Thread Recompilation - Places

[El Jefe]

(Adventure) The old fashioned way…

Good catch, Knight Otu. I went to all the trouble of reviewing it, then for some reason failed to post my results. There was one bit of geographical information in the thread, and you provided it.

• There is a place in EnWorld called Sairundan.

That's it. Yes, I know it appears elsewhere in much more detail, but I think this is the first completed thread that mentioned it.

And Kahuna Burger, I don't really have any heartburn with unspecified and somewhat generic geography, other than adventures set with generic geography need not take place in Living EnWorld at all. About the only thing that drives me nuts is when the geography is clearly wrong, like someone travelling 2 hours southwest of Orussus to get to Fallon, a small farming village atop a high mountain. And no, that's not a different Fallon, that's the same one that Fallon's Key was set in. Admittedly, that's an extreme example, but you get the picture. I don't mind minor inconsistancies, since this is a late-medieval fantasy world, and people don't walk around with the latest Rand McNally atlas or GPS receiver. For that matter, most happenings of any importance aren't even written down, so people misremember that they left the town by the north gate when they really left by the west gate. No biggie.

But I see the purpose of this thread as trying to collect stuff all in one place, and trying to make some sense out of conflicting accounts. Ideally, when this stuff is all hashed out and collated, we'll end up with enough of a gazetteer to serve as a guide for prospective DMs. So, if they want to set an adventure in Lathirn and want to describe an ambush at the bridge over the River Roars, the setting is already mapped out for them, the number of days it takes the party to reach the bridge is mapped out, etc. Once that happens, Living EnWorld becomes a real, definable place in the same sense that say, Middle Earth is. We may not know exactly how far it is from the Shire to Minas Tirith, but we know that you ain't gonna walk it in a day and a half. Same for Living EnWorld.

 

[Knight Otu]

the old fashioned way takes place in an unspecified location, so if el' didn't like the geogrphy in my other threads, that one would probably cause an anurism.

Wasn't there some inkling that it's up north somewhere?

Good catch, Knight Otu. I went to all the trouble of reviewing it, then for some reason failed to post my results. There was one bit of geographical information in the thread, and you provided it.

Odd, I'm sure it must have come up earlier, at least in the tavern thread we got recruited. But as long as it is catalogued.

 

[El Jefe]

Wasn't there some inkling that it's up north somewhere?

Yes. But I can't figure out how to catalog "It was north of here someplace, and there was this house with a stable, and some distance away was a river, and some trails leading into some mountains to the north of there". I mean, I can't even nail down where "it" was with any certainty. There's a lot of "north" north of Orussus, if you know what I mean. About 12,500 miles of it, give or take.

Odd, I'm sure it must have come up earlier, at least in the tavern thread we got recruited. But as long as it is catalogued.

Oh, I'm sure it'll turn up again in much more detail.

 

[El Jefe]

(Tavern) City of Orussus, The Red Dragon Inn VI

Well, it looks like the tavern threads are starting to be a little less about the interior of the Red Dragon Inn, and a little more about the rest of the world. Here's what we learned in this one:

• Somewhere near Orussus is a beach.
• There is a village in EnWorld called Otun.
• Otun is in the Bainlund Hills.
• There is a town in EnWorld called Raven’s Bridge.
• There is an island named Varras’zuul in EnWorld.
• Raven’s Bridge is far to the east of Orussus.
• There is a library in some ruins in Varras’zuul.
• There is a jungle and a marsh surrounding the ruined tower on Varras’zuul.
• The ruins on Varras’zuul have long been ransacked by archeologists and adventurers, but some items remain.
• Orussus has a library, with an extensive section on local history.
• Monemvasia is 2 days from Orussus to the landside.
• Orussus has a fire brigade, and ringing bells is the signal for the fire brigade to go to work.
• There is a place in Orussus called 489 Thunis Street.

 

[El Jefe]

Discussion - (Tavern) City of Orussus, The Red Dragon Inn VI

I have just one gripe about the stuff in the Red Dragon Inn VI thread, and it deals with the blurb about Monemvasia. I'm pretty sure Monemvasia is more than 2 days from Orussus. I was trying to wrap my brain around the idea that it would be 2 days from Monemvasia to the keep, but that doesn't seem to fit the discussion in the tavern.

For that matter, I don't see Monemvasia on any of the maps we've been using. Just where the heck is it?

 

[Manzanita]

It took me awhile to figure out where Monemvassia ought to go. At this point, I've decided it should be on the coast, just South of the Northerne Mountains. I don't know how far this would mean. I do think there would be a good road between Orussus and Monemvassia, as they are both large trading cities. The mountains North of Monemvassia were the primary location of M2. M1 took place in the city itself. M3 is so far confined to Three Rings, a small city just south of Monemvassia, south of which is jungle and swamp.

 

[El Jefe]

It took me awhile to figure out where Monemvassia ought to go. At this point, I've decided it should be on the coast, just South of the Northerne Mountains. I don't know how far this would mean. I do think there would be a good road between Orussus and Monemvassia, as they are both large trading cities. The mountains North of Monemvassia were the primary location of M2. M1 took place in the city itself. M3 is so far confined to Three Rings, a small city just south of Monemvassia, south of which is jungle and swamp.

Ok, this is pretty interesting. No wonder I can't find it on the map! Our two maps are adjacent, but the left edge of the southern map only comes up to the middle of the northern map, and doesn't show the part of the coast where the coastline turns from running east-west to running north-south. According to what you wrote above, Three Rings should be just a little bit north of the turn (need to leave room for jungle/swamp right about where the turn is), and Monemvassia a little farther north. Both would be south of everything on the map that shows Earling, although Monemvassia would be just south of the match line between the two maps.

I would think there would be a road leading west from the Vasternmarch cities that would go to Monemvassia. It isn't shown on the map. As for trade, remember that Rivenblight is over twice the size of Orussus, and would be a real nexus for trade, even if it isn't a natural crossroads/port like Orussus is. Over the next century or so, I'd expect Orussus to grow quite a bit as merchants discover the benefit of sea trade vs. overland caravans. Kinda fits with the image we all have of Orussus as a young, vibrant city rebuilding in the ruins of an older city...say, like Rome in the Renaissance or in the late 19th century.

Some bad news...at about 25 miles/day, expect overland travel times between Orussus and Monemvassia to be on the order of 4 weeks, each way. Of course, it doesn't take so long if you travel by Hippogriff.

 

[Manzanita]

4 weeks! Eeeek! None the less, The place we're discussing does seem the best for my little town. I may have to be more creative the next time I recruit. I do appreciate your figuring this all out, in any case, El Jefe!

 

[El Jefe]

Archive - (Proposal / City) Severus

A short thread, but a lot of good stuff in it. First, here's The Goblin King's description of the city:

Located 900 miles north by northwest of Orussus the city of Severus lies in the middle of the badlands under the shadow of Mount Yurgind. Over the centuries the winds have carved stone plateaus in a large canyon. Orginally the city was a Gnoll fortified encampment stationed atop a plateau. Easily defendable it remained for some 50 years.

Ten year ago large clans of Orcs and Goblinoids moved into the area. For reasons still unknown they did not kill each other off. Instead they began construction on what would become known as the City of Severus, aka the Wicked Pillars. The city now occupies ten plateaus. Each of them connected by rope bridges to each other and to the canyon lip. The walls and buildings are made from local stone. The architecture is advanced for supposed 'barbarian' races. The roofs are built with metal and stone spikes, some barbed, in order is discourage anything from flying over the walls and landing in the city. The streets are narrow, winding, and uneven. Large fortifications have been built at the entrances. It would seem that the inhabitants are expecting to withstand a hard siege.

The city has a population of around 5,000. 25% Gnoll, 25% Orc, 25% Goblinoids, and 25% slaves taken in raids. The city is ruled by a council of elders. Each clan has one representative that sits on the council.

Adventure Ideas:
Despite the fact that this is an Evil city the PCs won't be killed on sight. At least, unless they appear weak. The trick to not being murdered in an alley is to either look too tough or to be under the protection of someone more powerful. The powers of good are very concerned about this new city. They worry that the council must be up to no good. Anyone who so obviously prepared for war must be thinking of starting one. And, they ARE Evil after all. Getting into the city is easy enough. Getting back out with useful information, that will take some doing.

A vile Necromancer has fled the Earling authorities. They want him brought to justice. The problem is that he has requested asylum in Severus. Of course, Earling doesn't recognize Severus as a legitimate government. But Severus has made it clear in no uncertain terms that they will not give up what they consider a political refugee. Any attempts to retrieve him will be taken as a declaration of war. The PCs are charged with dealing with the problem however they see fit.​

There was some discussion in the thread about the location of the city, which lead to this:

• Severus is probably really located to the Southwest of Orussus, not the North-Northwest.

 

[Dungannon]

Was the Severus Proposal ever approved? If so, I may be able to make use of it in my current adventure, at least as a point of referernce.