The Dungeon: Never Done With You

This is the first part of a series about the The Prison, by John Schutt, a dungeon locale set high above the seas off the coast of Loaerth City.  The Prison will be found in the upcoming adventure setting Loaerth & Feywyrd for the Savage Worlds Roleplaying Game.

by John Schutt

A cave complex. An ancient citadel. A mansion long forgotten. A demiplane hidden in plain sight. What do all these things have in common? They are dungeon crawls, usually, with a lot of checking for traps and cautious listening, the occasional monster fight and a lot of loot. The tradition of dungeon crawls goes back to the beginnings of the hobby, and remains a good way to cut one’s teeth in the design business. The thing is, though, dungeons, with over 30 years of history, the burgeoning debate on their realism and its importance in the game, and the sheer number of them out there, and you have a recipe for boredom and even disdain.

I do not disagree with this sentiment. Not only is the idea of a dungeon rather absurd, its idea having roots in the prisons of old and moldy cellars filled with supplies, among other things, but they are stagnant things. You can’t just clean out a dungeon and expect it to go away. As a place outside the common people’s eyes, degenerates of all kinds quickly flock to dungeons, and all manner of foul things appear in their cobwebbed, darkened halls. The process repeats itself endlessly so long as there is a ready supply of baddies and an equally sizable number of adventurers willing to kill them. The best dungeons, those that affect the world around them, tend to be filled not just with muck and small evils, but demon lords and archdevils and liches and aboleths and whatnot. Still, though, the dungeon itself remains rather static, never truly changing its form barring some major worldly event like an earthquake or the passing of time or a major magical catastrophe. Did the Tomb of Horrors become a completely different complex of rooms after the PCs cleared it of whatever lurked within? I don’t really thing so. Indeed, the only real modification I’ve ever seen to a dungeon has been puzzle hallways that move at the will of the villain. These too are limited to the determined settings in the maze-like structure. What I want, and what I plan to make, is a truly dynamic dungeon. Not only in its occupants, but in its design and function in the world around it.

I call my creation The Prison, for no other name truly fits. A floating mountain off the coast of Loaerth, ever circling, no map of The Prison exists, because the rock itself is always shifting, always flaking away. Having appeared suddenly after the Helfay ritual went awry, it is a quiet place that seems to have been irreparably damaged by the huge magical backlash the ritual caused.

And that’s all I’m willing to say about it now. What I want to talk about is how I plan to reinvigorate the dungeon crawl genre of adventure. Where Monte Cook’s DungeonaDay.com goes back to the roots of classic dungeon crawls and perfects them, I want to experiment and invent a whole new system of crawling through mortared stone and steel barred doors. This post, and the one to follow, should lay out, without too many spoilers, how I want to do that.

My first topic for discussion is The Prison’s location itself. It is not grounded in the planes outside the Material, nor is it in the ground or within the earth at all. It sits a thousand feet above and a half-mile out from the Loaerth coastline. To make it visible, I decided to make it the size of a small mountain, carved into the rough shape of a prison, castle or cityscape, perhaps a dark mirror of Loaerth City itself. What I like about making a floating dungeon is the difference that creates with the idea of actual dungeons. Classically, such places existed below the ground or within something large or anchored to some place. In challenging these assumptions, I’ve taken a risk. First, because low level characters usually can’t fly or even acquire the means with which to do so, I have seemingly removed them from the equation. Second, I may step on the toes of long held beliefs and loves about dungeons. Third, how does one escape something that high up without flight, compounding problem one.

In addressing the first issue, I thought, why not have low level characters trapped inside The Prison itself, in the highest reaches where the threats are lowest? Whoever or whatever controls the dungeon might find them, for whatever reason, particularly interesting and decide to give their prisoners a little sport. Another answer might be making a campaign arc that entails somehow getting to The Prison in the first place as well as establishing a good, low-level reason to do so.

As for the second issue, all I can really say is that when something needs to change, some people won’t be too happy, and I can only hope my work makes them at least condone what I’ve tried to do.

The third issue, that of escape, is perhaps the hardest one for any level character, seeing as whatever holds up a small mountain must contain some potent magic of its own. Is there a dimensional lock on the entire facility? Is gravity different in and around it? Could anything even fly to it in the first place? Given these questions, and a few other factors I won’t reveal yet, I added the flaking of the rock or whatever material makes up The Prison’s walls. Different in its construction and composition than almost anything in the world today, or at least, the known world, the flakes sometimes don’t fall like giant stones. Sometimes they float, other times they drift, and some of them even sit in the air and wait, resisting the pull of the planet below as if it were not there. Is there a way to control which stones do what? If so, how and where is it? Could the stones have minds of their own, and if so, how do you talk to what was once very much a wall or floor? The questions on this matter are endless, and endlessly interesting to boot, and to all of them the answer might be, “Yes, but you don’t know yet. Go find it.”

Then again, this last quote is really the genesis for all adventures, and dungeons are just the tip of the iceberg.

Ghosting, an ability for all settings

Hello!

I’m Cassey Toi, and perhaps not one of the usual creative people you’ll find here at Nevermet Press, so I’m really pleased that I managed to have an idea that has the potential to work across all the NMP settings being developed. I’m talking about Ghosting, a new ability tied perhaps, to a particular race, but without too many details could be applied to any race as the game master or game designer deems appropriate.

Ghosting is an ability that allows the user to travel anywhere using another’s thoughts. As I mentioned previously I envision it would be tied to a specific race in a given setting; as opposed to being available to all races. The race with the ability is roughly split into thirds, those who have the ability to travel using others thoughts, those who can only act as thought providers (e.g. ”conductors”)  being traveled through, and those with no ghosting ability at all.

The way the ghosting ability works is simple. Those who have the power can jump, or ghost travel, to wherever a conductor is whenever the want. The ghosting person needs to simply think of the place or the person. A natural extension of this ability would be that people can be paired up, one with the ability – the Ghost -  and the Conductor. Character’s paired in this way would make great spy, covert operations, or assassin teams in any setting.

To allow for a bit more game balance, ghosting would need to be somewhat unstable. Perhaps it manifests during adolescence, and those with the ability need to study how to master it for years to get it to work without error. There could be drugs or physical devices that can be used to help with the training, extend its capabilities, make it easier to connect with a Conductors, or perhaps even to repress the ability or hide it from detection. Clearly the stronger the bond between a Ghost and a Conductor, the more powerful the ability manifests. Perhaps it could reach a point where both can travel using the ability on the Thought Lines of others.

Another option we discussed has thoughts being the very fuel needed to do ghost travel. I must admit to being influenced by the Study series by Maria V Synder, hence why I think that those with the ability are connected to an almost ozone like cover where from power can be drawn.

Please share your thoughts so we can get the discussion rolling.

Written by Cassey Toi

Edited by Jonathan Jacobs

The Races of Loaerth & Feywyrd

Welcome back!

Over the next couple of weeks we will be detailing each of the player races that will be available in the Loaerth & Feywyrd Campaign Setting for Savage Worlds. Last month, I posted some musings about how the races might play out in L&F, and got some great suggestions from the community as a result. Today, I’ll reveal some details about each of them, allowing your imaginations to run wild. Tomorrow, I’ll be releasing the full details about the infamous Loaerth & Feywyrd Troll – it will be something to feast your eyes on!

And remember, as always with all things at Nevermet Press: your comments are welcome and expected! We take them to heart and want our games to be shaped by the community we are building here. If you are taking the time to visit, then the least we can do is return the favor by working on delivering games you enjoy. Don’t be shy, let us know what you’re thinking.

OK, now on with the line up!

What you see below is the evolution of the L&F racial line up. And yes – the figures are all male; a female lineup will be featured in the upcoming Loaerth & Feywyrd Campaign Setting. The illustrations are by Matt Lichtenwalner, one of Nevermet Press’ oldest supporters and an excellent illustrator who resides at Dragon Bones.

I just love how each of the races evolved as Matt stepped through multiple iterations of the line up. The last one above is not the final version. The final inked version of both male and female members of the races will appear in the Loaerth & Feywyrd Campaign Setting. What was really cool was how, at each stage, he would check in with the Nevermet Press developers (there are about 15 of us or so currently), get feedback, and then head back to the drafting table. As you look at these images, you can see what changes!

What you’ll likely notice right away is feytrolls and giants. The feytrolls are itsy bitsy, while the giants are, well, gianormous. This is something that has always bothered me about stock fantasy races – why are they always “medium sized”? Why not play a faery? Or a giant? In Loaerth & Feywyrd you will be able to play whichever one you like. Groups of PCs could very well be composed of giants or feytrolls, or both! It’s the story that matters, not the size of your character’s britches.

Now that you have seen the races, or at least concepts of them, allow me to tell you a bit more about them.

Dwarf

All that glitters is not gold. After the Helfay, most of the dwarves left the underground mines the elves forced them to work in favor of living under the sun and stars along with their fellow men in Loaerth. Since that time, through their ingenuity and inventiveness, all the races of man have seen the benefits. The dwarves later returned to these ancient mines and built massive foundries to refine the dwarven coal (DC) found within them. It is the secrets of the dwarven coal that has made the dwarven race as a whole rich in material wealth, but poor for spirit. The DC produced within these mines is sold throughout Loaerth to power all the latest technological wonders, and they keep the process of its production a secret from even their closest allies. With the recent return of the Fey,the dwarves of Loaerth have become the least trusting of their ancient masters. Many of them believe the elves have returned to once again strip the earth of its treasures. Those who do have banded together to protect their foundries at all costs and have not seen the light of day in years.

Elf

Banished to the Feywyrd after the Helfey, they want to return to their ancestral homes and seek revenge on those who caused the Helfey in the first place. Many Loaerthians fear the return of the elves, worried that they have the strength to dominate the Known World once again. Others, however, welcome them as masters of the magical arts and look to them as teachers of the Old Ways. The elves are not, however, a monoculture. While some elven factions are indeed plotting to take down the Loaerth crown, others are working to establish a peaceful enclave and university in Loaerth. Outside of Loaerth, a few brave elves have already ventured beyond the shores and are seeking to make a life for themselves along The Frontier.

Feytroll

These diminutive humanoids were one of the few fey creatures that remained in Loaerth after the Helfey. At no more than two feet in height, they resemble plump faeries with the eyes and wings of a common housefly. Felix Sundown, a feytroll, is currently doing a series of interviews about Loaerth & Feywyrd with Nevermet Press and check them out and learn more about his curious race.

Giant

True giants are massive humanoids standing well over twice the height of a man. In Feywyrd, they are called Skado or Skadan by the Fey. They are a minority race in Feywyrd that, due to their size and power, are seldom the target of war, violence, or mischief. They are also one of the Ancient Races who lives continue until they are taken by another: they are immortals. This special status has made them great diplomats, historians, and arbiters. Being native to Feywyrd, only a few have been seen on The Island, and none have yet to make the journey all the way to Loaerth itself.

Hodolu Animal

In the Feywyrd, there are tiny faeries that are often the cause of playful, sometimes even deadly, mischief. They are known as The Hodolu. They have no corporeal form beyond a point of light and warmth, Their voices are not much more than a flutter or a buzz only a few can understand. Many hodolu tried to come to the Known World, but to their horror, they soon discovered they were unable to live for more than a few hours beyond the shores of The Island unless they bonded with an animal from the Known World first. This bonding is permanent, and fuses the two minds of the creatures into one. After the bonding, the new “hodolu animal” frequently assumes a humanoid shape and gains the powers of speech, and fey like intelligence. Fully intelligent and sentient, hodolu animals could just as easily be a talking circus bear, a scorpion mastermind, or anything you could imagine.

Human

The humans remained in Loaerth after the Helfay, but in the power vacuum that followed, war and famine quickly overcame their societies and reduced it to ruin. Decades later, after the dwarves returned to the surface, the humans learned the secrets of dwarven coalcraft and were able to begin rebuilding their homeland. Centuries later, the world is still far less populated than during the time of the elven dominion – but it is an expanse that is open to conquering for anyone willing to do so. Humans have since built a society of inventors, pioneers, entrepreneurs, and explorers. They are an industrious people who have done many things to strengthen Loaerth’s power in the world.

Myrmidon

Myrmidons are a race of humanoid aquarians that, since the dawn of time, have preyed upon the elves of the Feywyrd. Mysterious and rarely seen on land, they are feared in all but the most cosmopolitan citys of the Feywyrd. They are visiting Loaerth for the first time and their appearance there signals that more will be coming.

Troll

Rugged, and built like apes, trolls stand head and shoulders above humans. They are covered by a course fur coat that gives way to longer hair along their forearms and legs. Male trolls often feature beards braided with colorful beads and strands of  yarn; female trolls are known for their colorful furbrands, a type of tattoo that is burned into their coat. Compared to the other Races of Man, the humans and dwarves, trolls are a somewhat primitive race that has not embraced the modern culture of coalcraft. Instead, they have kept their ancient oral traditions alive by becoming notorious orators, translators, diplomats, scholars, and riddle masters. Not all of them are happy about the return of the Fey to Loaerth, since during the time of the elves many of them were hunted for their fur pelts and seen as little more than apes. Nonetheless, most of the troll tribes welcome the opportunity to mend old wounds and to restore the ritual magic traditions of their ancestors.

Summary

So, that’s about it. As you can see, in Loaerth & Feywyrd there will be many opportunities to play rich, deeply developed races from a wide range of backgrounds.  Until we publish the Loaerth & Feywyrd campaign setting – each of these races should be considered “BETA”, or a work in progress. Let us know what you think and leave a comment!

UP NEXT? TROLLS IN FULL COLOR – coming tomorrow.

Written by Jonathan Jacobs, Edited by Cassey Toi, Artwork by Matt Lichtenwalner.

Interview with Felix Sundown (Part 2)

Edited by Cassey Toi

Hello again!

Finally, we  have time to sit down and discuss Loaerth & Feywyrd again. What a pleasure! I’m glad to see you again, and this time around lets chat some more about the Fey. Some of you had some questions, and hopefully we’ll get them answered.

Who are the Fey you ask? Well, for one, feytrolls aren’t all of them. There is fey blood running through the veins of creatures other than my own kind. Our brothers and sisters in magic, whose very flesh is made or tainted with the stuff of the Feywyrd, include elves, hodolu faerys, giants, myrmidons and many others which I have not even had the chance to meet.

Some, like the elves, were in the World since the dawning of history, they are not true natives of the World. Looking back eons, myth speaks of the elves fleeing from another world into our own. They fled, as an entire race, from things so dark and unspeakable that the names were eventually either lost or stricken from their history. They stayed and made a home here. It’s also thought that the elves brought my people, the feytrolls, with them as servants, watchers, and scholars. And, they brought with them Magic.

The humans at the time were probably living as tribal nomads, or in rudimentary villages when Magic was first taught to them. The World’s primitive dwarf and troll peoples are believed to have been unable to learn its secrets or refused it at the outset. Nonetheless, the humans learned about magic from these elven newcomers and, within a few generations, boasted formidable sorcerers and ritualists in their own right. Eventually, the dwarves and trollkind also fostered traditions of Magic that were unique to each of their racial heritages.

In time, the elves prospered and eventually became the dominant race of the world. They eventually built vast civilizations on the backs of trolls and dwarves. Humans, for the most part, escaped this fate and were able to live in relative peace with their elven counterparts. But only the men and women of Loaerth managed to carve out an independent existence. These people, and perhaps a few more in other pockets of the World, escaped subjugation at the hands of the elves through careful negotiation and strong military might.

What is Loaerth? Just look out the window! Loaerth is a coastal city state that sits on the edge of the Degra Sea. Loaerth has a long, and deep rooted, history of independence. It’s a city of merchants and scholars, soldiers and sailors, artists and thieves. Loaerth is a flickering light, struggling to stay lit even as the winds of change try to blow it out. It is and has been the center of the world for five centuries, ever since the Helfay left the world a vacant place. All the non-Fey, the races of Man, have grown to call Loaerth home. They have also ventured far out into the wild to explore the empty frontier – empty because there are whole cities that were suddenly devoid of anyone living there after the Helfay.

What are the people of Loaerth like? Considering you are no doubt new here, I’ll take a bit more care in answering that. Well, for one, the humans of Loaerth for the most part keep to traditional, plain dress. All too often you will see a man or woman dressed decidedly boorishly, only to be sporting the latest clockwork or coal-work gizmo, bauble, or trinket. “The more it whirls, the more it twirls.” they say. I’m still not sure what in the gods name that means, but you’ll hear them say it all the time

The dwarves of Loaerth are staunchy folk. Quick to anger, but dependable. Clever too. Most of the new gizmos and “wonders of the world” that have been made in the last century or so were invented by dwarven machinists. As you would expect, most dwarves love to drink ale and eat hearty meals that would send many a grown man to a physician. The interesting thing about dwarves is the way they live. Their homes are dense, I mean 10 to 20 families to a house. They prefer these deep basements where they all lay about in tight quarters. I’ve heard them say it makes them feel “safe” while they sleep. Baths? Forget about it. They do take dust baths in the summer, but I have yet to see a dwarf with a bar of soap. Not that they are averse to water, but soap for some reason is taboo.

The trolls of Loaerth are few and far between. Most trollkind moved out of the city a century or so ago after a great fire burned the Troll Ghetto to the ground. They have a few scattered communities , so I’ve heard, hidden away in valleys rarely traveled by city folk. They are more commonly seen along the frontier. Trolls are a quiet, thoughtful folk. Slow to anger and gentle with their hands, even for their great size. You will often see trolls in the employ of merchants looking to travel, or in the company of explorers venturing out to the frontier in the hopes of finding lost riches. Trolls, unlike dwarves, have a unique language that has never gone out of use. It is said that they do not write down their own history, but that it is part of their language so by using trollspeak, “Gua’Fig Na”, they are keeping their history alive as well.

There’s so much more to tell. I’m just at a lost on where to start or to continue from. What else would you like to know? Please ask me anything! Leave a comment after this interview is done, or send me question via tweeting birds.

Until next time, I’ll leave you with a common nighttime blessing for children:

“May the gods wrap me in copper and coal. Protect me from harm, and heat my soul. May my dreams spark the light keeps hodolu away, and may I wake with my heart free from the Fey” – Blessing For a Child’s Night