==The Line (Prohibited) ==
Sexual Assault/Violence
Non-Fantasy Setting Racism
Sexist, Homophobic and Ableist Content
==The Veil (Okay to Reference but not played out)==
Torture
Romantic Liaisons
Rules for Torture:
Torture will take place behind the veil. Simply say you are going to torture a person an effort to extract information, and then use the below rules/rolls to resolve it.
One torture session will generally take an hour and requires two skills checks: Intimidate and Profession (Torturer). As a special exception, this profession can be used untrained in this scenario. With the proper equipment, the torturer can receive a bonus to his Intimidate check (generally +5). You first make your Intimidate roll to see if you extract information. You then make a Profession check (DC 15) for each session.
Failure means the victim passes out, taking 4d6 damage and reveals no information. A natural 1 is always a failure and means the victim has broken free and grabbed one of the torturer’s weapons or an improvised weapon (50% chance of either). Each successive session without an eight hour period of rest increases the DC by two. If the torture check is successful, the torturer can choose to inflict damage (from 1d6 to 8d6, torturer’s choice).
Chelish Glossary:
Adel: A small, personal barge
Dottari: The Westcrown city guard
Durotas: A captain of the city guard
Duxotar: Commander of the city guard
Egorani: A person or thing from Egorian
Haloran: A lantern-bearing staff
Vaneo: A Chelish manor house
Vira: A Chelish estate
Wiscrani: A person or thing from Westcrown
Longacre:
LN small town
Corruption +2; Crime –3; Economy +0; Law +4; Lore +2; Society –3
Qualities insular, rumor-mongering citizens
Danger +0
DEMOGRAPHICS
Government overlord
Population 1590 (1,401 humans, 138 halflings,
51 other)
Notable NPCs
Archbaron Darellus Fex (LE male human conjurer 12)
Fifth Sword Knight Tileavia Allamar (LG female human cleric of Iomedae 4)
Retired Warmage Tealan Ruckleer (N male human necromancer 7)
Sheriff Rhona Staelish (LG female human ranger 4)
MARKETPLACE
Base Value 1,000 gp; Purchase Limit 5,000 gp; Spellcasting 4th
Minor Items 3d4; Medium Items 1d6; Major Items —
Longacre is a town of should-have-been heroes. Easily overlooked in its quiet, charmless corner of Cheliax, the town provides refuge to those who wish to forget and be forgotten. Unlike so many rural crossroads, Longacre girds itself in faded military trappings, the worn uniforms and tarnished regalia of hundreds of former soldiers caught up on both sides of the war that cast their nation into the grip of diabolism. More than three-quarters of a century after the hostilities ended, Longacre remains a dumping ground for Cheliax’s unwanted veterans, many of whom are outspoken in their criticism of House Thrune and the nation’s military policies. With the coming of the Glorious Reclamation, however, many in Longacre imagine a second chance, an opportunity to risk—even lose—their lives fighting on the side of justice and right.
But if House Thrune and its agents have their way, those chances will never come.
HISTORY
The records of the Longacre Historical Society fastidiously chronicle a long and largely uninteresting history. It perhaps didn’t have to be that way, and certainly the earliest records from the Taldan Longacre Camp presage momentous things. Established in 3058 ar as a Taldan fort at the Whisperwood’s southwestern edge, Longacre’s position near the banks of the Whisper River gazing west across the Fields of Chelam made a fine position from which Taldor might cement its control of wild Cheliax’s north and central heartlands. Longacre Camp rose as a modest, rugged frontier fort that, for hundreds of years, was a staging post for Taldan forces helping to tame the countryside. Records note campaigns against the Facetaker and Overlord hobgoblin tribes, the green dragon Avisbelth, and a short-lived separatist group called the League of Chelam. Over the centuries, however, as Taldan control reached the Arcadian Ocean and the region was settled, the need for a strong military presence waned, and the last troops were removed from Longacre Camp in 3712 ar.
Even with the military’s departure, the local farms, ranches, lumber camps, and hunting lodges remained. As Longacre Camp provided access to the river and a safe place to trade, the locals maintained their traditions of doing business in the fort’s shadow. The timber stalls surrounding the building became Longacre Trading Camp, the heart of a small, scattered network of independent farmers and frontier folk. A handful of merchants and their families made their homes at the camp, establishing Longacre’s first permanent population—but one that rarely crested 100 souls.
It wasn’t until the 4400s that Longacre Trading Camp saw any significant change in standing. With the Everwar’s end, thousands of Chelish soldiers returned to the nation. With royal funds depleted, the nation granted countless veterans plots of lands in the expansive Fields of Chelam. Many soldiers quickly sold off these scrub-brush plots, but others optimistically traveled in droves to claim their lands. The coin of these settlers brought new life to Longacre Trading Camp, which saw a boom of business and activity that lasted a decade. As the original fort had largely rotted away, locals repurposed much of the old stone, laying foundations for sturdier shops, homes, and even local churches of Erastil and Aroden. The influx of homesteaders brought with them newly titled nobility, a nouveau riche class largely consisting of returning Everwar officers. Along with their own lands, the Bacusis, Fex, Golletter, and Moragatalli families were granted measures of control over the region, including governance of the newly minted town of Longacre. With no experience as governors, the families experimented with a range of military-styled hierarchies, but by 4550 ar, a local mayor oversaw the town’s administration.
By the late 4500s, Longacre’s fortunes had begun to wane. The majority of the region’s new farms had failed, sparking a slow exodus downriver to Remesiana. Many farmers who didn’t leave resorted to banditry, giving rise to the eastern Whisperwood’s reputation for lawlessness. Longacre’s population decreased, the church of Erastil was left empty, and even the last scion of the Golletter family died off. Some new blood and coin passed into town in 4620 ar when Fort Estazano was constructed nearby to help combat the rampant local banditry, but the prosperity was short-lived.
The advent of the Chelish Civil War changed everything in Longacre. By 4640 ar, when House Thrune ascended to the throne, ending the war, countless Chelaxians had died. While the war didn’t affect Longacre as it did so many other communities, the royalists of Houses Bacusis and Moragatalli opposed Thrune-supporting House Fex. With only small retinues of house guards, the nobles’ conflicts largely played out in their financial backing of either side, and rarely amounted to anything more than local name-calling, failed arson attempts, and a few public brawls. Immigration similar to that of the 4400s followed the end of the war, bringing hundreds of soldiers and their families to the Whisperwood’s edge. Yet these weren’t retiring heroes claiming dubious dues. Rather, House Thrune pardoned countless soldiers fighting on the side of the old monarchy. A condition of their amnesty, however, barred them from the capital of Egorian and the cities of the cosmopolitan south, sending the defeated into scattered, semi-official exile. Defenders of the former government weren’t the only migrants, however.
Thousands of rebels quickly became disenfranchised with House Thrune’s vicious brand of governance. Disgusted with the changes unfolding in Egorian and the nation’s larger cities, many retreated to hideaways they hoped those now in power wouldn’t bother to reach, in places like Longacre.
Along with the influx of settlers, rule of Longacre crystallized in a way it never had before. House Bacusis had fled the region once the war’s outcome became clear, and soon after a deadly fire killed every member of the Moragatalli family and destroyed their manor, leaving House Fex to claim the exclusive right to rule. This didn’t change much for the townsfolk, with most of the newly christened Fex archbarons caring little for tedious governance as long as their taxes arrived on schedule. The people were left to govern themselves, and in a town of withdrawn, independent residents, things proceeded quietly enough.
In the better part of a century since House Thrune came to power, Longacre has changed little. Many of those who came to escape now find themselves prisoners of their own memories, entering their twilight years burdened with old scars and regrets. The families of the waning veteran population tend to either linger, knowing nothing but the town’s quiet life, or—in most cases—drift away down the Whisper River. A slow sort of pessimism taints the town, one that its ruler, Archbaron Darellus Fex, either hasn’t noticed or cares nothing about. Many residents seek one last adventure, one last chance to be great. These days, Longacre is coated in the dust of years, making it easy to ignore the powder keg hidden just beneath.
Locations in Longacre:
1. The Arch and Lark: The least popular pub in Longacre—which is to say, the town’s only other pub after the Last Stand—the Arch and Lark caters to local and traveling nobility. As Archbaron Fex never socializes in Longacre and wealthy passers-through are a rarity, the Arch is rarely busy. Ale-hating owner Fordaneil Cembers spends most of her time disdainfully selling watered-down wine to pretentious locals and travelers who don’t know any better. Cembers looks down her sharply pointed nose at Bolgart Caggan and his establishment, calling him an “oaf who caters to oafs.” Conversely, she fawns over anyone she thinks could enhance her establishment’s reputation or fulfill her dreams of receiving an endorsement from the archbaron himself.
2. Ash House: Formerly Moragatalli Manor, home to one of Longacre’s pre-Thrune noble families, this burnt ruin lies on the outskirts of town.
3. Castle Gate: The westernmost of Longacre’s three gates, the Castle Gate is so named for its distinctive stone construction.
4. Church of Iomedae: Fifth Sword Knight Tileavia Allamar and her twin sons oversee the local temple of Iomedae.
5. Gield’s General Store: Sisters Immona and Olla Gield grew up among the produce stands and bolts of rough cloth that line the rows of Gield’s General Store. Their days of getting yelled at for playing tag between customers’ legs long past, the middle-aged sisters now run the shop. They maintain a modest selection of goods, and between the two of them the Gields know everyone in town. The sisters often match the goods and skills of locals with the needs of others, making their store one of the most useful gossiping posts in town. Additionally, Estabeth Gield, the sisters’ mother and the store’s uncompromising former proprietress, spends her days at the shop visiting with neighbors and infantilizing her daughters from a thronelike rocking chair. The old woman insists that, so long as she lives, local veterans will never pay full price in her store, offering generous discounts to anyone with known or provable military service—though she has to deem that service worthwhile.
6. The Jackdaw: Formally known as Jackdaw Stables, the town’s livery also serves as Longacre’s post office and shipping company. Owner Dilman “Dilly” Fortmile runs the stables and a local cargo delivery service with the help of his three strapping children, Bennie, Rianne, and Telas. In recent years, what began as Rianne’s hobby has resurrected the business that gave the Jackdaw its name: a carrier crow messenger service. From the stable’s loft, Rianne can send and receive brief messages to and from Remesiana, Senara, and nearby Whisperwood lumber camps. Rianne hopes to grow her small side business, but recently she’s been trying to figure out what to do about the messenger crows bearing missives with royal markings that have begun stopping at her roost.
7. Kemmaino Market: Dealing in fresh produce from the town’s outlying farms, the town grocery is named for its proprietors, Huxlam and Darlyne Kemmaino. The couple’s 12-year-old daughter, Jemmy, helps out by carrying deliveries around town, but has a reputation as a troublemaker.
8. The Last Stand Tavern: The most popular establishment in Longacre, this tavern and its owner, Bolgart Caggan.
9. Longacre Armory: Despite the name, the armory has only the most tenuous connection to Cheliax’s army. More a museum to the achievements of Longacre’s residents than a true military institute, the armory enshrines the arms of local veterans.
10. Longacre Historical Society: Mrs. Ilmerri Unero knows more about what once went on in Longacre—and less about what’s currently happening—than anyone else in town. As the curator of a small library of dry, locally written histories and civil documents, Mrs. Unero eagerly spends hours regaling visitors with details of centuries-old economic trends and the romantic gossip of long-dead local celebrities. Additionally, she keeps a small cache of funds with which to purchase any items of historic value that might pass through the society’s doors.
11. Longacre Jail: Sheriff Rhona Staelish and her deputies maintain order in Longacre from their offices inside the town jail. The sheriff much prefers public shame and humiliation over incarceration, and the two pillories outside the jail see far more use than the pair of cells inside.
12. Longacre Notary: The seat of civil bureaucracy in Longacre, the local notary serves as a go-between for Archbaron Fex and the townsfolk, ensuring that neither has to interact with the other overly much. Deeds, titles, family records, writs of passage, and all manner of contracts and receipts form mountains of clutter that only notary Wenbrade Brakenbol knows how to navigate.
13. Mayor’s House: Formerly the home of Longacre’s last mayor, Julive Wotimmir, this prestigious home lies near the road to Archbaron Fex’s own estate, Scarlet Crown. Despite being one of the town’s largest and most impressive homes, the mayor’s house has stood empty for the past 8 years, ever since Wotimmir disappeared. None particularly missed the mayor or cared when the archbaron’s unapologetic flunky went missing. The townsfolk haven’t bothered to appoint a new mayor, and things have run smoothly enough without one, causing the archbaron to often forget about the vacancy.
14. Odmer’s Tonics: The painting of a rainbow-hued imp exploding from a bottle makes the gaudy wheeled storefront of Elish Odmer, normally parked in one of Longacre’s town squares, look like the cart of a common snake oil salesman. And that’s exactly what it is. Elish Odmer claims to have ties directly to the Nine Wonders Conglomerate, a Thuvian corporation dedicated to bringing the secrets of their mystical medicines and revolutionary tinctures to the world at large. Few believe the Nine Wonders even exist, and everyone in Longacre knows the story of how Odmer was banned from town for a year after brewing a batch of bad moonshine in Natisha Howell’s bathtub. Regardless of the shyster’s reputation, he’s a charming flatterer who occasionally has useful items on hand.
15. The Old Lodge: Longacre once hosted a small congregation of Erastil worshipers, but all that remains of their church now is four sturdy posts and a mossy roof hanging over a half-sheltered altar in an overgrown thicket just outside town. Now, only the most daring children visit the ruined lodge. Local stories give the place a reputation as haunted, claiming that the god of hunters guards his sanctuary until his faithful return. In truth, a former priest of Erastil who resided here cultivated a range of exotic plants. In the decades since her death, a breed of cerulean flowering assassin vine has choked most of the other plants around the ruin. While it hasn’t resulted in the death of any Longacre residents, it has been responsible for the disappearance of a pet or two. The corpses of wild animals and the vines’ slithering rustle further cement the lodge’s ominous reputation.
16. The Rees House: When her eccentric friend and neighbor Ogana Rees passed away 10 years ago, Karrio Rutsward took it upon herself to sell what she could of the spinster’s numerous and eclectic collections. She opened the Rees home, tagged every knickknack—from dozens of old books to a legion of whimsically carved pigs—with prices in coppers and let any interested buyer wander through. Since then, Karrio has raised hundreds of gold for Rees’s family, taking only a modest cut for herself. Her success has been such that locals have brought their own attic boxes, homemade crafts, unwanted furniture, and the like to the Rees House, letting Karrio install their goods. Now, every room of the cramped house has a theme—boxes, kitchen supplies, knitting, and woodcrafts among them. Metal sculptures, old plows, and scarecrows even lean in the muddy yard. Those who seem capable and like they have the money to pay might even convince Karrio to unlock the “armor shed,” a dusty, cobweb-thick shack filled with bladed farming implements, old metal weapons, and armor—mostly dinged but functional chainmail and breastplates of standard issue Chelaxian military design.
17. Rohalendi’s Hospice: Fifteen years ago, Gerya Rohalendi opened her home to an elderly retiree who could no longer live alone. In doing so, she realized that dozens of Longacre’s elderly were struggling to survive and faced uncertain futures. Over several years, she transformed her home into a charity hospice, opening her doors to those in need of medical care and devoting herself to offering the heroes of her country and community dignity in their advanced years. Rohalendi currently shares her home with five local seniors in need of assistance. She finds her work in caring for them—as well as creating and delivering a variety of balms and poultices to others about town—richly rewarding but far from profitable, and she’s recently had to let go of her only assistant.
18. Ruckleer’s Home: Everyone knows Tealan Ruckleer is a retired warmage who spent most of his youth in service to the Chelish crown. Ruckleer never speaks of his military service or uses anything but the most minor cantrips in public, his elusiveness on the matter heightening rumors of his explosive battle prowess. In his retirement, Tealan Ruckleer lives a private life and has mostly cast off the trappings of his magical past, though he can be convinced to provide spellcasting services for the right price.
19. Trellis: A flower shop run by Abrammo and Dahdria Lieklan, Trellis displays an almost comprehensive assortment of local flowers, from delicate ivory auspices to black roses—a national favorite. The couple also cultivates a wide variety of restorative teas and herbs.
20. The Wilmore House: Indisputably Longacre’s oldest resident, Miss Nisra Wilmore has a reputation for indulging strange superstitions and for keeping a small legion of identical white cats. Although none can say exactly how old Miss Wilmore is, most assume she’s well over 110 years old. Rumors swirl around the Wilmore House, most related to its guardian cats and the strangely colored smoke that frequently spirals from its chimney. Those who investigate find Miss Wilmore welcoming, even if her strangely changeable accent and the peppery smell of her home set most ill at ease. She openly offers her curative magic to those who earn her good favor, but still charges a fee—she has a lot of mouths to feed, after all.
