Our 56th Jörðgarð (TM) Map of the Week comes from our forthcoming publication "The Northwest."
This week we remain in Underhill in the Dreadlands, where we look inside the castle tower where the draug (undead) spellcasters of the Marchioness Dagrún do their work.
Key to the Castle Tower
The tower is 80 feet/24 m high with a dungeon and eight above-ground stories. Only the top (eighth) story, where orc warriors stand watch, has windows. (See the pictures on the previous page.) All levels have ceilings 10 feet/3m high.
Dungeon Level
Prisoners kept on this level usually are reasonably well fed. For most, this is the last station before a death most unpleasant. Anyone brought to this dungeon usually has been chosen for bodily use in the experiments of the black necromancers. A prisoner usually kept here for a fortnight or so before being taken to his or her doom. The food is relatively good because the black necromancers want to deal with bodies that are in good health.
1. Stairway. The wooden stairs leads from the ground floor to the dungeon.
2. Dining Table. Orc guards bring food down the ladder to the prisoners.
3. Jakes.
Ground Floor
Three human warriors and three orc warriors from the marchioness' army always are on guard duty here. The humans have the upper rank and are entitled to small chambers and a common room. These rooms are not open to the orcs.
4. Entrance. The massive wooden door is 20 inches/50 cm thick. It always is barred and locked. The door has a slit that allows the orc guards to see any potential visitor.
5. Human Guards' Private Chambers.
6. Human Guards' Common Room.
7. Narrow Spiral Stairway to the Upper Levels.
8. Trap door to the Dungeon Level.
Second Story
When Dagrún comes to the Castle Tower to confer with her red draug Yrsa, her dark rider draug warrior Ævar and/or the intermediate draug and human spellcasters who serve her, she meets them here.
9. Narrow Spiral Stairway from the Ground Floor to the Upper Levels.
10. Conference Table.
Third Story
Dagrún's male dark rider draug warrior Ævar dwells on this story. The contents of the items on this level are at the game master's discretion.
11. Narrow Spiral Stairway from the Ground Floor to the Upper Levels.
12. Conference Table. Ævar has the high command over those members of the military charged with guarding Undiröldur and specifically the castle complex. He confers with his subordinates here.
13. Screen.
14. Bookshelves.
15. Weapon Rack.
16. Small Chest.
17. Wardrobe.
18. Clothing Rack with Shelf and Sword.
Fourth Story
Yrsa, the female red draug diviner who serves the marchioness, has her library on this level. It also is accessible to the spellcasters who use the tower for training.
19. Narrow Spiral Stairway from the Ground Floor to the Upper Levels.
20. Bookshelves.
21. Reading Table.
Fifth Story
This level contains the dissection laboratory of the black necromancers. This is the area where prisoners from the dungeon meet their end.
22. Narrow Spiral Stairway from the Ground Floor to the Upper Levels.
23. Bone pile. Remnants of experiment victims.
24. Operating Tables.
25. Cages. Prisoners pending operation are held here.
Sixth Story
This level contains the research laboratory of the spellcasters.
26. Narrow Spiral Stairway from the Ground Floor to the Upper Levels.
27. Workbenches.
28. Bookshelf.
29. Necromantic Magic Circle.
Seventh Story
Yrsa, Dagrún's female red draug diviner, dwells on this level. She also uses it for theoretical training of spellcasters that she and other magi of the marchioness teach. Contents of items are at the game master's discretion.
30. Narrow Spiral Stairway from the Ground Floor to the Upper Levels.
31. Necromantic Magic Circle.
32. Instructor's Chair and Student Seating Area.
33. Stairway to the Guard Post Atop the Tower.
34. Bookshelf.
35. Small Chest.
36. Large Chest.
37. Yrsa's Chair and Table.
Eighth Story
Orcs maintain the watch over the lands from this level. They also have a common room here for all orcs on duty in the tower. The orcs hate having duty here, because Yrsa insists that they remain so quiet that she is not disturbed. When they forget, they are punished with a 20-stripe whipping.
38. Stairway to the Seventh Story.
You can get the maps of the Castle Tower in two versions:
1. The Fractal Mapper (TM) 8 map in FMP format, fully editable, from our Jörðgarð web page (11 MB).
2. As a set of nine JPG flat maps of 2500 x 2500 Pixels each (86 MB total), available with the hyperlink below and the hyperlinks in the entries for Parts 2 and 3.
Both versions are released for personal and commercial use under the Open Game License Version 1.0a, which you can read on the Jörðgarð web site.
The Jörðgarð web site:
www.vintyri.org/joerdhgardh/joerdhgardh.htm
Next: The Dreadlands: The Waterside Tavern in Underhill
Mark Oliva
The Vintyri (TM) Project
www.vintyri.org
info@vintyri.org