So, here is the map of the Sildur Reaches, developed using Hexographer (a fantastic program, I highly recommend it). Each hex on the map represents 25 miles across. This is a region approximately 1000 miles wide, and about 600 miles from north to south. My plans, for sandbox gaming, are to pick one or two areas, and then do a higher detail (smaller scale - probably 5 mile hexes, similar to the old Judges Guild village book hexmaps) treatment, showing lairs, adventure sites, dungeons, ruins, etc.
On the map can be seen the two main cities of the Sildur Reaches, Botts and Na Kram. Also a number of other features. In the western part of the Reaches, a lot of the details from the previous work on the Greywater Jarls is visible, including a number of the Steadings of the Jarls. Here is a list of the main features, by hex number, of this map.
0115 - Furlingga Gnolls (tribal area) Home of a number of roaming tribes of Gnolls.
0303 - Steading of Icewall - Icewall is the name of the northern most of the River Jarl steadings. It is the home of a very powerful clan of Storm King barbarians, the Isvater clan. The current head of the clan is Kolfinn Haukson. He is an old warrior, ruling his great clan, and his huscarls, with a firm but fair manner. He has a daughter, Vigdis Kilfinndottr - who is young, lovely, and given to romantic adventures. She has a group of friends, all young ladies, who attend her on all manner of adventures.
0508 - Steading of Rookroost - Rookroost is the name of the steading of the Daughters of the River Raven. It was once an impressive castle, built high on a rocky abutment that rises some 200 feet above the surface of the Erantor river, which runs out of the Great Owl Forest, to join the Greywater River. Today, the remains of the ancient castle are still standing, but the steading itself is built into the stone mound that it stands upon.
0512 - Steading of Clearwater - Near the point where the Greywater River passes under a great arch, to run beneath the King's Highway, there stands two fascinating structures. The first, of course is the tall, wide raised up artificial ridge that the King's Highway is built on. As detailed elsewhere, this artificiality was built by the Old Ones, probably by Ba'a Zarn the Builder. Up against this raised up ridgeline rises the small castle (steading) of Clearwater.
0516 - Northwind Steading - The furthest south of all the River Jarl Steadings, Northwind is further south than the King's Highway, almost half the distance between the King's Highway and the Great River. Some way south along the river, is the great ferry crossing of the Greywater, marking the point where the road between the baronies of Huygen and Na Kram cross the Greywater river.
0612 - Steading of Mead Hall - There is a skald's song that starts out "Mead Hall, Mead Hall - Home of Heroes Brave and Tall!" And it has, indeed, been a home for many heroes over the years. If there is a Steading of Storm King barbarians that fits the stereotypes that Westroners believe in - it is definitely Mead Hall.
0706 - Steading of Bright Iron -The current Jarl of Bright Iron is called Garret Fingolsson. His name is a curious one for a Storm King barbarian - since it includes a Westroner first name, but it was the name his father (Fingol the Just) gave him.
0708 - Stone Houses (ruins) - Immediately southeast of Bright Iron, just on the outskirts of the tended agricultural lands under the protection of Jarl Garret's fyrdmen, lay the lands of the Stone Houses. The Stone Houses are curious round structures, long since out of use by their original inhuman builders, made of stacked stones. The are similar to a Broch, or round house, that is built by some of the distant Storm King barbarians, however the roofs are all long since rotted off, and some of the stone walls are crumbling. What is curious about the structures, is that they are built for giant beings. Larger than an ogre, whomever it was that first peopled these stone houses must have been of a great stature, perhaps 15 feet tall? The typical stone house (as pictured below) has a first story that is partially underground, and then usually two more stories above that, and a peaked roof. Sometimes the roofs are present (when they were made out of slate or other stone) and sometimes they are long gone (when they were made out of material that would have rotted with age, such as wood or thatch). The typical structure is approximately 70 tall (at the peak of the roof), and about 80' across the base, at ground level. Of course, there is variation, so some exist that are taller or shorter, and either bigger or smaller around.
0801 - Rockhome Dwarven Kingdom - Rockhome is a city built into a mountain's roots, it is the capital of a kingdom of Dwarves that exists largely underground.
0811 - Orc Clans (tribal area) - Home of a number of tribes of roaming Orcs.
1004 - Steading of Seawyrm - Seawyrm is the northern most steading of the River Jarls along the Upper Greywater River. It is still a long way short of the edge of the Destriel Mountains, so the Upper Greywater is quite broad and wide by the time it reaches the shore where Seawyrm is constructed.
1011 - The Scorch - Southeast of Bright Iron, further south east even than the Stone Houses, there is a region along the border of the Orc Clan lands known as The Scorch. This is a rolling plain, among some gentle swells of the land, where all life has been burnt off. This was done during one of the wars between the Huscarls of Bright Iron and the Orc Clans. It was meant as a reminder of the edge of the Orc Clan Lands that Bright Iron would tolerate.
1018 - Town of Jinette - A walled independent town along the road between Na Kram and Huygens to the west. Population 4,250.
1107 - Sword People (tribal area) - These tribes of vicious and primitive savages are found mostly to the east, across the open plains between the Upper Greywater and the Shadow Woods. These plains are known as the Blood Veldt. The Sword People are a simple, bloodthirsty culture of savage barbarians that live in crude tribal groups (with simple shelters of sticks and skins that they erect), and make their basic economy by hunting the wooly rhinos of the Blood Veldt, and the herds of giant reindeer. Occasionally, and all too frequently, they will have some sort of religious frenzy where the young warriors of the tribes will go on a blood frenzy, traveling in random directions, and slaying any and every living thing they come across, leaving the dead just to rot. This is where the name Blood Veldt comes from...
1115 - Mongrelbeast Herds - East of Mead Hall, out across the Fields of Aton, between the Greywater River, and the Barony of Na Kram, roam the Mongrelbeast Herds. These are herds of giant elk, as found in other regions of the valley north of the Great River, but the herds here have been affected by some foul strain of Old One magic. A long time ago, a savage primitive people, similar to the Sword People north of the King's Highway in the same region, would wander and travel with the Giant Elk herds that have been trapped south of the King's Highway, since it was constructed. These people, called the Elkmen, would wander with the herds, culling some now and again for food and skins, but mostly living with them in peace, and for protection. The Elkmen had semi-domesticated some of the beasts to pull their great wheeled huts. The king of the Elkmen lived in a massive giant wheeled hut called the Roaming House.
1303 - Village of Aderbak - Several days northeast of Seawyrm, towards the southernmost fingers of stony ridges coming down out of the Destriel Mountains, there is a curious village. It is a small village made of stone buildings, and surrounded by a stout palisade, to aid in warding off the Sword People who venture that way. The village's name is Aderbak, and it is known to be the home of both the Princess of Roses, and the thorny portal.
1417 - City of Na Kram - Baronial seat of the Na Kram Barony. Home to the Dungeons of Borleos, a fearsome prison. Hol Kram, the Cathedral of Starry Wisdom, dedicated to Saint Gianna the Oracle, is located in Na Kram. Population, 18,000.
1502 - Kingdom of the Great Bears - Home of a race of intelligent, magic using cave bears.
2116 - Town of Haaksen - Independent walled town at the crossroads on the road between Na Kram and Wall Morton. Population 4,800. The Hospital of the Pierced Pelican is here - a religious hospital run by Sisters of the order of St. Brigid.
2812 - Town of Wall Morton - Independent town, with main buildings built on poles in the great Vinemorton Swamp, along the King's Highway. Population 5,200, although mostly outliers.
2819 - Town of Gavaar - Independent trading town on the northern bank of the Great River. Home of the Corsairs of Iron, funded by the Shiaress of Gavaar. Population 4,700.
2821 - Town of Roesen - Independent trading and fishing town on the southern bank of the Great River. Rival to the Shiaress of Gavaar, the Patriarch of Roesen funds the Ka'Bleez Marine - a small flotilla of patrol craft to protect trading ships from harassment by the Corsairs of Iron. Population 5,400.
3111 - City of Botts - Baronial seat of the Barony of Botts. Home to the bardic college of Brandismore, and also to the Grand Lyceum of Abjurative Sorcery. The Bardic College of Brandismore is located at Feyd Hall. The Lute Master of the Hall is Mistress Leanarra Gwayne. The school of Abjuration is located in the heart of the city of Botts. It is a walled campus of several buildings built upon a shining plaza made out of curious metals from a fallen asteroid. The head of the Lyceum is the Abjurer Glub Nar (male, human). Tolbe Cathedral (the Orphans' Cathedral) is located here, and is dedicated to St. Lilliane. Population, 17,500.
3507 - Fire Mountain - This curious volcano is riddled with layers and layers of caves and cavern complexes. It is home to a number of dragons, amongst other fouler creatures.
3809 - Town of Willow - Walled riverbank town that runs a ferry crossing the Fa'Ars River. Population 4,400.
No comments:
Post a Comment