Good evening all!
Does anyone have the day, month and year that Ironfang Invasion starts in? If there isn't a set day or month, would would people recommend? :)
Many thanks!
Good evening all!
Does anyone have the day, month and year that Ironfang Invasion starts in? If there isn't a set day or month, would would people recommend? :)
Many thanks!
APs don't have set start dates to make them easier to mold to your own timeline needs. But the default convention ties the start date to the release date. IIRC Trail of the Hunted came out in March 2017, which ties to 4717 AR in the Golarion timeline.
Trail of the Hunted was published in 2017, which means the Golarion year was 4717 AR. Confirming this, the Lost Omens World Guide has the timeline, "4717 AR: The Ironfang Invasion. Hobgoblin warlord General Azaersi is routed by the Nirmathi militia and retreats to establish the nation of Oprak in southwest Nirmathas." Since the founding of Oprak is still during 4717 AR, the beginning of the invasion cannot have been near the end of the year.
The invasion of Phaendar was during Market Festival, which is no clue as to the month. Page 6 of Trail of the Hunted said, "The town of 400 residents rarely sees any excitement, making the Market Festival a major source of news, entertainment, and revenue. The 2-day affair, held once every 3 months, gathers farmers and herders from across the Nesmian Plains, as well as woodcutters from the nearby Fangwood and prospectors from the Hollow Hills, to trade for supplies and raw materials." Thus, Phaendar holds a Market Festival in every season.
I had set the invasion in early spring, to avoid a winter campaign if events ran long. This later contradicted by encounter F1. Wasp Orchard on page 27. The trees of the orchard had apples, "The apples are small and tart, but still edible, a total of 5 Provision Points can be harvested off the trees." Thus, the time is late summer or anytime in the fall.
I had the Market festival set at summer solstice for the reason given by Mathmuse re F1.
I wasn't really strict with timing, but placed the Assault on Longshadow at the winter solstice.
I also set mine at the summer solstice. Wealday, 21 Sarenith, 4717 to be precise. Important milestones:
-Camp Red Jaw: Moonday, 17 Erastus.
-Red Rock Revel: Fireday, 4 Arodus
-Battle of Trevalay: Moonday, 28 Arodus
-Arrive at Longshadow: Moonday 18 Rova
-Battle of Longshadow: 26-28 Rova
-Enter Valley of Aloi: Toilday, 10 Lamashan
In retrospect, I might have set it on the spring equinox to keep it more in line with the 'official' canon, which would put the Market Festival/Night of Ashes on Moonday, 20 Pharast, 4717.
I'm going with the Fall equinox myself, as I think it will improve the desire for shelter. The weather is starting to get cold and people will want a hoke before winter arrives.
Related question: when do you think the Chernasardo Forts were taken out relative to the attack on Phaender? I'd guess the first Fort probably fell pretty darn close to the attack, maybe even simultaneously, with the mobility offered by the Onyx Key. But the question would be whether there's enough forest between those forts and Camp Redjaw to prevent reinforcements.
I also went with the Summer solstice, to be able to use a possible winter snow season to slow things down and allow everyone to regroup/ build strength / item creation, etc.
Related question: when do you think the Chernasardo Forts were taken out relative to the attack on Phaender? I'd guess the first Fort probably fell pretty darn close to the attack, maybe even simultaneously, with the mobility offered by the Onyx Key. But the question would be whether there's enough forest between those forts and Camp Redjaw to prevent reinforcements.
I think they fell within the same night. Destabilize the forts and the Rangers, take prisoners from as many small towns as they can, limit forest travel, and after that big push, it seems to me that en masse, they started making their way to Longshadow by foot and tower, since the Ironfangs don't have the best numbers, they have the best maneuverability.
I'm going with the Fall equinox myself, as I think it will improve the desire for shelter. The weather is starting to get cold and people will want a hoke before winter arrives.
Because I set the invasion of Phaendar in early spring, I used spring thunderstorms as foul weather to drive the refugees to shelter.
This added to verisimilitude because at the beginning of Fangs of War the party rescued a lumberjack named Vardalel Prennder who was trapped up a tree with a broken wrist while hiding from Ironfang patrols. Though the module said he was there for a few days, the rain let me leave him up there longer without dying of thirst.
Related question: when do you think the Chernasardo Forts were taken out relative to the attack on Phaender? I'd guess the first Fort probably fell pretty darn close to the attack, maybe even simultaneously, with the mobility offered by the Onyx Key.
For the game, the exact day does not matter. The hobgoblins should have their roadblocks set up by the night of the invasion and the Chernasardo forts conquered before the forts could send help to Phaendar.
Nevertheless, I made my own timeline. Ecru was conquered one week before Phaendar and the forts were conquered during that week between Ecru and Phaendar.
But the question would be whether there's enough forest between those forts and Camp Redjaw to prevent reinforcements.
Okay, the nearness of the forts is a tough problem. The nearest Chernasardo forts were easily within the walking range of the refugees in Trail of the Hunted. Since in my campaign Aubrin the Green had escaped with the refugees, she should have been able to guide them to a fort. I made the excuse that she personally had never been to the forts and feared the refugees could not survive hostile fey if they encountered them.
Now that I have played through Fangs of War, I see that another solution would be to have the fey actively fighting the hobgoblins at Fort Ristin if the party heads there in Trail of the Hunted, with both sides hostile to the refugees but more interested in their current fight.
Book 1 hints early on that the Chernasardo Rangers are preoccupied. I believe there is some clue at All-Eye's Wood or one of the other woodland locations. So I assume the takeover came very close to the Night of Iron Fangs, if it wasn't the very same date.
I don't think it's ever stated whether the onyx key is used to capture the Chernasardo forts, but I had it that way in my campaign. Specifically, the key was used to open a passage to the forest about a mile from Trevalay. This is how Eygara, Salokut, and the Ironfang rank and file get there. From that point, troops are sent to Ristin (who are subsequently clubbed to death by korreds), and the alliance with the trolls secures Nunder.Of course, Ibziariak, Jang, and Parthuk are native inhabitants of the Fangwood, and are the ones who help facilitate the takeover.
After recapturing the fort, my party found the tumbled down slag remnants of an onyx tower near Trevalay, though they wouldn't confirm what it was until they see a tower collapse firsthand at Longshadow.
I'm going with the Fall equinox myself, as I think it will improve the desire for shelter. The weather is starting to get cold and people will want a hoke before winter arrives.Because I set the invasion of Phaendar in early spring, I used spring thunderstorms as foul weather to drive the refugees to shelter.In this vein, I picked a locale on this planet that I felt had similar environs picked a city where I could get weather data and just used the weather for the corresponding day on the Golarian calendar from three years ago or so. If you look at the right records, you can find it broken down by hour, so you know if its heavy rain all morning and etc.
Saved a lot of random weather generating and made it feel pseudo consistent. I think the book demands at least one heavy weather event storm which I obliged with as well.
I used Moscow, Idaho for anyone curious.
Do you recall where you pulled the weather reports from?
Thank you all very much for your amazing inputs! I'll be sure to put all of this to good use :)
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Book 1 hints early on that the Chernasardo Rangers are preoccupied. I believe there is some clue at All-Eye's Wood or one of the other woodland locations. So I assume the takeover came very close to the Night of Iron Fangs, if it wasn't the very same date.
I like this.
The Rangers would certainly have gone to Phaendar for Market Day. They need stuff too.
It's odd that they don't show up... maybe one of them does, and he tells everyone not to go into the woods as there's dangerous fey about... the party, of course, has to...