Difference between revisions of "The Wilderlands of Absalom"

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(Player Characters and Henchmen)
(Freshly Acquired)
Line 82: Line 82:
 
*The Lady of Shadows' ring (Ring of Protection +2)
 
*The Lady of Shadows' ring (Ring of Protection +2)
 
*a short sword, its hilt wrapped in red, pebbly leather (from the bone chamber)
 
*a short sword, its hilt wrapped in red, pebbly leather (from the bone chamber)
 +
*Six boxes of thick black candles, each box worth about twenty-five gold and weighing a stone apiece.
 +
*Twenty more sticks of incense, each worth 25 gold apiece.
 +
*A dozen silver candlesticks, each worth thirty gold apiece.
  
 
==Wolf Keep==
 
==Wolf Keep==

Revision as of 17:30, 16 May 2017

10Zcw4k.jpg

Statistics

Player Characters and Henchmen

  • Karag Two-Blades (Mapper, Sea Captain), L7 Assassin, HP 16/24, AC 7 (magical chainmail), Init +1, up to 6 cleave attacks, riposte on AC 6, -7 Strength (9)
    • Hira of the Seven (Healer), L6 Antiquarian Witch, HP 23/23, AC 0, Init +0
      • (Finore the Crow), familiar, HP 11/11, AC 1, grants Hira +1 to saves when within 30' of her
    • P'zev the Hairless (Geographer, Geologist, Historian, Magical Engineer), L5 Mage, HP 20/20 + X, AC 1, Init +1
    • Hosfai (Navigator, Forager/Hunter), L6 Cerves Brave, HP 26/26, AC 9 (+1 leather +2 shield +2 dex +1 swashbuckling)
    • Ishka Bronze-skin (Caver, Lockpicker, Trapfinder), L6 Kobold Sneak, HP 24/24, AC 4 (+1 leather + 1 dex), Init +1 (+1 bonus to surprise underground) (+1 bonus to avoid surprise - Alertness), notice secret doors casually 18+
      • Tlilith Bronze-skin, (Engineer, Architect), L4 Kobold Warrenguard, HP 17/17, AC 4 (+1 leather + shield), Init +0
      • Yszal Bronze-skin, L4 Kobold Warrenguard, HP 17/17, AC 4 (+1 leather + shield -1 dex +1 style), Init -1
      • Anvan, L5 Mage, HP 22/22, AC 2, Init +2
  • Rabanus the Raffish (Diplomat), L7 Mage. HP 17/17, AC 1. Rapier 7+ 1d6+1. Init 0.
    • Jabri the Nightingale (Soloist), L6 Bladedancer. HP: 13/19, AC 6. Two-Handed Sword+1 6+ 1d10+2. Init +1.
    • Pantera the Pagan (Navigator), L6 Explorer. HP 28/28 AC 5. Spear+2 4+ 1d6+6. Init +2, Surprise +3.
    • Barste the Black (Infiltrator), L5 Assassin. HP 20/20 AC 5. Sword+1 5+ 1d6+2/1d8+2. Bow 5+ 1d6+2. Init +1, Surprise +1.
  • Xallijk, L6 Nobiran Wonderworker, HP 24/24, AC 0
    • Nathet, L5 Nobiran Wonderworker, HP 13/13, AC 0
    • Mayaz, L6 Cerves, HP 10/15, AC 4
      • Elbek, L3 Fighter, HP 11/11, AC ?
  • Sir Harn, the Red Knight of Tisbury, L7 Fighter, HP 43/43, AC 13 | Sword 0+, 1d6+9 dmg
    • Brother Hanston, L6 Cleric, HP 22/22, AC 8 | Mace 6+, 1d6+2 dmg
    • Anbet, L6 Ranger, HP 24/24, AC 5 | Crossbow 4+, 1d6+5 dmg
    • Jeffed Ka, L6 Fighter, HP 30/30, AC 12 | Init +1 | Sword 4+, 1d6+5 dmg
      • Gur, L4 Fighter, HP 15/15, AC 4 | Init +1 | Composite Bow 6+, 1d6+2 dmg
      • Jeder, L4 Fighter, HP 11/11, AC 5 | Init +2 | Composite Bow 5+, 1d6+2 dmg

Sample Character

Blank Character Sheet

Lost in the Dark

Marches, Watches, Proficiencies, and Encumbrance Ape

Marching Order:

  • Sir Harn / Qutai / Anbet
  • Jochi / P'zev / Pantera
  • Karag / Rabanus / Hanston
  • Xallijk / Nathet / Hira / Mayaz
  • Ishka / Jeffed / Shibu / Hosfai
  • (Horse Archers ) / (Pack Train and Wranglers) / (Horse Archers)
  • - / (Horse Archers) / -

Watch Order

  • 1st watch: Rabanus, Hanston, Hira, Jeffed, 1 wrangler, 5 horse archers
  • 2nd watch: Sir Harn, Qutai, Anbet, 2 wranglers, 5 horse archers
  • 3rd watch: Karag, Jochi, Pantera, 1 wrangler, 5 horse archers
  • 4th watch: Xallijk, Nathet, Shibu, P'zev, 2 wranglers, 5 horse archers

Party Proficiencies

Encumbrance Ape

Treasure

Identification Queue

In Transit

Freshly Acquired

From the Candle

  • A silver ring likely worth 125 gp
  • A small sack with 80 gold.
  • 2,000 gp
  • Three greenish gemstones, each likely worth 150 gp
  • A second large circular key, resembling the one that opened the mummies' tomb
  • A slim traveling spellbook and a smaller book that contains mundane writing in a cramped and archaic hand -- both are written in Common and appear to contain the same handwriting. Both tomes are bound in dark leather and embossed with a silver run that looks like this: هڪ.
  • Plate armor that looks to be in surprisingly good condition
  • Sword suspiciously free of rust
  • A silver necklace; the heat from the fireball has fused it together and partially melted it. What was once likely worth over a thousand gold is now reduced to roughly half that amount.
  • The Lady of Shadows' staff. Touching it does 1d6 damage per round to Neutral PCs.
  • The Lady of Shadows' ring (Ring of Protection +2)
  • a short sword, its hilt wrapped in red, pebbly leather (from the bone chamber)
  • Six boxes of thick black candles, each box worth about twenty-five gold and weighing a stone apiece.
  • Twenty more sticks of incense, each worth 25 gold apiece.
  • A dozen silver candlesticks, each worth thirty gold apiece.

Wolf Keep

Scrolls and Spellbooks

  • Brass scrollcase from secret room in Keep, containing a scroll with the following spell: Hold Monster
  • A brass scrollcase containing a single rolled scroll of soft vellum. It is a scroll of arcane magics, written in an archaic dialect of Common. It contains the following spells: Sleep, Read Languages, Dispel Magic and Giant Strength
  • A curious cylinder of wood, perhaps six inches in diameter and a foot and-a half long. One quarter of the height has writing carved into it; those capable of understanding Faerie note that it is in that tongue, and those of a magical nature further note that the writings are magical. The cylinder weighs one stone. It is a spellbook containing Sleep, Cause Fear, and Detect Faerie Lands
  • Owlbear spellbook with Jump, Shield and Wall of Smoke. The pages are swollen with moisture and some of the ink is smeared. There exists a possibility that using the book to study might result in magical mishap, if care is not taken to transcribe the spell properly.
  • An apprentice‘s spellbook that contains Detect Magic, Floating Disc, Ventriloquism, Locate Object, and Mirror Image.
  • The scroll contains the spell Levitate. IC 1220
  • The writing upon the slate is a magical formulae for a spell that seems to be able to turn -- at least temporarily -- a certain number of steel or iron weapons into silver. Steel to Silver spell
  • A thick tome bound in two sheets of thin, hard greenish crystal that seems to radiate cold. The chill emanating from the book is cold enough to burn flesh
  • The shaman carries several thin sheets of metal, bound together by leather and containing writings in what looks to be the Bestial tongue. They contain the spells Sleep and Ventriloquism
  • A scroll of some thin, pale leather that contains more writing in Bestial. The scroll has the spells Wizard Lock and Phantasmal Force
  • The spellbook of Apaflas Da. It contains the first level spells Magic Rope, Wall of Smoke, Summon Dervishes; the second level spells Gust of Wind, Locate Object, Stinking Cloud, Summon Steed; third level spells Earth's Teeth, Summon Winged Steed; fourth level spell Wall of Sand; fifth level spell Conjure Elemental. It also contains two ritual spells: one binds a familiar, the second binds Lusbecira to the caster's will for seven days

Magic Items

  • A gem, known among magicians as yedrium. It can be used to hold a charge of magical energy for an extended period of time before discharging it in a controlled manner; the gem glows slightly when containing the energy, dimming and crumbling to dust when discharged
  • Battleaxe +1, forged from curious metal
  • Warhammer +1, +3 vs Dragons, with a head of chromatic steel carved in a dragon's head
  • A bottle, amber in color and semi-translucent, withe the suggestion of something -- a smoke or vapor, perhaps -- shifting within. The bottle is stoppered with a cork and sealed with what looks to be liquid silver. (Efreeti Bottle)
  • A knife, razor sharp and with a handle wrapped in rough leather. It bears a vague resemblance to the knives that fisherfolk use to clean and gut their catch.
  • Potions
    • Diminution x2
    • Polymorph
    • Animal Control
    • Fire Resistance
    • Dragon Control
    • Heroism
    • Invulnerability
    • Healing
    • Sweetwater
    • Gaseous Form
    • Philter of Love

Non-magic items

  • Four doses of Firesand (a handful of fine black powder, possessing a pungent odor)
  • Masterwork sword
  • Masterwork shield
  • A pair of wicked looking handaxes with hafts of polished ebony and steel heads that shine dully in the sunlight. The handaxes are masterwork and balanced for throwing, with a +1 bonus to hit and an increased range of 10' (base). At a guess the twinned hand axes would be worth in the neighborhood of 600 gold if sold as a set.
  • Five ounces of Crocodile Tears
  • Three war-horns: a battered old war-horn, fashioned of bronze, an ogre's battle horn -- this one made from a yellowed and cracked tusk of some huge beast, bound in copper bands, and a third horn, taken from the third ogre band
  • Five jars of a rich purple dye
  • A score of abalone shells, perfect in shape, size and color, rippling with incandescence. Nathet believes that these would be ideal ingredients for the production of potions of water breathing, most likely enough to make at least one, maybe two.

The Candle

  • A ring of metal that looks like the key Karag saw the shaman use on the entrance to the mummies tomb.

Hob

Vault in Hob

Junction Warehouse

  • Storage Capacity: 10,000/10,000

Junction Trade Goods awaiting sale

Rhea's Ford

  • Ring of Command Animals (to be sold)
  • Basalt frog figurine (to be sold)

XP Awards

Group Finances and Resources

Sully's spreadsheet

  • Google Sheets doc can be found here.

Party Funds and Expenses

Monthly Expenses

Tenthmonth Costs

  • 86,996 Starting Balance
  • +70014 Sale of Ring of Animal Command
  • -4000 gp commissioned river boat

Domain Expenses and Income

Wolf Keep

  • Balance as of 10.1: 24196 gp
    • -750 gp for building materials (10.12)

The Candle

  • Balance as of 10.1: 0 gp

NPCs and Animals

Absalom Hirelings

  • Monthly Cost: 4444 as of 8.1

Animals and Beasts of Burden

Mercenaries

Assets

Maps

Central Map

West Map

Mapper's Journal

Unexplored Areas of Note

Setting

After a century the forces of Chaos have begun to subside and weaken and the Realm of Man has begun to expand again, to retake territory lost in the past hundred years and even expand past its original borders. The Five Princes of the Inner Kingdoms have called for all able-bodied adventurers to venture into the outlands, to drive the barbarians and humanoids and abominations out and establish new domains for Law and Order. The adventurers have a charter from the Scarlet Prince, granting them ten year monopolies on any trade routes opened with friendly territories and the ability to draw upon the population of the Inner Principalities for labor, for skilled craftfolk, for soldiers and for settlers. Of course, the adventurers could also do it on their own and attempt to establish their own domains without owing fealty to anyone. They also have a map, a century out of date and likely inaccurate; the incursion of Chaos has warped the landscape in strange ways in addition to the more mundane monsters wreaking havoc on the towns and villages beyond the River Sarn.

The seasons are like Philly, approximately three months long each, but the winters are much colder. There may very well be a supernatural reason for this -- perhaps even connected with the presence of Chaos.

Lore and History

General Setting Information

Infodumps from IC posts

Tribes of Absalom

Cerves

  • The Risen Moon - tribe of roughly 40 cerves that travels mainly east to west and back. Their leader is Hafafah. Hosfai and Mayaz are from this tribe.
  • Soaring Eagles - tribe of approximately 32 cerves, traveling east to west, but in the plains, not the hills. They are a tribe known for soothsaying and spirit gazing.
  • Dancing Eagles - mentioned briefly in IC II, post 1213. Not much contact with the other tribes, ranging even further north than the Soaring Eagles.

Caballi

Languages

  • Faery (elves, pixies, dryads, etc.) Rabanus (+2 CHA), Hira
  • Undertongue (dwarves, gnomes, kobolds) Xallijk, Ishka, Tlilith, Ysval
  • Bestial (ogre, orc, gnoll) Harn, Lady Paige
  • Goblin (goblin, hobgoblin, bugbear) Harn, Pantera (+1 Cha), Tlilith
  • Grog (common language of most primitive races) Hanston
  • Swampspeak (frogling, lizardman, troglodyte, etc.) Karag
  • Giant Qutai, Salazar (+1 CHA)
  • Draconic Xallijk, P'zev, Jabri (+2 Cha)
  • Spider-Tongue, Jabri (+2 Cha)
  • Law (must be selected through Proficiency) Jabri (+2 Cha)
  • Chaos (must be selected through Proficiency)

The Domain

Wolf Keep

The land is probably not that great for farming, at least not much past a narrow band on either side of the river. It is, however, ideal land to raise goats, sheep or even cows (again, think west Texas terrain). Fish and fowl are plentiful in the river -- or will be again, now that the trolls are gone. There is the copper mine with potential for more mines -- a comprehensive survey will determine how many -- and the possibility of quarrying sandstone. The land revenue for this hex is 7.

What makes it really valuable, however, is the location of the Keep for controlling (and taxing, potentially) river traffic.

The Candle

The Candle is a pillar of stone rising some two hundred feet above the grasslands. It apparently dates back Cycles, to the reign of the Crocodile Kings, but has been used by a variety of races and cultures over the years.

The relevant posts detailing its layout are here, with the lower levels and here for the upper levels. As per the second link it will cost 20,000 gp (half in labor, half in materials) to totally repair it, after which point it will have a base cost of 120,000 gp. As of now it has a value of 60,000 gp.

March of Manifest

Comprised of four 6-mile hexes and two urban centers (Hob, population 125 families and Pevin, population 50 families), Chelles has an overall population of 1,175 families. It is technically a wilderness domain, but for some as yet unknown reason is actually classified as being civilized. Therefore it has an overall garrison cost of 2,350 per month. You will need to garrison some number of troops here that equal or exceed this value in order to occupy it and keep the peace. Then we'll just give it time and see what transpires as p. 64 of D@W (opposing morale checks, essentially).

The domain seems to consist of four hexes on the adventurers' map: 19.29, 19.30, 18.30 and 20.30.

Map of Hob



Hob

Pevin

Houserules

Important NPCs

Notable Events and Meetings

Mr. Hand, our Factor

Mr. Hand will be able to do the following for you:

  • Recruit basic mercenary troops.
  • Sell magic items, provided he has them in, ahem, hand.
  • Find buyers and sellers for trade goods.
  • Retain specialists.
  • Arrange for supply trains to venture out, *assuming the infrastructure is set up*. If there's not a PC or henchmen with the train, they won't want to travel through uncleared hexes.

He comes with an office and warehouse with a capacity of 10,000 stones worth of goods/treasure. Assume that 1,000 stones worth can be stored in a vault-like space and the rest of the storage is simply locked. The warehouse/office will also be guarded by two veteran crossbowmen 24 hours a day. I need y'all to tell me if you want him based in Junction or Rhea's Ford. If he is based in Junction the above will cost you 500 gp a month (assume the 1st month is already paid); he will be closer to the frontier but in a smaller market. If based in Rhea's Ford the above will cost you 750 a month (again, assuming the 1st month is already paid); he will be farther from the frontier but in a larger market town.

Note that the above cost includes payments on the warehouse and the salaries of Mr. Hand and the guards, but does not include the cost of recruiting troops, IDing magic items and so forth. There will be the ability to ID magic items in Junction, but the sale of them will be limited to Rhea's Ford.

Other Adventuring Parties

Awyn's Band

  • They are led by Awyn the Acrimonious, a she-warrior of some renown. The party counts amongst its members a mage, a cleric of a deity I have never heard of and cannot pronounce the name of, two rangers, a bard for singing Awyn's praises and a cloaked, silent man who's duties and abilities I have been unable to determine, and a score of so mercenaries, cooks and so forth. I do not know there goal, only that I observed them purchasing furs and blankets and other cold-weather gear. Therefore, I can only conclude they are either heading north, to where winter still holds the world in an icy embrace, or west, towards and perhaps beyond Rocky Peak.

Sanke One-Eyed

  • Her brother is stricken by a mysterious curse that prevents him from speaking the truth. They had heard tales of a spring somewhere to the southeast, that has the power to cleanse one who drinks of it of all such afflictions. They were unable to find it, however. They stopped in Pevin, of all places, for a week of R&R but no idea where they went afterward.

Bribras the Bold

  • The trio claim no injuries, and have none visible, apart from the scratches and welts one might accumulate from running recklessly through the undergrowth, fleeing for one's life. Two of the three, Tika and and Isum, are both clad in chain mail; Tika wears a sword in a scabbard and has a short bow slung over her shoulder, while Isum has a one-handed axe and shield. The third member, Bribras the Bold, wears banded plate under a crimson surcoat and carries a war hammer and shield. Prominently displayed on a chain around his neck is stylized horses's head in profile with a twinkly ruby for an eye. To Hira's eye the three appear to be relatively inexperienced, at least less so than her employer. They may or may not be as seasoned as she is.
  • "Look," says Bribras, "we're new in town, drawn like half the people here by the promise of the wealth to be found out here on the frontier. I am, if I may modestly say, a rather important person back east, and my comrades are as dear to me as my own brothers and sisters. I will be willing to pay five hundred gold alcedes to whomever is able to recover the petrified remains of my three companions, so that we may restore them to life."

Bandits of the Plains

  • Aside from Sanke One-eye's crew, there are another two bands: the Free Folk, who hang out mostly to the southeast, and the Redfoot Gang, who mostly work the other side of the Sarn (from the Candle). As far as can be told, the bandits mostly survive by robbing isolated communities, merchant caravans and scavenging amongst the ruins of the ancient ones. There are also a few beastman tribes roaming the llano, as the ogres call it. Some gnolls, a group of sun-hardened orcs that call themselves the Rock Spiders, and some of the other species such as cerves.

Rumor Mill

  • Original rumors from Absalom game
  • Ishka's kobolds.
  • There's a bunch of burial mounds in the hexes surrounding the Candle.
  • There's a mysterious well in hex 12.39 that was never explored.
  • There's a manticore lair somewhere to the east of Wolf Keep (in the same direction you guys need to go to get the kobolds).
  • that plug in the side of a wall that we found on the way to our last adventure (West Hex 47.28)
  • That one set of giant doors in the side of a cliff (Central Hex 14.39). I think we sent some heroes in and they got incinerated by a trap.
  • The crashed spaceship. Sanke reported the valley of the Free Folk is now re-inhabited by some sort of strange monsters and their ogre servants.
  • The temple of the wolf goddess in the hex south of WK. You guys made it to the top of the plateau before turning around.
  • The giant hawks to the east of Wolf Keep.

Game Threads

IC 1 | IC 2 | OOC 1 | OOC 2 | OOC 3 | Logistics | Tracking | Recruitment

Cool Posts

Game Tools

Duration Spell Tracker Sheet