1       Introduction

This adventure was conceived as a fast one nightery to allow a dispersed group of players who cannot get together often to have a fun time without an adventure taking more than 8 hours, with a possible allowance for a few more hours if so desired.

It assumes the party of characters will now each other. Great for an established party but if new characters are being introduced, it requires a degree of preparation form the players, even if a mild bit of prologue play can be arranged among the players who can meet up beforehand or attempt the same online.

The ruleset to be used will be RuneQuest 6^th Edition aka Mythos although the design should be open enough to use many other RuneQuest versions or other systems, the latter with a little porting.

Due to the time limitations in creating as well as running this adventure a certain level Designers Fiat is required inasmuch as the characters are expected to all be gathered in a single location and have some connection to each other. i.e. The party is already together, to save time in introductions and finding reasons to be where they are and motivations as to why they would go off on what could be a dangerous adventure. The initial plot hook, spoken by a travelling storyteller should also be taken as a good enough reason to head off on the adventure, without having to resort to complex motivations, gatecrashing dwarves or the like.

In terms of overall design, the adventure leans on some recognisable folklore stories. Time was also limited in creating this adventure, so a few items have been borrowed from the excellent Paths Peculiar website. Only links are presented here so the hope is that this is seen as promotion of Paths Peculiar while working within the artists request not to reproduce his art without permission.

The adventure is based on our homebrew world of Gæa which some of the players who this ad hoc adventure was created for have been playing in one form or another, on an ever-changing map, since the mid 1990’s. The setting is designed to be somewhat equivocal so should easily port into one’s own world if so desired.

On a parting note, as our homebrew world developed and grew from a single smallish continent to what is briefly presented herein, some names stuck. We thought it was humorous, albeit not so imaginative, to have a world called Gæa while the original continent – always called Gaia kept its name. If you like what you see check out the rest of RuneQuest.orc for some ideas, maybe you will like the world enough to say for a while.

2       The Continent of Gaia

Gaia is a massive continent that stretches from The World of Gæa’s arctic circle to straddle the equator in its most southern reaches. The figure below shows the world naming the continents of Gaia, Araktor and Vasniss:

Gaia along with Araktor are the dominant landmasses of the Eastern Hemisphere assuming a Meridian dropping through the western reaches of Vasniss. Gaia itself may be split into three main regions:

• The Northland. A formidable mountain range splits Gaia into two near equal parts. Everything north of this range is generally considered The Northland, a rugged dangerous expanse where few not from there dare to venture. Little is known of this land, its geography or its population dynamics. It should be noted that even the portions of this land that extend south, along the western reaches of Gaia are considered as part of The Northland as they are the other side of the mountains.
• The Lands of the Mirsea – Central Gaia. The Mirsea comes close to splitting Gaia in two. All the lands surrounding the bowl which is centred on the Mirsea stretching from the continental dividing mountains in the north to the Southern Peaks south of the Mirsea are encompassed here. The coastal regions of the Illian Gulf linking the Mirsea to the ocean beyond are nominally part of this area with no clear border that signifies the start of the portion of The Northlands that stretches down following the sourthern sweep of the mountains. These are considered the most populous and civilised lands by human reckoning.
• The Backlands. This area encompasses the lands south and east of the Southern Peaks as well as the peninsula jutting out along the southern side of Illian Gulf. More a place of occasional coastal city states interspersed between vast tracts of forest and jungle, this land has a sparse population compared to the Lands of the Mirsea. Certain city states are extremely powerful and wealthy in their own right as they serve as trade hubs between Araktor and Gaia and even the Dark Continent of Vasniss.

The map below shows Gaia indicating the regions discussed:

For context, consider that The Earth is about 2/3 the size of the World of Gæa. Now consider the distance from Svalbard (arctic island holdings of Norway) to Equatorial Congo in Africa. As a rough indication, Gaia could be considered to be the length, north to south of Svalbard to Cape Agulhas, the southern most reach of Africa.

3       Where the Adventure Takes Place

This adventure takes place in an area of The Northland as represented by the red square on the Gaia map. This is merely a rough indication, a point of reference to allow players to orientate themselves.

3.1       Local Geography

The portion of The Lands of the Mirsea, that are north of that sea are divided by a river that flows south in an a near straight line from the continental divide mountains, with Dalatia in the west and Sylmar in the east.

This adventure starts in the northern most region of Dalatia, up against the continental divide mountains. The land thereabouts is sparsely populated by rough hardy folk nominally not part of or protected by the Kingdom of Dalatia whose northern most territory currently ends at a powerful castle called Dun Atholl – about two hundred kilometres to the south.

Retreating glaciers have resulted in this area being a mixture of rocky heath and bogs, interspersed with occasional banks of rich volcanic soil pushed aside in the days where the ice gods were strong, riding their glaciers south in their quest to bow the world to their icy reign.

The local populace ekes out a living herding sheep and goats while growing vegetables in areas among the rocks and bogs where fertile soil can be found.

3.2      The Meeting Point

A peat bog presents the setting for where the characters meet. Peat cutters ply their craft in suitable locations nearby and over time a stone causeway across the bog has been constructed, to facilitate peat cutters accessing the rich deposits on the mountain side of the bog.

A trail leads up into a little used, narrow mountain pass that allows for occasional foot traffic into or from The Northlands. The causeway has thus become a backwater reference point and has resulted in a small inn being constructed on the bones of what was once one of the guardian keeps that the kings of Dalatia had built centuries ago.

This inn has been inspired by a talented artist whose site called Paths Peculiar. The image may not be used here, but may be referenced at Bogpike Tower.

3.3      Expectations

This adventure must run smoothly from the start. Time is of the essence which means that:

• Characters must be rolled up, named and fleshed out in advance.
• Characters must have a reason to be at Bogpike Tower.
• Characters should all know each other, either having recently met at the tower or thereabouts or perhaps having travelled together to the tower.
• A degree of Game Masters Privilege or Designers Fian must be tolerated to allow the adventure to start going without spending much time on party members getting to know each other and trying to establish why their background will motivate them to go on an adventure. The request is that players accept this as a necessary sacrifice to allow the adventure to be played in one night.
• As indicated by the title and the notes, the adventure is in the rugged and somewhat dangerous Northlands. It thus becomes imperative that a character have the necessary skills and temperament.
• Players should know the rules with reference to their characters background, profession and skillset. Magic is allowed and welcomed, but if you plan to use magic you had better know how the magic system works.

3.4      Enter the Storyteller

A group of travellers is seated at a rough wooden table near the fireplace. Although the season is getting towards late spring, there is still a chill in the air, exacerbated by a constant mild rain causing a cold steam fog to rise off the bog and surround Bogpike Tower.

The table, worn smooth by decades of fired clay tankards sliding across its surface, now sports the dregs of the days meal. Empty wooden bowls are all that remains of s hearty stew, their content sopped up by chunks of bread made of local grains, both farmed and wild. A quarter tf the loaf remains alongside a chunk of rich butter.

Dusk is not far off. On another day the taproom would already have a modest crowd of turf cutters and nearby herders coming in to wash the dust of the days labour away with a tankard of three of Bogpike Bitter. But today the rain has kept the locals at home, tending to tasks that keep them warm and dry.

 Outside the wind and rain are picking up. Suddenly the taverns door is thrust open. A hooded figure stands framed in the doorway, its outline briefly sharp from the fast dwindling dazzle of a distant lightning strike.

It steps inside, pushing the door closed against the gusting wind before pushing its hood back to reveal a man who looks to be well beyond his prime years. Curly, shirt cropped hair that was once dark is now mostly grey, while the blackness of his bushy cropped beard is losing a battle with invasive streaks of grey. Hanging up his thick cloak reveals that he has a battleaxe slung over his shoulder, so that it hangs against his back.

He is broad shouldered, tall and broadly built. A slight stoop and shuffle in his gait as he approaches the tavern counter. After slaking his thirst he orders another tankard and turns to survey the room. “I am Timon,” he announces to the room. “Some call me Timon the Traveller.” He takes a long draught from his tankard before continuing. “No one I am familiar with here tonight, bar Garn here”, he nods to the publican. “Anyone from hereabouts?”

4       Appendix

4.1      Designers Fiat

“Designer’s fiat” in role-playing games (RPGs) refers to decisions made by the game’s creators that impose specific rules, narratives, or limitations, overriding player agency or the logical extension of the game’s setting to ensure a desired play experience. It is a form of top-down design where the creator dictates “how it is” rather than letting it emerge through play or player choices. 

While often used interchangeably with GM Fiat (the Game Master making arbitrary decisions, as defined in), “designer’s fiat” specifically refers to choices baked into the ruleset by the author, rather than on-the-spot decisions by a narrator.

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