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

[Dyson Logos]

Doran’s Skyrealm

Doran’s skyrealm is a small well-maintained floating island home to the ranger Doran and his entourage. The skyrealm wanders over Blackstream Vale east of the Blue City, seemingly constrained by the valley walls even though it remains a thousand feet above them. Doran “acquired” the realm after ousting the previous inhabitant, the half-giant blackguard Jor’un. With the assistance of his friend and companion Ferreen the druid, they have made the realm mostly self-sufficient through goodberries and control of the local rainfall.

The skyrealm itself is made of three flating “islands”. The primary island where the keep is and two subsidiary islands, the smaller of which used to be used to store water.

The main structure of the skyrealm is the “keep” (which will be detailed in our next map) that looms over the docking platform cut into the side of the island. On the tallest hill opposite the keep are a pair of concentric stone circles from distant lands that were flown up to the island and erected by Jereen. Down the hill from the stone circle is a pond where rainwater is collected (although most of the time there is at least one person on the island who can create water magically). Finally, down the hill south of the keep is a small garden where berry bushes are grown.

But no one has seen Doran for a fortnight, and a strange metal vehicle that appeared to be made from sections of several older flying warships was docked at the entrance way for a few days and then disappeared in the night. Have the ranger and his companions left on a mission of some kind? Or perhaps succumbed to foul play? And who or what was on that patched-together warship? And if the curiosity isn’t enough to gather the attention of adventurers, the potential loot to be found within an adventuring group’s home base is sure to draw treasure hunters.

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 7,200 x 10,800 pixels (24 x 36 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 that match the description) – so resizing it to either 1,680 x 2,520 or 3,360 x 5,040, respectively.

Doran’s Skyrealm

Doran’s skyrealm is a small well-maintained floating island home to Doran the ranger and his entourage. The skyrealm wanders over Blackstream Vale east of the Blue City, seemingly constrained…

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Dyson Logos]

Doran’s Skyrealm – The Keep

Doran’s skyrealm is a small, well-maintained floating island home to Doran the ranger and his entourage. The skyrealm wanders over Blackstream Vale east of the Blue City, seemingly constrained by the valley walls even though it remains a thousand feet above them. This map focuses on the only structure on the island, the keep that used to be home to the half-giant blackguard Jor’un.

The keep itself is almost entirely made of stone with wooden roofs that are shingled with slate. The third story is the only one with wooden floors. As the home of a half-giant, the structure itself features wide doorways and high ceilings. The stairs are a little awkward to climb as each step rises a full 18 inches above the previous one, making climbing up awkward and climbing down feel precarious. Access to the keep is via either the front door on the East side of the building, or by coming up the stairs on the northeast corner from the sublevels where the airship docking and storage areas are.

The main floor of the keep contains the entry hall, a small barracks, a sitting room with a harpsichord, a kitchen, and a dining hall. The second floor contains the “table room,” which has a magical mapping table that tracks the positions of specific charted skyrealms, a meeting room, and the parapets that look westwards. Finally, the small top floor contains the abandoned sleeping chambers of Doran and Ferreen.

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 7,200 x 10,800 pixels (24 x 36 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 that match the description) – so resizing it to either 1,680 x 2,520 or 3,360 x 5,040, respectively.

Doran’s Skyrealm – The Keep

Doran’s skyrealm is a small, well-maintained floating island home to Doran the ranger and his entourage. The skyrealm wanders over Blackstream Vale east of the Blue City, seemingly constraine…

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Dyson Logos]

Doran’s Skyrealm – Understructures

Doran’s skyrealm is a small, well-maintained floating island home to Doran the ranger and his entourage. The skyrealm wanders over Blackstream Vale east of the Blue City, seemingly constrained by the valley walls even though it remains a thousand feet above them. This map focuses on the structures under the keep on the west side of the island.

The structures under Doran’s Keep can be split into three sections all connected via the airship docking area in the centre left. When docking here, under the side of the keep, one will almost certainly note the extensive carvings of the stonework just north of the landing docking area – large reliefs that were cut into the stone a thousand or more years ago, likely back when the island was still attached to the lands below. The docking area accesses the storage rooms to the north, the tombs to the east, and the keep to the south. The storage rooms were part of the tombs at one point but were repurposed by the previous owner to hold goods shipped up from the lands below. All but one of the tombs are sealed behind heavy masonry set into their archways. The northeasternmost tomb is a symbolic tomb instead of an actual one. The sarcophagus here is a solid piece of stone and the space was used at some point as a focus for rituals of ancestor worship. The doors to the actual tomb areas to the west are locked and the keys seem to have departed along with Doran and his friends.

The southern understructures are the basements of the keep proper and contain a mix of storage and guard areas. The whole set of understructures are dark and gloomy, a strong contrast to the sky island around them.

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 7,200 x 10,800 pixels (24 x 36 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 that match the description) – so resizing it to either 1,680 x 2,520 or 3,360 x 5,040, respectively.

Doran’s Skyrealm – Understructures

Doran’s skyrealm is a small, well-maintained floating island home to Doran the ranger and his entourage. The skyrealm wanders over Blackstream Vale east of the Blue City, seemingly constraine…

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Dyson Logos]

The Lair of Chétu the Dark

This series of releases is new to my Patreon - these are adventure locations based on maps I've drawn for official products over the years. The low-resolution sample version of the map is available for everyone, but the high-resolution versions are only available to patrons and people who purchase the release through the Patreon storefront. As such, these maps are not going to be included in the Patreon-exclusive end-of-month PDF, but instead released as their own PDF at time of release.

These maps are released under the new Restricted Release License as found on the copyright page of the blog.

The Map in this post is covered under my Restricted Release License and is intended for personal gaming use. Distribution outside of your own sessions is a violation of this agreement.

The high-resolution versions of this map are available exclusively through Patreon to patrons at the Level 1 Adventurer tier and above and to all Legacy Patrons.

This map was drawn for Fizban's Treasury of Dragons and is copyright Wizards of the Coast. The high-resolution versions of the map and the two-page PDF are attached to this post.

The black wyrm, Chétu the Dark (a stock black dragon of the appropriate age for your campaign), bases its depredations of the local region from an old hexagonal tower slowly sinking into the swamp. The old tower was part of some ancient funerary complex. A large raised stone platform with eight massive columns climbs out of the swampland, leading up to the slightly crooked tower. Beneath this platform is a half-flooded, low-ceilinged chamber containing five ancient stone sarcophagi that are just tall enough that their tops stick out of the stagnant water that has accumulated here - originally from rainfall that collected down the stairs but now supplemented by waters from the dark algae-filled pond that threatens to swallow the whole structure.

The dragon’s lair isn’t actually in the tower structure at all, but in fact it lairs in the deep waters of the pond beside it, occasionally slipping in through the broken foundations into the understructure, where it will sometimes slumber by the old massive sarcophagi.

In addition to Chétu the Dark and the swampy environment, the lair is protected by a number of other creatures.

The first of these is the swamp-wights (use the stats for wights but give them a swim speed and use a number appropriate to your group - for lower level parties have them operate on their own, and have them gang up on higher level parties) , humans who were drowned by the swamp over the ages and returned as wights. They go about their nights silently fishing within the swamp to this day, occasionally leaving hand-woven baskets of fish and other swamp animals at the edge of the swamp for their descendants to find. The swamp-wights fear the black wyrm, believing that Chétu can consume their souls, not just stripping them of their cursed immortality, but of the ability to ever move on. They live in perpetual fear of the beast, terrified that it will go on a rampage should someone invade its lair or, even worse, steal its treasure.

They try to warn travellers away from the tower with ghostly lantern light and whispered threats. If (when) that does not work, they lurk in deeper waters and attempt to pull would-be dragon-slayers and treasure hunters to their deaths in the darkest waters of the swamp.

The tower proper is the lair of a nest of so-called ‘gutter gryphons’ - large dog-sized creatures combining the worst parts of carrion crows and freshwater otters (use the stat block for a large dog with flying speed). They are malevolently playful and harass people and animals in the swamp for their entertainment. They have chosen to live in the tower specifically because the dragon lairs here - they are small enough and clever enough to not bother Chétu, and the dragon sometimes finds their antics amusing. In addition, they start quite a ruckus when someone invades their territory, warning Chétu of uninvited guests.

The last dwellers here are the Honour Guard, a dozen ancient warriors that appear to be cut into the stone of the pillars that hold up the low roof. (Treat the Honour Guard as Helmed Horrors - adjusting their number based on the level of the party.) If any of the sarcophagi are disturbed, they step out of their columns - stone warriors encrusted in algae that seek to protect the long-dead noble half-giants entombed here. The wyrm understands what triggers them, and when it is truly tired, it will often sleep beneath the waters in one corner of the chamber, expecting that most treasure hunters will be foolish enough to attempt to open one of the sarcophagi and thus awaken the Honour Guard.

The actual treasure of the dragon is not kept within the structure at all, but is buried in chests and barrels in the deepest mud at the bottom of the stagnant pond that sits to the immediate north of the site.

The Patreon-exclusive 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 14,400 x 18,000 pixels (48 x 60 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 that match the description) – so resizing it to either 3,360 x 4,200 or 6,720 x 8,400, respectively.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/156675093

 

[Dyson Logos]

the Scavengers’ Deep - Map 30

The Scavengers’ Deep is a reminder of the amount of work that went into underground structures during the great war. Generally, the elves only built underground when hiding their breeding and research facilities, whereas the forces of the kingdoms, assisted by the dwarves, were constantly building underground as the elves were unrelenting and would completely raze any surface defences that they defeated.

But the structures now known as the Scavengers’ Deep are atypical, an elven complex mixing some (ruined) surface structures, natural caves, and significant sprawling underground complexes dedicated to research, training, and breeding their slave species.

This is the thirtieth map in the Scavengers’ Deep series – this map sits directly east of Map 26, and south of Map 29.

This area of the Scavengers’ Deep is mostly dedicated to the production and storage of weapons of war. The lower right side of the map is a series of “warehousing” chambers that stored weapon systems that would be delivered from the mesa through the fortress in map 53. By the time the mesa fell, these chambers were already emptied, the war machines sent off to battle.

To the north of these chambers are a smaller series of workshops where maintenance on smaller parts of the machineries of war was undertaken. A canal runs north of these workshops and also under the main access corridor on the east side of the map. At some point in the fighting here, someone shattered the bridge over the canal to isolate one side or the other.

At the northeast corner of this map are a pair of additional science pits used in the breeding and manipulation of the elven thralls for the Great War. These were much smaller pits than most and were used for dissections and artificial cross-breeding primarily. The eastern pit descends down to a work table, whereas the western pit collapsed at some point, leaving only the upper section and a hole filled with rubble.

The river flows in through a canal from the east and then enters caves to the west with connections to the main complex (used to collect water) and then down into the depths across the many maps west of here.

View attachment Scavengers-30-Compiled.jpg

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 (48 x 48 squares) in size. 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 suggested 10′ squares that this is designed around) – so resizing it to either 3,360 x 3,360 or 6,720 x 6720 pixels in size, respectively.

Scavengers’ Deep – Map 30

Illo by Mikołaj Ratajczak Scavengers’ Deep Compiled 1-30 The Scavengers’ Deep is a reminder of the amount of work that went into underground structures during the great war. Generally, …

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Dyson Logos]

Return to Metivier Manor

Metivier Manor sits among the other grand estates along the city walls on the South Hill. The structure is almost entirely made of stone and was designed at a grand scale to show off the wealth of the Metivier family – twenty-foot ceilings, wide passages, and rooms that seem almost cavernous around their furnishings. The structure is nigh impossible to keep warm in the colder months, even with fires roaring in all three fireplaces; it seems damp, cold, and uninviting.

The ground floor of the structure is almost entirely centred around entertaining guests with a grand ballroom, a massive outdoor stone terrace, and the great hall that dwarfs the twenty-foot-long table within it. On the south side we have a sitting room on the right, and a more “serious” entertaining space on the left that is used to greet visitors here on business (along with a small ‘snug’ beside it when a table is needed for drawing up plans and so on.

The upstairs is split into two sections, each with its own stairwell. The staff stay on the northeast side of the structure with a ‘secret’ door between their rooms and the side room of the master suite. In addition to the three-room master suite, there is a secondary sitting room, three additional bedrooms, and the children’s room / nursery on the southeast side (as far from the master suite as possible while on the same floor).

The basement is accessed by a second secret door underneath the main stairwell. That leads to the main basement that is used primarily to store old and extra furniture. A massive wine cellar sits to the east and a cold room to the south. A small secret chamber attached to the wine cellar is where the more exotic vintages are kept. Finally, of course, there are the family crypts to the west – first a chamber of family records and then the cold, raw stone crypts themselves of the original residents of the building. Later family members are interred more traditionally in the city graveyard.

This map is a bit of a flashback, originally it was drawn over a decade ago as one of the early commercially-licensed maps on the blog. I joked at the time about how many requests I get for houses, manors, and other “normal” structures – the kind of thing you can get books of floorplans for. But I am nothing if not persuadable, so this is my manor. There are many like it, but this one is mine. (And it has a dungeon and secret crypt in the basement because… because it is mine).

This has been redrawn for an upcoming book from Sly Flourish – I’m not sure when it is coming out, but I’ll post about it when it does.

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 15,000 x 10,200 pixels (50 x 34 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 10‘ foot squares that work with the furnishings as shown) – so resizing the image to 3,500 x 2,380 pixels or 7,000 x 4,760 pixels, respectively.

Return to Metivier Manor

Return to Metivier Manor (300 dpi promo, no commercial license) Metivier Manor sits among the other grand estates along the city walls on the South Hill. The structure is almost entirely made of st…

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Dyson Logos]

The Cut - Ground Level

The Cut is named for the large open section that extends from open mezzanines on the second floor of the structure, through the ground floor, and finally finishes far below, where a channel has been cut into the dungeons beneath for water flowing underground from the two streams that enter the west side of the hill from both north and south. The structure was part fortress and part temple in its heyday, but is now crumbling ruins that the wind blows through with a mournful howl.

This is the first of three map sets of this location, detailing the main ground level of the structure as well as the terrain around it. Forthcoming maps cover the upper levels of the structure (along with a simple side view) and the dungeons beneath – all centred around “the cut”.

The structure can be best described as an attempt at “medieval brutalist”.The structures feature large gaps – the opening to the cut can be accessed from outside the structure, and a partially collapsed section on the second floor bridges the gap between the two buildings.

Originally built as a fortified temple to a local water deity, the place fell into disuse during the early era of the Empire of Zorisz. As the Empire approached its collapse, the structure was turned into a minor fort to help interdict the movement of “barbarian” forces that were closing in from all sides.

The southern entry leads not into the ruins shown, but to a set of stairs that lead down under the buildings into the dungeons. Other accessways into the dungeons include the two streams that descend into the side of the hill, and the sinkhole on the upper right that leads into some partially collapsed chambers beneath.

Since the collapse of the Empire and the formation of the many successor-states, the location has been held infrequently by various nations and mercenary groups. A small house was built on the west side using debris from the fallen skybridge and was used by guards who wanted something a bit less breezy and cold.

Today, the structures in question are home to a group of bandits and mercenaries – well-equipped thugs who have a trio of giant bats that their recon team uses as mounts. Aside from the small house (which is home to a pair of gnolls who have forged a truce with the bandits), the bandits generally leave this level alone, preferring the height advantage of the upper levels and the southern dungeons.

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 10,800 x 16,200 pixels (36 x 54 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 10‘ foot squares that work with the furnishings as shown) – so resizing the image to 2,520 x 3,780 pixels or 5,040 x 7,560 pixels, respectively.

The Cut – Ground Level

The Cut – Ground Level (300 dpi promo, no commercial license) The Cut is named for the large open section that extends from open mezzanines on the second floor of the structure, through the g…

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Dyson Logos]

A Deep Cut (The Cut, Map 3)

The Cut is named for the large open section that extends from open mezzanines on the second floor of the structure, through the ground floor, and finally finishes far below, where a channel has been cut into the dungeons beneath for water flowing underground from the two streams that enter the west side of the hill from both north and south. The structure was part fortress and part temple in its heyday, but is now crumbling ruins that the wind blows through with a mournful howl.

This is the last of three map sets of this location, detailing the dungeons and ruins beneath the surface structures. While there is a very visible (and fairly imposing) entrance to the understructures on the south side of the ruins (on the south side of this map), there are a number of other access points. Two streams enter the west side of the hill, one from the north and one from the south – where they enter the hill there is very little headroom above the water line, but after about twenty feet the ceilings grow taller as the streams descend deeper. Finally, there is a collapsed chamber on the northeast side of the structure that is at the base of a shallow sinkhole and provides access to the ruined northern portion of the structure. The only access from the structures above is the eponymous “cut” that is above the canal in the centre of this level, but getting up or down that way would require ropes or a skilled climber.

The dungeons were clearly part of a temple to some ancient water deity or spirit – with a massive columned central chamber bisected by a twenty-foot wide canal. This central chamber and the grand entrance to the south are in good repair, while much of the rest of the complex is in ruins or collapsed. A squad of halflings from the bandit / mercenary crew above remains down here in the southern portion of the structure, while a smaller team of five are now exploring and mapping out the ruined areas while trying to avoid the hazards therein – both structural and the odd creatures that have moved in to the ruins as well as a few hostile water weirds that remain in the streams and canal.

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 10,800 x 16,200 pixels (36 x 54 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 10‘ foot squares that work with the furnishings as shown) – so resizing the image to 2,520 x 3,780 pixels or 5,040 x 7,560 pixels, respectively.

A Deep Cut (The Cut, Map 3)

A Deep Cut (The Cut, Map 3) (300 dpi promo, no commercial license) The Cut is named for the large open section that extends from open mezzanines on the second floor of the structure, through the gr…

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Dyson Logos]

Circle Tombs of the Gilded Prince

The earth priests of Torusk believe that specific shapes of underground structures produce various esoteric effects, based not only on the shape, but the other shapes linked to them and their specific placement and orientation. Under their tutelage, the royal family of the second Dillsoan Dynasty constructed several sets of “circle tombs” that were derived from the design of other, older, circular tombs that they had studied combined with the inspirations of the sacred writings of Torusk.

This particular tomb was built for a young scion of the dynasty who was captured by enemies of the bloodline and then died in their “care” before he could be recovered.

The circular design of the tomb begins with the large bowl cut out of the hillside – steps climb up along the exposed stone face to two tiers of walkways with large niches cut into the walls. These open-air tombs contained the bodies of soldiers left here to guard the tomb through the ages – all of the skeletons long gone except for a few bones trapped under rocks. Two of these tombs on the upper tier contain secret doors into some deeper tombs that are the eternal homes of the priests themselves. The tombs on the left contain a storage room for texts and minor artifacts of the church and dynasty. The tombs on the right have been breached by the descendants of the elemental guardians set by the priests – they have lost their way and hunger for the dead they were set here to guard.

Within the main tomb complex are a set of eight circular chambers set around a larger central tomb. Each of the eight chambers is unique except in dimensions. They were built specifically to ‘conduct’ energy into the central chamber set down between them. They are guarded by a number of elemental guardians summoned forth from the plane of earth – but after such a long time here, most have gone insane and a few have died, passing on their tasks to their ‘childer’ that were birthed in their death throes. Some of these have begun digging through the walls of the tombs, looking to consume the dead instead of protecting them.

The central tomb is unusual for one of these circle tombs as it does not contain the body of the prince, but instead the tombs of the eight men who were slain in the recovery of his body. At the south end of the chamber is a statue of the prince painted in flaking gold paint, standing with a look of sorrow and yet of forgiveness over those interred around him.

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 10,800 x 14,400 pixels (36 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 that match the description) – so resizing it to either 2,520 x 3,360 or 5,040 x 6,720, respectively.

Circle Tombs of the Gilded Prince

The earth priests of Torusk believe that specific shapes of underground structures produce various esoteric effects, based not only on the shape, but the other shapes linked to them and their speci…

dysonlogos.blog

 

[Barner Cobblewood]

That's a very attractive map.