Hex by Hex

From this thread, creating a 16 by 12 hex sandbox campaign setting. This wikipage collects the entries and the map:

http://www.houseofgenius.com/images/sandbox.png

Right now, the hexes are organized by column.

1

Dagger Reefs

Access to the harbour at nearby Windhook is treacherous through this region, and many an inattentive captain has found his ship wrecked on the rocks that lie just below the surface.

Harbor Approach

This is the safe passage to the Windhook harbors, avoiding the dagger reefs. The Great Desert of Ashok verges on the waters of the Windswept Sea here. This relatively constricted access to Windhook makes it an attractive area for pirates, so the Windhook governing employs a number of small, fast fighting ships to patrol the harbor approach.

Still, one must always be on the lookout for cutthroats and privateers.

The Desert Wastes

Once a fertile grassland, in recent generations the Great Desert of Ashok to the west has encroached on this area, driving out the farmers who resided here. In their place, nomad tribes now prowl amongst the dunes and wind-blown ruins of past settlement.

Though occasional oases may still be found here, voyaging further west into the heart of the desert is considered a dangerous proposition.

The Desert Wastes, Continued

The desert continues southwards here.

2

Siren's Dam

Year ago, a famous mermaid Serina used magic to become a human. Serina had a rival with air creatures. One of them killed her. Her human lover researched mermaid death rituals and discover that the mermaids killed underwater would be cooked--while above the water, they would be buried. He built a dam on Feyline river.

The tomb is home to a crazy werewolf and his skeleton pals. This is the same werewolf that's been causing problems in Floorboards.

The tomb/dam no longer fully contains the Feyline river.

Feyline Traders

The Feyline river flooded this area when the tome/dam first ceased to fully hold it back. A number of markets and trading outposts have opened here on top of the water ruined villages. Riverboats routinely make a course with exotic goods down towards Whitewater Junction.

Many of these boats ask little from their passengers except the money of passage, and it is known that fugitives from northern communities as well as monsters able to masquerade as (demi)human make use of these boats to travel south to escape justice or find new victims.

Exotic furs and preserved meats are what primarily get sent down. There is a strong trapper community living side by side with the merchants that ply the rivers. While the trapper camps and communities are mostly adjacent to this territory, there are a number of taverns and meeting halls amongst the market where the two mingle after discussing wares.

Recently, a new sort of pelt, that seems to be actual gold, has been trickling in to the markets and the first few have just arrived to the south, to the delight of all involved.

Windhook

This thriving maritime settlement on the Great Windswept Sea bustles with members of all races and cultures, goods from a dozen lands, and no shortage of jobs for eager adventurers. Join a ship's crew and see new lands; escort a caravan to the interior, facing who knows what peril; sign on with a mercenary company to pacify rebellious settlements...the possibilities are endless.

Lately, Windhook has been under pressure from several shipping guilds to adjust their tariffs, or face a trade war. At the same time, mysterious thefts, murders, and accidents have been happening to ships at the Windhook port. The governing council thinks the accidents are the work of the Guilds, but are they?

Places to be sure to visit: The Bilge Rat, Lady Nerissa's Lounge, the Leeward, and Mad Mindros General Store.

Windhook also marks the mouth of the Delnar river, where its waters empty into the Windswept Sea.

Wetlands Meet Desert

This area, marking the point where the wetlands around the Delnar basin meet the northern edge of the western desert, is home largely to scrabbly low-growing grasses and plants.

Council Stone

This vast field of desperate grass has a giant slab of stone at the center. Here tribes of desert centaurs come to meet, feeling safe in the mutual risk of the writhing sands nearby. It is also where the centaurs come to deal with those from Windhook.

Beyond meeting centaurs conducting business here, those traveling through often encounter the ghosts of centaurs who are drawn here and more able to speak near the stone, giving council to their descendants. There are darker spirits as well in this area, sorcerers who have sought to assault the mystic tower deeper in the desert and djinn who have dwindled due to being bound to earthly elements. The centaurs remove all dead bodies from this place, and many say it is for more than simple fear of providing an easy host to the ghosts that reside here.

There are a few animate skeletons in this area, and they are possessed of a keen and terrible intelligence, one that often surpasses the living mind that once resided there.

The writhing sands

A region of desert covered in silt sands that flow and move across ever moving windstorms. A navigation piece used by those traveling the desert to gain their barrings from a distance. The winds are surely unnatural and many a caravan has seen on relatively clear days a shining spire of glass and mirrors within. Through rumor it has recently been heard that for one week every five years, the storm dies, raining tons of sand around the region that billow out in a dust cloud...and reveal the shining spire in its smooth and sunlit glory, along with a tattered tent and windswept clay city at it's base.

When the winds die, men and women in robes fly by their own magic or that of another as riders from the place burst from below aback cruel beasts that glide through the sand like sharks on the sea, some leaving claiming to have finished their studies, others off to find the next class for this secure and sequestered school of Wizardry, Boraro's tower.

3

Onsamiath's Lair

An extension of the Stench Fens, the old black dragon Onsamiath lives in this tract of swamplands. It is a sorcerer of some repute and is fascinated by the magical energies in the Stench Fens. In pursuing his study of the Fens, Onsamiath has developed a wasting disease that is sapping the life out of him.* Not knowing the cause Onsamiath is seriously contemplating dracolichdom to avoid an ignoble death.

In the past Onsamiath attempted to exact tolls from river traffic to build his horde but after an encounter with a band of adventurers near five decades ago still has him extremely cautious about exposing himself to outsiders. Bullywugs, on the other hand, are his prime food source.

• Currently Onsamiath looks very gaunt and exemplifies the blakc dragon epithet of, "skull dragon."

Ruins of Grey

Here, along rolling hills on the banks of the Delnar lie the ruins of Grey. This accursed place has been abandoned for the past fifty years after it was destroyed in the titanic struggle between a band of adventurers and the near by Black Dragon. Some say these "Heroes" deliberately used Grey as bait for the Dragon, ensuring the deaths of all it's people.

At night some people say you can hear the wails of pain and agony of the towns residence crying out for vengeance. Nearly everywhere else the adventurers are hailed as true heroes for "killing" the Dragon.

The Tower of Al-Jazeera

Surrounding Terrain (2.12, 3.11, 4.11, 4.12) : Desert

This ancient wizard's tower was long abandoned and almost completely buried until rediscovered by a fugitive sorceror from the southern desert kingdoms. Having conquered the magical defenses of the tower and raised it back above the sands, the renegade, one Ali Ababba Al-Jazeera, has enacted a cunning plan.

The tower grants its owner control over 8 enslaved Djinn, one for each of the 8 cardinal directions. He has tasked these Djinn with transmitting thoughts of paranoia and hatred into the ether surrounding the tower. As the transmissions emanate further and further from the tower, Al-Jazeera is hoping it will incite the surrounding kingdoms to eventually start fighting amongst each other and start an age of war and bloodshed.

As the kingdoms are weakened, he will take them over one by one until he has all the kingdoms of men under his thumb as a Grand Sorceror Sultan and can exact slow, excruciating revenge upon those who dared to exile him...

4

Whitewater Junction

Here, the Feyline River feeds into the Delnar, and the meeting is anything but peaceful. Rocky terrain in the riverbeds forms a series of powerful, fast-moving rapids that make passage up- and downriver impossible for many of the heavily laden river barges that travel the Delnar and the Feyline. An industrious and entrepreneurial halfling family, the Doskins, set up Camp Whitewater decades ago to offer their services in moving cargo across the rapids - or around them - on cargo trains. The business rapidly grew, and with it the camp.

Now a major town, Whitewater Junction offers services of all kinds to the river crews and travelers who use the Delnar and Feyline rivers to cross the wilds. However, their core business - getting boats around, through, or over the rapids - remains a thriving endeavor, and visitors to Whitewater Junction will see seemingly endless convoys of porters, wagons, and sleds carrying cargo of all sorts from the docks on Lowside - below the rapids - to the Highside docks. The Doskins oversee the operation of all of the Portage Companies in Whitewater Junction, acting as a "guild" to preserve competition...and to rake in a handsome profit.

Stench Fens

This swampy area, just south of where the Feyline River joins the Delnar*, is suffused with the stink of decay; bubbles slowly rise through the loose mud to loose a gut-churning miasma over the area. Wizards and scholars do not believe the smell in this place could be natural, and some scholars believe it is the remnants of a curse or a mighty magical weapon used eons ago, leaving the earth here hopelessly corrupted. Fortunately, whatever ancient plague corrupts this site does not seem to contaminate the waters of the Delnar...yet.

The Stench Fens are home to several Bullywug tribes, including one led by Krebbok, a Tribal Shaman of great power. It is said that Krebbok wears amulets of power recovered from numerous burial mounds that lie beneath the mud and greasy water of the fens.

5

Old King's Road Follows River

Here, Old King's Road - little more than a rough trail - follows the course of the Delnar for a time before curving northward, heading into parts unknown.

6

Tower of Arun Tor

The Tower of Arun Tor sits atop Dol Arun, a hill in the Highlands of Erenby. Formerly the home of Pertwee Village's lord, it was abandoned a generation ago when the last resident, Lord Bascom, died without a known heir.

The tower is four stories high, each slightly smaller than the one beneath. Unknown to most, the tower has just as many sub-levels underground, where Lord Bascom plied his second, secret trade-that of a necromancer.

It is uninhabited today and rumored to be haunted-a rumor that may be true, considering its history.

The Village of Pertwee

Pertwee Village lies amidst the rolling Hills of Erenby. The primary occupation of its residents is herding goats and sheep on the grassy slopes, though they also forage for mushrooms in the many shallow caves that dot the hills. The village itself is surrounded by a wooden stockade for protection from bandits and lesser humanoids that also inhabit the hills.

A stone tower called Arun Tor rises on a hill overlooking the village, formerly the residence of the local lord. He died a generation ago without an heir, and the tower has been abandoned since.

Old Road Diminishes

As the old road from King's Bridge continues to the northwest through this lightly wooded region, weeds, shrubs, and other plants sprouting between the stones become more frequent. Eventually the road becomes little more than a trail, with only the occasional cobblestone or weather-worn marker to tell of what it once was.

7

The Kings Bridge

A large stone bridge across the Deinar which used to carry wagons two abreast in ancient times. Crumbling statues of forgotten kings flank it.

8

Silkweed Plantation

The ruins of a manor farm house, of the sort a noble or wealthy merchant might own, occupy the center of this area. Fallow fields overgrown with silkweed surround it. There are an abundance of large, healthy insects and serpents in the fields who hunt animals that come for the grains and vegetables that grow wild closer to the ruins.

Inside, the ruins host a colony of giant, intelligent spiders who search endlessly for a way out of the haunted estate that has become a prison as much as a home.

Hills Flanking Delnar

Here low rolling hills flank the River Delnar, creating an ideal site for farmland if anyone would bother. The remains of farmsteds can be found throughout the area. Once settled the newcomers invariably leave for within a generation for reasons they keep to themselves.

Only one creature makes this area it's home. A monstrously huge, powerfully ugly and astoundingly dim-witted Troll.

The village of Floorboards.

Population: ~150 Major trade: Fishing Government: Lord Anglethorn

Floorboards is a small fishing community on the banks of the River Delnar. Somewhat prosperous but suffering under high taxes and the heavy hand of the local sheriff. Floorboards boasts a small tavern and a very skilled master glassblower.

In recent months the town has been plagued by a werewolf.

Scholar Artemis Thorn is staying at the village tavern. He is taking drawings of the remaining statues on the bridge, and avoiding the sherrif as much as possible for some reason.

11

Crossroads

A crossroads exists here where Old King's Road meets roads leading south towards Splendor and north towards Aerth Aelwyd and the Vagabond Mountains.

Ehlonna's Splendor

Situated amongst lightly forested areas giving way to meadows is a grand, open air temple-city dedicated to nature and fertility. Several regional gods and goddesses have representations among the statuary, with the current primary goddess venerated being Ehlonna.

Near by communities pay tithes to receive the blessings of fertility and good hunting. The priests who serve in the Splendor (as the temple-city is called) serve as unofficial advisors to many nearby governments.

While the surface of life there is focused on the business of venerating the deities and serving surrounding communities, as well as educating the next generation of priests and priestesses, there is constant rivalry between the loose and conflicting hierarchies of worship. Schisms and heresies occur beneath the surface, occasionally erupting to the surface in the prayer sessions and scriptural study that makes up civic discourse for the Splendor.

Rumor has it that the reach of the Splendor was once far greater, and that the desert south of Windhook was blighted into its current form by the priestesses of that time. To those spreading this rumor, the current arrangement of gods--especially with Ehlonna as chief goddess--is a compromise that purposefully cripples the power of the Splendor.

12

Arth Aelwyd, the Hollow Hill Inn

There is a bend in the Delnar River where it takes a turn to the west around a single, low hill. Formally named Arth Aelwyd, it is oft called simply the Hollow Hill after the riverside inn that has been built inside it by the Strongberry Halflings (they are also known for their potent wine, and they tend a small but productive vineyard in the vicinity as well). It is a pleasant stopping place for those journeying through the area-as long as one doesn’t inquire of their hosts why they have chosen to dwell so far from established Halfling territory, or venture into the lower levels of the Hollow Hill.

Unnamed Meadow

An unnamed empty meadow. It's lovely, and there are wildflowers.

13

Hermago Heights

The lowest peaks of the Vagabond range, covered in evergreens save for the gray tips. Isolated and unexplored wilderness and rumored to be the home of the lost and untamed, and some say primordially bestial ancestors, of the elves. Recently, somewhere within the range a hive of giant wasps has begun construction...these flying beasts have begun terrorizing those who come to close and nearby settlements and might be driving out the primordial elves...whose shadows have begun being spotted in the south and to the west.

Kaunite's Peak

Part of the Vagabond mountain range, the peak is a tall mountain surrounded by its siblings whose natural springs and melting caps feed the Delnar Falls and River. Along these high streams near where the waters gather a number of mill hamlets have sprung and over time may connect into a city in on the slope of the high mountain, not often traveled to from beyond in part both to the fey creatures at the bottom of the falls and the terrible things that sleep deep in the mountain. While the lower platueas of this peak are lush with flora, fauna, and small civilization, the caverns beneath the mountain feed into a foul and monstrous worm nest, sometimes the hunting ground of a civilization not yet seen so deep in the ground that it is the perfect inverse of Kaunite's Peak.

3 main Milling hamlets: Morrisston, Valenshold, Nearfall.

Features: Mountainside, worm caverns, Kaunite's Depths undercity.

Delnar Falls

Here, the river Delnar tumbles down from its high mountain vale to the plains. The area is known for its prosperous mountainside forest, populated by fey things and containing many herbs sought by human mages and apothecaries. Beyond the waterfalls, an entrance leads into a system of caverns (naturally!).

Forests Flank Delnar

Heavy forest flanks the banks of the Delnar in this region, providing refuge for numerous herbivores but also cover for those creatures that hunt them.

(Encounters: Packs of wolves and occasionally 2-3 dire wolves, herds of deer, solitary bears, goblinoid hunting party)

14

The Charred Ridge

A section of the Vagabond mountain range with few distinguishing peaks or passes. Named for the damage done during past volcanic activity that has left the range looking singed. A few settlements eek out existence in the foot hills, under the heel of bandits who find the desolate mountains excellent for a base of operation.

Abandoned silver mines

The mountains next to Kaunite's Peak used to contain rich veins of silver but almost all of these mines were exhausted a generation ago. The mine were then abandoned and the human and dwarven miners moved on to other parts. The area is studded with ghost towns built during the first rush and now empty. There are occasional rumors of miner's treasure hidden up in the mountains or a vein that wasn't completely mined out but investigating these rumors is dangerous as several tribes of goblins have moved into the area.

When the area was populated it was home to several gangs of bandits. The largest of these, the Red Jacks, were eventually all caught and hung but they died without telling where their loot was stored.

Terrain type: Mountainous/conifer forest Settlements: Calamity (abandoned) Encounter ideas: Goblins in abandoned mine, ghosts of miners, old prospector, bandits

Broken Cart Tavern

This section of the road is treacherous and not as well maintained as it was when the border was more seriously contested. Away from most settlements, a traveler's tavern provides for the needs of the soldiers and others who come by this way. The son of the owner is quite handy at repairing the damage done to wagons and other vehicles that pass through this unpleasant stretch of road, while his twin sister is excellent at mending travel worn garments and performing repairs on smaller goods, from knives to ancient books that need to be meticulously pieced together again.

15

Horn Holds

The remains of a large stratovolcano that erupted cataclysmically many years ago. The collapsed cone formed a lake in the caldera with an island in the middle. This island serves as the main entrance to the Horn Hold, a dwarven settlement renowned for thier metal smithing. Deep within the old lava tubes and vents are veins of rare and wonderful metals and minerals.

The dwarves have not mapped all of the tunnels as of yet and will not in the near future as long range exploration parties have come under attack from worm like creatures. It is quite possible that due to past seismic activity fissures and magam tunnels have made connections to the tunnels under Kaunite's Peak.

Horn Hold is a fairly new dwarven settlement and is not as closed to outsiders as more established holds. Being founded by a priest of Moradin there is a strong religious feel to the city, and while areas are open to traders the wrokings of the foudaries and furnaces are strictly limited to the dwarves. The forges have made major advancements in metallurgy including the working of alloys of various metals* and treatments not used by humans.

• Equvalent metals would be aluminum, nickel, manganese and magnesium.

Stone Fort

This point marks both the eastern end of Old King's Road as well as part of the historic border between this land and the Eastern Kingdoms. A small stone fort, manned but falling into disrepair, stands testament to this fact.

Terrain type: Grassland (any forest that was once present has been cleared so as to provide an unobstructed view of the land on either side of the border). Potential encounters: border raiders, smugglers, invading armies if the GM so wishes

16

White Plains

This grassland was once the site of a massive battle with the Eastern Kingdom. Where is surrounding lands are fairly flat (16.7, 16.9 and 15.8) this area is hilly. All of the hills are fairly low and flat as they are man made. Huge barrows for all of the dead killed in the long forgotten battle. The bones of the weathered mounds have begun peaking through give the name, White Plains. Many non corporal undead roam this haunted region. Along with treasure hunters seeking ancient magical panoplies that are sure to be still buried here.