Skip to content
CharGen Icon
CreatePricing
Dungeons
Castle · Medium · Level 1 · Medium

Blackmere Keep

Bandits have turned an old castle into a hard, hungry den where every hall is a warning.
Rooms
13
Foes
19, CR 1/8 to 1
Traps
6
Treasure
187 gp
12345678910111213Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Broken Gate Hall

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

The bandit captain, Harl Vane, has organized the keep into a disciplined raiding nest.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    2× Patrol SentriesCR 1/8

    When: When the party makes loud noise or spends too long in one room, especially near the guard rooms or boss hall.A restless pair of sentries with lanterns and short spears, always moving between posts.
  2. 2

    Horn ScoutCR 1/4

    When: When an alarm has already been raised or after a delayed round of combat in a nearby room.A lean scout carrying a horn, tasked with checking doors and reporting intruders.
  3. 3

    Drunk RuffianCR 1/8

    When: During quiet exploration in the upper rooms, especially near or .A drunk thug with a cudgel and a torch, trying to reach the mess hall before passing out.

Rooms

13
1

Broken Gate Hall

2 foes1 traptreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

This old entry hall still bears the faded crest of the castle lord, but fresh cuts in the banners show the bandits have claimed it. Two barred side doors and a watchful murder-hole above make the room feel like the first test for any intruder.

Features

  • Faded heraldic shield
  • Sandbagged corner for cover
  • Smashed reception table used as a barricade
  • Heavy iron brackets for hanging lamps

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Bandit LookoutsCR 1/8

Lean sentries with patched leather and cheap spears who shout warnings before fighting.Tactics. They fall back toward if threatened and try to raise an alarm rather than die in place.

Traps

Caltrop SnareDC 12 piercing

A hidden caltrop line lies just inside the threshold, meant to slow charging foes while the lookouts attack from cover.Disarm. Carefully sweep the floor or lift the line of woven twine tied to the door hinge.

Treasure

Sentry's Coin Pouch6 gp

A pouch dropped by a nervous sentry containing mixed copper and a broken signet bead.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The north locked door is jammed by a beam from inside, but the bandits can unbar it quickly if alerted. Any loud fight here should draw attention from and .

4 doors: N (secret), S (locked), E (normal), E (normal)

The place

What it is

Blackmere Keep has been hollowed out by bandits who turned a half-ruined castle into a fortified den.

Atmosphere

Cold stone walls sweat with damp, and the castle carries the smell of old soot, wet straw, and unwashed bodies.

The threat

The bandit captain, Harl Vane, has organized the keep into a disciplined raiding nest.

History

Blackmere Keep was built two generations ago to guard a river crossing and collect tolls from caravans.

Rumors

1d5
Roll a rumor

  1. 1The keep's bandits pay for their supplies with coin stamped from a hidden hoard under the chapel.
  2. 2A prisoner claims the captain keeps a secret escape tunnel behind his bedchamber.
  3. 3People say the old shrine still mutters at night, warning thieves before they die.
  4. 4A caravan guard swears there are only a dozen bandits, but the keep has enough footsteps for twice that number.
  5. 5The reeve wants proof of the captain's death, not just his surrender, because someone in town may be buying stolen goods.

Plot hooks

3
escortRoads Cut OpenCaravans on the north road have vanished, and the merchant guild wants the keep cleared before the next shipment. They offer coin and legal salvage if the bandits are driven out.From: Guild factor Elira VossReward: 25 gp each and claim to recovered goods
rescuePrisoners in the KeepA frightened stablehand escaped Blackmere Keep and claims the bandits are holding prisoners below ground. He begs the party to rescue them before the next dawn.From: Tovin the stablehandReward: 20 gp and a favor from the rescued families
bountyThe Reeve’s WritThe local reeve wants proof that the outlaw chief is dead or gone, since the militia cannot spare troops. He can provide a key to one outer door and a small bounty.From: Reeve Marta HaldenReward: 30 gp and official bounty papers

Corridors

4

  • Main corridor between and

    Tattered banners hang from iron rings, each bearing the castle crest slashed out and replaced with a black dagger mark.

  • Passage near and

    A line of muddy footprints leads toward the deeper rooms, but they vanish abruptly at the edge of a hidden draft.

  • Hallway near and

    Broken arrow slits have been widened into peeking holes, letting bandits watch the halls without being seen.

  • Corridor by and

    Fresh candle stubs and half-eaten trench rations sit on a stone ledge, suggesting the thieves use the castle like a camp.

Media

0 images

No images yet.

Visual sheet

Turn Blackmere Keep into a sheet

A high-res, share-ready sheet you can post or print.