LESSON 2 - Locations and Landmarks
"Avoid Taverns unless you really want a terrible hangover or a bout of unarmed combat. Stick to Inns." - Diana Wynne Jones
Fantasyland is often attributed to its rural landscape. Occasionally, you will eventually come across a dirt road, which becomes a brick road, which eventually makes its way to a stone road. By the time you get quasi-paved roads, most likely you've hit the beginnings of a City, which, of course, you've already figured out upon cresting a hill and discovering a large tower, several shingled homes, and a palace behind high walls.
But let me just take this moment to say you're better off avoiding roads altogether.
Unless you are looking for trouble, try to avoid cities as well. There's no telling when that particular city and ruler will eventually be under siege from a Greedy Neighboring Nation. That said, if you are at this point low on supplies (your Satchel of Disproportionate Size does have its limitations), you are better off staying at a local inn, replenishing your stores of food, clothing, and maps--yes, more maps!--and hightailing it out of there before Catastrophe sucks you into Kingdom World Problems.
But since the city is a place filled with various landmarks--not to mention people with information about the area around you--I do suggest staying as long as you can to make note of a few important places in the city.
But let me just take this moment to say you're better off avoiding roads altogether.
Unless you are looking for trouble, try to avoid cities as well. There's no telling when that particular city and ruler will eventually be under siege from a Greedy Neighboring Nation. That said, if you are at this point low on supplies (your Satchel of Disproportionate Size does have its limitations), you are better off staying at a local inn, replenishing your stores of food, clothing, and maps--yes, more maps!--and hightailing it out of there before Catastrophe sucks you into Kingdom World Problems.
But since the city is a place filled with various landmarks--not to mention people with information about the area around you--I do suggest staying as long as you can to make note of a few important places in the city.
Important landmarks in cities
- I will start with Wizard Towers. You will find them easily in Fantasyland as they stick out like sore thumbs, and many wizards of note happen to prefer living in towers for some reason. Not all wizard towers are found in cities, and through your adventure, you might even find them in the middle of dense forest, boggy marshlands, or barren deserts. That is not to say that the tower occupants remain isolated within. Sometimes they work as advisors to their rulers, sometimes they travel in search of more wisdom or as guides and protectors of heroes and heroines, or sometimes they alight from their high place to mingle with the crowd, tell stories, and concoct fireworks. Also, don't expect the tower to house only wizards. You might even encounter a few sorceresses and enchantresses of note.
- The Castle is a notable area solely because that is typically where the King and/or Queen and/or Wizard King/Queen reside. Unless, of course, the monarchs are severely paranoid, in which case, their doubles are found in the Castle, but they themselves are holed up elsewhere. For the most part, however, kings and queens are tantamount in Fantasyland. They are figures that sanction quests, oversee the land, and Administer Justice through daily court sessions. They also host wicked parties. For wannabe conquerors, a detailed scan of the Castle is highly recommended.
- Taverns and Inns should not be confused with each other. Inns are generally safer places to rest, especially if it has a stable. Staying inside a stable with your horse is more preferable than being in your paid-for inn room, though this is only a case if you know someone is after you. For the less paranoid, I'd suggest finding a room to stay for the night. Inns are generally good about feeding their guests, but if you're looking for a night of merriment and information, Taverns are where the party's at (unless you go to the Castle). There is more risk of a Tavern Brawl erupting from Taverns, but slip a coin to the right people and you can probably gain information you wouldn't normally get anywhere else. This is due to the high saturation of Unsavory Folk in Taverns, but hey, it's good to take risks every so often.
- Prisons and Soldier Barracks are generally found near Castles. Unless you're looking to break someone out of the Prison or have a bribed Soldier friend or you're a veteran intelligencer/skulker, I suggest you gather enough information to know where this is and to avoid it at all costs. If you find yourself landing in Prison, escape is always an option. Most guards tend to be incompetent and leave important plot tools to render the freedom of Prison occupants.
Locations Outside Cities
Now that we're slightly familiar with what's inside a
city, let's take a quick look at what's outside of it.
- Caves are notorious for holding inside both Insurmountable Treasure and a Most Pernicious Monster. Make sure to consult your map and to listen to stories about nearby caverns as likely there may be something inside that you'd rather not meet. Spelunking does have a few benefits. Caves can sometimes be pathways to Forgotten Worlds or be made as shelters during days of Terrifyingly Bad Weather. You might even encounter a hedgewitch or wizard, or, if you're really lucky/unlucky, a fae creature.
- Rivers will eventually take you out to the Great Seas/Oceans or will lead you to a Seemingly Solitary Lake. Be wary of both areas because likely there are creatures there just waiting for you to get conned into approaching them. Test the waters first before gathering water into your flask or fishing from the lake or sea or ocean. When you do go fishing, make sure to thank the spirits for their gift to you. There may not be any spirits living in the water, but you're better off erring in the side of consideration than facing error and a scorned woman with a sword.
- Mountains are high places, even higher than Wizard Towers. Sometimes they are scenic areas that contain Castles, and often those Castles belong to Worldly Gods. If you do make your way that high up, take care not to run into talking foxes or other such guides. They will only try to seduce you. This is increasingly easy to do the higher you go. Must be something about the lack of atmosphere that does something to your head.
- Forests are the only places where it might be useful to follow roads. Unfortunately, most forests don't have roads, so you'd have to utilize other means in navigating them. They are often part of Mysterious Unmapped Regions. If you hear laughter within the forests, do not panic. You are not going crazy. It's only the forest spirits trying to engage you in conversation. Unless, of course, the forest is dark and gloomy, in which case, you might encounter a were-creature, so find a way around it.
- Deserts are typically overrated and largely impassable. Occasionally
you will come across an oasis with a djinni specializing in helping mortals,
but you're more likely to encounter one who'd as soon as devour your soul than
do your bidding. Tread carefully and bring a lot of water. If you happen across
a city within the desert, likely it's a set of Old Ruins. If on the rare
occasions it's a thriving city, take care not to get your purse stolen by
thieves during the day.
Fantasies used
Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
Various stories of Camelot and the Lady of the Lake
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
Various stories of Camelot and the Lady of the Lake
For Assignment 2, click here!