Weekly J3H Campaign Starts 24: Crystalhaven
I'm making 3 hexes and a town every week of 2024 in the style of Chgowiz's Just 3 Hexes format. Check the J3H tag to see all entries in the series.
(Hex tiles used in the image are from Zeshio's Pixel Hex Tileset, the map was created using Hex Kit)
Campaign: You're an elite task force sent by the Order of Eight to prisonbreak the wizard Melkazod out from his cell at the Tower of Soot. You'll be opposed by the wraith-wardens of the Tower itself as well as the Kudzu Coven in the surrounding hills, the people of Crystalhaven itself as well as the dryads of the Snake Valley woods should be treated as unknown quantities and potentially hostile. You have an undercover ally in Nollamew, an agent of the Order posing as a historian in the area.
Homebase (1524): Crystalhaven - One of the first bastions of the elves when they came to these lands, Crystalhaven is a city constructed out of the ancient crystal ships of the astral mariners. 3 of the largest ships balanced over a ravine form the core of the town and several of the largest of the next smallest class of ship dot the surrounding hills for several miles around. The people of Crystalhaven still call their mayor "Admiral" and wear clothes cut in the style of sailors but otherwise do not maintain the knowledge of their primordial kin.
Location 1 (1625): East Orchard - The denser woods of the Snake Valley to the north give way to old-growth fruit trees and hundreds of bee hives. Small streams meander through the pools of shade and providing good spots to nap for the local wildlife. There's a dryad living in the area that loves to trade rare fruit for magic jewelry.
Location 2 (1525): The Learning Stones - A temple built around 7 cryptic stone obelisks covered in the wisdom of the first elven captains to land in the area. The temple and grounds were built to protect the stones and reverate them, but the runes are totally unreadable to everyone nearby and have been for centuries. A wizard-historian from far-off Sedgeport has been here trying to catalog the runes for a few years, certain that when combined the 7 sets will form a powerful spell for resurrecting the dead captains buried beneath the floor of the temple.
Location 3 (1424): Tower of Soot - A sharp, imposing tower built entirely out of blackened hexagonal bricks belching thick black smog into the sky. Winged wraiths clad in smokey iron metal guard the place and its lone prisoner, the plant wizard Melkazod. Melkazod was imprisoned here and denied access to the sun and rain for 7 wizards' lifetimes, a sentence he's 2/3rds done with.
Bonus! Also pictured:
- (1624) Resource: Good Hunting
- (1523) Lair: Kudzu Coven (Witch Bandits)