Pyramid of Lux the Mad: Level 5

February 9, 1978 Original Concept

Level 5 consists of tiers, pillars and a few surprises in what is the first of a multi-level layout. This was by far the hardest to map in Sketchup, but I'm pleased with the results. Note that doors were left off the top view for clarity.

Presented below is the 5th level of the Pyramid of Lux the Mad:

Level 5 in isometric view:

Cheers,

Pyramid of Lux the Mad: Levels 3-4

February 9, 1978 Original Concept

The 3rd and 4th levels include some larger areas, with a few surprises.Presented below are the 3rd and 4th levels of the Pyramid of Lux the Mad:

Level 3 in isometric view:

 
Level 4 in isometric view:

Cheers,

Pyramid of Lux the Mad: Levels 1-2

February 9, 1978 Original Concept

The earliest records of Alux Mahdram indicate that she was once a student of the Mage's Guild at Hawk's Point around 204 BE. She showed great promise early on, but the death of her mother at the hands of a Paladin under suspicious conditions led many to believe Alux's mind fractured. Crestfallen Library records show that she fell out of favor quickly for wanting to perform dark arts that called upon forgotten magic, in the hopes of discovering the truth of her mother's demise.. 

She disappeared for a time, surfacing in Memphis some twenty years later, and quickly assumed leadership of her own cult, the "Seeker's of Light":

Alux quickly grew in power, and for the next thirty years hatched schemes to feed her schism, all in the hopes of solving her mother's murder. Outside of the cult, she worked with the local villages and with the aid of  a clan of dwarves set about building a lasting monument to her cult - the Pyramid of Light.

Then, in 502 BE she discovered a document that led to the summoning of a demon whose very name the world had forgotten. Lux the Mad as she came to be known, simply disappeared and whether the Cult continues to exist is unknown.

Presented below are the first  two levels of the Pyramid of Lux the Mad:

Level 1 in isometric view:

Level 2A in isometric view:

 Level 2B in isometric view:

 Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One: Finished Sketchup

December 10, 1977 Original Concept

This is the last post detailing the layout of TCotBO. Is it perfect?. No, since I didn't do contours and the like, but it appeals to my sense of mixing old and new in 1E. I've included a quick labeling of the main features, and can now focus on recreating the various dungeons that the area has to offer.

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One: Sketchup

December 10, 1977 Original Concept

I've had a few PM's in regard to the recent Pyramid of Lux the Mad in perspective. Some time back I created The Castle of the Bloated One in Sketchup, so to appease those asking for a quick and dirty isometric view I'm including a couple snapshots:

Included are the Castle, Church of Khepera, Pyramid of Lux, Prison, and Vargas Motte & Bailey:

A closeup of the Vargas Motte & Bailey: 

Cheers,

TCotBO - Pyramid of Lux the Mad - Level 1

February 9, 1978 Original Concept

The Pyramid of Lux the Mad has a 10 foot central building on it's top that features twin sealed floating doors. This structure is surrounded by water, which falls down the front of the pyramid, passing between twin steps on its descent and disappears into a 10 foot building with a single wide sealed door on the Southern face.

The water flows in an endless stream, and seems to be permanently clean and pure. Mages have pondered the water for years, but it was a child that gave them the first clues of it's mysterious cycle; he dropped a wooden toy boat into the stream and it appeared back at the top, continuing its journey back down to the delighted boy.

The pyramid is made of a black cobalt, while the doors - stucco-yellow in appearance - are surrounded by deep golden frames. Writing adorns the doors, in a language scholars believe is of an ancient dialect.

Thus, presented below are 3D side and top views of the 1st level of the Pyramid of Lux the Mad:

Presented below is a perspective view of the 1st level of the Pyramid of Lux the Mad: 

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Pyramid of Lux the Mad

February 9, 1978 Original Concept

B4:The Lost City became one of my favorite modules because of the Egyptian flavor when it was released in 1982, but years before I had envisioned a structure that was partially above ground, which also provided adventurous groups with an enclosed environment. Thus, The Pyramid of Lux the Mad came to be.

The entrance and first level are above ground, on a large mound to the west of the Castle, within the inner walls. Black Basalt stone was the source of inspiration for the construction, and over a 3 day period I finalized the structures lower levels.

Thus, presented below is a side and top view of the Pyramid of Lux the Mad:

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Garden Sub-Level 1

December 10, 1977 Original Concept

The Garden Sub-Level was designed as a place where crops are grown and harvested for the Castle's occupants, while the resulting seed is stored/maintained for next season. Fresh water is collected via the natural sandstone filter in the ceiling, which slowly drips down into the deep central collection chamber.

Ventilation, sunlight, and some rain water is filtered down to the 80 foot tall chamber via two vertical Columnar Basalt shafts who's entrance is housed in twin open air buildings on the surface. These shafts have steep vertical stone steps, and while only the steadfast dare to use them on a regular basis, most prefer the twin Guard Tower stairs.

A grove of trees serves as a reminder of the deep connection to the Older Faith, while the outer walls keep the residents safe and secure during wartime. Other secrets remain...

Thus, presented below is the Garden Sub-Level:

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Castle Complex: Level 3

December 09, 1977 Original Concept

Level 3 is the main living quarters of the family. This is the only level that is separate from the guards towers, and gives total privacy. In this instance, I'm not including a roof level, given the simplicity of the design and to save space for more important maps.

Of note here is the two outer buildings, of which the 3rd level is shown. Both are open air structures and thus no roof is needed.

Presented below is the third floor of the Castle Complex:

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Castle Complex: Level 2

December 09, 1977 Original Concept

The second level of the Castle was quick and simple to create, using just the roofs of the courtyard buildings, and focusing on the living quarters for the staff and owners. On my original drawings, I had tree stumps on the first floor, and full leaf foliage on the second to show detail by leaving (ahem) the road off for clarity.

I felt early on that a simple design would work well because I didn't feel a full blown castle with all the trimmings fit TCotBO. My original map has a scrawling script across the top:

"Twin circular towers with square central building"

Presented below is the second floor of the Castle Complex:

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Castle Complex

December 09, 1977 Original Concept

The Castle Complex was first laid out on a brown roll of paper, and then transferred to graph paper three months later. Ideally I envisioned the castle as being a network of smaller buildings that dealt with day-to-day operations, and because it would (hopefully) fade out of this existence, it needed to be self sustaining. From blacksmith and fletchers, to food stores and a couple smoke houses, the courtyard quickly filled up.

In design, I originally considered the entire complex, including outer walls to be able to "faze out", but then I thought about a section of the outer walls that would remain behind. Perhaps even one of it's "homes" would be nothing but rubble, due either to the passage of time or some catastrophic event. So the "Ruins of the Bloated One" remained a future project., while this current layout became my primary focus.

Presented below is the main floor of the Castle Complex:

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Earthmaster Site Level 4

December 04, 1984 Original Concept

As with level 3, level 4 requires a condition to be met prior it becoming available to explore/use. Once the requirement is met, then the four walls slide silently into the floor, opening up a massive structure. Like the previous rooms, this entire structure is made of Psuedo-stone, and the floors, walls and ceiling are perfectly smooth. 

There are seven main paths within the Vargas Earthmaster site that can be explored. Each leads upwards to a perfectly circular room, that contains a rotating 10 foot sphere. Each sphere is of a specific element, in this case, one of the seven prime of the world. The known elemental stones are:

Diamond
Amethyst (quartz)
Emerald
Ruby
Sapphire (star)
Labradorite
Opal  

What other secrets this site contains have yet to be discovered...

Included below is the Vargas Earthmaster Site, level 4 in original black, and for those that prefer an easy-on-the-pocket-print-version, simple white:

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Earthmaster Site Level 3

December 04, 1984 Original Concept

Level 3 of the Vargas Earthmaster site is a sealed affair, accessible only after seven specific items are placed on the dais into the depressions, and in the proper order. When the requirements are fulfilled, the eastern-most wall in this chamber slides silently upward revealing a 70' X 70' square room that features paintings on each wall. The air in this room is fresh, while the floor is very smooth and dust-free.

North:
Depicts a jungle, with a large step-pyramid structure rising above the trees.

East:
Depicts a desert, with a large smooth pyramid rising above the dunes.

South:
Depicts a lake and waterfall, with a large obelisk rising out of the water.

West:
Depicts an archway, while the rest of the wall is covered in stars.

Included below is the Vargas Earthmaster Site, level 3 in original black, and for those that prefer an easy-on-the-pocket-print-version, simple white:

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Earthmaster Site Level 2

December 04, 1984 Original Concept

The main Vargas Earthmaster site is reached by first traversing a long connecting tunnel, some 290' in length, due East of the main entrance. The tunnel itself has sheer straight walls with an arched ceiling, of which an intermingling of pinkish-grey stone can be seen every 40' or so.

After following the dry, dust-free hallway, the passages drops down two sets of stairs some 40' before finishing at a small perfectly circular 30' round, 50' tall arched chamber. The entire room, from the entry point archway is comprised completely of this pinkish-grey stone, which has no visible seams, cracks or crafting marks.

The only feature of note is the 13' round, 3 foot tall dais centralized and raised from the smooth floor. The dais has 7 half-moon depressions, although their purpose remains a mystery.

Included below is the Vargas Earthmaster Site, level 2 in original black, and for those that prefer an easy-on-the-pocket-print-version, simple white:

 Cheers,

Wierd Ponderings...

For as long as I can remember clearly from my youth, the deepest fantasy moments came due to books, movies, the occasional comic and a game called Dungeons & Dragons. I have in the past three years shared some of the background on my earliest gaming experiences on this blog, intermixed within various other topics like Planemorphs, Original DM software reviews, and some of my recent work in recompiling The Castle of The Bloated One - the original castle (and its nefarious current owner) from my 1977 campaign  *deep breath*

Point is, until now I wasn't really sure if anyone would be interested in the ramblings of a slightly crazed (-to-be-49-year-old) man (in 4 days) who (still) has a passion for gaming. This game is still the best after 38 years of doing it. In three years I've seen the interest (in subscribers) grow to 17. Now I realize 17 isn't record setting, nor is it even noteworthy outside of my small circle of friends that play this seriously weird game, but hell, I'm getting comments and PMs at Dragonsfoot forum and the Dragonsfoot Chat. Yes, I do talk there from time to time - when I ain't gaming/designing/doing cartography/working.

So to each and every one of you brave (brilliant) crazy (*flexes muscles*) guys, thanks!! 

But the other day someone said - your campaign is good, but you can "bring it" a bit more. So I'm going to focus the next two years on doing TCotBO from my maps and compiled notes and featuring it on my Blog. In turn the victi..errr players in this edition of my campaign will also be the guinea pigs.

The 1st level of Castle Zagyg awaits, you guys wanted me to bring it?

OK!

The Castle of the Bloated One - Earthmaster Site

December 04, 1984 Original Concept

I found Harn in the fall of 1983, and subsequently discovered this fascinating idea of ancient ruins built by a long-forgotten race. The ruins generally are called Earthmaster sites, and almost all have an odd material they are made of. I instantly wanted to incorporate this idea into my Castle, but wasn't sure how it would fit into the overall theme, and more importantly, why it would exist.

It wasn't until I happened across a discussion at Gencon in the Summer of 84 that the final pieces fell into place. This material known as Pseudostone, which is what the Earthmaster sites are made of, could serve as a conduit of a sort, and fuel TCotBO's main structure.

From Columbia Games website page on Godstones, this snippet gives a fair understanding of them: 

Of all the enigmas in the Kethrian family of worlds, none is more puzzling than that of the Earthmasters, who appeared from nowhere some 20,000 years ago then five millennia later disappeared as suddenly. Their power was godlike and their nature unknown. All that remains of them are their deserted sites and a precious few of their amazing artifacts, the greatest of which are the Godstones. 

Godstone is a misleading term. While most people respect and fear Godstones, few actually worship them. Their name is rich in the tradition of times when they were attributed to the gods and, therefore, deemed proper objects of veneration. Among the common folk, "Godstone" remains the most popular name.

The typical Godstone is a monolith, ten feet high, five feet by three at the base and four feet by three at the top. Godstones are made of a grayish, featureless stone-like material called pseudostone, a material commonly used in Earthmaster construction. Pseudostone is impervious to physical harm and seems to have no temperature at all.

So I set about to build a multi-level structure, long forgotten to the ravages of time, and had the Motte & Bailey substructure built onto a connecting passageway. While work took place over Thanksgiving of 1984, I didn't finalize it till a week later.

The Vargas Earthmaster site:

 

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Library Complex

August 26, 1977 Original Concept

The Library Complex was the hardest area for me to design for TCofBO, because I couldn't picture how it should look. I thought about the various real world libraries I had visited, from our local county to the Smithsonian in DC, but, none of those captured the exact image in my head.

I wanted a sprawling library with hundreds of shelves and reams of books. Then it dawned on me that columns to support the structure could play into my hands, so a single large room, some 70 feet wide by 140 feet long was laid out. One large room quickly mutated into three, all connected by small passages.

A secret door led to the Tunnels to the North, and twin Eastern passages fed into the Prison Complex proper. Lastly, a connecting passage led into the heart of the Motte Tower sub-basement to the West.

The Library was open for business.

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Barracks Complex

September 10, 1977 Original Concept

The Barracks Complex was developed on a crisp September morning after I had returned from a walk in the woods behind my Grandparent's house. I spent about 6 hours working on the layout, having connecting tunnels that fed back into the main guard-tower, and filled it with quarters, supplies and weapons.

A hidden northern passage leads directly into the "Constables Precept", which serves as an escape tunnel network for the royalty and perhaps other nefarious activities. 

A southern passage originally led to the tunnels beneath "Oldtown", although the entrance collapsed some sixty years previously; due in part to what is widely considered Bulette or Purpleworm activity. Hence a set of sealed iron bars mark the region and little is known of what lies beyond the debris.

Included below is the Barracks Complex:

 Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Manor

August 30, 1977 Original Concept

The Vargas Manor is a simple 2 story structure, with a small cellar. Vargas Helmgren built it for his ailing wife during her first pregnancy. Fortunately she recovered to see the M&B finished, and it was her idea to include a smokehouse to preserve the fish and venison that are plentiful in the region. The Bailey also includes a stable, two smaller storage houses and a triple level guard tower.

As the years passed, more families moved into the region, and the small community grew into what has become a popular reprieve for travelers on the Salt Route.

The Manor and Buildings:

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Prison Levels

August 26, 1977 Original Concept

The prison was built directly onto the existing Flora Lab foundation beginning in 528, incorporating it's layout onto the sub-structure. Each floor has a Continual Light Mirror built into the ceiling, which can be adjusted with a baffle rope/pulley system.

The first floor is filled with cell blocks, while level two contains a walkway to oversee the cells below and duel guard quarters. Level three is for special cases and also includes a sparring area. The basement is used for storage, but has some undiscovered, and dangerous, secrets.

The Prison Levels:

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Prison Complex

August 25, 1977 Original Concept

The Floral Lab was originally designed as a facility for study of Flora and Fauna, and had minimal access from the ground level. Rather, a hidden entrance was devised to keep the place secretive, and documents speak of odd experimentation being the prime focus.

One such example occurred in 502. The village of Rhad-du-cet, which borders the Deep Marsh, was overrun by Shambling Mounds and it's entire population decimated. In 504, the Sage Miros Chanel discovered that the entire population of the village had been infected with the Shambling Curse by a contagion that was created in the Floral Lab. All research in the facility ceased immediately and the building remained empty for 7 years while Miros and the Council of Crestfallen dealt with the plants and neutralized the facility.

In 528, work began to expand the lab, and it reopened in 533 as a prison for the vile and hardened criminal faction. No entrance above ground lead into the prison from within the castle proper, although there are unconfirmed rumors of hidden passages.

Presented below is the Prison Complex:

The Castle of the Bloated One - Motte & Bailey Tower

August 25, 1977 Original Concept

The Motte & Bailey Tower at Vargas was originally designed as a storehouse of information, predating Crestfallen Library by some 400 years. In it's day, travelers came to seek the council of the sage - Miros Chanel, and spend time searching the large (for it's time) 800 book collection.

Miros designed the layout based on an early M&B South of Yggsburgh, adding in a few surprises and secrets of his own. The sub-level gave direct access to the dungeons, and another large collection of books, although the proper magic to open the doorway has long since been forgotten.

Presented below is the M&B Tower complex, with levels and furnishings:

 Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One - Mausoleum Complex

August 25, 1977 Original Concept

The Mausoleum was created to house the Helmgren and Linkholm clans, but it also came to be a place where the minor Lords (and Ladies) of the land found their final resting place. In 652, the last corridors were finished and the first Lord, Davish Penlin was laid to rest shortly thereafter. Davish had been the unfortunate victim of a ghast attack near the old village, and his head was buried separately from the body.

The first ceremony within the Mausoleum was laying the bones of Vargas Helmgren. Harrod Helmgren and Semias Linkholm felt he deserved a place of honor and his is the only tomb to have a separate chamber.

The finished Mausoleum Complex:

Cheers,

The Castle of the Bloated One

August 24, 1977 Original Concept

Having finished the town of Troyen, home to the Bloated Blowfish, my next task was to develop a castle befitting the events that led to part of the Crestfallen Mountains collapsing. I remembered reading on Motte & Bailey's in my Encyclopedia Britannica so I decided to create one that had a tower on the Motte instead of the traditional castle/manor. The manor proper would be more of a summer home and would be centralized on the Bailey - while the Motte's Tower would be a 5 level construction (with 2 levels below ground). At this point I was unsure whom would reside in the tower or even what it would contain.

*****
Motte & Bailey at Vargas Background:

Originally built in 326 by Vargas Helmgren as an outpost along the Salt Route, the M&B was caught in the middle of a war that broke out over land rights to the South. For 130 years peace was unattainable since both sides had a claim to the land - all based on a 800 year old scroll found in an abandoned Abbey.

In 515, the war ended when King Prothall ruled the land belonged to the freemen whom had lived there for a thousand years. This set precedence, and led to the Great Land Rush of 519. Harrod Helmgren, the great-grandson of Vargas and Semias Linkholm took advantage of the ruling and began construction on a larger fortification. The Motte & Bailey at Vargas circa 519:

In September of 1977 I imagined an outer and inner courtyard, with which a Prison, Church/Temple, and multiple buildings would slowly build up around Vargas as the years past. I first built the walls to the West, and extended them northward till they ran into a natural rock encampment that became a harbor point. From there, I used Medieval Demographics to promote the increased population, and added more housing around the Motte, slowly expanding outward.

The Motte & Bailey in 730, with outer walls and expanded road/housing

Finally, it came to me that a central Castle that could fade in and out of this existence/plane might be an interesting focal point for some of the oddities that one might find in the area. I wasn't quite sure how the castle would move about so I left it alone for a few years.

In between, I developed the prison, split the castle into upper and lower precincts, and decided that the area around the Motte would be considered Oldtown. Then, in 1984 N. Robin Crosby and his magnificent Harn introduced EarthMaster sites. The concept of special sites all over the world that could be activated by long forgotten magic/energy played directly into my hands, and I was able to finish the vision I had of a massive Castle that enveloped the original Vargas M&B.

Next the Motte & Bailey had a subterranean section added where "secret magics" could be performed and to the North an underground Mausoleum was created to house the Helmgren and Linkholm clans. Lastly, an underground entrance to the Prison was devised, which I decided early on would not have access within the castle's walls.

Below is an overlay of the Dungeon/Catacombs with the Castle proper outline visible:

Below is the finished Castle with elevation, roads, buildings and enclosed Motte:

Thus, The Castle of the Bloated One came to be...

Dungeonographer Quick-Review

For some time, I've been hailing the virtues of Fractal Mapper 8 http://www.nbos.com/products/mapper/mapper.htm to create solid fantasy worlds and dungeons. Few products on the market can match it for price and flexibility, and I've done plenty of work with it on this very blog.

From Overland maps:
Case Study Archipelago
Gone Fishing Module

to a 3 level Dungeon :
Well of Lost Souls, Level 1
Well of Lost Souls, Level 2
Well of Lost Souls, Level 3

*****
Now from Inkwell Ideas, the makers of Hexographer, comes Dungeonographer.

It's built to run via Java, and I've tried out the free version to test its capabilities on my Windows 7 laptop prior to investing in the full "Pro" version. Overall, there is a ton to like with the layout, from choosing the size of the base map to placing items and building your own dungeon.

A Random Dungeon Generator is included, and as you'll see in the screenshots, it has a solid design

After clicking Generate Map, the Random Map is displayed. I love that this can be used to inspire/give ideas, and you can fully edit the Generated map within the tools. Below is a map created using the default settings (as seen above).

Tabs run along the top of the main window. Here you can switch to each and custom set the look of colors for your specific needs. Remember to click APPLY when finished otherwise the settings will not be applied to your current design.

Choose a floor tile, left click on it to highlight it and then simply click in the main window, or left drag to fill a larger area. I would like to see the ability to flood fill a chosen section, for larger maps, but this is quick and very easy to use.

The right side of Dungeonographers main window is dedicated to buttons that provide you access to the various tools you'll need. Below I'm showing each with some highlights.

The Map Items tab gives you access to a wide range of items, all broken down by a Filter. Need doors, choose doors from the drop down filter and your set. I would like to see a separate category or folder structure to help me isolate just Medieval/Fantasy style items, but this shortcoming is minimal compared to the ability to import your own custom items.

You can draw freehand (Erol Otus style), or use the Snap-to-Vertex mode. To delete a line, choose the Select Line and choose it then hit delete. I would like to see the ability to move an entire line, or even a single vertex point., but very versatile tools are included here

Being able to combine smooth walls and caverns together is a breeze within Dungeonographer., as shown below.

Some odds and ends here, highlights include being able to save as png and also choose the exact scale I need. Boom, winner, winner, Beholder dinner!. This is far and away a feature that every tool should have, and this one pushes Dungeonographer way up the scale of goodness.

The two previous posts on this blog, "Old Reaver's Tomb" and "Cult of the Owlbear" feature maps that were created in 15 minutes with Dungeonographer. What I find to be the best reason to upgrade to the full "pro" version is the amount of time you'll save in creating a dungeon complex.

Joe has done a brilliant job in the design of Dungeonographer, and it is indeed a very versatile product. The full Pro version is $25.99, and should be, in this persons opinion, the defacto search when you type Dungeon Designer in Google. It's that good!

Cheers,

Cult of the Owlbear

August 9th, 1977 Original Concept

The upper level of Old Reaver's Tomb came about due to my grandmother's love for owls and my fascination with a creature from D&D that never seems to get much love, the Owlbear.

*****
 The central stairs lead upward to the level proper, where cultists live and "play" as it were. Two separate exits lead to the surface, both of which share buildings in the small village of Reaver's Bridge. This gives the cultists prime access to the River, Salt Route and Forest for victims and escape into the night.

The main cavern has a triple set of statues; two smaller at the base of the natural steps (on either side of the lava pool) and a large central statue to Osh'gystue, God of the Owlbears. 

Old Reaver's Tomb

August 9th, 1977 Original Concept

This long forgotten tomb was originally conceived after a neighborhood friend and I spent the day underneath the bridge at my grandfather's house. We built up some boards in the creek, and as the water slowly built up, it became our own little wading pond - with enough depth to sit on the shelf under the bridge proper. I had some hex paper in my drawing kit and as part of the original design of Isolde Delta, I felt that placing tombs/barrows/stone circles would be an integral part of the layout, and also gave the world more depth.

*****
The Brown River begins in the Crestfallen Mountains, and has a gentle journey before falling downward 4800 feet to an upper plateau near a precipice. From there the river runs to the Southeast and plummets at Landsdrop, forming the sister rivers; Plume and Soulease.

Here, the sisters split, the Soulease runs westward around the basin of Landsdrop, while the Plume drops into the Vale of Shadows. The rapids in this region plunge downward to the East, bringing up deep ore deposits as it rips through the hardened upper regions, and finally calms as the Plume joins with Reaver's Gorge at Corvis. 

Reaver's Gorge meanders to the Southwest dropping some 200 feet over the course of the 20 mile journey to Reaver's Bridge. The river then flows into Andelain and splits again, part of it dropping ever South, while a slower vein travels Westward before joining with it's sister, the Soulease South of Coppice.

*****
Most of the shoreline near Reaver's Bridge is manageable only in the Fall and dead of Winter, in part due to the height of the river during the rest of the year. Some of the locals fish these regions, and tales speak of caves that contain more than the dead carcass of unfortunate animals looking for a warm place to sleep.

Combined World Map

As part of an ongoing Campaign Design/History I've been assembling, our group - the Foaming Flagons decided to create a single world map that we will adventure in. John was kind enough to assemble the main layout, with the only pieces missing being Harn and The Land. I added those in, and currently:

John has his 0E campaign in the Wilderlands
Brett has his 2E campaign in Faerun
I have my 1E campaign in The Land/Harn

The benefit of such a world is that there is the very real possibility that the players from different campaigns may well meet each other/adventure together. But more-so was the concept that we all agreed upon of a "Living City within a Dungeon" complex.

The group in my campaign is at a point that they might well descend into one of these Living City levels within Castle Zagyg (depending on which of the 3 sets of stairs they choose).

Lastly, in the very near future, I'm gearing up to run a Middle Earth campaign set during the 2nd Age - just forget any reference to the ring and you've got the correct mindset.

Cheers,