Hexes 1539-3135
1614: The Temple of the Snake Cult (Ruin/Dungeon)
This dungeon lies on a lone, craggy mountain surrounded by rolling hills. It is separated from the rest of the Mantle Hills by a deep, cavern-filled gorge behind it. While the Temple is best known for the infamous Snake Cult that once enacted its obscene rites here, the dungeon’s true origin is much, much older.
Further information on the Temple and its many levels can be found here.
1806 Boar Burials (Lair)
A clearing within the woods has multiple, open air burials – skeletons wrapped in decayed linen, hanging from the tree branches on platforms made of lashed sticks. Some of these have rusted weapons or other grave goods.
Those who dawdle in this area for too long will attract the attention of three (3) wild boars that shelter here during the day and hunt near the river at night.
Some of the grave goods include 1d4+1 pieces of simple jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets, and torcs, which are worth 2d10 gold each.
1815 The Royal Barrows (Special Ruin)
On a hill in this area there are three barrows joined in a row, with an entrance and standing stones at its head, facing to the northwest. Each barrow is of a slightly newer construction than the other.
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| King Cyneric and his family rest uneasily in their barrows (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.) |
King Cyneric did not want to be buried in the Citadel crypt or under the Cathedral of the foreign Lords of Law, which he never truly adopted. Instead, he imported Hillmen from his homeland in the north to build him a magnificent barrow in the style of his ancestors.
In his dotage, the once mighty King became paranoid and fearful. His sleep was plagued by nightmares and he would wander the halls of the Citadel in the middle of the night, sweat-drenched and dragging his heavy, Sword of Lantika. Only his second Queen Beltis, who was an old comrade-in-arms that joined him in his raid against the Temple of the Snake Cult, could calm him.
The King had intimated to his family and closest friends that his work in the Temple had never truly finished after slaying the High Priest. He always meant to return, but the duties of kingship and the passing of time made that an increasingly distant proposition, as he refused to send his men to do something he wouldn’t do himself. It haunted him to the end of his days. This is why he chose to be buried in the vicinity of the Temple, so that he could watch it and defend his adopted city for all time. Queen Beltis and their son, Prince Connel later followed him and expanded the structure with barrows for themselves. Later generations of his line did not do the same, and the Barrows became something of a family joke – the madness of the Barbarian King.
Today, the barrows lie mostly forgotten by the citizens of Alkastra, and the locals know the area to be haunted and dangerous, especially at night. Perhaps it was this neglect, or the energies from the Temple of the Snake Cult, that caused the Barrows to become infested with undead. This includes the spirits of the King and his family, which have been corrupted.
Each barrow is a small, progressively more difficult mini-dungeon: Prince – 1st-level, Queen – 2nd level, King – 3rd-level. The Barrows are detailed here, beginning with the Barrow of the Prince.
Adventurers that brave the Barrows and free the spirits of
King Cyneric and his family may become worthy of their treasures, such as his mighty
Sword of Lantika (which may hold a vestige of his freed spirit,) and other valuable curiosities, such as the bronze lever that opens the way to the True Temple (Level
4 and beyond) under the Temple of the Snake Cult.
2036: Oakhamshire (Town, Pop. 4,600)
The town of Oakhamshire has a long history as an important border fort and trading post along the ancient Empire’s road to the Eastern Waste. Today, it is the northernmost major settlement of the Kingdom of Erda. Its lords watch over an area of almost 500 square miles of farms and villages, as well as forested and rough borderlands beyond, such as the ancient Alderwood and the Desolate Hills.
The current situation in Oakhamshire is intrinsically tied to the kingdom as a whole. The King of Erda, fed up with monsters and raiders from the hills and jagged badlands known as The Teeth, has taken his best forces and run off on a personal crusade to rid the kingdom of this menace. He has left his brother, Prince Warin in charge, and he has wasted no time enjoying the comforts of his position in a profligate fashion.
Time has passed, and there has been no word of the King, only the return of occasional wounded and dead, such as the son of the Lord of Oakhamshire – a terrible tragedy for his father and younger sister. But it would not end there. The Prince, hungry for gold to fuel his debauchery, has raised taxes on the land. The Lord of Oakhamshire spoke out against this and was brought up on trumped up charges of heresy. The Prince’s men assaulted Castle Oakham, captured its lord, and had him burned at the stake to the horror of his people. His daughter was lost in the assault and presumed dead. The Prince quickly placed one of his closest men, who led the assault, Durant Fortescue (9th-level fighter, AL C) as the Baron of Oakhamshire.
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| The Baron of Oakhamshire is a ruthless and sadistic man (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.) |
The Baron now enforces the Prince’s will in these lands. Those who don’t pay their taxes go to Castle Okaham's dungeons, and that is the best-case scenario. Any who poach, steal, or are otherwise found withholding the Baron’s dues may face execution in myriad ways, which has forced some some to flee into the woods for their safety. The Baron has surrounded himself with other ruthless men in his court: bandits and thieves dressed in finery, under the blessing of an avaricious (and some whisper lecherous) Bishop of Oakhamshire (5th-level Cleric, AL N,) who facilitated the heresy charges against the late Lord Oakham.
Fortunately for the people of Oakhamshire, things have started to turn against the Baron. Many of his tax shipments have been robbed, innocent people slated for the gallows rescued, and his men disappeared in the woods. Rumors have spread of a "Fox" in the Alderwood that fights the Baron’s tyranny. Any attempts to capture the Fox have resulted in failure, despite the Baron’s increasing reward for the outlaw’s capture – dead or alive. Unbeknownst to the Baron, the Fox is none other than Aelfwen Oakham, the daughter of the true Lord of Oakhamshire. Aelfwen grew up playing in the periphery of the old forest, learning woodcraft from her late brother, the Warden of the Alderwood, and from the elves themselves, some say (4th-level Fighter [Ranger,] AL L.) She has eluded the Baron by being constantly on the move, but the more she pokes the proverbial bear, the closer she gets to potential capture and doom.
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| The Fox of the Alderwood is the true Lady of Oakhamshire (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.) |
2116: City State of Alkastra (City, Pop. 14,000)
The City State of Alkastra is the one of the few urban points of light in the wilderness of the Northern Marklands. The "Jeweled Spear in the North" has a storied ancient and modern history, and it is the jumping off point for many adventurers exploring both the Temple of the Snake Cult (Hex 1614) and the wilderness beyond. Details on the city of Alkastra are here.
2634 The Rattling Redoubt (Lair)
Hidden in the Desolate Hills away from the vestiges of the ancient Imperial road is a stone door of bizarre origin that appears like an ancient barrow or mausoleum dug into the earth. It does not seem to have a way to open, and the ominous gaze of the Snake God’s Eye keeps the curious away.
The door can be opened by inserting a Cult holy symbol in the central eye and turning. It leads to a central chamber surrounded by four other rooms: a small armory and a storage/larder to the left, a single, large sleeping area to the right, and a chapel to the Snake God ahead. (At the GM’s discretion, these might be guarded by traps, undead guardians, and/or large vermin.)
The supplies seem to have been taken a long time ago. The chapel however, has glittering items in its altar: resplendent scale armor (AC 6 [14],) shield, and a decorative scroll case. The altar is surrounded by a substantial specimen of giant rattlesnake (full HP) that blends into the sandstone, appearing almost statue-like until any approaching beings cause it to shake its rattle.
The armor and shield are both magical. The scale armor has a +1 bonus to armor class and allows a wearer who utters the command word (etched inside the armor in the language of Chaos) to turn into a large constrictor snake as a spell of shapechanging once per day for up to six (6) turns (1 hour.) The shield also has a +1 bonus and a mirrored, inner surface that allows the user to concentrate and see through it as if it was clear glass while shielding their face. This ability is useful against creatures with gaze attacks and functions once per day.
Inside the scroll case is another map to a rock formation in the Endless Waste (Hex 3939.)
A tunnel through a break in the back corner of the chapel leads to the hills above. The giant rattlesnake uses it to ingress/egress from the structure to hunt.
A map in Level 3,Room 28 of the Temple of the Snake Cult leads to this location.
2726 The Tower of Angares (Magic-user Stronghold)
The silhouette of a twisted tower can be seen atop a craggy peak that casts an eerie shadow over the desolate landscape below. This is the home of the Necromancer, Angares: a reclusive sorcerer steeped in the dark, ancient secrets of the Warlocks of Artaghis.
A seemingly peaceful orchard, in contrast to the dark structure, leads to a gated wall surrounding the tower. A number of soldiers in blackened armor (about 5-10 in number) man this wall. The orchard itself is a trap that conceals the rest of the Necromancer’s force: 100 troops in stasis massmorphed to resemble delectable fruit trees. In all, the tower’s forces numbers about 120, with 20% being skeletons or zombies (50/50 chance,) as Angares recycles any losses with the undead.
The tower itself is decorated by an array of grotesque gargoyles, each a manifestation of Angares’ fevered lotus dreams and twisted imagination. One of these is an actual gargoyle (HP 24) which guards against anyone attempting to scale the tower.
Angares will usually have advanced notice of approaching strangers due to one of his patrols, word from the cowed village nearby (trapped under his domain,) or the view from his tower and circling gargoyle guard. As with most wilderness wizards, Angares is interested in magic items (which he will exact as tribute,) or sending thralls (under a geas,) to fetch such artefacts for him: especially if these originate from lost Artaghis.
In the event of an assault, the Necromancer relies on his morphed troops to trap unwary forces while he casts spells from the top of the tower.
Angares the Necromancer: 10th-level magic-user; AL C; HP 28; +1 dagger, telepathic helm; Spells: detect magic, magic missile (x2,) mirror image, levitate, phantasmal force, dispel magic, fly, haste, wall of ice, charm monster, massmorph, animate dead, feeblemind.
2908 The Scattered Forrests of Time (Lair)
The muddy shore on the northwestern bank of the river is littered with the scattered remains of what seem to be one or two trade barges. Footprints dragging heavy loads through the mud make a trail into the forest.
15 buccaneers, which were part of Zeke Forrest’s band, have made a camp in a clearing. Their small boat and stolen cargo have been dragged here (see the Watchman’s Arms entry in the Gate Quarter of Alkastra.) They are enjoying part of the spoils before bringing it to the rest of their band in St. Artus’ Priory on hex 2805, a monastery they have overtaken (see the Downs entry in the Outskirts of Alkastra.) A second, man-made trail through the forest from the clearing also leads to the Priory. The booty is mostly trade goods, coffers of coins (448 gold total) and gems: a black opal worth 1,000 gold, three (3) amethysts worth 100 gold each, and a hematite worth 10 gold. The trade goods are as follows:
· Weapons and armor bound for the war in the north: 10 battle axes, 20 hand axes, 10 swords, 20 shields, and 20 chainmail hauberks; 625 gold value total if sold.
· Six (6) Barrels of Northman mead; 7 gold value each.
· 14 barrel of smoked fish from the north; 3 gold value each.
· Seven (7) Barrels of salted pork; 6 gold value each.
· Five (5) Barrels of Alkastran Ale, one which is already opened; 7 gold value each.
· An entire cask of fine Redbrand Wine addressed to a Faadlih al-Bahdri of Bahdra, from the Bishop of Alkastra; 500 gold value.
· A timekeeping device with a five-element pentagram design from the Far West, addressed to the Bishop of Alkastra from Faadlih al-Bahdri of Bahdra; 500gp value.
What the buccaneers in the camp, (and likely, the
adventurers) are unaware of is that the monastery is now under a time-looping
curse. Although the Priory currently
looks abandoned, any groups with the Hourglass of St. Artus in their possession will black out, and wake up in the early hours to relive
the moment of the buccaneer’s invasion again, (and again, and again.) This was a defensive measure the holy Hourglass enacted before it
was stolen. The only thing that can stop
the curse is returning the Hourglass as well as repelling the pirate invasion.
The pirate force is composed of two boats, 30 buccaneers, Zeke Forrest, a second boat captain (4th-level fighter,) and the group’s overall leader: “Mad Cur” Cuthbert (7th-level fighter, AL C, magic sword [+1,] cursed alignment-changing helmet.) Cuthbert was a paladin of Law cursed to Chaos, which may explain why he was attracted to invading the Priory. He made himself and half of his group at home, while sending Zeke away to raid. The plan was for them to return to the Priory and rest while the other half then takes their turn at raiding.
Any slain pirates will not be alive when the curse is lifted; including any time duplicates such as the near-redeemed Forrest (perhaps the Lords of Law will judge him fairly,) as the Hourglass corrects any paradoxes. Cuthbert does have a map to their stash’s location in hex 3504, which was known only to him and his two lieutenants. It is buried in the bog inside watertight barrels, marked by a tree with the hanging skeletons of his enemies.
The treasure consists of: 2,240 gold coins, two (2) tiger eye agates worth 10 gold, a moonstone worth 50 gold, four (4) river pearls worth 100 gold each, three (3) larger pearls worth 500 gold each, and a sapphire worth 1,000 gold.
3011 Hills of the Cat People (Lair)
A crumbling, moss-covered, and ivy-laced ruin in a mist-shrouded section of these hills is the lair of three (3) sibling weretigers:
Nathaniel (HP 27) – Nathaniel’s human form is tall and attractive, with chiseled features, piercing green eyes and loose, jet black hair. As the group’s leader, he exudes confidence and charm. His tiger form is white with black stripes.
Asher (HP 29) – Asher’s human form is shorter and more compact than his brother, with a rugged and muscular build, full beard, and thick, curly brown hair. Despite his imposing physical appearance, Asher is the gentlest of the three, prone to introspection and contemplation. His tiger form appears as a missing link between a modern and saber-toothed tigers.
Sariya (HP 25) – Sariya’s human form is lithe and graceful, with striking features, long copper hair, and almond-shaped eyes that change color with her moods. Sariya is fiercely independent and stubborn. Her were-form is a tawny-haired tigress.
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| The weretiger siblings and their were-forms: Nathaniel, Asher, and Sariya (AI images courtesy of NightCafe.) |
The three were exiled here from the domain of the Lord-of-All-Cats (Hex 4015) due to a grave offense. The young weretigers grew restless and began to crave more freedom and autonomy. They yearned to hunt and roam as they pleased, without constraint.
One night, the weretigers disobeyed the Lord-of-All-Cats and ventured out of their territory. They wandered into the northern part of the forest, and encountered a group of humans camping. The weretigers, hungry and reckless, pounced on the humans and killed them in a bloody frenzy. It turned out that these were pilgrims on their way to pay homage to the Lord-of-All-Cats, as evidenced by their necklaces, which were supposed to grant them safe passage through the Wild Timberland. Now, the few humans who honor the feline Lord are too fearful to return. The Lord-of-All-Cats, in his anger, exiled the siblings.
The three now hunt the area around their lair as they please. They particularly enjoy catching human prey unawares in a lush grove (Hex 3212,) with their increased surprise chance (4-in-6.) Typically, Nathaniel and/or Sariya will approach the victim(s) as friendly locals and engage them in gregarious banter, with Asher and/or one of the others hidden nearby. They will grow increasingly flirtatious, and attempt to seduce the victim(s) into going with them further into the woods. There, they will change to were-form and the hunt will begin. They will play with their prey as all cats do and feast on them once they have collapsed in exhaustion. This over-hunting has resulted in locals starting to avoid the area, so the three are often starving when encountered.
Should the three encounter someone bearing the Eye of the Lord-of-All-Cats (see Level 2, Room 18 of the Temple of the Snake Cult,) they will react far more favorably (+2 to reactions.) This is because they recognize the artifact and know that returning it may be the only way to get back into the feline Lord’s good graces. They will attempt to persuade the barer to return it (under their escort,) but they will try to take it by force if refused. The three tend to use their cat-summoning ability only if they are outnumbered or engaging an obviously superior force.
The weretigers’ lair is made up of old chambers and tunnels under the ruin. Their sleeping areas are a little more luxuriant, given their living conditions. They have scattered pillows and finely-worked gold and silver items worth 1,200 gold in total. One of these is a wood and silver wand with etched elvish script, which can detect the presence of enemies (hidden or otherwise) within 60 feet. The wand has seven (7) uses left. Another is a decorative scroll case containing a parchment that is unfortunately cursed (the nature of the curse is left to the GM.) Luckily for the weretigers, they are illiterate; they just keep the scroll case because it is pretty.
3135 Sargos (Town, Pop. 1,300)
Ancient Sargos and its Ziggurat have sat on the shadow of a cliff beyond the Desolate Hills for time immemorial. It is the gateway to the Endless Waste: a vast desert of dry scrub and stony barrens giving way to sandy wastes beyond, with rock formations and ruins (believed to be portions of the City of Humankind,) jutting from the reddish sands. Caravans with spices, silk, and gold brave the Wastes and its masked, lizard-riding T’jun raiders to bring their goods to Sargos’ markets.
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| Caravans brave the dangerous Waste for fabulous profits (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.) |
The Ziggurat is believed to be one of the first temples to the Dragon Father, as well as one of the locations where Mythras preached to his followers. At such, it has attracted pilgrims from as far south as the scattered remnants of the ancient Empire and the Torraskan Isles.
Currently, Sargos is under the iron gauntlet of the High Priest Axam (10th-level Cleric, Al C.) Axam was a bishop of the Lords of Law in service to Sargos’ King Urhammu. The bishop was a strict man, spewing fire and brimstone from the pulpit. The King tolerated the bishop as long as the gold from trade and pilgrims flowed. However, the sermons became more and more extreme, until the King realized that Axam was a heretical fanatic and a danger to his rule. He exiled the priest and his crimson-robed followers to the Wastes.
A year or so later, Axam returned at the vanguard of a tribe of T’jun raiders that he had converted to his cause. Sargos was sacked and the King and his family brought before the now High Priest. The King was forced to watch as his queen and children were tortured, then sacrificed to the eternal flames at the heart of the Ziggurat (considered to be the Dragon Father’s holy breath.) After witnessing the horror, his eyes were plucked out and cast into the flames as well. The former King is now a broken shadow of a man, made to serve and entertain the High Priest.
While Axam still maintains the facade of fundamentalist worship to the Dragon Father, including unheard of human sacrifice to commemorate the destruction of the City of Humankind, he is in reality a servant of Martuk the Many-Armed – the Chaotic god of War and Senseless Slaughter. He enforces his will in Sargos with his red-robed fanatics (treat as dervishes.) Dissenters disappear in the night, finding themselves in the dungeons under the Ziggurat, guarded by both Axam’s fanatics and Uppaz berserkers (see the Temple of the Snake Cult) used like guard animals. These unfortunates are put to work in the High Priest’s fields, sold off in the markets, or made to compete in vicious blood sports for the sadistic entertainment of the High Priest, and the glory of Martuk.
Axam has great plans to please Martuk with further blood and slaughter. First, he wants to subjugate and convert all of the T’jun tribes to his cause, then leading as master of these desert nomads against the Marklands and beyond in an unholy crusade. He already has unwitting spies – followers of his false sect, in every major town and city. Furthermore, he is trying to court a mighty red dragon (see Hex 3939) to this cause, with promises of even greater treasures for its hoard.
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| The holy Ziggurat of Sargos has been turned to the cause of Chaos (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.) |
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
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