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The Blunder Bluffs

Location

Mucklands Sandbox Campaign Setting · p.371

Open source p.371
Used T'be Forest

Surrounding Skroknest Mountain, the Blunder Bluffs are so named because of the many hard to navigate cliffs and paths that wind through the mountain range. Any blunder is cause for death.

modifiers
  • Travel Checks
  • Wandering Intruder Chance
wandering intruders

##### the blunder bluffs

  • 1. Harpies
  • 2. Bugbears
  • 3. Wriggling Snarps
  • 4. Scraggles
  • 5. Humongoose
  • 6. Hippopotamoose
what's there

THE BLUFFS

The extremely steep cliffs make traversing the mountains difficult. There are often no clear paths besides climbing the sheer rock walls. Taking ground vehicles and mounts (besides the Knight-Errant's) is practically impossible, and climbing gear is a necessity. It is believed that many of the mountain roads were cut away specifically to confuse trespassers and protect an old fortress built by a forgotten empire.

BOULDER BLUFF VILLAGE (HEX 18.4)

Home to a hardy group of bugbears, this tiny village has fallen on hard times after constant conflict with HARPIES. The bugbears here are especially burly and gruff, but hospitable to strangers despite rare contact with them. Theirs is a tradition of hunters. Young members of the village must pass a hunting trial when they come of age to become full-fledged adults.

THE HARPY NESTS (HEX 17.4)

A series of horrible HARPY nests spread out across the bluffs, high above in dead, twisted trees. They make their nests out of bones and twisted metal.

  • The smell is repugnant, like boiled rat skin and ETTIN vomit—both common reagents in HARPY concoctions to summon the spirits of the dead.
  • Effigies made of bones and twigs hang from the trees, and hex runes are scrawled on stones surrounding the area.
  • Trespassers must make a Mettle Check:
  • 1-2. PC suffers Disadvantage to all Checks for the rest of the session and Dread.
  • 3-5. PC suffers Disadvantage to all Checks for the rest of the day and Dread.
  • 6-8. PC suffers Attack against HARPIES for the day.
  • 9-11. PC is unaffected.
  • 12+. PC is unaffected by HARPY magic for the session.

MAGGRAM MOLLER

Leader of Boulder Bluff Village, Maggram is fed up with the HARPIES constantly harassing her people. In their most recent attack, they kidnapped several villagers. Maggram is intent on stopping them once and for all.

  • Traits: Fed up, foolhardy, not the greatest warrior.
  • Motivation: Defeat the HARPIES or at least drive them from the Blunder Bluffs.

SAMANTHIA THE EXPLORER

A lost goblin explorer, Samanthia is a rugged adventurer on the road for decades. She carries rolls of paper and jars of ink to catalog her journeys that have taken her all over the realm.

  • Traits: Obsessive, haggard, has a story for everything.
  • Motivation: Find the portal door of Fortress Rau so that she can revisit all the places she's traveled.

THE BLACK BANNERET

A FELMOG KNIGHT (L6-C) known for the large Iron Sun banner affixed to her back. She specializes in searching for lost things others believe don't exist. Her latest search is for the Fortress of Rau, and the fabled door within that can take anyone across the world in the blink of an eye.

  • Traits: Unrelenting, openly spiritual, willing to throw down.
  • Motivation: Find the portal door of Fortress Rau so that the Iron Sun can use it in their campaigns.
  • nests: each home to HARPIES, cackling, counting curses, and bickering.
  • In the highest tree, Hagra the Harpy Queen (L8-C) holds her court in a nest made of rusty swords. An ancient, knobby matriarch, Hagra often entertains herself by kidnapping bards and forcing them to play music, perform plays, and juggle dangerous objects before devouring them.
rumors
  • The Blunder Bluffs are rife with HARPIES, chief among them Hagra the Harpy Queen who leads coordinated raids on mountain villages.
  • A lost fortress in the mountains is said to guard a secret treasure.
  • Felmog Outriders have been seen mapping the mountain roads, perhaps in an attempt to find the lost fortress.
  • A coven of HARPIES is ensorceling mountaineers, cursing the hapless explorers to do their bidding for the rest of their lives.

FANGOL

A GIANT INKPOT SPIDER dwelling in the mountains, Fangol hid long ago to get some well needed sleep. However, local HARPIES are making that impossible with all the racket and carrying on that they do.

  • Traits: Sleepy, irritable, so very hungry.
  • Motivation: Peace and quiet.
quests

THE HARPY MENACE

The bugbear village of Boulder Bluff is fed up with the HARPIES' constant raids. But they have no one left to defend their homes; they've all been injured, killed or captured. Go to the mountain HARPY nest of Hagra the Harpy Queen and deal with them once and for all.

THE ROAD TO RAU

Along the road, a seemingly lost goblin explorer named Samanthia is willing to share a secret if you help her. If you agree, she shares the location of a hidden path marked by glyphs that lead to a hollowed out mountain, wherein lies the Fortress of Rau. But the glyphs are only visible at night.

  • The Fortress of Rau is a RANDOM DUNGEON. Once completed, a treasure room opens with an Ancient Hoard () inside.
  • Samanthia is looking for a magic door and its key. There is an unlocked door, but no key to be found.
  • The Black Banneret is also searching for the Fortress of Rau, and believes its power belongs to the Iron Sun.
  • Samanthia explains the door is a gateway, which transports you to anywhere in the Mucklands, but she isn't sure how it works.
  • Entering the door transports the party to one of the following locations. Roll for the result, followed by a Perilous Encounter for that region.
  • 1-2. Ruins of Ryloch in the Used T'Be Forest
  • 3-4. Quortlen in River Country
  • 5-6. Terror Island in Scalawag Strand (location of the Key of Rau)
  • 7-8. Darkshroom Tower in the Quagmash
  • 9-10. Spiderfoot Pass in Fleabag County
  • 11-12+. The Serpent Shrine in the Drippy Downs
  • After traveling, Samanthia realizes that the key must let the traveler determine the location. Perhaps the key is at one of the locations the door travels to?

THE WEB THAT CATCHES THE FLIES

Fangol the GIANT INKPOT SPIDER requires some assistance. Every day he can hear the mad cackling of nearby HARPIES reverberating through the mountains, and he can't get any sleep. Lure them into his web so he can eat them!

  • Fangol offers this task if the PCs bumble into his lair and attempt to Parley out of being eaten.