Campaign Information, Background

Basic Fantasy (BFRPG)
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badams30
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Campaign Information, Background

Post by badams30 »

Basic campaign info, background, etc.

EDIT 18 MAY: I'm sorting the campaign starting point, so I'll add those locale details shortly.
EDIT 18 MAY: Religions (no locales mentioned here yet, I'll add them retroactively.)

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badams30
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Re: Campaign Information, Background

Post by badams30 »

Core Pantheon:

Good & Lawful Deities:
Avandra - Goddess of Change, Luck and Travel. Patron of Halflings. (3 parallel wavy lines)
Tyr - God of Law & Justice (War hammer w/ scales atop it)
Moradin - God of Family, Community and Creation (as in smithing). Patron of Dwarves (Anvil with flame on top)
Pelor - God of Sun, Agriculture and Time. (Radient sun)

Unaligned Deities:
Corellon - God of Beauty, Art, Magic and the Fey (Silver star on a blue field)
Erathis - Goddess of Civilization, Inventions and Law. (Blue gear with star inside it)
Kord - God of Storms, Battle and Strength. (Cloud with lightning)
Melora - Goddess of Wilderness, Nature and the Sea (Spiral wave crest)

Evil Deities:
Asmodeus - God of Tyranny and Domination. Lord of Devils. (Red pentagram)
Bane - God of tyranny. (Black gauntleted fist)
Torog - God of the Underdark. Patron of Jailors and Torturers (3 clawed hands emanating from a black void)
Vecna - God of the Undead and Necromancy. Lord of Secrets (eye in the palm of a withered hand)
Zehir - God of Darkness and Poison. Favoured Deity of the Yuan-Ti and Patron of Assassins (Serpent staff)

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badams30
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Re: Campaign Information, Background

Post by badams30 »

New Arrival Information - WHAT YOU KNOW

The Reaches are kind of seen as a sleepy backwater due to the general lack of conflict, enemies, and general goings on. The populace are the split between the pioneer/settler or the sedate villager types - an optimistic, hardy and resourceful bunch. They are tough, but very peaceful, and generally don't think outside the confines of their villages or cities. Due to the size of his realm (which is largely wilderness) the King (who lives back in the comfort of the civilized land) only has a relative skeleton crew of troops in the reaches. They are spread very thin, and have limited resources. Each village is expected/required to have a militia of able-bodied to defend and come to the aid of the duke if needed. The militias are that in name only, and very few do regular drilling or have any experience with a weapon. Almost none of them have ever been in a fight. Each village and city can elect a mayor or leader (the title is moot) and a sheriff/constable or in some cases may have a Duke-appointed authority figure responsible for oversight. Where the military of the civilized lands is very rigid, has distinct uniform standards and could be called crack troops, the reaches' garrisons are more lax and laid back, and some adopt uniform standards of the locales where they are based. This isn't to say they are poor troops, but they don't compare favorably with the Kings men back home.

With this being more like the Waltons than The Walking Dead, the Reaches haven't really been a place where adventurers have flocked to, and there aren't many home-grown adventurers to be had. Most of the influx to the area has been prospectors, farmers, woodcutters and people looking to cash in on the untapped wilderness. The one thing the reaches has is resources. Gold, silver, gems, old growth timber, fertile land, etc. Tales of ruined cities, lost mines, tombs, and bedtime tales of untold treasures from old civilizations are what draws adventurers to the Reaches. Until recently, encounters with other races and beings have been few and far between. The duke knows there are other intelligent beings out there (and some bad guys) but they've generally kept to themselves, as have the settlers. There are no native dwarves or halflings here, but a relative large number of them have come here from abroad. There are rumors of elves to the northeast who are ancient and have been here for millennia, but if so, they haven't made their presence known to anyone. As a result, adventurers are a curiosity and rarity here. The populace has a favorable view of adventurers, and wherever they go, they are noticed and subject to curious glances or questions. Priests have a willing and eager populace here, and there is a shortage of priests as a general rule. So clerics are treated with respect and sometimes awe. Magic users are extremely rare, and there are no magic schools or sources of formal magical training here. That's not to say there aren't wizards here, but they are not conspicuous, and while they are not met with hostility, most folks have a healthy fear of magic and mystical things, and tend to shy away from wizards unless they know them. It's not known if any thieves guild is in the Reaches, as most cities are small and everyone knows each other. Wherever there are people, there are shady dealings, but thievery is a non-issue here. That being said, the populace takes a hard line on law and order. Thievery is frowned upon, and subject to varying levels of frontier-style justice on occasion. Fighters are heroes here, and are regarded with awe and attention. One of the easiest ways to make a name for yourself is to be handy with a sword and strong (it's easy for the locals to relate to...)

Due to the sedate nature of the locals, and the low-impact settlements, they non-human inhabitants of the reaches have generally kept to themselves. There have been reported sightings of things like griffons, owlbears, dragons (though none verified, thought to be rumors) and encounters with goblins, kobolds, lizardmen, and even ogres and giantkin. But aside from some very minor things (like goblins stealing cattle or crops) there haven't been any reports of concern that have made it out of the Reaches. Interestingly, in the last couple of years, encounters with what civilized people would call "monsters" have increased a bit, and this has been a cause of concern for the Duke. He has requested more troops from the king, but his calls for aid have been continuously denied. As a result, the Duke has put out a call for adventurers and swords for hire in the Kings lands. Most ignore these requests, because of the sleepy, unexciting reputation of the Reaches. But the lure of the unknown and opportunity to make a name for oneself is what draws most to this place.

As newcomers, you know all of what I've listed above from rumors, heresay and chatter from the voyage over. I'm starting a thread for rumors and information where we can keep information that might be handy later or easily lost in the threads.

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