I’ve been rolling up some points of interest for my next campaign using a bunch of different resources. I usually start out with the fantastic Wilderness Hexsplore to get a general idea going, then pad out the details. I may post more of these in the future as I create more. Hopefully someone will find it useful for their OSR game, so feel free to grab it and plop it onto your own hexmap.
If you are one of my players please read no further! You may well encounter this!
The Ruin of Windrum Keep
Background.
Thirty years ago a powerful warrior had a keep built atop a local hill named Windy Bluff. The warrior was said to enjoy drinking, and so the Keep became known as Windrum Keep. Unfortunately, whilst deepening his dungeon, workers excavated a hive of driver ants. It didn’t take long for the ants to burrow upwards and slight one of the keep’s towers making the castle indefensible. So, not long after, it was abandoned, after a failed attempt at eradicating the colony.
Windrum ruin has been used as a lair many times over the years by bandits, rovers, and goblins, but never for any extended period because of the dangers in it’s lower level. Recently a dark lady has taken up residence in the ruin. She is said to demand tribute from all who pass by her ‘castle.’
Description
The keep is a fairly simple one. It would have once had four towers but the northern one has collapsed leaving a large opening in the wall. A mound of gritty earth is piled up against the northern wall, and this can be climbed to gain entry to the second floor. There is also a large stairway leading to a gatehouse (A). At the base of the mound of earth theres a deep spiralling tunnel (I), this drifts clockwise at a 15 degree pitch terminating in the dungeon (2).
Hex encounters
Whilst in this hex there is a 1:12 chance per watch of a random encounter. Roll 1d4.
- 1d4 wolves: hunting. Will flee after one kill and drag corpses to the ruin. Easy to track.
- 1d8+1 merchants. Battered after being robbed by Dimitri. 1:3 chance some of their family members were captured and are now held as prisoners (H). They will give reward if helped (Treasure Type C).
- Dimitri and Emil in human form: they wear dirty rags and will demand tribute to the lady of the castle. Gold, weapons, or jewels will satisfy them.
- Dimitri in Were-form. Will attack horses or beasts of burden for food. Otherwise make a reaction roll.
Ruin L1-L3
Whilst in Levels L1-L3 check for wandering monsters every 2 turns, 1:6 chance of an encounter. Roll 1d4.
- Dimitri in human form carrying a sack of 600sp (see entry G.)
- Emil in human form, a twelve-year-old boy looking to play (see G.)
- 2d4 giant rats.
- 1d4 wolves.
A) Entrance hall.
The door is tied from the inside with a linen sheet painted with sigils. This was long ago installed as a trap. If the linen is cut or broken the sigils explode and all items, characters, and walls within thirty feet act as though they have the light spell cast upon them, including each character’s eyes. Save vs spells or blind. If the sheet is carefully untied and unwrapped the sheet is the same as a MU scroll with the light spell written on it 3d6 times.
B) Old Garrison room
Iron sconces line the walls, a soiled banner hangs from the wall. A large table is in the centre. Underneath the table is a giant Gecko, the pet of the Emil, a werewolf. The Gecko has a collar around its neck and a name-tag reading ‘Simon’. The collar is connected to a twenty-foot chain that is bolted to the floor. There is a copper bowl containing several human bones. There is a 1:6 chance that Emil is here playing with the poor creature in his were-form.
Giant Gecko: HD 3+1: AC 5: AL N: ML 7: Att 1 x bite (1d8) : XP 50.
Special: can climb on walls.
HP 10.
Emil: HD 4: AC 5 (10 in human): AL C: ML 8: Att 1 x bite (2d4) : XP 300
Special: normal damage immunity x silver. 2:6 Summon wolves. Infection.
HP 12
C) Slighted Entrance
This part of the wall has fallen down and around it is a huge mound of grit and dirt, at the bottom of the mound is a tunnel going down (I). Inside this room are three wolves, summoned by the werewolf Dimitrie Nica. They wait here on guard.
Wolf: HD 2+2: AC 7: AL N: ML 6: Att 1 x bite (1d6) : XP 25
HP 6. 17. 8.
D) Sunken Room
This room’s floor is severely bowed, the floorboards are caving in and swollen. The bowing is being caused by four sacks of copper coins leaning against the Western wall. Each sack contains 600 copper pieces. There is a 1:6 chance every turn that the floor will cave in down to room 4 for 2d6 points of falling damage; for every PC that steps into the room there is a cumulative +1 on the odds.
E) Corridor
The north of this chamber is filled with the same gritty sand that is heaped up against the north of the keep. Partially buried in the sand a dead gnome, he is rotting and his wee red hat is tangled with worms. Clenched in his fist is a fine gold necklace (50gp). If the necklace is removed there is a 1:2 chance that the sand will shift and tumble in, save vs death or take 1d6 damage and be buried alive, suffocating in no. rounds equal to CON, unless they can wriggle free.
F) Overlook
The north wall is slighted and overlooks the mound below. This gap is not easily accessible by the mound, only by climbing the extra fifteen foot up the wall. There is a tripwire across the gap that rings a loop of bells attached to the Eastern wall, this alerts the dark lady in room G.
G) Throne Room
This room is decorated with stolen finery. Large quilts and silks are coiled around a wooden throne but now soiled and worthless, being coved in thick black hair and the stench of animal. A gold framed mirror (100gp) leans against the western wall. Crates of mercantile goods line the southern wall; horn (100gp), skins (20gp), and pepper (40gp).
Lady Nica, a werewolf, swans around this chamber in delusions of grandeur. She wears a swooshing white frock, amethyst gold necklace (250gp), and a beautiful platinum band with green garnet gemstone (850gp). When she contracted lycanthropy she became convinced that she could become a Queen, just as she’d always dreamed of. Her husband Dimitrie has been trying to fulfil this dream, which is why he brought her to live in this ‘castle.’ Lady Nica rarely takes her were-form unless provoked, she instead believes that all intruders have come to bask in her glory. She is prone to staring in the mirror and making pronouncements, “All would be lucky to bask in your radiance.”
The lady is susceptible to flattery, particularly if her delusions of ladyship are encouraged. If this is the case then award +2 to any reaction rolls, she may well dish out quests to kill her old enemies, or find her gowns befitting of her radiance. If interactions with the lady go well then award -2 to all reactions with her husband Dimitrie.
There is a 1:3 chance that Demitri and little Emil are here if not previously encountered, otherwise they are out in were-form hunting to bring the Lady supper and riches.
Lady Nica: HD 5: AC 5 (10 in human): AL C: ML 8: Att 1 x bite (2d4) : XP 300
Special: normal damage immunity x silver. 2:6 Summon wolves. Infection.
HP 22
Dimitri: HD 4: AC 5 (10 in human): AL C: ML 8: Att 1 x bite (2d4) : XP 300
Special: normal damage immunity x silver. 2:6 Summon wolves. Infection.
Key to Treasure room (H).
HP 16
Emil: HD 4: AC 5 (10 in human): AL C: ML 8: Att 1 x bite (2d4) : XP 300
Special: normal damage immunity x silver. 2:6 Summon wolves. Infection.
HP 12
H) Treasure Room
This room contains a pile of 4,000 silver pieces. The Nica’s have been hoarding it here, paranoid that silver could get into the hands of their enemies. The second door is locked, the key is around Dimitri’s neck.
I) Tunnel
There is a tunnel here in the mound of gritty earth that leads down into the cells (2).
D1 – Dungeon Level
There are no wandering monster checks for this level unless in the Ant Colony, East of room 3. In the colony there is a 1:6 chance every turn of encountering 1-3 Driver ants. Whilst in the ant colony there is a 1: 12 chance every turn that the current tunnel partially collapses for 1d6 damage, save vs breath for half damage.
- Well.
This old chamber has a 10 foot wide well at its centre. It has no railing so it appears more like a pit. It descends for thirty feet. In the bottom, partially submerged, is the skeleton of a wizard. His spell book is rotten through, but his satchel has a potion of healing. A scroll case containing the scrolls of knock, clairvoyance, and telekinesis. - Cells.
This was once the keeps dungeon, but the ants dug up and out and slighted the keep. Ragga has installed a ten foot deep spiked pit trap at the bottom of the tunnel. - Ragga’s Chamber.
This shambolic room is the den of Claus Ragga. He has been secretly living down here for a while, trying to figure out how to sneak into the ant colony and recover gold nuggets. He has a little tent propped up in the SW corner. He has barricaded the door to the East with a bar. He will try to use PCs to recover the gold nuggets he knows are within the ant colony, but will be quick to betray them.
Claus Ragga: Fighter 2: Chain AC 5: AL C: ML 5: Att 1 x sword (1d8) : XP 20.
HP 6. - Torture Chamber.
Old broken torture devices rot here. There are some chains, manacles and a knife that are usable. There is a secret door in the north clearly visible from this side. - Pool.
A shallow pool of water shimmers with oily residue. Skimming off the oily surface gives a liquid that can be used as lantern oil. - Waste Pile.
A huge pile of manure, dead driver ants and human corpses rot here into mulch; growing all over the pile is a fuzzy green mould and large mushrooms. Standing in this room for more than one turn requires a save vs poison or be paralysed for 1d6 turns. - Driver Ant Lair.
Four Driver Ants nest here guarding five translucent eggs and a hoard of gold nuggets (9,000 gp.)
Driver Ant: HD 4: AC 3: AL N: ML 7 (12 in melee): Att 1 x bite (2d6) : 125 XP.
Special: Consume everything in their path when hungry.
HP 10. 21. 19. 12.
Judges notes.
Here are the details of what I rolled in making this location, it was made over a couple of lunch breaks.
Wilderness Hexsplore.
– A ruin > partially sunken > covered by sand > in a partially operational state > Guarded by Lycanthropes > Three werewolves rolled > ruin type – A keep and four towers.
Name for Castle > Wintingham Keep. Altered.
Other rolling.
Random culture rolled > Gothic Rural Romania
Dungeon encounters (1d3+1d20) > Driver Ants > Giant Geko
Magic Trap idea from rolling in the ToAD
Treasure > 7,000cp > 4,000sp > 2 pieces of jewellery > Driver ant special 9,000 gold nuggets. Modified.
Castle Map loosely based on Trim Castle > found on the Wikipedia entry for ‘Keep.’
Dreadlord Games 