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Tuesday, December 6, 2022
The Changebringer - Avandra
She is often depicted as a young woman of dark complexion and long, light brown hair that cascades to form the road left behind her. Most art shows her in constant motion, trailblazing and ever leading into the unknown.
The Changebringer's holy day is New Dawn, and takes place the first day of the first month, when the old year gives way to the new. The day of New Dawn is celebrated with a grand midnight feast that commonly features a short play that celebrates the changes of the past year.
The Platinum Dragon - Bahamut
This majestic being is often seen emblazoned on shields and armor, both functional and decorative, in the form of a brilliant silver dragon head in profile. Temples and art pieces present a massive, glittering dragon of vibrant platinum sheen and seemingly endless wingspan.
The Platinum Dragon’s holy day is called Embertide, and is celebrated on the fifth day of the eleventh month. This is a day of remembrance, solemnity, and respect to those who have fallen in the defense of others.
The Archeart - Corellon
Most modern tapestries and tomes depict the Archeart as an elven being of impossible grace and beauty, androgynous and alluring, framed by long wavy golden hair. They have been the inspiration for many early elven art pieces, and it's not uncommon to find elements of their visage or symbol included in most elven architecture.
The Archeart's holy day is called Elvendawn, or Midsummer. It is celebrated on the twentieth day of the sixth month, and celebrates the elves' first emergence from the Feywild. In Tir Erasleigh, the elves build magical wards in certain spaces and open small doorways into the Feywild and celebrate with uncharacteristic vigor with the wild fey.
The Allhammer - Moradin
Many guild halls and workshops contain images of the Allhammer, a faceless, stout dwarf-like being of immense strength, hunched over a flaming heart clasped within his massive hands.
The Allhammer's holy day is Deep Solace, and is celebrated on the eighteenth day of the fifth month. Especially devout followers of the Allhammer spend the day in isolation, meditating on the meaning of family and how they may be better mothers, fathers, siblings, and children. Other dwarven communities in Dun Buldahr and abroad celebrate with a full day of feasting and drinking.
The Dawnfather - Pelor
Tapestries of old match early text describing the Dawnfather as a patronly figure in silver and gold armor, his head a beacon of light and fire so bright that a face could rarely be seen within. Many statues in holy places treat the head as a brazier, lit with each dawn and extinguished with the dusk.
The Dawnfather's holy day is called Highsummer, and takes place on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. The entire week is celebrated with gift-giving and feasting. Festivities begin on Highsummer day and end at midnight on the twenty-first. In Candledeep, the feast of Highsummer is instead a festival of lights around the Sun Tree; gift-giving is traditional. Most folk choose to spend Highsummer with their family, recounting the small things they are thankful for.
The Moonweaver - Sehanine
Her depictions are as numerous as the myths and stories of her with meddling within simple unions. However, she is most often painted as a young girl of light blue skin and white hair, her body and limbs but wavy silk strands of silver moonlight that caress and create the edges of the shadows.
The Moonweaver has no holy day, but is celebrated by the elves on the night of the decade’s largest full moon. Elven astronomers track the moon’s phases and how it grows closer and farther to Nerath, and can predict these days with great accuracy. Many high and haughty elves use this festival as an excuse to be sly and mischievous; some younger elves use costumes and illusions to prank their peers.
The Lawbearer - Erathis
The Lawbearer is worshiped by the denizens of the Quadroads District in Vasselheim. Her temple is called the Crown of Erathis; the Holy Paramours of the Crown of Erathis approve magically-binding contracts under which the Slayer's Take hunts monsters and other creatures around Vasselheim.
The Knowing Mistress - Ioun
Common representations show the Knowing Mistress as a graying, mature woman of welcoming, matronly smile, swathed in billowing robes and scarves that fan into books and scrolls.
The Knowing Mistress has no public holy day. Only in certain locations has the Knowing Mistress's faith been resurrected-though her worship by the intellectuals of the city bears little resemblance to the knowledge-seekers of old.
The Stormlord - Kord
Within his temples and carvings, the Stormlord is shown as a paragon warrior, often nude and physically the epitome of muscle and strength. Often with beard and short, curled hair, most depictions have the Stormlord in mid-wrestle with a terrible beast, and always in a stance of dominance.
The Stormlord’s holy day is the Day of Challenging, and is celebrated on the seventh day of the second month. The Day of Challenging is one of the most raucous holidays, and thousands of spectators attend the annual Godsbrawl held in the Temple of the Stormlord to root for their favored deity’s champion.
The Wildmother - Melora
Seen immortalized through wooden reliefs and carved idols in hidden, overgrown groves and rural shrines, the Wildmother often is depicted as a beautiful woman of green skin nearly swallowed by a wild, tangled wreath of hair, leaves, and vines that dwarf her lithe form.
The Wildmother’s holy day is Wild’s Grandeur, and is celebrated on the vernal equinox, usually the twentieth day of the third month. The people of the southern wilds celebrate the Wildmother’s strength by going on a journey to a place of great natural beauty, like the top of a mountain waterfall, or the center of a desert. Wild’s Grandeur is rarely celebrated in Emon, but some folk will plant trees in observance of the holiday
The Matron of Ravens - The Raven Queen
Few existing visual depictions of the Matron of Ravens herself exist, with many temples merely using the raven as a symbol of her blessing. Those that do depict her, however, reveal a tall, pale woman wrapped in dangling black linens, her onyx-black hair straight and never ending, her face obscured by a white, porcelain mask.
The Matron of Ravens' holy day is the Night of Ascension, celebrating her apotheosis. The actual date of the goddess’s rise to divinity is unclear, but the Night of Ascension is nonetheless celebrated on the thirteenth day of the tenth month. Many people see this cheery celebration of the dead to be unnerving and macabre, but the Raven’s followers believe the honored dead would rather be venerated with cheer, not misery.
The Matron of Ravens is also considered by some the winter patron to the holiday of Winter’s Crest: the celebration in Nerath of freedom, celebrated on the 20th day of the eleventh month. Most, however, see this holiday belonging to the people of the land, and recognize no pertaining divine worship
The Lord of the Hells - Asmodeus
A twisted image of the celestial blood that once bore him, the Lord of the Hells is revealed in many tomes and murals as a handsome humanoid of deep, red skin and long, black hair. Two curling horns rise from his brow, and his lips ever bear a knowing grin.
The enemies of The Lord of the Hells are numerous, even among the Betrayer Gods, many of whom only follow the archdevil for fear of his immense power. The Lord of the Hells’s archnemesis is the Changebringer, whose mischief and cunning has vexed him throughout the eons. It was she who defeated him in the Calamity by tricking his fiendish armies into attacking one another. The Devil Lord’s greatest triumph during the Calamity was fooling and betraying the Everlight and slaughtering all her followers in one fell stroke—a move that today has united the followers of the Everlight and the Changebringer in an unbreakable bond.
The Strife Emperor - Bane
A dark reflection of the honorable warrior, the Strife Emperor is often depicted as a brutish ogre-like man clad from head to toe in jagged black armor. Heads dangle from his belt, and the shadow that obscures his helmeted face does not hide his unblinking, piercing yellow eyes.
The Strife Emperor’s greatest enemy is the Wildmother, the goddess who defeated him during the Calamity. The Strife Emperor grew his armies by corrupting noble creatures into monsters and destroying the wilds to fuel his terrible engines of conflict, and the two deities clashed many times during the war before his defeat. The emperor’s massive iron armor still litters Beynsfal, and his massive helmet houses the capital city of a ruthless hobgoblin empire
The Ruiner - Gruumsh
The Archeart shot out the Ruiner’s right eye during the Calamity, and the god of slaughter longs for the day he can return the favor twofold. Those who serve the Ruiner are sometimes hypnotized by his hateful rage from across the Divine Gate and fall into a strange bloodlust, longing to slaughter elves and those who worship magic at the altar of the Archeart.
Primitive clay representations can be found in savage communities of his followers, showing the Ruiner as a hulking, bulbous behemoth of an orc. The missing eye has shifted as a minor fold, the prominent eye now central to the face like a nightmarish Cyclops.
The Spider Queen - Lolth
Many icons and idols within dark elf society show the image of the Spider Queen, a darkly alluring woman of dark purple skin and silver hair, her abdomen swelling into the terrifying body of a monstrous spider.
The Chained Oblivion - Tharizdun
Now, its chaotic mind has fallen into more frightful dreams, imagining nightmarish aberrations into existence deep beneath Nerath. The Chained Oblivion’s demented cultists work without word from their twisted patron, awaiting the Epoch of Ends, when its freedom will be attained and all beings shall be consumed in deathlessness unending.
The few remaining followers of the Knowing Mistress are dedicated to ensuring the Oblivion is never again unchained. Their goddess led the charge against the all-consuming destroyer god’s re-emergence, and though her bravery allowed the other gods of good to shackle their enemy, the victory nearly cost her immortal life. Some say the Knowing Mistress can only be fully restored if the Chained Oblivion is destroyed for good.
Few attempts at depicting the image of the Chained Oblivion exist, and the existing texts speak of a creature of rolling, hungry ink and darkness; of a spreading cloud of lightless destruction born from a thousand Queenous mouths. Current references constrain the nightmare with chains of black and gold, barely keeping the dark at bay.
The Scaled Tyrant - Tiamat
The Scaled Tyrant’s hatred for the Platinum Dragon is as old as the Founding, and her cults are ever hunted by his justice. Her worship has for centuries been limited to chromatic dragons by these zealous paladins, but sects of mortal dragon-worshipers have been appearing across Nerath recently.
Most visual representations of the Scaled Tyrant exist as a warning within sanctuaries of the Platinum Dragon. She is often shown as a drake of frightful size, massive leathery wings birthing clouds of poisonous mist with every flight, while she shouts from five vicious dragon heads, each head depicting a different chromatic color of her evil children.
The Crawling King - Torog
The Dawnfather and the Everlight defeated the Crawling King during the Calamity by drawing their nemesis above ground. The Dawnfather pierced his body with 10,000 lances of sunlight, and the Everlight imprisoned him within her serene rays. The tears of suffering and rage the Crawling King shed burned through Nerath, and his faithful fled into these tunnels to escape their enemies’ holy light.
The Crawling king is largely rendered as a swollen, malformed worm that slithers through the dark below, a screaming, hairless human head at the helm with three arms carving through the lightless rock.
The Lich King - Vecna
As a deity, Vecna appeared as a decrepit lich missing his left hand and left eye. According to some, Vecna had an obsession with acquiring and maintaining secrets, believing them to be the source of true power. He was precise and calculating in his actions, but was at times prone to bouts of intense rage.
Vecna believed that every being in existence held a single secret that could be manipulated to bring about its destruction. Uncovering that secret and exploiting its truth were the key to gaining dominion over others.
The Cloaked Serpent - Zehir
The Cloaked Serpent loathes the Lawbearer and the Wildmother, for he despises life, order, and love above all things. His surviving worshipers relish in using poison and fire to undermine civilization and consume nature, hoping to throw the goddesses into fury and consequently cast Nerath into chaos.
Many forgotten temples were once built to the Cloaked Serpent, and within these chambers you would find his image engraved within much of the architecture. A human body with a half-dozen arms that houses a gargantuan serpent head, fanged and frilled in aggression. Strands of thick, dark hair that sprout from the scaled body swirl around to form layers of shadow, obscuring the entire form of the entity.
Also known as "She who makes the path," the Changebringer champions freedom, travel, trade, and adventure across the lands. Her will heralds open frontiers, and her call beckons her followers to discover that which awaits them beyond the known. This nature leads to few temples in direct civilization dedicated to the Changebringer, but they often can be found off the beaten path and near roads well traveled. Her worship is common among merchants, free spirits, and adventurers, with tavern cheers calling to her honor as a bringer of luck and fortune.
The pillar of justice, protection, nobility, and honor, the Platinum Dragon stands as a beacon to many paladins of order and good, and is revered by most metallic dragons as the first of their kind. The crest of the Platinum Dragon adorns many halls of high leadership and justice, his will expected present at all just judgments. To follow him is to look after those who cannot look after themselves.
Guardian over the spheres of spring, beauty and the arts. Corellon is the patron of arcane magic and the fey. The Founding inspired them to wander the twisted lands, seeding them with the first arcane magics and raising the most ancient of forests. It was by the Archeart's hand that the first elves wandered from the Feywild, and for this reason they are considered the Mother and Father of all elves. Those who seek art in all their work, whether magic or mundane, often worship at the alter of the Archeart. They loathe the spider queen and her priestesses for leading the drow elves astray.
The patron of craft and creation, the Allhammer is worshipped by smiths, artisans, and miners alike, granting inspiration where respect and prayer are given. He shaped the mountains from the chaos of the Founding, and stands as the patron protector of home and family. The devotion to the Allhammer is strongest in dwarven communities, and many of his temples mark the center of a mighty dwarven stronghold.
The Dawnfather stands lord over sun and summer, his vigil encircling the ages as the keeper of time. Lord of agriculture and harbinger of the harvest, his followers commonly include farmers and most common folk, his priests welcome in lands all over. Supporter of the needy and destroyer of evil, the Dawnfather is often the patron to Paladins and Rangers who follow a similar creed. The Dawnfather is also revered by those who hunt aberrations.
The Moonweaver sends her will as the goddess of moonlight and the autumn season, as well as the patron of illusions and misdirection. Widely worshipped within halfling and elven culture, she is largely considered to be the deity of love, protecting the trysts of lovers with shadows of her own making. Those who work in darkness and trickery often ask for her blessing.
Erathis, the Lawbearer, is the goddess of civilization and laws. The Lawbearer is shown as a hooded, armored woman sitting atop a throne, her face obscured or expressionless.
Revered by seers, sages, and teachers of all walks of life, the Knowing Mistress guided the growth of civilization throughout the Ages like sunlight guides the branches of a tree. Her devout worship in private, spreading knowledge, philosophy, and lore anonymously through traceless channels.
Where thunder cracks and conflict rises, prayers to the Stormlord are shouted into the maelstrom. The Stormlord’s followers revel in all tests of strength, and his blessing finds those who prove themselves on the battlefield. He is worshiped by athletes and warriors across Nerath, and his will exalts those whose force of spirit and penchant for victory call his attention. He brings tumultuous storms over land and sea, and those who wish for clearer skies offer their praises and prayers in hopes of appeasing his will.
The realm of the Wildmother extends to wherever the seas shift and the land grows over. Keeper of the wilderness, she represents the wild creatures of nature, the rush of the angry rapids, and the heat-harried stillness of the desert. Elves take up her worship, as do hunters of natural lands, accepting her guidance to exist harmoniously within savage lands. Those seeking safe passage across dangerous waters give prayers to her to guide them. The druids of the Wildmother and clerics of her lover, the Lawbearer, work together to preserve the balance of nature and civilization. It is said that the two goddesses grow furious when this balance is upset, and this fury manifests in Nerath as devastating natural disasters.
Master over the skein of fate and the mistress of winter, the Matron of Ravens stands as the god of death. Her gaze follows and marks the end of each mortal life, watching over the transition between life and death and ensuring the natural transition is undefiled. Many funerals call to her blessing in hopes that she will protect the deceased from the terrible curse of undeath. Those who keep ancient lore believe the Matron of Ravens was once mortal herself, and is the only known mortal to have ascended. Her rise instantly obliterated the previous, now-forgotten god of death, and the other gods quickly and fearfully destroyed the secrets to the rites of ascension.
The devil god of the Hells represents mastery of tyranny and domination. His words are honeyed and carefully crafted, soothing and corrupting the mortal heart. The Lord of the Hells holds his domain with an iron rule, and the punishments that await those that cross him are legendary: the basis of nightmare. Evil entities pay him tribute alongside his devils, while warlocks are drawn to his power.
Blood-drenched armies of brutal warriors oft crush their foes in the name of the Strife Emperor, the evil patron of war and conquest. To serve his will is to accept the call to conflict, seeking lesser people to break and subjugate. Warmongering nations and goblinoid tribes worship the Strife Emperor as they strike out at the world to bend it beneath them. The Strife Emperor twists all living things to his iron will, even forcing nature itself to bow to his whims.
The Ruiner commands roving hordes of barbaric marauders across the lands to destroy, pillage, and slaughter for the joy of it. Orderless and without honor, the creeds of the evil hordemaster push orcs and other evil, savage creatures to devour the world around them, giving in to the chaotic and selfish nature of the predator. The Ruiner’s most devout servants in Nerath are the Ravagers, a lawless band of orcs and goblins who delight in slaughtering innocents across the lands.
The evil god of deceit, shadows, and spiders, the Spider Queen weaves a complicated web of schemes and treachery through her worshipers, deceiving allies and enemies alike to gain power. The Spider Queen’s worship is entwined with the society of dark elves, even as the drow fall ever deeper into the thrall of the Chained Oblivion’s aberrant minions. It is said that the Spider Queen can see through the eyes of all spiders, and that she is truly all-knowing. The Spider Queen holds a searing grudge against the Stormlord, for with one throw of his mighty thunderspear he impaled her against a cliffside, leaving her drow armies leaderless during the Calamity. The Spider Queen and the Ruiner also share a burning hatred for the Archeart—whom she claims drove her children below the earth—and she often manipulates the Ruiner’s followers into attacking her enemies so that the drow may remain safe. The only being the Spider Queen fears is the Chained Oblivion; she dreads its alien mind and is furious over what its madness is doing to her children.
It is darkness unending, less like a god and more like another world. Life and death do not exist within the Chained Oblivion, an engine of utter destruction and madness. Even the other Betrayer Gods treat this mad god with caution. In its endless imprisonment, it dreams the infinite depths of the Abyss into reality, along with all its demonic legions. The Prime Deities had thought it locked away during the Founding until it nearly returned to ruin the world during the Calamity.
The evil queen of dragons is a fearsome god of greed, envy, and hoarded wealth. While chromatic dragons are her clearest worshipers, the Scaled Tyrant accepts the worship of all who love wealth over all things—except the queen of dragons herself, of course. All chromatic dragons have a reverence for their tyrannical queen, but many dragons of near-deific power and ambition chafe under her rule. The Scaled Tyrant is often pleased by the chaos that is spread across Nerath.
The dark god of the endless tunnels and caverns beneath Nerath, the Crawling King acts as patron to torturers, slavers, and jailers across the realm. His tears of pain and anger carved the pathways under the world, and his realm of imprisonment is a network of deadly caves and manacles where few return. Those who rob others of their freedom offer prayers to him in cellars and other subterranean domains, and other creatures who live in the darkness below worship him and seek his guidance.
Vecna was a lich who ascended to godhood. While he was once considered the most powerful lich to dwell on that world, over the ages he spent in undeath Vecna became maligned across the multiverse, and was considered the scourge of all civilization.
Wanderer in shadow and creator of snakes and serpent-kin, the Cloaked Serpent is the evil god of poisons, assassins, and darkness. Much of ancient serpent-kin worships him over all other deities, dragging screaming offerings to their temples in his honor. Most of the Cloaked Serpent’s worshipers were annihilated during the Calamity, and those who weren’t are either suspended in self-induced stasis or hunted for sport by the servants of the Spider Queen and the Crawling King. But perhaps the Cloaked Serpent is merely biding his time, waiting for the proper moment to unleash his hidden armies upon the world once more.
Monday, December 5, 2022
Hello everyone, I want to explain a few things before I get into writing up this section. For me as a Dungeon Master, I have put a lot of time into creating my games. The experience is an enjoyable one for me since I love creating things like this. Our campaigns will be played live around an actual table at a later time but for now we will be doing our games online using Discord and Roll20. We sat down as a group and discussed it and decided it was easier to just do it online for now but we will for sure at a later date being sitting around a table as well as running games online.
If we start a new adventure or campaign up and are short on players, what we want to do is just run "and record" an opening one shot adventure (a single session) and then upload it as a session 0 of our campaign. Anyone that watches it and wants to join the group simply needs to send me an email at jamesefullard@gmail.com so we can sit down and talk.
This section of requirement is actually things that should just be common sense for the way we plan to play our games. This is not us trying to be overly strict on players, we simply want to put out the best quality game we can and the below requirements should be self explanatory.
• Webcams: For now, no webcams are needed. We are using reactive portraits in place of webcams.
• Stable Internet Connection: When I watch a D&D game on Youtube or even Twitch, the single most irritating thing for me is a stream or game constantly buffering due to bad internet on the hosts part or watching player and even DM webcams constantly stuttering because they have a bad internet connection. This will not be one of those games. People who play in our campaign are "required" to have stable internet connections.
• Microphone: Please have a quality microphone that puts out your voice clearly with little to no background noise. One person having random background noise might not be a huge problem but when 2, 3 or 4 players have background noise, the audio is just a mess. Constant background noise will mess up the ambience music and sounds that we will be using in our games plus viewers don't want to sit and listen to people with background noise going on during a live game so please make sure you handle the background noise.
• Discord & Roll20: We use Discord for all audio and video for our webcams and/or Interactive Portraits. This is required and we ask players to be familiar with how to use Discord. You will also be required to understand how to use Roll20, we use Roll20 for all character sheets, dice rolls and battlemaps.
• Form of Contact: I need some form of contact as the campaigns Dungeon Master to get in touch with you as a player, some method of communication that you check often such as Facebook Messenger, Discord, email ... something along those lines. Times come when I need to contact a player for whattever reason and I need to be able to reach that player without having to wait for days for a reply.
Below are rules that we really want to enforce and have followed. The reason behind these rules are because I have seen these things happen personally and simply do not want to repeat them in a new campaign.
• Digital Devices: Not so much an issue in digital D&D but a problem we have had on occasion in the past at a live tabletop is players constantly playing or fiddling with cellphones. While this is not a super serious issue with online D&D, we do ask that you please do not have other games running while we play our games. Please don't be playing World of Warcraft or Diablo, texting your girlfriend/boyfriend or some other such thing while we play our games "yes, I've personally seen this happen before". Your Dungeon Master puts in a lot of work into giving you the best campaign he/she can give you so in return we ask that you give them that same effort and respect. Being tabbed out playing a PC game until your turn begins is one of the most disrespectful things a player can do to a DM and if you are found doing this, you will not be playing with us any longer. We simply ask, for the couplr of hours we take for each session, please put in a couple of hours to this game.
• Be Mature & Respectful: We are all adults, please ... let us all act like adults when we play. (no need to elaborate on this any more - this should come naturally)
Sunday, December 4, 2022
Arion is a skilled archer and tracker, whispers of being a prodigy of the settlement circulated among his people. Arion is most at home when he is wandering the forests and wilderlands of the region.
When Arion was 16 years old, Nenlast was attacked by an Orc raiding party, both of his parents were killed in the attack, luckily Arion survived. He vowed to avenge his parents deaths. He then set out into the wild to become the Ranger he always wanted to be.
Arion has been traveling throughout the lands of Nentir Vale and has fought bandits, goblins, and other creatures of the wild. He has learned much about the lands and he has become a skilled Ranger. Arion will fight for the justice of others, in exchange for coin of course. Arion enjoys widdling small wood figurines and is a skilled fletcher for hire. His left eye has a light blue tent, almost white . . . a symble of the ancient Aspens that grow in the Forest north of Nenlast - some say his discolored eye was gifted to him by some divine being as a mark of the Aspen.
Life has been relatively difficult for the young Ranger since leaving his own. Survival in the wild is no easy task, let alone for a skilled Ranger such as Arion . . . but this is his home, regardless of how brutal life can be for most and it is the only home he has ever known. Since leaving his home, Arion has been mostly alone, occasionally visiting local towns and villages to resupply, he mostly has remained within the wilderness regions - it is where he feels most comfortable.
Recently however, Arion has turned to the southern region of the vale, mostly hunting goblins and bandits that have been a problem for the local settlements. Rumors are begining to spread among the southern folk of an even greater evil existing in the region, a dark power that is behind the recent goblin and bandit attacks on the surrounding villages and towns. This land is Arions home, the only home he has ever known and to not investigate this rumor would be like abanding his homeland.
Covered by rocks, unable to move or see for what seemed like days, all the while listening to his brother dying somewhere nearby. "In reality it did not take a full day for miners to dig him free". He had never been confined in a space this small, unable to move, gasping for breath, with little to no visibility. By the time help arrived and rescued him, his brother was dead.
Afterwords, life had become a struggle with Hordus dealing with the incident and his brothers death. His sleep patterns became eratic, waking up at all hours of the night with recurring dreams of his friend dying and him being unable to do anything about it. He and his brother were very close and his death hit Hordus hard. It got to the point to where he needed a candle or oil lamp lit to be able to sleep. As time went on, it went from a single candle to more candles that one could count. Hordus stopped going into the mines after this accident, finding one excuse after another to keep himself clear of the mines.
Hordus eventually left home at an early age "unable to tolerate the concerned looks from his peers". He can usually be found in the southern region on Nentir Vale. Preferring the outdoors, he tends to travel across the valley lending aide when possible to those in need of it. Since he prefers to live an isolated life, he usually doesn't stay in one place for long, living mainly in the outdoor wilderness region of the vale.
For the most part, Hordus is your typical every day Dwarf, grumbling, never satisfied with his work and loves working with his hands. He took up wood carving at a young age and it has stuck with him over the years. He enjoys relaxing outdoors smoking his pipe and whittling wood. He tends to enjoy the "drink" a little more than he should. He is still coming to terms with the death of his brother.
Hordus is easy to talk with and is very open minded .... and if asked, he swears he is getting better with not having constant lights on in order to sleep. True or not, Hordus prefers to remain above ground whenever possible but his phobia does not prevent him from traveling beneath the surface "it just takes a bit of convincing and persuasion".
She did not recognize any of them. This was when she realized she had no memory of her past, but she noticed a name engraved on her money pouch "Elora Dawn" which she assume was her. The one and only thing that she did remember was her being a priest of the Raven Queen. How she remembered this she does not know. She gathered herself and began the walk down the road until she entered a nearby settlement where she rented a room at a local inn where she has been staying this last week.
Upon getting settled into her room, she began rummaging through her various packs, looking through papers she has stored. Apparently she had started a journal only days before the attack on the wagons. As she read she found out a lot about herself the first few pages of her journal that explained her personality and mannerisms in great detail.
Elora's most prominent features include her Prodigiousness and cleverness. She is levelheaded, book-smart, and always very logical. She is often very outspoken, not afraid to say what she feels yet unfailingly dutiful and loyal to her friends—a person who can always be counted on but she does however have occasions where she lets her "snippy" attitude out. Elora never strays off the path she always keeps her attention focused on the job that must be done.
One particular quote she read was "I enjoy long walks through a cemetery while murmuring soft prayers to the dead - it has a sort of romantic feel to it". This disturbed her slightly but she promised herself that she would try it out for herself to see what the appeal actually was.
She has no regrets in life other than the acolyte thing really didn't work out for her. She has other ambitions and felt the only way to accomplish those was to leave and set out on her own (it does not say where she left from though). Things such as good, evil, life and death are all part of the order of things and she plans to do her best to help the Raven Queen manage that order.
Despite Elora's intelligence and outspoken attitude, she has quite a lot of vulnerability in her personality, as well as a sense of insecurity underneath, feeling, utterly inadequate... and to compensate, she strives to be the best at everything, projecting a confidence where in fact little exists.
Elora has a deep love for the outdoors and nature and hopes soon to be able to explore the world and educate herself on the lands and its people. Leaving her home was hard for her (wherever home was), but she knows deep down that in order to serve her goddess to the best of her ability she must set out into the world to help those in need and to spread the word of the Raven Queen to as many as she can.
Saturday, December 3, 2022
Two companions have spent the last two days traveling south from the settlement of Dardun in the Barony of Harkenwold traveling to the village of Desul Torey. They have encountered no trouble so far, but this territory can be dangerous. Bandits and outlaws have been known to lurk along the trail and ambush the unprepared.
As the companions traveled further south, closer to Desul Torey - darkness begins to set in. The night air surges fierce and sweet, carrying the clear musk smell of the woodlands. The soft murmurs of stirring leaves, insects, and small animals of the night fill the landscape. The clear highland sky, full of stars, stretches out before them and seems to go on forever.
The travelers have been on the southern Trail for about half a day since they turned to follow the river south. The sun slowly drops behind the mountains, stirring the sounds of the night. With the upcoming winter months soon to arrive, the air has already started to chill. In the distance to the north, thunder can be heard breaking the silence of the night.
Our story, however, takes place along the southern reaches of the White River in a small clearing at the base of a massive stone monument once dedicated to an order of monks, long since forgotten. Here in the southeast reaches of Nentir Vale, located in the heart of what was once the Empire of Nerath, is where out story begins. In a sleepy campsite on the edge of the wild, a small collection of wandering destinies begin to come together.
We begin in the early hours of night during the last days of fall, two companions take rest at a quiet campsite along a nearby trail. A small campfire burns as one companion, a young woman, sits on a fallen log warming her hands while her companion, a rugged dwarf, sits beneath a makeshift tarp whittling away at a small piece of wood . . .
Friday, December 2, 2022
Thursday, December 1, 2022
Cheapest of Fallcrest’s drinking establishments. Caters to porters and dock laborers. The Lucky Gnome Taphouse is single story building set in the dock ward of the city. The overall construction of the Lucky Gnome Taphouse is rather old and not well kept . . . yet is is a clean eating establishment with no rooms for rent.
Candles have been placed throughout the dining area which keep the building well lit. Bar stools have been placed at the bar itself. At most times during the day, several young women can be seen waiting tables and standing behind the bar. Prices at the taphouse are reasonable and the meals that are prepared here are decent enough. The Lucky Gnome Taphouse is nothing special, just your everyday standard looking tavern one would find near the docks of any settlement.
Meals are served on pottery or pewter or copper services. Various leather jacks, pottery mugs, wooden tankards, pewter steins, and glass flagons are used for the beverages.
BREAKFAST
Oatmeal: 4sp
Goose Eggs: 1sp
Toasted bread: 5cp
Boiled Goose Eggs: 3sp
Fish Cakes: 8cp
Chicken Eggs: 2sp
Fried Potato Wedges: 2sp
Chickpea Porridge: 1sp
Pork Sausages: 5sp
AFTERNOON MEALS
Boiled Crawfish with Drawn Butter: 4sp
Spiced Sausages: 5sp
Loaf Pudding: 4cp
Smoked Fresh Trout Fillets: 2sp
Smoked Salmon Salad: 3sp
Apple Stuffed Mushrooms: 5cp
Stuffed Trout: 5sp
Steak and Kidney Pie: 5sp
BEVERAGES
Whiskey: 6cp
Rum: 7cp
Beer: 2cp
Heavy Beer: 3cp
Ale: 4cp
Mead: 1sp
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
As far as real world issues goes, we've never had to address these issues here and for that I am extremely thankful. We are not anything special here, just a group of gamers trying to have a good time and I think we've grown quite a bit which makes me happy. I hope that we can continue to grow and expand as time goes on!
However there is a lot of turmoil going on in the outside world and I want to make something clear here.
We will not discuss matters of justice and equality here. We (and I, specifically) believe firmly that heroes of high fantasy settings would have never looked at anyone or anything and wondered . . . what do they identify as, are they gay or straight, what race, color or sex a person is/was, no, they wouldn't because it never would have came up and it will not come up on this blog or within my games. None of that matters here because we are all adults here and we treat people like adults.
If you feel the need to push any of that in peoples faces where this campaign is concerned then please go somewhere else, we are here to play tabletop games and nothing that happens in the real world matters here. You won't find people yelling at the world about what pronouns they are, or if they identify as a lamp shade in this group. We are not for it or against it - we simply don't care. This is a GAMING BLOG covering a Dungeons & Dragons setting and the story that it holds. No one here cares about any of the above mentioned things, keep it to yourself and let us focus on the adventuers that happen here.
If you disagree with this, feel free to leave this place and never come back. I hope you take the time to reflect on your beliefs and understand that what you believe in, should be none of anyone elses business, and people will not be forced to address you by your silly pronoun - keep it to yourself. Once again, this is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign blog and that is all that should matter to anyone who visits this website.
People that sit around our real world or virtual table are all grown ass adults and we don't give a damn about your pronouns or your real world politics. Now, with all that silliness out of the way, we hope you enjoy your visit here and please feel free to say hello in our comments sections. We would love to meet you.
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Phandalin is a settlement in Nentir Vale that enjoys much prosperity in the last decade. It was raided by orcs in 41AE and subsequently abandoned. It was eventually resettled in 61AE as a frontier settlement of farmers and prospectors. Phandalin is a modest and quiet town of farmers, woodcutters, trappers, and miners built atop the ruins of old Phandalin. The settlement quickly grew to about fifty well-maintained structures built of stone, lumber and flagstones with three deep wells providing water.
The climate is temperate with an average yearly rainfall of 18 inches (46 centimeters). It does see snowfall during the winter months but not in abundance, the temperature does drop well below freezing through the colder winter months. For the most part, the settlement of Phandalin is a quiet, quaint and peaceful settlement. The inhabitants of Phandalin are very welcoming to outside traffic and especially adventurers looking for work.
When Phandalin was first reestablished, it had no real functioning government, and the Phandalin Miner's Exchange began acting as a center of records-keeping for local mining claims. It did eventually elect a sherrif and an administrator but Harbin says they both left town without giving any notice at all.
Now the townsfolk annually elect a "townsmaster" who serves as a judge and mediator as well as keeps town records who can be re-elected from year to year. In 101AE, Harbin Wester was elected as the townmaster. Harbin welcomes to Redbrands into Phandalin, telling the townfolk they are protecting the settlement and are a good thing for Phandalin. He gives them free rein in Phandalin and firmly believes they are what is best for Phandalin even though the settlements residents think otherwise.
The local guard barracks and jail are located on the eastern side of Phandalin and is where the local militia are housed. Phandalin is a mostly self-sufficient town: it has enough small farmhouses to provide farming for the settlement and a few miners giving the residents everything they need to survive. Phandalin exchanges their surplus of goods for luxuries, trading with other communities of the vale.
Phandalin is adjacent to land which is good for farming and ranching, and is near enough to Winterbole to support a woodcutting and logging industry. Most of the wealth, however, is from mining in the nearby Dawnforge Mountains for gold, platinum, and cold iron. Phandalin was originally a farming community and a member of the Phandalin Pact, giving them access to the Forge of Spells and the mining operations in Wave Echo Cave to the east. However, when the orcs of the vale had destroyed all game in their realm, they went in search of food and turned on the human settlements in the area, raiding them. Phandalin was the main settlement that was attacked, and it was overrun and then abandoned.
Around this time, challenges befell the town. One was a group of bandits known as the Redbrands, or the Redbrand Ruffians, who settled in Phandalin, making their lair under Tresendar Manor. They were said to have committed several terrible acts, such as racketing local businesses, kidnapping over a dozen travelers to sell into slavery, killing the woodcarver Thel Dendrar for his defiance, and later kidnapping his family but none of this has been confirmed as fact, since no action has been taken by the townmaster. Unimpressed with how the townmaster, Harbin Wester, handled these challenges, the townsfolk restructured their government to include a town council which doesn't seem to be doing much better.
During 102AE, much of the mineral wealth that was expected to flow into the town failed to materialize. The town could go for months with no new income from the mining operations, and efforts to open the ancient mine at Wave Echo Cave were abandoned.
Notable Locations
• Stonehill Inn
• Smithy
• Phandalin Patisserie Shoppe
• Barthen's Provisions
• Phandalin Miner's Exchange
• Temple of Avandra
• Shrine of Luck
• Moneychanger's Shop
• Danley and Sons Inn
• Townmaster's Office
• Woodworker Shop
• The Sleeping Giant
• Lionshield Coster
• Tresendar Manor
• Edermath Orchard
• Phandalin Cemetary
• Alderleaf Farm
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Huddled against a hillside on a stony shore, Mistwatch has an exquisite view of Lake Wintermist’s cold water. A sleepy town of 565 citizens, blessed with riches from timber cut from the Winterbole Forest, and well fed on trout and salmon drawn from the clear, mist-covered water, Mistwatch has long known peace and prosperity until recently.
After Lord Cadimus Zaspar "the lord of Mistwatch" castle was completed, stone buildings replaced the wooden shacks and piers grew out across the water to meet the burgeoning fishing industry’s needs. The crude hamlet became a thriving town, a trade partner for nearby Winterhaven, and an important stop for merchants bound west from Fallcrest, Hammerfast, and Harkenwold.
Its people are simple folk. They make few demands on Lord of Winterhaven Ernest Padraig and are content with the lives that has been given to them, finding peace and accord with their neighbors in spite of all that is happening to Mistwatch. The trade that comes through Mistwatch "not so much these days" helps the town keep up with goods they cannot acquire themselves.
Over the last year a thick mist has slowly developed that now covers Mistwatch. The mists have grown thicker and darker with the passing of each day and the settlement seems to grow more sinister the thicker the mists get. Within the last year, this settlement has gone from a peaceful, civilized location to a dark and gloomy place.
The overall population has also dropped as well due to people just packing up and leaving . . . some moving to Winterhaven while others as far as the city of Fallcrest. Many rumors are starting to circulate concerning this settlement, whispers of folk disappearing in the middle of the night. Mistwatch is slowly transforming into a domain of dread.
Notable Locations
• Beacon Inn
• The Baited Hook
• Mistwatch Temple
• Mort’s Supplies
• The Sink
• Smoke on the Water
• House on the Rocks
• The Run
Notable Names
• Cadmus Zaspar
• Cadmus
• Bartleby Haff
• Captain Cara
• Mort
• The Pinrae family
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Nenlast is a small town on the eastern short of Lake Nen. Directly north is Winterbole Forest, and to the south are the Old Hills and the dwarven outpost of Hammerfast. With a population of only about two hundred people, most of Nenlast's citizens are fishermen, catching black trout and bass out of Lake Nen and selling their catch across the Nentir Vale.
It maintains a standing population of approximately 200 citizens year round. The population does not fluctuate from season to season, the warmer months might increase to a population somewhat due to kinfolk visiting and such. The settlement sees a small amount of traffic from travelers who usually stop at the Black trout Inn but shortly after are moving on, and is used more as a crossroads than anything else.
The settlement is governed by Lord Mayor Thure Karn. The settlement has no real standing miltia, only a few locals "former adventurers" that casually keep watch over the settlement, and Nenlast has seen no trouble in a very long time. Their are a few shops and stores located here as well as the Black Trout Inn "which serves some of the finest food in the region" .
Farming and fishing are the primary source of income for Nenlast although the location does have a smithy which sometimes trades with outside settlements.
Nenlast holds frequent festivals, feasts, and fairs throughout the year, including the Forever Nenlast pageant, a competition for the title of "Gem of Nenlast" which is held until the following year when the Forever Nenlast pageant is held again, and also the midsummer Peachiest Pie bake-off is held during this celebration. The festivals will also have other random events and contests that change from year to year depending on popularity.
The Forever Nenlast pageant is an annual festival, first held in 101AE. It consists of an interview, a talent show, and an evening wear exhibition. Persons who won in previous years may re-enter in later years to potentially win the title multiple times.
Though the competition is primarily held for residents, those from out of town may also enter; entry is open to all ladies of the vale. Other festivities during this pageant include a presentation of pies during the day, which are also judged in a competition, and a presentation of barbecue and smoked foods at night.
Notable Locations
• Moon Tower
• Black Trout Inn
• Chapel
• Docks
• Erkar's General Store
• Ironheart Smithy
• Marita's Bookshop
• Benton Stables
• Nenlast Patisserie Shoppe
• Watch House
• Traders Establishment
• Traders Bank
• Mayor's Office
• Tenements
• Market Square
Saturday, November 19, 2022
Winterhaven is a settlement set against the Cairngorm Peaks and has a population of approximately 1,000 residents. It is surrounded by farms and pasture and a lot of the people who claim citizenship in the village actually live outside of its walls. The location of the settlement protects it from dangerous monsters, who do not like traversing the Cairngorm range. They do have problems with kobolds and goblins at times but that is about it.
Lord Padraig commands the Winterhaven militia, a group of ten soldiers who perform guard and police functions in and around the walled settlement. Padraig can muster a force of about fifty, given a day’s notice, to supplement this force if the village is threatened. Winterhaven is primarily an agricultural settlement based on barter and trade and Lord Padraig keeps a monetary system afloat, and a small market place that sells most common goods. Most residents of Winterhaven have never traveled beyond the village vale. The majority of villagers are farmers, though the walled heart of Winterhaven employs various craftspeople as well. Wagons occasionally head east down old King’s Road from Winterhaven to find trade with the next village, town or settlement, which lies five days away.
Winterhaven does see a fair bit of traffic from adventurers in spite of its size. This is because of the close proximity to several ancient ruins from Arkhosia, Bael Turath and Nerath, that dot the western end of the Nentir Vale. They have a single inn as a result, Wrafton’s Inn. Sometimes wagons come into Winterhaven, usually from Fallcrest, causing the villagers to excitedly gather in the Market Square to hear news of the outside world and to buy new and exotic goods.
The city is also home to a large vegetable market, widely famed for the availability of many different vegetables from the region. Winterhaven has a very open feel about it full of friendly folk from the surrounding region. Very little crime from within Winterhaven happens which is why the militia is so small here.
Every other day or so, carts and wagons gather in the market square and offer goods to the people of Winterhaven. Once each week, the official Market Day acts as a siren’s song, calling most of the villagers to shop and socialize in the square. Farmers sell produce, hunters hawk smoked meats, villagers sell crafts, and sometimes a trader from other villages or towns sells hard to find or costly goods. On any given day, there is a 50% chance that common items are available for sale here (items worth less 10 gp). Adventurers will almost never find armor, weapons, or magic items in the market square, however.
Points of Interest
• Valthrun’s Tower
• Wrafton’s Inn
• Bairwin’s Grand Shoppe
• Coalstriker Smithy
• Winterhaven Temple
• Tenements
• Warrior Guild
• Winterhaven Barracks
• Lord Padriag's Manor House
• Winterhaven Keep
• Traders Shop
• Market Square
• Sheerah's Parchment and Binding
• Watch House
• Winterhaven Traders Bank
• Alaster's Provisions
• Winterhaven Stables
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