In the elder time chosen men had talked with the entombed Old Ones in dreams, but then something had happened. The great stone city R’lyeh, with its monoliths and sepulchres, had sunk beneath the waves; and the deep waters, full of the one primal mystery through which not even thought can pass, had cut off the spectral intercourse. But memory never died, and high-priests said that the city would rise again when the stars were right.
– The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft
I'm excited to share my take on the H.P. Lovecraft's City of R'Lyeh – so excited, I've made 19 versions! Even if your campaign doesn't have Lovecraftian elements, you should be able to find a way to fit this in. Included are phases of the original variation, so you can have your players run across the apex of the Great House of Cthulhu at sea and prompt them to explore deep underwater, or have the water level rise and fall as the plot moves forward.
While "The Call of Cthulhu" was the main inspiration for this map, the snow and ice versions could substitute for the city on the Leng Plateau in At The Mountains of Madness, perfect for an Icewind Dale campaign. And Avernus players will be happy to see the Inferno and Lava versions. I've intentionally left grids and scales off of these maps. I'd suggest something HUGE, like several thousand feet (or a mile) an inch, but do what makes sense for your setting.
Of course, you could just pick up the fold-out map/adventure I co-designed with J.V.C. Parry, The Sinking of C'Thagn. Facing an Elder God has never been easier!
City of R'Lyeh map variations (51x33, Hi-res JPEG maps, ungridded only) include:
- R'Lyeh
- R'Lyeh: Bone
- R'Lyeh: Bone & Blood
- R'Lyeh: B&W
- R'Lyeh: Coast
- R'Lyeh: Desert
- R'Lyeh: Desert Sand
- R'Lyeh: Flood
- R'Lyeh: Flood - Clear Water
- R'Lyeh: Glowing
- R'Lyeh: Glowing Coast
- R'Lyeh: Inferno
- R'Lyeh: Inferno & Lava
- R'Lyeh: Necro
- R'Lyeh: Necro Ooze
- R'Lyeh: Old Paper
- R'Lyeh: Snow & Ice
- R'Lyeh: Snow
- R'Lyeh: Underwater
Foundry VTT Module
The Foundry Module for this set has lighting and sound preset, but by obvious necessity, not the intricate walls. At this scale, it just wouldn't make much sense!
Installation guide: Limithron.com/Foundry
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