Crownlands Hex Map, Part 2

Once again, another two-part hex map. Fortunately, the remaining two regions should be more sparsely populated, so this is likely going to be the last of this size.

Click here to enlarge

Each hex equals six miles. See here for part 1.

Crownlands Hex Map, Part 1

Another month down, another hex map for the Year of the Gazetteer. Once again, this is going to be a two-parter; see here for the other half.

Click here to enlarge

Each hex equals six miles.

Friday Encounter: Rickety Bridge

Here's a simple environmental puzzle that forces players to rethink how they manage their inventory and how they approach obstacles with limited resources at their disposal. It could be used either in a dungeon, on the road, or in a wilderness environment.

The party will find their path is suddenly blocked by a deep chasm, with steep cliffs plunging 200 feet below. The only direct route across is via a rickety rope bridge - and it is obvious that it will not be able to accommodate a great weight. The PCs will likely have to leave heavier gear behind in order to get across.

It is best to tell the players the mechanics of this encounter so that they can make informed decisions about how they want to approach it. The bridge cannot bear weight greater than 300 pounds; if a load of 300 pounds or more crosses the bridge, it will automatically collapse, sending any creatures on the bridge plunging into the abyss. Furthermore, creatures bearing a load greater than 200 pounds will need to tread carefully in order to avoid putting undue stress on the ropes. For a creature bearing a load of 200 pounds to cross the bridge, they must make a DC 10 Dexterity check, or the bridge will break under their feet. For every additional 10 pounds they carry, increase the DC by 2. A creature bearing less than 200 pounds can cross the bridge without issue.

A "load" here should include the creature's weight and the weight of any equipment it is carrying or wearing - if you don't know exactly how much your character weighs, assume 150 pounds for a medium-sized creature, 75 pounds for a small-sized creature, 100 pounds for a dwarf, and 175 pounds for a goliath. A creature of large size or greater will automatically cause the bridge to break; a creature of tiny size or smaller can cross the bridge without incident.

There are a few ideas at play here. In order to make progress across the chasm, the PCs will likely have to abandon equipment, including heavy armor, treasure, and other useful things, as well as any horses or beasts of burden they may be traveling with. Whatever is on the other side, they'll have to deal with it without such assets. In a hostile environment, there may not be a guarantee that their equipment will still be where they left it if they return to the other side of the bridge to reclaim it, and the presence of such items piled up on the ground may tip enemies off to the PCs' presence nearby. Even if the PCs feel the risk of crossing the chasm is too great, such an obstacle can encourage them to seek out alternative routes, which might cause them to focus their exploration elsewhere. And if the bridge does break, now the remaining PCs will likely have to find another way around anyway!

By default, a fall from the bridge will almost certainly kill most PCs, unless they have access to feather fall or similar effects. However, you could also shorten the drop and have another area to explore below the bridge (or, conversely, change the fall to a drop into a spiked pit). Another option would be to replace the chasm with a rushing river, which could carry PCs - or their gear, if they attempt to ferry it across - downstream.

The King in the Mountain

Gustav I, the Great, the Unifier, the first Emperor of a unified Vardessy, is still alive today.

Though it has been nearly 800 years since his conquests, the first Emperor never died. As a young man, when campaigning through the various kingdoms of the Vardessian Plain, he was wounded in battle, where he encountered Liamere, a princess of a fey realm located nearby. Though he was mortal, Liamere took pity on Gustav and took him into her castle to nurse him back to health. During this time, they came to know one another - and, though Gustav had married Iosa of Helmn, the two fell in love.

Both knew this was a fraught situation. It would surely shame the legitimacy of the Vardessian throne if its Emperor was unfaithful, and for a fey maiden to love a mortal was unheard of. So too, Gustav would eventually grow old and die. Liamere could not bear the thought of losing her beloved to the ravages of time, and she shared with him an elixir that would grant him eternal life.

But Gustav's mission was not done. He still had men waiting on him, and he still had many battles to fight before he had united Vardessy under his crown. He soon departed Liamere's castle to return to the mortal realm, where he rejoined his armies and cemented the power of his new empire.

In time, Gustav began to regret his tryst with the fey maiden, knowing that he had failed his loyalty to his wife. He returned to Falkenau to rule the empire, and never spoke of his deeds. But while the people around him - including his wife - grew old and died, Gustav remained young, for Liamere's blessing had made him immortal. He had ruled for seventy years, yet still appeared for all the world like a young man of twenty-five. He knew there would be questions - and so too, he was aware of the squabbles of his courtiers, many of whom would surely make plots against the throne if they suspected he was using unnatural means to prolong his lifespan and prevent anyone else from taking power.

At last, Gustav made a speech before his court where he admitted to his unfaithfulness. Knowing that there would be resistance to an eternal rule, and feeling it best to pass on his title, he abdicated the throne, dividing the Empire between his three sons, which began the first Vardessian Civil War as each of the heirs struggled for control over the empire. But Gustav would not be present to witness it.

He fled to Mount Euring, one of the highest peaks in the low Vardessian Plain, and a place he had become familiar with in his travels. Beneath the mountain there existed a great dwarven vault, one that he had been gifted with treasures from within. There, Gustav sealed himself, where he slumbered through the centuries so that when Vardessy needed him most, he would be ready to return. Until then, he would leave the Empire to other hands.

Today, the mountain is the site of the Abbey of the Eternal King, a Voltanite monastery that reveres Gustav as a living saint. Though their practices are not recognized as orthodoxy by the Cult, they remain a position of power in Vardessy as the guardians of the Emperor, safeguarding his vault so that he may be ready to protect his land in a time of great need, and they have been granted a fief to honor their service. The Emperor's vault is located deep within the bowels of Mount Euring, guarded by an ancient dwarf named Withun who Gustav personally entrusted with the duty of watching over his chambers.

The monks know the languages of the birds, and every year, Gustav wakes from his slumber for one day to ask of what has happened to Vardessy since he last awoke. One monk, always an elder entrusted with such a great honor, consults with the birds to hear everything they have witnessed that year, and relays the news to Gustav. Every year for the nearly 800 years, he has gone back to sleep, entrusting his successors with handling the situation. But it is said that should his aid be needed, he will take up the sword once again in the defense of the Empire.

Friday Encounter: Troll Sightings

There's a trend in fiction as a whole regarding subverting expectations. Playing with what audiences expect from the tropes and conventions of a particular genre, and doing something different with them. Done poorly, it can come off as feeling like a subversion of expectations for its own sake. But it can also put new spins on a concept, and keep audiences - and players - guessing.

Probably one of the oldest subversions is setting up apparent supernatural activity, only for it to all turn out to be a hoax put on by scam artists. Scooby-Doo stands as proof that you can get a decades-long franchise out of variations on this theme, and it influenced tabletop RPGs as early as The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, one of the biggest inspirations for the Lunar Lands as a setting. But what about a double subversion - where it seems like the monster is a fake, only for it to be very real?

Troll Sightings

Background

Valter von Sallers and Bertram Dahlman are a couple of fast-talking con artists that have been behind many a scheme all up and down these parts. Since their habits usually lead to them getting chased out of town by an angry mob once the villagers catch on to their plot, they never stay in one place for long, remaining in the area for a month or so to wring as much coin out of their marks as possible before they're forced to skip town when things get too hot. Then they'll come up with a new scheme and repeat the same thing a little bit further down the road.

Valter is a tall, skinny man with a bushy red mustache, while Bertram is shorter and stockier, with a black eye and a tooth missing; he's told many stories about how he got such injuries, which never seem to be the same twice. The two men bicker with each other, and often disagree on how to best conduct their plots, but at the end of the day they know they wouldn't be anywhere without each other, and Fate always ordains to draw the two of them back together in the end.

Valter and Bertram came up with their latest scheme after a previous misadventure left them in the possession of a supply cart heading to a barracks, providing them with weapons and armor. They have dressed themselves in mismatched brigandine and armed themselves with weapons (both have the stats of guards), even though they don't know the first thing about fighting. Now, they have arrived in town claiming to be great hunters of monsters, and warning the townspeople about a ferocious troll that was sighted not far from town!

This is, of course, nonsense - the two men want to drum up fear so that they can extort money from the village. At least, that's what they think. Coincidentally, there really is a troll nearby - and they may end up in deeper trouble!

The Encounter

This encounter is best used in a town, either one the PCs come upon on the road, or one that they are already staying at when Valter and Bertram arrive. You may wish to plant rumors of a pair of traveling con artists, monster hunters, or troll sightings before the party comes upon this encounter.

Valter and Bertram should arrive in the town square, making quite a ruckus and drawing a crowd. Bertram stands and rings a bell to get the townspeople's attention, while Valter produces a scroll and loudly reads proclamations from it. He announces that the two of them are monster hunters of great esteem who have saved many a village from dangerous beasts, and have the stories to prove it (feel free to throw in some outlandish anecdotes here). They have discovered tracks from a troll lurking outside of town - one that is surely lying in wait to eat the townspeople! The hunters are still tracking the troll with the intent of following it to its lair, but are in need of more supplies for such a task, imploring the people for donations to the cause - after all, as Valter reminds them, it is their funds that keep them safe at night when such a creature is about!

The two men proclaim themselves to be great warriors, and will demonstrate swordplay for the people, but it is obvious to anyone actually trained in the fighting arts that they don't know what they're doing and are just making things up as they go. They also claim to know a great bit about trolls, and they astonish the townspeople with their vivid descriptions of the dangers these creatures pose. You should mix in some facts that are true - such as that trolls feast on human flesh; that they can regrow chopped-off limbs; or that they turn to stone in sunlight (this is true in the Lunar Lands. I swear I have a Mandela Effect memory of trolls in 3.0e turning to stone in true Tolkienian fashion, and I've always run them accordingly) - with some that are obvious nonsense, such as that trolls are repelled by garlic or can breathe in water as though it were air. Valter and Bertram are, if nothing else, well-traveled, and they know how trolls work, but they can't resist embellishing things for gullible peasants who don't know any better if it keeps the gold coming in.

If the PCs offer to help find the troll, Valter and Bertram insist that they can handle it themselves and dare not let outsiders interfere in the hunt, lest it disturb their investigation. If they show any skepticism about their tales, the men direct them to the woods outside of town, where they have sighted troll tracks to the east. In fact, they claim, the tracks are getting closer every night, so it's important their expedition be funded soon!

Sure enough, there are giant clawed footprints in the ground to the east. These were made by Valter and Bertram in the night, using a wooden troll foot they press in the ground. Bertram keeps this in his room at the inn where he is staying, in a burlap sack under the bed. Normally, his door is locked during the day and he carries the key on his belt, but he is quite fond of wine, and it may be possible to swipe the key from him while he is drunk at the local tavern - though doing so in broad daylight may be trickier. A DC 15 Investigation check will reveal that there are leaves piled up beside every troll footprint; moving them aside reveals human footprints beside them from Valter and Bertram walking in the soft ground to place the tracks. Additionally, a DC 15 Nature check will reveal that the tracks don't seem to be spaced far enough apart to have been made by the typical gait of a troll. A Ranger with giants as a favored enemy has Advantage on this check.

However, a more thorough investigation will reveal that, to the north, there are another set of tracks similar to the first, but these have no leaves piled up beside them, and they are much more in keeping with a troll's anatomy (same checks as before apply to confirm these as real). These are from a troll that really does live close to town - and in fact, Valter and Bertram have been causing so much commotion as to disturb the troll's slumber during the day with their loud announcements and the cheering crowds they draw. If things continue, the troll will eventually see fit as to eliminate the source of the noise...

Further Developments

If the PCs expose Valter and Bertram as frauds, the people will rise up against them for taking advantage of their fear to line their purses, forcing the pair to flee town. The villagers will be grateful for the help. Although they are in no mood to give away money at this time, they will be happy to let the PCs stay at the inn for free as a token of their thanks.

However, if the troll is not dealt with, it will attack in the night after Valter and Bertram leave, barging into town and breaking into houses to devour the villagers in their beds. The PCs may be in for a rude awakening if they think things are over!

It is possible that the PCs will want to stake Valter and Bertram out in the hopes of catching them making tracks. A climactic finish to this encounter would be to have them catch the men in the act, only for the troll to attack them then and there! Valter and Bertram know they don't stand a chance against a real threat, and fall back on the PCs to defend them, begging them for mercy. Will the party be willing to stand in their defense?

If Valter and Bertram survive the encounter, you may wish for them to become recurring NPCs and have them show up in future escapades. Certainly they won't balk at any opportunity to make some money, no matter how underhanded, and if they're foiled at one scheme, they'll just go on to try another.

Heralds and Hounds

The Vardessian Crownlands are a wealthy, well-settled, and castellated land, one with a long history of noble traditions, where feudal authority is close at hand from both the Emperor and several powerful counts that serve him. It is only fitting that there would be a number of knightly orders headquartered there, many of which derive great prestige from their proximity to the Emperor. In fact, two of the most prominent play an important role in the Emperor's court.

The Imperial Heralds are the more famous of the two. This is by design. They make up the elite ranks of the Emperor's personal army, and are tasked with serving as his bodyguard. All of them bear gleaming armor and ride white horses meticulously bred for their strength, speed, and grace, and when they flank the Emperor's entourage, it is a sight that commands respect for his authority over the realm. Even in times of peace, the Heralds serve their use as a tool of propaganda, projecting the Emperor's wealth and power through his ability to maintain and equip such fine warriors.

Art by dashinvayne

The Heralds are not merely for show, though. They are a capable fighting force all their own, and the Emperor trusts only the finest knights of Vardessy and beyond to serve in his personal guard. They are expert swordsmen, chosen for their bravery and skill, and some even know magic. In addition to guarding the Emperor, Heralds are tasked with missions to deal with threats to the Empire itself and serve in leadership positions on the battlefield.

To be chosen for the ranks of the Imperial Heralds, a knight must have proven themselves with great and valiant deeds. As such, every member already has a respectable career behind them by the time they are granted admission to one of the order's castles; they serve a term of two years, during which they accept orders from the court and display the arms of the Heralds in place of their own heraldry. Every Herald is hand-picked by their Grandmaster, Heimnet von Krause, an ancient man who makes his selection based on the visions granted to him by Voltan. Occasionally, his visions lead him to choose warriors who are not yet knights, and though these choices have been controversial, he insists that Voltan's will cannot be contested. The current Knight-Commander, Matilda of Apelhof, was one such selection - she was a low-born mercenary regarded as crude of character and devoid of manners, though a respected warrior on the battlefield. Although many knights and courtiers alike doubted her capabilities when her station was announced, she dedicated herself to the cause that Voltan willed for her, and demonstrated herself to be well worthy of the honors, leading to Harald IV choosing her for a permanent position in the leadership of the Heralds' fighting force.

Art by Insist

However, the Empire has other machinations where the Heralds would be too formal, or their presence too conspicuous for the task at hand. For this, there exist the Hounds of the Emperor - the secret police of the Vardessian crown. They are tasked with any purposes it would be unseemly for the Empire to directly get involved in - clandestine dealings, espionage, intimidating political rivals, and, if necessary, making them disappear.

Officially, the Hounds are not spoken of. Their entire existence is somewhat of an open secret. Their exact number or membership is unknown; many of them adopt cover identities as monks, or dignitaries in foreign courts, but work to further the Emperor's goals behind the scenes. There even exist entire monasteries that are fronts for the Hounds, keeping suspicion away while their members train.

Their typical operations involve keeping a close eye on anyone who may become a threat - or an asset - to Imperial authority, and steering things in the right direction to ensure the Emperor's aims are furthered. Harald IV has made use of the Hounds in his pursuit of cementing his waning authority, but they are a powerful faction in their own right, and their loyalties are not guaranteed. There have been rumors that more than one Emperor who died in a hunting accident was in fact assassinated by his own Hounds because they favored the heir to the throne.

However, there are also times where a more direct approach is favored. The Emperors of Vardessy have not been above using the threat of the Hounds to frighten the nobility into compliance. When the orders are given, they don menacing black armor and ride massive destriers, setting fire to entire villages and laying waste to anything in their wake. Those who witness their devastation liken the Hounds to the knights of Hell itself - and that is an image that the Emperor is happy to cultivate.

Thayngen

Many of Vardessy's poets and chroniclers have enumerated the Three Great Cities of the Crownlands as Falkenau, Helmn, and Thayngen - in that order. The pedant will argue that Thayngen is not actually part of the Crownlands, however. It holds the status of a free imperial city - that is, the city is a self-governing entity, subject only to the Emperor, and free of feudal oversight from its immediate neighbors. As such, the city is treated as a distinct province in and of itself, even if it sits entirely within the borders of the Crownlands.

Thayngen's status as a free city is one that goes back centuries, and it has always held onto a strong local character because of this. The city is governed by a burgomaster elected from a council of guildmasters and local authorities; most of these officials do not hold noble rank, and in fact, Thayngen prides itself as a city of, by, and for the common people, staunchly resisting any overreach by the nobility that threatens to encroach on their autonomy. The current burgomaster is Alte Bosch, formerly the master of the Guild of Silversmiths. Although a fiery demagogue who has the support of the people due to his impassioned speeches, Alte is a short-sighted fool who often makes bold promises he has no intent (or even ability) to deliver on, and often the other council members have needed to pull him into line if his bluster gets out of hand. In fact, there are a number of guilds competing with one another behind closed doors, trying to manipulate the Burgomaster one way or another to favor their agendas.

Some sights in Thayngen include:

• 
  With the guilds of Thayngen being as powerful as they are, it is no surprise that the city's central square boasts many guild halls, large and lavish and brightly painted; the guilds are in fierce competition with one another to try and claim the attention and favor of the people, and they spare no expense on flaunting their power. The most powerful guilds, and the ones with seats on the town council, are the Guilds of Silversmiths, Bakers, Weavers, Fishermen, Traders, Potters, Coopers, and Butchers.
• Separated from Thayngen geographically, but still falling under the jurisdiction of the Burgomaster, is the Thayngen Citadel, a fortress that exists to house the city's population in times of siege; it is also where the city guard train and keep their barracks. The Captain of the Guard, Lucia von Achlen, also sits on the town council. She is a stern woman who is reluctant to take orders from anyone, and has often impeded dialogues when they haven't gone her way. Many council members find her a frustrating impediment, but she is far too well-armed to do anything about.
• Thayngen's philosophy of self-governance resonated with the traditions of the Swordbrothers of the Freikantons. When these warriors were hired by Thayngen to fight off an orc raid, many of them were drawn in by the city, and established a company there. Today, the Boar Spear Guild is the largest Swordbrother company in the Crownlands, and its members have served in many battles. Their tradition holds that their members must prove themselves by taking on odd jobs and performing individual quests before they are sent off to larger-scale battles, so there are always desperate souls seeking work.
• The Tournament of Saint Withun, honoring a saint in the Cult of Kerne, is a jousting tournament held in Thayngen for the guilds every year. A tilting field is set aside outside the walls, and often this becomes the site of a great festival, as merchants flock to the site to sell their wares to the retinues of visiting knights and to the people attending to watch the hastiltudes.

• In addition to the Tournament, one of Thayngen's most celebrated pastimes is calcio - a game that traces its history back to the City-States, in which two teams of players compete to force a ball into a goal on the opposite side of a square, with all manner of physical violence short of weapons or magic being permitted to get there. The Square of the Lions is unofficially the city's calcio field, and every year, the different guilds face off in a tournament, with the winner getting to fly a banner from their hall until the next tourney.
• Although Thayngen has not held the residence of the Emperor in many years, in no small part due to resistance from the fiercely independent townsfolk, it has been a destination on the Imperial Itinerary before, and an Imperial palace stands there. The palace has long since been abandoned, its doors shuttered and its furniture covered in dust, but Imperial law forbids it to be demolished without permission of the Emperor, and in his aims of tightening control on his domain, Harald IV has no intentions of doing so - even if he hasn't used it, to let go of it would mean conceding his grip on Thayngen. Rumors speak of plenty of riches contained within if one can manage to break in. Other rumors speak of ghosts.
• There are many temples in Thayngen - so much so that the Quarter of Spires is set aside for them. The most powerful are the Temple of Torvald, the Temple of Kerne, and the Convent of the Holy Wheel, devoted to Nehalennia. But there are many temples, monasteries, and priesthoods that congregate there, and often one may hear fierce theological debates between rival sects at the taverns and squares.

• Other holy men and women of Thayngen prefer to live their own lives, uninterested in the politics of the cults. Wilhelmina Abeln, a recluse schooled in the mystic arts by the Cult of Seidra, runs a small library tucked into the back of an alley somewhere, where a respectable archive of grimoires and arcane texts is kept for those who know where to look. It is frequently visited by scholars and magicians who discuss their findings and revelations with one another, becoming somewhat of a community gathering place.
• One of Thayngen's proudest landmarks is its clock tower, which sits on a hill so that its bells may be heard from any quarter of the city. It is operated by Ruprecht Elbram, an eccentric and reclusive wizard who lives in its loft; the city granted him the job in the hopes of keeping him busy so that he wouldn't cause too much chaos with his experiments.
• 
  Thayngen's town square contains a chopping block in which those condemned to death are executed by beheading. The executioner's axe has been passed down from generation to generation - and now, it has tasted blood so many times that it has developed a taste for it. The axe functions as a berserker battleaxe, and the executioner, Gislin, has of late been demanding more executions, even for seemingly minor crimes, to sate the axe's hunger, so much so that the city's magistrates are becoming worried. If they don't supply him with bodies, he may need to find other victims...
• Like any city, Thayngen has plenty of rumors. One holds that the sewers of the city are full of rat men, a rumor that is backed up by a spate of disappearances of beggars that have gone missing from the streets without a trace. The truth is stranger yet - an oytugh lives beneath the city, and occasionally devours anyone who gets too close to the openings to the sewers when food grows scarce.
• Another rumor claims that, long ago, an accomplished thief named Theodemir von Aschen committed many a grand heist from the guilds of Thayngen using a pair of enchanted boots that allowed him to jump higher than any wall. Supposedly, he hid the boots in a tunnel somewhere in the city, but no one has been able to find it. Clues in the notes he left behind, scrawled in the pages of several old books kept in various archives, point to a well by the tanner's quarter. But what else might be down there?