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Freeday, 7th of Hithring
Nodding; “Next winter might be too long. I’ll have to check with Anvar to search on his travels. That might only be a month or two.” As Krezen mentions the nobles again Veini shades his eyes; “They seem to be taking off, should we go see?” says questioningly…
~
Venla notices the reddening of Jermaine’s cheeks and doesn’t want to embarrass him; “Hello, Jermaine! It’s a beautiful day, maybe we should ride down the Tanu (This is the river whose water runs through the mill. It runs southeast to Lake Tanu) and see if anything has washed down as the snow has melted?” Venla loops her arm through Brathas’; “I do love the play, but it is Freeday… There must be something going on.”
~
As Krezen and Veini see the men begin to ride away on their horse they do spy Jormvo making his way to the mill. “Looks like I am on. Let’s go see.”
~
Jormvo is greeted with a warm smile from the middle-aged widowed mill operator. “Jormvo, Freeday indeed.” she says with a hug; “Did you see all of that. Come riding in expecting the sun and the moon and then off they go.” giving the men riding away a disapproving shake of the head; “Could you imaging working for someone who doesn’t give you Freeday off? Then again everyone should be so lucky to live in a place like Pebble Mill.”

At that, Veini Otra (and Krezen?) cross the short bridge to the mill…
~
Gand Purth, the younger but taller son of the Purth family, is standing a short distance off from Anvar and Lodric. The word adventure, and the thought of going with the merchant for a season or two, has clearly captivated the young lad.

Freeday, 7th of Hithring
Veini Otra, the priest of Abarin and lead of the community, is passing by Krezen. His frown draws his attention, then kneels next to the pelts. “Did you get any snow fox or white hares? I know it’s a pipe dream but I’m needing it for a special request.” He gives a shrug when he doesn’t see the white fur he is looking for; “Since spring is here Anvar will be leaving soon. You may want to catch him to trade off these pelts for supplies before he goes.”
~
With Jormvo’s guidance, the kids begin to soften their tosses. Some are still too strong and sink straight into the water, as a few others get a stone to skip two or three times across the water. Proudly, those who accomplish the feat puff up as the other kids cheer them on. “Wow” “Great job!” “How’d you do that?” Their little voices fade as Jormvo makes his way.
~
Venla is the only one to follow Brathas, and gives an eye brow raise Jermaine ask How does rehearsal. “Shadow puppets is what we are turning too.” looking to Brathas; “You know, I be the great playhouses of Ashlar don’t use shadow puppets…” She says with a batting of her eyes. It's hard to tell if she is teasing or being playful.
~
The wagon and horses draw the attention of most of the adults in the hamlet. Each of them making up their own stories and proud to share them. As the door to the mill opens, revealing the workers and driver again, Lusia Tiera appears with them. She smiles and gives a slight bow. The driver quickly moves and parks the wagon safely beside the mill. Lusia watches the men at work as they disconnect the horses from the wagon, load up, and begin to ride out from the hamlet.

I need to apologize about some confusion in my posting. The pleasant sunny spring day was Pebble Mill. The lightning raining scene was else where that none of your characters are familiar with and you wouldn't have recognized the people.

I apologize for that confusion.

The first post is up. With Thanksgiving being this week in the states, I think that we will all have to be flexible and fall into more of a regular rhythm come next week. Excited to start this new adventure!

Lightning webs illuminate the sky as thunder can be felt rumbling on the ground. The rain has fallen heavily this spring, causing the trees of this hillside to bud and grow full quickly. Your attention is pulled towards a ramshackle ruin of a small fort whose gate is laying open. A small group of rough men in worn mismatched armor are pushing a short and stout hooded figure ahead of them. Walking through the gate is a tall figure that you can’t quite make out. One of the men that’s encouraging the hooded to continue, hits him with his quarterstaff in the back of the leg. The figure falls but catches themselves with an outstretched arm into a puddle. *Splashing*

Splashing settles as children are throwing stones into the river, Tanu River as you well know it. They are playing because it is Freeday, a day of rest. A day without chores, or work, or gathering stones. Running around the feet of the elders about the “commons” of the Hamlet. Man of them shouting after the children, threats of putting them to work mucking out the stalls of the stables.

Horse hooves sink and with a suction slurp pull free as the wagon adds to the ruts of this soggy courtyard. The lightning lights up the tall figure, a muscular and attractive half-elf woman in half-plate armor Morningstar at her side. The hooded figure stands barely chest high to the half-elf. Pulling the hood free with a snap of the fabric reveals a dwarven man. She tosses the hood to the ground… The dwarf is thrown into a cell, bruised and bloodied. He lays on the stone floor as a chain falls from around his neck displaying a disk with an axe on the face of it. One of the guards is cranking a handle raising a bucket from a well just outside of the cell. Tossing the water onto the dwarf, the man lets the bucket drop into the well. The rope creaking the wheel as it lowers.

The constant creaking of the Pebble Mill is something that everyone that called Pebble Mill home have blocked out. It can be heard before the outer wall is seen from the road. It is the sound of stability for everyone in the hamlet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freeday, 7th of Hithring
Winter has passed and spring is here. There is large open topped wagon with a team of heavy draft horses hitched in front of it. The driver and workers all wear the sigil and colors of House Nenonen. Armas Nenonen, the Duke of Languard. They are dismounting and make their way into the mill.

Where do you find yourselves, and what are you up to on the morning of this day of rest?

I think you could really take any of those at first level if I'm being honest. It would all be woven into the innate ability Jermaine would have for his casting of spells. No need to hold off until your 1st level of wizard, he already has some casting powers within.

Brathas thespian but stonemason by birth... I love it, passion vs duty. I am on the hunt for theaters/playhouses in Ashlar that are of note that you would have heard of that is maybe the stage of your dreams to perform on.

Jermaine No, don't change anything. What feat were you looking to take when you became a wizard? Is there anything that would prevent you from taking it now?

Lodric Not a problem. I think that I the setting was a little higher fantasy that what you were wanting to do would fit better. But I do really like what you have going on in this character and it will be a blast.

Jermaine I suppose that you could leave the feat blank, but there are feats that are always good toughness. What are you leaning towards for the wizard? If it is spellcasting related, you do have that ability already. In the same way that Jermaine doesn’t know exactly how to do what he is doing the feat could also play into it in the same way.

Everyone
It's funny how things work out. We are now down to 6 which was my original goal. A hunter/trapper herbalist, a sickly arcane minded human, a mountain of a man butcher, a thespian stonemason apprentice, a disgraced noble that led a life of service at the mill, and a traveling merchant tinsmith dwarf.

Jermaine might just need that Magical Aptitude to be wielding curative wands... but that is a hill we can cross when we get there.

If you would, place your character ties on your character sheet in a spoiler box. I'm enjoying what I am reading and looking forward to what our game will have in store.

Anvar you asked about distance and travel. Looking at the hex key on the map it says 1 hex = 1 mile… I am used to Kingmaker where 1 hex = 12 miles. I am pivoting the key to 1 hex = 3 miles for our game.

Lodric yes everyone will be getting into PC classes. I am going to have you all on medium track, but to get you all into that first PC class will be more of a campaign marker than experience. Once you have your 1st level of PC that is when we will track XP.

I like what you are wanting to do… but with the classes I want to stick to Core classes, leaning into the standard paladin would be best. But I am good with the earthbreaker for your weapon.

Krezen I like the idea of not making any plans. Rolling into what class would seem best from where you have been & are going from when you level… seems fun.

Jermaine & Brathas this seems like an origin story that can turn into Raistlin & Caramon of the Heroes of the Lance.

Jormvo I like the idea of the Hanbo as your weapon of choice / walking stick. It is a monk weapon and the only difference from a club is that it is a tripping weapon. I am okay with that.

Equipment Just like the classes, let’s keep things to the Player’s Handbook for now. Yes Anvar is a traveling merchant and the possibilities could be endless, but let’s keep things simple to start.

Hey all! Sorry for the delay. I made that post then things went crazy this week. I am going to read all of this now and catch up and respond accordingly. I am looking to get the ball rolling on Monday.

Tarja I am so sorry that you have to bow out. If things change down the road please feel free to reach out.

Sounds good. For those who are still good, go ahead and pop on over the the discussion page and maybe we could round out some characters and potential connections between each of you. In a hamlet so small, you all would know each other one way or another.

Wow... it seems so long since the boards have been down.

Just to catch everyone. Here is a list of everyone who had a full submission. I want to check and make sure everyone is still up to continue and be in the game. Honestly, the list is 7. I originally said 6. I think that it would be great to have all 7 of you. Let me know if you are still in or not.

Here is the list:

Anvar Erdukr – traveling dwarven tinsmith/merchant
Brathas – Stonemason apprentice – warrior bard
Jermain - “sickly” human – arcane minded
Jormvo – old human, disgraced noble that worked at the mill collecting river stone
Krezen – Half-orc hunter/trapper herbalist.
Lodric Aegilson – Butcher, mountain of a man
Tarja Mikkonen – farmer

Excited to start this game.

I wish I had more haha but that's all I got

Oh goodness. I don't know what I was looking at. you are 100% correct. Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I will have something up tomorrow for a decision. I have a couple PMs out, please check on those and get back to me today if possible if you've received one.

An excellent place for table talk or non-game related discussion.

Everyone Submission is closed. I will take a couple of days to read over these and see what creative juices start to flow.

Jormvo I love players who lean into aging characters and the effects it has on them. They would be a total of a -3 to Str, Dex, and Con with a +2 to Int, Wis, Cha. I think the stats are a hair off which would end up being in your favor.

Albion I am going to add yours into the mix below.

Alias Submissions
Lodric Aegilson: Human Warrior – Butcher, gentle giant.
Jharik Vaag – roguish fisherman – Half-Elf
Jermaine – “sickly” human – arcane minded, leaning wizard.
Veela Casanen blacksmith priest of Abarin
AnvarErdukr Traveling dwarven tinker
Tarja Mikkonen farming lady
Jormvo disgraced noble that worked at the mill collecting river stone.
Brathas stonemason apprentice – warrior bard

Posted Submissions
Crisischild – hunter w/dog
Krezen – half-orc hunter/trapper herbalist

did not add much in the way of equipment, since I am not sure how we are going to handle it :) Was going to give him a shortbow, but discovered Experts do not know how to use bows :O

Oh my... I do apologize. If I miss something please let me know. Let's go with the 1 level NPC spread.

260 GP total: 50 GP weapons, 130 GP protection, 40 GP Limited Use, 40 GP Gear. This is found HERE

Albion I think it would be completely ridiculous if a hunter/trapper didn't know how to use a short bow. That will be in class via your background.

Everyone Tomorrow is the deadline, so as long as you have an alias submitted on 11/7/25 I will take it into the armchair with a tall stout add it to my reading list for Saturday. Now, it doesn’t have to be 100% complete, because I will want to tweak things and give you a little extra going into level 1 as an NPC. As long as the concept is there and a build that reflects that, we can massage it. Make sure those backstories are in there, that’s what gets the creative juices flowing and helps aid in picking.

If I have missed your submission and it is not on the list below, please link me to it so I can add it in there.

Jharik oh man I hate that my comment led you to change it, but yeah no one wants that mental image. And unfortunately no, you cannot have Ironperenti’s stats.

Elinnea great rolls for many options. The region is open and available for many farmers.

Alias Submissions
Lodric Aegilson: Human Warrior – Butcher, gentle giant.
Jharik Vaag – roguish fisherman – Half-Elf
Jermaine – “sickly” human – arcane minded, leaning wizard.
Veela Casanen blacksmith priest of Abarin
AnvarErdukr Traveling dwarven tinker

Posted Submissions
Crisischild – hunter w/dog
Brathas – stonemason – warrior bard

Everyone I am writing this after I wrote all the responses below, I hope I got everyone. This will be core only. So for now only use the PHB when your building the character. Post up the concept and background and I am more generous with the bonuses that I will give out for the NPC. Also, if the sight goes down for updates I will extent the deadline.

Reldek Sounds good! Just put an * next to it and I will know it came from me.

Jharik Vaag I will try not to hold the image against you, but the icon looks so much like Grima Wormtongue. Obviously just kidding I will add him to the submission below, but go ahead and start rounding out the stats and background in there.

Billybrainpan/Veela Casanen Like the idea of the smith priest, unfortunately we are doing core only. A cleric would be a great choice for a smith priest. Let me know your thoughts. Also, I am good with you having Warhammer to start. It will be something you’d get regardless going into a divine caster.

Jermaine Looks great! I should have been specific when I said a couple. I was thinking two, so if you’d be good just shave one of those off and that would be great.

Daniel Stewart Quick look and it looks good. We aren’t doing traits so go ahead and remove those and all will be well. I’ll give it a closer look once the alias is up and the back ground is in there. Like the traveling tinker concept!

Brathas looks great, yes core weapons only. I would be okay with the Silver Tongued racial trait switch out for Skilled.

Albion Hey I do see what you are saying, but one of the fun things of rolling is hitting that triple 6 and then adding the racial. I were to limit it, then I would probably just use point buy where I would cap the purchase at 17 then racial & age adjustments.

DeathQuaker I was not aware of that. Thank you for the update. If the site is down I will push back the deadline.

Ironperenti Yeah core only on the class. I am willing to massage things with the NPC class or even the race within reason. What are you thinking for a background?

Alias Submissions
Lodric Aegilson: Human Warrior – Butcher, gentle giant.
Jharik Vaag – roguish fisherman – Half-Elf
Jermaine – “sickly” human – arcane minded, leaning wizard.
Veela Casanen blacksmith priest of Abarin

Posted Submissions
Crisischild – hunter w/dog
Brathas – stonemason – warrior bard
Daniel Stewart traveling dwarven Tinker

But most importantly I wanted to ask you about the ruleset you are planning to use. I understand it will be PF1e, but will you be placing any limitations on stuff like Traits and Feats? Spoiler alert - I hope you do as I am personally looking for a 'Core only' PF1 game as much as possible.

Let me know! That way we can align expectations.

Yes, Core only races and Non-unchained classes. We won't be doing traits (unless I give them as a flair to the NPC class) or elephant in the room, or background skills.

I know I have seen a few racial mods on some of the descriptions so far. I am thinking on what I am wanting to do with those. I know I saw Lodric take a human racial variant. I do like the tie in with the backstory. It also isn't a min/max switch. With a classic dungeon campaign there are going to be poisons that will make that -2 not so fun. That being said, I am not stamping the seal of approval on anything as of yet outside of me loving these classes.

For now, plan 100% core only.

Everyone Wow, these are all amazing. I am really enjoying where this group could go. Shadowed Keep for sure, but I am really seeing the characters as who they are beforehand. And how they will be when they... if they return.

If you make an alias for you character please make sure I see them and have them posted on my list at the bottom.

Scranford I understand. Thank you for the well wishes!

Lodric looks good. I am not sure who Zhang Fei is BUT I had this image of Tong from Raya the Last Dragon in my mind as I read this. I know he doesn’t have it, but I feel like he needs a bonus +1 rank to diplomacy to go along with his big heart and make it in class.

Reldek if you are wanting an NPC class that is leaning towards a caster Adept is an easy choice. But I do also like your idea of the fisherman. If you were to go down that road I think you should have proficiency with the Net. I know that is a strong bonus to an NPC class, but I think the limitations of the net make it balanced.

Crisischild a dog as an animal companion seems to be awfully strong. But, I think we can come up with something that would make it balanced. Maybe not fully an animal companion, but not exactly a purchased pet. Let me roll it around a bit.

Albion you never do know if your level 1 character will survive, especially an NPC level 1.

Aldizog two mountains of men so far. What’s in the mill water? I like the background. Finesse is usually overlooked on men so big. Looking at your stats, would still be a mountain of a man. What if you moved that +2 human to Cha to help boost that aspect of the character? Food for thought.

Ridge I love it. Save all of this in a spoiler on your character sheet. I think if you were to go with the brainy expert you should pick a couple adept 0-level spells out that he would have. Less as something he knows and prepare, but as a magical inclination that he does unknowingly. They would be spontaneous at will. Thoughts?

Daniel I like it. Since Scarnford is bowing out I would be okay having your dwarf be the lone out of towner. Being as close as they are to Languard they get news from the major city, but your dwarf would bring the news from beyond the Salt Marsh and the Hard Bay. I can see the children rushing your wagon as you roll into town asking for stories of the Forest of the Gray Spires. All the while the adults are shooing them away with the real needs of the community.

ElbowtotheFace, Billybrainpan, Malinor, Oceanshieldwolf as you begin to piece your character together have them posted in here.

Alias Submissions
Lodric Aegilson: Human Warrior – Butcher, gentle giant.

Posted Submissions
Reldek – roguish fisherman
Crisischild – hunter w/dog
Brathas – stonemason – warrior bard
Jermaine – “sickly” human – arcane minded, leaning wizard.
Daniel Stewart traveling dwarven Tinker

scranford I am so sorry. This is PF1e, I missed that in the OP. I unfortunately cannot go back and edit it. I like the concept that is forming. What is he laying low from? Landguard is the capital, a lot to be hiding from within there. Let me know what you are thinking and I could give you a dat more information that most people from Pebble Mill wouldn't know.

Everyone If Scranford goes with something that makes him an outsider completely I would like everyone else to be in the community. They could be from the countryside or within the hamlet proper, but if everyone could be from the community that would be great.

Oceanshieldwolf Exactly. Doing a little massaging of the NPC classes to help fit the character. Maybe a warrior dropping the feat for the Adept’s 1st level spell. We can work it out case by case. As far as classes go I am good with any of the core Pathfinder classes being allowed. The description from the player is just for the flavor in the world. Barbarians and Sorcerers would fall in the same avenue as druids. Primal, uncivilized, mystical. Fitting them in would be okay.

Plastic Dragon Thank you for your blessing! I never want to step on toes.

Reldek Thank you! I figured that since most people don’t have the source books from Raging Swan Press that I should come up with something for you all. The stats can help with creation. Thoughts on being middle age and gaining the bonus to Int/Wis/Cha at the sacrifice to Str/Dex/Con?

Ridge the rolls are with you. for now…

Thank you all for the interest so far. If you have any creation questions, or want to workshop something let me know.

I have been stalking in the shadows, reading different games and watching the recruitments for the perfect game and I saw it. Plastic Dragon was looking to run Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands from Raging Swan Press. As a fan and supporter of RSP I knew it was time to dive in. Unfortunately, the game took a hard turn when Plastic Dragon decided to run a different equally great game.

Here we are. After years of absence due to family health issues, a new job and a move, I would love to be giving the opportunity to run a game on the boards once again.

Take a moment and read through this Player’s Guide. It will give you an idea of the races in Ashlar, the classes available, and both roles in Ashlar. You will see in the “Adventurers in Ashlar” section that most people are normal folk. I would like you to start with a few dice rolls, 4d6 drop the lowest, to help you come up with a character.

I’ve always enjoyed playing and running a game where the PCs are just common folk that become something bigger (think the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, Etc…). Level 1 will be a NPC level, but we can customize it to fit the character.

Like I said, the game will take place in the Duchy of Ashlar, and you will be from the small hamlet of Pebble Mill. The details of that are also in the Player’s Guide. Who is your character in this village of 41, you know everyone and they know you. What is their role and purpose in this hamlet? Many live in the countryside around Pebble Mill proper off the map, which would work for your characters. I like characters of all ages, feel free to be young or old. We can work that into creation and statistics.

The only church in Pebble Hill is one dedicated to Abarin, HERE is where you can find all the common deities & demons in Ashlar.

TLDR (Hopefully you did)
-Role stats: 4d6 drop the lowest
-Create a concept & character
-Let’s customize an NPC class around that
-I am looking for 6 player characters that will start this game, whose goal is to have fun, post regularly with a “yes and” mentality, and to share in this storytelling experience.

Recruitment Deadline: November 7th

Good luck, I look forward to reading your submissions.