Tenda, the Wandering Bard

Wandering between Sunvale and Karoon, Tenda loves to see the sights and people along the way.  So dark skinned, she is often confused as someone from Ariella, she is a beauty to behold.  She is tall, almost six foot, with white blond hair and dark brown eyes.  She swaggers when she walks, mostly to get people's attention, and talks with an ease most people find hard.  She can sing, tell stories, and play have a dozen instruments including a lute.  She knows quite a bit of ancient lore, predating the Time of the Chosen, and loves to learn new and exciting things everyday.

Tenda would be an excellent way to start an adventure, with a bit of lore or a rumor from somewhere.  She could also be the link the party has been missing to find the next step in their adventuring.  She works for know one, is loyal to no one, and works for coin to keep herself afloat and ahead of the law.

Horn of Return

Despite what this sounds like, this horn is meant for farmers and ranchers to gather their livestock without having to chase them.  Made by a mage who had grown up as a rancher's son and hated having to round up the livestock, the mage made sure that as many farmers as possible had them. Though he charged for materials, after awhile they got too expensive except for ranchers who worked for the nobles.  The way it works this small horn, which looks like a curled ram's horn, is blown and all the livestock in the area will return to the blower.  This does cause issues if someone else is grazing their livestock nearby, but for the most part it just returns the blower's livestock.  There have been cases of livestock rustlers using it, but they are usually caught quickly since the horn is loud and most farmers know who should be blowing horns and who shouldn't.  And if they hear a horn they haven't heard before they go to investigate, with weapons and many sons.

Theran Cole's Estate

A half a days ride from Cole, to the northeast, is the small estate of Theran Cole.  It's roughly three hundred acres of both farm and forest land.  The farm has a little wine, some sheep and root vegetables.  The forest land Theran has managed so he can harvest a little bit of timber at a time and replants as he goes.  The manor itself is two stories, with five bedrooms, a huge meeting room, a study, a large kitchen and dinning room, a root cellar and a bath house. The well for the manor is right next to the manor in the courtyard and protected by anti-poison magic.  There are three small, one room houses for the staff, a bunk house for the men at arms and there is a small, stone wall around the whole area.  It is not very defensible, but would give those living there enough time to reach the safe room in the root cellar of the manor.  There are typically four men at arms and three family of servants living here at all times.

Theran of House Cole

Theran is the third son of Lord Cole and expecting to be the lord commander of the Knights of Cole once his uncle retires in a few years.  He loves the thrill of battle, the gait of a galloping horse, the feel of sword against sword.  He is happy that he was not born first, because he wants nothing to do with ruling House Cole, he only wants to protect it.  He has thought about the future and has several grants of land his father gave him and is making sure they are producing something, whether wool or food or wine so even if he can't lead the Knights of Cole forever he will be comfortable in retirement and not have to depend on his brother's generosity when he becomes feeble.  Because of this fear of having to rely on others, Theran likes to find adventurers to sponsor that might find some great magic or other wealth that might help in the future.  He will sponsor promising adventuring groups, though expect a good chuck of the return in exchange.

Theran is blond, blue eyes, heavy set with muscles, not fat, and handsome in a rugged way.  He always wears sturdy clothes, feeling uncomfortable in court dress and thus stays away from court as much as possible.  He is good at what he does and feels kinship with any warrior, not just royals.

Gaming Over Time

My family does a "Family Morning" every Sunday...cough, cough...  Okay, we try to do it every Sunday, but with two middle schoolers and all our volunteering, time doesn't always allow.  But when we do, each of us has a campaign that we run an alternating Sundays.  With no consist time between sessions, sometimes things are forgotten, so here are a few ideas to keep things straight.

1) Have your players take notes.  My youngest was doing that on her own, because she liked to keep track of every time she trashed my adventure, but it is a good idea.  Have them keep a spiral notebook or, if they are doing Pathfinder, make sure they take notes on the back of their character packet.

2) As GM, make sure you take notes.  As much as I'd like throw out all those monsters my characters trampled once they do so, I don't until I write in my spiral what happened and what treasure they found.  I also don't throw out treasure sheet until I know they have picked through it. (Though, I do try to keep track who has what magic items and where they got them.)

3)  Do a recap before you start the adventure.  Start with what butt-kicking they did last adventure, (or how they got their butt kicked), and answer any questions your players might have at that time.  My campaign has my characters looking for some lost artifacts from an ancient civilization so I remind them what info they found the last few adventures and what they are up to now.

Happy Gaming!

Eagle Companions and Your Characters

There are many character archetypes that have animal companions: druids, hunters, rangers and mages, for example.  Since we've been talking about eagles here are some things to keep in mind when allowing a player to have an eagle as a companion.

1)  An eagle has a wing span of 6 feet +.  Yes, bigger then a person might be tall.  Cool, huh?  Though they are a bird, they are still quite sizable and have wicked talons. (Though in most monster books normal eagles do very little damage, their talons do as much damage, in my opinion, as a dagger or even a short sword they just don't have the reach.) 

2) Allow the eagle to grow.  In Pathfinder, the druid's pet does actually grow as the druid advances in levels.  This allows for more damage, and if the character happens to be a gnome, they might become large enough to carry their gnome friend.  Even if your campaign system doesn't allow for growth, in either size or power, adjust.  This allows the character to have a cool companion that they won't want to swap out as soon as that cooler, stronger monster comes along.

3) Remind your character's player that eagles, and other flying creatures, do not necessarily like enclosed areas, making dungeon runs hard.  People tend to forget birds do not like caves and such and get mad at their DM for saying their companion doesn't want to follow.  If you remind them up front, they have no leg to stand on.

4) Remind the player to treat the animal right.  If the player forgets about their pets, except during a battle to save their but, perhaps the pet should suddenly not be there...

Happy Gaming!

The Eagle Crest Clan

In Ariella, the Akicitia live in tight knit clans, usually no more then 30 individuals, though some clans can grow larger if they have the resources on the open plains to support more.  The Eagle Crest Clan, while prosperous, has only 28 individuals.  The clan lives in a series of caves near the western coast of Ariella, which is unusual for Akicitia that usually like live in the open. The clan trades with two nearby plains clans regularly and thus the young men and women have plenty of opportunity to meet others their age to begin to court.  The clan fishes and hunts nearby mountain goats. They also trap birds.  They trade in fine shells, wool and fish.  They like to get newer contraptions like metal weapons, iron pots and the like in trade.  About half the village will be at the village during the time, with either the people working on gardens or children having their lessons.

Awohalee

Awohalee is a warrior of the Eagle Crest Clan along the high cliffs of western Ariella.  The Akicitia clan has thirty members, living in caves near the coast of Ariella.  Awohalee is the lead hunter of the clan, teaching the younger members, (three at the moment), how to hunt and how to survive in the wilds without the clan.  Awohalee takes his job seriously, but when he is not hunting he loves to watch the eagles soar around their home.  When he finds feathers he will tie them in his mane or on his clothes to honor them.  Awohalee is currently trying to work up the courage to ask Taladue to be his mate.  In the mean time he is looking for something great to impress her enough that she will want him.  He would be a good guide for this area of Ariella and is able to speak a little common, though not well.  He will not work for coin, but expects trade in more advanced weapons or contraptions form the empire or the north.

An Overview of the House City of Cole

The City of Cole is a port city, but is a large agricultural center as well.  Cole is the largest producer of grain and wheat in Tridon and thus Cole ships a lot of both around the world.  The city is surrounded by a low wall and a natural river that splits to go on both sides of the city.  The city doesn't go to the banks and the city elders will not allow such things to happen.  They worry that the river will start to undermine the wall or buildings if they were allowed to go out so far.  Cole, itself, is surrounded by fields and fields of wheat and grain.  The farmers own their land, though they still pay taxes to Cole.  The original leaders of Cole thought this would help produce more food and thus more taxes.  For the most part their faith in their people has proven true.  Most buildings in Cole are three or four stories high, with housing in the top floors and businesses below.  Roofs are steeply sloped and bare clay tiles.  Some buildings are brick, while the more expensive houses are made of wood since that has to be brought in from quite a distance.  The House of Cole has a small compound, about thirty acres, and like to actually go out into the city and be with their people.

The Shadow Guardians

Tyriel Shadowhunter has always wanted to help people, and to do so he has created the Shadowhunters.  This group of like minded people rescue people from ogres and the like, find lost artifacts and magic to aid in the betterment of mankind and deliver items, (or people), to places they can be better used or protected.  Tyriel started out by himself but has about two dozen people working with him at the moment, as well as a lot of support staff at his headquarters in Cole.  They have a store front in Cole, where they actually sell writing services as well as writing supplies, but this is the contact spot for their other services.  Tyriel will have a person's story checked out before he sends any of his people into danger.  The fees depend on the danger involved, but his services are expensive to begin with.  Adventurers can find some help here if they are looking for a person or place or even an object, but the group will not go into a dungeon to retrieve something for an adventuring band.

Tyriel Shadowhunter

Tyriel has wanted nothing more then to help people.  Though he acts like he doesn't have a care in the world, jumping from one flight of fancy to the next, he wants nothing more then to work for the best of those around him.  To do so he started his own organization, based out of Cole, that helps those who need it but can't afford to.  He hand picks all those people who join to help the unfortunate and raises money by working with nearby nobles, or just wooing them outright to obtain funding.  Tyriel is a handsome man, standing tall and lithe and always dresses in the finest of clothing.  Though he loves the adventure of rescue, he finds himself doing more obtaining of funding then he does going out in the field.  He has dark hair, dark brown eyes and reflexes that few can match.  He cares for everyone in his "employ" and takes any of their injuries or deaths personally.

Spyglass of Power

All good ships have a spyglass so they can see other ship flags, hazards in the water far enough out, and to look for coast line.  But sometimes a simple spyglass isn't enough.  A Spyglass of Power allows several other abilities besides the obvious.

1) The Spyglass of Power allows a person to see twice the distance of a normal spyglass.  Ship captains love this because they have more options for turning their ships to a safe path.

2) The Spyglass of Power allows a person to see magical auras through the spyglass.  This can be used up close or far away and allows a ship captain (especially of a pirate ship) to see if an attacking ship has any magic upon it, or if any of the crew is carrying magic.

3) Lastly, the Spyglass of Power can hear at a far off distance.  So if a person wants to hear what someone is saying in a rowboat coming their way, or even hear what someone is saying on the docks or shore they can.

Pezuta's Luck

Pezuta's Luck is a three mast trading vessel, large enough to carry a lot of cargo from the far reaches of Martapa back to civilization.  There are three internal levels to the ship.  The first level holds the cabins, cooking and eating area and a small area to move about when the weather is awful.  The second and third levels are holds for cargo, which Daraton always makes sure are full when they hit the open sea.  The forecastle has a stateroom for Daraton, and holds the special cargo they may carry, such as magic items, special coins or fine fabric from the east.  The figurehead is of a lovely lady about to flip a coin.  The ship and the figurehead are a bit worn, but this ship has been everywhere, trading everything, save slaves and illegal goods, (though Daraton does have a secret storage unit he's smuggled people in).  A group of adventurers are like to see Pezuta's Luck in about any harbor and Daraton is always willing to take passengers if they have good coin and the ship is going their direction.

Daratorn, Captain of the Pezuta's Luck

Daratorn has always loved the open seas.  His father was a merchant captain and took him everywhere when he was old enough to sail.  He wanted nothing more then to have his own fleet and works hard to reach the goal before him.  Daratorn is six foot tall, trim, with weather worn skin that is darkened by the sun.  His features are rugged, but never really handsome. He is a social man, able to make friends where ever he goes.  He is slow to anger, but able to protect himself with ease.  He loves to hear rumors of far off places and share them with others.  His cost for information is usually a drink and some small talk of other far off places.  He has no woman in his life at the moment, but he's always looking for that one woman who will not be jealous of his ship.  Pezuta's Luck is his flag ship, but he has six other ships in his growing merchant fleet.  He stations out of Weatherworn, but loves to travel to Calabay as well.

Fog of Concealing

The village of Katzu has remained safe over the centuries because of the mages of the village.  They have developed a spell which allows them to conceal the village with a deep fog that seems to roll in from no where.  Because they are near a lake, (though not right on it), the fog rolling into the area doesn't look very suspicious, (a perception check of very hard would make some one wonder what was going on).

The spell requires at least four mages, one at each direction point around the village, but more makes the spell more powerful.  The fog will roll in to cover the village very quickly, but for those coming toward the village it appears to roll in slowly and make visibility very hard.  (An appropriate spell resistance can be used to disbelieve.)  The mages of the village make sure they have strong apprentices to learn this spell because it is so important to the safety of the village.  And if an adventuring group has proved time and again they want to help the village, the mages are likely to give the spell to a mage of the adventuring party.

The Village of Katzu

Village is a deceptive term, but in relation to many of the cities of the House Tayke in it's heyday, this is a small bit of civilization.  The village of Katzu holds around a thousand people, with a library, meeting hall, flour mill, water wheel and several decorative fountains, along with all the normal trappings of a small city.  Though much of House Tayke's lands were destroyed and the people had to flee in terror, the village of Katzu was far enough north that Shaniko overlooked it and the village has managed to survive since then.  The village serves as a learning place for all the smaller villages that surround Katzu.  The people of Tayke have always valued knowledge and even the poorest of children learn to read, write and to do basic math. 

Anyone, even those from poor families, who appear to have a magical inclinations are taken in as apprentices for the dozen or so mages who make Katzu their home.  One of Katzu's defenses is the mages are able to hide the village from those they do not want to see it if they are given enough warning.  It has saved them from ogres, wizards and even demons.

For the adventurer this is a grail of knowledge.  Much, though not all, of the knowledge of Tayke can be found here from how to make special magical items to spells long forgotten, to even forgotten languages.  But there is a price for outsiders to learn such things.  Whether it is a favor to the village or a vast amount of gold is up to the head librarian and how much he trusts the group.

Nishee of the Village of Katzu

Nishee is a very quiet girl, going about her studies and chores like any other child of Katzu, but she dreams big.  She listens to the histories of the House of Tayke, of the people who held so much knowledge before the Black Wizard Shaniko came and destroyed the fabled House.  She studies magic with diligence and hopes to some day discover some hidden cache of Tayke knowledge to bring back the House of Tayke.  She is small, about five feet in height and maybe 90 pounds wet.  She has long, black hair that she keeps braided and bright, brown eyes.  She isn't beautiful, but she is nice to look upon, especially when she is smiling.

Nishee is a 1st level mage (or sorcerer depending on your system) and wants to go out and see the world.  If the party mage is looking for an apprentice or a protégé, Nishee might be the way to go.  She does know a few spells that are not normally spread around and would be willing to share.  (In game terms she has those hard to get spells and she does not have to roll to get them.)  She also can read Ancient Tayke and some Ancient Elven.

Pirates and Ship Battles

Though most of the ideas I put forth are for on land battles and exploration, there is a lot of sailing around the world of Martapa.  Whether it is fishing or shipping or just exploring there are all sorts of ships that a player could encounter. And one thing a player could encounter on a ship could be fighting on a ship against pirates or just monsters in general.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Your area to fight is limited.  No wide open spaces, not walls to define where you are visibly.  As the GM you have to make sure your players are aware they only have so much room before falling into the drink.

2) It's sink or swim.  Most players do  not bother taking the swim skill.  And with heavy armor...  You, as the GM, should make the idea of falling into the water very frightening.  Say someone hits them, shoving them back. Have the player sit on the edge of the ship but recover, but make sure to mention the deep water below them.  Even with the swim skill being in armor won't be handy.

3) Ships move.  If a ship is docked, this isn't so much of a problem, but if the ship is out at sea or going down a large river, the ship is going to rock.  This is going to disrupt fighting sometimes.  I usually use the rocking of a ship to explain misses or to give that dramatic flare, but you can always give penalties for dex checks or attacks if you wish.

4) And speaking of moving...  Sea sickness.  This is totally open to you as the GM to say whether this is an issue.  But if a person has never been on a ship before they may not have a strong enough stomach to not be sea sick. This could cause penalties to activities on a ship, but it is totally up to your discretion.

Fog Horn of Guiding

Near the coast there is always a problem of fog, heavy fog.  So the mages of Weatherworn have created a magic item which can help clear the fog enough to allow ships to come into harbor even on the worst of foggy days.  The Horn, which looks like a giant, curled ram's horn, sits on a high spot in the harbor and on foggy days is activated to guide ships in.  One ship at a time will be locked on to by the magic once the horn is blown and guided unerringly toward the docks. Once the ship is docked then another ship is brought in.  This can only be done for a dozen ships before the horn has to rest about 12 hours, though usually by then the fog has broken up enough for other ships to dock on their own.  There is always six guards and a mage in attendance of the horn, with a small building nearby to allow them to rest in the warmth when the horn is not in use.

Port Inspector Office of Weatherworn

This small, unassuming building is a small wonder.  It is built into the very wall of the cliff side and runs back about forty feet and is nearly fifty feet wide.  Partitioned into three rooms, the first is where the Port Inspector holds his business.  He greets people here, takes their taxes and give them the latest news, (if he or she isn't out on the wharves).   The second room is the Port Inspectors own living quarters.  He stays here if he has no place to live or has a long day and needs a break.  The last room is a storage area in case of siege.  The room has a magic about it that allows only certain people in with a key and can withstand siege engines.