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

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.

Neighbourhoods of Elsport

Elsport City Map.png
  • The Castle is the center of Kingdom business, both administrative and military. The Regional Noble of Elsport has their official quarters here, along with several other high ranking officials. The Outer Garden is open to the public, and the Ballroom is sufficiently lavish to satisfy most official celebrations.
  • Many of the richest Guild families of Aldis keep a presence in Elsport, and most of them have estates within the walls where the scions of trade contemplate new avenues of profit.
  • The Docks are always busy, and always well guarded as the city tries to limit crime. Nothing seems to work, however.
  • Sailor Town is the neighbourhood of inns, taverns, and businesses that cater to sailors and travellers. The streets toward the docks are more affordable (and possibly more dangerous), while the ones closer to the Guild Houses are more opulent.
  • The Market is a grand open plaza in the heart of the city. All but the illegal and excessively expensive are overtly for sale here.
  • The Temple is the center of religious life in the city, and it has a large library. Due to the proximity of the Scatterstar Archipelago, Gaelenir features prominently in its iconography. The Priests of Gaelenir are the tutors to the elite of Elsport.
  • As one moves North through Elsport, the wealth of the citizenry declines. The poorest of Elsport are pressed against the Northern Wall in cramped, poorly maintained buildings. More than one epidemic has begun here and swept through the city.
  • The small communities outside the walls are often at least as poor as Northern. One area, often called "Nightville" is a community of Night People who work in Elsport and who live together for community. While there are no laws separating them from others, enough of them have met prejudice over the years that they have decided living together in an enclave may be safer.

Elite of Elsport

Elsport is home a fair number of nobles.

Regional Nobles

Elsport is governed by a council of fifteen regional nobles:

  • The Governors
    • Leonar Waterdawn, Senior Governor and Lord Mayor, who presides over the council.
      • Concept: Sea Folk Female Cepia. Pirate
      • Calling: The Emperor- Temporal Power
      • Destiny: Seven of Chalices- Practical
      • Fate: Page of Swords- Insensitive
    • Taylen of Shariven, Junior Governor
      • Human Laevvel. Diplomat
      • Calling: The Star- Artistic mastery
      • Destiny: King of Pentacles- Resourceful
      • Fate': Page of Pentacles- Wasteful
    • Alvus Stampede, Junior Governor
      • Human Male Caria. Champion
      • Calling: Death- Creating Change
      • Destiny: Seven of Rods- Adventurous
      • Fate: Nine of Rods- Domineering


  • Three judges, in charge of justice and interpreting contracts
    • Gosuntha Scaler, Senior Judge
      • Human Female Cepia. Noble
      • Calling: Temperance- Mediation of Extremes
      • Destiny: King of Pentacles- Resourceful
      • Fate: Ace of Swords- Cowardly
    • "Common" Thomas, Judge
      • Human Male Cepia. Diplomat
      • Calling: The Tower- Lowering the lofty
      • Destiny: Six of Chalices- Reflective
      • Fate: King of Chalices- Reactionary
    • Freitigern Returned.
      • Human Male Cepia. Noble.
      • Calling: Judgment- Atonement
      • Destiny: Perceptive
      • Fate: Cold


  • The Holy Tribunal of the Elsport Temple
    • Joao of the Lamps, The High Priest of Elsport
      • Vata-an Male Caria. Shaper
      • Calling: The Hierophant- Spiritual or religious power
      • Destiny: Six of Chalices- Reflective
      • Fate: Page of Swords- Insensitive
    • Margida Ever-Ink, The Master Librarian
      • Human Female Cepia. Seer
      • Calling: The Adept- Mastery of the arcane
      • Destiny: Three of Rods- Industrious
      • Fate: Two of Swords- Indecisive
    • William Goodrest, The Head Arcanist
      • Human Male Cepia Healer
      • Calling: The Sun- Championing the everyday
      • Destiny: Five of Swords- Humble
      • Fate: Five of Rods- Complacent


  • Military
    • Carolina Knightwave, The General of the Aldin Guard and the Knights of the Blue Rose
      • Human Male Cepia. Commander
      • Calling: The Fool- Adventure and excitement
      • Destiny: Page of Pentacles- Inquisitive
      • Fate: Page of Chalices- Deceptive
    • The Chief of the City Watch
    • Goncal, The Admiral of the Aldin Navy
      • Human Male Cepia. Commander
      • Calling: The Fool- Adventure and excitement
      • Destiny: Page of Pentacles- Inquisitive
      • Fate: Page of Chalices- Deceptive


  • The Voice of the Rhydan
    • Recarred Mosseater
      • Rhy-Rat Male Caria Spy
      • Calling: The Exarch- Trickery or uncovering the same
      • Destiny: Three of Swords- Stalwart
      • Fate: Three of Swords- Treacherous

Travelling Nobles

Additionally, six Travelling Nobles regularly come to Elsport for supplies and news:

  • The Travelling Noble of the Barren Islands
  • The Travelling Noble of the Southern Start and Ambar Island
  • The Travelling Noble of the Road to Garnet
  • The Travelling Noble of the Feypeak Highlands
  • The Travelling Noble of the Near Steep Coast
  • The Travelling Noble of the Far Steep Coast

Guilders of Elsport

The following guilds comprise an advisory council for the nobles. Power of the council depends on how much a given guild can raise in dues:

  • The Lawyers
  • The Cloth Merchants & Dyers
  • The Wool manufacturers
  • The bankers
  • The healers and apothecary
  • Furriers, Skinners, & Tanners
  • The butchers
  • The Blacksmiths
  • The Shoemakers
  • The stonemasons
  • The tailors
  • The vintners
  • The Innkeepers
  • The Salt & provision merchants
  • The Locksmiths
  • The Armourers & Weaponsmiths
  • The Carpenters
  • The Bakers

Additional Notables of Elsport

  • The Jarzoni Ambassador
  • The Lar'Tyan ambassador

Other Regions

The Scatterstar Archipelago

Immediately to the west of Elsport is the Scatterstar Archipelago, a vibrant set of countless small islands full of life. There the Sea Folk thrive and often work with Humans to build communities. There are also pirate coves and shadow cults hunting for relics from the Old Kingdom. Elsport serves as the "anchor" for the archipelago to the mainland, a gateway to the rest of Aldis.

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.

Thematics and Creative Agenda

Blue Rose is an RPG with a specific tone, and therefore it is worth talking about some things explicitly.

Initial interests

In the recruitment thread, players made the following list of things they would like to see:

  • The distinctiveness of Blue Rose's setting is front and centre.
    • This includes the romantic nature of the setting, where society is viewed in a generally positive light and there is optimism in the world. As the books says:
      • "Romantic fantasy novels are often set in highly egalitarian societies, where people’s occupations and aspirations are not limited by fixed gender roles. In these books,cultures and individuals that are sexist or homophobic are either ignorant and see the error of their ways somewhere in the series, or they are enemies who are eventually vanquished.
      • "The heroes of romantic fantasy novels are usually environmentally conscious. Protecting wilderness areas and animals from depredation is a common plot element. In all romantic fantasy worlds, nature is a positive magical force, and anyone who protects it is on the side of good."
  • Cultural diversity
  • Misguided villains, in addition to or instead of truly evil villains
  • Maybe some Jarzoni antics
  • Inspiration from Miyazaki and/or Earthsea
  • The PCs focus on helping people, either as freelancers or working for the Sovereign
  • Possibly a love story for a PC or two. Emotional investment at the least.

Additionally, several things were explicitly requested to 'not' be in the game:

  • Sexualized violence
  • Puzzles that are impossible or that have no clues or hints
  • Graphic or Elaborate depictions of violence and misery

Applied to the game

The GM has promised to avoid the things players requested not to be in the game. Additionally, he will do his best to include the things on the requested list.

What is Romantic About Elsport?

With its discussion of the unliving, a lost demonic tomb, crime, and pirates, Elsport has the potential to be a "darker" location in Aldea. Certain elements of the setting will be emphasized to highlight the fact this is still a 'romantic' fantasy setting:

  • Elsport is a small but robust, prosperous, and cosmopolitan city. Misery and suffering happen, but they are not the defining traits of life. Though there is some ethnic tension, there is no rampant xenophobia.
  • It is true that there is a thriving criminal underworld in Elsport, and The Silence until recently was very powerful. However, the Silence by definition does not encourage a criminal reign of terror. The fact that things in the city are destabilizing is a concern.
  • It is true that there are active shadow cults and Delsha Artanis' lost tomb, but a defining element of the city is struggling with the question of 'how can we move on from horrible things?' History is not guaranteed to repeat itself.
  • It is true that there are a disturbing number of unliving rising in Elsport. However, there is no "zombie apocalypse" occurring. Instead, the unliving represent a flaw that can be corrected. 'As the natural order of the world is strengthened in Elsport, the unliving will decrease.'