Looking back to our second article, where we laid the foundation for our work going forward, we see that one of the main aspects of the Adventure Path is to have the players explore the region. Our rough draft looked something like this:
The graphic represents which module the players will visit a given region (unlike Paizo's Adventure Paths, I'm dividing this campaign in five modules instead of six). But the map is still too simple, so we’ll divide it in four main regions: the central plains, the northern mountains, the southern forest and the eastern desert.
In the first module, the players will spend their time exploring only one region (the central plains), so it needs to have some diversity while being easy to navigate. It will also serve as a tutorial for the exploration rules.
In the second module, players will have more freedom to explore, so the subregions themselves should be smaller, but harder to traverse. Also, the first region will serve as a hub, but we don’t want to prevent players going directly from one region to the other, so we'll make the second areas also circumvent the first one.
By the time they reach the third module, we’re not expecting the players to explore all of the map. Some content will be optional: maybe they never bother to check the southern swamps or they ignore the underground complex in the mountains. Nonetheless, the party should have some resources to make traveling easier.
The fourth module will feature one main area in the eastern desert that should be large enough to give players a cool exploration experience, and the other will be fully optional. Also, if the party intends to reach the final region, they’ll have to choose between the longer, safer path or take the deadlier, faster one.
Finally, the area labeled as number 5 will contain some major plot reveals, so we hope players will be drawn to it. But it will be somewhat optional, as a reward for those players who want to fully grasp the history of the setting. Our second planning map looks like this:
CREATING A REGIONAL MAP
In the times before the pandemic, I used to waste a lot of time in lines at the bank, doctor’s appointments etc. With my phone in hand, I needed a way to plan for my weekly session, or to note any ideas for dungeons that I couldn’t put into paper. I found DrawExpress, an app to make flowcharts. I only use the free version, and it works pretty well for me. Using the tools I came up with this third planning map:
As you can see, at this point the map was divided into our four main areas (Thir, MoUntain, Forest and Desert). The dark blue spaces are the Crown World Mountains, and we marked a single M1 space where we’ll put a dungeon. Some spaces (T7, F6, D10, D13, D7 and M1) are marked bold, and finally, we have D4 highlighted.
So what does this all mean?
In the last article we developed the regional lore. How eons ago an Alien and the Leader of a human tribe made a 6-points ritual using orichalcum deposits as a focus of a time-space prison for a Shoggoth, a creature from the Lovecraft mythos.D4 marks the place where the creature is actually imprisoned, so we have:
D4 – Shoggoth’s prison
Next we have the six points where the orichalcum fell from the sky. Those are T7, F6, D10, D13, D7 and M1. As you can see, they are all equidistant from D4. We also know what T7 is – Thir, a village that will serve as the home base for the group:
T7 – Thir
Then we have F6. It’s part of the Forest, but I’ve decided that it is the home of a powerful undead cleric. Not even death has stopped him from seeking the power he believes he’s destined to wield. For now, we’ll call it The Rotting Grove, a place with ghost trees and infested by ghouls.
F6 – The Rotting Grove
When you look at M1, you’ll see that north of it at U12 there is a single, red space. That’s the Red Keep, home of the Order of the Burning Gauntlet. So the M1 hex marks the entrance to the Caves of Agony, where the Blackmaw tribe orcs performed their vile rituals.
M1 – Caves of Agony
U12 – The Red Keep
Now take a look at D7. We’ll place a major threat to the players there. A civilization that have been mining the skymetal and is under the Shoggoth's influence. They’re ready to fight with Thir for dominance of the region. Who are they? At this point, I know that they’re Kellid folk that were driven out of their land and filled with promises of revenge by a reigning tyrant. But while I have a few ideas for whom this tyrant may be, at this point I’m still not sure.
D7 – Enemy Civilization
Then let’s take a look at D10 and D13. As it stands, they’re orichalcum deposits in the middle of a desert – the Moonscape - but you can see that I’ve marked the D9 space purple. That’s Kalynshir Halfmoon’s Oasis. She nurtured a safe haven to study the abnormal phenomena in the region.
D9 – Kalynshir’s Oasis
D10 & D13 – Orichalcum Deposits
Finally, we have T2. Let’s take a look again at Mendev’s Map:
As you can see here, Mendev’s border with the Sarkoris Scar somewhat follows the West Sellen River. So our road towards Thir follows the river borders as well. T2 will be our entry point, where the adventure starts. The party will arrive during an attack on the Tower of Vigil, marking the entrance of Thirburg. So we have:
T2 – Tower of Vigil
Using hextml I made a simple regional map, and placed it over Mendev’s map to have a sense of where the adventure would actually take place. Of course, the map is not as precise as it could be, but we’re talking about a region near the northern pole, so some distortions are due. Here’s the result:
By the official hexploration rules, a hex measures 12 miles across, so it should be pretty close. Also, here’s a larger version of the hextml map:
NAMING THE REGIONS
As stated, the regional map is divided into 4 macro regions: Plains, Underground, Forest and Desert. But this is still an oversimplification. So let’s start working.
CENTRAL PLAINS
The whole region is called Thirburg, encompassing the hexes marked as T on the planning map. The players will explore Thirburg during Part 1.
Tower of Vigil (light green): this hex marks the start of the lands granted to the ruler of Thir. The Tower of Vigil is, for all effects, part of Thirburg.
Village of Thir (orange): the village of Thir is the central hub of the Adventure Path. While traveling around Thir, the party is less likely to encounter random encounters.
NORTHERN MOUNTAINS
This stretch of the World Crown Mountains (U) is called the Howling Heights because the wind passing through the narrow passage that leads to Thir, the Wolf’s Way.
Winter Valley (light blue): up the Wolf’s Way is the Winter Valley, a perpetually cold region with scarcely any vegetation. The Red Keep is also located in the region, in stark contrast with the white snow. The players will explore the Valley in Part 2.
Underground complex (light purple): this region encompasses caverns and tunnels that make navigating under the mountains possible, but not without its risks. The underground complex can be explored in Part 3.
The Steps (blue): Here be giants. Be afraid. Part 4.
Lassari Ruins (dark grey): the ancient Lassari civilization lived in these caves millennia ago. What secrets did they leave behind? The players can uncover them all during Part 5.
SOUTHERN FOREST
The southern forest (F) is known as the Darkwoods. Despite the spooky moniker, the place is filled with life, except in the Rotting Grove. Beyond the forest, the terrain is riddled with fault-lines and abrupt changes in elevation, forcing some of the rivers underground. Thus, the southern portion of the terrain is a swamp called The Old Gurgling, for the air bubbles that sometimes burst from the waters.
Darkwoods (dark green): This Part 2 area is home to dangerous creatures, but has valuable resources. The original inhabitants are suspicious of their new neighbors, and some blood has been spilled. Will the players take sides, or can they wriggle their way to a peaceful resolution?
The Rotting Grove (darkest green): This area, while still belonging to Part 2, presents a different biome (or rather, an “unbiome”). It’s the lair of an undead cleric and his lackeys. Even some of the plants are undead.
The Old Gurgling (bluish green): The rain, like the times, washes everything away. And many secrets long forgotten have come to the Old Gurgling, thinner, broken, but not lost. The main guardian of those relics is a powerful Black Dragon, and it will not part with them in amicable terms. The players will likely explore the swamps in Part 3.
EASTERN DESERT
The eastern desert (D) is the region known as the Moonscape. It’s a crater left by the asteroid that held Shoggoth when it crashed on Golarion. Thanks to the scattering of the orichalcum and the ritual to lock the monster, time in the region has become somewhat unstable. Portals tear through time and space at infrequent intervals, bringing ancient and powerful creatures that are soon driven crazy, either looking for food or answers. It’s a dangerous place full of voracious dinosaurs, mysterious climatic events, and even stranger dwellers.
Last Refuge (light gray): A transitional area between the central plains and the harsh Moonscape. Giant creatures have established a hold in the region, as did some refugees from a certain Kellid tribe. But who drove them away from their lands? This will be a hook for Part 2.
The Harshlands: The hills are home of a dread tyrant who’s dabbling with a newfound orichalcum deposit. With the oppressive Howling Mountains to the North and the brutal Moonscape at the south, some of the Kellids prefer to live under the protection of a Tyrant over the uncertainty of the wilds. This will be a major conflict during Part 3.
The Crater: The lowest point of the Moonscape, and where the time warping effects are most prominent. Raging beasts can be found looking for food, meteor showers fall as the sky rips itself apart, and travelers speaking ancient (or futuristic) tongues can be found in the area during Part 4. There’s also Kalynshir’s Oasis, a place from where the drow studies the strange phenomena.
OUR FINAL MAP
So there we have it, our final map, with all the regions and when we expect the players to visit them:
Next week, we’ll start developing our main plot and lay the work for our faction adventures. After that, we’ll place the adventures in Thirburg and find out what else is there. After that, it’s finally adventure writing time.
Hope to see you here next week!