Several weeks ago (both real-time and game-time) a couple players in the Greyhame Game helped Einan Wife-Lover and his band of dwarves reclaim the old dwarf-hold of Khundrukar (from the 3e module Forge of Fury). The dwarves wanted to assault the front themselves to see firsthand how the defenses worked (or not), they wanted a band of adventurers to infiltrate through a secret way through the side of the mountain and to come up and destroy the orcs inside from behind. They offered a good percentage of the treasure recovered from within as payment.
This assault went off so well that the dwarves, in the same session, asked for help clearing the lower levels. While Einan and company dealt with the duergar on the third level, the adventurers (Baby Face, Ikasha the Starchild, Valor Justice, Little Bob, and Rolf Rolfson) descended all the way to the black lake in the depths to deal with the dragon there. The dragon killed Baby Face and Valor Justice with its first breath attack, but was ultimately overwhelmed when it got a whiff of dragonrose that put it to sleep, and then the party murdered it. Poor dragon.
All of this is a preamble to the fact that now there is a colony of dwarves about three days' travel away from Brakeridge, in the mountains just east of the walled town of Bardastead (which lies due north of Brakeridge). Dwarves who feel, perhaps, that they owe something to the characters who helped them, and also that they have a new market of men to whom to sell their wares, and from whom to buy foodstuffs.
So dwarf items are going to enter into the market at the game table. Especially when Einan Wife-Lover and company build a trading post just outside of Brakeridge ... Anyway, these are the items that are potentially available at Einan's Trading Post:
------
1 - a bearded helm, i.e. a helm with joined cheek-plates formed in imitation of a dwarf's long beard. Forged with superior dwarvish iron and steel, and covering the entire face, these helms grant a bonus of -1 to AC when worn ... though being so enclosed, they make it difficult for clerics or Elves wearing them to cast spells (1 in 6 chance of a spell fizzling), and make hearing for any character significantly more difficult (1 in 10 chance rather than 1 in 6).
2 - a suit of dwarf articulated plate armor is available--or a fitting for it, rather, as a dwarf armorer is in town and willing to get the measurements for one individual for whom he will build a suit of this excellent armor (AC 2). The armor will be ready one month from the time of the measurements. It is made specifically for the person fitted--anyone else attempting to wear it will have an AC of 5 instead, until it is refitted (costs three quarters as much as the armor, requires a separate fitting session, 2 in 6 chance it doesn't work anyway)
3 - a goldsniffer, that is, a little ferret-like creature with golden fur and eight legs. It can detect metal (gold only) at will within 60', even through rock (so it can smell ore veins), and will beg and whine to be fed gold. "Do not under any circumstances feed it gold!" the seller will admonish prospective buyers. (Goldsniffer -- HD 1-1, AC 5, attacks 1-2/1-2/1-3, M7, saves F1)
4 - a matching set of dwarvish had and boots; the boots will of course have to be fitted and cobbled, which will take a week, but you can wear the hat now. The hat comes in two styles, the high stiff conical style of the gnomes, or the long floppy tasseled style of the dwarves. The boots, once broken in, allow a person to travel/hike 25% farther than otherwise because of their sturdy nature. But woe to he who wears the boots without the hat--dwarves will consider it a grave insult to their culture, and reactions will be surly and unpleasant.
5 - hallucinogenic mushrooms that, when eaten, cause intense hallucinations and a usually euphoric high, though the "trip" could turn into a nightmare under threatening circumstances. The eater is confused as the spell for 1-3 hours per dose (though unless the trip has turned ugly, treat "attacks others" as feeling them up, or talking to them as if they're a disembodied mouth or something)
6 - a set of jewelers' eyes, which are eye glasses with multiple lenses of varying magnification for use in appraising and cutting gemstones of various size. Thieves may use them too, however, gaining a +10% to their ability to find/remove traps, and to their open locks ability. They are glasses, however, and easily broken if not stored properly!
7 - 1-3 bee bombs are for sale. These clay globes contain a dozen or so wasps or bees, kept in an enchanted sleep by runes etched inside the globe. To "prime" it, first it must be shaken, to waken and anger the bees; then hurl it at a foe and laugh as they're tormented by a cloud of stinging insects for 2-4 rounds, dealing 1 damage each round, causing the target to take a -1 penalty to hit and to saves, and preventing spellcasting
8 - a beard-care kit, which includes a variety of small scissors, a hand mirror, beard combs, beard oils, beard-ties, etc. An individual who has a beard, and who uses this kit continually each week will gain +1 reactions with other humans and demi-humans
9 - a linden shield which is constructed of a softer wood than most shields, and built in such a way that it can be used to bind a bladed or piercing weapon by catching the blade deep in the wood. That is, in lieu of an attack, a character may destroy the shield to bind the weapon of an enemy in melee and then attempt to rip that weapon out of the enemy's hands. The shield is useless after this
10 - a sevenfold shield, which is so heavily built that it provides a bonus of -2 to AC, but being so heavy, it cannot be "splintered" to block a successful attack like other shields in my game.
11 - a runic weapon, its metallic blade or head traced with semi-magical dwarvish runes. The small amount of magic in the runes can only be used once per day, by reading the runes aloud, and the effect lasts from 1-10 rounds. It allows the weapon to strike creatures hit only by silver or magical weapons, though it does no extra damage.
12 - a dark flower ... suffused with arcane power, these flowers grow in the deep places of the world where ley lines run and cross. Eating one causes the body to become magical for 1-6 turns, able to detect magic 30' at will, +1 to hit and to damage, +1 to saves, and -1 bonus to AC.
BUT, magic-users or Elves with spells memorized who eat a darkflower will spontaneously cast one memorized spell at random, and they then suffer a major migraine (-1 to all rolls) for the duration of the effect.
At the end of the effects, any character who ate of a darkflower will be drained fro 1-3 hours, at -1 penalty on all rolls, and must save v. poison to resist becoming addicted.
Showing posts with label town. Show all posts
Showing posts with label town. Show all posts
Monday, June 18, 2018
Sunday, November 26, 2017
the Cult of the Beautiful Life -- Worshiping Ke$ha
I've been kicking this idea around in my head for a while, to create a religion using Kesha's lyrics as the sacred texts, but tonight on the drive back up from Boise, Kesha blaring from the CD player, some ideas finally clicked. So here goes ... (all the links except the last about the "Otter Bacchanalia" are links to Kesha's songs on YouTube)
On a certain summer night, when the moon is heavy with light, and the star winds blow and scatter their glimmerings in a great river of light across the sky, the clashing of timbrels and the cries of women in ekstasis will arise in the city. On this night, the central mystery of the Beautiful Life will once more be ritually played out atop the highest hill, in full view of the stars, as it is done every year, and ever has been, and ever shall be.
The women of the city who are members of the cult--they call themselves the Beautiful--will gather in the the market in answer to the cries and the clash of the timbrels. Others will come as well; Elves, as fellow star-children, will be found in their midst; hangers-on who know of the revelry to come, will wait nearby to follow the procession and join in the celebrations after the mystery ritual is complete; and some few men who have been selected to join in the ritual and the revelry, and who are already swaying, drunk from wine, will have already gathered in the square with the priestesses.
Thus assembled, the entire group will process forth through the city, led by priestesses raising the thyrsus-staves, accompanied by girls bearing jars of wine and of water, all chanting incantations to the Star Goddess and her lover, and banging their timbrels and drums. Any who are to be initiated that night go silently, draped in heavy black robes that hide their features, while those who are already initiated have painted themselves with vibrant colors, and adorned their wrists, arms, ankles and waists with silver and gold while their bodies are decked with robes and dresses of every hue.
"We R Who We R!" sings the procession, proclaiming to themselves and to the world their intent to live to the fullest, to fulfill their own desires, and to love themselves as they are. "Got that glitter on our eyes, stockings all ripped up the sides, looking sick and sexified! ... We're dancing like we're dumb, bodies going numb, we'll be forever young ..."
That, and "Take It Off", singing, "There's a place downtown where the freaks all come around, there's a hole in the wall, it's a dirty free for all ... When the dark of the night comes around, that's the time that the animal comes alive looking for something wild ..."
Singing all the way, the procession of the Beautiful march and dance and sway in wine-drunkenness out from the city, marching through half the night until they come to the place of their secret and sacred rites. This is a hill somewhere in the hinterlands, high enough to be close to the stars, and broad enough at its crest thereon to hold a wild revelry. In the days before, a great bonfire has been built up by the women of the cult; but it remains unlit yet, as the cult gathers atop the hill, and the hangers-on wait beneath the crest, afraid of the consequences of profaning the mysteries with uninitiated eyes. (For indeed, they have heard what happens to those who are too eager to join ... "Cannibal" -- "I eat boys up, breakfast and lunch, then when I'm thirsty, I'll drink their blood ... Carnivore, animal, I am a cannibal, I eat boys up, you better run")
------
The first thing that must be done is the initiation of new members. Before the pyre is lit, in the darkness that represents the darkness of death whence the Star Goddess was born, and shall ever be born again and again until the end of all things, the initiates are brought forward in their black robes. The priestess sings to them ("Rainbow"), singing about needing to emerge from the darkness--"I used to live in the darkness, dress in black, act so heartless; but now I see that colors are everything; got kaleidoscopes in my hairdo, got back the stars in my eyes, too, and now I see the magic inside of me."
In the process of this chant, the priestess removes the black robes, until the initiates stand naked before the cult; then, as the pyre is lit, the Beautiful step forward to paint the initiates' skin with paints of red and blue and every hue, and to adorn them with silver and gold, and to wrap their bodies in brilliant robes, which will all stand forth in full color as the pyrelight climbs higher. The initiates are asked to recite the tenets of the Star Goddess and the Beautiful Life--the answers to these questions are found in a number of songs they would have learned back in the city, and sung to themselves to retain their mysteries.
The tenets are:
First, all that matters is the Beautiful Life--life should be a striving toward transcendence, especially through drinking, dancing, and sex, but really through any activity that fills a body with joy. ("All That Matters (The Beautiful Life")
Secondly, be an Animal and a Warrior--love yourself for who you are, not for who you "should" be (this is essentially a basic tenet of Chaos, so it should be obvious at this point that this is a Chaos cult)
Thirdly, the fulfillment of the Beautiful Life is to find and join with the Lover. There are entire myth and poetic cycles of the Star Goddess and her Lover, reincarnated over and over again through vast epochs, ever seeking each other out. This Lover is usually depicted as a man (or especially as a dragon when the Joy he/it represents is more metaphorical), but sometimes the sexes are reversed, and the Star Goddess is a kind of king over the stars, and her lover is the female moon, pregnant with light ... essentially, any imagery can stand in here; the point is that a soul is reincarnated over and over again until it can finally fulfill itself in the Beautiful Life ... "Past Lives" is the best articulation of this idea ("We were lovers in a past life, I can see it in your green eyes; maybe you were one of my wives in a long lost tribe ...")
Lastly, that fulfillment is in the return to the Stars (whence all souls are born) and thence the rebirth of the Star Goddess and another cycle of new souls seeking the Beautiful Life, best expressed in the song "Spaceship" ("I'm waiting for my spaceship to come back for me ... look up in the sky and there they'll be, I bet you'll think of me ...")
------
Once the initiates have sufficiently expressed their understanding of these mysteries, they step back and join the rest of the Beautiful, and join them in two songs, one "Praying," a prayer that is a rejection of the dominance of the Lawful cults, which they see as constricting the ability of human souls to fulfill the Beautiful Life with all their emphasis on duties, self-restraint, marriage, etc. And then they sing a "Hymn" for themselves, which is a full exaltation in their own Beauty and perfectness as they are, and in their seeking for their own ultimate fulfillment.
And then, of course, they TAKE IT OFF! Wine flows, and is cast into the fire as a sacrifice to the Star Goddess, who looks down in gladness from the stars above; incense is burned, and cannabis and opium imbibed; clothes come off, the drums beat to the beat of the heart, bodies writhe, cries of ekstasis and enthusiasmus are raised to the stars and their eternal light. All inhibitions are forgot. All that occurs here is sanctioned by the Star Goddess; taboos are overturned; only excess is sacred.
It is this point at which the hangers-on ascend to the hilltop, to partake in the revelry, which continues until morning, or even well into the next day and evening. Naturally, there are consequences--legendary hang-overs; men and women dead or mad from wine-sickness; unintended pregnancies. But though Lawful authorities hate these revels, they fear to punish those who return, for fear of the anger of the Goddess and her maenads ... certain tyrants in the past have sought to quash the secret rites, and have then ended up in the midst of the revelries themselves, wine-mad, and finally torn limb from limb by the ekstatic Beautiful ...
This cult being Chaotic, it is entirely reasonable for non-initiated but Chaotic characters to act as hangers-on, to follow the procession out into the hills, and to wait until the mysteries are completed, but then to join in the wild revelry thereafter. I would treat this as carousing, but at double or triple the normal xp for the normal cost, and probably come up with a unique table to roll for failures ... sounds like a future blog post, anyway.
Chaotic women may, of course, also just join the cult as initiates. If they do so, they may attend the revelry, gain triple xp, and not suffer any mishaps (not the first time, at least ...)--and yes, this is a female-only cult. In the future, I may write a secondary male cult--or write up rules for male priests like those of Cybele who would castrate themselves--but for now, the Cult of the Beautiful is women-only.
And obviously, attending these rites in any matter as a non-Chaotic comes with consequences. A character neutral in regard to Law and Chaos who joins in the revelry must thereafter be considered Chaotic--they have fully engaged with the raw energy of Chaos, and though they may not be of the Beautiful, they are now aligned against the Lawful cults. As for Lawfuls to attend the revels and enjoy themselves, that is a serious breach of their own alignment, and they must seek atonement from some character of higher rank within the Lawful cults--and they gain no xp bonuses or alignment benefits from Lawfulness until they atone, as well as some other appropriate penalty, e.g. clerics losing their spells, or a curse laid upon a fighter by his god for his failure.
------
Lastly, I should mention that there is another, rival cult, the House of Gog, whose members call themselves Monsters ... I have little to say concerning this cult at the moment ...
... and there are a couple lesser disciples of such Dionysian revelries and lyric poetry--Katherine of Perrin, and Cyris of Milyta--who are semi-Sapphic, and whose lyrics echo both cults (of the Beautiful Life, and of the House of Gog); and yet neither of which have quite the same following ...
------
I'll probably be coming up with some kind of random table for things one might see/find at a bacchanal of the Cult of the Beautiful, probably along the lines of Jesse Goldshear's Otter Bacchanalia, which is great, and you should check it out! ... but piecing together the tenets of this Ke$ha cult has taken up too much space yet.
 |
| The Star Goddess |
On a certain summer night, when the moon is heavy with light, and the star winds blow and scatter their glimmerings in a great river of light across the sky, the clashing of timbrels and the cries of women in ekstasis will arise in the city. On this night, the central mystery of the Beautiful Life will once more be ritually played out atop the highest hill, in full view of the stars, as it is done every year, and ever has been, and ever shall be.
The women of the city who are members of the cult--they call themselves the Beautiful--will gather in the the market in answer to the cries and the clash of the timbrels. Others will come as well; Elves, as fellow star-children, will be found in their midst; hangers-on who know of the revelry to come, will wait nearby to follow the procession and join in the celebrations after the mystery ritual is complete; and some few men who have been selected to join in the ritual and the revelry, and who are already swaying, drunk from wine, will have already gathered in the square with the priestesses.
Thus assembled, the entire group will process forth through the city, led by priestesses raising the thyrsus-staves, accompanied by girls bearing jars of wine and of water, all chanting incantations to the Star Goddess and her lover, and banging their timbrels and drums. Any who are to be initiated that night go silently, draped in heavy black robes that hide their features, while those who are already initiated have painted themselves with vibrant colors, and adorned their wrists, arms, ankles and waists with silver and gold while their bodies are decked with robes and dresses of every hue.
"We R Who We R!" sings the procession, proclaiming to themselves and to the world their intent to live to the fullest, to fulfill their own desires, and to love themselves as they are. "Got that glitter on our eyes, stockings all ripped up the sides, looking sick and sexified! ... We're dancing like we're dumb, bodies going numb, we'll be forever young ..."
That, and "Take It Off", singing, "There's a place downtown where the freaks all come around, there's a hole in the wall, it's a dirty free for all ... When the dark of the night comes around, that's the time that the animal comes alive looking for something wild ..."
Singing all the way, the procession of the Beautiful march and dance and sway in wine-drunkenness out from the city, marching through half the night until they come to the place of their secret and sacred rites. This is a hill somewhere in the hinterlands, high enough to be close to the stars, and broad enough at its crest thereon to hold a wild revelry. In the days before, a great bonfire has been built up by the women of the cult; but it remains unlit yet, as the cult gathers atop the hill, and the hangers-on wait beneath the crest, afraid of the consequences of profaning the mysteries with uninitiated eyes. (For indeed, they have heard what happens to those who are too eager to join ... "Cannibal" -- "I eat boys up, breakfast and lunch, then when I'm thirsty, I'll drink their blood ... Carnivore, animal, I am a cannibal, I eat boys up, you better run")
------
The first thing that must be done is the initiation of new members. Before the pyre is lit, in the darkness that represents the darkness of death whence the Star Goddess was born, and shall ever be born again and again until the end of all things, the initiates are brought forward in their black robes. The priestess sings to them ("Rainbow"), singing about needing to emerge from the darkness--"I used to live in the darkness, dress in black, act so heartless; but now I see that colors are everything; got kaleidoscopes in my hairdo, got back the stars in my eyes, too, and now I see the magic inside of me."
In the process of this chant, the priestess removes the black robes, until the initiates stand naked before the cult; then, as the pyre is lit, the Beautiful step forward to paint the initiates' skin with paints of red and blue and every hue, and to adorn them with silver and gold, and to wrap their bodies in brilliant robes, which will all stand forth in full color as the pyrelight climbs higher. The initiates are asked to recite the tenets of the Star Goddess and the Beautiful Life--the answers to these questions are found in a number of songs they would have learned back in the city, and sung to themselves to retain their mysteries.
The tenets are:
First, all that matters is the Beautiful Life--life should be a striving toward transcendence, especially through drinking, dancing, and sex, but really through any activity that fills a body with joy. ("All That Matters (The Beautiful Life")
Secondly, be an Animal and a Warrior--love yourself for who you are, not for who you "should" be (this is essentially a basic tenet of Chaos, so it should be obvious at this point that this is a Chaos cult)
Thirdly, the fulfillment of the Beautiful Life is to find and join with the Lover. There are entire myth and poetic cycles of the Star Goddess and her Lover, reincarnated over and over again through vast epochs, ever seeking each other out. This Lover is usually depicted as a man (or especially as a dragon when the Joy he/it represents is more metaphorical), but sometimes the sexes are reversed, and the Star Goddess is a kind of king over the stars, and her lover is the female moon, pregnant with light ... essentially, any imagery can stand in here; the point is that a soul is reincarnated over and over again until it can finally fulfill itself in the Beautiful Life ... "Past Lives" is the best articulation of this idea ("We were lovers in a past life, I can see it in your green eyes; maybe you were one of my wives in a long lost tribe ...")
Lastly, that fulfillment is in the return to the Stars (whence all souls are born) and thence the rebirth of the Star Goddess and another cycle of new souls seeking the Beautiful Life, best expressed in the song "Spaceship" ("I'm waiting for my spaceship to come back for me ... look up in the sky and there they'll be, I bet you'll think of me ...")
------
Once the initiates have sufficiently expressed their understanding of these mysteries, they step back and join the rest of the Beautiful, and join them in two songs, one "Praying," a prayer that is a rejection of the dominance of the Lawful cults, which they see as constricting the ability of human souls to fulfill the Beautiful Life with all their emphasis on duties, self-restraint, marriage, etc. And then they sing a "Hymn" for themselves, which is a full exaltation in their own Beauty and perfectness as they are, and in their seeking for their own ultimate fulfillment.
And then, of course, they TAKE IT OFF! Wine flows, and is cast into the fire as a sacrifice to the Star Goddess, who looks down in gladness from the stars above; incense is burned, and cannabis and opium imbibed; clothes come off, the drums beat to the beat of the heart, bodies writhe, cries of ekstasis and enthusiasmus are raised to the stars and their eternal light. All inhibitions are forgot. All that occurs here is sanctioned by the Star Goddess; taboos are overturned; only excess is sacred.
It is this point at which the hangers-on ascend to the hilltop, to partake in the revelry, which continues until morning, or even well into the next day and evening. Naturally, there are consequences--legendary hang-overs; men and women dead or mad from wine-sickness; unintended pregnancies. But though Lawful authorities hate these revels, they fear to punish those who return, for fear of the anger of the Goddess and her maenads ... certain tyrants in the past have sought to quash the secret rites, and have then ended up in the midst of the revelries themselves, wine-mad, and finally torn limb from limb by the ekstatic Beautiful ...
 |
| A man being torn apart by bacchantes (Tiresias, actually) |
This cult being Chaotic, it is entirely reasonable for non-initiated but Chaotic characters to act as hangers-on, to follow the procession out into the hills, and to wait until the mysteries are completed, but then to join in the wild revelry thereafter. I would treat this as carousing, but at double or triple the normal xp for the normal cost, and probably come up with a unique table to roll for failures ... sounds like a future blog post, anyway.
Chaotic women may, of course, also just join the cult as initiates. If they do so, they may attend the revelry, gain triple xp, and not suffer any mishaps (not the first time, at least ...)--and yes, this is a female-only cult. In the future, I may write a secondary male cult--or write up rules for male priests like those of Cybele who would castrate themselves--but for now, the Cult of the Beautiful is women-only.
And obviously, attending these rites in any matter as a non-Chaotic comes with consequences. A character neutral in regard to Law and Chaos who joins in the revelry must thereafter be considered Chaotic--they have fully engaged with the raw energy of Chaos, and though they may not be of the Beautiful, they are now aligned against the Lawful cults. As for Lawfuls to attend the revels and enjoy themselves, that is a serious breach of their own alignment, and they must seek atonement from some character of higher rank within the Lawful cults--and they gain no xp bonuses or alignment benefits from Lawfulness until they atone, as well as some other appropriate penalty, e.g. clerics losing their spells, or a curse laid upon a fighter by his god for his failure.
------
Lastly, I should mention that there is another, rival cult, the House of Gog, whose members call themselves Monsters ... I have little to say concerning this cult at the moment ...
... and there are a couple lesser disciples of such Dionysian revelries and lyric poetry--Katherine of Perrin, and Cyris of Milyta--who are semi-Sapphic, and whose lyrics echo both cults (of the Beautiful Life, and of the House of Gog); and yet neither of which have quite the same following ...
------
I'll probably be coming up with some kind of random table for things one might see/find at a bacchanal of the Cult of the Beautiful, probably along the lines of Jesse Goldshear's Otter Bacchanalia, which is great, and you should check it out! ... but piecing together the tenets of this Ke$ha cult has taken up too much space yet.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Some Local Color ... a Sketch of Brakeridge
The town of Brakeridge lies in the southern marches of the realm ruled by Vialar (self-styled "the Good," but colloquially known as "the Cruel"), a realm which is a remnant of the wider kingdom once ruled by the old Bronding Kings. To the east of Brakeridge by about three days' travel lies the Greyhame Mountain Dungeon, contained within the southern spur of Greyhame Mountain itself, and an object of much interest in the past few months as adventurers have once again begun expeditioning within its depths with some regularity, unearthing ancient treasures.
Despite its name, Brakeridge actually lies mostly beneath the Oak Ridge and to the south of it, a height that was anciently lined with ancient oaks and other trees, but which stands mostly naked of trees in these latter days. From atop the Oak Ridge, the aptly named Oakridge Castle overlooks the town, the castle being the seat of the local overlord.
To the south, across the Whetstone River (not the river fed by the Brokenbrand Falls, for those curious) and about two days' travel on foot, the village of Kallia and surrounding farmlands sprawl through the valleys, also subject to the local lord of Oakridge Castle. Meanwhile, north along the trade road, about a week away at most, the nearest neighbor of civilization is the walled town of Bardastead, a freetown with a charter, ruled over by a council of its own aldermen (still subject to Vialar, of course).
If one were to travel further north, one would cross through a pass and ultimately come into the personal demesne of Vialar under King's Mountain; or, taking the southern trade road beyond Kallia, one would ultimately end up in the southern city-state of Calpurnia (where my other game is "home-based"), or even ultimately find oneself in the original city-state with my first megadungeon, the Catacombs.
And to the east, across the wall of north-south mountains of which the Greyhame is a part, lies the vast and mysterious forest of the Dwimmerholt, wooded realm of Elfin queens, werewolves, and the semi-barbarous tribes of the Getae, who were driven thence by the victorious arms of the Brondings.
------
As of this writing, Morholt remains the local overlord in Oakridge Castle--and yet, he is a usurper, no legitimate heir to the seat of power. The rightful lord, one Albrecht, died some months before the renewed interest of adventurers in the Greyhame Mountain Dungeons; and in a surprise move, Morholt, who had heretofore been a trusted captain, with a small army of mercenaries seized both the castle and Albrecht's widow, the Lady Sonora.
Installing himself as lord, Morholt has made it known that he intends to marry Sonora and thus appropriate the lordship of the castle both physically and legally. However, Sonora continues to resist, and thus continues to be imprisoned in the keep; and it is said that Morholt is in seek of a philter of love, that he might arrange the marriage without the legal trouble of coercion.
Considering these events, the local populace is rather disgruntled, as they thought Albrecht a just lord and the lady Sonora a woman of excellent taste in the arranging of feasts. A delegation of villagers was sent to Vialar in the north to complain, but nothing has been heard back from them, and as Morholt continues to send tribute, there seems little hope that Vialar should care to intervene. Moreover, because Morholt is an avid hunter and an great carouser and feaster, the cost of his lordship has lain heavily on the people he taxes, and the people are suffering under his avaricious demands.
------
Within the town itself are a few places of interest:
the "Citadel" -- a watchtower, part of what was going to be a wall around Brakeridge to help better incorporate the township; the tower remains, but the walls were pulled down by Morholt's mercenaries, as he feared the rising of the locals against his usurpation. Moreover, Morholt has disbanded the local fyrd/militia, and stocked the watchtower with a company of his own mercenaries, who supposedly keep watch and keep the peace, but who more often abuse and fine townsfolk with little reason. The tower is called "the Citadel" as a kind of local joke, it being the only fortification within town, and yet still only a simple thing.
the Brokenoak Inn -- the oldest inn establishment in town, the Brokenoak is a long meadhall in imitation of the old Bronding halls, complete with an oak standing in the center as a support pillar for the center of the roof, and a dais with an honorseat (reserved for special occasions or special guests). The oak, as the name suggests, is broken--of old, a lightning bolt blasted off the top limbs, leaving a kind of pillar, around which the inn was subsequently built. Cheap fares net a guest a shut-bed in the hall; guests with more coin, however, can reserve a room in one of the outbuildings around the hall itself.
John's Place -- a simple watering hole for both locals and for the merchants and traders coming and going on the north-south trade road. There always seem to be men and women here looking for rough work, either mercenaries or laborers willing to port treasure out of a dungeon for a fee; also, the trade in war dogs along the north-south road is strangely constant, probably fed in part by Morholt's and other lords' obsession with hunting, so there are war dogs available for sale here weekly.
the Black Dragon's Meed -- (and note well the pun on "meed: reward/recompense"/"mead: alcohol from fermented honey"!) a new inn in town and a perfect place for adventurers to rent rooms and to carouse after their delves beneath the dungeon. The proprietors are Sten, a veteran halfling adventurer, and Henry, a magic-user of some repute. They may have information, advice, or perhaps even magic available for those with enough coin ...
the Shrine of Saint Ursula -- another new structure in town, built by the higher level cleric Lailith and dedicated to her Lawful Good cult of Saint Ursula, a kind of dual-deity by accident: because of the name and some of the imagery of the cult, the local people have taken Ursula to be a mother-bear goddess; which is not inappropriate, considering that the saint is one known for her especial protection of mothers and children. Lailith offers regular healing services to the local populace, and is also capable of raising dead characters back to life for the paltry sum of 300 gold (her fee as of this writing).
the Shrine of Adonai -- the newest (as of this writing) structure in town, right now a humble wooden image off to the side of the village green. This Adonai is another Lawful Good god, a god of justice, carved as a kingly figure with a sword in his lap, pouring out drink from a horn with his right hand. The image was raised by Aetheulwulf, a newly minted paladin and a delver into the Greyhame Mountain Dungeon.
the Shrine of Peoni -- (yes, I stole this goddess from Harn) the shrine of the local farmers and townsfolk, dedicated to Peoni, a goddess of growth, fertility, healing, and the simple life. Alas, the priesthood here is not capable of any great healing, other than ministering to wounds with mundane poultices; there is probably little of direct interest for adventurers here, other than the fact that local dissidents occasionally use the shrine as a kind of sanctuary place to meet in secret and discuss their hatred of Morholt ...
Thorgir's Smithy -- the local smithy and sometimes armory for the old fyrd; Thorgir and his apprentices, Aldir, Tess, and Freygir, are capable of seeing to the community's need for such mundanities as horseshoes and barrel-hoops, but also of forging simple arms like spearheads, arrowheads, shield-bosses, helms, etc. They once supplied the Brakeridge fyrd/militia; now they supply adventurers; and though they cannot make better swords and armors, they do buy them from passing merchants and resell them at their shop, meaning that adventurers can purchase anything from the B/X equipment lists in town.
Despite its name, Brakeridge actually lies mostly beneath the Oak Ridge and to the south of it, a height that was anciently lined with ancient oaks and other trees, but which stands mostly naked of trees in these latter days. From atop the Oak Ridge, the aptly named Oakridge Castle overlooks the town, the castle being the seat of the local overlord.
To the south, across the Whetstone River (not the river fed by the Brokenbrand Falls, for those curious) and about two days' travel on foot, the village of Kallia and surrounding farmlands sprawl through the valleys, also subject to the local lord of Oakridge Castle. Meanwhile, north along the trade road, about a week away at most, the nearest neighbor of civilization is the walled town of Bardastead, a freetown with a charter, ruled over by a council of its own aldermen (still subject to Vialar, of course).
If one were to travel further north, one would cross through a pass and ultimately come into the personal demesne of Vialar under King's Mountain; or, taking the southern trade road beyond Kallia, one would ultimately end up in the southern city-state of Calpurnia (where my other game is "home-based"), or even ultimately find oneself in the original city-state with my first megadungeon, the Catacombs.
And to the east, across the wall of north-south mountains of which the Greyhame is a part, lies the vast and mysterious forest of the Dwimmerholt, wooded realm of Elfin queens, werewolves, and the semi-barbarous tribes of the Getae, who were driven thence by the victorious arms of the Brondings.
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As of this writing, Morholt remains the local overlord in Oakridge Castle--and yet, he is a usurper, no legitimate heir to the seat of power. The rightful lord, one Albrecht, died some months before the renewed interest of adventurers in the Greyhame Mountain Dungeons; and in a surprise move, Morholt, who had heretofore been a trusted captain, with a small army of mercenaries seized both the castle and Albrecht's widow, the Lady Sonora.
Installing himself as lord, Morholt has made it known that he intends to marry Sonora and thus appropriate the lordship of the castle both physically and legally. However, Sonora continues to resist, and thus continues to be imprisoned in the keep; and it is said that Morholt is in seek of a philter of love, that he might arrange the marriage without the legal trouble of coercion.
Considering these events, the local populace is rather disgruntled, as they thought Albrecht a just lord and the lady Sonora a woman of excellent taste in the arranging of feasts. A delegation of villagers was sent to Vialar in the north to complain, but nothing has been heard back from them, and as Morholt continues to send tribute, there seems little hope that Vialar should care to intervene. Moreover, because Morholt is an avid hunter and an great carouser and feaster, the cost of his lordship has lain heavily on the people he taxes, and the people are suffering under his avaricious demands.
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Within the town itself are a few places of interest:
the "Citadel" -- a watchtower, part of what was going to be a wall around Brakeridge to help better incorporate the township; the tower remains, but the walls were pulled down by Morholt's mercenaries, as he feared the rising of the locals against his usurpation. Moreover, Morholt has disbanded the local fyrd/militia, and stocked the watchtower with a company of his own mercenaries, who supposedly keep watch and keep the peace, but who more often abuse and fine townsfolk with little reason. The tower is called "the Citadel" as a kind of local joke, it being the only fortification within town, and yet still only a simple thing.
the Brokenoak Inn -- the oldest inn establishment in town, the Brokenoak is a long meadhall in imitation of the old Bronding halls, complete with an oak standing in the center as a support pillar for the center of the roof, and a dais with an honorseat (reserved for special occasions or special guests). The oak, as the name suggests, is broken--of old, a lightning bolt blasted off the top limbs, leaving a kind of pillar, around which the inn was subsequently built. Cheap fares net a guest a shut-bed in the hall; guests with more coin, however, can reserve a room in one of the outbuildings around the hall itself.
John's Place -- a simple watering hole for both locals and for the merchants and traders coming and going on the north-south trade road. There always seem to be men and women here looking for rough work, either mercenaries or laborers willing to port treasure out of a dungeon for a fee; also, the trade in war dogs along the north-south road is strangely constant, probably fed in part by Morholt's and other lords' obsession with hunting, so there are war dogs available for sale here weekly.
the Black Dragon's Meed -- (and note well the pun on "meed: reward/recompense"/"mead: alcohol from fermented honey"!) a new inn in town and a perfect place for adventurers to rent rooms and to carouse after their delves beneath the dungeon. The proprietors are Sten, a veteran halfling adventurer, and Henry, a magic-user of some repute. They may have information, advice, or perhaps even magic available for those with enough coin ...
the Shrine of Saint Ursula -- another new structure in town, built by the higher level cleric Lailith and dedicated to her Lawful Good cult of Saint Ursula, a kind of dual-deity by accident: because of the name and some of the imagery of the cult, the local people have taken Ursula to be a mother-bear goddess; which is not inappropriate, considering that the saint is one known for her especial protection of mothers and children. Lailith offers regular healing services to the local populace, and is also capable of raising dead characters back to life for the paltry sum of 300 gold (her fee as of this writing).
the Shrine of Adonai -- the newest (as of this writing) structure in town, right now a humble wooden image off to the side of the village green. This Adonai is another Lawful Good god, a god of justice, carved as a kingly figure with a sword in his lap, pouring out drink from a horn with his right hand. The image was raised by Aetheulwulf, a newly minted paladin and a delver into the Greyhame Mountain Dungeon.
the Shrine of Peoni -- (yes, I stole this goddess from Harn) the shrine of the local farmers and townsfolk, dedicated to Peoni, a goddess of growth, fertility, healing, and the simple life. Alas, the priesthood here is not capable of any great healing, other than ministering to wounds with mundane poultices; there is probably little of direct interest for adventurers here, other than the fact that local dissidents occasionally use the shrine as a kind of sanctuary place to meet in secret and discuss their hatred of Morholt ...
Thorgir's Smithy -- the local smithy and sometimes armory for the old fyrd; Thorgir and his apprentices, Aldir, Tess, and Freygir, are capable of seeing to the community's need for such mundanities as horseshoes and barrel-hoops, but also of forging simple arms like spearheads, arrowheads, shield-bosses, helms, etc. They once supplied the Brakeridge fyrd/militia; now they supply adventurers; and though they cannot make better swords and armors, they do buy them from passing merchants and resell them at their shop, meaning that adventurers can purchase anything from the B/X equipment lists in town.
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