So I got my copy of Pathfinder #1 and the Player's Guide in this week. Read the player's guide 1st and decided... hey this looks cool but there's no way I can DM another adventure path right now. I could however play in one.
So that being the case, what is safe for a player to read in Pathfinder #1. Obviously not the adventure but does the Sandpoint article give DM only stuff away? What about the Thassilon article? Monsters are certainly out and the Pathfinder article looks okay for a player.
Opinions? Thanks,
Shade325
So I got my copy of Pathfinder #1 and the Player's Guide in this week. Read the player's guide 1st and decided... hey this looks cool but there's no way I can DM another adventure path right now. I could however play in one.
So that being the case, what is safe for a player to read in Pathfinder #1. Obviously not the adventure but does the Sandpoint article give DM only stuff away? What about the Thassilon article? Monsters are certainly out and the Pathfinder article looks okay for a player.
Opinions? Thanks,
Shade325
Having just finished reading the sandpoint chapter yesterday, I'd say the bulk of the chapter is just fine for a player to read, especially if that player's character is a resident of the city rather than someone who just shows up for the Swallowtail Festival.
Unfortunately, the are certain secrets about sandpoint that players should not find out that are peppered throughout the chapter. So, I'd suggest that if you're planning on being a player, keep the sandpoint chapter sealed.
of course, if you're certain you can keep player knowledge and character knowledge seperate, go a head and read it.
|
It is a shame for a player who has bought it, but probably would not allow them to read any of it. You can probably get away with the Sandpoint chapter, and maybe the Bestiary and Pathfinder Chronicle, but the Thassilon chapter has spoilers for the whole AP in it, plus the PCs shouldn't be alerted to who or what Thassilon is/was.
It is a shame for a player who has bought it, but probably would not allow them to read any of it. You can probably get away with the Sandpoint chapter, and maybe the Bestiary and Pathfinder Chronicle, but the Thassilon chapter has spoilers for the whole AP in it, plus the PCs shouldn't be alerted to who or what Thassilon is/was.
I can see this point, but my wife and I bought this for ourselves, and I read the whole thing. Including the bestiary (for now it will be just come across as cool pictures), I just told her that only the adventure itself was off limits. She'll be playing residents of Sandpoint, so I'm not bothered by the minor spoilers there. Regarding Thassilon, it's such a basic overview, and I simply told her that her characters are oblivious to this info, that I'm not worried about spoilers. I have yet to see her metagame.
In some of my old groups, there'd be the metagamers and cheaters, and under those conditions I'd restrict info big time (but they'd probably go online and find out everything anyway). I'd say, go with your gut if you know your players can handle the truth or not.
Creative Director
|
Pathfinder isn't intended to be a player product. Now and then, articles that players can make use of (particularly the deity articles we'll be doing 4 times a year) will show up, and we do try to keep the adventure spoilers out of the city/region backdrops (that's sometimes impossible), though. The Pathfinder Journal is a pretty safe bet for players too. And the bestiary as well, for the most part. But if you're one of those GMs who shrieks at the thought of a player finding out plot elements of a campaign before his character does... well, you know what to do!
Just created an edited version of the Sandpoint guide for my players. I took out the ancient history items, secrets, and not commonly known personal information. It took some time but I plan on making my players be native or at least long time residents. I want them to have a good guide to the town and get enough information to work their characters into it, but leave some information for specific characters or to provide a few suprises and side adventures.
I plan on going through the Bestiary to put together some basic information on local myths/lore to add to it.
Of course, one of the cool things about having a PDF copy is that it's a lot easier to create an edited version of the Sandpoint gazetteer!
Just created an edited version of the Sandpoint guide for my players. I took out the ancient history items, secrets, and not commonly known personal information. It took some time but I plan on making my players be native or at least long time residents. I want them to have a good guide to the town and get enough information to work their characters into it, but leave some information for specific characters or to provide a few suprises and side adventures.
I plan on going through the Bestiary to put together some basic information on local myths/lore to add to it.
i am working on a "player safe" guide to Sandpoint similar to what knightborn did, removing class/level info, ancient history, secrets, etc. Would it be ok to post it here for other DMs when it is finished, or would that violate Paizo's IP?
I created one of those two, except it's radically different since my players are all goblins. (I think personalized hand-outs are worth their weight in gold though, so I might be guilty of occasionally overusing them.)
|
I plan on going through the Bestiary to put together some basic information on local myths/lore to add to it.
yeah, the druid in my party did some stupid things:
Well, there has been no official response for about 2 weeks, so I am going to go ahead and post it. They'll delete it if it is a problem, I suppose.
It is about 8 pages printed. I hope the formatting doesnt get too screwed up by the message boards.
SANDPOINT AT A GLANCE
Small Town conventional (mayor)
GP Limit 800gp
DEMOGRAPHICS
Population 1,240
(90% Human, 3% Halfling, 2% Dwarf, 2% Elf, 1% Half-elf, 1% Gnome, 1% Half-orc)
AUTHORITY FIGURES
Kendra Deverin mayor (female human)
Belor Hemlock, sheriff (human male)
Abstalar Zantus, town priest (male human)
Titus Scarnetti, nobleman (male human)
Ethram Valdemar nobleman (male human);
Lonjiku Kaijitsu, nobleman (male human)
Most of the buildings in Sandpoint are made of wood, with stone foundations and wood shingle roofs. The majority are single-story structures, with a few noted exceptions. The town is often thought of as two districts by the locals. Uptown consists of areas 1–12. Most of these buildings are relatively new, and the streets are open and less crowded. This section of town is also physically above the rest, situated on a level bluff overlooking the southern half of town, which consists of areas 13–46. The majority of the town’s buildings can be found downtown, which grows increasingly crowded as available space is claimed by new arrivals. Downtown is built on a gentle slope that runs from a height of about 60 feet above sea level to the west down to only a few feet above the waterline to the east and south.
Sandpoint Harbor is a fairly deep natural harbor, 30 feet for most of its expanse, with sharply rising slopes near the shore. The languid waters of the Turandarok River wind down from the hinterlands, skirting Devil’s Platter to empty into the harbor — the river is often used to transport lumber harvested far upriver down to the local saw mill. South of town rises another bluff on which Sandpoint’s most affluent landowners have staked their claims. Only a few hundred feet north of town rises an up thrust spur of rocky land topped with a few trees—this is known now as Chopper’s Isle, once the home to Sandpoint’s most notorious criminal. A remote outcropping accessible only by flight or by a skilled climber, locals now believe the isle to be haunted by Chopper’s ghost. Children often dare each other to go out to the isle’s base at low tide and touch the barren cliff face that surrounds it, but no one’s visited the top in years.
The sight that strikes all visitors to Sandpoint at first is the ruins of the Old Light. The original height of this tower is unknown, but those who have studied the ancient architecture of the crumbling remains estimate it might have stood more than 700 feet tall. Today, less than a quarter of that remains. The Old Light rises from sea level and is built into the face of a 120-foot-tall cliff, the tower extending another 50 feet above that level to culminate in ragged ruins. The remaining shell is yet another reminder that neither the Chelaxians nor the Varisians are the first settlers of this land, yet apart from a few badly weathered carvings signifying that the peak of this tower once held a brilliant light, no insight to the tower’s true purpose remains.
1. Sandpoint Cathedral
Easily the largest building in Sandpoint, this impressive cathedral is also the town’s newest structure. Built over the foundations of the previous chapel, Sandpoint Cathedral is not dedicated to the worship of a single deity. Rather, it gathers under its eaves the six most commonly worshiped deities in the region, providing chapels for all of these deities in a communal forum. In a way, Sandpoint Cathedral is six different churches under one impressive roof. Yet even the previous chapel wasn’t the first holy site in this location. The core of both the original chapel and the new cathedral is an open-air courtyard surrounding a set of seven standing stones themselves surrounding a circular stone altar. These stones served the Varisians for centuries as a place of worship where they generally venerated Desna. Varisian oral tradition maintains that the seven stones represent the seven towers of Desna’s otherworldly palace.
The original chapel built here was a collection of six different shrines, each its own building and connected to the others by open-air walkways. Desna’s worship was incorporated into these shrines as part of the peace accord with the local Varisians, but the original builders also incorporated five other deities as well. Four of these (Abadar, Sarenrae, Shelyn, and Gozreh) were patrons of the original founders of the Sandpoint Mercantile Consortium, while the fifth, Erastil, was the most popular among the initial settlers.
When the chapel burnt to the ground five years ago, Mayor Deverin set into motion a bold initiative. Not only would the chapel be rebuilt, but it would be done on a grand scale. A cathedral would be built in place of the chapel, and it would be made of stone and glass. Funding for this project came partially from the founding families, partially from Sandpoint businesses eager to earn favor in the eyes of the gods, and partially from the respective churches. It took years to finish the cathedral, but the end result is truly impressive. To the south, facing Sandpoint’s heart, are the shrines of civilization: Erastil and Abadar. To the west, offering a view of the Old Light and the sea beyond, are the shrines of Shelyn and Gozreh. And to the east, offering a view of the Sandpoint Boneyard and the rising sun, are the shrines of Sarenrae and Desna.
The previous chapel hosted less than a dozen acolytes, led by a well-loved cleric named Ezakien Tobyn, who sadly perished in the fire that claimed the church. The new high-priest of Sandpoint is his most accomplished student, a pleasant man named Abstalar Zantus. Himself a worshiper of Desna, Abstalar is very open about matters of faith and has slipped into the role of adviser for worshipers of other gods of Sandpoint with ease.
2. Sandpoint Boneyard
Set in the shadow of the Sandpoint Cathedral and accessible via a gate to the north or from several doors leading into the cathedral itself, this expansive cemetery overlooks the Turandarok River. Stone vaults owned by affluent members of the town stand near the cemetery’s edges or at its center, while dozens of humble plots, each marked with a simple gravestone, sit amid trees and shrubberies. The boneyard is well-maintained, kept by a man named Naffer Vosk (male human), a deformed smuggler Father Tobyn took pity on after his ship wrecked just north of town a decade ago. Naffer has found redemption in Sarenrae, and despite a twisted spine that, from birth, has given him a sinister lurching gait, he’s one of the town’s most devout citizens. He keeps the boneyard meticulously clean and is also responsible for ringing the church bells every day at dawn, noon, and dusk.
3. The White Deer
A pair of wooden life-sized deer, carved with painstaking care from white birch, stand astride the entrance to this sizable tavern and inn. The White Deer commands an impressive view of the Varisian Gulf to the north. The building is new, recently rebuilt after the previous inn at this location burnt to the ground five years ago in the same fire that destroyed the Sandpoint Chapel. The new building is a grand affair, three stories tall with a stone first floor and wooden upper floors with a dozen large rooms that can accommodate two to three guests each. A somber and quiet Shoanti man named Garridan Viskalai (male human) owns the White Deer and runs the place with the aid of his family and a few local girls. Although his parents were members of the Shriikirri-Quah tribe, they abandoned their ties to settle in Sandpoint. Garridan regrets their choice, but his love for his wife and family keeps him rooted firmly in town. Eager to encourage visitors to stay at his inn, Garridan keeps the prices of his rooms and board low, matching those of the Rusty Dragon (area 37) despite the fact that his accommodations are much cleaner and more spacious. Still, his gruff attitude tends to make his establishment less popular than the Dragon. Garridan is the brother of Sandpoint’s sheriff, Belor Hemlock, although the two of them are in a long-running feud stemming from what Garridan sees as his brother’s complete abandonment of Shoanti tradition.
4. The Way North
As with several other buildings in the vicinity, this one-story structure was recently rebuilt after the Sandpoint Fire. Originally a stable, the building has been converted by its owner, an aged but spry gnome named Veznutt Parooh (male gnome), into a cramped and cluttered library to house his tremendous collection of maps and sea charts. Maps of local regions, from the immediate vicinity up to the whole of Varisia and the Storval Plateau, can be purchased from him for prices ranging from 5 gp to 100 gp, depending on the size and level of detail. When not here crafting copies of old maps, Veznutt can usually be found arguing over history with his best friend Ilsoari at Turandarok Academy (area 27).
5. Jeweler
This squat stone building escaped the fire that ravaged northern Sandpoint, much to the relief of its owner, a wild-haired jeweler named Maver Kesk (male human). Maver retains a half dozen local as guards, but he has a habit of leaving doors and vaults open—a trait his wife Pennae Kesk (female human) often berates him for publicly.
6. Junker’s Edge
Garbage gathered by Gorvi’s boys (see area 7) is routinely dumped over the edge of this cliff to gather on the beach below. Several of the town’s Gozreh worshipers (in particular Hannah Velerin; see area 45) rankle at this practice, but until an equally cost-effective and convenient option is presented, the town council is reticent to change its ways. In any event, the sea generally makes short work of the junk, ensuring it never piles up too high.
7. Gorvi’s Shack
This dilapidated shack is home to one of Sandpoint’s few half-orcs, a fat, heavily tattooed lummox named Gorvi (male half-orc). Despite the ramshackle look of his home, Gorvi’s made quite a pretty penny for himself serving as Sandpoint’s dung sweeper, enough that he employs about two dozen vagrants and curs who would otherwise be causing trouble along the boardwalk, paying them regularly in copper to haul one of his distinctive red wheelbarrows through the streets to collect refuse and garbage. Sandpoint pays him handsomely for his services, a job that no one else really wants but everyone wants to see done. Lately, Gorvi’s been making a menace of himself more than usual, spending evenings down on the boardwalk, harassing ladies, and raising hackles at the Hagfish (area 33). Mayor Kendra has had to ask him to ease up on the drinking and carousing more often lately, but Gorvi has grown content in the belief that he won’t be run out of town as long as he continues to ensure the streets are clean.
8. Sage
The sole occupant of this ancient building is a cantankerous old man named Brodert Quink (male human), a balding expert on Varisian history and engineering. Brodert claims to have spent two decades of his youth studying with dwarven engineers at Janderhoff and three decades as a cataloger at the Great Library of Magnimar, and is continually baffled and enraged that his learning and obvious intelligence haven’t afforded him more prestige. Brodert has been studying ancient Thassilonian ruins for the past several years and has recently become obsessed with the Old Light. No one believes his theories that the tower was once a war machine capable of spewing fire to a range of more than a mile.
9. Locksmith
A flamboyant dwarf named Volioker Briskalberd (male dwarf) has owned and operated Sandpoint’s locksmith business since the town’s founding. Something of an institution, most of the town’s locks were built by Volioker. He’s a tremendous fan of the arts, and never misses a new show at the playhouse.
10. Sandpoint Garrison
This stone fortress serves double duty as Sandpoint’s militia barracks and its jail. The jail itself is located in an underground wing, while the above-ground portion houses the town’s guard. Sandpoint’s town guard consists of a dozen full-time; about twice this many servants and other experts (smiths, cooks, bookkeepers, couriers, and the like) dwell here as well. Guards patrol the city alone; there’s generally not much trouble beyond the odd drunk for them to handle, so usually only three or four are on duty at any one time. Sandpoint also maintains a militia of about3 score able-bodied men and women who are expected to attend training and exercise here at least once a week. This militia can be brought to service in just a few hours. The garrison is currently under the watchful eye of Sheriff Belor Hemlock (male human), a native Shoanti who inherited the post of sheriff when the previous holder, Casp Avertin, was murdered by Chopper. Belor saw the town through that last terrible night and is generally held to be the man who stopped Chopper’s rampage. In the emergency election that followed a week later, the people of Sandpoint officialized his role, and Belor became the first Shoanti sheriff of Sandpoint. Honored and eager to live up to Casp’s legacy, Belor changed his last name to its Chelish translation, from Viskalai to Hemlock, a choice that has endeared him to Sandpoint’s mostly Chelish populace but hasn’t sat well with his brother Garridan (see area 3). Belor’s not-as-secret-as-he’d-like romance with Kaye Tesarani (see area 43) has put further strains on his relationship with his family. The jail below the garrison is generally empty save for a few drunks or small time rogues doing time for some minor crime. Murderers and other hardened criminals generally stay for only a few days before an escort from Magnimar arrives to bring them to the high court for trial in the big city. The garrison’s jailor is a heavily scarred Shoanti brute named Vachedi (male human).
11. Sandpoint Town Hall
The majority of the ground floor of this two-story building consists of a meeting hall large enough to seat most of Sandpoint’s adults, although town meetings have rarely been even half so well attended. The upper floor contains offices and storerooms, while a vault in the basement below has been functioning as the town bank for decades. Plans to build a proper bank have been stalled for various reasons since the town was founded. Sandpoint’s mayor, Kendra Deverin (female human), can often be found in this building, tending to the town’s needs.
12. Savah’s Armory
The northeast corner of this building bears a few scars from the Sandpoint Fire, but fortunately for its owner, Savah Bevaniky (female human), the building escaped significant damage. Savah’s shop sells all manner of weapons and armor, including several masterwork items and exotic weapons like a spiked chain, a dozen masterwork shuriken, and a darkwood and ivory repeating crossbow that bears the name “Vansaya.” She’s not sure what the name means—she bought the weapon from an adventurer on the way to Riddleport a year ago, and the combination of its high price and complexity has ensured its semi-permanent stay in her shop.
13. Risa’s Place
Risa Magravi (female human) operated this tavern for the first 30 years of Sandpoint’s history, and even now that she’s gone mostly blind in her old age and has left the day-to-day affairs of the job to her three children Besk, Lanalee, and Vodger, the mysterious Varisian remains a fixture of the tavern. Known as much for Risa’s tales of ancient legends and myths as for its spiced potatoes and cider, this tavern is a favorite of the locals if only because its out-of-the-way location ensures strangers rarely come by.
14. Rovanky Tannery
Situated at the edge of town, Larz Rovanky (male human) runs Sandpoint’s tannery with ruthless efficiency. He expects perfection from his workers and his products, and as a result often works long hours on his own during the stretches when he’s temporarily fired the help. His leather and fur goods are of high quality, enough so that locals generally don’t mind the extra wait for custom orders while Larz fusses with getting things perfect.
15. Red Dog Smithy
Named for its owner’s affection for large red mastiff s, two to three of which can always be seen lounging about nearby, Red Dog Smithy is owned by a bald and powerfully muscled man named Das Korvut (male human). Das’s temper is, perhaps, his true claim to fame—he has little patience for customers, and even less for everyone else. Sandpoint suffers his foul-mouthed attitude and frequent drunken midnight rants because he really does know his job. And as long as he’s busy hammering metal, he stays relatively calm and confined to his smithy. The local children have recently been circulating a somewhat cruel rhyme about Das that they’ve taken to chanting at hop squares, a rhyme sure to come to an end once the smith hears it. “Here comes crazy-man Das Korvut, Mad as a cut snake in a wagon rut. See how his chops go bouncity-bounce? How many people has he trounced? One! Two! Three! Four...”
16. The Pillbug’s Pantry
Nestled at the base of a cliff and tucked between several old tenements, nothing but a painting of a pill bug perched on a mushroom indicates this building’s anything more than yet another home. The proprietor of this establishment is a short, rotund man named Aliver “Pillbug” Podiker (male human), an accomplished herbalist and gardener of mixed Chelish/Varisian blood.
17. Bottled Solutions
This cluttered alchemist’s shop, owned and run by Nisk Tander (male half-elf ), is filled with shelves upon shelves of bottles, bags, and other alchemical containers, some covered with dust and others so new that the pungent stink of their brewing still fills the air
18. Cracktooth’s Tavern
A particular favorite of patrons of the Sandpoint Theater, Cracktooth’s Tavern is always full after the latest show at the nearby playhouse lets out. A large stage gives actors, singers, and anyone else the opportunity to show their stuff. Every night a crowd of would-be entertainers packs the taproom in the hopes of being discovered. Owner Jesk “Cracktooth” Berinni (male half-orc) might look like a thug, but he’s actually quite well-read and possesses a scathing wit—nights when he takes the stage to deliver his observations on the political situations in Magnimar are quite popular.
19. House of Blue Stones
This long stone building is primarily a single large chamber, the floor decorated with polished blue stones set within winding pathways of reed mats. This structure was built 10 years after Sandpoint was founded by a wandering monk named Enderaki Sorn—today, the monastery is tended by Enderaki’s daughter, Sabyl (female human), her father having passed away seven years ago. A worshiper of Irori, the god of self-perfection and knowledge, Sabyl maintains a large collection of old books and scrolls in the basement chambers below. She opens both the meditation floor and her library to fellow worshipers.
20. Sandpoint Glassworks
One of the oldest industries in Sandpoint, the Glassworks has been owned by the Kaijitsu family from the town’s inception. The glass working trade has been in the family for generations, and many of their techniques—perfected in distant Minkai—result in dazzling and impressive works that fetch top price among the nobles of Magnimar, Korvosa, and beyond
21. Sandpoint Savories
The smells issuing from this bakery fight against the salty tang of the sea every morning except on Sunday. Owned and operated by the Avertin family for the past two decades, Alma Avertin (female human) still hasn’t quite recovered from the brutal death of her son Casp five years ago under Chopper’s blade. Her twin daughters Arika and Aneka (female humans) all but run the business these days.
22. The Curious Goblin
The sign out in front of this shop shows a wide-eyed goblin reading a book nearly as tall as him. Inside, this bookshop is a testament to one man’s obsession with the printed word. Chask Haladan (male human) has maintained his love affair with books for nearly 70 years and shows no sign of giving it up any time soon. His store is surprisingly complete, and while almost all of his wares are far too pricy for any of the locals to shop here with any frequency, a nest egg gathered in his adventurous youth combined with a frugal lifestyle makes the success of his business secondary to his own satisfaction. Several locals, including Brodert Quink (area 8), Sabyl Sorn (area 19), and Ilsorai Gandethus (area 27) can often be found here, either chatting with Chask or sitting in one of several large chairs, reading.
23. Sandpoint Theater
Brand-new cathedrals and ancient ruins aren’t the only incongruities Sandpoint boasts. This massive playhouse, financed entirely by its larger-than-life owner, Cyrdak Drokkus (male human), features one of the most impressive theaters on this side of Varisia—it certainly competes with the playhouses of Magnimar, a fact that Cyrdak takes great pride in, since he was forced to flee that city for mysterious reasons he’s eager to hint at but reticent to expound upon. The Sandpoint Theater often showcases local talent, but it’s the three weekend shows that locals generally look forward to. Cyrdak uses his contacts in Magnimar to great extent, ensuring that the most exciting new productions in the big city are available here as well. Although Cyrdak enjoys flirting with all of Sandpoint’s young women, his romantic relationship with Jasper (area 40) is one of the town’s worst-kept secrets.
24. Carpenter’s Guild
The vast majority of the buildings in Sandpoint were erected by members of the town’s large and eternally-busy Carpenter’s Guild. Currently overseen by Guild master Aesrick Battlehorn (male dwarf ), a dwarf who left his homeland with a near heretical fondness for working with wood rather than stone, the Sandpoint Carpenter’s Guild has recently been accepting a growing number of projects in the outlying farmlands as well as work about town. The guild has been in a minor feud with the Sandpoint Shipyard (area 46) for years, one that most often flares up over which guild has claim to the best lumber from the mill.
25. Sandpoint Lumber Mill
This long building was one of the first to be built when Sandpoint was founded. Owned by the industrious Scarnetti family, daily operation of the mill has recently been left more and more to a penny-pinching businessman named Banny Harker (male human) and his partner Ibor Thorn (male human). Neighbors have been complaining that the two have been running their insidiously noisy log splitter into the wee hours of the night as they rush to keep up with demand in the face of an increased availability of lumber from Magnimar, but Harker’s influence with the Scarnettis has so far kept any mandates against operating the log splitter from coming to pass.
26. General Store
Owned and operated by Ven Vinder (male human) and his family, Sandpoint’s oldest and best-stocked general store has a little bit of everything—farm equipment, weapons, tack, tools, furniture, food, and even homemade pies by Ven’s wife Solsta (female human). Ven even keeps a shocking supply of alcohol in his basement, although a customer has to ask to see the “wine cellar” before Ven’ll admit to his special stock. Ven has a particular fondness for harsh bitter grog and rotgut imported from places as far as the orc city of Urglin. His true pride, though, is his daughters, whom he dotes upon. Lately, he’s been increasingly distracted by what he believes is a budding romance between his daughter Katrine (female human) and that no-good Harker from the lumber mill. Unfortunately, Ven’s obsession with Katrine’s nightlife has rendered him all but blind to the actions of his other daughter Shayliss (female human ), whose reputation as “easy” is growing by the month.
27. Turandarok Academy
As families thronged to Sandpoint, the town founders quickly came to realize that they needed somewhere to handle the education of children, a place to house unfortunate orphans, and somewhere to busy older children to keep them from becoming delinquents. The answer was the Turandarok Academy. Part school, part orphanage, retired adventurer Ilsoari Gandethus (male human ) volunteered to be the academy’s headmaster if he could have the basement of the two-story building to himself. The town agreed, and today, the rooms below the Academy are almost a museum of the strange things and trophies Ilsoari has collected over his years. He keeps these chambers locked, but the children who attend classes on the ground floor and the orphans who live on the upper floor have countless stories about what’s down there, ranging from a goblin farm to a nest of phantom spiders to the Sandpoint Devil itself. Although the contents are much less sinister (Ilsoari is all too happy to show off his collection of exotic weapons, strange maps, and monster trophies to anyone who asks nicely), the old wizard does nothing to dissuade the children’s tales.
28. Madame Mvashti’s House
Although from outside this appears to be an ancient, decrepit manor house with several rooms, only one person lives in this old building—ancient and mysterious Niska Mvashti (female human ). Old even when Sandpoint was founded some 40 years ago, Madame Mvashti (as she prefers to be called) is a Varisian historian and seer, part of a long tradition of oracles in her family. As with many seers, the current age’s unexpected departures from established prophecies have left her with a lifelong sense of brooding worry. She performs most of her readings with cards or carved bones but seems only very rarely to enjoy casting her predictions. Madame Mvashti had long complained that the yearly travels of her extended family hurt her bones, and when Sandpoint was founded, as part of the accord with the Sandpoint Mercantile League, the local Varisians demanded a large manor house be built for their respected elder. Once she passed away, the house was to revert to the town’s property, but Madame Mvashti has proven exceptionally tenacious and long-lived. She survives primarily on support and volunteer help from local Varisians.
29. Grocer’s Hall
This building’s facade is open to the air where it faces the market. During the day, bins and trays and tables here are heaped with produce brought in that morning from the outlying farms. Near the back of the store are tools, seeds, feed, tack, and other supplies useful for farming. The other half of this building is filled with living quarters, meeting halls, file rooms, and storage. Olmur Danvakus (LG male halfling expert 4) took up the post of guild master here after the previous guild master was murdered by Chopper.
30. Vernah’s Fine Clothing
Rynshinn Povalli (female half-elf) has owned and operated this clothing shop for the last five years. The only daughter of a kindly woman named Vernah, Rynshinn never knew her father, Iremiel, only that he was killed by goblins less than a week after she was born. At the time, Vernah’s tempestuous affair with the mysterious elven bard was the talk of the town. Every year on the anniversary of Rynshinn’s birth, a small package of elven coins, medicine, and toys mysteriously appeared somewhere in the upper floors of this building. Vernah always claimed the gifts were placed by Iremiel’s ghost, but locals generally believe the gifts were granted by one of his living relatives. Rynshinn, for her part, holds out against hope that her father somehow survived and that it’s not his ghost but him who leaves these mysterious birthday presents.
Since her mother’s death five years ago during Chopper’s murder spree, Rynshinn has used much of the money from those gifts to expand her mother’s tailoring business, and even founded a guild that brings together dozens of quilters, crafters, sewers, and tailors so they can sell their wares here. A number of Sandpoint’s young men idly court Rynshinn, who many hold to be the town’s most beautiful citizen, but to date, the lonely woman has politely eschewed all possible suitors for reasons she has not shared.
31. Wheen’s Wagons
A lanky man named Bilivar Wheen (male human ) owns this workshop. Bilivar is a down-on-his-luck wheelwright who’s lately been spending more time at various taverns (especially the Hagfish—area 33) than here working—ever since his daughter Tanethia drowned in the Mill Pond last year, his wife Vorah (female human ) has grown more and more shrill and paranoid that her remaining two children’s days are numbered as well. Bilivar’s been heard to mutter about packing up and skipping town to some of his drinking buddies at the Hagfish, but no one thinks he’ll really follow through on this plan.
32. Scarnetti Mill
As with the Sandpoint Lumber Mill, this building is owned by the Scarnettis. All of the flower and grain produced here is supplied by local farmers. Mysterious fires have claimed the Soggy River Mill, the Biston Pond Mill, and most recently the Cougar Creek Mill, leaving this mill the only functioning grain mill in the region. Accusations of Scarnetti-sponsored arson have been flying high, but the manager of this mill, constantly worried and sneezing Courrin Whesterwill (male human ), has gracefully lowered the prices for its use to record lows until the outlying mills can be rebuilt, a gracious move that has alleviated, to some extent, extensive public outcry.
33. The Hagfish
One of Sandpoint’s most popular taverns, especially among fishermen and gamblers, the Hagfish is also Sandpoint’s best bet for a good old-fashioned seafood meal. Owned by a gregarious one-legged man named Jargie Quinn (male human), the Hagfish gets its name from the large glass aquarium that sits behind the bar, the home of a repellent hagfish that Jargie affectionately calls Norah (despite the fact that he’s had “Norah” replaced dozens of times—hagfish don’t live all that long in Quinn’s aquarium). Hanging from a nail next to Norah’s tank is a leather pouch bulging with coins: prize money for anyone who can drink down a single tankard of “water” scooped from Norah’s tank. It’s a single silver coin to try, but the trick is that, since she’s a hagfish, the water in Norah’s tank is thick and horrifically slimy and foul-tasting. Few can stomach the stuff, but those who do get to keep however many coins have accumulated in the pouch, and then get to carve their names in the ceiling beam above the bar. To date, there are only 28 names carved there, and the Hagfish has been in business for nearly 10 years. But there’s certainly more to this tavern than Norah. Jargie’s game tables are always well-attended, with games ranging from cards to checkers to dice to darts. Tall tales are a favorite pastime here, with one popular game called “yarning” involving seeing how long a local can string along an impromptu fable without contradicting himself. The most popular subject of these tales is traditionally Old Murdermaw, the legendary giant red snapper who might or might not dwell in the depths of the Varisian Gulf. Jargie himself is quite an accomplished yarner, with the ever-changing story of how he lost his leg being his favorite starting point for his tales.
34. Valdemar Fish market
Like the Grocer’s Guild across the market, the facade of this long building is open to the air. Here, locals can shop among the day’s catch, picking out cod, salmon, tuna, shellfish, and even the odd octopus for the evening’s meal. Turch Sterglus (male human ), a retired fisherman with a lazy eye and a wild white beard, runs the fish market in a lovably crotchety manner, constantly complaining about the weather or the day’s catch or the antics of local youth, but always packaging his customers’ purchases with a smile and a wink. The fish market itself is owned by the Valdemar family, but most locals act as if the building and business were Turch’s, often tipping the loveable old man a few extra coins. Turch’s five sons, each smarter than the next, have made a career working for their father as fish cleaners, haulers, and even cooks.
35. Sandpoint Market
On most days, Sandpoint’s marketplace is empty save for the odd group of children who enjoy using the wide-open area to play whistle ball or other games. Twice a week, the market fills with vendors. At the start of each week, the farmer’s market radically increases the daily selection of goods available at the Grocer’s Hall, while all day at the end of the week merchants from Magnimar, Galduria, Nybor, Wartle, and beyond take part in the Town Market. Goods purchased at the Town Market adhere to Sandpoint’s 800 gp limit, but prices are generally 75% of the regular asking price.
36. Sandpoint Meat Market
Local butcher Chod Bevuk (male human) runs the Sandpoint Meat Market. Half of this building doubles as a slaughterhouse, with the meat itself put on display for sale in the front half of the market. Most of the meat processed here is from livestock or animals caught by hunters. Chod still claims to this day that he encountered Chopper several days before he was ultimately caught and that the two of them fought, leaving Chod with one less finger, but most locals believe that the wound was self-inflicted in an attempt to get attention. Chod’s penchant for lies and exaggeration in all matters not relating to his business don’t help lend credence to his version of how he lost the little finger of his left hand.
37. The Rusty Dragon
This large structure is Sandpoint’s oldest inn, notable for the impressive (and quite rusty) iron dragon that looms on the building’s roof, doubling as a lightning rod and decoration. Owned and operated for the past six years by the lovely and popular Ameiko Kaijitsu (female human), the Rusty Dragon is not only one of the town’s most popular eateries (made so, in large part, by the spicy and exotic food served here), but also a great place to meet visitors from out of town, since most newcomers to Sandpoint come upon this inn first, the north Lost Coast Road being less traveled. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Ameiko’s exotic beauty is more than matched by her skill at music, and few are the evenings that pass without at least two or three songs by the talented woman. Some bad blood exists between Ameiko and Cyrdak, and one never seems to miss a chance to badmouth the other, but no one in town really understands the reason behind their rivalry. Of greater concern to Ameiko is the long-running feud with her family—leaving town to become an adventurer scandalized her family enough, but when she returned, rich and successful (and with a seemingly endless supply of eccentric hairstyles), with a desire to purchase and renovate Sandpoint’s oldest tavern, her family officially took to shunning her. Ameiko claims not to care, but becomes evasive when anyone asks her why she returned to Sandpoint when she was obviously doing well as an adventurer. Some believe she has a secret lover in town, while others theorize that something happened on her last adventure that took the bravery out of her. In any event, the Rusty Dragon is probably the most adventurer-friendly establishment in town, with its ubiquitous “Help Wanted” board near the bar and Ameiko’s “discount rooms for anyone who tells an exciting adventure story” policy.
38. Goblin Squash Stables
The sign above this door perpetuates one of the greatest fears of the lowly goblin—being trampled underfoot by a horse. Tended by a retired hunter named Daviren Hosk (male human), Daviren’s hatred of goblins is nearly legendary in Sandpoint. In a somewhat grisly display, over the entrance to the stable’s covered barn is his collection of goblin ears: preserved and nailed to three different rafters, each bearing the goblin’s name burned into the leathery flesh—mostly because Daviren knows that writing down a goblin’s name is one of the worst things you can do to desecrate his memory. The bitter man’s pride and joy is a large glass bottle filled with brine in which he’s preserved the body of Chief Whartus of the now extinct Bonegrinder Tribe.
39. Two Knight Brewery
While Sandpoint’s taverns serve a wide variety of spirits, they all proudly serve the mead, ale, and rum brewed here at the Two Knight Brewery. Established almost 40 years ago by two brothers (cousins of Mayor Deverin) only a few years after Sandpoint was founded, their expertise at brewing has only increased over the years. Tragically, Wade Deverin was one of the first of Chopper’s victims, a murder that has shaken his brother Gaven’s (human male) faith. Locals whisper that since Wade’s death, the brew from here simply hasn’t tasted as good, but they would never say something to this effect to Gaven’s face.
40. Sandpoint Mercantile League
This large building serves many purposes. One can book passage on a ship bound for other ports, arrange for caravans or carriages for overland travel, or send messages to folk in town or as far away as Korvosa or even Riddleport. Inquiries into land ownership, building construction, and founding new businesses, both in Sandpoint proper and in the surrounding hinterlands, must begin their processes of official foundation here. Although ownership of the league remains split evenly between Sandpoint’s four noble families, few of them take part anymore in the actual day-to-day business, leaving such matters in the capable hands of Sir Jasper Korvaski (male human). In his younger years, Jasper was a paladin of Abadar, and although he’s long since given up the more dangerous lifestyle of a crusader, he remains loyal and devout. Despite his best efforts, his romance with Cyrdak Drokkus (area 23) has become one of Sandpoint’s worst-kept secrets. The Scarnettis, easily Sandpoint’s most conservative family, find the rumors of this relationship scandalous and offensive, but it’s unclear if they’re more offended by the relationship itself or the fact that the majority of Sandpoint is so accepting of it. In any event, the Scarnettis have been doing their best to make things difficult for Jasper in an attempt to not-so-subtly convince him to move back to Magnimar, but the support of the other three families has, so far, kept the Scarnettis from becoming too obnoxious.
41. Sandpoint Boutique
This large boutique and shop sells all manner of clothing, weapons, toys, artwork, books, and tools imported from throughout the world, although most of the wares here are Varisian in nature. The place is owned by Hayliss Korvaski (female human), who is, like her brother Jasper, a devout worshiper of Abadar. Yet unlike her brother, her temper isn’t braced by a desire to keep everyone happy. Hayliss isn’t afraid of making enemies and wears her disdain for the Scarnettis on her sleeve. She’s even gone as far as sometimes up charging her goods for members of the Scarnetti family, in spite of Mayor Deverin’s repeated requests to keep the peace.
42. Fatman’s Feedbag
If the Hagfish is Sandpoint’s most popular tavern, Fatman’s Feedbag is its most notorious. Owned and operated by an enormous man named Gressel Tenniwar (male human), bar fights are common, and Sheriff Hemlock typically has to come down here two or three times a week to sort them out when they grow particularly violent or loud. The majority of the clientele here are Varisian scoundrels or less-reputable sailors.
43. The Pixie’s Kitten
Many of Sandpoint’s crasser locals have a much more colorful name for this establishment, but Kaye Tesarani (female human) runs the town brothel with class and distinguished grace. She pays her girls and boys quite well, and the three Shoanti bouncers she employs (human male) are more than enough to handle troublemakers. Although prostitution isn’t illegal in Sandpoint, the Scarnettis have long lobbied for it being outlawed, viewing the Kitten as a place where vice and criminal activity can take root.
44. The Feathered Serpent
This cramped and cluttered shop smells of a strange mixture of incense, spice, and dust. Its sole proprietor, Vorvashali Voon (male human), an exotic-looking character with bright blue eyes, long red hair, and almost bronze-colored skin, is gregarious and excited about every customer. Not everything in his shop is for sale, rendering it part museum in its eclectic collection of strange relics, statues, and monument fragments. Vorvashali’s stock changes constantly, as his dozens of contacts from Magnimar come in weekly to buy and trade stock. Adventurers seeking magic items and other tools of the trade can find what they’re looking for here more often than not.
45. Hannah’s
While Abstalar Zantus (area 1) does his best to take care of Sandpoint’s truly sick and needy, he can’t help everyone. For minor aches, pains, and illnesses, most of Sandpoint’s citizens depend on Hannah Velerin (female elf). Hannah spends most of her mornings out in the surrounding wilds, gathering herbs or simply enjoying Gozreh’s bounty. In the afternoons, she returns to her shop and home here to prepare medicines and receive patients. Hannah’s ironically the one to go to when either one wants to end a pregnancy or needs a midwife to aid in a birth; Hannah encourages all of the women she sees to carry to term, and advises the use of pinberry extract to young women as a way to prevent unwanted pregnancies from happening in the first place, but in cases where there’s no other option, her other services are discrete and confidential.
46. Sandpoint Shipyard
The southern facade of this long building is open to Sandpoint Harbor, allowing its small army of shipwrights, rope makers, and sail makers to work their trade in one of four dry docks right on the shore. The shipyard is owned by the Valdemars, with Belven Valdemar (male human), old Ethram’s eldest son, overseeing the constant work here. Belven is a handsome and quite available bachelor, but his dedication to his craft and family have so far left him little time to entertain the dozens of young women who’ve been trying to catch his eye for the past several years.
47. Valdemar Manor
This manor house commands a breathtaking view of the town of Sandpoint and the harbor below, as befits the family most connected to the town’s shipbuilding and fishing industries. The family itself remains under the patriarchal rule of old Ethram Valdemar (male human), the only one of the original members of the Sandpoint Mercantile League still alive. Ethram’s years are numbered, though, for the old man has a lung infection that keeps coming back, no matter how often the family pays to have it cured.
48. Scarnetti Manor
Perhaps Sandpoint’s most notorious noble family, many of Sandpoint’s elderly Varisian locals still haven’t forgotten or forgiven Alamon Scarnetti’s assault on their people more than 40 years ago, even with Alamon 20 years in the ground at the Sandpoint Cemetery. The Scarnetti family, now headed by Alamon’s only surviving son Titus (male human), controls Sandpoint’s mills and the lumber industry. The control of the lumber the Valdemars need for their enterprises is not lost on the Scarnettis, and they use this fact as often as possible to leverage Valdemar support. The Scarnettis are easily Sandpoint’s most traditional family, who cling to old Chelish values that are, in many cases, outdated today.
49. Kaijitsu Manor
This manor is the smallest of the four noble houses overlooking Sandpoint, yet the Kaijitsus are perhaps the richest family in town. What this manor lacks in stature and size it more than makes up for in the exotic and impressive furnishings within. Lonjiku Kaijitsu (human male) has carried on his father’s proud work as glassmaker, and the Sandpoint Glassworks is perhaps the town’s most prosperous business, with its products regularly shipped as far as Korvosa. Lonjiku’s accomplishments are all the more impressive when one takes into account that he and his family are newcomers to Varisia, the survivors of an exiled family from Minkai sent over the crown of the world a half century ago for unknown crimes. Lonjiku was born in Magnimar and has never visited his motherland, but he carries memories of its wonders in the form of stories told to him by his now deceased parents. Yet for all of his success at business, Lonjiku has found the role of father to be one he’s particularly ill-suited for. His eldest son Tsuto, in addition to being proof of his wife’s affair with an unknown elf, left the region several years ago after an argument that resulted in Lonjiku striking his son with his cane. His eldest daughter Ameiko shamed him not only by becoming an adventurer, but by opening and running a tavern and flophouse—“hardly women’s work” he’s fond of telling anyone who’ll listen. Of course, those who know Lonjiku know his short temper is his real problem.
50. Deverin Manor
Living within the largest manor, the Deverins have traditionally held the role of “leader” in Sandpoint. Old Amos Deverin served as the town’s mayor for its first 23 years, and his son Fenchus served for the next 11. Both Deverins perished to unfortunate accidents (Amos to a runaway horse on Festival street and Fenchus to a snakebite while on a boar hunt), leaving Amos’s youngest daughter as the heir to the family fortune and a likely candidate for mayor. Kendra Deverin (NG female human aristocrat 4/expert 3) didn’t initially want the job, but after she was nominated for the role by her close friend Casp Avertin, she won the election by a landslide, something her primary opponent in the election, Titus Scarnetti, has never quite come to terms with. For some time there was talk of her and Casp becoming wife and husband, but Casp’s death at Chopper’s hands cut that short. Kendra’s recovered now from the shock, but has put aside all interest in romance for politics. She shares this manor with her brother’s rather large family, and although her sister-in-law Vana constantly complains about needing even more space and luxuries, Kendra has done a saintly job so far in keeping her temper under control.
|
As far as the Thassilon article go, most of it is spoilers.
Some players might fancy themselves as knowledgeable characters that studied ancien history (taking appropriate knowledge skill ranks and learning a basic form of the Thassilon language, mainly written). So, I've made a player's safe version of that article. I warned the PC I gave this to, though: This knowledge was the consistent part of what he learned when looking many different historical books about Thassilon, hidden among a sea of different contradicting stories and legends. It is still known to very few people, and using that knowledge when talking to anyone could lead to being considered as a person who believes fairy tales to be real knowledge.
It ends up being very short, only 2 pages long, but it's still usefull to have a PC that has some idea of what Thassilon is about, while the story unfolds. Here it is:
The sprawling empire of Thassilon was powered by conquest and its sophisticated rune magic. That magic defined the empire’s rulers and included powerful glyph-laying and dimensional warping. Without rune magic, the Thassilon legions would never have conquered their vast lands. With it, though, they were unstoppable.
The Laying of Runes
The early empire was not founded by the runelords who later grew to dominate it, but rather by the First King Xin, who was honored in the names of the empire’s seven capital cities. More than 11,000 years ago, Xin established lawful orders of knighthood and wizardry, endowed monastic traditions, and devoted donations of the kingdom’s wealth to charity and the end of hunger. Yet, more than a benevolent ruler, Xin was a visionary. In seeking to create a paradise of civilization within the span of his own lifetime, he called out to beings from beyond reality and bargained with ancient dragons. These mysterious accords granted Xin an understanding of rune magic—said by some to be the written language of creation—and brought the worship of the mysterious goddess Lissala to Thassilon. Inscribing his orders, contracts, and writs with these symbols of power, he regulated trade, established justice, and arranged his ever-growing lands into seven great domains with an efficiency inspired by magical aid and compulsion. Xin’s just, magic-suffused decrees became known as the Rune Law, and brought about incredible works, empowered the servants of the domain, and compelled the creation of wonders, all of which motivated Thassilon’s swift ascendance in power and influence. This was called the Celestial Age of the Empire.
Runelords
Xin outlived his creation in some ways. Unable to keep track of all his swiftly growing empire’s provinces, taxes, armies, and subjects, he appointed governors, favoring arcanists for their knowledge and the ease with which they could be bribed with insights into rune magic. The greatest of these magistrates were the seven runelords, powerful wizards who showed especial skill and passion for the use of runes and the imperial arcane. Yet, as these wizards’ powers increased, they grew discontent with servitude and living at the whim of the First King. In secret, they forged their own pacts with mysterious extraplanar powers and covetous dragons. The runelords erected not just roads and walls, but immense monoliths and statues in honor of—at first—the empire, but later, their own images.
Over time, the emperor’s generals, advisors and runelords saw that Old Xin (as he was called in his dotage) could not maintain his mastery of the realm or his potent magics. After ruling 110 years, Xin’s magic consumed him in a conflagration of scarlet flames that destroyed much of the imperial palace, and left no remains of the First King. Careless of their emperor’s mysterious end, the runelords seized their domains for themselves, subjugating Xin’s most powerful generals and viziers and leaving his eldest son a puppet emperor in the city of Xin—a small mountain prison where he could be controlled. The runelords themselves turned to greater plans, furthering their own control of the runes in hopes of subjugating their peers. Each meant to claim the empire for himself, master the runes as Xin had, and reap the wealth of the nation to fuel magics beyond any the First King had ever imagined.
Ways of the Empire
At its height, the Empire of Thassilon covered an area more than a thousand miles wide, from the oceans to soaring mountains, over deserts and along rivers—a region vast in scope and natural riches. This empire’s figureheads were the sons and daughters of Xin, but they were almost powerless. In practice, Thassilon was ruled by the seven powerful runelords. It’s unclear from records whether the same seven extended their lives over hundreds of years or their apprentices took their names and titles upon their masters’ deaths.
Virtues of Rule
Stemming from the teachings of First King Xin and the goddess Lissala, the runelords held that wealth, fertility, honest pride, abundance, eager striving, righteous anger, and rest were the seven virtues of rule—rewards one could enjoy for being in a position of power.
Castes
Thassilon had two castes of people: the militia and the providers. The militia followed martial pursuits, and they praised battle and the simple pleasures in life. The providers were the farmers, miners, artists, and skilled craftsmen who were more mystical and, as a rule, less content under the runelords’ yoke. Today, the descendants of the militia caste exist as the Shoanti barbarian tribes of the Storval Plateau, while the descendents of the provider caste, the Varisians, are a nomadic people who still practice mystical traditions from Thassilonian times.