Taking a stab at Gygax 75: The Martian Setting, Part Four

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    Another week, another portion of the Gygax 75. This week ended up being much more difficult than I expected, because of the two thorny problems of mapping the town and how to name things. I spent a large amount of time fiddling with Vulgar, a piece of software that helps automate language creation. I still keep finding issues, but I also need to be done with this week at some point so it will stand.

Back to part three

Week 4: Town Features

    For your viewing pleasure, I present the City of Soorzel Somfawt (the nobles). It was made very quickly in Watabou's City Generator, though I am not particularly happy with it. The estimate on this map is that it would contain 800 buildings and be about a mile across after generously doubling the size of everything. Thus, I have decided this is the main portion of the city where the clans live and things generally happen. Outside of the walls are smaller compounds for smaller clans and the clan-less, explaining why my other map shows the city spreading out over several miles.

Map and Key

  1. Pfak Tshe Smithy (Pure Iron) - A well-established smithy which always has a small selection of weapons and armor, in addition to the normal iron goods.
  2. Psog Law Herbs (Three Leaf) - An apothecary with the sign of a plant with three leaves, they sell all the herbs you could need. For a modest fee, they can also procure remedies for some poisons or injuries. 
  3. Kres Mee Armory (Snapping Turtle) - A specialized arms and armor shop, they have a wider selection than a smithy.
  4. Zmai Pfak Travel Store (Iron Cart) - A general store offering rafts, carts, and a variety of other supplies for travelers.
  5. Shla Shma Taibahrs Store (Golden Thumb) - A superstore claiming to  have everything, something they generally are able to prove. Mostly known for their extravagant auctions on rare goods.
  6. The Government Building - Contains the Taisomfawt Faction (Of Nobility) and the Taijor Faction (Of Spirit). The Taisomfawt faction is actually only the ancient clans which work together to run the city. Ostensibly, they are mostly unapposed but the Taijor make use of the need for religious legitimacy to check their power. Most minor clans aren't allowed in either faction, leading to many smaller groups congregating in the government building.
  7. House of Pseet,h Pai Shkogaw (Flower and Coin) - A combined drug den, gambling house, and brothel which is more than willing to take all of a person's money, and get them to sign something valuable away to pay their debts. They also offer discrete entrances for the more "upstanding" citizens.
  8. Kaig Gardens (Sharing) - Located perfectly between the main seat of governance and the main set of spirit shrines it is an expensive endeavor used to show off the wealth of the city. Many people come to the gardens just to enjoy some time, but there are many spaces for larger conversations to occur as well, making it a hotbed of rumors.
  9. Eeklop Grunf Hall (Red King) - A "hall" fashioned between several buildings and is the seat of power for the Eeklop Grunf and his men. They are effectively a group of beggars banded together, and offer food, clothing, and services to the beggars who follow them, making them well liked in the community even if the nobility despise them.
  10. Leesee Shpigd Inn (Blue Ring) - A moderate inn that caters to travelers coming to the city. It has many room and good food, which makes up for their no alcohol policy.
  11. Zach Jor (Spirit Circle) - A set of several shrines dedicated to the spirits overseeing the city, Grimp (spirit of the river), Meeni (spirit of health), Hikawb (spirit of the earth and craft), Jawktald (spirit of exploration and combat).
  12. Snahlvd Chhe (Time Tower) - A tall edifice with a bell that signals the hours of the day. It is manually operated, as the nobility have been resistant to changing the tradition despite assurances that a mechanical operation would work better and even save them money.


5 NPCs to Encounter

  • Hirtuddairsh - A bard with a missing leg that he lost in an epic tale which changes every time he tells it. He needs to pay off his debts to the House of Pseet,h Pai Shkogaw. His plan is to busk and offer information to travelers looking to find out about a big score, in return for enough to cover his debts.
  • Awnz Goan - A mystic of some skill from foreign lands, he wears two large ceremonial blades on his back. He needs to discover information about an ancient relic known as the looking hexagon. He plans to offer advisement to the noble houses for funds and research materials until something changes.
  • Djakah Shemfaw - The young scion of the Shemfaw family, he insists on going around with his chest bared to the world. He needs to find himself a wife who would be willing to take someone like him. His plan is to go around town and hit on any women who look attractive, and throw parties for anyone who can help him make a match (successful or not).
  • Kmathfeghai - A former matron, now powerful priestess, who swore off material possessions in service of the spirits, Kmathfeghai wears sealing ropes across her eyes. She needs to find a way to deal with the angry spirit that has been sealed within her eyes. Her plan is to continue working in service of greater spirits in hopes they might help her as well as secretly construct a humanoid figurine to tempt the angry spirit out of her body.
  • Beetnah Choonzaw - Current matron of the tiny Choonzaw family. She is young, but constantly dresses like an elder to appear more serious. She needs to improve her family's standing and expand the family home. Her plan is to form connections with travelers and act as a patron for them, in return for some profits and rare artifacts.


Extra Credit: Names

    For extra credit for this week, since I couldn't spare time to make more NPCs, I created some lists of common and exotic names! Roll 1d10 for a common name of the appropriate type, and on a 10 roll on the exotic names instead!

Common Masculine Names

  1. Djakah
  2. Shkahb
  3. Gaind
  4. Shimaw
  5. Jahmt
  6. Kaindj
  7. Prundj
  8. Hirtuddairsh
  9. Djahn

Common Feminine Names

  1. Moolshislaj
  2. Vivbawni
  3. Afo
  4. Beetna
  5. Pronna
  6. Kmathfeghai
  7. Lepsu
  8. Morsawld
  9. Avbaw

Exotic Masculine Names

  1. Lagd
  2. Awnz
  3. Shmoo
  4. Ksovd
  5. Kulv
  6. Thairloosh
  7. Kroospah

Exotic Feminine Names

  1. Gipi
  2. Chaitnu
  3. Shpem
  4. Eemp
  5. Tus
  6. Shpach
  7. Stok


Thoughts

    This week was much rougher than I had anticipated. I basically ran out of time to get the map together, so that is why I have the Watabou generated one. I'm not super happy with it, but at the same time it is still usable. I spent a lot of time working on the parameters for Sorzorg, the language I made to give everything a consistent naming feel. It should all be fairly easily pronouncable for english-speakers, as long as you understand my personal writing scheme (ai is pronounced like "aye"). 

    Still, I hope that a lot of the character for this city is able to come through the small bits that I was able to include. I have many more ideas for how things will operate, but it will have to wait now that this week is over!

    Looking forward, for the final time, this week should be decently relaxed. The goal is to complete at least 3 out of a laundry list of tasks focused on expanding the wider world, and I know I already have some good ideas for these! Once I finish with next week's stuff, I will need to see about refining and compiling everything I have into a single miniature setting book. Until then!

Continue to Part Five

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