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This is a small island which I call Augerland. I've drawn it at a scale of 1 hex = 3 miles and I intend to turn it into a DnD 5e setting. The map shows Augerland in its natural, unsettled, undeveloped form.  This thread is a place for me to throw out ideas, work through the island's history piece by piece, and then drop some loot and some threats down in some locations. I hope to eventually arrive at a setting which I could then turn into an adventure. Such an adventure would probably contain a mere fraction of the boring stuff I dump here. The idea is to bore the poo poo out of this thread with lore so I can keep any vaguely interesting parts for the party. Let's begin... Azza Bamboo fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Oct 28, 2019 |
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Oct 28, 2019 21:15
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Year 0 - Starting Point Wood elves have formed societies of less than a hundred persons each. They share a language, an old form of Elven which does not yet have writing. They live in the forest they call Clachoran. These elves have not yet invented boats, meaning the rivers naturally limit the roaming grounds of each clan. The elves do, however, build shelter from wood found in the forest. Each clan builds its settlement relatively central to its roaming grounds, and the clan of Lan builds a second settlement near the water where they have learned to trap fish inside of small stone dams. The forest, magically enhanced and bursting with life, is rich with food for the elf clans. They needn't walk more than 5 or 6 hours a day to return home with plenty of food from the forest's plants and animals. This gives the elves time to become curious about their world, to experiment and create, setting the stage for future development. The clans exist in a relative peace with one another, but respond with violence if a hunting/foraging party is found trespassing on the roaming grounds of another clan. It becomes a formality to travel with an offering of food as a goodwill gesture if you wish to enter another clan's land for some peaceful aim. After all, nothing says "I'm not trying to steal your food" quite like showing up to the clan village with a feast, offering to eat it together. Tales of heroes from this time Nefian, who drove the wolves from Sidd. Her legendary scream was said to be able to pierce through the forest, scaring the wolves away. Lan, wolf slayer. Wolves had crossed the river into Lan at the shallows where Ardpool fishers worked. Their leader (who gave the Lan their name) slew all who circled around the village. His remains were the first to be placed in the tomb of heroes, a cave on the mountainside East of Lan. Gura, the monkey. Gura was an elf who could climb the tallest trees and peer over the forest canopy. Though this talent only occasionally provided practical use, Gura's joy at these antics and display of acrobatics were a source of amusement to all at the time. What to take from this age Let's not forget the purpose of all this droning on about elf history: to create something a DnD party might later stumble upon. If they came upon something from this time period, what would it be? Gura's bindings: a set of basic leather bindings intended to be wrapped around the feet. These offer the wearer a climb speed equal to their move speed that only applies to climbing trees. The tomb of heroes: a cave with a stone over the front, full of the remains of clan legends. Lan's spear: wolfsbane spear. Azza Bamboo fucked around with this message at 11:37 on Oct 29, 2019 |
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Oct 28, 2019 22:49
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Years 0 to 50 Orange blob: shows unopposed expansion Red blob: shows contested land With plenty of spare time, the elf clans begin to discover new things about the world they inhabit that would shape the future of each clan and the Clachorans as a whole. The Lan are beset with wolf attacks and devote a lot of resources to a hunter class of person that regularly patrols their roaming grounds, not just for food but largely for protection from wolves. Their craftspersons become highly proficient in the creation of stone blades for their spears and are the first to weave flexible wood into shields. The Tel discover clay firing, and are quick to begin making pottery which they show off to the other clans while making offerings held within them. The Sid, hoping to trade with the Tel, attempt to bridge the river between them with a tree stripped of its branches. Their attempt fails but leads to the accidental discovery that wood floats. A handful of Sid clansmen devote their efforts to using this new discovery, and they ultimately create boats. Now able to trade with the Tel in their boats, love bonds form between members of the two clans that result in the Sid gaining a few people who know how to fire clay. The tel, however, were reluctant to adopt boating thinking it to be dangerous. The Sid, no longer restricted in their movement by the rivers, seek good landing points near areas with important resources such as sharp rock or clay. They begin building outposts along the rivers near to them: Twurn, Sallat, Sotdi and Rotsot. They expand into new territory. These new outposts become inhabited by their workers, who only return to the main settlement for occasions and to present their craftwork. The outpost at Faerkdi forms where several rivers meet. The Sid use this landing point as a meeting point where materials can be brought together from their outposts in the river. Due to its easy access to numerous resources, People begin to settle in Faerkdi and the main settlement at Sidd becomes less popular. The Hor discover that through group rituals they can change their shape to become that of animals they have encountered. Their ability to perform this grows until some of their more devoted members spend more time in animal form than in their elf shape. The Hor, in beast form, expand their roaming area to new territories. They commune with wolves who tell them that the Lan are mean. The Uth spend a lot of time beautifying their settlement and enjoying life. With the Hor making good diplomacy with the wolves on their doorstep, they feel no need to hunt beyond what is needed for food. The uth carve intricate designs and discover how to weave the fibers of shrubbery into cloth. While other clans know how to carve, none are as prolific as the Uth. They take an interest in the activities of the other clans and begin documenting their activities in carved pictures. This would prove useful very soon. Roetsot Incident Lan hunters sight the Sid workers who launch from their newly made outpost at Roetsot. The Lan hunting party feel that building a settlement so close to theirs is a trespass. The Lan hunters walk the long route around to Roetsot to drive the Sid away. The Sid in Roetsot leave without a fight, realising they're no match for the most experienced and best equipped hunters in the land. They run to Sotdi where they take boats to Ardpool to seek an audience with the Lan leader, Sowl, in protest at the threats of violence. The Lan people in Ardpool try to help the distressed Sid workers by preparing them an offering to take to Sowl, who is in Landi. By the time the Sid reach Landi with their offering, the word of the events at Roetsot has reached Sowl from his own hunters. Sowl refuses to eat with the Sid, instead warning "If you don't want to be cut open, don't be a fish in my water." Some Lan hunters stay in Roetsot to guard the river, finding amusement in fumbling about trying to work the boats they have seized. Word travels through the whole forest about Sowl's threat to the Sid, and the consensus among the other clans is that the Lan are being jerks. The Uth elders, however, take the opinion that there was an implicit agreement to delimit a clan's roaming grounds by the impassable rivers that circumscribed them, and that this needs to be rethought now that a clan has discovered how to traverse the rivers. The Uth arrange for the clan leaders to sit and discuss an explicit agreement on behaviour at the boundaries of their territories. The clans agree that rivers delimit the edges of their territories, and all clans bordering a boundary river should be able to access its waterways at that point. The Uth carve a map which details the agreed edges of their clan territories, and for shared access to boundary rivers. For most, these definitions are agreeable. For the Lan, the Uth map has the river above Roetsot as the boundary between Lan and Sid, on the basis that the Sid settled Roetsot and Sotdi first. The Lan refuse this definition, saying the border lies in the river at Sotdi. The other clans, feeling threatened by Lan's nascent militarism, all pool together to say they find Sowl's threats unacceptable and if he does act against the Sid in that area then the clans will all pool their strength together to do to Sowl and his people whatever he and the Lan has done to any of theirs.  The Tel wander the land and begin to roam a new forest South of their home. Their hunting parties camp there in the summer to bring home a bounty of materials before heading back home for the winter. This territory is not discussed at the Uth talks. What to take from this age Let's not forget the purpose of all this droning on about elf history: to create something a DnD party might later stumble upon. If they came upon something from this time period, what would it be? Horuth carving: an ancient carving detailing a ritual dance by showing its poses in sequence. A DC 14 Performance or Acrobatics check is required to replicate the moves correctly, and the roll represents one hour's worth of studying and attempts at the dance's form. If successful, the dancer is able to cast Jump once a day. If the result of the check is 9 or below, the character coughs up a hairball. Ancient Offering Bowl: a clay bowl with primitive designs. Worth 100gp to the right collector, or a powerful goodwill gesture to a wood elf. Sid oar: an ancient oar that imbues its wielder with visions of the waterways in Clachoran. Its wielder cannot become lost on the waterways and is forewarned of any physical dangers (rocks, rapids, waterfalls) in the river ahead. Would be more fun to give to the party after trying to navigate treacherous waters. Azza Bamboo fucked around with this message at 16:02 on Oct 30, 2019 |
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Oct 30, 2019 03:54
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Years 50 to 70 Hordi animists begin to develop a spiritual belief in nature and animals. They propagate the idea that elves, animals and the forest itself form one "body" of life. Their evidence, which is being able to assume animal form, leaves an impression on the other clans. Members of the other clans who are curious about these ideas visit the Hor clan where they return with new spiritual ideas, and sometimes the ability to shift into an animal. The Hor settlement does not advance much in material ways, as its members spend increasingly more time in animal form or teaching others to do so.  As boats steadily become adopted by the other clans (with the exception of Hor clan, who'd sooner travel by taking the form of a bird) the Uth establish a new settlement called Tun. This landing point in the river emerges as a settlement due to it being a convenient location for the Uth to trade their cloth. Downstream of all major riverside settlements, Tun would eventually benefit from the majority of Clachoran production. Trade combined with the Uth propensity for wood carving leads to them developing a basic script for numbering and uniform symbols to represent certain traded goods. This allows them to write receipts or carve notes relating to transactions, which sees Tun become a trusted place to trade as the Uth can now record your contract. Other clans are quick to become literate in the Tun trade script, driven by basic paranoia over wanting to be sure that what is written matches what they have agreed. The Sid create a new clay pit called Felsi, as they require more clay to fulfill pottery commissions made in exchange for Uth cloth.  The Lan, tired of seeing Sid vessels travelling across their rivers, decide they'll call the other clans' bluff. They send a hunting party of 40 directly to Sidd, collecting 15 more hunters at Ardpool. Their movement is represented by the green arrow. The Hor clan, suspicious of the Lan, have been observing their borders from the river. Three Hor clan members in the form of a hawks sight the Lan as they ferry their number across the river. These hawks split up, flying to other settlements (yellow dashed line) in order to give word of the Lan invasion. By the time the Lan are half an hour away from Sidd, Sidd residents have spent an hour preparing for attack. Those who do not wish to fight are sent to Faerkdi. At this time Faerkdi, Teldi, Hordi and Uthdi are aware of the hunting party.  The Lan walk into the village of Sidd, and find it completely empty. The hunters begin tearing down some of the Sidd houses to improve their sight of the small forest clearing and to create a barricade. The Faerkdi hunters meet with Sidd hunters, and are the first to arrive near the village (Blue Arrow I). They are within sight of the village one hour after the Lan arrived. Knowing the other clans have been notified, they await greater numbers. The Sid clan leader, Ulrath, is among them. She resolves to fight once reinforcements have arrived. The Sidd hunters are only waiting twenty minutes before the Hordi animists arrive in hawk form (Yellow Arrow II). The Hordi animists drop a branch laden with berries down onto the Sid party as their offering, but more importantly to signal their presence. By the time the Teldi arrive, Ulrath is dead, the Sidd villagers have seen their numbers halved, the Hordi animists are literally licking their wounds and the Faerkdi have abandoned the fight. The Lan victory is clear and the Teldi fight only to allow the Faerkdi plus the few surviving Sidd hunters to withdraw safely. The teldi escort them all to Faerkdi. The Lan stay in Sidd. They celebrate by feasting on a few of the dead, treating this like a hunt. They keep the flesh of Ulrath's face and head as a trophy, drying it to preserve it. Gruesome as it seems, they fit it into their newfound beliefs that elves and animals are part of the same "life" substance. Uthdi does not send any soldiers to Sidd, but does invite the leaders of Felsi, Sotdi and Roetsot to join them in Tun to gauge their feelings about the events in Sidd.  The Lan secure land won from the Sid clan (black blob 1.) Tharill, a leader in the Lan hunting party, receives Sidd as her prize for her part in the battle. The people of Roetsot, Sotdi and Felsi are promised that they can work as usual, but are now defended by the Lan. Some flee in fear or disgust to Faerkdi. Most remain. These villages, which are made largely of workers and craftspeople, receive new hunting parties from the Lan. Felsi, Sotdi and Roetsot leaders arrive in Tun, but they are all escorted by Lan hunters. They all explain that trade will flow as per usual and that these villages have not been compromised by the new leadership. The Sid clan survivors in Faerkdi are fewer than 20. The Faerkdi people who were of the Sid clan are primarily the Tel craftspeople and the children of the Tel craftspeople who came into the Sid in the last post. Over time the survivors consider themselves Tel and the remaining Sid lands merge into the Tel clan roaming grounds (blue blob 2.) The Tel of Faerkdi expand South (orange blob 3.) What to take from this age Let's not forget the purpose of all this droning on about elf history: to create something a DnD party might later stumble upon. If they came upon something from this time period, what would it be? Tun trading receipt: A small wooden token carved in an outdated version of Elven. History 14 (advantage if the individual has Elven as a language) - the token says several [insert dangerous animal here] pelts/hides were traded for cloth. This would be a way to warn players/characters that [insert dangerous animal here] are present in the area. Animist's scratching post: a wooden post wrapped tightly in yarn, clearly distressed and containing the peelings from large catlike claws. Once per long rest any creature with a claw attack may use the scratching post to add +2 to damage dealt with their claw attacks until the end of the next combat encounter. Azza Bamboo fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Oct 31, 2019 |
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Oct 31, 2019 01:52
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Years 70-82 In the Clachoran forest, there's not much change in the physical landscape. A new meeting at Tun has the Lan tribe's land become defined as at the border of the river North of Faerkdi. No significant new settlements form inside of the forest itself. Ardpool and Faerkdi gain in their population and their quality of life as a result of the trade and personal connections coming from upstream. Tun gains the benefit of the entire land's trade, and becomes the most diverse location in terms of its representation of the clans but also in terms of its access to crafted goods, knowledge and discoveries. Tun becomes the Clachoran cultural hub. The new riverside settlements and their system of downstream trade creates a division. This division lies between the new ways of materials extraction and craft being brought downstream to hubs, and the old ways of single settlement hunter/gathering. With Faerkdi, Ardpool, Tun and the riverside systems that fuel them prospering, the traditional homes at Landi, Teldi and Uthdi start to get left behind. Roaming Hor Animals Hordi, becoming sold on animism, follows an entirely different path. In choosing to spend much time communing with nature, often in animal form, their traditional home would simply become a place for others to visit in order to meet the animists. These animists are now known by the name they'd hold from here on: druids. Druids are respected figures in all communities, and the druids at Hordi welcome anyone who arrives willing to learn. Once trained up, these druids often return to their home communities to share their skills for the betterment of their communities, acting as healers, and authorities on nature who can predict the weather or calm angry beasts.  In their ability to blend in with wild animals, the druids create a wide roaming ground that crosses into other clans domains. This is in part due to the fact that druids are mostly indiscernible from animals while in animal form. Also, with the Hor accepting anyone who is willing to learn, it becomes less accurate to think of Hor as a clan and more as the society at the start of a school of thought that now takes the same status among the Clachoran as religion would in other communities. While the Hor clan continues to exist in this period, the influence of its families in elf form is diminished in comparison to the influence of the spirituality they created. Lan Vs. Tel Even with a meeting at Tun drawing a new map that sets the boundary line at Faerkdi, the sense of bitterness from the Tel to the Lan rages on. Throughout this time the Tel have been arming themselves, putting much of their shared spare time into building weapons and shields like the Lan. Some do so out of fear of a further Lan expansion. Others do so in hope of reclaiming the lost land. What the Tel lack in the experience of the Lan hunters they make up in larger numbers, as the whole system of settlements feeding into Faerkdi are put to this task along with the workers who fled Sid to join the Tel. The Lan would not be able to match this, for a simple reason... Let's zoom in on the important part of the land the Lan took. This is the system of settlements that feed resources downstream to Ardpool and eventually Tun. These settlements traded with Ardpool even before the Lan takeover, but were founded by the Sid and were populated by Tel who had joined the Sid through nothing other than love/being horny.  Next to the settlements of Tun, Landi, Ardpool and the smaller settlements in the Ardpool system I've broken down their familial makeup. Lan is Green, Sid is Blue, Tel is Red and Uth is Pink. Not shown in that breakdown are the groups of Lan hunters in those smaller settlements who now impose themselves on the new claims. Sowl, the Lan leader in Landi struggles to get the experienced craftspeople in the smaller settlements to feed resources into their war effort. While they acknowledge his domination of the area, they reject his leadership. These people simply want to trade with Ardpool and Tun as they have done before. The Lan, knowing that these Tel/Sid peoples will leave if pressured, are unable to get them to work for Landi except for making a handful of trades at Ardpool. Faerkdi and its smaller upstream settlements, on the other hand, have no such reluctance to commit themselves to weapon crafting. While they don't tread past the boundaries laid down at their Tun meeting, Faerkdi's hunter class far outstrips that of the Lan. Tharill, the Lan hunter in charge of Sidd (which now serves mainly as a hunter outpost), can see that the Tel have outgrown the Lan hunters. Her intelligence has it that another battle against the combined might of the Hor and the Tel would be a crushing defeat. Any battle with the Tel would be quickly attended by Hor druids. A battle with the Hor wouldn't be met with such a fast Tel response, but the druids' ability to hide into the forest and live as animals would make a meaningful victory against them difficult. I'm going to bed now and need to remember to edit this post to finish it later.
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Nov 3, 2019 03:01
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