Darksun Killer In Ravenloft PT I

[megamania]

This will be the "official" place for game play of "Killer in Kalidnay". This game takes place in the world of Athas aka Darksun about 1800 years ago.

I will be using the official 3e conversion of Darksun found on Athas.org along with the generic WOTC core books and Monte Cook's "If Thoughts could Kill".

We'll begin with a few pre-story events as a starter before officially begining the weekend of Jan 19, 2003. After that, each Sunday I will place player responces into a narrative and present the next scene.

 

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Prelude Parts 1 & 2

DARKSUN: THE KALIDNAY KILLER PRELUDE PART ONE

The night is refreshingly cool for once. The stars are out and twinkle in the sky along with the twin moons. A gentle breeze suggests a change in weather. The Templar Dren continues to take his patrol on the outskirts of the Rat Warrens south of East Gate. He hates this job but knows he will work his way up the ranks soon.
The Rat Warrens are a collection of tents, lean-tos and ruined buildings overrun by vermin. The poor, wretched and otherwise unsavory people live here by day and scavage by night. Suddenly Dren hears something run away. Something bigger than a rat. Preparing for a possible thief Dren raises a hand with his templar ring on it but sees nothing. Hears nothing. Smells nothing. Feels even less.
Dren moves faster now telling himself that he has no fear of these filthy vermin. As he does this he tries to summon a lesser guardian to him, just in case. As he waits for the Obsideon servant to arrive he suddenly reliezes he is alone. He turns behind him but sees nothing. Pale and shakened, he calls up a protection spell and moves forward quickly. He darts into an ally to see if he is being followed when he nearly trips over something. He looks down and becomes ill.
Before him lies the remains of a woman. She has been ripped apart and gutted….recently.


DARKSUN: THE KALIDNAY KILLER PRELUDE PART TWO
Hazred Attar is scared.
He has never before questioned his father. He has always done what was asked of him but this is madness. I tempt the fates doing this. “I do not belong here”, he thinks to himself. Still, the women of Chance are waiting for me he feeblely mutters to himself as he frees the secret door to a passage known to very few. I and my entire family would die if I am caught down here in the…..”what is that?” he says louder than ment. It is the last thing he ever will say.
Several days later a piece of him is found by a slave tending to the crop fields.

 

[megamania]

Since my computer and my skills on such are pathetic- I can not copy over a map. So instead I will do my best to explain the city of Kalidnay.

Size: City is roughly tear shaped 3000ft at widest point and 4200ft long.

The center has a 500x500 walled in section that contains royal palace, ziggeraut and templar area. South of this is a 300x450ft arena. This area is then surrounded by protected farming fields. Purple roses, fruit trees and crops grow here. a Small forest grows around a lake in the southern section.
The outer 500ft of the city is the dwelling areas. The south has noble homes and better merchant houses. The western side has freemen. The northern end has freemen and non-citizens of Kalidnay. The eastern side is the poor, often referred to as the Rat Warrens.
There are 4 gateways into the city.
North gate goes through the freeman section. The psionic house is near here.
The Eastern gate goes through the Rat Warrens
Southern gate is the main tradeway. Generally animals are not admitted here. Animals allowed in are either city owned or arranged with special lincences by city templars.
Gold gate is located to the SW. This is a restricted area and location of city army. This gate is used by the gold miners.

The outer wall is 30ft tall and twenty wide at the top. Between the outerwall and the feilds are small streets and alleys. This is the outer city. Surrounding the crops is a wide street. This marks the beginning of the inner city. The templar quarters and royal house are sorrounded by a 30 ft tall wall similar to the outerwall.

There are small buildings where clerics gather near the Eastern gate but outside the city walls. Just north of these is the Kalidnay swamp. It is a marsh 900x1200ft that reaches the walls of the city. 3 miles south of the city is the Purple Monolith. A stone pillar that is largely an unknown.

 

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City life

Templars dress in robes. They shave and tatoo their heads and bodies to show their ranking. On their chest over their heart sits a badge that depicts their rank and division within the templarate.

Templars are the ultimate corrupt police. Their level determines what can be done by them. Low level templars are limited to control over slaves. Mid level can kill slaves on a whim and imprison freemen. Higher levels can do this to nobles.

Power wise, they are similiar to clerics and always multi-classed. I treat templars as a prestige class.

Templars rarely travel alone. They either work with other templars or bring with them city guards.

Templars also have the ability to call on the special city protectors. These include Undead Treants, Golems and something called a guardian. Think of these as psionic golems.

Templars are to be feared.

 

[megamania]

Economy of Kalidnay

Kalidnay has two resources. Gold and Purple Roses

There are gold mines in the mountains near the city. This is the primary resource for the city.
The Purple Rose is grown exclusively here. It has a pollen that acts as a powerful drug. This drug is snorted or smoked. The city controls it's growth and sales.

 

[Jarval]

<Snip!>

Templars are to be feared.

As they should be I like the way this is shaping up.

On another note, is there a map of Kalidnay in the revised Dark Sun boxed setting? If so, I may be able to scan a copy for you.

 

[megamania]

The boxed sets take place 1800years into the future. At that time Kalidnay is in ruins. I based the city layout on pictures of ruins that can be found in an adventure about exploring it's ruins and another source book that relates to how the city came to ruin. It came into ruin about....wow...imagine that, I won't say.

 

[megamania]

HERE WE GO....LET's ROCK N ROLL!!!!

DARKSUN
KALIDNAY KILLER
EN WORLD
SEGMENT 001
167 KA
Year61 Dragon’s Defiance
Month The Noble (2nd of 13)
Day 5


You are brousing through the Kalidnay market located by South Gate (8). Your senses are assaulted by the powerful smells of cooking meats that are over seasoned mixed with fragant smells of Kalidnay Purple Roses. Even at this distance, their smell is intoxicating. Perhaps that is why the human child messenger has come to you unnoticed until now.
“Sir (Maam), I have been asked to forward a message to you of great importance. The Templar Jayzon has demanded your presence at the Tavern called Killian’s Red Scorpion (46) today at midday. I am sorry I only found you now, but I needed to give this message to others also. I am sure it is very important.”
You know OF Jayzon but have never met him before. He is a mid-level Templar of Justice. By race he is an elf but most consider him to be scum (even for a templar). Still, he could place you under arrest if you do not answer this demand at said time. It will take a short time to reach the other side of the city and know you should begin promptly in case something should come up on the way.

Please post your next action by Sunday night.


[ and thus it begins....]

 

[Velenne]

Dukotti nods to the boy, adjusts his hood against the morning glare, and goes back to his search. The market was enormous and he could only cover so much of it before the throngs would swell and his attention would wane.

He had decided to begin searching the Elven Market for his people. He would venture in and out of it so as not to draw too much suspicion.

But this message was disturbing. The templar had a reputation and Dukotti was an escaped slave. If Xuccop had found him all the way in Kalidnay, he may need to run again. There could be any number of reasons why he was being summoned. How did the elf even know he was here?

Dukotti scoffs. You're thinking about it too hard, he thinks to himself. The elf does what comes naturally to him and consults his instincts -a practice which has saved his life numerous times in the arena.

He instincts tell him to wait in the shadows outside this tavern and see who enters for a time. If there seems to be too many guards and templars around, then he will know it is time to place his trust in his feet once more and find a new home. But...if others like him should begin coming around, he will go in and see what this Jayzon has to say.

The elf about-faces and begins weaving through the rabble of folk with massive strides and fluid grace on his way to Killian's Red Scorpion.

 

[silvertable81]

Jayde gives the boy a coy smile. "Oh, I do so love an adventure." She will be purposely late, but only by a moment or three. "Never be the first to the party." She makes her way across town, then changes into her "gear" making sure her crystal mask is secure, she enters manifesting Empathy as she does.