I will bunk at generic Fantasy Tavern A.
Thought I might repost this for ya:
Before the Tumbling Times, there were a couple of centuries of relative peace and prosperity. Some call it a Golden Age, the longer-lived elves call it "a breathing space."
About four hundred years ago, a series of great wars and horrible disasters caused the Tumbling Times, during which all the previous major empires were destroyed or broken up, many cities reduced to rubble, and the political lines redrawn again and again.
Among the disasters that precipitated the Tumbling Times was the Tainting. A once peaceful and benevolent nation either had the Taint fall on it from the sky or bubble up from an earthquake cleft. No one living and sane is an eyewitness. The Taint appears to be a black, oily substance that reeks of Chaotic Evil. Coming into contact with Taint causes hideous mutations and a tendency to become Always Chaotic Evil. Some evil cults have learned how to voluntarily accept Taint into their bodies, giving them strange powers (at the cost of hideous mutation.) Some entire species have succumbed to the Taint.
Fortunately for the player characters, they are at present far from the Taintlands, in a region known as Prax. It's a fertile but rather dry plain, tending toward arid steppes in the east. Most of the current inhabitants are nomadic tribespeople. Back before the Tumbling Times, Prax was a prosperous merchantile nation, crowned by the major city of Pavis. Pavis was destroyed and redestroyed by a series of invasions, and the old city is now called the Big Rubble.
New Pavis, once a northern suburb of Pavis, is a much smaller merchantile city. It is at present under the control of the nominal conquerors of Prax, the Red Moon Empire. (They've garrisoned New Pavis and a couple other major settlements, and send out military patrols to quell any rebellion talk, but the vast majority of Praxians continue their nomadic life with a shrug.)
The Red Moon Empire is nominally diversity-tolerant, not oppressing its non-human subjects; many races find themselves living in more or less peace with each other for the first time. In reality, the Empire is humano-centric and few non-humans are allowed to rise to positions of power. Goblins and Durulz (the duck people) are particularly low on the totem pole. Also, the Red Moon Empire's version of "religious tolerance" is to require all religions in the empire to pay service to the Red Moon religion. Cuthbert worshippers do this reluctantly; the Empire is the lawful rulers, but doesn't seem that big on justice, if you follow me.
The Big Rubble is home to many monsters, bandits, outlaws, misfits and lunatics. There's substantial treasure in there somewhere, if one knew where to find it.
edited 9th Nov '11 11:48:32 PM by Hevchenko
"Insert philisophical/funny rambling here"Some background on the veneration of St. Cuthbert. (Seeing as how Francis seems to be the only playable practitioner, I hope you don't mind me taking a few liberties with the backstory.)
History:
It can be determined that a mortal man, known only as Cuthbert, was in existence at around the same time as the Tainting and travelled around from city to city advocating the virtues of honesty, simplicity and humility. While he claimed no allegiance to any of the established pantheon at the time save the principles of Justice and Righteousness, he gained a reputation as a worker of miracles as well as being a wise, holy and righteous man.
Cuthbert ended up attracting a large following from among the commoners, who felt that his message was more relatable than that of the Red Moon religion, whose power base tended to come from the rich, highly-educated upper class. In addition, he was a strong advocate of self-improvement; wherever he went, schools and monasteries inevitably followed, devoted to the teaching of practical life skills.
At this point, the circumstances of his ascension are unclear, but it is agreed that by the end of the Tumbling Times, veneration of St. Cuthbert became commonplace among the people of the land as one of the personifications of the principles of Law and Good. He is invoked for wisdom, protection during travel, and general good sense.
St. Cuthbert also has a disproportionately-large following among soldiers, thanks in part to a persistent legend surrounding him known as the Legend of the Holy Arms: A village Cuthbert was visiting came under attack by countless hordes of Tainted. Despite not having been trained in the art of war, he rallied the underequipped and outnumbered villagers in a successful defence of the village. Armed with only a simple mace, Cuthbert smote the leader and slew him, scattering the rest of the horde. During that time, accounts claim that his weapons glowed as though imbued with Holy power, even though they had been borrowed from the villagers and were completely normal. As a result, he is also invoked by soldiers for protection in battle - especially when they're likely to be on the losing side.
Practices: Veneration of St. Cuthbert varies from area to area and is usually household-based; there is no centralised order of worship or higher authority (except the Order of St. Cuthbert; see below). There is no holy book associated with the Saint, but a collection of his aphorisms on proper living (the Book of Common Sense
Places: St. Cuthbert's Shrines are set up in places where the Saint had ostensibly once visited, and are mainly sanctuaries set up for the poor to seek aid and charity. Monasteries, on the other hand, are established institutes of learning and are highly-regarded. They also serve as the training grounds for Clerics and Paladins of the Order of St. Cuthbert, which has resulted in more than one nasty shock to unsuspecting bandits who expect easy pickings.
Clerical and Militant Roles: The Order of St. Cuthbert was established around the end of the Tumbling Times by a group of like-minded Lawful Good practitioners, in order to protect civilians against bandits, marauders and the Tainted. Inspired by the Legend of the Holy Arms - or so it is claimed - devotees of St. Cuthbert with combat, military or adventuring experience co-opted the Saint's monasteries for the teaching of martial skills in addition to conventional education. These would eventually be unified under The Order of St. Cuthbert.
The council of the Order is responsible for administrative and doctrinal oversight. It is not directly involved in regulation and organisation of religious worship, but will dispatch teams to investigate potential heresy (and given the relatively open-ended nature of St. Cuthbert veneration, it has to be really bad in order to involve the Order). It's located somewhere in the North of the Red Moon Empire (which we're not going to go into detail about).
While St. Cuthbert's personal weapon
is the mace
, Clerics and Paladins serving in the Order have no restriction on weapon use, as per the maxim of "keeping things sensible". They are given license to freelance (as long as they remain within the guiding principles of the Order), and many take up duties as security for travellers and caravans between cities.
Interfaith Relations: The relationship between St. Cuthbert and the Red Moon Pantheon is... complicated, to say the least. Due to their conflicting target audiences and ideologies, the relations between St. Cuthbert's followers and the followers of the Red Moon religion have generally been tense.
As far as is known from available historical records, Cuthbert never claimed divinity during his lifetime, and the lack of formalised religious practices or organisation among his followers resulted in much debate within the Red Moon Empire over whether Cuthbert veneration was more of a "religion" or "philosophy". Cultural anthropologists suggest a tentative correlation between St. Cuthbert's ascension to Sainthood and the Red Moon Goddess's apotheosis, but general consensus is that there is insufficient information to back this theory up.
About half a century prior to the current times, in a compromise that drew much controversy from both Cuthbert and Red Moon devotees alike, the Red Moon religion formally canonised him as a High Saint and retroactively classified him as a servant of the Red Moon Goddess (in spirit, at least). Most commoners continue their veneration as though nothing had happened, and the Order accepted this inclusion grudgingly.*
The situation with the Order of St. Cuthbert is more problematic, since the government doesn't look too favourably upon militant organisations with such a wide base, even if it does provide a much-needed contribution towards national defence and security. The Order is allowed to operate within the Red Moon Empire as long as it swears adherence to the Empire's laws (which is not usually a problem) and maintains a non-interference policy with other sub-religions.
Outside of the confines of the Red Moon religion, veneration of St. Cuthbert is generally regarded as a folk practice. Syncretism has resulted in incorporation of Cuthbert worship, as a minor god, into the local pantheon of some barbarian tribes, and the Order has no good way of regulating these. Invocation of Crusades and Inquisitions is frowned upon.
edited 20th Nov '11 5:25:10 AM by Pyrite
Not a substitute for a formal medical consultation.Thanks, Hevchenko!
@Pyrite: You're really getting the hang of this.
Okay, a bit more on the Red Moon religion/empire before I hit the hay.
The Red Moon Goddess was a joint project of several groups following the disappearance/death of the previous moon god, retroactively referred to as the Blue Moon. The vanishing of the moon was one of the disasters that precipitated the Tumbling Times.
Over the course of a century, a coalition of priests and scholars from different nations developed a rite of apotheosis, and used powerful divination spells to choose a pure maiden to become the new moon. Unfortunately, just as the year-long rite got underway, strife broke out among the coalition, each side blaming the others for supposed betrayals or power grabs. It's generally agreed that an individual named Gbaji was behind the strife, but his true motives and affiliation is unknown.
The rite was completed and a new moon appeared in the sky, but it was blood-red and all the races except the humans repudiated the new goddess. The Red Moon goddess then contacted her remaining worshippers and dictated the formation of a government centered at the place of her apotheosis.
With the direct backing of their goddess, the Red Moon country stabilized much earlier than other nations coming out of the Tumbling Times. They started taking over more and more territory, quickly becoming known as the Red Moon Empire.
Prax is at the current far south end of the Empire and is only loosely controlled by it.
The Red Moon religion is syncretist, absorbing local gods into its pantheon, or if the locals refuse to be assimilated, creating a new equivalent god within the Red Moon purview. For example, the northern barbarians who worship Orlanth, god of wind and storms, stubbornly insist on keeping their independent ways. So the Red Moon created Olgrath, the Gentle Wind, as a substitute for tribesmen who agreed to join the Empire to worship. The free barbarians call Olgrath "the Broken Wind."
Eh, I just borrowed large chunks of the actual religion of St. Cuthbert (Greyhawk) wholesale and tweaked the contents here and there. Hardly original work.
Anyway, gonna adjust the details a little with the new information given.
EDITED: WALL OF TEXT hits for 2d6 damage.
edited 11th Nov '11 11:45:11 PM by Pyrite
Not a substitute for a formal medical consultation.More religion/politics info:
The current Red Moon military governor of Prax is Gimgim the Grim. He considers himself "harsh but fair"; most people consider him humorless and a bit of a martinet. Most of his time is taken up by organizing and deploying his troops—he seems to resent the necessary socializing called for by his rank.
The Red Moon High Priestess for New Pavis is Tala Erriors. She does more of the social circuit, but sometimes comes off as unworldly. Tala is rumored to have prophetic dreams.
The real social center of the Red Moon inhabitants of New Pavis is Pharnastes Rugbagian, a wealthy importer and general merchant. He's personable if a bit oily, but it's well known that he's maneuvering to become head of the Merchant's Guild and thus bring all trade under Red Moon control.
The mayor of New Pavis is Benderri, a meek-acting but strong-willed fellow who works hard to keep the city government as free from Red Moon interference as possible. He often sponsors trips into the Big Rubble to look for historical information and artifacts.
The spirit of Pavis, though much reduced, is still worshipped locally. The current Daughter of Pavis (the traditional title for the high priest(ess)), is Fleeter Nemm, a bureaucrat who it is said likes to throw his weight around when he can, and bitterly resents that he must bow to the Red Moon priestess.
The local river god is Zola Fel, the spirit of the River of Cradles, the large river that runs through the Big Rubble. Supposedly, the high priest of Zola Fel is an Awakened giant fish named Glurf, but none of you have ever seen it. Glurf is said to be very reclusive and somewhat paranoid about land dwellers.
The Thieves' Guild worships, to the extent that they worship anything, Lanbril the Clever, god of thieves with a minor connection to fire. A temporary shrine is set up at meetings, and there is no high priest as such. Worship of Lanbril is officially discouraged by the Red Moon Empire, which has room for thief gods only as demons.
The other big temple in New Pavis is that devoted to Humakt, god of Death and Truth. They handle the vast majority of funeral arrangements in the city. The current high priest of Humakt is Karba the Piercing, a cadaverous looking old man (upwards of eighty, very respectable for a human!) He is known for his deep-set, knowing eyes, and the fact that almost no one can meet his gaze while lying, or even stretching the truth. The Humakti equivalent of paladins are called Death Lords, and are expert undead hunters. For reasons known only to themselves, the Durulz tend to be fervent Humakt worshippers.
I'm assuming "Son of Pavis" is an acceptable male alternative title, or things are going to get rather awkward...
Not a substitute for a formal medical consultation.Sadly for Fleeter Nemm, "Son of Pavis" is not an acceptable substitute; that is the title of the religion's paladin equivalent. It's one of the reasons High Priest Nemm is so much of a jerk, or so the rumors go. (Historically, Pavis has been served by a High Priestess from certain families who were at the founding of the city. The few remaining women of the bloodlines in this generation were all unsuitable or refused the job.)
That sounds like very few patricians, if they can't muster a single suitable young female patrician to fill a prestigious role like High Priestess. It looks like a nobility on a brutally sharp decline...
edited 13th Nov '11 9:34:27 AM by SavageHeathen
You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.Four hundred years of war, invasion, infighting, plague, and a few families fleeing to better climes will do that to an aristocracy. Heck, Grax's tribe has been in town longer than some of the current top families.
To be specific, with the moon gone from the night and the sun often clouded over with haze from the volcanoes erupting in the Big Angries mountain range, the early Tumbling Times were the peak time for the triumph of the Uz Horde. Led primarily by the Uruk, superior-type orcs, and comprised of orc-compatible species, the Uz Horde swept across the land thanks to the darkness and were the first invaders to conquer Prax and lay waste to Pavis. Goblin slaves were among the Horde. When the volcano dust started settling, making the day much less safe for the Horde members, the humans and their allies were able to push the Horde back.
The rising of the Red Moon roughly coincided with the breaking of the Horde. Some goblin slaves took the opportunity to escape and became the Pavis Tribe (now New Pavis Tribe) we know today. Some Horde members had managed to dig in deep, and retain a presence in the Uz Stronglands, at the far east of the Big Rubble.
The New Pavis humans grudgingly accept that the goblins are not a major threat, but look down on them and treat them as below normal social rank. The Red Moon's official tolerance policy has not changed this, but some goblins have taken the opportunity to emigrate to the Red Moon country in hopes of a better life. No one's heard back from them yet.
edited 13th Nov '11 11:36:54 AM by SKJAM
Check back at the Signup thread, I think you need to get your points distributed. Also, welcome back.
Crossposted from the Signup thread, since we're doing some worldbuilding:
Most common invocation: "St. Cuthbert preserve us, this guy's an idiot."
edited 13th Nov '11 9:20:55 PM by Pyrite
Not a substitute for a formal medical consultation.I dunno whether to post this here or there, but could I please see a re-posting of my stat sheet? And what's Trixip's charisma score?
Since my points are used up, I probably should flesh out some things. From the start of the adventure, Elail and Trixip are together. Trixip has managed to earn some of Elail's trust and respect, and Trixip admires Elail's will. He also seeks to help Elail become a better person.
Also, can they pass through The Underground Gnomish town of Nur'r at some point in the adventure?
Sanity? Why would I need a useless thing like that? Now posting as Motor-Runner.While I could post background material till the cows come home, I think now is a good time to start talking equipment load.
As moderately successful adventurers, you all have the basic adventuring gear in good quality. This includes non-magical weapons, armor for those that wear it, and a shield for Francis. Those of you with certain skills have small kits to assist you. (For example, Grax has a lockpick kit, and Francis has a healer's bag. Those of you with fantasy gaming experience should help the others pick out what they'll be carrying.
Each of you also gets some magic items. A few items I've already decided on.
Ana has a Cloak of Elvenkind, and can pick two more categories of item.
Mono'a has a Bag of Tricks, and can pick two more categories of item.
Trixip has a Quarterstaff with Retractable Blade and a scroll of two spells. (This is a scroll Trixip made himself using Scribe Scroll, and the spells must be from his spell book.) Trixip can also pick two more categories of item.
Everyone else can pick three categories of item.
Categories are:
Armor and Shields: Mono'a and Trixip may not pick this category.
Weapons: Trixip may not pick this category; he's already got a magic weapon.
Potions: Set of two: Anyone may pick this one.
Scrolls: Francis and Elail only, as Trixip already has one.
Wands: Trixip and Francis only.
Staffs: Not available at your level.
Rings: Anyone may pick this one.
Wondrous Items: Ana and Mono'a each have one already, but everyone else can pick this category.
And finally, the party has three Cure Light Wounds potions to share between them.
Items will be semi-randomly rolled in the category picked.
@ Shadow Bender: "Charisma" is called "Presence" in Hero system. 8, in Trixip's case.
It's extremely unlikely the party will be leaving Prax during this adventure.
And here's the updated base stats sheet for Trixip:
Base stat sheet for Trixip Ravenhide!
Stats:
Str: 5, Dex: 12, Con: 15, Int: 17, Ego: 15, Pre: 8.
OCV: 3, DCV: 5, OMCV: 5, DMCV: 5.
Speed: 2, PD: 2, ED: 2, Rec: 4, End: 20, Body: 15, Stun: 24.
Running: 8m, Swimming: 4m, Leaping: 4m.
—-
Skills:
AK: Nur'r 11-
AK: The Underdark 11-
Brew Potion 12-
3 Combat Skill Levels w/Illusions.
1 OCV w/Fire spells.
Contortionist 11-
Disguise 11-
KS: Alchemy 12-
KS: Fire 12-
KS: Illusions 15-
KS: Machines 11-
KS: Magic 16-
KS: Magic Items 12-
KS: Nature 11-
Languages: Common, Dwarfish, Gnomish.
PS: Scribe 11-
PS: Wizard 12-
Scribe Scroll 12-
Concentration: +4 to Ego Rolls to avoid spell being ruined by distraction.
Stealth 15-
WF: Staffs, Polearms, Crossbows.
—-
Perks:
Expanded Spellbook
Contact: Licensed Bounty Hunter 11-, good relationship.
Contact: Mage 11-, good relationship.
Contact: Ranger 11-, good relationship.
Favor: Wandering gnomish rogue.
Follower: Owl familiar. Empathic Link, Share spells, deliver touch spells, Evasive, speak with master.
Reputation: Excellent wizard, to gnomes 11-
—-
Talents:
Bump of Direction (underground only).
Combat Luck: 3 RPD/3 RED, Luck-based.
Combat Spellcasting: +3 OCV w/Fireball, Flame Arrow & Scorching Ray
Spell Augmentation: +4d6 Aid to one spell, 1/day.
—-
Powers:
Gnomish Longevity: Life Support: Longevity.
Gnome's Eyes: Nightvision.
Owl's Alertness: +2 to all Perception rolls when within arm's reach of familiar.
Owl's Eyes: +3 to Nightvision perception rolls when within mile of familiar.
Sharp Ears: +1 to Hearing perception rolls.
Wizard Spells: Variable Power Pool, can only change 1/day, only known spells in a set pattern, must use Charges, wearing armor causes chance of spell failure.
—-
Complications:
DF: Lawful Neutral.
DF: Moon Tattoo.
Physical Complication: Small.
Phys Comp: Dark-adapted, -3 to Sight Perception in bright light.
Psychological Complication: Strives to do the right thing.
Psych Comp: Prefers dark places.
Psych Comp: Disdains unnecessary destruction.
—-
Right, time to kit out... (Just checking: I'm assuming we're character level 6 on the grounds that I don't have access to 4th-level spells yet.)
What restrictions are there on item choice
, or do we just choose from the category and let you pick the exact ones? EDITED: Thanks for clarification.
edited 15th Nov '11 5:55:43 AM by Pyrite
Not a substitute for a formal medical consultation.@Pyrite, you pick the category and I roll for the item, skipping unsuitable results. (You may get an item better than normal if I think it won't break the game.)
Alchemic silver and cold iron are available as weapon materials; some of you may want such as a backup weapon in case of lycanthropes or fae. They're expensive, though, so you won't have an entire armory of such.
Magic Items: Well, given Francis's class and history, I guess I'm going with:
- Weapon
- Armour
- Wondrous Item
Standard Equipment: I'm not sure what usually goes here, but I'm assuming that Francis will be equipped with the following:
- Healer's Kit (1 lb)
- Holy Symbol (silver starburst / Maltese cross
) (1 lb)
- 3 flasks of Holy Water (pre-prepared) (3 lb)
- Spell Component Pouch (2 lb)
- Silver Dust (5 lb)
- General equipment: I'm not sure what the weight limit is, so I'm going to need help with fine-tuning this list.
- Backpack (2 lb)
- Tent (20 lb)
- Small Steel Mirror (0.5 lb)
- Bullseye Lantern (Continual Flame pre-cast) + backup Flint and Steel + 1 vial of Oil (3 + 0 + 0 + 1 lb)
- 1 pound of Soap (1 lb)
- 5 sheets of Parchment + Inkpen + 1 vial of Ink (0 + 0 + 0 lb)
- Waterskin (4 lb)
- 2x Trail Rations (2 lb)
- Weapons and Armour:
- Armour: +1 Full Plate (50 lb)
- Shield: Medium (Hero System) / Heavy (d20) Steel Shield (15 lb)
- Primary Weapon: +2 Silver Warhammer (5 lb)
- Secondary Weapon: Cold Iron Battleaxe (6 lb)
- Ranged Weapon: 3x rocks, each weighing 0.5 lb.
- Wondrous Item: Lesser Strand of Prayer Beads (N/A).
Hev: Is it really that OP?
I will admit, though, that it looks quite expensive.
edited 22nd Nov '11 1:23:56 AM by Pyrite
Not a substitute for a formal medical consultation.Grax would carry a light crossbow and a scimitar. When it comes to armor, he'd probably wear a chain shirt, which is optimal for a DEX of 18-20. Goblins are Small and he wields a Medium-sized weapon, so no shields for him. He's got defense enough, and two-handed sneak attacks are nasty. Grax isn't going to go toe-to-toe with lycantropes anytime soon: He'd have some silver-tipped bolts.
In addition to the lockpicks, he'd have a set of ropes and climber's tools (icepick etc): He's strong-ish, dextrous and a good climber, so it'd make sense for him to find his way over obstacles and throw ropes for the rest of the group to catch up. He'd carry a leather bag instead of a backpack, with nothing but a few rations (mostly smoked fish and dried meat) booze, a bit'o'soap, some booze and a smoking pipe. He'd rather hide somewhere to sleep than carry a tent (which is an obvious target), so he doesn't carry one.
In order of preference, I'd like Grax's magic item to be:
- The Scimitar.
- The Chain-Shirt.
- Rings, cloaks and Amulets.
edited 15th Nov '11 3:00:44 PM by SavageHeathen
You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.TRIXIP RAVENHIDE
(ADOM and general roguelike knowledge)
- Worn:
- Head: Goggles
- Neck: Amulet of defense
- RH: Blessed Quarterstaff of magic w/retractable blade
- Body: Magical Blue Cloak
- Feet: Gnomish Boots of sneakiness
- Missile Weapon: Light Crossbow
- Missile Ammo: Uncursed Heap of 15 crossbow bolts
- Inventory
- Scrolls
- Scroll of Invisibility
- Scroll of Darkness
- Wands
- Potions
- crossbow Bolts
- Torch, Flint and steel, tinderbox
- Food
That's his base inventory sheet. How'd I do and what else? Are there scrolls of Identify and Scrolls of uncursing? Does the B/U/C (Blessed/Uncursed/cursed) status apply here?
Sanity? Why would I need a useless thing like that? Now posting as Motor-Runner.

This thread is for the upcoming Big Rubble game, continuing on from the "Old-Fashioned Module Crawl" thread in the sign-up section.
Some information that might be helpful...
You folks are reasonably well-off for adventurers, but will be a bit short on magic items. We'll discuss those when we get into equipment loads.
Francis Martel bunks at the Shrine of St. Cuthbert, which is small as temples go, but has an active following. He is assisted by a junior priest named Tinar Newhouse, who is a decided non-adventurer and holds down the fort while Francis is away.
Grax Long-Ears has his own little shack down in the less savory part of town, quite an achievement for a goblin. When he's not in town, it's looked after by one of his many cousins, Gizzek No-Ears, who is about as honest as a goblin gets.
The rest of you are renting or camping in or around New Pavis.