Sites

Sites are interesting places that the PCs can explore. They might be the destination of an expedition, a point of interest along the way, or just an incidental discovery.

They are places where adventure happens!

Sites vary greatly in size and scope. Some are very small, discrete places like a stone altar on a lonely hilltop. Some are made up of distinct rooms, areas, or zones—like a cave system, or a barrow mound, or a crumbling manor from the age of the Makers. Some are sprawling complexes made up of multiple smaller sites.

Most sites are out in the wilderness, but you can think of a settlement (like Marshedge or Gordin's Delve or a farming valley up in the Whitefang Mountains) as a site as well. You can even find sites within settlements: the Judge's Chronicle (if there is one), the cistern in Stonetop (if there's more down there than water), the mill in Marshedge, the titular delves of Gordin's Delve—these are all sites!

Not every place where you frame a scene needs to be a "site" per se. Many locations are merely the backdrop to a scene, a place where you present a danger or a discovery or where the PCs interact with someone.

The creek that the PCs need to cross isn't a site, it's just a hazard. The wayside on the road is just a landmark, or a place where the PCs meet some travelers.

So, what distinguishes a site from just "a place where you frame a scene?"

A site should tell a story, even if you're making that story up on the fly. You want your players asking, "What happened here?" and, "Why is this like this?" and it should feel like there's an answer, even if it's beyond their reach. When your site tells a story, you're portraying a rich and mysterious world.

Sites should be exciting places to explore:

mysterious, wonderous, often dangerous.

They should stir your players' curiosity and keep everyone a little on edge. They should contrast with the safe and familiar places back home, and thus punctuate the PCs' lives with adventure.

Finally, sites should present players with meaningful decisions. Not just "do we go left or right?" but "do we follow the footprints down this tunnel, or check out this side passage that smells of ozone?"

Meaningful decisions are about more than just navigation. Even a simple, linear site can be full of choices! Do the PCs try to talk to the ghost who haunts this place, or avoid it, or bind it, or what? Do they futz with the magic runes or leave them be?

When they fall into the icy water, do they press further into the cave, wet and shivery and risking hypothermia? Or do they spend time and torches drying their clothes?

Create sites that are dynamic and unstable, full of potential energy like a coiled spring.

Then see what the PCs decide to do, and play to find out what happens.

Environmental storytelling

Sites have stories to tell. You should be able to answer questions like:

• Who built this place?
• How did it fall into ruin or disuse?
• Who or what dwells here now?
• When and why did they arrive?
• What are they up to now?
• What else has happened here?

The procedures later in this chapter will help you establish the site's story, as will the resources in Book II: The Wider World and Other Wonders.

In play, you tell a site's story through its nouns—through the rooms or areas you present, the way you describe the environment, and the dangers and discoveries you put in front of the PCs.

For example, let's say your site was a Stone Lord temple to Aratis, then perverted by the Barrow Builders, and later sealed away by the Hillfolk. When the PCs explore it, they might find a crude stone slab, carved with warnings and runes. If they pried it open, they'd find a vast, dusty hall, lined with marred icons of Aratis. Further in: a blood-stained altar, discarded bones, and the tormented ghosts of sacrificial victims.

Now, what if a sorcerer has recently been here to claim the site's power? Then that stone slab would be ajar. The sorcerer's footprints might be visible in the dust. If the PCs approached the altar, they'd smell the rotting corpse of a recent victim. If they weren't careful, they'd get attacked by some unnatural vermin, drawn to the offal.

"What here tells you...?"

Consider asking your players to paint the scene for you. Identify a detail or element of the site's story and ask, "What here tells you __?" Let them do the environmental storytelling.

For example, "What here tells you that…

• this place has been sealed up for centuries?"
• this was once a shrine to Aratis?"
• that the shrine was defiled and used for human sacrifice?"

This approach engages players, but don't overuse it. Save it for when you know what you want to establish, but you don't care about the specifics and you're happy to build on what the players give you.

This technique isn't for everyone. It blurs the Line and some players will feel like you're asking them to do your job. Others might freeze up, or introduce zany details that don't fit. But with the right

group, it can be magical.

In each room, area, or scene, try to include at least one detail or element that reflects the site's story. Even if your players don't pick up on it, or they never piece the story together, that sort of detail will make the site feel richer and more mysterious.

Running sites

When the PCs explore a site, you run the game normally and follow the core loop. You play out a series of scenes and situations, as always. They just happen to take place in that site.

Considerations

As PCs explore sites—as you establish the situation, make GM moves, and resolve

PC actions—keep in mind:

The physical space

Its rough dimensions, its construction, the height of ceilings and width of passages, obstacles, footing, slopes, different levels. You can use maps to help describe and clarify the site's layout and where things are.

Light sources

Who's carrying them? What are their tags?

How far can they see? What out in the dark can see them? How long will their light sources last, and is that long enough?

Senses other than sight

Sounds of course, but also odors and textures, heat and cold and humidity, air pressure and movement.

Marching order

Who's going first, who's next, and who's bringing up the rear? This is especially important in cramped quarters or when something attacks.

Equipment

What does everyone have in hand, or at the ready? How heavy a load are they carrying? If it's a heavy load, how much does that suck? Do they have room to swing that awkward maul in here? Can they fit through that tunnel with their shield?

Followers and NPCs

Include them in the situation! Where are they? What are they doing? How do they react to __? Make GM moves through them, or at them. If left behind at camp or to stand guard, what (if anything) befalls them?

Physical and mental states

Hunger and thirst, fatigue, irritability, disorientation, dread. How do the PCs react? How do NPCs handle it? (Spoiler: not well.)

Denizens

Who or what else is here? What signs of their presence might the PCs find? Would they notice the PCs? If so, how would they react? Are they hostile or wary or curious, or what?

Light sources & tags

Here's a quick reference:

Hand: E.g., a rushlight. Illuminates no farther than your reach. Barely enough to navigate or read by.

Close, area: E.g., a candle, oil lamp, or lantern. Casts light a few feet, enough for 2 people to navigate by.

Reach, area: E.g., a torch. Illuminates out to ~10 feet, enough for a small party to navigate by.

Crude: E.g., a rushlight, an oil lamp.

Prone to flicker or snuff out when moved quickly or in light wind.

Dangerous: E.g., a torch. A big open flame, smoky, prone to catch things on fire if not careful.

Slow: E.g., a tinderbox. It takes at least a few minutes to start a new fire!

Lamp oil is useless as a weapon. It takes time and effort to light, doesn't burn very hot, and goes out if spilled.

Exploring sites

Most sites are made up of multiple discrete areas or rooms. Some sites are so big that these areas or rooms are divided into zones or smaller sites.

As the PCs explore a site, you'll zoom in on one of these discrete places, establish a scene or situation there, and play it out.

When the PCs move on, you transition to the next interesting scene or situation.

But how do you decide what and where that is?

If you haven't already done so, establish the PCs' intent. Which way do they go?

What are they looking for? What are they trying to escape or avoid? If their intent isn't clear, ask questions until it is.

Once you've established the PCs' intent, consult your prep, the appropriate entries in Book II, and/or your growing sense of this site, its story, and its contents. If the next interesting place is obvious, great.

Frame the action there.

During the first adventure, the PCs have stopped to investigate an empty crinwin nest, high up in a great big tree. They've already searched the brush nearby and found a few dead crinwin that seem to have killed each other.

They've learned all they can down here and are talking about moving on. But Caradoc looks up at the empty nest and says "I want to check that out." To do so, he'll need to climb the tree—which my notes say is like a sequoia redwood! That will be a challenge for sure, and thus where I'll frame the next scene.

For larger sites with many areas or rooms, you might rely on a player move to inform where you frame things next. For example, the PCs might…

• Defy Danger to find the specific place (the danger being they get lost and/or stumble into a danger);
• Seek Insight to explore the site and see what they find;
• Know Things about a place they've studied, to know where __ might be;
• use a playbook move, like Expert Tracker to follow a foe's trail to wherever it leads; or…
• use a custom move specific to this site (like the Seek Out move from The Deeps, Book II, The Labyrinth).

If no obvious place presents itself, then pick a GM move you want to make. Then pick a place in the site where it would make sense for you to make that move, or create such a place on the fly.

If you need inspiration at any point in this process, refer to your prep. If that doesn't help, pick or roll from a relevant terrain, discovery, or site table in Book II, or use an example site (tweaking it as you see fit).

Once you've decided where to establish the next scene or situation, transition to it.

That could be as simple as just framing the action. Something like:

• "You enter the next room and see…"
• "You follow the outline of the broken road further into the ruins. It's been like half an hour when…"
• "You run headlong into the tunnels, who knows how long, and when you stop to catch your breath, you find yourself…"

But if the next interesting room or area is some distance away, you might want to spend a little play-time getting there.

Zoom out and handle it like a leg of travel on an expedition:

• Describe the environment that the PCs pass through
• Ask the PCs questions (about how they're feeling, what's on their mind, what this makes them think of, etc.)
• Portray followers and other NPCs
• Maybe Keep Company

The PCs and Andras are at Three Coven Lake, atop the dam and surveying the sprawling ruins. I present a choice of paths: climb the bluff to the north and check out the rooms carved into it, or explore the gentler southern shore. They stay clear of the water and go north.

I haven't had time to fully prep, so, I skim the Three Coven Lake entry. There's lots of terrain and smaller sites I could pick from, but that's not inherently interesting. I decide to introduce a danger, person, or faction. I roll an encounter (Book II, Three Coven Lake). I get a

6 ("other entities") and then pick "Stone Lord constructs." I roll a disposition of "curious."

I think a lithic servant is spying on the PCs (on behalf of some other entity?). I'm not sure where this encounter will occur, so I look at the bluffs terrain table (Book II, page

441) and roll an "overhang" and "walkway/ stairs… carved into the stone."

Okay, cool, but I think it'll take a bit of a hike to get there. They set a marching order, and I start transitioning to the scene. "So, you head up into the bluffs, climbing this crumbling, rock-strewn stairway. It's a slog, and Andras keeps wincing on his leg."

You might make a soft GM move, too. Use up their resources as they march ("Mark off another hour on your lamp oil"). Hint at more than meets the eye ("That's the third time you've seen that mark"). Point to a looming danger ("A bit later, you find these gouges, like from the talons of something really big").

Or, to heck with it. Introduce a danger or present a discovery at some point along the way, and I guess this is where the next scene happens, actually.

Blodwen checks in with Andras, who plays it off as no big deal. Then I get back to my description. "A bit later, the stairs turn and run up the side of the bluff. There's no railing, just a sheer drop to your left, down to rocks and more water than you've ever seen. What are each of you thinking right now?"

After the players answer, I zoom in to make my move. "After like an hour, the stairs pass through a short tunnel in an outcrop. And Caradoc, something… moves. Up on top of that outcrop, like 30 feet up. It's a… person? No… more like a man-sized puppet made of stone, watching you. What do you do?"

The party stops. Vahid Knows Things (it's a Stone Lord construct, but he's unsure if it's a drone or autonomous or what). They try to communicate but it doesn't respond. Caradoc tries climbing up to it, but it slinks away. They move on, but it follows at a distance.

"This is no good," says Rhianna. "I Read the Land. What's the best spot for an ambush? I want to catch this thing." We decide that they could draw it into a chamber in the bluffs that Rhianna spots up ahead—and that's where we frame the next scene!

GM exploration moves

Use these GM moves heavily as the PCs explore a site. These are the same moves that you use while running a journey, but here we'll discuss using them in more local, focused areas.

Your exploration moves are:

• Provide a choice of paths
• Hint at more than meets the eye
• Offer riches at a price
• Present a discovery
• Point to a looming danger
• Introduce a danger, person, or faction
• Bar the way

Provide a choice of paths

Use this move to prompt the PCs to move on, signaling that there's nothing more of interest here. Use to it remind them of their options when they decide to move on themselves. Or, use it to force a decision.

The choice of paths should be meaningful.

Know where each path leads (at least in general) before you make this move, and give the players some indication of how they're different.

"Passages go left and right. Both curve inward, like so. To the left, at the end of your light, you see rubble. To the right, you can make out an alcove in the inner wall. And ahead of you, you're not sure but you think it opens to a big, vaulted room. Which way do you go?"

"So, what do you think? Do you want to head north and take those stairs up into the bluffs? Or pick your way down to the south shore and check out those ruins poking out of the lake? Or what?"

Hint at more than meets the eye

Think about something you want to reveal to the PCs, but that wouldn't be obvious.

Then think about what telltale signs could point to it. Describe that. See what the PCs do. They'll often ask questions, Know

Things, or Seek Insight—or all three!

This move is a great way to telegraph a discovery—especially a clue or an opportunity—and to engage in environmental storytelling.

"While Vahid and Caradoc bicker about the rubble, Rhianna, you notice these smooth, curving patterns in the dirt. What do you do?"

"Vahid, now that you're closer, you can see that both have the same sigil carved into their, well, 'foreheads,' I guess? Stone Lord markings, for sure, and… they look kind of familiar?"

"Okay, so Blodwen, you're patching up Caradoc. I presume you've got the lantern on the cave floor next to you? Well, as you finish, you notice the flame like, pulling, towards the back of the cave. Like there's a draft, maybe? What do you do?"

Offer riches at a price

Present something valuable to the PCs—be it actual treasure, information, a needed supply, etc.—but also present a danger that makes it costly or difficult to get. See if they think it's worth it.

"There's this beautiful wooden chest up against the wall, covered in soil and dirt but still intact, about yea wide. And there's a dead crinwin in front of it, clutching a withered, blackened arm."

"Yeah, Vahid, these are Tempest Lord runes. Not only that, this is some sort of formula or spell, related to… thunder? But you can't tell more than that without digging it up, which will take time and make noise. You'll risk a run-in with that beast whose scat Caradoc found earlier. What do you do?"

Present a discovery

Pick a discovery—a clue, an encounter, an opportunity, an artifact or arcanum, or even another, smaller site. Maybe roll on a table from Book II to decide what it is. Put it in front of the PCs, and see what they do. Refer to the Discoveries chapter for guidance and more examples.

"As you slink about the courtyard, your foot hits something hard. Metal? You look closer, and yeah, it's a bronze slab, poking out of the soil. And, oh-ho, there are more runes on it! What do you do?"

"'Hey, guys?' says Andras. He's looking at a wall in the back, and when you get closer you see it's a map. Of the whole city, from back before it fell. Here, let me sketch it out. It looks like… this."

Point to a looming danger

Use this move to telegraph a threat, a monster, or a hazard, to reveal and reflect its presence in the site.

"What should you be on the lookout for? Um… oh. You find some scat, like fistsized, and ropey, full of fur and bones. Whatever this is from, it's a predator. A big one. What's your next question?"

"So, Vahid, you're checking out that side passage? Cool. As you approach, you see that it's blocked by a solid slab of stone. And then there's this eerie, like, 'whoosh' and everyone's lanterns sputter. You all feel a chill, and Vahid, your breath is fogging up. What do you do?"

Introduce a danger, person, or faction

Put a danger directly in the PCs' way. As a hard move, have it catch them unawares.

Or, have them encounter a denizen of the site, or a group thereof. The line between "person" and "danger" isn't always clear.

"Standing by the pool, so still you don't even notice him at first, is Wynfor. He didn't look up when you entered. Still hasn't. He's just… staring at the water, eyes glassy, with this little half-smile. He's drugged, maybe? What do you do?"

"A 2? Huh. Well. You step closer to the barrow entrance, but then URK—your foot's caught on something. You look down and see a reddish vine, coiled around your ankle and calf, covered in inch-long thorns, some of which are stuck in you. But you barely feel it. What do you do?"

Bar the way

Make this move to deny access to part of a site. It could be something that's been there all along, like a locked door or a chasm. Or you could cut the PCs off as they explore, via a cave-in, a trap, a bridge collapsing behind them, etc.

Maybe there's a key they can find, or a way through with a lot of effort, or another, riskier path?

Or not. Sometimes the way is shut, and they have to turn back for now.

"No, the slab is solid, and probably a foot or two thick? It's weird, though. This very much feels like an entrance. The way it's inset into the construction around it… did this, like, fall into place? Regardless, you don't see any way to lift it up again. What do you do?"

"What's the best way through? Well, not that way. The passage is just gone, like rubble and rock and dust floating in the air. If you want to rejoin the others, you'll need to loop around, back through the shrine and the central chamber. What do you do?"

Use other moves, too!

Don't forget to use your standard GM moves while the PCs explore a site, as well as threat moves and moves from hazards and monsters. For example:

• Announce trouble: "You hear footsteps approaching."
• Use up their resources: "It's been an hour: mark off your light sources."
• Demonstrate a downside: "Your axe catches on the low ceiling, and the thing darts in and chomps your leg for 1d8 damage."
• Separate them: "Too slow, I guess—you tumble into the tunnel below, alone. Oh, and take 1d8 damage."
• Tell them the consequences/ requirements and ask: "You'll have to Defy Danger, and you risk a nasty, bone-breaking fall; do you do it?"
• Advance towards impending doom: "It's no use! You're caught in the swirling current and can't swim free—the whirlpool is getting closer!"
• Hurt them: "ZZZOLT, there's a flash of light and pain and now you're slumped against the wall, singed and aching—take 1d6+2 damage, ignores armor, and marked dazed."

Creating sites

You won't always create sites the same way, or to the same level of detail. Sometimes, you'll improvise a site in play; other times, you'll carefully prep them between sessions.

Often, you'll do a bit of both.

Regardless of how much you're prepping vs. improvising, you want your site to tell a story, to be an exciting place to explore, and to present the players with plenty of meaningful decisions.

Here's how to do that:

1) Lay the foundation

• Ask questions
• Build on what you've got
• Exploit the setting guide

2) Build up its story

• Look for connections
• Ask yourself questions
• Answer those questions
• Create a timeline

3) Sketch out the site's contents

• Populate it
• Identify dangers and discoveries
• Establish areas/rooms
• Describe the environment
• Arrange areas/rooms

4) Write it up as much as you like

• Create a map or visual (maybe)
• Detail each area/room
• Subdivide as needed
• Make lists and tables
• Make plans
• Review and revise

You don't need to do this entire process, or do it all at once. If pressed for time, do only as much of the process as you need for the next session. Improvise the rest, and finish later if it's relevant.

Last session, the PCs lured a curious construct into a site north of Three Coven Lake. I laid the foundation during play, picking an example site from Book II: "warren of rooms carved into a bluff. Once a Stone Lord's manor, then a warlord's fortress, finally the site of her demise." I made up details as the PCs set their ambush, and we ended there.

Between sessions, I flesh out this warren they've found themselves in, building up its story and sketching out some contents. I suspect that the PCs will make this their base camp, so I even draw a map.

I still need to decide what this construct's deal is, and figure out where in Three Coven Lake the PCs might find the Mindgem's fiery heart (the whole point of this expedition). I bet they're related! I lay the foundation for the heart's resting place: a reclaimed tenement north of the bluffs, home to a deathless sorcerer whose mind is spread among a number of lithic servants (all powered by the fiery heart). I write up the sorcerer, but don't bother detailing the site yet—I doubt the PCs will get there next session.

Instead, I create a few other areas the PCs might encounter first: a haunted workshop, a broken obsidian mirror, and the home of an exiled Hillfolk spirit-talker (the sorcerer's rival). I'll flesh out the sorcerer's complex after the next session.

1 Foundation

Start with a core concept for the site and its story, something with a few compelling details that you can build on while improvising or as you continue to prep. This should be brief: a few sentences and an evocative title, no more.

Ask questions

If you're establishing the site during play, and the PCs might know about it, defer to them. Has a PC been here before? Ask what it's like! Would a PC have heard of it? Ask what they've heard.

As always, incorporate the players' answers into the fiction but feel free to put a twist on it. Sure, that barrow was full of bones and swarming mice when the Fox explored it, but that was years ago and the mice could be gone. Sure, everyone knows the ruin is haunted, but perhaps it's a grumpy Fae who dwells there rather than a ghost.

For our first adventure, the main threat (Sajra the swyn, a monkey-headed snake beast) dwells in a Green Lord tomb. The crinwin are dragging Pryder (one of the village youths) back there, and the PCs are in pursuit. I've already Charted a Course and prepped the journey, and I expect the PCs to arrive next session.

Earlier, we established that Rhianna thinks the crinwin are headed to a big Maker-ruin. She and her pa followed a rabid wolf there in her youth. They found it near the ruin, but got spooked. "What spooked you off?" I asked. This was before the Forest Folk left, and she said they'd found the wolf 's burnt bones near the entrance, like an offering, and they wanted nothing to do with that!

Build on what you've got

Think through what you know about this site. What can you assume from context?

What have you told the players and what have they told you? What have you already decided, in your heart of hearts?

If there's a resource that you want to build on or adapt—like an image or map, a module from another RPG, or an adventure starter—think about that, too!

Why are you putting this site in the game?

For color? To break up a journey? Because this is where the PCs can find what they're looking for? Or what? Do your reasons imply anything more about this site?

If you're prepping in advance, then write this stuff down. If improvising, just think it through. Either way: let your creativity build on this foundation.

I jot down what I know about this site:

• 1½ days away, in the Great Wood • Sajra's been here since last fall • Sajra displaced a Fae squatter, Thornthumb, who's still in the area and holding a grudge • Sajra has entranced a nest of crinwin and two Stonetop children • Crinwin are looting a nearby ruin to add to Sajra's hoard • Rhianna was here in her youth • Forest Folk left burnt offerings (?)

I'm putting this site in the game because I need a lair for the villain, and because I'd like the PCs to meet a mummified Green Lord, maybe. Which tells me that:

• The tomb is basically intact

Exploit the setting guide

Book II is full of example sites and tools to help you create your own. Use it for inspiration and to help make sites that fit the larger Stonetop setting.

If you're making a site from scratch, start by deciding what manner of site it is: a Fae domain, a ruin of the Makers, a haunted site, etc. If unsure, refer to the entry for the relevant region and review the sections for "Terrain" and/or "Discoveries" therein.

Once you know the manner of site you're creating, go to the "Sites" section for the appropriate entry. For example, you'll find the entry for Forge Lord sites on Steading Playbook of Book II, and haunted sites on Playing the Game in the "Death and the undying" entry. Use the procedures and tables there to develop the site's concept.

Treat the tables as creative prompts. Pick options that make sense or catch your eye, or roll if unsure. If you do roll, try to make sense of the results even if they seem disjointed. Unlikely combinations can lead to some of the most interesting, memorable sites. That said, if a roll really doesn't feel right, then pick something else or roll again. You're not beholden to the dice!

Consider the results in light of what you've already established. Envision the site. If you're prepping in advance, write a few sentences describing the place. Try to get fairly specific, but keep it brief.

If you're creating the site on the fly, you can ask your players to roll the dice. Read the results out loud, or write them down and "Hmm" sagely, revealing them through play. Either way, take a short break to think through the rest of the process.

The swyn's lair is a Green Lord tomb, so I find the "Sites" section of the Green Lord entry. This is a "ruin," so I start

there (Book II, Green Lords). The process

has me roll or pick a Green Lord theme, and "tombs, mummification, constructed afterlives" is the obvious choice. I roll a 6 for structure, "ziggurat/pyramid/dome" and the purpose is clearly a "tomb." I roll a 1 for architectural elements, "huge slabs of smooth stone…carved with scrollwork and bas relief." Because I want a Green Lord mummy to still be in there, I choose "buried, submerged, and/or overgrown, but mostly intact" for the site's condition.

The procedure then has me pick a Great Wood terrain, so I flip to that table and roll a 4, "clearing, meadow, sparse trees." It also says to populate it with lingering signs, artifacts, and dangers but I'll worry about that later.

I ponder a bit and write down:

THE GREEN LORD'S TOMB

A dome-shaped tomb, mostly intact, with a few old oaks growing out of it. Looks like a small hill, with bits of worked stone poking out of the soil.

Inside are wide-open halls of white marble with intricate scrollwork, leading to the still-intact burial vault of a Green Lord. Forest Folk used to leave it offerings. A Fae, Thornthumb, used to live in the outer halls, but was displaced last autumn by Sajra and its crinwin minions.

2 Story

Sites should tell stories, even if those stories are relatively simple. A site's story informs how you describe it and what the PCs might find within.

If you're prepping between sessions, then give this process some time. Take notes.

Browse Book II. Let things percolate and come back to them later.

If you're doing this during play, keep it short and simple. Go with the obvious connections, questions, and answers.

Look for connections

Start with the site's foundation, the details already established, and the questions you've started asking yourself.

Consider how those things connect to:

• Each other
• Other setting elements in Book II
• The setting's timeline (see ages of the world, Book II, Appendix A: Ages of the World)
• Things the players are interested in
• The PCs, their stuff, and their pasts
• Established NPCs and threats
• Previous events in-game
• The questions on your "I wonder…" list Let these connections prompt questions, suggest answers, or just inspire new ideas.

Think about how all these elements fit together in your site.

Ask yourself questions

Think about what you've got so far, and start asking questions. Write them down!

Ask yourself about…

• the connections you've made and what those connections imply. "What do the Ustrina know about this ruin? Why do they stay away?"
• any apparent contradictions. "If the site is intact and fully visible, but close to town, why has no one explored it?"
• fuzzy details. "It was a workshop, but what type of work?" "Who was this Forge Lord, specifically?"
• causes and reasons. "What melted the statue?" "Why did they build this place here, specifically?"
• how it's changed over time. "How did it fall into ruin?" "Who inhabited it next? How did they change it?"
• the denizens who dwell here, their motives, and how they interact with each other. "What does the hagr want?" "How do the bandits keep the ghosts at bay?"
• timing. "How long have the crinwin been here?" "How long was the barrow sealed before Winoc opened it?"
• anything else that feels important.

Answer those questions

Start answering your questions, in whatever order makes sense or whatever order the answers occur to you.

If there's a clear answer to a question, then great, use that. Otherwise, jot down some possible answers. Either pick between them randomly or choose the answer that excites you most, the one that makes the most sense or feels the most thematic. If unsure, put it aside for now and come back to the question later.

If no answer occurs to you at all, or you dislike the ones you've got, then flip through your notes, your threats, and other entries in Book II. Look for connections that might help answer the question. Roll on a relevant table in Book II, or use a divination tool (e.g. tarot cards).

If you're still stumped, consider whether you need to answer this question, or if it's the right question. Add the question to your "I wonder…" list or frame it differently. Maybe the question isn't, "How do the bandits keep the ghosts at bay?" but rather, "Which of the bandits have been possessed?"

Let your answers spawn new questions.

Answer them. If new connections occur to you and prompt new ideas, consider using them. Don't be afraid to revise and adapt your answers or even your foundation if you need to.

Create a timeline

As the site's story becomes clear to you, start to create a timeline of key events. Put them in a relative order: this happened, then this, and then this. Vague times are usually fine (centuries ago, decades ago, years ago, last winter, last week, etc.).

If your site is more than a decade or so old, refer to ages of the world (Book II, Appendix A: Ages of the World). Try to align your site's timeline with that of the setting.

If you're prepping the site in advance, then write this timeline down in as much detail as you find useful. It's typically a bullet list of key events, but you can include details like the motives or experiences of actors in the site's story. If you're so inclined, you might even draw maps or illustrations of the place at various points in time to visualize how it has changed.

If you're improvising a site during play, then keep things high-level. Focus on the details relevant to play. If you're creating a Stone Lord ruin that's been haunted by a ghost for a few decades, then gloss over the ruin's origins and spend more time on the ghost's death and subsequent events.

New questions will arise as you make your timeline—answer them! As you make new connections, reconsider previous decisions.

Adjust your timeline accordingly.

When you think you're done, read over the timeline from beginning to end. Look for obvious holes or contradictions. Address them as needed.

I've laid the foundation for my Green Lord tomb; it's time to build up its story. I start by looking for connections.

The Green Lords bred the Fae to create false afterlives for themselves. But when the Fae rebelled, they "gutted tombs." So why is this tomb still intact? (A question for later!)

The tomb is in the Great Wood, so the Forest Folk must have known about it. The area is probably marked with Forest Folk glyphs.

Rhianna and her pa found what looked like a burnt offering left outside this place, which they think the Forest Folk left.

Forest Folk descended from the Green Lord's mortal servants. There's a mummified Green Lord in there. Did they worship it?

Blodwen's player is curious about the Forest Folk; she might be able to learn something about them here.

Sajra is a swyn. The Green Lords made swyn with help from the Things Below, to fight the Fae. The Fae hunt swyn.

Sajra moved in last autumn, and kicked out a Fae named Thornthumb. Thornthumb was a collector himself, so some of his hoard must still be there.

Thornthumb would know all the ins and outs of the tomb. He would have known (and traded with?) the Forest Folk before they left, too Sajra has turned the crinwin into "fawning servants," but their instinct is "to covet." They're probably jealous of the children's place in Sajra's collection.

From there, I make a list of questions and then start answering them.

• Why didn't the Fae gut the tomb during their uprising? The inner vault is guarded by powerful, loyal Fae. The outer tunnels were looted and ransacked, but the vault and Green Lord are secure.
• When did Thornthumb move in? A few centuries ago, after he lost his home in the Fae revolt.
• What did the Forest Folk think of this place? They treated it as a sacred site, petitioning the Green Lord like an oracle or (fickle, dangerous) god.
• What was Thornthumb's relationship with the Forest Folk? Did he act as an intermediary between them and the Green Lord? Or charge them a toll for passing through his home? That second one feels right.
• What caused Sajra to come here? Swyn hate each other, but they do breed occasionally. I think Sajra is young and came here to establish its territory? This makes me think that swyn have genetic memory, and hatch with much of their progenitors' knowledge and cunning.
• What minions did Sajra bring with it when it arrived? If it's young, probably not many. Some crinwin from elsewhere, but that's it.
• What treasures did Thornthumb leave behind? It could be anything. One of the Mindgem's missing parts? Eh, that just feels too convenient. Not sure I need to answer this just yet.
• How did Sajra get Thornthumb to leave? (Threats? Violence? Trickery?) It took over his mind and had him gift Sajra the tomb and his hoard. Now he's oathbound to stay away.
• Has Sajra met the Green Lord? No, I think it's stymied by the guardian Fae. But it wants access to the vault—it thinks it can overthrow the Green Lord and claim its treasure and servants.
• Where do the crinwin actually live? I think Sajra loathes the crinwin. It lets the most-trusted ones (who came here with it) nest in the tomb, but not in its quarters. The new crinwin nest outside.
• What's the crinwin's relationship to the children? Crinwin are jealous but also curious, creepily mimicking the kids' words and songs. The kids are scared of the crinwin, but mostly kept in a stupor.
• What do the crinwin think of Sajra? The "trusted" ones basically worship it, and lord over the new ones. They mimic Sajra's voice and collect its discarded "treasure." The new crinwin fawn over it and desperately want to please it.
• What do they all eat? Crinwin forage small game, grubs, roots, and (gross) food for the kids. But Sajra goes out periodically to hunt for itself. I can't see it living on the crinwin's meager fare.

As I put the site's timeline together, I realize that the Fae rebellion happened in the Age of the Makers, millennia ago, which means that Thornthumb was there a loooong time. I bet he used his sway over plants and trees to help keep the place hidden.

When I'm done, the timeline looks like this:

IN THE TIME OF THE MAKERS (millennia ago)

• Tomb is built, Green Lord interred • Centuries later: Fae revolt starts! Guardian Fae stay loyal, but rebels ransack the tomb's outer tunnels, burn most mummified servants • Thornthumb displaced by war; finds tomb, moves in to outer tunnels, hides the ruin with plants and growth • War ends, tomb is largely forgotten

OVER THE NEXT FEW CENTURIES

• Forest Folk sometimes petition Green Lord's spirit for knowledge/aid • Thornthumb collects tolls from Forest Folk petitioners; his hoard grows

LAST TWENTY YEARS OR SO

• Rhianna & pa find burnt wolf here • Forest Folk disappear; crinwin and nailadd populations grow • Sajra is hatched in Vor Svetelik

LAST AUTUMN

• Sajra arrives at tomb with crinwin thralls in tow; makes Thornthumb, promise to stay away from the tomb, Sajra, its servants and possessions • Sajra enthralls local crinwin; they make nests outside the tomb

LAST WINTER INTO SPRING

• Crinwin kidnap Tiwlip from the Woods • Crinwin raid Stonetop, kidnap Wynfor and bring him back to the tomb • Since thaw: crinwin have started excavating other ruins near tomb

NOW

• Crinwin have kidnapped Pryder, are dragging him towards the tomb.

3 Contents

Decide what the PCs might find as they explore the site: its inhabitants, the areas within it, the dangers and discoveries that make it interesting, and the connective tissue that holds it all together.

If you're improvising the site during play, you'll do this spontaneously, inventing the contents as needed based on the site's foundation and story, often picking from ideas presented in Book II.

If you're prepping between sessions, then do the following steps in whatever order makes sense. Take multiple passes. Start high-level, with generalities. Then review what you've got. Consolidate where you can. Look for what's missing and for interesting interactions. Revise. Make decisions and create stuff as needed.

Populate it

Who or what lives or dwells here? Who or what is visiting, exploring, or just passing through? You probably already know this, but make a list.

Don't limit yourself to people. Think about beasts, spirits, constructs, undead entities,

and any other entity that the PCs might interact with.

If there are multiple denizens, then think about the relationships between groups and individuals. Factions and rivalries.

Debts, alliances, and feuds. Familial ties.

Love and hate and jealousy, all that stuff.

Include some notes about these relations as you make your list.

If you expect the PCs to communicate with any denizens, then create them as NPCs, with tags, traits, an instinct, roleplaying notes, etc.

Identify dangers & discoveries

Make a list of the dangers and discoveries implied by the site's foundation, story, and occupants. This might include:

• Hazards that the PCs might need to deal with
• Monsters, i.e. denizens that the PCs might fight
• Clues, especially those that the PCs need to achieve their goals
• Other, smaller sites
• Non-hostile encounters with the site's denizens
• Opportunities
• Artifacts and arcana found within the site Refer to the relevant entries in Book II, or make your own as needed.

The goal here is to identify the elements that you want to include, and those that you need to to account for. Don't worry just yet about placing them within the site, or writing them up in detail. You can do that now, if it helps you make decisions or answer questions. But it's often best to wait until you're doing the site's final write-up.

Establish areas/rooms

Write out the distinct rooms or places that are suggested by your site's foundation and story, by its denizens, and by common sense. A small site might have just one area, but most sites have at least a few.

If the site was built for a specific purpose, start there. What rooms or areas would it have had to fulfill that purpose? A home would have a place to sleep, a hearth, some sort of common room, a larder, etc. But a fortress would have ramparts, a gate, a well, maybe an inner keep.

Think about why the PCs are here in the first place. If they're looking for something, what room or area is it in? Why is it there, specifically? What does that tell you about the site?

If you need to invent a new area or room (to hold a danger or discovery, or to just fill out the site), then create it as a new site using the tools in Book II. If the PCs are exploring a Stone Lord ruin and you need to place a broken construct somewhere, then roll up a new Stone Lord site (Book II, Stone Lords), treat it as an area within the larger site, and place the construct there.

Describe the environment

Envision the site, or the individual area or room you're working on. Make some notes as to how you'll describe it.

For a larger site, think in generalities.

What sorts of rooms, areas, terrain, and features can be found there? Build out a vocabulary of places, imagery, impressions, and details that you can pull from when framing scenes and describing the site.

For smaller, discrete places, get specific.

What features of this place make it distinct?

Keep it brief for now, just a sentence or two, enough to define the place in your head.

As you do this, think about the site's story.

What traces remain of its original purpose?

What condition is it in now? How are the current denizens using it, and how has that changed or shaped the place? Reflect the site's story in how you describe the environment.

If it helps you to draw maps or pictures at this point, go for it!

I start sketching out the contents of my Green Lord tomb with the following lists:

DENIZENS

• Sajra the swyn • "Trusted" crinwin. Nests inside, came here with Sajra and lord over the others. Collect Sajra's castoff junk, mimic its voice. Jealous of the kids. • "New" crinwin. Nests outside, jealous of everyone. Mimic kids' songs, voices. • Wynfor and Tiwlip. Entranced kids, kept near Sajra. They sing for him! • Pryder. Injured, imprisoned, out of it. Not yet entranced? • The mummified Green Lord, blissfully unaware of the others • The guardian Fae outside the vault

• Other Fae/spirits in the Green Lord's false afterlife. Resentful? (Detail!)

DANGERS

• Swyn, Book II, p. 222 • Crinwin, Book II p. 61 • Green Lord Mummy, Book II p. 221

• Magical wards on vault (create!)
• Guardian Fae (create!) • Ensnaring plants (from Thornthumb) • Unstable construction, Book II p. 390

DISCOVERIES

• Thornthumb/Sajra's hoard (create!)
• Grave goods interred with the Green Lord (create!)
• The crinwin's trash hoard (create!) • Crinwin keeping their own "children" (dead animals, crude dolls), singing with them (mimicking kid's voices) • "Trusted" crinwin bossing new crinwin around, mimicking Sajra's voice • Hidden tunnels for Sajra/crinwin to come and go • Outside: giant snake poop & shed skin

AREAS/ROOMS

• Intact inner tomb (burial vault, the wards, the guardian Fae) • Green Lord's afterlife (Fae domain) • Entrance hall (overgrown, crumbling, vandalized) • Exterior of tomb ("hill," oaks with the shabby nests of "new" crinwin).

• Sajra's quarters (what, exactly?)
• Wherever the children are kept (???)
• "Trusted" Crinwin nests (where?)

ENVIRONMENT (OUTSIDE)

• Forest Folk glyphs carved into trees nearby, faded • Hill, worked stone poking out of soil • Few big oaks, reaching out over the hill like a blessing • Papery crinwin nests in the oaks, small and new-looking • Overgrown, cave-like entrance

ENVIRONMENT (INSIDE)

• Grand, vaulted chambers and halls • White stone slabs, carved with plantmotif scrollwork/bas relief • Mostly dark, but the white stone catches and amplifies light • Dirt, mud, rubbish strewn about • Empty burial niches lining halls • Graffiti, marred carvings, old soot • Wood archways/pillars, like trees that just grew that way, some rotten • Root tendrils hanging down in places • Collapsed tunnels/walls, rubble I do a second pass to firm up the fuzzy bits. I don't bother with the Fae or spirits who dwell in the Green Lord's false afterlife (I'm not sure that the PCs will even get in there), nor with Sajra's hoard or other treasures (In a pinch, I can pick stuff from Book II).

For the inner vault, I think that the wards involve a series of tests, meant to ensure that petitioners approach the Green Lord with proper respect. I write down:

• Halls of Humility & Gratitude (dreamlike tests) • Hall of Offerings (guardian Fae, leads to false afterlife)

I'm not sure what exactly these will entail; I'll come back to them later. I do spend time creating the Almtakers Dangers, the Fae who guard the Hall of Offerings. It seems important to understand them, even if they never appear in play.

Now, where is Sajra's lair? It would be the grandest place that remained in the outer tomb. But what? I go back to the Green Lord sites and roll up a new one to represent this room. I get a theme of "spirits of the wild… bound or put to use" and a purpose of "Esoteric (laboratory, shrine, surgery, etc.)," and more stone slabs and carvings for architectural elements. I roll a theme from the spirits of the wild (Book II, Spirits of the Wild): "water/ streams/ponds/lakes."

Okay, I think this was a shrine (to Danu?), featuring a natural spring and tended by the spring's spirit. The Fae and Thornthumb left it intact, but Sajra has claimed it as its den. Ooh, and Sajra's presence is starting to corrupt the place. Cool! (I add "Spirit of the spring" to my list of denizens.)

If Thornthumb left the shrine intact, then he probably dwelt in another chamber. I bet it was, like, a memorial to the Green Lord, a mosaic of moss depicting its achievements. The Fae burned it during the revolt, but the moss grew back under Thornthumb's care (in crazy-quilt patterns). The crinwin looted the place under Sajra's direction, but maybe there's still a hidden entrance that Thornthumb knows of? Yeah!

Now, what's going on with the children? Wynfor (Caradoc's nephew) and Tiwlip (the girl who was taken first, last winter) are enthralled by Sajra. I think it prefers their company to the crinwin, so it keeps them in its own chamber: clean (they wash in the spring) and bedecked in ill-fitting silks (from Thornthumb's hoard). They're docile and dreamy, but armed with bronze knives and they'll stab anyone who tries to take them away or otherwise mess with Sajra's stuff.

Pryder, meanwhile, arrived only recently. He's concussed and feverish, recovering in a burial niche near Sajra's lair. Sajra's ordered him to sleep, and I think the "new" crinwin who brought him here are guarding him (to the chagrin of the "trusted" crinwin).

For the "inside" criwin nests, my first idea is to have them be in the entrance hall. But I don't really want them to be the first thing the PCs encounter inside. I'd like to build up some tension! The nests can be in a great hall just outside the inner vault, big and grand, now partially collapsed and strewn with rubble. The crinwin nests are built on (old, rotting) pillar-trees.

Arrange areas/rooms

Look at your rooms and areas and think about how they're arranged. Where else can you get to from each area? What (if anything) lies between them?

To represent the site's layout, you might…

• group them by region or zone;
• create a list of areas/rooms that you'll either pick from or roll on;
• write down the "exits" for each area or room, and what each connects to;
• make a flowchart or nodal diagram;
• draw a representational map; or…
• use some variation or combination of the above.

Which approach you use will depend on personal preference, the complexity and size of the site, and how "concrete" you want the site to be.

As you arrange your site, you might realize that something is missing, or decide to add a new room or area as filler or connective tissue. Or you might realize you have an idea for a new danger or discovery. Or that something you thought of earlier no longer fits. So be it!

If you're arranging your site concretely, with specific connections between areas, then think about the order in which the PCs are most likely to explore them. How will that shape the experience?

Linear connections (room A leads to room B leads to room C) mean the PCs must visit those areas in that order. Linear sites also constrain how denizens react or where they can go when the PCs approach.

To make a site more dynamic, with more decision points for the players and more ways its denizens can respond, include:

• Multiple paths through the site
• Loops, where areas/rooms connect to each other from multiple directions
• Different levels and sub-levels
• Multiple entry/exit points
• Hidden, difficult, or dangerous paths
• Paths that the site's denizens can use but the PCs can't Such additions make a site more interesting, but also more complicated to prep and run. And multiple paths, levels, and so on don't always make sense. Sometimes a simple, straightforward site is best—there can be plenty of exciting moments and meaningful decisions in a linear site!

I've been picturing the Green Lord's tomb as a series of halls and chambers encircling the inner tomb, reflecting its dome-like shape. I start by listing the areas and rooms, like so:

OUTSIDE

• Clearing around hill • Entrance to tomb (overgrown) • Oaks atop hill (crinwin nests)

INSIDE

1. Entrance

2. Mossy chamber

• Hidden tunnel to outside 3. Great hall (crinwin nests) • Entrance to inner tomb 4. Shrine (Sajra's lair) • Connects back to entrance Between each of the above: halls with (ransacked) burial niches

◇ Outside

Hidden tunnel

◇ ENTRANCE HALL ◇

MOSSY CENTRAL

GREAT HALL

◇ (Crinwin nests) ◇

I'm thinking that the hall between the shrine and the entrance will be mostly caved in, with a narrow tunnel that Sajra and the crinwin can squeeze through.

Upon reflection, that feels too linear. The swyn and the crinwin are mobile, stealthy, cautious foes and I want this to feel like a game of cat-and-mouse. The layout should support that.

I put the inner vault below the main level of the tomb and add a central chamber between the entrance, mossy chamber, shrine, and great hall. I think the central chamber was a larger burial vault for the Green Lord's chief servants (ransacked, of course).

I draw the site out as a nodal diagram, adding a few burrowed tunnels to the outside—I don't think Sajra or the crinwin would be happy with only one exit!

(cave-in; Sajra/crinwinBlocked passage BURIAL VAULT/ can slip through) FALSE AFTERLIFE

HALL OF OFFERINGS

SHRINE ◇ (Sajra's lair) HALL OF ◇◇ GRATITUDE

◇ HALL OF ◇ Outside HUMILITY

Stairs down to inner tomb

4 Write-up

Once you've identified the site's contents, organize your notes and write things up in as much detail as you find useful, valuable, or fun.

The goal here is a document that helps you run the site in play. And as you create that document, you'll end up honing your craft. You'll fill in gaps. You'll find ways to improve your environmental storytelling and make the site more exciting. You'll see how the site fits together and fix things that don't make sense.

The nature of your write-up will vary from site to site, and every GM's approach is different. One of your sites might need a few paragraphs, a list or two, and some references to Book II. Another site might call for maps, room-by-room descriptions, factions, tactics, and so on.

Remember: you're writing this for yourself.

Don't bother with flowery language unless you plan to read it out loud. Your write-up doesn't need to be pretty or even complete; it needs to be functional.

Create maps or visuals (maybe)

If you don't already have one, consider making (or using) a map or visual aid to represent the site. This might be a nodal diagram like the one on the previous page, pictures, a representative map, or even 3D terrain if that's your jam.

Maps and visual aids help solidify the site in your mind. They speed up play and make it easier to describe the environment ("It looks like this!"). They make it easier to adjudicate PC actions and to decide what the site's denizens can perceive and how they respond to the PCs.

But maps and visuals require a lot of work.

And maps in particular lock you into a specific layout, making it harder to adapt to pacing needs or brilliant ideas. If you don't have time, or if you prefer a looser structure for this site, then don't bother.

Detail each area/room

Give each area or room a title, something you can refer to in your notes: "Entryway" or "Long hall" or "room A," etc.

Then write out the details and decisions that you want to remember about that area—the stuff you don't want to forget or think through in play. Include some or all of the following:

• A description of the environment
• Impressions from various senses
• Questions you might ask the PCs
• Contents: NPCs, dangers, discoveries, potential events (below)
• Lore, backstory, or explanations
• Exits and connections to other areas For the contents, include whatever details you need: numbers, where they're found, behaviors, tactics, etc. (see "Make plans" on the next page). For content that has its own stat block or write-up, include a page reference, a copy of that write-up, or a link as appropriate.

Subdivide as needed

If there are details that you find yourself writing for multiple areas or rooms, pull that out into its own entry.

Likewise, if certain dangers, discoveries, or NPCs might be found throughout the site, or are complex enough to warrant it, then give them their own heading.

Find/create content

If you need to add something to an area or the site as a whole, either pick something from Book II (and tweak it as needed) or create it from scratch. Refer to:

• Preparing hazards
• Monsters
• Prepping clues
• Building encounters
• Opportunities
• Creating artifacts
• Creating minor arcana
• Creating major arcana
• Creating NPCs
• Writing moves

If you realize you need to create a new area, treat it like a smaller site. Lay its foundation. Build up its story. Sketch out its contents, and then write it up as needed.

Make lists and tables

Some content exists in a quantum state.

The sentries walk a perimeter. The cave bears might be out foraging. The ruin is vast and you can't be bothered to plot out where each danger, discovery, or NPC is at every moment.

Put this sort of content into a list (or lists).

When the PCs enter a new area, or when you want to make a GM move but aren't sure what to do, then pick something from this list.

If you like, turn the list into a table. Assign numbers 1-6 or 1-12 to the options and have a player roll the Die of Fate to see which option they get.

For examples, see the many regional and site entries in Book II.

Make plans

Think about how NPCs or monsters are likely to react to the PCs, or what might happen when the PCs enter an area, or how long after X will Y happen. Reflect this in your notes as…

• a descriptive sentence or two;
• one or more GM moves you can make;
• a series of if/then statements;
• a list of possibilities;
• a Die of Fate table;
• a custom player move;
• an impending doom and a series of grim portents;
• a timeline or timetable of events; or…
• a combination of the above.

Review and revise

When you think you're done, read through your write-up. Is anything missing? Add it.

Is anything no longer needed? Cut it.

Make sure it makes sense. What was the site originally built or used for? Would it have served that purpose? How is it being used now, and does that actually work?

How do denizens come and go? How do they see? Where do they sleep, store food and prep it? What do they do with waste?

Do the site's areas, layout, and contents reflect the answers to these questions? If not, or if you can't answer these questions at all, then revise your write-up accordingly.

Give the write-up one last read-through, looking for inconsistencies or conflicts. If you find them, fix them.

It'll never be perfect. There's always something you'll miss, something that could be better. It's okay. If anyone even notices, you can fix it during play!

I'm ready to write up the Green Lord's tomb! I start by turning my nodal diagram into an actual map of the main level, because it helps me to picture the place.

From there, I start detailing the "Exterior," but quickly realize that I need to break it up into the approach, the exterior of the site proper, and the various entrances. I give the crinwin their own write-up, because I want to detail their numbers and tactics.

I move on to the interior, starting with the entry chamber. I realize that I'm writing things that are true about every room, so I create an entry for "Interior (throughout)."

I write up the collapsed tunnel and its secret burrow, then the central chamber. The central chamber starts simple enough (vaulted ceiling, smashed sarcophagi, empty niches), but I realize that this is where the rebel Fae would have burned the bodies of the Green Lord's servants. I add details about the soot-stained ceiling and scorched floor.

I write up the shrine next. I envision its original state, then I imagine what Sajra has done to it. He's replaced the goddess's statue with his hoard, so I add "broken statue" to the rubble in the central chamber. I write up Tiwlip and Wynfor (the kids) and some notes about how they live. Then I write up the spirit of the spring (because Blodwen can speak with spirits).

Next comes the mossy chamber. I create the moss spirits as a bit of comic relief. Then I realize that moss needs light and water, so I add the glowing makerglass in the ceiling and an irrigation channel in the floor. (I add the channel to the map, the shrine, and the central chamber, too.)

I write up the great hall, starting with the pillars, the crinwin nests, and the stairs. I want to include an "unstable construction" hazard, telegraphing it with the collapsed pillar, the rubble, and the sagging ceiling. Then I prep the hazard as an impending doom and grim portents.

I'm yet to decide where Pryder is. I know he's asleep in a burial niche, but where? I pick randomly, placing him between the mossy chamber and the great hall. I write up that hallway, with the crinwin who kidnapped Pryder jealously guarding him and some "trusted" crinwin spying on them.

Speaking of crinwin: They get a second entry for the interior. I consider making a "crinwin encounter" table to reflect the weird stuff the crinwin get up to, but the crinwin are almost certainly going to be on alert when the PCs enter the tomb. Instead of a table, I write up some if/then tactics for them and a quick list of things they might be up to if caught unawares. I also add some details to other areas to reflect the crinwin's relationship to wasps, their obsessive hoarding, and their attempts to ape Sajra.

Sajra also gets its own write-up. I realize that it might not be in the tomb when the PCs arrive, so I create a Die of Fate table for that. I start writing some if/then tactics, but

Sajra is smart, mobile, stealthy, cautious and magical—there are too many options! I opt for a brief description of its priorities and likely tactics.

I don't bother with a map or detailed writeup of the inner tomb just yet. I picture it as a fairly linear space largely separated from the main floor. I doubt the PCs will head in there this session. I'll improvise if they do.

The Green Lord's Tomb

As they approach

Hint at more than meets the eye: PCs hear children singing (crinwin imitating Tiwlip & Wynfor's voices, but multiples of the same voice).

• Caradoc, you know this song; it's one you sang as a youth—what is it?
• Vahid, how can you tell this is crinwin mimicry, and not the missing kids?

Present a discovery: Glyphs carved into trees that surround hill, faint/worn, left by the Forest Folk (see Book II, Forest Folk); mark this as a place of reverence, and refer to the premnitsi ("the receivers") and istina (the "truth," or… "oracle?").

Exterior

Wide, low hill, surrounded by trees. Three oaks (still bare), last year's grasses, some briar, shrubs. Sparse saplings dot the hill.

• Bits of worked stone poke out of the hill's soil and dead grass, easy to miss
• Small crinwin nests in boughs of oaks
• A faint odor: rotting cabbage, bad eggs
• Faint hum of… bees? No. Wasps!

Crinwin (outside)

See Book II, Crinwinfor crinwin & wasps.

4 crinwin always on watch in the oaks or nearby trees, often "singing" with the kids' voices. 1d4+2 crinwin sleep in nests. 1d6-1 other crinwin are outside, doing crinwin stuff.

If sentries notice PCs: Stop singing, use bird calls to alert others. Other crinwin scatter, hide. Those in nests wake, stay hidden.

If PCs poke around outside: Watch, sneak closer. Keep signaling others via birdsong.

If PCs try to enter: Sentries start howling like wolves. Replies come from the Wood.

Crinwin inside go on alert. ~30 minutes later, 1d6+9 Crinwin arrive back at tomb.

If PCs attack sentries: Flee into surrounding canopy (if possible) or into tomb if not. If PCs persist in hounding them, start wolf howls (as above).

If PCs molest a crinwin nest: Crinwin in nest burst out, wasps swarm. Try to daze or confound PCs, then flee.

Entrances

Main entrance: Recessed into the north side of hill, at end of a ditch full of briar.

Briar obscures a 15 foot archway, partially filled by soil and rubble. Leads to entrance chamber (A). PCs can enter if they cut the briar back or don't mind getting scratched (1d4 damage), but they risk agitating a nest Secret tunnel: Opening is west of the hill,

30 feet past the tree line, under a boulder and hidden by glamour and brush. A tight squeeze for a PC with a light load. Leads to the trapdoor [T] in the mossy chamber (D). Unknown to Sajra/crinwin.

Burrows (S): Dug into the hill or rubble about 18 inches across, visible only when right next to them. Used by crinwin and Sajra. Too small for PCs or Pryder.

Wynfor, Tiwlip, and Thornthumb could theoretically squeeze through them.

Interior

White marble construction. Scrollwork and bas relief of plants/chimerae, often marred or busted. Dark unless otherwise noted, but marble reflects/amplifies light.

• Damp, cool air
• Wooden archways, like they grew there
• Crudely carved graffiti (vulgar images, curses in Green Lord script)
• Lazy, sluggish wasps
• Distant echoes of voices/animal noises

Hallways are 10 feet wide and lined with burial niches: 8 to 24 per hall, human-sized but a few larger. No bodies, but some have displays of junk (bones, potsherds, rocks, maybe a bit of Value 1 finery with some flaw), set up by the crinwin to mimic Sajra's horde.

Entrance chamber (A)

Dimly lit from outside. Soil and debris piled nearly 4 feet high at entrance, sloping down into the room. Beyond, the floor is filthy, muddy.

• Thick layer of leaf litter, slick underfoot
• Plants/shrubs/saplings growing in soil
• Moss/lichen/vines on the walls, especially near the entrance Tracks: Crinwin tracks in dirt, signs of them dragging Pryder towards central chamber (C). Faint, wavy marks in dirt, like a big snake trail, from Sajra going to/ from shrine (E).

Collapsed hallway (B)

Caved in when Fae sacked tomb. Eight mummified servants (Book II, Green Lords) trapped in the rubble. Crinwin have dug out a tunnel that they/Sajra can squeeze through; also leads outside (via one of the burrows). Sajra's trail can be spotted.

Central Chamber (C)

Ceilings vaulted to 20 feet, coated in soot.

Very faded scorch marks on floor. Empty burial niches line walls. Large (smashed, empty) sarcophagi; one in SE corner most intact, stuffed with bones, snail shells, bug husks, and a huge snake skin (Sajra's).

A small channel, set into the floor, carries water from the shrine (E), through this chamber, into the mossy chamber (D).

• Broken statue ◇◇ ): Mixed with rubble of NW sarcophagus. Crinwin dragged it here from the shrine (E). An icon of the Green Lords' version of Danu (?).

Mossy Chamber (D)

Dimly lit by glowing makerglass, flush in the ceiling (gouges from crinwin trying to remove it). Crazy-quilt patterns of colored moss cover walls, floor, ceiling. Channel in floor enters from east, encircles chamber, irrigating soil under the mossy carpet.

• Trilling frog song as they approach
• Hushed quiet as they enter
• Trickle of running water just audible
• Damp, earthy smell
• Soft spring of moss carpet underfoot
• Colors of the moss seeming to shift, almost making pictures; nope, it's gone

Trapdoor (T): A moss-covered slab in the floor pulls up, reveals a hole and the secret tunnel. Crinwin haven't found it.

Critters: Ants, snails, frogs, moths, gnats.

Wasps/crinwin often prey on them.

Shrine (E)

Rectangular pool: spring-fed, a foot deep, and glows gently (glow fades when water leaves pool). Channel set into floor carries water to west. An altar dominates the east wall, but the icons have been replaced by items from Sajra's hoard.

• Noticeably cooler air
• Spring water bubbling up through silt
• Light patterns dancing on ceiling/walls Sajra's hoard: Finely made worked goods on altar and shelves lining walls (immobile, beautiful, Value 4 total). PCs promised Thornthumb they wouldn't steal anything.

• What thing of shiny, worked beauty catches your eye?
• What about the collected objects feels tawdry, desperate?

Pryder's hallway (F)

Pryder sleeps here in a burial niche. 1d4+2 "new" crinwin (the ones who brought him here) keep watch. 1d4 "trusted" crinwin look on from near great hall (G).

Great hall (G)

Three 20-foot-tall pillars (trees, basically).

Fourth pillar & wall/ceiling collapsed long ago. Stairwell yawns in center of room, goes down to intact inner tomb.

• Rotting cabbage/egg smell, but worse
• Large bas reliefs, all vandalized/marred
• Sagging ceiling, roots hanging down through cracks in white stone Crinwin nests hug the pillars up near the ceiling (easy to miss). If alarm hasn't been raised, then: 3-6 "trusted" crinwin sleep in nests, 1-4 spy on Pryder's hall (F), and 0-5 are here doing crinwin stuff.

Wasps: Colonizing crinwin nests, pillars.

Swarm if agitated. See Book II, Crinwin.

Unstable pillars: Advance this each time a pillar is struck, or as a GM move.

• Pillar cracks/buckles, dirt pours down
• Stones fall (1d6+1 damage, forceful)
• Pillar breaks, big stone slabs fall (1d8+3 damage, area, forceful)
• Impending doom: Ceiling collapses, burying anyone still inside (Death's Door); connecting tunnels blocked off

Crinwin

See Book II, Crinwin. ~30 crinwin total, about half are "trusted" (replace cautious with zealous). "New" crinwin flee if half their numbers are lost; "trusted" crinwin fight to death.

4 sentries outside. 4-10 total watching Pryder in hallway (F). 3-6 asleep outside.

3-6 sleeping in great hall (G). 10-15 off foraging or away on tasks. Up to 5 others doing crinwin stuff (see below).

If alerted to intruders: 2-3 keep tabs while others rally near entrance hall (A).

Once ~10 have gathered (10-20 minutes), mimic Tiwlip/Wynfor calling for help to lure PCs to entrance, then swarm them.

If Sajra, its hoard, or kids are threatened:

Nearby crinwin raise the alarm and attack.

If caught unawares, will be doing crinwin stuff: eating/processing food, expanding or repairing nests, fighting over junk, bullying each other, mimicking Sajra or the kids, talking/singing in their voices.

Sajra the Swyn

See Book II, Green Lords. When the PCs first approach the tomb, call for Die of Fate.

Intact inner tomb

Below the main level, accessed via stairs in great hall (G). Consists of:

• Antechamber: Hexagonal room, 20 feet across. Featureless white marble. Can't proceed with iron/steel.
• Hall of Humility: Magical ward, only the humble will pass (how?).
• Hall of Gratitude: Dreamlike ordeal, shows savage mortal lives before the Green Lords. (Custom move?)
• Hall of Offerings: Guarded by the Almtakers. Includes portal to Green Lord's false afterlife.
• Green Lord's burial vault: sealed off, no physical access. Holds the body of the mummified Green Lord (Book II, Green Lords), its canopic jars, grave goods.

I don't bother writing up the inner tomb in detail right now, because I don't think the PCs are likely to explore it in the next session. They're here to rescue the kids and maybe fight the crinwin, and that's plenty to keep them busy.

Between sessions, though, I write custom moves for the Halls of Humility and Gratitude Dangers, and then lay the foundation for the Green Lord's false afterlife as a Fae domain (see Book II, Fae).

But I don't bother doing any more than that. The false afterlife is a dreamlike realm where almost anything could happen, and the burial vault is just a burial with an extremely powerful mummy. And none of it matters unless the PCs get past the Almtakers. I feel like I can improvise just fine if they do!