“There’s giant rats and snakes in the sewers. So, the lords up yonder (*gestures towards the Upper Keep*) must drop their shite over the walls while we get indoors latrines, and right handy they are too.” (True)ģ. Don’t want goblins sneakin’ up the poop chute and taking the castle, I guess. “Down here in the Outer Bailey, we has sewers. Underground waste removal, as old as the Keep but modern too! It’s a marvel I sez.” (True)Ģ. “Notice how it don’t stink none here, not like a regular castle or town? We’ve got proper sewers, just like Elven cities and the like. Roll d12 or just dish ’em out as you see fit…ġ. The Player Characters may hear the following rumours. These caverns are unknown to all but a few of the Keep inhabitants, but out here on the borderlands all surface dwellers are suspect of what may lie beneath… Whilst the organised troglodytes represent an immediate danger, the fact that there are other way(s) into the Keep is the greatest existential threat to the security of this hallowed fortification and maybe even the Realm. Shriekers and yellow molds are fed on by large insects like cave locusts, which in turn are eaten by troglodytes sitting near the top of the micro-biome’s food chain. The Caverns contain a ‘natural’ D&D ecosystem. Over the millennia, caves formed in the limestone, and have since been colonised by life in all its voracious forms. The Keep is built upon a rocky plateau, a remnant of an ancient volcanic platform that has prevented the limestone underneath it from weathering away. Whilst designed for a larger party of characters level 1-3, it can easily be adjusted by the Dungeon Master to accommodate weaker or stronger parties. I have elaborated on (or under), the actual Keep of the title by detailing a sewer layout and beneath that, a two-level natural cavern system. Finally, the intriguing terrain- a sheer rocky plateau amid gently rolling hills, begs the question… What is going on under the Keep itself?!! Wanting my own homage to Master Gygax, rather than creating a personality heavy, sneak-thief town adventure, I have opted for a dungeon crawl… The entirely unnamed Keep inhabitants, the (understandably) strict fortress society, and the vaguely detailed castle map seemed like a deliberate effort to deter shenanigans by player characters (PCs) within the Keep. ![]() In retrospect the eponymous Keep did seem a little underdeveloped compared to the bustling variety of the Caves of Chaos. The number of reprints and revamps the Keep has undergone over the decades is a testament to the nostalgia generated by this piece of RPG history. Written by the legendary Gary Gygax, and first printed in 1979 by TSR hobbies, B2 was the introductory adventure for many a D&D novice. This adventure is an expansion of the classic Basic Dungeons and Dragons module B2: The Keep on the Borderlands. The Keep on the Borderlands – illustration by Erol Otus
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