So I'm working on a location that serves both as a ancient celestial observatory (think stonehenge) as well as a prison for an infernal being (deep below). I have most of the major beats figured out, but I want to give the place less of a linear feel. Can anyone suggest some weird locations within the complex that might serve the theme? Trying to keep things low/weird fantasy. The place isn't meant to be a sprawl, but I want to give the players something to explore.

A bit more info:
The place is of Gaulish (pre-Roman) design
The original occupants are long gone
It sits on a junction of ley lines; lots if odd superstitions surround the place among the locals.

Thanks,
Tom

I think one of the most intriguing lines on Stonehenge is the idea that it basically functioned as a tourist trap, bringing in trade from far and wide.

You could go all out Dismalland with crumbling monuments to long forgotten mouse deities, vast abandoned boating lakes and the like.

Heh. Okay, imagine for a moment that there IS something to stonehenge. This place certainly serves as a celestial observatory and is helpful in divination. That's the major point. The prison is secondary.

An underground like is a cool idea, though I hadn't envisioned the prison on that grand a scale. It would probably be more like golem's cave from the Hobbit, with the prisoner on a small island.

The idea isn't some sprawling complex. I'd like to keep it focused. It's just that beyond points A and B I'm drawing a blank. I think keeping it to 5 locations or scenes. So that leaves three more locations?

Right now the framework looks something like this:
Level 1: surface, Entrance
Level 2: Observatory, villain camp, ?
Level 3: prison entrance, ?
Level 4: cavern (prison)

So maybe one more location on level 2 and two on level 3.

Tom

If there are resident attendant druids or something, they may have places to live.

How about an ancient forest with forest circles used by druids for various rituals, which each have a community of spirits and/or fey who hang out nearby, and a maze of semi-concealed paths between them, and some sacred animals including some dangerous boar, snakes, stags, bear, etc? Maybe there are also some interesting hermits or something living in concealed treehouses high in the canopy above.

Nearby villages might have interesting things going on in them.

There could be ancient battlefields which would be overgrown but be possibly interesting to visit or stumble upon.

There would probably also be some burial mounds and/or cairns around.

There might be some groups other than the henge owners trying to make use of the henge for their own purposes, either by infiltration/disguise, ruse (e.g. a distraction calls everyone away someplace to deal with some seeming threat or event, while the other group sneaks to the henge to do their own rituals), or ransom/blackmail, or force. Maybe noble types are also trying to influence the henge druids for their own purposes.

There would probably be seasonal occasions for various festivals, pilgrimage, and/or maybe tournaments or hauntings or visitations from star beings.

The prison might want some sort of guards or warden, which if it's ancient, would need to be a post past down over generations. There might be a camp or residence for the guard, possibly including some tools useful for keeping ancient demons at bay.

That's all a bit outside the scope of what I had in mind, but It's still very helpful. I hadn't been giving much thought to the surrounding area. But yeah, I think I can work some of this stuff in.

Tom

Ventilation system? Privy for the infernal being? ;-) Does the infernal being need to be brought anything on a regular basis?

Ideas:

1) At the real Stonehenge, there is at least one body buried there that is a lot newer than the original construction. It appears to be from the Christian era, and the speculation is that it was a criminal who was executed there because the place was pagan and the idea was that maybe he wouldn't go to heaven if he was buried at this pagan monument.

In a fictional stonehenge, I can totally see an entire layer full of the restless bones of tormented criminals. Don't accidentally break into that layer somehow!

2) There appear to be multiple versions of Stonehenge at different times, with different generations moving the stones around (in particular the smaller "blue" stones), as well as packed earth post holes they somehow can still see from wooden trunks arranged in henge-like fashion in that area. I like to think that the area was used multiple ways, and that there was competing cultural/religious practices that slowly replaced each other as the people who worshipped there changed (or their society did). I can totally see that battle still playing out in psychic memories that can be tapped at that point, or in the fae realm, or whatever your game world has (you said something about ley lines?...).

3) The original occupants might be long gone, but someone is paying attention to what happens there. The PCs might run afoul of locals (perhaps mystic locals, perhaps superstitious commonfolk... with sharp pointy farm implements) who are afraid of and/or protective of this site, and anyone who explores it might be tainted (perhaps they are).

Hey, while I'm working on this, does anyone know of any good creepy swiss mountain monsters besides the tatzelwurm and the boogg?  I've been digging around and all I'm coming up with are happy dwarves and jack o the bowl. The swiss seem all too happy a people in the Middle Ages.

Tom

Creepy:
"The Buratsche-al-Ilgs resembles a large shapeless sack, most often compared to a walking stomach. Its body is coated with eyes that produce flames, producing a distinctive and terrifying display. The creature was said to have escaped from a gateway to hell in the Luschersee lake in Switzerland."

Read more: http://monstropedia.org/index.php?title=Buratsche-al-Ilgs#ixzz3pWy0bzzn


The creepiest might actually be Saint Peter's companion Krampus. Swiss folklore does seem rather jolly!

Given the country's location, one might bring in monsters from France, Germany, Italy, etc. Maybe they mutate in the Alpine air?

Quote from: Willie the Duck;859111Ideas:

1) At the real Stonehenge, there is at least one body buried there that is a lot newer than the original construction. It appears to be from the Christian era, and the speculation is that it was a criminal who was executed there because the place was pagan and the idea was that maybe he wouldn't go to heaven if he was buried at this pagan monument.

In a fictional stonehenge, I can totally see an entire layer full of the restless bones of tormented criminals. Don't accidentally break into that layer somehow!

I was reading something about this very thing today (about the burial of criminals in medieval times, not about Stone Henge).

Since you already have an imprisoned demon, you could say the demon fell from the heavens there, hence the establishment of a celestial observation location. The place could be the remains of an evil temple/cult that served the demon, containing a dungeon where they kept the more vile aspects of their worship secret.

The cult was exposed and fell out of favor. Since the land is now viewed as desecrated, a prison was established there and it has become the burial place of the criminal/damned.

Quote from: Phillip;861677Creepy:
"The Buratsche-al-Ilgs resembles a large shapeless sack, most often compared to a walking stomach. Its body is coated with eyes that produce flames, producing a distinctive and terrifying display. The creature was said to have escaped from a gateway to hell in the Luschersee lake in Switzerland."

Love it! So a bit like a gibbering mouthed minus the gibbering mouths?

I'm really hesitant to involve the krampus. Mainly because that's the kind of monster that should be a focal threat, not some throw away encounter en route to the adventure site. Unless I make it a complete Scooby Doo threat ("It was farmer dan all along!").

I've been looking at monsters from Celtic mythology too, but all of them seem very region specific.

Tom

Quote from: Vanquishing Leviathan;861696Since you already have an imprisoned demon, you could say the demon fell from the heavens there, hence the establishment of a celestial observation location. The place could be the remains of an evil temple/cult that served the demon, containing a dungeon where they kept the more vile aspects of their worship secret.

Well, it's not exactly a true demon. I would say more but prying eyes and all that. Calling it a demon will suffice. But to your point, yes I've been wondering about the chicken and the egg dilemma. Rather, was this place an observatory first, or a prison.

My current thinking this was alway a holy place, sitting on a junction of ley lines with celestial significance. It was built in concert with the fey, whose glamour still remains in effect. The prison came after, as it's unique characteristics made it an ideal "cell". Unfortunately, after centuries of neglect (thanks Roman Empire), certain aspects of it have become corrupted by the guest of honor below. The good news (for the villains) is the observatory still works fine. The bad news (for the players) is rest of the place is dangerous.

But getting back to the initial problem is how to make this place expansive and not linear. To make things interconnected in such a way that the players have to explore a bit, not just go from encounter to encounter.  I'm adding in some hidden passages (again, fey glamour) but filling out the place is proving to be a bit of a challenge.

Right now, I have the following places conceptualized:
The entrance
Observatory
Villain camp
Shrine
Reliquary
Prison

So what other cool chambers can I throw in for good measure?

Tom