Aldeboran
Posted: March 14, 2011 Filed under: adventures, aldeboran 2 Comments
Yesterday The Day before yesterday I posted some stuff about my homebrew world. I wasn’t posting it to propose a new game for me to participate in or run; I was just trying to distract myself with some wool-gathering on more pleasant topics than the class warfare that dominates Wisconsin and Michigan right now, or the tsunami in the East or the perfidy of American politicians and corporations…. I was trying to distract myself with more pleasant thoughts, even as I get ready to pay my yearly taxes (groan — I don’t mind paying, I just wish the powers that be did something better with the money).
At right is a map I made many years ago and upon which I set many campaigns. Compare it to yesterday’s map of the same continent (somewhat revised). I actually feel like I have A.D.D. when it comes to this map — I’ve redrawn it several times, and, for my ‘world building as occasional distraction’ thing, I’m not sure which version I would use.
As an introduction, in the center of the map is ‘Catatonia’ (“Catatonia” was a reference to the mythical geography of a parody of World War 2 in one of the episodes of ‘The Three Stooges’ (along with ‘Moronica’) rather than a reference to the the Welsh power pop group). The capital of Catatonia, the city of Eord, is one the shore of the Strait of Belar just below ‘The Sinking Lands’ and west of Bleekwood (on some maps renamed Blackwood) forest. Eord is my world’s ‘Blackmoor’ or ‘City of Greyhawk.’ It is one of those cities with a lot of traders, alchemists, guilds, etc., and is also the home to ‘The Golden Palm,’ an inn where many adventures start. Eord is also the location where the grandmaster of The Red Hand (an order of assassins) supposedly has his office (or her or it’s — no one is really sure…) . The famed adventurers, Karrl and Bluddo, usually can be found in Eord between adventures.
South of Silver Vale (Nibblot is in Silver Vale) lies ‘The Valley of the Fu.’ The Fu bird is a gigantic multicolored creature who causes misfortune to all who see it… usually by shitting on them. In this vicinity are also East Vale, Silver Vale, etc.


Oh, the pity of it! All those poets and painters devoured by cannibal dwarves! Ha. Brilliant stuff.
The Stumble Inn reminds me of a dodgy-looking, black-painted pub that used to be along the road from where I live. It was called The Pop Inn, and its dark facade bore the legend “Pop In – Stagger Oot”. (That's not a typo. This is Scotland.)
I attended art school and had a love-hate relationship with some of my classmates. This is perhaps and expression of that.
I've always been a fan of the places with the hokey names that dot the midwest US; there must be at least a dozen places named “The Dew Drop Inn.” I've also seen/heard of “The Stagger Inn,” “The Come On Inn,” etc. There's a hamburger place in Chicago called “Dick's Last Resort” but I have never been. The “Pop Inn” shall go on my list!