Grey Wade

Crossing
The Journey through the murky halls, over the corruption sick soil of Davokar
forest is associated with great risks to life and limb. Travelers, explorers and
fortune hunters are wise to seek out well-established and safe routes to wherever
they are headed, preferably ones that offer opportunities for rest and shelter from
both the elements and predatory beasts. One such place can be found on the road
between Thistle Hold and Karvosti: the Gray Wade Crossing.

Text & map: Johan Nohr Editing & translation: Mattias Johnsson Proofreading: John Marron

If traveling along the busiest route from Thistle The money earned from the expedition was used
Hold to Karvosti, one usually crosses the Eanor to finance the restoration of the tower ruin. Today,
River east of the Skull Rapids, where the waters Gray Wade Crossing is run by Buldo and his two
are calm and not more than waist deep on a full- daughters; it is a welcome and often scheduled stop
grown man. But many would rather avoid getting for most expeditions traveling between Ambria
wet or are too restless to wait in the long queues and the cliff of the High Chieftain.
that sometimes build up when large caravans are
traversing the river. These can choose to wander a Location
bit upstream to a small rafting camp and pay a few Gray Wade Crossing lies about two day’s walk north
thaler for swift transport across the currents, or of Thistle Hold. The road runs through the brighter
they can move a bit further in the opposite direc- parts of Davokar, to the waters of Eanor that slowly
tion, towards the warmth of Gray Wade Crossing. flow west toward Lake Volgoma. This is one of the
busiest routes in the forest; it is relatively safe from
History predators and trolls, but instead more trafficked by
Eighteen years have passed since the treasure both the Queen’s Rangers and human robbers.
hunter Buldo found the ruined tower that today To avoid unwanted attention, travelers do best
houses the inn called Gray Wade Crossing. The tower to set up camp some distance from the road, but
was quickly harvested for treasures, but not without without straying so far into the woods as to risk
some blood being spilled because of the group of getting lost. There are a handful of often used
rage trolls who called it home. Most members of night shelters between the Hold and the river –
Buldo’s expedition were killed, but the finds and for instance Reganna’s Pillars, The Ogre Stairs
relics which could be salvaged and brought back to and The Clapping Pine – where one can find cover
Yndaros more than made up for their sacrifice – at from weather and winds, but these are also hunting
least according to the words of Buldo himself. grounds for local robber bands and other rogues.

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The Inn The following persons are examples of who may

Upon reaching the river and the ford by the Skull be staying at the inn when the characters arrive,
Rapids, you have to turn west and follow the water but the game master is of course welcome to decide The Queen’s Rangers
downstream. After about an hour you will arrive at for him- or herself who are awaiting them at the
Gray Wade Crossing. When approaching you will Gray Wade Crossing. Gray Wade Crossing is a
first see a huge cliff rising from the southern bank, ◆◆ The failed witch hunter Argolai has common resting place
and shortly after you will notice the ruin on its top enraged a local, barbarian hunter by falsely for the Queen’s Rang-
and the piers by its foot. Ancient steps carved in the accusing her of witchcraft. He is now the ers, so visitors better
rock lead up towards the ruin, steps that in later sought-after prey of the hunter and hides at be sure to have their
years have had wooden railings added and are lit the Gray Wade Inn. He claims to be headed for Explorer’s Licenses in
up by lanterns after dark. Thistle Hold and seems tense, bordering on order. Each time the
The ruin itself is a quadratic, fort-like struc- paranoid. characters visit the inn,
ture. There is no telling how high it once was, but ◆◆ The ogre Bellow came wandering upstream have them roll [1D20
nowadays it is two stories high, roughly the height two days ago, without knowing who she is and –10] to determine how
of four men combined. The ground floor is one big where she is from. She has stayed at the inn to many rangers are there.
room, heated thanks to a centrally placed fire pit help the owner with various heavy tasks. Buldo
by which the proprietors serve simple foods and is considering to keep her around but both Ana
more or less strong beverages in exchange for thaler and Tya are opposed to the idea, seeing that
or labor. On the upper floor is a simple dormitory, Bellow exhibits violent tendencies and appears
but also the private chambers and offices of Buldo to be brutally strong.
and his daughters. ◆◆ Tealia, a novice of Ordo Magica, is on
Most often there are few guests at the inn, but her way to Melima, escorted by a group of
sometimes the Great Hall is filled by the members of rugged sellswords (stats as Robbers in the
visiting expeditions. The most frequent guests are Core Rulebook, as many as the PCs). She keeps
river roamers – for instance merchants from Kastor, her shoulder bag close and will not say many
fortune hunters from Melima or a troop of Queen’s words about her errand: “I’m off to meet
Rangers headed for Lake Volgoma. Such patrons an important person who is to examine an
will sometimes offer other travelers to come along important item at an important meeting”.
for the journey down the stream, in exchange for The sellswords are paid to deter anyone from
fair payment of course. posing nosy questions.
If your only interest is crossing the river, Buldo’s ◆◆ The templar Leogai is traveling towards
two daughters Ana and Tya can take you over on Karvosti alone, to help his master solve a
one of the rafts. However, the cost of this service tricky diplomatic situation. He has a sad face
is as high as one thaler per person, so it may be a and is never seen without his full plate armor,
better idea to get some other guest to drop you off often sipping red wine and studying passages
on the northern shore as they resume their journey. in The Lightbringer, the holy book of Prios.
◆◆ The drug-mongler Ulde has been lured
Visitors and Guests out into Davokar after having been told
All kinds of forest travelers can be encountered about a virgin grove full of Blue Mist Bells.
at the Gray Wade Inn: pilgrims on their way to If the information turns out to be true he
Karvosti, adventurous nobles with followers, black will become a rich man, so he has hired five
cloaks on holy missions, soldiers on more or less bodyguards (stats as Queen’s Ranger in the
secret errands and not least all conceivable types of Core Rulebook) and a guide for the trip. He is
fortune hunters – from the most desperate paupers often seen in the hall, ogling a sketchy map
to famous scholars of Ordo Magica. full of scribblings, arrows and signs.

Incidents
Even if Gray Wade lies in the outskirts of Davokar 1. A party gone sour
it is not spared from the many dangers of the forest. The goblin Iold is the unlikely leader of a large
Below are some suggestions on situations that may treasure hunting expedition that recently struck
occur while the player characters are visiting – the motherlode in the depths of Davokar. The
situations where the characters accidentally get twenty expedition members have just returned to
mixed up in conflicts not of their own making. How Gray Wade from a sunken wizard’s tower two days
they react is of course up to them. walk to the east, and their carts are overflowing

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 Ground Floor Second Floor

3 2

2×2 m

GRAY WADE INN

1. The Great Hall
2. Buldo’s Chambers
3. Buldo’s Office
4. Dormitory
5. Privy
6. Stable

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II Action: Passive. The creature has four limbs or

Two-Headed Hunting Daemon
heads and may act with them separately; the
Manners Screaming and gurgling ­creature has four combat actions per turn. The Goods and services
Race Abomination traits Armored and Robust work as if one level
lower for the creature.
Traits Acidic Attack (II), Acidic Blood (II),
Armored (II), Many-Headed (I), III Action: Passive. The creature has eight limbs or Raft-ride:
Natural Weapon (II), Robust (I) heads and may act with them separately; the crea- 1 thaler/person
ture has eight combat actions per turn. The traits
Accurate 15 (–5), Cunning 10 (0), Discreet 9 (+1),
Persuasive 5 (+5), Quick 10 (0), Resolute 7 (+3), Armored and Robust work as if two l­ evels lower for Dormitory, one night:
Strong 13 (–3), Vigilant 11 (–1) the creature. 1 shilling/person

Abilities None
2. Visiting elves Fish soup & bark bread:
Weapons Claws 6 The door swings up and in the opening stands a pale, 5 ortegs
Acidic spit 4 damage for 4 turns.
serious-looking woman with elven features. Next
Armor Leathery daemon skin 5 to her and behind her are other elves, with their Deer steak with berries
Defense +2 bows at a ready, the arrows dripping from poison, and elf root:
Toughness 13 Pain Threshold 7 aimed at the center of the Great Hall. 1 shilling
She raises one hand and explains (in Ambrian)
Equipment A map of an overgrown temple
city, located somewhere in the that she wishes to avoid bloodshed; she has come Tankard stut
shadow of the Ravens. to collect someone. Her name is Léa-Kin and she is (The Heir of Argona):
tracking the sorcerer Jerea who has violated the sanc- 4 ortegs
Shadow Like boiling, fuming tar
(thoroughly corrupt) tuary of a forbidden crypt and also (if in self-defense)
killed three elves during her escape. Jerea is in the Bottle of wine
Tactics: The daemon initially attacks Iold and his
companions with the aim of killing them as quickly
dormitory on the second floor and has no intention (The Red Mare):
as possible. If confronted by others it will focus on of letting herself be caught by any self-appointed 2 thaler
whichever enemy poses the greatest challenge. forest wardens. She will fight for her life, even flee
through the hole in the privy if needs be.
with jewelry, antique ornaments and to top it For the stats, use Early Summer Elves led by a
off, the most prized possession of the Symbarian Late Summer Elf, as described in the Core Rulebook.
demonologist – a man-high marble statue in the
shape of a two-headed daemon holding a map of 3. A warming beverage
what looks like a temple city. The explorer and alchemist Vilga is ecstatic and
The atmosphere is festive and Iold and his friends comes rushing into the inn with her fists full of
are treating all patrons to free drinks. The stut and mushroom. Her two lackeys (the ogre Korf and
blackbrew are flowing, and a wild boar is roasting the goblin Prosk) are also highly enthusiastic and
over the fire pit for everyone to eat their bellies full. soon it becomes clear that the trio has found a very
Then the statue starts screaming. And bleeding! The rare form of Blushing Fungi, a mushroom said to
fire-pit and all lanterns are extinguished; all is dark possess mystical properties.
except a pair of glowing, hungering daemon eyes. Vilga brags wildly that she can use the juices
of the fungi to brew an elixir which makes her
Many-headed, monstrous trait immune to fire. She is willing to immediately test
The creature has multiple heads or limbs governed the concoction, hoping to sell a handful of bottles
by separate brains/minds, and can use them to the patrons at the inn (5 thaler per dose). In fact,
independently of each other. Damage is suffered the elixir works perfectly, but only for a short while
separately by each part, so they have to be taken and only once per day. It is up to the game master to
out one by one. Only once all are eliminated the decide who will learn this painful lesson – a player
creature dies. character who buys the elixir or Vilga herself, after
A drawback is that the traits Armored and Robust valiantly having jumped right down into the fire pit.
are weakened at the higher levels of Many-headed: A successful test against Cunning with the
such a massive, simultaneously limber body cannot ability Alchemy is enough to realize the limitations
fully use all its strength in all directions at once. of the elixir. As a rule, drinking the miraculous
potion makes the drinker totally immune to fire
I Action: Passive. The creature has two limbs or damage for one turn, after which further doses are
heads and may act with them separately; the totally ineffective until a full twenty four hours
­creature has two combat actions per turn. have passed.