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?

Friday Encounter: It's Just a Prank, Bro

This encounter is meant to subvert your players' expectations and present them with a situation with some wider consequences that might not be so easy to solve as it might appear on the surface, as well as giving them a mystery to solve. It is best suited to a town - perhaps one the PCs are staying in, or one encountered on the road.

The Encounter

The PCs should come upon the townsfolk dealing with a spate of strange activity. Farmers on the outskirts of town have been complaining about chickens going missing, pumpkins and hay bales being overturned, and fences being knocked over, and the incidents have gotten more and more frequent as of late. The PCs might hear this news as rumors being passed among the people, or they may hear it from farmers coming into town to hit the taverns.

At some point, they should also meet the town's resident delinquents, Wilhelm and Klaus. Two boys of about 14, their parents are often at work and pay them little heed, leaving them to their own devices - and they have nothing better to do than to cause trouble, finding enjoyment in antagonizing others. They aren't particularly bright, but enjoy mayhem as its own reward. They find anything particularly novel amusing, and will surely have many questions for the PCs on their adventures. Wilhelm is distinguished by his red hair and freckles, while Klaus wears a pair of hobnailed boots a bit too big for his thin frame.

If the PCs go to investigate the farms, they will find a number that show signs of these attacks. One woman, Else Kaufer, even reports hearing rustling noises in the bushes coming from outside her bedroom last night, but she didn't investigate out of fear for her safety. Another farmer, Soren Hirschilgard, feels this promises ill tidings. The farmers know of a cave in the woods not too far from town where a tribe of goblins dwell, and suspect that they must be raiding the farms at night. Surely it's only a matter of time before the goblins attack the town!

If the PCs follow Soren's directions, they'll be able to reach the goblin cave in about two hours. The goblins have not had much trouble lately and have grown lazy; there is a 75% chance that when the PCs arrive, the entrance will be unguarded. If the PCs are detected inside, however, the goblins will scramble to arm themselves with whatever weapons they can to defend themselves; for many, this means grabbing whatever crafting tools happen to be lying around, since they aren't used to having to fight. Furthermore, the majority of the goblins are visibly well-fed. The goblins do not have any chickens; there are some bird bones scattered around their dining hall, but a DC 20 Nature check will determine these are from pheasants, not chickens.

If the PCs confront the goblin chieftess, Rothmuk the Stout, she will claim no knowledge of any raids on the town, insisting that the tribe has had no need to do such things - they hunt in the woods and have plenty of food; in fact, they recently brought back a wild boar, which is being housed in a storeroom to be roasted the next night.

She is telling the truth. The commotion was actually caused by Wilhelm and Klaus, who grew bored of messing with the townspeople (who had become quite familiar with their antics at this point) and decided to go harass the farmers instead, not realizing that goblins lived nearby. When the farmers saw the damage they caused, they assumed the goblins were behind it. The boys have since heard the farmers demand the goblins be dealt with, but haven't come clean about their deeds - that would mean they would have to face punishment, and besides, they think it's pretty cool that they could be mistaken for goblins.

There are only a few clues that point to the true culprits. Wilhelm is hiding a chicken he stole from one of the farms in his room - he keeps the door shut during the day and refuses to let anyone inside, but the hen may be heard crowing if one listens closely at the door without being detected. Meanwhile, searching in the bushes around the farms may eventually turn up footprints that were clearly made by Klaus's hobnailed boots. To search the area takes an hour and requires a DC 30 Investigation check to successfully find the tracks. If the check is failed, it can be repeated any number of additional times, with the DC decreasing by 5 each time, but this of course will waste time.

Further Developments

Though Wilhelm and Klaus might think they were just playing jokes, the consequences may prove more dire than they bargained for. If three days go by without the culprits being identified, the townspeople will form an angry mob and attack the goblin caves. If this happens, the goblins will declare war, and at nightfall on the following day they will launch a raid of their own (for real, this time), killing many villagers and setting fire to the town. It's best to kill off some NPCs the party has already met here, so they are personally impacted by the consequences; this might also disrupt the structure of the village and it may not be a safe base of operations.

The goblins' attack will also happen if the PCs kill any goblins, again at nightfall the next day after a body is discovered. If the PCs kill any goblins but prove the tribe's innocence before they launch the raid, Rothmuk will be willing to call off the raid if they pay weregild of 20 GP's worth of treasure per goblin slain. The party might have to go into this carefully to avoid starting an all-out war.

Helmn

Falkenau - the de facto imperial capital of Vardessy - is rightly held as the first among the great cities of the Crownlands. But if that is the case, then the second is the city of Helmn. While Falkenau was the capital of Talhoff, Helmn was the capital of Mittengen, and these two lands, joined by personal union, formed the nucleus from which the Vardessian Empire grew.

While Falkenau sits on the banks of the Vardess River, amidst its floodplains, Helmn is further inland, resting in the hillier uplands. It is the second largest city in the Crownlands, and a powerhouse in its own right, boasting several influential guilds and establishing itself as a wealthy trade center.

Some sights in Helmn include:

• The Helmn Basilica serves as the city's town hall and center of community. Facing a busy market square, it is where representatives of the guilds and other officials meet to conduct business regarding governance of the city, as well as where the people gather for official ceremonies on holidays. A large balcony faces the square, reserved for the Emperor to make announcements to the gathered crowd on his visits.
  
• Just across the square from the Basilica is the Great Market Hall. Originally, it served as Helmn's town hall, but as the city grew more populous and influential, it became clear that a larger structure was needed for assemblies, and the Basilica was constructed in its stead. Now the original building serves as an indoor marketplace, and on market days it is packed wall to wall with stalls and merchants hawking their wares.
• One notable guild in Helmn is the local chapter of the League of Three Crowns. While Helmn is not a port city and does not have access to the Sea of Bartel, the League's influence is still far-reaching enough to establish a branch here, managing shipping and trade along the roads. Other trading companies in Helmn regard the League as an unpredictable foreign presence, but they still bring in respectable wealth - much to the envy of some other guilds.
• 
  Helmn sits over a natural hot spring, and the Grand Baths of Helmn are considered one of the city's wonders. This sprawling complex of bathhouses is used by all walks of life, from everyday people to the noble elite, and even the Emperor has a private bathhouse set aside as part of his estate in the city. Plenty of clandestine deals go on here, with corrupt nobles taking full advantage of the privacy the Baths provide them with - to say nothing of the security of knowing they can conduct such business while their partners are unarmed.
• The College of Fencing and Swordplay is one of Vardessy's most renowned academies of the fighting arts. The Helmn fencing style is practiced throughout the Empire, and many treatises on fencing technique come from here. Anyone looking to train in combat would find a worthy teacher here - assuming they can win their favor, of course.
• The center of religious life in Helmn is the Abbey of the Veil, a monastery devoted to Marseah. The monks enjoy a high position of power in the city's affairs, and the Abbot, Gunther Kolbe, is a member of the town council. When the Emperor is not around, he is in effect the most powerful person in Helmn, and has multiple influential guilds and officials at his back, though he knows better than to get in the Emperor's way. The Abbey is named for its possession of one of the holiest relics in Marseah's cult - a veil said to have been wrought from a sunbeam, which can render its wearer invisible.
• 
  Helmn is built over a total of six hills, each of which is considered a separate district. Some of them are quite steep, with stairs and ramps cut into the earth to help the people navigate. There are some quarters of the city that horses cannot move between, necessitating the Guild of Porters to carry loads up the hills from the roads below. At night, the cramped streets, sharp turns, and high vantage points amidst the valleys can prove dangerous, as muggers can exploit the terrain to set up ambushes.
• The Maiden's Fountain, located on the Wilkenstorf Hill, is one of Helmn's most iconic landmarks. Depicting a young woman decanting water from a golden jug, it commemorates a legend that, long ago, a knight from Helmn encountered a naiad in the woods and won her favor by slaying a dragon. In return, he was given her golden jug, which he returned to the city and installed at a place of honor. According to local lore, one who drinks from the fountain will be gifted with supernatural luck.
• One of the more notorious denizens of Helmn is Nicodemus von Eyers, a wizard regarded as somewhat of a local celebrity, and also a local nuisance. He lives in a tower on the edge of Essert Hill to conduct his experiments - and he has been driven further and further away from the center of town, by order of the city council over the years, because his experiments kept going haywire and causing a commotion. He is always looking for those who are willing to help with his research and provide him with knowledge and ingredients for his spells, but his magic has a habit of going wrong.
  
• The Boar and Barrel is a tavern in Helmn located in a poorer part of the city. While not the most famous establishment in town, it is a favorite recommendation of locals who know where to look. Not only does its clientele form a tight-knit community, with several patrons knowing each other well, it boasts a ring where wrestling contests are held every week for the amusement of guests.
• Helmn's Elven Quarter is located on Griesau Hill, the least densely settled of the Six Hills of Helmn; for this reason, it still possesses a substantial amount of green space, and the elves tend to the trees to maintain communication with the natural world. There was once a great forest outside of Helmn where many elves lived; it has since dwindled as the city expanded, forcing the elves to assimilate, but the memories of the elders trace back generations, and they know much ancient lore (the fact that they are in communion with the spirits of their ancestors doesn't hurt, of course). The Elven Quarter is a tightly-knit, self-sufficient community in its own right; although within the walls of Helmn, they are largely left to govern themselves.
• An open secret in Helmn is the existence of the Catacombs. The city was built on porous rock, and a vast system of tunnels and chambers exists beneath the surface, some of them predating even the founding of the city itself. In ancient times, the Catacombs protected the people in times of siege, but they have grown with the construction and demolition of new buildings, and many smuggling rings and thieves' guilds make their homes here. Some rumors even speak of tunnels that extend as far as Falkenau and Thayngen, and some of stranger denizens yet...
  

Friday Encounter: Trial by Champion

This might seem like a simple combat encounter on paper, but what sets it apart is the context behind it. The goal here is to reframe combat in a new setting, presenting different overarching and long-term stakes that have the potential to alter the trajectory of a campaign, and introduce factions and NPCs that could influence further proceedings. Beyond that, it's a way to reference a fun historical anecdote I've always thought was ripe with gaming potential, and to remind your players that, in a non-Flintstonist setting, you can't always expect things to play out the way they would in our world.

The encounter is probably best suited for the road, but with some adjustments it could also work in a town. The party should come across two nobles, Fulbrecht Steinecker and Bertold von Langmessen. The two of them are embroiled in a fierce argument - in fact, they belong to rival houses, and their families have long held enmity for one another. They've always found every excuse to blame their failings on one another whenever possible, but the latest incident was the last straw, and they're at each others' throats.

When traveling the road, their carriages bumped into each other - which scraped the paint on a fine mural that Bertold had done on the side of his. Now, Bertold insists that Fulbrecht should pay him in compensation. In fact, Bertold is convinced that Fulbrecht had his carriage steered into his on purpose. Fulbrecht, on the other hand, insists that it was an accident, and that Bertold is being unreasonable - but his rival won't budge, and he has begun to suspect that Bertold is using this as an opportunity to slander his good name.

It has become apparent that the two men's arguing will get them nowhere. They have decided to settle the matter through the tradition of trial by champion - that is, each man nominates a warrior to stand for his cause, and the two duel each other. Voltan, the god of justice, will guide the two warriors so that the victor is he who stands for the righteous cause (at least, that's what everyone believes). Fulbrecht has nominated one of his personal bodyguards, Dagobert Dreschner - a sturdy, imposing man with a grim countenance and the scars of many battles - as his champion. Bertold knows that he can't put forth a warrior who could possibly stand a chance against Dagobert, but, unwilling to concede to his rival or look weak, he hasn't admitted this, insisting that his favored champion is sick. If he sees any worthy-looking warriors in the party, however, he will nominate them instead, seeing this as his chance to prove his righteousness!

Bertold will call the party over, explaining the situation (biased in his favor, of course) and imploring the PCs to name one of their number to fill in. This should ideally be a fighter or other martial class, but if you don't have any in the party or you feel like giving another character a chance to shine, you could easily tweak things - for instance, perhaps Dagobert is a mage, and the noblemen want to settle their dispute with a magical duel.

In any case, if the PCs agree, the nobles set the rules of the contest. Dagobert must be faced one on one; it is strictly prohibited for either champion to receive outside help. The champions cannot use magic or magical equipment to aid them. Bertold will provide his champion with a mundane longsword and shield to ensure they are an even match for Dagobert. The two warriors must remain within a ten-foot circle drawn in the dirt; if any part of one champion leaves it for whatever reason, their side forfeits the trial. Otherwise, the fight will continue until one warrior surrenders or falls unconscious. With that, the men say a prayer to Voltan to rightly guide the champions' weapons and step back to let the battle begin.

Dagobert has the stats of a gladiator. He will fight until he hits half HP (56), at which case he will surrender and concede that Bertold is right - Voltan has willed it so.

There are a number of ways the PCs can interact with this encounter. They might support Bertold's cause, but if they decide to take Fulbrecht's side, they may consider throwing the fight so that Fulbrecht comes out on top. If you want to give the PCs a more personal stake in the conflict, you can substitute Bertold and/or Fulbrecht for other nobles the PCs may have encountered before - friend or foe. But the two men will surely remember the PCs, and this may impact further adventures.

If the PC wins for Bertold, he will be thankful for the help and agree to pay the party 50 GP each. Furthermore, he will welcome the party to his manor, where they may rest and dine with his subjects. He will be happy to provide them support going forward, and may have other quests for them down the line. If he realizes he has some loyal hired muscle in the party, he may even seek to send them on missions to sabotage Fulbrecht, knowing that it would be unbecoming of him to be implicated himself. 

If, on the other hand, the PC loses, Bertold will be quick to blame their failings for his loss and insist he made a mistake in seeking the help of the PCs, since he didn't know them and couldn't trust them. He may be less forgiving if they are caught up to no good in his lands, and those loyal to him will spurn the party. Conversely, if Fulbrecht loses, he may hold a grudge against the party as well, and take action accordingly.