On January 8th I will be starting up a new campaign here in
the store. Characters will start at first level for this game. I would prefer
you use the base players handbook for this game, making things a little simpler
if people are jumping in with new character at the store. Special cases can be
addressed if need be. We will be using a modified standard array,
16,15,14,13,11,9. I am attaching a list of NPC characters for character
background reasons, I would like each player to pick an NPC to have some sort
of bond, be it a child hood friend, enemy, or ally. If you would like to make
up a contact for me to add to the city instead, that is cool too.
The adventure takes place on what is called known only as the
Northern Island. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings live together in
three larger towns and two small trade cities nestled among mountains and
forests. Tieflings, half orcs, and dragonborn are more often found in the small
trade cities, they are not normally trusted in the larger towns.
Four giant brothers built this land and became gods, one
betrayed the others, destroyed the town of Auer, and was soundly defeated by
his brothers. They bound the betrayer to the bottom of the sea, hoping he would
never return. His minions still gather in hordes and attack the cities but
recently their attacks have been growing bolder. Dark things are stirring and
it is up to the party to thwart them.
The people of the Northern Island have knowledge of the other
two larger islands out there, one is a wild place of cat people, monsters and
nature. The other island was rumored to be a land of tribal panther worshiping
orcs that had been wiped out by hobgoblin invaders, it is far enough away to be
someone else’s problem. Occasionally traders will make it as far as the northern
island and they are met with suspicion.
The adventures will be starting in or near the town of Jarl.
Job boards are always a great place to find work and can be found in Smithy’s,
the local drinking hole for most of the city. Being an island there is plenty
of work out on the sea as well. Odd disappearances have been happening on the
trade routes, strange lights have been seen out on the water at night, people
are starting to get worried.
Npcs of
note:
Smithy:
owner of Smithy’s, has a soft spot for adventurers and can help party members
get in touch with guilds. He is a retired adventurer, now operating the only
bar and black smith in town.
Cervantes:
strange information broker and mage. Good natured and has a tendency to get
overly excited about magic.
Reginald:
traveling wizard, wears brown robes and gets himself into trouble.
Lord Umben:
ruler of Jarl, more like a mayor. He and his family have been in charge of the
city for many generations. He married into a merchant family.
Bran-Lee:
ruler of the thieves’ guild, the Coffer. She is rarely seen but has her agents
everywhere.
High priest
Felton: she runs the temples of the Three. The people worship the three giants,
gaining strength and spells from their power. Gods of the northern island: Korten,
the god of warriors. War domain. Telln, the god of travelers. Knowledge and
Nature domains. Roth, god of law. Protection and life domains. Neln, the god of
secrets and betrayal (evil, players are not able to worship him)
Janriss: she
runs the magic guild in town, the Ilris Arcanum. Promising students are usually
scouted out when they are young and brought to the Arcanum.
Lady
Umben-Jericho: high captain of the merchant guilds, her useless husband runs
the town, she rules the sea.
Common foes
to the societies: orcs, gnolls, ogres, and red cap goblinoids. Dragons are far
less common place. The ocean is without salt, many creatures that normally
would be found only in salt water have adapted to this odd ocean. There are
many small islands between the Northern Island and the other big islands, many
of which have been left unexplored. Ships have shown up to trade with both Moco
and Ellic, strangers have started wandering the land. Undead are a common
problem.
Towns:
Auer- once
the capital and home of the king, Auer is now a ruin. Neln and his forces
destroyed the city, killing the inhabitants. Now only ghosts and the undead
remain. The old king was a mage of great power before his death. Before he was
king, he was known as the Crimson Count until he won the throne by conquest.
After the fall of Auer none wanted claim to the throne, fearing his spirit
might come back or calamity would befall the other cities. For almost three
hundred years the city has sat lifeless.
Ellic- home
to the inventors’ league, Ellic is a dangerous place to walk without watching
your step. Many gnomes and chaotic types call Ellic home. Strange contraptions
are for sale, most are only slightly useful, like an automated hat tipper or
wind up mice. Odd cloaked figures have been seen coming off ships from the
other islands, they obscure their bodies, wearing heavy robes at all times,
they have been bringing all sorts of new technological ideas to the island. The
city has a regent, Lord Nailes, a self-named lord, conducts the legal and
political business of the town, seeking trade agreements with outsiders as well
as maintaining the peace. The local law enforcement are called the gears, for
they are the well-oiled machine of the law.
Moco- the
lighthouse city. Moco was heavily influenced by elven architecture and has tall
buildings looking out over the ocean, lit with ever burning lanterns to help
sailors avoid the reefs. The elves of the city work in tandem with the elves
from the southern forest. Many have sought the elves in Moco for guidance, they
have been around much longer than the other peoples, and remember a time before
the fall or Auer.
Jarl- the
city of the steps. The city is broken into rings, the main gate and the highest
ring are level with the rest of the island, the other rings descend the cliff
face down to the ocean. The grand stairs run from the highest district to the
lowest, connecting the town like a main artery. The lower district houses more
the warehouses and the docks, the next highest has more of the businesses, the
next three layers are residential.
Telas- a
smaller trade route stop, Telas is a wild outpost with all manner of
clientele. Many taverns and inns dot the streets and a large market square
dominates the town center. Occasionally giants come to trade down from the
mountains, people claim they even have seen dragons, which is silly. Telas is run by an elf named Corsco Wightbane. He can be usually found within one of
the many taverns gambling at all hours.
Rensfield- larger
than Telas, Rensfield was built near a large crater that proved to be rich in
mineable minerals. The odd wealth has led to larger than expected population
boom. Rensfield and Ellic readily trade with eachother, each needing different
things from the crater. This trade stop is run by Alindia Copperhelm, an exiled
dwarf hailing from Blagengast, and unable to return for reasons.
Blagengast-
home of the dwarves. Most of the mountain dwarves can trace their history to
the halls of Blagengast, where as the hill dwarves are more common among folks
seen within the rest of the cities across the island. Blagengast itself is a
work of art, high vaulted ceilings, carved scenes of ancient battles, mines
that reach deep into the stone, and warriors that fight against any evils that
attempt to escape onto the surface. Kagorack Stonehaven is the Forge King,
ruling the mountain dwarves as their all-king. Other stone homes have popped up
where rare stone has been found, acting like satellite cities of Blagengast.
Gods of
the northern island:
Korten, the
god of warriors. War domain. His followers seek to prepare the masses for possible
battle. With the dark portents recently unveiled there is fear agents of the
betrayer are on the rise again. His sigil is a flaming sword.
Telln, the
god of travelers. Knowledge and Nature domains. His followers have built great
libraries in the temples, offering knowledge to all that seek it. They also
train travelers to safely travel the wilderness, many adventure into the woods
and onto the ocean and should have at least basic knowledge of what is out
there lurking. His symbol is a winding road.
Roth, god of
law. Protection and life domains. Roth’s followers seek to keep the cities safe
from the wilderness, dark things seek to end civilization, and it is up to the
civilized to protect themselves. His healing light allows for people to survive
otherwise lethal ordeals. His sigil is a stout castle.
Neln, the
god of secrets and betrayal (evil, players are not able to worship him)
