Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 kheldren Feb 28, 2005 8:15:09	I've started this as a new thread though it is inspired by Thorf's maps and the comments thereon. I don't see it as a comment on the maps, but what the symbols mean... Cthulhudrew wrote:
#2 thorf Mar 01, 2005 12:21:44	I was considering a similar idea. There's no reason for the caverns not to be big connected caverns, really - as you said, the mountain and hill symbols simply indicate the variance in depth/height within the cavern. On the other hand, there is also no reason not to place large pillars of rock or blockages inside the big "caverns". Looking at the map tends to make you think of a series of caverns connected with smaller tunnels, but maybe it's more like a series of wider tunnels and tunnel networks connected by smaller tunnels...? Anyway, broken lands would mean roughly level terrain but with lots of uneven ground; "hills" would include some variance in depth (200m up or down, for example); "mountains" would include more drastic depth changes, probably including cliffs, huge cracks in the rock, and other hard to cross terrain. As to what created the terrain, are the burrowers a candidate? They've been used to explain a lot of Mystara's caves in the past. The Shadow Elves themselves are undoubtedly responsible for a fair bit of terraforming, but it's probably mostly limited to tunnels rather than caverns. It's certainly an interesting topic. It's always fun to think about what the real terrain behind our hexes is. :D
#3 Hugin Mar 01, 2005 17:06:51	Good stuff, guys! The way I'm picturing the underground terrain is much more interesting now. I always had the old "surface terrain with a roof" stuck in my head. Your ideas make the enviroment of the Shadow Elves Realm more intimate; things are more closer and interconnected (afterthought: easier to make scary for the players too!). Encounters will be initiated at much more closer range and guides will become an absolute must. No more cutting straight across the middle of the big cavern and it also makes survival that much more difficult (something I believe is a theme of the Shadow Elves, the struggle to survive against great odds). I remember reading somewhere about what created these caverns but I'm not sure where. IIRC, the borrowers were mentioned as part of the explaination. It may have been in Thorf's compiled timeline, I'll take a look. One thing I am sure about and that is there were many processes that created this great complex.