Notes for a New Campaign City, Parsantium

[Tonguez]

Originally Posted by Leif

Wow! All of these are great names! Are a few of these original? If they are, may I swipe them, too?

Of course. Most of them are historic (Kem is an old name for Egypt and Turkiye is the Turkish name for Turkey (*I dropped the r to make it less recognisable). I can't remember where Indehan came from but they are all places in my homebrew

[Evilhalfling]

Now you've got me inspired to design In Detail a new city for my world.
Is it allright if I post it here for comments, or should I start a new thread?



Orginal paragraph (from pbp game)

Spoiler:

Laviner is an ancient city built by humans, but sacked by the goblin hordes in the years following 0 AC. It was retaken from the goblin hordes in 320 AC by a race of sandy-skinned humans called the Cricks. They are supposed to avoid alcohol, sensuality and displays of wealth, but this gets more lip service than practice. It has strong new walls and good river trade, but controls little territory. Their homeland is far to the east, and there is little contact with it.
[addtional info] In 400 AC the South Denumbrians [europeans, core gods] arrived. They drove the goblin hordes completely from the area and allied with the Criks. In the years from 400-608 they have created a low-density feudal kingdom directly east of the city of Laviner.

So far I have about 2 pages of stuff, and 3 photos for insperation.
I was also inspired by a suggestion to write up a list of base classes roll 8 times, and choose a few extra to fill gaps, then only allow those classes. In my case I decided to allow any class, but make the random classes the key players in the city.
Classes: Cloistered Cleric(UA var.), Paladin, Psi-warrior, Ranger, Rogue, Thug (UA var.) Wizard, Warlock.

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Evilhalfling

Now you've got me inspired to design In Detail a new city for my world.
Is it allright if I post it here for comments, or should I start a new thread?

Do you mind starting a new thread? I'd like to keep this for Parsantium or I'll get confused! Glad you've been inspired though!


Richard

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Tonguez

Al-S'hra (a contraction of Sahara)
Qahira (Arabic form of Cairo)
Indehan
Tukiye
Kem

Hi,

Thanks for these suggestions. I like Qahira, but my wife (who will be playing in the campaign) thinks it's too recognisable as Cairo which we've been to. I might try playing around with the syllables.

UPDATE: I've decided on the Caliphate of Akhran - name stolen from a old novel by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Piratecat

Man, you just KNOW that obelisk is going to cause all manner of problems, probably right in the middle of a fully packed chariot race...

Surely not?


Richard

[Evilhalfling]

Originally Posted by RichGreen

Do you mind starting a new thread? I'd like to keep this for Parsantium or I'll get confused! Glad you've been inspired though!
Richard

Okay, ill post a link to it when it gets going.
Back to Parsantium:

What are your dwarves like? do they have their own ward? why are they living here?
Do the half-orcs and gnolls get along or compete for the Dock/Bully work?

Does the city have any regular celebrations? Feast days, carnivals, Holy weeks?
If so, are any not marked by chariot races?
How do the other gods fair in the shadow of Pelor's basillica?

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Evilhalfling

What are your dwarves like? do they have their own ward? why are they living here?
Do the half-orcs and gnolls get along or compete for the Dock/Bully work?

Say, that brings up an interesting question regarding half-orcs: Since half-orcs, by definition have one parent who's an orc and one who is something else (presumably many of these are humans, but I guess there's no guarantee of that, is there?) how do they even have their own racial identity? It seems like 99.9% of half-orcs would be trying to live and get along in either orc society or human society. Some might even travel back and forth between the two with relative ease. This is someting that I've also been using in my campaign with Scotley, and we've created a very interesting npc half-orc. Our party acts like they almost even like him sometimes.

[RichGreen]

Hi,

Good questions from Evilhalfling and Leif! Some notes on the non-humans:

Dwarves
Parsantium' dwarves are going to be like the dwarves of Eberron (a setting I've never used but own). They are natural miners and smiths as in core D&D, but mint coinage, operate banks, issue letters of credit, hold loans and collect debts. Their homeland is a mountainous area several hundred miles to the west of Parsantium but they live throughout the city-states and towns of the fallen Batiaran Empire. There is a dwarven district in the Imperial Quarter.


Half-Orcs
Definitely third-class citizens, forming an underclass. However, Parsantium's half-orcs have formed their own community and are trying their hardest to become accepted by the rest of the city. Unlike their warlike orcish ancestors, they are typically honest, clean-living, hard-working and peaceful. They perform manual labour and do the "unclean" jobs that the Sahasrans can't do. Orcish is never spoken (although most know the language) and orcish writings are kept out of half-orc homes. Half-orcs worship the gods of the Akhrani Pantheon.

Gnolls
Gnolls are also part of the city's underclass but whereas the half-orcs strive to become respectable, the gnolls stay true to their savage heritage, finding employment as hired enforcers, bodyguards, bouncers and thugs, becoming involved in crime or both. Parsantium's gnolls are neutral evil, rather than chaotic evil in alignment.

As for festivals, I need to come up with some so any suggestions gratefully received! There will definitely be a celebration on the anniversary of Corandias the Stubborn's successful Crusade and this will be marked with the biggest chariot race of the year, but I think some of the other festivals should be different.

Haven't nailed down the gods yet either. Pelor is the dominant Batiaran god, but Bahamut is also worshipped widely, particularly among knights and paladins. Which other 3.5 core/4e gods would fit?

In the Old Quarter, the Sahasrans follow the Indian/Vedic gods. The Akhrani (Arabian) Pantheon will also have adherents here -- I'm planning on using the Al-Qadim gods for these. There will also be one or two temples to the god(s) of Tingao. What do you think?


Richard

[Leif]

Good racial information!

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I've posted a crude map of the city here. Let me know what you think.

Cheers


Richard

[Robbs]

While I think the term Quarters refering to zones (and connecting more with the quarters as rooms vs. icky math concepts) is fine, if you feel you must have a fourth and you want a spiritual element (not to mention copious undead and necromantic opportunities!) then the fourth quarter can be the cemetery or such. Thus the reference is generally unspoken, i.e. everyone (locals that is) knows when you speak of the fourth quarter you are talking about death and such. Bad puns about people dying to get in are springing up as I type but I'll attempt to resist. Anyway, this would give you a fourth quarter without disturbing your current balance too much (unless I missed something in the posts that is!).

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Robbs

While I think the term Quarters refering to zones (and connecting more with the quarters as rooms vs. icky math concepts) is fine, if you feel you must have a fourth and you want a spiritual element (not to mention copious undead and necromantic opportunities!) then the fourth quarter can be the cemetery or such. Thus the reference is generally unspoken, i.e. everyone (locals that is) knows when you speak of the fourth quarter you are talking about death and such. Bad puns about people dying to get in are springing up as I type but I'll attempt to resist. Anyway, this would give you a fourth quarter without disturbing your current balance too much (unless I missed something in the posts that is!).

I've decided several posts back (as suggested by Evilhalfling) to have a fourth, Hidden Quarter. This is going to be an undercity of some sort where forbidden cults (eg the Black Mother), criminals and monsters are rumoured to hang out. However, your point about a cemetery is a good one as I'd forgotten about this and I shouldn't have done! It's a great opportunity to introduce undead etc as you say; I guess this would be outside the city walls to the south-east.

Cheers


Richard

[Gold Roger]

Originally Posted by RichGreen

I've decided several posts back (as suggested by Evilhalfling) to have a fourth, Hidden Quarter. This is going to be an undercity of some sort where forbidden cults (eg the Black Mother), criminals and monsters are rumoured to hang out. However, your point about a cemetery is a good one as I'd forgotten about this and I shouldn't have done! It's a great opportunity to introduce undead etc as you say; I guess this would be outside the city walls to the south-east.

Cheers


Richard

You can, of course, combine the two. Honestly, I personaly am tired of the cemetery always being the undead infested part of town. It should be the first part of town warded against such.

However, your average D&D cemetery gives lots of great opportuities to the criminal element/undercity. Extended crypts and dungeons are a must and the ideal homebase for monsters, thieves and assassins. Add some tunnels (dug by umberhulks that are prominent in the undercity perhaps?) and you've got your undercity right in the fourth ward.

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Gold Roger

You can, of course, combine the two. Honestly, I personaly am tired of the cemetery always being the undead infested part of town. It should be the first part of town warded against such.

However, your average D&D cemetery gives lots of great opportuities to the criminal element/undercity. Extended crypts and dungeons are a must and the ideal homebase for monsters, thieves and assassins. Add some tunnels (dug by umberhulks that are prominent in the undercity perhaps?) and you've got your undercity right in the fourth ward.

Thanks for the suggestion. This would work pretty well, I think. Considering this is outside the oldest part of the city, the crypts and tunnels could be very old indeed. I may still have some ghouls living underneath the necropolis although I take your point about this being a D&D cliche that doesn't make much sense. It's just that ghouls are such a good fit with the flavour of the setting...

Cheers


Richard

[Tonguez]

Originally Posted by RichGreen

Thanks for the suggestion. This would work pretty well, I think. Considering this is outside the oldest part of the city, the crypts and tunnels could be very old indeed. I may still have some ghouls living underneath the necropolis although I take your point about this being a D&D cliche that doesn't make much sense. It's just that ghouls are such a good fit with the flavour of the setting...

You could make the Ghouls not-undead and instead cast them as denigerate humans who infest the catacombs and survive by eating the corpses of the dead (and the living)..

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Tonguez

You could make the Ghouls not-undead and instead cast them as denigerate humans who infest the catacombs and survive by eating the corpses of the dead (and the living)..

That's true. There was a thread on this in General Discussion -- i don't think Lovecraft/Clark Ashton Smith's ghouls were undead.


Richard

[Gold Roger]

Originally Posted by Tonguez

You could make the Ghouls not-undead and instead cast them as denigerate humans who infest the catacombs and survive by eating the corpses of the dead (and the living)..

Alternatively, ghouls in the slumms.

[Tonguez]

Originally Posted by Gold Roger

Alternatively, ghouls in the slumms.

Of course. I once ran an urban adventure which featured goblin gangs living in the slums and no less thant three Ghoul 'serial killers' stalking the streets (one of them was named 'Ripper Jack').
Another of the Ghouls named Rotten Eddy was a fagan-like figure followed by a gang of goblin who became a major NPC and was a regular informer consulted by the PCs (I use to love describing the PCs descent into the sewers where Rotten Eddy lived and where they would come across goblins waifs chewing on human arms and others playing with the pink frilly dresses and blood-stained dolls...)

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Tonguez

Of course. I once ran an urban adventure which featured goblin gangs living in the slums and no less thant three Ghoul 'serial killers' stalking the streets (one of them was named 'Ripper Jack').
Another of the Ghouls named Rotten Eddy was a fagan-like figure followed by a gang of goblin who became a major NPC and was a regular informer consulted by the PCs (I use to love describing the PCs descent into the sewers where Rotten Eddy lived and where they would come across goblins waifs chewing on human arms and others playing with the pink frilly dresses and blood-stained dolls...)

Nice and creepy! I think I'm going to have to steal Rotten Eddy for the Old Quarter slums and give him an Akhrani name.

Any views on the city map? Have I forgotten anything (apart from the necropolis)? Does anything look weird or in the wrong place?

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

Not much changed, but I've updated this based on suggestions on my LJ:

Some History
Parsantium was originally founded in the distant past by Sahasran refugees fleeing through the snow-filled passes of the Pillars of Heaven Mountains to escape the dark empire of Kadar and its fell sorcerors and geomancers. Several centuries later, traders arrived from the Caliphate of Akhran, many of whom settled in the city, building mosques and khanduqs in what is now the Old Quarter. About a thousand years ago it was conquered by the Corandias the Magnificent and subsequently grew in importance, becoming a powerful city and trading hub for the region. With Corandias’ death in battle with the fearsome striped centaurs of the Great Grass Sea to the east, his empire was divided up by his opportunistic generals since his son and heir was only three years old. In the centuries that followed, repeated invasions by orcs, hobgoblins and gnolls led to the break up of the Batiaran Empire. Parsantium itself was sacked several times during this period, before being recaptured 100 years ago from a hobgoblin "king" by Corandias XVI the Stubborn in the Great Crusade. He couldn’t have done this without support from the Platinum Order of the Knights of Bahamut. New city walls, 60’ high and very thick, were built, trade opened up to the east with Tingao along the Silk Road and the city’s prosperity increased again.

Cheers


Richard