So the life I led was boring the shit out of me, all these would be suitors fawning over me and my parents constantly nagging me to choose a husband. High born of the Eladrin is a pain in the ass.
I got more and more pissed off, and took up magic as a way to show them all what I really think. In the meantime, took to brawling in the streets, skulking around in the dark and spying on the weak minded, occasionally swordfighting as dishonourably as possible. Then when the magic began to work, I could fire off a Thunderwave or two to shove the assholes back where they belonged. My parents disowned me, so I left with little or nothing. Thought I'd take a look at what happens outside the Fey world, and ended up with a bunch of unruly Dragonborn who were at least not such totally useless sucks that they didn't get angry when I used my spells on them. OK, I can live with that, at least for a while.
Still, watch yourselves guys. I piss of easily, and really, don't fear very much.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
On Relmaur, Rumours & Lore
Relmaur, long free of draconic control, has for centuries welcomed escaped dragonborn slaves of other realms. Though life is hard in the orc-contested land, it was one of the few places dragonborn could live free until the Blue Breath of Change. History taught as young.
The 3 largest clans are Belarrak, Garandorn and Urlingscar. The ruler, the High Crown of Relmaur, the stern Harangor Urlingscar is an aging dragonborn from an old Bloodname. Common Street knowledge.
Belarrak is a very new Bloodname, less than 65 years old. Fennor Belarrak is the Clan Founder and still the current head of the clan. At its founding, Fennor and his Spawnmates bought back 147 Dragonborn from the outside, forming the 3rd largest clan overnight and gained him the greatest honour bestowed to an individual since the Blue Breath of Change. History learned.
Rokthorl is the name of the Capital of the realm, but it is not a specific geographic city. It is the cavern currently inhibited by the clan of the High Crown. Dragonborn clans move their caves out of necessity, because of the Dragon Empress send raiding forces to attempt to reclaim "her slaves" every 10-20 years. None of the caverns are marked on the maps.
Dragonborn Culture on Returned Abeir.
Here's an excerpt on Dragonborn from Forgotten Realms Players Guide.
The Dragonborn on Returned Abeir is somewhat different than the free Dragonborn on Faerun. While all Dragonborn believe in the importance of honour, the definition of what is dishonourable can range greatly. There are 3 groups of Dragonborn in Returned Abeir: Slaves of Dragon Empires, scattered freed dragonborn slaves living in pockets here and there with no nation to call their own, and the free dragonborn of Relmaur. Of the 3, the Relmaur dragonborn are the most different from the norm.
The free dragonborn of Relmaur are a small minority (10%?) of the population of the dragonborn in Return Abeir. Living mainly in 3 small community of 400-800, the nation of Relmaur consist of less than 2500 members, of which half are young adults or younger. The enviornment is harsh, and the war with the orcs and other monsters are constant realty. Mature Dragonborn have no time to rear their own clutch, and the eggs of Relmaur are hatched and raised by specialized members called Spawn Parent, where he/she take care of all the eggs & its hatchlings of a particular year regardless of their clutch.
Therefore, the young have no Bloodnames(Lastnames) in Relmaur, as their parentage is unknown. As they approach adulthood, those who wish to earn their own Bloodnames may do so by earning it in a process known as the Bloodname Quest. The way to earn it is to gain honour outside their world, and return once they have found honour and knowledge to strengthen the nation. It is especially honourable to return with dragonborn immigrants who wish to become a part of Relmaur. The mortality rate is very high in Relmaur, and it need a constant influx of honourable adult dragonborn
Not all young adults chose to earn their own Bloodname and start their own clan. Those who did not take the Bloodname Quest are drafted/adopted by an existing clan, starting at the bottom in honour and rank and must work their way up.
Of the few that return, most of those are bounded so closely through battle as well as spawn, the survivors form the heart of a new clan. There are exeptions where more than 1 return wish to be on their own, with his/her own Bloodname.
Honor is very different for these Dragonborn. For most other Dragonborn, Family name (the Clutch) is the most imporant thing to honour. Like the dwarves to dishonour your family and ancestors is the worse sin, as well as dishonouring your own self. Here, the clans are not related by blood at all, other than circumstantially adopted.
Living in a land where war is constant and the environmental dangers is just as harsh, Honour in combat is least of their worry. There is a saying here. Nation before Self, Spawn before Nation, and Clan before Spawn. To dishonour your Clan is the worse sin, and those without a Bloodname must honour first and foremost their other Bloodnameless spawn brothers/sisters.
Dragonborn have always cleaved to a complex set of principles to guide their beliefs. Dragonborn society is highly ordered, with rigid castes and social
expectations, but nowhere does the race’s sense of honor reveal itself more than in combat. A dragonborn always shows his enemies respect, giving his opponents the greatest due regardless of the cause that makes them foes. Few dragonborn would sully
themselves by using treachery to defeat their adversaries, and they give each opponent the chance to acquit himself in the same honorable fashion.
This adherence to proper behavior eclipses the race’s views toward the gods. Since Abeir was without divine influence, at least in a way that most people of Toril understand, dragonborn regard the gods and their servants with suspicion, for they have ever held themselves accountable for their own actions and never to the expectations of others, especially to some remote god or other. Although a few dragonborn have found themselves in the service of traditionally wicked institutions, they cannot share the tenets and beliefs of the organizations they serve.
The Dragonborn on Returned Abeir is somewhat different than the free Dragonborn on Faerun. While all Dragonborn believe in the importance of honour, the definition of what is dishonourable can range greatly. There are 3 groups of Dragonborn in Returned Abeir: Slaves of Dragon Empires, scattered freed dragonborn slaves living in pockets here and there with no nation to call their own, and the free dragonborn of Relmaur. Of the 3, the Relmaur dragonborn are the most different from the norm.
The free dragonborn of Relmaur are a small minority (10%?) of the population of the dragonborn in Return Abeir. Living mainly in 3 small community of 400-800, the nation of Relmaur consist of less than 2500 members, of which half are young adults or younger. The enviornment is harsh, and the war with the orcs and other monsters are constant realty. Mature Dragonborn have no time to rear their own clutch, and the eggs of Relmaur are hatched and raised by specialized members called Spawn Parent, where he/she take care of all the eggs & its hatchlings of a particular year regardless of their clutch.
Therefore, the young have no Bloodnames(Lastnames) in Relmaur, as their parentage is unknown. As they approach adulthood, those who wish to earn their own Bloodnames may do so by earning it in a process known as the Bloodname Quest. The way to earn it is to gain honour outside their world, and return once they have found honour and knowledge to strengthen the nation. It is especially honourable to return with dragonborn immigrants who wish to become a part of Relmaur. The mortality rate is very high in Relmaur, and it need a constant influx of honourable adult dragonborn
Not all young adults chose to earn their own Bloodname and start their own clan. Those who did not take the Bloodname Quest are drafted/adopted by an existing clan, starting at the bottom in honour and rank and must work their way up.
Of the few that return, most of those are bounded so closely through battle as well as spawn, the survivors form the heart of a new clan. There are exeptions where more than 1 return wish to be on their own, with his/her own Bloodname.
Honor is very different for these Dragonborn. For most other Dragonborn, Family name (the Clutch) is the most imporant thing to honour. Like the dwarves to dishonour your family and ancestors is the worse sin, as well as dishonouring your own self. Here, the clans are not related by blood at all, other than circumstantially adopted.
Living in a land where war is constant and the environmental dangers is just as harsh, Honour in combat is least of their worry. There is a saying here. Nation before Self, Spawn before Nation, and Clan before Spawn. To dishonour your Clan is the worse sin, and those without a Bloodname must honour first and foremost their other Bloodnameless spawn brothers/sisters.
Prologue to Part II, The Secrets of Amra
"How much for the suit of layered plate?! That's outrageous!", goggled Malgrim as he considered the smith's quote of 800 gold crowns.
"You look here, elf - You see them thousand or so dwarves out there milling about? The price of metal is going through the roof! I've got teams of cryers in the countryside buying ploughshares and scrap metal because price of iron ore has increased 10 fold overnight! Until a new supply of metal shows itself this be my price for the armour. You won't find cheaper around town!", said Bjarngerður Alfgrun.
"But I'll tell you what, since you're with them dragonborn heroes, - I have a job for you. If you can get it done, I'll get you the suit for free. How's that for a deal?
About a month ago...."
---
Master Alfgrun is the most well known Armoursmith/merchant south of Belprin's Hold. He's from a long line of smiths dates back to the founding of Rorst 250 years ago. Malgrim was trying to negotiate for the price of a set of masterwork platemail so he can transfer the enchantment of the +2 chain to the plate when this adventure lead was discovered.
Around a month ago, he had an overland shipment robbed on route to him. In this shipment was 2 sets of magical leather armour, 1 set of magical hide, and weapon grade ore and armor grade bars. He had set a reward for the return of the magic armors, but while he has discovered their location, the bounty hunters had been unsuccessful in retrieving the items. Since 2 groups of bounty hunters died, no one tried unless the reward was going to go up substantially. Unwilling to to up the reward, he had since retracted the bounty and counted the shipment lost.
Since the destruction the Belprin Gate mines and most importantly the complete disruption of trade route to the dwarven nation of Belprin's Hold, price of those ore is worth much more than the 3 sets of magical armor. If Alfgrun can get those ore within days, he'll be the only smith in town that can fill some very specialized orders. (ores for weapon and ores for armour has drastically different characteristic requirements. One is hard and strong but can keep an edge, other is more mailable but less brittle. Weapon Grade metal is much harder to come by and more expensive.)
The Deal:
Find the rogues hiding in a abandoned ruin of House Malserpent-, get his stolen ores back to him within 10 days. In return, the party will get the following:
-good will of one of the best smiths in this region, he trust the dragonborn won't cheat him.
-get to keep the 3 suits of magic leather/hide armor.
-anything they find in the ruins
-a suit of layered plate, custom made to Malgrim specs.
-500 gp
Bonus - get back by evening of 28th of Eleint (5 days)
additional 500gp.
If all goes well, the party should be able to get there in 2 days, and back in 3 days travelling with with ore. You'll be needing a cart. Lots of carts for sale from the dwarves. Horses are a different story.
"You look here, elf - You see them thousand or so dwarves out there milling about? The price of metal is going through the roof! I've got teams of cryers in the countryside buying ploughshares and scrap metal because price of iron ore has increased 10 fold overnight! Until a new supply of metal shows itself this be my price for the armour. You won't find cheaper around town!", said Bjarngerður Alfgrun.
"But I'll tell you what, since you're with them dragonborn heroes, - I have a job for you. If you can get it done, I'll get you the suit for free. How's that for a deal?
About a month ago...."
---
Master Alfgrun is the most well known Armoursmith/merchant south of Belprin's Hold. He's from a long line of smiths dates back to the founding of Rorst 250 years ago. Malgrim was trying to negotiate for the price of a set of masterwork platemail so he can transfer the enchantment of the +2 chain to the plate when this adventure lead was discovered.
Around a month ago, he had an overland shipment robbed on route to him. In this shipment was 2 sets of magical leather armour, 1 set of magical hide, and weapon grade ore and armor grade bars. He had set a reward for the return of the magic armors, but while he has discovered their location, the bounty hunters had been unsuccessful in retrieving the items. Since 2 groups of bounty hunters died, no one tried unless the reward was going to go up substantially. Unwilling to to up the reward, he had since retracted the bounty and counted the shipment lost.
Since the destruction the Belprin Gate mines and most importantly the complete disruption of trade route to the dwarven nation of Belprin's Hold, price of those ore is worth much more than the 3 sets of magical armor. If Alfgrun can get those ore within days, he'll be the only smith in town that can fill some very specialized orders. (ores for weapon and ores for armour has drastically different characteristic requirements. One is hard and strong but can keep an edge, other is more mailable but less brittle. Weapon Grade metal is much harder to come by and more expensive.)
The Deal:
Find the rogues hiding in a abandoned ruin of House Malserpent-, get his stolen ores back to him within 10 days. In return, the party will get the following:
-good will of one of the best smiths in this region, he trust the dragonborn won't cheat him.
-get to keep the 3 suits of magic leather/hide armor.
-anything they find in the ruins
-a suit of layered plate, custom made to Malgrim specs.
-500 gp
Bonus - get back by evening of 28th of Eleint (5 days)
additional 500gp.
If all goes well, the party should be able to get there in 2 days, and back in 3 days travelling with with ore. You'll be needing a cart. Lots of carts for sale from the dwarves. Horses are a different story.
Sword Lands Rumours & Lore
Stories are important in the Sword Lands, and a favourite one is of Amra, the nation that once existed there. Amra had a human King who successfully stood up to the Empress Dragon, winning a promise from her that no dragon would ever attack Amra. That promise remain kept to this day. Hundreds of years has passed since the fall of Amra, by human hands. To this day, the Ruins of Amra is still visible litter the countryside, and the Dragon Empress has kept her word. Myth & Legends
Today, the valley of the Sword Lands is filled by a string of small, warring lands each ruled by a lord from his castle. The Lords feud constantly, but lack coin enough to raise army to unify the region. Scheming and spying are ever-present, Assassination of wizards, Lords' retainers, and lordly heirs and spouses goes on energetically. The feuds are so tangled that it can only end when whole lines are extinguished. Word on the Streets
Campaign Timeline for Part 1, Swordriver Valley
1479 DR The Year of the Ageless One
- Alturiak 12: Dragonborn left their home Rokthorl behind and arrived in the Swordriver valley.
- Elisias 24: Arrived at the human city of Rorst. [day 1 of actual game campaign]
- Eleint 3:
- Orcs attempt a raid of Rorst, was repelled, objective- kidnapping seemingly random people for reasons unknown.
- Dragonborn met 2 Eladrin who joined the party.
- Orcs attempt a raid of Rorst, was repelled, objective- kidnapping seemingly random people for reasons unknown.
- Eleint 7: Eladrin Paladin dies while rescuing villager for Rorst.
- Eleint 10: Returned to Rorst, semi heroes' welcome as all villagers minus 1 is still alive and all are accounted for.
- Eleint 13: Arrived at Belprin's Gate, warnings of attack.
- Eleint 14:
- Party met half-elf paladin in the dwarven temple
- Rescued the high priest and dwarf miners, high priest called lava in desperation.
- Arrival of a lich under the dwarven temple.
- Party met half-elf paladin in the dwarven temple
- Eleint 15:
- Destruction of Belprin's Gate, dwarves from Belprin's gate march toward Rorst.
- Met with a Dragonborn Barbarian on the way down the mountain who joined the party.
- Destruction of Belprin's Gate, dwarves from Belprin's gate march toward Rorst.
- Eleint 17: Arrived back at Belprin's Gate. Joined refugee line towards Rorst.
- Eleint 19: Return to Rorst, dwarves settling in about 1 mile east of Rorst in a vast refugee camp of 1200. Rorst extend hands of friendship with expectation that they find their way home once the lavaflow cools. Dwarves estimate 2-3 tendays from now depending on rainfall.
- Elient 21: Highharvestide Holyday and Autumn Equinox, everyone partied hard, including the dwarven refugees.
- Eleint 23: Recovered fully from hangovers, begins part 2...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
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