lll~J-IIC

LOCALES
0 BY JEFFREY GERRETSE I

16 BY KYLE HUNTER I
rontier settlements often This article describes seven locations

F hold remnants of the th2t blend history and myth. These can
societies that preceded be dropped into any campaign to add
them. In these remote locations, the local flavor or to introduce new plot
landscape plays into stories of myth hooks for your band of advent:urers.
and legend that explain natural and
supernatural phenomena. How these The Bleeding Stone
stories interact with history is the pur- An hour's travel from a secluded vilLage,
''iew not only of scholars, but also of there rests a small copse oftl'ees. Within
adventurers, for their actions are oflen these woods, a tall stone protrudes from
intertwined with the tales sunound- a bed ofcrisp leaves sunoundcd by vigi-
ing curious places. lant boughs. Thin trails of fresh blood
trace lines down the sides ofthis 4-foot·
high stone to soak mto the damp earth.
Accordin~ to I he: \;llagns, the stone: wa.~
onct: the knife of ;a young soldier. who
upon returning !Tom war and discover·
ing Ius beloved deat.l, plunged the blade
tOto his (htst before driving it into the
earth. By Will oflhc god Heironeous, the
knife slowly bec<tme the bleeding stone
now fotnuli.u to tht' locals. The:) say that
when the stone's blood wns dry, some·
one in the VJibge is victim to a grisly
crime, and when th:ll pa->on's soul ha~
~ed, tb~ stone bleeds again in mourn·
in g.
The stone h:~~ ~en dry now for three
days. A loc:~l nnp.er earned the news to
the vill:~gc:, and fe;Lring the tragedy the
stone forelellb, I he village has ~ut itself
on from all visitor~.
Tbl Cha1Jc Man
A chalk hilb;de that slopes toward 01
busy ro:td bear:. the immense carving of
a c:rude spcamun. Tnvt'lus .ut unc::tsy
with the tmage lnd cl:um it watches
them as the~ pass. Some sa~ the c:~rving
pays homage to a great hero ofantiquity,
but others cl:nm the image is posscs~ed
by a warnor ~pmt. During winter run-
storm~. ch.1lk dust sometimes runs with
the water into the nearby fMmland!>, and
when tbC' cloud!. recede, lravders find
tht C~rvmg'~ position Ius changed. The
warrior\ he:1d, lor Instance, might bC'
facing a different direction, or h~ spear
might be held in two hands instud of
one. The significance of these chmges
are unlmov-11, hut for the: ne.xt few day~
after ~uch storm~ wild dogs howl atop
the hill and tr.aveler& keep vigilant, wary
of the warrior spirit thought to be con-
lallled m the chalk mnn..
Tha~Tamb
A chambered barrow along a nearby
ridge o,·erlooks thc fannlands of a
quaint community. Cairn material once
blocked the entrance to the barrow, but
now the stones arc Sc:lttaed through·
out the forecourt. The burial site is the
resting place of a child murderer. and it
is mostly avoided for fl!ar ol e"iJ spints.
Every so often, though, furrners working
their field.~ ht:tr childlike laughter within
the tomb, and a few day» lat«, another
child disappear.- Such disappearances
are never explained and the children arc
never found. ThoUAh the £mncrs clearly
suspect that the: evil onginates from the
barrow, no one has had the courage to
enter the tomb in search of the mis~ing
children. 1'\vo attempts bwe been made
mthin recent years to block the entr:lnce.
but ~uch obstructions only last a few day:;
before they 3re tom down. the obliter-
ated stones found scatlen:d among small,
childlike bones.
The Ridadd tmJrc:h
A ruinC'd church dedicated to St. CuUt-
hcrt re~t~ insadc: an old druJdJc benge
not fu from a bus~ trading outpost
The tall stones form a v,.ide circle acou nd
tht: church's mossy wills and cast long
sh:tdOY.'S over the decrepit structUie, gjv-
ing II a blighted appc:arancc. Town~men
sa~ lh.at after religious. fanatics massa·
cred the: local drwd~. they coru.tructcd a
churth within the benge in order to rid
It oftts pagan c:vil.According lo the ~tory,
the murdered dru1ds rose from the de.1d
after the church was completed and took
U1cir revenge, d~troying the sanctuary
and sl:lytng the: ze.Uob. FoUowc:rs of St
Cuthbert were careful to cxl.r:lct the bod-
ies .md bury them properly. but the benge
haJi si nee been left alone. According to
the townsmen, the dn.Uds rise again once
every year to sam:tiry the site with ~olcmn
ntuals, and the sound of thrir chanting
can be heard throughout the town. These
ritual:. occur more frequc:ntly now. wtucb
urge:- farultical follower; of St Cuthbert
to consider the reclamation of the: old
ruin and the ptrmllllent extemunation
of its dead occupant.:;.
The Stone of Flla!S
Nc~tled within a sm.ill fon:st is a cool,
tefieshing spnog bordertd by soft grasses
and the yellow-green glov. of sunlight
flltenng through thto canopy. A numbl'r
of\-:~gue faces are carved mto ;a vertical
rock standing near the spring. and each
flee expresses 3II emollon from dation
to sorrow. The: site was once the domain
of a naiau (water nymph) worshiped b)
n handful ofloc31 druids sworn to pro-
tect her. Tht dn.Uds were ulli.nutel)' ~lam
by an agent of Erythnul \\ho sought to
------ ---.
- - . ~------------~---------
destroy the naiad; wht'n she: was killed a
~bort time later, she snatched the: ~ouls
ofher former defc:nders and imprisoned
them in the stone that once markc:d her
home. Some say that whoever frees these
imprisoned so~ will be blessed with
good fortlllle, while others say ~uch a sav-
ior would be cursed with the naiad's ire.
The Watthfal Ladies
livery morning, the sun ri~e:. between
six stones th3t overlook a sh.allow valley
!Tom a hillside summit. Tra\-elers vener-
3te the !>tOni'S as ~ymbul~ of s.tfety ~d
~c:curity, 3IId itinerant pilgrims willing
to make the detour oRen decorate them
With religious iconogr:apby. 1'bc stones,
according to legend, are all that remams
oftbe souls ofsix young women ~>lain by
brigands during a pilgrimage many years
ago. Now the women Wllm tr.l\·elers of
d:mgc:r by blocking the sun dunng the
early mom.ing hours, and travelers com·
mooJy watch for such an omen at ~unrue
before ma.lti:ng thcir daily prep:u-alions.
Dcsptte their sober duty, the Wlltch-
fulladie~ are mnously joyful .md good·
natured: it i~ said that they dance: when
the sun goes down, thankful for another
dayofpeau.
Tha WIIIPins Tomb
ln the outskirts of a small fimning com-
munity is an anoent burial clumbc:r con-
structed from four upnght <;tones sup·
porting 01 large capstone. The uprights
arc each c:l.ched with a single rune, but
the ~ymbols are foreign to the farmers.
There ill no evidence of ~omeon«' hnv·
mg actually been buried in the chamber,
for the earth within is smooth and c:ven.
yet the farmers respect the sanctity of
the site and leave it well C'nough ;alone
However, on cloudless nights with 3 r!s-
mg full moon, the &rmers say they hear
weeping from IDSide the: tomb, though
no on<' has eYer bl'm found m or around
the stones during these times. Local
children play ne.u the stones during the
daylight hours, and somewhat to the ells-
comfort of the rest of lh«' community,
ench child knows various details about
the life of a young girl whom they claim
is buried there. ii
MARCH 2006 OUHGEOf4 101
 CAMPAIGN WORKBOOK

RESTinG
DnTHE
RUn
eJ BY CHRIS FRY I

e BY KYLE HUNTER
1 I

''A n~r
dispatching the
:~ncie-nt
guardi:an, you
6nd yourselves befor<! a
Luge door, one tMl obviously !rods into
the lnnerTemple. The door crealcs open,
revealing...''
PC: "Hty. ll!<lil! \Ve'tt not soins OI!)'Whert
1
ytt! 'J1taJ soltm UNU IGU.!Jll1 and U/C Vt JjOI tO
rcplmish hit points and spdls! IVe'r<,goinJJ to
stop ond rut here."
.. You'ri!' going to stop ;md ttsl on the
blood·sookcd steps ofolemple ofOrc.us?
But you just llrrived ... "
PC: "Hey, it mO)' be a little uru:omforrablc,but
it's onlyforc(tj/tt hours..."
There's no question that a party
has the best cn~nc~ of success when
they au 01 their strongest, with maxi·
mum hit points and a full •llotmcnt
of spells. l<nowing this, most groups
try to plan their movements so that
they ore f11lly rested and ready to go
when it comes rime to take on the big...
ge:sl, meanest threats. The proble:m is
that they usually don't k now " 'hat's
lurking around the next bend in the
dungeon corridor. This c..1n result in
an overly cautious group ofadventu.r-
e.l"s who would rafher rest than take :a
chan« at being u npr<pared for 'just
one more -room.."
/Is • OM. you can't always anticipote
w.b en or where your party is going to
wont to set up camp. While lc~ving the
dungeon to rest is probably the safest
op-tion,-no one wants to ''give up ground"
when fighting through • n enemy strong·
hold, so parties often try to catch the req·
uisit~ eight hours of rest whert\'er they
ll.TC, despite the inhospitable, uncomfort·
able, and genernlly d>ngerous SurrollOd·
ings. With this in mind, here are a few
optional rules to lllJike your pbrers n·ork
for tbci r r<!SL

n& DUNC£0N .AA.V 2005

MAKING CAMP Once the check is made, the quality
Before hit points con be rccov.rtd and of the campsite is determined based on
spells can be regained, the p;uty must the difl'ercncc between the roll and the
establish where they will be making t;trget number.
c.a mp. Some groups prefer to ceturn Miss<d by5 or mort: No place well suited
to the closest cleored·out room, while for • camp con be found nearby. The party
oth.rs moy be content just flopping can still opt to stop ond cest even aRer
down in the middle of the hallway a blown sleW chtck, but the benefits (if
where they just fought their latest bat· any) ofsuch rest will be negligible. No rut
tie. Dungeons, are cnmpc:d, crowded, points ;trc regained for resting. Arcane
ond not designed for the comfort and spellcostcrs do not get enough unintcr·
convenience of the loitering wan· rupted rest to prepare new spells.
derer. Of course, a skilled od,•entuecr Mlss<d by leu rhon s The conditions
knows how to moke the most out of or terrain prevents odequate rest. No hit
any siluotion. points are regained for r:esting. Atcane
When your porty decides to stop ond spcllc:asters must moke • DC 15 Con·
rest within the dungeon. have them centration check to ov<rcomc the dis·
m>ke a Survival check to Stt up a suit· comfort and g<t into the prop.r state of
able compsit.. '11lc base DC ofthis check mind nctded to pr<pore now spells.
should be 10, adjusted by the following: Sucass: Th< party <stabUshcs • func-
tion>) camp. While not the
Adjustment most comfortable or luxu·
Condition to Base DC rious of rest sites, the ch:~t·
;actt'ts manag~ to makt' the
Per additional porty member oller the first +Z most of tltings and can get
enough well·deserved rest
lnhospilllblc conditions
(dampness, extreme temperatures,
(assuming nothing untoward
happens during the time...~
uneven gi'Ound, dangerous floro, etc.)
Hit points art regained ;after
Area has been designed/modified 8 hour:s ofresting at a rate.of
for habil:ltion by humanoid creatures 1 hp~tvcl.Arcanc spcllcasters
(furniture, tapestries; rugs, firepits, etc.) con pccporc now spells.
Su«essfol ey~ 10 or mon: Hit
Once the bast DC is csh!bllshed, the skill points ;tre regained aRer 8 hours of rest-
check roU is adjusted by the following: ing •t• rotc of1 hp~cvtl. Arcane spcDcost·
ers can prepore spells os no<·
Adjustment mal. In addition, the droin on
Factor to Roll the porty's stores (in the form
of food, water, torches, fuel,
Per add iLion;> I porty member that
otc.) is reduced by one half,
successfully >Ssists +1
rdlccting the group's ability
fomiUarity with local area/terrain +1 to be more efficient and USt'
resources at hand.
Access to avail2blc stores and pcovisions
(food, potable water, fuel) in the ar<a .,.
OTHER SUGGESTIONS,
Party re·uses a previously successfully THREATS, AND
established campsite +4 OBSTACLES
Even with a successful camp
.Keep in mind that other foctors established, stopping in the some pl2ce
(level of illumination, fatigue, etc.) for ~raJ hours in a dungoon setting is a
could affect the skill check. A charnc· dangerous proposition. Flore ore some sus·
ter can se;1teh for 10 minutes to takt 10 g<stions for malring the rest break a little
on the check, but normally cannot toke more int<rcsting:
20 becaust there a.re constquences Wandering Monsters: The clas·
for failurt. sie bane of camping in a dungeon,
w>ndering creat'llr<S could be attr.acted
to the light of a pa%ty's campfire or
the smtll of ll me..J being prepored, or
they might just happen upon a party
that is comped along their patrol
rout<. Alternatively, the re.ma.ins from
the porty's most rectnt battl< could
attract scave:ngt"rs such as rats, carrion
crawlers, or oozes. lntclligtnt foes
should take tb< opportunity to size
up the puty's strength, possibly wait·
ing until most :arc :uleep or othcr"C\-ise
distracted to attack. Or they could usc
the extra time to set up an ambush or
get rcinforctmcnbi.
'Resetting Traps and Wards; A p>rty
m•y defcot traps and magical wards to
win through an area, but in many cases
those some traps ond prottctions m•y
be sctto rcncwthcmsolvesaRcra period
of time. Nothing is worse than realizing
that you've spread your bedroll out over
on electrified Ooor. or that thultar in the
comer recharges its unholy powtr •'·ery
four hours, or that the pieces ofthe stone
golcm ar< sot to reassemble thtmSelves
six hours after its dcfcaL
Dangerous Ecologies: Du,n geons,
especially notur.ll caverns, may contain
dang= thot arc not readily appa,r entto
the average odvcnturcr. A cavern may be
dry when the party decides to rest there,
only to flood without warning with the
incoming tide. innocuous looking fungi
m•y slowly rclcase spores into the air
that prove to be toxic over several hours.
A horde ofstitgcs or other vcrmin could
uS< the chamber 25 a route when leav·
ing for or returning from a hunL If you
use any ofthese options, be sure to allow
the characteiS • chance to find a due or
notice some sign that the campsite may
not be suihlblt for vtry long.
Keep in mind that the point is not to
penalize your playtrs for being coutious,
but to oncourage them to extend th>t
same c.aulion to non-combath·e encoun-
ters such as resting to recover and pr<·
pare. Asking the players to usc their skills
and take pr<cautions in a dungeon m>kcs
thing.~ a little more realistic, an.d th.e occa·
sional encounter with the unexpected
makes something as str•ightforw•rd
•s m•king ump a little more exciting
and m•monblc. i!l
JIA.Y 2005 OUH<iEOH »9