The City of Eyes
by Oliver Clegg
Oliver Clegg is the author of The City of Eyes, a Ravenloft Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition setting adventure designed for level 15 characters. The story takes place in Elysium, a city drowned in endless rainfall. Learn more about Clegg’s epic 77-page adventure below.
What inspired this story?
I’ve always been a fan of classic Ravenloft (the misery and sadness speaks to me, take from that what you will), but I wanted to do something a little more eldritch and mad. Out of the Abyss (the underdark module Wizards of the Coast released a while back) really got me thinking about insanity and paranoia, and how those would really be a perfect fit for a Ravenloft domain steeped in invisible enemies and aberrations.
Tales of Earthsea has always been a favourite of mine, with the real enemy always being the battle within yourself and the struggle to continue in the face of terrible evil. Call of Cthulhu has to have an honorable mention, with that sense of hopelessness and railing against ancient powers of formless malice. There’s even a little noir tucked away in there — an investigation, constant bad weather, traipsing through horrible places in search of a clue.
How do you approach writing an RPG?
This one actually stemmed from a panicked one-shot adventure I came up with on the fly for some strangers I’d promised to run a game for. I needed a hook (a missing girl) and a reason for the adventurers to stay on track (the mists of Ravenloft) and it very much evolved from there. I usually nail down the setting, and [the location], then run games for people until I’ve evolved a cast of NPCs that seem alive. It’s a slow evolution, so I actually ended up releasing The City of Eyes in parts over [the course of] about six months.
What tips do you have for aspiring writers?
Keep doing a little at a time and eventually it will take shape. Don’t be afraid to go back to square one if you have a better idea halfway through. Playtest that thing to shit, even if you haven’t finished it yet. Hell, even play it more than once with the same people. Players will see all the loopholes you’ve missed in a heartbeat.
Any other notable works you’d like to share?
[Check out] Mother Haggle’s Notice Board, which is the name of a series of one-page one shots I’ve released in my spare moments over the last year or so. (You can find a full list of Clegg’s work here, which includes each of the Notice Board modules.) They mostly revolve around simple tasks (like fetching a cow) sinking into disaster, fire and death by a thousand implausible avenues.
Oliver Clegg is the author of numerous DMsGuild.com titles. Get The City of Eyes, and Oliver’s other adventures, at DMsGuild.com. Follow Oliver on Twitter.
