Mothshade Underworld - Part Two

Continued from previous entry.

CHATEAU MOTHSHADE

Location: Somewhere near the shared border region between the Marchlands, Mauvolg, Undomni, and the Pearl Principalities. Far from the centers of human civilization, but still in the middle of the action. The closest human village will be about 30 miles away – a good day’s walk. It may be a Volgate village. It may be a Marchlands village. I want it to be out-of-the-way, but not inaccessible. Would prefer to have something of a “home base” for the PCs – but have no need for them to be TOO comfy and secure. Besides, the village will be a little odd.

Base Town: Have yet to decide which town this will be, specifically. I do have a list of unused names and choosing one will be easy enough. But, I don’t want the town to be an entirely safe haven. It will have opportunities for adventure in itself. It will be a frontier town where strangers come through and surprises can come at you from the wild. The people will be tough, independent, and wary. The place will be a bit of a melting pot of races and nationalities. Always an opportunity for good times and bad times.

The Ruin: Somewhere between the base town and the Chateau, there will be a ruin. Probably the remains of whatever fortified residence the first human ruler of the place had built. Some march lord that didn’t quite make it. Self-proclaimed human government didn’t go over well beyond the bounds of Dhavon and Mauvolg – not until the March Lords came to an agreement with the giants of Undomni. Even then, there were no human rulers – only guardians and caretakers. The ruin will offer at least one entrance to the Outer Ring of the Dungeons.

Outer Dungeons: Part of the dungeon complex will not be affiliated with Mothshade, but it will intrude upon one region of the Mothshade Underworld. The architectural and ecological differences will be striking enough to recognize immediately. These ‘Outer Dungeons’ will consist of abandoned cellars, lost vaults, an actual dungeon of cells and tortures, part of a collapsed mine, a kobold warren, an abandoned and accursed goblin fane, and a planar pocket intrusion left over from the Planewrack.

Planar Pockets: The Planewrack caused untold damage to all of reality. It’s possible that we will never know the full extent, or be able to repair it. Still, it is possible to come across a tiny piece of a planar realm beyond this one – piercing our own, and become wedged in tight. One moment, you’re skulking down a dark dungeon corridor – then you find yourself in what seems like a natural cavern hollowed out of a huge amethyst geode – orbiting a writhing green star. If you turn around quickly enough, you might be able to return to the dungeon corridor.