The Lazy Cockatrice: Area-37: The Ardin Family Crypt

 The Lazy Cockatrice (Hex 0203)

Area-37: The Crypt

The Ardin crypt once was much larger. The addition of the Tower Dungeon necessitated cutting it's size into less than half. The statue and sarcophaguses of Ector the Ardent stands front and center, while his eldest sons and grandsons remain in their sarcophagi. Most of the family's older remains were disposed of and their skulls placed in Ossuaries. Newer corpses were cremated and placed in urns instead.

While this was done at great expense by the Baron and attended by Confessors to ensure that the dignity of the Dead was respected (without needless 'superstition' or 'sentiment'), it was highly offensive to Gerald's family, and has led to a very cool relationship with the Baron and his House,

The dead inside are ill at ease, and a Confessor or faithful of Laren who steps in the tomb may find themselves cursed for their trouble. If the Baron's men were to attack the Inn, ghostly undead members of the house will surge out to attack any men under his banner.

The door to the Crypt is heavy, ironbound, and has a complex mechanical loch that must be opened by entering the correct combinations on three tumblers. Every member of the Ardin family memorizes these combinations.

The Lazy Cockatrice: Area-22: The Hayloft

The Lazy Cockatrice (Hex 0203)

Area-22: The Hayloft

The hayloft is well-stocked with hay harvested in a meadow behind the Inn. A couple of pitchforks, a scythe, a sickle, block and tack L e, and several hundred feet of twine can be found here.

The fading magical vibrations in the breezeway have attracted a handful (7) of magical monstrosities called feyspiders. These cat-sized spiders have gone unnoticed and so far have kept themselves fed on bats, barn owls, small birds, and the odd gremlin. The Inn personnel remain blissfully unaware of them.

Area: The North Road

 The North Road was created to make it possible to travel overland from Vesban to the port of Alliri. Without the road, people have to follow the Valtass to the sea and then sail West. A well-maintained land road serviced by carriages  made getting to and from Alliri from the heartlands of Tassia much easier.

In the High Age, and the early Age of Man, Tassia's outriders, the Wayknights, teamed up with peasant rangers and elves to protect the region.

Today, however, the North Road has become increasingly dangerous. The curse is placed on the woodland often create false trails near road bends that leave people into dark and dangerous places. Savage creatures like ax beaks have been released from the old fairy trods to pray upon man. And it is rumored that the dead do not rest in the old cemeteries and necropoli along the road.

When people started fleeing the woodland during the crusades, and then again when the wilderness became twisted in the last couple of generations, it became the policy of the way nights to burn all abandoned houses, because red caps, gremlins, or bogarts infest any building left derelict for more than a few months.

Houses burned by the way nights became referred to as North road torches, because they could be seen almost every night during the early days of the crusades. It is a phrase that signifies despair, the belief that man is marching towards extinction.

The North Road  follows south from Alliri through Hex 0101, 0202, 0203, & 0204 them extends another 240 miles to Vesban.

Random Encounters on the North Road

d4+d6	Day Encounters	d4+d6	Night Encounters
2	Bell & Hammer patrol (1d4+2 Bell & Hammer Witch Hunters)	2	2d6 Hate-Breed (use Orcs in standard OSR games
3	2d4 Axe Beaks	3	2d4 Axe Beaks
4	Patrol of 2d10 soldiers from Alliri	4	1d4+1 Smokies* hunting an Ogre
5	Extreme Weather	5	Extreme Weather
6	Coach with 1d3 armed guards escorting 1d3 nobles or wealthy merchants	6	Armed campsite with 2d3 guards and 1d3 nobles or merchants
7	Wandering madman	7	Wandering madman
8	2d10 Common Travelers (1 in 6 chance of being under attack by boggarts	8	2d10 wolves
9	Roll on special encounters	9	Roll on special encounters
10	2d6 Red Talon Cultists	10	2d3 Red Talon Cultists

Special Encounters

d12	Special Encounters
1	A lost child, nearly starwved weeps by the roadside. Roll a d6 1-3 her parents are looking for her and a searching party will be encountered within 1d3 hours. On a 4-5 it is a fey trick, and the child is a biggart in disguise. On a 6 the child is a ghost and will lead the PCs to the site of a tragedy and a rich treasure.
2	A weary Crusader carries a coffin with the corpse of an elf maid chained to his back as penance looks for the secret to redemption or final death.
3	Broken Wagon surrounded by corpses, a trail leads to where hate breed (1-3 on 1d6) red talon cultists (4-5 on 1d6), or mourners (6 on 1d6) torment and plan to sacrifice 1d4 women and children
4	Ghostly House*
5	Evoral the Torch*
6	1d3 Bell & Hammer Witch Hunters ambushed by 2d4 smokies*. 1d3 additional witch hunters lie dead
7	2d3 Red Talon Cultists leading 1d3 soldiers away to be sacrificed.
8	The White Hart leads the PCs to a door to fairyland
9	1d4 Bell & Hammer Witch Hunters in a ranged battle with 2d4 Red Talon Cultists.
10	A Tzwa Bloodketter hunts an exhausted commoner who fled an attack on a nearby village.
11	A Procession of 3d8 unearthly beautiful elves and Sidhe walk across the road, using Mondas as a shortcut between trods. They will enslave or kill the PCs if they draw attention to themselves.
12	The Glatisant stalks nearby, hunting the prey set for it by a powerful fae prince. There is a 1-in-29 chance it's prey is a PC based on some Crusade-era grudge on their ancestors. Otherwise it will ignore the PCs unless provoked.

*Indicates an encounter to be expanded on later.