Age of Worms Character Background 3: Dram Cicaeda

[Erik Mona]

Dram Cicaeda (Kyle Hunter)

Life in Diamond Lake’s garrison seemed interesting to you as a child, when the soldiers seemed strong and brave and the world was filled with adventure. Now that you’re getting a little older, you look at the village like a squalid smudge on a map. Sure, it can be exciting from time to time, but lately you’ve found yourself making up reasons to leave.

Your father came to the garrison when you were only 2 years old, after a falling out with the Cartographer’s Guild in the city of Greyhawk. He never speaks about the affair, and has discouraged you from ever visiting the metropolis of wizards and thieves for as long as you can remember.

Although he is a civilian, his offices are housed within the garrison because the scheming, manipulative mining managers are extremely territorial; outright conflicts between them over who owns which parcels of local land have exploded in number over the last decade, and it’s all your father can do to stay on top of the issue. He is a well respected man in town, for to cross Cicaeda the Cartographer is to bring down the wrath of Garrison Commander Tolliver Trask, Governor-Mayor Lanod Neff, and possibly even more powerful allies in the City of Greyhawk.

For the last several years, you’ve been passing your time training to be a scout with Merris Sandovar, the garrison’s chief scout. He views you as a promising student, but you secretly wonder if you’re not actually better at scouting than he is. You’re certainly faster.

Last week, you ran into a mysterious, alluring human woman you once drank with over two years ago. You didn’t even remember her name, but she seemed to remember everything about you, including the fact that your father was the village’s chief cartographer. She once again introduced herself as Tyralandi Scrimm, and her story provided you with the perfect opportunity to make your life more interesting—and possibly fill your pockets as well.

Rumors around Diamond Lake speak of a trio of adventurers from Greyhawk. They’ve been spending a lot of time in the village’s watering holes, proclaiming to all their intention to explore an ancient tomb on the lake’s northeast shore called the Stirgenest Cairn. Tyralandi assures you that their plan will fail, since she’s been to the Stirgenest Cairn and found it raped of its treasures centuries ago, just like all of the other empty tombs in the Cairn Hills.

But Tyralandi seems convinced that at least one of the local cairns has not been explored in recent times, and might yet contain fabulous treasures. You agreed to look through your father’s maps, and you’re now certain that she may be right.

A 70-year old map, drawn in the shaky hand of your father’s predecessor, marks a tomb labeled “Whispering Cairn” on a map of a small parcel of land about an hour from the village. According to some other records found in your father’s office, the mine about a mile from the cairn ran dry some 50 years ago, and the land was abandoned by its owner, a mine manager named Ulgo Fant who died a pauper some 10 years ago, leaving no heirs. As far as you can tell, that means the area is a sort of no-man’s land, so it shouldn’t be any trouble to sneak in and explore the cairn.

Tyralandi asked you to assemble a small group of like-minded explorers who might be interested in exploring the cairn, and who could be relied upon for discretion. You’ve invited three acquaintances: Abelard Volker, a soft-spoken young warrior from the garrison’s chapel of Heironeous, god of honor; DaeJin Moon, a half-elf ranger friend of Merris Sandovar from his woodsman days; and Gar Blitzhame, your favorite dwarven drinking partner. As you understand it, some of them have invited friends of their own. That probably won’t thrill Tyralandi, but that’s her problem, not yours.

The final meeting is set for this morning, at an abandoned outbuilding near Ulgo Fant’s tapped-out mine. There you’ll meet your new companions and set out for a life of excitement and adventure.

--Erik Mona

[The Snorting Tip-sniffer]

Glad I re-found this post. Consider it bookmarked.
It's that time of the campaign, when the PCs are high enough level to be considered household names, and the question of cohorts comes up.

I'm on record as really hating the official Leadership rules (especially the bizarre situation of giving the party MORE xp for bringing twice as many bodies to an encounter, but I digress), believing such things are better handled in-character, in-game.
As such, I'll be adding friendly NPCs as mentors, contacts, cohorts and henchmen when I deem it appropriate, at no feat tax to the PCs.

Dram seems to me to be a great fit for my party, who already include two members of the Garrison, one of whom is another scout, so they may already be on nodding terms.

The mysterious scandal that sent his father from the capital to the squalid Diamond Lake is ripe for expansion.
Spoiler Alert:

Spoiler:

I think I'll have Zyrxog's crew be responsible for his dishonour, having stolen valuable maps of the Cairn Hills area, on behalf of the Ebon Triad, and their search for the birthing pool of the Ebon Aspect.

The PCs managed to salvage some of Zyrxog's paperwork (shooting a guy trying to feed the blood-stained evidence to the octopus), but had to watch impotently from inside a Rope Trick, while the drow ran through the planning room, bagging the rest.
Some of their haul can include maps in Cicaeda's hand, or stamped as belonging to him. They already know the whole government of the city is riddled with agents of every apocalyptic cult around, so have an incentive to return to Diamond Lake, to return these maps to the Cartographer personally, which could help him clear his name.

To tweak this further to events in my own campaign, the portion of the intro where he becomes aware of the Whispering Cairn, can be altered to...

Last month, you ran into a mysterious, alluring human woman you once drank with over two years ago. You didn’t remember her name, but she seemed to remember everything about you, including the fact that your father was the village’s chief cartographer.
She once again introduced herself as Marzena, and her story provided you with the perfect opportunity to make your life more interesting—and possibly fill your pockets as well.
Your fellow soldiers had told you of having had several run-ins with a trio of adventurers from Greyhawk. They’d been spending a lot of time in the village’s watering holes, making an absolute pain of themselves, with their superior attitude, and instigating wrestling matches which many suspect to be magically fixed.
Marzena told you their true reason for being in town was to explore an ancient tomb, whose location they had yet to discover. As a representative of The Green Lady, she would rather this tomb remain undisturbed. "The treasures of Diamond Lake belong to the dead of Diamond Lake. Not to robbers from that city of thieves.".
She suggested she would be very grateful if their plans failed; if maybe someone with local knowledge were to direct them to enter the Stirgenest Cairn? You laughed at the prospect of the smug, nancified city-folk being drilled for their blood by those ravenous pests, and agreed to lead them astray, for the sheer fun of it, knowing you would be back out in the wilds before they realised they had been conned.
Marzena assured you that this would earn you her gratitude, and respect from several important folk of the town.

After doing the deed, you quickly left town for a tour of the Cairn Hills, returning to find the town in uproar. Dourstone Mine was in new hands, its former owner dragged to the Free City, and said to have been sentenced to swing from a rope.
In the Quartermaster's store at the Garrison, an unexpected parcel was waiting for you, containing a shirt of the finest mail, and a cryptic note of thanks.

A mule in a belt, came out in great welts.
A chicken in red, was pecked on the head.
A rat from the Guild, with blood was un-filled.

So, here is a shirt of renown,
To go under your tabard and gown,
From the Smartest man in your town.