Warlock in the Moonshae Isles 5e

[TodChuncker]

Hello!

Way back over a year ago when crit role season two started., I’m talking the second we found out Fjord was a hexblade, I wanted in ok that sweet sweet patron action. So waaaaay before they became pirates, I created a hexblade warlock character that is in a campaign set in the Moonshae Isles. Going into session one, I knew nothing other than “ISLANDS AND PIRATES!!!!”... so I created a very Blackbeard from One Piece character but more CN than that D-bag named Abyssi Malachi.

Without doing ANY research I created a backstory about being a baby found adrift in the wreckage of a floating city made with boats and such that was destroyed by an unknown force. The baby was sent to an orphanage to be raised and cared for. My DM and I came to the conclusion that... bare with me... his patron is actually Valkur for some reason giving this human abilities beyond that of a normal man. (Thematically I’m not taking much of the Eldritch stuff. Lightening based stuff, social and utility kind of spells as Valkur isn’t so much into the darker stuff. My “shadow blade” is a little thrunder storm shaped like a cutlass) But the child and the adult he becomes is unaware of his connection to Valkur. He has just been fairly lucky in life(luck feat), has had some minor magical abilities(mostly social) and has had a longing to be on the ocean. He grew up working in the kitchen of the orphanage and didn’t keep up with his studies(point buy... INT dump stat) eventually he got a job as a cook on various ships and got out on the open water. Not really seeing the world though as he was stuck under deck most of the time. But his crew was always safe and fair weather followed him wherever he went. After a tour on the same pirate hunter ship that found him he found the motley crew that is the player party... where else... but in a bar.

So this campaign was just supposed to be a test campaign of 5 levels for our DM. Hence why I didn’t really do my research. But we are all super into it and want to keep going.
Here come the questions:

Where do I start in regards to knowing general history that a not so well learned character might be aware of?

How much do I look into the realm in detail as to not Meta game too much? I already skimmed some stuff and foresee some issues with the Storm Maiden character... you know her backstory being pretty much the same as Abyssi’s

Where the heck could this orphanage be so I can get back there at some point and show them I’ve become something of myself?

Also, we found the remains of Multar, an ancient primordial. Big dragon dude. “The chained god” and whatnot. Abyssi has not formed another pact so much as he has a sentient sword that has bonded with him(also now his pact of the blade weapon) and got a nat 20 on a general flirt check(that... thanks to the DM meant she fell in love instantly...) with a handmaid of Multar that ended up being a Couatl in the form of a human... But because of this new very lightening based connection I was thinking of going Tempest Cleric. Abyssi is struggling with this because he doesn’t want to break the bond he has with whatever is giving him these powers. But META gaming I know that they fall into the similar territory.

Sooo... thoughts?

[LibraryOgre]

You can do worse than to start with the Forgotten Realms Fandom wiki (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Moonshae_Isles).

My stuff is from roughly the Time of Troubles; I don't know what went on with the Spellplague and later stuff, so check the year.

Briefly, Moonshaes islands are the Nordic/Celtic interface. The southern islands (Gwyneth, Moray, Snowdon, southern Alaron) are a mids-80s Celtic pagan setting, with a singular religion centered around an Earthmother (literally her name). Later, she was replaced by/an aspect of Chauntea. The more northern isles (Oman, Norland, Norheim, northern Alaron) are homes to !Vikings. Pre-ToT, these two groups were in a lot of conflict.

Also present are halflings, who are more or less "short humans" for story purposes, dwarves, and elves.

[TodChuncker]

Thanks I’ll check that out.

[OracularPoet]

Two interesting things to note, though only one is relevant to your character as is:

1. Valkur’s clerics may take either the War or Tempest domains, per the SCAG supplement, so I think there is no no-no in your dipping Tempest cleric. Just a different form of power from the same source.

2. Relating Fjord’s pact with Moonshae lore, there are (were?) three entities on the Moonshaes which were special agents of the will of the Earth Mother (an aspect of Chauntea worshiped exclusively in the islands). These were a great unicorn, a great pack of wolves, and a “leviathan” patrolling the inner seas. I was thinking the “no research” angle was going to uncover the leviathan bit.