Deep in the wooded wilderness, the village of Grimmsgate is an outpost town on a seldom-traveled trail, right at the edge of nowhere. The village’s half-ruined temple of Law, dilapidated inn, drunken blacksmith, exiled trader and a few fur-trappers are enough to keep the bloody-minded denizens of the dark forest at bay, but nobody really expects the village to still be there in another ten years. The woods have become too dangerous for the trappers who once caught animals for fur, and merchants no longer travel the poorly- maintained road.
What great evil and what fabulous treasures are to be found in these lands? A brave band of adventurers might make their fortunes here. Or perhaps they might never return . . .
Spoiler: Knowledge (Geography) - Riaghan, Elethielle, Philemonhttps://i.ibb.co/WtN4KGZ/Grimmsgate-environs.png
Scale: 1 hex = 50 miles
King's Road
The King’s Road is one of the old Hyperborean high roads paved with stone and set with milestones. It passes through a variety of different terrains and countrysides and stretches from the capital city of the Kingdom of Foere, Courghais, in the west through to Endhome at the eastern end.
The Cretian Mountains
The Cretians are the northernmost range of the March of Mountains, and also the largest. The peaks of the Cretians are unusually high, taller than any others of the highest mountains of the central Kal’Iugus range. The Cretians completely encircle the heavily wooded Yolbiac Vale. The heights of the Cretians are virtually unknown to geographers, scholars, and cartographers, with the exception of the outermost few miles around the periphery of the vast mountain range.
The Rampart Mountains
The Rampart Mountains are so named because the central peaks of the range are steep and uniform like a castle wall.
The Yolbiac Vale
The vale is a deep indentation in the middle of the Cretian Mountains that runs from Coelum to about a hundred miles south of the town of Elet. It has several wide river valleys extending to the west that curl into the deep heart of the mountains. The strange folk of the Yolbiac populate these remote areas. The territory comprises approximately 22,000 square miles. The majority of the region is heavily forested, but not with a single, contiguous growth of trees. Instead, the region has many primordial forests that run five to 10 miles across. Ridges of stone, or infertile ground, divide the forests, for this is high and broken terrain.
The vale may be reached either through the Coelum Pass in the Duchy of the Rampart or by the Ghostwind Pass near Elet in Aachen Province.
Gaelon River Valley
The Gaelon River Valley is a large area including the river’s tributaries as well as the valley of the main river.
The many streams and tributaries branching off from the Gaelon River carve a circuitous path through the rolling grassy hills and wide valleys between the uplifted land masses. The elevation along the Gaelon River steadily decreases from the waterway’s origins in the western mountains until the end of its journey in Endhome.
Spoiler: Knowledge (Untrained History) - everyone except ArtaithGENERAL HISTORY (the last ~300 years)
The reign of Graeltor, Overking of Foere, was not long. Shortly after his coronation, a delegation of religious leaders in the capital of Courghais approached him about the threat rising in the wastes north of Bard’s Gate where the temple city of Orcus known as Tsar was threatening trade between Foere and the Isthmus. Though the temple-city had been there for many years, Graeltor declared his own Great Crusade to destroy the city, which he dubbed the Army of Light. The siege of Tsar lasted for over a year and claimed tens of thousands on both sides.
Then in distant Libynos, swarms of invading Mguru tribesmen emerged from the Malagro Jungle and overran the holy city of Tircople and the Sacred Table, reducing it to a burning waste. News of this atrocity shocked the Army of Light and shook its morale. Yet shortly thereafter, the forces of Tsar suddenly retreated from the field and led the vengeful Army of Light on a long chase down the Gulf of Akados coast. The army of Tsar was driven into the Forest of Hope, and the Army of Light followed. Both disappeared under the forest canopy, and no sign of either has been seen since.
The shock of the loss of so much of the realm’s nobility and greatest warriors shook Foere to its core. Uprisings started to occur across the kingdom, with few knights or noblemen to put them down. Three years later, the broken Graeltor died in his bed, passing the crown to his largely unknown and untested grandson Oedwin. Shortly thereafter, Ramthion Island declared its independence from Foere, beginning what is known as the Foerdewaith Wars of Succession. Two years after that, the Grand Admiral of Pontus Tinigal withdrew from Foere and declared himself Emperor of the Oceans Blue, and established the Kingdom of Oceanus on Pontos Island. Efforts by the Foerdewaith to recover these lost provinces failed, and in short order other Foere lands followed suit, including Burgundy, Suilley, the Vast, North Heath and, in a devastating blow, Reme.
During the three centuries since, the power of Foere has continued to decline, and many areas on its periphery have fallen increasingly into chaos and disorder. Where once the legions of empire kept the peace, now bandits and monsters roam, and good folk bar their doors and keep fires burning through the perilous night.
Just three years ago, an event occurred that shook the kingdoms of Akados as a Huun army of the apparently immortal King of Kings Ossimandius appeared on the northern border of the Desolation of Tsar, past the ruins of Oxibbul. Never before had a Huun army set foot on the shores of the continent of Akados. It advanced southward until it reached the Lyre Valley, where it found its way blocked by Bard’s Gate and so laid siege to the city. King Ovar the Magnificent, the overking of Courghais, hastily called for a new Great Crusade against the age-old enemy and rallied the nobles and men-at-arms of Foere and its former provinces to the defence of their allies at Bard’s Gate. But first he unleashed a fleet of ships against the sambuks of Ossimandius’ navy in the Gulf of Akados. A combined Foerdewaith and Heldring armada delivered a crushing defeat to the Huun ships and forced them into a retreat back up to the coasts of the Sea of Spices.
With their supply lines disrupted by the loss of its naval support, the besieging Huun forces withdrew from the walls of Bard’s Gate and retreated back across the Desolation with the crusader army in pursuit. The last reports from the front were of the crusading army pursuing the Huun into the wastes of the Irkainian Desert to draw them into battle, but nothing further has been heard for two years. With no word from the king of Foere nor any of the lesser rulers who marched with him, the Lost Lands are once again on the verge of turmoil as the rule of law is stretched by the absence of so many lords and men-at-arms. And rumours that King Ovar has returned to his Throne Tower of the citadel Caene, arriving alone at night astride his trained black dragon, has only further sparked talk of rebellion and betrayal. The Lost Lands are in need of heroes now more than ever.
Spoiler: Knowledge (Local) - Felix
The Duchy of the Rampart & City of Troye
The Duchy of the Rampart, on the eastern border of the Kingdom of Foere, is well-settled, although pockets of wilderness are everywhere in between settlements. The southern verge of the Cretians is a wild and rugged place, much more sparsely inhabited, and correspondingly more dangerous for those who venture close to these strange peaks. Fewer settlements are along the margins of the Rampart Mountains, but this is an area where mining towns and villages of hill dwarves can be found in the rugged foothills. Patrols are at least occasionally undertaken by actual troops rather than a lone knight or a few volunteer yeomen with billhooks and crossbows.
Settlements of note:
- The City of Troye - capital city of the Duchy of the Rampart
- Town of Metzel - an iron smelting town with a bad reputation
- City of Ristalt - a small city with a large dwarf population
- Reliquary of Jamboor - high in the foothills of the Rampart Mountains, this is the most significant temple to Jamboor for thousands of miles
In general, the folk of the Rampart are not traders or merchants, but the duchy makes efforts to foster trade and travel within its borders. The capital city of Troye benefits from an excellent strategic location for trade, although the city itself is not particularly mercantile. Caravans ascend the King’s Road from the Kingdom of Foere and enter Troye’s gates from the west. Southern trade arrives from Toullen, Keston, and Vourdon along the South Road, and the King’s Road brings cargo from Endhome’s seaport and the farms of the Gaelon River Valley. Many of these shipments change hands in Troye as the various different merchants buy each other’s goods to take back on the return journey.
King's Road
The King’s Road passes through a variety of different terrains and countrysides and stretches from the capital city of the Kingdom of Foere, Courghais, in the west through to Endhome at the eastern end. In general, travelers can find accommodation for the night in small coaching inns provided they do not press on too far in the evenings. For the most part it is well-patrolled and (relatively) safe, the exception being in the east where it passes through the Gundlock Hills.
The Yolbiac Vale
The Yolbiac Vale is a dark and forested realm, barely populated, ruled by independent barons and a scattering of local nobles claiming higher status than baronial. Villages are far apart, roads are dangerous, peasants are secretive, and dangers lurk in the omnipresent forests. The people of the Yolbiac Vale are considered to be strange and unpredictable.
The Yolbiac Vale is a land of dark alpine forests, independent villages, isolated abbeys, bizarre superstitions, and strange perils. Its people are widely varied in attitudes and customs, for few of them ever leave the environs of their home villages. Such wanderers are highly suspect, and even though they bring back fascinating news and tales of other villages, they might be doppelgangers or shape-changed faeries. It is best to always be careful; some returning travelers merely receive a sound thrashing before being sent back on their way.
The Yolbiac region produces many strange commodities such as a variety of dark-purple apples that induce strange dreams and a dark grape, almost black, from which they ferment a potent, bitter wine that stains the lips and teeth of those who indulge frequently. Fey items are often brought down from the vale and include twists of hair or painted sticks that have magical powers, or finely chased goblets of hypnotic beauty.
Settlements of note:
- Coelum - main town in the Vale
Gaelon River Valley
The Gaelon River Valley is a large area including the river’s tributaries as well as the valley of the main river. Many of the river valleys are inhabited, but the area also contains a considerable quantity of completely untamed wilderness. The great trading city of Endhome sits at the river mouth where it empties into the Sinnar Ocean.
The river and overland trade between the city of Endhome and the balance of the Gaelon River Valley defines this region. The coastal settlement’s economic influence reaches deep into the entire area, though its potency wanes in proportion to the settlement’s distance from the river or another well-traveled overland route. Travelers generally refer to these remote locales as the hinterlands.
Settlements of note:
- Beetlebridge - a small village that breeds giant beetles as draft animals
- Deadfellows - a lawless frontier town
- City of Endhome - port city and major trading hub
- Gaelon River Bridge - town with famed tanneries built around an ancient dwarven bridge at intersection of barge & caravan trade routes
- Grimmsgate - an isolated thorp in the middle of nowhere
- Free City of Mirquinoc - an independent city located on ley lines, with associated fey activity
Kingdom of Suilley
Some 300 years ago, the Kingdom of Suilley declared itself an independent kingdom and seceded from the Kingdoms of Foere. Since this time, other large regions of the Borderland Provinces have declared themselves vassals of the Suilleyn king, which has increased the kingdom’s power by an order of magnitude but strained its resources to the utmost.
Selected settlements of note:
- Manas - sprawling metropolis and capital city of Suilley
District of Sunderland
The District of Sunderland proper primarily encompasses the plains and hills between the Gaelon River to the north, Old Burgundia to the south, and the Matagost Peninsula to the east. Hundreds of villages and farmsteads are scattered across the district, most with no more than a few dozen inhabitants and many without even a name.
Selected settlements of note:
- Grollek's Grove - small town and trading post with vineyards
Spoiler: Knowledge (Local and/ or Nobility) - Felix & EponineDuchy of the Rampart
The current ruler of the Duchy is Claud VII, Duke of the Rampart, Battle-Duke of Foere, and Sword of the Foerdewaith. He has a long and bloody history in petty wars on the wild fringes of civilization fi ghting on behalf of Foere, with the duchy administered in his absence by the nobleman Traont, Baron Thulde under the title of Lord-Steward of the Rampart. In the recent campaign against the Huun in the lands of the Gulf of Akados and Irkaina, the overking decided to lead the armies personally rather than placing the duke in his traditional post of command, and Claud returned to his lands in the Rampart, clearly confused and insulted.
Having been established by decree, the duchy is not a wild patchwork of feudal divisions like the provinces to its east. It is segmented into a regular system of equally-sized counties. The counts appoint sheriffs and other officials and usually have at least four castled baronies in their lands, along with several knightly manors.
The Yolbiac Vale
Outsiders consider the Yolbiac Vale to be an annex of Foere, but it is strangely ignored and appears to have no ruling authority whatsoever. As such, the vale cannot be said to have any loyalties to, or diplomacy with, other nations.
The vale is considered a part of the Kingdom of Foere, but no one seems to rule it; there is no capital and no governor, just the occasionally tyrannical law of a few barons, some of whom pay fealty to one of the 13 so-called “ducal” families, more commonly referred to as the “Old Families.” Unruled lands separate the baronies and duchies, but the barons make no attempt whatsoever to expand their territories and stay strictly within their traditional landholdings. This is a general tendency in the vale: Strange traditions and odd customs are seemingly more binding upon the folk of the Yolbiac than any decree of authority.
Gaelon River Valley
The Gaelon River Valley is a free land unclaimed by foreigners, with no central government. Although by far the most developed settlement in the region, the neutral commercial powerhouse of Endhome keeps its nose out of local politics and allows these communities to govern themselves without interference from Endhome.
Kingdom of Suilley
Suilley is a monarchy ruled by a hereditary king or queen who derive descent from Ghienvais I, the first king to bear the crown in rebellion against Foere. The realm has eight ducal houses, which makes the king relatively strong compared with many of his peer monarchs, since it is rare for the dukes to agree long enough with each other to unite against the king in any way.
The heraldry of the house of King Ulrich, and thus the device of Suilley, is a golden crown over two red lions rampant, back to back, on a green field.
District of Sunderland
These lands are under no sovereign in general, though mercantile interests from other lands have made forays in some strategic locations.
Spoiler: Knowledge (Religion) - MacelanSelected religious establishments of note
- Reliquary of Jamboor - high in the foothills of the Rampart Mountains, this is the most significant temple to Jamboor for thousands of miles
- Temple of Narrah - Mirquinoc holds one of the major temples to the goddess Narrah, the Lady of the Moon
COMMON RELIGIONS
Duchy of the Rampart:
- Sefagreth, God of Commerce, Trade, and Cities
- Vanitthu, God of the Steadfast Guard
- Archeillus, God of Rightful Rule; Protector of the Nobility
- Mithras, God of War, Battles, and Soldiers
- Vergrimm Earthsblood, Dwarven God of Miners
- Mick O’Delving, God of Halflings
- Thyr (declining), God of Law and Justice
- Mitra (rising), God of Law, Justice, and the Sun
- Darach-Albith, High God of the Elves
- Jamboor, God of Knowledge, Magic, and Death
- Muir, Goddess of Virtue and Paladins
- Solanus (declining), Goddess of the Sun and Healing
- Quell, God of the Sea
Yolbiac Vale
- Narrah, Goddess of the Moon,
- Thyr, God of Law and Justice,
- The Green Father, The Huntsman/Herne the Hunter, the Horned God, Cernunnos (Tuathe De), God of the Wilds,
- Cybele, Goddess of Fertility and Witchcraft
- druidism
- Hecate, Goddess of Evil Magic
- Bilis, Dwarf God of the Underworld
Gaelon River Valley
- Kamien, Goddess of Rivers, Streams and Springs
- Telophus, God of Crops and the Seasons
- Tykee, Goddess of Luck and Good Fortune
- Pekko, God of Ale and Spirits
- Darach-Albith, High God of the Elves,
- Solanus, Goddess of the Sun and Healing,
- Vergrimm Earthsblood, Dwarven God of Miners,
- Mick O’Delving, God of Halflings,
- Jamboor, God of Knowledge, Magic, and Death,
- Narrah, Goddess of the Moon,
- The Green Father, The Huntsman/Herne the Hunter, the Horned God, God of the Wilds,
Kingdom of Suilley
- Ceres, Goddess of the Home, Midwives, Healing, Mercy, Patience, and the Millstone
- Sefagreth, God of Commerce, Trade, and Cities
- Freya, Goddess of Love and Fertility
- Vanitthu, God of the Steadfast Guard,
- Mitra (rising), God of Law, Justice, and the Sun,
- Thyr, God of Law and Justice,
- Muir, Goddess of Virtue and Paladins,
- Archeillus, God of Rightful Rule; Protector of the Nobility,
- Mick O’Delving, God of Halflings,
- Belon the Wise, God of Travel
- Solanus, Goddess of the Sun and Healing,
- Darach-Albith, High God of the Elves,
- Yenomesh, God of Glyphs and Writing
- Bowbe, God of War and Slaughter
- The Father, God of Violence and Warfare
District of Sunderland
- Kudrak, God of Guardians
- Freya, Goddess of Love and Fertility
- Mithras, God of War, Battles, and Soldiers,
- Sefagreth, God of Commerce, Trade, and Cities
- Stryme, God of Strength
- Thyr, God of Law and Justice
Spoiler: Supplementary information - Elethielle, Artaith & PhilomenSpoiler: ElethielleMany of the inhabitants of Yolbiac Vale practice druidism. The Drogas Mondu, an extremely old druid who dresses in white robes, oversees a grove and cromlech stone outside the walls of Coelum where he intones prayers to gods that sound strange to the ears of visitors: names like Bel, Myrddin, and Annawn, the gods of the Old Ways (The Green Father is one of these strange gods and is the local representation of Cernunnos (Tuathe De).
The Free City of Mirquinoc also houses a small druidic academy.
There is a certain historical antagonism between druidism and the god-centered religions. In the present day, the hostility is considerably less, and is mainly found in isolated communities. However, it is common to find clerics of the Hyperborean gods who disdain and distrust druids, and druids — particularly in the oldest of the druidic sects — who consider deity-centered worship to be sapping the strength of the world in favour of fat clerics and otherworldly gods.
Spoiler: ArtaithDwarven clans of the region are many and varied, generally living in the foothills of the great ranges of the March of Mountains. Most clans are hill dwarves that live in underground halls, operating separate mines that follow the ore. A single dwarven community might have two or three working mines. Additionally, most clans have small herds of sheep or goats that provide the dwarves with food that need not be brought in from the lowlands. Periodically, the dwarves load up a wagon with their forged blades, intricate jewelry, and other metalwork, and head down to the towns and villages of the lowlands to trade their work for gold and town-produced products.
The western verge of the Rampart Mountains, entirely within the Duchy of the Rampart, has numerous mines that produce gold and iron. Many of these are dwarven excavations, but the mining towns serving them are predominantly human.
Spoiler: Philomen
- “Seems like things have been going downhill for years, in Grimmsgate. Ever since the barons lost a big patrol in the forest, they haven’t sent anyone else. Seems like we lost a fur trapper or a farmer every month for a while, and now there aren’t enough people to keep things going.”
- “There is an old temple out there somewhere nearby. It’s called the Elder Temple because it was before we had a temple here in the village. Something bad happened there a long time ago.”
Grimmsgate is a small hamlet of ~50 people on a now-unused trail that runs south to Mirquinoc. There is an inn, merchant, blacksmith & a small temple to Solanus.
You gather together in the city of Troye, friendships both well established and/ or burgeoning, and consider your future in the weeks ahead...
Spoiler: Next stepsGreetings all! Time to get this adventure underway.
Having met & determined to travel out into the hinterlands to the small village of Grimmsgate for various reasons, you now need to establish how you wish to travel. The logical route is to follow the King's Road to the city of Mirquinoc, and then shortly after passing the city follow a smaller road north to Grimmsgate.
The journey can be made on foot or by horse, and you can travel independently or as part of a merchant's caravan (either as paying passengers or as hired guards), although the caravan will only travel so far as Mirquinoc.
=> time for introductions & logistical decisions
=> Party