Doomriders: A Campaign Journal

[Snowstar]

Long live Ileni!!!!!

[Tam_OConnor]

Hey, that's just what Fayd told me. Let me know if he's wrong, and I'll change it so I'm right.

[flabort]

So, Just to make sure, it was Lo-tenger and "the ocean witch" that fluffy ticked off?
so, Lo-tenger could have sent any number of earthquakes, and... Tyntaragi?... Tynkanria?... Rihissa?... could have... what?
or, is she in the Demiurges?

[Tam_OConnor]

Flabort:

One of Lo-Tenger's totem beasts is the dolphin, so killing one = bad juju. Now, does Lo-Tenger punish everyone who kills a dolphin? Don't be silly. But sailors are a cowardly and superstitious lot, and it's always better to sacrifice when you don't need to, than not to sacrifice when you do. Erring on the side of caution, as it were.

Yes, the Ocean Witch is one of the demiurges, a Fey Lady in the Seelie Court. She's Lo-Tenger's second lover, the one from whom all the nymphs are descended. Like, you know, the one the PCs slew for the Longpipes.

Some general deific relationships:
1st generation:
Ashur, Seseg and Kurush were all brothers, from oldest to youngest.
Tykanria and Igela were sisters.

2nd generation:
Farkas and Brigii are siblings, children of Lo-Tenger and Tykanria.
Ibronka and Tyntaragi are sisters, daughters of Igela and Larlon.
Waerdun, Olanorn and Phoraduk are brothers, sons of Femta and Gilgadar.

3rd generation:
Silanihi, Rihissa and Sanselie are sisters, daughters of Larlon and Ileni.
Ylsilar is the son of Tykanria and Ashur.
Laeros proceeded from Kurush.

4th generation:
Nunatii and Turmlar are brothers, sons of Laeros and Sanselie.

5th generation:
Brigii and Turmlar are married, but have not produced an heir.

[Snowstar]

Oh no, Ileni was the one I agreed upon with Fayd; I remember now. I should really learn to read entire posts before replying.

[Fayd]

Eh, happens to all of us. I'm particularly happy that I'm not going crazy though.

[Fluffy the Orc]

So...

Who do you think would win in a fight?

Fluffy


OR

A grizzly bear?


Please submit your vote to [email protected]; votes will be tallied over the next few days and I will post the results when work is not ripping out my soul and chewing on it.

[Tam_OConnor]

Ugh, Fayd, we've been criminal about this. Let's be making up for lost time, no? Enter the backstory, and I go to flagellate Fayd over the Internet for not finishing the journal yet.

The World-map (really blighted huge):

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And a smaller one for reference. Still screen devouring huge, though.

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Starting with the continents:

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The dominant continent in this 'world' map is Illias, so named for the self-proclaimed 'most advanced culture' upon it, the Illian Kingdoms (Cade is an Illian, both racially and culturally).

On the eastern side of this map lies the continent of Berengia. The parts visible are mainly dominated by the Dhar people, with !chan lands lying off the map.

The south-western continent is Argonath, the homeland of the Connish peoples, and current host to the Tentacled Jungle.

To the extreme south-east of this map lies the Qen demi-continent, which is the only important part, according to certain rabid Imperialists.

On geographic features:

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The Varaz Wastes are a relatively recent development, occurring as the result of the Great Orcish Invasion of 291. Most accusing fingers are pointed at the dracolich Azurebones and the high elf archmage Elowin the Traitor. The Wastes themselves are a cracked and brutal landscape. Rainfall is greedily absorbed by the parched earth, but no vegetation decorates the area. The demarcation line between Wastes and fertile ground is knife-sharp. At least one tree, bisected by the line, flourishes outside the Waste and is dead on the other half.

The Skög is but a sad remnant of the original Twilight Forest, destroyed in the Great Orcish Invasion of 291. Gnolls have been almost totally expunged from its depths, and the elves and half-elves who now dwell there are renowned for their silks.

The Erdö is a truly ancient forest, rumored to be the birthplace of the elves, the death site of the goddess Igela, or a multitude of other things. What is known is that no sentient species dwell within.

The central mountain range of the Illian continent has many regional names, most of which are woefully unimpressive or unimaginative. It is, if nothing else, an exceptionally rugged range, with few passes leading north/south. At its southeastern tip, it dominates the landscape almost totally.

The Twilight Forest is in fact the second of that name, replanted and regrown by high elves and flinds fleeing from the ruin of the original. It is divided into two main plateaus: the flinds occupy the northern, the high elves the southern. Generally.

The Tentacled Jungle, properly the Greater Tentacled Jungle (with the Lesser being destroyed in the Great Orcish...oh, you know) is home to the low elves and gnolls and the devourers (mind flayers, illithid). It is more than worthy of its name: the trees undulate towards visitors, vines snatch the ankles of the unwary, storms of flying flowers first launch themselves into, then grow on living prey. It is not a nice place. Sages debate whether the devourers control the forest, or whether they created it and set it loose, or even if they have lost any modicum of control over it whatsoever. The continued habitation by elves is positively befuddling.

On various bodies of water:

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The body of water between Kadashar and Kungarike is variously referred to as the Kadashari Sea, the Kungarike Sea, the Northern Sea, even as the Varaz Sea or the Sea of Indar (mainly prior to the Great Orcish Invasion).

Whalesong Bay, as the name might indicate, is the mating grounds of number of various species of whales, who, with their staggered migratory patterns, all but ensure the bay continually echoes with their singing. Reactions are mixed, from expressions of indescribable beauty to annoyance at the off-key shrieking.

Silvershell Bay is home to a certain breed of sea turtle that extracts silver from seawater and uses it to plate their shells. The turtles can grow to a truly prodigious size, to the point of capsizing even large ships.

The unnamed stretch of water separating Illias from Qen deserves mention, if only because it was, until recently, land. It was sunk due to upsets caused among the Fey Courts by the death of the Knight Undying and the Iron Lord, and the Ascension of the Unbreakable Knight, the Remorseless Pursuer and the Laughing Condemned. Notably, this had nothing to do with the Great Orcish Invasion that occurred around the same time.

Between the southern coast of Illias and Argonath lies another body of water bearing a preponderance of names. The Central Sea, the Inner Sea and the Peri Sea are all popular candidates.

The Connish Sea, is, appropriately enough, dominated by Connish sailors, whether from the Independent Counties or the Thousand Kingdoms.

To the west of Illias and Argonath lies the Chromatic Ocean (though my scanner cut off the name). The name is appropriate, as the usual rules of water pigmentation don't seem to apply. Even to magical divination has not found land beyond the Chromatic Ocean, leading some to surmise that it flows directly into the afterlife and other planes. This is, of course, utter nonsense.

Countries:
Entry format is [Country Name: dominant human subrace(s): governmental system: other notes]

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Hatalom: Lovas: monarchy: At this point in history, the Lovas have begun to settle into cities, primarily along inner rivers. The coastline is all but unoccupied, aside from the Gemstone Towers.

The Grand Duchery of Jharok: Conn, Lovas: monarchy (in all but name): Seceded from Hatalom during the recent interregnum. Originally part of Hatalom proper.

The Independent Counties: Conn: various and manifold: chaotic and unstable, the Independent Countries are a glorious training ground for mercenaries.

Drougant: Conn, Illian: monarchy: Founded as a kingdom by shipwrecked Kungarike sailors, Drougant is a relatively stable nation hemmed in by anarchies and barbarians.

Aurbesk: At this point, it's anyone's guess. Who invaded last week?: monarchy, but anarchy in practice: Much like the Independent Counties, but with a single crown, a relic of a powerful founder.

Illian Kingdoms: Illian (Huroc): monarchies (primarily; there are a few that could justly be called theocracies): over-large city-states with an inflated self-opinion.

Kadashar: Illian (Huroc): theocratic tribal, occasionally united by warlords: divided into various clan/totem holdings: Dragon, Shark, Snake, Tiger, Wolf and Bear are currently dominant.

Indar: defunct state and genocided people: it was: Varaz: theocratic magocratic monarchy: Almost racially exterminated by the necromantic magic of Azurebones, and with its land consumed by the Waste, Indar has fallen.

Kungarike: Illian (Dhar): monarchy, with extremely limited power: The earls are the ones truly in control.

Udenar: Illian (Dhar): tribal: Raiding is a popular past-time. As is drinking. This leads to both horrid atrocities and comedy gold.

Adenar: Illian (Dhar), Qen, !chan: anarchy: Caught between four martial traditions, the Adenar are consumed with the desire to know whose umzamo is stronger. Ergo, an awful lot of martial arts academies, monasteries, independent masters, etc.

Qen States: Qen: Imperial: Imperial authority is hardly absolute, and interclan warfare is common, especially between the remnants of Lion clan and Fox and Rat clans.

Narialeea, Sulvira, Leanace, Inzu, Kalamaln, Pirra-Nee and Weenayani are the Peri home isles, with little regard for such things as independent sovereignty. Peri are Peri, in their eyes, which leads to a tremendous amount of interconnectivity between the isles, and a more or less shared culture. They are all at least vaguely tribal, and seem to tend toward monarchies when threatened. They almost universally follow the Peri Ideals.

The Thousand Kingdoms: Conn: primarily monarchy, but even republics have been tried: Here, any man with a sword and the will to use it can forge a kingdom...and be killed a year later by his successor.

Questions are, as always, appreciated.

[Fayd]

To give you all an update (thanks for being so patient!) the next chapter is finished, with one set of revisions done, with 2 more to go. The next set of revisions is being done by Cade and he is rather busy today. I'm expecting a 2 day wait at the most.

[Cade Rentyr]

The next set of revisions is being done by Cade and he is rather busy today. I'm expecting a 2 day wait at the most.

Well, to be more explicit, I've a birthday (not mine), visiting grandparents, and of course Christmas to deal with. I can say with certainty the journal will be up between now and the 26th; at this point I'm just not sure when exactly.

[Fayd]

Lo and behold! The next chapter! In other news, both this chapter and the world geography that Tam has provided have been linked to the first page. As always, comments/questions/etc. are appreciated!

Chapter 12: A Morale Question. Or: Potato Chipper They Are Not.

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That evening, we get back, start to talk, and do hit on one brilliant idea that we test. The ship’s supplies consist entirely of hard tack and potatoes. The latter turns out to be a quite helpful; Lossëlen and Keito both have access to plant magic, and thus they can multiply our supplies of potatoes. We run a quick test with a willing volunteer, and Captain Fearson bravely offers himself for the task. That, or he was half hoping the potato would get him high and he wouldn’t have to deal with this mess anymore. Lossëlen magically grows a potato plant from one of the ship’s potatoes on the beach, and I make a ranged touch attack to throw it to the Captain. And I crit…this is, incidentally, my first critical attack roll all campaign. We have dubbed this the “critato.” The captain effortlessly catches the potato in his hat and begins to munch away. It doesn’t appear to affect him. This is good. Unfortunately, this is about the only productive thing we get done before we decide that we just have to rest. We hit the hay… er, brush… or sand.

Having confirmed the presence of headhunters, we’re obviously a bit more vigilant at this point; Morchana, Cade, and some sailors take shifts of night watch. Cade reminds Morchana to wake him if she sees anything. During her watch, Morchana spots some big…ape…thing in the shadows…She goes to alert Cade, but when they get back out, neither of them see anything. Distressing.

The next morning, we laid out the basic plan about what to do about our native ‘friends,’ that plan being to stay well clear of them unless we have no other possible recourse. Lossëlen and Keito devote their time repairing the ship and growing potatoes with magic. Lossëlen is also trying to improve the morale of the sailors, which is a good thing. We were going to discuss more topics, but Fluffy, bored as usual and high again from something he dug out of a hole in the sand, stomps off into the forest. Cade and I rush out to bring him back before he gets himself into more trouble (ape-men and tribals are chief-most on our minds) though he is clearing a very nice path for us. We have Morchana watch the camp while we are away, just to be on the safe side --our sailors, on half-ration diets, aren’t exactly the most attentive.

For her part, it’s a very boring job, with a couple exceptions. She does spot a monkey at one point making faces at her…so she throws a shuriken at it. The monkey does not appear again. She also sees something very big and tentacly off shore… later, she looks back out to see and quickly turns around saying “I do notsee a kraken fighting a whale, I do not see a kraken fighting a whale”… She chooses not to think about it.

Cade and I catch up to Fluffy. Cade decides that he wants me to keep watch on the natives’ camp, (to find out more about them or more importantly to have warning if they decide to go ‘hunting’…) so he tells me to go investigate as he tries to guide the delirious Fluffy back in the general direction of camp. He begins hacking at air with his butcher knife trying to kill…something…but thankfully he’s using the opposite arm from Cade, who’s keeping a wary grip on his chain collar, so there isn’t any trouble. --Not right now anyway.

Swift is still under the effects of whatever it is he ate…and it is becoming very worrisome. I decide that I’m going to ask our healers what can be done when I get back, as it isn’t passing out of his system easily. I fly up to the caldera of the volcano and try to be stealthy, hovering just over the far edge. I see what Cade and Morchana did before, a small-ish village with a line of heads on spikes. I decide to risk a closer look and fly to the other side of the caldera. My stealth roll…after the applicable modifiers…is 5. Oh well, might as well see what is to be seen. Not like anyone’s outside to see me anyway --the population looks to be wait out the squall indoors.

I am able to identify something important about the heads-on-pikes: they’re… not human. Even given the fact that they have shrunken, all of the ones I can see are far too large to be human. (My bet: our mysterious ape-men. Or giants sailing ships.) Also, based upon my knowledge of the culture, the living quarters in this village indicate it could house, well, anywhere from 20 to 100 individual natives. After taking stock of the situation, I fly back to give my report to the group.

Nobody is there. Well, mostly nobody. Keito is still working on potatoes and the ship. She’s made good progress. The ship will probably be able to sail in a day or two. But both Lossëlen and Morchana have apparently vanished, and Cade is just managing to drag Fluffy up to the camp. Cade is disappointed that I didn’t think to go back and inform the elves to stay put before my recon… We hold down the camp until Morchana and Lossëlen get back. I find out that Cade has basically been letting Fluffy stumble about in a controlled area, patiently waiting for him to sober up and using the meantime to search for signs of Morchana’s intruder from the night before. Cade says he’s uneasy with the idea of Fluffy-sized apes stalking near our campsite --particularly if the natives hunt them, as I seem to have discovered.

Turns out, Morchana saw a glimmer of color and decided to look, and Lossëlen went along with her. They found a very special plant, the origigert that we were looking for! Unfortunately, it is the wrong color, but on the plus side, it is also a VERY rare color. They harvest one or two blooms hoping that the group’s plant magic will be able to grow a small bouquet of them if we have to present a gift to the natives. Cade commends their good work, though we all agree we need to coordinate better --for a while there our healer was our only guard for our entire barely-conscious crew!

Throughout the whole day (and the next) Fluffy has been causing crew morale to sink inexorably down, like storm water swirling down a gutter. First, he juggles sailors…or at least tries. He fails before he can add a third. At another point, Fluffy’s drug-induced state has him seeing people’s words as they speak them. (Tam was apparently rolling off of a table…I didn’t know that he had tables for this!) Ironic, considering Fluffy cannot read. Just to be funny, I say something to him in the Storm dialect of Planar, and he sees me spitting sparks and thunder and falls into a quivering mass. Even later, Fluffy becomes convinced that the eyes are trying to eat him. All eyes, in fact, even those on potatoes. EVEN HIS OWN EYES! He’s justifiably freaked, and probably wants to get this stuff out of his system. So he takes a nap, instinctively seizing upon the Captain to be his teddy bear. Captain Fearson just hisses a sigh and asks someone to toss him a potato. Hoping to repeat my success from earlier, I toss a potato…and roll miserably. The potato still hits its mark…the captain just gets hit in the nose.

Of course, a thrown potato does no actual damage, in direct contrast to barbarian orcs high in the sky with diamonds; Fluffy’s sleep is disturbed by yet another hallucination, at which he ‘casually tosses’ Captain Fearson --twenty feet through the air into a tree trunk, inflicting a hefty amount of damage!

Thankfully, it was only a hefty amount of damage dice…Fortunately the actual damage rolls are on the minimal side and Cade is immediately at hand to administer healing. The Captain suffers no irreparable harm, though he does swear like a sailor for a good long time in a continuous stream spanning more languages than any of us know before climbing a tree well away from Fluffy, where he continues to mutter angrily until he falls asleep.
Tam wipes the ‘crew morale’ gauge down to its last mark.

(Sigh) In the meantime, I show Swift to Keito. The bird freaks out a little, but that’s just because he’s been exceedingly flighty lately (pardon the pun). We determine that Keito can perform something that will basically flush his system, but he’ll need some good clean food to recover. And clean food is not easy to find on this island. Recalling the report from Cade and Morchana’s expedition about the bay that probably has shellfish in it, I take Keito and a couple of sailors and go to the bay. I tie a rope around myself and tell them that at a signal—two sharp tugs—they should pull me back. I don’t need to worry about air, not having to breathe, so I could be down for a while. I step valiantly out into the surf…and immediately get re-deposited on the beach. This happens again and again—the sailors are slightly amused and slightly mortified. (“He’s one of the competent [i]ones?”[i/])
I spend the next hour making swim checks to get some shellfish. At the far end of an hour (and over 20 rolls!) I finally flop out on the sand with exactly four shellfish. Stupid penalties to STR! On the plus side, I did find a small pearl in one of the shellfish…it is worth almost nothing, but a souvenir is a souvenir.

Meanwhile, Morchana and Lossëlen go searching for more origigert, and do manage to find some, but only more of the orange. Very nice, but not the red we’re looking for. They have a bit of a scare at that point-- Morchana spots that same Fluffy-sized ape-thing that’s been everywhere, and it clearly sees them too… and hurries away deeper into the wood.

The only other note about their day’s expedition is that Morchana manages to harvest a flask of a viscous poison from some really nasty, long thorns they find along the way. We don’t really know what she’s planning to do with it, though she’s really been getting antsy seeing these gorilla-men everywhere… (On that note: she’s not the only one!)

We session break here…and have our next session in January!

[Morchana]

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For her part, it’s a very boring job, with a couple exceptions. She does spot a monkey at one point making faces at her…so she throws a shuriken at it. The monkey does not appear again. She also sees something very big and tentacly off shore… later, she looks back out to see and quickly turns around saying “I do not see a kraken fighting a whale, I do not see a kraken fighting a whale”… She chooses not to think about it.

I like this. Stupidmonkey. I HATE monkeys!

Yeah. . . every time I tried to look out to sea Tam would show me some terrible sight like the kraken and the whale. I got scared, and soon was only looking inland.

[Fluffy the Orc]

The answer to: "Who do you think would win in a Fight?"

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Fluffy!



100% of votes

[Fayd]

No surprises there Fluffy!

[Snowstar]

How many people voted?

[Morchana]

*Morchana facepalms.*

But really-- who is actually surprised by that? I'm not!

[Cade Rentyr]

How many people voted?

I'm a bit skeptical too. Did voters outnumber party members? ~_^

Even if they did, though, I have to agree that I am not surprised either.

[Fayd]

Here to give this thread a little bump.

I'm going to be frank, I'm a little worried about our readership. As in: I am not sure we have any anymore.

[Tam_OConnor]

You and me both. I know my world notes are boring, but still...

The isle being explored:

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Not too much to say, really. The red dots along the stream are the spiked heads, the gray squares are the rockshaped homes of the natives.

[Alleine]

Well, you have at least one. I completely missed the notes and update somehow, but I find them to be very awesome. In your position I'd be extremely relieved not to have been attacked(well, by the natives at least) while everyone is weakened and fluffy is on a drug trip.

[Fayd]

Well, I've updated the main post! I put the map in the chapter section for the chapter regarding the island.

[Morchana]

Huzzah!!!

On a side note, I really hate monkeys. I mean really hate monkeys. They creep me out. They all deserve to die by shuriken. All. ALL!

That is all.

[Count Dravda]

WHAT?! No readers indeed. Pah! I check this thread every day and eagerly await updates. Should you abandon this prematurely, I will be most put out.

That is all. Resume lurk mode.

-Count Dravda

[starwoof]

I still check this every day! I'm just a natural lurker though.

[Fayd]

Aw. Thanks guys!

Break is nice. I've been doing a lot of reading, and from it, drawing a lot of ideas of nifty tricks...

[Eldariel]

There are readers aplenty. I...just run out of things to try and comment on and don't feel like repeating myself so I end up not posting anything.

And I have to say, Tam, all that info? Yeah, it does help one follow this all, so it's not exactly boring in that sense. Though that map I coulda figured out for myself

[Tam_OConnor]

Yay, new decade!

The Grand Duchery:

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Bodies of Water and Waterways

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The Chromatic Ocean ranges from subtly hued to looking like a painter spilled their most garish paints into it. In general, the colder the water, the more distinct the colors. It is known to be home to at least one dragon and a vast assortment of magical creatures, from storm albatrosses to prismatic trout (when not in the mating season). There is not a strong sahuagin or merfolk presence, and ocean-going trade is likewise rare.

The Connish Sea is plied primarily by Conns from the Independent Counties or the Thousand Kingdoms. The near constant anarchy makes smuggling, especially weapon smuggling, a profitable venue.

Stinging Bay is home to a vast assortment of poisonous jellyfish, sea anemones, fish, weeds, rocks, and so on. It is unnaturally warm in temperature.

The Prismatic River (also the Chromatic River or Rainbow River) is a central feature of the Hatalom plains, and the breeding area of prismatic trout. Schools of these creatures can hurl sprays of disorienting or even deadly light.

The River Adamant (pre-destruction of the Tentacled Jungle, the Hungry River) is the central river of the Grand Duchery. It is so named for the diamond mines from which one of the tributaries springs. The mines have since been overwhelmed by orcs, but even before that point, miners were falling prey to a strange illness.

The Emperor's River (also the Tyrant's Flow) is sadly unlabeled on the map, but is the river in the extreme southeast of the map. It indicated the furthest reach of the Grand Duchery, and references the delusions of the fourth Grand Duke.

Geographic Sites

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The Broken Bridge was destroyed in the retreat to Smoking Mountain in 291. Despite being made of wood, the remnants of the bridge resist not only the ravages of time, but all attempts to remove them.

Smoking Mountain was the headquarters of the fight against the Great Orcish Invasion of 291. A dwarven stronghold, it was destroyed from within by the actions of Harok the Betrayer.

Erdö is a deep and mysterious wood. Animals shy away from entering it, as do the elves. To date, there has never been an attempt to settle in it.

Blueforest lies in a broad mountain valley. The pines within have a distinctive blued finish then polished, leading to the wood being highly valued as a luxury.

The Burning Woods is all that remains of the Northern Tentacled Jungle, destroyed around that same time that the Varaz Wastes were created. The undergrowth has been burned away, but the trees themselves are still host to a roaring fire. Even in their agony, the trees still seem to reach for those who draw near. Rumor places a tall tower within, home to the last devourer in the woods.

Political Sites

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Hatalom is the homeland of the Lovas, united by King Tanos Fiendbane, and currently recovering from an interregnum. The current king is Tovacs György Elf-friend, who has established a silk trade with the the wood elves of the Skög.

The Grand Duchery of Jharok was originally under the dominion of Hatalom, bestowed upon Tanos' second in command, Tibor. Tibor and his daughter by Yavanna, Honoria, consolidated the Duchery, while later marriages with Connish warlords expanded the Duchery to its current size. During the Hatalom interregnum, the Grand Duchery quietly declared independence. Vellan IV is the current ruler, a pale imitation of his father.

The Independent Counties are the dominion of Connish aristocrats and warlords, continually hiring mercenaries to re-arrange the borders. The wood elves gleefully participate in said activities, and there are a large number of half-elves in the area (of which Morchana is certainly not).

The Ghost Dancer Clans are orcs who are even more indulgent in the usual ancestor worship. Their gray skin is frequently marked with orange and red war paint, and they are rumored to consort with undead.

the Glowaxe Clans are olive-skinned orcs who are even more primitive than normal. Many still use stone weapons, including the titular weapon of the clan, and symbol of chiefdom. (Fluffy's clan)

The Blacktusk Clans are red skinned orcs who paint their tusks black to honor their chief, the dragon called Blacktusk. Blacktusk has survived numerous attacks by adventurers, and is even now reaching his prime. Woe to the lowlands should his gaze turn that direction.

Laeros is a tiny flyspeck of a village, only notable as an annual gathering place for the Lovas. Rumor places it as the site where the last Wyrmbane Knight of Seseg died fighting Malconflagrat and Azurebones.

Blueforest is a small village of loggers harvesting the finest trees of Blueforest itself.

Tanos Var is the fort guarding the pass between Hatalom and Jharok, prepared by King Tanos as after the fall of Smoking Mountain. The size and strength of its walls are legendary.

Yavanna Var is the coastal fort between Hatalom and Jharok. Tanos renamed it after his fallen ally. Before the destruction of the coastal cities, it served as an early warning site in the event of seaward invasions.

Tiborem Varos is the capital city of the Grand Duchery, so far as such things go. I have to touch up the map, but I'll try to have the map up sometime next week.

Grayrock is a small hamlet upstream of Tiborem, the domain of the current Captain of the Duchal Guard, Andris.

Longpipe Farm ... I think y'all have been there.

River's Bend was a small but prosperous town, now a heap of ashes surrounding a small keep, defended by Karl of Laeros. It served as the proving ground for the heir to Aralt.

Aralt Var is the home of Count Aralt. Its walls have been tested numerous times by orcish invasions, and rebuilt every so often.

Fort Connaught is the home of Count Connaught, who could, by rights, join the independent counties, as their economy is relatively unconnected from the Grand Duchery's as a whole. For whatever reason, though, Connaught persists in his loyalty to Vellan IV.

Cattlepoint is the port by which Connaught cows and horses are shipped out to the Thousand Kingdoms and even as far as the Inner Sea. Baronet Connaught currently operates a mercenary-based anti-piracy operation out of it.

As always, questions are welcome and appreciated.

[Fayd]

The main post has been updated with these new maps!

[Morchana]

I was just informed by Fluffy that only three people voted in his last poll-- myself, him, and someone else. If all of you are skeptical, you should have voted!

If you don't vote next time he puts something like that up, then Morchana will track you down. . .

[Eldariel]

I was just informed by Fluffy that only three people voted in his last poll-- myself, him, and someone else. If all of you are skeptical, you should have voted!

If you don't vote next time he puts something like that up, then Morchana will track you down. . .

I think Fluffy getting angry is the immediate concern if that happens, since...well, we've all seen what happens with angry Fluffy. As I said, a very immediate, a very big concern.