Ellis: Into the Wild and Far From Home

    Ellis awoke after a fitful rest. His sleep was plagued with dreams of his father. He felt himself falling and falling until he awoke with a jolt. He opened his eyes and saw that the sun had begun to rise over the eastern mountains. It was time for him to go.

    Jerry was waiting at the stable, awake and ready to depart. Ellis loaded the cargo for his quests onto Jerry along with his lantern and non-essential goods. He strapped his sword and shield to his back and began to make his way out of the mountains. Ellis would follow the old trade road through the crags to his southeast until the mountains gave way to the dense forests of the Dragon's Flame Timberlands. 

    Nestled between the inhospitable northern ranges and the desolate southern desert, the Timberlands provided a respite for travelers looking to restock on food and water before venturing into the truly inhospitable extremes of the empire. Unfortunately, they also attracted all manner of sordid characters and beasts, waiting to prey on the unaware and ill-prepared.

   

Ellis's Route out of the Mountains

    Each hex is 24 miles. Because Ellis was able to offload most of his gear onto Jerry, he is able to travel 24 miles per day. In mountainous terrain, Ellis moves at 50% his normal speed and has a 50% chance of encountering wandering monsters, I accidentally played this as 2-in-6, will make sure to correct that going forward. Ellis can choose to forage while traveling for a 1-in-6 chance of  finding 1d6 days worth of food. I assume that water is plentiful and there is enough grass for Jerry to eat, may change this in the future. Ellis also has a 2-in-6 chance of getting lost in the mountains. 

    The journey out of the mountains was largely uneventful. He knew the path well and was able to steer clear of any danger and avoid becoming lost. Passing through the narrow trails, Ellis came across several abandoned wagons but didn't stop to search them, anxious to get off of the exposed trail.

    As Ellis and Jerry rested for lunch, they spotted a ball of vipers lounging on a small island in the middle of a mountain stream. This was an encounter in hex 29, I used the OSE encounter table for this but will be using the OSRIC encounter tables from here on out.

Ball of Pit Vipers

    Though the snakes seemed indifferent to his presence, Ellis quickly packed his things and led Jerry down the path. The vipers surprised Ellis but were neutral to his presence. Roll of 6-8 on the monster reaction table in OSE.

    Just when Ellis thought the path out of the hills would never end, he rounded a bend and saw, for the first time in his life, the darkened trees of the Dragon's Flame Timbers, their branches grasping upward in agony. Beyond the forest, a vast desert of dark red sand stretched toward the horizon, its dunes shifting in the parching winds.

Treacherous Mountain Trail (midjourney), hex 29

    Just as the sun was beginning to set, Ellis came to a steep bridge at the end of the trail, leading down to the forest floor below. The trees surrounding the bridge were carved full of faces, twisted in static agony. Jerry neighed with fright and Ellis tugged on his rope. He thought things would be safer having left the mountains, but something seemed off about this place. 

    

Bridge from the mountains (midjourney), hex 66

    Camping for the night, Ellis began to dream of home. He had never felt very sentimental about Cessesta but now, deep in this darkening forest, with only the light of his fire to protect him, he longed for his old life. 

    Now that Ellis has entered the forest, he only moves 33% slower, has a 2-in-6 chance of getting lost, and a 2-in-6 chance of encounters. Since 33% isn't a clean number for the hex map, I'm going to rule it as two days of travel per hex but only one ration consumed.

    The next day passed without incident for Ellis, though he was unable to forage for food. He began to travel as soon as the sun rose in the east. The trees, with their gnarled maws, seemed to reach out to grab him, Jerry snorted as his rope snagged on a branch. The sooner they could be rid of this place, the better.

   

Jerry and Ellis explore the forest

    As the sun began to set, the duo came upon a clearing. A small pond sat in its center, a babbling stream lazily winding its way back into the forest to some unknown source. Ellis tied Jerry to a nearby tree and began to make camp. With a fire burning, his belly full, and the sun beginning to set, he lay back against a tree to rest. 

    Ellis awoke with a start to the sound of Jerry braying. He sat upright and gasped at what he saw. Over the embers of his dwindling campfire, the pond had come to life with tendrils of mysterious purple light. The source of the light seemed to be coming from the stream. Against his better judgment, Ellis unhooked his lantern and followed the stream. 

    Rounding a bend, Ellis saw the dark figure of an abandoned stronghold towering over the stream. To its left, an old, crumbling archway beckoned. Stepping towards the archway, Ellis saw the yawning darkness of a staircase. Suddenly a flash of insight struck Ellis as he remembered the rumors from Cessesta. This must be the entrance to the Tomb of Ruthless Blades.

   

Entrance to the Tomb of Ruthless Blades, hex 67

    The dungeon entrance and descriptions for all hexes were provided by Hexroll with some creative liberties on my part. There was an encounter roll (2-in-6) to see if the dungeon was guarded, fortunately for Ellis it was not.