world-building
A note on Myconids
I don’t think I’ve ever used myconids, but that’s something I want to remediate soon enough. However, if I were to stick to D&D canon lore (which I won’t), myconids are supposed to be found exclusively in the underdark, the subterranean world home to the iconic drow. This was set in stone, so to speak, by Gary Gigax’s D1-2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth (1e), which of course, borrowed heavily on established hollow earth fiction (Jules Verne’s Voyage au centre de la Terre). More to the point, Gigax also borrowed the myconids, which were created in the earlier module A4 In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, which was an subteranean adventure (mostly) but in no way deep in the bowels of the earth-subteranean.
They belong on the surface!
Leaving the myconids out of most of the more typical (surface) encounters is both sad and needless, in my opinion. Put in any setting, the potential is just mind-blowing…
Taverns, dives, pubs & cabarets of S&T
The Crooked Fingers
Owned by Old Mindy’s Crew
Fencer in the backroom.
Lechers & Liquors Club
Owned by Maffeo’s Unrepentants
Disreputable, even by Disgrace Ward standard.
The Blackened Teeth
Owned by the Sons of Arson
The most impressive fireplace in town.
Poporo’s Bordello
Live girls (and some dead ones)
Owned by independent, pay tax to Bonemongers
Poporo the Necro-Pimp owns this nefarious joint.
The Fleeing Beauty Boardinghouse
Owned by independent, pays « tax » to Sons of Arson and Fetid Brigade
Rent rooms on second and third floor. Fourth floor is off-limit.
The Pierced Barrel Pub
Owned by the Broken Wheel Syndicate
Best halfling brandy in town.
The Stray Bullet
Owned by the Broken Wheel Syndicate
Changed hands a couple of months ago. Ex-owner forcefully ousted.
The Red Orphan
Owned by the Furniture Mishandling Club
Expect mimics.
The Turtle Shell
Owned by independant, doesn’t seem to pay taxes to anyone
Inside the shell of a dragon turtle (big specimen). Neutral. Don’t wear gang colors.
A Pair of Bludgeons
Owned by Golden Râ, higher-up of the Church of Sempiternal Deprecation
Members only. Fat, greedy merchants talk business.
The Domain
Owned by the 77 Red Dragons
Non-ghouls will feel some unease. At the very least.
Up the Ladder
« Watch your step »
Owned by independent, doesn’t seem to pay anyone
Drunk clients are often lowered by rope so they don’t break their neck falling from the 90 steps ladder.
Busy Wheelbarrow
Owned by independent, pays tax to the Northwall Creepers
Offers a service of « transportation » back home. Efficient if not very comfortable.
The Hidden Atrium
Owned by the Hidden Atrium Masks
Hidden. Really.
The Hourglass Cabaret
Owned by the Hidden Atrium Masks
Managed by charming Madame Colombina. The most haut-de-gamme you can find in the district.
The Passage’s Hole
Owned by the Passage’s Middlemen
Surprisingly spacious once you’re in.
Dart & Dime Cafe
Owned by Fate’s Favorites
Have gambling tables. No cheating.
The Dryad’s Bosom
Owned by Fate’s Favorites
Good food, try the needlefish.
The Winning Cockatrice
Owned by the Marfark Street Mumblers
Fighting pit. All kind of fights. Floor is one big red stain. Bloodthirsty crowd.
District Invasion
As if the numerous troublesome gangs weren’t enough, outside parties often invite themselves to the woe of the inhabitants.
Gargoyles from the Folly
There’s many clutches of gargoyles living among the Folly’s dizzying heights. They’re very territorial and constantly at each other’s throats. They mostly keep to their high above ground perches but recently, the Covellites gargoyles, under pressure by an alliance of Realgars and Pyrites, have started making forays into the Harlequin.
Thrill-seeking Enclave Elves
Boredom can be a powerful driving force, suffer a couple of centuries of it and I’m sure you’ll agree. A manifestation of this is expressed by those elven interlopers going for a stroll in the « bad neighborhood ». Most of the time, such a group is escorted by hired arms and the elves themselves are comically clad with antique (and mostly useless) armors. Less often, these Enclave Elves want to really test themselves and get some action. Some are actually quite good at it.
Kwaggers from… the Kwag
Be they of any races, kwaggers are kwaggers. Crazy, violent slum people who don’t even seem to want to better their lives. But then, the Kwag is literally a nexus of bad energy. Folks who live there don’t stay sane very long. Sometimes things spill out, a gate gets destroyed or a levy-bridge breaks, slamming down, and the Kwaggers swarm over, howling and clawing like madmen.
The Heart of a Demoness
According to ancient myths, the Tibetan capital of Lhasa is right on top of the heart of Srin-mo, a frightful demoness which is kind-of nailed down by twelve temples built all over her supine body. I mean… as worldbuilding goes, try to beat that!
http://highpeakspureearth.com/2016/the-senmo-map-or-the-resurrection-of-the-demoness-by-woeser/
At a leisurely pace
Yeah… Okay, maybe not like that but palanquins? Definitely.
You’re someone important? That’s how you go around!
After all, what better way to display your status?
If you can’t afford having your own palanquin and its carriers, rent one!
- The Steadfast Twenty: the smoothest ride in town is offered by this group of indistinguishable bare-chested dwarves.
- The Hobgoblin Stompers: Iron-booted, dressed in spiked leather armors, the Stompers get you through a crowd without even slowing.
- Mother Sigma’s Crew: If you don’t mind the putrid odor, this necromancer lady and her tireless minions offers the cheapest ride in town.
- The Golden Cushion: The Broken Wheel gang have acquired these most extravagant of palanquins, previously owned by the Puulchesera elves before they were forced out of the Enclave with their evil curse & stuff. Now the Halflings mafiosi have set a small business with various carriers indebted to them operating the gilded, heavy palanquins.
Will the PCs ever pay for a palanquin ride? Doubtful, because:
Streets & Spores 