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Smaller crossroad town with bandit problem and some local wildlife stirring up trouble · Medium · Medium

Crossroads Hold

Where the roads split, thieves and beasts have made a nest of stone and shadow.
Rooms
8
Foes
21, CR 1/2 to 4
Traps
6
Treasure
595 gp
12345678Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Broken Toll Gate

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

A cunning bandit chief named Varris Coil has turned the ruined holdfast into a choke point on the trade roads, using traps, lookouts, and trained beasts to prey on travelers.

Wandering monsters (1d4)

  1. 1

    1d2× Roving WolfCR 1/2

    When: Any loud fight in , , or room-8 spills into the corridors.A hungry wolf drawn by the smell of carcasses and fear.
  2. 2

    Bandit RunnerCR 1

    When: When the dungeon has had more than ten minutes without combat, the runners shift positions.A jittery bandit scout carrying a horn and a shortbow.
  3. 3

    Wandering BoarCR 1

    When: Whenever food is carried openly or blood is spilled in the lower halls.A feral boar with cracked tusks and a rope burn around its neck.
  4. 4

    1d2× Bandit PatrolCR 2

    When: If the party lingers in , , or for too long.A veteran enforcer sent to check on noises from the front gate.

Rooms

8
1

Broken Toll Gate

2 foes1 traptreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

Broken wagon boards and a toppled toll arch make this the obvious entry point, but the floor is cluttered with fresh mud and discarded apple cores. Two crude lookouts once sat here, and from deeper within comes the scrape of dice and a low canine whine.

Features

  • Collapsed toll arch
  • Discarded road chests
  • Old arrow slits overlooking the approach

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Bandit LookoutsCR 1/2

Nervous bandit sentries with patched cloaks and cheap spears.Tactics. They retreat toward and shout warnings instead of dying for the gate.

Traps

Caltrop ScatterDC 13 piercing

A pressure board in the wagon debris kicks a snapped caltrop strip into the path of anyone rushing through.Disarm. Carefully sweep the debris or wedge the board before stepping on it.

Treasure

Lookout's Pay12 gp

A bandit pouch with a few mixed coins and a stamped trade chit.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

This is the entrance room. A successful scout or Perception check can spot the fresh tracks leading right and the second set of prints that head down into the cellar.

4 doors: S (archway), W (normal), N (locked), E (normal)

The place

What it is

This ruined roadside holdfast was once a tollhouse and shelter for merchants crossing the town's trade roads.

Atmosphere

The air smells of wet earth, old lamp oil, and animal musk.

The threat

A cunning bandit chief named Varris Coil has turned the ruined holdfast into a choke point on the trade roads, using traps, lookouts, and trained beasts to prey on travelers.

History

The holdfast was built seventy years ago as a tollhouse and refuge for caravans crossing the three roads outside town.

Rumors

1d5
Roll a rumor

  1. 1The old tollhouse is haunted by the sound of wagons that never arrive.
  2. 2A white wolf with a torn ear has been seen leading travelers away from the road before bandits strike.
  3. 3The bandits do not just rob caravans, they are keeping a list of who pays them in town.
  4. 4Something large and horned has been breaking out of the lower pens at night.
  5. 5A hidden tunnel beneath the holdfast lets the chief slip out under the road.

Plot hooks

4
RecoveryBroken Road TradeCaravans have vanished between the three roads, and the town council wants the bandit nest cleared before winter supplies fail.From: Mara Fen, town reeveReward: 45 gp each and the right to claim recovered trade goods
HuntThe Wolf SignA local hunter swears a white wolf with a rope scar on its neck has been leading packs toward the town at night.From: Tobin Hale, hunterReward: A fine longbow, 30 gp, and hunting rights in the old wood
RecoveryStolen CargoA merchant family asks the party to retrieve a sealed chest taken by bandits before the chief can sell its contents.From: Lysa Merrow, spice sellerReward: 60 gp and a family favor
InvestigationThe Inside HandThe mayor quietly wants proof that someone in town is feeding the bandits road schedules and guard rotations.From: Mayor HalwenReward: 100 gp and official commendation

Corridors

4

  • Between and

    A collapsed patrol niche still holds a rusted spear rack and a cracked bell rope that rings faintly when brushed.

  • Between and

    Boot marks, claw scrapes, and drag trails overlap in the mud-packed hallway, showing bandits and beasts using the same routes.

  • Between and

    Old wayfinding stones set into the floor mark the roads to each town gate, but one arrow has been deliberately chiseled away.

  • Between and room-8

    A cold draft rolls from a hidden ventilation shaft, carrying the stink of meat and wet fur from the boss level.

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