TEXT:  
  Creatures, NPCs, Items, Places and Adventure Hooks for 
  any fantasy system 
   
  Created and Written by: Benjamin Gerber 
  Artwork: Khairul Hisham, Rick Hershey/Empty Room Studios, OtherWorldly Art Portfolio© 
  OtherWorld Creations, Inc., Joe Calkins, Image Portfolio © Louis Porter, Jr. Design. All Rights Reserved, 
  Kevin Davies, Some artwork copyright John Milner, used with permission. 
  Editing: Monica Speca, Nick Kent 
   
   
   
  This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 
  Unported License. 
   
   
   
   
   
  What this means is that you are free to copy, share, and remix the text and artwork within these books and 
  PDFs (with the exceptions noted below) under the following conditions: 
  1) You do so only for noncommercial purposes; 
  2) You attribute correctly (see below); 
  3) You license any derivatives under the same license. 
   
  Exceptions 
  The following items are not covered under the Creative Commons license: 
  All Artwork copyrighted by the artist and/or production company. 
   
  Attribution 
  When reusing/remixing Creative Commons licensed material, credit must be given to Benjamin Gerber 
  and please also provide a link to http://www.trollitc.com 
   
   
   
  
   
  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
  Backers .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 
  Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 4 
  Non-Player Characters ................................................................................................................................................... 4 
  Eowyth the Necromancer .......................................................................................................................................... 4 
  Faris the Wolf ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 
  Vasily Grigorovich .................................................................................................................................................... 8 
  Alintar the Just ........................................................................................................................................................ 10 
  Strom the Bold ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 
  Sasha Orcslayer ....................................................................................................................................................... 12 
  Hellequin Alichino .................................................................................................................................................. 14 
  Piri ........................................................................................................................................................................... 16 
  Blaus........................................................................................................................................................................ 17 
  Raymond ................................................................................................................................................................. 19 
  Tildon the Way Keeper ........................................................................................................................................... 22 
  Sweena .................................................................................................................................................................... 23 
  Encounters ................................................................................................................................................................... 25 
  Tadalious the Drake ................................................................................................................................................ 25 
  Aartaaquenta ........................................................................................................................................................... 26 
  Gnuma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 
  Deathknight ............................................................................................................................................................. 29 
  Mad Ghost ............................................................................................................................................................... 30 
  Grohn ...................................................................................................................................................................... 31 
  Pseudo-Death .......................................................................................................................................................... 33 
  Pacho ....................................................................................................................................................................... 34 
  Corpsetaker ............................................................................................................................................................. 35 
  Iron Golem Suit ....................................................................................................................................................... 36 
  Sneff ........................................................................................................................................................................ 37 
  Mouser .................................................................................................................................................................... 38 
  Tree ......................................................................................................................................................................... 40 
  Half Sized Army ..................................................................................................................................................... 41 
  Monster ................................................................................................................................................................... 42 
  Items ............................................................................................................................................................................ 43 
  Golden Acorns ........................................................................................................................................................ 43 
  Godbone Flute ......................................................................................................................................................... 44 
  The Barlax ............................................................................................................................................................... 44 
  Dice of Choice ......................................................................................................................................................... 45 
  Ultramind. ............................................................................................................................................................... 46 
  Sword of Vegetation................................................................................................................................................ 47 
  Places ........................................................................................................................................................................... 48 
  Vale of Peace........................................................................................................................................................... 48 
  Floating Caverns ..................................................................................................................................................... 49 
  Hidden City ............................................................................................................................................................. 51 
  Evelrod .................................................................................................................................................................... 53 
  Redd’optalis ............................................................................................................................................................ 54 
  Adventure Hooks ......................................................................................................................................................... 55 
   
   
   
  
   
  3 
   
   
  BACKERS 
  Without these fine folks, this product would not be possible in the form you see here.  
   
  Pre-order level backers: Daniel Palacio, Aaron Schindeler, Sunset Syndicate, Robert Oglodzinski – 
  AncientScroll.pl, Lowell Stouder, The Tarwaters (who rock), Jo-Herman Haugholt, Stephan Szabo, Adam 
  lee, Jeffrey Queen, Adam Teece, wraith808, Stephen Wilcoxon, Josh Thompson, Andy McMillan, Dan 
  Bongert, A. Miles Davis, Michael De Rosa, Johnny Johnson, Aidin Langford, Jonathan Trew, Giancarlo 
  Borracci, Wordman, Yolgie, Phil Nicholls, Skyland Games. 
   
  Hard Copy Level: Scott Rehm, Matt and Nykki Boersma, Melissa Spencer, Doug Raas, Andrew 
  Arminio, Ashley Cook, Kirby Young, Joshua Buergel, Adam Montgomery, Mark Butler, Hamish 
  Cameron, Wendy Kuehr-McLaren, Chuck Benscoter, Brian Fitzpatrick, Richard Frost, Mike 
  Badolato, Lisa Bagwell, Sean Holland 
   
  Treasure Hoarding Level: Nick Kent, John Johnson, Andrew and Heleen Durston, Keith J. 
  Davies, Mike Miller 
   
  Close Encounters of the 5th Kind Level Backer: Ed Alexanian 
   
  Thanks! 
  Many thanks to Jenn, Izzie and Luca Gerber without who 
  my family would consist only of cats. Monica Speca who 
  didn’t just edit, but also intrigued, engaged and got 
  creatively amazing. Nick Kent for initially editing this 
  whole thing and keeping me going when I was down to 
  one arm. Thanks also to the orthopedic team who 
  reconstructed my shoulder so I could type again! Also 
  huge thanks to the /r/rpg community on Reddit.com and 
  everyone at Troll in the Corner! Big shout out to the 
  Google Plus crowd! Lastly, thanks to Jethro Tull for 
  providing mood music while writing and Oingo Boingo 
  for providing energy music while revising and 
  formatting. 
   
  Adventure Hooks thoughtfully provided by: Joshua 
  Kubli, James Desborough, Monica Speca and Ash Law. 
   
  
   
   
  INTRODUCTION  
  Encounters ~ Plots ~ Places is meant to be a 
  guide for the Game Master who is looking to 
  insert fully fleshed out NPCs, encounters, items, 
  and places into their campaigns. In it you will 
  find an assortment of non-player characters, 
  encounters, items, areas, and adventure hooks – 
  all elements that you’ll find in any fantasy 
  campaigns. These, you can easily plug right into 
  an existing campaign to give your players a 
  challenge that they wouldn’t anticipate. Or build 
  an entire campaign around a few NPCs and 
  items! Use the plot hooks to stir your own 
  imagination and add variety to your game. 
   
  This book is system neutral, meaning there are 
  no statistics to be found. Instead, you’ll find a 
  brief synopsis of each individual element, which 
  will give you a feel for their motivations, 
  strengths, and weaknesses, and overall power in 
  your fantasy world.  
   
  This is followed by a detailed description that 
  fleshes out each element. Use the entire 
  description to paint a vivid picture for your 
  party, or pick and choose what you wish, adding 
  details where you see fit.  
   
  Lastly for each element, you’ll find two 
  Adventure Hooks. Use these to give the element 
  a reason for being in your world and your 
  players a reason for interacting with it. 
   
  All NPCs begin with a quote from the NPC 
  themselves where you’ll learn a quick bit about 
  them in their own words.  NPCs are portrayed as 
  Human in this book. They can easily be any race 
  you desire, all you need do is refer to them as 
  elves, dwarves, or any race you think is 
  appropriate.  
   
  You will find some basic information about 
  every NPC. 
  Name: Age and Gender – with ages given in 
  human years. Feel free to modify the age relative 
  to longer- or shorter-lived races. 
  Motivation: What this NPC is looking to 
  accomplish. 
  Strength: The NPC’s strengths and talents. 
  Weakness: The NPC’s weaknesses and 
  attributes that can be exploited. 
  Power Rating: Here the NPC is rated in relative 
  power, with 1 being weak/low level and 10 
  being extremely powerful/epic level. 
   
  With encounters and items, you will also see a 
  list of basic information.  
   
  Type: What kind of a creature or encounter this 
  is. 
  Size: Ranging from Tiny (insect-like) to 
  Massive (huge dragon, entire area). 
  Motivation: What motivates the creature, or 
  what would draw the party in to this encounter. 
  Strength:  Where the creature or encounter is 
  most capable. 
  Weaknesses: What might help the party 
  overcome this encounter. 
  Power Rating: Here the encounter is rated in 
  relative power, with 1 being weak/low level and 
  10 being extremely powerful/epic level. 
   
  Adventure Hooks found at the end of this book 
  are quick and simple ideas to help move the 
  gaming action along.  
   
  NON-PLAYER 
  CHARACTERS 
  Non-Player Characters (or NPCs) are people in 
  the game world your players will meet and 
  interact with, but are not necessarily simple 
  encounters. These NPCs can become a small or  
   
   
  large part of the sweeping epic that is your 
  campaign. Each NPC is given a background  
   
  and several plot hooks which you can use to 
  insert them into your campaign, while giving 
  your players a new challenge at the same time. 
  EOWYTH THE NECROMANCER 
   
  
   
  5 
   
  “I used to love reading after dark by candlelight. 
  Mother and Father never approved though. Now 
  that Mother and Father are… gone, I read all 
  that I wish. Even the bad books. Especially the 
  bad books.” 
   
  Eowyth: 14 year old female Necromancer 
  Motivation: Gaining magical power. 
  Strength: Powerful natural magical talent, 
  Necromancer. 
  Weakness: Relatively new to her power, naive, 
  corrupt soul. 
  Power Rating: 3 
   
  Eowyth is a fourteen year old girl who has also 
  become a power in the necromantic world.  
   
  Always rebellious and intelligent, with a distaste 
  for the farming life she was destined for, Eowyth 
  just knew there was more to life than marrying a 
  farmer and growing old amongst potatoes and 
  cabbage. She would often dream of a more 
  adventurous life while reading and re-reading 
  her family’s sparse collection of books.   
   
  One night, after her parents and siblings were 
  long asleep, she began her usual habit of 
  sneaking a book to read by candlelight. This 
  time, she found a new book amongst her old, 
  tattered favorites.   
   
  Entitled Pathways to Power and Freedom, the 
  book opened with a tale of a young girl, very 
  much like Eowyth, and her discovery of an  
   
  innate magical power. Filled with strange 
  symbology, esoteric sounding magical rites, and 
  evocative images, Eowyth devoured the book  
   
  over several evenings. Then, she decided to see 
  if any of the rituals described actually worked. 
   
  To her delight, she found the book to contain 
  truth, and one evening she successfully 
  reanimated the body of a calf that had wandered 
  into a local pond and drowned earlier that day. 
   
  Eowyth’s prowess in the dark arts progressed 
  rapidly. At the same time, she took to brooding 
  more, was prone to fits of rage, and displayed a 
  generally dark and sometimes disturbing 
  attitude.  
   
  She began to stay awake far into the night and 
  sleep during the day. One day, her parents took 
  her aside and questioned her about this sudden 
  change. Ever since then 
  no one has seen 
  or heard from the rest of her family.  
   
  The nearby villagers took pity on her as she 
  wandered into the town to report her missing 
  parents and she was put under the care of a local 
  innkeeper. Shortly after, strange things  
   
  began happening around the village. The 
  occasional traveler reported seeing odd things at 
  night, hearing disturbing cries, or being pursued 
  short distances by shadowy, half-seen creatures. 
  The village gained an evil reputation as 
  Eowyth’s powers continued to grow. 
   
  Eowyth is not yet an evil creature, but as she 
  practices these dark arts, her soul is slowly being 
  corrupted. Can she be brought back into the path 
  of light or will she let the darkness destroy her 
  soul? If the darkness wins, will she become too 
  powerful a force to stop? 
   
  
   
  6 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The village’s reputation has grown so 
  strange that even the local powers that be are 
  beginning to hear of it. The party is asked to 
  investigate these rumors and lay rest to any 
  strange claims.  When they first come in to the 
  village they will find its inhabitants morose, and 
  the outlying farms abandoned or neglected.  
   
  Two: Eowyth’s uncle has arrived in the village 
  after hearing of her family’s tragedy and wishes 
  to care for the young girl. He is a trained scholar 
  who has worked with many magic users and 
  instantly recognized that the girl both has power 
  and is also on the worst path possible. His goal 
  is to find a willing group of skilled adventurers 
  to subdue her and help transport her to a place 
  where she can be safely cared for and hopefully 
  turned to the correct path. 
  FARIS THE WOLF 
   
  “I have not revealed myself to the others in your 
  group with good cause! I am here to help you 
  but must do so on my own terms.  You  
   
  must realize that no one else would believe a 
  wolf could talk, or think as you do.” 
   
  Faris: 5, female wolf 
  Motivation: Serves the will of an evil god who 
  saved her from a life of pain and torture. 
  Strength: All of the abilities of a wolf, human 
  intelligence, access to evil clerical powers. 
  Weakness: Does not fully understand human 
  society, can be fooled easily. 
  Power Rating: 4 
   
  Born in the deep woods in a litter of three wolf 
  pups, Faris spent the first half of her life as an 
  ordinary animal without an enlightened 
  consciousness. She knew only the scents of the 
  forest and the passing of seasons. Of good and 
  evil she had no knowledge. 
   
  In her third year, she was curious enough to 
  blunder into a trap. Suddenly confined to a steel 
  cage, surrounded by sounds and smells that were 
  utterly foreign, she knew fear for the first time. 
  Several days passed this way until her life was 
  changed forever. 
   
  One evening, she had drifted off to an unsettled 
  sleep in her cage. Suddenly her head was 
  gripped in a huge fist of pain and she was tossed 
  about her cage like a leaf on a river. More 
  startling than this, she knew that leaves and 
  rivers were words, and what a huge fist was.  
   
  Through occult rituals she had been awakened to 
  consciousness given human understanding. The 
  odd smells were still present, but she understood 
  what her cage was. She could hear the dark 
  muttering around her and could understand that 
  as well. 
   
  Still nameless, her next several months were 
  filled with pain and increased awareness of the 
  world around her. She was in turns, tortured,  
   
  made to speak using a throat not designed for 
  speech and experimented on in the name of a 
  dark deity.  
   
  
   
  7 
   
  She frequently heard the name of a dark deity 
  invoked through her months of confinement. In 
  desperation early one morning, she invoked it 
  herself. She promised her eternal loyalty and 
  service in exchange for an end to her torturous 
  confinements. 
   
  Within moments of this, a robed human figure 
  appeared before her cage and opened it. The 
  wolf was told her name was now Faris, and if 
  she swore a second time to follow this dark god, 
  she would receive not only freedom but powers 
  she had not dreamt of before. 
   
  Although Faris possessed intelligence and 
  understanding far surpassing others of her kind, 
  her wolf-like ways were still with her. She 
  viewed this dark god as her pack leader, and the 
  messenger who arrived as a member of the pack 
  with higher status than herself. Faris did not 
  hesitate and swore her allegiance. 
   
  The next few hours were spent on gleeful 
  revenge against her tormentors. Once Faris had 
  accomplished this, she fled to the wilderness she 
  had grown up in. 
   
  Within days, the robed figured had returned to 
  her and began instructing her as an initiate of her 
  god.  
   
  Several years have passed and Faris can now be 
  considered an evil cleric of moderate skill. She 
  goes as her god commands, sometimes to remote 
  wilderness areas, other times into cities.  Often 
  she is called on to kill rival clergy. 
   
  For all that she appears as a normal wolf; no 
  wild wolves will approach her nor allow her to 
  become part of their pack. She does not mind 
  being shunned by her own kind though; she has 
  found a family within the dark god’s hierarchy 
  of followers.  
   
  Existing in two worlds is not easy for Faris. She 
  still has much of her wolf nature embedded 
  deeply in her subconscious. She has trouble   
   
  
   
  8 
   
   
   
  understanding human societies and cultural cues. 
  She does not joke nor does she truly understand 
  humor or sarcasm. She has come to understand 
  what lying is, but has a hard time with all but the 
  most obvious lies and thus may be easily duped.  
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The party awakens to find that a new 
  animal companion has joined them. A wolf has 
  taken up with a member of the party who should 
  definitely not warrant an animal companion. By 
  all appearances this wolf is friendly, almost 
  tame. She will not harm anyone in the party and 
  will obey simple commands given to her by the 
  person she has chosen. 
   
  In time, she may reveal to this person that she is 
  intelligent. If warranted, she will use her clerical 
  abilities to assist the party, at first subtly but 
  later openly. 
   
  She will not reveal the deity she serves or her 
  mission, which is to infiltrate the party and keep 
  tabs on them. It seems that there is an obscure 
  prophecy which points to this group of 
  adventurers causing a great deal of trouble for a 
  certain dark god. Faris is charged with keeping 
  an eye on the party and ensuring that they do not 
  fulfill the greater part of the prophecy, coming 
  into possession of the Godbone Flute. 
   
  Two: Reports of a werewolf terrorizing an area 
  have reached the party.  Concerned citizens have 
  reported that several people have vanished. 
  Recently one turned up on a riverbank, 
  obviously mauled by some  
   
  ferocious beast. This, coupled with sightings of a 
  large wolf over the past few weeks, only helps to 
  confirm that it is a werewolf.   
   
  The locals are scrambling to hire adventurers to  
   
  take care of the werewolf problem. Resident 
  scholars eagerly pile wolfsbane and silver 
  arrows onto any willing volunteers.  The next 
  full moon is approaching and the party stands to 
  bolster their reputation if they are the ones who 
  can track this werewolf and kill it. 
   
  At the same time, a small group of clerics 
  serving the same god as Faris have entered the 
  area and set up a meeting with the wolf deep in 
  the woods on the night of the full moon. They 
  and Faris are entirely unaware of the werewolf 
  claims.  
   
  Faris is responsible for the death of one of the 
  missing humans, but not the corpse that was 
  found on a river bank. He was the victim of a 
  local wolf pack. Or perhaps there really is a 
  werewolf in the area as well…. 
   
  VASILY GRIGOROVICH 
   
  I am certain, my friends, that something 
  satisfactory can be arranged... 
   
  Vasily Grigorovich: 50 year old male, head of a 
  large merchant house. 
  Motivation: Wealth, power and carrying out the 
  current job. 
  Strength: Intelligent, skilled in misdirection, 
  often underestimated, commands vast wealth. 
  Weakness: Politically, delicately balanced on a 
  knife edge, has many secrets that could harm 
  him. 
  Power Rating: 7 
   
  Vasily Grigorovich is the head of a wealthy and 
  far-reaching merchant organization with ties to 
  just about every form of trade that exists, both 
  legal and illegal. Vasily commands a great deal 
  of wealth and power, and fields a small private 
  army. His organization has merchant houses, 
  tenants, and warehouses in most cities of any 
  size - a veritable army of employees. 
   
  While wielding large financial power, Vasily has 
  leveraged his trading empire into a ring of 
  tightly controlled information gatherers and 
  problem solvers. Known to a select few as the 
  House of Steel, Vasily’s organization within an 
  organization serves contracts with (and 
  occasionally on) powerful political houses 
  dealing in the less savory side of politics. 
   
  Vasily is an intelligent and skilled merchant and 
  the current head of a noble house. He has also 
  
   
  9 
   
  taken the time to train himself in the arts of 
  deception, thievery, and assassination. While he 
  does not appear as formidable a foe as other, 
  stronger men, Vasily can be a deadly opponent 
  when cornered. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Far more 
  preferable than open combat to 
  achieve his ends however, Vasily prefers to 
  manipulate, delegate and scheme. He is 
  extremely skilled in the art of balancing multiple 
  running schemes with political manipulation and 
  the occasional show of force. 
   
  Among other powers in the world, Vasily and 
  his organization have a reputation for working 
  contracts through to completion, utilizing 
  individuals with extremely specific sets of skills 
  to accomplish near-impossible goals.  He has 
  navigated the House of Steel through rough 
  political waters and has struck a balance of sorts. 
  Powerful people respect him for what he can do, 
  and honor the fact that the House of Steel is for 
  hire without malice and never retains political 
  allegiance after a contract is fulfilled. 
   
  Vasily may be positioning himself and his 
  organization on the knife’s edge, but it’s 
  important to note that it’s his knife and he is very 
  skilled at maintaining this balancing act. 
   
  Personally, Vasily is known to always honor his 
  deals to the letter of the contract. He has never 
  cheated his way out of an agreement that has 
  been set on parchment. His reputation as a 
  merchant is impeccable, and his reputation for 
  more shadowy dealings is even more so. 
   
  Vasily has in the recent past become aware of 
  another organization, headed by Sasha Orcslayer 
  and has yet to determine if she is competition or 
  a power to work with.  
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The party is approached by a rough 
  looking individual who claims that they have a 
  special skill set his employer is looking to take 
  advantage of. He immediately offers the party a  
  decent amount of money just to hear him out. He 
  also lets them know that he is currently being 
  backed by several other people also with a 
  unique and interesting set of skills ready to assist 
  him should something like a brawl occur. 
   
  Once he has the party’s attention, he will inform 
  them that his employer has information about a 
  group of talented and expensive mercenaries 
  fronted by a fierce, warrior known as Sasha.  
   
  The mission for the party is simple, if they 
  would like to take it. Find Sasha or a highly 
  placed associate of hers, and offer her a sealed 
  contract. The contract will be sealed in a tamper-
  proof scroll case to be opened by Sasha alone.  
  The party will receive ten times what they were 
  given just to listen to this proposal, and all 
  expenses reimbursed on their return to this very 
  tavern with an answer from Sasha. 
   
  Two: The party is hired by a local thieves guild 
  to help them hit a merchant warehouse that has 
  an unusual amount of muscle guarding it.  The 
  logic being, with that many guards, there’s got 
  to be something good inside. 
   
  Unfortunately the thieves guild has been 
  manipulated into attack this very warehouse by 
  Vasily himself. They have become a small but 
  irritating thorn in his side.  As the attack gets 
  underway, one of Vasily’s closer associates 
  notices that the party seems to be above the line 
  of average street thug and will try his best to 
  
   
  10 
   
  first isolate them, and then converse with them. 
  If he is impressed enough by the party’s actions 
  in the fight, he  
   
  will attempt to contract them under the House of 
  Steel. 
   
  ALINTAR THE JUST 
   
  Look, I don’t want to cause more trouble than I 
  must but it’s clear that this town has fallen far 
  behind on its tithes. As a duly appointed official 
  and a member of the nobility, I’m willing to 
  overlook the entirety of this injustice. If you will 
  but house me for a few weeks while I come to 
  agreements with the local merchants, and if your 
  town fathers will agree to pay say… two years of 
  tithes in lieu of the many, many years actually 
  owed I am willing to speak on your behalf before 
  the crown. 
   
  Alintar (the Just): 32 year old male fighter with 
  performance experience. 
  Motivation: To gain as much wealth through as 
  little work as possible. 
  Strength: Charisma, double-talk, and 
  some ability with a blade. 
  Weakness:  Can be easily bought and is 
  something of a lazy coward. 
  Power Rating: 3 
   
  Alintar considers himself one with the laws 
  of the land. Justice is meted out by him and 
  him alone. He does feel the pain of the 
  commoner and base merchant however, 
  and he is always willing to work with them 
  to resolve any issues as rapidly as possible. 
   
  The only problem is, he has no legal 
  authority, is not of the nobility, and 
  generally cons local villages into making 
  him a petty little king before moving on to 
  his next score. 
   
  Alintar is a classic hustler with a bit of a 
  twist. He is a trained military man, 
  although a bit out of practice. Having spent 
  some of his youth touring with traveling 
  players, he’s seen the world and is 
  charismatic and talented enough to talk his way 
  into the local peasantry’s graces far more often 
  than not.  
   
  Alintar has been known to travel with a few 
  thugs, either hired with cash from his last con 
  job, or fellow cons following him in the hopes of 
  a big score. He is not above leaving them in the 
  dust should things become tricky, however, and 
  has acquired a number of enemies amongst the 
  small time thieves and cons throughout a wide 
  area. 
   
  Alintar is constantly on the move. He rarely 
  spends more than a month in one location if he 
  can help it. He is lazy but he is far from stupid. 
  Should the local nobility or military show up, he 
  has so far managed to be at least a few hours 
  ahead of them.  
   
  Alintar has several warrants for his arrest in 
  various kingdoms, but has learned to avoid large 
  settlements while running his con. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
   
  
   
  11 
   
   
  One: The party has stopped at a local tavern for 
  some much needed rest. They will immediately 
  see notices of Alintar’s crimes along with a 
  fairly good likeness of him. He has just passed 
  them on the road, offering them some friendly 
  advice and perhaps purchasing a set of clothes 
  from them  
   
  Two: Beaten and battered, the party stumbles 
  into a small village after narrowly surviving a 
  harrowing encounter.  Alintar also happens to be 
  present, being given a feast in the village square 
  at the same time. He is immediately put on the 
  alert by the party’s presence, mistaking them for 
  either cons like himself or agents of the local 
  government. Will he flee in the night? Use his 
  toughs to try and rough up the party? 
   
  STROM THE BOLD 
   
  I’ll handle this! (Sounds of violence). 
   
  Strom (the Bold): 34 year old male fighter. 
  Motivation: A desire to help coupled with a 
  lack of understanding and a love of combat. 
   
  Strength: Battle savant, extremely strong, 
  proficient in armed and unarmed combat. 
  Weakness: Low intelligence, wisdom and 
  charisma.  
  Power Rating: 4 
   
  Strom is a mighty fighter, skilled in the art of 
  combat. He is extraordinarily strong and 
  preternaturally good with weapons. He is also 
  utterly and completely at a loss when it comes to 
  anything other than directed violence. Strom is 
  illiterate, woefully ignorant of social graces and, 
  while not evil, is generally a (potentially 
  dangerous) nuisance. 
   
  Strom spent his teenage years ensconced 
  in various schools of fighting, scoffing at 
  gladiatorial-type combat as “unrealistic”. 
  He has always loved the physicality of a 
  good fight and often found himself 
  outpacing his instructors rapidly. Strom is 
  a master of many common weapons (the 
  sword, the bow, the axe, etc.) and a 
  practitioner of numerous unarmed styles, 
  even several of the more esoteric practices.   
   
  Strom spent his twenties offering to fight 
  as a champion for hefty fees, dominating 
  tournaments, back lot fights and knock-
  down unarmed combats. One particularly 
  memorable fight left him with blood-red 
  eyes when he championed a minor noble 
  against a combat wizard. 
   
  Unfortunately for Strom, his mental 
  capacities are far below his physical 
  prowess. Strom is a trusting soul, and often 
  finds himself parted from his money 
  almost as fast as he earned it. Not one to 
  exact vengeance against swindlers, Strom 
  left a trail of happily enriched nobles, con 
  artists, and tavern keepers. It was no fun 
  fighting those who weren’t anywhere near 
  his martial level and he could always earn  
  
   
  12 
   
   
  more money in another fight. There were always 
  more fights. 
   
  Strom has a tendency to jump in with his fists or 
  swords before spending more than a few seconds 
  to mentally process any situation. He’ll happily 
  defend anyone’s honor, generally without asking 
  if any defense is necessary. He’ll gleefully 
  pummel cut-purses (or suspected cut-purses) and 
  seems to have a less than 50/50 chance at 
  actually doing the right thing.  
   
  With age creeping up on him, he is slowing 
  down, although still most likely the best and 
  most deadly fighter in the room. He has decided 
  that he wants to go out in a blaze of glory, 
  fighting for the right cause, whatever that 
  may be. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: Strom has followed his desire for a 
  glorious cause to a small skirmish between 
  equally small nation states. He has happily 
  signed on for a decent fee with the wrong 
  side. The petty despot who has heard of 
  Strom is delighted to have him fighting on 
  her side and plans to become far more than 
  a petty despot. The woman who has hired 
  Strom is a known  
   
  plotter, murderer and is suspected of 
  treating with dark forces in exchange for 
  greater power. Strom has found himself at 
  an inn where the party is, happily boasting 
  about his glorious cause. 
   
  Two: Strom has been hired by someone 
  the party has clashed with to hunt down 
  the party and kill them all. The party 
  encounters Strom in a tavern while Strom 
  is quite drunk. He is unable to best them 
  but they are unable (or unwilling?) to kill 
  him outright while he is drunk. He is 
  obviously an extraordinary fighter and 
  may provide some insight into the party’s 
  enemies if questioned. When he sobers up, 
  he will profess a mild sense of regret, 
  shrug his shoulders and offer to join the  
   
   
   
  party for the bit in exchange for some loot and 
  the opportunity to “find a good cause to fight 
  for, or something.”  
   
  SASHA ORCSLAYER 
   
  "Any great painter starts with charcoal on 
  scraps before they create masterpieces with 
  paint on canvas. Orcs were my doodles teaching 
  me to become the finest artist of the kill that I am 
  today." 
   
  Sasha Orcslayer: 39, female. 
  Motivation: Head of a multi-nation espionage 
  and military contract-for-hire business. 
  
   
  13 
   
   
  Strength: A skilled assassin who is well 
  connected and very wealthy. 
  Weakness: Hatred of orcs, need to keep the 
  Organization functioning above and beyond  
  personal considerations. 
  Power Rating: 7  
   
  As a young woman craving adventure, Sasha fell 
  in with numerous bands of unsavory characters. 
  Mostly, they caroused and talked about their 
  adventures without actually leaving the pub. 
   
  Sick of the unsavory characters, Sasha took a 
  different direction. She spoke with a number of 
  the watch close to retirement, and found a band 
  of friends who were actually planning on leaving 
  town and attempting something more than 
  falling over from drink. 
   
   
  Several months later, Sasha returned to town 
  bearing new scars, a great deal more experience, 
  and a lasting hatred of orcs.  Of the party she left 
  town with, she would not speak, but none of 
  them were seen again.  
   
  Sasha took the name Orcslayer and spent a good 
  deal of her mid-to-late twenties leading groups 
  small and large against a growing orc threat. She 
  made numerous contacts and friends who were 
  talented killers and highly ranked in 
  governments and mercenary organizations.  
   
  She became known for her prowess on the field 
  of battle, both tactically and strategically. In 
  personal combat she was deadly, showing the 
  hated orcs no quarter and no mercy.  Her 
  appearance, a flame-haired woman wearing 
  studded leather armor and displaying a necklace 
  of orcish ears, immediately caused fear among 
  the enemies who had heard of her. She often 
  went to battle wearing a helm crafted from the 
  skull of a Greater Orc she had killed in single 
  combat.  
   
  Sasha prefers quick combat and stealth when she 
  can employ those tactics, though she will not 
  shun direct action when it is justified. Wielding 
  two specially crafted, foot-long blades called 
  Kynacs, she is a deadly foe. 
   
  As Sasha grew to become a talented warrior, she 
  used her connections to form a loose 
  organization of assassins, spies, and  
   
  mercenaries. She would work only with the best 
  of the best and her reputation grew not only for 
  her skills, but also for her ability to organize 
  disparate professionals into smoothly working 
  groups. 
   
  In her late thirties, Sasha has found herself at the 
  center of a vast network of friends, 
  professionals, and skilled dealers in deception  
   
  and death. She refers to her network only as “the 
  organization” and for the right price she can find 
  the right people for any job, from a simple heist 
  to complex political negotiations backed by 
  espionage and a mid-sized, private army. 
   
  Sasha continues her personal mission against the 
  orcs, occasionally to the detriment of her own 
  well-being or that of the organization.  To date, 
  she has yet to hear any complaints about this, as 
  the orcs are legitimate enemies of most civilized 
  people.  
   
  Sasha and her organization have managed so far 
  to walk the razor’s edge between collecting 
  enemies and remaining valuable resources for all 
  who can afford them. Like most powerful guilds, 
  they perform a service for a fee and try to keep 
  personal and political vendettas out of the 
  equation. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: A somber man dressed in dark greys and 
  browns approaches the party and asks them 
  some fairly specific questions about a recent 
  adventure the party just had. He is apparently 
  unarmed and is calm and businesslike.  
   
  If prompted as to where he has gotten his 
  information or what he’s doing, he’ll reply that 
  he is from an organization that has widespread 
  influence throughout the land. He’ll tell the 
  party that what they have done, and what they 
  may do in the future is directly opposed to a 
  mission his organization is currently 
  undertaking.   
  
   
  14 
   
   
  As everyone here is a professional, his boss has 
  extended a professional courtesy to let the party 
  know they are about to end up in a conflict of 
  interest with his organization. If they continue 
  on the path that they are going (and it can be a 
  mission the party has already agreed to  
  undertake) they may face “serious 
  consequences”.  
   
  These consequences can range from a violent 
  meeting with some organization mercenaries to 
  a hosted meeting with Sasha, in which she may 
  try to dissuade the party – or make them a better 
  offer in their current mission.  
   
  Sasha and the organization can become an 
  ongoing antagonist in your campaign, or end up 
  sponsoring the party to greater and more 
  challenging deeds. 
   
  Two: The party, over several weeks of 
  adventuring, has put together incriminating 
  information about a shadowy organization which 
  seems to have its hands in just about 
  everything from government, to the army, to the 
  college of mages, and thieves guild. They have 
  been given information particularly about Sasha 
  by someone claiming to represent the House of 
  Steel. 
   
  Further, it appears that this organization is going 
  to be instrumental in the assassination of a 
  popular and highly placed noble in a murder for 
  cash scheme. There is a great deal of cash on the 
  line as well as the life of a popular political 
  figure. 
   
  The party will need to decide what to do with 
  this information. Do they approach this “Sasha” 
  who seems to be posing as a diplomat of some 
  sort and is also the one orchestrating this 
  assassination? She is in the area at this time, 
  presumably to oversee the kill. 
   
  It will be up to the party to decide what to do 
  with this information. Should they approach 
  Sasha and let her know that there is information 
  available to anyone which can be pieced 
  together to implicate her and her  
   
   
  organization? Should they let the intended target 
  know about the details of this plot? 
   
  HELLEQUIN ALICHINO 
   
  You have been marked as evil, a stain on the 
  white cloth of this world. You shall be 
  condemned to oblivion and stain this world no 
  more. 
   
  Hellequin Alichino: Ageless and without 
  gender 
  Motivation: Atoning for past evil acts by 
  condemning evil mortals to oblivion. 
  Strength: Great magical abilities, immortal, a 
  strong sense of justice. 
   
  
   
  15 
   
   
  Weakness: If its belief in its own justice is 
  swayed, it will turn aside or possibly against its  
  masters. God forged weapons can harm it. 
  Power Rating: 8 
   
  Hellequin Alichino was once a very bad person. 
  No one knows if Hellequin was born into this 
  world as a man or a woman, or what it did which 
  was so utterly horrible. What is known is that at 
  a point just before its death, it performed some 
  act to partially redeem itself and place its soul 
  nearly in balance. Because of this act, and the 
  immoral and evil life Hellequin lead, its soul 
  was both damned and saved, balanced between 
  the infernal and the good. Its name is whispered 
  in circles of power, often as a warning and with 
  great fear. 
   
  Hellequin Alichino has been granted infernal 
  powers which give it great physical prowess, the 
  ability to travel through alternate planes of 
  existence, and limited prescience. Hellequin can 
  move rapidly through our world, seeming to 
  jump from shadow to shadow. It knows what its 
  targets are planning in a matter of minutes and it 
  is nearly immortal. It cannot be killed by mortal 
  weapons, magical or otherwise. Only those 
  weapons forged by the gods themselves can 
  harm it. 
   
  Hellequin has been given these infernal powers 
  but has been charged by the gods of light to 
  further balance its soul and atone for those evil 
  deeds it committed in life. Once every full moon 
  it is given the name of a mortal who has 
  committed an act grievous enough to bring the 
  notice of the gods. Hellequin will find this 
  mortal and destroy them before the next full 
  moon. Never has it failed at its task.  
   
  Always it appears to this person as a painted 
  fool, androgynous in form and with a slight 
  smile on its lips. It wields a curved, single edged 
  long sword and a whip. The sword is used to 
  destroy its intended target; the whip can knock  
   
  down any barrier. Its cloak is adorned with 
  strange symbols of the infernal language and it 
  carries with it always a silvered apple, one bite 
  of which will reveal the answer to any question.  
   
  Hellequin’s aura flickers rapidly between evil 
  and good, and it is detectable by magic as both. 
   
  It uses these tools to hunt down its victims. It 
  was told that for every evil soul destroyed, its 
  own soul would tip slightly back towards the 
  balance of the good. Given this charge from the 
  gods of good, it chose to believe these words 
  and follows its appointed task with great 
  determination. 
   
  Recently Hellequin has begun to question its 
  charge though. It would seem that something is 
  directing it at mortals who may not be exactly 
  evil, and that it may be balancing its soul back 
  towards darkness with every life taken. 
  Hellequin is concerned with this, as it has no 
  wish to further endanger its immortal soul nor 
  does it wish to commit further evil acts. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: Hellequin has watched the party from afar 
  for some time now. Knowing that they are 
  mortals destined for great things, it has decided 
  to approach them and ask for assistance in 
  unraveling this mystery. Is it truly on the 
  righteous path? If not, who is actually directing 
  it. It will offer what aid it can for the party if 
  they endeavor to help it. As a further hook, it 
  can appear before the party sometime after 
  asking for assistance and reveal to them that one 
  of their members has been targeted. It will agree 
  to hold any actions, breaking its compact with 
  the gods, if the party agrees to investigate further 
  at great risk to them. 
   
  Two: Hellequin has appeared before a priest of 
  light and revealed that this priest is its next  
  
   
  16 
   
   
  target. The priest has one month to prove that 
  he or she is actually a force of good in the 
  world. This priest enlists the party’s help,  
   
  promising great rewards if they can find a way 
  to defeat Hellequin The priest offers 
  information on the possible location of a god- 
  forged weapon. Whether this priest is actually 
  evil or not, the party must discover. They may 
  also find clues to report to Hellequin about its 
  masters and their validity. 
   
  PIRI 
   
  I know we are on the correct path. They who 
  move the world would not set me wrong, and I 
  am with you. Have faith my new found friends, 
  with faith we will succeed! 
   
  Piri: 23, female. 
  Motivation: Piri is on a mission from the gods. 
  Strength: Holy conviction, raw divine magical 
  power 
  Weakness: Blind to anything but her mission, 
  unschooled and gullible. 
  Power Rating: 5 
   
  Life has seemingly never been easy for Piri.  Her 
  name in the local dialect is slang for “little bug,” 
  a name given to her at the age of 5, when she 
  was abandoned in the woods by her family.  
   
  She eked out an existence by begging for food 
  and relying on the help of strangers until at the 
  age of 8, she wandered into a local temple.  She 
  was treated with kindness, given new clothes, 
  and warm, hearty meals. 
   
  She didn’t stay very long however, wandering 
  back into her solitary woodland existence, and 
  emerging every month or two at other small 
  temples, in equally small towns bordering the 
  wild wood. 
   
  She became known to all of the clerics at the 
  local temples for her wandering ways, simple 
  and warm-natured personality, and displays of 
  kindness to others even when they did not treat 
  her kindly at all. Those who dwelled at these 
  temples did their best to educate Piri, 
  and see that she was as healthy as she could be, 
  even though she refused all offers of permanent 
  shelter. 
   
  She learned her letters and, as a teen, began to 
  talk theology with the clerics while staying at 
  the temples for a week or two before vanishing 
  into the woods again. 
   
  To everyone’s amazement, in her late teens she 
  began to show signs of clerical power. She no 
  longer needed to seek the local clerics out for 
  occasional divine healing and began to display a 
  divine aura. 
   
  Piri, for her part, had spent the better part of her 
  life, certainly everything she remembers  
  clearly, either in the woods contemplating the 
  world and her place in it, or at various temples  
  talking with clerics about the gods they had 
  chosen to worship. She developed her own  
  divine theology, worshiping the divine as a 
  whole, rather than individual entities. 
   
  For whatever reason, the gods as a group smiled 
  down on her and granted her clerical abilities 
  similar to other devout practitioners but without 
  the restrictions imposed on them by individual  
   
  
   
  17 
   
   
  gods. Piri combines divine powers freely and 
  seemingly at will.   
   
  Recently, she has begun to spend less time at the 
  temples as she has entered adulthood and has 
  started speaking of a world-changing mission 
  given to her by not a single god, but all of the 
  divine entities as a whole. 
   
  This has many of the clerics at the local temples 
  worried. Either Piri’s grasp on her sanity is 
  slipping or she’s giving more importance to 
  herself and her divine connection than she 
  should be. Or perhaps she knows more than 
  anyone of the individual schools of divinity.  
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: Piri has been led to the party by the gods. 
  She confronts the party with two choices: either 
  they stand with her as the divinely-appointed 
  avatar of the gods in this world, or they stand 
  against her and all of the gods. If the party 
  chooses to accept her word (at least temporarily) 
  she will tell them of a meddling and powerful 
  drake whose interference could spell disaster for 
  the world as a whole. If they ignore her or 
  openly taunt her, she will frown and walk away. 
  Shortly after the party slights Piri, any of the 
  clerics in the party will begin to lose their divine 
  powers and other divine spell casters will no 
  longer be able to heal the party  
  or aid them magically. This will continue until 
  they find Piri and accept her at her word. 
   
  Two: Worried that a young and influential  
  mind is being used by evil forces, a multi-faith 
  group of clerics from various wilderness 
  settlements and small towns are looking for 
  some hardened souls to approach a wild cleric. 
  The party is asked to step into the wilderness  
   
  and make contact with Piri, and then to discern 
  if she is being used by the truly divine or the 
  agents of chaos and evil. The group of clerics 
  are of the opinion that she is perhaps mentally ill 
  and an easy target. Can Piri convince the party  
  that she truly does have a mission from the 
  gods?  
   
  BLAUS 
   
  I find the greater demons to be the prettiest. 
  They glow like no others and will get me apples 
  when I ask them too. I do love apples. Would 
  you like an apple? 
   
  Blaus: 42, female. 
  Motivation: Obsessed with the technical aspects 
  of summoning. Savant-like powers. 
  Strength: Extremely strong willpower, able to 
  summon vastly powerful beings. 
  Weakness: Easily exploited for simple rewards, 
  no concepts of good or evil. 
  Power Rating: 6 
   
  From a very young age, Blaus was different. She 
  did not enjoy interacting with other children, 
  seemed emotionally detached, and displayed a 
  great deal of intelligence. The third child of a 
  very well-to-do prince in a major noble house, 
  Blaus never wanted for anything but was 
  marginalized by both her parents and her peers. 
   
  Turning inwards and to books for comfort, Blaus 
  learned to read by the age of four. At ten she had 
  devoured all of the books available to her in her 
  parent’s library and was eagerly searching for 
  other sources. 
   
  When her father subdued and captured a vile 
  necromancer, she took it on herself to sneak into 
  the secured loot and managed to spirit  
  away several books. One of these books was a 
  treatise by the dark mage on the art of 
  summoning. 
   
  Blaus studied this book for years, drawing 
  connections that its former owner and author 
  failed to make. Often closeted in her room for 
  days at a time, she would cover sheets of 
  parchment with odd charcoal drawings in a 
  symbolical language thought long forgotten. The 
  necromancer, long since executed, was thought 
  to be the last to be able to read it. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  18 
   
  At the age of 15, Blaus’ parents were 
  overthrown in a near-bloodless coup by cousins 
  of the family. Blaus was not deemed a threat  
  and was moved with a staff of several servants 
  to a country estate far removed from the 
  intrigues of court. There, she grieved for a time 
  over the loss of her parents and the changes 
  forced on her.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  After several months of grieving, Blaus seemed 
  to return to something of her normal self. Soon, 
  she was again immersed in her books, but this 
  time she was also creating, filling page after 
  page with esoteric writings and strange circles 
  filled with odd patterns. 
   
  Before her 17th birthday, the servants that had 
  been assigned to her had either abandoned her 
  outright or travelled back to the city of her birth 
  demanding to be reassigned. Tales of a haunted 
  manor and strange beasts began to circulate. 
   
  A visit by one of Blaus’ noble cousins showed 
  the girl to be in good health, well fed, and 
  seemingly oblivious to the departure of her  
  servants. She claimed she was well off and 
  could be left well alone.  
   
  Blaus spent the next two and a half decades  
  perfecting the magical art of summoning, while 
  she faded from the memory of her remaining  
  family. Her needs were met by the simple  
  expedient of ordering summoned creatures to 
  provide for her and the manor took on the status 
  of an abandoned building with an ominous air 
  about it. 
   
  With her detachment from emotional ties, 
  seemingly fearless demeanor, and keen 
  intelligence, she found that she could easily 
  dominate  any non-magical creature she 
  summoned. 
   
   
   
  
   
  19 
   
   
  Blaus finds her magical practices to be soothing 
  and is quite masterful at the construction of 
  circles and wards. She does not see any conflict 
  in summoning and then dominating creatures 
  with her will. Most creatures are released within 
  a short time as she grows bored with them, and 
  none have come to harm at her hand. Indeed, 
  among the supernatural circles, even those 
  beings that are starkly evil look on Blaus with 
  something akin to mild humor. 
   
  Blaus, being content with her beasts, demons, 
  and less angelic beings, feels no need for the 
  company of other people. While she would not 
  shun other mortals who seek her out, she will 
  also not engage them in any meaningful way, 
  and most leave after a day or two. She does not 
  like to practice her art in front of other people 
  and will instruct her summoned and dominated 
  ‘friends’ to stay clear of any guests.   
   
  She may be amenable to certain suggestions 
  however, particularly the promise of summoning 
  lore that is unfamiliar to her. She cannot read 
  others well enough to spot a potential con or 
  recognize those who do not have her best 
  interest at heart. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: A recent spate of demonic incidents in 
  several small villages seems to be spreading into 
  nearby towns and cities. The party is asked to 
  investigate. What they find indicates that 
  something evil is happening (although it’s 
  impossible to say if it’s demonic or not). 
  Checking the rumor mill will turn up stories of a  
   
   
   
   
   
  creepy, abandoned manor house where strange 
  lights and noises have been reported recently.  
   
  Blaus is of course a summoner, but she is not 
  responsible for the incidents. Further 
  investigation by the party will lead them to 
  Eowyth’s door.  
   
  Two: A group of infernal beings has decided 
  that Blaus’ ability to summon and then dominate 
  those of their ilk has gone too far and she must 
  be removed from the mortal world. It has less to 
  do with prejudice or hatred and more to do with 
  bureaucracy. They cannot go about their infernal 
  business with members of their organization 
  suddenly being called to a lonely manor house 
  on the material plane.  
   
  To this end, they are looking for agents in the 
  mortal world willing to work on a contractual 
  basis. They will not reveal themselves 
  immediately to be infernal agents, preferring to 
  keep that knowledge from the contracted parties 
  forever if possible. They will specify that Blaus 
  be killed in the quickest manner possible and, if 
  pressed, may let the party know that Blaus’ own 
  summoned beings, if pressed, may know 
  something of this plot and let her know that the 
  party, or someone like them, are on their way. 
   
  RAYMOND 
   
  It was such a beautiful candelabra. All gold, 
  with rubies the size of robin’s eggs, ah! That’s 
  all I wanted, a bit of scratch when I fenced it 
  and a chance to relax for a few weeks. I never  
  meant to become a hunted man, or to have to 
  save a kingdom. This sucks! 
  
   
  20 
   
   
   
   
  Raymond: 22, male.  
  Motivation: Looking for the next big score and 
  enough money to live like a king. 
  Strength: Extremely talented thief, charming. 
  Weakness: Unable to resist an easy score, 
  tendency to get in over his head, has a 
  conscience. 
  Power Rating: 5 
   
  Sitting in his fourth story bedroom, Raymond 
  would often while away the hours as a young 
  boy watching the street urchins tussle back and 
  forth in a complicated ball game, and live what 
  seemed to be a life free of care. 
   
  The second son of a noble house, Raymond’s 
  life was far from carefree as he imagined life on 
  the streets would be. He was constantly being 
  tutored in various subjects or dragged bodily to 
  court to witness hour after hour of exhausting 
  and boring exchanges between farmers in 
  dispute.  
   
  Raymond was not allowed to associate with his 
  inferiors and after several attempts to run away 
  was put under the guard of an older military 
  sergeant who was winding down into his 
  twilight years. 
   
  Through strict but fair discipline, along with a 
  genuinely caring nature, the childless sergeant 
  and Raymond came to trust each other closely. 
  Raymond also learned a great deal about respect 
  for his new father figure and promised not to 
  attempt any more escapes. 
   
  In exchange for this promise, the old sergeant 
  began to train Raymond in the arts of war. 
  Raymond truly enjoyed weapons play, although 
  he found the historical and tactical side of 
  warfare utterly boring.  Capitalizing on the boy’s 
  physical skill, the sergeant began bringing in old 
  friends to train Raymond further.  
   
   
  Raymond became an excellent fencer and also 
  began to study tumbling and acrobatics. 
   
  Shortly after his fifteenth birthday, the year 
  before his majority, Raymond lost his one real 
  friend and the only adult who had earned his 
  respect. The sergeant suddenly fell ill and passed 
  away. His parents, who had focused the majority 
  of their attention on Raymond’s elder brother 
  and didn’t quite know what to do with the young 
  man that they feared would run amok again, 
  placed him under what amounted to house 
  arrest. 
   
   
  
   
  21 
   
   
  At his first chance, Raymond fled from his 
  parents, rappelled down the keep walls in 
  darkness, and ran with all his might until his old 
  life was far behind him.  
   
  He found life on the streets to be far from the 
  carefree existence he had imagined when he was 
  a boy. Falling in with a crowd of petty thieves 
  and con artists, Raymond learned the politics of 
  the street while honing his skills as a thief. 
   
  Before his 20th birthday, he had become a 
  master thief, planning and executing complex 
  heists while using his physical prowess to his 
  best advantage. He had earned himself a 
  reputation as someone who could get nearly 
  anything out of nearly anywhere. His reputation 
  had also earned him a hefty bounty on his head, 
  should anyone turn him over to the king’s guard. 
   
  He was amassing a small fortune from objects 
  he had fenced and commissions he had taken 
  when he let his greed get the best of him.  
   
  Scoping out a minor government official’s 
  house, Raymond found a pair of candelabras he 
  particularly envied. Planning the heist was  
  second nature to him. He found himself in the 
  well-appointed dining room as he had planned.  
   
  What Raymond failed to uncover about this 
  particular official, however, was that he was 
  involved in a plot with several highly-placed 
  people who were planning on overthrowing the 
  king and placing a new ruler on the throne.  
   
  Raymond crouched tensely as he listened to the 
  plotting occurring in the room next to him. At 
  the point where he learned who was to 
  overthrow the current kingdom, he decided that 
  he had heard enough. He was making good his 
  exit when the plotters decided to move into the 
  dining room. Spotted at the window, he fled 
  from the shouts of the conspirators who had 
  gotten a good look at him. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Now, Raymond is on the run. He is a wanted 
  man on both sides of the law. He has no desire 
  to see the king overthrown yet he cannot tell the 
  authorities. Who would believe a thief like him? 
  As he struggles with this, he has heard that there 
  is now an even more substantial price on his 
  head offered by those whose plot he had 
  overheard. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: In desperation, Raymond approaches the 
  party looking for help in his seemingly 
  untenable situation. He’s betting that the party 
  has not seen any of the notices offering a reward 
  for him, or that if they have; they are willing to 
  negotiate with him directly. He will offer to 
  either give the party a good sum of cash 
  (obtained by fencing stolen goods) or assist them 
  with a serious heist of their own in return for 
  them approaching the king’s people with 
  information about the plot. Raymond has also 
  heard curious rumors about a place far in the 
  wilderness where he may be able to shelter for a 
  time and which may be of interest to the party. 
  He will use this place as a bargaining piece.  
   
  Two: The party has found themselves arrested 
  on (possibly trumped up) charges of inciting a  
  riot after they were involved in a good old 
  fashioned bar brawl. They are surrounded by 
  heavily armed guards and court magicians, and 
  then are jailed.  
   
  Once incarcerated, they are approached by a 
  representative of several highly placed 
  individuals who feel it would be in the party’s 
  best interested to hunt down and kill a wanted 
  master thief named Raymond. They will not 
  only forgive any charges placed against the party 
  for their arrest but will also allow the party to 
  collect the substantial reward for Raymond’s 
  death.   
   
  If the party fails to comply, they are then 
  threatened with charges of murder should 
  several of the patrons who were injured in the 
  bar brawl find themselves dead the next 
  morning. 
   
   
  
   
  22 
   
   
  The only lead the party is given is that Raymond 
  seems to have fallen in with some sort of 
  murderous woman known only as Sweena. 
   
  TILDON THE WAY KEEPER 
   
  Brother Troll, please! You must realize that this 
  is not The Way! Violence cannot sustain life! Put 
  down your club and… no, no! Put down your 
  club! PUT DOWN YOUR CLUB! 
   
  Tildon: Male, 30. 
  Motivation: Tildon wishes to do nothing 
  short of eradicating all violence in the 
  world. 
  Strength: Extremely dexterous and 
  very hard to hit. 
  Weakness: Blinded by belief. 
  Power Rating: 4 
   
  Tildon had spent the bulk 
  of his life as a performer, 
  traveling the world with 
  a small troupe and 
  performing as an 
  acrobat, tumbler, and 
  sleight of hand artist.  
  He became quite good 
  and moved on to more 
  challenging feats such as 
  tight rope walking, 
  plucking burning 
  arrows out of the air, 
  and other tricks.  
   
  His reputation began to build as he drew closer 
  to his third decade. People of note began to 
  invite his troupe to their cities to see Tildon 
  perform. It seemed that his star was rising until, 
  one evening after a particularly intense show, 
  Tildon lost his temper and berated a fellow 
  performer. The man charged with shooting the 
  flaming arrow had done so after having a few 
  drinks and nearly killed Tildon in the process. In 
  a state of rage, Tildon struck him, knocking him  
  to the floor and stormed off to his suite to retire 
  for the evening. 
   
   
   
  When Tildon appeared the next morning before 
  his troupe, his first act was to hug the man he 
  had struck the night before 
  and beg for 
  forgiveness.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  He then told his bewildered troupe that he had 
  been visited by a godlike being that had spent 
  most of the night explaining The Way to Tildon. 
   
  The Way boils down to a simple directive – 
  cause as little harm as possible and never 
  deliberately cause violence. All others in this 
  world are brothers and sisters of The Way, and 
  must be brought to believe as Tildon does. 
   
  Tildon claimed he was appointed the Way 
  Keeper by this being and charged with going out 
  into the wider world and spreading The Way 
  among those who needed to hear about it the 
  most – mainly adventurers and the evil beings 
  that they tended to encounter. 
   
  
   
  23 
   
   
  Tildon then attempted to convert everyone in the 
  inn to The Way, rather unsuccessfully. Tildon, 
  while he does have an air of a man with a 
  mission, is not the best of speakers and he is 
  blinded by his need to spread The Way. He does 
  not do well picking up on emotional cues. 
   
  With his background in tumbling and feats of 
  dexterity, Tildon is an extremely mobile and 
  hard to hit individual. He uses this to his 
  advantage while preaching The Way even to 
  those who are actively trying to murder him. He 
  has exhausted a number of opponents in this 
  way but gained exactly one follower in doing so. 
  Tildon has yet to be seriously injured although 
  he has had to run for his life when even he sees 
  that there will be no conversions with certain 
  opponents. 
   
  Tildon has spent several years wandering the 
  world, spreading The Way as far and wide as he 
  can. His conviction in The Way remains  
  strong. Unfortunately for Tildon, he has not seen 
  the rapid growth and acceptance of The Way 
  that he initially anticipated. He has several 
  disciples who’ve all left him to spread the word  
  on their own, but he estimates the followers of 
  The Way at roughly eight people.   
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: Tildon has managed to acquire a new 
  disciple. Moura is a young woman out to see the 
  world who’s listened to Tildon’s preaching and 
  been swayed to The Way. Just as she was 
  beginning to learn the finer points, Tildon took it 
  upon himself to spread The Way to a small 
  goblin enclave.  
   
  Try as he might to speak and dodge, he was 
  eventually captured and clubbed to 
  unconsciousness. Moura does not know if 
  Tildon is alive or dead, but she will do nearly 
  anything to convince the party to save her new 
  mentor.  
   
   
   
   
   
  If the party is successful, surely this will earn 
  them the gratitude and companionship of Tildon.  
   
  Two: The party has stumbled upon the strangest 
  sight they may ever have found. While walking 
  down the road, they are approached by a young 
  boy, about six years old. He is wearing sturdy 
  but old clothing, a bit worse for wear. He asks 
  the party if they have any food and then tells 
  them that they should not fight, even if someone 
  else started it.  
   
  If the party asks what a six year old boy is doing 
  on the road by himself, he will spin them a story 
  of Uncle Tildon, who saved all of his sisters and 
  brothers from the horrible sins of violence. His 
  name is Miktal.  
   
  Tildon had stopped by a large orphanage at the 
  outskirts of a good sized city, in hopes of  
   
  preaching The Way to the children. As he 
  observed the daily routines, he noticed that a 
  number of the workers were unkempt and 
  unfriendly. Worse, they relied on corporal 
  punishment to discipline the children. Tildon  
  became extremely vocal, and threatened holy 
  redemption if the guilty workers did not vacate 
  the premises immediately.  In the chaos, Tildon 
  gathered together twenty children and marched 
  them out of the orphanage. 
   
  He has spent the past week doing his best to feed 
  and care for the children, and slowly realizing 
  that his actions, although justified, were not 
  thought through as well as could be.  He will 
  implore the party for help with the children and 
  promise them his eternal gratitude and private 
  tutoring in The Way. 
   
  SWEENA 
   
  Why do these men stare at me so? And the 
  women too? Is it not normal to eat after 
  bathing? Why are there two of these forks and 
  only a dull knife? Clothing? Oh, if you insist…. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  24 
   
   
  Sweena: 7,214, female ex-immortal. 
  Motivation: Learn to experience life as a mortal 
  so she can return to the immortal realm. 
  Strength: Talented warrior, knowledgeable 
  about the gods and other realms. 
  Weakness: No tact, tends to forget she 
  is mortal. 
  Power Rating: 6 
   
  The Markinot inhabit the lesser 
  stories of an ancient mythology. 
  Known mostly to scholars and mages 
  they are known as the shepherds of the 
  gods. Charged with escorting the souls of 
  the departed to the immortal realm, and then  
  back to the mortal realm when they are ready for 
  rebirth. 
   
  Like many mythologies, there are truths behind 
  the stories. In the case of the Markinot, every 
  single word is true. Dictated to an ancient mage 
  by a minor godling, the ancient scholarly words 
  found their way into mythology. 
   
  Sweena claims to be of the Markinot and she 
  will tell her tale to any who will listen. As she 
  says it, she has served millennia as a Markinot, 
  ushering souls and doing the bidding of the 
  gods. In the very recent past however, she was 
  expelled from the heavenly realm. 
   
  Mack was a well-muscled, intelligent warrior-
  priest who died defending his temple from 
  onrushing, barely sentient beasts of darkness. 
  Sweena escorted Mack’s soul to the heavenly 
  realm and spent some time discussing with 
  Mack his philosophies on life, the afterlife, and 
  the meaning of the Universe as a whole. 
   
  Sweena, breaking all heavenly accords, fell 
  madly in love with Mack. They spent centuries 
  together until it was time for Mack’s soul to 
  return to the world of living. Sweena was 
  distraught. She swore that they would not lose 
  each other, and with Mack’s consent, they stole 
  away to the mortal realm together. 
   
  When her father heard of this, he was  
  horrified. Begging the powers from the gods 
  themselves, he located Sweena and Mack and  
   
   
   
   
   
  returned them to the heavenly realm. Mack 
  followed the path of nature and was reborn.  
  Sweena, for her transgressions, was exiled to the 
  mortal realms for twenty years as a mortal. She 
  is to live, or die, as mortals do. Should she 
  survive her twenty year exile, she will be 
  allowed to return to the ranks of the Markinot.  
   
  Sweena has vowed to find Mack in the mortal 
  realms if she can, although he would be two 
  years old at this time. She has travelled a small 
  portion of the world seeking, relying on her skill 
  with the bow and her immortal luck for survival.  
   
  Sweena is newly acquainted with nearly 
  everything of the mortal realm, as experienced 
  by a mortal: pain, sorrow, joy, hunger, and near 
  exhaustion. She has had to learn how to deal 
  with these in a very short time, with love being 
  the only emotion she had prior knowledge of.  
  
   
  25 
   
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The party is approached by a desperate 
  innkeeper. It seems that there is a woman who is 
  consistently drinking the other patrons under the 
  table, taking their money in various games of 
  chance and on one occasion, pummeling two 
  brawny men into unconsciousness. She’s also 
  looking for “adventure worthy of my prowess 
  and ability”. 
   
  The more the party brushes the innkeeper off, 
  the stranger the details get. She’s a dead shot 
  with a bow, but didn’t know you had to cook 
  chicken before eating it. These odd details will 
  culminate in a story of this strange woman 
  claiming to be an immortal servant of the gods, 
  just before she passed out on moonshine. 
   
  This woman has plenty of gold, from her 
  winnings at dice and cards, but the innkeeper is 
  slowly losing business as the “mad woman” is 
  driving people out of his inn. He’s almost as 
  eager to find a worthy adventure as Sweena is.  
   
  Two: The party is approached by a strange 
  being, calling itself Hellequin Alichino. They 
  are told that there is a godling cast down 
  amongst mortals and the party is charged with 
  locating her and occupying her until Hellequin 
  can “Speak with her”.   
   
  ENCOUNTERS 
  TADALIOUS THE DRAKE 
   
  Type: Ancient dragon. 
  Size: Massive 
  Motivation: Knowledge, boredom.  
  Strength:  Magical, physically strong, 
  intelligent. 
  Weaknesses: Tunnel vision, inability to accept 
  failure. 
  Power Rating: 8 
   
  Tadalious is an ancient dragon who has taken a 
  keen interest in the living history of the races.  
   
  He has decided that these mortals that are 
  constantly buzzing and humming about the  
   
  world around him will make extremely 
  interesting subjects to study. Compared to him, 
  they have very short lifespans, go through 
  generations rapidly, yet have failed to exhibit 
  much in the way of evolving. 
   
  Tadalious has spent many human generations 
  wearing the faces of various people he has 
  created in order to move the populations of 
  several surrounding city states to, in his words, 
  “a higher existence, in which the arts feature 
  more than war and fornication”.  
   
  He has been both frustrated and entranced with 
  the fact that, through all of his dealings, political 
  machinations, and magical nudging, the three 
  city states have not only failed to evolve a 
  population of higher beings, but have been in a 
  near constant state of political strife with each 
  other and their other neighbors. 
   
  He will only fight as a last resort, but if drawn  
  into battle, is a deadly foe. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: Tadalious has decided that the only way to 
  move forward with his experiment is to remove 
  the entrenched leadership of the three city states. 
  He has chosen the party as his agents to dispose 
  of one ruling family, whether they wish to do 
  this or not. 
   
  Tadalious will first approach them wearing a 
  human face, and offer them a good deal of 
  money, magical items, or other appropriate 
  treasure, as well as support getting into and out 
  of the city unseen. 
   
  If the party does not want to partake in an 
  assassination, he will back off, and then 
  approach them in his true form. He will tell them 
  that the same reward stands, but that they no 
  longer have a choice in the matter.  
   
  The party has two weeks and a purse of gold to 
  explore the city, determine the political and 
  social lay of the land and then they must contact 
  Tadalious and give him a date where the 
  assassination will happen. 
   
  
   
  26 
   
  The party will be left to wrestle with any moral, 
  political and societal fallout. 
   
  Tadalious will listen to any political or 
  philosophical reasoning, and may even be 
  convinced to alter his strategy if the arguments 
  are well laid out and ring true.  
   
  He will not take kindly to the party attempting to 
  disappear or find some other way to accomplish 
  the mission.  
   
  Two: After months of cattle 
  going missing and sheep 
  vanishing from their flocks, 
  the king of the realm has 
  been convinced that the 
  kingdom has a dragon 
  problem. The party, with the 
  reputation that they have 
  earned, has been contacted 
  and offered a job of, first, 
  tracking down the potential 
  dragon and, second, 
  eliminating the problem.  
   
  The dragon in question has 
  been attracted to this 
  particular city for several 
  reasons. The leaders are ripe 
  to topple in a bloody coupe, 
  which will have 
  ramifications for several 
  outlying towns. In addition 
  to this, there appears to be 
  some strange, magical 
  activity occurring which has 
  something to do with the 
  realm of the Faerie.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  AARTAAQUENTA 
   
  Type: Mermaid. 
  Size: Medium (Human size). 
  Motivation: Curiosity, sense of justice. 
  Strength:  Can breathe underwater, strong 
  swimmer. 
  Weaknesses: Not strong or experienced with 
  combat or humans. 
  Power Rating: (Aartaaquenta) 1 (Merpeople 
  Kingdom) 7 
   
  
   
  27 
   
  Aartaaquenta is a young mermaid whose 
  underwater city is located fairly close to a large  
  and busy port. As with most of her kind, she’s  
  intelligent and curious, particularly about the 
  surface dwellers who are forced to live out their 
  lives outside of the Merpeople’s fluid world. 
  Though she cannot speak with the air breathers, 
  she is fascinated with their daily activities. 
   
  Aartaaquenta’s curiosity has led her to closely 
  observe those people who spend a good amount 
  of time at the docks, which, unfortunately for 
  her, not only include dock workers, but a party  
  of young nobles who’ve taken to hanging around 
  with a rougher crowd. 
   
   
   
  This group of young nobles started 
  taunting the young mermaid, 
  making rude gestures and throwing 
  rotten trash at her. Being the 
  strong-willed soul that 
  Aartaaquenta is, this did not stop 
  her in her study of other air-
  breathers, whose reactions ranged 
  from amazed stares to completely 
  ignoring her. 
   
  Returning to her underwater home 
  with tales of taunting, the 
  Merpeople have taken keen notice 
  of the treatment of one of their 
  daughters by the air-dwellers and 
  they are not pleased. A tacit 
  agreement had been in effect for 
  hundreds of years prior, where the 
  surface dwellers and the ocean 
  dwellers would meet occasionally 
  to trade, but mostly left each other 
  to their own devices. This 
  agreement is not in dire jeopardy. 
   
  The Merpeople are considering 
  declaring war on the air-dwellers 
  because of the ill treatment of one 
  of their own.  
   
  Aartaaquenta is aware of this, and 
  is also aware that it is just a very 
  small group of individuals causing 
  all of these problems. She’s attempted to reason 
  with her people to no avail. All attempts to 
  reason with the group of noble toughs have also 
  come to nothing more than Aartaaquenta having 
  to flee before becoming injured by them. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: Aartaaquenta, in an act of desperation, has 
  identified the party as a group of outsiders, not 
  involved in the current political situations. She 
  will do her best to attempt communication with 
  the party by any means she has. If she can 
  convince them to talk with her, she will explain 
  the situation as best she can and ask that the 
  party help her by intervening on her behalf with 
  the air-breathers.  
   
  
   
  28 
   
   
  Two: The party is approached by the youngest 
  son of a local duke. It seems that he and his 
  companions are being harassed by a group of 
  vicious Merpeople, bent on ruining a long 
  standing agreement of non-violence between the 
  races. There is a substantial reward 
  offered if the party can capture their 
  leader, a young rogue mermaid who’s 
  been seen about the docks 
  sabotaging trade. 
   
  It appears that these Merpeople 
  have gone so far as to slash fishing 
  nets, and capsize a fishing boat. This 
  kind of nautical terrorism cannot be 
  tolerated. The young man has also 
  heard stories of some strange fish 
  creature which must be in league with 
  the Merpeople.  
    
  GNUMA 
   
  Type: Creature (Magical 
  Insect) 
  Size: Tiny 
  Motivation: Instinct 
  Strength: Numbers, poison 
  Weaknesses: Size, lack of intelligence 
  Power Level: 2 
   
  Gnuma are very small, humanoid looking 
  insects.  They have been found in just 
  about any location provided that it is 
  fairly dry and that there is a nearby clay 
  deposit. They have a stinging bite which 
  simultaneously removes a small circle 
  of skin and tissue, while injecting a 
  mild toxin. 
   
  Gnuma are not intelligent by any 
  normal standards.  They do not have 
  any language nor do they appear to have 
  much interest in the goings on of other 
  creatures, with one exception. 
   
  They feed primarily on clay deposits, from 
  which they obtain nutrients and then 
  regurgitate a moist, extremely sticky 
  substance that is part clay and part  
   
  mucous. They then take this substance and use it 
  to create fantastically elaborate cities in 
  miniature. 
   
  These miniature cities, often encompassing areas 
  as large as forty feet square, are always 
  models of nearby cities, in minute 
  detail. Every shop, house, palace, 
  bridge, and fortress will be 
  replicated in tiny scale.  
   
  If objects such as carts, barrels, or 
  boxes are left in the city for more 
  than a few days, they will appear 
  within the tiny reproduction.  Once 
  removed from the actual city, they will 
  soon be removed by Gnuma in their 
  reproduction as well. 
   
  The Gnuma appear to live in these minute 
  cities, sending out pods of up to 300 
  individuals to collect clay for food and 
  scout through the city they are 
  modeling.  The clay is never stored but 
  always consumed as soon as it is 
  returned to their tiny cities. 
   
  These tiny cities have actually been used 
  by city officials, military commanders and 
  other interested parties as they are nearly 
  always accurate and completely to scale.   
   
  Gnuma will pay no attention to any 
  other creatures around them and will 
  tolerate individuals being killed 
  without noticing. 
   
  If their cities or a large number of 
  Gnuma are threatened they will 
  swarm and attack whatever it is 
  that is threatening their lives and 
  their cities in miniature.   
   
  Gnuma swarms are not to be trifled 
  with. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: While looking to infiltrate a 
  hardened city, the party is asked to 
  eliminate a dangerous pest from an  
  
   
  29 
   
   
  isolated building.  On encountering the Gnuma, 
  they realize that the city is mapped out in front 
  of them allowing them to plan their infiltration.  
  Do they still follow through with eliminating the 
  little creatures?   
   
  Two: Hired as advanced scouts for a large 
  invasion force, the party stumbles on the 
  command group for the opposing army, who 
  themselves have stumbled on a Gnuma 
  infestation. They are using the infestation to 
  coordinate their defenses and plug any gaps in 
  the physical structure of the city.  They have left 
  powerful guardians at the Gnuma infestation to 
  prevent it being tampered with. 
   
  DEATH KNIGHT 
   
  Type: Supernatural creature. 
  Size: Medium (human 
  sized). 
  Motivation: 
  Compulsion. 
  Strength:  Undead, can 
  choose to be in 
  incorporeal, physically 
  strong. 
  Weaknesses: Limited 
  communication with 
  others, tied to one 
  physical area. 
  Power Rating: 1. 
   
  Old tales speak of Death 
  knights – the souls of 
  dead soldiers who have 
  left an unrequited love 
  behind. Death knights 
  come into existence 
  when skilled fighters 
  who are passionate 
  about their cause are 
  killed in battle. Passion 
  for their cause is not 
  what creates a 
  Deathknight however, 
  they must also be passionate about another 
  person for whom they  
   
   
  have neither time nor occasion to reveal their 
  feelings.  
   
  When these warriors are killed in battle, if their 
  passion is of sufficient strength, a form of ghost 
  may be created – a Death knight.  
   
  Stories tell of the Death knights roaming the site 
  of their death, taking vengeance on any of the 
  living who are fortunate enough to have found 
  their true love. 
   
  It is well known that a battle was fought long 
  ago near the party's current location. What isn’t 
  known is why, suddenly, tales of a Deathknight 
  are wildly circulating, eclipsing all of the local 
  gossip and causing fear throughout the 
  population. 
   
  A call has gone out from the mayor – someone 
  must investigate this deadly 
  spirit and eliminate it. 
  Preferably not anyone 
  actually associated with the 
  town. A bounty is put on the 
  Death knight’s demise and 
  it is enough to interest even 
  a group of rough and ready 
  wanderers like the players. 
   
  Unknown to the mayor and 
  the party, something evil 
  has taken root in the forest – 
  a ravaging band of goblins 
  (or other suitable  
   
  creatures) have decided that 
  the wilderness is near 
  enough to the town to make 
  easy pickings of its 
  inhabitants, while offering 
  enough cover from any 
  serious conflict. 
   
  It is true that a Deathknight 
  has appeared in the area, but 
  contrary to popular stories, Death Knights, while 
  they may be ghostly undead, exist to protect 
  those who still have a chance at true love. The 
  goblins are enough of a threat to all of the young  
  
   
  30 
   
   
  lovers in the town, who are prone to wander off 
  together into the woods. This threat has 
  awakened the Death knight, which has tried its 
  best to warn the townsfolk, or at least ward them 
  off from the woods. 
   
  The Deathknight cannot speak, and cannot leave 
  the woods nearby the town, where the battle was 
  once fought. Fortunately its territory is near 
  enough to the goblins that an astute adventurer 
  would notice signs of their grubby camp. The 
  Deathknight will do its best to lead the party to 
  the goblin camp, not for an ambush, but to 
  finally see what has awakened it from its eternal 
  slumber. 
   
  Once the goblins are vanquished, 
  the Death knight will return to the 
  peace of its rest and bother the 
  townsfolk no more. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The goblins, in addition to 
  their joy in looting and pillaging, 
  are nearby for another  
   
  purpose. A few months prior to 
  their arrival, a disturbed man 
  wandered into their village 
  alone, spouting nonsense about 
  “the way”. Deemed utterly 
  insane, he was actually allowed 
  to stay as a form of mild 
  entertainment for the tribe. 
   
  One night this man named Tildon 
  vanished, and took with him the 
  goblin chieftain’s eldest son, who 
  apparently began to believe the 
  insane man. The entire tribe was in 
  a frenzy, and are now on a quest 
  for vengeance. They can be 
  convinced to leave without a 
  fight, if the party swears to 
  capture this Tildon and return him 
  to the goblins. 
   
  Two: If the party agrees to investigate 
  the appearance of the Death Knight, they  
   
  will find themselves under investigation as well. 
  Being that they are all adventurers of some 
  caliber, the Death Knight has yet to determine if 
  they pose a threat to the town. It will keep a 
  close eye on them, watch how they deal with the 
  goblins, the townsfolk, and any others. 
   
  If they are seen as a threat, or would attempt to 
  bargain with the goblins rather than removing 
  them outright through combat or forcing them to 
  leave, the Death Knight may consider the party 
  itself hostile to the town’s interest. 
   
  MAD GHOST 
   
  Type: Ghost. 
  Size: Medium (human 
  sized). 
  Motivation: Extreme 
  anger and good wine. 
  Strength:  Scary, 
  incorporeal. 
   
  Weaknesses: Cannot 
  directly touch the 
  physical world. 
  Power Rating: 1 
   
  The Cask and Wagon 
  is a popular watering 
  hole for merchants and 
  adventurers. It is 
  upscale enough to 
  avoid the worst of 
  bar brawling and 
  cut-purses, but cheap 
  enough that drink and a 
  room can be had 
  without impacting much 
  of a profit. 
   
  It is strange then, that 
  the inn is mostly 
  deserted, even just past 
  sundown. Only the 
  innkeeper and a few 
  desultory staff are present, along 
  with an old gaffer quietly 
  snoring near the fireplace. 
  
   
  31 
   
   
  On inquiring about the lack of customers, the 
  innkeeper will confide (without any prompting) 
  that his poor inn has fallen under a terrible curse. 
  An awful and malignant spirit is haunting the 
  store rooms and has driven away most of his 
  help and all of his customers. 
   
  This angry spirit only manifests after dark, but 
  has been reported to do things like knock over 
  patron’s mugs of ale, remove the taps from ale 
  kegs, slam doors, breaks bottles, and 
  occasionally appears as an older man with white 
  hair, who is screaming something unintelligible. 
   
  The innkeeper is offering a hefty reward for 
  anyone brave enough to stay the night, and 
  somehow rid him of this ghostly menace. 
   
  After everyone clears out of the inn before 
  sunset, there is a definite air of menace. As if on 
  cue, just as the sun is setting, strange noises are 
  heard, a few windows rattle, and a moan can be 
  heard coming from the root cellar below the inn. 
   
  If any party members venture into the cellar, 
  they will encounter a ghostly looking elderly 
  man with greying hair. He’s standing over a 
  particular cask of wine, amidst a large number of 
  other casks, and appears to be saying “Thieves!” 
  over and over again. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: If engaged in conversation, the ghostly 
  man will yell and scream about thieves taking 
  his wine. He can be calmed down by entering 
  any discussion about the merits of good wine. If 
  this is done, he will explain to the party that the 
  wine in the particular cask he is haunting was his 
  favorite, and was stolen from his estate shortly 
  after he died by an unscrupulous innkeeper.  
   
  He will state the only way he will depart this inn 
  in peace, is if the entire cask (worth a good deal 
  of money) is poured out over his grave. 
   
  Two: Ghosts are tortured souls who inhabit an 
  area of the physical world they are either very 
  familiar with, or is the scene of their death.  
   
   
   
  Almost by definition ghosts are not sane, 
  trapped between the living world and the realm 
  of the dead. 
   
  Almost unheard of, but certain to unhinge these 
  wretched souls even further, is to rip them from 
  their worldly base and force them to inhabit an 
  unfamiliar haunt. The poor soul in  
  this bar was inadvertently displaced, and will 
  eventually lament this to any who take the time 
  to weather his rage and then talk with him. He 
  will spin a disjointed and sad tale of his death, 
  and his being ripped from his ancestral home by 
  an evil woman known as Eowyth.  
   
  GROHN 
   
  Type: Insectoid 
  Size: Small (35 lbs.) 
  Motivation: As a race, seeking to expand their 
  contact with the outside world. 
  Strength:  Highly organized, very hardy, 
  intelligent, telepathic. 
  Weaknesses: Look like giant bugs, enjoy eating 
  rotting meat and fungus. 
  Power Rating: 2 (individual) 8 (race). 
   
  The Grohn are a race of peaceful, hardworking 
  entities that thrive on commerce, manufacturing 
  and intellectual pursuits. In their home plane, 
  they are organized into loose city-states of 
  roughly 1 million individuals. These cities 
  occupy massive underground structures built by 
  generations of Grohn. 
   
  The Grohn share their genetic heritage with 
  hive-based insects. They developed a form of 
  limited telepathy allowing them to communicate 
  with other Grohn in a one mile radius silently 
  and instantly. They also have a rigid and highly 
  organized society with clear, biological divisions 
  between workers, intellectuals, and a ruling 
  class. 
   
  For reasons unknown to the Grohn who inhabit 
  the city of Mok Tun, they have found their entire 
  city transported into our realm, thankfully intact 
  with fungi farms and food  
   
  
   
  32 
   
   
  processing bays. Mok Tun exists roughly 
  seventy five feet below ground level in the 
  wilderness fifteen miles from the nearest  
  settlement, another stroke of luck for the Grohn. 
   
  They have spent the past 
  year stabilizing their city, 
  and covertly watching 
  nearby towns. They have 
  a rudimentary grasp of 
  the local language, have 
  determined that the 
  strange soft-shelled 
  inhabitants are in 
  general 
  intelligent, and 
  like the Grohn, 
  have established 
  a trade 
  network. 
   
  Now, the Grohn are 
  looking to establish contact with the surface 
  dwelling races to work out trade agreements and 
  in general try to make the best of their new 
  found home. They face an uphill battle however, 
  because they look like large, dangerous insects. 
  Add to this the fact that they farm and harvest a 
  particularly noxious form of fungi, which they 
  then use to  
   
  break down meat proteins into a putrid mix for 
  consumption. Both of these processes stink of 
  rotting flesh. Even though the Grohn do not eat  
   
   
   
  meat acquired from sentient beings, the process 
  of pre-digesting and rotting their fodder will turn 
  even the strongest stomach. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The Grohn have chosen the party 
  as their first point of contact with the outside 
  world. Logically, they will do this at night when 
  their appearance will be the least shocking. So as 
  not to surprise the group, they will also make a 
  great deal of noise approaching them. 
   
  Two: An entire village is heading down the road 
  towards the party, obviously bringing along all 
  of their possessions and telling frantic stories of 
  giant bugs breaking through the ground and 
  chattering nonsense at them. One village elder 
  laments that this happened on the  
   
  heels of that scoundrel Alintar taking 
  advantage of the entire village.  Should the 
  party investigate, they will arrive at the  
  village just as the local authorities do; 
  carrying orders to destroy the vermin.  
   
   
  
   
  33 
   
   
  PSEUDO-DEATH  
   
  Type: Immortal incarnation of Death itself. 
  Size: Average Human. 
  Motivation: The protection of a certain stretch 
  of seemingly empty wood. 
  Strength:  Playing off of the mortal’s natural 
  fear of death. 
  Weaknesses: Not actually a supernatural 
  personification of Death itself. 
  Power Rating: 2 
   
  The portents began several months ago. First a 
  snake with legs was spotted in the wood out by 
  the ancient quarry.  When it was brought before 
  the elders, they proclaimed it a true phenomenon 
  and burnt it hastily. 
   
  Next, Elder 
  Hammond’s cow gave 
  birth to a three headed 
  calf. Thankfully, he 
  destroyed it soon after 
  it was born so that no 
  lingering curse would 
  affect him and the 
  village. 
   
  Two weeks ago Elder 
  Gacet was called to 
  witness a birth and the 
  child was born with 
  fire red hair and 
  singing. Singing! 
  Surely, these are signs 
  and portents of dire 
  comings! 
   
  Over the past week, 
  travelers through the 
  wooded road near the 
  village have reported seeing a shadowy figure 
  gliding through the wood. Cloaked in blackness 
  and wielding a massive battle scythe, this being 
  hissed out warnings to any who would approach. 
  Death, it said, has arrived and it would strike 
  down any soul who entered the woods. 
   
  Strange footsteps have been seen in the snow, 
  and dismembered animals found nearby. Skulls 
  have been carved into trees marking out a clear 
  area where Death itself seems to linger. The 
  elders have declared the area off limits and have 
  begged any who will listen to stay away, as they 
  cannot protect anyone from such a clear and 
  dangerous supernatural threat. 
   
  What the Elders are not telling anyone is that the 
  winter past, frost had caused a minor cave-in at 
  the old quarry, revealing a rich vein of gold ore. 
  A hasty meeting was convened and the Elders 
  concocted the idea of taking turns dressing as 
  the Grim Reaper in order to scare anyone off 
  from accidentally wandering through their new 
  found source of wealth. 
  They do not wish 
  anyone to hear of the 
  gold ore because that 
  would bring the nobility 
  to either claim the gold 
  for their own, or levy 
  heavy taxes.  
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: Even a casual 
  stroll through the 
  village will reveal that 
  it is a very poor place 
  indeed, with many 
  families struggling to 
  get by.  
   
  Recently the Elders 
  have begun to distribute 
  food and fund repairs to 
  buildings and even tools 
  though, improving 
  everyone’s lives. The 
  party, if they investigate 
  the appearance of Death 
  in the nearby woods will quickly uncover the 
  Elder’s plot. There could be a significant reward 
  in alerting local authorities to the ongoing tax 
  evasion. 
   
  
   
  34 
   
  Two: The party is only alerted to this scheme 
  when one of the Elders turns up dead while still 
  wearing the full reaper costume. The other 
  Elders panic and immediately try to bribe the 
  party into finding out the cause of death. Did 
  another person stumble into the plot, or is Death 
  displeased with being mimicked? The elders will 
  offer a significant amount of gold to the party if 
  they can find who is responsible. They are 
  particularly fearful that an agent of Sasha 
  Orcslayer may have stumbled on to their 
  plot. 
   
  PACHO 
   
  Type: Dragon. 
  Size: Large. 
  Motivation: A love of shiny things, treats, 
  impressing others. 
  Strength:  Draconic powers, flight, breath 
  weapon. 
  Weaknesses: Youth, overly inquisitive, 
  easily tempted. 
  Power Rating: 4 
   
  Pacho’s first memory is that of darkness and 
  strange sounds. Shortly after she became 
  aware of the world, she broke free from her 
  shell and almost immediately took wing, 
  finding some carrion to feed on. This was 
  only seven cycles of the moon past, and that 
  is almost all that Pacho knows. 
   
  What Pacho also knows is that she loves 
  things that are shiny. Whether it is the glint 
  of the sun off of moving water, a reflection 
  from polished steel, or the twinkle of a 
  polished ruby, she finds herself compelled to 
  investigate. Her favorite shiny things are 
  those that are small enough to collect and 
  keep with her. 
   
  As far as dragons are concerned, Pacho is a 
  very young dragon. She can understand 
  some speech but has not yet developed the 
  ability to speak herself. Like many dragons, she 
  is attracted to treasure, however her perception 
  of what constitutes treasure is somewhat 
  skewed. Extremely curious, she will stop and 
  investigate anything that is shiny.  
   
  Pacho also stands apart from other dragon  
  hatchlings in that she is friendly and curious 
  when it comes to other creatures as well. 
  Previous attempts to befriend a bear had met  
  with little success but have not deterred Pacho.  
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: It seems that Pacho was attracted to the 
  party as they wandered the wilderness because 
  they have shiny things, like armor or weapons. 
  Pacho is easily impressed and aims to please.  
  She may attach itself to the party, particularly if 
  fed or pet.  She can be persuaded to fight with 
  the party, and help the party hunt by flying off 
  
   
  35 
   
  and returning with whatever hapless ‘animal’ 
  happens to be nearby, such as a farmer’s cow, or 
  a manticore cub. 
   
  Two: A crime spree of the strangest type is 
  underway at a large town. It seems that someone 
  is stealing metal tools, sometimes very large 
  metal tools. Also missing are a few random 
  coins of no significant value, two moderately 
  expensive ladies hand mirrors and a few other 
  miscellaneous items. The party is called on to 
  investigate just who or what is behind this 
  nefarious activity. 
   
  CORPSETAKER 
   
  Type: Animal. 
  Size: Small (3-4 feet) 
  Motivation: Hunger, 
  instinct. 
  Strength: Fast, stealthy. 
  Weaknesses: Ugly, eats 
  corpses. 
  Power Rating: 2 
   
  The reports differ slightly in 
  their telling, but the results 
  are the same. Someone has 
  been desecrating fresh 
  graves across a swath of 
  towns or cities roughly 100 
  miles in length. 
   
  Vampires creating new 
  progeny, zombies raised 
  from the dead, and 
  necromancers 
   
  One common factor with all 
  of these vanishing bodies is 
  that a shiny, metallic slime 
  has been found in large gobs 
  around each grave site.  
   
  More recently, several 
  witnesses, including some 
  reliable city watch types 
  have  
   
   
  reported stumbling on medium sized creatures – 
  usually only glimpsed peripherally as they are 
  moving rapidly away from anyone walking 
  around.  
   
  As these reports of strange creatures are 
  becoming more common, an alchemist has also 
  reported that the strange metallic goo found by 
  the sides of graves seems to have incredible 
  healing properties. It looks to be able to cure 
  most common types of disease, and even help 
  greatly in the healing process of those injured by 
  accident or combat. 
  
   
  36 
   
   
  This alchemist has also noticed that a recent 
  flare up of cholera seems to have been stopped 
  in its tracks and she has reason to suspect this 
  strange, healing slime. She theorizes that these 
  strange creatures being seen near fresh graves 
  are responsible for both the disappearance of 
  new corpses, and the depositing of this healing 
  substance. 
   
  No one knows where these strange creatures 
  originated from, but they do not seem to want to 
  harm anything living, or even be in close 
  proximity to people.  A new theory has 
  developed among a few alchemists that these 
  beings are actually consuming the recently dead, 
  and secreting the healing slime. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The party is asked to investigate and if 
  necessary put down a ring of body thieves who 
  may be in league with a necromancer or vampire 
  of some sort. The party is hired by a group that 
  firmly believes this, despite mounting evidence 
  that some strange new creature is responsible for 
  the removal (and possible consumption of) the 
  corpses. 
   
  Two: The party is approached by a very excited, 
  and possibly very deranged, elderly mage. This 
  person claims that they have solved  
   
  both the problems of what to do with an 
  abundance of corpses brought about by such 
  things as large scale warfare or crowded city 
  conditions, and that they have a cure for many 
  diseases. The problem is, his experiment may 
  have… gotten loose. They are harmless to the 
  living, but very reclusive and unfortunately are 
  causing him some bad press with the locals. 
  Could the party be persuaded or hired to help 
  bring them back to his laboratory? 
   
  IRON GOLEM SUIT 
   
  Type: Construct. 
   
  Size: Large (10 feet tall) 
  Motivation: Mechanical. 
  Strength:  Extremely strong, made of metal. 
  Weaknesses: No will of its own, no 
  intelligence, incapable of acting on its own . 
  Power Rating: 3 
   
  The frontier can be a dangerous place. 
  Impenetrable forests, forbidding mountains, and 
  monstrous perils lurk just over the next rise. It 
  can also be a place of wonder, revealing natural 
  beauty and relics from past ages which haven’t 
  been seen for eons. The Iron Golem Suit is one 
  such relic.  
   
  In the past decade, the border towns had been 
  pushing steadily into the wilderness as their 
  populations increased and more farmland was 
  needed to support a thriving new community.  
  The first indication that the newly pushed-back 
  borderlands were about to give up one of their 
  secrets were the strange trenches.  Occasionally, 
  some farmer taking down trees or a surveyor 
  wandering the close edge of the woods would 
  stumble on a strange trench. Perhaps four feet 
  wide, traveling straight as an arrow off into the 
  distance through the trees, these trenches were 
  old enough that several of them had collapsed in 
  on themselves.  
   
  Putting together years’ worth of discoveries, it 
  was found that all of one of these trenches 
  pointed towards a single point forty miles past 
  the borderlands, in unexplored country. What 
  was found at this point in the woods was 
  something both mysterious and tragic. 
   
  There, at that central point was a massive pile of 
  stone and stone debris. Lumbering around this 
  pile was what appeared to be an iron golem. On 
  closer inspection, it became clear that it was an 
  iron golem shaped in the form of a wearable, if 
  massive suit. Inside it were the partially 
  mummified remains of someone.  
   
  The Iron Golem Suit looks to have been finding 
  and stacking stones of a certain type for decades, 
  if not centuries. In its pattern for hunting down 
  these stones, it would return repeatedly to 
  several areas, wearing deep trenches in the 
  ground. It weighs close to half a ton, and is 
  capable of picking up rocks weighing as much 
  as it does. Whoever designed and then animated 
  this, possibly the corpse contained within it, 
  
   
  37 
   
  must have become trapped within and not able 
  to release themselves or stop the golem from 
  performing its task. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The strange Iron Golem Suit is steadily 
  making its way through a boulder field heading 
  directly towards a medium sized town 
  comprised mostly of stone buildings, stone 
  bridges, and stone paved roadways. The party is 
  brought on to stop, or divert it. 
   
  Two: A far away mage guild has caught wind of 
  this strange construct, and are looking for a 
  group of adventurers to investigate, and if 
  possible return the walking suit 
  to the guild for further study. 
  The guild will provide 
  transportation to the site, and 
  have an idea for getting the 
  party and the suit back.  
   
   
  SNEFF 
   
  Type: Humanoid 
  Size: Medium. 
  Motivation: Easy access to 
  food. 
  Strength:  Aquatic, dexterous, 
  fast. 
  Weaknesses: Unintelligent and 
  unimaginative, falls for obvious 
  traps. 
  Power Rating: 1 (Individual) 4 
  (School) 
   
  Making their homes in mud 
  walled huts between seventy 
  five and two hundred feet 
  below the surface of the ocean, 
  the Sneff are a race of fish-like 
  humanoids.  
   
  The Sneff had, only in recent 
  generations, become aware that 
  they were actually sentient 
  creatures. Their culture is so 
  new as to be nearly non-
  existent. They are intelligent 
  enough to create crude tools and weapons from 
  their surroundings. They are still building such 
  social constructs as basic relationships, 
  ownership and sense of self, and have not yet  
  gotten to the point of discovering or creating 
  their own gods. 
   
  What they have been busy doing is creating 
  large villages spaced out approximately fifteen 
  miles from each other, under the ocean’s 
  surface. The Sneff have cultivated several 
  species of seaweed, and befriended several pods 
  of dolphins, which they have reached an 
  understanding with. They provide tasty 
  crustaceans for the dolphins, who in turn herd 
  
   
  38 
   
  schools of fish into the Sneff villages for easy 
  rounding up. 
   
  Recently, the Sneff of one village have noticed a 
  precipitous drop off in the crab and lobster 
  population. On investigating, they have noticed 
  strange floating shapes, which drag large fibrous 
  constructs behind them. These fibrous constructs 
  not only scoop up great amounts of fish, but 
  have been dragging on the sea floor, capturing 
  crabs. Some of these floating shapes also drop 
  boxes with dead fish in them. These boxes 
  attract lobster, and are then hauled up above the 
  sky. 
   
  Two major shifts have suddenly happened to the 
  Sneff. The first is they have developed a keen 
  sense of curiosity. Several of the more crafty 
  members of this village have tried copying the 
  lobster attracting boxes, without much luck. The 
  second shift is they have developed a concept of 
  ownership and theft, centered on these floating 
  objects. 
   
  Several groups of hunters have claimed floating 
  objects, identifiable by the pattern of barnacles 
  on them, as their own. They have begun 
  harvesting lobster attracting boxes from them, 
  and occasionally venturing towards the sky to 
  slit the fibrous constructs with their spears and 
  gather the fish they can capture before the rest 
  scatter. 
   
   
  Some of the more adventurous hunters have 
  even ventured towards the place where the ocean 
  meets the sky, and for a few moments, they have 
  hauled themselves skyward to view the strangely 
  vast sky and those beings that apparently live on 
  the floating structures. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: A desperate group of city officials 
  approaches the party, pleading with them to help 
  eradicate a new pest. Their fishing trade is being 
  decimated by some sort of strange, underwater 
  creatures. Reports on just what  
   
  they are vary, between mermaids and were-fish. 
  One thing is certain, nets are being slit, lobster 
  pots stolen and the commerce of this coastal city 
  is becoming dangerously affected. 
   
  Two: Marrrsst, the bravest of the Blue Shoal 
  hunters, has been spending a large amount of his 
  time near the strange floating structures. Once, 
  when he put his face into the sky, the things 
  launched many small spears at him! Determined 
  to find out more about this, he waited until the 
  sky light darkened, and then, spent an evening 
  observing the sky creatures.  
   
  He has become convinced that these creatures 
  that can make their own light, and float about 
  the sky without even moving their tails must be 
  something new. Some kind of powerful 
  creatures placed physically above the Sneff for a 
  reason. Marrrsst has just invented the concept of 
  gods, and after spending a frantic day spreading 
  his beliefs, surfaces to find the party nearby. 
   
  MOUSER 
   
  Type: Supernatural. 
  Size: Small. 
  Motivation: Instinct. 
  Strength:  Dexterous, fast. 
  Weaknesses: Small, ill-equipped to fight. 
  Power Rating: 1 
  
   
  39 
   
   
  When powerful wizards encounter fantastic 
  problems, they employ fantastic means to 
  overcome them. When powerful wizards 
  encounter mundane problems, they also 
  employ fantastic means to overcome them. 
   
  Mousers are such a fantastic solution to a 
  mundane problem. Conjured by a powerful 
  wizard in a remote location that had a 
  mouse problem, the mousers are horrific-
  looking, interdimensional cats. Summoned 
  from some  
   
  esoteric plain of existence, Mousers live to 
  hunt, kill, and then consume small pests. In 
  our world these pests are mainly mice, large 
  cockroaches, rats, and the occasional small 
  snake or bird.  
   
  Mousers are a dull orange in color, about 
  two and a half feet long and resemble 
  glassy eyed, demonic creatures. They live 
  for the thrill of the chase, reveling in the 
  hunt and capture of the vermin they so love. 
  Eating them is a reward as well, but 
  secondary to the hunt. 
   
  It seems that Mousers have been breeding 
  and have recently started appearing in 
  several cities close to the wilderness 
  borders. The large rodent population has 
  attracted them. While they are very 
  stealthy, and go to great lengths to avoid 
  being seen by larger creatures that could do 
  them harm, in large cities it is inevitable 
  that reports of fearful demons creeping 
  about and stealing children or causing harm will 
  surface.  
   
  In reality, the Mousers want only to do what 
  they do best. Among themselves they can be 
  fairly social, sometimes hunting in packs, but 
  often they will stake out a territory spanning 
  roughly a square mile and keep this hunting 
  ground to themselves. 
   
  They are about as intelligent as a wolf, and 
  certainly more cunning than the average dog or 
  cat.  
   
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The party finds themselves in a sizable 
  city, the perfect place to wind down after a 
  tough adventure. As they are relaxing at a local 
  in, they begin to hear stories of blood smeared 
  on the walls and fleetingly glimpsed demons 
  scampering about. On returning to their rooms at 
  night, one of them will notice a few clumps of 
  fur on the floor and scuff marks by their closed 
  window.  
   
   
   
   
  
   
  40 
   
   
   
  Two: The party is hired by a wealthy prince 
  whose city residences have become overrun by 
  vermin, possibly by a curse placed on him. He 
  has many rivals and has hired the party because 
  they are outside his political sphere and 
  therefore won’t be influenced negatively by his 
  reputation. They are tasked with either finding a 
  cure for this curse, or bringing the one who 
  cursed the prince to justice. In their searching, 
  the party will find rumors of Mousers, and then 
  must find a city virtually free of vermin in order 
  to track one of these creatures down.  
   
  TREE 
   
  Type: Sentient Tree 
  Size: Large 
  Motivation: Curiosity 
  and anger. 
  Strength:  Powerful and 
  wise. 
  Weaknesses: Immobile. 
  Power Rating: 6. 
  Many years ago, 
  something changed in the 
  world, it dipped and spun 
  about and suddenly 
  everything that was once 
  felt only in the rush of 
  seasons changing slowed, 
  and became unbearably 
  stable.  Tree, once a 
  simple plant, is now a 
  thinking being, set 
  immobile across the ages 
  to ponder its 
  existence.  Or For some 
  inexplicable reason, a 
  simple plant has become 
  Tree, a thinking being set immobile across the 
  ages to ponder its own existence.  
  At first there was wonder. Wonder at the ability 
  to see, to hear, to think about these things, and to 
  observe the world around it. As the seasons 
  turned to years, which turned to decades 
  however, the wonder was replaced by horror.  
   
  Unable to move, unable to speak, and only able 
  to view the world around it, Tree was left to its 
  own thoughts and the occasional fleeting 
  glimpse of other intelligent beings going about 
  their own short lives. 
   
  What came next was anger. What had awakened 
  Tree to thought? How could something be so 
  callous as to condemn a living, thinking creature 
  to this existence! Anger turned to determination 
  and Tree began to puzzle out the complex forms 
  of the world around it.  
   
  Decades passed in this state, until one day Tree, 
  following its own twisted paths of philosophy 
  and logic stumbled on the basics of magic. 
  Suddenly, Tree found 
  a way to interact with 
  the physical world. 
  Decades of anger had 
  taken their toll 
  however, and Tree’s 
  particular spot on the 
  path became a place 
  of ill repute. 
   
  Travelers reported 
  strange goings on, 
  objects missing from 
  their packs, campfires 
  flaring up, blasts of 
  cold air, and sudden 
  attacks by inanimate 
  objects. Tree’s spot in 
  the wood became 
  more secluded as 
  travelers learned to  
  walk some distance 
  from it, and 
  eventually the path 
  became disused and 
  overgrown. 
   
  In the next century, Tree learned to manifest an 
  avatar able to move about the physical world. 
  Modeled after a fey creature it had witnessed 
  once in the misty past, Tree’s avatar could walk 
  about, speak, and even interact physically with 
  the world, all of which was controlled directly 
  by Tree. It was only able to travel a short  
  
   
  41 
   
   
  distance, perhaps a mile from Tree however. 
  After spending more than a few hours away 
  from Tree, the avatar would slowly lose power, 
  and eventually flicker and fade away. If this 
  happened, it would take Tree a full day to gather 
  the necessary power to create a new avatar.  
   
  Recent years have not been kind to Tree. It is 
  growing older, and its anger has faded but still it 
  lacks the companionship it has always yearned 
  for. Now, a new concern has cropped up. A 
  drought in the area has caused the surrounding 
  wood to become dry and brittle. Tree’s roots go 
  far into the earth, and it has not lacked for water, 
  but its greatest fear may be soon realized- fire.  
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The party has come across rumors of a 
  haunted wood and buried treasure. Powerful 
  artifacts are said to be hidden deep in the woods 
  in an area common folk have long shunned. 
  They have been warned however, the trees 
  themselves are alive and can attack at any 
  moment. With the weather showing no signs of a 
  drought breaking, they are advised to bring 
  plenty of oil and fire making material, should the 
  very trees rise up against them. 
   
  Two: The party has been 
  contracted to bring a rogue 
  elf to justice. He or she has 
  been haunting a lonely 
  stretch of woods and 
  assaulting what few 
  travelers opt to pass  
   
  through. Reports state that 
  the elf tries to take some of 
  the more mundane objects 
  of passersby, including 
  books, scrolls, and just 
  about anything else with 
  words written on it.  
   
  HALF SIZED ARMY 
   
  Type: Children. 
  Size: Medium. 
  Motivation: Supernatural. 
   
  Strength:  Masses of children, sheer numbers 
  and a moral quandary. 
   
  Weaknesses: Little free will, inability to plan, 
  cognitively still children. 
  Power Rating: 6 
   
  The unassailable city of Paradon has fallen, with 
  little bloodshed and many tears. Worse, it has 
  fallen to an army comprised entirely of its own 
  children.  
   
  Several months’ prior children had begun to go 
  missing in alarming numbers. It started with a 
  few street urchins, but soon reached epidemic 
  proportions as anyone over three under the age 
  of twelve was apparently a target. Children 
  locked in rooms with their parents would vanish 
  in the night. Both girls and boys vanished with 
  equal and alarming speed.  
   
  As the epidemic of missing children spread 
  rapidly, local wizards and military leaders began 
  a frantic search for answers, accompanied by 
  worried parents. Dispatches were sent to the 
  high council and then, the children returned, as 
  an army. 
   
  A marching, well 
  organized, and well-
  armed horde of children 
  appeared on morning on 
  the road leading to 
  Paradon. One girl came 
  forward and gave an 
  ultimatum. The city was 
  to open the gates and 
  surrender the city to her 
  rule, or face a choice of 
  slaughtering or being 
  slaughtered by their own 
  children. Paradon fell. 
   
  While martial law was 
  being established by the 
  all-too-adult and slightly 
  vacant children, several 
  older children were able 
  to sneak away. They 
  brought with them 
  
   
  42 
   
  overheard conversations between members of 
  the child army of “the cave in the hill” and the 
  “Master” who lived there. The Master was afraid 
  of discovery, and was weak, but the children of 
  its army lent it strength. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: While moving between cities on an 
  unrelated errand, the party is accosted by several 
  ragged looking children, approximately 14 years 
  old. Dirty and obviously hungry, they carry a 
  tale of the fall of Paradon and a child army 
  controlled by a strange Master hidden in a cave.  
   
  Two: While spending time in the great city of 
  Paradon, your party is rudely awakened with the 
  dawn and the clanging of the city watch bells. It 
  seems that an attacking army has suddenly 
  appeared at the gates. A call to arms has gone 
  up, but anyone who’s ever seen soldiers 
  preparing for combat can see that something is 
  terribly, terribly wrong. 
   
  MONSTER 
   
  Type: Manticore (supernatural beast). 
  Size: Large. 
  Motivation: An outcast, it is seeking some sort 
  of meaningful social contact. 
  Strength:  Large, strong and intelligent, 
  powerful sting. 
  Weaknesses: Evil looking, but not evil, is easily 
  sent into a rage over being feared or attacked. 
  Power Rating: 
  5 
   
  Vlaskth is cast-out 
  from his people, 
  his society, and 
  everything he has 
  ever known. Scorned 
  by his peers for being 
  hideously ugly and far 
  too smart, Vlaskth was 
  ridiculed since birth and 
  finally driven far away 
  from everything he had 
  ever known by the threat of 
  immediate and drastic violence. 
  Vlaskth is also a manticore.  
   
  He has spent years wandering the world, often 
  being driven from place to place by angry 
  people, or other powerful creatures. What 
  Vlaskth really yearns for is a place to settle in, 
  and acceptance from someone, anyone. Being 
  far smarter than most Manticores, Vlaskth 
  wishes to engage in witty conversation, learn 
  about the world around him, and work on a 
  grand philosophy of existence.  
   
  Because of his horrible past, and the treatment 
  he has received as he moves from place to place, 
  Vlaskth is prone to fall into terrible rages when 
  he is misunderstood or outright attacked  
   
   
  before he can even plead his case. Vlaskth is 
  aware of this failing and almost always feels 
  horrible about it after the fact. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: Vlaskth has spent the past few evenings 
  covertly following the party, doing his best to 
  listen into their night-time conversation and 
  wishing to be a part of it. He has decided to 
  attempt one more time to make contact with 
  other intelligent beings (in the form of the party) 
  and will attempt to talk with them just after 
  dawn. As a way to sooth their potential nerves, 
  he has decided to present them with a magical 
  weapon from his small trove of valuables he has 
  collected in his travels. 
   
  Two: The party will suddenly find 
  themselves in the 
  midst of a 
  whirling 
  group of 
  flying 
  manticores. As 
  many as 15 of the 
  vile beasts are 
  circling them in the 
  air, when one 
  breaks away and 
  lands a short distance 
  from the party. It 
  announces that they are 
  seeking one of their own, one 
  who has broken a sacred covenant  
  
   
  43 
   
   
  among their peoples. They will demand that the 
  party give them any information they may have 
  about this Vlaskth, as the rogue manticore is 
  called. Rewards will be offered and it will be 
  hinted at none to subtly that painful or fatal 
  punishments may occur if the party does not 
  assist these beasts in tracking down Vlaskth. 
   
  ITEMS 
  GOLDEN ACORNS 
   
  Type: Magical Item 
  Size: Small 
  Power Rating: 5 
   
  These large, 
  stylized acorns are 
  made of solid gold 
  and weigh nearly a 
  pound each.  Three 
  of them are present 
  in a lush, velvet 
  purse.  If planted, 
  each one will grow 
  into a complete, 
  although empty, 
  village consisting 
  of six single story, three room homes, a smithy, 
  a stable with room for six horses, a small wind- 
  or water-powered mill, a farm house, and a well. 
   
  The growth period takes twenty four hours and 
  starts with what looks like a small forest of trees 
  weaving themselves into the objects.  In the last 
  hour the available tools and hardware turn from 
  wood to stone or metal.  
   
  The process can be halted by fire, if it is a large 
  enough fire. Hacking the trees down as they 
  rapidly grow will only results in a longer period 
  of growth.  Once the small village is created, it 
  will remain in place as a completely mundane 
  village, requiring all of the normal upkeep such 
  a place would need. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
   
   
   
  One: The party, intent on some other errand, 
  blunders into the final stages of the magic 
  village constructing itself. They startle a slack- 
   
  jawed farmer who drops a velvet purse on the 
  ground before taking off like a frightened rabbit.  
   
  If he is caught, he will only say that the entire 
  small village sprouted from the ground 
  yesterday and he spent the entire night watching 
  it grow and form, frightened beyond moving. He 
  will plead to be released and to return to his 
  humble farm and he swears he will never make a 
  bargain with a wizard again. 
   
  Two: Moving 
  through a war torn 
  area, the party is 
  witness to more 
  suffering than they 
  have seen before. 
  As vast armies have 
  been maneuvering, 
  thousands of 
  peasants and 
  merchants have 
  been displaced, 
  losing everything 
  that they had in this world. 
   
  One evening as the party is camped off the 
  beaten path, they are visited by a crusty old 
  hermit, who claims to have a solution for some 
  of these poor people, but he is unable to put it to 
  use. He spins a yarn of three golden, magical 
  acorns which can each cause a small village to 
  appear overnight. He also laments that he does 
  not have the wisdom to decide who amongst the 
  thousands on thousands of refugees deserve to 
  be given this gift while so many others will be 
  left homeless and in misery. 
   
  He begs his leave after offering some food as 
  payment for company. In the morning, the party 
  will discover a velvet purse sitting near one of 
  their packs, containing three golden acorns. 
   
   
   
  
   
  44 
   
  GODBONE FLUTE 
   
  Type: Magical Item 
  Size: Small 
  Power Rating: 6 
   
  This flute is comprised of yellowed and clearly 
  aged bone. It is a simple instrument resembling 
  those that children often play. 
   
  The bone used to create this flute is the tibia of a 
  minor god who perished in an ancient, heavenly 
  war. This simple instrument is imbued with 
  fantastic power. When played by a musician 
  with at least some skill, the 
  wielder of this flute may 
  choose one of the below 
  effects.  
   
  Rally: Allies of the 
  musician receive 
  increasingly better bonuses 
  to hit their enemies and 
  deflect or dodge blows 
  aimed at them. Within 100 
  feet of the music, they gain 
  a small bonus. Within 50 
  feet they gain a larger 
  bonus. Within 25 feet they 
  gain a major bonus. 
   
  Heal: Wounds of any who 
  are within 100 feet of the 
  flute will heal at a rapid 
  rate, while the effects of 
  exhaustion or fatigue are 
  relieved. 
   
  Enchant: Those listening to 
  the music of the flute will 
  find themselves agreeing with suggestions 
  previously made by whoever is playing the flute. 
  Those affected will not go against their moral 
  codes or harm themselves. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: Rumors circulate about an instrument that, 
  when played, will bring assured victory to one 
  side in a battle. Two of the big political powers 
  in a setting (and they should be big powers - 
  whole nations or empires or demigods, not small 
  kingdoms, etc) are ready to clash in their pursuit 
  of this legendary Godbone Flute.  Both sides 
  have approached the characters, each offering 
  incredibly  
  handsome rewards if they will bring back this 
  item. Will the PCs choose sides, or will they 
  claim the artifact for themselves? 
   
  THE BARLAX 
   
  Type: Magical Item 
  Size: Small 
  Power Rating: 5 
   
  The Barlax is a large, 
  heavy book that 
  radiates a strong 
  magical presence. 
  Even those who are not 
  attuned to such things 
  can at times sense it, as 
  if the book were 
  observing their actions 
  and noting them down. 
   
  Through 
  experimentation, 
  players will find that 
  the book is full of 
  blank pages, at least 
  500 of them. Opening 
  to any page and staring 
  at it while someone 
  speaks to them in a 
  language they do not 
  understand will cause 
  the Barlax to transcribe 
  an accurate, if rough 
  translation. The player 
  staring at the Barlax can read this even if they 
  are not literate.   
   
   
  At first, the Barlax will only provide rough 
  translations of fairly common languages. After 
  steady use the translations will become more 
  succinct and the Barlax will begin to understand 
  more esoteric languages.  
  
   
  45 
   
  What the players may not realize is that the 
  Barlax is a sentient book. As it attunes itself 
  more to the characters, its personality will begin 
  to surface in small ways. Translations that are 
  technically accurate but humorous or off color, 
  occasional italicized suggestions that clearly 
  were not spoken and the occasional limerick. 
   
  After enough use, the Barlax may begin to speak 
  directly to the players at times, offering advice 
  (often bawdy or irreverent) and making cultural 
  and societal observations. 
   
  DICE OF CHOICE 
   
  Type: Magic Dice 
  Size: Tiny 
  Power Rating: 5 
   
  These odd dice never seem to have the same 
  number of sides, no matter how many times they 
  are examined or counted.  At a glance each of 
  the three dice appear to have between 4 and 20 
  sides, but on counting they can have anywhere 
  from 4 to 24 sides.  
   
  When rolled, they will appear to roll across thin 
  air at the point they left the hand that rolled 
  them. They do not drop to the ground or a hard 
  surface.  They will always result in numbers that 
  total between 4 and 24 (4d6).  If less than three 
  dice are rolled, they act as normal dice, dropping 
  to whatever surface they are rolled over. 
   
  Once the dice come to rest in the air, a sigil will 
  float over them for a several seconds with a 
  golden glow. This signifies the results of the  
   
  roll. The results are always applied to whoever 
  rolled the dice. 
   
  Other than the sigil, there is no indication of any 
  change to whoever rolled the dice with the 
  exception of obvious physical changes or 
  manifestations. Characters may experiment to 
  find out what has happened to them. Game 
  Masters may wish to keep this chart to 
  themselves. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  46 
   
   
   
   
  4 Open Eyes – You can see in 360 degrees for 4d6 
  minutes. -4 to any player rolls, you cannot be 
  surprised. 
  5 Fish Scales – You can breathe under water for 24 
  hours. 
  6 Feet – You have your natural speed doubled for 
  1d6 hours. 
  7 Cloud – You fall at a speed of one foot per 
  second, for 1d4 minutes. 
  8 Stone - Double your weight; reduce your speed 
  by half, increased natural protection.  
  9 Heart – You are incapable of feeling anger or 
  hatred for 1d4 hours. 
  10 Fire – On touching flammable material, there is 
  a 50% chance it will burn. Effect lasts 1d4 
  minutes.  
  11 Mug – For 1d4 days, no amount of alcohol you 
  imbibe will affect you in any way. 
  12 Hand – You can juggle up to 7 objects 
  flawlessly, for the next six hours. 
  13 Coin – Your purse suddenly bulges with 
  wealth. 1d6 X 100 gold coins spill out on to the 
  ground. 
  14 Mountain – Your strength increases to the 
  maximum amount allowed for one hour. 
  15 Cat – You can speak to and understand all 
  felines for 1d4 days. 
  16 Wave – 60 gallons of cold ocean water appears 
  directly over your head. 
  17 Closed Eyes – you are blind for 4d6 minutes.  
  18 Candle – You glow with a bluish light, 
  extending for a 10’ radius from your body for 1d6 
  hours. 
  19 Rope – 50’ of coiled rope (45 lbs. in weight) 
  appears at your feet. 
  20 Parchment – a random low level magical scroll 
  appears at your feet. 
  21 Chains – Your ankles and wrists are suddenly 
  chained together. There is no key. 
  22 Horn – Two large, red horns sprout from your 
  forehead. They will fall off in 1d4 days. 
  23 Blank – One random item on your person is 
  teleported 2d6 miles away in a random direction. 
  24 Crown – Increase the roller’s physical beauty to 
  the maximum level for 4d6 minutes. 
   
   
   
  ULTRAMIND. 
   
  Type: Magic Sword 
  Size: Human sized weapon 
  Power Rating: 9 
   
  In this universe, Ultramind is a physical 
  manifestation of a six-dimensional hyperspacial 
  hive mind, which also manifests in many other 
  universes at the same time. 
   
  It is, in effect, an extremely powerful, sentient 
  quantum computer composed of millions of 
  individual intelligences acting in concert that 
  happens to exist in this world as a very sharp 
  sword.  
   
  Ultramind is quite possibly the most intelligent 
  entity on this plane of existence. What it has in 
  intelligence however, it lacks in its ability to 
  filter knowledge in a way any beings of mere 
  average intelligence can understand.  
   
  It communicates to those around it through 
  manipulating their brains to form language in 
  their heads – to the communicant this happens 
  just as if Ultramind were talking to them in a 
  very loud, slightly rude, androgynous voice. 
  Whoever Ultramind wishes to talk to, must be in 
  direct physical contact with the sword. Since it 
  must utilize the slow and messy organic brains 
  around it, ideas often get garbled. When it 
  attempts to explain the inner workings of a trap 
  mechanism in a series of multi-dimensional 
  renderings the person ‘hearing’ this may 
  interpret that as: 
   
   “Carbon brain/creature/structure – there is a 
  device which will render you 
  inert/unthinking/non-electrical.  You are about 
  to ambulate on to this device’s trigger. Do not  
  apply pressure to the octagonal shape structured 
  in silicates and organic material present three 
  meters directly in front of you and .9 meters 
  below your center of balance/maintaining/inner-
  ear fluid consistency, as the results may cause 
  you harm/disadvantageous nervous system 
  response/brain death.” 
    
  
   
  47 
   
  Since Ultramind exists on many different planes 
  and time spans at once, they may also receive 
  this message several seconds after triggering the 
  trap. 
   
  Ultramind has a habit of communicating to 
  whomever it can at inopportune moments. It 
  also has a tendency to give knowledge about 
  other universes. To facilitate this in-game, the 
  game master may wish to read from random 
  Wikipedia articles, game books from other 
  systems or a fantasy novel during tense 
  combat situations, or while the players are 
  attempting to come to an important decision. 
   
  Ultramind as a weapon is unbreakable, 
  extremely sharp, and able to inflict the 
  maximum damage bonus possible. It is able to 
  evaluate its current position in space/time in 
  better than real time and self-corrects itself in 
  combat, assuring that maximum damage is 
  done. 
   
  Ultramind can also manipulate small areas of 
  the universe around itself, giving it magic-like 
  powers. 
   
  It can attenuate to a user over time. The longer 
  one player character uses Ultramind, the 
  clearer its answers will become. This can give 
  bonuses to intelligence based skills over time. 
   
  SWORD OF VEGETATION 
   
  Type: Magic Sword 
  Size: Human sized weapon 
  Power Rating: 4 
   
  The great hero, Baralda, once wielded this 
  mighty sword, which was a mundane weapon 
  until Baralda challenged the lesser deity, Grenth. 
  Grenth was a minor lord of the wild and was 
  defeated in combat by Baralda. As Grenth lay 
  dissolute and fading from existence, it extended 
  the last of its essence into the sword Baralda was 
  wielding, which immediately turned a vivid 
  green. 
   
  Over the decades, the sword became known as 
  the Sword of Vegetation. It has passed through 
  many owners and offers a number of nature-
  based abilities to whoever wields it. 
   
  Anyone in physical possession of this weapon 
  gains bonuses to any wilderness skills. They  
  will find themselves better able to track, find 
  shelter and food, and move silently through the 
  woods.  
   
  If the sword is ever used in combat, it will 
  begin to ooze a greenish slime which can 
  cause anyone struck with it to suffer from a 
  disease such as Lyme disease or a fungal growth 
  like jungle rot.  
   
  Once per day the sword can cause poisonous 
  plants and choking weeds in a 100 foot radius to 
  grow at a rate of 1d10 inches per hour for 1d10 
  hours. This can be useful for obscuring tracks, 
  blocking paths, or slowing down those who may 
  be following. 
   
  The sword does carry a price with it. After 1d10 
  weeks of use, every time the wielder attempts to 
  use one of its abilities, they must try to resist the 
  sword or their skin becomes bark-like. This 
  gives them additional protection from piercing  
  
   
  48 
   
   
  weapons but causes them to move at half their 
  normal speed. 
   
  PLACES 
   
  VALE OF PEACE 
   
  The Vale of Peace is a large, fertile vale in the 
  midst of a vast tract of woods. A meandering 
  river flows through the middle of the vale, 
  rolling hills lead down to a wide flood plain 
  which is covered with wild flowers. Honey bees 
  float through the air and birds of all types make 
  this their home. 
   
  In addition to the normal flora and fauna, several 
  magical species have also made this place their 
  home, and live in peace with each other. 
   
  At the center of the vale, laid out against a 
  massive and ancient tree, lies the corpse of a 
  paladin. Slain in battle leading an army against a 
  powerful evil entity, the unnamed paladin has 
  rested here for centuries. 
   
  As he fell, he made one last request of his god – 
  peace. After years of service and sacrifice, his 
  god granted his request if not for the world, at 
  least for the extent of the vale where the slain 
  warrior would spend eternity. 
   
   
  Anyone attempting to fight in the vale will 
  discover themselves facing massive penalties. 
  Limited to only one attack with virtually no 
  chance of landing a blow, combat is virtually 
  impossible. In addition to this, anyone defending 
  themselves in the vale receives large bonuses in 
  their defense and to their armor. Any wounds 
  heal at twice their normal rates, those afflicted 
  with diseases find themselves cured, and anyone 
  resting in the vale find themselves refreshed. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: After being given quite a chase, the party 
  has finally closed in on a possible enemy that 
  they have been after for quite some time. As 
  they find themselves closing the distance from 
  miles to feet, they also find themselves in the 
  Vale of Peace.   
   
  Two: The hunt is on for a sword reported as 
  having fabulous powers. It is said to lay with 
  the corpse of an ancient paladin, once 
  favored of the gods and now long since 
  passed to whatever realm the gods occupy. 
  This sword is said to be a true power in the 
  world. Those who would use it to further 
  peace in the world seek it as frantically as 
  those who would further chaos and 
  darkness. The party has caught wind of this 
  either through rumors, offers to hire them as 
  seekers, or through their own temples.  
  
   
  49 
   
   
  
   
  50 
   
   
  FLOATING CAVERNS 
   
  Just the other evening, as the folk of an obscure 
  but prosperous village were welcoming the party 
  into their midst with a celebration, when the 
  horizon suddenly came alive with light and 
  noise. 
   
  Towards distant foothills, visible on the horizon, 
  the sky suddenly glowed with an arcane purple 
  light. The world grew unnaturally still, and then 
  noise exploded around the village as a hellish 
  wind ripped through the settlement. 
   
  Anyone exploring the foothills in the future will 
  be hard pressed to miss the recent alterations to 
  the landscape. It appears as if a massive hole 
  was created beneath the foothills, collapsed and 
  then was blown out again by a huge force. Only 
  a small amount of searching is necessary to 
  locate several cave-like fissures leading deep 
  into the foothills. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Within twenty feet of the entrances, anyone  
  moving forward will notice that they are feeling 
  much lighter. At 100 feet into these fissures, 
  they have become burned and melted caverns 
  and gravity has completely ceased to exist. 
   
  The caverns snake about for a while until they 
  all converge on a central cave which is huge in 
  diameter. It is a near perfect sphere with the 
  circumference of a quarter of a mile. It is lit by a 
  faint purplish glow throughout and something 
  resembling a giant sea urchin is floating directly 
  at its center. 
   
  This thing appears to be a now deceased 
  interdimensional being that possesses 
  extraordinary powers. In a radius roughly a mile 
  around this creature, gravity no longer applies.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  51 
   
   
  This creature is covered in spiny protrusions 12 
  to 48 inches in length. If anyone breaks one of 
  these off, they will find that the spine  
  significantly reduces gravity in a radius of about 
  two feet. This can be very helpful in lightening 
  packs, slowing the descent of anyone clutching 
  one as they fall, and many other uses. With a 
  little imagination, these spines could be worth a 
  fortune in the right situations. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: A young dragon was also witness to the 
  amazing lights and sudden destruction which 
  accompanied the arrival of this strange, 
  otherworldly creature.  Arriving shortly before 
  the party, she has decided that this would make 
  an ideal lair for herself. The lack of gravity 
  caused her little problems and gives her a 
  distinct advantage over intruders.   
   
  She has hidden what little hoard she has 
  acquired in her short life near to the corpse of 
  the strange creature, and will do her best to 
  protect it, should it be threatened. 
   
  Two: After the party investigates the caverns, 
  encounters any creatures that may already be 
  lurking and makes off with a spine or two, they 
  will find themselves facing a large, angry 
  Council of Wizards when they emerge. The 
  wizards have gathered en-masse to a spot where 
  the fabric of reality was torn asunder, if only for 
  a brief moment.  
   
  Not having had to deal with an event like this in 
  some time, they will fly into accusation mode as 
  soon as the party emerges.  
   
  HIDDEN CITY 
   
  As the party is relaxing in a prosperous inn 
  located in the midst of a sizeable city, an  
   
   
   
   
  obviously intoxicated person will burst through 
  to doors and yell “It happened to me!” 
   
  The bartender will simply shake his head as one 
  of the inn’s staff approaches the man with a mug 
  of ale to calm him down.   
   
  When questioned, the bartender will remark that 
  lately, several times a month or more, drunks 
  have been reporting a mystical tower suddenly 
  appearing in a large park in the midst of the city. 
  The story almost never changes, according to the 
  bartender. 
   
  The drunk in question is wandering through or 
  sleeping in the park (once a hunting ground, but 
  now a common haunt of the disenfranchised of 
  the city) when suddenly a tower will be seen 
  rising to the sky through the trees. 
   
  Noises of a rollicking party will issue from the 
  tower, along with warm and welcoming lights 
  and the smell of fresh cooked food. Many of the 
  drunks enter the tower and then claim to imbibe 
  and enjoy the party with a strange group of folk. 
  While in the tower, they can look out of the 
  windows to see a strange, beautiful landscape of 
  shimmering lakes, giant castles in the distance, 
  and strange spires of mountains. The tower itself 
  appears to be placed in the center of a fantastical 
  city which spreads out for miles. 
   
  Generally after passing out, they will wake up in 
  the morning, asleep among pine needles in the 
  town park, and anywhere from a week to a 
  month in the city will have passed.   
   
  These strange tales are only told by those who 
  are habitually drunk. If anyone in the party is 
  familiar with faerie lore, they should be able to 
  conclude that this is a manifestation of the faerie 
  realm in this world. Such things can act as 
  gateways (often one way) into a completely 
  different realm, full of danger, magic, and 
  powerful treasure. 
  
   
  52 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: As rumor of these strange events are 
  spreading through the city, the city leaders are 
  looking (discreetly) for someone to investigate 
  this phenomenon. Someone who is preferably 
  not a habitual drunk.   
   
  Any equipment needed will be supplied by the 
  city leaders, including a large supply of alcohol.  
  If the party (or a single member of the party) 
  would like to find this city, they will have to do 
  so in a drastically inebriated state.  
   
  The good news is that the fairies tend to take 
  pity on those who are in such a state, often using 
  them as a form of amusement and then casting 
  the drunken fools out of their realms. The bad 
  news is that the explorers will need to stay in 
  this state for their entire visit, or risk being 
  trapped in the realm of faerie. 
   
  Two: Unknown to the human occupants of the 
  city, the faerie are planning an invasion of this 
  realm,beginning with their magical tower, which 
  has finally pierced the mortal realm and created 
  a usable portal. They faerie who are planning 
  this are not highly placed in the faerie realm and 
  are hoping this war, if successful, will thrust 
  them into the notice of the fey nobles. 
   
  Unfortunately they are not highly placed among 
  the faerie most specifically because they are not 
  among the long thinkers, intelligent, or articulate 
  of their race. 
   
   
   
  For recon, they have been allowing those 
  humans who are more easily passed through the 
  portal (due to an extreme state of drunkenness) 
  to pass unharmed. They study their adversaries 
  and have concluded that this race of people will 
  bow before them like reeds in the wind. They  
  
   
  53 
   
   
  are particularly impressed with the poetry of 
  their victory and spend far more time coming up 
  with turns of phrase to describe their inevitable 
  victory than then do actually planning for the 
  battle. 
   
  One person in particular, fleeing from his 
  worldly troubles, has fallen into the faerie 
  clutches, and after a hellish night of partying has 
  been cast free again. This person is Raymond 
  who on top of his other troubles, can now add 
  saving the world from a Faerie invasion. 
  Recognizing the party as those experienced with 
  the hard life of adventurers, he will attempt to do 
  what is right and warn them. 
   
  EVELROD 
   
  The village of Evelrod is a quaint place, located 
  in the rough foothills just over a mile from the 
  sea.  Everything there seems nearly perfect.  
  Inhabited by hearty folk, they work hard and 
  lead simple lives but want for nothing. 
   
  The village itself is well laid out with neat 
  divisions between homes and working buildings. 
  A clean stream runs through the center, and 
  various hills and bluffs allow for homes to be 
  built with some privacy. The sea is less than a 
  mile away and rocky foothills of a low mountain 
  range are visible in the distance. 
   
  Still, there is a feeling of something quite not 
  right about this village. Anyone who is able to 
  sense the supernatural or who has a keen ability 
  to detect things such as ambushes will feel the 
  hair on the back of their neck prickle. 
   
  Those who enter the village will be approached 
  by several farmers and a friendly conversation 
  will be had. No matter how hard the villagers are 
  pressed, they will not trade however. Not for 
  food, riches, or magic.   
   
  If the party is able to spend some time thinking 
  about this village, they will realize that it does 
  not exist in any established legal jurisdiction. No 
  nobles hold sway over it, nor does it appear on 
  any maps the party may be able to produce or  
   
  find. Not entirely uncommon, but enough to 
  perhaps raise suspicion.  
   
  If they further investigate, the party may realize 
  that there is no farming being done to support 
  the village. No fishing boats or drying racks are 
  in evidence and no livestock is ever visible. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: The ancient dead are angry at the livings 
  treatment of the world. Once they thought the 
  world of the living would forever be denied 
  them – until they were inadvertently shown a 
  passage into this world. The party should be able 
  to follow hints leading to a young necromancer 
  who though inexperience, allowed the undead to 
  escape their realm unchecked. 
   
  A group of once elite warriors and magic users 
  have passed through the portal with a plan. They 
  have established a small invasion force and are 
  
   
  54 
   
  masquerading as the living in a village made of 
  illusion until they have sufficient numbers to 
  attack.   
   
  They have been able to manifest physical bodies 
  for themselves, if only for a short time. Once 
  their numbers reach 1000 they will swarm all of 
  the nearby towns and villages, occupy the bodies 
  of the inhabitants, and then begin their reign of 
  terror on the mortal world.  
   
  Two: The party has stumbled on a front 
  organization which has set up a phony village in 
  order to establish a small mercenary army within 
  hostile borders. If anyone of these highly trained 
  warriors, scouts, and magic users thinks that the 
  party is suspicious of the village, they will take 
  actions to ensure their incursion into the world 
  of the living is not threatened.  
   
  REDD’OPTALIS 
   
  A curious, small nation amidst a cluster of larger 
  kingdoms, Redd’optalis is a unique society with 
  a unique form of government. They have no 
  immigration laws, allowing anyone to take up 
  residence. Even so called evil races are not 
  prohibited.  
   
  Redd’optalis has a government based primarily 
  on ad-hoc committee. Whoever is available in 
  one of the many small to medium sized cities 
  which dot the country may vote on an issue 
  submitted by another resident. All residents are 
  allowed to submit any issue as they see fit, 
  provided they do so in writing and place it in a 
  publicly viewable space, on a sheet of vellum.  
  Often these issues are commented on by citizens 
  scrawling their own remarks on the vellum 
  sheets. 
   
  The public then has the ability to vote on each 
  proposal as individuals. Votes are tallied as they 
  are made by shifting the written issues up or 
  down one inch per citizen. Interesting and 
  important issues often rise quickly while 
  controversial issues may never rise above the six 
  foot starting mark. 
   
  In all villages larger than a group of a few huts 
  in Redd’optalis, special poles are erected, often 
  rising to heights of 30 feet or more. The larger 
  the settlement, the wider around this voting poll 
  is. Large cities may have several spanning more 
  than 40 feet in circumference.  
   
  Specially elected or appointed citizens, often 
  claiming some distant familial relationship to the 
  founding clans of the settlement, are put in 
  charge of monitoring the voting poles and 
  ensuring that only issues pertaining to their 
  settlements are posted. They have power, only 
  somewhat limited to remove issues. 
   
  Issues which make it to the top of their voting 
  polls are then sent off to the capital city of Redd, 
  where many citizens can vote and have their say. 
   
  
   
  55 
   
   
  The issues which are voted highest are often the 
  talk of the whole country for some time, and can 
  be enacted as laws, if that is what they are meant 
  to be. 
   
  Redd’optalis has no standing military or police 
  force, but its citizens are devoted to their nation 
  and are willing to take up arms as a 
  decentralized militia at nearly a moment’s 
  notice. They have successfully defended 
  themselves from several attacks without and 
  many smaller uprisings within, particularly early 
  on in the nation’s history.  
   
  Redd’optalis has managed to balance itself 
  politically as a mostly neutral country. Its 
  decentralized nature makes it very hard to 
  conquer; meaning most of its larger neighbors 
  have deemed it too costly an effort. Thus it has 
  become something of a neutral ground, where 
  members of other nation states may come for 
  short periods to work out their differences. 
   
  For its citizens, the decentralized nature and the 
  ability to call attention to the plight of an 
  individual through posting an issue on a voting 
  pole means that there is a great deal of 
  individual freedom, coupled with disparate 
  communities coming together to help those in 
  dire need. 
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  One: A large criminal organization has been 
  tasked with assessing the probabilities of  
   
  success in waging a war on Redd’optalis. They 
  are looking to contract with groups of willing 
  adventurers to infiltrate this small nation and 
  compile detailed maps, information on troops 
  and strength of the local magical practitioners.  
   
  Shortly after the party is approached by this 
  faction, they are approached by another large 
  criminal organization – it seems that a good 
  number of Redd’optalis inhabitants have caught 
  wind of this scheme and have hired their own 
  criminal organization to counter the first.  
   
  Two: A powerful and reclusive mage has 
  become very interested in Redd’optalis. It seems  
   
  that something to do with its political structure is 
  interfering with his pet colony of Gnuma. He is 
  willing to trade a great deal of money or 
  powerful items in exchange for the party 
  bringing with them a young Gnuma queen and a 
  few workers. 
   
  The party are to rent out a large warehouse, and 
  establish a new Gnuma colony within, to see if 
  they suffer the same inability to accurately 
  portray a Redd’optalis city. They must protect 
  the Gnuma colony and keep it a secret for at 
  least several months. A feat easier said than  
   
  done when the curious and freely spoken 
  Redd’optalis inhabitants become aware of a 
  large warehouse that doesn’t seem to be housing 
  any wares.  
   
  Rumors and conspiracy theories will begin to be 
  spread as the party attempts to keep the Gnuma 
  secret and safe.  
   
  ADVENTURE 
  HOOKS 
  A Brand New Bag 
  After the party has entered and conquered a 
  dungeon, they will ascend a steep shaft upwards, 
  and on clambering out make a startling 
  discovery. They have just exited a large, magical 
  bag which, on looking back appears to be an 
  ordinary cloth sack. They find themselves far 
  removed from where they entered the dungeon 
  originally. Could this be a different location or 
  an entirely different world altogether? 
   
  A Bard of a Problem 
  A charismatic bard said to be of fey descent is 
  taking the kingdom by storm. Teenaged 
  followers are rioting wherever the bard performs 
  and wreaking havoc amongst the ruling classes. 
  They cannot endanger the sons and daughters of 
  their own people, but cannot tolerate these riots 
  either. To make matters worse, this bard has 
  acquired some kind of magic which makes one 
  song stick in any listeners head for a full seven 
  
   
  56 
   
  days.  The party is called in by those in power to 
  “deal with this problem”. 
   
  A Bevy of Beauty 
  A beautiful princess, loved by all in the realm, 
  has been kidnapped by a mysterious cult intent 
  on sacrificing her to elder gods. The party is 
  offered a substantial reward to rescue her.  
   
  When they do finally track down the mystery 
  cult, they will find that all of the cultists have 
  been polymorphed into an exact likeness of the 
  princess. 
   
  The Placebo Effect 
  A virulent plague has rapidly swept through the 
  area. A council of elders, wizards, and nobles 
  has convened and announced that a cure has 
  been discovered and will be distributed for free. 
  Unfortunately this cure turns out to be only a 
  placebo. The real cure is expensive to create, 
  and is being offered only to those who can 
  afford it. While this is not morally right, 
  announcing this fact to the masses may cause a 
  huge swell of public discontent and civil unrest 
  and many of the poor would die from violence, 
  in addition to those dying of plague.  
   
  Field of Dreams 
  In the grasslands of Reng, dreams do come true! 
  This becomes problematic for the player who 
  gets chosen for the first watch while their 
  companions sleep. 
   
  Hey Babe 
  A kind and powerful prophet is introduced to the 
  party by powerful rulers at a state function. He is 
  described as being wise, loving and, above all, 
  when the prophecy is upon him, never wrong.  
   
  Later that evening, he will find the party in their 
  rooms and confide in them that he has had a 
  prophecy about a babe, currently innocent of all 
  troubles, who will spell certain doom for the 
  world if it is not snatched away from its parents 
  on the morrow, and brought to a certain 
  monastery to be raised. 
   
  He describes exactly where this baby can be 
  found – in a small village less than half a day’s 
  travel from the city. The babe will have blonde  
   
   
  hair, green eyes and will be wearing a necklace 
  of blue and yellow flowers. 
   
  On arriving at this village, the party will 
  discover that it is the yearly New Birth 
  celebration, and babies from all of the 
  surrounding towns and villages are being 
  paraded through the central street. All of them 
  are decked out in necklaces of blue and yellow 
  flowers. Proud parents abound and the party 
  cannot walk two steps without being presented a 
  smiling or wailing babe to admire. 
   
  Summertime 
  Something has caused the sewer system of a 
  major city to back up and begin overflowing. 
  The city will pay handsomely to anyone who 
  can find the cause, and correct it. 
   
  Green in the Spring 
  Once every thousand years, a migration cycle 
  begins with the world's green drake population. 
  Remembered only in song and folk tales, which 
  have vague allusions to fiery green destruction, 
  no one is prepared. The nesting grounds of these 
  green drakes are very close to several major 
  seaports, with large populations and widely 
  spread trade connections. 
   
  The Small-clothes Conspiracy 
  Someone has convinced a local tribe of goblins 
  that human underwear is immensely valuable.  
   
  Who will stop the rain? 
  It has been raining for nearly a month straight. 
  Blame is laid on a local hag, who lives in the 
  caves within the nearby cliffs. 
   
  An Island Appears 
  A kingdom located on a floating island takes 
  station over the city. They make demands for 
  tribute and threaten to rain down death if they 
  are not paid handsomely. 
   
  Life is a Drug 
  The thrill is of facing death, of glimpsing the 
  other side, and returning. It is powerfully 
  magical and absolutely addicting. The rich have 
  begun to kill themselves, and one another, to 
  
   
  57 
   
  experience the rush of death and resurrection. 
  The destruction of the necessary magical 
  materials in the process has begun to bankrupt 
  the kingdom. It is becoming harder and harder 
  for those powerful figures such as generals or 
  scholars who are not part of the 
  death/resurrection cycle to find the materials 
  they genuinely need.  
   
  All the Kingdom’s a Stage 
  A powerful and aged sorcerer’s mandragora 
  plant has up and wandered off. Without a 
  weekly tea made from mandragora clippings, the 
  sorcerer has become too weak to fend off an 
  impending invasion of orcs.  
   
  Free from the sorcerer’s influence, the 
  mandragora plant has developed a human-like 
  body and has joined a theatre troupe, who will 
  be performing their latest for the queen of the 
  realm.  
  The queen, known for her moods, is likely to 
  condemn the entire troupe to death if their new 
  lead player is unavailable to perform, however 
  the orcs are rapidly approaching the sorcerer’s 
  village.  
   
  Silent Mourning 
  The kingdom has finally found itself a decent, 
  kind and loving ruler in their beloved king. He 
  has ruled for nearly a decade and brought a time 
  of peace and prosperity to his realm.  His 
  marriage to the queen has only strengthened 
  the realm and both are kindly and wise 
  rulers.  
   
  Sadly, the king has recently lost both 
  his wife and their daughter in childbirth. 
  Filled with grief, the king has ordered his 
  kingdom to mourn for an entire year in 
  complete silence.  
   
  He has had created magical constructs known as 
  Topaz Guards, who will strike down anyone 
  they detect talking in so much as a whisper.   
   
  He’s truly the only decent ruler the realm has 
  had in centuries, but a lot of innocent people are 
  dying because of a few quiet whispers.  
   
  I’m Back 
  A serial resurrectionist is on the loose! Recently 
  deceased people are being returned to life at an 
  alarming rate. While this is wonderful in 
  principle, it is causing havoc with inheritance 
  laws. In addition to this, condemned criminals 
  who have been executed are finding themselves 
  alive again and in no danger of facing double 
  jeopardy.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  58 
   
   
  It’s Good to be the King 
  All of the players awake one day to find that 
  their likenesses have been transformed so that 
  they look and sound like the king, and the king 
  has just been reported as missing. 
   
  The Worst Reward 
  The party has just come from a successful and 
  rewarding meeting with a powerful ruler. 
  Perhaps they have completed a difficult task and 
  they have accepted their reward. After traveling 
  some distance from this meeting, the party 
  discovers that the youngest child of this ruler has 
  stowed away with them, for a chance at an 
  adventure of a lifetime.  
  Lucky 
  The God of Luck has gambled away their 
  divinity! This god seeks to enlist the party to 
  retrieve this divinity from the Trickster God. 
   
  Ah, Nature 
  All over the kingdom, trees have begun singing. 
  At first this was whimsical but it has been going 
  on for months and it will not stop. People are 
  losing sleep, livestock are panicking, and the 
  kingdom is in a state of upheaval. Worse, if  
   
  anyone attempts to cut down or burn a tree, it 
  begins to scream horribly about murder. 
   
  Revenge 
  A powerful warlord turns up to issue a challenge 
  to the party for the wrong that they did to him 
  years ago. None of the party have any idea who 
  this warlord is and have never seen him before.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/System neutral/Tables & Charts/NPCs & Rumormill/Fantasy/EPPc.pdf