12 Wilderness Ruins
Civilisations rise and fall. Peoples come and go. Whether it be crumbling walls, moss-wreathed burial cairns or sunken lanes these earlier people leave their mark upon the landscape.
Use this list, to add ruins and remnants of elder civilisation into your game.
Barrow Clump: Wreathed with a crown of gnarled and twisted oaks, hornbeams and elms, this rocky, time-worn hill is widely believed to be a burial place of the Old Folk.
Sparkwell: Legendry hangs thickly about this secluded water-filled shaft of unknown depth. Reputedly the site of an ancient battle between powerful wizards both swallowed by the ground itself at the height of their struggle strange events are often reported here. In the recent past, mists and scintillating lights of strange, otherworldly hues, have been reported emerging from the well’s waters.
The Dancing Pools: Three deep, spring-fed pools nestle in the centre of a wide set of 56 standing stones. Some of the stones lie on their sides, and many of them yet bare faded pictograms of animals, birds and the like. A few larger pictograms, not visible from ground level, atop the standing stones depict things of altogether more sinister mien. Druids sometimes come here to enact their wild, orgiastic rites.
The Hanging Pit: A crude stone bridge buttressed at both ends spans this natural 30-foot deep chasm. A hanging scaffold once protruded from the bridge, but this has long since rotted away. In olden days those condemned to death were brought here to be hung—the long drop gifting instant death to the condemned. Wind blown detritus and bones cover the pit’s floor.
Gillon’s Pit: Overgrown ruins surround the remains of this failed mining venture. The mine’s main passage descends steeply into the cliff for about 100 feet before ending in a collapse. Several side galleries radiate outwards from the main tunnel, but none venture any appreciable distance into the cliffs. Bats dwell in the mine and come forth at night to hunt the surrounding woodlands. Local legends whisper of vampires and ghosts dwelling in the mine.
Warren Tower: Extensive rabbit warrens and badger sets riddle the ground under this ruined wizard’s tower. Local legend tells how the wizard once dwelling therein was engaged in blasphemous experiments and that the local druids objected to his foul practises. Their rabbit servants undermined the tower so much that it collapsed, killing the wizard and destroying his experiments.
The Old Mine House: Standing near an old, played out mine this small stone building is the only occupied building in a small hamlet of ramshackle buildings. Norren Dwojyr (LN female dwarf fighter 2) lives here and believes there is wealth yet to be pulled out of the nearby mine.
Deer Bridge: Nothing more than a length of long, smooth stone this clapper-style bridge crosses a swiftly flowing stream just upstream from a deep plunge pool perfect for swimming. The bridge is undeniably ancient, but sturdy.
Long Barrow: Dug into the side of a grassy knoll this ancient stone barrow has three side chambers radiating from a central crawlway. Adventurers have repeatedly explored Long Barrow and it is widely assumed nothing of value remains within. A double line of carven stone obelisks—some now leaning at drunken angles—lead up to the barrow’s entrance.
Stone Wood: A wild river flows through this atmospheric and ancient stretch of woodland which clings to a steep swath of ground leading down from a nearby hill range. Old stone ruins—crumbling walls, drunken chimney stacks and the like—dot the woods. The river has a strong current, and those falling in are likely to be swept away.
Holy Well: Local legend marks this crumbling ruin as a holy place. The ruins are extensive, and cover over half an acre. This was clearly once a place of high status; at the ruin’s centre lies a wide, steep-sided pool of clear, spring water. To who or what the ruin and well are dedicated is a matter of local conjecture, but the architectural style suggests an elven origin.
Slaughterford: A fortified mill once stood just upstream from this ford, but it burnt down long ago. Slaughterford itself is named for a battle fought a century ago. Hastily dug defensive earthworks are still evident on both sides of the river as are the communal burial cairns of the fallen.
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This article is an extract from GM's Miscellany: 20 Things V. Add the book to your GM’s toolkit today! Alternatively, check out the 20 Things Archive for more handy, flavoursome and time-saving 20 Things articles ready for immediate use in your campaign.
Design Creighton Broadhurst Art Matt Morrow
