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Story Hour
Chronicles of Mesion: Considering Hiatus; Comments Needed.
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<blockquote data-quote="LordVyreth" data-source="post: 2825833" data-attributes="member: 9626"><p><strong>Mesion Campaign Details #3</strong></p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, Mother's Day events took up nearly my entire day, so it'll still be a day or two before I can actually get out my first Story Hour entry. Until then, I'll finish catching up on previous entries from the pre-crash Story Hour. This one details the city of Fra Dane, the setting for the game's first adventure and possibly a major location in the campaign at large. My trademark tendancy to go into development overkill is really obvious here. Though there's no guarantee the party will ever return to this city after the first adventure (though I certainly hope so,) attempts to make the city detailed and full of enough information that I can be prepared for whatever the party does resulted in a city description over a dozen pages in length and with over 60 unique locations! For your sanity, I'll restrict this update to areas that could be important in the first adventure.</p><p></p><p>Fra Dane</p><p></p><p>About Fra Dane</p><p></p><p> Fra Dane is a fairly young city, like most of the city-states are, but it has a strong since of history as a result of being built on the ruins of the ancient city Solar Devotion. The city was bounded by a band of adventurers known as the Fra Danes, led by the ranger Revine Fra. The Fra Danes were known for hiring only female adventurers and it believed that their name was a play on words or alternate misspelling of the term Dame, as in a female titled Knight. Regardless, most of the Fra Danes eventually settled into positions of power inside the city of Fra Dane itself after founding the city and retiring from adventuring. Revine Fra herself was appointed queen. She was assassinated in 2736, but she had since had a son that ascended to the throne.</p><p></p><p> Besides its self-entitled sense of culture, Fra Dane is known for its mercenary morality beyond its own belief systems, which is appropriate given that the city was founded by a city of adventurers known for their willingness to raid dangerous and often taboo sites like battlefields and the abandoned strongholds of demons. The city is generally considered very cosmopolitan in terms of gender relations, which is again no surprise since the adventurers that founded it were all female, and it has few elements of class warfare despite being a monarchy. However, it is lagging behind in race relations. It has a number of intolerant and discriminatory laws against warforged, shifters, and some of the other new and lost races. Even worse, it specifically lists which species are considered sapient beings worthy of rights, excluding most intelligent monsters, who can be legally pressed into slavery. </p><p></p><p>Fra Dane (Metropolis): Conventional; AL LN; 100,000 gp limit; Population 135,000, Mixed (human 73%, dwarf 7 %, gnome 6%, half-elf 4%, halfling 4 %, warforged 2 %, half-orc 2%, shifter 1%, other 1%).</p><p>Notable NPCs</p><p></p><p>Town Politicians</p><p>Prime Minister Sadine Preston (LN human female Aris 16)</p><p>King Trovarr Fra (LN human male Aris 12)</p><p>Queen Fidine Fra (TN human female Aris 4/Psion 9)</p><p>Prince Amin Fra (NG human male)</p><p>Princess Talia Fra (CN human female)</p><p>Dane Duchess Shillix Medli (LE half-elf female Sor 14) – former Fra Dane</p><p>Duke Kalban Pemorne (LG human male Pal 10) – former Solar Devotion noble</p><p>Duchess Moire Pemorne (LG maenad female PsyWar 5)</p><p>Duke Nathaniel Bellor (NE human male Aris 4/Rog 9) – bought way into nobility</p><p>Dane Marquessa Gelmindis Tarrynot (TN gnome female Aris 2/Rog 12) – former Fra Dane</p><p></p><p>City Watch and Militia</p><p></p><p>Sir Mathew Millwater (LN human male Fight 18) </p><p>Captain San(dy) Ruet (NG human female Fight 12)</p><p>Dane Lieutenant Bellitress Evley (CN elf female Barb 14) – former Fra Dane</p><p>Lieutenant Boral Smithe (LN dwarf male Monk 8)</p><p>Operative Vel (TN changeling male Rog 13)</p><p>Operative Grock (TN half-orc male Fight 11)</p><p></p><p>Guild Leaders</p><p></p><p>“Multitudes” Malfin Bloombell (LN gnome male Aris3/Wiz 10)-Count Counters Guild</p><p>Patricia Thazar (NE half-elf female Aris 4/Bard 4)-Performers Guild</p><p>Daniel Thurgood (LE human male Aris 2/Ranger 9)-Achieve Entertainment</p><p>Dereg “The Dirk” (CE halfling male Rogue 13)-Thief’s Guild</p><p>Neri Fia (NG elf female Wiz 12)-Wizard’s Advisory</p><p></p><p>Religious Leaders</p><p></p><p>Galtan Serin (LN human male Cle 14)-Church of St. Cuthbert</p><p>Dane Delia Skywhistle (LG halfling female Cle 14)-Church of Bha-Ael</p><p>Crone Ulver (LN half-elf male Cle 8/Wiz 3)-Church of Ordhari</p><p>Rivan Wrestliss (LG human male Cle 8)-Nelkiss half of Twin Churches of Death</p><p>Meladir Fulsen (LE human female Cle 8)-Wee Jas half of Twin Churches of Death</p><p>Grending Truering (LG dwarf female Cle 7)-Church of Moradin</p><p>Shalendi Bergil (NG gnome female Cle 6)-Church of Garl Glittergold</p><p>Endur Laburr (TN dwarf male Cle 6)-Church of Nowne</p><p>Sixitili Enbi (TN elan female Cle 5)-Church of Krista</p><p>Anuan Liamar (CN elf male Cle 4/Sor 3)-Church of Lore</p><p>David Elfkin (TN half-elf male Cle 4/Bard 2)-Tepedin Head of Church of Culture</p><p></p><p>Other Notable Citizens</p><p></p><p>IDL9 (NG warforged male personality Bard 3/Exp 3)-warforged anti-Achieve activist</p><p>Wrejid (CN shifter male Barb 6)-Often-violent anarchist</p><p>Levign (NG avoral guardinal female)-Former Solar Devotion ally, opposed to ruins replacement projects</p><p>Warren Statil (CG human male Cle 7)-Former priest of Jolia, now a vagrant and secret healer</p><p>Dane Vorgen Skullcrust (TN half-orc Fight 14)-Retired Fra Dane, given over now to excess</p><p>Eske Talltale (CG human male Bard 7)-Popular Non-Guilded entertainer</p><p>Mirana Mirage (CN half-elf female Bar 9/Cle 2)-Prima donna singer</p><p></p><p>Locations</p><p>Castle Fra (1.)</p><p>The Hexaglyph (2.)</p><p>Achieve Entertainment Center (3.)</p><p>Church of St. Cuthbert (4.)</p><p>Church of Bha-Ael (5.) </p><p>Twin Churches of Death (6.)</p><p>Church of Culture (7.)</p><p>The Giant Gullet (8.)</p><p>The Gleaming Vista (9.)</p><p>Meadhall Primeval (10.)</p><p>The Leaky Bucket (11.)</p><p>Zimmit’s Bane (12.)</p><p>The Wounded Xvart (13.)</p><p>Gormir’s Ale (14.)</p><p>City Walls (15.)</p><p>Gatehouse (16.)</p><p>Watchtowers (17.)</p><p>Church of Ordhari (18.)</p><p>Church of Moradin (19.)</p><p>Church of Garl Glittergold (20.)</p><p>Church of Nowne (21.)</p><p>Church of Krista (22.)</p><p>Church of Lore (23.)</p><p>Resting Place of the Devoted (24.)</p><p>Sunblessed Cemetery (25.)</p><p>Ill-Judged Cemetery (26.)</p><p>Watcher’s Keep (27.)</p><p>Operative Waypoints (28.)</p><p>The Preston Estate (29.)</p><p>House Medli (30.)</p><p>House Pemorne (31.)</p><p>House Bellor (32.)</p><p>House Tarrynot (33.)</p><p>Coin Counters Guildhall (34.)</p><p>Performers Guildhall (35.)</p><p>Achieve Entertainment Head Office (36.)</p><p>Achieve Supply Storage Facilities (37.)</p><p>Arcane Advisory Council (38.)</p><p>SRUFBT HQ (39.)</p><p>Houses for the Wretched (40.)</p><p>The Ruins District (41.)</p><p>Old Capital (42.)</p><p>The Ichorveins (43.)</p><p>Lost Shrine of Pelor (44.)</p><p>House Stormblood (45.)</p><p>Skullcrust Manor (46.)</p><p>The Seasight Inn (47.)</p><p>The Dane’s Edge (48.)</p><p>The Commonroom (49.)</p><p>The Effervescent Tower (50.)</p><p>The Just Cause (51.)</p><p>The Gears of War (52.)</p><p>Oki’s Intrigue’s (53.)</p><p>Jorgan’s Smith (54.)</p><p>Sadine’s Seraph (55.)</p><p>Dane Garden (56.)</p><p>Celestial Park (57.)</p><p>The Tainted Ground (58.)</p><p>Hallefur Theatre (59.)</p><p>The Place (60.)</p><p></p><p>Life in Fra Dane</p><p></p><p> The people of Fra Dane are known for a sense of arrogance and self-worth born largely for the constant need to prove themselves as a legitimate city. Initial reactions to the city were dismissive due to the city’s founding by a ragtag group of untitled and previously unspectacular adventurers. The common accusation made against Fra Dane is that it bought its way into success. Others complain about both the methods the Fra Danes used to gain wealth and their building of a largely pragmatic city over what was considered a holy and idealistic city’s ruins.</p><p></p><p> The response to this claim by both the people and the ruling party has been one of competitive self-assurance and an active interest in most citizen’s daily lives to the arts and philosophy, if at least on a superficial level. As a result of this and some of the city’s more archaic laws, political activism is common in Fra Dane, especially against Achieve Entertainment and various racial laws. The city is dotted with both technological achievements of useful or dubious value and with often ostentatious art displays. Ironically, many of these innovations and displays are created by destroying some of the remaining buildings of Solar Devotion, often hurting the very impression Fra Dane tries to make on other cities. The most noteworthy example of the city attitudes can be summed up in the city’s annual Prosperity Parade. The tradition started in 2724 when the Fra Dane displayed many of their remaining recovered magical items of power to simultaneously demonstrate that they had great power beyond wealth and to dare their enemies to take their treasures. Not surprisingly, many enemies attempted to do this that. Despite the damage done to the city itself, the enemies were fought by the city, resulting in a surprisingly enthusiastic response from the populace, who felt they proved themselves. Decades later, the parade has become more ceremonial, but the procession of magical items continues, and there have been annual attempts to steal them or otherwise wreck the parade since then. These attempts have become far less tenacious, however, since any halfway intelligent enemy of Fra Dane knows that the city is well prepared for attacks these days. Most of the attackers are more interested in making a statement or are just crazed attention-seekers.</p><p>Exploring Fra Dane</p><p></p><p> Castle Fra (1.) Castle Fra is, simply put, the capital of the entire city-state. It houses the official living quarters of the royal family and the office of the prime minister. Castle Fra is closed to normal travelers and visitors except on specific holidays, where the royal family and other crucial staff are usually outside the castle or given extra protections.</p><p></p><p> Achieve Entertainment Center (3.) All the political battles in Fra Dane seem to revolve ultimately around this building. This open-air building is often used as the center of city festivals, musical performances, royal audiences, and other major events, but it’s most controversial role is that of the city’s coliseum. It’s here that Achieve Entertainment often pits various animals and monsters against each other. Though the events usually attract sold-out audiences, it also attracts its share of protesters, peaceful and otherwise.</p><p></p><p> Church of Bha-Ael (5.) The Church of Bha-Ael was actually built on the ruins of a church to the same goddess in Solar Devotion, and much of the building was restored from those ruins or meant to emulate the same style. This made the church popular with the historical elements of the city, supporting its rise to power as the second-largest church in Fra Dane. Since then, the city earned further recognition with its general populist beliefs systems, making it a popular choice for Fra Dane citizens who want to challenge the more discriminatory parts of the Fra Dane law. The rivalry with the Church of St. Cuthbert that resulted has resulted in a slight increase in tensions between the Core and Sister pantheons.</p><p></p><p> The Giant Gullet (8.) The Giant Gullet is possibly one of the oldest buildings in all of Fra Dane. It was not only older than Solar Devotion; it originally was moved, stone by stone, from the nation of Grandithin’s Glory back when it united with Palous! The building is officially considered a historical artifact, but it still remains a functioning tavern and inn. The Giant Gullet’s clientele tends to be extremely quiet, mostly out of an understanding that the city appointed guards and bouncers would throw people out for coughing loudly! Despite the strict nature of the place, it’s a popular target for tourists due to its age and historical importance. </p><p></p><p> The Leaky Bucket (11.) Every sizable city needs at least one dingy, run-down, out of the way inn/bar that any sane person would avoid if given the chance, and in Fra Dane, The Leaky Bucket is one bar that fits such a description nicely. The Leaky Bucket is actually located below one of the city’s rivers due to natural changes in elevation and intentional city planning. As a result, the roof and walls of the bar have almost constantly had at least one leak or another that needed patching, giving the bar its name. Its poor location and tendency to attract river-traveling mariners who have long since learned to ignore such conditions eventually made it a popular location for shady business and conspiracies.</p><p></p><p> The Wounded Xvart (13.)-Though this bar is known to be rather pricey for what’s generally considered sub-par food and drink, it has a popular reputation in Fra Dane because of its success in recruiting bards and other performers. As a result, the Xvart is one of very few places in Fra Dane where non-Guilded acts can be seen. These range from common bard songs to elaborate musical works from entire bands often composed of races normally received with hostility in Fra Dane, like warforged, shifters, and even the primitive humanoids. Because of this acceptance, the Xvart often attracts political activism and the controversy that goes with it, but tavern owner Brelynn Mirten (NG half-elf male Exp 4) doesn’t seem to mind.</p><p></p><p> Operative Waypoints (28.)-Nobody knows how many of these waypoints exist, but their numbers are believed to be sizable. These safe-houses work as the only actual bases of the city Operatives, special forces agents the royalty employ for extremely important missions. It is believed that the Operatives often work as if they are above the law, and many discriminated against races often work for the Operatives to earn their respect. It is believed that even criminals are recruited for the Operatives to pay off their debts to society (and sometimes avoid a damned afterlife in Ill-Judged Cemetery.) The only known Operatives are Operative Vel, who works organizing the city’s watch and various militias according to royal orders, and Operative Grock, a half-orc who’s notoriously incompetent with public relations but who is usually placed in charge of that duty regardless. Surprisingly, his simple-minded attempts at diplomacy and intrigue have a way of comforting people with his simplicity, as if the very fact that they’d be willing to let Grock handle a situation is enough to convince people that it isn’t that bad.</p><p></p><p> House Pemorne (31.)-The family of Duke Kalban Pemorne (LG human male Pal 10,) used to be nobles in Solar Devotion before the city’s destruction. Unlike most of the nobles, who lost their titles and land when the city itself was destroyed, the Pemorne would often revisit the city even during the Godfield War to restore and preserve their territory on the assumption that they could regain their noble stature when the war ended and Solar Devotion was restored. Their hopes proved to be only half-fulfilled when the Fra Danes instead took control of the region and founded a new nation. However, to avoid open warfare with both Zoridel and other nations when they first founded the nation, the Danes made a number of compromises, including honoring the Pemorne’s noble status by making Kalban, the family’s latest head, a Duke of the new nation. Kalban eagerly accepted this and moved his family back into their ancestral home. Some time since then, he made the unusual decision of marrying a maenad, Moire (LG maenad female PsyWar 5,) a former adventurer like Kalban himself. Though maenads are granted full citizenship Fra Dane with no specific legal restrictions, they’re still regarded as alien and slightly improper beings, but Kalban ignored these comments and respected Moire’s similar attitude towards life. The two have collectively become strong social crusaders in Fra Dane, particularly towards race relations.</p><p></p><p> House Bellor (32.)-Nathaniel Bellor (NE human male Aris 4/Rog 9,) became a Duke in almost the opposite way that Kalban did. He had no noble heritage or titled family members, and his own career labeled him a merchant at best and a swindler or rogue more accurately. However, even with their wealth, the Fra Danes needed some investors to get their city off the ground, and while most were willing to loan them money in exchange for some economic control of Fra Dane, Nathaniel wanted something more. He wanted political power, or possibly just the status that a noble name granted, and he was willing to put all his ill-gotten gains earned by exploiting the Godfield War to do it. Since then, he appears to mostly use his status to show off his prestige, earn invitations to the best parties, make reluctant famous friends, and otherwise make a laughingstock of himself. Some speculate, however, that old habits die hard, and that Nathaniel still is running some organization or another to profit off of his newfound power, and his public attempts to appear as a buffoon are just a ruse.</p><p></p><p> Achieve Entertainment Head Office (36.)-Of all the businesses in Fra Dane, this is certainly the most reviled. As usual, Achieve tries to maintain a positive perception through its outward appearance, as their office demonstrates. Their head office is several stories high, constantly clean and well-maintained, and is often used for free concerts (always agreed upon with the Performers Guild,) and charity events. The actual business they work in seems to be completely absent based on their main office, which instead is full of eager-seeming employees, seemingly unknowing executives, and endless open spaces and recreation facilities full of positive images of Achieve’s impact on the community. Only when the company’s highest executives, including president Daniel Thurgood (LE human male Aris 2/Ranger 9,) are safely sequestered from all public appearances do they discuss the actual monstrous slavery and violence they do business in. Everywhere else, their “products” are hidden behind technical jargon.</p><p></p><p> Achieve Supply Storage Facilities (37.)-Similarly, despite the name, these Achieve buildings are nothing but prisons of often the most brutal nature. Unlike the head office, though, these buildings, which always bear no mark of the Achieve name, are not pretty and definitely not for the public to see. Captured monsters are often subjected to torture, experimentation, and mind control to be rendered suitable for their purposes, and monsters that prove valueless are often killed and dissected.</p><p></p><p> SRUFBT HQ (39.)-SRUFBT, better known as Sentient Races United For a Better Tomorrow, is an activist political force in Fra Dane. It’s leader, IDL9 (NG warforged male personality Bard 3/Exp 3) is unsurprisingly focused primarily on racial issues, given his own anti-warforged discrimination. Their most common rallying cry, “No more symbols,” refers to the identification marks all warforged, shifters, and primitive humanoids must wear when in the city. As a mark of solidarity, many SRUFBT supporters purposefully wear similar symbols or even get tattoos resembling identification marks. SRUFBT is smart enough to realize how easily it would be destroyed if it ever openly committed a crime, so it openly is very careful to restrict their efforts to speeches and legal protests. Secretly, however, and without IDL9’s input or approval, many members launch illegal raids on Achieve and other enemies of their cause or even ally with the more radical allies of Wrejid.</p><p></p><p> Houses for the Wretched (40.)-Unlike the SRUFBT headquarters, these resistance bases are neither legal no are they on any map, largely because Wrejid (CN shifter male Barb 6,) the leader of the resistance movement, is smart enough to often move them to prevent raids. Wrejid, who is well aware how closely his name is to the word wretched and thus incorporates the word into his resistance often, belonged to a family of shifter squatters who lived in the ruins of Solar Devotion before the Fra Danes founded their city over it. Wrejid’s early childhood and the fate of his family are unknown, but it is well known that when Fra Dane first enacted its law to put symbols of identification on all shifters, Wrejid violently resisted, killed several of the milita who were responsible for the symbol dispersal, and began his anarchist movement within Fra Dane. Houses for the Wretched work as both official meeting places for his movement and safe-houses for fugitives, especially of monstrous races that are unable to live in Fra Dane legally.</p><p></p><p> The Dane’s Edge (48.)-Off all the inns in Fra Dane, The Dane’s Edge tends to hover resolutely in the middle. Save for its location, there is nothing spectacular about this inn. The Dane’s Edge is noteworthy for the fact that its built into the city walls itself. The inn, according to legend, was actually either some sort of guard tower or observation platform during the Godfield War, or it was actually part of an enemy siege tower that got lodged into the wall and was rebuilt as a permanent part of it. Either way, it’s location, which actually extends outside of the wall by around 5-10 feet, makes it a popular inn for visitors since it’s so easy to find. The inn unfortunately has a bit of a reputation for smuggling based on the theory that it could be used to get people past the city walls fairly easily, but the city’s militia is aware of this threat and patrol the inn’s vicinity more regularly to confirm that nothing illegal goes on. The inn’s owner, Tinker Goodwit (TN male halfling Exp 6,) is known for being a friendly but quiet businessman who goes out of his way to prove his honesty by staying on very good terms with the guards.</p><p></p><p> The Commonroom (49.)-Though the quality of this inn is poor, guests can be assured at least of the low levels of crime this inn is known for. The Commonroom portrays itself as the inn of the people by offering rooms at a very low price and removing almost every frill and luxury. Many of the inn’s accommodations, including most food and privy services, are communal, and half of the inn guests tend to avoid a room entirely and prefer to just sleep in the inn’s fairly redundant common room. The inn only asks that its guests share mutual trust and respect, a belief encouraged by the inn’s owner, the idealistic and pacifistic Ms. Kharn (CG female kalashtar Pion 7.) Kharn believes in resisting the more evil elements of Fra Dane with love and comraderie, which she also hopes will eventually lead people to her views on the universal psychic collective that can unite all people.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="LordVyreth, post: 2825833, member: 9626"] [b]Mesion Campaign Details #3[/b] Unfortunately, Mother's Day events took up nearly my entire day, so it'll still be a day or two before I can actually get out my first Story Hour entry. Until then, I'll finish catching up on previous entries from the pre-crash Story Hour. This one details the city of Fra Dane, the setting for the game's first adventure and possibly a major location in the campaign at large. My trademark tendancy to go into development overkill is really obvious here. Though there's no guarantee the party will ever return to this city after the first adventure (though I certainly hope so,) attempts to make the city detailed and full of enough information that I can be prepared for whatever the party does resulted in a city description over a dozen pages in length and with over 60 unique locations! For your sanity, I'll restrict this update to areas that could be important in the first adventure. Fra Dane About Fra Dane Fra Dane is a fairly young city, like most of the city-states are, but it has a strong since of history as a result of being built on the ruins of the ancient city Solar Devotion. The city was bounded by a band of adventurers known as the Fra Danes, led by the ranger Revine Fra. The Fra Danes were known for hiring only female adventurers and it believed that their name was a play on words or alternate misspelling of the term Dame, as in a female titled Knight. Regardless, most of the Fra Danes eventually settled into positions of power inside the city of Fra Dane itself after founding the city and retiring from adventuring. Revine Fra herself was appointed queen. She was assassinated in 2736, but she had since had a son that ascended to the throne. Besides its self-entitled sense of culture, Fra Dane is known for its mercenary morality beyond its own belief systems, which is appropriate given that the city was founded by a city of adventurers known for their willingness to raid dangerous and often taboo sites like battlefields and the abandoned strongholds of demons. The city is generally considered very cosmopolitan in terms of gender relations, which is again no surprise since the adventurers that founded it were all female, and it has few elements of class warfare despite being a monarchy. However, it is lagging behind in race relations. It has a number of intolerant and discriminatory laws against warforged, shifters, and some of the other new and lost races. Even worse, it specifically lists which species are considered sapient beings worthy of rights, excluding most intelligent monsters, who can be legally pressed into slavery. Fra Dane (Metropolis): Conventional; AL LN; 100,000 gp limit; Population 135,000, Mixed (human 73%, dwarf 7 %, gnome 6%, half-elf 4%, halfling 4 %, warforged 2 %, half-orc 2%, shifter 1%, other 1%). Notable NPCs Town Politicians Prime Minister Sadine Preston (LN human female Aris 16) King Trovarr Fra (LN human male Aris 12) Queen Fidine Fra (TN human female Aris 4/Psion 9) Prince Amin Fra (NG human male) Princess Talia Fra (CN human female) Dane Duchess Shillix Medli (LE half-elf female Sor 14) – former Fra Dane Duke Kalban Pemorne (LG human male Pal 10) – former Solar Devotion noble Duchess Moire Pemorne (LG maenad female PsyWar 5) Duke Nathaniel Bellor (NE human male Aris 4/Rog 9) – bought way into nobility Dane Marquessa Gelmindis Tarrynot (TN gnome female Aris 2/Rog 12) – former Fra Dane City Watch and Militia Sir Mathew Millwater (LN human male Fight 18) Captain San(dy) Ruet (NG human female Fight 12) Dane Lieutenant Bellitress Evley (CN elf female Barb 14) – former Fra Dane Lieutenant Boral Smithe (LN dwarf male Monk 8) Operative Vel (TN changeling male Rog 13) Operative Grock (TN half-orc male Fight 11) Guild Leaders “Multitudes” Malfin Bloombell (LN gnome male Aris3/Wiz 10)-Count Counters Guild Patricia Thazar (NE half-elf female Aris 4/Bard 4)-Performers Guild Daniel Thurgood (LE human male Aris 2/Ranger 9)-Achieve Entertainment Dereg “The Dirk” (CE halfling male Rogue 13)-Thief’s Guild Neri Fia (NG elf female Wiz 12)-Wizard’s Advisory Religious Leaders Galtan Serin (LN human male Cle 14)-Church of St. Cuthbert Dane Delia Skywhistle (LG halfling female Cle 14)-Church of Bha-Ael Crone Ulver (LN half-elf male Cle 8/Wiz 3)-Church of Ordhari Rivan Wrestliss (LG human male Cle 8)-Nelkiss half of Twin Churches of Death Meladir Fulsen (LE human female Cle 8)-Wee Jas half of Twin Churches of Death Grending Truering (LG dwarf female Cle 7)-Church of Moradin Shalendi Bergil (NG gnome female Cle 6)-Church of Garl Glittergold Endur Laburr (TN dwarf male Cle 6)-Church of Nowne Sixitili Enbi (TN elan female Cle 5)-Church of Krista Anuan Liamar (CN elf male Cle 4/Sor 3)-Church of Lore David Elfkin (TN half-elf male Cle 4/Bard 2)-Tepedin Head of Church of Culture Other Notable Citizens IDL9 (NG warforged male personality Bard 3/Exp 3)-warforged anti-Achieve activist Wrejid (CN shifter male Barb 6)-Often-violent anarchist Levign (NG avoral guardinal female)-Former Solar Devotion ally, opposed to ruins replacement projects Warren Statil (CG human male Cle 7)-Former priest of Jolia, now a vagrant and secret healer Dane Vorgen Skullcrust (TN half-orc Fight 14)-Retired Fra Dane, given over now to excess Eske Talltale (CG human male Bard 7)-Popular Non-Guilded entertainer Mirana Mirage (CN half-elf female Bar 9/Cle 2)-Prima donna singer Locations Castle Fra (1.) The Hexaglyph (2.) Achieve Entertainment Center (3.) Church of St. Cuthbert (4.) Church of Bha-Ael (5.) Twin Churches of Death (6.) Church of Culture (7.) The Giant Gullet (8.) The Gleaming Vista (9.) Meadhall Primeval (10.) The Leaky Bucket (11.) Zimmit’s Bane (12.) The Wounded Xvart (13.) Gormir’s Ale (14.) City Walls (15.) Gatehouse (16.) Watchtowers (17.) Church of Ordhari (18.) Church of Moradin (19.) Church of Garl Glittergold (20.) Church of Nowne (21.) Church of Krista (22.) Church of Lore (23.) Resting Place of the Devoted (24.) Sunblessed Cemetery (25.) Ill-Judged Cemetery (26.) Watcher’s Keep (27.) Operative Waypoints (28.) The Preston Estate (29.) House Medli (30.) House Pemorne (31.) House Bellor (32.) House Tarrynot (33.) Coin Counters Guildhall (34.) Performers Guildhall (35.) Achieve Entertainment Head Office (36.) Achieve Supply Storage Facilities (37.) Arcane Advisory Council (38.) SRUFBT HQ (39.) Houses for the Wretched (40.) The Ruins District (41.) Old Capital (42.) The Ichorveins (43.) Lost Shrine of Pelor (44.) House Stormblood (45.) Skullcrust Manor (46.) The Seasight Inn (47.) The Dane’s Edge (48.) The Commonroom (49.) The Effervescent Tower (50.) The Just Cause (51.) The Gears of War (52.) Oki’s Intrigue’s (53.) Jorgan’s Smith (54.) Sadine’s Seraph (55.) Dane Garden (56.) Celestial Park (57.) The Tainted Ground (58.) Hallefur Theatre (59.) The Place (60.) Life in Fra Dane The people of Fra Dane are known for a sense of arrogance and self-worth born largely for the constant need to prove themselves as a legitimate city. Initial reactions to the city were dismissive due to the city’s founding by a ragtag group of untitled and previously unspectacular adventurers. The common accusation made against Fra Dane is that it bought its way into success. Others complain about both the methods the Fra Danes used to gain wealth and their building of a largely pragmatic city over what was considered a holy and idealistic city’s ruins. The response to this claim by both the people and the ruling party has been one of competitive self-assurance and an active interest in most citizen’s daily lives to the arts and philosophy, if at least on a superficial level. As a result of this and some of the city’s more archaic laws, political activism is common in Fra Dane, especially against Achieve Entertainment and various racial laws. The city is dotted with both technological achievements of useful or dubious value and with often ostentatious art displays. Ironically, many of these innovations and displays are created by destroying some of the remaining buildings of Solar Devotion, often hurting the very impression Fra Dane tries to make on other cities. The most noteworthy example of the city attitudes can be summed up in the city’s annual Prosperity Parade. The tradition started in 2724 when the Fra Dane displayed many of their remaining recovered magical items of power to simultaneously demonstrate that they had great power beyond wealth and to dare their enemies to take their treasures. Not surprisingly, many enemies attempted to do this that. Despite the damage done to the city itself, the enemies were fought by the city, resulting in a surprisingly enthusiastic response from the populace, who felt they proved themselves. Decades later, the parade has become more ceremonial, but the procession of magical items continues, and there have been annual attempts to steal them or otherwise wreck the parade since then. These attempts have become far less tenacious, however, since any halfway intelligent enemy of Fra Dane knows that the city is well prepared for attacks these days. Most of the attackers are more interested in making a statement or are just crazed attention-seekers. Exploring Fra Dane Castle Fra (1.) Castle Fra is, simply put, the capital of the entire city-state. It houses the official living quarters of the royal family and the office of the prime minister. Castle Fra is closed to normal travelers and visitors except on specific holidays, where the royal family and other crucial staff are usually outside the castle or given extra protections. Achieve Entertainment Center (3.) All the political battles in Fra Dane seem to revolve ultimately around this building. This open-air building is often used as the center of city festivals, musical performances, royal audiences, and other major events, but it’s most controversial role is that of the city’s coliseum. It’s here that Achieve Entertainment often pits various animals and monsters against each other. Though the events usually attract sold-out audiences, it also attracts its share of protesters, peaceful and otherwise. Church of Bha-Ael (5.) The Church of Bha-Ael was actually built on the ruins of a church to the same goddess in Solar Devotion, and much of the building was restored from those ruins or meant to emulate the same style. This made the church popular with the historical elements of the city, supporting its rise to power as the second-largest church in Fra Dane. Since then, the city earned further recognition with its general populist beliefs systems, making it a popular choice for Fra Dane citizens who want to challenge the more discriminatory parts of the Fra Dane law. The rivalry with the Church of St. Cuthbert that resulted has resulted in a slight increase in tensions between the Core and Sister pantheons. The Giant Gullet (8.) The Giant Gullet is possibly one of the oldest buildings in all of Fra Dane. It was not only older than Solar Devotion; it originally was moved, stone by stone, from the nation of Grandithin’s Glory back when it united with Palous! The building is officially considered a historical artifact, but it still remains a functioning tavern and inn. The Giant Gullet’s clientele tends to be extremely quiet, mostly out of an understanding that the city appointed guards and bouncers would throw people out for coughing loudly! Despite the strict nature of the place, it’s a popular target for tourists due to its age and historical importance. The Leaky Bucket (11.) Every sizable city needs at least one dingy, run-down, out of the way inn/bar that any sane person would avoid if given the chance, and in Fra Dane, The Leaky Bucket is one bar that fits such a description nicely. The Leaky Bucket is actually located below one of the city’s rivers due to natural changes in elevation and intentional city planning. As a result, the roof and walls of the bar have almost constantly had at least one leak or another that needed patching, giving the bar its name. Its poor location and tendency to attract river-traveling mariners who have long since learned to ignore such conditions eventually made it a popular location for shady business and conspiracies. The Wounded Xvart (13.)-Though this bar is known to be rather pricey for what’s generally considered sub-par food and drink, it has a popular reputation in Fra Dane because of its success in recruiting bards and other performers. As a result, the Xvart is one of very few places in Fra Dane where non-Guilded acts can be seen. These range from common bard songs to elaborate musical works from entire bands often composed of races normally received with hostility in Fra Dane, like warforged, shifters, and even the primitive humanoids. Because of this acceptance, the Xvart often attracts political activism and the controversy that goes with it, but tavern owner Brelynn Mirten (NG half-elf male Exp 4) doesn’t seem to mind. Operative Waypoints (28.)-Nobody knows how many of these waypoints exist, but their numbers are believed to be sizable. These safe-houses work as the only actual bases of the city Operatives, special forces agents the royalty employ for extremely important missions. It is believed that the Operatives often work as if they are above the law, and many discriminated against races often work for the Operatives to earn their respect. It is believed that even criminals are recruited for the Operatives to pay off their debts to society (and sometimes avoid a damned afterlife in Ill-Judged Cemetery.) The only known Operatives are Operative Vel, who works organizing the city’s watch and various militias according to royal orders, and Operative Grock, a half-orc who’s notoriously incompetent with public relations but who is usually placed in charge of that duty regardless. Surprisingly, his simple-minded attempts at diplomacy and intrigue have a way of comforting people with his simplicity, as if the very fact that they’d be willing to let Grock handle a situation is enough to convince people that it isn’t that bad. House Pemorne (31.)-The family of Duke Kalban Pemorne (LG human male Pal 10,) used to be nobles in Solar Devotion before the city’s destruction. Unlike most of the nobles, who lost their titles and land when the city itself was destroyed, the Pemorne would often revisit the city even during the Godfield War to restore and preserve their territory on the assumption that they could regain their noble stature when the war ended and Solar Devotion was restored. Their hopes proved to be only half-fulfilled when the Fra Danes instead took control of the region and founded a new nation. However, to avoid open warfare with both Zoridel and other nations when they first founded the nation, the Danes made a number of compromises, including honoring the Pemorne’s noble status by making Kalban, the family’s latest head, a Duke of the new nation. Kalban eagerly accepted this and moved his family back into their ancestral home. Some time since then, he made the unusual decision of marrying a maenad, Moire (LG maenad female PsyWar 5,) a former adventurer like Kalban himself. Though maenads are granted full citizenship Fra Dane with no specific legal restrictions, they’re still regarded as alien and slightly improper beings, but Kalban ignored these comments and respected Moire’s similar attitude towards life. The two have collectively become strong social crusaders in Fra Dane, particularly towards race relations. House Bellor (32.)-Nathaniel Bellor (NE human male Aris 4/Rog 9,) became a Duke in almost the opposite way that Kalban did. He had no noble heritage or titled family members, and his own career labeled him a merchant at best and a swindler or rogue more accurately. However, even with their wealth, the Fra Danes needed some investors to get their city off the ground, and while most were willing to loan them money in exchange for some economic control of Fra Dane, Nathaniel wanted something more. He wanted political power, or possibly just the status that a noble name granted, and he was willing to put all his ill-gotten gains earned by exploiting the Godfield War to do it. Since then, he appears to mostly use his status to show off his prestige, earn invitations to the best parties, make reluctant famous friends, and otherwise make a laughingstock of himself. Some speculate, however, that old habits die hard, and that Nathaniel still is running some organization or another to profit off of his newfound power, and his public attempts to appear as a buffoon are just a ruse. Achieve Entertainment Head Office (36.)-Of all the businesses in Fra Dane, this is certainly the most reviled. As usual, Achieve tries to maintain a positive perception through its outward appearance, as their office demonstrates. Their head office is several stories high, constantly clean and well-maintained, and is often used for free concerts (always agreed upon with the Performers Guild,) and charity events. The actual business they work in seems to be completely absent based on their main office, which instead is full of eager-seeming employees, seemingly unknowing executives, and endless open spaces and recreation facilities full of positive images of Achieve’s impact on the community. Only when the company’s highest executives, including president Daniel Thurgood (LE human male Aris 2/Ranger 9,) are safely sequestered from all public appearances do they discuss the actual monstrous slavery and violence they do business in. Everywhere else, their “products” are hidden behind technical jargon. Achieve Supply Storage Facilities (37.)-Similarly, despite the name, these Achieve buildings are nothing but prisons of often the most brutal nature. Unlike the head office, though, these buildings, which always bear no mark of the Achieve name, are not pretty and definitely not for the public to see. Captured monsters are often subjected to torture, experimentation, and mind control to be rendered suitable for their purposes, and monsters that prove valueless are often killed and dissected. SRUFBT HQ (39.)-SRUFBT, better known as Sentient Races United For a Better Tomorrow, is an activist political force in Fra Dane. It’s leader, IDL9 (NG warforged male personality Bard 3/Exp 3) is unsurprisingly focused primarily on racial issues, given his own anti-warforged discrimination. Their most common rallying cry, “No more symbols,” refers to the identification marks all warforged, shifters, and primitive humanoids must wear when in the city. As a mark of solidarity, many SRUFBT supporters purposefully wear similar symbols or even get tattoos resembling identification marks. SRUFBT is smart enough to realize how easily it would be destroyed if it ever openly committed a crime, so it openly is very careful to restrict their efforts to speeches and legal protests. Secretly, however, and without IDL9’s input or approval, many members launch illegal raids on Achieve and other enemies of their cause or even ally with the more radical allies of Wrejid. Houses for the Wretched (40.)-Unlike the SRUFBT headquarters, these resistance bases are neither legal no are they on any map, largely because Wrejid (CN shifter male Barb 6,) the leader of the resistance movement, is smart enough to often move them to prevent raids. Wrejid, who is well aware how closely his name is to the word wretched and thus incorporates the word into his resistance often, belonged to a family of shifter squatters who lived in the ruins of Solar Devotion before the Fra Danes founded their city over it. Wrejid’s early childhood and the fate of his family are unknown, but it is well known that when Fra Dane first enacted its law to put symbols of identification on all shifters, Wrejid violently resisted, killed several of the milita who were responsible for the symbol dispersal, and began his anarchist movement within Fra Dane. Houses for the Wretched work as both official meeting places for his movement and safe-houses for fugitives, especially of monstrous races that are unable to live in Fra Dane legally. The Dane’s Edge (48.)-Off all the inns in Fra Dane, The Dane’s Edge tends to hover resolutely in the middle. Save for its location, there is nothing spectacular about this inn. The Dane’s Edge is noteworthy for the fact that its built into the city walls itself. The inn, according to legend, was actually either some sort of guard tower or observation platform during the Godfield War, or it was actually part of an enemy siege tower that got lodged into the wall and was rebuilt as a permanent part of it. Either way, it’s location, which actually extends outside of the wall by around 5-10 feet, makes it a popular inn for visitors since it’s so easy to find. The inn unfortunately has a bit of a reputation for smuggling based on the theory that it could be used to get people past the city walls fairly easily, but the city’s militia is aware of this threat and patrol the inn’s vicinity more regularly to confirm that nothing illegal goes on. The inn’s owner, Tinker Goodwit (TN male halfling Exp 6,) is known for being a friendly but quiet businessman who goes out of his way to prove his honesty by staying on very good terms with the guards. The Commonroom (49.)-Though the quality of this inn is poor, guests can be assured at least of the low levels of crime this inn is known for. The Commonroom portrays itself as the inn of the people by offering rooms at a very low price and removing almost every frill and luxury. Many of the inn’s accommodations, including most food and privy services, are communal, and half of the inn guests tend to avoid a room entirely and prefer to just sleep in the inn’s fairly redundant common room. The inn only asks that its guests share mutual trust and respect, a belief encouraged by the inn’s owner, the idealistic and pacifistic Ms. Kharn (CG female kalashtar Pion 7.) Kharn believes in resisting the more evil elements of Fra Dane with love and comraderie, which she also hopes will eventually lead people to her views on the universal psychic collective that can unite all people. [/QUOTE]
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