Up in the hills, about a days brisk hike from the village Thriceborough, lies Stone Octopus Garden. One entrance to the dungeon is hidden among the roots of a huge elm tree. Down in the chasm, a river flows by so slowly that it could be called a lake. Spanning the chasm is a an old, wooden bridge, the only way to get across to the island where the keep sits, without getting wet.
The reason for the keep’s name is a mystery, but when the local bard is well into his third pint he might take to singing a sad, strange tune about a lonely king-sized mollusc whose mere gaze petrifies.
But what’s really down there? Why not let the dice decide? Roll a d20 to select a rumor, then flip a coin or roll a 50/50 die to determine if that rumor is true or false. Repeat until perfect.
| d20 | Rumor |
|---|---|
| 1 | A huge, intelligent octopus lurks somewhere down in the waters below the keep. |
| 2 | Long ago, a strange cult held the keep. They sacrificed brains to an extra-planar mollusk god. |
| 3 | There has been recent activity up by the keep. A foreign noble has come to re-purpose the keep. |
| 4 | The keep has a huge dungeon down below where a forgotten priesthood held ceremonies which required vast amounts of diamond dust. |
| 5 | It’s a strange thing; badgers come to die in that area. |
| 6 | Years ago, a vampire witch was slain in her lair below the great elm tree. A swarm of ten thousand bats still dwell there, awaiting the return of their master. |
| 7 | The keep has been for sale for along time. |
| 8 | The keep was built atop an old temple, desecrating it’s grounds. |
| 9 | Baron Viktor LeFrag built the keep 300 years ago when he needed a stronghold to keep a gem mining operation safe from bandits. |
| 10 | There is rumored to be an old mine rich in various gems somewhere close by the keep. |
| 11 | At new moon, a thick bank of darkness which swallows all light covers the area. |
| 12 | Last year, the local hero Stan the Man and a handful of adventurers went exploring the caverns beneath the keep. They never returned. |
| 13 | The bridge might look rickety, but it should be completely safe. |
| 14 | A man-sized pike lives in the slow river passing along the crevice. It bit off the finger of Larry, the millers boy. |
| 15 | A strange mushroom is said to grow in one of the rooms below the keep. When eaten, it will lift any curse and cure even the ugliest case of warts. |
| 16 | Amanda the shepherd sez her goats absolutely refuse to go near the place. |
| 17 | Some man-slaughtering gnolls had their lair up there for some time. Used to throw the skulls of their victims, with brains and all, into the water to appease some creature. |
| 18 | That elm up there is so old and big, it has to be a dryad metropolis! |
| 19 | There are statues, down there in the deep, which are so precisely carved that they could once have been visitors. Is there a dweller ‘neath the surface with the power to petrify the living? |
| 20 | Everything on this table is true! |
Here’s the black & white version, if that’s your preference!
Stone Octopus Garden
Also, adventure 