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5 years ago ::
Jan 28, 2008 - 11:27PM
#71
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Date Joined:
Mar 28, 2001
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After reading the previous posts, I decide to look around the web for some images to give us a general picture of what we might create. I figured real world examples might make it easier to relate to. Granted the towns in these images are a little steep, but it rounds out to about the same appearance. Cliffside town overlooking ocean:
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Cliffside villa looking up from shore:
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Cliffside township overlooking valley:
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Road from valley:
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Note: In these, (ignoring the ocean for a moment) we can see how a cliffside city might look from several angles. Situated inside a pass, I could see great defensibility. Here's a temple I found:
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Another temple
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Note: Just thought I'd share.  Ruined town at Delphi:
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Delphi ruins from another angle:
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Note: While it is in ruins, you can still picture where the buildings might have been in relation to the valley. After seeing these I'm starting to see the potential in such a design. Using an idea from before, small aqueducts could be built throughout the city, providing fresh, running water to everyone (ingenious folks might even find ways to heat the water.)
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5 years ago ::
Jan 29, 2008 - 1:14AM
#72
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Aqueducts are a possibility, but that's of later concern, now a stream would be a good start for a village, but the stream is likely to be fast flowing (rocky hilly area) so any barges have to be launched from a slower point. Perhaps in the valley there is a kind of natural reservoir/small lake where barges could be build perhaps that's the way most refugees reached the valley. It is certainly a good way to travel I can see a river flowing from this lake to the city they fled from.
The lake could be full of fish and if the refugees came from the sea there are likely fisherman. Giving them a food source. Just food for thought. The lake also allows for the new halfling concept. The rocks are excellent for dwarfs. If the area is forested maybe a tribe of elves are around?
Showcasing 4e concepts was a reason for this new Build a city thread, was it not?
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5 years ago ::
Jan 29, 2008 - 5:25AM
#73
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Date Joined:
May 26, 2006
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Like several others, just thinking at my keyboard here.
Just a thought on the idea of emulating Venice with canals.
The cave behind the redoubt was the outlet of a small underground river, which flowed from the cave mouth, through the redoubt, and joined with a more significant river downstream. The original designers of the redoubt must have had grander plans for the fortification, for in the mountains behind the redoubt there exists the pieces of a selective series of aqueducts, designed to channel the mountain streams for miles around into various inlets to increase the flow of the underground river. The inhabitants of the New City have found these aqueducts and repaired the system.
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While I like the idea of canals in an aesthetic sense, from a defensible standpoint having multiple entrances from the surrounding hill's water sources is troublesome. While each can be designed to withstand an attack, being attacked at several ready made entrances has issues. I like the idea, but I think if we have a canal system it should all originate from a single source; perhaps the water from the stream/river from the cave.
After reading the previous posts, I decide to look around the web for some images to give us a general picture of what we might create. I figured real world examples might make it easier to relate to. Granted the towns in these images are a little steep, but it rounds out to about the same appearance.
Cliffside town overlooking ocean:
Show
Cliffside villa looking up from shore:
Show
Cliffside township overlooking valley:
Show
Road from valley:
Show
Note: In these, (ignoring the ocean for a moment) we can see how a cliffside city might look from several angles. Situated inside a pass, I could see great defensibility.
Here's a temple I found:
Show
Another temple
Show
Note: Just thought I'd share.
Ruined town at Delphi:
Show
Delphi ruins from another angle:
Show
Note: While it is in ruins, you can still picture where the buildings might have been in relation to the valley.
After seeing these I'm starting to see the potential in such a design. Using an idea from before, small aqueducts could be built throughout the city, providing fresh, running water to everyone (ingenious folks might even find ways to heat the water.)
I like these pictures; even better I like the sharp angle of the cliffs that they are built on.
Here is an idea (going with my favorite earthberg concept :D ), what if the original dwarven redoubt built in the side of a mountain overlooking a valley and atop a magical spring where the magic (?) of the spring water never really extended beyond the initial pool, even though the water flowed out of its initial cave. At the end of the dwarf/giant war a great titan struck down the redoubt. Most of the building was destroyed and the cave collapsed; the mountain itself was cleaved in two. In fact the piece with the redoubt did not crumble but instead rose up several dozen feet into the air (creating the earthberg). The dwarves seeing the redoubt destroyed and the spring (which had poured down out of the mountain around the other side) no longer flowing they abandoned the ruins.
In fact the spring was just blocked off and while small outflows existed (creating very small waterfalls from different areas of the berg), it required several decades to work out a new exit/cave to exit out of. This new exit is on the cleaved side. From this exit it falls down on the sharp cliff face of the mountain below where overtime it has carved a series of switchbacks and waterfalls down the face of the cliff. The cliff is sharp enough, and the earthberg is far/high enough that a reasonable amount of light falls on the face. At the base of the cliff face a larger pool/small lake forms in the valley before a small river/stream forms which travels down the valley into the woods towards the far end, from there it travels to the sea (however far that is).
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5 years ago ::
Jan 29, 2008 - 3:58PM
#74
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Date Joined:
Oct 13, 2005
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After reading the previous posts, I decide to look around the web for some images to give us a general picture of what we might create. I figured real world examples might make it easier to relate to. Granted the towns in these images are a little steep, but it rounds out to about the same appearance.
Cliffside town overlooking ocean:
Show
Cliffside villa looking up from shore:
Show
Cliffside township overlooking valley:
Show
Road from valley:
Show
Note: In these, (ignoring the ocean for a moment) we can see how a cliffside city might look from several angles. Situated inside a pass, I could see great defensibility.
Here's a temple I found:
Show
Another temple
Show
Note: Just thought I'd share.
Ruined town at Delphi:
Show
Delphi ruins from another angle:
Show
Note: While it is in ruins, you can still picture where the buildings might have been in relation to the valley.
After seeing these I'm starting to see the potential in such a design. Using an idea from before, small aqueducts could be built throughout the city, providing fresh, running water to everyone (ingenious folks might even find ways to heat the water.)
I like the picture of the Cliffside township overlooking valley. It's pretty close to what I imagined.
Where the big rock on the right hand side of the photo is where I imagine the cave would be. If we go with the river idea, that is also where I imagine that the waterfall would start.
I also liked the second temple picture as well.
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5 years ago ::
Jan 29, 2008 - 5:24PM
#75
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Date Joined:
Jan 15, 2008
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Hi, I've been reading this forum for a while and I like where it was going. Hope you don't mind me contributing. I figured that town would be located in a small valley between two mountains. A couple thousand years ago the caves below the valley sank, creating a big sinkhole which houses the city today. Some caves may still be structurally sound underneath the city, but nobody has gone looking. The town's name is Daja, daja being a dwarven term for the blue-grey stones found around the area. So I drew up a quick map for the place. I like the idea of many terraces and a steep slope, so I'd like to keep that, maybe try to add a very crowded feeling, it's a pretty small area that more and more people are trying to pack into. Also, I think the people there would not try to advertise their presence, they don't want the lighthouse creature to find out anyone survived. Spoiler:
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Area A is fields right now, depending on how many people live here it could be expanded to be more city. This provides most of the food for the city. Area B is the original redoubt with the cave off to the northeast. A small trail northwest leads into the rest of the valley. A middling sized stream comes out of the cave, pools down in area A, then continues southwest as a small river. Other small rivulets may feed into the lake/river. Area C is the river bed. If the town expands the fields might be moved here. There'd be a small outpost a bit farther downstream. PS. Thank you Dougan for telling me 'bout sblock
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5 years ago ::
Jan 29, 2008 - 6:59PM
#76
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Date Joined:
Mar 28, 2001
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Spoiler:
Show
Hi, I've been reading this forum for a while and I like where it was going. Hope you don't mind me contributing.
I figured that town would be located in a small valley between two mountains. A couple thousand years ago the caves below the valley sank, creating a big sinkhole which houses the city today. Some caves may still be structurally sound underneath the city, but nobody has gone looking.
The town's name is Daja, daja being a dwarven term for the blue-grey stones found around the area.
So I drew up a quick map for the place. I like the idea of many terraces and a steep slope, so I'd like to keep that, maybe try to add a very crowded feeling, it's a pretty small area that more and more people are trying to pack into. Also, I think the people there would not try to advertise their presence, they don't want the lighthouse creature to find out anyone survived.
map
Show
Area A is fields right now, depending on how many people live here it could be expanded to be more city. This provides most of the food for the city.
Area B is the original redoubt with the cave off to the northeast. A small trail northwest leads into the rest of the valley. A middling sized stream comes out of the cave, pools down in area A, then continues southwest as a small river. Other small rivulets may feed into the lake/river.
Area C is the river bed. If the town expands the fields might be moved here. There'd be a small outpost a bit farther downstream.
Nice map, I like it. It is a good, defensible location, and you've included some resources that the settlers could exploit. There is room for expansion on all sides, and the redoubt has a decent view all around. The relatively small lake is a nice touch as well. It should also be noted, however, that being in a mountainous valley, the river would likely be too shallow for barges and ferries; any sort of trade would need to be done either by foot or carriage.
P.S. I think the name is interesting too. Maybe we'll adopt it.
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5 years ago ::
Jan 29, 2008 - 7:53PM
#77
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Date Joined:
Mar 31, 2006
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I was just wondering, as a momentary aside from the geography thing, about something. I'm wondering what aspects of 4E we can try to work into this project. Now I'll openly admit to not being very up to date about the 4E developments (it's always been my plan to wait till the release, peruse the books in the store and then decide whether I'm staying or going), so I'm wondering if some of you guys could help me out here.
As far as I can figure the only parts of 4E we can work into the town right now are the races. Making an effort to use Dragonborn or Eladrin as a mainstay of our settlement and thusly help out that way. We don't know enough about the classes now to make them have any real addition to the setup. Does anyone know what else we could insert into our town to develop new 4E ideas?
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5 years ago ::
Jan 29, 2008 - 8:14PM
#78
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Date Joined:
Oct 14, 2003
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I like the map, as long as the forest represents densely forested mountainsides. If the forest were level, it would offer a concealed approach for invaders and would likely be clearcut away during the early settlement of the area to provide a unobstructed view of likely approaches.
The name Daja I'm not as impressed with, though I could see it being kept as the name of, or part of the name of the redoubt. The city itself would likely be named by the first refugee settlers. Sorrowclimb, Riverhaven, Ascent, Flight's End, Sanctum; these are the sort of names that appeal to me. I like Sorrowclimb, as it really paints the picture of the refugees, exhausted from their flight, too tired to be terrified anymore, making that last steep climb up the valley to the redoubt, hearts heavy with the thoughts of their former lives gone forever.
(indulging farther into the imagery)
The river that flows from the cave is thick with the essence of the mountain, the mineral deposits the water picks up as it percolates through the soil and flows underground. One of the first crops the river feeds is a vineyard, cultivated from wild grapevines from the mountains. The wines from these vineyards seem to carry the deep chill of the mountains, coupled with the tears of the hardships borne by the people there. These are not wines to celebrate and make merry with, nor are they wines to drown away pain; these are wines for quiet suffering... for sucesses contemplated in silence... for melancholy...
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5 years ago ::
Jan 29, 2008 - 8:33PM
#79
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Date Joined:
May 18, 2004
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Ascent! Sorry, but Sorrowclimb, while descriptive, is very... limiting? I'm trying to find the right word, but it seems too... sorrowful? Still not the right word... grumble...elusive...grumble
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5 years ago ::
Jan 29, 2008 - 9:32PM
#80
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It's really a shame that "Solace" is already an important location in Dragonlance, 'cause that would be the perfect name for this town methinks.
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