The Hermit and his Wild Dog (Lore)

 TRIGGER WARNING: This post deals with themes of anti-semitism at it was often the case in the medieval times. This author clearly portrays the anti-semitism as wrong and evil, and the root/cause of the problems these characters might bring.

X-CARD MATERIAL: Obviously, this would be X-Card material at the gaming table, and before beginning a session or arc in which this might feature, I would ask if these things and themes are fitting or not for the group and tone we want to portray.

The Hermit and his Wild Dog.

Once a respected member of the community surrounding the keep, this man and his family enjoyed a quiet life, but once Count Leopold de Chouxchaude — the then master of the Keep —found out that there were Jews living in his village he became incensed, especially after his wife had a miscarriage. Blaming it on the family they were driven out of the community by the guards.

"An Old Beggar"
David Teniers II (1610-1690)

Taking it in stride, persecution seeming to be part of their heritage, they settled in the woods, where they built a cottage and lived from what the land brought them. The couple had children who grew up healthy and innocent of the evils outside the forest.

Then, after the harvest failing for the second year in a row, the people remembered them, and with the lack of reason that desperation and fear brings, a mob was formed. The mob went and looked for the family, finding the cabin in the woods. They locked the doors and burned it down, thinking their job done. They did not know that the father was out, checking the traps. When he came back, he saw what happened, and he broke.

I sadly have no credit I could find for this picture.

He buried his family and ripped his clothes, in the way of his people. He now wanders the woods, followed by a mean looking, black dog. Bitterness took hold in him and he wants nothing to do with people. What he doesn’t know is that the dog, who came to him in his need, is not in fact just a dog, but a force of chaos, that becomes a vessel for the man’s vengeance when the man is asleep. The man in question does not know about this.

On The Gaul (my replacement for halflings in this setting)

The Gaul used to be the dominant people here, until the Burgundian Court rose to power. They had vast agricultural and technical advancements that made them able to thrive. They ware also fearless. People don’t really remember them, or if they do, consider them “extinct”. This, however, is not the case. Seeing that they were outnumbered and outclassed by the Burgundians in the north, the Franks in the south and the Germans in the east, they went into hiding, living as hunter gatherers in the forests. They are hidden and don’t much care for what happens outside of their woods. They have their own language, which is a strange dialect mixing latin with germanic influences.

A Gallic Warrior

Life of the Gaul:

• They herd wild boar and even ride them, being significantly smaller than regular men.

• They are led by chiefs and druids, in small tribes, often limited to certain parts of the forest as defined by natural borders.


• They are very good at keeping hidden, having housing that is easily camouflaged as part of nature, or that is quickly and easily dismantled and hidden.

A Gallic Druid

Appearance of the Gaul:

• Men will sport long mustaches and long hair. The women also wear their hair long.

• They often wear torcs, and simple clothing, woven from nettle or other plant fibers.

• They are the size of human children around the age of 8-10.

Traditions of the Gaul:

• In war they will paint themselves with talcum powder, and some say they strike fear into their enemies by fighting completely nude, except for their torc. Fighting, in this society, is not just limited to men either.

• As a Gaul comes of age they have to go out and obtain some kind of metal, either through cunning or force, and bring it back It is then made into a torc and they are considered adult members of the community.

• Bravery is valued highly among these Gaul, and they will often greet each other with well-meant insults and taunts. They will also use this on their enemies, though less well intended, trying to goad them into rash and foolish decisions on the battlefield.

When you meet a Gaul in the wood, which is a rare thing, you might find them…


1. Herding boars. In this case it would only be one or two Gaul, but also a herd of wild boars.


2. Gathering plants, probably mainly women and children. Though it might just be a complete family affair.


3. Hunting in group. They might be going for a stag or try to kill a predator that has been bothering them.


4. Rough-housing. An insult match gone slightly out of control. They are not trying to hurt each other much, but they have lost sight of being low key. To those not familiar with their language and customs though, they seem to actually be fighting.


5. Courting, away from the tribe. Just a single couple, man and woman, being all lovey-dovey, or one unsuccessfully trying to woe the other.


6. Holding a ritual sacrifice at some standing stones, led by a druid. This will be a larger group, like a complete family, or a group of elders or even the entire village.

On Skeletons That Roam (And Their Motivations)

From a completely digitized manuscript called Danse Macabre.

From skeletons and zombies to ghost, phantoms and other, even more nefarious things like Vampires. These dead didn’t stay dead, for whatever reason. In fairytales, it’s often because of an unresolved thing that is so important that it keeps them from peacefully going on to the afterlife, be it for vengeance, love or some other powerful motivator, they keep alive.

Another is dark magic, either being animated by dark wizards or the devil himself, these dead are walking again. Perhaps they made a pact with the devil, not wanting to die or they or are called back and bound by a dark wizard. Perhaps the devil himself jumped back into the bones of these undead to find a way to move around. Many theories exist, some of them are bound to be true.

Skeletons

Skeletons are the bones of the long dead, generally humans, but they should not be limited to that. As the undead they have a reason to be. Depending on where we are, there are different reasons.

• They might have been summoned by a dark wizard or power. The one in control is not the original occupant, but a dark power, be it the mind of the wizard or it’s demonic minions. In this case, when defeated they stay dead until reanimated again. The link to the wizard is severed, or the demon is cast out, back into hell.

• They might also have some unresolved business and be moving about trying to resolve it. Depending on how old they are, their mind and awareness might already be slipping and their behavior might be hard to gauge. When defeated, as long as the business keeping them from dying is not resolved, they will re-assemble, or try as best they can. If unable to for some reason (because the bones cannot be reassembled or are completely destroyed, the spirit will still haunt and change tack and find another way to try and resolve their situation, for example by possession or some other measures.


• In the underworld, the realm of the dead, they just live and act as they might have had before. They are awaiting judgement at the end of days. Intrusions by the living might be seen as wrong and violently confronted.

When encountered in the wild, they are…


HP: 2 // ARM: 7 (typically)


1. A skeleton dressed up in tattered noble clothes, giving directions to six skeletons in tattered servant attire. “I will take my rightful place by my love’s side.” it whispers. It’s will animates himself and his servants to win the heart of their love. Their love is long dead though, as they are, but they might think one of the PC’s is them, or might think they are rival suitors. They will not realize they are dead, whatever is tried, but they might be convinced someone is their lover if they act the part, and find rest once their love is returned convincingly. This is a tricky thing to do.


2. Seven skeletons stumbling around, whisper-shouting a name. Two are adult sized, the others are varying child sized length. One of the adult ones is carrying a wooden doll wrapped in cloth. They are looking for their baby, stolen from its crib. They will not rest until they find it. The wolves that killed and ate them could not stop them years ago, nothing can.

3. Eight black-hearted skeletons cursed to roam the lands forever until they learn the meaning of compassion and charity. In life they were bandits who robbed and pillaged wherever they went. On one of their raids, they were cursed by an old lady before they stabbed her.


4. Six mercenary soldiers who have to save as many lives as they have taken before they can pass on. Any kill they make attempting to do this adds to the score they are trying to erase, but being soldiers in life, they only really know how to kill. It’s tragic. In trying to save lives, they often kill again.


5. One human skeleton and ten cat skeletons. The human skeleton is looking for ink and parchment. She needs to finish her tale before she can move on. The cats are faithful even into death. 


6. Eight animal skeletons, animated by dark magic, inhabited by evil spirits and let loose (or escaped) into the wild. Experiments of a dark sorcerer.

On Killer Bees

On killer bees

HP: 1 // ARMOR: 7 // Special: Dies after stinging // Fast fliers.

 “Jupiter, king of the Roman gods, is said to have given the honeybee his stinger, to protect his honey. His wife, Juno, however, insisted there must be payment for this gift of a weapon, so Jupiter gave the stinger with the condition that the bee dies should she use it.”

Image by rawpixel.com

Bees the size of loaves of bread are sometimes spotted around the borderlands. But where do they come from? Where do they find the nectar for their honey?

Where do they come from?

1. Deep underground, where there are giant caves full of giant animals and plants.


They are lost and confused. This upsets them greatly. A system of caves must be close by that leads to these strange lands. Their honey has natural healing properties. It is prized by their countrymen.

2. The realm of fairies, where they feed off of giant flowers.


They are silken white with golden haired stripes and their buzzing sounds somewhat like the tinkling of bells. A passage to the realm of fairy must be close by. Their honey has magical healing properties. It is prized by alchemists, witches and other magical people.

3. A magical experiment gone wrong. 

There’s an alchemist somewhere close by, crushed under the weight of a fallen and enlarged hive. The bees are quite upset at this. Their honey is infused with chaotic, badly controlled magic. Roll on the mutations table (Maze Rats, p.3) for effect on consumption.

4. They are messengers between our world and the spirit realm. 


They have a message for you, for good or for ill. What did you do to be noticed by the spirits and the gods?

5. They are the servants of a local, hidden nature spirit.

They live deep in the forest, in a hollowed out ancient oak surrounded by flowers that are big enough for the bees to gather nectar from. They try to keep the surrounding lands to the wishes of this spirit. Local Gaul have little shrines around, giving tribute to the bees and their mistress. It would be unwise to take these tributes for yourselves. But they look so good (tasty, valuable, ...).

6. Escapees from the hidden magical gardens of a great wizard-hermit. 

Somewhere in their flight radius there must be a wizards tower. It is very likely hidden from view through magical illusions. The wizard has dressed these bees up with silk shawls and golden chains bearing the wizard's mark.

So you took to the road in the Borderlands (Encounter Table)

So you took to the road in the Borderlands...

This is a dangerous thing to do, and we're playing Maze Rats, so make a Danger Roll! 
If there's any reason for you gaining advantage or adding a stat bonus, argue for it now.
Whether or not you succeed, an encounter will be had. The result of your danger roll just decides how well your encounter will go. 

Pilgrims arriving in Rome for the first Jubilee in 1300, from Giovanni Sercambi’s “Chronicles,” around 1400.
Credit...Archivio di Stato, Lucca

After the Danger Roll has been rolled, the GM also rolls 2d6, basing the encounter table on this blogpost by Papers and Pencils, adding, consequently a dragon and a wizard (or in this case, witch) to the module. Also, not wanting to throw away a roll if the danger roll was successful, I have two entries on each encounter. One if you are in danger and one if you are not in danger.

On the Road

2. Dragon: Baby Chaos Dragon, will grow as chaos grows in the region. Hungry, new and curious/inquisitive. Will ask for a name, since nobody has given it one yet. 


In danger: It is hungry. You look tasty.


Not in danger: It’s curious about this world and will ask you many questions until it is satisfied. (make a procedure?)


3. Weird Stuff: 8 Skeletons in dirt covered monks robes carrying a closed litter/palanquin containing recently found and excavated bones of the ancient dragon. If they get away with their quarry, increase the influence of chaos in the region. 


In danger: They will defend their treasure with violence, seeing you as a threat. 


Not in danger: They ignore you.


4. Weird Stuff: 3 Bees, the size of a loaf of bread each are buzzing around.


In danger: They are aggressive and assume bad intent on any that approach.


Not in danger: They are playing, roughhousing like little puppies.

5. Weird Sense of Place: 3 Acolytes of Saint Christopher’s Road Guardians come by and check up on you.


In danger: They suspect you of being in league with the forces of Chaos and will find reasons to support their claim. They try to take you captive for interrogation. One of their number has recently been lost to a wicked witch who was disguised just like a normal old lady. In wanting to help, they had been duped and he had been lost.


Not in danger: They ask about your travels and any supernatural things you have seen. If nothing untoward has happened in this conversation they will bless you before they part ways with you.
 (gaining advantage on travel checks for the rest of the day)

6. Sense of Place: 6 Bandits on the road, looking for easy money.


In danger: They try to ambush you and take your valuables. They are not out to kill, but will if threatened.


Not in danger: They are ambushing a trader, promising to do nothing to you if you just look the other way and let them be.


7. Recurring Characters: Gros Jean has a manacled prisoner on a chain and is sitting down with a pensive smile brainstorming on an apt punishment for the oath the prisoner broke.


In danger: He comes up with an idea, but to do that he will need some human skulls. Yours will do.


Not in danger: He asks for advice, saying that this farmer had promised his first born child to the Witch Magobia in exchange for the elixir that saved her life during pregnancy. But now the child has ‘miraculously disappeared’ and the witch's benevolence has been taken advantage of.


8. Sense of Place: 2 traders and a pushcart. They are armed up and will defend their wares (all different kinds of tools and implements: see Tool Items in Maze Rats, p.7) with lethal force. At least, that’s their intention.


In danger: They will assume you are robbers and they aim crossbows at you, asking your stuff as reparations for the stuff they have already lost ‘to you guys’ today.


Not in danger: Will ask where you are going and suggest you join them on the road if you are going the same way (50% chance).


9. Weird Sense of Place: 12 Gaul at the edge of the woods. 4 are armed with short spears and mounted on boars, four are not, holding sickles and knives, four are children holding baskets filled with whatever they are gathering.


In danger: They will yell in their own language “we are seen!” and charge, fearful of their hidden life becoming known.


Not in danger: They look at you pensively, hold their fingers to their lips (shht!) and retreat into the forest’s shadow.


10. Weird Stuff: A broken cart with strange little men clambering and hopping about it. There is the sound of construction.


In danger: It are 7 kobolds, having some fun destroying the cart after they have already destroyed all its contents. If they notice you they will find it more fun to mess with you!


Not in danger: It are 5 gnomes, having fun repairing a broken thing. If you protect them while they are doing it, you may even have it afterwards. The cart is way too big for them anyway. (if the danger roll was a critical success it’s now a magical cart!)


11. Weird Stuff: 3 creatures of the fairy realm stand on the road, awaiting you. It’s a princess and two body guards. The are all of an unnatural, awe-inspiring beauty.


In danger: The princess is looking for a mate but could not find any to her liking in the entire realm of fairy. (or so she claims) You must now all have tea with her so she can decide if you are worthy or not. (write procedure: Tea-time with an elven princess)


After this encounter, replace this encounter with a follow up, where the results of their actions will have born fruit, one way or another. (for example, after some time, say, a honeymoon period, the spouse returns, with added elfin gear, to aid their erstwhile companions.

Not in danger: The stars have foretold of your coming. This land faces a great danger. Take this gift. It will aid you, if you are worthy. It’s a Ring of the Woodpecker. If you hit it against a wooden surface, it will cause it to make a really loud pecking noise, paralyzing all those who did not expect to hear it for a turn. (can be used once a scene). 


After this encounter, replace this encounter with a follow up, judging wether or not you have used it correctly, and either increasing its powers/abilities or taking them away.


12. Magic User: The Witch Magobia is carrying a baby, feeding it a bottle of something that does not look like milk. It looks gray, like milk mixed with ash. She has her cat with her.


In danger: She urges you to go away and leave her be. If you do not her cat will grow the size of a donkey and hiss at you, trying to intimidate you. If you do not heed that and defeat the cat, she will attempt to curse you all and flee. She has the words CURSED/CURSING, EMBER and PULSE. Roll a DANGER ROLL+WIL to see if you are affected. 

Not in danger: She will invite you to join her and offer a job. She needs to go to a dangerous place and needs you to protect this child until she returns. Evil knights want to come and take it away from her, her own baby! (this is, of course, a lie. It is not her baby, and the knights are not evil per se.) She will lead them to her cottage in the woods and tell them where the food for the baby is held. If the job is rejected, she will attempt to curse them. She has the words CURSED/CURSING, EMBER and PULSE. Roll a DANGER ROLL+WIL to see if you are affected.

On Wolves

On Wolves

HP: 3, ARMOR 6, ATT+1

Wolves in the Borderlands are common. They roam the forests in packs. While the North American wolves might be known to be afraid of humans in general, the European wolves are bigger and meaner than that and have been known to attack humans when hungry. 

In the Borderlands, the strange and chaotic forces that permeate this area sometimes changes things about the wolves and make them strange.

The chance of this alteration occurring will depend on how much of a foothold chaos has on the lands. I suggest starting with a 1/6 chance, triggering on a 6, adding +1 to each time ‘regular’ wolves are rolled. And add a +1 for each rank of a foothold Chaos has on the lands.

The Eurasian Grey Wolf, found free to use on Wikipedia

The Wolves of the Borderland might…

1. Talk and understand humans. They know to use this to attract prey.

2. Leave ashen paw prints that remain warm to the touch for a night and a day.

3. Have a howl that makes you think your feet suddenly sink into the ground and are stuck. 


Roll DANGER +WIL or be paralyzed with fear for a round.

4. Have the ability to grow to the size of cows.

Double HP, +1 to ATTACK

5. Be ridden by kobolds wanting to cause mischief of the deadly kind. 

They will use their own devious skills to make fighting harder, like riding with a line of rope between them to try and trip up people, shooting arrows that might paralyze or put you to sleep, etc.

6. Have the ability to breathe a cloud of mist, making ranged attacks on them harder, forcing people to have to go hand to hand, or to make it easier for them to flee.

 

Meet Gros Jean: Ogre of the Woods

Google tells me this image is from Game of Thrones

Gros Jean: Ogre of the woods

HP:12, ARMOR:8, +2AB, STR+2, Ogre Great-Club (2-handed, Ogre Sized, +1DMG), Wearing treated bearskin as armour (+1ARM, already calculated)

Gros Jean is the ogre that roams these parts of the country. He mainly works as a mercenary for the forces of Chaos. He recently has come in possession of an unholy symbol of the dark forces, that will slowly corrupt his mind, offering him dark powers. Gros Jean has an agreement with the Witch Magobia that if the goblins pay him, he will protect them, as he can have some of the babies she brings in as food.

When Gros Jean is met in the wild he…


1. Is eating and will tolerate weary travelers to join.


2. Is admiring his ruby necklace of the Snake.


3. Has a manacled prisoner on a chain and is sitting down with a pensive smile brainstorming on an apt punishment for the oath the prisoner broke.


4. Is very hungry and looking for food. You look tasty. Or do you perhaps have a baby?


5. Is grumpy and angry because his prisoner escaped.


6. Is hanging chains with stone skulls on them on a prisoner. One for each of the men he promised to bring back safely, but failed to do so. He has to cary these around wherever they go.

Ogres are descendants of the old Roman deity called Orcus. They roam the world, eating babies (preferably) and enjoying in punishing oath-breakers. 

There are more ogres in the land, but not a lot. They do not get along very much and as such remain a good distance away from each other. If they get too close to each other, the land cannot sustain their appetite all that much and they will fight over food. Sometimes an ogre will find a mate though, and somehow they manage to tolerate each other. Woe betide the lands where this is the case.

 

On Hobgoblins

Some more goblins from Jim Henson's 'Labyrinth'.

Hobgoblins: 

HP: 4 // ARMOR 6

Hobgoblins were once children who showed a definite mean streak in their nature. The Witch Magobia lured them away from home with many promises, and fed them her special food, disguised as gingerbread cakes. Eventually her corruption deformed them as well. 

The following are all true:


• Once the gingerbread is eaten, they can no longer get sustenance from any other food. They need her food to survive. This is how she controls them.


• These children grow up looking like very wrinkly teenagers in much the same way as the babies turn into goblins. Their skin-tone remains closer to their original one, if not a bit less vibrant.

• The hobgoblins are cruel and have less of a need to be fearful, compared to the goblins. Instead they just take joy in causing pain and strife.

When encountered ‘in the wild’ they are:


1. Preparing a trap, and hiding. The trap is possibly lethal, which they would find very funny.


2. Torturing a small animal. 

(check with table for lines and veils/X-card, safety rules. This is a common hard no.) 

Depending on how the encounter goes you might end up with an animal companion of the small and cute kind. Unless they leave the hobgoblins to it, the creature should survive. It might need to be nursed back to health or not, depending on your group.


3. Waiting in ambush, with a set trap, intent on capturing the PC’s alive to strip them of arms, armor and valuables and to bully them. The longer the bullying goes on, the less careful they become and they might slip up and make mistakes the PC’s can take advantage of.


4. Playing an insult game. They each insult each other in turn, trying to one-up each other with creative insults. Ends when inevitably a fight breaks out, or if the PC’s interrupt.


5. Breaking/destroying something valuable. They have a pile of stuff they stole from somewhere next to them and are taking turns breaking and destroying the items. It is hilarious to them. Some items are valuable, others aren’t.


6. Drinking stolen alcohol. The longer they are allowed to do this, the more drunk they become until they fall asleep, pick a fight or start sobbing, depending on what type of drunks they are.

On Goblins

Goblins in the movie Labyrinth, by Jim Henson. Part of the inspiration.

 

Goblins: 

HP: 2 // ARMOR 6

stats for Maze Rats

It is true that Goblins were children stolen from their crib and turned into goblins by the Witch Magobia. The following is also true about them:

• They never grow bigger than a toddler, as their growth is stunted by their strange diet.
• Their skin gets an unhealthy grey and wrinkles as if they are of very old age. Their pupils turn a very pale-pink color and their hair a greasy black.

• Most grow up to be mean, fearful and craven.

When encountering Goblins in the wild they…


• Try to hide or run away if you are stronger than them.

• Are singing a dreadful song that teaches to be mean.

• Are carrying a stolen baby and arguing about who has to take care of it.

The dreadful goblin-song teaches…


1. Stealing a one legged man’s crutches and burying them in the woods. And then again and again as he gets new crutches. 

If you listen to the song long enough, you figure out where these places are. If you check you will find a one legged man and a place in the woods where 1d6x10 crutches are buried. Returning the crutches will make you a hero to that family and village. Unless the goblins in question are dealt with, the stealing will continue.


2. A song about secretly giving someone laxative. It goes into detail about the pains, sounds, smells and textures of the resulting trouble. 

If you listen long enough you get the recipe from the song.


3. A song about what they’d all want to do to their ‘Momma Magobia’, bringing the punishments they got from her back to her, but making them even more mean. They sing in turn, trying to one-up each other. 

If you listen long enough you learn the way to find The Witch Magobia.


4. A song about how to anger a bear and lure it into a camp of unwitting, sleeping travelers. 

If you listen long enough you learn how to find a bear and —I guess— how to make it angry.
 You also learn one of their tactics.

5. A song about how to mimic someone in need, drowning, hurt, … to trick people into running in danger.

It are some handy tips, and if you listen long enough you can learn some of these techniques.


6. A song about how to spoil crops by sowing weeds in fields and gardens. It details which weeds do what. 

If you listen long enough, not only do you improve your knowledge of harmful weeds slightly, but you learn when to catch them in the act.

 I'm running the Borderlands via play-by-post over discord, and I'm using Maze Rats to do it. I like how it gives me extra incentive to reinvent things as I have to convert things anyway. One of these things is that I've been thinking about Fire Beetles and how they might be regarded in my take on a setting, a Medieval France type deal, where all the weird stuff is actually still weird. And I want to keep it that way. Things should be mysterious and unexplainable. I was first thinking of expanding the bugs into stages of life etc. but decided not to do that. Anyway, this is my first draft.

art by Caeora on Deviantart. - Not entirely how I envision it, but close enough for this article.

On Fire Beetles:

ARMOR:6 // HP:4

Fire beetles are:

• As large as a small dog or a big house-cat.


• Live primarily underground but tend to come out during the night. They do not like the light.

• Have glowing glands in their antennae and abdomen. These can be harvested and keep glowing for 1d days. Practiced alchemists can craft these into foci for light magic. (obscure knowledge)

Fire beetles are believed to be:

• Angry spirits of the dead, not wanting to grant other spirits rest.


They do tend to end up digging into graveyards and — being scavengers — will eat the corpses buried there. Most people who know the creatures and study them will be skeptical of this rumor.

• Fairy creatures crossed over from the land of fairy. 

This might possibly even be true. But it might also not be. A lot is said about fairies, but little is understood.

• Normal glow-bugs corrupted by dark forces or magic to grow to unnatural size.

This might be the work from the Witch Magobia. But people say so many things about her.  

Fire beetles will:

• Scavenge for food, preferring food that rots or has strong odors/flavors.

• Dig a hole to lay their eggs in. 


They are particularly thorough builders, making strangely sound and well thought out underground complexes having multiple rooms and what could be seen as decorations by those in the know. These are made to their size though, and are hard, if not impossible to navigate for humans. Sometimes children (or goblins, which are the same size) get stuck in it.

• Hum their wings in different pitches, creating haunting songs. 


Combine this with their glow in the night on their hill, and people will make up lot’s of strange stories about it.