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This will be the Shackled City adventure path with minimal alterations using the Pathfinder rule set. However, the existing deities (i.e. St. Cuthbert, Pelor, Wee Jas) will not be converted to similar Golarion gods. A guide to the region, information about the city, and rules for the campaign follows:
Decisions about which players will adventure should be made within a week or two.
Shackled City is an adventure path designed to take characters from level 1 to 20. This is not a small endeavor and will take years. Please be considerate of others when deciding whether or not to play in this campaign.
Posting: As the GM I will post at least once a day (likely a lot more). I also expect players to post once a day. If you are going to use abilities that interrupt the action (i.e. the feat Step Up), be prepared to post even more often. There will of course be exceptions caused by real life, but I will not hesitate to let your character get “left behind” or “lost” and “found” later if necessary—what occurs in the meantime will vary depending on the player’s attitude and consideration for others. If you know you are going to be gone, just let us know.
Role playing: I’ve enjoyed play-by-post for the great opportunity to role play. Characters can carry on long conversations on the side or between actions that would normally bog down a real life game. You also have time to collect your thoughts and think up witty responses before “speaking.” Experience is nice, but a willingness to engage in banter is essential. Don’t worry; it’s easy to do this from the anonymity of play-by-post.
Roll playing: Don’t be fooled. I also love the tactics and number crunching of combat. My goal is to challenge you and reward you for hard work. However, I can be unforgiving of stupidity and the dice have their own minds.
This adventure will be done as play by post on the Paizo messageboards. Maps and other documents will uploaded to Google Docs. While not as fancy as other systems, they can be viewed from an i-Phone or other smart phones, which allows for more obsessive/compulsive gaming. :-)
First, create a character (details below).
Next, go to “My Account” and “Create new messageboard alias” in the Messageboard Aliases section. Create an alias for your character in this campaign. Here is an example of one of my characters from another campaign: Sample Character. I'm not particular about the format as long as it is all there in a logical order.
Finally, start posting to this forum as a customer or employee of the Drunken Morkoth Inn in Cauldron.
When posting, please use the following conventions:
"Use bold text when your character is talking out loud."
Use italics for your characters inner thoughts and secret actions.
You can be from the town of Cauldron, somewhere nearby, or just an adventurer who happens to be in town when the action kicks off. It’s up to you to develop a motivation for banding together with the party. I’ll do my best to help, but residents of Cauldron, do-gooder adventurers, other motivated adventurers, and those who don’t know to leave well enough alone will likely find it easier at first.
We’ll be using the Pathfinder Society Organized Play rules: http://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety
There will be a few exceptions.
- There are no factions and no prestige points.
- Experience point progression will be normal.
- Deity/faction specific traits, feats, & spells will typically be allowed if you can provide a reason. We are not using the world of Golarion so you must justify how the spell/trait/feat would fit your character. St. Cuthbert, Pelor, Kord and Wee Jas have churches in Cauldron, but others deities exist in the world.
- Additional trait options are noted below.
- I reserve the right to allow or veto anything—it’s good to be the GM.
Shackled City Campaign Traits
These are background traits available at first level for the Shackled City campaign to add depth and help incorporate the character into the story.
1. Child of Jzadirune
2. Demonscarred
3. Dream Haunted
4. Long Shadowed
5. Mark of the Beast
6. Nobility
7. Scarred Soul
8. Scion of Surabar
9. Touched in the Head
10. Wyrm Blooded
Background Traits:
Child of Jzadirune
One of your ancestors lived in Jzadirune at the time the Vanishing struck. You are especially resistant to diseases, but find the prospect of becoming sick yourself horrifying.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on all saving throws made to resist the effects of disease.
Drawback: You suffer a -2 morale penalty on saving throws against fear while in the ruins of Jzadirune, or when fighting creatures that are diseased or can inflict disease with a spell, supernatural ability, or extraordinary ability.
Demonscarred
One of your ancestors was a half-fiend. As a result, you carry some of that taint with you.
Benefit: Regardless of your actual alignment, spells, and spell-like abilities with the evil descriptor treat you as if your alignment were evil. Magic items are similarly fooled. An unholy blight spell, for example, won’t damage you, no matter what your actual alignment is.
Drawback: Regardless of your actual alignment, spells and spell-like abilities with the good descriptor treat you as if your alignment were evil. Magic items are similarly fooled. A holy word spell, for example, will harm you even if you are good aligned.
Dream Haunted
Your dreams are haunted by strange visions of tortured landscapes and deformed monsters. In some of these dreams, you are the deformed monster!
Benefit: You are used to fatigue, and suffer no penalties when you become fatigued. When you become exhausted, you are instead treated as if you are fatigued.
Drawback: You suffer a -2 penalty on saving throws against effects that cause madness or insanity, and on saving throws against sleep effects. If you are normally immune to sleep effects, you lose that immunity.
Long Shadowed
You are descended from a tribe of indigenous peoples who died out as a separate tribe many centuries ago. Still, this tribe’s penchant for necromantic magic runs in your blood.
Benefit: You automatically stabilize if reduced to negative hit points. When you take damage from negative energy, you reduce the actual damage you take by 5 points.
Drawback: Healing magic works poorly on you. Whenever you regain hit points from magical healing, you gain 1 less point of healing per character level you possess, to a minimum of one point per die rolled.
Mark of the Beast
One of your ancestors was a lycanthrope. Select a predatory animal of your choice; that animal feels a mystic bond with you.
Benefit: Animals have a strange reticence when they attack you, and suffer a -2 penalty on all attack rolls made against you. If you have the wild empathy ability, you gain a +1 bonus on wild empathy checks.
Drawback: You suffer a -4 penalty to saving throws made to resist lycanthropy, and take +1 point of damage from attacks made by silver weapons.
Nobility
You were born into a noble family.
Benefit: You start play with an additional 200 gp, and gain a +1 bonus on all Diplomacy and Intimidate checks made against citizens of Cauldron or the nearby villages. Certain NPCs in this campaign may react more favorably to your presence.
Drawback: You are well-known and recognizable, and suffer a -4 penalty on Disguise rolls made against citizens of Cauldron or the nearby villages. Certain NPCs in this campaign may react more poorly to your presence.
Scarred Soul
You’ve led a particularly tough life. Perhaps you’re an orphan, or maybe you suffered some sort of traumatic experience as a child. Whatever the cause, your childhood experiences have left you jumpy and haunted.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on initiative checks.
Drawback: Your experiences have left your mind less able to deal with trauma, and as a result you suffer a -1 penalty on all Will saves.
Scion of Surabar
You are a descendant of the man who discovered Cauldron, helped settle the region, and aided in the defeat of an ancient demonic army.
Benefit: Pride for your lineage girds your mind and soul. You gain a+2 morale bonus on saving throws against fear, death effects, and insanity or confusion.
Drawback: Demons that encounter you in this region (not those that you might fight on other planes) can instinctively sense you lineage and connection to their old enemy, and gain a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and weapon damage rolls when fighting you.
Touched in the Head
You’re a little crazy.
Benefit: Your mind is disorganized and chaotic. You gain a +1 bonus on all saving throws against mind-affecting effects, save for those effects that cause confusion or insanity.
Drawback: Your inability to concentrate for long makes you suffer a -1 penalty on all Wisdom-based skill checks.
Wyrm Blooded
One of your ancestors was a half-black dragon. You have some sort of distinctively draconic feature, be it reptilian eyes, scales on the backs of your hands, or tiny vestigial horns on your head.
Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus on all saving throws against acid effects, a +2 bonus on Swim checks, and a +1 bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
Drawback: Your body isn’t quite as limber as it should be. You take a -1 penalty on Reflex saves
Population: 4,500 adults (large town).
Mixed (79% human, 9% halfling, 5% gnome, 3% dwarf, 2% elf, 1% half-elf, 1% half-orc).
Economy: (3,000 gp limit) Coffee, exotic woods, cut gemstones, obsidian, dyes, spices.
Authority Figures: Lord Mayor Severen Navalant, male human; Terseon Skellerang, male human (captain of the Town Guard).
Town Emblem: A watchful eye wreathed in blue flames.
Description: Believed to have been founded by Surabar Spellmason, Cauldron is the most populous area in the Cauldron Region. Nearby villages include Redgorge, Kingfisher Hollow, and Hollowsky. The Cauldron region is in a subtropical jungle The town’s buildings, tightly packed and built from volcanic rock and wood, line the inner bowl of a nameless, dormant volcano. The elevation keeps Cauldron’s temperatures below that of the surrounding jungle, giving Cauldron a roughly temperate climate. Cobblestone roads
form concentric circles around a small lake of cold water, which fills the volcano’s basin. Although the town’s sewage seeps into the lake, local clerics routinely purify the water for the citizens in exchange for charitable donations to their temples.
A 50-foot-tall fortified wall of black malachite encircles the city, tracing the outer rim of the volcano, becoming major thoroughfares that lead to other towns and distant realms. The districts nearer the rim of the city tend to be occupied by upper class families and elite merchants. The closer one gets to the centre of town (and the closer to the pungent odours of the central lake), the shoddier the construction and the more dangerous the dark alleys. Houses directly on the lake are often built with stilts to protect against flooding during the rainy season in winter. Smaller avenues connect the four main roadways (from
outer to inner, the avenues are named Obsidian, Magma, Lava, and Ash), which form concentric terraces down to the lake in the centre of the town.
Cauldron is ruled by a Lord Mayor, elected to his position every two years. The post is currently held by Severen Navalant, whose term expires in roughly 20 months. Other important individuals in the city include Terseon Skellerang, captain of the guard, the members of the noble families, and Cauldron’s few wealthy merchant interests.
Cauldron's major exports come from two sources: mines and plantations. Both industries are based in the hills surrounding the city, and are managed by the various noble families who live in the area. Obsidian and diamonds are the primary products mined in the region. Plantations usually produce sugarcane and coffee. Most of those who dwell in the city itself are either merchants, scholars, or workers in the mines and plantations in the lowlands. Water is never scarce in town, but most of the city's food must be imported from Sasserine since the local fishing and farming enterprises are meager at best. Citizens have historically paid a modest yearly flat tax of 1 gp, while merchants and nobles pay a 5% income tax each year. In addition, a 1sp gate tax is charged for noncitizens who enter the city by any of its four gates. All inhabitants of Cauldron that own a building, or are
part of a family that owns a building, are considered citizens regardless of economic status. Most Cauldronites have a simple malachite ring made or given to them when they reach the age of majority. The ring always bears the town emblem. Nobles often purchase very elaborate rings, or have extravagant brooches made to show their citizenship.
Currency in Cauldron
Cauldron uses the currency minted in the capital city of Sasserine—rings (pp), suns (gp), moons (sp) and stars (cp).Trade bars in 100, 500 and 1000 gp denominations are
also used.
Town Hall: Cauldron’s town hall is a single-story building and one of the oldest structures in the city. The building serves as a place for the lord mayor and his advisors to hold meetings with the nobles and other movers and shakers of the city, but they don’t actually live there. Records of ownership, historical documents, and similar archives can be found here
Town Guard Barracks: These buildings house the bulk of the town guard, which consists of about 750 warriors.
Church of St. Cuthbert: The two-story Church of St. Cuthbert, its white marble walls suffused with veins of vivid blue, stands in stark contrast to the buildings of bare black stone that flank it on the north end of Obsidian Avenue. A pair of white marble statues depicting armored warriors stands on either side of the temple’s heavy oaken door. Each of the statues raises a great mace to the sky. Above the door’s marble architrave are boldly inscribed the following words: “Within law lives hope.”
Since the church’s high priest, Sarcem Delasharn, is on an extended visit to the port city of Sasserine, the day-to-day tasks of tending to the church have fallen to a cleric name Jenya Urikas.
Maavu Warehouses: Local merchant Maavu Arlintal keeps several warehouses in the city.
Slippery Eel Tavern: The Slippery Eel is a favorite tavern for the city’s miners, plantation workers, and other working-class citizens. The food and drink is cheap, and the town guard tends to ignore the place, making it a handy site for illicit deals and clandestine meetings.
Cusp of Sunrise: This high-society club is a favorite place for Cauldron’s rich and powerful to meet and relax. Owned and operated by Lady Ophella Knowlern.
Tygot’s Old Things: Tygot Mispas, a 120-year-old male Halfling retired from adventuring for two decades owns a small but well-stocked antiquity shop on Lava Avenue.
Maavu Imports: The modest two-story building has several meeting rooms and a bookshop on the ground floor, and a small apartment on the upper floor.
Drunken Morkoth Inn: This is perhaps the most popular inn in the city. A regular stop for many merchants and traveling adventurers, the combination of comfortable beds, good food, and reasonable prices make it a favorite among the city’s returning vistitors. Each of the rooms here is decorated with a humorous painting of Cauldron’s legendary lake monster, a large morkoth. The paintings depict the morkoth in any number of embarrassing and ridiculous scenes, always with the morkoth drunk and confused, and often in incongruous locations.
Tipped Tankard Tavern: This tavern is generally regarded as the best place in the city for common folk to get a drink (the Coy Nixie and the Cusp of Sunrise both hold better reputations but are generally out of the price range for the working citizen). It’s a favorite for off-duty city guards, and as such, brawls are fairly rare.
Garthun Imports: This well-kept building houses the offices of Adrick Garthun, a prominent merchant whose import of alcohol, tobacco, exotic sweet, and seafood has catapulted him to the height of success.
Skie’s Treasury: Numerous stores in Cauldron sell magic items and gear, but only one of them makes its sole business buying and selling magic items to adventures: Skie’s Treasury. Skie Aldersu, a female gnome sorcerer, is a retired adventure who spent much of her youth exploring the catacombs and chambers below Cauldron.
Coy Nixie: The Coy Nixie is a high-class tavern and dancehall owned and operated by the Aslaxins. Although prices here tend to be nearly double the normal asking price, the food and drink are rivaled only by the Cusp of Sunrise. These two locations have a healthy competition—while the Cusp is generally held to have better food, drink, and entertainment, there are no membership fees at the Coy Nixie.
Lakeside Pavilion: This open pavilion is one of the oldest structures in Cauldron. Said to have been formed via magic cast by Surabar Spellmason himself, the pavilion is traditionally where the lord mayor issues announcements and decrees.
Vanderboren Manor: This large manor houses the members and servants of the Vanderboren family, Cauldron’s newest nobles. The Vanderborens are the equivalent of real estate tycoons.
Minuta’s Boards:This low-cost flophouse caters to anyone who can’t afford to stay at Cauldron’s better inns. Prices here are 75% of normal, but the owners make no guarantee against theft or loss of property.
Sure Foot Livery: Sure Foot Livery is the largest (and only) livestock and livestock accessory business in town. The business is run by a no-nonsense woman named Tippys Surefoot.
Gurnezarn’s Smithy: This smithy is generally regarded as the finest such establishment in the city. It’s owner, Pahlian Gurnezard (human male), has long held his own against the relentless acquisition and domination of his trade by the Lathenmires.
Temple of Lordly Might: The church of Kord is nearly as powerful and popular in Cauldron as the church of St. Cuthbert, if only because they sponsor numerous sporting events and demonstrations for the people of Cauldron throught the year. This church is currently headed by a male half-orc cleric of Kord named Asfelkir Hranleurt.
Lord Mayor’s Residence: This large walled compound is the oldest structure in the city. The traditional seat of power for the town, the estate’s ownership has been held by the Navalant family for the past 200 years. The current lord mayor, Severen Navalant (male human) is well-liked.
Weer’s Elixirs: Owned and operated by Vortimax Weer (male human wizard), a retired adventurer, this cramped shop is the go-to place in town for alchemical items and potions.
Cathederal of Wee Jas: This towering structure is one of the most impressive and beautiful in Cauldron. The church of Wee Jas has always been powerful in Cauldron, but not as well liked as the churches of Kord or St. Cuthbert, since the clerics of this church tend to be standoffish, curt, and even creepy. The clerics of Wee Jas are responsible for dealing with the unclaimed dead of Cauldron, and maintain vast catacombs for anyone who’s rich enough to afford the burial but doesn’t have a personal crypt. Most of the dead of Cauldron are cremated. The cathedral is run by Embril Aloustinai, although she rarely sees visitors and leaves the day-to-day operations to a cleric named Calmus Vel.
Ghelve’s Locks: Most of the locks in the city of Cauldron were created by the proprietor of this small shop.
Orak’s Bathhouse: Orak’s Bathhouse is a squat, windowless building of dark stone. The baths are open from noon to midnight every day.
Bluecrater Academy: One of the tallest buildings in Cauldron, Bluecrater Academy is also the primary place of learning here. The building has five stories, each of which is dedicated to an increasing level of education. Financed partially by tuition fees (but also by the support of nobles like Lady Ophellha Knowlern, the Aslaxins, and the Taskerhills) Bluecrater Academy is where the lucky you th of Cauldron go to learn a trade.
Church of Pelor: This small yellow tower is tended by a single male human cleric of Pelor named Kristof Jurgensen.
House of Vhalantru: Home to Cauldron’s newest noble, a generous human named Vhalantru. He donated huge sums of money to fund the rebuilding of the Town Hall and several other ancient structures that were starting to fall apart.
Taskerville Manor: This massive manor is four stories in height, and is easily the most ostentatious of Cauldron’s noble homes (with the possible exception of House Rhiavadi). The manor is home to the fantastically rich Taskerhill family. They own several mines in the nearby mountains, as well as a prominent workship that ships exquisitely crafted obsidian furniture and knick-knacks to the indolent cities of the north.
Zanathor’s Provisions: While to the untrained eye there may seem to be nothing unusual going on at this general store, its owner, Bjellkir Zanathor (male human) has the unique honor of being the only living citizen in Cauldron who has seen the Crater Lake Monster.
Lathenire Manor: Given another few years, the Lathemires could be inducted into Cauldron’s nobility. As it stands, the family is as rich as most of the other nobles, having effectively cornered the local arms and armor trade. The manor is a sprawling structure with several training rooms and trophy halls on its ground floor.
Sasserine: Sasserine is the capital city of the area, and is 200 miles south of the Cauldron Region. It has a 40,000 gp spending limit. Sassarine is not on the island that Cauldron rests upon and a few days of sea travel is necessary to get there.
There are two ocean-side "dock towns", they are simply referred to as East Town and West Town. These coastal communities were built after the Dark Times, by the richer merchant families in Cauldron, looking to reestablish their fleet of trade ships. These small towns are nothing more than warehouses, docks and a fortified wall. A few people have settled in these areas, even naming them as towns, but Cauldron refers to them as east and west town, regardless of a few locals.
Hollowsky: The village of Hollowsky is the smallest of the four human settlements in the Cauldron Region. With a population of 460, it barely qualifies as a village. The halfelven community of Starforest can be found here.
Redgorge: This village was the first human settlement in the area. Founded about 700 years ago, Redgorge was at one time a much larger settlement, but it never fully recovered from a demonic assault long ago. Redgorge sits in a narrow strip of flat ground between a cliff and an immense quarry of red pebble gravel. West of the village, a prodigious line of fortifications known as the Basalt Bastions protect the land, their massive walls unguarded and draped with vines. These fortifications, as impressive as
Cauldron’s outer walls, tower over the village itself. They were built ages ago by Surabar Spellmason’s powerful spells in a single week, to aid in the defense of Redgorge
against the denizens of the Demonskar. Today, Redgorge is afarming and mining village. The old Stonemasons District, where Surabar Spellmason once dwelt, is visibly depopulated and most its buildings lie empty and in ruin.
Kingfisher Hollow: The town of Kingfisher Hollow, with its population of 2,100 souls, is the second largest settlement in the Cauldron Region. It’s also the primary location for the region’s plantations - the town is surrounded by fields of coffee, cotton and sugarcane.
Lucky Monkey: This is a popular roadside tavern on the northwest road. It houses a shrine to Cayden Cailean. It sits to the east of the road, partially surrounded by the dense jungle. The building is old and well used - the chimneys stained with soot, the roof sagging, the wood siding weathered and stained with from last year's mildew. A smaller stable stands to the building's side in a similar condition. The building’s facade sports numerous carved wooden monkeys, many of whom are engaged in risky, death-defying stunts. In one, a wooden monkey balances on a narrow tree branch to get a banana hanging over a sleeping tiger; in another, a monkey sits on a boulder completely unaware that a poacher sneaking up behind him was suddenly attacked and eaten by an ankheg, finally a monkey sitting stretched back with his arms over his head receives pleasure from a female monkey.
Elves: Elves form 2% of Cauldron’s population, but also hail from the city of Elvenhome.
Elvenhome lies 40 miles due east of Cauldron, and is allied with Sasserine. As such it welcomes other races inside its borders, mostly for friendship, but sometimes for
training.
Gnomes: Gnomes form 5% of Cauldron’s population. They don’t tend to live in the wilderness, but do have small communities in the other settlements. Gnome architects and artisans designed and built much of Cauldron.
Dwarves: Dwarves form 3% of Cauldron’s population, but also hail from various mines and citadels along the mountain range that Cauldron’s volcano is part of. Dwarves inside the city generally work as traders, selling goods their relatives have mined. Dwarves are considered to be good, courageous and trustworthy people. Within the last decade, a dwarf named Zenith Splintershield marched into the Underdark with a small army to save the vast caverns from evil. Zenith was never heard from again, but the dwarves of Cauldron take that as a sign that his quest was successful, and he is moving through the Underdark, clearing out the evil things, and creating bastions of good. They think of him as a hero. Of late, a new vein of obsidian has been discovered by the Clan Arduun, who have begun mining it and sending it to Cauldron to be sold.
Half-orcs: Half-orcs make up 1% of the population of Cauldron. The environs around Cauldron are generally troubled by other sorts of creatures, so goblinoids don’t
quite have the bad reputation they do in other places. As such, half-orcs are accepted as normal members of society. South along the mountain range from Cauldron is a
half-orc settlement named Dogash-Ber. Many barbarians, fighters and rangers come from this settlement as mercenaries. It is rumoured that a lair of metallic dragons lies
somewhere close to Dogash-Ber, and that they have taken to reproducing with the villagers, as there is an increasing number of half-orcs being born with natural magical
aptitude.
Halflings: Halflings make up 9% of the population of Cauldron, making them the largest group of non-humans in the city. Outside of Cauldron, there are large numbers of halflings in Kingfisher Hollow working as farmers. The halflings that dwell in Cauldron run the gamut of trades and professions, and are generally well respected folk. However, as halflings have a natural talent for sneaking and hiding, there are a fair number who work for the various thieves guilds in town.
Half-Elves: Half-elves make up 1% of the population of Cauldron, making them as rare as half-orcs. Half-elves can also be found in two other places—Elvenhome and
Hollowsky, in a small settlement known as Starforest. The half-elves of Starforest are especially skilled at magic, and count many sorcerers and wizards among their numbers. All of the various types of half-elves are welcomed, and each becomes a member of the Starforest family. As such there are many varied skills and professions in the mix, making Starforest a great place to learn.
Days of the week: Starday, Sunday, Moonday, Godsday, Watersday, Earthday, Freeday. Godsday is a day of worship, and Freeday is a day of rest.
Following are the months, in the format
Month (days in the month) Season:
Needfest (7) Mid-Winter.
Fireseek (28) Winter
Readying (28) Spring
Coldeven (28) spring
Growfest (7)
Planting (28) low Summer
Flocktime (28) low Summer
Wealsun (28) low Summer
Richfest (7) Mid-Summer.
Reaping (28) high Summer
Goldmonth (28) high Summer
Harvester (28) high Summer
Brewfest (7)
Patchwall (28) Autumn
Ready'reat (28) Autumn
Sunsebb (28) Winter
As the sun sets, the drinks are already flowing freely at the Drunken Morkoth Inn. Renovation of the nearby West Gate was completed earlier in the day so the place was already full of happy well-paid workers when Lord Vhalantru strolled in declaring that drinks were on him. He was followed by servant after servant carrying platters of food and the local tropical fruits arranged to represent notable landmarks around the city. The centerpiece was an ice scuplture of the new west gate with an enormous morkoth stuck under the gates, his empty mug on the ground nearby.
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I am very interested in the opportunity to play Shackled City. I got to play in about three sessions back in 2003 and have always wanted to play the entire series.
I am thinking a human or half-elf magus with the hexcrafter and black blade archetypes. I will put together something today and get it posted for your review and approval.
This sounds very interesting, will probably post an application when i get home from work.
Dotting down as interested. Will have a ponder and see what resonates in my head.
Plus, I can't resist playing a character with a trait called Touched in the Head :)
Add:
Human Witch with a Weasel familiar and the Insanity Patron
Traits: Touched in the Head, Dangerously Curious
Will flesh out later
Likewise consider me interested too Chris, never played in the Shackled City so would be very keen to... did in Greyhawk so some of the gods and calender are familiar.
Am thinking of a Dwarven Barbarian (Drunken Brute archtype) - will pull something together forth-with...
This is set in Greyhawk then?
A tall man clothed in a blue silk cloak and wearing a silver mask sat alone, his back to a wall, a gloved hand toying with the drink he had ordered hours ago and not yet sampled. Few in Cauldron knew much of him, though he had the gait and manner of a man accustom to the ocean. For now he seemed content to take meals in his room at the Morkoth and observe the locals in the common area.
"Lass," he said to a passing serving girl, his voice deep and carrying a foreign accent. "Who be the deep pocket'd lord come to make a scene?"
Qualin is in the city to find out the specifics, and this can play as much a part in the story as you would like...mostly what it is as far as I'm concerned is his athame and black blade, from the magus archetypes, are "inheritance" from his father, in the form of a ghostly main gauche (the athame), and a heavy bladed cutlass type weapon (the black blade) that seeks out the heir to it's former owner.
I'll type more up later, still deciding between demonscarred, or wyrmblooded. Inspiration for personality type is going to be Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York with a splash of Black Beard from Pirates of the Caribbean. Also, the mask is there to "hide" either the draconic/demonic features.
With eyes closed a quiet, lithe figure laughed to himself while drinking a cup of hot steam. He picked his nose with a pair of strange "chop sticks" and fed the remains to dogs. Blind fool some called the bald man, yet others never made it back to tell story of his arrow's punchline. Nikolai was often found in the Tipped Tankard with the likes of Skie Aldersu or a pack of money grabbing orphans who both abused his charity and somehow aided the curious figure that nursed an ash bow for a cane.
"Mo Rice." Nikolai said mumbling with his mouth stuffed to the nearest canine. It somehow nudged a stolen bowl of steaming hot noodles closer for Sand to enjoy. "Thanks! Timmy's stuck down a well. Go fetch my bib after you find him.."
Ideally if you'd allow - He'd be blind with the separate feats Blindsense / Blind Sight and or Scent and Tremorsense to guide him.
http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Blindsight
http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Scent
http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Tremorsense
If those ideas don't play well, perhaps an item or some homebrew trait could play off the blind character idea. Not a problem if I should need to shoot him straight core. Pure Zen Archer could be quite fun with the possibility of arcane archer if the party has the itch.
Dotting interest as well. Will post shortly.
A distinguished middle aged half-elf dressed in well worn but still fine apparel, sits at a corner table watching the comings and goings of various tavern patrons. He is often found in the Drunken Morkoth Inn from mid-morning until late afternoon, presenting himself as an available sellsword. The duChabannes are a well known minor noble family in Cauldron and Thierry is a noted scion, having the distinction of being the only mixed blood in the otherwise human family. His bastard sword, a widely understood if never remarked upon jest, stands propped against the table within easy reach.
At Lord Vhalantru's entrance, Thierry genteely raises his glass in greeting. At the lord's announced generosity, he stops the passing serving girl.
'Mariselle, please be a dear and bring me another rum when you have a chance.' He politely asks, his soft smile just reaching his eyes and exposing the small crow's feet at their corners.
GM-Chris - just have a couple of questions for you:
1) Do you consider the inability to feel emotion sufficient for the 'Touched in the Head' trait flavor?
2) You've advised PFS rules, does that include crafting rules? - specifically interested in potion making.
"Lass," he said to a passing serving girl, his voice deep and carrying a foreign accent. "Who be the deep pocket'd lord come to make a scene?"
A young woman with several ribbons in her hair and a full purse stops briefly and glances at the untouched drink."That there is Lord Vhalantru. He's a great man, he is. Thanks to him this town is a place to visit again. Heck, maybe he'll have people in gold masks visiting soon. Hopefully they'll have holes in their masks so they can drink." And with that she continues on to tables with empty glasses.
"Mo Rice." Nikolai said mumbling with his mouth stuffed to the nearest canine. It somehow nudged a stolen bowl of steaming hot noodles closer for Sand to enjoy. "Thanks! Timmy's stuck down a well. Go fetch my bib after you find him.."
From behind the bar a tall dark man with tatoos covering his arms and neck shouts at Nikolai. "You know I love you Nikolai, but I got too many people here tonight to put up with your antics. We've got lords and ladies about and your muts are displaying better manners than you are. Don't think I won't toss you out the door all the way down to the Slippery Eel."
A large figure is silhouetted at the entrance of the tavern, blocking much of the light from the street outside. As he steps across the threshold, a towering half-orc wearing bright red and orange clothing, takes in the crowd gathered. "Which one of you is duChabannes? I have a message for you." Without waiting for an answer, the half-orc eyes the half-elf and stalks towards him. The crowd parts, silently awaiting what will happen next.
"I am Marhorn, and I have been sent by the Lathenires. They wish for me to share this message." Instantly, Marhorn reaches into his cloaks and draws a flowery piece of paper, flashing it front of Thierry with a flourish. He then breaks into a small dance and recites the following:
"Our daughter is finally coming of age/
We invite you to join us as we turn this page.
Your attendance would bring us the greatest delight/
Please do us the honor next Starday night.
Bring not a gift, it is your presence we crave/
Please send back this orc with your 'yay' or 'nay.'"
With that, the orc finishes his jig and bows with his hand extended towards Thierry. In it is the floral invitation and a small glass bottle, filled with a golden liquid. "Please do me the honor of confirming or rejecting the invitation, my lord. I will return to them with your reply."
What is a morkoth?
Drunken Morkoth Inn: This is perhaps the most popular inn in the city. A regular stop for many merchants and traveling adventurers, the combination of comfortable beds, good food, and reasonable prices make it a favorite among the city’s returning vistitors. Each of the rooms here is decorated with a humorous painting of Cauldron’s legendary lake monster, a large morkoth. The paintings depict the morkoth in any number of embarrassing and ridiculous scenes, always with the morkoth drunk and confused, and often in incongruous locations.
With the demonscarred trait Qualin will detect as evil vial detect evil right?
Yes, it will. Enjoy the benefits, but be prepared for the likely consequences to diplomatic enounters.
I'm interested. I'll post a character shortly. I do not expect to get in considering I am new here but I will guarantee those who do make it in had worthy competition.
'Mariselle, please be a dear and bring me another rum when you have a chance.' He politely asks, his soft smile just reaching his eyes and exposing the small crow's feet at their corners.
Mariselle stops and leans against the table. While older than most of the other serving ladies, her smooth dark skin still catches the eye. She takes a moment to reach down and rub her feet while she talks. "Happy to do it Thierry. Any luck applying to the Stormblades or are you going to go exploring on your own? You know it's a young man's game. You should settle down, enjoy your wealth, and do some proper work. These are good times for Cauldron and a good time for new businesses. Lord knows I would if I was you. Besides, you heard what happened to Jack Redshirt didn't you? The guards are trying to keep it quiet, but I heard they're still haven't found all his parts."
GM-Chris - just have a couple of questions for you:
1) Do you consider the inability to feel emotion sufficient for the 'Touched in the Head' trait flavor?
2) You've advised PFS rules, does that include crafting rules? - specifically interested in potion making.
1 - That would work for me.
2 - No. I meant to change that. However, I will follow the rules closely--especially the one on no personal spells.HEY ALL. CRAFTING WILL BE ALLOWED.
From behind the bar a tall dark man with tatoos covering his arms and neck shouts at Nikolai. "You know I love you Nikolai, but I got too many people here tonight to put up with your antics. We've got lords and ladies about and your muts are displaying better manners than you are. Don't think I won't toss you out the door all the way down to the Slippery Eel."
Continuing to eat oblivious to the tall man's request, Sand slurped happily on a noodle while lifting the bowl right to his mouth. He finally tilted his head and aimed his pincer like utensils straight at his foaming mug as if scolding it.
"Toss me the other way. I want to see the Cusp of Lady Ophella's Sunrise." Nikolai paused as if debating if he was really blind then seemed to agree with the whining mutt on an answer. "Well perhaps hear the ruffle of her skirt then." The food was gone.
Scratch that mate. Coffee fer me, make it a strong one... My luck's fer the changin..."
Akamu answers from behind the bar, "Glad to hear it. You can change your luck if you want. Too many opportunities these days for people."
A dull blue robed young human gentleman sits at a corner booth of the Morkoth alone. His clothing looks dirty and worn but was made of high quality.
He came along with the workers for celebrations of a job well done, but Barrion knows there is much to do. Instead of celebrating with drinking buddies he is celebrating with paperwork and a few tomes and ledgers double checking the numbers and his calculations. He pauses from his work every so often to take a couple sips of his goblet of elven wine he ordered. Passerbys can hear him muttering to himself.
Hmm yes that should work.. but what of.. nah thats covered by the support from the other column... wait is that a 6 or a G...
Vhalantru, being the newest noble, came from somewhere else, no? I would like to be related to him. Permission to be a nephew? I was hoping to take Varisian Tattoo as a mark of from where we are from if that is ok. I'll explain more in the backstory when I write it.
I'm interested. I'll post a character shortly. I do not expect to get in considering I am new here but I will guarantee those who do make it in had worthy competition.
There is a lot of interest already, but definitely give it a try. You never know how things will work out. I'm going to wait at least a week before deciding to allow players to flesh out their characters and see how they interact with each other. We're going to be spending years together.
A well dressed man walks to the bar, on his face sits a morose expression. "A glass of wine, please" he intoned in a flat dispassionate voice. Though it had been a few years since the accident, he could still hear some hushed whispers speak of him. He was recently of a noble house, but was no longer welcome at home. He paid no mind and awaited his drink.
During an alchemical experiment with his professor at the academy, something went awry and an explosion resulted. His professor was killed and Hathin spent days in a coma recovering. When he came to, he found he was no longer capable of feeling any emotions. Blame was laid by the academy at his feet, and his family and betrothed could not stand his dispassionate nature. He was exiled to the common city and given a stipend to stay out of pleasant society.
Determined to discover a way to recover his emotions, Hathin continued his alchemical study in secret - but to no avail. Then one night he felt a powerful sense of fear coming from the street. When he arrived he found that a cat had cornered a weasel in a box and he could feel the creatures fear. Rescuing the weasel he took it back to his room, and found that there was much more the creature could teach him...
He pauses from his work every so often to take a couple sips of his goblet of elven wine he ordered. Passerbys can hear him muttering to himself.
Kalama leaves Qualin and wanders over to Barrion, "It looks great Barrion. It's not going to fall down anytime soon. It's not even going to be needed aside from welcoming visitors like that strange one over there in the silver mask. Finish your wine and I'll bring you another. They're on Lord Vhalantru."
A well dressed man walks to the bar, on his face sits a morose expression. "A glass of wine, please" he intoned in a flat dispassionate voice
Akamu pours Hathin a glass of wine with pity in his eyes. Doesn't really matter whose fault it was, no one should end up like him. Almost better to be dead.
Akamu pours Hathin a glass of wine with pity in his eyes. Doesn't really matter whose fault it was, no one should end up like him. Almost better to be dead.
Hathin nods a thanks, noticing a dwarf next to him he raises his glass to toast him out of habit. Strange that the dwarf is drinking coffee when so many empty tankards are strewn before him. The set of his face remains unchanged.
A sense of hunger radiates into his mind. Hathin fishes around in his pocket for a piece of jerky, that he passes to the weasel that emerges from its place of hiding in his shoulder bag.
Barrion stumbles and almost knocks over his goblet at the sight of Kalama. "I.. yes of course. It is my first project and I know it is good but... " Barrion pauses. "but if it is not good...the only thing it will be welcoming is a few unlucky travelers to the afterlife instead of Cauldron!" He smiles and chuckles a bit.
He then quickly follows up with his sardonic humor.
"Hells I'd probably do those pour souls a favor by skipping them out of this town am I right?"
He begins to shuffle around some papers and organize them into his scroll cases to be put away.
"You're right. Here I am celebrating a joyous occasion with some paper and ink!" Barrion lifts his wine and toasts his uncle with a true smile but ambiguous tone: "To my uncle! He was always the generous type."
As he finishes his drink he takes a few moments and finishes putting away his mess of papers and ink.
What a crowd. I feel like I don't know half these people.
A small human female wanders in and over to the bar. A mug of ale barkeep. Then turns and takes in the crowd that is already here. What a motley lot we have in here tonight, doesn't look like there's much to made here
Aeneas walks in to the Morkoth shaking the last of the road dust from his cloak.
Most of the folks who worked the west gate know Aeneas, he was the messenger constantly moving between the mason's yard, the gate site, and the quarries at Redgorge and other places. Carrying orders for stone and changes to design, smoothing out problems before they became problems, even meeting with the semi-legal 'laborers' guild to keep the work progressing.
Most of you also know Aeneas is not his real name. Rumor says he is from a noble house fallen on hard times so he took the name to shield his family from the embarrassment of having a member of the family working.
Aeneas walks through the crowd to the bar to find a tankard of dark ale.
"Is that Barrion over there?"
He crosses towards the blue robed man.
"Barrion, my friend. I don't think I've ever seen you without your plans. Barely recognized you." Aenas greets you with a smile.
Besides, you heard what happened to Jack Redshirt didn't you? The guards are trying to keep it quiet, but I heard they're still haven't found all his parts."
Qualin jolts a bit at mention of a pirate sounding name. It's not the monicker I knew him by, but was it one of the man's many aliases? Curiosity getting the better of him, Qualin rises and begins making his way toward this dark skinned beauty, giving her and her companion time to speak without interrupting.
He walked with the unneeded aid of a very unique cane. Made from the ivory tusk of an exotic beast, it tapered from the it's roughly thumb sized point to it's pommel, roughly as thick as the man who was holding it's wrist, standing nearly four feet in height. It was banded in copper and bore the appearance of a weapon as well as walking stick. Beyond this he carried few arms beyond perhaps a dagger, though those who met him when he arrived in Cauldron a few weeks ago would remember seeing him well adorned with differing types of swords and several axes.
When the serving woman, as one could not tastefully call her a girl, was unoccupied, Qualin catches her notice with a nod of his silvered face. "Pardon, lady of the house, mit'aey have some moment of time with yea in regard to the man by name ah Jack Redshirt mentioned to the bladesman?"
Barrion eyes Aeneas' approach. There's a face I know. Barrion and Aeneas met frequently over the recently completed project.
He smiled at his friend and replied "I just put them away, friend! I feel...naked." He smiles and takes a sip of wine.
"Aeneas, good friend, how do you do? I must say I barely recognized you too. You seem to get uglier everytime we meet."
Barrion eyes Aeneas' approach. There's a face I know. Barrion and Aeneas met frequently over the recently completed project.
He smiled at his friend and replied "I just put them away, friend! I feel...naked." He smiles and takes a sip of wine.
"Aeneas, good friend, how do you do? I must say I barely recognized you too. You seem to get uglier everytime we meet."
Aeneas laughs, "Well as a great man once said 'It's not the years it's the mileage.' Too much road and not enough ale." Aneas drinks.
"That is good, so now that the rough beast is up what will you clothe your nakedness in next?"
Finneas moved to the bar, uncomfortable with the crowd filling the common room. Since his time in the orphanage he had always been uneasy around strangers, but the church bade him come here and so he did.
Barkeep. Water if you please, and some hot food if you've any.
Manners his mother cried, manners! The scars on his forearms itched in memory of her many lessons. Casting a wary eye around the room, Finneas wondered what the sword had in mind for him
Aeneas laughs, "Well as a great man once said 'It's not the years it's the mileage.' Too much road and not enough ale." Aneas drinks.
"That is good, so now that the rough beast is up what will you clothe your nakedness in next?"
"Good question. I rather dislike being naked. Should I say naked and alone." Barrion smiles that trademark smile of his and looks around the bar.
"I was hoping a pretty gal would notice my [sarcasm]unfortunate condition[/sarcasm] and be obliged to keep me warm for the night. Gods be good..." Barrion pauses while donning a rather dissastisfied look.
"...but looking around it appears the term girl and the term pretty are mutually exclusive tonight. Don't you agree?"
Barrion laughs and offers to toast with Aneas and says,
"I guess tonight I'm stuck drinking with your ugly ass until we piss ourselves. To the Rough Beast!"
"Come on, the next round's on me."
(Both knowing that Barrion's uncle is paying for tonight's booze.)
Question for GM:
Chris I've taken the Dream Haunted trait as it best fitted with Sverrir's trials in the Underdark. Notice that it negates any fatigue affects which could take away the fatigued condition post -Rage... You okay with that? If not I'm cool with picking another campaign trait for Sverrir.
Just fine.
Aeneas laughs, "Well as a great man once said 'It's not the years it's the mileage.' Too much road and not enough ale." Aneas drinks.
"That is good, so now that the rough beast is up what will you clothe your nakedness in next?"
"Good question. I rather dislike being naked." Barrion smiles that trademark smile of his and looks around the bar.
"I was hoping a pretty gal would notice my [sarcasm]unfortunate condition[/sarcasm] and be obliged to keep me warm for the night. Gods be good..." Barrion pauses while donning a rather dissastisfied look.
"...but looking around it appears the term girl and the term pretty are mutually exclusive tonight. Don't you agree?"Barrion laughs and offers to toast with Aeneas and says,
"I guess tonight I'm stuck drinking with your ugly ass until we piss ourselves. Come on, the next round's on me."
(Both knowing that Barrion's uncle is paying for tonight's booze.)
Recognizing Barrion and Aeneas from the construction work Finneas makes his way to them. As an oracle of the Temple of Lordly Might Finneas has spent many days at the site, cheering up the workers with contests of might. His services as a healer had often come in handy as well, for truly the Rough Beast had earned it's name many times over.
Greetings my friends, may I join you?
Stand up straight. Father would be disappointed. 'A man must be strong' he'd say.
Greetings my friends, may I join you?
"Speaking of ugly girls" Barrion says lowly to Aeneas before Finneas is in earshot.
"Finneas! Gods! And here I thought those I drank with couldn't get any uglier. Of course you can! We were just talking about you. Come, come. We couldn't have kept the timeline as planned without you. Have a drink!"
Barrion sobers for a little bit and says,
"Am I being too sharp of tounge? I'm afraid wine is a whetstone for it and it gets unsheathed hastily when I'm not burried in projects."
He smiles and returns to his more merry self and restarts the conversation.
"Remember the time that rock almost broke every toe of Aeneas' foot?"
Greetings my friends, may I join you?
"Speaking of ugly girls" Barrion says lowly to Aeneas before Finneas is in earshot.
"Finneas! Gods! And here I thought those I drank with couldn't get any uglier. Of course you can! We were just talking about you. Come, come. Have a drink! Remember the time that rock almost broke every toe of Aneas' foot?"
"Hah, perhaps a few more as ugly as me and you'll finally look a catch!"
You mind your tongue young man! Yes mother.
"I remember, and I seem to recall his complaining most about being able to dance after, never mind he could never dance in the first place."
Barrion laughs. "Why yes! One could make the argument the injury actually improved his dancing!"
I've read through the material and i don't think i'll be able to contribute with a suitable/interesting character. Doesn't seem to be any lack of applicants though, so i wish you all happy gaming :)
Hearing talk of dancing, Marhorn turns to see who it was. He turns back to duChabannes, "I'll give you a moment to consider your response, my lord."
He approaches the table with Barrion, Aeneas and Finneas and casually says, "Hello, Finneas, you strange little bastard. I don't suppose it was my dancing you were referencing? Surely you know that these errands the nobles have me running require a less...sophisticated style than to which I'm accustomed." His voices turns to a low growl, and he quietly says, "I am sure you weren't mocking my invitation performance. Please confirm my assumption."
Hearing talk of dancing, Marhorn turns to see who it was. He turns back to duChabannes, "I'll give you a moment to consider your response, my lord."
He approaches the table with Barrion, Aeneas and Finneas and casually says, "Hello, Finneas, you strange little bastard. I don't suppose it was my dancing you were referencing? Surely you know that these errands the nobles have me running require a less...sophisticated style than to which I'm accustomed." His voices turns to a low growl, and he quietly says, "I am sure you weren't mocking my invitation performance. Please confirm my assumption."
Aeneas looks up as Marhon looms over the table.
"It was my dancing at issue Mr. Petdak. There is no need to get angry here. Just a pressing need to empty your patron's cellar, so drink up, for tomorrow we are unemployed!"
More on my view of the Cauldron area. Most of this taken from Haakon1 who deserves much thanks for logically fleshing out this adventure path.
Overview:
The isolated tropical city-states of Sasserine and Cauldron were colonized by the Hold of Sea Princes from CY 480-584. The piratical leaders of the Hold of Sea Princes kept the existence of these distant, jungle-bound cities a secret, to maintain their monopoly on the export of tropical fruits not found anywhere else in the Flanaess -- specifically, bananas, cacao (used to make chocolate), and durian. When the Hold of the Sea Princes was conquered by the Scarlet Brotherhood, its colonies reasserted their independence. The Hold is now embroiled in a many sided, anarchistic civil war, leaving Sasserine and Cauldron to their own devices.
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The city of Cauldron is located in the caldera of a dormant volcano, at the eastern edge of the Hellfurnaces range of volcanoes. The Hellfurnaces separate the blasted, empty desert called the Sea of Dust (the former heartland of the Suel Imperium) to the west from the Amedio Jungle in the east. Cauldron is nicknamed the Shackled City for the source of its wealth -- tropical cash crops produced by slave labor on the surrounding plantations.
Cauldron's nearest important neighbor is the port city of Sasserine, about 20 miles away on Jeklea Bay of the Azure Sea.
Most of the founders of Cauldron and the majority of its population came from the north across Jeklea Bay, from the Kingdom of Keoland or the Hold of Sea Princes. Keoland is a large, powerful, feudal kingdom, which along with its possessions or former possessions, holds most of the Sheldomar Valley, the largest settled region of the western Flanaess continent. The Hold is -- or perhaps was would be more accurate -- a nation of pirates who broke off from Keoland ~CY 450. It is located at the southwest periphery of the Sheldomar Valley, separated from Keoland by the fetid Hool Marshes.
The largest race in Cauldron are Suel (think: Northern European). The Suel originally migrated to the Flanaess from across the Hellfurnace range of volcanoes, as refugees from the ancient (1000 years ago) magical Rain of Colorless Fire that ended a great war. Today, Suel form the bulk of the population in both Keoland and the Hold, and in a few other harsh, isolated regions where they long ago found refuge, like the Amedio Jungle, the Viking-dominated petty kingdoms of the Thillronian Peninsula of the far northeast (north of the Great Kingdom), and the totalitarian racist regime of the Scarlet Brotherhood that began on a rocky peninsula south of the Great Kingdom.
Many other Cauldron folk came from the eastern reaches of the Azure Sea. Oeridians (think: Southern Europeans) are the second largest group in Cauldron, mostly coming from the city-states of the Wild Coast (including the City of Greyhawk) or the Great Kingdom (now collapsed and divided among several successor states). Touv (think: Africans) from the tropical island continent of Hepmonaland are more common here than in other parts of the Flanaess; some were among the founding families, while others arrived later as traders or mercenaries.
When profitable diamond and obsidian deposits were discovered in the region, gnomes and dwarves from the Sheldomar Valley (Keoland and environs) flocked to Cauldron, and halflings came with them, at first mostly as cooks and washers. Later, gnomes, dwarves, and halfling became established as merchants and master artisans in the City.
Elves, half-elves, and half-orcs are relatively uncommon in Cauldron, and often are visitors from Sasserine.
The city proper has about 7500 adults, making a medium-sized city by medieval standards. The outlying areas -- mostly plantations but some smaller towns for freemen like the mining community of Redgorge and the waystation between Cauldron and Sasserine at the Lucky Monkey Inn -- have perhaps twice again that population.
The indentured servants who work the plantations that provide Cauldron's wealth are descendants of slaves captured generations ago in the Amedio Jungle -- they are Amedi (Suel tribesmen who degenerated to a Stone Age culture after fleeing the fall of the Suel Imperium) and Olman (think: Aztec) tribesmen, whose jungle city-states mostly crumbled long ago. The lowland plantations around Sasserine and in the river valley in between grow sugarcane (which is processed into rum), bananas, and rice (mostly for local consumption, but also exported in bulk, mostly to the City of Greyhawk). The highland plantations around Cauldron grow coffee, cacao (for chocolate), and durian fruit.
The climate in the Cauldron region is humid and tropical, and the jungles and lowlands are plagued by malaria, dysentary, and wild animals including lions, tigers, and even dinosaurs. For this reason, few slaves attempted to escape into the jungle, but those who did -- mostly Amedi -- formed "hill folk" tribes that occasionally waylay travelers or even raid a settlement.
The city-dwellers, on their mountain top, escape the oppressive heat, disease, and other dangers of the jungles, and their water, from the caldera's lake, is magically kept free of disease. While some slavery still exists in the regions surrounding Cauldron, slaves are not allowed in the city proper.
The major religions in Cauldron are Kord (Suloise god of strength), Wee Jas (Suloise goddess of magic and death, former patroness of the Suel Imperium), St. Cuthbert (Oeridian god of common sense and righteousness), and Pelor (Oeridian god of the sun and healing). The Church of Kord, arguing might makes right, loudly supports slavery, while the Church of Wee Jas quietly argues that the civilizing tradition of the "peculiar institution" is misunderstood by the outsiders who condemn it. The Churches of St. Cuthbert and Pelor discourage their members from owning slaves, but have a "gradualist" approach, calling for slave owners to do manumission in their wills, or to declare the children of slaves to be born free. Worshippers of Fharlanghn (Oeridian god of travel and the open road), who are mostly elves or half-elves, call for immediate abolition and are rumored to be involved in helping escaped slaves make it out of the region. For that reason, the clergy of Fharlanghn has been denied permission to build a temple.
The local cuisine is primarily rice and beans plus sweet potatoes for the lower classes, with pork and chicken -- particularly satay, cooked on sticks with spicy peanut sauce -- as a treat for the poor and a staple for the middle class. The rich of Cauldron prefer seafood imported from Sasserine, the exotic sweets that Cauldron exports in bulk (chocolate, bananas, and durian), and food imported from Keoland or other overseas locales, like wine and cheese.
Cauldron is ruled by a mayor, who is chosen by consensus among the local nobles. As in the Hold of Sea Princes, nobility in Cauldron is more matter of being rich -- typically by owning plantations -- rather than inheritance and subservience to a liege lord. Feudalism does not exist here.
Sasserine was founded in CY -124 by a group of pilgrims led by a priestess of Wee Jas named Sasserine, who was inspired to found the town after receiving a vision. After her death, the town gradually grew and expanded until it encompassed not merely the area inside the city walls, but a number of plantations lying on the outskirts. The success of the city made it a target for raids from pirates as well as attempts of subversion by the Scarlet Brotherhood, who first raided the city in CY 30.
After a time, a family named Teraknian, descended from Sasserine's lover, came to rule the city as lord mayors, taking advice from the clergy of Wee Jas and Kord. In CY 480, Orren Teraknian, the last of the lord mayors, began a reign of terror and launched a persecution of the church of Wee Jas in the city. Orren was deposed soon after the city was conquered by the Sea Princes, who also conquered neighboring Cauldron. The Sea Princes kept the existence of Sasserine and Cauldron a secret from the rest of the Flanaess to guard their monopoly trades in chocolate and tropical fruit. The subjugation would last for a century, until the Sea Princes were forced to abandon Sasserine and Cauldron due to internal turmoil in their own lands as a result of the invasion by the Scarlet Brotherhood. The city-states are still recovering from its century-long domination and isolation.
Sasserine lies on the coast of the Amedio Jungle, close to the Hellfurnaces mountain range, and about 20 miles north of Cauldron. Its nearest neighbor across Jeklea Bay is the Hold of the Sea Princes. Sasserine is built on a series of islands which make water travel through the town a vital link for intra-city trade (like Venice).
Sasserine's economy is primarily based on sea trade, but some of the nobles own lowland plantations much like those of Cauldron, producing sugarcane and rice. The sea trade involves exporting rum, chocolate, and tropical fruits (bananas and durian) across the Azure Sea, and importing finished goods like clothing and arms & armor from more temperate lands, such as Keoland, the Wild Coast, Nyrond, and Ahlissa (the most important successor kingdom in the southern part of what was once the Great Kingdom). Piracy by ships of the Scarlet Brotherhood, their allies the Lordship of the Isles, and freebooters from the Hold, the Wild Coast, and Onnwall is a serious problem for Sasserine, but payoffs to Onnwall and the Holders, and occasional anti-piracy patrols by Keoland and to a lesser extent Nyrond and Ahlissa, keep the problem from shutting down the lucrative port.
The climate is generally tropical, with high temperatures and high humidity. Sea breezes attenuate the oppressive climate to some extent.
The city of Sasserine’s population is 15,650, with over three-quarters of the population being human. There is a small but sizable population of half-elves and halflings, with the rest of the population composed of minor amounts of dwarves, gnomes, elves, and other races.
Each districts of the city has a different patron deity: Wee Jas in the Noble District, Kord in the Champion's District, Saint Cuthbert in the Cudgel District, Fharlanghn in the Merchant's District, Olidammara (under an alias) in Shadowshore, and a syncretic religion composed of the worshippers of sea gods Procan, Xerbo, and Osprem in the Azure District. Religious toleration is prevalent throughout the city, although the churches of Wee Jas and Kord are in a state of cold war that has persisted since the persecution of the Jasadin by Orrin Teraknian.
The governance of Sasserine is a mix of oligarchy and direct democracy. The people are allowed to originate proposals and vote on them in great public meetings. Any resolutions passed by the people are sent to the seven-member Dawn Council, an oligarchy of noble aristocrats, which then decides whether or not to enact them. Law and order are for the most part relaxed in the town (partly in reaction against the somewhat harsh rule of the Sea Princes), and only the more egregious crimes such as murder and theft are actively pursued. Prostitution and the sale of exotic and potentially dangerous substances or creatures goes on more or less legally within the city limits (although the exact lassitude varies from district to district).
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The Hold of the Sea Princes is a realm south of Keoland. The region that would become the Hold of the Sea Princes was heavily settled by Suel during the Great Migrations. Eventually it came under the control of the Kingdom of Keoland. In the mid-fifth century CY, a pirate captain of noble Keoish blood led a rebellion against the Throne of the Lion. Distracted as they were by their northern wars, the Keoish could do little to prevent them from conquering the isles off the coast. In CY 453, King Tavish III of Keoland led an army through the hot, diseased Hool Marsh and to the city of Westkeep, where they lay siege. In the conflict that followed, Tavish III died, and his legendary family sword, Vilharian, was lost.
After the pirates lost (somewhat indecisively) the Battle of Jetsom Island to Keoland in CY 464, the pirate captains decided to settle down and be princes rather than brigands. The Hold of the Sea Princes began to flourish, with an economy based on vast plantations and the trade of slaves captured from the Amedio Jungle to the south.
More recently, however, Jeon II became the ruling prince of the land (in CY 577). Jeon II, along with the rulers of the Duchy of Berghof and Sybarate, began campaigning for slavery to be outlawed within the land. Perhaps their efforts would have met with some success if the Hold of the Sea Princes were not invaded by the Scarlet Brotherhood shortly thereafter.
In CY 584, an ambassador from the "Kingdom of Shar," resplendent in his red-hooded robe, arrived at the court of Jeon II, and demanded the Sea Princes submit to his government or be destroyed. When the assembled lords mocked him, he presented them with a list of 30 petty nobles, who were all (save three) assassinated before the following morning. Within a fortnight, the Hold of the Sea Princes belonged to the Great and Hidden Empire of the Scarlet Brotherhood, as red sailed galleys unloaded the cargos of Amedi, Olman, Touv, and humanoid slave-warriors up and down the coast.
However, the rule of the Scarlet Brotherhood has always been unstable, as discord among its own ranks and revolts by slaves, slave-warriors, and former freemen and nobles of the Hold sprang up everywhere. Sasserine and Cauldron took advantage of the chaos to quickly seize their own independence before the Scarlet Brotherhood even arrived as these secret colonies of the Hold.
Today the Hold of the Sea Princes is in chaos, ruled by a number of petty warlords and savage tribal leaders drawn from the ranks of escaped slaves. The Scarlet Brotherhood still controls the capital of Monmurg, as well as the islands of Flotsom, Jetsom, and Fairwind, but most of the mainland has slipped through its grasping fingers.
--Footnote:From a quick reading of "The Scarlet Brotherhood", I believe their invading troops would have mostly been "savage" (Stone Age) jungle-dwelling Suel, from tribes not in the Amedio, but in northern Hepmonaland. They wouldn't be slave-warriors, but instead allied/client tribes. They'd also have a few elite units of their own people from the Tilvanot peninsula (the Scarlet Brotherhood homeland, south of the Great Kingdom) and some humanoids, such as hobgoblins and orcs.
I don't think there would be Olman troops (it seems the SB takes them as farm slaves) or Touv (who have their own city-states that mostly seem stand-offish with the SB).
Aeneas looks up as Marhon looms over the table.
"It was my dancing at issue Mr. Petdak. There is no need to get angry here. Just a pressing need to empty your patron's cellar, so drink up, for tomorrow we are unemployed!"
At Aeneas' words, Marhorn's angry demeanor transforms a huge, toothy grin as he laughs loudly. "I'm only fooling, Finneas. I just haven't seen you around of late. Still got those demons following you, I assume?" Turning to Aeneas he asks, "So, have you been taking up the art?"