Welcome back to the next installment of my attempts to tackle the Gygax 75 Challenge - making a new campaign setting in 5 weeks!
This week, we tackle the Home Base - where players will return to to spend their ill-gotten gains, or lick their wounds to prepare for the next big adventure. In this case, there are multiple towns to choose from across New Rook Island, but I will focus on the largest - Peridot.
Remember, you can play along at home - visit Ray Otus' itch.io store and download the workbook (for free!) to get started!
Find or Sketch Out a City Map
I am gonna use one of the inimitable Dyson Logo's maps; he even has some released under a Creative Commons license, so let's use one of those in case I want to throw all this stuff into a PWYW PDF at some point.
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| Map by Dyson Logos |
Name several shops and what they sell
Gherrod's Chandlery sells everything the aspiring mariner requires - from sails, nets, rope, marlinspikes, even boarding axes and cutlasses on occasion - if it's needed for a ship, Gherrod's your dwarf. It's also an easy place to find a few sailors, should you need to fill out the crew of a ship.
If you need muscle, rather than sailors, The Ravens' Nest is where to look. Mercenaries, enforcers, assassins and slayers of all stripes have made the tavern their unofficial haunt, to the point that mercenaries on New Rook are often dubbed "Ravens". Theoretically, they serve anyone, but the local mercs will challenge any newcomers to prove their mettle.
Marten's Smithy will produce simple weapons and armour, as well as nails, kettles and other iron goods. While Marten's stock isn't of the highest quality, it sure is cheap!
If it's proper quality weapons and armour, look no further than The Blade Works - a small group of weaponsmiths who arm the entire island, and beyond. Each smith focuses on one or two types of items, meaning they are experts at their craft - and you do need to pay extra for that expertise. They are also one of the only places capable of building firearms and cannons; Balwinder the Artillerist, a powerfully-built Pesha woman, is legendary across the island as the best cannon-maker around.
Balwinder's husband, Amanpreet, is a slight man, often found wearing the finest fashions; he is one of the main traders in silks and fabrics on New Rook, and makes high-class clothing for a select clientele.
While fresh food (meat, veg, fruit and fish) can be bought at the Cheap Street Market, there are a number of shops which sell ready-to-eat treats and snacks - Acantus sells souvlaki, Marta always has a stew of some sort for a few coppers, and there is the ever popular Tannim's Turtle Roast.. Many will also sell rations for ships - shorter travel times mean that some fresh food can be taken on most journeys, but iron rations, hard tack and salt beef are all in demand.
Locate and describe;
A political faction and its rival
The New Rook Reformists wish to create a set council for the island, with lifetime appointments and much stricter rules regarding who settles on the island. Many find their politics distasteful, and their apparent willingness to side with the Empire should they get into power leaves a sour taste in the mouths of many. Opposing them are the Court of Free Captains - the actual ruling body of the islands, who prefer things to be free and loose.
The place where characters could lose all their money
While the Raven's Nest has games of chance, you're as likely to lose an eye as you are your coin. For proper high-class gambling, drinking and companionship, try the Golden Caravanserai - a haven of good drugs, expensive drinks, and high-stakes games.
A place where people gather to hear news and speak their minds
The Town Square often holds many people speaking their mind, to whoever will listen, but monthly they hold a Town Hall - all citizens are welcome to speak, make their thoughts heard, and hold their elected officials to account. The system of governance is based heavily off of shipboard diplomacy - the Tyrant is an elected position who marshals the island under times of war; the Seneschal is equally important, while having more of a hand in day-to-day faire. These positions tend to last a few months to a year, as people are voted in and voted out.
A secretive Guild Hall and its reputation
The Guild of Night's Secrets is currently based out of a tower in the Temple Quarter. They are very careful to both cultivate a scary reputation, and ensure that no-one is certain when they have been involved in a particular situation. Sorcerer-assassins, The Guild of Night's Secrets are a constant whisper on the tongues of the lower class, and a thought in the back of the mind of important people all over New Rook.
The best (and worst) place to obtain a hot meal and a clean bed
The best place to rest your weary bones is the Golden Caravanserai - it's a high-class brothel with additional sleeping arrangements, with the most decadent food going. The worst is any of the many flea-pit rooms above the lower-rent pubs that spring up whenever someone fancies trying their hand at running a business; piss-weak beer, mouldy food and a hard pallet bed with a rat-chewed blanket if you are lucky.
A religious centre and the god(s) to which it is dedicated
The Temple Quarter is chock full of temples, dedicated to any number of different Gods. The Pesha brought hundreds of Gods from their homeland, and each has a presence here. The other settlers also brought their own - from the Northern idol-worshippers to the Southron family-drama pantheons, there's a God to suit everyone in the Temple Quarter.
The current largest temple belongs to Kadalon, God of the sea and patron of sailors. Kadalon's priesthood are a common sight throughout the city, offering blessings and doing good works.
A feature unique to this town
Only known to a few, there is in fact a Teleport Circle within the city walls. Hidden under the town square, those few who know are keen to keep it secret - should the Empire find out about it, it would be easy for one of their mages to crack the code and begin using Peridot as a staging area for an invasion.
Create 5 NPCs, each with a "DNA" (Distinguisher, Need, Agenda/Asset)
Balwinder the Cannoneer - Very tall and muscular, often wears stylish clothes which accentuate her figure; back home in Pesha, it is not considered "proper" for a woman to be tall or fit, and she is proud of her body - and her husband loves his huge wife, so he makes sure her clothes are on point. Peridot gives her a chance to be herself, and pursue her passion - cannons! Balwinder is currently looking for samples of Dwarven cannons and firearms to reverse-engineer, and even better a Dwarven smith to teach her the techniques required to make Dwarven steel. Balwinder is one of the few smiths in the area who can make cannon and firearms to order, meaning she should be one of the PC's best friends.
Amanpreet the Clothier - Slim, femme and always impeccably dressed. Amanpreet wants to set up shop across the islands, becoming the number one merchant for silks, fabrics and high-end clothing around. To do so, he needs contacts on the other islands, and will often charter trips to the nearby islands (or bum a ride with anyone going that way).
Captain Fyre the Tyrant - A rotund man with a thick Northern accent and a bushy red beard. Fyre is the current Tyrant of Peridot, the martial leader of the town. Fyre needs better-trained soliders - the militia are not in the best of shape, but he can't afford to train a standing army. Ideally, he want to buld Peridot into a proper fortress; paranoid about a possible incursion from the Empire, he wants his town to be the safest place to command from.
Karal the Whisper Master - a thin, sallow-skinned Elf with piercing crimson eyes. Head of the Guild of Night's Secrets, Karal is a dangerous man to cross. He will often offer favours to those willing to be bold and direct, in exchange for a favour at some later date. His true agenda is to seat himself on the Court of Free Captains, and knows that the quickest route onto the Court is to kill one of the current Captains. However, he is a very useful friend to have, so many willingly enter his debt, becoming pawns in a game they know frighteningly little of...
Sereya the Priestess - chubby, always cheery, wears a tricorn hat with a spectacular golden peacock plume. The current High Priest of Kadalon, Sereya is looking to proselytize a bit; she would like to see Kadalon become the patron God of this chain of islands. Of course, with people coming from all over to fill them up, she knows that isn't a likely cause, but she is willing to spread her faith wherever she goes. She might even be convinced to travel with the PCs to the further reaches of the island chain, should they prove themselves friends of the Temple.
Extra Credit
Create 5 hirelings or specialists the characters might recruit
Morris the Link (Halfling) - short, bright, constantly moving. Morris always wanted to be a pirate. Giving up a potentially stable job as a farmer to stow away on a ship, he is far from home and strapped for cash. Morris will do just about anything - brave to the point of foolhardy.
Lurn the Guide (Guana Ranger) - thin and ropey, dark, mottled scales with vibrant red accents. One of the few Guana to have settled in another culture, he is an expert woodsman, and a capable navigator and tracker. If you are going exploring, hiring Lurn will save you a lot of hassle, even if he doesn't know the area.
Murga the Sage - squat, thick, an intense expression at all times. a man with a wide range of knowledge, Murga can translate most common languages, has a working knowledge of magic to identify magic items, and can even cast a few simple spells - for the right price.
Borri and Karl the Bondsmen (Human Reavers) - tall, powerfully built, with shaggy blond and red hair in complex braids. Borri and Karl are brothers, recent arrivals from the North. Looking to make a name for themselves, they currently act as bounty hunters; however, they will happily take jobs as men-at-arms, mercenaries and anything else that lets them hurt people for money. They also refuse to work seperately.
Generate 7-9 rumours that are going around town
The Black Towers are all linked - someone's brother's wife's son said he knew a guy who went into one Tower and was found a month later 5 islands over. (True)
Amanpreet the Clothier has started working with the Guild of Night's Secrets - how do you think they get all those tight-fitting black outfits? (False)
The Empire has been making overtures to try and win over the Guana living Basos. The lizards refuse to talk about it. (True and true, though they have not been successful so far)
The Raven's Nest has started a fight club, on nights of the new moon. The current champion is an Southron Ogre and is apparently unbeatable in a straight fight. (True, he's a master of pankration - break out the grappling rules!)
The New Rook Reformists aren't just willing to work with the Empire - they are already on their payroll. (False, though some members have been trying to make it so)
The countries of the Southron Reaches are eagerly eyeing the advance of the Empire, and are preparing for their eventual conquest and expansion towards them. (Partially true - they are keeping an eye on things, but not outright spying, and think the Empire is overextending itself trying to take these islands)
The Court of Free Captains holds a hidden fort, far to the north, guarded by a dragon. (True, and false - it's a skeletal dragon under the control of one of the Captains)
Jesus, that's a lot of stuff! But, another week done - join us next week for Part 5 - The Larger World!
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