Category: Start Here

Fort Commander, Red Sky Buffalo
“Along the Westron River Sylvania begins to end and the Wildlands stretch out towards EdgeCliffe, visible most days despite it’s distance, standing there like a wall up above and between the clouds, at the end of the world. The WileLans seem an intimidating place not just for the faint of heart.

For those who know her ways however, one just must know to become more careful and aware when crossing the almost invisible border of the slow wide river lined with shallows and sandbars.

Then, the no less invisible line that is nonetheless well demarcated, between druids, fairies, and gnomes, and dragons, kobolds, and goblins.
Farther west are lines adult dragons are reluctant to cross, some of which are well known and well demarcated, and others which are neither.

Most Sylvanians have been taught there’s no reason to take the risk of being too close to the EdgeCliffe, the Feywild, or the Underdark. Nothing is worth being where the forces of Evil, brutality, dark, and wildness have reach, nor the efforts to live in the wild, the tiger eat tiger way.

Nonetheless, there is much of so many types of value to be had here.

Some are born here and have roots like trees, others come from far and wide seeking adventure, or many things more specific.

Treasure, fame, and a world that can molded by strong and charismatic individuals of any race. The defenses of one’s peoples, the machinations of other. The stakes are always high is where the risks are always high is where the profits are always high, for the stakes are always high.

This is Silvania’s buffer zone to the Edge of the world, the Dragon Empire’s Legions, and the Underdark. I need ambassadors, protectors of the beneficiaries of our hegemony, expungers of evil and the undead, and many other things. What I need most is observant eyes that watch above and below and report what they see.

Maybe you can do all these jobs, maybe none. We send you out on an easy task, one close to the breast of our influence. Do it well and you will find much more potentially rewarding tasks assigned you soon.

Above all, always familiarize yourself with your environs and keep an eye on the sky above and the waters below.
Play nice if they’ll let you, and try to make Sylvania proud.
If you see Evil you think you can take, wipe it out, but if you see a flight of well and uniformly armored dragonbreds headed our way, crush a tracking pendant or at least send a pigeon or squirrel to let us know.”

The Fort Tree

On the N & S sides of the fort are 2 aerie trees, for griffon and pegasi respectively. Each has a crew of 3 that keep the animals fed and watered and make sure their waste is shoveled and swept into the plumbing that goes down the trunk and thru the roots to the swamp to the south of the FortTree, or directly into the swamp.

The main body of the FortTree is an 90′ wide octagon in overview. It rises from about 80′ off the ground to about 130′. With 4 sets of stairs and covered parapeted walkways every 8′ up inside and outside a huge chamber having many closable ports in the walls for firing arrows and ballistae, twice the normal garrison can all at once fire out, or in, from any of the 8 sides. Many of the ballistae have a door that allows them to slide in and out and swivel to shoot from either covered parapet. in many places parts of the parapets can be folded outwards to become murder holes. Boulders, ammo, and means for heating oil and water are distributed throughout these walls and platforms. There are hoses connected to water tanks that make it easy to keep the defensive works wet to repel fire, or to boil and drop on enemies to scald them.

A 30′ wide parapeted command center with a 20′ wide conical steel roof is perched atop a circular stair case in the middle of this main chamber with 2 covered catwalks to the sides, with several ropes and a couple open lifts that go from top to bottom all around a covered catwalk around it.

There is an open floor both above and below this main chamber.
The top one has temples and shrines, some of which are open to the air.
Below is the mess hall, quarters, breifing rooms, et cetera.
Below that is the Public House.

Above the main chamber are 2 smaller aeries for griffons and peggasi. There’s a civilian wd elf here who is retained to manage and flush the waste, feed, water, and straw, with the help of a half hill giant assistant.

Above the aeries are 2 octagonal floors of parapets, ballistae, and catapults with 25′ height in between. The upper one has a small self serve mess hall galley, and a stone disk on which a large fire can be built with well mounted roasting spits above.

Above that is where the dire squirrels’ families live in a giant nest, about 250 in all, with “plumbing” along the trunk, which the adults all know how to use.

The facilities have surprisingly large openings, because they also discard bedding there.

About 180′ up are a mess of wide hollows in the trunk and branches that act as cisterns. The tree’s natural ability to raise water keeps these full. The height produces great pressure.

Just above that, at a height of 200′, is an octagonal platform 120′ wide with walls that supports little but for 8 rotating trebuchet at the corners, a supply of various munitions, with 2 ballistae and 1 catapult in the middle of each side.

Just 10′ above the top of the canopy of the fortTree, about 240′, is an open parapeted 80′ wide octagonal platform implanted with hundreds up upright 12′ long 4″ wide poles tipped with 6″ wide deep obsidian spearpoints, many ballistae, and few catapults.

In the one branch that goes way up above the canopy to 230′ one can climb up to a steel covered crow’s nest that can hold about 12 elves and 4 ballistae and always has 2 griffon rider/ arcane archer guards. Directly under it is the highest room with plumbing, which has it’s own small holding tank, a bulbous branch in the middle of the roof.

The mortal oak canopy tops out at under 160′, so the home tree crows nest always offers a stupendous overview of the entire area.

Trunk
The lower main trunk is 150′ wide. In the center of the main trunk is a 10′ wide circular stairs with inner parapets wound around a 30′ killing zone which is also used for lifting large objects and cage lifts via winches and booms from the garrison staging areas at the top and bottom of the main central chamber.
There are 3 huge stone disks with a sm hole in the middle that can be rolled and blocked into place to close the main entry and the top and bottom of the stairs.
Smaller similar ones can be seen recessed into the walls at top and bottom of most stairways throughout the fort.

Under the branches, inside living stockade & moat

On the southern side of the tree is a water hyacinth and duckweed swamp, fed by the flow of the river via a small dike and a mini moat around the area, just outside a living stockade of cypress trees. The area under the tree’s branches is about 160′ radius, the moat is from 40′ beyond that, and is 20′ wide and equally deep. The swamp treats the fort’s sewage before flowing back into the river downstream. Don’t swim in the moat, don’t drink the swamp.
Outside the moat are hybsils, wemics, and buffalo grazing on grassland for 500+ yards.

The Docks
Below the main body of the fort walls there is a huge 70′ wide platform hanging 50′ above this area out 50′ over the river and docks; with many covered parapets, hoardings, ballistae, a few catapults, boulders, ammo, many huge and small murder holes, and means for heating oil and water are distributed throughout.

Quarters and food more comfortable for quadrupeds, giants, and others who don’t want to climb stairs or be up in a tree, can be found in a wooden inn built into the roots, and many small pockets, nooks, and crannies among the roots.

The following people and places live and hang mainly among the roots and lower branches between the FortTree, the docks, and the river’s edge.

Silos for grains, hay, acorns, and straw.
Buildings for storage and trade of bulk goods.

Dire squirrels, patroling, playing, hanging, drinking coffee.

4 boat and barge builders under an open air log and straw pavillion with mass lumber and framings with a two pairs of skid rails flanking trenches into the water for launching barges and very large boats.

Public stables and harness maker.

A simple empty building large enough to board 3 or 4 elephants.

A very small carpenter’s shop with tiny lumber mill and yard

Open air cafe/bar (no roofs actually needed under the overhang).

In a small stone tower with stone walls between 2 huge roots, blocking off the entrance stairs:
Guard of the base & docks, Glen Gnome, female, at a small window over a gate facing west that is usually open allowing access to the fort’s entry and stair well.
2 members of the garrison on rotating duty. One on each wall.

3 outhouses on the south side above the swamp

barge path along the Eastern bank

3 small floating docks, 2 large ones on huge cypress piles.

A large boat house with 2 fort boats and 3 small fast boats (magically propelled?).

2 small houseboats, and a larger one

2 large ferry barges, 3 small ones

2 Ferry Pilots, Wood Elf & Giant Gnome

1 Boatswain, Killoren

1 Barge Swain, Barbarian 2nd, Half Ogre, female

10 large birchbark canoes stacked over 2 very low tree branches

9 buffalo barges, 2 full

8 feed barges, 3 full

Garrison

When in uniform, the garrison is literally wearing their levels on their insignia, as stars, bars, and chevrons, so it is “public” knowledge.

Fort Commander, Red Sky Buffalo, mature large Wood Elf, Elite Griffon Rider 16th, Arcane Archer 12th, Commander 9th.

Fort Seer, Eye o Neut, wood elf / Oriental (1/2 elf), female, Corellon Cleric 13, Druid 12, Elite Prophet 9, Arcane Archer 7th, Command 5th,

FortMage, SunCloud FeyDragon, Pixie/Gnome, female, often in chambers

Mage Squad Commander

Fort Healer, Glade Stream Deerfey, WD Elf, Correllon Cleric 14th, Druid 11th, Griffon Rider 8th, “Allnessing bless you”

BattleMage, in the field

BattleMage Support, in the field

Battle Commander, in the field

Battlefield Healer, in the field

Siege Engineer Mage, in the field

Intelligence Uniforms tell you nothing, Killoren / Lightfoot, androgynous,

Logistics Command (“LC Officer”), Corellon Cleric 12th, Comms, Logi, Support (“CLS”) Engineer 10th, Archer 9th, Griffon Rider 8th, Command 5th

Fort Crafter, Gnome,

Fort Artificer subclass Seige Engineer, Gnome / Spriggan

Artificer subclass Field Artillerist, Jungle Hairfeet Halfling, female, in the field, spec equip for goblinoids, dragons, dinos

Artificier subclass Alchemist, Half Human,

Alchemist, Arcane Archer, Half Gnome,

Tree Warden, Grethvalen Bear, Griffon rider 8th, slender Giant Fairy / Wood Elf, Druid 15th, Arcane Archer 14th, Tree Engineer 9th,

Captain of the Treefort, GladSong Bearpaw, Wood Elf, female, Paladin 10th, Long Sword Blademaster 9th, Arcane Archer 8th, Griffon Rider 8th, Commander 5th, always carries a deep obsidan spear,

Captain of the Watch, DaemonBane GrifFenFey, mature large Giant Pixie/ 1/2 (wd/gry) elf, elite griffon rider 10th, Arcane Archer 8th, Commander 7th,

Captain of Training, DrakBrock Wolfson, Human / Hobgoblin, Elite Griffon rider 11th, Arcane Archer 9th, carries a great swd, “ifIcan youcan”

Quartermaster

Mount Trainer, Killoren, female, usually in the aeries

Mount Handler, Sun(ny) Grass Pen, Oriental, female, usually in the aeries

Armorer,

Arsenal Officer,

Black Smith,

Bowyer

Fletcher

Garrison harness and saddle maker, Gnome, Griffon Rider, usually in the workshop

Pidgeon Master, Eagle Rider Bear, Corellon Cleric 8th, Druid 7th, Archer 5th, Killoren female,

First Sarge, Giant Woodelf, female

Garisson Sargent,

Armoury Sargent,

Supply Sargent,

Scout Sargent,

15 Scouts (12 in the field)

250 Dire Squirrels, (100 in the field)

130 Garrison (90 in the field)

20 Trainees

Pub House, Store, & Inn, Commons Room
Top of the main trunk stairwell

Inn Tender, Gray Elf, female, sorcerer, Corellon cleric, archer, griffon rider,

Bartender, Musician, fighter, cleric, short rotund Wood Elf

Merchant, mage, Musician, Throwback Elf

Bob Dallyman, Cook, Musician, Human / Wild Elf

Server, Giant Wood Elf, female, bouncer, musician, fighter

Most days the following will be in the Commons Room

Lilting Dawn Song, Bard, Archer, Human, female

Hamr Stormr, Merc Broker, fighter, rogue, Spriggan / Tree Gnome

Relic Hunt Otter, Oral, Maps, & Ancient, Loremaster, gnome/elf

Clive Guy, dood always looking for info about ancient ruins or maps from them, human / hobgoblin

Artificer, Arcane Archer, half dragon

Johon Van Hessling, Half Human, Artificer subclass Alchemist,

2 or 3 fort officers

Garisson Sargent

7-37 off duty garrison

5 Barge Pilots

3 Wood Elf, Elf giant – type whoops, Gnome

5-8 dire squirrels, drinking small glasses of mead, 1 is wearing a beret, 2 or 3 have daggers, 2 or 3 have tiny crossbows.

Boatswain, Mist Breeze Deer, Arcane Archer, Ranger, Giant Pixie, female, longbow, longsword, 5 pigeons, tracking necklace, map, scout pack (everything one could need), 18′ Canoe, 7 paddles, Hard Tack Acorn Pemmican in waterproof bladders hung tight from the inside edges

Boatswain, Ol Dirty Boar, Arcane Archer, Ranger, Wood Elf, longbow, longsword, 5 pigeons, tracking necklace, map, scout pack (everything one could need), 18′ Canoe, 7 paddles, Hard Tack Acorn Pemmican in waterproof bladders hung tight from the inside edges

(The canoes are downstairs by the docks.)

Mistwood? Larthron, Westron, the Edge, you’ve heard of these things all your lives. You’ve been here, training

Training Fail Debriefing:
Training was paid, you each have 250 gold on top of whatever you roll.
Success in future auxiliary irregular (un-uniformed*) missions will be worth at least as much.
They can be white, grey, or dark, depending on your proclivities.
*Uniform refers largely to tech, the full combo of resource, privilege, power, and skill, that comprises official position as an officer or any proper unit in the forces.

Debreifing Given by:
Fort Commander, Red Sky Buffalo, mature large wood elf elite griffon rider and arcane archer.
Fort Seer, Eye o Neut, wood elf / oriental (1/2 elf) cleric, druid, elite prophet and arcane archer.
DM, Monte Letourneau, earthling, creative

As you all know already, we don’t care where you are from, what you believe, who your mother is, or even that you failed out of archery and/or pegasiship qualification. We need plenty of help on foot too, and we especially need it right now.

The 2 of us need to be here to oversee a massive air supremacy effort to support one our main fey allies, but it’s time to do a river patrol, and all our foot auxiliaries are out scouting underbrush.

You are all welcome to stay here in the public house as long as you can afford, and we are happy to employ you as auxillaries for missions overt or covert accross the river.

You are also, of course, free to share the public access to nearby backup and juvenile fortress and aerie trees as long as you get along with your fellow occupants. Often it will be an entire clan on walkabout together, gathering tasty treats.
The nearest city tree is almost as far to the East as the first human city, Aragon, is to the West. Of course, the roads to the East are easier than the one West. The ferries across the border river are public and free for use of all civilized humanoids. Tips are, however, much appreciated, ha ha.

If you would like immediate gainful employment, we seek a small squad to do a patrol of the banks of the tributary across the river from this fort with one of our boatmen. The man we would send with you is not a typical ferryman, he is fairly proficient with the bow and will provide ranged support if needed. He has a map of the communities under our wing along the banks.

We would want you to stop at each community of our allies and make sure all is well. We are fighting a protracted and intense battle with hill giants and ogres led by a gang of half orcs in yet another ancient human fort they excavated and cleared, as you have probably heard. So there will be no air support anytime soon.
If you are not back in a week, we send another patrol to try to find you and give you a chance to come back in.
Should you choose not to come back, please try to return the tracking pendants with the boatman.
Surely luck will smile upon you and all will be well.

What to expect when wandering the surface across the river from the western frontier? Lots of rabbits, boar, and deer!

Also, lots of evil juvenile dragons. Green, red, black, and blue are especially common.
Sometimes the smallest ones will still be in a gang with all their siblings, or in pairs and threes. They have little or no treasure, only what they can carry long distances, at most.

If they should fly or march in rank and files and be equipped with armor and weapons made for young dragons, best to leave them be. They will also be very well equipped with dragon specific magic items and spells, and changing their course may well invoke the wrath of the devilish Dragon Coven. This would be highly unusual and dangerously over the line in these lands and we would want to be told immediately if this should happen! Do not risk your lives! It would be very instrumental that diplomatic channels be invoked immediately!

There will also be dragons as normal for forest, fey, mountains and the Underdark, and stragglers or scouts and hunters from the mountains and cliff to the West called Edge of Battegrun and Larthron, the demonic jungle to the South as well.

If it says “- can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl”, you can probably use it for a character race, mount, henchman, or familiar.o

I will be adding to, and deleting from, this list as I see fit. You will not always be informed first, unless it is just a game mechanics choice. Foe instance, as you gain levels irrelevant ones will become background noise, beginning with common ravens, deer, boar, owls, and such. These will rejoin the lists only when you intend to hunt or notice them.

CE
xvarts – hang w/rats, bats, and swarms, were or giant type, if they can.
nilbog
orcs – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
half-orcs – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Dire Orc – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
gnolls – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
flinds – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
bugbears – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
quicklings – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
vargouilles – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
perytons – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
ogres – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
ogre magis – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
half ogres – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Drow – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
driders – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
minotaur – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
orogs – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
ettins – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Hill Giants – align flexi
bodac
demons wander up from Larthron Jungle along with the bugbears, vargouilles, ogres, dinos, and such that must be fought on the southern frontier.

CG
aurumvorax
centaur – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Copper Dragons
Elf, (fairy) Small Variant – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
fairy deer – butterfly wings
faerie dragon – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Fairy Giants – big dumb fat wood elves – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Ramtaur/Ewetaur – lesser Bariaurs, courageous & athletic warriors, hunters, sportsmen, logistics management, & Sylvan defense, minor planar travel skills, organizers of Sylvan Olympics – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Sylvan gnomes – 2″-2′ tall, hillside burrows, similar to hobbit burrows, deeper, more extensive.
lesser pegasus – 2-3 D8, 40″/55″, can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Teacup fairy dragons – 2″-2′ tall, align flexi
Thorn – Sylvan defenders and guards, can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
treant – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Tree Gnomes
Wild Elves – very xenophobic smallish wood elves – most only speak Sylvan – snipe type – some understand tinkertongue but cannot speak it
Great Raven – often a celestial messenger

N
Ankheg
aurumvorax
buffalo
centaur – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Crystal Dragons
deer
fairy deer
Dire Squirrel – Glide, low-light vision, scent, track, Stealthy, Weapon Finesse Bite, sheild, 15% magic res, understand Sylvan & Goblinoid – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Dire Wolf – low-light vision, scent, track, Stealthy, Weapon Finesse Bite, sheild, 15% magic res, understand Sylvan & Goblinoid – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Doppelganger
Dragonborn – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Tsobaal Drakenbred – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Dryad – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Druid
Elf, (fairy) Small Variant – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
giant fairy dragons – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Elf, giant, wild
Elf, giant, whoops
Giant Fairy, a pixie the size of a wood elf – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Giant Owl – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Great Condor – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Leanan sidhe
Lizardfolk – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
elementals – exceptional specimens of exceptional types can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl (i.e. an elemental great owl, stone giant, or more sentient special elementals)
snipe
stone giant – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Teacup Sylvans (Dwarf Fairy) – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Teacup fairy dragons – align flexi
Thorn – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
tiger
Thunderbird – Demi-celestial, no one’s ever seen one. Probably mythical.
weretiger – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – any alignment
Wild Elves – very xenophobic smallish wood elves – most only speak Sylvan – some understand tinkertongue but cannot speak it
Great Raven, often a celestial messengers – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl

NG
Aarakocra – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Centaur – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Deep Gnome (Svirfneblin) – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Giant Eagle – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
hybsil – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Pixie – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Pseudodragon – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Sprite – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Werebear – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexit
Cloud Giant

CN
boggle
darkling
Elf, (fairy) Small Variant – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Fey Eladrin
Kender – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
1/2 kender – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
kenku
korred
Phanaton
satyr – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Thorn – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Wild Elves – very xenophobic smallish wood elves – most only speak Sylvan – snipe type – some understand tinkertongue but cannot speak it

LE
Aboleth
beholder
Dragonborn – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Tsobaal Drakenbred – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Dueragar – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Githyanki
Grung
hobgoblin – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
hell hounds – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
kobold
manticore – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
mind flayer
Neogi
oni – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
rakshasa
GAUTH
vampire
wererat
winged kobold – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Great Raven, often a celestial messenger – can be any alignment

NE
Barghest
Behir
Death Dog
Drow – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
1/2 drow – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Goblin – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Green Hag
Night Hag
Nightmare – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Purple Chromatic dragon
Shadow Mastiff – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
VAMPIRE SPAWN
Wereboar – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Worg – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Yeth Hound – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl

Unaligned, sometimes Neutral
Ankheg
Badger
Basilisk
Bat
Black Bear
Boar
Brown Bear
buffalo
Cockatrice
Deer
Dire Wolf – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
eagle
elk – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Giant centipedes, rats, weasels, spiders, and other such.
Goats
Gorgon
Griffon – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Hawk
Hippogriff – can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl – align flexi
Hydra
Mirage dragon
Owl
panther
Phase Spider
Poisonous Snake
Rat
Raven
rhinoceros
Roc
Rust Monster
Spider
Saber-Toothed Tiger
Tiger
Velociraptor packs and other dinos wander up from Larthron
Vulture
Warhorse – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl
Weasel
Wolf
Wyvern – exceptional specimens can earn D8 levels as a fighter +1 lvl

Just because you are too little of means to afford a resurrection doesn’t portend you should leave pieces of your companions laying around the battlefield. Whenever possible, try hard to return all cadavers and/or shreds of yourselves to the Seer of the fort to see if we can work out a deal for a raise dead or whatever may be needed by those who are helping us work towards our goals.

If you pick CG or N for alignment, you will maximize your odds of acquiring a flying mount that can level up early in the game. The same goes for being a pure wood elf, ranger, or a druid, much less all three. Being CG or a wood elf will also maximize your ability to acquire advanced and aerial mounted archery skills. If one wanted to maximize their leverage socially in the game, they would be at least part wood elf (one can have more than 2 such “parts”)

When the elf nations need to make critical timely decisions, the Lesmelliliae, the 1000 oldest elders, put aside whatever they are doing, wherever they are, and have a remote mind meld on the spot until consensus is reached on a course of action.
For daily operations, elite leadership has other more mundane means of remote communications and consensus seeking among the armies and the masses.

They also have special equipment for such purposes, as well as other standardized but not standard stuff for elite griffon riders, Seers, weather, tree, and logistics engineers, long sword and spear, mounted archery, certain standard specialist casters, and archers arcane.

How are the deer, boar, and monsters so tightly packed? how can there be so many dangerous predators living so densely? Elemental and druidic forces work hard daily to make the land fertile, lush, and productive. There will be no droughts.

There are no seasons either.

The background stars behind the orbiting planes, like the sun, he innermost plane, (LG “Heaven”) move slowly north and sometimes slowly spin in the sky.
There are 9 satellite moons called planes, including the Sun, which is clearly the closest, and is said to be part of, and portal to, Heaven. Yes, Hell and Hades are celestial objects, in the sky, moons eclipsed by the sun. You can see Valhalla from where your character stands now, and ever. It is said, he went up to Hell, not down.

The world is named Battugron or Baettegrun, there are several spellings, and many pronunciations. It will never help your character that you know the derivation of the word is from old High Elf combined with old High Human, cuz even the gods do not know this anymore.
No one knows who or what built it, but it is clearly not like any other material plane.

What everyone knows is that there is another layer of power behind every layer of power.

That Baettugron is older than the gods and has always been where no god may personally touch or be, but where they must look to settle their differences between underlings, in order to avoid another great ending.
Only the very oldest single one knows for sure, and he’s the only one who knows he exists.

The real story behind all the conflicting myths is gone beyond comprehension, slate wiped clean yet again.
The only reason to know these things is that, as an earthling trying to play a character on Battugron, you should understand this context. As a native, your character may find clues, but will never connect the dots. But he lives in a world where you can see the Abyss, up there in the sky. In this regard, join the helplessness of the highest powers, who do not know their own origins.

To say there is powerful elemental magic and epic contesting spiritual political forces from and for all time pulsing in the veins of very lands and fluids of Baettugrund is to understate the obvious at the highest possible level.

We all know this, all stakes are always high, it’s in the air we breathe.
Breathing and eating are politics, they require consensual relations with the elemental and celestial powers.

There is such a fine line between politics and religion that there is most often none at all.

Some other things everyone knows:
Humans are not allowed to worship a celestial (God nor Demon) of human-ness, there will be no more gods of mankind in their own image. Apparently, the last one caused much disappointment.
If a great raven begins speaking to you, listen closely, remember well, and respond very carefully.
Do the same with every critter, the greater ravens hold no monopoly on celestial messages.

If you are a theocrat spellcaster, it is not you who will decide when the deity themselves hear your words.
You will communicate daily with a spell server who will have the ear of your lord by mid single digits levels, you will never talk to them directly without intermediaries. Unless you visit their personal domain on their home plane, where you are likely to have to wait weeks, unless they already know why, or have requested as much and are awaiting you.
Being a cleric is not a question of being always given orders. It’s more a way of being at liberty to be who you are if you wanna be at the center of politics, intelligence, culture, war, and/or planning, or a Druidish in the fey culture.

One must seek symbiosis with the greater world at large, exile is not often a survivable option on Batugru.

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It feels kinda like I’ve been speaking in tongues… wha, what just happened?

You look from the roof of the main battlements across at the monstrous forest on the opposite bank of the Muddy Red River, and the tributary winding ever more narrowly between over hanging branches and trunks of trees. It is so wide open, yet closely closed in. None of you even know it’s name yet.

We are probably all thinking the same thing. We are each being asked to go up this river into exile right now, albeit not a solitary exile at this point…
What if it did become just me? I just failed out of archery or horsemanship, maybe both… could I make it back in one piece?

Floating down the river on one’s back is probably not the ideal laid back option it might be elsewhere.

No worries siblings! we got your back.
Unless, of course we’ve had to ride out in extremis speed for defense of our allies… ha ha.

If you should choose to engage this role as irregular auxiliary proxies and emissaries, please report at dawn to the Prophet for attachment of tracking and retrieval jewelry.

If that doesn’t interest you, come see me whenever you are ready. I may be able to come up with something more irregular, less proxy, and not at all diplomatic.

Ride with the Thunderbird or the Valkyries!
Good luck! whatever you each decide to do.

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The, “I know a guy” rule: In the case of a tight place, or a good story idea, if a player can imagine a helpful NPC written into their character’s back story, or that might exist nearby, that may get written into the campaign. If we can reach a consensus agreement.
It is best not to try to address this during play.

I set up how you have come to be together, and what you might do about it.

The players have to help write the stories of our characters’ pasts, their relations to each other, and why you trust each other to go on a mission together.

There is no deadline for this, see: “I know a guy” rule.*

The point of these stories is party cohesion and campaign color, playability, and development of party and campaign. So, no, you can’t be a wealthy and powerful prince who picked up the others as strays somewhere.

If you are not happy with your initial ability rolls, you may use this array: 17, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 8

I prefer the ability rolls to be 4 d6, lowest eliminated, 8 times, the 7th and 8th are for comeliness and sanity.
I prefer that they also be ordered at will, instead of in the order thrown.
I prefer to maximize your class and race choices, or your ability to max out a chosen class and race.

Comeliness can be from actually often relevant to play, to almost never, according to consensus of players.

I tend to forget about it, but also insist we have it so I can ask if needed. It can be a dominant part of your character, should you choose to play to it and highlight it.
The main point of comeliness is simply to remove beauty, grace, and style, from charisma. Unless they belong together in a given situation, then I use both, the average, the strongest, or the weakest.

Sanity rolls will be seldom, but very important. They could cost you a sanity point. Loss of all sanity points is supposed to be permanent, but I’ll bet among the immense powers of Batugron this may be negotiable somehow, somewhere, by someone. Generally, sanity points are lost thru extreme PTSD type stuff, like being killed.

Revival magics are strong and relatively very available but there will always be a high means based worldly cost. There is usually also a loss of a sanity point. Sometimes a death is just not negotiable to the God holding the players soul. You probably won’t know who or why the spell failed unless you’re on the same side and it was a great and heroic legendary death. Character may just not want to play anymore, and his patron may not feel like making the case, lol. Especially if his sanity is running out, & can’t be restored by that god.

Whatever ability rolls methods you guys might consent to prefer would also be fine. This will often be my ruling on rules that don’t have critical immediate impact on the story.

If you are not happy with your initial ability rolls, you may use this array: 17, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 8

I also expect you to roll 2 or 3 characters, before choosing to develop the one you want to begin play with. If we have to play with only 2 or 3 players, each player will play 2 or 3 secondary characters. Who will enter the game with the average of the primary characters’ experience points and a few nominal items appropriate for the party’s threat level when needed. Those who prefer to play 2 characters may be allowed to play 2 by default, being forced to play only 1 when we hit a cap of 6 or 8 characters, by consensus.
To me the ultimate party has 6-8 characters, but only 3-5 players.
This allows the party to have auxiliary supporting characters for planned ahead big time events or critical huge battles at the home base. It also allows the party to always have someone holding down the fort, once the party establishes bases of operations.

Each character needs at least one normal, fun and easy to play, personality trait, flaw, and skeleton backstory. Over the short term future the traits and backstory will be filled out a bit. These issues remain open for your ongoing creative engagement, but it has to be fun, simple, fair, and easy to play.

You are playing against my world, not against me. Friendly and comfortable as it may get, Baetugron will crush any being in a moment of rash action or sudden change, including the most powerful gods working together. You may not defeat it.

I will not be your friend as DM, nor your enemy, the relation I seek is good engaging play.

I may flip a coin on a ruling I care to go a certain way, and then discuss an agreement on what should have happened after the dust has settled.

I have been known to replay a situation that has ridiculous results.

We are writing this story together, I provide only the setting.
Motives and themes, tempo and depth, personalities, conflicts resolved and avoided, flava, generally, that is for you to provide.
I will do my best to chip in.

I have been known to have the characters all wake up from a bad dream at begin of next session if a bad ruling of mine has ruined the game (like, once, I think). So, no worries, really.

If you would prefer a specific way of handling a specific situation, try to bring it up before it occurs in the game in a critical situation.

This is the second time I have prepared for an Elven Western Frontier campaign, and can remember nothing of the materials I made last time right now. If you guys want to bail on this whole thing and be a tribe of Oriental hill svirfneblin, we can do that. This is just the part I have the most prep for, my best sandbox… @ this time 🙂

Look at the 2nd & 3rd choice characters as your spontaneously volunteering henchmen, once you have some fame and a base of operations, or someone you run into on the trail before that, who wants to join the party.

Have clerics
if no clerics, NPCs will join the party, but I won’t be running them.
and they will be weak
Correlon Larthron would be the social power leverage move, but I’m open to a wide range of Deities, or even a collaborative DIY
aka custom build god
maybe bringing a cleric 2nd character would be the alt to being diarist and some other rotating player tasks, like timekeeping or mapping.
sky is NOT a limit

*The, “I know a guy” rule. In the case of a tight place, or a good story idea, if a player can imagine a helpful NPC written into their character’s back story, that can be written in if we can reach an agreement. Or, maybe it becomes an unaligned NPC I had not thought of? It is best not to try to address this during play.