Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 UnwantedCompany Jun 06, 2015 18:14:36	I'm going to be launching a new campaign, first 5E campaign ever, for some friends in a week, and while it shouldn't be important too soon I want to extend my world building in a simple flesh out the town it'll start with pretty well. So far its got a little history, only based on some NPCs I've written up. If anyone has some ideas/suggestion they wouldn't mind sharing please do.   What I've developed I'll share below:   - I will develop this and add to it as I find new ideas and the campaign develops.   The Town of Brith Starting out as a small village on an island of the coast of the main land the town continued this way for may generations. Little happened in the town as it was farly out of the way, with a road passing along the main land coast bring merchants up. However most did not stay long, normally stopping, crossing on the ferry for the night then passing back across and onward. However about 350 years before this campaign a human wizard named Lodgar Moonring passed along this coastal road. He had spent the last several years compiling tomes on all manners of knowledge, going as far as to travel several planes to acquire reagents, met outsiders and fight monsters. It was in Brith that Lodgar stopped and captivated by the sea, and living in his twilight years, he decided to settle in the town. This was big news enough, but soon young mages began travelling to the town in hope of becoming an apprencetice to Lodgar. Only two even became an apprentice to Lodgar, a young elf man named Peren Amakiir, and a human woman named Thola Dursh. Many hopefully wizards came to Brith and all but the two were turned away, many were incredably talented spellcasters but Lodgar didn't have the time to teach and look after the endless hordes of apprentices if he accepted all of them. So after he contacted a number of wizards and sorcerers he had met through his travels he established a magic school teaching and guiding young wizards and sorcerers. While he never taught a lesson in the school he became a leading figure in the town and soon more traffic flowed in Briths direction. One dwarf lady caught wind of this new boom on the north east coast, Torgga Lodurr. Descended from a long line of craftsmen she set out from her home in the hold and came to Brith. At this point in time, about 300 years before the campaign, Lodgar had dissapeared a few decaded ago along with his personnal tower of the Moonring School. The town was still entirely on the island with only a single ferry running tirelessly from the main land. In her mind a spark ignited into a dream. Soon she bought a large plot of land on the coast and established Lodurr Quarters, that now forms the home of the Lodurr noble family, but then was a building with many purposes. It served as a tavern, storehouse, a stable and as a ferry point. She eventually monopolised the business from travelling merchants heading both too Brith and by Brith. Over the next couple of decadeds more and more businesses moved out and onto the coast resulting in a new boarder forming. This area became Outer Brith. By the time of the campaign it has developed and appears like the rest of Brith. In the year 2650, 200 years before the campaign, and again in the year 2781, large groups of Hill Giants we're driven down from the low mountains south west of Outer Brith which enclose the Stone Road. These large hordes were driven out by Cloud Giants who had settled in ruins in the peaks of the mountains and had ordered the Hill Giants out of their territory. On both occasions large areas of Outer Brith were destroyed though the hordes were repelled by a combined effort of the Moonring School and the towns militia. On both occasions the Cloud Giants who had occupied the ruins atop the mountain were scattered by a band of adventurers securing treasures majorly used in the repairs of Outer Brith. It was after the attack in 2781 that the noble houses agreed defences were needed and a wall was built around Outer Brith. Since the giant incursions the town has bloomed with increased efforts from the Trade Guild and the Moonring School as well as more treasures returning to the town from adventurer parties raiding the many ruins of old empires in the mountains.   Noteworthy NPCs generated (so far):   Lodgar Moonring - Founder of the Moonring School and Master Archmage. Master Transmuter, he was said to have composed a thousand tomes on reagents and creatures from the material plane, astral, fire, earth, air, water, the abyss and several other planes. Many tomes even supposedly had notes other tramution properties of demons and other outsiders. He spent the last years before disappeared along with his tomes and his tower in 2532, growing more secluded, some saying in the days before he disappeared his eyes had been replaced with burning lights of sky blue and he began speaking to himself in an alien tongue.   Peren Amakiir - One of the two choosen apprentices of Lodgar Moonring. He focused his studies on pushing his magic further, obsessed with power and at times extraordinarily dangerous. He was often scorned by Lodgar though it didn't stop him and he lived with a slight resentment for the Archmage, though always found a fondness for the old man.   Thola Dursh - One of the two choosen apprentices of Lodgar Moonring. She was a conjurer at heart and spent time practising summoning and communing with more favourable outsiders. Lodgar never liked the risk in he magic and watched over her maticulously. In the days before his disappeared she has record of his changes, though he never isolated himself from her or Peren.   Kurlinn Lodurr - male descendent of Torgga Lodurr, establisher of the Lodurr School of Business and owner of the Lodurr Bank. Leader of the wealthest noble family in Brith he incurs jealousy from other nobles which at times makes the working of the Concil come to a halt.   Eniavust Amakiir - male descendent of Peren Amakiir. Eniavust is a decietful, cunning unbeknown to the rest of Brith. He has numerous pacts with Outsiders from the Planes of Air and Water (one I hope to use in later missions to take players out of the material plane.)   Gervaise Everwilds - male noble. The Everwilds have lived in Brith as far as the records go, and the Everwilds say they were among the original settlers. They have been key in the politics of Brith, leading the town for many years, rarely handing the reigns to other noble families happily. Deeply entwined with the Church of Pholtus, God of light and law they strive to exemplify the laws and virtues they make.   Grima Fartide - female noble. All Fartides are bold and headstrong, Grima possibly the most. The family own many shipyards and vessels harboured in Brith. Unlike the Everwilds, the Fartides are compassionate to the woes of the people and comparitively far more loved. Grima dresses in clothes similar to armour, featuring plates, embelms, pauldrons etc and is regarded in likeness of her Grandmother Skolda Fartide, who while very independent and strong willed, was loved by all in the town, even a child Gervaise Everwild, known for his dislike of Fartides reckless ideals.   Extra ideas: - Must remember the campaign starts in the year 2850. (not a post-apocalyptic kind of magic world) - Brith law follows the different system on slavery to many of the other areas. While forcing people into slavery is wrong, people cacn sell themselves into slavery, ususally skilled people who have fallen on hard times. People can also be legally ordered into slavery, normally given other options such as crippling fines, in cases of murder or other extreme crimes. - Brith has a complex sewer system made by the Moonring School and the Trading Guild 50 years back. It doesn't cover the whole town leaving the general slums in poor condition (some special buildings are hooked up to it). - The Everwilds may have a blacksheep child in the family that may wish for the players to help break them away from the family or repair the divide in the families relationships. - Beginning campaign will focus on a number of Thief-Barons who are fight for control of the undercity. This will also reveal that with the second boom in the Moonring School, demand for experiment 'subjects' has resulted in a boom in the black market. (For not this magic would be heavily frowned upon by Lodgar and so his founding rules of the school would be violated by theses students/teachers.) - Lodgar Moonring never died, nor did he persue immortal life via lichdom etc, he instead turned into some form of mana/energy creature needing design (living in a tower in the Astral Plane) however this is later campaign. - Moonring School and the greater people wouldn't generally like Warlocks in their town (demon worship isn't normally good is it?) they wouldn't refuse service on it, but would be more intolerant of one, so warlocks weren't intended to study at the school (especially with Briths small God-fearing population of the time). Also Warlocks have their patron, so I think they wouldn't follow teachings of a school like a Wizard, or seek more experienced casters like a Sorcerer might. - I also want to add more nobles, and other important people (church leaders, current guild leaders etc)   Campaign Notes: - First mission vaguely touched on Mindflayer cultists (now Grimlocks) and as one player is a Warlock with a pact with an Old God (name pending) I want to exploit it to involve the Underdark. - Wanting to name his Old God without using anything directly from Lovecraftian works so any suggestions please share. - Current plan is to follow some classic missions for a while before introducing the main campaign story. Which will involve the Warlock leading the party (all unknowingly) to bring about the ressurection of said Old God. Long missions into Drow/Mindflayer liars to retrieve artifacts fronted by the need to remove threats etc - possible use of Amakiir as a secret cultist of same god.   Its a long read so thank very much for reading it if you did, please I'm open to ideas and suggestions so share them with me.
#2 Whir Jun 06, 2015 22:16:10	It looks like you've put a decent amount of thought into the city and its denizens. I'd love to see a map of the basic city layout and the surrounding area.   Is there an underlying reason why the original settlers chose to live on the island, which is cut off from easy access to resources (or at least more difficult than just driving them in on wagons and carts)?   What kind of suggestions are you looking for -- things you could change or additional features of the area/city/history, or something else?
(Reply to #2) UnwantedCompany	Whir wrote:
#4 Whir Jun 07, 2015 13:12:14	Have you looked through the pregen character thread in the Player's Help section? Tons of short backgrounds in there that could give you ideas for the population.