D&D 3E/3.5 [Kulan] The Lands of Harqual (Updated: Feb 3/2022)

[Knightfall]

CIROS
Small City
Other Names: City of Soldiers, The Onyx City
Political/Religious Affiliations: The Lands of the Cities of the Wind (member city); church of Hansa, church of Valkar, and church of Olidammara.
Power Center: Conventional (mayor).
Alignment: Chaotic Good

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Population: 6,899
Demographics: Integrated [37% human, 20% elf (silver), 18% dwarf (hill), 10% halfling (hairfoot), 7% half-elf, 5% elf (forest), and 3% other races].
City Type: City-state.
Fortified?: No.
Epic?: No.

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GP Limit: 4,750 gp
Assets: 1,638,750 gp
Main Import: Textiles.
Main Export: Gems.

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Authority Figure: Emada Kugh, mayor and member of the Wind Cities Alliance Council (CG female human aristocrat5).
Important Characters: Kilias Wildcrow (male half-elf scout7); Queph (male human sorcerer6); Radvorim Longback, Head of League of Soldiery (male human fighter8); Winad Tate, Head of the Crystalline Guildhead (male human expert9).
Organizations: Crystalline Guild and League of Soldiery.
Noble Houses: Aeller, Kugh, Osteral, Terane, and Zallir.
Adventurers Welcome?: Varies; adventurers must register with the League of Soldiery while visiting the city-state of Ciros.

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Notes: Ciros is a city in a constant state of alertness. In the past, the city has been a target of evil tribes of humanoids and giants—mainly gnolls, ogres, and mountain orcs. The reason, Ciros' valuable mines of not only gems but metals such as iron, lead, and tin. The onyx mines, in the nearby hills, are the most valuable. Onyxes flow from these mines faster than the waters of the Wind River.

 

[Knightfall]

Here's a look at the PCs next likely opponent. I'm so mean. - KF72

Hoarfrost
Hoarfrost, male frost giant (winter) werewolf: CR 14; Large giant (cold, shapechanger); HD 14d8+70 plus 6d8+30; 190 hp; Init +3; Spd 40 ft.; AC 10 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 10; Base Atk +16/+11/+6/+1; Grp +23; Atk +26 melee (3d6+13/x3, mw Large greataxe); Full Atk +26/+21/+16/+11 melee (3d6+13/x3, mw Large greataxe); Space/Reach 10 ft. / 10 ft.; SA freezing bite (in animal or hybrid form), rock throwing; SQ alternate form, DR 5/mithral (in animal or hybrid form), immunity to cold, low-light vision, lycanthropic empathy, rock catching, scent, vulnerability to fire; AL NE; SV Fort +14, Ref +3, Will +8; Str 29 (+9), Dex 9 (-1), Con 21 (+5), Int 9 (+0), Wis 15 (+2), Cha 10 (+0).

Skills and Feats: Climb +13, Control Shape +9, Craft (weaponsmithing) +6, Hide -2, Intimidate +6, Jump +17, Listen +3, Move Silently +1, Spot +15, Survival +3*; Alertness ^B, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Iron Will ^B, Power Attack, Skill Focus (control shape), Track, Weapon Focus (greataxe). *Hoarfrost has a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent.

Hybrid Form: As frost giant form form, except: 250 hp; Init +4; AC 15, touch 9, flat-footed 15; Grp +27; Atk +30 melee (3d6+19/x3, mw Large greataxe) or +28 melee (1d6+13, claw); Full Atk +30/+25/+20/+15 melee (3d6+19/x3, mw Large greataxe) and +23 melee (1d8+6 plus 1d6 cold, bite) or +28 melee (1d6+13, 2 claws) and +23 melee (1d8+6 plus 1d6 cold, bite); Fort +17, Ref +4, Will +8; Str 37 (+13), Dex 11 (+0), Con 27 (+8), Int 9 (+0), Wis 15 (+2), Cha 10 (+0).
Skills: As frost giant form, except: Climb +17, Hide -1, Jump +21, Move Silently +2.

Winter Wolf Form: As hybrid form, except: Spd 50 ft.; Atk/Full Atk +28 melee (1d8+19 plus 1d6 cold, bite); SA as above, plus breath weapon, trip.
Skills: As hybrid form, except: Hide -1*, Jump +25. *Hoarfrost’s natural coloration grants him a +7 racial bonus on Hide checks in areas of ice and snow.

Breath Weapon (Su): 15-foot cone; once every 1d4 rounds; damage 4d6 cold; Reflex DC 24 half. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Trip (Ex): If Hoarfrost hits with his bite attack, while in winter wolf form, then he can attempt to trip the opponent (+8 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip Hoarfrost.

Possessions: Masterwork Large-sized greataxe and potion of cure serious wounds (x2).

 

[Knightfall]

I have a sick idea for my players' next opponent. The elven bard's player has had to leave the game off-an-on. As a result, the bard, Meryn, gained a wealthy patron who brought Meryn into his household.

Once Meryn's player was able to return to the game, we came up with an in-game reason why he left his patron. His patron turned out to be a vampire, or at least that was his idea.

Now, I've taken this idea to heart, but I don't want the patron to be the vampire. (Too easy.) Instead, I've decided that the patron's mother once made a deal with an ethereal doppelganger, that turned out to be "more dangerous" than she could possibly have known.

This deal allowed the ethereal doppelganger access to the merchant family's resources in order to find several powerful magic items. However, the doppelganger didn't hold up its end of the bargin and has enslaved the entire merchant house.

For the ethereal doppelganger is in fact a ethereal doppelganger vampire (E.D.V.)!

The E.D.V. uses its vampire abilities to control the various family members, that are still alive, and those it can't dominate, it turns into spawn. The noblewoman is now dead and her son, the bard's ex-patron, has been dominated by the E.D.V. for decades.

Meryn doesn't know this, and, thus, he thinks his patron is the vampire. Heh!

I'm so mean!

KF72

 

[the Jester]

I have a sick idea for my players' next opponent. The elven bard's player has had to leave the game off-an-on. As a result, the bard, Meryn, gained a wealthy patron who brought Meryn into his household.

Once Meryn's player was able to return to the game, we came up with an in-game reason why he left his patron. His patron turned out to be a vampire, or at least that was his idea.

Now, I've taken this idea to heart, but I don't want the patron to be the vampire. (Too easy.) Instead, I've decided that the patron's mother once made a deal with an ethereal doppelganger, that turned out to be "more dangerous" than she could possibly have known.

I like it.

Stats?

 

[Knightfall]

I like it.

Stats?

Going to be working on that today, but first, more sleep.

Be back later!

KF72

 

[Knightfall]

Okay, it took me a little longer than I though to put this bad guy's stats together. I don't have any background or signature items for it yet.

Ved
Ved, Vampiric Ethereal Doppelganger: CR 17; Medium Undead (augmented monstrous humanoid, shapechanger); HD 20d12; 130 hp; Init +7; Spd 30 ft.; AC 22 (+3 Dex, +9 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 19; Base Atk +20/+15/+10/+5; Grp +22; Atk +23 melee (1d6+2, slam) or +23 melee (1d4+2, claw); Full Atk +23 melee (1d6+2, 2 slams) or +23 melee (1d4+2, 2 claws); SA assume identity, blood drain, brain lock, children of the night, create spawn, dominate, energy drain, mind wipe; SQ alternate form, darkvision 60 ft., DR 15/magic silver piercing, fast healing 8, gaseous form, plane shift, spider climb, SR 20, turn resistance +4, resistance to cold 10 and electricity 10; AL LE; SV Fort +6, Ref +17, Will +14; Str 14 (+2), Dex 17 (+3), Con —, Int 16 (+3), Wis 15 (+2), Cha 19 (+4).

Skills and Feats: Bluff +24, Diplomacy +19, Disguise +27, Hide +13, Intimidate +18, Listen +22, Move Silently +13, Search +13, Sense Motive +21, Spot +25; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes ^B, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes ^B, Mobility, Weapon Finesse.

Skills: Ved has a +8 racial bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks.

Languages: Common, Infernal, and Terran.

Assume Identity (Su): Ved can absorb another creature’s mind, memories, and personality [takes 1 hour of unbroken physical contact/level (or HD) of the subject]. The target may attempt a Will save (DC 24); if that is successful, the process is negated and Ved must begin again. See page 95 of MM II for more on this special attack.

Blood Drain (Ex): Ved can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution drain each round the pin is maintained. One each such successful attack, Ved gains 5 temporary hit points.

Brain Lock (Su): As a standard action, Ved can lock away the higher mind of an opponent up to 300 feet away, provided both are on the same plane and Ved has line of sight to the subject. A successful Will save (DC 24) negates the attempt; failure leaves the subject mentally paralyzed. See page 95 of MM II for more on this special attack.

Children of the Night (Su): Vampires command the lesser creatures of the world and once per day Ved can call forth 1d6+1 rat swarms, 1d4+1 bat swarms, or a pack of 3d6 wolves as a standard action. These creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve Ved for up to 1 hour. The swarms that Ved summons have the Fiendish Creature template applied to them, as he isn’t a terrestrial creature.

Create Spawn (Su): A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain by Ved’s energy drain rises as a vampire spawn (see the Vampire spawn entry, MM pg. 253) 1d4 days after burial. See page 252 of the MM for more on this special attack.

Dominate (Su): Ved can crush an opponent’s will just by looking into his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that Ved must use a standard action, and those merely looking at it are not affected. Anyone Ved targets must succeed on a Will save (DC 24) or fall instantly under Ved’s influence as though by a dominate person spell (caster level: 12th). The ability has a range of 30 feet.

Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by Ved’s slam or claw attacks gain two negative levels. For each negative level bestowed, Ved gains 5 temporary hit points. Ved can use its energy drain ability once per round.

Mind Wipe (Su): With a successful melee touch attack, Ved can wipe all memory of its existence from an opponent’s mind (no saving throw).

Alternate Form (Su): Ved can assume the shape of a bat, dire bat, wolf, or dire wolf as a standard action. These alternate forms have the Fiendish Creature template applied to them, as Ved isn’t a terrestrial creature. See page 252 of the MM for more on this special quality.

Fast Healing (Ex): Ved regains lost hit points at the rate of 8 per round, so long as it has at least 1 hit point. If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, Ved automatically assumes gaseous form and attempts to escape. Ved must reach its coffin home within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. (Ved can travel up to nine miles in 2 hours.) Any additional damage dealt to Ved when it has been forced into gaseous form has no effect. Once at rest in its coffin, Ved is helpless. It regains 1 hit point after 1 hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the rate of 8 hit points per round.

Ved keeps its coffin home on the Ethereal Plane, as it can plane shift there, at will, even when forced into gaseous form.

Gaseous Form (Su): As a standard action, Ved can assume gaseous form at will as the spell (caster level: 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability.

Plane Shift (Sp): Ved can use plane shift (caster level 20th; Will save DC 18) at will.

Spider Climb (Ex): Ved can climb sheer surfaces as though with the spider climb spell.

 

[Knightfall]

Gungir
The PCs recently finished an altered version of the Crumbling Hall of the Frost Giant jarl, where I had Gungir as a frost giant hero that had been defeated by a rival named Legeröd. Gungir has killed a favored cohorl of Legeröd, in ages past, and for his "crime" Legeröd's god had Gungir cursed, and locked away on a isolated demiplane known as the Plane of Graves. I placed a portal to this plane in the Crumbling Hall and changed many of the other creatures' backgrounds.

* Grunhilde, the cook, became Legeröd's siter, and Gungir's former lover. She helped the PCs get into the plane so they could put Gungir's soul to rest.

* I changed one of the winter wolves into a winter werewolf, named Hoarfrost (see a few posts ago).

* The Nameless Thing and Londra became Legeröd's bastard children, and were in chargeof the Crumbling Hall.

Most of the other creatures were just cannon fodder. The wizard wiped out the cryohydra with one well placed and timed fireball. They did fight several pitched battles with numerous giants, before discovering the way past the portal and into the Plane of Graves. Once there they destoyed Gungir's undead form, so that his soul could finally rest.

Gungir, undead male frost giant, Clr5 (Annam): CR 16; Large undead (cold); HD 14d12+42 plus 5d8+15; 176 hp; Init -1; Spd 30 ft. (due to undead state); AC 21 (touch 8, flat-footed 21); Base Atk +13/+8/+3; Grp +26; Atk +24 melee (2d8+14/19–20/x3, +1 Large greataxe); or +12 ranged (2d6+9, rock); Full Atk +24/+19/+14 melee (2d8+14/19–20/x3, +1 Large greataxe); or +12/+7/+2 ranged (2d6+9, rock); Space/Reach 10 ft. / 10 ft.; SA turn undead 5/day (can’t use this power in current state), rock throwing; SQ cold subtype, darkvision 60 ft., DR 10/good and evil, fast healing 5, rock catching, undead traits, uses Wisdom instead of Constitution for determining extra hit points; AL CG; SV Fort +13, Ref +4, Will +11; Str 29 (+9), Dex 9 (-1), Con --, Int 10 (+1), Wis 16 (+3), Cha 15 (+2).

Skills and Feats: Bluff +4, Climb +13, Concentration +10, Diplomacy +4, Disguise +4, Gather Information +4, Hide -7, Intimidate +4, Jump +13, Knowledge (religion) +5, Perform +4, Spot +9; Brew Potion, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (greataxe), Martial Weapon Proficiency (greataxe), Power Attack, Sunder, Weapon Focus (greataxe).

Cleric Spells Prepared (5/5/4/3; base DC = 13 + spell level): 0th — cure minor wounds, detect magic, guidance, mending, read magic; 1st — bless, comprehend languages, endure elements, Nystul’s magic aura*, shield of faith; 2nd — bull’s strength, detect thoughts*, endurance, silence; 3rd — dispel magic *, invisibility purge, protection from elements.
*Domain spell. Domains: Knowledge (all Knowledge skills are class skills), Magic (use scrolls, wands and the like as a 2nd-level wizard).

Possessions: +1 Large-sized greataxe, chain shirt, boots of speed, circlet of persuasion, brooch of shielding, and platinum bracers (5,000 gp).

 

[Angel Tarragon]

KF, I am looking for some info, maybe you can help me out.

 

[Knightfall]

Placeholder for more names...

Storm Peninsula
Still to be written.

Coastal Territories
Still to be written.

General Names
Still to be written.

 

[Knightfall]

[Storm Peninsula (cont.)]

Eversinki Suzerainty
Still to be written.

Male Names
Aldo, Aleixo, Baldassario, Biaiardo, Bartolomeu, Cibrán, Corradeo, Demarco, Enrikos, Este, Ettore, Flavio, Fortino, Geovanni, Gregorio, Gualtiero, Iago, Ignazio, Innocenzio, Joaquim, Kajetan, Lazaro, Masaccio, Matheus, Maximiliano, Montel, Nario, Niccolo, Olegário, Orsino, Renato, Uso, Valente, Vincenzio, Xabier, Xosé, Zeferino.

Female Names
Antía, Battista, Beatricia, Bellissa, Benedetta, Benigna, Bianka, Blanche, Cannelita, Cinzia, Concetta, Crista, Dahna, Daniela, Dores, Emilia, Fatima, Fiammetta, Florenza, Fulvia, Gavriella, Geovana, Giordana, Helena, Iniga, Isabela, Jovita, Lía, Maddelena, Marquesa, Maurizia, Mercede, Nathália, Nicci, Ottavia, Palmira, Uxía, Verona, Volante, Xoana, Zara.

Surnames
[Reference Page: http://www.italyworldclub.com/genealogy/surnames/index.html]

When it is necessary to distinguish individuals with the same Eversinki name, most often the name of the father is added – Giovanni son of Valente, which is shortened to Giovanni di Valente or Giovanni Valenti. In the place of the father's name, especially if the community does not know the father since the individual comes from another place, a toponymic surname can be used, as in Giovanni Velarese or di Rulano, or the job, as Mastro Giovanni.

There is a great variety of surnames throughout the Coastal Territories because of different dialects; variations such as Valento/Valenti (singular and plural), and the presence of derivatives consisting of a final suffix, "smaller" as in surnames ending in -ello, -etto, -ino; "bigger" (-one) or "bad" (- accio, - azzo). The following are the main classes of surnames:

1. Patronymics – The widest category identified a person by his connection with another person, usually his father, more rarely his mother: the father's name with "son" immediately after it in Common (“English”), or "van", "von" "di" "de" in other Harqual languages, example: Di Geovanni, Liamson; most of these Eversinki (“Italian”) surnames end in -o (masculine name) or in -i derived from a Onan (“Latin”) masculine genitive (example: Biaiardi means "of Biaiardo"). The same origin appears in the preposition "de" or "di" as in De Lazaro, D'Aldo, Di Flavio. In case of a double name it is possible that the second identifies the grandfather, as in Coloeanni meaning son of Niccolo (Colo), grandson of Geovanni (Eanni).

2. Toponymics – To identify where a person or family lives or comes from, example Faldarese, Halloway, Helenson, Montagna, and Tallawani.

Local area: the surname is associated to a place well known to the community, as for example Fontana, Della Valle, La Porta, and Montagna (from the fountain, the valley, the door, mountain).

Geographical origin: this is applied as a consequence of the migrations of people; the place has to be known to the community that applies the toponymic, therefore if the individual comes from near villages, the name of the village is used; if he comes from a more remote city, region or country, a more general name is used, like Tallawani, di Valora, Solitano, Shaulo, Jalmurese, and Orgnarese.

3. Occupational names – The job, especially an artisan's job in a small village, is possibly held by only one person or family, so that the profession is added to the Eversinki name, example Fabbri, Carpenter, and Smith. The activity is often also shown with a typical object or animal connected to the profession, as Farina or Forni for a baker, Zappa for a farmer, Tenaglia or Martelli for a carpenter or smith.

4. Nicknames – Some features of the personality or appearance, at times ironical, identifies an individual and his descendants, example Piccoli, Short, Selvaggi, Savage. The nickname is often associated to the color or form of the hair (some of the most common surnames have this origin) as in Rossi, Morelli, Ricci, size, like Corti, Grossi, Testa; more creatively, the (often ironical) nickname is made with a verb and an object indicating an action typical of the individual as in Pappalardo (that who eats lard). Other surnames may have come from moral features, as Selvaggio or Allegretti. Names of animals could serve to the same purpose, so there is Mosca (someone small or annoying), Cavallo (someone big, noisy or with large front teeth), Gatto, Grillo, Lepore, and Volpe. Finally a nickname may have come from some feature in the coats-of-arm of the family, like De Argento, Mazzei, D'Arco.

5. Surnames of Foundlings – This kind of surnames is chosen by religious institutions; they vary according to places and traditions, so that we have Esposito in Valora, Proietti in Eversink, Trovato in Tallawan, Casadio in Dragonhold.

DM’s Note: *While the names Eversinki are based on Ervenik, it isn’t the dominant language of all the lands of the Coastal Territories. It is, however, a strong regional language and influences cities as far away as Anthmoor and Dragonhold. Eversinki is the dominant language of the Eversink Suzerainty and the City of Storms, Tallawan. It was also a dominant language in what is now Caer Valora (ruined). As the years pass, the language has migrated down the shoreline of the Storm Peninsula, and most scholars believe it will become the dominant language of the Storm Domain in less than 100 years. The language doesn’t exist, in the east, much past the Kingdom of Izmer and it is considered a foreign language there.