So, need one more approval of the map before I switch to detail mode.
If you are familiar with inkarnate, I am creating the mapat 1k, even though the exports are higher. The final will be a 4k, but I don't do the precise details until I have my sections created.
Sections are just closeups of different areas. I pull them out at 1k, then increase resolution to I can do zoom ins and start creating more battle map like stuff.
I do not make any claims to being great at this, lol, but I give it a go.
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Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
It's already gotten well beyond the scope at which I'm comfy working. I can't even keep it all straight in my head at this stage.
Heh - the beast has been unleashed! But this thread has always had several topics flowing at the same time! Feel free to throw down some new ideas, question of the day, or whatever, I say!
Hold on, there seems to be some miscommunication - is this mountain floating on an ocean or in the sky?
I, too, thought it was just the mountain. I envisioned this gaping hole in the ground, where this mountain was just mysteriously floating above it, with waterfalls falling onto the ground, and this entire eco-system existing in this floating mountain.
We may differ on minor details, but I think we all have the idea now, lol.
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Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
We may differ on minor details, but I think we all have the idea now, lol.
Oh to be clear, I don't mind either way. But from your first title "The Floating Mountain" those were the images my brain imagined.
But a "floating mountain" could certainly earn it's name due to it's height - the peak goes above cloud level - so from up there, it gives the illusion of being a floating mountain, for example.
Creativity is all that matters. I am (pleasantly) surprised to see that it grew beyond just my questions! (I love it!)
Reminds of the forum story I was doing. Just something that sort of spun on its own for the sake of creativity.
And I am here to bathe in the creativity.
Hey! Wait. I am keeping my clothes on people. No need to leave the thread because I said that...!
What sort of special buildings or features should there be?
What is the composition of the town, species -wise?
We know:
It is a small town or Village,
that it doesn't have a port itself,
that a river runs through it (with 3 bridges), and
that there are fields outside it, that there is no big wall around the town.
There is a large open space on the "backside" of the mountain (Turtle's End?). Anything I should look into including there?
Tawmis, we need another collective update, lol.
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Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Not quite an update but: 1) the mountain ( an old volcano?) and some flat lying ground around it are floating above something not sure what. 2) the old city, half crumbling away is at the edge of the floating ground, the village with the windmill, winch and hook are further inland at the foot of the mountain. 3) the aarckocra (sp?) have a village/communal nest/whatever at the top of the volcano. 4) close to the village (3) is a portal to somewhere where the gargoyles live and raid the bird folk from. 5) somewhere inside the volcano is an area of darkness with something nasty in it. 6) somewhere else in the volcano (below 5?) is an underground lake with blind sauhaugin that ( at least some of them) worship the “tentacle” 7) buried/trapped in the mud at the bottom of the lake is the full beast of the tentacle - a kraken- aboleth mixed breed 8) somewhere on the underside of the floating mountain is a dragon’s (blue?) lair 9) somewhere in there is a Lich/vampire mage/ evil archmage wreaking some sort of further havoc possibly involving the region of darkness 10) there are supposed to be 13 “levels” to this thing so here is how I sort of in vision them: L1) getting to the mountain and up onto it L2) exploring the old city and discovering the “base” village L4) climbing the mountain - so far unknown/described by us L5) dealing with the Aaracockra L6) dealing with the gargoyles L7) exploring the region of darkness L8) dealing with the sauhaugin part 1 L9) dealing with the sauhaugin part 2 L10) dealing with the Tentacle L11) dealing with the dragon L12) dealing with the archmage part 1 L13) dealing with the archmage part 2 (finale)
I think that is everything we have put into this so far but please correct any of misunderstandings
10) there are supposed to be 13 “levels” to this thing so here is how I sort of in vision them: L1) getting to the mountain and up onto it L2) exploring the old city and discovering the “base” village L4) climbing the mountain - so far unknown/described by us L5) dealing with the Aaracockra L6) dealing with the gargoyles L7) exploring the region of darkness L8) dealing with the sauhaugin part 1 L9) dealing with the sauhaugin part 2 L10) dealing with the Tentacle L11) dealing with the dragon L12) dealing with the archmage part 1 L13) dealing with the archmage part 2 (finale)
I think that is everything we have put into this so far but please correct any of misunderstandings
My understanding was that the 13 levels referred to the number of vertical layers of the underground cavern system. (It was mentioned that the hanging gardens beneath the mountain are accessed through the seventh level of the caves.)
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Paladin main who spends most of his D&D time worldbuilding or DMing, not Paladin-ing.
Oh wow. I’ve missed a large amount of content! Once Tawmis puts it all together I’ll pitch in, but my scattered brain is struggling to put it all together right now!
There is a large open space on the "backside" of the mountain (Turtle's End)
Tortles could make up part of the population. It would kind of foreshadow that the mountain is on the back of a giant turtle.
Name Five Types of Creatures Found In the Module (detail as much as you want):
Aaracokra: these aggressive, xenophobic bird folk live in crater of the mountain, which was once a volcano. Their leader has been placed under a curse by the Creatures Below. They will only spare the party if they promise to save the leader of their village.
gargoyles: servants of evil earth, these stony foes have started swarming through a portal to assault the Aaracokra.
The Creatures Below: no one can see what these monsters look like because they live in the Twisting Caverns, where a magical darkness has rebases the area.
Sahaugin: in an underground lake lives a group of blind sahaugin who perceive things by echolocation. They hold a mystic artifact, guarded by The Tentacle
The sahuagin are divided into 2 or 3 factions. The largest (about half the population), which is currently in control, reveres the Tentacle as a god. The stronger of the two remaining factions detests the Tentacle and wants to leave the Mountain altogether, but they can't obtain enough influence in the leadership to make it happen. The sahuagin of the smallest faction are reclusive and mysterious; they're recipients of visions from some outside power that's slowly corrupting the sahuagin. It wants the mystic artifact and to destroy the mountain - but the corrupted sahuagin don't even know what it wants (only that they are to build up their influence quietly in order to take possession of the artifact), much less why....
Some of the Sahuagin are trapped in the hanging gardens, having tried to get in during a storm not too long ago (a cyclone or hurricane or something that really lifts the waves). Which means it is also partially flooded, which has the pretty little pet feeling pretty upset. They also discovered the three clockwork golems -- Hickory, Dickory, and Dockory -- and now Dockory lies in pieces *but is still functioning and aware*.
The tentacle: a mysterious slimy suckered tentacle that demands sacrifices every month on the new moon. In reality it is an kraboleth (kraken-aboleth) trapped under the lake bed with one tentacle free
Name Five Ten NPCs (race, class, names, up to you on the details):
Thundercrash Blacktalon, the hero of the aarakocra and the wife of the village's leader. She was struck by lightning while flying to the village from her original homeland, and fell to the earth aflame. Upon awakening, she had no memories. She's sworn to defend the village that saved her life, but the Creatures Below made it clear that if she intervened directly, they'd kill her husband. The others are not happy about her hesitation, but will never kill or exile her because every time lightning strikes on the mountain, it strikes her, and she's unharmed.
Crakk: Gargoyle jester. The only thing keeping the mad Gargoyle King from murdering his most trusted advisors and officers. Crakk is at his wit's end, and while he believes in the king's mission, he might betray him for the safety of the kingdom. Hasn't slept soundly in over a week, and habitually slips rock puns into his sentences even when he's trying to be serious.
Mad King Bol'dar: His original plan was to acquire the mystical artifact of the Tentacle. Upon arrival he discovered that it was no longer in the aarakocras' care, so he endeavored to coerce them into retrieving it for him. However, the king has lost his mind in the weeks since emerging from the portal. One of his most persistent hallucinations is that the floor is lava, and as he says, "the lava corrupts!" He orders his guards to kill anyone seen touching the ground, insisting that they have fallen under the control of a mysterious enemy. The aarakocra, he says, are the only conscripts he could trust (because they can fly), he just needs to capture enough of them to assault the Tentacle's forces.
Exorcist Zorm: A cleric of Moradin who was petrified long ago and recently restored to life by someone or something in the Twisting Caverns. This ancient dwarf allows the sahuagin to believe she was the victim of a basilisk, but the truth is that she experienced a prophetic vision centuries ago and petrified herself with divine magic, in order to be here when she was needed most. But what brought her back..?
The Hunter: High priest of the Tentacle, this sahuagin is tasked with collecting sacrifices. He resents the Tentacle's domination, and resents his commander for their choice to guard this place. Because of this resentment, he offers a head start to his victims along with a drug to suppress their psychic emanations -- without this, the Hunter's blessing of psionic detection would make the hunts a truly one-sided affair. The Hunter believes everyone should get a fair chance, even if the drug does induce a vicious sort of madness that makes it all but impossible for escaped sacrifices to rejoin any sort of community.
Artengu: Artengu is an aaracokra warrior who does not have a low regard for the other races like most of his people. He has red feathers and is an ancient hermit who is greatly skilled in blade craft. Not only does he create the finest blades with his Forge of the Five Winds, he also is a mighty swordsman that has trained many heroes. He would have a stat block similar to a samurai fighter.
Xaxatotl: A sahuagin with pale pinkish skin, unseeing eyes, and red gill frills. He lived with the sahuagin tribe in the underground lake, but when he was chosen as the sacrifice for the Tentacle, he fled to the city on the surface. Now he is a well-known figure in the underground crime ring and leads a criminal gang.
Vaniro Da Laritico: A well-known artist and inventor, he lives in a secluded tower on the edge of the mountain. There are rumors that he has created living machines and carriages that can fly, but he does not receive many visitors and it can be hard to tell fact from fiction. He would have a stat block similar to an artificer and his inventions would be reminiscent of Da Vinci’s style.
Delacino Harabod: A gold Dragonborn, Harabod is a merchant who travels in her hot air balloon. She carries many exotic trinkets and specializes in maps of the island. She also has many pet pseudodragons who she has trained to be very obedient.
Miss Caterina Von Dunmore: An eccentric halfling woman, Caterina owns a wealthy estate on the mountain. She rarely resides in her estate, and prefers to explore the caverns of the mountain.
Lady Caterina Von Dunmore discovered a giant egg on one of her adventures and brought it back to her home as a curiosity. The egg turned out to be that of a blue dragon and hatched into an adorable little wyrmling. Caterina decided to keep the dragon because she believed it could be trained as a pet, not realizing how intelligent and cunning it would become. The dragon continued to grow in size so she constructed the Hanging Gardens of Dunmore, a terraced garden that hangs from the bottom of the Floating Mountain, to house it away from civilization. She filled the garden with wonders that she collected from her travels in order to amuse the growing dragon and fill its hoard, but it always demanded more and threatened to leave and unleash its draconic might on the people of the mountain. Dragon sightings have been reported and Lady Caterina has disappeared. The party must find the Hanging Gardens which the dragon uses as its lair, infiltrate it, and slay the dragon.
Name the town that this adventure happens in or around:
Etrianos - it lies in the greensward at the foot of the mountain. At one end of the town is the windmill; next to it but missing the driving link is the winch and hook. The windmill and the winch and hook have been there since before the village was founded. What the hook was supposed to hold is unknown. The folk of the village have a recurring shared nightmare about the summit of the mountain but they can’t remember the details.
I’d like to add that the village is called New Etrianos. There was once an old Etrianos and it was a large and thriving city. Unfortunately, it was built on the edge of a cliff which crumbled beneath its weight, destroying most of the city. There was only a small amount of survivors left and they rebuilt farther from the edge. Because only a few survived, New Etrianos is only a village and not a flourishing city like Old Etrianos. Near the edge of the mountain, there are the crumbled ruins of what is left of Old Etrianos. Townsfolk are unwilling to go there and only bandits frequent the place.
Kenku yearn for the ability to fly again so they would probably be drawn to a mountain floating in the sky. A group of kenku dwelling in a part of the ruins. They force the other criminal gangs to pay a fee to them or else they will use their favorite form of execution: The Plummet, the highly ritualized punishment of pushing someone off the mountain. Their king is a dark kenku assassin who wears a set of fake wings similar to how a human king would wear a crown. Maybe they have imprisoned Da Laritico in his tower, forcing him to craft a machine that will grant them flight.
What kind of dungeon, cave, sewer, etc., does the main adventure happen in:
The cave system of the Floating Mountain where they will meet the big bad and discover what keeps the chunk of earth airborne.
How many levels to this dungeon, cave, sewer, etc. does this thing have:
The “luckiest” number of all: 13
Who or what is the main bad (can be a new NPC or new monster not mentioned or can be one of them):
Lord Quing the Dark, the evil archmage who spread the magical darkness and his even more evil nephew Loráng the darkknight.
The Great Nest, which is a large crater on the side of the mountain, was made when a meteor struck the mountain side. Skywing Starcatcher, an Aarakocra from long ago, had been on a pilgrimage in hopes of finding a new home for his people, whom had been hunted to near extinction. He had bore witness to this meteor striking this mountain and had wondered if it’d been an omen. He pushed himself to fly and examine this omen – and discovered a massive creator in the side of the mountain – and took it as a sign of a giant potential for nesting. Skywing lead his people to this new location that they called “The Great Nest.” Skywing’s descendants became the leaders of the Aarakocra of the Great Nest, both male and female. Several generations ago, their current leader, Feathercrest, became xenophobic, explaining that they should trust no one – because it’d been “outsiders” who had forced his bloodline to flee their original home. One of the Aarakocra, Artengu, stood up against Feathercrest’s blanket hatred for “outsiders” – and was cast out, along with his spouse, Ralistia Eversky. They made their new home on the mountains and were gifted with an incredible daughter, who claimed to feel the touch of the gods in this mountain. While patrolling the area, she’d been struck by lightning and crashed into the Great Nest. Feathercrest explained that, like his bloodline before him, she was a gift from the gods, and he said she was a gift for him. While she could not remember who she truly was, and despised Feathercrest assuming she was some kind of gift, she grew to knew that he truly cared deeply for his people – and that his fears for them were overwhelming him. He’d revealed to her that he had dark visions of something terrible coming, sleeping beneath the mountain. In time, she grew to love Feathercrest and proved to be the sound board he needed to remain calm.
Shadow Lake earned its name, shortly after a meteor struck the side of the mountain, creating a massive creator. An essence of some kind seeped out from the impact into the stone and seemed to move through the stone itself until dripping into the water. The once normal lake became pitch black and color (and thus earning its name). The Sahuagin who called this underwater lake their home discovered that the liquid robbed them of their sight, however, gave them a unique ability of using echolocation as a form of adapting to this new life.
A Sahuagin Priestess named Krezakar Bloodfin claimed that she was given visions and that a new ‘god’ has come to them and they are to forsake the Shark God, Sekolah. Krezakar Bloodfin claimed that a ‘new god’ arrived with the sound of the boom that had rocked the mountain and robbed them of their sight because the new god believed they were blind for following Sekolah.
This caused a splintering between the Sahuagin who believed the words Krezakar Bloodfin spoke were against everything they’d ever known. One of the Sahuagin, a strong warrior named Odimoxny Steeljaw, who was faithful to Sekolah led a small band of Sahuagin away – however, just as they were escaping the mountain lifted and trapped them in the hanging gardens. Odimoxny claimed that he was bestowed a vision himself – though this one from Sekolah – who demanded that he, and those who followed him, return and slay those who have turned their back on the Shark God and kill the false god, ‘The Tentacle’ that has dared taint his realm.
Just because I needed a quick break from work... some more potential lore?
The Banishing of the Kraboleth
When a mad wizard by the name of Harik Magestone tampered with the genetics of a doppelganger and the eggs of an aboleth and kraken, the creation, fused with magic was to be his greatest bestial creation ever, for this is what Harik specialized in – the bastardization of various creatures into new ones, for Harik suffered greatly from a ‘god’ complex. However, the Kraboleth grew rapidly – at such a rate that Harik could do nothing when the beast lunged from its tank, wrapping its vicious tentacles around his body and pulling him into its gaping maw, devouring him. When the Kraboleth had done so, it discovered something – it absorbed the magical energies and memories of those it devoured. The Kraboleth escaped its den and discovered it was on the Plane of Water – perfect for an escape. The Kraboleth decimated the population and life balance – and so an investigation began into what had done changed. The Kraboleth had grown to an immense size making it almost impossible to hide and escape. The creature was captured – and banished from the Plane of Water – encased in stone and sent to drift for all eternity in the Astral Plane.
Which it would have done, had a Murder Comet not struck it and changed the coarse forever, sending it crashing down into a nearby mountain. Freed of the prison, the Kraboleth slipped into the ocean where he discovered a hiding place beneath the mountain, in the expansive lakes and water ways that connected all of them beneath it. And it was there, it encountered foul tempered Sahuagin, which, with its telepathic abilities, it found it easy to read their minds, manipulate, and project its thoughts in the form of “prophecies and visions.”
Hey there members of AbtOGL2LA (terrible acronym, really). I’ve not been very active lately, but have I got the sales pitch for you! There’s this new app (IOS and Android I believe) called TableTop Town. This app allows you to play D&D digitally in a sort of chill text-based format. Full theatre of the mind and do what you can when you can style gaming. If anyone is interested in downloading the app (totally free) and friending me and the other OGL folks I’m certain we could have a laid back game running for those of us who can’t play as much or who want a little extra D&D in a really small way. (I’m starved for RPGs, if you couldn’t tell).
I’ll DM you my contact info on the app if anyone gets it!
It's already gotten well beyond the scope at which I'm comfy working. I can't even keep it all straight in my head at this stage.
So, need one more approval of the map before I switch to detail mode.
If you are familiar with inkarnate, I am creating the mapat 1k, even though the exports are higher. The final will be a 4k, but I don't do the precise details until I have my sections created.
Sections are just closeups of different areas. I pull them out at 1k, then increase resolution to I can do zoom ins and start creating more battle map like stuff.
I do not make any claims to being great at this, lol, but I give it a go.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
I need to stay out of the dang UA forum.
Now I have to start rewriting spells.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Heh - the beast has been unleashed! But this thread has always had several topics flowing at the same time! Feel free to throw down some new ideas, question of the day, or whatever, I say!
Hah, this is already going further than I had intended, so I say run with whatever feels good. Just digging seeing the creativity flowing all around.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
I, too, thought it was just the mountain. I envisioned this gaping hole in the ground, where this mountain was just mysteriously floating above it, with waterfalls falling onto the ground, and this entire eco-system existing in this floating mountain.
Something akin to this:
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
We may differ on minor details, but I think we all have the idea now, lol.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Oh to be clear, I don't mind either way. But from your first title "The Floating Mountain" those were the images my brain imagined.
But a "floating mountain" could certainly earn it's name due to it's height - the peak goes above cloud level - so from up there, it gives the illusion of being a floating mountain, for example.
Creativity is all that matters. I am (pleasantly) surprised to see that it grew beyond just my questions! (I love it!)
Reminds of the forum story I was doing. Just something that sort of spun on its own for the sake of creativity.
And I am here to bathe in the creativity.
Hey! Wait. I am keeping my clothes on people. No need to leave the thread because I said that...!
:D
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Ok, i will start going into detail work now.
What goes into the Town?
What sort of special buildings or features should there be?
What is the composition of the town, species -wise?
We know:
There is a large open space on the "backside" of the mountain (Turtle's End?). Anything I should look into including there?
Tawmis, we need another collective update, lol.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
Tortles could make up part of the population. It would kind of foreshadow that the mountain is on the back of a giant turtle.
Not quite an update but:
1) the mountain ( an old volcano?) and some flat lying ground around it are floating above something not sure what.
2) the old city, half crumbling away is at the edge of the floating ground, the village with the windmill, winch and hook are further inland at the foot of the mountain.
3) the aarckocra (sp?) have a village/communal nest/whatever at the top of the volcano.
4) close to the village (3) is a portal to somewhere where the gargoyles live and raid the bird folk from.
5) somewhere inside the volcano is an area of darkness with something nasty in it.
6) somewhere else in the volcano (below 5?) is an underground lake with blind sauhaugin that ( at least some of them) worship the “tentacle”
7) buried/trapped in the mud at the bottom of the lake is the full beast of the tentacle - a kraken- aboleth mixed breed
8) somewhere on the underside of the floating mountain is a dragon’s (blue?) lair
9) somewhere in there is a Lich/vampire mage/ evil archmage wreaking some sort of further havoc possibly involving the region of darkness
10) there are supposed to be 13 “levels” to this thing so here is how I sort of in vision them:
L1) getting to the mountain and up onto it
L2) exploring the old city and discovering the “base” village
L4) climbing the mountain - so far unknown/described by us
L5) dealing with the Aaracockra
L6) dealing with the gargoyles
L7) exploring the region of darkness
L8) dealing with the sauhaugin part 1
L9) dealing with the sauhaugin part 2
L10) dealing with the Tentacle
L11) dealing with the dragon
L12) dealing with the archmage part 1
L13) dealing with the archmage part 2 (finale)
I think that is everything we have put into this so far but please correct any of misunderstandings
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
My understanding was that the 13 levels referred to the number of vertical layers of the underground cavern system. (It was mentioned that the hanging gardens beneath the mountain are accessed through the seventh level of the caves.)
Paladin main who spends most of his D&D time worldbuilding or DMing, not Paladin-ing.
Had a fantastic second in person session with (the only in person game) I am running!
Lots of silly chaos.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Awesome
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Oh wow. I’ve missed a large amount of content! Once Tawmis puts it all together I’ll pitch in, but my scattered brain is struggling to put it all together right now!
I think this is the most current summary of this living madness...
Name of the Adventure/Module:
The Floating Mountain.
The Floating Mountain has three distinctive features: A windmill, a large greensward, and a large hook hanging from a winch.
https://i0.wp.com/www.wyrlde.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Floating-Mountain-DDB-NOGL-1-scaled.jpg
There is a large open space on the "backside" of the mountain (Turtle's End)
Name Five Types of Creatures Found In the Module (detail as much as you want):
Name Five Ten NPCs (race, class, names, up to you on the details):
Name the town that this adventure happens in or around:
Etrianos - it lies in the greensward at the foot of the mountain. At one end of the town is the windmill; next to it but missing the driving link is the winch and hook. The windmill and the winch and hook have been there since before the village was founded. What the hook was supposed to hold is unknown. The folk of the village have a recurring shared nightmare about the summit of the mountain but they can’t remember the details.
I’d like to add that the village is called New Etrianos. There was once an old Etrianos and it was a large and thriving city. Unfortunately, it was built on the edge of a cliff which crumbled beneath its weight, destroying most of the city. There was only a small amount of survivors left and they rebuilt farther from the edge. Because only a few survived, New Etrianos is only a village and not a flourishing city like Old Etrianos. Near the edge of the mountain, there are the crumbled ruins of what is left of Old Etrianos. Townsfolk are unwilling to go there and only bandits frequent the place.
Kenku yearn for the ability to fly again so they would probably be drawn to a mountain floating in the sky. A group of kenku dwelling in a part of the ruins. They force the other criminal gangs to pay a fee to them or else they will use their favorite form of execution: The Plummet, the highly ritualized punishment of pushing someone off the mountain. Their king is a dark kenku assassin who wears a set of fake wings similar to how a human king would wear a crown. Maybe they have imprisoned Da Laritico in his tower, forcing him to craft a machine that will grant them flight.
What kind of dungeon, cave, sewer, etc., does the main adventure happen in:
The cave system of the Floating Mountain where they will meet the big bad and discover what keeps the chunk of earth airborne.
How many levels to this dungeon, cave, sewer, etc. does this thing have:
The “luckiest” number of all: 13
Who or what is the main bad (can be a new NPC or new monster not mentioned or can be one of them):
Lord Quing the Dark, the evil archmage who spread the magical darkness and his even more evil nephew Loráng the darkknight.
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Adding a little bit of lore to the Aarakocra...
The Great Nest – Home of the Aarakocra.
The Great Nest, which is a large crater on the side of the mountain, was made when a meteor struck the mountain side. Skywing Starcatcher, an Aarakocra from long ago, had been on a pilgrimage in hopes of finding a new home for his people, whom had been hunted to near extinction. He had bore witness to this meteor striking this mountain and had wondered if it’d been an omen. He pushed himself to fly and examine this omen – and discovered a massive creator in the side of the mountain – and took it as a sign of a giant potential for nesting. Skywing lead his people to this new location that they called “The Great Nest.” Skywing’s descendants became the leaders of the Aarakocra of the Great Nest, both male and female. Several generations ago, their current leader, Feathercrest, became xenophobic, explaining that they should trust no one – because it’d been “outsiders” who had forced his bloodline to flee their original home. One of the Aarakocra, Artengu, stood up against Feathercrest’s blanket hatred for “outsiders” – and was cast out, along with his spouse, Ralistia Eversky. They made their new home on the mountains and were gifted with an incredible daughter, who claimed to feel the touch of the gods in this mountain. While patrolling the area, she’d been struck by lightning and crashed into the Great Nest. Feathercrest explained that, like his bloodline before him, she was a gift from the gods, and he said she was a gift for him. While she could not remember who she truly was, and despised Feathercrest assuming she was some kind of gift, she grew to knew that he truly cared deeply for his people – and that his fears for them were overwhelming him. He’d revealed to her that he had dark visions of something terrible coming, sleeping beneath the mountain. In time, she grew to love Feathercrest and proved to be the sound board he needed to remain calm.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Adding some Sahuagin lore now...
Shadow Lake – Home of the (Blind) Sahuagin
Shadow Lake earned its name, shortly after a meteor struck the side of the mountain, creating a massive creator. An essence of some kind seeped out from the impact into the stone and seemed to move through the stone itself until dripping into the water. The once normal lake became pitch black and color (and thus earning its name). The Sahuagin who called this underwater lake their home discovered that the liquid robbed them of their sight, however, gave them a unique ability of using echolocation as a form of adapting to this new life.
A Sahuagin Priestess named Krezakar Bloodfin claimed that she was given visions and that a new ‘god’ has come to them and they are to forsake the Shark God, Sekolah. Krezakar Bloodfin claimed that a ‘new god’ arrived with the sound of the boom that had rocked the mountain and robbed them of their sight because the new god believed they were blind for following Sekolah.
This caused a splintering between the Sahuagin who believed the words Krezakar Bloodfin spoke were against everything they’d ever known. One of the Sahuagin, a strong warrior named Odimoxny Steeljaw, who was faithful to Sekolah led a small band of Sahuagin away – however, just as they were escaping the mountain lifted and trapped them in the hanging gardens. Odimoxny claimed that he was bestowed a vision himself – though this one from Sekolah – who demanded that he, and those who followed him, return and slay those who have turned their back on the Shark God and kill the false god, ‘The Tentacle’ that has dared taint his realm.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Just because I needed a quick break from work... some more potential lore?
The Banishing of the Kraboleth
When a mad wizard by the name of Harik Magestone tampered with the genetics of a doppelganger and the eggs of an aboleth and kraken, the creation, fused with magic was to be his greatest bestial creation ever, for this is what Harik specialized in – the bastardization of various creatures into new ones, for Harik suffered greatly from a ‘god’ complex. However, the Kraboleth grew rapidly – at such a rate that Harik could do nothing when the beast lunged from its tank, wrapping its vicious tentacles around his body and pulling him into its gaping maw, devouring him. When the Kraboleth had done so, it discovered something – it absorbed the magical energies and memories of those it devoured. The Kraboleth escaped its den and discovered it was on the Plane of Water – perfect for an escape. The Kraboleth decimated the population and life balance – and so an investigation began into what had done changed. The Kraboleth had grown to an immense size making it almost impossible to hide and escape. The creature was captured – and banished from the Plane of Water – encased in stone and sent to drift for all eternity in the Astral Plane.
Which it would have done, had a Murder Comet not struck it and changed the coarse forever, sending it crashing down into a nearby mountain. Freed of the prison, the Kraboleth slipped into the ocean where he discovered a hiding place beneath the mountain, in the expansive lakes and water ways that connected all of them beneath it. And it was there, it encountered foul tempered Sahuagin, which, with its telepathic abilities, it found it easy to read their minds, manipulate, and project its thoughts in the form of “prophecies and visions.”
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Hey there members of AbtOGL2LA (terrible acronym, really). I’ve not been very active lately, but have I got the sales pitch for you! There’s this new app (IOS and Android I believe) called TableTop Town. This app allows you to play D&D digitally in a sort of chill text-based format. Full theatre of the mind and do what you can when you can style gaming. If anyone is interested in downloading the app (totally free) and friending me and the other OGL folks I’m certain we could have a laid back game running for those of us who can’t play as much or who want a little extra D&D in a really small way. (I’m starved for RPGs, if you couldn’t tell).
I’ll DM you my contact info on the app if anyone gets it!
I would love a game with ya'll. I dunno about an app or stuff, though I might be able to try it.
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