Castle Whiterock Question

[mattcolville]

Got what I hope is a simple question because I'd like to run this in about 3 and a half hours.

Reproduced here for reference purpose, at half-resolution, is a map of Level One. First Level.

What I'm trying to figure out is; what am I looking at? Based on the description that path in the lower right is the way up to Castle Whiterock. Ok.

But then you go through the gates and apparently enter...a an ancient monastery that's the oldest part of the Castle. Ok, I get that.

Based on the text, if I'm standing around there, like anywhere in the center there, if I look up I can see the sun and sky because the whole place is a collapsed ruin. Ok.

What I don't get, and what I can find no explanation for or visual reference to, is what is all that grey space beyong? Where the North symbol is...what is that?

And as far as I can tell, the rest of the adventure, the Dungeon, the Castle itself, is...south? In that black area which I presume is stone? Where you can see rooms 11-14?

That confuses me, I can't in my head work out what the 3D topology of the area is. As the player approach the castle, they're actually bypassing it? So when they're at the gates there in the lower left, the castle is actually...behind them?

That sorta makes sense, but it's really hard to picture. Anyone got any ideas? I posted a less detailed version of this question on the GG site, but since you need a moderator to approve your posts I'm not in anticipation of getting an answer before I have to run.

Here's an overview of the whole thing of which the above map is, I believe, the Upper Ruins of Whiterock. North here is. I think, to the upper left?

I'm just having a really hard time figuring out how to reconcile the fact that the path up to the Castle is in fact coming up from behind what appears to be a wall of solid stone and then the rest of the content is behind them? In the rock they just walked through?

 

[IronWolf]

It has been awhile since I have read the descriptions closely, but the grey area is water that flooded the caldera when one of the walls collapsed. The bulk of the adventure is underground, so the party doesn't really walk by the castle, only a lone guard tower up on the ridge. Yes, most of the "dungeon" is back under the black parts if I recall correctly.

Hit the Goodman Games forums for info and some clarification, Some of the compass rosaries were printed incorrectly adding further confusion when reading room descriptions.

 

[Lidgar]

Think of a donut - the center (caldera) of the volcano is flooded with water. So the party climbs up the outside of the volcano (outer edge of the donut), goes though a passage to pass through a bit of rock near the tip to get to the caldera, and the ruins are perched on the upper inside of the volcano (inside the donut hole).

The dungeons are within the "donut" (ooh, jelly filled!), so yes, rooms 11-14 really make up the proper "first" level of the dungeon.

This image may help as well: