Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Scourge of the Ratmen [Scarred Lands] - Updated 1/26
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Amaroq" data-source="post: 1942585" data-attributes="member: 15470"><p><strong>Issue #17: Interludes and Intermissions - Episode 8 of 13</strong></p><p></p><p>It takes a day and a half of travel, as the road winds along the river’s edge, to reach Lave. We journey without incident, enjoying the crisp fall air. It is Wildday, the thirteenth day of the month.</p><p></p><p>As we draw near the great Veshian city, Telryn tells us some of its history. “Lave used to be the capitol of an old Ledean province,” he says. “Before the Divine War, when the Ledean Empire collapsed, Vesh declared independence and Lave became the capitol of Vesh.”</p><p></p><p>When we come into view, we can see a sprawling city of nearly 30,000 people. It has some old stone architecture and also the modern architecture of wood and plaster. The outer part is a sprawl of wooden houses, and there seem to be no central points. Surveying it, Paks tells the rest of us, “It’s so exposed and undefended, and the walls are pathetic. This would be a terrible place to defend in a war.” </p><p></p><p>Telryn answers, “That’s why its changed hands so many times. It’s a big trading city, not a point of defense.” We can see that there is a lot of traffic on the river, and all along the riverfront, the docks are busy and thriving. The city spreads in a half-oval away from the Hornswythe River, with the river-front surface being the longest side. The outskirts of the city are outside the walls, which are sprawling and poorly kept: there are few places where they are even eight feet tall.</p><p></p><p>We can see several aqueducts leading into the city. Chuck looks a little confused. “Why are there aqueducts, if its on a river?” he asks. </p><p></p><p>Miriel chuckles. “The river water is no good to drink,” she tells us. “We have to get our water from central Vesh.”</p><p></p><p>We work our way through the outer edges of the city, and arrive at the gates: They are more ceremonial than functional, finely wrought with gold inlay rather than sturdy iron, and flanked by two statues of Tanil with her bow drawn, one on either side of the gate. The guards standing watch over the busy gate seem bored and distracted, and we gain entry without challenge.</p><p></p><p>Just inside the gates, we decide to split up: its early afternoon, and everybody has different errands to run throughout town. Miriel wants to go directly to the cathedral, and Paks and Telryn decide to accompany her. Stone wants to find a temple of Hedrada, and Chuck wishes to find the money changers; they, too, decide to go together. Goldpetal opts to go on to secure room at Miriel’s family’s Inn, the Sleeping Dragon. Miriel gives everyone directions, and go our separate ways. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Goldpetal finds the Sleeping Dragon Inn easily. It is opposite a bustling square, which is filled with a farmer’s market today. The Inn is easy to find, as there is a big sign with a sleeping dragon next to a turned over barrel of beer. Though it is only afternoon, the inn is packed, and nobody gives a lone elf coming through the door a second glance.</p><p></p><p>Goldpetal finds a serving girl, and says, “I’m a friend of Miriel. Is her family here?”</p><p></p><p>The serving girl rushes off to fetch Miriel’s adopted parents, and shortly they both approach him; he still waits, awkwardly, at the door. Miriel’s parents are both human; the man is tall and barrel-chested, and his arms bulge with muscle. “You are a friend of Miriel? Welcome! Welcome! Come in, come in. Here, you, make room!” the man exclaims, in a deep, booming voice, guiding Goldpetal to a table hastily cleared by a few other patrons. </p><p></p><p>“I am Clay, and this is my wife, Kendra. Here, sit down, have a beer – we make it ourselves.” The couple sit with Goldpetal, and the serving girl places a stein before him on the table.</p><p></p><p>“How is Miriel?” asks Kendra, “We haven’t heard from her in weeks! Is she well?”</p><p></p><p>Goldpetal takes a sip from the beer – which is excellent, the best he has tasted since leaving home – and begins his story. Not one to make a long tale, he keeps it brief, leaving most of the details for others to tell later. Even so the telling of the siege of Kratys Freehold and our counter-attack takes nearly an hour.</p><p></p><p>When he has finished, Clay rises and excuses himself. “Thank you for the telling,” he says. “Now I must get back to work!”</p><p></p><p>Kendra remains with her guest, and asks “Have you heard from her sister, Liriel?”</p><p></p><p>“No, I have heard nothing of her,” the elf answers. He glances from her to Clay, now working behind the bar, noticing that neither of them looks anything like Miriel. They look like typical Veshians, with dark hair and olive skin. “Why are you...” he starts, then seems to change his question. “That is, I understood she was half-elven?”</p><p></p><p>Kendra laughs and answers, “She and her sister were foundlings.”</p><p></p><p>As they are chatting, he hears someone call “Goldpetal? Goldpetal!” from the crowd. The voice is familiar, heavily accented, though he cannot place it.</p><p></p><p>He turns around, and sees that it’s a tall woman, wearing only a bikini and a gold-embroidered cloak. She has magnificent red hair, but is otherwise rather loud and unattractive. She has a black bat sitting on her right shoulder. Goldpetal does not look thrilled. “Brunhilde,” he says, in a flat voice.</p><p></p><p>She doesn’t seem to notice his discomfort, and gives him a huge, enthusiastic hug. “How good to see you!” she shouts in his ear. “How is everyone?”</p><p></p><p>“Fine, fine,” he says, trying to disengage himself from the hug. “They’ll all be here soon.” </p><p></p><p>“How delightful!” she says, and sits at the table, to Goldpetal’s evident distaste. She quickly dominates the conversation, talking his ear off, asking about his adventures, and, though he does not ask, telling him all about hers. </p><p></p><p>When Brunhilde pauses for a deep draught of ale, Kendra glances at Goldpetal. “I’m so surprised to hear that Miriel has had adventures,” she says. “She wasn’t very good at making the beer!” </p><p></p><p>Goldpetal takes advantage of the moment to ask Kendra for rooms for the party for the night. “Certainly, certainly,” she answers. “Any friend of Miriel’s is welcome here at the Inn, and we’ve rooms free.” She rises and excuses herself, pleading responsibility for cooking</p><p></p><p>Brunhilde launches into another story, which Goldpetal endures with good grace and patience.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Stone and Chuck find a small square, where there are three trading houses, the money changers. The largest one belongs to the House Asuras. </p><p></p><p>Chuck looks at it with suspicion. “The House of Mered also has a good reputation,” he offers, taking a step towards the next largest building.</p><p></p><p>Stone punches him in the shoulder. “No, House Asuras. Let’s check it out.” The half-orc begins to walk into the House Asuras building, and Chuck follows reluctantly. </p><p></p><p>It’s a bustling trading house, swarming with armed guards, not just at the door, but patrolling throughout. The guards eye the half-orc suspiciously, but Chuck is given directions to the money changer’s table.</p><p></p><p>The fat man behind the table does not look up to acknowledge them, which prompts Stone to slam his palms against the table. “We’d like to change some money,” he says loudly.</p><p></p><p>The money changer starts, then looks them over with a measuring glance. “Adventurers, right?”</p><p></p><p>“No,” Chuck says, shaking his head. “No, actually, treasure hunters.”</p><p></p><p>“Well,” the money changer says, spreading his arms wide. “Its lucky you came here! We have special deal, only 10% to exchange coins.”</p><p></p><p>“Sounds good,” says Stone, hefting his sack up onto the table. </p><p></p><p>The usurer hardly bats an eye at the quantity of coinage, and starts to examine the coins. He looks up, looking Chuck in the eye. “These are really old,” he says. “Most of them are from before the Titans’ War. They’re not much use, but we could melt them down. I’m going to have to pay you for their weight in ore, rather than their count as coins.” </p><p></p><p>“Fair enough,” Chuck replies.</p><p></p><p>Stone pulls out the cheap gems and the garnet. “What will you give me for these?” he asks.</p><p></p><p>The money changer draws out a small loupe, the magnifying glass used to inspect gems, and studies them. “I can give you about five gold pieces each for these,” he says, “And a hundred fifty for the garnet.”</p><p></p><p>Stone nods, “Done.” </p><p></p><p>“You guys are lucky you came here,” the money changer says, and then adds with a sly smile, “And didn’t get the tax on adventuring.”</p><p></p><p>“We’d like that in platinum,” Stone tells him. </p><p></p><p>Again, the money changer doesn’t bat an eye. He pulls out a chest, and counts out 70 platinum pieces for Stone. He turns, and shouts over his shoulder, “Bring up some more platinum from the basement!” </p><p></p><p>As the two adventurers head out the door, they split up. Stone heads off to the temple of Hedrada, while Chuck makes for the temple of Tanil. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Chuck wanders through the streets of Lave, taking in the sights, and asks a passerby for the temple of Tanil. He is pointed to the park, Tanil’s Court, and walks there. It is a large park, spanning several blocks at the center of the city.</p><p></p><p>The park is open to the air, filled with animal topiaries. Near the center, there is a great bronze statue of Tanil leaning on her bow, with her fox at her feet. The base of the statue is a shrine, where people have left flowers, burning candles, and other sacrifices. Nobles and townsfolk alike walk around, some talking, others sitting on benches, and there are a few people praying at the shrine. </p><p></p><p>Chuck meanders through the park towards the statue, enjoying the afternoon sun. When he reaches the shrine, he kneels and prays. He is silent for a long time, and then prays aloud. “Tanil,” he says, “I’ve had some bad luck, and I need some help.” There are no answers, but he feels much lighter of heart, warmed by the sun and his time in the park. He leaves his dice as an offering, and turns to leave.</p><p></p><p>He walks out via a different path than that which he entered by, and it takes him past a duck pond. He finds it irresistible, and stops to speak with the ducks for a while. Sadly, they speak a foreign language, a different dialect of duck. He enjoys his conversation with them anyway. People stare at him oddly. </p><p></p><p>When he finally leaves, he goes to a weapon shop to unload some of his extra weaponry. Among other things, he sells the large whip-sword which we captured during the battle for Kratys Freehold. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Stone searches the town for a long while, searching for the temple of Hedrada. He is unable to find it without asking for directions, which it takes him several hours to break down and do. When he finally arrives, he finds that the temple is very modest, much smaller than Grilliam’s temple to Hedrada in Southport. </p><p></p><p>Four priests are present, in the large chamber. They politely welcome him. He says little to the priests, but kneels at the altar and prays.</p><p></p><p>When he has completed his prayer, he leaves, again with little conversation. He wanders through the streets of the town during the afternoon, distracted by all the many sights. He buys a lot of “exotic” (to him) foods, and discovers that he loves cheeses.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Amaroq, post: 1942585, member: 15470"] [b]Issue #17: Interludes and Intermissions - Episode 8 of 13[/b] It takes a day and a half of travel, as the road winds along the river’s edge, to reach Lave. We journey without incident, enjoying the crisp fall air. It is Wildday, the thirteenth day of the month. As we draw near the great Veshian city, Telryn tells us some of its history. “Lave used to be the capitol of an old Ledean province,” he says. “Before the Divine War, when the Ledean Empire collapsed, Vesh declared independence and Lave became the capitol of Vesh.” When we come into view, we can see a sprawling city of nearly 30,000 people. It has some old stone architecture and also the modern architecture of wood and plaster. The outer part is a sprawl of wooden houses, and there seem to be no central points. Surveying it, Paks tells the rest of us, “It’s so exposed and undefended, and the walls are pathetic. This would be a terrible place to defend in a war.” Telryn answers, “That’s why its changed hands so many times. It’s a big trading city, not a point of defense.” We can see that there is a lot of traffic on the river, and all along the riverfront, the docks are busy and thriving. The city spreads in a half-oval away from the Hornswythe River, with the river-front surface being the longest side. The outskirts of the city are outside the walls, which are sprawling and poorly kept: there are few places where they are even eight feet tall. We can see several aqueducts leading into the city. Chuck looks a little confused. “Why are there aqueducts, if its on a river?” he asks. Miriel chuckles. “The river water is no good to drink,” she tells us. “We have to get our water from central Vesh.” We work our way through the outer edges of the city, and arrive at the gates: They are more ceremonial than functional, finely wrought with gold inlay rather than sturdy iron, and flanked by two statues of Tanil with her bow drawn, one on either side of the gate. The guards standing watch over the busy gate seem bored and distracted, and we gain entry without challenge. Just inside the gates, we decide to split up: its early afternoon, and everybody has different errands to run throughout town. Miriel wants to go directly to the cathedral, and Paks and Telryn decide to accompany her. Stone wants to find a temple of Hedrada, and Chuck wishes to find the money changers; they, too, decide to go together. Goldpetal opts to go on to secure room at Miriel’s family’s Inn, the Sleeping Dragon. Miriel gives everyone directions, and go our separate ways. Goldpetal finds the Sleeping Dragon Inn easily. It is opposite a bustling square, which is filled with a farmer’s market today. The Inn is easy to find, as there is a big sign with a sleeping dragon next to a turned over barrel of beer. Though it is only afternoon, the inn is packed, and nobody gives a lone elf coming through the door a second glance. Goldpetal finds a serving girl, and says, “I’m a friend of Miriel. Is her family here?” The serving girl rushes off to fetch Miriel’s adopted parents, and shortly they both approach him; he still waits, awkwardly, at the door. Miriel’s parents are both human; the man is tall and barrel-chested, and his arms bulge with muscle. “You are a friend of Miriel? Welcome! Welcome! Come in, come in. Here, you, make room!” the man exclaims, in a deep, booming voice, guiding Goldpetal to a table hastily cleared by a few other patrons. “I am Clay, and this is my wife, Kendra. Here, sit down, have a beer – we make it ourselves.” The couple sit with Goldpetal, and the serving girl places a stein before him on the table. “How is Miriel?” asks Kendra, “We haven’t heard from her in weeks! Is she well?” Goldpetal takes a sip from the beer – which is excellent, the best he has tasted since leaving home – and begins his story. Not one to make a long tale, he keeps it brief, leaving most of the details for others to tell later. Even so the telling of the siege of Kratys Freehold and our counter-attack takes nearly an hour. When he has finished, Clay rises and excuses himself. “Thank you for the telling,” he says. “Now I must get back to work!” Kendra remains with her guest, and asks “Have you heard from her sister, Liriel?” “No, I have heard nothing of her,” the elf answers. He glances from her to Clay, now working behind the bar, noticing that neither of them looks anything like Miriel. They look like typical Veshians, with dark hair and olive skin. “Why are you...” he starts, then seems to change his question. “That is, I understood she was half-elven?” Kendra laughs and answers, “She and her sister were foundlings.” As they are chatting, he hears someone call “Goldpetal? Goldpetal!” from the crowd. The voice is familiar, heavily accented, though he cannot place it. He turns around, and sees that it’s a tall woman, wearing only a bikini and a gold-embroidered cloak. She has magnificent red hair, but is otherwise rather loud and unattractive. She has a black bat sitting on her right shoulder. Goldpetal does not look thrilled. “Brunhilde,” he says, in a flat voice. She doesn’t seem to notice his discomfort, and gives him a huge, enthusiastic hug. “How good to see you!” she shouts in his ear. “How is everyone?” “Fine, fine,” he says, trying to disengage himself from the hug. “They’ll all be here soon.” “How delightful!” she says, and sits at the table, to Goldpetal’s evident distaste. She quickly dominates the conversation, talking his ear off, asking about his adventures, and, though he does not ask, telling him all about hers. When Brunhilde pauses for a deep draught of ale, Kendra glances at Goldpetal. “I’m so surprised to hear that Miriel has had adventures,” she says. “She wasn’t very good at making the beer!” Goldpetal takes advantage of the moment to ask Kendra for rooms for the party for the night. “Certainly, certainly,” she answers. “Any friend of Miriel’s is welcome here at the Inn, and we’ve rooms free.” She rises and excuses herself, pleading responsibility for cooking Brunhilde launches into another story, which Goldpetal endures with good grace and patience. Stone and Chuck find a small square, where there are three trading houses, the money changers. The largest one belongs to the House Asuras. Chuck looks at it with suspicion. “The House of Mered also has a good reputation,” he offers, taking a step towards the next largest building. Stone punches him in the shoulder. “No, House Asuras. Let’s check it out.” The half-orc begins to walk into the House Asuras building, and Chuck follows reluctantly. It’s a bustling trading house, swarming with armed guards, not just at the door, but patrolling throughout. The guards eye the half-orc suspiciously, but Chuck is given directions to the money changer’s table. The fat man behind the table does not look up to acknowledge them, which prompts Stone to slam his palms against the table. “We’d like to change some money,” he says loudly. The money changer starts, then looks them over with a measuring glance. “Adventurers, right?” “No,” Chuck says, shaking his head. “No, actually, treasure hunters.” “Well,” the money changer says, spreading his arms wide. “Its lucky you came here! We have special deal, only 10% to exchange coins.” “Sounds good,” says Stone, hefting his sack up onto the table. The usurer hardly bats an eye at the quantity of coinage, and starts to examine the coins. He looks up, looking Chuck in the eye. “These are really old,” he says. “Most of them are from before the Titans’ War. They’re not much use, but we could melt them down. I’m going to have to pay you for their weight in ore, rather than their count as coins.” “Fair enough,” Chuck replies. Stone pulls out the cheap gems and the garnet. “What will you give me for these?” he asks. The money changer draws out a small loupe, the magnifying glass used to inspect gems, and studies them. “I can give you about five gold pieces each for these,” he says, “And a hundred fifty for the garnet.” Stone nods, “Done.” “You guys are lucky you came here,” the money changer says, and then adds with a sly smile, “And didn’t get the tax on adventuring.” “We’d like that in platinum,” Stone tells him. Again, the money changer doesn’t bat an eye. He pulls out a chest, and counts out 70 platinum pieces for Stone. He turns, and shouts over his shoulder, “Bring up some more platinum from the basement!” As the two adventurers head out the door, they split up. Stone heads off to the temple of Hedrada, while Chuck makes for the temple of Tanil. Chuck wanders through the streets of Lave, taking in the sights, and asks a passerby for the temple of Tanil. He is pointed to the park, Tanil’s Court, and walks there. It is a large park, spanning several blocks at the center of the city. The park is open to the air, filled with animal topiaries. Near the center, there is a great bronze statue of Tanil leaning on her bow, with her fox at her feet. The base of the statue is a shrine, where people have left flowers, burning candles, and other sacrifices. Nobles and townsfolk alike walk around, some talking, others sitting on benches, and there are a few people praying at the shrine. Chuck meanders through the park towards the statue, enjoying the afternoon sun. When he reaches the shrine, he kneels and prays. He is silent for a long time, and then prays aloud. “Tanil,” he says, “I’ve had some bad luck, and I need some help.” There are no answers, but he feels much lighter of heart, warmed by the sun and his time in the park. He leaves his dice as an offering, and turns to leave. He walks out via a different path than that which he entered by, and it takes him past a duck pond. He finds it irresistible, and stops to speak with the ducks for a while. Sadly, they speak a foreign language, a different dialect of duck. He enjoys his conversation with them anyway. People stare at him oddly. When he finally leaves, he goes to a weapon shop to unload some of his extra weaponry. Among other things, he sells the large whip-sword which we captured during the battle for Kratys Freehold. Stone searches the town for a long while, searching for the temple of Hedrada. He is unable to find it without asking for directions, which it takes him several hours to break down and do. When he finally arrives, he finds that the temple is very modest, much smaller than Grilliam’s temple to Hedrada in Southport. Four priests are present, in the large chamber. They politely welcome him. He says little to the priests, but kneels at the altar and prays. When he has completed his prayer, he leaves, again with little conversation. He wanders through the streets of the town during the afternoon, distracted by all the many sights. He buys a lot of “exotic” (to him) foods, and discovers that he loves cheeses. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Scourge of the Ratmen [Scarred Lands] - Updated 1/26
Top