After Clint Hills brilliant posts on the big rubble (see here) I have risen to challenge and started to create some miscellaneous encounters and plot hooks with a Balazar feel. I also did first come across these kind of encounters in Griffin Mountain many years ago.

The following are ideas for one off colour encounters or maybe hook and starting points for a whole story or campaign theme. I would suggest not rolling using random dice rolls in gaming session to select but perusing the ideas and choosing what would work for your group, or using these ideas just to spark your own.

I have intentionally left many loose ends and unexplained details to allow some creativity from both players and GM.

1. The Lost Child – Repeatable, Balazar
A small Balazaring human child can be found alone, crying and wandering in the wilds. The child is about 2 years old and understands the Balazaring tongue but is not able to speak yet.

The following are all options;

•  The child is lost and her clan are nearby looking for her. PC’s who help the child will be welcomed and rewarded by the clan, after a possibly tense first meeting. PC’s who have hurt or ignored the child will have the clan enmity. It is possible the clan may first assume the players have attempted to abduct the child.
• The child is the lone survivor of a scavenging party massacre by broos, trolls or baboons. The party now have to care for the child or let it die.
• The child is bait for a trap and trolls, broos or other chaos lying in ambush.
• The child is not what it seems and is either possessed, a shape shifting chaos monster or a Godling incarnating to earth. ( last option may need thinking through.)

2. Giant Redwood – Unique , Elder Wilds
A Giant redwood tree stand some 180 meters tall and 11 meters in diameter at the base, its roots can be seen to spread 150 meters from the trunk and often penetrate the soil. The undergrowth round the tree is sparse and forest canopy is parts to give this behemoth space.

The tree has many signs of shamanic and aldyrami markings and is a holy place for both, nature spirits unseen abound in the area, and if viewed on the spirit plane the tree has an old slow. but wise spirit, friendly to all but starting to grow senile.

A small community of runners dwell within its higher branches and will pelt anyone they fear of harming the tree with a barrage of items both dangerous and unpleasant, whilst some run for more substantial aid.

3. Petrified Hunter – Unique, Anywhere
At first glance this a is an old statue of a hunter about to throw javelin. But on further examination the details are too precise and proportions are to perfect. It is in fact a hunter who was petrified in the act of launching a javelin at a cockatrice. His face is caught in a look of surprise, pain and fear.

Lichen and mould grow over his features and its is reasonably obvious that he has been petrified many years ago. However a garland of flowers has been placed around his neck recently.

A more detailed search of the area, shows knees and feet of another hunters, hidden in the overgrowth with the rest of the figure in broken rubble pieces . The cockatrice and any threat are long gone.

4. Dragonbone – Unique, Anywhere
A 12 foot long curved black wing bone, with a gloss finish, protrudes from the ground, it is magical in nature, and has been carved with minute dragonewt runes. Whatever magic lies inside is lost to likes of mortal men.

Lore roles would suggest it dates back to the EWF and a knowledge of auld wyrmish will also tell of that origin. The bone still looks pristine and hasn’t been touched by the passage of time.

5. Mammoth Corpse – Unique, Anywhere
The rotting corpse of a mammoth lies at the bottom of a cliff, chunks of flesh have been cut out and other parts have been bit at by toothed animals or creatures, but much of the mass lies rotting.

Characters with the correct skills will be able to salvage some decent ivory teeth and useable hide, but no edible meat.

6. A Loyal Dog – Repeatable, Balazar
A hunting dog sniffing at the corpse of its master, an aging balazaring hunter. It is whimpering, noising him and refusing to leave his side. It will happily interact with friendly humans, but unless very good relevant skills roles are made or magic used it will always return to its former master.

The corpse looks like it died within the last 48 hours and there are no obvious signs of trauma or foul play.

7. Riderless Horse – Repeatable, Anywhere
The players come across a horse in harness which is lathered and sweating and obviously domesticated but there is no sign of its previous rider.

8. A Ghost Fence – Unique, Elder Wilds
A line of heads on stakes surrounds a single standing stone carved into the shape of a trolls face , the heads are a mix of human, trollkin and elven. This is in fact a Zorac Zoran ghost fence erected around a minor troll holy site.
If the line is crossed or the skulls disturbed by a someone not an initiate of Zorac Zoran or a member of specific troll clan, the offending person will be attacked by one of 4 a ghosts that defends the site.
The ghosts are of medium power and in Runequest terms would be power 10, 9 ,13, and 11.

9. Chalk Animal – Repeatable, Balazar
A stylised image animal(refs choice) is carved into a chalk hillside, or bank. The animal is one of the types often hunted by Balazarings and the site is a holy site for the God Foundchild, as is associates with the rune of harmony.

Those who sleep on it under an open sky will regain double magic points for evenings sleep. Those with an association to Harmony rune will receive all of their magic point back.

10. Abandoned Campsite – Unique , By any River
In a disused campsite by a river, a freshly cut newtling tail is left wrapped in a preserving cloth next a still warm campfire, a lunar made pack with various oddities within is also nearby. A further examination shows signs of a scuffle and some sprayed blood down by the waterside. The owner of the tail and pack will never return.

This is going to be a short series of posts, and i would think 3 or 4 more posts will be forthcoming.