The Obojima Podcast the Blog | Episode 13 Building a Mining Town in D&D: Toggle the Steelwork Town

This blog post was made using dictation summary software, and posted for SEO purposes. If you really want to know what this episode is about, check out the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPME0QBTQ44

It’s episode 13, and there’s nothing cursed about it! Welcome to the blog of the Obojima Podcast! This podcast is a deep dive into the creative process of creating Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass. First thing’s first, let’s meet our intrepid crew of writers. 

• Jeremiah Crofton - The Creative Director of 1985 Games and the creator of Obojima. 

• Ari Levitch- Head Writer

• Adam Lee- Head Writer

Welcome to Toggle: The Cranky, Clanky Heart of Obojima’s Mining Frontier

So you’ve wandered your way into Toggle, eh? First tip: don’t ask why it’s called Toggle unless you want a 45-minute lecture involving levers, river rerouting, and the slightly unhinged but wildly respected Toggle family. Long story short, it's a town built on grit, gear grease, and just the right amount of madness.

A Town Built on Rock and Roll (Mostly Rock)

Toggle isn’t your average sleepy mining village. Nestled into the craggy side of a mountain like a gear jammed into place, this town is all platforms, bridges, and steep staircases. Think Kowloon Walled City meets a Phillips head screw—yeah, it’s a twisty vertical maze of metal, stone, and soot.

At its core, Toggle is about mining, smelting, smithing, and shouting over loud machinery. You’ll find copper veins, tin pockets, iron shafts, and enough magical steelwork to make a dwarf weep with joy. The economy runs on ingots and slag, and trust me—slang gets traded as fast as ore.

Holly’s Submersible & the 40-Glyph Steel

This episode kicks off with Holly from the Coastal Diver’s Lodge showing up, dragging her busted pontoué submersible up the mountain, demanding repairs from people who don’t even like water that much. What does she need? Not just any metal. She’s looking for 40-glyph steel, the arcane good stuff.

In Toggle, steel gets infused with glyphs, each one making it tougher, smarter, maybe even a little sassier. The town’s best shot? A pair of Dara smiths—one red and jacked, one blue and magical—working in harmony like a forge-powered boy band.

Characters That’ll Get in Your Face (or Your Quest Log)

Let’s talk NPCs. Toggle is full of big personalities and bigger arms:

• The Dara Smiths: Red is your hammer-swinging, ale-chugging, statue-making legend. Blue is the quiet glyph whisperer who sees math as poetry. Together, they’ve built everything from windmills to wandering steel golems.
  
  

• The Legendary Bartender: Keeps a “no singing, no service” policy. Has a pet spirit who sings bass. Only accepts payment in copper buds or harmonies.
  
  

• The Miners: Gruff, straight-talking, and potentially inspired by the cast of Chernobyl. These folks sing in the mines—not for fun, but for survival.
  
  

Mine Songs, Drum Bellies, and Electric Bunnies

In Toggle, mining is a musical experience. Singing isn’t just tradition—it’s communication, a safety tool, and maybe even a way to keep certain spirit creatures from eating your legs. Especially the Drum Belly, a rhythm-hunting cave horror who loves predictable beats. Too regular? It shows up. Syncopate your mining? You might live to clock out.

Also in the mines: electric bunnies, magnetized pests, and a bulbous spirit toad that may or may not be the mine's disgruntled landlord. And don’t forget the mine spirit itself—leave offerings (slag, coal, old love letters) or risk a cave-in that even glyph steel can’t stop.

Trouble from the Deep

Of course, it’s not all pickaxes and copper buds. Venomous Rex—a vicious viper fish with an ego as big as his fin span—is up to something slimy. He and his corrupted ranger followers (one of whom uses stonefish venom like it’s mouthwash) want the same magical alloy Holly's after. Expect sabotage, lies, maybe even a minecart chase or two.

Adventure Hooks for the Hammer-Happy

Want to run a campaign here? Oh, the quest hooks practically mine themselves:

• Reopen a haunted copper shaft sealed since a “drum belly incident”
  
  

• Retrieve steel from a wandering golem last seen 25 years ago yelling at clouds
  
  

• Help Holly test anti-corruption plating (just a bit radioactive, probably)
  
  

• Get a spirit companion (hope you like electric bunnies and passive-aggressive toads)
  
  

• Win the Copper Bud Festival by crafting a glowing ore lantern while singing in 7/8 time
  
  

Final Thoughts: Rough Hands, Warm Hearth

Toggle might seem rough, but under the grime and grease is a town with real heart—and probably some First Age hydroelectric relics humming in the dark. Whether you’re here to forge legendary weapons, stop abyssal corruption, or just win over a grouchy bartender, Toggle is ready to test your mettle (and metal).

So strap on your gear, grab your slag offering, and for the love of steel—don’t sing in 4/4 near the caves.

Check out the full video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPME0QBTQ44