[Quest Hub] Talon Rock

[Morgenstern]

Hi all,

I though it might be fun for people to brainstorm adventure ideas for the upcomming Sunchasser setting. To organize the concept, what I'd like to see are a series of adventures starting from Talon Rock.

Talon Rock is a fortified trade-camp nestled in the fork of the Silverbough River and the smaller Crush-Rock Creek. It has a wooden stockade, a devopled docks area, and a permanent population of about 800. In many respects it is a classic frontier boom-town with predominantly Jaano residents, though there are also a number of Dwarves representing the norther trade league and a few of the small folk have set up pastures nearby and provid the camp with foodstuffs. It serves as a supply point for several mines in the first ridges of the Black Peaks, located further up stream to the south. From here, ores are gaathered are partially refined before being sent by raft downstream, across the Six Lakes region, and eventually to the ruin-hold of Lin Moran, largest city of eastern Anmai. There is a lesser Sunpool located in a rock outcropping about 2 miles up the Crush-Rock, providing comparitively easy access to Sunchassers. West of the camp the land rises into gently rolling hills and a region of elf-ruins  known as the High Tombs. A smattering of gaunt elves still live among these stones, trapping or maiming what they see as invaders to their anciant lands. To the east is a progressively more arid plain that eventually gives way to the dusty wastes of Avva's Anvil. The desert Ogres sometimes cross this wide stretch to hunt for man-flesh and to take prisoners to be sacrificed to the Bloodghost when they return from their raids.

I'm looking for plotlines that intruduce or use characters and locations in Talon Rock. Some adventures will take place entirely in the camp, while others will fan out into the surrounding wilderness. Initially, adventures should include 2-5 scenes, each with a simple 1-3 sentence description. I'll try to answer questions about the area and provide feedback for the plotlines. This is mostly adventure brainstorming at this phase. Those that really capture the feel of the region will hopefully get collected into a wiki page supporting this as a campaign resource . Once the pdf and book are out, we can look at stating these up into fully functional adventures.

Haunted by a Cairn-born Prince
Atesh the Bowmaster is the master Scout for the Northern Trade League. The smooth-spoken and graceful Ahset often hands out assignments to passing adventures to build goodwill for his League. He's heard rumors about a new war-leader among the gaunt-elves of the High Tombs. Unfortuantely he has been called away to investigate a death up at the mines and won't be able to follow up on these tales for at least several weeks. He's heard a few good things about your crew from mutual friends, and hopes that you might look into the matter on the camp's behalf, and perhaps for a small bag of coin...

[gaghiel42]

So something like...

Revenge of the Dread Pirate Crush tail

Tales of a mysterious ship run rampant around the docks of Talon Rock.  A badly injured sailor makes it back to town in a small dingy and is rushed to the town apothecary. When the young sailor finally awakens, he tells the Dockmaster Swint about pirates hijacking ore and supplies from the barges on the trade route and then scuttling the ships to the bottom of the lake.  Swint tasks some of the local adventurers to take a decoy barge up river and discover the source of these attacks. All too soon, the adventurers discover Crush Tail and his crew of Saurian Pirates' river blockade.  Do they try to negotiate for the people of Talon Rock or 'negotiate' for the people of Talon Rock?

Characters:
Dockmaster Swint - Dwarf with a peg leg who runs the Dock's business
Crush Tail - Saurian with a club tail that captains a ship of other saurian pirates
Tariq of Three-waves - Injured Ahset Sailor and sole survivor of the Tide Tempest merchant vessel
Mistress Kyleea - Apothecary/Healer taking care of Tariq

edit: gotcha, and fixed
edit v 2.0: Now with more flavor

[Morgenstern]

Yes, but you get to name a dock boss of some sort who does the hiring. That way the camp gains a cast of characters .

[Mister Andersen]

What are:

• Sunpools and Sunchasers
• Jaano
• Ahset

[Morgenstern]

What are:

• Sunpools and Sunchasers
• Jaano
• Ahset

Sunpools are small bodies of water that can act as portals to other sunpools, typically under the noonday sun. Frequently the portal is to another sunpool at random, making their use akin to playing roulette with your destination. Sunchassers use them to wander more or less at the will of the gods.

Sunchassers are adventurers. People slightly outside of normal society. There is a strong expectation that Sunchassers will take up various local tasks ranging from simple errands to heroic quests in exchange for hospitality.

Jaano are the dominant human culture in the Anmai region. They count themselves as the spiritual descendants of the great hero known as the Rascal, and thus pride themselves on quick wits and a certain suspicion of authority.

Ahset are the dominant human culture of the far North and have a mildly Arabic flavor to them. They live in a shared society with the Dwarves and count General Longtooth as their great hero. They place great value on durability, determination, and weapon skill.

[Mister Andersen]

So, baseed on the above description, I'm picturing something like this:

(click to show/hide)

With a name like Crush-Rock has t be coming from the direction of the mountains (probably from a subterranean mouth. Similarly, Silverbough really suggests a river coming from a forest likely sharing that name (one obviously occupying the hills through which the river flows), probably originating from a mountain tesseract falls).

Given the town's geographical location, it's going to need a dock at the other two (for want of a better term) la grange points around the confluence for passenger transit and supply loading (being likely too early in the settlement's life cycle for a bridge)

[Morgenstern]

All reasonable on the map analysis. No bridge as of yet. The ore is being brough down from the mines by pack animal train. The Black Peaks are drake (and goblin) country, and while the Matha (another of the four human cultures in Sunchasser) have treaties with the Drakes, the Jaano do not, so they're keeping a low profile while up in the mountains (hence the lack of smelting facilities at the mines). The camp has two major functions as the backbone of it's economy - basic smelting work to refine the ores before long range transit and assembling rafts for transporting the goods down stream. The nearby woods provide raw lumber for the second activity. Its also a service center for the miners. The town, thought it is starting to grow into a functional community, a new free hold at the edge of human expansion.

The eastern side of the river probably has minimal farming right along the water's edge. Possibly even restricted to simple gardening. The prosect of ogres scares people enough they'll want to not put anything too solid (or flamable) on that side of the river. Beyond the shoreline developments are the Peck pastures. Sheep have the good sense to run when Ogre stink is on the wind.

The northern Trade League is present (along with the small band of soldiers that accompany most Trade League investments) and takes an interest in providing specialized sevices (tool repair, luxury goods for th eminers) as well as assessing and vertifying the outbound stock. The actual opperation owners are a Jaano merchant family based out of Lin Moran. The Central trade League has as of yet not take an interest in Talon Rock. As the Leagues have been becoming more forcful in their competition over the last decade, their absence is mostly considered a good thing.

The pirates have a pretty good spot - there's a good sized (12-15 mile across) lake down stream with several islands in it. The rafts tend to stick to either the east or west shoreline where they can be certain of being able to pole their way along to the outflow. That means pirates can base anywhere in the area but loiter in the middle of the lake and strike with speed at either side. Cat and mouse tactics ensue.

[gaghiel42]

So, would you like us to just keep on churning them out as we come up with them?  If so, here's another (also I fixed my other one above with a bit more flavor)

Whats eating the Albrecht family?

A large pillar of smoke from a nearby farmhouse draws attention of a passing tradeship.  The captain not one to miss a deadline ignores it, but later lets it slip to one of the Barmaids while he's in his cups at the local tavern.  It seems she hasn't heard from the Albrecht family (or her beloved Rory) in several days.  Alarmed, she asks some Sunchasers to go investigate find out if Rory and his family is alright.  A burned out husk of a farmhouse and a few charred corpse are all that remain to start the party on a quest for the murderers.  Did the Ogres get to the family, or was something more sinister in the works?

Characters:
Randi the Barmaid - Jaano villager
Captain Sahleed - Ahset Captain and owner of the tradeship Whirling Dervish
Rory Albrecht - Jaano villager


After coming up with this one I decided we totally need to name a few major establishments in the town to help us work on starting spots etc.  So, what sounds like a good inn/tavern name?

Also, can we get some general idea of what the primary deity of the region is likely to be?  The healer in the first story could use a little more so she isnt so general the title "Mistress" just doesnt seem to fit right...

[Wolverine]

Hmm, sounds interesting, I'll give it a shot....

Drake's nest mother-lode
News has reached Talon Rock that a large vein of precious ore has been discovered high in the mountains. The Northern Trading Company are obviously interested in this development, but it comes with a catch. Access to the vein is located periously close to a number of drake nests, and any attempts to mine the ore will no doubt attract their attention. An official from the League has asked the players to head up to the mines and assist the miners in keeping the drakes at bay. Unbeknownst to the players, the Central Trade Company have also heard about the ore and have dispatched their own agents to the site.

Mister Drobold [or other appropriate sounding name] - member of the Northern Trading Company, Dwarf
Mac Callister - Jaano Mine Forman, burly and tattooed
"Shiv" - human agent of the Central Trading Company

[gaghiel42]

Well, lets see... I guess I can crank out another while I'm just sitting here:

Revenge in the wastes

It was another quiet night for the guards on duty at Talon Rock until they spotted the badly damaged Unborn soldier crawling towards the gates.  Before it's body gave out, it was able to alert the guards to a nearby Ogre burrow.  A troop of Northern Trading Company mercenaries were guarding a caravan heading across the desert when they were ambushed by the Ogres living there.  Word around the Tavern is that the NTC want their cargo back and are willing to pay handsomely for it's return.

Carver Logos - NTC Trade Representative
Lady Timerra - Daughter of one of the NTC founders
Gore-rock - Leader of the Ogre raiders

More questions to go with the ones in my previous post:
Is there a map of the town?
Should we keep these mission descriptions spoiler free or just go for it?
What kinda law can we expect/create for these guys if the Jaano are suspicious of authority?

[Morgenstern]

So, would you like us to just keep on churning them out as we come up with them?

That was my thinking

After coming up with this one I decided we totally need to name a few major establishments in the town to help us work on starting spots etc.

Yup. That seems like an important part of the process.

Also, can we get some general idea of what the primary deity of the region is likely to be?  The healer in the first story could use a little more so she isnt so general the title "Mistress" just doesnt seem to fit right...

The major faith of all the human cultures is the worship of Lord Sun (Avva) and Lady Moon (Moru). It is not a faith with a strong healing component to it (Light, Magic, Man, Travel). The Jaano also sometimes worship the Silver Crown, also called the Spirits of Insia, the pantheon worsiped by the elves (Good, Glory, Life, Spirit). A few Ahset and many Dwarves worship the Faces of Creation, an elemental pantheon (Air, Earth, Fire, Order, Water). So while divine healing is somewhat available, the camp is more likely to rely on a doctor and probably an alchemits/herbalist for most ills.

[Morgenstern]

Well, lets see... I guess I can crank out another while I'm just sitting here:

Actually things are shaping up nicely.

More questions to go with the ones in my previous post:
Is there a map of the town?
Should we keep these mission descriptions spoiler free or just go for it?
What kinda law can we expect/create for these guys if the Jaano are suspicious of authority?

No map yet, but Mr.. Andersens regional map does provide a pretty good basis for understanding the outline of town. I don't think specfic placment of location inside the stockade should start until after we have a few locations to work with. Although like most boom-towns, I'm sure there is a bit of first come, first served going on.

Go for it. It's also possible to outline the basic scene structure a bit as people become more comfortable with the setting .

Jaano generally favor the elections for a mayor and a judge in self-contained communities. The mayor heads up administration, the judge assembles a few sherifs and a town watch to keep the peace. The mayor is ussually male, the judge ussually female.

[gaghiel42]

Ok, so if we're to create some Taverns, Shops, etc, what have we got?  Lets toss some ideas around and come up with something good.

Tavern name ideas:
Rising Sun Inn - Probably a more upscale location for the wealthier travelers who come through.  The bar would be more upscale and have less of a bad rep than many taverns.

The Fool Moon - Perhaps their logo would be of a moon with a face and a jester's cap. I could see this one being a seedy docks bar where all the sailors go and get drunk.

List of locations/business that could be there:
- Obviously a guild house for the Northern Trading Company

- Maybe a hideout for the Sunchasers. Perhaps the town built it for them to make sure they don't get into too much trouble (and so that when trouble comes to find them, there is less collateral damage for the citizens) or some previous Sunchasers set up a place for others to come as they randomly arrive.  (I'm thinking something akin to those little stamp book games where you put one somewhere and everyone comes and puts a stamp in your book so you know who's been there, except in this case, its a house)
The walls could be signed by past Sunchasers with words of wisdom, warnings of local hazards and motivating remarks. 

- Port Authority.  Clearly it needs a different name, but a building that houses the staff who keep the docks running

- General Trading goods store

- Armory.  I doubt the town is big enough to support a full blown weapons store, however I could easily see the towns armory stocking extra supplies and selling and buying things from people as needed.

- Since Agriculture is a large part of this region, I would say that anything not covered from the general store would go to a small Farmer's market place that the townsfolk and passers through set up daily.  Be it food, clothing, trade goods not from the NTC, herbs/medicine (apothecary's typically had carts if I remember right), and the like.

- A church to Avva and Moru.  I'm imagining a small stone temple with a large observatory dome so that the sun or moon can shine in and grace them with it's presence.  At the least, lots of windows

- A small library/Arcane sanctuary.  No spiraling towers, but perhaps a small building where they can store books and practice their arts away from the public.  Perhaps this building can be connected to the Church via a tunnel or small walled in garden with a sundial in the middle. Since magic seems focused around Moru, then the Arcane sanctuary could be focused on her, while the church could have a more Avva themed feel, and a place to congregate in the middle for special occasions.

- Mayor's mansion.  I'm imagining something fairly lavish/gaudy for such a small town, built more to mock real authority than to be a sign of wealth.  Since the Jaano don't trust authority, I can't imagine there being a large amount of faith put into their rulers, but I can definitely see them building a huge house almost out of spite.  Plus, the bigger it is, the more people the mayor will have to hire to clean it for him.  It would be amusing if it was right next to the inn/tavern so adventurers would get confused which was which and try to rent a room at the Mayor's house instead of the tavern by accident.

What have other people got?

edit: updated slightly for the Sunchaser hideout and the arcane flavor

[Morgenstern]

Oh, I forgot. There is sort of a mage's guild. The Magisters are a group of wizards based out of Lin Moran, easily recognizable by their blue robes. People who can (potentially) use magic either end up with white hair or a streak of white in their hair (a sign of Moru's favor), so many potential mages are easy to spot. Magic is not a real common talent among the Jaano or Ahset. 'Moon-touched' (white-streaked) folk are much more common among the Matha.

For the most part they are happy to let the magisters 'police their own'.  Talon Rock is probably big enough to have a single magister present.

Sunchassers don't have guilds. They tend to form into modest-sized bands (a.k.a. adventuring parties) and generally don't linger in any single area much over a year, with a month or two being far more common.

[Morgenstern]

"Ogre burrow" is my favorite concept of the day. Sunchasser Ogre now officially form burrows as base camps when out raiding .