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Returned Blackmoor General Map Information

by Brian Rubinfeld

This document is mostly for documenting changes to the classic Blackmoor map, due to 1000 years of development and changes within the lands. Returned Blackmoor is the setting being developed in Threshold Magazine, see issues #20 (and html here) #22 (html here) and #26.

Returned Blackmoor map by Sturm, modifying map by DaveL, see also here on The Piazza forum

And version with Political Territories highlighted in colours

• Blackmoor Political Territories - Predominantly separated by counties
  • Beach County - A coastal county ranging from just south of Rug Market City to Archlis.
  • Black Iron - Ranging from the eastern most edge of the Dragon Hills through Black Hills, stretching to just before Rug’s Market thanks to the Iron Hills claimed as theirs.. There is a higher dwarf population.
  • Black Swamp - Marshy, rural communities. Many are involved with weird cults. Most just want to push the Detrituswood back.
  • Bramwald - Stretching from Newgate to Jackport, does not touch the Elven Forests otherwise. It wraps around the Blackmoor Corporate, Beach and Redwoods areas.
  • East Dry Reach - The Valley of the Ancients, looping under the Spine of the Dragon and into the Eastern Hak.
  • Far Peaks - Superstition Mountains Exclusion Zone, stretches to Gargoyle Hills.
  • Glendower - Just north of Peak of Booh into Star Gardens, as far north as Coot’s Watch Memorial Park.
  • Greater Blackmoor County - goes from the edge of Peak of Booh to before Redwood, as far south as Williamsfort; also stretches around forest to Northern Downs Township.
  • Locust Hills - From the west edge of the Fire Frost Channel to Malfera Forest to South East of Locust Hills. The infamous Backburner is here, as is the sealed off Woodenbridge.
  • Northern Circle - The remaining north territory controlled by Blackmoor’s bubble. It ranges from east of The Forest of Dunland and the connecting land bridge of Locust Hills, moving towards Bartertown. The land touching the water is likewise within the territory.
  • Redwood County - The Entire Elven Forest is this territory.
  • Ten Duchy - The Northwestern Edge of Barrier Swamp to Great Neck. A prominent region. It stretches from that edge of the barrier swamp, along the barrens of karsh border, to Fort Wazir, wrapping around the Masauga River, around Port Dacoit and back to the Barrier Swamp area.
  • West Dry Reach - Majority of the Plains of Hak through the Desert Wastelands bordering Old Valley of the Ancients. Regions south of the Black Swamp and the Duchy are within this space, for the most part.
  • Westwood - Great Dismal Swamp/Westwood, stretching to Root River; home of the Detrituswood.
  • Vestfold - Containing the eastern swamplands, Booh Peak and several areas south, like Kenville.
  • Cut-Off Points - From the tip of Frisia, to the Northwestern Peaks by the Land of Thralls, to half of the Barrens of Karsh, to Sul Peshwan, to The Spine of the Dragon, just beyond Tiverton Greening and Botha’s Wood and across the North Sea and beyond Bartertown. Beyond these boundaries, worthless land assimilated from the Skothar wastes. And beyond that nothingness? The dimensional gateway back to harsh northern Skothar.

Various locales

• MULTIPLE
• Main Highway (new)
1. BM Route 1 - A highway reaching from Maus to Kenville, right outside of a Kenville Agricultural Complex. It touches communities by the Bay of Blackmoor, cuts through the southern part of the mega-city (through half of former Lake Hope road), cutting through Peaks of Booh (where it says Greenway), shooting straight to Kenville.
2. Swamp-Duchy Route 2 - A highway that goes from just beyond Point Wazir through the northern wastelands and into Ramshead. It starts by Green River, touching south of Rusagern, looping below Southport/Deathport, traveling alongside Gold Road and shooting straight from Rat River to Ramshead.
3. Frontier Route 3 - A highway moving from Kenville and into Boggy Bottom and out to Ash Hill Frontier and finally into Gillian. The route touches Swine Ford, the Mucklands and the Gold Road before reaching its destination.
4. Highway City Route 4 - Starting from Blackmoor City, two paths branch away. One goes towards Far Peaks City, the other goes to Rug Market City. Path 1 follows the same path as Route One, before diverting at the Peaks of Pooh. It moves below the Tower of Pooh, by Vestfold and maneuvers by the old watch tower as it snakes its way past Fel, Port Dacoit, Oktagern, the Nature Reserves of Far Peaks and finally Far Peaks City. Path 2 goes to the Elf Road/Lake Hope intersection, traveling through Williamsfort, around Stormkiller Mountains to the south of it, around the north of Iron Hills (with a toll) and finally to Rug’s Market.
5. Greenway Route 5 - Connects Vestfold to Bramwald, continues onward into the border of Blackmoor itself. It simply uses the original Greenway Road itself.
• Roadways (new, canon) - Most of the trails of old have long since been paved, as minor routes and freeways across Blackmoor. Some have combined into major highways. Smaller roads mostly relate to misc. towns, covered within the “built up” colors/symbols on the map.
• Air-Road Ports (new) - Transitional Hubs for Flying Automobiles. There are numerous Flyway stops. They are: Starmorgan, Blackmoor Greens, Ash Hill, Rug’s Market, Moon Haven (not shown on map)
• Speed Rail (new) - A train system that zooms at high speed. The railways loops around the parameter of the existing territory, with one splinter rail towards Malfera Forest that leads to nowhere (due to being severed from the time jump). Engineers have finally gotten to removing it. Other deviations from the circle include stops to the wastelands station in Ash Hill, Kenville station, Blackmoor City and Northern Circle Station below Katterborg.
• Beach
• Archlis (canon, modified) - A major naval port, especially for defending against pirates. In later years, it became a historical site of great national pride.
• Maus(canon, modified) - A historical site, preserved for major cultural significance. Tourist towns sprung up around it.
• The Great Beach Roadway (new) - Along highway stretch cutting through Bramwald and traveling most of the eastern coastline of Beach County.
• Rug’s Market (semi-canon, modified) - Formerly Pug’s Station, a large tourism spot during the Age of Blackmoor. For years, the beach resort town has been struggling to maintain relevance in a closed off world. Rebels and pirates have become interested in it.
• Blackmoor Beaches (new) - Along the North Sea, an unofficial name for several unincorporated beach towns.
• The Bleak Market (new/semi-canon) - A market town well north of Rug’s Market, in an alcove of The Taproot. Glorified den of vices, potential black market. Investigations have always failed to get evidence. (strong pirates type of feel)
• Others (canon, modified) - The Shoals began to erode and degrade, fortified with artificial buffers to prevent more damage. Crafter’s Fen has shrunk in size, as has Potter’s Forest, thanks to growing industry.
• Black Iron
• Black Iron Speed Rail (new) - Built as a prototype for Blackmoorian Speed Trains, actively moves between Black Hills, Iron Hills and Crystal Peaks stations, mostly used by dwarves.
• Crystal Peaks (canon, modified) - Home to a proud settlement of ancient dwarves, capable of arts lost to Mystara. Many dwarf clans support the Grey Rebellion in secret.
• Lupercal (canon, modified) - A lupin settlement, more urbanized and modernized than most of the traditional tribal grounds. Formerly Dragonia.
• The Oracle’s Abbey (canon, modified) - Home of the Oracle’s Defenders. While Dragonia crumbled and most went west, this site remained an important fixture. Secretly a Grey Rebellion installation. This location took over the previous Fairfield Abbey.
• Wolvenfolk Grounds - (new) The tribal ranges claimed by the Wolvenfolk below the Crystal Peaks and Uberstar. At the moment, there hasn’t been any clash with the dwarves, they’ve remained neutral for now. Bitten Moon Keep is the central location.
• Other - (canon, modified) Save for the Wurmwood's protection by lupins, most of the forests are cleared in the area. Belsero’s Tower still stands somehow, despite attempts to knock it down.
• Black Swamp
• Boggy Bottom - (canon, modified) A pretty simple place, beyond a stop people make on their travels. Many rebel cells hide here, due to seeming remote.
• Gwynsburough - (new) Ruins overrun with monsters. Efforts are in place to banish them, so rebuilding might occur. Other communities don’t want to help. It was north of Boggy Bottom and west of Long Lake.
• Frog Island - (canon, modified) Home of the Cult of the Frog, slowly on the path to resurfacing. Has a facility with a cloning machine, which is mostly broken. It’s built on the old Temple ruins.
• Mare Stronghold - (canon, modified) Recently claimed by a squatting anarchist group, crushed by Blackmoor. The ruins are still there, in the center of Mare Island.
• Others - (canon, modified) Many of the forests and fens have been cut back, but much of this was undone by the Detrituswood and Froggie incidents. Tiger Island, Isle of the Toads and Great Neck remained cleared and built upon.
• Bramwald
• Bramwald - (canon, modified) An industrial center of Blackmoor, with annexed departments sent to Newgate and Jackport, both connected by private railway
• Bramford Abbey (canon, modified) Still existing, mostly for historical purposes.
• Newgate - (canon, modified) A glorified division serving the greater county. The city emblem includes a mix of Zvenzen’s crest and Brother Richard’s War Machine.
• Jackport - (canon, modified) Similar to Newgate, but less pristine. Some rebel cells are here.
• Outer Bramwald (new) - Series of towns dotting between Newgate and Jackport, mostly stops along the rail.
• Stormkiller Mountains (canon, modified) - Home of the Stormkiller Orcs. While Chief Tumf delights in the misery of the Dwarves, he has begun to focus on building his own power, complete with trade and political negotiations. Still, the racism and aggression of the orcs remains strong.
• Others (canon, modified) - Much of nature is cleared, unincorporated and small towns have taken their place. Erak has become largely irrelevant, now little more than a commuter city to fuel the economic machine.
• East Dry Reaches
• Coyotl Grounds (new) - Sparse and quite arid grounds, claimed by the Coyotl clans. Many were used to such a way of life already. The eastern border of the Dragon Hills into the Wurm River is claimed by them, or so they say.
• Gnoll Valley (canon, modified) - Tribal villages built from rock and sand, following Afridhi traditions, found in the Valley of the Ancients. The Gnoll City, formerly Qom, is the favored ground. Areas by the Tower of Glass are built upon too, they avoid the City of the Gods wreckage though.
• Dragon Mountain (canon, modified) - Much of the Dragon Hills were raised up by mages and priests alike long ago, anticipating retaliation from the Peshwah and Afridhi. New residents continued the process to instill isolation.
• Train Wreckage (new) - A rebel attack blew up a track set and caused a brutal crash. After salvage and body removal, the cars were left there. It can be found in between Swine Ford and the Badlands.
• The Mountains Tribe (new/canon, modified) - Lynxmen and snow pardasta make up the majority of rakasta in this tribe. They follow the mountain king as the true rakasta leader. The Dragon Mountain, as well as nearby hills, make up the majority of residence. They have claimed Cloudtop as well.
• Valley Crater (canon, modified) - The former site of the City of the Gods, extremely dangerous. Horrible mutants wander there.
• Serpentine Ruins (new) - Deep within the Eastern Hak Wastelands lies the remains of an evil ancient empire. It is here where heretics partied and now a dread lich plans. They are near the ruins of Gile’s Station.
• Torchlight (canon, modified) - A minor outpost for border soldiers, built from the small trading post known as Benbow’s Hectare. It has been used for other mobile projects.
• Wastelands (canon, modified) - Destroyed and vacant desert land, it stretches from the explosion site to the wurm river, wrapping the foot of Dragon Hills and into the Eastern Hak.
• Others (canon, modified) - Farah, the Shrine of Axmouth, the Salt Tower and the Eastern Hak are largely abandoned and in ruin. Countless failed ghost towns litter the hills, flats and wastelands. Less hostile zones have seen smaller towns and settlements emerge, clearing out much of nature. Covert raids by Nyela’s cult harm this. Some places, like near the Crater or Serpentine Ruins, are extremely dangerous and polluted with deadly waste. Anything beyond a certain point extends beyond the cut off point and becomes forever lost.
• Far Peaks
• Moon Haven (new) - A rural settlement with a mix of Blackmoorian, Peshwah and recently Lupin cultural values. It still has influence over other towns and settlements in Far Peaks. The Grey Rebellion has a secret influence here. East of The Glens and The Trackers, a distance from Thunder River.
• Far Peaks Preserve (canon, modified) - A wildlife reserve, consisting of The Glens and The Trackers grounds.
• The New Monastery of the Defenders (new) - Still in contact with the original Oracle Abbey, this monastery exists 5 miles from Moon Haven.
• Far Peaks City (canon, modified) - Due 16 miles east and 4 miles south of the old Starport grounds, a spiritual successor to the land and the county seat.
• Superstition Mountains Salvage Zone (canon, modified) - Former Duchy of the Peaks, a bombed out series of crater filled rock. Majority of damage was concentrated around both Old and New Starport, which were close enough to each other.
• Fort Warpaint (canon, modified) - Formerly Peiwar, this military zone north of the Barrier Swamps has been a primarily place to train troops to be readied for whatever hell or horror Blackmoor throws at them.
• Cootsbane Mountains (new) - An artificial mountain buffer, made during a war against Skandahar and a means of closing in the Egg. Home of Cootsbane Dam and the Royal Airfield of Fort Far Peaks. It’s east and a bit north of old Starport, connecting and continuing the main river. It stops just a ways before the Wolf Woods, with the bottom half of the Wolf Woods nearly surrounded by the mountain.
• Old Blackmoor Separatists (new) - The splinter faction that dwells within the castles of an isolated zone. They’re northwest of the exclusion zone, over 15 miles away.
• Others (canon, modified) - The Wilds of Nan and Forest of Haunts are both cut back, due to the lumber industry. Fort Sherpur and Khost are legacy installations, preserved for history. Small towns exist within safe areas.
• Glendower
• Star Gardens (canon, modified) - Former Temple of Id, operated by religious charities now. Cleansing Mother uses underground for Cult things.
• Fort Blightstopper (canon, modified) - The former Coot’s Watch, now a modernized military installation.
• Glendower (canon, modified) - The namesake city, with numerous suburbs; overall less generally affluent than Blackmoor.
• Citadel Archivis (canon, modified) - A conversion of the ancient Glendower castle, now the headquarters for a place of learning.
• Others - Cugol’s Fen and Peaks of Booh have been slightly built upon, due to growing population and Blackmoor’s urbanization. Towns and other nearby territories are mostly centered by Glendower.
• Greater Blackmoor
• Arnendale (new) - A fishing community due some miles from Blackmoor. They provide much of the fish market along the Bay of Blackmoor. It risks assimilation by bordering directly on Blackmoor City turf.
• Blackmoor Greens (new) - A suburb outside of Blackmoor City, just as heavily regulated as the city proper. It’s along The Raider Road and mostly west of Northing Downs. It’s just beyond Blackmoor’s sprawl.
• Blackmoor City (canon, modified) - The Capital of Blackmoor, its sprawl has crossed over the water channel and also stretched southward. Home of numerous military and government divisions, especially in the sciences.
1. Old City - The original city, largely preserved in its classical state. Some of it has been replaced or built around, due to inevitable loss of structures though.
• Blackmoor Corporate Plaza (new) - Bordering on Greater Blackmoor and Bramwald county, a series of megacorporations that persist under Allogost’s rule. Starts past the northern tip of South Lake.
• Others - (canon, modified) Lake Hope into Rock Island have been slightly built up, complete with waterfaring buildings. The Raider Road onto Old North Watch has been greatly built up, even leading outward into the Bay of Blackmoor. Even parts of the Northern Downs and areas almost near the Redwoods have been built up. Blackmoor City controls a lot of the general area.
• Locust Hills
• Locust Hills Victory Grounds (new) - Where the Egg was originally defeated, in the weeks leading up to the Great Rain of Fire. It’s still a little bit dangerous, filled with otherworldly and strange fonts of magic. Centered in the Lair of the Egg.
• Malfera Forest (canon, modified) - Strange beasts grow there. Some blame olden demonology.
• Wolf Woods (canon, modified) - Once a cesspool of “lycanthropy”, it was cleansed by elves. However, later events destroyed said elves.
• Backburner Ruins (new) - The first settlement to be stricken down by Allogost in the county. While still dangerous, brigands and outlaws hide in it. West of Gray Forest, which is also dangerous.
• Woodenbridge Junkyard/The Warrens of Madness (new) - An abandoned scrapyard where A.M. gathers his cult. It is northeast of Woodenbridge.
• Woodenbridge City Quarantine (new) - After the execution of the governor, an infectious radiance broke out in about ½ of the city. Just entering is quickly lethal. On the Northwest part of Cimieras, by the inlet.
• Unsunk Lands (new) - Built up and drudged land to expand outward towards the Black Sea. from the eastern part of the land strip above Trollgate. In addition, northern and eastern parts of the Gorgon Bay have been carved into, with more land.
• Fort Howler (canon, modified) - When Fort Sherper fell into disrepair, a new one was built towards the western bottom edge of the Wolf Woods and east of the Cootsbane Mountains.
• Others (canon, modified) - Plenty of safe enough area has been cut away and turned into various towns, roadway and businesses. Save for the above, lots of wilderness is removed, except for areas that prove too dangerous. The Gnolls are removed. The rest of Woodenbridge is in despair.
• Northern Circle
• Skandaharia Burough (new/semi-canon) - A collection of small towns, linked together. Most are people of the northern lands. Poverty is an absolute through much of the area. It encompasses a number of territories west of Bartertown and into the unsunk areas in Buccaneer Bay. Katterborg, found in the northwestern unsunk area of Buccaneer Bay, is the capital. It fares the best out of the territories, also sharing a surprising rakasta population.
• Troll Patches (new) - Shrubby and hilly lands, broken up by rivers, heavily filled with trolls. The Shake River and some of the drudged land are hot spots. Not official territories, just coined terms for areas dealing with trolls.
• Berserker Grounds (new) - In the middle of the Northern Circle, before the would-be Frisia Border. This is home to a lesser raider gang. North of Bartertown on the map.
• Unsunk Lands (new) - Built up and drudged land to expand outward towards the Black Sea. The land has expanded southward, especially between Dunland Forests and Gremlin Forests. Southeastern Glades into western Buccaneer Bay have had more land too.
• Garretsen (new) - A well-to-do community built on the Unsunk Lands just beyond the southeastern part of The Glades. It acts as a central hub for sailors as well as the destination of several roadways.
• Locust Flats (new) - A small town south of Malfera Forest, but before the expanded landmass that was once part of Gorgon Bay.
• Jonger Sea Port (new) - A major marina for the Northern Circle and a major source of travel. More accessible and generalized than Garretson. It’s across from The Shoals.
• Others (canon, modified) - Much of the natural space beyond the Skandaharia Borough is well preserved. Bartertown, while in poor shape, still exists.
• Redwood
• Ringlo Sprawl (canon, modified) - The closest that the elves wanted to a city. The city itself is made of living trees and other magically shaped plants.
• The Redwoods (canon, modified) - Ancient and vast forest space, a bit of it responsibly occupied by elves and descendents of outside druids.
• Sweetwater River (canon, modified) - Slightly larger and dug out in parts, allowing for more aquatic transportation options, one branch goes directly through the elven city.
• Ten Duchy
• Duchy Point (new) - An industrial center due southwest of Starmorgan. It borders the hills by the Misauga River. A desired target of Detrituswood.
• Hanford (canon, modified) - A quiet riverside town that fought against the Duchy of Ten once, only to be subsumed into the county centuries later. They are left alone typically.
• Hanford Tower (canon, modified) - After successfully warding off horrors and blights, many defensive perimeters are in place, further helping Ten Duchy’s defenses.
• Point Wazir (canon, modified) - A town populated predominantly by military families. Fort Wazir is nearby, in its original location.
1. Fort Wazir - the historical fort.
• Point Marlee (new) - Over 10 miles away from Point Wazir, also south of the Barrier Swamps.
• Duchy Retreat (new) - A former getaway for the disgraced dukes of days old. Now, it’s a vacation spot for the elite. It became attractive to the wealthy of other counties in the last few decades of 3000s BC. South of the Duchy of Ten
• Port Dacoit (canon, modified) - A trade port of ill-repute, just like old times.
• Silverbell (canon, modified) - A neglected and impoverished community in the southern part of the county.
• Starmorgan City (canon, modified) - A city that has taken several previously unincorporated towns. It reaches just 2 miles away from Oktagern and 3 miles east of its original site.
• Others (canon, modified) - The Hills of Ten, Brushy Fen, Gargoyle Hills and Barrier Swamps are well preserved. Bad fires and “accidents” damaged the western part of The Wilds of Ten. The crusade against the Egg of Coot left Robinsport destroyed, the land has since been cleared.
• Vestfold
• Arkeson (new) - An agricultural distribution focused town, with plenty of nearby farms. Also the home of Wet Wood National Park just south west of it.
• Kenville (canon, modified) - A prominent agricultural center for all of Blackmoor. Also the home of the Vestfold Farm and Family Exhibition.
• Ramshead (canon, modified) - Long beyond its glory days, the city has been ignored by many others. It’s home to many Halflings (or Hin) of Blackmoor. Many dwarf clans have extorted the city in exchange for protection from Blackmoor’s government.
• Vestfold (canon, modified) - The county seat, even though agriculture has taken over as a focus in the last few centuries.
• Wet Wood National Park (canon, modified) - Hosting one of the Living Forest arboretums/preserves in Blackmoor. Formerly just The Wet Wood.
• Others (canon, modified) - The Tower of Booh and Abby of Fritz were preserved, but the former was left to rot after some time. The Greenwood hasn’t been too touched, save for unincorporated towns built around it.
• West Dry Reaches
• Blasted Woods (canon, modified) - The sickly remains of a forest, barren death has consumed much of it.
• Farah (canon, modified) - A former site of many conflicts, now assimilated into the Regularis culture.
• Deathport (canon, modified) - The de facto headquarters of the Bloodshed raiders, Southport turned into their city of sin.
• Peshwah Heritage Grounds (semi-canon, modified) - A depressing reservation of land, hardly worthy of their days of old, in the west facing Plains of Hak. It stretches from Fort Janlud to Whitehorse and west to the edge of the plain. Everything else is claimed by Blackmoor.
• Plains Tribe (new) - The fast runners and pardasta clans of the wastelands. Nyela’s clan leads the rest of the tribe. Their grounds start in the badlands west of the Valley, stretching into the wastelands.
• Regularis (new) - A boom town formed from pushes to rebuild the wastes beyond main Blackmoor. It features a mixture of Blackmoorian, Peshwah and even old Thonian cultures to endure a savage frontier setting. (It conveys a wild west meets mad max feel)
• Wild Cat City (new) - A fusion of plains rakasta and Regularis culture.
• Windhoek (canon, modified) - A final retreat for the fire giants, cut off from their colder cousins. A truce still withstands between the forces, even though the giants take no responsibility if they damage and thwart Blackmoorian enterprise for whatever reason. They respect the Regularins and Gnolls.
• Wastelands (canon, modified) - Vacant desert from the northern part of the Valley of the Ancients touching the badlands and plains of hak.
• Others (canon, modified) - Rusagern remains as a history site, much of the Hak or related Peshwah sites are lost from the cut off point, Lishtok and Nantok are Blackmoorian frontier outposts (with some civilian presence). Most natural sites remain, even claiming back much land like Sul Peshwah. Gillian is a military controlled trade post.
• Westwood
• Detrituswood (new/canon, modified) - A slowly growing wretched hive of corruption and disease, controlled by undead elves.
• Westwood Pharma-Tech (new) - Seized by monsters and undead, now a plant for bioweapons. Near old Lake Gloomy.
• Old Starmorgan Dumping Grounds (new) - A hill of pollutants and waste, dumped into a toxic swamp, the root of many later problems. Near the entrypoint to the peninsula of Great Neck.
• Sage Ranger Outpost (canon, modified) - Built around the Sage Tower, it’s a safety buffer against the blight. Rangers, scouts and other troops monitor and fight back.
• Westfold Barrier Outpost (new) - The county border, due 5 miles from a small town within Vestfold jurisdiction. These troops see more action.
• Others (canon, modified) - Many of the natural sites still exist, even if many are sickly and in poor shape. Save for Fel, most of the major settlements and cities are devastated and outright ruined.