Hollow Moon: Adhuza, 8 miles per hex

[Chimpman]

Maps

Map of the Hollow Moon, Adhuzan Dominarchy, 8 miles per hex by John Calvin, August 2011 (Work In Progress)


Map of the Hollow Moon, Spindrift Undersea, 8 miles per hex by John Calvin, March 2012 (Work In Progress)


Comments
1) The map is pretty sparse at the moment. I'm going to rely on the community to help flesh it out.

Sources:
Inside Matera: The Hollow Moon by Sharon Dornhoff
Hollow Moon: Nearside, 40 miles per hex

References

1. The Moon Wiki
2. Topographical Maps of the Moon
3. Moon map
4. Hollow Moon Nation Overview

Thanks to: Thorfinn Tait, for providing some wonderful graphics to use in all of our mapping projects, Sharon Dornhoff for developing the setting.

[Chimpman]

Ok, I've made some major changes to the Adhuza map. Once again I've incorporated the Google Moon charts into the map, using them to refine my terrains. There are probably still some minor (and perhaps some major) tweaks to make before I'm completely happy with this map (input is welcomed!), but it's at the state where I feel I can share it.

Adhuza is broken down into several satrapies - each a "city state" with nominal control over some portion of the territory around them. So far I have:

Labrys - the northernmost of the satrapies. I see Labrys as a vast outdoor maze composed of broken lands, mountain crags, and valleys. Roads and trails abound in this region, though they don't always lead anywhere. Travelers who don't know their way around should beware - they may never leave the region alive!

Thebit - one of the southernmost of the satrapies, Thebit is a wizardly nation composed of Nithian descendants. Thebit maintains control over the Straight Wall, a barrier built to protect the nation from cryion predations.

The satrapies I'm having the most trouble with are Limor and Vareinya - I'm not sure what their defining qualities should be.

[Seer of Yhog]

The satrapies I'm having the most trouble with are Limor and Vareinya - I'm not sure what their defining qualities should be.

I could probably help you with that!

[Chimpman]

The satrapies I'm having the most trouble with are Limor and Vareinya - I'm not sure what their defining qualities should be.

I could probably help you with that!

I was kind of hoping you might want to do that

So... if you had to sum up those nations in one or two sentences, how would you do that? And additionally, what unique qualities do they bring to the nation of Adhuza?

[Chimpman]

Also, there is no reason we can't add more satrapies to Adhuza if we want to - there is plenty of room in the nation. I'm not married to the location of any of the countries except for Thebit (though it's borders could grow or shrink accordingly), and I do also like how Labrys is turning out so far.

It's also possible that since their arrival on the Hollow Moon, the kopru have managed to to bring some other HM nations (or portions thereof) into the fold. The SoR doesn't prevent nations from being conquered, or even new nations and cultures from forming. It only insures that the folks of any given nation/culture will remember their old ways. I think we have a lot of leeway to play with. Perhaps a city of Vesper Elves has fallen under their sway, or a village of halflings form Shaergarde, or even some wayward Cnydiceans.

[Seer of Yhog]

*spits on hands*

*rubs them together*

How's this for a start:

Limor: This satrapy is the transplanted remnant of the Lhomarrian maritime colonies that survived that continent's sinking, which were subsequently warped by the kopru before being destroyed. Like their distant ancestors, the Limorians are very exploratory and have strong spiritual leanings, but they venerate darker powers and use their military might to conduct merciless raids on their neighbours (their pirates also raid communities on the lake that borders their territory). Limorians comprise a large percentage of Adhuza's army.

Vareinya: The Vareinyans are descended from coastal Varellyans who fell under the sway of the kopru, and turned their nautical prowess to piracy and slaving. These habits continue in the Hollow Moon, but their strength is often augmented by Limoran and Labrysian marines. Owing to their slightly more cosmpolitan past (compared to the Lhomarrians and Nithians, at any rate) Vareinyans often represent (and spy for) Adhuza in other realms.

[Chimpman]

Thanks, that's just what I need!

Hmmm... Given the above, would it make more sense to swap the locations of those two satrapies so that Limor is on the coast of the Spindrift and Vareinya is inland and along the Hypparq Sea (the larger lake in the center)? That might allow for the Limorians to have a much stronger navy.

On the other hand, most exploration in the Hollow Moon (at least from their perspective) might require overland travel, so having Limor be inland still might work. The problem with naval exploration through the Spindrift however, is that a large portion of the Spindrift "coastline" is crystalbarrens, so there's not really anywhere to go.

Another idea I was toying with was to put both cultures somewhere along the shores of the Spindrift. I think that's doable, but it would require some shifting of the internal borders, and again the above issues still apply.

[Seer of Yhog]

Why not switch them? You're right that the Crystalbarrens would have nothing worth raiding, but they could access other places. The Adhuzans would still want a navy, IMO, even if it's in a bathtub of a sea.

[Chimpman]

Updated the map.

I've switched Limor and Vareinya, and redrawn much of their borders. Vareinya now has access to the Hypparq Sea as well as to the Spindrift Sea (perfectly situated for piratical activities ). Limor is fortified within one of the central craters, and has a bit of coastal territory along the Spindrift. I'm still in the process of placing all of the cities - any suggestions are welcomed.

Another modification is the placement of several statue icons. I'm thinking that these huge statues are actually used by the Adhuzans (the kopru) to exert their control over the general populace. Lighthouses have also been placed in key areas along the coast since the human populations in Adhuza would need them to navigate by.

The roads are also almost fully formed. I think I'll need at least some paths in Vareinya, and possibly some more roads in Limor and Kogolor.

[Chimpman]

Added another map for Adhuza - my first attempt at an undersea map. This one depicts one quarter of the Spindrift Sea. Brown is land, the light blue color is undersea land, and the normal blue represents ocean that sits directly on top of the crystal firmament. Because of the properties of the crystal firmament (it freezes whatever it touches), undersea cultures can only build their communities on the light blue portions of the map. This limits the amount of space those cultures have to colonize, but it also provides for a more varied undersea world.

Once again I am using the Google Moon maps to determine coastlines and undersea land masses. This is still a work in progress. I think there are several small islands that I still want to "sink" making them undersea terrain instead.

[Birchbeer]

I was wondering if it wouldn't be cool to have a channel connecting the undersea area of Adhuza with the Shark-kin of the Humorous Sea. If it was a surface channel then the raiding activities of Adhuza could continue in other areas

Also, did you want to do an underground sea map where the Kopru lair as well?

[Chimpman]

I was wondering if it wouldn't be cool to have a channel connecting the undersea area of Adhuza with the Shark-kin of the Humorous Sea. If it was a surface channel then the raiding activities of Adhuza could continue in other areas

An underground connection is a distinct possibility. Shark-kin were one of the Adhuzan's first slave races (back on Mystara), so they are creatures that the kopru would be very familiar with. They might be seen as "primitives" when compared to the kopru's other thralls, but since the goal of the kopru would be to enslave the entire Hollow Moon, sooner or later they would need to deal with the shark-kin again.

An overland route could be cool too. I'll have to take a look and see what makes the most sense. I think if I went the overland route, I would have the Adhuzans working on some great canal project (as yet unfinished).

Also, did you want to do an underground sea map where the Kopru lair as well?

Yeah, there are going to end up being quite a few maps for Adhuza. Most of the Spindrift Undersea is under their control (through the Twael mermen) so I'll probably try and finish that up first.

The next map would be the kopru underground. The Spindrift Sea may actually permeate some distance past the coastline - if so that could mean that there are some pretty deadly currents along that shore. Anyway, I'm thinking some combination of underground sea, lava pools and dry caverns.

[Birchbeer]

I didn't even think of a canal... that would be cool. Would the Gnomes and Dwarves be helping (Hired/enthralled) laborers?

Besides Hollow moon domination, there should be another reason. The surface reason being something like: "If we had access to that sea we could expand the empire!".

At first I was going to say there was something in the depths of the Humorous Sea that would aid the Kopru, but.. what if the Kopru are bored. What if they just want to see their pawns fight. I'm assuming that once they connect to that Sea some would dominate the area, and then they'd have war games up and down the canal.

(Another reason they could have them fight was to keep their thralls busy so they don't realize they're being controlled...)

Would that fit the setting and the races I've mentioned? Or just sound too weird?

[Chimpman]

(Another reason they could have them fight was to keep their thralls busy so they don't realize they're being controlled...)

Would that fit the setting and the races I've mentioned? Or just sound too weird?

Nope, not too weird at all. I think another reason they would have their thralls fight would be to gain status among their peers. Having said that there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

1) The pteryx routinely wipe cities out, and the kopru would know about this policy (probably having witnessed it carried out on other cultures on at least 2 occasions). Big noisy wars draw attention... attention that the kopru would just as soon avoid IMO, so they are less likely to initiate large scale wars.

2) I think the kopru probably enjoy playing "James Bond" more than "General Patton". If you can win a country simply by taking out a few high-up and controlling a few others, then that's a much better outcome than two nations entering into full scale war. Of course there are those pesky nations that seem to have some kind of built in tolerance towards the kopru mind control... and that's what their armies are for.

[Birchbeer]

I need to read more about the Pteryx. I must confess I love the maps and that's where my interest started. (My homework is to read up on them and see if they fit into my vision... but now back to the shared one)

If the Kopru are aware of the Pteryx routinely wiping out cities then...
Shouldn't one or possibly more folks be trying to research a way to pacify them? Were the Kopru to gain it, they'd recreate moon domination... and I imagine there's some other groups who would abuse it as well.

[Birchbeer]

Okay, did my homework this morning at 5 AM and read... and I think my research adventure thread is even more plausible. Would it fundamentally change the setting if the Pteryx were less inclined of pruning if they were made aware that other creatures were indeed sentient? Cause really, their whole back origin sounds like an adventure track from 1st to immortal...

Granted, if the pteryx were made less violent, something would need to take their place...

[Chimpman]

Okay, did my homework this morning at 5 AM and read... and I think my research adventure thread is even more plausible. Would it fundamentally change the setting if the Pteryx were less inclined of pruning if they were made aware that other creatures were indeed sentient? Cause really, their whole back origin sounds like an adventure track from 1st to immortal...

Granted, if the pteryx were made less violent, something would need to take their place...

I think you're spot on. Although I don't think Sharon ever explicitly defined the above idea (that at some point the Pteryx could be made aware of the sentience of other species in the HM), I always had the feeling that was an overarching plot element for the setting. I'd love to see any adventure ideas you have regarding this.

Here's an interesting thought - out of all the HM races, the pteryx should be able to communicate with the kopru the easiest. I can't remember if Sharon ever addresses this or not.

Anyway, I think we are moving slightly off topic for this thread (specifically the Adhuzan map). I think we should start some new threads to cover these ideas.

[Birchbeer]

My apologies on derailing... just seems like an intriguing idea to follow. If I can get an idea or three together, I'll create a new thread

[Chimpman]

No apologies necessary - it is an interesting idea. I'd just rather not hide it inside of a mapping thread. Plus... if we can generate enough genuine independent topics for the Hollow Moon setting, then it might make sense to petition for a sub-forum. That's just a thought at the back of my head.

[Chimpman]

Ok, updated the Undersea map. Added undersea terrain and cities. Still working on this one, but it's getting close to being finished.

[Birchbeer]

The underwater city hex is awesome. I'm going to have to incorporate that into my hex list when I get home tonight.

[Chimpman]

The underwater city hex is awesome. I'm going to have to incorporate that into my hex list when I get home tonight.

Thanks! That's one I made myself (using the Shell Towers of Yavdlom as inspiration). I use it here and on the BC 2300 outer world Adhuzan map. On that map it shows up above the surface, usually built upon reefs. It may do so here as well, but I really like it for an undersea city symbol.

[Chimpman]

Note to self, the label for the dwarven realm in Adhuza should be changed from "Kogolor" (which is the name of the dwarven people living in the Hollow World), to "Kogalor" with an "a". They would have been descended from the Kogolor dwarves, but their society should have evolved in unique ways.
[Thanks for finding this one Shawn!]

I believe (I'll have to see if I can find any notes that were actually written down on the subject), that Sharon intended for these dwarves to have been living on Davania when they were integrated into the Dominarchy on Mystara.