Dragon #287 - Janda's Valley: Part III
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2003 4:13 pm
Welcome back to the construction of Janda's Valley, the home base for the new Lost World campaign, already in progress. These locations all appear on the map that accompanied last month's column.
Janda's Valley -- Keyed Locations
4. Stele and Crypt: A huge, forty-foot stele stands just inside the south entrance to the valley. (A stele is a freestanding obelisk or monument.) Immediately behind the stele is a small mausoleum dominated by a thick, vaulted doorway. Both the stele and mausoleum are covered in strange runes and pictograms, indicating that they are obviously the remains of some sort of ancient civilization. Janda and her followers are unaware of anyone who has successfully deciphered the runes. Similarly, none of Janda's followers have managed to open the mausoleum door to find out what lies inside. The door is tightly secured and crafted from a thick slab of stone (DC 40 to force open). In the center of the door is a small slot that can be spotted by anyone who examines the mausoleum using the Search skill (DC 5). A successful Intelligence check (DC 15) indicates that the searcher not only discovered the slot but also realizes that the slot was built to accommodate some sort of key.
Anyone who successfully enters the mausoleum discovers that the structure is little more than an entranceway that leads down into a lengthy series of winding tunnels that run out of the valley for several miles in all directions. Several of these tunnels and their offshoots lead into burial chambers where the ancient civilization that built the stele once left their mummified dead. In fact, death worship was an important part of this ancient civilization's culture, and all the settlements they built across the Lost World were once connected via this incredible artificial "underworld." Today, the tunnels are home to miscellaneous small dinosaurs, monsters, and even worse things.
At night, some thirty or forty visitors to the valley can always be found sleeping on the ground near the stele. The valley's inhabitants sometimes experience strange dreams that contain insights into one's experiences and glimpses of the past and future. No one knows what causes the dreams, but there is a cult that believes they somehow emanate from the mysterious stele. Some members of this cult travel for many miles just to see the stele and try to improve their chances of experiencing a prophetic dream by sleeping as close to the monument as possible.
Secret: In reality, the dreams have nothing to do with the stele. They emanate from the unconscious mind of Janda herself. Remember, Janda's spirit houses part of the dream essence of the great god of light who died several centuries ago (see Dragon 283). Occasionally, the dreams of the dead god are so powerful that they spring from Janda's consciousness and travel into the dreams of those nearby. No one, not even Janda herself, is aware of the true nature of the dreams, and it has yet to be noticed that no one experiences one of the strange dreams when Janda is not in the valley.
Long-time readers of "Dungeoncraft" remember that an empire of lizardfolk once dominated the Lost World. The ancient death worshippers who built the stele were the serpentlike ancestors of the lizardfolk.
We created the burial chambers and tunnel complexes to make sure the Lost World is dotted with plenty of dungeon corridors and complexes for the adventurers to explore. It was a good idea to include an entrance to the vast, globe-spanning complex of subterranean passages right inside the valley because it should inspire a few interesting adventures that DMs can set in the valley itself. For instance, the mausoleum might provide a base of operations for an evil cult within the valley or a convenient explanation for how a monster or two might occasionally enter the valley undetected. We can decide later exactly who or what might have a key to the mausoleum door, but there's no need to worry about such things just yet.
The stele and strange dreams are an attempt to give the valley an unusual fantasy element that the players can experience and remember. The dreams can also serve as a useful springboard into adventures. Any time I want to provide the players with an unusual idea or clue, I can always arrange for one of the party members to receive one of the mysterious dreams.
5. Lizardfolk Ruins: A few decades before Janda and her followers arrived, the valley was home to an important outpost of the lizardfolk empire. Just north of the stele are the remains of a large domed structure that once served as the valley's grand temple. Because the ruins are a natural breeding ground for scorpions and snakes, most of the valley's inhabitants try to stay well clear of the area.
Except for a few hieroglyphics scattered around a frieze that stands over the remains of the old temple door, little of interest lies in the ruins. Anyone with a skill or spell that allows her to decipher the hieroglyphics realizes that they tell an extremely abbreviated version of the story of the great light god's death.
The lizardfolk ruins help give the valley an air of ancient mystery. They also serve as a convenient isolated location within the valley complex, where clandestine meetings can take place and villains can hide -- another useful locale for adventures set inside the valley.
6. "The Pits": A deep fissure runs through the southeast corner of the valley, just north of the oat field. A steep ramp provides access to the fissure from the main valley floor. Janda's followers have excavated a large hole in the south end of the fissure, and they use it as a detention area for criminals and undesirables. A simple wooden basket-and-pulley system allows controlled passage into and out of the hole. At the bottom of the hole is a makeshift guardhouse fashioned by cementing together large rocks and stones. At any one time, at least four of Janda's guards are on duty within the guardhouse.
The prisoners are incarcerated in a series of individual pits located just outside the guardhouse. Each pit is roughly twenty feet in diameter and twelve feet deep. Prisoners are lowered into the pits (and extracted from them) using a special harness fashioned from ropes and vines. Once a prisoner has been placed in a pit, the guards cover the opening with a wooden grate that they secure by staking it firmly to the ground. Prisoners with the appropriate skills can easily climb the walls of the pit to reach the top (Climb DC 5), but forcing up the grate from the inside requires an amazing feat of strength (Strength check DC 25) and would probably make enough noise to alert the occupants of the nearby guardhouse who must make a Listen check (DC 5) to hear the grate open.
In Janda's valley, one can commit a wide variety of crimes to earn a sentence in the pits. Petty theft, tax fraud, anti-social behavior (such as assault), and deliberate damage to property all earn people brief visits to the pits. Sentences range from a few days to a couple of months depending upon the seriousness of the offense. More serious crimes (such as murder, or compromising the valley's defenses) are punished by permanent expulsion. In all cases, justice in the valley is swift. A suspected criminal is simply taken before Janda or one of her nobles, who single-handedly decides the criminal's fate.
Although the accused has the chance to speak in his own defense, there are no formal procedures, and nothing that resembles a real trial ever takes place.
Janda's guards take good care of the prisoners in the pits and make sure they are fed and sheltered during storms. Still, a few days in the pit can be a debilitating experience.
The pits are an important inclusion in the valley for a simple reason -- without some sort of punishment to back them up, local laws are meaningless.
7. Kennel: Located in the southeastern hole, just north of the pits, is another rock-and-stone structure that houses some of Janda's guards. This particular building is home to Janda's kennel crew. The crew is comprised of nine guards who spend most of their time in this location. Just behind the guardhouse is a series of low wooden cages that house the crew's "dogs:" twenty-one compsognathus dinosaurs. Compsognathus is a tiny, three-foot-long dinosaur that looks like a miniature tyrannosaur. Those of you who have seen Jurassic Park II: The Lost World might remember the vicious little creatures that traveled in packs.
Because the compsognathus has a keen sense of smell, Janda's troops use the creatures to hunt, search for intruders, and track fugitives -- just about everything dogs are traditionally used for. Use the statistics for dogs presented in the Monster Manual.
Several times per day, two or three of the handlers exercise the dinosaurs by walking them around the hole or (occasionally) around the entire southeastern corner of the valley. All of the compsognathus wear small leather collars. Whenever the beasts are taken from their cages, thin leather leashes are attached to the collars so the handlers can guide the animals and keep them at bay. Typically, one handler leads four or five of the creatures at once. Although the dinosaurs can be quite vicious when provoked, they are also well trained, so they almost always respond to their handlers' instructions.
The presence of the kennels serves two purposes. It beefs up the capabilities of Janda's guards, and it serves to reinforce the feel of the Lost World in the players' imaginations. Note that the scent ability of the "dogs" should make it much harder for the PCs (or their enemies) to get away with any serious mischief inside the valley.
8. Bazaar: A collection of large tents and wooden stalls that serves as a sprawling bazaar stands just outside the hole that houses the kennel and the pits. Typically, the market opens at sunrise every morning and closes just about an hour before sunset. While the market is in open, the area around the tents is usually packed with shoppers and merchants alike. During the day, ten of Janda's guards continuously patrol the bazaar looking for pick pockets and making sure that there are no serious disturbances.
Everything from food to weapons and armor is for sale at the bazaar. The population of Janda's Valley fluctuates from 1,000 to 2,000 inhabitants. According to Chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, items of 800 gp value or less can be found for sale. With this price limit in mind, the following items are available:
* All weapons and armor (except crossbows, plate armor, and chainmail, none of which exist on the Lost World).
* All of the "Adventuring Gear" listed on page 108 of the Player's Handbook (except for spyglasses, which don't exist on the Lost World, and paper, which is extremely rare).
* All of the "Food, Drink, and Lodging," as well as all of the "Clothing" listed in the Player's Handbook.
* Horses (in the form of hadrosaur dinosaurs) and all of the appropriate riding accessories listed in the Player's Handbook.
Note that the "Class Tools" listed in the Player's Handbook are only intermittently available in the bazaar.
One of the necessities of a useful "home base" is a good, convenient place to buy supplies and equipment. The bazaar is designed to meet this need. The limits on the availability of some items help reinforce the flavor of the Lost World. Remember, this is a relatively uncivilized setting compared to the average D&D world. While some of the more sophisticated items probably exist somewhere on the Lost World, they shouldn't be readily available.
Ten guards patrolling the bazaar make sure it is a relatively safe environment without overwhelming the PCs in the event a fight is necessary. As a general rule, place twice as many guards as PCs in areas you'd like to keep secure, and half that number in areas that should be protected but still afford the players the opportunity to start trouble or get into a good scrape.
9. Barracks: These tents house the bulk of Janda's troops. Nearly four hundred soldiers are headquartered here.
The valley has to have an army to keep it secure, and the army obviously needs some barracks. Nothing special here.
10. Moot Circle: This is a series of small boulders placed in a sixty-foot circle around a central fire pit. Each night, just after sundown, many of the valley's inhabitants build a fire in the pit and gather around it to socialize, sing songs, swap stories, and trade rumors. While the gathering is in session, local merchants stroll through the throng to sell wine, bread, and meat.
Long time readers will remember that another one of the main purposes of the base of operations is to provide the players with a good rumor mill where they can pick up interesting tidbits and legends that might lead them into adventures. Traditionally, the rumor mill is some sort of inn or tavern, but such locales just seemed too "civilized" for the Lost World. The Moot Circle serves as a more barbarous replacement.
Come back next month, when we'll wrap up the description of the valley.
Janda's Valley -- Keyed Locations
4. Stele and Crypt: A huge, forty-foot stele stands just inside the south entrance to the valley. (A stele is a freestanding obelisk or monument.) Immediately behind the stele is a small mausoleum dominated by a thick, vaulted doorway. Both the stele and mausoleum are covered in strange runes and pictograms, indicating that they are obviously the remains of some sort of ancient civilization. Janda and her followers are unaware of anyone who has successfully deciphered the runes. Similarly, none of Janda's followers have managed to open the mausoleum door to find out what lies inside. The door is tightly secured and crafted from a thick slab of stone (DC 40 to force open). In the center of the door is a small slot that can be spotted by anyone who examines the mausoleum using the Search skill (DC 5). A successful Intelligence check (DC 15) indicates that the searcher not only discovered the slot but also realizes that the slot was built to accommodate some sort of key.
Anyone who successfully enters the mausoleum discovers that the structure is little more than an entranceway that leads down into a lengthy series of winding tunnels that run out of the valley for several miles in all directions. Several of these tunnels and their offshoots lead into burial chambers where the ancient civilization that built the stele once left their mummified dead. In fact, death worship was an important part of this ancient civilization's culture, and all the settlements they built across the Lost World were once connected via this incredible artificial "underworld." Today, the tunnels are home to miscellaneous small dinosaurs, monsters, and even worse things.
At night, some thirty or forty visitors to the valley can always be found sleeping on the ground near the stele. The valley's inhabitants sometimes experience strange dreams that contain insights into one's experiences and glimpses of the past and future. No one knows what causes the dreams, but there is a cult that believes they somehow emanate from the mysterious stele. Some members of this cult travel for many miles just to see the stele and try to improve their chances of experiencing a prophetic dream by sleeping as close to the monument as possible.
Secret: In reality, the dreams have nothing to do with the stele. They emanate from the unconscious mind of Janda herself. Remember, Janda's spirit houses part of the dream essence of the great god of light who died several centuries ago (see Dragon 283). Occasionally, the dreams of the dead god are so powerful that they spring from Janda's consciousness and travel into the dreams of those nearby. No one, not even Janda herself, is aware of the true nature of the dreams, and it has yet to be noticed that no one experiences one of the strange dreams when Janda is not in the valley.
Long-time readers of "Dungeoncraft" remember that an empire of lizardfolk once dominated the Lost World. The ancient death worshippers who built the stele were the serpentlike ancestors of the lizardfolk.
We created the burial chambers and tunnel complexes to make sure the Lost World is dotted with plenty of dungeon corridors and complexes for the adventurers to explore. It was a good idea to include an entrance to the vast, globe-spanning complex of subterranean passages right inside the valley because it should inspire a few interesting adventures that DMs can set in the valley itself. For instance, the mausoleum might provide a base of operations for an evil cult within the valley or a convenient explanation for how a monster or two might occasionally enter the valley undetected. We can decide later exactly who or what might have a key to the mausoleum door, but there's no need to worry about such things just yet.
The stele and strange dreams are an attempt to give the valley an unusual fantasy element that the players can experience and remember. The dreams can also serve as a useful springboard into adventures. Any time I want to provide the players with an unusual idea or clue, I can always arrange for one of the party members to receive one of the mysterious dreams.
5. Lizardfolk Ruins: A few decades before Janda and her followers arrived, the valley was home to an important outpost of the lizardfolk empire. Just north of the stele are the remains of a large domed structure that once served as the valley's grand temple. Because the ruins are a natural breeding ground for scorpions and snakes, most of the valley's inhabitants try to stay well clear of the area.
Except for a few hieroglyphics scattered around a frieze that stands over the remains of the old temple door, little of interest lies in the ruins. Anyone with a skill or spell that allows her to decipher the hieroglyphics realizes that they tell an extremely abbreviated version of the story of the great light god's death.
The lizardfolk ruins help give the valley an air of ancient mystery. They also serve as a convenient isolated location within the valley complex, where clandestine meetings can take place and villains can hide -- another useful locale for adventures set inside the valley.
6. "The Pits": A deep fissure runs through the southeast corner of the valley, just north of the oat field. A steep ramp provides access to the fissure from the main valley floor. Janda's followers have excavated a large hole in the south end of the fissure, and they use it as a detention area for criminals and undesirables. A simple wooden basket-and-pulley system allows controlled passage into and out of the hole. At the bottom of the hole is a makeshift guardhouse fashioned by cementing together large rocks and stones. At any one time, at least four of Janda's guards are on duty within the guardhouse.
The prisoners are incarcerated in a series of individual pits located just outside the guardhouse. Each pit is roughly twenty feet in diameter and twelve feet deep. Prisoners are lowered into the pits (and extracted from them) using a special harness fashioned from ropes and vines. Once a prisoner has been placed in a pit, the guards cover the opening with a wooden grate that they secure by staking it firmly to the ground. Prisoners with the appropriate skills can easily climb the walls of the pit to reach the top (Climb DC 5), but forcing up the grate from the inside requires an amazing feat of strength (Strength check DC 25) and would probably make enough noise to alert the occupants of the nearby guardhouse who must make a Listen check (DC 5) to hear the grate open.
In Janda's valley, one can commit a wide variety of crimes to earn a sentence in the pits. Petty theft, tax fraud, anti-social behavior (such as assault), and deliberate damage to property all earn people brief visits to the pits. Sentences range from a few days to a couple of months depending upon the seriousness of the offense. More serious crimes (such as murder, or compromising the valley's defenses) are punished by permanent expulsion. In all cases, justice in the valley is swift. A suspected criminal is simply taken before Janda or one of her nobles, who single-handedly decides the criminal's fate.
Although the accused has the chance to speak in his own defense, there are no formal procedures, and nothing that resembles a real trial ever takes place.
Janda's guards take good care of the prisoners in the pits and make sure they are fed and sheltered during storms. Still, a few days in the pit can be a debilitating experience.
The pits are an important inclusion in the valley for a simple reason -- without some sort of punishment to back them up, local laws are meaningless.
7. Kennel: Located in the southeastern hole, just north of the pits, is another rock-and-stone structure that houses some of Janda's guards. This particular building is home to Janda's kennel crew. The crew is comprised of nine guards who spend most of their time in this location. Just behind the guardhouse is a series of low wooden cages that house the crew's "dogs:" twenty-one compsognathus dinosaurs. Compsognathus is a tiny, three-foot-long dinosaur that looks like a miniature tyrannosaur. Those of you who have seen Jurassic Park II: The Lost World might remember the vicious little creatures that traveled in packs.
Because the compsognathus has a keen sense of smell, Janda's troops use the creatures to hunt, search for intruders, and track fugitives -- just about everything dogs are traditionally used for. Use the statistics for dogs presented in the Monster Manual.
Several times per day, two or three of the handlers exercise the dinosaurs by walking them around the hole or (occasionally) around the entire southeastern corner of the valley. All of the compsognathus wear small leather collars. Whenever the beasts are taken from their cages, thin leather leashes are attached to the collars so the handlers can guide the animals and keep them at bay. Typically, one handler leads four or five of the creatures at once. Although the dinosaurs can be quite vicious when provoked, they are also well trained, so they almost always respond to their handlers' instructions.
The presence of the kennels serves two purposes. It beefs up the capabilities of Janda's guards, and it serves to reinforce the feel of the Lost World in the players' imaginations. Note that the scent ability of the "dogs" should make it much harder for the PCs (or their enemies) to get away with any serious mischief inside the valley.
8. Bazaar: A collection of large tents and wooden stalls that serves as a sprawling bazaar stands just outside the hole that houses the kennel and the pits. Typically, the market opens at sunrise every morning and closes just about an hour before sunset. While the market is in open, the area around the tents is usually packed with shoppers and merchants alike. During the day, ten of Janda's guards continuously patrol the bazaar looking for pick pockets and making sure that there are no serious disturbances.
Everything from food to weapons and armor is for sale at the bazaar. The population of Janda's Valley fluctuates from 1,000 to 2,000 inhabitants. According to Chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, items of 800 gp value or less can be found for sale. With this price limit in mind, the following items are available:
* All weapons and armor (except crossbows, plate armor, and chainmail, none of which exist on the Lost World).
* All of the "Adventuring Gear" listed on page 108 of the Player's Handbook (except for spyglasses, which don't exist on the Lost World, and paper, which is extremely rare).
* All of the "Food, Drink, and Lodging," as well as all of the "Clothing" listed in the Player's Handbook.
* Horses (in the form of hadrosaur dinosaurs) and all of the appropriate riding accessories listed in the Player's Handbook.
Note that the "Class Tools" listed in the Player's Handbook are only intermittently available in the bazaar.
One of the necessities of a useful "home base" is a good, convenient place to buy supplies and equipment. The bazaar is designed to meet this need. The limits on the availability of some items help reinforce the flavor of the Lost World. Remember, this is a relatively uncivilized setting compared to the average D&D world. While some of the more sophisticated items probably exist somewhere on the Lost World, they shouldn't be readily available.
Ten guards patrolling the bazaar make sure it is a relatively safe environment without overwhelming the PCs in the event a fight is necessary. As a general rule, place twice as many guards as PCs in areas you'd like to keep secure, and half that number in areas that should be protected but still afford the players the opportunity to start trouble or get into a good scrape.
9. Barracks: These tents house the bulk of Janda's troops. Nearly four hundred soldiers are headquartered here.
The valley has to have an army to keep it secure, and the army obviously needs some barracks. Nothing special here.
10. Moot Circle: This is a series of small boulders placed in a sixty-foot circle around a central fire pit. Each night, just after sundown, many of the valley's inhabitants build a fire in the pit and gather around it to socialize, sing songs, swap stories, and trade rumors. While the gathering is in session, local merchants stroll through the throng to sell wine, bread, and meat.
Long time readers will remember that another one of the main purposes of the base of operations is to provide the players with a good rumor mill where they can pick up interesting tidbits and legends that might lead them into adventures. Traditionally, the rumor mill is some sort of inn or tavern, but such locales just seemed too "civilized" for the Lost World. The Moot Circle serves as a more barbarous replacement.
Come back next month, when we'll wrap up the description of the valley.