Expert Set (1981) Karameikos, 6 miles per hex

Although the 1981 Expert Set did not reprint the Known World map in any form, it did include a 6 mile per hex map of the Karameikos region. In addition to X1 (1981)’s cities of Specularum and Selenica, this larger scale map introduced a number of new settlements to Karameikos, including Luln (marked as a town); the Haunted Keep and Wereskalot in the neighbouring Five Shires (both ruins); and Fortdoom, Krakatos, and the Estate of Marilenev (all castles). The Black Eagle Barony is named, and labels appear for gnomes, elves, dwarves, kobolds, goblins, orcs, bugbears, and frost giants.

Interestingly, the Lost Valley is shown (though hard to make out) and labelled — and it’s across the border, in Darokin.

The text on page X60 provides some level of detail for some of these names, as well as a few more labels to add to the map: Gulf of Halag and Black Peaks/Cruth Mountains/The Steach. The text also sets up the Black Eagle Barony and defines its relationship with Luln, and notes that the Haunted Keep is also known as Koriszegy Keep. Amusingly, half of the page is given over to the gnomes, although there is no mention yet of the name of their settlement.

Replica Map (April 2018)

Sources

• Expert Rulebook (1981) (PDF at DriveThruRPG)
  • “The Grand Duchy of Karameikos”, page X61

Chronological Analysis

This is Map 4. It was published in 1981. An updated version of this 6 mile per hex map has not yet been released, but see Karameikos, 8 miles per hex. See also Appendix C for annual chronological snapshots of the area. For the full context of this map in Mystara’s publication history, see Let’s Map Mystara 1981-1982.

The following lists are from the Let’s Map Mystara project. Additions are new features, introduced in this map; Revisions are changes to previously-introduced features; Hex Art & Fonts track design elements; and finally Textual Additions are potential features found in the related text. In most cases, the Atlas adopts these textual additions into updated and chronological maps.

Additions

• Dominions— the Black Eagle Barony and the Specularum area (unnamed).
• Fauna— numerous labels across the map, mostly demihumans and humanoids: dwarves, elves (in two places), gnomes; bugbears, frost giants, goblins (in four places), kobolds (in two places), and orcs. Interestingly, all of these labels correspond to cave icons, except for the elves and one goblin label — all of which occur in forests. These caves are therefore the settlements of these peoples.
• Settlements— Luln (a village); Fortdoom, Krakatos, and the Estate of Marilenev (all castles); Haunted Keep and Wereskalot (both ruins).
• Terrain— the Lost Valley is located just across the northern Karameikos border, inside Darokin.

Revisions

• Coastline— while it broadly matches X1 (1981)’s coastline, there is some added detail, as is expected for a larger scale map.
• Rivers— very similar to X1’s rivers.
• Settlements— Specularum and Selenica have both moved just slightly from their X1 positions.
• Terrain— generally in line with X1’s 24 mile per hex map, albeit finely detailed to match the conversion to a larger scale. The mountains look a little emaciated compared to the smaller scale map, but it’s easy to see their shape as a consequence.

Hex Art & Fonts

• Fonts— Souvenir.
• New Symbols— Castle (empty square).

Textual Additions (Expert Rulebook 1981)

• Climate— “The weather throughout the area represented on this map is generally temperate and mild with short winters of little or no snowfall and long summers. Rainfall is ample but not heavy and easterly winds blow cool breezes from over the sea.” (p. X60)
• Government— the Black Eagle Barony is noted as a fiefdom granted by the duke. The government within the barony sounds like a dictatorship. (p. X60) The gnomish government sounds like a democracy. (p. X60)
• Military— Specularum’s military is noted at 500, with an army of 5,000 raisable in times of war, and a “small fleet of warships”. The Black Eagle Barony has “a garrison of 200 troops”. (p. X60)
• Mountains— “The mountain range running along the north edge of the map is known by different names by the peoples of the territory including the Black Peaks, the Cruth Mountains, or The Steach.” (p. X60) X1 marked the mountains of the Five Shires as the Cruth Mountains; the Expert Rulebookis thus providing alternate names for the same range, which likely continues until it meets the Altan Tepes, southeast of Selenica. (p. X60)
• Rulers— X1 (1981)’s Duke Stephan has changed to “Duke Stefan”. He has also gained a regnal number: “Duke Stefan Karameikos the Third”. Baron Ludwig “Black Eagle” von Hendriks is introduced. (p. X60)
• Scale— page X60 gives the scale of the map as 6 miles per hex.
• Seas— the bay on which the Black Eagle Barony sits is known as the Gulf of Halag. (p. X60)
• Settlements— Specularum, population “approximately 5,000”, is twice referred to as a port, and its harbour is mentioned three times in the short descriptions. (p. X60) The map shows the icon slightly away from the river and the coast, but this is likely for clarity on the black and white map. Fort Doom (as opposed to the map’s Fortdoom) is noted as “the central town” of the Black Eagle Barony, as well as “a forbidding structure”. (p. X60) The map marks this as a castle; it seems likely that this is a castle town. Luln’s population is stated to be “approximately 500”. (p. X60) The Haunted Keep is also called Koriszegy Keep. (p. X60) The gnomes in the hills total 620. This is likely divided into lairs of roughly 250, 100, 90, 90, and 90. (p. X60)

Join in the Discussion at The Piazza

Come and join in the discussion about this map at The Piazza, where I am holding a “read through” of the Let’s Map Mystara project.

Past and Future Versions of this Map