Douglas Niles' Deepearth

I am still going through the Old School D&D stuff around here. Last night, I looked at Douglas Niles' Dungeoneer's Survival Guide, 1986. This is before Forgotten Realms. Certainly before Mines of Bloodstone.

This region is 84 miles across, maybe 60 along. The maps are tilted, to fit onto the page and also to approximate the third dimension. The surface realm is a typically prosperous frontier of a human kingdom. Mountains loom north, volcanic. Maybe there's an ocean behind them. One problem: the surface map contradicts the toplevel Deepearth map inasmuch as there's a surface lake in the latter (#1), not on the former (#2). And the lake is heated by lava from below #18-21.

This Deepearth is on the "Known World" plan, many subterraine races jostled together.

It is all interesting and imaginative, a worthy successor to the D series. I don't know to what extent anyone has run a campaign there. One issue is that there is so much. Also, how can a party of seven people stop an evil on the scale of Aboleth Civilisation. I suppose that's the problem Carl Sargent tried to solve with Night Below - the story that made him catatonic.

If we allow that the Deepearth aboleth are, like Cthulhu, a slumbering beast, we might have a shot at the rest. We'll also ignore area #2's northeast.

First, a constraint on the regional history. Long ago, an earthquake sucked the lands about 20 miles west of the present main city down to layer #10. The inhabitants survived, but are now savage and cannibal. The central edifice of those lands was a temple; that temple survives too, but is now taboo. Also surviving: vaults, armouries, prisons. The present culture is Aztec: the gods are vengeful, population is controlled by sporadic flower-war tournament, the losers are eaten.

There's another group of humans, numbering about 20, in region #5. This is where surface expeditions wash up - from the lake, area 1. I imagine the kuo-toa have been steering unlucky fishermen down here. Driving these assholes further downstream seems a priority for surface heroes. Beyond that: convincing the kuo-toa downriver, #14 to #15, to lay off. It really does seem that Night Below developed from this line of attack. So, maybe the adventure here is the Night Below sequel, where the kuo-toa are rising again. This time we have pech on our side.

If we stick to the west of the map, we get a whole network of caverns. #3 is where cavelings raid humans, and where adventurers win glory and treasures.

Further south, #4 is below the surface city. It has a starving hydra, (occasionally) surface bandits, and fifty equally-hungry outcast drow. The drow are "evil". I deem them more sinned-against than sinning. Maybe trade with the surface could be established, and a deal to offer up bandits to the surface's justice.

Centuries ago, duergar built #6. Contemporary with #10's downfall, the water-table shifted and the duergar left. Not before raising a host of mummies, though. These cataclysms didn't affect the gnomish (#22) irrigation of #9. Also the duergar (#24) maintain their presence up in #9. The duergar don't drop back to #6 to use its forge, implying they're no longer on such terms with their own ancestors. The dead dwarves may or may not be aware of, or care, about the lich down in #26.