Mapping the Harrowmark

I've started to actually map the Harrowmark. I've been thinking about mapping it since Animosity iii ended.

I have never wanted to draw all of it as that feels like it will undermine the idea of an unnatural forest that seems to go on for 10,000 leagues in every direction. And it takes away from the idea that it is easy to get lost there. I also don't want to make some things too specific, like how far apart places are, or where things are in relation to each other - both of these tend to get nailed down by maps!

But I also really enjoyed the way the Aiii map made me think about The Prime Dominion in a different way to the way I think about the Harrowmark. My worldbuilding was more holistic and more coherent, as well as more thorough.

But I had an idea this week: What if I don't draw it all on one page? What if I draw each location separately, and the pages don't meet at the edges?

By putting each location on a page of it’s own, the distance between them is elastic.

Not just in what I write, but in terms of the way it works in-universe. The characters can't predict how long a journey will take, because things "shift" in the supernatural forest.

The pages might fit together, but they don't have to. If they do fit together in many configurations, is any of them "right"?

Then it's still very possible to get lost in the Harrowmark, even with a map.

Sky-Pirates of The Harrowmark: The Selachii - part 2

Captain Bodrin Bok of Harrowmark skyvessel The Selachii leaned on the gunwales and looked down on the forests. The wind ruffled his already wild hair and long forked beard and he grunted with annoyance. They had been contracted to bring a load of cargo from Leechminster to Wortbad and they were already a week late. Now they found the village was occupied by orruk pirates. There were even a couple of greenskins on the dock itself - there was no chance they were going to land there.

He turned to the nearest crewman, that happened to be his nephew Anthor, and told him as much.

"Get ready to dump the Wortbad cargo overboard. We ain't picking anything up this run. We can come back over on the return leg if the winds are in our favour." he said. Anthor looked worried but didn't argue with his uncle. He knew better than that after the year he'd had aboard the Selachii.

As Anthor was about to head aft Bodrin said "Tell Darvon to come forward will you?" the boy nodded.

Anthor found Marcyn, Rohar and Josian and told them what was happening and together they started loosening the cargo nets. As they were about to pass over the skydock for a second time and let the cargo nets fall open, Darvon cam on deck. Anthor waved the Warrior Priest over.

"The Captain wants a word with you and I don't think you'll like it. But please do fight with him!" the boy pleaded. Darvon scowled but said he would do his best.

Brother Darvon walked forward along the deck, clinging to the rigging as he was still unsure of how safe the sky ship actually was, even after the long voyage, just as he approached the captain the crew let go the nets and barrels, sacks and crates tumbed out onto the deck of the skydock. Most of it bounced and rolled straight off again, carried by the momentum of the ship.

Darvon stopped and stared in horror as the cargo crashed to the ground 20 or 30 feet below.

"Ah, good Brother. I'm afraid we won't be setting you down today...."

~ 🕱 ~

The Selachii are skyship merchants and pirates from The Harrowmark in Shyish, the Realm of Death. They are Freeguilders with wild hairstyles, fur-collared clothes and lots of skulls and other macabre trophies hung from their gear.

This warband is also intended as a small group of NPCs for The Harrowmark (alongside the Graveroot Wargrove and the Court of Spades). They may end up as a unit in the Ironfang Fleet, or occasionally oppose them.

~ 🕱 ~

The Selachii explore the forests with a few old friends.







Bodrin Bok, the captain of the Selachii







The inspiration for his scroll:



Darvon, Warrior Priest





Rohar, musician





Marcyn, crewman





Kase, Champion with greatsword





Anthor, crewman





Josian, crewman

The Harrowmark Run - part 7

Triumph and Treachery: Tower of Screaming Death! The campaign finale!

With the Helm of Authority in their possession, the Ogresuns rushed to the Freebooter's Tower where they planned to use the tower's fell power, combined with the helm's power, to wipe out the enemy warbands. Of course, the others would do all they could to stop this from happening!

The Ogresuns

Kaptain Salty Ogbad - Orruk Warboss, Gem of Seeing, Helm of Authority

Dredger Zug - Orruk Boss

Dubloon Dreg - Orruk

Fetch - Orruk

Blackspot - Orruk

Nastyface - Orruk

Bad Hook - Orruk
Fishgutz - Orruk
Capsize Naz - Orruk
Scupper Lug - Orruk
Poxy Uzbad - Orruk
Floggin Morr - Orruk

Walker Plank - Grot

Stormy Trug - Grot
Dirty Morrgun - Grot
Dread Pirate RogUrtz - Grot

Mr Whalebelly - Ogor

+++

An angry red sun was just visible through the heavy blanket of cloud. The Harrowmark was bathed in a strange dirt-brown light. The powerful gusty wind forced the orruks to hold on to their hats and swirled dust and leaves in their eyes. Squally showers periodically soaked them with freezing rain.

Kaptain Ogbad and the Ogresuns made their way back to the Freebooter's Tower, where this whole expedition had been conceived and planned. The crew were in high spirits for once, even though the forests of the Harrowmark were even more ominous looking than normal in the ruddy light and inclement weather. The crew sang crude shanties and shouted at each other, exchanging tales of their recent adventures.

As they cleared the tangled woods and entered the clearing around the tower they fell silent - their old adversaries were also here in force waiting for them: The Freeguild mercenaries of the Gilded Hand and the Nighthaunts of the Ordeshal Host.

+++

The Ogresuns swarmed the tower under a heavy rain of crossbow fire from the Gilded Hand - Dirty Morrgun the grot,  and orruks Capsize Naz, Dubloon Dreg and Bad Hook all went down with crossbow bolts embedded in them.

The Grots were told to try to delay the crossbowmen and they took that to mean hurling insults and taunts at the mercenaries.

The crossbowmen took the bait and charged the grots.

A Freeguild Pistoleer charged up the hill at Kaptain Ogbad.

Stormy Trug killed the crossbow's standard bearer.
Walker Plank fled in panic.

Ogbad killed the Pistoleer [his armour appeared to be made of paper! Look at those Save rolls!!].

The Ghost Ryders charged and killed Mr Whalebelly the Ogor.

Ogbad killed the swordsman champion.
Spirit horse killed Poxy Uzbad.

The Whyte Lady charged Kalyustar of the Gilded Hand and she killed him.

The Witch Hunter and the Vampire fight! She wounded him.

Karol attacked Ogbad but no wounds scored.

Ogbad "evil eyed" Karol and killed him.
Nastyface and Dredger Zug were killed by Lyrd Radclyffe's Riders.
Stormy Trug ran away.

Fetch killed the swordsmen's piper.

Crossbowmen's standard barer garrisoned the tower.

The Whyte Lady's vorpal blade ripped through the Witch Hunter!

Spirit Hosts attack the tower garrison, killed the Standard Bearer and replaced him as the garrison.

Floggin Morr killed a crossbowman.

By a heroic effort from the Freeguilder foot troops the Vampiress was slain!

The Crossbowmen fell back after a hurried truce was called with the Ogresuns. They fired at the Spirit Hosts in the tower instead.

A Spirit Host outside the tower killed one of the swordsman.

The last orruk died as the Ghost Riders ran down the pirate crew. A Spirit Host was dispelled by crossbow fire.

The riders closed in on the Kaptain.

Kaptain Ogbad fell to the Hex Wraith's scythes!
Just three Freeguild remained to face a Spirit Host (that still garrisoned the tower) and three Riders.

The crossbow and bowman died and the lone survivor fled, which meant...

The Ordeshal Host won the battle, the tower and the campaign!

+++

The Ogresuns ran through the tangles forests, thorny branches grasped and tore their clothes. Most of them were wounded and all of them were shaken. They didn't know which way they were heading or where their boat was they just did their best to stay together as a group.

In the growing darkness the unnatural noises of the forest grew louder...

+++

This was one of my favourite campaigns so far! I really enjoyed the story and the atmosphere of the Harrowmark setting.

I think the setup worked very well - the main story of the campaign was roughly scripted as four Triumph & Treachery battle plans to be played out in a pre-set order (the "A-plot"): Whenever all three of us could get together we played the next in the list. If only two of us could play we picked one of "B-plot" ideas to flesh out what our warbands were doing the rest of the time. These were in no set order and we chose which one to play based on what had happened so far.

We will be using this format again for our next campaigns!