West Marches Original Dungeons and Dragons - Hex 016.015 - Wooden Road and Watchtower

General

This hex is located south-east of the Haven, turning east at the junction that goes to the Nilvan Bridge. There is a Watchtower newly constructed on it. If you want to create more agency for the players (which I did), I waited for the players to go through there and clear out the hexes east of it before the Baron constructed it. Or you could have him just revamp an old Stone Tower that could give you the chance to have a ruin/lair just beside the Haven.

Description

This hex is a heavily wooded and protected zone. Hunters and guards make sure people do not go and take all the woods, so that they can keep it for future generations (people rather take woods from the hex 015.015 and 014.015). The road has recently been made anew by the Baron. He also constructed/revamped a Watch Tower south-east of the hex, almost at the junction with the hex 017.015 and the river. Vegetation is dense and the forest is calm outside of the road.

• Characters with good eyes (elves, dwarfs, rangers) that follow the road will see that there is a small trail leading to the base of the mountain at 017.014. Other character will only get to see it on 2/6. If they follow the track, they will find a man killed (no visible mark of violence or anything [to Referees: he was killed by a psionic]) and a chest that he was trying to bury. The chest has been broken open with no visible means and something taken from it. There is still some stuff in the chest: a book about extraplanar creature with leather binding, 110 SP, 1 topaz (250gp), clothes. The man had a basic adventurer kit, a spear and a shovel. 
• The Watchtower has 2d10 guards at all time with a max of 20. The guards not present are patrolling the area. They can share information about the region:
• They saw an augmentation of raids from bandits in the east. Some rumor speaks of a new and powerful bandit chief in the hills north-east. 
• The river south is very calm. They can sometime see giant eagles flying south and south-east. 

Random encounters (1d6, 1 = encounter, 2 = omen)

• 1 - 5: 1d4 Bears /w cubs if multiple (Common regional creatures)
• 6 - 9: 2d6 Wolves (Regional low-HD creatures)
• 10 - 11: 1d2 Manticore (Regional high-HD creature)
• 12 - 13: 2d6 Primitives (Creatures linked with the hex or an adjacent hex)
• 14 - 15: 1d6 Bandits, scouting party (Encounter linked with the hex)
• 16: Bandits (ambush)
• 17: Mutants (regional NPC)
• 18: Paladin on a quest towards the east, looking to protect ancient tombs (adjacent/local hex NPC)
• 19: Hunter and animals (Other encounter)
• 20: Recurring NPC*

*You should create your own list as per what the player see, do, etc.