On the country lane in spring and summer, there are endless possible encounters and activities and stuff. Use this menu to help play out all kinds of scenes as characters make their way to and from adventures. Some of these may actually turn out to be epic adventures of their own!
Situation
The characters are travelling on a country lane, passing local farmers and their cottages, meeting artisans in the tiny hamlets, crossing over quaint creek bridges, strolling through copses of trees, or resting in meadowland, watching cattle, deer, bees, and birds. They pass by orchards with stone fences and gardens of vegetables tended by smiling and nodding countryfolk. the nights are cool and fresh and restful under the stars. Occasional showers and summer storms blow through renewing the splendour of the summer smells.
Environment
The country lane in summer may have any of the following:
- meadow, prairie, plains, rolling hills, marsh, pond, moors, ridges,
- the lane itself could be stone, dirt, mud, grass, straw, clay, gravel, wood chip,
- small woods, thickets, or copses of trees: pine, oak, birch, willow, spruce, dogwood, aspen, poplar, maple, elm, hazelnut, saskatoon, chokecherry
- rises, hollows, kames, valleys, ridges, crests, swells, downs, vales, dales, gorge, butte, cave, crevasse, cliff
- bayous, coulees, gulches, gullies, muskeg, barrows, marshes, bogs, moor, pond, fen, wetland, dykes, dams, canals
- farms with cottages, granaries, mills (wind, water), fences of stone or wood, gates, orchards, livestock, crops, dugouts, gardens, pens, coops, haystacks, dogs, cats, cattle, horses, pigs, fowl, sheep
- crops of corn, wheat, barley, flax, rye, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, peas,
- livestock such as goats, sheep, chicken, turkeys, cattle, pigs, geese, llamas, elk, buffalo,
- hamlets (2-5 homes, perhaps an inn, blacksmith, farmers’ market)
- streams or creeks with bridges of stone or lumber, rivers with rope or chain ferries or shallow crossings (fords), flooded out areas, mud, dirt, quicksand,
- weather could be sunny, dry, dreary, overcast, clear, cloudy, rainy, storming, and could bring tornados, hail, sleet, winds, gales, breezes, gusts, a light sprinkle, drizzle, smoke, haze, mist, fog, dust,
- nights may be cool or warm, cold, frosty, humid, dank, sweltering, and one can see constellations or star clusters or lighting or northern lights or the moon or shooting stars.
- stream, pond, marsh, bog, river, creek, brook, waterfall, rapids, fords, floods, dugout
- plank bridge, stone bridge, steel bridge, trestle bridge, rope bridge, ferry,
- windmill, watermill, granary, stable, cottage, hut, hovel, shack, storehouse,
- landslide, sinkhole, slumping bank, hailstorm, tornado, locust swarm
Stuff
- mile markers, signposts, cairns, flag, totems, warning sign, heraldic symbols, tokens, talismans, standards
- gates, wire, barricades, fence, pit, wall, pallisade, bar,
- gallows, prison cages hanging, stockades, crucifixions, heads on pikes
- tower, guard post, toll station, bell tower, fort, wall, sentry post, outpost,
- dogs, cats,
- wagon, cart, packhorses, carriage, buckboard, wheelbarrow, travois,
- garbage, broken cart, animal carcass, smouldering firepit, wagon wheel,
- burial mound, graveyard, cemetery, pyre, crypt, mausoleum,
- temple, church, sanctuary, abbey, monastery, convent, shrine,
- chest, box, barrel, cask, crate, package, sack, bag, trunk… abandoned at the side of the road, partially buried, fallen off a cart, etc.
- beehives, ant hills, wasp nests, centipedes, snakes, swarms of vermin, owls, hawks, pigeons, sparrows, starlings, larks, bats, crows, ravens (omens? spies? shapeshiftes?), mosquitoes, leeches
- cargo: wine, cheese, beer, milk, tools, straw, wooden toys, cloth, flour, flowers, beads, trinkets, amulets
- firewagon (old school fire engine!), paddy wagon, ambulance, mortician’s hearse, charity cart
- mules, asses, donkeys, oxen, horses, ponies, buffalo, llamas, dogs, elephant, other strange pack animals
Characters
- farmers, peasants, ranchers, commoners, servants, laborers,
- miller, smith, baker, carpenter, fletcher, candlemaker, soapmaker, fisherman, hunter,
- gypsies or nomads, travelling show, freak show, touring jester, fool, puppet show, circus, minstrel, dancers, magician, buffoons, harlequins,
- monk, priest, friar, holyman, relics seller, beadworker, talisman crafter, pilgrims, saint, pastor
- hawkers, merchants, salesmen, pushers, dealers, a potion salesman (legitimate or a fraud), wig salesman, travelling tailor/seamstress, writer, travelling bookseller, money lender, barber-surgeon.
- knight and entourage, nobility, royalty, magistrate, sheriff, marshal, soldiers,
- villain, redneck bandits, highwayman, raiding party, vagabonds, beggars, hobos, country rubes headed to town, rioters, posse, hunters, village militia, revolutionaries, armed escort, mercenaries, kingsmen hunting poachers, soldiers on patrol
- hobgoblins, bugbears, wolves, werebears, brownies, trolls, ogres, skeletons, kobolds, orcs, centaurs, ratfolk, treemen, giant hawks, dryads, satyrs, zombies, or harpies
- train of prisoners being taken somewhere,
Activities
- parade, festival, tournament, rodeo, party, celebration, birthday, wedding, coronation, athletics competition, music, dance, art show, concert, play, performance, trade show, market, convention,
- funeral, wake, procession, memorial
- house on fire, barn burning, forest fire, brush fire, smoking rubble pile, burning wagon
- barbeque, cookout, tailgate party, feast, hotdog eating contest,
- ritual, rite, prayer, sacrifice, supplication, observance, service, religious orgy, offering,
- ordinance, new law, check stop, check point, sting, stakeout, survey, manhunt, posse
Developments
- a minstrel insists on joining the characters’ party, even if only at a great distance, to sing of their heroics
- a potion salesman offers his goods at greatly inflated prices; could be a fraud or could be legitimate
- a gypsy caravan is camping and the characters are invited to gamble or buy goods or have their fortune told or see the “zoo” of unusual creatures.
- a number of dwarf stonemasons are building a bridge under the supervision of a gnome engineer
- a lumberjack is trapped under a tree (dead or alive) and needs desperate help; this could lead the characters to town and some possible encounters or it could be a trick by some bandits
- the characters come across the scene of a crime and hear the dying words of one of the victims.
- at a crossroads, a prisoner swings in a cage half starved; there is a warning sign about “evil acts will be punished” yet he claims innocence.
- a halfling with no legs is begging at the side of the road just before a tiny hamlet… it is literally tiny because halflings live there.
- an ale vendor (kvass, mead, beer) has a barrel cart with a broken axle. The only thing he can think to do is to drink all the ale to make it lighter to drag home with his ox. Will the characters help?
- the characters are attacked by a giant hawk on the hunt. The hawk attacks with surprise – roll 3d6.
- you can’t go wrong with the classic bridge troll, who demands a meaty sacrifice as a toll for passage
- a bloody trail leads off into a wooded hollow to the side of the road; signs of a scuffle and some dropped coin present an interesting situation
- a disheveled knight confronts the characters claiming he has a deed to the land that the lane leads through and demands a tax; he’s got some retainers with him that look like dirty nasty mercenaries
- a wood carver offers to make a totem to protect the party (could be for real, could be a scam, or he could actually curse them with it – yikes!)