Bringing Westcrown

[Gnoll Bard]

So, Raynulf's amazing Council of Thieves Thesis has really inspired me both to give running this AP a shot and to really really work on expanding Westcrown as a setting. The descriptions of Westcrown in the books are vague enough that everyone probably has their own version of the city, which I frankly think is a great thing for an AP where the city itself should really be a major character. I'd love to see what ideas other people have had for livening up the city - NPCs, locations, organizations, all that good stuff.

To begin with, I'll share a few of my own ideas:

The Cult of Aroden:

The worship of Aroden has never entirely faded from the city that once stood poised to become his seat of power on the material plane, though his priesthood grows smaller and more eccentric with each passing generation. Those who continue to call themselves priests of the Last Azlanti fervently believe, even after a century of silence, that their god is merely testing them, and that those who keep the faith will be greatly rewarded in the coming Age of Glory. They point to the unstained visage of the Aroddennama and other such “miracles” as evidence of their beliefs, which they proclaim them loudly to any who will listen.

Having abandoned their former finery, members of the cult of Aroden wear the hair-shirts of penitents as they preach from street corners and in those few crumbling shrines from which they haven’t yet been evicted. Such preaches must watch their worlds carefully - those Arodenites who dared to openly blaspheme against Asmodeus were made examples of long ago, and the current generation hasn't forgotten the horrific spectacle of their deaths. These days they dedicate most of their time to community service, tending monuments and public buildings and clearing refuse from the streets in a losing battle to preserve the city’s glory for their god’s long-awaited return.

The Wiscrani church of Iomedae takes pity these confused souls, though only truly desperate Arodenites are willing to accept their charity. Followers of Asmodeus consider them amusing and disgusting in equal measure, and mock them mercilessly. It's not uncommon to see a drunken scion of one of the city's more diabolically-inclined noble families beating one of the zealots in the street. For the most part other Wiscrani do their best to ignore the dwindling cult, though the dottari have been known to step in and arrest particularly zealous Arodenite preachers for "disturbing the peace."

The Cult of Aroden (notes):

The remaining worshipers of Aroden are mentioned in passing in The Bastards of Erebus, but I've expanded them here to really make them a part of Westcrown's bleak atmosphere. I envision them as essentially the Golarion version of the stereotypical apocalyptic street preacher, filthy, unkempt, and wild-eyed as they urge passers-by to repent in the name of their dead god.

Prinn's Scriptorium:

One of the few businesses in the Rego Scripa to have remained in operation since before the Civil War, Prinn’s Scriptorium is a combination library, copyist’s shop, and bookstore.

For a nominal fee, patrons may peruse a large collection of books both commonplace and rare, and for an additional payment may commission a copy of any text in the collection or for which they can provide an original.

The proprietor of the Scriptorium, a partiucularly curmudgeonly forlorn elf of indeterminate age known only as Prinn (LG middle-aged male elf wizard 6), is a traditionalist who insists on producing all of his copies by hand without the aid of magic or machinery. He is well known for his immaculate penmanship, however, and makes a respectable side income as a calligrapher taking commissions from well-to do patrons in the Spera.

As a wizard, Prinn also possesses an extensive collection of arcane spells which he makes available for customers to copy at the standard rates, and also sells a selection of low-level scrolls. He’s known to pay well for any spells he hasn’t seen before, though most wizards are hard-pressed to show him anything new.

Unbeknownst to most, Prinn maintains a personal collection of books he considers to valuable or dangerous for general consumption, but which he may show to particularly trusted customers.

Prinn's Scriptorium (notes):

I envision Prinn's scriptorium both as a colorful place to buy scrolls and add new spells to a spellbook, and as tiny piece of "Old Westcrown" lovingly preserved by its long-lived proprietor. Though an elf, Prinn is a lifelong Wiscrani who has witnessed the entirety of his home's century-long decline, which has affected him more deeply than he generally lets on. He could easily become an ally of the PCs as they work to improve things in the city, and might act as source of useful information if they manage to miss some crucial clue.

[rainzax]

What are you going to do with the Children of Westcrown?

[Gnoll Bard]

First of all, I apologize for the nonsensical subject line; not sure how I managed to do that. I think it's supposed to be "Bringing Westcrown to Life," but I'm not sure if it can be changed at this point.

As for the Children of Westcrown, it seems to me that their vision is ultimately for the people of the city to save themselves. Their home is not only plagued by monsters, but threatened by rising crime and a government too corrupt or incompetent to protect its citizens. All around them they find only short-sighted selfishness, apathy, and despair, but by striking back against the problems plaguing the city, they hope to inspire a movement for change and reform that might save their dying home.

Rules-wise, I've been toying with the idea of adapting the revolution mechanics from Hell's Rebels to model the activities and growing influence of the Children of Westcrown. While they're not a rebel group, the Children are operating outside of the law, trying to mobilize support among the citizens of Westcrown without attracting the attention of the dottari or the Council of Thieves, so it seems like a good fit.

Naturally, I'd need to significantly revise the events table, at the very least, but I think the rules could be an interesting addition to the AP, even if they're not as central to play as they might be in Hell's Rebels. The members of the Children of Westcrown at the beginning of Bastards of Erebus seem like they could easily represent a team of Street Performers (though I think I'd rename them "Eavesdroppers") and a team of Peddlers, giving the PCs some help in gathering information and the monetary resources to start expanding their operations without necessarily dipping into their own funds.

[Eldred the Grey]

Gnoll Bard I've posted a thread in the campaign setting sub forum with the founders and saints with minor deific power. Think quasi-deity and your on point. By expanding upon the info and numbers of each founder you can still give westcrown a feeling of not complete abandon by the divine. Just the fact that each cult is fairly small and limited in resources and influence.

EtG

[Spudmiester]

Right advice is needed in this regard since I am essentially creating a bigger city guide than what exists in CoT: TBoE. Since this AP is the first AP using the pathfinder ruleset and at the time that was just the core rulebook, what classes would you turn some of the NPCs into. Currently I am working on the dottari and thought that some genuine good ideas could come from others on the boards.