Let’s Make a Hexcrawl Setting

[Daztur]

The Gargoyles of the Conjured City
Additional information about Hex 48.18

The elephant tusks that top the walls of Sosaria are not only there for show. Many of them have been carved into fanciful shapes and enchanted with a semblance of life. Whenever these ivory carvings see anyone committing any crime (littering for example) they come to life and attack them mercilessly.

The gargoyle are small and their limbs are not especially strong but Imorcar the Many placed enchantments on them that protect them from most forms of harm. Piercing and slashing weapons barely nick them, bludgeoning weapons only do minimal damage and most forms of magic do not affect them. However, anything made out of ivory, tooth or bone can easily shatter gargoyles. In addition, their touch draws memories from the minds of those they strike. Especially potent memories (such as memorized spells) can take the form of small creatures that fall mewling from the ears of their owners.

Once, centuries ago, Imorcar was able to command his legion of gargoyles but no longer. Now he must live under the rules of the city or be attacked like any other. These days he always keeps an ivory-headed club near at hand and the grounds of the Palace of All Time are littered with broken ivory.

Connection: Olga Gruel (see post 414) knows all about these gargoyles.

Hooks:
-What sort of rules do the gargoyles enforce?
-Were any of the tusks taken from the graveyard of the painted elephants (43.27.01)? If so, how do the gnolls that revere the painted elephants feel about that?
-What sorts of shapes have the tusks been carved into?
-Who has had their memories stolen by the gargoyles?
-What forms have the creatures born of memory taken? Are any still around?

Edit: the compilation now has more words in it than The Two Towers, we should be able to hit Watership Down level by the end of the month or so...

 

[Daztur]

The Dead Men's Tongues
Additional information about Hex 29.14

Ripped off (with some tweaks) from D&D with Pornstars yet again.

Deep in the Undercity squirm the dead men's tongues, strange creatures that look much like enormous half-rotten human tongues. Those that they lick are overcome with the desire to kiss the nearest human or human-like being. If they are able to do so, silk-like filaments begins sprouting out of the afflicted's tongue, worm their way down the throat of the one they are kissing and eventually erupt out of the skin and envelop the pair in a cocoon. Several days later a new dead man's tongue will hatch from this cocoon.

The Whispering Sisters (29.14.07) once favored these tongues in their sacrifices of newlyweds but these days prefer to roast them alive within albino cows. This has resulted in the dead men's tongues getting loose and spreading uncontrollably through much of the Undercity.

Hooks:
-How were these tongues created?
-Is it possible to reverse the transformation into a dead man's tongue? Was anyone able to arrest the process part-way through?
-Why did the Whispering Sisters stop using the tongues in their rituals?

 

[Electric Wizard]

The Last Moon Elephants (50.20)
Connected to (48.18)

Gnolls of the Burning Land insist vehemently that the tusks on Sosaria's Elephant Wall were robbed from the Graveyard of Painted Elephants (43.27.01). This is not true. The djinn servants who built the great wall harvested the tusks from the moon elephants that roamed the nearby plain. The construction of the wall drove the species to near-extinction. A few remnant bands of the elephants use this watering hole as a base for their nightly foraging. They are one of the few beasts that the gnolls refuse to hunt because they believe that eating their flesh causes madness, and that their tusks are haunted by spirits.

Moon elephants were revered in ancient times as living calenders. Their hues and temperaments changes to match the phases of the moon. During full moons, the elephants, white and radiant and bold to the point of reckless aggression. New moons dull their hides and temperaments, making them nearly undetectable at night. Travelers have slept here new moons and awoke to discover elephant footprints around their campsites.

Those who have butchered these rare, majestic creatures report that their hides do not change hue after being removed. Armor made from white moon elephant hides inspire its wearers with courage and can be enchanted to have light-related properties. The dark hide armor is sought by many thieves and assassins because it makes its wearers both more alert and difficult to see.

Hooks
-Did these remarkable elephants come from the moon? If not, what is their relationship to the moon?
-Do djinn only appear in the Shrouded Lands to serve great wizards, or do some have other business here?
-Does eating their flesh really cause madness? Are their tusks haunted?
-What other beasts dwell on the plains near Sosaria?

 

[Daztur]

The Dead Fish
Hex 19.31.04
Connects to: 15.07, 23.32, 29.14.23, 50.03, 50.20

Note: created using the Random Cabaret Generator on the Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque blog: http://talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque.blogspot.com/2012/11/random-cabaret-generator.html

The Wayfarer’s Quiescent Repose (usually known as the Dead Fish after the enormous dried shark that hangs over the door) is a rough bar near the docks of Jahur that caters to local toughs, bloodstained travelers and members of the theater. There they guzzle down Thringish brandy of amazingly low quality, mutter quietly about the viceroys of the city, chew on bucket kelp, eat steaming plates of entrails fried in the local style (15.07) and watch a never-ending series of bare-knuckle brawling matches set to accordion music.

Useful relations can be struck up here but generally not those of an amorous nature as giving the locals the wrong looks can result in foreigners being volunteered for the next brawl (in which the patrons will helpfully throw mugs at the hapless fighter until they learn how to fight in time with the music).

The local authorities, both legal and otherwise have little love for the Dead Fish but they would have everyone in the place up on the Lonely Crag within the hour if they knew the truth. And no, it’s not that the Dead Fish engages in bucket kelp smuggling everyone knows that, it’s that the place is a front for the hated octoids (32.32). The proprietor, who is famous for having much of the flesh of his lips and cheeks missing leaving him with a hideous toothy grin, is their agent and he communicate with them regularly through a tunnel beneath the bar that leads down to the sea.

During nights of the new moon the bar grows even more rowdy than normal and octoid Lashers hidden beneath in moon elephant leather (50.20) slither across the damp and salty floor working their magic.

Connection:
-The proprietor gained his signature smile during a disasterous expedition to the Bone Heap (50.03).

Hooks:
-Why is there a large dried shark hanging over the door?
-Why do actors and actresses hang out here?
-What’s bucket kelp? Why do people chew it and why is it smuggled?
-How do you fight in time to music and, for the love of all the gods, why accordions?
-Anything else interesting about the proprietor? Who is he? Did he bring back any treasure from the Bone Heap?
-What are the octoids trying to do here? Why are their agents called “Lashers?”

 

[Electric Wizard]

Bucket Kelp Forest (26.33)
Connected to (19.31)

Bucket kelp is a mildly hallucinogenic sea plant endemic to the Sea of Typhoons. Humans who chew the leaves experience time slower. A chewer in a Jahur dive might wait for what seems like an hour for a friend to return from the privy. The drug's ability to alter the chewer's perception of time makes it popular among laborers who want to make the most of their short hours of rest as well as ascetics who use it as a meditation aid. Those who chew the kelp long enough have short-term synestesiac episodes that makes sound waves tangible and often visible. For some reason, most chewers assert that accordion music makes the most beautiful sound patterns. Those hoping to score bucket kelp often follow the whine and groan of accordions and find a circle of enraptured chewers with kelp to spare.

Bucket kelp is outlawed in Jahur because its primary harvesters are octoids. Despite the ban, it is easy to smuggle in because of its popularity with dockworkers. Smugglers often store it in buckets fastened to bottom of ships, which gives the kelp its street name. In the last few months, unlucky chewers have bought bad batches that induce terrifying hallucinations.Many believe this is the work of the Viceroys, who have tried for years to cut consumption. Others blame a heretical cult of Iano called the Holy Fools.

Hooks
-Bucket kelp is becoming quite chic in many of Shuttered's salons. How does it get that far north?
-Does the kelp aid in spell casting or preparation?
-Who is really responsible for the poisoned batches of bucket kelp?
-Tell me more about the Holy Fools, the heretical cult of Iano.

 

[Daztur]

New map: http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/3990/dec13map.png

I've gotten a lot of art added in now that'll be up in the new version of the compilation. It's starting to look quite nice.

 

[Sanglorian]

I've brought the appendices up to date. By my count we have about 310 distinct monsters, which would be easily enough to fill a monster manual.

That's great to see the compilation brought up to date. I'm going to celebrate by printing it off!

I agree that the 16th of January is the perfect time to spread the word on what we've created here.

I have a few art suggestions:

For the sailbeasts, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dimetrodon8DB.jpg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dimetrodon_angelensisDB.jpg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dimetrodon_gigashomog_DB.jpg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dimetrodon_gigashomog_DB.jpg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EdaphosaurusDB.jpg

For the fanged lizards, I'd imagined something like a velociraptor or deinonychus. Some appropriate art for those could be https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sketch_deinonychus.jpg, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pyroraptor_olympius.jpg, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Utahraptor_ostrommaysorum.png, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Velociraptorprotoceratops.jpg

This is how I've always imagined the tarrasque, but I can understand wanting to keep something like that unillustrated: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arthur_and_the_Questing_Beast_(full).jpg

The compilation (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6z-iUIH4P8aUGhvTlZKT25oTXM/edit) has been brought completely up to date now. That means that all content in this thread is now in the compilation and all of those “XX” placeholders are now gone. I recommend giving the various sub-hexes of the City of Shuttered Windows a read through. There’s so much cools stuff that was buried in the older pages of this thread that never got followed up.

So, what’s next?
-I'll have an updated map up tonight (Korean time). Edit: map done now, it's here: http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/3381/dec8map.png
-Tweaking the formatting a bit to make it look nicer and be clearer. For example I’ll be putting a listing and short descriptions of sub-hexes as part of main hexes that have sub hexes.
-In a lot of cases hexes note a connection between that hex and a foreign region but the region write-ups don’t note those connections. I’ll fix that.
-More art, I’ve found so much cool open source art.
-I’ve got ten or so hex ideas that I haven’t written up yet. I’ve also finally gotten Vornheim and will be mining that a bit as well as putting on some connections between Shuttered and the rapidly expanding Singing Wastes region.
-Eventually working on expanding Sanglorian’s index and merging it in with the compilation document (this won’t start in earnest for a while).
-January 16^th is the first anniversary of the first incarnation of this setting (the rpg.net thread). I think that the first anniversary is a good day to finally start spamming this setting around a bit to some different forums and PM all of the various old contributors (especially chutup) to take a look at what we’ve all made.

 

[Daztur]

Yup, I've got the questing beast pic in my ginormous art archive of doooooom, am working on putting more art into the compilation and have 20 or so more added that aren't in the latest uploaded compilation.

For the sailbeasts I was thinking bulky omnivorous dimetrodons (sort of dimetrodon crossed with a hippo or one of these http://img.ezinemark.com/imagemanager2/files/30003693/2010/11/a1a8.jpg guys or something) for the fangbeasts I was actually thinking of these guys from the Permian:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ajfuQujU1rrpn3bo1_1280.jpg
http://evolutionaryroutes.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/gorgonopsians_wm_250tall.jpg?w=640
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YeKO4f2vifk/Tg3R00KJ3YI/AAAAAAAABek/nlkhNN6WUnQ/s1600/therapsid.jpg
http://img.ezinemark.com/imagemanager2/files/30003693/2010/11/a1a5.jpg
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/122/8/6/inostrancevia_alexandri_by_karkemish00.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LOpbWIPseDg/Szj6kmO3YkI/AAAAAAAAALo/HxgIs4vZ5qc/s1600/Inostrancevia.gif
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YJtJVrH3c5k/R1SRiolxN1I/AAAAAAAAAMc/y2vmHJwZjj8/s1600-R/Inostrancevia.jpg

And giving lizardmen a Permian theme but deinonychus is more famous and metal and easier to communicate to players. Thoughts?

Ooooh found a nice paleontology blog:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v63oXhK9fbU/UIhhk6TvvBI/AAAAAAAADBQ/owqKb9c9pAk/s1600/Therapsid_Carl%2BBuell.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WCqvGm-43...AACVE/XViBvtEXeW0/s1600/permian+4+%281%29.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YJtJVrH3c...A74/DCloYo6Ve2U/s1600-h/Permianscene-full.jpg

 

[Daztur]

The Whistling Reeds
Hex 50.26

The whistling language of the lizardmen (41.24) is so high pitched that it drives dogs mad but among humans only young children are able to hear it. The tongues of most other races are completely incapable of producing lizardman speech which is why the gnolls of the Howling College (51.29.02) come here often to gather whistling reeds, a species of river grass that can be made into flutes that allow the player to communicate with lizardmen in their own language.

However, when gathering the reeds it is important to avoid the parasitic tadpoles that are common in the river. They can worm into the flesh of the unwary and slowly grow within their host, absorbing more and more of the host's form and mind. When the Bergolasti (38.28) vampire frog is ready to emerge the host feels a burning sensation that drives them to dive in the nearest body of water, which allows the young frog to safely swim away.

Hooks:
-Human adults can't hear lizardmen speech (too high pitched). Can any other races hear it? How do lizardmen communicate with other races then, human child translators?
-Can gnolls hear lizardmen? Why do they bother making flutes to try to communicate with them?
-How are the vampire frogs associated with Bergolast?
-What does it mean that the tadpoles absorb (some of) the form and mind of their host?

OOC: I like the image of lizardmen moving into the attack in (apparent) complete silence as the PCs' dogs howl madly.

 

[Daztur]

The Copperlode
Hex 08.01

Recently Elwen the Snickersnee and a company of Browncloaks (briefly mentioned in 29.14.30), including a one-legged gnomish illusionist, a crowfolk ratter (26.20.07) and a masked deep dwarven machinist, returned from the Draugmere Peaks their hirelings bent beneath the weight of the loot that they carried. The lot of them are now drinking themselves blind at Farnsfall (11.03) and telling tall tales about the hidden dragon cave they looted and the vast mountain of copper pennies that they couldn't be bothered to take with them.

This has roused the greed of some of the locals for, while they are not brave men, a backpack full of coppers is more money than they can make working for Baron Farnsfall.

Hooks:
-Is there really a huge heap of copper coins as Elwen claims?
-Did they really kill a dragon?
-Who are the Browncloaks exactly? How did Elwen round up such a mix of races?

I'm imaging this one could work as a hook for a newbie party. D&D has a lot of examples of dungeons that were cleared out long ago and restocked or adventurers in which there's dead adventurers about but I don't think I've ever seen one in which the PCs adventure in a dungeon that was recently cleared by a higher level party. I think that would be a lot of fun, there'd be some random stuff left behind (like the mountain of coppers if it exists) all kinds of mayhem that adventurers always leave behind, a few overlooked secret doors and side rooms and a few survivors from the slaughter.