- I Cast...Brainstorm!
- Posts
- I Cast...Brainstorm issue (lucky) 13!
I Cast...Brainstorm issue (lucky) 13!
A weekly newsletter of ideas and advice for D&D Dungeon Masters, players, and fans
Dave Palmer
July 4th, 2025
This week — The Hamlet of Turysryme, an NPC with a dark secret, and 20 Town Secrets
Thanks for reading the lucky thirteenth issue of I Cast…Brainstorm!, a weekly newsletter with ideas and advice to help make DM-ing and playing D&D (and other TTRPGs) easier and more fun.
You can say hello, share feedback, and let me know what you’d like to see in the newsletter at [email protected].
And please share our link with your friends and fellow gamers, so they can join us, too. https://icastbrainstorm.beehiiv.com/
Let’s brainstorm some fun!
In this issue...
The Hamlet of Turysryme
Turysryme (pronounced “TER-iss-rhyme”) is a small hamlet that you can place anywhere along a river in your game world. It contains a mill, some small farms, and a large inn, and could be situated a few days travel from other towns or cities, acting as a travelers’ rest for folks crossing the wilderness, traveling merchant caravans, and barges moving up and down the river.
The information below is just a starting point, with some ideas to help get the creative ball rolling — adding NPCs, events, quests and other details that work for your world and game will really make Turysryme come to life for your players.
Features
Turysryme is nestled in the crook of a river, in an arable valley surrounded by low hills. The river is deep and narrow as it passes the hamlet, and the current is the perfect strength to power the mill. The townsfolk have plenty to eat in the valley, enjoying the fish in the river, the game they hunt in the surrounding forests, and fruits and vegetables provided by its farms. Other foods and necessities are supplemented by the merchants who travel through the area by horse and barge.
The hamlet is accessible by a draw bridge to the north, which is manned during the day so barges can safely pass underneath. It can also be raised for defense. On the south side of town, a ferry large enough to accommodate carriages and horse-drawn carts is in operation day and night.
Most of the buildings in Turysryme are residences, built around a common well in a green space which acts as a marketplace for traveling merchants, and a celebration space on high holidays. Buildings in town tend to be two floors, with rough stone foundations, and wood and white plaster above. Each floor is its own residence, with a separate entrance — the top floor is usually reached from a stairway in the back of the building. A few buildings are single residences, often for wealthier families, or individuals who value privacy. Most shop keepers and craftspeople run their businesses from the bottom floor, and reside upstairs.
In terms of shops and supplies, the hamlet is almost entirely self-sufficient, and its economy is bolstered by the traffic that passes through town, so a variety of shops are available, as long as the items are modest in price. The town can sustain a butcher, blacksmith, fletcher and bowyer, wheelwright, a general goods store, and an apothecary. A small church sits near the center of town, and the the largest building in Turysryme is a comfortable and fairly inexpensive inn and stable, with space for two dozen travelers, as well as their steeds, carts and carriages.
Residents
It’s up to the DM to determine the overall population and the vibe of the town’s residents. Are they friendly? Suspicious? Surly? Helpful? Consider that for small, remote settlements, with few defenses, that relies on trade for much of what they need, at least the appearance of friendliness is most likely the norm.
If the hamlet has any sort of governing body, it’s most likely led by an elder, or a steward who represents local nobility, or a reeve — a commoner selected by the hamlet to handle its economy and defense. There could also be a town council — a group of townsfolk or elders who gain their position by being selected by the people of Turysryme, or who represent various occupations or factions in the town, or gain the position through tradition or lineage. Choose the system that makes the most sense for your world.
About 250 folks live in Turysryme year round, though the population can swell to over 300 or more during holidays and market days, when the town green is full of vendors and shoppers. The population can be members of any species, and for a settlement on a possibly dangerous frontier, it may make sense that the hamlet is populated by a diversity of species.
In terms of defenses, there could be sheriff in this small hamlet to protect the townsfolk. Even if there is no official town guard, (most caravans travel with their own guards), the town government would most likely have someone they could appoint to run the town’s defenses, if necessary. Or perhaps one of the NPC residents has taken the role on due to interest or need. In any case, all able-bodied townsfolk at least of teenage years is expected to defend the town should the call go out. Most residents have bows and are competent archers. For melee weapons, most use spears or pitchforks, rather than military-grade weapons.
The Ryme
On a high hill just just outside of town stands the remains of the ancient structure that gives Turysryme it’s name, (“ryme” being an old-fashioned word that means “ruin”). Townsfolk consider the structure part of the life and history of Turysryme, and it can be found on the town crest, which is a simple representation of the ruins on a green field, over a blue stripe that symbolizes the river.
The people of Turysryme don’t fear the ruin, per se, but they also don’t spend time there, and if visitors inquire about it they recommend exploring it only in the day time. Youth in Turysryme often dare each other to spend the night in the ruin to prove their bravery, though few accept the challenge. Whether the ruin hides any real danger is at the DM’s discretion, but if that works for you and your game, the NPC below could be harboring a dark secret connected to the place.
An NPC — the Innkeeper with a Secret
Keska is described below as the innkeeper of Turysryme, but can easily be placed in another town or city in your game world.
Keska Hightower
Keska is the innkeeper of a popular inn in a small hamlet along a trade route. He learned the business from his father, and both the building and the vocation have been passed down from Hightower to Hightower for generations. Business is good. Its a rare day that doesn’t see at least a third of the inn’s rooms occupied, and in the evenings visitors and townsfolk alike gather in the common room to drink and talk.
Keska is popular in town, and amongst the merchants who often travel through Turysryme. He’s affable, and quick with a joke, and if anyone notices the dark circles under his eyes they most likely chalk it up to how he never stops moving. He has a busy inn to run, after all! The good news is that his three teenage children, the oldest just shy of adulthood, and his wife, all lend a hand, and the inn is well-stocked, well-kept and well-regarded by all. Astute observers will notice Keska often seems on edge, and sometimes stops as if listening to a sound no one else can hear. If asked, the innkeeper will only say there’s so much history there in the inn, it sometimes distracts him with memories of the past.
The truth is that the innkeeper has a dark secret he will do almost anything to protect. When his father passed ownership of the inn to Keska, he told the young man about the true history of the Hightowers — a story that goes back centuries, when the ruin on the hill was the magnificent Hightower Castle. The Hightowers were stewards of the land, and good and fair rulers in the valley. The last occupant of the castle was a fool, however, and dabbled in dark magic that called forth into the world an evil and powerful being.
No one knows the true nature of the Thing, only that it enslaved the elder Hightower and forced him to help feed the monster’s insatiable appetite for living souls. In the creature’s thrall, the elder and eventually the whole family committed horrible acts to keep the Thing fed, until rumors of a “darkness” in the valley made people escape and avoid the area. The mighty castle fell into ruin as the clan dwindled, but the Thing would not release them from its control. Centuries later, the inn was built by a descendant of the Hightowers, and slowly Turysryme grew around it.
The inn serves a purpose, for the Thing that still holds sway over the Hightowers is ever hungry. To satisfy that hunger it reaches into the mind of the elder Hightower, and commands as it has for hundreds of year. Now that he is the elder Hightower, the message from the disquieting, screeching voice in Keska’s head is clear, as it was to his father and to his father’s father, and back — “I must feed. You must provide another, or be consumed yourself!”
For years, Keska has secretly served the Thing in the Ruins, and if lone travelers sometimes disappear from the inn without anyone seeing them leave, well, the comings and goings of visitors isn’t anyone else’s business. Keska works along, and not even his family knows. Soon it will be time to pass the inn on to his eldest child, however, and Keska is determined to destroy the Thing in the Ruins before that happens…or to entice some wandering adventurers to do it for him.
Keska Hightower
Middle-aged Lawful Neutral tough boss or fighter 4
Personality - Friendly, nervous, distracted
Items and Appearance - Never stops moving, dark circles under his eyes, wears a pocketed apron and carries a large ring of keys at his waist
Values - Keeping his secret, protecting his family and the town from the Thing in the Ruins
Goals - Find a way to destroy the Thing
Knows - The history of the ruins, how the history of his family intersects with it, and the secret passage that leads below the ruins to the Thing’s chamber
Does Not Know - How to destroy the Thing…yet.
20 Town Secrets
Every town has a secret or two. When your players encounter a place that feels quaint and ordinary, roll a d20 to determine what’s lurking just beneath the surface, or choose one from the list that works best.
The mayor of the town is a doppelganger, and has been for almost twenty years.
A hidden, locked door in the cellar of the apothecary shop leads to a portal to hell.
One of the cats that hangs around the town’s common well can talk, and gives advice to folks who ask it for help.
An elderly lamplighter in town has a chest of over 10,000 gp hidden in their simple dwelling.
A magical mishap sent a local wizard into the Ethereal Plane, with no way to get back. They now wander around the town, trying to communicate with anyone who could possibly help them.
A famous pirate once hid a powerful magic ring in the town, and never came back to retrieve it.
The miller puts a small amount of poison in flour and grain purchased by folks who are rude to him.
The hill on the edge of town shaped vaguely like a giant is actually a giant that was turned to stone hundreds of years earlier.
A local farmer who lives on the outskirts of town is a werewolf. He always leaves town before a full moon, and returns a few days after.
No one in town remembers anything farther back than five years, and no one knows why.
One of the statues in the cemetery is a holy artifact. Removing it would result in an infestation of undead.
One of the townsfolk has made friends with a treant. The treant doesn’t know that their friend owns the logging company in town.
The pond in the center of town magically heals anyone who submerges in it of any form of insanity.
The town curmudgeon is a high level cleric who secretly solves problems for the folks in town.
The schoolteacher is a banished queen from a far off kingdom.
One of the town guards has been possessed by a ghost who wants revenge on the town sheriff.
Last night, a large gray ooze crept into a house on the edge of town and consumed the family. The ooze is still in the house.
A shop that sells miscellaneous goods has a bargain bin of old playing cards near the front door. One of the decks in the crate is actually a Deck of Many Things.
Once a year, the town participates in a sporting event with a neighboring town, and the losing team is sacrificed to the god of Chance.
The local blacksmith is a notorious and retired assassin, with a sizable price on their head.
Brainstorming Links
If you love D&D and other RPGs as much as I do, you probably already know about the folks below, who are real inspirations to me. If you haven’t already, please check ‘em out!
The Arcane Library — masterpiece adventures, and Shadowdark, too!
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com
The Angry DM — so angry….so many great ideas….
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com
DMDave — on point analysis of D&D rules, and a ton of fun ideas
https://bsky.app/profile/dmdave.bsky.social
RPGBot — whip smart critique and explanations of 5e rules
https://rpgbot.net/
Sly Flourish — a DM’s best friend who is also a better DM
https://www.slyflourish.com/
Treantmonk — years of helpful advice and clever ideas
https://www.youtube.com/@TreantmonksTemple
If you like I Cast…Brainstorm!, you might also like TTRPG Insider — a terrific newsletter with the latest in news about the RPG industry.
|
What I’m DM-ing
A weekly Curse of Strahd campaign via Roll20 using 2014 5th edition rules
A weekly Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign, in-person, with 2024 5th edition rules
A series of one-shots in a bi-weekly game at a bar in LA. If you’re interested in joining in, invites are sent via Partiful. Or you can sign up at Ye Rustic Inn — 1831 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, California.
Two different campaigns with my kids, (Rime and Storm Kings Thunder) when schedules align
What I’m Playing
A 5th ed. Dragonlance campaign as a 9th level Tinker Gnome Gadgeteer Rogue, named Professor Flondersnoot
About to start playing Vecna: Eve of Ruin as Clybb Thistlebridge, a 9th level Halfling great-weapon Fighter
And in all my free time, I play a LOT of Hearthstone!
Ye Olde Shoppe
You can also check out great gifts for the gamers in your life at Total Party Kits, which features all-original designs by yours truly on shirts, hats, mugs and other gifts!
www.totalpartykits.etsy.com
I Cast…Brainstorm! subscribers can save 10% off everything in the store.
If you have an online store that sells D&D or TTRPG themed things, let me know — I’d love to add it here.
What Do You Think?
How do you like I Cast…Brainstorm! so far? What’s working for you? What would you like to see more of? Or less of, or done in a different way? How’s the layout? Please let us know at [email protected]
The original ideas in this issue of I Cast….Brainstorm! are covered under the Creative Commons BY-SA license — all content is free to use (including commercially) and change, with proper attribution.
You can read about the license here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
