[Information] Background & History

[LeDragon]

Magyar The Magyars are on old matriarchal theocracy. Their goddess, Helenia, stands for fertility, modesty and hard work. She's lawful-neutral. Her favored weapon is the dagger. For hundreds of years, the Magyarian realm only an unimportant diocese - large, densely populated and rich due to its merchants and craftsmen, but politically inactive with few armed forces. Latter mainly guarded the trading routes and the frontiers and hunted pirates. The Magyar soon spread out and settled all over the kingdom and abroad - especially along the trading routes. Their merchant guild is very wealthy and powerful. Before the "Great War" or "Great Rebellion", the Magyar were involved in three major wars: with the elves under queen Teia Kh’ilan against the orcs, with the dwarfish Clan Irontalon against the drow and with the grandfather of dead King Remerel V against the undead Lords. After the latter war, the Magyars become free vassals of the King. When King Remerel V had run out of money for his monument to his grandfather's victory, he imposed taxes on Magyarian temples outside of the Magyarian realm. His soldiers pillage some temples, raping and killing the priestesses. The Magyar immediately declared holy war, surprisingly attacking the royal forces, defeating them within half a year. They had powerful allies as the dwarves of the Clan Irontalon, the elves, the free coastal cities and hired thousands of mercenaries. Since them, the priestesses rule their new empire with an iron fist. There are many rumours outside the empire about the priesthood of Helenia. Most of them deal with orgies, performing undead evil rituals (or similar), graving for a female world domination and finally eating children for lunch ... or breakfast ... or both... depends on the source.

Fewarn "Fharlanghn’s blessing, my friends and welcome to the „Wild Boar”, the second best inn in this small village called Fewarn. We offer cold beer, substantial food and a room with a lock at the door! Of course, there’re other inns in Fewarn, but only the “Wild Boar” offers a hot bath – cheaper if you took the one from the guest before - and our straw beds are magically cleaned from flees and bugs by our village wizard every month… or so. If you visit the bath house of K'hmen Sia at the small market place, so give her regards from Haali the innkeeper – and you’ll get a good discount.” The village of Fewarn is part of the bailiwick Kellstone, one of king Samir IX the hunchbacked’s estates, close to the Nadan Mountains. The reeve is a straight man, who cares well about the trading roads through his bailiwick. He also protects them – especially against toll dodgers. In Fewarn the east-west trading route and the roads to the earldom Winkurt at the bottom of the Nadan Mountains. The inhabitants live well on the many travellers and traders and there are many different cultures, races, religions. Fharlanghn and the farming god Solsee are the main gods and have both shiny temples at the big market place. However, there are also temples and shrines of other gods in side roads. It’s quite and peaceful. The reeve doesn’t like riots and the few troublemakers become fast part of the many road maintenance groups. However, there were some raids of orcs and gnolls on travellers and traders at the road to Winkurt, especially close to Winkurt and cold valley. No-one knows if the raids increase due to the thaw or due to the poor situation in Winkurt. Since the crop failure two years ago, an infestation of mice and rats poured above the earldom which reduces the meagre supplies, too. The priests of Loksnek – notorious for their radical interpretation of their divine rules – pray to the population about the sentence and revenge of Loksnek, about witches and demons. Pogroms of incited believers devastated whole regions and no-one feels safe anymore. Maybe the raids are caused by the Magyar. Ten years ago, the matriarchal theocracy of the Magyar, led by the high priestesses of Helenia, revolted in a short and bloody putsch against the old king Remerel V. Starting as an unimportant diocese of craftsmen and traders, the Magyarian realm rose to a mighty empire today. The old kingdom disappeared together with the old aristocratic families. Everyone who thwarted the usurpers was killed, every army defeated. Since a few years, the Magyar settle in the fertile regions and ore-rich hills west of Winkurt. Fortified villages were founded, soldiers and slave hunters roam the forests and hills for prey. Orcs clan and gnolls tribes are raided, their homes are burnt down and the survivors are enslaved. With the thaw, a migration of the hunted may have started into the already suffering Winkurt.

Realms around or part of the campaign the eastern elven realm with queen Teia Kh’ilan (allied with the Magyar since the orc wars) the dwarfish Clan Irontalon under the close Nadan Mountains (allied with the Magyar since the drow wars) the dwarfish Clan Silverblades north of the Magyarian empire (deadly enemies to the Irontalons and thus to the Magyar, fought in the "Great Rebellion" with King Remerel V but lost) the formerly free coastal cities (allied with the Magyarian empire during the Great Rebellion and under Magyarian "protection") Sultan Hamid Kha'nar of Malasa'hab (~Arabian desert realm) King Thowal Skagenag of the northern Ice Realm powerful Dark Lord Si'thlan (west of the Magyarian empire, suspected to be a lawful-evil necromancer but not yet proven; neutral to the Magyar) Prince Xing Mi Ho of the very eastern empire of the Xing Dynasty

King Thowal Skagenag and the northern Ice Realm It's a Viking Realm named Norstejnlandet ("Stoneland of the North"): long, ice-cold and dark winters without sunrise; snowstorms lasting for days, snowdrifts high as houses (and often, there is a house below!) short cool summers without sunset and a lot of nasty mosquitos the poor population lives mainly close to the rocky coast by fishing, hunting, reindeer breeding and a little farming. They live in wooden longhouses with thatched rooves. Some towns are inland, close to the mountains where ore and precious metal are mined. Around these towns, there are few small hamlets of charcoal burner. But in the thickly wooded forests and the high mountains there are also monsters of nearly every race as ice trolls and snow wolves. Occasional after thaw, hunters find such a hamlet empty - just broken doors, devastated homes, traces of huge claws, fights and blood, everywhere blood. The population is organised in clans with an (often elected) clan chief - an (old) warrior of outstanding merits - and a clan council where all clan chiefs advice the king. Larger clans have many clan chiefs and one spokesman. Latter are powerful men and have great influence at King Thorwal Skagenag's court in Gronholmen. The men of Norstejnlandet are known as great sailors, skilled shipbuilders and good merchants with their famous longships, but are also notorious as fiercy pirates and fearless soldiers. They worship Wothan, a neutral god of war. However, he has strong tendencies to lawful-neutral because hospitality and honourable behaviour as keeping one's word are important requests to every worshipper. His domains are protection, strength and war. His favoured weapon is the waraxe.

Free coastal cities The free coastal cities were an Hanseatic alliance along the west coast of the old Kingdom. They had their own rulers, powerful councils of merchant and shipowner guilds and were partly tax-exempted. When King Remerel tried to rise extra taxes from them, the coastal cities formed a secret alliance with the Magyarian priestesses. During the Great Rebellion, the coastal cities troops ambushed the royal navy which lied at anchor in their harbours. After the war, the Magyars used the internal quarrels and disunity of the coastal alliance to take over the power in these cities. Now, the cities are "protected" by the Magyarian navy and army. However, the control is far weaker than in the rest of the former kingdom and the Magyarian protector has to be regardful of many groups and guilds. Depending on their sailors and shipowners, the cities worship Aquarius, the neutral god of the sea. His temples are colossal and magnificent - far larger and for more magnificent than the Magyarian temples of Helenia (a constant offence to the Magyarian rulers). His domains are air, luck, travel and water. His favoured weapon combination is the trident and the net. The nearest coastal city to Fewarn is Frydenfurt. It is very large and has about one hundred thousand inhabitants (including the surrounding area, but no one really knows) from all over the world and is a colorful melting pot of all races, cultures and religion. It is the home of at least three magic circles. There is an inland port (the river Fryd flows through Frydenfurt), two large sea ports, a naval port of the the mighty southern Magyarian fleet and a huge coastal fortress controlled by the Magyars at the estuary of Fryd.

Saint Mathias Pelor is the as a base for Saint Mathias but he ended up as more of a mix of the two. Saint Mathias Alignment: Lawful Good Domains: Good, Healing, Strength, Travel Values: Humility, Charity, Honesty, Truth, Wisdom Saint Mathias is a very humble and young Diety. (only a couple thousand years of age) Mathias was once a man who traveled the world and eventually ascended into Godhood through his great actions and Virtues. He resides with Saint Cuthbert in the Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia. Due to Saint Mathias humble nature he doesn't have many followers, and enjoys to developing close relationships with the few who learn of him and devote their life to his cause. He is a very strong ally with Saint Cuthbert, and shares many of the same Allies and Enemies that Cuthbert does. Amola was drawn to worship Saint Mathias after reading all he could find on Mathias's human life.

[LeDragon]

Wages:

Untrained workers earn about 1 sp for 10-12 hours of work per day (approx. 50 $).
Normal skilled workers, craftsmen, incl. mercenaries and guards earn about 3 sp for 10-12 hours of work per day (approx. 150 $).

Thus, a payment of 5 sp including board and lodging for a day's work is well paid and probably not negotiable .

Note: please be aware that - in opposite of our modern civilastion - in the Middle Age material costs were high and labour costs very low (the same is in third world countries today).

Loot:

In some mercenary contracts - espacially ones about attacking and conquering - all loot or a at least a good share belongs to the client.

[tilbert]

about Cold Water All Rayka knows about Cold Water is that it is close to the Nadan Mountains. Cold Water lies in Cold Valley, notorious for the steady icy-cold streams of water from the glaciers which cools the shadowy valley the whole year. The province is very poor and barren, ruled more by the greedy priesthood of Loksned than by the weak earl of Winkurt. In spring, many children and teens are sent by their parents as seasonal workers to the lower towns and village to earn their livings. In early spring, traders like Prod Jubnuk pick up them on village markets, negotiating their summer wage and buying trading goods as wood articles, woodcrafts, scrimshaw and woven goods which were made during the long winter.

[LeDragon]

Devil tendril:

The devil tendril – also known as ‘the poor knight’s wall’ – is a cross-breeding of the Assassin vine and a thorny creeper. The tendrils are red with red thorns and the few leaves are green-red. Devil tendrils are immobile and need a dead body of at least small size to be rooted. There, a mother plant starts growing, spreading its thorny tendrils up to 20 to 30 feet around the mother plant (up to 50 feet on fertile grounds). If a creature is entangled and killed by strangulation, the new dead body is buried on the spot and origin for a new mother plant.

By using cadavers, dead criminals or fallen enemies, a fortress can be surrounded by a vast area of devil tendril mother plants. Devil tendrils do not grow in height without support; this is why devil tendrils are normally planted together with dense thorn bushes which offer both camouflage and trellises.

A normal devil tendril can entangle and kill even large creatures and slow down huge ones, but well-fed devil tendrils were also reported to kill even huge creatures. However, devil tendrils do only protect against surprise attacks. In a siege, they are nearly useless. Clearing a field of devil tendrils with fire, axe and machete is hard work, but not impossible. The result is just a matter of time, manpower and the defenders’ shooting accuracy.

[LeDragon]

Information about the main persons in Cold value:

• Saiga Kutha Bolap: the female elven owner of the the owner of the caravansary, also known as "the witch", arrested.
• Darin Bolap: half-elven son of Saiga, missing on his way to the Magyar hamlet or killed by his mother
• Lai Bolap: half-elven daughter of Saiga, disappeared, is said to continue the evil work of her mother
• Gillorn Wilms: human, proxy of Saiga, showed the evil evidences to the others
• Worak Remerel: the secretary of Saiga, was witness of the discovery
• Tharivol Galanodel: human priest of Loksnek, mightiest person in this village, prosecutor and judge in one person, was witness of the discovery
• Ron Deshret: human mayor of the town, was witness of the discovery
• Marrab Tashel: human secretary, was witness of the discovery and request an official trial
• Tsilin: chief of the village guard
• Cian Jab: innkeeper of the Dancing Goat
• Areta: his room maiden

[LeDragon]

Yellow squid plant:

The yellow squid plants are named after their many tentacles which the plant uses to catch insects and tiny animals that are attracted by the strong rotten smell. The surrounding plants die by the toxin that is distributed through the roots. The plant is immobile but harmful. The plants swallow their prey usually as one piece. The tentacles are also able to entangle small creatures and even weak medium ones although the plant is not able to swallow them. Nevertheless, the plant tries to swallow its prey by squeezing it or removing unwieldy parts (like arms, legs or heads) - a quite unpleasant experience for the victim. If the plant fails after several tries, the plant let its victim go.


Violet luminous fungus:

A harmless underground plant that grows in dark, humid caves and dungeons. It glows in the dark to attracted animals and monsters. The outside is edible. If a creature eats from the fungus, it emits a cloud of sticky spores that covers the 'attacker'. The creature carries the spore away and distributes them when touching plants, walls or other animals. If the creature cleans itself by licking the spores, the spores even survive the digestive system and get a very fertile start.

[LeDragon]

Here's the map of the region where you are traveling. I only added the location you visited or know.