The Midderlands: An OSR Setting & Bestiary

An OSR Roleplaying Setting & Bestiary written for use with Swords & Wizardry and other DnD retroclones.Please note: This is a print-on-demand version, and does not have the printed endpapers, and ribbon bookmarks, that the offset edition on the MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing webstore has. Also, this book excludes the A2 (folded to A5) map of The Midderlands setting. Available separately at the following locations:MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing webstore (http://monkeyblooddesign.co.uk/product/the-midderlands-a2-map/).It is also available via RedBubble at http://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/The-Midderlands-Hex-Map-by-glynnseal/31280104.LVTDIIt is a green-hued, dark-fantasy, late-middle ages, early-renaissance view through grime-smeared spectacles. The setting itself is based on an area in the middle of England near where I live called The Midlands. Many of the locations are loosely based on reality, but others are pure fantasy from an addled mind.The setting part of the book contains something I call “game-juice”. Not heavy of history and monotonous detail, but enough to get the game-juices flowing and let the game master twist and tweak as they need to in order to fit their campaign.There is also humour and occasional swear words.Situated in the middle of Havenland is an area known by the ancestors as the Middle Havenlands. They don’t use that name much any more, preferring to talk lazily, and skip letters.In strange accents, often misheard and little understood by those outside of the central region – they call it “The Midderlands”, and themselves “Midfolk” or “Midderlanders”.There are many peculiar folk that call these Midderlands home. Generally mistrusting of outsiders, they suspiciously eye strangers, close doors, bar windows and scurry in opposite directions. Maybe the area has had a troubled history and that is why the folk behave the way they do.All that aside, there are good folk too. These folk just want to subsist peacefully and not have interference or “goings on” in their lives. Nothing is ever that simple.As well as the people of the area, there are the places. The towns and hamlets, the woods and hills, the lakes and the rivers. Amongst all these places are stranger locales too; circles of stones, strange towers, castles and burial grounds.Everywhere, the Midderlands is tainted by a green-hued menace that rises from the deep and affects nature and order, sometimes subtly and sometimes catastrophically. It rises from the mysterious subterranean realm known as Middergloom. Often described as hell bathed in green fire and flames. Green-tinged slime, noxious vapours, and miasmas creep upwards, amongst them viridian-coloured demons, lime-green tentacles and other malachite horrors claw their way to the surface to wreak havoc. The Lords of the land are always working to keep things at bay. The realm of Middergloom is deliberately nebulous and mysterious, and left for you to develop as needed to suit your campaign.The vileness that lurks below taints the skies above the land too, known as The Drab. The atmosphere is a hint of green rather than blue. The colour can shift between turquoise and sickly yellow-green in a short space of time. When night comes and the Drab clears, the midfolk can see the constellations surrounded by wispy green nebulae, strange wandering stars and comets, and a single many-cratered moon.There are many things to keep the inquisitive minds of treasure seekers amused. There are also many things to keep the treasures where they are.Things stir in this viridian-hued landscape. Evil eyes blink and watch. Teeth and claws scratch and sharpen. Gaping maws slobber and drool.All is not content in the Midderlands. Read more