0108 The Cabbage Plot

Field after field of turnip, leek, radish, and rye. A hint of rotting cabbage drifts on the breeze.

• Terrain: Farmland (2), High Wold
• Lost/encounters: 1-in-6. Encounters are 1-in-6 likely to be with a gang of Murkin’s Soldiers.
• ### Hamlets and Rotting Cabbages
• A patchwork of fields, country lanes, farms, and little clusters of dwellings crowds this hex in the domain of the cruel

Lord Murkin (p65).

Rotting cabbages: Blackened, rotting cabbages with an unusual crown-like shape notably fill a number of fields bordering the West Road.

Investigating the cabbages: Natives of the High Wold recognise these as “crown cabbages,” a highly prized export of the region, especially beloved by Duke Brack enwold (p58). If PCs linger, there is a 2-in-6 chance of a gang of Murkin’s Soldiers arriving to harass them on suspicion of destroying the valuable crops.

Source of the rot: In truth, the cabbages have been secretly poisoned by locals rebelling against Murkin’s tyranny. See The Cabbage Plot.

The Crimson Bath (Inn)

Two miles from the gates of Kolstoke Keep (0208), the West Road passes through a cluster of dwellings and outbuildings known as the hamlet of Shrivelbyne. At the centre of the hamlet is a tall, wonky inn.

Sign: A portly longhorn gentleman relaxing in a bath of red wine. The gentleman depicted is the previous Lord Murkin (the current Lord Murkin’s father).

Common room: A poky, smoke-filled room lit only by the grate opposite the entrance. Miniature portraits of bears dressed as nobility dot the walls. Timilda Brumble and her husband Grerg —a human from Dreg—serve from a tree-trunk bar. An acrid reek occasionally wafts up from the cellar, when the door is opened.

Guests: Rowdy farmhands, a mix of humans and shorthorns. The mood veers between tomfoolery, raucous jigs, conspiratorial whispering, and drunken screeds against Murkin.

Soldiers: A gang of Murkin’s Soldiers drops by to harass the inn’s patrons most evenings.

The cellar: Concealed behind a stack of barrels is a vat of acrid, black liquid—a vegetable poison brewed by Timilda for use in the Cabbage Plot.

Services at the Crimson Bath

Lodgings and food: Of poor quality (DPB). Bedrooms lean noticeably and creak disconcertingly.

Poodden pie: Timilda’s speciality: a pie of blackberries, apple, and custard. Significantly surpasses the quality of all other food available here. 2sp a serving.

The Cabbage Plot

The common folk of this area, angered by Lord Murkin’s petty laws and crippling taxes, are on the verge of revolt. Timilda Brumble has led a secret plot to destroy this year’s harvest of crown cabbages, in an attempt to draw the duke’s attention to Lord Murkin’s tyranny.

Murkin’s Soldiers

Unruly gangs of soldiers in the employ of Lord Murkin roam this hex. Each gang is composed of 1d4 humans (Level 1 fighters— DMB) and 1d4 shorthorns (DMB). The gangs are tasked with the following:

Recruitment: Press-gang working class youths of disrepute (e.g. vagrants, layabouts, adventurers) into service in Murkin’s army. They use force if they clearly outmatch their targets. Any successfully recruited are taken to the camp in hex 0109.

Rooting out rebels: Capture those responsible for the Cabbage Plot.

Timilda Brumble—Crimson Bath Proprietor

An elderly shorthorn woman with tan fur, a silver nose, and missing front teeth. Dresses in layers of woollen shawls and skirts. A respected community elder, Timilda is also the secret leader of the plots against Lord Murkin.

Demeanour (Lawful): Mild-mannered, sweetly smiles. Shrewd, scheming.

Speech: Slow, rustic lilt. Woldish, Gaffe.

Desires: The dethronement of Lord Murkin, preferably to be replaced by his cousin Lady Borrid (0109). To keep the plots against Murkin from deteriorating into violence.