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Alaina, Cel, Henri, Xizoh:
Laurett and Smitty greet Alaina and Cel and see they get a hearty meal of eggs, bacon, and bread before the group leaves. The morning is bright and sunny. A bitterly cold wind blows from the mountains to the south, making swirls of fresh snow in the road. If they look down the road to the north they see a glitter of metal through trees and hear distant sounds of shouting and marching. Around and inside the Southtown military building they notice dwarves and humans milling around wearing matching uniforms lined with grey fur in addition to the usual Southtown troops. In the waiting room, Private Zahan has resumed his post outside the door of the captain and Silo’s office. The group sees Dara and Dulae waiting there with a human they don’t recognize, who quickly takes his leave.
Alaina and Henri:
You recognize the newcomers in the barracks are wearing City of Iron Guard uniforms. Dara, Dulae:
Alaina, Cel, Henri, and Xizoh arrive from the tavern. Before Private Zahan can speak, Kieran nods to Dara and Dulae and quietly ducks out of the room. “Good to see you all back again,” Zahan smiles before knocking on the office door and stepping inside. A few seconds later he steps back out and holds the door open. “Captain Vazquez will see you now.” Inside the office, the party sees Kolda and Narwita back safely from the mountain filing paperwork alongside Blaine at one of the apprentices’ otherwise empty desks. Kolda grins at them sheepishly and Narwita makes as gesture of approval as they enter. Blaine looks up briefly, then continues with his work. Silo and Lieutenant Buhari carry six bundles covered loosely in practical burlap from Silo’s office, set the parcels on the front desk, and turn to face the party. Silo looks enthusiastically pleased and Buhari nods at them warmly. Captain Vazquez places six small leather pouches on front desk and takes a few steps toward them with a stiff limp. “Thank you, Private Zahan,” she says, nodding her consent for him to remain inside the office. The captain waits for the party to file into the room and stand somewhere they can see, and clears her throat. “We owe you all a great debt of thanks,” she says sincerely. “There’s no telling what could have happened to the town, to the country, without your actions yesterday. I wanted to give you each a token of thanks on behalf of all of us.” Captain Vazquez pulls the covering off a well-crafted wooden shortbow. “For Corporal Shadeshard, to aid in her future missions.” The captain hands Dara the bow and a small leather pouch. “Quartermaster Balewa has also offered to supply you with some enchanted arrows. You can find him in the armory.” Dara:
Dara thinks this is a magical bow that would outperform the one she currently uses. The leather pouch contains 30 platinum pieces.
The captain next reveals the bulkiest item, a shining mithril breastplate and matching bastard sword. “For retired Sergeant Toema, faithful servant of Altiendel and Altien.” The captain also offers Dulae a small leather pouch. Dulae:
Dulae thinks this is a magical weapon. The leather pouch contains 30 platinum pieces. Captain Vazquez nods to Silo, who picks up one of the small leather pouches and hands it to Alaina. “My gift to you, Ms. Steele, will be to enchant that beautiful shield of yours, if you will allow me.” Alaina:
The leather pouch contains 30 platinum pieces. The captain picks up a smaller, dense-looking bundle, looks inside, then says, “For Ms. Marchand. A gift from our Abbhen emissaries.” The captain carefully hands Henri a revolver that looks just like the one Blaine carried that she had admired, then a small leather pouch. Henri:
If Henri looks at Blaine she sees he is watching her with interest. The leather pouch contains 30 platinum pieces. Captain Vazquez reaches down for a small burlap bundle and says, “For Mr. Shadelock, from Marna and Marion. It is called ‘the gift of life’, although you would have to ask them how to use it.” She hands him an amulet of obsidian etched with runes of shimmering gold and a small leather pouch. Xizoh:
Xizoh is not sure what the amulet is, but he immediately feels a connection to it. The thinks Marna or Marion would certainly know, and perhaps Oranis would. The leather pouch contains 30 platinum pieces. Taking hold of the last, lightest, and smallest bundle, Captain Vazquez says, “For Mr. Runil, someone who found his courage and presence of mind even in the face of terrible danger, a headband of wisdom.” She hands Cel a fine-looking bronze headband decorated with an intricate pattern of fine green etchings and a small lather pouch. “This headband is coveted by mages around the world,” says Buhari. “A great honor.” With all the parcels handed out, Captain Vazquez says, “We can only hope to have the courage and strength you showed yesterday in facing the shadow that has fallen over the north. Our deepest thanks. Anything else you need, please name it.” Perception DC 20:
Blaine mutters, “The whole continent,” under his breath after Captain Vazquez mentions a shadow over the north of Altiendel. Buhari, Silo, Narwita, Kolda, and the captain all come forward to shake hands with each of the party members, imparting their gratitude. Blaine smirks at this informal ceremony from his spot at the desk. “Yours is a princely gift,” Silo tells Cel in a slightly lower but still audible voice. “But I figured you might want something more to your strengths.” He offers Cel a dark leather pouch. “This was made by a great wind mage with magic much like yours. I’m not sure what it does exactly, but it’s much better off with you than gathering dust with me.” He winks at Cel. “I’d thank you not to try it indoors,” Captain Vazquez says curtly. Cel:
Inside the dark leather pouch Silo gave him is a light blue stone amulet with a pattern carved into it that reminds Cel of wind. He’s never seen anything like it before but he feels like it’s meant for him. Inside the leather pouch the captain gave him is 30 platinum pieces.
“Ms. Steele,” Silo turns to Alaina. “I believe I owe you a location spell.”
After their encounter with the skeletons, anyone who takes stock of the party's injuries sees that Xizoh is bleeding from a wound in his side, Dara is bleeding from a wound to her shoulder, Henri has a light cut on her arm, and the front of Dulae's armor is crushed in a way that certainly left a mark.
I am exceedingly glad to hear from you, Henri. I'm sorry that life got sh!tty and very happy you're doing better. Enthusiastic yes from me - I think with this crowd I could field 6 PCs. I'll be thinking more on it during the long flight tomorrow.
Duly noted Henri, thanks. (More on this in a bit.)
Now that we're back in town I thought it might be helpful to give a quick review of NPCs that at least one PC has met or seen since it's been awhile out of game (since late June). (Apologies if I'm forgetting anyone.) ----------------- Wolf and Bear - Innkeeper - Laurett
Mountain Lute - Jack (two patrons, voice in the kitchen)
General Store - Risa Altien’s church - Marion Apothecary - Marna Military - The Captain Vazquez
Military - apprentice Hiyun (was very angry at Cel's disturbance)
Military - Quartermaster Balewa
Other civilian search party - Harlan (civilian sorcerer)
Archeologists (noted in the journal)
Cel and anyone who watches the birds for more than a few minutes sees that their flight radius is fairly wide. The winding tracks are visible for about 60 feet above the trail before they're lost to view over a ridge. If the tracks continue on in the same direction, it looks like they would intersect with the wide area the crows are circling over. It's difficult to tell from the fleeting glimpses between the trees where exactly the center of that area would be.
Okay, here is a semi-thorough crunch check, part 1 of 5. @All: Hit points rule is max HP at first level and half of expected value for each subsequent level (rounding down). @Xizoh: Double check your stats for me? What you have is perfectly legal, but I think you could have some higher numbers and also be legal (i.e. 14, 14, 14, 12, 12, 11, then boost one of the 14s to 16) Speed as written (40) is 10 too fast. Xizoh gets +10 speed from a class, but -10 for using medium armor. (Also I think you might get better medium armor for your money, like breastplate, or maybe use a chain shirt instead which you let you keep the 40 speed.) To make sure we’re on the same page, I want to point out that your heal traits don’t stack. As written, you’d get +2 to stabilize a dying creature and a +1 to general heal checks. Looks like your eidolon gets 3 evolution points, but I don’t see what you’ve chosen (apologies if I missed this somewhere). You do get +6 background skill ranks from the unchained rules, but it looks like you’ve taken +2 in ‘adventuring’ skills. You should shift 2 skill ranks from adventuring to background. Your hit points are 3 too low. (10 for bloodrager level 1, 5.5 for bloodrager level 2, 4.5 for summoner level 3, +6 from constitution over 3 levels ) Your spiked chain should have +4 attack with your strength modifier (this will go up to +5 if you re-configure your stats to take 16 strength) I see you chose Aklo for a second language, which is legal, but you may want to consider having picked up Draconic from from Xizoh’s fetchling family. That’d have greater potential to be useful and is still consistent with the overlapping fetchling/elf languages. Looking at your bonuses, I think you took the focus heal skill as your half-elf skill focus feat? If so, please jot that down under feats. Also, 104 lbs at 5’6’’ gives Xizoh a BMI of 16.8. Should I be concerned Xizoh is getting enough to eat? =) EDIT: You're also probably going to want a cold weather outfit. All else looks good to me so far! Here’s a request that might be a bit of extra work (so feel free to say no): can you make me a standalone quick reference of your combat related crunch when you are blood raging?
Magehunter paladins and powerful clerics enforce the Light’s holy rule for the good of all in Altiendel, while advanced metalwork and techology drive a capitalist empire of travel and trade in secular, magic-wary Abbhen.
Hi there everybody, I’m new to the forums, but I’ve been getting excited about playing out this setting idea using Pathfinder rules in a PbP game and I’d like to see what you think. The setting focuses on two kingdoms that have manipulated spellcasters who wield powerful magics (think level 6 spells and above) to either serve the government or be cast out (or worse, it is implied). Knowledge of arcane spells and rituals of prayer is heavily restricted across the two kingdoms by Altiendel’s government, and the people in neighboring Abbhen are distrustful of magic and rely on their metalwork technology. In this campaign, characters would be interacting with this world of regulated magic through the lens of a mystery and some extraordinary events. This campaign is intended to explore the adventures and experiences of people closer to the bottom of the social hierarchy than the top (i.e. they will not be the most skilled, famous, or revered group/people around). The first arc would be based largely in Southtown (see cartoonish map). Being so close to the border, the party would likely have representation from both magical Altiendel and industrial Abbhen backgrounds. The world-consistent restriction on spellcasting classes will also force teamwork and party creativity in dealing with obstacles and encounters. If you’re into world building, some details are below. The first campaign arc wouldn’t dive into this content much, but it is a good summary of common knowledge for the time and place. Any questions or thoughts would be very welcome! If there was enough interest to field a party of 3 (2 + 1 already interested) then I’d consider officially recruiting and giving more details for character creation. The first arc would be fairly short, maybe 6 months to play out. (Keep in mind this would be my first time GMing a game using PbP, so you’d probably have to bear with me a bit.) Character creation:
A cartoonish map:
A brief history:
About 300 years ago, the War of Mages raged between the kingdoms of Altiendel and Abbhen. Each country points to the other as the aggressor. Abbhen felt threatened by Altiendel's hoarding of powerful magics and spellcasters in the secretive University founded by the elves. Spurred by advances in metalworking and manufacturing made by the dwarves under the Abbhen mountains, Abbhen built a formidable army with advanced metal swords, armor, guns, cannons, and even ships to complement its own ranks of casters. Like a match to kindling, the war is said to have begun when a border patrol was mistaken for a raid in the Abbhen mountains. The war lasted five long years -- battles ranged over rivers, throughout the Altien Bay, and in cities and towns largely on Altiendel soil. Many lives were lost. Near the end of the war, the Abbhen general Halkion, a human who preached that great magics combined with Abbhen technology would prevail, led a large force through the mountain pass at the same time a decoy force attacked the Shining City of Altien in the north. Her forces were met in the pass by a large contingent of the Altienden army led by the charismatic human sorcerer Lyladan. These armies fought on the slopes of the towering mountain Oranis for three days and three nights, when there was a sudden, cataclysmic avalanche. There was a great loss of life on both sides; Lyladan and Halkion were among the buried. After the disaster on Mount Oranis, the fighting quickly decayed to skirmishes and light raids. Shortly after, the two kingdoms negotiated a cease fire. Ever since, the kingdom of Abbhen has abandoned Halkion’s teachings and proclaimed itself free of the corruption of magic. Only a few trusted types, such as healing, are widely practiced, and some Abbhen citizens openly abhor magic in all forms. The Abbhens continue to cautiously guard their northern border to this day. After about 50 years of ceasefire had passed, historians in Altiendel claimed victory. In their view, the hostile raids initiated by their southern neighbors were unsuccessful. Altiendens now tend to dismiss southern technologies as inferior to the Light-blessed gift of magic. The Kingdom of Altiendel:
Citizens are proud and honored to serve the Altien, God of Light. There is no higher calling than to commit one’s life to service in her name as a cleric or paladin of the Light. Highly skilled wizards and alchemists are also revered as academic scholars. Lesser magics are common, but the secrets of great magics and holy rituals are highly guarded in the University at Novadena and the Great Temple of Altien in the Shining City. Innately talented sorcerers also find praise and prestige by committing their lives to the Light. Both elves and humans seem to coexist peacefully under their 200-year-old half-human, half-elf lady king, Ellenorah. In addition to their advanced magics, the people of Altiendel are known for their optimism and hospitality, although their military is rather booming for a time of peace and prosperity. Most have heard the ill-kept secret that an elite rank of paladins, the Order of Reclamation, will come to collect anyone who is suspected of performing high magics without authorization. Performing black magic like necromancy at any level is well known to be a swift death sentence.
Cities of Altiendel:
The Shining City of Altien - The capital city of Altiendel is the seat of power for both the high court of the kingdom and the clerics of the Light in their Great Temple. It shines under the sun, moon, and stars with large holy symbols carefully gilded on every building, wall, and street. Roughly half of the residents of Shining City worship Altien regularly at the temple, and most would agree they feel touched by her blessing. A very large portion of Altiendel’s trade comes through the Shining City, so the market on either side of the river is always overflowing and docking a boat on the river near the market costs a handsome sum. Novadena - The grand University is the jewel of Altiendel, producing wizards and alchemists of the finest quality to serve the Light. These skilled scholars and academics tend to be highly specialized in one particular area or field of study. The hundreds of wizards and alchemists in residence at the University are welcome to offer services of lesser magics to the public for a heavily taxed fee. Novadena itself is a bustling city that benefits greatly from the influx of visitors that gather for this exchange of magical goods and services. Teresct - The Great Hall of the paladins of the Light sits atop a large hill, where they can observe all of Altiendel from the ocean coast far to the west down to the Abbhen mountains in the south. Although paladins of the Light are often on assignment dutifully guarding the kingdom’s citizens from invaders, rogues, and monsters, the Great Hall is generally bustling with resident paladins and visitors. Folks flock from all over the kingdom to make requests and lodge complaints with these peacekeepers, including pleas for friends and relatives that have been locked away for crimes related to performing unauthorized high magics.
The Free Kingdom of Abbhen:
Citizens of Abbhen are proud of their captains of industry. They see themselves as a nation of innovators and claim to produce the finest metalworks in the world. Their technology makes solutions to problems like long distance travel and safe, affordable housing more accessible, even to those of meager means. It is also widely rumored that Abbhen has devised ingenious devices that would neutralize a magical assault. Abbhen is home to dwarves and humans. Although the dwarves keep largely to their dwelling under the mountains, their masters of iron and steel do take human apprentices to further the craft. Metal technology is advanced; Abbhen produces guns, cannons, and very recently, large building structures framed with steel and steam engines that transport goods and passengers across the country. The Abbhenad, the human ruler of Abbhen, incentivizes construction of great works like buildings, bridges, and roads by subsidizing their cost out of the export tax on metalwork goods. He also supports innovation in weaponry by sponsoring a series of annual contests for best sword, armor, gun, long-range cannon, marksmanship, and swordsmanship. All Abbhen citizens may participate to claim handsome prizes. The Abbhenad entrusts most of the work of governing, policing, and training armies to governors that preside over surrounding territories from each of the major cities. The level of military readiness varies greatly from east to west. There is hardly a presence beyond a city guard in Freeport, whereas the City of Iron staffs a particularly heavy guard at the Abbhen-side mouth of the Abbhen mountain pass. Many places in Abbhen, magic is distrusted, feared, even despised. Practical, traditional magics, particularly those that assist with industry production, antimagic enchantments, or healing, are used with caution. Some towns treat spellcasters with great disdain, especially near the mountains. Sometimes discovered high-level spellcasters disappear with a unit of guards, never to be seen again.
The Cities of Abbhen:
The City of Iron - The heart of Abbhen’s production of steel and iron, and famous for being built on a natural antimagic zone. Here you’ll find the Builders Guild, where engineers and makers of all manner of technologies gather to sell ideas and services to the highest bidder. The City of Iron is also home to the Abbhen dwarves, who live in a resplendent, vast cave beneath the mountains near the pass. Outside of the cave, the streets and dwellings are largely modest stone and covered in a grimy layer of soot. The governor herself is currently dwarven, and responsible for a shipping initiative that allowed the city’s iron and steel products to reach nearly anywhere in the world via the vast Abbhen river. Abbhen City - The central Abbhen seat of government, home to the Abbhenad and the Metal Palace. Abben City is also home to the legendary Fighters Guild, where specialists in all manner of traditional weaponry, armor, and tactics gather to train and advertise their services. The Abbhen City wall features enchanted antimagic runes that are maintained by small group of special casters respectfully referred to as the Wardens. There is currently some tension between Abben City and the City of Iron over expensive modifications to Abben City bridges to enable shipping and the first signs of pollution of the Abbhen river from steel production upstream. Sky City - This relatively young city is growing skyward. Using steel from the City of Iron, more than a third of buildings in Sky City are more than three stories tall. With subsidies from the Abbhenad, this provides cheap housing to thousands of Abbhens, who flock to the city to fill demand for labor in textiles, construction, banking, and trade. Sky City is also home to the quickly growing guild of Gunslingers, who are largely excluded by the more traditional Fighters Guild. Of the industrial cities in Abbhen, the air feels most fresh in Sky City. Freeport - Freeport is the major center for trade on the southern part of the continent, including Altiendel. This city features a renowned dockyard equipped to repair ships and outfit them with Abben steel. Freeport is home to the Merchants Guild, which has a large amount of influence over the city, and some say the Abbhenad himself. Freeport also has the most tolerant attitude toward magic of all Abbhen cities. If you’re careful and you know where to look, you might find a trustworthy mages’ speak-easy that leads you to a spell you’re looking for.
Regions outside of the kingdoms: The Freemage Islands - You can find independent wizard, sorcerer, and alchemist guilds scattered among the islands and in the capital, Magehaven. Knowledge of spellcraft is traded more freely here, but with no strong central authority you’re also more likely to run into pirates, bandits, and pickpockets. People speak openly about what they feel is oppression in both kingdoms throughout taverns and coffeehouses, but they are sure to bolt their windows and doors at night. Most establishments hire heavy private security. Pirate’s Port - A sheltered harbor nested in the base of the Abbhen mountains, lined with steep, sheer cliffs and a small harbor opening. This port is well defended -- nearly impossible to take by force, it has remained independent of both kingdoms since the War of Mages. Pirate’s Port is thought to be home to guilds of mercenaries, thieves, and assassins. Here you can find drinking and brawling at all hours of the night and day. And as with just about anything that could conceivably be sold, you can also find high magic spells here, for a hefty price. The Black Forest - In this immense, dense, and untamed forest you might find druids, fey, and all manner of creatures rare to see in the kingdoms. The druids do not care for the regulation of magic and much prefer to commune with nature in the forest. They tend to keep the monsters at bay within their woods and seldom venture outside. In return, they are largely left in peace by both governments. Any mage fleeing punishment for illicit magics in the Black Forest is not likely to find aid or kindness from the druids or other forest inhabitants. North of Altiendel there are warmer climes: swamps, mountains, woods, deserts, great expansive lakes, and idyllic rolling hills where halflings dwell. Most folks refer to halflings, lizardfolk, half-orcs, giants, and other foreign races as from ‘The North’. It is fairly rare to meet to meet foreign races in Altiendel or Abbhen, probably due to the colder climate, but somewhat more likely in Freeport, Pirate’s Port, and the Freemage Islands. Sailors and traders that dock in Freeport also tell tales of a great world beyond the two kingdoms; other continents full of adventure!
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