1/ @rorystarr asked me about some ideas for folklore-themed dungeons - specifically, dungeons that are connected to the "Feywild".
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1/ @rorystarr asked me about some ideas for folklore-themed dungeons - specifically, dungeons that are connected to the "Feywild". So I took a look at my repository of translations of German folk tales, and here is what I found.
But first, a word about definitions. German folklore almost never uses the German equivalent of "fairie" ("Fee"). Instead, a more common term is "Geist", which is a direct translation of "spirit" - and can describe almost any supernatural entity.
Thus, in my exploration of this theme I have limited myself to places linked to entities which are (a) not clearly ghosts, and (b) not clearly demons. This is as close as we will get to "fairies", I am afraid...
#DnD #TTRPG #faerie #fey #dungeon #worldbuilding #folklore
2/ A great example are the assorted hidey-holes of long-gone Sleeping Rulers under assorted mountains. This description of Charlemagne's hideout in Untersberg Mountain is one of the more detailed ones. The fairie connection is twofold:
a) Such Sleeping Rulers usually have at least one dwarf guardian, and
b) Putting someone to sleep for centuries does sound like something that fairies like to do. -
2/ A great example are the assorted hidey-holes of long-gone Sleeping Rulers under assorted mountains. This description of Charlemagne's hideout in Untersberg Mountain is one of the more detailed ones. The fairie connection is twofold:
a) Such Sleeping Rulers usually have at least one dwarf guardian, and
b) Putting someone to sleep for centuries does sound like something that fairies like to do.3/ By the way, Arminius - the Cheruscan chieftain who defeated the Romans at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest and was subsequently reinterpreted as the first German National Hero - is guarded by a whole clan of dwarves, and he is surrounded by the usual heaps of treasure.
But for worldbuilding purposes, pretty much any fondly-remembered past ruler might do. And for _campaign_ purposes, you might get some _interesting_ politics if the PCs wake them up before their time...
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3/ By the way, Arminius - the Cheruscan chieftain who defeated the Romans at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest and was subsequently reinterpreted as the first German National Hero - is guarded by a whole clan of dwarves, and he is surrounded by the usual heaps of treasure.
But for worldbuilding purposes, pretty much any fondly-remembered past ruler might do. And for _campaign_ purposes, you might get some _interesting_ politics if the PCs wake them up before their time...
4/ But there could be whole sleeping armies beneath those hills, independent from sleeping rulers. This could be an interesting challenge for the PCs - how much can you plunder without accidentally waking the sleepers up, and can you talk your way out of trouble if you _do_ wake them up?
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Sleeping_Army_in_the_Sch%C3%BCberg_Hill
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4/ But there could be whole sleeping armies beneath those hills, independent from sleeping rulers. This could be an interesting challenge for the PCs - how much can you plunder without accidentally waking the sleepers up, and can you talk your way out of trouble if you _do_ wake them up?
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Sleeping_Army_in_the_Sch%C3%BCberg_Hill
5/ Dwarves also have their own realms beneath the hills, mountains, and rock formations of Germany - as well as their own rulers. For example, one king of the dwarves is said to dwell in a rock formation near Bad Grund (I visited the place a few years ago, but discovered no entrance to their underground realm).
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5/ Dwarves also have their own realms beneath the hills, mountains, and rock formations of Germany - as well as their own rulers. For example, one king of the dwarves is said to dwell in a rock formation near Bad Grund (I visited the place a few years ago, but discovered no entrance to their underground realm).
6/ I hesitate to call this story a folk tale, since it was first published in a 1770-era allegedly-autobiographical adventure novel by an anonymous author (a distant ancestor of Richard Sharpe Shaver, perhaps).
But hey, if the Brothers Grimm saw fit to include it in their "Deutsche Sagen" collection, then who am I to argue? Besides, where else outside of #DnD are you going to get dwarves fighting a war against snake people?
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6/ I hesitate to call this story a folk tale, since it was first published in a 1770-era allegedly-autobiographical adventure novel by an anonymous author (a distant ancestor of Richard Sharpe Shaver, perhaps).
But hey, if the Brothers Grimm saw fit to include it in their "Deutsche Sagen" collection, then who am I to argue? Besides, where else outside of #DnD are you going to get dwarves fighting a war against snake people?
7/ It is useful to remember that portals to dwarf realms could be opened simply by digging too deeply - with calamitous consequences.
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7/ It is useful to remember that portals to dwarf realms could be opened simply by digging too deeply - with calamitous consequences.
8/ And if you do manage to enter their realm and leave with some of your treasure, you risk getting home _much_ later than when you left. Although that aspect of folk tales is not much fun for role-playing game purposes.
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8/ And if you do manage to enter their realm and leave with some of your treasure, you risk getting home _much_ later than when you left. Although that aspect of folk tales is not much fun for role-playing game purposes.
9/ But the dwarves were not the only masters of the subterranean realms. A strong contender for that title were the Venetians - who often had fairly otherworldly qualities of their own.
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9/ But the dwarves were not the only masters of the subterranean realms. A strong contender for that title were the Venetians - who often had fairly otherworldly qualities of their own.
10/ Indeed, the "Land of the Venetians" was sometimes portrayed as a Faerie Otherworld - with crystal houses, talking animals, and whatnot.
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10/ Indeed, the "Land of the Venetians" was sometimes portrayed as a Faerie Otherworld - with crystal houses, talking animals, and whatnot.
11/ They were also not shy about abducting people who stumbled into their midst - another typical faerie trait!
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Construction_of_the_Church_of_Zellerfeld
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11/ They were also not shy about abducting people who stumbled into their midst - another typical faerie trait!
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Construction_of_the_Church_of_Zellerfeld
12/ Let's move on to assorted "sunken" or "vanished" places. My favorite among these is Pilatusstadt, the "Lost City of Pontius Pilate". It, too, is guarded by a dwarf.
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12/ Let's move on to assorted "sunken" or "vanished" places. My favorite among these is Pilatusstadt, the "Lost City of Pontius Pilate". It, too, is guarded by a dwarf.
13/ Then there is the "Accursed Castle of Gammelin", which is held beneath the ground by strong chains - an unexplained but very evocative image which begs to be used.
And at least one dwarf is involved here, too.
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1/ @rorystarr asked me about some ideas for folklore-themed dungeons - specifically, dungeons that are connected to the "Feywild". So I took a look at my repository of translations of German folk tales, and here is what I found.
But first, a word about definitions. German folklore almost never uses the German equivalent of "fairie" ("Fee"). Instead, a more common term is "Geist", which is a direct translation of "spirit" - and can describe almost any supernatural entity.
Thus, in my exploration of this theme I have limited myself to places linked to entities which are (a) not clearly ghosts, and (b) not clearly demons. This is as close as we will get to "fairies", I am afraid...
#DnD #TTRPG #faerie #fey #dungeon #worldbuilding #folklore
@juergen_hubert this is SO good juergen!
My goal is to draw from a few sources but honestly, I could feel a book of Shadowdark dungeons with just your translations haha.
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13/ Then there is the "Accursed Castle of Gammelin", which is held beneath the ground by strong chains - an unexplained but very evocative image which begs to be used.
And at least one dwarf is involved here, too.
14/ The palace in the Gerlachsbach valley suffers from a more straightforward curse. This curse caused it to vanish from the mundane world, and it only occasionally reappears there. But you have to ask yourself where it vanishes _to_ - the Feywild or equivalent seems like a good choice.
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Palace_in_the_Gerlachsbach_Valley
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14/ The palace in the Gerlachsbach valley suffers from a more straightforward curse. This curse caused it to vanish from the mundane world, and it only occasionally reappears there. But you have to ask yourself where it vanishes _to_ - the Feywild or equivalent seems like a good choice.
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Palace_in_the_Gerlachsbach_Valley
15/ There are further mysterious palaces which only appear at certain times...
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15/ There are further mysterious palaces which only appear at certain times...
16/ ...as well as entire villages which suffer from the same fate.
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16/ ...as well as entire villages which suffer from the same fate.
17/ In this particular tale I suspect time travel rather than interdimensional travel. But you never know, so I am including it in the list for completeness' sake.
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17/ In this particular tale I suspect time travel rather than interdimensional travel. But you never know, so I am including it in the list for completeness' sake.
18/ Returning to sunken places, I've found the "Rooster of the Deep" fascinating ever since I heard of it.
A rooster that is somehow always around after a castle or even an entire town has been swallowed by the ground? What's up with that?
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18/ Returning to sunken places, I've found the "Rooster of the Deep" fascinating ever since I heard of it.
A rooster that is somehow always around after a castle or even an entire town has been swallowed by the ground? What's up with that?
19/ Lakes were often believed to be "bottomless" in German folklore - and they might be home to all sorts of strange and dangerous spirits. But if the PCs can breathe underwater, they might be fair game for exploration!
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19/ Lakes were often believed to be "bottomless" in German folklore - and they might be home to all sorts of strange and dangerous spirits. But if the PCs can breathe underwater, they might be fair game for exploration!
20/ German folklore also had a multitude of subterranean "treasure chambers". This one is associated with a magical deer with golden antlers!
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Stag_in_the_Kammerl%C3%B6cher_Holes
