Welcome to the Raging Swan Press blog. Herein you’ll find resource and advice articles to make your game better. From time to time, we’ll also post exciting Raging Swan Press news!
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Normally places for the poor or the penny-wise, boarding houses offer lodgings and food; most such places offer only the barest of essentials to their guests.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Far below the sunlit surface lie places and things undreamt of by decent commonfolk. Some such things have never seen the light of day, while others have escaped into the Underlands to escape the hated sun.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
It’s no secret that at Raging Swan Press, we are big fans of dressed dungeons. A dressed dungeon feels more real than an undressed dungeon. A dressed dungeon engages your players’ imaginations, promotes creative play and helps them immerse themselves in the adventure.
It’s always the perfect time to game, and we hope you can find something below that will help you have more fun with your friends!
Small roadside shrines appear in many towns and cities. They venerate important saints, local deities, or gods without a formal church in the area and are often tended by a small group of dedicated lay worshippers.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
One or more stables can be found in any settlement of note—and many of those without note.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.
At Raging Swan Press, we believe that games set in a richly detailed, immersive world are better than games that are not. It should come as no surprise that we are huge fans of dungeon dressing, but what exactly is dungeon dressing, and why do we keep going on about it?
With Citadel on the Wilderlands now out in the world, our attention turns to the Late 2024 edition of Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands and the Player's Guide to Citadel on the Wilderlands!
Penna’s Grave stands in a hollow by the trail. Fresh cut flowers often appear on the low burial mound, no matter the weather. Folklore tells of a silent, grey-hooded figure seen kneeling at the grave. Recently, an apple tree has sprouted from the mound.
Read MoreWatersmeet surrounds six lofty crags of remarkable geometric alignment. Four rivers flow into the lake, churning up the water, making casual boating dangerous and difficult. Folklore tells of mysterious winged humanoids seen visiting the crags.
Read MoreSihvo Kaipia (N male human) revels in the over-confidence of youth. He believes he is best—at everything. Annoyingly, for those he meets, he’s rarely wrong. Strong, charismatic and clever Sihvo lusts for adventure. The party would be lucky to have him.
Read MoreHideaway Mine stands beyond a huddle of ivy-clad stone buildings. This abandoned old tin mine is haunted, locals say. Bandits sometimes use it as a lair, but seldom stay long. The mine’s flood-prone deeper galleries intersect with a subterranean lake.
Read MoreThe 400 wind their way over a lofty, craggy hill. Cut by unknown hands long ago these vertiginous steps are in bad shape. The faint outline of a ruin sprawls across the hill’s summit. Folk atop the hill enjoy sweeping views of the surrounds.
Read MoreTeemu Viti (LN male human) dislikes any idea not his own. He is ferociously intelligent, and believes he is better than others. He shares this truth with acidic words. Teemu sports a balding pate and a paunch. He travels with his miserable wife, Martta.
Read MoreEl’s Mere was once a shallow, marshy lake. El’s Mere Way skirts the site. Local tradition has it that a young man, El, drowned while swimming in the lake. His ghost appears on the anniversary of his death to moan of his fate to any he encounters.
Read MoreSlaughter Ford boasts a foul reputation. A century ago, water spirits drowned a great company of marauding orcs at the ford. Ill-hued lights, unwholesome noises and strange doings have since motivated travellers to seek safer routes.
Read MoreSimuna Kaivas (NG male human) clutches his painful belly. This rotund man suffers from food poisoning, which he got at a nearby inn. He needs help, but can offer only thanks in return. Well-connected locally he spreads word of the characters’ actions.
Read MoreCutt Quarry has been almost abandoned for decades. The mad introvert Kildork Cutt (NE male dwarf) dwells therein. The madman carves elaborate, disturbing sculptures into the cliffs, for an unknown purpose. Sometimes, people disappear near the quarry.
Read MoreKeveral’s Point juts from a rocky escarpment overlooking the road. Its shape is reminiscent of a squashed human face. Folklore identifies the point as an immense slumbering earth spirit. Locals ascribe minor rockfalls and tremors on the point as its snores.
Read MorePekka Ihamuoto (N male human) wanders from place to place looking for work. Pekka is a skilled mason, and highly educated. He travels with his son, Reko, and wife, Esteri. A laden cart pulled by two horses carries the family’s possessions.
Read MoreCrumblestone Castle is cursed. Abandoned after its occupants sickened and died, it is a shunned place. Now even the place’s walls and towers have a leprous aspect as stone flakes away from the structure. Rank, noxious weeds fill the ruin.
Read MoreAili Kekko (CN female half-elf bard) terrorises fellow travellers with wildly off-key singing, terrible lute playing and inappropriate songs. The goddess of music cursed Aili for lampooning her consort, the legendary bard Vilimzair Aralivar.
Read MoreHungry Gully grows a bit wider every year, and every year the locals add to the earthen span linking its two sides. When flooding weakens the span, travellers must make lengthy detours. Plans for a stone bridge stall on the subject of cost.
Read MoreBone Mill stands by a river flowing through an old battlefield. Sometimes, bones washed out of ancient burials foul the mill’s mechanism. Sometimes these remains awaken from their long slumber, and undead beset the mill.
Read MoreBleak Hill stands stark above the surrounding plain. A score or more stone cists dot its oddly flat summit. The mysterious cists are long since looted. Rumours speak of secret shafts plunging deep into the hill from one or more burial sites.
Read MoreAamu Kare (LN female human) perpetually searches for work. This gloomy, withdrawn warrior has exceptional luck; she has been the sole survivor of several groups. Some call her lucky, others say she is a harbinger of doom. She struggles to make friends.
Read MoreWiomet’s Tower juts skyward from atop a bluebell-cloaked hill. Dense stands of hawthorn surround and fill the decaying tower’s sunken ha ha. Built for an exiled widow, the ruin is a gloomy place despite its idyllic surrounds.
Read MoreTumblestone Quarry cuts deep into Sentinel Hill. Overlooked by a crumbling watchtower, the quarry is a popular sheltered camping spot. A deep pool fills much of the quarry, and a path winds up from its chilled waters to the ruined tower.
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Houses of worship and quiet contemplation stand in or near many settlements. Within, the occupants seek spiritual enlightenment in the service of their patron.
A free GM’s Resource for any fantasy roleplaying game.