Are you a busy GM? Does session prep take too long? Do you never have time to work on the cool little details that can bring your adventures to life? This free download gives you, the time-crunched GM, the tools to effortlessly add verisimilitude and detail to your adventures.

You can download this material for free as a .pdf and .txt file by hitting the button at the bottom of this post. You do not need to give us your email or set up an account.

If you enjoy this article, sign up to the Sunday Supplement—our weekly newsletter—so you don’t miss any other free GM's Resources!

South of dismal Coldwater, where the land grows wild and untamed, and the endless waves of the Bitter Sea batter Ashlar’s coast, the isolated hamlet of Barrowhurst huddles hard between slick sea cliffs of grey stone and the eastern fringes of the heavily wooded, rugged and steeply-sided but round-topped Ochel hills.

Lord: Sani El’jonson
Population: 66 (including outlying farms)
Notable Resources: Fish, sheep
Notable Services & Industry: Sheep farming, fishing
Languages: Common

Crumbling, ancient tree-choked ruins lie hidden deep in nearby but inaccessible, wooded valleys. Sometimes, therein, travellers discover weather-worn stones decorated with maddeningly illegible remnants of glyphs and sigils of unknown but undeniably ancient provenance.

Lore

A character might be steeped in local lore and know something about Barrowhurst, or they could have heard about the hamlet from another adventurer or traveller.

Barrowhurst is so named because a long hill—said to be a giant’s barrow—looms over the hamlet.
The manor at Barrowhurst was originally a hunting lodge for the Vuolle family of nearby Coldwater. When Jaska Vuolle disappeared decades ago, the family stopped using the manor as a hunting lodge.
Barrowhurst is isolated; not even the Ridgeway leads to the hamlet. Instead, visitors must take a part-overgrown track to the hamlet or put in by boat.

Adventure Hooks

Lucky adventurers find opportunities almost anywhere. Unlucky adventurers find complications almost anywhere.

Hidden Treasures: If the characters express an interest in digging into the Giant’s Rest, the sullen locals offer them no help and—in fact—actively hinder their efforts. Superstitions cluster thickly about the barrow and its alleged slumbering inhabitant.
Lurking Bandits: The Ochels are wild and lawless; bandits sometimes lurk within. A shepherd’s son rushes into the hamlet to report seeing a band of armed warriors creeping through the hills; they must be up to no good.
Sinking Boat: Frenzied shouting from the harbour and a wildly rung bell call most of the hamlet’s inhabitants to the shore. There, they see a fishing boat listing dangerously to one side; keen-eyed characters spot something odd in the water nearby.

Notable Locations

A few locations in Barrowhurst are notable. There is no inn at Barrowhurst, and adventurers normally end up paying to stay in a peasant’s barn or are hosted at El’Jonsn Manor.

1: El’Jonsn Manor

An aura of faded grandeur and slight dilapidation hangs over Barrowhurst’s manor. The manor’s residents—Sani and Cecilia El’jonsn—cannot afford to upkeep the place in its original style or standard. Although human, they have a half-elven son, the result of a dalliance between Sani and an unnamed elf maid. The young man, a warrior, is away, using his strength and skill at arms for the common good.

2: Stillwater Harbour

This naturally sheltered harbour is aptly named. Its shingle beach and jetties can hold a half-dozen fishing boats.

3: The Giant’s Rest

Looming over the hamlet, this long wooded barrow-hill perches atop the valley’s western wall. The locals believe an evil giant slumbers within and that if awoken, he will destroy the hamlet. They actively dissuade visitors from digging here.

Additional Resources

This One-Pager works perfectly with the free Nightmare Lodge of the Insane Armiger One-Pager.

Credit

Words Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Tommi Salama

Get the Free Download

Download this post by hitting the button below—you’ll get a zip file containing a lightweight one-page PDF, tagged and untagged maps and a superlight text file for your digital GM’s folder or virtual tabletop (VTT).

If you’ve found this resource useful, please let me know by leaving a comment. And also, leave a comment if you have a suggestion to make this kind of post better.

Download Now