dysonlogos

The Ochrenvault – Map 4

The Elders of the Ochren built a portal to the stars deep within the Ochrenvault – a deep set of caves and “dungeons” that were cut into the mountains by nature and the ochrefolk (a “privileged” class of humans and half-elves that were “permitted” to serve the elders). The Ochrenvault is deep in the inhospitable jungles of one of the Ochren Isles (commonly marked on maps now as the Ochre Isles, as knowledge of the Ochren fades from this world) and delves deep into the tropical i...

Release the Kraken on Mayer’s Fort

Every month we go through our back catalog of maps and YOU vote on which two should be re-released under the free commercial use license. Today we are bringing back a fortified town map that I drew with community input in a Facebook D&D group as we worked through the map step by step.

Mayer’s Fort is a small mountain village backed by a fierce stone walled keep. Initially a small mountain keep for a retiring adventurer, the addition of a monaster...

The Rumbledown Ruins

In the liminal area between the Ghost Dunes and the Ruint Rabble are a number of ruins half-covered by the dunes, distant enough that they don’t become the mass of damaged and crushed towers and structures that make up the rabble. The Rumbledown Ruins are a pair of damaged towers that are used by those setting forth to explore both the Rabble and the Dunes. From these towers, one can watch for trouble coming from either direction and make a decently comfortable camp.

Of course, that k...

The Gooz Hexes

These are the lands of the Ghost Dunes around Goozer City. When the pretty ones left the world to the Gooz much fell to ruin. Goozer City sits on the edge of the Ruint Rabble – an ancient city of the pretty ones that has collapsed into ruins and picked clean for treasures. From this detritus the Gooz have build Goozer City on the verge of the Ghost Dunes. The Gozr Canal carries the waste effluvia of the city into the dunes and to the Silent City – home of the mad king.

This is the v...

The Six Greater Spires

Taking the structure of the Six Spires posted in June, this map changes the scale of the structure so that each entrance is two squares wide instead of one, giving us a lot more room to work. Now instead of a small shrine or similar built into a megalithic structure, we have a massive temple under and within the six spires.

Four of the six spires are accessed from below, within the temple structure itself. The remaining two are accessed from the open air level between the spires. One ha...

The Ochrenvault – Map 3

The Elders of the Ochren built a portal to the stars deep within the Ochrenvault – a deep set of caves and “dungeons” that were cut into the mountains by nature and the ochrefolk (a “privileged” class of humans and half-elves that were “permitted” to serve the elders). The Ochrenvault is deep in the inhospitable jungles of one of the Ochren Isles (commonly marked on maps now as the Ochre Isles, as knowledge of the Ochren fades from this world) and delves deep into the tropical i...

Nephilim's Hall

Somewhere just off the routing between King Snurre’s domain and the caverns and warrens of the troglodytes is this set of overlapping caverns that are home to a small group of seemingly immortal giants. Not much taller than a hill giant, they somehow cloud the memories of those they meet and this hall is rarely marked on maps except sometimes with a marker to not descend into the lower areas.

The residents have no absolute need for food or drink to live, as they only die to violence, ...

Skaldon’s Dome

Looking like a truncated cone with a hemisphere embedded in it, Skaldon’s Dome protects a small sealed garden within it. Trees and grass surround a small pond that in turn is home to an island with a tall, thin obelisk upon it. The interior of the dome is only accessible via stairs from the upper level of the supporting structure, and the doors into the room with the stairs have been sealed for ages (and show the signs of many attempts to break them open).

The dome itself is made of t...

Pentagonal Monuments in the Ghost Dunes

Standing tall over the endless sands of the ghost dunes are these ruins made of five pentagonal structures set into a pentagon themselves. The structures, said to have been risen from the sands by the will of a wind-wizard, are a sacred site to the cult of the Sand Children who climb the ruined tower to the upper level where they can whisper to the winds to carry their message of damnation to across the desert to the ears of those who would listen.

When the rains come to the desert, wat...

Heart of Darkling – The Pillars

The Darkling River works its way through the underdark beneath the grey hills to depths unknown. This is the fifteenth mapped location (and 18th map total) along the Darkling River and the Darkling Lake beyond.

Fires light this cave – there’s almost always a small bonfire on the upper reaches of the cave, and typically several torches scattered here and there around the shrine and pillar...

Backstage Pass - September 2021

Thanks for your patience and support folks! 

Here's this month's backstage pass containing 10 maps, many of which are part of the GOZR playtest I'm running right now for James V. West (including a hex map I drew for the game that is labeled with locations that are included in this month's and last month's releases).

I'll get back to the regular release schedule tomorrow with this mon...

Back To School Kraken Time!

Autumn is on the way, but the Kraken refuses to acknowledge the changing of the seasons and requires release! 

So it is time to head on over to the monthly poll to vote on which maps we'll be re-releasing under the commercial use license this month! 

Poll is here:

https://forms.gle/bx32H4V9fpXzChku9 2021-09-04 21:59:11 +0000 UTC View Post

Release the Kraken on Greyfalls Cave

Every month we go through our back catalog of maps and you vote on which two should be re-released under the free commercial use license. Greyfalls Cave was released in February of 2020 in response to a question about my favourite elements of a dungeon map.

I was asked what features I liked best in a dungeon map, and after a bit of conversation and contemplation, I decided a multi-tiered chamber with a statue and some sort of water feature would fit the bill. To show what I meant, I dre...

Release the Kraken on the Catacombs of the Flayed Minotaurs

Every month we go through our back catalog of maps and YOU vote on which two should be re-released under the free commercial use license. The Catacombs of the Flayed Minotaurs was drawn and released back in March of 2019 and includes call-outs to several classic D&D adventures.

Beneath the buckled stone floors of the jungle ruins in the Tempest Gardens is a massive set of catacombs guarded by the eternal vigilance of fifteen deathless minotaurs.

Each minotaur has endu...

The Ochrenvault – Map 2

The Elders of the Ochren built a portal to the stars deep within the Ochrenvault – a deep set of caves and “dungeons” that were cut into the mountains by nature and the ochrefolk (a “privileged” class of humans and half-elves that were “permitted” to serve the elders). The Ochrenvault is deep in the inhospitable jungles of one of the Ochren Isles (commonly marked on maps now as the Ochre Isles, as knowledge of the Ochren fades from this world) and delves deep into the tropical i...

The Dungeons of Zath Gor

The stairs in the northwest tower of Zath Gor Bastion lead up into the tower, but also down beneath to the dungeons of Zath Gor. With the loss of the other properties & territory of the Counts of Gor, these dungeons have become the primary means to lock up malcontents, rivals, and important prisoners. Attached to the dungeons but primarily under the main keep building are further understructures used as (somewhat damp) overflow living areas for the resident sorcerer. This area is accessed...

Zath Gor Bastion

Zath Gor Bastion was once a border fort of Great Zorisz – a watch point along the great swamps northwest of what is now Shu-Qune. With the collapse of Great Zorisz, the princes of Shu-Qune secured as many of the border forts as they could as their small nation was both threatened by the Wizard-Priests of Khalesh-Sonket and the foul creatures encroaching from the Shüss swamps. Each fort was assigned to one of the Counts of Shu-Qune – both as a show of faith in their support, but also to k...

Monolith of the Ghost Dunes

Five rusty black monoliths sit on a barren stretch between the sands of the Ghost Dunes. Depending on the vagaries of the winds the bases of these rough black spires are usually hidden in the sand, but sometimes the bare rock outcropping they stand upon is swept free and the entrance to the central structure is visible.

The original purpose of this remnant of the long-dead pretty folk is lost to time – and since their departure from this world the locals have used it as a temple to th...

Where we left the bodies…

We were visiting Rü in the Kerunán Protectorate when the cultists of Sárku caught up to us. We quietly returned them to their five headed lord of worms in an alley, but needed a place to hide their bodies as we were already having enough problems with the local temples and an agent of the Omnipotent Azure Legion on our tail. A few copper Qirgals in the right beggars hands got us to a nearby access to the Rü underworld. Tucked into an alleyway is an old stone door with a massive padlock th...

It is time for the August Kraken Selection!

We are halfway through August so it is about time we get to selecting which maps we will be re-releasing under the free commercial use license. So here's this month's set of ten maps to pick from!

https://forms.gle/7Q3ZUK3GazVVZHsN6

The Ochrenvault – Map 1

The Elders of the Ochren built a portal to the stars deep within the Ochrenvault – a deep set of caves and “dungeons” that were cut into the mountains by nature and the ochrefolk (a “privileged” class of humans and half-elves that were “permitted” to serve the elders). The Ochrenvault is deep in the inhospitable jungles of one of the Ochren Isles (commonly marked on maps now as the Ochre Isles, as knowledge of the Ochren fades from this world) and delves deep into the tropical i...

The Tyrant’s Ruins

Somehow when I posted this map to the blog and promoted it across all my social media feeds, I failed to post it here... you know, the place where you actually pay me for these maps. So belatedly, here's the map of the Tyrant's Ruins posted everywhere else on the internet on Thursday. Thanks again for your support!

There are many ruins in the ghost dunes. Bases of towers long fallen, temples to the pretty ones and to darker gods, and odd bits of debris and stru...

The Dragon Shrine

Seeming to have climbed out of the ghost dunes, the namesake of the Dragon Shrine is more accurately described as the upper torso, shoulders, head and arms of a massive troglodyte assembled from massive stone blocks. Stone tiers and rows of parallel columns lead up to the idol’s chest where a copper door covered in a deep green patina allows access to the interior of the beast to those who know the command word to open it.

In the idol’s left hand is a large bowl. Depending on the se...

The Ritual Pool

“Wow! This looked like something right out of the Ten Commandments!”

Around the wastelands, hidden among the ghost dunes, are ancient ritual sites built in the times just after the reign of the pretty ones. Many were built by the Gooz in an attempt to bring back the ancient masters of this world, but others were built to summon darker masters – anything powerful enough to make a difference in this forsaken world.

This site, of course, exists to summon the gr...

Heart of Darkling – Deception’s Bridge

The Darkling River works its way through the underdark beneath the grey hills to depths unknown. This is the fourteenth mapped location (and 17th map total) along the Darkling River and the Darkling Lake beyond.

This small colony of cavefolk along the darkling river has has generally been xenophobic and resistant to allowing outsiders in except for the most basic of trade – and even then they trade mushrooms and fish for red meat and occasionally weapons. On incredibly rare occasions ...

August Backstage Pass

Here are the 10 maps going up on the blog this month! I hope you enjoy!

Release the Kraken on the Collapsed Tomb of Mosogret

Every month we go through our back catalog of maps and you vote on which two should be re-released under the free commercial use license. The Collapsed Tomb of Mosogret is one I distinctly remember drawing, and thus thought I drew it fairly recently… as opposed to four years ago.

The tombs of the Mosogret estate were among the structures collapsed and destroyed when the place was overrun by the forces of the city of Tuath and the dwarves of the EarthShip Krohku. The estate la...

Release the Kraken on the Lords of the Aldeiron Peaks

Every month we go through our back catalog of maps and you vote on which two should be re-released under the free commercial use license. The Lords of the Aldeiron Peaks is a map I originally drew as part of the 2016 Mapvember Challenge.

On the highest ridge of the Aldeiron Peaks, looking down over the city of Samlein is the hold of those who call themselves the “Lords of the Aldeiron Peaks”. Cut into the near vertical cliff faces are caves on each side of the narrow ridge ...

Hammers Hall

This crafter’s shrine is hidden away under ruins in the mournlands and will likely either be found by complete luck, or more likely by those searching specifically for this one shrine based on old maps and descriptions of where essential research lead to Aarren d’Cannith’s breakthrough to creating the first sentient warforged. While not one a Aarren’s workshops, this shrine was used by another scion of Merrix d’Cannith as they sought the means to imbue their constructs with true lif...

Flamerule Caverns & The Onyx Charm

The Flamerule Caverns are three cave entrances at different elevations on a rough hillside about a day’s travel northwest of the city, near the coast. The caverns lead deeper underground, but the real point of interest currently is the three devil swine and their charmed bandits that are using it as a hideout until their githyanki contacts show up to retrieve the Onyx Charm (a unique but relatively minor magical artifact) they have stolen. The bandits and devil swine are using the structure...