Beneath Castle Everglory: SET-UP: The Stained Green Map
The PCs acquire a map to a dungeon beneath an old castle through whatever means the GM likes. They may find the map as loot in the lair of a defeated foe, or might receive it as a gift from an established NPC patron or friend. It is a battered piece of parchment with simple diagrams and an odd green stain across the surface. A line running diagonally across most of the map is identified as “Old Barleyfarm Road”. One end of Old Barleyfarm Road runs off the page and is accompanied by an arrow labeled “To Cooper’s Mill Road”. The other end of the road terminates at a circle labeled “Land’s End”, presumably a town of some kind. Just north of Land’s End, runs a line of swirling ellipses above which is written “Orcwood”. A line labeled “Cold Water Creek” runs past Land’s End and into Orcwood. Just before it runs off the top of the map, it passes a large X. To the right of the X is written “Castle Everglory”. Under the X is written “The Pits Beneath”.
Finding the Cooper’s Mill Road that branches off into Old Barleyfarm Road should be easy given an appropriate Area Knowledge roll or access to ordinary maps. Such maps will likely also show the little town of “Land’s End” just south of the forest known as Orcwood.
On a roll against Botanist or Herb Lore, a PC may determine that the stain on the map is some kind of algae living on the parchment.
All of this assumes that the PCs are the sort of people who would go and explore a mysterious dungeon. That will describe most Dungeon Fantasy parties, but perhaps not all. Hero types might learn of the suffering of the people of Land’s End at the hands of the Orcs, leading them to strike at the Orc lair at Castle Everglory. Otherwise, the GM could simply have the Orcs capture an established NPC, requiring the PCs to undertake a rescue operation.
