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WELCOME TO

DOLMENWOOD

Dolmenwood is an enchanted forest campaign setting — creepy,

whimsical, and psychedelic in equal measure — for B/X and other
vintage fantasy games. In-depth detail on the setting, suitable for
referees, is furnished in the Wormskin zine. This document is a guide
for players taking their first footsteps under the forest's eaves.

The forest of Dolmenwood lies in the little-frequented possession of the requisite secrets; portals to the perilous
northern reaches of the kingdom of _____, under the realm of Fairy allow transit between worlds, for those
rule of the Duchy of Brackenwold. Though men, with charmed or fated by the lords of Elfland. Even the herbs,
their fortresses and cathedrals, now claim dominion over plants, and fungi of Dolmenwood have developed in odd
this stretch of tangled woods, fungus-encrusted glades, directions, absorbing the magic which infuses the place.
and fetid marsh, other powers held sway here in ancient Some say that the waters are enchanted. Some say the
times and — some would say — remain the true masters stones and the earth itself. Perhaps both are right.
of the realm.
For those who plan to visit this magical, monster-haunted
Within the forest, the magical and otherworldly are forest, the information in this short guide will prove an
always close at hand — rings of standing stones loom in indispensable companion on the way, elucidating the
glades hallowed by pagan cults of yesteryear; the energy most commonly known people, places, legends, monsters,
of ley lines pulses beneath the earth, tapped by those in and races which call Dolmenwood their home.

contributors
Gavin Norman [words & editing] Greg Gorgonmilk [words & graphics]
the-city-of-iron.blogspot.com gorgonmilk.blogspot.com

Matt Hildebrand [layout] Andrew Walter [illustrations] Visit the Dolmenwood

bigbaldmatt.com andrewwalter.co.uk community on Google+

Dolmenwood and Wormskin are trademarks of Gavin Norman & Greg Gorgonmilk

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Sentient Races
Dolmenwood sits at a place where the boundary Talking animals: aside from the goatmen and other
between the mortal world of men and women and the less common beast-like humanoid races which inhabit
immortal realm of Fairy grows thin. It is thus not only the wood (sheep men, ratlings, deorlings, etc), it is also
folk of mannish origin or kindred races who dwell there; not uncommon to encounter sentient, talking animals
fairies of various kinds are also drawn to the forest and of various species. The birds, reptiles, mammals —
some even make their permanent home there. The most and even fish — of Dolmenwood may at times surprise
common races of sentient beings — benign, malign, and travellers by greeting them from the wayside, spinning a
indeterminate — are described below. riddle, or cursing their intrusion. Of course, not all the
beasts of the Wood have the wherewithal to speak, but
the number that do is increasing. Such creatures are said
Mortals to be especially multitudinous in the northern forest.
Humans: in modern times, men and women can be
found throughout Dolmenwood, dwelling in a profusion Fairies
of woodcutter's shacks, isolated hamlets, fortified keeps,
and thriving towns and villages. Elves: the elves of Dolmenwood are natives of Fairy, that
timeless realm which lies parallel to the mortal world,
Goatmen: rough-furred humanoids with the heads and just beyond the reach of everyday folk. They are alike
twisted horns of goats. Goatmen claim to have dwelt in to humans in form, though often have some unusual
Dolmenwood since before the arrival of humans and feature which marks them as “other”. Being fairies, they
maintain the haughty belief that the wood is, in fact, are ageless and driven by desires which often seem odd
their own. They generally regard humans as an inferior to mortal folk.
species to be used as convenient. Two main branches
or subspecies of goatmen are found in Dolmenwood: Grimalkin: shape-shifting cat fairies of capricious,
in the north, bestial wild goatmen who live as bandits whimsical, and vengeful nature. Grimalkin commonly
and marauders; in the south, noble families of ancient take the form of bipedal, humanoid felines, 3-4 feet
aristocratic lineage. in height. According to folklore, they sometimes also
disguise themselves as fat moggies or take on a bestial,
Moss dwarfs: stunted manlings who dwell in the deepest shadowy aspect for hunting.
woods where tangled vines and dank fungi dominate.
Moss dwarfs have a kinship with such places, being Woodgrue: diminutive, furry humanoids with the faces
formed partly of mortal flesh and partly of vegetable and great, sensitive ears of bats. Woodgrue prefer to be
matter. The species is seemingly unrelated — apart from active at night and have a great love of music, cavorting,
in stature — to the dwarfs of the mountains. Indeed, it is and capering in moonlit glades. As a fairy race which has
hypothesised that they are related in some way to forest migrated entirely to the mortal world and is now subject
gnomes or stump dryads. to the ravages of time (though still very long-lived), they
are classified as demi-fey.

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Factions and Powers
The Church of the One True God The King of the Wood
The monotheistic religion sanctioned by the Duchy and A wicked, trickster figure of local folklore, said to keep an
widely spread throughout Dolmenwood and beyond. unholy court in the deeps of the northern woods, where
Worship focuses on the pantheon of saints, rather than his armies of wild goatmen and other creatures of chaos
on the God himself, who remains somewhat abstract. lair. The King is known by various names; common
The Church's presence in Dolmenwood is, in modern epithets are the Nag-Lord and Old Shub. In tales, the
times, somewhat diminished; many shrines and chapels King is depicted as being part man, part unicorn, with
that once saw regular worship have fallen into ruin and nine legs (nine being regarded as an especially accursed
been reclaimed by the forest. Some within the Church — number).
in particular, the bishop of Brackenwold — wish to
rediscover and resanctify the lost shrines. [Note: the The Watchers of the Wood
precise details of this religion are left deliberately vague,
A cabal of sorcerers who roam the wood, cloaked in black.
allowing the referee to tailor it to the setting in which
They claim the magical energies of Dolmenwood as
Dolmenwood is located.]
their own and are self-appointed masters of the ley lines.
What gods they worship is a matter of conjecture —
The Duke of Brackenwold
for they guard their secrets with their lives — but the
Ruling from the (allegedly) impregnable Castle Church treats them as heathens to be eradicated. Kidnap
Brackenwold on the south-eastern verge of the forest, the by the Watchers is the greatest fear of many rustic folk in
Dukes of Brackenwold trace their line back to the earliest the forest.
settlers in the region. All mortal folk within the Wood —
from the humblest beggar to the highest lord — pay Witches
fealty to the Duke and the whole forest is his property,
Witches are mortal women who have made covenants
at least in principle (there are those who dispute his
with one of the ancient wood-gods that lurk just beyond
absolute rule). In recent generations, the Dukes of Castle
the material periphery of Dolmenwood. Their aims
Brackenwold have taken a belligerent bent, undermining
are obscure, but it is known that they gather beneath
(and sometimes outright attacking) the other factions
the moon to conduct their strange worship and to
which hold sway over Dolmenwood.
work magic. In folklore, witches play an indefinite role,
variously portrayed as depraved practitioners of human
Fairy Lords
sacrifice, lustful seductresses (for they are said to be
The lords of Fairy have an ambiguous relationship with eternally shapely and young), and ministers of potent
Dolmenwood. Some have no interest in it whatsoever, charms and cures.
some view it with curiosity and tread its paths at times,
while others view parts of the Wood as their own Ygraine the Sorceress
property and resent the trespass of mortals. According
A reclusive figure, nominally the ruler of Meagre’s Reach
to legend, the whole of Dolmenwood fell under the
and properly called a Lady. She dwells in a many-tiered
dominion of a fairy known as the Cold Prince, long ago,
manse overlooking a black lake and it’s rumored that her
until he was ousted by the old kings of Brackenwold. The
sprawling home is haunted by fairy folk. Her guests are
Prince’s return and wrath are a constant source of fear
infrequent but well-coiffed and oddly familiar, so the
and folktale.
people of the Reach say. The sorceress herself no longer
makes public appearances, though it is said that she is
a woman of patrician beauty, refined in all aspects and
wealthy beyond measure.

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Gazetteer
Castle Brackenwold The High Wold
The power hub of the Duchy of Brackenwold and A barony which encompasses the south-western corner
ancestral home to the nobility of the line. Within the of Dolmenwood. The High Wold is noted for the ancient
castle, alongside the mighty garrison maintained by the line of aristocratic goatmen who rule in tandem with the
duke, is a great cathedral, making this fortress-town also human lords of the region. (Some say that nobles of the
the centre of the Church's power in the region. Indeed, two races are even believed to have interbred.) The barony
the bishop of Brackenwold is said to hold equal sway over has become somewhat wild of late, under the lax rule of
Dolmenwood to the duke himself. Castle Brackenwold the Baron Hogwarsh: highwaymen ply the roads and
is an ancient place whose foundations are thought to charlatans peddle compounds of questionable morality.
have been built before the Brackenwolders came to Locals fear that the avaricious hand of the Watchers is
Dolmenwood. Some rumours even say that the castle creeping out of the forest and into the High Wold, taking
was originally of fairy construction. advantage of the baron’s laxity.

Dreg Lake Longmere

A rough port-town and fishing village on the marshy Known colloquially as “the heart of the wood”, the great
banks of the Hameth. Dreg has a seedy reputation as a lake Longmere — twelve miles broad at its widest
haunt for thieves, smugglers, charlatans, and rascals of point — is said to be the seat of an ancient magic in
all stripes, made only worse (in the eyes of right-minded Dolmenwood. The bold anglers and barge-men who
outsiders) by its proximity to the island of Shantywood, frequent the shores and waters speak fearfully of strange
a notorious port of ill-repute run by the seductive and beasts in the waters and of the mind-melting wailings of
ruthless Madame Shantywood. Aside from its profusion the Big Chook — a water monster said to be as large as
of public houses and gambling dens, Dreg is known for an island. Other legends speak of the ruined fairy keep —
its fine sausages, made from the flesh of the swine kept in Castle Lily-white — which stands upon the lake’s
the bogs to the north of the village. western shore. The castle is believed to have belonged to
the Cold Prince, who once ruled the Wood, and to hold
Fort Vulgar many secrets of the past.
A mostly dilapidated palisade and crude keep overlooking
the northern end of Lake Longmere. Occupied and Lankshorn
(poorly) maintained by Sir Osric the Gaunt and a small The largest settlement in the High Wold region of
retinue of mounted knights, boatmen, and domestic Dolmenwood, the market town of Lankshorn lies
servants. Osric is the Duke of Brackenwold’s vassal within a bowshot of the forest’s border, acting as one of
and responsible for assessing and collecting taxes from the two main “thresholds” into Dolmenwood (the other
all boats and barges travelling south across the lake. being Castle Brackenwold, in the east). Rumours talk
Its intake is not insubstantial given the popularity of of the odd culture of Lankshorn, as the traditions of the
lawless Shantywood Isle and regular traffic with the civilised south meld with the quaint, superstitious ways
Woodcutter’s Encampment and (to a lesser extent) Dreg. of Dolmenwood. The respect held by the Lankshorners
for the goat-lords of the wood is an apt example of the
Hag’s Addle cultural melange in this border-town. On a different
A region of mazy swampland around the banks of the note, it is also said that the finest bladesmith in the High
River Hameth, as it drains from Lake Longmere into Wold makes his home in Lankshorn.
southern Dolmenwood. The place is shunned not only
due to the natural hazards of the marsh, but also because
of the hag who haunts its sodden expanse. It is said that
she has the power to see into the past and future and to
raise the dead, but that the price she demands in return
is perilous.

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Prigwort The Valley of Wise Beasts
The largest settlement within Dolmenwood proper (that In the northern reaches of the forest, this long valley,
is, beneath the eaves of the forest). The town of Prigwort though uninhabited by men, is said to be ruled by a
is the centre point of trade in the region, being located at strange consortium of speaking beasts. The origin of
the crossing of the main north-south and east-west roads. these creatures is unknown, but their numbers appear to
Prigwort is especially famed, even in the wider region of be ever increasing. There are those who fear that the valley
the Duchy, for its breweries and distilleries. Fine Prigwort may come to overflow and the whole of Dolmenwood be
spirits, flavoured with the wild herbs of the forest, are to taken over by sapient animals.
be found on the tables of connoisseurs far and wide. Of
interest to adventurers, it is also known that a wizard of The Witching Ring and Maghswold
commercial bent makes his home within the town. Those who wander far in the western reaches of
Dolmenwood speak of a vast ring of stones, spread so
The Ruined Abbey of St Clewd widely that the connection between them is almost
East of Lake Longmere, in the depths of Dolmenwood, imperceptible. Yet the ring is possessed of an arcane
a great monastery was founded, of old. A nighttime force which binds the stones so strongly together that
raid of unknown provenance brought about the utter the area which they encircle has supernatural qualities
destruction of the abbey, some centuries ago. The Church quite distinct from the rest of the forest. Modern folk
has endeavoured, on several occasions (if rumour is know these sister-stones as the “summerstones”, the great
to be believed), to resanctify the ruin, but to no avail. ring which they demarcate as the “witching ring”, and the
The place is commonly believed to be haunted. Indeed, woods contained within as “Maghswold”. The purpose
many say that the Wood itself rejects such ostentatious and arcane function of the ring is unknown and a topic of
doings of men. Still, stories of the treasures which may lie much myth and speculation.
untouched in the chapel crypts abound.