Monday 2 January 2023

Old Dunwich & Sunken Coastal Ruins



A few years ago I did a piece on old Sarum which went on to be an inspiration for a series of 10 adventures and a mini-setting on my Patreon and a bunch of dungeons and abandoned towns. This is the historical site of abandonment is a similar inspiration of my woeful coastlines. Possibly inspired a certain Dunwich in the works of a certain fishy New England loner and its easy to imagine this as an adventure with deep one-fish hybrids living here for centuries since it was on land. I did a very good moving lake map with ruined and inhabited areas of a city that moved with the lake leaving ruins behind. So as the lake moved back and forth buildings were abandoned or reoccupied. Was based on a site in china. In this case a storm changed the coast and a river and the town was abandoned and the last few buildings were falling into the sea into the 20th century. Such a site could be of interest to all kinds of genre games. Call of Cthulhu has dunnit already but I'm sure it could do more. Imagine going to medieval dreamlands where deep one dreamers look human. Mash up Dark ages and a more modern era.

You could have some coastal town hit by a storm and invaded by fish folk who move in as mockeries of humans wallowing in the waste-deep marketplaces. I imagine losing a coastal city and income would be a problem and the area did become a Rotten Burrough. I also have people with water breathing and free action can walk about on seafloor and talk to undersea creatures. A druid might chat with local fish. 

Other sea creatures might occupy such a location and make interesting use of it. Maybe pirates occupy the upper floors rising from the sea still or harpies.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunwich

d12 Coastal Ruins
1 Ruined foundations and walls of buildings on the beach
2 Intact chapel or ruin used as a barn on a cliff 
3 Fields around the shore have remains of foundations, some walls and cobblestone paths
4 Ruined buildings along the coast were damaged and buried in the sand
5 Storm-blasted beach revealed some ancient remains of wooden and stone structures and foundations
6 Ruined buildings and streets, some semi-submerged and some underwater
7 Sand dunes and remains of stone walls and mostly roofless buildings
8 Remains of an old graveyard and ruined chapel on a high bluff overlooking sunken ruins
9 A semi-submerged castle, church or tower rises from the sea surrounded by reef and rocks
10 Ruined buildings scattered on the coast are often occupied by hermits, cultists, bandits or monsters. Some have intact roofs and furniture and were abandoned later than the city sunk
11 A few shacks or cliff caves where a few remaining folks live herding and fishing. Will show you some old walls, inscriptions and the best view of the ruins under the sea and some ghost stories
12 A small living village overlooks the sunken ruins from a hilly position and claims the old town their ancestors. May have a story about what cursed their city and local stories of monsters and ghosts

d12 Underwater Ruins
1 Visible rubble and foundations and some intact structures
2 Rubble and ruins but many buildings smothered by sand form a labyrinth 
3 Coral has overgrown the sunken buildings forming a vast reef fortress or citadel
4 Buildings choked in gigantic kelp forest teeming with life
5 An aquatic species have built a village from the old buildings
6 Famous sea monster lair in a great intact state building 
7 Intact buildings with air chambers where some people have hidden for centuries
8 Among ruins and rubble is a fabulous sand castle built by crab folk
Intact buildings and streets underwater
10 Buildings seem intact and occupied by animals and monsters
11 Buildings seem intact and humanoid and other sea creatures are seen walking the streets
12 Underwater creatures living in intact buildings welcome human visitors for trade or sacrifices or food. They have gardens and domestic sea creatures like sharks, eels, crabs

d12 Other Features
1 Local cliff caves but be warned of tides which have killed the curious
2 Local smugglers cave a secret base of a vicious tax dodging gang wanted by the crown
3 Caves beneath the hills have also become more flooded over centuries with a vast underground lake and rivers
4 Humanoid tribes have a secret village or stockade in hard to reach area, possibly water breathers or underground
5 Large lake good for fishing and boating and also has some underwater buildings 
6 Dangerous cliffs best avoided by all but most stubborn fishermen 
7 Famous monster lair in a cave with a legendary treasure
8 Marsh area with active ecology of flora and fauna and possibly a non-human tribe
9 Local temple of a sect dedicated to preserving the memory of the lost city and preventing evil from scavenging the sunken city. May operate a beacon and will be fortified order 
10 Area infamously haunted and church bells heard from under the sea under a full moon
11 Several shipwrecks in the area semi or completely submerged
12 Some small islands remain once part of the coast with some ruins also

d12 Underwater Colony
Roll this 1 to 3 times or as many as you want for lots of factions
1 Fish folk who despise hybrids since they sunk the city long ago with their god
2 Fish folk hybrids who use this as a regional base for their cult
3 Reptilian marine iguana folk, mostly vegetarians but wary of fish folk
4 Selkie folks are a faerie species of seal changelings who sometimes come ashore
5 Sea elves who frolic with dolphins and hold court as rulers of the area
6 Sea Hag matriarch of various aquatic monsters like marine trolls, ogres, goblins
7 Marine salamander folk moved in and claim they owned all the land once. Have many marine monsters and giant marine salamanders as mounts or guards or meat 
8 Marine undead from drowned folk gathered here by a powerful ghost for evil purpose
9 Sirin or nymph with various pets, water elementals, nixies and sea elf courtiers 
10 Marine dragon is the local ruler and has a court of marine beast folk and spirit folk courtiers and soldiers. Will assume human form and occupy a regal palace. Guests must be well-mannered and the dragon is kin to various sea and sky gods
11 Tribe of marine abhuman beast folk who live as barbarians or serve some undersea noble. Shark, eel, crab, starfish, lamprey, jellyfish, turtle, lobster and less common types
12 Humble marine spirit folk of animals or plants just want to live as simple commoners in a village and may sneak ashore to trade or have experienced. Alignment and species can vary wildly but fish, plant or water spirits are the most common

d12 Interesting Locations
1 Place of sacrifice with a bell or gong that calls local famous monsters, sharks or kracken
2 Temple of forgotten sea god with recent offerings and some ancient guardian
3 Great well goes into the deeps, really a gateway to a great sunless ocean in the abyss or luminous demon fish
4 Great bed of giant oysters with giant pearls guarded by monster and a resource belonging to an undersea noble
5 Sunken ship with guardian monster or undead protecting a treasure
6 Great Kelp grove with marine treants sacred grove where sea druids come to worship at great monoliths once on land thousands of years ago with arrangements of mammoth skulls
7 Crystal cave grotto, a space with air where fancy boss monsters come to bathe or to keep prisoners
8 A market plaza is now a ritual gladiator square where species battle to resolve faction feuds. A wise old fish spirit changeling will explain the rules and manages bets
9 An even older sunken cave system where survivors of the city hid and became degenerate cave dwellers who get food from the sea and have rebuilt some of the old towns in their caves
10 Building used as a camp or secret base for a species spying on local life
11 Area where spirits of old sunken town still haunt due to some curse
12 Worksite of underwater species moving stone blocks and statues recovered from ruinsand forgotten by humans








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