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Vexxan
Acolyte
USA
18 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Jul 2004 : 08:34:29
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Well met, fellows.
I am finally fleshing out important geographic aspects of a campaign and was looking for some opinions or advice.
Brief synopsis: An established, chartered adventuring company finds itself in Amn during a lull in their careers. They chance upon a stranger who is waiting for friends that have not arrived. The man, named Bendrick Iole, was to meet with members of his old adventuring company, the Sixfold Seven, as was agreed upon almost a year ago. It is revealed that the PCs know of two of the Sixfold Seven through their character history (childhood friends, brief allies, old patrons, etc). Bendrick is also afraid his presence is not welcome locally, though he has no solid reasoning as to why. The PCs get caught up looking for the lost members and, in doing, subject themselves to the threat Bendrick has been sensing.
The PCs will follow leads to 5 locations in and around Amn/Tethyr.
This is where I'm looking for input from those more familiar with the features of the region.
By describing the general locales, hopefully I can get some creative or geographic assistance to make this more FR faithful.
1) A remote monastary of Illmater.
I suppose I could plunk this anywhere as long as it is distant enough from habitations to allow a 'wild' feeling. I'd also like to know what order of monks would be best suited. If the location has past ties to Moander in any way it will make this sweeter.
2) A small keep. The area this is put in needs to be lawless or at least under the dominion of nefarious persons. The keep itself will also be partially snow-laden and overseen by a (seemingly) individualistic night hag.
3) Urban slums. The settlement cannot be under the control (direct or indirect) of the Shadow Thieves, although it should be large enough to facilitate a very small presence. It cannot support a large garrison but must be sprawling enough to be self-sufficient. Lastly, it needs to be far enough away from major centres to be left to it's own devices for long periods of time.
4) Expansive savannah with close proximity to a mountain range of any size. Likely in Tethyr. No permanent settlements for several days' ride.
5) Coastal island chain. A very minor archipelago close to shipping lanes but not a common route for traffic. A nearby coastal settlement of small size is beneficial.
Adding any kind of Cyricist or Shadow Thieves influence/flavor to the locales gets bonus points. 
I'm open to anything, including overhauls. I am more than willing to provide extra details if it would be beneficial to a collective brainstorm.
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Sarelle
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
508 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2004 : 17:05:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Vexxan
Well met, fellows.
I am finally fleshing out important geographic aspects of a campaign and was looking for some opinions or advice.
Brief synopsis: An established, chartered adventuring company finds itself in Amn during a lull in their careers. They chance upon a stranger who is waiting for friends that have not arrived. The man, named Bendrick Iole, was to meet with members of his old adventuring company, the Sixfold Seven, as was agreed upon almost a year ago. It is revealed that the PCs know of two of the Sixfold Seven through their character history (childhood friends, brief allies, old patrons, etc). Bendrick is also afraid his presence is not welcome locally, though he has no solid reasoning as to why. The PCs get caught up looking for the lost members and, in doing, subject themselves to the threat Bendrick has been sensing.
The PCs will follow leads to 5 locations in and around Amn/Tethyr.
This is where I'm looking for input from those more familiar with the features of the region.
By describing the general locales, hopefully I can get some creative or geographic assistance to make this more FR faithful.
Sounds interesting!
quote:
1) A remote monastary of Illmater.
I suppose I could plunk this anywhere as long as it is distant enough from habitations to allow a 'wild' feeling. I'd also like to know what order of monks would be best suited. If the location has past ties to Moander in any way it will make this sweeter.
I'd suggest maybe somewhere near/on top of the Cloud Peaks? Mountains are always good for monasteries.
quote:
2) A small keep. The area this is put in needs to be lawless or at least under the dominion of nefarious persons. The keep itself will also be partially snow-laden and overseen by a (seemingly) individualistic night hag.
Try Murann - currently inhabited by the expansive ogre mages, ogres, savage humanoids, and giants of the Sythillisian Empire. (Info can be found under Amn in the FRCS and in the downloadavle Lands of Intrigue, with additional stuff here and here.
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3) Urban slums. The settlement cannot be under the control (direct or indirect) of the Shadow Thieves, although it should be large enough to facilitate a very small presence. It cannot support a large garrison but must be sprawling enough to be self-sufficient. Lastly, it needs to be far enough away from major centres to be left to it's own devices for long periods of time.
I'd use Athkatla - but I don;t know enough about it to help out. If you've played BGII, then that will give you a semi-official/actual canon feel for such an area.
quote:
4) Expansive savannah with close proximity to a mountain range of any size. Likely in Tethyr. No permanent settlements for several days' ride.
5) Coastal island chain. A very minor archipelago close to shipping lanes but not a common route for traffic. A nearby coastal settlement of small size is beneficial.
Don't know about these last two.
Wait for the more knowledgeable scribes to help out, as they'll give you a more definitive idea. Hope that helped, though.  Good luck. |
Chair of the The Rightful Return of Monster Deities to FR Society (RRMDFRS)
My character, drawn by Liodain: Sarelle / Sarelle (smaller) |
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brjr2001
Learned Scribe
106 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2004 : 19:22:23
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| Athkakla wouldn't be a good use its a huge port city and holds two massive thieves guilds one is shadow thiefs and one is related to the shadow thieves but not directly |
on second thought lets not go to candlekeep it is a silly place |
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Vexxan
Acolyte
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2004 : 06:17:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Sarelle
Try Murann - currently inhabited by the expansive ogre mages, ogres, savage humanoids, and giants of the Sythillisian Empire. (Info can be found under Amn in the FRCS and in the downloadavle Lands of Intrigue, with additional stuff here and here.
Thanks so much for this! I did a little searching through those suggested threads, my FR sources, and the net, and was floored by the immense potential and suitability of the Murann area and the Sythillisians. It fits well politically when the backstory/plot of my campaign is taken into consideration.
Moreover it allows me to tie in past campaigns with this one and gives much more plausible reasons for the missing member of the Sixfold Seven to have been led there. (he was a jotunbrud shaman from the North obsessed with lore regarding the lost giant civilization rumored to have once reigned there)
My players will adore this. *bows deeply*
Athkatla is indeed ill suited for my urban slum idea unfortunately. The Shadow Thieves are ingrained there and once the tightly wound plot begins to unravel, the PCs will be very wary of major cities.
While a monastary tucked away in the mountains would provide the seclusion I was going for, the terrain itself might be too harsh for the mood I'm trying to convey for that area. With the material I had planned I would need more vegetation around.
The monastary will be recently ruined and abandoned, although I still want a sense of peace and harmony with nature to exist there. The only remaining human resident is a monk, but he is delusional and under the belief that Moander is calling to him and guiding him. He still tends to and preserves the area, but only in the way a mad disciple of the dead god of decay could.
Perhaps somewhere on the southern edge of the Snakewood? Sorry, my mind tends to think better while I'm typing away. |
Edited by - Vexxan on 11 Jul 2004 06:18:41 |
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Campaign Locales in Amn/Tethyr (Help)
