The Fall of Andasrael Ford
On a lovely Discord server named the Discord of Many Things, I host a monthly prompt in exchange for a shiny badge. June's prompt was about keying a town - we grabbed this map from Dyson Logos (The Cathedral at Andasrael Ford) and asked folks to make a key that made it playable. In exchange, they got the Mayor role and a little top hat by their name. Fun times!
For my crack at keying this place, I wanted to put this town in ruins. I have been writing a dungeon for Trespasser on and off for the last month, but Trespasser starts games with a level 1 funnel. The funnel in the book is neat, but I've ran it before and this is a fun excuse. So I'm subjecting Andasrael Ford to the Doom, the apocalyptic events that kick off Trespasser's assumed setting. This one will be the rise of Chaos - the forces of Law have weakened with the death of the king, and only shining lighthouses of divine fire ward off the monsters of Chaos that invade the world at night. Our funnel adventure at Andasrael Ford will start with their cathedral, their own source of light, going out - and the next night, the residents get to see exactly why they haven't seen any travelers passing through in the last few months.
I started with labeling each area with who owned the house and what they do so that I can place items in them. I'm assuming our party of funnel characters are interested in grabbing what they can before they flee or take shelter - when this gets actually ran, I'll likely hand them a roster of residents with goals like "grab mementos of my childhood" or "make sure we have 5 days of rations" and rumors like "I know there's a valuable stash in the woods". So each house becomes a potential point of important resources, but each house or area they investigate might result in another knock at the door.
From there I just listed out some common items from the Adventuring Tools section of the book, some armor and weapons, and rations where it made sense that this poor village would have food stashed. I also included two magical trinkets; including magic weapons and armor seems odd for this peaceful village, but they could be tucked away with the undertaker's deserter kit or maybe locked up in the sheriff's house. Comparing it to the funnel adventure in the book, I should also include some financial treasure in the corners. However, I expect to run this in a world with little trade available until their Haven is stabilized, and they can't deposit treasure for XP until they have a Haven, so I'd rather prioritize Useful Stuff in their inventory. Go find real treasure in the dungeons!
Lastly, I filled in some enemies. Trespasser's bestiary feels somewhat light on actual monsters, but there are some classics in there. Goblins in this case can be any flavor of goblin raider, but in this setting, they are Chaos Goop given a humanoid form that enjoys causing problem for our residents of Law. I always visualize the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts, Tonberry of Final Fantasy fame, and Bokoblins from the more recent Legend of Zelda games. They also turn back into Chaos Goop when killed, so I don't feel bad when they die.
POV: From goop you came, and from goop you shall return.
I splashed in a few more monsters for variety, although there are a bunch of different goblin blocks in the book. Harvestmen are called Daddy Longlegs in my corner of the world, but Trespasser makes them horse-sized scavengers in fields, so I splash some of those around. I wanted some flying enemies, so some harpies have landed in the cathedral. Lastly, the medicine woman is meant to be witch-y and scary even when she isn't in her home, so I said she left her familiar behind - a Giant Viper that awaits her return.
My rough sketch of a key and some connections between points. Not sure how strict I would be with the paths, but it's a nice guideline.
With that I called this place "keyed", although there's still some work to be done to make it actually runnable. I've started adding some traps and some potential Situations happening in each house, although I expect I'll want to just use the roster and reaction rolls in play. I'll need to set up a quick encounter table and I'd like the list of NPCs - more importantly, I need the sense of time. I'd like a ticking clock to convince players to move, but I don't know what that end point should be. Sunrise makes sense, but that is a whole 12 hours out - I think my best choice is doing an in-media-res start with the funnel characters hiding in one of the buildings (maybe the tavern) and something smashes in with two hours or so until sunrise.
Anyways, fun exercise! You can see the other submissions linked here in our FAQ and record, all of which are interesting in their own way as adventure sites.
| Name | Pre-siege | Loot | Problems | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Gatehouse | The gatehouse is classically used to collect tax as travellers move northward. Some local kids have turned it into a hideout since the Sheriff is away. A large bell sits in the east tower. | Shortbow, a spear, a helm, bracers. | Goblins preparing to invade |
| 2 | Statue to Her | A weathered granite statue sits at the middle of town, a woman carrying a stone spear. Local legends say it's a folk god from before the King's reign. | ||
| 3 | Graveyard | Generations of graves. Flowers were often laid at the most recent ones, but it's been a while since someone has been able to take care of it. | Wildflowers (ingredients), shovel, doll | Goblins trying to raise the dead |
| 4 | Burned Fields | Fields of oats and sugar beets pay the tax and feed the village. Everyone works the fields. | Harvestmen stalking | |
| 5 | Shattered Bridge | The bridge to the west has been collapsed for two years now. Travellers don't come that way, so it hasn't been important for the carpenter to fix. | ||
| 6 | Garden | A fertile field that has been left alone after the bridge collapse. Some of the people of the West are farming some crops like potatoes in the wildflowers to avoid tax. | Crops (fine rations), scythe, crude weapons | Harvestmen stalking |
| 7 | Wood | A grove of forest that has not be logged, expanding further west and south. Near the town, there is a small grove that a group of kids has established a little hideout in. | Kids snacks (rations), sling, hatchet, spyglass | Water bucket trap (noise) |
| 8 | The Feneri of the Ford | A shining cathedral to law, built to unify the locals in this area and create a safe haven in the trade routes. Holds the local Feneri to hold back chaos in the area. | Lantern, 3 containers of lantern fuel, hourglass | Harpies on the stone, watching |
| 9 | Drunkard Roofer | Drunk bastard of a local lord. Is partially funded by his mother, partially does roofing work, and is immune to taxes. Lots of judgement but kids like his stories of noble life. | Wine, rations, 10-foot ladder (heavy) | Unstable furniture trap (noise, damage) |
| 10 | Tavern / Hall | Owned by a couple. More respected than anyone. Kind to the Roofer despite his annoyance. Building is used as a town rallying point, garrison, inn. | wine, beer, candles, torches, cooking set, rope, flour | owners are split between running and boarding up the tavern |
| 11 | Ruined House | The ruins of this stone structure have been here since the walls first went up. Chestnut trees shade it. so nobody minds walking around them to collect nuts. | Lantern of Door Projection under the floor boards | goblins digging for the magic |
| 12 | Mason | Mason and potter. Has a very loyal dog and 2 goats. | rations, paints, wax, candles | |
| 13 | Stables | Two horses. One of the residents in the west district manages the stables. | crude rations, candles, saddle | drake ate a horse |
| 14 | Swineherd | A couple and an adult son. Manages a flock of 4 boars and a sow. | cooking set, candles | |
| 15 | Tanner | Also known for butchering, the tanner makes all sorts of leather clothing and items from hunted deer. | kettle, lantern, lantern fuel, shortbow | |
| 16 | East District | Homes and houses of the villagers managing the eastern fields. 16 adults, 5 children, 5 chickens, 1 cat. | lockpicks, playing cards, camping gear, prybars, candles, crude rations | |
| 17 | West District | Homes of the other peasants of Andasrael Ford. More of a hunter/gatherer presence here. 12 adults, 9 children, 9 chickens, 3 cats. | lockpicks, chickens, wax, ink and quill, crude rations | Local troublemaker robbing people to escape |
| 18 | Undertaker | Residence of Jozef Tobiaic, a middle aged man with visible tension in his muscles. Now does various unsavory tasks and manages the graveyard. | shovel, lockpicks, beer, quilted armor, gloves, cloak, sword, rations | |
| 19 | Medicine Woman | The home of Mathilde Novak, medicine woman and minister of Law. Two story tower. Locked up and abandoned once the Feneri was burned. | alchemy set, chalk, candles, soap, lute, wand, Scarf of Illusion | Giant Viper (transformed familiar!), magic traps |
| 20 | Carpenter | The carpenter of Andraesel Ford is a wizened woman now, with pain in her hands. She keeps careful priority of the jobs she can handle. The bridge being out keeps her life quieter, and it's better for many of the peasants to have a tax-free field. | hatchet, saw, hammer and pitons, prybar, rations | |
| 21 | Smith/General | The smith also manages most of the smaller trade in the village with his wife. Tables sit under the tree on Sundays where people trade for all the things they need. Work has been very slow lately with no iron coming into town, but there's no end to repairs. | hammer and pitons, helm, buckler shield, 2 spears | caltrops laid out, smith is making a Last Stand if he can |
| 22 | Sheriff | The sheriff's beautiful house has been empty for a year. Normally he travels collecting tax and ensuring banditry in the area stays down, but he hasn't returned. | fine rations, high boots, longcoat, quill and ink, whistle |