Prolouge: Dara Shadeshard’s account of Mordhollow:
20 summers ago Dara was assigned to go undercover in a cult enclave in Mordhollow, a small Abbhen town a few days’ ride west of Coal Valley known for its hunters and trappers. Her superiors got wind of the tell-tale signs of cult activity, including disappearances and mutilated animal corpses. There were also reports of strangers flocking to Mordhollow at the unheard of rate of one new face every month, all hired at the same small farm at the edge of town. This was characteristic of people answering the call of the Raven. Dara was developing some expertise in the Cult of Raven under Roland’s direction and they jointly decided she should investigate. Her orders were to observe and report, but not intervene herself unless violence or another catastrophe was imminent.
Dara arrived a few weeks before Midsummer’s Day, when it was starting to be light out most of the time. She found a deceptively large compound that appeared to be a simple, functional farmstead on the surface. A hidden entrance built into the side of the hill below the farmhouse led to an extensive basement where rituals were conducted out of earshot of the townsfolk.
She gave the name Thora Diamondbreaker. When asked what the Raven had shown her to lead her there, she told the cultists she'd been repressed by her family. Her voice had been silenced and her talents ignored. She would make them listen. The cultists began to fill in the details, drawn from their own twisted wishes. Mind control, slavery, other domination over their lives. She agreed, and they welcomed her.
Dara took meals together with the cultists and trained in their ways along with the other newcomers under the direction of the enclave lore master, Gareth Onyxspear, a dwarf ten years older than Dara with a disarming smile. Dara participated in some minor rituals, which were harmless as far as she could tell.
Gareth quickly took particular interest in Dara’s education. After a week, he started to get close during lessons and meals. He began casually wrapping an arm around her, or resting his hand on her arm, then her leg. She caught him looking at her possessively. She noticed he would find excuses to spend time with her, sometimes insisting she needed more guidance listening for the Raven’s call.
Soon after, Dara overheard a conversation between him and his frequent companions. She noted they didn’t take particular trouble to keep quiet.
“I think Thora’s avoiding me,” Gareth complained.
“After all the time you’ve spent on her?” said one of his companions. “Ungrateful b!tch.” “Have you seen anyone else with her?” Gareth asked before they passed into another room and out of earshot.
Gareth became increasingly agitated when Dara didn’t show as much affection as he’d like. She realized she and the mission were in much less danger if she smiled, said sweet things, and tolerated his hands.
The night she left, she was a half mile away into the darkness when she heard a distant howl of “THORA!” echo down the valley, filled with bitter rage.
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The night of the raid on the cult, the enclave at first seems deserted and cleaned out. As she sweeps the place with her partner Korgan, she hears a voice that might be her imagination whisper, “I’ve been waiting for you, Thora…”
Korgan doesn’t hear it, but the voice guides Dara to one of the holding rooms near the basement exit. “I knew you’d come…”
Then they hear the moaning of several starving people locked inside. Dara can’t help but free them. Just as she gets an uneasy, creeping feeling that the holding room is a trap designed for her, they explode.
Dara is pinned under debris, falling into darkness. She hears a familiar voice. There’s a sharp, wet sound, and Korgan screams. Her face is flecked with something warm and wet.
A hand slides over her spattered face. She feels something brush over her lips. “Thora,” the voice whispers. “I forgive you.”
Echoing shouts grow nearer. She feels pressure near a sharp pain in her arm, then everything fades to black.
She wakes up with a mysterious bruise in the shape of a semicircle near her arm wound. It seems insignificant in the wake of Korgan’s death.
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Quote:
Personal Journal of Dara Shadeshard
Fortnight after midsummer,
It's been a week since we were a part of the raid to clear out the latest Raven Enclave. I don't know how, but they were ready for us. We suffered heavy losses and still couldn't find the Enclave leader.
I still can't believe Korgan's gone. The two of us were clearing rooms and came across one of their holding rooms. Those poor people looked like they hadn't been fed in days. Korgan wanted to continue sweeping before releasing them. But I couldn't just leave them there. I convinced him we should get them out of there. I wish I hadn't. The lock was beyond my skill, so Korgan had to do it while I stood watch at the door. Oh Gods, the screams of our comrades while he worked, but I just couldn't leave these people. Korgan got the lock open, but as the prisoners started exiting, they.....
They exploded. All I saw was a flash, heard the thundering boom, then nothing. I awoke to Private Dawson pulling me out of the debris. When I asked about Korgan, he simply shook his head.
I miss him. Both as a friend, and a lover.
Dulae arrives in Southtown on a cold, clear afternoon. Every outward breath makes a crisp cloud that trails behind her as she walks. She crests a small hill and the forest falls away to a flat expanse around Southtown, just north of the base of the mountains.
A soft layer of fresh snow fell that morning, leaving a blindingly bright and sparking carpet of white between her and the town. A dozen travelers moving by foot, horse, or wagon have left a thin brown track that winds softly between the large snowcapped rocks that mark the road.
The Abbhen mountains tower only a few miles away. They span most of the horizon ahead, shining brightly in the afternoon sun. Snow-topped evergreen trees grow thickly at the base of the mountains, dwindling to a few trees about halfway up the peaks. The jagged, rocky shapes of the mountains tops are easy to make out against the sky when Dulae lifts her head from the trail to see them. The sharp peak of Mount Oranis looms above all; the steep, ragged crags in its face highlighted by the fresh snowfall. The winding path of the Abbhen mountain pass emerges just east of the wide base of Mount Oranis, although the trail is hidden by the trees.
The Abbhen river runs swiftly and quietly about a quarter mile east of the road. The road has followed the river from the north, and Dulae has caught glimpses of it through the evergreen trees, growing wider and narrower by turns. Now the evergreen trees are sparse, yielding a good view of the river sinking into a sharp canyon that disappears into the Abbhen mountains.
Southtown sits snugly in the broad field at the base of the mountains, blanketed by snow and surrounded by a dense, green forest. Dulae sees more than a hundred plumes of chimney smoke rising cheerfully above at least as many buildings. As she gets closer, the road parts the structures into two halves, breaking to surround a large square in the center of the town before continuing on toward the mountains.
It doesn’t look like a bonfire has been built in the town square in at least weeks. That strikes Dulae as odd this time of year - winter is nearly here and for a town this size it is usually a weekly practice to have a night bonfire, if not more frequently.
Most buildings are made of wood in a southern-Altiendel style that is rich with Abbhen influences. This is particularly striking in the strong metal fixtures made to support hefty doors that help keep out the cold. On the side of the main road, Dulae spots an apothecary and physician's office, a blacksmith’s forge, an inn with a tavern and stables, a restaurant and tavern, a bakery, a butcher shop, a furrier, a tailor and shoe repair shop, and a large general store advertising magic items and gear for crossing the mountain pass. There seem to be more buildings of a similar wooden style farther away from the road that are either shops or dwellings for one or more families.
On either side of the road closest to the mountains are two large stone buildings. One is clearly a church of Altiendel, framed majestically against the mountains, and the other looks to be the Southtown military headquarters with wooden stables nearby. Both are clearly occupied, with five stone chimneys between them producing smoke. There seems to be a hand-written sign on the door of the military headquarters, but it is difficult to read at a distance.
Dulae notices the furrier and butcher shops both have someone out front nailing boards to the windows. There are about a dozen people out hurrying through the cold, but they don’t seem very friendly. No one makes eye contact with her as they rush by, carrying baskets of supplies and tools. This reminds Dulae of passing two families carting what could have been all their possessions away on the road.
A soothing gong sounds, signaling the end of the school day, and the town’s children emerge from their lessons at the church. They don’t look as rambunctious or jubilant as children normally do at the end of the school day. They keep their heads down and hurry away, some of the older children taking the hands of the younger. Dulae sees a flash of the blue robe of a cleric of Altien at the door before it shuts.
Please describe your appearance on arrival as you role play what you do after arriving.
I am very excited to see what your characters will do! But first we need to settle on them.
A bit of guidance to start: I have yet to see a reason that any of you would do otherwise, but don’t assume that all your encounters will be level-appropriate. I don’t mean the only way to survive is to be the baddest bunch of badasses who ever badassed, but it’s a bad idea to run up to something and swing a sword at it if your character doesn’t know what it is or what it can do.
(Same goes for aggravating NPCs who could one-shot them. There’s not much stopping them if your character gives them a good reason. (I’m looking at you, Thaago.))
Another way to put this: try not to metagame. If the only sane thing your character could do is run away (or not steal from or otherwise antagonize the observant paladin commander) given what they know, that’s probably a really good plan.
In that context (and after I ironically just advised you to not meta-game in game):
You’re probably going to want at least one character who can do ranged damage
A character with speed less than 30 could be more of a downside than you’re accustomed to (which isn’t to say it couldn’t work, just… be aware)
Maybe don’t everybody ignore charisma and social skills (not that I see evidence of this)
It’s generally a good idea to have at least some healing (heal feat, potions, wands, etc)
You know from the intro that your first mission (probably) will be search and rescue, so survival would be good for that
And importantly: you probably won’t be leveling for a long time in real-time, so make sure your character is fun to play now (at third level)
I’d also appreciate if you can incorporate some representation of:
Women (we’re doing pretty well there, go team)
LGBT (we seem to have some representation here too, well done)
People of color (we could use more representation here. Gold star if you get to 40% of the party).
I also encourage you to collaboratively think of ways your characters may already be acquainted by the time they reach Southtown. (Not required, though.)
Please re-post or link to your prospective crunch and backstory here and I encourage fellow players to make suggestions for complementing the group.
Stick to the creation rules and have a great time!
I’ll be lurking to comment or if you have any questions. I expect this to take at least a few days (unless we all happen to have a lot of free time this weekend) and then we will jump right in.
In quiet Southtown, nestled in the foothills of the Abbhen mountains, rumors of strange blue lights and eerie howls in the mountains at night are spreading quickly. Unnatural tendrils of mist creep down from the towering face of Mount Oranis every night, inching toward the tranquil valley before disappearing at sunrise.
A notice has been posted within a few towns offering 200 gp per day to capable adventurers for aiding in a mountain-wide search and rescue mission to locate a missing unit of Altiendel soldiers. Anyone interested should report to the Altiendel military outpost in Southtown.
Southtown is currently also widely rumored to be the site of a recent governmental archeology project led by elite University wizard Silo Fairhurst, famous for his breakthrough research on location magic.
A short campaign of exploration, adventure, and some horror.
Hi all!
I am recruiting four players to join one committed player for a Pathfinder homebrew. Some details on the world and instructions to apply are below (in subsequent posts).
First, some general points:
1. Immersive reporting for GM-rolled checks:
Immersive style GM reporting: I don’t plan to show results for roles I make (or even that a roll has been made) for PCs or NPCs, except for initiative and attack, where this translates to feedback the characters would experience. Your character would perceive what they perceive, and players won’t get meta-context.
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Example : a human, a dwarf, and an elf walk into a bar dark chamber while exploring ruins
SHOWN (in spoilers):
Kaylee’s eyes don’t adjust well to the dark room. She can make out the faint shadows of the party on the dusty stone floor and a bit of fuzzy gray light ahead that vaguely resembles a doorway roughly 50 feet away. There is a current of air from ahead that feels warm and thick, and carries a musty, unpleasant smell.
Liliyn also sees a faint outline of what looks like debris on the ground ahead.
(Also read Kaylee’s.)
Pedro can make out the outline of the massive rectangular room, spanning 15 feet to either side. His eyes are drawn to a dozen skeletal remains between his party and the door on the other side. All appear to be well armed, wearing rusted armor and expensive fabrics, now ruined. Some have fallen as though they were struck down facing the room ahead, weapons still near their gloved hands. The rest are stretched out as though they died fleeing. The closest rests about 30 feet away, lying with one one arm outstretched toward the group and a grisly expression on its skeletal face.
Pedro also sees a faint sheen of moisture glisten on the walls of the rectangular room. The rear wall looks to be covered almost entirely in moss and vines. He can hear the echo of a faint but distinct dripping, like water into a pool. There is a blueish-gray light ahead flowing from the room ahead or perhaps beyond that is faintly pulsing.
(Also read other spoilers.)
Light from behind gives about 10 feet of dim light, light from ahead offers barely any.
DC to feel/smell breeze: 10
DCs for normal (human) vision and low-light (elf) vision:
DC to spot faintly lit doorway 50 feet away: 10/8
DC to spot the general shape of the skeletons: 15/13
DC to spot skeletons in the darkness: 30
DC to see wet walls in the darkness: 40
DC to hear water: 21
DCs for darkvision (dwarf):
DC to spot faintly lit doorway 50 feet away: 5
DC to spot skeletons in the darkness: 5
DC to see the borders of the room: 10
DC to spot light pulsing: 19
DC to hear/see water: 21
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Summary of GM rolled checks:
Perception - I will roll this anytime a character enters a new room or space, has a different field of view, or something new enters their field of view.
If your character stops to parse for something specific (i.e. runes on a wall, footprints in the snow, signs that someone is following them), that will buy her a +1-to-3 bonus for what she specified, depending on the circumstances and specificity.
If your character gets closer to an object and/or uses a better light source, that counts as changing their field of view, and would be a different roll with a lower check to perceive the details of that object.
Initiative - I will roll this if a PC, NPC, or monster attempts to initiate combat.
Knowledge - I will roll this for PCs for new encounters (with objects, people, noticed runes)
Sense motive - I will roll this automatically during conversations when someone is bluffing or isn’t telling the full truth. If a PC picks up on someone lying, I would not say ‘Kaylee thinks Pedro is being untruthful’, I would role-play ‘Kaylee notices Pedro doesn’t make eye contact and shifts uncomfortably’.
If you have any questions or want to double check you got a bonus or penalty, you’d be welcome to ask in the discussion or out-of-game.
---------------------------------
2. I don’t intend for this to be a very combat heavy arc (i.e. follow carrot to combat, do combat, get loot, follow carrot to next combat, repeat, boss fight).
I’m hoping to provide an engaging structure for role-playing, problem-solving, investigation and exploration.
3. To that effect, I’d ask for no min/maxing. I have great respect for optimizers, but I don’t plan to run that kind of game. Relatedly, spell access is limited in part because I intend for the party to not have much spell access.
4. We’ll be using google docs for maps and supplementary materials.
5. Wall-of-text warning: there will be long descriptive excerpts whenever the party enters a new space or meets someone/something new. (See #1: immersive reporting for GM-rolled checks)
6. This would be my first time GMing a game using PbP (full disclosure).
7. I’d expect a post rate of once per day, with an average of more than 10 posts per week. This will be a long term commitment (I’d estimate about six months). I plan to post twice a day myself, except for some periodic days-long gaps that would be well announced.
8. Having character diversity in terms of gender, people of color, LGBTQ, and other groups underrepresented in fantasy stories is important to me, and I intend to suggest that the party promote balance in their characters that reflects our own world.
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If you’re not 100% down with everything above, then this game probably isn’t a good fit. I appreciate your time all the same.
If you’re still with me, welcome! Please read on to the next post.
In this revised world, powerful magics are highly militarized. Rulers have taken measures to bring any caster who could easily sway the course of a battle under their control or neutralize the threat of magic.
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.
A short campaign of exploration, adventure, and some horror.
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:
For this game, please no primary spellcasters or paladins. It would be very difficult for these classes to be openly adventuring in this setting. (Low-level primary casters with innate powers we could maybe work with, but primary casters using learned or holy magic are pretty much only working for Altiendel or outcast (or dead). For non-primary casters, if you plan to use learned or holy magic, say as a magus, you’d need to explain how you gained experience with your spells.)
The party would start at 3rd level, as competent, trained individuals (treating 1st level as about an apprenticeship in experience).
No stat lower than 10 before racial modifiers. This would be a very heavy role-playing based game, so I’d ask for no min/maxing, please. Generally, the simpler and more versatile the build, the better for our purposes.
No evil alignment in the party, please. (There will likely already be some tension from characters’ backgrounds and countries of origin).
You’d start with 3000 gpc. (I was going to enforce a +10% cost to magical items for the Altiendel magic tax rate, but let’s say that’s absorbed somehow.) Don’t spend more than 25% on any single item, to mimic wealth gradual gains. Note that you’ll be starting in Southtown in winter and venturing up into the mountains. It’s gonn’ be COLD. (You would know the winter climate on the slopes is about Helsinki in February).
Beware, all ye who enter here: you will probably meet unfriendly NPCs that are much higher level than you. It would be most unwise to assume encounters are ‘level appropriate’ for you to start swinging swords. On that note, I might advise that having a usual speed less than 30 could be a much more serious disadvantage than you’re used to…
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!
