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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Vigwyn the Unruly" data-source="post: 4019425" data-attributes="member: 20345">History and BackgroundI want your characters to have some common background, so we are going to fast-forward Edgar's life a little bit.This game will begin in the town of Newport on the west coast. (The entire world is dominated by humans, though isolated and hidden populations of dwarves, elves, and halflings also exist.) More than a hundred years ago, the king sent a lesser Count who had fallen out of favor to this area under the guise of having him supervise the construction of a lighthouse for what was eventually to become a major new port. However, this section of the coast is no good for sea travel, and the disused lighthouse was allowed to fall into ruin. The descendant of the original Count still rules the town, and the current King is perfectly happy to leave him there.Newport is a small town of approximately 900 permanent residents. The town is surrounded by a simple wooden palisade wall on three sides, and the neglected docks on the coast side.  The Coast Road travels through the town's main north and south gates. It is flagged in the town, but is little more than a simple dirt road outside of town. The narrow plain between the coast and the foothills of the Orc Mountains to the east supports a number of farms and smaller villages. These farms and villages raise the total known population of the County to about 1500. Most of the farms--and the neglected ruin of a lighthouse--lie to the south of the town, which is rolling grassland. Hunters and trappers find most of their quarry to the north, in which direction lies a dense forest. (There are rumors of an elf community in this northern forest... and several have reportedly seen redcaps and other fey there as well.)Off the coast are a number of small islands used primarily by fishermen, but also occasionally visited by pirates, some of them with wild tales of a much larger jungle island several days' sailing through the treacherous waters to the northwest.To the east lie the Orc Mountains. While no actual orcs have been seen there in decades, rumors abound of ibixian and dwarf strongholds. Above the tree line, the mountain tops are naked and foreboding. Only a small, little used trail leads through the foothills and up into the mountains. On the eastern side of the mountains, it is said, is a desert highland. But this is known only in tales--tales that include mummies and undead spirits, used primarily to scare naughty children into behaving.The land is very ancient, so there is evidence of buried ruins in many places both in and around the town. It is said that several entrances to the Underdark can be found... but they are probably best left hidden.Edgar and his companion [name?] have been in town for only a few days, resting after their latest adventure. (Which direction you came from and what your last adventure was, I will leave up to you.) Elves, though not completely unheard of here, are very rare. Most townsfolk think that they have some connection to the fey of the forest, whom they intensely distrust--mostly for good reason--so you are looked at quite suspiciously and given a wide berth. You notice that a member or two of the town watch always seems to be around when you are out in public. You have a room in the local inn, the Kraken. There are a few humble churches here, but no cathedral of note. The people love the King, but by and large dislike the Count, whom they find petty and greedy. The Count lives in the largest home in town. It is a mansion, but not a castle. He has a staff of servants and personal guards. The small garrison of about 30 soldiers from the King's Army appears to be here as much to keep the Count in line as to defend the assets of the Kingdom, and the soldiers and the Count's bodyguards distrust each other.You met while defending Edgar's home town from an invasion of svirfneblin 5 years ago. While you successfully defeated the svirfneblin, the town was destroyed and Edgar's druidic brotherhood was scattered. Sadly, Edgar's mother also died in the attacks, and you were both left with no one to cling to and no place to call home. You set out into the wider world, and have been adventuring together ever since.Feel free to change or expand your character backgrounds to incorporate any of this information, if desired.</blockquote>

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