Let’s Make a Hexcrawl Setting

[Daztur]

On the Origin of Ogres
Additional information about Hex 26.01

Sanglorian's post about the Caves of Chaos made me realize that nobody has ever said a word about ogres. Let's fix that. This one was written in a bit of haste as I've got to run to excuse any typos.

The first ogres were born in the cramped quarters of the central level of Hoth Achaar. While the Pact of the Eye (see above) was still in effect many of the poorer dwarves eked out a precarious existence here. While the richer dwarves did what they could to keep themselves separate from their orcish neighbors, the ones who lived in the central district were too poor to do so and many of the young dwarves who grew up here spoke orcish as well as dwarfish and, to the great scandal to their elders, did not even wear beard masks.

But their elders were far more scandalized when some children were born within Hoth Achaar who were neither dwarfish nor orcish but as solidly built as dwarves, as ugly as orcs and taller than either. These ogres as they became known could, strangely enough, only be conceived in the central district of Hoth Achaar in the very shadow of the Eye of Gruumsh. It is theorized that the magical energies of the eye are especially potent and unpredictable in the central core of Hoth Achaar and that in the districts of the city closer to the outer walls the Quartermasters are able to shape and direct the magical energies of the Eye to suit their own purposes in a more orderly matter. Whatever the truth may be, it is true that with the energies of the Eye trapped in the city by orcish charms and not allowed to flow out in the form of a ley line the whole fortress city fairly hums with magical energy.

However, now that no dwarves live within Hoth Achaar few ogres are born, although those that do live here breed true...

Hooks:
-Anything else of interest about ogres?
-What effect other effects do the energies of the Eye have on the city?
-If dwarf/orc hybrids can only be conceived near the Eye are other uncommon hybrids possible here as well?

 

[Sanglorian]

I've updated the appendices.

Sanglorian: I’m holding my first 5ed playtest session this Sunday and I’ll be using your fluff for that and incorporating what happens during our session into your write-up draft.

For the female dwarves, I basically stole ideas from Pratchett when it came to dwarvish gender so it’s taboo for a Shrouded Lands dwarf to do anything that gives a non-dwarf a clear idea of what their gender is. The beard masks could be part of this as long as they’re made so that you can’t tell which dwarf is male and which is female. Of course adventurers are free to flout these taboo and I’m not sure if the southern vaguely-Zulu dwarves from the Shrouded Lands maintain those customs.

That's great to hear—I look forward to seeing what your players discover about the caves!

Yeah, my idea of the beard-masks is that they're gender-neutral. I'm not sure about the southern dwarves either ... perhaps they have some other way of disguising their genders. The Huns apparently sliced their faces to stop facial hair from growing—but perhaps that's a bit extreme. It would certainly horrify the northern dwarves!

 

[Electric Wizard]

Lair of Ushcka and Her Family (21.15)
Connected to 26.01

An ogress named Ushcka dwells in a disarmingly cozy cave in the middle of a dark forest. She possesses an unusually strong maternal instinct for being an ogress. However, she will never become a mother because of her banishment from Hoth Achaar. Her inability to have children tormented her, then drove her insane. After a long journey, she settled in this grove and gathered a surrogate family.

Ushcka builds her "family" by waylaying travelers and stuffing them into sacks filled with narcotic herbs. The victims awaken in her cave, which is cluttered with mockeries of domestic comfort, and find themselves forced to play the role of husband or child depending on Ushcka's whims. She is a cruel and arbitrary governess, and resorts to cannibalism when food is scarce.

Rumors have spread that Ushcka is growing more cunning, and has somehow mastered the art of imitating voices. The surrounding manors are on edge. Calls from unseen people are heeded only after engaging in long dialogues quizzing each other about interpersonal matters. This causes great delight among local gossips. Children have been assigned dogs in hopes that the animals will be able to recognize deceptions.

Hooks
-Why was Ushcka banished?
-Which unfortunate victims comprise her current family?
-What traps and/or guardians does Ushcka have in the surrounding forest?
-Can she really imitate voices? How did this rumor start?
-What treasures has she accumulated over the course of her kidnappings?

 

[chutup]

A Vision of the Distant Past
Additional information about hex 29.14

Long ago, before the gods went to war and the empire of Bergolast was torn asunder, there was an age of great peace and prosperity for this city. The Windows were not Shuttered but wide open, and travellers arrived in the bustling, smoking marketplace from across the world and beyond. The elves of the Kingswood and the troll-folk of Bergolast were considered locals by comparison with those who visited from distant lands - Naros and Grumluda and Zamorqy, a land so far across the ocean that none have ever sailed there, and nothing of that place has reached the Shrouded Lands since the Shutters were closed forever.

Yet even these distances paled in comparison to those travelled by those who visited from the outer planes. In those days the ethereal realm was more permeable - it was possible to push through into other worlds, and for other worlds to push back. There were processions of Nephilium from Mount Celestia, gith voidsailers from Limbo, and occasionally even the mighty Galloons from the jungles of Arborea. The world has changed since then, though, and if the outer planes still exist, they are not reachable by any known means. Rumours abound that Severard of the Seven Chins is not dead and has found a way to travel the planes again, but this is nothing more than hearsay.

In the heyday of the City of Many Windows, the peace was kept by a strange being, neither man nor god. Those who suffered his punishments gave him the name Lord of Pain. The only law that he enforced unwaveringly was that he should not be worshipped. Yet the faith of men difficult to control, and in time the people of the City began to pray to him, and gave him the name 'Alberon'. In doing so they made him a god, and this changed him to his very nature. Where he was once reserved and mysterious he became mighty and demanding. From there it was only a matter of time before the war began.

By the time the war was over and the Shutters were closed, the people of the city were already beginning to forget that golden era. In time it drifted out of memory that the name 'City of Many Windows' was originally only an epithet, and that the first and true name of the city was Sigil.

Hooks:
- Are there any leftovers from that time? Descendants of Zamorqy, trapped planar travellers, that sort of thing?
- Why was it inevitable that Alberon would go to war once he became a god?
- Did Severard really escape to a different plane?

(some of the extraplanar things mentioned here are lifted from Monster Manual Sewn From Pants: scrawling over the classics - it's not really the same tone as the Shrouded Lands but it is very, very awesome.)

 

[chutup]

(I hope that last one isn't too... out there? But I figure that the canon is pretty fluid anyway, if someone is actually going to run this thing then they are free to cut out any elements that they don't like.)

 

[Sanglorian]

(I hope that last one isn't too... out there? But I figure that the canon is pretty fluid anyway, if someone is actually going to run this thing then they are free to cut out any elements that they don't like.)

I don't think it's too out there ... I think it fits pretty well with what we've established about Shuttered, actually. A Sigil where all the portals have closed ... which used to have infinite possibilities and now doesn't, suits the melancholy of the Shrouded Lands, I think.

The one thing that worries me is the potential trademark violations for having Mount Celestia, Arborea and Sigil. Are there other names that we could use instead? I think the 'Lord of Pain' is enough of a tip-off ... we don't need to spell it out

I have a potentially radical entry too, based on my observation that a proper, living horse has never been mentioned in the setting.

The Last Horse (07.21)

It may have struck you as curious, dear listener, to have heard few mentions of horses in this land of ours. It is certain that we had them, for their hides mock travellers to the Black Ziggurat, and some still ride with Sir Aland on his futile hunt.

Where did they go?

I’ve heard it said that when the elves fought and the Courts split, the exiled elves called all the horses to join them as they departed for the Golden Realm. Along with the great herds, the elves boarded those mysterious white barges and left our lands, swearing never to return.

The story has it that the stallion of the king of Gore had demeaned himself by rutting with a donkey. Not even the fact that this was the donkey of a middle-ranked aristocrat checked the amusement of the horses and disgust of the donkeys, who shared the news with their riders and companions.

When the elves went out of this land, the stallion stayed beside his mule son. The elves sent a courtier to fetch him. The courtier turned up his nose at the stink of the stables. The stallion turned up his muzzle at the perfume of the elf, and that was that.

The stallion is long dead, but the mules of Gore are curiously fertile and breed with donkeys, zebras and fellow mules.

Every year, the mules meet on this sparse field to discuss what they have observed in the Shrouded Lands. Many—disguising their ability to talk—arrange to be purchased by bands of adventurers to ensure that the mules know of any momentous events. They try not to interfere, but are sometimes moved by pity or expedience.

Hooks
Does this mean that the residents of the Golden Realm are unseelie elves?
Isn’t a unicorn a type of horse? Why did it stay?
Are there still horses in the Golden Realm?
Did any other horses remain?
What on earth do the knights of Thring ride?

 

[Daztur]

I've been working on getting prepped out for our playtest session. It's been a LONG time since I've DMed a proper game of D&D what with two kids, FATE, playing rather than DMing, running d20 Conan instead of D&D and letting my history geek side get out of control and run very mundane pseudo-historical D&D (although the Merchant of Venice adventure was fun, it didn't really feel like D&D a lot of the time). I'm working on incorporating in Sanglorian's stuff and making my own changes and here's some bits of notes from what I have so far, it'll be incorporated into a playtest write-up after the game on Sunday:
-Rather than all hiding, there's one lazy-looking kobold guard standing out front of the kobold lair entrance while the others are hiding nearby as backup if needed.
-The pit traps only go off if human sized stuff walks over them, which means that kobolds have to avoid bunching or use the planks.
-There are a few piles of oil-soaked stuff in the kobold tunnels for use in burning stuff and cover (which can be pushed around with planks) and some trip wires. The kobolds haven't been around long enough for any serious traps.
-Blanket in room 5 is a tapestry of the Broken Spear.
-Silk in room 6 was a hankerchief of the Lady's and still has a faint magical aura.
-The heads the orcs have on posts include more humanoids and have been dipped in tar, this can give the PCs a clue that they've been had when they see an orc with his face covered in tar running around.
-Orc entrance tunnels changed around a bit to make them a better ambush location.
-In room 9 inscription reads Born in the Eye, Die Before the Eye
-Orcs are better organized in general, especially the eastern ones. They have tried potatoes and jerky as food.
-Eastern orc leader is called Karus but everyone calls him two-eyes behind his back. He has a big scar next to one eye from when he chickened out when he was about to have one eye removed. He REALLY wants to live that episode down and talks big and is an orc of great appetites.
-Western orc boss (Sarlada) is a bit lazy and has been fueding with Karus. Doesn't run as tight of a ship.
-If they have warning, the orcs will find a way to throw the centipedes at the PCs.
-Lots of oak saplings outside the goblin caves.
-In room 19 the goblins have a transplanted oak tree in a big pot and this room is lit by suspended rocks that have had Light cast on them (they covered up at night). They do weird-ass rituals around it.
-Main goblin food is dotorimuk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dotorimuk It's not as bad as it sounds, especially with bits of scallions, sesame seeds and sesame oil on top.
-Hobgoblin door says "Come in, for all of the flowers have stopped singing."
-There's a passed out hobgoblin not far from the front door but hidden behind a boulder.
-Various wilted flowers lying around the hobgoblin lair.

What I'd like to do (and would love if someone could take a stab at for at least one or two of the Caves of Chaos tribes) is make up some random name and personality quirk tables for at least some of the tribes.

 

[Electric Wizard]

Alphonse's War Ostrich Ranch (16.09)
Connected to 11.08, 13.08

After the great departure of horses, rank-and-file knights of Thring were forced to ride mules. The mules' sturdiness, courage and loyalty went unappreciated. The knights disdained their mounts' low breeding, utter lack of panache or dash, and above all, their refusal to participate in macho, life-threatening jousts. Every knight errant dreamed of the Duke recognizing their deeds and granting them a riding lion.

Now, Alphonse provides knights of Thring with mighty war ostriches at reasonable prices. Even the lowest gentle families dip into their coffers to outfit their sons with these flamboyant mounts. His ostriches are as aggressive and beautiful as the mules were docile and plain. Mastering one requires great finesse, willpower and charisma. Knights with well-behaved war ostriches are held in high regard.

Before his rise to fame and wealth, Alphonse was a career criminal whose only ostrich-related experience was the month he spent as a ranch hand at Bolger's Freehold (11.08) to elude justice. During his stint at the ranch, he fell in with a disreputable adventuring party intent on stealing the chest of Scorshia charcoal from Severard's tower (13.08).

The adventure ended in tragedy. Everyone in the party was turned to stone when he failed to find the trap that guarded Severard's alchemy lab. Instead of trying saving his comrades, he snatched an enticing bottle of greenish fluid and fled by shimmying down a privy before the master of the tower arrived.

When he learned that he had stolen Severard's infamous growth serum, he used some ill-gotten gold to purchase a mating pair of ostriches and a few acres. He fed the pair a few drops of the serum and they grew dramatically.

He would have certainly found himself facing horrible retribution if Severard had not disappeared shortly after his escape. Alphonse is now one of the wealthiest, most respected men in the Freeholds, but he sleeps uneasily, as he is beginning to wonder when his luck will run dry.

Hooks
-Who were the adventurers that Alphonse joined? Have any of them been un-petrified?
-The war ostriches seem to be increasingly violent. Some even wreak havoc among Thringish peasants. Can anything curb their aggression?
-Who in the Freeholds envies/despises Alphonse the most? How are they plotting against him?
-Does Alphonse's luck have some supernatural source? What does this source ask in return?
-How much growth serum does Alphonse still have? And who knows that he has it?
-Remember when I mentioned riding lions? How does the Duke manage to procure them?

 

[Sanglorian]

Mules, lions and ostriches—what a great collection of mounts! (And is that a subtle reference to Don Quixote in his name?)

The Mage Slaves of Udenyr (more for 00.02.01)

The Thunderhead of Skullreach is rightly feared along the Bitter Coast. People talk in hushed tones of the powerful mages Udenyr keeps enslaved to his will.

In fact, none of Udenyr’s captives are truly wizards.

The first slave is a druid of the Saltwood. He has refused for thirteen years to cast even a single spell for Udenyr, but it is not for his magic that the Pirate King keeps him here.


When the druid was young, he fell in love with the dryad who tended Broderick’s Grove. She gave up the heart of her sequoia for him to craft a didgeridoo. When Udenyr captured the druid, the giant threatened to destroy the didgeridoo. The dryad reluctantly came unto Udenyr, who has her perform weather magic for him. So deep is her misery that clouds follow the Thunderhead wherever it goes.

The rest of Udenyr’s collection of ‘mages’ is made up of musicians and bards that Udenyr hoped could use the didgeridoo to summon Old Leviathan. The most recent arrival is a miserable young man who pretended to be the poet Trimueil to woo a lady and is thoroughly regretting his decision.

Hooks:
Is Broderick’s Grove coping without its dryad?
Is anyone searching for the captives?
How can a dryad give up his or her tree’s heart without dying?
Why does Udenyr want to summon Old Leviathan?

 

[Daztur]

Writing on a smartphone forgive errors and brevity.

I like the no horse (fits with Shuttered ballooning) and Sigil bits but think we have to scrape the serial numbers off of Planescape stuff and I did mention a warhorse market in Eastbridge...

The last horses
Information about 17.17

Here in Eastbridge the last horses can be bought. They are few indeed for they have died far too often to breed. Each month at the square in the middle of town a warhorse auction is held and men come from Thring and beyond to see the strange beasts. Perhaps one can see Telamar the steed of Ulthar himself or Alarion the famed mount of the Knight of Constant Sorrow. These horses have served their masters to the death time and time again and after they die their bones are cleaned and placed within a bag fashioned from the dead horse's skin and out trots a young colt who needs no breaking to hold a saddle. Over the years many of the horses have been lost one by one and knights still quest for the bones and hide of Garendar beyond the World's Edge. And woe to any man who buys a horse that the knights of Thring judge him unworthy of for no matter how rich he will surely die.

Hooks:
-Why does this reincarnation work?
-What effects does living over and over have on horses besides making them infertile?
-Let us now speak of famous horses!
-Why do all the horses have "ar" in their names?
-Why didn't these horses go off in exile to the Golden Realm? Why did the unseelie elves to THERE? There have been hibts that that land is the stronghold of the Lion Priests.
-Who got killed for trying to buy a horse?