Tidbits and Giblets

[Yygdrasil]

In this thread, members of the campaign can read up on and respond to bits of character development and role-playing opportunities as I post them. Participation is 100% optional and is meant to provide a the party with a place to screw around in-character between sessions. It is however, highly suggested that you at least follow along with the postings... as I will be sprinkling this thread with bits of potentially relevant information.

There will be no progression forward in the campaign from within this thread

All interactions are to be considered as "standing still". That is to say, your characters may not "wander off" or go on any kind of solo adventure.

Instead... this thread is to be used for in-character role playing and discussion as well as to offer an opportunity to survey your current surroundings and reflect on past encounters and adventures.

1.
Although I am making this thread publicly view-able, I would like to politely request that only members of the campaign post in it. Given that it is purposed towards being part of the campaign itself. Comments from non-players are welcome in the General Discussion thread if you feel so inclined. Thank you in advance.

2.
Stay in character. Try and keep all responses and reactions true to character in first person.
- Specify who it is you're talking to or what it is you're doing to accompany your words.
- To talk among the party only, please specify.
- To talk to a specific party member only, send a PM. I only ask that in the interest of detail, you also send me a copy of all such messages.

3.
Try not to plan out your words and actions in the General Discussion thread. Think of each thread's contents as mutually exclusive .

4.
D20 Rolls will not be used in this thread to determine actions and their results. Instead, I'll be judging your character's thoughts and actions myself, based on their ability scores and skills. If I feel as though your character is acting wildly out of character, I'll stop you.

5.
No hindsight. Once it has been said, it cannot be unsaid. Once it has been done, it cannot be undone. There will be no "well then I didn't do that".

6.
Details! Be as detailed as possible in order to convey your words and actions accurately. Consider this a lesson in creative writing.

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In short, this thread is optional. Use it to casually role-play your characters. Just keep in mind that any and all interaction will be considered to be happening in the present (the point in time where the last session ended). There will be no forward progression of the campaign in this thread. Nor will there be any combat or experience gain.

What's it for, then? Hashing out a plan, discussing the past... speculating on the future... or whatever else seems relevant at the current moment.

Meanwhile, I'll be poking the bear... so to speak... by dropping bits of information from the campaign in either a "The More You Know!" kind of way or just in hindsight. Do whatever you'd like with this information as it's given to you and rest assure that it is all 100% spoiler free.

[Yygdrasil]

Re: Tidbits and Giblets

A Few Changes

It has become clear that some of you liked this idea and some of you didn't... but I also get the feeling some of you are typically anxious to get on with the next session. In an effort to appeal to both crowds, I've changed the structure of this thread. Feel free to refer to the OP for further details regarding the changes.

[Yygdrasil]

Re: Tidbits and Giblets

An Overlook of Overlook

The city of Overlook stands on the eastern slopes of the Stonehome Mountains, a hoary range of crumbling peaks as old as the world. The city's founding lies sometime far back in the mists of time, at a point after the Dwarves in this region threw off the shackles of slavery and chased the Giants and Orcs west across the mountains at the end of the Age of Chains.

Overlook, and the fastness of Bordrin’s Watch, were raised to safeguard the liberated Dwarf peoples and to be the first line of defense should their ancient enemies forget their defeat and seek to enslave them once more.

Since its founding, Overlook has never come under attack, though Bordrin’s Watch has time and again, at least once every century. Overlook supplies the mountain pass with soldiers, supplies, and needed resources, ensuring the Watch is never without the goods they need to live up to their ancient responsibility. While doughty Dwarf warriors hold the Watch, the city is far more cosmopolitan and includes people of nearly every race and culture known in this corner of the world. Dwarves are still the dominate group, but Humans and Halflings make up a close second... followed by a smattering of elves and an assortment of other, less familiar, races.

Overlook is largely a trading center, and people on both sides of the mountain come to the city to exchange goods, rumors, and information. The city’s numerous markets and bustling streets makes it the ideal place to do business, thus someone in search of a particular tool or device is more likely to find it here than anywhere for miles around.

Supplementing the city's trade is a robust mining industry. The mountains are rich in iron, silver, tin, and no fewer than a dozen varieties of gemstone. Dwarf and Human miners and prospectors set out from Overlook each day, some working in the blackness of the deep mines, while others scour the heights in search of treasures—some succeeding, others failing, and others still vanishing in the misty peaks never to be seen again.

Although the city depends on Bordrin’s Watch to endure most of the attacks from the west, the city is not without its own defenses. The Dwarves erected steep walls to protect themselves, but as the city outgrew its original protections, the inhabitants raised more walls to encircle the growing population. So far, this has happened four times, giving the city four sets of walls, one inside of the other. The unofficial ninth district of the city, grows beyond the eastern walls. It's only a matter of time before the Council decides to raise another wall and add those squatters to the rest of the city. Piercing each wall, on both the western side and the eastern side, is a large gate flanked by two square stone towers. Most times the gates stand open, even in the dead of night. However, when trouble looms, such as now, the gates are closed at dusk. Additionally, the inner gates—the ones leading into High Hall—might close even earlier.

The outer walls are 100 feet tall and even taller where they travel over higher elevation. Each inner wall stands an additional 20 feet taller than the last. Guards patrol the walls rather infrequently, though the gatehouses themselves are each held by a half-dozen Dwarven warriors at all times.

[Mezlo]

Re: Tidbits and Giblets

Mezlo to the group: "Well the city looks pretty damn well fortified... It's too bad about that hole in the fortification that guy told us about."
(i forgot who told us, i think it was lord oran, but...)
Mezlo: "We should make haste to whoever is in charge of bolstering the city's defenses. i can tell this city is made for taking punishment and driving off imposing forces, well with all of these heavy duty walls surrounding the city, but with that one weak spot, the invading army could quickly dispose of all the city's defenses. What are your guys thoughts? And no buying everyone drinks, this is some serious shit here (name of Armando's character.)

[Mezlo]

Re: Tidbits and Giblets

Mezlo to Cid: "I would back you if you just want to run to the weak spot and block it yourself, you tank you... It worked great last fight!"
/chuckles
/pokes Jarre
Mezlo to group: "seriously though, once we warn the city leader, we must prepare for fighting ASAP. with what we've seen, the invading forces aren't going to wait around..."

[Yygdrasil]

Re: Tidbits and Giblets

The Monastery of the Broken Chain

Constructed centuries ago to house an elite fighting force of Moradin dedicates, the Monastery of the Broken Chain preserves the memories of the hardships endured at the hands of the giants, and it trains initiates in fighting arts useful for battling these foes. For generations, the monastery has stood as a symbol of Dwarven perseverance and expertise in the fighting arts and one who trains there not only receives an excellent education in religion and combat, but also gains a mark of pride and honor. The monastery is about 10 miles from Overlook, much higher up in the mountains, and just beneath "The Hammer", a great peak that loosely resembles a down-turned hammer.

Inside the Walls

This area includes the monastery, the courtyard, and the outer walls. The entire site butts up against the mountains, which serve as the fourth wall. The outer walls stand 50 feet tall and pylons spaced at regular intervals reinforce it. Access to the courtyard comes by way of a pair of 30-foot tall double doors, which are never locked and as is the case today, wide open. Inside the walls is the Hall of Moradin and the surrounding courtyard. Fine sand covers the courtyard and the spaces between endless rows of statues, each carved to commemorate the deeds of an ancient Dwarf hero.

The monastery is a looming structure capped with a red-tiled roof. Reliefs adorn its exterior, capturing religious events and heroes in perfect stone carvings. Feral Goblins have overrun the place, with a band outside in the courtyard and a second group holding up in the Hall. The former appear to have slain numerous members of the monastery and lain waste to the normally peaceful setting. Billows of thick black smoke ascend from several large bonfires and the smell of burning flesh permeates the air.

[Yygdrasil]

Re: Tidbits and Giblets

Daily Detail

To help consolodate these kind of informative postings of mine, I'm making another thread in this forum to keep them all for quick reference. I'll also find some way to "tag" them or something. It should help. Maybe. IDK!

[Yygdrasil]

Re: Tidbits and Giblets

The Dwarfroad

The old Dwarfroad emerges from the mainland and climbs the slopes of the Stonehome Mountains, moving through Overlook and ascending up to Bordrin’s Watch and down the other side into the lands beyond. The old road is far older than Overlook, having been paved during the Age of Chains by Dwarf slaves for their Giant masters. After the Dwarves successfully rebelled, the Dwarfroad served as a primary trade route for the old Dwarven kingdom that followed, but over the last century or so, Goblins, Bandits, and worse, have made travel along it increasingly dangerous. Still, closer to Overlook, the road is somewhat safe and folk near the city still make use of it.

[Yygdrasil]

Re: Tidbits and Giblets

Points of Interest

Overlook: Overlook is one of the most interesting features of the Stonehome Mountains, but it isn’t the only one. Ruins of the old Dwarven kingdom dot the peaks for hundreds of miles to the north and south, while old caves lead to tunnels worming through the rock. Closest to the Overlook, though, the land is safer and is home to numerous villages and other places of interest.

Armistice: Purported to be the site of victory of the Giants and Orcs, here the freed Dwarves signed a compact of peace that would bind them into one nation. Now the kingdom is no more, so Armistice is just a relic of the past filled with old codgers who think back on better days.

Bordrin’s Watch: Straddling the old Dwarfroad is a mighty fortress that was raised to control traffic across the mountains and protect the Elsir Vale from attack. Bordrin’s Watch contains one of the three access points to the tunnels beneath the mountains. The stronghold consists of a long wall, which is 150-feet tall and over 80 feet thick at the base, and it is punctuated with steep towers fitted with arrowslits. Battlements cap the wall, allowing sentries to watch the pass and defend the fortress from attack. Atop each tower is a pair of catapults. Ballistae and scorpions are positioned every 40 feet along the wall’s length. In the center of the pass is a massive gate. Its doors stand 100-feet tall, and it takes 40 men to pull them open. The gatehouse surrounding the doors consists of two towers, each as tall as the wall and wider than three standing towers together. Bordrin’s Watch can accommodate 3,000 soldiers on the walls and in the towers, but the grounds on the eastern side of the pass can hold up to 100 times this number if need be. Granaries are replenished each season, fed by towns, hamlets, and communities all under Overlook’s protection. The stores can keep a modest-sized force fed and watered for up to six months without needing to resupply.

Elsire River: The headwaters of the Elsire River flow in a series of waterfalls that drain the mountains back into the valley to the east. West of Sodden, the river is too rough and hides too many rocks for boats to navigate, though from Sodden, one can travel across the valley, going as far East as Brindol.

Feud: Two Dwarf families dominate this tiny hamlet and, as their name indicated, they are prone to violence. The only thing they can’t stand more than one another is outsiders.

Hope: Another speck of a town, Hope appeared after prospectors found a vein of silver nearby. Once the vein played out, most of the miners moved north to Armistice, but a few stubborn folk live here still, working the mines in search of precious metals.

Lantern: A minuscule settlement of just fifty souls, Lantern is little more than a logging camp.

Monastery of the Sundered Chain: About eighteen miles southwest of Overlook stands the old Monastery of the Sundered Chain. Raised to house an order of holy warriors in service to Moradin, the templars have largely withdrawn from Overlook, seeing the city as having lost its identity. Even though the relationship is strained, the monastery and the city remain allies.

Myler’s Stone: This town was once a large city, but years of decay, disease, and tragedy reduced the place to a handful of desperate people eking out an existence in the ruins of the past.

Old Den: A trade depot used by rangers and elves alike, this site is not much more than a cluster of wooden buildings surrounded by a palisade.

Shackles: Overlook’s sister city, Shackles was a powerful city and was the former capital of the fallen Dwarven kingdom. It fell nearly two centuries ago when the Orcish hordes sacked it before the kingdom could respond.

Sodden: A small town at the headwaters of the Elsir River, this is a quaint community of farmers and fishermen. They work well with the elves, which is perhaps the only thing that stops the Elves from erasing Lantern from the threshold of the forest altogether.

The Vents: Natural fissures vent steam from a super-heated underground lake. The tunnels themselves are said to be dangerous since they are allegedly riddled with foul monsters, dangerous flora, and vicious fauna.

The Westdeep: This dense forest grows in the narrow depression between the Stonehome Mountains and the lands to the East. A dangerous place where several tribes of xenophobic elves live, and they do not take kindly to trespassers. Conflict between the loggers at Lantern and the elves has come close to open war. The only thing keeping such a war in check is the Elves knowledge that should they attack, the Dwarves will be left with no choice but to respond with force.