Hey guys!
I am happy to release Xonthal's Village today, a location from the D&D module, Rise of Tiamat, that does NOT have an associated map with it in the adventure.
I don't like that.
You don't like that.
Nobody likes that.
So, I've created my interpretation of Xonthal's Village (more commonly referred to as the settlement around Xonthal's Tower), a small and isolated hamlet located at the base of Mount Hlim in the Greypeak Mountains. Originally founded by the archmage Xonthal when he constructed his tower, the village grew as his apprentices and attendants settled nearby, attracting more residents who sought the protection of his magic from regional threats like orcs and serpentfolk.
Click your appropriate Tier below, and you can go grab your download links!
Tier 1 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-1-dungeon-81146477
Tier 2 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-2-world-map-81312503
Tier 3 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-3-master-87793681
Tier 4 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-4-master-87797001
Over time, especially after Xonthal withdrew from public life, the settlement persisted as a quiet rustic community of farmers, herders and fishers. As encountered in the Rise of Tiamat, the village has a small population (i.e. few hundred people) who are uneasy about the strange magical goings-on emanating from the long-abandoned tower in the distance.
I've included a wonderful illustrated scene of the town, and the tower in the background, by Yans Velazquez to help set the scene.
In the module, the village has little formal leadership, but the economy and general commonfolk are influenced by outside forces such as the Zhentarim agents - notably a man named Hansibal Droun who operates a local trading post. Other interesting locations are the Black Flagon Inn, run by a small halfling innkeeper that deals in ale and gossip, Lura Fenwick.
Here's an example of the map itself:
As usual, we have a great sprite of the Zhentarim Agent, Hansibal Droun, by Katsudon Art.
HOW DO I USE THIS MAP?
If you are running Rise of Tiamat (or Tyranny of Dragons), then you can take the village, which is normally just a mentioned waypoint played out as Theater of the Mind, and transform it into a fully playable social hub and tension-building sandbox.
On the social side, the village works extremely well as as place of suspicion, secrets and quiet manipulation. You could run encounters where the party investigates strange behavior tied to the nearby tower - villagers reporting lights in the hills, missing livestock, draconic voices in the night, etc... You could also have NPC driven scenes with Hansibal Droun, working at calming a fearful crowd or uncovering a cult sympathizer hiding in plain sight.
If you are not running the module, then it could just be a fun location for your homebrew linked to a hedge maze and mysterious wizard's tower in the distance. You can never have too many small villages running afoul some kind of magical strangeness, and no doubt your party would be remiss if they did not at least investigate the mysteries contained therein!
I hope you enjoy the setting and can use it to create some great adventures and memories!