Corsairs 2025 Session 1

I am going to have to get a name for this adventure/campaign so that I can tag it better.

Our 4 characters are eating at Brown Betty's, a small tavern on Trading Outpost 412. Our cast consists of:

• Captain Richard Penny
• Quarternaster Batrina
• Sail Master Lionel "Leo" Villanueva
• Gun Master Henry Vanlewen

While eating pastries (I actually made some so integrated that into the story, though I'll have to go back to my pumpkin bread as not everyone likes apple fillings. Or chocolate. Or are lactose intolerant. Not only is adulting hard, but feeding people is hard too!) But I again digress.

Smitty, 3rd mate of the Windrazer comes into the pub and whispers in the captain's ear that the Windrider, the ship they have been following, has left the floating island and is making its way back to the Alderin Empire. Taking leave of the tavern, Henry manages to steal 2 of the pastries that Leo took from the tavern. He and Leo have a past and as such, a cursed relationship. But the roll was successful, though I do need to re-read those rules again!

On board the Windrazor, the crew launches from Trading Post 412 and sets sail across the skies to give chase. The first roll was only so-so, but the Captain gave a rousing speech and Leo, the Sail Master, made a much better roll as they catch up to the Windrider and manage to get a broadside of canon fire. Which the Gun Master managed not a single hit, blowing the rolls (in this game, you roll the number of dice based on your stat and skill, and a 4+ is a success. As this is ship to ship, the other ship also makes a sailing roll, and those successes are subtracted from his successes to yield a draft which tells you how well you did. Or in this case, how badly. Henry blamed the seagulls flying and attacking the pastries in his bag). 

In the 2nd turn the 1st ship failed its sailing roll, but Henry got off a good broadside, shattering the rudder and one of the lift lugs (which keep the ships floating in the air). They prepare to board, the captain giving another rousing speech and promising a much bigger reward. The crew threw grappling lines and commenced boarding actions. Leo stays on deck to manage the ship, and Henry almost misses the leap, hanging on to the rails as Batrina pulls him aboard. One of the pastries falls out, and Tibs, Leo's dragonette, snatches it midair and returns to Leo's shoulder, dropping crumbs. Leo is not sure where the beast managed to get a pastry. The Quartermaster lets it be known that no one is to pillage the hold without her being there to count the coin. She is stern but fair. Though it may have seemed she was particularly watching Henry as she said this. 

While the crews fight (and it went badly for the Windrazor - they lost 13 of the crew and the Windrider did not lost any based on some abstract rolls), the captain, Batrina and Henry make it to Captain Spalding "One-Eye" Blackwood's cabin, a cowering cabin boy hanging on as the ship is listing to port from the missing lift lug. "One-Eye" Blackwood, hands clasped behind his back, wearing the colors of the Trenner Trade Guild of crimson and amber, has a stern visage as the trio burst through the door Captain Penny, sword out, asks him to surrender. Knowing his ship is too damaged to go on without repairs, Spaulding gives his parole. Going out on deck, a few shouts later and the crew of the Windrider stands down. 

As the ships surgeons take care of the living, Henry and Batrina head to the holds to assess the booty, There is a good amount of treasure, including a few crates of illegally mined repellium, a case of two of gems, several barrels of varying size of wines and drink. There are also chains and shackles - the ship has been used for transporting slaves as well. He manages to snag a smaller barrel of wine and presents it to Batrina personally, hoping to get on her good side I warrant. The chains and manacles went overboard (and hopefully no one was far below on the surface!).  Henry also gets the ship's flag and presents it to the captain (I think it went to the captain. But they now have a crimson and amber flag from the Trenner Trade Guild (and a new enemy, and a +1 to their ship's reputation once word gets out. Which it will once the crew is making the rounds at port)

As the ship is listing badly to port, it's rudder destroyed, Captain Penny asks for any crew who may wish to join the Windrazor. Six decide to change ship (and I'll need to track factions for the 30-odd crew members now as we've a mixed crew. I was being nice (yes, it does happen) and their current crew are all "jaunty" meaning they like the captain and leaders and will attempt to help them when they can). This also leaves the ship about half a dozen short, so they may have to see about recruiting more crew. That may be part of a session, unless more drunken sailors end up as did Leo and his friend and fall asleep on the wrong ship.

Leaving only enough water and bare rations for the Windrider to get to the trading post, the Windrazor takes a more circuitous route to avoid letting the Alderin Empire's ship know where they are heading, though the trading post is well within spyglass site of the ship. Docking, they head to Embassy Row and find the Repencarres Domain embassy. The guard does not let them pass until they show their letter of marque. As that is above his paygrade, he takes them to Henry, the secretary (and yes, we have 3 Henrys - on PC's first name, another's middle name, and n ow the secretary. I must have had Henry on the brain when I blurted that out). A thin, bespectacled man behind a large pile of papers, looks up, and upon closer inspection of the letter, sees if the Factor for the Domain is available. She is, and the enter Lady Adrienne Pennyworth's office. A bookcase on one side, a large map of the nearby islands and empires on the other, and a broad, hardwood desk from which a tall woman stands up.

Offered tea, Henry accepts Alderin brandy. There is some conversation, but no new orders other than a reminder that while the empires are not at war, it is a cold war state of affairs. And as a privateer of the Domain, they are also on the lookout for information that could be useful. While slavery is legal in the Alderil Empire, it is outlawed in most other places. Captain Penny leaves a book with the Domain's agent, and tips Henry the secretary a gold Alderil coin (taken from the Windchaser). 

They also store the cargo in a secured warehouse. 

At this point we closed the game, with the general plan to revisit that island as among the things taken from the ship were also the maps. They have a good idea of where the mines will be, and they plan on seeing if there are slaves in that illegal mine. And look to see if they can register the mine possibly - the rules of acquisition for mines are yet to be figured out!

Political world

Repencarres Domain

Our characters are part of the Repencarres Domain, a cluster of several dozen large (some as large as New Zealand) floating islands west of the much larger Alderil Empire. It is more a republic, led by an elected council. Though only landed personages can hold a seat on the council. 

the cerulean and copper of the Repencarres Domain

Alderil Empire

Controlling the eastern part of the world, the Alderil Empire is ruled by His Royal King Philip D’Orzia the 4th. Havingover 4 million inhabitants, the Alderil Empire is the largest of the local governments and has the largest fleet of ships in the known world. Always wanting to expand his borders, the King often sends out convoys with armed ships to plunder other islands of both people and the repellium that keeps the islands afloat. Many smaller islands at the borders are starting to drop below 500 meters. When that happens, the lower flying creatures have access, and the island gets picked bare from those ferocious creatures. The Alderil Empire is no stranger to slavery and has been known to enslave various people to work in the mines on both islands and the world below.

the Blue and Gold of the Alderil Empire

Roche Empire

Much further to the west, the Roche Empire is what Traveller would call a charismatic dictatorship. While the Roche Empire is centuries old, it is ruled by an ever-shifting set of families. Currently, His Lordship Abdul Waahid el-Saber is ruling the Thousand Island Kingdom. Though no knows if there really are a thousand islands in the Roche Empire, they tend towards romantic phrasing. Great works of literature and architecture are the hallmarks of the Roche Empire. 

Red and Green of the Roche Empire

Latnian States

A loose confederation of islands north of the Roche Empire with a neutral zone of almost a hundred miles between the political bodies, The Latnian States are made up of several dozen groups of islands. Rand is based mostly on the number of islands. A forum of 15 makes up the ruling body, each coming from the top 15 groups of islands. There is a 16th Forum of the remaining island groups, some which are mere village on a small island but they do not have voting rights. 

Silver and Green of the Latnian States

Free Islands

Many islands are not part of any political group. While some can be quite large, such as Tebou, they remain unaffiliated. Usually too far from one of the empires to be able to maintain any sort of security. 

Coinage

Each Kingdom also has its own coin. Trying to keep that straight so that it may be something useful later. The islands that are not associated with political groups tend to take anything. As with most fantasy games, there are the usual 3 categories - copper, silver and gold. I'll have to think if I want to put in currency valuations so that one currency may be more than another. While I like that level of detail it adds a bit too much to deal with at the moment.

Alderil has the one with stars cut out in some of the coins (far right), the Roche Empire has the shiny ones (bottom left), Latnian States (upper left) has the science fiction ones (and there may be a reason!) and the Repencarres Domain uses those forged coins. Coins from 3 different companies via Kickstarter. 

Trade Guilds

There are several trade guilds. Most belong to one political group or another and abide by laws of their country. Some may get large enough to ignore some the laws. A large guild, the Trenner Trade Guild has almost 50 ships, including the now wounded Windrunner.

Crimson and Amber of the Trenner Trade Guild

Spires

So far no Spires have been visited. 

Trade Stations

There are many floating trade stations, as well as stations on islands. Unlike the Spires created by the Creators in the last time before, trade stations are much smaller and made by trade guilds or independents. They are in the spaces between empires and often offer a neutral space for trade. Trading Station 412 is owned by Agustus Rosenthal, an "extremely well-off businessman". He has his fingers in a lot of places and owns several trade stations as well as a small militia. He names his trade stations on a military manner: the 4 indicates the size as this is one of the larger stations he has, 12 is the cardinal position in his "map of stations". It is a well-run station, and home of the Brown Betty Tavern. Who does not trust people who do not like her pastries.

Letter of Marque

By Decree of the Sovereign Council of the Repencarres Domain Sanction of the Azure Seal

Let it be known throughout the vaulting skies and upon the windswept currents of the Aetherbound Expanse that:

Captain Richard Penny, commanding officer of the vessel Windrazer, being of sound reputation and possessed of navigational valor, is hereby granted full Letters of Marque and Reprisal under the authority of the High Throne of Repencarres Domain.

This document empowers Captain Virellian and their crew to engage in offensive and defensive action, including boarding, seizure, and repatriation of vessels bearing the flags of hostile or non-recognized nations—chiefly the Corsair States of Mur Thalor and the Celestial Compact of Varn.

In accordance with this grant, the following conditions apply:

• The Windrazer shall fly the indigo and silver pennant of Repencarres at all times during commissioned actions.
• 
  
• No harm shall befall innocents, non-combatant vessels, or the sacred convoys of the Cloud Monks of Aeyva.
• 
  
• All seized cargo, relics, and enemy manifests shall be reported and tithed at ten percent to the Royal Air Docks upon return.

Violations of this charter will result in revocation, pursuit by the Winged Watch, and condemnation as sky-born brigands.

Affixed this 17th Day of Skylance, in the Third Cycle of Driftwinds, under seal and flame.

✹ High Chancellor Aeriona Vell By hand of the Scrollkeeper of Rimebarrow Hall

Cast of Characters

Big Betty, owner of the Brown Betty. A large woman who makes pastries, she also has a good selection of meats from a variety of places, including the von Meyer Meat Vattery out of Dulcet Spire. Brown Betty are her sweetcakes - a bread infused with the most tender mutton anyone has ever had. 

Smitty, 3rd mate of the Windrazor. A small, quick man, Smitty has been with Captain Penny for almost two years now. 

Vendel is the Windrazor's 2nd mate and normally sleeps during the day and runs the night shift. She is a quiet woman that people tend to overlook until she starts giving orders. For a small woman she has quite the penetrating voice. 

Henry, secretary at the Repencarres Domain Embassy on Trade Station 412.

Lady Addrienne Pennyworth, Repencarres Domain Factor of Trade Station 412.

Character Challenge 5: Space Gits

I'm going to be running a short 2-3 session game of Space Gits. While I really wanted to get a shared universe at the start, so far my approach to this has not worked. One of these years it will, though I am hoping that we'll get other game masters in this universe, and they will add their spin on things.

And yes, Swift is in this post as well! I like my challenge in a challenge. This is also a bit of world building, and I need to make notes in my Space Gits notes about what I've added here.

Space Gits was updated and greatly expanded the basic concept of the game. Gone is the initial Suicide Squad feel as they move into the greater universe. The setting now has other stars and more aliens. I personally feel it loses a good bit of its charm by doing this and becomes more sandbox environment. And yes, I do like sandboxes (hello Classic Traveller!) some games I think do better by remaining small. This setup would work equally well as a Traveller adventure, I think.

Anyway - I have a basic premise set up for the players:

Jupiter Mining Station Ormstom class XM-J-832 is run by the Frii Gas Consortium. Your mercenary team has been hired by EarthGuard (an Earth planetary NGO that tries to protect human culture according to their charter) to locate a Valchet gas probe that has been recovered by the miners. The Valchet want it back, the miners want it off the platform so they won’t get in the middle of anything. And rumors are the Scritch have infiltrated the platform and are also looking for it.

Your job, should you choose to accept it, will pay 100,000Cr. You are to go to station XM-J-832, retrieve the object, and return to Moon Base Epsilon to hand it over to EarthGuard for proper disposal.

  And I need the person who will present this offer, and perhaps go with the group to oversee things. Thinking of one of the earlier Alien movies with that guy from the corporation sort of vibe. And while my character will share the name and face of Carter Burke (and I had to look that up as it has been a long time since I saw that movie!) he has a different background.

In Space Gits, you start out with a 10 in each of your stats, but each species has a few things. Humans get +1 to Health and Intelligence, as well as +1 to Commerce, Drive and Knowledge skills.

Starting stats:

• Strength STR 10 - measure of physical power for lifting, climbing, etc
• Coordination COOR 10 - measure of agility and movement, stealth, etc
• Health HTH 11 - measure of physical well-being for wounds, resistance, and healing rates
• Intelligence INT 11 - measure of knowledge and reasoning
• Will WILL 10 - measure of mental strength for courage, mental resistance and grit rolls
• Personality PERS 10 - measure of your Gits demeaner and charisma

Interestingly, a few of the careers you cannot start out in as the prerequisites are often 11 or 12. However, military intelligence is open to humans. 

Coming from the wastelands of Earth, Carter Burke enlisted in military intelligence. 

Term 1 (18-22 year) Military Intelligence

Basic training increased his STR+1 to 11, and he picks up Investigation +1 and another Knowledge skill for Knowledge +2 and learns his Tradecraft +1 (the ability to read lips, follow people, and know when people are following you. Your classic spy skills. In watching people, Carter picks up a talent:  Aliens +1 (seems fitting and actually what I rolled!)

I also switched the stat from COOR to STR as I want him to be a scientist, so a bit of fudging. 

Term 2 (23-26) Scientist

Switching to the science background because Carter wants to help Earth recover, and after seeing that alien technology may be the key to speeding up that process he needs to know more. He improves his COOR to 11 and an honest roll for Technology+1. And due to a minor lab accident, he gets an upgrade: a cybernetic eye. He also learns First Aid+1, Reasearch+1.

Term 3 (27-30) Scientist

Persevering, Carter increases his WILL +1 and learns about Geology+1. He also specializes in Xenology now (available after a 2nd term in the same career) and gains another Reasrch+2i. He gains another upgrade, this time getting aqualungs. 

At this point the character is about the right age for matching Paul Reiser at the time (give or take, I am horrible at guessing ages. Though guess I could Google that...)

Carter Burke's research has been on the behalf of EarthGuard, a human organization to protect human culture and recover Earth's past glory. He is part of the Swift Technologies Group, the research arm of Earthguard. Upon hearing that the Valchet gas probe has been recovered at Jupiter and thinking that the technology it has may be used to help clean Earth's polluted atmosphere, Carter is the lead science officer and will accompany the mercenaries on their trip to safeguard the recovery of the probe. He carries no weapons but is borderline zealot when it comes to protecting Earth. He is also mildly xenophobic and will not be kind to aliens and thinks they are lesser creatures. 

And wish I knew where I found this so I could credit the artist!

Jupiter Mining Station Ormstom class XM-J-832

Also, cigar boxes make good magazine holders. I don't smoke but apparently you can get cigar boxes from cigar stores for free (at least my sister did and sent me a few). These are bamboo or balsa or some sort of light wood. I've a few more, just need to figure out what to do with them. But I do like storage options!

Character Challenge

Day 1: Halfling Heartsinger

Day 2: Classic Traveller Noble

Day 3: Halfling Reeve

Day 4: Arcane Bard

Logton, God Of Healing

As one of the player characters, Violet Applewing, was almost killed in our last session (2 weeks ago now, and while we were supposed to play today, we had some issues so having to play next week). TFT is of course not like modern D&D: sleep and you are magically and completely healed (and no, not really sure that is the case but to me WOTC have really nerfed the actual game so that everyone essentially plays superheroes. But again, I digress...)

And so. I've been working on a few other things, including trying to finish some painting and working on NPCs that may help.

WIP but so close on a couple!

I'm going to try and bring up my homebrew rules I first outlined in this post. To do so, I've also come up with the God of Healing, Logton. And no, not a part of my original pantheon from way back when. I view that as an idea or starting point, not a straitjacket! However - Logton is one of the many offspring of Tionna, who, like Zeus, seems to have a wandering eye. 

Sister Ishbarra is a cleric of Logton. She is a red-robed woman, carrying a shield and hammer or mace. The mace has a symbol of a base crescent with a mace and a constellation of the Lamb. She has taken a vow of silence but does carry a slate and chalk (and I carry a small whiteboard with a dry erase pen if I can find it for the next game session!). She does use CSL (Common Sign Language) which of course, none of the players know. Especially as I just made that up as I write this. But it is now a thing in my world. She is always healing people when she can, though this can be at some cost to her as per the magic rules I came up with. Her mace is blessed, and so will do damage against magical creatures normally immune, such as demons. Which may also come in handy soon...and for me, the advantage of playing an NPC character with a vow of silence is I don't have to talk! As someone who can barely speak coherently far too often, trying to make distinct accents or voices for NPCs strains my already laboring ability to speak!

Sister Ishbarra

And yes, I wrapped her description around a mini I already had, and even painted. As in painted a couple years ago or more! But at least I am finally using it! I have a feeling she and Erirderlun Earthfury are on the same trail to Bresselwythe. And sadly, though Sister Ishbarra is silent, I feel Eirderlun is a talker. Mostly talking to his goat Genny but will talk to anyone. Ahh, but in re-reading:

While quiet until his 4th mug of ale, Erirderlun is quite knowledgeable and seems to be able to get along with just about anyone with a perfect phrase and has been known to de-escalate tense situations so he would not have to use his healing arts

My group seems to think all Dwarves have a Scottish accent. At least every single Dwarf they play has such an accent. I may try something entirely different, though doubt I'll be able to pull anything off. 

But while I am here, let's see about getting some additional info for our newest god in the pantheon! And dive again into the Lesser Key To The Celestial Legion! 

Logton, God of Healing

Logton, a child of Tionna the God of All Living Things and a mortal woman, is known as the God of Healing. His mother died during childbirth, and Logton grew up as a human, not knowing his celestial origins. He was also mute, never even crying as a baby. It was not until his 25th year when, seeing a child hurt from being hit by a wagon, that his celestial background awakened: holding the child, ethereal wings spread from his back, and the child was healed in a blaze of light. Knowledge of his father seemed to burst into his head and memory, and since then he has been prayed to and places of worship sprung up all over Cidri. His clerics often take a vow of silence. mimicking their god's mute appearance. 

Another AI drawing

His symbol is a crescent moon with a hammer and the Lamb constellation as the background. Often it is very ornately drawn or engraved, sometimes a few lines. 

Yeah, looks a lot like Sailor Moon was here...

His herald is roughly humanoid, and generally about 4' tall but with regular proportions. The herald appears to be made out of smoke. The smoke itself is of an orange hue with spirals in constant motion.  The herald's eyes seem to have 2 pupils, has smokey wings that mimic Logton's wings. The herald's incarnation is from a large egg that drops from the sky, cracking open to reveal the 4' smoky herald. And water within 60 feet freezes over, though it does not feel cold to anyone in that range. The is also, despite the freezing water, the smell of fresh rain. 

Bresselwythe - a small village that raises goats

At the end of the last TFT session, they had rescued poor Clyde, who was about to be a sacrifice to Indhyna. The cult surrounding this demon is outlined in this post, but looking forward to what is to come I needed the village where Clyde is from. 

Starting with the time-sink site from Watabou I ended up with this village (and that site lets us rename and mess with those maps, so a great resource. I did "buy a cup of coffee" once for the creator, maybe I should do so again! Or join his patron. But I digress.)

Then I drag out the Spectacular Settlements and roll on a few tables to get the following info:

Age: Old, almost 70 years now

Hardships: Victims of war 30 years ago, which is why the wooden palisade is in place. More recently, young men have started to go missing.

Size: Small, about 20 buildings

Condition: Immaculate. The buildings are well-crafted and cared for, palisade almost gleams.

Specialty: Goats. There are a lot of goats in the surrounding fields. There is a shearing shed, fodder storage, a barn, a small stall and shop that other villages will trade at. Recently some goats have started going missing.

Population: Sparse, with a noticeable paucity of young men. 60% human, 40% goblins. All are very friendly

Law Enforcement: Disorganized rabble

Leadership: none

Crime: Uncommon (it is a small town). Though travelers may have a higher chance of something.

Places of worship: 1, an oratory in a glade outside of town. A small, wicker background and 3 stone benches in front. They pray to Tonna. Tonna's holy symbol sits on a trapezoid base and depicts a field of grain under the stars, usually carved in bone or ivory when near the sea. The grain is to feed the animals, and the stars represent Tonna herself. Most clerics or druids wear a modest robe during ceremonies, with ribbons adorning their hair. Reading from the sacred texts is accompanied by percussion and acapella singing. Mead is often poured out as a sacrifice. The ribbons are often knotted, which is also how messages and doctrines are passed along (part of the Druid's cant for Tonna is being able to read and write using the knotted ribbons). 

Places of Gathering: 1 large outdoor field where they have goat races, children and goblins racing one another.

Superstition: ivy over the lintel means no harm will come to those who come inside.

Additional: alchemist Ezmirylda Rixile: Soft-spoken and frail-looking, Ezmirylda is a skilled alchemist and poison maker. In her youth, the halfling traveled widely, making her living as an apothecary and discreetly selling poisons. While able to stay ahead of consequences from her nefarious trade, she eventually tired of constant travel, and decided to settle down in an unsuspecting community in need of an apothecary.

Since opening her shop, Ezmirylda has stopped selling poisons, so as not to be discovered, but she hasn’t stopped experimenting and trying to improve her potions and medicines. This does mean that sometimes the local populace becomes reluctant test subjects, but most of the settlement tolerates this because her treatments do work, even if they are a strange color.

She has also gotten good at goat doctoring since settling in Bresselwythe.

General Notes:

· The sounds of goats bleating can be heard a good distance away.

· Coming into town you will probably pass a herd or two of goats if daytime. More often than not children and goblins.

· Trade with several neighboring towns

The alchemist came from the same Spectacular Settlements book. There are sample settlements in there, but I just like rolling dice. But there is enough to go there, though I need a few more NPCs:

• Clyde's parents, Johann and Juli Smeigmeister, an older couple who despair of Clyde finding a wife and getting grandchildren. Those goats won't take care of themselves. They may look to the 2 female adventurers in the group as potential mates for their not-too-bright child.
• Ceteern Gur, goblin. Grumpy and has the largest flock of goats. Trades often with the neighboring towns and is probably the richest inhabitant. He has the only 2 story house in the village, and probably the only space for the group if they want to stay in a single place, assuming they stay.
• Lots of children who tend to ride goats. 
• lots of goats, some friendly, several not so much to strangers

I also have a few things that are affecting them, so may erase that war issue, though it was in the last generation. They are missing goats as well as young men, and I seem to have an overabundance of harpy miniatures for some reason...

WIP. And yes, even a harpy may be a blond!

And some notes in the Fantasy Trip Bestiary:

And while never 100% prepared, I think I have enough stuff to cover the 3-5 hours we play on Saturdays. I've got 1 pre-determined encounter, an interesting NPC I have in my head but need to write down all the things (some are but not enough) so I can play her readily, another probable encounter, then at least 1 potential side-quest for the village as those harpies aren't going to take care of themselves...and this group is pretty good at role-playing. And I have the minis I need ready to go this time - so hopefully no panic searching this time! Though I do need to set aside my box of "tavern" minis as they will suffice for town folk as well.

Though we cannot forget the main quest from Edge City: to Stubboon's Final Stand to get the Orc Fist before anyone else does. Especially the Indhyna League, who so far unbeknown to the group, is a cult around a demoness. Though they may find out this weekend!

Stubboon's Folly

More than 40 years ago I started drawing maps for fun, mostly to give lands to the minis I kept getting despite not actually playing RPGs. Here is the digital map of one of those larger areas (and sadly, I did this in Campaign Cartographer but somehow lost some of the connections/links when I moved the software, so will have to redo it at some point).

You will see that coming from the Spine Mountains to the north there are two routes, the Reach Route and Stubboon's Shortcut. At the time I was thinking a trader trying to cut weeks off the travel time from the undefined northern reaches to Edge City (also known as End City). 

So herein is the Tale of the Trader Stubboon.

Harry Stubboon was a trader, well renowned for his ability to get his goods to market faster than many others. This was well before Gate magic worked as well as it does now. But even now, sometimes the gates seem to refuse to carry some goods or stronger wizards can still hijack some gates. The trade routes are still as important as they were centuries past. 

Stubboon had made a most excellent deal with the northern warlords, having just carried a large caravan's worth of weapons, armor, books of learning (for even the warlords know the importance of knowledge). In return, Stubboon carried back a rich load of dragon dung, used for the creation of gunpowder, as well as northern herbs, wines and dark, dried berries to be made into what was known as bean juice, and magically crafted weapons created with magic unknown in the south. Some of these goods would not last the traditional Reach Route. The Reach Route stretched along the middle of the lands, not near the river pirates nor the horrors of the Terror Lands. Stubboon, having some maps of the Terror Lands, decided that the only way to get the goods to Edge City before some started to spoil, was to take a shortcut.

The first few weeks of travel were almost placid as Stubboon and his caravan left the icy crags of the Spine Mountains, heading straight to the menacing mass of the Wizard Mount. At the site of the always clouded-over peak, Stubboon lead his caravan past the Dump. The Dump is a magical dumping ground, rich in discarded magic that twists and turns on its own. Few who have entered have ever returned for magic works in odd ways there, and can twist reality itself.

I am painting a few things and may as well use them!  Creature from the Dump

It was after the Dump when events started turning dark for Stubboon. Creatures started following the caravan, and the slowest were starting to get picked off. The Terror Lands is named thusly for a reason: terrors in the day become worse terrors at night. Each night, more of the caravan was either missing, or bloody remains of what were once camels, donkeys, or guards. It turned into a continual journey through the dark forests, marshes and swamps with little to no rest for any.

A week after entering the Terror Lands, Stubboon has his first stand against the demonic creatures following them. Bypassing Woodfall, a ramshackle town somehow surviving at the edge, he pressed on to a more secure location. A large castle, the remains from an earlier empire pre-dating the Terror Lands, would give them some shelter than a town full of witches he felt. A few magic weapons were even found, and the caravan rested and fought in a well-defended fortress for a few days. Three days in and there seemed to be a lull in the constant attacks. Stubboon gathered his caravan and raced to the next safe place according to his maps, another long-forgotten castle outside the Terror Lands. Racing there, they made it, but the caravan was less than half of what it was at the start. This castle was in much better shape, but still in ruins. Stubboon's guards were down to less than a dozen fighters now, and 3 or 4 slipped out in the next few days while they rested and let the pack animals recover. 

Ready for what he thought would be the final push to Edge City, Stubboon led his caravan through the broken gates of the keep and headed south. Flying far overhead were creatures following his progress. Almost two weeks went by, and Stubboon thought he was safe from pursuit but never let his guard down. What was to be a few days away from Edge City, the final attack on Stubboon happened: the entire caravan was wiped out. Animals and guards were slaughtered or carried off, and Stubboon himself, fighting for his very life, was carried off back north.

To this day, one may hear rumors that somehow this merchant is still alive and in torment by demons call forth by the wizards of the Mount. Or that there are treasures to be found at those stands, left behind in their headlong rush to escape the magical persecution. Some cartographers have offered large rewards for the maps Stubboon has, for he did get further through the Terror Lands than any before or after him. Stubboon's Folly is a name that can be given to any ill-conceived idea. Even the name Stubboon can be used as an insult for some, though mostly in the merchant circles. As the centuries passed, fewer recall the origins of the insults, though cartographer's still offer rewards for the maps, and rumors of magical weapons on the lost routes to the north persist to this day.

Edge City, Part 2

 Part 1 here. A continuation of the world building for Edge City.

Bringing out Spectacular Settlements, we know Edge City is the capital. Which means I need to find that work sheet at some point and fill that out. As with the campaign builder, there are steps to be taken. 

1. Basic Information
1. Origin. A combination of two choices: resurrected ruins as it is built on the remains of an ancient capital, but also a natural progression of a trading post. That started in the ruins. 
2. Age. Closest for the current incarnation of Edge City is mature, between 100-300 years old. 
3. Size. Going with large, that the structures able to support around 100,000 people. No idea how many people live in Ank-Morpork in the books, but Edge City has about 100K people. +2 to the number of districts.
4. Environment is coastal. Straddling the F'urth River and docks to the East Ocean, Edge City does not lack for boating capacity!
5. Outside the city (and here is where I do roll) there are large groups of farms. The agriculture to support Edge City as well as supply agricultural goods to the many traders in the city. And oddly my 2nd roll was 00 on d100! Which says nothing else is outside. However, there are some fiefdoms and things, though we can go with most of these are agriculturally based. 
6. Stewardship is managed. The fundamental elements are all accounted for, and the Patrician is doing an admirable job. +1 to general condition, +3 to population wealth, +4 to law enforcement.
7. General condition. With the +1 we get impressive, the capital is well taken care of, and cleanliness is a priority. Why the sewers are in such good condition as our adventurers have found! +1 to district conditions.
8. Fortification. I honestly cannot recall the walls in the Discworld series, but the map has them as pretty substantial, so I'll go with just fortified.  +3 to disposition roll.
9. Market Square. The non-district market square is ample with room for an ample number of vendor stalls. Though Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler tends to wander with his car throughout the city.
10. Merchant overflow is not allowed outside of city walls. Guards will enforce this.
11. Underground passages. I've already established we have tunnels, forgotten crypts, even natural caves. Some areas may even have entire mini-cities if you go down far enough. 
2. Government and High Society
1. Leadership is an oligarchy, ruled by the Patrician. 
2. Leadership unity is close-knit or even in accord. Few tend to naysay the Patrician as his few edicts and rules tend to promote city interests. And he can be scary at times. 
3. Governing priority. Going with the books general ideas, and industry and innovation are the priorities. Edge City is a forward-looking city! Requires an industrial district when I roll those up.
4. Priority approach is peaceable. Deals and negotiations determine how things are done. Though a bit of blackmail may be considered dealing. 
5. Priority success the roll did not work for me, so picking the next up as successful, where several of the goals have been achieved. 
3. Lifestyle and Residence: "how those in power live their lives (and where they spend their money) says a lot about them and their values and may influence their immediate surrounding area."
1. The leader lives in a respectable manner: unassuming but appropriate to his position. +0 to residence roll.
2. Residence: a large estate in Edge City. In the Discworld series, the government and residence of the Patriarch is next to the Unseen University, the wizard's college. I actually rolled that so it fits in with the narrative.
3. Intent - why does he live that lifestyle? There is an unknown alternative, which is also fitting to the books as he really does seem to have the best interests of the city in mind, but there is no telling. If I recall, he was also an assassin before somehow becoming the patriarch. 
4. Connections. No capital is an island.
1. We have 3 connections. Note there may be several more, but these are the significant connections. For instance, we have the lizard man islands, the Rainy City, and the island of the Amazons with a few days or weeks of travel. But they are not significant in terms of affecting the politics of Edge City. 
1. Connection 1: An ally that is trusted. Rolling a d6 for directions, not that I have this on a hex map, but anyway, rolling a 4 is due south. And on 1 map I have, that is the region of the Puddlejumpers. Which I am going with is mostly a swampy land (as I did get the swamp terrain set and have a few frog people minis). No idea what I had in mind 40+ years ago when I came up with that. I'll have to have an expansion for this southern kingdom that is aligned with Edge City.
2. Connection 2: Enemy, hated. This is to the south-west of Edge City, which is the Empty Flats, right above the Bog. Again, I've no memory of what I was putting there, though it is adjacent to the F'urth River as well as the Puddlejumpers. Perhaps the Puddlejumpers can acta as an intermediary. But we'll go with the Empty Flats often has adversarial relations with Edge City, and being near the Ocean Trade Route (which was only added in my mind the last couple of years), raids the caravans a good bit. 
3. Connection 3 - enemy but friendly. There are civil understandings. Rolled another 4 and decided a re-roll for 3 so to the south-east. Which is in the East Sea. I've not stuck anything out there on these maps (as the various islands are "thataway" so far). We'll add a large island nation somewhere out there. Needing a name and using the random name generator, we get le Havre Turquoise, or the Turqoise Haven. Which, hey, I've some cool art that fits! And he may do another Kickstarter. 
5. Intrigue and Espionage. Well, I rolled twice as I did not like the initial "none" but got it twice. Now, in the books, there are spies all over the place from all the usual suspects. But guess we can go with that, though obviously I can overrule the rolls, I am personally not good at being sneaky (many will tell you I can overshare at times!)
1. Infiltration depth is ignored as we have no spies
2. Counter-intelligence we have a moderate roll, giving us a few operatives in the city finding and dealing with spies. 
3. Counter-intelligence watchfulness is vigilant: pursuit of ongoing and thorough.
6. Notable Visitors - now this is for the moment, so we'll assume this is at the start of two games I started in Edge City. We have 3 notable visitors while our parties are in the city.
1. An explorer who is doing a favor for a friend or loved one. 
2. A banker looking for fun.
3. A ruler who had a vision that caused them to come to Edge City. 
7. Military. Edge City does have some military, but unless there is a threat, it is disbanded.
1. Recruitment type is mercenary: bought and paid for. Which sort of makes sense for a mercantile city as everything can be bought.
2. When they do hire, they hire at a grand scale. No bet like a sure bet. 
3. The mercenaries they do hire tend to be unconventional. Probably a mix of several different races as befits both the way the Fantasy Trip & OSE both handle races as pretty common, as well as the way Discworld is set up.
4. Military facilities are simple structure set up inside the city walls. barracks and officers' quarters, along with training grounds. Which are used for foot-the-ball games when not filled with mercenaries.
8. Nobility. I could roll on the table but going to DM fiat and make it by wealth and possessions. Though there is some by blood as well, and by deeds. We have 17 primary nobles in Edge City, each with their own mini-fiefdom, or at least a large, well-kept lawn. 
1. Relationship with the Patriarch is tolerated. He is still the head of the assassin's guild, though not everyone knows that. But people who go against him are often not found later, depending on how they are against him. Others end up with duties, such as managing the treasury, which at first seem to be a promotion or a good thing until they actually find out all the details involved. Few of the nobility want to actually do something.
2. Relationship with the people is generally friendly. A nod or tip of the hat is common between the classes. 
3. The basis of that relationship is a shared opinion of the Patriarch: While they agree on the positive aspects, they tend to disagree on the negative aspects. Perhaps because the Patriarch really seems to favor the everyman. 
9. Community
1. Culture - cuisine is how the residents find meaning. They love to eat and drink. 
2. Pursuit of culture - there is almost a rabid fanaticism in the pursuit of food and drink. Festivals are common in celebrating various foods, and food is a major import as well as export. 
3. Population density is dense (quite unlike Windemere Crossing). Few vacant buildings and the market can be very packed at times. Which is great for the pickpocket. 
4. Demographics are 50% human, 25% Dwarf, 15% Elf, and 10% Goblinoid races. And a mix of a few other things. 
5. The wealth is average for the general population. Most have enough to live a modest life. 
6. There is a lot of visitor traffic, sometimes in droves. Congestion can be greatly impacted.  +2 to night activity
7. The general feeling most people get are Edge City residents are a perhaps a bit stand-offish, but friendly once you get to know them. 
8. There is a lively amount of night activity. There are always people on the streets, and many shops are open late and early hours. 
9. There is an extensive city watch, lead by Captain Vimes. Whose wife raises baby dragons if I recall the books that feature him. She is actually of nobility. Pratchert uses that to show the difference often between the well-to-do and the average person. His books are social satire, so he usually has a point he is trying to make. 
10. Crime: this is where it gets a bit tricky. In the books, crime is almost regulated: not too much but a bit is "allowed" if I am remembering. As such crime is still common in Edge City, meaning everyone knows or has heard of someone getting victim of crime. And oddly enough, I rolled a nat 20 for the organized crime table, so it is a well-known organization in the capital. Which is sort of like Ankh-Morpork. 
11. Districts. There are 4 main districts in Edge City. Being a mercantile city with docks, going to auto-assign a couple.
1. The docks exist mostly on the East Sea side of town, thought ere are several docks along the F'urth River that bisects the city. The western docks are river boats primarily, whereas the eastern docks are ocean-capable vessels, a mix of shore-hugging craft to deep-sea ships capable of reaching whatever the next continent over is. The condition is decent, not as great as the rest of the city. There are a lot of transients and sometimes questionable traders, and sailors of course can be rough when at sea for far too long. The docks are open, with no restrictions to this district. While warehouses will be locked and have guards, depending on the warehouse, there is nothing preventing anyone from wandering through. Crime is far more rampant in this district than elsewhere in Edge City. Few people live in the docks, though there are some great ale houses. It has the following locations as well:
1. Rare trade goods shop
2. Smithy
3. Hired help - scribes and clerks
4. barber
5. shipwright
6. Weaver
7. Services including a house of leisure, an inn and a tavern. Several of each actually.
2. The market district is not only for the sale of goods, but also houses several large warehouses as well as the small, family-owned businesses. It is adjacent to the wester docks. This district is also not up to par with the rest of the general city conditions but considered decent: child thief gangs can roam about under the careful management of their managers, and the open nightlife sometimes becomes overly raucous. As with the docks, there are no barriers to entry into the loud marketplace. Crime is about average as per the rest of the city, excluding the docks. A lot of the merchants live above their shops, so this district has a fair number of residents also living here. Locations included are:
1. Baker
2. butcher
3. general store
4. smithy
5. tailor
6. Rare libations and Fare
7. Hired help - arcane academics (from the Unseen University, it's what upper classmen do to get a bit of coin so they can go drinking!)
8. Bank and Coin Exchange
9. Barber
3. The merchant district house several merchant guilds, more warehouses, and a wide swath of businesses. This is an impressive district, with some stately buildings, and a cadre of lamplighters and street cleaners who keep the place well-lit and clean. Most lamplighters tend to be Goblins. While there are no gates to prevent people from entering or leaving, there are more guards in this location. Often hired by the larger merchant guilds, to prevent the riffraff from bothering the merchant lords. Despite the guards, crime is again about on par with the rest of the capital. Despite the elegance, there are few houses here as the merchant district is primarily for business. Locations include:
1. Bank and Exchange
2. Tailor
3. Artist
4. Cobbler
5. Magic Shop - Curiosities
6. Magic Shop - Jewelry
7. Club (service)
8. Tavern(s)
9. Rare Libations and Fare
4. The large administration district, next to the magic university, also has the personal residences of several of the city officials, including the Patriarch. This is also an impressive district, with large lawns, ornate buildings and often more city watch patrols. Very little crime happens in this district. Part of that is fear of the Patriarch and his guild, part of that are the guards, and the rest is a recognition that some places just should be safer. This district houses a number of people, ranging from city officials to a lot of the help in a smaller section of the administration district. Most of the help, however, lives in a different part of the city in various residential districts. Locations include:
1. Courthouse
2. Chancery
3. Town Hall
4. Treasury
5. Hired Help - scribes and clerks.
6. Barber
7. Alchemist
8. Bathhouse
9. Tailor

from De Architecturart

Info overload, I know! I did ask Copilot to summarize and got the following. Though it only allows me 2000 characters. I'll also add a  summary and worksheet to the next Edge City Post. And perhaps I need to look at some existing settings books to see if there is a good way to present this info. There are some sample capital cities in the book, so I will have to read those to see how things get presented. 

Certainly! Let’s summarize the key aspects of Edge City based on the information you’ve provided:

1. Origin and Age:

   • Edge City has a dual origin: it was built on the remains of an ancient capital (resurrected ruins) and also developed naturally from a trading post.
   • The current incarnation of Edge City is mature, estimated to be between 100 and 300 years old.

2. Size and Population:

   • The city is large, with structures capable of supporting around 100,000 people.
   • Interestingly, this population size is similar to Ank-Morpork from the Discworld books.

3. Environment:

   • Edge City is coastal, straddling the F’urth River and having docks that connect to the East Ocean. Boating capacity is abundant.

4. Agriculture and Surroundings:

   • Outside the city, there are large groups of farms. These support Edge City’s needs and supply agricultural goods to traders within the city.
   • Although your roll indicated that nothing else exists outside the city, there are some fiefdoms, mostly agriculturally based.

5. Stewardship and Governance:

   • Stewardship is well managed, with all fundamental elements accounted for.
   • The Patrician is doing an admirable job, contributing to general conditions, population wealth, and law enforcement.

6. General Condition and Fortification:

   • The capital’s general condition is impressive, with cleanliness being a priority.
   • The sewers are in good condition, as discovered by adventurers.
   • Fortifications are substantial, although the exact details from the Discworld series are not recalled.

7. Market Square:

   • The non-district market square is ample, providing space for numerous vendor stalls.

Edge City seems to embody the characteristics of an edge city, which typically features significant office space, retail areas, and a population that grows during the day due to employment opportunities¹². It’s fascinating to see how this settlement has evolved over time! 🌆📜

I’ve summarized the key points about Edge City based on the information you provided. If you have any additional details or need further clarification, feel free to ask! 😊

Leaving that generated link in there, though Edge City was named as it is on the edge of the continent, and I am not always imaginative when naming things!

Edge City, Part 1

We've moved our game from Windemere Crossing to Edge City for the 2 Fantasy Trip games I am currently running. Having a copy of the Compleat Ankh-Morpork City Guide, that is my map and resource for Edge City. Not that I use it a lot, but it does show the sheer scale of Edge City.

I also realize I've never dug into Edge City. The last couple of games we have established that the city is at least a couple hundred years old, and built on top of another ancient city, which in turn was probably built on the ruins of yet another ancient metropolis. This allows for all sorts of dungeons under the city itself. Are they all connected? Probably not, but as I've got two sets of adventurers travelling under the city, it behooves me to come up some ideas for what lies below as well as what lies above!

Unlike Windemere Crossing, Edge City is full of temples and churches, schools and taverns. Anything and everything can be found on this coastal City, end point of the Ocean Trade Route to the East. At least on land - the ports of Edge City have ships cruising out into the ocean, visiting such places as the Rainy City or the fabled Isles of Elencia of the Amazons (which I cannot find anywhere so may not be available). But Edge City is a bustling, busy city. Which gives us urban type of adventures rather than the wilderness. And one of the players has added an island chain where the Lizardmen come from. 

Islands of the Lizardmen

We've also had players meet and in once instance so far, kill some of the local citizens. So far, we have met:

• William, a street urchin and thief who tried to pickpocket Dawn, our Elf bard. There are a few others associated with this child gang, including 'Lizbeth, Bobby and Scraps. Their local boss is George, who the characters have not yet met.
• Derek Goldensunder, Dwarf proprietor of the Drink. Killed by the two gargoyles, vampire Elf and rogue. There are badly drawn wanted posters for the gargoyles and the Elf. The Drink is currently closed until the owner's kin comes along to deal with it.
• Several guards who refuse to go into the sewers.

Outside of town, there is also Gudeliva's Inn and Tavern. She was having issues with Derek who wanted to buy her inn to have a second tavern outside of city walls. She thinks the Dwarf had her father killed and sent the 2nd group in to find proof. And of course that went sideways. She also has an odd dungeon under her well. I'll note the last two entries here came from Philip Reed's Fantasy City Scenes books.

We've also established that Hexis, our Lizardman, lives in a tenement building and has two rooms. It is not far from the market square which was near the docks. He also has hired out as a bodyguard for a few people, and we'll throw in an Orc named Bugunutei who has a list of fighters and grunts that the upper class can hire out as needed. The name is apparently Medieval Mongolian from the Fantasy Name Generator. I have a few Orc minis so one will become this employer and contact. Bugunutei will be a contact for Hexis.

And just how large is Edge City? Based on the Discworld Fandom site, it is about 50 square miles including the surrounding fiefdom. There are about 1 million people in the city and fiefdom, including about 50,000 Dwarves. So, a very large city, with a complex fiefdom surrounding it. We do know that a bit north, about 2 days travel so 40-50 miles, is a pear farm where they make peary, a sweet alcoholic beverage. This from a game I ran years ago. And used the same place for at least one other adventure. Now if I can just find the name!

think my scale may be off. never good with scales in my games!

This part of my game world is over 40 years old but never really developed. I was a loner in high school, but really liked the idea of RPGs even though I never played. So, I bought minis and made maps for where they came from. I still have those paper maps! For instance, the Centaurs are from Triplaner Island.

the electronic version as I learn Campaign Cartographer. Slowly.

And again, it all comes down to how much of what I do in world building actually gets used or is even useful? And it becomes even more difficult when we've got multiple games going on. However, at least for the various fantasy games I run, they are all on the same world, and mostly in the same region. There is a bit of cross-pollination there so that I only have to worry about 1 fantasy world. And the player with the Lizardman islands may also be working on adding things to this world. Of this current group, just the two of us seem to collaborate on world building beyond a few simple things. Though he does have a much darker world in mind at times. But of course, I am digressing yet again. 

Let's bring out some of my city building books and see what we get. Some things are pre-determined: the location and size primarily. And that the city is ruled by the patriarch until the King returns. Who just may be a large, red-headed guard in the town raised by Dwarves.

Bringing out Campaign Builder: Cities and Towns, we have five questions:

1. What is the city's age?  This is a mature community, and mostly planned out though it has grown somewhat organically over the centuries. There are families that have lived here for generations. It is also built atop an ancient city, though most of that city is buried under Edge City.
2. What is the city's primary function? Trade - it is a busy port city at the base of at least two major trade routes: the western-heading Ocean Trade Route and the north-ward route which I've yet to name. Though Stubboon's Last Stand is part of that. Cargo ships come and go, caravans and traders on land come and go. Merchandise from all over the world can be found here.
3. What are the city's trade goods? Being a trade town, it is at the crossroads of many trading routes by land, sea and gate. It is known for its peary (an alcoholic drink made from pears), though most of that comes from small towns to the north of Edge City but is traded in the port. Surrounded by farms, produce of all sorts is also available. And hmm - trade goods have a pricing table based on scarcity. Useful if I could remember that!
4. What is the city's size and population? As above, we're talking a million people in the city and surrounding towns and villages. It is a large city and has several large towns around it as well. 
5. What is the city's government structure? In theory this is a kingdom ruled by a monarch. But there has not been one on the thrown in quite some time, and the Patrician manages the city and its environs. Technically this makes for a dictatorship, but he seems to have the best interests of the kingdom as the driving force of his rulership. 

Magic in my world is all over the place. The Fantasy Trip treats is as a fairly pedestrian affair, with regular magic-based jobs. OSE is more classic fantasy based so a bit more special and not as common. In Edge City, I'm going with it is pretty common and mundane, and people don't think much about. Parts of the world, though, magic can be seen as a corruption, a divine and rare gift, and something not even known. Having said that, magic I think should be special, and while there is a wizard's college in the city, the Unseen University, magic has its costs so is not as prevalent as say, a floating city with magical fountains and unicorns grazing everywhere. 

I had started to use some of the books I have on cities and things, and then realized this post was getting way too long. So this will be continued in part 2!

Respeth Kingdom - How The Dwarves Have a Kingdom

As it came up in a character conversation, I've decided I do need to come up with a reason why the Dwarf King Khermumi Axechest rules over a kingdom of a few hundred square miles.

From the By This Ax book:

The process of becoming a ruler begins with the acquisition of an area of land, known as a domain. Domains can vary considerably in size. A very small domain is a 2-square mile area of land (one 1.5-mile hex on a local map). A typical domain is a 32-square mile area of land (one 6-mile hex on a regional map, or sixteen contiguous 1.5-mile hexes on a local map). A very large domain, fit for a king, is 500 square miles (one 24-mile hex on a continental map, or sixteen contiguous 6-mile hexes on a regional map). The area of land making up a domain is called its territory. A domain’s territory is often contiguous, but it may be noncontiguous if desired. While there are no restrictions on a domain’s size or shape, large and noncontiguous domains are harder to control, as explained below.

Domains are classified as either civilized, borderlands, or wilderness. A newly established domain is civilized if all of its territory is within 48 miles of an existing dwarven vault with at least 625 urban families. A newly established domain is borderlands if all of its territory is within 72 miles of an existing dwarven vault with at least 625 urban families. All other newly established domains are wilderness. Dwarves may not establish new vaults within 72 miles of human settlements with 625 or more families. 

As the Respeth Kingdom is (quickly pulls out a number) about 70 miles x 30 miles along the mountains mostly, but a bit into the Ocean Trade Route in order to tax the caravans. Using 6-mile hexes, it is roughly 11 x 5 hexes along that mountain range. Which I should really name. Though the name may vary based on what side of the mountain you are on, or who you ask. 

Reading through that, I realize that the much larger Respeth Kingdom is larger than Dwarven domains usually are. This one is a special case: they have essentially taken over the defunct previous kingdom. Their original domain was centered in the Thuluhm mountains for a few miles around that. But, seeing the potential riches in those western, and as yet untapped, veins of ore and crystal as well as there not being a ruler of any sort for more than a century, gave King Firbear Axechest ideas. And the non-Dwarves in the former kingdom, while now paying taxes again after a few generations of not paying taxes but getting Orc raids, are willing to pay their bit for the protection Axechest proffered. And thus he assumed the previous kingdom.

Considered a borderlands domain by the Dwarves as it has been ruled by the Dwarves since Axechest's father, King Firbear Axechest took the ancient Tuvano Kingdom as his own. Centuries ago, the Wizard King Kalinore of Tuvano, after his wife's death, slowly descended into madness. Though rumors of his still being both alive and dead remain to this day, the kingdom itself was dead. Firbear Axechest, having a holdfast in the Thuluhm Alpine, had always kept his eyes above as well as below ground. Seeing a way to expand his vaults into the western ranges, and having no real opposition, started Dwarven patrols along the Ocean Trade Route. He re-established the borders while scouts and explorers studied the mountains. A rich vein of ore sits on the border shared with the Kingdom of Ismelkonia. The current Queen Belion, known as the Prodigy for her tactical skills, is aware of the ore and did not want to give that potential treasure up. Her son, Prince Artwain, is rumored to have a contact in the Respeth Kingdom that keeps him informed.

For 30 years, there was a stalemate between the kingdoms. King Firbear was killed by an unknown assassin, whose only trace was a short run of mucous slime and the poisoned dart in his neck. King Khermumi was just under 100 years old when he took the crown four years ago. Since then, he has started increasing some of the taxes and has been building up his own garrisons at the vault. The trade route has remained untaxed, though selling wares from the caravans invokes a tax of about 1% the value, which is about average for the southern kingdoms. Dwarven tax collectors have been known to be fairly zealous when inspecting caravans at major trading cities. In Windemere Crossing, this is Henrutha Alerock. Our characters never met her, but the caravan master did (which reminds me, I probably should have him or her set up just in case they go back to town and inquire about the caravan. It will give me a chance to see about a merchant NPC as I do have a merchant class).

King Khermumi Axechest

The By This Ax book has a chapter devoted to Dwarven domains, so I am using some of that. And yes, I've decided to also back Kobold Press' Castle & Crown KS even though I barely use the 1st book in the series (Cities and Towns). But I like books and I do re-read these and get new ideas once in a while. Even if most of the world building stays in my head. Though I did use the battle maps the 1st one had, and yes, I did back at a level where I get those maps in the new campaign. And we do meet for face-to-face gaming every other week so these will eventually get used. Regardless, these books are really aimed at player characters creating their own kingdoms and towns which is what a lot of higher-level players end up doing. While at least one other player like to do this, not sure it fits with the others as anything other than background they usually don't care about. But who knows - perhaps we will level up faster than by the 2031 estimate given by one player based on the entirety of 300XP split among 4 players from killing that giant python. The next session, assuming they survive, actually has a fair amount of treasure. But there are a LOT of skeletons!

Tuvano is actually a Fantasy Trip adventure. The actual city is over the mountains south of Windemere Crossing. My TFT players were heading in that direction before that group fell apart. If push comes to shove, it will be easy to adapt to OSE. Or hey, we could always translate the characters to TFT and play it that way! The group did not stick around in town long enough to pick up many rumors, which may have covered some of this. Or not.

And to close out this length world-building post, my perpetual refrain of "how much of this is really useful?" The main point is that I do this for fun, so useful or not, in the end that does not really matter as this is one of my forms of entertainment. But how much is useful at the actual table? If I could present it well enough, I think it adds to the verisimilitude of the world. The Ax book gives me the information needed to help calculate the number of families per hex based on the Dwarf expectations and world model as presented in that book. I need to cross-reference the Organic Town and the Campaign Builder: Cities and Towns to see how they all compare in terms of populations. The Ax book does have peasant Dwarves that farm and do other regular things. Someone has to supply the grains for that Dwarven bread! Not all Dwarves are fighters or blacksmiths. In fact, the majority are just doing regular things which is all background. But the background actors are also important, I think. We just don't interact with a lot of it. 

For those of you who are Traveller fans - yep, list like Scouts Book 6: let's generate the entire system, dozens of moons and calculate orbital mechanics. Why? Because it is fun!