The Wilderlands of Absalom

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Statistics

Player Characters and Henchmen

  • Karag Two-Blades (Mapper, Sea Captain), L8 Assassin, HP 25/25, AC 7 (magical chainmail), Init +1, up to 8 cleave attacks, riposte on AC 6
    • 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), L6 Mage, HP 25/25, 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), L8 Mage. HP 18/18, AC 1. Rapier 7+ 1d6+1. Init 0.
    • Jabri the Nightingale (Soloist), L6 Bladedancer. HP: 19/19, AC 6. Lawbringer 5+ 1d10+3. Init +1.
    • Pantera the Pagan (Navigator), L6 Explorer. HP 28/28 AC 5. Spear+2 4+ 1d6+6. Longbow+1, 5+, 1d6+4 Init +2, Surprise +3.
    • Barste the Black (Infiltrator), L5 Assassin. HP 20/20 AC 5. Sword+1 5+ 1d6+4/1d8+4. Bow 5+ 1d6+2. Init +1, Surprise +1.
  • Xallijk, L7 Nobiran Wonderworker, HP 25/25, 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, L8 Fighter, HP 51/51, 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 11 | 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

To Be Sold

To Be Destroyed

In Transit

Treasure in Transit

Freshly Acquired

Freshly Acquired Treasure

Wolf Keep

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
  • Pole arm +1
  • Shield +1
  • The Lady of Shadows' ring (Ring of Protection +2)
  • a magical spear on the wall (Spear +2)
  • Three ounces of Crocodile Tears
  • 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
  • The non-magical weapons are all ancient, and of unusual stylings that suggest they were fashioned in a different land. All appear to be of extremely high quality, and would likely sell for 500 gold apiece. There are three swords, five spears, a battle axe, three warhammers, and a mace.
  • 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.
  • 12 statues of creatures turned to stone by a gorgon.

The Candle

  • A ring of metal that looks like the key Karag saw the shaman use on the entrance to the mummies tomb.
  • A second large circular key, resembling the one that opened the mummies' tomb
  • A large brass key from the painting-and-pit-trap room on sublevel 10 of the Candle
  • 3x Carreg Duw stones

Magical Library

Magical Library

Junction Warehouse

  • Storage Capacity: 10,000/10,000

Rhea's Ford

XP Awards

Coffers: Group Finances and Resources

Monthly Bookkeeping Template

  • Starting Balance X
    • +adventuring revenue A
    • +adventuring revenue B
    • +sales of mundane goods
    • +sales of magical goods
    • +Wolf Keep settler revenue
    • +Shadow Wolves revenue
    • +other revenue
    • -Junction worker expenses
    • -Merchant Fleet expenses
    • -The Candle worker expenses
    • -The Candle mercenary labor
    • -Wolf Keep worker expenses
    • -Wolf Keep mercenary labor
    • -Wolf Keep settler expenses
    • -other expense
  • Ending Balance Y

Sully's spreadsheet

  • Google Sheets doc can be found here.

Party Funds and Expenses

Monthly Expenses

Thirdmonth

NPCs and Animals

Absalom Hirelings

includes Junction, Wolf Keep, the Candle, and Merchant Fleet hirelings

Animals and Beasts of Burden

Mercenaries

Includes standing forces for Wolf Keep and the Candle, as well as the personal forces of the PCs.

Assets

Maps

Treasure Maps

  • A scroll wrapped tightly in oilcloth, treasure map from Hob -- Treasure map
  • Purchased map to the gold mine

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 and Other Domains

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

Morza Naus

Morza Fanhuskel Naus, Lord of the Conjoined Serpent and Magician extraordinaire is an ogre mage with a palace in Hex 41.23.

The Tripartite Demense is a kingdom of Faery located in the general area. It is inaccessible to those who do not know the way. The Lady Magrit of the House of the Tripartite Demense and daughter of the Gloaming was a guest of Morza Naus.

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 Domains

Deepwater

Deepwater is a domain with three hexes: Wolf Keep (13.39), Modnar's Folly (12.39), xxx, and xxx. The stronghold value is 99,600 gp. Due to the Mirror of Scrying, the domain is effectively four hexes in size.

Wolf Keep

The land revenue for this hex is 7.5. 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 are copper, silver, and agate mines -- and the possibility of quarrying sandstone. What makes it really valuable, however, is the location of the Keep for controlling (and taxing, potentially) river traffic.

Wolfhall village

Wolfhall is an urban settlement within Wolf Keep hex. Wolfhall is valued at 15,000 gp. This includes a wooden palisade worth 5,000 gp.

Modnar's Folly

The land revenue for this hex is 6.

Shipyards

rules for shipyards

Avince Worship

Deepwater congregation tracker

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.

Shadow Wolves

The Shadow Wolves are a criminal Syndicate run out of the Class IV town of Junction under the direction of Karag Two-Blades. They are composed primarily of 4th-level Thieves, with a few 1st-level Assassins. Their hideout is composed of river boats.

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

Arwyn's Band

  • They are led by Arwyn 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.
  • Secondmonth, Sixthyear: Arwyn the Acrimonious and her band of adventurers stumbled into Junction just as winter was setting in, laden down with treasures and artifacts gleaned from what many have claimed is a city perpetually frozen in ice, far to the north. The notoriously reticent warrioress has refused to answer any and all questions, but she and her comrades have been preparing for what looks to be another cold weather voyage.

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.
  • Secondmonth, Sixthyear: A band of bandits to the south, led by a one-eyed bandit queen, has become emboldened over the last few months of fall, striking the occasional caravan or exploration party venturing south of the Scarlet Principality, and even venturing within its borders to raid outlying villages. The road connecting the Principality to the bladedancer monastery at Eros has become even more dangerous than usual thanks to the depredations of the one they call 'Sanke One-eyed'!

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.
  • Rumors from the end of first winter
  • There are rumors, however, of an obscure branch of magical study known as vivimancy. Practioners of such a devotion are rumored to have access to magics that could age the hippogriffs while providing a similar increase in maturity and mental capacity.

Game Threads

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

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Game Tools

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