Preparing for Dungeon23, Part 5: The Baseline

Last prep day before the project starts!

Today, I just want to think a little bit about the overall structure of the megadungeon (but not overthink it, of course!), and how that fits into the practical process of building it out room by room.

As I've mentioned several times, this dungeon is going to be centered on Greystone, the greatest city of the First Imperium of the Dwarves. Greystone was the center of Imperial society in its age. It was massive and sprawling, the pinnacle of Dwarven engineering in its time. 

The First Imperium was very different to the current Imperium, however. One of the most notable differences will be language. Third Imperium Dwarves speak Dwarven which is actually a patois of Giantspeech.  Is this a result of their centuries of enslavement at the hands of the Fire Giants. During their time under the giants almost all of Dwarven culture was lost, including their history, customs and language. As a result, virtually no current-era Dwarves can speak or read the language of First Imperium Dwarves. Ancient Dwarven is, for all intents and purposes, a dead language. That means that inscriptions or writing of any kind in the megadungeon (at least in the first few levels) will be impossible to read by normal means.

Another major difference been the two Dwarven cultures is organization and philosophy. Third Imperium Dwarves live in a huge matriarchal empire spread across much of a Europe-sized continent. It is cosmopolitan and fairly inclusive. Elves, Halflings, Dragonborn, Tieflings, Humans, Gnomes, Orcs and others all live in the Imperium in relative peace and prosperity. Great emphasis is placed on the arts, on commerce, on politics.

Almost none of that was true of the Dwarves of the First Imperium. In that time the Dwarves had just recently consolidated their disparate warring clans into an Empire. Much of that was achieved through subjugation among Dwarf-kind. A High Thane emerged victorious and ushered in an era of expansion and conquest throughout the Howling Mountains. There were other Dwarven cities besides Greystone, but they all paid homage to the High Thane who ruled by force. 

Meanwhile, the nascent empire was surrounded by enemies. Giants, Dragons, Orcs, Goblins, Elves and all sorts of other foes populated the massive mountain range and the flatlands beyond. Even with the combined might of the Dwarven people, it was a constant struggle for survival. Dwarven society was highly martial and prized personal honor and fighting prowess above virtually everything else.

Finally, First Imperium Dwarves were decidedly not matriarchal. Contemporary Dwarven society places the matriarch at the head of the clan and the Imperium is ruled by Basilea Gwenris Stoneborn, matriarch of Clan Stoneborn. There is a societal sense that Dwarven women are more wise, dispassionate and well-suited for planning, diplomacy and strategy. Right or wrong, that is the prevailing wisdom of the society.

In the First Imperium, strength was more important that almost anything else. These Dwarves prized a will to survive and conquer one's foes, to increase the power of one's clan and impose one's will upon the chaos of wild and dangerous world. The whole notion of a large unified empire was a new one and was only brought about through the strength and iron will of the High Thane.

I mention all of this really to set the tone for what explorers are likely to find in the ruins of a First Imperium city. The art and architecture will be utilitarian and martial. The city and the whole empire were ruled by men, so they will figure prominently in existing depictions of power and honor.

With all of that said, the city has been effectively dead for something like three thousand years. In that time it's been variously inhabited by all sorts of creatures. I imagine there will be sections that are large and thriving communities of monstrous or Underdark races. I can imagine whole areas haunted by the ghosts of those ancient dwarves. And I haven't even mentioned the Kemet.

So!  There's a lot to think about and a much to see. I'm not planning the thing out much at all. Mostly just trying to set some baseline expectations for what the place was. What it currently is, is yet to be decided!

Here we go!