[Information] Character Creation and Setting Information

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Lore Lore Introduction In ages past the Elsir Vale region was once a small part of a vast dwarf realm. While these ancient dwarves are long gone, their bridges, cisterns and roads (including the infamous Dawn Way trade route) are still in use today. Tribal humans moved into the area from the east and they were followed by others that began to build the first permanent structures since the dwarves departed. Over time the city of Rhest grew and expanded Elsir Vale into a wealthy kingdom that secured the roads all the way to Dennovar, creating a region ready for trade. Merchants traded with the civilizations south and east of the Vale. The region was a central safe haven and crossroads between societies. Almost 200 years ago, the city of Rhest collapsed under civil strife, monstrous incursions and magical blights. The famous dwarf-built damn (a marvel of mechanical architecture) was breeched, flooding the city of Rhest, creating what is now know as the Lake Rhestin and the Blackfens Marshes. Survivors from this event fled ... some moving on to re-establish themselves in the city of Brindol. Most of the local lords, such as Jarmaath of Brindol, still hold titles derived from the old city-state of Rhest. Elsir Vale lies in the subtropical latitudes. Summers are hot and dry (although punctuated by the occasional intense thunderstorm), and winters are warm and rainy. Large stretches of the area are quite arid, and the vale is flanked by vast savannas stretching for mile after dusty mile. The forests of the vale's northern boundaries are stifling and swelteringly hot in the summertime, with little breath of wind to relieve the oppressive heat. The mountains get cold quickly as one gains in altitude.

Character Creation Character Creation Details: 1. Use the Pathfinder PRD to select race and class 2. No Gunslingers or Psionics. Any non-standard races need prior approval as well. 3. Characters begin play at level 2 (max HP for these first 2 levels) 4. Use 20-point buy to determine ability scores (nothing below 6 or above 18 including racial modifiers to start) 5. All characters start with 500 gp plus whatever is shown for their class on Table 6-1 (CRB) (max out die rolls). Use this amount to purchase starting equipment. You get 1 clothing outfit worth 10 gp or less for free. 6. Select two traits from APG (cannot come from the same category) 7. Pathfinder deities are in play, if you want to use a D&D 3.5 deity, let me know – I’m flexible. Some deities are already included in the adventure (such as Tiamat, Bahamut, etc). 8. No evil alignments! You don’t all have to be goodie-goodies … but the nature of the campaign is to save Elsir Vale from destruction. Your character should have a reason to care and work with others to fight for this goal. 9. All characters gain the Toughness feat for free. You may take it again as your normal allotted feat – it stacks! 10. XP will be earned at the medium rate (on character sheets). Extra goodies will be awarded as they are earned in gameplay NOTE: Please don't forget to make your character sheets public

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Elsir Vale Regions Towns Regional Features and Towns Eslir Vale has a wide variety of terrain, history and culture. Home to many different races - some friendly, some just trying to earn a living. Here is a brief description of key areas:   . Blackfens: Lake Rhestin's eastern shore is hard to define, because the lake gradually gives way to this vast wetland of reeds. Wet, grassy flats are home to many waterfowl and larger, isolated hummocks covered in dense brush and forest. Some areas within the Blackfens are thick like a jungle, where quick growing foliage and untamed wildlife roam free. There are rumors of wild elves known as the Tiri Kitor, who make their homes in this area that was historically the city-state of Rhest. Lizardfolk are known to dwell throughout the Blackfens and can be a danger to travelers, hunters, and whoever else wanders too closely. There are tales of other menacing creatures inhabiting these thick, wooded areas as well. Brindol: One of the largest settlements in the vale, Brindol is a prosperous farming community and caravan stopover located along the Dawn Way on the south bank of the Elsir River. Orchards of apple and pear trees follow the river's winding shores, while broad grain fields and farmlands surround the town for miles in all directions. Brindol is the home of Lord Kerden Jarmaath, and his small keep and the city walls are the only fortification of note this side of Dennovar. They are manned by the Lions of Brindol, an elite guard unit charged with keeping the peace in Brindol and sometimes dispatching throughout the Vale. Dauth: A sleepy little hamlet, home to about 200 people, between the Hammerfist Holds and Brindol. The primary business is farming and brewing mead. Dennovar: Also known as “The Holy City,” it is located on the shores of Lake Ern and is the eastern gateway to the vale. It is the largest city in the vale and ruled by Lady Yisel Bristier, but the Merchant Council and/or the Religious council frequently debate who has the biggest say. The city is also noteworthy for its representations of most faiths in the form of shrines, temples and cathedrals. There is an Arcane University here as well as a center of learning for alchemy and other applied academics. Foreigners most likely entered Elsir Vale through Dennovar, then travel along the Dawn Way to other parts of Elsir Vale. Drellin’s Ferry: The western gateway to the Vale where a dwarf bridge once stood, but is now replaced by a large, horse-drawn ferry. It is the center of trade from the North road and West road, linking commerce joining the Dawn Way route. Dwarf Road: A splitting of the Dawn Way that climbs through the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Very rarely used due to large numbers of goblinoids in the mountains. Elsir River: A broad but quick-moving river that cuts through the Vale. It is fed by several tributaries and averages 200-400 yards width. It can be forded at Elsircross, a wooden bridge spans it at Brindol and there are ferries at Talar and Drellin's Ferry. Typically the river is known to be deep and its depths cannot be easily seen in the fast-flowing water. Great eddies swirl in larger parts of the river and small islands often form only to disappear a week later. There are frequent sightings of strange, unnatural beasts from commonfolk, sometimes spooked by things near the Witchwood. Elsircross: This town, located at a ford over the Elsir River, is known for woodcutting and papermaking. The self-styled (and none-too popular) 'Baron' Hargil Trask and his clan govern here. Giantshield Mountains: Sheltering Elsir Vale from the harsh weather of the Endless Plains, the Giantshields are a low range of arid, well-weathered peaks. The northern slopes are barren, dry, and rocky; home to a dwarves and variety of monsters. The southern slopes are a little more hospitable, covered in light pine forest and cut by the gorges of many small seasonal streams. Some claim to have seen giant reptilian beasts northeast of these mountains, but such rumors are embellished by bards and ale, though few return alive enough from this region to tell their tale. Hammerfist Holds: In the foothills of the Wyvernwatch Mountains this community of dwarves eek out a living mining iron and silver. They are rather insular but sometimes trade with the humans of the Vale, though halflings are more welcome. There are rumors of mithral being mined here as well, but little evidence exists to support this claim. Hillwatch : Primarily populated by shepherds and cattleherds, few visit this dusty flyspeck in the northern Brown Hills and the natives enjoy their peaceful solitude. Lake Rhestin: This shallow, marshy lake stretches almost 100 miles from north to south. Once its shores were dotted with the villages and manors of the old city-state, but they now lie sunken and abandoned. Marth Forest: Climbing the southern foothills of the Giantshield Mountains, Marth Forest is a rugged, wild woodland rarely trodden by human feet except in its southwestern fringes. There are rumors of bandits making their home here, occasionally attacking caravans traveling between Brindol and Dennovar. Marthton: Located in the shadow of the Marth Forest, this town thrives on woodcutting and catering to travelers on the Dawn Way. Nimon Gap: This tiny settlement grew up around a large walled inn known as The Cross-eyed Beholder. Residents make a living trading with caravans and other travelers along the Dawn Way. The town has several orchards and goatherds keep their livestock in the nearby heights of the Nimon Hills. Located between two massive hillsides, split by the Dawn Way – is a perfect choke point used in the past to secure the trade route. Old fortifications still sit along the hillsides, heavily neglected in maintenance. These ruins are more of a traveler’s curiosity than a functional defense now. Still, the term “mind the gap” may have held meaning in a time of conflict and strife when these fortifications were a bit more intimidating. Prosser: A quiet little place most noted as being the home to the retired adventuring band The Six Blades. Red Rock: Rich copper veins in the high foothills of the Giantshield Mountains gave rise to the rough-and-tumble mining town of Red Rock, mostly inhabited by dwarves. The town got its name due to the giant red boulder beside the road at its entrance. Terrelton: A dusty town in the western part of the vale that gets by on livestock and leather trades. Thornwaste: There is very little to attract people to this barren land. Whilst several tribal folk make their homes on the fringes of the land, few are friendly to strangers. One infamous inhabitant said to rule the Thornwaste is 'The Ghostlord', a great ruler of undead that is said to haunt the Vale. Some discount this claim as pure fantasy and instead explain the land’s barren features as what happens when a druid protecting the land goes bad and abandons their principles. Bards spend countless nights tells tales of either the creepy Ghostlord wrecking havoc on unsuspecting travelers or weaving a tale of a druid turned evil and blighting the land. Few travel to investigate the claims for themselves and those that do either find nothing of note or never return. Witchcross: Located at the ford of the Witchstream, this settlement is governed by a council of elders (as several of the tribal folk settled here). Rumors whisper of close ties with a druidic circle said to be the caretakers of Elsir Vale.

Hometown Mechanical Impact Characters may select their hometown ... they gain an innate +5 to knowledge(local) checks concerning that town. Regions such as The Blackfens, Thornwaste, Wyrmsmoke Mountains, the Witchwood, etc are off limits for this bonus.

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Posting Conventions Posting conventions Please use: - Bold Text for speech - Italics for thought - OOC for out of character conversation - A spoiler tag or private text for anything that you wish to direct to a certain person and not the the whole group (including NPCs) - If your character chooses to speak in a language other than common, then indicate it so (and use honor system … if your character doesn’t know that language, then you don’t know what your party member just said) - Please respect spoilers directed to others and do not read them unless you're included. I use these in lieu of private text sometimes - At times, I will post information with a DC and skill type; please only read these spoilers if you pass the check ... again, use the honor system - In combat, I will roll or call for initiatives and then post the order; typically, this will proceed in the following way: -- Those who beat the initiative of the DM controlled characters (aka my mean baddies) -- The DM controlled characters (rare exception, if 2 DM controlled creatures have vastly different initiatives) -- Those who did not beat the initiative of the DM controlled characters -- DM will summarize the round … then repeat - I will attempt to summarize in the order of rolled initiatives, but you may post your action in any order, using the above outline as a guide. The goal is to speed up combat posting without being too artificial. - You may include rolls for attacks or checks in your posts (you may use spoilers, like this text tags, or use the rolling thread and reference the post - whichever you prefer). Just make it easy for me to figure out what your rolls are for. Feel free to edit these posts for descriptive effects, critical hits, etc. (Note: for simplicity and a fun house rule, a Natural 20 is ALWAYS a confirmed crit. The only exception is against a creature that can’t be critically hit, such as a zombie. Any other critical threat must be confirmed as normal.) - Please provide a brief summary at the end of your awesome description covering the mechanical actions of your combat turns (swift action - ? / move action - ? / standard action - ?). I find this helps everyone out. You may hide it with spoilers or use fieldset or any way you like to make the post neat and tidy. - For common enemies, I will present their basic stats and you have the liberty to effectively describe how awesomely amazing your character mutilates the creature – or how miserably you fail. Some I won’t give away … you’ll have to wait until I post to determine if it is a hit or not. I use the Bestiary as a guide, but not all creatures are the exact same, so don’t expect every goblin out there to have exactly 5 hit points, for example. - When you move, be sure to tell me which square you end your movement (most maps will have a coordinate grid to make this easy). I’ll update the battle map in the round summary. - For Attacks of Opportunity, I will generally roll them for you, if provoked, to speed things up (unless you want to pre-roll them … this is ok). I am trying to avoid slowing the game down for this, yet still grant the attacks, when deserved. - I play baddies to their appropriate intellect … a mass of goblins likely won’t be very tactical, so they may be more likely to do stupid things, make mistakes, be vulnerable to AoO’s, etc. A clever evil wizard might fight much smarter and may have taken the time to train some of his minions … it’ll be a much tougher challenge. - Overall, I am routing for your characters, but as we all know ... in this game sometimes player characters do die. If this should happen to you ... your party can pursue the expensive route of attempting reincarnation, resurection, etc. or you may roll up a new character. Typically, I bring in new characters 1 level behind the average party level, but I'll make a final call on that should it happen (let's not find out ... so don't die!).

My Goals as DM 1. Provide a fun and interactive gaming environment in PbP format for an enjoyable experience. 2. Present a few overall plot hooks and general information. The specifics are up to your choices as a party and as individuals. I want to minimize railroading your parties into a specifc outcome while also following the basic overall plot device presented. 3. Provide sub-plots to keep things interesting (I'm willing to incorporate your character's goals and dreams into these subplots). 4. Follow the rules as outlined as much as possible, but not to let them bog things down. There are times I may make a ruling for the interest of moving gameplay forward or the "fun" factor. Rules are guildlines after all. I generally may rulings like this in the player's favor. 5. To see this game though to the end. I am frustrated with some games on this site that die off after a few weeks or so. I am committed to keeping these two games active. Real life events will come up, so pauses can sometimes be expected, however I really want to finish what we start here.

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Enlarged Elsir Vale Map:

 

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