Hmm. In the DM's guide to Gaz11, it mentions that there are 37 Heartland territories, but on the map I only count 36. Am I missing something, or does anyone else only count 36?
The map in the Gaz is 24-mile hexes. Perhaps if we look closely at a 8-mile hex map it might be possible to squeze one more in somewhere.
Ask Thorf how well the 24-mile map corresponds to the 8-mile map.
:-) Jesper
The map in the Gaz is 24-mile hexes. Perhaps if we look closely at a 8-mile hex map it might be possible to squeze one more in somewhere.
You could squeeze in a couple, at least, that's for sure. The borders on the 24 mile hex map aren't always clear, either (for instance, there is a domain near Selenica that is one forest hex that is shaded in- a Borderland hex- yet the black borders around it place it within a Heartland hex. Also, the Forested hex that should cover the domain of Fenhold is marked within a Heartland territory, yet should be shaded to be a Borderland).
Ask Thorf how well the 24-mile map corresponds to the 8-mile map.
Barring a couple of idiosyncracies (the Dolos mixup I mentioned in the Thorf's Secret Project thread), they mesh up pretty well.
Did you count the capital district as one of the 37?
Do you mean the city as separate from the domain in which it appears on the 24 mile hex map? If so, then no.
For sure they're sparsely settled at best; IMHO they shouldn't even qualify as Borderlands - complete humanoid-infested wilderness seems to fit better their description... Is the position of Councillor for these two Heartlands Regions simply a cerimonial charge, perhaps appointed by the Inner or Outer Council? Or there aren't Councillors at all?
The same seems to be true for much of the small Heartlands Regions located in the Malpheggi Swamp.
Moreover, in the small map on GAZ11, page 11, there are some inaccuracies as well:
- in the Heartlands Regions south of Selenica, the westermost hex is shadowed like a Borderland, but it belongs to a Heartlands Region;
- one mountain hex north of Lake Amsorak is shadowed like a Borderland, but its border is marked in black like that of the Heartlands Regions.
About Fenhold, time ago I stumbled upon the same problem stressed by Cthulhudrew (Dolos in the Fenhold area), but I went with a different solution - i.e. moving to the east the Fenhold area.
The barony could be moved east by five 8-miles hexes, starting from the 8-m hex (GAZ11 8-m large map) in which the trail from Fort Cruth meets the Darokin-Selenica road.
This position roughly matches with the eighth 24-m hex (GAZ11, page 11 24-m small map, starting from the westermost hex south of Alfheim border) of Borderlands.
I thought this would be a better solution becouse:
1) you've to move only Fenhold instead than Dolos and a Borderland hex;
2) the area is more distant from any large city, but is nevertheless crossed by the Darokin-Selenica road.
Only my two cents, anyway.
P.S.: from PC1 we know the name of another Borderland dominion, that is Farstead; the dominion location isn't specified, but the adventure suggests it could be located south of the Dreamland Good Magic Point (i.e. westernmost Borderland areas south of Alfheim border ;) ).
I consider the capital district to be one of the 37. In my opinion, Darokin was modelled in many parts on the USA. A strong focus on mercantilism, Indians (Atruaghin and Orcs) on the border, and the 37 dominions are equivalent to the states in this analogy. It just makes sense that Darokin itself would be considered to have some special status in the government.
That's actually not a bad idea, and I think I'll go with that. The city (and immediate vicinity) are certainly large enough to warrant it, and like you said, it fits with the US analogies (that I've only recently begun to really notice and expand upon myself).
I'd like to know what do you think about the two Heartlands Regions that include much of the Orclands?
Is the position of Councillor for these two Heartlands Regions simply a cerimonial charge, perhaps appointed by the Inner or Outer Council? Or there aren't Councillors at all?
I've wondered the same thing before. At the moment, I tend towards the idea that there are settlements in the areas south of the mountains, but north of the Canolbarth that are a part of Darokin, and the rest of the region (wilderness though it is) is simply included within the Heartlands domains just because they don't really go anywhere else.
Offhand, I think Fort Nell might be in one of those (maybe not), but there is the Temple of Balthac from WotI, and a couple of settlements in the Emerlas region (the northern area of the Canolbarth, some of which spills out of the borders of Alfheim- from module O2: Sword of Vengeance).
The same seems to be true for much of the small Heartlands Regions located in the Malpheggi Swamp.
I suspect there are (again) a few settlements in the swamp that would qualify (perhaps some distant cousins of the Fenfolk from CM8?), but I also am currently of the mind that there are settlements of Atruaghin peoples there- a Seminole-Indian type of Clan- and that the Republic has recently declared those regions Heartlands regions in order to forestall settlement and conflict between the Atruaghin and the Darokinians that live down that way.
About Fenhold, time ago I stumbled upon the same problem stressed by Cthulhudrew (Dolos in the Fenhold area), but I went with a different solution - i.e. moving to the east the Fenhold area.
I'll have to look into that, it might be a good solution.
P.S.: from PC1 we know the name of another Borderland dominion, that is Farstead; the dominion location isn't specified, but the adventure suggests it could be located south of the Dreamland Good Magic Point (i.e. westernmost Borderland areas south of Alfheim border ;) ).
I figure it is probably located just south of Grundale (from the map in PC1), and that Grundale and that other village (the one on Loch Eadaigh) are probably also administered by Lord Farstead.
As to the mysterious drought and plague that have beset Farstead over the past couple of years, I am currently leaning towards it being early experiments by shadowelves at creating the magics that will eventually be used to blight the Canolbarth forest during the Wrath of the Immortals.