More work on Megadungoning

I been working on a concept, and I think I have the concept I am going forward with.

The City of Harrowood once was a great city, good trade location, good farmland, and the rich mines under the city made it a center of wealth and culture, fine houses and great temples were built, as the mines went ever deeper to collect silver, gold, Mitral, and other items from the deep.

Soon the city was known as the Jeweled city, as goods flowed in and the guilds grew wealthy. However not all was well.

When miners found existing tunnels, they did not explore them, they blocked them off haphazardly and they continued to dig, and in greed, they dug a little too deep and little too much.

The metal was placed in the mythic age, before written history, to keep the many gates deep in the earth closed, as the site was a center for gates from all sorts of realms, many foul. Forty years ago enough was removed that the great device could no longer work, and suddenly the gates opened, and the depths was filled with horrors, who rose up the mines and the mostly unmapped passages, and in a week, Harrowood, the jeweled city, was in ruins.

A generation later, the survivors of Harrowood and new arrivals still hold on, while the city was mostly sacked, the old quarter, with its old keep and gates with the runes that predate history, and its solid walls held off the terrors, and now the people live in the shadow of the former city. The docks till holds traders, fishermen still bring in their catch, and brave and foolhardy free folks still venture out to collect wealth in the ruins.

In the day the surface is mostly safe, you might see goblin or orcs moving about, but at night it best to be in the old quarter or in another protected place, as dark things rise up on occasion, and sometimes a mist flows out from the ruined temple of the law that is in the city center. Which is a sign of true danger for anyone caught in the open.

Yet the Old city still lives, gardens in old building lots, chicken and sheep eating the weeds, traders still trade, and adventurers seek out the coin and treasures lost, bring much needed coin for the community.

World Map

The Megadungeon is going to placed in my world of Harrowood, south of Yew in the Northwoods.

On Mega-dungeons

Mega-dungeons are odd things.

The most simple, direct definition of a megadungeon is "A dungeon that a entire campaign can be run in and around it."

Back in the early days of D&D, random, gonzo megadungeons were not uncommon, but over time more narrative play took hold, but there is still a place for Megadungeons.

Quite a few have been published - Undermountian is a big map with little filled out.  Temple of Elemental Evil is a classic example of a fully developed Megadungeon.   Over the last ten years or so many more have been published, castle of the mad archmage, stonehell, Rappen Athuk, Barrowmaze all come to mind. 

However to run a campaign of a mega-dungeon, you have to answer a few questions.

1) Why is it there?

Is this a old mine that been expanded?   Is it a old fortress?  Was it carved down, or was it carved upwards from the underdark? 

2)  Why are the upper levels not cleared out yet?

Quite simply if any adventure group could, the upper levels would be striped bare.   Is it newly discovered?  Perhaps there was some army defeated that opened the path to it.  Perhaps it was forgotten but now bands of evil have been raiding.

3)  Funhouse, Ecological,or somewhere in between?

Funhouse duneons are just whimsical dungeons that have random things thrown into most rooms.  No real rhyme or reason, Ecological design is were each location is carefully designed, with air, food, and logic dictating the design.

Or find a sweet spot in between.

4) Where will you get the maps?

Are you going to draw them yourself?  Will you use one of the many random dungeon generators?  or use someone elses maps that allow you to use them?

5) how BIG are your levels?

Are you going with a lot of small levels?   Or are you going with fewer sprawling levels?

Wolfsbane Keep - A Starter town

I am working on a fleshing out a campaign (its gonna be a megadungeon based one) however every good campaign needs a starting town were the party can rest, get supplies, and role play.

I plan to do at least daily posts as I first fill out the town, then develop the actual dungeon complex.

Blackgate Megadungeon

This is the preliminary dungeon design for the Blackgate megadungeon.   I plan to make a few more splits off the main level, but want to fucs on making the upper levels first.  

The Grand Dutchy of the Western Isles quick rundowns.

The Grand Dutchy of the Western Isles

Language: Coranan (Isles dialect)
Culture:  Valen
Capital:  Isakrag (population 5,000)
Brief Overview:  Isolated from the rest of the the world, the Grand Dutchy of the Western Isles fended off Vikish raids and helped unify themselves under the leadership of Heron the III.    While the other kings have not accepted the Heron dynasty as a true kings (due to Heron the III being the son of a butcher), their power cannot be questioned.  The Dukes focus on Naval power, while each town has its own militia to fend off raiders.   Currently the ruler is Kragan (the first of his name), the 5th of the Heron dynasty to rule the Western isles.  

Coat of arms/Flag: A blue Heron on a red background.   

Economy:  The economy of the western isles is dominated by the cold, but rich currents that hit the Isles, fishing the rich waters of the Isles has always been a major source of food and trade goods.  In addition, farming the rocky soil and hunting the Western Tusk Seals have been secondary sources of food and income.  Serfdom does not exist in the Western Isles, and the legal system is based on the concept of exile, with violators of exile orders facing beheading.
Governing: The Dukes appoint traveling judges and appoint village mayors, who both serve for life (unless they decide to retire in there dotage).   On death of a Duke, there is a Moot where the Mayors elect the new duke from any of the decedents of Heron the III.  Currently there are 32 such men and woman who could be elected.  

Imperial Church

Many regions of the Eleven Kingdoms has what is referred to as a "Imperial Church" that follows the gods of the old Empire of Man.   Many times this is the old, established church with lands and structure.   The Church has twelve (12) gods that are viewed as worthy of worship.  Four (4) Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic gods.   

Lawful

Adpeh – The God of Knowledge and Law 
Miphic – God of Magic and mystical secrets
Evangeline - Goddess of healing
Yulia – Goddess of Peace

Neutral
Kralic – God of peaceful death
Vassa – Goddess of Divination, Justice, and Truth
The Unknown one – god of the unknown
Steenhoth – Goddess of the Hearth

Choatic 
Xi the Unpredictable
Cameral – God of madness
Alexis – Goddess of Taboo
Janos – God of Battle

In addition.   There is a number of gods who are not part of the Church that are very popular across the kingdoms, and are not part of the new faiths.


Minor Gods/Goddesses

Kithal, the Dwarf-father – God of the Dwarves
Concorda – Goddess of Truces
Jasper – God of Charity
Cansor the Robed – god of darkness
Illumin - Goddess of light
Haros – God of Fire
Harkas – Goddess of the hunt
Hefron Stormbringer – Goddess of Storms



There is also finally some age old gods that are viewed as demons or evil beyond measure.  These are called Haraindiko Lords.  

Haraindiko Lords

Akella (Magic)
Lekkli the Shapeless (Slimes)
Mortica the Pale (Undead)
Orkfather (Patron of Orcs)
Slaymon (Worm of Wisdom)
Zug (Might)
Linsat (Treachery)
Marcos (Corruption) 
Jessafas (Flaming Truth) 

Money in the Eleven Kingdoms

Much of the money used in the Eleven Kingdoms is based on the old coinage of the the Empire of Man.    The basic coins are

Copper Farthing = CP
Silver Dragon = SP (worth 10 CP)
Gold Drake = GP (worth 10 SP)
Platinum Imperial = PP (worth 10 GP)

Due to traders accepting these coins, many kingdoms still mint these coins, sometimes direct copies of of older Imperial coins, and other times copies with the current ruler on it.   However many kingdoms produce their own unique coins that supplement these coins.

The Silver Pennies or Viklaw Penny (VP) - a small coin that are commonly coined in the Viklaw, as it a continuation of the Vikish currency.   Each VP is worth five CP.

Groat - (GR) a large copper coin with trace amounts of silver, these are coined in Highrock as the local mines produce ore of that quality.   They are worth 4 CP and are very common in some areas.

Brass Piece (BP) - a brass coin coined heavily by Blackgate, each is worth 1/2 a CP.

Eight-Piece - (8P) - a very large (2 coin weight) coin of very pure silver.  Can be cut into eight pieces by any blacksmith.   each piece is worth on SP, so a uncut 8P is worth 8 SP.  Minted by private mints after the silver horde of the Dragon Arguoton the Red was taken.    Still used by merchants as it is much lighter then SP.

Electrum Crown (EP) - A mix of gold and silver, worth 5 SP.

Dwarven Koynis (DK) - The main currency of Dwarves, it is a mix of copper, silver, and gold worth 11 SP.

Kish (KP) - Commonly used by overseas traders, these are a 1/2 weight copper coin with a hole in the middle to allow them to be strung up in strings of coins.  They are worth 1/2 of a copper piece, but are disliked by merchants due to the need to remint them for general use.

Table of currencies by value.   Bold are the standard imperial style coins.

Name (Abbreviation) - Weight - Value
Kish (KP) - 1/2 - 1/2 CP
Brass Piece (BP) - 1- 1/2 CP
Copper Farthing (CP) - 1 - 1 CP
Groat (GR) - 2 - 4 CP
Silver (Viklaw) Penny (VP) - 1/2 - 5 CP
Silver Dragon (SP)- 1 - 10 CP
Electrum Crown (EP) - 1 - 50 CP
Eight-Piece (8P) - 2 - 80 CP
Gold Drake (GP) - 1 - 100 CP
Dwarven Koynis (DK) - 1 - 110 CP
Platnum Imperial (PP) - 1 - 1000 CP

Imperial coins are accepted everywhere.   Other coins may or may not be accepted without exchanging.   to exchange coins to Imperial coins will cost a 10% fee by the banker.   by roleplaying they players may find a merchant who is in need of a odd coin who will buy at par.

The Eleven Kingdoms - A primer

The Eleven Kingdoms take place on the Aumish Islands, which have a total landmass of around 315,000 square km (Around the size of the British Isles).   Generally most people refer to the islands in general as West Aum, East Aum (consisting of the southern portion of the eastern island) and Northern Aum (the Northern, uncivilized portion of the eastern island).

The Eleven Kingdoms consist of many languages, cultures, and people, even if it may be isolated from large population shifts.   The area gets it name from the Eleven Human Kingdoms that dominate the islands, each one struggling with each other to unify the lands, and survive from the many issues that surround islands.   The largest city by far is Ten-Penny Bay, at nearly 90,000 souls, the next largest city, Blackgate, has only around 20,000 citizens.   Even the kingdom moniker is misleading, as not all the kingdoms are lead by kings/queens.  

There is various languages throughout the kingdoms,  there is a common trade language, who sages call Vulgar Imperial, and the common man calls Common, but for most it is limited to trade, obtaining a room at a Inn, or basic directions.   Otherwise the local language will be needed to be used, or a translator obtained.  

The Eleven human Kingdoms are as follows:

The Grand Dutchy of the Western Isles
The Kingdom of Coranath
The Kingdom of Deca and Dunvale

The City State of Blackgate

The Kingdom of Sudaum

The Viklaw

The Kingdom of Highrock

The Kingdom of Greygarden

The Republic of Whitetower

The Axolotl lands

The Kingdom of the East

Each of these kingdoms will be detailed in later posts. 

In addition, there is a number of smaller human settlements, ranging from the College of Adytum to the Wildmen of the North, and the Elvish kingdoms of Nora and Navagal, and the dwarven high king at Kurzum.  

I have decided to use the falklands as the base map for this project.  

The name of this setting is now known as "The Eleven Kingdoms" Campaign.  

GUHFCS

Okay Folks, I been doing a lot of work.  


Now I can tell a little more what I am doing.

I am working on a Megadungeon (More on that later) but someone pointed out that there was a lack of OSR "Greyhawk" type setting.  Made me think that perhaps I should get started.

Here are some maps.

First we start off with a large world map.    Looks Cool doesn't it :)

 

Then I added a grid to it.   this give context to the area I will focus on at first.

Here is the "Inner Sea" area that I will focus on.   Lots of wonderful detail.   This map shows the actual area and takes in account the cuviture of the planet.   I can Zoom in for better detail :)

Level 5

4 and 4b

Level 3 and 3b

Level 2

Level 2

Level 1

Yes, its a big 1st level

This is the key for the Dungeon. 

and no, I have not filled the rooms with stuff.  

5 - Inn 6 - Militia House

5- Five is a inn that I will detail later. 


6- Militia House

   This square building of stone is the home of the town militia.   The first floor is a training room and the armory, while the 2nd floor is the sleeping quarters.    The Militia has steady turnover as men and woman sign on and off being caravan guards and move along.   However there is a number of men and woman who make this their profession. 


  Captain of the Guard

Zindel Sas: Lawful Male Fighter, Lvl: 8, Atr: 18/13/15/14/15/9 , AC: 2, HP: 52
Equipment: Chain Mail+1, Shield, Bastard Sword+2*

Zindel Sas is the captain of the guard and a Alderman for Sweetwater.   He is not cruel, but does not warm to the "adventuring sort" and will keep a eye on the party till they show they are following the law.   He is inflexibly just, but has the respect of the town for being fair to all. 

* his Bastard Sword, named "Izor", consists of a fine, red metal blade and the pommel and grip is made of the chitin skeleton of magical giant insects formed into the material.   His Chain mail is made of the same material.   It is +2 and +3 vs. Gnolls and Goblins. 

Ghost: Lawful female Fighter, Lvl: 5, Atr: 17/14/5/9/12/13 , AC: 4, HP: 23
Equipment: Scale Mail +1, Shield, Battle Axe +2

   Ghost is a no-nonsense woman, who normally keeps her head hooded to protect her face and to prevent strangers to see that she is female.   She is a Albino, and runs the watch at night to avoid the sunlight.   She promised to protect the town from evil to her god and has carried out her vow ever since.  

Lieutenants
These men will be guarding the gates and patrol the town with 1d6/2 zero level humans.  


     Jamis Carnif: Chaotic Male Fighter, Lvl: 2, Atr: 17/12/13/11/7/12 , AC: 5, HP: 11
    Equipment: Chain Mail, Mace, Light Pick

Jamis is a agent of the Temple of Set.   His goal is to take over the watch



    Alard: Neutral Male Fighter, Lvl: 1, Atr: 10/12/12/11/10/15 , AC: 6, HP: 3
    Equipment: Studded Leather, Shield, Light Pick

Fresh new recruit, the only member of the watch that might be able to leave.

    Crocus: Neutral Male Dwarf, Lvl: 2, Atr: 11/12/13/14/13/8 , AC: 5, HP: 13
    Equipment: Scale Mail, Long Sword

    Baldric Foothair: Lawful Male Halfling, Lvl: 2, Atr: 14/10/13/13/13/12 , AC: 2, HP: 9
    Equipment: Plate Mail, Short Sword

    Isembart of Ninepennies: Lawful Male Fighter, Lvl: 2, Atr: 7/10/10/9/11/13 , AC: 6, HP: 11
    Equipment: Studded Leather, Shield, Bastard Sword, Longbow

    Samwise Wilk: Lawful Male Fighter, Lvl: 2, Atr: 12/10/10/11/6/12 , AC: 7, HP: 13
    Equipment: Studded Leather, Spear


If a crisis (such as a attack) there is enough maces, longswords, and crossbows to arm all the lieutenants and 15 zero level humans militia men. 

3 - Open 4 - Sweetwater Bazaar

3 - Is open to allow the GM to customize Sweetwater as he or she sees fit.

4 - Sweetwater Bazzar

The sweetwater Bazaar is a open air market where folks can buy and sell goods without a full time building.   This is a popular spot for trade and gossip in the day, though at night it is mostly empty.   One can find all sorts of goods being traded in the Bazaar,  there is a number of regular traders and a steady stream of part time or one time dealers.   If the party wishes, they can open a stall for 25gp a day, or 100 gp for a week to sell loot. 


Common traders

Hira Longbottom: Neutral Female Fighter, Lvl: 3, Atr: 16/12/6/14/13/10 , AC: 7, HP: 19
Equipment: Leather, Short Sword, Spear, shortbow

Tomas Longbottom: Neutral Male Fighter, Lvl: 3, Atr: 17/13/14/10/12/13 , AC: 7, HP: 13
Equipment: Leather, dagger, Longbow +1

The Longbottoms are hunters who sell the game on at the Bazaar.   It is 50/50 on which of the siblings will be selling, as the other one will be hunting.   They will normally have varied meats, ranging from fowl and pronghorn to far more exotic meats.  they sell it at book rates.  What they cannot sell in the day they sell to the inns for the night stews.

Dusza Karmickle: Neutral Female Human, Lvl: 0, Atr: 14/11/10/7/16/11 , AC: 9, HP: 6   
Equipment: none






Dusza is the resident dealer of fruits and veggies from local farmers.   She sells here every day.   She will have 50SP in small change on her at any time. 

Omar: Neutral Male Human, Lvl: 1, Atr: 10/15/10/9/10/14 , AC: 9, HP: 4
Equipment: No Armor, Dagger

  Omar is the local spice trader.   He will have 100 SP in change on him. 

There will be 1d6 traders selling on any day.   For each Merchant roll on this table to find out what they are trading.   Goods will be at book cost.

2d6

2 Magic Items
3 Textiles
4 Leather (including armor)
5 Iron goods
6 Household goods
7 Household goods
8 Equipment
9 Bows, Crossbows, and Arrow and Bolts.
10 horses and mules
11 Jewelry
12 Potions

2 - The Thin Servant

The Thin Servant is the largest Inn in Sweetwater, however half of the inn is dedicated to animals as it is the main stopping location for caravans.   The prices are 1.5x the listed price.   It is noteworthy due to the fact that this inn has its own well.   The Western 1/2 of the inn is a large open air stable system, while the eastern side is a two story Inn and tavern.   The bottom floor is dominated by the common room, with two side room to allow business to transact between merchants.  


Notworthy NPCs.
  
Krolos "Perceval" Oakshield : Neutral Male Dwarf, Lvl: 4, Atr: 11/13/16/17/13/8 , AC: 6, HP: 24 Equipment: Padded, Scimitar +1

A retired adventurer and now owner of "The Thin Servant".    his beard is already turning grey, and he is known to mutter if he forced to work.     He was given the nickname "Perceval" by his companions, long since dead from usual adventuring tasks.  He always felt like a outsider, having no love for Ironworking and prefers to be above ground then below.   He is one of the five aldermen of the Town of Sweetwater, and is well respected for running a honest Inn.   Almost the entire town would defend him in a fight.

In a trapdoor under the kitchen hearth is his life savings.   4000 CP, 5000 SP, 6000 GP, 3 gems worth 500 each.  

He will also have a lockbox in his room with 2000 SP and 1000 CP used for day to day transactions of the inn.

Ipuza Threeleaf: Lawful Female Elf, Lvl: 2, Atr: 17/14/14/18/10/9 , AC: 0, HP: 11
Equipment: Plate Mail, Hand Axe, Longbow
Personality: Fair, Contrary
Spellbook: First (2): Floating Disc, Manipulate Fire, Comprehend Languages, Hold Portal.


Edurne Threeleaf: Neutral Female Elf, Lvl: 2, Atr: 8/14/11/15/16/16 , AC: 3, HP: 12
Equipment: Banded Mail, Hand Axe, Long Sword
Personality: Cowardly, Moody
Spellbook: First (2): Magic Missile, Mending, Shocking Grasp, Jump.

These two are sisters, in fact, twin female Elves who are long time residents of "The Thin Servant".   They remain aloof from any attempt for the party to contact them, and will refuse to join the party.   In fact they have been sent by a council of rangers to keep watch, as there has been increasing worries of what exactly is happening outside of Sweetwater.   They will keep track of the party, and if the party is noted as seeking to eliminate the evils, they may give unexpected help.   As the party gains levls, you can add levels to keep them in the range of the party.  Have 2,000 SP in their room in a lockbox.

Altos Chigurh:  Chaotic Male Fighter, Lvl: 3, Atr: 15/14/11/11/13/13 , AC: 4, HP: 17
Equipment: Banded Mail, Light Crossbow, Light Hammer

This man will be at the bar and will drink the night away.   He will try to present himself as being harmless as possible, but the reality is that he is a agent of the Temple of Set and is passing information along to the temple about the going on in the town.  

Iruri: Neutral Female Human, Lvl: 0, Atr: 10/7/12/10/12/17 , AC: 10, HP: 4
Equipment:  None

Iruri is a dark haired, dusky lass who serves ale to the patrons of "The Thin Servant".    She is quick with a joke or a light of your pipe, and she wants to get out of sweetwater, as she was left here as a child by a merchant.

 Gillota: Lawful Female human, Lvl: 0, Atr: 14/12/9/10/9/13 , AC: 10, HP: 3
Equipment:  None

Gillota is a older blond woman who works the kitchens and serves ale at "The Thin Servant".   She has three children by three men who are long outside of her life.

Yllara Sourleaf: Chaotic Female Halfling, Lvl: 0, Atr: 9/16/12/12/14/14 , AC: 10, HP: 4

A loud, foul mouthed Halfling, she is well loved by some, and hated by others.    She will say what she feels and does not care about what others think.

 Orius of Whitetop: Chaotic Male Magic-user, Lvl: 3, Atr: 14/17/14/12/9/12 , AC: 9, HP: 9 Equipment: No Armor, Dagger 

Spellbook: First (2): Feather Fall, Protection from Evil, Ventriloquism, Enlarge, Read Magic. Second (1): Stinking Cloud.

 Orius is a unique man.   He will come up the party and say "wanna see magic?" and then pull a copper out of someone ear.  Dressed in garish robes, he could be mistaken for a fool.   He will by all appearances appear to be a (not very good) stage performer pretending magical abilty to entertain guests.  He will also try to sell fake amulets and rings of protection and other false magical goods.  If confronted he will admit that he is a fake magic user.

The reality is much more darker.  he is a devoted follower of Orcus, and he has come to town to spy on the town, as the party gets stronger, and closer to the Orcus levels, he will try to ask for information on where the party is going, so that he can feed that to his bosses so they can arrange a ambush.   

There will be 2d6 additional patrons, plus 1d4 caravans.  For the Caravans, please use the random encounter table to generate numbers.


   

1. outsiders camp.

Outside of the town walls lies a old ruined building.   It is forgotten what it was, some say it was a large farmhouse, others say it was a inn.   It is without a roof, but the 5 to 10 foot walls provide some protection from the wind at night.   Those who are not allowed into the town for bad behavor or those who are too poor to own a house or rent a room at a inn are forced to live here.   While there are some cutthroats here, for most it provides some protection in numbers.  

Some common residents.

 Katheryn Cena
Neutral Female Thief, Lvl: 1, Atr: 14/13/8/17/12/14 , AC: 6, HP: 4
Equipment: Leather, shortsword

A petty thief who is serving a 2 month exile from the town for being caught pick-pocking a wealthy trader.   May be willing to join the party if she is giving a 1/2 share and some money up front.

Marko Skiotis
Neutral Male Human Lvl: 0  Atr: 13/13/13/13/12/8 , AC: 9, HP: 2

A sickly man who tells stories, some of which are true.   He will give at least 2 rumors to anyone who talks to him, and if he befriended and given enough money to stay at a inn for a week, he will pass away but leave the person giving him the money a map that would lead the party to the cave of splendor.  

Triton Thornbush

 Neutral Male Fighter, Lvl: 2, Atr: 16/12/15/13/7/13 , AC: 2, HP: 9 Equipment: Banded Mail, Shield, Darts, Short Sword

A former Caravan guard who lowered himself to trying to charge people who wish to sleep a copper a night.    He is a coward so any response other then meekly paying the copper will cause him to back down.

Elanor De Vris

Lycanthrope, Wererat
[AL C, MV 120’ (40’), AC 7 (9), HD 3, #AT 1 (bite or weapon), DM 1d4 or weapon, THAC0: 17, SV F3, ML 8, XP 95, LL 85, HC XX]  HP 18

 A young, good looking woman with a short sword attached to her side.   She can be found 20% of the time helping those in need, and 30% of the time at the Two Drake Inn (11)  She is actually a spy for the Rat King, and uses her time here to make folks think she is just a kindhearted woman. 

Elanor is looks like 18 woman with brown hair appears to be very attractive except for a odd nose and over sized ears (which she covers with her hair)She is skittish around horses, as they sense the fact she is a Wererat, and may expose her for what she is.

In addition, there will be 1d6+1d4 Zero level humans and demihumans at this camp, many are ill maimed.   They may be hired for torchholders, but the moral will be very poor.   However sick individuals who have "cure disease" cast on them will 80% of the time become very loyal followers.