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Snaking through the peaks as far as you can see is a massive glacier with an intriguing hollow below it...

The Mouth is... Atop the Glacier one may come across...
1 ...tall enough for a Giant to enter if they were to duck down slightly 1 ...ancient and impressive pieces of Pillar, uprooted from their Temples
...possibly accessible only by boat, it appears that warm water has melted 2 ...the body of a Human Fighter, being picked at by Vultures
2
the ice to create an opening
3 ...an enterprising Gnome and his Dog Sled Teams; very reasonable rates
...wide and gaping, closer inspection reveals several rows of dripping
3 4 ...the shy heard of Reindeer who use this path in their migration
icicles that remind one of teeth
5 ...a crazed Wooly Mammoth, she just lost her calf to a Cougar
...polished and smoothed, almost as if it was deliberately hollowed out by
4 ...several warm Yurts and their welcoming Nom ad occupants
powerful Magics 6
7 ...a shaggy, arctic Chim era (Mountain Goat, Snow Panther, Remorhaz)

The Tunnel... 8 ...a single, immense Snow Shoe roughly the size of a Wagon

1 ...provides shelter for a dreadful pack of Winter Wolves

...appears to be a much more direct and swift means of travel than the
2
treacherous, boulder-strewn ice above
...is quite stable, but unnervingly temperate in places, the constant drips
3 of icy water from the ceiling are sure to find their way down the back of
necks
...is home to a flurry of mischievous Ice Mephits that love nothing more
4 than to prank visitors by stealing items to encase within the icy walls,
just out of reach
...might serve as an entrance to the colder reaches of the Unseen Lands
5
for incautious travelers
...was formed around the remains of a massive, prehistoric relative of
6
the frightful Purple Worm

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Tilted perilously near a narrow bridge are two matching megaliths, each easily twelve persons tall...

These incredible boulders... Crossing a swiftly flowing river, the bridge...

...once stood straight, but have shifted over the millennia due to fairly ..will support the weight of about three horses before beginning to creak
1 1
infrequent, but very severe, flooding of the nearby riverbed and groan loudly
...are belted by miniscule bands of incised lettering in a long forgotten ...has seen better days, and some recent improvised repairs by a helpful
2 2
language, telling of a tense Ophidian Peace Treaty that ended poorly Ogre don’t exactly instill confidence
...were once one before they were split by a capricious Demigod, anyone 3 ...was obviously built to last, not a scratch seems to mar it’s surface
3 who sleeps nearby will have the desperate pleas for reunification haunt
...appears to be a common waypost for Pilgrims, as religious graffiti and
their dreams, along with promises of strange rewards 4
several former campfires seem to attest
...are actually two of ten. Some surveying of the Hex will reveal them to
4 ...has yet to be finished, and may never will be if the bloody bodies of the
be part of a complete set of titanic Toes poking out of the stony ground 5
Dwarf builders on the other side of the span are any indicator
...is adorned with rowdy Gargoyles in the form of Venal Monks. They are
6
fond of singing shockingly rude Sea Shanties loudly at travelers

Preparing Spells in this place...

1 ...causes the gap between the Stones to groan and widen slightly
...is made taxing by a strange thaumatic resonance emanating from the
2
boulders, any caster will need three extra hours of sleep
3 ...goes normally, but one random spell will vanish from any Spellbook
4 ...leeches enchantment from the Bridge, the only thing holding it up
5 ...will attract the attention of a nosy Phase Spider who lives in the Astral
...creates an unexpected feast as several Singing Salmon leap on to the
6
shore, drowning themselves to fulfill their part of a bargain
7 ...only takes half the normal amount of time for inscrutable reasons
...results in an extra, stowaway Sleep Spell, thanks to the encouraging,
8
repetitive chirps of a highly sought after species of Cricket

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Steady run-off has gouged a gorge here, rounding a sharp bend thick with stubborn trees and tenacious bracken...

The most reliable place to cross... Peeking from the foliage on the far side of the river...
...could be made a little easier by felling one of the more massive trees in 1 ...the sun bounces off a welcoming and well-traveled trail
1
the area. The Hillgallow Hornbeams hold some promise
2 ...a Doe with two fawns in tow carefully judges whether to risk a drink
...washed out with recent rains, so the choice may be between risking it
2 3 ...are thorny vines, heavy with ripe and delicious Stainberries
and a lengthy detour
4 ..., crouched in the brush, bright, unblinking eyes of a Catamount stare
...is somewhat deceptive: the current is slow and water shallow, but a
3 ...two lovestruck Gnom es from warring clans hide from worried parents
writhing surfeit of Coldwater Lam prey surge on anything wading across 5

...might not be across a series of slick rocks to a conveniently placed
4
boulder, atop of which brays a hopelessly marooned Mule
Fishing here...
1 ...during the appropriate season will net bushels of delicious River Trout
6 ...one can barely make out the glint of a highly polished Shield, mislaid
...fluttering laundry hangs out to dry in the breeze, near a still damp
7
Halfling Pipeweed Merchant, utterly lost but hopeful
...are the rusting remains of some sort of massive Metal Machine, all gap
8
-toothed gears and spindly spokes, reclaimed by vines and brambles

..., somewhat unsuccessfully with a net in desperate need of mending, is

2
a band of Brigands, deserted from an infamous Mercenary Company
...and somewhat wary of your intrusive presence is a magnificently
3
plumed mated pair of Kingfishers
4 ...will undoubtedly provide ire from a gossip of overprotective Nixies
...requires very expensive bait, if one hopes to catch the gold-hungry
5 Mudmiser Catfish. Careful cleaning is rumored to net a healthy return
on the investment
...is simply no good, the fish seem to know how to steal bait from hooks,
and shimmy through even the smallest holes in nets. The burbling
6
taunts they sling in Com mon from deeper waters don’t make it any
more bearable either

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The clucks of haughty hens and the smell of slowly roasting lamb fill you senses as you arrive at a haphazardly built home...

The cabin is situated... Noticing your arrival...

...at the start of a muddy, wagon-rutted road, pockmarked with decep- ...immediately is a hoary Hound, mangy with a missing back leg, but
1 1
tively deep puddles but better than the stony scree hoarsely howling up quite a racket
...beside rich, freshly plowed fields of dark and fragrant soil. The oxen in ...is a tall person of indeterminate gender, bearing two heavy Pails
2
2 their paddock must have their work cut out for them judging from all sloshing with fresh Goat Milk and a sour expression
the large boulders strewn about
...weeping grey pustules, the tell-tale symptom of
3
...quite close to a sweet-tasting Spring that never freezes and was once Saint Arwina’s Pox
3 ...a young maiden,
said to be Holy
by virtually any ...the idly swishing Cow Tail she quickly snakes
4
...near a row of remarkably lifelike Statues of Farm Animals, a Gorgon standards beautiful, into her skirts to hide from view
4
Hide stretched on a frame and drying tells more of the story save for ...
...empty eye sockets where her eyes should be and
5
writhing red/black/yellow Serpents for Hair
...a huge man peers from over the roof, behind. He’s shaving with a
6 sharpened Short Sword and using a polished Shield as a mirror and
flashes a gap-toothed smile.

Warm beds, hearty meals, and even hot (!) baths...

1 ...may be provided in exchange for shifting large Stones from a field
2 ...are at your disposal due to ancient customs regarding hospitality
3 ...can be had for a sum of 10 coins a head, denomination doesn’t matter
4 ...would be lovely, it’s a shame they’re full up with a Dwarf mining party
5 ...are held at ransom until the party deals with a nearby Bugbear threat
6 ...don’t seem to be the order of the day: the place is in bad need of repair
...tempt visiting travelers, but some may never find the will to leave due
7
to a Mountain Nymph’s Curse
8 ...cost an arm and a leg. Literally. But only one of each per night at least

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A booming shout, muddled by multiple echoes that careen off the cliffsides here, stops you in your tracks...

The strange acoustics here are such that... Carefully foraging along the Canyon floor could uncover...
...it is possible to make out the faintest whisper from one hundred paces, 1 ...semi-petrified shards of an Egg that must’ve been horse-sized
1
frustrating any attempts at Stealth
2 ...Ghoul Purge Gourds, when dried and rattled, end some paralysis
2 ...loud sounds reverberate and maddeningly repeat for a few minutes
3 ...a cache of tightly bundled Arrows, four burst into flame when fired
...the eerie echoes are nearly always followed by a gravely rumble that
3 ...a weather-beaten Skeleton, still clutching a leather case that holds a
closely resembles the preamble to a landslide 4
surprisingly accurate map of the surrounding six Hexes
...all words uttered are carefully stored, to repeat at random intervals,
4 5 ...three and a half huge ivory Mastodon tusks, embedded in the cliffside
this sometimes includes the verbal components of any Spells
6 ...small, fingernail sized flecks of Gold within a dry streambed
7 ...the moon-touched breeding pools of extremely valuable Mithril Frogs
Calling this Canyon home...
8 ...seams of garishly colored minerals, useful in paints & some Scroll Inks
...are an insular community of clan-less Kobolds, they are very wary of
1 trespassers into their quasi-utopian community that was founded by
the Cleric Cranog a few decades ago
...an Ogre Wight and his Skeletal Attendants. They keep a close watch on
2
a the small Merchant Company they’ve taken as prisoner
...the venerable Paladin Cranog, well into her eightieth year, Geased to
3 forever search the numerous crags of the Canyon for a Holy Relic that
she’s beginning to secretly doubt is even here
..., a music hating Hill Giant couple eager to start a family after escaping
4
the sway of a megalomaniac clamor of Harpies
...a highly burnished Copper Wyrm ling called Farthing, who inherited
5
her mother’s fondness for practical jokes
...is the somewhat legendary Talking Tom e , unbreakably fettered to it’s
6 lectern and said to contain a few very powerful magics, if those that
deign to study it can put up with the constant blathering

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