[3.5] Kingmaker in Faerun - Campaign Preparation Blog [Spoilers]

[Saintheart]

Hi all -- not trying to spam threads here, but it's a similar query to the one about Kingmaker in Eberron that's further down the page.

Namely, where could you plausibly set Kingmaker in the Forgotten Realms? I've been looking over Damara as a frontier sort-of setting which might be appropriate, but it's a bit colder weather than I'd necessarily like to go with.

Has anyone come across a nice spot somewhere in the Realms you could set this adventure path, ideally somewhere with a classic northern European climate as Kingmaker seems to have?

(I suppose you could set it close to the Misty Vale just north of Halruaa, the same place where Red Hand of Doom is "supposed" to go in Forgotten Realms, but I'd prefer not to go there again if I could help it...?)

[Andry]

My friend ran it in Chult. I however would run it in the Border kingdoms there are a bunch of half-arsed start ups there so it would easily fit in.

[Mikka]

My friend ran it in Chult. I however would run it in the Border kingdoms there are a bunch of half-arsed start ups there so it would easily fit in.

Ohh and its an awesome and very open-ended region to start with. nice +

[Alleran]

The Border Kingdoms would be the simplest. There's a series of articles detailing the area on the Wizards website (unless they deleted them), but even those come with a caveat that the power networks and holdings of various individuals in the area is subject to great change, so you can alter it on an as-needed basis for your campaign.

[Saintheart]

Most likely that's where I'm likely to take it after the excellent suggestions made. Many thanks for that, guys!

I might actually make this a sort-of campaign preparation blog, just for the shiggles. Might be useful to someone, and hey, it's not like I'm burning up anyone's ink...

Unlike some threads and archives, the archives on the Border Kingdoms from WOTC still exist. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archfr/frbk) The Introduction article has a nice high-def map of the region in a bit more detail than the standard Forgotten Realms maps, which is nice.

Kingmaker as written (on my quick reading so far) requires basically a big swamp, a forest, and some plains around it. It doesn't venture far to the east, putting a big old mountain range up and dire threats of fiated doom if you go in that direction. Thank God most of the Border Kingdoms area aren't mapped properly, so there should be plenty of room in the blank spaces of the map to shoehorn anything short of fullscale mountain ranges in.

The eastern part of the Kingdoms doesn't seem to fit this -- too much wood (albeit given what seems to happen in the latter parts of the AP it'd be appropriate) and too many roads through the one break in the forest. Similarly, south of the Scelptar River in the Shaar doesn't seem to work either. Constant raiding from Shaaran tribesmen seems too big a factor to ignore or fiat out of existence.

I'm drawn, after a look at High Emmerock and, for reasons I'll get into, Arnglar, to place things slightly southeast of Dunbridges, which without getting too far into it looks like it can stand in for Rostland from Kingmaker. Thuntar is a kingdom in the southwest, but has no entries in the archives from what I can see, so I can probably rub it out without too much trouble. Emmerock looks on a reading of the journal entries to be probably one of the more stable of the border kingdoms, having built up a sort-of knightly order and some decent defences. This seems to be a decent shoehorn for Brevoy as I read it, though it'll be push aside the Faerun canon for the module if I can't come up with a more harmonious blend.

I think it's also an interesting place to put it since -- although I haven't read a lot into the later parts of the AP -- it seems there's a potent "faerie" element to some of the woodland areas of the AP. This has a nice resonance with the town of Arnglar, which stands on the site of the long-vanished elven realm of Glorfindral. More research probably needed into Lost Empires of Faerun on this place, I've not heard of it before.

So, I think I've got a spot for the campaign. Next up, looking into the region's history, and a proper look through Stolen Land at the beasts there to see if I can put Faerun flavours on the Pathfinder dish.

EDIT: Well, unsurprisingly perhaps, the elven realm of Glorfindral doesn't exist in Lost Empires of Faerun. If anything this whole region was under the influence of Calimshan for several thousand years. Still, there is the old realm of Tethir and Myth Rhynn which existed at the time and which is the heart of Suldanessellar, which is sort-of in the area. There's also offshoots of ancient elves that wound up in the Misty Vale. This is probably a colony of either one of those. Not that it means a lot - it's background only at best.

[Saintheart]

Just adding some notes in here.

Right, well, Brevoy basically becomes Emmerock under this conversion. Brevoy's "North and South" -- Issia and Rostland -- become High Emmerock and Low Emmerock, respectively. (According to the WOTC archive, Thuntar actually was Low Emmerock, so I've in mind that around the time Nothlan's coup d'etat was defeated, ahead of the harsh winter that followed, a large proportion of freemen and supporters of Emmerock fled north to the Sward and resettled in the southern half of Emmerock.) There's still a distinct difference between the north and the south that persists to this day. Perhaps some Calimshan flavour will fit in here? Maybe this creates an underdog feeling for the adventurers who'll be based mostly out of Low Emmerock regions?

Rostland's New Stetven becomes Harethtoe. Issia/High Emmerock's Port Ice becoming Themasulter. Numeria becomes The Sward, which sort of makes some sense as I now have to plonk a couple of mountain ranges and a lake in the middle of the region. Similarly, the Lake of Mists and Veils gets supersized to become the Lake of Steam.

Iobaria becomes High Mukshar to the east. (And High Mukshar at least has a perfect "Do not adventure here" sign on it, given it's meant to be a haunted land on the archive descriptions.)

Pitax I think can be rebadged as the current thorp of Urspreth, though I have to look further into it. Rest of the towns and territories in the area are basically going to become part of Emmerock at large.

Looking at the map of Brevoy vs. the archive from WOTC on High Emmerock:
- The Valley of Fire becomes Boldo's Vale
- Highdelve becomes Dragonmount
- Eagle's Watch becomes The Eaglesroost (well, that was easy)
- Skywatch Tower becomes Wavewatch (and that was even easier)
- Greyhaven becomes Oldstones Hall
- Stoneclimb becomes Falcon Keep over the village of Irsprey.

I'm further encouraged by the rumours that High Emmerock is unusually verdant and green due to magical causes. This ties in nicely with the First World themes of Pathfinder, and the elves, I think.

Haven't looked into concordances between the Lords of the Lances who run things in Emmerock and the Swordlords of Kingmaker, but in a nice hit of synchronicity, there are seven houses for the swordlords, and seven Lords of the Lances. Should be straightforward enough to shoehorn the Realms personalities onto the Pathfinder people. Looks like this is where I want to stay!

[Saintheart]

More weaving of histories today. Specifically, I looked into the First World, which does come to feature fairly prominently in the latter stages of the adventure path.

Not exactly sure if the whole Celtic-ness of the First World fits squarely with the whole Arabian/Turkish pastiche that's meant to cover southwestern Faerun, but Faerun seems to happily have elves wandering around Amn and Tethyr without a problem, so it might be fine. And on reflection, it actually works: the First World is meant to be timeless and unchanging in its constant formlessness, a bit of a primordial Celtic soup. And it does seem to fit in with Faerun.

Going by the Grand History of the Realms, "Faerie" is where elves come from. First mention of Faerie is at -34,000 DR, where it mentions the rulers of Faerie continue to the present day. This is dating back to the time of the poorly-thought out creator game-breaking race Sarrukh. Next mention we get is at the -27,000 DR mark, where the Fey, seeking to "further weaken dragon rule," allow the first green elves through via gates. These elves don't worship the Seldarine -- they worship the gods of Faerie, which works as a nice segue to the Eldest, who seem to run the First World. This is also the first mention of the Illythiiri, who would later become the drow.

The elves seem to show up en masse around -25,400 DR after a calamity on Faerie, and sun elves and moon elves develop from there.

And there are elven civilisations down the way of the Border Kingdoms, too: there were moon elf settlements of Orishaar, where the Shaar currently stands, though it was overthrown by the Ilythiiri well ahead of the Crown Wars, somewhere around -20,000 DR or so. A gate, or at least a thinning, between the worlds of Faerie and Faerun, in the vicinity would explain that. Arnglar could easily date back to this period.

The link between elves and Faerie proper seems to have been broken around this time, too: the Seldarine intervenes when the island of Evermeet is raised, so it's highly probable the worship of the Eldest in Faerie had been left behind by the elves of Faerun at that point. This would also explain the odd sort of relationship between the fey and the elves on Faerun, though if someone's got any wisdom to impart on that score I'd love to hear it.

[Saintheart]

Well, I'm more enthusiastic by the day with this idea.

The Origin of Emmerock:
High Emmerock is, as its name suggests, a region of high, grassy meadows suited for grazing livestock. One of the more prosperous Border Kingdoms, it is unusually verdant. (A property born of magical causes, some locals believe. That belief has persisted, it should be noted, down many centuries.) As a result, it has always provided ample grazing, and so has teemed with wild beasts.

After the dragons that ruled it perished battling each other, the lesser beasts they fed upon flourished. Giants moved in to rule and defend this gigantic "food pen" against goblins, orcs, and other predators.

Under their husbandry, the edible grazing animals grew even more numerous. Some three centuries ago, Cali****e adventurers came exploring. Finding wild horses of superb quality in the high meadows, the humans set about exterminating the giants.

From that time on, the Sward (as those first Cali****e explorers called the meadows) has served certain Cali****e horse-dealers as a secret breeding ground. Both to camouflage their best stock and to use every inch of grazing land, the breeders hunted down as many predators as they could and put in their place horned cattle, sheep, and goats. These swiftly multiplied, and their increasing numbers led to a proliferation of rustlers, monsters -- and mercenary guards hired by the distant Cali****e stock-owners to deal with both sorts of raiders.

Middle history of Emmerock:
The loyalty of such hirelings in turn became a problem. After several minor defiances, there came outright rebellion -- the leader of the Unsleeping Eye Guardians, the warrior Ithkyl Halgart, decided to declare the Sward his own kingdom.

Halgart, an experienced and well-prepared warrior who employed pitfall traps, retreats into the nearby woods (and, some say, mysterious magical aid) to advantage, won a series of bitter battles with forces sent by Cali****e satraps who disagreed with the notion of paying for beasts that they considered their own. The armies came in earnest for three seasons and were followed by sporadic expeditions of hired mages and renowned adventuring bands in the decade that followed -- but Halgart prevailed.

His end came after seventeen summers of ruling his realm from a cave stronghold (today a monster-haunted labyrinth of chambers and natural caverns known as "the Ghostways"). A rapacious blue dragon descended on the realm, dining at will on the Sward's best horseflesh.

The Lord of the Sward rode out to do battle with it and was torn limb from limb for his troubles. The wyrm died under repeated volleys of fire arrows at the hands of Halgart's men and was cooked and eaten at the Lord's funeral feast.

After the Lord's death, the watching Cali****es expected the fledgling realm to fall apart in the inevitable struggle for the throne among Halgart's underlings. But a warrior named Maeradyn swiftly and ruthlessly took power, and the Sward survived.

So the Cali****es watched and waited for the new Lord's rule to fail. When it continued on, they sent more hired armies to smash Maeradyn's troops. The fast-riding Swardar met them with deadly arrow-volleys, striking swiftly and racing on before the larger, better-equipped Cali****e forces could strike camp and respond. Whenever the Swardar were brought to bay, giants appeared out of thin air, as if by magic, to pounce on the Cali****e forces. Soon the satraps grew tired of throwing away money on armed hosts whose few survivors brought back only news of futility. They abandoned their efforts to reconquer the Sward.

Over the years that followed, a succession of fiercely independent local rulers kept the realm strong. They used the money gained from the sale of their famous horses and lesser livestock to carefully build, equip, and train an elite force of mounted crossbowmen and lancers to guard the herds and horse-meadows.

Priests of Helm were encouraged to settle in the realm and guard its borders, as were adventurers who wanted a safe haven to dwell in -- provided they agreed to submit to the worship and instruction of the Helmite clergy. The famous Company of Sun Knights adventuring band did so, retiring to the Sward at the end of a long and colorful career to found the now equally famous Sunbright Lances of the realm.

The Lances are heavily armored men of great height and strength. Their massed charge can smash aside and trample most foes, and their almost fanatical commanders train the Lances in fighting in swamps, rainstorms, thick forest, blizzards, and mud while both mounted and afoot. They become adept at shedding armor while in battle or on the move if need be and in anticipating and reacting to enemy tricks. After a century of such training and victory after victory in battle against various ambitious neighbors, the Lances are widely feared in the Border realms. Very few folk dare to trifle with the laws and peace of High Emmerock.

Most recent history (the Emmerock Dynasty):
The present name of the realm comes from one of its most famous kings -- Emmerock the Goblinbane, who hunted orcs, goblins, and their kin as some men hunt stags in the forest, until the enraged goblins mustered an army from their usually-feuding tribes (who dwelt in the land that today is Thuntar) and invaded the Sward. They chased Swardar patrols who 'fled' into the deep ravine at the heart of the realm, leading the goblin army into a waiting trap. There, with the Lake in the Cleft glimmering before them, the goblins died in their thousands, beset from all sides by the rolled rocks, hurled lances, and fired arrows of the Swardar.

A day after the goblin army was eradicated, the Swardar charged down into the goblin lands to the southwest. Goblin warrens were surrounded, haycarts set ablaze and pushed into the tunnels, and the goblins were smoked out to their deaths in the face of withering arrow-volleys. When all of the goblinkin had been hunted down, the King declared that the Sward would henceforth be known as High Emmerock and the goblin lands as Low Emmerock.

Emmerock then sired three sons, all as hard-driving and ambitious as their sire. Almost thirty summers later, the eldest murdered him for the crown -- and was executed by the shocked younger brothers, who then promptly went to war with each other over who should rule the realm. The son known as Esbolder prevailed, proclaiming himself King and banishing his younger brother, Nothlan, to everlasting exile.

Nothlan went straight to Calimshan and offered certain horse-breeding families there a chance to own part of the fabled Land of Horses again if they'd back him in a bid to regain the throne. They did.

Nothlan's forces landed in Low Emmerock only to find the Emmeran armies waiting for them. The struggle that followed ravaged both armies and went on until a harsh winter forced the survivors to stop fighting and scrabble to survive.

At some time during the dark, chilly depths of that cold season, Nothlan vanished. Some say he was murdered by his brother (or an adventuring band hired by the King), others that he simply froze to death and was devoured by wolves before his body could be found and identified. Still other folk whispered that he blundered through a magical portal into "another place," never to return. Minstrels sing of the day when a son of Nothlan, "the rightful king of all Emmerock," will come "striding out of nowhere" to reclaim his realm. A few folk insist Nothlan sickened of the whole affair and went away to take up a life of devotion to a peaceful god or study at Candlekeep.

Whatever Nothlan's true fate, spring found his army reduced to handfuls of scattered, fleeing warriors and Low Emmerock a lawless, ravaged land. The surviving warriors of High Emmerock were unable to hold it. All their attention was needed to defend the original meadowland realm against wave after wave of opportunistic invaders.

It was then that the Company of Sun Knights, who'd been landholders in the realm for more than a decade but spent most of their time off adventuring, came to home to stay. Under their competent leadership, High Emmerock survived, but its forces were never able to retake their former sister realm (which is today the land of Thuntar). The best they could manage was holding this or that small piece of it for scattered days or months at a time.

The last King of the Emmerock dynasty, Belder the Sly, perished in 1344 of a bloating plague while wenching in the port cities of the Lake of Steam. With his death, High Emmerock slid peacefully under the rule of a council of seven warrior lords (the descendants of the Sun Knights). Their policies ensured that Emmerans would stop trying to regain Low Emmerock and instead concentrate on improving their homeland.

They succeeded. Today, High Emmerock is a well-ordered, heavily-policed land that resembles nothing so much as a huge farm in which stock is reared, lands are carefully irrigated and trimmed, and patrols are frequent and vigilant. The towers of the Lords of the Lances ring the land (visitors seeking accommodation or trade are advised to go to the markets, taverns, shops, and inns that cluster about each tower), and its interior consists of rolling, open grasslands still known as the Sward.

Most of this works in with Brevoy as written in Kingmaker in the sense that you've got the same themes of a disappeared monarchy, a regency, and seven noble houses which matches the Lords of the Lances' houses as well.

Where the differences rise is that Emmerock strikes me as a nation of largely goody-two-shoes; one of the Lance Lords is a cleric of Helm, for Gygax's sake. We'll have to shake that up a bit.

I got busy with Photoshop to rework the map to be more consistent with Faerun norms:

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/Borf_the_Dwarf/Emmerock.jpg

A few changes suggested themselves to me as I worked with the image:

- "Xin Jubei (Shou Enclave)" on one of the islands out there. This is mostly because I like the concept of Kara-tur, and here's a chance to have characters there that come from the Eastern Realms; the idea Xin Jubei is an island trading station for the Shou appealed to me, and it seems to work.
- We have Low and High Emmerock, obviously. The genteel explanation for the difference is altitude: High Emmerock is mostly around the mountain ranges that take up the northern reaches of the kingdom, Low Emmerock is mostly made up of plainslands in the south. The more cultural difference between High and Low is purpose and independence; the feeling in High Emmerock is that Helm or some other power is watching over the kingdom for a force of order in the land. In Low Emmerock it's more sanguine and more of a sense of free giving of loyalty but retaining an independent streak.
- The Sward is out west of the main cluster of towns of Emmerock. Not much to be done about that, but the Sward is going to be heavily guarded going by the readings off the archive, so no biggie there.
- Themasulter is an interesting-sounding place, though the Archives don't have it. Found this on the net about it:
An ancient city, abandoned in past centuries and repopulated in recent ones, it rises from the soft silt at the shore of the Lake of Steam and sprawls out across the marsh in haphazard fashion.

Built up upon itself, its only streets are deep canals thick with reeds, stone and wood bridges linking place to place, mist choked pyramids, vine shrouded and cracked standing hidden within, crowded by the ancient city crouched around them in the humid air.

Yet for all the languid heat and slow pace of the city, something buzzes beneath it all, like the drone of insects in the marsh, subtle, ever-present, rarely glimpsed except as a shadow on the waters.

On days when the silt is not so thick, whole buildings and streets swallowed by the marsh in some time past can be seen in the warm waters of the canals, a labyrinth of ancient, forgotten places stretching out beneath the living city above. Soon enough, that which stands above the water will slowly sink into the reedy marsh beneath, pulled down by the weights of heat and time. ~ Elminster

I'll go with Themasulter as Emmerock's port, a sort of ancient sunken Venice.

Also noting the seven Lords of the Lance for later reference and conversion into Kingmaker terms:


- Haldimar Brethok (a noble, dashing, gallant LG male Mulan human Ftr16), Lord of the Blue Falcon, who dwells in Falconkeep in northwesternmost High Emmerock.
- Azlurla Marounal (a quiet, grim, darkly beautiful CG female Cali****e human Ftr14/Wiz6), Lord of the Wavewatch, who lives in Wavewatch Tower on a peak (Nightwind Pinnacle) overlooking the village of Nightwind and the Lake of Steam beyond, in northern High Emmerock. She set aside warfare to learn magic under the tutelage of the Water Witch over a decade ago.
Gorramator Margan (a mighty-thewed, rustic, and gruff LN male Chultan human Ftr17 who is determined his land will never be unprepared to deal with invaders), Lord of Oldstones, of Oldstones Hall in rocky, northeasternmost High Emmerock.
- Lastos Teldoak (a fat, food-loving, lazy-seeming but shrewd LN male Durpari human Ftr10 who delights in parties, spectacles, and fun -- but uses them to shrewdly sum up the characters of those around him -- and who delights in learning covertly the dreams and future plans of all residents of the realm), Lord of Eagles, who dwells in palatial Reddunsar Manor (known for its shady, wooded gardens of falling streams and pools) atop the Eaglesroost, a wooded ridge in High Emmerock.
- Soarara "Longtresses" Phondipar (a sharp-tongued but fun-loving, slim, acrobatic, golden-haired NG female Chondathan human Ftr15 who stands almost seven feet tall and is said to have storm giant blood in her ancestry), Lord of the Vale, who dwells in Silverstream Hall in Boldo's Vale at the southeastern edge of the realm. Boldo was the most crude and boisterous of the Kings of the Sward and is fondly remembered in jests and legends.
- Jethtarina Aldinuth, Hammer of Helm (soft-spoken, calm in any situation, and a woman who never forgets the slightest detail of events, messages, or faces; an outwardly colorless but inwardly passionate and pranksome LN female Damaran human Clr16: a "Bulwark of Helm"), Lord of the Tower of Vigil (Helmite monastery) atop Harethtoe Tor on the southern edge of High Emmerock.
- Belotar Sandras (a saturnine, sarcastic fashion plate always immersed in the gossip and politics of Calimshan, the Lake of Steam, and the Tashalar; a CN male Mulan human Ftr12), Lord of the Crag, master of Dragonmount Crag Castle in westernmost High Emmerock

[Saintheart]

More notes on the nobility and politics of the campaign, and alterations thereto.

Nobility and alterations thereto:

- Haldimar Brethok (a noble, dashing, gallant LG male Mulan human Ftr16), Lord of the Blue Falcon, who dwells in Falconkeep in northwesternmost High Emmerock. This will do as a replacement for House Lebeda.

- Azlurla Marounal (a quiet, grim, darkly beautiful CG female Calimshan human Ftr14/Wiz6), Lord of the Wavewatch, who lives in Wavewatch Tower on a peak (Nightwind Pinnacle) overlooking the village of Nightwind and the Lake of Steam beyond, in northern High Emmerock. She set aside warfare to learn magic under the tutelage of the Water Witch over a decade ago. This will do as a replacement for House Lodovka.

- Gorramator Margan (a mighty-thewed, rustic, and gruff LN male Chultan human Ftr17 who is determined his land will never be unprepared to deal with invaders), Lord of Oldstones, of Oldstones Hall in rocky, northeasternmost High Emmerock. There's our replacement for House Garess.

- Lastos Teldoak (a fat, food-loving, lazy-seeming but shrewd LN male Durpari human Ftr10 who delights in parties, spectacles, and fun -- but uses them to shrewdly sum up the characters of those around him -- and who delights in learning covertly the dreams and future plans of all residents of the realm), Lord of Eagles, who dwells in palatial Reddunsar Manor (known for its shady, wooded gardens of falling streams and pools) atop the Eaglesroost, a wooded ridge in High Emmerock. This will substitute for House Orlovsky.

- Soarara "Longtresses" Phondipar (a sharp-tongued but fun-loving, slim, acrobatic, golden-haired NG female Chondathan human Ftr15 who stands almost seven feet tall and is said to have storm giant blood in her ancestry), Lord of the Vale, who dwells in Silverstream Hall in Boldo's Vale at the southeastern edge of the realm. Boldo was the most crude and boisterous of the Kings of the Sward and is fondly remembered in jests and legends. This will do as a replacement for House Medvyed.

- Jethtarina Aldinuth, Hammer of Helm (soft-spoken, calm in any situation, and a woman who never forgets the slightest detail of events, messages, or faces; an outwardly colorless but inwardly passionate and pranksome LN female Damaran human Clr16: a "Bulwark of Helm"), Lord of the Tower of Vigil (Helmite monastery) atop Harethtoe Tor on the southern edge of High Emmerock. This will do as the head of Kingmaker's House Rogarvia. However, the house's residence will be in Dunbridges.

- Belotar Sandras (a saturnine, sarcastic fashion plate always immersed in the gossip and politics of Calimshan, the Lake of Steam, and the Tashalar; a CN male Mulan human Ftr12), Lord of the Crag, master of Dragonmount Crag Castle in westernmost High Emmerock. This guy will be the head of what was Kingmaker's House Surtova, which is also the ruling house. The House's HQ is Themasulter, but the seat of rule of Emmerock is deemed as Dragonmount Crag Castle, mostly because it's closest to the Sward.

Each of these houses has some unique traits attached to them, but hopefully I can just rebadge them and they'll wind up the same.

Notes on Dunbridges:
This picturesque, sleepy-looking village meets the eye as a chaotic tangle of hedges, meandering paths, and walled gardens studded here and there with thatched, thick-walled cottages. Surrounded by rolling pastureland, the settlement is dominated by mills and their millponds, freely-wandering sheep and goats, and the many small bridges for which the place is named. The Dunbridges (named for Aldunn, the dwarf stonemason who built them centuries ago) leap over ponds -- and the springs that feed them -- in railless arches too narrow for many an outland merchant's wagon.

As a result, Dunbradar spend a lot of time hauling overturned wagons out of normally-placid local waters by means of blocks, pulleys, spars, and horse-winches (almost as much time as visiting merchants spend heartily cursing the bridges).

The Dunbradar take such things with patient good humor, secure in the prosperity won by their sharp-flavored, Dunbradar cheese made of nuts and goats' milk, well-stocked fish ponds, and woolen mills which produce distinctive Dunbradar blankets -- always woven in green-on-green, swirling patterns that make good camouflage.

Defenses
Dunbradar can call on no less than three resident adventuring companies of note to repel attempts at brigandry, invasion (almost always by the legendarily greedy and belligerent folk of Thuntar, who rise every decade or so in another attempt at building an empire), and enforced bridge improvements (even by their nominal superiors, the Sunbright Lances of High Emmerock). All three companies have defended Dunbridges on occasion and have done so in full muster together at least twice -- during the Wyrmstrike of 1332 DR (a dragon attack) and at the battle of Six Smoking Shields in 1348 DR (the most recent resounding defeat of invading Thuntarran armies).

These three stalwart bands are a rollicking, pranksome, tankard-tossing rabble of dwarves known as the Merciless Manticoreslayers (all outlaws from the dwarven Deep Realm, led by Khaladaen of the Double-ended Axe, a LN male gold dwarf Ftr14); the all-female Company of the Bent Blade, formed some eighty years ago by the daughters of the Company of Sun Knights (who founded High Emmerock; half-elven and human, uniformly magnificent in gleaming plate armor and mounted on glossy chargers, led by Belabranta Sheltress -- CG female Tethyrian human Ftr12/Sor4); and the Deadhelms of Dunbridges, a motley crew of semi-retired adventurers and mercenaries from a score of kingdoms and a dozen races. The Deadhelms have no real leader, but their spokesman is usually the jovially profane and garrulous "One-Eyed Dog," more properly known as Haeronth Blaedaerer (CN male Chondathan human Ftr9/Rog7/Streetfighter5 [CA] who wears an eyepatch of shooting stars [properties identical to a ring of shooting stars]; most Dunbradar don't know his black cloth eyepatch has magical powers, but are aware it's false because he shifts it from one eye to the other as the whim takes him).

The brawling, boisterous Manticoreslayers make steady coin by distilling a strong, rough whisky called "Slayers' Fire" which is growing in popularity as merchants take it throughout Faerûn. Local rumor insists that they are girt in battle with strong defensive magic and that their annual "long vacations" are spent hunting and slaying dragons for sport.

Rumor further asserts that the ever-wary Deadhelms, who dwell in a fortified keep at the western edge of Dunbridges, wield an array of strange and powerful magic items. Further, it whispers that their leaders are the remnants (human and otherwise) of the crew of a ship that sailed through the sky and between the stars!

Not to be done yet, the same ever-tireless rumor mill holds that the "Blade Queens" (as the warrior-women of the Company of the Bent Blade are affectionately known) are all sorceresses and Harpers, or at the very least allies of and spies for Those Who Harp.

The daring exploits (and domestic dalliances, as the Blade Queens are endlessly courted by various stalwarts of both other companies) provide constant entertainment for Dunbradar and also leave them unimpressed by most visiting adventurers. Brigands may be able to force Dunbradar folk into doing things, but they'll fail to scare them into doing anything. (Adventurers and others given to strong language are warned that local folk will only tolerate fellow Dunbradar uttering the oath "By the bottoms of the Blade Queens!" Any outlander daring to use it will be set upon angrily by all Dunbradar within hearing.)

Governance
Dunbridges is governed by the Mouth, a council of local merchants (nominated by any citizen) who serve for three seasons and have equal votes. No councilor can serve two consecutive terms. The Mouth has eleven members-at-large and a speaker, the Lord of the Bridges (currently the fat, sharp-tongued, but essentially good-natured Anarassa Ghoeble, a LN female Cali****e human Sor12 known to most Dunbradar, despite her gender, as "Lord Rassa"). The Lord directly commands the only employees of the Mouth -- the Fingers, a dozen-strong mounted constabulary (LN male human War6s) who patrol the streets, lead the militia, and keep close watch on visitors -- all under the direction of their leader, the Lord High Protector.

This general-***-chief of police is an office which, in the past, was often occupied by corrupt villains (several of whom tried to take direct rule of Dunbridges and paid for the attempt with their lives or were forced to flee far, fast, and permanently). At present it is graced by a onetime High Sword (force leader) of Tethyr, the principled Tharorgaun Tarntree (a capable, diligent, and ruggedly handsome LG male Tethyrian human Ftr16).

Protector Tarntree is square-jawed, tall, keen-eyed, and much sought after by local ladies. Though he seems willing to spend time in their company, he is always alert and attentive to his duty to keep the peace in Dunbridges and guard it against brigand attack. Not only does the man never seem to sleep, he has an uncanny knack for anticipating trouble and warning a patrol to "check just a little more thoroughly than usual there, and tarry a bit in the lee of Sarglar's Hill, to watch if wolves slip down." Over the years, the Fingers (and the half-dozen different militia members who ride with every Fingers patrol) have learned to trust in their Lord Protector's hunches. Time and time again, he has directed them into the heart of a stealthy brigand advance or hungry winter wolf pack.

This is not to say Tarntree is all grand general. He's legendary among the women of Dunbridges for leaping literally out of the arms of one amorous lady to snatch up his sword and rush out unclad into her barnyard, where he faced a would-be horse thief blade to blade. On another occasion, he wrestled a wild dog to death after it tried to savage a drunken Dunbradar merchant in the wee hours close enough to his open bedchamber window for him to overhear its snarling charge.

Some folk whisper that Tarntree has a colorful past and is a polymorphed wizard, courtier, or even Tethyrian princess in hiding from foes who would slay him (or her) in an instant if his true identity were revealed. Others believe he's a spy for the Harpers -- or the Zhentarim -- or even the mysterious island nation of Nimbral (though what a spy dwelling in Dunbridges might learn of international value remains a matter of unresolved speculation).

The Lord Protector seems to be on wary but cordial terms with the three resident adventuring companies. Dunbradar either love him (most of the female citizenry) or at least grudgingly respect him (most of the men), but even members of the Mouth seem to be spreading word of the many strange and close-cloaked visitors who slip in the back gate of the Lord High Protector's home, Tarntowers, in the moonlit hours of many a night. Lord Rassa donned a cloak and mask of her own once to investigate these nocturnal visitations and made it as far as halfway down the garden before a lamia noble and a swanmay rose from a garden bench to bar her way. In cold, unison tones, they advised her to "take a number -- preferably by daylight and at the front gate."

Whatever the truth about Tarntree's visitors, past, and secret activities, he guards Dunbridges diligently against attempts to do violence to its folk or seize control of it.

And he's not gentle in his methods, either. A mind flayer merchant with a wizard in thrall once came to town and tried to take over the minds of local millers. Tarntree beheaded the illithid in single combat. The grateful, freed wizard cast a preservative spell over the head, and today it hangs on pike-point above the Tarntowers front gate, eyes glowing faintly and tentacles endlessly and gently curling (an eerie sight that has made many a visitor hurry past but of which locals have grown quite proud).

Most of Brevoy's history does go out the window in favour of the Realms version, but with an emphasis on the Houses Aldinuth, Phondipar, and Teldoak being Low Emmeryn by mindset and origin, with consequent grinding against the High Emmeryn. The last king in Emmerock was in 1344, which I'd make was of House Aldinuth, but with House Sandras assuming regency shortly thereafter. (The last sortie out of Thuntar was in 1348 - the battle of Six Smoking Shields.)

I'd plan to set this campaign around the same time as the Age of Worms, being 1374 or thereabouts, so it's about 30 years with a regency. In that time, the Lance Lords' houses have jockeyed for position constantly, with House Sandras staying ahead of them on sheer guile and cunning.

Under this history, it's House Aldinuth behind the effort to expand Emmerock into four small client states south and west of Dunbridges. The PCs' charter comes from the Lord of the Bridges as the puppet of House Aldinuth, which hopes to raise its influence and also the armed strength of Low Emmerock against any raiding out of Thuntar.

Deities:
Unless someone knows a good translation guide for deities...

- Helm obviously figures big in Emmerock, so we'll replace Gorum with a militant sect of him.
- Erastil of the Kingmaker AP becomes Silvanus.
- Pharasma becomes Chauntea.
- Abadar with Tymora.

The other Golarion gods hopefully don't figure in as much or as importantly, so I'll adjust them as I go.

[Saintheart]

Rebadged Campaign Traits:

Bastard (limited to human characters):
One of your parents was a member of one of the great families of Emmerock, perhaps even of the line of Esbolder himself. Yet you have no substantive proof of your nobility, and you’velearned that claiming nobility without evidence makes you as good as a liar. While you might own a piece of
jewelry, a scrap of once-rich fabric, or an aged confession of love, none of this directly supports your claim. Thus, you’ve lived your life in the shadow of nobility, knowing that you deserve the comforts and esteem of the elite, even though the contempt of fate brings you nothing but their scorn. Whether a recent attempt to prove your heritage has brought down the wrath of a noble family’s henchmen or you merely seek to prove the worth of the blood in your veins, you’ve joined an expedition into the Stolen Lands, hoping to make a name all your own.

Benefit: You take a –1 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks made when dealing with members of Emmeryn nobility but gain a +1 trait bonus on Will saves as a result of your stubbornness and individuality. (The penalty aspect of this trait is removed if you ever manage to establish yourself as a true noble.)

Brigand:
You hail from Thuntar or the more lawless reaches of Emmerock. Life has been hard for you. Perhaps your parents and siblings were crooks and
con artists, or maybe your rough, lonely life lead you to fall in with thieves and worse. You know how to ambush travelers, bully traders, avoid the law, and camp where no one might find you. Recently, you’ve run into some trouble, either with the law or with other bandits, and you’re looking to get away to somewhere no one would ever think to look for you. An expedition into the rugged wilderness seems like a perfect way to lie low until the trouble blows over.

Benefit: You begin the campaign with an extra 100 gp in ill-gotten gains. You also gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks when dealing with brigands, thieves, bandits, and
their ilk.

High Emmeryn:
You were raised in High Emmerock, a land of misty shores and harsh hill lands, of snowy vistas and violet-hued mountains. You are descended from an able and intelligent people, and you have grand ambitions, a mind alert for opportunity, and the tenacity to fight for your goals no matter the challenge. You care for little more than achieving your aspirations and opportunities to win wealthy and grandeur, for which few costs prove too great. You see yourself as a citizen of Emmerock through and through. The call for champions willing to help take back your country’s rightful holdings in the Stolen Lands has inflamed your dreams of profit and possibilities, so you have joined an expedition to quest south.

Benefit: Your agile mind grants you a +1 trait bonus on all Will saves made to resist mind-affecting effects.

Noble Born: You claim a tangential but legitimate connection to one of the Lords of the Lances' noble families. If you aren’t human, you were likely adopted by one of Emmerock’s nobles or were instead a favored servant or even a childhood friend of a noble scion. Whatever the cause, you’ve had a comfortable life, but one far from the dignity and decadence your distant cousins know. Although you are associated with an esteemed name, your immediate family is hardly well to do, and you’ve found your name to be more of a burden to you than a boon in many social situations. You’ve recently decided to test yourself, to see if you can face the world without
the aegis of a name you have little real claim or care for. An expedition into the storied Stolen Lands seems like just the test to see if you really are worth the title “noble.” Choose one of the following noble families
and associated benefits.

Margan: Your family’s long association with the gold dwarves
of the Icerime Peaks has left its mark. You ignore the movement penalty for the first 5 feet of rocky difficult terrain you move through per round. This applies only to terrain made difficult by rocks or ruins. In addition, you gain a +2 trait bonus on Appraise checks to assess the value of natural stones or metals. Your family motto is “Strong as the Mountains.”

Brethok: Your family’s history of trading between Themasulter and the inland pervades your blood. As a deft merchant of the region, you gain a bonus language: Dwarven, Elven, Hallit, Gnome, Giant, Halfling, Skald, or Sylvan. Your family motto is “Success through Grace.”

Marounal: Your family has made a living off the coasts of the Lake of Steam since before Emmerock existed. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Swim checks, and Swim is always treated as a class skill for you. Your family motto is “The Waters, Our Fields.”

Phondipar: Your family has long a deep respect for the wilderness and is superstitious about the creatures that dwell therein. You gain a +2 trait bonus on all Diplomacy checks made to deal with fey creatures and a +1 trait bonus on Will saves made against their spells and supernatural abilities. Your family motto is “Endurance Overcomes All.”

Teldoak: Your family has a reputation for avoiding conflicts. You gain a +1 trait bonus on your Initiative. In addition, choose Acrobatics, Diplomacy, or Stealth—you gain a +1 trait bonus on this skill. Your family motto is
“High Above.”

Sandras: Your family is well known for their political agility and scheming natures. You deal +2 damage when attacking a flat-footed opponent while wielding a light or one-handed weapon. Your family motto is “Ours is the Right.”

Pioneer:
You have long lived along the southern border of Low Emmerock, in the shadow of wilderness known as the Stolen Lands. Life has been hard, but through hunting, trapping, trading, and coaxing crops from the freezing earth, you’ve learned how to survive on the rugged frontier. With the wilderness ever at your door, you’ve also learned much about its denizens and the wild creatures that lurk in that unwholesome land. Your family might even claim holdings in the Stolen Lands, with elders telling stories of being driven from or robbed of a lost ancestral homestead, fertile farmlands, bountiful orchards, or a hidden mining claim. Whether because of your personal expertise and familiarity with the borderlands or in order to reclaim your family’s land, you’ve joined the expedition into the Stolen Lands.

Benefit: You begin play with a horse. Also, choose one of the following skills: Climb, Handle Animal, Knowledge (nature), Perception, Ride, Survival, or Swim—you gain a +1 trait bonus on this skill.

Low Emmryn:
You were raised in the south of Emmerock, a land of dense forests and rolling plains, of crystalline rivers and endless sapphire skies. You come from hearty stock and were raised with simple sensibilities of hard work winning well-deserved gains, the importance of charity and compassion, and the value of personal and familial honor. Yours is the country of the plainsman loyalists and the heroes who refused to bend before the armies of Nothlan the Usurper. You care little for matters of politics and nobles or of deception and schemes. As you are thoroughly Emmeryn, the call for champions willing to expand your land’s influence into the Stolen Lands has inflamed your sense of patriotism and honor, and so you have joined an expedition to quest southward.

Benefit: Your hardy nature grants you a +1 trait bonus on all Fortitude saves.

Sword Scion: You have lived all your life in and around
the city of Dunbridges, growing up on tales of Emmerock the Goblinbane and the exploits of your home city’s heroic and legendary Hammers of Helm. Perhaps one of your family members was a Hammer of Helm, you have a contact among their members, or you have dreamed since childhood of joining. Regardless, you idolize the heroes, styles, and philosophies of the and have sought to mimic their vaunted art. Before you can petition to join their ranks, however, you feel that you must test your mettle. Joining an expedition into the Stolen Lands seems like a perfect way to improve your skills and begin a legend comparable to that of Emmerock the Goblinbane.

Benefit: You begin play with a longsword or rapier and gain a +1 trait bonus on all attacks and combat maneuvers made with such weapons.

[Privian]

Hey! I'm planning to run a D&D 5e campaign set in Faerun using the Kingmaker Module. This is a pretty old post but I was curious if you had any info or material left over from your campaign I could use? I've been setting up my game in the Border Kingdoms as well and using your suggestions for renaming. The map you photos hopped has also been incredibly helpful!

[Saintheart]

You can take a look through the actual campaign itself which had a similar name. I had a USB drive loss which erased most of my materials but I'll have a look around and see what I've got left and be in touch by PM.

[redking]

The Border Kingdoms for certain. They are designed for this kind of campaign explicitly.

[truemane]

Metamagic Mod: Thread Necromancy