T w e n t y S i d e d

Name: Lucian Race: Elf Class: Ranger Played By: Eric

Backstory:
Lucian has an interesting backstory about betrayal within his family which sent him into exile (and thus adventuring) but it hasn’t really been introduced in-game.

This character was retired at the end of our second campaign, and Eric rolled up a new character.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

Name: Eomer Race: Human Class: Rogue Played By: Pat

Backstory:
Eomier Abrin DeCauste was born to a soldier, Claudius. While he was not afforded luxury, he was not deprived either. By means of his father he was taught at the only established school on the island, which in those times was almost always a church, and this school was no different.

He was often told not only by his father, but at the school, of the crusades of Ubrin Lorich. Three generations had passed since Ubrin and his companions freed the isle of Grey Moor from its natural occupants; the orcs. These stories were grand, elaborate and verbose. I will not burden your ear with the stories in full Elvish song, but know that to the children of Greymoor these songs were as intoxicating as fine wine. Idolization of Ubrin and his friends was assured.

“Ubrin had, with the aid of his friends, hunted down and killed every tribe of orc on the island. Afterwards he declared Grey Moor a free island, that no man should ever rule it. None but those who sought to take from others should be turned away from its shores. Like everyone else, Eomier was astounded that one could be so selfless as to give up an entire island after conquering it almost single handedly. While many stories circulated as to why Ubrin had such an acute distaste for monarchies or established governments, none were ever proven, and no one really thought it that important.

After Ubrin parted ways with his companions, he constructed the office of the protector of Grey Moor. He did little but watch the city of Bayhaven grow around him till his death, save slaying the occasional band of goblins. He sired and raised a son, Aaron, and instructed him in the way of the sword and the way of the pen. After his death Aaron took over stewardship of the island, keeping to his fathers will that no man should have dominion over another. Aaron lived many years and saw Bayhaven grow from fledgling town to a city that drew trade ships. It was during this time that so many races came to settle in Grey Moor. Despite the usual tensions that exist whenever dwarf, human and Halfling live in such close proximity, Greymoor and its (lack of) politics kept these disagreements to a minimum.

It is during Aaron's tenure that the first mention of the Monks of the Highstone Monastery is made, a passive (but lethal) order of Monks that had taken stewardship of the local town of Bridgehold. It's not clear if the town or monastery came first, but since the monks had a penchant for vows of silence, no one really knows for sure.
No one knows how long the dwarves had been on the island, but it was also around this time that their presence was discovered. All-the-while this seemingly uninhabited island was home to a clan of Dwarven stone masters. Like most dwarves they were very content to live within their mountain, unburdened with anything outside of it. Little was heard from the dwarves, but Aaron did arrange a reasonable trade of goods and foods (mostly ale and textiles) from off-island for whatever valuables the dwarves were willing to part with.

Aaron knew that once word of trade with Dwarven miners spread that the trade ships would be more eager to stop at this once small port. Peoples from all over Mar Talos soon came to find their fortunes in the mountains that cut the island in half, find adventure in the north, to free themselves from oppression or to simply claim a strip of land and make a simple living.

During his time as steward Aaron saw Grey Moor's population grow from a few hundred to almost ten thousand, with roughly 4 thousand in Bayhaven alone. This did, however, cost him quite dearly. He invested much of his families' fortune out of a sense of obligation to his charge as Protector. Near the end of his wildly successful and peaceful tenure, he made one error that would eventually engulf the island in civil war: He levied a tax on ships stopping in port, simply for upkeep of the docks themselves. While this is customary in all other ports, this was the first time that such a thing had been done on Greymoor. Without knowledge or intent, Aaron created a government. The office of the protector passed to his son, Reginald.”

During childhood the fact did not escape Eomier that while there were more than a few thousand families in Bayhaven, there were less than a hundred students. This troubled him greatly, and he sought answers. The head master (and head priest as it was) Tenril at first seemed annoyed that a boy would question such things, and took it as an accusation. He rebuked Eomier, and his father was less than pleased. For 7 years he kept his silence.

By age 11 he was the top student, and his father had advanced to rank of Lieutenant and personal advisor to Reginald the Protector. One day, while walking home from school, as he passed the keep he saw his father and his men taking a young man, not many years older than Eomier, up to the keep. He looked like he had been roughed up quite a bit, and the number of guards escorting him suggested whatever his offense had been, this was a very dangerous man. Eomier asked his father what the man had done. The man had been caught stealing, and his punishment would be imprisonment for 2 years, or banishment to the north. This was basically a death sentence, since no one had come back from the north in 20 years. He was told of how there would ALWAYS be people who will take advantage of others if not kept at bay. And that is what the office of the protector, and in turn Eomier's father, did. There were always thieves who would pray on the innocent if not dealt with, and dealt with harshly. This is what Ubrin did, and what he had envisioned for Grey Moor. Eomier accepted this.

Days later while again walking home from school Eomier was accosted by several older boys. He did not recognize them and they were much bigger than him. He did what most boys would do, he ran. Fleeing through the streets he turned a corner, ducked into a shop and vanished from his pursuers. As his breath returned, peering out the window as his attackers passed by, he was startled from a gruff voice from behind:

“Get used to it kid…”

He turned around to see a man not as old as his voice would make him seem. He stood there, frozen, scared and out of breath.

“You don't even know why they're chasing you, do you?”

Eomier shook his head, he had no idea. Eldon informed him that his father had become quite well known as Reginald's lap dog, making more than a few enemies. It was the first time he first heard the other side life on Grey Moor, away from the keep and the school. He heard of how a few days earlier a man had been imprisoned for trying to sneak a few things off a ship without paying the tariff first. He had always paid before; he simply needed to sell the goods first to pay the tax. Instead he was beaten, jailed, and his goods claimed. The story of an entire ships crew banished to the North for a mere casket of wine. Eomier refused to believe it, and left the shop and ran home.
By age 14 he was done with school, and it was time to do what was expected of him and follow in his fathers footsteps. His first assignments were simply escorting goods from the port south to the towns north. He did this often for several months, and it wore on him. He wished to keep the peace, to defend the people of Grey Moor.
While daydreaming of riding with Ubrin one day, three men jumped from the bushes along the road and snatched several bags of grain from a cart right in front of him. Surprised because he wasn't paying attention, but mostly because these three men hardly looked like the viscous thieves he was trained to look out for. They were dirty, ragged, and very obviously starving. They didn't look anything like the thieves or evil-doers he had imagined, they were starving peasants. Two of them weren't even wearing shoes. As he watched them “flee”, still quite surprised at their appearance, he watched as all three were chased down and cut to pieces by other guards on horseback. Shocked at what had just happened, he said nothing as the Captain rebuked him for not paying attention. When he returned home, he asked his father of what had happened, and of his thoughts. Again his father to reprimanded him for questioning the way of things, and told him to be more thoughtful of his duty. Troubled by what had happened, he sought advice from an unlikely source: The shopkeeper.

Eldon was all too eager to fill his ears with stories such as the one he had seen. And soon Eomier was starting to question exactly who was oppressing who? Who was the thief? Was he really defending the people? He struggled with his own ideals and began to see not just the world he had been shown, but what was hidden behind strong doors and clean clothes. He used his fathers influence and status (which was now Magistrate) to look into some of the accusations levied against the prisoners of the keep. He was shocked to find out that jails were full, usually for the smallest of offenses, but almost always having to do with monies owed to the office of the protector. Crimes against other citizens were dealt with in the harshest manor possible. There were no rights, no appeals, only the decree of the Protector.
Secretly he began to funnel info to his new friend, Eldon. In turn he was taught useful skills, and mostly he felt he was only now really helping people who needed it.
He was still young however, and was soon caught. After a very heated argument with his father, he left the Office of the Protector and found work smuggling goods from the north to escape what was now a ridiculous tax. With every trip back to Bayhaven, a new wing had been added to the keep. It resembled a castle more than anything, and the flags of “The Office of the Protector” flew as a King's would. Eomier's contempt grew every trip.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

Name: Endo Race: Human Class: Monk Played By: Shamus (Endo is an NPC when I’m the DM)

Backstory:
Endo is a follower of the Ki-Tan fighting style. He lived in Highstone Monastery, a large stone structure overlooking the town of Bridgehold in Grey Moor. The town and the monastery formed a sort of symbiotic relationship. The Monks guarded the town (so traditional town guards were not needed) while the townies provided food and clothing for the monks.

Over a few generations various misunderstandings led to quite a bit of animosity between the two, and eventually they came to resent each other. The story is too long to relate here, but the short of it is that at the time of our story it was the custom for select monks to become “guardians” of the town. As part of their guardianship, they take a vow of silence and also a vow never to strike (or even threaten) a resident of the town. After seven years, their guardianship would end (along with their vows of silence and pacifisim toward the members of the town) and it was more or less expected that they would leave the monastery to seek their fortune elsewhere, or stay and become teachers.

Young men of the city would often take advantage of this vow and taunt or torment the very guardians that kept them safe from external threats. (A bit like the way people picked on the Amish in “Witness”) Different monks came up with various ways of dealing with this. One simply ran when accosted by surly young men in town. Another avoided coming into town during the day, and instead ran his errands at night. He would sneak into shops, procure what he needed, and leave the money on the counter.

Endo had a different way of dealing with it. He stood there and took it. He would stand still and endure their slaps, insults and spit until they grew bored and left. Eventually the bullies (there were two young men who did this) grew angry that they couldn’t daunt the monk. They became more abusive, eventually punching and kicking Endo in an attempt to get SOME response out of him. Endo never made any attempt to resist them. They would pummel him until they were exhausted. For years Endo was covered in cuts and bruises.

As his guardianship drew to a close, the player characters came into town on their quest. Enoch the cleric encountered Endo on the road and offered him healing, which Endo silently refused.

There was a counsil at the monastery about the problems that players faced, and the curse on the land. During the counsil, Endo was released from his seven-year vow and a new guardian was sworn in. Endo spoke for the first time in seven years (his voice is very raspy) to thank his teacher, and then left without hearing the rest of the proceedings. The meeting was long (lots of talk between the players and the leaders of the city / monastery) and a lot of the plot was filled in. Towards the end of the meeting, Endo came in and sat down without saying a word.

As everyone rose to leave, a couple of townies barged in, breathless, shouting that Endo had just walked into town and murdered two men.

This was Endo’s solution to the bullies in town. He fulfilled his oath, and the moment it was over he went and snapped the neck and back of his tormentors. He did NOT do this out of revenge, but out of a desire to end the violence against guardians. From now on if someone abused a guardian, he need only stand still and accept it. His passive attitude would carry a very real implied threat: In seven years I will kill you.

From that point on, the abuse of guardians ended forever.

In the meantime, there were a lot of sore feelings in town about what Endo had done. It was decided that he should leave town and travel with the party as a guide through the mountains.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

To set the stage for this campaign:

The characters are in the town of Golgotha. It is late in the month of Suncrest (July). They just helped the city fend off an army of undead, saved everyone, and became the big heroes, thus ending the last campaign. The battle ended three days ago and they have been resting since then. The battle destroyed and burned down a good bit of the town, which is now being rebuilt.

The current party is Skeeve the Wizard, Eomer the Rogue, Thordek the Fighter, and Enoch the Cleric. Lucian the ranger is still part of the group, but that character is being retired (replaced) with another one in the first session.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

Mar Tesoro is the setting of our current campaign. It is a large island (It would take a little better than a week to walk from the north shore to the south) that is inhabited by two seperate groups: The Northerners (also called “Lormanites”), and the Alidians.

On the south side of the island is a mountain called “Mount Khelberg”. It is apparently a very large and valuable mountain that contains a lot of precious metals and gems. From what the party has gathered, the war seems to be over who should control the mountain.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

This is a running narrative of our Dungeons & Dragons campaign. This is a custom campaign written by me, using the 3.5 edition rules. Our group meets at my house Sunday evenings and usually plays for about 5 hours. I run the session while my wife transcribes events as they unfold. After the session I go over our notes (both her live notes and my pre-game notes) and turn them into the story you read here.

This means that what you read is a collaboration between myself and six other people. I design the plot and enforce the rules, but the five players decide how the heroes deal with (or avoid) the challenges they encounter. Finally, the chaos is turned into what is hopefully an interesting narrative.

This is our third campaign together. The other two campaigns are not on-line, although if there is some demand I may post them. All of the characters are currently level 5 at the start of this campaign. The current active players are Skeeve the Wizard, Eomer the Rogue, Thordek the Fighter, Thu’fir the Blade Lord, and Enoch the Cleric.

The campaigns I run are usually a bit more low-key and realistic than your average D&D story. So, likely as not you’ll see Orcs, Goblins, and Zombies, but I doubt we’ll have stuff like gelatenous cubes, mimics, or dimensional grabbers. Towns are filled with commoners, not extraplaner travelers. You won’t see any talking swords in my world, and dragons are very, very rare. True magic users are about as rare as celebreties or pro atheletes in our world. Commoners are aware of magic and deal with it from time to time, but they don’t see it every day. This is just a style thing. I find the world easier to visualize if it looks a bit more like our world. I have a hard time imagining how warfare and commerce would work if a good portion of the populace could teleport or fly around on pet hippographs. This rule change is the sort of thing I’m talking about.

I’m writing this campaign because I’d like to see other people doing this sort of thing. Perhaps it will catch on? I’d love to read the campaigns other people come up with. If you blog a campaign like this, please email me and let me know. I’d love to read what you have, and I’d be glad to add you to the links.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.