the basic idea of the region is English (inc. Welsh, Cornish, etc) fairy tales - particularly those featuring giants of various ilk. Illusions are another theme, and Rusak of AC3/5/8 fame is back. The feel is a bit more light hearted than the previous works.
There are several petty kingdoms in the Dale to the west of Deep Hollow and Greendale (from GAZ F4):
Kingdom of 200 Knights
Kingdom of Many Colors
Kingdom of West Haven
The Misty Kingdom
Kingdom of Snowden
Kingdom of Lowland Roags
the forest north of the Parthenal Hills is part of the Great Olde Woode - which is a quasi-kingdom.
Many of these kingdoms include humanoids and hill giants. In addition to the Ghyr-related conflicts, the Dale is surrounded by unfriendly humanoids in the northeast, denizens of the Parthenal Hills and Swamp of the Beast in the south, lost Alinor/Blackmoor-era cities in the north, and an undead menace gathering in the west.
Things I'd like help on:
1) Adventure ideas (including those published and adaptable, B9, some of AC10)
2) PC feature elements (hill giant being one)
3) magic items
4) rulers (I have enough general NPCs)
5) What to do with the Great Olde Woode - this is wide open
6) other suggestions?
Just throw it out for consumption.
-OldDawg
I could throw you some ideas. Would you like to see them here, or in private?
Havard
-OldDawg
Things I'd like help on:
1) Adventure ideas (including those published and adaptable, B9, some of AC10)
Well as a general question, I am wondering how Celtic you want to make the setting. I'm guessing not so much since you specified English with the inclusion of Welsh and Cornish, rather than the other way around. The ideas I'm getting here are Arthurian, with Fae in there and perhaps some of the Celtic Christian myths.
Dragons is a definate good one here. I was always intrigued with the Arthurian idea of Dragons in the earth. Dragons sleeping below castles, making the earth shake when the stirr. Perhaps dragons dream and affect humans through their dreams, sort of like the Burrowers.
BTW: Dragons and Maidens to be sacrifices. Whats the deal there? could an adventure be made from that? Do the dragons in this region have a sense of honor that makes them go out and face knights who challenge them? Could the dragons be able to drain some sort of energy from being able to defeat knights in single combat?
2) PC feature elements (hill giant being one)
Cool! For hill gians, I'd base them off the Sea giants from PC2, Hill Giants are a bit weaker though. Perhaps their ability to haul boulders could increase by level?
Other things: Are there any Fey creatures who were not covered in PC1? Or maybe Hags?
Another idea that intrigued me when reading up on Cornwall was the idea of Celtic Christianity. Perhaps the lands of the Western Alliance have Clerics who dabble in Druidism, or have other connections to the Fae?
Stone circles, Pixie rings etc could also be used here.
If you want to take the Celtic element further, Geases and blessings could also be used.
3) magic items
Although there already is a "holy Grail" parallell in Ghyr, how about a Cauldron giving eternal life? The Holy Grain was supposedly a Cauldron in the Celtic version of the arthur legends.
4) rulers (I have enough general NPCs)
Lets see...the Good King, the Evil King and the Mad King. Maybe the Good king's wife cheats on him with his best knight who is also his friend? Maybe the Mad King isnt really mad, but overcome by grief (Hamlet-style) by some wrong that the Evil King has done to him, but which he is somehow unable to avenge?
5) What to do with the Great Olde Woode - this is wide open/QUOTE]
I'm having visions of a Brothers Grim style forest here. I did something similar with the Dymrak forest with the Circle of Hags, so maybe this is not the way to go. I feel that the area given to the Fey in PC1 was way to small. Maybe the Great Olde Woode could be a Fey Realm? The Fey might not always be friendly towards mortals and they would definately demand respect. Perhaps they hate the New religion of the land (but also fear it). Or maybe this is a kingdom of men, but ruled by the Fey?
6) other suggestions?
Just throw it out for consumption.
Okay, a bit of random ideas thrown out there. Perhaps someone else can help turn them into something useful?
Havard
- more fey / dangerous hobgoblins
- a nice feyish creature in The death's Head
- generally a nice atmosphere, but intergrating quite well with standard fantasy stuff.
So - might be some ideas there. Try www.the-underdogs.org for the PDF
"the basic idea of the region is English (inc. Welsh, Cornish, etc)"
"Kingdom of 200 Knights"
"1) Adventure ideas (including those published and adaptable, B9, some of AC10)"
Since we're dealing with Arturian style area/countries. Wouldn't it be fun to have an adventure about a Jousting contest where the prize is a princess or a maiden's hand in marriage, only to see her snatched away by the evil dragon, by the end of the tourny.....
oh the drama !!! :D :P The prize of this contest could also be replaced by a magical item: an arrow (Robin Hood), a sword, a Lance, or a flok of sheep (whatever).
Just a thought.
- Jakob
Since we're dealing with Arturian style area/countries. Wouldn't it be fun to have an adventure about a Jousting contest where the prize is a princess or a maiden's hand in marriage, only to see her snatched away by the evil dragon, by the end of the tourny.....
The prize of this contest could also be replaced by a magical item: an arrow (Robin Hood), a sword, a Lance, or a flok of sheep (whatever).
ROBIN HOOD!
What a great idea! OldDawg, for the Great Olde Woode, have you considered having a group of Merry Men? This could also flow into your Player Options chapter, dealing with stick fight duels across bridges, surviving in the woods etc. Lots of adventure ideas here too. Oh and maybe a country ruled by a greedy steward while the true king is off crusading somewhere?
I dont think this has been done (officially) on Mystara anywhere yet...
Havard
What published material provides any detail (no matter how small) on this region?
Would this be more medieval Arthurian legends (a la Malory) or historical (circa 5th C) Celtic myth (Taliessin/Llewellyn)? I'm partial to the latter, but the former has more resources--and would fit the inclusion of Robin Hood better.
On the idea of the Holy Grail, Celtic Britons, the Cymru (Welsh) and Scots/Irish Celts all had a plethora of relics, for example, the story of what later became the Holy Grail was originally the Chalace Well, located near Glastonbury. The Irish had 4 relics, and the British/Welsh had 13... (I'll post a list & description later when I have more time...)
As for the druid idea and it's link to Celtic Christianity... Perhaps the "state religion" is similar to the Thyatian pantheon, and it's clerics are prominent in politics, while a nature-pantheon is run by a Druidic college, which is followed by the common people. Of course, to gain more influence with the people, the state church has borrowed elements of the druid faith.
Canon states that there is one "Great Druid" each for both inner and outer worlds. Maybe the outer Great Druid is located (primarily) here. Perhaps his name is (stealing from historical mythology) Emerys or Embrias, and holds the Title of Merlyn (or Myrrdin)...
Avalon--a small region (no larger than one 24 mile hex) which is connected to the world of Faerie (a demiplane)... This would be the same Faerie seen in B3 (green cover). Avalon exists permanantly in Faerie, but sometimes (at certain times of the year, and when summoned by a Name-level druid(ess)) the veail is weakened, and Avalon becomes temporarily anchored in the Material Plane.
These are just some random thoughts made during lunch... I will post more coherent thoughts later when I have more time.
Roger
CoG has a dislike of the native Roag McCullan faith (5 parts druidism, 1 part ancestral Immortals, 1 part Idris) or the foreign Known World imports, but it only actively blocks Idris-worship. Roag McCullan increases in adherents in the West.
Ghyr was Malory's Arthurian England, along with Greendale (F4) and the new Kingdom of 200 Knights (modelled on the villanous King of 100 Knights).
Misty Kingdom was originally intended as an Avalon of sorts, but no specific tradition.
When I said fairy tales, I was thinking of pre-Chaucer folklore like Jack and the Beanstalk or Tim Top Tot (basically Rumpelstiltskin).
Robin Hood could work in the westernmost region near West Haven after Arelina's father is deposed.
5th century Celt could survive in the Great Olde Woode, Snowden, or Lowland Roags (the last two are non-forested regions)
-OldDawg
Early in history, they held a strong political as well as religious role. As more humans and humanoids attained immortality, many commoners grew disenchanted with them and deserted the "old faith". The faiths of the new immortals filled the spiritual vacuum. Eventually, most of the Ancient Rite were destroyed by the followers of the early immortals. Few survived by heading into the wilderness, and small groupings survived into modern Mystara.
Puss in Boots.
Low level adventures take shelter in an old farm house. A Pooka in the form of a cat is also living there. The Pooka called Puss, promises to tell a great secret if the adventures provide him with a bottle of wine. The Pooka's adventure starts by him telling a story of a master he once help owning the nearby castle and its lands that has now been taken over by an ogre mage. Before showing the way to the castle the Pooka request retrieval of his boots from a band of robbers. Puss's boots are magical boots of dexterity; Puss uses these as his only armor. After the defeat of the robber, Puss shows the way to the castle. At the castle Puss warns the adventures that they simply cannot walk into the castle, they must find some other way in without alerting the undead gaurds. They may also be magical or normal traps to deal with. The objective will be to sneak in and slay the ogre mage. Puss uses his magical abilities to help the adventures slay the dragon. If cornered Puss protects himself with a silver dagger. At the end the adventures will find out that the castle belongs to Puss and all of the undead lose their Animate Dead spell. The adventures should be rewarded any treasure the ogre mage has as well as the friendship and visitation rights to stay at the castle. Puss in later adventures should be played as a political ruler of the castle and all of the surrounding lands.
Not sure where this Western Alliance is, but if it's north-western Brun, you could make this the culture that the Kingdom of Robren was chased from by the Yazak goblinoids.
AFAIK, it is just west of Ghyr, quite far from Robrenn. Keep in mind that Robrenn is based in the ancient Gauls while according to OD, the WA is based on England/Cornwall/Wales. A connection to the Isle of Dawn is more likely. That doesnt mean Robrenn stuff cant be used though, especially the rules for Robrenn Druids could be employed. It might also be interesting to see some Dark Druids, performing human sacrifices and the like, as Julius Caesar reported British Isles Druids to be doing...
Havard
AFAIK, it is just west of Ghyr, quite far from Robrenn.
Yes, it is immediately to the west of the Ghyr map and due north of the Wildlands map. It reaches, but does not extend past, the middle Borean Valley.
Keep in mind that Robrenn is based in the ancient Gauls while according to OD, the WA is based on England/Cornwall/Wales. A connection to the Isle of Dawn is more likely. That doesnt mean Robrenn stuff cant be used though, especially the rules for Robrenn Druids could be employed.
These folks are all related in the GAZF version of Mystara. Using the fan-hypothesized Carnuilh and Dunael groups, the Carnuilh parent group was the first to get into Wendar and Denagoth. Glacial movments and early Antalian pressure pushed them west and north. Finally the 1725 humanoid migrations further separated the groups, so that we now have:
Midlands "Celts" and Robrenn "Astrix Gauls" in the far west (not covered in the Gaz's)
Murians (Celt/Elvish/biblical near east) and Hagommerians (Cimmerians) in the Wildlands
Roags (Welsh, Cornish, Pictish, Breton- yes I know Picts aren't Celts) in the north.
plus the mostly antalian-mix groups of the Tribes of Avien (Denagoth), the Hargans ("Kurgans" west of the Wildlands) and the Renatic speakers (Wendar). Ghyrans follow from the Essurian-Antalian stock, but culturally they are Arthurian British; and the anglaise of Glantri have made the local Ghyrans/Roags more "English" in the Western Alliance.
-OldDawg
The reason being, that I (and others it would seem) find myself a bit lost as to where Ghyr, Midlands, Borean Vally are located...
OldDawg, would it be possible for you to post a map of Northen Brun that includes some of the canon material (Glantri or Ethengar?) as well as the material you have compiled for the GAZF-series, perhaps 24mile hex. The reason being, that I (and others it would seem) find myself a bit lost as to where Ghyr, Midlands, Borean Vally are located...
I'll second that request. I have a rough idea of the area but an actual map would sure make things a great deal clearer.
Thanks again for the excellent works you and others have been producing!
Look at the land west of the Norwold mountains and north of Glantri. Wendar should be pretty obvious. See the swampy/boggy land opposite the great lakes? And the grassy spur? That together is the Swamp of the Beast. The Northern Wildlands is between that grassy spur and Wendar.
Change the hill strip bordering Wendar into mountain and you have the Mengul Range of Denagoth.
Ghyr's Clearwater Valley is located in the vicinity of the hill-valley at the northern extreme of the Swamp. The northernmost mountains are the Alinor Chain.
The pine tree/clear terrain is actually the Hills of Parthenal and end about 1-2 hexes west. That is a good rough approximation for the edge of the middle Borean Valley.
The northern portion of those pine trees is the Great Olde Woode, and what is shown as grassland is the Dale. The tundra line (and basically north of our present-day interests) is about at the latitutude of the southern portion of that isolated marsh.
One of the not-insignificant problems with producing a composite 8 or 24 map, is that the covered regions do not fit nicely in a rectangular display. Wendar is a bit too south, the neighboring barbarian lands of Denagoth are a bit too east, the Western Alliance is a bit too north and a lot more west.
Including all the maps as is either means leaving a lot of whited out areas, or the wholesale construction of 1/3 of the Adri Varma, the White Bear River Valley, 40-50% of Heldann, the eastern Midlands, and a lot more of the Alinor Chain.
-OldDawg
here is a beta (actually .5 alpha+.5 beta :P ) version of a 24 mph map of the north.
I haven't pushed the wallpapers into proper alignment or added labels, yet, but you should get a basic idea.
Okay, so Western Alliance ideas?
thanks for posting this map. Although I had a good idea where the coutnries were located based on your descriptions, it is nice to get it visualized like this.
Looking forward to seeing the completed version!
Havard
-OldDawg
I do have substantive comments to share - right now I'm on a roll on my own project. But in the meantime I have these thoughts to share:
1. What is Renia's story? She's appeared in most of the supplements for far, and it intrigues me.
2. Has Archbishop Loftos had a horrible revelation? if so, what is it?
Geoff
Sorry, but the delay cannot be avoided. Outside commitments are mounting
Yes Renia will make an appearance here as well. She is that recurring side quest, isn't she?
The Loftos Papers were intentionally vague for DM's to tailor to their campaign.
-OldDawg
It has an.....ominous....aspect to it.
Hmmmmmmmm.........
(excerpted from a burned journal)
"[illegible] and would that I had never sought out, nor read, those accursed Loftos Papers! It has been said that ignorance is a blissful island in a tumultuous sea of things unknown - I had laughed at the notion once. No more."
Geoff
another delay has sprung up. The project is 85% done, but there is no realistic way it will be completed before Thanksgiving. What started out as a simple appendical gazetteer has really grown into its own. And there is some wonderful art work that has been contributed.
I'm resetting the release for Nov 30.
With sincere apologies to everyone,
OldDawg
I'm resetting the release for Nov 30.
With sincere apologies to everyone,
OldDawg
Looking forward to it :D
No need to apologize. These things happen.
One last time - (Hopefully :raincloud
:OMG! 
) - a delay of some indeterminant number of days. I figure, if I don't set a new exact deadline, I can't miss it :embarrass -OldDawg