Let’s Make a Hexcrawl Setting

[LostSoul]

Cool.

Hex 06.10 (plains)

Within this hex lies a squat ziggurat made of blocks carved from greenschist. It has been overgrown with exotic vines bearing violet flowers not native to the region.

The vegetation transforms into grasping pythons when climbed upon, pulling the unwary inside and feeding them to the snake-demon imprisoned within.

The violet flowers that blossom on the vines can be brewed into a narcotic tea that offers a sense of euphoria. Knowledgeable characters can brew a tea that offers resistance to poison.

Shep the goblin from hex 03.08 gathers the tea for sale in Uncle Bertie's Trading Post at Maris' behest. He is jealous of his treasure and will lead others to their doom.

Hooks:
- How is the snake-demon imprisoned?
- Who imprisoned it?
- How does Shep gather the tea without being killed?

 

[LostSoul]

Hex 13.08 (plains)

Within this hex lies a pleasant farming village, overgrown with webs glistening in the daylight. The webs pose a danger: the webs are as strong as steel. The glistening patterns (in daylight only) pose a threat to the mind, drawing characters into a maze of tunnels, which close behind them.

This is the den of a spider of foul intelligence and her brood. From her creche, which she never leaves, she can manipulate the web. She will open and close paths to lead characters to her, but she relies on vibrations from the web to locate her prey. Once they reach her, she will trap them and store them to feed her hungry children. She is fond of conversation and will spare those who converse with her - until the other, more boring food runs out, that is.

Characters who move carefully through the webs will find that they provide a safe place to rest.

Exploring the well-made houses reveals the skeletons of large families, many livestock, good tools, and some luxury goods.

Captain Keith from 15.07 once found himself trapped within the spider's lair, but was able to convince her to let him go after spinning wondrous tales. Now he has a deal with the spider: in exchange for more tales, which he collects from visitors to his eatery, he gathers the entrails and riches of her victims. He has been known to lead adventurers to their doom here - especially wealthy ones.

Hooks
- Who is the spider keeping alive in her den?
- Where have the inhabitants of this place gone? What would they do to get their homes back?
- Where can one find the cure for ghoulism?

 

[Stormonu]

Wandering - The Giant's Riddle

A nameless Storm Giant wanders the wilderness (Hexes 15.07 to 09.10 and to 03.08), accosting all he meets with a wager. For 10 gold, he will give a listener 3 chances to guess his riddle - about an item that he has crafted (and carrying with him in a chest). Those who win the wager win the item. The Giant changes his riddle for each new item he crafts, which is easily 20-100 times the wager fee. It generally takes him between a week and a month to craft a new item.

The Storm Giant makes regular visits to Uncle Bertie's Trading Post and KFE, where he gets most of his wagers. He knows of, and refuses to deal with Abdul and his winery.

An example riddle:

"Seabound stone of ivory
In silver chains of three and three
The proud prize of Neptune
Taken, not given, by the hand of man
To adorn the heart of lady's vanity."

Answer (and prize), a pearl necklace.
Hooks
- Where is the giant's real home?
- Why does he engage in a game of riddles for his items?

 

[SnowleopardVK]

Another one from me. What's with me and underground stuff anyways?

The Tashtan Plains
Type: Plain (Hex #02.08)

The low hills of these grassy plains are quiet here, though not eerily so. Small animals graze the grass, the sun and moon shine bright through most days and nights, and the wind often blows gently, unobstructed by walls for miles. Just beneath the surface however writhes a grotesque sight, a massive colony of man-sized centipedes lives in tight tunnels beneath the dirt, their colony tunnels reaching out for miles in all directions, extending beneath most of this part of the plain and descending who-knows how deep.

Hooks:
- An unwary digger tunnelled into the bugs' lair. He's almost certainly dead, but the entrance he made is still there, for now. This could be a chance to exterminate this vermin menace for good!
- Rumours of treasure in a centipede colony? But why would bugs have treasure?
- It's theorized that a forgotten relic of some ancient magic is responsible for the growth of these creatures. Perhaps it could be retrieved.
- Why does such a vast colony of bugs bugs so rarely disturb the pristine surface of the plains?

 

[Stormonu]

The TimberLode

Set in a rocky plain reached via a meandering footpath rises a stout timber fortress, rising some 15 feet above the ground, and manned by a group of war-like, xenophobic elves (and their families). Oddly enough, the wood of the fortess is made of cut logs, and the whole structure appears to be fairly new, and very crude-looking.

Though the elves seem in desperate need of supplies, they are unwilling to leave their fort and unwiiling to trust outsiders. If they can are befriended, they would be willing to trade for a laundry list of supplies from the trading post, and willing to pay much coin for wine from Abdul.



Hooks
- How did the elves come to be in this fortress, and who built it?
- Why are the elves so xenophobic about others?

 

[Daztur]

Kids are napping now, I'll try to add in a few locations, then update the map and the compilation before they wake up, it's a race against time!
Edit: map updated, the Timberlode has been placed at Hex 13.03

Hex 03.05
The Long Stairs

Carved over the long years by neophytes into the very stone of the mountain, a long series of smooth stone steps lead up towards the dwarven monastery.

The stairs are splotched badly with dove droppings for many of these sacrificial birds flock around the Long Stairs. Some of them have had their feathers dyed orange in honor of the holy color of the Drinker of Iron so that the monks can judge the auspices by watching the course of their flight among their white brothers. The doves also serve to alert the monks to intruders for they always fly into the air in one vast peeping cloud at the approach of strangers.

Hooks:
-Can you really predict the future by looking at birds?

Hex 01.03
The Giant's Lake

Although the nameless storm giant spends much of his days wandering the lowlands to the east, he makes his home in a small isle within the Giant's Lake.

Very little rain falls in the secluded mountain valley that houses this lake, so when the weather is dry and the sun hot a thick layer of salt forms over the brine of this ancient lake, which is thick enough to walk on and reflects the sky like a great mirror.

The storm giant claims that the surrounding mountains are actually giants that have been turned to stone and that the salt of the lake is the dried residue of their tears. He does not harass the migratory birds that flock the lake when the rains come but he drives off any sentient creature he sees approaching the lake.

The location of the lake is not well known by the humans of the east, but Old Willie often came down from the mountains with bags of salt, which sold well at Uncle Bertie's Trading Post. Since his disappearance, the trading post has been running low on salt, much to the consternation of the locals that rely on it to preserve their meat.

Hooks:
-What happened to Old Willie. Did the giant kill him for stealing salt?
-The story about the petrified giants isn't really true, is it?

/ Again with the tears, I know, I know.

Hex 22.06
The Western Edge of the Kingswood

Note: this entry has been adapted from a post by "drek" at rpg.net.

The elves of the Timberlode have had the worst possible punishment of the Seelie Court meted out against them: exile from the Kingswood.

Ancient beyond the reckoning of any of the lesser-lived peoples, the court of the Bloodied King claims domain over Kingswood, living just as they have for a thousand-thousand years. The Court at Kingswood refuses all diplomatic ties and even the curtest of communication.

The elves of Kingswood kill anyone found within or near their lands during the daylight hours. They cannot be swayed into allowing human traffic through their forest, citing the terms of an ancient covenant with a long forgotten Prince of Men.

Hook:
-Who is the Prince of Men, and why is he forgotten?
-What did the elves of the Timberlode do to anger the Bloodied King?

 

[SnowleopardVK]

There appears to be water on the map at 00.06 but I don't see an entry for that anywhere? Am I missing something?

But hey, since there's bound to be ocean in places...

Hex 01.06: The Warbling Coast
(Ocean, Beach)

A smooth, sandy beach runs for miles along the edge of the ocean here, broken only by the occasional small stream. Trees border the edge of the sand and exotic birds fill the air, making their nests in the branches, larger pieces of driftwood, and on the occasional rock jutting from the water. Among these birds, sometimes flies a mystical white raven which some claim serves as a messenger or prophet for some higher being. The bird has only ever been glimpsed for moments at a time among the massive and colourful flocks though, so these claims remain unproven.

Hooks:
- Why have so many different birds chosen this one length of beach to nest, and how do they manage to coexist?
- Is the raven really a divine creature, or just of an unusual colour?
- Some of the especially exotic birds here are probably quite valuable, could one or two such specimens be captured alive? (although those attempting such a hunt should be wary of massive swarming flocks).

Hex 01.07: The Saltwood
(Forest)

The air here is thick with the smell of salt water from the nearby ocean and the woods are filled with coastal creatures. Most of these are what one would expect, but several more unusual magical beasts dwell here as well. Strangest of all are the rumours of those who have seen a particularly large shark swim upriver to this wood from the Warbling Coast. Some even claim to have seen the creature crawl from the water onto a far bank, transforming into a grotesque, mutated ogre and walking off into the woods. Among more civilised folk these are simply rumours, but they are in fact the truth! The Ogre, Zuc, an afflicted Wereshark, makes his home in a cabin deep in these woods.

- Some people say the treasures that wash up on nearby beaches all end up in the woods sooner or later. Maybe there are still some in there.
- The more dangerous magical beasts around here have been numerous lately. Maybe someone would pay to have a few hunted to thin their numbers.
- Who is Zuc anyways, and why has he only been seen from a distance? Perhaps he eats those who get too close...
- Zuc is only a symptom of a greater evil. Somewhere out in the waters must swim a true wereshark, the one who infected him. Heroes would do well to hunt down such a menace.

 

[Daztur]

Map updated, the compilation has been updated but is still not 100% up to date, will add another entry and bring the compilation up to date tomorrow.

A Wizard Did It or BEES! GIANT BEES!
Hex 10.10 description and backstory for hexes 13.08 and 2.08.

At the heart of the web-shrouded village (13.08) lies an abandoned wizard tower. It was once the home of Severard of the Seven Circles and his apprentices. The village that grew up around his tower was ruled and protected by him and he set about improving the lives of the villagers through the rational application of magic. Some of the locals chafed at his demands that they do all things “rationally” but most considered it a small price to pay for his aid and protection.

As the village, then known as Severard’s Town, grew the wizard became annoyed by constant talk about food production and set about solving the problem. He developed magic that could greatly increase the growth of animals and tested it on centipedes and bees. He set up colonies of these creatures both west in the Tashtan Plains and as well as to the east (hexes 2.08 and 10.10) in order to study them, caring little about their effects on others.

He was wrapping up his experiments on spider growth and preparing to move on to chickens and other delicious animals when, in a moment of carelessness, he was poisoned and killed by his prize spider specimen. He villagers became concerned when Severard failed to come out of his tower and cats and other small animals began to disappear from the village. But by the time that they had gathered up enough courage to venture into Severard’s tower it was too late. The spider had grown too large and too cunning and drove the villagers from their homes and cast her webs across the villager. Perhaps a means to reverse the magical growth of animals lies within Severard of the Seven Circle’s tower, but none have been able to retrieve it.

Although Severard now lies dead, his creations yet multiply. Away from his tower (10.10) his bee colony fills a large copse of trees with its dreadful buzzing. The bees that live here range out miles from their hive, seeking the sweet nectar of the purple kingscrown flowers. The locals, while they wisely fear to approach the hive, do go in the dead of winter (when the bees lie mostly dormant) to gather honey. The locals are willing to kill any intruders who attempt to poach their honey, for the purple mead that can be made from is their only valuable trade good.

Hooks:
-Who are the locals who harvest the honey?
-What makes the purple giant bee honey so valuable?
-What happened to Severard’s apprentices?
-Why was he called Severard “of the Seven Circles?” What circles?
-What is the means of reversing animal growth that lies within Severard’s tower?
-A wizard’s tower must have some other interesting things in it. Right?

Hex 29.07
The Holt of the Bloodied King
Note: the first paragraph of this post has been adapted from a post by “drek” on the rpg.net forums.

At the heart of the Kingswood lies the Holt of the Bloodied King. At night and during the very darkest depths of winter, the Seelie Court retreats into their central Holt. Tiny motes of purplish light arise from the trees during this time -- the last remnants of the Unseelie Court that once shared ruler-ship in Kingswood, before being chased out hundreds upon hundreds of years ago.

Near the Holt where the Bloodied King of the Elves of the Kingswood reigns, a great geyser bursts from the earth. It is the source of the Witchwater, a river that flows through and out of the Kingswood.

The heat of the water spewed from the geyser keeps the Witchwater remarkably ice-free in winter and for much of its length it is shrouded in a great serpent of mist. In many places it is warm enough to bathe in comfortably year-round, although any human doing so would surely be a fool...

Hooks:
-Where did the Unseelie Court go?
-Why’s there such a massive geyser in the middle of the forest?
-Why would it be foolish for a human (or other species as well?) to bathe in the Witchwater?

/Again with the hot springs. Winter is doing things to my brain.

 

[Daztur]

The compilation has now been brought completely up to date. It has just broken thirteen pages.

Through Caverns Measureless to Man
Hex 05.05: additional information

The caverns that run under the Glass Rapids extend an enormous distance and have never been thoroughly mapped. In the upper caverns fungus grows abundantly in the strange green glow of the riverbanks, nearly covering what appear to be shattered walls of ancient buildings, perhaps carried here by some long-forgotten flood.

On the nights that the singing from the caverns can be heard the most clearly, travelers have also heard the baying of hounds and reports of massive woolly-coated black dogs have been made.

According to those who have consulted the wisdom of The Weeper, the few words that could be made out clearly among the singing translate to "the last child," "the flute of black fire" and "beware!" in a decadent dialect of demonic.

Hooks:
-What can be found in the deeper caverns?
-What's up with the black dog?
-Who is the singer and what is the song?

Tehaar the Huntress
Type: Wandering NPC

One of the most able, or at least the most active, of the servants of the Bloodied King is Tehaar the Huntress. She leads a band of elves that relentlessly patrols the Kingswood, more out of love for the hunt than for any duty to the king, other elves say. She can be easily recognized by the unseelie runes inscribed on the leather mask that she wears whenever on the hunt and the stag that she rides.

Tehaar’s tactics are based on bleeding intruders without risking elven lives and generally begin by harassing the quarry without alerting them to elven presence. This is done by driving beasts into the paths of the intruders, setting up snares, obscuring trails and casting spells out of earshot (summoned monsters are a favorite) to slowly wear down the intruders. If the quarry resists these attempts, then the elves approach and shoot arrows at them from cover (often magical), especially focusing on interrupting any attempts at casting healing magic. A favorite tactic is firing down at the quarry from tall trees and then bounding away across branches too thin for bulkier races to climb across. Throughout the hunt, Tehaar’s second in command shadows that intruders and reports their activities (via mimicked animal sounds).

If the enemy attempts to chase the elves, then they are lead deep into the forest and usually become hopelessly lost. If they panic and make a break for the edge of the forest, then Tehaar’s companions begin sounding hunting horns and toy with them with cat-like glee.

However, Tehaar is not entirely without mercy. In one case, a band of Stannev men were in pursuit of a gang of cattle rustlers who had become desperate enough to run into the Kingswood in the daytime. The Stannev men-at-arms bravely gave chase and, as they were finishing gutting the rustlers, Tehaar’s band arrived, bristling with arrows, but allowed the humans to retreat out of the Kingswood with only a few desultory arrows fired past their ears. In general, Tehaar will allow intruders to retreat out of the Kingswood after killing their leader, in some cases even providing an escort. However, enemies who attempt to cover their escape by doing such things as setting fire to the forest will be hunted to extinction.

The best ways to survive an encounter with Tehaar is to use an elf as a hostage, hide in an enclosed area where elven bows are of little use or run into her when she is not hunting, such as during one of her frequent swims in the Witchwater.

Hooks:
-What properties does the Witchwater have?
-Who else has run into Tehaar? Did they live?

 

[the Jester]

The Mocking Hills
Hex 04.07

Type: Location

The foothills running through this hex are short but steep, with many areas of scree and sparse vegetation. Because of their steepness, there are a number of areas within it that could be described almost as chasms, intersecting to form a shallow but hard-to-climb maze. More than one traveler has lost his or her way amongst the Mocking Hills, nearly (or actually!) starving to death before escaping.

Some claim that the area is haunted by some sort of malicious beasts that can speak, but others claim this to be mere superstition. Nonetheless, some nearby tribes use a trek through a portion of the Mocking Hills as a test of adulthood, and most of the locals return safely. Despite this, some insist that they heard mocking laughter and/or saw some sort of terrifically ugly quadruped stalking the forlorn hills.

Hooks:

Are the rumored ugly quadrupeds real, and what are they? (Note: The first poster who can identify my answer from the description above gets xps!)
Who are the nearby locals that send their youths into the canyons and gullies of the Mocking Hills, and why do the rumored monsters not molest them?
Might there be lost treasures amongst the hills, lost by travelers or adventurers who did not escape? MIght there be an organization dedicated to seeking such treasures?