The Northlands Campaign (Homebrew Setting)
Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 1:59 pm
Session 1, Part 1
After many failed games and breaks from gaming, I have finally been able to start up a campaign with a group of consistent and mature players. We are playing Castles & Crusades (with a few houserules) in my homebrew setting.
My setting has been out of commission for a while and I wanted to make some changes. So, I have advanced the timeline of the world 15,000 years. The players who were around for when I used to run games here are starting to see the similarities and figure things out, as things from the long past are resurfacing ever so slowly.
The campaign kicks off in the town of Anavar, the northernmost town of the Kingdom of Valras. Valras is the one true kingdom in the northern lands of the continent of Argotha. As the game begins the players learn that things in Valras have become bleak. Two years ago an early winter wreaked havoc on the harvest. The following year, Valras experiences yet another early and harsh winter. To make matters worse, as the first snow began to blanket the land, a horde of unified hobgoblin tribes descended from the mountains and attacked the starving kingdom. The horde struck quickly, sacking the southern trade city of Nythran and moving west to destroy the town of Drosar.
After the destruction of Drosar, the horde turned northwest to make it's way to the heart of Valras. It was at the great fortress of Calrin's Gate that the horde was broken by the forces of Valras. In defeat, the horde retreated south and east to the ruins of Nythran and the hills surrounding it.
Valras was saved, for now. The danger of a severely depleted grain supply and the hobgoblin horde now controlling the trade road leading east, has many questioning how long the kingdom can continue to survive.
Insert our characters. Will they be heroes, villains, or something in between? Only time will tell.
Our cast of characters!
Brann (CN, Dwarf Male, Cleric/Fighter) - Brann is a follower of Illarwyn, the god of curiosity, exploration, and storytelling. Brann wields a two-handed sword.
Corrin (CG, Human Male, Fighter) - Corrin is a native of Anavar and a follower of Illarwyn. He is your typical fighter, longsword and shield.
Rigby (CG, Half-Elf Male, Ranger) - Rigby is a native of Anavar and another follower of Illarwyn. Rigby is an able-bodied melee combatant but prefers to use his bow.
We begin play in The Drunken Swordsman, a small tavern located on the northern edges of Anavar. Anavar is a farming town of roughly 800 residents. The town is widely spread out, occupying nearly 10 square miles of land. Corrin and Rigby are having a morning meal when they meet Brann. After some discusion, and finding out that Brann is an actual cleric of Illarwyn, Corrin and Rigby welcome the dwarf to their company.
A fair amount of time is spent in the tavern gathering rumors. Corrin and Rigby pass on some local knowledge to Brann regarding a site to the north of town known as Zurath's Peak. Pooling their collected knowledge and gathering some rumors, the group uncovers the following tidbits of information regarding Zurath's Peak:
- Zurath's Peak is the name given to a lone mountain roughly 20 miles north of Anavar.
- The name of the mountain originates from the wizard Zurath, who occupied the lands in the early days of the elven empire of Irrathayn. By Brann's math, that would put Zurath's time on the mountain somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 years ago.
- Zurath crafted an extensive network of tunnels throughout the mountain. Since his departure, many groups have inhabited the tunnels and chambers in the mountain. The most recent inhabitants of the peak are rumored to have been cultists of Mord (Mord is the god corruption, greed, and vengeance), although that claim is largely a rumor.
The next rumor our trio picks up on is the sudden appearance and then disappearance of three black clothed individuals passing through town the previous day. The townsfolk commented that they did interfere or interact with the three as they feared that they were necromancers of evil cultists.
Our band of adventurers have two leads to go on, then they make a third. Mulling over the two options, the group decides to head south and combat some of the hobgoblins that have no doubt occupied the ruined towns of the southern portions of the kingdom.
Our trio of explorers pack up and head south along the trade road. After a hard 8 hours of travel they arrive in the town Imran. Imran is a town with a population that is slightly larger than Anavar. Unlike Anavar, Imaran is more tightly packed town, more resembling a profitable trading community. Coming into town and talking to a few townsfolk, Corrin finds that there is only one true inn in Imran. The group scratches their heads after hearing that and ask themselves, "How does a town this big, only have one inn?"
The make their way there and find out. The arrive at the Black Dagger Tavern, a massive four-story inn. The group enters and are greeted by a doorman. Rigby is a bit hesitant about entering as the doorman takes the money for room and meals up front and demands that their weapons are stowed in a storeroom before they enter. The group complies, pays, and hands their weapons over. Several conversations occur here.
- Corrin and Rigby join a large group at a table. The group they sit with turn out to be a family that owns a large stable outside of town. Corrin and Rigby end up negotiating a discount with the family if they are ever in need of mounts.
- Brann heads over to a side table at the corner of the bar so he can eavesdrop on four people negotiating at a table. Brann is able to hear a fair amount of the conversation. One man is explaining that a woman recently stole 500gp from him. He is offering the three men at the table 10% of it, if they can track her down and return the money. Brann picks up that the man doesn't really care what happens to the woman who stole the money. The three would be bounty hunters get up and walk to the storeroom to retrieve their gear. Things get interesting here, and the group really begins to question how the legitimacy of the Black Dagger Tavern.
To be continued.....
After many failed games and breaks from gaming, I have finally been able to start up a campaign with a group of consistent and mature players. We are playing Castles & Crusades (with a few houserules) in my homebrew setting.
My setting has been out of commission for a while and I wanted to make some changes. So, I have advanced the timeline of the world 15,000 years. The players who were around for when I used to run games here are starting to see the similarities and figure things out, as things from the long past are resurfacing ever so slowly.
The campaign kicks off in the town of Anavar, the northernmost town of the Kingdom of Valras. Valras is the one true kingdom in the northern lands of the continent of Argotha. As the game begins the players learn that things in Valras have become bleak. Two years ago an early winter wreaked havoc on the harvest. The following year, Valras experiences yet another early and harsh winter. To make matters worse, as the first snow began to blanket the land, a horde of unified hobgoblin tribes descended from the mountains and attacked the starving kingdom. The horde struck quickly, sacking the southern trade city of Nythran and moving west to destroy the town of Drosar.
After the destruction of Drosar, the horde turned northwest to make it's way to the heart of Valras. It was at the great fortress of Calrin's Gate that the horde was broken by the forces of Valras. In defeat, the horde retreated south and east to the ruins of Nythran and the hills surrounding it.
Valras was saved, for now. The danger of a severely depleted grain supply and the hobgoblin horde now controlling the trade road leading east, has many questioning how long the kingdom can continue to survive.
Insert our characters. Will they be heroes, villains, or something in between? Only time will tell.
Our cast of characters!
Brann (CN, Dwarf Male, Cleric/Fighter) - Brann is a follower of Illarwyn, the god of curiosity, exploration, and storytelling. Brann wields a two-handed sword.
Corrin (CG, Human Male, Fighter) - Corrin is a native of Anavar and a follower of Illarwyn. He is your typical fighter, longsword and shield.
Rigby (CG, Half-Elf Male, Ranger) - Rigby is a native of Anavar and another follower of Illarwyn. Rigby is an able-bodied melee combatant but prefers to use his bow.
We begin play in The Drunken Swordsman, a small tavern located on the northern edges of Anavar. Anavar is a farming town of roughly 800 residents. The town is widely spread out, occupying nearly 10 square miles of land. Corrin and Rigby are having a morning meal when they meet Brann. After some discusion, and finding out that Brann is an actual cleric of Illarwyn, Corrin and Rigby welcome the dwarf to their company.
A fair amount of time is spent in the tavern gathering rumors. Corrin and Rigby pass on some local knowledge to Brann regarding a site to the north of town known as Zurath's Peak. Pooling their collected knowledge and gathering some rumors, the group uncovers the following tidbits of information regarding Zurath's Peak:
- Zurath's Peak is the name given to a lone mountain roughly 20 miles north of Anavar.
- The name of the mountain originates from the wizard Zurath, who occupied the lands in the early days of the elven empire of Irrathayn. By Brann's math, that would put Zurath's time on the mountain somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 years ago.
- Zurath crafted an extensive network of tunnels throughout the mountain. Since his departure, many groups have inhabited the tunnels and chambers in the mountain. The most recent inhabitants of the peak are rumored to have been cultists of Mord (Mord is the god corruption, greed, and vengeance), although that claim is largely a rumor.
The next rumor our trio picks up on is the sudden appearance and then disappearance of three black clothed individuals passing through town the previous day. The townsfolk commented that they did interfere or interact with the three as they feared that they were necromancers of evil cultists.
Our band of adventurers have two leads to go on, then they make a third. Mulling over the two options, the group decides to head south and combat some of the hobgoblins that have no doubt occupied the ruined towns of the southern portions of the kingdom.
Our trio of explorers pack up and head south along the trade road. After a hard 8 hours of travel they arrive in the town Imran. Imran is a town with a population that is slightly larger than Anavar. Unlike Anavar, Imaran is more tightly packed town, more resembling a profitable trading community. Coming into town and talking to a few townsfolk, Corrin finds that there is only one true inn in Imran. The group scratches their heads after hearing that and ask themselves, "How does a town this big, only have one inn?"
The make their way there and find out. The arrive at the Black Dagger Tavern, a massive four-story inn. The group enters and are greeted by a doorman. Rigby is a bit hesitant about entering as the doorman takes the money for room and meals up front and demands that their weapons are stowed in a storeroom before they enter. The group complies, pays, and hands their weapons over. Several conversations occur here.
- Corrin and Rigby join a large group at a table. The group they sit with turn out to be a family that owns a large stable outside of town. Corrin and Rigby end up negotiating a discount with the family if they are ever in need of mounts.
- Brann heads over to a side table at the corner of the bar so he can eavesdrop on four people negotiating at a table. Brann is able to hear a fair amount of the conversation. One man is explaining that a woman recently stole 500gp from him. He is offering the three men at the table 10% of it, if they can track her down and return the money. Brann picks up that the man doesn't really care what happens to the woman who stole the money. The three would be bounty hunters get up and walk to the storeroom to retrieve their gear. Things get interesting here, and the group really begins to question how the legitimacy of the Black Dagger Tavern.
To be continued.....