Official ICE Forums
Systems & Settings => Shadow World => Topic started by: egdcltd on February 17, 2017, 09:55:44 AM
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I confess to having a fondness to the D&D concept of the megadungeon, despite their sometimes incomprehensible reasons for existence (the most convincing are that they were built by powerful crazy people).
At first glance, these seem more than a little out of the spirit of Kulthea. However, there is a location that could, in many ways, be considered to be a megadungeon - a large underground complex occupied by various creatures. This is the Ash Lairs, a region that hasn't been covered more than by a few brief mentions. It is also an area I would like to see covered to some extent - although if they were mapped out, they'd probably be the next best thing to an infinite megadungeon.
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There are several megadungeons. In Jaiman, there's the Grey Mountains and what lies beneath the sewers of Haalkitaine. There's the Spine of Emer - probably home to several megadungeons. Above ground, there's the City of the Dead.
There's even rationales for them: There are entire civilizations underground, and have been for a long time. They rose, built habitations, fell. Someone else moved into their space.
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I'm not sure I'd personally consider those to be megadungeons by themselves. Parts of one, yes, especially if they do intersect with the Ash Lairs, but they seem a bit too discrete for my perception of what makes a true magadungeon (although I wonder if the underground areas of New York city would qualify...).
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My table has had great times porting in the Undermountain (I and II) into Kulthea.
I use the increasingly frequent portals as a means of keeping the dungeons "stocked".
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I like Undermountain. Although I'm not as keen on Undermountain II in some ways.
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Just curious, what would make a place qualify as a 'megadungeon'? Thoughts?
(taking a break from the sewers and catacombs beneath Jaiman ;) )
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For Shadow World, my personal idea would be a combination of such as sewers, catacombs, dwarven delvings, the Ash Lairs and a Lords of Essence facility. Probably not all obviously connected with big stairwells, but all interconnected.
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Oh, and maybe connections to Jinteni workings, Coral Roads and Taranian facilities. Complicated in other words. Probably no overall "boss" as that can be a bit strange, unless you have a K'ta'viir playing the part of the mad arch mage.
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Why would the essence lords live below ground?
Why would anyone besides dwarfs and other troglydites?
Big castles is easier to build and better to live in all aspects for 99% of population in SW :)
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Well, the surface was extremely unsafe at one point, and many things on it could have been buried under larva flows.
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Well, the surface was extremely unsafe at one point, and many things on it could have been buried under larva flows.
Which are really quite disgusting.
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Another reason to live below ground in a fantasy environment...protection from air assault. In a world with dragons, flying ships, and mages...castles make a lot less sense.
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It's also a lot easier to carve a series of tunnels or rooms into a mountain than it is to carve out the rock from a mountain, shape that rock into a bunch of blocks, transport those blocks a significant distance, and then assemble those blocks into a safe and sturdy building.