On and Off the Road
On the roads as well as in the wilderness, the characters may come across various curiosities or oddities that can serve as the basis for a whole adventure.
Traveling
Traveling is a lengthy, often strenuous and uncomfortable affair. In the Fantasy world you can travel on foot, on horseback or another animal, in wagons, or sail the sea or rivers on ships. For the purposes of the game you need not deal with every day or kilometer of the journey; cover only the main moments and events (ambushes, storms, securing lodging during the journey, lack of food or water).
On the way the characters may be ambushed by all kinds of riffraff, wild beasts and monsters, and many (mostly unpleasant) situations may befall them. The wilder the land and the more distant the arm of the law, the greater the danger tends to be. Only experienced woodsmen dare to travel far from civilization into uninhabited regions.
Maps and Orientation
If the characters do not know the route or the surroundings, they can rely on maps. These, however, are rarely accurate and almost always expensive. Off the roads the characters easily get lost, unless they are good woodsmen or have a guide.
Camping
If the characters are to spend the night outside inhabited land, they must make camp. A fire, warm blankets and, in rain, a waterproof tarpaulin or a tent are almost essential. Camping without these things can mean lack of sleep, a cold or even serious illness (a Constitution roll).
The Woodcraft skill plays a very important role.
Night Watch
In unknown country or places the characters should keep watch. Without watches the characters will almost certainly be surprised by night attackers and may succumb even without a fight.
It is up to the characters how many will be on watch and how often they will take turns. A character on watch is in no way happy and does not get much rest. If they keep watch all night, they lose attention and may fail to notice danger.
Fire
Camping without a fire is extremely uncomfortable, especially in winter. Fire scares off wild animals, but in open country it can be seen from far away, so it attracts much worse creatures: robbers. A watch by the fire sees the nearest surroundings well, but more distant places are shrouded in darkness.
In damp and wet weather it may be impossible to light a fire; in rain it is very difficult.
Travel Animals
To travel faster and more comfortably, the characters can buy travel animals.
Animals also need to drink, eat and rest, otherwise they collapse from exhaustion.
The same speeds and fatigue apply to the movement of animals as to characters.
Merchant Route
There will be fairly busy traffic on a merchant route. The characters commonly meet wagons, lone merchants and merchants with bodyguards, messengers, poor carters, jugglers, artists, or locals heading to town to shop.
Encounters
Robbers
The group is ambushed on the road by robbers. They may notice them in time (Perception, ambush detection). The robbers were not born yesterday and are well prepared: they have ranged weapons and guard the escape routes, so be ready for the greeting “Your money or your life”.
Robber Knight
It may also be a robber baron who interprets his rights in his own way. Here a problem can arise with a solution by force, since he is a nobleman and violence against his men may be regarded as a serious crime.
Travelers Ambushed by Robbers
The characters arrive at a place where robbers have just ambushed merchants or travelers. Will they help them, or will they flee?
Toll Gate
The road is blocked by a toll gate that cannot easily be bypassed. Moreover, the local lord's servants keep a close watch on whether anyone travels off the road.
Paying once may not be a problem, but what if there are such gates every few kilometers?
Bridge or Ferry with a Toll Collector
The way onward is blocked by a river that can be crossed safely by a bridge, a ford or a ferry. But a hefty toll must be paid.
The toll may even be collected by someone unusual, such as a giant, an undead ferryman or a horned demon.
Procession of Pilgrims
The characters meet a group of pilgrims on a religious journey (they may even have the same god as someone in the group), traveling to a holy place for purification. They may want to persuade the characters to join the holy pilgrimage.
They may also want to sacrifice someone to make the purification complete...
Traveling Juggler (Alone or a Troupe)
The characters meet a traveling juggler who knows many secrets. They may also come across a whole troupe traveling to a nearby castle.
Hermit
In the wilderness the characters discover a used trail. It leads to the dwelling of a hermit, who was once a mighty wizard or a mighty ruler whom the characters recognize.
Army
On the road the group meets a marching army heading into battle. Or returning from battle, with many wounded among them.
Priests on a Crusade
An army of priests and servants of the gods travels along the road, going to fight for their god's cause against the forces of darkness.
Refugees
Exhausted
A ragged traveler runs up to the characters with the last of his strength and collapses. Since he is unconscious, they will not know what happened to him. Is someone pursuing him? Or is he just a madman? What if he carries an important message?
Lone Horse
A horse with a saddle and saddlebags runs along the road. The belongings may hint at whom it belonged to. If someone puts on the clothes or takes the horse, they may be in for an unpleasant surprise, such as being accused of murdering a rich merchant...
Plague
The road is flooded with refugees from a nearby town struck by the plague. They keep as far apart from each other as possible.
Or they may be refugees fleeing an approaching army that commits atrocities. They all drag their most valuable possessions along.
Runaway Girl
A young girl is fleeing from home so that she does not have to marry a rich, slimy old man.
Deserter
Among the travelers there are also several deserters who did not want to be enlisted in the army. Then there are patrols here searching for such deserters. They may mistake the characters for the fugitives.
Runaway Couple
A couple in love flees along the road, disapproved of by their parents. The young man will take care of the girl and protect her even at the cost of his life.
By the Road Lies or Stands ...
Body on the Ground
The characters find a dead man who died a few hours ago. Was he murdered? Or was he killed by some dangerous creature?
Executed Convict
At a crossroads stands a gallows on which several bodies sway. Apparently as a warning to thieves and murderers.
Road Lined with the Executed
The whole road to the town is lined with bodies on gallows or crosses. Are they criminals, or rebellious slaves? Or inhabitants of a nearby town who refused to surrender to the attacking army?
Tracks
The characters' eyes fall on clear tracks in the ground. Either there are too many of them, or they are strange. They are too large or have claws on otherwise human feet.
Carcass
Beside the road lies a horse's carcass. What happened to its owner? Is he somewhere nearby? Is he alive or dead?
Monster Carcass
The characters find the carcass of a huge monster (perhaps even a dragon) with a broken lance stuck in it. Where is that mighty dragonslayer? Who could be so valiant? It may be a capable but immensely conceited nobleman.
Ruins
On a hill by the road looms a sinister-looking castle (a ruined tower, a crumbling house, an old mill) which at first sight has long been abandoned. What if a treasure is still hidden there? Probably not, but a band of robbers, smugglers or runaway serfs may be living there.
Interesting Places
Necropolis
The characters make camp for the night. One of them goes on a round or for firewood and finds a gravestone overgrown with moss and thorns. And another. And yet another. A whole field of gravestones with a strange crypt in the middle. And in a few minutes it will be completely dark ...
Will animated corpses awaken in the night, or just the characters' fear? Everyone may have a strange dream about an ancient battle or an ancient horror buried beneath the crypt.
Gallows Hill
TODO - QQQ
Phantom Tavern
After a long journey the characters come across a pleasant-looking tavern in the wilderness. It will be full of people, with good beer and food. Despite all their suspicion nothing happens and everything turns out well. In the morning they wake up, but the tavern is gone and they are lying on the bare ground, hungry and chilled. The tavern was only a phantom!
They set out again, and in the evening they come across the very same tavern! What if some of them feel the urge to go inside (a Wil roll)?
Or they may become regular guests who stay here every night...
Note: The characters may see through the illusion of the tavern. Find out in advance what AM the characters have; one of them may then succeed and at least have a suspicion.
Sinister Altar
Among the bushes an ancient, half-ruined structure shows through, which must have been an altar. You can clearly see black rivulets, the only witnesses of the flowing blood of thousands of victims who died here.
Place of Weakened Magic
An ordinary person notices nothing, but a character versed in the mysterious arts immediately senses that something improper is going on here. When trying to cast a spell or a prayer, they feel an unknown force draining their magic or preventing them from concentrating and correctly speaking an incantation recited a thousand times.
Magical Mist
Clumps of mist hover over the place. After a while it begins to swirl until it turns into the rotation of a huge cyclone. Out of the mist emerge various phantoms and the air is charged with a strange power. Lightning strikes next to you …
Strange Menhir
By the road stands a strange menhir that fills you with a sense of dread. You turn and walk on. When you look back, the menhir is still behind you, as if it were following you. After further attempts to get away you realize that you are still in the same place and cannot get farther than a few meters from the menhir. And on top of that, night is approaching …
Magical Wellspring
A wellspring, or magical intersection, is the technical name for a breach of elemental forces into the True World (or much more often into the Interface). The power of the element is evident here at first sight; for example, with the element of air a strong wind blows here and a huge air vortex hovers in the middle, with the element of earth stones constantly roll around and the ground shakes, etc.
A magical wellspring is almost always inhabited by elementals, who tend to be very unpleasant (they regard travelers as intruders who have entered their world, even though they themselves are actually the strangers here).
There is also a very strong magical aura here that strengthens all spells of the given element, so they cost only half the price, have a +5 bonus to success and greater power. Sometimes the magic of the wellspring can figuratively open a wanderer's eyes and teach them new secrets (a new spell, the opportunity to learn a higher feat, etc.).
Travelers who withstand the local elementals may find mana crystals in the magical wellspring, that is, magic in its purest form (especially suitable for alchemists).
A special case is the wellspring of life and the wellspring of death.
Dark Dreams
The characters may have an interesting dream. Either one of them, or all of them together. About an ancient battle. About the slaughter of newborns. About an invasion of raiders. About a dark shadow that lurks in the darkness and is never seen.
The dream may repeat until the characters do something. In the morning they may be more tired than in the evening. A priest or sleeping in a temple may help, but after a while the dream returns.
The dream may be bound to just one place, time or event. It may show events from the past as well as from the future. It may warn, or merely frighten.