31. Bramblethorn Ranch

Just outside the dilapidated village of Nulb, near the southeastern edge of the Gnarley Forest, lies Bramblethorn Ranch, a struggling yet vital facility where livestock are raised and traded to keep the village’s black markets, inns, and residents supplied with meat, hides, and wool. Run by Ormund Trosk, a hardened herdsman, and his family, the ranch operates under constant pressure from bandits, smugglers, and the rising power of the Temple . Though officially neutral, Bramblethorn Ranch is caught in the shifting currents of power, desperate to maintain its independence amidst the growing influence of the Temple of Elemental Evil and its agents.

Bramblethorn Ranch: A Struggle for Survival

Once a prosperous trade hub for livestock and agricultural goods, Bramblethorn Ranch now teeters on the edge of ruin as outside forces tighten their grip on Nulb.

• Layout: A modest homestead with a central ranch house, a corral for livestock, a dilapidated barn, and an outlying storage shed.
• Livestock: Bramblethorn’s cattle, goats, and sheep provide meat and leather to Nulb’s residents, including the inns and various black-market trades.
• Condition: The fences are in disrepair, evidence of recent raids, and the barn shows signs of fire damage from an attack the family barely survived.
• Security: Ormund and his sons work tirelessly to defend their land, while hired hands and local trappers offer occasional protection—for a price.

"The Church says we’re all part of a greater plan, but I haven’t seen much greatness in Nulb lately."

— **Ormund**

Political and Factional Interests (579 CY)

Madame Selentis (Nysera Krivaltis)

• Uses the ranch as a livestock source for Temple supply convoys, mostly routed through Valegrave’s Farmstead.
• Keeps a pair of her bandits in the area to collect “taxes” in meat and hides.
• Has threatened Ormund with cutting him off from the Nulb market entirely if he sells large lots to rivals.

Feldrin (Temple Logistics Commander)

• Pressures Selentis to prioritize Temple-bound meat shipments, especially for the Hunting Cottage and Temple tunnel stores.
• Has offered Ormund better prices for exclusive contracts, but only if he agrees to Temple security on his land — which Ormund refuses.

Romag (Earth Temple Prophet)

• Wants livestock sent directly to Earth Temple camps outside Nulb, bypassing Selentis’s network.
• Sends Dick Rentsch as an intermediary to make “quiet” offers.

Belsornig (Water Temple Prophet)

• Receives hides and meat through pirate-controlled black market sales at the Wharf.
• Uses Tolub’s crew to skim portions of Selentis’s shipments.

Nulb’s Bandit Gangs

• Independent crews, some loyal to Smigmal Redhand, regularly target the ranch in off-hours, knowing Temple agents will look the other way if a rival faction loses supplies.

Allied Households – Thorne’s Cottage & Veyne’s Mill

• Kiel Trosk has strong ties with the Thorne and Veyne boys, creating an informal alliance of families resisting deeper Temple control.
• They share information on patrols, raids, and supply convoys, though this network risks drawing collective retaliation if discovered.

"You think you own your land, until someone stronger comes to take it."

— Erik Trosk

Kiel and the Thorne and Mill boys

Friendships: Kiel has grown close to the boys of Thorne’s Cottage and Veyne's Mill, forming a strong bond through shared hardship. Together, they explore the edges of the forest, watch each other’s backs, and trade information about the ever-growing dangers in Nulb. Their camaraderie serves as both a source of strength and a potential weakness, as enemies of one household often threaten them all.

Key Relationships

• Ormund & Selentis – Business under coercion; open defiance risks losing access to market buyers.
• Ormund & Feldrin – Tentative; Feldrin offers security but at the price of autonomy.
• Kiel Trosk & the Thorne/Veyne Boys – Trusted allies and co-conspirators in low-level resistance.
• Rhia Trosk & Smigmal’s Agents – A history of verbal clashes after an attempted bandit extortion; tensions remain high.

Current Tensions

• Double Pressure – Selentis demands loyalty while Romag works to lure the ranch away from her network.
• Market Choke – Threats from Selentis to block the ranch’s access to Nulb’s black markets if they supply pirates directly.
• Hidden Cache – Ormund’s secret store of weapons and supplies could tip the balance if a faction learns of it.

Dungeon Master Only

Secrets and Hidden Lore

Beneath the surface, Bramblethorn Ranch holds secrets that could alter its fate and that of the village.

The Forgotten Cache

• Hidden Supplies: Ormund has stashed a cache of weapons and supplies in an underground root cellar, originally stockpiled by an old rebel group resisting the Temple years ago.
• Potential Use: The party could discover this cache and use it to aid resistance efforts, or a rival faction might seek to claim it.

The Cult’s Interest

• Forced Compliance: Cult agents have begun targeting the ranch, offering "protection" in exchange for loyalty.
• Dark Omens: Kiel has witnessed strange lights and symbols appearing in the forest at night, suggesting the cultists from the temple may already be watching them.

Adventure Hooks

• Defend the Ranch: Ormund hires the party to fend off a bandit raid that is more than it seems—Temple forces may be behind it.
• Expose the Cult: Rhia seeks help in proving that the temple is manipulating events in Nulb, leading to a deeper conspiracy.
• Secure the Cache: The party is tasked with finding Ormund’s hidden cache before the Temple seize it.

Conclusion

Bramblethorn Ranch is more than just a herding outpost—it is a battleground for survival in Nulb’s web of corruption. Whether the adventurers choose to protect it, exploit its resources, or expose its hidden secrets, the ranch stands as a testament to those struggling to remain free in the shadow of the Temple of Elemental Evil.

Plot Hooks

• Meat for the Maw (Intrigue)
  Selentis’ collectors arrive early demanding an extra “hide tithe.” If the party pushes back, she threatens to cut Bramblethorn off from Nulb’s buyers, forcing Ormund to choose between ruin or Temple dependency.
• Earth Mark on the Hoof (Investigation)
  Two night-slaughtered steers bear green-twine stitches and sanded-off brands—Romag’s quiet signature. Track the intermediaries (likely out of the Waterside) before the next herd “vanishes.”
• Salt & Skim (Smuggling/Chase)
  Belsornig’s pirates skim hides off Temple shipments at the Wharf. Catch Tolub’s crew in the act or strike a deal to steer the skimming toward a rival.
• Fence at Midnight (Defense)
  A “bandit” test-raid hits a weak fence line—really a probe by a crew loyal to Smigmal. Hold the line, or they’ll be back with fire.
• The Boys’ Wire (Social)
  Kiel trades whispers with the Thorne and Veyne boys; they’ve mapped patrol gaps and convoy times. Play that intel for protection—or sell it for coin.
• The Root-Cellar That Remembers (Exploration)
  A hidden cache from the last resistance sits under the cottage. Use it to arm locals—or let a faction “discover” it and owe you.

Quest: “The Last Drive Before Dawn” (Levels 3–5)

Premise. Feldrin leans on Selentis to prioritize Temple-bound meat. Ormund refuses Temple “security.” At dusk, word comes: a mixed crew plans to lift half the herd on the night move to Valegrave’s yard. The party must push a small drive under pressure, or Bramblethorn loses the season.

Beats.

1. Yard Briefing. Ormund shows torn fences and fresh hoof-ruts; Rhia asks the party to ride flank. (Skill checks to prep: Mending/Repair, Animal Handling for skittish stock.)
2. The Creek Cut. Pirates try to peel the drive toward a skiff path (Belsornig’s skim). Stop the split or lose d6 head.
3. The Green Twine. At the ford, “helpful” teamsters wave you into a bottleneck—Romag’s play. Spot the re-stitched marks or ride straight into an ambush.
4. Market Gate. Selentis’ collectors demand the “emergency tithe” at spearpoint. Pay, fight, or force a count in the open.

Outcomes.

• Clean Delivery: +2 standing with Ormund/Rhia; Selentis notes your competence (and meddling).
• Pirate Skim Foiled: -1 with Tolub/Belsornig; gain a crate of salted hides as proof.
• Expose Earth Interference: Romag’s intermediaries flee; you earn a favor from Bramblethorn and wary attention from Waterside contacts.
• If the Drive Fails: Ranch loses a month’s meat; Feldrin “offers” Temple guards next time—at the price of autonomy.

Treasure/Leverage. The party may also learn of Ormund’s hidden cache and choose how to spend it—arming locals, bribing collectors, or baiting a rival crew.

DM Notes.

• Keep the pressure—three clocks (Pirate Skim, Earth Ambush, Selentis’ Tithe) tick in parallel.
• Tie in nearby families fast: the Thorne/Veyne kids can run messages or call in a last-minute cart.

Tone Cue. “The herd moves like a tired river, and every hand with a spear wants to dam it.”
Escalation. If the party shines here, expect a retaliatory “probe” on the night fences within a tenday.

Ormund request the Adventurers for help

You step into the ranch yard at dusk—dust in the air, the herd moving like a tired river. Rope-burned hands, lowing cattle, lanterns hooded. Ormund Bramblethorn waits by the gate rail, hat in one fist, worry in the other. Rhia checks cinches and counts heads under her breath.

Ormund (to you, quiet and direct):
“Word’s come down the lane—mixed crew plans to lift half my herd on the night run. Temple ‘security’ wants a cut to ‘protect’ me. I said no. I need riders who take coin, not orders.”

He jerks his chin toward the south track.

Ormund:
“Route’s simple on paper: hedgerow path, Creek Cut, then straight on to Valegrave’s yard. Trouble is, it’s never simple. Belsornig’s river rats will try to peel us toward skiffs at the creek. Romag’s land-boys pull a different trick—teamsters at the ford with pretty smiles and green re-stitch twine on their sack seams. And if we make the lane clean, Selentis’ collectors will meet us at the gate with a new ‘emergency tithe.’”

Rhia hands you a coil of rope and a horn.

Rhia (brisk):
“If a bell rings twice after midnight, we cut left from the creek and keep the herd tight. If you see green thread or double-dot chalk on a man’s gear, he’s Earth’s problem, not ours. We ride through, we don’t argue.”

A low bellow rolls across the yard. Ormund looks you in the eye.

Ormund:
“I won’t lose this season to three masters fighting over the same rump roast. You ride flank and hold them true. Keep the herd off skiffs, nose us past any ‘helpful’ wagons, and talk the tallymen into tomorrow. I can pay in coin… or beef and favors that spend quiet.”

He lowers his voice.

Ormund:
“I’ll owe you for this. Proper. But if Temple steel shows in my yard wearing smiles, I’m done. You with me?”

If you press for details

Ormund (route):
“Hedgerow’s narrow. We put the steers first, heifers middle, calves tight. Creek Cut is where pirates try to split us—watch for lantern flashes and rope lines in the reeds.”

Rhia (tells):
“Earth crew leaves yellow clay in wheel grease and double chalk pricks on sacks. Pirates smell of tar and fish and talk too much. Collectors carry a scribe who doesn’t.”

Ormund (on Selentis):
“If her men meet us, let me talk. If they push, we show numbers in the lantern light and promise first grind tomorrow. They like paper more than blood—most nights.”

If you ask about payment

Ormund:
“Fifty gold on delivery, or two quarters dressed and a standing favor—gates, grazing, no questions. Your pick.”

If you suggest Temple guards

Ormund (flint in the voice):
“Temple guards keep what they guard. I need cattle in the pen at Valegrave’s, not blessings over empty rails.”

If you accept

Ormund (relief, contained):
“Good. Take the left flank with Rhia. Keep an eye on the creek. If a skiff noses in, cut the herd tight and blow once. If ‘teamsters’ wave us pretty at the ford, you check their seams. We move now, before the moon’s high.”

Rhia swings into the saddle and offers a last, practical warning.

Rhia:
“Drive quiet. Talk softer. If steel sings, it sings short.”

The gate creaks. The herd rolls out into the lane, lantern light sliding over horns and backs. You take your place on the flank as night gathers—and somewhere ahead, men who call theft a tithe wait to count what isn’t theirs.