While I work on a more substantial post, let's have some filler for being delayed a week.
### 219-163 A Crater
Visible through the hex, much of the top of the hill in the
centre of the landscape has been blasted away. The blackened remains of the
hill reveal three sets of tracks and numerous graves.
The first set are horses; they ride Polar/Polar-East
(220-164 if unsure) to the neighbouring hill where there is much confusion.
Piles of scavenger-picked bones of men and horses are found here.
Another set seem to come from Polar-West (219-162) up to and
partially obscured by the crater before arriving on the same hill, then return.
These consist of booted feet and tiger prints. Around the crater are the graves
of several warriors, only identifiable by their weapons for the bodies have
been mangled or charred.
The last single set appear to wander all over the hills,
even being visible in the charred dirt of the crater. They come Polar-East and
return Polar-East (220-164).
### 220-163 The Moving Figure
A distant figure can be seen jogging up and down the hills
here. The figure will veer off if it sees an approaching party. If caught up,
he introduces himself as Baker, medicant merchant. He was selling his
metal-repairing services in exchange for the trinkets of the Rovers, but now
he’s returning to the Sun Worshippers’ new keep 221-164. As the Tiger in the
Grass Clan is out raiding.
If the party ask what he has to trade or inquire if he saw
what happened at the crater, he will be evasive and say his caravan was raided
by the Rovers. Having escaped with his life, he took his owed pay from what the
Rovers missed and fled.
This is a lie; he saw the explosion and came across the
wreckage. Tossing the bodies, he found a silver ring on a severed finger and
took it. He will attempt to sell it for 25sp. It has a repeating square motif. Which
fits a trigger on a scepter,
if the players knew it should be there.
### 221-163 The Thicket
100 people in 1 market. The borderland of the Sun Worshipers
runs wild with brambles in flattening gullies and in turn shelters
night-pumpkin vines. This in turns feeds a colony of 20 Boar: fat, half-feral
and territorial.
### 222-163 Vast Garden
1000 people in 2 markets. Very house seems to be growing a
bewildering number of squashes, cucumbers and melons. The inland market is
dominated by halflings who encourage this. The coastal market still has smaller
gardens but fishing boats to make up for it. Fruit, vegetables, rind armour
(Leather) and rind roofing is half-price.
### 219-164 The Wild Wind Clan
300 people in 1 market. The Wild Wind Clan of the Rovers
exists in a state of indolent wakefulness. They must travel through someone
else’s territory to go trading or raiding unless they go north. So, they have
less to do with the lower peninsula. If you come from any direction but The
Tiger in the Grass Clan 218-163, they will sell you a seal of protection for
100gp per person, acknowledging that an attack on the party is an attack on the
clan. It’s in the name of Headman Che F5. They will gladly ally with any
non-monstrous force to attack the Tiger in the Grass Clan.
### 220-164 Quiet Vinyards
Amid the creeper vines that form the carpet between the
grass and brush, is a hill with an old stone structure, completely enrapt in
dark green cords. That is because the hill was once a sorcerer’s tower, where
the evil old elf cultivated an army for a failed coup.
The 155 Kobolds remain, the final budding after the sorcerer
marched his gourdy horde off to his defeat. The tower fell over in high winds,
but the stonework has been fortified with diggings and packed earth to form the
central lair. In addition is the 2 HD Chief and the four 1+1 HD Bodyguards.
They have 4000cp of copper alchemical equipment, coldworked into weapon points.
### 221-164 Keep Under Construction
200 people in two markets. Rising from between the markets
is a shell of a keep. The Albatrosses were an adventuring band who routed the
orcs of Old Ruin 221-165, slew the Roving Dragons, found the ducal ring of the
Headless and utterly emptied and physically destroyed the Dungeon of the
Technicolour Phantom 220-165. For the orcs they received these lands as vassals
of the Cardinal, rather than enemies.
They seek any knowledge of the Cardinal’s citadel or the
Rovers. For they plot to start usurping and carving out their new domain as
soon as their keep is built and they have a reason.
Nominated leader is Bustopher Greengrass D12, a Halfling of
Outer Red 223-174. Assisting him is the married couple Alonzo F8 and Meg F7.
Not-quite Rovers, who descends from the Sea Breeze Clan 221-162 and the Moon
Wights 220-169 respectively. Liaison and would-be usurper for the Cardinal of
the Sun Asura is Jacob C7. Providing magical assistance and looking for worth
souls is the ambiguous pair of Elves from the Moonglades 220-168. Bomba E6 and
Lurina E3, who travelled with Meg.
They have 33sp, 62gp and jewellery worth 700gp, 900gp and
1300gp left over from their adventures in a sealed chest in Bustopher’s room.
Full writeup in Appendix A.
They used to travel with Munku 224-168 and Strap 218-169 of
the Hellions and exchange letters.
### 222-164 The Sun’s House
2000 people in 3 markets. The heart of this realm is a
temple complex where Cardinal Pharoah of the Sun Asura C8, dwells in splendour.
Yet Cardinal Pharoah lives in unease. Without the unifying presence of the
distant king, the duchies of the Lower Peninsula fight petty feuds and do not
honour the life-giving sun. Worse, it allows those pagans and Heretics of the Elves
to grow like weeds in the shade. Spitting out cast-off orcs and xvarts. The
cardinal eternally sends out correspondence with his fellow dukes to ascertain
their motives and plans. Trying to direct the clergy in other realms to
influence their leaders so that they might form a unified front against chaos.
Whether that be piracy (successful), elves (unsuccessful) or orcs (needed).
He is always flanked by his bodyguards, two massive men in
cloaks of red, orange and yellow. The Brothers Annas F6.
He wears the ceremonial mantle of warm semi-precious stones.
The head portion is worth 1400gp, the chest portion is worth 1300gp and
contains a Medallion of ESP 30’ and the waist portion is worth 1400gp.
He freely distributes his and his followers’ magical items
between themselves to get the best results.
Full writeup in Appendix B.
### 218-165 The Night Sky Clan
100 people in 1 market. The Night Sky Clan are Rovers but
very influenced by the Moon Elves to their pole. They know many spells and only
raid caravans which trespass on their land. Under Headman Raoul MU4, their
relationship with the Red-Eyed people has deteriorated.
The Red-Eyed People are a second market of 59 farmers high
on their fortified hill. They jealously guard their magic well whose enchanted
water can form a base for any potion, halving the cost. The Red-Eyed People
fear Headman Raoul’s tribute requests will eventually drain the well and have
stopped paying. A stand-off has turned to mutual crop-burning, but the Rovers
can trade or take from others.
###219-165 The Dawn Wind Clan
100 people in two markets. The clan of the Rovers is split
between those who seek a closer relationship with the Moon Elves to their pole
and those who shun them because they practise body transformation. Headwoman
Eva F5, choses to have nothing to do with the Moon Elves except to trade wool
for lowland gourds. Headwoman Eva the Changed E2 wishes to become more like the
Night Sky Clan and has converted. Violence will soon occur at the next
discussion.
### 220-165 The Empty Land
This land has always been too far from the core lands of
farming people settle, despite the brooks and grass. Rovers have never settled
here due to the presence of a Before mansion. The Dungeon of the Technicolour
Phantom, which menaced the land and provided shelter for many monsters. The
Albatross 221-164 cleared it and tore it down for good measure. This is prime
land now.
### 221-165 The Old Ruins
400 people in 1 market. This land was menaced years prior by
the Dungeon of the Technicolour Phantom 220-165 and then by the invading orcs
from the swamp south of their Moon Elf relatives 221-166. Those foes were both
defeated by the Albatross 221-164 to the humiliation of Deacon Iscariot C4.
Should they request it, the Sun-worshipers would gladly swear new loyalties.
### 222-165 Petermouth
2000 people in 1 market. This large river town, fishing
villages and surrounding countryside is the part of the Duchy of the Lower
Valley. It is quite rich from traffic along the River Peter, where many
fantastic vegetables and fruits come down from the Moon Elves. Much to the
benefit of Sir Billbailey F6. There are many worshipers of the Sun Asura here
and soldiers to guard the border of the duchy.
### 219-166 High Meadows
100 people in 4 markets. Here the Moon Elves raise vinyards,
drawing from the seasonal streams when the rains slacken. It is said that Elves
under Magdalene E5, make the most potent wine for they will live long enough to
properly age it. As part of the cultivation, there is of course Gnomes. A
village of 20 lend expertise and a woman there can tell futures. For 1000sp,
she will either reveal with absolute certainty an event that has or will come
to pass.
In Magdalene’s mansion is the community chest:
Jewellery worth: 3 x 900gp, 1000gp, 2 x 1200gp and 2 x
1300gp, Potion of Clairvoyance, Potion of Delusion and Wand of Enemy Detection
On waxed paper gourd rind: Spell scroll (web, continual
light (continual darkness), telekinesis, mirror image, haste)
### 220-166 Home of the Wild Hunt
65 people in 1 market. Here the Moon Elves raise their herds
of riding deer, distinguished with their dark grey or night black fur, white
bellies and mathematically curving horns. Where each tine resembles the crescent
moon. Zealotes E6 is raising the current herd of 35 Moon Deer (Mules) to serve
as the riding animals for the elite guard in Moonglade 220-168.
In his mansion, adjoining the feeding pens is his equipment
and the community chest:
2000ep, gems worth: 10gp and 2 × gems (100gp, Chainmail + 1,
Shield + 1 and Potion of Control Giant
On waxed paper gourd rind: Spell scroll (read magic,
hallucinatory terrain, dispel magic, hold monster, conjure elemental)
Spell scroll (massmorph, polymorph self, infravision, detect
magic (mu), wizard lock)
### 221-166 The Spike Swamp
The land widens into a bowl. Floods create new ponds and
fallen tress form dams. Building up into a sodden ground. Orcs lived here,
raiding their relatives until defeated by the Albatross 221-164. Now only their
dim, aggressively defensive warbeasts remain. The 15 Stegosaurus who have lived
here since before memory and shelter beneath mounds of steaming vegetation each
winter.
### 222-166 Floodlands
400 people in 1 market. The River Peter changes often enough
that large scale agriculture by the Duchy of the Lower Valley is challenging,
despite the fertile soil. But the real threat has been the bandits and orcs
which have flocked to The Spike Swamp 221-166. Marchwarden Tumble F2, is
hopeful; the destruction of the orcs allows a chance for growth. But recently
20 giant soft eggs have been unearthed by new plots. They might be legendary
Pegasi, but Tumble wants them out before they hatch.
### 223-166 Wide Bay
1000 people in 4 markets. The coast here is flat and the
etymon wide curve of the shoreline supports farms and fisheries. This
prosperity has attracted the worse sort of monsters. A colony of 15 Mauve
Dragons has taken over offshore and onshore outcroppings. Finding fishing boats
and livestock to be easier if bonier prey.
Sir Mungo F4 has by toll and tax, gathered 10,000gp for the
purpose of hiring dragon slayers, plus whatever that can be looted from their
hoards.
### 224-166 The Flats
2000 people in 3 markets. Exposed
to the Antarctic winds, the mudflats and low rises make a patchwork of
sheltered farms, workshops and boathouses. Much is said about the mauve
dragons, rumours of pirates, growing of salt-rind squash and the doings of
religious fanatics which surround the duchy on all sides. Dame Bella MU3 has
paid a portion of the dragon slaying fund, and she urges adventurers to seek
Sir Mungo 223-166.
### 218-167 The Sword Zephyr Clan
300 people in 2 markets. This clan of Rovers exists in a precarious balance between river trade with the Moon Elves and caravans to the disorganised territories of the Upper Peninsula. They wish for the magical potency but don’t want to be seen as subservient or constrained by religious law. Headman Brutus F2 is considering the rite but only if he can have it done outside of the knowledge of the Elvish duchies. They rob from those they do not trade with.