Seeing as my group will be soon (probably!) seeing Windmere, I figured I could get back to a bit more world building. While I am actually getting to play, the GM has introduced several characters and a guild into the shared world we're building. And I thought, hey, I can add a guild (and pretty sure I have a book on guilds eventually showing up as I seem to collect world building books!).
Previous posts to Windmere are here:
- https://traveller-ct.blogspot.com/2020/11/world-building-windemere-crossing.html
- https://traveller-ct.blogspot.com/2020/12/windemere-crossing-people-and-keyed-map.html
- additional characters generated that may be found there:
I realize that I also tend to the optimistic and hopeful view of my fantasy worlds, and that for there to be something for the players to do, there also needs to be some darker undertones. This is a trading post town, built on the ruins of an older fort for the lost city of Tuvano to the north over the mountains (this is described in the Fantasy Trip Adventures volume 1; leaving breadcrumbs for my players so we can eventually get to play that adventure).
The Sea Elf pirates have taken over the town (really mostly half-Elves at the Silver Pirate tavern). It is surrounded by a couple of kingdoms that have not been defined but may be at the brink of war. We have a rare raid from Ogres to the west. We also, being on a trade route, get a lot of traffic through the town. And an occasional trapper from the south, bearing furs as well as rumors of things that happen up in those peaks to the south of Windmere.
And not all traders are the good kind: perhaps there are slave traders (generally outlawed in my world, but could be some places allow slaves and you have to get them from somewhere [and adventure hooks]), animal traders, fur traders trading in furs from intelligent beings such as the Taer (see TFT Old School Monsters). And even good merchants may hire guards that tend to get rowdy and boisterous.
Built on the ruins of a guard post, there may well be some secret underground tunnels and treasure vaults. And the remains of battle long ago in the desert to the north or along the trade routes. So lets throw a few more things into Windmere.
First, I think there should be a small mercenary guild here. They offer protection services to the various caravans that pass through. In fact, the group's guide (which I never actually figured out much but used a card from the TFT Deck, so will expand on her background a bit here, along with the Guild of Feathered Guards.
Sonji Tho of the Aster Clan
ST: 10
DX: 16 (15)
IQ: 9
MA: 10
Weapons
Small bow (1d-1)
Saber (2d-2)
Dagger (1d-1)
Cloth Armor (1)
Talents
Bow
Sword
Area Knowledge (Kalor Desert)
Alertness
Missile Wpn x2
Hailing from the desert Aster Clan, Sonji grew up in the Kalor Desert, learning the ins and outs of living in the desert. Her clan wiped out by a roving ogre raiding party, she moved to Windmere. Knowing little else, she offered her services as a guide through the desert. Eventually she joined the Guild of Feathered Guards, giving part of her fees for guild membership, but also getting a place to stay when in Windmere. She usually takes groups along the Trail of Lost hopes that winds through the desert, passing through Ceawla on the way to the Elemental City of Athukthad . Ceawla posts: here, here, and here. Maybe I need to add an index to the blog. She is taciturn, does not talk about her past, but is quick to defend her charges. She can also shoot her bow twice per combat round with astounding accuracy. Between the high DX and the missile weapon skill, she only misses on critical fails for targets in range.
Guild of Feathered Guards
Named for their skills with the bow, the Guild is a small mercenary guild based in Edge City. It has small guild halls throughout this area of Cidri, including repurposing the old barracks in Windmere. The Guild offers services for guarding and guiding trade caravans or adventure groups. Rates are generally 1 gold per day per guard, but may vary based on the route and hazards. For those going along the Trail of Lost Hopes through the desert, usually 1 guard/guide is sufficient for the 3 day journey from Windmere to Ceawla, and the additional 2 days north to the Elemental City. They may charge an additional hazard pay if the group does something dangerous against the protestations of the guards. The guards keep half of the fee, the rest going into the guild coffers.
The guild is considered honorable for those who know about them. There presence is mostly in towns or cities that have a trade route passing nearby. They rarely use magic users, though they are not averse to using magical items. A favored magical device is the Quiver of Replenishment (p 159) that more senior members may have, along with a +1 DX arrow.
The trademark bows of the guards are carved with a feather along the shaft. The number of feathers indicates the rank of the guild member. Ranks are also indicative of the missile skill up to 3; above that it indicates a higher rank as missile skill is only allowed to go to 3:
- Recruit - no feather. Always part of a larger group.
- Member - one feather. May be solo on easier duties, part of a larger group for more dangerous journeys
- Sargent - two feathers. May be solo for minor and easy trips, or in charge of 1 or more other members up to 7 for more dangerous journeys
- Leader - three feathers. Can lead a few groups, generally in charge of the local guild hall
- Guild Leader - four feathers. In charge of all the guild halls, and generally does not leave Edge City unless needed. The Guild Leader only stays in power for 8 years, then steps down. Rarely has a previous Guild Leader rotated back into that position.
Every 8 years, those who wish to become Guild Leader travel to Edge City. An archery contest, as well as a review of the applicants previous years of duty, are used to determine who becomes Guild Leader for the next 8 years. All guild halls have an archery range as well as fletching and bow making materials. However, they will often purchase bows from reputable crafters if they do not have their own bow mater. In Windmere, they will often get the Goblin merchant Jesp Zrag to procure good bows and arrows. They get a bit of a discount due to volume trading with the diminutive trader. Often the discount is increased if they parley information about the trade routes and their customers. Dugal Corbett, the local Guild Master, allows this to get better rates.
In Windmere, the Guild of Feathered Guards has been revitalizing the barracks at the east gates. They keep their riding animals at Lurbuk's stables outside the eastern gates so that they are nearby. While the barracks does have some stable space, it has fallen into disrepair and not yet rebuilt. Rennor often stops by the Guild House, but she is more interested in the small town guard than in becoming a Guild member. They also pay a small tithe to the half-Elves running the town, and members can often be found at the Silver Pirate tavern, looking to see who may need guarding.
orange 24 for the Guild of the Feathered Guards
Rumors
And of course, there should always be rumors. I have plopped down several other Kickstarter settings around Windmere. to the south, across the mountains, is the lost city of Tuvano. Getting there though means getting through the mountains, which have their own set of perils, such as sasquatch from the Wampus Forest. Below Tuvano are the Yol'Najj ranges and all that. Or if they skip that, I'll come up with things that go east or west of Windmere.
Rumors would be like:
- there are hidden catacombs below the city. And Jesp's store is sitting on the entrance!
- the raiding Orcs are related to Lurbuk
- trappers have gone missing in the mountains
- there's a sandworm in that desert!
- there are buried temples in the Kalor Desert just waiting to be plundered
- a lamia is stealing children at night
- the Silver Pirate has a portal to the sea in the back room - can't you smell the sea salt and hear sea gulls?
- a battle almost a century ago between armies has left a stash of magical weapons on the eastern route. I have a map...
I have several PDFs of rumors. I need to go through those (and the various city encounter books/PDFs I have) to see what will go there. I also need to update the "index" page for Windmere to have a centralized location to find everything.
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