Chapter 1: King Thadar’s Catacombs

Premise: King Thadar’s Catacombs adventure takes our players on a journey from the bustle of Városa to castle Kerthaz, where builders discovered a network of tunnels. The baron of Kerthaz, lord Gabriel, is offering a tenth of what is found in the underground, as a reward to explorers willing to map it. It seems lord Gabriel is unwilling to send anymore of his people down into the tunnels after two groups did not return.

Setting: Vale, the eastern region of Kelet. This colorful region thrives in a hundred dells cut through the Frosthorn Mountains and a wide central valley bisecting the two main Frosthorn ridge-lines. Vale was once the thriving empire of Naerod. The dunaelfen structures built in and around the mountainsides and rivers still survive across Vale. Many Keleti nobles live in usurped Naerodian castles or built on their foundations. Dunaelfen ruins are a prominent feature in the valleys. There are over thirty separate fiefs in Vale. The political climate is volatile, evident by wars and the shifting alliances throughout the region. The king of Kelet has tried everything to pacify Vale short of invasion, but to no avail. The Church of the Three Ladies claims to work against further conflict there, but their strong presence and lack of success suggests otherwise. On the southern edge of Vale, remnants of another sort are present. The remains of thrymm settlements are evident throughout the mountains in that region. It is unclear whether any thrymm tribes remain deep in the mountain gorges, however, thrymm and half-blooded slave soldiers are not uncommon in Vale, especially in the strongholds furthest from Ártér (central Kelet).

Events in the Background: While the adventurers are chatting about travel plans and future wealth, tensions are high in Városa, Kelet’s second largest city. For the first time in centuries there is talk of war. The Veres family does not involve itself directly with the frequent skirmishes in Vale, but times are changing. Members of the Order of the Stars seem everywhere, prominent flags of blue are displayed on every tower, and the only thing anyone seems to talk about other than Kerthaz is which noble is a Green and which is a Blue.

A second background event (perhaps related to the recent ramping of tensions) a visiting noble was murdered in her sleep, the second murder on Alma Hill (an affluent area) in two weeks. Many rumors point to the rebel Berzeg, a thrymm and former slave-soldier.

Resources: I used this map as a stand in for Városa: https://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=19378

Starting Point: We begin at the good ol’ Petty Dwarf, a tavern and hostel known for its atmosphere and size. It’s a week’s travel from Városa to Kerthaz and you know of at least two other groups leaving for Kerthaz tomorrow. You may even meet one on the road (possibly triggering a race to get there first).

Kerthaz: Kerthaz is built on the foundations of an old Naerodian settlement. Few visible ruins of the dunaelfen settlement survive, but underground there is an extensive network of tunnels. The lord of Kerthaz, Gabriel, ordered a survey of the tunnels two years ago, but after this recent discovery surveyors estimate only small portion has been mapped. Kerthaz is a vibrant town, built in the shadow of a large mountain dividing Vale from the ocean. The land around Kerthaz is wide and lush. There are a number of farms and meadows for horses. The castle garrison is largely made up of thrymm and half-blooded slave-soldiers. There are also a number of retired thrymm within Kerthaz, as Lord Gabriel sets a reasonable price for freedom as a means of reward and gaining loyalty. Lord Gabriel is a strong Green noble known for his fair-mindedness. Nearly all the captains of the garrison are members of the church. Knights of the Triad and half-blooded hussars are a regular sight in Kerthaz.

Upon Arrival: You are greeted with wet earth and the smell of putrid runoff. The town is alive with men-at-arms and builders. You immediately notice dozens of green banners displayed on the outer walls. As you approach, guards on high alert stop you. Upon explaining your presence, you are taken to the center of the town where a large man named Dominik greets you. It seems he is the captain of the guard. He gestures towards the nearest structure and curtly explains that the cellar of this building leads to the catacomb entrance and that if you wish access you must leave one item of significance with the guard stationed there (Dominik knows a spell that will reveal the emotional significance of an item). Upon your return, in exchange for the mapped tunnels the item will be returned to you and an armed escort will accompany you to your reward: one tenth of whatever is found.

Resources: I used this map as a stand in for Kerthaz:

https://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=34381

The Dunaelfen Catacombs: The catacombs were once the stronghold of House Vogt. The ruined castle of this vast underground network stands abandoned one mile south of Kerthaz. Rumors of the haunted place blame it for missing travelers and livestock. The catacombs beneath Kerthaz are an extension of the castle tunnels.

Resources: King Thadar’s Catacombs are based on the Labyrinth of Buda Castle in Budapest and the parchment background is from freetextures.com.

The entrance is lit with many torches, but further down it is dark as pitch. The main foyer is marked with the statue of Rorerl I, the first emperor of Naerod. Beyond it, the tunnels begin in earnest.

Print this map and cut it into at least six pieces or keep it digital and add a solid layer over the map that players can erase as it is revealed, but be sure to make it so the players can draw on the map. As the adventurers explore they are mapping. As they enter each area give them a piece of the map. The blank map is missing corridors, dangers, statues, and hidden rooms that can be added to the map as they discover new areas. Once the catacombs are explored in their entirety the map is complete and it can be delivered to Dominik or Lord Gabriel for their reward.

The areas by number:

12. There is a large stone block, out of place and in the center of the hall. The single hewn block appears to have smashed the ground just behind the statue. This is the beginning of a booby-trapped corridor where the wrong step will bring a block down on top of you. There is at least one pool of blood under another fallen block. On closer inspection the blood can’t be older than two days.

1. Here is a shrine to Kazimir the god of violence, sometimes used to ward away thieves or as a warning. This hall is lined with steel posts topped with candelabras. Under the shrine is a hidden vault. Within is Marevecht, a sentient blacksteel sword.

2. Mounds of silver pieces, candlesticks, utensils, and dishware are covered in thick dust and webbing. Giant spiders protect their treasure trove and block the way. There are noticeable skeletons in the webbing.

3. Zisa’s room is a shrine to the stars. She is the goddess of companionship and beauty. This particular room is very tall. 25 ft. up the ceiling glitters with a little light. Huge diamonds stud the distant ceiling.

4. The walls of this room are covered in carved murals, including special stone screens dividing the center of the room. It depicts the Naerodian creation story and all the Naerodian gods, particularly Bogdan, god of fire and craft. His statue is at the center of the room. For interested explorers (with knowledge of giants), it’s curious that the gods strongly resemble giants and even more curious are the depictions of the four-armed servants accompanying them in the foreground.

5. This next room is similar to Bogdan’s chamber. This is the chamber of Milogost, god of the hunt. The murals in this room depict a war. For explorers with knowledge of dunaelfen history, this is one of the great wars between Maetra and Naerod, the two dunaelfen empires. The sandstone statue of a dunaelfen warrior blocks the hall leading to the next room. There are also two other statues in this room. If you attempt to continue on, the statue will come to life and block your path unless a dunaelf is with you or you clothe yourself in dunaelfin garb. If you the statue recognizes you as a dunaelf it will only step aside if you can answer the question of allegiance, "Who is the father of Naerod?" The answer being the first emporer of Naerod, "Rorerl I." If you draw your weapons before answering, all three statues in the room will attack.

6. This is the chamber of Radomil, god of wine and celebrations. There is a fountain here that still flows. If an adventurer tastes the liquid in the pool they will find it tastes like wine. The wine heals the adventurers of 1d6 Life (per day) and intoxicates its drinker. The adventurers may wish to rest, at least until the effects wear off.

7.  This is the Hall of Heroes. Each statue here is of a famous dunaelfen warrior. There is dried blood in this room. Not pooled, but seemingly dragged across the floor. There is a faux wall in the Hall of Heroes that leads to more catacombs and the old ruined castle one mile south of Kerthaz. The area with the blood has a statue of Anselm, a great hero. If the dagger at his hip is pulled it gives way two inches and the faux wall drops. Behind the faux wall is the escaped slave-soldier and rebel Berzeg and three compatriots. These thrymm warriors despise the Greens and work against them. Berzeg will begin as hostile but depending on your allegiances can be talked out of a confrontation. Beyond this room there is an exit to the outside (it exits just outside of Kerthaz) and also the tunnel leading to the ruined castle. Berzeg and company are unwilling to pass through to the castle. They say something haunts it (a wight). (Berzeg’s story continues in chapter 2)

Down an adjacent hall is a shrine to Vesna the goddess of spring and youth. Resting only an hour in this room will heal the adventurers of fatigue and 1d6 Power (per day).

8. The tunnels then narrow. Curiously you pass over mounds of sand into the bottleneck. If you have already fought the sandstone guard statues this will look familiar. The adventurers can only walk one by one through this area. There is a hidden door here. Putting pressure on this portion of the wall will reveal a passageway but beware there is a mad blind minotaur roaming these halls. If the adventurers are too loud the minotaur may burst through the faux wall and attack. How it got here is anyone’s guess, but the nearest room to the hidden door is filled with manure. Continuing on will surely end with confrontation.

Chamber number 8 is the largest area. It is filled with hay (indicating someone has been putting it there). Two large statues of two famous dunaelfen queens act as pillars to the room.

9. The forbidden shrine is only accessible through a hidden door, if one pushes the right stone brick. Inside is a statue of Toth. Toth is not a part of the Naerodian Pantheon. When the Maetrian and Naerodian dunaelfs fought, Toth was divorced from the Naerodian Pantheon. It is now forbidden to worship him. Conversely, the Maetrians worship only Toth. Praying to Toth or resting at his feet will kindle an inner fire and grant the adventurers 1d6 Temporary Life for the remainder of the day.

10. Exiting this area will reveal the slain corpses of an explorer group. They have been gored and trampled. Continuing on is the chamber of Vitomir, god of wisdom. This room has numerous murals. Depictions of tall lithe four armed beings are most prominent in this room. In Vitomir’s hand is a long crystal, which can be broken off or if the right trigger is found, released. The trigger is a hammer at Vitomir's waist. If pulled, the crystal is released. The adventurers may notice the hammer as a tool of Vitomir's brother, Bogdan the god of craft (hinting that it is out of place). If it is released the crystal is revealed as three times as long as was visible. Its purpose is as yet unknown but it gives off a faint light. If it’s broken it no longer gives off light.

11. The final room is the armory. This room is hidden. The secret door leading to it from room 12 cannot be opened from the outside. The ghost builders passing through the walls indicate the presence of the hidden room and a (second) secret door. On close inspection a small hole can be uncovered. About half a foot in is a mechanism that can be pushed to open the door, but if the tumblers lining the inside are even slightly touched a heavy cylindrical mechanism will break off whatever was put inside.

If the door is opened a room lined with shields, suits of armor, and a variety of arms are revealed inside. These items are all expertly crafted. The suits of armor are intended for dunaelfs and will fit a short human, but the arms and shields are sufficient for anyone.

 

This ends Chapter 1. See what's next for you in Chapter 2: War.

 

Items Part 3: Uniqueness

It's forever in the back of my mind, don't be like 3.5e, don't be like 3.5e. It's an irrational fear, considering I'm writing the damn thing, but hey, there's a lot to like about 3.5. Sure, it's bloated, there's no upper limit, and it is tedious as all hell to make characters and keep track of what they do, but that said, it's highly customizable, there's a lot of 'take it or leave it' mechanics, and there are tons of options. Basically, if you want to play a certain character, 3.5 has something for you. Those are the things I like about it, and since it's what introduced me to pen and paper RPGs it'll always be a strong influence.

So back on topic and back to 3.5 being bloated and without an upper limit. There are tons and tons of examples of this, but I'm going to pick out a big one: magic items. When playtesting the first Northern Realm I sat down with a new group. I was playing Maera, an aelf necromancer well on her way to lichdom. She was mild mannered, but interested in necrotic powers and like most aelfs, history. Now, I started the campaign as I normally would, with the clothes on my back, a ceremonial knife, and no provisions, that's what companions are for. Maera aint no servant, and besides, she doesn't eat too much. My normal playgroup also plays light, carrying a few basic provisions, maybe two weapons, and the clothes on their back.

One of my companions on this adventure seemed to follow this trend (as I think is normal for new players), but the other two were very experienced in tabletop gaming and holy shit were they decked out. One was a pompous aelf noble with a carriage and dozens of servants and another was a witch with creations to carry her things.

Before play, I took a look at their inventory sheet, and holy sheet, they had hundreds of things, HUNDREDS! Poisons, potions, scrolls, even a rolled up mirror. I was blown away, but I learned an important lesson. If you give people the tools, they're going to use them, after all, not everyone's going to want to play the same way as you. So after talking it over we came to the conclusion that if I don't want items to appear all over the Northern Realm then I shouldn't have rules for creating them.
I carry that idea with me wherever I go now. With that said, it didn't strike me until yesterday that not only did I not want them to be common, I wanted enchanted items to be epic- that is, have their own stories. I'd already stated that they were nearly priceless, that they were rare, and yet I had standard enchantments for weapons and armor, like ghost touch, burn, frigid brand, and so on. They were meant to be examples, guidelines if you will, but hell, if I'm going to say these things are unique then I should show it, not tell it. So this newest iteration is meant also as guidelines, but instead of standard enchantments, these are unique, famous items (though many of the abilities are still familiar). Who knows if these weapons are real. It's meant to provide a true guideline to creating your own weapons and also the option of including a piece of history in your campaign. I think it sets a better precedent and a true sense of the item's value.

(As an interesting sidenote, I realized weapons and shields were much easier to name, and found that in history and fiction that was true as well. I discussed this with someone yesterday and I think they hit the nail on the head, armor must be fitted so it's tougher to pick up and use immediately, whereas shields and weapons are good to go right away.)
At any rate, what's in a name- here I'll tell you:

Beacon: This weapon shines as if reflecting the moon. With time, you and the weapon become emotionally connected. Spend an immediate action and 1 Power to create a blinding flash. Creatures facing you and within 50 ft. must make a difficult Intuition resistance check or become blinded for 1 round. Against undead creatures it has a more pronounced effect. Any undead creature within 50 ft. is also burned as if by fire for 1d6 damage.

Death Mark Blade: When you strike a target within this weapon’s critical threat range, the target gains an injury (see the injury table). Creatures that are immune to critical hits are unaffected.

Dreadwand: When unsheathed the wielder must become acclimated to the terrible aura to wield it effectively. Spend an immediate action and 1 Power to become the visage of the most horrible thing imaginable. All living creatures within 50 ft. must make a difficult Will resistance check or become shaken and take a detriment on checks. The effect lasts 2d6 rounds.

Flameheart: The blade of this weapon becomes white hot once unsheathed. Flameheart cannot be touched by friend of foe, or be horribly burnt. It deals an extra 1 point of fire damage on a successful hit.

Frostborne: Enemies struck with this weapon are afflicted with a growing frost. A successful hit deals an extra 1 point of cold damage. For each following hit it deals an additional 1 point of cold damage, which accumulates after each successful strike against the same target (first strike deals +1 cold damage, the second deal +2 and so on).

Istvan’s Bane: This hateful tool excels at harming your fellow man. Against living creatures, it gains a +2 bonus to damage, but against the non-living it doesn’t count as magical for overcoming damage reduction.

Life-Drinker: This weapon leeches the life from living creatures. Successful attacks bestow 1 Life to the wielder. Against non-living creatures, however, it doesn’t even count as magical for overcoming damage reduction.

Mercy: There’s a strange tale about a weapon that cannot kill. A strike from it that drops your target to 0 Life has no chance of accidentally killing it. Once dropped to 0 Life, a merciful weapon will not strike it.

Moxie: This weapon is eager for combat; it nearly jumps into your hand at the first sign of conflict. Any time you would make an Initiative check with the intention of wielding it, roll a d6. You gain a bonus to your Initiative check equal to its result.

Nerung: This weapon allows you to transfer some or all of your attack bonus to AC. Do so as an immediate action. It remains allocated until your next turn when you can again take an immediate action to reallocate the bonus. Only melee weapons can be defending weapons.

Sára’s Light: This weapon gives off an eerie glow. As an immediate action this eerie glow becomes brilliant light and for this one attack it ignores the target’s armor bonuses to AC, as it simply passes through armor. Spend 1 Power to activate this ability.

Seeker: The bolts of this weapon veer towards their target, negating any miss chance granted by spells, proximity, concealment, and cover (but not total cover or concealment).

Spellbrand: It is said this weapon houses a spell, which activates with a designated word. In some stories the designated word is engraved somewhere on the weapon, while in others it is a secret (an Identify spell reveals the type of enchanted weapon, but not the keyword). The wielder need only say the keyword whilst wielding the weapon and the spell is unleashed on its target as if its enchanter had cast it.

The Queen’s Kiss: This enchanted weapon grants the wielder good luck on attacks. You may force a reroll immediately after an attack check. To activate a luck weapon spend 1 Power.

Thunring: This weapon strikes as a clap of thunder. The effect triggers only on a critical hit. The clap of thunder deals an extra 1d6 imploding damage.

Vorpal Sword: A weapon of legend, upon an attack roll of 20, the weapon severs the opponent’s head. This ability does not work against creatures that are immune to critical hits, except vampires and their thralls.

Wind Dancer: In the old stories, this weapon leaps to its owner’s aid. As an immediate action it can be loosed to fight for its owner. It attacks for 1d4 rounds using the attack bonus of its owner. It can attack, make free attacks, and move up to your movement speed per round. Once 1d4 rounds are up, it returns to the one who loosed it. 

What do you think of the names? Got any good ones for me?

  

A Fitting End

The story started without any freakish abominations but with time evolved. If you remember our last campaign session, ended with Eckehard being eviscerated, (Gryres). But before all that, we had to reboot the campaign. It started with Eckehard the dhampir, Camilla the creature, and ‘Coco-bean’ the Magpie. They hadn’t yet met two of our current party members, Alia the wizard and Trafalgalard the half blood until Eckehard woke in an underground cell and Camilla and Coco had found themselves in a daze outside the town of Kine, traveling with two residents they knew to be dead (in fact, Eckehard had killed them in the first part of the adventure).

This was the Lord Silver campaign. The Silvers were a prominent family with a history stretching back to the once Masters of the realm– and apparently, it was just beginning to catch up to them. The town was plagued with disease and the town’s inhabitants were unwilling to confide in us. We had never really gotten to the bottom of that story arc, but after a long break and the introduction of the two new players, the story restarted with a twist. Apparently, a mysterious man named Doctor Nylor had entered the story in our absence and became the center of a whole new mess of problems for the town– beginning with the Silvers, who had apparently disappeared. Fast forward a few sessions and we find ourselves in a place outside the Material Plane. This ‘complex’ seemed to consist of micro universes, connected by portals and made to look like the natural habitats of those creatures imprisoned within them. One of the first we came to, was home to a little girl named Elizabeth, who was not only from the Free Realm, but the Free Realm of hundreds of years ago. Next, we entered a room with a Gwyllion, who apparently had just given birth but had her child stripped from her. There was also a room with a sentient tree, one with a crow, and a room that entered into outer space (which nearly killed Eckehard). We had ended with Eckehard going off alone to the room with a crow. There he had found a portal covered in an opaque sheen (which later turned out to be a Gryre– that's what Eckehard gets for trying to punch his way through the portal).

After his near-death experience and being rescued by the party, Eckehard returned to the Gwyllion’s pool to heal when a gnome woman named Blondwine entered. The gnome had apparently been freely traveling the prison and excitedly shared her findings with us. She had also drawn a map. Not long after, a second Blondwine entered the room. She was an exact duplicate. This led to all sorts of confusion and a short trip to a location marked ‘Storage’ on the map.  From the ‘Storage’ area, Eckehard found and examined a suit of armor that seemed to fluctuate as he stared at it. Not only did it evoke nausea, it also appeared to change size. In fact, to a point that it fit him. Then with some hesitation, Eckehard donned the fluctuating armor as a replacement for his broken mail (from the encounter with the Gryre). In the meantime, Blondwine left to explore the unlabeled room with a milky white portal (that she wouldn’t shut up about). We, on the other hand, decide to go to the part of the map labeled Troll– after all, it was a creature many of us had only heard stories about.

When we enter said room, Doctor Nylor is standing with two minions under an apparatus simultaneously holding the troll down and examining it. Without skipping a beat, Eckehard (who has already experience a number of enerving experiences with Doctor Nylor) with outward calm (and inward fear) made his way to Doctor Nylor but didn't get far. The precocious Alia suddenly summoned a fireball that whizzed by Eckehard and consumed not only the equipment, but also freed the troll, revealing Doctor Nylor in all his glory as an abomination wreathed in flames. When the fire cleared, a horror with many bulging eyes and gnashing teeth appeared in the good doctor's place, covering the waking troll (and perhaps holding it down). Being the closest, Eckehard quickly mounted the abomination and slashed it open, splitting it down the middle before it suddenly broke into a dozen fleeing blobs. The party shot at each of them with fire and arrows to prevent the fractured Nylor from escaping, while the troll in one fluid motion snatched a blob, froze it, and crushed it in its massive hand. Then with utmost clarity of thought, the troll stood up and scooped Coco off the ground as she made her way to the portal and in an all-out sprint rushed towards Eckehard who was standing between an exit and 4 of the horrors that were fleeing towards it. Eckehard managed to destroy the first horror but was then quickly dragged through the portal by the remaining three blobs.

In this new room (marked griffin on the map; also a creature of myth) is a peculiar place where all who enter are overcome with the sensation of being unable to move anywhere other than diagonally. Trafalgalard, who enters shortly after Eckehard, immediately falls from the diagonal and suddenly causes the griffin to appear as a writhing snake beast. Alia and Trafalgalard then burst through the portal and take out the other horrors before turning on the remaining one grappled with Eckehard. The beast then seems to let out a sigh and the echoing voice of Nylor is heard from all around, “Kill me and the knowledge is lost,” to which Coco answers by shattering it with a spell, thereby killing the good doctor.

But then the light in the room immediately quashes and there’s pitch darkness except for the pulsating glow of the portals. The room then begins cracking and the griffin panicks, cracking the world further. Eckehard immediately bolts from the room (to many an outcry from the players– a lot of shade is thrown Eckehard's way), while Alia casts a light spell. The room is being torn apart and everyone begins moving to the portal, except the troll, who is crouched with both hands on the ground and chanting ‘It's only stone, it's only stone’ as his magic permeates the floor, seemingly holding it together. Eckehard meanwhile is bolting through the portals from the crow's room to the tree which is now lit and floating above the floor to the fiend child's abandoned room. All the rooms were as pitch and they were all beginning to crack. The portals were pulsating more infrequently and becoming increasing faint. Three rooms later Eckehard returns to the room he was looking for. Elizabeth, the fiend child and the now sickly Gwyllion are curled up in a dark and cold pool. He immediately sweeps her and the Gwyllion up and moves to the room he had entered from and then another. He knew he wouldn't make it back to the crow's room (where he believed there was an exit). Instead, he returns to the first room (next to the fiend's). The one they had first entered the complex from.

It was now cracked and separated from reality by a gap in literal space. He can see that there's no time. The room is now broken and the ledge which led back to the Material Plane is thirty feet from the underground temple on the other side- but there is no time to stop and think, Eckehard runs and leeps. Somehow, despite the incredible distance, Eckehard is drawn to the crack in the underground temple as if its gravity was pulling him towards it. The armor also seems to respond to his will and aids him in traversing the gap (later my GM said, "Thank god you put it on"). As we were floating in space the jolt from the movement frees Elizabeth from his arms. Eckehard then reached for her, making his check to grab her but in the process loses his grip on the Gwyllion who slips into the nothingness, wherein the darkness there are many eyes, revealing creatures blinking into and out of existence. Our GM finishes the scene with the Gwyllion’s expression turning to one of comfort, she then smiles, and a translucent beast appears from the black swallows her whole, then fades away.

When Eckehard hits the ledge on the other side he doesn't miss a stride. He puts as much distance from the shattering complex and infinite space to the familiar tunnels below the temple. Meanwhile, the rest of the party leaves the troll muttering his incantation and makes for the room where the gryr was destroyed. From there they entered a portal (Ah ha! Punching the portal wasn't such a bad idea now, was it) into a collapsing underground complex still pulsating with otherworldly energy. They made their way through the hall and up the spiral staircase before the ceiling collapses. They are saved by Alia’s spell, but her sanity was lost in the process as the creature with which her mind was tied (there was a story arc with the crow) was crushed in the rubble and the Havren mind that possessed it (the crow) fled to hers, overwriting it (or at least pushing her mind aside).

We left the campaign here with the party amidst the rubble near the town and Eckehard below the temple at its center. Not long after exiting the portaled realm, acolytes from the temple approached underground with Yorgey Silver at their head (he was dead in the first rendition of this story, providing further evidence of multiple realities) and with the final words of the night said, “So my son is truly dead.”


There was a lot of run-up, but it was a hell of a ride and I thought I’d share the climax. I've never been so sad about a nameless NPC (the troll) especially one we spent so little time with. His sacrifice was appreciated.

GM side note: The story behind Blondwine was that she was captured and was used as a lab assistant in Nylor's experiments to find the source of the Silver disease. She was eventually able to make use of some tools that allowed her to traverse the portals and escape. Unfortunately, she found her way to a broken area of Nylor’s Prison (where he had mistakenly captured a vampire, who in its despair killed itself and its blood shattered that section of the prison). This broken area became a vortex of energy and shattered reality. Essentially, it began spitting out innumerable copies of Blondwine. She would then traverse the cells, eventually finding her way to the milky white room (room 12, which we later discovered what was inside from a blood-soaked map left behind by one of the Blondwines) where her infinite copies all met their demise. Interestingly, her curiosity ended up feeding and growing an entire ecosystem of giant spiders.

The Free City Campaign

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a guy on Reddit about running a city campaign with players that can come in and out of the campaign, and it got me thinking about a campaign we ran for The Northern Realm version 1.

The idea was this:

Set up at least 3 or 4 power groups, maybe even two resistance groups so there's some push and pull in the city. Players can play the groups off each other or secretly be involved with multiple groups or not so secretly, and you could add in players as they meet with each organization. The new players could be either a part of the new organization or contracted by the new organization or somehow involved with them (and the question of allegiances will lend to intrigue).

We did this with my playgroup and even though we only added players one time throughout the campaign, we did add tons of regular NPCs and it was pretty fluid. We had two government groups, one the establishment, the other seemingly 'free-er' rising power that later backstabbed us, a thief group made up of individual cells who also ended up being something other than what they seemed, and a powerful collector with tons of people working for him. Later a few more groups were introduced. I think the important thing is to give the groups a good reason to exist and clear motives. Then essentially you can introduce anyone you want because you could come from so many different angles.

Our GM set the tone within the city when we entered the city gates. The guards were turning people away. They were also rude and combative. If we hadn't name dropped a middle-ranking member of the ruling party we wouldn't have got in. So clearly right off the bat we were set up to feel resentful or at least wary of them. Then it immediately kicked off with us witnessing and stopping a theft as we entered the city. So this became our intro to the collector. We learned from him that the increased security and paranoia at the gate had more to do serial murders happening in the southern quarter by a perpetrator known only as the carver. Rumor had it that the carver was murdering people in the streets and taking one hand of his victims as a trophy. 

Then at some point wandering around the city for the collector caught the attention of the thieves guild who nabbed and interrogated us. I can't remember exactly how we ended up talking to the rival government party but I think we found some old writing and references about something that was haunting our dreams. At any rate, we were involved in a confrontation with them and the ruling party. Then shit got a little crazy as we learned to only trust individuals and not any of the parties jerking us around. I'd really have to write it out in many pages so I'll just end with we were betrayed, one of our NPC party member's mind was assimilated by his brother, who had invaded his mind and was slowly taking him over from day 1, and one of the old gods (vampires) was waking in the burial chambers of the city and attempting to subtly manipulate people within the city to uncover his remains. It got very convoluted but we had a year to go through it. Suffice to say we ended up fleeing the city with his remains.

Best campaign we ever did.

If you want to piece together what we did here's background of the city and conflict:

Free City (City, 113,700): The Free City is one of the largest cities on the continent. It is the oldest human city in Rhen. Thousands of years ago, the still young Nobles gathered the human tribes and taught them building techniques. Under their direction, the immortal Nobles and humans built their capital. This city became the capital of the Noble Dominion and it was named Gorhithe.

When the Noble Dominion fell it was renamed Freorice (which in Ancient Common is Free Realm), and Gorhithe renamed Aerden, the Free City. The peace and jubilation, however, lasted only one short year as the politics of the city again plunged the country into war. And after decades of strife, there was peace again and a king. He named the new kingdom Storgeard. But the king and the aristocracy held power only a short time, until becoming supplanted by the Optimits who then named the land the Free Realm, in honor of history and called the capital simply, the Free City. 

Quickly this ancient city grew under the Optimits, until its population burst the walls. The city expanded to the western banks of the Stor River. Towns grew within view of the city walls. It was not until the bloodless conquest of the Free Realm by United Kelet that the size of the Free City finally contracted. Since then the population of the Free City has decreased, but the towns around it expanded. This has served to enrich the Free Realm. The country prospered as trade passed between the towns. In recent years, the Free City has had a second boom, again rapidly expanding across the Stor River. But a sudden and brief war between the Free Realm and the Grey of Lwydgalon, successfully pushed the expansion to inside the city walls. As a result, the southern half of the city is now overly populated. Crime is very high in this section of the city, but tolerated, as it does not usually spread beyond the south district. The central district is the most affluent in the city, protected by the old walls of Gorhithe, and built on the foundations of its once magnificent citadel. At its center are the Free City Library and the Grand Hall, where the High Council meets. These remarkable structures are visible from all around the city. Affluent denizens of human countries come to the Free City to study the arcane arts. Even the aristocratic families of Kelet are known to send their children to the Free City. It is partly for this reason that the Free City is rich. Tuition for the arcane school in the Free City Library is staggering.

At the present the tense atmosphere within the Free City is palpable. Conflict between the Optimits and Artificers seems inevitable. Rumors of the Havren, a mysterious shadow group has reached more ears than ever before. For the first time in decades the citizens worry about the north section of the city, where a tall stone wall prevents anyone from entering. This section of the city has been off limits for as long as anyone can remember. There is very little in the history books of the Free City Library that describe the city beyond the north walls, either because the records are lost, or the High Council has made it forbidden reading.

The symbol for the Free City is a white chrysanthemum. Symbols and banners of the chrysanthemum are proudly displayed throughout the city. 

The main players:

Artificers: The Artificers are a new group in the Free City founded only fifty years ago. Members of the Free City Library researching new means of tapping into the arcane began organizing as a means of sharing research. What began as an assembly of young wizards quickly became a political movement opposite the Optimits. The Optimits’ oppressive rules restricting access to young wizards to certain wings of the Free City Library caused conflicts that sometimes turned violent. These rules required either the wizard be a staff member (whom are mostly members of the Optimits) or a sworn member of the Optimits in order to gain access to restricted material. Further, the Optimits overt prevention of non-wizards from rising through the social ranks upset the influence of the large craft guilds in the Free City, who had grown wealthy, but remained unable to lobby for favorable policies in the city. With the encroachment of the growing Merchant Guild, members of the craft guilds turned to the Artificers. An alliance of the two groups led to further advances in the Artificer’s political position in the Free City and also led to unique achievements in the study of magic. The insignia for the Artificers is a hammer suspended over an open book.

Optimits:  : The Optimits are a premiere group of wizards that formed long before they took the name Optimit. They once bore the name of Servants, in mockery of the Thegn. The Servants learned under the Nobles, the masters of the Noble Dominion. When the Noble Dominion was overthrown the Servants survived, biding their time until they could revive the organization under a new name. One thousand years later, the goals of the Optimits moved away from serving the Masters to maintaining order. With the rise of the Artificers the challenge of controlling the citizens of the Free Realm becomes increasingly difficult. With the stress of dealing with the Artificers, the increasingly powerful Merchant Guild, and the aristocracy, elements of the Optimits that have not forgotten their loyalty to the long dead Masters are growing more influential. The Optimits have direct control over the Marshals and Constables in rural areas and neighboring towns. Within the Free City the Optimits control security and most Free City Library staff members. The Optimits are constantly at odds with the Artificers; nevertheless, they maintain some amount of influence over them by way of threat of force and by closing certain wings of the Free City Library. The insignia for the Optimits is a chrysanthemum crossed with a sword suspended over a closed book. 

Havren: To hear of the Havren in the Free City is to know them as boogeymen. Stories told to children so that they do not misbehave. Only sometimes are they called crows– an old story for an old name. The crow is their seal. Powerful members of the Optimits know them as so, and guard its secret. Few outside of the Optimits are aware that they truly exist, and even fewer understand their purpose. A secret society, the Havren are an ancient organization that once served under one of the Seven. The Havren exist primarily in the Free City. Seldom, when the need is great, the Havren will send agents beyond the walls of the city. One Havren cell acts as a clandestine Guild of Thieves. The Havren have strange motives and strange magic. Indeed, no books in the Free City Library teach the powers of the Havren.

The Havren have a peculiar and torrid past. They predate the Optimits by hundreds of years, when man still lived in nomadic tribes. The Havren use a mental form of magic. The unique nature of Havren magic makes it difficult to ascertain, thus lending to their secretiveness. The Havren currently act as a balancing lever to the Artificer and Optimit conflict, a role it’s played once before. The Havren’s ultimate goal is not clearly understood by outsiders, even the Optimits. It seems however, that the Havren seek to maintain status quo, but that’s only part of it. Certainly the Havren obstruct change in the Free City, but they also act to keep the old masters of the city from returning, and likewise keep their remains from being destroyed.

The main conflicts:

Plots in the background:  

1. The call of the box hidden in the forbidden north district, inside are the remains of the long dead Master, Valak.

2. The tenuous rivalry between the Artificers and the Optimits.

Plot in the foreground:

1. The One Who is Three:

Every few generations, an individual will come forth bearing the title of Mishha’Hreg. Also called The One Who is Three, it is a being that is created through the fusion of three personalities. The Havren seem contradictory in their expectation that their followers execute the will of the order while they actively recruit individuals who are divergent in their personalities. This contradiction is personified in the creation of the One Who is Three.

The goal is to foster the formation of three distinct individuals whose differences become fully formed in adulthood. These are typically described as the Right Hand of the Will, the Eyes of the Mind and the Name of the First. The Right Hand is an active and direct personality, the Eyes is a perceptive and empathic mind and the Name is obsessive and consuming. However, a mutual affinity must also be formed to facilitate the final step. Once all three reach the height of their personalities and difference, the Name will kill the others and absorb their consciousness. It is in this way that they can form an individual who has lived three different lives through three separate perspectives. The Havren believe that such an individual can lead them through a trying time or bring about a paradigm shift that great events occasionally calls for. However, it is important to note that the Mishha’Hreg would be a single personality without internal conflict. All three lose their distinctiveness and the resulting individual becomes a committed follower and acolyte of the Havren.  

The Name of the First: Éamon, an NPC party member we met mysteriously in the previous town.
The Right Hand of the Will: Jainen, a master thief you meet through the collector
The Eyes of the Mind: Silk, the head of one Havren cell whose front is the thieves' guild.

Éamon joined our party in the previous adventure. Little did we know Éamon's mind housed that of Alaric, Jainen and Silk's brother, whom they had murdered (arguably for good reason) and left for dead in the swamps around Beldonshire (the town we were in). Somehow before his death he had called Éamon a low-level Havren to him and transferred his mind to him. But Éamon resisted and Alaric could only slowly take over his mind, therefore, we the party, didn't realize what was happening until the climax of the campaign. Anyway, with a stranger's face in Éamon and the estrangement of the two brothers Silk and Jainen after the murder of Alaric, we were set up to meet them all one at a time and slowly put puzzle pieces together, leading to an exciting end that took us from the gates of the Free City, to the manor of a friend, then the Free City Library, the south district, sewers, prison cells, and finally to the northern district and the ruins of Gorhithe.


The small plots:  

1.The carver murders (a plot by the Optimits to distract the populace) 

2. The collector and his ties to Jainen the thief.

3. The Palace of Memory, a construct in all Havren's mind (and of particular interest, in Éamon's mind). A linked telepathic spell would gain us entrance into his mind.

 

Trolls

A few sessions ago in a campaign with my character Brinmore, a knight hero, we ran into a family of trolls as we made our way to the Black Forest, a place rumored to be haunted and the location of a village where all the residents had suddenly disappeared. The three trolls approached and we stood our ground. These trolls, however, appeared friendly, and it seems our reputation preceded us.

We sat down to lunch with them and started a game of riddles beginning with this:

-From the trunk of a willow and the scraped hide of a cow I am made. Suffering the fierce savagery of war I, with my own body, always save my bearer’s body, unless death takes the man’s life. What fierce soldier endures such a fate or receives so many deadly wounds in war?-

To which Brinmore answered, 'A shield.' This apparently won the respect of the trolls so they revealed to us that they were escaping the forest which had been haunted by a trail of hundreds of lights in the night sky and the subsequent disappearance of trolls and other creatures in the forest. The trolls had also noticed many disappearances but not the disappeared villagers (who were only at the edge of the forest).

Soon after the trolls left us and we made our way into the forest where we fashioned a shelter at the edge of a clearing and waited, hidden in brambles for the lights to come.

art by John Bauer

Fae creatures have the following features and traits:

·  Otherworldly: Luck, Intuition, and Will are 4d6.

·  Spell Resistance: equal to Power.

·  Spell creature: The faes’ spells and abilities do not trigger the identical dice effect.

·  Damage reduction 5/magic.

·  Magical attacks: The faes’ physical attacks are magical for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

·  Fae creatures have no shadow in the Shadow Realm.

·  They cannot dream and are therefore immune to sleep and dream effects

·  Fae eat and breathe, but do not sleep.

Troll

Trolls are large hulking beings. Their appearance is both intimidating and disarming. They are muscular, but their forms are round, like stones smoothed from long years in a river. They have rounded faces with soft and kindly features. Most of their movements are slow and deliberate, but they are capable of great speed if pressed.

It is said that the first bard was a troll. Also, that trolls were once great teachers of man. There is a myth passed down from clan to clan that trolls were responsible for losing the minds of giants. The story goes that Ildra, first daughter of Mororíganís and Curnunnos, walked amongst the western tribes of man, teaching many things. She delighted in sharing knowledge and watching her children, as she called them. 

Another story tells of Ildra, a goddess. There came a day when Ildra walked amongst her children that the sounds booming horns of the hunt suddenly announced the arrival of Sterk, brother of the Giant King. He sprinted into the clearing, spear upraised and Ildra stood her ground against the great giant and would not allow him to slay any man. In anger, Sterk slew Ildra. For that Mororíganís, Queen of the fae summoned all the life force of her kin to smite such a blow against the giants that both races were diminished. Long after, the burial mound over Ildra became crowned with flowers, becoming the first of the Troll Hills. 

The first trolls were said to rival the giants in size. Indeed, trolls are hulking creatures, wide and tall, though not quite as large. Their skin resembles the mossy rocks and brown earth around which they were born. A bulbous nose dominates their features. Their heads are crowned with wild hair and some have horns. Trolls alone of the fae have shadows in the Shadow Realm. They are kindly, and though their size and strength is unsettling, they are more often than not patient, thoughtful, and incredibly honest. 

Not all trolls are good-natured, but they are not deceptive. All trolls consider a promise, deal, or agreement unbreakable and will without fail adhere to it. They take pleasure in riddles, answering and creating them. Bargains, even disagreements can be settled over a game of riddles. Indeed, most trolls cannot resist an exchange of riddles. 

Trolls are shepherds in the forests of rock, moss, bush, and trees. Small clans wander the hills and forests. Sometimes Trolls will build standing stones or delve into the earth, building networks of caverns. Trolls often interact and even accompany other fae. They have little fear from trickster fae and even enjoy their company. Many troll tribes will even foster human children that knockers, goblins, or trowes have stolen from human villages. Trolls can be benevolent wanderers, lazy vagabonds, curious botanists, tyrants, and even historians. 

Troll (Large Fae)

Life: 21 Life

Luck/SR: 3 points/equal to Power

Power: 29 Power

Initiative: +9

Speed: 50 ft.

Armor Class: 16 (+6 natural), 16 Flat-Footed

Acumen/Grapple: +6/+11

Resistance Die: d20

Attack: Quarterstaff of luck +11 melee (1d6+5);

            or slam +11 melee (1d6+5)

Space/Reach: 10 feet/10 feet

Special Attacks: Spells

Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/magic,

            low-light vision

Abilities: Str +5, Dex +0, Int +2,

            Intuition +3, Will +4, Luck +3

Skills: Knowledge (any) +10, Perception +9

Environment: Temperate and cold forests and hills.

Organization: Solitary, small tribes

Level: 6

Weakness: -

 art by John Bauer