[Information] The Cilsie Guidebook

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The Cilsie Guidebook Greetings friends! This thread is for the sharing and management of general information about Cilsie, its surrounds, and its inhabitants. The DM will also be using it for tracking purposes as events unfold.   https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthread.php?t=228627 Game Name Shivery Times - A Cold Life for Warm Souls Game System DnD 5e Theme Survival in extreme environments, community, comedy, people and resource management. Flavour A hard world with soft moments, and some hard moments too! An exploration of relationships and personalities when nature serves up a freeze. Plot Summary There are some places in the world that even tourists and conquerors won't go... Cilsie is one of them. Huh? Why? Well the reasons are many, but mostly because this place is annoying! Not an annoyance in itself of course, as the local folks are hospitable enough. It's more to do with that ol' balance between effort and reward. No matter what greater world the humble village of Cilsie lies on, there are surely better places to try your hands at building a snowman, strapping on some skis, or just enjoying a taste of snow-covered paradise. Yes, there are places far more appealing to those interested in a change of scenery, than this remote community in the far north of nowhere. For starters, getting to Cilsie is an expedition that only fools might dare! Is it featured on general maps of the northern lands? Nope. Is it a site of sacred significance or historical interest to experts in their field? Nope. Is it a long journey through slippery terrain, desolate forests and calf destroying ranges to climb both up... and down? Sure is! Once the most experienced of explorers ask themselves questions about such a journey, considering the likes of "what will we eat?" and "what happens when we get lost?" the answer is always the same. It's just not worth it! Not even for bragging rights. Indeed, there are far more attractive locations to set off to in the name of adventure. The Troll's caverns of Ooglebog near the lush and wonderous Fairie's Forest. The Mountain of Flames where one might defeat some old Lich and rescue some artifacts of wonderous power. Even Phandelver's mine is still said to host many a bunch of keen explorers. If you're out to make a name for yourself, then Cilsie ain't for you. Cilsie Cilsie is a small village in the very north of the known world. For miles and miles around there exists nothing but pine forests, permafrost arid lands and snowy mountain ranges with glaciers occupying their tops. It is a place where families of fishers and hunters live, people who have learned to make the best of the tough terrain. People who are content in simply going about their lives unambushed by desires to know more, or see much else. Why bother? Everything else is just so very far away... Our Story The locals think they're pretty well adapted to life here, or at least they thought as much until a few days ago! Yes, something is going on. Bad weather kind of goes with the territory, but there's bad weather, and there's arg this is horrible weather. It seems that the latter has kind of set in. It makes sense then that the local community would look to its most... umm, experienced, or affable folks to deal with things. There's going to be a lot to do! Not all heroes need be forged by the fires of Mount Burnytop, or the barbarian wars of Sandsville's Plains. Some heroes are made in far away places, through acts that change the lives of folks who until now, have been forgotten. The Game Welcome! Shivery Times is a story for a group of level 3 characters who can be locals to Cilsie (preferred) or travelers who have through some form of grave misjudgment, found their way here. Characters need to be willing to help the local community, though that may be from the kindness of their hearts or some other less scrupulous motivation. Character relationships and backgrounds will be very important, as we're hoping to get some real depth and fun into Cilsie's flock. The story will feature a few things beyond that of a typical adventure: Community. PC actions will directly impact on morale and the goings-on of various NPCs, not to mention the village's "happiness" at large. Random events. There is an over-aching plot at play, however numerous random happenings will be tossed in for fun, misdirection, and plot advancement. I don't know exactly how the story will unfold. That's up to you, and to be a result of your actions alone. Also, I'll warn you now that as a DM I tend to really adore certain kinds of story and playing style. This may or may not fit your needs! Slice-of-life. Yes, making common activities interesting and fun is something I really enjoy. Not all adventures will be heroic. Some might even be decidedly domestic! Comedy. Although this is a "hard" setting in a formidable location, I'd like us to find ways to share a chuckle and liven things up with some good ol' humor along the way. Not everything in life is serious, and when faced with serious situations, sometimes a little comedy can help our PCs cope. Depth. The depth and complexity of NPCs and world events will often be driven by the depth of the main characters. I'm hoping to find characters who feel real, and have much to say and think about! One or two good-length posts a week is preferable to short ones. I like to know what characters are thinking, feeling, and considering as they react to whatever is going on around them. Characters Starting Level: 3 Sources: Any Official Published. The wise will consider characters that fit snugly into a "cold" setting. Races: Human, Elven, Dwarven and Halfling are preferred, but a couple of stranger folks are welcome to reside here too if you just have to be something else. Stats: 27 Point Buy Applications Upon acceptance there will be some pre-game scheming and setup to do together. Players will need to work as a team to establish inter-PC relationships etc. I'll also need to info-dump quite a bit of setting information for you to read. I think this will be essential for the story's success. As such, rather than assessing a fully-fleshed character, to apply please write: A rough outline for the concept of your character located in Cilsie. Things to cover include your current role in the village, why you've always lived there (or why you traveled there). Your personality, style and quirks are important things too. Although you might be a village nobody, your being level 3 means that you're one of (if not the most) capable folks around! Are you secretly awesome at something? Maybe you've used the quiet life to develop some unusual hobbies... An little explanation of why you'd like to play this game with us. An example of some of your writing (can be a link to pre-existing work on this site, or type something new). Thank you!

Maps & Geography CILSIE VILLAGE: Cilsie is a small village in the very north of the known world. For miles and miles around there exists nothing but pine forests, permafrost arid lands and snowy mountain ranges with glaciers occupying their tops. It is a place where families of fishers and hunters live, people who have learned to make the best of the tough terrain. The small village is surrounded by two small rivers on the west and east side, which join up to form a big river to the south. To the north, mountains rise and so the settlement is well protected by natural borders. Some 70 souls call Hogstad home, mostly fishers, hunters, and people of specific professions, like blacksmiths, cooks and carpenters. Some of these people are skilled with a blade or bow, but defending themselves against big threats was never the reason they chose to live here. The buildings are made from the wood of the pine forests that spread the north of the empire, and are small so that the heat stays efficiently inside. Dirty, wet tarps and planks are placed in front of the entrances and on parts of the walkways, that are dug up between thick snow and ice, which covers the ground. LOCATIONS OF INTEREST: Hunter's Refuge This lodge offers the only form of recreation in the small, isolated village. Owned and run by a human man in his 50s named Bardur. The lodge itself is a long house with a hearth in the middle and several spots with tables, benches, and even just animal furs on the floor, where people can sit and enjoy a warm meal and mead. The food is good here, but the mead unfortunately only acceptable. Cilsie doesn't have many visitors, but the Hunter's Refuge has one room for them nonetheless. It has 3 bunk beds and a fireplace. Finally, at the very back of the long room is a big table where the locals have councils from time to time, when a big decision needs to be taken. Lorgen's Protective Gear Lorgen is a dwarf with long red hair, red braided beard and a weather-worn skin. He is a self-taught blacksmith, who set up a shop to help the locals on their hunting skirmishes. He specializes in protective gear, tools and adventuring gear. Qeyla the Alchemist Qeyla is a female elf with short blonde hair, skin in the shade of pink and carries burn marks on her hands, a result of many years of brewing. She is the local alchemist and her shop is open for locals and passengers alike. Frost Shrine of Alsard There is no temple in Cilsie, just a single shrine in the center of the village. It is dedicated to the god of winter and snow, Alsard. The shrine is small and made of a single stone slab. There are icicles hanging from its edges at all times, and the symbol of Alsard, a snowflake amid a storm, is carved on its surface. During the day, one can see many locals coming and going from the shrine, praying to their god to keep them safe in the harsh conditions they live in. Praying to Alsard on this shrine from time to time is highly recommended.

Important NPCs Some people are going to be the important NPCs in this story... and there may be more added here as the story progresses. Darnel Whiteborn Male human, Neutral Good Personality: Sincere, Slow Talker, Laid Back Darnel is 90 years old and has lived all his life here. He knows the land around the village like no one else, and although he won't travel anywhere anymore, he can be a source of information. The rest of the village has him in high regard and will listen to his advice for matters of survival and scouting. Ragi Olovalur Male elf, Chaotic Neutral Personality: Traditional, Proud, Pushing Ragi hails from the elven land to the east, Nol'Corelthe. He has been a visitor ambassador in Cilsie for 2 months, as he came to build a relationship between the elves and the remote areas of the human empire. He is at the council table because he pushed himself in it, thinking that his experience as a long-living elf is priceless. The locals don't really like him because of his pushy attitude and proud elven heritage, which he brings forward as often as he can. Ingirid Cnutt Female half-elf, Lawful Good Personality: Calm, Soothing, Religious Ingirid is a 145 year-old woman and the local healer. She, as a follower of Alsard, tends to the shrine and the wounded. She is well respected and will often be seen counseling locals about their troubles, even if these troubles don't have to be related to physical healing.

House Rules Hypothermia: Since the adventure plays amid extreme temperatures, hypothermia is a real threat. For every hour the PCs are out in the open, they need to succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, having advantage on it if near a heat source or if they wear protective clothing like furs. Failing means a point of exhaustion. Crafting: Formula: An item to duplicate, or demonstrated familiarity with an item is enough to provide the required formula. Tools: Access to the relevant tools is required. I say access... because borrowing them is always an option. You can always attempt to craft without proficiency in them, but the DM will set a DC, and we'll negotiate which ability check is most relevant. Time Taken: 5GP value of item per day. Cost: Half of value of item in materials, or some clever collecting of relevant materials IC (eg buying and negotiating for them, finding them, upcycling etc). Collaboration: For each additional person helping to craft something, the time taken is divided by the number of workers. The helpers do not need to have the applicable tool proficiency, but need to be able to explain IC how they can assist! This could be carrying materials, emotional support, keeping watch over simple processes, mundane supportive tasks, and other handy things any un-trained assistant might be able to do.

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DM Trackers This is where the DM stores and tracks vital information and stats that may or may not effect the game... hehe. M check starting = 50. Day 7 council meeting = 63. Day 9 ice troll = 66. Food = 1. Timber = 1. Don't be scared by any 0's above, they aren't to be taken literally hehe.

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Updates SHIPPING: Cilsie doesn't have a port, but a small pier with one single ship docked on it. The people use it once or twice per year to sail down the river and onto a distant sea to hunt for whales. This provides them with a lot of the sustenance during the winter months. There are of course many small boats at the pier too, used by local fisherfolks.