Golnir Hex Map, Part 2

Here's the second half of the Golnir hex map from yesterday. Go here for Part 1.

Click here to enlarge

Golnir Hex Map, Part 1

It's time for another hex map, this one covering the western part of Golnir. This one is looking to be another two-parter; go here for Part 2.

Each hex equals six miles.

Click here to enlarge

Friday Encounter: Follow That Mule!

This encounter is best suited to the road, but could work in a town as well. Its goal is to challenge the PCs to confront a situation that requires creative thinking and can't easily be solved by combat, but nonetheless offers some tense action. It is adapted from my previous Stampede! encounter, but with the twist that now, the PCs are doing the pursuing rather than being pursued.

While the PCs are traveling a road, they suddenly hear the beating of hooves coming from behind them. The next thing they know, a laden packmule gallops by, speeding into the distance - and right behind it is a stout man in fine clothes, his legs pumping at the air and his chest heaving as he pushes himself to run as fast as he can.

The man is Irakles Konstantinidos, an itinerant merchant who was traveling the road with his mule, Primrose, when she suddenly spooked and broke free of his control, taking off down the road. The mule is carrying a valuable load of merchandise, as well as the wealth Irakles has obtained from the last market he visited - a fact that is quite evident from the sounds of jangling coins coming from the beast's saddlebags. He implores the PCs to help him catch the mule, and retrieve the loot.

If the PCs decide to join the chase, enter Action Time. The party begins 90 feet away from Primrose, and she always makes the first turn of each round. She is in a panic, and will try to move as far away as she can from the party, taking a Dash action on each turn (moving 80 feet away) unless otherwise impeded. Irakles joins the initiative order as normal; he has the stats of a commoner. He emphasizes to the party that the mule is carrying valuable cargo, and he needs her for his profession. The PCs must catch up to the mule and slow her down without harming her or the treasure she carries.

The PCs may try to catch up to Primrose with their movements, or use items, magic, or other effects to try and slow her down. A PC may attempt an Animal Handling check opposed by a Wisdom save from the mule to try and calm her down. If this check succeeds, she does not move on her next turn, allowing the PCs to close the gap some. As usual, you should allow the PCs to come up with logical solutions to the problem and use your judgment in determining whether or not they would work, and the ramifications thereof.

At the beginning of each round, roll 1d20 for a complication that must be dealt with (by both Primrose and the party) that turn:

1. Poor visibility (such as dust clouds or wind). All creatures must make a DC 10 Perception check or have their speed halved for the round.

2. Obstacles block the path (such as logs, trees, or large rocks). All creatures must make a DC 13 Acrobatics or Athletics check to bypass the obstacle or have their speed halved for the round.

3. The ground becomes rocky and uneven, acting as difficult terrain. Creatures must move at half speed for the round unless they have some way of circumventing the terrain.

4. One creature determined at random must make a DC 13 Acrobatics check or trip and fall prone for the round.

5.  The path is straight ahead, and could easily be traversed in a sprint. Each creature may move two times their normal movement speed this round (four times if using a dash action!), but must make a DC 12 Constitution save if doing so or take one level of exhaustion.

6. One creature determined at random must make a DC 13 Acrobatics check or get their foot stuck in a hole. They gain the Restrained condition until they can make a DC 13 Acrobatics or Athletics check on a future turn.

7. The path takes a steep slope upward. All creatures must make a DC 13 Athletics check or have Disadvantage on all actions for this turn. Alternatively, they may take one level of exhaustion to bypass this effect.

8. A barrier blocks the path forward (such as a fallen tree, stone wall, or fence). All creatures must make a DC 12 Acrobatics or Athletics check to jump over the barrier or lose a turn as they waste time climbing over it.

9. A hazard of some sort (like falling rocks or brambles) is in the path. All creatures must make a saving throw appropriate to the actions they are taking to avoid it; on a 1-9, they take Dangerous damage; on a 10-14, they take Setback damage, and on a 15-20, they take no damage.

10-19. No complications arise this round.

20. The PCs are unusually lucky. Each PC may take an extra action this turn.

If the party manages to catch up to Primrose, they are able to grab hold of her and she grinds to a halt (optionally, the DM may require a PC make a successful Grapple check in order to do this). If more than 200 feet elapse between Primrose and any party member (including Irakles), she is lost and nowhere to be found. Optionally, there may be tracks left, which may lead the party on another adventure to find the beast.

Note that Irakles insists it is very important that Primrose be returned alive, and with the load intact. As he puts it, he would not be a very good merchant if he had neither wares to sell, nor a means to carry them. If the mule is harmed, or the merchandise lost, he will not be happy.

A less scrupulous party may realize they could obtain a mule and some treasure for themselves if they could find some way of dealing with Irakles! Primrose's saddlebags carry in total 4,110 GP's worth in coinage (1,000 copper coins, 8,000 silver, 2,100 gold, and 120 platinum), plus 14 rolls of textiles worth 50 GP each. The textiles will need to be taken to a market to trade with, and they are cumbersome to carry; each weighs 5 pounds.

If the PCs do recover the mule unharmed, Irakles will be thankful for their efforts. They may run into him again in another market; if so, he will sell them his goods at half price as a show of gratitude. He also may have knowledge of surrounding areas to share.

Islands of the Great South Sea

Golnir is known for its rugged coastline, and the Golniri people for their mastery of ships and sailing. They have charted many a route through the Great South Sea, and Golniri traders can be found in many foreign ports. Just about all of them know stories of strange and mysterious islands out in the Sea - places of wonder and mystery, and often great danger as well.

Here are a few islands that travelers on the Great South Sea might discover. The list is formatted as a d20 table so that it could be used to randomly determine encounters, but if any islands interest you, you can pick from the list to drop them into your campaign as well.

1. Zefira. The entire island serves as a convent, with a number of chapels and dormitories where nuns live their lives in seclusion, meditating on the divine. No men are allowed to set foot on the island.

2. Lythion. This island was settled by pirates as a hideout, thanks to its extensive cave systems for hiding treasure, and its name passed into maritime lore. Over time, as more and more pirates hid from the law here, it grew into a town in its own right - if a lawless and cutthroat one, where stolen goods flow freely in the market and no one will question it if someone disappears for angering the wrong person.

3. Dragonspine Island. This island is built upon the skeleton of a dragon that died among the rocks here millennia ago. Over time, sand and plant life built up around the skeleton, but bones still jut up from the ground - and it is said that one who rests within the cave formed by the dragon's eye socket may receive visions from the beast's memories.

4. Hawksfeather Pillar. A sea stack that rises sharply from the water, with caverns all along its cliffs. It is home to several nests of harpies, who prey upon ships that draw too close.

5. The Isle of the Dead. By day, this island seems to be nothing more than a lonely, deserted rock, but at night, it is populated by ghosts - spirits of those who died at sea and never received a proper burial, now having found a community in each other.

6. Kardemion. This island is not tethered to the seabed, but floats atop the water like a gigantic ship. When storms rock the waves, it drifts from place to place.

7. Chelonisia. This island is in fact the shell of a gigantic turtle, so huge and so old that grass and trees have grown on it. The creature is normally dormant, sleeping floating in the water, but woe betide anyone who wakes it.

8. Magazi. The only inhabitants of this island are a coven of three hags, who tend to an ever-bubbling cauldron in its center. The can see into the future, but their prophecies are always delivered in riddles, and they will only tell the fortunes of those who bring them an offering - usually one that requires a great undertaking to obtain (such as the egg of a dragon or the hair of a giant) to prove their worthiness.

9. The Isle of Splendors. This island sits in a space where the realm of Faerie bleeds into the mortal world. It appears constantly lush and bucolic, even in winter; its inhabitants are cheerful and eternally young and beautiful, and the trees are laden with fresh fruits. However, one who leaves the island after more than a day will find that many years have passed in the outside world, as time here flows faster than normal.

10. Phyteia. The inhabitants of this island are wise scholars and philosophers. They spurn outsiders, who they deem as foolish and short-sighted, unworthy of the enlightenment they enjoy.

11. Korbovos. The inhabitants of this island are fools; they are so stupid that any inhabitant would be considered the village idiot in any settlement on the mainland. Nevertheless, they consider themselves to be learned wise men, and that everyone else simply does not understand them.

12. The Island of Wise Beasts. On this island, animals can speak the languages of men, and rule over humans, who they use as livestock to plow their fields and carry their burdens.

13. Kolasis. This island is formed by a ring of cliffs surrounding a great pit, like a giant funnel. The people refuse to descend into the pit, which they believe leads straight to Hell. 

14. Trihendron. This island is wreathed in great vines on which grow grapes the size of melons, so potent that they can make a man drunk just by eating one. They are tended to by a giant named Athros, who will guard them fiercely.

15. Obria. On this island is built a tower that juts high into the sky. At the top floor, a rope hangs through the window, to which a castle in the clouds is tethered.

16. Khoremi. The inhabitants of this island revere a meteor that has fallen right at its center, believing it to be a holy treasure of the gods. They will direct any outsiders to it so that they may be blessed, but in truth, the meteor holds no special powers.

17. Psithrios. This island is home to a great volcano, and its lava is used as a forge by a community of dwarven smiths, who craft magical treasures.

18. Mesaria. Just off the coast of this island is a powerful whirlpool. The inhabitants fear it as an all-devouring demon, and throw captives and criminals into it to try and sate its wrath.

19. Prosipion. This island is inhabited by doppelgangers; everyone here seems to be a perfect copy of someone the PCs know...including themselves. They have no memories or knowledge of the PCs or the people they resemble, and insist that nothing is unusual.

20. Dolania. A genie lives on this island, and offers to grant wishes to those who can prove themselves worthy of his favor. In reality, he doesn't want to be bothered with mortals, and leads them along by sending them on great quests in the hopes of getting rid of them.

The Metal Men of Golnir

Art by DoctorChevlong

There are many artifacts of the old, bygone Fedreline Empire that speak to the mark they had on the world in their day. Fragments of mosaics in crumbling floors, black-figure vases with elaborate scenes, and the corroded bronze helmets of their soldiers, to name a few. Some artifacts are of value beyond being mere historical curiosities - the Fedrelines, it is known, were workers of magic, and many enchanted treasures still sit beneath the earth today, waiting to be discovered, preserved through the ages by the spells woven into their craft.

But other discoveries are harder to explain. Largely in Golnir, but occasionally in surrounding areas, there have been found peculiar constructs dating to the Fedreline era - figures of men, forged of bronze, iron, and orichalcum, bearing arms and armor. Though they may appear to be suits of armor, the pieces are almost always found riveted to articulated frames with gears and joints, and all of them possess a hollow chest, in which is stored a clay jar or a box of some kind, inlaid with runic inscriptions.

These metal men, as they are called, have not been explained, despite many inquiries by the sages of all the lands. In their construction, they most resemble, if anything, the automatons of the learned Quel'Ahman engineers, but no mechanisms have been found to power them, nor have been recovered any manuals or blueprints that would describe their function. Furthermore, the automatons of the modern era spray water and play music for the amusement of noble guests, but all of the metal men that have been found are equipped as warriors. Some have proposed they may have performed mock battle scenes, but if that was the case, this must surely have been a popular pastime, due to the sheer number of such creations that have been found.

The most curious part of the metal men is surely the vessels contained in their chests. In light of the Fedreline conflicts with the Nuwapians, with their knowledge of necromancy, a connection to the lich's phylactery is inevitable. So too, a number of metal men have been discovered in Quel'Ahma, often amidst the ruins of Nuwapian cities, many of them bearing the scars of battle. Some have posited, then, that to combat the lich-lords, the Fedrelines may have pursued similar arts, using bound souls to animate suits of armor as a new kind of soldier - one that would never tire, nor have to eat or drink, and would not be affected by disease or the desert heat.

If such magics gave life to the metal men, the rituals involved in their creation have long since been lost. No one has seen one of these beings move, let alone fight. At least, no scholars have documented such a thing - but rumors will always abound, and there have been occasional sightings of silent figures dressed in archaic armor lurking around the ruins. Some, it is said, have even slain those who came too close.

Friday Encounter: Traveling Court

This encounter can be used on the road or in a town or city. The main purpose is to provide the party with some leads, rumors, and adventure hooks - as well as to potentially throw a couple of NPCs with competing interests into the plot, which could complicate matters.

If the PCs come upon this encounter on a road, they will notice a camp set up by the side of the road, with a number of large tents pitched. If it is taking place in a settlement, there should be crowds gathered around some sort of public space for assemblies, such as a basilica or a town square. Either way, the banners of the nearest royal authority (or the closest equivalent) should be flying outside, and there should be guards standing nearby who can explain what is going on: a meeting of the traveling circuit courts is in session.

The crown has appointed a court official to travel between stops along this route, where the people can bring disputes and criminals before them so they may pass judgment. In fact, the party has come upon this magistrate during a hearing.

The magistrate is Kyriakos Aristaios. He is a stern man who is strictly devoted to the law, and is ruthless in his judgments. He believes that those who commit crimes deserve no mercy, and they must be punished harshly in order to set an example for law-abiding citizens. However, he is quick to pass judgment on others, and is far from impartial, often being swayed by his personal feelings. He tends to make his mind up before he is presented with the full story, often basing his verdict on his assessment of the accused's character.

The courts allow the public to spectate, and they are not discouraged from voicing their opinions. However, the magistrate has the final say in all matters, and Kyriakos is not shy about throwing this fact around, staunchly holding that he will not allow himself to be swayed - as he puts it, the court entrusted him with this position, not anyone else. The PCs can certainly try to make him change his mind, though, and with good roleplaying and logical arguments they should be allowed to attempt it. If matters get out of hand, Kyriakos will not hesitate to deploy his twelve guards to enforce order - beating any hecklers into silence, or even dragging them before his podium for "contempt of the court."

Needless to say, the PCs may take issue with Kyriakos's approach to judgment. It is also possible they will take his side, and perhaps make enemies among the accused. Depending on how things play out, it is possible this will embroil the party into further drama with NPCs - and perhaps even court authorities.

A list of NPCs that Kyriakos may try is listed below. You can roll 1d10 to determine who is being tried when the party arrives, or choose one that looks interesting to you. More than one NPC may be tried at a given session - feel free to use more than one if the PCs decide to stick around.

1. Zosimos Antipatros, a baker who was discovered digging around a cemetery. He claims that he was told there was buried treasure present, but now insists that he was set up by his friend considering he did not find anything. In reality, there is a hoard of 272 GP in coins and jewels and a Fear spell scroll buried in the cemetery; Zosimos just wasn't looking in the right place. Unless otherwise swayed, Kyriakos will sentence him to public humiliation; he will be forced to ride a donkey backward through the street crying out "I am a fool." Kyriakos also warns him the punishment will be more severe next time.

2. Timaios, a slave who ran away from his master after he was whipped harshly for letting his sheep escape; he was caught by some guards a few days later. Kyriakos will insist that he be returned to his master, citing that to lose a slave on top of the sheep would be an undue burden for the man.

3. Eunomia Argyris, a bandit chief who preyed on caravans in the area for many years, slaying many men and waylaying treasure. Kyriakos will sentence her to hanging, though she remains stoic, vowing that her men will avenge her.

4. Soterios Metaxas, a cobbler accused of stealing a horse. He insists that he didn't steal it; the horse ran away from its stable, he came across it in the wilderness, and he was keeping it in his shed until the owner could be found. He is telling the truth, but Kyriakos does not believe him and will sentence him to hanging.

5. Aristarchos, a beggar who was caught pickpocketing traders in the market. Though he has barely anything to his name, Kyriakos insists that adherence to the law is absolute, and will sentence him to have his hand cut off.

6. Melainia, a wise woman living as a hermit not far from town. People always suspected her of being a witch, but never felt threatened by her presence until a plague swept through the town, and the villagers blamed her for putting a curse on them. In reality, this was merely an incident of bad timing. Kyriakos will sentence her to hanging, even though she insists that she was innocent, as "a witch can surely not be trusted."

7. Cassiopeia Aristantos, a political rival of the local lord caught conspiring against him. The problem is, she is loyal to the same royal authority Kyriakos is employed by. Kyriakos will, in fact, pardon her and cast suspicion on the lord instead, believing that he is guilty of treason against the crown if he would accuse a loyalist this way.

8. Sielenos, a blacksmith who confessed to murdering his brother Leto over a love affair. Kyriakos intends to have him hanged, but in truth, Sielenos was geased into committing the murder by Semele, an enchantress who he and his brother both loved. Finding both men to be intolerable in their pettiness toward each other, she forced Sielenos to kill his brother and then confess to the crime to get rid of them both.

9. An unfriendly NPC previously encountered by the party, now having got themselves into some other scheme that didn't go well for them.

10. A friendly NPC previously encountered by the party, now accused of a crime they didn't commit. Can the PCs clear their name? 

Monks of the Mountains

The terrain of central Golnir is cut through by the Thasos Mountains, dividing the coastal plains from the more rugged inland plateaus. Anyone traveling from one end of the kingdom to another would be wise to know of the routes that pass through the Thasos, for it is a land of steep peaks, treacherous cliffs, and wild valleys so isolated from the Queen's rule that tyrants and wild men are free to assail travelers. One of the most intriguing sections of this range, however, is the formation dubbed the Rocks of the Gods.

Around the village of Daphanon rise a series of great pillars of rock, and boulders as large as hills. They have stood here since time immemorial, and local legend speaks that they are all that remains of a mountain shattered in a battle between gods in a bygone age. Whatever the case is, these pillars stood out not only as a geologic curiosity, but as an appealing site for hermits to take up residence. Perhaps inspired by the tradition of the stylites, but seeking something more substantial than a carved pillar to sit upon, monks were drawn to the Rocks as a place of meditation and seclusion. They were, after all, cut off from the outside world - being so high and so difficult to reach from the ground, they would ensure no secular intrusions could disturb the monks' introspection on the divine, and they also proved to be easily defensible in times of strife.

The earliest settlements on the Rocks were those of lone hermits - the stone that makes up the Rocks is porous, and their length is lined by caves. Holy men moved into these caves, and over time, some communities formed among them. Some larger caves would form into small monasteries in which multiple monks dined and slept together, while other times, paths were carved between caves so that monks could travel from one cell to another. Other communities would accept one another as brothers but live in solitude, only descending from their caves on holy days to come together at a chapel built at the foot of the rock.

As the monastic communities grew, it became clear that the caves could not sustain them forever. These days, most of the monks of the Thasos dwell in complexes built on top of the pillars, some of them built to hug the contours of the sheer cliffs. Today there are fourteen monasteries and three convents in total that span the Rocks of the Gods, honoring all manner of gods and practicing all sorts of traditions. The most accessible of these is the Convent of Saint Merope Antigonine, which houses an order devoted to Marseah and accommodates pilgrims traveling the Thasos. In order to better serve the people, it has a winding spiral staircase cut into the cliffs that leads up to the top. The rest of the monasteries, however, are only accessible via ladders, and in some cases visitors must be hoisted to the top in the same rope nets that are used to haul donations. The monks believe that the ropes must only be replaced when the gods show them a sign by causing the rope to break - which means that there is always a very real risk of unfortunate pilgrims dropping to their deaths, should a rope break as they are being lifted.

Though the monks and nuns of the Rocks largely live as ascetics, many monasteries do boast great collections of literature, with their scriptoria meticulously copying texts as old as the Fedreline era - and some of these texts may hold arcane secrets. Then there are the relics - some are valuable for their holiness, others by virtue of the jeweled reliquaries they are housed in, and a few have mystical powers, such as the Radius of Saint Sophos, housed at the Monastery of the Six Holy Veils- this saint was revered for the miracle of producing water from his pores in order to save a village from a drought, and his bones still produce water when cracked. The monasteries, of course, keep these treasures closely guarded - and getting to the monasteries in the first place is a challenge unto itself.

But the caves of the old hermits, and the tunnels between them, still go deep into the Rocks. They may have been abandoned by the orders today, but beneath the eyes of the holy they have been taken over by spiders, goblins, and stranger things yet, some of which make incursions from their lairs into the outside world. And there are always rumors that the monks may have forgotten a few relics when moving out of the cave systems...