Lay of the Land

The nature of the land shapes the kingdom’s identity
and history. Many of the player characters’ actions
in Karameikos are influenced by its terrain. A brief
geography lesson can impart a feeling for the land
and an understanding of where various features lie.

Pull the maps out of this box. We want to look first
at the map of the Kingdom of Karameikos. Don’t let
the hexes throw you; their purpose will be made
clear at the end of this section. Let’s concentrate on
the land and its cities.

## Land Patterns

A continuous line of mountains forms Karameikos’s
entire northern border, acting as both a barrier to
forces beyond and as a lair for evil races and monsters.
This spine of mountains runs the length of this
northern border but is called by different names in
different places. In western Karameikos, they are
called the Cruth Mountains, and are notable for
their soft, greenish-tinged hornblende and the frequency of their landslides. In central Karameikos,
basalt is more common, and the mountains here are
called the Black Peaks, so named for their ebony
promontories. In eastern Karameikos, the range joins
the much larger Altan Tepes Mountains and has the
tallest peaks in the nation. Here, the mountain range
broadens, continuing north toward dwarven Rockhome
in one direction and turning sharply southeast
into the imperial lands of Thyatis in the other. The
highest peak of the range, Mt. Tarsus (alt. 11,380
feet) stands to the east beyond Karameikos’s borders.

Forest vegetation thickly covers these mountains,
gradually thinning to bare rock toward the peaks.
The average height of mountains in the Black Peak
and Cruth ranges is 4,000-4,500 feet. The Altan Tepes
rise from an average of around 4,000 feet in the
west to 9,000 in the east; a number of peaks jut
above the timberline.

South of this huge range are miles and miles of
foothills thickly covered with forest. In western
Karameikos, hilly country extends to the shores of
the Gulf of Halag; in eastern Karameikos, the most
southerly foothills lie within 20 miles of the coastline.
Much of the rest of the kingdom is cradled in the
crescent formed by these hills, wedged between them
and the Sea of Dread to the south. It is flat, pleasant
land, sometimes with gently rolling hills, covered
with woods and heavy forest.

The land slopes very gently from the northern
mountains to the southern coast. The northernmost
flatlands (the Cruth lowlands of western Karameikos) are about 1,500 feet above sea level; the flatlands south of the Black Peak Mountains rise to about 1,000 feet above sea level.

### Vegetation

Karameikos is one of the most thickly wooded nations of the
world. In the northern parts of the kingdom, pine forests cover
the mountain slopes and the hillsides. As travelers move farther
south, they encounter more hardwoods – especially oak. In the
southernmost parts of the Dymrak Forest in eastern Karameikos,
ancient oaks tower into the sky as far as the eye can see. Three
great tracts of dense forest lie in Karameikos. The Riverfork
Woods sprawls in the far west, near the border with the nation of
halflings (known to themselves as the hin) called the Five Shires.
This thick forest was called the Achelos Woods in the original
Traladaran language and remains largely unexplored, uninhabited
by humans (except for the soldiers garrisoned at Riverfork
Keep), and somewhat dark-hearted. Commonly blanketed in thick
fog that drifts in from the Blight Swamp to the south, the woods
have been chartered to a number of small clans of Alfheim elf
refugees who have fled into Karameikos. The woods are known
officially as the Estate of Achelos.

The Radlebb Wood sits in central Karameikos, a forest inhabited
by the majority of the Callarii elves, as well as a large number of
Alfheim refugees. Less dark and ominous than the western tract,
it still has its dangerous wild animals, rogue monsters, and tribes
of evil humanoids. The elven estates of Radlebb and Rifllian share
these woods.

In southeastern Karameikos lies the greatest of the kingdom’s
woods, the Dymrak Forest. It stretches all the way from the borders
of the Barony of Kelvin to the border of Thyatis. A mighty
hardwood forest, its floor never sees the full light of day. Numerous
nonhuman tribes call the Dymrak home, mostly violent humanoids
but also Vyalia elves in the east and Callarii elves in the
west.

Most of the remaining land of Karameikos is lightly wooded –
scattered small forests with patches of clear terrain suitable for
pasturage and tillage. Humans settle in these areas most comfortably.

One swamp, mentioned earlier, lies in Karameikos – the Blight
Swamp, near the western border shared with the Five Shires. It is
not a healthy temperate swamp; rather, an ugly landscape of dying
trees and rotting vegetation dominates the sluggish, swollen
delta where the western rivers meet the sea. Disease-bearing
mosquitoes infest its still waters, and strange creatures glide under
the surface. Mangrove islands are common, dripping with
gray moss, adding to the haunted, desolate look. Even the light of
day feels subdued and cheerless in this part of the nation. Appropriately
enough, the southeastern portion of the swamp lies
within the Barony of Halag (formerly the Black Eagle Barony and
home of the Black Eagle baron).

One large area of moors occupies the land northeast of the Barony
of Kelvin. These moors boast flatlands and slightly rolling
hills where underbrush is sparse and scrubby. Small rivers trickle
through, and large patches of deceptive-looking bog can suck men
and horses to their deaths in a matter of moments. This, too, is an
eerie area, where strange howls drift through the night and nothing
looks friendly or comforting during the day.

The Moors of Kelvin and the blight Swamp are not the only
marshy and swampy lands within the Kingdom of Adventure.
There are many lowlands, bogs, marshes, and small swamps
throughout Karameikos, particularly in more heavily wooded terrain.

### Water

The map shows numerous rivers crossing through the nation.

I

### Resources

Karameikos is a new nation, and most of its trade revolves around
its natural resources, both for export and for crafting into finished
goods. The greatest resource of Karameikos remains its forests,
which carry many names but stretch almost unbroken from eastern
to western borders. A hin story tells of an adventurous
halfling who be that he could travel from the Shires to Thyatis
without once touching Karameikan soil – and won.

King Stefan warily regards the disposition of these forests, seeing
the ruin that unplanned plundering caused in his native
Thyatis. Permits to lumber in quantity must be granted by the
crown or by local barons in baronial lands. Lords or ladies of
merely landed rank may not grant such permits for their own estates.
King Stefan also posts royal advisers (usually elves) to inspect
large-scale logging operations. Clear-cutting (removing all
trees regardless of suitability) is avoided except in cases where the
land will be converted immediately to farming.

The deep woods of Karameikos still lie untamed and unsettled,
and the king has established a number of elven estates in these areas
to guarantee their continued viability. Very little logging goes
on here. Both deep and light woods are home to a burgeoning
population of wild game, including both normal animals and monstrous
creatures. Deer, elk, stags, and wild boars are common, as
are smaller game creatures such as foxes and pheasants, and large
predators such as wolves and mountain lions.

Small farms occupy a good portion of Karameikos’s open land,
worked by freemen who owe their allegiance to a landed lord or
baron. Karameikos’s soil is rich and dark. While the nation cannot
compete with Darokin, the great economic powerhouse to the
north, it provides sufficient yields to feed its people well, with
enough surplus to export (most recently to Thyatis, which has
been wracked by food riots in recent years).

Mines are numerous in the Wufwolde Hills, especially gnome
and dwarven ones. These works produce iron in great quantity and
small amounts of precious metals as well. Gold and silver are
found in the southern Altan Tepes, and many people try to establish
mines there. Some meet with great success; most meet with
death at the hands of the humanoids that infest that part of the
country.

More gold and silver lie in deep places, already smelted and
stamped. Karameikos was once the nation of Traladara, its time of
greatness long past and its wonders turned into ruined lairs. Many
adventurers explore and plunder these lost sites, bringing in further
revenue for the kingdom as they return the treasures of the
past to general circulation.

Finally, many cave complexes lurk in Karameikos, especially in
the Black Peak Mountains and Wufwolde Hills. Caverns are, of
course, ideal locations for lost civilizations, hidden bandit tribes,
ancient sleeping monsters, and so forth.

### The Hand of Man

All of the cities and towns introduced below
are fully detailed in Chapter IV: Cities and Towns.

Other Communities: In addition to these villages, towns, and
cities, many smaller communities (population 500 or less) dot the
kingdom. The DM can add these villages as needed to support
original adventures. In general, such villages are unremarkable
except for (perhaps) some legendary local hero, and each has no
more than the basic community services.

### Other Constructions

Besides the various communities scattered throughout
Karameikos, other features built by the populace are worth noting.

Roads: Four major roads span Karameikos and are
important enough to be named. The Westron Road
runs from Mirros to Fort Doom through Radlebb
Keep and Luln. The Eastron Road runs from Krakatos
to Rugalov Village through the southern Dymrak
Forest. The Windrush Road starts south of Kelvin
and loops through Rifflian and Verge, terminating at
Threshold.

Lastly, the King’s Road runs from Mirros to Krakatos
(where the Eastron Road branches off), north
(past where the Windrush road breaks off) to Kelvin
and Penhaligon, and ending just past King’s Road
Keep on the Darokin border. Beyond King’s Road
Keep the road passes into Darokin and on to the major
trading city of Selenica.

The king maintains the roads of Karameikos well,
using paving stone whenever possible, or crushed
stone where paving stone is not available. Bridges of
wood span small streams, bridges of stone cross
large ones, and ferries cross the great rivers. Units
of the Karameikan army regularly patrol the roads,
quickly clearing accidents such as rock slides and
other blockages.

While these roads provide speedy movement for
adventurers in a hurry, they were not built with this
purpose in mind. Rather, the roads of Karameikos
are modeled upon Thyatian roads, whose main purpose
was the rapid movement of trade wagons and
troops through the nation. In the event of an invasion
or other military emergency, troops could be
deployed to almost any part of the nation in a matter
of days.

More than three-quarters of Karameikos’s imports
and exports move along these roads, and King
Stefan considers them a priority asset for maintaining
the nation’s strength. The Eastron, Westron, and
King’s Roads receive regular maintenance, the Windrush
only when a major blockage or slide occurs. If
they were fully abandoned, the roads would degenerate
to trails in a decade, and might vanish entirely
soon afterward (as has a road south of Mirros to the
port’s original docks on Marilenev Bay).

Trails lace the region as well, and those used often
enough to provide rapid transit through an area are
marked on the map. In general, many trails and
paths run through the forests, though most of them
do not go exactly in the intended direction of the
traveler.

Ruins: Many ruined cities, forgotten temples,
abandoned settlements, ancient mines, and other
sites of legend and lore exist in Karameikos. However,
most of these are lost, either overgrown by the
surrounding forest, built over by other towns and
cities, or vanished from all but the most ancient
maps.

One exception is Koriszegy Keep, a famous (if not
infamous) site in Traladaran legend. The inhabitants
of this now ruined castle destroyed themselves with
a great curse that still lingers on, seeking out those
who trespass on the ground. Even today unwary
travelers fall to the Curse of the Koriszegy. (for
more information on Koriszegy Keep, see the sidebar
on page 85.)

## Using the Maps

The map of Karameikos is broken down into hexagonal
areas, each area containing a symbol such as
trees, hills, or mountains. These symbols indicate the

general type of terrain present in the hex area.

Note that the area within the hex is not exclusively
of that type. Hills and trees lie in clear terrain, meadows
and tors in wooded terrain, and level sections in
mountainous terrain. The symbols indicate only the
predominant type of terrain in the hex, and are used
for purposes of determining movement costs and

random encounters, as well as providing the DM
with an idea of what the region looks like.
Movement is detailed in Chapter 14 of the Player’s
Handbook and Chapter 14 of the DUNGEON MASTER
Guide, but the general rule is that characters can
travel twice their movement rate (MV) in miles per
day, across open terrain such as plains or grassland.
Thus, an unencumbered man (MV 12) can travel 24
miles in a day without exhaustion.

Think of the value of miles covered in a single day
as a number, which is the number of movement
points an individual can use (our example individual
has 24 movement points). Different types of terrain
have different movement-point costs per mile (it is
more difficult to move through mountainous terrain
than clear). A marsh, for example, costs 8 movement
points per mile to cross, such that our example above
could cross only 3 miles in a typical day.

So far so good? Now look at the scale for the Kingdom
of Karameikos map. Each hex represents 8
miles. Characters moving through each hex must
“pay” for each mile in that hex in order to cross it.
For our example, an individual could cross 3 hexes
(24 miles) of plains in a single day.

These hexes are just an approximation of position,
much like the squares used for movement in the
FIRST QUEST game. It may take several days to cross a
particularly nasty stretch of land, but, by the same
token, a hard day’s ride along the roads might carry
one from the capital to nigh on the borders of the
kingdom.

Terrain types also affect the type of encounters in
that area. Some creatures are native to mountains,
others to swamps, still others to forests. The frequency
and type of encounters often is determined by
the terrain. A brief description of these terrain types
follows.

### Clear

Clear terrain lacks obstacles or impediments
that slow movement, or it has a large number of
paths that allow relatively free movement in all directions.
Agricultural areas, pastureland, and farmland
all fall under this category. Clear terrain costs
½ movement point/mile to cross, so an individual
with MV 12 can move 48 miles in a day across clear
terrain. Encounters in clear terrain are determined
on the Clear column of the encounter chart.

### Grassland

Grassland includes steppes and savanna
and describes a large region of open, unsettled
prairie, bereft of many large trees but with sufficient
ground cover to allow creatures to lie in ambush
in the tall grasses. Grassland costs 1 movement
point/mile to cross, so that our traveler with MV 12
could hike 24 miles per day through this terrain.
Grassland uses the Plain/Scrub chart for encounters.

### Hill

Hill hexes tend to be foothills: rising uplands
that cluster about the base of mountains and are only
slightly more suitable for movement. Hills cost 4
movement points/mile to cross, such that a man with
MV 12 can move 6 miles per day. Hills use the Hills
column for encounters.

### Forested Hills

This terrain includes rolling hills covered
with hardwood (in the southern regions and
lowlands) or softwood pines (in more rugged areas
and farther north). Forested Hills costs 6 movement
points/mile to cross, so that an individual with MV
12 can move 4 miles per day. Hill/Forest uses the
Hills column for encounters.

Table: Forested Hills

### Light Forest

Light forest is fairly open woods with
little undergrowth. Light forest costs 2 movement
points/mile to cross, such that an individual with MV
12 can move 12 miles per day. Light forest uses the
Forest column for encounters.

### Heavy Forest

Heavy forest consists of dark, overgrown
woods with a great deal of brush and other undergrowth.
Heavy forests cost 4 movement points/
mile to cross, such that our individual with MV 12
can move 6 miles per day. Heavy forest uses the Forest
column for encounters.

Table: Light Forest/Heavy Forest

### Mountain

The mountains of Karameikos vary from
the rounded, tree-covered slopes of the western
Cruth to the sharp, jagged spines of the Black Peaks
and Altan Tepes ranges. Mountain terrain generally
costs 6 movement points per mile, so that a traveler
with MV 12 can move 4 miles per day through mountains.
The DM can rule that the mountains in question
are relatively low and easy to cross, or serve as
deadly, impenetrable peaks. In the former case,
movement would cost only 4 points per mile.

### Swamp

Swamps are marshy fens of soft land broken
by wide areas of shallow water, which (like jungle)
often require frequent backtracking to avoid
treacherous spots. Swamp costs 8 movement points/
mile, so that an individual with MV 12 can pass
through only 3 miles per day (crossing the Blight
Swamp in western Karameikos would take eight
days).

### Moor

Moors and bogs closely resemble swamps,
save that they tend to have more solid ground. Moor
costs 4 movement points/mile to move through, so
that an individual with MV 12 could cross 6 miles in
a single day (two and one-half days to cross the Kelvin
Moor in central Karameikos, north to south).

### River

Rivers are both obstacles and avenues for
travel. To individuals crossing a river, the presence
of the river costs 1 additional movement point, in addition
to all other costs. Streams, which are smaller
and not shown on the Karameikos map, cost only ½
movement point. The presence of a bridge or ford negates
this cost.
The speed of the current for Karameikan rivers is
an average of 30 feet per round, or ½ mile per hour.
A boat’s speed is enhanced or diminished by that
amount. Boats cannot pass upstream through rapids
and cataracts, and can pass downstream through
them only at risk of being holed and sunk. A lesser
cataract has a base 20% chance of holing a boat, a
medium cataract 40%, and a greater cataract 60%.
The chance rises to 100% for a waterfall.
Ocean-going ships are not normally found on rivers,
though they might sail up to Mirros and, on rare occasions,
Kelvin. The Blight Swamp prevents ships
from using the westernmost river system, and the
easternmost river (the Rugalov) can be sailed for
only about 10 miles beyond the village of Rugalov.
Beyond these points the rivers can be navigated only
by small boats.

### Shipping Lane

Trail markings on the ocean denote
commonly used shipping lanes. They have no benefit
to speed, but are well known by mariners as being
safe and free from reefs, shoals, and permanent raiders.
Trail: Paths and small trails lace the land of
Karameikos. The only ones shown are those used often
enough and well enough to allow passage of a
standard wagon (with no room to pass). They also
have enough head room to permit a rider on horseback
to pass without difficulty and are generally
straight enough to be used as a means of regular
travel. The presence of a trail halves the movement
cost in the directions the trail is running; this benefit
is gained only by those moving along the trail. A
heavy forest with a cost of 4 movement points/mile
would have a cost of 2 movement points/mile for
those traveling along a trail. Encounters on trails are
those of the surrounding terrain

### Road

The four major roads of Karameikos have
been built and maintained by the benevolent hand of
King Stefan. They link the major cities and towns of
the nation. Paving stones rest upon a bed of crushed
rock along most of the route, which is sufficiently
wide to handle wagons moving in both directions.
Treat roads as clear terrain in the directions they
run – that is, ½ movement point/mile – such that an
individual with MV can travel 48 miles along a road
in a single day, regardless of the terrain the road
crosses. Should travelers leave the road, normal
movement rates take effect. Road encounters are often
provided with their own chart, but otherwise use
the encounter of the terrain the characters cross.

## Cities and Other Sites of Interest

A number of symbols represent large, singular sites
of importance. These locations sit in the center of
their respective hexes when determining distance
unless noted. The terrain of a city site is the same as
that of the surrounding terrain, even though the
map symbol does not appear in the city hex. Special
sites include:

Capital: The central and largest city in the nation.
Mirros is the capital of Karameikos.

City: Community with a population of at least
20,000. Outside of Mirros, the only city in the nation
is Kelvin.

Town: Community with a known population of no
less than 1,000 and no greater than 20,000. There
are a large number of towns in Karameikos.

Village: Community with a known population of
less than 1,000. Not all villages are noted on the
Karameikos map.

Palace: This symbol is used if the palace (or other
royal dwelling or seat of power) is significantly removed
from a city. The capital of Karameikos is also
the site of the palace.

Castle: A large-scale military encampment lacking
an immediately supporting civilian population, but
usually used as the seat of a local ruler. No castles
exist in Karameikos that are not connected to larger
cities or towns.

Fort: A step down from a full castle, a fort usually
means an outpost with a local ruler. Fort Doom in
the former Black Eagle Barony was one such fort, but
the growth of the town of Halag at its base changes
its notation to that of a town.

Keep: Usually a single stone building lacking a supporting
civilian population, keeps serve as military
outposts in Karameikos, but have other uses in other
lands. In magical Glantri they are usually the homes
of powerful wizards.

Ruins: The remains of a castle, keep, palace, town,
city, or similar location, with enough material left to
identify it as such. Many ruins exist only as underground
complexes, their entrances discovered by
chance. The only ruin noted on the map of
Karameikos is Koriszegy Keep.

Camp: A regular camping location, usually used by
nomadic peoples, such as the Ethengar raiders of the
far north. There are no such camps in Karameikos.

Lighthouse: Not used in Karameikos but more common
among the island trading nations to the south. A
lighthouse resembles a keep outfitted with a beacon
(either a huge bowl of flaming oil or a magical light).
The beacon warns ships of perilous reefs or shoals
and aids in navigation.

Battlefield: The known site of a historic battle. Such
locations are often marked by rich troves of rusted
weaponry and undead spirits that haunt the place.

National or internal borders: These mere divisions
between the lands reflect more the desires of the rulers
than any true level of control. They have no effect
on movement. Their only effect on encounters is to
change the nationality or allegiance of the patrols.