Chateau Mothshade
A modest castle-like structure of
Gothic aspect, Chateau Mothshade stands upon an elevated stone stack at the end
of a narrow promontory that juts out into a crater lake. Why? Because I like
it. That’s probably where I would live if I had the means. The isolation
appeals to me. I like water, but not salt water. The stone stack will contain a
couple of dungeon levels, while the rest will lie beneath the lake – possibly even
some within the walls of the crater. The idea of a half-ring dungeon sounds fun
to me. There will be a village or small town within 30 miles.
Mothshade Himself
As a figure that exists in the
setting, Mothshade has never made a known appearance. Meaning, the name has
never been mentioned in-game and the character has never appeared to adventurers.
Mothshade has never been identified as a patron or villain. In truth, he’s
never been identified at all. The intent is to leave him as an enigma in the
background. I’ve been building up secret details of an NPC named Mothshade for
years – leaving little hints and clues here and there. He was always intended
to be a focal figure, but not during the campaigns I’ve run to-date.
Moth? Shade?
We can agree that Mothshade will
have a Moth-y motif. It’s the Shade part that remains to be defined. Is he a
ghost or wraith or spectre? Is he shadowy? Honestly, even I don’t know for
certain. Until now, I’ve not had much reason to consider the possibilities. In
the end, there’s always the possibility that mothshade is just a name. Will I
need to decide these details to create the dungeon? Will Mothshade’s true
nature shape the tone or outlook of the project? Is the Mothshade name
important to the player? I still don’t know. It might be fun to find out
together.
Toning Up
I do want this thing to have at
least one or two overall tones. I like the Shady bit. I even like the Moth-y
bit. Putting them together in an underlying theme is an obvious way to go – at least
for the Chateau, or a dungeon level. Maybe things get Shadier as we get closer
to Mothshade himself. Perhaps the Moth motif will be more pronounced in
proximity. Maybe I’ll research the properties of moths in folklore and myth.
Maybe I’ll create my own. What does the Moth mean to me? After all, I am
Mothshade.
Mind Tempests
This project promises to be a
conflict between the excitement of creating “my dungeon” and the demands of
necessity. Yes – this is intended as a ‘classic’ dungeon environment, with all
the wackiness and suspension of disbelief that implies. No – I probably won’t
be able to allow myself free rein over the content and presentation. This isn’t
1974, and I’m not trying to make it so. This is an homage, not a remake. Lots
of ideas – sense of structure – worthwhile product. Those will be among my
internal talking points.
Funhouse Dungeons
I do love a thought-provoking
dungeon. I like to engage the player as well as the character. I’m not out to
defeat or destroy the PCs. I am out to challenge then and to subvert their
expectations. I’m more White Plume Mountain than Tomb of Horrors – but I’ll
cheerfully throw a little Horror at the heroes. Death is easy – respect is
hard. Besides, I do like themes. I like a sense of structure, even if it isn’t
obvious. I like for the players to feel they’re working toward something – for them
to feel accomplished.
Numbers Game
Need to decide on sizes and
risks. Numbers of rooms per level – in the Chateau and in the dungeons. For
that matter, the number of dungeon levels. How many entrances and exits?
Difficulty of the challenges of each level – things like XP values. My OCD will
allow nothing to slip through the cracks. My anxiety will make demands of its
own. It has to add-up, at least on paper. To build this beast, I will need a
sense of order – just a sense. Not TOO much. No need to just draw a bunch of
dungeon maps and string them together. This is MY dungeon, after all.
Building Up
Will this project go like the
plotting of a novel? Yeah – probably. The beginning and end promise to be clear
and solid in my mind. It’s that misty-mazey bit in the middle that has to do
the heavy lifting along the way. Plots and subplots. Many stories, but not too
many storylines. Like a collection of short stories with a connecting plot or
theme. Set some achievable, and smaller, goals along the way. Offer choices and
possibilities. Be creative. Be generous. Be dedicated. Be sensible. Be clever.
Be original. Be myself.
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| The sample dungeon from the Holmes Basic rulebook. |
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