Hogram's Keep

When the Empire made the decision to build the Wall, and abandon those lands to the north, it was imagined at the time there would still be an Imperial presence. Indeed, the lands Beyond the Wall were not immediately swallowed up by the wilderness and the creatures of the dark.
A system of forts were set up as way points for trade and to protect those settlements still out there. Really, they were a way for the Empire to still collect taxes. Soon, those tax collectors started wondering why they were sending the money south, and not just keeping it themselves.
One of these warlords was named Captain Hogram. He held Imperial Fort Number 457. It was one of the most inaccessible  fortresses in the land, situated atop a outcrop in the Stone Hills. Fort # 457, soon became known simply as Hogram's Keep, even though it is more properly a fort.
Once these petty warlords had cemented their place beyond the jurisdiction of the Empire, they started fighting each other. A combination of good location and cunning soon put Hogram at the top of the food chain. Two Imperial expeditions failed to dislodge Hogram. Both sieges ended in disaster for the Empire, and Hogram was left alone by the forces of Man. But not by other forces.
Kelval the Dark, leading what would later be called the First Great Incursion, stormed Hogram's Keep using a combination of magic and three Mountain Giants. Hogram and his bandits were wiped out, but his vast treasure was never found.
It is rumored that treasure still awaits would be adventurers. If they wish to find it, they'll need guts, luck, and a lot of rope.

Lizardfolk

Though usually native to the warmer, southern lands, lizardfolk have been spotted Beyond the Wall. Most sightings have occurred in deep caverns or near volcanic vents. One expedition into the Northern Wastes found a small clan of lizardfolk around one of the magma pools that appear sporadically in that frozen land.
Lizardfolk or lizardman nests are usually run by a dominate male. He can be spotted by his elaborate, brightly colored crest. Duller colored, lesser males sometimes wear crude warpaint in times of battle to intimidate their foes. Females are not normally found outside the nesting area, which is usually the darkest, hottest area of their cave systems.
Lizardfolk are slow to rouse, but once started they are vicious combatants. They carry mostly crude stone weapons, not being metalworkers, but have been known to carry metal weapons, looted from war or traded with other subterranean races. In times of famine or duress, the stronger males have been known to eat their own. They are definitely not above eating captives.
One should not underestimate lizardfolk, as many a would be adventurer have found out. They may seem primitive, but they have managed to survive in what would seem inhospitable climates.

50

I'm going to pop out of the narrative for moment to thank everyone who has travelled with me Beyond the Wall. This really all started when I discovered the OD&D revolution. The world Beyond the Wall has let me reconnect with old friends, introduce my kids to something that was special to me growing up, reflex some tired old drawing muscles and create a world somewhere just beyond the horizon. How many things let you do that?
Work, house moves and sports schedules have kept me away too long, so hopefully here in the next few weeks, you'll see new adventures from Gildrid, Gruffydd, Gustav, Laramine, Miss Adventure, Nemon and their new friend, Morey.
Until then, thanks for following along.

Lake Merr

Lake Merr is located to the north and west of Wall. This expansive body of water is both uncharacteristically calm for a lake high in the mountains, and unfathomly deep. A thriving community once existed here, it's people prosperous from the bounty Merr provided, and protected by the surrounding mountains. The people of Lake Merr were envied by all the surrounding tribes. They built great temples with golden statues and market places full of the riches of the world.
All that remains now are the cold ruins of a lost people.
Long ago, it is said, Ul-Merr, great god of the sea fell in love with a simple daughter of a fisherman. She lived in a small hut on shores of the vast Western Ocean. Ul-Merr tried to woo her riches from the sea, treasure from shipwrecks, pearls and other secrets of the sea if she would love him. She spurned his advancements for she knew, like the sea, Ul-Merr was fickle god, and would leave her once he had his prize.
It was only when he promised that the offspring of their union would be a great and powerful being, that she relented.
Sure enough, Ul-Merr soon became tired of her and moved on to another conquest, and the girl gave birth to beautiful son. But, though handsome on the outside, the girl could tell something dark and powerful dwelled inside the child. She fled her village and ran east, deep into the wilderness, finally to rest high in the mountains by a lake.
There, the boy grew. His mother tried her best to raise a normal child, there, alone in the wilderness. But, the boy was powerful, vain and ill tempered, like his father. When a wandering tribe settled on the far bank of the lake, the girl, now an aging woman, tried to relocate to avoid contact with the world and her godlike son. He would have none of it, and in a fit of rage killed his mother.
Thus, the people of Lake Merr would come to know Him. He would make them into a great city, and in return they would worship him, sacrifice to him, and in the end, pay the terrible price.

The Tomb of Goroth

Goroth the Mighty, Slayer of Kings, son of the war god himself, lived centuries before the founding of the Empire. He was the Hand of Death for three separate Kelmorian kings. So feared was Goroth that neighboring monarchs often capitulated rather than face him in battle.
When he finally did meet his demise, it was not on the field of battle, but in the bedroom of his lover, slain by his own Shield Bearer out of jealousy.
A great tomb was built by his last lord, Belmorca. It was extravagant for it's time, carved in runes and etched in gold leaf. So loved was Goroth that twelve of his finest warriors agreed to be buried alive to guard him in the afterlife.
Goroth's tomb sat undisturbed for centuries and it is only recently that rumors have surfaced that some misguided adventurers unsealed his crypt. It seems Goroth has had a troubled sleep. He has awakened, they say, bent on recovering the lost kingdom he once so loyally served.

Early depiction of Goroth slaying King Delos III

the Bugbear Clans

Bugbears, probably the most dangerous of the goblinoid races, are scattered around most of the lands Beyond the Wall. At the Empire's zenith, bugbears, like most monsters were hunted to near extinction. They have made a dramatic comeback in recent centuries thanks to their strong clan ties and high birth rate. Whole clans are often hired as mercenaries by particularly evil or desperate warlords of the Wilds.
Bugbears are a warlike bloodthirsty creatures, created in antiquity some say, as assault troops for a mad emperor. If true, it is quite ironic, as bugbears have been in the forefront of many of the Great Incursions.
Adventurers Beyond the Wall are just as likely to run into these cunning brutes guarding a treasure horde in some dark hold as haunting a great wood. Either way, they are a deadly opponent, in need of a wide berth. Captives are taken only as food, to be eaten alive.

The Wailing Tower

In a time shortly after the Wall was built, the great wizard Hurstis wandered out into wilderness. He had been a great man. He had been instrumental in the expansion of the Empire, and it's quick decline.
Hurstis had appeared when the Empire was at war on all its borders. He helped then Emperor Milleus hold one front, while another was assaulted, both through his use of battle magic and more subtle means. His duels against foes of the Empire are legendary. He strode as a god on the battlefield.
Soon, the new expanded borders were secure and peace reigned throughout the Empire. But, as in all things, it was not to last.
Hurstis saw this new, golden age quickly tarnish through corruption and decadence. He felt betrayed by the man he had helped, and not a little angry at the Emperor's ingratitude.
When a strong new leader emerged from the ranks of the Imperial Guard, Hurstis saw a chance to replace Milleus. With the help of the aging wizard, Kormac the Usurper took the Iron Throne.
I was a horrible mistake.
Where Milleus had been corrupt and lazy, Kormac was brutal and tyrannical. Rather than try to fix yet another mistake, Hurstis fled beyond the borders of the Empire, deep into the wilderness beyond the Wall. There he built a tower.
He raised it from the ancient rock, embued it with his power, and waited out his remaining years in meditation and study. But, alone, surrounded by monsters and wastelands, he went mad.
The lands around Hurstis's tower still bear the scars of his fury. Trees and rocks are twisted as if in horrible agony. The ground is cracked and scarred. The tower itself is  avoided by monster and freebooter alike. A faint cry echoes from its ancient confines. Is it the wind, or the terrible melancholy of a mad man?