Death in Freeport Info Thread

On the surface Freeport is a pirate city gone legit, but in reality it is still a place of terrible secrets, foul plots, and dreadful gods.

This thread is for me to place reference information for players in my Freeport game so they can link to it and quickly look up relevant setting information.

Freeport

Freeport

The city-state of Freeport is a bustling cosmopolitan center of trade. Located on an easily defensible isle in the Serpent’s Teeth chain of islands, Freeport is an important center of maritime commerce in the world. Once known only as a pirate haven, the city grew over time and its residents became a major naval power under the command of the resident Sea Lords two-hundred years ago. The city has become an official nation state of its own with alliances and trade relations with the major powers of the world today. Ruled by the Sea Lord Milton Drac and the Council of Captains, Freeport has recently turned its back on many allies as the continental empire is torn apart by religious schisms and civil war. Freeport’s large fleet of privateers and welcoming policy of few questions for sea captains bearing goods to sell leads many to say that the pirate roots of Freeport are not buried deep in the past but lie just under the surface today.

Since the assassination of the former Sea Lord and his own ascension to power Milton Drac has been engaged with two domestic projects for the last ten years. He constantly works to solidify his hold on power by attempting to gain control of the fractious Council of Captains. He also pushes forward his one great public works project, the construction of a massive lighthouse for the city’s harbor. The Council governs the day to day affairs of the city while the lighthouse is designed to both serve the harbor and to act as a monument to his reign as Sea Lord. Drac has diverted public funds and poured them into these efforts of his at the cost of other spending priorities of the city-state.

While Lord Drac crows that the lighthouse will increase the ease and safety of maritime navigation to the harbor thus bringing greater prosperity to all of Freeport, many call the project “Milton’s Folly”. His detractors consider it a boondoggle for the Sea Lord’s favored agents whose only good aspect is that it will soon be completed and no longer a massive drain on the city’s resources.

Services in the city have degenerated under Lord Drac’s rule. The garrison has shrunk and is largely confined to the Old City. The docks are policed haphazardly, if at all. Crime has skyrocketed, but as long as it remains in the shadows the Council is content to pretend that it does not exist as they focus on their internal struggles and personal affairs.

Whose Who in Freeport

Lord Milton Drac: Sea Lord of Freeport, titular ruler of the City State of Freeport.

Captain's Council: Fractious city council that runs day to day business of the city. Members include captains Wallace, Varellion, Torian, Gordon, and Roberts. Also Dirwin Arnig, head of gemcutters and jeweler guild.

Athenaeum: Scholarly Order with a chapterhouse/library/shrine to various knowledge gods in the Temple District.

High Loremaster Thuron: Head of the Freeport Athenaeum chapterhouse.

Milos: Assisstant to Thuron, in charge of Athenaeum internal operations. (Yellow)

Brother Egil: Young athenaeum scholar who often helps those in need when he can. (Medium Turquoise)

Lucius: Missing Athenaeum librarian. Young, slight, short, dark haired.

Captain Scarbelly: Notorious orc pirate captain operating out of Freeport. (Green)

Raefel Dourman, barman and proprietor of the Fried Pufferfish, knowledgeable about ships in port, various captains, who is hiring, and various naval goings on.

Gortak Smige, gray orc bartender at the Leaky Scow, a rowdy orcish bar catering to sailors and longshoreman.

Smigel Urth, a "transaction merchant" who buys exotic goods with few questions asked often frequents the Salty Hammock Inn hoping to make deals with sailors for small trinkets they secretly bring ashore. Many of these sailors are said to be pirates.

One eyed Pete, Smiling Tom, Laurie Tunth. Down and out sailors known by Dogrynn.

Jinny, bar maid at the Rusty Tankard.

Ken, bartender at the Rusty Tankard.

Kenzil, pale wizard accompanied by a monkey. (Dim Gray)

Mother Agnes, toothless old vegetable cart vendor in Drac's End (pink)

Athenaeum

The Athenaeum is a scholarly order dedicated to preserving knowledge. They maintain libraries throughout the world and provide occasional services as scribes, sages, and spellcasters. Some say they are holders of significant secret lore that is not shared with the outside world.

The Athenaeum chapterhouse in Freeport is located in the Temple District directly outside of the Old City. It houses shrines to many gods of knowledge and a number of clerics are members of the Athenaeum.

Brother Egil is a young man who was given up by his overly large family at a young age to be raised by and serve the Athenaeum.

Northern Continental Empire

The theocratic empire is split by civil war. The first emperor was both head of the Lothian church and political ruler of the imperial domains. Upon his death however the two institutions were split. The state church has been supportive but separate from the political empire since the time of the second emperors until the present. The last imperial line died without an heir though and the head of the church has stepped in claiming a directive from Lothian to return the empire to its unified true Lothian roots. Meanwhile the emperor's old chancellor claimed the throne as regent and certain nobles claimed rights to the throne by blood. The holy emperor is the strongest claimant but taking control of such a vast continental empire is difficult. Many cities were only nominally under the authority of the empire and have taken the opportunity to officially declare themselves independent city states.

Church imperialists seek to solidify the empire, increase regulation/conscription of magic users to their cause, are engaged in intense levvying for imperial legions, and are for centrally consolidating church power at the expense of the traditional centers of power in each city held by the local bishops, all in the name of divine directives from Lothian sent directly to the Holy Emperor.

A number of Lothian bishops have supported their cities' moves for independence, declaring that infernal corruption has struck the central church and that the directives to take political power do not originate from Lothian.

Former elven desmesnes are in open revolt after the church ordered compulsory magical registration and conscription.

Many arcane casters have fled imperial cities, remembering the edicts of deviltry when arcane magic not bound and authorized by the church was punishable by burning at the stake as the church zealously pursued hidden diabolists no matter the cost.

Imperial legions march on former imperial cities and war wracks the land, leaving borders with badlands open and vulnerable. Rumors run rampant each more fantastical than the last. The church is said to be developing construct armies using conscripted mages and rune master lore. The renegade cities are said to be havens for fiends opposed to Lothian. The old gods are empowering mortal champions throughout the land. The elves are said to have unleashed spells so powerful they take on life of their own. The church plans to implement a new edict forbidding worship of non-Lothian gods and all will be required to convert to monotheistic Lothianism. The Red Man walks among cities and countrysides proclaiming The Coming. Demonic forces gather outside of the empire and humanoid hordes are massing at the borders, waiting for the time to strike the weakened empire. Some have erupted into the empire and cannot be stopped. The former imperial capital fell to orcish barbarians.

Western Empire

Far to the west lies another continent ruled by giants said to be masters of magic and seafaring.

Scaly Folk in Freeport

There is some kind of barbaric bloodthirsty scaly folk believed to live in the jungles outside of the city. Occasionally they rise up and storm into the city rampaging until their bloody but small war parties are all slaughtered, though this hasn't happened in over a generation. Reports are mixed as to what they are exactly, lizardmen, feral kobolds, gatormen, snakemen, yuan-ti, or some type of dragonmen. Journeying into the jungles is considered a risky and dangerous proposition not to be undertaken without serious arms. Being an international port however various types of scaly folk do show up in the city among the crew of various ships, as do many other non-human types of sailors. Few make the city their permanent home though.

Religion in Freeport

Freeport is a nautical crossroads for multiple continents and different cultures have influenced the religious beliefs in Freeport.

Multiple pantheons are represented in the Temple District and many have mutually incompatible beliefs about the world's cosmology or even on the roles of individual gods or beings.

Gods of the Sea and Fortune are prominent.

The native pantheon of the islands includes a primordial chaotic sea god, a god of wine and revelries, the trickster patron of merchants and thieves commerce and lies, a witch patron, and a bloody war god among others who displaced ancient titans. The gods are considered primal forces in the world interested in their own affairs but generally uncaring for the fate of humanity.

A bloody pirate god named Harrimast is widely venerated and feared.

Dark gods of the seas are more feared and propitiated than venerated.

The religions from the Nearby Northern Continent includes the Old Gods, The New Gods, and Lothianism.

Occasionally there are a few who venerate the barbarian gods of the far north.

From the Far South are the pantheons of the two former great empires the Uraqi and the Heliopolitan Hamunaptra.

Island Pantheon: Greek
Old Gods: Greyhawk/Core
New Gods: Forgotten Realms
Barbarian Gods: Norse
Uraqi: Mesopotamian
Hamunaptra: Egypt

Dark Gods of the Sea

Leviathan: an immense primordial sea beast said to be imprisoned in the stygian ocean of the fifth circle of Hell where it reigns. Its appetite for souls is legendary. Many say that when it breaks free the world shall end in cataclysm.

Dagon: A sea demon with different tales told of him.
1 an elder demon of the depths possessing powerful lost dark lore.
2 Leviathan's general in the stygian ocean of Hell.
3 a fish man king grown to legendary size and worshiped by his former kin as a God.

Whisperer of Impossible Secrets: One of the eight great Lords of Chaos, This octopoidal entity is a patron of magic and known for claiming the souls of those who drown in the sea without being pledged to another sea god. He is said to command undead pirate ships/the fleets of Chaos.

Umberlee: a dark goddess of the tempestuous nature and fury of the sea. She is mercurial and violent, allied with other dark gods of nature's fury. Her power does not extend onto the land.

Zeboim: another dark goddess of the sea from a different pantheon, she takes the form of a dragon turtle and is known for her covetous and petty nature.

Sekolah: The devouring shark god of the sea devils. Uncaring of any not his own, voracious in appetite.

Kolan: Vengeful elemental god of the fish men who takes the form of a Sea Serpent. Said to be father to many of the dangerous massive beasts in the depths.

Blibdoolpoolp: Enigmatic dark goddess of an ancient sea race. Mostly forgotten.

Demogorgon: Demon Prince and Dark Patron to a non humanoid sentient tropical sea race.

Brother Egil

Brother Egil is a young man who was given up by his overly large family at a young age to be raised by and serve the Athenaeum. He is friendly and kind-hearted, he actively tries to help out those he can. He currently serves the Athenaeum as a scribe and librarian.

Usually scene garbed in scholars robes, he wears his brown hair long and loose, his beard short. See attachment for his picture.

His connections to the PCs

Hinjo: Over the last few months, Hinjo has become something of a regular visitor to the library of Freeport. He has come to make a number of friends among the staff and other regulars, including Brother Egil.

Aidan: Aidan sold what few belongings he found hidden away that the debt-collectors hadn’t found. Most were curios and tomes his father gathered on his journeys. Aidan sold them to the Athenaeum, but in addition to selling the items, he began inquiring about strange lore, specifically regarding tales or legends of people who succeed in breaking pacts involving the selling of one's soul…

Dogrynn: The one person in Freeport who has treated him kindly is Brother Egil. Brother Egil has always been the one who Dogrynn turns to when he needs help (or food when really down on his luck). In turn Brother Egil has been trying to help Dogrynn realize his independance and increase his self-confidence. Brother Egil is convinced that if Dogrynn were to come about he'd be a kind individual who could really help society out.

Arcata: With nowhere else to go, Arcata fled to the Atheneaum in Freeport disguised and under an assumed name. They helped her learn a bit more about controlling her magic, and helped her safely sell some jewelry and get set up in town. She's been working as a server since then, but it hasn't been long. No, not long at all before she got a letter from Brother Egil at the Athenaeum asking for help...

GrokCuprim: As the merging took place the pain of the process caused the new creature great pain. It’s only thoughts in those first few moments were to stop the pain. It instincts were to lash out at anything nearby. It was able to regain control of its actions as the wizard teleported it away. It appeared before a man surrounded by four other men. It seemed to think the man was caged in and a familiar thought surfaced. Before it could think it attacked and felled the four attackers and earned the eternal gratitude of the man, Brother Egil.

Riki Bone-Sticks: A secondary connection through his connection to Dogrynn.