Help Me Populate My World!

[Presto2112]

Maybe mark some secret goblin burrows, places where the little wretches have tried to settle hiden from those that would pester them. Semi under ground houses, with carrots and other veg grown on the 'roof'. Well hidden.

Could be an adventure oppertunity, where a lord wants to build a new manor/thing on a large area of land he bought, latter discoverd to house a gob burrow. Is it right to kick them out and force them into raiding?


Guild of adventurers huh? Sounds like my 'Guild for Hire'. Very helpful I found.

It's a cheap but easy hook for countless adventures. Plus it fits in with my vision. The Kingdom of Dengel is an excessively lawful nation - to the point of tedium - and in the not-too-distant past, they had perceived problems with small bands of powerful people gaining enough influence that they often created quite a nuisance when unchecked. With the Adventurer's League, it puts these adventurers on somewhat of a leash, while giving them plenty of benefits, like the authority of the military or law enforcement when none is present, the authority of diplomats when no diplomats are present, and several others. In return, they have to cede a small portion of all treasure gathered four times a year, along with some other regulations.

 

[PwrMnky]

Plymouth Rock

PLYMOUTH ROCK:
- Lots of elves, halflings, and fey. But they're very stand off-ish, and shun outsiders. In the middle of the rock is a GIGANTIC gem, resembling amber. Deep inside the amber you can see a beast like fetus.
- They are great craftsman, and generate lots of high quality armor, weapons, carts and chariots. But they are priced on the high end and don't haggle price at all. No diplomacy checks.
- True seeing, Arcane sight, anything similar reveal that the amber rock is actually draining life from the inhabitants ... like a gigantic, communial rock of herion. It gives the inhabitants a +20 on skill (crafts) checks.
-There could be a great philosophical hook, as the inhabitants don't want to be "saved." And then the perspective of "hero" vs. "terrorist."
- Eventually the Amber Rock (egg) could hatch and a gigantic ______ could lay rampage the surrounding lands. When it hatches it finally drains the rest of the life from the village.

 

[Dark Seraph]

Jorgan's Peak (pronounced: Yor-ghun)

This is a pronounced singular mountain that towers over the surrounding hills prominently. It was once an active volcano some 300 years ago. It is now home to 3 clans of dwarves who have successfully constructed a vast network of tunnels and about two dozen fortresses and granite keeps on the mountain and in the sourrounding hill country. This specific region has been successfuly cleared of all wandering beasts by the dwarves. The 3 clans have grown extremely rich as a result of the vast gold deposits found within the solid rock depths of the mountain and its immediate foot hills. The area has a very active geothermal feature resulting in great hot geysers and in the presence of dozens of bubbling hot springs with a strong stench of sulphur and minerals and boiling mud pools.

The 3 clans have lived and integrated successfuly in the 200 years that they have occupied this small region and they have well established trade links with the human communities in the areas surrounding the hills of Jorgan's Peak.

Thodun Stone, an up and coming Vicar of the faith of Moradin, the Celestial Smith, sought to increase his power and popularity among the faithful, in light of the imminent death of the ancient Grand Patriach of Moradin, by harnessing the ancient and vast elemental energies that are still locked deep within the core of the mountain a fortnight ago. Unknown to him, while he successfully managed to connect his psyche to the deep fires of the ancient volcano to increase his awareness in manipulating the energies of the fire element, he'd inadvertently awoken a slumbering entity - an ancient efreeti that was locked within this mountain as a result of having lost a contest in an age lost in the mist of time and has spent countless centuries seeking a way to escape its prison before succumbing to a deep sleep and its inevitable fate...until now.

DS

 

[exile]

Presto,

I'm glad you liked the idea for Shepherd's Lake, particularly the Painted Cow. I actually came up with the idea while developing my own campaign setting- a continent loosely based on Australia. I was surprised at how many ideas I could generate by researching real world places. Shepherd's Lake is heavily based on the town of Shepparton for example.

I've got an interesting wizard's school that I'll post later- maybe tomorrow- if no one posts a good one before me.

Chad

 

[Starglim]

Hmm, duergar. I might have something:

Princes of the Iron Stair

In a past age, the dwarven clan of Ironfoot held mines in a ridge of rotten base-metal ores known as the Waste Crag, within a range of dreary border uplands between the civilised lands and a wide goblin-haunted heath beyond. Hard was their lot and they were beset by the great goblin chiefs, who hated them, sending murderous hordes against their poor defences.

In desperation, the headmen of the clan took to the tunnels leading down into the roots of the mountains and parleyed with those they found there. Fell bargains were made, an alliance agreed and the dwarves began to delve a wide road into the deep, to join together for all time the mountain dwarves and the grey ones.

Armed with duergar smithcraft and mercenary legions, the dwarves of the Iron Stair threw back their attackers, then, the next season, marched out against them. In the wars that followed they wiped four tribes of goblins from the earth and their name grew great among the dwarves. (The moors are no longer known for their goblins - wandering settlers of other races moved in after the bandit tribes were destroyed.)

Some dwarven clans came to the Iron Stair willingly for protection, others they subjugated. The Princes reduced these all to serfdom, calling them the Underclans of the hold. Human villages, too, and goblin thralls serve them.

The halls surrounding the gates of the Iron Stair have a harsh, minimal grandeur and an atmosphere of grim suspicion that is untypical of the more joyous hill dwarf towns. Their enemies say that diabolists live openly among the merchant halls and that some of the Iron Stair dwarves keep cellars where they experiment in necromancy. An estranged church of Moradin still seems to gain favour from the Dwarffather, perhaps in a darker aspect (or it may be that another source grants them spells) but it is said that many of the princes of the blood and the Ironguard officers give worship instead in the blank stone shrines of Laduguer.

The Ironguard

The elite enforcers of the Iron Stair's will all wear the heaviest plate armour known to the world. They fight in close-ordered ranks, trained with the halberd and their choice of close-combat weapons. Ironguard warriors boast of their duelling skills with broadsword, twin axes or for the quickest of them, paired daggers. Ironguard members are also sent out into the Princes' domain individually or in small command squads, serving as the hard core of detachments of lesser troops, to bring village leaders and rebels to heel.

The Ironguard dwell apart in their own well-guarded barracks. They recruit from both the princely bloodline and from their dwarven subjects, who vie for the honour of renouncing their underclan and adopting into the Ironguard as their only family. It's easy to speculate that the grey slab-faces of duergar or even the eyeless horrors of grimlocks may hide behind some of the closed-face Ironguard helms.

The Ironguard wear only plain dun tunics under their plate and shun jewels. Almost their sole expression of flamboyance is in ironwork, with fantastical carved visors and helms, bloody battle-scenes etched on their armour plates, weapon spurs and chains. Out of their armour, though, warriors may display surprising tattoos across their torsos and shaved heads.

Lesser troops

The heavy infantry are supported by crossbowmen, spearmen, swordsmen and light horsemen from the underclans and human mercenaries. These hirelings are not to be relied on against a heavy attack, but still the Princes share the wealth of the kingdom with good chainmail and mass-produced weapons.

Siege engineers are well supported and prominent in the Princes' campaigns. In the past, they have made use of magically enhanced attacks and dire creatures herded from the underdark or the Lower Planes.

Goblin skirmishers

From the early days of the Iron Stair, broken goblin septs chose to hire on with the dwarves as an alternative to mass execution. They now lord it over their slave relatives due to their warrior status. Goblin squads fight as archers and lightly armed troops. The Princes have experimented successfully with re-creating wolf-rider squads - these pressed troops, trained by dwarves, do not have worgs and do not gain the usual goblin bonus to Ride. Their colonels are Ironguard mounted on hellhounds.

Industries

Iron, bronze, brass, lead and stone and skilled workers therein. Their human and goblin subjects also do some good-quality weaving.

 

[Pure Puppet]

Hmm. Overview. Hmm.

Do I have such a thing? Why, yes, yes I do.


Lakefleet, The City of Rafts

Lakefleet is actually a series of houseboats connected by collapsible ladders - a floating city. The population is mainly human, with a few elves and halflings as well. Lakefleet is a center of trade - if prospects are bad in one area, they can simply sail to a new one, and this flexibility gives the merchants unrivaled opportunites.

As might be expected, the primary diet in Lakefleet is fish, as fresh as it can get. As a result, aspiring chefs from all over the country travel to Lakefleet, hoping to learn in the kitchen of Kevin Bluefin (LG Human Expert 17), the greatest chef in all of Lakefleet.

The leader of Lakefleet is Corselia Seneca, a former navy tactician who's getting on in years. Despite her advancing years, her mind's still sharp, much to the chagrin of a few of Lakefleet's overly-ambitious merchant princes. Corselia is expected to retire soon, and there's quite a bit of a jockeying for power among Lakefleet's elite in preparation for when that day finally comes.

One of the most famous structures in the City of Rafts is Blue Mermaid Inn, run by a family of shoal halflings (Stormwrack p.45) named the Waverunners (Singular Waverunner). The inn is built on a fairly large raft, rather than a houseboat, and extends below the surface of the raft, allowing aquatic races to use the inn as well. There are several stories told in Lakefleet centering around the Inn as a place where human and merfolk lovers meet - these stories range from the baudy to the romantic. Talia Waverunner, the clan's only bard, knows all of these stories by heart and is currently working on turning one of them - a tragedy - into a play.

Adventure Hooks:

-Kevin Bluefin might hire the PC's to track down his wayward daughter, who has run away from home to avoid being tied down to the restauraunt...
- ...what he doesn't know is that she's actually a sorceress, capable of using alter self to disguise her appearance.

-Any one of Lakefleet's merchant princes might be willing to sponsor the party in an attempt to earn prestige and respect among his peers...
- ...conversely, they could also be willing to manipulate the party in an attempt to make their rivals lose face.

-A human noble hires the PC's to escort him to Lakefleet as bodyguards so he can meet his merfolk lover at the Blue Mermaid...
- ...oh, but it's a secret, and there would be a scandal if it got out, so could one of you please disguise yourselves as me and act as a decoy?

Reply if you like it, ignore me if you don't.

 

[Dragon Vindaloo]

Hmm. Overview. Hmm.

Do I have such a thing? Why, yes, yes I do.


Lakefleet, The City of Rafts

Lakefleet is actually a series of houseboats connected by collapsible ladders - a floating city. The population is mainly human, with a few elves and halflings as well. Lakefleet is a center of trade - if prospects are bad in one area, they can simply sail to a new one, and this flexibility gives the merchants unrivaled opportunites.

As might be expected, the primary diet in Lakefleet is fish, as fresh as it can get. As a result, aspiring chefs from all over the country travel to Lakefleet, hoping to learn in the kitchen of Kevin Bluefin (LG Human Expert 17), the greatest chef in all of Lakefleet.

The leader of Lakefleet is Corselia Seneca, a former navy tactician who's getting on in years. Despite her advancing years, her mind's still sharp, much to the chagrin of a few of Lakefleet's overly-ambitious merchant princes. Corselia is expected to retire soon, and there's quite a bit of a jockeying for power among Lakefleet's elite in preparation for when that day finally comes.

One of the most famous structures in the City of Rafts is Blue Mermaid Inn, run by a family of shoal halflings (Stormwrack p.45) named the Waverunners (Singular Waverunner). The inn is built on a fairly large raft, rather than a houseboat, and extends below the surface of the raft, allowing aquatic races to use the inn as well. There are several stories told in Lakefleet centering around the Inn as a place where human and merfolk lovers meet - these stories range from the baudy to the romantic. Talia Waverunner, the clan's only bard, knows all of these stories by heart and is currently working on turning one of them - a tragedy - into a play.

Adventure Hooks:

-Kevin Bluefin might hire the PC's to track down his wayward daughter, who has run away from home to avoid being tied down to the restauraunt...
- ...what he doesn't know is that she's actually a sorceress, capable of using alter self to disguise her appearance.

-Any one of Lakefleet's merchant princes might be willing to sponsor the party in an attempt to earn prestige and respect among his peers...
- ...conversely, they could also be willing to manipulate the party in an attempt to make their rivals lose face.

-A human noble hires the PC's to escort him to Lakefleet as bodyguards so he can meet his merfolk lover at the Blue Mermaid...
- ...oh, but it's a secret, and there would be a scandal if it got out, so could one of you please disguise yourselves as me and act as a decoy?

Reply if you like it, ignore me if you don't.

I love this!

 

[Dark Seraph]

Shae-E'Leah

A community of elves locked away from the known world and most of civilisation within their forested valley deep within the mountain range, several thousand feet above the tallest of hills. This secluded settlement is made up of a tight community of mystics who have dedicated their mortal lives to understanding the higher truths and in seeking the means to connect their individual and collective psyche with the living energies of the natural world and their material plane. There are about half a dozen humans among them who harbour similar aspirations, and who have sought them out risking live, limb and spirit in making the journey to this highland paradise that is not easily found even when the seasons are favourable.

Athiean Lyssarah, a young and promising mystic, a native of Shae-E'Leah, has been having troubling dreams of late. He is uncertain if his imagination is running away with him, but he is almost certain he is hearing the whispers of an entity not of this world even during his waking hours. He fears disclosing his recent experiences might result in his eviction or result in having him regarded as mentally weak or unsound.

A century ago, one of the Eldars of the community discovered the means to manipulate latent energies residing in all living matter, including the atmosphere. This led to great leaps in experiments and further discoveries employing psychic talents to alter or manipulate this energy source to undertake tasks and perform feats never before possible. For now, this is something only a few within the community have managed to gain some proficiency in. Those you can are referred to as the Yidh-Hai and are accorded much respect among their peers. It is uncertain how those beyond the broders of this community of mystics might react to this new found talent and source of energy.

 

[Presto2112]

PLYMOUTH ROCK:
- Lots of elves, halflings, and fey. But they're very stand off-ish, and shun outsiders. In the middle of the rock is a GIGANTIC gem, resembling amber. Deep inside the amber you can see a beast like fetus.
- They are great craftsman, and generate lots of high quality armor, weapons, carts and chariots. But they are priced on the high end and don't haggle price at all. No diplomacy checks.
- True seeing, Arcane sight, anything similar reveal that the amber rock is actually draining life from the inhabitants ... like a gigantic, communial rock of herion. It gives the inhabitants a +20 on skill (crafts) checks.
-There could be a great philosophical hook, as the inhabitants don't want to be "saved." And then the perspective of "hero" vs. "terrorist."
- Eventually the Amber Rock (egg) could hatch and a gigantic ______ could lay rampage the surrounding lands. When it hatches it finally drains the rest of the life from the village.

Great location for a higher level game, and definitely something to keep in mind! I have this thread bookmarked, and I just may come back to this one.

 

[Presto2112]

Jorgan's Peak (pronounced: Yor-ghun)

This is a pronounced singular mountain that towers over the surrounding hills prominently. It was once an active volcano some 300 years ago. It is now home to 3 clans of dwarves who have successfully constructed a vast network of tunnels and about two dozen fortresses and granite keeps on the mountain and in the sourrounding hill country. This specific region has been successfuly cleared of all wandering beasts by the dwarves. The 3 clans have grown extremely rich as a result of the vast gold deposits found within the solid rock depths of the mountain and its immediate foot hills. The area has a very active geothermal feature resulting in great hot geysers and in the presence of dozens of bubbling hot springs with a strong stench of sulphur and minerals and boiling mud pools.

The 3 clans have lived and integrated successfuly in the 200 years that they have occupied this small region and they have well established trade links with the human communities in the areas surrounding the hills of Jorgan's Peak.

In the world I'm developing, there are nine recognized dwarf clans. "Clan" is a very loose term - one could almost interchange "clan" for "nation". Each of these clans considers themselves quite independent of the others, and wars between different clans, while rare, have been recorded. However, I don't think it would be an impossibility than subfactions of three different clans could live united at Jorgan's Peak. Nice spot for my Scandinavian-type region, Nosk.

Thanks again!