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Tales from the Bloody Bucket

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AN ADVENTURE SETTING FOR CHARACTERS OF ANY LEVEL

They opened the door only to have to immediately leap to the side to avoid a flung mug of ale. A lively
brawl was underway inside the brightly lit common room. Patrons of all kinds engaged in the fight, and
beyond they saw a huge, hulking brute of a man behind the long bar reach for a heavy club hanging be-
hind him on the wall. A maid near the door glanced their way with a nervous laugh.
“Welcome,” she offered. “Welcome to the Bloody Bucket!”

For use with most any fantasy Roleplay Game System.

Printed in U.S.A. RPGCrate.com

 PREFACE

Welcome adventurers! Pull up a chair, and stay a while.

I’m Chris Hinson, the creator of RPG Crate. First, allow me to say thank you for joining in the adventure. By
obtaining and using this Adventure Setting, you are participating in what I hope is the first of many fantastic
game sessions.

This publication represents an introduction to a new fantasy roleplay world, created for and exclusively distrib-
uted by RPG Crate and can be adapted for use with most any fantasy roleplay game system. The setting was
first created as a free downloadable PDF and distributed to all of the RPG Crate newsletter subscribers. Print
copies will be made available for puchase at a later date.

Just as the adventurer begins his journey one step at a time, one challenge at a time, and one tavern at a time,
this setting will be revealed to the subscribers of RPG Crate one exciting tale at a time, as told from the most
infamous brawling tavern of the area - The Bloody Bucket. The “Bucket," as some have come to refer to it as, is
a rough and tumble place - stout ale and strong cheese is served just as often as fine wine and fresh fruit. The
patrons are equally as diverse, bringing to The Bucket a seemingly unending source of adventures.

Each month, a new set of tales will be revealed and added to RPG Crate. Subscribe to our monthly crate, and
you won’t miss a single tale - adventures for months to come - and easily adaptable to most any fantasty roleplay
game.

Subscribe to RPG Crate and the newsletter at www.RPGCrate.com.

Game on!
Chris Hinson
Owner

June 26th, 2015

CREDITS
Design: Chris Hinson, Teresa Hinson, Pete "Sir Wallace" Pederson,
Editing/Proofreading: Teresa Hinson
Cover Illustration: Lloyd Metcalf
Interior Art: Lloyd Metcalf, Jennell Jaquays
Cartography: Richard Sardinha
Graphic Design: Chris Hinson

Special thanks to Teresa for being supportive and understanding of what it took to make
RPG Crate a reality. You are my all!

Copyright © 2016 by Chris Hinson / Lost Tomes / RPG Crate

All rights reserved. This publication or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever with-
out the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a review.

2
Strangers on the road...
The day had worn on from the rising sun
to the now brilliant colors of its setting
at the horizon sinking below the distant
mountain peaks, and the riders were
saddle-weary and hungry. They had been far
too long on an even longer road, and the com-
forts of the last inn were far behind them. There
was no knowing how much further the next would be.
They bantered back and forth over the sound of
their own horses and the night insects as the shad-
ows of the coming darkness deepened around them
on the road. There had been ranger markings along
the way, carved into the trees or stacked in stones
along the road to offer warnings or inform travelers of
fresh water or good hunting nearby but no clear sign
of how far to the next shelter. The talk turned to past
travels, some days and nights lost, some on the road
but many more with a tankard of ale in hand. It was
all they could do using laughter and camaraderie to
stave off the pangs of hunger and the rub of saddle
sores.
And that is when they heard it. A voice, strong
and boisterous, carried down the road singing in a
deep baritone. Not long after they saw the glow of
a fire through the trees off the twisting road. It was
an old camp, likely one used by the very rangers who
marked the trails, but it was no ranger that occupied
it now. Horses were tethered off the road and a hand-
ful of guardsmen stood silent, unmoving vigil round
the perimeter of the camp. A man reclined near
the fire, a cloak circled round his large frame. His
straw blond hair was smoothed back, and his beard
was meticulously groomed, too clean and well kept
to have been long on the road. A matronly woman
draped in her own cloak of rich cloth sat near him,
leaning forward to prod the fire. An unexplained un-
easiness settled among the
riders at the sight
of the two
strang-
ers.
“Wel-
come,”
the man
broke off his
singing to greet them as their horses stamped ner-
vously. “Come, friends, be welcome in our camp.
We have roast mutton and roasted turnips and wild
onions enough to share. Perhaps my wife can be per-
suaded to part with some of her apple cider. Come,
come, and join us.” He beckoned to them, and at their
hesitance, he sighed and rose to his feet. Beneath the
cloak he wore carefully tooled riding leathers, clearly
well worn from the road but maintaining their rich na-
ture in cut and detail. The bejeweled hilt of a dagger
could be seen at his belt. “You are four or more hours
from the crossroads near the three river ford and the
inn to be found there. And I have food right here.
The ride will be easier with a hot meal in you, and
perhaps I can tell you a story or two to pass the time
if you don’t have one of your own to share.”
The riders pushed past their uneasiness to join
the strangers at their fire. The woman’s dark eyes
watched them silently from beneath the shelter of her
hooded cloak, but the man welcomed them heartily
and pressed the food and drink into their grateful
hands.
“Have you heard the tale of the black shield of
Sir Wallace?” He met their eyes in turn. “No? Ah,
it is a daring tale of a young warrior and if you will
believe…a dragon. You see, this famed shield was a
work of such craft and enchantment that it was said
to protect its bearer from the hell breath of the most
feared dragons. Can you imagine the courage it
inspired in the warrior who came to possess it? It is
said this warrior, armed with a blade of near equal re-
nown, came to face a grand beast of a dragon not far
from here among those very mountains you see in the
distance. His steadfast fellows did not long survive
in the fray, and as it came to pass, the warrior and the
serpent slew one another and fell, lying side by side
in death. But the legend does not end, my friends. It
is said the two fought with such heart and hatred and
3
were so intent in their greed that their spirits never sprawled drunkenly on the stone steps in the moon-
left the very spot upon which they bled and died. Now light, and a scrawny dog nosed around him. Rowdy
in death they continue their quarrel, endlessly con- noises could be heard through the walls despite the
testing…and slaying any who would come to steal the very late hour.
treasures over which they fight. That is the legend, The riders left their horses with a sleepy-eyed
my friend.” stable boy and headed to the reinforced inn doors.
“It grows late, my husband,” the woman spoke qui- Above them hung a sign from the inn overhang. It
etly. “If they would reach the inn tonight, they must seemed to have once simply read, “The Inn,” but now
be back to the road.” it had been painted over in red paint to read, “The
“Yes,” he said regretfully. “Drink and eat your fill. Bloody Bucket.”
And when you do finally reach the inn, remember to They opened the door only to have to immediately
watch your money and more so watch your words.” leap to the side to avoid a flung mug of ale. A lively
He chuckled slightly. “Brother Benjamin likes to brawl was underway inside the brightly lit common
spread the good word with a strong right hand and room. Patrons of all kinds engaged in the fight, and
the broken leg of a chair, and Haakon and Laelia don’t beyond they saw a huge, hulking brute of a man
take kindly to trouble. If you have the time and the behind the long bar reach for a heavy club hanging be-
coin, speak to Old Nata.” hind him on the wall. A maid near the door glanced
“They will see soon enough, Zachariah,” the lady their way with a nervous laugh.
admonished him to which he laughed good-naturedly. “Welcome,” she offered. “Welcome to the Bloody
“Indeed they will,” he chuckled. Bucket!”
The riders set aside their uneasy, ill impressions
of the strangers and shared their fire and their pro-
visions for a time. The hospitality was welcoming
...
enough, though there was something still about the
two that did not sit well, a secrecy perhaps, a hint that
there was much left unsaid despite the warm wel-
come and telling of folklore. And in time, the riders
departed, leaving the odd strangers behind as they set
out for the inn that had been promised to lie hours
before them.
They came across the rivers ford first, with
the woods cleared from its nearby shores. In
the distance the light had all but faded, and
the mountains loomed dark and indistinct.
Could it be that any small part of the
stranger’s tale was true? What might
be hidden among those peaks? The
packed earth road grew more rutted
and well traveled as they traveled on,
and ahead they saw the glow of can-
dle and firelight through lead-paned
glass windows. It was a small town
round about the very inn the strang-
er had mentioned.
The inn itself was large; it dom-
inated the crossroads that round
about it had been cobbled with
stone. Three stories, it rose well
above the small shops and sprawled
wide encompassing stable grounds,
kitchens, and outside cook fires. The
walls were whitewashed with ex-
posed timber on the higher floors but
stone with few windows below. A man

4
5
Random Events Notes
D10 Event
1 Jealousy - A drunken patron decides someone in your group has
been "eyeing" his woman.
2 Cheater - Someone has been caught cheating at cards, and the
losers aren't too happy about it.
3 Flying Debris - A shoe, mug, or chair is thrown your direction.
4 Propositioned - You've caught the eye of someone special, and they
want to be your "best friend".
5 Fight - All too common - a fist fight spills over into your area.
6 Guards - A guard walks in looking for someone that looks "just" like
one of your group.
7 Overcharged - A patron near you is overcharged and upset about it.
8 Thief - You notice a failed attempt at a pickpocket.
9 This round is on me - A local hero strides in and buys the house a
round of drinks (multiple occurances of this causes a fight).
10 Roll twice more for each 10, and everything happens at once! It's a
free-for-all...

6
 What's next...
Adventure Setting
This is an introdution to The Bloody Bucket. The maps and stories here
are only the beginning! All sorts of fantasical treasures will be revealed
each month in the RPG Crate subscription service. This Adventure Setting
and everything that follows can be integrated into your existing campaign
world, or you can use it as an ever expanding anthology. Take the journey
with us as we reveal a world and its stories from the eyes, ears, and snouts
of an infamous brawling tavern.

The Future
A couple strangers on the road, a fleeting story of heroics, and mentions of
a magic sword and shield...

wwwRPGCrate.com
Many more adventures await you at the Bloody Bucket. Subscribe to RPG
Crate and don't miss out.

Copyright © 2016 by Chris Hinson / Lost Tomes / RPG Crate

All rights reserved. This publication or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever with-
out the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition, 2016

Lost Tomes
2005 SW Spruce Rd
Bentonville, AR 72712

www.LostTomes.com / www.RPGCrate.com

Copyright © 2016 by Chris Hinson / Lost Tomes / RPG Crate

7
 Adventure Setting
Tales from the Bloody Bucket
by RPG Crate
AN ADVENTURE SETTING FOR CHARACTERS OF ANY LEVEL

This Adventure Setting and everything contained herein can be integrated

into your existing campaign world, or you can use it as an ever expanding
anthology. Take the journey with us as we reveal a world and its stories
from the eyes, ears, and snouts of an infamous brawling tavern.

For use with most any fantasy Roleplay Game System.

Lost Tomes www.LostTomes.com

2005 SW Spruce Rd www.RPGCrate.com
Bentonville, AR 72712