# The Fort in the Hinterlands _In the wide and wild north, the rush is on: gold, glory, and greater still abound in this unspoiled land; but the frigid earth is reluctant to yield up her riches—and when she does, the cost is greater than most can afford._ _The path to this new world carves through the Great White Sea and to the continent of Glacia, where lies old treasure and older secrets buried amidst snow-capped mountains and wind-raked pines. And clinging stubbornly to cliff edge and frozen ground is its gate: Fort Caspar, known also by hopefuls as the Fort in the Hinterlands. The haft of the spear that the realm of man has thrust into the rich but unforgiving wilds, Fort Caspar grants singular access to the almost entirely unexplored land of Glacia._ ![[the-fort-world-map.png]] _The hinterlands are populated by a hardy bunch of men, women, and children who daily wrest their living from this rich and deadly frontier, while a nearby network of caverns is home to all manner of fell beasts and foul deeds. Their existence is a constant threat to the precarious order established by force and maintained with blood by the soldiers of the fort and people of the frontier. Adventurers seeking fortune and glory routinely answer the call to arms against the forces of evil, though many never return—and those who do, are not the same…_ ## Introduction _The Fort in the Hinterlands_ is an adventure for 4-6+ players of levels 2-5, and the first in a series of adventures that take place in the Land of Glacia: a continent-sized landmass situated at the northern pole and bearing a striking similarity to Alaska and the Arctic. This adventure is comprised of three distinct areas: - **[[#Fort Caspar|Fort Caspar]]**, where adventurers may obtain equipment and supplies, plumb locals for resources and knowledge, and rest and heal after exploring the Hinterlands or delving the Cold Caverns; - **[[Secret/The Land of Glacia/The Fort in the Hinterlands#The Hinterlands|The Hinterlands]]**, where beasts and bandits roam, where wild men resist the ceaseless march of civilization, and the relics of lost races languish beneath moss and earth; - **[[Secret/The Land of Glacia/The Fort in the Hinterlands#The Cold Caverns|The Cold Caverns]]**, where a number of dangers and opportunities await adventurers, from feuding tribes of monstrous creatures to hoarded wealth and great secrets, and more still. ## Background The age is one of exploration and discovery, Glacia being the most recent territory uncovered by expeditions that span the world to this very day. Fort Caspar is the gateway into this primeval realm, a land studded with modest settlements and ancient ruins, and populated by tenacious pioneers and savage tribes alike. Raised just 10 years prior, the Fort is situated at the confluence of two rivers, their white waters ever-raging through deep chasms carved over countless millennia and emptying into the frigid sea. Once exclusively a military fort, it now grants access to the untamed frontier where men and women of grit test their mettle, prevailing in glory or perishing in obscurity. **Note:** This adventure was also designed as a sequel to ***The Broken Light*** and can be played immediately after its conclusion. ## Fort Caspar *The first of three zines describing the Fort in the Hinterlands setting, **Fort Caspar** introduces the people, places, and pressures of the eponymous fort. It is being shared here as a work-in-progress—see [[#Beyond the Fort|Beyond the Fort]] for guidance on how to use it to run your own game.* ![[fort-caspar-keyed.png]] A narrow and precarious path, carved into the steep bluff itself and nary wider than a horse-drawn cart, leads from the sliver of rocky shore whereupon a slew of weathered docks constitute a rough port and to the Fort itself. Cut from the black basalt upon which it was built, it is a formidable structure: Perched atop the sheer cliff that makes up the very continental shelf of Glacia, the Fort looms like a storm cloud ever on the horizon. Within its impregnable walls, adventurers are like to encounter a number of helpful individuals, some of whom will be for hire, and myriad opportunities for adventure. A good starting point for such exploits is the rumor table. Rumors may be passed to adventurers by any non-player character (NPC) they encounter, if the time and place are right. | Roll | Rumor | | ---- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | A great goblin chief dwelling within the caverns wants to negotiate a peace treaty with the fort, but few are brave enough to seek him out. This rumor is false. | | 2 | A merchant is being held ransom by a large band of goblins deep within the caverns. He will handsomely reward any who rescue him. This rumor is true. | | 3 | Goblins within the caverns are reasonable creatures, and will not molest adventurers in exchange for just a handful of silver pieces. This rumor is false. | | 4 | A great hoard of magic weapons is hidden in the western caverns. This rumor is false. | | 5 | The southernmost entrance to the caverns is unguarded, but heavily trapped. This rumor is false, and the opposite is actually true. | | 6 | The ancient ruins to the east of the caverns have become the haunt of a cult believed to be capable of summoning a cthonic god. This rumor is true, unless the party previously defeated the Black Ice Serpent in The Broken Light adventure. | | 7 | Great care should be exercised when traveling the woods about the caverns: A cannibal with the strength of ten men preys on those who become lost. This rumor is true. | | 8 | The taverner possesses a map to a treasure hoard in the caverns—he may be willing to give it away, for a cut of the loot. This rumor is true. | | 9 | A war is currently underway between the various wilderfolk tribes in the region. This rumor is true. | | 10 | Deep within the Cold Caverns, something sleeps, and in its dreams, stalks the land. This rumor is true. | ### 1. The Main Gate _Two towers—roughly 20’ tall and constructed of dark basalt—flank the main gate, against which a sturdy wooden bridge is drawn. Separating the path approaching the fort and the bulwarked main gate is a small chasm some 15’ wide and 50’ deep, at the bottom of which an icy river rages as it plummets downhill and to the frigid sea below._ When travelers approach the gate, the drawbridge is lowered and the portcullis opened, and two **_men-at-arms_** (_T7; 8 HP; +1P; wearing plate mail and bearing a polearm_) take up station just outside it. When approached by travelers, the soldiers will offer a short welcome and instruct them that all weapons must be properly stowed while within the fort’s walls. Afterwards, the travelers will be escorted through the gatehouse and into the **courtyard**, where they will be led to the sergeant of the watch for check-in. _The walls of the gatehouse—constructed of the same dark basalt that comprise the majority of the fort—stand equal to the towers that flank it and house two heavy wooden gates, both protected by an iron portcullis. Battlements adorn its top, as well as the tops of the sturdy towers._ _Inside the short passage through the gatehouse, the opening to which stands some 10’ tall, archery holes on either stone wall reveal men-at-arms watching silently from within. The second portcullis and gate are opened, and reveal a modest stone-paved courtyard studded with rich, stout evergreens._ ### 2. Gatehouse Towers _The circular towers stand even to the gatehouse sandwiched between the two, the combined structures presenting a bulky and stalwart aspect._ Atop each tower is two **_bowmen_** (_T6; 5-7 HP; +1 Reflex; wearing chainmail and bearing a crossbow_). The towers have two levels, in addition to the topmost level that is opened and ringed with battlements. On the second level, such defensive items as barrels of oil—which can be used against attackers outside the gates—are stored. The towers are connected by way of the gatehouse, which acts as a parapet walk. At any point, there are six additional soldiers in each tower (four men-at-arms, two bowmen), some of whom are visible through the gatehouse archery holes. The towers themselves are only accessible through the **garrisons** at either side. ### 3. Courtyard _Well-worn cobblestone paves the Fort’s entry yard, and old barrels repurposed as planters hold a variety of colorful blossoms that cheerily greet arrivals. A modest fountain is here, its clear running water tinkling musically._ A thatch-roofed lean-to houses the ***sergeant of the watch*** (_T7; 10 HP; +1 Intellect, +2 Power; wearing plate armor and bearing a short sword_) and his scribe (_T5; 5 HP; +1 Intellect_), who records the names of hours of each traveler as they come and go. The sergeant is gruff, but more or less cordial, and will take notice of—and favor toward—bold or gallant adventurers. ### 4. Garrisons _These tall, square towers are roughly 30’ tall, standing some 10’ above the gatehouse. A number of thin, rectangular windows generously dot their smooth stone surfaces, and battlements crown both structures._ The garrisons house the bulk of the soldiery at the Fort, and consist of three levels containing virtually everything an army could need: a kitchen, scullery, and modest galley on the first level; an armory—access to which is behind a locked door—containing an assortment of armors, shields, and melee and ranged weapons on the second level; and living quarters on the third level. Stationed on the top level is a ballista, manned by two **_bowmen_** at all times. During the day, both garrisons are generally quiet, with only 25% of the force present. The remaining personnel are either at their posts throughout the fort, patrolling the walls, or conducting sorties across the countryside.  During the night, the majority of personnel are present, and warm light shines from the tower’s many windows, with drunken revelry being faintly audible at nearly all hours. ### 5. Common Stables _The modest building, somewhat ramshackle compared with many of the Fort’s other structures, is comprised largely of raw timber and mortared stone, with a densely thatched roof and a number of open air stalls. Neighs and whinnies issue from the stables as horses are tended._ The stables can house approximately 20 horses (_T5; 3-6 HP_) at one time, though there are generally only 5-10 present. The northern portion of the stables are enclosed and frequently serve as quarters for servants or poor travelers. Arrangements for use of the stables can be made with the taverner (see **Area 11**), who owns them. ### 6. Church _Though small and humbly adorned, the squat building is beautiful in its simplicity. Built of white basalt blocks, large and fastidiously hewn, it is extremely well-kept and looks to have been raised only yesterday. A single tower reaches some 20 feet high, and a glowing bronze bell hangs in its belfry._ Despite its appearance, the church was among the first buildings raised within the Fort’s walls. The interior is sparse, though equally beautiful to its exterior—long, narrow stained-glass windows depict scenes of religious significance, and the light that streams through them splashes blue, red, and green on the wooden pews and altar, and bounces from the gleaming white marble floor. The church is maintained by a level 3 cleric (his official title being bishop) who is advanced in age, and his two level 1 clerics—subordinate to his authority (their official titles being deacons). During the morning hours, the church offers services to the people of the Fort, though in the afternoon and evening hours they are available for blessings, consultations, and requests for aid. They are good men and will do their best to assist all who ask—so long as the requests do not violate their consciences. If the bishop learns that a party intends to enter the Caverns for a righteous cause, he will bless their armor and weapons and may allow one of his deacons to accompany them. If there is a cleric among the party, he will provide him or her with a vial of _holy water_. ### 7. Rectory _Built of the same material as the church, the structure is decidedly less impressive, lacking most of its architectural features. A simple pitched roof covers the squat, square building, and a narrow chimney peacefully issues the clean smell of cedar smoke all hours of the day and night._ The rectory houses the bishop and his two deacons. It is modestly though comfortably appointed, and the main living area—where guests’ needs are frequently tended to—contains an assortment of comfortable chairs, all donated by the fort's faithful over the years, arrayed in front of the large stone fireplace. If the party has time, the bishop may invite them to his rectory for an evening consultation, wherein he will warn them of the practice of dark magic and demonic worship that grips the wilds of that land (see [[#Book II: The Hinterlands|Book II]] for more details). ### 8. Private Quarters _Long and low, the structure sits atop a stone foundation, its walls formed of dark timber significant in diameter._ The two buildings that comprise the Fort’s private quarters house two families each. In this building, there are two persons of significance: **Groundskeeper**—the Fort’s groundskeeper is an old and kindly human male, with an eye for detail and order. His compensation is generous, but he keeps very little of it, donating much of it to the church, and setting aside the remainder for his sons with the common treasury, who are currently guardsmen at an interior fort up the river. As a result, there is only 15gp squirrelled away in various places throughout his home. **Healer** (*Level 4 Cleric; T6; 12 HP, 6 PP, 12 MP; +2 Aspect, +1 Intellect; abilities: Words of Healing, Champion's Resolve; spells: Cure Wounds, Restore, Bless, Words of Strength, Resurrection; skills: heal, detect motive, persuade*)—This elven female wears her long, flaxen hair in two elegant braids. Her eyes are grey and piercing, though a calmness radiates from her gentle face. She sells all manner of healing substances, including healing potions (2gp, restores 1d5+5 HP) and salves (2sp 1d5 HP). Additionally, she will perform her _resurrection_ spell for 50gp. ### 9. Forge _This two-story building is built of large grey stones, unhewn and natural in shape, interlocked expertly and mortared together neatly._ The first level is the blacksmith’s workshop and contains all the standard features of the trade: anvils, a forge, bellows, and a wide variety of hand tools. The blacksmith is a young man, having taken over the business after his father’s recent death. Though skilled in the trade, he is still a novice, and as a result, any armor, weapons, or equipment made by him must be tested—just prior to its first use, roll 1d10: on a roll of 2 or lower, the item fails to produce its intended effect and instead breaks (note: this test need only be performed once). The second level is the blacksmith’s quarters. The furnishings are simple and sparse, and beneath his bed, under a loose floorboard, is a small cache of 89 raw gold nuggets (worth 10gp each) and a leather pouch of various finely cut jewels. Mounted on his bedroom wall is his father’s old service sword, still razor sharp to the touch (+1 damage). ### 10. Private Quarters In this building, there is one person of significance. **Jeweler**—this dwarf male wears a long beard, braided in a complicated fashion and adorned with sparkling gems. He is always willing to purchase precious stones, jewels, and other sparkling treasures, though he is a shrewd businessman and has a reputation about the fort as slightly dishonest. Despite this, he will pay up to 10% more than the proprietor of Trade & Supply (see **area 13**), should the seller be sufficiently persuasive (and the item particularly valuable). ### 11a. Tavern _The building is uncommonly tall, and its exterior—comprised of a mixture of rough stone, straw, mud, and timber frames—appears much older than it actually is. The steep-pitched, wood-shingled roof sags gloomily while a large chimney, from which several stones are missing, belches smoke into the sky, and several smaller chimneys issue steady streams._ Despite its crestfallen appearance, the interior of the tavern is warm and inviting, its advanced patina a source of comfort rather than concern. The ceilings are low, with chandeliers dangling at random intervals throughout, and the walls are comprised of various shades of wooden slats. The tavern has served mostly the same fare since the first stone was laid a decade ago, and to enthusiastic reception. These factors ensure that there is no dearth of patronage—at any time, there are 1d10 +5 customers present. | Menu Item | Cost | Menu Item | Cost | | ------------------ | ---- | ----------- | ---- | | Salted grouse | 2cp | Pickled cod | 2cp | | Roast pork | 4cp | Herbed tea | 1cp | | Roast chicken | 3cp | Ale (light) | 2cp | | Bread (loaf) | 1cp | Ale (heavy) | 1sp | | Vegetable stew | 1cp | Wine | 1sp | | Cheese (sm. wheel) | 1sp | Mead | 4cp | There is a 1-in-2 chance that 1d5 of these customers are level 1-2 men-at-arms (rogues and warriors), and a further 1-in-2 chance that one among them is a level 1-2 wizard. These men-at-arms may be hired to accompany the party on their excursions into the caverns or wilderness. Note: The average cost of these retainers is 10gp per person per day, but certain conditions (like the promise of a percentage of any treasures recovered) can reduce their fee. The taverner is a middling man, with ruddy cheeks and a jovial demeanor. He is more than happy to share rumors picked up from his many patrons, particularly in the evening. At the cost of an ale, he will even opine on the truth of the rumors he relates (1-in-2 chance he is correct). His wife and two daughters aid him in serving customers at both the tavern and the inn. All supplies are stored in the cellar, which is accessed by a hidden door behind the bar. In addition to tavern stores, there are 73gp and 110sp hidden in an empty wine barrel. There is a 1-in-5 chance that: a deacon, the master at arms (**area 20**), the sergeant of the watch, the captain of the watch (**area 24**), the Commander (**area 27**), or any other NPC (game master’s choice), will be in the tavern, and in a markedly favorable mood. ### 11b. Inn The inn comprises the tavern’s second story, where two private rooms (each sleeping four) and a common area (sleeping six) can be found. A private room costs 1gp per night, while a space in the common area costs only 1sp. The inn is modestly furnished with a collection of varied chairs and tables. The private rooms contain four small beds, and a wood stove each. There is a small stone fireplace in the common area, and a room enough for bed rolls. The building’s third story, which is hidden away in its steep-pitched roof, is occupied by the taverner and his family. ### 12. Library _Like many of the Fort’s buildings, a raw stone foundation supports dark timber walls. At various sections, the wood bears long, black stains, as though licked by a tongue of fire. At either side of the wide double-doors, there is a stone statue: A bear and a wolf, each standing on two feet, wearing a soldier’s helm and bearing a spear._ This building was once a guild house but caught fire about 8 years ago and was partially destroyed. Rather than restoring it, the guilds voted unanimously to abandon the building and move deeper into the interior of Glacia, where more work and wealth awaited them. After languishing for some years, the Fort’s current commander commissioned its restoration and converted it into a library. On its shelves are vast collections of military histories, tactics, and treatises; volumes of magical and scientific studies; and a special section on works pertaining to Glacia, including its natural history, demographics, and works of art inspired by its lands. A small, mousy female hobbit (*Level 3 Wizard; T4; 8 HP, 6 PP, 13 MP; +2 Intellect, +1 Aspect; abilities: Prestidigitation, Splash-effect, Spell-builder; spells: Detect Magic, Read Languages, Light, Sleep, Charm, Identify; skills: know history, know nature, know religion, listen*) was hand-selected by the commander as its curator. In addition to her professional qualifications, she is well-read on the subject of esoterica and the occult—invaluable knowledge, as the cults developing in the wilderness are a looming threat to the fort, and few even know of their existence, let alone their beliefs, practices, and powers. If the party gains the favor of the curator or the commander (see **area 22**), he may offer to allow the curator to aid them in their explorations of the ancient ruins buried deep within the forests surrounding the Fort. ### The Fort Square _Four buildings, each identical in shape and size, encircle the serene fort square. At its center, a beautiful fountain, larger even than that of the courtyard, sparkles in the light. Built of white basalt blocks polished to a shine, water pours from the mouths of four carven fish and into the body of the fount. Small evergreens, their trunks short and stout, their branches and needles immaculate, ring the fountain._ _Ferns fill the window boxes of the two-story, timber-framed buildings. Each identical to the next, their exteriors are comprised of cob, colored grey from the minerals in the local soil, and a decorative stone fascia lines their foundations. Squat chimneys issue smoke, which fills the air with the rich smell of cedar._ #### Fort Square Market Opened only certain days of the week—and even then, unpredictably—adventurers can find all manner of farm and fine trade-related items, including mixed produce, goats (1gp), horses (5gp), saddles (2gp), sleds (40gp), wagons (30gp), ships (160gp+), and more. Much of these goods reside outside the Fort’s walls, and will need to be retrieved by the buyer. ### 13. Reliquary _The atmosphere is serene, smelling strongly of rose incense, and the pleasant sound of bells rings out from somewhere indiscernible. The light is warm and diffused, radiating from an unseen source._ An elven male sits on a wooden stool, reading a leather-bound book. He will greet warmly all who enter, blessing them, and offering his service. A small sample of available goods is included below. | Relic Item | Cost | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | | _Holy water_ – inflicts 1d5 + 5 damage on evil, undead, or otherwise unholy entities. | 1gp | | _Improved holy water_ – inflicts 1d10 + 5 damage on evil, undead, or otherwise unholy entities; heals good-aligned entities of all infirmaries. | 3gp | | Heartfire – a heart-shaped vial that produces a bright light; when wielded against evil, undead, or otherwise unholy entities, inflicts -1 toughness. | 5gp | | _Blessed cloak_ – when equipped, gain +1 toughness against evil, undead, or otherwise unholy entities. | 22sp | | _Silver manacles_ – any entity that is not good aligned will find these chains unbreakable. | 31sp | If a cleric purchases a relic, there is a 1-in-10 chance that the proprietor will receive a divine message about his or her mission and refuse to accept payment, instead insisting he or she take it for free. ### 14. Trade & Supply _The shop is well-lit, and smells pleasant—the faint aroma of lavender and lemon clings brightly to the air. Items innumerable fill the shop, all neatly displayed on shelves, racks, and cases._ Here, adventurers may trade equipment, goods, and valuables (-10% of their value maximum), as well as purchase nearly anything they may require for exploring the nearby caverns and wilderness area. In addition to all equipment in the core rules, a small sample of available goods is included below. | Equipment | Cost | Equipment | Cost | | ------------- | ---- | ----------------- | ---- | | Rucksack | 3sp | Lantern | 15cp | | Rope (100’) | 5cp | Oil flask | 1sp | | Tinder box | 1sp | Rations (1 week) | 3sp | | Thieves’ kit | 1gp | Torches (5) | 10cp | | Water skin | 1sp | Cloak | 25cp | | Ten-foot pole | 15cp | Cookware | 4sp | | Deck of cards | 6cp | Pipe (w/ tobacco) | 2sp | | Armor | Cost | Weapon | Cost | | -------------- | ---- | ---------- | ---- | | Chainmail | 20gp | Flail | 4gp | | Leather, heavy | 6gp | Greatsword | 10gp | | Leather, light | 4gp | Longbow | 6gp | | Platemail | 30gp | Shield | 2gp | | Magic Item | Cost | | ------------------- | ---- | | Potion | 1gp | | Ring of protection | 10gp | | Rucksack of holding | 3gp | | Spell scroll | 2gp | There is a 1-in-2 chance that the proprietor is unaware of the value of each item, and will sell it for significantly less than its worth. The proprietor (_T5; 4 HP; +1 Intellect_) is an honest human male, though known about the Fort to be penny-pinching, owing to his large family—three sons and four daughters, all of whom live with him and his wife in the shop’s second story. It is also said that he gives generously to the church. As a result, he will often only pay slightly below market value for almost anything sold to him; additionally, many of his goods are overpriced. ### 15. Mapwright & Scrivener _The shop smells of ink, beeswax, and drying vellum. Neatly hung maps line the walls—coastal charts, riverways, charcoal sketches of pine-choked valleys and towering crags. A narrow window admits dappled light onto a broad table crowded with measuring chains, lenses, and other tools of the trade._ This building houses a map shop, charter office, and scribe’s counter. Anyone heading into the Hinterlands eventually requires the services provided here, whether it be an accurate map, an official charter from Fort Caspar (which can gain the trust of settlers and soldiers alike in the interior), or navigational equipment. Typically, the following items and equipment are available for purchase: | Item | Cost | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | | _Area maps_ – these maps are generally accurate to 100m and represent geographic features well-known to the area. | 1gp | | _Charter & writ_ – papers that detail the party’s purpose, notarized by Fort Caspar’s clerical office; a charter will often allay suspicion from settlers and soldiers, who are ever wary of deceit and danger. | 5sp | | _Spyglass_ – allows close observation of human-sized targets up to 3 miles and large landmarks up to 10 miles in clear conditions. | 2gp | The shop is owned by a husband-wife couple: a fit-looking, middle-aged human male (cartographer) and an equally fit-looking, youthful-appearing elf female (scrivener). There is a 1-in-3 chance they are in the field, mapping out new regions; in this event, the shop will be operated by their half-elf daughter. She is often consumed with worry for her parents and will express her concern given the opportunity. Additionally, there is a 1-in-5 chance that her parents are late to return from their most recent expedition, and the young woman will ask customers venturing into the Hinterlands to “please, keep your eyes opened for them.” If a map is purchased here, there is a 1-in-5 chance that the map tube possesses a false bottom, where 12gp and a small silver signet (15sp) is hidden. ### 16. Alchemist _The shop is dim, lit only by small candles haphazardly hung from the ceiling or mounted to the walls, each of which gives off an eerie, unnatural color. Shelves and cabinets line the small room, overfull with jars and bottles, and a thick layer of dust and cobwebs coats every surface._ Here, a strange, inscrutable human male—simultaneously young and old in countenance—peers out from the shadows behind the counter. A long, thin moustache dangles from his gaunt face, and his eyes glitter mischievously. He is friendly—some would say too friendly—and eager to answer questions about his products. A small sample of available goods is included below. | Item | Cost | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | | _Flashstone_ – produces a bright flash when thrown to the ground, blinding (-2 to all rolls) any entity who views it for 5 rounds. | 5gp | | _Magnesian milk_ – cures poison. | 2gp | | _Firewater_ – gain +1 Toughness, Power, and Reflex for 10 rounds. | 6gp | | _Blinkstone_ – enables to the user to teleport to wherever the stone is thrown; each time the stone is used, roll 1d10: on a roll of 3 or below, the stone is broken on impact and no longer usable. | 10gp | | _Dessicating powder_ – reduces toughness of all undead entities by half (rounded up) for 5 rounds. | 9sp | The second story contains the alchemist’s living quarters and workshop, where a number of experimental concoctions can be found. The entrance to the dwelling is trapped, and if the locked door is opened, a paralytic gas (_T9; save T8; affects radius of 10ft; causes paralysis for 8 hours_) is released. Additionally, there are 369 counterfeit (T7 Intellect Check) gold pieces (having been transmuted from lead) on a workbench. ### 17. Butchery _Aromatic smoke pours from the chimney of this small and sturdy building. Comprised of thick, dark logs, the interior is densely packed with a variety of cuts of meat, and behind the woodblock counter, a makeshift iron smoker runs in perpetuity._ A heavy-set dwarf male wearing a meticulous brown beard operates the butchery, and the quality of his product is unrivaled. Procured from several farms on the interior, he takes great pride in offering a wide range of meats: cow, pig, sheep, chicken, and in every conceivable form—as well as more exotic flavors, when available. His standard menu includes: | **Meat** | **Basic Cut** | **Fine Cut** | | --------- | -------------------- | ----------------------- | | _Beef_ | Rough-cut slab (5cp) | Sirloin or rib (2sp) | | _Chicken_ | Whole, dressed (3cp) | Breasts or thighs (6cp) | | _Mutton_ | Haunch (4cp) | Rack or leg (8cp) | | _Pork_ | Shoulder/belly (4cp) | Cured loin (1sp) | | **Rations** | **Description** | **Cost** | | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | | _Salted jerky_ | Hard-dried; keeps for 2 weeks | 6cp | | _Sausage links_ | Smoked; keeps for 1 week | 1sp | | _Pemmican brick_ | Rendered fat, meat, berries; keeps for 1 month; counts as 2 rations | 2sp | ### 18. Common Treasury _This non-descript one-story building is comprised entirely of hewn stone identical to the walls of the Fort. Its narrow windows are barred by iron rods._ This building is under the constant watch of a **_bowman_** (_T6; 5-7 HP; +1 reflex; wearing chainmail and bearing a crossbow_) on the inner gatehouse’s east tower. Inside are a number of glass display cases, each holding a rare or fantastical item. Behind the counter, a sharp-nosed hobbit male watches entrants implacably. His demeanor will change abruptly, becoming kind and welcoming, if potential customers display their wealth. The treasury offers two primary services: secure storage of valuables (a fee of 5% is applied to valuables stored for fewer than two weeks; otherwise, the service is free) and the sale of valuables unclaimed for more than one year (usually belonging to adventures who are assumed dead). At any time, 5-10 valuable items are available for sale, displayed in the glass cases in the main shop area. The items are slightly overpriced, and the treasurer is intolerant of bargaining. | Item | Cost | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | | _Dwarven warhammer_ – finely crafted, glimmers a burnished silver; +1 damage. | 100gp | | _Large pearl_ – from the Great White Sea. | 36sp | | _Leather armor, boiled_ – MW; +1 toughness. | 10gp | | _Shield, silvered_ – LW; +1 attack, +1 toughness. | 50gp | | _Scroll of finding_ – locates all valuables in a 50’ radius. | 11sp | The entirety of the treasury’s wealth is contained in an iron-walled vault in the building’s cellar. Its iron door is magically locked, and all but impervious to destruction. Additionally, there is an incineration trap (T8 to spot, T10 to disarm; causes instant incineration; T6 Reflex Save to reduce to 1d5 damage) that is triggered upon unauthorized contact with the vault's handle. ### 19. Light Tower _This square tower reaches higher than the rest, standing some 75 feet tall. A pointed stone roof caps its peak, stood atop thin pillars that admit full view of several brazier which, in the night, bear blazing fires that guide all northbound vessels to safe shores._ A stone staircase spirals from the tower’s entrance atop the wall to the sixth floor, where the light itself is housed. The keeper of the light, a human male, resides on the fifth floor. His quarters are secured by a locked wooden door. Inside is a simple room with a wood stove with cooktop, a comfortable feather bed (inside which 73gp and 27sp are hidden), and several pieces of furniture. Cords of thick wood and barrels of oil are stored on the fourth floor. A dumbwaiter is in the middle of the room, and a locked trap door in the ceiling leads through the keeper’s quarters and to the light. A balcony is accessible from the third floor, encircling the tower, and is occupied at all times by two watchmen (_T6; (5-7 HP) +1 reflex; wearing chainmail and bearing a crossbow_). There is no second story—instead, the stone stairs spiral from the first floor to the third. ### 20. Martial Tower _This tower is short and wide, its topmost level forming part of the wall itself. Thin camber windows denote its two stories, and a large door on its south eastern side grants entry._ During the day, the door to the martial tower is opened, and there is a 1-in-2 chance that the ***master at arms*** (*Level 3 Warrior; T7; 14 HP, 7 PP; +2 Power, +1 Reflex; abilities: Defensive Rush, Power Strike, Withstand; plate, longsword, dagger; skills: athletics, brute force, intimidate*) will be here. When present, he will be instructing 1d10 officers in warfare theory and tactics. He resides on the second floor, the door to which is locked thrice, where his modestly-appointed chambers grant him swift access to the walk atop the walls. The master at arms is a likeable, though boastful, human male, and is always happy to demonstrate his techniques with willing participants. If any character develops a friendly relationship with him, he will be willing to teach them one of his warrior class ability, even if they are not a warrior (the character must have a minimum of 1 Power). This will take approximately 20 hours of training. ### The Inner Bailey _Tall pines comprise the majority of the inner bailey’s courtyard, rising some 30 feet into the sky. The low branches are trimmed up to about 15 feet, creating a raised canopy of rich, soft-looking green. Braziers line the needle-carpeted ground, and to the east, a tower rises 50 feet from the pines._ During the day, there is a 1-in-2 chance that the master at arms will be here, training 1d10 + 10 soldiers in melee combat. The inner bailey consists of all area behind the interior wall, and represents the portion of the fort that is strictly military in purpose. Civilians are generally not admitted here. However, if the party does something heroic—either in defense of the keep or its citizens, or to advance the Fort’s goals—they may gain the attention of the Fort’s commander (area 27). The ***Commander of the Fort*** (*Level 5 Warrior; T9; 18 HP, 10 PP; +3 Power, +2 Intellect, +1 Aspect; abilities: Defensive Rush, Power Strike, Withstand, Champion's Resolve, Legendary Presence; plate, longsword, sidearm dagger; skills: brute force, intimidate, listen, persuade*) is a tall, iron-willed man in his forties of few words and a thousand-yard stare. A flame flickers behind his icy grey eyes, which are always calculating, analyzing, weighing—every man, every road, every hour of every day. He believes Caspar is a *necessary claim* against the wild, and that fear is contagious. He rewards competence and discretion, and despises rumors and soft-thinking. #### 21. Defensive Tower (NW) _This tower is equal in height to the wall, though the battlements are thicker. A sturdy wooden door grants entry, and a stone staircase rises around its exterior, granting access to the walk._ The section of wall on which this tower is situated sits at the edge of a steep, stony hill, which plunges sharply down to the crevasse below. Atop the tower, there is a 1-in-4 chance that a two-***soldier*** patrol (*each: T6; 7 HP, 5 PP; +1 Power; chainmail, spear; skills: spot, listen*) can be encountered here, day or night. The door leading into the tower is locked during the day. Inside is a small area called the “morale chest,” where several tankards of ale and boxes of pipe tobacco can be found among small tables and chairs. At any time throughout the night, the door is propped opened, and 1d5 off-duty soldiers are socializing inside. #### 22. Defensive Tower (NE) _This tower rises 10 feet about the Fort’s walls, and is ringed in thick battlements._ Inside the wall-level room of the towel, a spiral staircase leads to the roof, which is equipped with a ballista, manned by two **_bowmen_** at all times. #### 23. Main Armory _The square tower is approximately 30 feet tall at the ground-level, and its extremely narrow stone windows are reinforced with thick blocks._ Accessible only from the wall, each of armory’s three iron doors are always locked. The tower consists of three levels: The first level, where explosive munitions are stored; the second level, where melee weapons are stored; and the third level, where ranged weapons are stored. There is a 1-in-5 chance that one of the following items can be found on its respective level: | Weapon | Armory Level | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------ | | _Wand of exploding_ – inflicts 1d5 damage; roll after each use: on a roll of 2 or lower, the wand explodes, inflicting 1 damage on the wielder. | First | | _Falchion of swiftness_ – MW; +1 attack; on an attack roll of 8 or higher, the wielder gains another attack. | Second | | _Double-shot crossbow_ – MW; +1 attack; make two ranged attacks per combat turn. | Third | In the event that the party accepts a mission from the stronghold, they may be granted access to the armory to arm both themselves and any retainers they may have hired. #### 24. Inner Gatehouse _This stout structure is built from the wall itself, and the third-story of which sits atop it. The building’s roof is flat and capped by battlements. The windows that line its length are barred by heavy iron grates. A fine courtyard, full of all manner of vines and dotted with pale-white flowers, is nestled between either side of the portcullis. The iron gate is raised._ The portcullis grants entry into the gate tunnel, which stretches on for some 30 feet before reaching the large wooden doors that lead to the inner bailey. The gate tunnel also comprises the first level, and houses animal stables and loading docks, and—during the day—a number of servants and merchants getting about their daily business. The inner gatehouse is an additional layer of defense in the event that the main gate is breached, and is highly fortified as a result. Under normal circumstances, the towers each manned by a **_bowman_**, and the portcullis and gate tunnel under guard of ten men-at-arms at all times; under exceptional circumstances, the patrol size is doubled. The second level is the **_captain of the guard_**’s quarters. While the accommodations are luxurious, the captain spends little time enjoying them. He is a meticulous and dedicated soldier, taking his post with the utmost seriousness. This is evident even in his appearance—he keeps his thick black hair cut in a neat, short square-cut, and his clean-shaven face bears several long-healed scars. The captain spends most of his time in the fort on the third level, among maps of the region and action reports, meeting with his subordinate officers and planning incursions into hostile wilderness areas. His primary focus is to clear the wilds surrounding the fort, which is inadvertently driving bands of monsters into the Cold Caverns, causing chaos and internal conflict. To date, the Fort has been unwilling to send soldiers into the Caverns in any sizeable number, considering it too risky. However, the captain has noticed the state of the Caverns, and is devising a head-on offensive against it, though the Commander has so far withheld his approval. If the party are granted access to the inner bailey, they will be escorted by the captain himself, who will treat them politely, but not without suspicion. They may win his trust, particularly if they express their interest in the Caverns; if he is sufficiently impressed, he may even openly support their ambitions—going so far as to offer material support like weapons, rations, and under the right conditions, personnel. #### 25. Inner Tower _This tower climbs 100 feet into the gray sky, built of the same dark basalt as the Fort itself. At approximately 50 feet, narrow balconies seem to randomly stud its exterior, reaching to the tower’s uppermost heights._ This defensive structure can be manned by a total of 30 bowmen, using the balconies of various heights to gain a good vantage against a range of distant targets both beyond the walls and within the baileys. #### 26. Military Stables _The air is warm with animal breath, and the scent is sharp with hay and leather. Thick timber frames form a number of stalls, and spear racks and saddle trees line the walls._ This is the Fort’s operational stable, separate from the tavern-owned common stables. At any point, it houses 1d10 + 5 **_Caspar Warhorses_** (_T6; 5-7 HP; +1 Power; trample for 1 damage_)—a unique breed of horse that are stocky and muscular; have dark coats of black, bay, or iron grey; and wear heavy manes and tails, which are braided short for work. They are calm, sturdy, and obedient, though are often known to be stubborn with strangers. The horses and their keep are maintained by the **_stable sergeant_**, whose aspect and manner is reminiscent of a horse and who is very serious and protective of the animals. Two grooms (T4) are frequently found here, tending the horses. Additionally, at any point during the day or night there is a 1-in-2 chance that 4-6 **_men-at-arms_** (_T6; 8HP; +1P; chainmail, spear_) are present, either returning from or going on a patrol. #### 27. Fort Stronghold _The inner stronghold rises above the pine-shaded courthouse with confidence: dark stone, iron-bound doors, tight and sparse windows. Inside, the air smells faintly of cedar smoke and lamp oil. Everything in the stronghold is measured—distance, silence, rank. There is a graveness here, as if the weight of the Hinterlands itself pressed down on these halls._ The Stronghold is the Fort’s command nucleus. Access to this area is tightly controlled, and even in the event that the party gains the Commander’s trust and are invited into the inner bailey and the stronghold, they will never be allowed to move freely here—instead, they will be assigned one **_man-at-arms_** as an escort at all times, who will ensure they remain only on the main level: the singular area where they may have business. ##### Command Deck The room is long and the high ceiling is supported by heavy timber beams. A great map table dominates the center, it surface crowded with small carved figures, pins, and lines of cord marking boundaries and routes. The walls are papered by reports, orders, and surveys of the surrounding country. Everything smells of lamp oil and cold stone. The Command Deck is the Fort's center of military operations. It is staffed at all times by two ***duty officers*** (*T6; 6-8 HP; +1 Intellect; chainmail, shortsword*) and the ***Commander's adjutant*** (*T5; 5 HP; +2 Intellect*)—a sharp and watchful young man responsible for coordinating the Commander's schedule. On the map table, the careful eye (T8 Perception Check) will spy a position marked with a miniature tower of stone that is not reflected on any other map of the remote Hinterlands—this is the location of a forward observation post that has not reported in for 11 days. The dispatch wall contains reports of ongoing crises in the Hinterlands, and characters who review them should gain an awareness of up to three active incidents (which can be generated with [[The Frontier Game]]). ##### Military Treasury *An iron door sits in stone like a tooth. The air beyond is dry, smelling of metal and old parchment. A single lantern hangs from a hook, its light deliberately insufficient.* This is the state wealth of Fort Caspar—not the shop-treasury (Area 18). It exists to fund patrols, sorties, rewards, and emergency procurement. The door is always locked (T9 to pick, T10 to force without tools). An alarm bell-line is tied to the latch—on breach, within 1d5 rounds, 1d10 + 5 soldiers respond from the Inner Tower. A meticulous ledger is maintained; theft becomes a campaign-level complication. The door is trapped with a spring-needle in the lock (T8 spot, T9 disarm; save T7 or be poisoned, -1 toughness for 1 hour). The treasury contains coin chests, sealed supply writs, payroll documents. There is a 1-in-10 chance that a single oddity sits among the coin (a relic, a gem, a strange token from the Hinterlands)—useful as a hook-generator. ##### Officer’s Armory *Racks of weapons stand in orderly rows: service spears, crossbows, blades made for hands that will never be thanked. A long bench holds whetstones, oil, and spare fittings. The room is clean, quiet, and thoughtful—like a chapel.* This is where officers draw quality gear and special-issue equipment. It is also where the Fort's ideology becomes tangible: *preparedness as virtue.* Civilians are allowed here only under extraordinary circumstances and with escort or explicit permission from the Commander or the Captain of the Guard. A clerk-officer records every withdrawal. The Officer's Armory is usually stocked with standard arms and armor (as appropriate to rank), as well as a small chance of superior items. **Special Issue:** Under certain (and often extraordinary) circumstances, PCs may be granted access to this area to support the Fort's martial ambitions. Use the following table to determine what weapons will be available. | Roll | Item | | ---- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1-6 | Nothing unusual available (standard issue only) | | 7 | *MW spear* (+1 attack) | | 8 | *MW crossbow* (+1 attack) | | 9 | *Reinforced shield* (+1 toughness) | | 10 | *Heartfire* (as per the Reliquary), or 1 spell scroll (2gp) | **Note:** A weapon rack at the back includes three named blades, the swords of officers lost in the last season. The rack is never empty. ##### The Black Cells _Deep within the lower levels of the stronghold, there is a dungeon that has never seen the light of day. Dozens of dingy, musty cells line a long and dimly lit hall, each filled with unfortunate souls foolish enough to commit a serious crime in Fort Caspar—but not a word is issued, not even a moan, for the consequences of breaking silence in this place are most severe. At least, this is what is said about town…_ Maintaining good order in a military fort is critical; this is especially true of a military fort on the frontier. As such, violations of good order—even seemingly insignificant ones—are not tolerated in the Fort. Violators are summarily turned out, but egregious crimes like horse theft, robbery, and murder are instead punished by incarceration in the Black Cells. No civilian has ever witnessed the Cells, which are located beneath the Fort stronghold, but rumors swirl at their very mention—some of which are spread by the military itself. ###### Rumors of the Black Cells | Roll | Rumor | | ---- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | No one screams down there—no one says even a word. They say the silence is enough to make a man go insane. | | 2 | Not all the cells are meant to hold men. Some are larger than they ought to be. Some are smaller. | | 3 | Prisoners sometimes leave alive, bound for the Hinterlands… but they don't come back the same, if at all. | | 4 | The jailer sleeps in his post. He has not left the lower stronghold in years. They say his name is on no roll, and never has been. | | 5 | One cell is always empty, and always swept. They say it is being kept ready for someone in particular—and that whoever holds the key knows who. | The imprisoned either eventually face justice, meted out by military tribunal, or take their chances as conscripts in sorties in the Hinterlands—either way, they are rarely heard from again. ### Running the Fort The Fort is a critical presence on Glacia, and represents civilization’s only foothold in this wild land. It delivers supplies for frontiersman whose hard work and habitation may tame the Hinterlands yet; it provides support to prospectors who would extract the precious metals and gems from Glacia’s frozen crust; and it furnishes capable opposition to the men and monsters allied to the forces of chaos and determined to auger its destruction. And should it ever come to such dire straits, it presents a safe fallback point for those upriver and exposed to the threats of the wilds at large. These key functions consume the Fort’s leadership, day in and day out. As Game Master, you must put yourself in the boots of these men. You must strategize as the Commander, act as the Captain of the Guard, and fight as the men-at-arms. #### NPCs of Fort Caspar *10 souls clinging to the edge of the world.* | Roll | NPC | | ---- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | **Maren Holst** (_T5; 6 HP; +1 Reflex; skills: listen, survival_) – a weathered fisherwoman of 60-odd years who has outlasted two husbands and a son to the sea. She sells her catch from a salt-stained cart near the docks each morning and is gone by midday. She is taciturn with strangers, but warm to those who earn it. Maren knows the coastal waters around Glacia better than any living soul and will share that knowledge freely with anyone she judges to be honest. | | 2 | **Cpl. Arvin Ayne** (*T6; 7 HP; +1 Power; chainmail, shortsword*) – a young man from the mainland who left behind his father, mother, and younger brother to become a guardsman at the Fort. His brother will join him once he comes of age, by which time Arvin hopes to have staked a claim on the frontier where they can settle down and find some wives. | | 3 | **"Aunt" Bessa** (_T4; 4 HP; +2 Aspect; skills: detect motive, persuade_) – no one knows how long Bessa has lived in the Fort, or where she came from before it. She operates a small laundry out of a lean-to behind the inn and knows everything worth knowing about everyone worth knowing. She will share what she knows with anyone who sits with her long enough and helps wring the sheets. Contrary to the opinion of some, Bessa is not a gossip: she is a historian. | | 4 | **Drev Hammock** (_T6; 8 HP; +1 Power; skills: athletics, survival_) – a former prospector who lost three fingers to frostbite and his nerve to something on which he will not elaborate, Drev now runs a small wood-splitting operation near the garrisons. He is a big, quiet man who drinks heavily but never causes trouble, and is unfailingly kind to children and animals. He sleeps with a loaded crossbow under his cot. | | 5 | **Sister Ilma** (_T5; 5 HP, 3 PP; +1 Aspect; spells: Cure Wounds; skills: detect motive, heal_) – a religious sister under the local Bishop, Ilma is a young halfling woman of extraordinary composure. She tends to the sick and the grieving with equal steadiness and is well loved throughout the Fort. She keeps a private journal that she guards closely, and those who have glimpsed its pages say the entries are not prayers, but maps of the Cold Caverns. | | 6 | **Oleg Prust** (_T5; 6 HP; +1 Intellect; skills: know nature, survival_) – the Fort's senior cartographer's assistant, a stout and good-natured dwarf who has surveyed more of Glacia's interior than perhaps any living person. He is enthusiastic to the point of exhaustion on the subject of geography and will happily talk for hours given the slightest encouragement. His surveys are meticulous and reliable. He will trade a map for a story he has not yet heard. | | 7 | **Petra Voss** (_T4; 4 HP; +1 Aspect; skills: persuade, charm_) – a middle-aged human woman who runs the Fort's only dedicated bakery out of the ground floor of her home near the fort square. She is up before dawn every day without exception and takes enormous pride in her work. She extends credit to soldiers she likes—and no one else. She lost her husband to the Caverns four years ago and has not spoken his name since, but lights a candle for him every night. | | 8 | **Constable Harrow** (. _T7; 8 HP; +1 Intellect, +1 Reflex; skills: detect motive, listen, spot_) – nominally a civilian lawman, Harrow occupies the grey space between the Fort's military authority and its civilian population, mediating disputes, investigating petty crimes, and occasionally looking the other way when it serves the greater good. He is a lean, careful man who misses little and forgets nothing. He respects competence above all things and will extend professional courtesy to adventurers who demonstrate it. | | 9 | **Finn** (_T4; 3 HP; +2 Reflex; skills: hide, sleight of hand, sneak_) – a boy of 12 or so with no surname nor any living relatives. He runs errands for half the Fort and is consequently everywhere at once. He is clever, resourceful, and deeply loyal to anyone who treats him well. He has a gift for going unnoticed in places he should not be, and as a result has accumulated a remarkable store of eavesdropped information. | | 10 | **Magistra Oud** (_T6; 7 HP; +2 Intellect; skills: craft, heal, know nature_) – a retired military surgeon of indeterminable age and formidable reputation, Oud practices out of a well-stocked sick bay in the martial tower. She is brusque, occasionally cutting, and entirely without patience for self-pity or exaggeration of injury. She is also among the most skilled healers in Glacia, and those who get past her manner find a person of deep and unsentimental compassion. | #### Weather Weather is an important factor in day-to-day life on Glacia—even within the relatively secure walls of the Fort. Generate weather daily using the [[Downloads#Zines|Worldwide Adventure Generator]]. #### Patrols & Sorties Identifying and eradicating threats are at the heart of the Fort’s mission. This is accomplished in two ways: **patrols** and **sorties**. **Patrols** typically consist of 10-15 mounted soldiers and occur twice daily: once at dawn, the other at dusk. So long as patrols occur regularly, monster encounters in all hexes adjacent to the Fort remain at a 1-in-10 chance. Soldiers on patrol also have a 1-in-10 chance of encountering an opposing force. **Sorties** typically consist of 10-20 soldiers, sometimes mounted, and have a 1-in-5 chance of being launched on any given day. Sorties often generate rumors around the Fort. Additionally, victorious patrols and sorties will increase Fort morale, and on that day, the cost of all goods are decreased by 10%, and residents’ moods are markedly improved. Patrols and sorties represent large combat engagements and so necessarily introduce a new “subsystem” designed for engagements of 10-100 combatants per side. Patrols and sorties are resolved using the [[Index of Secrets#Skirmish Combat|Skirmish Combat]] system. #### Conflicts Conditions in the Fort are stable and life is, more or less, good—but grave threats loom at its periphery, and at any time, disaster could strike. The hardy people carving out a life on this harsh frontier know and live this. The pressure is greatest in three particular ways. ##### Barbarians at the Gates The [[#The Vargoth: Rhime-Wolves|Vargoth]] push into the west with increasing coordination, and their bivouacs inside the Cold Caverns mean that no Fort patrol is safe—even on the western side of the Fang Mountains. Each in-game week, roll 1d10: on a roll of 1-2, a notable Vargoth raid occurs somewhere in the Hinterlands; resolve it using [[Skirmish Combat]]. After three unaddressed raids in a season, advance the *Long Knife* faction clock by one stage. ##### The Call of the Dreamer The [[#The Dreamer|Dreamer]]—a vast and ancient power that sleeps beneath the Cold Caverns—reaches the surface through dreams. Most of the Fort's people never hear it, and those who do, almost never act. *Almost.* *Each night, there is a 1-in-5 chance that a random NPC of Fort Caspar hears the Dreamer's Call. In a trance-like state and under the cover of darkness, they will attempt to kill another random NPC.* There is a 3-in-5 chance the assailant is successful. They will wake the following morning with no recollection of their foul deeds—save for unspeakable nightmares. If they are unsuccessful, there is a 1-in-3 chance they will escape unrecognized. **Note:** Use [[#NPCs of Fort Caspar|NPCs of Fort Caspar]] to determine both the assailant and the target. The Call is the surface evidence of the *Dreamer Stirs* faction clock; investigators who connect three or more incidents may discover that the only common thread is the [[#The Sunless Court|Sunless Court's]] quiet presence within the Fort. ##### Supply Shortages Fort Caspar is a long way from anywhere, and a hard winter, a lost convoy, or a barge missing on the river can put the garrison and the civilian population alike on rationed bread within a week. Each in-game month, roll 1d10: on a roll of 1-2, a meaningful shortage is declared. The cost of all goods at the Fort increases by 25%; soldier and citizen morale suffers (-1 to social rolls); and the Quartermaster begins recruiting adventurers for *risky* supply missions into the Hinterlands. Three consecutive months of shortage advance the *Long Knife* faction clock by one stage as the Vargoth take the opportunity. ## Beyond the Fort *This section develops the Hinterlands and the Cold Caverns into a **launchpad for adventure**: enough canon (regions, factions, anchor settlements, sheriffs, conflicts) for a game master to begin running, but stopping deliberately short of hex-by-hex content. Per-day, per-leg, and per-hex play is powered by the [[Worldwide Adventure Generator|WAG]], the [[The Frontier Game|Frontier Game]], and the [[The Mountain Crossing Procedure|Mountain Crossing Procedure]].* >[!info] How to Use This Supplement >Once a GM has read the Fort Caspar material above and the supplement below, they should be able to run the Hinterlands as a living frontier with WAG, MCP, and the Frontier Game doing the per-day, per-leg, and per-hex work. Table-developed canon will, in time, fold back into this document. ### Order, Innocence, and Chaos The Hinterlands is structured around a single dramatic triangle, and every settlement, faction, and NPC sits somewhere on it. - **Order** is represented by the **Fort**, the **Regional Sheriffs**, and the **True Faith** missions. They are sometimes outmatched and not always loved, but they are the only barrier between the settlers and the wilds. - **Innocence** is represented by the **settlers** themselves: families, prospectors, woodsmen, hired hands, and children. They are why the Fort exists. They are also, frequently, the price of its mistakes. - **Chaos** is represented by the **monsters of the Cold Caverns**, the **frontier gangs**, the **Vargoth** (the hostile wilderfolk), and—orchestrating them all from the dark below—**the Dreamer**. The triangle is not symmetric. Order is reactive; chaos is patient and increasingly *coordinated*. The Hinterlands is, by design, a place where the dial can turn either way. ## The Hinterlands *Beyond the walls of Fort Caspar lies the frontier proper: a country of pine, peat, and frostmelt streams, hemmed at its eastern edge by the Fang Mountains and at its northern by the unmapped tundra. Settlers, prospectors, soldiers, missionaries, and the wilderfolk who came before all of them contend, in their separate ways, for the ground beneath their feet.* The Hinterlands is divided into five named regions, each with its own character, resources, and pressures. Each is also a fully-formed unit in the [[The Frontier Game|Frontier Game]]: a region capable of acting, recovering, and being acted upon. ### Geography The Hinterlands occupies a roughly triangular wedge of southwestern Glacia, with **Fort Caspar** at its seaward apex and the Fang Mountains forming its eastern wall. The interior is laced with rivers fed by glacial melt, broken by basalt scarps, and carpeted in boreal pine. To cross the Fang Mountains is to leave the Hinterlands and enter the dominion of the Vargoth—the hostile wilderfolk who, until very recently, ranged freely across both sides of the divide. Crossings are resolved using [[The Mountain Crossing Procedure]] and are, almost without exception, of *Difficult* or *Extreme* Toughness. >[!info] Regional Cosmology >**West of the Fang:** the Hinterlands proper—settlers, sheriffs, the True Faith, the friendly and neutral tribes. >**East of the Fang:** the dominion of the Vargoth, and—not coincidentally—the broadest gates into the Cold Caverns. >**Beneath all of it:** the Caverns, and the Dreamer. ### The Five Regions *Each region is presented in the format used by the [[The Frontier Game|Regional Action System]], with one anchor settlement, one sheriff, and a regional hook a GM can hang their first session on. Frontier Cycle events affecting the Hinterlands are rolled on the existing 1d10 region table from the Frontier Game.* #### 1. The River Settlements *Where the two rivers that flank Fort Caspar braid into a delta of lower country, the River Settlements cling to the banks like barnacles. Flat-bottomed boats run goods up and down the water; the smoke of fish-curing stands rises from a dozen little wharves; and the only real road in the region is the river itself.* This is the most populous region of the Hinterlands and the one most directly answerable to the Fort. Most goods bound for the interior pass through here, which makes it the prize target of every gang on the frontier. | Action | Modifier | | -------- | -------- | | Exploit | +1 | | Recover | +1 | | Secure | -1 | | Expand | 0 | | Discover | 0 | **Resources:** river fish, milled lumber rafted downstream, trade goods (transit), modest grain **State (baseline):** *Functional* (3-4 operational assets, 2 Resource Dice) **Anchor Settlement:** Three Branches Landing **Sheriff:** Sheriff Tobias "Toby" Vell (*Level 2 Warrior; T6; 8 HP, 7 PP; +1 Power, +1 Reflex; skills: spot, persuade; crossbow, cudgel*) – a barge-raised river-rat who understands the country better as currents than as land. He is well-networked and moderately corrupt in the small ways that keep peace; absolutely incorruptible in the ways that matter. **Hook:** A barge bound for Stonefall with the season's iron has gone missing between landings. The crew is gone, the cargo is gone, and the boat has been found run aground with its hold scrubbed clean. Toby suspects Silas the Butcher's crew. Toby is wrong. #### 2. The Pine Expanse *A vast boreal forest of black pine and silver birch that fills most of the central Hinterlands. The light, even at noon, is filtered green; the air is heavy with sap; and the sound carries strangely. Logging camps gnaw at its edges. Its heart is largely untouched, and there are still hexes in the Pine Expanse that nobody, neither settler nor wilderfolk, has trod in living memory.* The Pine Expanse is the most *productive* region of the Hinterlands and the one most prone to disappearances. Its scale is the issue: a logging camp that goes silent for three days might be in trouble, or might just be asleep in the fog... | Action | Modifier | | -------- | -------- | | Exploit | +1 | | Discover | +1 | | Secure | -1 | | Expand | 0 | | Recover | 0 | **Resources:** lumber, pelts, charcoal, surface iron, occasional aetherium seam **State (baseline):** *Functional* (3-4 assets, 2 Resource Dice) **Anchor Settlement:** Hollowpine **Sheriff:** Sheriff Aelwyn Greyscale (*Level 2 Ranger; T5; 9 HP, 6 PP; +1 Reflex, +1 Intellect; skills: survival, hide, spot; longbow, hunting knife*) – a half-elf woodsman of few words and no assumptions. The friendly wilderfolk love him; the neutral trust him; the hostile have, on at least one occasion, tried very hard to kill him. **Hook:** A logging camp three days west of Hollowpine has stopped sending runners. The last runner that arrived was raving about *"the trees not being where they were yesterday."* Aelwyn is willing to ride out, but he won't ride alone. #### 3. The Bastion at Stonefall *Where the eastern river plunges through a basalt gorge in a series of stepped falls, the country lifts up into stony bluffs. Stonefall, the only proper town in the Hinterlands, is built into and against this rise: walled, garrisoned, and watchful. From its bell tower a careful eye can see the smoke of the Fort on a clear day, and the white shoulder of the nearest Fang on any.* The Bastion is the Fort's forward presence in the Hinterlands and operates as a junior fort in its own right. It is also the Hinterlands' military buckler against Vargoth raids out of the Fang Mountains. | Action | Modifier | | -------- | -------- | | Secure | +1 | | Expand | +1 | | Recover | -1 | | Exploit | 0 | | Discover | 0 | **Resources:** stone, charcoal, military stores, smithing **State (baseline):** *Strong* (5 assets, 3 Resource Dice) **Anchor Settlement:** Stonefall (population approximately 250; walled) **Sheriff:** Sheriff-Major Garrick Holm (*Level 3 Warrior; T7; 12 HP, 6 PP; +2 Power; plate, longsword, shield*) – a former Fort officer who took the Stonefall post after losing most of a patrol to a Vargoth ambush. He runs the town like a junior garrison and has not been seen smiling since. **Hook:** A Vargoth raiding party of unusual size and discipline was repelled at the gates of Stonefall on the night of the last new moon. Garrick has the bodies. He wants someone who isn't a soldier to look at them—because what was painted on their armor *is not what Vargoth paint on their armor.* #### 4. The Meltlands *Where the rivers slow and braid before reaching the gorges, the country flattens into a mire of frostmelt bog, peat island, and sodden pine flats. In summer it is buggy and treacherous and full of gold; in winter it is hard, white, and silent. Nobody settles the Meltlands. Plenty of people *die* in them.* The Meltlands is claim country: tents, sluiceboxes, and the rough camps of prospectors who have come to wash gold out of the streambeds and dig peat for the winter forges. Claim disputes are settled informally and often violently. This is where the frontier gangs are densest. | Action | Modifier | | -------- | -------- | | Discover | +1 | | Recover | +1 | | Expand | -1 | | Exploit | 0 | | Secure | 0 | **Resources:** placer gold, peat, alchemical reagents (marshlight moss, bittergill, etc.), pelts (rare) **State (baseline):** *Strained* (1-2 assets, 1 Resource Die) – a great deal happens here, but very little of it sustains **Anchor Settlement:** Sodwater (a hub camp of approximately 100 souls) **Sheriff:** Sheriff "Wandering" Cay Roeber (*Level 2 Landbreaker; T6; 7 HP, 8 PP; +1 Reflex, +1 Aspect; skills: survival, persuade, sleight-of-hand; shortbow, hatchet*) – an itinerant lawman who rides a circuit between the camps. His jurisdiction goes wherever he goes. He is well-liked. He is tired. **Hook:** Three claims in a row have been jumped, the previous holders found dead in the same arrangement: hands tied, faces away from the river. Cay knows the work of every gang in the Meltlands. This isn't any of them. >[!info] Silas the Butcher's Country >Although [[#Fort Caspar|the rumor table]] places Silas the Butcher "in the woods around the Caverns," his *operational* country is the eastern Meltlands. The cannibal of the rumor and the gang-boss of the canon are the same man. #### 5. The White March *The northwesternmost region of the Hinterlands, where the country lifts toward the foothills of the Fang Mountains and the trees grow stunted. Snow lies on the ground for nine months of the year and white frost on it for the other three. The horizon is, at all times, a wall of mountains. The wind comes off them.* The White March is the rim of the world, austere and watchful. The True Faith maintains its forward mission here, and most of the friendly wilderfolk live within a day's ride of it. | Action | Modifier | | -------- | -------- | | Secure | +1 | | Discover | +1 | | Exploit | -1 | | Expand | 0 | | Recover | 0 | **Resources:** rare alchemical reagents (hoarbloom, stillice), mountain ores, hides, blessed waters **State (baseline):** *Functional* (3-4 assets, 2 Resource Dice) **Anchor Settlement:** Mons Albus (a chapter-house mission village of approximately 120, including the resident clergy and the friendly wilderfolk who have settled around it) **Sheriff:** Sheriff Brother Halvard (*Level 2 Cleric; T6; 10 HP, 5 PP, 4 MP; +1 Aspect, +1 Power; spells: Words of Strength, Cure Wounds; warhammer, blessed water*) – a sworn brother of the True Faith who also wears the badge. He is the only sheriff in the Hinterlands who is, by formal arrangement with the Bishop of Caspar, a clergyman in good standing. **Hook:** Three of the friendly tribe's elders—men who walked from the eastern slopes of the Fang to be baptised at Mons Albus a decade ago—have left the mission in the night and walked east. Brother Halvard fears they are being *called*. The mission cannot, by its rules, follow them. The party can. ### The Wilderfolk *The wilderfolk are the people who were here before the Fort. They are not a single nation. They are three peoples who share a language, a patriarchal ancestor, and a great deal of contested ground.* The wilderfolk are tall, weather-bitten, and pale, with grey or pale-blue eyes and hair the colors of bark and birch. They wear furs and leather banded with worked bone and (among the friendly tribes) cloth traded from the Fort. Their language is harsh, abrupt, and full of consonants the settlers cannot pronounce; many wilderfolk now speak the trade tongue, with varying degrees of grace. For centuries before the Fort, the three tribes ranged freely on both sides of the Fang Mountains. The arrival of the settlers—and, more decisively, the arrival of the True Faith—has split them. #### The Karvi: Cross-Bearers *The smallest of the three tribes, ranging the western foothills of the Fang and the upper Pine Expanse. Once the most spiritually inclined of the wilderfolk; now, very nearly to a soul, they have taken the True Faith.* The Karvi did not convert at sword-point. They came down from their high places to listen to the missionaries of Mons Albus, and a great many of them stayed. Today, the Karvi are the friendliest face the Hinterlands has, and the only wilderfolk most settlers will ever speak with peaceably. The Karvi work alongside the clergy of the White March to bring the True Faith to the Drevin, and to resist the Vargoth by any means short of bloodshed (which they will accept only when forced). **Default Disposition:** Friendly. Encounters with Karvi parties are *roleplay encounters* in the Frontier Game sense; combat is a failure state. **Combat Tier:** Karvi rangers are *Tier 1* (per [[Calibrating Encounters]]). They fight defensively and only when their charges are threatened. **Faction Clock:** *The Mission Spreads*—see "Faction Clocks," below. #### The Drevin: Pinefolk *The middle tribe and the most numerous. They range the deep Pine Expanse and the western Meltlands. They are traditional, suspicious of both the Karvi (whom they consider apostate) and the settlers (whom they consider trespassers), and increasingly afraid of the Vargoth (whom they consider, accurately, a death sentence).* The Drevin are the swing vote of the Hinterlands. If they continue to drift toward the Karvi and the True Faith, the wilderfolk question of the Hinterlands largely resolves itself within a generation. If they instead bend to Vargoth pressure—through fear, intermarriage, or the hammer—the Hinterlands may not survive the consequences. The Drevin do not yet attack settlers, but they do not protect them either. A Drevin band that finds a stranded settler will, depending on the season and the band, walk past, take their goods, or trade them safe passage for tribute. **Default Disposition:** Neutral. Use the [[Core#Alignment & Reaction|monster reaction table]]. **Combat Tier:** Drevin warbands are *Tier 1* in small numbers (3-6) or *Tier 2* in larger numbers (10+). **Faction Clock:** *The Drevin Choose*—see "Faction Clocks," below. #### The Vargoth: Rhime-Wolves *The largest and oldest of the three tribes, and the dominant power east of the Fang Mountains. They have, for as long as anyone remembers, dictated terms to the other two—a domination they have only recently begun to lose, owing to the True Faith's success among the Karvi and the Drevin's increasing willingness to entertain it.* The Vargoth are cruel, organized, and patient. They paint their armor in the marks of their warbands and keep their dead at home. They speak the trade tongue when it suits them and pretend not to when it doesn't. **The Vargoth are working with the monsters of the Cold Caverns.** The Caverns are not just a hazard; they are a *theater of war*, and the Vargoth are using them to move under the Hinterlands without crossing the Fang where the Bastion can see them. **Default Disposition:** Hostile. **Combat Tier:** Vargoth raiders are *Tier 1*. Vargoth war-priests and reavers are *Tier 2*. A Vargoth war-band of *significant* size resolves through [[Skirmish Combat]], not standard combat. **Faction Clock:** *The Long Knife*—see "Faction Clocks," below. >[!info] The Origin of "Rhime-Wolves" >The Vargoth take the wolf as a war-totem, and *rhime* is the Glacian word for the brittle hoarfrost that forms on the eastern face of the Fang in deep winter. They consider themselves, accurately, a thing born of cold rock. ### The Forces of Chaos on the Frontier The wilderfolk are not the only enemies of the Hinterlands. Three additional pressures are worth naming explicitly: #### Silas the Butcher *A massive man, said to possess the strength of ten, who works the eastern Meltlands and the wood-line of the Pine Expanse. The rumor that he is a cannibal is true; the rumor that he works alone is false. Silas runs a small, vicious crew called the Red Ledger, named for the kept tally of every settler they have killed.* Silas is not, strictly, a creature of the Dreamer. He is, however, an *opportunity* the Dreamer has noticed and is beginning to nurture. There is at least one cell of the Sunless Court (see Book III) that has begun to feed Silas information about Fort patrols. Silas the Butcher (*Level 4 Warrior; T9; 18 HP, 8 PP; +3 Power, +1 Reflex; abilities: Power Strike, Withstand, Champion's Resolve, Berserk – when reduced to half HP, gain +1 attack and +1 damage for 1d10 rounds; cleaver (+2 damage), butcher's apron (+1 toughness), trophy belt*). **Risk Band:** Silas with his crew is **High Risk** for a level 2-3 party; **Extreme Risk** if encountered in his lair. #### Frontier Gangs Beyond Silas, three or four lesser gangs operate in the Meltlands and the lower River Settlements. The standard pattern is a *Tier 1* boss (Level 1-2 Warrior) with 4-8 *Tier 1* enforcers. Treat them as session-by-session villains while the Dreamer is, increasingly, treating them as resources. Sample names include: The Frostmelt Boys, Hollander's Crew, The Black Sluice, The Long Pine Whistle. #### The Sunless Court The cult mentioned in the canonical rumor table (#6) is the **Sunless Court**, a heretical sect that worships a "sleeper beneath the world." They are the Dreamer's only *witting* servants among men, and they recruit in the gangs, the more troubled corners of Stonefall, and—rarely but consequentially—inside the Fort itself. Sunless Court cells operate in groups of 3-7. They are, individually, weak (*Tier 1*); collectively, they are the principal coordinator of the Dreamer's land-side operations. See Book III for their primary site. ### Faction Clocks *Each clock follows a three-stage **Pressure, Action, Consequence** structure. GMs should advance one clock per in-game week of unaddressed pressure, or sooner under heavy player provocation. The Frontier Cycle's daily events feed these clocks; players' decisions influence—and even interrupt—them.* #### The Mission Spreads (Clergy & Karvi) - **Pressure:** Karvi missionaries, escorted by White March clergy, conduct increasingly bold visits into Drevin country. - **Action:** A major Drevin elder converts; a Drevin band joins the Karvi at Mons Albus. - **Consequence:** The Drevin fracture. Half move toward the True Faith; half flee east, into Vargoth dominion. The Hinterlands changes shape. #### The Drevin Choose - **Pressure:** Drevin bands appear with both Karvi crosses *and* Vargoth tribute marks; their behavior toward settlers becomes erratic. - **Action:** A senior Drevin chief publicly declares for one side or the other. The decision propagates within a season. - **Consequence:** *If Karvi:* the Drevin become functionally friendly; the Vargoth lose their forward intelligence; the Hinterlands stabilizes. *If Vargoth:* the Pine Expanse becomes hostile country; the Bastion is flanked from the south. #### The Long Knife (Vargoth) - **Pressure:** Increased Vargoth raids, unusual coordination between bands, evidence of staging from inside the Cold Caverns. - **Action:** A coordinated assault from inside the Caverns *and* over the Fang. The Bastion is besieged. Stonefall holds, but the surrounding hexes are lost for a season. - **Consequence:** The Hinterlands shrinks to its three western regions. The Meltlands and White March become contested ground. The Fort tightens. #### The Dreamer Stirs - **Pressure:** Dreams. Spontaneous quiet in the Pine Expanse. Goblin and insectoid raids that *coordinate*—an event the Hinterlands has never seen. Sister Ilma's journal updates. - **Action:** The Dreaming Deep opens. Sunless Court emerges into the Fort. A coordinated chaos event hits all five regions on the same night. - **Consequence:** *Campaign-level.* The character of the setting changes from "frontier" to "siege." See Book III. ## The Cold Caverns *Beneath the Hinterlands runs a labyrinth of natural caves, lava tubes, and quarried passages older than any of them. The wilderfolk call it Skarholt—"the under-country"—and have always given it a wide berth. The settlers call it the Cold Caverns. The miners and mappers and Sunless Court cells who go down into it call it, quietly, the Dreaming Deep, after the thing that sleeps at its bottom.* The Caverns are not a dungeon. They are a *region*, in the same sense that the Pine Expanse is a region: navigable in pieces, deadly in others, full of factions that contend with each other as readily as they contend with the surface. A GM running the Caverns should reach for WAG (treating each major chamber-cluster as a hex) and the [[Calibrating Encounters|Risk Band]] framework; the Caverns reward a party that retreats, regroups, and returns. ### Geography The Caverns have no master map. The five known districts below are the publicly named ones, and a competent cartographer at the Fort could place each of them within a five-mile circle on a map. What lies *between* them is uncharted. Known entrances to the Caverns: | Entrance | Region | Notes | | ------------------------------- | --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | The Western Mouth | Pine Expanse | The largest entrance and the one most settlers know; goblin patrols. | | The Sunless Steps | White March | An ancient quarried staircase descending into the rock; Sunless Court controlled. | | The South Gate (so-called) | Meltlands | The "unguarded but trapped" entrance of the Fort rumor table; it is the opposite of unguarded. | | The Black Spring | Bastion at Stonefall | An underwater entrance where the river plunges; reached only by free-divers or a draining season. | | The Whisper (entrance only) | East of Fang (Vargoth) | The Vargoth's forward entrance into the Caverns; how they have been moving under the Hinterlands. | >[!info] Use the Caverns As a Region >Treat the Cold Caverns as a region in the [[The Frontier Game|Frontier Game]]. Its **Action Modifiers** are: *Secure +1, Expand +1, Recover -1, Discover 0, Exploit -1.* Its **Resources** are: forced labor, raw mineral wealth, captives, and *information* (the Dreamer's whisper). Its **State** is *Strong* (3 Resource Dice). The Caverns make their own actions every Frontier Cycle; that is what the players are pushing against. ### The Five Districts #### 1. The Goblin Warrens *The Caverns' most populous district, occupying a network of natural caves above and around the Western Mouth. The goblins of the Warrens are the same goblins of the canonical rumor table—filthy, cowardly, opportunistic. What is new is their coordination: in the last year, they have begun to fight as if commanded by a single voice.* That voice is the Dreamer's whisper, refracted through a half-dozen Sunless Court cells and a few possessed goblin chieftains. **Tribes:** four warrens, named after their chiefs (Murk's Crew, Snouts, The Long-Tooth, and The Crooked Hand). The chiefs hate each other and *cannot* publicly cooperate—but somehow, lately, they always raid in directions that don't conflict. The party will notice if they look.\ **Tier:** Goblins *Tier 1*. Goblin chiefs *Tier 2*. A coordinated multi-warren strike resolves through [[Skirmish Combat]]. **Hook:** A Fort patrol map, captured by a Sunless Court cell in the Warrens, has been re-marked in goblin charcoal with *new patrol routes* the Fort hasn't even drawn yet. Someone is *predicting* the Fort's planning. #### 2. The Hive *Deeper than the Warrens, in a zone of lava-tube galleries kept warmer than the rest of the Caverns by some unfound geothermal source, the Hive is the home of the **chitterlings**: insectoid horrors of varied castes and a single, pheromonal hostility. They are the most reliably lethal inhabitants of the Caverns, and the Dreamer's most useful tool, because, unlike the goblins, they do not require persuasion.* The Hive is, mechanically, the Caverns' *Extreme Risk* zone. A party that enters the Hive without significant preparation, magical support, and an exit plan should plan to die there. **Castes:** workers (*Tier 1*; non-aggressive unless threatened), soldiers (*Tier 2*; the standard combat encounter), reavers (*Tier 3*; the Hive's response to incursion), the Mother (*Tier 3+*; one exists, very deep). **Resources:** chitterling venom, hive resin, and—if an alchemical subsystem is in use—up to a half-dozen reagents found nowhere else. **Hook:** A Fort prospector returned from a deep delve last winter with a small jar of hive resin. The alchemist of the Fort (Area 16) bought it for an alarming sum and is, suddenly, very curious about where more might be obtained. He is willing to pay. #### 3. The Vargoth Bivouacs *Forward war-camps inside the Caverns, occupied by the Vargoth. From here, Vargoth raiding parties strike west into the Hinterlands without ever crossing the Fang where the Bastion's eyes can see them. The bivouacs are tactical, well-supplied, and semi-permanent.* This is the proof of the alliance. The Vargoth are not visiting the Caverns; they are *living* in them. **Composition:** 3-5 bivouacs, each holding 15-30 Vargoth raiders, 1-2 war-priests, and (in the largest two) a small detachment of allied goblins or chitterling soldiers as auxiliary. **Tier:** Engagement at a bivouac resolves through [[Skirmish Combat]] (FT 2-3 typical). **Hook:** Captured Vargoth painted-armor, recovered at Stonefall, bears marks not in the Vargoth canonical visual language. The marks are a *map*. They lead to the largest of the bivouacs. #### 4. The Sunless Court *The cult's primary site, in a quarried gallery accessed via the Sunless Steps in the White March. Here, the only humans of the Caverns gather: a few dozen at any time, in robes the color of shale, who believe the Dreamer is a god and themselves its forerunners.* The Sunless Court is the Dreamer's only fully *willing* servant on the surface and is, accordingly, the principal vector by which the Dreamer's whisper reaches goblins, gangs, and (rarely) Fort officers. **Composition:** 1 Hierophant (*Level 4 Wizard; Tier 3*), 3-5 Lectors (*Tier 2*), 20-30 cultists (*Tier 1*). **Tier:** Engaging the full Court is *Extreme Risk*. Engaging an *outer cell* of 3-5 cultists in the Hinterlands is *Moderate Risk*. **Hook:** A Lector has gone missing, from the *Court's* perspective. They are looking for him. So is the Bishop of Caspar, who would very much like to speak to a defector. #### 5. The Dreaming Deep *The deepest district, reached only via passages that open and close at the Dreamer's command. Few have been here. None have returned with their minds intact. There is one chamber, of a size that should not exist beneath the Hinterlands, where the Dreamer sleeps.* The Dreaming Deep is a *campaign-ending* location, and should not be entered until the GM is prepared for the consequences. Reaching it is a Frontier Game-level achievement, and beyond it, only the true wilds of Glacia—beyond the Fang Mountains—await. ### The Dreamer *A vast and ancient entity dreams beneath the Cold Caverns. It has been there longer than the Vargoth, longer than the wilderfolk, longer even than the language any of them speak. It is not a god, though the Sunless Court treats it as one. It is something older still, something that was sleeping when the world was young, and now is organizing itself restlessly.* The Dreamer is a *strategic intelligence* expressed through the dreams of those who are sensitive to it: the Sunless Court, certain goblin chieftains, the Vargoth war-priests, the more troubled gang bosses, and—worryingly—the occasional innocent. It does not give orders but rather certainties: a sense that a particular path is correct, that a particular alliance will be advantageous, that a particular person is the enemy. The Dreamer's awakening is the metaplot of the entire Hinterlands setting. So far as anyone has ever discovered, there is only one. #### The Dreamer Manifests The Dreamer does not take direct action against the party until the *Dreamer Stirs* faction clock reaches Consequence. Until then, the Dreamer is felt at the table through three mechanics: 1. **Coordination:** When the GM rolls for a monster encounter in the Hinterlands or the Caverns, the GM may roll a second 1d10 and apply the Whisper Table: | Roll | Effect | | ---- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1-7 | No effect. | | 8 | The encounter is more numerous than expected (+50%). | | 9 | The encounter is *coordinated* with another, recent encounter—they are working together (e.g., goblins and a gang, or a Vargoth band and chitterlings). | | 10 | The encounter behaves as if commanded by an absent intelligence. Tactics are good, formations are held, retreat is orderly. *They knew you were coming.* | 2. **Dreams:** Once per in-game week, each PC rolls 1d10. On a 1, they have a Dreamer-touched dream that night. The contents are GM-determined and should be *useful but suspicious*: a real piece of information, presented in a way that suggests a particular course of action that serves the Dreamer's ends. 3. **The Sunless Whisper:** Whenever a Sunless Court cell is *near* (within a hex), unrelated NPCs in the area roll 1d10 with -1 to their reaction. The Dreamer reaches through the cells, like a hand through cobwebs. #### The Dreamer Desires *To wake and organize the forces of chaos until the Hinterlands cannot hold. To bring the Cold Caverns and the Hinterlands into a single dominion under its slow attention.* It is patient. It will wait a generation. It does not have to. #### The Dreamer Wakes *Reserved.* The Dreamer should not be statted until the GM is ready to run the Dreaming Deep. When that time comes, recommended starting parameters: **The Dreamer** (*T15; HP and resources at GM's discretion; cannot be harmed by non-magical weapons; cannot be destroyed by any party, only silenced for a generation by the cumulative success of all four faction clocks resolving against it*). In the meantime, every Sunless Court cell, every coordinated raid, every haunting dream is the work of the Dreamer. ---