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Caves, Dungeon, Dungeons & Dragons, Fantasy, Labyrinth Lord, Maps, OSR, River, RPG
Once the source of a small river that ran through these badlands, these caves are still home to the river, but it remains underground now instead of working through the nooks and crannies of the slate fields.
Broken up into multiple elevations throughout, these caves have been home to beasts and men alike seeking water and refuge from the badlands. Now they are home to Mohkath, a reclusive mantisfolk necromancer. He uses the space to study and is attended to (and defended by) a very strange assortment of animated giant beetles and skeletal constructs.
Some locals are happy to have a potent wizard nearby, even if it is a creepy one. They bring Mohkath offerings of food and skeletal remains in order to try to curry his favour in case they ever need his intervention in local affairs. But most are wary of a necromancer living nearby – and more than a few would sleep much better at night should someone take care of the whole “bug necromancer” issue.
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“Mantisfolk Necromancer” is the most perfect D&D Big Bad.
Oh, I do like the stippling edge treatment. Appears more suitable for natural caverns over the usual stripey method.
Also, given caves are often a distinct 3D space, have you considered adding avens, breakdowns, chimneys, overhangs, or other typical caving structures?
Just a question about the physics of the map – sorry, I can’t help myself. The water at the back of the cave system is above the exits, unless that’s a really deep gorge the water is in. The stairs / slopes should be reversed…. unless, of course, there’ are great and awful magics involved in keeping the river in its place.
It sources above the exits, and in fact used to run down the cave and out the exits (different exits at different times as it cut new paths). Now it runs down a narrow path into a deeper cave and runs downwards that way instead.
Nasty thought here…. nice defense mechanism to suddenly create a bunch of water – spell, elemental, rainburst, act of the gods…. to wash away any interlopers who become too intrusive.
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