Though characters who start their careers
in Hommlet should, after finishing with the
place, be able to take on the villains of Nulb
and the Temple, not all adventurers are
lucky. Some characters will no doubt perish
in the course of this adventure, and events
will not always proceed as planned. As DM,
you should gauge the progress of the players
and characters alike. If they need more seasoning
before continuing to the greater challenges,
you may—and should—design and
develop other adventures in the area. The
details of such 'side jaunts' are left entirely
to you. The myriad details of your campaign
and personal preferences will suggest
some natural outgrowths, as will the actions
of the characters, if well-played. Hereafter
are a few brief ideas for your own development
as needed or desired.
Hommlet and Nulb: If you develop the latter
village in the manner given for the former,
many natural developments will suggest
themselves. New arrivals of typical townsfolk
should be fairly common, and NPC adventurers
will arrive with regularity. Some of the latter
may be of interest or use, available as
hirelings or mercenaries. Some will have their
own ideas for adventure, and may assemble a
rival party which the PCs may encounter now
and again in their explorations. And of course,
few are what they seem, and some may be
quite powerful.
Think of the day-to-day life in these small
villages, and imagine the needs of the local
folk. A new mill or winery would not find
much welcome, as these are already represented
in Hommlet. But a new blacksmith
might provide a convenient excuse, in drawing
off business, for Elmo and/or Otis to
become a bit more active in their secret
tasks. A new butcher, candlemaker, dairyman,
fisherman, glassblower, hunter, milliner,
and/or potter might arrive and prosper
in either village, perhaps bringing news,
hidden professional skills, or other developments
to the campaign.
If some minor but nevertheless entertaining
foray would provide a means for lowlevel
characters to gain those extra few
points needed to gain a level, design an
interlude accordingly. It need not fit any
greater campaign purpose, but should be
logical to the setting. The random encounter
charts for the Hommlet and Nulb areas
should stimulate a few ideas.
As the local situation changes with the
activity (or lack of activity) of the PCs, any
number of noteworthy events might occur.
The factions of the Temple, being Chaotic
and not well-organized as yet, may decide
on a brief and probably premature foray
into the countryside. Some individual might
arrive to replace Lareth the Beautiful (of the
ruined moat-house, assuming that PCs end
his promising career). And as greater challenge,
evil elemental forces could be sent
forth from the dungeons to test the speed
and severity of the reactions of the forces of
Good—a small and simple probe in the
broader tactics of Zuggtmoy, luz,
and the
rest. The King of Furyondy, one of
the
greater powers concerned with and carefully
watching the activity in this area,
might send reinforcements in response. The
druidical leaders might counter with their
own elemental powers and other forces of
nature. Large-scale escalation is unlikely at
this point in the Temple's recovery, but the
appearances and effects of such developments
might seem otherwise....
Kron Hills:
Nearly 20, 000
gnomes live in
this area. This is known to most of those
nearby, as the gnomes were instrumental in
driving the humanoid hordes from the Lortmil
Mountains adjacent to the southwest, as well
as in the overthrow of the Temple a decade
ago. The enclaves and territories of the
gnomes should not be invaded, but other
caves and ruins aplenty lie scattered in the
region. This is a natural setting for some other
small dungeon of your own design, which can
be tailored to challenge the party's resources
while remaining within their capabilities.
Velverdyva: The natural flow of the
river
is eastward, from the lower Yatil mountains
and the Clatspur range southward through
Veluna, past Verbobonc
and quite near Nulb
(fed by the Imeryds Run), and continuing
through the Gnarley Forest into the great
Nyr Dyv, Lake of Unknown Depths. One of
its sources is in the far northern Burneal Forest,
in the land of Blackmoor itself! And
where the water flows, creatures follow.
A simple boating jaunt, either upstream
or down, can encounter river pirates
and
sundry random aquatic encounters (freshwater
only, of course). Low-level characters
should be discouraged from such endeavors
to some extent, but those of level 5 and up
might perhaps find other arms of the powers
of Chaos and Evil lurking in the waters
nearby. And who knows what things—or
even kingdoms—lurk in the depths
The obvious source of new
adventurers to replace those lost, this city also
offers more and better equipment, a greater
scope of information, and so forth. The spies
of the rising Temple are here also, and will follow
those who seem to be on their mistress's
trail.
As this is a city of 11, 600 and the capital of
the Viscounty (total pop. 35, 000), considerable
design time is required for full details.
Small portions—the palace of Viscount
Wilfrick, City Hall and the Mayor's residence,
Guild halls, strongholds of the nearby gnomes
and elves, etc. —may suffice, if accompanied
by general street descriptions and a broad
selection of random encounters.
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