Campaign Journal - Session 4 - Boss Fight and Leveling Up

April 6, Northern Reckoning Year 707, Continued...
When we left our heroes last, they were in "room 27" of the goblin caves, having fought and killed over a dozen goblins, using up most of their daily allotment of magic, and taking some damage...

The party moved north through the narrow passage, which began to descend and widen. Because three of the six party members are human and do not have darkvision, torches were required, which would announce their presence to any monsters waiting up ahead.

Niam the rogue and Malachy the barbarian were in the first rank as the party advanced. The presence of the enemy was announced by an arrow whizzing by the rogue and clattering off the rock wall behind him. Quickly spotting the goblin archer, Niam returned fire with his short bow, and missed, but Malachy was more successful, skewering the goblin with a well-placed javelin, and tumbling the assailant off his ledge.

As the party advanced to reconnoiter, a general melee ensued. Additional goblin archers were shooting from the right and left flanks, and a trio of larger creatures were rushing at our heroes from across the cavern. As hand to hand combat ensued with the barbarian, it was believed (correctly) that the assailants were a pair of hobgoblins and a very large goblin. The melee in the center of the chamber was close fought, with Malachy and Badric (the dwarven cleric) going toe to toe with the three bad guys.

Tower Dungeon and Eastern Caves

Badric, in his haste to rush up and support his hard-pressed friend, failed to notice the goblin shaman lurking off to the side, and was blasted with the lightning of a Witch Bolt spell. Badric was staggered by the attack, which was countered by a Magic Missile cast at the three main melee opponents (from Duncan the wizard). Melior (the Druid) rushed to support Malachy, while Niam and Mordechai (the fighter) rushed to deal with the shaman, whose Witch Bolt was still toasting Badric...

The shaman was hit, breaking his concentration and ending his spell, but Badric was hit with a melee attack shortly after and fell to the ground unconscious (gaining the honor of becoming the first "man down" of our campaign). Mordechai would also be incapacitated before the melee was over, but our heroes prevailed after a tense fight. Malachy performed admirably, but had taken some damage, as had the Druid from prior fights. Mordechai had served his "meat shield" role admirably, and the quickness of Niam and the firepower of Duncan all contributed to the success in this, the party's first "boss battle."

When the fight was over, the party agreed that it was best to find a safe place to hunker down for the night and rest, healing up as best they could.

During the night, the members of the party were all independently haunted by similar dreams of fighting undead creatures in a temple graveyard at night, utilizing abilities and powers that they didn't know that they had. This proved to be the way in which their respective higher powers bestowed on them the benefits of advancing to 2nd level.

The morning of April 7 was spent investigating the few known corners of the dungeon that had not been dealt with before. The only incidents of note, in the large natural caverns in the southwest corner of the dungeon, were a brief battle with 7 stirges (large blood-sucking birds), and the discovery of a rune and glyph covered door in the deepest depths of the far western cavern. Approaching the door, an apparition appeared in the pool of water nearby, saying "I Zaratha of Kel-Vandiir have sealed this portal. Open it at your own risk." Having neither the means nor necessarily the desire to open the portal, the party went about gathering their treasure and heading back to Fulcher's Hold. [Note that despite the map nobody knows what is behind the door - that chapter remains the be written - it may be a room and stairs, it may be something else entirely...]

Temple Dungeon and Western Caves

The party decided that they would be careful about what information they divulged to Fulcher and his friends. Fulcher was glad to see them, and healed what wounds they had left. The party shared general information about dungeon and about the goblin tribe, but kept the discovery of the rune-sealed doorway and certain other details to themselves. Fulcher indicated that the news of goblins roaming the area was consistent with what Valtan, a Ranger in his group, had noticed. Fulcher then invited the party to stay as long as they needed, giving them the use of a cabin in the worker's village area.

The party has a number of potential leads to follow up on, and it remains to be seen where they will go next. Back to town seemed like an option that was getting some discussion.

Next...Where to?...

The Sage's Commentary - We have now played four sessions of approximately 2.5 hours each on average. This "boss battle" session to finish the dungeon was the first time that all 5 of us have all been together, which was very nice. Two of our four players have staggered their appearances, missing each other the first three times.

We seem to have settled into a good groove from a play perspective (and you would expect as much since we are practically all family), and I am becoming more and more comfortable running things. I am re-learning some old lessons and learning some new ones, but in general I think the flow is pretty good. This session taught me a few things I will do differently going forward, but there haven't been any major "oopses."

With all of the characters now at level 2, there is more flexibility in what the characters can do, and therefore a lot more options for what I can throw at them. Everybody's hit points are nearly doubled (you get max to start, but not after that, although I made sure they all got a good roll), and they have a 50% increase in daily spellcasting ability (3 slots instead of 2 each). Advancement to levels 2 or 3 are the first big step in choosing a "career path" specialization for most character classes, and the Druid and the Wizard both got theirs at 2nd. Melior, the Druid, is now of the Circle of the Land (Forest), and can shape shift with the Wild Shape ability. Very cool. Barbarians, Fighters and Rogues get their big choice at 3rd level, which won't be too far away. Everybody got some nice new abilities to play with.

I can't wait to get to work on what comes next, and I hope we can get together again soon.

The Standing Stones of Andreth

On the grasslands near the northwestern border of the Kingdom of Alsberg is one of the most famous known sites of the Ancients; the Standing Stones of Andreth. They are located on a low hill on the plain east of Redstone Lake, north of the Traverna Hills and south of the Iron Heath.

The Standing Stones of Andreth (Map in Hexographer)

The central part of the feature consists of a ring of standing rectangular stones, each approximately ten feet wide, 5 feet thick and 15 feet tall. Twelve of these stones are arranged in a ring surrounding one central black stone pillar that is five feet in diameter and over 20 feet tall. The pillar is carved with an ascending  spiral of runes that nobody has been able to decipher. Radiating out from this central feature are six lines of smaller stones, each spoke consisting of 6 stones approximately 8 feet tall, spaced 20 feet or so apart, and trailing down the low hill. Most of the stones at Andreth are still standing, although some are leaning and a few have broken or toppled completely.

The Stones get their name from the explorer that first re-discovered them a few hundred years ago.

Nobody knows what the purpose of this monument is, or who built it, but like some of the other sites of the Ancients, it is said to radiate a faint primal magic. Local tales tell of a circle of Druids and Rangers to whom this place is sacred, and who protect it and keep it safe.

The Monastery at Darnisol

Beyond the western borders of the Kingdom of Mercia, in the rugged foothills of the Tellarn Mountains above Pelican Lake sits the fabled Monastery of Darnisol. Darnisol is home to a secretive group of warrior monks of strange and wondrous abilities.

Darnisol Monastery (Hexographer, 6 mile scale)

The Monastery itself is carved high into a series of nearly inaccessible granite cliffs, and towers over the  hills and valleys below. It is said that the visible cliff-hugging walls and fortifications hide a vast complex of tunnels and chambers carved into the living rock behind. The Monastery is home to an order of monks who are famed for practicing the art of unarmed combat and whose amazing agility and body control is legendary. Many of the monks of Darnisol train from a very early age, and the blue and gold robed monks of the order can sometimes be seen in Mercia and the surrounding lands where it is said they are selecting those gifted few children who they believe can learn the discipline of their order.

Darnisol

Some of the Darnisol monks never leave the monastery, but there are those who venture out into the outside world and follow many different career paths. Some become great warriors fighting for the cause of good, protecting the defenseless and the weak. Others become the very terrors that others of their order serve to protect against. While many great warriors have come out of Darnisol, it is also said that some of the most dangerous assassins in the Northlands have also trained there. Disciples of Darnisol practice their art to good or evil as each sees fit.

Darnisol was founded in the year 499, when the North was still a very wild place. It served as one of the original bastions against the hordes of evil creatures then inhabiting the area. This may not necessarily have been purely in the interests of good, but may just have been because, as Master Kermon has been quoted by the sages as saying, "monstrous hordes are good practice."

Commentary - 5th Edition D&D

So, a few months into a renewed interest in D&D, with all three new rulebooks in hand, and with three playing sessions under our belt, where do I (and we) stand with D&D?

First and foremost, D&D is about story. That hasn't changed. The creative part is the same in terms of the imagination. The tools are light-years better, with computers, the internet, software, color printers, and all the other trappings of the modern age (things which either didn't exist at all or were in their infancy when we were kids). How I think about approaching creating a world and an adventure is pretty much the same as it was all those years ago, but the ability to execute on those thoughts and imaginings is so much better with the tools at my disposal now. And a few decades of life experience, education, reading, and all that do help to provide a better foundation to build from as well.

As for playing, I think we have had a lot of fun, and the feedback from the players on their experience to date has been gratifying. It seems like we will be continuing, sporadically, as time allows. I hope so.

Regarding the new 5th edition of the game (product-wise), overall I would have to say I am very pleased. Physically, the three books are of absolute top-notch quality and production values, with fantastic artwork and a wealth of good material. One complaint I have read in several places in reviews elsewhere is that the rules are written in such a way that it assumes you already have a fairly good idea of how to play. I can see this point of view, as there have been a few things I have tried to figure out, been unable to find in the rules with any clarity, and have been left wondering whether I am missing something or whether I am being bogged down by pre-conceived notions carried over from the 1980's and 1990's with several editions in between that I never played. On the bright side, there is a very active  and helpful forum community on the company website.

By way of example of the above, after/during our next session, all of the characters in the party will be leveling up from level 1 to level 2. The Player's Handbook (PH) has the requisite wealth of detail on experience points needed to advance levels and the multitude of skills and abilities to be gained on reaching new levels, spell slots, "career path" choices etc. Nowhere in the book does it say how you actually advance from level to level in the PH. The preconceived notion (or burden of past knowledge) is that back in the day (1st ed.) once you gained enough experience to advance a level, you needed to find someone to train you on the necessary skills and abilities to actually gain the benefits. I assumed there would be something similar, or at least some guidance on how the process occurred (i.e. do you just wake up one morning with more hit points, more spells, and just feel "better" than when you went to sleep?). I figured since there was no mention of any of this in the PH, it would be in the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) when that was released last week. It wasn't. No guidance at all. In a single paragraph in a section on "Downtime Activities", it mentions as an optional rule that the DM can require characters to undergo some sort of training as a part of level advancement. So I guess that means that the default is that you just gain benefits of new levels automatically. This was confirmed by asking the question on the forum and getting a few people to respond that "yes, you just get them, although if you want to do it differently, go ahead." OK.

I could also interject here that the books could be indexed a little better.

As for the rules mechanics themselves, and how the game plays, it will take a little getting used to. I don't mean that in a bad way, but it is different. The best simple summarization would be to say that everybody is better at everything. Players have more and better abilities right from day one, magic is much more powerful (and widespread), and the proliferation of more and more skills and abilities even in the lower-middle levels seems...imposing. There are big die roll bonuses and special abilities everywhere, even for all the monsters. The biggest thing with this for me will be to get a better feel for what will be a challenge to the party, as there is a balancing act to be performed there that I don't think I have really achieved in our first few sessions. But I am learning.

Overall, it has been a very enjoyable experience that I hope will continue.

Campaign Journal - Session 3 - Goblins Aplenty

April 6, Northern Reckoning Year 707, continued.
When we left our heroes at the end of session 2, they were in room "8" of the map below, having fought and killed a total of 6 goblins.

Having dispatched 5 goblins in room 8, the party moved south into chambers 9 and 10. These were found to be used as living areas, and there were a half dozen other goblins to be dealt with here. A little damage was taken, but the characters cleared out the area quickly and efficiently.

The party then moved back through the fungus room (area 7) and headed north. Climbing up the passage, they came into room 6, an oblong chamber with a very uneven rock floor. Picking their way carefully across the room, they were forced to shimmy single file through a narrow passage heading further north. Coming out into a wider hallway, the party decided to go northwest. As the first few party members headed in that direction, an arrow whizzed out of the darkness to the east and skewered Melior Ardenshade (the wood elf Druid), taking him down to a single hit point. Ardenshade collapsed back into the passage while the Cleric and the two Fighters charged into a large chamber to the east. Five goblins were crouching among the rocks, shooting at the characters. A couple of hits were made, and two of the goblins ran away, exiting down a narrow passage further east. As the combat types were fighting the remaining goblins, two more burst into the room from the north. Soon, all had been taken care of, with some damage taken by the party.

Session 3 dungeon crawling (up is north)

The group did some healing (especially on the Druid), and then followed the passage that the fleeing goblins had taken. This narrow passage climbed steeply upwards, and opened into a medium sized low ceilinged chamber with exits in four directions. Sunlight was coming in from the south passage. A short climb up in that direction brought the party past an empty watch post and out into the sunlight via a cave entrance on the far side of one of the hills they had explored before going underground. From the sun's position in the sky, it was seen to be late in the afternoon.

Going back into chamber 2, the characters decided to go down a steeply winding passage leading east. This brought them to a long narrow chamber sloping down into the darkness to the north. As they moved cautiously in that direction, they noticed a few small side passages, and what seemed to be signs of recent excavation near these tunnels. Investigating what were apparently a few more small living areas that had been dug out fairly recently, it was becoming obvious that the goblins had not been here for more than a month or two, and had been digging out some of these areas since they arrived. At the far northern (lowest) end of the chamber was a pool of water.

After investigating the two small chambers on the east side of the long chamber, one unexplored passage remained on the west wall. This passage appeared partly natural and partly dug out, and was very small. For the characters to fit through, they would have to crawl on hands and knees, single file. With the rogue going first, a small widened area was found where the party regrouped. The rogue continued on, went right at a spot where the passage forked, and found a medium sized chamber to the northeast. The remainder of the party shimmied and crawled through to the chamber, where they could all stand up again. There was another pool of water in the lower southeast side of the chamber, and a narrow (but tall) opening in the north wall.

Not a sound or sign of goblins had been heard or seen since back in chamber 5...

To be Continued...

The Sage's Commentary - Our third session, a brief two hours due to schedules (and played back in mid-November), covered a lot of fighting, but not much map space. I am beginning to get a feel for how much "ground" we can cover in a session, be it literal in the sense of how much can be explored, or figurative in the sense of how much time needs to be allocated to role playing certain facets of the adventure. Combat, even relatively straightforward combat, eats up a lot of time. In two hours (including some socializing of course) we covered a mere 10-12 areas and the passages in between, and three combat sequences. It was an eventful two hours.

The Seven Sigils of Onoria

As the Elder Wars dragged on, and the forces of evil slowly but inexorably wore down the Elder Nations, some of those in power in Onoria began to think about what would happen if the Wars ended in their defeat. There were those who were of the opinion that if they were to go down in defeat, they should do so in a blaze of glory, and cared not for the future. But there were also those who believed that a defeat in the short term need not be a defeat that lasted forever, and that the knowledge and power of the Realm should be preserved for the future, so that the descendants of the good people of the North could benefit from that knowledge when the time was right.

Legend has it that the preservationists, with or without the support of the others, secreted away seven great troves of magical power and knowledge, each in a different location and locked by a magical sigil of great power. These have become known as the Seven Sigils of Onoria.

Exactly what each treasure trove contains (if they exist at all) is unknown, but it is speculated that they contain artifacts of great magical power, the secrets to unlock mighty magic spells, or riches enough to rebuild the kingdoms of old. It is said that some of this magic is dark magic, and that there are curses attached to the treasure troves. These tales say that finding the Seven Sigils may be a dangerous thing.

Northern Onoria - Foot hills of the Craghorn Peaks

With the resettling of the North, many adventurers (particularly spellcasters) have searched the fallen lands of Onoria for some sign of the Seven Sigils, but none are known for certain to have been found. There are whispers in Rimini and Alsberg that one of the Seven, a trove of dark Necromantic magic, may have been found in the last few years.

Zefran Mir, Grand Duke of Rimini, is said to be somewhat obsessed with the legends of the Seven Sigils. There are those who say that his funding and support of the sage enclave at Talengard is nothing more than a cover for his interest in the search for the Seven.

The Legend of Serpent Isle...

...and the Royal Treasure of Tirask
Thirty or forty miles east of Stillwater Reach, off the coasts of Alsberg and Mercia and at the northern edge of Oran Bay, lies an island of mystery and legend - the Serpent Isle.

Serpent Isle

Serpent Isle is a rocky and forbidding island, roughly 30 miles north to south and 20 miles east to west. It is a windswept and inhospitable place, separated from the mainland by rough seas and dangerous currents. The island is covered with rugged hills and forests, and has very little farmable land. There are no particularly good natural harbors either. It is famous for the things that have given it it's name - multitudes of snakes, including numerous poisonous varieties and giant snakes of all types.

Despite the dangers associated with the island, it is visited with some frequency by adventurers and northern youths seeking to prove their manhood. It is a mark of courage (discouraged by their elders) for an Alsberg or Mercian youth to simply spend a night on the island. Some never return.

The primary lure that brings people to the island is the legends of great treasure hidden here. It is said that in the Elder days, there was a settlement of old Tirask on the island, and that when things became desperate at the climax of the Elder Wars, the royal family fled to this island shortly before they were overwhelmed by the forces of darkness. Legends have it that the most valuable parts of the royal treasure would have been brought here, and hidden, prior to their final downfall. Treasure of a magnitude to make any man a king. As the North has been reclaimed, many have come to the island to see what they can find.

Adventurers tell tales of caves, caverns and miles of tunnels (both natural and manmade) criss-crossing the island. The rugged hills in the center of the island are said to be honeycombed with such passages. These tales bring a steady influx of new adventurers to the island.

As for the royal treasure of old Tirask, if any have found any of it, they aren't saying.

Campaign Journal - Session 2 - Going Underground

April 6, Northern Reckoning Year 707, continued.
We last left our heroes standing in the ruins of an old town, at the top of what seemed to be a well shaft terminating 30 feet or so below the level of the surface at a chamber with a pool of water.

The characters discussed whether to proceed down the shaft, and decided to spend some additional time investigating the surface. During the course of the above ground exploring, they found other interesting things is some of the other basements and ruins: what seemed to be another well with water at the bottom, a narrow staircase down, a circular carved stone floor which may have been a teleportation/conjuring circle or other magical focus, and a small silver box containing two potions (healing and gaseous form). There were a number of vultures conspicuously circling the area.

Above Ground

While exploring, there were a few times when a character would notice movement out of the corner of their eye. Eventually, they found that a young warrior looking for adventure who had seen them in Olmsby had been following them for the last two days. It was decided that he would be allowed to remain and attempt to prove his worth, with the party being heavy on spellcasters but relatively light on muscle. His name was Mordecai.

In a deep circular foundation, the characters found an intact wooden door protected by a magical ward. Duncan was able to open the door, and the party descended into the darkness. The area proved to be a small basement/dungeon complex consisting of eleven chambers going progressively deeper underground. It was obvious that the party wasn't the first group to enter this area, as most of the chambers appeared ransacked. Judging from the remnants of furniture and other items, the characters guessed that this was a laboratory and storage area for whatever building had been above. There was no combat in this area, but several items of note were discovered, including a large but heavy (6' by 6') carved wooden panel depicting warriors fighting a dragon in high relief. The characters mulled over options on getting this piece of artwork back to town. Behind a pair of secret doors, a library and treasure room were found, including the long-dead body of an earlier explorer. The party found some non-magical books with some potential value, some coins and silver trade bars, and a magical scroll with the second level Arcane Lock spell. The treasure was left in the secret room to be returned for later. In a pack that the dead explorer had been carrying was a scroll fragment that references searching ruins in the area, and named a particular halfling in the the town of Shimmermere as having been a source of information.

The Tower Dungeon

Finding no other egress from the Tower dungeon area, the party went back above ground and went down the narrow stairs they had found in another crumbling basement. This part of the dungeon was more damp than the Tower dungeon had been, with sections of mold and fungus in some of the rooms and passages. Like the Tower dungeon, it was a man made area, with regular floors, walls and ceilings. In one of the rooms, the party was attacked by three giant centipedes and was finally able to roll some dice in anger, disposing of the centipedes quickly. This section seems to have been an underground temple area, as there was a room with an altar and the remains of crumbling stone and wood benches, along with a lot of religious iconography painted or carved into the walls. Badric, the cleric, was able to recognize the religious symbols as belonging to some of the old Onorian "Forbidden Gods". The two chambers believed to be the bottom of the two wells were found, and down a succession of stairs and behind a secret door, the party found a large and beautiful Crystal Cavern.

Both wells were actually cisterns fed by a small stream running through the respective chambers. In the more southerly of the two, the water passed out of the room through a passage with barely enough head clearance to be navigated, and Melior crawled far enough down the shallow stream passage to find a small alcove holding about a hundred gold coins and a very nice longsword that one of the characters was able to identify as being of Onorian manufacture. It remains to be seen whether there is anything special about the sword. Continuing down the stream passage brought the Druid to a natural passageway intersecting the stream that would be large enough to walk in (and there were small humanoid tracks in the dirt and rock floor). The rest of the party was led through the stream, arriving at the natural passage cold and wet, but unharmed.

The Temple dungeon and the Caves

The passage led to a chamber, and then another passage which arrived at a larger chamber with multiple entrances/exits. The party chose to go east down a narrow passage that had been behind a rough curtain made of scraps of cloth and netting. They arrived at a large natural chamber with some light filtering down from above, which was filled with mushrooms and other fungi. They surprised a goblin in the process of harvesting some of these fungi, and fleet-footed Niam was able to catch and slay the goblin before it could run out another passage.

Proceeding down the passage, the party engaged and defeated 5 more goblins quickly (4 courtesy of a Sleep spell from Duncan), but taking some damage in the process. A clerical Cure Wounds spell was needed. So far so good.

With a number of unexplored passages leading out of the last few chambers the party had been in, and with choices to make, we stopped at that point. In game terms, it was estimated to be mid- to late afternoon on April 6, perhaps 6-7 hours after the party had arrived at the ruins.

Next...More Caves and more Goblins.

The Sage's Commentary - We  played this session back on October 25 (I think), and our second session had three of our four planned players, losing one from last time but gaining the one who had missed our first session. This was the session where exploration and scene setting began to result in action and combat. I think things went more smoothly this time around. It probably wasn't much different, but just seemed to flow better in my own mind as I felt less self-conscious about telling the story and guiding the action. Being very well prepared certainly helps. Everybody seems anxious to continue, which is terrific, and I have a lot of ideas for things to do to make the game play flow more smoothly, some of which we were already using in this session (cheat sheets, spell cards, a custom player character sheet...). I'd rather do a lot of prep work so that when we sit down to play, it is about the story and not about fumbling with rule books to figure what a spell does, etc. It seems to be working.

The Sentinels

Sometimes also called "the Watchers" or "the Guardians" by the local peasantry, the Sentinels are a somewhat secretive organization whose declared mission is to protect the good people of the Northlands. They are a loosely organized collection of adventurers, priests and others who openly battle against evil and lawlessness, as well as townspeople, peasants and others who keep their eyes and ears open to gather information. Some members are open about their allegiance to the group while others hide their affiliations. There is speculation that some of the most powerful warriors, spell casters, clerics and politicians of the north are either Sentinels or are sympathetic to their cause. As with any group, there are some who question the true motives of the group. The common folk for the most part recognize them for the good deeds they do, and look favorably upon them.

Little is known about what hierarchy or power structure exists within the Sentinels, but it is rumored that there are powerful individuals within the group that hold the title of "Warden", and have at least some authority over other members within their area.

Those members who openly declare their membership in the Sentinels often wear a piece of jewelry emblazoned with the Sentinels' symbol; a radiant sun above a shield.

Tales of Sentinel activity are typically stories of adventurers protecting villages, hunting monsters, aiding travelers, and patrolling the Wilderlands.

The history of the Sentinels goes back 25 or 30 years, and the size of the group is open to debate. Openly declared Sentinels would not be considered rare, but they aren't terribly common either. The Sentinels seem to be active in Alsberg, Mercia, Longwood Vale and the High Plateau, the eastern stretch of the Great North Road, and the lands between these areas.

Nations and Regions of the Realms - West

A Whirlwind Tour of the Realms - part 2, The West

Darlish - Darlish is a mysterious and dangerous country, ruled by the Council of the Seven, a cabal of powerful spellcasters. Magical ability is valued extremely highly in Darlish, and the noble families that control day to day power within the realm strive to have their members recognized for their spell casting talents and abilities. The common people do not fare nearly as well, and it is fair to say that nowhere else in the Northlands is the gap between the ruling elite and the common folk as wide as it is here. Servitude that amounts to little more than slavery is commonplace, with the lowest tier of society living a wretched existence. Some of the more powerful noble houses do have slaves, either purchased in the far South, or captured and brought in against their will.

The rulers of Darlish have lofty ambitions with regards to the place of their realm in the future of the Northlands (in other words, they believe they should be running the whole show). The Darlishites are intent on expansion and extending their sphere of influence, to the chagrin of the more moderate lands that they are in contact with. Rumors of Darlishite agents and spies abound throughout the North, and are not without basis in reality. Political intrigue and information gathering is a Darlishite focus, and also a specialty. The one thing that keeps Darlish from being even more of a threat than they already are is that the internal power struggles of the various noble houses within the realm is equal to, or even exceeds, their ambitions in the outside world.

Darlish is located at the far southwestern end of the Great North Road. The land of Mirraddi is to its north, the Blood Peaks form its eastern border, and Lake Trelgar forms the southern border. Varlune is to its southeast, and the Florian Empire is across Lake Trelgar to the south.

Darlish and Varlune

Varlune - The Blessed Land of Varlune is a small nation, roughly 75 miles both north to south and east to west, on the eastern shores of Lake Trelgar. Varlune is a theocracy, with the worship of a triumvirate of gods being the official state religion. The ruling class is tied directly to the clerical hierarchy of these gods. The three main gods are Ardran, the All-Father (the Creator diety), Tombal, the god of balance, and Barsek, the god of fate. Of only slightly less significance are Brand (duty and honor), Barrin (justice) and Valtus (perseverance). Duty, honor and righteousness are important to the Varlune people. This makes Varlune an excellent choice to serve as a buffer that exists on the border with Darlish (to the northwest).

Varlune may be a small nation, and pacifist by nature, but its "duty and honor" mindset  results in a small but highly trained and very effective military. Even the Council of the Seven in Darlish, with their overdeveloped superiority complex, would think twice before provoking the people of Varlune.

Mirraddi - Not much is commonly known about the land of Mirraddi, other than that it is the far western terminus of the Great North Road. Not much more that 25 or 30 years ago, this territory was wilderness. Over the last couple of generations, settlers from the far west, beyond the rugged mountains, have staked claim to this area, and have begun to settle some of what was the Elder realm of Ithilkar.

The people of Mirraddi speak what is known as Westreth, a language related to the Old Gorlavan tongue. This language is related to Darlishite, and suggests a common ancestry with the Elder nation of Gorlavar. The Mirraddi are tall and strong, typically with reddish blonde hair, similar to how the tales describe the Gorlavar people of the Elder days.

Next...Wrapping up the tour of the Realms with the South...

The Shearingvale

The Shearingvale is a fertile farming and herding area on the frontier of the Onorian Wilderlands. It stretches roughly 50 miles from east to west, and 20 miles from north to south, with the Great North Road running through the heart of the Vale. The town of Linden is centrally located. Linden is a town of approximately 1,000 inhabitants, including the neighboring farms, and is the largest settlement between the town of Wegley (50 miles to the east) and the city of Turil (60 miles to the west), both of which are beyond the borders of the Vale.

Shearingvale region (hexographer, 6 mile scale)

The territory of what is considered the Vale stretches from Pittston in the west to Grainger in the east, both of which are hamlets on the Road. The northern limit stretches in an arc above the villages of Draharr, Olmsby and Tardesk. In the south, the villages of Gulb, Bornil and Murtin line the edge of the Greenreach Woods. The Silver Hills and their resident communities of gnomes and halflings border the Vale to the northwest, and the dense and mysterious Shadowveil Forest is to the northeast. Futher north lies the Onorian Wilderlands, a vast expanse of untamed and dangerous territory.

Shearingvale detail (Hexographer, 1 mile scale)

The economy of the Shearingvale is based on farming, herding, hunting, trapping and forestry. The northern part of the Vale is made up primarily of rolling grasslands and fertile farmland. Thus the villages north of the Road (Draharr, Olmsby, and Tardesk) revolve around sheep and goat herding and related industries (weaving, textiles and cheese making), as well as farming, especially apple and pear orchards as well as vineyards and wine making. The towns along the Road (including Linden, Grainger, Sarenton and Pittston) have the same focus as the northern towns but also have businesses supporting the caravan traffic on the road. The three southern villages (Gulb, Bornil and Murtin) are much more involved in forestry and related products, as well as hunting, trapping, fur trading etc.

There is no strong central government in the Shearingvale. Each town and village is mostly independent and rules itself in its own way. To address larger matters that impact the whole community, there is a monthly meeting of Vale Elders. Because there is no true central government, there is also no organized military common to the Vale. However, due to the fact that these are frontier settlements, each village does have a militia of all able-bodied men (and women in some cases), and in many cases a sheriff or constable and some number of town guardsmen. Some of the merchant companies and trading costers operating in the area hire mercenary guards to patrol the roads, and these serve to supplement the town guards.

Adventurers are a fairly common sight in the area, as the lure of the untamed Wilderlands to the north, and the multitude of ruins dating to the time of the Elder Nations draw a steady trickle of courageous souls northward. Some of them even return... Basic necessities and supplies for expeditions into the Wilderlands are easy to find, but more uncommon items will need to be sought out in larger towns and cities, often quite far away. The people of the Vale are wary but generally friendly.

Campaign Journal - Session 1 - A Beginning

All dates Northern Reckoning year 707.

Linden, Olmsby, Fulcher's Hold (1 mile hex)

April 3 - On the road again, arriving at the frontier town of Linden late in the afternoon. Linden is a town of perhaps 200 buildings, and numbering as many as 1,000 inhabitants if you count some of the outlying farms. The plan is to spend the night in Linden and finish the trip the next day. The party meets and talks to a few locals in the Rusty Nail tavern, including a nosy merchant named Narsan of Ilaresh (from the Kalembar Federation), along with his lackeys Mack and Gardel. There are tales of sheep and goats going missing in bunches over the last couple months, and there are a lot of questions from the locals as to the long term intentions of Fulcher's Band. Before turning in for the night, someone is seen snooping around the wagons. Nothing seems to be missing, although there are signs that some things have been rummaged through.

April 4 - Atherik and the dwarves have some business in town to attend to first, so it is late morning by the time the group sets out northwards on a minor road. A mile or so north of town, a wheel comes off one of the wagons, spilling its heavy cargo onto the ground. Careful inspection shows that several other wagons have also been tampered with. Fixing the damage takes a few hours, and it is near dark when the wagons pull into Olmsby, a small hamlet of maybe 50 buildings and 200 inhabitants. The party meets some locals, including Ravar, an elderly beekeeper, who warns the party of his giant honeybees (which are harmless unless provoked). Ravar claims to have been an adventurer in his younger days, and regales the characters with some good stories of ruins in the Shearingvale, including one site just a half dozen or so miles further north. There are more tales of missing livestock in this town. The party sleeps with the wagons through an uneventful night.

April 5 - The party heads the remaining 6 miles to Fulcher's Hold. They talk with Fulcher (priest of Alaron, god of Light), Alissara (female elven spellcaster of some sort) and Damron (human warrior), the 3 of Fucher's Band who are present at the moment.  Fulcher seems friendly. He claims to have no greater goals than to semi-retire here and "spread Alaron's divine radiance over the surrounding land". The characters do not get the sense that he is lying, but have the vague feeling that he is hiding something.

On a bit of high ground overlooking a stream, a couple dozen laborers and a few dwarves are working on the keep. There is a cluster of a dozen or so wooden shacks and a few nicer houses at the bottom of the hill; presumably where the workers live. The site itself consists of a rectangular wooden palisade, with a wooden tower in one corner, and a medium-sized stone keep rising at the opposite corner. The wooden parts of the complex seem complete, or nearly so, while the stone keep is complete only to about the top of a first story. Work is focusing on the stone keep, which definitely looks more like a castle than a manor house.

At the end of their conversation (and getting paid), Fulcher indicates that if the party wanted to remain in the area, he and his companions would welcome that, and would provide what assistance they could. The party is noncommittal, and decides to head to the nearby ruins described by Ravar. The party backtracks 2 miles toward Olmsby, and is able to find the overgrown trail leading north along the west bank of a stream. A mile or so up this trail, the party comes to a spot where the trail drops down into a marshy looking lowland. With daylight fading, the party decides to camp on the dry ground. The night passes quietly.

April 6 - The party rises early and is on the trail by 7:30am. By about 9:30am, they have made their way through a couple of miles of marshy lowland and across another couple of miles of open ground. Ahead they see a few low hills, the landmark that Ravar told them to look for. Leaving the trail and heading east toward the stream, they find the site and begin to investigate the area. A few vultures circle low overhead.

Ruins

There are the remnants of many low stone walls, flagstone paving that may have been streets, foundations and basements fairly well hidden in the dense scrub and underbrush. In a large sunken area that may have been a building's basement level, they discover a 2.5 foot diameter circular opening in the floor covered by a pair of thin stone slabs. The party surmises this may have been a well. Niam, the extremely dextrous wood elf rogue, is easily able to climb down the very rough stone-lined shaft and finds that water can be seen below, perhaps 30 feet below ground level. The pool of water seems to be in a chamber that opens out beyond the bottom of the well shaft, which ends 9 or 10 feet above the level of the water. Without a rope, he can go no further without free-falling into the water. He returns to the surface to tell the others what he has seen.

An old stone well?

The party begins to discuss what to do next...

The Sage's Commentary - For a first Dungeons & Dragons session in about 22 years (best guess), this went pretty well, and I had an absolute blast. We had two out of our three hoped-for players, and were able to rope in another player on a few hours notice, so we had three players and a DM. Over the course of almost 3 hours, we put the finishing touches on character creation for a couple of the players, and had the new player create the wood elf rogue. Then we very briefly covered some "world background" of the type posted here (which the players for the most part had not read). Once we got things rolling, we covered the above 2+ game days of non-combat role playing fairly smoothly. I will admit to feeling like a bumbling (and very self-conscious) fool at start, but think that we all found a pretty good groove once we got going, and you have to start somewhere. Preparation was key, and once I stopped thinking and just went with the flow, things went very well. People seemed to enjoy themselves. Now that the players know that this blog is here for the campaign, creating some of that sense of place in which to set these adventures should go more smoothly. I can't wait to play again. We have yet to roll dice in anger...

Campaign Journal - Preamble

All dates Northern Reckoning year 707...

Nandra to Linden on the Great North Road (6 mile hexes)

March 28 - The various characters are in the city of Nandra, to the west of the Grand Duchy of Rimini, looking for adventure but hard up for money. They are hired by a warrior named Damron to guard a small wagon train carrying construction materials and other goods to a site near the town of Linden, in the Shearingvale. Damron refers to the place as Fulcher's Hold. Apparently, a cleric named Fulcher and his band are rebuilding a small ruined keep a day or so north of Linden. Four dwarves of Clan Dundark of the Iron Spire Mountains, led by a stonemason named Atherik, are with the wagon train. Damron will take care of some other business and meet the party there.

March 29 - The party leaves Nandra with 8 wagons heading west on the Great North Road. The party consists of Duncan (a human wizard), Badric (a dwarven cleric of the Life domain), Niam (a wood elf rogue), Melior Ardenshade (a wood elf druid), and a human barbarian warrior (Malachy Fairwind). The first night's camp is along the banks of the River Greve.

March 30 - On the road. Uneventful travels. Camp for the night in the grasslands between Nandra and the town of Wegley.

March 31 - On the road. Arrive in the small town of Wegley late in the afternoon. Spend the night in a rundown inn.

April 1 - Leave Wegley heading west. Camp under the stars by the side of the road. Woken during the night by several deer bursting through the camp, but nothing else of note.

April 2 - On the road. Night spent at a tiny un-named waystop. The party should reach Linden tomorrow...

Nations and Regions of the Realms - East

A Whirlwind Tour of the Realms - part 1, The East and Southeast

Alsberg - The Kingdom of Alsberg is a hereditary monarchy. It is one of the recently established nations, and currently represents the northernmost boundary of exploration and resettlement of the Northlands. It is a realm of law, with a well-liked and benevolent king whose goal is the well being and safety of his kingdom. Power in Alsberg is strongly centralized in the hand of the king.

Rimini - The Grand Duchy of Rimini is a small frontier nation centered on the important trade city of Rimini. Rimini is at the western end of the Stillwater Reach, and is where the Great North Road coming from the west meets the Coast Road coming from the north and south.

The Northlands

Mercia - The Kingdom of Mercia is another hereditary monarchy on the eastern coast. One hundred years ago, it was the northern frontier of civilization, when Rimini and Alsberg were much smaller collections of scattered frontier villages. Mercia expanded northward 18 years ago, and is still assimilating the new territory; thus it is somewhat inwardly focused at this time. Mercia is divided into a number of Dukedoms, each of whom have a significant amount of power and authority in their respective holdings.

Romney - Ruled by King Aldir the Stout, Romney is a small nation based on the capital city of Dambrusk, a coastal fortress that managed to survive the Years of Darkness. The people of Romney are proud to make the claim, however tenuous, that they are one of the nations of the Old North. This isn't really true, as Romney wasn't a kingdom in the olden days, and Dambrusk was just one of many independent cities and towns. Romney used to be a critical link on the Coast Road, but as the borders of civilization have expanded, trade caravans and merchants no longer need to cling so closely to the coast, and inland trade routes have been taking business away from Romney. Romney does have a naval presence, and is working towards a time when more travel can safely pass by sea. It is rumored that some of the merchant captains of Romney are in league with the pirates of the Oranthian Isles, who wreak havoc on shipping up and down the coast.

Tiencin - Tiencin is a small city-state of tradesmen and craftsmen, widely regarded for the quality of their products. Tiencin is not a large or powerful nation, but does sit astride the coast road, and is the only real trading partner for the elves of Liriana. Half-elves in substantial numbers call Tiencin home, as do a large community of gnomes.

Liriana - The peninsula containing the Forest of Liriana has an elven realm of the same name. As are most elven realms in the north these days, Liriana is secretive and standoffish, but they do trade with Tiencin. These high elves are known to be seafarers, as highly decorated and brightly colored elven longships have been known to put into ports around the realms from time to time.

Oranthian Isles - The Oranthian Isles are a large chain of islands off the coast of Romney and Mercia. They are rugged, wild territory, and are home to a number of seafaring warrior tribes collectively known as the Sea Wolves of Oranthia. The Sea Wolves are a barbarian people who do not trade with the Northlands (with the possible exception of Romney).

Saradel - Saradel is a land of contrasts. It has a number of cities along the coast whose inhabitants make their living from trade, crafts and manufacturing, including some of the North's largest cities. The inland half of the country is covered with many thousands of square miles of verdant grasslands and plains. Many of the inland peoples are herders and ranchers, with some groups still pursuing a more tribal and nomadic way of life. The government of the country, based on a Council of Elders from the different cities, towns and regions, is descended from the days long ago when what is now Saradel was nothing more than a collection of loosely related tribes, each ruled by its own chief.

Kalembar Federation - The Kalembar Federation is a loose collection of cities and towns, banded together for defense and mutual benefit under the League of Merchants, a large and unwieldy body of elected officials representing the different factions. These factions can be cities, important towns, large merchant houses, magical colleges, large temples and all manner of other entities. As a result, Kalembar rarely acts as a coherent political entity (as far as the outside world is concerned). The leaders of Kalembar are focused on trade and the pursuit of wealth, and in maximizing their position as one of the lands in the transitional area between north and south. Cities of the Kalembar Federation have an opulence not often found elsewhere in the North.

Longwood Vale - North of the Kalembar Federation lies an independent region known as Longwood Vale. The Vale is located between the Umbral Mountains to the west, the Tellarn Mountains to the east, and the High Plateau to the north. The great Longwood Forest covers the western half of the Vale, and is known to have a substantial wood elf realm. It is a region of fertile land and scattered frontier farmsteads through which the High River runs. The High River forms the upper part of the Kalem River watershed. The High River descends from the High Plateau, is joined by the River Terche at the city of Woodshade, and continues on to meet the Pesh River near the city of Peshtar and the Kalembar border. The Pesh River and the High River combine to form the mighty Kalem River, which runs through the heart of Kalembar. The southern end of the Vale descends to the border of the Kalembar Federation. The northern end of the Vale climbs steeply over many miles, eventually reaching the region called the High Plateau.

The High Plateau - The High Plateau is a sparsely settled region of alpine meadows nestled between the upper reaches of the Umbral Mountains to the west and the Tellarn Mountains to the east. It is a high elevation area of cool summers and very cold snowy winters. The land slopes away substantially both to the south (into Longwood Vale) and north (down into the Greenreach Woods). There is a trade road connecting Kalembar and the Great North Road that passes through Longwood Vale and the High Plateau, but it is a difficult road that cannot be used year round.

To be continued in part 2, the West and Far South...

Design Notes - A Sense of Place

Of Castles and Kings...

As I have worked my way through the tentative stumbling design of my little world, I have tried to keep a few guiding thoughts in my head, thoughts that have shaped where I have chosen to invest those hours that I have been able to dedicate to this project. If I were a player in my own world, what would I think was important? What would I like to see? I think most of the answer boils down to a sense of place.

In an earlier "design notes" post on traditional medieval-fantasy worlds and population statistics, I referenced the idea of creating a sense that players would feel they were small parts of a larger whole. I think that idea summarizes where I have chosen to invest my time. If the players are to feel they are indeed small parts of a larger whole, there first needs to be that "larger whole". By that, I mean a geography that has some reasonableness to it, some sense of history (why things are the way they are), and a framework of that living breathing thing that is "today" (what is going on right now, regardless of what the players are doing).

With this in mind I have sketched out a piece of a world that seems reasonable to me from the perspective of geography, geology, size and scope. To which I have added (in my head) a framework of history that provides at least a very basic backstory. And finally, I have posted a number of entries here describing parts of the Realms that will be important early in our intended (or hoped-for) campaign.

The final piece of the puzzle is those kinds of posts that I would say fall into the category of "legends and lore". These are the very specific detailed bits that begin to breathe life into the framework that has been envisioned.

The human mind is an amazingly creative and adaptive thing. As historical miniatures gamers, model railroaders, artists, the theater, movie makers, and any number of other creative types of people know...begin to create an illusion of reality for an audience and the audience will willingly, unknowingly, create the rest for you. A suspension of disbelief. But also a filling in of gaps and a smoothing of rough edges. You just have to give them a gentle nudge in the right direction.

So the ultimate goal here, I guess, is to create those seeds that opens the door for the minds of the players to do the rest of the heavy lifting. To give that gentle nudge. To that end, posts on this blog will be focused on describing the "now", fitting that "now" into a framework of a "past", and sprinkling in some detailed bits. The very specific detailed bits are the seeds. The history and context are the soil. The audience will do the rest.

As an aside...where do the hours I can dedicate to this project come from? Basically, over the past month or two, they come from the car. More specifically, they come from the 8-10 hours per week I spend in the car commuting to and from my job. This is often dead time, spent listening to sports talk radio, classic rock, jazz on CDs, thinking about work, or whatever else strikes my fancy. Recently, whatever strikes my fancy has been the Myaran Realms. I have spent many of those recent hours in the car thinking and writing, editing, thinking, and re-writing, so that by the time I sit down in front of the computer after the kids have gone to bed, or on the weekend, I just need to type out what is already in my head and hit the "post" button. As for those hours in the car...these days this beats re-hashing an ugly Phillies season...

Smokehole Caverns and the Sunrise Guardian

Smokehole Caverns
One of the most famous dungeon locations in the Realms is Smokehole Caverns, or simply Smokehole. Smokehole is a huge complex of caves and crevasses located at the top of Sunrise Gap, the only pass through the central Tellarn Mountains. Sunrise Gap is traversed by a rugged, seldom used road that connects the High Plateau above Jasla with the kingdom of Mercia. The road would likely be a substantial trade route if it weren't for the presence of Smokehole, which dominates the road at the top of the pass.

One of Smokehole's many entrances

Smokehole gets its name from the wisps and billows of smoke and steam that routinely come venting up out of the many cave entrances and fissures in the ground, some within sight of the road. It gets its reputation from the multitude of monsters and fiends that have called the caverns home over the years. Only the strongest, and perhaps most foolhardy, caravans and travelers attempt to use the road through the pass, and many of those that do regret the decision.

The many entrances to the subterranean caverns are said to lead to hundreds of caves, caverns, chambers and even tombs stretching over miles of maze-like passages. Adventurers (those that are still alive) claim that the denizens of this underground realm include all manner of goblinoid tribes, oozes, slimes, jellies, demons, fire monsters, and a host of evil corruptions that have no name. In addition to the monstrous inhabitants, tales tell of legendary treasures to be found deep in the mountains.

Smokehole - Deep underground

Some say that the smoke and steam come from underground forges of cities of duergar and drow (dark dwarves and dark elves), while others swear that there is a river of lava that flows through the heart of the mountains deep beneath the pass. Some say both are true. Whatever the truth may be, only the bravest tempt fate by seeking to plunder the depths of Smokehole.

Over the years there have been many raids by the monsters of Smokehole, sometimes ranging as far as the borders of Mercia, almost 60 miles to the east. In return, forces from the surrounding lands have periodically been dispatched to the area in hopes of clearing the caverns, but such expeditions have been unable to achieve any lasting success. For now both the road and the surrounding area remain extremely hazardous.

The Legend of the Sunrise Guardian
In the taverns and inns of Mercia and throughout the Northlands, stories of Smokehole often go hand in hand with tales of the Sunrise Guardian. Dating back twenty years or more, there are stories of travelers in or near Sunrise Gap, beset by monsters, who unexpectedly receive the aid of a solitary hooded and cloaked figure wielding fearsome magics. This mysterious person has become known as the Sunrise Guardian, and is described as a tall figure wearing flowing dark clothes and wielding a simple carved wooden staff. Nobody has ever gotten a good look at the Guardian, who vanishes without a word after these encounters. Tavern talk speculates as to whether the Guardian is male or female, wizard or sorcerer or druid, human, elf, or some other kind of creature. Tales of the Guardian's exploits are legendary, and speak of fire and ice raining from the sky, the earth opening and crumbling from beneath the feet of pursuing monsters, and other spells of staggering power. A story currently circulating is of a trader from Jasla, last survivor of his party, who was being pursued by a giant. The trader says that a hooded and cloaked figure appeared in his path as he ran, pointed its staff at the pursuing giant, and in a commanding voice spoke a single word. He claims the giant stumbled and collapsed to the ground, untouched, dead as a stone.

The Ancients

In scattered locations throughout the Northlands, there are traces of a race that existed long before the time of the Elder Nations. These people are referred to simply as "the Ancients." Large sites are rare, but smaller ones are fairly common, and are treated with great reverence (and superstition) by the common people, some of whom regard these ancient people as some sort of mythical ancestor race.

Ancient Standing Stones

What little is left of these sites is very different in character from the remnants of the Elder nations (which is not unlike modern construction), and generally takes the form of megalithic stone structures or ruins. Typical types include standing stone formations, monolithic carved stone figures and traces of construction made of very large stone blocks. Such sites have been found throughout the Northlands, but are more common in the areas between the mountains and the eastern coast (Alsberg down through Romney).

Powerful mages who have studied these sites believe that they radiate faint traces of some sort of primal nature magic. It is said that druids are especially protective of these ancient locations, and some sages even go so far as to speculate that druidic magic as it is known in the Realms today might be related in some way to that ancient magic.

The Elder Nations

A whirlwind tour... [edited 1/7/15]

The Land of Myrveen

Onoria, greatest of the Elder nations, occupied the land roughly bordered by the Iron Spire Mountains in the east, the upper reaches of the Umbral Mountains in the south, and the Craghorn Peaks in the north. It was bordered on the west by Ithilkar. The Great North Road of today runs through the southern portion of old Onoria.

Ithilkar, Onoria's biggest rival, occupied a great swath of land west of Onoria, east of the Dragonbane Mountains, south into the lands between the Umbral Mountains and Blood Peaks, and extending far north into what is now known as the Rivenrock Wastes.

Tirask, a smaller land, was a nation a seafarers, and occupied what is now Mercia, Rimini, Alsberg and territory stretching into the High Plateau area north of the current day Kalembar Federation.

Gorlavar, a nation of savage warriors, occupied the land west of the Dragonbane Mountains and around the northern shores of the Frostreach Sea. Mirraddi now exists in what was the southeastern part of Gorlavar.

Somewhere north of Onoria and Tirask, beyond the Craghorn Peaks, was the land of the elves of Myrveen. Another elven realm, Kyrellia, existed near the Dragonbane Mountains.

The dwarven kingdom of Barak Brannar (commonly known as Aravesk), was deep within the Craghorn Peaks northeast of Onoria.

The lands between the Elder Nations and the southern kingdoms (current day Romney, Saradel, Kalembar, Varlune and Darlish) were a largely unsettled wilderness area between the two great areas of civilization. These lands began to be settled by humans, mainly along the southern coast, when the remnants of the Elder nations were driven south during the Elder Wars.

Design Notes - How Big is Big?

Something that has taken up some stray thought when building this world is the basic question of "how big should this place be?"

I would like to say that I had done most of that thinking before sitting down and scribbling drafts of maps, throwing things together in Hexographer, etc, but that's not true. As is often the case with any creative endeavor like this, I sit and scribble. Revise and scribble some more. I generally start very small and then work my way out from the middle. And things go where they go. That's pretty much what happened here. First there was the little area where I envisioned the characters starting, and a basic storyline. Then this was fit into a regional view of a basic conception of the larger picture. And finally an idea of how this region fit into the much larger world. Ideally perhaps, this creative process would work the other way around - from the outside in. Have a master plan at the highest level and work down into greater levels of detail as needed. I don't seem to think that way; I start with a seed and things grow where they grow, and go where they go.

Designing Inside-out

My "seed" area was no more than about 50 miles on a side (The Shearingvale). Then the "middle" layer was a region that grew to perhaps 750 miles wide and 1,000 miles from north to south (and is now maybe 1,200 miles on a side - The Northlands). Extensions of the outlines of the continent(s) beyond that have been sketched out, and vague ideas of what is "out there" are rattling around in my head - rattling around enough that a pretty good idea of the setting for this campaign has solidified in my mind.

Which brings me back to the question of how big this place should be. Or given the above, the more specific question I have been asking myself is "is this place big enough?"

I think the answer is "yes".  The initial anchor of this campaign is the Alsberg/Rimini/Mercia area and the Great North Road heading west through the Elder land of Onoria. Water is east, land is in the other three directions. [Odd, having been born and raised in the Philadelphia area, that the maps started at an east coast city...]. Anyway, if we take as an example a Philadelphia central point, and compare to the real world to see what those kind of distances mean, you get the following: A span of 1,200 miles from north to south goes from approximately Toronto Canada to Miami, Florida. Heading west, 500 miles gets you to Cincinnati, 800 miles gets you to St Louis, and 1350 miles gets you to Denver. So is a moderately well thought-out region that stretches from here to Toronto, to Miami, to Maine, and to St Louis enough space to play with? I think so.

And if not, there is always all that white space on the map beyond that.

Languages - The Tempest Coast

Shearingvale and the Silver Hills

There are a number of languages spoken by the human peoples of the Tempest Coast. These languages fall into three main groupings, each based on one of the older tongues spoken in centuries past. Or so say the sages.

Old Onorian was the language of the Elder nations of Onoria and Ithilkar. Salric, or Northern Common, the most widely used language in the Tempest Coast lands, is descended from Old Onorian. It is the primary language of the lands from Saradel to Alsberg and up the Greve River valley to the Shearingvale and Turil. It is a secondary language throughout the rest of the North.

Old Onorian is also the ancestor of Kalemite, the language of the Kalembar Federation, Rulia, the Longwood Vale and the High Plateau.  Kalemite is also a widely spoken second language in Saradel and Burgaresh.

Old Tirian is the ancestor of Oranthian, the primary language of the Oranthian Isles, and a secondary language in Romney and Tiencin.

The other lost Elder tongue is Old Gorlavan, the language of Gorlavar. Westreth, the language of Mirraddi and nations even further to the west, is derived from Old Gorlavan. Darlishite is also dervied from Old Gorlavan, and the sages say that there are influences of Infernal (the language of demon-kin) to be found in Darlishite. Westreth and Darlishite are close enough to allow very basic communication.

Florian, one of the ancient Inland Sea languages still in use, is the primary language of the Florian Empire (and primary and secondary in other lands), and is the ancestor of Varlan. Varlan, spoken only in the small nation of Varlune, is a dialect of Florian with Old Gorlavan influences, and is readily understandable to Florian speakers.

Sages and learned men speculate that the older tongues were already dissolving into different dialects at the time of the Elder Wars, and that the fragmentation and isolation of the survivors of the Elder nations hastened this process.

[edited 2/9/18]

The Kingdom of Mercia

The Kingdom of Mercia is located on the eastern coast of the Northlands, south of Alsberg and Rimini, and north of Romney and Tiencin. It is ruled by a hereditary king, Roderick II, of house Santon. King Roderick has sat on the throne for 27 years, and is in his mid-50's.

Mercia is bordered on the north by the waters of Stillwater Reach, on the west by the Tellarn Mountains, and on the east by Oran Bay. The southern border skirts Pelican Lake and the far northern extent of the Nightshade Forest. It is a land of cool temperate climate and fertile farmland and fishing grounds.

A key time in the recent history of Mercia is the expansion, 18 years ago, of its northern borders. Prior to the expansion, Mercia's northern border was the Meredin River and the city of Belhaven. As Mercia has grown and prospered in recent generations, the independent cities and towns on the south shore of Stillwater Reach have become more and more accepting of the idea of becoming part of Mercia, and this came to pass officially 18 years ago when all independent towns and cities from the Meredin River north to Stillwater Reach consented to be annexed into the kingdom. Five years ago, construction of Harlon Castle on the northern border near Rimini was completed, firmly establishing the new northern boundary (and causing no small amount of agitation in Rimini). This expansion and castle construction has been a serious cause for concern for the fiercely independent Grand Duke of Rimini, and has caused tensions in the relations between the two states.

Northern Mercia (Hexographer, 6 mile scale)

The capital of Mercia is Medina, population 17,500. The cities of Atherwell, Belhaven, Rentana, Kardin and Severn range in population from 5,000-10,000. A dozen named towns of 1,000-3,000 each, along with Harlon Castle on the northern border, bring the urban population total to 76,000. Rural population of 380,000 (5 rural to 1 urban) brings the total population of the realm up to 456,000. Given that half the realm could be considered even somewhat settled, this bring the population density to 27 people per square mile (total) and 54 people per square mile (settled). This qualifies as moderately sparse.

Southern Mercia (Hexographer, 6 mile scale)

In addition to the usual farming and fishing industries, Mercia is blessed with large iron ore deposits in the Red Rock Hills and the precious metals and gemstones mined in the western mountains by prospectors and small mining communities which are brought into the country for sale, and processing.

Threats within the borders of the state have been minimized in recent years, but the pirates of the Oranthian Isles are an ongoing nuisance to the coastal communities, and there are periodic incursions of monsters and humanoid tribes from the Tellarn Mountains. There are also tales of many strange things occurring in the northern and southern reaches of the WitchWood, as well as unusual events around Pelican Lake.

Lastly, one of the great known dungeon complexes of the Northlands, the Smokehole Caverns, or simply Smokehole as it is generally known, sits astride the Sunrise Gap in the Tellarn Mountains, rendering an otherwise potentially important trade route virtually unusable.

The Grand Duchy of Rimini

The Grand Duchy of Rimini is located in the far northeastern part of the Tempest Coast. Until 30 years ago, Rimini was simply an influential independent city in the region, ruled by a City Council made up primarily of merchants. The Mir family, heads of the most important merchant house in the city, effectively ruled that council. Saltin Mir, perhaps in response to the growth of other nearby nations, declared that Rimini would become a Grand Duchy, and that he would be the Grand Duke. None had the wealth or power to oppose him, and he was a good leader, so the Grand Duchy was born. A few nearby towns were persuaded to join the duchy, and it took the shape it has today.

The heart of the duchy is the city of Rimini itself, and the fertile lands of the valley of the River Greve. The marshy Alavan River forms the eastern boundary, and the northern edge of the WitchWood defines the southwestern boundary. It stretches to the foothills of the Iron Spire Mountains beyond Beren Combe in the north. In all, the Grand Duchy covers roughly 2,000 square miles.

Grand Duchy of Rimini
(in Hexographer - 6 mile hex scale)

Rimini is important, and has prospered in recent years, because of its location. The city of Rimini is where the Great North Road (east-west) meets the Coast Road (north-south) coming up from Mercia to the south and continuing into Alsberg to the northeast. This road junction occurs at the western end of Stillwater Reach, where the River Greve empties into the sea, and where there is a good harbor. This confluence of trade arteries has made Rimini a very advantageous location.

Rimini is the only city in the realm, with a population of 12,500. Caledon is a prosperous fishing town of 2,500. Greva sits in the middle of prime farmland in the fertile river valley, and has 2,000 inhabitants. Beren Combe is a mining town located in the hills in the northern part of the Duchy, and has a population of 1,000. Talengard (described below), has a population of 750. The total urban population is 18,750, with another 75,000 living in the rural areas, for a total population of 93,750. Most of these people live along the road and river corridor from Caledon to Talengard. Rimini is one of the more cosmopolitan cities in the Northlands, and is one of the places containing artisans and master craftsmen in large concentration. Metalworking is a big business, using both iron and precious metals mined from the hills near Beren Combe as well as raw materials coming out of scattered mining settlements and the Dwarf hold of Torhaven north of Nandra.

The current Grand Duke is Zefran Mir, son of Saltin. Zefran has been in power since his father's death ten years ago. As his years of rule have gone by, Zefran has become less interested in the daily running of the duchy, which is largely handled by his advisors and the City Council (which does still exist), and spends most of his time working to achieve his dream (some might say obsession) of making Rimini the center of knowledge in the Northlands. To this end, he has rebuilt the ruins of Talengard, a castle site from the Elder days that sits high on a rocky bluff overlooking the River Greve. This complex contains a library, a number of sages, and several temples, including ones dedicated to Tomin (Knowledge), Crastor (Magic) and Valerin (Music and Poetry). Zefran is spending some of his own family fortune (which is quite immense) on this project, and it is having some success at attracting the types of learned people that he desires, such as sages, bards, research-oriented spellcasters and the like.