2022

HEX+SETTING
COLLECTION

GEM ROOM GAMES

 Table of Contents and Settings
Roll one d12 or explore sequentially

(1) The Hollow Lake . . . 1

(2) The Wizards’ Co-op . . . 5

(3) No Bandits Pass . . . 13

(4) The Shops at Hellfist Citadel . . . 19

(5) Zyxord’s Gullet . . . 25

(6) The Salamander Consulate . . . 29

(7) Tomb of the Sun God . . . 33

(8) The Electrum Quarter . . . 37

(9) The Giant’s Thumb . . . . 41

(10) Horror at the Harvest Husks Headscratcher . . . 45

(11) Omni Station 4 . . . 51

(12) The 13th Portal . . . 55

© Gem Room Games, 2022

Gem Room Games is

Kali Lawrie and Dan Phipps.
2022 HEX + SETTING COLLECTION
What is this zine?

The 2022 Hex + Settings Collection is the culmination of a year-

long project designed to play with map styles, exercise our
concise writing skills, and maintain regular creative practice.

Also, we created an interdimensional world in which you can play.

How do I use this zine?

All of the settings in this zine may be explored independently, or

they may be explored sequentially. The connective thread of an
ancient portal lies somewhere within each setting, waiting to be
discovered and activated. Explore a setting, then find and
activate a portal to step through to a new setting with all the
information and resources you have gained along the way.

If you choose to explore the settings independently, try rolling a

d12 to see what setting you’ll explore next. We do suggest
reserving The 13th Portal for the end of your explorations through
this interdimensional world.

If you choose to explore the settings sequentially, watch for how

the story of the portals develops to reveal the tragedy and hope
with which they originated.

Where are the rules?

These settings are system agnostic - pick your favorite game and
use the rules from that to build characters and navigate your
way through these settings!

We recommend choosing rules from Old School Essentials, Into

the Odd, or other adventure games that use hit dice and armor
class.

Can I drop any of these in my hex crawl?

You sure can! Just download the accompanying hexes to put

them on your map. We like using Hex Kit for making hex maps.
 THE HOLLOW LAKE
Hex Name: The Hollow Lake
Hex Type: Bog, 1 Hex
Environment:
Spring: Calm (50%) Rain (25%)
Storm (25%)
Summer: Humid (65%) Rain (25%)
Storm (10%)
Autumn: Calm (50%) Rain (25%) Storm (25%)
Winter: Calm (25%) Cold (25%), Rainy (25%) Storm (25%)
Terrain: Wetlands
Ecology: ferns, cypress, dragonflies, waterfowl, frogs, alligators
(uncommon), will-o-wisps (uncommon), skunk ape (rare)
Infrastructure:
Control: The Muskeg Congregation (85%), The Stamper Logging
Clan (10%)
Signal: 2 bars
Roads: Dirt roads, boardwalks
Goods: Common, rare herbs
Sites:
Landmark: The Hollow Lake
Locales: The Old Stamper Residence, Jackfruit Slough Fishing
Village, Happy Ghost Jackfruit Orchards
Secrets: The Hollow Lake Ministry (dungeon)

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The Muskeg Congregation is a religious order of amphibian folk
with an extremely complicated political relationship to the
governments of frog and salamander dominated regions. Their
divine mysteries are closely guarded secrets, and hidden from all
but the highest echelons within their ranks. Their more earthly
concerns are centered on preserving and propagating wetlands
both as ecology and territory. They will happily employ
adventurers of all faiths and species to further their worldly
goals.
The Stamper Logging Clan is a beaverfolk family that employ a
significant portion of Jackfruit Slough in the timber and dam
construction trade. The Muskeg Congregation employs them to
expand the wetland. They assume any strangers on their logging
sites are an upstart logging operation.
Jackfruit Slough Fishing Village is on stilts along the Hollow
Lake shore. In addition to a general goods store and inn, it also
offers fishing boat rentals and a well stocked herbalists
apothecary.
The Old Stamper Residence is a secluded wooden mansion,
perpetually under construction. Most of the Stamper logging
clan, mainly beaverfolk, live here. Aside from personal baubles of
varying quality, a 2000 gold stash is hidden in the basement.
Happy Ghost Jackfruit Orchards offers tours and good food.
They will pay 300 gold and “all the jackfruit you can carry” to
anyone who can clear out a nearby cave of slime monsters.
Encounters: Nothing but insects and distant frogs (40%), You
saw a heron! (15%), Thought a log was a gator (10%), thought a
gator was a log (10%) 1d6 pissed off loggers (15%), lone Muskeg
preacher (5%), Stumbled on a skunk ape (5%)
Alligator: HD2, Armor as chain, Bites for 1d12 dmg, ornery. Meat
worth 5g, good condition skin worth 50g.
Skunk Ape: HD3, Armor as leather, Huge Club (1d12), smell it
before you see it, just wants to be left alone. Pelt worth
250-1000to a cryptid enthusiast based on condition.
Stamper Logger (Beaverfolk): HD2, Leather armor, Axe (2d6),
suspicious. Typically carries 2d6 gold worth of company scrip,
good in Jackfruit Slough.

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 The Hollow Lake Ministry (dungeon)
Visible from the shore of Hollow Lake is a small well rising from
the middle of the water. It contains a spiral staircase leading to
a small stone room, damp and lit only by the sky above. There
are three chairs and a table covered with a recently printed
Muskeg Congregation newsletter. A small plate of stale cookies
is nearby, close inspection reveals insects were baked in.
Light shines under a wooden door. It’s heavy but unlocked and if
you put an ear to it you can hear snippets of heated theological
debate.
Chamber 1: The Round Table
You enter a glass geodesic dome, illuminated by the sun filtered
through the murky water above. The outer walls are lined with
chairs and a large dias is in the center. There is a locked door on
the other side of the room.
Roll a 1d6. On a 1-5, that’s how many Muskeg Parishioners are in
attendance. On a 6 church is in service and there are 3d6
Parishioners in the room.
The amphibian folk in attendance will stop their discussion to ask
somewhat pointed questions about the intentions of any
interlopers. They are armed and will defend themselves if
threatened.
If they believe the adventurers would make competent
mercenaries, a fastidious junior minister will take them into the
locked chamber to discuss employment terms so that the
discussion can resume.
Chamber 2: The Vestry
A smaller glass geodesic dome, containing a desk full of papers,
a bookshelf, and a wardrobe. The desk contains a missive from
Pontiff Croakulon IV identifying a Muskeg assassin operating in
a nearby city. The bookshelf has 1d4 rare arcane texts among its
contents, each worth 200g. The wardrobe is full of ceremonial
garb and has a false back leading to a secret door.

2
Chamber 3:
The Sanctum
The third, smallest glass
dome. It is dominated
by a painting of Pontiff
Croakulon IV, a regal
frog person with semi-
translucent skin in an
enormous cravat. The
painting is worth 500g.
Hidden behind the
painting is a portal
rising up from the stone
floor at the bottom of
the lake. The dome
appears to have been
built around it. It is
carved with strange
runes in geometric
patterns and intricate
mechanisms with no
clear purpose. A
competent wizard can
activate the portal
given an hour of
tinkering, revealing a
shimmering field of
stars. If you walk
through it, it makes a
sound like a synth being
thrown down the stairs
as it transports you to a
matching portal
somewhere else in the
world.
Muskeg Congregate:
HD2, Armor as leather,
random hand weapons
(2d6), carries a book
worth 10g

3
 THE WIZARDS’ CO-OP
by Gem Room Games

Hex Name: Alcazar Rock

Hex Type: Mesa, 1 Hex
Environment:
Spring: Windy (25%), Clear (25%),
Hot (25%), Sandstorm (20%),
Rain (5%)
Summer: Windy (15%), Hot (35%),
Oppressive (35%), Blistering (15%)
Autumn: Weather Windy (15%), Hot (35%), Oppressive (35%),
Sandstorm (15%)
Winter: Windy (35%), Clear (25%), Hot (15%), Sandstorm (20%),
Rain (5%)
Terrain: Arid
Ecology: Brush Grass, Joshua Trees, Date Palms, Cacti, Coyotes,
Scorpions, Kit Foxes, Jackrabbits
Infrastructure:
Control: Unclaimed (100%)
Signal: 1 bar
Roads: None
Goods: Dates, Date Sugar
Sites:
Landmark: Alcazar Rock, Mesa
Locales: The Wizard’s Co-op
Secret: The Palm Grove

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Alcazar Rock is a mesa of yellow siltstone, rising above the
heatwaves of the desert. Named for King Alcazar, whose empire
died with him.
The Palm Grove is a hidden oasis in the desert, a source of water
and rows of date palms. The date merchants there will swear you
to secrecy. A map to this location could be very valuable to the
right buyer.
Encounters: Scorpion Nest (10%), Mournful Coyotes (15%),
Lonesome Cowpoke (15%), Magehunter Posse (20%), Wizard
School Sellouts (25%), Wandering Date Merchant (15%)
D6 Complaints from the Nearest Settlement:
Ever since those Wizards moved in,
(1) It hasn’t stopped raining and flood waters are rising!
(2) Corpses from the graveyard have been disappearing!
(3) The fortune teller won’t shut up about the end of reality!
(4) The sun looks like a giant flaming skull now!
(5) The winds carry technicolor hallucinogenic spores!
(6) The Goblin King has called off a politically vital wedding!
Wizard School Sellouts: HD2. Wears cloth armor. Armed with a
staff and spells: Firebolt, Poison Cloud, Levitate. Likely expelled
for ethics violations. Spellbook worth 100g, components bag
worth 4d12g.

Lonesome Cowpoke: HD3. Wears cloth Armor. Armed with a

revolver or spear. Leading 2d10 head of cattle toward the
nearest settlement. Carries a guitar, sings a mournful song.
Magehunter: HD3. Wears chain armor. Armed with silver swords.
Suspicious, grim. Carries a 1000g bounty for the Wizards Co-Op
membership, preferred dead.
Date Merchant: HD2. Wears leather armor. Armed with a club.
Enterprising hermit, sells bags of dates for 25g, date sugar for
125g. Carries climbing gear, pollen wand.

5
 THE WIZARDS’ CO-OP
Atop the mesa of Alcazar Rock sits a large yellow siltstone
pillbox baking in the sun. An enormous glass lens peeks out
above its center. Locked wooden doors can be found to the
southwest and southeast. Thorough search reveals a secret and
very heavy stone door to the north. The exterior walls are high
and featureless polished stone, but scalable with climbing gear.
The flat, featureless rooftop grants access to an open air
observatory (9) at its center.

Door Symbol Key Secret Door

Unlocked Door More Broken Hole Than Door

Locked Door Portal to Somewhere Else

Unnumbered: The Halls

Echoey polished siltstone hallways curve throughout the Co-Op,
etched with crumbling murals and illuminated by small skylights.
You may randomly encounter: a broom pushing itself (15%),
Valim the Silver (25%), a slime monster feeding off trash (25%),
an irate hippo (20%), an escaped minotaur (10%) a gaggle of
imps (5%). At night, replace Valim with a wizard’s assistant (see
9: The Observatory).
Broom: HD1. Attacks as if it were a club. Minding its own
business.
Wizard’s Assistant: HD2. Wears cloth armor. Armed with a wand.
Knows Prestidigitation. Extremely nervous. Has a key to the
minotaur’s pen (5).
Slime Monster: See The Experimental Chamber (6).
Hippo: HD4. Its skin is tough as chain, bites as if it were a
greatclub. Hungry. Ivory worth 100g.
Minotaur: HD4. Its skin is like leather. Swings chains like a whip.
Hates wizards. Naked.
Imp: see The Summoning Circle (1).

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9
4

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 1: The Summoning Circle
Locked stone doors guard walls painted black. A huge red
pentagram at its center is surrounded by gothic ephemera of
dubious origin. After days of ritual, Vrex the Black has opened a
tiny tear to hell through which 1d4 imps escape per day. A
handful are in the room waiting to see what happens and
making fun of him in daemonic.
Vrex the Black: 3HD. Wears cloth armor. Armed with a staff. Can
cast Hold Person, Lightning Bolt, Raise Dead. Exhausted. Ritual
components worth 150g.
Imp: 2HD. Their skin is tough like chain. Can cast Fire Bolt. Horns
worth 50g each.

2: The Terrarium
A long hallway being used as a jungle life terrarium with humid
air, tangling vines, and stalking wildlife crowded together.
Chopping vines will enrage a jungle animal (GM’s Choice) or
expose the adventurers to poison. Careful foraging for at least
an hour will net the adventurers a poisonous flower (50g), a pet,
or the hiding spot of Bingo the Green.
Bingo the Green: 3HD. Wears cloth armor. Armed with a staff.
Can cast Speak With Animals, Wall of Thorns, Charm Monster.
Furtive. Has a bag of magic seeds worth 50g.

3: The Cubes
A large, ornate antichamber, since divided into 6 cubicles
crowded with arcane paraphernalia. Krambo the Ochre and
Jeremy the Orange are gossiping about Vrex’s gothic tendencies.
Searching the cubes reveals keys to the Experimental Chamber
(6), pungent tea, loose change totalling 25g.
Krambo the Ochre: 2HD. Wears cloth armor. Armed with a staff.
Can cast Fly, Confusion, Dispel Magic. Flatterer.
Jeremy the Orange: 2HD. Wears cloth armor. Armed with a staff.
Can cast Sleep, Stone-Flesh, Wall of Iron. Judgemental.

8
4: The Crystal Lounge
Crystals, beanbags, broken down couches, a communal bong, an
out of tune acoustic guitar. A thorough search will reveal two
crystals of real value (2d12 g), the rest are just colored glass. A
locked door at the back wall prominently features a chore wheel,
last changed to Jeremy 2 weeks ago.

5: The Minotaur’s Former Pen

Dung, hay, empty bags of feed, more dung, destroyed
enrichment toys, and a minotaur-shaped hole in the wall.
Searching the room reveals an extremely passive aggressive note
from Bingo to Jeremy about the responsibilities of pet ownership.

6: Experimental Chamber
Behind locked stone doors, easily picked. Devoid of furniture,
notebooks in random piles near unobserved experiments. A
beaker leaks fluid, a statue of a cockroach in the puddle. Turns
living flesh to stone when touched. A perfect circular pit to the
planet’s core. An empty cauldron, red hot and smoking from
being left on the fire. A possibly sentient slime sucks against a
secret door, revealed by defeating it.
Slime: HD3. Attack as if it were a club. Poisonous. Grumbly.

7: The Portal Room

Behind a secret door, a lavish carpet leads to a portal rising up
from the stone of the mesa. It is carved with strange runes in
geometric patterns and intricate mechanisms with no clear
purpose. A competent wizard can activate the portal given an
hour of tinkering, revealing a shimmering field of stars. If you
walk through it, it makes a sound like an airhorn in a cathedral
as it transports you to a matching portal somewhere else in the
world.

9
 8: The Library
Snaking shelves lined with magical tomes organized by color. A
card catalog and ledger indicates that very few of the books
checked out are returned. Argent the Bibliomancer will attempt
to ambush anyone exploring the shelves. The books will refuse to
leave the library if not stamped first. There is a 50% chance to
find a particular arcane text in the library, with the odds getting
worse by 5% for each subsequent search.
Argent the Bibliomancer: HD2. Wears cloth armor. Armed with a
bone folder as sharp as a dagger. Can cast Find Object,
Invisibility, Wall of Stone. Pedantic. Carries a rubber stamp with
the current date in arcane glyphs.

9: The Observatory
A single locked door leads to the Observatory. Warm in the open
air, an intricate telescope looks to the sky. By night, Valim the
Silver will be peering through it and taking notes, oblivious to
the world around him. By day, Valim will wander the halls
irritably. A competent astrologer looking through the telescope
by night will realize what Valim is observing is a comet on a
collision course with this planet.
Valim the Silver: 3HD. Wears cloth armor. Armed with a planar
compass as heavy as a club. Can cast Hallucinatory Terrain, Fly,
Move Earth. Paranoid. Carries mapmaking tools (85g) and a
commission of 1000g from Pontiff Croakulon IV to map a
constellation of The Frog Prince.

10: The Lost Treasure of King Alcazar

A small room behind a secret door requiring thorough search to
discover, apparently undisturbed by the current residents.
Contains the lost treasure of King Alcazar whose empire died
with him. Inside you can find 500g in gems and golden finery. A
kite shield, emblazoned with a tortoise between two axes, is of
uniquely excellent craftsmanship. It affords magical protection
against ice. Priceless.

10
© Gem Room Games 2022

11
 NO BANDITS PASS
Hex Name: Mount Fossilium
Hex Type: Mountain Pass, 1 Hex
Environment:
Spring: Rain (30%) Overcast (20%),
Sunny (20%), Windy (30%)
Summer: Sunny (40%), Overcast
(30%), Rain (15%), Windy (15%)
Autumn: Fog (30%), Rain (30%),
Overcast (30%), Snow (10%)
Winter: Snow (25%), Blizzard (10%), Rain (45%), Fog (20%)
Terrain: Rocky
Ecology: Goats, eagles, bears, cougars, badgers, weasels, fir trees,
blackberries, wheatgrass, clover, wildflowers
Infrastructure:
Control: The Legitimate Toolbooth Gang (55%), The Oberon
Family (25%), Dark Sayers (10%), minor bandit crews (10%)
Signal: 3 bars
Roads: Brick
Goods: Common goods & lodging, “I got robbed at No Bandits
Pass” merchandise.
Sites:
Landmark: Mount Fossilium
Locales: No Bandits Inn, No Bandits Pass
Secret: No Bandits Pass Souvenir Stand

12
No Bandits Pass Inn - located downhill from the exit of No
Bandits Pass. It’s a dimly lit two-story tavern staffed by veteran
highwaymen, usually breaking up a fight at the bar. Most of the
guests are various bandit crewmen and the occasional nervous
traveler. Customer service is poor, prices are high, but the food is
good and the drinks are strong. Common goods and counterfeit
healing potions (which work 50% of the time) are sold at the bar.
No Bandits Pass Gifts - a small but thriving stand near the bar
with t-shirts, hats, key chains, & mugs all bearing the phrase “I
got robbed at No Bandits Pass and all I got was this stupid
[merchandise].” Priced at 10-30 gold each.
Secret: Outsiders wearing No Bandits Pass souvenirs are
generally left alone by the bandit groups in town. Guests who tip
well or are generally likable will be offered a discount and
strongly encouraged to wear them in town “for their health.”
Encounters: 1d6+2 bandits, bored/drunk and looking for trouble
(25%); rival bandit gangs squaring off to settle a score (10%); a
bear, hungry (10%); fellow traveler, recently robbed (20%); No
Bandits Inn staff on break (15%); nothing but cold wind (20%)
The Legitimate Tollbooth Gang: Most powerful gang in the area,
using the pass as their base of operations. Their leader,
President Greenblade, is courting other gangs to form a bandit
republic.
The Oberon Family: Major crew, frequently travels the pass. Ma
Oberon, family matriarch, thinks the idea of a bandit republic is
nonsense.
Dark Sayers: cryptic, nomadic robber-cult dabbling in the
eldritch and forbidden. Their nameless leader, The Ecclesiastic,
gets nervous if they stay too long after conducting a ritual.
Bandit: HD2. Wears leather armor and a signifier of their crew.
Armed with various hand weapons. Will retreat from a serious
threat. Carries 2d12 in stolen gold and a pamphlet encouraging
them to join The Bandit Republic.
Bandit Veteran: HD2. Wears chain armor. Armed with clubs.
Won’t start a fight, will definitely finish it. Carries 3d12 gold in
tips, notepad and pencil, 2 counterfeit healing potions (which
work 50% of the time).

13
 No Bandits Pass (dungeon)
Nestled into a crevice of the stony Mount Fossilium is a dark
tunnel mouth leading into the Pass. It’s an old, rough-carved
tunnel through the mountain. Signs near the exit advertise the
No Bandits Pass Inn’s excellent customer service. Wide enough
for a single cart, the main path, long way, and branch to the
cave-in are illuminated by sputtering lanterns.
1 - The Hatchery
About ⅓ of the way through the Pass, a side tunnel to the left
drops into a pitch black chamber. The floors and walls have an
uneven texture, as if the stone were melted and then frozen.
Thorough search reveals evidence of 1d6 fossilized bones or
feathers worth 200g each if carefully excavated.
A petrified egg and nest rest in the center of the chamber.
Casting “Stone to Flesh” (or conducting a similar ritual) will
restore the egg. The Herald Urvogel will hatch if kept warm and
safe for 1d6 days.
The Herald Urvogel: HD3. Feathers tough as leather armor. Its
bite wounds like a greataxe, its claws slice like shortswords.
Feathered dragon, intelligent, will live for centuries, prophesied
harbinger of a new age. Alive: worth 2,000 gold to the deposed
merchant prince Bjorn Aghasson. Dead: worth 200 gold to a
university or traveling circus.
2 - Eddy’s Bat Farm
At a fork in the path halfway through the Pass, signs requesting
travelers speak softly and take the long way around (to the
right) precede an enclosed bat farm, humid with guano. Eddy is
filling pouches of the stuff to sell wholesale to the shops at
Hellfist Citadel, and isn’t supposed to sell you a bag or two for
50g each. During the day any loud noises will awaken the bats,
sending them flying off in an angry cloud.
Eddy: HD2. Wears a leather smock. Holds a club-like guano
shovel. Quiet, smells bad, likes the bats, loves the gold. Carries
4d8 gold, scale, almanac.

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 5

15
 Bandit Hideout
Roughly ⅔ of the way through the Pass, a well-hidden secret
door disguises the Bandit Hideout, headquarters to The Bandit
Republic - or at least The Legitimate Tollbooth Gang.
3 - Bandit Hideout: The Lab
Foul smelling alchemical reagents are piled on the floor and
tables etched with serpentine runes. 2 distracted bandits are
mixing counterfeit healing potions (which work 50% of the time).
8 potions and 300g worth of alchemy supplies can be scavenged
here.
4 - Bandit Hideout: Bunks
Nine bunks and 18 footlockers. The room smells of dried sweat.
At night, at least 9 bandits are sleeping. During the day 3 or 4
are playing cards at a table near the back.
Searching a Footlocker: Roll a d6, you find clothes, a knife and
(1) nothing else (2) pornography (3) 4d10 gold, loose (4) a bear
trap and rope (5) a small musical instrument (6) liquor
5 - Bandit Hideout: Headquarters
A heavy wooden meeting table dominates the cave. Pinned to
the walls are regional maps and notes connected by a network
of threads stretching between pins. In the evening, President
Greenblade argues for more gangs to join his Bandit Republic
with occasional success. The back wall is noticeably off color and
feels hollow.
The false wall leads to a portal rising up from the stone of the
mountain. It is carved with strange runes in geometric patterns
and intricate mechanisms with no clear purpose. A competent
wizard can activate the portal given an hour of tinkering,
revealing a shimmering field of stars. If you walk through it, it
makes a sound like an opera sung backwards as it transports you
to a matching portal somewhere else in the world.

16
6 - Cave-in
Just past the Bandit Hideout is a fork in the tunnel. A sign guides
travelers toward the right, to a caved-in cavern. A crew of 6
Legitimate Tollbooth Gang members will be dispatched to corner
and rob anyone trying to leave the cave-in, claiming they forgot
to pay a 10g per person toll.

17
 THE
SHOPS AT HELLFIST CITADEL

Hex Name: Hellfist Citadel

Hex Type: Citadel, 1 Hex
Environment:
Weather: Sunny (40%), Overcast
(30%), Rain (15%), Windy (15%)
Terrain: Rocky, Desolate
Ecology: Rats and dire rats, crows, ravens,
feral wardogs, zombie soldiers, clear-cut and
burned trees, blackberries
Infrastructure:
Control: The Hellfist Citadel Chamber of Commerce (80%),
Roving unaffiliated warbands (20%)
Roads: Paved with tombstones
Goods: Common goods, quality cookware, apparel, arms and
armor, spellcasting components, food & lodging
Sites:
Landmark: Hellfist Citadel
Locales: Le Couteau à Pain, Violence Concepts, Bat Guano Et
Cetera, Get In Get Out Food and Lodging, various smaller shops,
The Hellfist Citadel Chamber of Commerce
Secret: Sub Basement B-3
Hellfist Citadel: Formerly a singular testament to eternal war,
now a burgeoning outlet mall. Signs indicate a space is for lease,
see the Hellfist Chamber of Commerce Offices. Multiple floors
with shops retrofitted into the battlements. The maps don’t show
anything on sub-basement B-3, though.

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Le Couteau à Pain: sells high quality and rare cookware. Has an
excellent selection of masterwork knives. Overseen by Maladact
Pain, former orc warmaster and current aspiring chef.
Violence Concepts: avant garde blacksmith focusing on weapons
and armor. Masterwork fare takes bizarre shapes but are all
somehow perfectly balanced. Smithed by Rodrick (no last name),
human and Combat Architect.
Bat Guano Et Cetera: sells magical wands, staffs, crystals, and
trinkets. A robust selection of rare spellcasting components, most
notably bat guano in tremendous volume. It doesn’t smell as bad
as you’d think. Shop kept by Margot the Wise, historian and
philosopher of magic who understands most people just want to
conjure fireballs.
Get In Get Out Food and Lodging: Shockingly efficient kitchen
selling decent fare to a long but fast-moving line. Has a secret
menu, but the secret is poorly kept - more interesting are the
subtle ties to a sun-worshiping church.
The Hellfist Citadel Chamber of Commerce: Desk manned by
Patrice DuBois who is currently managing 5 mercenary contracts
to clear out the last of the unaffiliated warbands. Looking for
adventurers who can keep their mouths shut to deactivate the
torture automaton in sub-basement B-3 for 300g or a yearlong
lease on the space to do whatever they want with it.
Encounters: Roving Warband (2d6 aimless soldiers and 1d4
trained monsters) (15%), gristly monument to eternal war (35%),
trade caravan coming to the citadel (15%) or coming from it
(15%), harsh wind whistling over unmarked graves (20%).
Unaffiliated warband soldier: HD2. Wears rusty chain armor.
Armed with two-handed sword or axe. Hungry, knows only battle.
Carries 3d10 gold worth of looted treasure and a ration or bottle
of liquor.
Trained Monster: HD3. Bites like a greataxe. Some flawed
attempt at engineering the perfect war machine. Worth 200g
alive to another evil warlord, or 20g dead to any taxidermist.

19
 SUB BASEMENT B-3 (dungeon)
A large, simple sign opposite the base of the stairs reads “B-3”.
Beneath it, faded paint reads “The Screamatorium”. An
unattended guard post and punch clock stands southwest of the
maze’s entrance. One of the timecards is missing.
The Maze
Intentionally claustrophobic and filled with traps in various states
of neglect. Each time the adventurers traverse a new area of the
maze they encounter The Torture Automaton or one of the
following (roll d12 or choose):
1. A bear trap, partially obscured by debris.
2. Three finger-sized holes in the stone each able to fire a single
dart at the first thing that passes by them.
3. A decorative rug over a spiked pit.
4. Dark hall with unlit lantern. When lit, opens a trapdoor in
front of lamp to sewers below the citadel.
5. Cell door with no handle, opens when weight is on nearby
pressure plate, closes when removed.
6. Cell door with no handle, must be lifted with brute force. When
weight is on nearby pressure plate a shower of poisonous goo
falls.
7. Large pressure plate that rings a large bronze bell above it.
8. Cell door with no handle, opens with nearby lever is pulled.
9. Cell door with no handle with a hidden keyhole. Nearby lever
dumps 1d6 starving and 2d6 dead weasels from above.
10. A stone juts out from the wall with no surrounding mortar.
Pushing it releases a ladder to the Violence Concepts storeroom.
11. A small portion of wall repaired with red brick instead of grey.
Opening it reveals a corpse in tattered clothes with a valuable
jeweled ring and a ghost who won’t leave you alone until you
deliver it to his beloved.
12. Intersection with identical mirrored walls and a large circular
stone design in the floor that rotates quickly to disorient (or twist
an ankle) when pressure is put on it.

20
 A C
B
D
K

J
F

H
I
G

21
 The Torture Automaton
The Screamatorium’s Torture Automaton is a wheeled engine of
iron brandishing barbed flails and red-hot brands. It will attempt
to ambush anything exploring Sub Basement B-3, its approach
preceded by creaking wheels and rumbling engines. It has hands
capable of opening cell doors to lie in wait and attack. Its
instinct to avoid the maze traps is always overridden by the
desire to cause pain. It seeks to wound each adventurer, then flee
and attempt to ambush them again later.
Torture Automaton: HD4. Made of iron, flails and red-hot brands.
Charges and flees quickly. Sluggish when exposed to cold. Worth
1000 gold if functional, 250 if reduced to its expertly made
parts.
The Cells
Each cell was at one point an attempt to torment its occupant.
Every time the adventurers open a cell door they encounter one
of the following, possibly hiding The Torture Automaton:
A. Workshop Cell: a bed, a workbench, masterwork engineering
tools, and sketches of the Torture Automaton in various stages of
development among heaps of design notes. An hour of research
will reveal that the automaton becomes sluggish in cold
temperatures.
B. Grease room: a room devoid of furniture, its floors covered in
slick grease making it difficult to start and stop moving. The
walls are lined with spikes.
C. Effigy Room: a magically enchanted set of stuffed leather
armor will attempt to wrestle with anyone in the room. It will not
leave. If harmed it will replace its stuffing and repair itself.
D. Portal room: chipping away at suspiciously fresh brick reveals
a cell door, unlocked. Inside is a portal rising up from the
subterranean stone. It is carved with strange runes in geometric
patterns and intricate mechanisms with no clear purpose. A
competent wizard can activate the portal given an hour of
tinkering, revealing a shimmering field of stars. If you walk
through it, it makes a sound like a balloon popping in an empty
pool as it transports you to a matching portal somewhere else in
the world.

22
E. Torturer room: a wooden rack with a broken leather strap is
the only furniture. Contains a skeleton dressed in leather holding
a flail with a partially crushed skull and an unpunched timecard.
F. Break room: contains chairs, general interest magazines
yellowing with age, spoiled food, and a closet of torturer’s
leathers and flails.
G. Metal floor room: when a person’s weight or equivalent is put
on the cold iron floor the door will slam shut and an internal
mechanism will lock it. Audible hissing can be heard, and the
room will slowly fill foul-smelling gas. If the gas reaches a source
of flame it will ignite, causing an explosion and lighting the
burners under the floor, slowly heating up the floor.
H. Spear Cells: both rooms are dominated by a wall of spears
preventing navigation of much of the room. Each spear can be
pushed in, thrusting further into the next room. Slight gaps
around each spear ensure the passage of sound.
I. The Throne Room: A lavish throne, its cloth rotting away, sits in
the back of the room. It is occupied by a skeleton dressed in
military regalia, molten gold poured over his head. The corpse, if
recognized as self-declared Emperor Hellfist, is worth 500 gold.
Any who sits in the throne can see what is happening in every
cell at once when they close their eyes.
J. Coffin room: a coffin wrapped in silver chain sits in the center
of the cell. It contains a very angry and very hungry vampire.
The chain is worth 100g.
K. Piano Cell: a room with high ceilings, a bed bolted to the
center, and a pullstring next to it. The string leads up to a full-
sized grand piano suspended by wire from the ceiling, which will
release and come crashing down on the bed if the wire is tugged.
The piano is worth 750 gold if it can be removed without
scratching it, and contains 200 gold in scrap ivory if destroyed.

23
 ZYXORD’S GULLET
Hex Name: Zyxord’s Grove
Hex Type: Forest Grove, 1 Hex
Environment:
Weather: Thunder (10%), Heavy Rain
(25%), Light Rain (45%), Fog (20%)
Terrain: Deep Forest
Ecology: spiders, slugs, flying squirrels,
owls, deer, dragon spawn (rare)
Infrastructure:
Control: Zyxord (100%)
Roads: None
Goods: None
Sites:
Landmark: Zyxord’s Grove
Locales: Zyxord’s Warren
Secret: Zyxord’s Gullet
Zyxord’s Grove: The heart of a temperate rainforest. No trails or
guides lead here. The ancient evergreens are scarred by giant
claws and old burns. Most wildlife avoids this place.
Zyxord’s Warren: An enormous burrow smelling faintly of chlorine
gas. When occupied, Zyxord takes up the bulk of his den. The
warren contains nothing but a portal rising up from the forest
floor at its center. It is carved with strange runes in geometric
patterns and intricate mechanisms with no clear purpose. A
competent wizard can activate the portal given an hour of
tinkering, revealing a shimmering field of stars.

24
If you walk through it, it makes a sound like a glass harp played
by a hurricane as it transports you to a matching portal
somewhere else in the world.
Zyxord’s Gullet - Zyxord has consumed a hoard of treasure in
coin, gems, and other valuables from nearby civilizations. It is
stored in his gizzard to aid digestion.
Encounters: Zyxord, crashing down from above the canopy
(55%). Zyxord sleeping in his warren (20%), one of Zyxord’s
spawn (15%), noticable quiet (10%).
Zyxord: HD8. Has green scales like plate armor, claws like
swords, bites like a crushing boulder. On a critical result when
biting, swallows targets whole (see Zyxord’s Gullet). Is immune to
poison, and can breathe a cloud of choking, poisonous gas
instead of attacking with claws and bite. Only his eyes, open
mouth, and cloaca are vulnerable to mundane attack. Zyxord
thinks himself unkillable and in his vanity will happily listen to
flattery before devouring intruders.
Zyxord’s Spawn: HD4. Their juvenile green scales are like leather,
claws like daggers, bites like a greataxe. Are immune to poison,
can breathe a small cone of choking, poisonous gas instead of
attacking with claws and bite. Were recently hatched, are
ravenously hungry. Worth 200gp alive, head worth 25gp.
Rumors:
Banditry is on the rise after Zyxord ate Lord Fondwell’s entire
treasury, with naught left to pay his armies to avenge his only
daughter (swallowed whole).
Conrad, one-armed retired adventurer, likes to brag that he and
he alone wounded Zyxord by firing an arrow into his open
mouth.
The secretive forest folk can fashion helmets that protect against
Zyxord’s poisonous breath.
Octavia Dumas has uncovered ancient accounts describing forest
dragons as uniquely fearful of fire.
An ancient magic spear that slew Zyxord’s mother is hidden in a
nearby forest tomb, protected by the ghost of the shield-maiden
who brandished it.

25
Zyxord’s Gullet (dungeon)
An adventurer may pass through the throat or cloaca of
Zyxord’s corpse in one piece to explore the contents of his gullet.
The environment inside is humid and fowl-smelling but
breathable.
If Zyxord is still alive and has swallowed an adventurer whole
they suffer 3d8 damage as they pass through the throat, after
which they find themselves in the craw. Attacking Zyxord from
the inside is especially effective, dealing double damage.
1 - The Craw
Zyxord’s throat ends in a muscular epiglottis which can be
pushed upon to reveal the Craw, a proto-stomach steeped in
noxious soup. A pile of dead creatures, building materials,
forestry, and other large miscellany can be found partially
submerged and dissolved in a knee-deep green ooze. The
passage to The Gizzard is opposite the epiglottis, roughly 3
meters up.
Searching the pile or disturbing the ooze has a 75% chance to
flood The Craw with poisonous gas. Reopening the epiglottis will
allow the gas to escape out Zyxord’s throat. A thorough search
of the pile reveals one unconscious but living Princess Fondwell,
6d6 gold in jewelry and coin, a bronze cathedral bell, and an
incredible number of corpses, broken trees, and bricks.
2 - The Gizzard
The Gizzard is a tall, muscular chamber with a large sphincter
for a floor. It is occupied by 2d6 Gut Goblins armed and armored
entirely in mismatched, partially digested metal. There are a few
partially constructed shelters of stone decorated with gargoyles
and stained glass that have survived passage through The Craw.
A difficult feat of strength is required to open the sphincter,
revealing a dragon’s horde in various coins, gems, and jewelry as
well as 1d4 magic items and 1d4 magic scrolls.
Gut Goblin: HD1. Wears one piece of cumbersome metal
armor. Armed with iron clubs. Territorial symbiotic
creatures who jealously guard the treasure stored below.
Going through an existential crisis as a community
grappling with Zyxord’s death.
3 - The Intestine
Stretching from the gizzard to the cloaca, lined with dung
and partially digested biological material. Vines of gut
flora hang from the ceiling and cling to the walls.
Navigating the intestine without disturbing them is a
challenging test of dexterity. The cloaca is nestled in the
intestine wall approximately 6 meters above the intestine
floor. The vines can be easily climbed but disturbing them
attracts the attention of gut flora.
Gut Flora: HD2. Leathery stalks, tendrils that whip and
constrict. Senses exposed flesh or any armor that was
once living, such as leather. Flowers have 2d6 pedals,
each worth 25 gold as an alchemical reagent.

27
 THE

SALAMANDER CONSULATE

Hex Name: The Great Conflagration

Hex Type: Volcano
Environment:
Weather: High Winds (40%) Still
(30%), Blistering Heat (20%),
Choking Ash (10%)
Terrain: Ash, Lava flows and tubes
Ecology: Pika, Skinks, Bats, Living Flames,
Sagebrush, Buckwheat
Infrastructure:
Control: The Salamander Consulate (25%), Wild (75%)
Roads: Flagged paths
Goods: Precious stones, gems, and metals as well as goods, arms,
and armor of salamander make
Sites:
Landmark: The Great Conflagration
Locales: Frigid Outpost, Fissure Echo, Terranaut Vent, the
Salamander Consulate (dungeon)
Secret: Portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire
Frigid Outpost: Atop a lava tube sits a metal shack, glowing dull
red and burning to the touch. There is no door, but a slot for
exchanging goods and a porthole through which you can see
Kyshhoch, Salamander Trader. She speaks Common and carries
stone, metal, and gem goods of salamander make, and flame
enchanted weapons built for warriors at least 12 feet tall. She will
buy any goods that will not burn, with special interest in those
from faraway lands or that cannot be found beneath the earth.

28
Fissure Echo: Underground terranaut refuling bunker. Kept much
too hat for most living things to enter without protection. Inside,
salamander researchers sleep and recover before donning their
terranaut suits to attempt to capture more samples of the
ecology of your world.
Terranaut Vent: A side vent in The Great Conflagration at the
end of an unmarked trail from which Terranauts set out to do
their dangerous work. The entrance is guarded by a single cold
and irritable salamander who does not speak Common and
would prefer you entered at the consulate. Leads to the Portal
Room.
Encounters: 1d4+1 Salamander Terranauts, collecting samples
(25%); a lone Living Flame, flitting across the wastes seeking
anything that burns (15%); a thermal vent belching sulfur (10%);
a corpse with 1d20 gold in salvagable adventuring gear (10%); a
signpost in strangely written Common guiding you to the
Salamander Consulate (20%); nothing but flitting bats (20%).
Salamander Terranaut Crew: 12-16’ tall salamanders dressed as if
deep-sea diving with a tank of lava on their back. Awkward,
fumbling, can’t hear or be heard without a radio. Will cautiously
offer folded directions in oddly stilted Common to friendly
travelers before resuming their research.
HD8. Wears a suit tough as leather, swings research tools as
clubs. If their suit is punctured a heat aura deals 1d8 fire damage
to all creatures within 20’, after which point the salamander will
freeze to death. A terranaut suit is worth 500 gold, and full set
of salamander research tools is worth 2,000 gold.
Living Flame: HD4. Unarmored, hurls bolts of laughing flame. Is
resistant to mundane attacks. The touch of water or ice harms a
Living Flame like an axe blow. Malicious, short lived, flits across
the wastes desperately seeking any living thing to burn for fuel.
If captured and kept alive, they are worth 1,000 gold.

The Salamander Consulate

(dungeon)
Following any flagged path through the ash wastes will lead to
the peak of The Great Conflagration, a mostly-dormant volcano
and entrance to the Salamander Consulate. Spiral stairs have
been carved into long-cooled lava rock, leading into the volcano

29
 toward its glowing red base. It gets uncomfortably warm as you
descend.
Salamanders are intelligent amphibians, 12 to 16 feet in length,
and unless specified there is only a 20% chance any salamander
the adventurers meet will speak Common. Otherwise they will
communicate by pointing, pantomime, and speaking loudly and
slowly in Salamander. Mostly they complain about the cold.
1 - Material Research
A tall iron door blocks off a vent from the main chamber of the
volcano. Into the door is carved a short phrase in salamander
translating to “Material Research” and in common “Please
Continue to Administration”. The lock is challenging to pick.
Inside, 3 salamanders alternate between outfitting terranaut
teams, intaking the terranauts’ collected samples in heatproof
vials, and attempting to understand a large portal covered in
geometric runes emerging from the mountain stone. Praaash
(research lead, speaks Common, fascinated by humans) will
gladly accept aid in decoding it (even from adventurers who
shouldn’t be there).
2 - Administration
The staircase ends with a door labeled “Administration” in
Salamander and Common and a locked gate leading further
into the volcano, guarded by a salamander armed with a spear.
The office is staffed by Rooonaaa (speaks Common), who is
charged with establishing contact with the powerful factions of
your world despite not being able to travel far from the heat of
magma. If he believes you represent a powerful institution he will
grant you an audience with Diplomat Triii in the meeting hall.
3 - Armory
Guarded by two sharp-eyed Salamanders and a locked portcullis,
the Armory is lined with 18 Salamander Spears (magic, flaming),
18 Salamander Breastplates (magic), a locked and felt-lined
chest containing a crystal ball which grants a brief vision of any
place or object once per day, and maps and documents written
in Salamander triangulating the location of Frost Salamanders
elsewhere in the world and plans to attack them.

30
4 - Meeting Hall
A hall of polished stone, its walls carved to depict Salamander
royalty and heroes defeating their Frost Salamander foes.
Diplomat Axeeer and Captian Piiiquo argue politely here in
Salamander, both wearing finery heavy with medals. Both can
speak Common. Axeeer will welcome adventurers sent down by
Administration, seeking an exchange of information or formal
trade. Piiiquo will primarily comment sarcastically in Salamander
to Axeeer about the pointlessness of interacting with the
residents of your plane. They will refuse to discuss their plans
beyond general exploration of worlds beyond their own.
If you can convince both salamanders that you can meaningfully
aid in their fight against the Frost Salamanders they will grant
you access to the Portal to the Plane of Eternal Fire.
Very occasionally Praaash is here giving an update on the
terranaut findings to the diplomat and captain, both of whom
struggle to stay awake for the duration.
If intruders are detected or the
consulate is under attack this hall
will be barricaded. 2d6+4
salamander soldiers, armed with
spears and breastplates, will
join the captain and diplomat
and fight to the death to
protect the portal.
5 - Portal to the Plane of
Elemental Fire
A roiling whirlwind of fire. 1
Even standing before it
without magical armor is
a trial. The spiral stairs 2
descend into its
glowing iris,
transporting all to 3
the Plane of
Elemental Fire.

5
 TOMB OF THE SUN GOD
Hex Name: Charcoal Glade
Hex Type: Forest, 1 Hex
Environment:
Summer: Sunny (40%), Overcast
(30%), Rain (15%), Windy (15%)
Terrain: Old Growth Forest
Ecology: Crows, eagles, mice, badgers,
weasels, burned fir trees
Infrastructure:
Control: The Elfen Court (50%), Wild (50%)
Roads: None
Goods: None
Sites:
Landmark: The Charcoal Glade
Locales: The Tomb of the Sun
The Charcoal Glade - A circle of trees surrounding the Tomb of
the Sun appear burned, as if this is the site of an extremely
precise recent wildfire. The air is smoky, and the forest floor is
devoid of grasses. Wildlife is uncommon through this part of the
forest. As long as the Sun God is entombed here the forest will
never regrow.
Encounters: Smoke on the wind (50%), A hungry bear (15%), 2d6
Scouts of the Elfen Court, seeking to heal this wound in the
forest (35%).
Scout of the Elfen Court: HD1, wearing chain armor and carrying
longswords. Each knows a random 1st level spell. Suspicious of

32
outsiders, they will demand adventurers leave this place unless
they demonstrate the ability to assist in its healing. They know of
the tomb, and suspect its secret is tied to the calendar.

Tomb of the Sun God (dungeon)

A polished sandstone temple at the center of a perfect circle of
burned out trees, as if host to an extremely precise forest fire. An
outer layer of four standing stones form a henge, aligned with
the path of the sun during the solstices and equinoxes. On the
dawn of those days the stone door recedes and allows passage.
At sunset it closes again, preventing anyone from going in or out.
1 - The Outer Sanctum
Footfalls echo against the red stone walls. The floor is an
intricate mosaic depicting a form in ancient lacquer armor with a
ball of flame for a face who rages at the heavens.
A series of rare mineral spheres hang from the ceiling forming
an orrery of planets orbiting a sun. A wheel at the back of the
room sets them to spin and rotate, precisely modeling their
annual journey through space. The sun around which they orbit is
polished to a mirror shine, reflecting the sunlight throughout the
dungeon.
There are four stone doors exiting the room decorated with a
large glyph depicting a full, empty, or half sun. The doors will
open when the spheres of the orrery above them are precisely
aligned at the corresponding solstice or equinox.
2 - Autumnal Chamber
Stone warriors stand in perfect rows, all looking up as if staring
into the sun. They are led by a warrior holding a magic shield
which reflects light and heat back at its source. If you cast stone
to flesh on any warrior they will awaken ready to fight for the
glory of the sun. Pressing a noticeably depressed brick along the
back wall will reveal a secret door to the Portal Hall.

33
 3- Hibernal Chamber
A magnificent sarcophagus sixteen feet in length dominates the
room lined with burial shelves. The lid is extremely heavy and
difficult to remove. Inside is a mummified giant’s corpse with a
head made of charcoal. He clutches an enormous sword of brass,
much too large to wield. If the charcoal head is ignited or the
prayer song in the Estival Chamber is concluded the Sun God
will awaken, a shadow of his former strength. A depressed brick
along the back wall opens a secret door to the Portal Hall.
The Sun God: HD4, has mummified skin like leather armor and
wields a gigantic brass blade. Adventurers who have not
desecrated his tomb will be given an opportunity to worship him
before the Sun God attacks. He will try and prevent the
adventurers from leaving the temple before the door closes
again.
4 - Vernal Chamber
Glass orbs are suspended from the ceiling. They hold self-
contained ecosystems of soil, mosses, plants, and trees. Each has
its own eyeball-sized sun floating inside. The largest globe is
visibly cracked. A depressed brick along the back wall reveals a
secret door to the Portal Hall.
On the ceiling, concealed by shadow and holding perfectly still, a
Green Slime waits to drop on any living thing that approaches
the cracked globe.
The cracked globe is ten feet in diameter. The landscape inside
appears drought-striken and covered in a dried green film. A
character with a background in ecology could, through extensive
research, learn the exact elements required to restore the globe
to its former glory.
Green Slime: HD2, sticks to its victim and burns to the touch. 6
rounds of contact will dissolve wood or steel and reduce flesh to
a puddle of green slime. The Green Slime will release its hold if
exposed to fire or ice.

34
5 - Estival Chamber
The chamber entrance is caved in. Entering through the secret
door at its back reveals a circle of pews around a grooved
cylinder in its center. A needle rests on its side, leading to a brass
horn. When spun clockwise, the ancient prayer to the Sun God
can be heard across time. If played to completion (4 rounds) a
loud crash will be heard as the Sun God awakens and pushes the
lid of his sarcophagus aside.
Spun counterclockwise the cylinder makes a discordant bellowing,
dealing 1d4 sonic damage to anyone in the room. If played to
completion in reverse (4 rounds) the Sun God will reduce to ash
in his sarcophagus, and the forest will begin to heal over time.
6 - Portal Hall
A dark hallway inside the walls of the four chambers, illuminated
only by cracks in the masonry. Four secret doors line the inner
wall, each leading to a different chamber of the tomb. Along the
outer wall rests a portal carved with strange runes in a
geometric pattern, and intricate mechanisms with no clear
purpose. A competent wizard can activate the portal given an
hour of tinkering, revealing a shimmering field of stars. If you
walk through it, it makes a sound like a violin with iron strings as
it transports you to a matching portal somewhere else in the
world.

3 4

2 1

35
 THE
ELECTRUM QUARTER
Hex Name: The Electrum Quarter
Hex Type: City, 1 Hex
Environment:
Weather: Sunny (30%), Overcast
(30%), Rain (25%), Windy (15%)
Terrain: Urban
Ecology: Rats, pigeons, squirrels, skunks,
ornamental pear trees, box flowers
Infrastructure:
Control: The City Council (15%), The City Watch (25%), The
Thieves Guild (25%), Municipal Water & Power (15%), Wild (15%)
Roads: Paved
Goods: 50% chance to find any rare or very rare item
Sites:
Landmark: The Electrum Quarter
Locales: The Glitterfist Bank & Trust Building
Buildings of the Electrum Quarter
Height: Each building is 2d8 stories tall
Aesthetic: Roll 2d6 on the following table:
This Building Looks… But…
1 Like a piece of garbage Ancient
2 Neglected Modern
3 Avant garde Baroque
4 Boring Ambitious
5 Gentrified Charming
6 Completely out of place Architecturally significant

36
Building Contents: roll 2d12 for each story. It contains some
combination of the following:
It’s a combination… And…
1 Apartment complex Hotel
2 City Watch station Artists studios
3 Financial offices Liquor store
4 Bodega Thieves Guild hideout
5 Crystal shoppe Tavern
6 Tattoo Parlor Gladiatorial fighting ring
7 Fortune tellers Concert hall
8 Forgotten god’s temple Gambling den
9 Family restaurant Municipal bureaucracy
10 Music shop Witches coven
11 Flophouse Healer’s clinic
12 Fire station It’s been abandoned

Encounters: Roll 2d6 and consult the following table. That’s life
in the big city!

You Encounter a… Who is…

1 Punked out gendermage Very publicly breaking up
2 Living statue Running from the city watch
3 Rat in a man costume Selling mix CDs
4 Finance intern Catcalling you
5 Gorilla in a bowler hat Petitioning for signatures
6 Dude selling weapons out Riding a unicycle, playing
their coat flaming bagpipes

City Watch Copper: 1 HD. Wears leather armor and carries

truncheons. Never around when you need one.
City Watch Robbery Unit: 2 HD. Wears chain armor and carries
longswords. They ride on horseback and in hot pursuit, arriving
on the scene of a robbery in 1d6+6 rounds.

Glitterfist Bank & Trust (dungeon)

An old building of carved marble, gilded and clothed in
elaborate murals. Imposing like old money, a financial fortress.
The front door is locked and barred at night, nearly impossible
to enter without setting off a deafening alarm.

37
 1 - The Lobby
The quiet murmur of customers conducting business at the tellers
after queuing through the velvet ropes. A guard (former member
of the watch) dozes by the front door. There are typically
5 tellers, 4 bankers, a janitor, a manager, and 2d6 civilians
conducting business throughout the lobby or in one of the offices.
After the first three chaotic rounds of a daytime robbery the
bank staff or customers may attempt to trigger an alarm. If the
staff and customers are all being actively watched there is a 5%
chance of such an attempt every round, with an opportunity for
the robbers to make a challenging wisdom save to notice in time.
If any staff or customer is not being watched there is a 50%
chance of the alarm going off with no means to prevent it.
Each of the 5 tellers has 5d100 gold in pouches. The pouch with
a blue mark explodes with ink when opened.
2 - Bankers Offices
Three identical unlocked offices with heavy wooden furniture
including two uncomfortable chairs and one comfortable chair.
Each contains stacks of financial paperwork and 6d6 gold.
3 - Conference Room
A haze of cigar smoke, a long wooden table with six chairs, and
copies of a report on the financial impact of tearing down an
orphanage to build a racehorse stable.
4 - The Manager’s Office
Locked and challenging to open without the key. Contains a desk
with 6d12 gold, a bottle of fine liquor, and financial paperwork.
An oak cabinet contains the vault key, 5d4 gems, and a magic
sword (+2, lightning).
5 - Break Room & Utility Room
The break room contains four uncomfortable chairs and 4d6
worth of coffee grounds. The utility room inside is closed with a
simple lock, and contains cleaning supplies and a hidden cache
of alcohol. Bank employees will typically hide here if a robbery
starts. An inactive portal covered in geometric runes is carved
into the wall as if the bank was built around it. A competent

38
wizard can reactivate it with an hour’s tinkering, allowing
transportation to a matching portal elsewhere in the world.
6 - The Vaults
Each of the three vault doors is protected by an intricate lock
and trapped with deafening alarms. The manager’s key opens
them without issue. The surrounding walls are thick stone.
The central vault contains 5,000 gold by account number.
The northwest vault contains rows of numbered locked boxes.
Each box has a 75% chance to contain jewelry worth 3d6x100
gold, a 20% chance to contain personal effects and 1d20x100
gold, and a 5% chance to contain documents naming the City
Watch coppers taking Thieves Guild bribes.
The southeast vault contains a table with a single iron skull in a
velvet bag. When buried and watered with blood for 28 days it
will grow into a living suit of armor that wishes only to destroy.

5
6

4
1

3 2

39
 THE GIANT’S THUMB
Hex Name: Giant’s Thumb National
Park
Hex Type: Stone Ruins, 1 Hex
Environment:
Weather: Heavy Rain (30%) Overcast
(20%), Light Rain (20%), Sun (30%)
Terrain: Stone
Ecology: Lichen, moss, fungi, carrion eaters,
rodents, lizards, various insects
Infrastructure:
Control: Wild (85%), Park Service (15%)
Roads: Trails
Goods: Bare essentials and souvenir objects courtesy of
wandering merchants
Sites:
Landmark: The Stone Hand
Locales: The Giant’s Thumb
The Stone Hand: The popular highlight of Giant’s Thumb
National Park, due to the exposed nature of easily traversed
stone ruins. A mountain ridge near the elbow is said to hide the
rest of the giant’s buried body.
Long Life Span: A rickety bridge across the lifeline. A pair of
bored spear-wielding guards charge a 5 gold toll to cross.
Old Wound Rise: A ridge of scar tissue near the wrist. A cave has
been carved into the side, containing a skeleton in tattered robes
with an employment offer from Giant’s Thumb National Rangers.

40
Nail Crest: a comparably narrow sliver of rock jutting out from
the upper edge of the thumb; also known as the Balcony of the
Thumb. An inactive portal covered in geometric runes and
intricate mechanisms with no clear purpose is carved
into the nail. A competent wizard can reactivate it with an hour’s
tinkering. If you walk through it, you hear a sound like rain on a
sunny day as it transports you to a matching portal somewhere
else in the world.

Secret: An ancient prophecy declares that the stone giant is not

dead, but merely sleeping until given adequate cause to awake.
Encounters: 2d4 members of the Fist Assembly (15%); 2d6
Myconids (15%); 2d8 mites (10%); Giant’s Thumb National
Ranger (10%); raven eating a dead lizard (15%); hikers (35%).
Giant’s Thumb National Rangers: Ostensibly the law in Giant’s
Thumb National Park. Driven by their passion for the protection
of the park. Perpetually short-staffed.
Fist Assembly: Local cultists who believe the giant can be woken.
Myconids: May be seen dragging enormous spore. They seek a
cut in the hand to turn into a wart, and will pay handsomely (in
mushrooms) for guidance.
Fist Assembly Acupuncturist: HD2. Wears red cloth armor. Armed
with a giant needle. Seeks the correct pressure point to close the
hand and crush all within. Carries 2d6 in religious artifacts.
Mite: HD1. Their reddish scales are like leather, pincers like
daggers. They hungrily feast on dead stone skin but seek
something more substantial.

The Giant’s Thumb (dungeon)

A well-worn part of the Hand, covered in ridges deep enough to
hide most hikers from each others’ view. The labyrinthine furrows
form a natural maze that discourages casual exploration and
confounds map makers. The domain of self-assured explorers,
those hiding from the world, and foolhardy treasure seekers. A
lost and found box in the rangers station contains items that
have sat unclaimed for centuries; most items do not make it to
the box.

41
 D66 Encounters of the Thumb: Roll 2d6 consecutively and
consult the following table to discover what you chance upon as
you work your way through the whorl of the Giant’s Thumb.

1.1 An upside-down tree, driven into the stone flesh like a splinter.
A family of beavers who live within will offer shelter
1.2 A cluster of tourists who’ve been lost for days. Will exchange
coin for food, water, or directions
1.3 Ravenously hungry sentient moss (HD2, strikes like a whip,
weak to fire) clinging to the stone walls
1.4 An ancient skeleton curled around a rotting sack filled with
1d6x100 gold
1.5 Crude graffiti of giant genitalia above the slogan “Markus
wuz here”
1.6 A furrow of hallucinogenic mushrooms worth 25 gold each
2.1 A cartographer struggling to map the whorl
2.2 A sword of meteoric iron, enchanted against the undead
2.3 A small saltwater spring bubbling up from the cracks
2.4 The lost crown of Empress Agatha worth 2500 gold to the
Gabrian royal family
2.5 Sack of abandoned tools including a mallet, spade, and sickle
2.6 A wizened monk who hasn’t stepped foot off the thumb in
ninety four years
3.1 A ring of candles burnt down to stubs, scattered scorched
herbs between them
3.2 A mustachioed artist painting en plein air, perched on an
upper ridge
3.3 A drum circle with 2d6 participants and looking for more
3.4 A prowling big cat (HD3, bites like a great axe)
3.5 A traveling salesman with water and rations; will take an
instant souvenir photograph of you for 10 gold
3.6 A talking caterpillar who will, if greeted nicely, invite you into
its very small home to meet the missus
4.1 A large lizard (HD2, skin like leather, teeth like short swords)
on the hunt for its next meal
4.2 Gaggle of 3d4 geese resting mid-migration (HD2, each wing
hits like a giant club)

42
4.3 Rare orchid tended by 1d8 giant bees (HD1/2, stinger like a
poisoned dagger, dies after attacking)
4.4 Silver flask that magically purifies whatever water is put in it
4.5 Clutch of weird eggs, will hatch giant octopi when submerged
4.6 Big sack of potatoes, partially sprouted
5.1 2d4 bandits looking for tourists to rob
5.2 A map of tunnels leading to the giant’s heart
5.3 A coyote wearing a hammered tin crown
5.4 A crystal skull in a velour sack worth 500 gold
5.5 Oak barrel of wine from Ludratch Vineyards
5.6 A handwritten, extensive guide to the world’s poisonous flora
6.1 Old wooden rangers station with guides to local wildlife
6.2 Sack of d12 gems hastily buried under small stones
6.3 Boots that leave glowing footprints behind you
6.4 Stone troll theologian attempting to prove the divinity of the
stone giant
6.5 Silver orb the size of a peach embedded in the stone ground
6.6 Small platinum amulet inlaid with gems forming the seal of
House Derridimus on a broken chain

43
 HORROR AT THE
HARVEST HUSKS HEAD-SCRATCHER

Content Warning: food horror,

accidental cannibalism. If your PC
unwittingly eating people is a Hard
No, please talk to your table before
playing this Hex + Setting.
Hex Name: Watcher’s Crossing
Hex Type: Idyllic Village, 1 Hex
Environment:
Weather: Sunny (30%) Overcast (20%), Breezy
(20%), Crisp (30%)
Terrain: Fertile farmland
Ecology: Rabbits, chipmunks, ravens, goats, maple, oak, apple,
wheat, corn
Infrastructure:
Control: Watcher’s Crossing Council (meets at the Church on the
2nd Saturday of every month)
Signal: 1 bar
Roads: Cobblestone
Goods: Common goods & lodging; apples, pumpkins, corn, cider,
pies of various fillings.
Sites:
Landmark: Harvest Husks Head-Scratcher (corn maze)
Locales: Pink Apple Café, Church of the Sainted Gourd
Secret: Susan gets her pumpkins from the maze epicenter patch.
Pink Apple Café - located near the middle of the village.

44
Cheerful and kitschy décor. Locally renowned for their annual
autumn special menu, featuring pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin
waffles, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin biscuits and gravy, pumpkin
fries, pumpkin chili, pumpkin beef stew (served in a pumpkin),
pumpkin pot pie, pumpkin casserole, and pumpkin cornbread.
The food is hot and the service is good. Behind the counter is
Susan, just bubbling with hometown sass and enthusiasm for
pumpkins (and the Head-Scratcher corn maze).
Church of the Sainted Gourd - simple whitewashed church with
bell tower to the west. Several rows of wooden pews face a
handcarved alter decorated with a tasteful display of seasonal
gourds. Once a week a smiling Father Anthony greets
parishioners at the door before preaching a quiet, brief sermon.
Back room documentation describes every person entering the
maze going back years. Locals may recognize several of these
descriptions match those who have gone missing since.
Encounters: Children rolling a hoop with sticks (30%); a scented
candle salesman (10%); youth in a straw hat who will attempt to
con you into doing his chores for him (10%); musical quartet
playing simple and pleasant songs (20%); local watchman
attempting to get a cat out of a tree (10%); pie cooling in a
window (20%).
Rumors
Miss Christy and John Jr. were seen sitting together by
Anderson’s tallest apple tree last Tuesday afternoon (those kids!)
Susan at the Pink Apple Café got the new pumpkin biscuit recipe
from Joanne’s divorcee mother in law (how scandalous!)
Mr. Harrison is going to propose to Miss Lizzy with his meemaw’s
ring before the last waltz at the Harvest Dance (oh my!)
Farmer Sandberg has bet 100 coin and his hat that no one can
make it through the maze in under an hour (good luck!)
Benjamin Shaw says he’s finally going to beat Matthew Fennel’s
pumpkin tossing record this year, after 8 years running (don’t bet
the farm!)
Old Widow Høster is offering her award-winning secret apple pie
recipe to whomever can find her lost wedding ring in the Head-
Scratcher maze (poor old dear!)

45
 Harvest Husks Head-Scratcher
(dungeon)
Watcher’s Crossing’s premiere attraction is easy to find, with
clear and charming signage pointing the way. A wide gap in the
corn stalks is decorated with stacks of decorative gourds, hay
bales, and colorful, rustic bunting. A rollicking fiddle can be
heard on the breeze. The moment you step into the corn maze,
the entryway behind you disappears. The festive fiddle is gone,
replaced by the howls, snuffs, and gurgles of the things trapped
in there with you.
Exploring the Head-Scratcher
The adventurers are trapped in the maze with anyone or
anything that the people of Watcher’s Crossing lured through
the entrance. The corn walls and dirt floor are stone-like in
density. Adventurers can vault over internal walls, but attempting
to leave the maze in this manner deposits you back inside on the
opposite end.
Adventurers have a 50% chance to encounter someone in the
maze every time they make loud noise, loiter in one place, or
make 3 turns exploring.
Suggested Initial Encounters
First: Ezekiel Pondwright. HD2. Dressed in traveling leathers.
Armed with a woodman’s axe. Carries 2 days worth of rations, 4
gold coins, and a bottle of moonshine. Friendly disposition. Will
offer to join the adventurers for safety in numbers.
Second: Priscilla Stone. HD2. Dressed in ripped chain. Armed
with a longbow. Carries an animal trap, a pet raven, and a
dagger. Wounded and pissed about it. Will warn the adventurers
to stay away or she’ll fight, but can be convinced to join the
party if she can be calmed.
Third: Fish guy. HD3. Scales like scale armor. Armed with a
trident. Completely nude. Speaks a bubbly alien tongue, but
communicates through gesture. Does not trust these land
walkers, but will join the party if offered food or comfort (other
than corn.)

46
47
 D12 Encounters Deeper in the Maze
1. 1d4 Shadow Monsters. HD1. Only damaged by sources of light.
Armed with dagger-like claws. Desperately clinging to shade
along the walls, will follow the adventurers if offered shelter from
the sun.
2. Foetid. HD3. Wears a chain dress. Armed with a big rock. A
hulking frog lady who hates puzzles. Will join the party if they
promise she never has to pick a direction in the maze again.
3. A ball of white thread, one end trailing into the maze. It leads
directly toward the epicenter of the maze for 1d6 turns until you
find the other end, roughly severed.
4. Madric the Gorgeous. HD3. Dressed in ceremonial elven bone
armor and mask. Armed with a singing blade. Rude to strangers,
but will join the party if they let him think he’s in charge.
5. Penny Two-Knives. HD1. Clad in black leather armor. Armed
with three knives. Searching the maze in a panic, having gotten
separated from Edwin, on whom she may or may not have a
crush. Will join the party if they promise to help her look.
6. A well-worn wedding band, partially buried in the turf.
7. Sir Edwin Huckleberry. HD3. Wears gilded gothic plate armor.
Armed with a giant axe. Is methodically searching the maze to
return one of Penny’s knives as a matter of honor. Will join the
party if they swear to aid him in his quest.
8. Irwin Michaelson. HD2. Wears a loud shirt. Armed with a
guidebook to local attractions. Has drawn a partial map of the
maze. Will join the party if you listen to his theories about the
magic preventing your escape.
9. A nearly opaque fog hiding the path forward. If entered, the
party will soon inexplicably emerge at a random point elsewhere
in the maze.
10. A white wolf. HD2. Wears a torn bandanna. Armed with teeth
and claw. On a path of vengeance that ends in this maze. Will
silently judge the party’s courage, then decide whether to join.
11. Piktoarchyrix, demon of the third hell. HD3. Skin like red
leather. Armed with a flail of human skulls. Amused but slightly
concerned at their inability to return to their home plane. Will
join the party in exchange for a treasured memory.
12. A naked corpse partially transformed into a pumpkin,
collapsed as if crawling. A trail of pulp and seeds leads directly
to the epicenter of the maze.

48
Epicenter: The Pumpkin Patch
At the epicenter of the maze is a large pumpkin patch. A portal
covered in geometric runes juts from rock near the edge (works
with an hour’s tinkering, sounds like cold wind as it transports
you to a matching portal somewhere else in the world). A
wheelbarrow branded with the Pink Apple Café logo is full of
pumpkins. The only source of movement is Harvester Mother.
Harvester Mother
A grotesque wheeled harvesting machine holds a human in its
scythes, bathing him in an orange glow from its single lantern
eye. It appears to be stuffed with hay, visible from a crack in its
rear metal armor. The human’s flesh boils orange, rapidly turning
to a pumpkin before your eyes. If it notices the adventurers and
any new companions it will drop its victim to attack.
Thresher: HD2. Plate armor, charges with whirling scythes (as if
swinging four longswords).
Candle eye: HD1. Tempered glass. On a failed save, a target
loses 1d4 dexterity and begins to turn into a pumpkin. If dexterity
reaches 0 the transformation is complete and permanent.
Armor: HD2. Plate armor. When HP reaches 0, Stuffing may be
attacked from any direction.
Stuffing: HD4. Unarmored but can only be attacked from the
rear. Looks like hay, bleeds like flesh. When HP reaches 0 the
Harvester Mother dies.
Johnny Pumpkin-Head: HD1. Dressed in cloth, unarmed.
Harvester Mother victim. Is roughly 50 percent pumpkin. Would
very much like to leave the maze.
After the Fight
In the wake of Harvester Mother’s death, the corn rapidly
withers, drying into a dust that blows away on the breeze.
Without walls, anything in the maze can be seen (including
encounters the adventurers missed). In Watcher’s Crossing, the
villagers seem dazed and unfamiliar with the maze adventurers
speak of, even if presented with evidence.

49
 OMNI STATION 4
Hex Name: 17395 SRA
Hex Type: Asteroid, 1 Hex
Environment:
Weather: Dry (30%) Cold (40%),
Brittle wind (30%)
Terrain: Dusty, rocky
Ecology: Mites, tardigrades, dust
Infrastructure:
Control: Squadron X (45%), The Quasar Raiders (55%)
Signal: 1 bar
Roads: Dust
Goods: Basic rations; space supplies including bulky tech,
spacesuits, and transportation vehicles
Sites:
Landmark: Rigby Crater
Locales: Omni Station 4 crash site, Raider Encampment, Dugout
Epsilon
Secret: While initially deployed to retake Omni Station 4 from
Raiders, Squadron X was recently reassigned to support
Operation Gateway’s research efforts.
Rigby Crater - Named for Dr. Jane Rigby, the ancient impact
crater dominates the landscape of 17395 SRA.
Omni Station 4 crash site - a cluster of smaller, fresh impacts
inside Rigby Crater where Omni Station 4 collided with 17395
SRA. The largest holds the station itself. Smaller craters nearby

50
hold Omni Station 4’s data uplink dish, secondary solar array,
telemetry antenna cluster, bioweapon containment module, and
a failed escape pod.
Raider Encampment - A gaggle of raider ships docked to form
an improvised defensive position. Some ships are visibly patched
together with stolen technological upgrades.
Dugout Epsilon - A pyroduct cave system containing a portal
lined with geometric runes emerging from the living rock.
Currently serving as Squadron X’s Forward Operating Base,
ostensibly to retake Omni Station 4.
Dr. Daniel Hansen has established the one-man research facility
of Operation Gateway at the portal site. He is equal parts put
out by military attitudes and unprecedentedly excited by this
discovery. Thinks the portal may be evidence of an inter-
dimensional travel system. Or an ancient ritual site? With an
hour’s tinkering, a qualified psionicist can activate the portal.
Sounds like a tuning fork submerged in boiling plasma when you
step through it.
Encounters: Squadron X Marine (15%); Quasar Raider (35%);
Omni Station 4 survivor (5%); nothing but cold wind (45%)
Squadron X Patrol: few in number (1d4) but well armed, well
armored, well trained. Audibly grumbling that they’ve been
ordered to babysit this scientist instead of retaking the station.
Quasar Raider Band: Excited by the prospect of all this tech,
even if they don’t entirely know what to do with it. Looking to
kidnap someone who would.
Squadron X Marine: HD4. Wears technologically advanced metal
power armor emblazoned with their unit’s insignia (a red skull
over a black X). Armed with a heavy combat rifle. Carries a
ration pack, a medkit, and a schematics dossier on Omni Station.
Raider: HD2. Wears well worn cloth armor. Armed with a poorly
maintained laser rifle. Carries rum.
Omni Station 4 survivor: HD1. Wears tattered cloth clean room
suit, rumpled emergency blanket. Knows how to unlock and
operate much of the station’s technology. Doing their best to
hide from Raiders.

51
 Omni Station 4 (dungeon)
Omni Station 4 is in impressively good condition for having
collided with a large asteroid. Though its extremities have been
scattered across Rigby Crater, the central ring and spokes are
intact. Mechanisms that keep the station functional run
throughout the base of the ring, under a series of living and
operational quarters linked by both a circular corridor and
access tunnels running through the spokes. A large bay door to
the garage serves as the primary entrance.
1 - The Bridge
Banks of monitors flash in a vibrant array of warnings, the only
source of light in the otherwise dark room. Multiple alarms can
be heard going off at once, and Raiders tend to avoid the area.
The computers are locked and difficult to hack, but doing so
grants access to a hard drive full of corporate secrets worth
1,500 gold, including the locations of Omni Stations 1 and 3.
2 - Optics Lab
Houses materials and machinery for fabrication of advanced
laser weaponry. The Raiders have scavenged most of the
materials but there is enough left over for a competent scientist
to construct a single high quality laser rifle.
3 - Biology Lab
Quiet, dimly lit, and turned over by Raiders looking for loot.
Computer readouts indicate a containment breach of Specimen
Eight (4HD, leather skin, razor claws, extremely fast, waiting to
be unleashed upon the world) and demanding emergency
repairs of the Bioweapon Containment Unit. Searching the
computer banks reveals that experiments to build a living
weapon capable of using laser weaponry was only partially
successful.
4 - Crew Quarters
Rows of bunks and trunks line the walls. Typically 2d6 Raiders
are here using the still functioning bathing pods, sleeping, or
playing cards. A thorough search of the trunks reveals that one
has a false bottom, containing an intricately etched pistol, dried
meat, and 500 credits.

52
5 - The Mess Hall
A cafeteria of sturdy tables and food replicators. Having figured
out the machines can dispense alcohol, there are always d6+6
Raiders in the mess hall. If the Raiders believe they are under
attack they will prop the tables up and use them as cover, firing
out from behind them.
6 - The Garage
A large bay door serves as the primary entrance to the crashed
station, wrenched open in the crash. Two Raiders stand guard,
watching for marine attack and suspicious of anyone else who
approaches. A station repair vehicle, designed for use in zero
gravity, is suspended on the outer wall. A talented engineer or
mechanic could retrofit it to serve as an exoskeleton on 17395
SRA’s gravity. Two rows of escape pod entrances are now empty,
having been deployed in the crash.

2
1

4
5
 THE 13th PORTAL
Hex Name: Alaris
Hex Type: Dying World
Environment:
Weather: Red Twilight (30%), Acid
Rain (40%), Dust Storm (15%)
Radioactive Lightning (15%)
Terrain: Dusty, rocky
Ecology: None, only hints of what once lived
Infrastructure:
Control: Uninhabited (100%)
Signal: None
Roads: Once vast and beautiful, now ancient and crumbled
Goods: None
Sites:
Landmark: The Portal Rotunda
Locales: The Monument Garden, Beyond the Memorials
Secret: A flickering glow can be seen in the distance from the
Portal Rotunda. Explorers will find a 12th portal, hastily wrought.
Strange runes roughly carved into the stone light up
intermittently. With an hour’s tinkering, a competent wizard can
repair it, opening a portal to the Portalsmiths’ Workshop.
The Monument Garden - Lining the promenade to the Portal
Rotunda are walls decorated with the story of the people who
were once here, carved into stone. Harsh winds and blowing sand
have scraped the color from the walls, but the relief carvings
remain. They tell the tale of Alaris beginning to crumble, of

54
scientists toiling to build the portals, of the many adventurers
who entered each and the few who returned, still not finding the
new home the people sought. Of the loss that followed over the
years, some refugees fleeing to worlds that were not right for
them, others clinging to hope as the planet around them died.
It’s quiet everywhere, but especially so here.
The Portal Rotunda - At the end of the promenade 11 portals
stand in a ring. Weird runes are carved into their stone. Between
each stands a devotional alcove displaying evidence of their
rejected worlds. Below each shrine is a small plaque with the
names of the adventurers who explored those realms, both those
who returned and those who did not. Walking along them you’ll
see the fossil of a humanoid frog, a dead date palm (potted), a
fossilized dragon’s egg, coins decorated with the visage of
Emperor Hellfist (depicted crushing his people underfoot), a
small pile of shed dragon scales and bits of hatched egg, a
terranaut suit (long-dead fire salamander within), a stone
warrior, a small pile of caged pigeon skeletons, a long, thick
eyelash coiled like a rope, a humanoid skeleton with a skull
shaped like a pumpkin (behind bars), and chunks of cold lava
rock.
Beyond the Memorials - There is nothing to be found beyond the
memorials but the scattered remains of a dead civilization.
Encounters: Dead City (20%), Leviathan Skeleton (20%), Stone
Semi-Circle (20%), Dry Lake Bed (20%), Submerged Colossus
(20%)
Dead City - Perfectly silent except for the occasional crumbling
of stone, steel, or glass.
Leviathan Skeleton - Many eyed and many limbed. Large
enough to serve as shelter against the elements.
Stone Semi-Circle - Perfectly aligned with the setting of the red
sun, its shadows stretching into the night.
Dry Lake Bed - A basin of cracked mud, casting plumes of
alkaline with the wind.
Abandoned Colossus - A stone colossus reaching up from the
dust, grasping at the sky like a drowning man.

55
 The Portalsmiths’ Workshop
(dungeon)
A sound like a choir of keening mothers filled 1
your ears when you stepped through the 12th
portal. It still rings as you stumble into the last
desperate hope of the few Alarins who made it
through the portal. When you enter, any
timekeeping or navigational tools cease to
function. This workshop is a place outside of space
and time.
1 - Entry Hall
You step out onto mounds of rumpled bedding. The air is stale.
Cold bedrolls are packed in tightly, covering the floor. Across the
hall from the portal you entered are four simplified portals lining
the stone wall. Having repaired the 12th portal to get here makes
operating these simple portals easy.
5
2 - The Portalsmiths’ Workshop
Stepping through the portal you hear a rumble like
spinning planets. Inside is a crowded and chaotic cross
between an engineering lab and a cartography studio.
Intricate maps like conspiracy boards are taped to the
walls. Several desks are covered in notepads, measuring
devices, and long-empty mugs. Scrunched bedrolls hide
beneath them. Freestanding chalkboards with complex equations
half smeared out stand above piles of crumpled, thrown paper.
3D models of galaxies are connected across the distance of the
room by taut strings strung like an anxious web. On the desk
farthest from the door is a journal open to a page filled with
strange marks. The ancient language cannot be fully translated
but with a few hours dedicated study the meaning of key
phrases can be inferred.
“We did it! It’s flawed, maybe, you can’t go together,
but it will take you wherever you truly want to go - it
2 will take you wherever you want to call home. We’ll
start sending them all as soon as they wake.”

56
3 - Refugee Quarters
A sound like melting stone rises and falls as you step through the
portal. Ramshackle, thrown together bunks fill the room, lined
with the same type of bedrolls found in the Entry Hall. A
thorough search of the long-abandoned bedding will
reveal a smattering of belongings left behind: a child’s
threadbare sweater, a small bag of hand-carved
dice, a journal full of frustration and grief written in
ancient runes.
4
4 - The Gallery
You hear a sound like the shattering of hundreds of
glasses as you cross the portal threshold. More
bedrolls cover the floor. Above them, several mounted
shelves display treasures collected from other worlds. Carefully
handwritten labels mark them as precious. If you flip the labels
over, some have additional notes in ancient runes like “May Emil
live in peace” or “my heart is with you always Carina.”
From a hook hangs a deep teal robe with golden embroidery,
with the signet ring of Pontiff Croakulon II in an inner pocket. On
its side is a thick tome titled “A History of his Excellency King
Sebastian F. Alcazar.” A plastic keychain imprinted with the
words “I got robbed at No Bandits Pass and all I got was this
stupid keychain” dangles from a small hook. Suspended from the
ceiling is a small glass terrarium holding a variety of
exceptionally small plants and a minuscule sun. A mix-cd with a
scribbled label of “Hanker’s Wart/Because I Say So live at the
Crystal Shoppe/Concert Hall” is delicately propped on a shelf. A
sceptre belonging to Empress Agatha of the Gabrian royal
family rests beside the cd. A large dark jar labeled “Høster
Farms Cider (100% Organic)” sits on a shelf of its own.
5 - The 13th Portal
The portal leading you here sounds like a sharp, clear note.
One portal stands alone in the center of the room. Now-familiar
runes are carved into its ring with dedicated
precision and obvious care.
Takes you wherever you truly want to call home
with the sound of a cheerful tune carried by the 3
wind.