 About Black Dow: DM O' The North"They say Black Dow; DM O' The North's killed more players than winter, and rolls the bones o' fate in the a cold, dour land behind a screen of skulls." (apologies to Joe Abercrombie for the above bastardization!) A pre-amble for my PFRPG pbp conversion of the classic UK 2 & 3 series The Sentinel & The Gauntlet aka "THE IOBARIAN SAGA": Murder one night... Mercy the next... Strange script inscribed upon the walls in blood. The cold land of Iobaria is as unyielding as the Icerime mountains, deep as the waters of the Lake of Mists & Veils, mysterious as the ancient destinies once forged there. Yet now in a forgotten village, within a forgotten realm, once proudly independent folk plead the help of strangers. Will you aid them? The Protagonists Mark Sweetman: Ragnar Sköld Född; Ulfen Human Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager) 3
The PBP Gazetteer Places:
The Berghof Regional map shows the location of the 4 "villages" in the area [some are barely hamlets, but are loosely referred to as villages] and main geographic features. They are (with their Auld Iobarian (AI) translations): Berghof [BERG-HOFF] (AI: "Place of Icy Hills") - Western region of Iobaria. Once part of Issian Iobaria, and as a result has stronger links to the nation of Brevoy and Choral the Conqueror[i] - a barbaric warlord of antiquity. Kustnir [KOOST-NEAR] (AI: [i]"Coast-near") – An isolated fishing village on the shores of the Lake of Mist and Dreams. Its inhabitants are beset by strange murders and fell deeds. Gánnáhwǽr [GANNA-WER] (AI: "Go-nowhere") - The region of Berghof's trading post - not big but pretty well stocked and well defended. Merchants and caravans coming to & from Brevoy use the trade route (dotted white) which takes them through the dangerous mountains- the Icerime Peaks. Hálbriden [HALE-BRYDEN] (AI: "Safe-wooden-boards") – The region’s largest village. The folk living here a particularly religious and fearful of the plagues that have swept Iobaria in the past. As a result they keep their healers/druids close and strangers are rarely welcomed. Ciselwella [KIZEL-WELLA] (AI: "Gravel-well") - A small logging hamlet who ply their trade on the outskirts of the Storith Wood. They mainly recover deadfall and are mindful of the fey that inhabit the wood. Nirrus River [NYR-RUSS] (AI: “The Cliff-flow”) - The headwaters of the Nirrus give it its name—springs and a series of small lakes feed into the riverbed from the Icerime Peaks and their foothills, often flowing or falling off cliffs into the five main tributaries that become the Nirrus. The Nirrus can be forded at several points throughout the region, and is a source of both freshwater fish and precious metals washed down from the Icerimes. Currently established bridges exist East & West of Hálbriden and due North of Ciselwella. A ferry point also exists at the river mouth near Kustnir.
People:
Ffolk O' Kustnir Pater Fisc: Eolder of Kustnir
Culture:
Marc = gold mark [gp]
Foes & Fauna:
Cold Weather Conditions:
Cold and exposure deal nonlethal damage to the victim. A character cannot recover from the damage dealt by a cold environment until she gets out of the cold and warms up again. Once a character has taken an amount of nonlethal damage equal to her total hit points, any further damage from a cold environment is lethal damage. An unprotected character in cold weather (below 40° F) must make a Fortitude save each hour (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A character who has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and might be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well (see the skill description). In conditions of severe cold or exposure (below 0° F), an unprotected character must make a Fortitude save once every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 per previous check), taking 1d6 points of nonlethal damage on each failed save. A character who has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and might be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well. Characters wearing a cold weather outfit only need check once per hour for cold and exposure damage. A character who takes any nonlethal damage from cold or exposure is beset by frostbite or hypothermia (treat her as fatigued). These penalties end when the character recovers the nonlethal damage she took from the cold and exposure. Extreme cold (below –20° F) deals 1d6 points of lethal damage per minute (no save). In addition, a character must make a Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. New Spells:
Source: Otyughnomicon; Northern Waste Otyugh [Purple Duck Games] HIBERNATE
A hibernate spell causes a comatose slumber to come upon one or more warm-blooded creatures. Roll 1d4 per two caster levels to determine how many total HD of creatures can be affected. Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first. Among creatures with equal HD, those who are closest to the spell’s point of origin are affected first. No creature with 5 or more HD is affected, and HD that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted. Hibernating creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens affected creatures, but normal noise
ICE SHAPE
You can form an existing piece of ice into any shape that suits your purpose. For example, the caster can make an ice weapon, a special trapdoor, or a crude idol. Ice shape also permits the caster to reshape an ice door to make an exit where one didn’t exist or to seal a door shut. While it’s possible to make crude coffers, doors, and so forth with ice shape, fine detail isn’t possible. There is a 30% chance that any shape including moving parts simply doesn’t work. MELD INTO ICE
Meld into ice enables you to meld your body and possessions into a single block of ice. The ice must be large enough to accommodate your body in all three dimensions. When the casting is complete, you and not more than 100 pounds of nonliving gear merge with the ice. A Perception check (DC 25) reveals a shadowy shape within the ice. If either condition is violated, the spell fails and is wasted. While in the ice, you remain in contact, however tenuous, with the face of the ice through which he melded. You remain aware of the passage of time and can cast spells on yourself, while hiding in the ice. Nothing that goes on outside the ice can be seen, but you can still hear what happens around him. Minor physical damage to the ice does not harm the caster, but its partial destruction to the extent that you no longer fit within it expels you and deals the caster 5d6 points of damage. The ice’s complete destruction expels the you and slays him instantly unless he succeeds at a Fortitude save (DC 18). Even if you make your save, you still take 5d6 points of damage. At any time before the duration expires, you can step out of the ice through the surface that you entered. If the spell’s duration expires or the effect is dispelled before you voluntarily exit the ice, you are violently expelled and take 5d6 points of damage. The following spells harm the caster if cast upon the ice that the caster is occupying: Ice shape deals the caster 3d6 points of damage but does not expel the caster. Faerie ice expels the caster and then slays the caster instantly unless he succeeds at a Fortitude save (DC 18), in which case the caster is merely expelled. Finally, passwall expels the caster without damage. SILENT AND UNSEEN
You gain a +10 bonus to Stealth for 1 minute. In addition, for the spell’s duration any enemy targeting you with a melee, ranged or ranged touch attack must make a Will save or believe you vanish before their eyes (you do not actually vanish, but your opponent thinks you do for the purpose of their attack.) SNOW BLINDNESS
The reflecting snow and ice flashes brightly and all reflected
MAPS: Iobarian Saga Map 1: Realm of Iobaria Iobarian Saga Map 2: Berghof Regional Map Flavour Translator for Auld Iobarian (using Old English) Email: dmblackdow@gmail.com |
