I wanted to take a break from rules stuff this weekend and look some more at the setting.
Nine years ago, Jeff Reints write a blog post called “twenty quick questions for your campaign setting.”1 I thought it would be good to answer those questions about Crowfield.
As always, I very much welcome your feedback!
What is the deal with my cleric’s religion?
Broadly speaking, there are two major deities: Hume and Gob. Hume is the goddess of life and love, while Gob is the god of power, war, death, and destruction. Many people would say that Hume is the goddess of good and Gob is the god of evil; this isn’t entirely inaccurate, but it is somewhat of an oversimplification.
Followers of Hume are called Humans, while followers of Gob are called Goblins. This means that these terms describe religions rather than races.
Demons are supernatural followers of Gob. In return for their loyalty, he will often given them dominion over an earthly village, town, or even city. The locals under the demon’s dominion will sometimes revere them as minor gods.
Devout followers of Hume are believed to become saints after they die. Saints can return to the physical world on behalf of Hume.
In addition to the major deities, there are a number of their offspring that are demigods. Every river, forest, sea, mountain, etc, is usually a local demigod.
“The Grey Wanderer” is probably worth mentioning. In the mythology, he’s the actual creator of the earth and of Hume and Gob. He creates, then moves on leaving the world in their care. He has few followers.
Where can we go to buy standard equipment?
Crowfield is a sizable town, with all the typical guilds. As you go about the town you should be able to find most of what you need to start with. At least while supplies last. Since Starfall, panic has started to grip the people and shortages are starting. Lord Crowfield has started to initiate rationing, but being a member of his expeditionary missions, he’ll make sure you’re authorized to get what you need.
Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?
Anyone in the Blacksmith’s Guild can help you, though everyone thinks that Andrella does the best job. Her father was the Guild Master, but he died a few months before Starfall.
There are rumors that there are some underground blacksmiths that offer superior products at very high prices. Being illegal, such an operation would be very hard to find.
Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?
Wizards are a proud, conceited lot. They’ll all tell you that they’re the mightiest, and back it up with hours and hours of tales as long as you’re buying the ale. Having said that, there are two likely candidates:
Glildra Dew is court wizard, and she’s leader of the local chapter of the Mystic Order. She is fiercely loyal to Lord Crowfield, which has led to whispers that their relationship extends beyond friendship.
Ira the Mighty (a self-granted title) is a rival of Glildra. While he may (or may not) be a match for her magically, he doesn’t come close politically or strategically.
Who is the greatest warrior in the land?
Lord Crowfield is said to have been a total kick-butt warrior in his younger days, and is battle-tested. But he's getting on in years.
His son, Sir Crowfield, is capable, but nowhere near the warrior that his father was.
The captain of the guard, Dame Tulia, might be the mightiest.
Who is the richest person in the land?
In theory, Lord Crowfield owns much of the land surrounding the town, the town itself, and everything within. That’s a bit of a legal technicality, though, and freemen still have their own wealth.
Cyrus Grithson, the guild master of the Merchant’s Guild is known to be wealthy. So is Inga the Moneylender.
Then there’s the Lady Efa. She owns the Green Man inn (a local tavern), but there are whispers that she’s the secret head of The Kith (see question #17).
The question might be moot in this post Starfall era, though. If the food runs out, it won’t make a difference how much gold you have.
Where can we go to get some magical healing?
Brother Bjorn at St. Athilda’s Church on the High Street, near the castle, is known to have strong healing power.
Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?
See question 7.
Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?
Magic Users are members of the Mystic Order. But Crowfield was only a small local chapter, so its resources are quite limited.
Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?
Owen Shaaf has an alchemy shop in midtown, but people are split as to whether he’s a sham. Other than that, any true experts would work directly for Lord Crowfield. But Crowfield was just a town, not a city.
Where can I hire mercenaries?
Any pub will have out-of-luck adventurers looking for work. If you have a special need, bring it to Lord Crowfield. If you have a plan that will further his causes, he’ll help you.
Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?
Not yet, though Crowfield might be headed towards martial law if the situation doesn’t improve.
Which way to the nearest tavern?
There are four inns in town.
- King’s Head is a seedy joint full of fighting (see question 16), gambling, and other vices. It is in the South Gate neighborhood.
- The Sun is in the Castle Hill neighborhood. It is a high end establishment. It still sports gambling and other vices, but they cost more and seem classier.
- The Fat Landlord is in the town square. Despite the name, Blake Stanley (the landlord) is a slender but friendly chap. It is a very typical mid-range tavern.
- The Green Man Inn directly across the street from the Fat Landlord. It offers the ultimate in privacy, where every table is located in its own separate (but small) dining room.
What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
The biggest threats facing Crowfield are the fear of the unknown and the lack of trade and crops.
Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?
Not yet.
You could go start your own. The Baron is desperate for resources, and he might reward you if you can extend the town’s wealth or reach.
How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
It’s a stretch to call it a “gladiatorial arena,” but the King’s Head pub in South Gate2 hosts 8 pit fights each night in a single elimination tree.3 The winner takes home the purse, but must return the next week to defend his title. (A defending champ doesn’t pay the entry fee, but only takes home half the purse. On the other hand, he’s only fighting one fight versus his challenger’s four. It’s complicated and deserves its own page.4)
Day Entry Fee Purse Monday 1 copper 4 copper Tuesday 5 copper 2 silver Wednesday 1 silver 4 silver Thursday 1 gold 4 gold Friday 50 gold 200 gold Saturday 100 gold 400 gold Once you become champion on a “higher” day, you are banned from fighting on “lower” days thereafter. For example, Swinfor wins all four fights one Wednesday night. He is crowned “King of Hill Wednesday” and banned from fighting on Mondays and Tuesdays forever (or until the owner takes pity on him).
In addition to the purse, there’s plenty of money to be made (and lost!) from making bets on the fights.
Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
How would you know? They’re secret. Fnord.
People talk about a group called “The Kith” as if it were behind all the crime in the town.
What is there to eat around here?
Grain, grapes, apples, and cheese, all from the recent harvest. Some chicken, pigeon, and eggs. Very little red meat and milk. And unless new sources of food are found soon, the whole town will be starving next autumn.
Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?
No one knows! Get out there and explore!
Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?
No one knows! Get out there and explore!
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I guess Jeff doesn’t like capital letters in blog post titles.↩
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The south side of Crowfield is the baddest part of town, and if you go down there you better just beware…↩
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The pub was inspired by Graeme Drysdale's “The Cock O' Th' Walk Tavern" published in Imagine #20 back in 1984. TSR UK published Imagine as a sort of British equivalent to Dragon magazine. The tavern appeared as part of a series of articles describing a home-grown campaign setting called “Pelinore.”↩
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Bloodport was a campaign I was working on a few years ago. I’m dusting off and updating some stuff from that campaign to use here.↩
Edit: Fixed many typos sent to me by ZomusPrime. Thanks, Zomus! — 29 Jun 2020
Very intereting post, and I appreciate the level of depth you've put into this, with the NPCs and locales!
ReplyDeleteAlso very interesting take on the "human" vs "goblin" idea, definitely will make for some interesting conversations.
With all the fleshing out of Crowfield, as a curiosity how were you going to simulate the passing of time of the NPCs? Kind of along the line of the martial law potentiality, what's going to be your trigger to make that occur? And would there be competing and/or friendly other adventuring groups also trying to get out and secure safety for the town/riches for themselves/reconciliation/etc.?