The Beginning of All Things (Inactive)

Game Master Terquem

That sounds like a very good choice, thanks!

Do any guards/soldiers/lawmen or the sort reside in Woodbridge?

No. The village of Woodbridge has no "regular" soldiers, no Sheriff like individual, and no one has stepped forward to act as an official on behalf of the Alodoans. In fact, the village doesn’t pay any taxes to any officials either. With the collapse of the previous government (the Kings of Urandoman) the village has enjoyed being somewhat “forgotten” and life is not complicated by regular brutes enforcing taxes by corrupt Nobles or Kings, and the Alodoans haven’t pressed the village, yet, for any support for the building of the Castle at Castletown. The village elders act in their best ways to keep disagreements between villagers from escalating to outright violence. There are a few instances of petty crime, but nothing that is causing anyone any kind of real concern.

There are a few people in the village who have fought in sizable battles before, but none of these people (Urandomans) are interested in being singled out as veterans or supporters of the Urandoman cause. A notable individual in this regard is Patricia Flaherty, eldest daughter of Old Sean Flarhert, who returned to the village recently after being absent for eleven years. It is said that she is a skilled warrior, and surprisingly smart.

Just added two Elven families to the NPC list in the Campaign Info section, and a few more humans. Working on more

But

I could use some help. If I have mentioned an NPC (by name or profession) then remind me about it if you have the time, and I will keep the list. At this pace we might have the whole town identified soon.

Just because I'm compulsive about continuity stuff, I had a list already started of those mentioned off-hand that would need to be folded back into the story at some point or another. Trying to do some of that myself.
Here is the old peddler's quote from opening scene:

“Now you see,” Wuda said as she began counting out on her fingers, “there’s the village man, Connor O’Lehig, a good man, a very good man, and his wife L’sbirr, and they have at least a dozen children, last time I was counting. And there is Mr. Panforey, he is the local priest, and another good man. Then there’s The Ballinig’s, the Foregan’s, the O’Narro’s and the Galihan’s, all right good families, and ones I can count on for a slae every time

So that's a dozen kids for poor L'sbirr (might've been an exaggeration?) and families named Ballinig, Foregan, O'Narro and Galihan.

I referenced Sean Foregan (building the stage) in early post. You brought up the little boys Tram Mitterson and Lorre Holman while Phineas was picking mushrooms. I bet they need parents etc.

Wiscara's mother needs some scissors sharpened.

Auria was talking to Mitchell Flynn by his fence near her home.

Gymnaga - family of Poseus = Jellika, Revano, and parents. And cleric - Rosilindeae. Apparently another 2nd lvl witch - Bertrius

Metaurs Cicily and Dominic and Tabitha (who got slapped in the flank).

Also, Margie Toolwoad and her family, including Tammy need some beaver pelts. Her house is behind Farmer Roarke's place.

Hope it's not too overwhelming...I think managing all those NPC's and a host of PC's will be quite a task. I do like the little threads that have been started and the interplay between PC's so far. It's my favorite game going right now, and I can't wait to see who posts next.

Wow, thanks BP (can I call you BP? ha)

Yes Wuda's story might not be accurate (in more ways than one)

So just in Human Families alone we have

The Ballinig Family
The Dale Family (Marcus)
The Dooley Family (Eghan married to Lynne Flaherty)
The Flaherty Family
The Flynn Family
The Foregan Family
The Galihan family
The Goodwell Family
The Gresham Family
The Holman Family ( Lorre Holman, M, HU, 14)
The MacNorra Family
The Mitterson Family (Tram Mitterson, M, HU, 14)
The Oakley Family
The Oghan Family
The O’Lehig Family
The O’Narro Family
The Panforey Family
The Roarke Family
The Toolwood Family
The Woolorly Family

And Brother Phineas' Family(that's 20 of 32 human Urandoman “family names” we’re more than half way there!)
Edit: opps, missed a couple, an another

Just don't call me late for dinner <rimshot>

If you want Brother Phineas to be from the Roarke family (his parents were farmers who died and he was taken in by Panforey) then it can Roarke's Farm even though Roarke isn't around anymore...just a thought.

If you assign the jobs in town (Baker, farmer etc) I don't mind helping flesh out the families a little. I just want to make sure i don't overstep and put things here you aren't accounting for. Also, have to be careful generationally that it makes sense, can't have everyone be in Phineas' peer group or old men or children etc.

If it's like most small towns, these families will also all be intermarried in different (and fun!) ways also. So, a Flynn might really be a Foregan and MidWinter's dinner just got a lot more crowded and interesting.

Absolutely the families are intermarried (Lulu Oghan was Lulu Woolorly before she married)

And Phineas can be from the Roarke Family, (The brother of his father now runs the Roarke Farm, so his Uncle, how does that work?)

Feel free to create one or two more families (I like the trade name idea, keeps it simple), but let’s leave about 10 families undefined for future players.

You've mentioned some of Woodbridge's industries so far- animal husbandry, hunting, farming, fishing (although I think the fishing should be even more advanced- even North American natives had gillnets across the spawning rivers and smoked enough fish to easily support several family groups-just saying) but what about other, agricultural, enterprises? Would the villagers have any beekeepers for instance? Or how about the local forests- besides lumber, is there any sugar maples that can be tapped for syrup? Any other orchards or such? Doesnt have to be fruit- hazelnuts grow here in BC, for instance.
The village might be small- but it doesnt have to poor- at least not in resources.

I think these are all great ideas, except for the fishing, not because the people would not be able to do that, but I do not see this river as particularly abundant (it is fast, shallow, and in places mired in boggy wetlands). Sugar maples could be abundant, but you know not all of them produce quality products. And there are Apple, Cherry, Plum, and Hazelnut trees (and strawberry, blackberry, and blueberry bushes).

I don't see why there wouldn't be a bee keeper or two, and it could be that keeping bees (instead of collecting wild honey) is a recently imported industry practiced by the Human Alodoans, Elves or halflings.

The only thing I keep thinking about is not making Woodbridbge too well of in natural resources, then it becomes difficult to justify why it has been mostly overlooked in the past, and not of great interest to the Alodoans, not that resources would not be present, and possibly not exploited by the people of Woodbridge, maybe, for that very reason, keeping it small.

But excellent expansion of the campaign setting overall.

Black berries are a weed. The problem isnt getting them to florish- it's clearing out the blasted brambles to let anything ELSE grow. They were often used as a kind of natural barbed-wire fence around fields or for defence. (or de fence? heh.)

As for why Woodbridge never developed its resources: no market. Castletown is new. Before that, there was no place close enough to warrant producing more than the village needed. It simply was not worth the trouble. Most of the things the village produces are perishable and would not have made the journey, or not special enough to make it economical I would guess. (At least before Cal started producing glass jars for canning...hmm...)

In the past any extra the village made that was transportable most likely went to pay taxes or tithes to whatever local warlord was in charge at the time. Nobody is going to produce a huge surplus just to give it away. So as both a silent way of defiance and in an effort to make itself as invisible a target as possible the village would have kept itself small.

Then the Empire came.

The Alodoans would still have little interest in Woodbridge. It's resources are not those that would bring on a gold-rush mentality. But it does offer a market for Woodbridge, and allow the village to at least explore its potential. Castletown is too close- Woodbridge will never be more than a hinterland supplier for the new town. It is too well positioned and too powerful militarily and politcaly for Woodbridge to be anything else. But that can't mean we can't grow with them.

Heh. Its a good thing I made Calex an Alodoan. That last post SCREAMS with pro-Empire viewpoints, doesn't it?

Maybe you should be a catalyst for Woodbridge advancement/expansion!

It could be very well possible that some people might object to becoming a vassal after all these free years. Either PC's or NPC's

As Wiscara and Calex mentioned, advancement and expansion of Woodbridge sounds like a plausible (and fun) idea. I'm imagining a grand Kingmaker of sorts, though we have no military might to speak of yet. That might take us a few years, ingame and role-play wise.

I am however interested in what sort of trade goods might become available when we establish a more permanent trade route between Woodbridge and Castletown, besides arms and armour of course.

Edit: It would take a few people to step-up and take a management role of sorts to invest in advancement. Other things to worry about later are perhaps walls and such, does Woodbridge have any look-out points (watchtowers or other high buildings) or walls in the vicinity?

No defenses of note, other than the obvious island location! Plus, there does appear to be alot of surrounding woodland for timber walls or watchtower construction.

There doesn't seem to be a point to be building stuff like that though. Likely protection would come from Castletown if needed.

Woodbridge needs more of a reason to change that way i think than some new folks in town who pretty much leave them alone.

Good points, all. I've imagined the countryside around Woodbridge as mostly flat woodlands, possibly slightly rolling hills to the north and east, with the highest ground around being the Hill of the Cairns, about 3 to 4 miles to the east (a bit south) of Woodbridge (and I haven't settled on how "high" that would be). The hill at Castletown is only a few dozen yards above sea level, but as it sits near the shore of the lake where two rivers converge, and eventually leads to the ocean, this is a commanding height.

Also, 24 miles is a long way to go, to trade in agricultural goods, if the people 24 miles away can grow the same things you can. In fact, it is more likely (as was stated) that with the possibility of better runoff and water management to the north, the fields closer to Castletown are cranking out wheat and barley seven to ten months out of the year, and Woodbridge is lucky to hit six to eight.

I am really surprised by the enthusiasm for the setting, and all the ideas about "how" and "why" Woodbridge is the way it is.

As a gentle reminder, I do have some confrontational, dangerous, events in mind for the future, but I'm not rushing anything toward the Characters just yet, so please continue to be patient, if the game seems to be slow.

In the past, before the arrival of the Alodoans, the village suffered brutal, often inhumane treatment at the hands of various Overlords and Kings of Urandoman, as well as occasional incursions and attacks from hostile monsters, organized (Goblins, Kobolds, and Bullywugs) and the rare random attack by large predators (OwlBears, Bullets, and small Green and Black Dragons).

I'm guessing one of these, I'm not looking for a fight though, however PC characters coming together to defend Woodbridge from a band of looting goblins sounds legendary(ish).

Though such a scenario may be far off, we have a good lot of ambitious folk living in Woodbridge, it would not surprise me if a PC or NPC gets the village in some sort of trouble trying to achieve their goals.

All interesting points. Without a threat in the immediate past there doesn't seem to be a reason to have defensive structures, but that bridge is awfully exposed without them. Assuming there's no resources and no compelling reason to have a militia or any other defensive (or offensive) structure.

As far as trade goes, has to be worth it to transport 3 days to Castletown on order to make it cost-effective. So whatever goods go that way have to be highly marketable. One way trade of tools, finished goods etc to Woodbridge from Castletown makes some sense, but limited monetary supply in Woodbridge limits that even. The idea of a lone peddler hoping to make a few silvers is about right to me (at least so far). Better roads, more protection, or more valuable resouces could change all that trade dynamic.

Maybe Woodbridge explodes with some untapped natural resources that make it a focal point instead of a backwater(like oil in Middle East) but not likely.

My latest thoughts are the motivations behind the Alodoan expansion across the sea, which is a venture that comes with great risk for what appears to be little reward, so far. If the Spanish conquistadors hadn't found abundant natural resources in Inca and Aztec lands, would they have stayed? So what is the Alodoan motivation for expansion? Are they just empirical and want to plant the flag over as much space as possible, are they commerically motivated (like the 17th century Dutch or English), or is there a danger forcing them across the sea (like the Pilgrims). Maybe just a sense of danger and exploration?

I am interested enough to stick around and find out.

It could be politics that brought the Empire here. Quebec is a prime example. It was a French colony-well established- that was turned over the British after the Seven Years War. It was all decided by people thousands of miles away. No one in New France was consulted- no one even thought to ask them. All that mattered was the pieces on the map.
Maybe Urandom was traded as a concession to the Empire for territory someplace else?

LOL
Urandom
u Random
I saw what you did there.
>grin<

Or is it, u ran doma(i)n? haha, no seriously, any relevance to the name is coincidence. I'm not that sharp.

I had my own ideas about why the Alodoans came, but I’m not married to them. Let’s see how things pan out.

By the way, I realize that the players are all over the place, the village that is, but I hope that isn’t frustrating anyone. I hope everyone is having fun. I know I am.

Yes, very enjoyable!

It would be a bit silly if we were all together too much.

I agree with that Wiscara, but as it's so early in the game (day one hasn't even ended yet) we'll probably need a few events of togetherness to get to know or at least see who the other characters are.

Just at this moment we have groups of PCs and even NPCs getting to know each other, the events leading to the festival will have alot of PCs grouped together. After getting acquainted with each other it doesn't mean with he have to do everything together, luckily.

As for Poseus, he'll be eventually spending time with Dieredon as his mentor (he hopes) to become a ranger, after that he'll probably go more of his own way.

Btw: What do you guys think of Poseus taking Archetype Skirmisher of the Ranger?
Skirmisher is an archetype that doesn't use magic, especially chosen for that reason. I myself don't want Poseus breaking some other boundaries by suddenly using magic as well, only tricks.

@Poseus: I certainly plan on taking you on as your Mentor, and I think that Skirmisher is a great Archetype.

I'm sick currently, so that's why I haven't posted. You guys can go on without me and we'll just assume that Chance just kinda fades into the background until I get better. Sorry! ><

We'll keep a seat for ya! Get well soon!

Hope you're well soon

I will drag you along with me, Chance...no problems...get well.

Since we seem to be approaching some kind of encounter with the fey, I was wondering if there is any campaign specific flavoring or twists to any of these? Are there any stories of dangerous or fantastic encounters in the village lore, like the old tales of Jack-in-irons, or Rumplestiltskin? Things the villagers would grow up hearing by the fireside or in the tavern every night?

I am thinking of introducing a sort of "war" between the fey, and with that my own Fay creatures, and then asking for some player input to working out what Fey from the Pathfinder sources would work best for our campaign setting. We should definitely have some legends of Fey interactions floating around the village (but not too many, or too extreme).

I created a set of fey creatures a long time ago, but never found a setting to work them into, so maybe, if the players don't mind, I'll introduce them here (maybe even try to recruit some Lyph characters?)

For an interesting, maybe, take on the Jack In irons character, you should read my novel, "Four Sets of Lies". You might like it. Then again, I just realized, you can't since it's not available on Amazon anymore. Maybe I'll revise it and put it back on the list with my other two novels.

I would appreciate that, and it just so happens that Maeltheron speaks Sylvan. Maybe that will help?

This sounds interesting. Would a fey/lyph PC be on our side or theirs?

Sorry..meant Dieredon...

Wiscara - I do not know what you mean by "our side or theirs".

Dieredon - Who is Maeltheron?

An elf character of mine in a different PbP...I had just posted there.

I was meaning either side of the 'war'

Well there are apparently Huldra in this world, and Chance could count as a Fey PC? :P

Not really, but he has fey blood. That's gotta count for something, right?

I was thinking that too, and I know that at least Dieredon, Chance, Cara, and Poseus would all at least have an interest in them due to their connection with nature.

Do we want to get some of the details about the Fay creatures of this setting established?

First of all, I would appreciate it if we could use the spelling of “Fay” and not “Fey” (they have similar, but important differences).

Chance’s Player has made his character the offspring of a Huldra. Now I am familiar with the Folklore of the Huldra, but I haven’t found a Pathfinder equivalent, or monster listing.

Would this Huldra be a solitary Fay, living in the wilds, or is she part of a small Huldra community?

I will introduce the Lyphs, as a group of Fay creature native to the land, who are not dangerous, mostly, and who have a history of war with another kind of Fay (we’ll call them “Sprites” until we have a better handle on them).

For now, no one except possibly three to five older people in Woodbridge have any first hand knowledge of the Lyphs or their enemies. No one can say for sure why they have not been active around Woodbridge for the past generation, and we can work that out as we develop the history.

I am thinking that a conflict between the Fay races could drag Woodbridge into a situation where all of the separate communities must come together to protect Woodbridge, and this activity draws the attention of the people at Castletown.
What do you think?

I like the premise and how the interraction that could lead to conflict can be used as a means to draw everyone together.

So at this time Cicily the Maetaur and Auria the Witch know of the Fay?(will need some time getting used to this spelling :)) As does Connor, well at least he knows of the 'Good Folk', the Lyphs.

I guess Auria knows a bit more about the evil Fay, the Sprites for now, who else would know about them? I guess the Naga have a knowledge of Fay, but probably more of their region of origin, not the folklore around Woodbridge, I don't think that is a topic often discussed.

A conflict between the two Fay races would be a nice idea to bring everyone together, creating a bit more of a community feeling with all races. Though like you said Terquem, what drives these Fay near Woodbridge now? The good Fay may have never left, being content in making their usual pranks form time to time, but never making themselves known. The evil Fay however need a reason to suddenly attack the Sylphs at Woodbridge.

Perhaps a magical item of power or a recent addition to the populace of Woodbridge that draws their attention, maybe they sense a hidden power in Chance? (don't know what a Huldra is exactly, does it qualify as a good and/or powerful Fay ?) Perhaps Woodbridge lies at a powerful node of magic which the Fay can tap into?

If the latter is the case, I wager that the people from Castletown would be interested in not letting the wrong Fay get control over it, as would the residents of Woodbridge.

Huldra

I'm pretty much recovered now, and it looks like something exciting is about to happen as well. I'll jump in once Cara comes to fetch me...if Cara comes to fetch me :P

Good, glad to see you are better.

About the Fay, and local knowledge. Cicily pobably does not know much about the Fay, here in Woodbridge (she isn't that old, not as old as Auria and Connor, who are both older than Panforey).

I'd also like to point out that there is absolutely no difference between the words "fey" and "fay". "Fey" is just a variant spelling of "fay" and does not hold a different meaning. Same goes for "fae".
(Of course, the above does not hold ground if this is a purely in-universe thing. I'm referring to the words in OUR world.)

I also didn't realize you asked about where the Huldra would be. I assume she'd be a solitary creature. Most likely had a run-in with a traveler, which is when Chance was conceived.

If we ever run into her, it would be neat if she recognizes Chance and refers to him by his Sylvan name. If you wish to expand on her backstory, that's fine. I think it'd be cool if her backstory tied in with the old happenings of Woodbridge, and having Chance discover that would be fun to roleplay (and if you decide to keep it secret from us, it'd be fun for me to find out as well :3)

Glad you are feeling better. Now get over here! LOL

I deleted a post of my own that I felt was not important to the development of the campaign setting.