Fate Weavers III

[HorizonsDream]

Yeah, I could do the whole first contact thing on a boat. Not a problem with me. Though, where would we start off from, and what race would we go to first?

[Airellian]

If you ask me, I think we should go for the symbolic approach.

Halflings, the middle children, discovered Humans first.

Following the creation myth, Halflings should then seek out the their younger brothers, the Gnomes. Then, their elder brothers, the Dwarves and the Elves. This also has the added benefit of just circumnavigating the continent once. Although, technically, no one really "knows" which race lives where, I guess.

The reason I say Halflings is because the Deltalands seems like it would have more economic power than any three of the free human nations. And I don't think we want to play in a campaign where the Raptor Empire funds the PC's exploration expedition. Although, realistically speaking, the boat would probably be a mix of human and halfling (and maybe the odd raptor) explorers and sailors.

[Daos]

I posted Desiree's bio. I also updated Sunny's and Firerain's to reflect the new epilogue.

So continuing our discussion, it seems like Sunny will charter a ship from the Deltalands. I'll need to create a port town for that there. The ship then heads north, along the coast, possibly stopping off in Narin for supplies (that should be fun). Then from there, further north toward the gnomish lands.

That's a starting point, anyway. I don't think Sunny should be actually part of the crew. Better to avoid that whole hierarchy thing. Instead, he's just the financier. Likewise, it might be better if Heather's character isn't part of the crew, but a passenger for whatever reason. But if she really wants to be on the crew, it could be arranged, I suppose.

So I have a port town and a boat to design. Any ideas on names for either?

[Daos]

I put up Arryn's biopage. That takes care of the PCs, now just the party NPCs left to go.

[Airellian]

Port Delta! Horizon! Delta Horizon!

Just kidding.

I don't see a reason why Heather or I couldn't be a part of the ship's crew or hierarchy.

For example, Heather's character is a swashbuckling sailor captain in the manner of Malcolm Reynolds, her ship commissioned by the Church, or the Guild, or the Government, (whichever) to seek New Lands and New Life and Go where No Man has Gone Before. Sunny is the agent aboard the ship, directing the mission, while Heather's character is Mistress after God aboard the ship, with the crew's lives in her hands.

Or Heather could be the ship's Builder. The halflings have been limited to the rivers of the Deltalands, until now. A new ship has been built, commissioned by the prized ship building genius, Heather's Character.

Or Heather's character is a stowaway, the product of secret magical research from the Empire, created into a magical super soldier!

[HorizonsDream]

Well, thanks for the ideas Joe! I honestly don't have a clue what type of character I wish to play yet, but that gives me a few ideas either way.

As for names....how about Aurora for the port town. Ship names...I'll get back to you on that one.

[Airellian]

Here's how I imagine some things. Whether David uses any of it is up to him. Anyway.

Sunny was inspired a few years ago to begin seeking out the other races. However, the North was closed to him, as was the South. The Empire, while technically at peace, was covertly hostile. And human nation to the north, Bronzemoon, was more openly hostile to halflings. Then, he remembered hearing from a human bard about her adventures at sea, and thought, "Hey! Maybe I can go by sea!"

However, at the time, there did not exist any boats large or strong enough to make the journey. Using all his diplomatic wit and influence, Sunny went to the Government and Church to try to get them interested. Sunny promised the Government new allies to confront the threat of hostile nations, while Sunny appealed to Church theology.

Sunny even got the Guild involved. Trade routes had closed and markets dried up with the formation of human nations. Sunny was able to appeal to the Guild's desire for new trade opportunities to get them on board.

However, elections were coming up, so Sunny had to wait until after the election to get the project started. The moderate, Bardoc Stoutheart was re-elected, and construction went underway, with cooperation from the Government, Church, and Guild.

Human cooperation was needed as well. The Deltalands had some human friends, and most of the crew and probably the captain were humans eager for adventure and wealth.

Something so large could not be kept secret, and Sunny expects that the Empire and all of the human nations know about it. He feared sabotage from those nations and kept a vigilant eye out. The day they embark for new lands soon approaches, but with no response from any nation. Yet.

Worse yet, elections are coming up again, and it looks like Bardoc will not be re-elected this time. It might be that the ship will not be able to embark at all, if the elections turn sour...

[Airellian]

Ship Roles we might use:

Captain

Mates

Boatswain or bosun

Ship's carpenter

Quartermaster

Sailing master or navigator

Surgeon

Chaplain

[Daos]

I posted more NPC bios!

Zevar
Gilly
Rhian

[Daos]

Here's Drogo's biopage.

[Daos]

Final bios are now up:

Akhil the Ranger
Sable the Witch

That's all of the NPCs! Now I can start work on updating the setting itself.

[Daos]

I updated two parts of the main site:

Geography
Timeline

Once I update Politics, Religion, and Kits, I'll be done with the site and can begin work earnestly on the game itself.

[Daos]

So with all the free time I've had with no campaign and no job, here's what I've come up with so far for CC3.

The ship that was commissioned for Sunny's quest is a small curragh known as the Dawn's Bride.

Most of the boats in the Deltalands are simple fishing skiffs and river ferries. Even the more advanced boats of Narin are simple coasters that are not designed for open-ocean voyages. The curragh itself is a coaster, designed to stay close to land. But that shouldn't be a problem, since Sunny's plan is to merely circle Tardiff, not explore the vastness of the Endless Sea.

From Of Ships and the Sea, "The curragh is a primitive vessel made from thick hides stretched over a wood-and-wicker frame. The curragh sports a single mast with square sail; however, this craft primarily travels by the use of oars. The vessel is normally 20 feet long and holds no more than 6 to 8 crewmen and 5 tons of equipment. The curragh is not exceptionally seaworthy and stays well within sight of shore."

I chose this type of ship because it fits the technology level, and it's not designed for either combat or trade. I don't intend to really focus on the traveling itself anyway, but on what they discover on the way. Each night, the crew will likely dock at a nearby shore and make camp. Ship to ship combat shouldn't be an issue, since you're not likely to encounter too many other ships (and I know most of my players did not enjoy ship to ship combat in OC3 anyway).

I will assign 8 crewmen (rowers) and a captain, so 9 NPCs all together. The captain will basically serve as a party member (as Heather has decided she doesn't wish to be captain), but the crew will be treated more like henchmen. I will assign the crew at level 1 and allow them to acquire XP. But I will not flesh them out much, unless the PCs take an interest in any of them (like I did in OC3). The crew will be a nice mix of humans and hobbits.

The captain will be level 4, like the PCs. I haven't decided anything further on him or her just yet.

Taking crewmen on away missions might be risky, since if any die, they could be difficult to replace depending on where the party is. But that will be the option of the captain, although the PCs can make recommendations. In the end, though, the captain decides what his/her crew does. The PCs need only be responsible for themselves and their own henchmen/companions, if any.

That's all for now.

[Daos]

Okay, so I put a new kit up on the site. Sable's kit, the Witch. In case anyone would like to play some sort of sneaky...witch-thief.

I made some minor changes on the kit from the book, though. The Find Familiar ability is altered to better suit my own house rules on familiars. I added the use of Blood Magic. And the ability score requirements are removed, because I feel that becoming a Witch is kind of a short-cut to power, so it doesn't make sense to me they must be smarter than normal wizards. I also added a new hindrance, which is potential possession by the host.

Feel free to let me know what you think, particularly of the Blood Magic ability, which is still untested.

[Daos]

I started work on the starting town, Coralshire.

Description: Coralshire is a cozy town on the western shore of the Deltalands. It’s well known for its lighthouse, which allows fishermen to find their way home even at night. The town has a population of 110 people (97% Halfling, 3% human).

Resources/Waste: The primary source of food in Coralshire comes from fishing, although each dwelling tends to have a small garden for growing vegetables and fruits, and a few families raise chickens or pigs. Fresh water is often gathered at a small pond to the east, not that far by wagon. The people also will making small carvings with the local coral and sell them as souvenirs and gifts. Waste is buried outside of the village.

Commerce: There is a small guildhall for the Trade Guild in Coralshire, and it sees that the fish, pearls, and coral of the town are trade to the other towns in exchange for metal, lumber, stone, and whatever else is needed. It is run by the Chaggley family, native to Coralshire.

Government: The current mayor of Coralshire is Fastolph Chaggley, a staunch Frontiersman who is very much focused on trade and commerce. The town of Coralshire itself is largely liberal, making it stand out among its more conservative neighbors.

Defense: Narin has no defenses at all. There is no town wall, no militia, and nothing patrols the waters. Since the town was first founded, nothing has ever attacked it or given the people any reason to fear. The town does have a constable, who has a single deputy, but no jail to speak of.

Culture: Coralshire’s people primarily follow the Light of Solace Church. Thus there is a temple, the dead are buried, and the standard holidays are celebrated. The people are very friendly and liberal, open to new ideas and thoughts. They are staunch supporters of the Outriders and the Trade Guild and would love to open up a trade route by sea, if only the people of Bronzemoon would agree to it.

======================

I'm still working on the NPCs, but I decided that the mayor's sister is the one who runs the guildhall enclave.

The fact that this is a very liberal town that supports open trade makes it ideal for our purposes.

Heather, note that there is at least one family of humans living in this town (likely refugees). If you want to incorporate them into your backstory, you can (maybe they took her in--of course, halflings could take her in, as well. These are very friendly folk.)