Return to Northmoor Glossary
The PCs: The PCs once served at the Outpost in one capacity or other. Determining what they did there is part of their background development. Currently, they work for the Raftman.
The Outpost: A hardened fort set on the northern edge of the Lost Bog in the Northmoor. It is there primarily to defend against creatures and pirates coming into the Northmoor from the Sea. At the Outpost, all the PCs had a relationship with the Mentor. There are a number of Outposts along the northern edge of the Lost Bog, next to the Sea. The PCs were at the oldest, "main" outpost.
The Mentor: A former mentor of the PCs at the Outpost. Wiser, more experienced, generally loved and trusted. The players will flesh him/her out, and determine their group and individual relationships with them. Well known for wearing a particular small item, that the players will define.
The Mentor ("Da", "Father" or "Captain", depending on the situation)
Name: Jarod Hornheim
Description: Clean shaven, unlike most men of the realm. A widower, he seems to have a soft spot for children- but for his own recruits and troops he is well-known to be a bit of a hard-case. He is a father figure (in one case an actual adoptive father- in lieu of children he never had; in the other a stand-in for a dead or missing father- a status he accepts grudgingly, but with good grace). A Warlord and captain in an army, he's missing an eye and has an impressive collection of scars, but he doesn't let that make him bitter - in fact, he's one of the most easygoing people the party knows, really.
Item: His former wife's wedding ring- when he is particularly maudlin he talks to it as if his wife is still there.
The Raftman: Current employer of the PCs. Respected, but not well liked. The players will flesh him/her out, and determine their group and individual relationships with them. He has floated his raft down the river towards the Lost Village with the PCs as crew. The Blackwater Cat is the name of his raft.
The Raftmaster:
Name: Guidry MacLynn
Description: A burly, nearly square fellow- as deadly with a bargepole or an oar as most men are with a sword. Once a promising sergeant at the outpost, he went into the bog to seek his fortune- when he returned he was changed; still respected for his strength and skill as a raftman, but now possessed of a dark, even cruel sense of humor- and a badly-hidden fear of the dark (The Blackwater Cat has far more lanterns than it needs, and he uses an awful lot of lamp oil). He is a good warrior, but largely uninterested in the lives of his employees. A former companion of the PCs died during a particularly dangerous mission under him. Always one step ahead - or at least he's sure he is. MacLynn always has big plans, and wild schemes to get rich, but somehow they never seem to pan out quite as well as he hopes. Still, he's an eternal optimist, and never lets the occasional failure get him down. He is becoming more concerned with staying alive now that he is getting older, and this is causing the development of his reputation as a coward, which is false.
The Blackwater Cat: A medium-sized river raft made of wooden logs, with a large central
shelter. There is tarpaulin-covered cargo all over the raft, even strapped on top of the shelter.
The Northmoor: A large region of rolling hills, cold wind, and peat bogs, known for it's mysteriously high gold content. The northern half of Northmoor is taken up by the Lost Bog.
The Lost Bog: The largest bog in the Northmoor, it is a vast region of semi-solid land, sodden and dark. Although there is a lot of gold to be found amongst the peat, many prospectors never come back. A thousand years ago when the world was warmer, it was the primary seat of the Old People.
The Old People: An ancient race that once inhabited the Northmoor area. Not much is known about them, although most suspect that the gold that is found in the Lost Bog is actually actifacts from their civilization.
The Lost Village: A vibrant community of prospectors, adventure seekers, and farmers who live life on the very edge of the dangerous Lost Bog. A popular entertainment spot there is the seasonally docked Hole on the Water Inn.
The Hole on the Water Inn: A large, multi-tiered raft with a rooftop bar that is a popular party spot for folks working the river, as well as prospectors of the bog. It is run by the Ranger.
The Ranger: A former adventurer, the halfling Ranger that runs the Hole on the Water retired from adventuring some time ago, and rumor has it that it was after a particularly bad quest that ended very badly. He doesn't talk about it. The PCs are welcome to add personality quirks and appearance notes for the Ranger, as well as a name.
The Ranger
1) Name of Ranger: Brady Quinin
2) Description of Ranger: He is a retired adventurer, and has has a limp that he doesn't talk about. He used to do big jobs for the King, but he retired after a big failed job many years ago. He now serves as both bartender and bouncer for the tavern he runs, and keeps a collection of dried objects above the bar which he claims is an ear from every person who's given him too much trouble in the bar. Nobody is really sure whether or not this is a joke. Short and slight, he was once was a true master of the blade.
The Big City: Far to the south of the Lost Village is the Big City, where the King lives. In recent years, his influence barely reaches more than 20 miles outside the city. He still sends people to the Outposts, but he doesn't even collect taxes in the Lost Village...so far.
The Big city:
Name: Lindinis, an attempt to rename it New Lindin (during the rebuilding years after the Great fire a century ago) never seemed to take hold, and the older name has taken over in nearly everyone's mind.
Facts and Rumors: Whether you're big, small, old, young, man or woman, Lindinis has a job for you. The city of Lindinis is in a constant state of expansion - not contained by walls for over a hundred years - and each year a new wave of immigrants and fresh-faced youth from the countryside swells its size. As a result, the city is layered like an onion, getting more settled and wealthier the deeper you go in. Libraries and bookshops seem to be on every corner within "The Big Walls", the outer wall that contains most of the city except for the newest growth. Of course The Library is the largest, and nearly anyone in the kingdom who has even the slightest spark of talent for wizardry ends up here, at least for a while. While it is not a formal school of magic, it is one of the most well-known places to learn. This has all changer recently, as a witch hunt has recently begun in the City. Alchemy and Spellcasting is prohibited and persecuted, save for those in service of the King. Lindinis is also known for its bakers, who craft the most exquisite strawberry tarts around.
Once upon a time, there was a kingdom-wide system of coinage, well-maintained roads for merchants to travel on, and a respectable network of commerce. Now, as the kingdom is less-centrally controlled, things are falling apart: the roads are dangerous, and in disrepair, so many towns are becoming far more self-sufficient; those who act as traveling merchants might be brave, or desperate, or con-men; and the old monetary standards are less respected (but everybody respects gold, now exchanged by pure weight- and this has increased interest in the Great Bog, despite its danger, because the ancient gold has an even stronger pull).
The King: An increasingly weakening monarch of advanced age, he has little influence any longer, and has no known heir.
The King:
Name: King Aleras.
Rumor: The King hasn't showed his face in the last two years. His voice only is heard from behind a thick curtain, behind which the throne is located. For several months before his "disappearance", it was rumored that he had developed a nearly overwhelming interest in oracles and fortunetellers- his agents scoured the kingdom for them, and many of those who answered the summons were never seen again (or so it is said). No one seems to know what question he wanted to find the answer to...The king's retreat behind the omnipresent curtain began about the same time as the death of his wife during childbirth. Rumor has it that the child survived, but no one has seen him/her.
Illurian Sages: The Illurian Sages are an organization of respected scholars and other wise men known throughout the land for their level-headedness and knowledge. While they can be found in many places, the central chapterhouse of this order is, of course, located in the Great Library of Lindinis, and is home to some of the most respected historians and scholars in the known world.
Rumor: The Sages survived the recent witch-hunts relatively intact, after publicly repudiating texts on wizardry and magic, but the Illurians have more secrets than most know. In fact, the Sages count among their number more than a few powerful wizards, but those with arcane power are loathe to use it - both because they know it might bring the populace down upon them, and also because they believe that 'practical' applications of magic are firmly secondary to the theoretical studies.
Kingsguard: In ancient times they were just as the name indicates, a sort of national police force, recruiting heavily amongst moral churchmen and paladins; with the recent decline in royal authority, they have become more autonomous, and can be found protecting travelers and handing down justice just about anywhere that qualifies as civilization. While their name is still respected, everyone knows that they don't really work for the king nowadays. Kingsguardsmen always travel at least in pairs, if not in larger groups. The members of a "squad" of Kingsguardsmen take turns adjudicating disputes as they travel about the countryside. But they never travel far alone, as that would make them easy marks for the enemies of the King and of the Kingdom, who are, after all, everywhere and nowhere.
The Church: The "Official" religion of the Kingdom. They have become much more active in politics since the king has been absent. Their rise to power has come as the Mercantile Cartel has brought their influence behind the Church. The Church operates a police force of their own, called the Justicars, organization of agents scouring the kingdom for arcanists and offering an ultimatum; work for them (sorry, I meant 'for the king') or face the consequences. They might also be perhaps a bit too interested in artifacts and lore of the Old People.
Rumor: Originally a result of fear of the growing darkness. They are in secret opposition to the King. The witch hunt was an effort to destabilize one of the kings powerbases, namely arcanists. The merchants guild are just greedy, and see opportunity.
