| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
MadCyric
Acolyte
Germany
16 Posts |
 Posted - 09 May 2011 : 18:34:47
|
I searched through the entries of this message board and was astonished how small the number of postings concerning Luskan are. No one playing or played an adventure in this most northern city on the Sword Coast?
I'm currently skimming through my FR books an boxesd and found knowledge about Luskan and the northmen in FR1 Waterdeep & the North, FR2 Moonsheas, FR5 Savage Frontiers, The North Boxed Set, Cloak & Dagger, the Villains Handbook as well as the campaign boxes (1st & second Ed.). Any more ideas?
My campaign will start in the time of the first campaign setting (so prior the ToT) and I'm thinking about some tome about a voyage to an western world (some hundred years ago from a northmen and his clan) which should be some kind of travel guide to Maztica and something that the player charakters can find. I'm not sure what to do about Maztica itself - it will be different then the official boxed setting (less aztec like) and I'm thinking about rivaling seafarers from Amn, some godly agreement that did hide away this continent for so long (maybe the burial place of some former ultimate evil power?) an stuff like this.
I would love to see some suggestions of yours as well as some hints where to find more about Luskan and the northmen. Thx!
|
|
|
chamber101
Seeker
57 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2011 : 02:07:03
|
I am currently running a solo epic character through Luskan - he is an Elf so straight off the bat he has to keep a very low profile.
He is going to break his mother out of the host tower so I've done some homebrew maps and stuff based on the layout of the tower described in Lord of Darkness as cant find anything cannon.
I'm running 3.5 so its after ToT and just after Arklem came out of hiding all lichified and did some 'house cleaning'.
The feel I have gone for for the city proper is "R rated Pirates of the Caribean".
As for Maztica, i havent delved much into the box set but if you are basing your campaign during a time before it was found by Captain Cordell in 1361, its good opportunity for the characters after an epic sea voyage over the trackless sea and the danger as they explore this new land (ship wreck perhaps) to maybe witness the rich and different culture of the people there. They could befriend one tribe and help them fight off their enemy - a vicious canabalistic tribe from the other side of the jungle - and earn their trust and place in the tribe. Have a few years pass and after a few adventures and befriending the locals and being accepted by them, the Golden Legion arrives and the pcs are caught in the middle as the Helmites start 'converting' the locals who by now are the pcs family.
Obviously, this depends on the kind of players you've got whether they would delve into this kind of game and go all 'Dances with Wolves' or 'Last of The Mohicans' for a while. |
 |
|
|
MadCyric
Acolyte
Germany
16 Posts |
Posted - 10 May 2011 : 06:40:22
|
Thx for the reply!
You can find a map of the Hosttower in the Forgotten Realms Atlas, btw.
As you are playing with an elven charakter in Luskan do you play with the "no half humans permitted by death sentence" description in most of the handbooks or with only heavy prejudices against this kind of folk, as in the Salvatore novels or Volo's Guide to the North? Right now I'm more convinced by the second description as this opens up much more play possibilities - for the campaign and the players.
As said I don't think that I will use the canon version of Maztica - I want something more fantasy like, something more different to earths past. But you reminded me that the travel to the new continent should be a major part of the adventure, too. Maybe the most complicated to come up with but non I should forget. |
|
|
|
chamber101
Seeker
57 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2011 : 02:01:07
|
Yes I saw that but it wasnt detailed enough. It shows the layout but is quite hard to run an adventure from so I used it as a template for my own.
I am playing Luskan as per Volos Guide in that the city is totally prejudice against all non humans and will be attacked on sight!
It depends on how 'realistic' you want your sea journey to be as they were rather tedious affairs (if you count storms, disease, rats and starvation as tedious!) but i've always found mutinies to be quite fun! |
|
|
|
MadCyric
Acolyte
Germany
16 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2011 : 13:32:48
|
"Although it seeks merchant trade, visitors are few and often made to feel unwelcome." Nothing more is said in FR5 Savage Frontier book. I don't like the all nonhumans are killed on site attitude as the Realms allready do have such a place with Hillsfar.
Wasn't Drizzt allowed to enter the city in Chrystal Shard - even though he is a dark elf? And Bruenor who would have not been able to disguise himself being a dwarf as well? At least it would semm logical that nonhumans could enter the Mirabar district of the city as much of Luskans income comes from mineral trade and dwarves are THE source for iron, steel and the more precious metals. |
Edited by - MadCyric on 25 May 2011 10:17:28 |
|
|
|
Galuf the Dwarf
Senior Scribe
USA
599 Posts |
Posted - 25 May 2011 : 15:51:38
|
| Don't know how much more this may help, but there is The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier (FR Wiki link: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/The_North:_Guide_to_the_Savage_Frontier) |
Galuf's Baldur's Gate NPC stats: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8823
Galuf's 3.5 Ed. Cleric Domains: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14036
Galuf's Homebrew 4th Edition Races: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13787
Galuf's Homebrew Specialty Priest PrCs: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14353
Galuf's Forgotten Realms Heralds and Allies thread: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8766 |
|
|
|
MadCyric
Acolyte
Germany
16 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2011 : 13:20:34
|
| It says "In fact, anyone who doesn't appear to be pure human can expect to be slain on sight." there, too. To me this does not really fit a city that makes most of it's official income by trading or renting trading space to the miners of Mirabar and (later on) Mithrall Hall (of whom a major part are dwarves). |
|
|
|
Galuf the Dwarf
Senior Scribe
USA
599 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2011 : 14:57:54
|
quote:
Originally posted by MadCyric
Wasn't Drizzt allowed to enter the city in Chrystal Shard - even though he is a dark elf? And Bruenor who would have not been able to disguise himself being a dwarf as well? At least it would semm logical that nonhumans could enter the Mirabar district of the city as much of Luskans income comes from mineral trade and dwarves are THE source for iron, steel and the more precious metals.
I'm pretty sure you're thinking of Streams of Silver, not The Crystal Shard. The Crystal Shard only took place around Ten-Towns (far to the north of Luskan). |
Galuf's Baldur's Gate NPC stats: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8823
Galuf's 3.5 Ed. Cleric Domains: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14036
Galuf's Homebrew 4th Edition Races: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13787
Galuf's Homebrew Specialty Priest PrCs: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14353
Galuf's Forgotten Realms Heralds and Allies thread: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8766 |
|
|
|
chamber101
Seeker
57 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2011 : 18:16:26
|
quote:
Originally posted by MadCyric
It says "In fact, anyone who doesn't appear to be pure human can expect to be slain on sight." there, too. To me this does not really fit a city that makes most of it's official income by trading or renting trading space to the miners of Mirabar and (later on) Mithrall Hall (of whom a major part are dwarves).
Agreed, economically, this far north it would seem like financial suicide. The fact is, most (lawful) cities wouldnt want to trade with a city of pirates & evil wizards anyway! |
|
|
|
MadCyric
Acolyte
Germany
16 Posts |
Posted - 27 May 2011 : 12:42:03
|
@Galuf Guess your right. Chrystal Shard is more or less the name for the triology for me so please excuse the lapse on my side.
@chamber101 I would guess most of their trade is with Amn, Calimshan and Tethyr (before the end of the cicil war) or mabye Baldur's Gate, a city that did not appear to be this strictly lawfull good. As far as I understood the official books Mirabar has it's own ships in Luskan doing their trade in metals and precious stones and ships under their flag should be welcome everywhere. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Adventures in Luskan
