| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Ozreth |
Posted - 02 Jan 2012 : 06:08:12
Looking for a small town in the north that is far enough away from any of the huge cities and preferably near some mountain ranges. I'm talking a population of 500 or less. I could easily just drop one in but I'm curious as to what may exist.
I've thought of newfort but would prefer something pre 3e. |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ozreth |
Posted - 15 Jan 2012 : 02:13:13
quote:
Originally posted by Therise
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
Good info again, thanks! Which Volos guide?
Volo’s Guide to the North, it has Deadsnows in it. And Quaervarr and others in that area.
Haha, that would make sense, eh? Not even sure why I asked :)
@Markustay: Sounds like it was cool homebrew, and is too bad it's gone. It's really a shame the way they cleaned house : ( |
| Markustay |
Posted - 15 Jan 2012 : 01:39:21
I had written some homebrew about the area - it was up on WotC's site. Its gone now, along with so much else.
I can't remember the specifics - I had updated some lore regarding The Crossroads (it may have even been post-Spellplague lore, now that I think about it).
It was well-received - as I recall, the owners were killed by Orcs, along with everyone else at the inn, and the dwarves of Adbar blamed Many Arrows.... until envoys of Obould delivered the heads of the entire orc tribe responsible to the gates of Citadel Adbar.
I tried finding it awhile back - its gone. And of course, all copies I had are gone as well. |
| Therise |
Posted - 15 Jan 2012 : 00:26:47
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
Good info again, thanks! Which Volos guide?
Volo’s Guide to the North, it has Deadsnows in it. And Quaervarr and others in that area.
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| Markustay |
Posted - 15 Jan 2012 : 00:13:34
What if the informant is a drow, in human guise? It could be purposeful magic, or it could be he/she is forced to 'be human' as a punishment of some kind.
Exiled from his own kind, he/she finally figures out a way to get back into their good graces (do drow even have 'good graces?)
Now you can go either way with it from here. It could be he/she realizes the drow are just using him, and never plan to change him back or let him return. He/she may have a change of heart at some point (he slides into a crevasse, and one of the PCs risk their own life saving him/her?) Classic bad-guy turns good scenario (it even happened to The Grinch!)
This would actually make for a better short story, or as a plot element in a novel.  |
| Ozreth |
Posted - 14 Jan 2012 : 21:35:55
Good info again, thanks! Which Volos guide? |
| Therise |
Posted - 14 Jan 2012 : 17:50:25
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
Do you know by chance where the Underdark Tunnel near Deadsnows is? The Silver Marches book has mention of it but dosen't say much more. Also, which part of the UD does it connect to? Which drow families etc?
I'm guessing I'll have to wing most of this info.
Volo's guide says that it's directly under the dwarven settlement, in caverns that have tunnels leading back to the underdark. These tunnels have been trapped by the dwarves, according to the book, to discourage drow or other nasties from coming up from the underdark. But I'd expect a large force of drow with magic could make short work of that.
So a surprise attack could come from right under the dwarves' feet, in the middle of town.
I'd expect also that the dwarves haven't left them just as empty caverns over the ages, but have probably hollowed out the upper areas and put in some living quarters, maybe some mining areas, certainly some forges and anvils. Maybe similar to Mirabar, but on a much smaller scale since it's a town rather than a large city.
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| Ozreth |
Posted - 14 Jan 2012 : 17:26:38
Do you know by chance where the Underdark Tunnel near Deadsnows is? The Silver Marches book has mention of it but dosen't say much more. Also, which part of the UD does it connect to? Which drow families etc?
I'm guessing I'll have to wing most of this info. |
| Therise |
Posted - 12 Jan 2012 : 03:58:05
Ozreth, not sure which direction you want to go or if you just want general ideas?
Seems like it could be easily taken in several different directions from here. Does the party chase him to Quaervarr, and endanger that town as well? Perhaps the drow are slavers, and with Deadsnows have taken all the captured children and youth (easier to handle) down through the caverns that connect from Deadsnows to the Underdark (and Deadsnows quickly becomes a drow-entrenched surface base). Or you could take the party deep into the Underdark, chasing the drow back to their city, where you could eventually confront a big outpost or even a small city.
Perhaps it's more than just slaving that interests the drow. The dwarves of Deadsnows might have been protecting a stolen drow magic item (or cache of items), taken by their ancestors in a long-forgotten war in the Underdark. Maybe you could have it turn into a harried chase through the tunnels, to prevent the drow from returning to their Matron who wants these items (and enslaved youth). Alternatively, the drow may have heard of a magic item blessed by the Lathander priests at their church/temple in Deadsnows, an item based on light that significantly hampered the drow's ability to raid the surface in that area.
Extending further, the drow might have taken this stolen item of Lathander back to their deep outpost, where they have a powerful mage or cleric that will corrupt the item of light and turn it into a tool or weapon of great power.
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| Ozreth |
Posted - 11 Jan 2012 : 07:28:48
My god this is good stuff. The pyrite idea kind of throws the canon out the window, since deadsnows actually did have a gold rush...but whatever!
The informant doing this because his children or wife or whatever else was held captive is great. It'll throw in a real twist when the PC's finally catch up to him/her ready to shoot but are all of a sudden at a loss for what the right thing to do would be...
Keep it coming :) |
| Therise |
Posted - 11 Jan 2012 : 07:08:38
You could also have that same informant be the one who planted chunks of pyrite (fool's gold) around the mine/river... then brought in chunks of real gold to the town surveyor, "accidentally" letting people in on the "secret" of the mine.
With many of the people out searching for this non-existent gold, the drow attack in force, for whatever purpose they're after.
The informant could be motivated by greed, revenge, or even fear. Perhaps the drow are holding his children hostage?
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| Ozreth |
Posted - 11 Jan 2012 : 06:51:31
Perfect! I love it. Now to figure out who the informant was and why. But that can come later. Thank you!
And it won't be totally destroyed and there will be a decent amount of survivors. Just need the players to get their characters finished up so I can tie one of them to the town in someway to actually have them invested in finding the informant.
Also...I need a way to get them on the trail of the informant... |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 11 Jan 2012 : 05:29:06
Is Deadsnows completely destroyed? Are there survivors?
And how about this? The drow have an informant, who barely made it out of Deadsnows before the invasion came and people started dying. The traitor is now hiding out at the Whistling Stag in Quaervarr, trying to stay one step ahead of the drow. But the drow now want him/her to inform on this new town as well...?
You can bring in an owlbear pretty easy, I'm sure.
Cheers |
| Ozreth |
Posted - 11 Jan 2012 : 02:46:00
Alright so I'm going with Deadsnows. The partpuerile pull up to find it in ruin. Turns out drow raided while half the town was out searching for gold during the gold strike. Question is: How did the drow know about the gold and that the town was so vulnerable at that moment? Is somebody on the inside?
Then going to somehow tie it into Quaervarr and an owl bear or treat of some sort :p
Thanks for the suggestions guys! |
| Wolfhound75 |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 18:22:29
Is "The Griffon's Nest" still around? Depending on your era, the settlement always had some great possibilities IMO. It gives the population as ~900 in the 3E era so using its history you could reasonably assume a lower population.
Here is the link to the FR Wiki entry on http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Griffon's_Nest
Good Hunting!
EDIT: Fixed the link. Can't encode it as words because the FR Wiki doesn't recognize the apostrophe when you do and then you wind up at a "create this page" or the Griffon page. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 18:05:54
Somebody's gotta follow Volo around. Elminster can't always be ... handy ... nearby. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 17:42:46
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
("Where the hell is that sneaky Vangerdahast bastard? He's gotta be somewhere nearby.")
"Oh, don't mind Vangey. He's just hiding in the closet . . . watching."
Ahhhhhhh...
I think I now understand Vangerdehast better... he likes 'watching'.
Ya know, he did strike me as more of the 'dirty old man' type then Elminster ever did. Probably wrote that chapbook about Filfaeril, too.... |
| Therise |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 16:13:49
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Well you did mention that you'd charmed Azoun and his attendant entourage. I wasn't going to press for more details.
Ew, don't be naughty. 
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| Ayrik |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 16:06:56
Well you did mention that you'd charmed Azoun and his attendant entourage. I wasn't going to press for more details. |
| Therise |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 16:00:46
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
"Oh, hi, wow you're King Azoun, teehee cool <flirt>, pleased to meet you sire. You're far too kind, sire, my singing is not that good."
("Where the hell is that sneaky Vangerdahast bastard? He's gotta be somewhere nearby.")
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
("Where the hell is that sneaky Vangerdahast bastard? He's gotta be somewhere nearby.")
"Oh, don't mind Vangey. He's just hiding in the closet . . . watching."
Hey, you know the old saying: what happens in Quaervarr -stays- in Quaervarr.   
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| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 15:58:30
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
("Where the hell is that sneaky Vangerdahast bastard? He's gotta be somewhere nearby.")
"Oh, don't mind Vangey. He's just hiding in the closet . . . watching."
Cheers |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 10:13:45
"Oh, hi, wow you're King Azoun, teehee cool <flirt>, pleased to meet you sire. You're far too kind, sire, my singing is not that good."
("Where the hell is that sneaky Vangerdahast bastard? He's gotta be somewhere nearby.") |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 07:26:53
Sounds excellent, Therise! Kudos to your group and your DM.
Cheers |
| Therise |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 05:06:21
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
quote:
Originally posted by Therise
Is the Whistling Stag Inn still around in 4E? I haven't gotten to read Ghostwalker yet. I loved that little Inn, and our DM at the time had it populated with some really cool NPCs, one of whom led us on an Owlbear hunt.
Oh yes, as far as I know, it's still there. There's a popular bard song based on Quaervarr called the Ghost and the Maiden, which is how the events of Ghostwalker are remembered. The Stag is something of a popular venue for bards and hopeless romantics, buried deep in the cold wilderness.
Excellent!
I feel compelled to share a personal story of my group, when we visited the Whistling Stag Inn. We had a rather large player group back in the 80s, six players and our DM. All of us were into what you might call deep roleplay, where you live-act many of your character's actions (not quite LARP, but you get the idea). We also had a tendency to do all-night sessions on some weekends, with lots of strong libations and a sort of potluck.
Anyway, after several hours of wandering in the North on some mission, and I don't quite remember how we got there, we sort of fell into Quaervarr and the Whistling Stag Inn. As one of the most luxurious Inns of the time, it was often favored by nobles on hunting trips (hunting Owlbear and wild boar in particular). Our characters took advantage of the baths, then retired to the main room for a night of singing and fun with the other patrons.
Drinking far too much raspberry schnapps in real life, I decided that my character (an elf wizardess who studied the bardic arts) would sing an old elvish song for the lodge... and I'd actually sing it for everyone at the DM's table. I ended up singing an old Celtic folk melody, didn't do half bad if I say so myself, and the DM awarded me a lot of story XP. In addition to that, I'd "charmed" one of the nobles - who happened to be King Azoun on a secret holiday - and his attendees. And we were invited to go with them the following day on a hunt for wild boar. We later ate roast boar with the King (and in real life got really drunk). How often does something like that just randomly happen? Hehe!
Good times, really good times.
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| Diffan |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 04:15:48
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Its now called the Humming Stag.
Whistling is no longer possible in 4e.
Alas, if only PHB4 had come out, with its planned section on "PC eccentricities" . . . oh well.
Cheers
Yea, and the supplement contains more Charcter Options such as Profession [Baker] with over 20 receipes from levels 1-15 and Craft [Weaving] which allows characters make eccentric baskets for their new baked goods. |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 03:24:11
quote:
Originally posted by Therise
Is the Whistling Stag Inn still around in 4E? I haven't gotten to read Ghostwalker yet. I loved that little Inn, and our DM at the time had it populated with some really cool NPCs, one of whom led us on an Owlbear hunt.
Oh yes, as far as I know, it's still there. There's a popular bard song based on Quaervarr called the Ghost and the Maiden, which is how the events of Ghostwalker are remembered. The Stag is something of a popular venue for bards and hopeless romantics, buried deep in the cold wilderness.
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Its now called the Humming Stag.
Whistling is no longer possible in 4e.
Alas, if only PHB4 had come out, with its planned section on "PC eccentricities" . . . oh well.
Cheers |
| Markustay |
Posted - 05 Jan 2012 : 22:49:37
Its now called the Humming Stag.
Whistling is no longer possible in 4e.
|
| Therise |
Posted - 05 Jan 2012 : 21:11:45
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
I'm a big fan of Quaervarr, for obvious reasons.
I have fond memories of adventuring in and around Quaervarr.
Is the Whistling Stag Inn still around in 4E? I haven't gotten to read Ghostwalker yet. I loved that little Inn, and our DM at the time had it populated with some really cool NPCs, one of whom led us on an Owlbear hunt.
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| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 05 Jan 2012 : 19:23:28
Folks, I just removed a post from this thread. We do not discuss how to download material that is not legally available. It doesn't matter how easy it is to find -- it is not something that we allow to be discussed, per the Code of Conduct we all agreed to when signing up for these forums.
Section A13 of the Code (see link in my sig):
quote:
13. Discussions and links regarding illegal downloads and file sharing of copyrighted material, owned by either Wizards of the Coast or a third party company, is not permitted on these forums. It would also be appreciated for members to avoid promoting this activity via Private Message/Email to others.
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| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 05 Jan 2012 : 18:23:35
I'm a big fan of Quaervarr, for obvious reasons.
Cheers |
| Therise |
Posted - 05 Jan 2012 : 16:26:26
quote:
Originally posted by Ozreth
Looking for a small town in the north that is far enough away from any of the huge cities and preferably near some mountain ranges. I'm talking a population of 500 or less. I could easily just drop one in but I'm curious as to what may exist.
I've thought of newfort but would prefer something pre 3e.
The logging village of Kheldell, has about 50 people. Mornbryn's Shield is a small hamlet on the moors east of Longsaddle. Perhaps the village of Conyberry, northeast-ish of Neverwinter in a hilled region. Has a sort of hunting lodge that serves as a traveler's hall, IIRC.
They're all detailed in Volo's Guide to the North (1E/2E supplement), along with info on all sorts of other small villages.
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