Lands to the East - Ying, land of Sorcerers

Ying is the name often referring to area to the east of the Valley.  It is actually a vast ocean, that the Great River flows into, covered in Island Chains.

Precisely, Ying is the name of a seaborne empire that exists, ruling from the island Kelewan.  It is the Ancient Imperial House of Ying.  The empire is ruled by a succession of Sorcerers, descending from the original (Ying I) who subjugated a powerful fire elemental and stole his powers, many centuries ago.  The ancient Ying Empire was a contemporary of the Old Ones in the valley.  The grip of the empire over the subjected peoples is extremely tight, and with their ancient magic and their naval forces, this is easy to maintain.  Most of the peoples and nations that have been subjected and made part of the empire come from small island nations, and don't have the resources to stand up against a mighty empire.

One of the things that makes the Ying empire so strong, is of course, the strength of her navy.  The great ships of the Ying navy are constructed from the remains of the massive dragon turtles (larger than typical sized dragon turtles - much larger), using the shell for the hull.  Combined with magical construction techniques (like the forming of the shells through spellwork, and the imbuing of it with magical metals for strength), this makes for extremely tough, and excellently built, hulls.  Some of the ships, of course, last for centuries and centuries.  The oldest are from more than a thousand years ago.  Over time, the sorcerers that work with the vessels find it convenient to bind spirits and elemental beings to the hulls, so that they each eventually take on a personality and become alive.

The society and culture of the Ying empire is such that they are extremely scared of, and shun anything to do with the gods.  Their fear of the elemental gods was what kept them separate from the Old Ones, and their fear of the Three Goddesses, and their whole pantheon of demigods and saints, is what keeps them out of the Valley, and away from the culture of the Westron Baronies.  Still, there will occasionally be one of the massive Dragon-Turtle Ships from the Ying Empire that travels  westward on the Great River, sometimes reaching as far as Suuviz or the Shale March.

Druids in the Valley of the Old Ones

The class of Druids in the Valley of the Old Ones, as one would expect, are very similar to the concept as presented in the first and second editions of AD&D.  They are mystics who venerate nature, and draw their power from nature and affiliated deities.

Amongst the Druids to be found in the Westron Baronies, there are three orders of druids.  The first, the Brown Order is affiliated with Kyclos - the demigod of the cycle of life.  He is affiliated with the Church by being observed by followers of the goddess Nadene as being her consort.  The Brown Order of Druids is so named because of the brown mantles and belts that they wear on their all white robes.  There's is an order that is dedicated to the circle of life - things all have a place in nature, and Man would do best to fit in with that heirarchy.  The order has its learning and heirarchy centered at the Druid Hall at Kavaman, in the eastern end of the Nell Nod Forest.  Druids of the Brown Order are often traveling companions of Priests of Kyclos, and occasionally with Priests from the Order of St. Horace (patron saint of animals).  Druids of the Brown Order are often found in agricultural communities, or not far away.  Equally, however, they will be found in places of learning.

The Green Order of druids is also affiliated with the Church.  It is very much involved in the communing with plants and trees, and as such is affiliated with the worship of the Green Man (the demigod of plants and the wild who is the seasonal husband of the goddess Corrise).  While Druids of the Green Order are every bit as much interested in scholarly learning about nature, and knowledge of the world around them, they do not have a great center of their worship, but rather tend to congregate their hierarchy around a series of groves, the oldest and largest of which is Mamblir in the Deeper Forest.  Druids of the Green Order rarely settle, and often spend years traveling abroad away from their home grove.  The Green Order often go abroad wearing some sort of green - robes, cloak, or mantle.

Finally, the third order is the mysterious group of Druids known as the Silver Order of druids.  These are not affiliated with the Church in any way, and are chiefly interested in the grander universe - how things work, how they work together, the effect on the stars by the endless world, how fire works, and why it doesn't - these are the sorts of questions often asked by Silver Order Druids.  The master of the order is a mysterious individual who lives high atop his Star Tower, in the Aghanz Hills.  Members of the order often travel abroad, seeking places of deep mystery and meaning in which to make their homes of contemplation of nature.  They are very fond of the various sites of the Old Ones, and seek to understand their peculiar relationship with nature.

What's Going On Here

(From the Introduction to the Valley)

The Valley of the Old Ones is a homebrew setting for old school Fantasy gaming.

The world is one where there is a lot of built in mystery.  Not so much at the tactical level - meaning that it is not a world where mysteries are the main type of adventures.  Rather, it means that the meaning behind several features of the world is unknown (and finding out what it "means" could be a key point of a campaign held here).  In brief, there are a few things that a DM should know about the world if they are interested in holding adventures there, and perhaps this would also be useful to set the mood for players as well.

Currently the Valley of the Old Ones is a vast body of land (some 3200 miles side, and half again almost from north to south).  It is bounded on the north and south first by incredible mountain ranges (themselves home to many fantastic spots and sites of adventure), but beyond those mountains, desolate deserted terrain awaits.  To the north it is vast tracks of ice fields and snowy expanses.  To the south it is endless desert, blanched lifeless by the unceasing pounding of sunlight.

The chief civilization of the Valley is of a human series of baronies, known collectively as the Westroners.  These people came into the valley, migrating from the west, approximately 1500 years ago.  They came as a barbarian migration, but quickly settled down and became tied to the land.  Until recently, all of the baronies were feudally tied to the Duke of Narn.  The Duke, in turn, was loyal (as a self-proscribed servant) to the King in the West (the legendary ruler of the Westron peoples, who will eventually claim the lands due him, and watched over by his loyal subjects here in the Valley).  However the power of the Duke and his demesne were broken some 20 years past with the unexplained death of Alasdair III.  His son, Alasdair IV "reigns" in his place at the city of Narn, however he is neither completely effective, nor sane.  The city runs itself, and is served by a court of deluded and deluding sycophants who believe, still, in Ducal power.  Yet little real power is projected beyond the immediate lands of the City and its direct feudal holdings.

In the previous 20 years, coming to today, the various Baronies have looked to their own rule and defense.  The defense was originally against the many non-human races who would spread mischief and evil, and do harm to the genteel populated areas of the valley.  However, as time has passed, threats also now exist from one Barony to another, as each seeks to make itself stronger for purposes of greed and also defense.

Additional cultures are located within the Valley as well.  The two most prominent amongst Humans are the Tribes of the Storm King in the north, and the Tribes of the Sun King in the south.  These are two very different barbarian cultures.  The one in the north is reminiscent of the barbarians of northern Europe in the late Iron Age.  The Germans and Vikings of the 8th and 9th century on Earth are the inspiration for the Tribes of the Storm King.  In the south, the barbarian culture is similar to several on Earth that covered the change from complex late Stone Age to early Bronze Age (Aztecs, early Egyptians, etc).  There are numerous warring city states in the southern mountains, each worshipping some aspect or other of deities in the pantheon of Photoss the Sun King and his son Hazeron the demon prince.  Mysterious groups of human nomads also crisscross the Valley, themselves tied to neither the Westron baronies, the northern or southern barbarian tribes.

Player characters are adventurers making their way in the Valley.  They can be aligned with one of the several Baronies, or freebooters.  They could travel in the barbaric north - home to the Storm King tribes and many gigantic, dangerous beasts such as mammoths, great saber cats, and dire wolves.  They could venture to the sun drenched rocky slopes of the south, braving raids of the cannibal warriors of the Sun King and their blood drinking witches.  The mountain ranges in the south are dotted with great lakes and verdant, marshy river valleys that are full of all manner of great reptilian horrors, dinosaurs, and lizard men.  In between the mountains of the north, and those of the south, are the valley heartlands.  In addition to the many fantastic creatures and sites of adventure one would find in a land if wizards and dragons, there are also ancient sites of the Old Ones that can be found, full of inscrutable powers and unimaginable riches.

The Valley is a land where a good sword will take you far.  A good spell book might take you farther.  The gods are fickle, and the darker powers are ever threatening.  In short, it is a perfect setting for adventure.

Fighting Men of the Westron Baronies

The Westron inhabited civilized parts of the Valley of the Old Ones certainly has a lot of opportunities for those who take up the life of the sword.  In game terms there are certainly three broad classes of fighting men.  These are the Paladins (which have already been touched on), the Rangers (an in depth article is coming soon on these wilderness trekking self appointed protectors of the good and innocent) and of course the largest group - fighting men (or fighting women).

Fighting men can come from all social classes.  This means that they can range from lowly peasant warriors (with rude armor, often made of hide or semi-cured leather) up through knights of various feudal orders, with the best of equipment and training.

Depending on the social structure that the player's character comes from, as well as the desire of the player to have his/her character in an organized body, the player can make a number of choices - some of which are detailed here:

• Freebooter - the "typical" adventuring freesword.  This is a fighter who takes up quests, and pursues wealth and glory where he can find it.  Usually by taking on missions, with several companions, of adventure - whether it is exploring some ancient site reputed to have treasure, or the campaign against some outlying bandits or monsters.  The goal is to rely on a strong arm and a sharp sword to earn a living, with little structure or organization.
• Baronial Armsman - fighting men can gain employ in the service of the many Baronies in the Valley in several different capacities.  The most common is as a soldier in the household army of a Baron.  Or, one could be a Knight or squired to a Knight.  There are also body guards, and castle guards.  Some Barons also have small bands of warriors kept in reserve for special missions (protecting traveling dignitaries; questing for treasure or information; special missions against enemies; etc).
• Northguard - this is a border patrol, sometimes affiliated with the Northern Rangers, that patrol the borders of the Westron lands against encroachments and invasions of massed barbarian warriors of the Storm King tribes.
• Sunguard - similar to the Northguard, this is a loose organization that is dedicated to protecting the southern Baronies against the evils of the cannibal warriors of the Sun King's tribes.
• Holy Warriors - many of the religious orders and sects of the Westron Church have armed bodies of soldiery that serve them - whether it is protecting shrines or accompanying traveling clergy
• Mercenaries - usually organized into small companies of from 10 to 100, mercenaries are often commanded by a reasonably experienced Captain, and often specialize in some sort of combat, as a unit (pikemen, archers, horse scouts, etc).  They will be hired out to all the possible employers listed above, and perhaps more (henchmen for an adventuring party, bodyguards for a wizard seeking spell components, carrying out a personal raid of vendetta for a merchant or Baron, etc).

In short, the Valley is a dangerous place, not only from all the possible sites of adventure, but also the wild lands between the sparsely populated baronies.  In such a setting, the possible employment of a fighting man is varied, but always available.

Week of Encounters Day 6: Horrors of the Red Swordsmen

[Okay, I've gotten off schedule from my original planned "one week" of encounters, however I will still post encounters #6 and #7.]
This encounter takes place in the Darkearth Plains region, near a small village up where the Aghanz Hills meet the Destriel Mountains.  It is an area populated mainly by Storm King Barbarians.  The evil priests who venerate Torgin of the Void are an exception.

There are evil priests who venerate 'Torgin of the Void' - the dark god of chaotic magic. These foul practitioners who prey on the innocent in order to spread their brand of fear and chaotic discord. Once a priest of the coven of Torgin reaches 9th level, he/she is able to cast the spell "Cursed of Torgin". This spell transforms human victims into abominations - the red swordsmen of the void!

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Cursed of Torgin (spell)
Level: 5
Duration: Permanent
Range: 30'
By casting this spell, the priest of the Coven of Torgin is able to convert a number of human victims, who must all be within 30' of the caster, and must be disabled. The victims are converted into mindless, soulless abominations who will now blindly follow the orders and will of any Torgin priest or magic user of level 5 or higher. Priests and clerics of a good alignment may attempt to "turn" the red swordsmen, however they are treated as if 2 levels higher than they are, and if they are "turned" then they will just be at abeyance for 2d6 rounds.
The number of victims affected per casting is 2d4 plus the caster's level.
Each red swordsmen thus created receives a random "red tattoo" on their face. See the writeup of the red swordsmen for details on the tattoos and their conferred powers.
This spell may only be cast once per day, and only on a moonless night.

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The evil spellcaster who is in command of a group of red swordsmen will no doubt waste no time in putting them to a use designed to forward the spell caster's plans.

The plot of this encounter is simple: the player characters are traveling in the north, near the Destriel Mountains, when they encounter a runner from the local tribe of Storm King barbarians. The local tribe is ruled by a chieftain named Hetman Magdor. The runner was sent to a holding in the nearby hills, which was defended by a troop of warriors from Magdor's tribe, and led by his brother Otto. The runner has reported that all 12 warriors, and their riding buffalo, as well Otto have been slain. The runner further mentions that his lord, Magdor will be only too glad to hire the likes of the adventurers for a task most urgent. It seems that the local evil magician, a sickly, perverse old man named Eggulet has dispatched a marauding band of Red Swordsmen to terrorize the neighborhood. The Hetman Magdor is interested in both putting a stop to Eggulet and his swordsmen, but also (very much) in seeing his daughter back alive. She disappeared a fortnight back, coincidentally with an attack by the Red Swordsmen on the the village of Magdor, 'Briney Tor'.

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Cursed Red Swordsmen of Torgin
Num Appearing: 2+1d4 (always in groups, or as their 'creator' instructs them)
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Movement: 120'
Armor Class: 6 (or better, as with worn armor)
Hit Dice: 1d-8d
Attacks: 1 (weapon, usually sword)
Damage: As weapon (plus 2)
Save: F- variable
Morale: Special
Each Red Swordsman of Torgin will also have a special tatoo that imparts some magical quality. These are the most common:

1. Body covered in rot grubs, each melee round 1d4 will leap onto the swordsman's opponent.
   
2. Ability to breathe poisoned gas 3x per day in a 10' cloud. The gas is weak so the save is +2, but if not made then the victim begins wretching uncontrollably for 1d6 rounds (during which time they are -4 to hit, and +4 to be hit).
   
3. Fast. As per Haste spell.
   
4. Flaming skin - does 1d4+1 damage per melee round to anyone not immune to heat and fire attacks. Also has a chance (25%) per round of catching something of their foe's (clothing, equipment) on fire.
   
5. Screaming Skin. Each strike against the swordsman that does damage releases a screaming, hissing escape of some steam like substance. The sound it makes on escape is horrible (all within 40', except other swordsmen, must make an intelligence test or be stunned for 1 round).
   
6. Rusting Blood. Each strike that scores damage against this swordsman with a metal weapon, will have that weapon corroded as if by a rust monster.
   

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The DM should prepare a minor wilderness campaign with several encounters as the players track the trail of the Red Swordsmen to the tower of Eggulet. Once there, it will be revealed that Eggulet has been murdered - his tower is poor disrepair, but it should be full of treasures (enough to warrant the Player's giving it a look around). The dungeons beneath the tower, however, are a different story. They are populated by several types of magical creations, not to mention traps and tricks. If the Red Swordsmen are survived, the players should be able to score a major haul of treasure.

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.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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Week of Encounters Day 4: Terror of the Stoatmen

This encounter takes place in the Wychwood region of the Valley.  It could be just about anywhere that an untended forest exists, but here it is placed in the northern parts of the forest stretching along the Great River, just across from where the Greywater joins the Great River.

The player characters, while crossing a patch of woods on their way to a village for the night, come across a camp site that has been attacked. A storm as come up at the last minute, and what should have been the last hour of sunlight is rapidly darkening. The travelers are all dead, and their equipment has been taken. Worse, some of them, and their dead horses, have been partially eaten.

While examining the bodies, all of a sudden, a hail of arrows rains down on the party. Each member of the party is shot at twice per round, by a suitable number of Stoat archers who have climbed up high in the surrounding trees.

After the second round of this shooting, and whatever response the players offer up, some trap doors in the forest floor open up and 8 stoatmen warriors emerge to viciously attack the players.

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Stoatmen Warriors
Num Appearing: 2-16
Alignment: neutral evil
Movement: 90'
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 1d+1 (6 h.p.)
Attacks: 3 (claw, claw, bite), or 1 weapon (preferred)
Damage: 1d4; 1d4; 1d6 - or by weapon (scimitar or short bow are common)
Save: T1
Morale:9
Special Abilities: Climbing and Burrowing.

Stoatmen are Forest Folk, and as such have no souls.  They are considered a cursed race.

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The Stoatmen favor man's flesh for food, but will stoop to eat dwarves, elves, or even horses. The group of Stoatmen archers in the trees will stop firing once their comrades emerge from the warren, and will descend the trees to aid in the attack (mostly because they fear missing out on any meat).

There is a leader of this group of Stoatmen, named Bloodfang, who will unleash a sack of poisonous snakes into the combat if things begin going bad. These snakes attack as 2HD monsters, but only have 3 hit points. If they successfully attack, there is no damage, but a 50% chance of affecting the victim as per a sleep spell (save vs. poison).

If the Stoatmen are vanquished, then their warren holes can be explored. All but one of them are just simple ambush holes, however one leads to a small warren complex with three rooms, in succesion.

The first room has a Stoatwoman Witch (4th level MU) with two pet giant badgers.

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Giant Badgers
Num Appearing: 1-4
Alignment: neutral
Movement: 90'
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 4d (22h.p.)
Attacks: 3 (claw, claw, bite) plus disease
Damage: 1d3+1; 1d3+1; 1d8
Save: F2
Morale:9
Will fight past death (until -10 hit points). If the giant badger scores a bite hit, then it will hang on and do an additional 1d6 points until removed or slain.

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The second room has a bunch of stoatmen young feeding on a stash of rotting bodies of farmers and travellers.

The third room has a board of wood over the door, once removed those opening the door are attacked by two very large coyote spiders.

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Coyote Spiders
Num Appearing: 1-2 (underground only)
Alignment: neutral
Movement: 90'
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 4d (20h.p.)
Attacks: 1, plus poison
Damage: 1d6
Save: F3
Morale:8
The coyote spider, if it scores a hit, injects a very potent poison. Unless the victim makes a saving throw vs. poison, they will start screaming horribly in pain, and spasming uncontrollably. This forces all of the rest of his comrades to make a saving throw vs. fear or they will flee the area. The spasming and screaming lasts for 1d3+1 rounds, but after the first round his comrades are immune to the fear. Each new victim, however, causes a save to be made. During the period of spasming, etc. the victim suffers a -4 on all combat rolls, and also a +4 to foes to score a hit.

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If the spiders are slain, then the last room in the warren is revealed to have a treasure of 1,200 g.p. worth of jewelry, coins, and valuables in it.

The Storm King's Pantheon

The various tribes of Storm King barbarians vary one from another in many different ways, however they all share one thing in common - reverence and worship of the Storm King and his associated pantheon. This is a brief overview of those gods.

Bronc is the King of the Destriel Gods, and also the King of Storms. He is rarely seen, but always present. He is in every storm cloud, and looks down on his people. The Destriel Mountains, marking the northern boundary of the Valley of the Old Ones is a cold, windy place, often wracked by mysterious storms of all sorts. It is fitting that the king of storms dwells here. When the broody Bronc (who is much more frequently called, simply, the Storm King) appears, either in artwork, or during his very rare appearances on earth, he is a dark hulking being, with a horned helmet, wearing a great black shag-cow's hide as a cape. He carries a single broadsword, called Arrios which sings to the Storm King when in combat. His common foes are the many Sun Worms sent against him by the Sun King, Photos. The Storm King dwells in his cloudy castle Windkeep with Tyrros and Othero.

Tyrros is the son of the Storm King, and is the Prince of Thunder. He is the god of thunder and lightning, and has a personality to match. He is often roaming the world, in search of combat and warfare. He carries a great warhammer named Bloodthunder. When roaming the world, he is often in his chariot, which is pulled by a pair of great blue oxen named Glangor and Feory.

Othero is the lady of the Storm King, sometimes called the Storm Lady. She is pale and golden and beautiful, but she is also freezing cold. She dwelt alone at the top of the tallest peak in the Destriels until she attracted the interest of the Storm King. He rescued her from her mountaintop by beating the giants keeping her imprisoned, and then took her back to Windkeep with him. She bore him the son, Tyrros. Now she dwells at Windkeep and controls the coming and going of winter. She sometimes, for sport, will shoot at the sun worms that encircle the fortress with her bow, Icefinger.

Helgor is the Black Chieftain. He is the ruler of the Dark Shore, and is the lord of the domain of the restless dead. All those who die an unsatisfying death are doomed to dwell on the Dark Shore, where they may be called upon by sorcerers to perform foul deeds, or worse. Nobody wants the Black Chieftain to appear, however some will pay homage to him when affairs of the dead are concerned. He appears as a tall dark man, with a helmet set by two great curving goat horns. He carries a black longspear named Soulteaser, with a slender tip that ends in flame. By his side, when he is seen traveling the face of the earth, he is sometimes accompanied by a Fell Beast (a huge wolflike creature the size of an elephant, and quite ferocious).

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.

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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.

Week of Encounters Day 2: The Fell-Beast of Riven Moor

This encounter takes place in the Sildur Reaches region of the valley.  It is near the Greywater River, up where it rolls south out of the Destriel Mountains.  This is Stormking Barbarian country, and this encounter features elements of the Stormking mythology.

Just north of the Shadow Woods, but south of the Greywater is an area known as the Riven Moor.  The area is home to many of the crypts and barrows of the Storm King tribes. It is a high flat place, nearly 100 miles wide, and approximately 30 miles north to south, with the Greywater along the northern edge, and clumps of forest marking the beginning of the Shadow Woods along the southern edge.  There are no permanent habitations up here, but occasionally bands of traveling Storm King tribesmen will be encountered.  They almost always travel through the area well armed, and in groups consisting mainly of fighting men, because of the number of Fell-Beasts in the area.

The Fell-Beast appears as a very large wolf (approximately the size of a forest elephant), but is much more dangerous.  The beings are supernatural in origin, and come from the underworld realm of the Black Chieftain.  In the pantheon of the Storm King, the enemy of the Storm King himself is their barbarian god of death and the underworld, known as the Black Chieftain.  He dwells in a domain known as the Dark Shore, and it is pictured to be a cold, forested island, in the middle of a bleak icy sea, under a sunless sky.  The island is populated by foul beasts of all sorts, who hunt the lost souls through the forest night after night.  One of the types of creatures are the Fell-Beasts.

One of the reasons there are so many Fell-Beasts in our realm, especially on the Riven Moor, is because of the magical protections put on the barrows there, and the fact that so many barrows become plundered and robbed.  Many of the protections and curses used by priests of the Storm King tribes consist of curses based on beings and magic from the Dark Shore, so when a barrow is violated, the arrival of a being from the cursed realm is the result.  This being then usually hunts down the offending party, and exacts revenge.  The number of barrows, and the strength of the magic on the Riven Moor means that some of these beings remain in our world, savagely and viciously hunting the living.

---

Fell-Beast
Num Appearing: 1-2
Alignment: neutral-evil
Movement: 90'
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 8d (48h.p.)
Attacks: 3 (claw, claw, bite) plus special (if bite is successful)
Damage: 1d4+1; 1d4+1; 2d8
Save: F8
Morale:8
Special Attack: Level Draining Bite - whenever a Fell Beast makes a successful Bite attack, there is also a 20% chance that the Fell-Beast will attempt to drain a level from the character that was bitten.  This can be avoided by a successful save vs. Petrification.

The Fell-Beast is an undead being, and so a cleric would have a chance to turn one.  It appears as a large, black wolf (the size of a small elephant), with hollow ghostly eyes and blood and ichor matting its fur around its horribly large fanged mouth.  The Fell-Beast can howl a dreadful howl that will cause all beings below 3rd level within 100' to save vs. magic, or flee in terror.

If encountered (or worse, if one is cursed to be hunted by a Fell-Beast) other than fighting the creature with means both physical and magical, one would have to worry about the ability of the Fell-Beast to be able to summon to its side death birds from the Dark Shore.  These death birds are described below, but the Fell-Beast can summon 1d12 of these beings, twice a day.

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Death Birds
Num Appearing 1-12
Alignment: neutral-evil
Movement: 120'
Armor Class:6
Hit Dice: 2d (9h.p.)
Attacks:1, plus shriek
Damage: 1d4
Save: F2
Morale:9

The Death-Birds are also undead beings, so a cleric would have a chance of turning them (2HD undead beings).  These appear as undead ravens, with red eyes and blood stained beaks and talons.  They appear to be quite dead, with feathers missing here and there, and sometimes chunks of flesh torn from their bodies.  They exude a horrid stench of decaying flesh.

Whenever one is in combat with death birds (whether 1 or a dozen), the constant shrieking (the Storm King tribesmen call it "crying for the dead") of the birds will cause one to make a saving throw vs. magic at the beginning of the combat round.  If the save is failed, then the character may not move during that round - it may still attack or defend, but it may not move.  Magic User spells are also not allowed if this saving throw is failed, however Clerics of a good alignment may still cast spells.

---

Encounter: The players are moving across the Riven Moor for some reason, when they hear the horribly howl of a Fell-Beast in the distance.  Should they move to see what is afoot, they will encounter the Fell-Beast and a cloud of Death Birds feasting on the remains of a (now) deceased grave robber.  The nearby open barrow mound attests to the reason for the attack, and there are bags of treasure spilled about on the ground near the body.  If they Fell-Beast or the Barrow Mound is approached in any way, then both the great undead wolf and the flock of birds (eleven) will attack the players instantly.

Star Marauders of Vogg Tarsh

Vogg Tarsh, the sorcerer of the Verdant Marsh, had recently banished the bone men inhabiting the water crypt of the old ones and in so doing had recovered a tome of ancient arcane knowledge.  The learned scroll was written in an obscure Old One language of magic, but Vogg Tarsh held binding agreements over elder devils capable of translating such magical lore.  Soon, Vogg Tarsh was practicing the art of dimensional transplantation.  After perfecting the ability, he contacted the twilight dimensions and began enslaving beings encountered there.  The Moak Runner, the lowly Fife beast, and the hive of Rootam Ek.  All of these are creatures brought to our world by Vogg Tarsh.

On one of his other dimensional sojourns, Vogg Tarsh encountered a tribe of men like beings who dwelt on a desert world.  They would hunt the dust dragons and sand worms by day, and worship the ancient star gods by night.  These men themselves would join into groups of marauders, and venture out into the astral realms between dimensions and attack sorcerors and other travellers they encountered there.  Vogg Tarsh had heard of these star marauders, and had lost several colleague sorcerers to their attacks.  While those sorcerers could not be said to be the friends of Vogg Tarsh (can such a man afford to have friends?), they were trusted colleagues, and he was offended by the loss of their knowledge of the magical universe.  So the sorcerer vowed to take revenge on these star marauders.

Over time, one by one, he would capture bands of the star marauders and transport them to other worlds, and always without the aid of their tribal shamans (who served as astral guides).  One of the forms of magic that these marauders practiced was the use of tattoos of power.  These tattoos would each be modeled after one of the stellar constellations that they drew power from in their home dimension, and they would grant certain powers to the marauders that wore them.  They were favored, individually, by certain tribes - so groups encountered almost always have the same tattoo.

The constellations from the dimension of the Star Marauders, and the magical powers that they provide, are listed here:

Ginar the Block - Stone skin, occasionally other stone related manifestations
K'Nar, the Fire Goat - Heat generation, sometimes flame generation
Helfin the Striker - The ability to fire small shards of glass from the arms and hands
Assep and Kutar - The head and body split and operate separate.  The body has magical senses. The head will grow additional bodies.
Ch'Nar, the Ice Goat - The ability to slow living opponents by chilling their blood.
Ubell the Spider _ Climbing walls, casting webs, draining blood.
Rish the Stormwind - The body becomes incorporal, only affected by magical weapons.  It can attack normally, however.
Uesti the Kraken - Can breathe water.  In addition, multiple tentacle limbs grow, which can all use weapons.  Resistant to magic.
T'Nux the Suneater - Can create darkness and also absorb magic, to be reused.
Felp the Owl - Silent, stealthy, and flying.
M'tor the Worm - The ability to meld through stone and earth, and also corrode flesh with a touch.
Hagtar the King - Mental powers of attack and defense.

Physically, the Star Marauders are very similar to normal men, and may adopt the abilities of any of the character classes.  Far and away, the most commonly encountered are fighters (and occasionally thieves).  They are often organized into bands, and will be led by leaders of slightly higher level.  They appear as bald humans, are given to sparse dark clothing.  For armor they tend to wear a curious hide armor from their own dimension, made of cured strips of Kraken flesh (AC 5).  They favor their own weapons - the Sukkong (a short sword), the Lasterak (throwing dagger) and the Peffalar (a halberd).  All of these weapons are made of specially treated ivory taken from the fangs of giant desert spiders in their own dimension.

The bad news is that the Star Marauders are hardy and have a long lifespan (perhaps up to 1000 years).  The good news is that they are not inter-fertile with regular human females, and Vogg Tarsh brought no women from their own dimension.

As encountered in the Valley of the Old Ones, Star Marauders are almost always groups gathered together by a sorcerer either attack someone or to protect something.  They would never be encountered as a randomly moving group.

Seven Encounters Challenge

From the staff at Gaming with Chuck - "Have a Week of Encounters - Seven encounters that make define your setting"

The idea is to come up with seven encounters that are unique to the setting you are using for your RPG, and use those to expose some things that make your setting unique.  Valley of the Old Ones is going to take up the challenge, and respond by having a Week of Encounters.  Given that the upcoming week is a holiday week, and I won't get too much done on my dissertation, I will use this week to do the Valley of the Old Ones.

Starting tomorrow (Monday) I will do seven different encounters.  These will be for AD&D2E.

History of the Valley - since Ba'a Zarn

The Archivists of Parn Tandalorn tend to view the history of the Valley of the Old Ones as, enigmatically, beginning with the departure of the Old Ones themselves.  At some point, in the distant past, the King of the Old Ones Ba'a Zarn disappeared from the world.  After this time, the many creatures and creations of the gods of the Old Ones began to spread and to rule over the world.  The chief creations amongst all of these are Men, Elves and Dwarves.  The Men seem to have been a companion gift to the Old Ones, constructed by the Elemental Gods.  The Elves were first created by the forest goddess Earnissa.  The Dwarves were created by The Krung, lord of the mountains.

As the power of the Old Ones began waning, many of the Men who were living with them in their fabulous cities began to flee, and to already spread across the world.  At this time they began worshiping the gods and goddesses of nature, especially Bronc the Storm King, and Photoss the Sun King.  The Three Goddesses were not unknown at this time, but the complicated nuance of the modern churches did not exist - they were simply worshiped as Fertility, Magic and Agriculture.

The tribes of the Storm King grew in power and strength, until they threatened both the Dwarves and the Elves.  This brought about the first Elf war, which pitted the ancient tribes of the Storm King against the original forest tribes of Earnissa's people.  The Dwarves were pledged to help the Elves, but due to unknown reasons they never appeared at any of the battles.  The barbaric humans were losing in the war against the elves, but in the end the Elves capitulated and settled an uneasy peace with the humans.

There are still groups of humans that worship the Storm King, however (and this is true within the Valley) much of human civilization is now built around the worship of the Three Goddesses.  These three, and a complicated hierarchy of saints and scions, are the object of much of the modern Church that is key to human civilization.

Within the Valley, the human city of Narn is home to the feudal kingdom of Neill family.  Duke Alasdair IV is the current head of the family, and he rules with the blessings of the Arch-Cleric Neveross, of the Cathedral of St. Narn.  Across the valley there are many small baronies and other realms that all, in theory, owe feudal loyalty to the Neill family, however the distance and the politics involved mean that at any time any number of these can be at war with each other, or against the Neills themselves.  Complicated church politics don't make matters any simpler.

Within the valley, there are several forests where Elven domains are evident.  These are largely Wood Elves.  There are, in the mountains surrounding the valley, several hidden cities of High Elves as well.  During the war with the Storm King barbarians, the High Elves felt betrayed by their brothers who surrendered to the Humans, and so went, mostly, into seclusion.  Other than their hidden mountain cities, the High Elves also have a floating city that travels up and down the Great River.

Several underground colonies of Grey Dwarves exist in the mountains surrounding the valley.  These are the types of dwarves who feel compelled to pursue their traditional role as miners and craftsmen, working with stones and gems, and digger deeper and deeper into the mountains.  Offshoots of these 'traditionalists' often move down out of the mountain, and build towns and villages where they trade with the feudal human cities, and others.  These Dwarves who leave the mountains are often referred to as Brown Dwarves.

Countless other races of beings (magical and natural) occupy the areas within and around the Valley.  Among the more numerous are the Halflings, Gnomes and of course all the Goblin races, from the goblins themselves, up through the trolls.  Many variants of beastmen exist as well.  In addition to the underground empires of the goblins and dwarves, there is another race of elves that have taken up life under the mountains - the Dark Elves.

Since the departure of the Old Ones, and the war between the Barbarians and the Elves, the rise of Human civilization has dominated the valley.  Today they are the most numerous people within the valley, although the strength of Narn has faded in recent decades.

History of the World - Valley of the Old Ones

The Valley, of course, is part of a much larger world.  This is a short version of the history of that world, according to the Archivists of Parn Tandalorn.

Once, a long time before there was time, the world had no music.  Without music, there was no magic.  Without magic, there were no numbers.  But one by one, through the strength of their will, the elemental gods of the Old Ones awoke.  Their names are now long forgotten, but in the course of things, each of them had a number.  The first, the lord of fire, helped to bring the rest into being.  They came in order, the Lord of Fire, the Lady of Air, Earth Weaver and the One beneath the Waves.  From them the rest of the gods of the Old Ones came, each after its own element.  Now their numbers were many, and  from this they could wring out all manner of magic.

The magic allowed the gods to create, each after his or her own fashion, the things that would live on the earth.  Plants, Animals, Fish, Birds.  Even the Old Ones.  They were created by the Lord of Fire and the Lady of Air directly, and held sway over all other things.  Through their ordering, the magic gave way to music, and now the world was complete.

After a time, a king arose amongst the Old Ones named Ba'a Zarn the Builder.  Ba'a Zarn and his people built all manner of fantastic cities and wonders.  Some still stand - the Sky Lake of Cittar and the Great Block.  Some are long gone.  Many were deep under the earth, still more were among the clouds.  One of the amazing feats of Ba'a Zarn was the construction of the Great River, which completely crosses the face of the world from one end to the other.  Along with the Great River is the King's Highway.  Much of the King's Highway is still in existence, and these two wonders - the River and the Highway - run through the middle of the Valley of the Old Ones.

It is said that the Valley itself was once a garden of the Old Ones, where they would come to take their ease and talk with all of the creatures of the gods.  Certainly they left behind some fantastic structures in the mountains and on the plains of the valley.  Many these days shun such spots, as they are the home of amazing creatures and inscrutable magic, but others seek them out as spots of adventure and fantastic treasures.

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!

Introduction - Valley of the Old Ones

This is a setting for fantasy games (wargames, roleplaying games, etc) developed by Me. It draws on a lot of different sources and ideas, but is primarily designed as a fun place to run games.

The Valley exists in a much larger world (much) although I will write about that later on.

For now, here is the original opening description (originally posted on Gaming with Chuck):

Once, ages ago, before even the dragons remember, the Old Ones held court on the sunny face of the world. At that time, Ba'a Zarn, the king of the Old Ones, ruled a mighty empire. His craftsmen were the source of many things - the stars, music, time - but one of the the strongest things they built was the King's Highway.

This highway is a massive stone lane, large enough for the King's chariots to ride over, built on top of a mound that varies between 100 and 200 feet above the surrounding plains. Periodically, there are ancient guard towers that still stand, and massive stone lined tunnels that go through the mound. There are even tunnels under the mound for the tributaries of the Great River to run through.

The Great River circles the entire world, and the King's Highway generally follows its course.

The Valley of the Old Ones is one spot along the Great River, home to the ancient human city of Narn. The valley measures 3200 miles from end to end. The city is old and crumbling, but was once mighty enough to withstand attacks from the warlords out of the mountains surrounding the valley. Now it is mostly bereft of riches, so is not the subject of attack nearly so much.

In the plains throughout the valley, countless small unknown villages dot the countryside. With the collapse of Narn some generations back, local nobles began the construction of many of their own castles and keeps, to keep safe from the mountain raiders.

Today, Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings dwell in the valley, trying to make a peaceful life. The surrounding ancient ruins and wonderous sites remind them that the Old Ones once roamed here. Those same sites can be the home of adventure and exploration, but can also be the source of great, unnatural danger.

This will be the setting of a number of old school adventures that I am brewing up. I hope to reveal the first at MarsCon (January 2011).

Valley of the Old Ones

A setting for some Old School roleplaying. Drawn using Autorealm.

Once, ages ago, before even the dragons remember, the Old Ones held court on the sunny face of the world.  At that time, Ba'a Zarn, the king of the Old Ones, ruled a mighty empire.  His craftsmen were the source of many things - the stars, music, time - but one of the the strongest things they built was the King's Highway.

This highway is a massive stone lane, large enough for the King's chariots to ride over, built on top of a mound that varies between 100 and 200 feet above the surrounding plains.  Periodically, there are ancient guard towers that still stand, and massive stone lined tunnels that go through the mound.  There are even tunnels under the mound for the tributaries of the Great River to run through.

The Great River circles the entire world, and the King's Highway generally follows its course.

The Valley of the Old Ones is one spot along the Great River, home to the ancient human city of Narn.  The valley measures 3200 miles from end to end. The city is old and crumbling, but was once mighty enough to withstand attacks from the warlords out of the mountains surrounding the valley.  Now it is mostly bereft of riches, so is not the subject of attack nearly so much.

In the plains throughout the valley, countless small unknown villages dot the countryside.  With the collapse of Narn some generations back, local nobles began the construction of many of their own castles and keeps, to keep safe from the mountain raiders.

Today, Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings dwell in the valley, trying to make a peaceful life.  The surrounding ancient ruins and wonderous sites remind them that the Old Ones once roamed here.  Those same sites can be the home of adventure and exploration, but can also be the source of great, unnatural danger.

This will be the setting of a number of old school adventures that I am brewing up.  I hope to reveal the first at MarsCon (January 2011).

Tags: fantasy role playing