Valossa Hex Map

It's that time again. Each hex equals six miles this time (I was hoping to keep three mile hexes, but to keep this project feasible, it's looking like I'll have to vary the scale). More under the cut.

A game: can you guess which entry is based on a real Wild West outlaw? It's (probably) not what you think.

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015.018: This ruined city lays deep in the jungles of Barlovento, the wildest of the Valossan islands. Once inhabited by the earliest empires of Valossa, it has since been overtaken by the wilderness. A clan of ghouls lives among the walls, preying largely on deer and birds, but they definitely won't pass up a chance to gorge themselves on a wayward traveler.

016.008: The village of Tupa, located in the northern highlands of Aballa. It is a sparsely inhabited town consisting largely of a few scattered cottages along the hills, and the cattle that graze in the pastures below. Even if they seemingly roam free, these cattle are all marked with a particular brand, and the villagers are fiercely defensive of them.

018.009: The Hacienda Zavalla, belonging to one of the newly appointed noble families of Valossa granted land for military service in the conquests of the isles. It primarily deals in cattle, though it also grows grapes over a few terraces along the hills. The owner, Fermin Zavalla, is a coarse man descended from mercenaries, but he will fervently attest that his nobility was won by strength and loyalty, and demands respect.

019.011: This cave is inhabited by an ettin by the name of Gonzalo who lives high on the mountains, tending to a flock of sheep. He prefers to be left alone and will throw rocks at anyone who gets too close. In his cave is a map to the treasure buried at hex 035.024.

019.015: This manor house formerly belonged to the Hacienda Camacho, established in an ill-fated attempt to settle the island of Barlovento. It was taken over by pirates years ago, and its current inhabitant is Andrea Balichon, a merchant who turned to piracy after a failed attempt to seize a position as Queen by forging a connection to the Drac family lineage. Many pirates in the area stop here to drink, trade rumors, and hold court; Andrea is willing to tolerate them so long as they pay her the respect she feels she is owed.

021.009: This mine is owned by the Velascez family (see hex 022.011) and harvests gold and silver. Only some of the caves have been fully charted, and workers are cautioned to stick to the path; some mineshafts plunge as far as the World Beneath.

021.023: The Monastery of the Drowned Sailor, a monastery devoted to Olmo; its name is in reference to Saint Cynamaer, who was said to have drowned but returned to life by Olmo in a rare act of mercy. The monks here offer tribute to the mermen and sahuagin in the waters, hopefully keeping them appeased so they will not attack sailors - or raid dry land.

022.007: The village of Tecoyo. The Valossan cult of Usalia, the goddess of wrestling, holds that she was once a mortal from this village, and it boasts a great temple where the masks of many a man bested by the temple's priests hang as trophies. Wrestlers from across Valossa make pilgrimages here for its blessings. See here.

022.011: The Hacienda Velascez, owned by a reclusive noble family that made its great wealth on trade and the gold and silver brought down from the mountains. They rarely appear for official business, content to let their tithes come in. Many believe this is because the mines bring them all the money they could want - in reality, the patriarch, Nicolo de Pavia Velascez, is a vampire.

023.025: A hermit, Merino de Escobilal, lives in a hut on the coast here. He is a scholar of magic, devoting his lonely existence to understanding the arcane arts. Currently, he is trying to decipher an old stone tablet with an inscription in ancient Valossan, but struggles to understand the language, and suspects that it will help to compare the writing on the tablet to inscriptions in other ancient Valossan ruins. He is willing to train anyone who helps him in rare magics in return (they may learn additional spells, up to fourth level for their respective class, if they spend one week in study with him per level of the spell learned).

024.009: Mount Gusocaudilla is the highest mountain in Valossa, and a dormant volcano. Beneath it resides the great red dragon Zondres, who has hibernated for many years. Though his hoard is fabled, no one dares to steal from it, for the locals fear that if he rises from his slumber, his fires will awaken the volcano and unleash devastation upon the island. Zondres has slept through the conquest of Valossa and the rise and fall of the Kingdom, and will be quite confused to find out about the current sociopolitical situation if he does awake.

025.008: The village of Pomoca. The people here worship the dragon Zondres (see hex 024.009) out of fear that he may awake from his slumber and cause the volcano to erupt. Nestled as they are in a valley between steep mountains, they have little contact with outsiders and hold onto their strange traditions.

025.011: The village of Rapellonia. This village boasts the most fertile soil in the north of Valossa, owing to volcanic activity in centuries past, and produces a great deal of crops for the surrounding settlements. Unbeknownst to the headwoman, one farmer, Nasio Alba, is an associate of a bandit gang in the area, and houses smuggled goods in the caves north of town in exchange for magical reagents he uses to experiment with his crops - sometimes producing strange side effects in the pursuit of bountiful yields.

025.019: The fishing village of Cotosa, one of a few small settlements along the coast of Barlovento. A local girl, Sofia, claims that she saw men with scales like fish swimming off the coast, and that they seem to be growing closer, but surely she's just telling stories...

026.015: The town of Rosales, an important trade center linking northern Valossa with the more settled south. It marks the endpoint of a major cattle drive route, and the local guilds of butchers and leatherworkers hold great power - power that has made them feel threatened by the increasing influence of the Esparzano family in the area (see hex 028.014).

027.005: An extensive system of caves along the northern coast of Aballa mark the fabled site where the dread pirate known only as the Black Dog buried his treasure hoard years ago. Many have searched for the location of the hoard, but its precise location is shrouded in mystery and buried deep within the tunnels that extend through the island. The entrance to these caves can only be accessed at low tide; its position is marked by two rocks jutting up from the shore like fangs, only visible when the tide recedes.

027.010: This mine is owned by the Cervantes family (see hex 027.011) and draws from great veins of gold, which have been a lucrative asset to their hacienda. Most miners are serfs of the estate, though one group has secretly been hoarding gold with which to buy their freedom. The haciendados would not be pleased if they discovered such subterfuge.

027.011: This castle belongs to Duchess Carmelita Cervantes, one of the most wealthy and influential haciendados in Valossa. They have held power in Porto Libre for generations, but decided to settle in the north to exert their authority over the mines there. The castle is located at a strategic pass in the mountains and heavily guarded, making it all but unassailable by bandits.

028.008: The village of Tecuri. It largely subsists on grazing cattle, sheep, and goats, and its people live a self-sufficient life, as it is too far from the roads to get much trade, and is free from the immediate oversight of any nobles. Lately, the inhabitants have been plagued by the Fair Folk, who cause the livestock to go mad and run astray in retaliation for the villagers grazing their cows too close to a fairy grove. This threatens the livelihood of the entire town if the matter can't be straightened out.

028.014: The Hacienda Esparzano, owned by a family descended from leaders in the conquest of the Valossan isles. See here.

028.023: A merchant galleon that was overtaken by sahuagin lies sunken beneath the waves, and is visible below the surface on clear days. Its coffers are ripe for plundering, though getting there would require some way to breathe underwater. 

029.012: The town of Sierra Alvarez, an important trading post that imports goods from southern Valossa in exchange for gold from the mountains, shipping wares down the Chichinapa River. Many of the officials on the town council are appointed by the Cervantes family (see hex 027.011), though there is a substantial faction loyal to the Vilalbas instead, which has led to fierce competition among merchants to secure the favors of these powerful families.

029.015: This camp is currently home to the Plateados, a gang of vaqueros that holds themselves as skilled horsemen, and who flaunt their status by embroidering their clothes and saddles with silver. They like to imagine themselves as noble knights, though they will just as readily extort travelers for money if they pass through their territory, claiming it as a "toll."

029.017: The village of Pinito. It sits upon a rocky mesa, with many of the buildings set into the hillside. Many residents belong to an Old Faith cult that worships spiders, and allow themselves to be bitten during rituals so that they may be granted visions by their venom. Some say there are dens of gigantic spiders beneath the town, though no one has ever seen one.

031.009: This castle belongs to Count Urbano Gonzales, and stands atop a hill on the highland moors to watch for bandits. The Count is a stern man and strict in his enforcement of the law, and on his fief is a large oak tree where the severed hands of thieves are hung rom the branches. On full moons, the hands come to life and descend from the tree in search of valuables to steal; no matter how many times he has had the tree blessed, the phenomenon persists.

031.019: A roadside shrine sits by the trail cutting through the desert here, devoted to Marseah and wishing safety to all who travel the road. To many outlaws in the area, this spot is neutral ground, as they consider it unlucky to shed blood in the goddess's presence; rival gangs often meet here to discuss matters where they can be sure violence won't escalate.

032.011: This camp is currently home to a band of vaqueros known for their skills in knife-fighting, practicing a style where they hold a knife in one hand and a cloak in the other to use as a shield. They set their camp on a hill, allowing them to survey the surrounding area, and they are wary of unfamiliar faces.

032.018: This homestead sits in a steep rocky canyon, and serves as a base of operations for two outlaw brothers who live off of rustling cattle and horses. They take advantage of the narrow and easily defensible canyon to ward off intruders, and they know the languages of the wild beasts in the area to use them as spies and guardians, including the giant serpent Vivaron, who serves as their most trusted (and most feared) ally. They dump the bodies of their victims in the well at their farm, and the ghastly moans of their lost souls can be heard rippling through the canyon at night.

033.013: The city of Matugeo. The largest city in northern Valossa, it owes its prosperity to its location on the Chichinapa River, and has a dock to trade goods up and down its length. It is governed by Count Serafin de Castro, a loyal subject of the Margarita family who has not been afraid to exert his influence to supress threats to the Dogaressa.

034.017: A ruined castle sits in a valley here, long since pillaged by bandits. A gang of outlaw vaqueros has taken up residence in the ruins, using its crumbling walls to hold off incursions from bounty hunters looking to take them to justice.

034.019: The city of San Catrina, the center of Valossa's cult of the White Lady. See here.

034.022: This camp is currently home to a band of vaqueros led by an outlaw known only as The Kid - in reality, he is a 50-year-old halfling with a boyish face, but he has grown tired of correcting people. They drive cattle in the service of the Torian family (see hex 039.022), but work for the highest bidder and are not afraid to throw their loyalties in with whoever offers them more money, sometimes even rustling cattle from their former employers.

035.008: The fishing village of Borriega. Its headman is an old weatherbeaten man named Lucero who claims to have been a fearsome pirate in his youth, and who spins many tall tales about his grand adventures at sea, seeing many strange lands and having daring escapes with the law. Some of his stories might have some truth to them.

035.011: The Hacienda San Munoz, a frontier estate on the high moors. Its owner, Dame Lucenda San Munoz, is a vivacious huntswoman who launches many an expedition to hunt deer and geese over the moors, and often invites noted guests for such occasions.

035.024: Thirty paces to the southwest of a pillar of rock is buried the treasure hoard of a long-dead pirate captain. It consists of 1094 GP in gold and jewels, a scroll of lesser restoration, and a scroll of bear's endurance (the scrolls are in ivory cases, each worth 13 GP). A map to the treasure is in the possession of Gonzalo the ettin (see hex 019.011).

036.015: The village of Zamorina. Its people have farmed and fished on the banks of the Chichinapa River for generations, largely enjoying their independence, until Porto Libre began to tighten its grip on the Valossan islands. Now, its residents are under the taxation of Count de Castro (see hex 033.013), and many have resorted to selling their children into slavery to make the tithes, while others, disgruntled by their occupation, have taken up banditry, hoping to one day strike back against the Count.

037.019: The entrance to an extensive cave system running through the central mountains. One hidden passage leads to a cellar beneath the Hacienda Catalano, the hideout of the Black Fox (see hex 037.020). Other, deeper passages lead to a warren of Rat Men.

037.020: The Hacienda Catalano, owned by Sir Alejandro de la Catalano, a wealthy knight who grazes cattle over the pastures east of here. Secretly, his dilettante son, Guy, takes on the identity of a masked swashbuckler known as the Black Fox, riding a black horse by night to stand up for the downtrodden people and to strike back against corrupt nobility.

037.025: The village of Los Amarillas, situated on an oasis in the desert. A few miles away from town is the hut of Abuela Rufina, a curandera (folk healer) who the townspeople consult for her knowledge of herbalism and protective charms against ghosts, demons, and fairies.

038.024: The Convent of Saint Magdalena, a Marsean convent built on an oasis in the desert. The nuns here use the isolation their location provides to practice mindfulness and meditation, though they will extend hospitality to any travelers, providing them with meals and a bed. The predations of bandits require they keep crossbows on hand to defend themselves, and they do not tolerate those who take advantage of their hospitality.

038.028: The Hacienda Garrido, owned by Sir Ernesto Lopez Garrido. He is a servant of the Torian family (see hex 039.022) and raises cattle and wheat here. Though he owes a tithe to the Torians, he is far enough from their eye to feel like he can get away with embezzling wealth for his own use, smuggling away a portion of his tithe with the vaqueros in his employ under the pretenses of it being "stolen by those bothersome bandits."

039.019: There is a waterfall here, high in the hills where the river runs down to the forest below. A hidden cave behind the waterfall is home to a fey maiden in possession of an Anstruth harp; occasionally her music can be heard far off in the distance. She is willing to part with the harp only to a musician who can beat her in a contest of music.

039.022: This castle belongs to the Torian family, a long-standing ally of the deposed royal House Drac. Though the head of the family, Hector Torian, resides in Porto Libre, his nephew Romulo tends to the castle, which stands guard over the road and exerts considerable tolls for travelers. While Hector hopes to find a suitable heir to the throne, Romulo feels that his uncle's obsession is running the family into the ground, and would rather he be king instead. See here for more information.

039.030: The Monastery of Her Blessed Plenty, a monastery devoted to Nehalennia, the goddess of trade and commerce. Although the monastery is situated on an island far from any trade routes, the monks here pray for fair winds and safe travels for merchant galleons, and many traders make pilgrimages here to obtain their blessings before embarking on a journey.

040.027: The village of Quila, a small village among grazing lands. Many vaqueros heading west from Guasimolco (see hex 045.027) stop here to rest and replenish their supplies, and it has a large inn that caters to them. The innkeeper, Miguelito de Matos, has become aware of his reputation, and overcharges younger and less experienced herdsmen who don't know of any cheaper places to stay.

041.004: The island of Armentera is under the control of Taldameer, and Fort Marcenado is an important naval base patroling the strait between it and Aballa to try and curtail pirate activity. It is led by Lord Joaquin de Vasco Martinos, the third son of a Taldameeri noble house who was assigned to the island while his brothers inherited the family possessions, a fact that he is resentful of to this day. He has no tolerance for piracy, and the gallows placed at the entrance to the harbor speaks as much.

041.023: The city of Temiaquis, regarded as one of the last bastions of civilization before the prairies and deserts of western Aballa. The streets are choked with merchants bringing their wares from the west and north, as well as vaqueros seeking work or stopping over on the road. Although the de Braca family (see hex 043.024) is theoretically in charge of the city, they exert little actual power, leading the guild council to run most affairs.

043.018: A ruined city of the ancient Valossans sits on the bank of the Chichinapa here. It is dominated by a huge stepped pyramid (a mausoleum and temple to their god of the dead) beneath which rest the mummified bodies of ancient kings - with their amassed wealth, and no shortage of traps and guardians to protect it even after all these years.

043.024: This castle is owned by Count Matteo de Braca, a noble who owns several fiefs and haciendas in the area. His daughter, Gwendolyn, has a fiercely adventurous spirit, which led to her falling in with a gang of delinquents back in Porto Libre, causing Matteo to recall her to the keep to save face. Gwendolyn resents her father for his strict ways, and hopes to one day marry into a family that will let her live her dreams - or else, run away.

043.028: The Abbey of San Alejandra, a Solennite monastery. Its facade is dominated by a towering steeple where one monk, holding a position of honor in the community, is tasked with facing the sun as it rises and sets. It is said that if the proper prayers are not recited at these times, the land will fall into chaos. This also makes sneaking into or out of the monastery quite difficult.

044.002: The village of Sabinosa, a small Taldameeri settlement on Armentera. For years it was largely a fishing village, but as of late construction has been underway on a harbor to open the island up to trade - bankrolled by the Vilalba family through a few allegiances and guild connections, with the hopes of planting spies for Valossa to keep watch on their neighbors.

045.027: The town of Guasimolco. It is controlled by the de Braca family and boasts a large livestock market, with vaqueros driving their herds here from the western plains. Just outside of town is one of the largest arenas in Valossa, which is used for contests of riding, roping, and other vaquero skills.

045.033: A small group of castaways, survivors of a ship wrecked by marauding sahuagin, are camped out on this island. They are starving and awaiting rescue, but beginning to lose hope. If they can be taken to safety, one of them will relate the story of the maiden in hex 039.019.

046.024: The Hacienda Hogar, formerly owned by the Hogar family, a noble house with ties to the Doge's Council. After the fall of the Kingdom, the patriarch paid off pirates in an attempt to help secure him the position of Doge, but his plot was foiled by agents of the Margarita family, who had him killed and placed their own retainers in control. Now, it serves as an outpost of House Margarita, and keeps an eye on goings-on in the area to make sure they fall in line with the Dogaressa's orders.

047.016: The Abbey of the Silver Shield, a convent dedicated to Torvald. The nuns here belong to a militiant order and train in arms, believing they stand guard against demonic incursions from the jungles. They believe followers of the Old Faith to be demon-worshipers in denial, and seek to stamp out their influence.

048.020: This old watchtower serves as the base of operations for a crew of river pirates that prey on the Lake Country. See here.

048.026: The Hacienda Margarita, the country home of the noble house that currently controls Valossa. Although the Dogaressa rules from her palace in Porto Libre, she maintains the villa and its fiefs as a source of income, leaving a retainer, Baroness Violetta Travieso, in charge. Though Violetta is loyal to her liege, she finds her responsibilities overwhelming, and can't keep an eye on the schemes of her vassals. See here for more information.

049.023: The Monastery of Saint Casimir, a monastery devoted to Mimir, the god of knowledge. Its monks live a solitary and reclusive lifestyle, mainly busying themselves at the scriptorium. The library contains an extensive collection of rare and arcane tomes, but visitors are strictly forbidden. Some rumors hold that the monks get up to antics (ranging from summoning demons to engaging in debauched orgies, depending on who you ask) behind closed doors.

050.016: The village of Osoro, a small fishing community on the coast. Due to its distance from any major authorities, it is a common place for pirates to shelter themselves from the law, and many of the villagers are involved in the smuggling trade in one way or another.

050.019: The Hacienda Vilalba, the largest of several villas owned by the powerful Vilalba family, which maintains a network of spies throughout the Great South Sea. Though the family resides in Porto Libre, the patriarch, Marco Vilalba, uses the hacienda to house and hire privateers, mercenaries, and other allies that would be a little too conspicuous back home. See here for more information.

051.023: An old overgrown shrine here is home to a giant salamander, and several villagers in the surrounding area belong to a cult that meets to worship the beast. See here.

051.025: The village of Tepucila, a fief of the Hacienda Tarjano (see hex 052.025). Along the shore is a cave that the villagers use to hide their valuables from the predations of their lord's tax collectors, and the townsfolk will guard its location with their lives.

052.022: The village of Cobanes, which is training a militia to defend itself against river pirates operating in the Lake Country. See here.

052.025: The Hacienda Tarjano, home to one of Valossa's wealthiest - and most cutthroat - noble families. The family, led by Duke David Tarjano, owns extensive fiefs in the area, and they exert close control over their vassals, levying heavy tithes that leave the peasants with barely any more than what can sustain themselves. The Tarjanos largely reside in Porto Libre, but their steward - the Duke's cousin Martin de Cara Tarjano - is a grim, merciless man who exerts the authority behind his master's smiling face.

054.021: The Abbey of Saint Mariquilla the Learned, a Mimirite monastery that preaches to a congregation of villagers from the various settlements of the Lake Country. See here.

054.023: The city of Florezentina, the largest settlement in the Lake Country and one of Valossa's most productive centers of agriculture. See here.

055.018: The village of Coatequitas, which grows rice and beans on a system of terraced fields leading down to the coast. They warn travelers not to sail through here, knowing of the sirens at hex 056.017.

055.022: The Hacienda Obando, site of a great festival during the olive harvest season that draws visitors from throughout the Lake Country and beyond. See here.

055.025: The Abbey of San Juan Modesto, a Voltanite monastery. Though they are just down the road from Porto Libre, the monks scorn the capital, which they regard as a den of sin, and hold that anyone who seeks virtue must find it through them. They follow a heavily regimented lifestyle, living as ascetics and devoting themselves to hard labor.

056.017: A rocky stretch of coast here is inhabited by three sirens (stats of harpies) who prey on sailors, using their beautiful singing voices to lure ships to crash on the rocks. They keep the skeletons of their victims nestled among the rocks further back from shore. One such skeleton wears a lucky amulet in the shape of a rabbit's foot (once per day, the wearer may forego rolling a d20 for any attack roll or check to get a 10 on the die).

056.029: Isla del Diablo, formerly a leper colony; it has since become infamous as a penal colony to exile some of Valossa's worst criminals (and political rivals). Though the Republic has a castle here to hold guard, they largely leave the inmates to themselves, and they live a cutthroat existence where only the strong hold power.

057.021: The town of Tarameca, one of Valossa's largest ports outside of the capital. It ships much of the Republic's exports to Taldameer, Golnir, Quel'Ahma, and further ports, and many merchants from afar can be found here. Perhaps for that reason, it is governed by the Vilalba family, who use their connections to local merchant guilds to inflitrate foreign ports.

057.025: The town of La Cola ("the tail"), so called because it was the furthest settlement established under the reign of Mauregato Drac. It is the site of Valossa's proudest university, with the children of many influential noble and merchant families (even some from beyond Valossa) studying here under its scholars. The university is closely supported by the Order of the Lorekeepers, a Mimirite order based in Porto Libre.

059.025: On a promontory above the sea sits a shrine to Olmo, tended to by Arena, a shrine maiden who lives a solitary life here. Many sailors pour libations from the cliffs into the ocean to pray for safe travel. Arena is usually quick to insist they donate to the upkeep of the shrine as well.

059.029: This island belongs to the Monastery of Blessed Ashes, a small complex of monks devoted to Morthanos who maintain a crematorium to dispose of the dead too poor to afford tombs or burial plots in Porto Libre. They are dour and silent, and many ships steer clear of the island, believing it to be bad luck.

060.027: The city of Porto Libre, capital and largest city of Valossa. Largely adapted from Green Ronin's Pirate's Guide to Freeport.

061.019: The village of Huayapan, a small settlement on the island of Sotavento. Its people are largely subsistence farmers, owing to its isolation, but lately they have begun logging the nearby woodlands and sending the lumber up the river to the shipyards of Caldereta (see hex 062.018). This has seen the village experience a sudden swell in wealth, and many merchants from Caldereta have capitalized on the goodwill of the townsfolk by expanding their business into the area.

062.018: The city of Caldereta, the only large settlement on Sotavento and a mercantile power that has long rivaled Porto Libre in a feud that has spanned generations, some times more friendly than others. Although much smaller than the capital, it possesses a prominent shipyard, and has been expanding its ties to ports in Taldameer. For the most part, Porto Libre does not consider the city a threat, but if it throws its lot in with rival powers, that may change. Its burgomaster, Francisco de Masson, is an outspoken firebrand of a man who claims that the people deserve better than the corruption and elitism of Porto Libre, and is not afraid of paying off pirates and privateers to secure his power.

064.022: The ruins of an ancient Valossan city, built at the mouth of the Barda River, sit here. Expeditions here have found only wild beasts, though some rumors claim that a family of skin-changers lives here, using enchanted skins to assume the forms of animals.

064.030: The Royal Lighthouse, built on the island of Teuiqo. It was constructed under the reign of Ciriaco I, the last King of Valossa, and still maintains its name even though Valossa is now a republic. The lighthouse is far larger and more imposing than it has any practical purpose being, with many decrying it as a momument to the late King's vanity, but it is still maintained by a family of halfling lighthouse-keepers to serve as a beacon into Porto Libre's harbor. The lighthouse-keepers have also taken to using its cavernous chambers to smuggle goods on the side, beneath the Dogaressa's nose.