Creating a starting village ...

[Wasp]

Hey everyone!

This is a follow up thread to an older one about the building of a village and its background.

Basically I am looking for feedback and ideas for a D&D starting village and surrounding area. The below is what I have so far:

The Swamps of [SWAMP] and the Village of [VILLAGE]
"If you forget to close the door behind you the monsters from the Swamps of [SWAMP] will get you!" - Parental warning to children throughout the Empire

[VILLAGE] is a small fishing village inside the swamps of [SWAMP]. It grew around an old Tortle monastery at the southern bank of lake [LAKE] where the river [RIVER] drains and meanders towards the Empire's Heartlands. Once the [RIVER] was a trade route to the Mountain Kingdoms, but since the completion of the High Road some 50 years ago, trade has dwindled down and so has the importance of [VILLAGE], which has fallen on quite hard times.

Most of the village population are Tortles, but there is also a large human minority that came came from the Empire with the trade and stayed there when it left. Since the Empire "abandoned" [VILLAGE] tensions have grown between the two groups, but so far the Monastery could mediate in any conflict.

The "Mist Veiled Monastery of Celestial Balance"(?) has also lost some importance over time and now only half a dozen monks still live in its fortified walls that once held 5 times as many followers of the Goddes Atuyinh. But they are respected and in a way also serve as the village's protectors.

[...]

MYSTERIES and POTENTIAL PLOT:

Spoiler: Secrets

Show

The veil between realities is thin in the swamp and gateways form easily along the shifting leylines weaving through the land. One of those gateways at the bottom of the lake leads to "Tojanida's Lair", the lair of... well, an Elder Tojanida and its spawn.

Before the monastery was built, creatures from other planes regularly terrorized the land. But then Followers of the goddess Atuyinh appeared and brought with them the Seven Keys. The Seven Keys stabilized the leylines and closed most of the paths to other worlds - including the gateway to Tojanida's Lair. As a side effect protective(?) magic - like Magic Armor or Shield - cast in the area by people attuned became slightly more potent.

The village's monastery was built to keep the Seven Keys safe and the gateways closed. The monks and nuns of the monastery have kept watch for centuries but over time the purpose of their mission has been forgotten and only a few people still know why they are there. One of the keys was even lost some years ago. and while the gateways stayed (mostly?) closed, the magic boon blessing the land faded away...

This is a relatively stable situation. Due to the lost key you as the DM can have monsters that would be unusual for the region appear without revealing to much about the role of the Keys. And then later at higher levels the Lost Key may fall into the hands of cultists trying to find a way to free their Elder God. They could be sending some of their agents to steal the remaining Keys, which - when successful - could wreak havoc in the region! And if the cultists could actually use the keys to open their God's prison --- who knows what opportunities this would bring for the adventurer later in their career.

Do you have any ideas for things to add and change (and NAMES)? Maybe beside the backstory we already have? And in particular interesting NPCs who could live there? Adventure hooks? Other plot lines?

Some things I would like to add;

• An ancient woodland nearby (who lives there?), somewhere else at the lake shore there's a logging settlement (relationship?)
• Some individuals from other races than human and Tortle are possible as, but no Player Handbook Races except Half-Orcs (although these would be considered just "Orcs".
• A Baba Yaga like Tortle Spore Druid in the Swamp

[brian 333]

The village and swamp have two names each: the Tortle name and the Human name.

The Human names are Port Vale and The Winding River.

Port Vale for the human riverboatman who established a trading post then invited the Empire in to 'defend' it. There is a statue of him in a broken fountain which now only provides a trickle of water located on the rotting waterfront.

The Winding River due to the swamp's many oxbow and cutoff lakes, which makes navigation virtually impossible unless one has traveled the river many times.

The Tortle names transliterate as The Watch Stone and The Veiled Forest.

The Watch Stone refers to the altar which is the foundation, the lock, so to speak, of the spells protecting the region. It appears to have seven missing pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle, but those are for the keys to fill in. The monastery was built around it.

The Veiled Forest is a reference to the evening mists, and in winter and spring the thick morning fogs. Tortle art from the region usually depicts the mists in some way.

A druid lives in the swamp. Donti Logrider poles a tiny dugout log around, but nobody seems to know what he's up to. He allows limited harvests of timber by the tortles, always selecting the trees himself, but otherwise has little converse with the village.
He may sell healing draughts to adventurers or offer knowledge of the swamp to those in need. He may also be a questgiver if needed.

On the far end of the lake a sloping escarpment rises about 50 feet above the lake. It is a pine barren infested with ticks. A ruined aquaduct once brought water from a stream there, but the dam burst long ago and the considerable cost to replace it and repair the aquaduct has rendered it a curiosity which is a cheap source of quarried stone. Almost all traces of it are gone near the village.

[The Shoeless]

Some brainstorming ideas:

How does tortle and human diet differ? I suppose when a lot of humans moved into a tortle village in short time, at least one was bound to have the idea for a 'A taste of home' foods shop or inn. As some food would have to be imported, this would also be the person with trade contacts and would be able to sell other imperial goods. For extra effect, have a tortle be the one owning the store now, having bought it from the original owner or winning it in a bet

Tortles wouldn't need armor, would they? Chance is the village smith doesn't specialise in armor too much. The half-orc blacksmith can do wonders with iron and is capable with jewelry, but steel weapons and armor aren't in their forté, and the extra time they need to plan designs and create molds will cost handsomely.

As you mentioned tensions between the humans and the tortles the two societies wouldn't mingle too much, so there would be at least two gathering places. Maybe a human pub, and a tortle inn? Most new arrivals would go to the inn as they have rooms for rent, but maybe will get eyed by the more... hardcore... humans for staying with the tortles for a longer time. The human tavern owner has some interest in keeping the divide between tortles and humans growing and will pay outsiders for the occasional odd job.

There is a small but steady business with carting in scholars and religious pilgrims visiting the monastery, bringing news from the outside world and cash to be made with monastery and swamp memorabilia as well as a gang trying to hustle as much gold out of them as possible without making waves. It is not unseen for a capable mage visiting the village from time to time, and a booth with spell components and magic implements is a semi-permanent installation on the main road not far from the monasteries main gate.

Every spring, a hunter party of barbarians arrives at the village, packing furs, tools and jewelry made from bones and fish scales, as well as mystery meats and healing herbs. They will only trade against parts of tortle shells, which some tortles find sordid, but some down on the luck fishers and farmers have been known to break out parts of their shell or sell shells of recently dead relatives to get out of debt, which is not illegal, so the trade is kept alive.

The swamp gas in these parts is different than in other parts of the world. Alchemists and Tinkerers value it for its many uses, and there are people filling it up into bottles. These bottles of inflammable gas are quickly repurposable as thrown bombs, but it is unwise to keep them on the body or store too many in one place as one spark may lead to an explosion.

[brian 333]

Beyond the escarpment, which forms one bank of the river as one goes upstream, occasionally forming bluffs as the river cuts into it along the outside of its oxbows, the ground rises into hill country.

Small bands of the native kobolds steal livestock from farmers, especially during winter. Though they have attacked caravans in the past, Imperial forces have conducted reprisal incursions into the Kobold Hills. The kobolds quickly learned to leave travelers under Imperial colors alone.

Along one oxbow ten miles upstream of the monastery is a ruined drum tower inside a baily. It has been partially reconstructed by the wizard Denstil, and a small wooden dock has been built to accomodate river boats.

Some say that the wizard is conducting vile experiments while others say he just wants to be left alone.

The wizard's henchmen trade with anyone, including the kobolds of the region. One of his henchman, Trader Vint, maintains a shop in the baily. He is the local man to see if one desires minor magic items or potions, but anyone enquiring about him is warned to deal honestly and abstain from threats or theft because his ex-mercenary wife guards the restored fort. Rumors of how she acquired her Imperial Medal of Valor vary, but all agree she is a formiddable warior.

Rumors persist of the ruins of a once mighty kingdom scattered among the Kobold Hills. Certainly Denstil's Tower is ancient, (though many say it is part of the original defenses of the monastery.) Still, when bits of paved roads or broken plazas are found in the hill country, some locals are likely to recall tales of an older time and speculate on what may remain in the forgotten dungeons of the ruined castles of the Kobold Hills.

The Magical Carp

On the highway along what used to be the outskirts of town, but which is now the commercial center with upscale housing just beyond is a split leveltwo story building with a sign that is painted with a large gold carp which glows with a pale blue nimbus after sunset. It is an inn owned and operated by Shellby. (Morning Veils the Sun is his tortle name.)

Shellby is tolerant of humans, which is fortunate because most travelers are human. He is a level 6 NPC, (Expert - Inkeeper 2, Expert - Brewer 4.) His daughter trained at the monastery, (Warrior 2,) and is a corporal in the village militia. She is usually present, but rarely interacts with non-tortle customers.

One must climb a short, wide stair to enter the bar. Behind the bar, at the same level, is the kitchen which serves fine fish dishes, along with freshwater shrimp and crayfish. (Shellby will pay 1 sp per pound for live giant crayfish.)

To the left as one enters is a stair going up to the human rooms and a stair going down to the steam baths and the few tortle rooms. Many humans enjoy the steam baths, but usually tortle customers are segregated into baths without humans. When the inn is crowded humans and tortles may share a steam bath, but they will sit on opposite sides of the sauna.

Shellby employs five humans in the bar. At any time there will be two on duty. He also employs three humans in the upstair rooms. One or two will work in the day and one at night. All of the rest of his employees are tortles.