Various Fey Settlements inside cursed lands

[lytokk]

So in the game I'm running, 90% of the continent is cursed. The only parts that aren't are in locations the curse never had the opportunity to spread to, and forests watched over by powerful fey. This was basically my way of correcting a mistake with the game when the party realized that they really enjoyed going into cities and ineracting with my NPCs, but I hadn't made any sort of plans for there to be any more NPC interaction beyond a certain point in teh game. The basic premise I have for these settlements is that non-fey humanoids were fleeing the curse that took over the land, ended up in the forests being protected by the fey, and started making their own establishments there, while respecting all that the fey did to keep them safe. So the establishments will be more like caves underground, structures that seem entirely natural and living.

So far, I've come up with 3 fey settlements, which the party has already ran into one of. The first one was being watched over by a high level nymph druid, and the second one more than likely going to be some form of satyr. The third one, I was wanting to throw a curveball into and make this settlement much more unseelie. These fey didn't hold back the curse, and it spread to them, and every creature living in that area. The problem I'm running into is subtlety, its a really weak quality in me. I want their trip into this area to be typical, but to have something be off, not glaringly obvious off, just wrong, then slowly descend into utter chaos as they chose to either fight or run... or negotiate.

Any help that could be given regarding either the second or third settlement would be great. I intend for there to be other sentient races at both settlements beyond the standard core races so if you have any thoughts regarding any of them would be helpful.

[Gildedragon]

What is the nature of this curse?
What are the effects of it?

For uncursed settlement:
Satyr based, so tending towards chaotic and feasting. Hospitality is a big thing. Trade may be done by barter predominantly; though riddle/storytelling/performance contests may be commonplace for trading, as well as favor exchanges.

Tent/Pavillion city, big central green that is a perpetual party (lots of music)
Leader (if CN) Satyr Bardbarian
Leader (if CG) Satyr Paladin of Freedom (Harmonious Knight) / WarriorSkald

If settlement's alignment (not the leader's) tends to CG there is a Juvenile or Young-Adult (half-fey maybe) Copper Dragon in humanoid form living there. Might run a fortune telling stall.

[lytokk]

What is the nature of this curse?
What are the effects of it?



Custom dreamjob of mine. Basically, the apocalypse happenned, and the gates of hell opened on the material plane. The denizens of the abyss got the help of a large tribe of orcs to spread a corruption through the land. Orcs were cursed so that when they fell, their blood would seep into the land corrupting it. The corruption left the plantlife there alive, but with a purple hue. If a normal person walked in the corrupted land, eventually, they would become corrupted themselves, forcing an alignment change to evil, and to unconditionally seek out the most evil presence they could find to basically become their lackey. A simple remove disease can cure someone of the corruption, but if they stay on this cursed land, its only a matter of time before it happens again.

The apocalypse was ended, the gate sealed, but the land is still in that corrupted state. Cooperation between that first fey settlement and the last surviving kingdom created a method of uncorrupting the land, using a similar method as to the corruption method. The party was part of a caravan doing that, but had to split off to take care of something.

[Gildedragon]

So kinda like the Taint rules from HoH.

For the subtle wrongness, use the taint (depravity) rules on the NPCs.
Bad dreams happen (fort or will save to sleep well, otherwise fatigued the next day) after a few days of staying there
Natural healing goes down by 1 hp per 2 days.

So this means healing spells are much more common there but they carry a rider effect of lowering your saves by half the amount healed for a round afterwards.
Since food spoils faster, all food is produced by sustaining spoons or cauldrons. The community is more communal (grouped around cauldrons or spoons)

A couple grey jesters live there. Not grey of course, you want the colors to look normal.
There are other travellers there, humanoids, they are perfectly content and won't leave

Also: the place could seem more ordered than the previous settlements. Less exuberant.
Be terser in your descriptions.
So if in satyrville you describe a merchant's stall: The stall is a riot of color and patters: orange and violet plaid, green and silver polkadots, poppy-red and opalescent cloths, among others, are stacked and draped haphazardly over the whole of the stall. A blue-red-yellow tortoiseshell cat sits atop a sewing cushion, licking its paw. Little bells of silver and copper jingle on its earrings. Spotting you the cat turns its head, looking at you with its bright blue eyes it says "Welcome-iddlio to the Hats Meow!" and...

in darktown: The stall is lively and chaotic. There's stuff everywhere, all types of cloth. On a stool there is a oddly colored cat. It turns to face you and speaks...

[Fouredged Sword]

Yeah, make the Fae perfectly nice and pleasant, childlike even. They welcome company and LOVE to hear stories from other places. They want to hear the stories of your battles and conquests. They start asking confused questions, like why did you spare the prisoners, and pry for all the gory details. The party passes it off as the childlike fae curiosity and childlike thoughts, with their cute little faces and they are so very nice and friendly.

It's the humans who give it away. They are not nice. They are downright mean, and possessive of their Fae overlords. They don't like you, and your stories. They where travelers once too, but they like it here, and they don't want to leave. As soon as the Fae loose interest they warn you in whispers... As soon as they loose interest.

The fae are actually CE overlords who delight in the pain and suffering of others. They enjoy the evil curse and use it to gather lackeys they can torture and abuse. They love a good bloody adventure story though, so they entertain. After all, if you stay, you will eventually not want to leave, and if you leave, well, they just need to make sure you stay.

[lytokk]

*note to self, never google "taint rules", esp on a work computer

What kind of ruler for "darktown" would be appropriate? Some sort of sprite? The younger seeming fey would def work better with fouredgeds ideas, which kinda gives me the shivers.

But I like the idea of using two different methods of descriptions for the two different towns.

[John Longarrow]

For childlike fey, go something fun. Go Nixie. Have them use disguise self to look like human children. Have a lot of things in town center on swimming and enjoying time in the pool.

All of the "Adult" members of the community always seem soo excited about the idea, but seem to come up with odd reasons for not being able to join in. The Nixies and the human children go into the water and enjoy themselves.


The Kelpie living in the pool doesn't like their food until it is ripe. :xykon:

[lytokk]

Oh, also, just an addition which I think might add a little bit of fun to these ideas. There's currently 2 fey travelling in the party. One of them is a pc, Half-nymph sorceress, who is actually the daughter of the nymph from the first settlement. Second fey is more of a gag NPC, who's stealth and pickpocket skills are so incredibly maxed out all she ever does is remove the pants from the psychic warrior whenever I feel it's funny (Hint: it's always funny).

[ArqArturo]

What is the nature of this curse?Leader (if CN) Satyr Bardbarian
Leader (if CG) Satyr Paladin of Freedom (Harmonious Knight) / WarriorSkald

In either cause, it must have a heavy accent.

[Gildedragon]

*note to self, never google "taint rules", esp on a work computer

What kind of ruler for "darktown" would be appropriate? Some sort of sprite? The younger seeming fey would def work better with fouredgeds ideas, which kinda gives me the shivers.

But I like the idea of using two different methods of descriptions for the two different towns.

Grey Jesters are great for darktown rulers or eminence grises if you pardon the pun.

For the front: A Bleakone Lycanthrope, wreathed and crowned in flowers and golden leaves...

[lytokk]

In either cause, it must have a heavy accent.

Not quite getting the reference, if there is one.

Paged through the HoH book at the FLGS yesterday, and that book is really amazing for horror campaigns. The Grey Jester could make for a very interesting bad guy. Would levels of bard be appropriate for that one? I know I can't build him too powerful if the PCs decide to fight him, would rather not have a TPK.

*edit* On second thought, I think warlock would make for a more interesting and thematically appropriate vilian. Considering warlocks are either supposed to be part fey or part demon, this guy would be a hybrid of both.

[Abd al-Azrad]

The way I use fey in my games, they have no real understanding of "morality." Good and Evil are mortal concepts, which they are beyond. But they are very strict followers of specific sets of rules.

For the Seelie, this makes them generally hospitable. They will offer fair exchange for goods and services (within negotiated ranges and what they consider 'fair'), their practical jokes always include safe means of escape, etc.

The Unseelie fey follow very similar rules, but they are much more self-centred, view mortals the way a gambler views a prizefighting rooster, and see absolutely no need to educate anyone in the rules of safely dealing with them. But they still are amazingly hospitable; after all, they can't trick you into accepting their offers of generosity (and the obligation to repay that comes with it), they can't get you into a word-duel that slowly escalates until death is on the line, etc., unless they make you think you are in a safe and welcoming place.

That is the kind of thought I would put into this sort of trap. Make your Unseelie delightful, charming, welcoming. Invite the players to participate in their revelry. Slowly up the antes until your players suddenly realize they've talked themselves into something dangerous, and their only escapes are to fight their way out, or bet their lives on a long shot of some sort.

And remember your Pratchett!

“Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice.
Elves are bad.”