Hesuel Ilshar (1989)
Added 2024-11-12 23:10:10 +0000 UTCIn 1989 the book "Fate of Istus" featured many adventures in the world of Greyhawk that culminated here, in the secretive city of Hesuel Ilshar. I love the Borg-like structure of this smaller city (of perhaps about 4000-5000 at most) which is easily defendable, and has an almost oppressive sense of order. Like a game of chess, this city of 8x8 squares, each one being 100 feet in length, with 15-foot wide streets and walls of Basalt from the volcanic land that surrounds the Tilvanot Penninsula. This is my take on the city that was originally created for those adventures in 1989 by Diesel.
In 1999, TSR produced the "Scarlet Brotherhood" which detailed this city and many of the lands to the south of the Flanaess. While I chose to incorporate many of the aspects of the 1999 description of Hesuel Ilshar, that version (the map itself) was at least four times larger in size (and likely population) and shaped roughly like a circle. I don't know why the 1989 version appleals to me more - maybe it's because it's older, smaller, I'm not sure - but this will be the version I'll be using in my campaign. There are plenty of other towns and villages that the brotherhood can live in, but I like the idea of a smaller, fortified city held by the higher-ranking members of the Scarlet Brotherhood.
This map and the higher resolution versions are all here for free. Thank you for following and happy adventuring!
Cartouche heraldry by Anna Meyer, used with permission. Visit her page here: https://www.annabmeyer.com/
Fate of Istus High resolution files can also be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fate-of-istus-115886860
