the 
  group victimizes folk but avoids killing. Others smirk, “We’re 
  all tarred with the same brush.” 
  Like a guildmaster, Lewis takes a cut of any thefts, usually 
  one-fifth. However, he also pays wages, because the main 
  purpose of the Brush is to watch over Lewis’ properties and 
  secrets. His men are more likely to ambush other thieves than 
  citizens or tourists, and most Lesserton underworlders know 
  to avoid inconveniencing certain businesses.
  Devin Lewis
  Lewis secretly dwells within the double townhouse 
  belonging to Robamonde, who is his magically-charmed thrall. 
  Robamonde lives in a small front suite, while Lewis occupies 
  luxurious quarters insulated by locked secret doors, alarms, 
  and guards. His servants operate under his magical charm: a 
  chef, a maid, a valet, and the Brute who accompanies Lewis as 
  bodyguard. Lewis comes and goes through an underground 
  passage, leading to a run-down boarding house on the border 
  of the Heights and Cruikshanks: Trotter House, p51.
  Trotter House never has rooms available, for in addition 
  to Lewis’ ostensible office and residence, it secretly serves 
  as the headquarters of the Brush. As far as the Watch and 
  the neighbors know, Lewis owns and runs the building but 
  cannot monitor his tenants closely because he can never go 
  upstairs. Thus, should any thief be traced to his boarding 
  room, Lewis could escape complicity. Nonetheless, the Brush 
  members take steps to avoid shadowers when they report for 
  meetings and payments.
  Lewis appears in public at times, limping along at a 
  move of 10' per round and leaning heavily on a crutch. Even 
  the Brushers think him crippled, but Devin Lewis gets his 
  exercise chasing victims across the swamp by moonlight, for 
  he is a demon boAr (ll69). From another excavation below 
  Robamonde’s house, a narrow tunnel runs out to the swamp. 
  A remarkable assortment of covered floor-daggers, dense 
  spear-gantlets, and sharp wires congest the passage: moving 
  every 10 feet in anything under a round incurs the equivalent 
  of an attack by a 0-level fighter, doing 1d6 damage. Lewis 
  pushes past all these dangers at full speed, for no normal 
  weapon can harm his cursed flesh. The swamp entrance is a 
  rough pit 15' deep with a spiked bottom (1d6+1 damage for 
  a fall plus 1d3 spikes at 1d4 each).
  Lewis changes to boar form involuntarily during 
  the three nights of the full moon, and can switch forms 
  voluntarily at other times. If pursued on the moor, he runs to 
  the Field of Truth (p26), its anti-magic field always in effect 
  under the full moon. The field cancels his charm person and 
  his ability to change back to human form, but he retains his 
  invulnerability.
  Risky Business: Devin Lewis has many powers, but 
  also certain weaknesses: greed for material wealth, a craving 
  to dine on human flesh, and a habit of enjoying the gambling 
  games that Lesserton offers. A few nights each week, he 
  hobbles to a game table somewhere in town. He insists on 
  gold for the stakes and won’t take silver or electrum.
   d20 Locale  
  Game
   
  1 
  Fidelis Fighting Dogs (p53) 
  Dog fight
   2–3 Bantam House (p46) 
  Quist
   4–5 Wingfeathers (p43) 
  Blind Painters
   6–8 Myriadrome (p55) 
  Centipede Races
    9–18 Stays in that night
   19–20 Out hunting in the Red 
  Swamp as boar
  devin lewiS: STR 16, DEX 9, 
  CON 16, INT 18, WIS 18, CHA 
  16, 9 HD, 90 hp, damaged only by 
  silver or magical weapons. Human form: 
  AC 9, Move 120' (30' limping). Boar form: 
  AC 3, Move 180'. Charm person 3/day, save at –2. 
  500 gp in jewelry, 100 gp. May also carry an amulet 
  of  proof  against detection and location (AEC91); see “Deadly 
  Chances,” p61.
  DEvIN LEWIS, PETER ROBAMONDE, AND THE BRUSH
  
  MORE ADvENTURE SEEDS
  MORE ADvENTURE SEEDS
  Someone offers a PC 1d6 x 10 gp to open a gate 
  	
  at Ritter’s Hog Pen (p55) in the middle of the 
  night. If the character follows through, dozens 
  of sheep and hogs escape and roam throughout 
  Kinswallow, chased by entire orkin families.
  Someone offers the PCs 1d4 x 100 gp to sneak 
  	
  into Tollman Shoe Barn (p41) and wreck things.
  Someone offers the PCs 15 gp for each silver 
  	
  dagger they steal from the Thirsty Blade (p40).
  A holy font in the Ruins still flows, but stirges and 
  	
  strangle weed have taken it over. The Temple of 
  the Divine Purpose wants someone to clear it.
  The Planners Guild (p42) sends the PCs to 
  	
  recover the body of an engineer from a collapsed 
  excavation in the Ruins. They really want the 
  highly valuable Brinkley’s pin they loaned him.
  A masked halfling pays the PCs to take a sack of 
  	
  small stones into the Ruins and scatter them in 
  a specific area of muddy rock: 100 gp down and 
  another 100 gp when the job’s done. The rocks 
  look ordinary, but closer inspection shows them 
  to be unusually heavy, with sparkling motes in 
  them. A knowledgeable person recognizes lumps 
  of silver ore, worth a total of perhaps 50 gp.
  Wild Honey addiction spreads, with addicts 
  	
  becoming virtual slaves to the suppliers. 
  “Snickers” (p51) may know who controls the 
  supply, but he’s not talking.
  As a PC acquires a good reputation, a group of 
  	
  citizens implore him to run for Mayor.
  The illustration of Lesserton below, while not to scale, shows the general layout of the neighborhoods and the major buildings 
  in each. Note the Execution Platform next to the bell tower and the locations of the Swamp Gates.
  Illustration by Mark Allen. Calligraphy by Shelley Harlan.
  60
  
  61
  DEADLY CHANCES
  An Adventure in Lesserton
  by Jeff Sparks and Joel Sparks
   “Deadly Chances” takes the form of a multiple murder 
  mystery. The villain is Devin Lewis, but he will be hard to find 
  out and even harder to defeat.
  Setup
  To catch players’ interest, the referee can introduce one 
  or two of the victims-to-be over the course of multiple prior 
  play sessions.
  Hardtack: PCs who spend time at the Myriadrome (p55) 
  get to know Zevil “Hardtack” Clinch, ’pede-handler. One 
  night, looking for someone new to town and well-funded, 
  Hardtack takes a PC aside and offers a deal: for a surefire tip 
  that will come in at 3:1, he and the PC will split the winnings. 
  The PC is to place 100 gp or more on a ’pede named by 
  Hardtack; a win doubles the PC’s money after paying the 
  original stake to Hardtack. If the PC agrees, Hardtack 
  whispers “White-Black-White.” He surreptitiously doses that 
  notoriously slow ’pede with a liquid given him by an agent of 
  the Brush, changing its modifier for odds of winning from 
  –10 to +10 for the crucial few rounds. This rare potion of  
  speed comes from Devin Lewis, who has far more substantial 
  bets in place and has already arranged compensation for 
  Hardtack. The centurion, however, can’t let these odds go by 
  without arranging for a little profit on the side, even though 
  he’s forbidden to bet on races he works. Unfortunately, Devin 
  Lewis notices the large PC bet, and becomes unhappy with 
  Hardtack’s lack of discretion.
  Worse, Hardtack should only have given half the dose. 
  Under the full dose the creature’s speed is clearly unnatural, 
  and the thing curls up and dies 5d4 rounds after dosing. If 
  the W-K-W centipede beats the second-place bug by more 
  than 9 on the roll, suspicion falls on Hardtack’s employer, 
  “Death Wiggle Racers,” meaning its owner Chaz Denner, a 
  Clever Sort. Any substantial bet on W-K-W then comes under 
  scrutiny, but unlike the PCs, Lewis spread his bets around to 
  allay suspicion, and none are under his name. Hardtack is 
  suspended from Myriadrome work pending investigation. The 
  PCs must talk fast and offer at least 10% of their winnings as 
  a fine to prevent banning from the ’Drome (reaction roll).
  Horatia: Any PC with money to spend and an inclination 
  for carousing hears about Bantam House (p46). The best 
  Quist player on staff is Horatia Craftwood (INT 16, CHA 
  16), a beauty who plays to win and usually does. Going only 
  by her first name, Horatia beats her eager clients at cards so 
  often that she’s hardly a whore at all any more, as very few 
  ever “collect.” About one night in ten, Devin Lewis shows up 
  to play, and when they partner, none can stand against them. 
  When they oppose, and he wins, she is still off the hook, as he 
  never demands favors and could not go upstairs anyway with 
  his crippled legs. One night, a player interested in gambling 
  for Life Experience (p17) gets a chance to choose one of 
  them for a partner. Of course, if he wishes to extract services 
  from Horatia, he must partner with Lewis to oppose her. A 
  Bantam employee named Brilla (INT 13) makes the fourth. 
  A Note on Timing
  Because the murders in this adventure are tied to 
  lycanthrope activity, they occur during the full moon: three 
  days out of each month. By default, the adventure begins the 
  morning after Hardtack’s death. That night, Horatia dies. The 
  next night, Nestor is pushed into the Pit Fight. If the PCs 
  don’t stop the murders, Eastminster is led to his doom at the 
  next full moon. If the referee prefers an episodic mystery, 
  perhaps seperated by other adventures, the incidents can all 
  be spaced a month apart instead.
  Victim 
  When killed
  Grazi the Grappler 
  One month ago
  Hardtack the Centurion 
  Night one
  Horatia the Whore 
  Night two
  Nestor the Clerk 
  Night three
  Eastminster the Dog-Wrangler 
  One month later
  Death of a Centurion
  The PCs learn that Hardtack is dead, and Myriadrome 
  officials are offering reward for information. Hardtack 
  disappeared last night, along with an important lockbox 
  belonging to the ’Drome. While most bets are in silver, some 
  more valuable metals accrue, and the officials lock them in 
  this “golden box” for transport to Brinkley’s. Hardtack’s 
  disemboweled body was found on the edge of the swamp 
  early in the morning, with no sign of the box. The owners 
  of the ’Drome have offered a 500 gp reward for finding the 
  killer, dead or alive, plus 10% of any recovered monies. The 
  referee can vary that amount as necessary to get the PCs 
  interested.
  DEADLY CHANCES
  
  62
  Investigating: At the Myriadrome
  Hours before race time, punters and bookies fill the 
  ’Drome. The owners and the trainers are busy with cages of 
  giant centipedes, and other creatures for bait. Chaz Denner, 
  Hardtack’s former supervisor, has little time to speak to the 
  PCs, but if they seem in earnest about solving the mystery, he 
  spares a moment to tell them what little he knows.
  Hardtack was a good worker, and skilled at 
  	
  handling the creatures, but none too bright.
  He sometimes liked to place bets on the races, 
  	
  which employees are not allowed to do. In 
  fact he was recently suspended, but eventually 
  brought back on board.
  He was at work that day, same as usual, but 
  	
  finished his shift well before closing. 
  No one the pit boss has spoken to saw Hardtack 
  	
  return that night, but the place was crowded.
  No one noticed the cash box was gone until 
  	
  morning. It was a sturdy steel box stamped with 
  centipede designs.
  Through his Brush informants, Devin Lewis very quickly 
  hears that the PCs are asking questions. As he charmed Hardtack 
  into stealing the money, and then killed him on the moors, he 
  wishes to discourage investigation. Later that night, or the 
  next time the PCs attend a race, a drunk in the crowd trips and 
  spills a flagon of ale, dousing up to three of the characters. 
  The ale smells foul and the drunk staggers off complaining 
  of his lost drink. The “ale” contains a pheromonal female 
  centipede musk. On the start of the next race, three of the 
  five competing centipedes ignore the staked-out giant fly and 
  swarm out of the arena, heading straight for the scented PCs. 
  In each of the next five rounds, there is a 1 in 4 chance of 
  another male centipede breaking loose and charging into the 
  crowd. After that, the centurions have the cages locked down. 
  The creatures are standard examples of the breed (LL68) but 
  are all in prime condition (full 4 hp each). They bite anyone 
  who seems to be stopping them from getting to the source 
  of the scent, especially the PCs who are “hiding” the female.
  Careful questioning afterwards may reveal that someone 
  placed a side bet that a spectator would get bitten, at very 
  attractive odds. Such bets are typical, but they rarely pay off. 
  Bribery might cause a clerk to reveal that the lucky bettor was 
  Devin Lewis, who seldom resists a gamble.
  Aftermath (optional): After the ruckus, the owners 
  wish a word with the party. They believe the PCs were 
  deliberately trying to rig the race and it backfired on them. 
  Fourteen prime racers were lost in the trampling and the PCs 
  must make amends by either paying 100 gp for each dead 
  centipede, or by finding a clutch of at least 14 centipede eggs 
  in the Ruins and bringing them back to the ’Drome.
  Further Clue: The substance splashed on the PCs at 
  the Myriadrome is difficult to distill. Careful questioning of 
  centipede owners and the trainer reveals that several days 
  before the incident, Dr. Eerie’s alchemy shop purchased 
  several female centipedes from three stable-owners. At the 
  Laboratory, the PCs may be able to persuade Dale to admit 
  that she made a pint of female ’pede essence for a customer, 
  who paid in gold and appeared only while wearing a mask. It 
  was a member of the Brush, acting on Lewis’ orders.
  A Loss at Bantam House
  The day after Hardtack’s body was found, a Guard in the 
  gate tower notices a busy cluster of scavenger birds out in 
  the swamp. He alerts his lazy sergeant, who asks the nearby 
  PCs to take a look. The birds surround the small, savaged 
  body of a slender woman in the remains of good clothes. It is 
  Horatia, the popular girl from Madam W’s Bantam House. 
  Investigating: At Bantam House
  Zippia, the front desk clerk at Bantam House, knew 
  Horatia well. They joined Bantam at about the same time 
  and the dead girl tried unsuccessfully to help Zippia learn the 
  finer points of some games. “She were a good soul,” says the 
  girl, dabbing her eyes and smearing the kohl in the process. 
  “Could always tell how to treat a customer. Sometimes they 
  wants a little flirt over the tables, sometimes they morelike be 
  really into the game. Horatia could always tell and gave them 
  what they wanted; except to win. She always played to win, 
  but polite-like, you know? Master Brinkley himself would 
  come just to play Quist with her. He won’t come no more 
  since she died, I warrant; wouldn’t want to play no one else. 
  Almost no one beat Horatia, ’cept maybe Master Lewis, and 
  then only once or twice. Of course, they say he used to be a 
  sharp, so that’s not so strange.”
  Horatia had several regulars. About two weeks ago, one 
  of them gave her a pearl pendant as gift, and if treated at all 
  well, Zippia lets his name slip: Blake Swenson, manager of 
  the Platinum Pegasus.
  DEADLY CHANCES
  
  63
  Horatia wore the jewel at work, and PCs might even recall 
  seeing it. She seldom went out, and when she did, her jewelry 
  remained locked up in her personal lockbox. The lockbox 
  shows no signs of forcing or picking, and the key was on her 
  body. The other jewels (2d6 x 100 gp worth) remain, but the 
  pendant is gone. Unknown to Swenson or Horatia, it was an 
  amulet of  proof  against detection and location (AEC91).
  Investigating: At the Platinum Pegasus
  At first, Blake Swenson refuses to take time out of his 
  schedule to talk to the PCs, but if they begin to say anything 
  about Horatia or Bantam House, he frantically shushes them 
  and conducts them into his office. (A player who states that 
  he looks around carefully will see Forester Greelwood nearby, 
  smoking his pipe and apparently not listening.) Swenson 
  is not anxious to bruit about his patronage habits, as he is 
  engaged to a wealthy family’s daughter. In fact, it was with 
  his prospective father-in-law’s money that he went jewelry 
  shopping. The story unfolds thusly:
  About 15 days ago, Swenson went to the Fox 
  	
  & Dog Lapidary to buy a wedding ring for his 
  bride-to-be, with 100 platinum coins provided 
  by her father to do the thing right.
  While he sat with Virgil Sand, a disheveled man 
  	
  frantically rushed into the Exchange, asking for 
  Deli. However, the Sign of the Iron Star was shut 
  up that day for some reason. [Deli gave himself 
  the day off to cast some identify spells.]
  With a cry of despair, the strange man glanced 
  	
  about, then pushed past Swenson to display a 
  pendant to Sand: an attractive gold sea-shell 
  with three pearls. “Give me as much as you can 
  for it, but do it now!” the man moaned.
  Sand sniffed and refused to consider purchase 
  	
  without time to examine the item thoroughly, 
  after he was finished helping Swenson.
  The man turned to go, but on a whim Swenson 
  	
  stopped him. Having decided on a nice ring for 
  the price of 75 pp, he offered the man 25 pp 
  for the pendant, planning to assuage his guilt 
  somehow by giving it to Horatia and perhaps 
  encourage her discretion. The man literally pulled 
  out two tufts of his hair, then agreed, snatching 
  the money and running out of the exchange at 
  speed, watched carefully by the guards.
  Two weeks ago, Swenson gave the pendant to 
  	
  Horatia, intending never to see her again. That’s 
  all he knows.
  Interviewing the Exchange guards garners only a vague 
  description of the transient adventurer. He was hired by 
  the Brush to retrieve a magic pendant from the Ruins, but 
  overheard them planning to kill him once the delivery was 
  made. He went to sell the item to Deli, but had to flee town 
  with the money from Swenson instead. Whether he survived, 
  and how much the players can learn of these matters, is up 
  to the referee.
  Devin Lewis, who originally commissioned the 
  adventurer to find the pendant, became insanely frustrated. 
  Due to its properties, the item could not be found with 
  magical detection, scrying, or divination. He had given up 
  when, to his amazement, he saw Horatia wearing the thing at 
  the Bantam House tables. He asked her to put it up as game 
  stakes, but she refused, perhaps out of lingering affection 
  for Swenson. Lewis was still drawing careful plans when his 
  monthly bloodlust came around and his evil nature took over. 
  On a visit to Bantam, he charmed Horatia and easily persuaded 
  her to sneak out that night to meet with him and a “secret 
  admirer from Dolmvay” who wished to meet her. He asked 
  her to bring the pendant, knowing she could not resist the 
  request or the absurd story while enthralled.
  As soon as he had snuck her out of town and the jewel 
  was in his hands, he followed his usual pattern. He released 
  her from the charm and transformed into giant boar shape. 
  Devin then chased the terror-stricken girl down through the 
  swamps before killing her messily.
  Forester Greelwood
  If the PCs are anything less than hot on the trail, they 
  get a little unexpected help. Forester Greelwood (p43), self-
  proclaimed genius, sends a message inviting them to meet 
  him at Wingfeathers in the Pegasus.
  Before a roaring fire, to the accustomed tolerance of 
  the staff, Greelwood paces back and forth, waving a pipe 
  and declaiming to the party. “Deduction makes it clear 
  that you have an interest in the death of this poor young 
  woman Horatia, yes?” He might cite the evidence of mud 
  on a character’s hem, “of a type found only near her place 
  of work.” Actually, Greelwood, an incorrigible snoop, knew 
  of Blake Swenson’s visits to Bantam House and connected it 
  with the PC’s previous visit to the Pegasus.
  Greelwood offers to lend the assistance of his inimitable 
  powers of observation and deduction. “No, no, I never 
  accept money for the use of my gifts. Well, I do have some 
  expenses of course; it would clear my mind immeasurably to 
  accept, say, 250 gold?”
  DEADLY CHANCES
  
  64
  Should the PCs pay over the funds, Greelwood hands them 
  to a bellhop for the hotel safe, then commences rumination. 
  “Now! Let me consider the evidence.” He smokes and paces 
  for a very brief time, then exclaims “Aha!”
  “A pattern emerges! You may not know it, but my many 
  sources inform me that certain folk gather for barbaric 
  displays of fisticuffs in the so-called Field of Truth. Horatia’s 
  body was found, it turns out, the morning after one such 
  gathering. Happenstance? But wait! A similar killing occurred 
  last month, the death of a centipede trainer, and he too was 
  found the morning after pugilistics at the Field of Truth! 
  Clearly these folk gambled at the fights beyond their ability to 
  pay and were thus punished. There you have it. Go! Gather 
  more evidence for me. I shall cogitate along.”
  Fall of a Big Man
  Greelwood, as usual, is completely wrong in a useful way. 
  Investigating the Field of Truth finds that about a month 
  ago, a well-known pit fighter indeed wound up much like 
  poor Hardtack and Horatia.
  About a month ago, Grazi the Grappler, a former pit 
  fighter turned trainer, was found near the Glory Road with 
  his guts ripped out. His death was noteworthy, because he 
  didn’t tell his wife or servants that he was going out, and he 
  was still a formidable fighter himself.
  Investigating: Midnight at the Field of  Truth
  Grazi the Grappler retired from the pits a couple years ago 
  to start his own fighting stable. He only had a few gladiators, 
  but they won pretty consistently and Grazi was doing well. 
  Since his death, his fighters have either moved on or lost one 
  fight too many. One of them—an enormous brute named 
  Gorman—now works at the Brass Shield. He wasn’t around 
  the night Grazi was killed, but if the PCs prime him with a 
  few coins or drinks, Gorman tells them what he knows.
  Grazi’s most trusted employee was his clerk, 
   
  
  Nestor, a thin, bookish sort with sandy hair and 
  a big nose.
  Nestor kept the accounts and handled the 
   
  
  paperwork for Grazi, who couldn’t read or 
  write.
  Nestor was privy to almost all of Grazi’s business 
   
  
  affairs and lived in the training house behind the 
  office.
  Nestor will certainly attend the big fight at the 
   
  
  Field of Truth tonight, looking for new work.
  That evening,  at the Field of Truth, there is a crowd of 
  over two hundred spectators. Among the more recognizable 
  faces is Forester Greelwood. He will approach them and ask 
  what they have learned. If the characters question him, he 
  merely says “Tut tut! Investigations continue. We mustn’t 
  spook our quarry!” Greelwood actually has no such person in 
  mind, so he smiles mysteriously and waggles his eyebrows.
  The betting is lively as the midnight moon shines down. 
  The opening bout is to be a Battle Royale (p26), always a 
  crowd pleaser. Tonight, only ten fighters enter the ring, each to 
  fight against all the others. The rules are simple: no weapons 
  or armor, no holds barred, and the last man standing wins. 
  The prize is 50 gold to the winner. The fighters often have a 
  friend place side bets to increase their winnings. The losers 
  must be knocked out, crippled, or dead.
  Fighters: F1, AC 9, 8 hp, STR 13 CON 13, fists 1d2+1. 
  All punching damage is 75% temporary. Each blow has a 
  chance to knock down an unarmed, unarmored target, equal 
  to the percent damage done. For example, when slugged for 3 
  hp damage, an 8 hp fighter is knocked down on a 1–3 out of 
  8. He can get up the next round by rolling his CON or less on 
  d20; otherwise, he’s knocked out. He also falls unconscious at 
  0 hp. Should the damage taken come to four times a fighter’s 
  hp, he dies: frowned upon, but a known risk.
  As the bout gets under way, a Brush sneaks up from 
  behind and shoves Nestor into the ring. A judge declares 
  that the Code of the Pit is clear: in Battle Royale, anyone can 
  enter, but no one leaves until the fight is over. Nestor’s 10 gp 
  stake will be extracted from him later.
  Nestor has AC 9, 3 hp. At once, a burly fighter bears 
  down on the scrawny man and knocks him to the ground with 
  one 3 hp punch. The fighter, Chubb, proceeds to straddle 
  the unconscious clerk and beat him savagely, ignoring the 
  other combatants and the various cries of disapproval and 
  encouragement from the audience. If Nestor takes 9 more hp 
  of punching damage, at 1d2+1 per round, he dies.
  A PC may choose to leap into the pit, but the guards will 
  drag him out if he has a helmet or metal armor. If anyone 
  pulls a weapon in the ring, the judges cry for a halt, but the 
  man on Nester won’t stop hitting unless confronted.
  If the party tries to escalate things outside the ring, it can 
  turn ugly fast. No magic at all functions here, and a dozen 
  Brass Shield guards are paid and equipped to deal vigorously 
  with troublemakers, starting out with commands and clubs 
  (F0, AC 7, 7 hp, club, short sword; four have light crossbows, 
  four have manacles). If the PCs draw blood, the crowd panics, 
  trampling everyone and anyone to get away from the trouble, 
  and the Shields unlimber their deadlier weapons.
  DEADLY CHANCES
  
  65
  Chubb, the fighter who attacked Nestor in the ring, 
  admits nothing at first. However, if it were widely known 
  that he had gone into the Royale intending to kill someone, 
  he would have a hard time getting future fights except for 
  death matches, which he fears. If threatened with exposure, 
  he admits that someone in a pub paid him 50 gp to attack 
  Nestor, who was described as an evil poisoner. It was a Brush 
  who paid him, disguised with a fake beard. Devin, fearing that 
  Nestor knew something of his dealings with Grazi, moved to 
  stop the information at the source.
  If he survives, Nestor gratefully answers any questions, 
  but has no idea who would want him dead. A player who 
  thinks to ask about the future of Grazi’s stable discovers that 
  Peter Robamonde provided much of the initial financing. 
  Since he is still owed a good deal of money, he can now claim 
  the whole operation. Still, Nestor had no suspicions until he 
  was shoved into the ring. Robamonde, of course, is Devin 
  Lewis’s straw man, and Lewis did not consider Nestor any 
  threat until the PCs began nosing around the swamp deaths.
  Investigating: Devin Lewis
  Should the PCs get onto Devin Lewis’s trail, their 
  investigations can uncover the following tidbits about the big 
  gambler’s movements. He likely has them trailed in return.
  A streetwalker named Ursula saw Lewis 
  	
  at Valnhalla within the last week, playing 
  knucklebones. It was hot in the place and he had 
  loosened his collar. Ursula noticed because a 
  very pretty gold pendant slipped out of his shirt, 
  its chain far too long and loose. The gambler 
  tucked it hurriedly away. Ursula spent a little 
  while trying to get his interest so she might take 
  it from him while he slept later, but she had no 
  luck. [The pendant is the jewel that belonged to 
  Horatia, the victim from Bantam House.]
  Devin was playing cards and another player put 
  	
  down some copper and silver pieces to cover a 
  bet and Devin got angry, saying he only played 
  for gold. [The touch of silver pains Devin.]
  Narsy Nightshade recently acquired an 
  	
  arrow 
  of  slaying. He was surprised when Devin Lewis 
  bought it the next day for the rather steep asking 
  price of 2,500 gp, with no haggling. [It was an 
  arrow of  lycanthrope slaying, as the PCs may be 
  told if they need heavy hints. Devin would not 
  want such an item to fall into unfriendly hands, 
  nor trust anyone to handle the errand for him. 
  The arrow now lies in a secret compartment in 
  Devin’s office, wrapped in a thick cloth covered 
  with a Type 3 contact poison (AEC143)].
  The Next victim
  If the PCs have not advanced their investigations within 
  a few weeks of the fight at the Field of Truth, Lewis’s 
  combination of bloodlust and the silencing of witnesses 
  comes around again with the next full moon. He targets the 
  dog breeder Jenko Eastminster, of Fidelis Fighting Dogs.
  Eastminster’s hounds are highly regarded. He not only 
  trains guard and hunting dogs, but runs violent canine pit 
  fights at night. A week before the full moon, Devin Lewis 
  was attending Eastminster’s place with a group of fellow 
  gamblers, discussing an upcoming dog fight, when one of the 
  hunting dogs got loose. It’s very odd for one of Eastminster’s 
  animals to disobey, so everyone noticed as the beast ran up to 
  Lewis, fur bristling, and growled at him viciously as if holding 
  the big man at bay. The handler quickly managed to to restrain 
  the animal and get it away from Devin, who laughed it off, 
  saying he’d just finished a joint of roast.
  Eastminster wonders. The same hound was loaned to the 
  Watch to investigate the scene of Hardtack’s body, and picked 
  up a powerful scent, but then lost it in the swamps. Could 
  Lewis be training an especially vicious dog, planning to come 
  in and clean up at the fights? Is he behind various sabotage at 
  Fidelis over the past several months? [No and no.]
  Later, Eastminster asks a few people about Lewis’ 
  movements around the time of Hardtack’s death. He even 
  contacts Greelwood, who informs the PCs: “My dear friends, 
  could the injuries of the dead folk have come from dogs? 
  I think so! Why, a certain Jenko Eastminster came to me, 
  reeking of canines, and asked the oddest questions about 
  the crippled gambler, Devin Lewis. I suspect Eastminster is 
  hunting down people for their valuables, and Lewis is the 
  next victim! I have an appointment, but perhaps you should 
  keep an eye on Eastminster and his animals.”
  Unfortunately, Devin hears about Eastminster’s inquiries 
  too. The day before full moon, in front of Tavis, one of 
  Eastminster’s handlers, Lewis lets slip that he has a “liaison” 
  on the moors later that night. Acting distracted, he also 
  “forgets” his hat. If the PCs are watching Fidelis Fighting 
  Dogs, they may see Lewis leave.
  Tavis informs Eastminster, who gleefully takes the hat. If 
  the PCs reach Tavis, he might fill in some blanks for them:
  He knows about the hunting dog getting upset 
  	
  in front of Devin.
  Eastminster asked him to keep his ears open 
  	
  whenever he was around Devin.
  He doesn’t know why his boss was so keen to 
  	
  spy on Devin, but he suspects it had something 
  to do with some sort of profit.
  DEADLY CHANCES
  
  66
  Confident that Eastminster will try to spy on him, Lewis 
  acts nonchalant the rest of the day, then leaves town just 
  before sunset bell, along with the early crowd headed for the 
  pit fights. The moon rises late that night, and still in human 
  form, Lewis slips away and hides near the swamp’s edge. He 
  assumes his wild shape soon thereafter, and cannot change 
  back until morning.
  Sure enough, Eastminster follows with two hounds, who 
  easily track Lewis’ scent from the hat. If the PCs are watching 
  Eastminster, they see him going and can easily trail the man. 
  He has not yet decided whether to blackmail Lewis or turn him 
  in. If the PCs do not interfere, Lewis waits until Eastminster 
  tracks him to the swamp. The dogs attack, uselessly, and the 
  massive Lewis-beast kills Eastminster, then chases down the 
  dogs. If he notices PCs, he attacks.
  Encountered in animal shape, Devin Lewis as demon 
  boar stands 6 feet high at the shoulder and 10 feet long, 
  weighing nearly 1,000 pounds. In animal form he cannot 
  speak or cast charm person, but retains his vile cunning. The 
  amulet hangs around the boar’s neck too, explaining why the 
  chain is so long. If he feels unable to win a stand-up fight 
  under the full moon Lewis runs for the Field of Truth, where 
  magic weapons are no threat. In the Field’s anti-magic zone, 
  he is stuck in boar shape, but retains his invulnerability to 
  all but silver weapons. The anti-magic also cancels the charm 
  effect on any victim who enters it.
  If confronted in town, in his human form, the demon 
  boar first tries talking his way out of it. Lewis is clever and 
  persuasive even without using charm person. He tells plausible 
  lies and dismisses circumstantial evidence as nonsense. He 
  attempts to charm a PC only if bluster and defiance fail.
  If confronted with force, Lewis continues to act the 
  invalid, crying for help most pitiably. His Brute bodyguard 
  protects him. If struck with normal weapons, Devin feigns 
  injury, screaming loudly and falling over. If hit with magic or 
  silver weapons, he flees at once, even if it means running like 
  a man with two good legs. If he makes it to Trotter House or 
  Robamonde’s townhouse, he flees town through the tunnels. 
  Only extreme danger causes him to reveal his true nature.
  Greelwood Triumphant
  If the PCs fail or abandon the investigation, a new hero 
  comes to the fore: About a week after Eastminster’s death, 
  Forester Greelwood reveals that the murderer was none other 
  than Peter Robamonde! Greelwood confronted the man, who 
  died in the attempt to flee. The detective is fêted as a hero and 
  dines out well on his reputation for the next several weeks, 
  telling the story readily to any who ask and most who don’t:
  “It was rudimentary to a trained mind, of course. All 
  the classic signs. Alas, when confronted by the cold light of 
  justice, the miscreant made a fatal error in tactics. He fled my 
  wrath and I hotly followed, the Watch bringing up the rear. 
  Sadly, in blind fear the man tripped and fell in the street, full 
  in front of a speeding wagon. The hoofs and wheels worked 
  sore mischief upon him, upsetting the cartload of squash.
  Quite grisly indeed. But justice was served in the end; aided 
  in some small part by my efforts, I like to think.”
  Greelwood describes his evidence as follows:
  Robamonde took over Grazi’s stable, giving him 
  	
  a motive in at least one killing.
  He was known to make bets at the Myriadrome 
  	
  and seldom lost, while Hardtack had already 
  been suspected of corruption. The centurion 
  must have been a confederate to be silenced.
  The morning after Hardtack died, some clerks 
  	
  took a large box from Robamonde’s house to 
  Brinkley’s.
  Horatia must have rejected him.
  	
  Robamonde tended to miss one dinner a month 
  	
  at the Sign of the Boar; Greeley charted these 
  absences and found them to correspond to the 
  pit fights, which Robamonde never attended!
  Confronted by Greelwood and the Watch, 
  	
  Robamonde could not account for his 
  movements on the nights of the murders. [The 
  idiot Robamonde can’t remember yesterday, let 
  alone over a week ago.]
  Searching Robamonde’s room after he fell, the 
  	
  Watch found the empty cash box from the 
  Myriadrome under his heavy four-poster bed, 
  along with a huge butcher’s knife. [Lewis placed 
  these weeks ago in case he needed Robamonde 
  to take the fall.]
  Robamonde, of course, is an anagram for “Demon Boar,” 
  but Greelwood has failed to notice this and does not suspect 
  lycanthropy. After his death, it comes out that Robamonde 
  secretly owned 40% of the Platinum Pegasus and simply 
  pretended to be a guest.
  Devin Lewis actually controlled that 40% in Peter’s 
  name, and another 35% under different aliases. Robamonde’s 
  heir, should anyone investigate, is the Society for the Benefit 
  of Madam R’s Grandchildren (p58). Free to continue his 
  wickedness, Lewis temporarily refrains from targeting 
  townsfolk, prowling near the Ruins instead.
  DEADLY CHANCES
  
  Ambiasson, Deliketh “Deli”—Sign of the Iron Star .......................... 33, 37
  Bakkus, Jennifer—The Platinum Pegasus ....................................................43
  Banes, Cranford—Closet of the Xorn ............................................36, 49, 53
  Bang, Master Zorus—The Platonic Order ..................................................37
  Beans, Mungo—Lesserton Nag Lot .............................................................36
  Bilgedodge, Lally—The Planners Guild ................................................ 42, 52
  Binfane, Master Scribe Ptolemus—The Platonic Order ............................36
  Blakely, Madam Sousa—Sign of the Kobold ..............................................44
  Blakely-Wenton, Jasmine—Wenton’s Inn and Yard..............................41, 57
  Bloom, Susannah—Wingfeathers..................................................................43
  Bogwater, Doss—Burnside Armory .............................................................47
  Bracerly, Pearl—Madam Pearl’s Cross-Eyed Palm ......................................36
  Brilla—Bantam House ........................................................................................61
  Brinkley, Magnus—Brinkley’s Assurety Trust .............................................31
  Brush, the—Never heard of ’em. Shove off. ....11, 42, 44, 51, 58, 59, 61–66 
  Bucking, Matron Wilma—Wenton’s Inn and Yard .....................................41
  Bumble Brothers, the Seven Tumbling .........................................................23
  Burnside, Ranter—Burnside Armory ...........................................................47
  Butternik, Father Risko—Temple of the Divine Purpose ........................56
  Canebraker, Bruce—Lesserton Nag Lot ......................................................36
  Chubb—Field of  Truth ................................................................................64–65
  Circle Keepers ..................................................................................................26
  Cleghorne, Vince—Universal Knowledgium and Bookatory ..43, 47, 51, 52
  Clementine, Sasha—Sign of the Boar ..........................................................44
  Clinch, Zevil “Hardtack”—The Myriadrome ................................................55, 61
  Cork, Master—Master Cork’s Valnwallers ...................................................23
  Coronas, Chef Pechum—Sign of the Boar .................................................44
  Crackpate Bill ....................................................................................................23
  Craftwood, Horatia—Bantam House ..................................................................61
  Crawley, Dana—Trang’s of Dolmvay ...........................................................45
  Crawley, Smeel—Burnside Armory ..............................................................47
  Denner, Chaz—The Myriadrome .................................................................61–62
  Dogiron, Portia—Wenton’s Inn and Yard ...................................................41
  Dumbo—The Sprightly Sprinters of Far Irllendom ..................................45
  Eastminster, Jenko—Fidelis Fighting Dogs............................. 53, 61, 65–66
  Ebersoul, Rickhardt—The Platinum Pegasus .............................................43
  Ebersoul, Temperance—Sign of the Kobold .............................................44
  Everburn, Ras—The Planners Guild ............................................................42
  Faynard, Brother Winton—Temple of the Divine Purpose .....................56
  Fessenden, Sir Holt—Helm of the Hob ......................................................50
  Fiddleton, Sato “Sapper”, Signs Carved Cheap ................................... 37, 57
  Fnord, Jackson ..................................................................................................23
  Folk, Ginny—Lesserton Alehouse ................................................................36
  Force, Grand Ecclesiarch Ezekiel—Temple of the Divine Purpose ..44, 56
  Frasser, Rasser—Bun Shack ...........................................................................52
  Gershwina, Madame—Gershwina’s Exotica ...............................................23
  Gitten, Gus—The Parloury ............................................................................42
  Godsworn, Derek, Master Woodcarver ................................................ 50, 57
  Gonfalard, Jamoquil (“Jimmy G”)—The Brass Shield ..............................26
  Gordon, Ratch—The Parloury ......................................................................42
  Gorman—The Brass Shield .................................................................................64
  Gray, Muckle—Carlos Painfeather, Author .................................................41
  Gray, Tommy—Wenton’s Inn and Yard .......................................................41
  Grazi the Grappler—Field of  Truth ............................................................ 61, 64
  Greelwood, Forester—The Platinum Pegasus ...............................43, 63–66
  Gronk—Gronk Make Sausage ............................................................... 52, 53
  Grouser, Pedarik “Pick”—The Planners Guild ..........................................42
  Grupo, “Fat” Fanny—Fat Fanny’s Hump Hut .................................... 10, 52
  Hawkins, Jem—Wenton’s Inn and Yard .......................................................41
  Hawkins, Polly—The Platinum Pegasus................................................ 43, 48
  Hayborn, Robinetta—Mama Hayborn’s Home Away from Home .........54
  Hengst—Hengst’s Horseflesh ........................................................................28
  Honeyweed, Sir Aglet—The Sprightly Sprinters of Far Irllendom ...43, 44, 45
  Hornfixer, Sammish—Hornfixer’s Emporium for the Prudent ...............35
  Isolene, Mother Fabia—Temple of the Divine Purpose ...........................56
  James, Baxon—Mayor’s Office, The Justice Building ................................29
  Kapner, Jas—Kapner Joinery ........................................................................50
  Knob, Chef Wiggums—The Pinion .............................................................43
  Lankwiler, Bonton—Lankwiler Silversmith .................................................35
  Lardbelly, Woebegotten—Closet of the Xorn ............................................49
  Larkin, Chef Eli—Trang’s of Dolmvay .......................................................45
  Lewis, Devin ........................................................10, 32, 43, 51, 58, 59, 61–66
  Longshanks, Lenny—Mishaps table ....................................................................20
  Lurcke, Evan—Tracts by Lurcke ...................................................................51
  Moreso, Father Bippin—The Platonic Order .............................................37
  Morton, Theo (“Twigs”)—Trang’s of Dolmvay .........................................45
  Murphy, Iron-Throat—and the Scamper Twins .........................................23
  Muskox, Gladsome—The Thirsty Blade ......................................................40
  Nelson, Sgt. Wonk—Watch Station (The Heights) ....................................46
  Nestor—Field of  Truth ................................................................................ 61, 64
  Nightshade, Narcissus “Narsy”—Sign of the Butt ............................. 38, 65
  Ninefingers, Lupo—Burnside Armory ........................................................47
  Old Mor Quartet ..............................................................................................23
  Painfeather, Carlos—Author ..........................................................................41
  Palisair, Federic “Fats”—Wingfeathers.........................................................43
  Partridge, Teeter—Wenton’s Original Inn and Yard ..................................57
  Plangent Stars, the ............................................................................................23
  Plonk, Sir Untherous—Valnwall Genealogical Society ...........11, 42, 45, 52
  Plumb, Robert—The Planners Guild .................................................... 42, 55
  Plumb, Tasso—Tasso’s Museum of the Lifelike .................................. 10, 55
  Potter: Tamra and Wilhelmina—Wenton’s Inn and Yard ..........................41
  Pottleby, Brother Theo—Temple of the Divine Purpose .........................56
  Pottleby: Lars and Markus—Pottleby Ovens ..............................................51
  Rakamond, Keefer “King”—Valnhalla ........................................................30
  Ramsbottom, Dolt—Ritter’s Hog Pen .........................................................55
  Reed, Thatcher—Wenton’s Original Inn and Yard .....................................57
  Ritter, Hank—Ritter’s Hog Pen .....................................................................55
  Robamonde, Peter ..................................................................31, 41, 44, 58, 66
  Rolf, Alpen “Apacius”—Apacius Relaxing Massage ........................... 11, 30
  Rollbarrel, Klaus—Hornfixer’s Emporium for the Prudent .....................35
  Russo, Bannock “Binky”—Russo’s Tannery ...............................................55
  Sand, Virgil—Fox & Dog Lapidary ..............................................................31
  Sanders, Dale—Hermetic Laboratory of Doctor Eerie ..................... 53, 62
  Sanders, Glim—The Rooster .........................................................................44
  Sanders, Holbrook—Sign of the Kobold ....................................................44
  Sarat—Helm of  the Hob ....................................................................................50
  Sarkoli, Viktor—The Shroud of Steel ................................................... 37, 40
  Scamper Twins—Iron-Throat Murphy and .................................................23
  Scarify, Master—Skreeling Circus ..................................................................23
  Sivap, Sgt. Elburr—Watch Station (Kinswallow) ........................................57
  Slater: Mervin, Dotty, and children—Slater’s General Store .....................39
  “Snickers”—Trotter House ............................................................................51
  Songbelay, Chief Byce—Lesserton Watch Headquarters ................... 14, 57
  Sumpter: Burt, Goodwife Snarla, and Posey—Lesserton Alehouse ..10, 36
  Swatto, Jeb—Sign of the Kobold ..................................................................44
  Swenson, Blake—The Platinum Pegasus ........................................42, 62–63
  Swenson, Tully—The Rooster .......................................................................44
  Tavis—Fidelis Fighting Dogs ........................................................................65–66
  Tilly—Tilly’s Tea, Jobber’s Lot .......................................................................54
  Tofse, Magistrate Mortimer “Mort the Eel”—Justiciary Public .. 11, 16, 39
  Tollman, Gorgio “Gimp”—Tollman Shoe Barn ..................................37, 41
  Tom Rhymer .....................................................................................................23
  Tubb, Finster—Ritter’s Hog Pen ...................................................................55
  Tumbledown, Carla—Wenton’s Original Inn and Yard .............................57
  Tumbledown, Zippia—Bantam House ................................................. 46, 61
  Twiddle, Master Malcolm—The Platonic Order ........................................37
  Ursula—Valnhalla .............................................................................................65
  Valish, Sebastian—The Parloury ...................................................................42
  Wade, Rooter—Wenton’s Original Inn and Yard ........................................57
  Wattle, Madam Pernicia (“Lady W”)—Bantam House ..............................46
  Weatherdane: Davy and Harriet—Sign of  the Boar ............................................44
  Wenton, Willem “Willy”—Wenton’s Original Inn and Yard .....................57
  Whippet, Mistress Punctilia—The Platonic Order .....................................37
  Whiskerville, Solla—Wenton’s Original Inn and Yard ...............................57
  Whistle, “Little” Ralf—Ritter’s Hog Pen ......................................................55
  Whizzle, Rattlepate “Ratso”—Whizzle Research .......................................58
  Wilson, Mayor Chad—Mayor’s Office .........................................................29
  Wilson, Dunce—Lesserton Alehouse ..........................................................36
  INDEX of folk
  Italics indicate a character appearing as part of  an adventure or Adventure Seed
  
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  Lesserton and MOR
  This page applies To all elemenTs of The lesserTon & mor supplemenT.
  
  REFEREE’S GUIDE
    MOR
  by Joel Sparks and Jeff Sparks
  ©2011 Faster Monkey Games
  TO
  
  REFEREE’s Guide to MOR
  INTRODUCTION  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3
   
  Background: The Fall of  Mor  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3
   
  Adventuring in the Ruins  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3
  MAP: ANCIENT MOR .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
  MAP: THE RUINS OF MOR  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5
  THE RUINS OF MOR  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
   
  Major Features .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
   
   
  Walls and Entry Points  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
   
   
  Sectors (Old Neighborhoods) .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
   
   
  The Vermin Tribes  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
   
  Mapping the Ruins  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 9
   
   
  Using the Maps  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 9
   
   
  Terrain Types .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 9
   
   
  Table I: Random TeRRaIn Type foR a  
   
   
  Hex In THe RuIns  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 10
  ENCOUNTERS  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 11
   
  Wandering Monsters .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .11
   
  Weirdness   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .11
   
   
  Table II: WeIRdness  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .11
   
   
  Table II .a: oRkIn Clan populaTIon  .  .  . 15
   
   
  noTe III .a . advenTuReRs  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 17
   
   
  Table III .b . oRkIn, RoamIng  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 17
   
   
  Table III .C . RaIdeRs  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 17
   
   
  Table III: enCounTeRs  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 18
  GENERATING RUINS  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 20
  THE CURSE OF MOR  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 20
   
  Hate Elementals  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 20
   
  The Petromorph Queen  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21
  “BELOW THE JADE TEMPLE” .  .  .  .  .  . 22
  MAP: ENVIRONS OF LESSERTON 
   
   
  & MOR  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 27
  MAP: SEPTHEX BLANK  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 28
  Referee’s Guide to Mor     ©2011 Faster Monkey Games™
  by Joel Sparks and Jeff Sparks
  fastermonkeygames.com
  Editing: Shelley Harlan
  Design: Joel Sparks
  Cover by Steve Zieser.
  Licensing information in Referee’s Guide to Lesserton, p68
  ABOUT THIS BOOK
  The tables, maps, and notes in this volume contain 
  everything needed to run dangerous, sometimes rewarding 
  expeditions into the Ruins of Mor. Players will find spoilers 
  and too much detail here and should not read further.
  Page references without notation, such as (p21), refer to 
  this book. RGL refers to the Referee’s Guide to Lesserton, 
  snd PGL to the Player’s Guide to Lesserton, both in this 
  supplement. LL refers to Labyrinth Lord™, and AEC refers 
  to the Advanced Edition Companion™, both versions of classic 
  roleplaying rules available in print and as free downloads from 
  Goblinoid Games. But the rules, monsters, and situations in 
  Lesserton & Mor work in any system that recognizes things like 
  the six classic attributes, Armor Class, Hit Dice, and Hit Points. 
  Don’t let the rules get in the way of a good time!
  
  3
  INTRODUCTION
  The endless broken buildings, deep pits, fetid lairs, 
  and collapsed sewers of great fallen Mor offer limitless 
  opportunities for characters to face dangers big and small.
   
  Background: The Fall of Mor
  Many centuries ago, to protect the fertile lands of 
  Northeastern Valnwall from the dangerous humanoids of 
  the nearby mountains, men built the mighty City of Mor. 
  The cyclopean walls enclosed nearly two square miles, a fi rm 
  redoubt for many thousands, and Mor grew into the cultural 
  capital of the North, bigger than anything this side of 
  Dolmvay. Wealth ﬂ owed into the city, with dwarfs and wood 
  elves contributing to the cosmopolitan culture. Mor became 
  known as the place to buy gems, metal arms, and bows; crafts, 
  wine, and fi ne woolens; books, magic, and secret lore. Every 
  spring, the annual attacks of the mountain monster-folk met 
  swifter defeat. The Barons of Mor became the Dukes of 
  Morland as well, wealthy and powerful, drawing tribute for 
  a hundred miles.
  But the black day came nonetheless. Arising from the 
  secret tunnels of Mount Rotten, the mysterious leader 
  known as the Half-Orc Lord gathered an army of goblinoids, 
  barbarous men, ogres, giants, and stranger things of every 
  kind, all united against Mor. When they marched on the city, 
  legend says, the Wood Elf King knew fear, and for the fi rst 
  time he did not honor his treaty with men.  Utter destruction 
  took the city, beyond mere military defeat; unknown 
  supernatural forces blasted stone from stone, slaughtering 
  defender and invader  alike. The great walls cracked. Fire 
  raged unchecked. Buildings toppled. The shores of the great 
  River Raddle collapsed, and it trickled away, eventually to 
  become the foul Red Swamp. In forgotten fact, it was the 
  last Baron of Mor who doomed his city so totally; he and his 
  close council of evil priests summoned horrible spirits called 
  Hate Elementals, and the creatures turned on invader and 
  resident alike. See “The Curse of Mor,” p20.
  Today the city walls contain vast fi elds of rubble, stagnant 
  water, strange plants, ravenous beasts, murderous humanoids, 
  and magical oddities, all poised to prey on the foolish souls 
  who hope to uncover the lost treasures of Mor.
  Adventuring in the Ruins
  Though sages possess many copies of the original 
  military city-plan of Mor (p4), little knowledge survives 
  about its rumored splendors: the Baronial Armory, the Great 
  Northern Library, the Brass Tower of the Platonic Order, the 
  splendid temples, the so-called Gardens of Magic, the vaults, 
  the jewelers, the alchemists, and many more. A steady stream 
  of hopeful adventurers from Lesserton moves through the 
  dusty remains. Occasionally, some group uncovers a hidden 
  cache or a magical artifact—just often enough to keep hope 
  alive. Treasure maps and rumors of secret locations abound, 
  tempting the bold or desperate.
  Within the walls, clans of the half-breeds known as orkin 
  wring a wretched existence from the ground, along with other 
  denizens less human. Unnatural beings, loosed during the 
  great battle, persist down the centuries, lurking in shadows 
  and excavations. Predators and scavengers creep in by night 
  to feed and make their lairs in the wreckage. Magical echoes 
  and ghosts haunt the rubble. Any intact building or shelter 
  probably houses something, generally something dangerous 
  and alert. In the Ruins, there is no law but force, stealth, and 
  speed. Only the brave or the foolish try their luck within; yet 
  of these, the supply never runs low.
  Deadliness: Unlike a labyrinth divided into convenient 
  levels, the Ruins are wide open. Encounters of any strength 
  can pop up at any time. In addition to ordinary discretion, the 
  referee can use certain guidelines to increase survivability.
  Number Encountered
  
   (LL61): For most 
  monsters, only one individual appears in a 
  random encounter. This reduces deadliness and 
  reﬂ ects the sparse environment of the Ruins.
  Encounter Distance
  
   (LL50): The referee 
  should always randomize the encounter 
  distance based on terrain type (p10). Each side 
  then has a 50% chance per round to notice the 
  other. Even if noticed, each side has a 2 in 6 
  chance to surprise the other. PCs can also try to 
  escape per “Chases in the Wilderness,” LL52.
  Monster Reactions
  
   (LL52): Not every 
  creature attacks at once. Wary Ruins dwellers 
  often give each other a wide berth.
  Morale Checks
  
   (LL56): Many creatures lose all 
  desire to fi ght when the victims hit back. The 
  referee should allow any monster a chance to 
  retreat, making a morale check when about half 
  its hp are gone, or if the party does something  
  very unexpected or frightening.
  
  ANCIENT MOR
  F
  PLAINVIEW
  BOWFORD
  RIVER RADDLE
  HARBORCOTE
  GREATBRIDGE
  THE CITADEL
  WATER GATE
  SPAN
  GATE
  LOW BRIDGE
  THE GREAT
  BRIDGE
  SILT BRIDGE
  FOR’D
  GAINSAY
  GAINSAY
  SOUTH
  BARON’S
  VIEW
  PALACE
  GROUNDS
  F: Wall Forts
  F
  F
  F
  F
  SEVENGATE
  WINDWARD
  GRAND
  MARKET
  SHORE FORT
  N
  
  THE RUINS OF MOR
  One inch = 1,000' 
  One septhex = 360'
  Bridge Orkin
  WATER GATE
  SPAN
  GATE
  THE BREACH
  Spider
  Clan
  Locust
  Clan
  Bee
  Clan
  Frog
  Clan
  
  6
  THE RUINS OF MOR
  Major Features
  Walls and Entry Points
  Simply gaining access to Mor can prove diffi cult, 
  dangerous, or expensive. The wide bed of the vanished river 
  stands empty and overgrown, with patches of swamp and 
  hidden quicksand. Clouds of stinging insects buzz above 
  the marshy plants for two-thirds of the year, preying on and 
  preyed upon by sneaking reptiles and harsh-voiced birds.
  Walls: The huge walls of Mor, superhumanly massive, 
  still stand a hundred feet tall and thirty feet thick. Folk can 
  walk the tops of the walls, if they can get there without the 
  long-gone stairs. Periodic tower tops spread out, circles sixty 
  feet across, some with the tents and shacks of orkin clans. 
  The great walls and towers have no known interior space.
  The Breach: A stretch of wall to the north, in the 
  Bowford region, collapsed into the river. Explorers can pick 
  their way over that rubble, though various predators and 
  denizens often watch the breach. The party encounters a 
  Wandering Monster from Table III, p18.
  Water Gate: The Silt Bridge and Low Bridge are gone, 
  tumbled into the soft sand below, but explorers can climb 
  through the swampy moat to reach the harbor. Muck, 
  thornbushes, and vipers fi ll the space, plus poisonous frogs 
  and the orkin who raise them. Those who wade through alive 
  can climb a slope of wet sand to the top of the River Stair 
  and thus enter the Water Gate. Of course, their approach is 
  obvious. Automatic encounter: 50% chance of a Frog Clan 
  patrol (p8), or else a Wandering Monster (Table III, p18).
  Rope Bridges: Across the pilings of the fallen Great 
  Bridge, a small body of orkin maintain rope bridges and make 
  their living charging for their use. There are a few Bridge Orkin 
  on each piling, armed with huge axes and ready to cut down 
  the bridges if threatened. The most savvy are nominated 
  to greet explorers on the riverbank; they quote a wildly 
  extravagant price based on the quality of the customers’ gear, 
  but generally settle for contributions of food and drink.
  Pete Mullen’s painting on the outer cover of Lesserton & 
  Mor shows a party negotiating with the Bridge Orkin.
  Sectors (Old Neighborhoods)
  The old neighborhood names from Mor’s heyday appear 
  on the map on p4. The names persist among scholars and 
  explorers, serving to divide the vast desolation into parts. 
  Even amid destruction and the wearing down of centuries, 
  certain well-known features remain as landmarks. Several 
  areas include turf defended by one of the Vermin Clans.
  Sevengate: Central area around the Citadel and Palace 
  Grounds. Once home to the rich and noble; now includes 
  the territory of the Locust Clan.
  Seven Towers:
  
   Three of these tall towers are 
  mostly intact, occupied by the Locust Clan, and 
  defended with bugapults (p8).
  The Citadel:
  
   Little remains of the outer wall, 
  but parts of the central fortress still stand, with 
  Locust orkin living in two- and three-sided 
  rooms where the walls tumbled away.
  Palace Grounds:
  
   Picked over countless times, 
  this area holds only open rubble and vegetation, 
  some of the latter appearing distinctly odd 
  (Strange Vegetation, p16).
  Bowford: Northern area, from the rubble of the wall fort 
  to the easternmost point of the walls, bordering the Palace 
  Grounds to the south.
  The Breach:
  
   See “Walls and Entry Points.”
  Plainview: Eastern sector, formerly prosperous. Includes 
  Spider Clan territory.
  Greatbridge: Southeast zone around the Span Gate. Former 
  homes of tradesmen and merchants.
  Shore Fort and Great Bridge:
  
   Once, the 
  river shore opposite the Span Gate supported 
  a crenellated wall over two thousand feet long, 
  but every stone of it long ago went to build 
  streets in Lesserton. Of the Great Bridge from 
  the Shore Fort site to the Span Gate, only the 
  massive buttresses remain, occupied by the 
  Bridge Orkin. See “Walls and Entry Points.”
  Wall Forts (Greatbridge):
  
   Smashed by war 
  machines and magical forces, these large 
  structures once housed the armies of the Dukes 
  of Morland, who were also the Barons of Mor.
  For’d Gainsay:
  
   Another small fort, now 
  demolished and picked-over.
  
  7
  Harborcote: The great market near the harbor, and 
  surrounding area. Includes Frog Clan and Bee Clan territory.
  Harbor, River Stair, and Water Gate:
   
  Though deep in silt, the walls that once 
  protected Mor’s trading harbor stand, and 
  the broad River Stair still gives access to the 
  Water Gate. See “Walls and Entry Points”.
  Grand Market:
   
   The broad expanse of the 
  former marketplace held few permanent 
  structures, and thus now shows the largest 
  expanse of ﬂ at land in the Ruins. Thorn and 
  berry bushes choke the swampy ground, 
  and the Frog Clan herds their charges here 
  to feed on the countless insects.
  Gainsay South:
   
   This fortifi ed tower still 
  offers some shelter, and a strong group of 
  orkin or monsters generally occupies it, until 
  the next group comes along.
  Baron’s View:
   
   Once the tallest structure 
  in town, this observation post toppled 
  and scattered its stones into the Windward 
  neighborhood.
  Windward: Westmost quarter, formerly home to the poor 
  and now the most thoroughly destroyed area.
  Wall Forts (Windward):
   
   Like the others, 
  these once-sturdy barracks and fortifi cations 
  are now reduced to great piles of debris.
  The Vermin Tribes
  In several places, bands of orkin have managed to 
  secure permanent territory by adapting their lifestyle to the 
  odd environment of the Ruins. The most successful of 
  these societies go by the collective name of “the Vermin 
  Tribes,” because each group thrives on domestication of an 
  unnaturally large pest species.
  Each Vermin Tribe marks its territory with a carved or 
  painted glyph, and defaces the glyphs of the others when 
  found. When inscribed in a hurry, the symbols deteriorate: 
  the Spider Clan’s web to four crossed lines, the Locust Clan’s 
  bug into a long-tailed spiral, the Frog Clan’s animal into three 
  spots, and the addled Bee Clan’s into a mere zig-zag scribble.
  BEE CLAN (“Keepers,” “Honey-eaters,” “Stickies”)
  Turf: Harborcote
  Population: 350
  The Beekeepers stagger in a drugged haze through clouds 
  of giant honey bees (stats as GIANT KILLER BEES, LL65). The 
  bees produce a mind-affecting, addictive honey, which the 
  Stickies trade to a few townsfolk and fellow orkin. The clan 
  lives in an area of many buildings, putting them uncomfortably 
  close to the Froggers, who attack the bees when they frequent 
  the ﬂ owering bushes of the Grand Market. Other orkin won’t 
  attack Sticky turf, believing that the clan actually controls the 
  thousands of foot-long stinging insects. Certainly the bees 
  attack anyone who disturbs one of their giant hives. The Stickies 
  hate GIANT CARNIVOROUS FLIES (LL75) and hunt them, or more 
  often bribe others to do so, offering one dose of honey for 
  every six ﬂ y bodies. They also trade for fi rewood and brush to 
  burn when smoking the hives, typically one dose of honey for 
  about fi fty cubic feet of ﬂ ammable material.
  The typical hive is the intact shell of a building of two or 
  three stories, the interior built up with narrow frames of scrap 
  and rubble. Periodically the Stickies surround the building with 
  burning fuel and remove the roof panels. The smoke draws 
  through the building and stuns the countless bees, and the 
  keepers dip out the honey with their giant wooden spoons. 
  They subsist on honey, constantly intoxicated. 
  Wild Honey: A single taste causes numbness and dizziness, 
  giving a 1 point penalty on attacks, saves, and attribute rolls for 
  1d3 minutes. A dose of about two ounces causes a drugged 
  state: the victim cannot attack, cast spells, use magic items, or 
  run, and if trying to carry on a conversation or defend himself, 
  must save vs. poison or lapse into a helpless, giggling stupor 
  for one minute. Effects last 2d6 hours. The next day, the user 
  must roll Wisdom or less on 1d20 or seek another dose. After 
  total doses equal to half Constitution, he is addicted. Addicted 
  users can talk and fi ght without saves, but must have the honey 
  once per day or start taking 1 hp damage per level per day from 
  painful withdrawal. Addicts always use the honey if available 
  and spend anything to acquire it. If an addict goes two weeks 
  without a dose, or receives a cure disease, he  recovers.
  Religious overdose: Bee Clan shamans and other folk 
  sometimes take a massive dose of honey, at least 12 ounces, 
  to induce visions. The consumer saves vs. poison: On failure, 
  he takes 2d6 damage. On a success, he takes 1d6 damage and 
  receives the immediate effect of an augury spell (AEC31).
  
  8
  FROG CLAN (“Froggers,” “Warts”)
  Turf: Harborcote
  Population: 150
  The Frog Clan tends a swampy area around the Water 
  Gate, herding foot-long, fi fteen-pound GIANT POISONOUS 
  FROGS (AEC126). Confi ned to a restrictive area and subject 
  to frequent fatal accidents, the Froggers are few in number. 
  They collect poison from the frogs and always go armed with 
  poisoned javelins, which they reluctantly trade away when 
  they need something (Type 16, AEC143). Sometimes they 
  trade a javelin for the bodies of four or fi ve PIT VIPERS (LL96), 
  which prey on their frogs. The Froggers also hate the giant 
  honey bees of the Bee Clan. The bees ﬂ y into the frog’s home 
  swamp looking for ﬂ owers; a frog eats a bee or two, then gets 
  swarmed and killed by others. Froggers refuse to trade with 
  the Stickies and never use Wild Honey.
  LOCUST CLAN (“Spitters”)
  Turf: Sevengate
  Population: 400
  The warlike Spitters occupy the three intact towers at the 
  heart of the Ruins, and herd hundreds of giant SUBTERRANEAN 
  LOCUSTS (LL85), using special lightweight nets and practiced 
  techniques. Crude bulwarks surround their little domain, and 
  they have constructed many “bugapults”: technically called 
  oxes, these weight-operated levers can launch a payload into 
  the midst of any approaching enemy. Targeting a particular 
  spot requires a hit against AC 9; more general attacks always 
  succeed, except that a roll of 1 means a misfi re. Typical 
  ammunition is a bewildered locust, or else a spitbomb: a 
  fragile, melon-sized insect husk fi lled with the disgusting 
  spittle of the adult locust. Anyone within 5' of a bursting 
  spitbomb must save vs. poison at +2 or become incapacitated 
  with nausea for 1 turn, and the same happens to anyone who 
  comes within 5' of the victim until he thoroughly cleans off 
  the goo. Spitters are used to the smell; they always reek of 
  the stuff and would never be allowed into Lesserton. The 
  clan destroys giant ﬂ ies, bees, or spiders on sight to protect 
  their herbivorous livestock. If the strange bug-based fi ghting 
  techniques of this clan were more portable, they might 
  conquer the other clans.
  SPIDER CLAN (“Spinners”)
  Turf: Plainview, far north corner, sometimes known as 
  “Painview”
  Population: 500
  The Spinners are the wealthiest clan, relatively speaking. 
  They carefully tend web-choked ruins full of GIANT BLACK 
  WIDOW SPIDERS (LL97). Unlike the Locusts, and moreso than 
  the Beekeepers, the Spinners have a steady ﬂ ow of actual 
  coin from town, mostly from sales of their spidersilk rope 
  known as “spinner line.” They have the most to gain should 
  trade among the Ruins go to a cash basis, but the other clans 
  resist. The Spinners are also best equipped to hire outside 
  mercenaries when needed. Among the clan’s secrets is the 
  diffi cult process of extracting antivenom from the bodies of 
  carnivorous ﬂ ies, and they pay 2 gp for each ﬂ y body. They 
  stockpile the antitoxin for use among their own spiders and in 
  the event of conﬂ ict with the Beekeepers or the Frog Clan.
  Spinner Line: A fi ne silk rope. Weight: 2 lbs. per 50 feet. 
  Holds the weight of up to six human-sized people.
  Spinner Antitoxin: One dose lasts 1d4 hours and allows 
  an extra saving throw against any natural, injury-based poison, 
  such as a monster’s venomous bite or sting. If either saving 
  throw succeeds, the character has saved. If both saving throws 
  succeed, he avoids even the “save damage,” if any (AEC143). 
  The Spinners do not sell the antitoxin, but should any leave 
  their hands, an alchemist would buy it for 250 gp per dose 
  and sell it for double that.
  Bugapult
  Rate of fi re: 1/4 rounds with 4 crew
  Range: Minimum 50', maximum 200'
  Attacks as: 2nd-level fi ghter
  Damage: Delivers panicked subterranean locust, or 
  spitbomb, or solid ammunition doing 1d6 damage
         
  
  9
  TRADING VERMIN GOODS
  As the only steadily-available goods in the Ruins, the 
  products of the Vermin Tribes form the basis of a simple 
  economy of exchange. All the tribes also gather the glands of 
  the GIANT FIRE BEETLE (LL65) for use as light sources; a typical 
  gland glows for another 1d6–1 days after trading. Orkin from 
  the Ruins can estimate the remaining life by inspecting the 
  glow, and don’t trade for those with only a day left.
  In the Ruins, one dose of Wild Honey carries value equal 
  to ten feet of spinner line, which exchanges for one Frogger 
  poisoned javelin, or ten Locust Clan spitbombs, or six fi re 
  beetle glands. 
  At the referee’s option, Lesserton merchants may 
  occasionally have Vermin goods for sale at prices like these.
  Fifty feet of spinner line: 50 gp
  One dose of Wild Honey (illegal): 10 gp
  One Frogger poisoned javelin (illegal): 15 gp
  All orkin in the Ruins trade eagerly for fresh food, beer 
  and wine, and civilized luxuries. They will often give vermin 
  goods worth more than the cost of the items back in town. 
  If the referee wishes to randomize the profi ts, a reaction roll 
  can suggest an approximate ratio. Of course, the PCs must 
  survive each trip to the Ruins and back before cashing in. 
   2d6± 
  Reaction to offer of  luxuries
   
  <2 
  Vermin goods worth up to 10 times cost in 
  town, and –2 on future reaction rolls
   
  2 
  Vermin goods worth up to 5 times cost
   3–5 
  Vermin goods worth up to 3 times cost
   6–8 
  Vermin goods worth 1–2 times cost
     9–11 
  No trade
   12+ 
  Attack! If the PC trading party appears too 
  powerful to attack at once, the orkin end 
  talks and plan a later ambush or theft.
  Modiﬁ ers:
   
  Non-orkin doing trading 
  +1
   
  Never traded with them before 
  +1
   
  Total value 20–50 gp 
  +1
   
  Total value 51–100 gp 
  +2
   
  Total value 101–250 gp 
  +4
   
  Total value over 250 gp 
  +6
  Mapping the Ruins
  Using the Maps
  The major features of Mor form a framework, within 
  which the details of the acres of rubble can differ for every 
  campaign. The map of Ancient Mor can be found by PCs 
  from various sources in Lesserton, serving as a rough guide 
  to the Ruins. The large map of the Ruins of Mor, reproduced 
  on p5, appears in color and at full size on the inside cover of 
  Lesserton & Mor. This map divides the Ruins into a grid of 
  hundreds of “septhexes”: ﬂ ower-like shapes, each containing 
  seven standard, 120' hexes. The septhexes are numbered on 
  two axes: A through Z, and 01 through 30 (37 on the large 
  map). Using the numbers, the referee can fi x an area of the 
  Ruins for the players to explore. For example, the defensible 
  remains of the Gainsay South occupy septhex N08. The 
  Septhex Map on page 28 may be copied as many times as 
  needed, allowing individual, small-scale maps for each area.
  When preparing for a session, the referee has several 
  options. It is always possible to simply randomize every hex 
  the party enters on the spot, improvising the results and 
  referring to subtables in this book and the Labyrinth Lord or 
  other rulebooks. Alternatively, the referee can create one or 
  more septhexes with a combination of random and designed 
  elements. These can be located by septhex number, or simply 
  kept aside for use whenever the referee decides to place one. 
  Finally, the referee can fi ll in as much of the large Ruins of Mor 
  map as desired with challenges of his own design, assisted by 
  the random tables, and let the PCs encounter whatever lives 
  in the direction their explorations go. A combination of these 
  methods gives a wide variety of adventures and a balance 
  between prep time and improvisation. See example, p20.
  Terrain Types
  Four general terrain types fi ll the Ruins: Open areas (O), 
  piles of Rubble (R), areas of heavy Vegetation (V), and the 
  occasional Buildings (B) that remain mostly intact. Areas 
  formerly fortifi ed have become great Rubble piles. Some 
  heavily-traffi cked areas are Open (O). For any other hex 
  entered by the PCs, the referee can assume it to be Rubble, 
  choose, or randomize on the chart below. The hex can be 
  marked with the appropriate letter on the large Ruins of Mor 
  map, and annotated on the local Septhex Map as well.
  Terrain type inﬂ uences movement rates, encounter 
  distance, and the time required to explore the area in either a 
  quick survey or an exhaustive search.
  One Septhex
  
  10
  OPEN AREA (O): Relatively ﬂ at terrain with good lines of 
  sight. Low scrub, grasses, gravel, and scattered stones. 
  BUILDINGS (B): 1d4 buildings more or less intact.
   d100 
  Intact portion 
  Occupied (on 1d20)
   01–09 
  One ﬂ oor, 10' x 10' 
   1–12
   10–24 
  One ﬂ oor, 10' x 20' 
   1–13
   25–48 
  One ﬂ oor, 20' x 20' 
   1–14
   49–68 
  One ﬂ oor, 20' x 30' 
   1–15
   69–73 
  One ﬂ oor, 30' x 40' 
   1–16
   74–79 
  Two ﬂ oors, 10' x 20' 
   1–14
   80–84 
  Two ﬂ oors, 20' x 20' 
   1–15
   85–88 
  Two ﬂ oors, 20' x 30' 
   1–16
   89–91 
  Two ﬂ oors, 30' x 40' 
   1–17
   92–94 
  Two ﬂ oors, 20' diameter 
   1–18
   95–97 
  Three ﬂ oors, 20' x 20' 
   1–18
   98–99 
  Three ﬂ oors, 20' diameter 
   1–18
   
  00 
  Three ﬂ oors, 30' diameter 
   1–19
  Basement: 50% chance of 1d2 accessible sub-levels, 
  each adding +2 to the chance to be occupied.
  Occupied: Roll 1d6.
   1–3 
  Monster Lair (p15)
   4–5 
  Orkin
   
  6 
  Weirdness
  Orkin: A small building is base for one or more roaming 
  groups (p17); a large building shelters part of a clan (p15).
  Weirdness: Roll on Table II. If the referee doesn’t like the 
  result, he can roll again or simply make the building empty.
  VEGETATION (V): Plants choke the area, mostly thick 
  thornbushes and tall, dry grass growing through loose rubble.
  RUBBLE PILES (R): Tall, often unstable stacks of rocks 
  and broken stonework. Diffi cult going, excellent cover.
  movemenT: The standard hex in measuring the Ruins is 
  120' from side to side (see p28). An unencumbered party, 
  picking their way carefully in a straight line (120' move rate), 
  covers one hex of Open Rubble per turn (10 minutes). This 
  exploring speed presumes cautious, alert progress (LL44-45). 
  Once characters successfully fi nd a path through a hex, they 
  can move back along it at up to the maximum movement 
  speed for that terrain, making no attempt at stealth. The 
  referee can mark the local Septhex Map to show the path.
  Exceeding the max move for the terrain, for example by 
  running, requires a DEX roll each round to avoid a tumble:
  d12 
  Tumble
   1–5 
  Trip and fall; stunned 1d6 rounds.
   6–8 
  Trip and fall; 1d4 damage.
   9–11 
  Trigger rockslide: 1d6 damage and save vs. 
  paralyze or trapped. One turn to dig out.
   
  12 
  Pit fi nd! Tumble into a hole 1d4 x 10' deep, 
  taking the usual damage. 50% chance of 
  a rockslide falling on top, as above. 1 in 4 
  chance the pit leads to further tunnels.
  seaRCHes: Surveying an entire hex allows the party to note 
  all major features, such as any intact buildings, excavations, 
  or potential creature lairs. An exhaustive search, thoroughly 
  probing for all instability, hidden passages, or small objects 
  loose in the rubble, proceeds very slowly: Each small, 10'- 
  wide hex takes 1 turn to search, or even longer in obstructed 
  terrain. As in the labyrinth, the time required can be divided 
  by the number of active searchers. Even the exhaustive search 
  covers only the surface. Exploring the interior of buildings or 
  tunnels takes additional time, as for exploring a labyrinth.
  enCounTeR dIsTanCe: In the less obstructed terrain types, 
  an encounter might start with the prospective foes in different 
  hexes. The referee can quickly randomize the terrain of the 
  next hex over, which inﬂ uences the relative visibility of the 
  two parties and the quickness with which they can close to 
  melee. See also “Deadliness,” p3.
  Table I . RANDOM TERRAIN TYPE FOR A HEX IN THE RUINS
   
   
  movemenT 
  seaRCHes
   d10 
  Terrain 
  Mark 
  Exploring 
  Maximum 
  Survey 
  Exhaustive 
  enCounTeR dIsTanCe
   1–2 
  Open 
  O 
  360'/turn 
  120'/round 
  1 hour 
  36 hours 
  2d6 x 10 yards
   3–4 
  Buildings 
  B 
  270'/turn 
  90'/round 
  2 hours 
  72 hours 
  4d6 x 10 feet
   5–6 
  Vegetation 
  V 
  180'/turn 
  60'/round 
  3 hours 
  108 hours 
  3d6 x 10 feet
    7–10 
  Rubble piles R 
  90'/turn 
  30'/round 
  4 hours 
  144 hours 
  2d6 x 10 feet
  
  11
  ENCOUNTERS
  Explorers of the Ruins meet with two types of 
  encounters: Wandering Monsters and Weirdness sites. 
  Wandering Monsters can appear anywhere. Weirdness, on 
  the other hand, does not move around. Each Weirdness is a 
  unique encounter that goes beyond mere combat, although 
  some do include monsters.
  WANDERING MONSTERS
  For every hour the party spends in the Ruins, there is a 
  1 in 6 chance of a Wandering Monster, as rolled on the Day 
  or Night column of Table III, p18. Any loud or highly visible 
  disturbance may cause additional checks.
  WEIRDNESS
  Whenever explorers enter a new 120' hex of territory, the 
  referee rolls the chance that the area contains Weirdness.
   d10 
  Weirdness in hex
   1–7 
  None
   8–9 
  One roll on Table II
   
  10 
  Two rolls on Table II
  As discussed above, the referee can prepare one or more 
  hexes before play if desired, either locating them on the large 
  Ruins of Mor map by septhex number, or simply inserting 
  the hex he wants to use wherever the party may go. The type 
  of Weirdness is rolled on Table II below. Certain results may 
  include an encounter rolled on Table III: Encounters (p18).
  AMBUSH ZONE
  A group of monsters or NPCs favors this area for 
  ambushing other groups. There may be a bottleneck or little 
  cover for the targets and the attackers will often have cover or 
  high ground. Ambushers may currently watch the zone:
   d12 
  Ambushers
   
  1 
  Adventurers (Note III.A, p17)
   2–4 
  Orkin, roaming (Table III.B, p17)
   
  5 
  Raiders (Table III.C, p17)
    6–12 
  None
  ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIND
  A place or item of historical interest, even if not innately 
  valuable. These fi nds are not usually portable or easily 
  converted to cash, but it’s possible they might be of interest 
  to scholars, or contain clues to more tangible treasures. 
   
  d8 
  Find
   
  1 
  An intact statue of a historic personage.
   
  2 
  A wall with a legible fresco or mosaic of 
  religious imagery of a famous historic 
  event.
   
  3 
  An obelisk covered in runic engravings.
   
  4 
  A valuable heraldic jewel (3d6 x 100 gp), 
  possibly of historical signifi cance.
   
  5 
  The tomb of a famous personage.
   
  6 
  The arms or armor of a general or 
  nobleman from the Battle of Mor.
   
  7 
  The site of an important skirmish.
   
  8 
  A mummifi ed corpse from old Mor, with 
  interesting clothing and effects.
  Table II:  WEIRDNESS
   d100 
  Result 
  Page
   01–04 
  Ambush zone 
  11
   05–06 
  Archaeological fi nd 
  11
   07–08 
  Cache 
  12
   09–11 
  Dead magic zone  
  12
   12–14 
  Dead NPC party 
  12
   15–18 
  Excavation 
  13
   19–23 
  Food source 
  13
   24–32 
  Former campsite/bivouac 
  13
   
  33 
  Haunting 
  14
   
  34 
  Hazard: Bad water 
  14
   35–43 
  Hazard: Open pit 
  14
   44–49 
  Hazard: Pitfall 
  14
   50–55 
  Hazard: Unstable ruin 
  14
   56–60 
  Hunting ground 
  15
   61–69 
  Infestation 
  15
   70–76 
  Monster lair 
  15
   77–83 
  Orkin clan 
  15
   84–88 
  Strange vegetation 
  16
   
  89 
  Supernatural manifestation 
  16
   90–93 
  Tainted ground 
  17
   94–99 
  Water source 
  17
   
  00 
  Wild magic zone 
  17
  
  12
  CACHE
  Someone has stowed something for safe keeping here. 
  Roll to see if the cache is hidden, whether it is trapped, and 
  what it contains. Traps are set so that they will not damage 
  the cache. See more about traps on page LL124.
   d10 
  Cache hidden? 
   
  1 
  Not hidden.
   2–6 
  Concealed in rubble or enclosed area.
    7–10 
  Buried 1d4' deep; secret marker.
   
   
  d8 
  Cache trapped?
   1–4 
  Not trapped.
   
  5 
  Deadfall trap: 2d6 damage, save vs. petrify 
  for half.
   
  6 
  10' pit trap: 1d6 damage. 1 in 4 chance to 
  have 1d4 spikes for +1d4 each. 
   
  7 
  Arrow trap: attacks as F1 for 1d6 damage. 
   
  8 
  Class 1 contact poison (AEC143).
   
  d6 
  Cache contents 
   
  1 
  1d6 days of preserved rations and water.
   
  2 
  Raw meat or game, unappetizing, edible. 
   
  3 
  Loot: Roll on Hoard Class VI (LL106). 
   
  4 
  Arms: see Cached Arms table.
   5–6 
  Gear: see Cached Gear table.
   Cached Arms: Roll for each category.
  1d3–1 long swords
  1d2–1 maces
  1d4–1 daggers
  1d3–1 shields
  1d3–1 sets of leather armor
  1d2–1 sets of brigandine armor
  1d2–1 shortbows
  1d2–1 quivers of 20 arrows each 
  Cached Gear: Roll for each category. 
  1d6–1 x 50' rope* 
  1d6–1 bundles of eight torches 
  2d6–2 ﬂ asks of oil
  1d2–1 lanterns
  1d3–1 ﬂ int & steel
  1d3–1 shovels
  1d4–1 10' poles
  1d6–1 dozen iron spikes
  1d2–1 grappling hooks
  1d3–1 mallets
  1d2–1 miner’s picks
  1d2–1 crowbars
  2d6–2 large sacks
  1d4–1 pieces of chalk
  1d4–1 x 10' waxed twine
  * Rope is 75% likely to be hemp, 20% silk, and 5% 
  spinner line (p8)
  DEAD MAGIC ZONE
  No magic functions within a diameter of (1d3 x 2) +1 
  ten-foot hexes. This includes magical creatures like undead, 
  who will not enter the area. To immaterial beings, the zone is 
  a solid, impenetrable sphere of darkness. On each future visit, 
  there is a 1 in 4 chance that the dead zone is gone, possibly 
  never to return.
  DEAD NPC PARTY
  Some fellow Adventurers (Note III.A, p17) have met an 
  untimely end here.
  Number of  corpses: 2d6–1.
  Days dead: 1d6–1. Zero means a 50% chance that the 
  killers are still nearby.
   d20 
  Cause of  death
   1–4 
  Ambushed. Bodies looted. 
    5–16 
  Killed by predators or monsters. Bodies 
  savaged and 1d10 x 10% eaten. 
   17–18 
  Killed by undead. 25% chance the bodies 
  rise as undead if disturbed, or at nightfall.
  d6 
  Bodies arise as
   
  1–3 ZOMBIES  (LL103)
   
  4–5 GHOULS (LL76)
   
  6 
  WIGHTS (LL102)
   
  19 
  Bizarre. No obvious signs of injury or 
  violence, other than scavengers gnawing on 
  corpses over a day old. Nothing taken. 
   
  20 
  Killed by a COCKATRICE (LL68). The victims 
  have become statues, frozen in attitudes of 
  ﬂ ight or fi ght.
  
  13
  EXCAVATION
  The site of serious exploratory digging. One or more 
  tunnels delve into the rubble, with piles of debris nearby.
   
  d8 
  Condition of  Excavation
   1–4 
  Very old digging, possibly unstable. A 
  single tunnel runs very deep, perhaps 
  connecting with a sewer line or basement. 
  Something almost certainly lives within.
   
  d10 Occupant of  old digging
   
  1–5 Random monster from Table III, 
  Lair column (p18).
   
  6 
  Two random monsters as above: 
  one by day and one by night, or 
  the larger preying on the more 
  numerous, or in an uneasy detente.
   
  7 
  Deadly air. Anyone in the tunnel 
  must save vs. poison every 10 
  minutes. The fi rst failure causes 
  unconsciousness; the second 
  means death by asphyxiation. 
  There is a 1 in 6 chance that the 
  tunnel is occupied nonetheless, by 
  undead, a Living Statue, or similar 
  aberrations that need no air.
   
  8 
  Terror in the deep. Whatever waits 
  at the end of the tunnel frightens 
  off or destroys anything else that 
  tries to move in.
   
   9–10 Tunnel temporarily empty. Roll 
  again in 2d4 days.
   5–6 
  More recent but abandoned. 1d3 relatively 
  shallow tunnels, with a 5 in 6 chance to be 
  Occupied as a Building (p10).
   
  7 
  Active excavation, amateur. 1d3 shallow 
  tunnels. 2d12 laborers and 1d4 overseers  
  work the site, based on a treasure map 
  or rumor of unknown reliability. The 
  overseers resent intrusion and drive off the 
  weak with threats, or else thrown stones 
  and clubs. Any violent shock causes the 
  hasty diggings to collapse.
   
  8 
  Active excavation, professional. 2d20 
  laborers work 1d4+1 well-made tunnels, 
  some of which cross, under the gaze of 
  2d6 drivers, 1d4 professional NPCs with 
  character classes, and 1d4–1 Adventurers. 
  NPCs from Lesserton might include 
  Sato Fiddleton (RGL37) or a member 
  of the Planners Guild (RGL42). A semi-
  permanent camp stands near the tunnels, 
  with at least one man on watch. The dig 
  leaders work from good information, 
  possibly including magical detection. They 
  may receive fellow professionals politely 
  but jealously guard their secrets, disposing 
  of rivals by trickery if necessary.
  What Else Lies Below?
   
  d6 
  Further excavation reveals
   1–3 
  Nothing.
   4–5 
  Connection with an old cellar or part of 
  the sewer system. 
   
  6 
  1d10 dead diggers beneath a cave-in. 
  FOOD SOURCE
  Reliable food sources generally attract wildlife, denizens, 
  and predators that would eat those that would eat the food. 
   
  d6 
  Food source
   1–2 
  A pond or pool with 3d6 fi sh, possibly of 
  bright colors and odd fi ns. Each fi sh holds 
  1d2 meals worth of meat. On a 1–2 out of 
  6, a monster is present, rolled on Table III, 
  Water column (p18).
   3–4 
  2d4–1 wild game (deer, boar, or wild goats) 
  momentarily out in the open. On a 1 in 6, a 
  predator is present, rolled as for a Hunting 
  Ground (p15).
   5–6 
  Fruit or nuts. Once an orchard or part of 
  a garden, now growing wild. Gathering a 
  meal’s worth takes 1d4 turns. On a 1–2 out 
  of 6, a Wandering Monster is present as 
  rolled on Table III (p18) for Day or Night 
  as appropriate.
  FORMER CAMPSITE/BIVOUAC
  A group of NPCs or humanoid monsters recently 
  stayed here for 1d4 days. There are signs of a campfi re, 
  latrine, food trash, and so on.
   
  d6 
  Defensibility of  site
   1–2 
  Inside a semi-intact building
   3–4 
  High ground (rubble pile or rooftop)
   
  5 
  Both (a tower or wall-top) 
   
  6 
  Neither (out in open)
  
  14
   d20 
  Hidden item at site 
   
  1 
  Decayed head: Save vs. poison or contract 
  a disease.
     2–14 
  Nothing.
   15–17 
  Pouch: 1d100 sp, 1d20 ep, and 1d10–1 gp.
   
  18 
  Usable dagger or hand axe left behind. 
   
  19 
  Partially burned map in fi re pit. 
   
  20 
  Brinkley’s bee pin, worth 1d6 x 100 gp 
  ransom if the password could be learned.
  Returning? There is 25% chance the group returns to 
  the site in 1d4–1 days. On a zero, they arrive while the PCs 
  are still there. Roll 1d4 for group type:
   
  1 
  Adventurers, Note III.A, p17
   
  2 
  Orkin Hunters from Table III.B, p17
   
  3 
  Orkin Hunters plus leader
   
  4 
  Raiders, Table III.C, p17
  HAUNTING
  The dead do not rest easy here. Unsettling but harmless 
  apparitions periodically appear, re-enacting their last moments 
  in life: fi ghting, running, or dying, usually in a ghastly silence. 
  The haunts are not true undead and cannot be Turned. Each 
  appearance lasts 1d10 rounds.
   d10 
  Frequency
   1–3 
  Once every 2d6 turns
   4–5 
  Every nightfall
   6–9 
  Every midnight
   
  10 
  Whenever an intelligent creature 
  comes within 20'
   d10 
  Haunt
   1–2 
  Humanoid warrior 
   3–4 
  Human soldier 
   5–7 
  Human citizen
   
  8 
  Statue, animated
   
  9 
  Special: Head swarm
   
  10 
  Special: Poltergeist
  Head Swarm: In this unusually concrete manifestation, 
  dozens of physical, freshly severed heads of various races 
  appear, revolving around each other in the air and speaking in 
  some strange, piping language. Even magic cannot translate 
  it. The heads utterly ignore anything besides each other, even 
  if attacked. If destroyed (AC 8, 3 hp ea.), they fall to the 
  ground and crumble to dust within seconds. After 1d4 turns 
  regardless, they all crumble to dust. 
  Poltergeist: This malicious, incorporeal spirit is not 
  visible, but it can move small objects of up to 10 lbs. It does 
  not attack per se, preferring to cause trouble by upending 
  cooking pots, hiding equipment, tying bootlaces together, 
  ﬂ inging things to the ground, and other small mischiefs. It 
  is clever enough for pranks like knocking something over in 
  order to ruin attempts at stealth, or to force a Wandering 
  Monster check. The poltergeist normally fi xes itself to a 
  particular locale, but there is a 10% chance it will attach itself 
  to an individual and follow it for 2d6 days, or until a remove 
  curse is performed on the target. It cannot be Turned, but 
  protection from evil spells will keep it at bay.
  HAZARD: BAD WATER
  Roll for type as under Water Source (p17) but there is no 
  encounter, and the water is tainted.
   d12 
  Tainted water effect
   1–8 
  Save vs. poison or contract a disease.
    9–11 
  Save vs. poison or take 2d6 damage.
   
  12 
  Bad taste but no obvious effect. Over the 
  next 2d4 weeks, the drinker manifests a 
  new, random Full Orkin Trait (PGL11).
  HAZARD: OPEN PIT
  The ground has collapsed 2d3 x 5' deep over an area 
  roughly 1d4 x 5' in diameter. A character probably won’t fall 
  in unless running in the dark, but the pit can be a signifi cant 
  obstacle or tactical consideration in a skirmish. On a 1–2 out 
  of 6, something lives in or around the pit, as rolled on Table 
  III, Pit column (p18).
  HAZARD: PITFALL
  A section of ground, street, or ﬂ oor is unstable. It collapses 
  under weight, with a 1 in 3 chance each time someone crosses 
  it. Usually in less traveled areas. Not a deliberate trap, but 
  dwarfs and thieves have their normal chances to detect them. 
  Once collapsed, it becomes an Open Pit. Something may 
  move in within 2d4 days.
  HAZARD: UNSTABLE RUIN
  A wall or building is close to collapsing. It may be due 
  to recent damage, or simply time has fi nally taken its toll. 
  Cautious characters may note telltale signs of danger: 
  creaking or groaning sounds, dust falling, precarious angles, 
  or the like. On a 1 out of 6, the eventual collapse reveals a 
  new Weirdness as rolled on Table II.
  
  15
  HUNTING GROUND
  A stretch of open space, easily watched from cover. On a 
  1–2 out of 6, predators lie in wait, surprising victims on a 1–3.
   d12 
  Predator
   1–2 
  FERRET, GIANT  (LL74)
   
  3 
  FROG, GIANT KILLER (AEC126)
   4–6 
  LIZARD, GIANT HORNED CHAMELEON (LL84)
   
  7 
  MIMIC, SENILE  (AEC131)
   
  8 
  SPIDER, GIANT BLACK WIDOW (LL97)
    9–10 
  SPIDER, GIANT CRAB SPIDER (LL97)
   11–12 
  WEASEL, GIANT (LL101)
  INFESTATION
  A nest of vermin. While not necessarily hostile, they will 
  not hesitate to defend their territory, nor turn away from a 
  meal. Infestations have unusual population amounts. The 
  number appearing in these cases are 2d4 times the normal 
  quantities found in lairs. 
   
  d8 
  Vermin 
   
  1 
  ANTS, GIANT (LL63)
   
  2 
  BEES, GIANT KILLER (LL65)
   
  3 
  CARCASS SCAVENGERS (LL67)
   
  4 
  CENTIPEDES, GIANT (LL68)
   
  5 
  LOCUSTS, SUBTERRANEAN (LL85)
   
  6 
  RATS, GIANT (LL92)
   
  7 
  STIRGES (LL98)
   
  8 
  Beetles: Roll 1d6
   
   
   1 BORING (AEC107)
   
   
   2 CARNIVOROUS (LL65)
   
   
   3 FIRE (LL65)
   
   
   4 SPITTING (LL65)
   
   
   5 RHINOCEROUS (AEC107)
   
   
   6 STAG (AEC107)
  MONSTER LAIR
  Some sort of creature appears to nest here. Bones of 
  victims may litter the area. The creature sort comes from 
  Table III, Lair column, p18.
   d20 
  Occupant
   1–5 
  One occupant in lair. 
    6–10 
  Empty, but one occupant returning to lair 
  in 2d6 minutes.
   11–15 
  All occupants in lair.
   16–19 
  Empty. Occupants are not nearby. 
   
  20 
  The lair is abandoned or the inhabitant is 
  recently dead. Check again in 2d4 days, as 
  good lairs don’t stay empty long. 
  Young?: There is a 20% chance that the lair holds young 
  or eggs. If it does, and any adults are still alive, one always 
  stays within 1d6 rounds of the lair.
  ORKIN CLAN
  A small population of orkin, unaffi liated with the Vermin 
  Tribes, has set up living quarters here. From this base, they 
  hunt and gather to survive. The bigger, more populous, and 
  established the group, the more likely that it will have regular 
  sentries, organized defense tactics, and things like escape 
  tunnels and booby traps. The size of the clan, and of the turf 
  to which they lay claim, is determined on Table II.A below.
  Orkin clans include dozens of males, females, and 
  children, each more or less burdened with goblinoid features 
  that would make it hard to live in Lesserton. Orkin can be 
  any alignment, but most are Neutral. For normal statistics, 
  see Table III.B, p17. The clan lays claim to a few hexes of 
  the Ruins, but must hunt and gather over a great deal more 
  territory to survive. During the day, all able-bodied women 
  and children scour the land for food. Half the men stand 
  guard over the gatherers; another quarter of them are out 
  hunting, while the remainder rest up for night watch. Infants, 
  the unwell, and the aged remain indoors. In the central or 
  Table II .A . ORKIN CLAN POPULATION
   2d4 
  Total Pop . Males (F1) 
  Females 
  Young 
  Aged 
  Turf  
  Leaders
   2 
  40 orkin: 
  10 
  10 
  18 
  2 
  3 hx (1d2 V) 
  F2; T1
   3 
  60 orkin: 
  15 
  15 
  27 
  3 
  4 hx (1d3 V) 
  F2; C1; T1
   4 
  80 orkin: 
  20 
  20 
  36 
  4 
  5 hx (1d3 V) 
  F2, 2; C1; T1, 1 
   5 
  100 orkin: 
  25 
  25 
  45 
  5 
  6 hx (1d4 V) 
  F3; C2; T2, 1
   6 
  120 orkin: 
  30 
  30 
  54 
  6 
  7 hx (1d4 V) 
  F3, 2; C2; T2, 1, 1
   7 
  140 orkin 
  35 
  35 
  63 
  7 
  8 hx (1d6 V) 
  F3, 2, 2; C3; T2, 2, 1
   8 
  160 orkin: 
  40 
  40 
  72 
  8 
  9 hx (1d6 V) 
  F4, 3, 2; C3, 1; T3, 2, 1
  
  16
  safest hex of the clan’s turf, they have a shelter capable of 
  holding 2d6 x 10% of the population when crowded. Roughly 
  seven percent are males on night watch; any others who can’t 
  fi t in the shelter have to sleep in lean-tos, tents of hide, or 
  rubble, or on the open ground.
   
  d6 
  Clan’s main shelter
   
  1 
  Excavations (shallow tunnels with a 2 in 6 
  chance to connect to old sewers).
   2–3 
  Buildings (see p10).
   4–6 
  Hall of low, rubble-built walls, roofed with 
  grass and branches. 
   
  Weirdness and monsters may also haunt the area claimed 
  by the orkin. Sometimes a clan hires adventurers, paying 
  in servants or secrets, to deal with an especially dangerous 
  feature of the ruined landscape where they hope to live.
  Adventure seed: A clan’s water source turns to Bad 
  Water (p14) and they need adventurers to delve beneath the 
  surface and fi nd the cause.
  Turf: For each turf size, the die roll determines how many 
  of the hexes hold signifi cant vegetation (V). If the result is 
  less than half the total number of hexes, the clan is short of 
  food and relies on fortunate hunting to stay alive. By the end 
  of a winter, half the Aged population passes away. Territories 
  with heavy vegetation, however, attract the envious eyes of 
  hungrier clans, often leading to turf battles. Each turf also 
  includes one Water source, randomized as on p17.
  Leaders: These powerful folk add to the numbers shown. 
  F indicates fi ghters of the given levels; C indicates clerics; T 
  means thieves, although such are not reckoned leaders. All 
  fi ghters are males, but roughly half of the clerics and thieves 
  are female. Equipment seldom exceeds cuir boili armor (AC 
  8), shields, spears, javelins, slings, knives, or clubs. At the 
  referee’s option, a few leaders may be elderly, particularly 
  clerics; such folk are in danger of dying in winter.
  STRANGE VEGETATION
   
  d6 
  Plant
   
  1 
  STRANGLE WEED (AEC138). 
   
  2 
  Glowing fungus. A one-pound chunk is 
  equivalent to torchlight for 1d6 hours, but 
  drips slime everywhere. 
   
  3 
  A large fern-like plant that waves as if in a 
  breeze, even when there is no wind at all. 
   
  4 
  An apple tree where each fruit is a bright 
  red, miniature skull, and quite delicious.
   
  5 
  A three-story-tall mushroom with a 40'-
  wide cap that smells like fresh cinnamon. 
  The tiniest taste is death, with no saving 
  throw. A dose of spinner antitoxin (p8) or 
  neutralize poison spell, used within 10 rounds, 
  allows a saving throw to recover with 1 hp.
   
  6 
  A patch of brightly colored ﬂ owers that 
  turn their “faces” to follow whomever 
  walks by. If one is picked, it screams like a 
  SHRIEKER (LL95) for 2 rounds.
  SUPERNATURAL MANIFESTATION
  Some aspect of this locale or object has been changed by 
  magic, making it unusual, though probably not dangerous.
   
  d8 
  Manifestation
   
  1 
  A building ﬂ oats 1d6' above the ground. 
   
  2 
  A tree appears to be solid bronze. 
   
  3 
  A small stone fountain ﬂ ows with blood. 
   
  4 
  A pile of rubble appears to be on fi re, but 
  there is no heat and the ﬂ ames never burn 
  out. Rubble removed from the pile does 
  not stay alight.
   
  5 
  A stack of single bricks, several feet 
  high, stands by itself in an open space. If 
  knocked over, the bricks begin to stack 
  themselves up again. 
   
  6 
  An open courtyard seems about 40' wide. 
  Halfway across, day changes to night (or 
  vice versa) and the character fi nds himself 
  in a much larger courtyard, over 100' 
  across. Each character is alone, even if they 
  were crossing together. When the character 
  comes within 10' of the edge of the large 
  empty space, conditions revert to normal. 
  To onlookers, the person simply vanishes 
  and then reappears on the other side.
   
  7 
  A checked picnic blanket is laid out on the 
  ground, complete with bread, fruit, cheese, 
  cold chicken, and a full, open bottle of 
  wine. There are porcelain plates, silverware, 
  and crystal glasses (3d6 x 5 gp value). 
  Everything is fresh, clean, and untouched. 
   
  8 
  Dirt and gravel, raked into neat furrows, 
  cover the ground in an area 1d4 x 5' on a 
  side. One round after any disturbance, such 
  as footprints, an invisible rake begins to 
  comb the place smooth again.
  
  17
  TAINTED GROUND
  The site of some former atrocity or profane ritual, this 
  whole area radiates evil. Undead and infernal creatures are 
  drawn to such places and they are usually haunted. There is 
  a 50% chance of monsters present, as rolled on Table III, 
  Magic column (p18). Attempts to Turn undead suffer a 
  penalty of –1d4 on the initial 2d6.
   
  d6 
  Area of  Tainted Ground
   1–2 
  (1d3 x 2) + 1 ten-foot hexes in diameter.
   3–5 
  Inside a building or on its ruined 
  foundations.
   
  6 
  Within line of sight of some unholy object.
  WATER SOURCE
  A rare source for reliably potable water. Predators, 
  prey, and denizens frequent these valuable spots, as almost 
  everyone must drink sometime. May be iced over in winter.
   d10 
  Water source
   1–2 
  Ancient well, mostly intact.
   3–4 
  Ancient, exposed basement full of rainwater: 
  length 1d6 x 5', width 1d4 x 5', depth 1d3 x 10'.
   
  5 
  Ancient, working fountain.
   6–7 
  Clear pool, 2d10' in diameter; hidden source.
    8–10 
  Stream among the debris; 25% chance to 
  currently hold only a greenish trickle.
  Creatures from Table III, Water column (p18):
   
  d6 
  Creatures present
   
  1 
  Two types
   2–3 
  One type
   4–6 
  None
  WILD MAGIC ZONE
  Each use of any spell or magic item here results in a new 
  odd effect. Undead and magical creatures avoid these zones. 
  Size of  zone: (1d3 x 2) + 1 ten-foot hexes in diameter.
   d10 
  Result of  an attempt to use magic
   1–2 
  Magic functions normally this time.
   3–5 
  Magic fails. Spell fi zzles or item ceases 
  functioning until removed from the zone.
   6–7 
  Limited effect: reduced bonus, range, duration, 
  or damage, or easier to save against. 
   8–9 
  Increased effect. 
   
  10 
  Backlash: Feedback deals damage or bad 
  effects to the user. 
  Note III .A . ADVENTURERS
  Classes and levels for these NPCs come from the charts 
  on RGL6. In the Ruins, they have mules instead of Porters, 
  plus extra equipment as rolled for Cached Gear (p12).
  Table III .B . ORKIN, ROAMING
  Orkin can be any alignment, but most are Neutral. A 
  monster reaction roll (LL52) governs the attitude of wandering 
  orkin to PCs. Fellow orkin, including half-orcs, get –2 on this 
  roll. Circumstances may affect the result: Indifferent orkin 
  may still press a rich, weak-looking group for a “toll,” while 
  even a Hostile band of berry-pickers would not suicidally 
  attack an armed party.
   d12 
  Wandering orkin
   1–7 
  Gatherers: 2d6 females, 1d4 male guards
    8–10 
  Hunters: 2d4 males, plus one net/3 hunters
   
  11 
  Hunters plus F2 leader (AC 6, 10 hp, short 
  sword, shortbow)
   
  12 
  Carnivorous Fly hunters: 1d4 archers (F1, 
  AC 9, 4 hp, shortbow), 2d4 males with 
  rotting meat as bait
  Male: F1; AC 8 (hides); 5 hp; spear (melee or 
  20'/40'/60', 1d6 dmg); Morale 8
  Female: F0; AC 9; 3 hp; Morale 8
  Young: F0; AC 8 (DEX); 2 hp; Morale 6
  Aged: F0; AC 10 (DEX); 2 hp; Morale 7
  Table III .C . RAIDERS
  Just as the people of Lesserton feel entitled to search 
  Mor for lost treasure, the barbaric humanoids of the northern 
  hills sometimes send raiding parties into the Ruins. They seek 
  booty, game, or slaves: whatever shows up. If the setting does 
  not include these races, treat as an ORKIN, above.
   d12 
  Raiders
   1–3 
  2d4 BUGBEARS (LL66)
   4–5 
  2d6 GNOLLS (LL77)
   6–7 
  2d4 GOBLINS (LL78)
   
  8 
  2d4 GOBLINS (LL78) plus 1d4 riding
  DIRE WOLVES  (LL102)
   
  9 
  4d4 KOBOLDS (LL83), 1d6 bodyguards
  (6 hp), 2 HD war chief
   10–12 
  2d4 ORCS (LL90) plus one 8 hp leader
  
  18
  Excavation
  Lair
  Magic
  Pit
  Water
  Day
  Night
  ADVENTURERS (Note III.A, p17)
  01–04
  01–02
  01–04
  01
  01–04
   01–03*
   01–03*
  Ankheg (AEC)
  05–08
  03–04
  02–05
  04*
  Ant, giant
  09–12
  05–06
  06–07
  05–07
  Bat, giant vampire
  13–14
  07–08
  05–06
  08–11
  04
  Bats, ordinary
  15–19
  09–10
  12–16
  05–10
  Bee, giant (honey)
  17
   08–10*
  Beetle, giant (carnivorous)
  20–21
  11
  07
  18
   11*
  Beetle, giant (fi re)
  22–24
  12–13
  08–12
  19–20
  12–14
  11–13
  Beetle, giant (rhinocerous) (AEC)
  25–26
  14
  13
  21
   15*
  Beetle, giant (spitting)
  27–28
  15
  14
  22
   16*
  Black pudding
  29–30
  16
  15–16
  23–24
  05
  17
  14–15
  Boar, ordinary
  17
  06–13
  18–21
  16
  Carcass scavenger
  31–34
  17–18
  18–19
  25–28
  14–15
  22–23
  17–20
  Centipede, giant
  35–37
  19–20
  20–21
  29–33
  16–17
   24–26*
  Cockatrice
  38
  21
  22–24
  27
  21
  Dogs, wild (AEC)
  22–24
  18–21
  28–31
  22–24
  Doppelganger
  25
  25
  25
  Ear seeker (AEC)
  39
  26
  34
  Ferret, giant
  40
  27–29
  22–25
  32
  26–29
  Fly, giant carnivorous
  41
  30
  26–29
  35–40
  26–29
   33–37*
   30–31*
  Frog, giant (AEC)
  31
  30
  41
  30–33
   38*
  Frog, killer (AEC)
  32
  42
  34–35
   39*
  Frog, poisonous (AEC)
  43
  36–38
  40–42
  32
  Fungi, violet (AEC)
  42–44
  33–34
  31–33
  44–45
  39
  Gargoyle
  45
  35–36
  34–36
  46
  43
  33–34
  Ghast (AEC)
  46
  37
  37
  35
  Ghoul
  47
  38–39
  38–39
  36–38
  Gray ooze
  48–50
  40–41
  40–41
  47–48
  40–41
  44
  39–40
  Green slime
  51–53
  42–43
  42–44
  49–52
  42
  45
  41–42
  Groaning spirit (AEC)
  45
  43
  Herd animals: Goats
  43–51
  46–49
  44–46
  Insect swarm
  54–55
  44–46
  46–47
  53–57
  52–56
   50–55*
   47–49*
  Leech, giant
  56
  47
  48
  58
  57–59
  56
  Lizard, giant horned chameleon
  48–49
  49
  60
  57
  Locust, subterranean
  57–59
  50
  50
  59–61
  58–60
   50–51*
  Mimic (AEC)
  60
  51
  51–52
  Mimic, senile (AEC)
  61–62
  52
  53–55
  61
  52–53
  Ochre jelly
  63–64
  53–54
  56–58
  62
  61
  62
  54
  Ogre
  65
  55
  62
  55
  ORKIN, roaming (Table III.B, p17)
  66–67
  56
  59
  63–69
  63–70
  56–59
  Table III: ENCOUNTERS
  aT WeIRdness sITes
  WandeRIng
  
  19
  Excavation
  Lair
  Magic
  Pit
  Water
  Day
  Night
  Owl bear
  68
  57
  60
  70
  RAIDERS (Table III.C, p17)
  61
  71
  60
  Rat, giant
  69–70
  58–59
  63–64
  71–72
  72–73
  61–64
  Rat, ordinary
  71–75
  60–63
  65–71
  73–78
  74–78
  65–71
  Rhagodessa, giant
  76
  64
  72
  79
   72*
  Rot grub
  77
  65–66
  73
  79
  Rust monster
  78
  67
  62–63
  80
  73–74
  Scorpion, giant
  68
  64–65
   81–82*
  Shadow
  79–80
  69
  66–67
  74
  75–76
  Shrieker
  81–83
  70–73
  68–72
  75–77
  80–82
  Skeleton
  84–86
  74–75
  73–75
  78
  77–82
  Slug, giant (AEC)
  87
  76
  76–77
  79
  83–84
  83
   83*
  Snake, pit viper
  88–90
  77–79
  80–82
  85–88
   84–88*
  Spectre
  80
  78
  84
  Spider, giant black widow
  91
  81–82
  83–86
  89–90
   85*
  Spider, giant crab spider
  83
  87
   91–92*
   86*
  Statue, animate iron
  92
  84
  79–81
  Stirge
  93–94
  85–86
  88–91
  93–95
  87
  Strangle weed (AEC)
  82–85
  92–95
  89–91
  Tick, giant (AEC)
  87
  86–87
   96*
  Toad, giant
  88
  88–89
  96
  92–94
   97*
   88*
  Toad, giant poisonous (AEC)
  90
  95–96
   98*
   89*
  Trapper (AEC)
  89–91
  91–93
  97
  99
  90
  Troll
  95
  92
  94
  97
  91
  Weasel, giant
  93–95
  98–00
  00
  92–95
  Wight
  96
  96
  95
  96
  Will-o-wisp (AEC)
  97
  96
  98
  97–98
  Yellow mold
  97–98
  98
  97–98
  99–00
  Zombie
  99–00
  99–00
  99–00
  99–00
  aT WeIRdness sITes
  WandeRIng
  ENCOUNTERS continued
  *An asterisk indicates Wandering Monsters that become 
  much less active in cold weather. At the referee’s option, rolling 
  such a result in winter is 50% likely to mean no encounter, 
  making the Ruins much quieter in the cold months.
  
  20
  GENERATING RUINS
  Using the rules above, the referee can quickly populate 
  parts of the Ruins of Mor. Example: Taking a fresh copy of 
  the Septhex Map (p28), the referee randomizes the Terrain 
  Type for each 120' hex (p10). The central hex and three others 
  turn out to hold Rubble; one hex holds Vegetation, and two 
  have Buildings. He randomizes the buildings (p10) and comes 
  up with an intact, two-story building near a small wreck, plus 
  a large one-story building in the other hex. Checking for 
  Weirdness (p11), the referee fi nds an empty Monster Lair in 
  one hex, an occupied lair in another, and an Orkin Clan. The 
  Lair column of Table III comes up with a trapper, roaming 
  away from home, and some shriekers in place.
  From p15, the referee fi nds that the orkin clan has a 
  population of 60, plus 3 leaders, and they claim 4 hexes of 
  turf. Logically, that includes the two hexes with buildings, the 
  central rubble, and the vegetated hex on the other side. Since 
  only one hex has vegetation, the clan is hungry. They must 
  have a water source, so the referee places a muddy stream; 
  perhaps the orkin use the thick mud for warpaint, calling 
  themselves “Ochres.”
  From these details, the referee rearranges things slightly. 
  He decides that the orkin would move into the large two-story 
  building. A 2d6 roll indicates that in its current condition, the 
  structure holds 70% of the orkin, or about 45, leaving four 
  males on night watch and several others forced to bunk among 
  the rubble. The referee jots down stats for the Chief (F2), 
  the Shaman (C1), and the lone thief. He makes the Shaman 
  elderly. Due to scarce food and poor shelter, many of the 
  clan’s weakest members die each winter, and the Shaman is at 
  risk. They could improve matters by occupying the one-story 
  building, but every time they try, the explorers disappear 
  mysteriously, for the referee has decided that the trapper uses 
  the building for its lair. It also hunts by night, covering itself 
  in dirt and waiting for a victim. As a petromorph (p21), it is 
  too cold to register on the orkin’s infravision. The shriekers 
  cluster in the half-ruined structure, keeping the orkin out.
  Thus random results plus a little imagination set the stage 
  for adventure. The Ochre Clan relies on the gourds, berries, 
  roots, and water from the Vegetation hex and will defend it. 
  How will the PCs react to them: as potential allies, or with 
  violence? If they negotiate, the clan would certainly reward 
  them for clearing out whatever haunts the building the orkin 
  so keenly need. What of the shriekers? If the PCs are clever 
  enough not to destroy them at once, could they show the 
  clan how to deploy them as sentries? Are they edible? Could 
  the spores be harvested? Even though they have no cash, a 
  grateful clan can provide hirelings, shelter, and information.
  The referee can locate his new septhex in the Ruins by 
  number, or wait and place it wherever the PCs next explore.
  THE CURSE OF MOR
  HATE ELEMENTALS
  In the extremity of the city’s need, the Last Duke of 
  Morland evoked a maelstrom of bodiless spirits of vengeance. 
  Scholars disagree as to whether he and his dark priesthood 
  called up departed Morian elders to defend their home, fallen 
  soldiers of the past, denizens of some demonic plane, or a 
  magical manifestation of all the fear and rage emanating from 
  the thousands of living combatants and refugees.
  Whatever their origin, the “hate elementals” infused 
  themselves into physical objects across the embattled 
  metropolis, and the Duke lost all control over their actions. 
  Lurching, destroying life came to fallen corpses, marble statues, 
  even the stones of the buildings themselves. As fortifi cations 
  and residences tore themselves apart into deadly hails of 
  rubble, great Mor suffered a far more thorough destruction 
  than any invading army could have accomplished. Waves of 
  distorting emotion roared through the living, blending and 
  warping their nature, bringing, some say, their crassest secret 
  lusts and fears to the surface.
  Rubble Piles
  Rubble Piles
  Vegetation
  SHRIEKERS
  45 ORKIN
  2 FLOORS
  TRAPPER
  OCHRE CLAN
  Pop . 60
   Sample Random Septhex
  Rubble Piles
  Rubble Piles
  STREAM
  
  21
  Most objects animated by hate elementals destroyed 
  themselves in their own violence. Morians demolished others 
  with siege engines never meant to turn on their own homes 
  and forts. Dead bodies of soldiers rose to rejoin the battle, 
  then fell, hacked to bits, while the puppet corpses of refugees 
  took up their ﬂ ight where they had been cut down. In some 
  cases, instead, the seeming shade of the departed rose, or 
  lent its form to a mindless hate-wave, immaterially acting 
  out its fi nal moments or moaning out its vengeance on the 
  living. Certain sages believe that the very presence of undead 
  in the Known Lands originates from this cataclysmic event, 
  with its scattering of walking dead and ﬂ ux of ghosts. Others 
  point to ancient tales of mummies and specters and doubt 
  this origin.
  Whether made of stone or ﬂ esh, some animated objects 
  survived. Among the Ruins today, feckless explorers still 
  stumble upon dangerous living statues, gargoyles from atop 
  old buildings, sword-wielding skeletons, and things worse. 
  Least known and perhaps most deadly are the petromorphs: 
  the sly, murderous, and often mighty creatures of ordinary-
  seeming, yet living stone, sprung from that great horror, the 
  Petromorph Queen.
  THE PETROMORPH QUEEN
  The Petromorph Queen is a large building of living stone, 
  imbued with the unnatural power of magical parthogenesis. 
  From her stony buds may spring the world’s entire population 
  of petromorphs, such as mimics, lurkers, trappers, and piercers. 
  The young live within their mother for years; she grows magic 
  mouths as desired and speaks to them in the tongue of mimics, 
  which she may have invented. Mimics who grow vicious (9+ 
  HD), and other young who become too populous, get ejected 
  into the Ruins to make their own way.
  The Petromorph Queen can appear anyplace in the 
  Ruins, always in the guise of a tall building, but with different 
  proportions, windows, and details as she desires. The Queen 
  attempts to entice passersby into her stony interior, where young 
  petromorphs live in stone chambers, practicing their imitations 
  of chests, doors, and other furnishings. Via passages, doors, 
  and stairs formed of her own body, the Queen leads prey to 
  a room where some young await fresh meat. The door seals 
  behind the party, and the young handle the situation on their 
  own: this is their survival training. Each creature gets its own 
  Hoard Class roll (LL106): treasure gathered from past victims 
  and displayed as enticement to new prey.
  d12 
  Chamber accessible
   1–2 
  First ﬂ oor room with LURKER ABOVE 
  (AEC131)
   3–4 
  First ﬂ oor room with TRAPPER (AEC139)
   5–8 
  First ﬂ oor room with one young MIMIC of 
  8 HD (AEC131)
    9–11 
  Upper level room with 1d3 young mimics 
  of 7 HD
   
  12 
  Basement “cave” with 3d6 PIERCERS 
  (AEC133)
  Should intruders survive one room, the Queen releases 
  the doors, and usually opens another random chamber. Twice 
  a day, there is a 1 in 6 chance of a new creature emerging 
  from the ﬂ oor. The Queen also contains a prison chamber, 
  containing 1d4–2 orkin or adventurers kept alive only to teach 
  languages to the young mimics. The sphincter-like opening to 
  this room must be found like a secret door and forced open.
  Only structural hit point damage can harm the enormous 
  Petromorph Queen, and she cares not how the young 
  petromorphs fare. However, if intruders use large amounts 
  of magic fi re, lightning, or other massive energies, she is 50% 
  likely to become angry and constricts herself to crush all 
  within. She automatically gets angry if she suffers any damage.
  Her crushing attack always goes at the end of the round; in 
  the fi rst round, passages and rooms shrink to half height, 
  limiting movement to 1/2 normal. In the second and later 
  rounds, the ceiling does 6d6 damage to all within, including 
  her young. Her wrath abates in one turn.
  If characters return to search for the deadly tower, they 
  fi nd it gone, the Queen having moved to another area and 
  assumed a new form.
  Adventure Seed: The PCs need information from Robert 
  Plumb of the Planners Guild (RGL42). Plumb, however, 
  recently disappeared in the Ruins, where he took a team to 
  investigate a remarkable intact tower. Unknown to anyone, 
  Plumb is kept prisoner within the Petromorph Queen, forced 
  to teach the common tongue to young mimics.
  PETROMORPH QUEEN: 150 shp; Move 10' (10'); 
  immune to ordinary attacks, even magic weapons, and spells 
  under 6th level. XP: 11,000.
  The referee can choose her current form or roll 1d10+90 
  as for the intact portion of a Building on p10.
  
  22
  BELOW THE JADE TEMPLE
  An Adventure in Mor
  by Jeff “Bighara“Sparks
  Synopsis
  Anyone who works the Ruins knows stories of the Jade 
  Temple, a reportedly wealthy institution unfortunately quite 
  thoroughly demolished during the sacking of Mor. The 
  site now holds only loose rubble, often sifted, with deeper 
  excavation abandoned due to repeated collapse. A down-on-
  his-luck explorer tells the PCs he may know a secret way in.
  Background
  Golfo, a human fi ghter, went with several companions 
  into Mor, where an orkin clan defeated the group. Unlike his 
  comrades, Golfo wore a Brinkley’s pin, indicating a ransom 
  on deposit for his life, so the orkin locked him up in their 
  fortifi ed lair. When they returned him alive to Lesserton his 
  captors kept his gear, leaving him with only the clothes on his 
  back, a fi ne silver ring that he had uncomfortably hidden, and 
  an interesting piece of information.
  While his orkin captors solicited his ransom from 
  Brinkley’s, Golfo lay bound in the cellar of their building, 
  not far from the site of the Jade Temple. He noticed a drain 
  that carried echoes up from below and realized that the cellar 
  must lie above an intact portion of the old sewers. Golfo 
  reasoned that the tunnels might make it possible to enter the 
  buried levels of the Jade Temple from underneath.
  Now, Golfo wants to return to test his theory and exact 
  revenge upon his former captors. With the price realized 
  from his silver ring, he managed to buy some very basic gear, 
  but he’ll need allies who can help to deal with threats and 
  who can afford to properly equip for an expedition. For days, 
  he has frequented Valnhalla and the Lesserton Alehouse, 
  sizing up prospects and dropping his precious few coins on 
  cheap drinks. Liking the look of the party, or else desperate, 
  he approaches them with a simple offer: He will guide a party 
  to the location of the orkin lair and share in any risks for 
  an equal share in any profi ts. The PCs will need to cover 
  initial expenses for things like supplies and equipment. Golfo 
  knows Lesserton and Mor fairly well, having adventured here 
  for months. He can answer most general questions about the 
  town and ruins.
  Golfo, Human Fighter: F2, AL: N, AC 6 (leather armor), 
  12 hp; spear (+1 to hit, 1d6+1 dmg), large sack, 2 days’ 
  preserved food, waterskin, ﬂ int and steel, 8 torches, 50' 
  hemp rope, 11 cp. DEX 13 STR 13.
  Heading for Mor
  Golfo won’t tell the party how to get to where the orkin 
  kept him, though he tells them he’s confi dent that he can fi nd 
  the place. Based on the little he saw, he estimates a dozen 
  orkin in residence, all warriors. It’s no settlement, but rather 
  a warband that ambushes explorers and other orkin. Golfo 
  also asks the PCs to bring climbing and digging gear, if they 
  can afford it, as he has no idea of the depth or condition of 
  the sewer tunnels.
  He recommends entering Mor by the Great Bridge. He 
  estimates it will take about an hour to reach the fortifi ed 
  building where he was held captive. Within the walls, 
  following Golfo, the party makes good time toward the fort, 
  encountering a single Wandering Monster from Table III, 
  Day column (p18).
  Fort Orkin
  The chaotic orkin who captured Golfo occupy a largely 
  intact, two-story building, which they have repaired and 
  fortifi ed. A single tough orkin leads 14 male warriors. Half the 
  time, 1d6 orkin plus one Archer are out hunting or scouting, 
  with a 1 in 12 chance to come back every turn.
  The orkin maintain sentries (see Area 3–1) and keep 
  things locked up tight. They can look and shoot from the 
  arrow slits every 10' along the outside of the building, too 
  small to climb through. Shooting through an arrow slit from 
  the outside incurs a –4 penalty.
  Fort Orkin (10): AL: C, MV 120', AC 7 (leather), HD 1, 
  spear (melee or 20'/40'/60', 1d6), Save F1, Morale 8
  Fort Orkin Archer (4): AL: C, MV 120', AC 7 (leather), 
  HD 1, shortbow (50'/100'/150', 1d6), short sword (1d6), 
  Save F1, Morale 8
  Fort Orkin Leader: AL: C, MV 90', AC 4 (chain and 
  shield), HD 2 (16 hp), Golfo’s bastard sword (+1 to hit for 
  STR, 1d8+1), Save F2, Morale 10
  
  23
  The Well
  About 80 yards from the orkin fort, a low ruined wall 
  shelters a rarity: a well of good drinking water. The rubble 
  piled about offers minimal cover, so rather than build here, the 
  orkin prefer to occupy their walled building and fetch water on 
  periodic expeditions. They keep scrap lumber over the four-
  foot mouth of the well, and the water lies ten feet down.
  Each day, three orkin leave the base to fi ll three fi ve-gallon 
  water skins. One lowers the weighted skins by turn into the 
  water to fi ll, while two keep watch, then each carries a full skin 
  back. They cannot hold their weapons ready while carrying the 
  full water skins.
  There is also a haunting at the well. Every few minutes, a 
  ghostly soldier steps out from behind some rubble and silently 
  charges toward the well with a spear in his hands. The apparition 
  passes straight through anyone or anything in its path, only to 
  fade as it reaches the well. The apparition cannot harm anyone 
  (other than scaring them) and clerics cannot Turn it. The orkin 
  are aware of the haunting and ignore it, relying on it to keep 
  others from their precious source of water.
  Inside the Fort
  Area 1–1: Foyer . The front door to the orkin’s base is 
  thick and kept barred. It cannot be forced open by less than 
  ogre strength, a battering ram, or a knock spell. Inside, a railed 
  balcony overlooks the foyer (Area 2–1). 
  N
  Septhex with Fort Orkin and Well
  Rubble Piles
  Rubble Piles
  Rubble Piles
  Rubble Piles
  Open
  Open
  FORT
  WELL
  One large hex = 120'   One small hex = 10'
  One inch = 100'
  H a u n T I n g
  Rubble of
  Jade Temple
  In the Fort
  One square = 10'
  One inch = 40'
  Building Elevation
  
  24
  Area 1–2: Kitchen . This room used to be the kitchen; 
  now it’s little more than a closet. One part of the wall has 
  collapsed, blocking the outside door at Area 1–3. The stairs 
  down to Area C–1 have a bar on this side.
  Area 1–3: Back Door . The collapsed wall behind it 
  effectively makes this a false door; it can’t be opened from 
  outside.
  Area 1–4, 1–5: Small Billets . Each of these small rooms 
  holds two sleeping pallets, with 1d4–2 orkin sleeping or 
  resting in each room.
  Area 1–6, 1–7: Large Billets . Each of these rooms holds 
  four sleeping pallets, with 1d8–4 orkin sleeping or resting in 
  each room.
  Area 2–1: Balcony . Attackers from this vantage gain +1 
  AC and +1 to hit versus those downstairs in Area 1–1. The 
  rickety stairs in the northwest corner lead up to a trapdoor 
  onto the Upper Roof (Area 3–1). The trapdoor can be barred 
  from this side.
  Area 2–2: Billet . This small room holds four sleeping 
  pallets, with 1d4–2 orkin sleeping or resting.
  Area 2–3: Leader’s Room . This room contains a large 
  sleeping pallet and a small chest. The locked chest holds a set 
  of cold weather clothes (worn and worthless except for the 
  fur–lined boots, 10 gp value) and three bottles of inferior 
  wine (10 sp each). Inside one boot is a pouch with 22 gp and 
  a 100 gp garnet. 
  Area 2–4: Lower Roof . On the lower half of the ﬂ at 
  ﬂ agstone roof, the orkin do their cooking, in a fi re ring with 
  a spit. A sturdy door leads inside to the second ﬂ oor. It is 
  kept barred unless orkin are out on the lower roof. A 15' 
  ladder lies next to the wall to allow easy access to the upper 
  roof (Area 3–1) or down to the street. Two long spears lean 
  against the wall near the ladder. 
  Area 3–1: Upper Roof . The orkin maintain two archers 
  as reasonably alert sentries on the upper roof. The low parapet 
  grants +1 AC against attackers from below (AC 6 for the 
  orkin), and attackers on the roof get +1 to hit targets below. 
  The orkin keep the roof stocked with six javelins and three 
  large buckets fi lled with rubble. When an orkin dumps down 
  a bucket, the target below must save vs. petrify to avoid 2d6 
  damage. The trap door leads down to Area 2–1.
  Area C–1: Cellar . This windowless room holds a few 
  casks and boxes stacked in disarray (1d100 days’ low-quality 
  preserved food). A set of manacles dangles low from one 
  wall. In the southwest corner, a rusted grating, two feet in 
  diameter, can be lifted with an Open Doors check. Below, a 
  shaft descends 15' before opening into the ceiling of a sewer 
  tunnel (Area S–1). 
  A secret panel under the stairwell reveals a cramped space 
  with a crate and a small sack on the ﬂ oor. The sack is tied closed, 
  and a tag on the string reads, in two languages, “Emergency 
  Healing: DO NOT TOUCH!” Inside the bag is a loaf of bread 
  covered in YELLOW MOLD (LL103). The crate contains 2,767 sp, 
  351 gp, and two phials: a potion of  water breathing and a potion of  
  healing, one dose each.
  In the Sewers
  Large sections of the old sewer system have collapsed, 
  but stretches of tunnels like these still occur. The grating 
  from Area C–1 opens into the roof of a north–south tunnel 
  (Area S–1). The temple ruins lie to the south of the orkin 
  base. Every two turns in the sewer, there is a 1 in 6 chance of 
  a Wandering Monster.
   
  d6 
  Sewer Encounter
   1–3 
  CARCASS SCAVENGERS (LL67)
   4–5 
  RATS, GIANT (LL92)
   
  6 
  RHAGODESSA, GIANT (LL92)
  Area S–1: Below the Fort . The tunnel is 8' high and 5' 
  wide, making it a total of 23' from the grating in C–1 to the 
  tunnel ﬂ oor. The smooth walls curve outward slightly. 
  
  25
  Area S–2: Sinkhole . For about twenty feet, standing 
  water pools in a depressed part of the tunnel ﬂ oor. The ground 
  beneath has eroded, and anyone stepping on the weakened 
  area has a 2 in 6 chance of breaking through and falling 40' to a 
  large subterranean pool, 10' deep. Dwarfs and thieves have their 
  normal chances to notice the weakened ﬂ oor. Falling causes no 
  damage, but a GIANT LEECH (LL84) lives in the water.
  Area S–3: Breezy Cave-in . The southernmost passage 
  in this section ends in a rubble blockage. Two CARCASS 
  SCAVENGERS feast on the remains of a giant rat just in front 
  of the debris.
  Unlike the other cave-ins in this part of the sewers, at 
  this one, an observant character can detect a slight breeze 
  coming out near the roof, indicating open space beyond. Six 
  man–hours of digging makes an opening big enough for a 
  human to squeeze through, or three hours with digging tools 
  such as shovels and picks. After digging, a PC must make a 
  CON check or be fatigued (–1 to all rolls until he has some 
  food and at least an hour’s rest). Every turn, the noise of 
  digging prompts a Wandering Monster check.
  Beyond the rubble, a bronze grating blocks the tunnel, 
  its door chained and locked. Once through the gate, the party 
  enters the onetime territory of the Temple of the Jade God.
  The Temple Below
  The tunnel beyond the gate runs only 40' before ending 
  in a blockage of several huge slabs of stone, unmovable by 
  normal digging.
  Area T–1: Drain . Just below the eight-foot ceiling, a 
  semi-circular drain hole enters the tunnel, four feet wide and 
  two feet tall. The drain tunnel slopes gently upward.
  “Below the Jade Temple:” IN THE SEWERS and THE TEMPLE BELOW
  One square = 10’
  One inch = 50’
  
  26
  Area T–2: Intersection . The tunnel from T–1 ends in 
  bronze bars, with a T intersection beyond. Attempts to force 
  the bars suffer +1 for the cramped space.
  Both left and right tunnels slope upward slightly, curving 
  around to end with similar barred gratings at the ﬂ oor of 
  Area T–3. See “T–1 to T–3 Elevation” on the map.
  Area T–3: Idol Room . Three stone sarcophagi stand in 
  the center of this large chamber cut from rock. An archway 
  in the north wall leads to a stairway completely blocked by 
  rubble. Near the east wall, a four-foot-tall plinth supports a 
  one-foot statue of a squat, green, ape-faced man. Close up, 
  the material looks like  jade. Behind the plinth, a carved bas–
  relief mural shows two men kneeling in front of a ﬂ ame.
  Opening a sarcophagus causes the secret door from 
  Area T–4 to spring open. Six SKELETONS (LL95) rush out, 
  surprising on a 1–3. Within the Temple, the 
  skeletons are Turned as 2 HD monsters. Inside 
  each sarcophagus, a long–dead priest wears 
  moldering scarlet robes (worthless), a heavy gold 
  ring (100 gp), and a silver brooch fashioned as an 
  ape’s face with green tourmaline eyes (100 gp). 
  Touching the statue causes the carvings of the kneeling 
  men to come to life. It takes them two full rounds to break 
  free of the wall. They are 3 HD ANIMATED STATUES (LL98) 
  with the statistics of CRYSTAL STATUES. 
  The statue is solid jade and might fetch as much as 1,000 
  gp from the right buyer. Magnus Brinkley (RGL31) would be 
  interested.
  .
  Area T–4: Skeleton Closet . Other than the undead who 
  rush out to protect the sarcophagi in Area T–3, this small 
  niche holds nothing of interest.
  Misfortune and Glory
  About halfway along the “Glory Road” between Mor and 
  Lesserton, a group of bandits watches for returning treasure 
  hunters. They have a campfi re and a tarpaulin on a dry patch 
  beside the road.
  About 20 yards closer to Mor than the camp, a sentry 
  takes advantage of a rare tree to hide and watch the road. 
  From up in the branches, he uses a passable birdcall as a 
  signal, and the men fall out. The sentry covers the group 
  with his bow. Karlo, the leader, is very good at judging a 
  group’s strength. If a group looks too strong, he lets them 
  pass without challenge. If he thinks they are weak enough, or 
  worn down by their adventures, he and the three men with 
  him spread out and block the road: three BRIGANDS (LL87), 
  each holding the rope of an attack dog, plus Karlo.
  Karlo steps forward to “negotiate,” sword in hand. He 
  will ask for 20–50 gp for each person or animal wishing to 
  pass, depending on what he thinks he can get. He will accept 
  as low as half his initial price. The bandits prefer extorting a 
  “fee” to fi ghting, but if a fi ght starts, they release the dogs, 
  then charge. The archer begins shooting as soon as the dogs 
  are loosed, or if Karlo raises his hands over his head as if 
  surrendering. He targets any obvious spellcaster, or else the 
  strongest-looking fi ghter.
  3 Brigands (F1): AL: C, MV 120', AC 7 (leather and shield), 
  short sword, mace, or axe (1d6), Morale 8
  1 Brigand Archer (F1): AL: C, MV 120', AC 7 (brigandine), 
  shortbow (1d6), 20 arrows, dagger (1d4), Morale 8
  Karlo, Brigand Leader (F2): AL: C, MV 90', AC 5 (chain 
  mail), 15 hp, two-handed sword (1d10), Morale 10
  4 Attack Dogs: MV 150', HD 1+1, AC 7, bite (1d4), 
  Morale 11
  Bonus Experience
  In general, when a character makes any trip from Lesserton 
  into the Ruins, accomplishes something, and returns to town 
  alive, it’s worth 100 XP per PC. This is in addition to points 
  from treasure and combat.
  Because Lesserton & Mor adventures often start with 
  the party in town looking for work or trouble, the referee 
  is encouraged to award bonus XP for clever play and good 
  roleplaying: perhaps up to 100 XP per level per PC, depending 
  on the referee’s preferences and the campaign.
  
  ENVIRONS OF LESSERTON & MOR
  One hex = 10 miles
  EASTERN VALNWALL: This map shows part of the realm of Valnwall, from the map by Daniel Proctor on p132 of the 
  Labyrinth Lord™ rule book. The basic geography, the name Valnwall, and the names and locations of the village of Nahm 
  and the Ruins of Mor, all belong to Proctor’s “Known Lands” open setting. Other names and features are product identity 
  of, and ©2011 by, Faster Monkey Games™. See complete licensing information on p68 of the Referee’s Guide to Lesserton.
  N
  Eel
  Wrack
  Scuttleton
  Bay
  City
  Feyport
  Bargeharbor
  Nahm
  Renneton
  Ruins of
  Mor
  Lesserton
  Swampton
  Wheaton
  Wood Elf
  King
  EEL BIGHT
  COBBLE
  BAY
  Keel Sound
  IRONFLOOD R.
  MOUNT
  ROTTEN
  Wolford
  Fort Norbert
  RED R.
  RED
  SWAMP
  A
  L
  F
  PI
  N
  E 
  F
  O
  R
  E
  S
  T
  MINOR SEA
  Skull Mt .
  S
  C
  U
  TT
  LE
   C
  OA
  ST
  Kaye City
  Detail map
  on PGL15
  
  THE RUINS OF MOR
  ©2011 Faster Monkey Games™  
  Permission granted to copy this page for personal use.
  Septhex Number _________  
  One large hex = 120'   One small hex = 10'   One inch = 50'
  N
  Notes  ______________________________________________________________________________________________
  ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  
  B 
  Buildings
  O 
  Open area
  R 
  Rubble piles
  V 
  Vegetation
  ONE MILE
  R
  R
  R
  R
  V
  V
  R
  O
  O
  O
  O
  O
  R
  R
  Harborgate
  Span Gate
  Gainsay
  South
  Citadel
  Bridge Orkin
  One inch = 720 feet
  One septhex = 120 yards
  N
  MOR
  THE RUINS OF
  Southern Ruins Map
  ©2011 Faster Monkey Games™ fastermonkeygames.com
  
  R
  R
  R
  R
  V
  R
  R
  O
  O
  O
  O
  O
  O
  Span Gate
  Palace
  Grounds
  Citadel
  The Breach
  MOR
  THE RUINS OF
  N
  Northern Ruins Map
  Bridge Orkin
  ©2011 Faster Monkey Games™ fastermonkeygames.com
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Labyrinth Lord/Labyrinth Lord Adventures & Settings/Lesserton & Mor (LL)/Lesserton & Mor (LL).pdf