Post/Author/DateTime	Post
GoriceXII 01-07-07, 10:36 AM	This is connected to my thread about the siege I am planning for my campaign, so this is background material. (link for that is here btw) http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=759361 The City of Fineberg Part 1: History and Details Overview Fineberg was originally a city ruled by priestesses and priests of the goddess Ishtar. It still features a ziggurat like temple and the surrounding grounds. However when the uprising of the people overthrew King Obed along with it all royalist claims were destroyed. Thus the former ruling elite were forced to bow to the wishes of the new Republic and become mere custodians of the temple. Mere custodians is perhaps a misnomer, as they control a lot of rents and also gain revenues from performing rites over livestock, crops and breweries. They still take a percentage once a year from all taverns as Ishtar is the patroness of taverns among her many titles. The Temple still employs 200 people in addition to clerics, administrators and hierodules. The Government Town government is elected by the guidsmen(and women) of Fineberg as well as by clerics of the Temples of Osprem (goddess of sailors, sea travel and fisherfolk) and of Ishtar (goddess of war, love, fertility, motherhood, brewers, craftsmen). Honorary citizenship is given to soldiers of the Republic serving in Fineberg and to officials of state. It consists of a Prefect of the Council and fourteen councillors. Members of the Commune have the right to a fair and open trial in matters of law, reside within the city, operate businesses there, are entitled to protection and arbitration and to reside on city land. They have the following duties: guard the city and its freedoms with their lives, not aiding foreigners against the people; obey their lawfully elected leaders; pay their debts to the city; be law abiding, loyal citizens. All adult members of the commune must be members of the militia. However there are two parts ot this: the select embodied militia (roughly 325 members) who serve a full year's service at a time, and the sedentary militia (about 4,000) who train once a month and are the body from which the select militia are picked. To volunteer for the select militia results in exemption from taxation for that year, but regular roll calls and duty rosters are maintained to defeat cheaters. To be a member of the militia one has to provide: a suit of armor (at least leather and helmet) a crossbow and at least 50 bolts, and a hand weapon. These are inspected once a month by the commander of the city militia and his or her officers. Revenues Annual Taxes: 6 silver per gold on moveable property 2 silvers per gold on real estate (note: members of the sedentary militia and the council pay a flat rate of 20 gp a year) Law High Court: this is a court of the Republic and a Guardian of Justice presides over it, with 15 members of the Nocturnal Council serving under the Guardian. It presides over cases of murder, rape, treason, armed robbery, piracy, kidnapping, sedition, treason. Council Police act as enforcers of this court, though they only can perform arrests if given warrants to by the Guardian. City Court: this is presided over by the city council and magistrates are rotating members of the council advised by law clerks. Fraud, public disturbances, false measure, land and business disputes as well as petty theft are dealt with. Note: the city prison is used more for questioning or detaining prisoners than as a sentence: fines, public labour, execution are the ultimate sentences. Execution is used only in the case of High Court related crimes. The Fairs There are two major fairs in Fineberg, which are the Summer Fair (in July-August roughly) and the Winter Fair (November-December). These are major affairs. Cooks, bakers, butchers, innkeepers and such hire extra help for these seasons. The fairs are the lifesblood of the city and are presided over by merchants known for their fairness and honesty, who are titled "Keeper of the Fair" and are served by appointed notaries, tax collectors, clerks, porters, couriers, criers, inspectors and weighers. Fineberg produces goods from the following sent in by the farms and estates around it: wool, hemp, cattle, horses, grain (oats, wheat, barley) hops, whale and seal oil, iron, castoreum, apples, walnuts. The goods they will receive may include: glassware, taffetta, indigo, cochineal, oranges, tarragon, nutmeg, muslin, gauze, sugar, alum, saffron, furs, velvet, silk, copper, nickel The People The city's population is approximately 11,000, most of whom are tradespeople. Guilds Guild laws in general are of two kinds: external and internal. Internal: 1. Protect the public. For instance butchers cannot sell the meat of cats, dogs, rats or horses. Candlemakers cannot sell beeswax candles that are disguised tallow. Bakers must use clean water. Ale cannot contain anything other than grain, hops or water. 2. Proper business competition. Tailors may compete with tailors but they cannot for instance mend clothes as that takes business from old clothes peddlers, as an example. 3. Combinations to fix prices or seek a monopoly on materials is forbidden. Retailers may not buy produce except on the market days when the farmers are present with their goods. They may not speculate. (this is one of the most abused laws in the city and often such cases are brought to court, but many never reach the courts) 4. Fines and physical punishment exist for infractions. Serious ones that harm other people might be brought to the High Court. Internal: 1. Apprentice only those whose craft may require it. Most guildsmen may have one or two apprencties but grain merchants, ale brewers, goldsmiths, greengrocers, shoemakers, stonemasons, blacksmiths, glaziers, tanners are allowed more than two. 2. An apprentice must provide a certificate of sober legal service, produce either a masterpiece or a transaction of "good and worthy service" and demonstrate sufficient capital to start a business before they can apply to become a guildsman. The final act is to pay a fee of ten percent of a standard wage to the government. If they cannot pay this they are recognized as journeymen but are not guildsmen. 3. Guildsmen have the right to the following: 1. Vote for city councillors. 2. Vote for the city's representatives to the Great Council of the Republic 3. Serve in the militia 4. Vote to recommend prices for goods and services (note: this is merely advice until agreed upon by the city council) 5. Call meetings 6. Shelter in the guildhall when requiring it 7. Practice business as appropriate to the guild without let or hindrance in accordance with the law. Populace Most people in Fineberg are human, but the following other groups exist. 1. Elves are the largest such group, with nearly 300 of them living on a street called the Elvish Quarter by locals. It has a number of beautiful houses and shopfronts, most with gardens in a little courtyard and in spring and summer flowers and plants growing in vines over the houses. This is part of a pact with the Elvish city of Lioslinn, that a trading population lives in Fineberg. Though they are not part of the commune officially they are granted honorary citizenship and have a special agreement to help defend the city. 2. The Dwarves of Fineberg live in a fine stone hall called Dvergrhall which while not a fortification is very stout and impressive. Roughly 45 dwarves live in the hall, while another 40 live in other parts of the city. Though a small population it is a well respected one. Many of them are smiths, armorers, masons and engineers. 3. The Gnomes of Fineberg usually just arrive for the trade fairs, so the few that live there are mostly guests or family or retainers of Lord Rhonaby Manogan, who is the envoy of the Gnome Kingdom of Nibelheim. He lives in a beautiful house which is a low slung but impressive manor in the city. 4. The recent treaty with the lizardfolk has brought some of them who were refugees from fighting Sahuagin to live in a small fishing town near the harbour. They are still a curious site but are known to be allies. Religion There are two larger temples in Fineberg, one near the harbour that is the temple of Osprem, another in the center of the city which is the temple of Ishtar. Fisherfolk also worship the god Xerbo (another sea god) and craftsmen sometimes have minor deities as patrons which are worshipped either at home or in the guildhall. Animal and item sacrifice is at times required of both temples, though in the case of Osprem this mostly involves throwing part of a catch back in the sea. Both have revenues from services and from patronage of services. Crime There is a thieves guild in Fineberg, but it mostly involves smuggling and receiving stolen goods. Pickpockets, burglars and horse thieves receive severe penalties and so this organization is very discreet and frowns on the use of violence or crude tactics. An assassin's guild in Fineberg actually is the arm of a part of the government. While somewhat mercenary a specific group of councillors have carefully built up a group of loyal killers who are ready to remove influences that they don't want to exist. This organization is very secretive and needs to be to avoid the attentions of the Council Police. (note: the Council Police are a group that funnel out what would normally be a widespread group of thugs, thieves and other criminals by training such folk to be loyalists to the Great Council of the Republic. They officially wear black cloaks and black dyed leather armor but a number of them act as spies and assassins. They do not take kindly to others unofficially usurping their position. Most are trained rather young and know no family but the Republic and its government.)
taradusis 01-07-07, 11:44 AM	Looks good,have you considered buying cityscape?I didn't see any mention of sports.An arena is a good civic project.Racecourses for dogs-horse races are popular and cheap.Dog fights,cockfights,cricket fights,rat fights,all sorts of animal fighting is common in most worlds.I also didn't see any mention of theatres,before radio or tv,there were a lot of small ampitheatres to amuse people(Bards need a performance space!!!).Is there a CENTRAL PARK with statues and a pond,perhaps a "commons"or common field.Riverbanks have clay deposits,is there a large brickworks,the roman ?tarquentium? emperors controlled all brick production in rome and the brick is the building block of society,literally.Is there a public library or public schools?Do the aristocrats donate money and to what?RANDOM THOUGHTS:)
GoriceXII 01-07-07, 02:30 PM	(Those are all really really good questions, thanks very much) Sports and Entertainment The Commons and Little Fairs The Fairs are held in a public park called the Common that have planted trees and a pool. It is near a public road called Victory Road that has statues of heroes of the Republic lining it--Sif Finnhald the Gladiatrix, Lord Aholibamah the Wizard, Willem Touchstone the second High Lord, Lord Dunsinaine the victor of the 1st Goblin War and others. This is also an area for the 'little fairs'. Little fairs are irregular markets that are basically just local peddlers, entertainers and the like who set up around the Commons to offer their wares. This is a huge affair during the seasonal Fairs but regularly one can find things such as hot pie sellers, nut sellers, tinkers, musicians, puppet shows or actual plays on moveable stages and so on. It is a place to go and relax. At night it has a slightly unpleasant reputation but one that is eagerly sought out by apprentices needing a change of pace, off duty soldiers and the like, and so it can be rather rough. There is a strict curfew however and at midnight the watch come and chase everyone away who doesn't have a license to camp there. Minor Sports Dogfights, cockfights (more expensive) and ratting as well as games of dice are common. Most of these are held in a barn or tavern as appropriate, though taverns are not supposed to and may be closed down if caught. Wine Criers and other inspectors will swoop down doing investigations now and then. However few are ever closed down because in fact taverns usually would rather pay a steep but unofficial fine and few inspectors can resist the temptation. The times when one is closed down it is usually due to an inspector getting caught with a hand in the jar, so to speak. Horseraces Races are actually associated with the animal market in Fineberg. It is a good and fun way to test out animals or to prove a bloodline, and as patricians are the largest group that raise horses it is something of an aristocratic but popularly watched sport still. Military Contests At the drop of the hat the Fineberg Militia will hold contests in wrestling, archery, mounted drill and jousting as well as feats of strength and horsemanship. When they hold them they will let one non-militia member of the citizenship per event compete against an avowed master of a skill and if he can beat him he is made an honorary member of the militia with the officers of the militia donating the appropriate arms and equipment to him. (or her) Bards and Players There are two kinds of plays in Fineberg. The more important and notable kind are practiced by the temple of Ishtar, which observes celebrations in the form of dramatic reenactments of rituals and major events. These are not meant to be purely solemn and sometmes have deliberate humor or bawdiness in them. They are staged quite well in the main square beneath the ziggurat of the temple and are well attended. Because the players all wear masks the dignity of the clergy is well preserved. The plays include such events as the quests of Gilgamesh, the descent of Ishtar, the creation of the world (and defeat of Tiamat) and others. There are also plays that are purely secular or at least enacted by private play companies. These may be as stated earlier staged by travelling groups on the Commons or in taverns that hire them, or else in a guildhall that has hired them and opens the even to the public for a fee. They also will do private performances in important houses or even the Council Hall. Music Bards are the highest expression of musician still but are in some ways an old tradition rather than the most popular in some circles. To simply hire musicians and to read about one's exploits satisfies more than one wealthy merchant or military commander or councillor in a tradition that is increasingly literate in the upper classes. However bards still have a certain power among the ordinary folk and certainly have a reputation for their other qualities apart from the musical. Some have turned playwright and feature musical elements in their plays, which are very popular. A genuine bard can at the very least play for his supper in most taverns in Fineberg. Musicians or groups of them are also popular, and most taverns will have someone playing a stringed instrument, woodwind or drum or combination thereof. Public dances are held during significant celebrations on the Common and musicians vie to play in competitions held by the Keeper of the Fair for that year. Schools and Books The Temple of Ishtar provides schooling for aspirant scribes, clerics and administrators. It requires a fee or promise of service and is one of the principle educators of Fineberg. The Republic also provides educators, whose value ranges from the dubious to the excellent. It is considered a nuisance because it is required by law and thus workable family members often have to be excused for four hours a day, three days a week, to be taught letters and numbers and the like by some scribe in the service of the country. These schools are maintained from the pool of general taxation. (in other words the patrician and other landowning classes--small farmers, millers, miners and animal raisers) The Public Schools fall under the protection of the Ministry of Culture, which is an executive office that is part of the Council of Ministers on the Great Council of the Republic. It is provided free. Because the quality of the educators is not fully guaranteed (yet) most wealthier people hire private tutors. The best final education is at the College of Lookinghaven, which is some fifty miles away in the city of that name. Death The necropolis of Fineberg is near a street that has services necessary to the disposal of the dead: carpenters, masons, waxworkers, apothecaries and so on. A small guild deals with the actual disposal but always works under the direction of clerics from one fo the temples. The necropolis is walled and the walls are decorated with friezes showing images of the fate that awaits the dead. There are magic wards placed over it and watchmen with a cleric of either temple attached to patrols guard it by day and double the guard by night. Inside are a set of tombs and catacombs in which the dead reside. It is a place feared to go near even by night. The guard is partly because of fears of the walking dead--not that this has happened but you never know--but also because the Republic is still home to secret cults and evil secretive wizards and priests who might practice foul necromancy. The most feared area within is a place called only the Pit, where the ruined bodies and bones of executed criminals are flung after being burned and cursed. In fact the ground are actually rather beautiful, with finely groomed paths and planted trees and shrubs that elves maintain, as they somewhat lack the fear of death humans have. The fear of necromancy is not unwarranted. In one of the small towns to the north, a place called Verity, only recently a Council Police investigation turned up a cult worshipping the dead remains of King Obed, which they had secretly gathered up and put under a hill. These remains had reanimated and those secretly sacrified to the old King had begun to animate as well, hungry for flesh and blood.
taradusis 01-07-07, 06:22 PM	Mage guild or guilds by speciality?Must mages be bonded?Does the mages guild control spell copying or can you run an information brokerage.I would reccomend multiple guilds based around speciality and/or politics.I would also reccomend bonding and some limits on location of research facilities.Do the gnomes control alchemy and illusion magic?Is there a branch of the council police that are mages or sorcerers?RANDOM THOUGHT.
GoriceXII 01-07-07, 07:31 PM	All Mages must be bonded, and must be tested by the three master magicians of New Edom (Lord Aholibamah, Lord Magdiel and Mistress Ravel). All practicing clerics must belong to a noted temple or faith recognized by the state. Both must be available to help protect the state, heal, or offer information gathering spells when the interests of the nation are at stake. (Note: this is not lightly abused because ultimately most magic users and other spellcasters are either patricians or in the direct service of the state in some fashion) I haven't thought about the gnomes controlling illusion magic or alchemy, I'll give that some thought. The Council Police This is an organization headed by Abishai Kohath, a long faced rather solemn man who is rarely seen to smile and has a reputation for a ruthlessly efficient style of command. He is the protege of Lord Magdiel, one of the Council of Lords. (the Council of Lords is the highest rank within the Great Council, its members are elected for life only after proven service to the nation) It consists of four main branches: administration, enforcement, investigation, training. The training branch operates from the remote grim fortress of Stonehaven, where the members, regardless of class, are trained to deal with interrogation, physical endurance, code writing and interpretation, languages and in loyalty to the state above all things. Following this they are apprenticed according to aptitude within the appropriate branch. Council Police are also chosen for a rare ability to resist magic or at the very least deal with it well. Administrators are basically clerks, but they must be close mouthed, loyal, attentive to detail and methodical. They can be of any class but are most often recruited from the commoner class's ambitious types. Enforcers are basically toughs but they must be more than thugs, though some appear so. They have to be loyal to a fault, determined and quick on their feet. It is often they who have to burst into the hidden chambers of a cult or accompany troops head first into a warren of possible assassins. Most of them are noncomissioned officers of junior rank. Investigators are recruited mainly from rogue classes and magic using classes. They must be fiercely loyal, determined, ruthless and intelligent. Invesitgators may be put to work as spies, interrogators, and investigators who assist the Guardians and the Nocturnal Council in dealing with matters of state law.
GoriceXII 01-08-07, 03:55 AM	The Great Council of New Edom The Great Council consists of several councils that together agree on matters of law, taxation, defense, and other affairs of state. They are: 1. The Council of Lords (Consisting of High Lord Jetheh, Lord Magdiel, Lord Tybalt, Lord Aholibamah, Lord Dunsinaine) This is the main executive branch of government. It is an office elected for life (until sanity, health or criminal behavior demand resignation) and is elected by the general body of the rest of the Council from persons who are New Edomite citizens, known for honesty and just behavior, proven patriots (by serving at least five years in the Army of the Republic), literate and at least thirty years of age. The Lords have the power to protect orphans and the poor, to command the military, Council Police and to also command the militia in times of emergency. They may direct the other branches of government according to already agreed upon matters of law. 2. The Council of Guardians consists of seventeen Guardians of Justice, who are the supreme court of the land, and judge all cases that are High Court cases. This office is served for ten years. They must be at least 40 years of age and practiced in law. They are elected from among the city magistrates. Three Guardians of Justice are assigned to each major city (Touchstone, Harbourtown, Glasstower, Lookinghaven, Fineberg) and two are assigned to ride circuit through the rest of the country. 3. The Council of Ministers who are chosen by the Lords and Guardians from among a body elected by the Council of Representatives. These carry out direct offices such as Ministry of Culture, Controller of Mines, Collector General of Revenues, First Prefect of the Archives, Minister of Public Works, Minister of Outer Lands. This office is served for four years. 4. The Council of Representatives represent the major towns and cities of New Edom, and are each elected by the appropriate voting population. (which is usually the Commune of the city) In particular this group has the duty of revision of existing and proposed laws before proposing them to the general body of the Great Council for voting. 5. The Council of Guildmasters represents each Guild that exists in New Edom. 6. The War Council, consisting of 4 Generals each commanding an army of approximately 5,000 troops including militias in the regions to which they are assigned, a Quartermaster-General and an Inspector of Fortifications. 7. The Nocturnal Council. This is a council within the council and does not vote but does advise. It consists of: The 10 oldest Guardians of Justice, The Minister of Culture and any living predecessors, examiners (officials who check and audit those who are elected to office) certain citizens who have traveled abroad under official auspices and are invited to join, and also each of the above is entitled to appoint one person approved by another member to join, being required to be of an age between 30 and 40. The Nocturnal Council meets between dawn and sunrise, hence its name. It is largely an advisory body but may carry direct appointments and commissions from the Guardians or the Lords.
taradusis 01-09-07, 06:17 PM	Technology?Do the following items exist:printing press,anesthesia,balloons,telescope,micr oscope,magnifing glass,steam engine,papermill,gunpowder,muskets,batte ries,rockets/flares,cannons,diving suits/bells,paper money,kites,hypodermic needles,pencils,crayons,windmills,pocket s,tin cans.......RANDOM THOUGHTS
GoriceXII 01-10-07, 04:36 PM	The technology is High Middle Ages, though the advanced crossbows are somewhat apocryphal I have them there as a dwarvish invention.
taradusis 01-10-07, 09:47 PM	Who is the most unusual individual in town?Is there an archimedes or einstein type?Is there a unique creature like a Flesh golem who's regained his memories?A monster who is normally evil but has gazed into a mirror of opposition and now is a reformed and well liked member of society?Is there an awakened animal like a talking serpent that works for some organisation?How about a treant so old that it only wakes up once a decade?RANDOM THOUGHTS
GoriceXII 01-11-07, 03:24 AM	Personalities Lord Aholibamah is an 18th level wizard, a very old man though fairly hale and hearty, with few wisps of hair remaining on his liver spotted head and with little fat left on his body anywhere. He has a short white beard and is neat and austere in appearance. Though he is the eldest of the council of lords he prefers to be the Lord High Wizard than the High Lord of the Republic. He prefers to spend most of his time shut up with books and research. Aholibamah is the man who created the plans to bond all wizards and spellcasters in New Edom, and in fact has a ruthless sense of paranoia about the destruction of the Republic from without or within. He occasionally pretends a distracted near senility but in fact knows a great deal about people and situations, partly through magic and partly through a system of informants he keeps to himself. Lord Aholibamah has two particular followers of note: a brownie named Sivor, a sly little creature that is somewhat mischeivous but is also his faithful spy, and Nestor Khalkimedes, his rather arrogant and proud assistant. Nestor is highly intelligent but somewhat more likely to go out exploring and adventuring than his master. Lord Aholibamah carries a magical staff made of a strange twisted pale wood that seems to enable him to cast a great many more spells than would normally be possible. General Sarai Carmel is a 12th level fighter in her late thirties, a dark haired woman with a great deal of calm presence about her. In her younger days she spent time adventuring, particularly in the region now called Goblinland, exploring ruins and along with others helping to keep the border country safe. When the First Goblin War came along the heroic Lord Dunsinaine chose her along with other notable border heroes to be officers in his army. Among her achievements are establishing the corps of scouts and trackers called the Light Troops, the defeat of the Goblin Confederacy recently at the Battle of Highport, and saving the life of Prince Mane Andoe of the High Elves. It is partly the General's doing that there are elves so closely aligned with the city of Fineberg. She is also known for a black hippogriff that she rides and a magic sword called Frostbite. Simon Nalademus is a Guardian of Justice, one particularly chosen to organize dealing with traitors and spies as well as matters of sedition and insurrection. One such Guardian has been appointed to every major city and Republic for the duration of the war. He is a stout but imposing and impressive man with a resonant voice and a way of calmly and darkly staring at people that can be disconcerting. I'm really not sure what to do about whether or not to have any friendly or intelligent monsters around. I'll have to give that some thought.
taradusis 01-12-07, 07:57 AM	I had some ideas on an information brokerage the town council could run.SCROLLS OF KNOWLEDGE A collection of spells,each one in its own protective scroll case.You start with 20,000 gp worth of spells,most of them first level.The IB buys spells at 110% of book value and allows copying at 40% of book value,this makes it popular with travelling mages.This should turn a 4% profit or roughly 800gp that compounds monthly!!This also allows council agents to track every mage in town and what spells are in their books.Keeping the spells in individual scrollcases minimises risk of theft/damage and allows several people to copy unlike a spellbook which only allows one person at a time.SCRIVNERS a book copying and letter writing service,starts with a 20,000 gp library and makes a 4% profit on an annual basis.Still a good way for the council to track and facilitate the spread of knowledge.MESSENGERS A few wands of sending and some messengers,small profits but allows council to track who's in comunication with whom.CARTOGRAPHERS a small map copying service,town council can arrange to buy or steal copies of maps that are brought in.SCROLLS'R'US a scroll making service that employs low level wizards and clerics who aren't attached to a church.A steady profit maker and tracks mages and clerics who buy scrolls and allows the council to hire some small fry and "look them over".SUMMING IT UP by adding papermills,bookbinders,inkers,gossipmong ers,towncriers,etc.the town council could within three or four years control and monitor the spread of info in town.
taradusis 01-13-07, 11:09 AM	WATER IS THE STUFF OF LIFE-Bathhouse-does the city have roman style bathhouses?Do the residents bathe in wine tubs converted to "hot tubs"?Are there public showers?The romans were proud of their bathes and referred to all barbarians as dirty.MOAT-does this city have a wet or dry moat?A wet moat could be fed by rivers and be patroled by lizardfolk?A dry moat could be lined by spikes.OSPREM'S FOUNTAIN-Imagine a florentine or baroque fountain with dolphins,whales,mermaids,octopi,kraken and perhaps a representation of the goddess.This could be fed by a decanter of endless water concealed within the statue?RANDOM THOUGHTS
GoriceXII 01-14-07, 02:20 AM	I quite like the Osprem's Fountain idea, it has a ring to it and the imagery would be perfect. There might be lesser bathouses simply used for ease of location but it might well be the central main one in town. More Personalities: The Temple of Ishtar Nala Livian The High Priest of Ishtar is one of the handsomest men in Fineberg. He is athletic, devoted to hunting several times a year, and practiced in arms, particularly the arms of Ishtar which are the spear, axe and mace. Dark haired with almost black eyes and a calm but authoritative manner, he is also highly charismatic and shrewd. The Livian family have long provided candidates to the priesthood and those accepted by the goddess are trained in the arts of rule, war, healing, prophecy, administration and erotic love. This last is required so that they may be candidates for the Sacred Marriage to the High Priestess, who among worshippers is still the Queen of Fineberg, the Princess under the Heavens. In the present case Nala is older by nearly fifteen years than the current High Priestess, being thirty six. The case for his rule of the temple is a curious one. The former High Priest, Talamand, was on a quest for relics lost during the people's legendary trek across the mountains to the land that would become New Edom. He and the party he was travelling with were set upon by Hobgoblins and Bugbears. Though they fought them off, Talamand was wounded by a battle axe wielded by a Bugbear chieftain that bore a curse upon it against those whom it struck. This wounded him deeply in his manhood. There was little time in which to save his life from the rot entering the wound and so his male parts were amputated. Subsequently the goddess rejected him as her High Priest and the sacrifices (which are of animals or of carefully crafted items) were clearly refused, the armor and arms upon the altar rusting immediately and the prize goats and sheep revealed to be rotting and diseased within. Talamand, though still a capable cleric in many ways, was forced to abdicate. He remains an advisor to Nala but often prefers to be away from the city, travelling and offering his services to people on journeys or to the state for various purposes. The former High Priestess, Shakatis, was a grand and imposing woman of great beauty at the prime of her life, but was found to be involved in a plot to reinstate royalty in New Edom and was also forced to abdicate. She was informed that the Great Council preferred her to join a communit of anchorites in the north, and rather than this she took her own life. Nala's first act as High Priest was to urge the appointment of a new High Priestess. The appointment of a senior cleric requires the performance of miracles before an assembly of known worshippers of rank, and the most capable was a beautiful young Hierodule called Hereka. It was not unheard of for a Hierodule to be so appointed--their office normally was something between a communicant of dreams and a sacred concubine, whose charms were only enjoyed by heroes and kings as well as the High Priest--but her youth was also considered a great surprise. Nevertheless she was clearly capable of the most important rites and therefore was wedded to Nala in the proper steps of descent and worship on the ziggurat temple, the marriage consummated before a small audience of select worshippers. Because of all this Nala's rise to High Priest is considered to be somewhat suspect by cynics outside of the temple and even whispered on occasion within the temple. Since assistance by elvish and gnomish magic and dwarvish ingenuity more than worship of the old gods has brought about a richness of agriculture and mineral wealth in New Edom it is hard for sceptics to say whether the worship of Ishtar, Osprem and other old gods is worth it. However tradition dies hard, and while some clerics seem to be more ceremonial than others there is no denying that healing, dream interpretation, blessing of crafts, goods and crops and livestock take place successfully in the Fineberg temple at the very least. And certainly the goddess herself was known to be cunning and ruthless when she had to be. Nala controls a lot of wealth as well as the authority over the temple directly. All taverns in Fineberg owe the temple a tithe, and along with tithes of worshippers and the temple's own rented lands roughly fifty wagonloads of food can be expected every harvest for the temple alone into Fineberg. Nala posesses as high priest certain regalia: the periapt of Ostara, which detects good and evil and protects against outside evils; the Lapis armor, which worn in battle is capable of absorbing a death blow once per day; the Table of Destiny, which is actually a series of ivory tablets that are used to reveal the future. As a man he is known to be warm in manner, winning over most people with an outstretched hand and a keen eye. He is a good orator with an authoritative voice. It is also said that he can be coldly vengeful if every crossed. It is said of Nala that he is the one man in Fineberg who can do a miracle no one else can: go down the street two ways at the same time. This is not said to his face or to those known to be his adherents, since while he is not the law he certainly can influence it and is one of the most powerful business interests in the city. What it refers to is the fact that he has clerics everywhere, including as advisors to the city council, serving on the watch and the town militia, volunteering service as Wine Criers and assistants to Market Wardens, as truth tellers to magistrates. All this is helpful. It cannot be denied that clerics are useful in all these capacities. It also gives him eyes and ears everywhere. He has a personal network to rival the Council Police. This has also been noted by higher ranking officers in that organization. Nala's closest henchman is the chief administrator of the temple, Olor, a quiet, neat man who is dry in manner and slavishly devoted to the High Priest--and genuinely is as well. Olor has no inherent charisma, bright manner or art of seduction in him. Nala is genuinely admired by him. For Olor, to serve the High Priest is to serve all that he cannot be in life. The only other man Nala trusts implicitly is Aramon, the Captain of the Temple Guard. This is a difficult office to have. There is constant talk about disbanding it forcibly by city councillors. The Council Police find infuriating the idea that what they refer to as a private organization can require them to state their purpose at the gates. It has been severely reduced regardless to a mere fifty. However Aramon in spite of this manages to keep temple property secure, to be loyally devoted to the High Priest no matter what. He was a former officer in the Army of the Republic but when badly wounded in the first Goblin War his life was saved by a young priest called Nala. Since then he has been his devoted friend. Aramon is often the pragmatist with Nala and is one of the few people who speaks to him bluntly in private. Hereka the High Priestess, the Princess under the Heavens, is a dark haired woman recently twenty one, with an excitingly curved but trim figure hinted at but never vulgarly reveled by the flowing layers of cloth she wears, embroidered beautifully but in certain light briefly transluscent. Her voice was described by a bard as being a caress of velvet. Hereka was seen to be gifted in ways that led her to be trained as a Hierodule. She had no desire for adventure in the wilds but rather preferred to devote herself to learning temple secrets. In older times Hierodule priestesses would dance on flowers in diaphanous gowns greeting the arrival of kings and heroes. For the most part in the last generation or so they have often been merely symbolic, and have often been the bored concubines of the High Priest, meddling in petty temple intrigues. Hereka was different: she sought to know the power of the goddess. This was not without risk: it involved her undertaking vision quests and stealing into parts of the temple which required her to overcome dangerous puzzles and spells. A precocious girl, she began her intent quest for power at the age of fifteen and by the time she was twenty she had learned a great deal in secret, including a promise from Ishtar that should she agree to restore the temple to former greatness she would become the next High Priestess. Hereka is also a profoundly sensual person. She enjoys life but much the way a cat does, not demonstratively but with a quiet absoluteness, from lingering in a bath to lovemaking. She and Nala see eye to eye in many ways. He found that far from gaining a puppet High Priestess he gained a true partner, who in some ways had a startling amount of insight into the ways of the other worlds. Unlike himself however Hereka is rather unworldly and thus they balance one another as well as a coin. Hereka has few female friends, the only solid one being her long time personal attendant, Minyanda, a handsome woman in her late forties who practically raised her. Minyanda is not a priestess, but is from a minor landed family and is thus a good observer of political matters and an able household administrator, which is largely her current function. Hereka posesses two particular artifacts as High Priestess: the Sacred Diadem, her crown of office, which enables her when wearing it to perform clerical magics at higher levels of ability than she would normally be able to; the Stone Lion, which is a winged lion that will at a command word animate once per day for a limited time but long enough to transport her or defend her. To the public, Hereka is gracious, regal, beautiful and magical, mostly seen during processions and public rituals only. Hereka in fact makes sure that she never if possible has to do any dirty work in public to maintain this reputation, using other clerics to gather information about supplicants or complaints in order to make sure that she always appears just, kind, generous and merciful.
taradusis 01-14-07, 10:04 AM	GARBAGE DUMP-I once had a city with a large garbage dump surrounded by a wooden stockade.A sloping ramp allowed the Dungsweepers union to empty barrels of garbage,dung and occasional corpse into the heap.The garbage heap contained a large and tame Otyugh who hid things for a crooked town councilor.The town councilor was a mage with charm monster.RANDOM THOUGHTS.
GoriceXII 01-14-07, 04:11 PM	I had not really gone into detail about it but I think I had mentioned that Fineberg's dung sweepers are petty criminals doing their sentences, supervised by the town watch. Garbage however I'm thinking is done by a few families who are part of a guild. These could be rather influential in the sense that people who pick up garbage also pick up information. The New Edomite Republic has strict laws about trash, not so much out of a sense for the environment as about concern for possible plague. Waste is not really so much of a problem; no one throws out things that could be sold, mended, or given to the poor. The otyugh thing is kind of cool and I may actually use that.
GoriceXII 01-15-07, 01:34 PM	Something I'm seriously thinking about for my game: using the Against the Giants Liberation of Geoff for it. Basically I was thinking that if the players manage to heroically defend Fineberg that the Celtic King, frustrated by the time it is taking, agrees to an alliance with a Confederation of Giants which intends regardless to try to conquer the lands of the dwarves and of the gnomes and elves that lie to the north of New Edom. Basically the Giant Confederacy would occupy jointly certain territories of the border to preserve this alliance (doubtless with neither side truly trusting the other). I was thinking that in a way then Fineberg might become the temporary capital of New Edom, with refugees and certain leaders fleeing there, with a desperate need to gain allies and the like. I'd appreciate some thoughts on this. My reasons for wanting this are the following: 1. I've always wanted to run that campaign and it could fit in my game area. 2. It keeps the war going but adds a new and desperate sense of things. 3. While the creatures in question are evil I'm frankly a little tired of the typical 'demon/undead army' thing. 4. To be honest it would shorten my workload for the campaign and enable me to just change place names and put the occupied areas in New Edom. 5. It's a genuinely heroic campaign that would require the players once they reach about 8th-9th level to start thinking more for themselves and plotting the course of the war.
taradusis 01-15-07, 11:05 PM	Consider whether to presage the giants campaign by having fomorian or firbolg giants live in the city?
GoriceXII 01-16-07, 04:13 AM	I'm not sure I follow you...
taradusis 01-16-07, 05:12 PM	The last time I played "against the giants"there were only a limited number of giant types and it seemed odd to me that suddenly I was running all these giants and segueing into a drow adventure with no previous mention of their existance,has this been corrected?
GoriceXII 01-17-07, 06:55 AM	I'm adapting it. Essentially in previous stuff in my game giants have clearly been allied with evil powers, in the last adventure before the siege being two ettins and a hill giant. I am replacing the drow with a cabal of evil elves who believe they must do all that is possible to destroy the world of humanity before it destroys elvish civilization. They are simply pitting various mortal races against one another. The giants I have suggested now and then raid into the Gnome and Dwarvish lands. So it seemed like a cool idea to adapt the module series to my game, with the Geoff Liberation add ons to give it context.
taradusis 01-31-07, 07:43 PM	Have you considered cyclopean ruins.It was once thought by the greeks and romans that some old huge ruins were built by cyclops.A cyclopean ruin could contain clues to a spell or weapon that will destroy giants?Designing a dungeon with huge doors that is difficult to move thru would be interesting.Re-think whether hill giants will gather up better weapons like long spears and slings?RANDOM THOUGHTS.
GoriceXII 02-02-07, 10:04 AM	That's a very interesting idea. Actually I like it a lot, I'll give that further thought. I had been considering whether or not to put any cyclops in my game but I'm now thinking that I might prefer them to be the legendary titan race of Greek mythology and have them vanished from the world somehow.
taradusis 02-02-07, 10:19 AM	I read a short story in a fanzine about a cyclopean empire.The cyclopes could focus telekinesis thru their eyes and groups of them working in unison could move huge blocks of stone.They enslaved humans as agricultural slaves and as a foodstuff.A human figured out how to infect them with a virus based form of cataracts that crippled the cyclopeans without killing them and allowed the humans to revolt?
GoriceXII 02-02-07, 10:27 AM	Thieves' Guild of Fineberg The Boatmen are the thieves guild in Fineberg. They got their start as follows: families of boatmen own and operate skiffs, barges, launches and small longships that ply the Silver River. This is really the main road leading north to south from Fineberg on the coast to the northern farming and fishing communities. However the laws of New Edom are strict about trading in foods and agricultural goods, and certain farmers or merchants preferred to avoid some of the guild laws which they felt curbed their ability to make a lot of money. They would bribe certain of these boatmen to transport goods to particular docks or villages near Fineberg avoiding customs officers. Ultimately the boatmen in order to avoid the law and being pushed around by those hiring them formed a kind of guild of their own. The unofficial guild began to find that they needed people who assist them in their work--forgers, fences, and streetwise folk, and gradually they began to infiltrate the market system in Fineberg. Of course this was not entirely unnoticed and it has never been an easy settled affair--the law can be harsh when dealing with thieves. In a way a certain pride exists among the Boatmen. They have a facade of being regular boat pilots and while the guild now includes people who rarely if ever set foot upon a boat plying the river trade the title of Boatmen is a badge of honor among the thieves of Fineberg. (btw thanks for the idea of the slaves' revolt, that is a good notion of how it all ended...)
taradusis 02-02-07, 12:27 PM	Before the invention of mechanical cranes unloading boats was very labor intensive.A stevadores or dockworkers union is always a source of crime,crooked union officials stealing dues,people acting as "spotters" and revealing cargo contents.Owning warehouses and dockside dives is practically a requirement for a mob.A tunnel from one house outside the walls to one house inside the walls is an old smugglers trick.False bottom barrels and chests,salt mixed with a drug,are tricks used by smugglers.Bars designed as traps were people could be robbed and shanghaid onto ships as crew?RANDOM THOUGHTS.
GoriceXII 02-02-07, 04:17 PM	That just gives me a very interesting idea. I had had a few notions about how to make this guild interesting: infiltration by wererats, involvment with a foreign guild that arrives on the heels of the war, but this is one that really intrigues me. I had read about a famous mechanical crane that existed in the Middle Ages in a particular city and thus made the city sought after as a place to unload goods. It would be an interesting subplot, to have the crane's work constantly behind schedule, though it is vital that ships should be able to avoid being trapped by enemy ships and thus unload their goods quickly. Of course it would be to the advantage of the Boatmen initially to prevent this unless their minds were changed?
taradusis 02-02-07, 08:43 PM	A magic item based on tensers floating disk?Were serpents in service of yuan-ti could take over the docks,wererats are a little too common.Maybe werecrocodiles or weresharks?I have also been thinking about giants.Why don't giants have better weapons?they often work as mercanaries and muscle for other races,shouldn't these patrons give them additional weapons and training?A longspear for reach,heavy crossbow(made from ballista),net,sling.RANDOM THOUGHTS
GoriceXII 02-03-07, 10:33 AM	By the way, you have referred a few times to giants actually being in or around the city--what kind do you imagine these might be?
taradusis 02-03-07, 04:25 PM	Firbolg or storm giants might be welcome visitors.Hill giants might be laborerers or mercenaries.A hill giant could probably be a "trustie"if kept under close watch?Stone giants and good cloud giants would be tolerated but infrequent visitors.
taradusis 02-07-07, 11:46 PM	Have you considered adding a zoo ?This could allow players to go on a safarai as a side trek.How about a museum with stuffed humanoids?I once had a necromancer/taxidermist who had a tendancy to disect and then stuff his enemies?RANDOM THOUGHTS
taradusis 02-11-07, 06:50 PM	Suppose the boatmen were competing with ishtars control of taverns?There's a type of velvet scorpian that has a poison that is a hallucigenic drug.People who are addicted to the velvet drug go to drug dens and pay a dealer so they can stick their arms in a bowl and provoke a velvet scorpian into giving them an injection.Ishtars religion objects to this alternative to getting drunk because it is hazardous,exists outside their ownership,and is popular with the criminal element.RANDOM THOUGHT.
GoriceXII 02-12-07, 08:09 AM	I like that idea...it throws a complete twist into things that the players would probably not expect at all. Weirdly, Taradusis, one of the player's former instructors kept just such a zoo, that he used to teach his pupils about humanoids and other monsters. (it was more of a taxidermists museum than a zoo) I don't know if I'd have a zoo precisely...how do you imagine that would work? It seems to me that it would either be the city park or else one of the temples.
taradusis 02-13-07, 12:28 AM	Circuses used to drag animals around in iron cages?Like the boxes that animal crackers come in?Featured in the movie "DUMBO" as well is a bigtop circus?In the world of star trek gene roddenberry would use cages of the creatures own illusions to hold them,see "menegary'and "sharper than a serpents tooth"?You could go with an underground zoo as well?I still think the park idea is best though.RANDOM THOUGHTS.
taradusis 02-13-07, 09:06 PM	THE FIRBOLG HIGHLANDER OLYMPICS-Imagine if once a year firbolg giants come to town and have an olympics style game.There could be Caber-tossing,wrestling,claymore fencing,boulder-throwing,foot-races,javelin throw,weightlifting...etc.Plus there could be firbolg giantesses who dance a jig while the males play bagpipes the size of cattle.Perhaps an eating contest as well.Maybe a song or poem,epic in scope?Good times for all and a chance for the DM to speak in a funny accent.RANDOM THOUGHTS.
GoriceXII 02-14-07, 07:24 AM	lol, Firbolg olympics...I don't know btw if you have read my war campaign thread but it has some of my ideas and some of yours and those of others presented more neatly, as well as some of my important NPCs. Thank you very much for your consistent help and advice btw :)
taradusis 02-14-07, 05:49 PM	Had me some thoughts at the shoe factory today.Many monsters work best as tag teams.Suppose you had a tag team called "MACRO AND MICRO'.Macro is a hill giant and micro is a kobold with a few levels of ranger or rogue.Macro thinks of micro as a pet,micro thinks of himself as the brains of this outfit.Let's suppose that Micro has plotted out some tactics for Macro.Micro has seen to it that Macro carries some non-standard weapons,giant-sized sling and a giant-sized longspear and a masterwork boulder that Macro refers to as the bowling ball of doom. Micro has prepared a large multi-ton boulder as a deadfall and dug a few pit traps along the rim of a small valley. they have worked out a series of signals for Micro to use,blown on a bone whistle.Once the Pc's enter the valley Micro signals Macro to use his sling from behind the boulder,this imposes a penalty to hit,but also provides cover for macro,and micro is hoping that a sling stone hitting a victim will kill them(this is like when some idiot throws a full can of soda straight up with all his might and watches it land on somebodies head).As the party advances micro signals macro to dislodge the multi-ton boulder he's hiding behind,using his longspear if needed.Micro is watching for flanking moves and has tried to place pittraps on the most likely routes.Micro signals macro to charge with his longspear(+2 to hit,X2 dam +str.bonus from 2 hands?)the longspear has good reach and should be quite effective against a party that is dodging the mini-landslide.In case of trouble Micro signals retreat and Macro takes a parting shot with the bowling ball of doom.A masterwork boulder for a giant has fingerholes like a bowling ball and re-inforcing metal bands.If the party is the ones who lose and have to run,Micro uses his ranger skills to track them.RANDOM THOUGHTS.
GoriceXII 02-15-07, 10:24 AM	That's both hilarious and very clever, I'll have to have that as an encounter--probably using a goblin and not a kobold....
taradusis 02-15-07, 03:58 PM	The only reason I prefer the kobold is because of the bonuses to trapmaking and MEEPO,who is used as an example in the ELITE OPPONENTS articles.MEEPO the human-slayer,what a nasty little knee hacker.:)
taradusis 02-17-07, 10:12 PM	Had some thoughts about an Unlife Bomb.Suppose you had an adventure where the players were pursuing a necromancer.He sets a staff in the middle of a town or city.The staff is an Undead Bomb,it will go off and everyone in a 1 mile radius has to make a saving throw or become some sort of undead.I can't decide which would be better ghouls or zombies?If 1 in 100 become zombies it's a nuisance,if 1 in 10 become ghouls it's catastrophic.I suppose you could do skeletons with the skeletons ripping themselves loose from their bodies as an interesting visual?RANDOM THOUGHT.
GoriceXII 02-19-07, 12:21 PM	That would provide some Resident Evil madness. Actually I think that would be a really good counter adventure. I'm sure you know the concept: an adventure starts out as one thing but ends up being another...so for instance it might be say a scouting mission or diplomatic escort mission that goes horribly wrong because of this staff. Deceptively simple but full of potential complications.
taradusis 02-20-07, 09:19 PM	Are there body mod shops in Fineberg?Things like tattoo parlors where the sailors go?You could have tattooing,piercings,brandings,scarificat ion and weird haircuts.Perhaps the players are offered a free tattoo by a grateful tattoo artist,which I quess is better than a T-shirt saying"I survived the seige of 06 and all I got was this lousy T-shirt":)
krichaiushii 02-21-07, 09:34 AM	*Channeling others' ideas, not sure whose, though* Instead of a zoo full of stuffed critters, what about a menagerie run by a (secret) transmuter. His display creatures are mostly Baleful Polymorphed kidnap victims awaiting ransom or just held in plain view until needed; perhaps minor nobles and such are present. He might work for the Boatmen, or for certain members of the government, or for any interested party. Another variation on this might be a museum owner who has a particularly nice selection of statues. All petrified victims of a transmuter, pet cockatrice/basilisk, or a medusa ally (perhaps true owner of the museum). Your evil elves that are behind the giants' depradations may also be smuggling drugs into Fineberg. The goal being to get as many people hooked as possible, and from there, the city should collapse. Alternatively, they are smuggling in drugs they plan to change out with poison at a later date, or that make people FAR MORE susceptible to mind control magics (like Mind Fog). This for a little treason on the inside later on. The smuggling Boatmen are dupes in this operation. For more history with giants, perhaps stone giants had been contracted to erect the massive stone walls or other public buildings in Fineberg (or elsewhere in the Republic). The contract comes due at the same time as the war involving giants. Presumptions WILL be made as to why the giants are raiding. Your evil elves might be stirring up trouble in the Republic, by using bards and other public figures to speak out against other races. Perhaps the elves even stage a few race-related incidents (vandalism, murders, and arson) to further infuriate people. Perhaps the PCs are tricked into doing some of these acts (really good if the PCs are all of one or two races). Some third party products you might look at for ideas (I believe its where I got some of these!): Splintered Peace (http://www.atlas-games.com/product_tables/AG3217.php) - the racist slant Thieves' Quarter (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2475&) - the transmuter menagerie Foul Locales Urban Blight (http://www.gamewyrd.com/review/98) - just some fun nastiness Foul Locales Behind the Gates (http://www.d20zines.com/v7/node/491) - more nastiness Temple Quarter (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=4443&) - as good as Thieves' Quarter Slayers' Guide to Giants (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/d20/detail.php?qsID=161&qsSeries=10&PHPSESSID=d169bbd1bb6c2ef33dc4978800f99c 1b) - fun options for giants; one of Mongooses' better titles. These can all be found at your favorite pdf dealer, as well as in print. When in doubt, borrow others' ideas for your own.
GoriceXII 02-21-07, 09:57 AM	Most interesting...there are a lot of possibilities here. Thank you for the links and the ideas about both the drugs and the zoo. I've been hoping to save 'leaving the city' type adventures for much later, when they're up a few levels at least, to fulfill that siege atmosphere. I like the idea of the Boatmen being in two or three other adventures.
krichaiushii 02-21-07, 11:38 AM	I like the idea of the Boatmen being in two or three other adventures. As PCs are often operating on both sides of the law, and the Boatmen represent the organized criminal element, you can often tie them in, and even use them as red herrings if you like mysteries (and your PCs don't use divination magic!) Glad to help. Another thought, steal the boat chase from the Dungeon adventure "Mad God's Key". A low level adventure in a port town, one of the highlights is a well-orchestrated and ruled chase across and among numerous boats tied up at dock. I don't recall the issue number, though. Sieges result in certain commodities being worth FAR more than normal, especially foodstuffs. The Boatmen could make a fortune smuggling in food and out people who don't want to deal with siege life or the possibility of loss. Of course, the Boatmen might be unscrupulous enough to be selling these refugees into slavery... or not. Who to trust, who to trust... The Boatmen might even want the siege extended, so they can make more money. Though at some point, some of the Boatmen should realize that the siege overall is bad for business. Then they use their stealth to try and stop it. Alternatively, the Boatmen reach this conclusion early, and volunteer their skills in exchange FOR AMNESTY OR POLITICAL CONCESSIONS (like legalized gambling, drugs, prostitution, etc.). Could be interesting, indeed.
GoriceXII 02-21-07, 12:15 PM	I like the idea of the thieves' guild perhaps prompting not so much a collapse as a necessary surrender or treaty--that would probably suit them better than say an escalade that results in the city being sacked. They might very well be working along with some city merchants who feel the same way. After all, the whole point of having a city is for commerce, right? What's the point, they might think, of holding out when the enemy are winning? I think especially if news of the fall of another city comes this party might gain some strength, but may find that the actual leaders are staunch supporters of the Republic and believe the enemy must ultimately blunt their strength at Fineberg. So perhaps it is by this means that the Boatman are trying for some recognition--by people who may well become the new city leaders...
taradusis 02-23-07, 05:29 PM	Suppose fineberg had a brickworks?If you can make bricks for 1 cp then a brick wall is cheaper than a wall of dressed fieldstone.Clay deposits for bricks are much more common than good sites for quarries.Many towns in new england had brickworks and all the well to do built in brick and had brick "shell"factories that were easy to rebuild after a fire because all you had to replace was the wooden floors.Right now all you have in D+D is wooden or dressed fieldstone buildings.Suppose you talked the town council into building a brickworks and buying the first years production for rebuilding things lost in the war?RANDOM THOUGHTS
GoriceXII 02-25-07, 07:30 PM	Fineberg is built near two rivers and has a canal running through it. I can picture a claypit easily, in fact I believe I had decided there was such a pit with pottery and brickmaking businesses there. It is possibly yet another thing that the Temple of Ishtar takes a cut for. BTW, I love the idea of the transmuter's zoo/museum. It's a nice creepy horror show I can without warning hurl at my players. I like that best of your ideas; they're all fun but that one would be like being mugged in a meadow.
taradusis 02-25-07, 08:26 PM	I beleive the zoo/museum was partly kirasuchii.I was wondering what was the tallest building in fineberg.Is there a clock tower,bell tower or wizard's tower that towers above the rest of the city?Is there a building with gargoyles?I beleive there's a random dragon generator under the "tools"section on the main boards of wotc,if you're having trouble designing your bronze?RANDOM THOUGHTS
GoriceXII 02-26-07, 04:48 AM	Thanks for the tip about the dragon. I think I had made the tallest building in Fineberg the main fortification, the donjon.
taradusis 03-07-07, 09:14 PM	You have psionics in your campaign.How is this taught,is there a psionics acadamy or is it taught thru a master and apprentice system like the Jedi knights?Which psionic monsters do you use in adventures?
GoriceXII 03-08-07, 06:42 AM	Psionics is generally taught either one on one ie master/apprentice style (this is how it is generally done in New Edom and other places where it is still considered an 'odd' ability) or else by particular orders or societies that are somewhat discreet. Generally in my campaign psionicists are called witches. In the old Yasg Empire however it was considered a sign of Yuan-Ti bloodline, and only in the last dynasty has come under suspicion. The small handful of psionicist types in Fineberg either work for the Republic or are reclusive and discreet about their abilities. There is was a small learning circle at the College of Lookinghaven before it was sacked by the Celts recently.
taradusis 03-08-07, 06:14 PM	If I recall psionics also included hypnotism.I wonder if a psionist could make money by hypnotising people into dropping bad habits?I work with a woman who went to a hypnotist to quit smoking and lose weight.