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Cartography by Faxfire |
I created the map above for my Empire of the Ghouls campaign portion which has turned into a Homebrew deep dive into fighting the Blood Kingdom and Ghoul Imperium. While there are labeled locations, I also want to have interesting locations keyed to each hex in case they attempt to explore and I need to break out hex crawl procedures. This is represents my best attempt at following Justin Alexander's advice on keying every single hex in a map for a hexcrawl. While I came no where close to that, the exercise left we with a significant amount of interesting material, most of which I can reuse, even with a different map or setting.
Key:
A1: Perhaps a great statue once stood here. All that remains is a crumbling stone hand, covered in moss which provides some shelter from the incessant wind.
A2: Haunted Battlefield: The moldering remnants of a battle between Blood Kingdom and Krakovan forces lie here. The battlefield is haunted by ghasts, unsettled spirits, and other monsters that are attracted to sites of mass violence.
A3: A mysterious circle of crumbling standing stones suggests some long forgotten significance to this place.
B5: Rebel Camp: A secret camp of Krakovar rebels is located in this portion of the swamp. They are led by two Spearmaiden of Sif named Yavkanka Ravengrove and Elya Gajou. There are perhaps thirty rebels total. They seek to defeat the Band of the Twice Damned, aid the people of Jatow, and also frustrate Lady Illmalad’s designs.
B7: Castle Bloodvale: Stronghold of the Lady Illmalad.
B10: Gybick, the former City of Scribes, is now a hallowed out shell of its former glory. Its fabled great library is plundered, and its great printing houses destroyed.
C1: The burned remains of a farm are the only sign of humanoid life in this area.
C2: Griffon’s Tower: A ruin of ancient origins. It was built in the time of the Eagle Emperor, Valeresh, but this knowledge is long forgotten. It has now been used variously by brigands, warriors of Dornig and Krakovar, along with the occasional group of paladins of Grisal on a raid. Now it is the current headquarters and stronghold of the Band of the Twice Damned.
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Cartography by Dyson Logos |
C4: A crypt complex in the marshlands lies here, holding secrets of the Elector Kingdom of Krakovar.
C5: The town of Jatow, which with its bridge is the best crossing of the Yoshtula for miles around. Jatow has suffered greatly under the predations of the Band of the Twice Damned and their company of mercenaries. The main camp of the Twice Damned's company is near Jatow.
C8: Town of Dimwick.
D4: Lesser traveled ford across the Yoshtula River. At times menaced by an angry water elemental.
D5: Werewolf’s Lair: The cave of a werewolf lies in these hills. The werewolf walks among the people of Jatow when not transformed into their true form.
D8: Hermit Priest’s hut: See adventure Keevial’s Rage in MCDM’s Arcadia Magazine, Issue 6, pg. 19.
E3: Ruins of the town of Skalanta: Skalanta was made an example several years ago by the Blood Kingdom. The town was massacred and the survivors marched off as food for the ghoul soldiers of the Darakhul Empire. Monsters include various undead, carrionettes (Von Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, pg 231). Also contains a tavern called the Burning Skull. Skeletons of the former denizens mimic life, but are harmless unless provocated. The barkeep is a crippled dhampir named Stump who took up residence after the fall of the town. Secretly, Stump is the unwanted and abandoned son of Lady Illmalad. He knows that the town was betrayed and destroyed by Lord Tytus Boczar in exchange for undeath and membership in the Ghost Knights. Boczar is currently Lady Illmalad's consort. Stump knows all this and that Boczar's final death is the only thing that will bring peace to the cursed town. Stump is standoffish and gruff, but opens up to adventurers who are nonhostile and treat him with kindness, which has been a rare experience in his life.
E4: An ancient Barrow Mound lies amongst the hills of this area (see the Orden Barrow Mound in Dungeon Delvers Guide, pg 203). It is an ancient burial site for the Deathsworn, the terrible warriors of Valeresh.
E8: A mine worked by the inhabitants of Brevic for generations has been the site of recent upheaval. Strange new gems and stones have appeared. The ghouls have also begun harassing the miners (see the Old Number Ten Mine in the Dungeon Delver’s Guide, pg 200).
E10: Devil’s Cave: See adventure Keevial’s Rage in MCDM’s Arcadia Magazine, Issue 6, pg. 19.
F5: Shadow Gate: At the site of a cross roads, and the convergence of a ley line, there is a ruined portal. It was once two standing stones with a cross piece of stone bridging them. Now the left standing stone is fallen, and the bridge stone leans against the right stone, creating a triangle large enough for one creature to pass through. At dawn and dusk, while the light still shines but before the sun peeks over the horizon, the gate opens. It is guarded by a Shadow Fey Knight of the Road (Creature Codex, pg 146) named Lady Sagra.
F8: Town of Brevic.
G9: A hidden cave here holds a secret entrance into the Ghoul Imperium.
H3: Secret cave lair of the Night Cauldron of Chernobog. Lady Illmalad’s dhampir son, Fane, is a leader of the cult in this region and often is here with the other cultists. Spawn of Chernobog, Dark Folk, and other monsters.
H6: An ancient stela stands here. Script in a dead language is weathered and written upon it. It is a monument dedicated to Mavros. Offerings of broken and decaying weapons lie in front of it.
H8: Contains a dungeon of worked stone that is the lair of a Nihileth trapped in deep slumber since the primordial age (right wing of dungeon). The mysterious sigils are inlaid with gems, and when attempts are made to remove the treasures the creatures awakened. In the crypts (on the left side), funerary boxes mysteriously covered in ice are visible through a glass window in each door. Carved on the sarcophagi are strange aberrant humanoids with tentacles on their faces. They appear to be in deep freeze for an unknown purpose. Opening any of the doors causes the chambers to begin to thaw and a strange whirring noise begins to eminate from the boxes until they eventually open.
Cartography by Dysonlogos
I6: Contains a forgotten crypt housing a Necrichor (Von Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, pg 238).
J4: Location of Papa Toadleg’s abandoned camp. Remnants of fire pit and rough lean-to are in grove of trees near the road.
J9: The lair of a Loup Garou (Von Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, pg 237) is hidden in the forest. This powerful werewolf is the sire of the infected werewolf in D5.
J10: Papa Toadlegs’ new lair. It is a remote cave with magical wards to hide the old red hag from the Mavka hunting him. It contains the Cauldron of Blood.
K1: Contains a small outpost of dwarven soldiers from the Black Fortress commanding a ruined watchtower. They are led by a grizzled paladin of Khors, Holdna Brightshield. There are about twenty to thirty dwarves manning the outpost at a time, usually working in squads of four led by a graveslayer sergeant.