Balazaring Encounters & Happenings – Part 5

The last of this series for at least a while, a note which should be  reasonably obvious but for repeatable encounters most will require some minor changes of details between incarnations.

41. Fight Club – Repeatable, Anywhere
The players will first encounter the body of a hunting dog, which was wounded by sling shots , and then crushed by a large club. Then 20 yards later the body of a trollkin pierced by a javelin and throat ripped by what looks like a dog bite.

Over the next 1/2 mile they find bodies of 2 more dogs , a hunter and 3 trollkin. A good tracking roll will allow the player to confirm that Balazaring hunters fought a skirmishing retreat against a party of trolls & trollkin.

Eventually there players will come to a clearing where the hunters made there last stand, 4 hunters lie with their heads caved in by a  large maul or club, 3 more hunting dogs and 3 trollkin  also lie dead in the clearing.

All the corpses look about  2 days old. A successful tracking roll will show a party of two dark trolls and 3 trollkin left the site after the fight.

42. Disused Dwarf Workings – unique, mountains
High in the mountains if one of the players makes a spot check they will see a cave which has odd regular lines in its opening. Upon further examination it leads to a cut stone corridor of dwarven design with 3 disused barrack rooms leading off it.

The barrack rooms have a number of unique design features such as inbuilt bunks, heating blocks, each is designed to sleep 20.

The barracks rooms are empty and deserted apart from signs that animals have used it for nesting in the last few seasons,. The corridor ends in a solid stone block but the correct skill or knowledge role will suggest that the stone block is able to move and it could be a type of very heavy door.

There is nothing on this side of the door that could open it. if the players open it by magic means they will find a very long tunnel leading to Greatway. The tunnel has not been used for some hundreds of years.

43. Stampede- Woods & plains, repeat
The characters first hear a low rumbling sounds ahead of them , it gets steadily louder over about 2 minutes until stampeding wild horses( or another relevant animal) break through the tree line in front of them and charge through/past or over the party.

Players have to make dodge or ride rolls or be stuck by panicked and galloping horses.

44. Body Parts – Anywhere, repeat
The party find parts of the body of former sentient creature( storytellers discretion) left at intervals along their path of travel.

Upon examination it looks like the body was rendered limb from limb by a creature with brute strength.  If the players are keeping or calculating how bits of the body are they have encountered they will find a  full body bar the left hand.

55. Wooden Boy – Unique,  Balazar
The players eyes will be drawn to a small copse of trees and a lush area of natural vegetation which stand isolated on the plains of Balazar. The area has peaceful  tranquil aura about it. There is something unusual about the vegetation which most people will sense but won’t be able to identify.

In the centre of the copse is a life sized statue of a small human boy sitting carved out of a single piece of wood.  The boy looks peaceful and serene. If the players wish to change, damage or harm anything within a 50 meters of  they need to overcome a passive powerful magical presence to do so ( runequest Pow 25, HQ 10W2, WOD: Dicepool: 8 )

Relevant skills roles will show the sculpture to be of mostali origin, the wood to be a previously unknown hardwood of aldryami origins. Difficult lore roles may allow the players to understand that many of the plants in this area date from the first age, and are otherwise extinct.

The statue is linked strongly to the stasis rune and stasis magic cast near it gain significant benefits. The statue detects as magical and also as life. if players revisit the spot over the years they will find that the statue does move but at an incredibly slow rate.

56. Burning Footprints – Anywhere, Repeatable
A set of scorched footprints cut across then players path. They are booted but slightly smaller than human size.  They extend for around 100 meters in each direction then fade out.  They seem to have been made in the last 48 hours.

57. An Empty Cart – Repeatable, Balazar
An empty ox drawn wagon without any sign of ox’s and a broken wheel. Its looks like it has  been abandoned a few seasons ago.

48.Falling Star – Anywhere (but near troll strongholds ), Repeatable
Whichever players is on guard in the middle of the night, will see shapes moving through the heavens and a shadow will start to cover the stars.  One star will glow brighter for a while seeming to struggle with the darkness. Eventually destroying it, but then falling towards the earth.

The decent that starts as merely the star dropping silently through the sky, progresses to a frightening column of light, the rushing sound approach as the star falls within a mile of the party.  If anyone was still sleeping they are woken as the ground shakes with impact.

If the players approach the impact site  all they will find is a perfect  circle burned into the grass. In the middle of the circle a long spear with ebony black shaft and a highly burnished bronze tip, with Golden decoration.

It is marked with the Runes of Sky and truth, and would be seen as holy to Yelmalio cult.  It works as a matrix to the spells ignite and fireblade.  When attuning the matrixes in spear the players understand they now have taken the Geas never flee from worshippers of Zorac Zoran

49. Spider Gully – Repeatable, Troll Lands
The players encounter a gully where it and the surrounding skull bushes and other undergrowth are thick with spider webs, incredibly high densities of small spider live in this area.

The passing through the outer reaches of this are no more than slightly off putting. However the centre of the gully the webs become thick enough to trouble movement and vision.  The spiders are small and unless players are stupid the spiders will everything they can to avoid them.

The players should be able to traverse this area feeling odd and slightly queasy, but without any real threat.

50. Stone Arch – Unique,  Anywhere
An ancient marble arch stands with undergrowth around it, it looks like it was part of a larger building or settlement building at some point, but everything else has passed into time, leaving no discernable trace.

Vines and other undergrowth adorn the arch, which are engraved with fertility runes which can still be seen thought weathered and hidden with lichen.

The arch is still highly magical, and is tied to the fertility rune. Anyone passing through it is blessed for a season and healing spells are more effective upon them healing 1 more point than expected. It also make characters more fertile and future sexual encounters are much more likely to create children, even overcoming natural and magical contraception.

*note of you want to make this scary, have signs that a pack of broo’s, passed through the arch recently.

51. A New Friend – Repeatable, Balazar

The players are followed by a balazaring hunting dog. The dogs seems to belongs to no one obvious but seems to be used to and comfortable round humans.  The dos is in no way distressed or anxious but seems to seeking the players company.

With affection and encouragement the dog will happily form a permanent bond with the group.

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