GM alientude's Savage Tide (Inactive)

Game Master Kyle Smith 700

Current Party Experience: 1,749

Gods:

Nearly four hundred years ago, the gods vanished from Arisythila. The exact date the gods went missing has been lost to time. Because of this absence, divine magic failed to work, as did arcane magic that duplicates the effects of the divine (such as a witch's or bard's cure light wounds). Even those who drew divine power from creatures that were not true gods, such as the Court of Stars and the Demon Paragons, were unable to call forth the miracles they once performed. The lack of divine magic made the world a more dangerous place, and mortals took to huddling in their homes, not daring to explore the world or make progress.

The year now is 123 GR (God's Return). 123 years ago, the gods returned to the world, bringing divine magic back into reality. Yet their long absence has caused many to forgo worshipping any god, viewing them as unreliable and uninterested. Still, the return of divine magic has seemingly sparked interest in exploration again, and the seas are alive with expeditions to places long-forgotten…and with pirates seeking to plunder the explorers.

The gods are inscrutable. They take little to no notice of what's going on in the world. They do not have alignments - they cannot be measured by such mortal methods.

The gods are:

Annidra
Domains: Air, Animal, Hunt, Madness, Travel
Holy symbol
Favored weapon: Longspear
Goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, exploration. Wife of Gerovit.

Gerovit
Domains: Decay, Earth, Plant, Spring, Weather
Holy symbol
Favored weapon: Scythe
God of nature, farming, weather. Husband of Annidra.

Istanu
Domains: Creation, Destruction, Fire, Judgment, Sun
Holy symbol
Favored weapon: Heavy flail
God of creation and destruction. Legends say he created existence, and will judge all beings, even existence itself, in time.

Kaskhu
Domains: Autumn, Cold, Darkness, Healing, Moon
Holy symbol
Favored weapon: Rapier
God of darkness, healing, night. Brother of Istanu, said to have been created by his sibling because he wanted an equal, but Istanu found he could not regard Kaskhu as such.

Kiregesh
Domains: Death, Imprisonment, Repose, Winter, Lust
Holy symbol
Favored weapon: Whip
Goddess of death, lust. Legends tell of Kiregesh’s realm of eternal peace, where all souls go when they die. Legends also speak of Kiregesh’s realm as a prison, one from which no soul has ever escaped, save one. Her worship is at its height during winter, when all things die. Yet winter is not eternal, and the cycle of life goes on. Older sister of Rathisi.

Merodach
Domains: Fear, Knowledge, Luck, Magic, Rune
Holy symbol
Favored weapon: Kukri
God of magic, knowledge, forbidden lore. It is said he knows the secrets of the other gods, and of something much greater.

Rathisi
Domains: Liberation, Love, Summer, War, Enervation
Holy symbol
Favored weapon: Longsword
Goddess of love, war, freedom. Legend has it that she rescued her lover from the clutches of Kiregesh - the only soul to ever escape - though the identity of her lover varies with the one repeating the legend. Her love is so powerful it drains the very life from her lovers.

Usherah
Domains: Protection, Travel, Trickery, Undeath, Water
Holy symbol
Favored weapon: Trident
Goddess of oceans, thieves, undeath. She is a capricious goddess, and a lover of both Istanu and Kashku.

Siren's Bay:

You will be starting in the city-state of Siren's Bay. Siren's Bay is a prosperous city that sits on a valuable bay in a tropical area filled with jungle. The city has something of an odd relationship towards pirates - on the one hand, they hate actual piracy; on the other, they romanticize the concept of piracy - much like America does (Pirates of the Caribbean, for example), and like to consider their independence from any other country as "pirate spirit."

Siren's Bay was created several hundred years ago by the infamous pirate Black Thatch, who named the city Thatchhold. The city has had a storied history since then, going through several names as it was conquered several times. The most recent attempt was 45 years ago, when the Imperial Army of Glorious Cseza attempted to conquer the city. The battles waged for several years, but finally a peace treaty was signed, acknowledging Siren's Bay's independence. Lingering resentment from the war can cause some grief for Csezans in Siren's Bay.

The city is composed of seven districts - Azure (the waterfront district), Champion's (home to the popular Siren's Bay Arena), Cudgel (residential), Merchant's (not actually a merchant district; rather, a high-end residential district where rich merchant families live), Trade (the actual district where most merchants set up shop), Sails (what most consider to be the slums of the city), Sunrise (residential).

Some notable landmarks in Siren's Bay:

1) Black Thatch Statue - a towering statue of black stone depicting the founder of the city. It stands on the northeast tip of Champion's district.
2) Black Thatch Manor - a large mansion on an island in Merchant's district. This is the traditional seat of power for the mayor of Siren's Bay.
3) Siren's Bay Arena - One of the most popular places of entertainment in Siren's Bay. Will often stage battles between pirates and Csezans.
4) House of Flowers - A monastery dedicated to Kiregesh, notable for the striking violet stone that makes up the building. Few people are ever seen entering the House of Flowers, and fewer still leaving.
5) Ancestor Island - Island in Merchant's District that houses the graves of those wealthy enough to be bureid in this prestigious cemetery.
6) Scarlet Spire - Towering spire in the center of Ancestor Island, said to be the resting place of Black Thatch himself. The spire has no entrances, so this rumor has not been verified.

Map of Siren's Bay - Please ignore the key numbers for locations and the giant cutout where the key was. Also, if you can read any of the street names, please ignore anything directly referencing Greyhawk. My map editing skills only go so far.
Extremely crude map showing the borders of the various districts - Emphasis on the "extremely crude" part. My map drawing skills are non-existent.

Notable NPCs:

These are some NPCs your character may know/have had interactions with in the past.

Azure District
Belrain Daskeral (male human) - Priest of Usherah, Azure Chapel. Known to have a powerful temper.
Heldrath Kellani(female human) - Matroness of the Kellani merchant family, a one-time adventurer (some say a pirate). In poor health.
Keltar Islaran (male human) - Son of the city's elderly harbormaster. Has no real interest in continuing the tradition of an Islaran being the harbormaster.
Rowyn Kellani (female human) - Eldest daughter of the Kellani family. Most likely to take over control of the estate when her mother, Heldrath, passes.

Champion's District
Anteki Alresian (male human) - Ambassador from the Scarlet Skulls, a mercenary organization with a sinister reputation.
Tormagal Gred (male dwarf) - Arena master. While he doesn't actually have any official governmental power, most people in Champion's District view him as their leader.
Ulrika Toregson (female human) - Popular gladiator who's made a name for herself by raucously celebrating her arena wins in local taverns.

Cudgel District
Ruphus Laro (male human) - Priest of Kiregesh in the House of Flowers.
Tenkar Gritbeard (male dwarf) - A barrel-chested dwarf that is the leader of the Stonemason's Guild.

Merchant's District
Kalmadar Taskerhill (male halfling) - Lord of Taskerhill Manor. Possibly the richest man in Siren's Bay.
Lux Loreli (female human) - Mysterious (and somewhat frightening) mistress of Witch's Tower.
Worrin Lidu (male human) - Mayor of Siren's Bay. Many worry that Worrin is growing too soft in his advancing years to be an effective leader.
Zebula Meravanchi (male human) - Head of the semi-notorious Meravanchi merchant family. The Meravanchis are extremely wealthy due to their less-than-legal activities.

Sails District
Gregar Skeen (male human) - Master of the Shipwright's Guild.
Jalpe Jinn (female half-orc) - A likable-enough woman who tends to a small shrine dedicated to the life and deeds of Black Thatch.
Vico Bevenin (male human) - Owner of the Amijio Trading Concern, which makes him one of the richest men in Siren's Bay. Why he resides in Sails District is a mystery.
Amella Venkalie (female human) - A down-on-her-luck ship's captain, Amella is known as the most foul-mouthed sailor in the city.

Sunrise District
Basar Finn (male human) - Representative of the Farmer's Guild.
Kera Gosalar (female human) - Priestess of Istanu.

Trade District
Alma Telvanta (female human) - Exotic woman that runs the prestigious Telvanta Dance Academy.
Blisker Tittertop (male gnome) - Master of the Alchemist's Guild.

Lavinia Van Rebvorn:

The employer of the party, Lavinia is a young human woman whose merchant parents recently perished in a terrible boat fire. Lavinia hired the group to aid in accessing the family vault under Black Thatch Manor. Upon entering the vault, they found most of the chests emptied, although Lavinia did recover enough to pay the party, settle outstanding taxes, and get through the year.

Lavinia has currently tasked the party with finding her brother, Vanthus. He has seemingly fallen in with the wrong crowd, and Lavinia hopes the party can bring him back to her so she can talk some sense into him and redeem him from his current path.