Realms Beyond Dungeons

[Mattimeo]

Hm... looking into things further, Myth Drannor would probably imply sun elf, which I'm not sure would fit. Unless sun elves and moon elves commonly co-mingle in the same realm / army? I can't find enough lore on these things

Also, the whole elven ages thing I'm similarly lacking info on. Pathfinder race sheet suggests 110-160 is a good age to head off adventuring, roughly equivalent to 16-21 for humans. What the hell do they do that whole time? School? When would they reach physical maturity?

[Lewwyn]

Hm... looking into things further, Myth Drannor would probably imply sun elf, which I'm not sure would fit. Unless sun elves and moon elves commonly co-mingle in the same realm / army? I can't find enough lore on these things

Also, the whole elven ages thing I'm similarly lacking info on. Pathfinder race sheet suggests 110-160 is a good age to head off adventuring, roughly equivalent to 16-21 for humans. What the hell do they do that whole time? School? When would they reach physical maturity?

I hear they are big into meditation.

[Sian]

Warning, Lore dump


Picture stolen from The Bloodstone lands, Compass arrow is self inset

Damara is a country lush with protential wealth and certain adventure oppotunities, and the ruling King Gareth Dragonsbane (Pal20/Cle5), himself a former adventurer before he won a war against the Witch King, the evil Lich Zhengyi from Vaasa and his army of goblinoids and undeads to the west, knows it all to well. As such that he have set up agents across the Sea of Fallen Stars, advetising for more adventurers, suggesting that succesful and lawabiding adventuers can gain titles and access into the minor nobility of the country. As such, as long as they behave nearly all races and most religions can be found and accepted here, due to the fact that the country is still rebuilding after the long war against the evil forces that ended some 12 years ago, in 1359DR.

The Country largely consist of Mountain ranges, rich on minerals and gems, specially red spotted Chalcedony, from which the area gains one of its names, the Bloodstone lands, and the majority of trade out of the country consist of gems, iron, gold and silver. The lowlands are cold and only have a short but fertile summer, and the winters is nearly allways freezing and horsedrawn sleds is the primary from of transportation at that time of year.

Underneath the mountains is a triving world of Dwarves and Gnomes which trade and coexist with the rest of Damara, and there've recently been opened an magical school focusing on illusionists by the Gnomes living under Bloodstone Village, which is the De facto capital of the country, which lies at the strategicly important border, at the only Pass through the Galena Mountains to the West (more about that later).

To the north Damara is bordered with the Great Glacier which is drawing back ever so slowly (a couple 100s years ago it reached the southern border of what is now Damara, and only its 300 years ago the oldest city and de jure capital of the country, Heliogabalus, was founded), And presistent rumors suggest that there is ruins of long forgotten kingdoms of civilizations half buried in the Glacier. Furthermore, Northern Damara is still not completely cleaned from the Bandits and the gnoll, goblin and orc parties that came following the war against Zhengyi, recent rumours suggest that they all might be controlled by one of Zhengyi's highranked minions, the north is therefore an area where you'd easily be able to get granted land if you can clean it up.

To the east, beyond the low Giant's Spire Mountains, theres the tundra steppes of Narfell, populated dozens of nomadic tribes, herding Reindeers and oxen collectively called the Nars, fierce horseriders for whom the most friendly consider 'Deed, not Blood' in deciding if the outsiders is worth their time, and the rest is either indifferent or outright hostile against outsiders. Only a tenday a year the tribes gather on the coast of Icelace lake, with pure melted water from the edge of the glacier, in a giant Tent city trading with everyone there, including outlanders.

To the south east, Damara have a fiercely contested border towards the Great Dale which consists of giant forests ruled by druids, and while some manage to live in harmony with the druids, its not uncommon that loggers from Tellerth provoke the Druids by trying to chop down the forest which the druids in return organize attacks on.

To the south we have Impiltur. A Friendly kingdom that is the only civilized neighbour to Damara (with easy access), hence where the primary trade route goes through, is ruled by the aging indifferent Queen Sambryl, and while the country is strong and friendly towards visitors, theres a distint feeling that they, as a nation, have enough in themselves, and they only very rarely set out to war against their neighbours, focusing on defending themselves from incursions of orc and hobgoblin warbands from the mountains to their west.

South west we have the mountain range of Earthspur Mountains, which is hard, if not impossible to pass safely, and two locations of interest. The Monastary of the Yellow rose, which is the primary monestary on the continent for the Monastric Order of the Yellow rose which is followers of the twice-martyred god Ilmater. And the 'small' Glacier of the White worm, named for the Ramorhazes the roam the glacier.

As Previously mentioned, to the west lies the Galena mountains, which is inhabited by Goblins and Giants and the natural border towards Vaasa, which is a wild untamed tundra in which civilization at most consists of a few trappers and Fortified logging camps, in turn mostly consisting of people that DO NOT want to be found, otherwise the land is tainted with monsters and monstreous races, running the gambit from goblins, gnolls over orcs and hobgoblins to giants and evil chromatic dragons. The only easily accessable pass between Vaasa and the rest of the world is Bloodstone pass, hence this is where all the monsters try to break out semiregularily ... this pass is defeneded by 'The Gates' a set of 2, half mile long, 80 feet high fortress walls with castles in each end and dotted with towers along the walls ... the area within the walls are a popular camping site for adventurer parties which dives into Vaasa in the quest for riches and dead monsters and a couple of chruches and mages selling their abilities to help the adventurers doing their downtime efforts.

[Mattimeo]

I hear they are big into meditation.

So *that* is why my horrible attempts at sneaking around the place were remotely successful...

Lore dump

Cool. I vote we go exploring in a non-south direction :D

[Lewwyn]

BTW Matt maybe the reason we came up into this area was to help the druids? That could give us a reason that we're in the area and together and also if we come across any quests that involve the loggers we might have a secret agenda from the rest of the group.

[Mattimeo]

Vague backstory proposal, Lewwyn:

I was in the Vast / Moonsea doing general stuff (scribing, translating, and also secretly sneaking around to find more valuable communiqués to send back home if pertinent, but we won't mention that last one), you came by and employed / impressed service (old debt, command of state, or something) 'cause you needed someone for trap removal and/or sneakily stabbing things. Whatever amount of time passes and we end up in Damara (possibly after whatever job finished up but we decided to hang around together for a while anyway?).

Feel free to add/change anything you like.

(This is assuming I can be all "fuck it, there were moon elves serving in the sun elf army that successfully crusaded for Myth Drannor, and their brat has been more-or-less put up with since")
EDIT: Though I suppose the above scenario could pretty much occur regardless of backstory before that...

EDIT EDIT: Or what you said. I suppose the job could be that, and ongoing.

[pling]

Spent some time this morning talking to Sian - got as far as remaking my original back story for my character to fit the actual world of the game & changing what class she is to better fit who she is. Basically Sian said she makes more sense as either a fighter or a rogue and it's better/easier if she overlaps with Mattimeo's rogue rather than Tasunke's archer.

(Well, Sian said I could also turn her into a non-combat oriented character, but I'd quite like to hit things with pointy things till they're dead )

Here's what I have so far back story wise: Daughter of mercantile house, trading in furs, from Sembia. Still youngest (by far) daughter of doting Dad who runs off after Dad dies & big brother wants her to be married off for an alliance. Dad's hands-on in his management, likes to be involved in all the process of where the goods come from etc, helping him with that is where she's got her trapping/hunting/fighting skills from that let her act as a guide or guard for travellers. Big brother is also what he'd call "sophisticated" and she'd call boringly urban, so not getting on even without age difference & marriage pressure. She flees by ship to Impiltur, then makes her way north gradually. I reckon she's gonna be cold all the time Sembian Merchants are apparently the rules lawyers of the merchant world, so that fits with both rogue & lawful neutral.

As far as mechanics go, we got as far as stats (str=11, dex=15, con=13, int=14, wis=11, cha=12).

@Mattimeo - how've you set up your Rogue? I ask so that when Sian & I next have some time we can try & sort out my skills/equipment etc to complement yours rather than entirely overlap

(re: long-lived elves, I've always assumed such species have everything slowed down - so they start with about 20 years of sleepless nights & nappy changing and get a good decade of the terrible twos ... which would explain why elves are also normally supposed to not have many offspring I suspect this is not canon )

[Mardoc]

So, Mardoc, are you going to require things like checking for encumbrance, and supplies for making camp at night?

Only when dramatically appropriate.

So, for example, on your first night out, I won't bother about it, but when you're trying to run away a hop skip and jump ahead of a tribe you just stole from, I might ask for a quick survey of equipment weight and therefore speed (of whoever's slowest, naturally). Ideally when you've got to decide between carrying that last sack of treasure or being fast. Or when you're up on the glacier and a blizzard hits, you can use what you've got listed to help you survive, and that's all.

For normal camp - rations and such - don't worry about it unless I tell you otherwise. And I'll only tell you otherwise if it would make an interesting story. Same with the random spell components like 'pinch of bat guano' - the ones without a listed cost, you can just assume you have. Fees for normal lodging, normal food in town - anything that's insignificant compared to the wealth you guys have, we'll assume that your treasure hauls were actually a couple gp more, and you spent it, and we won't worry about the bookkeeping.

So, the question of the wagon - really it depends on if you plan to be running away from somewhere with too much loot to carry . Or what sort of equipment you want for safety's sake in the wilds.

(This is assuming I can be all "fuck it, there were moon elves serving in the sun elf army that successfully crusaded for Myth Drannor, and their brat has been more-or-less put up with since")

Seems reasonable. It's not that hard to believe that there were a handful of moon elves who joined in due to romantic attachments, or successful propaganda, or a desire to do something big and important - I mean, look at the Americans who served in the Spanish Civil War. Just not enough of them to make history.

And, of course, victorious armies do tend to take care of their orphans, at least in a rough and ready bureaucratic way. Being not only orphaned but without local family does help to explain why you had itchy feet - and maybe also why you learned to steal .

[Mattimeo]

@Mattimeo - how've you set up your Rogue? I ask so that when Sian & I next have some time we can try & sort out my skills/equipment etc to complement yours rather than entirely overlap

Primarily melee, rapier as main weapon, few daggers secreted around the place. Considering a shortbow for situations where it would be considerably more appropriate.
Stats are as earlier (Str:10, Dex:17, Con:10, Int:15, Wis:13, Cha:10).
I've put max skill points possible into Stealth, Perception, Sense Motive and Disable Device. Have 1 in pretty much every other class skill, with the exception of Cha based stuff. Going for a written translator / general purpose scribe as cover / 'employable' profession, so points sunk in facilitating that somewhat as well.
Gear-wise, stuff to back that up. Weapons mentioned earlier, thieves tools, kits to help with both cover job and general rogue stuff.

So, I'm looking to excel with dealing with traps, being aware of the surroundings, and getting up close to people for optimum stabbing. Everything else rogue-like (with the exception of Cha stuff) I hope to not fail epically at.

Hope that helps

(re: long-lived elves, I've always assumed such species have everything slowed down - so they start with about 20 years of sleepless nights & nappy changing and get a good decade of the terrible twos ... which would explain why elves are also normally supposed to not have many offspring I suspect this is not canon )

Apparently they age normally to 'adolescence', then take 100 years to finish what humans do in less than 10. So no 20 years of infancy, sorry

[pling]

(re: long-lived elves, I've always assumed such species have everything slowed down - so they start with about 20 years of sleepless nights & nappy changing and get a good decade of the terrible twos ... which would explain why elves are also normally supposed to not have many offspring I suspect this is not canon )

Apparently they age normally to 'adolescence', then take 100 years to finish what humans do in less than 10. So no 20 years of infancy, sorry

* pling sticks her fingers in her ears & sings loudly "la la la la I can't hear youuuuu!"

The mental image of 20 years of infancy is just too amusing to lose for the sake of what's canon

Thanks for the rogue info, that's useful