Stormreach Campaign
Here is the place to discuss Stormreach characters. Once the campaign has begun, this will be the place to discuss the adventures/scenarios as well.
Campaign Information
The campaign will open in the Summer of 998 YK and the city of Stormreach is in its third week of an intense and unusual heatwave. Some people think it odd that this weather pattern coincides with the recent discovery of a large underground temple complex from the end of the Cul’sar Empire to the southwest. Expeditions organized through the Blackwheel Company have been returning with lots of artifacts from these ruins and House Cannith has taken a particular interest in some of the deeper chambers, with dozens of experts leaving for the dig site this week alone. Many small, independent groups, as well as organized groups from the various nations of Khorvaire, have also been seen departing for the site.
The characters for the Stormreach campaign are assumed to frequent or at least occasionally stop in at the Chapterhouse; a combination tavern and inn located in the Marketplace District (pg 37 of City of Stormreach). If they are not friends, your characters at least have bumped into each other here on previous visits. The Chapterhouse is a neutral area where you can meet members of various gangs, a representative of the Coin Lords, fence artifacts found in the jungle, hire drovers, guides, mercenaries, and various experts for your Xen’drik expedition, and gather information on the happenings in Stormreach. As it servers chilled drinks and has the latest rumors concerning the newly discovered temple complex, it is very popular these days. I will be fleshing out the cliental and employees of the Chapterhouse in a future post. Expect most of the early adventures to start at or revolved around this establishment.
In creating characters, you might what to include the areas of town that you live in or frequent and any city specific factions that you associate with. Almost every nation and organization claims at least some part of the town. I will be drawing source material from the City of Stormreach book for my campaign, but nothing written in the book should be taken as fact (at least as far as backgrounds for specific PC’s or recent history).
These are some of the rumors your characters may have heard recently in Stormreach (take 10 DC Streetwise value).
• Adventurers from Sharn cleaned out some newly discovered temple ruins in the mountains to the southwest about a month ago and purchased the old Diggers Union manor in the Forgelight District with the treasure they acquired (DC = 12). Dwarves from house Kun’darak have been hired as guards and the place is being fixed up. A lot of the skilled labor within the city has been hired to renovate the place (DC = 15). The Coin Lords are a bit nervous about a powerful group of unknowns moving into the city and have repeatedly sent representatives to the manor (DC = 20).
• The Coin Lords are currently recruiting mercenaries and adventurers to safeguard the various groups going to the ruins in the mountains (DC = 12). These groups are independent of the Blackwheel Company that is organized around the Dragonmarked houses. There is a bounty on thieves and brigands interfering with the various groups coming from the ruins, the Coin Lords want their cut of the wealth being pulled out of there (DC = 14).
• The last month or so has seen an increase in disappearances around the Harbor district. These abductions have been attributed to increased pressgang activity (DC = 12) since no bodies have been found.
• The seekers in the Rusheme camp on the outskirts of the city have predicted a violent and chaotic winter for Stormreach (DC = 13). Fire, plagues, and earthquake kind of stuff. A doom cult has sprung up among their followers that plan to bide their time and take over the region after Stormreach has fallen and been devoured by the sea (DC = 15).
• There is some affliction or disease that is moving through the sahuagin communities in the bay (DC =14). It may even be an epidemic that is spreading into the deep sea tribes, some ships that have been sailing through Sargon’s Teeth without having to pay the usual tribute the sea devils claim for passage through their territory (DC = 16).
• A dragon has been seen flying over Stormreach the last few nights, it’s at least twice the size of a horse (DC = 18). Some have even seen it land in various parts of the city, but nobody has been able to get close enough for a good look at it.
Characters
Characters added to the comments section will be listed here.
Aton Messner
Aton has recently arrived from Karrnath. He is a Karn warrior and a Graduate of the Rickkenmark Academy. He is trying to keep a low profile and for someone with his aristocratic upbringing he is quite down on his luck.
Aton Messner is a 22 year old Half-Elf warrior from Karnath. He has longish wavy black hare and blue eyes he is tall and fairly broad, with a straight back and a few days growth of beard. By the dirt on his cloak and the state of his clothes, he looks to be down on his luck, despite his obviously noble upbringing. He is usually casting furtive glances towards the door of the inn, sipping his beer.
Aton grew up in an old Karnathi family in the Ironroot Mountains. The ancestral home is Fort Ghast a drafty, moldering fortress over looking a narrow pass through the Ironroots. There has been a Messner in charge of the fortress since before the rule of Kaiuss I. In the early years of the war the family was one of the first to join the ranks of the Emerald Claw; the Messner’s are sprinkled throughout the history of the Emerald Claw.
Aton grew up learning the heroics of the claw and his forefathers. While being educated at the Richenmark Academy, Aton was inducted into the Claw in a secret ceremony deep in the bowels of the Academy. Even though the Liberal Policies of Kaiuss III had declared the order outlaw, many of the noble sons of Karnath are eager to prove their mettle and serve the Claw as their ancestors did. Aton was no different.
The secrets of the Claw are closely held, but Aton discovered some of the mysteries of the cult. After his graduation ceremony he was due to swear allegiance to the claw. Fortunately Aton arrived early and he witnessed a grisly ritual where the ceremony would bind the celebrants to the Blood of Vol. Aton had never before made the connection. Aton felt betrayed and then and there that he would oppose the Emerald Claw at every turn.
After his vow, Karnath was no longer safe. He sold his signet ring to a pawn broker along with most of his goods and bought passage to Stormreach. He now lives in a flop house, and he is plotting his revenge, but vengeance doesn’t pay very well.
Corwyn Imris
A changeling rogue from Cyre, Corwyn was in Stormreach on the day of mourning, working as an archeologist and spying on agents of the other five nations for the Cyran Intelligence Service. Since the destruction of his homeland, he’s been rudderless and adrift. Just last month he had a vision of a renewed Cyre built in Xen’drik. He isn’t sure what it signifies, but he’s anxious to find out.
Kalos
Kalos is a young (apparently around 18 years of age) mage who delights in the acquisition of knowledge. He will participate in almost any activity to gain more, including dangerous explorations. Being aware of how dangerous exploration can be, he wants to join with other adventurers for mutual protection. When questioned he will constantly repeat, almost as a mantra, "knowledge is power". It follows that the more knowledge one has, the more powerful one is and the more in control of one's life one is. Those who get to know him, soon realize that the knowledge he mostly seeks is that which will increase his wizarding power.
He disavows membership in any of the known factions and staunchly resists any attempts at recruitment. He will insist that such organizations actually impede the acquisition of knowledge with their constant bickering and competetion.
He is rather quiet about his past and his family. When pressed for details by someone he doesn't like or is not sure of, he will politely invite them to pick a hell and proceed there with alacrity. When pressed by someone he likes and trusts, he admits that he has no memory of his life beyond the last two years.
He frequents the Chapterhouse in the Marketplace district looking for potential adventuring partners.
Sati
Sati is a young drow woman who grew up in Stormreach and makes her living by offering to guide people into the jungles. She uses her sex appeal to the younger explorers, who hope they can explore her body as well as the deep jungle. She has been known by locals to leave parties in the near jungle to run back to Stormreach to spend her ill-gotten gains.
While she waits for another opportunity to come up, Sati will leech food and drink, trading a night of wild drow sex for a place to sleep and eat, hang around taverns and generally waste time. But once she's in the jungles, Sati does know her way around.
Sati is venial, lazy and selfish. She is often penniless, having lost her wages on betting on beetle races or drinking. If she has one redeeming feature, it is that she is always optimistic that something will work out.
(One comment on her current build - I'm moving my trained skill from Stealth to
Athletics. First, it leaves Stealth to Corwyn, our rogue, and second - it fits her
jungle queen concept much more than stealth does.)
Teric Rune (aka Fulcrim)
Teric arrived in Stormreach several weeks ago. He shows great aptitude with repairing things. He has been hanging around the Chapterhouse and it seems as if he wants to join an adventuring group to explore some of the ruins. He likes to observe people and he has been accused of eyeballing people but it has yet come to blows. He is a skilled artificer and alchemist.
Monday, June 1, 2009