[Hive] How many scrolls could the Hivers scribe if the Hivers could scribe scrolls?

[blackshirt5]

And just to clarify, really only the dwarves have steamtech; it hasn't really disseminated among the humans yet(although a choice few do have access thanks to dwarven friends and oaths and debts, although the dwarves are normally loath to share).

Most elves hate the dwarves and their steamtech for the despoilation of land it inevitably ends up causing(the chopping of trees, smoke, etc.)

And what I'm trying to surmise is how a village would be able to survive near Castle Zelyon without being horribly slaughtered if somebody accidentally woke a dragon or how they would fight off the undead that always seem to be by the castle ruins(especially the area known as The Graves of Soldiers).

 

[Carnifex]

And what I'm trying to surmise is how a village would be able to survive near Castle Zelyon without being horribly slaughtered if somebody accidentally woke a dragon or how they would fight off the undead that always seem to be by the castle ruins(especially the area known as The Graves of Soldiers).

Answer is, they wouldn't survive. Which is why the villagers would absolutely loath adventurers.

They wouldn't want some halfwit who thinks he knows how to use a sword and thus has an ego the size of the moon, wandering into the castle, getting himself killed, and thus provoking some monster which then comes and attacks the village. They'd see adventurers as nothing but troublemakers, and do their best to keep them away.

Alternatively the village would already be smoking wreckage, and there'd be no settlement within miles.

 

[blackshirt5]

The nature of the castle is that it's very challenging; it's become a proving ground for rookie adventurers and a hunting ground for the more seasoned ones(and the less scrupulous hunt each other). Legends abound about it, but most agree that the fallen angel Zelyon, when he was cast from Heaven, built this castle. No one has ever catalogued it's depths, although rumors of their being possibly hundreds of layers, if you count the Graves of Soldiers dungeon(which is nearby; in fact, the Graves of Soldiers is right on the sprawling castle grounds) leaves ample room to imagine. Treasures from this castle can make a man rich beyond his wildest imaginings. The more altruistic(demon hunters, paladins, and their ilk, including the mysterious elven warriors known only as The Warders) come to stamp out the evil(and possibly make a quick gil for themselves and those they protect) that pervades the castle.

The castle is very dangerous. Bypassing the first few levels(and bringing proof back) is often enough to cause celebration in the local taverns and cause an old timer to slap the newbie on the back, buy him an ale and a barmaid, and "welcome him to the game"; the celebration is made all the more potent by the fact that many who go in never come back out again and are only seen again by the next poor souls who have to face their reanimated corpse.

 

[blackshirt5]

And as far as monsters, sages surmise that some kind of magic keeps the monsters on the castle's sprawling palatial estates most of the time; certain unknown events occasionally cause the seal to break and the monsters(especially the mindless undead like zombies and skeletons, although starving ghouls are also prone to making a break for food) to wander afield. For their part, the villagers will have built a fair distance away from the castle grounds to try to keep safe from these days.

 

[Carnifex]

The nature of the castle is that it's very challenging; it's become a proving ground for rookie adventurers and a hunting ground for the more seasoned ones(and the less scrupulous hunt each other). Legends abound about it, but most agree that the fallen angel Zelyon, when he was cast from Heaven, built this castle. No one has ever catalogued it's depths, although rumors of their being possibly hundreds of layers, if you count the Graves of Soldiers dungeon(which is nearby; in fact, the Graves of Soldiers is right on the sprawling castle grounds) leaves ample room to imagine. Treasures from this castle can make a man rich beyond his wildest imaginings. The more altruistic(demon hunters, paladins, and their ilk, including the mysterious elven warriors known only as The Warders) come to stamp out the evil(and possibly make a quick gil for themselves and those they protect) that pervades the castle.

The castle is very dangerous. Bypassing the first few levels(and bringing proof back) is often enough to cause celebration in the local taverns and cause an old timer to slap the newbie on the back, buy him an ale and a barmaid, and "welcome him to the game"; the celebration is made all the more potent by the fact that many who go in never come back out again and are only seen again by the next poor souls who have to face their reanimated corpse.

Hmm, y'see, I don't think anyone in their right mind would live anywhere near such a place.

Where do all these adventurers come from? Most medieval communities do not create a large number of individuals who could take up such a life; few people would have the inclination or reason to do so, to take their lives in their hands for a little bit of treasure (massively devalued in any nearby settlement that *does* exist because there's apparently so much stuff being taken out of the castle into the local economy). There doesn't seem any reason for lots of people to walk into a castle and die, when lots of other people before them have walked in and died with no real amount of success.

Hmm, I guess I see the concept of such a single-dungeon-based economy in a nearby settlement to be rather... artificial. It doesn't really work well unless there are genuine, strong reasons for everyone to be playing out the parts that they do. What is to stop the evils in the dungeon just coming out and laying waste to nearby settlements - well, there isn't really anything to stop it if its something like a dragon. And it'd be the adventurers fault too, since they'll have provoked such retaliation.

 

[Carnifex]

And as far as monsters, sages surmise that some kind of magic keeps the monsters on the castle's sprawling palatial estates most of the time; certain unknown events occasionally cause the seal to break and the monsters(especially the mindless undead like zombies and skeletons, although starving ghouls are also prone to making a break for food) to wander afield. For their part, the villagers will have built a fair distance away from the castle grounds to try to keep safe from these days.

But why live near it at all? The villagers would simply go elsewhere in the face of such dangers, even if there is some magic that prevents too many monsters moving; there'd be nothing more than a ghost town left (perhaps literally )

 

[blackshirt5]

But why live near it at all? The villagers would simply go elsewhere in the face of such dangers, even if there is some magic that prevents too many monsters moving; there'd be nothing more than a ghost town left (perhaps literally )

That's the problem that I'm trying to get past, because I think it'd ruin the suspension of disbelief. Although I can see the town turning into one that is at least in part supported by adventurers that come to stay in between forays into the dungeon(and maybe a few old adventurers retiring there, you know, falling in love with a local woman, love of the town, that sort of thing), I'd like something else that'd justify the town being there(and being fortified); preferably something tied into the notion that the castle was built by the first fallen angel. Any ideas, Fex?

Wow; what started off as a simple dungeon crawl is expanding rapidly.

 

[Carnifex]

That's the problem that I'm trying to get past, because I think it'd ruin the suspension of disbelief. Although I can see the town turning into one that is at least in part supported by adventurers that come to stay in between forays into the dungeon(and maybe a few old adventurers retiring there, you know, falling in love with a local woman, love of the town, that sort of thing), I'd like something else that'd justify the town being there(and being fortified); preferably something tied into the notion that the castle was built by the first fallen angel. Any ideas, Fex?

Wow; what started off as a simple dungeon crawl is expanding rapidly.

1st fallen angel, I assume he was evil. Some good religion therefore builds their own 'countercastle' or some sort of fort/chapter house very close by, to keep an eye on the ruins and ensure that nothing comes out and kills everything. These people, however, are likely to take a dim view of adventurers plundering the ruins - sure, they're killing evil things, but every idiot who gets himself killed just bolsters the undeads numbers, not to mention the risk of provoking some ancient evil within to come out.

Anyways, I'm off now to have something to eat and drink! Bye Hive

 

[blackshirt5]

Hmm; thanks for the help Fex.

BTW, just thought I'd put it out there that while one theory is that the castle was the estate of the first fallen angel(who defied the overgod, which doesn't necessarily put him in the "Evil" category forthright), there are multitudinous other theories on the castle's origins. No one is sure(obviously) which one is the right theory.

 

[blackshirt5]

Another thought that I had was this(since the idea for this was originally inspired by me looking through some old Magic the Gathering cards and magazines and thinking too hard about Castle Greyhawk at the same time):

Maybe the Castle is it's own plane. With standing gates(and probably flying planeshifting ships) used to gain access to the plane that it's on; what do you think, could it work then Carnifex(with the village being on another plane of existence, the townspeople wouldn't really have to worry about being swamped by monsters; and while it could've started as a mining town, when the gate was discovered(or that the easiest extraplanar entrance is by the town for the ships), the town adapted over time to accomodate the large number of adventurers(from all over the planes) that come to stay and recuperate, load up, etc. before their forays into this other plane(which is very expansive, but also pretty much overrun by the castle and it's inhabitants; it's an ancient artifact from an extraplanar war between planeswalkers). Although I might have the players be the first to discover it. hehehe.