Malvoisin
First Post
Cast of Characters
Bran: Surly barkeep at The Drunken Morkoth Inn. Don't try to pass off any counterfeit coins on him!
Gretchyn Tashykk: An elderly halfling woman, she is the kindly headmistress of the Lantern Street Orphanage.
Jenya Urikas: Acting high priestess of the temple of St. Cuthbert. She commissions the heroes to locate four kidnapped orphans, and bring those responsible to justice.
Keygan Ghelve: Cauldron's premier locksmith, this well-heeled gnome is the proprietor of Ghelve's Locks. It has been revealed that he was coerced by a band of strange Underdark dwellers into aiding them with a strange kidnapping scheme. He provided the villains with skeleton keys for most of the city's locks, in exchange for the safety of himself and Starbrow, his rat familiar.
Nilas, Hylum, & Kerlen: Cauldron town guardsmen hired by the Last Laugh to rough up Ruphus Laro, in an effort to interfere with the church's investigation into the missing orphans. It didn't work out too well, as the party's intervention left Hylum dead, and Kerlen critically wounded. The two survivors are now in the custody of the town watch.
Patch: One-eyed half-orc janitor of the Lantern Street Orphanage. After some suspicious behavior, he reveals that he was paid by a member of the Last Laugh to keep an eye on one of the kidnapped children.
Pilok Minuta: Proprietor of Minuta's Board, a low-rent inn and flophouse. He lets Remen and Dowlee stay there in exchange for providing security and a few odd jobs.
Rowena Zhosan: Proprietress of the Drunken Morkoth Inn, Cauldron's most popular destination for traveling merchants and adventurers.
Ruphus Laro: An initiate of the temple of St. Cuthbert. Saved by the heroes from a beating at the hands of some corrupt town guards in the employ of the Last Laugh.
Tyro Amberhelm: A well-to-do dwarven merchant from Sasserine, he is staying at the Drunken Morkoth.
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Reference
[sblock]The divination riddle regarding the missing orpahans:
A map of Jzadirune, courtesy of Keygan Ghelve:
A diagram of the perilous Gear Doors of Jzadirune, and a sample key with which they may be safely opened.
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General Information - The Greyhawk Calendar [sblock]
Standard week:
Day Activity
Starday work
Sunday work
Moonday work
Godsday worship
Waterday work
Earthday work
Freeday rest
Common Calendar:
Each month is 28 days long, each festival is 7 days long.
Month/festival Season
-Needfest midwinter
Fireseek winter
Readying spring
Coldeven spring
-Growfest
Planting low summer
Flocktime low summer
Wealsun low summer
-Richfest midsummer
Reaping high summer
Goodmonth high summer
Harvester high summer
- Brewfest
Patchwall autumn
Ready’reat autumn
Sunsebb winter
A year is 364 days long.
Two moons:
• Luna, large, pale, cycles in 28 days
• Celene, small, aquamarine, cycles in 91 days[/sblock]
Cauldron - Current Affairs, History, Common Knowledge[sblock]
Built inside the mouth of a dormant volcano, the town Cauldron is aptly named. The town's buildings, tightly packed and built from volcanic rock and wood, line the inner bowl of the volcano. Cobblestone roads form concentric circles around a small lake of cold water, which fills the volcano's basin. Although the town's sewage seeps into the lake, local clerics routinely purify the water for the citizens of the city in exchange for a sizable charitable donation to each of their temples from the Lord Mayor, Orbius Vhalantru.
A 50-foot-tall fortified wall of black malachite encircles the city, tracing the outer rim of the volcano. Four roads descend the outer walls of the volcano, becoming major thoroughfares that lead to the other towns and distant sites. The districts nearer to the rim of the city tend to be occupied by the upper class families and elite merchants. The closer one gets to the center of town (and the closer to the pungent odors of the central lake), the shoddier the construction and the more dangerous the back alleys.
Most people get around Cauldron on foot, although the town has its share of wagons and carriages, most of the owned by the merchants and nobles.
The hot days of summer have rolled into autumn, and with its passing overcast days that allow brief flashes of sunshine before unleashing a drizzling rain have become the norm. Also the air has begun to have a chill in it as the nights grow longer, and many in the town grumble and speak of the bad omens this chill wind brings.
Over 600 years ago, the towns of Redgorge and Cauldron were founded by Surabar Spellmason, a great wizard from Sasserine. Numerous profitable mines attracted prospectors and adventurers to the area.
The rim of the extinct volcano acts as a natural defense against the local monsters. This, along with the discovery of underground complexes below the city, favored Cauldron’s growth over the centuries.
Several decades ago, rainy winters resulted in massive flood damage to the lower reaches of Cauldron. As the local churches have successfully dealt with this annual problem, The Flood Festival is founded.
Seven years ago, a plague of filth fever struck Cauldron. Several hundred people die before the plague is brought under control.
Cauldron’s Concentric Streets
Obsidian Avenue (outer most)
Magma Avenue
Lava Avenue
Ash Avenue (inner most)
Crater Lake - lies at the center of the city[/sblock]
Places of Interest in Cauldron[sblock]
Temples
Cathedral of Wee Jas
• Obsidian Ave southeast
• impressive tower, one of the most beautiful in Cauldron
• responsible for dealing with unclaimed dead, and maintaining catacombs
• maintained by a large staff of about 25
Church of St. Cuthbert:
The two-story Church of St. Cuthbert, its white marble walls suffused with veins of vivid blue, stands in stark contrast to the buildings of bare black stone that flank it on the north end of Obsidian Avenue. A pair of white marble statues depicting armored warriors stands on either side of the temple's heavy oaken door. Each of the statues raises a great mace to the sky. Above the door's marble architrave are boldly inscribed the following words: "WITHIN LAW LIVES HOPE." Since the church's high priest, Sarcem Delasharn, is on an extended visit to the port city of Sasserine, the day-to-day tasks of tending to the church have fallen to a cleric named Jenya Urikas.
Shrine of Pelor
• Magma Ave south
• simple yellow tower, 60 feet tall
• maintained by a solitary cleric
Temple of Lordly Might (Kord)
• Obsidian Ave southwest
• simple stone two-story church; lower floor is mostly a large open air arena
• many statues depicting creatures in competition
• sponsor sporting events throughout the year
• maintained by a large sized staff
Meeting Places
Coy Nixie: High-class tavern and dancehall.
Cusp of Sunrise:High-society club; membership by invitation only.
Drunken Morkoth Inn:Caters to traveling merchants and adventurers.
Minuta’s Board: Low cost inn and flophouse.
Tipped Tankard Tavern: Best food and drinks for common folk.
Shops
Garthun Imports: Specializes in alcohol, tobacco, gourmet sweets and seafood.
Gurnezarn’s Smithy: Regarded as the finest smith in town; independent of the Lathenmire family.
Lathenmire Smithies (four locations): Association of blacksmiths, weaponsmiths and armorsmiths; under the control of the Lathenmire family; near monopoly of arms and armor in Cauldron.
Maavu Imports: Specializes in rare and unusual books.
Skie’s Treasury: Buys and sells magic items.
Sure Foot Livery: The only livery in town.
Tygot’s Old Things: Well-stocked antiquity shop; frequently buys old documents and art objects.
Weer’s Elixirs: Alchemical items and potions.
Westkey’s Map Emporium: Good selection of regional, local, building and treasure maps.
Zanathor’s Provisions: General store with reasonable prices.
Other Points of Interest
Bluecrater Academy: One of the tallest buildings in Cauldron; where most youth go to learn a trade; upper floors consist of libraries and research offices; maintains registry of tutors, including arcane casters.
Lakeside Pavilion:
Town Guard Barracks: The guard hires mercenaries; offers martial training; houses an underground prison.
Town Hall: Land, property and historical archives are kept here; maintains registry of legal advocates; money changing services for Cauldron citizens, including bars of precious metal for large denominations.[/sblock]
Cauldron and its Environs[sblock]
Cauldron (small city)
• Population: 7,500 adults
• Authority figures: Lord Mayor Severen Navalant (male human); the Mayor’s office has been held by the Navalant family for 200 years; Severen is well liked by the populace
• Mixed population, with significant halfling and gnome communities, although all races are present
• Town emblem: a watchful eye wreathed in flames
Hollowsky (village)
• Population: 460 adults
• Economy: brewing, plantation farming
• East of Cauldron
Kingfisher Hollow (large town)
• Populaiton: 2,100 adults
• Economy: plantation farming, exotic wood
• Northeast of Cauldron
Redgorge (village)
• Population: 600 adults
• Economy: farming and mining
• South of Cauldron
Sasserine (large city)
• Population: 22,000 adults
• Coastal city on Jeklea Bay
• north of Cauldron, 2-3 days travel
Other Sites of Interest
Demonskar– Deep in the jungle there is a crater where a great city once stood. It is reported to be infested by demons to this day,
Haunted Village – This is a ruined settlement in the foothills south of Cauldron. It is rumored to be haunted by powerful undead.
Jarl Khurok’s Keep – Years ago, a powerful frost giant, Jarl Khurok, united all of the ogre and giant tribes in the region far southeast of Cauldron. A band of adventurers assassinated him; no one knows what lurks in the abandoned keep.
Lair of Hookface – Somewhere to the far north of Cauldron lays the lair of a great dragon. He has not stirred in about a century, and everyone is happy with leaving the place alone.
Lucky Monkey – This is a roadhouse on the way to Sasserine. It has a chapel to Fharlanghn, which is occasionally visited by a wandering cleric. It lies to the northwest of Cauldron.[/sblock]
MAP KEY
1. North Gate
2. East Gate
3. South Gate
4. West Gate
5. Church of St. Cuthbert
6. Drunken Morkoth Inn
7. Minuta's Board
8. Arak's Residence
9. Lantern Street Orphange
10. Town Hall
11. Ghelve's Locks
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