Share your People, Places, and Flavor!

[Mallus]

I love reading details about other gamers campaigns and settings. But describing whole worlds requires a lot of text. So how about sharing a smattering of cool people, places, organizations/items/etc. with a minimum of detail. Just enough to capture the flavor of the game, and hopefully spark the imagination of your fellow DM's and players.

Let me begin: a few color-coded thieves guilds in the city of Narayan.

The Room Rouge Players

• dandyish thieves located in the Blue-Light District (home of the dreaded Blue-Light Specials...).
• they masquerade as an amateur theatre group.
• their members include Jacque the Knive, Short Paul, Mark un Mark, and Boneaparte (who wears a necklace of human finger bones and cufflinks made from molars).
• run by a stone-cold killer who goes by the name... Jack Fancy.

The Troupe Bleu d'Homme

• "spiritual" thieves sworn to Pairolairo, the Saint of Aces, God to Gamblers and Rogues.
• led by a chunky, fastidious woman named Midnight and a hulking bruiser named Fleur de Mais.

The Yellow Lotus Association

• masquerades as a legitimate import/export business.
• is run by a group of racist "brown supremacist" islanders from the Ping Islands, known as the Polyneecheeans. The worship their fabled homeland --the volcanic island Tiki-Ishii-- as a god.
• their members include Ghost-Talking Ping Ming and Big Boss Ping Singh
• geographic note: The Ping Islands consist of Big Ping, Little Ping, Ping Three, Pang and Pong, located in the Swollen Ocean northeast of the Straits of Narayan

 

[reason]

from the Principia...

Some from Principia Infecta:

The Denier

The Emerald Company rode forth for the last time from the great weathered gate of Three Stones, under the unfriendly stares of the Watch and - so it is said - Black Tower sages. The Company traveled to Lorn as guardians and guides for stern magisters and priests of the Powers, charged with refuting The Denier...

The Locked Heart, Master of the Coin Press

The current Master of the Coin Press is a strange character indeed, a sage of the Black Tower of Three Stones who calls herself The Locked Heart. Control of the Coin Press spurred a great deal of Council infighting in past generations - to the point of driving the Press into disuse - but the arrival of the Locked Heart changed all that. She has simply appropriated the Coin Press from the Council for her own use and profit, but the powerful in Port find this to be more convenient than the previous state of affairs. The Locked Heart has made it abundantly clear on many an occasion that she considers each and every Councillor, merchant and noble in Port to be equally vile and degenerate. She plays no favorites; her motives and methods, beyond the obvious, are a mystery....

Fisher of the Dockside Market

For many years, a black and white cat of the old Ammander heritage made the dockside market his home. He prowled the stalls and shops, stealing fish and less identifiable catches with charm, arrogance and cunning...

Queen of Thieves

The night that the King and half the thieves of Port drunkenly chased a cat and the King's spiced spineel all the way to the Malel estate - a dozen of the Temple Guard at their heels, to hear the tale told by those who claim to have been there - has become a good story with the passage of time. The troubadors seized on it one summer and Lady Malel's cat was transformed into a horde of felines bent on eating the thieves of Port out of house and home. It is a popular performance, but few folk know the rest of the story...

The Wayward Visitor

The Wayward Visitor is owned by the Ammanene Unsharee, known in some circles as The Cursed. Her storied past in the Enclave as swordswoman, sage and member of the Emerald Company is reflected in the clientele, staff and regular visitors. Odd, talented, outcast, well-connected and unusual folk seem to find their way to the Wayward Visitor more often than one might expect. For all that, Unsharee is rarely seen - like most Ammanene, she has little to do with mortal society. The very existence of an establishment like the Wayward Visitor under the auspices of an Ammanene is a something of a mystery...

.
.
.

And so forth...

Reason

 

[VirgilCaine]

From Kurania...

--The Goblin Empire: This nation, led by divinely-empowered Bugbears served by Goblins, Norkers, Hobgoblins, Xvarts, and a smattering of other, more obscure races, has been a powerful force ever since (several hundred years ago) Hruggek sacrificed himself to bless his chosen race with greater intelligence and force of personality after a certain bugbear misused a wish to the detriment of Kurania.

--The Necroassembly: Necromancers that dabble in nearly illegal magics--magical armatures that inject potions when needed or a nectar that allows for a minute of action after the physical death of an imbiber, allowing a final task to be completed.

--The Guild: The self-organized, private, ancient, group of wizards that ensures that no evil or disreputable acts are committed by arcane spellcasters. They certify and oversee magical item transactions, help buyers commission magic items, investigate magical anomalies and sell alchemical items and magical supplies.

--The Oath: The Oath is a spell cast on each would-be apprentice wizard, divining their moral inclinations and thus suitability for the most dangerous profession. If accepted, the Oath alerts other wizards of transgressions of the Oath--meddling with a soul's destiny in the afterlife, controlling minds, animating the dead, using magic for evil, and taking coin for magic over 3rd level.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

The Orcs of Freeholt, master warriors and weaponsmiths who provide the nearby monastaries and temples with their exotic weapons (not to mention food and labor). The Free Orcs, as they are called, are actually closer to a true-breeding half-Orc race. Freeholt has strong alliances with the nearby communities, based on mutual respect and a great deal of trade.

the City of Man: a fortified city-state in the North, this place is inhabited only by humans. The government of the city is made up mostly of extremely racist human supremacists; most of the commoners are much less extreme, but trickle-down immorality is slowly changing that.

Karth: a fabled land far to the South, Karth is reknowned for its war-witches, powerful and inspiring on the battlefield. Some of the more Southern nations have recently been experiencing an influx of Karthan immigrants and refugees, suggesting bad things afoot in the South.

 

[Mallus]

the City of Man: a fortified city-state in the North, this place is inhabited only by humans. The government of the city is made up mostly of extremely racist human supremacists; most of the commoners are much less extreme, but trickle-down immorality is slowly changing that.

I first read 'trickle-down immorality' as 'trickle-down immortality'... which is exactly the kind of slapdash cross-pollination I was looking for. Thanks...

Some magicians of note...

Dr. Mephisophocles, visiting professor of Ineffable Inquiry and Trans-Natural Philosophy at the University of Narayan. He has an imp familiar named Doubting Thomas. Responsible for ousting the former chair of the Department of the Mind's Eye...Nadir Akmed-Medhi after the unforunate incident involving the young orphan-boy prodigy with the curious lighting-bolt scar on his forehead. Nadir is a Shirac Mind-Witch who trained at the Miir Valley School. He's rumored to have drank demon blood from the Goblet of Ire...

Riven Sugarglass, an master alchemist in the city of Eris. To the eye he looks like a wax cast of an elderly man that's been cleaved in two and haphazardly stuck back together. Contrary to popular opinion, he is not undead. He owns one of the three known copies of the Calculatus Homunculatus, and is said to worked on the Philosopher's Algorithm; the attempt to create an artificial soul.

Ramadeo Ben Donovan, a student of Gate Magic at the legendary Acadeum Gaeta in the city of Gallina I'arco, who is currently cutting all ties with his powerful family. He's a known confidant of Shalazar, the de facto leader of the New School Movement and greatest Gate Mage in 1000 years. He's said to know her secret...

Kadijah Thoris, of the Helios Flower Clan of the Great Ummab of the Shirac. A buyer and seller of high-quality enchanments in the Desert Market in Marimbra.

 

[Tonguez]

from my 16th/17th Century Setting

Fat Sally (Druid, Tooth Fairy, Warden) A tall plump woman in late middle age with a small face, sharp eyes and strong arms. Whilst enternally smiling she gives an air of determined authority that comes from years of being a Midwife and mother to all those who live in the Foulburg. Fat Sally is a retired Tooth fairy, acknowledged healer and recognised by the Others as the Warden of Foulburg

Whistling Tom the Beggar (Bard,Watcher) Of indeterminate age Whistling Tom haunts the alleys and backstreets of Horne, watching and listening for happenings both mundane and arcane. Whistling Tom sees what others do not see and knows everything that happens in the city. He is a known associate of Fat Sally and rumour is that once when both were young they romantically involved

Rotten Eddy (Ghoul Stalker) Rotten Eddy haunts the sewers and ghettos of Horne as leader of the Lost Boyz (one of the goblin gangs). Like the two other known Stalkers (Ripper Jack and the Boogeyman) Rotten Eddy has gained control of his Ghoulish hungers nonetheless their are the occasional missing persons report or travvellers who mysteriously never arrive at their destination.

Silver (Fairy Goodmother) Silver is one of the seven sisters who maintain the veil between the mundane and arcane worlds. It is she who appointed Whistling Tom as Watcher on her behalf and who takes a keen interest in Horne and its inhabitants

Block the Brick Troll Brick Trolls are elemental creatures who manifest in the bricks and mortar of urban centers. Block is a manifestation of the Foulburg and works as protector and enforcer for Fat Sally.

 

[Desdichado]

Mallus, I have the funny feeling that your setting doesn't really take itself too seriously...

This is a great idea, though. Here's a little snippet from mine.

Bricktown: In the city of Razina, there's an entire ward or three, four or even five story brick buildings and tenements, and in past centuries, for reasons now forgotten, the entire ward is now roofed over. Every alleyway, street and gap has been bricked over, so it's eternally soot-soaked night inside. The city watch rarely has anything to do with Bricktown, except to keep an eye on all the gates and points of entrance (although, naturally, there are a few "secret" entrances that they don't know about) so Bricktown itself is pretty lawless -- it's a slum, and only the most poor and desperate live there, for the most part. Although the absolutely poor and desperate -- the homeless and outcasts from even Bricktown itself, eke out an even more subsistence existence on the vast, mazelike rooftop of Bricktown itself, huddling next to belching smokestacks and chimneys for warmth.

Eiji Kisaragi: (yes, I stole the name from King of Fighters 95.) Eiji is a fairly typical crimelord in many ways; his main contact with the PCs is through his semi-legitimate business the Steams in Bricktown, a private bathhouse where all kinds of shady deals are made in private saunas. What makes him stand out a bit is his interest in the Cthulhu-esque occult of the setting, which makes him potentially a patron, potentially a rival, to the PCs themselves.

The Inquisition: Well, from the name, you probably know what to expect. This is a bit more like the Gestapo, or some other secret police service, than an actual Inquisition, although their area of influence is primarily over the occult. They have two notable faces; the brother/sister team of Alainna and Gauvain FitzGilbert d'Aubigne, High Inquisitor of Razina and his sister, who's official capacity with that organization is unknown. Gauvain is a friendly enough chap, for being one of the most feared men in the city, and he seems straightforward enough. His sister is much more quiet, and has the capacity to apparently drink without end without the alcohol having any adverse effect on her. She seems to have some interest in local politics; apparently the High Lord's wife is under suspicion, and she's trying to get the PCs involved with investigating the "Invitation Only" parties she's been throwing lately. Some of the other contacts that PCs have had have warned them to watch out for the Inquisition, though -- they're not sure how much they can trust either Gauvain or Alainna. But there's no denying they pay the bills with style; Gauvain has them set up in a relatively swanky safehouse, with their own personal butler, a generous working stipend of gold crowns, and a relatively hands-off approach to the investigation he's asked them to conduct in his behalf.

 

[IcyCool]

Bricktown:

<snip>

The Inquisition: <snip>

Are you, by chance, a fan of the Witch Hunter Robin Anime series?

 

[Desdichado]

Are you, by chance, a fan of the Witch Hunter Robin Anime series?

I've never heard of it, and I don't watch anime either. If there are any they are similarities purely coincidental.

 

[Evilhalfling]

The Green Isles
An archipelligo where dragons rule the skies, Stouts, Fearls and Hairfeet were driven benieth the surface 500 years earlier, using empty lava tubes as roads between the islands.

Weapons crafted from horns and teeth are avalible for sale but armor is treasured beyond price and is the mark of a successful dragonslayer. Dragonbane weapons require the heart of a dragon to forge, and are corresponding rare.

Only one city has an operating port, as it is protected by a disgruntled dragon who has turned against her own kind after the third time she was driven from her lair. Would be dragonslayers come from across the world in hopes of killing a beast and siezing the spoils of the looted civilization.

Dragons neither change shape nor breed with lesser lifeforms and the saying goes that "the only good dragon is one who doesn't want anything you have."

The Baron's Brother
An Inn with a shady past it was obtained by the seedy uncle of the current Baroness. It came into his hands under supecious circumstance, and is rumored to be a place where any information can be had at a price. The Barons brother himself has gone into hiding after two successful assination attempts, and is only seen rarely. The ghost of a teenage girl is occasionally seen wandering through the walls but the local priests have been helpless to drive her away.