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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Jun 2016 : 21:31:57
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quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
No! Don't quote me! I can't remember, but that was before I got my own copy of Faces of Deception. I was assuming it was from the novel. But looking at my own physical copy now, there's no map.
Weird! Hmm, well [url=http://www.candlekeep.com/downloads/uttereast.jpg]this black-and-white map[/url] is clearly a scanned copy from a book. It's not the right size for a Dragon magazine image, and the slight orange tint just screams "trade paperback" to me.
If it's not Realm of Mystery or Faces of Deception, then it has to be from one of the Double Diamond books.
I was hesitating reading those because I've heard they are not canon.....but I am not sure that's accurate since I thought all published FR books were canon. They sell for pennies on Amazon, so I may have to pick them up and see what I can glean.
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
That was me, I mentioned it a couple of posts ago. I covered some general, sourcebooks-only lore and the Harvest of Horror campaign and part of the Legendary campaign from the Blood & Magic game: Vanesci Hamlet, Kingdom of Nix, and Phantom Pass.
Ah, terrific work :) Thanks!
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
No more than I had back in the old thread, I'm afraid. Looking at my notes and game text again, I think it's most likely that the lords of the Circle of Order (the Lady of Tides, the Lord of Lands, the Lord of Flame, and Tartyron) are not gods but long-lived/immortal rulers of an early Utter East nation (the Realms of Tides, Lands, and Fire, respectively). They have an obvious elemental theme, and I supposed Tartyron was once Lord of Winds, fallen and bound under the earth.
I've watched the cut scenes from all the B&M campaigns on YouTube. Tartyron looks like a stereotypical anti-paladin / death knight in horned dark spiky armor. I realize that art direction in video games isn't the best place to look for setting lore, but I did see you guys discuss some interesting details gleaned from B&M art (e.g. the symbol of Gond on the floor of the Hall of Wonders).
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
There's a good few centuries between the supposed 648–657 DR date of B&M game from The Grand History of the Realms, and the 1368 DR date of Faces of Deception and Realm of Mystery, and the weird 1377 DR date of the Double Diamond Triangle Saga. I don't think the proliferation of mutations in the latter two was ever explained, but we made plenty of guesses, and you can make up what you like. I still haven't read the whole DDTS, but I heard it featured the fishy king of Doegan heavily near the end, so there may be something in that.
Blood & Magic offers two alternative campaigns for each region. For Doegan, there's one in which Rathgar the Raider and the Northmen barbarians maintain their grip on power, another in which Aelric the Avenger restores the old necromantic rule. It's impossible to say whether one happened or the other, or if it was both, and if so, in which order. I do know that the next three kings of Doegan in the later Legendary Campaign are the slothful Patric Fulgirth, the crafty mage Gim Blacktongue, and the competent and decent Hariah Highkin (yet still conquered by the jerk behind the Legendary Campaign), all randomly generated. So, either way, the old line still fell at some point. In any case, after the Bloodforge Wars, Plague of Fiends, and Scouring of the Utter East, almost nothing could have remained, so a new kingdom must risen, eventually leading to the fishy state of affairs in Doegan. :)
I see, so B&M didn't have any of the fishy connection to Doegan? I guess besides the suspicious octopus / mind flayer head motif on the throne of Doegan?
From what I can tell there seemed to be 3 theories about the mutations (e.g. scales in Parsanic, gills in Doegan, and third eye in Konigheim) described in Realm of Mystery and the Double Diamond series:
(1) Bloodforge Mutations
Bloodforges cause mutations in those who use them. There was possibly a magical radiation fallout effect they exuded on the people in the long-term.
(2) Aquatic Progenitor Race
Some ancient race (e.g. Batrachi, Sarrukh, Sea Elves), possibly associated with the Realm of Tides, intermixed with the humans of the Five Kingdoms and the "mutations" carry through certain bloodlines.
(3) Malign Presence
There is some malign presence in the Utter East, possibly fiendish, that causes these mutations (corruptions) in people for unknown reasons. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 26 Jun 2016 21:33:18 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2016 : 23:30:05
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Whew! Here's my first draft at writing up the bloodforges! I left a lot unanswered, but would love to hear what you think :)
BLOODFORGE
Wondrous item, legendary
This Large obelisk stands 5 feet wide at the base and rises to 8 feet tall, weighing 8,000 pounds. It is engraved with geometric runes and capped in bloodstone, with Primordial inscriptions detailing how to make basal golems. To use a bloodforge you must be a spellcaster with at least two 5th-level spell slots. Attempting to use a bloodforge without meeting this requirement inflicts 6d6 psychic damage to you and still triggers its curses.
To create a basal golem (described in Appendix A), you must spend a day working on the bloodforge without interruption. At the end of this time you or a creature you sacrifice must expend 1d6 hit dice as the forge drains life force to animate the basal golem; if this price takes your hit dice below 0, then you suffer damage equal to the hit dice making up the remainder. The basal golem is under your control and it understands and obeys your spoken commands.
Curse: Antediluvian Undead. The golems created by the bloodforge are powered by dead spirits trapped beneath the Utter East. Every time a basal golem is created, there is a 5% chance that the Bloodforge causes tremors releasing an antediluvian undead from subterranean imprisonment (roll on the table below). Thereafter, the bloodforge becomes inactive for 1d100 days.
d4 Antediluvian Undead Released
1 Tartyron, a death knight, is released from the Tomb of Chaos (see Chapter 4).
2 Rais Ziauddin, a mummy lord, is released from the Tomb of the Penitent (see Chapter 4).
3 ? (vampire spellcaster)
4 ? (vampire warrior)
Curse: Horrific Transformation. The magic of the bloodforge is beyond the ken of mankind. Each time you use the bloodforge, you must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or suffer a horrific transmutation (see ##).
Curse: Monstrous Allure. After each use of a bloodforge, monsters are drawn to the surrounding 6 mile radius area for one week, doubling the frequency of random encounter checks (e.g. from once per 12 hours to once per 6 hours). For each repeated use of a bloodforge within the same week, double both the radius and the frequency of random encounter checks (to a maximum of 48 miles and once per hour). |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jun 2016 : 01:24:26
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Working up a 2d10 encounter table for the Five Kingdoms of the Utter East ( http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?488801-Learning-to-make-great-random-encounter-tables ), and I've been going over the list of monsters from Blood & Magic and how they might translate to 5e and my adventure for 5th-10th level...
Monsters I've already accounted for
banshee (on the Haunted Lands encounter table)
gargoyle (described as a “demon”) (on the World Pillar Mountains encounter table)
harpies
ghouls
roc
snapping turtle > dragon turtle (on the Great Sea encounter table)
wolves
Powerful monsters I'm unsure about / need more story for
medusa
stone golem
"wyrm" (gold dragon) — currently I'm interpreting as wyverns
Monsters without clear 5e analogues
“enchanter” (“mischievous befuddling devil”)
“furies” ("raging angel of vengeance")
nymph (probably will be in Volo's Guide to Monsters coming November 2016)
Monsters that I could readily incorporate on the Five Kingdoms encounter table
goblin
griffon
troll
undead (wraiths, skeletons/zombies) |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 27 Jun 2016 01:25:52 |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jun 2016 : 02:57:39
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In the B&M game, a bloodforge is more of a portal laid in the ground, from which basal golems emerge, but it's your campaign, of course.
Under those costs and curses, it would be hard to imagine anyone using bloodforges to the frivolous degree I saw in the B&M game, but I guess it's much more fragile in your era? The danger of them was an attractively cheap and easy army with dreadful consequences for unrestrained use and a horrific hidden cost.
In the game, "gorgons" are snake-bodied medusas that lurk in the ruins of Phantom Pass and Old Stone Keep, as well as in the Puzzle Palace. Stone golems and wyrms are made from basal golems at the Runestone. The enchanter (“mischievous befuddling devil”) to me is clearly a goblin enchantment mage from the Kingdom of Nix. Myth-wise, the fury of classical myth is an erinyes, but these ones are holy, so they're some kind of angel.
quote:
Originally posted by Quickleaf
I see, so B&M didn't have any of the fishy connection to Doegan? I guess besides the suspicious octopus / mind flayer head motif on the throne of Doegan?
Nope, and the throne has a fiendish horned skull, not an octopus thing.
quote:
Originally posted by Quickleaf
From what I can tell there seemed to be 3 theories about the mutations (e.g. scales in Parsanic, gills in Doegan, and third eye in Konigheim) described in Realm of Mystery and the Double Diamond series:
For the infections, the Scouring of the Utter East bit in Grand History describes the Utter East as an "infected land", possibly suggesting a disease of these mutations. But it also describes an undead plague, so it's probably referring to that. Actually, it could well be a full-on zombie apocalypse. :) |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
Edited by - BadCatMan on 27 Jun 2016 03:49:29 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jun 2016 : 04:54:13
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quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
In the B&M game, a bloodforge is more of a portal laid in the ground, from which basal golems emerge, but it's your campaign, of course.
From the videos I've watched, it seems like bloodforges in their base state are colored portals (like this http://analogbit.com/files/bam_pretty.png ? ) that turn into obelisks?
I did read a bunch in the old thread about you and Markus disagreeing about whether a bloodforge created or summoned basal golems. Visually, I see your point; that link I posted looks like a portal, and your ideas about the Astral Plane were nifty. Linguistically, I see Markus' point about what bloodforge implies. The deciding factor for me is that in D&D game-speak a golem is a created, and not a conjured, thing; the 5e Monster Manual makes that clear:
Golems are made from humble materials... (MM 167)
They are also constructs...
Constructs are made, not born. (MM 6)
There *are* modrons, which are extraplanar constructs in 5e, so there is precedent for self-aware (or at least group mind-aware) constructs. However, golems have *never* been that in D&D. Not to say that they couldn't, but it would be a major break with D&D tradition and seems unnecessarily complicated.
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Under those costs and curses, it would be hard to imagine anyone using bloodforges to the frivolous degree I saw in the B&M game, but I guess it's much more fragile in your era? The danger of them was an attractively cheap and easy army with dreadful consequences for unrestrained use and a horrific hidden cost.
That last sentence of yours is exactly what I'm going for.
If you compare my conversion/interpretation to the 5e manual of golems, you'll see that the costs of the bloodforge are nothing in comparison to the costs of creating a clay golem (30 days and 65,000 gp!). By comparison, a 10th-level mage (of the sort able to cast 2 5th-level spells) can probably safely create 1-2 basal golems per day! Which might be slow by the Blood & Magic RTS standards but is insanely fast by D&D standards. After 30 days, a mage with a manual of golems has created a clay golem and spent a hefty amount of coin, a warlord has amassed an army which he must feed and supply and possibly pay, and the mage using a bloodforge has 30 (CR 5) basal golems at no gold piece cost!
I guess you'll have to explain what you see as being not representative of how the bloodforges are depicted in the source material?
I though I've covered all the lore pretty well with my conversion/interpretation.
Allowing for creation of an army of golems at no gp cost very quickly? Check.
Causing nausea/sickness? Costing hit dice to use. Check.
Attracting monsters to the use of the bloodforge? Increasing frequency of random encounter checks. Check.
Causing mutations over prolonged use? Con save or suffer mutation. Check. I could tone this one down in some way...maybe a much lower DC that escalates with repeated use or something.
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
In the game, "gorgons" are snake-bodied medusas that lurk in the ruins of Phantom Pass and Old Stone Keep, as well as in the Puzzle Palace. Stone golems and wyrms are made from basal golems at the Runestone. The enchanter (“mischievous befuddling devil”) to me is clearly a goblin enchantment mage from the Kingdom of Nix. Myth-wise, the fury of classical myth is an erinyes, but these ones are holy, so they're some kind of angel.
Ah, so the wyrms weren't naturally occurring monsters in the game like the "gorgons", enchanters (aka goblin enchantment mages), or the "furies." Gotcha.
There's a type of spirit called apsara in a lot of South Asian / Southeast Asian mythology that could stand-in for the "furies." They're a female air/water celestial nymph that likes to tempt holy men into licentiousness. There's a bit more to them than that, but that's the gist. When I visited Angkor Wat and other temple complexes in Cambodia they were engraved in stone everywhere.
While they're not vengeful per say, they do have a martial aspect more like Muses inspiring others to victory.
The other potential "furies" stand-in monster well-suited to the cultures is the Asuras...which in D&D is a CG celestial bearing a message of revenge, punishment, and death. They seem to inspire mystics and oracles rather than the religious heterodoxy, and some would turn rogue when they become too fixated on one interpretation of their goals.
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Nope, and the throne has a fiendish horned skull, not an octopus thing.
Ah, thanks. I swore I saw something octopus-like on a throne...maybe from one of the other campaigns in Blood & Magic? Or maybe I'm making that up?
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
For the infections, the Scouring of the Utter East bit in Grand History describes the Utter East as an "infected land", possibly suggesting a disease of these mutations. But it also describes an undead plague, so it's probably referring to that. Actually, it could well be a full-on zombie apocalypse. :)
That's an interesting read of it! Maybe you have a better sense of what author Brian James meant, since you guys had correspondence going?
My read was that "infection", being used in the same paragraph as the Grand Caliph's Scouring of the Utter East was meant similarly to "infidel" or the way they said a "plague" of undead. IOW, not meant literally, but metaphorically. As in "evil had infected the land..." /Narrator voice :) |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 27 Jun 2016 05:02:53 |
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Dark Wizard
Senior Scribe
USA
830 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jun 2016 : 06:08:05
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By the gods, this brings back some memories. The Utter East thread was my favorite topic in all the years I spent hanging around WotC's FR community.
I also saved a copy of that thread via a tool made available from someone on Enworld. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to save much anything else, but that one thread kept calling to me and I made sure to archive at least that one thing from the old forums. Am glad others have already posted their copy up to share with Candlekeep. |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jun 2016 : 07:13:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Quickleaf
From the videos I've watched, it seems like bloodforges in their base state are colored portals (like this http://analogbit.com/files/bam_pretty.png ? ) that turn into obelisks?
I did read a bunch in the old thread about you and Markus disagreeing about whether a bloodforge created or summoned basal golems. Visually, I see your point; that link I posted looks like a portal, and your ideas about the Astral Plane were nifty. Linguistically, I see Markus' point about what bloodforge implies. The deciding factor for me is that in D&D game-speak a golem is a created, and not a conjured, thing; the 5e Monster Manual makes that clear:
They look like portals, certainly. In game, an obelisk seems to appear above or pop out of it in a puff of smoke and a crunch noise. The obelisk is the basal golem. In any case, the portal could just be the entrance or conduit to an actual bloodforge, whatever that is.
I haven't moved past 3.5 edition, so I'll take your word for it. In the game itself, you harvest mana from meditating golems and use it to manufacture more, or, only in the Nix campaign, sacrifice an existing golem or creature in the cookpot to recover its mana. But the game is rather different from the books, it doesn't have negatives, just a quirky alternative to standard RTS mechanics. Your version fits the depiction from the more canonical books.
quote:
Originally posted by Quickleaf
Ah, so the wyrms weren't naturally occurring monsters in the game like the "gorgons", enchanters (aka goblin enchantment mages), or the "furies." Gotcha.
Furies and enchanters aren't natural either, they're transformed basal golems come from the Temple structure. Gorgons are natural, they occur automatically in certain areas, and can't be created.
Sometimes I wonder if anyone in the Utter East is a natural being, or if they're all transformed basal golems... ;)
quote:
Originally posted by QuickleafThat's an interesting read of it! Maybe you have a better sense of what author Brian James meant, since you guys had correspondence going?
We didn't, I can't recall if he popped into the thread much, he just used some of what we produced.
quote:
Originally posted by Quickleaf
My read was that "infection", being used in the same paragraph as the Grand Caliph's Scouring of the Utter East was meant similarly to "infidel" or the way they said a "plague" of undead. IOW, not meant literally, but metaphorically. As in "evil had infected the land..." /Narrator voice :)
It all could be anything. Nothing in the Utter East is defined concretely and it's all up in the air as to what it could really be, so it's open to DMs and fans to do what they like with. |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jun 2016 : 14:58:36
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Behold, Doegan!
I wikified the lore from the Blood & Magic game and the bit from Faces of Deception. I'm not doing the Realms of Mystery short story at this stage, nor even trying the Double Diamond Triangle Saga, as wikifying novels tends to be rather difficult. Anyway, that gives a few good game images and some history to the place.
Plus this utterly badass awesome image. :D |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jun 2016 : 15:29:56
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quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Behold, Doegan!
I wikified the lore from the Blood & Magic game and the bit from Faces of Deception. I'm not doing the Realms of Mystery short story at this stage, nor even trying the Double Diamond Triangle Saga, as wikifying novels tends to be rather difficult. Anyway, that gives a few good game images and some history to the place.
Plus this utterly badass awesome image. :D
Great job BadCatMan. |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jun 2016 : 01:37:03
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quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
I haven't moved past 3.5 edition, so I'll take your word for it. In the game itself, you harvest mana from meditating golems and use it to manufacture more, or, only in the Nix campaign, sacrifice an existing golem or creature in the cookpot to recover its mana. But the game is rather different from the books, it doesn't have negatives, just a quirky alternative to standard RTS mechanics. Your version fits the depiction from the more canonical books.
Yeah, making sense of all the books and the game's treatment of bloodforges is tricky.
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Furies and enchanters aren't natural either, they're transformed basal golems come from the Temple structure. Gorgons are natural, they occur automatically in certain areas, and can't be created.
Sometimes I wonder if anyone in the Utter East is a natural being, or if they're all transformed basal golems... ;)
Haha, no kidding. Hmm, so what else is "naturally occurring" in the game besides Gorgons? Trolls? Griffons?
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jun 2016 : 03:59:03
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Thanks! I'll work up the other areas and characters at a later time, and I'll try to get some screenshots and descriptions later this week.
The game offers the following critters, natural and unnatural, with creature name, game description, my description and notes, divided by where they occur or are created.
These are mystical sites that transform basal golems into the following creatures.
Arbor Lodge of Chauntea:
• Druid: "Bestial nature zealot." Bear-skinned claw fighter. Free movement in difficult terrain.
• Ranger: "Skilled woodland hunter." Attacks with bow or axe. Free movement in difficult terrain.
• Griffin: "Fantastic multiform predator."
• Nymph: "Seductive nature sprite." Lure – persuades civilised creatures to follow her for a short time, and not attack her.
Runestone of Mystra:
• Wizard: "Electrifying arcane practitioner." Attacks with lighting darts. Immune to storm bracers. Robes, skull-cap and staff.
• Gnome: "Impish artificer." Repairs buildings and constructed creatures. Free movement and defense in ruins and on/over structures. Green and wields a hammer. Bounces? [Goblin?]
• Stone Golem: "Monolithic stone entity." Needs to be repaired like a structure.
• Wyrm: "Fire-breathing serpent." Spits balls of fire at target, igniting the area. Immune to fire. A gold dragon.
Temple of Lathander:
• Cleric: "Virtuous healer." Heals. Robe and staff.
• Paladin: "Noble healer-crusader." Heals. Immune to fear. Armour, sword and shield. Barracks/Temple Unit. (B&M)
• Fury: "Raging angel of vengeance." Gradually loses life. Can only attack one creature, then reverts to Basal Golem when it dies. Immune to all attacks except from Furies and target, and immune to all spells (except Steal and Flame).
• Enchanter: "Mischievous befuddling devil." Converts enemy units into friendlies. Kingdom of Nix unit only. [Blue Goblin?]
Crypt of Myrkul:
• Zombie: "Dreadful undead warrior." Could also be a skeleton. Armour, mace, horned helmet.
• Gargoyle: "Lurking humanoid demon."
• Ghoul: "Flesh-eating fiend." Regains HP by attacking flesh-and-blood creatures.
• Wraith: "Floating phantom reaper." Fear attack that causes creatures to flee. Armoured ghost with a scythe.
• Harpy: "Merciless vulturine huntress." Nets enemies. Kingdom of Nix unit only.
Barracks of Tempus:
• Warrior: "Rugged combat veteran." Armour, sword and shield.
• Ranger: as above
• Paladin: as above
• Goblin: "Dark realm raider." Spear thrower. Kingdom of Nix unit only. [Hobgoblin?]
The naturally occurring creatures are:
• Peasant: "Neutral provincial commoner. Retaliates against hostile factions. Shares objectives with other peasants."
• Brigand: "Nimble thief." Steals items."
• Wolf: "Lupine pack hunter." Travels in packs and preys on weak creatures.
• Banshee: "Lamenting faerie hag." Wail – mourns desecration of nature and causes damaged to civilised creatures. (Realm of Lands)
• Gorgon: "Hideous serpentine perversion." Snake-bodied. Venom turns flesh and blood creature to stone for short time. (Medusa) (Ruins in Old Stone Keep, Phantom Pass, Puzzle Palace)
• Roc: "Majestic avian giant." Protects eggs and important items. (Serpent Valley, Web Mountains, Realm of Fire)
• Snapping Turtle: "Roaming aquatic predator." (Serpent Valley)
• Trolls: "Regenerating territorial giant." Typically guards an area or structure. Bridges are frequently guarded by trolls. Apparently not vulnerable to fire or acid or similar. (Serpent Valley, Web Mountains)
Hardly natural:
• Juggernaut: "Relentless doomsday machine." Large tank-like machine constructed of wood and steel, armed with flame-thrower and extendable buzz-saw arms. Rolls along on big wheels. Skull face front that belches smoke. Top and back are armoured with plates of tan with brown spikes on one side (with flame-thrower) and blue with tan spikes on other side (with buzz-saw) and steel plates down middle. High attack and defence, high HP, slow to move. Shoots balls of flame that ignite areas. Rolls over and crushes non-flying creatures. Immune to all spells and fire (but can be repaired). (Hall of Wonder)
• Guardian: "Diligent bronze sentinel." Giant bronze-skinned muscled warrior with horned helm and fur loin-cloth and boots, with green flaming fists. Hurls balls of divine flame (“archflame”) that do extra damage, even affect flying creatures and those immune to flame. Immune to all spells, resistant to all attacks. Can’t be healed, must be repaired. Very tough, very powerful, very dangerous. Summoned from realm of Immortals via Portals. (Hall of Legends)
The game text tends to describe bloodforged armies as "followers", and they're described in human-like terms in every way. They're certainly flesh-and-blood.
I imagine that basal golems turned into, say, human warriors are considered alive and sentient. Perhaps after the war some still lived, settled down, married... It could explain the mutations in the later populations, that or pollution by goo from the metapods basal golems are transformed in. There's a shocking revelation to be made here: Ffolk, Northmen, Mar, never mind the racial differences, they're all descendants of golems, the humans didn't survive the war. :o |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jun 2016 : 04:32:44
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Wow, thanks so much BadCatMan!  That's very helpful.
I've been able to include most of the monsters from your list in my 2d10 Five Kingdoms encounter table. My last step is finishing #11 — Kingdom Encounter. This is an encounter unique to the current kingdom the PCs are exploring. So...
Doegan
Edenvale
Konigheim
Parsanic
I'm brainstorming and researching, but if you have any ideas for these, I'd be glad to hear them! |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jun 2016 : 04:48:03
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Doegan would include Serpent Valley and Old Stone Keep.
Edenvale includes the Web Mountains and Herne's Wood in the game, but the unsourced novel map shifts Edenvale to some place else entirely.
The Free Cities of Parsanic seem to lie where the Realm of Lands was.
The mountains around Kingdom of Nix would see goblins and harpies.
In any case, the naturally occurring creatures are fairly well distributed, so they could appear anywhere. For your encounter tables, consider more what would appear in settled lands, in the wilds, in the mountains, etc.
BTW, the game creatures tend to generic fantasy, so they don't always match the D&D creatures, like the gorgons/medusas. |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jun 2016 : 05:47:03
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quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Doegan would include Serpent Valley and Old Stone Keep.
Edenvale includes the Web Mountains and Herne's Wood in the game, but the unsourced novel map shifts Edenvale to some place else entirely.
The Free Cities of Parsanic seem to lie where the Realm of Lands was.
The mountains around Kingdom of Nix would see goblins and harpies.
In any case, the naturally occurring creatures are fairly well distributed, so they could appear anywhere. For your encounter tables, consider more what would appear in settled lands, in the wilds, in the mountains, etc.
BTW, the game creatures tend to generic fantasy, so they don't always match the D&D creatures, like the gorgons/medusas.
Yeah, I've been using Markus' map, which looks like it was somewhat based on the black-and-white map uploaded to Candlekeep (which I'm presuming is from one of the DD books).
This project is actually an adventure for publication, I don't know if I mentioned that. So I'm doing encounter tables that feed back into several story arcs within the adventure, as well as showcase the region's flora and fauna. Because I have ~7 areas I'm writing encounter tables for...
Barbarian Marches
Five Kingdoms
Great Sea
Haunted Lands
Jungle of Monsters
Sevenfold Mazework
World Pillar Mountains
and possibly the Hall of Wonder (?)
...and each of these runs about 3-4 pages, I don't have the page count to, for example, sub-divide the Five Kingdoms according to mountains/plains/forests/etc. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 28 Jun 2016 06:01:01 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jun 2016 : 07:10:49
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Thought it would be fun to share this! Here's my work-in-progress master random encounter table for the adventure...
http://i.imgur.com/fv9zL4b.png |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 28 Jun 2016 07:11:13 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jun 2016 : 11:40:08
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Five Kingdoms Encounter Table
2d10 Encounter
2 Prince Jauhangir’s hunt
3 Antediluvian undead
4 Feral wyvern
5 The Man Eaters
6 Slavers
7 Harpies
8 Wildlife
9 Military camp
10 War party
11 Kingdom encounter
12 Battlefield
13 War refugees
14 Death stalks the land
15 Goblin mercenaries
16 Griffons
17 Messenger
18 Fallen Temple adherents
19 Basal golem
20 The Royal Revenant
Random Kingdom
1d4 Kingdom
1 Doegan
2 Edenvale
3 Konigheim
4 Parsanic
---------------------------------------------------
Antediluvian Undead
Lady Vetala, a centuries old vampire, is one of the few antediluvian undead that escaped the Grand Caliph’s Scouring of the Five Kingdoms. During the day she resides in a wondrous pavilion tent that functions similarly to the Mordenkainen’s magnificent mansion spell, inviting travelers to come meet with her via messenger ravens or her goblin lackey Guidzu. At night, she rides a pale horse with Guidzu following her like a squire on his pony, and will approach campfires with an offering of wine.
She seeks to free the remaining undead bound to the bloodforge possessed by the yikaria and take vengeance on Zakhara. Vetala will attempt to manipulate others into doing her dirty work. Should others begin to turn ill-disposed toward her, she will slip a mix of torpor poison (DC 15 Constitution save) and truth serum (DC 11 Constitution save) into the wine (see DMG pg. 258), questioning them about bloodforges and then leaving them in the wilderness. A DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check notices her slip something into the wine.
If another antediluvian undead was awakened by using a bloodforge, then this may indicate an encounter with the recently awakened undead instead of Vetala at the DM’s discretion.
Basal Golem
A basal golem* from the times of the Bloodforge Wars is partially buried in the earth. Alternately, at the DM’s discretion, it may serve a flame cabalist* of the Brotherhood of True Flame on a mad quest to unearth a bloodforge*.
Battlefield
A battlefield littered with ash, bone, broken arrows, sundered helms, and bloody shields. Roll a d6 to determine what can be found amidst the battlefield. During the day an itinerant ascetic priest known as a roushi and 2d4 acolytes anoint the fallen. At night 2d4 bandits scavenge what they can from the dead.
[section]1d6 What can be found amidst the battlefield?
1 1d4 will-o-wisps are blamed by Mar natives living near the battlefield for being pishacha demons possessing soldiers and making them behave violently. The wisps are dangerous, true, but the soldiers have no one to blame but themselves for their misdeeds.
2 Lost battle standard of a noble, 4d6 spears, 4d6 javelins, and 4d6 shields.
3 Smoldering supply wagon with 3d10 days worth of horse feed, 3d10 days worth of rations, 3d10 torches, and 1d10 x 20 arrows.
4 A war horn audible up to 1 mile if sounded, 4d6 x 100 copper pieces, 1d6 x 10 electrum pieces, and a trinket of the Utter East (see Appendix B).
5 A wounded and violently panicked warhorse that can be calmed with a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check.
6 1d6 soldiers (tribal warriors) near death with information on a nearby military camp.[/section]
Death Stalks the Land
Mass graves are crudely laid, with overhanging trees decorated with prayer ribbons for the dead. At night, 2d6 ghouls and 1d4 ghasts dig up shallow graves, while during the day 3d6 wolves and 1d6 dire wolves feast on corpses. Examining the bodies reveals they were killed by terrible battle magic like cloudkill or ice storm. Creatures within a 20 miles radius are afflicted with a multitude of ailments from diseases to malnutrition. Crops are withered and water is tainted with sight rot (see DMG pg. 257).
If the PCs bring an end to the war in the Five Kingdoms, instead treat this result as a group of commoners burying the dead and rebuilding.
Fallen Temple Adherents
A group of 1d3 fallen temple knights* and 2d6 cultists disguised as pilgrims and priests of Tyr secretly proselytize on behalf of the Faceless God among the desperate. A DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check realizes inconsistencies in their chants, holy symbols, and rituals that reflect a perversion of Tyr’s teachings.
During upheavels in the temple of Tyr in the Utter East, a group of priests abandoned their blind god and began to worship Ysdar, the Faceless God, becoming known as the Fallen Temple. Further details on the Fallen Temple can be found in Chapter 4.
Feral Wyvern
A wyvern, once trained for war, has turned feral and developed a taste for man and horse flesh. During the day it soars high above, while at night it swoops over the treetops just 60 feet overhead. A DC 15 group Dexterity (Stealth) check hides from the wyvern. A character presenting fresh meat and grappling the wyvern for 3 rounds may try to tame it with a DC 25 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. The wyvern remains tamed until dismounted or given an opportunity to eat man flesh; taming it for the long term requires a master wyvern trainer like ##. Wyvern poison can be harvested from the slain or incapacitated wyvern as per the rules on DMG p. 258.
Goblin Mercenaries
After descending from the Forbidden Plateau to raid lowland villages, the Dogtallow goblins were hired by Konigheim as mercenaries to sabotage enemy supply lines. When they outlived their usefulness to the King of Konigheim, the goblins turned to mercenary work for any who would hire, and when without work banditry. Their band includes 4d6 goblins, the bugbear Creshk, and the goblin boss Shokavra.
A wokan (sorcerer), Shokavra prefers to lull potential victims into a state of complacency during the day before staging an ambush at night. However, her superstitious ways require that she offer a gift to anyone before she kills them to appease the spirits. Many commoners have suffered at the hands of the Dogtallow goblins, and a bounty of 100 gp is offered by local rulers for their death or capture. On the other hand, they can be contracted as brutish mercenaries for 15 gp a day and a free hand to pillage 50% of the spoils of war. Shokavra is bitter about the King of Konigheim replacing the Dogtallow goblins with “war trolls.”
[section]Goblin Wokani
Goblins of Nix study devious enchantments with which to fool lowland humans. These superstitious magic-users are known as wokani, and they use the same stats as a goblin boss except with AC 13 (leather armor) and the following trait:
Spellcasting. The goblin is a 5th level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 10, +2 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following spells prepared:
Cantrips: friends, minor illusion, poison spray (2d12)
1st level (4 slots): charm person, expeditious retreat, hex
2nd level (3 slots): crown of madness, hold person
3rd level (2 slots): fear[/section]
Griffons
1d6 griffons hunt for horses (or centaurs, pegasi, or other equines). If harassed in their feasting, they attempt to carry any kills back to their nest in the Galuil, Sllaviul, or Grendel Mountains. Roll a d4 to determine who the griffons are in the midst of attacking.
[section]1d4 Who is attacked by the griffons?
1 A group of 2d6 commoners who try to defend their 1d6 draft horses and 3d6 goats in vain.
2 One of the manticores called the “Man Eaters.”
3 Supply wagons eith 2d6 fresh riding horses defended by 2d6 tribal warriors.
4 The griffons are actively hunting. A DC 16 group Dexterity (Stealth) check hides from the griffons.[/section]
Harpies
2d6 harpies once were placated with offerings from native Mar who consider the harpies divine messengers and funerary guides. Now that war has disrupted those traditions the harpies have become vicious scavengers attacking the dying, wounded, and weak. There is a 25% chance a group of 2d6 commoners is under attack by the harpies.
Kingdom Encounter
The PCs have an encounter according to the current kingdom they’re exploring.
Doegan. Amidst extreme heat and heavy precipitation (see DMG pg. 110), fishermen work to haul in their lines along river and coast.
Edenvale. 2d4 acolytes follow a priest, an itinerant ascetic known as a roushi, who shares a message of peace and self-reflection.
“The Fifth Kingdom.” See Prince Jauhangir's Hunt.
Konigheim. A three-eyed noble councilman with 1d4 trolls guards (wearing piecemeal armor and greatswords) has a shady business proposition.
Parsanic. 1d6 yuan-ti purebloods guised as monks revering krait snakes (one of which is actually a yuan-ti malison) seek worthy sacrifices for their dark god Sseth.
The Man Eaters
A trio of manticores known as the “Man Eaters” stalk lonesome crags and valleys after being hedged out of their respective territories. The one known as King-slayer was held captive by the King of Konigheim, wings clipped, and forced to fight in the arena; he only survived by feigning his death and swore vengeance against the Five Kingdoms. Yak-eater once was dominated by the yikaria until escaping during the yikaria-dao war; he will single-mindedly attack yaks and oxen if given the chance. Shadow-slayer hails from the Haunted Lands but was forced to flee by the chimera Xaiphan; he is paranoid and will attack his own shadow in the noonday sun.
Messenger
A scout on horseback carries an urgent encrypted message. Roll a d6 to determine the nature of the scout’s message.
[section]1d4 What message does the scout bear?
1 A message from one of the PCs’ allies, requesting help at the DM’s discretion.
2 Correspondence between anonymous agents of the Fallen Temple in Orvyltar and Utaqa.
3 Military secrets from one of the warring kingdoms including troop movements.
4 Blackmail material on a noble gathered by an Ulgarthan spy for King Baseer Whitebrow.[/section]
Military Camp
A fortified camp loyal to one of the warring kingdoms serves as a base of operations, infirmary, and provisioner for hundreds of soldiers. If the PCs are allied with the kingdom whose banners fly above the camp, they can purchase standard trade goods from the quartermaster and receive their own tents. A DC 16 group Dexterity (Stealth) check hides from the camp’s scouts.
Roll a d4 to determine the situation at camp.
[section]1d4 What is the situation at the military camp?
1 The commander is skin melded by a yikaria*, who oversees a trial of a soldier guilty of minor infractions, inspiring suspicions of a saboteur. Further, the commander withholds rations from enemy soldiers in the prison camp.
3 Occupying a village (Gyatse), the soldiers are billeted among peasants who try to be polite despite being taken advantage of. Eventually, one of the peasants will try to poison the commander but end up poisoning the elephants instead. The nearest antidote lies behind enemy lines.
3 Hard at work constructing a fortified tower, the soldiers are on high alert after a recent attack and will shoot first and ask questions later.
4 Celebrating a recent victory, the soldiers are drunk and disorderly, suffering disadvantage to Wisdom (Perception) checks. They invite any PCs to carouse with them (see DMG pg. 128).[/section]
Prince Jauhangir’s Hunt
Prince Jauhangir, self-proclaimed warlord of the “Fifth Kingdom” and actually a hidden rakshasa, indulges in one of his wicked hunts. He allows a group of slaves to escape only to hunt them down with 2d4 death dogs and 3d6 mounted scouts. The slaves plead for sanctuary or a hiding place, while pursuing Jauhangir offers to reward anyone directing him to the slaves with a garnet worth 100 gp or a death dog pet.
Even if the PCs oppose Jauhangir, the wily rakshasa will hint at his true nature and offer a sporting chance: If they can evade his huntsmen along with the slaves till sunrise (if it’s night) or sunset (if it’s day), he will leave them in peace or have them as his “honored guests.” See the chase rules in the DMG pg. 252.
Prince Jauhangir is detailed in this chapter.
The Royal Revenant
The revenant of King Drasna Bluemantle of Ulgarth, accompanied by 2d6 shadows, emerges from ghastly mists to portend a dire prophecy.
King Drasna’s tragic story and motives are detailed in Chapter 1.
Slavers
2d4 bandits led by the cambion Masefaar hunt for potential slaves (whether taken by trickery, by purse, or by sword) to bring to the markets of Konigheim, and boisterously crash any camp they come across to boast of their wicked deeds and mooch alcohol. There is a 50% chance Masefaar has a charmed ogre or troll serving him; should this creature be freed from the cambion’s charm, it will turn against the slavers.
War Party
A war party consisting of 5d6 tribal warriors, 2d6 scouts, a mage, a captain (gladiator), a train of pack animals, and a war elephant with a howdah for archers. These soldiers serve one of the warring kingdoms, and are marching toward the front if encountered in the interior of their kingdom, or on active patrol if encountered near the border.
War Refugees
5d6 Mar commoners are refugees of the war, attempting to reach an area of relative safety. However, there is a 25% chance that one is actually a spy on a mission for one of the rulers of the Five Kingdoms. There is also a 25% chance that one is skin melded by a yikaria* who tries to lead the refugees into yikari clutches.
Wildlife
4d6 water buffalo (giant goats), markhor (goats), or blackbuck deer forage near a stream or clearing. There is a 25% chance that 1d2 snow leopards (panthers) stalk the herd. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 28 Jun 2016 11:41:02 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jun 2016 : 03:40:52
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Starting to dive into area write-ups for the Utter East...
FORBIDDEN PLATEAU
Glacial highlands hidden amidst the peaks of the southern Yehimals, the Forbidden Plateau is spoken of only in dread whispers by inhabitants of the Five Kingdoms. Once a year during harvest time, a host of monsters emerges from foul mists, clawing their way from icy depths and frigid earth. They are called forth by Redfang, a fierce warlord who seemingly is deathless. Bugbears, goblins, harpies, and fouler creatures descend from the plateau to hunt for human flesh which they hunger for, dragging back terrified prisoners to add to their cauldrons. Despite the attempts of past heroes to drive back the horde and slay Redfang, including the dissolution of the goblinoid kingdom of Nix, the monsters always returns as if conjured from the glaciers themselves or some other world.
Redfang is actually a mad yikaria high priest* who skin-melds with the strongest of the monsters (currently a bugbear chief) to control the horde. He holds no allegiance to the Lotus Emperor of his people after being exiled for seeking immortality. Among the yikaria, it is rumored Redfang’s actual body lies frozen beneath the glacier, and somehow he learned to extend his skin-melding beyond the host’s death.
Vanesci Village
This humble agrarian village persists in the shadow of the Forbidden Plateau because the earth is exceptionally fertile and because mountaineering families can always find work hosting or guiding travelers intent on finding the hidden kingdom of Langdarma, a secret path thru the Yehimals to Kara-tur, or Redfang’s legendary treasure buried under ice. Anticipating the so-called “harvest of horrors” every year when the monsters come, the people of Vanesci fortify their homes, hire mercenaries, and prepare for the lottery. Decades ago, the villagers established a lottery system of drawing colored sticks by which they determine who will face the monsters. Of course, for the largely untrained villagers, facing Redfang’s hordes is a death sentence, and thus everyone dreads “drawing the black” come lottery time.
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2016 : 07:08:19
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GALUIL MOUNTAINS
The fabled “Mountains of Gold”, as the Galuil Mountains are known throughout Ulgarth and neighboring lands, catch sunlight reflecting off the Golden Water, making their peaks glow with a yellow sheen. While small gold mines exist on the eastern slopes, they are not nearly as sizable or as profitable as the many iron mines. Dozens of small human and dwarven mining villages litter the slopes, growing lumber and fruit that require cooler climes for trade with the lowlands. Once, goblins, harpies, and other monsters inhabitated the Galuil Mountains, but Ulgarthan knights drove them out centuries ago and continue to mount excursions against any reported monster lairs. The one monster the Ulgarthans haven’t been able to keep in check are the griffons, which frequently raid horses in the lowlands; this is partly due to the griffons inhabitating only the highest peaks and partly due to the reverence these heraldic beasts are afforded by Ulgarth’s royalty.
Aelinvaast, the Duergar’s Rest
Deep beneath the center of the range lies an ancient dwarven stronghold known as Aelinvaast; it was named the “Golden Passage” for the rich gold seams mined there. Ages ago, the dwarves of Aelinvaast were taken as slaves by the yikaria. The centuries of backbreaking labor under the cruel yoke of the yikaria twisted the dwarves in body and mind, turning them into duergar. It was the duergar who led a slave rebellion during the war between the yikaria and the freed dao, freeing themselves and braving a perilous journey through the depths back to Aelinvaast where they fortified themselves.
Paranoid of all intruders, the duergar of Aelinvaast are barely aware of the surface world, and use surrepitious security to ensure the yikaria never against control them; codewords, vault doors with multiple locks, nothing is too complex for the duergar. They have taken to mining the same veins of gold mined by humans on the surface. After 100 years, the isolationist duergar have not come into contact with the surfacers yet, and they’d have it no other way. |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jun 2016 : 20:13:01
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I found a YouTube channel by Drewstor with Blood & Magic playthroughs, and saw an image of the "furies" with their flaming swords.
I was thinking — are these harpies? erinyes? — but then I remembered asuras from South Asian mythology. And it just so happens that the asuras has long been depicted in D&D wielding a flaming sword and described as avenging angels. That's a good match!
They may serve as the voices of knowledge, sharing wisdom that guides mortal oracles and mystics. More often, however, the asuras carry messages of revenge, punishment, and death, sent to those who have angered one of the powers. (Al-Qadim Monstrous Compendium Appendix / Planescape Planes of Conflict) |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 30 Jun 2016 20:13:31 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2016 : 16:12:18
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| It makes me very happy that someone is getting some use out of my old Utter East map. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2016 : 20:24:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
It makes me very happy that someone is getting some use out of my old Utter East map.
I am indeed!
What's fascinating is as I do...game research, I guess...I realize the sorts of challenging decisions you faced about where to place things. There's some seemingly contradictory stuff in the core material.
For example, Thommar's location.
It's south of Bralizzar, which buttresses the Dustwall Mountains near the Gate of Iron.
But it's also north of Ulgarth and west of Durpar.
Yet the Xon River is described as being the northern border between Ulgarth and Durpar.
 With contradictions like that, I'd say you did a pretty great job of creating something that works, Markus! |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2016 : 22:11:07
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Another fun contradictory fact about Ulgarth's language(s):
FR 16 The Shining South (1993) (pg. 76 about Ulgarth)
The common tongue of the Realms is the chief
language of the kingdom. Common is the only
language spoken by most of the population.
The Horde Campaign Setting (1990) (pg. 17)
In addition to the nomadic languages, the nations
bordering the Endless Waste have a variety
of tongues. Murghom and Semphar use muhjuri,
a language of the southern coast. Solon uses a
dialect of devic, the language of Ulgarth.
------
I think I'm going to reconcile these thusly:
Common is spoken by many merchants trading in the Shining South and among common folk of Ulgarth, while amidst the Five Kingdoms the antiquated but mutually intelligible Thorass dialect is prevalent. The language of court in Ulgarth is Devic, which bears resemblance to Celestial though a Celestial speaker can only understand the simplest of Devic phrases. It is not uncommon for merchants and sailors to know a bit of Midani thanks to close contact with Zakharan traders and corsairs. It’s rarer to find those conversant in Shou, but scribes and sages study the writings of the Celestial Emperor, and some mountaineers are conversant in Tabotan. In the Five Kingdoms, the ruling Ffolk prefer a dialect of Waelan as the language of court (written with the Thorass alphabet), while the native Mar people speak the uniquely challenging yet melodious Maran language. Common expressions among Mar people include the honorific “sahib(a)” used as a sign of respect, and “parshan” used for the Ffolk foreigners who settled in the Utter East. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 07 Jul 2016 23:22:49 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2016 : 23:32:36
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Over on RPGNet, I've been getting feedback on the paladin-governed Orvyltar, capital of Ulgarth, as an adventuring site: https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?785124-Help-me-quot-crack-quot-this-paladin-run-city-What-should-it-feel-like-Look-like Some really good advice that threads the needle between lawful stupid and boring utopia.
Here's the work-in-progress encounter table for Orvyltar (which my adventure has the PCs exploring around 5th level to solve a curse on the royal family & ferret out a coup):
Orvyltar Encounter Table (2d10)
2d10 Encounter
2 Yikaria agent
3 Beheading
4 Portent of imps
5 Spies
6 King’s justices
7 Goblin street cleaners
8 Market inspection
9 Coffeehouse
10 Barber / hairdresser
11 Merchant dispute
12 Duel
13 Overzealous do-gooder
14 Rival noblewomen
15 Triadic Knights
16 Religious procession? (not sure if there's any meaningful drama/conflict here for PCs, may replace this with....?)
17 Feudal dues
18 Fallen Temple
19 Pegasus
20 The Veiled Knight
Barber / Hairdresser
A highly-skilled barber or hairdresser plies his or her trade for 1 sp, relying on boastful children to draw in new clients from the street. PCs spending at least 5 gp and receiving a haircut for an hour may learn any of the following rumors:
#
#
#
#
Beheading
3d6 tribal warriors and a priest oversee a solemn beheading at Caladorn Plaza. Folks move through the streets to witness the beheading and offer prayers for the accused. Roll a d4 to determine the nature of the sentenced party.
d4 Who is sentenced to death and why?
1 Barthoud Anchoreye, a merchant whose forgeries cost the lives of innocents and who killed a guard resisting arrest, has no memory of his misdeeds. He is a victim of yikaria skin-melding.
2 The notorious orog Khao Banok, who turned mercenary for Konigheim after leading countless raids against northern Ulgarth, demands to die with a weapon in his hand, challenging the “cowardly knights” to face him.
3 The man believed to be #, leader of the Fallen Temple, turns out to be a fallen temple knight* whose face was disguised by magic. A cult fanatic and 2d6 cultists rush from the crowd to mount a rescue.
4 An NPC whom the PCs are familiar with is sentenced to die for treason, espionage, murder, condemning the faith, or some other grave crime.
Coffeehouse
A seedy coffeehouse tucked down a sidestreet offers a discrete venue for gambling, shady deals, gathering information, and indulging in vice. Roll a d4 to determine the nature of the coffeehouse. If a coffeehouse is encountered in a new part of the city, then it was raided by moralist clergy and reopened in a new location.
d4 Coffeehouses of Orvyltar
1 Bard’s Honest Tea. A gathering place for minstrels, storytellers, and rabble-rousers, this coffeehouse allows for sowing rumors in half the normal time and at half the normal cost (see DMG pg. 131). However, there is a 25% chance that the rumor grows out of control.
2 Shady Bean Trading House. Attracting unscrupulous merchants and antiquities collectors from afar, this coffeehouse allows the selling of magic items in half the normal time (see DMG pg. 129). However, there is a 25% chance a yikaria* is skin-melded with one of the potential buyers.
3 The Steamy Efreeti. A whispering den of gaudy puppet shows and sword dancing, this coffeehouse allows researching in a quarter of the time but at four times the cost (see PHB pg. 187). However, there is a 25% chance that unwanted prying ears hear of the research.
4 Ulgarian Delight. Gamblers and drunkards of every hue are drawn to this coffeehouse with its mingari hookahs, granting those proficient in cards or dice advantage on Carousing table rolls (see DMG pg. 128). However, there is a 25% chance the PC receives a strange and troubling vision from the hookah smoke.
Duel
Raised voices come from around the corner, where 2d4 youth (commoners) wielding wooden swords form a circle around two “champions.” Roll a d4 to determine who fights and why.
#
#
#
#
Fallen Temple
A group of 1d3 fallen temple knights* and 2d6 cultists disguised as pilgrims and priests of Tyr secretly proselytize on behalf of the Faceless God among the desperate. A DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check realizes inconsistencies in their chants, holy symbols, and rituals that reflect a perversion of Tyr’s teachings.
Further details on the Fallen Temple can be found in this chapter and Chapter 4.
Feudal Dues
Themian Truequill (m human/noble/LG), a courteous and honest tax collector, approaches anyone who looks new to the city. Two guards accompany him, one with a horn. He attempts to convince anyone he comes across to pay a variety of taxes through moral appeal.
- Dues of Allegiance to the King of Orvyltar: If an adventurer has sworn an oath to serve King Baseer Whitebrow, they are expected to pay an annual tax of 5% of any wealth they’ve found between when they arrived in Orvyltar and the time of assessment by the tax collector.
- Dues for the Carrying of Un-bonded Arcane Foci: A flat fine is assessed equal to the value of any crystals, orbs, rods, staves, or wands that are not wrapped in leather and sealed with wax and stamped by the guard. If the PCs present a signed letter from the captain of the guard or Triadic Knights, they are exempted.
- Dues for Pursuits of Questionable Morality: Themian will question the PCs about their lifestyle choices, and anyone prone to drinking, gambling, or other vices will be assessed a 15 gp tax that can be reimbursed by doing community service at any temple in Orvyltar.
- Dues for the Orphaned, Destitute, and Infirmed: While this 1% income tax is only required of citizens, a donation of 5 gp is considered a goodwill gesture.
Dues for the Treatment of Soldiers and War-Wounded. While this 1% income tax is only required of citizens, a donation of 5 gp is considered a goodwill gesture.
Each PC paying taxes receives a Receipt of Good-Standing from Themian. Refusal to pay taxes results in Themian recording their names, and could lead to complications later at court.
Goblin Street Cleaners
A crew of 2d6 “civilized” goblins wearing wooden platform shoes clean the streets. During the day they muck out the sewer ditches with shovels, while at night they empty latrines and carry buckets of excrement outside the city for use as fertilizer. Roll a d4 to determine who oversees the goblins and what conflict they are facing.
d4 Who leads the goblins amidst what conflict?
1 An unusually polite bugbear named Luurgeret finds her patience tested by goblin stupidity and seeks counsel from bystanders on how best to reform their behavior.
2 A goblin boss named Gnartz fears others want to steal his “vaunted position” and offers information on hidden imps and contraband in exchange for discretely eliminating several of his underlings. He neglects to mention the 1d4 gems (50 gp each) discovered by said underlings amidst the feces.
3 A half-ogre named Jogish tries to keep at bay a group of 3d4 commoners berating the monsters for killing their sons and daughters in the Dustwall Wars. If a peaceful resolution isn’t found, the half-ogre could snap.
4 A miserable half-orc thug named Brekker, afflicted with a wasting disease, throws himself at the feet of passersby to weepingly apologize for a long and gruesome list of sins. His goblin crew takes advantage of the distraction to pick pockets.
King’s Justices
1d4+1 scouts, retired soldiers trained in the law and appointed King’s justices, investigate a crime. Roll a d4 to determine the crime’s nature.
#
#
#
#
Market Inspection
Hamiah Evenhand (f human/noble/LN), a patient and fair market official with a taste for the finer things, inspects merchant’s scales, searches shipping manifests for signs of smuggled cargo, searches for clipped or counterfeit coins, venomous animals, and contraband including drugs, poisons, and symbols of the Fallen Temple. She will also hear any trade-related grievances, relying on the 4 guards accompanying her to pacify any trouble-makers. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 07 Jul 2016 23:41:31 |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2016 : 02:51:44
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That's very impressive, detailed work. It's good to see my research (and wasted time...) going some place. :) I like your Vanesci Hamlet development.
I've done a bit more at the Forgotten Realms Wiki on the area, with the Serpent Valley east of Doegan (I like to think those trolls are just defending their thatched-roof cottages ). I also made a detour to southern Ulgarth, with Dralpur, Kellesar, Esbresh and Kelazzan. That's canon/licensed lore only, and nothing new, but I want to make a good reference for future discussion/development.
Bear in mind that a lot of crime can still fly under the detect-evil radar in a paladin-ruled city or kingdom. Esbresh and Kelazzan are one end of a major slave trade stretching all the way to Luskan. Maybe some corrupt official has decided that criminals working off their sentences can do so for a tidy commission in a far-off foreign clime, where they can't make any trouble for the kingdom. Some money goes in civil coffers, some is skimmed for the pocket. Maybe it's not seemly for the paladins to ask too hard where the convicts are working, what they're doing, or when they're coming back, or to check on their working conditions (that would mean associating with evil, eww). The criminals have to be much savvier or much subtler, but they can exploit disaffection and chafing under the law, or take advantage of social mores and legal loopholes. |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2016 : 03:53:55
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quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
That's very impressive, detailed work. It's good to see my research (and wasted time...) going some place. :) I like your Vanesci Hamlet development.
I've done a bit more at the Forgotten Realms Wiki on the area, with the Serpent Valley east of Doegan (I like to think those trolls are just defending their thatched-roof cottages ). I also made a detour to southern Ulgarth, with Dralpur, Kellesar, Esbresh and Kelazzan. That's canon/licensed lore only, and nothing new, but I want to make a good reference for future discussion/development.
Bear in mind that a lot of crime can still fly under the detect-evil radar in a paladin-ruled city or kingdom. Esbresh and Kelazzan are one end of a major slave trade stretching all the way to Luskan. Maybe some corrupt official has decided that criminals working off their sentences can do so for a tidy commission in a far-off foreign clime, where they can't make any trouble for the kingdom. Some money goes in civil coffers, some is skimmed for the pocket. Maybe it's not seemly for the paladins to ask too hard where the convicts are working, what they're doing, or when they're coming back, or to check on their working conditions (that would mean associating with evil, eww). The criminals have to be much savvier or much subtler, but they can exploit disaffection and chafing under the law, or take advantage of social mores and legal loopholes.
Wow, thanks for doing all that research and wiki-editing, BadCatMan. You are one cool cat 
Glad you liked the development/twist I gave Vanesci. It was either give it a reason for existing despite the monster threat, or have it be wiped from the map by the monsters during the Blood & Magic era.
The slave trade reference is completely new to me! I'll definitely see what I can do with that.
It's a wonder you guys, and I guess me now too, have been able to make some degree of sense of the region with all the contradictory info. For example, the older map in FR 16 The Shining South depicts Kellessar as Ulgarth's southernmost community. Whereas the 3e Shining South describes Kelazzan as Ulgarth's southernmost (and westernmost) community. |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2016 : 04:10:37
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| The 2e The Shining South, page 78, also calls Kelazzan the southernmost city, contradicting its own maps. That is odd. It could be that Kellesar (only a name on a map) isn't a city, but a mere town or village or some other site, or else isn't a part of Ulgarth. Lying at one end of Barbarian's Road, it could be an eastern barbarian settlement. |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2016 : 05:02:22
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quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
The 2e The Shining South, page 78, also calls Kelazzan the southernmost city, contradicting its own maps. That is odd. It could be that Kellesar (only a name on a map) isn't a city, but a mere town or village or some other site, or else isn't a part of Ulgarth. Lying at one end of Barbarian's Road, it could be an eastern barbarian settlement.
Yeah, I just noticed that too.
On Markus' map, Kellesar is Ulgarth's gateway to Parsanic via the Sllaviul Mountains, the western end of the Barbarian Road, and lies along the Ulgarth River.
One thing I've been wondering is could Tuigans have gotten this far south in any significant numbers?
Go directly south? Nope. My read of the geography (http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/images/a/a0/Faerun_map.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080923050218) is that the Raurin Desert, Dustwall Mountains (and thousands of orcs), and magically impassable Gate of Iron make a directly southern route impossible for Tuigan hordes.
Go west? Nope. A longer route to the west isn't really possible because there are so many intervening nations: Murghôm, High Imaskar or the Plains of Purple Dust, the "Beastlands", and Durpar/Estagund to cross the Golden Water. If the Tuigans had gotten that far, some mention of it would have been made in the 2008 Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide or the recent Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.
Go east? Nope.That leaves their only possible route into Ulgarth via the east. Here's the relevant map section from The Horde: http://i.imgur.com/6Us4bow.png
From what I've read so far there doesn't seem to be any way to safely navigate the Jumpa River Gorge...so the Tuigans would have to go through Ra-Khati, then travel south until crossing west over the A-Ling Shan / Yehimals into northern Ulgarth (or possibly Thommar). And given Ra-Khati's utterly isolationist policy and the breaking of the chain bridge that once led over the Jumpa River into the hidden land, it sort of seems like the Tuigans looking to move south would be S.O.L.
The Jumpa River is considered one of the great
rivers of the world—at least by those who have
seen it. Starting in the heights of the Katakoro
Shan, it flows down the front of this range, past
the A-Ling Shan, and through the Great Pass of
the Yehimal where it joins the Gaya, the River of
Life.
What makes the Jumpa impressive is both the
volume of water it carries and the great chasm it
has cut. The Jumpa is the major drainage river of
the whole western face of the mountains. Each
year it swells to a tremendous crest as it carries
the spring run-off from the lower slopes. The roaring
water tears and grinds away almost anything
in its path and has done so for centuries. As a
result, the river now rushes through a broad,
steep-sided chasm. This gorge averages 1,000
feet in depth, the sides of crumbling, mist-coated
rock.
This chasm, which starts at the northern tip of
Ra-Khati, makes the Jumpa a formidable barrier.
Between the start of the chasm and the Great
Gap, there is only one crossing point, the Great
Chain Bridge of Ra-Khati. This bridge, broken for
many years, has been recently rebuilt. The iron
chains supporting the wood and hemp structure
are as thick as a man’s waist and crusted in rust.
The bridge continually sways and rumbles to the
pounding rhythm of the water below.
Because of its impressive features and its connection
to the Gaya, the Jumpa is one of the sacred
rivers visited by pilgrims from the south.
From it, some pilgrims follow the Gogrus to its
source while others go to any one of the hundreds
of other sacred sources of the Gaya. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 08 Jul 2016 05:23:33 |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2016 : 06:51:14
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I've been debating how to handle these barbarians. The Shining South (2e, 1993) on page 73, briefly refers to Ulgarth being ready "to defend itself against either raids by Dambrath and the Horde". Here the Horde is capitalised as a proper name. On page 75, it uses the grammatically poor phrasing "He successfully resisted an attack by over a thousand horde barbarians." This is either a grammar error or a case error, and it should be "Horde barbarians".
Who are these Horde then? I don't believe they're Tuigan, for all the reasons you state. The Tuigan Horde is a 1300s organisation, and I'm not sure we can suppose another centuries back. There's no connection to anything in Ulgarth. There are two options.
They might be the remnants of Ulgarth's own centuries of dark barbarism. As the cities were established and the kingdom arose, the remaining tribes were pushed east into the northern plains of the Utter East. They survived, and still threaten the kingdom.
Or they might be Northmen from the Utter East. The image of knights fighting barbarians in the Ulgarth chapter shows a somewhat Viking-looking horse-rider (beard, helmet), so I got a Northman vibe. In Blood & Magic, Rathgar the Raider is called the "scourge of north lands" and he and his men look very Viking-like themselves. It's possible to draw a connection between them and suppose some Northmen settled here, east of Ulgarth, eventually forming a horse-riding horde, locally called the Horde. (Land Vikings!  )
It's not definitive though. I recently undid this interpretation of mine on the wiki, as it was too vague, and I'm going to leave it open. Furthermore, the image is repeated in the Cormyr sourcebook from the next year, so it could have been repeated from an earlier source, and it might mean nothing. |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2016 : 08:33:37
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Very interesting. The more I've read, the Stony Waste seems to be the direction/area the barbarian threat comes from. Both of those interpretations of their origins make a lot of sense – leftovers from Ulgarth's barbaric past or Northmen who continued their raiding against Ffolk leaders. Al-Qadim certainly implied that there were a large number of "mercenary barbarians" north of the city of Utaqa and refers to them as wearing "strange horned helmets."
I'm pretty sure that when FR 16 The Shining South refers to the Horde, it's referring to Tuigans.
Page 60:
Three years ago a fleet of six ships returned
with news and goods from the land of
Maztica. King Azoun's defeat of the Horde on the
Golden Way has opened up trade with the east
again. The merchants of Durpar are not letting
these new trading fields go untouched.
That's certainly a reference to Cormyr: A Novel (1998), when Azoun Obarskryr IV fought the Tuigan Horde at Thesk.
While the reference under Ulgarth is capitalized 'H'orde, the wording is a bit funny:
Ulgarth is a peaceful nation, but it is well
prepared to defend itself against either raids by
Dambrath and the Horde, or the constant
attempts by Durparian traders to control their
economy.
It would seem weird (but not impossible) for the author to use capitalized "Horde" in reference to two separate cultures: The Tuigans and desert-adapted Northmen.
However, I think the geography basically prevents the Tuigans from being a credible threat, regardless of what was meant in FR 16 The Shining South. Some of the MOST impassable terrain in the Realms exists southwest, west, and southeast of the Endless Wastes / Hordelands.
What I'm thinking of doing for my adventure is introducing a Tuigan ruler in Utaqa. Not a tale of conquest, but of family and faith. Khan Khaland Pyar's beloved bastard son traversed the Yehimals looking for a secret pass into the rich lands of the Utter East. He was taken as a slave after breaking several laws, and traded to the mamluks stationed near Utaqa to be raised as one of them. When the Khan learned what befell his bastard son, he was sick and the tribal healers warned him he would not have long to live. Bequeathing his lands to his eldest son, the khan, his concubine, his young son, and his best scouts braved the Jumpa River Gorge. Half the men died, but eventually they reached Utaqa where they found the morally degenerate city hungry for a strong ruler after a line of "dandy puppet caliphs." However, the fight that Khaland Pyar was expecting never came. Reunited with his bastard son, he learned how disaffected the people and the mamluks were with the caliph, and he also learned the grace of the Enlightened Faith. The khan launched a coup d'état and converted to the Enlightened Faith, experiencing a miraculous healing of his illness. The Tuigan caliph adapts to his new situation.
This does a couple things for me:
1. It is great story material, and provides a built-in dilemma for PCs: Do we support Khaland Pyar or do we support the Qudran mamluks who want to oust him?
2. It gives me the opportunity to riff off of Netflix's Marco Polo series, which despite its glamorized and inaccurate history, is lots of fun and feels like a good fit for the region and the adventure. And it lets me do that without invoking the entire Tuigan Horde and imminent invasion (which, as we discussed, doesn't make sense geographically).
3. It gives Utaqa, City of Free Men, more character as it was a bit underdeveloped before, and it gives a cultural framework for the many mercenaries within its walls.
4. It sets up some interesting questions of faith - which is a major theme I'm using for Utaqa, given that the Cult of the Faceless God is going to be most active there. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 08 Jul 2016 09:05:13 |
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Netbook of the Utter East with Markus Taylor
