Setting Overview The characters

You’ll play a local hero, someone with deep ties

Your agenda
As a player, your chief goals should be to...
The premise The Makers to Stonetop. You might be...
Portray a compelling character
You play the heroes of Stonetop, an isolated The Makers are long gone, but their ruins The Blessed (medium complexity): Engage with the fictional world
village near the edge of the known world. (many sized for giants) remain. Stonetop is nature priest. Speaks to spirits and Play to find out what happens
Adventures focus on dealing with threats to built on Maker-ruins: an ancient cistern, the beasts. Works subtle magics via sacred
the village, seizing opportunities for the village, crumbling Old Wall, some old foundations.
or pursuing personal goals. Months or years The Ruined Tower is about a day from town.
markings and materials. Your principles
The game works best if you...
might pass between adventures. The West Road stretches from Stonetop to The Fox (low complexity): clever,
Gordin’s Delve. The Highway crosses the quick, and skillful. Not above bend- Begin and end with the fiction. Tell us
The village itself… West Road a few miles from town, stretching ing the rules or fighting dirty. Can be how you do what you do, what it looks like.
…is home to around 300 folks. It’s a nice from Barrier Pass to Marshedge and beyond. quite the charmer, too. Connect with the other PCs. Explore your
place, though poor. People look out for each relationships. Play out scenes together.
other, here. Other things of note The Heavy (low/medium complexity): Show us what’s important to you. Who
The PCs are all human. Strange peoples (like not just a violent individual—our and what will your character fight for?
…is built around a massive standing stone the Forest Folk or the fae or the mask-wearing violent individual. A champion, yes, Have goals and pursue them. Don’t just
of unknown origin, carved with faint runes. Ustrina from beyond Gordin’s Delve) are but a bit of a liability, too. react to threats that the GM presents.
Lightning strikes the Stone often. known of but poorly understood. Be bold, take risks. If you don’t act like a
The Judge (low complexity): settler hero, who will?
…stands at the edge of the Great Wood. Sages whisper of the Things Below, primeval of disputes, chronicler, and divine Embrace difficulty, setback, and failure.
Villagers hunt and trap but—per a compact entities of darkness, corruption, and ruin. Their bulwark against chaos. Insightful, Show us how your character deals with it.
with the Forest Folk—never fell a living tree. power taints all that it touches. tough, not necessarily persuasive. Participate in worldbuilding. Answer the
GM’s questions with color and life.
Neighbors People are terrified of deep water. Evil dwells The Lightbearer (high complexity): Build on what others have said. Let your-
The Forest Folk disappeared ten years ago, and there. Evil that will drag you to your doom. invokes divine power via flame and self be inspired by your fellow players.
no one knows why. Everyone knows this. candle. Beacon of hope, charity, and Give others a chance to shine. Don’t hog
mercy. Fiery foe of the dark. the spotlight. Set others up for greatness!
Horrid little crinwin lurk in the Great Wood. Magic is not common, nor easy, nor safe. It Participate in the conversation. Pay atten-
They’ve grown bolder and more numerous can be borrowed from spirits or gods or Things The Marshal (high complexity):
tion, ask questions, offer suggestions.
since the Forest Folk left. Below, or wrested from the forgotten lore of leads the town’s militia, plus a crew of
followers. Makes choices about who
Gordin’s Delve is a rugged mining village a
the Makers. But it is not to be trifled with.
lives and who dies. Content
few days to the west. By default, this game features:
Iron is the most common metal. Good steel
is hard to find. Bronze tools and weapons are The Ranger (low complexity): at
The Hillfolk are nomads of the Steplands to home in the wild, the one you want Fairly graphic violence
common enough, but old-fashioned and drip- Kidnapping, abductions, families in danger
the south and the Flats to the west; they have a ping with superstition. with you when you travel. A re-
beef with Gordin’s Delve. sourceful guide and deadly hunter. Bigotry, racial tensions
Horror elements, mind control, possession
Marshedge is a sizeable town about ten days’ The Seeker (high complexity): Personal corruption (esp. for the Seeker)
march south and east. collector of lost lore and power, with Starvation (or the threat thereof )
potent artifacts that might well lead
Barrier Pass is a few days north in the moun- to their ruin. Other disturbing and emotional topics are
tains; stoic, grim, unwelcoming. certainly possible. Talk to your group about any
The Would-Be Hero (medium topics that you wish to exclude, veil, or handle
There’s no empire, no kings or nobles—at least complexity): They’re in over their in a specific way.
not around here. More “civilized” towns and head and full of fear and anger, but
cities lie farther to the south. they just might outshine us all.
Stonetop
Well over 50 feet tall and etched in faded The Public House is the largest building By compact with the Forest Folk, the
runes, the Stone appears to be older even in the village, where everyone meets after villagers never cut down a living tree.
than the giant-sized Maker ruins upon sundown to drink and socialize. It offers They’re free to gather fallen wood, but if
The village itself which the village was founded. floor space in the common room for trav- they need timber they send folk north-
elers and a small stable under the same west to the Foothills. Yet no one’s laid
When storms roll in from the southeast —
Size village (~300 souls) roof. The town’s two horses are kept here. eyes on the Folk for a decade, and some
as they often do during the spring and sum-
Population +0 grumble that there’s plenty of timber
mer months—lightning strikes the Stone The village sits on a bluff overlooking
Prosperity +0 (farming, hunting/ down there, in their own back yard.
repeatedly. The locals barely even notice. the Great Wood. A few brave souls ply
trapping, distilling (whisky), stone its depths for meat and fur to trade with The crinwin—diminutive, gray-skinned
(from Old Wall), cistern, tradesfolk (cobbler, midwife, publi- Foodstuffs are stored in the Granary for
Stonetop’s neighbors. Trappers bring in creatures with a penchant for mimicry—
can, smith, tanner), trade with Gordin’s Delve, Marshedge) winter. Everyone contributes, everyone
most of the wealth, but hunters get more lurk in the Great Wood. The Forest Folk
Defenses +0 (militia, the Ringwall (low, stone), three watch- shares.
respect. It’s dangerous down there. once hunted them and kept them in check,
towers, spears & shields in every home, some bows) but their numbers have been growing.

Stonetop is a tight-knit community. Everyone here is expected to The area’s always had earthquakes, but
pull their weight, but few think badly of those who suffer misfor- the elders say they’ve grown more fre-
tune. The town pulls together; its community is its strength. quent. Perhaps it’s related to the strange
menhirs that have been found lately in
Able-bodied adults are expected to know how to fight and the Wood?
protect the village when needed. Everyone keeps a spear, a round
l
wa l
wooden shield, and maybe a bow. Folk rotate through guard duty, to the
Old Wall ng
manning the three watchtowers each night. There’s no govern-
Ri The
ment, just leaders. Everyone knows who they are: the wise, the
he Gr a na r y Gr
cunning, the brave. It’s not a formal thing. eat
T Wo
P u b li c House
Most buildings are low and squat, built from stones scavenged Th e St o ne od
from the crumbling Old Wall that surrounds the town about a
mile out from the village center. Roofs are mostly thatched with P av i li on
barley straw. Families pass these homes on, two or three genera- Cistern
tions living in one or two buildings at a time.
to
The Ringwall is a waist-high fieldstone wall. Of little to no use West Road
against a real army, it nonetheless provides some defense against
raiders. The houses built outside the Ringwall are newer, built by
younger families or more recent immigrants.

Most folk in town are farmers, growing barley, oats, beans, and
to the the Fiel
potatoes in the surrounding land. The fields stretch out from Old Wall ds T
Str he
Stonetop to the edge of the Old Wall. Beyond that, the weedy eam
to the
grasses of the Flats choke out anything the villagers might plant. Old Wall

The town boasts only a few full-time tradesfolk: a smith, a tan- Sane folk shun lakes, rivers, and other Stonetop boasts no temple but does have The Stream runs along the base of the
ner, a midwife, a publican, and a cobbler. Other crafts—thatch- deep bodies of water. Death dwells in deep a Pavilion of the Gods, hosting shrines bluff, providing a source of fresh water
ing, carpentry, weaving, and so forth—are done on the side. water—everyone knows this. to Helior (the Daybringer), Danu (the for those willing to haul buckets back
There’s no mill, not much in the way of bread. Families keep Earth Mother), Aratis (the Lawkeeper), and forth. It’s been known to dry up at
To get through the dry months, the
goats for milk, chickens for eggs, sheep for wool, pigs for meat. and Tor (Rain-Maker, Thunderhead, the height of summer. The villagers fear
residents of Stonetop store rainwater,
The town owns two horses in common, a couple plows, a pair of Slayer-of-Beasts). Tor is the most popular shallow running water less than the deep
snowmelt and water from the Stream
carts, and a wagon acquired in trade from Marshedge. and associated with the Stone itself, but stuff, but most agree that the Stream is
in a huge, ancient Cistern.
all four gods are given due respect. haunted by a pair of ghostly twins.
The Vicinity
There’s a cave called the Maw in the Great Wood, a few hours On certain nights, the Pale Hunter stalks the Great Wood, and
north of town. No underbrush grows within thirty feet of it, and when he does even the bravest hunters stay in town. The Forest
bones litter the entrance. Trappers and hunters avoid it, and claim Folk spoke of him as something like a force of nature, not so
The village’s immediate surroundings to have heard strange noises coming from its direction— much a god to be worshiped as a storm to be weathered.
especially at night.
The villagers never fell a living tree from the Great The tales differ as to what happens should
Wood, so when they need timber they send the wag- you cross the Hunter. He might ignore
on and some hearty souls into the Foothills. It’s you, call you to join his raid, or mark
two days out, a day of hard work, and another
two or three days to make the return trip. to Barrier Pass l l s you as his quarry. But all the tales
agree: impress him, and you’ll be
i
h well rewarded. Get caught or fail
And while the Highway and the West Road t to do your part—well, best not
o
are relatively safe, the Foothills themselves o to think of it.
are haunted by at least one fell beast or F T h e
monster. Surely, a trip to the Foothills e G r The Red Grove is a stand
is a scary thing. But sometimes it has h e a of trees in the forest that
to be done. T t turn blood red (leaves,
W bark, and all) near the
The Flats are a wide open prairie be- o
The M aw o autumnal equinox. But by
tween the Great Wood and the Huffel d springtime, they’re back
Peaks. They are overrun with weedy, to normal.
bitter-tasting grasses that choke out Th S to n e t o p
e
most other vegetation. H The Forest Folk never
ig
hw went near this grove, and
ay
Traversing the Flats can feel like an Red Gro ve warned the townsfolk
exercise in loneliness, but the land is to avoid it as well. They
teeming with life. Most of it will ignore to Gordin’s Delve never said why.
travelers, but the tall grasses might con- Th e We s t Ro a d
Th e C r o s s r o a ds
ceal cougars, wolves, or packs of hunting Since the Folk disappeared,
drakes. Aurochs, horses, and deer roam the Great Wood has be-
the prairie, and bands of Hillfolk come cave bea rs come more dangerous. The
north from the Steplands to hunt. grey-skinned, spindle-limbed
The Ru i n e d To w e r
T crinwin have been seen more
Wise travelers keep to the ancient roads. h e and more near the village, and
The Makers’ old magic keeps them in good F l their calls are frequently heard
repair, and predators shun them. But tales tell a t in the night.
of dancing lights and strange spirits luring the s to Steplands
unwary off the roads at night. and Marshedge Hunters and trappers have reported
unnatural stones jutting from the
The Ruined Tower lies a long day’s march from Stonetop, a earth—stones that were not there before.
good half-day’s trek from the roads. It’s hardly still a tower, more a The Old Wall surrounds Stonetop, about a mile out from the And the desiccated remains of deer have been found strung up
pile of enormous stones and earth. Everyone in town knows about Stone itself and at the end of the West Road. It was clearly once in the trees, wrapped in cocoons of silky thread.
the giant-sized tunnels beneath the tower. Adventuresome folks a massive rampart, but has tumbled and been buried by the ages.
get it in their heads to go there now and then, but they usually just When the villagers need stone for construction, they dig it out A pair of cave bears have a den in the bluffs just south of the
go a little way in and get spooked. There are people who’ve gone of the Old Wall and haul it back to town. village. They keep to themselves, and the hunters and trappers
deeper—generations back—and brought back amazing things. generally avoid them, but in a pinch a bear could feed a whole
Occasionally, some crack-job scholar from the south comes up lot of people. Also, who knows what else is in the cave that holds
Little of that stuff remains in town, long since traded away, but to study the remains of the Old Wall, but they can rarely stand their den? Perhaps it opens up to a larger network of caverns.
the stories linger. the “primitive” conditions out here for long.
The World’s End
To the north run the Whitefang Mountains, said to be home to both savage giants and many mysterious villages. Little is known
about what lies beyond. Throughout the long summers, thunderstorms roll up from the southeast and crash against the mountains.
When they do, green and purple lights can be seen dancing around the crown of the peak known as Tor’s Fist.
The region in which Stonetop sits
On a clear day, sharp-eyed folk in Stonetop can spot
Barrier Pass is blocked by a the Golden Oak. The Forest Folk said that a hero
massive wall and gate, held by buried at its roots would return from beyond
To r ’ s s
stoic, unfriendly folk who want Fi s t
a i n the Last Door. But no one from Stonetop
little to do with strangers. They u n t has ever made it there and back.
n g M o
W h i t e f a
live on mountain goats and B ar r i er
sheep and gods know what else, P as s The reaches of the North Manmarch
and brook no trespass. The town are home to an aggressive, war-
elders tell of their kind coming like people who dwell in wooden

h
down every generation or two to Go ld e n O a k longhouses. Fortunately for their

r c
trade some ancient wonder for neighbors, they fight amongst
T h themselves in an eternal cycle of

m a
crops or goats, but none alive G or d i n ’ s e
remember such a visit. St o ne t o p G r e blood-feud. Should a leader unite
De lv e a t them one day, they will be a terror

a n
W o o d
Gordin’s Delve is a mining to all the world.

M
town in the Huffel Peaks. Folk
H

Ti ta n Bo ne s
Marshedge is a proper town, with
make their way here when T h
u

t h
they’re on the run or when e F l a t a wooden palisade, market, and
f

s town council. They grow hemp

f

there’s nothing left back home. F e rri e r’ s

d s

o r
e

The Delve is named for the n

Fen and wheat, and collect wild rice
a
l

and herbs from Ferrier’s Fen. But

Maker-made passages that p l

N
e no one ventures too deep into the
P

plunge under the mountains. S t

e

There lies the Labyrinth, haunted

Marshedge Fen. Scaly, slimy suarachan drag fools
a

s away to sacrifice to their foul gods.

k

by beastmen and worse. But mask- Bla c k wat e r

c h
wearing Ustrina sometimes come from Lake
the depths to trade finely worked goods A few years back, the council asked a

a r

r
notorious bandit named Brennan to take

e
iv
and the rare bit of orichalcum. Th r e e - C o v e n the job of marshal. He’s still in charge,

dR
m
Lake

ea
and his old gang—the Claws—dominate

n
About two days’ hike from Stonetop is Titan Bones,

Dr
the town watch of Marshedge.

a
a lone hill amidst the Flats. A huge fossilized skeleton

M
is visible on one side of the hill. When Stonetop or
the Hillfolk need to signal each other, they light a The Dread River marks the eastern edge of the

h
huge bonfire atop the hill. known world. None get too close, but a sprawl of
t ruins can be spotted at the end of the Highway.
u
Folktales speak of fools braving the ruins only to
o

The Steplands are a rugged wilderness, home to the

S

nomadic Hillfolk: horselords and shepherds, fierce and disappear forever, or (worse) return with some
to Lygos
barbaric to outsiders. They trade horses, wool, and sometimes and other points south cursed relic in hand.
salt from the south, but consider Gordin’s Delve corrupt for
prying sacred metals from the earth.
The Steplands hide two great terrors: Blackwater Lake (to the The plains of the South Manmarch are sparsely inhabited, by a
The Steplands are dotted with ancient burial mounds. west) and Three-Coven Lake (to the east). The Hillfolk wisely few tribes of nomads hunting aurochs herds. But trade is steady
Unlike most ruins, these are man-sized and less sophisticated keep their distance, but the few who have dared approach the between Marshedge and Lygos and the other towns of the
than those of the Makers. The Hillfolk shun them and warn all lakes report ancient ruins on the shores, in the surrounding arid south.
travelers away. cliffs, and even beneath the waters.