Description
|
|
Locations
|
|
Residents
|
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
Maps
|
![[Adelfarn]](../images/adelfarn/adelfarn.gif)
A Fantasy Town Setting
Copyright © 2001 by Bob Hall.
Return to the hidden way
|
A Fantasy Town Setting Copyright © 2001 by Bob Hall. Return to the hidden way |
| Information in shaded boxes are game stats. |
Whenever a strange sound or noise is witnessed at night, the town folk blame it on Appleby's Ghost. This spirit is the ghost of the first and only man to betray the town to its enemies. Apparently Appleby was taken and tormented by the dark forces, and supernaturally coerced into opening the town gates for an enemy army. Much of the town was sacked and many people slaughtered or worse before Talos returned to drive away their foe. Appleby's body was never found, and to this day the people of Adelfarn believe that the spirit of Appleby wanders the grassy mounds outside of town, seeking repentance for his evil deed.
In earlier times a portion of the land to the south of the town was used as a graveyard for the residents of Adelfarn. (Those who die attacking the town are buried beyond the outer perimeter of the teleporting grounds.) Several centuries ago, however, the town suffered a horrific assault by a powerful necromancer in league with a demon. The necromancer greatly increased the size of his army by raising undead legions from the corpses buried in the town graveyard. Adelfarn barely survived this conflict and ever since that time all residents who died have been either cremated or buried beyond the teleporting grounds, according to the will of the individual or their family. Those who are cremated are normally buried beneath a marker flagstone that is engraved with a suitable epitaph. Many, however, choose to have their ashes scattered in the Adel Stream, or placed within a wall. Only the great heroes of town history are still honored by being buried in a casket or placed within a sarcophagus.
This variation of the Continual Light spell will turn a brick, or similar-sized rock, cherry red from heat. The warmth from the object will bring a full pot of water to a boil within a minute, and will gradually warm a 20' square room. The spell effect will slowly fade over the course of a year, requiring renewal before each winter. The Continual Heat spell is commonly used to compensate for the perennial shortage of fire wood in Adelsfarn, especially among the poor.
| HERO: Change Environment - Warmth, 4" Radius, 0 END Persistent, Continuous Uncontrolled, Gestures, Incantations, Slowly fades over 2d6 months. |
The legal system of adelfarn is unusual for the number of methods of execution. These have been adopted over the centuries from various cultures and have become traditional forms of capitol punishment for certain crimes. The most common penalties are shown below:
| Crime | Punishment |
|---|---|
| Acts of rebellion | Poisoning with cup of Hemlock |
| Commiting adultery | Slowly crushed under a stone slab |
| Incest | Trampled to death by warhorses |
| Practicing Diabolism | Burned at the stake |
| Rape | Impalement by a hook on the town walls |
| Premeditated murder | Beheading with an axe |
| Murder of a relative | Stoned to death |
| Murder of a guard | Dragged to death around town walls |
| Treachery against Adelfarn | Buried alive |
Unlike some parts of the world, the residents of Adelfarn have no compunctions against cleanliness. Indeed many enjoy spending time in group bath houses and make some effort to clean their clothes regularly in the Adel Spring. It has become a ritual in this town to wash the hands and face prior to each meal, and a bowl is presented for this purpose at each of the town Inns and Pubs. The streets of the town are also kept clean by workers sweeping up debris and horse droppings, and as a whole the town is a remarkably clean and pleasant place to dwell. Indeed many residents do not enjoy receiving visitors from regions where personal hygeine is not practiced due to their unpleasant odor and unkempt appearance.
This troupe of skilled musicians has found a comfortable niche in Adelfarn. The founders of the troupe are Arenya, a soprano vocalist, and Torin, a talented and accomplished lute player. The two started out as travelling musicians, never staying in any place for long and seeking out new musical styles and experiences. When they wandered into Adelfarn, they found a travelling home where they could both see the world and still put down roots. They currently own a two story communal home in the southeast part of the town that includes a practice hall and a caretaker.
Various other musicians have joined or left the troupe from time to time, so Julapi typically numbers from five to seven members. Currently there are two minstrels, including Arenya, and four instrumentalists. The group has learned a wide repertoire of musical styles, and they rarely give a mediocre performance. Although Julapi has played in the inns and pubs of Adelfarn for over twenty years, the town folk still enjoy listening to them recite ballads of the town history or any new songs they've just picked up.
By necessity, all members of the troupe have some degree of skill in self defense, and they are capable enough to fend off common rogues and outlaws. Once contact with the locals has been established, Julapi is often the first group to travel out the Portis Gate and visit the nearby towns. This usually creates a good impression, bringing in more trade to Adelfarn. Thus the merchants of the town are happy to pay for their upkeep during lean times.
To encourage practice with the crossbow, a contest is run on midsummers eve to determine the best marksman in the town. The finest shot is crowned King of Adelfarn for the day, and is given a generous prize allowance. All contestants are given a crossbow, three marked bolts, and choice of firing location atop the town wall. For the target, an unusual wooden wagon has been built that can fully enclose four horses and a driver. On the outside of the wagon is painted the silhouette of a full-sized man. The wagon is driven around the town wall three times, and each contestant can take a single shot with a crossbow as passes their location. The finalists must place all three bolts inside the silhouette, with the winner determined by the closest shot to the heart.
The time of arrival at a new location is the second most hazardous for Adelfarn, topped only by the delay before departure. The merchants of the town are compelled to seek out economic opportunities in the vicinity while trying at all costs to avoid a confrontation. The first to set out from Adelfarn are small, fast-moving scouts who explore the area around the town while seeking to remain hidden. These scouts operate in teams with one member a member of the guard and the other a first contact specialist.
If the town finds itself in an area where normal trade is possible, the town organizes a diplomatic group to contact the local authorities. This group, traditionally known as the Palm of Pax, is usually mounted and heavily armed, but not large enough to pose a threat to the force in the area. The Palm of Pax is led by a member of the Adelfarn Council and includes several guards, two or more members of the Trader Hall, and various specialists as required. If any residents can speak the local tongue, they are "voluntered" to accompany this group.
After suitable arrangements have been negotiated by the Palm of Pax, trade can begin between Adelfarn and the neighboring communities. This trade is usually cautious at first with heavily guarded merchants carrying samples of town goods to the local villages and towns. As the people of the area hear about the new town, merchants often begin paying a visit to Adelfarn to explore the possibilities. At this point trade begins to expand, usually reaching a peak after a month or two.
Visitors to Adelfarn are greeted by a group of guards at the Portis gate, along with a representative of Trader Hall and a hired translator. If the town has just arrived at this location the guards are unusually cautious about allowing newcomers through the gate, carefully examining their goods and asking many questions. (This exchange is a good opportunity for the guards to gain intelligence about the region.) However this resistance will gradually relax after a few months until only a cursory examination is performed.
Once inside the gate any visitors will often be thronged by urchins seeking to guide the newcomers through the town for a few coins. These urchins have an uncanny ability to pick up a brief but useful vocabulary of the local tongue and they have a strong familiarity with the layout of the town. They can also use hand gestures as well as an unusual sign board located next to the Portis Gate that has many small painted signs showing various services and goods for sale within the town.
The town of Adelfarn has long held a unique and solemn ritual whose origins have been lost to time. Every three years, at midnight of this day, a great pot is placed before the Obelisk of Triumph. Between the hours of sunrise and sunset any permanent resident of the town can place a single shard of pottery into the pot. This shard is scratched with the name of an individual who resides in the town. At the end of the day the great pot is smashed and the names tallied. The individual whose name appears the most often within the pot is banished from Adelfarn, subject only to the veto power of Talos. Ten days following the ritual the banished individual is escorted beyond the town perimeter by a unit of guards. He is allowed to take whatever possessions he can carry plus a single horse. His family may join him if they so choose, but they too are limited to whatever possessions they can bear.
By this means the town has long rid itself of those whom it deems a dire threat to its ultimate freedom and safety. Over the centuries many notable residents of the town have found themselves exiled in this manner, and anyone who has lost favor within Adelfarn greatly fear this day. The ritual does have the beneficial result of restraining any who would abuse their power and position within Adelfarn and serves to maintain a general level of decorum in the citizenry. However it has also resulted in some individuals being exiled merely because they were disliked by a particular large group.
Only one person in history has ever been banished from Adelfarn and successfully returned. Agrinol Regoras, a wealthy usurer and clever negotiator, was banished from the town by popular vote of the many who owed him excessive debts. Some sixteen years later, after a long and storied journey, Agrinol reached the current whereabouts of the travelling town. As legally the banishment can only last for ten years, Agrinol was allowed to return to his home. However, the citizens discovered him a much changed man following his many trials, and he eventually became one of the town's most renowned mayors.
This band of mercenaries is specialized in the often dangerous duty of making first contact with the local authorities, following a teleportation. They normally escort the traders Lionel Harbringer and Gwenyth Vriess, along with a wagon of sample trade items, to the nearest settlement. Once contact has been made, the guards protects the traders and their goods throughout the transactions, and during the return to Adelfarn. All of the guards are either experienced fighters or skilled specialists, and all know how to handle a variety of mounts and survive in a wide range of wilderness conditions.
This magical item is actually a misnomer, since it is not so much a ring as a pouch of powder that must be poured in a closed loop. When ignited, anything entering the ring is instantly transported to the source of the earth mixed in with the powder. This simple magic is always carried by the merchants of Adelfarn to ensure their safe return to the town in case it should teleport to another location. The powder burns for 2-3 minutes, and a full pouch will cover a maximum circumference of 24'.
| HERO: Teleportation, 1 Floating Location, 20,000km distance, 400kg mass, Useable by Others, Area Effect (Hex), Only to teleport to location of mixed dirt, Single Continuing Charge (5 Minutes), Charges do not recover, Gestures (Pour and Ignite Powder), OAF Powder, Independent, Extra Time - Full Turn, Unexpected results when mixed with other potions. |
A group of enterprising adventurers that have found plenty of opportunity for excitement and profit by basing their activities around Adelfarn. The band is headed by the warrior Radiant Faust, and includes the conjurer Kirstyn Toll, ranger Sloan Eastham, the stoic dwarf adventurer Grind Darkover, and priest Lossen Pitwig - a missionary of Talthazar. When expedient, members of the local militia have been known to join the company for a quick profit.
Part of the reason for the success of this company has been their habit of following existing adventurer groups when they use the town of Adelfarn as their base of operations. They use a variety of divinational techniques, and the spying skills of Grind to keep tabs on likely subjects. They then follow the first wave of adventurers into whatever trouble they step, often gaining favorable opportunities as a result. More often than not an adventurer group has stepped into trouble only to have the Ruby Talon Company arrive to pick up the pieces. Naturally the price for their timely services is often high.
Due to the multitude of different cultures the town has visited over the millenia, the magi of the Gadrwyn Waeth have developed this spell to aid the local merchants with their commerce. When a Scroll of Language Learning is read aloud, it bestows upon the reader a temporary fluency with the language of a target creature. The reader will still speak with a distinctive accent, and the fluency will disappear after 2-5 weeks. However, if a conscious attempt is made to memorize words and syntax as they are spoken, an intelligent reader can gain actual fluency in the language in half the normal time.
| HERO: Universal Translator, Single Continuing Charge Lasting 2-5 weeks, OAF Scroll, Fragile Focus, Incantations, Conditional (Needs good light to read by), Independent. |
The so-called Demons of the Underwarrens, these hideous humanoid creatures were the result of polymorphing experiments by an evil sorcerer. Rescued from a life of cruel bondage by Talos many centuries ago, the Spawn were given a safe home in the dark underwarrens beneath the town. The viable offspring of these creatures have created a unique culture and established a steady, but secretive trade with the surface dwellers. Many miles of tunnels and caverns, quarried by Dwarves for the town walls, have been converted into an ecosystem for growing edible mushrooms and insects from the refuse flowing through the sewer system.
From time to time, the Shadow Spawn have been the subject of unjust rumors among the town folk, as they have often been blamed for any unexplained crimes. As a result, they have an unsavory reputation in Adelsfarn. A few surface dwellers practice commerce with the Spawn in secrecy, and work to protect these relatively benign and industrious creatures. In addition, the Spawn are not without their defenses, and penetrating to the heart of their underground village is not a task for the faint of heart. It is even thought that they have established a relationship with the underwarren population of large rats, and use these rodents as sentries.
| HERO - 16 STR, 12 DEX, 10 CON, 15 BODY, 10 INT, 10 EGO, 15 PRE, 5 COM, 4 PD, 4 ED, 3 SPD, 30 END, 28 STUN; Shrinking (10 Pts., -2 to others sight PER, +3" KB), Persistent, Always On; 1/2d6 HKA, reduced penetration - claws; +1 w/ H-to-H combat; +2 PD/+2 ED Armor - furry hide; +2" Running (8" total); Bump of Direction; Infrared Vision; +1 PER w/ all senses; +1 PER w/ Hearing; Targeting Hearing; Extra Limbs - tail; Concealment 11-; Shadowing 11-; Stealth 11-; Survival 12-; Language: Spawn (Fluent); KS: Underground Farming; AK: Adelfarn Underwarrens 15-; PS: Farmer 11-; Distinctive Features (Concealable, Major Reaction); Hunted (Want to harm), Adelfarn only 11-; Terrified of Surface Dwellers. |
There is within Adelfarn a centuries old society that is dedicated to the belief that the gods do not exist and that the supposed miracles of the priests are merely another form of magical expression created by man and the other intelligent species. Many of the members of this society were heavily persecuted in their own lands, usually due to religious fervor or because they were blamed for calamities, and sought refuge within Adelfarn. Indeed a number of the members suffer from curses inflicted as a result of their beliefs and the society actively seeks a means to alleviate these victims from their suffering.
The society meets once per nine-day at a society building in the south west of the town. They spend their time performing research and investigation in order to find definitive proof that the gods do not exist. As such the members often make visits to the holy sites in the region where the town currently resides, investigating religious phenomenon or obtaining more literature and information.
The society is divided into two primary philosophical factions. The first believe that there is a god who created the universe, but that he or she is a subtle creator and does not interact with the mortals in any obvious fashion. The second, slightly smaller faction is completely athiest in philosophy and believe that everything within the world can be explained in some rational fashion without resorting to the existence of a supposed god to provide a cause. Needless to say the debates between these two factions can be quite rancorous and their rivalry only serves to keep the light of the society burning brightly.
The people of the town have always been a little nervous about the existence of this group, but the general tolerance of strange beliefs that pervades Adelfarn has allowed the people to peacefully co-exist with the society. The society has evolved many unusual customs over the years, and the initiation ceremony has come to rival that of a wizard's guild. The society also has an extensive library of philosophical scrolls as well as a full-time researcher whose salary is paid through member dues and charitable contributions.
Because the town has traveled far and wide over the centuries the wizards of the Gadrwyn Waeth have acquired a considerable breadth of magical knowledge. Many of their arcane spells are commonly taught by the guild to its apprentices, and are documented in the guild library. Others are carefully stored in warded chambers lest the foolish or the power hungry misuse them. The spells have been obtained from many worlds, and so are not unique to any one setting.
This common language of Adelfarn began as a simple trader language along the great spice road. Over time the residents added words from their own language to explain new concepts, until now the tongue has little resemblance to the original dialect. The guild of scribes created a written version of the language and attempted to standardize the vocabulary. Almost every resident of the town has at least a basic understanding of Trade, and newcomers have a strong incentive to learn it in order to converse.
So they can be clearly identified, visiting merchants must wear a strip of red cloth while selling their wares or they will be forcibly removed from the town by the guards. Many visiting merchants choose to set up their tents outside the Portis Gate so they can avoid this distinction and the accompanying harassment by local merchants.