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View Full Version : [City] City of Godsfall {done}



SirAnon
2005-07-22, 08:25 AM
Introduction:
Your master grins at you, “We are about to travel hundreds of miles in a blink of an eye boy, brace yourself!” With that your master raises his arms and intones words of power too complex for you to yet understand. You try to pick up the jist of the magic he is weaving when you are blinded by a bright flash of light. You feel yourself falling and land heavily, collapsing to the ground. As you recover you pick yourself up and survey your surroundings.
Where scant moments ago you were in your master’s lab you are now out in the open! It appears his spell has worked. Before you two majestic gray towers reach several hundred feet into the air. Beyond them you can see a low wall with a large gate. And beyond the wall you are astonished to see a city that rises as far as you can see up the side of a hill. Grand building are everywhere, and a busy populace bustles along on their daily duties.
From the side you hear your master curse, “This isn’t the beach! I wanted a vacation.” From behind you hear a voice call, “Hold, declare yourselves newcomers.” You whirl around to see a couple heavily armed and armored men standing next to a large building.
Thus you come to be in the city of Godsfall

Stats:
Size: Large Town
Population: 3000 Adults
GP Limit: 3,000 gp
Ready Cash: 450,000 gp
Power Center: Nonstandard
Main: Town Government, Neutral Good
2nd: Influential Mages Guild, True Neutral

Constable: 10th level fighter
Guards: 30
Militia: 150

Racial Mix: 82% Humans (2460), 7% Dwarves (210), 6% Elves (180), 4% Halflings (120), 1% Other (30)

Physical Description:
Twilight Mountains: The Twilight Mountains rise out of a swampy bog to reach high into the sky. The tall mountains cast a shadow over the surrounding lands, causing the sun to set shortly after midday, giving the mountains their name. The swamps that surround the mountains are said to be infested with the souls of those who have drown in their mucky depths. The mountains themselves are dry and unforgiving. Seen from a distance they look not unlike the walls of a heavy fortress rising up into the sky.

The Plateau: Before the fall of Tanthil this plateau was populated with rich forests and hearty trolls. Afterwards most of the trolls have moved into surrounding caves and the forests have been pushed to the edges. Now a great deal of the plateau is used as farmland to feed the citizens of Godsfall. Large farms and small farmhouses are the norm close to the valley, while further out lies forest and then the mountains. Dangerous denizens lie in the forests and mountains and one should not wander to far from civilization. The eastern edge of the valley starts at the level of the surrounding plateau and as one progresses into the valley it steadily descends into the bedrock of the plateau. At the other end of the valley lies what remains of Tanthil and the monument dedicated to his glory. Closest to the monument are two towers of study, the Tower of Magic and the Temple of Tanthil. Separating the towers from the city proper lies a low wall. In between Tanthil and the top of the valley lies the city of Godsfall.

The City of Godsfall: You will most likely enter from the area of the monument. The monument lies on an island in a small lake. To the west, north and south rise granite cliffs. To the east rise the Tower of Magic and the Temple of Tanthil. This are is known as the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is separated from the city by a low wall about 5 to 6 feet tall. Closest to the wall is located the inn, known as the Wayward Traveler. The area around the inn would be considered downtown. Here are located most businesses and even a thriving granite quarry to the north. Farther up the slope lies the rich houses and fancy halls of the wealthy and influential citizens of town. Closest to the plateau and upon the plateau itself are the poorer citizens and farmers that support the city.

Foundation:
Long ago there was a god named Tanthil. Tanthil was seen to cross the sky and disappear for many years at a time, before crossing the sky again. Due to this erratic motion Tanthil become known as the Traveler. Legend holds that hundreds of years ago tragedy befell the god of travel. One night while crossing the sky, in his haste, he tripped and plummeted to earth. Lighting the sky with his glory he came to rest in the Twilight Mountains. Stories hold that one can still find the fallen form of the Traveler deep in the Twilight Mountains.

“Grunk tell tale of whoa passed from old ones. Long time go in this very place we troll people live good. All day long we eat and hunt. Happy life we. Then one night great gods bring tra..tradgdedy. Big fire from sky fall, kill all but few, we eat they raosted bodies in respect. Great hole in ground made, ruin hunting lands. Then we find firey rock in hole. Wise one say it sign from gods, what more clear than rock, on fire? So we worship firey rock from sky. Then people come, want to take god. We no like them, but they kill many. Now we make war on city thay build. Some day our god will be ours again.”

Many adventurers went into the mountains in search of the fabled Fallen God. Few made it out alive. Only one hearty band actually reached their goal. There they found a cult of trolls worshiping an object from the sky. They drove off the trolls and examined their prize. It was still hot after all the years since its fall, and as much as they tried they could neither move it, nor damage it in any way. The most amazing thing was that it radiated tremendous magical energies. The mage decided to set up shop and study it, while the cleric decided it really was the remains of the Fallen God and decided to set up a religion dedicated to Tanthil. Over time a city rose from the ashes of the troll’s once humble, and now gone, village.

Organizations:
Tower of Magic: This is the southernmost tower. Within its walls are housed great areas of study devoted to the Fallen One. Many mages and sorcerers, and even a few adepts can be found within its walls day and night. Here one can learn great secrets of the most powerful travel magics, or dedicate oneself to finding ways to harness the emanations from the monument.

Jorga, Human, 16th level Mage, Head of the Council

Temple of Tanthil: The Temple if located to the east of the monument, and north of the Tower of Magic. Many clergymen spend their time contemplating the spiritual emanations from the Travelor. Services are held in the great hall that faces the monuments.

Trailmaster Drut, Human, 6th level Cleric, Leader of the Church of Tanthil

City Watch: The city watch headquarters are housed in the downtown section. The city watch is designed to police the city and its surrounding areas. At any one time the city watch has about 10 guards on duty, with each officer taking a 12-hour shift. They also have a rotating shift were everyone in the militia is expected to take from a week to a month on duty.

Hansd, Human, 10th level warrior, Constable

Home Guard: The Home Guard is housed on the plateau. The Home Guard was set up to be a barrier between the terrors that roam the Twilight Mountains and the city of Godsfall. The Home Guard is manned by the best fighters in the city, making a usually effective barrier against the occasional incursion from the mountain denizens. They constantly patrol the borders between the outskirts of the city and the wilds.

Grent, Human, 10th level Fighter, Head of the Home Guard

Militia: The town militia is composed of those men who have volunteered to serve. They all have their own lives, but take a few weeks out of the year in order to take a rotation on the Watch. It is considered an honor to serve. They are also available to be called upon in times of emergency when a large force may be needed, weather for the Watch or the Guard.

Defenders of the Faith: The church employs their own security force to patrol the Sanctuary grounds, which include the towers and the monument grounds. The Defenders of the Faith are very dedicated paladins in service to Tanthil. They are constantly on patrol in search transgressors and do not hesitate to arrest those they find.

Sir Forti, Human, 4th level Paladin, Prime Defender

Points of interest:
Swiftclaw Dojo: Few monks reside in Godsfall. The few that have made their way here reside in the Swiftclaw Dojo. Here, under the tutelage of Master Bhut T’Kik, they train in special martial art taught only by him. When the city needs extra muscle the monks are sometimes called upon to serve.

Master Bhut T’Kik, Human, 4th level Monk

Wayward Traveler Inn: The wayward traveler is the only inn in town. Serving as both an inn for visitors to Godsfall, and as the largest tavern in town, the Wayward is one of the busiest establishments in the town. The first floor holds a large common room and also private booths. The first floor holds both the smaller rooms, and medium size accommodations, with the top floor holding grand suites. The house specialties include a strong brew known as Trolls Blood, and a lamb chop smothered in fried apples.

Arts and Culture:
There are only two prevalent sources of art in Godsfall.
The first is the use of the local granite to fashion beautiful sculptures and elegant buildings. With such a ready source of granite there is a constant supply of material for those with a desire to fashion these sculptures. It seems like everyone has a go at fashioning something, because the city is littered with such art. From the grad to the unfinished, statues adorn almost every corner. There is actually a small group dedicated to deciding which ones to get rid of, most likely turned into blocks and materials for repairing buildings.
The second source of art is the performing arts. There is a troupe of bards known as the Marauding Minstrels that are so popular that they can be found performing as on orchestra at fancy balls, or performing street theater in the farmers market. Their base of operations is located on the edge of the good part of town, and holds regular performances, both for the wealthy and the less influential.

Economics:
The city was built up around the study of the Fallen One, and is still the biggest motivation behind most of the industries in Godsfall. The tower of Magic is set up to train those interested in the magical arts, and to study the magical energies that emanate from Tanthil. The Tower of Faith serves as a temple, and place of spiritual study of the Traveler. There is also a thriving organization set up to catalogue and research for both organizations.
Many organizations not directly related to the sanctuaries goals go to support them. The plateau is covered with farms that grow food to support the city. There are also various crafting organizations set up to supply high quality items for magical purposes.
There is even a busy quarry for obtaining the cities building materials, and various other businesses you would find in a town of this size. Notably lacking is a large stable. Few people in town own horses, and most are used as farm equipment.

Religion:
The major religious organization in the city is the Church of Tanthil. They not only work hard studying the Fallen One, but have a thriving congregation. Other religions are tolerated, but as of yet no temples have been built. Religion plays a surprisingly important role in day to day life for the average citizen. This comes from the fact that the city is built around studying Tanthil. Everyone either works in a field related to study, or in one of support of the studiers.

Government:
The city of Godsfall is run by a simple government structure. The Council of Study is made up of the highest level members of both the Temple and the Tower. Mostly the magic users, and a few religious types, the councils only real interest is in studying the Fallen God. They only get involved when it directly relates to this goal. In order to do that they have set up a government that runs the city for them, leaving them free to pursue their own interests. Director Need is the man they have chosen to take care of things. He is a pretty effective Mayor, and as a bonus, actually cares about the people.

Crime:
While there may be crime in the city its nothing you wouldn’t expect from a large town. There are pickpockets, and strong arms, even a few ladies of questionable virtue can be found if you know were to go, but there is no organized thieves guild. The only hint of organized crime in the city is a group know as the Dark Three. Which is a misnomer because there aren’t three members, the Dark Three is actually one man, the most skilled rogue in the city. He hires himself out to influential members of Godsfall to perform certain not quite legal tasks. If something needs acquiring, or someone needs warned, or even removed from the public eye, then he’s your man. He frequently works for the mages and is decked out with some pretty effective gear because of that fact. In fact he gets so much work done that it is rumored that he is really three people, thus he is known as the Dark Three. He is a 10th level Rogue.

The Monument:
Once it was found that the Fallen One was radiating magical energies the mages decided to try and harness that energy. Over the crater was built a structure designed to channel and store these magic energies. Through much study it was found that magics relating to travel were augmented most by these energies. Specially designed arches were installed around the structure that allowed for travel to almost any known destination with the casting of low level teleportation spells.
The monument resembles a squat grain silo. It is round, with a domes roof, but it is less than a hundred feet high. The outside is ringed with granite arches. There is no apparent opening to the inside. There is in fact a secret door in one of the arches. The monument has special properties that enhance travel magics. When a spell related to travel is cast on one of the arches all of its parameters are enhanced to unbelievable levels. A mage with a teleport spell can actually make it half way across the world and end up exactly were they want, like a Teleport w/o Error spell.

Power Struggles:
The Tower of Magic and the Temple of Tanthil have a historic disagreement on weather the Fallen One is actually the remnants of a god or not. Various clashes have resulted, with only occasional injuries, and few deaths. It seems tempers are about to boil over yet again.

Several influential citizens feel that the enhanced teleportation available from Tanthils magical emanation should be exploited to earn money by exporting and importing exotic materials from all over, and becoming a hub of travel. Both the Temple and the Tower feel that more study needs to be done before anything can be decided.

There is a constant struggle between the Home Guard and various mountain natives. Trolls, ad griffins are common, with the occasional young drake dropping in for lunch in the farmlands.

Adventure Hooks:
You were trying to teleport to another city, but something went wrong. Now you are stuck in the city of Godsfall. What are you going to do with yourself now?

One night the Leader of the temple receives a vision of waves of monstrous creatures flooding from the mountains and filling up the valley. Preparations are being made, but more defenses are needed. Various warriors from around the globe are being recruited to help defend the town. Are you willing to help?

You have been hired by a mysterious stranger to escort some rather common items on a caravan ride to an unspecified destination. It is in fact a nobleman from Godsfall secreting these common items to another part of the globe were these items are considered valuable.

SirAnon
2005-07-22, 08:25 AM
The Monument:

http://us.f1f.yahoofs.com/bc/7a16bf72/bc/Mail+Attachments/monumental.jpg?CCA9q9CB.jo9vtjv

SirAnon
2005-07-22, 08:25 AM
Comments, tips, tricks, cheat codes? Advice, critisizm?

PLease someone help me!

Anybody good at maps?

Skyserpent
2005-08-25, 03:47 AM
Hmm... the Adventure hooks need some work... particularly the teleportation one... What is stopping a PC from simply waiting for the Teleport Spell to recharge and leaving? Also some extra political Intrigue would be nice...