Here are ten curious locations for characters to stumble across whilst travelling. Some are occupied; some are not. All may have peculiarities that could be used as sources of potential adventure hooks.

1. Abandoned Farm: A farm which appears to have been well-maintained until very recently, with the buildings and crops carefully tended. There are a few signs that something is not quite alright, such as a banging shutter, but the most noticeable one is that there is no sign of life. The farm buildings are empty of people and none of the livestock is in its pens or in any of the fields. There are no signs of violence, nor any of a hurried departure, but everything living appears to have left, and left their belongings behind.
2. Castle on the Borderlands: In a remote region on the frontier with the wilderness, or perhaps even past it, sits a lonely castle that helps protect the civilised lands from intrusions from the wild lands. Though the fortress provides a necessary defence, it suffers from poor supplies and is crumbling from neglect. Troops sent there are the dregs, commanders are those who have fallen foul of their superiors and the castle is almost constantly being raided. It may not be long before it falls.
3. Cursed Wreck: Close to the coast sits an old shipwreck, one that has been there for years. There have been persistent rumours about why the ship came to grief, and what it was carrying at the time, and it’s said that over the years a number of people have ventured out to it to search the, surprisingly intact, wreckage. However, it’s also said that no-one who has done so has ever returned.
4. Ferngorn Manor: Near to the village stands a beautiful, well-maintained manor in immaculately-kept grounds. The manor’s owner isn’t the village’s ruler, but an ennobled individual who moved into what was then a ruin a few years back. Since then, the manor has been restored to its former glory and then past it, and also provided work, both inside and out, for many of the locals. The manor’s owner is well-regarded by the inhabitants of the local area, and has proved to be generous with their wealth in improving the local situation.
5. Glade of the Shrine: Deep within an old growth forest can be found a peaceful-seeming glade. There are no trees within the glade and no sign that there ever were. The grass is short and verdant, with clusters of wild flowers here and there, with bees buzzing between them. In the very centre of the glade is a perfectly clear pool of fresh water, by the side of which is a small stone shrine covered in ivy.
6. Rainbow Waterfall: Water plunges into a pool from a stream above, the waterfall catching the light and sparkling beautifully as it does during the day. The pool itself has a surprisingly regular shape. If both pool and waterfall are investigated, both appear to have been artificially shaped at some point, presumably designed so that the waterfall is a place of beauty yet still seeming natural.
7. Statue of the Unknown: Overlooking a pass through the mountains is an ancient statue, carved from the very rock of the mountains itself. The years have not been kind to the statue, and it appears to have suffered deliberate damage in the past, as shaped pieces of stone have fallen around it. It cannot now be told exactly what the statue was of, only that it depicted something humanoid in shape that appears to have had one arm outstretched, though the hand on that arm is long gone.
8. The Wall: Stretching across the land are the remains of a crumbling wall. Little remains of it now; much has collapsed or completely vanished and locals have been scavenging it for worked stone. By the looks of it, the wall was once intended to be a barrier, blocking entrance to the lands behind it, but it hasn’t effectively worked as such for centuries. Digging by the wall will occasionally uncover broken bits of weapons and the odd bone.
9. Village on a Hill: A village stands on a small hill, overlooking the nearby farmlands, which are absent of any farms. The village is protected by a palisade and, every evening, bells ring out from wooden towers in the village. Anyone who is still out in the fields at that time returns, and all livestock is brought within the walls as well, with the gates shut at sundown and not opened for anyone or anything until dawn.
10. Wagon Pyre: Wagons were camped in a wide area near to the road, around a central fire. However, all the wagons have been burnt out and only charred timber and ashes remain. There are no signs of anyone who would have been using the wagons, either alive or dead, and no sign of whatever animals were being used to pull them. The wagons themselves, if investigated, seem to contain the cargo they were originally transporting, though now ruined by fire and the elements.