Flooded Keep of the Astromancer - Week of Adventures Location 8

This location was originally written up as part of the River Jarl steading in the Sildur Reaches, along the western shore of the Greywater, south near the Great River. The name of the steading is Northwind. The name of this location is the Flooded Keep of the Astromancer. It was location 8 (bonus location) in the Week of Adventure Locations.

Adventure Location: Southeast of the Northwind Steading, along the road to Na Kram, there is a vale next to the road that was once the home to a small castle, early Westroner construction, that housed a wizard who was very much interested in the goings on of the stars, the moons, and the other interesting bodies in the night sky.  It is said he was called Kassar Nabarns, but usually is referred to as the Astromancer.  At one point he made a lot of pronouncements concerning the deities of the Old Ones, and even sent off for some of the Archivists of Parn Tandalorn to come and visit and review his knowledge that he was amassing.  Before that occurred, however, he was visited by an angry wizard - some say a necromancer - who led an army of dead warriors.  There was, of course, a wizard's duel between the two, and their followers and guards.  Something happened to the astronomer, and his whole home, vale and all, were subjected to a deluge of waters.

Remaining castle tower of Kassar Nabarns, the astronomer

 Only the topmost tower of castle remains above water, but it is widely rumored that the whole area (lake, tower, vale) are haunted by a number of beings.  Depending on which alehouse you frequent, these beings vary from ghosts of the slain, to lake devils summoned to protect the tower and its contents.  The Archivists of Parn Tandalorn never did arrive (they heard about the duel before traveling this far north), but who knows what knowledge or magic the astronomer was able to amass in his castle?  All before being beaten by the necromancer. [This is location 8 in the finally finished Week of Adventure Locations].

Roaming House of the Elkmen King - Week of Adventures Location 7

In the wide and open Fields of Aton of the Sildur Reaches, east of the Greywater River, there is a nomadic tribe of people that have merged with a roaming great herd of Giant Elk.  There, moving across the Fields of Aton, is the site of this adventure location - the Roaming House of the King of the Elkmen.  This was originally described as part of the River Jarl setting, in the writeup of the Steading of Mead Hall.  It was Location number 7 in the Week of Adventure Locations.

Adventure Location: East of Mead Hall, out across the Fields of Aton, between the Greywater River, and the Barony of Na Kram, roam the Mongrelbeast Herds.  These are herds of giant elk, as found in other regions of the valley north of the Great River, but the herds here have been affected by some foul strain of Old One magic.  A long time ago, a savage primitive people, similar to the Sword People north of the King's Highway in the same region, would wander and travel with the Giant Elk herds that have been trapped south of the King's Highway, since it was constructed.  These people, called the Elkmen, would wander with the herds, culling some now and again for food and skins, but mostly living with them in peace, and for protection.  The Elkmen had semi-domesticated some of the beasts to pull their great wheeled huts.  The king of the Elkmen lived in a massive giant wheeled hut called the Roaming House.

Giant Elk, roaming the Fields of Aton during winter.

However, at some point, something occurred to merge the the Elkmen with the Elks.  Now the herd consists of Giant Elks, Elkmen, and all manner of merged beings with attributes of both.  This includes, giant Elkmen, with the heads of elks; centaur-Elkman type mixed animals; giant elks with arms and hands sprouting out of their shoulders; Elks with Elkman type heads - all sorts of mixes.  These mixed beings are called Mongrelbeasts, and are barely tolerated by the tribe.  It is widely believed that the source of the magic that caused this change is an artifact of the Old Ones, and it is kept in the Elkman king's Roaming House.  In addition to merging the two beings - the Elkmen and the giant elks - into the Mongrelbeasts, the change also granted some of them fearsome magical powers, such as the ability to sound a horrid baying noise that has the power to kill, or a hoary breath that melts metal.  Each individual Mongrelbeast is completely chaotic and unpredictable.

City of Ohn Ohnan - Week of Adventures Location 6

This adventure location was first described in the write up on the River Jarl Steading of Clearwater.  Clearwater Steading is built right next to the mound of the King's Highway, at the point where the Greywater River passes through a long tunnel to go under the Highway.  At the mid point of this tiled tunnel, there is a side passage . . .

This was part of the Week of Adventure Locations, and it was Location number 6.  It is located along the Greywater River between the Darkearth Plains and the Sildur Reaches.

Adventure Location: As the Greywater flows under the King's Highway, it goes through an impressive tunnel, burrowed out and lined with very thick slate tiles throughout it's massive arch.  The interior height of the arch is nearly 160 feet, higher in some spots (the top surface of the King's Highway, in this area, stands some 300 feet up over the plains around it).  The river banks go right up against the tiled walls of the tunnel.  About half way through, on the western wall, there is a large opening that goes back into the mound of the King's Highway.

Side passage from the Greywater River

The opening is covered over by a massive bronze portcullis that is chained to stone pillars coming out from the tunnel walls on either side.  The opening is easily wide enough and tall enough for a vessel of a modest size to enter.  This sideflow of the river goes on for almost two miles, deep under the King's Highway.

The tiled ceiling and tunnel sides give away to rough rock, and eventually to stalactites.  Among them lurk all manor of subterranean hunters and predators.  Huge, aggressive, and hungry blind fish (of monstrous sizes, some 20 or 30 feet long) live in the almost always black river.  But, if this route is traversed, the explorer/adventurers will be rewarded with the river disappearing under a stone wall, with only inches of clearance. At this point, however, there is a stone jetty, with paths and stairways down deep into the earth, and eventually ending up at a ruined, and abandoned subterranean city.  The city is in a vast, huge, cavern (several miles across), with strange trees and plants growing in the subterranean light that is cast off the monstrous stalactites inside the cavern.

Underground City of Ohn Ohnan

 Legendarily known as the city of Ohn Ohnan, it is rumored to have once been a joint city of Mika-Born and the Old Ones, but it was destroyed by a crazed cult of madmen lead by an EHP of the Lord of Fire.  The ghosts of the Lord of Fire worshippers are rumored to haunt the ruins.  What else lives there now, is for the adventurers to discover. [This is location 6 in the Week of Adventure Locations]

The Scorch - Week of Adventures Location 3

The Scorch is an area of land near to the River Jarl Steading of the Bright Iron Fastness. It was originally written up as Location 3 in the Week of Adventure Locations.The land is just east of the Greywater River, in the region of the Sildur Reaches.

Adventure Location:  Southeast of Bright Iron, further south east even than the Stone Houses, there is a region along the border of the Orc Clan lands known as The Scorch.  This is a rolling plain, in the Sildur Reaches, among some gentle swells of the land, where all life has been burnt off.  This was done during one of the wars between the Huscarls of Bright Iron and the Orc Clans.  It was meant as a reminder of the edge of the Orc Clan Lands that Bright Iron would tolerate.  The land was burnt by fire brigands, summoned by fire wizards, from the great volcanoes and lava flows of the icy north, deep in the Destriel Mountains. 

These beings (the fire brigands), thought to be the servants of the Gods when they formed the mountains of the world, were brought forth and told to totally destroy all life in the area of the Scorch.  This they did, but in so doing it they also deposited all sorts of minerals and metals into the burnt land.  This has come to attract all sorts of adventurers and treasure seekers, for there are also gems (both magical and non-magical) among the curious deposits left by the fire brigands.  Once, not so long ago, a band of Mika-born (gnomes) came and built a fortified tower, along with deep dungeons and mines, in the center of the scorch.  From this they sought to exploit the area and relieve it of its treasured burdens that litter the landscape.  The expedition lasted about a generation, before it was totally wiped out by Orc Clans.  The tower, and it's dungeons, known as the Tower of Ontigar, still is there, and is awaiting the plundering of a band of adventurers.  [This is location 3 in the Week of Adventure Locations.]

Princess of Roses - Week of Adventures Location 2

The village of Aderback is nearby the River Jarl Steading of Seawyrm. It is located near the Greywater River, in the region of the Sildur Reaches.  Seawyrm is on the Eastern side of the Greywater River.


Adventure Location: Several days northeast of Seawyrm, towards the southernmost fingers of stony ridges coming down out of the Destriel Mountains, there is a curious village.  It is a village made of stone buildings, and surrounded by a stout palisade, to aid in warding off the Sword People who venture that way.  The village's name is Aderbak, and it is known to be the home of both the Princess of Roses, and the thorny portal.

The Princess of Roses is a fey princess, who has sworn to live in this realm, who as been blessed by her father (an Elven sorcerer from the Seely Court) to serve as a natural ward against incursions from the Unseely Realm.  She resides in Aderbak, because a peculiar connection to the Unseely Realm is there.

The thorny portal is stony rift in the ground, surrounded by guarded walls and overseen by towers manned by the Aderbak town guard, and occasionally by wandering Paladins from the Westroner cities (most commonly Knights of the Hearth, and Knights of the White Lady).  It is a permanent portal to a dark and constantly smoky plain in the Unseely Realm, at the center of which stands the great Brass Tower.  This is a mighty castle, peopled by all sorts of dark creatures, evil wizards, and goblin kind of all variety.  That the thorny portal itself cannot be closed remains a mystery, but occasionally adventurers will venture across the portal, into the Unseely Realm, for all manner of purposes. [This is location 2 in the Week of Adventure Locations]

Dungeons of Igo Umblar - Week of Adventures Location 1

This adventure location was originally part of the writeup on Icewall, the Riverjarl Steading.  This location is near the Greywater River, in the Darkearth Plains.  It is located on the River Jarl map.  It is adventure 1 in the Week of Adventure Locations.

Adventure Location: Several days journey, but not a journey to be undertaken by those unfamiliar with the Ice Father, across the glacial ice - there lies a series of small villages of ice people. They live in curious round houses, made of ice and snow, and live by hunting ice worms and sometimes ride ice spiders in great hunts for the white frost-yaks that live on the glacier.

Among these ice people is said to be knowledge of a hollowed out rift in the glacier, where the mouth of an ancient castle, long buried by the ice.  This castle, which lies mostly underground (and almost all under ice) was perhaps built by the Old Ones.  Regardless, today the ice people believe it is home to the feared four armed glacial beast.  The glacial beast is a very large (12' tall) clawed creature that lives on man flesh.  The glacial beast is rumored to be able to run silently, among the swirling blind driving snow of the northern blizzards, and attacks caravans of travelers who are foolish enough to be out on the ice during such storms.  Among the ice people, there is  a tradition of hunting the glacial beast as a mark of entry into adulthood.  Both male and female members of the ice people tribe take part in this hunt, and it involves small teams of the tribe members who are coming of age each winter to go out among the fiercest of storms, carrying only spears tipped with narwhal horns, and riding the ice spiders that they are fond of .  Occasionally, a small band of these villagers attempting to prove that they are worthy hunters will return with the severed claws of a glacial beast.  Equally likely, however, are the years when none return.

Glacial entrance to the dungeons of Igo Umblar

Other than being the home of the glacial beast, however, the icy covered black stone castle entrance is likely to be the portal to one of the most mysterious locations in the north - the fabled dungeons of Igo Umblar.  Igo Umblar is legendarily known among the archivists as the astral navigator who eventually led some of the Old Ones to leave after the ancient troubles with the members of the Seely Court.  His underground domain would certainly be a dungeon worth exploring, and should be home to all sorts of enigmatic treasures, as well as fearsome creatures left over from the reign of the Old Ones. [This is location 1 in the Week of Adventure Locations]

Regions of the Valley (4) - Sildur Reaches

[This is the introduction to the region of the Sildur Reaches, a mapping and some hex details have been posted already].

The Sildur Reaches describes the region of the valley that lies north of the Great River, south of the Destriel Mountains, and between the Fa'Ars River on the eastern border, and the Greywater River on the western border.

The central terrain of this region is dominated by the patchy pine forests that together make up the massive Shadow Woods.  The pines of this region include the mighty Giant Cloudwood pine trees, that can reach as much as 400 feet tall, and as big around as 25-30 feet.  Some Cloudwoods are as old as 2,500 or 3,000 years, according to some Wood Elf sages that have been tending them as a life project.  Other pines in the area include the gnarleycone pine tree, the bristlecone pine tree and also the thinwhistle pine tree.

The whole region was once heavily, heavily forested, but it is believed that during the time of the Old Ones that it was deforested.  The reason is unknown, but occasionally massive fields full of the stumps of Cloudwood trees are still encountered.  These are often home to packs of dire wolves, giant badgers, and frequently swarms of giant burrowing insects (mostly giant beetles of different types, some as large as 10 or 12 feet long; and also a peculiar type of ground dwelling giant tick that are the bane of the dire wolves).

The name of the region, the Sildur Reaches, comes from the name of a Frost Giant warlord, or king as he preferred to be called, that ravaged the region during the time between the departure of the Old Ones and the arrival of the Westroners.  Some of the incredible crusading campaigns waged by the early bands of Westron knights in this region were against the armies of Frost Giants, and their ogre and bugbear allies.  Once the Giant Crusades were over, the Giants were confined to the mountainous lands to the north east, around the Tears of Heaven.

The road that extends from the city of Botts southwest to the city of Na Kram passes over the King's Highway.  Actually it passes under the King's Highway, but it does so through an area that is a flooded bog.  There is a vast tunnel through the mound of the Highway at this point, approximately 200 yards wide, and 30 yards high at the center, through which punt boat traffic frequently travels.  This boat traffic is one of the activities of the swamp town of Wall Morton.  This is a Westron town that is built all on pillars in the bog, and almost all movement in and around the town is by punt boat.  The swamp itself, called simply The Morton is about 75 miles wide, but this is spotted throughout with islands and high areas where trees grow, but the region is generally boggy and covered in fetid waterways.  A number of black dragons make their home here, and there is a order of Knights of the White Lady (paladins) who dwell in Wall Morton, and they patrol the region on the back of great hippogriffs.

Paladin of the White Lady fighting a Black Dragon for a captured maiden.

In addition to the swamp town of Wall Morton, there are a number of other independent towns, that are not part of either the Barony of Botts or of the Barony of Na Kram.  These are Willow (in the east, a river trading town on the Fa'Ars River), Gavaar and Roesen (two rival ports on the Great River), Jinette (trade town on the road between Na Kram and Huygen "The City of Lights" - which is across the Greywater River in the Darkearth Plains) and Haaksen (walled trade town on the road between Na Kram and Wall Morton).

Sildur Reaches - Sandbox Map

[I have let this blog go mostly dormant, since September of 2012.  That was when I started teaching my first semester as a Professor at Columbus State University, and I have been busy.  However, I was working away on a number of different parts of the Valley of the Old Ones, although my current gaming interests take me in the directions of doing the next inter-river region of the world, the Sildur Reaches.  I am developing this in the manner of an Old School sandbox region, for players to explore and adventure in, without an over-riding plot or adventure theme.  The first step, of course, is a hexmap of the region . . .] 

So, here is the map of the Sildur Reaches, developed using Hexographer (a fantastic program, I highly recommend it).  Each hex on the map represents 25 miles across.  This is a region approximately 1000 miles wide, and about 600 miles from north to south.  My plans, for sandbox gaming, are to pick one or two areas, and then do a higher detail (smaller scale - probably 5 mile hexes, similar to the old Judges Guild village book hexmaps) treatment, showing lairs, adventure sites, dungeons, ruins, etc.

On the map can be seen the two main cities of the Sildur Reaches, Botts and Na Kram.  Also a number of other features.  In the western part of the Reaches, a lot of the details from the previous work on the Greywater Jarls is visible, including a number of the Steadings of the Jarls.  Here is a list of the main features, by hex number, of this map.

0115 - Furlingga Gnolls (tribal area) Home of a number of roaming tribes of Gnolls.

0303 - Steading of Icewall - Icewall is the name of the northern most of the River Jarl steadings.  It is the home of a very powerful clan of Storm King barbarians, the Isvater clan.  The current head of the clan is Kolfinn Haukson.  He is an old warrior, ruling his great clan, and his huscarls, with a firm but fair manner.  He has a daughter, Vigdis Kilfinndottr - who is young, lovely, and given to romantic adventures.  She has a group of friends, all young ladies, who attend her on all manner of adventures.

0508 - Steading of Rookroost - Rookroost is the name of the steading of the Daughters of the River Raven.  It was once an impressive castle, built high on a rocky abutment that rises some 200 feet above the surface of the Erantor river, which runs out of the Great Owl Forest, to join the Greywater River.  Today, the remains of the ancient castle are still standing, but the steading itself is built into the stone mound that it stands upon.

0512 - Steading of Clearwater - Near the point where the Greywater River passes under a great arch, to run beneath the King's Highway, there stands two fascinating structures. The first, of course is the tall, wide raised up artificial ridge that the King's Highway is built on.  As detailed elsewhere, this artificiality was built by the Old Ones, probably by Ba'a Zarn the Builder.  Up against this raised up ridgeline rises the small castle (steading) of Clearwater.

0516 - Northwind Steading - The furthest south of all the River Jarl Steadings, Northwind is further south than the King's Highway, almost half the distance between the King's Highway and the Great River.  Some way south along the river, is the great ferry crossing of the Greywater, marking the point where the road between the baronies of Huygen and Na Kram cross the Greywater river.

0612 - Steading of Mead Hall - There is a skald's song that starts out "Mead Hall, Mead Hall - Home of Heroes Brave and Tall!"  And it has, indeed, been a home for many heroes over the years.  If there is a Steading of Storm King barbarians that fits the stereotypes that Westroners believe in - it is definitely Mead Hall.

0706 - Steading of Bright Iron -The current Jarl of Bright Iron is called Garret Fingolsson.  His name is a curious one for a Storm King barbarian - since it includes a Westroner first name, but it was the name his father (Fingol the Just) gave him.

0708 - Stone Houses (ruins) - Immediately southeast of Bright Iron, just on the outskirts of the tended agricultural lands under the protection of Jarl Garret's fyrdmen, lay the lands of the Stone Houses.  The Stone Houses are curious round structures, long since out of use by their original inhuman builders, made of stacked stones.  The are similar to a Broch, or round house, that is built by some of the distant Storm King barbarians, however the roofs are all long since rotted off, and some of the stone walls are crumbling. What is curious about the structures, is that they are built for giant beings.  Larger than an ogre, whomever it was that first peopled these stone houses must have been of a great stature, perhaps 15 feet tall?  The typical stone house (as pictured below) has a first story that is partially underground, and then usually two more stories above that, and a peaked roof.  Sometimes the roofs are present (when they were made out of slate or other stone) and sometimes they are long gone (when they were made out of material that would have rotted with age, such as wood or thatch).  The typical structure is approximately 70 tall (at the peak of the roof), and about 80' across the base, at ground level.  Of course, there is variation, so some exist that are taller or shorter, and either bigger or smaller around.

0801 - Rockhome Dwarven Kingdom - Rockhome is a city built into a mountain's roots, it is the capital of a kingdom of Dwarves that exists largely underground.

0811 - Orc Clans (tribal area) - Home of a number of tribes of roaming Orcs.

1004 - Steading of Seawyrm - Seawyrm is the northern most steading of the River Jarls along the Upper Greywater River.  It is still a long way short of the edge of the Destriel Mountains, so the Upper Greywater is quite broad and wide by the time it reaches the shore where Seawyrm is constructed.

1011 - The Scorch - Southeast of Bright Iron, further south east even than the Stone Houses, there is a region along the border of the Orc Clan lands known as The Scorch.  This is a rolling plain, among some gentle swells of the land, where all life has been burnt off.  This was done during one of the wars between the Huscarls of Bright Iron and the Orc Clans.  It was meant as a reminder of the edge of the Orc Clan Lands that Bright Iron would tolerate. 

1018 - Town of Jinette - A walled independent town along the road between Na Kram and Huygens to the west. Population 4,250.

1107 - Sword People (tribal area) - These tribes of vicious and primitive savages are found mostly to the east, across the open plains between the Upper Greywater and the Shadow Woods.  These plains are known as the Blood Veldt.  The Sword People are a simple, bloodthirsty culture of savage barbarians that live in crude tribal groups (with simple shelters of sticks and skins that they erect), and make their basic economy by hunting the wooly rhinos of the Blood Veldt, and the herds of giant reindeer.  Occasionally, and all too frequently, they will have some sort of religious frenzy where the young warriors of the tribes will go on a blood frenzy, traveling in random directions, and slaying any and every living thing they come across, leaving the dead just to rot.  This is where the name Blood Veldt comes from...

1115 - Mongrelbeast Herds - East of Mead Hall, out across the Fields of Aton, between the Greywater River, and the Barony of Na Kram, roam the Mongrelbeast Herds.  These are herds of giant elk, as found in other regions of the valley north of the Great River, but the herds here have been affected by some foul strain of Old One magic.  A long time ago, a savage primitive people, similar to the Sword People north of the King's Highway in the same region, would wander and travel with the Giant Elk herds that have been trapped south of the King's Highway, since it was constructed.  These people, called the Elkmen, would wander with the herds, culling some now and again for food and skins, but mostly living with them in peace, and for protection.  The Elkmen had semi-domesticated some of the beasts to pull their great wheeled huts.  The king of the Elkmen lived in a massive giant wheeled hut called the Roaming House.

1303 - Village of Aderbak - Several days northeast of Seawyrm, towards the southernmost fingers of stony ridges coming down out of the Destriel Mountains, there is a curious village.  It is a small village made of stone buildings, and surrounded by a stout palisade, to aid in warding off the Sword People who venture that way.  The village's name is Aderbak, and it is known to be the home of both the Princess of Roses, and the thorny portal.

1417 - City of Na Kram - Baronial seat of the Na Kram Barony.  Home to the Dungeons of Borleos, a fearsome prison. Hol Kram, the Cathedral of Starry Wisdom, dedicated to Saint Gianna the Oracle, is located in Na Kram.  Population, 18,000.

1502 - Kingdom of the Great Bears - Home of a race of intelligent, magic using cave bears.

2116 - Town of Haaksen - Independent walled town at the crossroads on the road between Na Kram and Wall Morton. Population 4,800.  The Hospital of the Pierced Pelican is here - a religious hospital run by Sisters of the order of St. Brigid.


2812 - Town of Wall Morton - Independent town, with main buildings built on poles in the great Vinemorton Swamp, along the King's Highway. Population 5,200, although mostly outliers.

2819 - Town of Gavaar - Independent trading town on the northern bank of the Great River.  Home of the Corsairs of Iron, funded by the Shiaress of Gavaar. Population 4,700.

2821 - Town of Roesen - Independent trading and fishing town on the southern bank of the Great River.  Rival to the Shiaress of Gavaar, the Patriarch of Roesen funds the Ka'Bleez Marine - a small flotilla of patrol craft to protect trading ships from harassment by the Corsairs of Iron. Population 5,400.

3111 - City of Botts - Baronial seat of the Barony of Botts.  Home to the bardic college of Brandismore, and also to the Grand Lyceum of Abjurative Sorcery.  The Bardic College of  Brandismore is located at Feyd Hall.  The Lute Master of the Hall is Mistress Leanarra Gwayne.  The school of Abjuration is located in the heart of the city of Botts.  It is a walled campus of several buildings built upon a shining plaza made out of curious metals from a fallen asteroid. The head of the Lyceum is the Abjurer Glub Nar (male, human).  Tolbe Cathedral (the Orphans' Cathedral) is located here, and is dedicated to St. Lilliane.  Population, 17,500.

3507 - Fire Mountain - This curious volcano is riddled with layers and layers of caves and cavern complexes.  It is home to a number of dragons, amongst other fouler creatures.

3809 - Town of Willow - Walled riverbank town that runs a ferry crossing the Fa'Ars River. Population 4,400.

Darkearth Plains - Wilderness Encounter System

Taking a break from finishing the Ostigaar Web dungeon, I have decided that it is time to present the encounter charts that I have been working on for the Darkearth Plains (see map here).

 [NOTE: This has been edited, as of Sept 14]

As mentioned earlier, the region of the Darkearth Plains is one of conditions very similar to the Pleistocene era on Earth.  Many of the animals we are familiar with from the fossil record of that time are present in the Valley of the Old Ones, specifically in this region.  Also, even as far south as the Great River, the weather in the Darkearth Plains is notably cold.  These two features (the presence of the large animals we think of as Ice Age mammals; and the very cold weather) combine to provide an interesting wilderness encounter matrix.

The encounter system works like this:

Each day is divided up into four 6-hour periods.  They are called Dawn, Day, Dusk and Night.

From this rough outline of time periods, for each one that the players spend the majority of the time outside of human habitation, roll 2d6. On a basic score of 9+ there is an encounter. If the season's weather has been particularly rough, then add +1 to the roll (more of these creatures - which represent the aggressors in the food chain - will be prowling for food when the weather is tough). If the player party has any rangers or druids in it, add or subtract one each, at the player's whim.

If the score is successful, then check the following table to see what the chance for surprise is, as well as the likely range of the initial encounter.

Time of Day	Chance of Surprise (2d6)	Opening range of Encounter
Day	9+	100-600 yards (1d6 x 100 yards)
Dawn, Dusk	7+	40-240 yards (4d6 x 10 yards)
Night	5+	20-80 yards (2d4 x 10 yards)

• If the dice roll for surprise is successful, then the party is unaware of the encounter, initially, and the encounter range is half of what is rolled.
• If the encounter takes place in mountains or forest, halve the encounter range that is rolled.
• If the encounter is primarily a flying creature, then double the encounter range that is rolled.

The rational behind this table is that most animals in the Valley of the Old Ones that are encountered in the wilderness are more active, and more mobile, early (and late) in the day, than during the middle of the day. This does not apply to underground, or planned encounters, only those random creatures encountered in the wilderness during travel or mapping.
If the surprise number is rolled, this means that the encounter is present before the party is aware of them. If the surprise roll is failed, then the party is somehow aware of the encounter at the same time as it appears. Once it appears, normal rules for surprise and perception should apply.

Once an encounter has been determined, then roll two 6 sided dice, and consult the following table. Add +1 to the Red dice if they players are within 10 miles of a sizeable human settlement/habitation (sizeable means more than 100 humans, demihumans, or humanoids living in a regular place - such as a town, castle, fortress, etc).

White Dice	Red Dice
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1	L	Q	S	U	W	X	N
2	L	B	H	H	D	N	N
3	K	B	F	E	D	N	N
4	K	A	E	F	C	M	M
5	J	A	G	G	C	M	M
6	J	P	R	T	V	Y	M

This will generate a letter. Then for each of the terrain types listed below, this will give an encounter. Many of these are already detailed with statistics inside the OSR reference document (posted here). Other creatures will be detailed in a future posting on this blog.

Encounter	Plains	Hills	River Valley	Forest	Mountains
Irish Deer	-	A,B	A,B	A	A,B
Mammoth	A,B	C	C	-	-
Mastadon	C	D,E	D,E	-	-
Giant Stag	D	F,G	F,G	-	C
Sabre Tooth Tiger	E	H	H,J,K	B,C,D	D
Dire Wolf	F	J	L,P	E,F,G	E,F,G
Cave Bear	-	K,L	-	H,J,K	J,K,L
Flightless Bird	G	P,Q	Q	-	-
Axebeak	H	-	-	L	-
Hammer Head (Titanothere)	J	-	-	-	-
Humans (see subtable)	M	M	M	M	M
Others (see subtable)	N	N	N	N	N
Gargantua (Baluchitherium)	K,L	-	-	-	-
Frost Moth	P,Q	R	Q	P,Q	P
Ice Wyrm	R	-	-	R,S	Q,R
Frost Rhino	S	S	S	-	-
Ice Serpent	T	T	-	T,U	S,T
Floating Horror	U	U	T,U	-	-
Giant (see subtable)	V	V	V	V	U,V
Dragon (see subtable)	W	W	W	W	W
DemiHuman (see subtable)	X	X	X	X	X
Special (see subtable)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

There are several entries that call for consulting a subtable. These are presented below, with regional specific notes (for instance, human encounters in the Aghanz hills are likely to be Shagmen, whereas human encounters near any of the three Baronies in the region are likely to be typical medieval period humans).

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Humans

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Ever since the invasion of the Westroners into the Valley of the Old Ones, they have dominated the landscape, at least from the point of view of civilized beings.  The Westron Baronies (independent Kingdoms in all but name) represent the only really organized political entities within the Valley.  Before the Westroners arrived, of course, the barbarians (the Sun King tribes, the Storm King tribes, and oddities like the Shagmen) existed, but not in the same numbers.  This subtable is a way to determine what sort of band of humans are encountered, when they are.

Dice	Humans
1	Warrior
2	Religious
3	Merchants
4	Craftsmen
5	Raiders
6	Elite

Warrior

A body of armed soldiery appropriate to the area encountered in.

• In the Aghanz Hills, or nearby, these will be Shagmen (2d6 warriors; 6d6 women and children)
• In the east, anywhere the Terrapin or Greywater rivers, they will be Storm King Barbarians (2d6 huscarls; 4d6 bondi)
• Anywhere near the Baronies or the Great River, they will be Westroners - Baronial Armsmen (2d6 knights; 4d6 sargents; 8d6 peasants)
• Anywhere else, it will likely be a band of Freebooters (2d6 fighters; 2d6 thieves; 4d6 thugs).  These may be looking for work, or may be looking for mayhem.

Religious

1d3 significant clerics (or druids); 2d6 lesser clergy (same order); 6d6 pilgrims, followers

Merchants

1d6 Merchants or Family members; 2d6 armed guards (missile weapons and polearms); 4d6 servants and attendants.

Craftsmen

2d6 craftsmen; 2d6 armed guards. 50% chance that an appropriate camp/settlement will be nearby to support the craft (charcoal burning camp; mine; lumber camp; fishing village; windmill; etc.

Raiders

1d6 powerful leaders; 2d6 strong lieutenants; 4d6 thugs - from some culture "somewhere else" - here for thievery and mischief

Elite

This is some sort of out of the ordinary group of Humans, met traveling through the local area. If encountered at night, they will have a nearby camp.

1. Adventure Party
2. Questing Paladin; or Patrolling Ranger (with a unit of Northguard)
3. Errant Knight
4. Shaman (primitive) on vision quest
5. Assassin on a mission
6. Evil High Priest (otherwise, as Religious)

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Others

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This entry represents intelligent beings, that may have a reasonable level (not necessarily advanced, however) of organization and structure, but that are not Humans or Demi-Humans.
In some regions of the Darkearth Plains, it is not necessary to roll on this table.

• In the western part of the plains, near the Lost Mare River, any encounter of this type will be of the intelligent horses of the Great Herd, led by the Khan of All Horses.  
• The area just north of the King's Highway near the Great Owl Forest is home to a federation of tribes of Broo (chaotic evil goat headed beastmen), called the Horned Ones.  
• Along the Greywater River, in the lands of the Storm King Barbarians, there are tribal areas of the Furlingga (a particular language group of Gnolls, very advanced and organized compared to other bands of Gnolls).
• Between the Great Owl Forest and the Terrapin River, in the Terrapin Marsh, there are the notorious Marsh Trolls.
• In the west, where the great sinkholes near the Nightwash River are located, the influence of the Dark Elf Buccaneer kingdoms is significant.
• At the south end of the Lost Mare River, there is the Arriott Bottom Swamp.  A very large community of Lizard Men dwell here.

In all other cases, or where random wandering humanoids are desired, roll on the following table.

Dice	Others
1	Orcs (3d6)
2	Gnolls (3d6)
3	Goblins (5d6)
4	Bugbears (3d6)
5	Yeti (2d6)
6	Forest Folk (random type) (2d6, unless Badger, then only 1)

Notes: In all cases, these will be appropriately armed as per their type, and will likely be accompanied by a number of lesser supportive beings, or henchmen. For instance, a band of Orcs will likely have a variety of different weapons, and shards of leather and metal armor, and will likely be accompanied by as many, again, half-orcs, and perhaps half as many goblins. In all cases, if possible, these will engage first with missile weapons. Entries #1-5 will be led by an evil human (either wizard, evil high priest, thief, or fighter) 40% of the time. Entry #6 has the same chance of being accompanied by a human leader, but in some cases he will be good. If entry 6 turns out to be Badger Folk, then the human is a Questing Partner, on a vision quest together.

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Demi-Humans

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This subtable is a way to determine which of the several types of Demi-Humans that are present within the valley get encountered.  When encountered, Demi-Humans are almost always on their own (nearly inscrutable) business.  This table just gives the broad type that might be expected. 

In certain regions of the Darkearth Plains, there is little reason to roll the dice.  For instance, in the Harp Woods or the Great Owl Forest, almost all Demi-Human encounters will be with Elves.  In the Aghanz Hills, especially near Flintgate, they will be Gnomes.  Up in the Destriel Mountains it will be Dwarves.  Halflings mingle with human habitations, especially with the many towns that are dependent on the Baronial cities.

In other areas, or if variety is simply wished for, the following table can be consulted.

Dice	Demi-Human
1	Elves (3d6)
2	Dwarves (3d6)
3	Gnomes (3d6)
4	Halflings (5d6)
5	Dark Elves (3d6)
6	Faery Folk (5d6)

Elves

Number appearing are mounted elfin knights (elven chainmail, shield, lance, longsword, barded horse), with twice as many foot warriors in attendance (chainmail, polearms).

Dwarves

Each dwarf is a professional - miner, brewer, gemcutter, etc - but also a warrior. Likely to be armed with axes and crossbows, with shield and scale mail.

Gnomes

Each gnome is wearing flexible metal armor (usually chainmail) and armed with short bow, short sword, and carrying a small round shield. 70% chance to be led by an illusionist, either gnome or human.

Halflings

Led by a Sheriff, mounted on a small pony or ass. Others likely to have leather armor, slings, throwing axes, and short spears.

Dark Elves

If encountered during daylight hours, likely to be disguised as good elves. If encountered after dark, likely (65%) to be led by some high level organizer(s) of the band (1d6 driders; mindflayer; evil high priest; vampire

Faery Folk

There are likely to be a mixture of types here - faeries, brownies, pixies, leprechauns, talking animals, and others. Likely (65%) to be led by a noble faery (male or female) mounted on a Pseudo Dragon, with 1d6 retainers similarly mounted.

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Giants

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Dice	Giants
1	Ogres (2d6)
2	Trolls (1d6+2)
3	Firbolg (1d6)
4	Hill Giants (2d6)
5	Frost Giants (1d6)
6	Mountain Giants (1d4)

In the case of Ogres and Hill Giants, these will be led by an evil, high level human (such as an evil high priest, an evil thief, or an evil fighter). Trolls may be being followed (35%) by a band (3d6) of goblins that worship trolls. If so, these will join in any fight that the trolls themselves get involved in.

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Dragons

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Dice	Dragons
1	Ice Wyrm (1d4+1)
2	Wyvern (1d4)
3	Roc (1)
4	White Dragon (1d2)
5	Red Dragon (1d2)
6	Green Dragon (1d2)

If there is more than 1 of these creatures in an encounter, there will be a nest somewhat nearby, that contains 1d4 young.

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Special

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Dice	Special
1	Wildfire (1d6 x 5 miles wide)
2	Zombie Horde (5d6 zombies)
3	Single, powerful undead (lich, vampire, etc)
4	Battlefield
5	Natural Hazard (cliff, quicksand, lightning, etc)
6	Stampeding herd/tribe (roll another encounter to see what it is)

Week of Adventure Locations - Finished!

I finally completed my self-imposed task of crafting eight new, and different, adventure locations. One along with each of the eight different River Jarl steading descriptions written during, roughly, the previous week.

The adventure locations could serve anyone with some inspiration for a new adventure, and will likely serve me in the same way in the future.  Form the location, there is enough to generate a map, encounters, rumors, and all of the normal back story that would be necessary for a single evening, or a mini-campaign event.  I would like to generate some of that material here, even if it is still in a generic way (monster and NPC descriptions; maps; sandbox suitable encounter descriptions; etc)

The eight locations, with a brief tagline, are these:

Dungeons of Igo Umblar - Dungeons, in a glacier, of the Astral Navigator that helped the Old Ones depart the valley, long ago.  Described at the end of the write up on the Steading of Icewall.

Village of Adderbak - This village is the home to the Thorny Portal - a permanent portal to the Unseely Realm.  It is defended by an Elfin maiden known as the Princess of Roses.  Described at the end of the write up on the Steading of Seawyrm.

Tower of Ontigar - A gnomish tower, at the center of a destroyed and blasted land known as Scorch, is the home of a mining operation for the rich gems that once littered Scorch.  The tower and its dungeons remain, unplundered.  Described at the end of the write up on the Steading of Bright Iron.

Glade of Time - In the Great Owl Forest, there is a glade, containing a magical clock tower (called the Clock Tower of the Great Druid, but the title's origin is unknown).  The glade itself seems to be a curious point where time does not exist normally, and future and past versions of places, people, and visitors to the glade appear and reappear occasionally during any day.  Described at the end of the write up on the Steading of Hearth Home.

Celerium of Great Truth - An abandoned monastery, that was supposed to be a northern counterpart to the great Archive at Parn Tandalorn.  The monastery was wiped out by raids from nearby marsh trolls, but the secrets of why this site was chosen originally, are buried deep underground in the multi-levle dungeons under the ruins.  Described at the end of the write up on the Steading of Rookroost.

Port City of Ohn Ohnan - This is an (abandoned) port city, built along a tributary to the Greywater River, that flows underground (under the King's Highway).  It was built as a joint venture between the Old Ones and a group of Gnomes, long, long ago.  What originally wiped out this city, and what lives in the ruins now, would have to be answered by an expedition.  Described at the end of the write up on the Steading of Clearwater.


Roaming House of the Elkman King - The great roaming house - essentially a very large, luxurious yurt - that is pulled by a matched team of giant elk.  The tribe moves all around the Fields of Aton, and might be difficult to track down, but should provide some interesting if found.  Described at the end of the write up on the Steading of Mead Hall.

Flooded Tower of Kassar Nabarns - The astronomer-wizard Kassar Nabarns had discovered something interesting, in the stars, concerning the Old Ones and their deities.  Before he could share his knowledge, however, his castle, and the surrounding valley, were flooded in a wizard's duel.  Described at the end of the writeup on the Steading of Northwind.

Northwind - River Jarl Steading (8)

The furthest south of all the River Jarl Steadings, Northwind is further south than the King's Highway, almost half the distance between the King's Highway and the Great River.  Some way south along the river, is the great ferry crossing of the Greywater, marking the point where the road between the baronies of Huygen and Na Kram cross the Greywater river.

The great ferry (there are actually two vessels, the service back and forth across the river is simply referred to as "the great ferry" although the individual boats are called "Azano Runner" and "Byloo Swift") is operated from a great walled keep, and watch tower, high up on a rocky cliff of the western bank of the river.  This keep and tower are named the Lisman Keep after the builder.  It is manned by a group of mostly Westeroner men at arms, drawn from Huygen, Na Kram, and further baronies.

Lisman Keep

The far side of the river, across from Lisman Keep, is the Storm King village of Eidelthorpe.  It is a small town, and only serves to house the guards for the slave rowers of the ferries (see below), and as a source of horses, and sleeping quarters, for travelers.

Eidelthorpe

The two vessels, the Azano Runner and the Byloo Swift, are propelled by slave rowers, taken from the prisons at Huygen.  The vessels themselves are considered off-grounds (a point of honor for the captains and huscarls of Northwind, and elsewhere) for viking raids, and other attacks.

Westroner image of the ferries, from the Book of Huygen

Northwind is a steading that boasts a very large, and powerful, fleet of dragon ships.  It is in a position to challenge attack from any small group of other Steadings, not to mention the single freebooters on the river, or even the large turtle ships and battle barges to be found along the Great river, somewhat more to the south.

The current Jarl of Northwind, Finndar Hatholsson, has turned over the organization of the Huscarls and dragon ships for the annual raids to his son, Rolfar Finndarsson.  Finndar himself has selected a hand picked band of his twenty favored huscarls, some skalds and a wizard (Amsil Uropp), and has traveled west to the lands of the Furlingga Tribes.  There he wages war against the strongest chiefs among the Furlingga, and is attempting to make a great name for himself and his men, all the while attempting to break up the Furlingga.  His original band has grown, attracting a number of other warriors, both from Northwind and also from Mead Hall (heroes from Mead Hall are never reluctant to join such a venture).  The war they are waging against the Furlingga gnolls has met with some success, but the complete difference in numbers is daunting to an outsider.

Finndar Hatholsson and his men, searching for Furlingga gnolls

The write up of the Flooded Keep of the Astromancer was originally part of this article, but it has been removed and made into its own blog entry.  It was originally part of the Week of Adventure Locations.

Mead Hall - River Jarl Steading (7)

There is a skald's song that starts out "Mead Hall, Mead Hall - Home of Heroes Brave and Tall!"  And it has, indeed, been a home for many heroes over the years.  If there is a Steading of Storm King barbarians that fits the stereotypes that Westroners believe in - it is definitely Mead Hall.

Interior of Mead Hall, preparing for the nightly hero's feast

Mead Hall is structured with a great hall at the center of the settlement, surrounded by huge long houses in a double thick circle around the central hall, and then small plots of artisans, craftsman, and houses of huscarls, etc, out to the edge of the central settlement (which is about a mile across, a little over three miles around the perimeter).  It is all protected by a very tall wooden palisade, and a deep ditch, and a wall of spikes outside the ditch.

The great hall (itself properly referred to as Mead Hall, the rest of it referred to simply as The Steading) is home to the Jarl, his (extended) family, huscarls, women, travelers, wandering warriors, and lots and lots of skalds.  The favorite past-time in Mead Hall is to have warriors go out on adventures, and then come back and have skalds sing of them.

The Jarl and his men, enjoying the tales of the skalds

The current Jarl is Snorri Halftrollsson.  His father, old Halftroll, was the Jarl before, and ruled the hall for some four decades, before being killed on a hunt for giant wooly boar.  Snorri has a wife, and a dozen proper children, not to mention a large number of young women attached to the settlement, who all have children with the curious Snorri twinkle in their eye.  His band of Huscarls numbers close to three hundred, although at any one time more than half of them will be out on adventures, or viking raids.  Snorri's favorite skald, named Alvin Lyremaker, often sings a series of sagas that compare Mead Hall to the great hall in the Storm King's castle at Windkeep.

Windkeep - home of the Storm King

What is commonly known, but not talked about, is that Snorri's sister, perhaps showing more of the troll side of the family, from old Halftroll, is a witch.  She lives in a hovel, outside of the steading, in a marshy place beyond the poorest of peasant farms, but frequently comes into Mead Hall for the nightly feasts, in disguise.  She has a long and burning hatred for Snorri, his men, the steading, and most things from the world of men.  She scorns the religion and culture of her fathers, finding even the worship of Helgor (the Black Chieftain) to be too close to the family of the Storm King.

Instead, this witch, Heizelnag, chooses to worship the demigoddess of the underworld, Noxecatt, a foul creature related to the pantheon of the Westroner Church (the three Goddesses).  In the understanding of Heizelnag, however, Noxecatt is actually a daughter of the Old One deity, the Earth Weaver.  Sufficient understanding of the nature of the Earth Weaver is not known, so that this can be confirmed, however it is suspected among some of the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn. 

Many a hero from Mead Hall has come to a dark, grisly ending due to the magics and summonings worked by Heizelnag against all those allied to her brother, Snorri.

The writeup of the Roaming House of the Elkmen King was originally an adventure location that was part of this article.  It was part of the Week of Adventure Locations, but has been removed to make its own article.

Clearwater - River Jarl Steading (6)

Near the point where the Greywater River passes under a great arch, to run beneath the King's Highway, there stands two fascinating structures. The first, of course is the tall, wide raised up artificial ridge that the King's Highway is built on.  As detailed elsewhere, this artificiality was built by the Old Ones, probably by Ba'a Zarn the Builder.  Up against this raised up ridgeline rises the small castle (steading) of Clearwater.  It is a small castle (measured against the Westroner standard for such things - even a wealthy knight in one of the Baronies might have a larger castle), but it's location (right up against the King's Highway) makes it notable.  Add to this the facts that the upper levels of the steading have a commanding view of the highway up on the ridge, and that the rocky knob that the steading is built on is surrounded by a pool, requiring small (defensible) foot bridges for access, and it is a very important (and defensible - at least against attack by ground forces) strong hold.

Clearwater, surrounded by its protective pool,
and built in the shadow of the King's Highway

But it was pointed out that there are two fascinating structures here - the first being the Clearwater steading (called simply, Clearwater), but the other is the Gazing House.  Up on the raised up mound that the King's Highway runs along, in this area, there is a peculiar structure built of Amberstone.  It is very much like an open-balcony'd and terraced villa, similar to those built in the southern country, but it is ancient.  Certainly built by the Old Ones, it is not known what its original function is.

In the center of the Gazing House, which consists of apartments and balconies, built in a square, around a central open plaza - there is a large (12 feet across) brazier with a pool of water in it that always seems to be catching a drip of water in the center.  There is no source for the drip, just a constant trickle outward from where such would fall.  It has been noted that the brazier, and its contents of water, have magical properties, and once every two months, when all three moons are visible within the water of the brazier, the dripping temporarily halts, and it is said that you can see the future by gazing into the smooth clear pool of water.  In the dug out halls and chambers deep into the mound of the King's Highway that the Gazing House is built on, there are fissures and cracks that open up to deep underground caverns and stretch endlessly.  Here, there seems to be a large culture of lizard men that have a curious rite of shamans worshiping the One Beneath the Waves, and seeking to bring him up out of his slumber to destroy the surface world.

Gazing House, looking down on Sordling,
and the northern run of the Greywater from up on the King's Highway.

The current Jarl of Clearwater is Tewar Dorfsson.  There is a nearby port town called Sordling, built along the Greywater, that serves as the home of the dragon ship fleet of the Clearwater steading. The Huscarls, and many leading members of the household and even fyrd leaders all live (with their families) in the Clearwater stronghold, but most of the rest of the steading's population live in small agricultural communities around the steading and Sordling.  All of them, however, are north of the King's Highway.  There is an uneasy truce with Rookroost, and almost a constant state of feuding with viking parties from Mead Hall

The description of the City of Ohn Ohnan was originally part of this article, when it was written during the Week of Adventure Locations.

Posting update and Schedule

The eight Steadings of the River Jarls are still being posted.  The first five have been done, only three remain:  Clearwater, Mead Hall, and Northwind.  All three of these offer interesting setting descriptions, I think, and they each have an associated Adventure Location (which continues, and will finish, the Week of Adventure Locations).


In generating the Adventure Locations, references were made to locales, encounters, monsters and other elements.  These are planned to be detailed in the next week or two, so more content is on the way.

Further out, the three cities of Khomaes (home of the Diamond Villas, and the Glamor Hall for Bewitchment and Entrancement, and near the Purple Marsh), Werms (location of the Demesne of Planar Knowledge and Magical Petitioning), and Huygen (site of the wretched Black Prison of Volvedma) will need to be detailed with their own postings, and a little bit more about the other features of the Darkearth Plains (aside from what has already been done).  Then it is on to the next in the inter-river regions, between the Greywater and Fa'Ars River.  That area, the Sildur Reaches, includes the two cities of Botts (including the Bardic College of Brandismore, and the Grand Lyceum of Abjurative Sorcery) and Na Kram.  Also the Shadow Woods, Craggy Hills, Fire Mountain, and the curious Tears of Heaven (which is also Giant country).

Still working on the ValleyWiki idea...

Rookroost - River Jarl Steading (5)

Rookroost is the name of the steading of the Daughters of the River Raven.  It was once an impressive castle, built high on a rocky abutment that rises some 200 feet above the surface of the Erantor river, which runs out of the Great Owl Forest, to join the Greywater River.  Today, the remains of the ancient castle are still standing, but the steading itself is built into the stone mound that it stands upon.

The Erantor is not a particularly wide river at this point (only about 500 yards from bank to bank), but wide enough to require ferries and other means of crossing.  It is also not particularly deep, but it does run swiftly down from the hilly rises of the eastern Great Owl Forest, and cuts deep into the rocky terrain of this area.

Rookroost built into the the rocky escarpment named Carnockle rock.  The ruins of the ancient castle offer a commanding view of the Erantor, and in the distance, even the Greywater can be spotted.

Rookroost is the home of the Daughters of the River Raven.  As a group of Storm King barbarians, this steading is really at odds with the other steadings in the area.  The reason for this is the culture of the Daughters.  The steading is ruled by a woman (which is not unheard of amongst the Storm King tribes), however, all of her huscarls are also women.  This is rare, and it is perpetuated by the culture of the steading.  Long ago, the Black Chieftain, in an attempt to slay the son of the Storm King, put on the disguise of a great black wolf, and he followed Tyrros, the prince of thunder, to a lonely spot on the Greywater, and under cover of darkness, he almost slew the son of the Storm King.  However, Tyrros summoned his two great blue oxen, Glangor and Feory, and they came and trampled the Black Chieftain in his guise as a black wolf. This allowed Tyrros to escape with his life.

The great black wolf lay on the bank of the greywater, bleeding out his life's blood, when he was discovered by runewoman, once very powerful, who lived in the empty towers of the castle what would become to be known as Rookroost.  She was flying in the guise of a giant raven, known as the River Raven (she would fly up and down the Greywater, the Terrapin, and even the Erantor, every night in the form of a giant raven, as part of a curse put on her by a devil, in exchange for her seeing ability).  She saw the wolf, had pity on him, and landed to take care of him.  In daylight, once again in the form of a runewoman, she took him back to her home high up on Carnockle rock, and slowly brought the black wolf back to life.  Some say as a raven she came to love the wolf, some go further to say as a woman she came to love the wolf.  Far to the east, in the Riven Moor, this legend is known, and some attribute the fell beasts and death birds that haunt the barrows there as the children of the River Raven and the black wolf.

The story is as it is, but over the years woman of stature from among the tribes and steadings would occasionally have disagreements with the men of their steading.  In many cases, these would flee to Rookroost and join the community there.  The population of the steading is near to parity - half women and half men - yet those who hold power and positions of authority are all women.  And they all revere the River Raven and her innocent love for the black wolf (even though, when pressed, all would clearly admit that he was the Black Chieftain, or Helgor).

The current leader of the Daughters is Jarless Embra Innamor.  She rules fairly, but does not have much use for trade or bargains with the other steadings.  The Daughters of the River Raven (although this is properly the nickname of Embra Innamor's woman huscarls, it is also applied to the community in general) have a small, but efficient fleet of small dragon ships.  These are able enough to travel up and down the Erantor, down to the Greywater, and can transport fyrd and huscarl warriors, but would not do to stand up to the dragon ships of one of the larger steadings in a battle.

As to the original origins of the castle on Carnockle Rock, it is assumed to be very, very old.  Whether it was built by the Old Ones or not is a matter of conjecture.  When the gather of the Daughters began to dig into the rock to make their steading, they did find a number of underground structures already there.  Some of these still exist, and who knows how many more, still deeper than the Daughters themselves have burrowed out.

There was originally an adventure location that was described as part of this description of Rookroost.  That was part of the Week of Adventure Locations, and it was location number 4, The Celerium of Great Truth, which is a ruined library, halfway between the western edge of Rookroost, and the Great Owl Forest.