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Introduction
The Archipelago is a hexcrawl that is intended to serve as a place for my (and hopefully yours, dear reader) campaign in an OSR TTRPG. 1 hex has the height of 3 km. I will publish its parts island by island (and maybe will make some additional islands afterwards if I like it). Each island will have a small description in here, as well as a link in its header to the article about it once I make it. Its climate is tropical, and it is intended to be placed near the equator of a world, preferrably far away from centers of civlizations. Also, I assume that: 1 GP = 20 SP = 200 CP and that 1 SP gained from a dangerous situation = 1 XP.
d6 ways your players got there (Roll or choose - these scenarios put the characters in the position of outsiders from "more civilized" places).
- Their trade ship got damaged and they got lost, the currents carrying them to one of the islands on the outskirts (start with a damaged trade ship on the shore, a hungry crew and hold full of trade goods)
- They arrive as explorers, sent by the Queen (start with a fast if small ship, an incompetent crew, and a skilled cartographer on board who thinks of himself as the leader of the expedition)
- They arrive as crusaders, sent by the Church (start with a fleet of 3 ships, military and overzealous crew on each, and enough weapons for all of them. This is not a good thing.)
- They arrive as diplomats, sent by The Empire (start with a luxurious yacht, crew full of spies, various interesting drugs in the hold and a mission to make contact with the local lords)
- They have organized an expedition, guided by the prophetic dreams of a child, who claims to see a coming end to the world and a place to stay safe (start with a second-hand vessel, ragtag crew of misfits and a "child prophet")
- They come as overseers of a penal colony. They are criminals themselves. (start with a vessel the crown has decided is worth sparing, hold full of criminals - same with the crew)
Sidenote on colonialism
Fuck colonialism. That being said, no one said that the players have to play as the good guys. If they decide to conquer the people of this Archipelago, GM, please show how horrific the results of their actions are. Some Examples to inspire you.
The Wizard's Atoll
(the hex-like island that holds the wizard tower in 009.007)
An Atoll created by Szczebrzeszyn the Great, a wizard from another world. It is populated by his failed (and successful) experiments.
The Poisoned Well
(017.012)
A small island surrounded by jagged coral reefs, a lonely woman sits next to the well of truth, inviting people to drink from it.
The Withered Land
(the island with the nuclear contamination mark (029.011) and the dead trees on it)
An island, on which a great civilization once stood, now full of deserted ruins. Nothing grows here, and the people of nearby islands warn against it, as it is cursed and even air in there is said to be poison.
The Hissing Island
(the oblong island, which contains the hex 039.010)
Said to be made from the corpse of a serpentine god, it is inhabited by the snake-like people, with their great temples hidden inside, said to hold incredible riches, spells and magical items.
The Burning Island
(the volcanic island with cities on it, contains 038.017)
Colonized by the Draconids, this island is constantly churning with volcanic activity and covered in the strange life that the Draconids seem to bring with them. It has a large city, which plans to slowly expand their volcanic dominion.
The Red Island
(the island that contains the hex 022.018)
The sands that surround this island are red, which gives it its name. The people who live there are locked in a constant battle with the monstrous inhabitants of this island.
The Forbidden Island
(the island that contains the hex 007.019)
Surrounded by cliffs, this island hides a dark secret in the form of an ancient family of monsters, who have forced the local population into servitude.
The Island of Shipwrecks
(the island that contains 007.030, surrounded by coral reefs)
Full of different shipwrecks, this island holds a small population of castaways created by its deceptive shoreline. It also holds a population of ghouls, created by the cannibalism into which some of the castaways were forced.
The Vast Island
(the large island in the middle of the archipelago, contains hex 026.031)
Large island, with large swathes of it used as food forests by its inhabitants. On its shores a holy place of the merfolk is placed.
The Little Island
(the island that contains 042.028)
Stalked by otherworldly creatures, this island holds a shipwreck of a different kind than the others - a space ship.
The Stone Island
(the mountain covered island that contains 008.038)
Housing a large population of dwarves, this island hides a dark secret besides.
The Mangrove Island
(the island that contains 012.044)
This island has a mangrove forest covering its edge, with a small settlement in the middle.
The Forgotten Island
(the island that contains 021.043)
Surrounded by poisonous coral, this island is rich in resources and unexploited - because of a dragon who lairs in the middle.
The Hidden Island
(the island that contains 029.042)
Always surrounded by fog, this island holds a great temple as well as its protectors.
The Extinguished Island
(the island that holds 042.042)
Once a place where another Draconid city state has existed, they have been abandoned after the volcanoes have died out (or maybe it was the other way around). Now the dwarves have took the left-over mountains as their own.