Whilst out shopping, I had a thought. The city I am sketching out is very ‘real’, by which I mean more grounded in medieval earth, rather than something fantastic; and why should that be? Why not be more fantastic, without going overboard? This is for a fantasy game, after all.
So, I was thinking of two possibilities, based on the same origin. How about a city built on the spine and ribcage of a dead god; or the bones of many gods?
Below is a sketch of the first idea, a city built upon the ribcage and spine of a dead god; one that stands amongst the clouds and is accessed primarily by airships. A holy city, predominantly run by the church:
The second idea is for a city on the ground, built upon the remains of dead gods, perhaps after a battle between deities.
What sounds best?
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Links of the Week: October 17, 2011 | KJD-IMC - KJDavies "In My Campaign" Articles
October 17, 2011 at 08:56
[...] City Design: Rethink [...]
Keith Davies
October 15, 2011 at 06:31
An interesting direction, I think it could prove a more intriguing setting for your players. I don’t know that I would do it for a more mundane setting (if all cities have to be this fantastic, things get a little difficult for the designer) but here it could work well.
Confanity
October 15, 2011 at 02:56
I really like the idea of a city built on the remains of (a) dead god(s) and/or divine battleground. (“That would explain the dreams…”) The sketch above seems a bit silly, to be honest, although that’s up to you and your players’ tastes in the end.
If I were designing a city made on a dead god, I’d lean toward just big ol’ bones jutting up out of the ground, like obelisks. Maybe they’re covered in runes in an attempt to benefit the inhabitants; maybe they’re hollowed out and the ruling class use them as towers or arcane workshops. Maybe they contain or create a (sealed) hellmouth and the city is, secretly, nothing more than a garrison to prevent its being opened.
All sorts of crazy things you can do with a setup like that. Maybe nobody has basements because the ground bleeds if you dig in it. Maybe there are ponds in the shape of kidneys that purify any liquid poured into them. Maybe each death has to be followed immediately by a ceremony to prevent the soul from being absorbed by, and empowering, the dead god, so that all assassins have priestly training. Dang.
theskyfullofdust
October 15, 2011 at 12:14
Like some of those ideas, especially the bleeding ground one.
Johnstone
October 15, 2011 at 02:36
If you have a city built on the body of a dead god, you can have hyper-fertile agricultural land made from it, inside the city, thus reducing the amount of surrounding farmland the city is dependent on.
This city probably has lots of trade, even if they don’t trade pieces of the dead god anymore, since past trade could easily have resulted in powerful merchant houses in the city who have moved on to other markets.
I’d go with the more fantastic of the two ideas. Airships are cool.
trey
October 14, 2011 at 20:09
I sort of like the one on the ground better, interwoven in the remains of the dead god. Both have a lot of possibility but the one of the ground has one gimmick to buy and the aerial one, two.