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Sunday, September 29, 2019

Castle Nowhere 20 Q&A


The Q&A dynamic by means of Jeff Rients 20 questions is a good gauge to see how a setting shakes. I handed this to my players at the start of the new campaign, Castle Nowhere, as an introduction to the world as a whole. Most of the action will take place in Grimewood, so that's where I focused on when answering.
This will be a hack between Into the Dungeon and GLOG.

1) What is the deal with my cleric's religion?

You can worship Nemes. Immortal empress of the Itean Empire.
You can worship the Crescent Sisters, whose origin is whimsical and misunderstood. They stand for nature and beauty. Their symbol are the moons.
You can worship The Open Eye, an order of holy zealots that seek justice above all, and see magic as a sin to be corrected. Their numbers are low, but are expanding from Diremouth.
You can worship The Voyager, a progressive demigod fond of travel, wealth and commerce.
You can worship the Maggot Witches, or any of the other cult that’s hot this season.
You can worship and old deities of the Elves, the Sidhes (“what Elves are to Humans, Sidhes are to Elves”; mostly artists), or the Lady of Broken Branches (who tends to all lost children). Elven deities are a rarity and even to know their names is a feat.
Dwarves worship their great-grandparents.

2) Where can we go to buy standard equipment?
All Five Towns, including Grimewood, will have most adventuring equipment.
In Grimewood you can try Greta’s Trading Post.

3) Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?
Best smiths in Five Towns are the dwarves in Maienstein.
In Grimewood there’s Ulrik Irontide, the local smith. He’s skilled, but drunk most of the time.

4) Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?
In Urth, Nemes.
In Five Towns, Lastleaf, the aging ruler of Grimewood. One of the last Elves alive.
However, your best bet for arcane debates is Caeldrim, illustrious member of the Silver Sages, who has his tower in Grimewood. People are accepting of his studies here, and he has some apprentice openings.

5) Who is the greatest warrior in the land?
Zsa Zsa Zelmer, a warrior said to tower at 8 feet tall. She’s lead numerous raids to the Devoured Lands North of Colkirk and returned to tell the tale.

6) Who is the richest person in the land?
The ruling monarchs, of course.
Nobody fully knows the wealth of the Swift Spirit Corporation in Seciras, but they probably own enough gold to make any dragon jealous.

7) Where can we go to get some magical healing?
There is no such thing, at least not for the public or that can be bought with coin.
Grimewood has Imo Kroth, a surgeon that can patch you up. No refunds.

8) Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?
Imo Kroth, is always experimenting with concoctions to cure all sorts of ailments. The “price” he charges gets greater the more exotic the case.

9) Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?
The Silver Sages are a good bet in Grimewood and across Five Towns (except Diremouth).

10) Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?
In Grimewood, Lastleaf is the most knowledgeable individual, but managing an audience is nigh impossible. Caeldrim is the resident sage. The Bleeding Ox might have passing experts.

11) Where can I hire mercenaries?
In Grimewood there’s the Bleeding Ox. It sports outlaws, swords for hire, and other adventurers.

12) Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?
In all five cities of Five Towns (including Grimewood) weapons have to be handed over upon entering. Sheathed rapiers and daggers are allowed. Failing to do so incurs a fine/prison.
Minor magics are fine, but will turn heads. Mind altering or powerful magic displayed in public is a hazard, and will bring the guard to your doorstep.

13) Which way to the nearest tavern?
There’s half a dozen of them in Grimewood. The Broken Beetle is cozy and has regular drinking contests. Knife & Needle is frequented by poets and anarchists.

14) What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
Plenty foul creatures from the nearby Forest (close to Grimewood) that have terrorized the area in the past. Hobgoblins lead raids to nearby farms, but are more a nuisance that the local guards protect against.

15) Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?
Rumor has it that The Open Eye is gathering mercenary forces from across the Sea of Skulls (probably from the Purple Land) to oppose Nemes and overthrow the Itean Empire.

16) How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
Such barbaric practices are not part of Grimewood. There are enough perils in the forest already.
Maienstein, southernmost city in Five Towns, has arenas where dwarves and whoever dares fight against foul creatures taken out of the bowels of the mountain range.
Colkirk, the northernmost city in Five Towns, has fighting tiger competitions.

17) Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
The Maggot Witches plot and scheme, bringing chaos and mayhem.
The port city of Seciras is full of backstabbing opportunists, so cutthroating practices could certainly be classified as “sinister” there.

18) What is there to eat around here?
Game and vegetables go into all sorts of stews. Note you’ll NEVER get rabbit around here, and you should avoid them due to their sacredness connection to the Elves.

19) Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?
Artifacts from the extinct Elven civilization can be recovered in the depths of the forest near Grimewood.
Seciras powerful merchant elite is able to bring in some interesting artifacts from the Purple Land across the Sea of Skulls.

20) Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?
The massive Forest next to Grimewood surely has riches and creatures you wish never met.

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