This is the closest thing to civilization that the players could reasonably get to if they would like to look for reinforcements. Meanwhile, to the southwest lies city of Ib. And have to figure out what to do with a village penned in with harpies exacting an awful tribute on one side and merciless cannibals hemming them in on the other. If the players want to follow this up, they will find the village “Bogonda, ruled by Kuroba the chief and Goru the priest.” They’ll be attacked by harpies on the way there, of course.
And moaning low and brain-shatteringly it huddled its outraged self against the stake where it was bound and lifted its head in a grisly attitude of listening, as if it expected something out of the skies.
Kane spoke to the ghastly thing and it screamed unbearably, writhing in incredible contortions, while its head jerked up and down with the jerking of mangled nerves, and the empty, gaping eye-sockets seemed striving to see from their emptiness. Yet it was not so much the ghastliness of the mutilations, horrible as they were, that shook Kane’s soul, but the knowledge that the wretch still lived.įor as he drew near, the gory head that lolled on the butchered breast lifted and tossed from side to side, spattering blood from the stumps of ears, while a bestial, rattling whimper drooled from the shredded lips. He knew much of the fiendishness of man’s inhumanity, but now he shuddered and grew sick. Kane had rowed, chained to the bench of a Turkish galley, and he had toiled in Barbary vineyards he had battled red Indians in the New Lands and had languished in the dungeons of Spain’s Inquisition. In a wide clearing, on a rather bold incline stood a grim stake, and to this stake was bound a thing that had once been a man. (Give a 1-6 chance for a bear, spider, or wolf– otherwise it’s cannibals!) If the players strike off into the forest they will stumble across this grisly scene: Now… to the north of the road, there is a random encounter table loaded up with mostly cannibals. The players have to decide whether to continue on the road and risk being waylaid by a superior force… or perhaps go around.
And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away yea, they have slain the warriors with the edge of the sword and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. He tells of veritable army of bandits that emerged from the forest, ransacking and plundering the goods, killing the troops that were meant to relieve the forces of the keep, and kidnapping the merchants and artisans. On the road to the keep, the players encounter a bedraggled survivor of a caravan that was destined for the keep. Rather than start the classic module at the keep where the players can buy equipment and collect rumors, I want to play out part of the travelling that happens before they get there. For those that are still not convinced, I offer this example. I believe it is well known at this point that old pulp stories provide a better resource for stocking a wilderness map than either fantasy novels from after 1980 or rpg supplements. I enjoy running Keep on the Borderlands with new players, however I find myself wanting to embellish the area map more and more the more I play it.
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