I don’t normally do fancy maps, but I decided to try my hand at it. Going to see if I can get access to a scanner to upload these.
The core concept is a mega-dungeon city, a vast ruin containing a number of possible adventure locations. The half-flooded city is in the middle of a giant swamp, so getting there isn’t exactly easy, either.
I started with a world map, printing off some hex paper and doodling by hand. I threw a long coastline on the east side, and a mountain range to the west. A few rivers criss-cross the map going east-west. A large forest buts up against the mountains, and the center of the map is the Bog of Despair.
I ended up with two Bustling Metropolises, one nearby the Gem, the other to the north in the dangerous Slaver’s Coast, two religious bastions, a Dwarven Hold and a fallen hold, two Elven cities, three crossroads, six named remote villages, and Grimstone Tower, the wizard’s tower. Also featured are the Spider Woods, and a note about Giants and Orcs to the northwest.
For the Drowned Gem, once known as the city of Amhurst, I drew a pre-flood map. Amhurst’s geography is based on a number of sources- Freeport, Neverwinter, London, and Vor Rukhoth. It’s divided into five distinct sections, each with its own flavor. When putting in larger buildings in Pisswater (the poor section), I found myself erasing whole sections and rebuilding, just as a city planner might. Next step is to Ruin It and bring down the flood on this city.