Burto Broom and the Three-Eyed Horse

South of the village proper, on the outskirts of town, travelers can find an overgrown field of sickly-looking crops. The fields along with a dilapidated cottage and barn are home to Burto Broom and his three-eyed horse.

Burto was once one of the most prosperous farmers in Larm, having settled on good fertile land irrigated by the river. But all that changed two years ago when one of his horses gave birth to a most peculiar foal. The newborn was small and weak, with a pale grey coat, and a fully functioning third eye in the middle of its head. The tiny creature was rejected by its mother, abandoned, and left to starve.

Burto's family and neighbors were horrified by the misshapen foal and pleaded with him to put the creature out of its misery. But Burto loved the animal from the beginning and spent long nights in the barn feeding it, brushing its pale grey coat, and keeping it warm.

Over the next few months, the horse grew stronger and larger, but the rest of the farm suffered a rapid decline. The rows of corn and wheat took on the same sickly pale grey color as the horse and seemed to rot in the field. When they could stand no more, Burto's family packed their things and journeyed south to Dolmvay, vowing never to return so long as the horse remained.

And so Burto remains at the farm with his three-eyed horse. Passers-by have reported seeing an impossibly large creature walking among the withered rows of crops. The more fantastic rumors mention sightings on moonlit nights of Burto riding his horse across the sky.

Comments

Larm: The Lay of the Land

From the previous post we know that the authors of Labyrinth Lord gave us very little to work with in the published description of our beloved Larm. We know that it is a farming and mining community. We know that it is a river community. And we know that it has a 100-man militia. This information is enough to get us started, for it implies certain things about our frontier community. First, being some 140 miles (14 hexes) from the grand city of Dolmvay, we know that Larm must be largely self-sufficient. To feed and support the 1,000 residents, Larm's farmers must be raising both crops and livestock. Looking at the general terrain, we see that Larm is located in hill country to the east, and river valley to the west. It is likely that Larm's farmers tend flocks of sheep and cattle, harvesting the wool and leather in addition to the meat of the animals. In addition, the access to the river suggests that Larm has no shortage of fishermen. Sec...

Solo RPG Report: Procedurally Generated Dungeon

Working on a new side project that will hopefully intersect with the solo rpg format. I'm using the random dungeon generator tables from the 5e Dungeon Master's Guide to create a fresh dungeon for the heroes to explore. Here are the results for the first room (rolling under the "Starting Area" table on page 290). Of note is the fact that the entry chamber to this underground ruin is somehow in "pristine" condition. The open passageway to the north and the wooden door to the east are interesting for sure. But what really catches my attention is the locked/barred stone door to the west.

Encounter - Desecration of the Barrow Tomb, Part 2

In this dungeon, the players will encounter both the surviving human bandits who broke in to raid the barrow tomb and the animalistic Morlocks that dwell in the adjoining subterranean passageways. The players will have the opportunity to explore the three tombs to get a sense of what's going on before they encounter the survivors. The encounter can be played out in two ways: 1) with the players realizing the danger and allowing the Morlock in Room 4 to retreat back into its lair; or 2) with the players pursuing the Morlock and its allies, with a final showdown in Room 6. Room #1 - The Tombs Descending down crudely fashioned stone steps made slippery from the leaves that have blown in through the open doorway, you enter a large room with stone tiled flooring and natural earthen walls. You are underground, in a place that outsiders were never meant to enter. The desecration and disrespect are apparent immediately. You see the remains of a campfire, filt...

Shrine of St. Cuthbert

Search This Blog