I am incredibly proud of how these spiderwebs turned out and I don’t care who knows it.
The Stygian City – 7th, 8th and 9th Levels (Work-in-Progress)
These are the next three levels of the Stygian City and, as you can see, they’re a lot bigger than the previous floors. From left to right, they’re a temple, a spiders’ nest and a goblin village.
I’ve had a few new ideas since I wrote up the original plans. One of the bigger additions is an underground river that runs through the city. Kuo-toa have found their way there and moved into that level and the one below it. I’m not sure where this will be, but probably around the 15th-18th floor. I’ll probably put them near the myconid colony to give them a rival (and because they both like it damp).
I’m also moving the prison closer to the bottom because I want players to learn a few key things about this place. (Read the History of the Pit before this if you haven’t already). These are the main bits of information for players to learn as they descend, in order:
- A goddess named Ghanya told people to dig this pit. She promised that they would find a gateway to paradise below.
- Holy crap they built a whole city in this pit.
- Unlike other deities, Ghanya spoke to these people often. They heard her voice clearly in their minds and she taught them things and gave them instructions.
- Once they dug down to the gateway, they sent people through when they became 50 years old. The reason is unclear.
- Some people didn’t want to go through the gateway and Ghanya said they should be arrested and sent in anyway. (This is what the prison was for).
- At the bottom, the players learn that the “gateway” is just a giant monster that tricked these people into letting it eat them.
- Also, that circle-and-star symbol that’s carved into the floors all over the place isn’t just a symbol. It’s a visual depiction of the mouth of the creature at the bottom.
I’m trying to give the players enough information to intrigue them, but keep the discovery at the end (6 and 7) a surprise. What do you think? Should I change any of that or reorder it? If you’ve got any thoughts or ideas, let me know.
The Stygian City: Caves and Catacombs (Work-in-Progress)
The next three levels of The Stygian City are drawn and ready to color.
I realize that this “city” doesn’t look much like one yet. But I promise it will, starting with the levels after this. The upper floors were carved out when the builders were still mostly living on the surface.
By the way, when I post this, I’ll update the DM notes with an overview of the history of the pit, so you’ll have a basic idea of what this place is and why it was built. It’s kind of horrible and I hope you’ll like it.
Aztec Temple Complex (Work-in-Progress)
When I started on this, I spent a good hour trying to find out what Mesoamerican pyramids looked like inside. As it turns out, there usually is no interior other than the temple at the top.
But do you know what’s inside a lot of pyramids? More pyramids. There was a gigantic pyramid called the Templo Mayor in Mexico City that was destroyed by the conquistadors and they found six pyramids nested inside it.
Here’s a picture of what it would’ve looked like before it was razed. Imagine if that thing was in the middle of Mexico City right now. God, that would be cool.
The Pit: Ekersfield (Work-in-Progress)
The surface level of the pit is done. It’s not quaint, exactly, but it’s about as quaint as a village can get with a huge, ominous hole in the middle of town.
I’ve got the two levels below this about halfway done as well and they should be finished in a few more days. All right, I’m gonna get back to it.
The Pit: The Village of Ekersfield and the Mines (Work-in-Progress)
These are the first three levels of the giant pit megadungeon I’m working on. I’ve got 23 levels planned, but I get the feeling it’ll end up being closer to 30 by the time it’s done. You can see the current plan at the link above, but I think some of those areas are going to end up having more than one floor. And I’ll probably let patrons propose ideas for and vote on a couple more levels to add to the pit as well.
Anyway, I’m gonna get back to coloring all this. Let me know what you think so far!
Castel Sant’Angelo (Almost Done)
I’ve got the Castel Sant’Angelo almost finished, but I thought I’d give you all a look at it anyway. These are the 2nd and 3rd floors of the castle, which has five levels in total. I should have the whole thing wrapped up in a couple days.
In the previous post, I proposed an idea for a new megaproject and, after your overwhelmingly positive response, I will definitely be drawing it. I should be able to get started next month. By the way, I’m incredibly relieved that you liked it so much because, honestly, I really wanted to draw it. It’ll be an amazing hole in the ground, I promise.
Castel Sant’Angelo (Work-in-Progress)
These are four of the five floors of Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo. I’ve got the rest drawn too, but, as you can see, I ran out of desk, so someone had to get cut from the class photo.
As big as this is already, there’s actually one more thing to draw: the outer walls. I’ll draw those in on my tablet. This place is extremely unique as castles go, so hopefully you like it so far. It’s been a ton of work, but I think it’s looking pretty good.
I also had an idea for a new megaproject and I’d love to get your thoughts on it, but let me put that in a separate post. Until then, let me know what you think of the map so far!
Chateau de Breze – The Underground Tunnels (Work-in-Progress)
These are the tunnels underneath the Chateau de Breze. I’ve got to tell you, there is no way I’d have been able to draw this place if I hadn’t visited it and taken photos of everything myself. Like, my only reference for the upper levels of the castle is a photo I took of the fire escape plan (it’s a solid floor plan, though). And I’d have no idea how these tunnels underneath the place connect to each other if I hadn’t seen them firsthand.
Anyway, I’m coloring this now, but I thought I’d give you a look. Back to work!
Chateau de Breze (Work-in-Progress)
This is what I’ve drawn so far for the Chateau de Breze. I’m currently drawing the network of tunnels and caves connected to the dry moat. That’s pretty big, so I’m drawing it on my tablet rather than trying to draw it across 5 or 6 sheets of paper and Frankensteining them all together.
Anyway, I just wanted to keep you all updated. I’m gonna get back to work. If you’ve got any thoughts or questions about any of this, let me know!