City of Ohn Ohnan - Week of Adventures Location 6

This adventure location was first described in the write up on the River Jarl Steading of Clearwater.  Clearwater Steading is built right next to the mound of the King's Highway, at the point where the Greywater River passes through a long tunnel to go under the Highway.  At the mid point of this tiled tunnel, there is a side passage . . .

This was part of the Week of Adventure Locations, and it was Location number 6.  It is located along the Greywater River between the Darkearth Plains and the Sildur Reaches.

Adventure Location: As the Greywater flows under the King's Highway, it goes through an impressive tunnel, burrowed out and lined with very thick slate tiles throughout it's massive arch.  The interior height of the arch is nearly 160 feet, higher in some spots (the top surface of the King's Highway, in this area, stands some 300 feet up over the plains around it).  The river banks go right up against the tiled walls of the tunnel.  About half way through, on the western wall, there is a large opening that goes back into the mound of the King's Highway.

Side passage from the Greywater River

The opening is covered over by a massive bronze portcullis that is chained to stone pillars coming out from the tunnel walls on either side.  The opening is easily wide enough and tall enough for a vessel of a modest size to enter.  This sideflow of the river goes on for almost two miles, deep under the King's Highway.

The tiled ceiling and tunnel sides give away to rough rock, and eventually to stalactites.  Among them lurk all manor of subterranean hunters and predators.  Huge, aggressive, and hungry blind fish (of monstrous sizes, some 20 or 30 feet long) live in the almost always black river.  But, if this route is traversed, the explorer/adventurers will be rewarded with the river disappearing under a stone wall, with only inches of clearance. At this point, however, there is a stone jetty, with paths and stairways down deep into the earth, and eventually ending up at a ruined, and abandoned subterranean city.  The city is in a vast, huge, cavern (several miles across), with strange trees and plants growing in the subterranean light that is cast off the monstrous stalactites inside the cavern.

Underground City of Ohn Ohnan

 Legendarily known as the city of Ohn Ohnan, it is rumored to have once been a joint city of Mika-Born and the Old Ones, but it was destroyed by a crazed cult of madmen lead by an EHP of the Lord of Fire.  The ghosts of the Lord of Fire worshippers are rumored to haunt the ruins.  What else lives there now, is for the adventurers to discover. [This is location 6 in the Week of Adventure Locations]

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).

Khomaes Barony (2)

The current head of the Barony of Khomaes is Aldra Ap Iaggio.  The Iaggio family has ruled the Barony for 8 generations now, stretching back almost 200 years.  Although the family, as with most of the significant families, is only interested in politics and the situation in the city of Khomaes (simply called "The City" within the Barony, but sometimes derisively referred to as the Drop or the Rift, because of Dancer's Rift.  It is also common for poets to refer to it as the Spire or the Spike, for Dancer's Spike).

The population of the city is approximately 22,000, but it has been a while since a general census has been called for.  The local economy, which is based primarily on local agriculture for the lower classes, and on a combination of industrial trade (amberstone and other materials coming down out of the Aghanz Hills), trade with the nearby Baronies, and the pilgrim and traveler trade.  The pilgrims and travelers have ample reason to come to The City, and hence the City itself flourishes, and creates additional demand on the surrounding areas, affecting the whole Barony.  The pilgrims coming are for the two cathedrals in the city, and also for the School of Charm.  The cathedrals are Appuco Fast, and it's twin Ramee Tower.  Appuco Fast is dedicated to St. Norena.  Ramee Tower is dedicated to the followers of St. Ellain.  Both churches draw a large amount of pilgrim traffic, and the business that pilgrims draw, to the Barony.

Westron is spoken commonly in this Barony, as with most of the Baronies.  But because it is so far north, there is also a wide understanding of Destrikking.  All written transactions, however, use Westschrift.

The surrounding towns are (see the map):

A. Truend - Pop 2,200 - Walled against the large mammals of the Darkearth Plains, and also against the Shagmen out of the Aghanz Hills.  A small elite corps of the town guard are called the Truend Rangers, and they travel the local area, looking for traveling groups of Shagmen, and breaking them up before they can get too close to Truend, or local farm villages.

B. Khoben Vale - Population 1,800 - There is a small section of dense trees that grows on either side of a minor river called Bruuka Wash.  Carved out of that is enough space for Khoben Vale, all within the trees, and partially on a rocky island in the middle of Bruuka Wash, the rest on either bank.  There are sturdy stone bridges connecting the whole affair, and stone walls and towers inside the forest, to protect the town.  Outside the little forest, there are single and small groups of trees, all of which attract the giant lynx common to the area.  In fact, sometimes the lynx is called the Khoben Cat.

C. Sagio Mill - Population 2,800 - This is an open town, without a city wall.  There are, however, several concentric rings of watch towers extending out, 20 miles in all directions around the town.  Most of the farms, and other holdings, relying on the town, are within that set of rings.  The town gets it's name from a very large stone mill, built next to a rather impressive mill pond.  There is no river feeding this pond, but the water in it constantly rotates (due to magic means), providing motion for the very large grinding wheel.

D. Iffel - Population 2,200 - This is a town built around a small castle (D'Mosh Castle), with a curtain wall around the core town.  It is, however, built right next to the King's Highway.  The curtain wall of the town backs up to and connects with the mound of the King's Highway, and within the walls of the town, there is a curious large tower, that has in it's central area, four very, very large platforms (like rafts, made of large logs lashed together), big enough for a large wagon and team.  Each of these platforms are actually elevators, up to a stone connecting ramp over to the King's Highway.  The elevators are powered by partially trained Mammoths, captured from the wilds of the Darkearth Plains.  This access to the King's Highway means that Iffel is quite wealthy as a trade location.  There is a similar elevator tower - obviously built by the Old Ones - on the south side of the King's Highway at this same point, but nobody bothers to maintain or man it.

E. Cyclot - Population 2,400 - This town has a massive wooden great hall at the center of it, lots of professional buildings (mostly of a half timber variety), and massive palisade walls made of very large shaped logs driven into the earth.  There are two concentric walls, one only 2 miles across, in a rough oval, only 1 mile across the narrow axis.  The second concentric wall is all of five miles across, roughly circular.  Inside the first wall is the "inner town" - which is for the wealthiest families, and prestigious buildings.  The second wall contains the "outer town" which are most of the minor nobility, lesser professionals, and more important land owners, who own grazing and planting estates outside the town.  Outside the walls exists a small community of Elves, mostly Wood Elves (about 400), but a few traveling Gray Elves are always present, also.  The residents of Cyclot, and the Elves, refer to this community as Duar Village.   These Wood Elves have strong ties to the Harp Woods. Much of the industry in the town is either from the surrounding forest products (charcoal burning, and carpentry rate very highly), but also a very strong wool market is present.  The sheep, a curious three horned variety, called the Odelle Sheep, produces very valuable wool.  The flocks that graze in open pasture outside the city are protected by shepherds.  Cyclot shepherds are known to be very competent, and dangerous, mostly due to the high number of dire wolves in the area.

F. Nowak - Population 2,200 - Another woodland related town, this one with a nearby Gnome community, of about 600 Gnomes, mostly underground.  The community is called Cheddom Tower, but the tower is a minor part of the underground Gnome village.  Together, the carpenters and craftsmen of Nowak and the Gnomes of Cheddom build some of the most intricate, and fabulous working artifacts (such as cuckoo clocks).  There is  a strong tradition of hunting amongst the wealthy and young from Nowak, in the Harp Woods.

G. Acron Trade - Population 2,400 - This is another walled town, built around a core of a castle (Bekno Keep), and surrounded by stone palisade walls.  It is built next to the King's Highway, and the Old Ones had constructed a curious platform settlement right next to the mound.  The platform is large enough for multiple buildings, and serves as a location for the main market of Acron Trade.  Approaches to the platform were built with a very long, shallowly sloping ramp up, so that animal and walking traffic have no trouble climbing it.  Stairs have been constructed, that are much steeper, but provide quicker access up out of the walled town of Acron Trade.  There is not a similar platform, nor an access ramp, on the south side of the King's Highway.  Although there is a thriving agricultural community of farms and villages surrounding Acron Trade, it is from trade that it makes its economy.

Note, this is part two of a two part article on the Barony of Khomaes.  Part 1 is located here.

Khomaes Barony (1)

So far the postings on Khomaes have been about the city itself, and some of the peculiar encounters that lurk in the darker areas of the very unique city.  An adventure (the Cult of the White Shadow) and some other details have come out.

This is the information about the barony itself.  The city of Khomaes stands in the northwestern part of the Darkearth Plains, between the Lost Mare River and the Greywater River.  It is between the Aghanz Hills to the north, and the King's Highway to the south.

The city itself has a population of 22,000.  There are a number of towns (on the map, as A-G), with an additional "urban" population of about 16,000.  In the open farmland in between these areas, which are dotted with countless unknown and nameless villages, the population reaches approximately 100,000.  Like most of the Westroner Baronies, Khomaes is very much a rural, agricultural setting.

Next postings will include the remainder of the encounters for the Cult of the White Shadow adventure will be posted, and then on to the next of the Darkearth Baronies - Werms.

This is part one of a two part article on the Khomaes Barony.  Part two is located here.

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.

Clearwater - River Jarl Steading (6)

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.  It is a small castle (measured against the Westroner standard for such things - even a wealthy knight in one of the Baronies might have a larger castle), but it's location (right up against the King's Highway) makes it notable.  Add to this the facts that the upper levels of the steading have a commanding view of the highway up on the ridge, and that the rocky knob that the steading is built on is surrounded by a pool, requiring small (defensible) foot bridges for access, and it is a very important (and defensible - at least against attack by ground forces) strong hold.

Clearwater, surrounded by its protective pool,
and built in the shadow of the King's Highway

But it was pointed out that there are two fascinating structures here - the first being the Clearwater steading (called simply, Clearwater), but the other is the Gazing House.  Up on the raised up mound that the King's Highway runs along, in this area, there is a peculiar structure built of Amberstone.  It is very much like an open-balcony'd and terraced villa, similar to those built in the southern country, but it is ancient.  Certainly built by the Old Ones, it is not known what its original function is.

In the center of the Gazing House, which consists of apartments and balconies, built in a square, around a central open plaza - there is a large (12 feet across) brazier with a pool of water in it that always seems to be catching a drip of water in the center.  There is no source for the drip, just a constant trickle outward from where such would fall.  It has been noted that the brazier, and its contents of water, have magical properties, and once every two months, when all three moons are visible within the water of the brazier, the dripping temporarily halts, and it is said that you can see the future by gazing into the smooth clear pool of water.  In the dug out halls and chambers deep into the mound of the King's Highway that the Gazing House is built on, there are fissures and cracks that open up to deep underground caverns and stretch endlessly.  Here, there seems to be a large culture of lizard men that have a curious rite of shamans worshiping the One Beneath the Waves, and seeking to bring him up out of his slumber to destroy the surface world.

Gazing House, looking down on Sordling,
and the northern run of the Greywater from up on the King's Highway.

The current Jarl of Clearwater is Tewar Dorfsson.  There is a nearby port town called Sordling, built along the Greywater, that serves as the home of the dragon ship fleet of the Clearwater steading. The Huscarls, and many leading members of the household and even fyrd leaders all live (with their families) in the Clearwater stronghold, but most of the rest of the steading's population live in small agricultural communities around the steading and Sordling.  All of them, however, are north of the King's Highway.  There is an uneasy truce with Rookroost, and almost a constant state of feuding with viking parties from Mead Hall

The description of the City of Ohn Ohnan was originally part of this article, when it was written during 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.

Week of Encounters Day 1: The King's Highway

This encounter takes place in the Shattered Plains region of the valley, far to the west.  It occurs along the King's Highway, not too far to the west of the Durwash River crossing, where the Highway passes over that mighty river.  Like all of the river crossings, the mound the Highway is built on has a vast opening through it for the river to pass underneath.

The King's Highway is an interesting feature in the Valley of the Old Ones. It was built by the last King of the Old Ones, and in spite of their absence for a long, long time the highway remains intact, and still in use. It is, however, a magnet for danger, because of the associated rumors about periodic structures full of the treasures of the Old Ones.

The encounter in question here concerns the efforts of the player party to cross past the highway for some reason.

Physically, the obstacle is the Highway itself. The section the players come up against is over 150 feet tall. Much of the side is covered with patches of exposed rock face and boulders. Climbing the nearly sheer face of the highway is bad enough (requires 1 hand at all times to hang on, and dexterity and strength checks as the DM warrants), but the rocks are teaming with all manner of small predators, like rock snails.


Rock Snails
Num Appearing: 2-8
Alignment: neutral (evil)
Movement: 5'
Armor Class: 4 vs. One foe in contact. 1 vs. All others
Hit Dice: 1d-1
Attacks: 1 (bite), possible poison
Damage: 1d4
Save: F2
Morale: 8


Special Attack: poison (save or as sleep spell); corrosive slime (after successful attack, or against incapacitated foe, snail slime causes automatic 1d3 points per round. Save for half)

The top of the mound is approximately 500 feet across in the area the players are attempting to cross (although this varies from place to place). The most striking feature is that the entire surface is covered in smooth marble blocks.

The top of the mound is indeed a highway, and it stretches as far as one can see to the east and west.  The center 150 feet of the top is the highway itself, with approximately 150 feet on either side dedicated to structures that were once standing, and in some spots are still present in a ruined state.  The remainder of the top is just a grassy surface that gives way to the rocky escarpment on either side.

Once the party comes up to the top, the DM should show them the map of the apparent buildings in the area, and let them look around for a few minutes.  Suddenly, the rubbled doors are thrown open on the "Great Stone House" on the map, and out rush a band (16) of Star Marauders.  These particular Marauders have the tattoo'd Sign of K'nar visible on their foreheads.

Star Marauders (sign of K'nar)

Num Appearing: 4-24
Alignment: chaotic-evil
Movement: 60'
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 2d (9 h.p.)
Attacks: 1 (shortsword)
Damage: 1d6
Save: F2
Morale: 9


Special Attack: Heat generation.  This band of Star Marauders has been branded with the "Sign of K'nar" tattoo, which means that they have the capability to generate extreme heat for a short amount of time.  Once per day, for a period up to 10 consecutive melee rounds, these Star Marauders generate heat that will cause 1d4 H.P. damage per round to anyone in melee contact with them (save v. spells for half).


These are led by a 3HD leader (14 h.p.), who is an expert with a longsword.

Once the Marauders are dealt with, it is revealed that there is a set of stairs in the great stone house, leading down into a series of dungeon chambers (detailed separately).

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.