Althai [4e Campaign Setting]

[Camelot]

Hello, internet. I've been working on this world, called Althai, ever since I began playing D&D about a year ago and began a 4e campaign with my friends set in this world. I decided that in order to flesh it out more, I would post a thread here in which I would describe the entire world, starting from my favorite town, Fannen-Dar. I will post information about places, plots, and people here, and anyone is welcome to use this as inspiration for your own games, stories, etc.

Althai is based on the points of light setting, it being the first one I read about. It contains anything ever printed in past and future official 4e D&D books, from aboleths to zombies. Most details about the world are vague as of now, but I hope this thread will help me solidify my world for future use in campaigns while keeping it versatile to suit any sort of adventure for any sort of players and DMs.

Tomorrow, I will begin with a description of the perfect place to start an Althai campaign: the Dragon's Den Inn and Tavern, in the trading town of Fannen-Dar.

 

[Camelot]

The Dragon's Den Inn

The Dragon’s Den Inn is the perfect place to start a campaign in the world of Althai. It’s an inn and a tavern, with reasonable prices for reasonable services, so it’s frequented by many travelers, merchants, and of course, adventurers. You can always see a few jolly men or dwarves at the bar drinking apple cider (the tavern’s specialty), and at the same time, a couple of shady characters whispering in the back booth.

This is the prime location for hearing about rumors, as the owner and bartender, an old man named Ren Strithaw, loves to gossip about the latest rumors he’s heard from patrons. In addition, the secrets that aren’t told to this chatty man may be overheard by the shy half-elf broom boy, Nedd Lightheart. If you’re looking for a stereotypical yet blissfully simple adventure to kick of your campaign, Ren is looking for some tough adventurers to exterminate the rat infestation in his basement. However, he doesn’t know the half of what’s living beneath his own inn!

The Dragon's Den Inn makes an ideal base for PCs in an Althai campaign. Ren is a generous man, and if the PCs prove themselves useful to the town, they may find that they've gotten some free nights in the inn and some free meals. However, before that, the PCs must pay the cost like everyone else. A common meal is 2 sp, but a large feast for a large group of travelers is 5 gp. The rooms each have two beds and a nightstand in between, with a window above. They are rather well kept, and only 5 sp for one night.

If the PCs are new to Fannen-Dar, they can find out about the Dragon’s Den Inn with a Streetwise check.

Streetwise DC 5: If the PCs inquire about a good inn, they will immediately be pointed to the Dragon’s Den Inn, as it is well known in the town. They can probably learn the prices of food, drink, and a night's stay with this check.
Streetwise DC 10: If the PCs don’t already know, they learn that the owner is an old gossipy man named Ren Strithaw.
Streetwise DC 15: The PCs hear a rumor about rats in the inn’s basement, which could be devastating for the inn’s business. In addition, they learn of the half-elf broom boy, Nedd Lightheart, and how he rarely talks to patrons.

Here’s a map of the inn’s tavern. The walls are marked by Xs, the doors are labeled as Ds, the strip of Cs to the left is the counter over which sweet apple cider is served, and the tables and chairs are off to the right, marked as Ts and cs. The door at the bottom leads out to the town square, and the door at the top leads into a small room from which the basement can be accessed through a trapdoor.

X.X.D.X.X.X.X.X.X.X
X. . . . . . .c.c.X
X. . . . . . .T.T.X
X. . .C.c. . .c.c.X
X. . .C.c. . .c.c.X
X. . .C.c. . .T.T.X
X. . .C.c. . .c.c.X
X. . .C.c. . .c.c.X
X. . .C.c. . .T.T.X
X. . .C.c. . .c.c.X
X. . .C.c. . . . .X
X.X.X.X.X.X.D.X.X.X

Tomorrow, I’ll post more details about Ren Strithaw, including how to roleplay the old innkeeper and some stats should he be needed in battle.

 

[Camelot]

Ren Strithaw is an old human male, owner and bartender at the Dragon’s Den Inn and Tavern. He’s exactly 59 years, 11 months, and 29 days old as of tomorrow, as he likes to brag to his patrons. This old chatterbox will gladly spill your secrets should you be foolish enough to spill them to him, but not out of maliciousness; rather, the old geezer just wants to have something to talk about out of loneliness. However, he is capable of keeping some secrets. He knows about a rat infestation in his basement, but he doesn’t want the word to get out lest customers stop dropping in. He’s looking for some hearty adventurers to rid the rats from his basement for him, and he’s willing to pay in gold for their services.

As the bartender, Ren has a lot to do during the day. As an old man, he can only go so long without wearing out. The tavern opens at 6 in the morning and closes at 10 at night, a long day for one as old as Ren. During the busiest hours, he generally leaves the bar to the broom boy, Nedd, who isn’t as skilled and nowhere near as chatty as Ren. The inn is open at all times for wayward travelers should they decide to pop in at odd hours. Wake him up at night and you’ll be greeted by the old man in his nightcap and nightgown, holding a lantern with a low burning candle to see who’s bothering him at this hour.

Ren speaks Common, Elven, Dwarven, and Draconic, so not much gets past him. Common is his native language, however, and when he speaks anything else, his accent is so thick that you sometimes can’t tell what he’s trying to say. Even in common, he speaks strangely. He drops letters off words occasionally, having trouble with many consonants in a row. In addition, he ends every question with “eh?” He finds many things funny, and his laugh his high pitched and wheezing, but not unpleasant; in fact, it is rather contagious.

If the Dragon’s Den Inn were ever threatened, Ren would defend it to the end using the club he keeps behind the bar for dire straits. Unfortunately, he’s not much of a fighter, and would likely be knocked out in a single hit. If you need Ren in a fight, use these simple stats.

Ren Strithaw, Level 1 Minion Brute (Leader)
Medium natural humanoid (human), XP 25


Initiative +1, Senses Perception +0
Encouragement aura 5; Allies within the aura gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls.
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 13; Fortitude 12, Reflex 13, Will 16
Speed 6


M Club (Standard; at-will) * Weapon
+3 vs. AC; 4 damage.


Courage with Friends
Ren Strithaw gains a +2 bonus to defenses while at least two allies are within 5 squares of him.


Alignment Good, Languages Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven
Skills History +6, Streetwise +9
Str 10 (+0) Dex 10 (+0) Wis 10 (+0)
Con 8 (-1) Int 12 (+1) Cha 18 (+4)

Equipment clothing, club

Next up is a description of the inn’s rat infested basement and a sample encounter.

 

[Camelot]

The basement is a necessary place for the Dragon’s Den Inn; jarred food and replacement bedding are stored here, as well as other commodities that are necessary for the inn’s business. However, the basement also contains some vermin that need to be exterminated.


Ren is not willing to admit it at first, but there is a rat infestation in his basement. You can drop this hook to your players if you don’t mind being extremely stereotypical and predictable. Ren might approach the PCs if he thinks they look like a tough bunch. Alternatively, the PCs may have heard a rumor about the rats and inquired to Ren about it, upon which he shushed them, brought them into the broom closet (which has the trapdoor to the basement in it) and ask them how they found out, since he thought he had kept it a secret. Ren really doesn’t want word of this getting out, because it could be bad business for the inn. He wants the PCs to get rid of those rats, and will pay a good price in gold for it, in addition to a free meal or room.

Here’s a map of the basement and a sample encounter if you choose to drop this hook.

Combat Encounter Level 1 (500 XP)

Setup
3 dire rats (MM 219)
8 giant rats (MM 219)

The PCs descend into the basement to exterminate the rats. The walls are shelved with jars of dried fruits and other foodstuffs. In the center of the room are rows of crates and barrels containing supplies. They hear scuttling of claws on the wooden floor. The room is dimly lit from light coming in through cracks in the ceiling from the inn’s tavern above. Before the PCs have even got all the way down the stairs, they are attacked by giant rats!

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X
X. . . . . . . . .X
X. . . . . . . . .X
X. . .C. . .C. . .X
X. . .C. . .C. . .X
X. . .C. . .C. . .X
X. . .C. . .C. . .X
X. . .C. . .C. . .X
X. . .C. . .C. . .X
X. . . . . . . .S.X
X. . . . . . . .S.X
X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

Features of the Area
Illumination: Dim light.
Stairs (S): The stairs are difficult terrain, but there is not railing, so characters on the bottom step are subject to attacks from the rats.
Crates (C): The two rows of crates and barrels in the middle are stacked about 5 feet high. They’re not even high enough to hurt yourself falling off them. They provide cover, but they can be climbed with a DC 10 Athletics check.
Jars on the Walls: The PCs have to be careful not to break anything on the walls, or Ren won’t be happy with them. If a PC uses a melee attack while adjacent to a wall and misses by 5 or more, uses a ranged at a target adjacent to a wall and misses by 5 or more, or uses a burst or blast that affects the wall, they break a few of the containers, spilling its contents onto the dirty wooden floor. When he finds out, Ren will make the PCs pay the silver pieces that those jars and their contents cost, out of necessity to his business. This detail can be ignored, but include it if you want to make your players more cautious to make the battle seem more precarious and exciting.
Treasure: Rats are scavengers, and enjoy picking up shiny things. With a DC 15 Perception check (10 if they have a light source), the PCs might find a few coins or gems that the rats have collected on their nightly hunts.

Tactics
The dire rats fight until they are bloodied, when they flee. The giant rats fight until half of their number has been slain. They are devoid of tactics besides go to the nearest enemy and continue attacking it until it is dead. To get to the nearest enemy, they will take the path of least resistance, which could include climbing over the crates with their climb speed. Also, they can easily reach PCs who think they can outsmart the rats by climbing onto the crates and attacking from there.

Alterations
For groups with less than 5 PCs, take out 4 giant rats or 1 dire rat for each PC below 5. For groups with more than 5 PCs, add in 4 giant rats or 1 dire rat for each PC above 5.

When the rats flee, they flee to the loose floorboards in the back corner of the basement. This could be what gets the PCs to notice the loose boards, and discover the secret tunnels!

Tomorrow, we’ll go deeper into the bowels of the earth under the Dragon’s Den. I’ll describe the secret tunnels under the inn’s basement, including some story hooks, a few sample encounters, and possible monsters and terrain features to include if you want to design your own encounters, including a new monster!

 

[Camelot]

The Secret Tunnels

Finally, we’re starting to stray from the overused tavern basement to the overused underground dungeon. But hey, it’s Dungeons and Dragons, right? So here’s what you need to know about the secret tunnels under the Dragon’s Den Inn.

In the back corner of the inn’s basement, some of the floorboards are loose. A PC can notice this with a DC 20 Perception check (DC 15 with a source of bright light). When moved, the boards reveal a secret tunnel dug into the ground. All sorts of vermin and monsters live down here, and you can use this as a good place to give your PCs some XP from monster-slaying.

Where did these tunnels come from? When Fannen-Dar was first founded (the history of Fannen-Dar will be explained eventually, when it becomes important), dwarves dug many tunnels under the earth. Centuries later, the tunnels have been all but forgotten by most people. Now, only vermin and the occasional hideaway thief live down there. Cave-ins and monsters have changed the layout of the tunnels from what they once were. The Dragon’s Den Inn’s basement was built long ago, when these tunnels were still known, and the hole in the basement was known by the owner. However, as time wore on and the inn was renovated, the tunnel was covered up and forgot about. This particular tunnel was blocked off by a large cave-in, making the entrance in the Dragon’s Den Inn the only way to access this part of the tunnels.

You can include the tunnels in your campaign by using one of the following hooks or making up your own.

Ren rediscovered the tunnels a while back, having owned the inn for most of his life. He left them alone, not wanting to disturb whatever beasts live in there. However, a young tiefling recently came in the dead of night to the inn seeking shelter from a gang that was pursuing him. Out of the kindness of his heart, Ren let him hide in the inn, allowing him to use the secret tunnels as the perfect hiding spot. Sure enough, more tieflings came to the inn shortly after, ransacked the place, and left without finding what they were looking for. The young tiefling, whose name was Akmen, thanked Ren but asked if he could come back when he needed to hide again. Ren allowed him to, and kept the tiefling a secret. However, he had no idea that the tiefling had a secret agenda concerning the tunnels underneath the inn. He let some of his questionable friends in to the basement, put the giant and dire rats there to guard the entrance to the tunnel should Ren try to find out what’s going on, and got to work with his plan. The PCs can find out something fishy is going on when they are unexpectedly brought in to kill the rats, and the tieflings stalk the PCs later to make sure they don’t know anything. If you don’t want to spend time making low level tiefling NPCs, you could have them be humans, halflings, or another intelligent race instead.

Another idea is that while Ren doesn’t know about the tunnels, someone who knows more about the history of Fannen-Dar might. This person could have made a deal with some kobolds living in the nearby Clover Woods. In exchange for a share of the treasure the kobolds plunder from travelling merchants outside the city, this person showed them an entrance to the underground tunnels that, once excavated, would lead them into the heart of the city, so they would be free to plunder in the darkness of night when no one is expecting it. The kobolds dug through to the tunnels underneath the Dragon’s Den Inn, and use it as their entrance to the town so they can steal stuff at night. Of course, excavating these tunnels also lead to other critters being able to get into the inn’s basement, explaining the rats. If the PCs don’t discover the secret tunnels when they kill the rats, a mysterious traveler could approach them. This traveler tells the PCs that kobolds are living under the Dragon’s Den Inn, and must be exterminated. In actuality, the mysterious traveler is the one who made the deal with the kobolds in the first place, but when the kobolds double-crossed him, he decided to get his revenge by revealing their new hideout.

If you like both these ideas or have your own idea but they don’t mesh with each other, no problem. The Dragon’s Den Inn probably isn’t the only place where the underground tunnels meet fresh air. The kobolds could be popping right out into the middle of the town square through the well, which connects to an underground river that runs through the tunnels.

Here are a few sample encounters to use when your players delve into the secret tunnels.

Combat Encounter Level 1 (500 XP)

Setup
2 fire beetles (MM 30)
1 rockslide (DMG 87)
2 stirge (MM 248)

The tunnels open up occasionally into caverns as they go deeper into the earth. Vermin inhabit these caverns, scavenging for prey. They would be delighted for fresh meat to wander into their lair. Since these areas haven’t been excavated by intelligent beings, the walls are rough and round, without any pattern. Use diagonal walls instead of sharp corners when designing your own maps; I find it makes it seem a lot more like a natural dungeon. It also allows combatants to move diagonally where a corner would normally stop them from moving.

. . . . .X. .X. . . . . .
. . . . .X. .X.X. . . . .
. . . .X.X. . .X. . . . .
. . . .X. . . .X.X.X. . .
.X.X.X.X. . . . . .X.X.X.
.X. . . . . . . . . . .X.
.X. . . . .X.X. . . . .X.
.X. . . . . . . . . .X.X.
.X.X.X.X. . . . .X.X.X. .
. . . .X. . . .X.X. . . .
. . . .X.X.X. .X. . . . .
. . . . . .X. .X. . . . .
. . . . . .X. .X. . . . .

Features of the Area
Illumination: Darkness. The fire beetles glow with bright light in a 5 square radius around them.
Pillar of Stone (X): Stalactites come down from the ceiling, and one particularly large one in the center of the room has grown so big that it touches the ground and prevents anyone from moving or firing through those squares.

Tactics
The beetles move in to attack the front line PCs, using the small space in the room to catch two or more PCs in their fire spray blast. The stirges hide in the darkness until they can catch a PC without much armor on them to bite. The rockslide can activate either after a certain amount of time that you plan ahead for, or when you think the pillar in the center of the room is disturbed enough to cause the stalactites on the ceiling to plunge down towards the battle below.

Alterations
For groups with less than 5 PCs, take out a stirge or a fire beetle for each PC below 5. For groups with more than 5 PCs, add in a stirge for each PC above 5.

Combat Encounter Level 2 (625 XP)

Setup
1 Kobold Dragonshield (MM 168)
4 Kobold Minions (MM 167)
2 Kobold Pikers (Dragon 364)
1 Kobold Wyrmpriest (MM 168)

This encounter is for if you want intelligent beings in the tunnels, or if you just like kobolds. The walls in this encounter are smoother and have sharper corners, having been excavated by the kobolds now living here. They worship the evil dragon goddess, Tiamat, in this room, and the worshipping is facilitated by the wyrmpriest. When their worship is interrupted, they follow their god’s command and attack, aiming to kill.

.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.
.X. .S.S.p.p.S.S. .X.
.X. .p.p.p.p.p.p. .X.
.X. .B.p.p.p.p.B. .X.
.X. . . . . . . . .X.
.X. . . . . . . . .X.
.X. . . . . . . . .X.
.X. . . . . . . . .X.
.X. . . . . . . . .X.
.X.X.X.X. . .X.X.X.X.
. . . .X. . .X. . . .

Features of the Area
Illumination: Kobolds don’t usually need any light to see, but for their worship, they have two large bowls filled with wood and lit on fire on the corners of the platform, lighting the room with bright light.
Bowls of Fire (B): The bowls are difficult terrain, but you don’t want to move into them anyway. If a combatant moves into or starts its turn in the same square as the bowl, it takes 2d6 + 3 fire damage. The bowls could also be pushed off the platform with a DC 10 Strength check.
Stairs (S): The stairs are hewn into the stone platform, and are difficult terrain, going up and down. To get to the platform, you must be on the top square of the stairs, and from there you cannot move to the square backwards and diagonally down.
Platform (P): The platform has been cut from solid rock, and is 10 feet high. Climbing up requires a DC 20 Athletics check, and you can only climb at half your speed. It’s probably easier to use the stairs.
Treasure: The wyrmpriest could be wearing some expensive jewelry that could be sold for a bit of gold. The kobolds could also simply be carrying gold and silver pieces with them, or be storing it in an adjacent room.

Tactics
The pikers move forward to engage the PCs, readying actions to deal more damage. They try to push the players back at any chance they get while still not letting them pass. The dragonshield helps by marking any PC that sneaks past the pikers. The minions shift around behind the PCs to flank with the pikers. All the meanwhile, the wyrmpriest controls the battlefield from the platform, blasting any PC who comes close with his dragon breath. The wyrmpriest uses incite faith when a piker first becomes bloodied.

Alterations
For groups with less than 5 PCs, take out the dragonshield or a piker for each PC below 5. For groups with more than 5 PCs, add in a dragonshield or a spear gauntlet (DMG 87) for each PC above 5.

These are just some ideas that I came up with, but of course you’ll want to add in a lot of other stuff yourself. The caverns can be easy for level 1 heroes, or a challenge for higher levels. Here are some examples of monsters that could be found in these tunnels, but feel free to customize it however you choose.

Ankhegs (MM2 11)
Ants (MM2 12 – 13)
Beetles (MM 30)
Centipedes (MM2 33)
Drakes (MM 90 – 92)
Fell Taints (MM2 104 – 105)
Goblins (MM 135 – 141)
Halflings (MM 152 – 153)
Humans (MM 162 – 163, FRCG 31)
Kobolds (MM 167 – 169, D 224 – 227, Dragon 364)
Kruthiks (MM 170 – 171)
Ooze (MM 202, MM2 172 – 173)
Rats (MM 219)
Scorpions (MM 229)
Skeletons (MM 234 – 235)
Stirges (MM 248)
Zombies (MM 274 – 275)

Finally, I’ll leave you with a monster I created myself, though it has probably been dreamed of many times: the two-headed rat!

Two-Headed Rat, Level 1 Elite Brute
Medium natural beast, XP 200

Initiative +2, Senses Perception +0; low-light vision
HP 76; Bloodied 38
AC 17; Fortitude 17, Reflex 15, Will 11
Immune filth fever
Saving Throws +2
Speed 6, climb 3
Action Points 1

M Bite (Standard; at-will) * Disease
+4 vs. AC; 1d6 + 2 damage, and the target contracts filth fever.

m Double Bite (Standard; at-will) * Disease
The two-headed rat makes two bite attacks against any two targets within its reach. It can attack the same target twice.

m Goring Bite (Standard; encounter) * Disease
+4 vs. Fortitude; 2d6 + 2 damage, and the target contracts filth fever.

Alignment Unaligned, Languages -
Skills Intimidate +3, Stealth +7
Str 14 (+2), Dex 15 (+2), Wis 10 (+0)
Con 18 (+4), Int 3 (-4), Cha 6 (-2)

Nature DC 5: Occasionally, dire rats are born with two heads. These two-headed rats are much more vicious and bloodthirsty than their single-headed counterparts, so are even more dangerous to adventurers.

Nature DC 10: Two-headed rats can fight twice as hard as dire rats. They are able to bite with both heads at the same time. They usually start with a huge goring bite from one of the heads and continue gnawing at the victim until it has been devoured. If you are lucky enough to escape from an encounter with a two-headed rat, you still have to worry about the disease you probably now have.

Nature DC 15: Rats are sacred to Torog, the King That Crawls. Their presence signifies plague, decay, and collapse in decadent cities.

The last part of the Dragon’s Den Inn is the unsung Nedd Lightheart, the young half-elf broom boy. It will include full stats for this charming NPC (a half-elf bard!), background information, and plot hooks to use in your Althai campaign!

 

[Camelot]

Nedd Lightheart

Ren is not the only person who works at the Dragon’s Den Inn. He has a helper, a half-elf named Nedd Lightheart, who does most of the cleaning. He keeps quiet and doesn’t talk to the patrons unless talked to, and then only as much as necessary. If you gain his trust, though, you will find out that there’s a lot more to the kid than meets the eyes.

Nedd is seventeen years old, and spends almost all of his time sweeping and cleaning up at the Dragon’s Den Inn. When he speaks, he speaks clearly, but his voice is just barely audible. He is clearly uncomfortable in social situations, and prefers to do his duties as efficiently as possible. However, when talked to, he is never rude and will always answer (though the answer is short), unless the question is about his personal life, which he prefers to keep secret. He does have one quirk that prompts him to initiate a conversation, however. Whenever he meets a male elf who looks to be somewhere from forty to fifty years old, he will ask for his name. Once the name is given, Nedd will usually look disappointed and return to his normal shy behavior.

Nedd does this because he is looking for his father, an elf named Heronius. His father left him and his family when Nedd was only eight, and he hasn’t heard from him in ten years. Nedd now lives near the poorer part of Fannen-Dar, the southeast quadrant, with his human mother and two younger half-elf siblings. Nedd is the only one able to make an income for his family, as his mother, Jilian, is ill and his siblings, a sister of thirteen and a brother of eleven, are too young to work. As such, Nedd takes his job at the Dragon’s Den Inn very seriously, arriving early and leaving late, in order to sustain what is left of his family.

Nedd also has the artistic talent of music. He keeps a lyre at home, which he plays for his family when he has the time between his work hours. Recently, Nedd discovered from a conversation with his mother that Heronius, Nedd’s father, was studying arcane magic, though for reasons that he wouldn’t tell even her. Nedd took up to studying magic with the hope that he would learn where his father left to so many years ago, and where he is now. Nedd took his father’s longsword and armor, the only things he left behind, to train in, and has become adept in his combination of magic, music, and swordplay.

Nedd desperately wishes to travel to find his lost father, hoping at the very least to discover his fate, but he can’t leave his family because they then won’t have anyone to sustain them. If he were to come across a fair amount of wealth, he would give it all to his family and be able to join a crew of adventurers in their travels.

You can have Nedd play a number of different roles in your campaign. He might be a simple background character that the PCs never learn more about, or he can be the hook for a decent adventure in which the PCs try to discover where Heronius is. The PCs can find out about Nedd’s goals in a number of ways to launch the adventure. Maybe they accidentally come across him while he’s training, discovering that this introverted broom boy is actually a skilled bard. If one of the PCs is a male half-elf who’s not too old or young, the story could be introduced when Nedd inquires for his name.

To get Nedd to leave his job for a life of adventuring, the PCs will need to acquire a treasure that will sustain his family while Nedd is gone. The DM can include extra treasure that the PCs can give to Nedd to begin the adventure.

As to where Heronius is, that is left up to the DM. If you are planning for another adventure after this one, you can use Heronius, dead or alive, to ease the players into that story. In a later post I’ll detail some possibilities for Heronius’ fate, but for now I’ll leave it up to your imagination!

If you do include Nedd in your campaign as an ally to the PCs, I have made a convenient stat block to use for him. Remember, Nedd is a companion NPC, so he can use his second wind once per encounter. His healing surge value and number of healing surges in one day are included in the stat block next to his hit points. These are to be used if he travels with the PCs through multiple encounters. Feel free to adjust him to fit your ideas and your campaign.

Nedd Lightheart, Level 1 Soldier (Leader)
Medium natural humanoid (half-elf), XP 100

Initiative +1, Senses Perception +7
Group Diplomacy aura 10; Allies within the aura gain a +1 racial bonus to Diplomacy checks.
HP 23; Bloodied 11; HS Value 5; HS per Day 9
AC 18; Fortitude 13, Reflex 14, Will 15
Speed 6

M Longsword (Standard; at-will) * Weapon
+5 vs. AC; 1d8 + 2 damage.

m War Song Strike (Standard; at-will) * Arcane, Weapon
+7 vs. AC; 1d8 + 4 damage, and any ally who hits the target before the end of Nedd Lightheart's next turn gains 2 temporary hit points.

c Majestic Word (Minor; encounter) * Arcane, Healing
Close burst 5; targets Nedd Lightheart or one ally in burst; the target can spend a healing surge and regain 3 additional hit points, and Nedd Lightheart slides the target 1 square. Special: Nedd Lightheart can use this power twice per encounter, but only once per round.

m Inspiring Refrain (Standard; encounter) * Arcane, Weapon
+7 vs. AC; 2d8 + 4 damage, and each ally within 5 squares of Nedd Lightheart gains a +1 power bonus to attack rolls until the end of Nedd Lightheart's next turn.

m Bolstering Strike (Standard; encounter) * Divine, Weapon
+7 vs. AC; 1d8 + 4 damage, and Nedd Lightheart gains 2 temporary hit points.

m Verse of Triumph (Standard; daily) * Arcane, Charm, Weapon
+7 vs. AC; 2d8 + 4 damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, Nedd Lightheart and any ally within 5 squares of him gain a +1 power bonus to damage rolls and saving throws. In addition, whenever Nedd Lightheart or an ally reduces an enemy to 0 hit points with an attack, Nedd Lightheart and any ally within 5 squares of the enemy can shift 1 square as a free action.

Song of Rest
When Nedd Lightheart plays an instrument or sings during a short rest, he and each ally who can hear him are affected by his Song of Rest. When an affected character spends healing surges at the end of the rest, that character regains 3 additional hit points. A character can be affected by only one Song of Rest at a time.

Alignment Good, Languages Common, Elven, Deep Speech
Skills Insight +7
Str 12 (+1), Dex 12 (+1), Wis 14 (+2)
Con 15 (+2), Int 14 (+2), Cha 16 (+3)
Equipment chainmail, light shield, longsword, lyre

Also, you can use the summary I’ve given you as a springboard for your own character. These ideas are free for the taking, tweaking, and playing!

That’s all that I have for the Dragon’s Den Inn, but it’s only an infinitesimally small glimpse at life in Althai, and it’s only a launch pad for you to get ideas of your own. Feel free to make characters of your own creation that frequent the inn. Maybe an old dwarf spends his time here to chat with Ren, gloating about a treasure he had a long time ago that was stolen and hidden deep in the Clover Woods. Maybe a dark hooded traveler sits in the back, searching for a group of foolhardy adventurers to lure into his murky plot. If you have an idea you really like that you think should be in the world of Althai, feel free to post it here! I love seeing new ideas, especially when I inspire them!

In my next post, we’ll leave the comfort of the Dragon’s Den Inn to explore Fannen-Dar’s town square, a bustling market scattered with decorated booths, where sensory overloads of flashy colors, foreign smells, and fantastic tastes await! It’s also a good place for PCs to refresh their stock of mundane items, or find an adventure where they least expect it.

 

[Camelot]

Fannen-Dar Town Square

The Fannen-Dar town square is a fantastic place full of things to buy and barter for. It’s perfect for buying mundane equipment and also ideal to plant story hooks.

Many booths are set up by merchants around the square. You can buy anything that can fit into a handy haversack here. While weapons and armor aren’t going to pop up that much (you’re better looking through the shops around town that specialize in those kinds of things), you will find many trinkets and fascinations that could be of use, and might even be magical.

Of course, you can also buy simple things, like sunrods, torches, jewelry, trail rations, and such. The price is usually average, but with a good Streetwise search or a clever Diplomacy barter, a PC may be able to find or barter for a better deal. To attract customers, merchants use gimmicks that can be heard as they shout them for all to hear. These range from ‘buy one, get one free’ to ‘free basket of endless rations for the first customer to guess the exact number of caramel apples in this glass jar.’ Let your imagination soar as you try to sneak your players a good deal for an item you want them to have, or try to trick them into spending their hard earned cash on a useless fluke.

The centerpiece of the square is a large wishing well dedicated to the goddess Avandra. People frequently drop in copper, silver, and sometimes even gold pieces, hoping their wishes come true. The well leads to an underground river fifty feet down that snakes through the aforementioned secret tunnels under Fannen-Dar, serving as either an entrance or an exit, depending on where you want the PCs to go or come from. If your campaign doesn’t include Avandra as a god, then use another god dedicated to luck, have it be a memorial to the founder of the town, or come up with an interesting idea of your own!

The town square is always bustling with people during daylight hours. This is the prime location, even more so than the Dragon’s Den Inn in some cases, for the PCs to meet someone who will introduce them into their next adventure. No one can come to Fannen-Dar without coming to the town square at least once, so the PCs are likely to find all sorts of weird characters as well as the normal ones hanging around. Some significant characters include the following.

Hans Ellem sets up shop near the Dragon’s Den Inn, the prime spot to attract travelers. He specializes in all sorts of trinkets and small items, many of which may be magical. He gets these trinkets on his travels. He only comes to Fannen-Dar during the spring and summer. Once autumn begins to settle in, he packs up what’s left of his wares and heads off to a different land each time. When he comes back next spring, he has a whole new set of fantastic treasure.

Hans is a large, dark-skinned fellow with a booming voice and a subtle but strange accent. He is very friendly, always addressing others as ‘my friend.’ He especially likes children, who love to come to his shop and play with the fascinating toys he has brought. As long as they return them, he lets them borrow some toys for free. His one odd quirk is his dislike for tieflings. He will only talk to a tiefling when it is absolutely necessary, tieflings always find it harder to barter for lower prices with him, and he never addresses a tiefling as ‘my friend.’ If a character who is not a tiefling confronts him on this issue (with an appropriately hard Diplomacy check), Hans will reveal the following.

“I am sorry, my friend. Do accept my apology for my rudeness. I have never gotten over an incident that occurred when I was a young boy. You see, my friends, I never had a family, but I traveled with a guild of merchants under the leadership of a great man. He was like a father to me, and taught me everything I know and more. We always came to Fannen-Dar in the summer, just like I still do, but we never travelled far from it since we were such a large group. Anyway, my friends, the incident happened when we were coming to Fannen-Dar one spring, a little later in the night than usual, and we were ambushed by thugs. They were tieflings, members of the Dirt Devils, a street gang in Fannen-Dar. They murdered everyone in my guild. I managed to stay alive by hiding in an alley by the road while they burnt our wagons and stole our goods. When it was over, I came out to find that my mentor, my friend, was dead. I have never forgiven them, and now I can’t help but blame every tiefling for his death. This was many, many years ago, but the Dirt Devils have never properly been brought to justice. If they were arrested, or even killed and wiped out, I would finally know my teacher would be at peace.”

You can use this as a hook for an adventure regarding the Dirt Devils, who will be explained in a later post.

Another interesting character is Turulu Toot, an entertainer who spends time in the town square. She is a halfling who wears flamboyantly colored clothing and funny hats, dancing around, singing, and juggling for a living. She speaks in rhymes while entertaining, and is a master of words, always able to come up with a witty phrase or a wily retort.

Unknown to the crowds that gather to watch this loveable character, Turulu is also an expert spy. She knows a lot about the activities of Fannen-Dar’s gangs, due to her curiosity and acrobatic talents. If you want to get information about any gang or other suspicious activity in Fannen-Dar to the characters, Turulu can be the one to get it to them. She might also join the PCs on their adventures for a while. Instead of being a bard like you might think, she actually makes a better rogue, as her acrobatic talents help her with her stealth and her charm contributes to her wily tongue. If you want to use Turulu as an NPC to join the group, you can use this stat block, or make up your own!

Turulu Toot, Level 2 Skirmisher
Small natural humanoid (halfling), XP 125

Initiative +5; see also first strike, Senses Perception +1
HP 30; Bloodied 15; HS Value 7; HS per Day 1
AC 18; Fortitude 14, Reflex 18, Will 15; see also nimble reaction
Saving Throws +5 against fear
Speed 6

First Strike
At the start of an encounter, Turulu Toot has combat advantage against any creatures that have not yet acted in that encounter.

M Dagger (standard; at-will) * Weapon
+7 vs. AC; 1d4 + 2 damage.

R Dagger Thrown (standard; at-will) * Weapon
Ranged 5/10; +10 vs. AC; 1d4 + 5 damage.

m or r Sly Flourish (standard; at-will) * Martial, Weapon
Ranged 5/10; +10 vs. AC; 1d4 + 8 damage.

Second Chance (immediate interrupt; encounter)
Effect: When an attack hits Turulu Toot, force an enemy to roll the attack again. The enemy uses the second roll, even if it's lower.

m Fox's Gambit (standard; encounter) * Martial, Weapon
+10 vs. Reflex; 1d4 + 5 damage, and Turulu Toot negates any marks the target has applied. The target cannot mark any targets until the end of Turulu Toot's next turn. Effect: Turulu Toot shifts 4 squares.

m Handspring Assault (standard; daily) * Martial, Reliable, Weapon
+10 vs. AC; 3d4 + 5 damage, and Turulu Toot can shift 2 squares. Special: When charging, Turulu Toot can use this power in place of a melee basic attack.

Sneak Attack
Once per round, when Turulu Toot has combat advantage against an enemy and hits that enemy with an attack that uses a crossbow, a light blade, or a sling, the attack deals 2d6 extra damage. If Turulu Toot has dealt Sneak Attack damage since the start of her turn, she cannot deal it again until the start of her next turn. Turulu Toot decides whether to apply the extra damage after making the damage roll.

Nimble Reaction
Turulu Toot gains a +2 racial bonus to AC against opportunity attacks.

Alignment Unaligned, Languages Common, Goblin
Skills Acrobatics +12, Stealth +10, Thievery +7
Str 13 (+2), Dex 18 (+5), Wis 10 (+1)
Con 14 (+3), Int 8 (+0), Cha 16 (+4)
Equipment leather armor, 4 daggers

Next time, I’ll drop another adventure hook that can be found sneaking around Fannen-Dar’s town square. A certain gang, the Firemen, is on the rise, and their leader is the most wanted in the town. Tomorrow, I’ll include my first skill challenge and a sample encounter, including some plot hooks to add a little urban hostility to your Althai game!

 

[weem]

Very cool stuff!

I thought I would squeak in here and say that this really interesting stuff, and well put together - very clean and organized and it's cool how you include ways for others to incorporate some of these ideas into their games.

You didn't really ask for feedback or anything, but I thought I would just drop in and show some appreciation for someone sharing their campaign information in such a way - it takes a lot of work.

I may finally do something like this for my campaign that is in the works, but we'll see, hehe.

So yea, good job and keep it up!

+XP

 

[Camelot]

Thank you very much! Actually, I would love feedback that anyone has. I love seeing that I've inspired someone's creativity. Again, thank you!