In the Shadow of Elsport

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Elsport Map.png

In the Shadow of Elsport is a play-by-post campaign of the RPG Blue Rose. The GM is Nick the Nevermet.

Starting Premise

The regional noble in Ellsport is looking to recruit individuals to help investigate and neutralize the increasingly powerful gangs that dominate the docks and lower wards. It is unclear how the Silence, the near-mythical crime syndicate, exists behind the gangs, but it does certainly does. And what of the lost tomb of Delsha Artanis, slowly poisoning the earth and souls of the city?

The Player Characters

  • Played by ajdynon
  • Shidi, played by DaradZhall
  • Played by Muskrat
  • Played by Silvercat Moonpaw
  • Played by Stormraven
  • Blank Character Sheet

Elsport

Elsport from Witcher3.jpg

Elsport is a small city at the southwestern end of Aldis with a deep natural harbour that was enhanced by the Old Kingdom. If Gernet is the gateway to the Central Valleys from the sea, then Elsport is the gateway to the Scatterstar Archipelago and the oversea routes to Jarzon and the exotic Wyss. Indeed, many smaller ships constantly dart between Elsport and Garnet, where large ocean-going vessels take advantage of the harbour to prepare for long voyages in open water.

History

During the Old Kingdom, there was a grand city here named Ellendar. Using shaping arcana, the Old Kingdom create a massive breakwater wall around the harbour, rising at least 20 feet above the waves. Under the Empire of Thorns, Ellendar was the seat of the Tidewitch, a lieutenant of Delsha who was charged with controlling the Scatterstar Archipelago and the Seafolk. When Delsha died in -387, the spies of the Tidewitch secured Delsha’s remains and brought them to Ellendar. It was the Tidewitch who built Delsha’s tomb and created the urn of pure citrine.

For a time, the Tidewitch’s realm did quite well during the Shadow Wars, but eventually she was defeated when a Sorcerer King known as Coombwail attacked Ellendar with an avalanche before attacking with his mountainous darkfiends. They killed the Tidewitch and her regents, enslaved a portion of the city, and left the rest of starve in the burnt ruins of the city.

For the remainder of the Shadow Wars, the ruins were controlled by a tribe of Merrow who took up residence in the harbour. During the Great Rebellion, a force of Rhy-fen and Sea Folk laid siege to the Merrow there. At the same time, Roger Feyfriend and his allies destroyed Coombwail and the Darkfiends of the southern highlands.

Rikin was the first Sea Folk King of Aldis, and he founded the Guild Council. Late in his reign, he was interested in developing sea trade. This lead him to an interest in rebuilding Ellendar. Unfortunately, most of the ruins were a corrupt place, due to the work of the Tidewaitch, the Merrow of the Harbour, and Combwail. He committed resources and adepts to begin the process of clearing the taint from the land and reclaiming the harbour for a new port. The Sea Folk adepts were relatively successful at purging the bay of corruption, but the ruins remained in shadow.

The eccentric Queen Larai continued Rikin’s work. After various negotiations, the Fey Lord of the Peaks agreed to sent Baron Plunge and a contingent of fey down to the ruins of Ellendar to purify it and remove the corruption from the land. It took a generation, but eventually the ruins of Ellendar had been retaken by nature, and then allowed the mortals to build a new city, Elsport. In exchange, Larai agreed to cede a portion of the highlands to the Fey, creating the Faerie Peaks. The small communities at the base of the peaks became masters of understanding the ways of the Fey, and how to appease them.

Elsport Today

Though not as wealthy or as large as Garnit, Elsport is nevertheless an active port city. It is the political and economic hub for the Scatterstar Archipelago and most of the Southern Coasts. Additionally, it has become a staging ground for the Kingdom’s navy as it attempts to keep track of threats such as pirates and Jarzoni privateers.

Other Regions

The Scatterstar Archipelago

The Steep Coast

The Steep Coast is the thin strip of lowlands that stretches west of Elsport between the Western Ocean and the Faerie Highlands. It is a sparsely populated region of simple fishing villages and ranchers. If "Going to Garnet" among Elsporters means one is going to seek one's fortune, "Going along the Steep" means they are going into a realm of profound banality.

The Feypeak Highlands

Called the Crying Highlands during the Shadow Wars, this mountainous area shoots up quickly from the coast around Elsport, and then gives way more gradually as one heads northeast into the Central Valleys. It was once dominated by the Sorcerer King Coombwail, but much of the unpopulated land was given to the Faerie Lord of the Peakers as part of his assistance in toopling Coombwail and reclaiming what is now Elsport. It was once known for extensive mining under Coombwail, but that is not allowed in the Faerie lands. The humans who live in the small communities in the highlands have developed intricate customs for working with and appeasing the Fey.

One significant feature of the Feypeaks is Mooncut Pass, the best route through the mountains from Elsport to the Central Valleys beyond. It is controlled by Aldis.

Garnet

Garnet is a large, prosperous city at the Mouth of the Rose River. It is the gateway from the sea to Aldis and the Central Valleys.