Wiifandra- Old One Mistress of Ba'a Zarn the Builder

A little known figure from the era of the Old Ones is that of the mistress of the last king of the old ones, Wiifandra.

From the sketchy accounts that still survive, and those that have been pieced together by the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn - mostly from surviving images and translated texts inside ruined sites of the Old Ones, it appears that Wiifandra was imbued with great magic powers, but that she sometimes disagreed with her consort, Ba'a Zarn the Builder, especially on matters concerning the Elemental gods.

Images that have survived that depict Wiifandra, depict her in one of two ways.  Within Old One sites, she is shown riding in a very large chariot (befitting her large size, as of all the Old One race), and it is being pulled by two gargantuan cats, similar (and probably the same) as the great plains cats (of the Shattered Plains) that are allied with, and ridden by, the Aublan Cat Riders.

The Archivists at Parn Tandalorn have surmised that one of the reasons for Ba'a Zarn to have build the King's Highway, was for the purpose of Wiifandra, and others of his clan, to be able to ride their chariots up and down the length of the Valley.

The other depiction of Wiifandra, is that of a powerful sorceress, aiding the Shagmen of the Darkearth Plains against the coming of the Storm King Barbarians.  These images are amongst the oldest of the surviving images in old settlements, and the barrow mounds of Jarls, among the Storm King Barbarians.  In such images, she is shown assisting the Shagmen against the Storm King Barbarians.  Curiously, in the images, the Shagmen are often depicted as being more sophisticated and advanced than they appear today.  In modern times (approximately 1500 W.M.) the Shagmen are quite primitive, much like our modern concept of a Neanderthal man.  And yet in the imagery that survives, they are depicted as tool users empoying quite sophisticated weapons and armor.  This may have been an attempt by the early Storm King Barbarian Skalds to show their enemies as being more powerful and advanced than they actually were; or the Skalds might not have been present at the battles, and only drew warriors in the way they were familiar; or (most intriguingly) something might have happened to the Shagmen from those earliest times, almost two millenia ago, when Wiifandra first fought for them, and then she disappeared (shortly after the disappearance of the other Old Ones).

Wiifandra, helping the Shagmen (right) against the Storm King Barbarians (left)

 It is rumored that as the advances of the Storm King Barbarians grew more and more intense, with their fleets of dragonships coming out of the north, down the various rivers out of the Destriel Mountains (especially the Greywater), that the Shagmen were beaten back.  A single lone strong point survived, and this was around the cliff-side Solitude of Aether - the last home that Wiifandra used before departing the Valley.  It was located along the southern shoreline of the Great River, as it passed next to the Jazzan Mountains, under the Falls of Arning.  There was a transplanted colony of Shagmen living in caves near the River, and they served and worshipped Wiifandra.

The Solitude of Aether, along the southern shoreline of the Great River

When Wiifandra departed, many of her loyal Shagmen departed with her, and the rest were changed in some way.  Some Archivists claim that they became the Shagmen we know of today, in order to hide the memories of Wiifandra and her magic, others say that those located at the Solitude of Aether were changed into something else.

The biggest secret about Wiifandra, and where she departed from her consort, Ba'a Zarn, was that she was a completely devoted worshiper of the elemental god, The One Beneath the Waves.  She not only worshpped the sleeping god, but she used her considerable magic to create and contact followers of his, and also to imbue the knowledge into the Shagmen.  This is not known, currently, to the Archivists, or to anyone in the Valley.

When she left, some of the things that Wiifandra left behind, were a number of spells related to the worship of The One Beneath the Waves, as well as contacting and serving the servitor races of that elemental god.  Also, she left behind some of her personal magic items.  She left behind the Staff of Aether, the Bracers of Deep Knowledge, and the Tiara of Darkness.  The location of these is not known, but they are each of a powerful (artifact) level.  Many of her spells are assumed to be located in copies of the Book of Zargo Zar the Sage.

Dalenga Degannon - Magic Elven City on the Great River

Dalenga Degannon is the name of the Elven city that moves on the Great River.  It was built by a particular group of High Elves years ago, when they turned renounced their claim on living in the realm of Faery and decided that a permanent outpost was required in the world of the Valley.

High Elves actually have several hidden cities, in both the Holabrian and Destriel Moutains, but nothing in the central lands of the Valley, where the Westron Baronies are to be found.  They do, of course, cross over (from time to time) and have dealings with other types of elves that are within the valley.  This usually includes the dark elves (or deep elves), the drow elves, the wood elves (who semi-permanently maintain peace around the various arboreal gateways to the Faery realms), and the enigmatic Grey Elves.

Dalenga Degannon was built sometime after the settlement of the first Westron Baronies, but well over a thousand years ago (approximately the year 100 or so, after the start of the Westroner migration).  It was built by the High Elves, but it is believed to be based on secret knowledge they have of the construction techniques employed by the Old Ones, especially those of Ba'a Zarn the Builder.

High Elf city of Dalenga Degannon, on the Great River

The city is constructed on (and within) a large granite island.  The island appears, even under close inspection, to be a solid stationary island, made of a large rocky base, and extending high into the sky.  Upon it are built all manor of Elven towers, halls, and manors.  Within it exists a wonderful city, of underground streets and plazas, full of magical light and plants and animals - both from the Valley and from Faery.

The city moves, east and west, along the Great River.  It has never been seen moving, but once it has settled in a place for some time (it varies - the reasons for the timing are only known to the High Elves themselves), it will suddenly be gone, and have moved elsewhere.  The moves are always accompanied by the most dangerous and threatening of storms - lightning, thick fog, heavy rains and strong winds.  This may account for there not being any witnesses.  In fact, Archivists from Parn Tandalorn are split in decision over whether the city itself moves (as in - the island floats along the river) or if it magically just appears in a new location - some massive application of teleportation magic.

It has been long debated as to whether the city could appear in any one of the Nine Rivers, or if it is only feasible for it to move on the Great River.  Certainly no recorded instances of it being spotted in one of the other rivers have been made.  Smaller craft, and some of the "daughter islands" have been spotted on the lesser rivers.

In addition to Dalenga Degannon itself, there are a number of smaller islands that contain structures owned by the High Elves.  These move about in a similar fashion (moving during a horrendous storm, with no witnesses to the method of movement), but are much smaller.  Often times they are not much bigger than a castle and some outbuildings.  It is not known if there is a set number of such daughter islands, or if they come and go as required.  Certainly, the few travelers who have been lucky enough to spend time ashore/aboard one of the daughter islands describe ancient structures there - similar to the feel and age of the ancient structures on the main island/city itself.

The daughter island, Colatta Diel, having berthed near the Harp Woods

High Elves, which although not especially friendly to the human Baronies, are certainly quite friendly towards individual Humans and members of other races (other than the dark, or Goblyn, races - orcs, goblins, and their ilk).  Members of the race who have dwelt on Dalenga Degannon speak of the city as if it is a Woman, with a mind and will of her own.  They say she goes where she will, and no one - neither an elf of the Valley, nor a highborn elven sorcerer of the Seely Court - can control or predict when and where Dalenga Degannon will move herself.

Dalenga Degannon herself boasts a small navy of amazingly lithe elven long boats, each having a prow tipped with the head of a Swan.  These boats each carry scores and scores of the slim elven knights, wearing their curiously tightly fitting elven chainmail, long lances with tips made of a curious blue-ish metal, and equipped with bows made of living branches of Trow wood - a type of tree that only grows on the isolated slopes of Mount Nar Igew - at the mouth of the Stormwash River.  A High Elf city is there, and it is responsible for the tending of the Trow wood groves, from which the elven bows are made.

Regions of the Valley (4) - Sildur Reaches

[This is the introduction to the region of the Sildur Reaches, a mapping and some hex details have been posted already].

The Sildur Reaches describes the region of the valley that lies north of the Great River, south of the Destriel Mountains, and between the Fa'Ars River on the eastern border, and the Greywater River on the western border.

The central terrain of this region is dominated by the patchy pine forests that together make up the massive Shadow Woods.  The pines of this region include the mighty Giant Cloudwood pine trees, that can reach as much as 400 feet tall, and as big around as 25-30 feet.  Some Cloudwoods are as old as 2,500 or 3,000 years, according to some Wood Elf sages that have been tending them as a life project.  Other pines in the area include the gnarleycone pine tree, the bristlecone pine tree and also the thinwhistle pine tree.

The whole region was once heavily, heavily forested, but it is believed that during the time of the Old Ones that it was deforested.  The reason is unknown, but occasionally massive fields full of the stumps of Cloudwood trees are still encountered.  These are often home to packs of dire wolves, giant badgers, and frequently swarms of giant burrowing insects (mostly giant beetles of different types, some as large as 10 or 12 feet long; and also a peculiar type of ground dwelling giant tick that are the bane of the dire wolves).

The name of the region, the Sildur Reaches, comes from the name of a Frost Giant warlord, or king as he preferred to be called, that ravaged the region during the time between the departure of the Old Ones and the arrival of the Westroners.  Some of the incredible crusading campaigns waged by the early bands of Westron knights in this region were against the armies of Frost Giants, and their ogre and bugbear allies.  Once the Giant Crusades were over, the Giants were confined to the mountainous lands to the north east, around the Tears of Heaven.

The road that extends from the city of Botts southwest to the city of Na Kram passes over the King's Highway.  Actually it passes under the King's Highway, but it does so through an area that is a flooded bog.  There is a vast tunnel through the mound of the Highway at this point, approximately 200 yards wide, and 30 yards high at the center, through which punt boat traffic frequently travels.  This boat traffic is one of the activities of the swamp town of Wall Morton.  This is a Westron town that is built all on pillars in the bog, and almost all movement in and around the town is by punt boat.  The swamp itself, called simply The Morton is about 75 miles wide, but this is spotted throughout with islands and high areas where trees grow, but the region is generally boggy and covered in fetid waterways.  A number of black dragons make their home here, and there is a order of Knights of the White Lady (paladins) who dwell in Wall Morton, and they patrol the region on the back of great hippogriffs.

Paladin of the White Lady fighting a Black Dragon for a captured maiden.

In addition to the swamp town of Wall Morton, there are a number of other independent towns, that are not part of either the Barony of Botts or of the Barony of Na Kram.  These are Willow (in the east, a river trading town on the Fa'Ars River), Gavaar and Roesen (two rival ports on the Great River), Jinette (trade town on the road between Na Kram and Huygen "The City of Lights" - which is across the Greywater River in the Darkearth Plains) and Haaksen (walled trade town on the road between Na Kram and Wall Morton).

Darkearth Plains - Wilderness Encounter System

Taking a break from finishing the Ostigaar Web dungeon, I have decided that it is time to present the encounter charts that I have been working on for the Darkearth Plains (see map here).

 [NOTE: This has been edited, as of Sept 14]

As mentioned earlier, the region of the Darkearth Plains is one of conditions very similar to the Pleistocene era on Earth.  Many of the animals we are familiar with from the fossil record of that time are present in the Valley of the Old Ones, specifically in this region.  Also, even as far south as the Great River, the weather in the Darkearth Plains is notably cold.  These two features (the presence of the large animals we think of as Ice Age mammals; and the very cold weather) combine to provide an interesting wilderness encounter matrix.

The encounter system works like this:

Each day is divided up into four 6-hour periods.  They are called Dawn, Day, Dusk and Night.

From this rough outline of time periods, for each one that the players spend the majority of the time outside of human habitation, roll 2d6. On a basic score of 9+ there is an encounter. If the season's weather has been particularly rough, then add +1 to the roll (more of these creatures - which represent the aggressors in the food chain - will be prowling for food when the weather is tough). If the player party has any rangers or druids in it, add or subtract one each, at the player's whim.

If the score is successful, then check the following table to see what the chance for surprise is, as well as the likely range of the initial encounter.

Time of Day	Chance of Surprise (2d6)	Opening range of Encounter
Day	9+	100-600 yards (1d6 x 100 yards)
Dawn, Dusk	7+	40-240 yards (4d6 x 10 yards)
Night	5+	20-80 yards (2d4 x 10 yards)

• If the dice roll for surprise is successful, then the party is unaware of the encounter, initially, and the encounter range is half of what is rolled.
• If the encounter takes place in mountains or forest, halve the encounter range that is rolled.
• If the encounter is primarily a flying creature, then double the encounter range that is rolled.

The rational behind this table is that most animals in the Valley of the Old Ones that are encountered in the wilderness are more active, and more mobile, early (and late) in the day, than during the middle of the day. This does not apply to underground, or planned encounters, only those random creatures encountered in the wilderness during travel or mapping.
If the surprise number is rolled, this means that the encounter is present before the party is aware of them. If the surprise roll is failed, then the party is somehow aware of the encounter at the same time as it appears. Once it appears, normal rules for surprise and perception should apply.

Once an encounter has been determined, then roll two 6 sided dice, and consult the following table. Add +1 to the Red dice if they players are within 10 miles of a sizeable human settlement/habitation (sizeable means more than 100 humans, demihumans, or humanoids living in a regular place - such as a town, castle, fortress, etc).

White Dice	Red Dice
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1	L	Q	S	U	W	X	N
2	L	B	H	H	D	N	N
3	K	B	F	E	D	N	N
4	K	A	E	F	C	M	M
5	J	A	G	G	C	M	M
6	J	P	R	T	V	Y	M

This will generate a letter. Then for each of the terrain types listed below, this will give an encounter. Many of these are already detailed with statistics inside the OSR reference document (posted here). Other creatures will be detailed in a future posting on this blog.

Encounter	Plains	Hills	River Valley	Forest	Mountains
Irish Deer	-	A,B	A,B	A	A,B
Mammoth	A,B	C	C	-	-
Mastadon	C	D,E	D,E	-	-
Giant Stag	D	F,G	F,G	-	C
Sabre Tooth Tiger	E	H	H,J,K	B,C,D	D
Dire Wolf	F	J	L,P	E,F,G	E,F,G
Cave Bear	-	K,L	-	H,J,K	J,K,L
Flightless Bird	G	P,Q	Q	-	-
Axebeak	H	-	-	L	-
Hammer Head (Titanothere)	J	-	-	-	-
Humans (see subtable)	M	M	M	M	M
Others (see subtable)	N	N	N	N	N
Gargantua (Baluchitherium)	K,L	-	-	-	-
Frost Moth	P,Q	R	Q	P,Q	P
Ice Wyrm	R	-	-	R,S	Q,R
Frost Rhino	S	S	S	-	-
Ice Serpent	T	T	-	T,U	S,T
Floating Horror	U	U	T,U	-	-
Giant (see subtable)	V	V	V	V	U,V
Dragon (see subtable)	W	W	W	W	W
DemiHuman (see subtable)	X	X	X	X	X
Special (see subtable)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

There are several entries that call for consulting a subtable. These are presented below, with regional specific notes (for instance, human encounters in the Aghanz hills are likely to be Shagmen, whereas human encounters near any of the three Baronies in the region are likely to be typical medieval period humans).

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Humans

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Ever since the invasion of the Westroners into the Valley of the Old Ones, they have dominated the landscape, at least from the point of view of civilized beings.  The Westron Baronies (independent Kingdoms in all but name) represent the only really organized political entities within the Valley.  Before the Westroners arrived, of course, the barbarians (the Sun King tribes, the Storm King tribes, and oddities like the Shagmen) existed, but not in the same numbers.  This subtable is a way to determine what sort of band of humans are encountered, when they are.

Dice	Humans
1	Warrior
2	Religious
3	Merchants
4	Craftsmen
5	Raiders
6	Elite

Warrior

A body of armed soldiery appropriate to the area encountered in.

• In the Aghanz Hills, or nearby, these will be Shagmen (2d6 warriors; 6d6 women and children)
• In the east, anywhere the Terrapin or Greywater rivers, they will be Storm King Barbarians (2d6 huscarls; 4d6 bondi)
• Anywhere near the Baronies or the Great River, they will be Westroners - Baronial Armsmen (2d6 knights; 4d6 sargents; 8d6 peasants)
• Anywhere else, it will likely be a band of Freebooters (2d6 fighters; 2d6 thieves; 4d6 thugs).  These may be looking for work, or may be looking for mayhem.

Religious

1d3 significant clerics (or druids); 2d6 lesser clergy (same order); 6d6 pilgrims, followers

Merchants

1d6 Merchants or Family members; 2d6 armed guards (missile weapons and polearms); 4d6 servants and attendants.

Craftsmen

2d6 craftsmen; 2d6 armed guards. 50% chance that an appropriate camp/settlement will be nearby to support the craft (charcoal burning camp; mine; lumber camp; fishing village; windmill; etc.

Raiders

1d6 powerful leaders; 2d6 strong lieutenants; 4d6 thugs - from some culture "somewhere else" - here for thievery and mischief

Elite

This is some sort of out of the ordinary group of Humans, met traveling through the local area. If encountered at night, they will have a nearby camp.

1. Adventure Party
2. Questing Paladin; or Patrolling Ranger (with a unit of Northguard)
3. Errant Knight
4. Shaman (primitive) on vision quest
5. Assassin on a mission
6. Evil High Priest (otherwise, as Religious)

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Others

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This entry represents intelligent beings, that may have a reasonable level (not necessarily advanced, however) of organization and structure, but that are not Humans or Demi-Humans.
In some regions of the Darkearth Plains, it is not necessary to roll on this table.

• In the western part of the plains, near the Lost Mare River, any encounter of this type will be of the intelligent horses of the Great Herd, led by the Khan of All Horses.  
• The area just north of the King's Highway near the Great Owl Forest is home to a federation of tribes of Broo (chaotic evil goat headed beastmen), called the Horned Ones.  
• Along the Greywater River, in the lands of the Storm King Barbarians, there are tribal areas of the Furlingga (a particular language group of Gnolls, very advanced and organized compared to other bands of Gnolls).
• Between the Great Owl Forest and the Terrapin River, in the Terrapin Marsh, there are the notorious Marsh Trolls.
• In the west, where the great sinkholes near the Nightwash River are located, the influence of the Dark Elf Buccaneer kingdoms is significant.
• At the south end of the Lost Mare River, there is the Arriott Bottom Swamp.  A very large community of Lizard Men dwell here.

In all other cases, or where random wandering humanoids are desired, roll on the following table.

Dice	Others
1	Orcs (3d6)
2	Gnolls (3d6)
3	Goblins (5d6)
4	Bugbears (3d6)
5	Yeti (2d6)
6	Forest Folk (random type) (2d6, unless Badger, then only 1)

Notes: In all cases, these will be appropriately armed as per their type, and will likely be accompanied by a number of lesser supportive beings, or henchmen. For instance, a band of Orcs will likely have a variety of different weapons, and shards of leather and metal armor, and will likely be accompanied by as many, again, half-orcs, and perhaps half as many goblins. In all cases, if possible, these will engage first with missile weapons. Entries #1-5 will be led by an evil human (either wizard, evil high priest, thief, or fighter) 40% of the time. Entry #6 has the same chance of being accompanied by a human leader, but in some cases he will be good. If entry 6 turns out to be Badger Folk, then the human is a Questing Partner, on a vision quest together.

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Demi-Humans

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This subtable is a way to determine which of the several types of Demi-Humans that are present within the valley get encountered.  When encountered, Demi-Humans are almost always on their own (nearly inscrutable) business.  This table just gives the broad type that might be expected. 

In certain regions of the Darkearth Plains, there is little reason to roll the dice.  For instance, in the Harp Woods or the Great Owl Forest, almost all Demi-Human encounters will be with Elves.  In the Aghanz Hills, especially near Flintgate, they will be Gnomes.  Up in the Destriel Mountains it will be Dwarves.  Halflings mingle with human habitations, especially with the many towns that are dependent on the Baronial cities.

In other areas, or if variety is simply wished for, the following table can be consulted.

Dice	Demi-Human
1	Elves (3d6)
2	Dwarves (3d6)
3	Gnomes (3d6)
4	Halflings (5d6)
5	Dark Elves (3d6)
6	Faery Folk (5d6)

Elves

Number appearing are mounted elfin knights (elven chainmail, shield, lance, longsword, barded horse), with twice as many foot warriors in attendance (chainmail, polearms).

Dwarves

Each dwarf is a professional - miner, brewer, gemcutter, etc - but also a warrior. Likely to be armed with axes and crossbows, with shield and scale mail.

Gnomes

Each gnome is wearing flexible metal armor (usually chainmail) and armed with short bow, short sword, and carrying a small round shield. 70% chance to be led by an illusionist, either gnome or human.

Halflings

Led by a Sheriff, mounted on a small pony or ass. Others likely to have leather armor, slings, throwing axes, and short spears.

Dark Elves

If encountered during daylight hours, likely to be disguised as good elves. If encountered after dark, likely (65%) to be led by some high level organizer(s) of the band (1d6 driders; mindflayer; evil high priest; vampire

Faery Folk

There are likely to be a mixture of types here - faeries, brownies, pixies, leprechauns, talking animals, and others. Likely (65%) to be led by a noble faery (male or female) mounted on a Pseudo Dragon, with 1d6 retainers similarly mounted.

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Giants

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Dice	Giants
1	Ogres (2d6)
2	Trolls (1d6+2)
3	Firbolg (1d6)
4	Hill Giants (2d6)
5	Frost Giants (1d6)
6	Mountain Giants (1d4)

In the case of Ogres and Hill Giants, these will be led by an evil, high level human (such as an evil high priest, an evil thief, or an evil fighter). Trolls may be being followed (35%) by a band (3d6) of goblins that worship trolls. If so, these will join in any fight that the trolls themselves get involved in.

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Dragons

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Dice	Dragons
1	Ice Wyrm (1d4+1)
2	Wyvern (1d4)
3	Roc (1)
4	White Dragon (1d2)
5	Red Dragon (1d2)
6	Green Dragon (1d2)

If there is more than 1 of these creatures in an encounter, there will be a nest somewhat nearby, that contains 1d4 young.

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Special

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Dice	Special
1	Wildfire (1d6 x 5 miles wide)
2	Zombie Horde (5d6 zombies)
3	Single, powerful undead (lich, vampire, etc)
4	Battlefield
5	Natural Hazard (cliff, quicksand, lightning, etc)
6	Stampeding herd/tribe (roll another encounter to see what it is)

Northwind - River Jarl Steading (8)

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.

The great ferry (there are actually two vessels, the service back and forth across the river is simply referred to as "the great ferry" although the individual boats are called "Azano Runner" and "Byloo Swift") is operated from a great walled keep, and watch tower, high up on a rocky cliff of the western bank of the river.  This keep and tower are named the Lisman Keep after the builder.  It is manned by a group of mostly Westeroner men at arms, drawn from Huygen, Na Kram, and further baronies.

Lisman Keep

The far side of the river, across from Lisman Keep, is the Storm King village of Eidelthorpe.  It is a small town, and only serves to house the guards for the slave rowers of the ferries (see below), and as a source of horses, and sleeping quarters, for travelers.

Eidelthorpe

The two vessels, the Azano Runner and the Byloo Swift, are propelled by slave rowers, taken from the prisons at Huygen.  The vessels themselves are considered off-grounds (a point of honor for the captains and huscarls of Northwind, and elsewhere) for viking raids, and other attacks.

Westroner image of the ferries, from the Book of Huygen

Northwind is a steading that boasts a very large, and powerful, fleet of dragon ships.  It is in a position to challenge attack from any small group of other Steadings, not to mention the single freebooters on the river, or even the large turtle ships and battle barges to be found along the Great river, somewhat more to the south.

The current Jarl of Northwind, Finndar Hatholsson, has turned over the organization of the Huscarls and dragon ships for the annual raids to his son, Rolfar Finndarsson.  Finndar himself has selected a hand picked band of his twenty favored huscarls, some skalds and a wizard (Amsil Uropp), and has traveled west to the lands of the Furlingga Tribes.  There he wages war against the strongest chiefs among the Furlingga, and is attempting to make a great name for himself and his men, all the while attempting to break up the Furlingga.  His original band has grown, attracting a number of other warriors, both from Northwind and also from Mead Hall (heroes from Mead Hall are never reluctant to join such a venture).  The war they are waging against the Furlingga gnolls has met with some success, but the complete difference in numbers is daunting to an outsider.

Finndar Hatholsson and his men, searching for Furlingga gnolls

The write up of the Flooded Keep of the Astromancer was originally part of this article, but it has been removed and made into its own blog entry.  It was originally part of the Week of Adventure Locations.

River Jarls of the Greywater (Map)

The area of the River Jarls, around the Greywater River, is an interesting place.  Here is a basic map of the region, with some items of interested noted on the map (details coming soon).

1. Icewall
2. Seawyrm
3. Bright Iron Fastness
4. Hearthhome of the White Wolf
5. Rookroost - Daughters of the River Raven
6. Clearwater
7. Mead Hall
8. Northwind Steading
9. Furlingga Tribes (Gnolls)
10. Rockhome Kingdom (Dwarves)
11. Marsh Trolls
12. Orc Clans
13. Great Bear Kingdom

A. Great Crystal
B. Ice Lake
C. Witches Three
D. Stonehouses
E. Plain of Fire
F. The Sword People
G. Tower of Belue Gorm
H. The Great Tree

Darkearth Plains Map

First map of the Darkearth Plains.  This is lifted from the most detailed overall valley map (done in autorealm).  I am also thinking of doing a version of this in hexographer, and they populating it as a sort of sandbox area, just for giggles.

Not all of the sites mentioned in the previous writeup (which was an intro sketch to the area, just collating what I already knew about it, and had captured elsewhere), but it is a good start - more coming.

Regions of the Valley (3) - Darkearth Plains

The Darkearth Plains is a region in the northern part of the valley, slightly west of the central point.  It is bordered on the north, by the Destriel Mountains, and along the southern edge by the Great River.  The western boundary for the region is the Lost Mare river, and along the east edge the boundary is the Greywater River.  The other major waterways in the region are the Nightwash River, and the Terrapin River.

The region takes its name from the rich, dark black soil that is common throughout the region, with the exception of two areas - the Great Owl Forest (the ground of which is covered by thick, thick layers of decaying leaves, over a more generally sandy loam undersurface), and the Aghanz Hills, which feature a dry dusty and sandy soil, very rocky.

I am working up maps now, using Hexographer, and Autorealm, and should release some very soon.

The peoples of Darkearth include three cities of Westron humans (Khomaes, Werms and Huygen).  There are, in addition, a number of tribes of Storm King barbarians in the region, especially in the north east, up along the very broad Greywater River, and in and around the Riven Moor, on both sides of the Terrapin River.

There are several portals that frequently appear to the Seely Court in the Great Owl Forest, and also in the Harp Woods.  This means that Wood Elves, as well as other Faery races, are not uncommon.

The Aghanz Hills are home to both the Star Tower (seat of power and learning for the Silver order of druids), as well as the gnome stronghold at Flintgate.  These areas are both well patrolled and guarded by their own interests, but much of the rest of the Aghanz remains rough, open, hilly and rocky country.  There is a presence, of a curious group of tribes of large, primitive men that do not have a spoken language, and do not work with or use metal of any sort.  They are called, simply, the hillmen by the druids of Star Tower, and the shagmen by the gnomes of Flintgate.  It is reported that they are vicious cannibals.

Dwarves have some strongholds throughout the Destriel mountains.  In some of the deeper delvings and cave systems, there are permanent portals to the Unseely Realms (mostly goblins and their related filth, as usual).

Roaming the region to the west, near the Lost Mare River, are the intelligent horses of the Great Herd.  A single herd in name only, roaming groups of these very large, very intelligent horses do all seem to answer to the leadership of the Great Khan of All Horses.

Splitting the region, from west to east, is the King's Highway, as always providing a huge barrier between the north and south part of the Darkearth Plains.  The Lost Mare river flows under the highway, in a broad and fabulous lock system, built by the Old Ones, and lined in marble.  That part of the highway is patrolled by, and made safe by, companies of spearmen from Khomaes.  Further east, however, especially as the highway draws near to the Great Owl Forest, the area just north of the highway is known as the Horned Run.  It is home to tribes of broo, known as the Horned Ones.  Wicked, unsociable creatures, they have a heartless and sadistic culture, and seek to prey on all who wander into the region.

The point where the Nightwash River leaves the Destriel Mountains, down into the plains (just west of the Aghanz Hills), there is a cliffwall at the edge of the mountains, the Nightwash forming a mighty waterfall (Nightwash Falls).  Along that cliff edge, a curious and very valuable marble-like stone is found, called Amberstone.  A group of human and dwarven miners operate a mining operation here, cutting out huge blocks of Amberstone.  It is then floated south to various trading concerns south of the King's Highway, by air travel.  The air travel is accomplished by having a curious breed of giant snail that lives on the cliff face near the Nightwash Falls.  Called the great blue skysnail, this creature has a shell with magical (levitating) properties.  The miners have methods of luring the snails to cover a block of amberstone, and a "blockrider" will ride the floating block of stone south, towards the various destinations.

Where the Nightwash (a broad and fast flowing river) finally reaches the Lost Mare River (in the middle of the grazing lands of the Great Herd), there are vast openings into the earth, along the edge of the Nightwash.  Splinter flows of the vast river flow down into those openings, and form free-fall waterfalls down into the underearth.  Deep, deep below the water falls into the vast underearth sea that is home to the Dark Elf buccaneer kingdoms.  The openings are watched after by warrior horses of the Great Khan.

Along the southern end of the Lost Mare River, as it broadens to eventually join the Great River, it opens up into a flooded basin, known as the Arriott Bottom swamp.  Curious tribes of lizard men, and other related saurial races, are found here.

Return to the Valley

So, my PhD is finished. I will soon be a Doctor. (I wonder if that means I get a Gallifreyan accent, and a second heart?) In addition to finishing my education, a lot of changes happened over the year since I signed off (last March). I was on track to finish my PhD in the autumn semester of 2011, when I found out that my old job at the research center was being de-funded. So I had to spend much of the fall months looking for a new job (and also going through a bit of depression...) needless to say, I wasn't focusing on my PhD. Luckily, however, I got a new (great) job, and I finished up in the spring semester. Glad to be done!

I can, now with a clear conscience, return to working on the Valley in my spare time.

My plans for the next few months will be in completing and collating the various regional descriptions, along with the descriptions of the professions (class descriptions), religion, and races. Putting this all into a combined gazetteer (or player's handbook), and producing it as a PDF here on the website.

Step one will be in completing the regional descriptions of the regions of the valley. The first two already have some introductory material, but maps and keyed descriptions are also necessary.

• The Shattered Plains
• The Enchanted Forests

Moving from west to east, north of the Great River, the next region will be the Darkearth Plains, named for the curiously dark, nearly black soil common to the area between the Lost Mare and Greywater rivers. While not as big as some of the other regions, there is a lot going on here, so it should be an interesting writeup. Have I mentioned the intelligent horses? How about the horned ones?

Located in Darkearth, of course, is the Hermitage of the Beast-Duke. The adventure, Horror at the Hermitage is already underway, and might be released here on the blog, as well. I hope to run it at a convention later on this year.

Regions of the Valley (1) - Shattered Plains

While in a human-centric fashion, it is convenient to speak of the Valley in Political terms by referencing the Westron Baronies, there are other considerations.

When talking about the geography of the valley, or the non-human Flora and Fauna, it is perhaps better to speak of the Northern and Southern regions of the valley.

In brief, these are defined by the Nine rivers, in terms of separation one from another, and the big divide between North and South is of course the Great River.  What follows is a brief naming and description of the regions, Northern first, from west to east.


Shattered Plains

The most western of regions north of the Great River is mostly plains. It is bounded on the north by the western reaches of the Destriel Mountains. The eastern edge of the shattered plains run up against the Durwash River. The southern boundary is the Great River, and to the west is the defacto edge of the Valley of the Old Ones. The western edge of the valley is patrolled by great hosts of the Omart Empire.

As the empire is certainly not interested in entering the Valley (or involving itself with the Westron culture that has taken root here), and the large military patrols seem charged with keeping all FROM the valley contained IN the valley - there have been few large expeditions west.

Geographically, the shattered plains are quite interesting. They were once overrun by large icefields and glaciers from north of the Destriel mountains, and when the ice receded, the region was strewn with many bolders and singular rocky formations jutting up out of the plains.

The only Westron Barony to call the shattered plains home is the Granite Hold at Hogle, capitol of the Barony of Hogle. Although Hogle is the oldest of the baronies (first settled in the year 26, some 1500 years ago), it is also one of the smallest. It boasts a size of only 18,000 in the capitol city. The city is home to the Knights of Torisch, and their curious allies the Aublan Cat Riders. The Cat Riders, of course, ride the great plains cats that live in the region. Like much of the rest of the northern regions, the animals here have adapted to the sweeping cold that comes down out of the Destriel, and includes giant elk, great wooly mammoths and rhinos, and the great wooly buffalo. Only here, however, are the great plains cats found.

The Aublan valley is home to the Cat Rider peoples (who are semi-nomadic, moving north to Aublan for the summer and the breeding season, but moving south to near the Great River for winter). Aublan riders, who are quite proficient with the small horned bows that they shoot from atop their giant riding cats, are allied with the Barony of Hogle (or more accurately, with the Grand Master of the Knights of Torisch).  The Aublan riders are divided into two "nations" or collectives of clans,the Northern Hunt, and the Southern Pack.

Together they protect the region from maruding orcs and hobgoblins out of the mountains; from rampaging raids of Storm King Tribe barbarians; from the overzealous encroachments of Omart Empire patrols, and finally from the occasional uprisings of the primitive Keepi-keepi people who live among the great stones of the plains.

The Order of Saint Kelvin

 St. Kelvin was a priest of Magenta who, in the late 6th century, made the proclamation that knowledge and strength can come from the magic in the sun, as well as the magic that Magenta's daughters had in the three moons.

At the time this was very unpopular, because of the early attempts at city building south of the Great River, and the clashes that the migrating population had there when dealing with the Sun King tribes.  However, St. Kelvin (who at the time, was only Padre Kelvin of Kennidor) perfected a limited system of prophetic seeing based on the magic of the sun, and also researched a great deal of magic having to do with light.  Soon, this began to win over the opinion of peoples, who also understood the diabolical nature of Photoss and the relationship he had with the Sun King Tribes.

Before his death in 603, Padre Kelvin oversaw the building of the first Temple of Light, southwest of the Barony of Ungems, along the edge of the Nell Nod Forest.  This was a marvelous structure, and Kelvin and his followers were aided by the Wood Elves of the Nell Nod, who helped them with the earliest construction of crystalline architecture.  The Temple still stands, and an academic/religious town has grown up around it, as the center of what would later become the Order of St. Kelvin.  It is a lovely temple, built of white marble, but with the upper walls and portions of the domed ceiling made of crystals, so that the light shines in and splits into a hundred different dancing colors.

Priests in the order are split into two groups - the Light Holders (who stay at the many temples built in the wilderness by the order, across the valley), and the Light Bringers.  The Light Holder Temples are known as great spots of healing, peace, and prophecy.  The Light Bringer Stations are located throughout the valley on roads where there are no taverns or other resting areas.  They are left as open shelters, but often will have one or more traveling members of the clergy or lay members of the order.

The Order wears light blue colored tunics (over either skirts or pants, usually of white or tan, but not proscribed by the order), with a golden sun on the chest, and seven rays coming out in all directions.  Light Bringers wear a crystal on a necklace around their neck, and Light Holders wear a gold rimmed round glass around their neck.

Spells available to the order are from the spheres of All, Charm, Divination, Healing, Sun; they also have minor access to the spheres of Animal, Creation, Necromantic, Plant.

The order frequently welcomes Elves and Half Elves into its clergy.

The abilities taught to priests of the order include:

• The ability to see as if with Infravision (out to 60').  Elves in the order have their Infravision improved to 120'.
• The priests may Turn Undead.
• Laying on hands, healing 2 points per level, per day.
• Charm/Fascination - 1 time per day, works as the wizard spell Suggestion, but not usable in combat.
• Prophecy - 1 time per day, requires a 10 minute trance of meditation/concentration, and then 1 question may be asked of the DM.
• Light Holders may cast the "Light" spell 1x per day for free, in addition to other spells.
• Light Bringers receive a +1 to hit with ranged weapons, if used outdoors during daylight.

Light Bringers may wear non-metal armor.  Light Holders wear no armor.  Neither branch uses shields.

Both types of priests may employ the Dagger, Dart and Spear.  In addition, Light Bringers may also employ the Javelin, Crossbows, Bows, Knife and Sling.

Week of Encounters Day 5: Living Skulls of the Purple Marsh

This encounter takes place in the Darkearth Plains region of the Valley.  It takes place just north of the Great River, where the Jazzan Mountains can be seen to the south, and the Harp Woods spread out to the North.

On the northern banks of the Great River, as it passes just east of the Jazzan Mountains, near the Harp woods, there is a swampy expanse that stretches for approximately 25 miles along the river. This swamp is called the Purple Marsh, named long ago for the semi-aquatic Narreck trees that clog the waterways of the swamp (the Narreck, when they flower, produce a purple floss that becomes airborne in the spring winds, and spread the growth of the trees).

The locals from the fishing villages that owe fealty to the Barony of Khomaes have long known that they should give the Marsh a wide miss. It is widely known that the normal dangerous Marsh inhabitants (trolls, lizardmen, dangerous large aquatic grazers such as the catoblepas and so on) are present, but these rarely leave the marsh to raid surrounding areas. When they do, the fighting men of Khomaes, led by Knights of the White Lady, often arise to contain the threat, and keep it limited to the marsh itself. The area is too large, and largely impassable to military units, for the soldiery to clear out the marsh - but they can keep the dangerous inhabitants contained.

Recently, numerous trading cogs from areas west of the Jazzan have been attacked by a string of piracy in the area of the Marsh. The Player Characters, traveling through the area, come across the wreckage of a cog that has washed up on shore. It was attacked, and the crew mostly killed, but a few survivors are found with the wreckage. They talk about an attack by a pirate ship that came out of the morning mists on the Great River, as the cog passed by a part of the Purple Marsh. The cog was carrying a heavy cargo of expensive clothes and other luxury items, meant for trade in Khomaes and Gorrem river towns. These trade goods have all disappeared. The player characters should be given a sense that tracking down the pirates will be quite profitable for them.

The survivors will describe the pirates as living men (human fighting men and thieves), but with skulls for heads. Living Skulls with no flesh, no skin, no eyes - but attached to the body and capable of a rude speech. The players have no concept of these skull men, nor have they encountered anything like it before.

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Living Skull
Num Appearing: Special (created creature)
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Movement: 60'
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 2d (10 h.p.)
Attacks: 1 (claw) or by weapon
Damage: 1d6 - or by weapon (claws are 40% poisoned)
Save: F2
Morale: special (commanded creatures)
Special Abilities: Similar to undead - can be controlled by Evil priests and clerics, but cannot but turned by Good or Neutral priests and clerics.

The claws of a Living Skull are poisoned 40% of the time. Every time a claw attack scores, there is a 40% chance that it is poisonous (does an additional 1d3 points of damage per round, for 1d6 additional rounds - save for half as many rounds).

Living Skulls are supernaturally strong, even if they are slow (if using initiative rules, they suffer are -2 slower than a typical human). Their strength gives them +1 to hit in combat with weapons, and +2 damage when using weapons.

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The searching and investigating of the players should lead them to a watery inlet into the Purple Marsh, that goes to a protected lake, surrounded by small islands and ridges of dry land, but the whole area is thickly forested with Narreck trees. The region is full of primitive bands of hunting lizardmen who are always seeking a source of fresh meat. On one of the larger dry land ridges at the edge of the lake, there is a small walled village, with some simple piers stretching into the lake. There are several galleys (the sort that would make good piracy vessels) moored here.

The village appears deserted. There are some wild denizens of the Marsh who have moved in where pirates and brigands once dwelt. Nearby is a solitary stone structure (all else is made of wood and bamboo), a squat round tower, with a large bronze brazier (25' across) on the exposed top floor. Examining this reveals that there is a dungeon complex underneath. Several layers, magically constructed, lined with marble and extending deep underground, past the water table levels of the swamp. Some areas of the dungeon are dry, and some are intentionally flooded as pools.

Within the dungeon is a society of cultists of the ancient Old Ones' deity, the "One beneath the Waves". These deranged beings seek to draw their deity back to the world, in order to destroy it. They have taken up with a clan of Kuo Toa (who dwell in the dungeon as well, within the flooded chambers, and elsewhere), and have perfected and cast a spell on the inhabitants of the brigand village on the surface. All of the men (and women and children - although the latter were mostly eaten by the cultists in cannibalistic rites) were transformed into "skull men" - mindless servants that are enslaved to the cult and do its bidding. These are strange hybrids of life and undeath, but are immune to the religious sway that modern priests and clerics would have over normal undead. While slow, like most undead, they fight very well and are persistent to the point of destruction.

The dungeons under the tower are quite well stocked with treasures of both the normal and magical types, and exploration of the site by the Player Characters would prove quite valuable. What to do with the knowledge of the Cult and their macabre invention is up to them.

Living Skulls are created by EHP's of the cult of the "One Beneath the Waves". It is a level 6 spell, taught only to priests of the cult, and it works as follows:

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Create Living Skulls (spell)
Level: 6
Duration: Permanent
Range: 30'
This spell turns incapacitated humans (it only works on humans) into Living Skulls. The created beings have no memory of their pre-converted life. The process removes all skin, hair, eyes, brain, muscle etc from the head, leaving an exposed skull. The created beings respond to simple commands (as with other simple undead) from their creator, although this can be a command to transfer their allegience (such as "Obey Igor").

The number of humans converted per application of the spell is equal to 1d6 plus the caster's level. All of the humans to be converted must be incapacitated (sleeping, knocked out, tied up, or something similar), and within the range of the spell.

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Week of Encounters Day 4: Terror of the Stoatmen

This encounter takes place in the Wychwood region of the Valley.  It could be just about anywhere that an untended forest exists, but here it is placed in the northern parts of the forest stretching along the Great River, just across from where the Greywater joins the Great River.

The player characters, while crossing a patch of woods on their way to a village for the night, come across a camp site that has been attacked. A storm as come up at the last minute, and what should have been the last hour of sunlight is rapidly darkening. The travelers are all dead, and their equipment has been taken. Worse, some of them, and their dead horses, have been partially eaten.

While examining the bodies, all of a sudden, a hail of arrows rains down on the party. Each member of the party is shot at twice per round, by a suitable number of Stoat archers who have climbed up high in the surrounding trees.

After the second round of this shooting, and whatever response the players offer up, some trap doors in the forest floor open up and 8 stoatmen warriors emerge to viciously attack the players.

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Stoatmen Warriors
Num Appearing: 2-16
Alignment: neutral evil
Movement: 90'
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 1d+1 (6 h.p.)
Attacks: 3 (claw, claw, bite), or 1 weapon (preferred)
Damage: 1d4; 1d4; 1d6 - or by weapon (scimitar or short bow are common)
Save: T1
Morale:9
Special Abilities: Climbing and Burrowing.

Stoatmen are Forest Folk, and as such have no souls.  They are considered a cursed race.

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The Stoatmen favor man's flesh for food, but will stoop to eat dwarves, elves, or even horses. The group of Stoatmen archers in the trees will stop firing once their comrades emerge from the warren, and will descend the trees to aid in the attack (mostly because they fear missing out on any meat).

There is a leader of this group of Stoatmen, named Bloodfang, who will unleash a sack of poisonous snakes into the combat if things begin going bad. These snakes attack as 2HD monsters, but only have 3 hit points. If they successfully attack, there is no damage, but a 50% chance of affecting the victim as per a sleep spell (save vs. poison).

If the Stoatmen are vanquished, then their warren holes can be explored. All but one of them are just simple ambush holes, however one leads to a small warren complex with three rooms, in succesion.

The first room has a Stoatwoman Witch (4th level MU) with two pet giant badgers.

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Giant Badgers
Num Appearing: 1-4
Alignment: neutral
Movement: 90'
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 4d (22h.p.)
Attacks: 3 (claw, claw, bite) plus disease
Damage: 1d3+1; 1d3+1; 1d8
Save: F2
Morale:9
Will fight past death (until -10 hit points). If the giant badger scores a bite hit, then it will hang on and do an additional 1d6 points until removed or slain.

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The second room has a bunch of stoatmen young feeding on a stash of rotting bodies of farmers and travellers.

The third room has a board of wood over the door, once removed those opening the door are attacked by two very large coyote spiders.

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Coyote Spiders
Num Appearing: 1-2 (underground only)
Alignment: neutral
Movement: 90'
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 4d (20h.p.)
Attacks: 1, plus poison
Damage: 1d6
Save: F3
Morale:8
The coyote spider, if it scores a hit, injects a very potent poison. Unless the victim makes a saving throw vs. poison, they will start screaming horribly in pain, and spasming uncontrollably. This forces all of the rest of his comrades to make a saving throw vs. fear or they will flee the area. The spasming and screaming lasts for 1d3+1 rounds, but after the first round his comrades are immune to the fear. Each new victim, however, causes a save to be made. During the period of spasming, etc. the victim suffers a -4 on all combat rolls, and also a +4 to foes to score a hit.

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If the spiders are slain, then the last room in the warren is revealed to have a treasure of 1,200 g.p. worth of jewelry, coins, and valuables in it.

History of the World - Valley of the Old Ones

The Valley, of course, is part of a much larger world.  This is a short version of the history of that world, according to the Archivists of Parn Tandalorn.

Once, a long time before there was time, the world had no music.  Without music, there was no magic.  Without magic, there were no numbers.  But one by one, through the strength of their will, the elemental gods of the Old Ones awoke.  Their names are now long forgotten, but in the course of things, each of them had a number.  The first, the lord of fire, helped to bring the rest into being.  They came in order, the Lord of Fire, the Lady of Air, Earth Weaver and the One beneath the Waves.  From them the rest of the gods of the Old Ones came, each after its own element.  Now their numbers were many, and  from this they could wring out all manner of magic.

The magic allowed the gods to create, each after his or her own fashion, the things that would live on the earth.  Plants, Animals, Fish, Birds.  Even the Old Ones.  They were created by the Lord of Fire and the Lady of Air directly, and held sway over all other things.  Through their ordering, the magic gave way to music, and now the world was complete.

After a time, a king arose amongst the Old Ones named Ba'a Zarn the Builder.  Ba'a Zarn and his people built all manner of fantastic cities and wonders.  Some still stand - the Sky Lake of Cittar and the Great Block.  Some are long gone.  Many were deep under the earth, still more were among the clouds.  One of the amazing feats of Ba'a Zarn was the construction of the Great River, which completely crosses the face of the world from one end to the other.  Along with the Great River is the King's Highway.  Much of the King's Highway is still in existence, and these two wonders - the River and the Highway - run through the middle of the Valley of the Old Ones.

It is said that the Valley itself was once a garden of the Old Ones, where they would come to take their ease and talk with all of the creatures of the gods.  Certainly they left behind some fantastic structures in the mountains and on the plains of the valley.  Many these days shun such spots, as they are the home of amazing creatures and inscrutable magic, but others seek them out as spots of adventure and fantastic treasures.

Forest Abbey of the Hedgehog People (part 1)

(this is another posting that was originally on Gaming with Chuck - moved here)

One of the keys to the old school adventure I am dreaming up for MarsCon is the peaceful fantasy race known as the Hedgehog People. Their own name for themselves is the Roikkitikki, but everyone else just calls them the Hedgehog People, or just the Hedgehogs.

For visual inspiration, I take my cues from the marvelous artwork done for the Ironclaw rpg, especially the hedgehogs.

In my setting of "The Valley of the Old Ones" the hedgehogs usually inhabit relatively peaceful forests,near (but not too close) to the civilized lands of peaceful people. When encountered outside of their forests, they are usually in small groups consisting of monks and clerics of St. Brigid. They don't usually deal in magic, get along well with halflings and gnomes, admire humans of the better sort, but distrust the elves. Hedgehogs are excessively fond of feasting, and usually tend towards the pacifistic.

One of the very sad aspects of the Hedgehog folk is that they, like all of the Forest Folk, are a created race - dreamt of and given life by some long forgotten mad magician. Because of this, although they move through the world as other sentient beings, they have no soul.

For my scenario, the group in question is a community associated with the Abbey of Finch, in the Redsmoke Woods. This small forest lies along the Fernrush River, which is a southern tributary to the Great River. Nearest the Abbey, the Fernrush is about a mile wide, and is home to sporadic trade and fishing.

East of the forest, the rolling hills in the demesne of Gorrem Castle. The lands have been lawless for several years, and most of the villages and holdings have started looking to their own defense, without the castle to protect them. During this period, a number of bands of goblins have worked their way north into the Redsmoke and have been raiding out, threatening outlying settlements that were once under the protection of Gorrem. Finch Abbey has recently fallen to one of those bands, but there must be something more sinister at play, because of the degree of evil coming out of the former peaceful sanctuary. A band of raiding goblins couldn't possibly be responsible for the atrocities committed.

Maps and write-ups coming soon, subject to real life demands, of course!