Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Shearingvale Lore - Kelwin's Gorge

A few hours' easy walk south of Grainger is a dead end canyon filled with swampy lowlands. The gorge is named for Kelwin, a local hero of days gone by. Kelwin was the warrior leader of an adventuring band known as the Company of the Red Sash based in Linden approximately 30 years ago.
Linden - East Detail (Hexographer, 1 mile scale)

The Red Sashes had some success in plundering the Elder ruins of the region, and lived the high life in Linden. This brought them to the attention of jealous rivals. On an otherwise peaceful summer evening, the Red Sashes were crossing the grasslands near the gorge, returning from an expedition into the eastern Greenreach Woods, when they were ambushed by a group called the Fists of Vengeance.
Kelwin's Gorge (Hexographer, 1 mile scale)

In a running fight across the plains toward the gorge, the Red Sashes were killed one by one until only Kelwin remained. In desperation, he fled into the swamps and was never seen again.

In the many years since, many have searched the swamp, seeking to find the magical Elder armor that Kelwin was known to wear, and the mighty sword Frostcleaver that he was known to wield.

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Staff of the Explorer

In our session last night, the party found a magical staff which they Identified to be a Staff of the Explorer.

The Staff can hold ten charges, and will regain 1d6+2 charges per day at dawn. The user will not necessarily know how many charges the staff currently contains. If drained to zero charges, there is a 1 in 20 chance that the staff will explode, doing 6d6 force damage to anyone within a 30 foot radius at the time of the explosion.

The staff is an item of conjuration magic, and has the following powers:
  • point to a compass direction [1 charge, instantaneous]
  • conjure 50 feet of rope [1 charge, item exists for 1 hour then fades]
  • conjure a grappling hook [1 charge, item exists for 1 hour then fades]
  • conjure a 10 foot pole [1 charge, item exists for 1 hour then fades]
  • conjure 2d6 metal spikes [1 charge, item exists for 1 hour then fades]
  • point to a known location that the wielder has been to before [2 charges, instantaneous]
  • conjure a magical campfire which will not be extinguished by rain or other environmental factors, and lasts from the casting until the following dawn, or until dismissed [2 charges]
  • conjure 1 day's rations for 1 person [2 charges]
  • conjure up to 1 gallon of fresh water into a single container on hand (less water if a smaller container) [2 charges]
  • obliterate any trace of a campsite, including scent [2 charges]
  • obscure a campsite for one night (duration until the following dawn), such that campfire or similar light is shielded, noise is muffled, and direct view of the location is blurred (but not totally hidden). [3 charges]
  • conjure a 20 foot radius zone of moderate temperature, lasting 8 hours or until dismissed. The zone is based on a fixed point determined at the casting, and does not move. If the staff leaves the zone, the zone ends immediately. Temperatures less than 50 degrees will be increased to 50 degrees, and temperatures greater than 80 degrees will be reduced to 80 degrees. [5 charges]
Maybe we will tweak this a bit, but this is what I have in mind as of now...

Friday, February 23, 2018

Campaign Journal 48 - In Durn

When last we left our heroes, they had just defeated Azard, an efreeti, causing him to Plane Shift back to his home plane on the verge of death...

Having either killed the human enemies or driven Azard the efreeti back to his home plane, the party was able to search the adjoining chambers and found a significant stash of treasure (Azard's "business funds" while on this plane). In perhaps their biggest treasure haul of the campaign, they found 900 copper pieces, 9,350 silver pieces, 2,201 gold pieces, 140 platinum pieces, 10 50GP gems, 3 potions of healing, a potion of greater healing, a scroll of Light (cantrip) and a scroll of Longstrider.

Leaving the main lava chamber, the party explored the last bit of the dungeon, which was the guard chambers and a small makeshift jail. No enemies were left, and the place was empty. A staff was found (later determined to be the staff of Dahlgren, the wizard in Zarya Udak's ambushed party), which was later Identified to be a Staff of the Explorer. The staff is not a combat item, but can conjure all manner of useful items, serve as a compass, point the direction to known locations, etc.

Two prisoners were found locked in the jail cells. The first was Amala, a member of Zarya's party and Zarya's good friend. The second was Gommek Leadback, and old dwarven prospector. Amala was able to tell that the rest of the survivors of the group had been taken from their cells earlier in the day, and she didn't know what became of them. Gommek had been captured days earlier while exploring the nearby hills (and had no connection to Zarya's group). Amala indicated (behind his back) that Gommek was perhaps a bit nuts...or at least eccentric. Which would seem to be true.

Gommek speaks a different dialect of dwarvish, but as previously noted, in this world, all dwarven languages are closely related enough that anyone who speaks dwarven can communicate with anyone else who also does. So we had a more effective way to communicate. Gommek spoke dwarvish and the local tongue, and everyone in our party speaks dwarvish, courtesy of the reward boon of Grandar from the Traniska/Alberneth Underdark story arc.

Gommek told tales of searching for great gemstone riches in the nearby hills. Which is fairly typical stuff for dwarves, and may or may not be true. He said he was originally from the nation of Astillon far to the north, and after discussion with him, Zarya and Amala, the party was able to determine that they were indeed in Illurya, and more specifically, they were in the southern part of the city-state of Durn, the one outlander realm in Illurya. By their best estimate, knowing what they knew of the world's geography, they were perhaps 2,000 miles due south of their home base in Linden. The directional piece was confirmed by use of the new Staff of the Explorer, which indicated first which way was north, and then which direction Linden was in. The directions the staff pointed to were almost identical.
City-State of Durn (Hexographer, 6 mile scale)

Being told that the nearest village was Jonka, perhaps 6 miles to the east downstream, the party had time before nightfall to get to the village. On the way, they passed the ruins of a log palisade enclosure that Zarya and Amala indicated the locals thought was haunted by undead. They kept going, and said they might come back later. [GM's note - I messed these distances up during the session. Looking at the local map drawing a few pictures below, the ruined log fort is the first mark to the west, 3 miles away from Jonka. Another 3 miles west is the Arafas gate. Another 6 miles west is the lava temple at the end of trail. So 12 miles from Jonka, not 6. Oops.]
Ruined Log Palisade Fort

The village of Jonka itself was a small collection of simple but stoutly built log buildings. Each house  had the appearance of a tiny fortress, with narrow windows and thick shutters. One small walled compound was the only larger structure, and there was a three story tall wooden watchtower. A bell could be seen on the upper floor of the tower, and a pair of banners, black and red, flew from the roof. Amala said that a red banner meant a report of danger nearby, but a black and red banner meant "danger confirmed".
Jonka

Gommek took them to the village's one small tavern, the Staff and Sickle. He claimed to be a friend of the owner, Banarik Ashstone, also a dwarf. Bursting into the tavern, Gommek was acknowledged by the crowd and then quickly ignored. A dozen or so locals filled the establishment, and showed some limited interest in the party, who gained some good will by buying a round of drinks for the house.
Jonka area of southern Durn

Banarik Ashstone proved to be a friendly dwarf with intricately braided fire-red hair and beard. He reacted very favorably to the Mark of Grandar (Thalmyr's god of vengeance) that each of the party members carry on their left cheekbone, treating them deferentially and calling each of them "my lord." He intended to kick a small group of travelers out of their room (the only place to stay the night), but the party declined, and asked permission to sleep on the common room floor after closing instead.

Regarding the "danger" banners flying from the watchtower, several locals told tales of sightings in recent days of monsters that they referred to as Red Reavers, a hulking brute of a creature. They were said to be hairless and red, being tall (7 or 8 or 10 or 12 feet tall, depending on the teller), muscular, and with 2 or 4 or 6 arms, again depending on who was relating the tale. Despite the difference in description, there were many similarities, and all accounts agreed that they were red, large, strong, fierce and of evil intent.
A Red Reaver

Before turning in for the night, the party agreed that they might spend a bit of time in Illurya, looking around...

Next - Out and about in Illurya...

GM Commentary - As intended, this session was very low on combat, given that the last two sessions were a dungeon crawl followed by an epic boss battle that lasted almost an entire 3 hour session. We needed something else for a change of pace. As it happened, we had one of those rare sessions where not a single die was rolled in combat. I don't think anyone minded...

XP for this session by the book for 5e would have been zero. No monsters killed. No imminent threats avoided, etc. Which is why we don't do XP that way. All but one of our characters are within 3-5k XP of 34,000 which is 8th level. Our 8th level druid is 13k away from level 9. Given all that they learned about the world, maps they were able to fill in, a large treasure trove "liberated", NPCs met and talked with, and freeing some captives and doing good deeds was collectively deemed to be worth 1,500 XP. I like this kind of session, and I need to make sure that while the players also seem to like them, I don't undermine that by taking their XP award away. So 1,500 XP per character, plus a 250 XP for anyone with an adventuring motivation of "Exploration" and a 500 XP bonus for anyone with an adventuring motivation of "Riches". Riches doesn't trigger bonuses all that often since I am not big at throwing tons of loot at the party, but this was a big one, and should be rewarded as such.

Interacting with the World (what the characters learned...or were reminded of): A whole lot of stuff, which is what made the non-combat session fun nonetheless. They are indeed in Illurya. They are specifically at the southern edge of the wilderness of the city-state of Durn. They learned a little about the local area, and some potential threats.

Present: Duncan, Badric, Niam, Malachy (all level 7), and Melior (level 8).

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Moons of Istavar

The world of Istavar has two moons that grace its skies, Erris and Rayos. The two are vastly different in their appearance, their cycles, and the feelings they evoke in the population.

Erris is the larger of the two, and glows with a warm yellowish-white light. It is ever-present and predictable in its daily transit across the night sky, rising and setting much like the sun (but in nightly contrast). In roughly month-long cycles, it passes through the phases of waxing, full, waning and new. Darthelia, in her aspect as the goddess of the moon, is associated with Erris.

Rayos is blood red in color, and is speckled with black spots. It appears as almost exactly half the visual diameter of Erris, and is much less predictable in its cycles, at least as far as the common people are concerned. Perhaps there are astronomers who understand its movement, but perhaps not.  It tends to move more slowly than Erris, and may be present in the sky for days before disappearing for weeks. Its comings and goings baffle the common folk, who associate it with Harilos, the god of chaos, anarchy and destruction.

Many portents are associated specifically with the appearance of Rayos. Rayos appearing in the sky during a new moon phase of Erris is considered to be an unfavorable time, and is to be avoided for weddings, travel and the beginning of new ventures. Children born in such inauspicious times are often thought to be followed by misfortune. In rare instances, perhaps once every ten years, Rayos passes directly in front of Erris. This special occurrence is called the Eye of Chaos, and is feared by the people. It is also known to throw the magical weave out of balance, causing arcane spell casting to be unpredictable, and to hinder the connection of divine spell casters to their gods. This aftereffect typically lasts for anywhere from a few days to a week, but there is one recorded instance over a century ago where it lasted for an entire month.

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Order of the Lily

The Order of the Lily is a group of wandering priests of Ardran (the All-Father - god of life, creation, renewal, vitality and health) who roam the lands, treating the ill in smaller villages and hamlets. Their mission is to minister to the commoners in outlying areas who would otherwise not have access to divine healing to cure serious injuries, disease and other conditions.

Ardran holds a special place in the pantheon of gods of the land, and because of the specific mission of the Order, very few would dare to interfere with the Order's mission.

There are those cynical few who believe that the Order uses their favored status to spy on behalf of the current power establishment, but such accusations have never been proven.

The Order's symbol is Ardran's white flower on a red field. Priests of the Order wear simple white hooded cloaks with red trim.

The Scarlet Brotherhood

The Scarlet Brotherhood is a fringe group of fanatics dedicated to the eradication of magic from the world. It was originally formed in the last years of the Elder Wars as a reaction to the destructive and uncontrolled use of magic that marked that conflict. The roots of the group were in the Kingdom of Burgaresh but over the years agents of the neighboring Mage-Realm of Larenthy have mostly driven the group out of Burgaresh and the other Inland Sea lands. The Brotherhood is now believed to be based in the Kalembar Federation.

The Brotherhood is thought to be a relatively small group, with agents scattered in towns and cities throughout the Tempest Coast lands. Members are typically assassins, rogues and warriors, although there are said to be a number of divine spell casters among their ranks, and perhaps even a few arcane spell casters who have sworn to betray their brethren.

The sworn goal of the Brotherhood is to slay all arcane spell casters in the hopes of curtailing the knowledge and use of such magic. The members believe that arcane magic use is a pathway to evil, and must be done away with. Assassination and murder are the typical means by which they hope to achieve their goals. Victims of the Brotherhood typically have their bodies splashed with red paint, dye or animal blood.

Attacks in recent years have been fairly rare, and have generally targeted lower level spell casters, but every now and then a mage of significant ability has turned up dead, with the Brotherhood claiming responsibility.

The symbol most often used by the Brotherhood is a skull pierced by a lightning bolt. Because of their clandestine mission, the Brotherhood has no recognizable public dress, although they wear scarlet robes with light green trim in their private ceremonies.

The Hand of Metris

This group of warriors, paladins and priests are followers of the goddess Metris in her aspect as the protector of travelers. They wander the roads and trails of the Tempest Coast lands guiding travelers, protecting caravans and doing all they can to keep trade and travel safe.

The Hands are not numerous, but are a welcome sight to travelers everywhere. They wear hooded lavender (light purple) cloaks with the large yellow symbol of an upright hand. They generally appear in bands of 4-8, with the majority being low level warriors. A band is usually mounted, and will typically be led by a priest or warrior of moderate level.

Because of the service that they provide, it is customary that members of the Hand be provided with simple food and lodging for free in those towns and villages that they pass through.

Fenugog's Wandering Golems

A gnomish master craftsman named Fenugog Fizzlewire ran a famous workshop in the Mercian city of Atherwell between the years of 585 and 649. Fenugog was also a mage, and his workshop specialized in the construction of golems, specifically stone and iron golems. Fenugog’s creations were very much in demand, and as the decades passed many noble villas, temples and government buildings throughout the region obtained one of his golems as a guardian (or status symbol).    

The golems from the Fizzlewire workshop varied widely in size and appearance, but all had the Fizzlewire symbol of a wavy-lined “F” topped by a star carved into its front, and a number (in dwarven runes) carved into its back. No two golems have ever been known to have the same number carved on them, so it is believed that the numbers are unique to the golems, and carved in the order in which they were created.

In the spring of the year 649, Fenugog died suddenly, presumably of old age. His three adult sons immediately closed up the workshop and headed southwest toward the Inland Sea lands. It is not known where they ended up, as they were not heard from again.

Shortly after the sons moved away, Fenugog’s golems began acting erratically and of their own volition. Their masters were no longer able to reliably control them. A few of them became violent, and needed to be dealt with, but for the most part they just began to wander seemingly at random, stopping wherever they felt like, and remaining motionless for weeks, months or years at a time. These periods of stasis would be broken by bursts of activity. A golem might wander into the middle of a temple, into a shop or house, into a farmer’s field, or simply wander off into the wilderness before deciding to just stop for an indeterminate (and unpredictable) period of time.

For the past 58+ years, the movement of Fenugog’s golems has continued. In Mercia and nearby lands, where the people have become used to this behavior, it has become known simply as "The Wandering".

Fenugog’s workshop was in business for 64 years, and it is believed that they made over 300 golems in that time. At least several dozen of them have been destroyed. At least a hundred are believed to still be in Mercia or the immediately surrounding lands. That leaves a great many unaccounted for, and presumably at large in the land. Occasional sightings have been made as far away as the elven lands of Kyrell, the High Plateau, and the Kalembar Federation. An unconfirmed rumor says that an adventuring company recently destroyed number 237 in the Silverflow Valley north of Varlune.