Let’s Make a Hexcrawl Setting

[Daztur]

Ooof. Just broke 5K words with my dwarf fortress game prep. It includes a zoomed in hexcrawl (information on a slew of one mile hexes inside of one six mile hex), a random profession table, critical wounds table, dwarf henchman morale fail table, overly complicated random encounter table etc.

Will also include a few more tables in the future when I get around to writing them:
-What's gone wrong in the fortress this month?
-Who shows up at the fortress this month?
-What weird is going on in the surrounding countryside this month?

 

[Sanglorian]

ADDED TO THE WIKI
The Wreck-Pit of the Panzerkrabs (a hex nearish Jahur)
Inspired by Scrap Princess’ Pokemon fusions, Dinotopia’s Poseidos and mecha. A quite dramatic steampunk swing for the setting - but of course that’s not unusual for swords & sorcery.

One-eyed crabs the size of cattle scuttle across this rusty wasteland. Once the manufactory-city of Alexandrine, it fell to ruin two centuries ago. Its mechanical marvels, including hovering scarab-like vehicles and great behemoths made of iron, have mostly fallen apart of been cut open by the panzerkrabs, who use the scraps not just to make armour, but also whole mobile fortresses and mechanical suits.

The Janissaries owe their technology to Alexandrine innovation, even if their creation occurred in Jahur. At the heart of the city spin enormous difference engines, calculating unknown algorithms at a terrific pace. One Janissary, Volos, claims that if he allows his memory tapes to spool into the engine, his mind will merge with the machine. He believes that the Alexandrines discovered how to do this with their own, fleshy brains.

Hooks
Where did the Alexandrines disappear to?
Do the panzerkrabs have intelligence of their own?
What are their plans?
What do they think of the nordenbjorn?
Has anyone gotten a scarab flier or metal behemoth out of the city?
What are the difference engines calculating?

 

[Sanglorian]

ALREADY ADDED TO WIKI
A Boat from the Moon (a hex nearish Gore)
Inspired by the soratami from Magic: the Gathering

The somnakami, or Cloud Rabbits, are a humanoid people with pale, soft fur and long, rabbit-like ears. They live on the dark side of the Moon, but travel to earth in small rowboats made of lufwood weighed down with sparkling moonrocks.

They do sometimes come for travel or trade, but recently have sent down prison hulks with dozens of somnakami convicts. A rebellion broke out on the Moon and these were warriors and politicians on the losing side.

Some of the Sanguine Lords have already made overtures to the convicts, hoping that their lunar magic could be brought to bear.

Hooks
Do the moonrocks have any special qualities?
What were the two sides in this war in the Heavens?
What can lunar magic do?
Is there a way that humans can travel to the Moon?
Do the moonfolk have mooncalves and mooncakes?

 

[Sanglorian]

ALREADY ADDED TO THE WIKI
Slithers in the Moors (a hex nearish the People of the Claw)
Inspired by Scrap Princess’ Pokemon fusions.

The perorb is a curious beast. About the size of a leopard, it has rubbery skin and catfish-like whiskers. When alarmed, they ooze a gummy mist that is highly conductive. They then generate a charge which can stun, knock you off your feet or stop the heart.

The People of the Claw hold these perorbs in high regard. Some have started to retrieve the perorbs’ kittens and raise them, though without great success. The chief of the People recently gave one to his first wife, and no one is sure if it was intended to vex or to chuff her.

Either way, she is looking for a convenient foreigner on whom to blame its impending disappearance.

Hooks
What does the chief think of his wife?
Has anyone succeeded in taming the perorb?

 

[Sanglorian]

I've made some changes and additions to the wiki. In particular, I've taken my Lands of Gore, Duchy of Thring and Barrier Ranges docs from several months ago and plugged them in. These take all setting details not related to that particular hex out of the hex and put them elsewhere (so we don't have details about eg Dead Tiamat scattered across dozens of hexes).

Also, I wonder if it's better to have a separate wiki page for every hex, or if describing each hex in a region on that region's page is easier. See eg http://shrouded-lands.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lands_of_Gore

Finally, Daztur, what's the most up-to-date version of the hex compilation that you have? If I import more hexes, I'd like to use that canonical version to avoid duplicating work.

EDIT: Working backwards, I've added new entries to #670.

EDIT2: On further reflection, I think spinning off each hex into its own wiki page is probably easiest.

 

[Sanglorian]

BOTH ADDED TO THE WIKI

Tenderfoot and the Saklas (22.00)

The quickling Tenderfoot had heard tales of the Stairs of the Sun. She prepared herself for The Lion’s Day by training for ten months with monks of The Stern Way. All quicklings move fast, but Tenderfoot outran lightning.

When dawn dusted the edge of the valley, Tenderfoot raced up the steps and ladders that crystallised in the air.

Just as darkness fell, a great fireball appeared in the sky. It raced down the fading steps and appeared before those awaiting Tenderfoot’s return.


It was a mass of lions, strangely stretched and constructed from cords of twisting fire - what the people of this land now know as saklas.

Tenderfoot collapsed before them. An unseasonable chill mist rose and the saklas retreated.

According to a priest of Alberon who ministered to Tenderfoot, she whispered in her ear that she had reached the Sun and it was the palace of the entity that calls itself The King in Splendour. It was a nightmarish place where those who worshipped the King in life now serve him in death. Since her death shortly followed, it is impossible to corroborate the story.

Hooks

Is this religious propaganda, or is there any truth to it?
How did the saklas get to The Burning Lands?
Did Tenderfoot really make it to the Sun and back in one day?

My Mule, My Brother (08.15)

A mule of indeterminate age lives on a grassy plateau here, sheltered from the elements by a cliff face that rises above the plateau. He has dragged a number of useful tools here over the years, including a large piece of cured leather that he uses as a lean-to and a plough that he can - with some difficulty - operate alone.

This mule is a sworn blood brother of The Jester Prince. They exchanged blood under the Arch of Sod (06.14) and swore to come to the other’s aid in times of need.

This affection is born of the one time that the prince left The Duke of Thring’s service. The mule bore him away from Castle Tarengael (16.16) in the dead of night.

Eventually, their wandering brought them to Cragsend (04.06) where the prince rescued a flock of firebirds from Edrin Tain’s cult. One of the escaped firebirds is now Lady Naideen’s pet (17.11).

In the cult’s counter-attack, the mule’s cunning saved the prince’s life. Neither has disclosed what happened, but the mule finds it amusing and the prince is mortified.

Hooks

Why did the prince leave the Duke? What made him return?
If the firebird escaped, how did it come to be sold to Lady Naideen’s father?
How did the mule save the prince’s life?
Have the mule and the prince called upon one another since becoming blood brothers?
Are there other animal-human blood brothers?
Why is the mule living here?
What does the dragon cult have planned for revenge?

 

[Electric Wizard]

Iocannus of the Glass Eye (1.23)

Sometime during Gore's long history, the gnomes of Ninbolm (5.24) created an unusual observatory as tribute to a king. The Glass Eye, as it is now called, is a needle-like tower that rises from a hilltop along the rugged coast. It is crowned with a glass dome that allowed observers to see for miles across the ocean, or receive a view of the heavens that is second to none in all of the Shrouded Lands. Amusingly, the dome was also designed to hideously distort the faces of those using it to those observing from the outside.

The Pirate Kings smote the wondrous tower when the last High King fell. The Glass Eye was thereafter abandoned, and it suffers from years of neglect. Its current master is Iocannus, an astrologer on a mission from the Doge to reverse-engineer the wondrous structure. He received this assignment after failing to predict the Salt Panic. A flesh golem with a huge crossbow accompanies him to ensure he toils with a modicum of zeal. He has convinced five gnomes of Ninbolm to aid him in his task.

Connections
-The Collector (2.22) claims the Glass Eye. Crossbow bolts as thick as a man's wrist drive back the knights he sends to extort Iocannus. He found this amusing the first four times, but he is going to start taking more drastic measures.

Hooks
-What secrets did the Glass Eye reveal to stargazers? Do their records still exist?
-Why does the Doge want the Glass Eye's specifications? Or is this just a cruel lark?
-What was the Salt Panic?
-How do you reverse-engineer a ruined gnome observatory?

 

[Sanglorian]

Iocannus of the Glass Eye (1.23)

Added.

Also added:

The Amphibious Warblers of Duxton Academy (Jahur subhex)

By the docks of Jahur was a school for orphans administered by the Sons of Dagon. Unfortunately, the whole school sunk beneath the waves last year after a ritual went wrong.

Though some teachers are worse for wear, the students still attend their classes because a happy side-effect of the backfiring ritual is that all in the school were given gills, bulging eyes, webbed hands and feet and inflatable throats.

The indefatiguable orphans have not allowed yet another misfortune to bring them down. Many have joined the school’s choir, in which they make use of the resonant qualities of their throats.

They are touring the theatres and music halls of Jahur and are hoping to one day perform in the Shuttered City. Favoured songs include ‘Like a Sturgeon’ and ‘Crazy Frog-folk’.

Hooks

• Where does the name Duxton come from? It doesn’t sound Jahuri.
• What was the ritual intended to achieve?
• Why are the teachers worse for wear? Did the ritual affect them differently?
• Why did the Sons of Dagon open an orphanage?'

The Campsite of Oderas (02.23)

The Paionian centaurs are renowned for their astrology, and none more so than Oderas. He canters not with the tribe, for he is camped near the Glass Eye (01.23)

A few years ago, a pattern appeared in the constellations that would suggest a tremendous interaction between the Shrouded Lands and the Imperium Undying. However, identifying the nature of the interaction will require Oderas to see the stars in more detail.


He came to the Glass Eye, but his equine body will not fit in the viewing room. Instead, he is teaching astrology to two of Iocannus’ gnomes in the hopes that they will be skilled enough to make the observation for him.

Hooks

• What might the interaction be?
• What does Iocannus think of all this?
• Have others heard of the prophecy?

The Parliament of Children (05.19)

During the festival which saw the High King of Gore overthrown, the Parliament of Gore traded their places with children. The Sublime Lords have no interest in parliaments, and sent the politicians home. However, the children claimed that if the Sublime Lords could keep their new positions as lords instead of returning to being butchers, the children should remain members of Parliament.

The Lords were unimpressed, but could not undermine their position by dismissing the children out of hand. They simply let the Parliament continue. The children aged, and new children were appointed to take their place. Even today, the Parliament sits in Rhegard Town in sight of the abandoned castle that was once the seat of the kings (05.20).

Their legislation goes ignored, but they have some influence over Gore’s downtrodden people. Recently, they have declared Sulgrim’s presence an abomination and are mustering a children’s crusade to expel him.

Hooks

• Do the children have agents around Gore?
• Does one have to leave the Parliament when one reaches adulthood? Is that fourteen? (See 07.14)
• How are new children appointed?
• Does this crusade have legs? Won’t the children be massacred?
• Given Lady Natala’s dislike of Sulgrim, is she backing the Parliament?
• Does the Parliament have contact with The Jester Prince?

 

[Daztur]

Here's my contribution to the 2014 Secret Santicore, I was asked to make a random d20 table of military units for weird fantasy armies and I came up with this, mostly by putting in various elements of the Shrouded Lands: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16rhPcn5rHdkCmwdXnj-qeXFU8X2VnOVpJ_lILRpcb98/edit

Meanwhile the dwarf fortress game just had its second session, which ended with the players rolling the head of a statue of the King in Splendor around to ward of hordes of zombie monkeys. Fun times.

 

[Sanglorian]

Sounds great, Daztur! Unfortunately, I can't access the doc - permission denied.