D&D General Maps, Maps, Maps! Dungeons, Ruins, Caverns, Temples, and more... aka Where Dyson Dumps His Maps.

[Yaarel]

The point of it for my games is that the old elven empire WAS hugely evil. It's the equivalent of the Melniboneans, but they created humans, and then later during that war, created a whole new series of slave species that are essentially the Thrulls from the old M:tG sets.

Elves aren't evil by default, but the old empire certainly was.

But it is an old setting - I've been running this since '81 and always had the collapse of the interdimensional evil elven empire as the background of the setting.

I get the Melnibonean trope.

Still, for 2024, I would definitely make this a specific background that is part of a specific culture, rather than a description of a species, or even an entire culture.

What was the name of the old empire? Was every Elf a collaborator with it? Did the Elves successfully overthrow the tyrannous empire?

 

[Dyson Logos]

I get the Melnibonean trope.

Still, for 2024, I would definitely make this a specific background that is part of a specific culture, rather than a description of a species, or even an entire culture.

What was the name of the old empire? Was every Elf a collaborator with it? Did the Elves successfully overthrow the tyrannous empire?

No, not all elves were part of the Kale Empire.
And honestly, I'm not up to debate 43 years of my home setting here.

 

[Dyson Logos]

Bryz’ulag’s Rings

Three nearly perfect circular depressions have been cut into the white stony hills about a half hour off the road between the City of Copper Bowls and the City of the Gods.

Bryz’ulag is the demon patron of treasurers, silversmiths, and tapeworms – pushed out of local worship as the berzerk monkeys of the Granitespire silver guilds took over the silver trade and instituted their own weird cults. According to local lore, the rings were made by Bryz’ulag by dropping three silver rings into the hillside, and the rings were salvaged and recovered by the silversmiths of Copper Bowls.

Actual Legend Lore indicates that it was actually built by tribal worshippers of the demonic patron when the City of Copper Bowls was still a tribal gathering point.

The space is now home to some truly bizarre demon-worshippers too tainted (and worm-infested) to return to town but is also regularly visited by the odd treasurer seeking the blessings of Bryz’ulag and by those who hate the Granitespire monkeys and their monopoly over the regional silver trade (silver merchants, dentists, and of course just people who have been wronged by these nasty masked little monsters masquerading as merchants).

Past the three rings are two chambers cut into the hillside. The front chamber is crowded with very narrow decorative columns of chalky stone that reach floor to ceiling (except for two broken ones) inscribed with the names of ancient silversmiths who sought the patronage of the demon. The rear multi-tiered chamber is home to a dozen mummified monkeys and the tainted “priests” of the demon itself.

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 8,400 x 5,100 pixels in size (28 x 17 squares). To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to either 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) or 140 pixels (for the recommended 10′ squares) – so resizing it to either 1,960 x 1,190 or 3,920 x 2,380 pixels, respectively.

Bryz’ulag’s Rings

Bryz’ulag’s Rings (300 dpi promo) Three nearly perfect circular depressions have been cut into the white stony hills about a half hour off the road between the City of Copper Bowls and the City of …

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Greenwheat]

And honestly, I'm not up to debate 43 years of my home setting here.

FWIW, I love getting drip-fed the lore of your setting through map commentary. It feels like the kind of world that wants to be adventured in.

 

[Dyson Logos]

OnyxSkull Caverns

Sometimes a campaign needs a ridiculous skull-shaped dungeon when it is time to delve against some obviously evil foes…

These ominous caves along the Onyx Defiles were claimed by [Insert Ancient Creepy Group] who used magic and the labour of their [Insert Insane Humanoid Followers] to add new structures within, as well as to reshape existing caves into rooms and chambers for their [Insert Dark Practices].

But their worship of [Insert Forbidden / Forgotten Demon-God] brought the attention of the [Insert Order of Good Warriors] who wiped them out, leaving the OnyxSkull Caverns empty, desolate, and moaning with the winds sweeping down the Onyx Defiles. But something so dark and evil doesn’t remain empty long, and the OnyxSkull Caverns have an evil of their own, and seem to birth other evil residents if no one moves in soon.

Today the black doors of the OnyxSkull Caverns have been re-seated, the chambers within home once again to those inimicable to civilization. These [Insert New Evil] are building up in the region, taking over other caves and follies in the Onyx Defiles, with their leadership ensconced within these dungeons.

[Tricky Map Note: The elevated level is shown slightly offset from the level below it. It actually sits roughly 30 feet south (3 squares) from where it is shown on the map, connected to the lower level by stairs where the arrows are shown.]

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 14,400 x 14,400 pixels in size (48 x 48 squares). To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to either 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) or 140 pixels (for the recommended 10′ squares) – so resizing it to either 3,360 x 3,360 or 6,720 x 6,720 pixels, respectively.

OnyxSkull Caverns

Sometimes a campaign needs a ridiculous skull-shaped dungeon when it is time to delve against some obviously evil foes… OnyxSkull Caverns (300 dpi promo) These ominous caves along the Onyx De…

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Sometimes a campaign needs a ridiculous skull-shaped dungeon when it is time to delve against some obviously evil foes…

 

[Dyson Logos]

Graxworm Town

The main entrance into the Graxworm megadungeon is not at the base of the mountain, but the top. The Graxworm is a massive dead dragon of mythic scale, fully miles long and large enough to contain a town in the mouth. Creatures have set up here to “mine” the massive corpse for its valuable materials – leather, scales, ichor, tendons, and more. Practically every bit has some value to someone, and in the long term the expectation is that nothing will remain, not even the massive bones.

Today’s map is an overview of Graxworm Town itself – an almost “normal” feeling hive of scum and villainy set up in the mouth of the dead dragon. The town proper is broken into two halves. The crowded market town just inside the teeth that includes inns, taverns, general goods stores, and shops selling some of the lesser products of the massive Graxworm corpse-industrial complex as well as the residential structures needed to support these endeavours. The back of the mouth is a much less crowded space with fewer, larger homes, a few semi-isolated compounds, as well as the towering court building of the Seneschal who is responsible for keeping this town in some semblance of order.

The two sections are separated by a heavy crenellated wall with a mighty tower set in it known as the Panopticon because it grants good views over the whole town on each side of the wall, while sitting directly above the open market that thrives here.

Several points of interest are documented in the town key on the right side of the map. 10 & 11 are stairs built into the rear teeth that lead up to the eye sockets above – one of which has been converted into an open air church, the other into an observatory & orrery. The eye sockets in turn lead up to the brain of the massive corpse, which is used as the council chambers for important meetings by the ruling elite of the various factions.

The smuggler’s home is a large estate of an important importer/exporter of dragon-mined goods to bring in riches to keep the corpse-industrial complex running and producing armaments. But as a master smuggler, the owner isn’t actually loyal to the Graxworm factions, and also has tunnels that can be used to smuggle people in and out of the city and to the throat region of the dungeons – helpful for adventurers that are no longer welcome through the gates.

The Graxworm Megadungeon was proposed to me by Gallant Knight Games – a dungeon set within the corpse of a dragon some seven miles in length. If I were to map out the whole thing we’d be looking at a good 100+ maps, so instead we’ll be focusing on points of interest as a sort of “point crawl” megadungeon setting. We’ll be posting a few maps in the set every month for… well… quite some time!

Graxworm – Map 2 – Graxworm Gate

Graxworm Town (300 dpi promo) The main entrance into the Graxworm megadungeon is not at the base of the mountain, but the top. The Graxworm is a massive dead dragon of mythic scale, fully miles lon…

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

More dungeon entrances with teeth!

 

[Dyson Logos]

More dungeon entrances with teeth!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

View attachment 354318

I've used that map twice now, once for 5E and once for Shadowdark. Super-evocative!