Age of Whispers (Faalor IX)

Last Updated: PST.

Start Date:  Unknown

Schedule: Every other Saturday, 2-5 PM EST

Information that follows is extremely tentative.

Player Characters

Please refer to the updated Class and Race pages for more guidelines, information and ideas.

Given the premise of the campaign, all PCs should be fairly young, for humans perhaps as young as 16 and as old as 21. 

Characters should be predisposed to join together into some form of team or fellowship to accomplish goals together. Even though each character may have long-term goals (that may even be in opposition with other PCs), banding together will be your only real way of making it through the campaign successfully.  As a result, a good mixture of complementary classes, races, skills and personalities will be necessary.  At the start of the campaign, your character may or may not know the others, but you will need to quickly form some kind of adventuring group in order to proceed with the campaign. While it may be possible for individual PCs go off on solo adventures, the DM's priority will be placed on team-oriented play.

This, of course, does not mean that your character have to be friends with each other (though it would be kinda cool if some kind of long-standing friendships or . . . bleckkkyyyy . . . romances would develop IC).  I will attempt to steer you toward a good and cooperative character.  If I can't convince you to do that, I will at least require that your character be intelligent enough to see the value of companionship.  If you decide to create an evil character, just be prepared to accept the consequences.

You will be required to come up with two additional characters.  These characters are going to be basically NPCs, so they do not need to be adventurers of any kind. They should be typical Faalorian inhabitants of the area, farmers, merchants, guards, craftsmen, etc.. At least one must be human. You need not flesh them out completely, just Name, Race, Alignment, Occupation, and give some thought to their ethical and political outlook.  If you wish to make either of these characters back up characters (I would suggest at least one be), they must be created with the same rules as your main (i.e., they must start with virtually nothing, just the cloths on their back).

The Campaign

The campaign begins 18 years after the fall of Yurissa.

This will be a true D&D campaign, in the spirit of the First Edition. Smaller, less epic plots, epic levels, recurring NPCs. The players may end up owning land, being more involved in royal politics and commanding armies. This campaign will be career-based not so much plot based. There will be an over-arching story with a number of large related and unrelated subplots. PCs start out with nothing but the cloths on their back. Possible ideas:

1. Student right out of school with a huge debt to school
2. Recently-released indentured servant
3. Child of a wealthy family who was recently robed
4. Family was killed by orcs (hehe)

I would like to have characters advance through to epic levels. Because I have several long-term plots in mind (as opposed to one in past campaigns), I can imagine this being a very long campaign. The hope is that PCs start from humble beginnings to advance to true forces in the world.

Starting equipment. All PCs must start with no gold or equipment.  You are allowed to create up to three costumes; they must be non-magical and possess AC 0. I would encourage you to put together a custom outfit of some kind (including a cloak, perhaps) and submit clothing/armor that you can purchase as the campaign unfolds. No magic items will be allowed. You will start with no gold, no weapons, just the clothing on your back.

Setting

The main setting for this campaign will be the region of Adderdale, which forms the south-western defenses from Bridalveil to Aaerdowns and Duath.  The capital of the region is Melcap, a reasonably prosperous fishing and farming town. 

Locations of Adderdale 

• Melcap,  Melcap is the capital of Adderdale. It is a fishing village built on a stony outcropping into the Lake.  The political center of the region, Melcap houses the Governor’s Mansion and a sizable militia.
• Stenmill,  Stenmill is another farming village, but because it is home to a number of large lumber and grain mills, it is the agricultural center of the region.  The Farmers Guild has its home here. 
• Varbel,  Varbel is a farming village with a good number of dwarves, halflings and gnomes.  
• Eyrunda, Dwarven Thanedom
• Bone Hill,  Bone Hill was once an elven stronghold.  It was burned to the ground by dragon-fire before humans came to Faalor.  Later it was converted to a fort by the early Teussians to guard against orcish attacks.  Twenty years ago, it was sacked by orcs and has never been rebuilt.
• Fallen Heart Cemetery, the Cemetery used to bury Queen Yurissa.  It lays a short distance east of Stenmill.

NPCs commonly known throughout Adderdale 

• Shemp Hillsfar,  Candidate for Governor of Adderdale. More closely aligned with the King’s message of tolerance and openness. Heavy taxation for militia, infrastructure, education (wants to start a publicly funded school).  Religion should be pluralistic.  Follower of Aergot, monist.  Elves should be encouraged to come into the land
• Fine Dunderpoole, Candidate for Governor of Adderdale.  King should mind his own business and stay out of our business.  Local economy should be left untaxed.  Small tax only for local militias and constabulary, mainly relying on volunteerism.  Religiously indifferent (not an issue); follows the Old Ways.  Elves should be allowed to trade, but they shouldn’t mix. 
• Howard Smeed, Howard is currently running for Governor of Adderdale.  He is strong for defense against orcs.  Encourage competition with dwarves.  Exclude elves from entering land. Strong backing of Kingship, but doesn’t much care for the current king. Tax breaks for employers.  Religious conservativism (Adrahil above all)
• Captain Daemar, Captain Daemar is a deeply respected adventurer/warrior who owns Kelmoor Manor.
• Lord Nestor Klemyndorn, rumored to have once been a leader in the Inquisition, Nestor now keeps to himself in Fenhaven Manor.  (This assumes that he survives the current campaign)
• Ted Sandybriar, despite his cheerful and approachable demeanor, Ted is a fierce competitor and stickler for the rules.  He runs a small gem shop in Melcap and is the head of the Adderdale Merchant's Guild.
• Mayor Killjoy, Mayor of Varbel.  Killjoy is a shrewd and very serious mayor.  He is considered extremely intelligent and it is rumored that he dabbled in magic in his younger years.
• Constable Westerbrook, Constable of Varbel. Westerbrook is a bear of a man. Westerbrook is a savage warrior, wielding a huge sword.  He is fair, but few people cross him. Westerbrook was the Sheriff of Havenshire 10 years ago during the elven invasions.
• Melvar Clothair, an eccentric man who runs a shop in Varbel called 'The Lit Finger'.  He has all sorts of magical items and potions for sale here.
• Mayor Handulman, Mayor of Melcap.  Handulman is semi-incompetent, but allows people to do pretty much whatever they want.  He is known for his monthly parties and puts on some of the best festivals in the region.
• Constable Dwalry, Constable of Melcap. Where Handulman is a bit scatterbrained and social, Dwalry is gruff and dour.
• Xandar Lettelhor, Xander is known of the chief philanthropist of the area.  He the Adrahil Bishop of Adderdale and insists on running soup kitchens and pour houses around the region.  His main base of operations is the Church of Our Lady of Dawn in Melcap.
• Mayor Greentree, Mayor of Stenmill. Greentree is a dandy through and through.  He acts as if the world revolves around him, and, in Stenmill, it does.  He can afford to pay out tremendous gifts to his legion of flunkies and brownnosers.  It is wellknown that he has no love for 'stumps' and commoners of any kind. Despite his arrogance, he can get things done.
• Constable Ruina Tormund, Constable of Melcap. Ruina is a fairly competent constable, but it is said that she lacks true leadership abilities.  It is rumored that she only got the job because of her because of family connections. She is considered to be one of the finest swordswomen in all of Faalor.
• Delgaar Mephelstone, dour, hermit of a man who lives in a tower between Stenmill and Eyrunda.  Rumors suggest that he was an agent of the Illriggers.  More likely though, he is just a nasty old man.  He is known as one of the best alchemists in all of Faalor.
• Selgroth, Some say whatever Selgroth was, he/she/it has long ago died.  In the early years of the Teussian settlement, a being called Selgroth, a supposedly hideous monster of some kind, demanded tribute from all who passed through the lands now known as Adderdale.  Since then, anyone entering the swamps have simply disappeared.  'Don't let Selgroth bite', is a common way of warning people against danger.

Adderdale Factions 

• Thieves Guild, a serious of small time crooks, bandits and grifters are ruled, reportedly, by a single man in or around Stenmill.  No one really knows, what the true story is, but occasional turf wars between the rogues in various towns erupt making it appear that no centralized control exists.
• Merchants Guild, essentially all commerce in Adderdale is controlled by a single guild.  Each town has a guild office. Doing any business whatsoever is strictly forbidden without the Guild's approval.  A small tax is levied on every transaction.  The guild has a small army of 'Tax Collectors' and, on occasion, hires mercenaries for extra 'protection'.
• Gulstone & Rufgraet dwarven clans.  Both clans are strongly independent by operate very well against each others' weaknesses. The Gulstones are excellent miners, armorers and smiths, while the Rufgraet are excellent warriors, traders and engineers.  Both groups are officially not under the jurisdiction of the Adderdale government.
• Ahnzeen Monks, a group of strange monks who came from the Mists.  They just east of the Dwarven stronghold of Eyrunda.
• Madam Blatavaskys Vistani band, Madam Blatavasky and her troop of Gypsies have traveled the roads between Duath and Bridalveil for nearly three decades.  They are extremely tight-knit and generally have no tolerance for strangers except to barter.
• Knights of Saint Rami, a group of warriors dedicated to the memory of the Simsulani holy warrior, Rami.  Each is weapon master in Simsulani tradition, focusing on one weapon.  They are swore defenders of travelers along the lonely roads and are usually the first to be summoned in case of invasion.  They have a base between Melcap and Varbel.
• Thalman's Raiders, a group of adventurers and mercenaries.  They are lead by Randel Thalman, a bit of braggart.  The raiders are a controversial group, known as much for their heroic and virtuous deeds as their intimidation and down-right thievery.  They are based in Stenmill.
• The Enlightenment Company, a troupe of about 30 actors, dancers, poets, magicians and musicians who make a circuit between Duath and the city of Faalor.  They usually come through Adderdale about once every 1-3 months.  Their most famous performers are Wilx, a gnomish violinist, Marilin Deveon, popular and alluring singer, and Vance Lengard, thespian extraordinaire. 
•  

Possible Campaign Outcomes

As with any of my campaigns, I like to build in significant consequences to the players' actions.  Because, this campaign will be less goal driven (at least at the start), you will have to find out what needs to be done in game. Death shouldn't be common, but it is a very real possibility.  If your character dies, expect to make a new one.

Technical Details

Please update your NWN program to the latest version. Here's the haks I'm using at this time.  If you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

• Fully patched NWN (version 1.69, when it comes out)
• CEP for patch 1.69 (WILL NEED TO CONFIRM WHICH FILE)
• Ultima Music (Getting very tired of NWN tavern music!!! Download and install Ultimate_Ultima_Music_Pack_v2.0.rar)

Rule Changes

XP.  I, as a DM, will not be posting campaign logs (I've usually been working on and thinking about the campaign the entire week before, so I usually feel a bit burned out afterwards to write up anything), so I will be rewarding players 1000 xp for writing up and posting a summary of the previous session.  This can be in the form of letters home, an IC diary, or objective notes on the campaign (as much as possible).  This lets me know that you've been thinking about the campaign, and helps me to not reveal anything you guys shouldn't know already.  Each session, you will receive around 5,000 xp (more or less).  For each major quest, you will receive 10,000 xp.  Also, each week you will get the chance to reward your fellow players with XP.  You will be given one item with 6 charges on it; each charge will allow you to give 50 * your level in xp to a player who solves a problem, makes RP'ing fun, writes up a great story, or that you just feel sorry for.

Death.  If your character dies, you must create a new character (or use one of your pre-created NPCs).  Your new character will be given the exact amount of XP that your recently-deceased character had. Your are free to create your back-up characters in case of character death at any time, but your backup must be as broke as your original character was at the beginning of the campaign.  Beacuse NWN can be a 'twitchy' game, I will usually allow your character to be 'seriously injured' for the first death during any given session regardless of the reason.  I will resurrect your character and reduce him or her to 1 hp after the battle.  The second death, unless it was obviously caused by a technical, game-related issue or one of your fellow adventurers can cast raise dead or resurrection, is permanent.

Lore.  Because your characters are literally newbs, with little or no background, you will have to pick up Lore specialties as the game progresses.  To do this, you must find/buy a training tome of some kind.  You can use it once a game day (study it while resting).  If you successfully learn its content (probably an Int/Wis roll), you will then obtain a Knowledge Item.  You can only use the Knowledge Item to successfully know something above and beyond what your character might have learned during the course of the campaign.  For example, say your character encountered the leader of the mysterious goblin tribe known as the Unguhbhungas and had a long and detailed conversation about the tribe.  Before your character met the Unguhbhungas you may be allowed to roll against your Monster Lore (assuming you have a Monster Lore item) to know that the Unguhbhungas live in a tunnel beneath Bridalveil.  After you meet the Unguhbhungas, you do not need to a Monster Lore item to know that they exist. Without the Item, your character has only the most basic knowledge of a subject.  This allows for a concrete way to document what your character may or may not know during the campaign. Each roll with be based primarily on the Lore skill, but, depending on the knowledge area, be modified by Int, Wis, class, race, feats and other skills.  Possible knowledge areas include (not an exhaustive list yet):

You will be required to find a place to rest, tell the DM what measures you are taking to secure the site, then, if the DM sees that you have taken proper precautions.  In safe areas, like taverns, homes, etc., you may be able to rest as often as you like, depending on the situation.  One resting period will be allowed per game day and, if you rest, it requires 8 hours of game time. 

I won't make any pronouncements about magic items and treasure this time--because everyone makes fun of me when I hand out several artifacts per PC when I say it's supposed to be a low-magic campaign!  I think I have pretty much established a rhythm and volume for making these things available to the players.  I will need to pace these things out a bit more and make it possible for you to make minor upgrades to your own items.  I would like to make more powerful items rewards for quests though.  You are free to create magic items and submit them to the DM.  I will place them in the module as I get them, either as treasure you can find or on a merchant for purchase.

Healing will be based on several factors.  Class (druids, clerics, paladins, monks and rangers get bonuses), feats (healing domain, healing focus, potion making) and your base healing skill all contribute to the amount healed.  That means characters that are not traditional healing classes can still heal, it will just be weighted toward the healer classes.  If you fail your heal check, there will be a second check at a lower DC; if you fail that check, you will actually cause more damage to the patient.  You will need a healing kit, which can be made by combining three wild herbs.  Of course, healer types and those that focus on healing will have a much better chance of making them.  Low level fighters, for example, may not be able to make them at all. Needless to say, healing spells will be the most effective way to affect healing.  Healing kits do not counteract poisons or diseases. (I do not want to diminish the major benefit and class focus of playing a priest or a druid.)

There will be no multi-class XP penalties, so knock yourself out . . . within reason, of course.

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