Campaign Events Chart

Roll on this chart twice for each month of the season.  It’s good to stir things up a bit, even if the players don’t directly partake.

A major accident of some form occurs in the area. Perhaps an building collapses. Animals might stampede through the streets, a ship sinks in the harbor. At best the incident causes inconvenience (20% chance). At worst d100 people die. There is a percentage chance equal to the number of deaths that a friend, relative or ally of the PC‘s is among the casualties.

A celestial alignment lasting 1-3 days empowers the spirit world.  No undead can be turned during the conjunction and summoning spells draw more powerful entities from beyond.

A major avalanche happens while an expedition is headed to or from the ruins of the City.  There’s a 25% chance it happens to the party.  Victims are buried in a snow drift, save versus petrification or be trapped.

3-8 days of unseasonable downpours create deep mud and limit excavation in the ruins.  Tempers run hot around Trade Town and reaction rolls are -1 through this period.  If it’s spring or fall, the rains could be heavy snow instead.

A whale is beached 2-5 miles from Trade Town.  It’s up to the DM to determine the type of whale; suggested issues that could arise - the group that finds it might claim it, creating conflict; a whale is a valuable food source for Trade Town, provides valuable oil, attract predators, and might attract an unusual wandering monster.

The camps are on alert after a sentry is mauled by a polar bear.  Is the bear a rogue animal, just passing through, or controlled by magic?

Violence erupts into a full scale blood feud between two ship crews at the camps.  How does it affect the PCs?  Perhaps a brawl happens when they’re in town and they get sucked into the melee.  A respected PC could be asked to mediate.  The feud might escalate and require a Thing to be called.  Or perhaps it’s agreed to be settled at a spectacular duel.

An NPC group gets farther into the dungeons than the PCs and starts bragging about their exploits.  This is a chance to foreshadow some of the deeper dungeon areas and create a rivalry.

A friend, ally, henchman or relative of one of the PC‘s has died, either due to natural causes, war, murder or misadventure. If the person concerned has no heirs there is a 30% chance of a dispute over the dead characters wealth and a 15% chance that one of the PC‘s will inherit instead. Otherwise, the dead characters property is seized by the jarl. If the dead character held an important post or owned a business concern then the post remains vacant for D12 weeks until a successor is trained or appointed. Until that time, no duties relayed to the post may be performed and no decisions made.

For some reason, something breaks. It could be a fishing pier swept away by a rain-swollen river, a stretch of road collapsing into a sink hole, a statue shattered, or the local cemetery defiled. Depending on the exact nature of the damage, the townsfolk might pitch in to repair the damage, demand the jarl take action, or sit around grumbling that “things aren’t what they used to be.” PCs who pitch in or pay to help repair the destruction will earn the respect of the residents. Those who were nearby when the damage occurred will be watched carefully and whispered about.

A godi arrives bearing dire news that ill luck hangs over the camps after seeing a terrible omen.  (The superstitious might suffer saving throws at -1 until the omen is resolved).

Someone goes missing from the camp.  Roll a d6: 

A minor earthquake strikes the region. d10% of structures are damaged (starting with those of poorest quality) and D4% of the local population become casualties. Half of whom are killed, the other half injured or maimed. There is a 20% percent of a minor fire (as per the monthly result) occurring and a 5% chance of a serious fire (as per the yearly event) occurring. After the earthquake the cost of building trebles for D6 months.

Trade Town represents an isolated outpost of humanity at the top of the world… ideal for a menacing anthrophage.  Some kind of predator of men is discretely hunting amongst the camps.  It could be something that stowed away on a recent ship, or an alien monster that came back from the ruins.

Examples might be a vampire or nosferatu (especially one that can survive in the weak northern daylight), a werewolf or lycanthrope, a doppleganger, something insidious like John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’, or perhaps a spiritual monster lurking in the shell of a man - demonic possession or the Wendigo.

Opposite of dire omens, a godi pronounces a period of divine favor due to favorable omens; good luck is experienced by all the believers (+1 to saving throws during the favorable period).

The players are falsely accused by an NPC group – this could trigger a blood feud, require mediation, lead to a duel or a Thing.  Sample accusations could be robbery, an ambush in the ruins, or a murder.

Fire is a deadly hazard; roll d6:

Food scarcity, roll a d6:  1-4 affects Trade Town, 5-6 affects the camps.  Causes might include unusual vermin destroying supplies, a period of bad hunting or scarcity exhausts the stores, too much damp air creates mold that infects grains and dried fruit.  (This will probably force most groups to go foraging - use your system’s forage rules to govern things like fishing, whaling, or hunting caribou and seal.)

Interlopers from a foreign country have shown up on Thule.  Options might include a ship anchoring in the fjord not far from the city and sending longboats; a competing camp is being established across the bay; foreigners start exploring the city (replacing some of the human encounters with foreigners instead of Northmen).  In the default setting of the Black City, this would likely be an exotic looking ship from one of the decadent city-states of the Inner Sea, like Karkhedon (part of North Africa and the faux-Islamic world).

A trader group returns to town with stories of a mother lode roll d6: 1-2 gold 3-4 gems 5-6 crystals - in a ruined building.  Conflict ensues as other groups rush to “jump the claim”.

The weather becomes unseasonably sunny and warm (reaching the 40’s).  Excavation might be difficult if too much melting snow and ice creates mud.

A herd wanders within a few miles of camp, creating an opportunity for hunting and laying in supplies.

As summer wears on, success in the ruins creates wealth with the raider and prices in the Trade Town begin to cycle higher.

A corrupt official has knowingly punished or imprisoned an innocent citizen, whether due to bribery, cruelty or a desire for something the wronged person has in their “possession” - such as riches or the wronged persons husband/wife/daughter. Such injustice can be defeated if evidence is gathered and brought to the attention of a higher official (assuming the official concerned is not themselves corrupt). There is a 20% chance that one of the PC‘s is the wronged party. Otherwise choose an NPC known to the party. Preferably one they care about or who can provide them with a vital service.

A group hunting in the hills or mountains nearby finds something of general interest.

Roll d6:

The king is dead.  News reaches the islands via ship that a king back home has died, and the various jarls are competing for the succession and choosing a new king.  20-30% of the ship crews make ready to sail home early (there will be like 4-5 distinct Northmen kingdoms).

A magical event occurs to brighten up the dreary lives in Trade Town.  A wandering wizard comes to town with his pyrotechnics show, a local mage inadvertently transforms himself into a strange form or blows up his lab, or a magic artifact is discovered in the course of daily life.

An NPC party approaches the group to team-up for equal shares.  It could be because (roll a d6:)

Stories drift back to town about a prominent NPC group being massacred in the ruins or dungeons; some kinsmen of the group offer a reward for justice.  Based on the PC‘s current activities, the DM will need to select an appropriate location that moves the game forward if the players get involved.

A meteor, drawn by the Beacon (see letter F - Central Command), streaks towards the island and crashes somewhere in the mountains near the city.  Was it just a star rock, or did it bring a space devil with it to menace the earth?

A foreign priest from the continent arrives on one of the longships - perhaps the captain is a convert to the new religion.  The priest spends time preaching to the ‘pagan’ Northmen and demonstrating miracles (spells) as a show of faith.  Do some of the Vikings convert?  Does this create conflict with the Odin Priest?  What happens after the missionary is found murdered?

An NPC party returns to town with news that they’ve discovered a new sub level in the dungeons in an area that’s previously been well-worn ground.  Perhaps a new excavation opened the way, or a secret door was found.  (It’s a chance for the DM to slide in their own creation into the Black City.)

The Northmen have discovered a habitable island to the south and west of Thule and a colony is being established there.  This will provide an alternate place for groups to spend the winter and will lead to more trade opportunities (and perhaps a bit more piracy on the open seas).

A competing Jarl from another kingdom sends a force of Northmen to create a second beach head on Thule.  Do men from the existing Trade Town ‘defect’?

A particularly heinous crime or series of crimes in the region is either blamed on one or more PC‘s (50% chance) or results in the death/dismemberment/kidnapping or an important NPC friend or relative of one or more PCs.

A small pod of whales is seen off the coast, or perhaps in a nearby fjord, bay or estuary.  Time for some whaling!

There’s an equal chance that the camp gains or loses a handful of ships, either straining the resources in the camps or making the place feel empty.  A reason for a flood of new arrivals might be misinformation back home - a returning ship oversold the opportunity on the island.  Reasons for a mass departure could be any number of things - food scarcity, bad omens, disease, etc.

One of the groups that does a lot of fishing comes back with a prize catch - cheap food for all.

A ship arrives bringing news of trouble back home - a rampaging monster(s).  Examples of newsworthy monsters might be the awakening of a dragon in the mountains, stirrings of the Jotuns (giants), or a giant sea beast (a sea serpent, kraken or dragon turtle) beginning to hunt in some popular fishing grounds.  Brave captains (and possibly the PCs) might leave to tackle the threat.

Survivors stumble back to camp with stories of how the rest of their group was captured in the ruins.  A reward is offered for someone to mount a rescue mission.  Likely abductors in the city include the Ape-Men of the Hippodrome, the inhabitants of the Tower of Pain, and Bonecracker (from the Field of Mists).  In the dungeons, they could be captured on level 2  by glass spiders, Morlocks, or taken to level 3 by servants of the Overmind.

A rival wizard arrives on Thule, begins staying in Trade Town and organizing expeditions into the Black City.  Unlike Shafat, this wizard might accompany some parties personally and see the city firsthand.  Roll a d6 for the wizard’s homeland: 1-2, the decadent south, 3-4, academic from the continent, 5-6, a warlock from the wilds of Rus.

Alternatively, a rival wizard shows up and shuns Trade Town.  Depending on how high magic is your game, a lonely tower of stone appears across the fjord overnight, a floating island in the air hovers menacingly over the bay, or perhaps a floating ship hovers instead.  (In a low magic setting, a ship from the decadent south arrives and builds a competing camp with foreign mercenaries, similar to the ‘Foreigners!’ entry but led by the rival wizard-archaeologist).

A prominent robbery takes place - roll d6:  1-3 the players are targeted, 4-6 it happens to another group.  It could involve food, supplies, magic items, or treasure.  If the player group is leaving loot in the camp while they go on extended delves into the ruins, where are they keeping their stuff?  Do henchmen stay back to guard?

News of a missing ship reaches camp and could generate searches or rescues.  Roll d6:  1-3, the ship was known to be scouting other islands around the archipelago, and never returned.  4-6, the ship was headed for a distant location and debris washed on shore (I’ll eventually come up with that alternate earth fantasy map with better names, but for now, let’s say debris washes up on the Orkneys, Scotland, Iceland or someplace similar).

It’s up to the DM whether the group had friends, enemies, or another interest in the ship and it’s cargo, and thus a reason to be concerned about the loss.

Disease spreads through the camps near Trade Town, or an acute illness strikes down a lot of men at once.  Obvious choices might be dysentery or a gastro disease, severe flu, or something new and alien (brought out of the ruins).  Ideas for an acute illness might be something like rampant food poisoning because of something served in Trade Town.

A new skilled craftsman arrives on an incoming ship and begins offering work in Trade Town: <WRAP indent>

A jealous NPC group makes a concerted effort to steal the player’s map(s) and learn what they’ve been doing in the dungeon.  The DM gets to plan a heist!

Rough seas and bad winds make leaving the island impossible or extremely treacherous for a period of 3-10 days.  There’s a 50% the bad weather moves local and is accompanied by heavy rain (see Bad Weather listing) and there’s a 1-in-6 chance that of a storm surge or other severe tidal effect threatens to wash some of the longships out to sea, or swamp parts of the camp.

Critical supplies in Trade Town or amongst the camps become rare, causing problems with daily life or making it harder to restock between expeditions.  The shortage affects something like light sources (torches, tar and lamp oil), leather or rope, metal for weapon and armor repairs, or maybe mead, beer and spirits.  (Food shortage is already it’s own entry).

A mysterious stranger seeking vengeance for some perceived wrong arrives in the region, looking for a specific individual or small group (50% chance the target of this vengeance happens to be one or more PC‘s). He finds the foe he seeks 70% of the time and, even if not looking for the PC‘s in particular, they may find themselves caught up in the action, either as by-standers during an attack or as hired bodyguards for one of the intended victims.

The camps become infested with vermin - rats or mice brought on a ship eat food stores, chew backpacks and adventuring gear in the night, spread disease.

Unlike some of the entries that imply colonization and competition ( like New Trade Town or Foreigners!), this event involves a visiting merchant ship looking to trade directly with the Northmen; it could be merchants from one of the large, established Viking Trade Towns (looking to cut out the middle men) or a large, seaworthy vessel from the decadent south.  Luxury goods and comfort might flood into the camps temporarily.

A massive wandering monster visits Southern Thule like a force of nature - identify an appropriate monster, something with 20 HD+, like a dragon turtle, ancient dragon, massive kraken or sea monster, or equivalent.

News reaches Thule that two Northman kingdoms back home are at war.  (Assuming there are 4-5 different loose nationalities represented in the crews of Thule, this could plunge 40% of the camp into immediate conflict).  Fights might break out at the camps, while some patriotic captains may ready their ships for return.  Piracy would also seem likely.

One morning, the tower of Shafat at Trade Town is completely gone, with no trace of the wizard.  Or perhaps, the tower stands, but there are no sounds of life or activity within and the assistant no longer answers the door.  Groups returning from the city with satchels laden with artifacts can longer have them appraised by the wizard; they’ll need to leave earlier at summer’s end and point their ships to one of the other trading towns for bartering.  Does Shafat return?

Real-world whirlpools often form in the confluence of estuaries and channels between islands; a large whirlpool forms somewhere in the archipelago.  It presents a hazard to sailing and might lead to an undersea realm (or be caused by undersea entities…)

Nothing out of the ordinary happens this period.

Roll twice on this table and combine the results into one event!

Most of this is adapted from here; I found a few other sources but this was so spot-on and I’m cribbing so much from Beedo anyway…