TEXT:  
  
  Gloomywood 
  micro-setting by Gabor Lux 
   
   
  Nestled amidst forbidding mountain ranges, the valley of Gloomywood has long been 
  the domain of the von Marstein counts. The current heir, Dietrich von Marstein, re-
  turned after a long stint in foreign wars, and soon afterwards fell sick with an illness 
  which has confined him to his quarters in the high tower of Marstein Castle. With the 
  count bedridden, his orders are carried out by his seneschal, Viktor Hoffmeister. Be-
  headings, hangings, and floggings have become common, while the monsters of the 
  mountains, once held back by Captain Grohl’s soldiers, have crept forward to terror-
  ise the land. Gloomywood’s honest folks live in fear of both beast and men, hoping 
  for outside help – and soon! 
   
  Rumours of Ill Omen 
   
  1. A princess rests beneath the surface of the lake, in a gown of glittering jewels. 
  2. Those who look between the twin stones at dawn, shall be enlightened. 
  3. The Senechal has cast his eyes on Maria, a woodcutter’s daughter. What shall 
  now become of her? 
  4. Orcs, and probably worse, lair in Black Devil Cave. 
  5. A false tongue shall guard a true image. 
  6. The sign of the dragon shall portend death. 
  7. Count Dietrich drank a maddening poison after his return, when he learned a girl 
  he had loved before his departure had died of grief. 
  8. Never talk to the wolf who speaks: he will steal your words, and do evil with them. 
  9. To dance the dance of Death, look the bone-man in the face. 
  10.  The monks at the priory are up to no good, preparing a dark scheme. Beware! 
  11.  The Senechal must be a devil, for no human man is capable of such evil! 
  12.  Sometimes, you can see the dead if you look into the deepest lakes. Do not talk 
  to them: they will beckon, and you will follow. 
   
   
  
  3 
   
  Random Encounters 
   
  1d8 
  Road 
  Wilds 
  Uplands 
  Mountains 
  1 
  Animals 
  Animals 
  Animals 
  Animals 
  2 
  Animals 
  Animals 
  Animals 
  Flyers 
  3 
  Giants 
  Flyers 
  Flyers 
  Flyers 
  4 
  Giants 
  Giants 
  Giants 
  Giants 
  5 
  Giants 
  Giants 
  Giants 
  Giants 
  6 
  Men 
  Men 
  Lycanthropes 
  Werewolf (1) 
  7 
  Men 
  Men 
  Men 
  Men 
  8 
  Men 
  Men 
  Undead 
  Undead 
   
  1d6 
  Animals 
  Flyers 
  Giants 
  1 
  Bears (1d2) 
  Gt. Owls (1d6) 
  Orcs (1d6*5) 
  2 
  Boars (1d4) 
  Gt. Owls (1d6) 
  Orcs (1d6*5) 
  3 
  Gt. Frogs (1d8) 
  Hippogriffs (1d6) 
  Goblins (1d8*5) 
  4 
  Gt. Spiders (1d8) 
  Vamp Bats (2d10) 
  Goblins (1d8*5) 
  5 
  Wolves (2d8) 
  Vamp Bats (2d10) 
  Troll (1) 
  6 
  Wolves (2d8) 
  Vamp Bats (2d10) 
  Elves (1d4*5) 
   
  1d6 
  Men 
  Swimmers 
  Undead 
  Daily Weather 
  1 
  Bandits (1d6*5) 
  Gt. Fish (2d8) 
  Ghouls (2d6) 
  Golden sunshine 
  2 
  Brigands (1d6*5) 
  Gt. Fish (2d8) 
  Skeletons (3d10) 
  Slightly windy 
  3 
  Merchants (1d6*5) 
  Gt. Frogs (2d8) 
  Skeletons (3d10) 
  Overcast, showers 
  4 
  Patrol (1d6*5) 
  Gt. Frogs (2d8) 
  Wights (1d4) 
  Fogbound 
  5 
  Travellers (1d6*5) 
  Gt. Toads (2d8) 
  Zombies (3d10) 
  Incessant rain, mist 
  6 
  Wdsmen (1d6*5) 
  Gt. Leeches (2d8) 
  Zombies (3d10) 
  Thunderstorm 
   
   
  Bandits 
  are 
  former 
  villagers 
  taken 
  to 
  banditry, and may be 
  neutral if the party is 
  known for good deeds. 
  Brigands come from 
  their cave at 0501. 
  Merchants have wagon 
  trains similar to orcs. 
  Orcs 
  are 
  from 
  the 
  southern valley (1109). 
  Patrols come from the 
  castle or the nearby 
  village. 
  If 
  the 
  full 
  number is encountered, 
  the patrol includes the 
  Captain (1–4) or the 
  Senechal (5–6). 
   
  
  4 
   
  The Darkling Valley 
   
  0202 Castle Kars: Now a tumbledown collection of ruins on top of a tall cliff, the way to 
  Kars is perilous, and beset by a myriad bats who nest in the crevices. Unless the flying 
  army is driven off, mounts must save vs. paralysis or panic and fall, and men will suffer 
  1d4 Hp from bites and scratches. From the ruins, stairs lead down to the dungeons. 
   
  0302 Spring cavern: The river Stará Voda (“Old Water”) rushes from a grotto. Laugh-
  ing noises and splashing sounds from therein. In a clear pool here are seven talking 
  fish, all of a different colour; and if they are asked for help, they transform into 
  7*arrows +2. Approached in a hostile manner, they dart aside and vanish giggling 
  into the cracks. 
   
  0303 Grave site: The lone grave of a hunter, his battered old horn still hanging on 
  the cross from a leather strap. The horn is silver, and worth 200 gp. However, it will 
  be recognised in Vyh as the property of the hunter Lubomir, and unless returned to his 
  lover Lenka, the characters will gain a reputation as thieves. 
   
  0305 Loggers’ camp: Two dozen men work here in the forests, felling trees and 
  transporting them to Vyh. They have a few simple tents and huts for temporary dwell-
  ings. For weeks, the loggers have been harassed by a fearsome bat-bear creature, 
  which has already killed two. While hardy (HD 1+1), the men are no match for the 
  horror (owlbear equivalent, but able to shriek, which requires a morale check among 
  hirelings). 
   
  0307 Ruined waystation: Only charred ruins have remained of the cheerful inn. Ra-
  vens peck at dark bones affixed to a pole-mounted whhel. At night, ghosts dance 
  among the walls. Those who approach must save vs. spell or join their revelry, and 
  eventually run screaming into the forests (1d6; 1-2 – lost, 3-4 captured, 5-6 stumble 
  out of the forests at Vyh, 1d3 days later). Those making their save can confer with the 
  ghosts, and learn of the masked riders who had lit the fires, and Captain Grohl in 
  their midst. Under the ruins, requiring 4 hours of excavation, lie cellars with a lost 
  treasure: 300 sp, 600 gp. 
   
  0501 Black Devil Cave: Smoke rises from this cave mouth and nearby chimneys, said 
  to be the devils’ doing. However, the real inhabitants are 40 brigands, who live here 
  under the command of Heinrich the Cruel (evil Hero). The  brigands have amassed 
  5000 sp, 800 gp, 3 pieces of jewellery (400, 1000, 1100 gp), and a dagger +1, +3 
  vs. orcs. They have 2d12 captives, mostly from the villages, but every 4th is a mer-
  chant who can send a ransom of 1000 gp if returned to safety. 
   
  0503 Old well: A stone well covered with an iron grille, and carved with old bas-
  reliefs which are now too defaced to understand. The well talks, and is magically 
  compelled to answer, but it is evasive and very suspicious of those who converse with 
  it. It is hiding a magic mirror once belonging to the Marsteins, and does not want to 
  relinquish it. If it can, it sends the party on a wild goose chase. Those who look into 
  the mirror can utter no falsehood. 
  
  5 
   
  0505 VYH: This is a small village of 250 woodcutters and fishermen. Recently, a gal-
  lows has been erected on the main square, and put to good use. Formerly friendly 
  families are quick to denounce one another for gain, or to save themselves. The trav-
  eller should be careful as well! 
   Horseshoe Tavern: uncomfortable village inn, run by the greedy Fernand, and his 
  leering, idiotic assistant, Sylvester. Sylvester is often seen prowling around at 
  night, and stalking over to the cemetery to the crypt of the Rybar family. Fernand 
  keeps a locked chest in his quarters, with 600 gp, 3 gems (2*100 gp, 1000 gp), 
  and a magic key that shall spring six locks. 
   Blacksmith: The only smith capable of making weapons in Gloomywood, Viktor 
  Wissbach (Fighter 1+1) is pining for the magical armour his father has told him 
  of, resting on the bottom of a mountain lake. He has been pressed into the cas-
  tle’s service repairing old equipment, and resents the task. 
   
  0506 Stone pits: Multiple deep pits, reaching 30’ to 50’, lie next to the road. One is 
  the lair of 2 giant owls which come out at night. Their nest has a 400 gp golden chain 
  and a 1000 gp gem. 
   
  0604 Battle site: Two men, badly stabbed, lie as a grim warning on a rope hanging 
  from a tree branch, their pockets turned inside out. 
   
  0606 Graveyard: Wildflowers and 
  moss cover the headstones in this 
  cemetery, peaceful by day, but haunt-
  ed by faerie lights at night. Those who 
  do not avert their eyes must save vs. 
  spell, or shall follow the lights into the 
  river (1-2, drowning), into the dark 
  forests (3-4, automatic random en-
  counter in next hex), or along the 
  road (5-6, awaken exhausted 1d12 
  hexes in either direction). 
   At midnight, 1:2 that Sylvester 
  from Vyh shall be seen confer-
  ring with a hooded man at the 
  crypt of the Rybar family, to re-
  ceive a purse of 30 gp. The man 
  is a spy, but whom for? 
   The crypt, a noble marble affair, is locked. The sarcophagi are undisturbed, and 
  hold 8 zombies; the subterranean crypt, a further 29. The resting place of Renate 
  Rybar, a mummy, holds two pieces of jewellery (1000 gp golden comb and 1200 
  gp gem-encrusted silk gloves) 
   
  0706 Mill: A mill operated by a water wheel in an algae-covered pond, with a skiff by 
  the riverside. The owner, Martin (HD 4+1), seems friendly, but he is a killer who has 
  killed his brother, and shall kill again, with 15 brigands for apprentices. He has 1600 
  gp, a buried barrel with 11,000 gp, and two gems (10 gp, 50 gp). 
   
  
  6 
   
  0803 Ruined sanctuary: A serene place dedicated to some old power of Law. Only the 
  two columns of the collapsed entrance arch and a few walls survive. Chaotics who 
  pass the columns must save vs. death or be struck sick, while the Lawful are reinvigor-
  ated by 1d3 Hp. Those who stand between the columns and look east at dawn shall 
  see the mirage of a man, pointing somewhere on the ground: and digging there 
  yields the staff of striking. 
   
  0805 CASTLE MARSTEIN. The imposing shadows of the vertical walls rise above the 
  road. Tribute is exacted by Captain Grohl’s riders, and disobedient merchants shall 
  find their goods taken or torched, and themselves the castle’s prisoners. For adventur-
  ers, the riders ask 5 gp per person for each passage, but will extract heavier tribute if 
  they think they are rich pickings. No request for audiences shall be granted. The castle 
  has 110 defenders, 50 crossbow-armed light foot, and 60 mounted riders. 
   Parapets: Old statues of owls squat on the corners; these silent sentries are six 
  gargoyles who always watch the walls. 
   Feasting hall: Here are heaped the crude spoils of the riders, and here they boast 
  of foul deeds. 
   The cells: These former guests’ quarters, cold and stocked with graven statues of 
  stern figures, are now locked prisons inhabited by four village girls, the Senechal’s 
  former loves he has now tired of. The fifth, Camilla, had jumped from the high 
  windows, and crushed herself on the rocks, where the remains are still to be seen. 
   Tower: Like a knife piercing the heart, this tall spike of a tower is where Count 
  Dietrich lies on a sickbed in his gloomy bedchambers. 
   Dungeons: Villagers and travellers alike are kept in the dismal cells, or watery 
  pits. Yet all fear the Well, a mouth of a hundred torments. 
   
  0807 Ruined hut: Low stone fences for sheep, and a tumbledown hut mark the former 
  dwelling of shepherds. Wailing and lamentations haunt the place at night, and rest in 
  this hex only brings nightmares. 
   
  0810 Tower ruins: Only a pile of rocks now, and its origins long lost. If the weather is 
  good, the place has a strange glow, and sounds of laughter and merriment can be 
  heard. The revellers are invisible, but if asked, they shall either gift the petitioner 
  with… 1-2 3d6*500 gp, 3-4 random rumour, 5-6 curse. A second request will bring a 
  curse: save vs. spell or be stripped of all items. 
   
  0902 Green gorge: Narrow gorge created by rushing waters, and choked with ferns 
  and ivy. The faint shapes of standing men and women are visible in the rock, and the 
  path through the gorge leads to a round, mossy rock of mysterious qualities… 
   
  0903 Bears: Two bears have taken up residence by the creek. Both bear the wounds 
  of arrows, and are very aggressive. The bushes nearby are very dense, and it is easy 
  to get lost in the twists and turns. Those who do not find a way to orient themselves 
  well, shall be lost, and to their wonder, only return after a full week has passed. 
   
  
  7 
   
  0905 KARS: Large village of 600 souls, 
  including farmers and small craftsmen. 
  Standard equipment, excluding weapons 
  and armour, are available. Vitram the Per-
  secutor, hated taskmaster, has been ap-
  pointed the village foreman, with a contin-
  gent of 12 brigands. The Senechal has 
  promised that should any harm befall him, 
  a tenfold price would be extracted from 
  the perpetrator and his loved ones. As Vit-
  ram watches all, the locals are sullen and 
  uninviting. 
   The Dancing Bear: Now joyless establishment, owned by the morose Augustine, 
  whose only son is a soldier at Castle Marstein. Good wine is stocked down in the 
  cellars, and when he wants to converse unheard, Augustine invites his guests for a 
  tasting. 
   The Scold’s Cage: Where once the statue of a knight had stood, a great domed iron 
  cage now rises with chains, large enough to fit six or eight, and kindling if needed. 
  Yet the statue shall speak to those who come close, and betray a strange secret… 
   Ludek the Notary: He maintains a neat little stone house, and is a 3rd level Magic-
  User. He is considered the Senechal’s better self and conscience. 
   Apothecary: Long out of business, but he is rumoured to have left over some of 
  his old wares. A random potion can be found on a break-in. 
   Vilma the seamstress: Now old and frail, her shirts were once +1 cloak equiva-
  lent. She would only make a new one for someone truly deserving of it. 
   
  0907 Standing stones: The three stones, stacked on top of each other, resemble the 
  shape of a table, and is rumoured to be the creation of a giant. It is now the camp of 
  35 goblins, who harass the inhabitants of Kars. They have no treasure, as it has been 
  taken away by their masters, the orcs (1109). 
   
  1002 Stone pillar: A man stands motionless on the pillar, eyes closed in contempla-
  tion. He is a nameless magic-user with a wand of lightning bolts (15 charges), who 
  has forgotten his name and purpose, but shall never relinquish his treasure alive. 
   
  1004 Berserkers: 5 strongmen, berserkers all, have set up camp here. They desire to 
  slay the bears nearby, and are looking for helpers. They can offer a 3000 gp gem-
  studded belt if the batte is won, although this is something they took from the Sene-
  chal’s waist, and he is none too happy about it. 
   
  1010 Ruined chapel: Formerly a small but sturdy chapel and linked shelter, it is now 
  but a shel. The altar, showing the birth of a hero, is defaced to instead show his 
  downfall. Should the altar be restored, a stone in the ground shall move aside and 
  reveal the hero’s resting place, a burial pit with bones in armour +1 and with a ring 
  of protection, on a bed of 4000 sp and 2000 gp. 
   
   
  
  8 
   
  1102 GULVIA: This small village of timber houses is home to 70 rugged mountain-
  men(brigand equivalent), who live as shepherds, and are hostile to strangers (1:6 to 
  try something dangerous, 1:3 for small groups; otherwise they just curse them inces-
  santly). They have no wealth of note, and despise the other villages. 
   Vitaly: He never came back when his sheep did, and he is presumed lost. 
   The guarded trail: A trail leads off to the south-east. Anyone trying to follow it will 
  be halted, and the villagers agitated. Even if the trespassers desist, they will be 
  watched, and a party of 20 will be sent along the trail to make sure they don’t go 
  around. 
   
  1104 The wolf: Five wolves lair under a rocky overhang. The largest, a devil-wolf, 
  speaks, and inquires politely about the party’s purpose and the local news. It lets them 
  pass if they say something plausible, but it is a false soul, and it will do harm with what 
  it learns. The devil-wolf knows the Senechal, and if needed, can obtain an audience… 
   
  1105 Immured alcove: A tiny stone structure has had its archway bricked up, and 
  marked with a holy sign. Chained bones are within, a silk handkerchief, and tears of 
  amber (570 gp). However, a curse is also within; save vs. death, or the offender’s 
  bones grow soft, -3 to Strength. 
   
  1108 Ruins: It is not possible to determine what had once stood here. Wind whistles 
  through a row of fine arched windows. 10 orcs stand guard here on wolf steeds, and 
  unless surprised, they blow alarm horns and ride down into the valley. 
   
  1109 Orc caverns: This is a lair of 70 orcs, who plunder Gloomywood at will. They 
  have 6000 cp, 6000 gp, gemstones (2*10 gp, 50 gp, 2*100 gp, 2*500 gp), a potion 
  of treasure finding, and a scroll. 
   
  1203 Stone wolf: The ugly idol of a monstrous wolf rears its maw above an altar fresh 
  with sacrificial blood. An ancient bronze dagger +1, +2 vs. goblins lies on the sur-
  face, but if seized, the buried victims, horrendous undead now as 21 zombies, dig 
  themselves out of the ground. 
   
  1204 Standing stones: They are three large upright stones amidst several other flat 
  ones, a sunning place for 7 giant lizards. An inscribed symbol marks buried treasure: a 
  flat iron box with 600 gp, and a 2000 gp heart-shaped golden locket with inset ruby. 
   
  1206 Gypsy camp: By the roadside stands a roadside encampment of 50 gypsies, 
  lead by Sturdy Mikhal (2nd level Fighting Man). They would prefer to leave 
  Gloomywood, but ten of them have been taken hostage in Castle Marstein’s dun-
  geons, and Rosina, their enchantress, slain by soldiers and buried at the crossroads 
  (1305) after she refused to tell the Senechal who would try to take his life. Rosina’s 
  cart still has her effects, but it has been broken open and the precious objects stolen. 
   
  
  9 
   
  1305 Crossroads: A gallow stands by the place with 1d6 hanging corpses, and under 
  the road lies Rosina (1206), buried here so she might not see rest. If exhumed and 
  brought to a proper place of burial, she will visit the character carrying her in a 
  dream, hand over two potions and a scroll, and also reveal that the Senechal is des-
  tined to be the source of his own downfall. 
   
  1307 Hunter’s house: Ivan (4th level Fighting Man), a gruff loner lives here in the 
  company of four large sheepdogs (wolf equivalent). He knows a rumour, and also the 
  way to the lost valley to the southeast, which he tells to someone worthy of it – like 
  someone who would see what is happening at the old smelting furnace (1407). 
   
  1407 Old smelting furnace: A step pyramidal structure once used to smelt iron, but 
  now abandoned and overgrown. It is inhabited by owls, and more recently, 30 orcs 
  who have established an advanced outpost to spy on the road and the monastery. 
   
  1503 Marker: Stone column marking Wolfkill pass, the way into Gloomywood. Some-
  thing glistens in a nest on the top. The piece is just glass, but the column is precarious, 
  and falls over for 3d6 Hp if someone tries to climb it (save vs. stone can avoid if careful). 
   
  1506 Priory: 15 monks (normal men) practice their rites. Father Theosthom, the prior, 
  has left on a journey to request outside help against the evil in Gloomywood, and has 
  not been heard from since. Ever since, the famous crying saint has stopped shedding 
  tears, and no miracles are now possible. 
   
  1609 Tower on the lake: A strange tower overlooking the mirror-clear mountain lake, 
  with a golden lock. It has been abandoned very long, but Justifier, +1 Lawful sword, 
  +3 vs. lycanthropes, is kept therein. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/EMDT First Hungarian D20 Society/EMDT Gloomywood [v1.1] (0e).pdf