Winter on the Lake

Basic description

GM: JeStor System: Pathfinder, 2nd level start

Concept: younger folks living alongside a lake in a isolated area, but only isolated from major population centers. The lake is very dangerous and only the shallower end (the one you're near) is fished and crossed...and crossed only in the winter when that end of the lake freezes. The winter isn't harsh, but it is long and lots of snow...so think just below freezing for six months with ten foot drifts.

You do among other things gathering from a group of monasteries that are on the far side of lake. In addition to that, you also serve as mail carriers and a regular path of information between all of the various groups living in and around the lake. It's a artisan kind of society with the people there making a living producing goods outside of the trappings of civilized society. This isn't to say they're barbaric, as they aren't, but they live in this fairly isolated area because they choose to.

PCs

20 point buy.

Yona Magdadottir, female human bard 2, player Mindstalk

Delorn Sterling, male human ranger 2, player Mitch

Adrakta Silverhair, male half-orc fighter 2, player Epsilon834

Chela the Warped, female half-orc aberrant aegis?, player Unka Josh

Oneiros, male elf swashbuckler 1/magus 1, player Silent Wayfarer

NPCs

Vikens Vickers, de facto head of the Weaver Collective. "Vixen" when Yona's feeling mean.
her husband, much nicer
their daughters, easily amused

Magda, mother of Yona
Pierre, father of Yona, lost on the lake
Lola, a wizard in the city, Yona's teacher

Delorn's father and elder brother, ranchers?

The Birch Ranch

Old Man Birch - the father, tough but fair - generally referred to as "The Birch" or "Birch", Mother Birch - She's always seeming with child, makes a mean apple pie, Jase Birch - The eldest child - older than you and a massive man, has a savage temper when angry, but friendly otherwise, Hinton, Charles, Evan, Sullen, Ordan, Shelly - the lone Birch sister, she's very pretty, but with 14+ brothers - men keep their distance which drives her crazy, Peter - you know him quite well, once a real trouble maker now a mostly mature young man, Linfred or "Lin" - he's Peter's right hand man, he's still a trouble maker as often as possible, Magnus, Vonn, Kimber, Matthew, Zaul, Trell

Lakeside

"Rough", de facto mayor/leader of the fishing village of Lakeside - maybe 60 and still might be the fastest rower you've ever seen.

Semian the Old - the oldest person in Lakeside, you've heard he's over 100, mostly blind he's outlived most of his family and lives with his 50 year old grandson - Seaworth, he's popular and a talker. Talks often with Gray a rancher who lives west of Lakeside.

Shayton Stross - a herbalist who is regarded as an outsider even though she's been here 15 years, she's about 40ish. Shayton makes her living selling dried herbs.

Gray - lives outside Lakeside to the west, a retired ranger who has turned rancher, but smaller scale, his name is from his all gray hair which turned all gray in his teens. He's grumpyish to those he doesn't know, and a bit of a loner. Knows Semian very well and they talk and are seen together often. He's maybe 50?

Events

• It's -5 C and there's 5 feet of snow. Vikens wants us to shift goods for the Weavers Collective. The goods are now loaded and you are ready to head out, taking the goods along a route where you'll have a chance to pass by the majority of the "clients" you service.
• Injured winter wolf! Winter Wolf was covered with a black substance that had started on the snout/face, seemed to be affected by heat. Wolf dies and the party burned its body.

Long Description

The lake is more than twenty five miles long and eight or nine wide at its widest point...less than a quarter of it is safe for travel (the end you are at). Its called "The lake", by the locals and Lake of the Monks, Monk Lake by those outside of your region. The vast majority of it is either very deep or bottomless, if you believe your grandparents stories...and very dangerous. It shallows out to a more reasonable depth at the end you're on and its clear and clean, with the limestone bottom visible on a good day in good light. Whatever large creatures exist within they generally avoid the shallow end and shy away from contact, but you've all certainly seen creatures you can't name break the surface out in the lake while you watched through a spyglass safely on shore. Those creatures seem to stay miles out from shore and are only seen by those who spend a great deal of time looking.

I'll expect all the characters to be part of the local community, so whatever class/race you go with be aware of any strings that might flow out from your choices. That said I'll welcome all of you on board. I'm thinking the locals (excluding the monks and clerics) would number between 300-500. That's not a lot of people for the amount of area we are talking (a good chunk taken up by the lake)…that includes the fishing village and as many as two or three other small (10-20) settlements…the rest are families living in a loose group near each other or those with a ranch and a bigger home or lodge type dwelling.

Your end of the lake empties into a river which flows east then turns south and further south which where you'd find the local military and a major network of roads, as that river links into another larger river and the junction is home to the largest local city and the road network allowing the regions influx of trade goods going in and out. That city isn't huge, but say under 5000 people...so a pretty good sized place. You are living in the high country where the hills across the lake continue back and then become mountains.

The military maintains a very small outpost in the area you're in, but outside of what you'd expect you'd be a pretty bored solider serving up here. Pack of wolves and the odd group of bandits might come through, but being in a isolated area having to depend on each other has made the people here resourceful and tough. Many of the problems confronting your people, your people clean up the mess themselves. Most can handle a bow, field dress a deer and live off the land if need be. All you'd need to really worry about is if you were alone, and when you're alone it doesn't really matter where in the world you are...

In reality the people here are pretty rich, with tons of natural resources and food and little danger…but you have to work hard to get it. Wood is plentiful so folks build with it…stone would be stronger, but it's farther away and a pain to process and bigger pain to move.

I was of the mind that (for example) if one of you wanted a bow you could either make it yourself or have someone you know make it in exchange for some talent or skill you offered. In a small fairly close knit community I'm guessing that's the way things would go.

Weaver's Collective - a group of about a half dozen families who are well-respected weavers. Vikens Vickers is the woman in charge, a master weaver herself - she is in the brains behind the business. She's not very pleasant and prefers to run over those around her, rather than trying to be diplomatic. Married to a very pleasant man, she's also the mother of three young girls.

"Lakeside" - the name of the fishing village at the eastern end of the lake, located near "The Crossing" a very old stone bridge that's the remnant of a prior civilization. Between 50-60 people live in Lakeside with a number more living outside of the village's outskirts. "Rough" is the de-facto leader/mayor of Lakeside, he's lived here all his life and is in charge of the fishing side of things. The fishermen of Lakeside fish primarily for large Lake Trout which are smoked and sold to the outside world, this continues during the winter when they ice fish with huts they've pulled out onto the lake.