Friday Encounter: Ghost Town

This encounter is best used when the PCs are traveling by road. There are two very different ways to kick things off, which will depend on whether the party triggers it by day or by night. As we all know, you cannot have a meaningful campaign if strict time records are not kept, so it may be helpful to keep in mind what time of day the party comes upon this encounter to play things accordingly. Or just fudge things so that the party happens upon it at the right time of day for the scenario that most interests you.

You may want to mark the location of this encounter on a hex or point map, if using one, to keep note of it in case the PCs revisit it. They may find new developments if they do so by both day and night!

Background

The village of Tedansk has a problem - everyone is dead. An alchemist by the name of Teodosija once lived a few miles away from town, where - like many of her kind - she devoted her studies to decoding the secrets of life itself. She sought the ultimate goal of any alchemist - the fabled Elixir of Life, which could grant her immortality. As part of the process or creating this elixir, Teodosija managed to create a Philosopher's Stone, and with that, she began a ritual that would allow the elixir to be distilled from a bit of the Stone mixed in wine.

The only problem was, Teodosija discovered a little too late that her Philosopher's Stone was unstable, and the ritual did not go as planned. When she dissolved the Stone, it set off a magical reaction that vaporized her instantly and sent a wave of force through the land, affecting Tedansk. No physical structures were damaged, but everyone in town immediately dropped dead on the spot. Teodosija did, however, manage to imbue the Stone with the power of life - but not quite as she intended.

Now, the entire town of Tedansk is cursed with undeath. By day, their bones lay moldering wherever they fell, but at night, the ghosts of the villagers arise, going about their lives as though nothing ever happened.

To further complicate matters, Teodosija had previously constructed a shield guardian to guard her tower against intruders, but shortly before the event, she came to town to announce her "successful" creation of a Philosopher's Stone - and in the process, the village's resident ne'er-do-well, Milenko, pickpocketed the amulet she used to control it, believing it to be nothing more than a gold necklace. He was later caught for an unrelated crime and placed in the town lock-up, but before the town council could figure out what to do with him, the wave struck. Teodosija never figured out what happened to her amulet before her death, either - and, as she never reported it missing, it went unnoticed when he was apprehended.

The Encounter

If the PCs come upon Tedansk during the day, they will find it eerily still and quiet, with no signs of life. The buildings are undamaged, but no one walks the streets; everyone, from shopkeepers at their desks to the children gathered around a hopscotch track in the town square to even the animals in the fields, have fallen dead and long since rotten away to skeletons, and everything is covered in dust and cobwebs. Even the trees surrounding the village are dead.

As soon as the sun sets, however, the skeletons and dead plants disappear, and in their place the spirits of the townspeople, their livestock, and the vegetation arise, with the people going about their day-to-day business as normal. They do not acknowledge the fact that it is night, or the amount of dust on everything, and they will interact with the PCs as any living person would. If the PCs say anything to them that references them being dead or ghosts, the townspeople will be confused and likely offended; pressing this line of questioning will make them run the party out of town as lunatics.

Tedansk consists of a few houses, a shrine to Solenna, a blacksmith's shop, and an inn. All of them operate as normal, though any food served by the inn will have long since gone rotten and withered away (the villagers do not notice this). In addition, there is a lock-up where Milenko is being kept. A guard stands outside and will explain that he is being held for the crime of theft (he stole a cask of ale from the inn). Milenko will deny having stolen Teodosija's amulet, but if coerced, will eventually admit that he did pickpocket a necklace from the alchemist, which he gave to his fiance, Savitza, two months ago. Savitza is also a ghost in the town; she does not know that Milenko stole the amulet, and will be alarmed (though not entirely surprised) if she learns the truth. Neither of them know of the amulet's true nature, and Savitza will be unwilling to part with the amulet - it was a gift from Milenko, after all, and even if he is a thief and a cad, she remains loyal to him nonetheless, as their love is true.

Rumors in town may lead the PCs in the direction of Teodosija's tower, which sits further back in the dead woods to the southwest, about half an hour from town by foot. The townspeople know her as an alchemist of great power. Many of them respect her knowledge, and even more fear it; about two months ago she came to announce her success in creating a Philosopher's Stone, but she hasn't been heard from since. Some suspect that she was destroyed by her creation, while others wonder if she's up to something more nefarious.

Further Developments

If the party decides to investigate Teodosija's tower, they will find it to be a squat two-story stone construction deep in the woods. The first floor is guarded by Teodosija's stone guardian, which will attack anyone it is unfamiliar with; however, it will not attack anyone wearing the amulet, and will respond to their commands. This floor also contains Teodosija's living quarters; nothing of value is to be found there.

A flight of stairs leads up to the second floor. The shield guardian will not let anyone up the stairs without a fight. However, a DC 15 Investigation check outside the tower will determine that there are enough loose stones and patches of moss along its walls to allow someone to climb up to the second floor and enter through a window. A DC 20 Athletics or Acrobatics check, or the use of rope, pitons, or other tools, is required to do this.

The second floor serves as Teodosija's laboratory and office, with many tools for brewing and distilling, jars of ingredients and reagents, the obligatory taxidermied alligator, and so on. On a table in the center of the room is set a large red stone - this is Teodosija's Philosopher's Stone. Nearby is a hammer and chisel and a mixing bowl in which some wine is placed, left over from her failed experiment. Teodosija does not have a ghost, as she was consumed in the center of the reaction; all that is left of her is some dust scattered about the floor.

Also placed here is Teodosija's journal, where she has recorded her notes and a log of her experiments. In it, she notes that she has mastered the Philosopher's Stone, and intends to use it to create the Elixir of Life by dissolving a piece of it in wine. She also discusses coming to town recently to reveal the news. In the next entry, she notes that she can't find the amulet for her shield guardian anywhere, but won't let it distract her from her progress. It is evident from a glance at her notes that Teodosija was a passionate and perhaps exuberant woman, but one who let herself get carried away in the pursuit of knowledge and didn't take proper precautions, and was easily distracted. Looking through previous entries will reveal that she often boasted of making a breakthrough on an experiment, only to curse her lack of foresight on some important matter the next day (for example, one report describes her brewing a potion, only for it to quickly evaporate because she left the burner under the flask running while she was doing something else).

In particular, a DC 15 Arcana check will be able to determine that according to what her notes describe, Teodosija did not properly perform the phase of multiplication. The crucible that would form the Philosopher's Stone should have been continuously fed with quicksilver; instead, she describes adding quicksilver at intermittent intervals, apparently feeling the proper procedure was too much work. This indicates that the Stone was not properly stabilized. A character with a background in alchemy will know this automatically upon reading this report.

Teodosija has enough alchemical equipment to comprise a set of alchemist's supplies, if one wishes to take them. However, there is too much in the laboratory for any one person to carry in a single trip. If one uses the complete set of equipment (which cannot easily be moved from the room) to perform alchemy, they will receive Advantage on all applicable rolls. Proficiency bonuses still apply.

Of course, the bold might be willing to take Teodosija's Philosopher's Stone. Any alchemist would be willing to pay a hefty price for such a treasure - though if they realize how volatile it is, they will not be happy, and may seek retribution against the PCs.

If the PCs wish to use it themselves, it can turn lead into gold if applied to it using a ritual that takes five hours to set up and perform, but due to the instability of the stone, there is a 75% chance that it will instead cause the lead to combust, destroying it. If a chunk of the stone is broken off and dissolved in wine, roll 1d100 for the effects: 

1-10: The combination sets off another violent reaction. All living creatures in a 10-foot radius must make a DC 25 Constitution save or suffer the effects of a disintegrate spell. Constructs, undead, and inanimate objects aren't affected - this is specifically a reversal (as above, so below) of the Stone's effects on life. In addition, all living beings in a 90-foot radius around that must make a DC 25 Constitution save or drop dead instantly. They will rise as ghosts at nightfall, and will have no memories of dying.

11-50: The reaction produces a potion of poison.

51-90: Nothing happens. 

91-100: The reaction produces the Elixir of Life, which will remove all disease and other negative status effects from anyone who drinks it, in addition to healing any injuries (including regrowing lost limbs or other body parts) and cause the person consuming it to become 1d6 years younger.

The Myrov Mariners

Judging from the tales told by travelers at taverns and around campfires, one could be forgiven for assuming that Togarmah is a gloomy, foreboding wasteland of craggy peaks, wind-battered plains, and mist-shrouded forests. Not so. While the Kingdom has plenty of those things, it also has some regions that many would call downright pleasant. After all, Solenna is the Togarmans' patron goddess, so surely the sun shines somewhere. And perhaps the jewel of Togarmah is the coastal domains of the Myrovs.

Though perhaps not as wealthy or as powerful as the Polavians, the Myrov clans were a formidable power in the days before the unification of Togarmah, controlling a few kingdoms and city-states along the western coast. This rise to power was aided by several factors - not only was the coastal climate more mild than that inland, allowing for more comfortable lives and longer and more bountiful crop harvests, the Myrov states had access to the water, allowing trade down the coast south to Vardessy and north into the Sea of Bartel and the Northlands. Furthermore, the Myrov lands boast plentiful forests, which made ship-building a prominent industry among their people. Not only do they supply timber to the thinly forested North, they build great ships of their own, taking them on voyages to foreign ports and returning with wealth. This strategic location allowed the Myrovs to profit greatly off of trade, and many proud merchant dynasties in the region today can trace their lineage back centuries.

The Myrovs still had use for war, though. They would soon learn that the Northmen could not be relied on to always come in peace, and to this day, their cities boast robust walls to repel raids, with Myrov castles dotting the coast. Furthermore, not all Myrovs were inclined to make their wealth through honest means, and the region developed a reputation for piracy as these fierce fighters turned their swords against any merchant vessels unlucky enough to attract their ire. Even now, many Myrovs can be found in the service to other lieges, lending their services out as mercenaries - or privateers.

Red hair is a trait commonly associated with Myrov ancestry in Togarmah, and it seems to be particularly common among these people, but is by no means universal. It is noteworthy that this feature is also not uncommon in Northmen, which has led several to speculate that the Myrovs have a higher than average amount of Northman blood - though it is wise not to make such an accusation to a Myrov's face unless you want to get punched.

Today, the Myrov cities remain some of Togarmah's richest ports. Some have fallen under the sway of the League of Three Crowns, some are loyal to the crown or other nobles, and others retain a bold independence, with their merchant princes holding a tight grip over the economy. They remain the backbone of Togarmah's navies and merchant fleets, and they can be found almost anywhere there is access to the sea, whether as traders or sellswords.

The Mountain Folk

Togarmah is a land of contrasts, and that does not stop at the multifold nature of its people. Although the north and central regions of the kingdom are dominated by rolling plains, the south, especially along the border with Vardessy, is a great chain of rugged mountain ranges. Though not approaching the grandeur of the Halvards, they are nonetheless wild and inhospitable, with steep cliffs, howling winds, and snow-capped peaks. The Balinoks, the Doldaks, the Stados - whatever the range, they are known and feared to travelers throughout the region.

Such a harsh land breeds harsh people. Though the people of southern Togarmah - the Korjans, Barovians, Gundalians, and Jaloviks - do not fear raids by orcs or Zelskys, they have little contact with the outside world, owing to their seclusion in the hills and valleys. They are not as wealthy as their northern neighbors, nor as connected by commerce and diplomacy, and they tend to be a dour, insular sort. They rarely make jokes, they are often hesitant to trust strangers, and it is a bit of folk wisdom in Togarmah that a mountaineer will have a superstition for everything, whether it be sprinkling rice in front of their doorstops to distract vampires or tossing salt over their shoulders into the eyes of lurking demons. Still, word travels fast in these lands, and one who earns the respect of these stern people will soon find themselves regarded as a trusted and dependable ally.

That is not to say that these people do not have anything to be happy about. Though arable land is scarce in the rocky mountains, that which is there is quite fertile; there are a fair few volcanoes in the southern ranges, and though they have long sat dormant, their ash blesses the valleys below with fecund soil. So too, the high mountains block northerly winds, allowing the lower valleys to maintain a warmer climate than the open plains. Grapes and plums are a famed crop, and Togarman wines - including the local specialty of aszu, a type of sweet wine made from grapes afflicted by noble rot - are inevitably southern imports, often fetching a high price in the north.

Communities in southern Togarmah tend to be on the smaller side, with villages and homesteads scattered amidst the steep hills and dense, deep forests, surviving off of farming, woodcutting, and herding of livestock through mountain meadows. In addition, the natural seclusion the mountains provide has made them home to many monasteries and hermitages. Many dwarven holds are located in the mountains as well, thanks to their rich veins of ore and subterranean rivers of lava to sustain forges - though these holds are secluded ones too, often with their gates expertly carved to be nearly indistinguishable from the rock. In Togarmah, one may pass a dwarf citadel without even noticing. And even if one did seek the company of the dwarves, the mountaineers regard them as a fickle, uncaring people whose trust must be carefully earned and whose patience is not to be tested - though their enchanted crafts are the stuff of legend.

The mountains limit the scope of any ambitious nobles' plans for expansion, causing isolated domains and petty baronies to thrive here, often laying down the law on their own terms and with little oversight from their feudal lieges. Under the Golden Peace, all nobles of these lands have the right to participate in local elections and are expected to appoint representatives to the court, though not many choose to make the journeys to the grand assemblies, and word from those representatives does not often get back to their homelands. This, consequently, leads to tyrants often ruling their domains by force and oppressing the hapless populace. On the flip side, the mountainous lands provide a natural barrier to invasion - there are many strategic points that castles were build upon, and in the face of foreign incursions, the mountaineers simply retreat into the hills and starve out their would-be conquerers. Even Ghammorz's empire faced difficulties in the southern mountains, and in many cases resorted to bullying local nobles into paying them tribute and keeping them in control as long as they stayed loyal; it was less work than storming every valley and taking out every lord and baron.

Art by James Paick

Of course, it is not only one's fellow man one has to fear in the mountains. Greedy nobles and ruthless bandits are a threat, yes - but so are the monsters lurking in the woods, and the restless spirits of the dead. The nights in the southern valleys are quiet ones, as everyone knows that things lurk in the shadows and are best left undisturbed. Around every hearth, at night, ghoulish stories are told to reinforce these fears. There are werewolves in the forests, ghosts that roam the roads, vampires in their crypts. There are cults to the powers of the Old Faith that still tend to their menhirs and circles - and some worshiping even darker powers. And one should hope they aren't unlucky enough to live under the eye of a tyrant who has made pacts with such supernatural forces...

Friday Encounter: The Honest Adventurer

This entry is somewhat of a sequel to my previous post on 20 Encounters from Dragon Quest III. Thinking more on that post, I realized I could easily adapt one of those entries into a full-fledged Friday Encounter.

Both this encounter and the location in DQ3 that inspired it are based on Aesop's fable of the Honest Woodcutter - a fable that, while obscure in the Anglophone world, is apparently popular in Japan for whatever reason, as I've seen many references to it in Japanese media. If I was to play Drive-By Theologist, I must speculate if it has to do with the concept of sacred natural sites and genius loci fitting quite well into the framework of Shinto. Because of this, it's possible that your players may be familiar with the story, which could make the solution too obvious. However, I have provided a subversion on the formula if that's the case, or if you think it sounds more interesting.

The Honest Adventurer

This encounter can be placed anywhere - in the wilderness, in a dungeon, or perhaps even on the outskirts of a town. Because it is dependent on the actions of the PCs to trigger, it is helpful if you drop hints in rumors told by townsfolk at a nearby settlement. They should allude to the location of a sacred spring, in which dwells a spirit who has been known to bestow enchanted objects to those who drop things in the water. These townsfolk will also know the spirit is a stern judge of character and will only aid the generous, honest, and virtuous.

If the PCs drop an item - any item - into the spring, its guardian spirit, a nymph named Aurea, will emerge. She will introduce herself as the guardian of the pool, and present the PC who made the offering with an item. This item should be related to whatever was dropped in the pool, but a superior version. For instance, if a weapon was dropped in the pool, the nymph should present a magic weapon of the same type. If it was an offering of coins or jewels, the nymph should present the same amount of treasure in a more valuable denomination (ex. a diamond in exchange for a ruby, or a purse of 50 platinum coins in exchange for a purse of 50 gold coins). The idea is that whatever is presented should be more valuable to the PC than what was offered. Use your judgment here. To hopefully limit misinterpretation by the players, it should be clear that the item is not merely the original item enchanted by the spirit, but a different object - for instance, if the PC drops an ordinary longsword in the pool, the spirit may present a +1 longsword with a jeweled hilt, looking distinct from what the PC had.

Aurea will explain what she holds in her hand, describing it and any magical properties it may have. She then asks the PC if this item was what they dropped into the pool. In reality, though, she knows it is not the right item, and she wishes to test if the PC will get greedy if they have the opportunity to lie their way into loot. If the PC answers "yes," the spirit will curse them for their disreputable nature and descend into the pool without giving them anything. Searching the pool will reveal no trace of the spirit or any items.

If, however, the PC truthfully answers that the item being offered was not what they dropped, Aurea will tell them they have passed the test. She presents them with both the original item and the treasure she tempted them with as a reward.

Aurea can only be summoned once per PC. If, however, she notices someone who passed her test before present among the party, she will realize the PCs are attempting to exploit her for treasure. She will not give them anything, and condemns them for their greed.

One variation on this encounter is to make Aurea's test a bit more subtle. In this variant, if a PC claims that the more valuable item the spirit presents them with is theirs, and/or if the party attempts to milk her test for more items, Aurea gives them the treasure without asking any questions. Tell the player to mark down the item the nymph described on their inventory. However, make a note as the DM that Aurea secretly placed a curse on the item to punish the PC for their greed. The item instead behaves as a cursed variant of whatever the nymph offered - for instance, the +1 longsword with a jeweled hilt actually gives -1 to rolls to hit and to damage (adjust any numbers your players announce for their rolls accordingly - it's more fun if you don't tell them the new result and let them figure out what's happening themselves); the platinum coins disappear once given to a merchant, leading them to accuse the PCs of deceit. If they return to the spring, Aurea will explain the curse and take the items off the PCs' hands, telling them she hopes they learned a lesson about what their greed will get them, but will not give them the useful versions of the items.

The Horse Lords

Art by Joan Francesc Oliveras

Orcs are not the only raiders of the Polavian Steppe. The expansive flat lands of the northern plain provide plenty of pasture for grazing horses, and the horses in turn allow their tamers to travel long distances over the endless seas of grass. For this reason, the steppe gave rise to the Zelskys, a tribe dubbed the Horse Lords for their mastery of the beasts. Under the Kingdom of Polavia, the Zelskys were a constant threat, engaged in on-and-off periods of warfare with their more sedentary neighbors - and they proved formidable foes, earning both fear and respect from the Polavians.

The Zelsky way of life grew around the horse, and they rely on the animals for many purposes. Every Zelsky learns to ride a horse from the same time they learn to walk. In fact, historians believe the Zelskys were the first people to domesticate horses. They rely on horses to provide them with transport for trade, hunting, and warfare alike, and they also use them for meat, milk, leather, and fiber from their hairs. Although the Zelskys are known for their consumption of horse meat - though the role horse plays in their diet is often exaggerated in travelers' accounts - they view the animals as sacred, knowing they owe their lives to their steeds and that they would be unable to survive in the vacuous plains without them. The slaughter of a horse is not a task to be taken lightly, and may only be done under the auspices of a priest or shaman (there are adherents to both Pantheonism and the Old Faith among the Zelskys, but which gods they pray to makes little difference in their customs) to determine if the animal is fit for slaughter, using an complex system of laws and standards that outsiders struggle to understand.

Despite the mobility of their lifestyle, the Zelskys are not truly nomadic. They reside in permanent villages, often in simple timber longhouses build from wood harvested from the scattered stands of trees among the plains, and they do grow some crops. However, the soil in the inland plains they reside in is not as rich as that in other lands, and the bulk of their diet comes from hunting, gathering, and herding sheep and cattle over the steppe, as well as trading and raiding with their neighbors. Their villages are small and have little in the way of businesses or stores, for they are not one to stay in one place for long. Although Zelskys will maintain a home in a particular village with their immediate family, it is not uncommon for them to travel long distances, sometimes even days away, to herd their animals or to perform raids. Even if they are not going quite so far afield, they spend much of the day in the saddle, only returning home to dine, drink, and rest when the sun sets. Because of this, the Zelsky clans tend to be dispersed over wide areas, and a particular family may have branches in several villages miles apart. This way, even if they are far from home, they can easily find relatives to stay with just about anywhere. If they cannot, they can at least find in-laws or cousins, only using inns as a last resort.

In the past, the scarcity of the Zelsky's lives meant they often turned to raiding to sustain themselves. Existing as they did on the perimeter of the Polavian heartland, incursions by Zelskys were a common threat, and one that the many fortresses surrounding Venec were built to protect against. The relationship between the Polavians and the Zelskys varied by the year, sometimes even by the season. Some times the Zelskys would wage war on nearby fiefdoms, while other times Polavian nobles would make pacts with Zelsky clans, relying on them to provide military support - sometimes against other Zelsky clans. It was not uncommon for a noble to have a Zelsky warlord in his employ for a few months, and for that same warlord to go back to raiding his former liege after that term expired. For both peoples, this was a fact of life. It was as it always had been, and there was no use in changing that.

However, the Orc Wars managed to bring the Polavians and the Zelskys into somewhat of a permanent truce. Both civilizations had fought off orcish incursions before, but the threat of Ghammorz's empire was one too great for either of them to contend with alone. Both united to fight off the orc hordes, and in the centuries that followed, the Zelskys entered the Golden Peace alongside their neighbors. Their leaders are treated as nobility just the same as any landed gentry, taking on the same titles, and partaking in the same assemblies. One of Togarmah's most celebrated kings, Khar I, was in fact a Zelsky, elected to the position for his martial valor.

That is not to say that raids do not happen, but for the most part, the peace is kept by trade and law, and there has never been an all-out war between a coalition of Zelsky clans and the Polavians under the Golden Peace. Large-scale conflicts are usually between individual clans or against orcs, or else they occur as part of more widespread civil wars, often with Zelsky clans fighting on various sides. Still, they are known as fierce warriors. They are skilled with a lance, and their mounted archers are feared throughout the known world. On the battlefield, they often strap great wings made of wood and steel to their backs, giving them an imposing presence indeed.

It is notable that, in their traditions of riding and raiding, the Zelskys have much in common with the Horse Orcs. Many Zelskys boast orcish blood in their veins, and some have even intermarried with orc clans to produce fearsome alliances. The notion that all Zelskys are at least part orc is a false and derogatory one, however - it is more apt to say that the similarities between them were shaped by similar circumstances and the free trade of ideas on the plains. Whatever the case is, the Zelskys are a proud people, and their nobles hold firmly to their titles under the ideals of the Golden Peace. No matter how large his muscles are, how many weapons he carries, or how much he smells of horse sweat, it is unwise to call a Zelsky duke a barbarian, unless you intend to pick a fight.

The Polavian Steppe

Before the Orc Wars, the largest and strongest of the Togarman kingdoms was the Kingdom of Polavia, which ruled the northern steppes. Today, this region still forms Togarmah's political and cultural heartland. The majority of Togarmah's monarchs have been Polavians, and the old kingdom's capital, Venec, is now the seat of governance for Togarmah. To their friends, the Polavians are a wealthy people, proud of their heritage among kings, and worthy bearers of the virtues of chivalry and honor. To their rivals, they are the puppeteers behind the Togarman throne - a bunch of pompous blowhards who throw around their weight to silence the power of nobles further afield and undermine the principles of the Golden Peace.

Polavia consists largely of flat grassland, interspersed with hills and forests. This is what allowed for its rise to power in its heyday - not only was the land easy to settle and provided fertile harvests, the ease of travel (and the ease of spotting invading armies) allowed for the early rulers of the land to secure dominance over their neighbors, first through conquest and diplomacy, and then through the establishment of trade routes that brought great wealth to Venec. Today, much of Polavia is cultivated, and it is home to many farms and villages, making it the breadbasket of Togarmah.

However, for the same reasons, Polavia was also vulnerable to outside excursions. With little in the way of difficult terrain or easily defensible passes compared to the more mountainous lands to the south, rivals could swarm Polavian settlements and establish a foothold with ease. For many generations, the kingdom held off such threats, repelling raids by Northmen and by the Zelsky horsemen they shared the plains with. But when the orcs attacked, not even an alliance of convenience between the Polavians and the Zelskys could hold firm against conquest.

Such risks shaped the development of Polavia - its cities are often walled, and a network of castles were established in concentric circles around Venec in order to ward against threats. These fortresses double as a warning system - since one can see for miles on the plains, if one castle is attacked, it can light a beacon to signal to the next in line, allowing its defenders to prepare should one line of defense fall or if reinforcements are needed. Thanks to the Golden Peace, few beacons have been lit in recent history, and many of these castles have grown over time into cities of their own. Still, the ring of castles still serves an important purpose in the era of the Golden Peace. They offer accommodations for nobles traveling to Venec to attend the Kingdom's council meetings (commoners are not allowed to stay there, unless part of a noble's entourage), and they also serve as the capital's main line of defense - considering Venec has no gates.

It was a part of the founding charter of Togarmah that the capital be open to all nobles, owing to their status as equals under the Golden Peace. To that end, all gates and portcullises in the city's walls were symbolically removed, and even to this day, they have not been reinstated; it is believed that to do so would be to cast doubt on the security of the Golden Peace and bring misfortune upon Togarmah. Though the city still maintains a garrison of guards, anyone can walk through the now-empty archways and into the streets. It is believed that the encircling castles, and the sanctity of the Golden Peace, will do the rest of the work - and so far, it has, so no one is really willing to test it.

Every two years, the most powerful nobles in Togarmah (each elected from a series of regional councils, which handle things in a similar fashion) are called to Venec to attend a grand council, where they put forth their concerns and desires for the future of the Kingdom and assemble a proclamation that they then put forth to the King, as a means of informing him of his peoples' needs. To house the influx of delegates and their entourages, Venec is noted for its many inns, many of them quite large and well-appointed to fit the standards of their guests. This custom also contributes to the city's cosmopolitan character - because the councils bring in visitors from all across Togarmah, there are neighborhoods where all matter of languages may be spoken, songs may be sung, and food may be served, reflecting the Kingdom's many regions. In some cases, these districts were established by retainers in the service to distant nobles who were taken by Venec's charms and decided to stay; in others, they grew around inns that catered to guests from particular regions, adopting their native culture to make them feel more at home. In many cases, both these things are true.

Any discussion of Venec would surely be incomplete without mention of the Order of the Eternal Flame. The most powerful order within the cult of the sun goddess Solenna, its headquarters is a few miles from Venec, in a complex that contains the Grand Temple, dormitories for both monks and nuns (both belong to the Order. For obvious reasons, they are not allowed to sleep together. Also for obvious reasons, this is one of the rules most frequently broken), and barracks where the Order's paladins and templars train. However, most worship among members of the Order takes place in a central open-air cloister, where members gather to commend the celestial body on days where the weather permits it, often spending hours in meditation on the sun. The Order is named for a brazier at the center of this cloister, kept burning continually to represent the sun, with all its light and warmth; this means the complex can easily be spotted at night.

Solenna is the patron goddess of Togarmah, and there is evidence she has been worshipped there even during the time of the Old Faith. Even in modern times, the Cult of Solenna plays an important role in Togarmah's politics, and the elected King must be approved by the high priest of Solenna before taking the throne (though this is mostly symbolic, as - owing mainly to pressure from the nobility - the high priest has never declined a nominee in centuries).

By tradition, the high priest of Solenna's cult is always a member of the Order of the Eternal Flame. The current one is Patriarch Otho VI, a jovial old man who has broken with the Order's monastic roots by playing a much more public role, often visiting Venec to participate in ceremonies and leading processions on important occasions. He believes that, as Solenna is a goddess of hope and happiness, it is important for him to uphold the morale of the people and to provide the Cult with a face they can trust. Other high-ranking clerics, however, are less convinced. Some fear that he endangers the sanctity of the Order's mysteries by living among the laity, and others are worried that an opportunistic assassin will find him a perfect target...

20 Encounters from Dragon Quest III

Akira Toriyama, one of Japan's most prolific and influential manga artists, passed away last week. Even if you don't follow anime or manga, chances are you recognize his name. Toriyama is most famous as the creator of Dragon Ball, and it's hard to overstate the impact he and his work had on the landscape of popular culture. Not only was Dragon Ball a smash hit in Japan, revolutionizing action and martial arts manga, setting many of the tropes that characterize it today, and inspiring many of today's artists to get into the industry, it was also immensely popular around the world, and kicked off the surge in interest in Japanese popular culture among Westerners that continues to this day.

I've been a huge fan of Dragon Ball ever since I was watching it on Toonami as a kid, and I wasn't alone. All my classmates were pretending to throw Kamehamehas at each other on the playground, and everyone I know who watched the series in their childhood is still a fan of it to this day, myself included. Many people credit the series with inspiring a love of storytelling, and others cite it as what influenced them to take up martial arts. In one series alone, Toriyama left a legacy that will never be forgotten.

At least over here in the States, it's easy to forget that Dragon Ball wasn't the only thing Toriyama did. But his contributions to pop culture go even deeper than that. He was one of the co-creators of the Dragon Quest video game series, doing all the concept art for the franchise ever since its inception. And around the same time as I was tuning into Cartoon Network after school every day to keep up with the Cell Saga, I was also experiencing Toriyama's work through my Game Boy Advance port of Dragon Quest III, a game I've already spoken about here.

I have many fond memories of the game's expansive open world, and the amount of content it managed to pack into what was originally an NES cartridge still blows my mind. It's filled with interesting and unique locations and sidequests, with no two areas being quite alike, and every major corner of the map offering something to explore. I don't think it's any coincidence that I began to explore running tabletop RPGs as a DM around the same time, and in my early days I lifted a lot of locations, quests, and encounters from DQ3. Sometimes I still do. With fans around the globe gathering to remember Toriyama, it's worth turning to this part of his legacy.

Here are twenty things from Dragon Quest III that have stuck with me through the years, and that have found their way into my games. You could use it as a random encounter table if you wanted to, though it'd probably lead to some strange results. You could roll on it ahead of time for an idea you could try to work into your next session. Or you could look over the list and think about the possibilities it could offer for your games - just as I did with the strategy guide many years ago.

1. A talking horse who knows the location of a powerful artifact.

2. A halfling hermit who guards a pass through the mountains and will only grant entrance on order of his liege.

3. A king willing to trade a ship for a bag of black pepper from a far-off land (as the kind of weird kid who read history books for fun, this was a bit of Vikings in Clown Trousers I appreciated even then). 

4. A tower on an island accessible only through a series of underwater caves.

5. A town under a sleeping spell cast by an elven queen after her daughter stole a priceless treasure to run off with her human lover.

6. A cursed suit of armor made from the hide of a demon.

7. A vase that can suck in enough water to drain a passage hidden beneath the sea.

8. A magic spring inhabited by a spirit who will exchange items dropped into it for better ones - so long as one doesn't get greedy with it.

9. A pit where treasure is set on ledges only accessible by climbing to tightropes strung high above and taking a leap of faith.

10. A dragon disguised as the queen of a town, deceiving the villagers into sacrificing their women in exchange for "protection." She talks in her sleep, revealing her true nature.

11. Carved stone heads that guard a treasure by speaking to those who pass, trying to tempt them into giving into cowardice and turning away.

12. The ghost of a woman who drowned herself after her husband was lost at sea, now haunting a narrow cape and refusing to let any ships pass through until her spirit is placated.

13. A gaping pit leading to a continent on the inside of the hollow earth.

14. A market selling magical herbs that can bestow the power of invisbility.

15. A dungeon warded by a curse that prevents those inside from using magic.

16. A king who, upon being helped with his problems, will abdicate the throne at the first opportunity and pass his title off to those who helped him so he can go off gambling.

17. A flute that causes treasure to vibrate in response to its music.

18. A volcano that must have an artifact dropped into it so that its lava can form a bridge.

19. A town renowned for its blacksmith, who has brought the secret of working orichalum from a far-off land.

20. A dragon in a castle high above the clouds, who can grant a wish to any who defeat him in combat (nice try, Toriyama).