Random Encounters Maps

Since I posted out of sequence, yesterday (thinking it was Monday... 😂🙄), I've got an old one for ya, today! A map and associated images I made, awhile back, during the brief period I reopened all my art stalls. I made it fit the Keltika setting. It seemed like a perfect fit for Aelŵydir, and didn't require any real reformatting.  I'll be redrawing this (top) image. I never really shared the 'cover' because the scale was all wrong and I wasn't too enamoured of the line work, and it didn't have the sense of 'awe', I wanted to capture, and I didn't like the 'goblins'. But, I'm sharing it, here, to show you that, yeah... 🤷‍♂️ Sometimes shit stays on the cutting room floor. And there's a reason. It's okay to scrap ideas. But, this is a throwback, and I think it's important to remember WHY yo don't use things, and remember to learn from what you do, and grow. It also DOES have the ambiance I wanted, and tells a good stor...

  Hook: After sailing the sparkling water of the Sun Sea for a week, you were apprehended by Ashamite sailors. They look different than others you have seen. They are dressed in loose white linen robes cinched by black sashes at their waists, a woollen black cloak rests upon their shoulders, and an Imamah, a head covering consisting of a white cloth wrapped around a short conical hat. Tucked into their sashes at their waists is a single, curved blade in an elaborate bronze sheathe. They immediately took you to their Prince, Razon, the current ruler of that part of the sea. He doesn't like you being in his waters, and has tasked you with a way to prove your worth, or he will have you executed as spies, since you were sailing in a ship bearing the colours and symbols of The Beast. You curse your luck, and try to explain that you had to escape goblin clutches aboard one of their vessels. The Prince did not care... You are asked to visit one of their old tombs, the resting place of th...

Hook: After sailing the sparkling water of the Sun Sea for a week, you were apprehended by Ashamite sailors. They look different than others you have seen. They are dressed in loose white linen robes cinched by black sashes at their waists, a woollen black cloak rests upon their shoulders, and an  Imamah, a head covering consisting of a  white cloth wrapped around a short conical hat. Tucked into their sashes at their waists is a single, curved blade in an elaborate bronze sheathe. They immediately took you to their Prince, Razon, the current ruler of that part of the sea. He doesn't like you being in his waters, and has tasked you with a way to prove your worth, or he will have you executed as spies, since you were sailing in a ship bearing the colours and symbols of The Beast. You curse your luck, and try to explain that you had to escape goblin clutches aboard one of their vessels. The Prince did not care... You are asked to visit one of their old tombs, the resting place ...

  Hook: 'Slugs? You said... slugs? We haven't seen their like in these parts since the old days. Since before I was born... My great, great, great grandfather fought those zealots, when they briefly crawled from the marshes, last... Short-lived, it was. It was that family. Tried to gather the steads and turn us all into slaves of the slug god... No... It has been awhile... You say you saw cultists? Talking of slugs? Then you need to head to the Slug Marsh, if there is even a hint of their return. See for yourselves. The Lord of Lantern Falls will not spare the men. I can tell you that much. Bring back proof, if you can. That'll help you with him. There are swine, of all varieties, out there, though, so go well-equipped, if you risk it. Those old ruins you find there were once the homes of a tribe of people who became servants of the slug god and his demon servants...' Details: The lower chamber of the tomb is a nesting area for the slug demon,  Azzōgoth, the Seer. He l...

  Hook:  'Slugs? You said... slugs? We haven't seen their like in these parts since the old days. Since before I was born... My great, great, great grandfather fought those zealots, when they briefly crawled from the marshes, last... Short-lived, it was. It was that family. Tried to gather the steads and turn us all into slaves of the slug god... No... It has been awhile... You say you saw cultists? Talking of slugs? Then you need to head to the Slug Marsh, if there is even a hint of their return. See for yourselves. The Lord of Lantern Falls will not spare the men. I can tell you that much. Bring back proof, if you can. That'll help you with him. There are swine, of all varieties,  out there,  though, so go well-equipped, if you risk it. Those old ruins you find there were once the homes of a tribe of people who became servants of the slug god and his demon servants...' Details: It is true... The slug cultists have returned... Some of the demons of the old world hav...

ENCOUNTERS NA FEATURES The Hidden Sword is a weapon of forgotten infamy used by an old Keltic warlord whose campaigns took him all over the very small known world of his age. And he took that world with his blue blade by his side and in his hand... The Axe of Agrandas was a mighty weapon. So mighty, in fact, many wondered whether that was the secret of the man's success. The world suffered under that ruthless axe. It flamed with crimson when it sung through the air, and flashed with ire when it bit into flesh. No armour could stop it... And finally, in the end, High King Agrandas was defeated by his closest ally, his augur and childhood friend, the blind magician, Alemu the Wise. Alemu realised Agrandas wasn't stopping. The sword was fuelled by the warlord's will and inner fire. The wizard trapped Alemu in his own blade, and put it in a magically-warded 'tomb' where none could easily get at it, even if they found it... He didn't bother hiding the weapon, too muc...

Hook: Ashamite pirates entered the Misty Bay area 20 years ago. They raid The Road, coming up the sloughs of the eastern marshes to do so. It doesn't happen often, mostly in the summer, and not when Amira is on the island. They also come and stay at the inn, if the mood strikes them, looking for supplies, help, or even trouble. The guard is tripled at The Sleeping Knight ( even if the extra help is militia) , and warnings given to passing travelers. Summer is known as Ashamite Season, or Pirate Season. They never stay longer than the summer. At times, their Princess, Amira, has come in with them. Her people are much more composed, when she does. Otherwise, it's her steward, Marís, in charge. He is a wild man of dangerous disposition and opportunistic tendencies. They come dressed in their white, flowing clothes, shining bangles, dark eyes and dark skin, fierce ways, curved swords, and heavy drinking and strange drugs from the south. There is often much to repair, the next day, ...

  Hook: There is a rumour that a trio of small dragons have been making trouble for travellers along the western portion of The Road. They target lightly-protected units, often carrying off valuables and precious metals. They have been known to snatch and carry off a person or two (if bedecked in valuables), and/or small livestock. They aren't large, the travellers say. They strike fast, destroying wagons, spilling goods out on the ground, grabbing what they can, then winging off into the west over the trees with their spoils. Several have died, more have been wounded. But, in all related tales, the story is that they were less interested in fighting than clearing a path to the wealth. Witnesses say they are brownish in colour, one more orange, another yellower, ochre, and another a dark soil colour. They've been seen fighting over the spoils, snapping at one another, but, not for long. They quickly realign and take their spoils to the Plains where the smaller dragons are known...

  Hook: A caravan of iron goods arrived in shambles. Most of the mercenaries and some of the craftsmen and their families were hurt or killed. Several were taken. But, what took them is what has mystified everyone... At first, the villagers thought the merchants were crazy. Fish men? 'Yes! They walked on two legs, but, they had large, sharp teeth, stood no higher than your waist! Strong as any man! They chewed through our wagons and those with us like dry leaves!' Details: The fish men are the servants of Apskylla, the Treacherous, a child of Chaos from the old world and wars fought on Aelŵydir. Her children are the various sea lords lurking beneath the waves. Her followers, the fish men of the deep and rivers, are terrifying examples of evil in the world. At 2'-4' tall, they don't seem like much of a threat. They have large, scaly, gray-brown heads perched on dark to light gray, damp bodies mottled with dark spots, mostly on the upper torso, along the back, and upp...

Hook: It's been years since the threat of Gŵron, the Black, possessed by the spirit of the Witch Lord, Azoraxis the Living Shadow, attempted to conquer the Misty Bay area. The region is quiet, now, but, there are murmurs of something stirring in The Dark Forest. The goblins there are unusually restless, and attacks on The Road and livestock and wildlife have begun to increase... It could be some tröll leader or bandit lord behind them urging them on, or, it could be more... Details: The limestone and sandstone quarry and caves associated with them were originally used by the builders of Castle Black 100 years ago. After the castle fell and the land turned sour with the presence of undead and monsters, a tribe of trölls, along with a small number of imps and troglodytes, moved into the quarry. They spent 30 years adding on to the caves, creating their own complex within the at first shallow caves. When the ghûl cult moved into the area ten years after the goblins, the two began wor...

Hook: It's been years since the threat of Gŵron, the Black, possessed by the spirit of the Witch Lord, Azoraxis the Living Shadow, attempted to conquer the Misty Bay area. The region is quiet, now, but, there are murmurs of something stirring in The Dark Forest. The goblins there are unusually restless, and attacks on The Road and livestock and wildlife have begun to increase... It could be some troll leader or bandit lord behind them urging them on, or, it could be more... Details: The postern caves are a series of natural caverns beneath the castle inside the lower regions of the rocky outcropping upon which it perches. Stairs were carved out of the limestone to give access to the upper areas and provide a point of egress in times of emergency. It's easily defensible and difficult to traverse. The ghûl cult cannot access the castle, using the higher stairs up to the prison, until the seal of Law is broken. The caverns are huge, and well-supported by massive limestone pillars...

  A quick post. A side view of Castle Black, to show where the levels are aligned, for anyone curious. It's exactly to-scale, so measurements are accurate...

Hook: It's been years since the threat of Gŵron, the Black, possessed by the spirit of the Witch Lord, Azoraxis the Living Shadow, attempted to conquer the Misty Bay area. The region is quiet, now, but, there are murmurs of something stirring in The Dark Forest. The goblins there are unusually restless, and attacks on The Road and livestock and wildlife have begun to increase... It could be some troll leader or bandit lord behind them urging them on, or, it could be more... Details:  The Lair of the Ghûl Cult has been in operation for a little over a decade, after 10 prior years of construction on the complex, mining and scouring. The stones from the excavation were cut and used inside for pillars and foundations, and the rest dumped into moat. The ghûl, Vorixus, on orders from the Strixian Empress Empusa, has traveled here to both raise Azoraxus, along with Gŵron's body, and secure the Misty Bay area for the empire and Chaos. Strixa, in her aspect as The Ghûl Queen, is the go...

  Hook: It's been years since the threat of Gŵron, the Black, possessed by the spirit of the Witch Lord, Azoraxis the Living Shadow, attempted to conquer the Misty Bay area. The region is quiet, now, but, there are murmurs of something stirring in The Dark Forest. The goblins there are unusually restless, and attacks on The Road and livestock and wildlife have begun to increase... It could be some troll leader or bandit lord behind them urging them on, or, it could be more... Details: Castle Black is completely abandoned... What remains is what Othon and the other priests of the Lady of Light left after they bound the place with a powerful sealing aided by their patron. The entirety of it is surrounded by a barely perceptible aura of yellow light that,  whenever someone approaches it,  shimmers brighter where the being is standing. Nothing can pass the Lawful barrier. Good creatures and Lawful creatures can press as hard as they want, but, the wall is solid where there ...

Hook:  It's been years since the threat of Gŵron, the Black, possessed by the spirit of the Witch Lord, Azoraxis the Living Shadow, attempted to conquer the Misty Bay area. The region is quiet, now, but, there are murmurs of something stirring in The Dark Forest. The goblins there are unusually restless, and attacks on The Road and livestock and wildlife have begun to increase... It could be some troll leader or bandit lord behind them urging them on, or, it could be more... Details:  The fact is, evil cultists of Strixa, led by a ghûl, V orixus the Insatiable,  a powerful, vampiric Witch Lord, have come to Castle Black to destroy the spell of light cast upon it in order to release the spirit of Azoraxis, bound to the corpse of  Gŵron the Black,  within. A tribe of goblins living in the quarry caves has been enlisted as guards and additional support in case of trouble. They are   led by a fierce troll of massive size.  A giant has also been hired and s...

DETAILS - The proprietor and leader of the inn’s village of craftsmen, livestock owners, and traders, Brûn, a woman from Eräland, now an old woman of 70, is still active at the inn. Her children run it in her stead. Her son, Owyn (35), has married a woman, Orona (27), hailing from Calibor, a merchant’s daughter. The merchant supplies goods to the provisioner in town on his way through to other lands. Since the area is so remote, this proves a great asset for those at the inn, as they receive special prices on certain goods and foodstuffs, and sometimes extra requests can be made for rare acquisitions, if payment is made, beforehand. All the locals meet in yearly and monthly ‘moots’ on the central hill to discuss business and settle disputes. BUILDINGS - Buildings in the village are made of limestone and sandstone with wattle and daub upper floors - except for the shrine, which is completely stone, in the Lumenorian style. Usually, there are two stories, plus an undercroft for storage...

THE MISTY BAY REGION HISTORY THE ROAD -  The Misty Bay area is a largely trackless wilderness, except for The Road, a long, ancient, well-paved road that, even this far out, so far removed from civilisation and the days before Lumenorian/Strixian Empire fell, it isn’t in much disrepair. The whole of The Wilderness is a dangerous, wolf- and monster-haunted forestland that lies between two allied kingdoms. This portion of The Road that passes through the southern portion of The Misty Forest, is abused by bandits, monsters, and even some undead, restless spirits left over from ancient wars. The area is unusable in the early spring and most of the winter, but, when in use, it is heavily-traveled enough by merchants, caravans, traders, pilgrims, and the like. Good and ill alike use The Road. THE MISTY BAY REGION - There are many tales about The Wilderness - also called Erämaa by the elves (after the petty god, Erä, The Vale Walker) - from its storied past, but, the one about the ...