Setting Info dump post. Huzzah.
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Some time ago, while plundering the encampment of a group of rather persistent if foolish bandits, your merry band of alternatively bold and intrepid adventurers happened across what appeared to be a treasure map. This map points you in the direction of a Keep near the river village of Drellin's Ferry, though seems to beleive in making you find out where exactly the fort is in relation to it. Maybe the people who wrote it are dicks or something.
Regardless, you set out together a few weeks ago, and have been traveling through the Elsir Vale. Drellin's ferry is a couple of days away still but, things are looking good. There are, of course, the usual rumours of bandits, goblins, demons from the infernal pits of the hells, but your stalwart bunch are not afraid.
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Abridged history of Elsir Vale.
The scattered human towns and villages of the area grew up along the Dawn Way, an important east-west trading route link the heavily settled lands to the northwest across the Endless Plains with the exotic kingdoms and good of the coastal cities to the southeast. Much of the Dawn Way was built by an ancient Dwarven kingdom that spanned the Wyrmsmoke and Giantshield Mountains more than a THOUSAND years ago. While the Dwarves are long gone, their roads, bridges and cisterns remain in use to this day. After the Dwarf realm passed, the presence of various monsters and raiders kept traffic along the Dawn Way light for many years, for few caravans dared the long and dangerous trek. Few Humans lived in the Elsir Vale at that time - Only scattered settlements of druidic folk who left behind little more than grassy barrows and stone circles on the hilltops.
About 500 years ago, the nearby city of Rhest came to control the vale and a large swath of the lands above the Giantshields as well. Soldiers from Rhest secured the roads all the way to Dennovar and beyond, creating a safe passage for trade. More and more traders traveled the Dawn Way, and the kingdom of Rhestilor grew wealthy on the tariffs exacted from the passing merchants. Under the kingdom's shield, the towns along the Dawn WAy - Brindol, Talar, Terrelton, and the rest - grew up from tiny hamlets or lonely soldiers posts to flourishing human settlements.
The Kingdom of Rhestilor eventually collapsed under civil strife, monstrous incursions and magical blights. Almost 200 years ago, the city of Rhest was burned down by a Hobgoblin horde out from the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Although the warriors of Rhestilor killed many of the goblins and their kind, the city was abandoned and the already weakened kingdom broken. The locks and canals surrounding the city fell into disrepair, and the Blackfens swallowed the ruined city.
In the years since the kingdom's fall, the towns of Elsir vale have come to look after themselves. Many of the local lords, such as Jarmaath of Brindol, still hold titles derived from the old kingdom of Rhestilor While everybody knows that the kings of Rhestilor are long dead, no new realm has risen in the vale.
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Chargen Summary, for convenience.
Start at level 5.
9000gp to spend (as standard).
No Monstrous races, unless you can present a compelling argument. So, no pixies for example. Basically, if it wasn't intended to be a player race from the beginning, I'd like you to ask before getting too excited about it. No Warforged.
32 point buy.
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Does anyone need any more information to work with?
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Topic: [D&D 3.5] Red Hand of Doom. Drop-kicking a dragon in a 100-foot chasm. (Read 44652 times)