| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Feb 2019 : 16:52:36
|
I've been re-reading Old Empires and looking at the maps, and have gotten curious about the towns/cities of Sadamzar, Kaoll, and Maerch. They're on the maps but aren't mentioned in the text at all. I wanted to see if anyone here has done anything with them, or has any thoughts.
Maerch is probably a mining town. It's incredibly isolated, though. I wonder why it's on the south side of the mountains and cut off from Chessenta (since the Winding River which feeds the Methmere is un-navigatable). It doesn't seem to have much way of getting immigrants or exporting what it mines.
Kaoll is a city on the Alamber at the mouth of a river. It's odd that it's on the east side of the river, with the river between it and the Greenfields. Either way, it probably handles a lot of the agriculture from the eastern Greenfields. It's also the closest city to Unther. Any thoughts on how big it is?
Sadamzar makes the least sense to me. The Methmere has good fishing, yes, and in theory having a port on the southeast side of the lake would allow miners in the Riders to the Sky Mountains (including Maerch) to ship things to and from Unther. But the River of Metals goes right down to Messemprar, so you have direct coast access down a gentle river. There's got to be a reason other than economics that city was founded. Gilgeam's pride? Over what? Bandit city? Why haven't they been crushed? Political or religious exiles? Gilgeam kicked out the gods, so that doesn't make much sense. A remnant of the Turami, fled from the victorious Mulan? Again, why haven't they been wiped out?
I'm really curious to hear if anyone has done anything with these unknown cities, or just has any interesting thoughts.
|
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
|
|
Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6361 Posts |
|
|
sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 11 Feb 2019 : 17:44:06
|
Not exactly about Maerch, but...
From Dungeon#178
Maerchwood: This once verdant woodland nestled away in southern Chessenta suffered greatly at the touch of the Spellplague. The blue fires of that period thrust the landscape hundreds of feet in the air forming a great escarpment; the ancient forest atop it is lifeless and petrified. Today, the dread forest and its secrets are protected by a wrathful shadow guardian known only as the Stormwalker.
Maerwatch, The: These low but rugged hills have long been mined by Chessentans for their abundant mineral wealth, primarily in copper and silver deposits. Unfortunately for miners (and adventurers!), a colony of rust monsters also inhabits these hills. Every decade or so, the King of Tulach (population 1,100) sends mercenaries into the Maerwatch to exterminate the ravenous vermin, but inevitably the rust monsters always return.
|
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
 |
|
|
Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 13 Feb 2019 : 00:40:31
|
| Interesting. Tulach is a new town; it doesn't appear on the 2e maps. And it's interesting that the town of Maerch bears the same name as the Maerchwoods, but is way off to the wood's northeast. You'd think if they were naming it after forests it would be Meth, since the Methwood is much closer. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Old Empires - Sadamzar, Kaoll, and Maerch
