Xander One Eye - Captain of a band of Rogues and Bugbears

Xander One-Eye is the name of a leader of a band of marauders from out of the eastern reaches of the Tiazarr Forest, near the Tiazarr River, in the Wychwood Region.  These Marauders take advantage of the fact that much of the City of Ten Gates (capitol of Gorrem) does not hold much military power this far east, and the reputation of the Forests in the Wychwood Region keeps the Sun King Barbarians far south of here.

Xander takes his name from the fact that when he was a younger man, he took up the career of "Highwayman", and would regularly hold up carriages and travellers along the road from the City of the Ten Gates, down southeast, towards the City of Fire (capitol of the Barony of Lynch).  While a wagon train bearing some of the Baroness' Best beer out of Gorem was traveling the road between the Plum Woods and the Belley Woods, the train made its way through the Greenapple Commonwealth.  While stopped at one of the small towns there, to trade some of the award winning beer to the Halflings that live there, Xander stowed away on one of the wagons.  As the wagon was leaving town, he climbed out and told the driver to "Stand and Deliver".  Well, the driver was none other than a pair of Halfling drovers, from the Commonwealth, and the watchman had been peeling some apples with a small paring knife, and sharing them with the wagon driver.  Well, Halflings being deadly accurate with thrown weapons, it wasn't long before the startled fellow flung his knife, and Xander lost his eye.  He continually tells the story to keep up both his reputation as a brigand with a sense of humor, and also as a self reminder towards humility, and not to take ANYONE as not being a threat.

Brigands of Xander One Eye

These days, Xander as a 9th level thief, has built himself a nice stronghold in the dark confines of the Tiazarr woods amongst the Wychwood trees (for which the region takes its name), and has attracted quite a following.  The main part of his gang, are some 30-40 human brigands (about half of them fighters, and half of them thieves).  Along with that, however, he has impressed a band of Bugbears into joining in his gang.  These shelter separately from the human Brigands, and answer to a Bugbear chieftain named Arpus Ard, who counts himself as one of Xander's lieutenants.  Arpus Ard has mustered a few dozen Bugbears to join the gang of Xander.

Arpus Ard and his sergeant

Here is a map of the region, showing the many forested areas of Wychwood, between Gorrem (and the City of Ten Gates) and the Tiazarr River.

Current (1534 WM) Regents of the Westron Baronies

In the current era of the Valley (year 1534 since the Westerner Migrations first began out of the Olmart Empire, so it is marked 1534WM), each of the various Baronies is ruled over by a regent of some sort.  Most of these are Barons, at least in the nomenclature of the Kingdom of Ymnaris.  The Kingdom was first established, in the year 26 when the First City was settled (now often called Hogle).  The capitol of the Kingdom moved progressively eastward with successive generations and waves of migration.  Each of the four fiefdoms that originally housed a capitol city of Ymnaris is entitled to the title Duke for their ruler, however they are still commonly referred to as Baronies.  Up until the Neill family assumed the throne of the Kingdom of Ymnaris, several generations back. the ruler of the kingdom was referred to as the Archduke, however with the growing separation from the Olmart Empire, this title was dropped, and the title of King (or Queen) has been in use now, by the Neills at least, for the past 352 years (since year 1182).

Rulers of the Westron Baronies
Hogle - Duke Keevar Silverhand (m, age 54), settled year 26. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from the year 26 until 165.
Macester - Baron Tyremius Ap Troft of Trofthall (m, age 162), settled year 82.
Ockham - Baron Guiscar the Enlightened (m, age 47), settled year 107.
Scallen - Duchess Safeeny Everlight (f, age 53), settled year 163. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from 165 until 341.
Kof Karn - Baroness Talena Ap Ironheart (f, age 31), settled year 219.
Khomaes - Baron Aldra Ap Iaggio of Erthos (m, age 59), settled year 231.  The city itself is ruled by a Proctor.
Henn - Baroness Lendara Astern (f, age 32), settled year 285.
Pellorix - Duke Falden the Just (m, age 51), settled year 341. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from 341 until 642.
Werms - Baron Kilgar Ap Huim, Ne Etro (m, age 45), settled year 352. The city itself is ruled by a Magistrate, typically a magic user (currently, a mysterious hooded person titled the Wizard of Werms).
Huygen - Baroness G'Melan Luce Ap Viellot (f, age 33), settld year 394.
Gorrem - Baroness Catherine Ap Terrasund of Tatelis, also called The Second (f, age 49), settled year 462.
Na Kram - Baron Farris Quar Nev of Borleos (m, age 73), settled year 558.
Lynch - Duchess Tindra Ap Logis of Oakforge (f, age 40), settled year 642. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from 642 until 1021.
Botts - Baron Pesar Ap Gansford of Tuldis (m, age 51), settled year 728
Ungams - Baron Virondis Pulchky (m, age 59) , settled year 902.
City of Narn - King (Archduke) Alasdair IV (m, age 37), settled year 914. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris since 1021.
Devrie - Baron Huntain Dorren of Ymnar Hall, also called The Miner (m, age 51), settled year 1022.
Futtonol - Baron Rolan Ap Kopf of Kopfheim, settled year 1099.
Kennidor - Baron Hugh Voxely, of Lakecastle (m, age 39), settled year 1186.

A curious  event occurred just over four hundred years ago.  The gathering of Barons in the year 1015 had agreed that a new capitol for the Kingdom was needed, as the Tower-Keep of Oakforge (in the Barony of Lynch at the City of Fire) was under constant threat at the time by an army of chaos creatures out of the western Nel Nod forest.  The new location was to be the new settlement forming between the Erando and Moa Thola rivers, which would become the City of Shale, and capitol of the Barony of Devrie.  However, at the last, just before the Malachite Throne was to be transferred to the new site in 1021, a group of northern Barons made the case for transferring it to the city of Narn instead.  Narn was previously not considered, because it was built on the site of a long dead city, taking advantage of the ruins that were there already when the Westroners came in 914, however it was thought to be a safer location, than another capitol in the wild south, where the Sun King Barbarians still threatened all of the settlements and cities.

The new location, at Narn, satisfied most, except for the southern Barons from Gorrem, Lynch, and Ungams, who have referred to Narn as the Shadow Capitol, and refer to Devrie as the Chosen Capitol.  These tensions have spread to understandings and relations among the various eastern Baronies, but nothing has come to open war.  With the passage of three centuries, the original animosity that accompanied the founding of Devrie, and the change of the Capitol from Devrie to Narn, has been mostly forgotten, but the establishment of alliances (however tenuous the reasoning) between the different groups of Baronies, has proven a strong motivation for mutual support, and trade, ever since.

Baronies - The holdings of the Westroners in the Valley

There are currently 19 Westron Baronies in the Valley of the Old Ones.  Technically speaking, there are 18 Baronies, and the city of Narn, which is the capitol of the Kingdom of Ymnaris - of which the 18 other Baronies are technically fiefdoms.  However, in practice, Ymnaris (currently ruled by Duke Alasdair IV of the Neill family) is little more powerful than some of the other larger baronies.  The two points of exception for Narn are its size (it is larger, by thousands of inhabitants, than the next largest Baronial city), and the fact that the Cathedral of St. Narn is there - for which the city is named.  The Cathedral of St. Narn is also the seat of the Church (technically, the "High Office at St. Narn of the Westron Church of the Three Goddesses").

The Cities (which are technically named for the barony of which they are the capitol) all have their own "official" nick name. They were all settled between the years 26 and 1186.  It is currently the year 1534 of the Western Migration, so the younger cities have only been established as short as 300 years since they were originally settled, compared to the oldest, which has been settled now for over 1500 years.

The population figures given are JUST for the City, and not for the whole Barony.  In most cases, assume that the Barony will number this much again in dependent towns, and double this amount in dispersed rural communities.

So other than the city of Narn, the other 18 Baronies are as follows:

Hogle - "The First City" in the Shattered Plains region; pop. 18,000, settled year 26.
Macester - "City of the Sword" in the Gateway region; pop. 21,000, settled year 82.
Ockham - "City of Enchantment" in the Enchanted Forests region; pop. 19,000, settled year 107.
Scallen - "City of Birds" in the Bartaloo region; pop. 19,500, settled year 163.
Kof Karn - "City in the Cradle" in the Rising Land region; pop. 21,000, settled year 219.
Khomaes - "City of Mists"; in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 22,000, settled year 231.
Henn - "City of the Shadows" in the Rising Land region; pop. 18,000, settled year 285.
Pellorix - "City of the Lake" in the Rising Land region; pop. 19,000, settled year 341.
Werms - "City in the Clouds" in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 19,000, settled year 352.
Huygen - "City of Light" in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 18,500, settled year 394.
Gorrem - "City of Ten Gates" in the Wychwood region; pop. 27,000,settled year 462.
Na Kram - "City of Dust", in the Sildur Reaches region; pop. 18,000, settled year 558.
Lynch - "City of Fire" in the Nightside region; pop. 20,000, settled year 642.
Botts - "City of Wind" in the Sildur Reaches region; pop. 17,500, settled year 728.
Ungams - "City of the Harp" in the Nightside region; pop. 16,000, settled year 902.
City of Narn - "City of the Three Goddesses" Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris; in the Suuviz region; pop. 38,000, settled year 914.
Devrie - "City of Shale" in the Shale March region; pop. 16,000, settled year 1022.
Futtonol - "The Shield City" in the Suuviz region; pop. 11,000, settled year 1099.
Kennidor - "City on the Frontier" in the Shale March region; pop. 12,500, settled year 1186.

Note that the nicknames of the city are those that the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn have decided to grant the city, in order to differentiate the City itself form the Barony, which often includes lands, villages, castles and other holdings far beyond the borders of the city.  The local inhabitants, however, will sometimes choose a different name (either from custom, or predating the naming by the Archivists).  For instance, the inhabitants of the First City (capitol of the Barony of Hogle) often refer to it as Granite Hold - which was the name of the Castle first built there by the founding baron, Sir Tuneyer of Ockett, in the year 26.  It took him, and his men, a number of years to build Granite Hold, but they adopted for a stone structure from the start, hence the name.

Bardic Colleges

There are three widely recognized Bardic Colleges among the Westron Baronies, and also a distributed Bardic Circle amongst the tribes of the Storm King.

The three Bardic Colleges are located in the cities of Botts, Ockham and Gorrem.  These are responsible for training in the craft and science of being a Bard.  Within the Westron Baronies, and elsewhere, being a Bard can take on a number of different titles.  Almost every castle of any size has a Troubadour, Jester, Minstrel or other educated musician.  These sometimes appear to be Fools who only entertain their masters and the household, but they are finely trained in music, the ability to tell and remember a tale, as well as the ability to recall and pass on important information.  Some Bards progress in the science of Magic as well.  In addition to the castle Bards, there are many traveling Bards who bring news and information from place to place, as well as undertaking adventures and quests.

Each Baron with any sort of money also maintain a number of Heralds (more on that in a later post), many of which are also formally trained as Bards.  While the City of Narn professes to have a College of Heralds (which one time was responsible for all nobility patents and lists throughout the Westron Baronies, now that has largely localized), all those who participate are educated at one or more of the Bardic Colleges listed here.

• In Gorrem, the Bardic College of Maelwyn (a master of the night harp from ancient times) is located.  It is housed within the Tower of Druaqua, and the Master of the Tower is Chief Harper Terr Ondway.
• In Botts, the Bardic College of  Brandismore is located at Feyd Hall.  The Lute Master of the Hall is Mistress Leanarra Gwayne.
• In Ockham, the Bardic School of Arts is housed in the ancient castle Larkstone Heights (once a building of the Old Ones, constructed of a mysterious green stone).  The headmaster of the school is Chanter Stuven Fivestar.

Almost all tribes or settlements amongst the Storm King tribes have a bard who is resident to that people.  They don't have a formal school for training, but do all by word of mouth from one generation to the next (in the old fashion that the Westroners used to observe, before the establishment of the three Colleges).

The concept of a Bard is unknown amongst the Sun King tribes.

Gorrem - City of the Ten Gates

The namesake, and chief, city at the heart of the Barony of Gorrem is also called the City of the Ten Gates. It has a population of 27,000. There are a number of towns that are reliant on it - these are the chief population centers of the Barony, along with each having its own supporting network of villages and farm country.

• Colvine (population 4,500) to the north
• Harwych (population 6,000) to the east
• Sallow (population 6,500) to the southeast
• Haventown (population 5,000) to the south
• Lightcastle (population 5,500) to the west
• Aldbridge (population 4,000) to the northwest

The Barony is located in the Wychwood (south central) region of the Valley, and its chief political neighbors are the Barony of Lynch (east, on the far side of the Tiazarr River); the Barony of Pellorix on the far side of the Ancelhenn Lake to the southwest; north across the Great River is the Barony of Na Kram.

Much of the Barony is forested, and in addition to the many human towns listed above, there are a large number of "forest folk" in the wooded areas of the demesne.  To the west (in the Redsmoke Woods) there are a large number of Hedgehog People.  To the east, in the Plum Woods and the Belley Woods, there are a number of Mouseling communities.  Also in the region between Belley and Plum is the Green Apple Commonwealth - a small Halfling county that owes fealty to the Barony of Gorrem.  In the forests in the northern reaches of the Barony, along the Great River, there are numerous forest settlements of Wolflings.

The Barony is not home to many Dwarves or Gnomes.  And the few Elven settlements that exist are deep within the forested regions of the demesne.

The current ruling family is the Household of Terrasund, with Baroness Catherine II on the throne.

The city is home to the Homehall Cathedral - maintained by a community of clerics and monastics of the order of St. Ermo.  The Tower Druaqua (Bardic College of Maelwyn) is there. Also within the walls of the city can be found Castle Tattelis - home of the Terrasund family.  Not really of political concern, but of possible interest to adventurers and explorers - the abandoned tower of Ordobrandt is also within the city, but it is guarded by city guard.

Within the walled fields surrounding the city, there is the keep and practice grounds of the Knights of the Malmen Rose.  The Knights are a chivalric (but not Paladin) order that has a loose alliance with Gorrem, but have a distinct arrangement where they do not have Feudal duty, but are rather allies.

The Ten Gates, as well as much of the city, are protected by the city watch, known as Gorrem Levy.  They are much more than a levy, however, as they are a regular full time soldiery.  Typical equipment includes ring mail, simple helmet, bardiche, and short sword.  The Gorrem Levy are (total) approximately 2000 strong, however only 800 are serving at any one time.  There are several towers both on the outer walls and located along the inner walls where these are housed.

In addition to the sites and locations already mentioned, the city is somewhat known for its Inns and Taverns, each of which boasts its own ales and beers.  There are competitive wars between the larger Taverns, each claiming to be the "Best in Gorrem" or "The Baroness' Favorite".

Area Map - Finch Abbey

Located in the Redsmoke Woods, in the western reaches of the Gorrem Barony, there is a small abbey of St. Brigid's known as Finch Abbey.

This is the location of the adventure I will be running at MarsCon (see here and here). Here is a regional map of the local area. The hexes are 5 miles across.

Thieves in the Valley of the Old Ones

In a sword and sorcery setting like the Valley of the Old Ones, there are ample adventure and storyline opportunities for thieves.  In fact, they are a vital part of any large adventuring party.  But how do they fit into the setting?  In the Westron Baronies, there are of course thieves and outlaws of all stripes - as many as you would expect in any typical medieval setting - and there are also laws and lawkeepers at all levels who would seek to thwart them.

Before discussing outlaws, however, a brief word about laws and justice is in order.  Since the collapse of the Duchy at Narn, and even before, each Barony set its own laws and handed out its own justice.  In all but the most wealthy, there is little in the way of a prison - except for important notable prisoners (Gorrem, Ungams, Na Kram, and Huygen are exceptions with large prisons for criminals of all social levels).  Because of this, justice is usually quick.  Either execution, or mutilation, and the criminal is let go.  Thieves who have been at it for a long time, and who are not excellent at their trade, are often missing ears, hands, or have brands on their bodies.  Thieves who risk bold crimes who aren't very good at it, end up dead in one of the many gibbets that dot the countryside outside the larger cities and castles.  In many cases, determining who is guilty and who is not, is done by Ordeal.  This can vary from the very crude Ordeals by Fire and Water (just as brutal and horrible as they were in our own Middle Ages), to Ordeals by Combat and by Magic. In some areas, these Ordeals are handled by members of the Church, and in others by civic Judges or Sheriffs.

Thieves, or particularly the adventuring type, are often wise to avoid crimes in the larger cities (although not all follow this advice).  With the many adventuring sites, burial mounds, ancient ruins, and petty castles and towers scattered throughout the valley there are ample opportunities for thieves to get rich by removing the treasures of those who are either long dead, or who are living outside the law themselves.  Not too many will give more than an instant of pause to the legality or morality of a thief plundering the dungeon burrows of an orc chieftain, or taking the golden treasures in the tower of a long dead necromancer.

All of this is not to say that crime does not exist in the cities, nor are there outlaws who operate in the populated reaches of the Baronies.  Those criminals, however, are often a member of one or more thieves' guilds.  The guilds that have overlapping geographical reach often have secret signs and passwords to identify one another (after all, they can't go about with easily recognized outward signs of their membership), and are often at war with each other.  Being a member in a guild requires the thief to contribute some amount of his take (perhaps 10% per year) but provides a reasonable source for hiring "help" and also for learning the skills of the trade.

In almost any population center, there is some level of organized crime.  In the larger areas this guilds fulfill this role, but in smaller areas this could be a band of rogues (thieves to be sure, but also affiliated sell-swords and outlaw magicians) that practices a systematic (or highly random!) campaign of banditry.

Thieves, as with all others who live on the fringe of society, are as likely to be from an "alien" culture as from the native population.  In the hearlands of the Valley this includes members of the Storm King Tribes, the Sun King Tribes, and the many, many types of non-humans that dwell in the valley (including the somewhat friendly demi-humans such as Gnomes, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings).  Both Faery and Goblyn changeling children (commonly called Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) are often thieves, even in civilized areas.  Although the occupation seems to diminish any strong feelings of trust and honor amongst their fellow pursuers of the trade, there is a sort of kinship amongst thieves, as they are all together outside the law.

Week of Encounters Day 5: Living Skulls of the Purple Marsh

This encounter takes place in the Darkearth Plains region of the Valley.  It takes place just north of the Great River, where the Jazzan Mountains can be seen to the south, and the Harp Woods spread out to the North.

On the northern banks of the Great River, as it passes just east of the Jazzan Mountains, near the Harp woods, there is a swampy expanse that stretches for approximately 25 miles along the river. This swamp is called the Purple Marsh, named long ago for the semi-aquatic Narreck trees that clog the waterways of the swamp (the Narreck, when they flower, produce a purple floss that becomes airborne in the spring winds, and spread the growth of the trees).

The locals from the fishing villages that owe fealty to the Barony of Khomaes have long known that they should give the Marsh a wide miss. It is widely known that the normal dangerous Marsh inhabitants (trolls, lizardmen, dangerous large aquatic grazers such as the catoblepas and so on) are present, but these rarely leave the marsh to raid surrounding areas. When they do, the fighting men of Khomaes, led by Knights of the White Lady, often arise to contain the threat, and keep it limited to the marsh itself. The area is too large, and largely impassable to military units, for the soldiery to clear out the marsh - but they can keep the dangerous inhabitants contained.

Recently, numerous trading cogs from areas west of the Jazzan have been attacked by a string of piracy in the area of the Marsh. The Player Characters, traveling through the area, come across the wreckage of a cog that has washed up on shore. It was attacked, and the crew mostly killed, but a few survivors are found with the wreckage. They talk about an attack by a pirate ship that came out of the morning mists on the Great River, as the cog passed by a part of the Purple Marsh. The cog was carrying a heavy cargo of expensive clothes and other luxury items, meant for trade in Khomaes and Gorrem river towns. These trade goods have all disappeared. The player characters should be given a sense that tracking down the pirates will be quite profitable for them.

The survivors will describe the pirates as living men (human fighting men and thieves), but with skulls for heads. Living Skulls with no flesh, no skin, no eyes - but attached to the body and capable of a rude speech. The players have no concept of these skull men, nor have they encountered anything like it before.

---

Living Skull
Num Appearing: Special (created creature)
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Movement: 60'
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 2d (10 h.p.)
Attacks: 1 (claw) or by weapon
Damage: 1d6 - or by weapon (claws are 40% poisoned)
Save: F2
Morale: special (commanded creatures)
Special Abilities: Similar to undead - can be controlled by Evil priests and clerics, but cannot but turned by Good or Neutral priests and clerics.

The claws of a Living Skull are poisoned 40% of the time. Every time a claw attack scores, there is a 40% chance that it is poisonous (does an additional 1d3 points of damage per round, for 1d6 additional rounds - save for half as many rounds).

Living Skulls are supernaturally strong, even if they are slow (if using initiative rules, they suffer are -2 slower than a typical human). Their strength gives them +1 to hit in combat with weapons, and +2 damage when using weapons.

---

The searching and investigating of the players should lead them to a watery inlet into the Purple Marsh, that goes to a protected lake, surrounded by small islands and ridges of dry land, but the whole area is thickly forested with Narreck trees. The region is full of primitive bands of hunting lizardmen who are always seeking a source of fresh meat. On one of the larger dry land ridges at the edge of the lake, there is a small walled village, with some simple piers stretching into the lake. There are several galleys (the sort that would make good piracy vessels) moored here.

The village appears deserted. There are some wild denizens of the Marsh who have moved in where pirates and brigands once dwelt. Nearby is a solitary stone structure (all else is made of wood and bamboo), a squat round tower, with a large bronze brazier (25' across) on the exposed top floor. Examining this reveals that there is a dungeon complex underneath. Several layers, magically constructed, lined with marble and extending deep underground, past the water table levels of the swamp. Some areas of the dungeon are dry, and some are intentionally flooded as pools.

Within the dungeon is a society of cultists of the ancient Old Ones' deity, the "One beneath the Waves". These deranged beings seek to draw their deity back to the world, in order to destroy it. They have taken up with a clan of Kuo Toa (who dwell in the dungeon as well, within the flooded chambers, and elsewhere), and have perfected and cast a spell on the inhabitants of the brigand village on the surface. All of the men (and women and children - although the latter were mostly eaten by the cultists in cannibalistic rites) were transformed into "skull men" - mindless servants that are enslaved to the cult and do its bidding. These are strange hybrids of life and undeath, but are immune to the religious sway that modern priests and clerics would have over normal undead. While slow, like most undead, they fight very well and are persistent to the point of destruction.

The dungeons under the tower are quite well stocked with treasures of both the normal and magical types, and exploration of the site by the Player Characters would prove quite valuable. What to do with the knowledge of the Cult and their macabre invention is up to them.

Living Skulls are created by EHP's of the cult of the "One Beneath the Waves". It is a level 6 spell, taught only to priests of the cult, and it works as follows:

---

Create Living Skulls (spell)
Level: 6
Duration: Permanent
Range: 30'
This spell turns incapacitated humans (it only works on humans) into Living Skulls. The created beings have no memory of their pre-converted life. The process removes all skin, hair, eyes, brain, muscle etc from the head, leaving an exposed skull. The created beings respond to simple commands (as with other simple undead) from their creator, although this can be a command to transfer their allegience (such as "Obey Igor").

The number of humans converted per application of the spell is equal to 1d6 plus the caster's level. All of the humans to be converted must be incapacitated (sleeping, knocked out, tied up, or something similar), and within the range of the spell.

---

Week of Encounters Day 3: Captain Lu d'Ross and Caerilla Ne Quolda

This encounter takes place in the Wychwood region of the Valley, just to the west of the Tiazarr River.  it deals with the Khozaki - a "nation" of Fethta riding nomads from the vast plains around the Barony of Ungams.

The players come across an encamped Khozaki mercenary company near the Tiazarr River, along it's eastern bank. These particular mercenaries are in the employ of Baron Ungams and have been sent to cross the Tiazarr, enter the realm of Gorrem Castle, test to see if a new baron has been selected yet, and scout if there is a chance for advantage to be made by a full scale crossing of the river.

These Khozaki mercenaries are 3rd level human fighting men, and are all experts with the spear and the short bow. In the common manner of the Khozaki, they wear loose brightly colored pants, leather shirts, and short capes of a variety of colors. High hard leather riding boots and bronze helmets complete their outfit. In combat, they would wear scale armor over their leather shirts. Again, as common for all Khozaki, they are excellent riders.  This company are riding the common riding animal from Ungams, the Fethta. The Fethta is a great riding lizard, the girth and bulk of a horse, but much longer counting the spiky tail. The drool and spittle of the Fethta is poisonous, and they are trained to fight as well as ride. When angered, and in combat, they will rear up on their hind legs (a maneuver that the riders train for, and their special harnesses and saddles are built to support it), and fight with their two front claws and by biting. The riders will employ their spears, and also shoot their bows. In appearance, the fethta looks like a common green garden lizard, but with a 7' long body, and an additional 7' long spiky tail. The spikes on the tail are merely mating adornments, and not for fighting.

---

Fethta
Num Appearing: 1-2 (if encountered in the wild)
Alignment: neutral
Movement: 90'
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3d (15h.p.)
Attacks: 3 (claw, claw, bite) plus disease
Damage: 1d4; 1d4; 2d4
Save: F2
Morale:9
The bite of the Fethta is indeed dangerous. If a successful bite is made, and a save vs. poison is failed, then there is a 25% chance of infection. If this happens, a blood disease ensues - if infected, the victim will lose one point (from each) of strength, constitution and dexterity for 9 days, and then gain it back at one point each for 9 days; if any go below 0 the victim dies. A cure disease will end this.

---

This company of mercenaries is a small river crossing party, perhaps 20 fighters strong, being led by a 5th level fighting man named Captain Lu d'Ross. They are encamped near the rivers edge in order to construct rafts for crossing the river with their riding fethta.

In order to speed up the process, Captain Lu d'Ross has ordered the company to chop down the nearby Quolda trees. These are semi-magical trees cultivated by the Elves, and have been growing since the birth of the Elven people. Well into the chopping of the second tree (only three or four would be needed, because of the fantastic properties and quantities of wood that can be harvested from each one), an Elven princess from the nearby woodland realm came to Captain Lu d'Ross, begging for the men to stop the process of killing the sacred trees. Captain d'Ross immediately ordered that the princess, a Caerilla Ne Quolda, be taken prisoner so that the wood harvesting could continue.

Encounter: As the players are looking on to the scene of the harvesting of the Quolda trees, they are ambushed and attacked by a group of wood elves who are intent on stopping the harvest, and have mistaken the player characters as part of the mercenary company. The warband of wood elves consists of a 4th level leader Turokan Har Quolda, and six 3rd level elves. All are fighter/magic-users.

---

Experienced Wood Elf Warriors
No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120'
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3 (18 h.p.)
Attacks: 1 (long sword, and long bow)
Damage: 1d8 or 1d6
Save: MU3
Morale: 8
Spells: Magic Missile, Shield, Levitate
If possible, half of the group will cast Levitate on themselves, floating up out of reach, and will employ long bows. The rest will immediately cast Shield, and then engage in combat. If the chance comes up, they will use Magic Missile against spell casters.

---

Details for Captain Lu d'Ross, Caerilla Ne Quolda, and Turokan Har Quolda are left for the DM to devise.

The players must decide whether they will fight the elves, or try to parlay with them. Then the noise generated will ensure an attack by the Mercenaries.

During the combat, if one occurs, the second quolda tree will be felled (it is almost down when the ambush comes), and inside its massive trunk, a chamber leading to an underground Wood Elf burrow is revealed. Within are treasures and dangers awaiting the Characters - no doubt which will be determined by their decisions during the encounter between the Elves and the Mercenaries - and how they treat with the imprisoned Princess.

Forest Abbey of the Hedgehog People (part 2)

Here is the basic area map for the countryside surrounding Finch Abbey. I am planning a more detailed version, but the details are not meant for the eyes of the scenario players, so it will remain safe and secure in my GM notebook.

The key to the map is as follows:

1.Finch Abbey – former abbey of St. Brigid – Hedgehog people monastery
2.Trevor Landing – Out of use boat landing
3.Kliban Tower – Tower of a dead wizard
4.Village of Nosh – Western most village of Gorrem Castle
5.Tozen Quarry – flooded stone quarry
6.Raifhome Keep – Home to the retired mercenary, Raif the Spear.
7.The Red House – Very old marble villa, now a nest to a clan of ogres.
8.Haunt of the Spider – Tower of a dead wizard
9.Ruins of Fernrush – Once a wealthy trading town, now ruins.

Although the scenario of the game centers around the player-characters starting out at the Village of Nosh (in a tavern called "The Happy Lute" no less...) and then traveling to Finch Abbey, I wanted to populate the map with other interesting locations that could be of use later on for other gaming sessions.

Forest Abbey of the Hedgehog People (part 1)

(this is another posting that was originally on Gaming with Chuck - moved here)

One of the keys to the old school adventure I am dreaming up for MarsCon is the peaceful fantasy race known as the Hedgehog People. Their own name for themselves is the Roikkitikki, but everyone else just calls them the Hedgehog People, or just the Hedgehogs.

For visual inspiration, I take my cues from the marvelous artwork done for the Ironclaw rpg, especially the hedgehogs.

In my setting of "The Valley of the Old Ones" the hedgehogs usually inhabit relatively peaceful forests,near (but not too close) to the civilized lands of peaceful people. When encountered outside of their forests, they are usually in small groups consisting of monks and clerics of St. Brigid. They don't usually deal in magic, get along well with halflings and gnomes, admire humans of the better sort, but distrust the elves. Hedgehogs are excessively fond of feasting, and usually tend towards the pacifistic.

One of the very sad aspects of the Hedgehog folk is that they, like all of the Forest Folk, are a created race - dreamt of and given life by some long forgotten mad magician. Because of this, although they move through the world as other sentient beings, they have no soul.

For my scenario, the group in question is a community associated with the Abbey of Finch, in the Redsmoke Woods. This small forest lies along the Fernrush River, which is a southern tributary to the Great River. Nearest the Abbey, the Fernrush is about a mile wide, and is home to sporadic trade and fishing.

East of the forest, the rolling hills in the demesne of Gorrem Castle. The lands have been lawless for several years, and most of the villages and holdings have started looking to their own defense, without the castle to protect them. During this period, a number of bands of goblins have worked their way north into the Redsmoke and have been raiding out, threatening outlying settlements that were once under the protection of Gorrem. Finch Abbey has recently fallen to one of those bands, but there must be something more sinister at play, because of the degree of evil coming out of the former peaceful sanctuary. A band of raiding goblins couldn't possibly be responsible for the atrocities committed.

Maps and write-ups coming soon, subject to real life demands, of course!