DMs Only: DM notes for Kim

CHILDREN OF CHAOS SMARTBOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. POINTS OF CONTACT B. BACKGROUND C. CHARACTERS D. NPCs E. PLACES F. MAJOR THEMES G. PAST MODULE SUMMARIES H. MODULE IDEAS

FORWORD: Congratulations for being chosen as the Dungeon Master for the Children of Chaos (formerly Southern Lights). This is a great group, and there's great material to work with here as well. The game is very mature (began in July 1999), and there is a great deal of background information. The intent of this Smartbook is to provide incoming/ interim DMs with enough material to provide continuity to the group.

A. POINTS OF CONTACT. Jerry Phelps (Campaign DM) sends out regular updates on all the Woldians. This is your best contacts list for getting DM help. Others include…

DM Support http://www.woldiangames.com/dm_resource/

Previous DMs Anthony ??? and Sam ??? . Original DMs from Jul 1999 ??? Cayzle - 2002 introduced the Chaos Bell. VERY IMPORTANT!!) ??? Greg ??? – Stephen Fleming – 18 Mar 2003 Dominic ??? Ted ??? – 29 Aug 2003 Mikey ??? – 3 Oct 2003 Justin Webber – 15 Dec 2003 Al Chang - 16 Jun 2004 Stephen Knotts – 10 Sep 2007 BZ – ADM and co-DM – 10 Sep 2007 Glenn – 5 April 2010

B. BACKGROUND

The Southern Lights in 1999 was the first expansion game in the Wold to begin on the newly discovered Southern Continent. The group’s initial intent was to explore and discover the strange cultures and lands.

It is very important to understand that the Woldian Panthenon (Alemi, Gargul, Marteus, etc) holds less sway in the Southern Continent. Except for isolated areas, people are very suspicious of any followers or even mention of these deities. The chosen deities of the Southern Continent are the Powers. Less powerful than the gods, they hold sway over the Southern Continent and are responsible for the Great Migration and the Southern Continent peoples. For more information, see the Woldipedia.

In 2003, the Southern Lights encountered the Chaos Bell and began a cycle as the Children of Chaos which culminated in August 2007. The chaos marks on the heroes and the powers provided are now ingrained in the group of heroes.

In April 2009, the heroes triggered the Great Migration, fulfilling a prophesy from Al Chang’s stint as DM and the lands of the Southern Continent reshuffled their locations like a deck of cards.

In October 2009, the CoC also acquired the Cube of Law, the opposite Artifact to the Chaos Bell. Without a balance between Law and Chaos, the Great Migration is continuing and getting ever more Chaotic.

My goals for the CoC was to integrate the Heroes into the lives of the people they protect, and exploring the Chaos vs Law challenges. My intent is to have the CoC confronted with forces of Law (angels, inevitables, formians, and devils) while forces of Chaos are their allies (brass/copper dragons, phasms, satyrs, and demons).

My intended EndGame for the CoC was for them to stabilize the Great Migration by placing both the Chaos Bell and the Cube of Law at the Center of the Southern Continent and giving up the bond they have with the Chaos Bell, thus ending the Chaos Cycle. What happens is up to you. 

C. CHARACTERS (Current and Past)

CURRENT: George/Rash: George is the oldest continuous player. He is a min/maxer, always looking for the best combat combination. His first character was Savin. He became bored with Savin and when the monk was killed a couple years ago, elected to get a new character, the cleric Rash. His playing style is that he lives to dominate the battlefield. Rash has a family in Cliffport who provide good inbetween adventures for Rash. Rash is combat leader of the group.

DanK/Peerimus: Not to toot my own brothers horn, but DanK is your best Player. Consistent, Smart, Knowledgeable, he will keep you on your toes! Peerimus is a human druid and the strategic leader of this group. Peerimus is well fleshed out, and is able to calm down some more flamboyant personalities. The druid has been seeking to create a network of nature beings in Gateway Downs, and currently has several contacts. He has a Druid’s Grove just outside Heranmar where the Chaos Bell is currently under guard.

DanK Comments (from old email): Peerimus feels that just about all the heroes of the Wold have Eberyon wrong and that nature simply reaserted itself and now that the trees or what have you don't just stand nicely and get chopped down and burned, the noble races are all bent out of shape. Long term Peerimus wants to create a bond of Druids, Rangers and Defenders of the awakend (New Prc) interchange nature know and spells and such, perhaps look into old fey nature rituals, re establish the old bonds with the fey. Peerimus firmly believes the natural lash of the Dark Fey Rising direct result of the druids and other keepers of nature taking a back seat to the desires of others, and wants to push forward with the thought that the natural world needs defenders against both good and evil, as both sides simply use and destroy nature to suit thier own whims.

Ted/Trace: Trace, elven Ranger, was one of the original characters to begin this game, that's right, here from the very beginning. But Ted dropped out some time back and only returned around 2005. Ted lacks a lot of 3.5 experience and rules and doesn’t seem to be too interested in learning. That's something of a problem, and makes the one-dimensional archer less effective when he can’t use his bow. Fairly good role-player when given a situation.

RichP/Firn'gaer: Gnome/Wizard. Started as a human wizard and was reincarnated after a death. Friends with DanK. Rich is smart battle player, but is touchy, terse, and sometimes fails to post at inconvenient moments. Long time Player in the CoC, he started back in 2004. Firn’gaer long term goal is to establish his tower in the newly opened area south of Lake Abandon. He has already started his delving.

BrianZ/Durgan: Brian was ADM and then co-DM with me in the game. Consistent Player and DM, Brian has had a tough time developing Durgan since he knows what’s going to happen. This has made Durgan come off ineffective and unimaginative. I am looking forward to the DM Migration where Brian can develop Durgan without DM Knowledge getting in the way. Durgan is brother to Kazak, and both met the COC as prisoners in Koshe Marr in 2004.

Chris/Kazak: Chris is a good friend of George. Chris is a good solid player, and is developing his character well. Kazak and Durgan are dwarven brothers from the underground empire of Turak Nor, a land of the Southern Continent. (According to Jerry, it's undeveloped and he's warned me to tread lightly with the details here. He doesn't want any details created that can't be undone later.) I made one minor stronghold on the edge of Turak Nor that the CoC visited and has some allies in. See “E PLACES”.

(From Al Chang email) (SteveK:I didn’t do anything with this, and it may be a Hook you want to use): Durgan and Kazak are from the past. They were ambushed along the shores of Lake Abandon and when they woke up in the Nightshade Crypt in Koshe Marr when rescued by the Children of Chaos. Details that they don't know: They were ambushed by Fidelia herself. Lake Abandon is on the edge of the Rift between Koshe Marr and the Wold. She captured them at the direction of the Not-Yet-God Marteaus -more on why later- and had their souls stored on patterns on the wall within the Crypt. The COC rescued Kazak and Durgan along with two other Heroes, Randall the sorcerer and Vinder the Rogeu who have since left the group. Durgan and Kazak's time of origin is 100 years ago before the Ascension. They did not know the current gods, and Durgan often referred to Moradin.

Jurgen/JeffC : Human Paladin/Sorcerer/Protector. Good player, but has had trouble posting since taking primary DM of the Grey Knights. He could also be frustrated in his character. Jurgen doesn’t really stand out. He is a second-string fighter, second-string mage, second-string diplomat. He has been most effective when he stays with the wizards and protects them while they throw big spells. Not sure if this is what Jeff wants to do with the character. Despite his sometimes frustration, Jeff never takes it out on the DM or other Players.

Xenia/ Al Chang: Yes, that’s right. You have two of the three most recent CoC DMs as Players in CoC!! Al is really good in roleplaying and being effective in battle with relatively minor spell effects. Xenia is a half-drow rogue who is maxed out in Use Magic Device (for wands and scrolls in battle) and any scouting ability. Using game mechanics, Xenia is nearly impossible to detect and can pop in anywhere to see what’s up ahead. My only way to keep things secret from the group is layer deception on deception so they take the first thing seen at face value. Otherwise, count on Xenia to provide spoiler alert for the group. She moved over from Crimson Shields in 2009. Her long term goal is finding her drow father and killing him. The group found a drow tunnel underneath Threshold (Gateway Downs) before the Great Migration, but it has since moved. May be a great hook!

Torgon/ Chris Jones: Good friends with DanK and Rich, and another excellent player. Just came on in 2009, the minotaur with spiked chain is a killing machine; toe to toe is nearly impossible. Chris is also smart player, able to work with others for a tactical plan. Roleplaying is very good too.

D. NPCs

1) Living NPCs (SteveK: I added Living NPSc to Places since all are Geographically Separated. Made is easier to remember. 

2) Past Players. You can use past players as NPC's, but can’t kill them without their Players permission.

Father Jasper: Cleric of Alemi. Last seen in Heranmar, stayed on as the local priest, but sailed for Northern Continent last time anyone knows.

Niobe ui Crevan: Female Rogue/Ranger. Niobe elocated to Hook City and is now the mentor for a young Protector group 877. Protectors 877 live in Block 452 and work out of the CoC Warehouse there. They meet with the CoC every time the CoC are in Hook City.

Sly Foxx: (Ciel LaPlante) Fighter/Wizard/Bladesinger. Sly took his sister, Ruby, back to Dremoria. His sister was turned into a wisp of ectoplasm in the Price of Power module and has been searching for a way to reconstitute herself ever since. Last seen, the sister was solid from the waist up.

Ilsidur Wayfinder: Cleric. A long term player. He faded from the game and so I (Al Chang) turned his character into a doll. That doll was in the possession of Sly Fox.

Pip Goodfellow. Halfling Rogue. Started the game as co-owner of Heranmar General Store and joined the group on their first adventure. Had a pet cat, Mirt. His brother Tap Goodfellow is on the Heranmar Council.

Savin. (George Nemeth) Human Monk from Wayfarer and started a monk school in Heranmar. Was slain by evil monk who was trying to start a war between the dwarves of Turak Nor and the elves of Dre Moria.

Quinn DeMarco. (Jim Frick) Human Cleric of Gargul. Began a monestary near Threshold. With approval from Jim Frick (the Player), I had Quinn killed by his vampire father and the both of them tried to open a new Gate to Koshe-Marr. The CoC stopped them, killing all the vampires and closing the Gate by destroying Quinn’s Fate Item from the Chaos Cycle.

Randall. (Yves Buchard) Human Wizard. Rescued from Koshe Marr at same time as Durgan and Kazak, went on a couple adventures before settling into the Star Mages Guild at Hook City. Has a pseudo dragon familiar. Since then, the SMG tower at Hook City was destroyed, the SMG discredited, and Randall went back to Plateau City, Northern Continent.

Vinder the Hilt. (Sheggar) Human Rogue. Rescued from Koshe Marr at same time as Durgan and Kazak, went on one undersea adventure before sailing back to Dirt City and the Northern Continent.

Kit and Kat Miara (Kristal and Jon Eber) Female Twin Halfling Rogues. Was with the group for less than one module due to computer problems. Last seen in Hook City. Players don’t know, but they were arrested and put on ice for a few years for stealing.

Angus. (Jim Frick) Moved to CoC from Crimson Shields shortly before Xenia. Player went on Walkabout in 2009 and Angus was the first victim of the continuing ever-more-chaotic Great Migration. He got ported to an unknown location by a random teleport circle.

3) Old Enemies, Dead or Alive Quentin deMarco: Vampire Cleric. Quentin is Quinn's father. He and Quinn's mother were taken by vampires and turned. Quinn tracked down his mother and put her to sleep. Quentin tracked down and killed Quinn. The CoC tracked down and killed them both along with all their allies. End story arc, but still repercussions around Threshold.

S'bat Wefph the Wererat Lich. S'bat began as an evil wererat cleric and leader of the Cat and Mouse gang in the High and Low module set in Floating City. Al Chang brought him back twice. Once in anti-chaos group module Chaos vs Chaos where he was brought back as a lich, and again in the Nightshade Crypt module. In Nightshade Crypt the group finished him off for good. End story, but repercussions in Heranmar.

The Anti-Chaos Group: A Troll Monk, a Vampire Sorcerer, a Ghost Wizard, a Blackguard, and a Drow Shadowdancer all lead by S'bat the wererat lich. Most slain in the Chaos v Chaos module, but none were verified. The Drow Shadowdancer could be a great Xenia’s Dad.

Krilanos. White-robed enemy during Past and Present module. I brought him back with Chaos Powers to start the Elf-Dwarf war. Krilanos killed Savin, but was in turn killed by the CoC.

Ohzone. Great Blue Dragon. Ally to Krilanos, the wiley dragon killed two more CoC before dying. I brought him back in the Great Migration module, and he is still out there. Kazak has a serious grudge against Ohzone.

Ga’al. The northern god was seriously weakened when a northern hero group destroyed his Heart in Alisidur. The god went to the Southern Continent and kidnapped the baby Power Sargrass. Sargrass is tied closely with Woldsblood. Using Sargrass, Ga’al began usurping Gargul’s power of Life and Death in the Southern Continent. To stop Ga’al, the COC initiated the Great Migration. This severed Ga’als connection to the Power Sargrass when all the lands migrated. Ga’al has a SERIOUS Enmity against the COC.

4) Friends long gone The Circle of Far and Away (aka Faraday): Faraday was the very first leader of the first Children of Chaos. The Crones turned the first group into five artifacts that could help future COC groups during the Chaos Cycle. Was the only one of the five quest artifacts that could talk. He had a habit of running on at the mouth or sometimes just simply humming or singing to himself. The habit came from the millennia of loneliness through which he had to live, waiting for each succeeding Chaos group to find he and the others.

Crazy Bob (old man – dead and zombified). Original ownwer of Heranmar General Store. Killed by Krilanos’ group and anitmated as zombie and killed by party.

Donk - A short, bald dwarf who wears a rag over the lower half of his face and smells of baby powder. He carries the biggest two bladed axe you have ever seen. He seems to hold the wisdom of the ages in his face and eyes. When you see him you can't help but think 'When I have seen everything those eyes have seen, will I look so kind?" Speaks like a caveman. Best friend of Holly (current Heranmar General Store owner) Left Heranmar at beginning of Elf-Dwarf problems to keep Holly from being lynched. Wandering parts unknown.

Kulak the Iron Golem. Was a construct of an enemy and fought the COC, but turned when found a personality of his own. Last seen walking from Heranmar to the Ice Vien years before the Great Migration.

E. PLACES

1. GATEWAY DOWNS – Group Most Often Around Here

1.a.HERANMAR: (See map) Heranmar is where everything started. It's the port of call when ships dock from the Northern Continent. The original reception that the first group got when they landed was cold and xenophobic. Currently, the town of Heranmar loves the CoC. They became local heroes after they avenged the town following a mass murder perpetrated by the Anti-group. The CoC have been putting time, effort, and money into Heranmar to build it up from the devestation a few years past. They are well respected.

Heranmar is run by a Council. All but Selenie are pretty new to governing, since the old Council was all killed in the Chaos v Chaos module.

Places Peerimus’ Grove is less than a thousand yards north of the town. Crones Stones: Five Standing Stones have been here forever. Rings of five stones are the symbol of the Crones, the Powers that protect the Downs. There are always a small group of Crones clerics here for healing, meditation, and advice. Old Abbey: The ruins is where the group found the Chaos Bell. Lots of other history too. Currently, Rash is rebuilding it to defend the Chaos Bell. The INN: at Heranmar. Local watering hole. Currently has a dwarven barmaid named Brina (who has a thing with Kazak), and the owner is a balding man, Chester. General Store: There is an entrance to the Catacombs at the back of the general store in town. Holly is owner. Quendeck Mansion: Now the home of the town council. Fortuneteller: A modest two-story building with a storefront at the bottom and a living area at the top. The store is cluttered with all sorts of hanging herbs, bottled bric-a-brac and taxidermy mountings. An opaque fist sized milky quartz ball rests in a tripod on a circular table painted with signs of the Powers and the Tarot. Lillian is the fortuneteller. Tanner House: Savin bought this house and turned it into a monk school. Jala, an old teacher of Savin’s, is currently in charge and there are about 20 young men and women at the school.

People Heranmar Council: currently consists of

 Selenie Quendeck for defense
 Bunwit the Fisherman.  For the seagoing trades
 Harrin the merchant. For all the Trades
 First Daughter of the Crones for the Powers
 Tap Goodfellow for the farmers and people outside Heranmar
 Chester the INNkeeper.  At large

Selenie Quendeck who is Krilanos's sister and only living member of that family left. A retired Paladin, she is an elderly but pretty lady who wears gold platemail and large steel shield with an upward pointing amber arrow. DC Religion 20 is an ancient symbol of Law.

Bunwit. Old man of the sea. Greedy and cantankerous, only caring about his problems. Low level evil. Selenie is trying to get him to see the error of his ways.

Harrin the Merchant. Jolly and fat, has an excellent nose for business and a profit.

First Daughter of the Crones. The only permenant cleric at the Stones. Doesn’t say much except when specifically asked a question. The answers are always full of wisdom.

Tap Goodfellow. Halfling. Brother had joined the Southern Lights (precoursers to the CoC). He is a farmer and is generally friendly to Savin and the CoC.

Chester – bald human owner of the INN in Heranmar. Beaming and full of good cheer, is not one to listen or tell stories.

Brina – dwarf barmaid at the INN in Heranmar. Chaotic Good and has loose morals with any passing male dwarfs. (Has taken an intense interest in Kazak) She lives alone and besides casual companionship, is looking for a bit of gold and fame to come her way.

Holly – half-elf with scimitar. Currently proprietor of the Heranmar General Store, and the only access to the Catacombs in Gateway Downs. Was first friendly person the novice CoC met in Heranmar (July 1999). Is a guide and knows about the Wold and the ways of the Gateway downs.

Tod the Smith. Owns the smithy in Heranmar. Quiet, hardworking and honest. Working with the dwarves.

Jala. Savin’s old mentor and now the teacher of Savin’s Monk School at Heranmar. Elderly lady who still moves with incredible grace, if slowly.

Lillian – fortune teller - is a middle aged woman and looks to be in her forties. Her hair hangs in a braid down her back, flat and heavy. Lillian wears a clean, mended côte hardie type of gown dyed a red-brown, and a mantle of homespun, undyed linen and a shawl of light rabbit-wool; the shawl is a dark yellow-green color. The patches and mends on the gown all closely match the cloth of her dress and are difficult to see. She can only see out of one eye, but her hearing is excellent. Lillian's right eye is completely murky grey; like the rain clouds, and obviously sightless. She comes across as an even tempered woman, if a bit "flighty". She seems more interested in practicing her trade rather than take care of more mundane affairs. She is a Witch, though it is very clear that she specializes in making charms and talismans.

Two-Stripe – Awakened Badger living in Grove with her Awakened family. Is Peerimus’ primary defender of the Grove.

Wanderwood – Oak tree awakened by Peerimus. He has agreed to live in the grove for a while.

RedTail – Hawk that has been hanging around. Peerimus is thinking of Awakening the Hawk, and the Hawk has said its OK, but the Awakening hasn’t happened yet.

The Crones of the Gateway Downs are powers. The CoC have completed a Chaos Cycle quest in Aug 2007 that explained the origins of the five Crones and their association with five powerful artifacts. Excerpt of the end is below. This is very important for future encounters. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Those that you know as the Crones were once as you are." The Avatar turns to Peerimus, offering this to the druid. "They were the first to confront me in this Place that is Not a Place. They numbered five, and they were powerful protectors even then. They summoned from me the Chaos Bell. They forged the five Artifacts. They defeated me, and then, resurrected, sent me back to the cosmos for the first time."

"Since that time, the original five have passed the mantle on to others. The jewel, the fist, the pearl, they are passed from old to new so that the land may never lack for protectors. The Crones in your time are far removed from the original five. They have found roots deep in the Blood of the Wold. They have even forged bonds with Witches throughout the Wold."

"But you, all of the Chosen, are descendants of the five originals."

Lady Wisdom, and below her are the other four Crones, Lady Watcher, Lady Justice, Lady Sorrow, and Lady Mercy.

1.b.Threshhold: Threshhold is in the mountains to the east, near Lake Abandon. It's where Quinn had his enclave of Gargulites. The area is very close to the place where the wall between the Wold and Koshe Marr is the thinnest. Threshold has been affected by this proximity by being enslaved by one undead prince after another for a long time. The CoC recently killed the last one, the former COC Quinn DeMarco, and have set up a fort on the former site. Because of the history, Thresholders don’t try to be noticed. Everyone is the same drab clothing and there are no leaders in the town.

The town is self-sufficient, but doesn’t have anything in the way of exports. The town tends towards taller, thinner buildings that have a tendency to lean as they age, the effect being slightly eerie for those used to a more cottage style. A good-sized town, there are probably 500 souls in Threshold, making it slightly bigger than Heranmar. The houses of Threshold have windows locked and barred even in the daytime. Doorways are locked, and most inhabitants have secret knocks and passwords to get inside. Cracks and holes have been plugged with mud, rags, plaster, or anything else that could keep out the smallest rat.

Threshold itself is in the saddle between two lines of hills that march east and west to higher mountains in the far distance. To the north a Trade Road runs. To the south, another Trade Road winds down into a valley. Older citizens remember that this is where the Undead Veil was, and beyond was Koshe-Marr and the town of Abandon. Yet now, it looks like normal terrain, and the little exploration has found it an untouched natural basin.

Places Quinn’s Hill. The heavily wooded hill that immediately looks over Threshold from the east has a fortress that looms over the town: Quinn’s Hill. A fortress built by the now dead COC-com-Vampire. A central worship place, round and pillared (100' diameter), in the middle of an open rectangle fort (300' long x 200' wide) with towers on each corner and a gatehouse facing the town (in the short wall). Everything made of local stone with wooden frames. There are storehouses and workshops along the long walls (flanking the Temple) and a large dormitory on the back short wall (behind the Temple). The usual buttery, brewery, tannery, smithy, candlry, stables, and the like are all there. The COC own Quinn’s Hill, and have hired some clerics to take care of the place for them. The COC don’t trust the former Mailed Fist mercenary, Javin, and so engineered a complicated co-dependancy in the region, with the COC, the low-level clerics, the former Mailed Fist, and the townsfolk all having a piece of power. This is acceptable from all points of view (amazingly enough).

"Xel'Naga" – a signpost in tunnels under Threshold (before the Great Migration) interpreted as the name of a Drow city. A potential game hook, this leads to two bits of knowledge the COC know. One, there are Drow in the Southern Continent, and Two, they are not an immediate threat to the Gateway Downs.

People Trella the midwife: The closest thing to a town leader. Her rhuemy eyes stare frankly at anyone, and she spits in the dirt a lot. She is a low level Witch.

Javin Two-Blades. Leader of the Threshold Protectors. Used to be a Mailed Fist mercenary, the Migration separated him and his group, so they have agreed to be the protectors for Threshold. He has a group of 35 armed men and women. The group is based out of Quinn’s Hill.

Terrace, Bordy and Flavius. These are three young clerics that Rash and the COC hired to manage the temple at Quinn’s Hill. All are 3rd level or lower. Terrace is a cleric of the Crones. He is stable, patient, and not afraid of hard work. Bordy is a generalized for all Powers. Flavius is a cleric of Ma’ab. All are trying to make Quinn's Hill to be a place open to anyone with a good heart.

1.c.Wayfarer: Wayfarer is a walled town on a hill that dominates the local area. Originally a town that provided support and a place to rest for miners and adventureing parties who explored the nearby mountains, the town is run by various guilds who take care of their own business. On the highest part of the hill stand a monk monestary who keeps a calming influence on the town, but does not run the place, preferring to use diplomacy to orders.

Places. There isn’t a single place in Wayfarer that the COC have visited that is really important other than the monestary itself. I’ve got a photo and map of Wayfarer that you need to remind me to send to you.

Monestary Library. The monks have never let the heroes into their archives, but the heroes have been told that it has records and information on the Southern Continent that goes back to the First Age of the Wold.

People

Navia, Female Monk (15 level) of middle age, calm demeanor, and boundless energy. First Minister to Faraday, the leader of the Wayfarer Monestary. She does most of the talking, coordinating, ordering, and diplomacy at the Monestary.

Faraday a great dignified old monk (15 level), wrinkled and withered. He is the monk-abbot of the monestary, the spiritual leader and in charge of the monestary itself." Faraday doesn't speak much, but when he does it is always full of wisdom. (I used Faraday to always give true DM hints, providing the heroes a conduit of unquestionable info). The gracefullness of his movements convince the heroes that no matter how old he looks, this wouldn't be someone to mess with. Every abbot of the monestary is named Faraday, in honor of their first abbot; the same Faraday that the COC encountered as an artifact back in Al Chang’s stint as DM.

1.d.Taur:

Taur is an all-minotaur village that for years uncounted has nestled peacefully in a high alpine valley. Village legend has it that during a time of great cataclysm, the minotaur were plucked from certain death and brought to this place. There has been the very occasional peddler, bard, or long-range adventuring party who have penetrated the mountains, but for the most part, the minotaur have lived a life alone. Through these visitors, the minotaur have learned they were in a region called the Gateway Downs, and the mountains are called the Gray Divide. They know of the Powers of the Southern Continent and that there is a wide Wold out there, but are mostly content to live in their insular community.

Then the Great Migration came. The mountains heaved and buckled. Great stones came crashing down on the village. And then an entire mountaintop slid to cover the valley. Before this certain destruction, a glowing ball of gold surrounded the village! When the ball of light vanished, the land about the minotaur village had changed. Instead of being nestled in the mountains, the village is among wooded hills.

The village is run by a Council of Elders, and is defended by a single Protector who is chosen by Kayleb ceremony. (See Minotaur in Woldipedia). The Protector also has an apprentice to train and help defend the village.

The six Village Elders make any decisions that affect more than three minotaur. They meet at the Elder House which is the largest structure in the village. All Elders are considered equal, with no one having veto or executive power.

There are 265 adult minotaur in Taur, and about half that number in children and adolescants. The village was so named because after the first Cataclysm, they thought they were the only minotaurs left in the Wold.

They build sturdy homes with stone and wood and have no walls or fences save for animal stock and the vineyards. Each family is self-sufficient for their needs, and the village comes together for large projects. Some taur are better skilled than others in wine-making, or weaving, or pottery; and so they barter with each other in work and goods. The very few times they had visitors, the strangers were housed with families or in their own wagons or tents.

Temples? The most important Power is Imod who protects through strength and hard work. The holy ground of Imod is the Kayleb arena adjacent to the Elder House.

For warriors, every adult minotaur is a warrior with their own armor and weapons. They all have had training at the Kayleb and by the Protector. The Protector is a special position that often leaves the village to take care of further dangers before they become close.

People Torbrah, the youngest Elder. Past bearing age, her muzzle is white, but she still moves with a sultry grace that catches the eye of young bulls. She is in charge of the village welfare.

Tunderhuf, Torgon's own teacher and former Protector of the Minotaur. His body is long since gone weak with age, and stooped with ache, but the eyes and mind are still the same vibrancy of youth.

Imodtor, is another old bull but still with the vigor of limb. He is in charge of the work outside the village border; logging, hunting, herding and the like.

The last person that Torgon mentions is a young cow named Sifthorn. Using speed and aggressiveness, she won her Kayleb and is now his apprentice Protector.

1.e.Cliffport: The town appears to have been a fishing town similar to Heranmar, but now the homes and fishing boats are on top of a cliff. 300 feet below, the surf of an immense body of salt water pounds the rocks. The town was once called Swamp's End, for the proximity to the Spirit Swamp and the Plactik Ocean. Now, the citizens have renamed thier town Cliffport, and have made an immense stone-and-wood stair and dock to the ocean below.

Rash's family lives less than a mile from Cliffport. The farm and family are doing well. Her husband is a 10 level Wizard, and all three children show arcane promise.

1.f.Three Forks Inn: Located on the west coast of Gateway Downs, the Three Forks Inn used to be the final stopping place for travelers going to Hook City. Since the Migration, Hook City moved and Three Forks stayed, the intrepid owners are starting their own port-and-trading area. They still have some terrific local favorites from their kitchen, to include a spicy root dish made from …

2. HOOK CITY Since the Great Migration, Hook City is only one week travel from Wayfarer and two weeks from Heranmar.

Hook City: A lot of the group's time has been spent in the Hook City location. The group still has a Warehouse and nearby store with apartment above and small garden behind here that they came into possesion of through the will of a deceased employer (back in 2001). The CoC is named on the memory stone deed and possession of this deed will give them access just like a key. Currently Trace is in possession of this Memory Stone.

The COC are known as Protectors 823 in Hook City. Hook City has registered Protectors as muscle hired by various folks; and the COC was the 823rd group to be hired (back in 2000). Protectors are a honorable business in the Southern Continent, and a theme I’ve been running with.

Getting through the gates of Hook City is normally not easy. There's an interrogation process at the gate and there's always a long line waiting for entrance trailing back into the tents of Mud City. The COC have been authorized access to teleport in when they want and to bypass the line because of their services to the City.

Basic Places you can find in the Woldipedia.

2.a. IMPORTANT: The government of Hook City is very Lawful and bureaucratic. LOTS of red tape and official lawyer sounding talking. The CoC have been able to overcome most of it by their deeds, but some is still around. When the COC want to do something I don’t want them to do in Hook City, I use the “it’s not my department” excuse and come up with legal delays until the group gets bored and goes to do something else.  :-)

Blintz Mugglietoes, Halfling in expensive clothing. Title is “Third Prefect of South Hook” and the COC defacto liason with the Hook City government. Is on good terms with the Protector 823, and can sometimes cut through red tape, and sometimes have to ask higher ups or direct the COC elsewhere in the bureaucracy. I usually make mention of his very furry toes and 3 foot of height.

The Star Mage's Guild in Hook City: The SMG Tower was destroyed (in 2008)when the COC stopped a mad mage from using a Deux ex machina from sucking all the magic from Hook City and giving it to the mage. The backlash of the machines destruction broke the tower. For a time, the SMG wasn’t real popular in Hook City. They have very recently (Feb 2010) been given permission to have a Chapter House here again. This is a modest mansion in SouthHook with an epic level Illusion of a Tower.

Archimedies, the leader of the Star Mages Guild in Hook City. The COC don’t know that they have gotten permission to have their Chapter House and still think he is on the outs with the government.

2.b. Block 452: This is the neighborhood that the COC first protected (in 2000) and inherited their warehouse here. They are extremely well-liked and are hero worshipped among the people of the block.

The Protectors 877 are the progenies of the Protectors 823 (aka the Children of Chaos). They stay in the warehouse/headquarters and patrol Block 452 when the COC aren’t in residence. They are around 6th level. - Madame Didi Hosea (bard)leader of the Protectors 877, her lithe form and easy balance cuts a confident figure specializes in the sword and speaking skills. - Madame Niobe (rogue)is Didi's right-hand as well as primary trainer for the Protectors 877. Niobe was a PC with the COC for a time. - Sieur Malcomb (fighter) is a hefty lad with arms like many peoples legs. The son of a blacksmith, he wields a warhammer. - Sieur Sterwirt (barbarian) is nearly identical to Malcomb (being cousins), but is more bloodthirsty, and wields a battleaxe. - Sieur Nephon (wizard) is a diligent study, though slightly negligent as to his personal appearance. - Sieur Vaalin (cleric) wears the grey hooded robes of a priest of the Crones, and is a very quiet man.

Neighbors from the Block 452 - Sieur and Madame Weaver with their three daughters, their husbands, and THEIR children seem to all be in attendance. It is easily noticeable by all the CoC except Torgon that Madame Weaver and her daughters are more beautiful versions of that Bloodpack mystic, Tishe'. (Yes, I put my own character’s family in Block 452  :-) - Madame Orchid older lady who owns a grocery. Very grandmotheryo - Sieur Hosea, defacto spokesperson of the average man in Block 452. Owns Hosea's Hot Foods which specializes in spicy things. - Sieur Alad, the goods transporter. Contact for caravans and good in/out of Hook City. - Tildee Furrytoes, the new proprietor of the Well-Shod Traveller, and the franchised link to the Catacombs for Labor Town.

2.c. The Marble Causeway This is the main thouroughfare in NorthHook, stretching between the Main Gate at MudTown to the Bridge that is the most impressive thing about Hook City. The Causeway itself is a raised broad thouroughfare of ivory marble, and is lined with statues of all types, Soldier administrative buildings, and Temples. Most of the Temples of HookCity are here, the more modest temples of the city are immediately off the Marble Causeway. Since the Year of Ascension, many of these temples are abandoned and are showing the neglect. Several have the remnants of clerics without powers and are slowly withering away. And a few are new. As each hero walks around the Marble Causeway, they notice temples to every Power of the Southern Continent, but none of the Gods of the Wold or of Testing that many are used to from their Northern origins. Halfway between the gate and the Bridge, two temples face each other. One is run down and overgrown; the Temple of Mittri, and the other has new construction and bustling with activity; the Society of the Great Migration.

2.d. Temple of Mittri. Though the goddess of nature is ‘gone’, there are still those who revere her. This temple is occupied, but deliberately kept in a falling down condition with vegetation slowly taking over as a symbol of Nature over Civilization. Peerimus has contacts here, and Rash has spoken to them as well.

. Katt and Amber the Lost Child(female human) and her Sibling (Cat). They are the eyes and ears of the Temple in Hook City, and are the ones most spoken to by Peerimus. Feral, aloof, curious, and playful, I’ve played the pair like a cat. . Torm. A great land tortoise who is always in the temple and the nearest thing to a cleric of Mittri in Hook City. The great eyes look up and slowly blink. He is another source of DM wisdom.

2.e. "The Society of the Great Migration", Guarded by a couple of people with quarterstaffs. This is less of a church than a service organization. Several of them used to be prophets who spouted that the 'end is near' and that the 'Great Migration was coming'... and then it happened! Now, the group has a growing cartography section to map the changes of the Great Migration, and help out those who have been displaced by the event. "We keep seeing people popping in all the time", they say, "and we're having trouble with the cartography as the lands are still shifting about." Rash can also get a good laugh at a large portrait in the grand foyer of the Society. It is labeled "Our Founder". It is a painting of Jurgen. Before the Great Migration, Jurgen jumped up on a soapbox on the Marble Causeway and tried to convince people that the signs were near. I ran with this and created a cult of the Great Migration. Now that the Migration is (supposedly) over, I made it a service society as an ongoing roleplaying hook for Jurgen. There is not a specific NPC for this group right now.

3. SARGRASS PLAINS – had a couple of adventures through the Sargrass Plains. HOT!!!

- met the Bloodpack, a Wold group living in the Sargrass and visited their headquarters, a domed grass town called OddHolme.

- Murdock and Vayine. Drow wizard and ranger who head up OddHolme when the Bloodpack are away. Suspicious of strangers.

4. ICE VIEN – had one adventure in the eternal cold

5. DRE MORIA. – land of the elves. Had one adventure long, long ago. This was a land by a long-ago DM, and Jerry wants to keep if vague so as not to take the unknown DMs proprietary knowledge.

6. TURAK NOR. – land of the dwarves. Same with Dre Moria.

 Despite the prohibition, both Kazak and Durgan are from Turak Nor, and I did a module that skirted Turak Nor.

 The stronghold visited was called Vulfgard.  The CoC never was allowed to see the Dwarf Lord, but his son met with the group.  For this and other actions, the son was exiled from Vulfgard.