CleverName
Explorer
Well, I'm not going to hope for another story hour as good as the last two, for obvious reasons. BUT for those of you who read the earlier ones, I wanted you to know that Palaestra goes on.
1) I'm starting a new campaign with some of the old players (Jon Hanna and Keith Martin) and new players on Wednesday. I'll be back with character briefs on Thursday after our character creation session. A writeup of the first adventure will follow after our first real game on the 23rd!
2) I'm re-doing the website - it's under constant re-construction right now, but there's actually some new stuff already there
(Check under Campaigns - Skia Thalassa for the new setup and map)
3) A d20 e-book should be out in a few weeks that uses one of Palaestra's cities as a background. More on that later.
Here's the intro to the new campaign:
The campaign is set around Skia Thalassa (the Sea of Shadows) that separates the two halves of the human empire of Iconium and borders much of Faerie. The area of Skia Thalassa is a bit larger that the Black Sea, but not quite the size of the Mediterranean on our world.
It is a place of brisk trade and occasional piracy and raiding — of both the more mundane and supernatural (monstrous) kind. Most merchants are well armed and stick to well—known routes. Only a few of the braver and more powerful Iconian flotillas actually stay under sail at night. Most merchants have small boats that put into shore at night.
Even armed with magic and miracles, it's a scary place for many. There are sea serpents, waterborne dragons, aquatic races, and magical isles that seem to move about its surface. The most common threats are rather mundane, pirates and the destructive force on the sea — the weather. Mighty storm clouds build over its waters and they have sent more ships below the waves than any other power.
Generally speaking the Iconians (humans) have the most advanced ships, but these are relatively few in number. The bulk of trade is done in smaller keelboats owned by private merchants of all the races. Still, of all the "nations," only the Ionians have an organized, well—trained navy. The orcs of Rolgulka have some enormous slave galleys, the ljosalfar are generally regarded as the best seamen, but the Iconians are the most dangerous, ship for ship. Still, the navy can't be everywhere and there's plenty of piracy on the Skia Thalassa — the Iconian navy and patrols only a small part of the sea.
While large human cities dot the southweastern shores of this sea, they treat much of the rest as a vast, unfriendly Faerie wilderness. They are half right.
There is a strong faerie presence here. One of Rolgulka's largest and most cosmopolitan cities, Varnia, broods over the northeastern corner of the sea. Scattered Cimbri tribes dot the northern shores, and a few rogue ljosalfar jarls have carved tiny kingdoms among the isles and inlets that dot its surface. From its shadows rises the great rock of Jormunsteinn, a seeming contradiction — a sunken mountain. Jormunsteinn's reportedly a single piece of granite, one of their holy mountains and great strongholds of the dekkalfar. (But then again the dekkalfar don't measure their kingdoms above the ground anyway.) Moreover, aquatic faeries, some inimical to all other cultures, are found here as well.
The straits of Iconium, at the human's capital, experience some of the world's strongest tidal action as salt water slips into the Skia Thalassa — gradually pooling into its lightless depths. While freshwater creatures ply the rich waters above, even the mighty Kraken can live in its dark, salty depths. Generally speaking the areas around the straits and along the shores are saltier than the rest of the Sea of Shadows.
Thanks and see you soon!
1) I'm starting a new campaign with some of the old players (Jon Hanna and Keith Martin) and new players on Wednesday. I'll be back with character briefs on Thursday after our character creation session. A writeup of the first adventure will follow after our first real game on the 23rd!
2) I'm re-doing the website - it's under constant re-construction right now, but there's actually some new stuff already there
(Check under Campaigns - Skia Thalassa for the new setup and map)
3) A d20 e-book should be out in a few weeks that uses one of Palaestra's cities as a background. More on that later.
Here's the intro to the new campaign:
The campaign is set around Skia Thalassa (the Sea of Shadows) that separates the two halves of the human empire of Iconium and borders much of Faerie. The area of Skia Thalassa is a bit larger that the Black Sea, but not quite the size of the Mediterranean on our world.
It is a place of brisk trade and occasional piracy and raiding — of both the more mundane and supernatural (monstrous) kind. Most merchants are well armed and stick to well—known routes. Only a few of the braver and more powerful Iconian flotillas actually stay under sail at night. Most merchants have small boats that put into shore at night.
Even armed with magic and miracles, it's a scary place for many. There are sea serpents, waterborne dragons, aquatic races, and magical isles that seem to move about its surface. The most common threats are rather mundane, pirates and the destructive force on the sea — the weather. Mighty storm clouds build over its waters and they have sent more ships below the waves than any other power.
Generally speaking the Iconians (humans) have the most advanced ships, but these are relatively few in number. The bulk of trade is done in smaller keelboats owned by private merchants of all the races. Still, of all the "nations," only the Ionians have an organized, well—trained navy. The orcs of Rolgulka have some enormous slave galleys, the ljosalfar are generally regarded as the best seamen, but the Iconians are the most dangerous, ship for ship. Still, the navy can't be everywhere and there's plenty of piracy on the Skia Thalassa — the Iconian navy and patrols only a small part of the sea.
While large human cities dot the southweastern shores of this sea, they treat much of the rest as a vast, unfriendly Faerie wilderness. They are half right.
There is a strong faerie presence here. One of Rolgulka's largest and most cosmopolitan cities, Varnia, broods over the northeastern corner of the sea. Scattered Cimbri tribes dot the northern shores, and a few rogue ljosalfar jarls have carved tiny kingdoms among the isles and inlets that dot its surface. From its shadows rises the great rock of Jormunsteinn, a seeming contradiction — a sunken mountain. Jormunsteinn's reportedly a single piece of granite, one of their holy mountains and great strongholds of the dekkalfar. (But then again the dekkalfar don't measure their kingdoms above the ground anyway.) Moreover, aquatic faeries, some inimical to all other cultures, are found here as well.
The straits of Iconium, at the human's capital, experience some of the world's strongest tidal action as salt water slips into the Skia Thalassa — gradually pooling into its lightless depths. While freshwater creatures ply the rich waters above, even the mighty Kraken can live in its dark, salty depths. Generally speaking the areas around the straits and along the shores are saltier than the rest of the Sea of Shadows.
Thanks and see you soon!
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