Still cranking away – I think I’m about 5 days away from finishing the encounters – then I have to draw some maps, write all the regional/random encounter stuff, etc. Mutant Truckers is looking pretty good as well – these two articles will make up the bulk of NOD 10. Then I just have to figure out what the heck I’m doing with NOD 11 – anyone interested in a hexcrawl set in a pseudo-Dante’s Hell?

5916. House of Clones: At the foot of the mountains there is an old manor built of wood, with domed towers and a peaked roof. The manor has extensive gardens of cherry trees, creeping junipers, roses, chrysanthemums and ponds of goldfish. The manor is home to a secret society of men and women who are clones – created by a shugenja, Jutem, as part of his plan to conquer the empire. The men and women are clones of nobles now largely deceased, aged and replaced by their sons or daughters, or removed from power with the change of imperial control.

The clones are now unable to serve their original purpose, but they are still ambitious and possessed of a desire to rule. They have thus begun the slow task of gathering an army of humanoids from the mountains, their first target being the port of Artuk.

6021. Plateau of Jackals: Much of this hex is taken up by a rugged plateau of rocky outcroppings and long grass. The plateau is surrounded by an abyssal chasm that exhales foul gases (save or suffer 1d6 points of burning damage to the lungs). In the south, there is a single wooden bridge with a 10 foot gap in its center and signs of burning – perhaps the work of a fire breathing dragon.

The plateau is hunted by three packs of jackals. Each pack contains 1d3 x 10 animals. There was once a sprawling village of grass huts in the center of the hex, but those huts have long since been burned to the ground. The village is now a series of shallow graves, many disturbed. Night encounters with ghouls (1d6+1) occur on a roll of 1-3 on 1d6. The ghouls have burrows into the earth, most of them rather small, but some networking into a series of deeper tunnels that smell of the same acrid smoke of the chasm, but without the negative effects.

The ghouls of the plateau number 30 in all. Roll treasure for them randomly as they are encountered – their burrows can also be generated randomly. They go no deeper than 3 levels, and at the bottom level there dwells their chief, an oversized brute called Myan. Myan possesses the great treasure of the plateau, a pair of +1 sode constructed of leather scales dyed black and ornamented with ivory carvings. The sode give the wearer an acid touch (1d6 damage) and likewise cause any weapon they wield in anger to drip with acid, causing an additional 1d6 damage per hit.

Still cranking away on this hex crawl. About 30 more encounters to write, then the overall description and encounter tables. Getting there …

5140. Fey Samurai: A fairy knight in the trappings of a samurai has made camp here. He has been wandering the land searching for an honest man, for it is the kiss of an honest man that will awaken the Silver Maiden who sleeps beneath the mountains.

5227. Bonnacon Herd: This district is home to a large herd of bonnacon, and a somewhat flighty herd at that. The grassy hills and trees show many signs of burning, and more than a few bonnacon carcasses are evident, victims of “friendly fire”, so to speak. Long-legged buzzards constantly patrol the sky, waiting for accidents. Encounters with the herd, or at least portions of it numbering 2d6 x 20 animals, occur on a roll of 1-4 on 1d6.

Attacks on the bonnacon have a 1% chance of drawing the attention of the bonnacon lord, called Choupi by the Mu-Panese and worshipped as a minor deity of comical rudeness to authorities. Choupi appears as an old man with a large, bloated belly and long, wispy beard. He carries a staff to which is affixed three gourds.

5408. Magic Fountain: There is a limestone cavern here in which drips enchanted waters into a shallow pool stained electric blue. The water of the fountain staves off death, but only barely retards aging – perhaps halving it. At the same time, it links the drinker to the pool. Drinkers who try to leave the pool are affected as though by a geas.

Living under the cavern there is a tribe of troglodytes in service (out of fear) to the shugenja Qorchon, who dwells in the cavern, depending on its waters to keep himself alive. Qorchon is now 120 years old, and his time is growing very short.

Beneath the troglodyte caverns there is lies the body of the demon A’meggologabo imprisoned in ice.

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PS – Mutant Truckers is working out pretty well. Should have a preview soon.

PPS – Still gathering players for the Mystery Men! Dark Renaissance campaign on Google +. We have about 12 people who have shown interest and four who have actually produced characters. Should be fun!

4811. Banshee: A stone road extends from the river to Artuk. Those walking the road often (66% chance) come across an aged woman with lank hair, eyes sealed shut, with clawed fingers and tattered robes. The woman bears a great burden of sticks on her back and wails a mournful song, singing of terrible dooms that are to befall the people she meets. She uses the people’s names in these songs. People who ask her if they might ease her burden are given a toothless smile and handed a stick, which can be used one time as a wand of turn undead (as a cleric of 6th level). Those who do not are cursed and spat at as they pass. Once behind them, the woman throws her sticks at them, one each round. The sticks become white snakes that attack as cobras. Their venom causes a person to shift into the ethereal plane whenever they are stressed or frightened (i.e. save whenever a situation becomes tense) for 1 hour.

4921. Forest of Legs: The forest of trees in this hex gradually turns into a forest of giant, stone legs. The legs are limestone and carved from the “living rock” as some people say. They once held aloft a create limestone cavern that was apparently pulled apart in ancient times. The woodland of stone legs is inhabited by giant blue eagles and silver foxes, and a few of the legs serve as the roosts of hermits, devout wushen who seek enlightenment through the denial of comforts like regular meals and bathing.

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Image from Wikipedia