4th Shift (11/1/17): A New World

Octavius 9, 340 EE.

While awaiting the Tribune's justice in two of the barracks that have been set up as brigs, Decius and Timon decide to break their way free of the tent, while Lucretia visits Kai to find out what in the world has happened. Klytus arrives and speaks with Polyphetes in yet another tent, and the cursed head informs them that it desires a body, living or dead. Its thralls set about deciding on what would be an appropriate body, and Sennia, sister to Klytus and Timon is brought up. Polyphetes then recommends Nausicaa, another of the local Imperial soldiers who has spurned him in the past, she would be most physically fit to host the head. They decide Klytus will try to smooth talk her, but as he tries to enter her tent, he triggers an alarm and enrages her. In a fit of rampant man-hate, she grabs her weapon and follows Klytus out into the street.

Decius and Timon finally break free, and along with Klytus and Polyphetes they begin to transport the head, but even more possessed by Laothoe than normal, Timon decides to betray and kill Decius to use his body as the host. They shatter the jar on the poor boy and finish him off. In the confusion, Lucretia springs Kai and they notice that the boys in the neighboring tent have broken free, and start looking for them. Nausicaa catches up with the trio of Laothoe's thralls, and a melee begins behind one of the local businesses. A brief, brutal battle in which Klytus is laid low, but Polyphetes manages to outfight and kill his fellow soldier, lopping her fierce head clean off! Timon decides to take the head from its shattered casing and plant it on the she-brute, and Laothoe comes to life, animated and eyes aglow an even deeper red!

Lucretia catches them up, as does the soldier/engineer Alektryon, but then she is quickly possessed by the head, and brought aboard their nefarious plans to escape Iosyne. Kai, feeling helpless, rushes off to warn his family of Flintcoats and have them abandon the place, fearing an outbreak of possessions that could turn all the other locals! His uncle and father reluctantly agree. As dawn breaks, the possess try to creep out of the village by way of the water duct leading up into the Saltspine north of the village. Laothoe orders Lucretia to stand at the base of the duct and ward off whoever follows them, but she's soon overcome by Alektryon, Thaumatus and Tribune Crathis. The two soldiers pursue the suspects up the covered structure, and eventually Timon is left behind to hold them off...and he poses quite a distraction until he's captured by Alektryon. The Tribune manages to convince the restless Flintcoats to remain in the village, as the immediate threat has been stymied.

Octavius 10, 340 EE.

Eventually, after being detained once more, Timon, Klytus and Lucretia come to their senses, as the effect has either worn off or Laothoe is too far away to influence their thoughts and actions. After the Tribune is able to interview Kai, Praetex, and several others involved, he decides that Timon and his own man Poly were not themselves when they murdered Decius and Nausicaa. But the village, still grieving over the loss of Elfchin, is furious, in particular the chirurgeon Ventor Sylo, whom Decius was apprenticed to. Crathis decides that the PCs should leave Iosyne for a time until all can be explained and the populace cooled down, and orders them to redeem themselves by trying to get more information on or locate the ancient creature which took advantage of them. He equips them all with better weaponry and standard Imperial armor, and assigns Kai's father Ned Flintcoat as a chaperone should they find themselves in such dire straits again. The PCs prepare to depart, with plans to visit the scholars at Nine Idols' Rest, who dwell in an old Huguelid reliquary in the north of the Saltspines, and may have information on their quarry.

PCs: Kai Flintcoat, Klytus Bassa, Lucretia Tertula, Timon Bassa
Experience: 1000 each
Class Unlocked: Aristocrat

NPCs

Alektryon (human male): Slighter in build than his fellow Imperial soldiers, Alektryon is in his early 30s, with greased black hair that he colors with sand from the Flats, green eyes and some notable scarring from bu rns on his left cheek and ear. He wears a gray, tattered duster above his breastplate, covered with pockets and a few bandoliers upon which he carries a number of implements. He wears a gladius at his hip, but otherwise avoids the regular complement of Imperial weaponry.

Crathis Kallimachos (human male): The Tribune is a dour and hawk- faced man who always seems to have a bit of spittle hanging from his stiff lower lip, an aqualine nose and a squared off chin bearing a prominent scar. He’s balding on the crown of his head, but keeps the rest of his hair feathered back in some estimation of the fashionable styles of urban Ekrysia. He bears his pins of rank upon an ornate, daily-polished breastplate, and whenever leaving his tent he is fully armed with hasta, gladius, and several pilum strapped across his back; all of his weapons seem to be of exceptional quality, and kept in the same condition as his armor.

Nausicaa (human female): The only female Imperial attached to Iosyne, Nausicaa is every bit a brute as some of her male counterparts, accenting her uniform with steel bands at her shoulders and forearms, and fond of wearing a pair of silvered brass knuckles which she can brawl with to great effect. A lasso is slung by her hip and a specially inscribed gladius which reads ‘Manhood’s End’ in the Imperial script.  Her hair is worn in a thick, knotted braid that hangs past her rear, her head otherwise shaved. She has a sharp chin, piercing brown eyes and angular cheekbones which have been smashed a number of times, but none of these seems to have impacted her raw, natural good looks, which have stirred the longings of not only her fellow soldiery, but many of the local miners.

Ned ‘No-Neck’ Flintcoat (dwarf male): A stocky, blocky-skulled dwarf who lives up to his nickname, Ned’s neck literally seems to sprout out from his shoulders. It’s often difficult to tell, since he always insists on wearing his battered family breastplate and helm on digs, which don’t seem to slow him down in the extreme summer months as they would other miners in the community. Despite his lack of throat, Ned possesses one of the richer singing voices in Iosyne, and if he’s feeling cheerful, he’ll serenade fellow workers with a deep, smooth mix of dwarven and Imperial staples throughout most of a shift, well past the tolerance of many. No-Neck also carries a hybrid pick/battleaxe, and is usually the first to run at trouble if a predator is attacking a dig.

3rd Shift (9/14/17): The Night's Not Over

Octavius 8, 340 EE.

Kai's attempt to shatter the jar containing the ancient head fails, but his companions Timon and Klytus have a strange reaction, suddenly very hesitant to damage the artifact, and in fact quite adamant on protecting it. The dwarf believes them compromised or cursed, and ties to knock them out and get them away from the source, but the tables are turned when they manage to knock HIM out and save the head. They tie him up, and after an hour or so see if he's come to his senses...believing he was trying to steal it from them. He seems to be agreeable, so the trio marches back across the Marrow Flats towards Iosyne. Kai fakes being disoriented, and eventually he is untied, since he is slowing down the group too much. He takes that opportunity to snag the everburning torch and flee from the group, then tries to slow them down with his sling. They instead light another torch and run off towards the village, outpacing the dwarf. When they arrive, Timon and Klytus conceal the jar and warn the guard on duty, Polyphetes, that Kai is on a murderous streak and to lock up Iosyne.

Meanwhile, Lucretia had been returned to the village, where she was healed up by Ventor Sylo, and released to her mother Gavia. She dines with her mother and brother Aulus, the latter of whom is suspicious of the events that brought her low, the former judgmental. She does tell her mother they uncovered a suspicious artifact in the mines at Foothold. At the same time, Timon and Klytus bring the head to Ventor Sylo, where they are sent to have injuries looked over, and while Ventor seems unimpressed, his aide Decius falls under the same compulsion that seems to have taken over our heroes! He tells them he's going to go off and let their family know they are okay. Kai arrives at the gate of the village, and has words with Polyphetes, warning him of the artifact his companions were carrying. The guard decides to go check for himself...

Octavius 9, 340 EE.

But when he arrives, Klytus has hidden the object under his cloak. Poly does a brief inspection but returns to the gate, telling Kai he'd better just sleep outside for the night. Desperate, the dwarf begins striking the gate with his hammer, causing a ruckus, at which point Poly calls out another solider, Sthlenelaus, and they open the gate, disarming the dwarf and marching him off to the brig. After a scuffle with Aulus, in which she learns her companions have returned to Iosyne, Lucretia sneaks out her window. Ventor returns to the hospice with Aristan and Themis Bassa, who promptly march Klytus and Timon back to the inn where their mother awaits. Decius swears he will keep the head hidden and protected. En route, they run across Kai and the soldiers, and an argument breaks out. The dwarf is then herded into an unused, locked barracks building. Lucretia speaks to him briefly through the bars, after which she learns about the head being in Iosyne, and she sneaks off to confront the Bassa brothers about it, heading to the inn once they are asleep.

She breaks into their room and wakes up Timon, roughing him up a bit until he coughs up the info, and then she blocks off the door so he and Klytus can't follow, heading back to the hospice which she threatens to burn down. The brothers howl out the window, and Polyphetes hears them from the gate, rushing off to intercept the girl. Timon climbs out the inn window to tail them. Lucretia turns back home once she hears the shouts, but Poly and Timon proceed to the hospice, where the soldier witnesses Decius talking to the head, and is he himself compelled! With Timon, they decide to move the head to another of the unused barracks, and then remove Kai from the area, since he's still unaffected and might wish harm upon the artifact. Decius recommends just killing the dwarf, but Timon refuses. They sneak into the brig house and march Kai out, but en route they are caught by another of the city guard, the veteran Thaumastas, who marches all three back to two different brigs, and then heads off to notify Tribune Crathis!

PCs: Kai Flintcoat, Klytus Bassa, Lucretia Tertula, Timon Bassa,
Experience: 800 each.
Classes Unlocked: Adept, Expert, Fighter

NPCs

Aristan Bassa (human male): A big, bald bronze man with a big beard, Aristan wears a cross-stitched wool apron over his tunic and leather breeches while tending bar at the Iosyne Bath and Tap, the one notable business in the village. A gladius, given to him by the Tribune, is displayed at his belt prominently, and his considerable arms are inked up with legionary tattoos, giving the impression that he was of some standing in the Ekrysian military himself.

Aulus ‘All Morning Long’ Tertula (human male): Deriving his name from his tendency to burn himself early during his dig shifts, Aulus is a bookish waif of around 4’ height who seems every bit his mother’s son. He has a messy mop of strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, and heavily freckled cheeks which also bear acne scars, and some of the softest hands in the village, due to an obsession with personal cleanliness. He rarely goes on a dig without extra cloths and water, and even in the hottest months he’ll wear hats and gloves to protect his skin from the sun and salt.

Decius Iustinas (human male): A slight young man with a bowl of flat hair matted around his eyes and ears, Decius bears the sash and station of a soothsaying like his master Ventor. He has a short nose and a slight hair-lip which he twitches often, to give off a rather humorous impression of a sneer. He carries a sharpened pair of scissors which he uses to cut out cloth gauze for the hospice's patients, and a medical pamphlet sticks forth from his breeches.

Gavia Tertula (human female): Gavia is a woman in her mid 40s with a slender frame, and brown hair put up in a bun with a few strands lazily whisking above her brow. She has shimmering azure eyes, and oversized spectacles, one of which is fixed with a magnifying glass she can impose over the lens. Her sensible duster is slung tight around her figure, and strapped in by the bevy of bandoliers she wears that contain drafting tools, scroll cases, and other implements of her engineering train. She also commonly has a quill tucked in one ear and ink stains on her fingers or cheeks.

Polyphetes (human male): With arms as broad as most of the Iosyne villagers’ bodies, it’s no secret that this soldier is the singular strongest person around. His dark brown hair is cropped short in the front, shaved on the sides, and left longer in the back, and he seems overly fond of showing it off, along with his chisel-shaped face, and not wearing his regulation helmet. Polyphetes carries the standard hasta and pilum typical of an Ekrysian soldier, but has replaced his gladius with a broad two-handed sword engraved with floral patterns that he calls ‘Crocus’.

Sennia Bassa (human female): A wiry lass of 13 summers, Sennia has a wild and dark beauty about her that catches the eye of a lot of Ekrysian men, who eagerly await her coming of age. This is not lost on her parents and siblings, who expect one day to marry her off into quite a merger or dowry that can improve their lot in life. With dark auburn curls and naturally long eyelashes, she has a natural predisposition to flirtation which often rubs other local girls and mothers the wrong way. She wears very simple cloth dresses with golden trim that only seem to accent her attractiveness.

Sthenelaus (human male): The youngest of the Imperial soldiers at Iosyne, Sthenelaus is a lithe young man of seventeen summers whose hair is tied into a topknot, shaved on the sides behind where it runs into thin sideburns. His skin is among the bronzest-tinged in the village, and he’s extremely toned and athletic, an expert at the javelin throw and perhaps the locals’ best fighter at range. He cuts a few corners on his uniform to remain light on his feet, but makes up for this with agility.

Thaumastus (human male): The oldest of the Imperial soldiers stationed in Iosyne, Thaumastus has a dozen visible scars that tell a dozen stories of the border skirmishes he claims to have partaken in. Most notably, the bridge of his nose has been sliced nearly in half horizontally, the result of a duel against a Lennish captain on the Western border. He wears his uniform proudly, perhaps even moreso than the tribune, and the square cut of his graying hair and goatee is as rigid and professional as his work ethics. He favors a tower shield and a long twin-bladed thrusting hasta named ‘Double Eagle’.

Themis Bassa (human female): A bulky, short middle-aged woman with large forearms and square shoulders, she is adorned in a broad cook’s apron of wool, stained with all manner of spices, seasonings, drinks and blood from chickens and other small animals she has slaughtered. She has two large knives tucked into protective sheathes and slung over her shoulder in a sash, and a string of garlic and mushrooms around her neck for ease of use. Her hair is gray and thinning, and her cheeks red and pock marked with scars from a childhood illness.

Ventor Sylo (human male):  A broad, middle aged man with a hook nose and fierce blue-black eyes, the gentle and sedate smile upon Ventor’s face seems a strange contrast. His hair is quite long, but recedes on the top to form a skullet, and he seems to try to draw attention away from this with two tattoos on his forehead that resemble crows, as well as a few ivory hoops in his ears. He wears a dun-colored cloak over an orange tunic, and carries a cudgel he claims was from a lightning-struck tree.

2nd Shift (8/23/18): Getting a Head

Octavius 7, 340 EE.

Timon carefully checks over the pack before grabbing it, and it turns out to contain a pair of small-sized reading spectacles and a roughed-up book that seems to be a manual on how to speak the Draconic language. The PCs double back to the larger, salt crystal strewn cavern corridor and discover a smudged chalk mark near the southern exit, and a broken ribcage from some create to the east. They end up heading southward, where they pass a large stone seal which seems unusual for these caves. Kai identifies it as human masonry, but not anything recent. Further along, they find another seal, broken, in a chamber with a small pool of water gathered. An alcove off this chamber leads to a triggered pit of stone spikes, in which they find the body of Eleon 'Elfchin' Strachys, along with a pile of treasure beneath him which must have been what was hidden in the trap.

Kai decides to get a glimpse through the second broken wall-seal, and so he smashes it repeatedly with his warhammer until it falls down. Several of the PCs seem jumpy to leave the caves, now that they've found what happened to the foreman's son, but they reluctantly follow the dwarf. In this sealed area, they find a pair of shambling, upright corpses which are carrying a head in a jar on some palanquin...in a chamber with a carved alter and lit by an unusual torch. They decide to destroy the two corpses, and a dangerous melee ensues in which most of the characters are either laid low or severely beaten...the PCs persevere only through chance and the use of fire and oil they can muster on the undead things.

After the fight, Timon goes out to find Praetex Protho, and it turns out the salt storm has arrived, the veteran digger and his llama Raf are pinned down in Piss Pot Alley. Timon brings him back into the caves, showing him the battle site and the female head in the jar, and they decide to take a day to care for the wounded while checking occasionally for threats or the storm to clear.

Octavius 8, 340 EE.

Once the sands clear, the group moves out to the tents at the Foothold dig site, and they begin to clean up the damage from the salt storm for whoever has the next shift there. They decide for the moment to leave the corpse of Eleon and the jar in the caves, and embark on another 8-hour rest to continue healing Klytus and Lucrezia. At the end of this rest, three of the other miners from Iosyne show up, and aren't happy about the news of Eleon's passing, though they insist the PCs be the ones to tell foreman Straps. Gross accompanies Kai, Timon and Klytus back in the cave to retrieve Eleon's body. He seems curious about one of the items they found in the pit trap, the buckler with the cat symbol, and tells them it's the symbol of Favhik, god of thieves, and that he can get them more info if needed. They find Elfchin's body, but it's strangely been moved to a different location than where Klytus left it.

Mute rides off with the still-unconscious Lucrezia on the back of his llama, while Gross and Man Handler take another. Praetex takes the remains of Eleon on Raf, and orders the three conscious PCs to 'stay behind and finish cleaning up the site' before marching back to Iosyne, knowing full well they probably want to examine the head in the jar even further. Kai decides to start smashing the glass when suddenly the woman's eyes flutter open, glowing red and flashing white...

PCs: Kai Flintcoat, Klytus Bassa, Lucretia Tertula, Timon Bassa,
Experience: 600
Classes Unlocked: Rogue, Warrior

NPCs

Manius ‘Mute’ Mutilus (human male): Noted for his distinct greased moustaches, Manius strikes a unique figure, lithe and fit and very much aware of this. His long hair has a silken texture to it that he carefully maintains, and his facial hair is arranged into the most ornate of displays, with a carefully trimmed goatee and a moustache that tapers off into six points, giving the impression that he has whiskers. He is the best dressed among the salt pickers by an order of magnitude, with a fancy tunic and breeches beneath a forest green duster that some claim is enchanted. He also carries a silvered rapier in his belt.

Meleagros ‘Gross’ Krispos (human male): Born with a deformity, Gross has a nose that looks like a pig’s, only split in half, and the misshapenness doesn’t end there…his left eye is fatter and lower on his face than the other, and his right ear is also unusually small compared to its partner. Due to these mutations, the man is the most mocked in Iosyne, to the point which he seems to be used to it, shutting up and doing his digs and bottling up as much of his petulant personality as he can. The sharp daggers he brings along on his jobs seem like they’re intended for his tormentors, but so far have only been used to skin some wild animals and fend off a couple giant blood-starved fleas out in the field.

Ravilla ‘Man Handler’ Mutilus (human female): Ravilla could not cut a more opposite picture to her husband Manius, with thick arms and muscular legs and one of the most advanced physiques in Iosyne. She is obviously a foreign-born woman, with dark chestnut skin and curls in her raven-black hair, and has almond colored eyes. Unlike her husband, she prefers to oil her skin and avoid wearing a duster, constantly showing off her muscles as a threat to others who tangle with her family. She is sparse with her words, and wields not just one pickaxe, but two, ‘One for digging, the other for death-dealing’.

1st Shift (7/18/17): The Secret of Pisspot Alley

Octavius 7, 340 EE.

On their way back from the Alpha Dig, while a storm seems to be brewing on the Marrow Flats, the PCs and several other salt miners run across Praetex Protho, one of their seniors, urgently riding his llama Raf to the Foothold dig site. Eleon 'Elf-chin' Strachys, one of foreman Straps' sons, has gone missing, and did not return to Iosyne with his crew. Praetex picks the PCs to go along with him, some more begrudgingly than others, and they trek three hours to the East and the Foothold.

While rummaging through the empty camp, the PCs are assaulted by three raggedy humanoid rodents, who use daggers and light crossbows, but not very effectively. They manage to nick a few of the PCs, but are slaughtered within a few rounds. After being picked over, the PCs decide to go into the dig tunnels themselves, and more thoroughly search through the tents at the site. The South Tap and Dankel's Ditch appear empty, apart from a few oddities discovered by Kai, like a bloody boot, an abandoned mining pick, and a chunk of silver ore.

Praetex instructs the PCs to explore Piss Pot Alley, the third of the dig tunnels that has long been abandoned for use a a latrine, and Klytus becomes nauseous. Despite that, Lucretia discovers a natural illusion in the rock face that leads to a hidden network of caves, and soon they find tracks leading off to one of the exit tunnels. With Timon sneaking in the lead, the PCs press on and find several low-ceiling caves and corridors, plus a large untapped salt lode that could be very helpful to Iosyne's yield. Timon crawls into a very low cavern and finds a suspicious pack hanging from a stalactite...and decides to reach for it.

PCs: Kai Flintcoat, Klytus Bassa, Lucretia Tertula, Timon Bassa,
Experience: 600

NPCs

Praetex Protho (human male): Praetex is a tall man with an unusual beard, braided off a half dozen times on his chin, and each braid ending in a stone arrow-head that he carved himself from rocks in the Flats. He shaves his head apart from some stubble, and has a solid physique for one early in his 30s. He possesses naturally sharp teeth, or files them in secret, to create a frightening effect when he smiles, but is otherwise in a jovial mood most of the time, and really fond of bad jokes.

Calendar & Timeline

Cycle of Months

The Ekrysian Empire uses a calendar similar to that of modern times, save that the months are aligned more centrally to seasonal changes, and there are only 364 days counted as part of them, the 365th being given to the 'Primus Imperium', an anniversary of the day the Empire was first founded centuries ago, which is accompanied by much revelry and memorial.

Ianarus (30 days, midwinter)
Secundus (31 days, winter's end)
Tertius (30 days, spring)
Quartius (31 days, mid-spring)

Quintilus (30 days, spring's end)

Sextilus (30 days, summer)
Primus Imperium (1 day)

Septimus (30 days, midsummer)

Octavius (30 days, summer's end)

Nonius (31 days, fall)

Decimar (30 days, mid-fall)

Undecimar (31 days, fall's end)
Duodecimar (30 days, winter)

Cycle of Days

Ekrysians also use the seven-day week cycle, with six-day work periods and the seventh day devoted to worship, family and rest.

Solis (1st work day)

Lunis (2nd work day)

Bartis (3rd work day)

Mercedius (4th work day)

Iuppus (5th work day)

Alurus (6th work day)

Satarus (7th work day)

Cycle of Years

Years are denoted with an 'EE', or 'Ekrysian Eternum', which begin with the first year (1EE) as opposed to a zero (OEE), memorializing the foundation of the Empire and, in a nationalist sense, meant to disregard most that had come before. While it's not morally approved by the Senate or the Emperor, scholars do tend to use negatives on the role of years, for purposes of research and dating ruins, artifacts, and historical records. It's also important to note that the cycles of days, months and even seasons often run in contrast to those calendars used elsewhere in the world, such as the agreed upon Accordant Timeline (AT) used by the nations of the Accord, the Marchland and independent city states across the continent of Euristaz.

Timeline of Iosyne

167EE. A team of Imperial explorers and surveyors first uncover the Huguelid Ruin in the northeast of the Marrow Flats, half-submerged in the salty soil. Only three survived the experience, but over the ensuing century, scores of archaeologists and looters would arrive, picking clean much of the old city, and clearing out many of the threats that must have taken out the original explorers.

191EE. Another Huguelid ruin is found in the Saltspine Mountains, and a team of scholars is sent in to explore and catalog the place, which would eventually be known as the Nine Idols' Rest.

265EE. The year Castle Autarkes was built along the coast of the Scything Sea. No precise date is given, so it isn't clear whether construction was started or ended at this time. The castle was named for a famous Imperial myrmidon who helped quell the Molphagoras Uprising far back in 53EE.

278EE. Prospectors establish a tent town in the foothills of the Saltspine Mountains, near the border of the Marrow Flats. Once it's uncovered that the rock salt crystals these pioneers were digging up were no coincidence, plans are put before the Senate to establish a more permanent settlement that can be responsible for exploring and tapping the resources of the Flats in their entirety, and in the meantime help bolster the Ekrysian economy since they can rely less on imports.

283EE. The Senate approved the plans, and Iosyne was built of stone deeper into the flats, still using the Saltspine mountains as a natural shield against the more volatile storms in the region. The earlier residents of the hamlet had a much harder time dealing with salt storms, and often had to shovel themselves out of several feet of dust and salt, or find shelter in a nearby cavern. Damian Drastor is the first Tribune assigned to Iosyne.

286EE. A pair of lepers carrying the Violet Fever attempted to find refuge in the new village, but were burned alive by Drastor and his soldiers, in an act that caused a lot of horrified chatter among the residents for decades, even though the Tribune tried to rationalize and justify it.

288EE. The last officially recorded sighting of the blue dragon that purportedly lairs in the Old Azuredark caverns. The creature briefly terrorized several communities along the Eastern coast of the Empire, including the freshly founded town of Ykklesias, before retreating to its hidey-hole somewhere in the Marrow Flats. There have been plenty of 'reported' sightings in the ensuing decades, until around 330EE, but these were never confirmed, rarely investigated, and might have involved a different dragon entirely, the original's mate, perhaps even its offspring.

290EE. A tower is built south of Iosyne, to oversee a new prison labor camp that will be populated by thieves, rapists, political criminals and Accordant spies. It is later named for the first Imperial officer assigned to govern it, Haulix Hekaline.

294EE. Damian Drastor disappears somewhere Iosyne. His true fate is still unknown. Gallus Rex, a former myrmidon and war criminal, is pardoned by the Emperor (a distant cousin), and named second Tribune of the village. It was at this point the locals started to believe that they were having shady officials dumped upon the post to get them out of the way of big city life and social intrigue. To reinforce this suspicion, Gallus soon drinks himself to death after raping one of the miner's wives. Or at least that was the official story. At any rate, the position would not be filled for several years, it was left upon the local soldiery to report back to the Empire and distribute pay to the workers.

299EE. Tiro of Thessalon is named third Tribune of Iosyne, and sure enough, he's a former Senator with a nefarious past that involved gambling on illicit activities like gladiatorial slave rings, which had by that point been outlawed through the Empire. Tiro certainly had his problems with the locals, not to mention the other Ekrysian officers stationed at Castle Autarkes, Ykklesias, and the Haulix Prison Camp, but would end up serving in the role for quite some time.

308EE. Two of Iosyne's most reliable salt mines are starting to 'dry up', and have to be filled in and abandoned. A new location is briefly established south of Drastor's Delve, but soon infested with predators, in particular gnoll scavengers who sic pet jackals and death dogs on the hapless diggers. A few patrols are stirred up form Castle Autarkes, at the insistent nagging of Tribune Tiro, but they are unable to solve the problem, and tell the miners to just find someplace else to work.

313EE. Alpha Dig site discovered. Within weeks, it becomes the focused source of much of the salt flowing into Iosyne and beyond to the Empire. Soon after, the Foothold camp is established, but its yieldings are fewer and further between, even though the salt is higher quality once refined. Tiro also commission an encampment to be assembled far south at the Brack Tarn, to study its waters and potential as a backup water supply if a purification process could be perfected.

318EE. After repeated threats and attacks over the years, Tribune Tiro and the other local Ekrysian officials manage to pinpoint the location of Vozz Rotboot and his clan of gnoll bandits, hiding in a series of subterranean caverns below the Saltspine, in the northwest corner of the Flats. A war party of two dozen soldiers and miners marched upon the place, slaughtering all the gnolls and pets they came across, in a bloody conflict now known as The Boot's End. There is no telling if all the bandits were accounted for, but to be sure, an agent of the Adeptus Sorcere used magic to blast rubble over the cavern entrances. The death toll was 10 men, 26 gnolls, over 30 jackals; the severed, stuffed head of Vozz Rotboot himself now hangs over the hearth in Castle Autarke's rec room.

325EE. Gavia Tertula first arrives at Iosyne, and immediately begins to make some improvements to how the hamlet is protected and the salt is processed. She brings with her the plans for the protective pylon system, which can screen the walled-in structures against harsh sunlight or salt storms, and with the help of local laborers and masons, she has the Rainfall Duct built into the Saltspine in 18 months. She is rewarded handsomely for her ideas, and likely could have retired early, but instead chose to stay on with Iosyne and continue to develop the community, even if she had to shrug off repeated marriage propositions from the Tribune.

329EE. Aylish pirates sack Ykklesias, killing three dozen men, occupying the town for about a week, and eventually stealing off with half as many women and children. The soldiers at Castle Autarkes weren't warned in time, or simply responded too slowly on purpose. At one point, the buccaneers might have sent scout runners to survey the environs, and one was purportedly captured and killed by the Krispos family on a dig, or so they claim.

335EE. The Commissary of Iosyne is bought out by the Dewfoots, a small clan of Ambruzzi expatriates who decided the err on the side of caution and pledge loyalty to the Empire now rather than later. Under Lily Dewfoot, they stock the place up as never before, and offer all manner of goods both useful and leisurely to the rugged locals.

337EE. After nearly four decades, a senile Tiro of Thessalon steps down from his office of Tribune, and bids a fond farewell as he is carted off to his home city, presumably to pass away at his family's estate or a mental home.

338EE. Crathis Kallimachos, the fourth Tribune assigned to Iosyne, takes up his office, replacing Tiro, and urges Simo Strachys to take over as head Foreman of the mining operation.

339EE. A merchant and two hired guards are murdered en route to Iosyne along the Salt Road, their horses and good stolen, and their corpses strewn out together in a ditch. Thravian Sura ran across the scene while on a water-survey, and discovered that they had been maimed and pierced by claws and spears. More disturbingly, carved in the Gnoll tongue (which only Thravian seems to speak), across the three corpses' torsos, was "SON OV VOZZ RETURN ALL UR FAVORZ, WAYSTE ALL UR KNIGHTZ".

340EE. The present year.

The Village of Iosyne

Statistics

Iosyne
LN Hamlet

Settlement Modifiers
Corruption: No adjustments.
Crime: -3 Sense Motive checks to avoid being bluffed, -3 Sleight of Hand checks to pick pockets.
Economy: -1 Craft, Perform and Profession checks made to generate income.
Law: +1 Intimidate checks, +1 Diplomacy against the Tribune, +1 Diplomacy to call on guards.
Lore: -1 Diplomacy to gather information, -1 Knowledge checks to research requiring library.
Society: -2 Disguise checks, -2 Diplomacy checks to alter mood of non-government official.

Quality: Insular
Danger: -5
Government: Colonial
Population: 75 (62 humans, 6 dwarves, 4 halflings, 3 oreads)

Notable NPC: Crathis Kallimachos (Imperial Tribune)
Base Value: 200gp
Purchase Limit: 1,000gp
Spellcasting: 2nd level
Magic Items: 200gp base, 2 minor items.

Important Features

1. Salt Road Gatehouse: This is a 10' x 10' x 10' brick building which grants all access in and out of Iosyne, via a thick pair of wooden double doors which are opened throughout the daylight hours, then closed and barred shortly after nightfall. At least one solider from the Imperial garrison is present at all times, watching for merchants and drivers in off the Salt Road, who are then welcomed and ushered in to the Stables and Shipping Area. The village builders had the foresight to install two murder holes in the gatehouse, as they did at several other points along the village walls, but these usually have to be covered up in the case of a salt storm.

2. Iosyne Stables: The stables are large enough to host up to two dozen oxen, llamas, or horses, some of which are owned by the miners, the others belonging to traders. Hay is shipped in as often as possible to provide bedding and freshness, and the rainfall duct provides plenty of nourishment; offal and refuse are buried outside in pits around the Salt Road as it winds westward. As well as they're trained, if the stables become too heavily stocked, they can create a lot of noise and smell, especially when the tarps are up to protect the community from a surging salt storm. In rare cases, excess animals can be penned up out in the Gatehouse or in a makeshift pen outside the village walls. Some of the young men and women of Iosyne who don't accompany the miners are expected to tend and clean the pens, but there is no 'official' stablemaster as of yet.

3. Salt Shipping Area: The most important area of Iosyne, this is where the rock salts off the Marrow Flat digs are broken down, refined, packaged and loaded onto the wagons which will carry them far and wide across the Ekrysian Empire. Roughly 70% of the Empire's salt is supplied from this very location, so the workers are kept busy all year round, and a steady stream of Imperial coin is arriving to fill out the laborers' pockets. There are a few warehouses and lots of stacks of wooden crates that are wheeled in by merchants for distribution. The local engineer, Gavia, is currently building a small mill wheel which can help with the refinement, and machinery has been requested that can one day expedite the export process. In any case, there are usually around a dozen villagers here at any given time during the daylight hours, with at least one Imperial soldier in attendance.

4. Imperial Garrison: A network of medium-sized tents are propped up along the eastern and southeastern inner walls of Iosyne, and in these reside the small detachment of Imperial soldiers under the guidance of Tribune Crathis. They've got their own food supplies, armory, a kitchen tent and gaming den, and there is enough space that most of them can sleep in their individual structure until such a time that the ranks swell up. The locals have discussed the establishment of more permanent buildings for the Imperials, but they have held back, since they might require room for more salt miners, in which case the Imperials will have a small fort or tower constructed nearby.

5. Protective Pylons: A series of thin but strong stone support turrets, these are laid out so that they increase in height closer to the center of the village, all topped off by a series of hooks. In the four corners of Iosyne, there are massive tarps of greased leather which can be slid along hooks on the walls and stretched with poles to attach to the pylons, creating a taut tent covering to the entire community, which can offer shade in the harsh summer months, and even more importantly, create a line of defense against the frenzied salt storms which can arrive at a rapid pace through the Saltspine valley in which the village is located. This covering is consistently maintained by engineer Glavia and several of the locals that she has trained for that purpose. To lose it would seriously hamper the operation's production, and endanger the residents.

6. The Bath and Tap: A two story structure, the Bath and Tap dominates the roof-line of Iosyne, and stands slightly taller than the surrounding walls, but not so much that it can't be covered by the tarp in times of desperation. The bottom story features a large tap room suitable for up to 50 customers, a sizable kitchen, and a set of baths out back that are fed by the rainwater duct. Upstairs are over a dozen single and double occupancy rooms, most of which can be rented by merchants and visitors, although a few are used by the Bassa family themselves. Themis Bassa is quite a cook, and keeps the seats filled, especially for suppers, while her husband Aristan tends a bar that is as well-stocked as it can be through imports, and regales the customers with friendly banter and rumors from abroad.

7. Rainfall Duct: A low, covered stone structure, the Duct is about 5' wide and 10' high, and set at a slope, where fresh rainwater pooled up in the nearby Saltspine mountains can make its way down into the mouths and bellies of the villagers. The duct is large enough that a man can fit in there to clean it and deal with any problems, and often the runner Thravian Sura does just this to visit the pools and check the water levels up in the heights. The Duct feeds into a narrow channel around the interior walls and through the center of Iosyne, which can later empty out in a ditch south of the village if it is ever too overfilled. The engineer Gavia is constantly thinking up new ways to use the system, from hooking it up to the Bath and Tap to building a water wheel in the Shipping Area. Villagers are not permitted to use the channel for waste, under punishment from the Imperial soldiers, but a few small fish miraculously end up there from where a mountains stream might feed one of the highland pools, and the children enjoy pursuing these endlessly about the village.

8. Iosyne Commissary: The general store of Iosyne, the Commissary is run by the Dewfoot halfling family and sells mostly domestic goods, clothing, rations, and other supplies that the villagers can't or don't provide for themselves. It's a large building with a second story balcony, and the halflings only occupy 1-2 small rooms in the back for personal living space, so the rest of it is choked out with all the items locals might need. While a lot of Iosyne's tools and weapons are created or repaired by the dwarf Gori Flintcoat at his home-forge, the Dewfoots still have their share brought in as a backup. Taslo has also hinted that his mother keeps a closed off-chamber on the second story, full of rare baubles, charms, and other exotic items, at higher premiums, that might interest certain parties, if they can 'convince' her to grant them access.

9. Office of the Tribune: A trio of tents sectioned off for the Tribune himself. One is used as his private bedchamber and living quarters, which nobody is allowed to enter. Another serves as his personal armory, in which he cleans his armor and sharpens his weapons. The last is a 'war room' of sorts, in which Crathis keeps maps, compasses and Imperial correspondence, and often meets with his subordinates to plot out duty shifts, local patrols, and disperse pay. In addition, there is a large, covered object just east of the Tribune's tents, which is only attended to by Crathis and Alektryon, and seems to be some sort of anti-siege device, though it's never shown to the public and does not appear to be functional for the time being.

Other Businesses: The Flintcoats have converted the lower story of their residence into a foundry and forge, just north of the Commissary, in which Gori and several of his younger family toil away to produce many of the tools and weapons used in Iosyne. The dwarves' sleeping quarters are accessed above in a loft by ladders. Ventor Sylo, along with his wife and apprentice, offer hospice and healing to the best of their abilities, right out of their own home in the northeast corner of the village. Gavia Tertula has part of her home set up as an engineering laboratory, with a lot of charts, blueprints, books, tools and devices strewn about.

The Marrow Flats Region

Regions

Marrow Flats: A large wasteland region on the Eastern coast of the Ekrysian Empire. The place is so named for the pale white composition of its soils, since it is seated upon a massive salt deposit left behind when the Scything Sea receded many millennia in the past. It's broken up in places by a range of low mountains known as the Saltspine, which was once believed to be an island chain; otherwise, the land is largely flat, occasionally marred by hills, pits or cracks. Though located well within a temperate climate zone, the dryness of the Flats can often lead to extreme temperatures, severely hot in the summer and chillingly cold in winter.

Apart from the hostile weather, there are a wide variety of dangers in the region which keep most settlers out. Winds off the Scything Sea can whip the top-soils of the Flats into a biting frenzy, and these 'saltstorms' can penetrate as far inland as the commune of Iosyne or the Haulix Prison Camp, so many of the structures there need to be protected. The saline properties of the coils can create strange mirages in the heat, and leech the moisture from travelers' skins at an alarming rate. There are a number of ruins and caverns which have claimed the lives of many who have attempted to explore them, including some left behind by the Huguelids, the human civilization which served as genetic precursors to much of the population of Euristaz. While some information about their customs and technologies have been gleaned across the continent, there is still much to be learned.

Lastly, the laxness of the Imperial garrison at Castle Autarkes has ensured that the region is still crawling with natural predators which can easily take out unsuspecting miners or soldiers. Ghost scorpions, giant vultures, death dogs and gnoll brigands are all common threats on the lowlands, while even deadlier beasts are purported to lie beneath the earth, occasionally striking out from the enigmatic darkness in which they reside...

Saltspine Mountains: Rumors have it that the Saltspines were once an island chain sitting just off the original coast of Euristaz, but after some cataclysm or natural event drained the land, they were suddenly sprung up as a series of low mountains circling and piercing through the Marrow Flats. The highest of these peaks is rarely 500' over the current sea level, but they are still large enough to dominate the landscape view from many miles away, and possess a stark complexity to all their sharp angles of slate and granite that they hide elaborate natural passages and cavern networks, including a few notorious mines and lairs that have given the Ekrysians trouble over the centuries.

While some of them are tapped for ore lodes, gemstones and rock salt deposits, the mountains are almost entirely uninhabited by men, with the exception of the Nine Idols' Rest reliquary built out of an ancient Huguelid keep up in the northern edge of the Flats. Like the wasteland below, the Saltspine is plagued with treacherous obstacles and dangers...razor sharp ridges, rockslides, collapsing tunnels, and they're also home to a collection of starving, desperate creatures including wyverns, dire bats, and giant species of cave insects that hide in wait for daring climbers and explorers to brave the heights.

Scything Sea: One of the largest oceans in the world, the Scything Sea is dubbed for its capacity to claim the souls of so many willing to traverse it. Chaotic whirlpools are known to appear from out of nowhere and harass vessels, while rocky reefs and mist-enshrouded islets abound in both the depths and coastal shallows. A myriad of formidable wildlife, from stinging jellyfish flotilla to schools of saw-sharks, giant squids and even the occasional kraken, occupy its waters, and if they weren't treacherous enough, fleets of Aylish reavers terrorize smaller coastal communities or those marine merchants with guts enough to cross. As far as pirates go, these are among the most highly trained in the world, employing time-tested naval tactics and weaponry that can run them head on against even a hardened Imperial naval detachment.

Settlements

Castle Autarkes (Pop. 100): With its 40' high walls, a quartet of 60' towers, and finely crafted defensive battlements stocked with anti-siege weaponry, Autarkes would seem a bastion of hope for such an isolated region of the Empire. However, due to the lack of serious strategic threats off the Eastern coast that aren't naval-based, the place has been left to only a skeletal garrison, with around 50-60 soldiers and a multitude of wives, families and castle staff stationed under one officer. As the ennui has set in, patrols have grown sparse, and thus monster populations have picked up, but one will occasionally encounter a small detachment of scouts. When requests for assistance are sent directly from either Iosyne or Ykklesias, the Imperial staff will occasionally send out a detachment of 8-10 mounted soldiers, but help is never guaranteed. They will, however, consistently refresh the guards at the Haulix Prison Camp, who work there in monthly shifts before swapping out for duty, and a lot of relaxation, at the Castle proper.

Haulix Prison Camp (Pop. 50): While most of the Empire's most violent and dangerous criminals never survive long past trial in more urban settings, there are work camps strewn about the regions in which the 'lesser' offenders are placed, with a carrot of freedom dangled before them should they serve out some overblown labor sentence. Thieves, rapists, black marketeers, court martialed Ekrysian troops, and foreign spies often populate such camps, and the Marrow Flats has its own, located in the south of the Marrow Flats under the eaves of the Saltspine. The camp itself consists of a small tent village of several dozen structures, dominated by a large tower in which the Imperial guards exchange shifts and get a good view of the prisoners below. 'Inmates' are given a limited degree of personal freedom to wander around between work shifts at the nearby Slakestones mine, converse and prepare meals, but they are chained down in their tents at night. Rarely, prisoners will be sent along with a few guards to assist the salt miners of Iosyne when they're short hands or a particularly steep quota needs to be met.

Iosyne (Pop. 75): A small community centered entirely around its salt mining laborers, who make daily treks, divided into teams, out to satellite digs where they harvest the rock salt from the Flats. The workers aren't paid very well, but it's a living, and the Empire provides some amenities for their families, like a resident engineer who has built several architectural improvements. A covered stone duct runs fresh rainwater from the Saltspine into a series of sluices, and a network of tall pylons and hooks can be used to raise a tarp that can offer both shelter from the brutal summer sun, and a total lockdown against an encroaching saltstorm from the East. Iosyne also features a small inn, stables for the wagons and llamas used both by the pickers themselves, and the salt-drivers who take shipments along the road west, back towards the more heavily settled Empire, and bring back supplies and food stuffs in return. A Tribune and small garrison of soldiers are assigned to the village for long lengths of time, and they oversee any of the troubles or threats while leaving most of the work organization to the local foreman.

Nine Idols' Rest (Pop. 10): The most isolated settlement in the Marrow Flats region, the Nine Idols' Rest is a reliquary built out of an old Huguelid ruin in the northern Saltspine. Roughly 300' up the mountainside, it's accessible by only a treacherous, narrow path and a pulley system which lowers a cage capable of carrying 3-4 visitors. Too few have seen the structure up close to really describe it. Little is also known about the monks and scholars at the Rest, but they have either been exiled or assigned to the place to pursue some long lost knowledge, and often receive sealed shipments from couriers sent specifically to the site. Once in a great while, one of the residents will be seen out on the Flats, or even visit Iosyne or Ykklesias, but these are usually just to pick up specific supplies, and while polite, they don't say much about their purpose.

Ykklesias (Pop. 500): The largest community in the Marrow Flats area, Ykklesias is a fishing village built primarily from Saltspine stone and some imported timber. While they're too distant from most other coastal towns and cities to do much direct trade, the harbor of the village features a 75' high lighthouse which helps pierce the oft-foggy nights on the coast, and it can easily fit a couple dozen small ships including a few Imperial vessels. Like Iosyne, the village is governed by a Tribune who is attended by a score Imperial soldiers, and the populace is largely self-servicing, with a number of small businesses that meet their needs, and if not, collect goods from the visiting trade and fishing vessels who stop over there. Trade between the salt miners, fishermen and Castle Autarkes is scarce but it does happen when necessary.

Other Sites

Alpha Dig: The primary site where the salt miners of Iosyne extract their product from the earth before bringing it back to the village, for breaking up and shipping off to the Empire. Northeast of Iosyne. There are some tents set up for shelter and a place for a fire pit and cooking, and it's all located about 20' deep in the ground, so some protection from the elements is granted. A ramp has been carved out to allow access for the wagons that move the rock salt crystals in their larger form, and there are a few dozen tributary tunnels leading off the main ditch which haven't been fully tapped or explored, some of which were natural, others the product of a few too many pick strikes on the walls of the Dig. In general, 50% of Iosyne's laborers will be assigned to this dig.

Drastor's Delve: Drastor was the first Tribune assigned to Iodyne, sixty years past, and oversaw the salt mining operation for a solid decade before disappearing mysteriously while outside the village gates. Some time later, notes were discovered that incriminated the officer as a smuggler who was excavating and exporting gemstones from a nearby site, possibly with the help of local soldiers, or even a handful of slaves, before that practice was abolished. An official investigation was launched out of Triskelos, and many of the current families' grandparents or great grandparents were among those interrogated harshly by the Imperials. Whether or not Drastor's secrets were fully uncovered is not known to the public, but a somewhat hidden cavern network south of Iosyne was later collapsed by the soldiers, and until only recently remained sealed. Then, about five years ago, someone or something managed to clear out the rubble at the entrance...

Foothold: As its name states, this is a camp located at the Western slope of a detached segment of the Saltspine in the midst of the Marrow Flats, due East of Iosyne, across some of the wasteland's more rugged, hilly terrain. It's set up much like the Alpha Dig, only with less tents, since there are rarely more than a half-dozen men assigned to work here. Unlike its larger sibling, however, excavation takes place directly into the mountainside. The rock salt crystals here are not in as much abundance, but richer and finer when broken down back at the village, and this product is usually shipped off to more affluent regions or families of the Empire. Laborers usually consider it a punishment to be sent to Foothold, as the heights of the Saltspine are thick with giant buzzards here, and there is suspected to be at least one family of cave giants living in the area...who are often hungry for something other than raw vulture.

Huguelid Ruins: While the ages have worn most of its architecture away, the foundations to an ancient, moderately sized Huguelid settlement lie within a salt pit roughly the size of the Alpha Dig. Explorers and scholars have long since come and picked what they could find dry, and much of what remained has been defaced by the salt and climate, but the place is still the subject of many curious rumors, and the leaning stones and empty verandas that remain are plentiful enough that they might harbor some remaining mysteries. One must be careful picking through them, however, due to the propensity of such structures to collapse, and of the more monstrous Marrow Flats denizens who enjoy the shade and privacy that some of the more intact buildings still provide them.

Mereside: This small camp site is an 'exploratory' dig site for the residents of Iosyne, since the local engineer and water runner are interested in coming up with ways to dredge the briny Brack Tarn and extract its wet salt. They will often make journeys here for research, accompanied by a wagon and a handful of laborers who can carry their samples and perhaps score some good salt while they're out there. Though it's not good for drinking without purification, the waters of the Tarn are peaceful and fed by rainwater runoff from the surrounding Saltspine. That is, until larger predators show up and decide they'd also like a 'drink', and maybe a 'meal'. Basilisks, death dogs and other beasts are often prowling the banks for just that reason.

Old Azuredark: Considered off limits to most locals, the Old Azuredark is a network of caverns which is reputed to be the lair of a centuries-old blue dragon, whose name is either unknown or forgotten across the years. The creature itself has not been seen for at least a decade, and thus might have died off or flown to take residence elsewhere, but the savagery such a thing could inflict on such a small population is a major deterrent to trespassers. Which is a shame, because some whisper that the Old Azuredark contains a number of sapphire deposits that could make a salt miner mighty rich, mighty quick, should he or she risk the place. But those few who have attempted it have either not stepped back out the cavern entrance, or been caught in advance by Imperial soldiers and sentenced to some punishment to dissuade them, perhaps even a stay at the Haulix Prison Camp.

Slakestone Mines: These mines are another one of the Empire's local ventures, producing no salt whatsoever, but a steady stream of ore, some of which is reportedly silver, and possibly even some gems of moderate value. Most of the 'proceeds' of this dig go straight to Castle Autarkes with the changing of the guard from the Haulix camp, and what happens after that is anyone's guess. The Mines are supposedly several levels deep, having been tapped for close to a century, and they've also claimed their share of laboring prisoners. Whispers have it that some of the walls and ceilings of the place seem alive, and can snatch up and devour a man before his shift-mates even know he's gone. The Imperials wave these away as idle chatter, and claim instead that men have tried to run off deeper into the unknown, to unknown fates, or even that a few escaped successfully to the woodlands south of the region after giving some incompetent soldiers the slip. Either way, the Haulix inmates do not seem overjoyed at the prospect of working them, and consider it almost a privilege when they are instead sent to complement the salt miners out of Iosyne.

Faiths & Religions

Amaun
NE Lesser God
The Still-Tongued Sage; The Keeper of Hidden Truths

Portfolio: Lost knowledge, secrets, riddles, enigmas.
Symbol: Open book with a collage of warped, screaming faces on either page.
Worshipers: Sages, mystics, wizards, illuminati.

Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, N, NE.
Domains: Evil, Knowledge, Magic, Rune.
Subdomains: Arcane, Education, Language, Memory, Wards.
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff.
Sacred Animal: Mouse.
Sacred Colors: Gray, blue.

Apshai
LN Lesser Goddess
The Swarm-Matron; The All-Witness

Portfolio: Insects,swarms, drones.
Symbol: Scarab's head with many eyes.
Worshipers: Insect folk, shamans.

Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN, N.
Domains: Animal, Community, Earth, Law
Subdomains: Caves, Cooperation, Insect, Loyalty
Favored Weapon: Chakram.
Sacred Animal: Mantis.
Sacred Colors: Green, black, gold.

Arbaleen
N Greater Goddess
The Mother-Root; The Blossoming Eternity

Portfolio: Forests, glades, plants, sylvan beings.
Symbol: Uprooted oak with roots that form into dryads and varying woodland creatures.
Worshipers: Elves, sylvan creatures, woodsmen, faeries.

Cleric Alignments: CN, LN, N, NE, NG.
Domains: Animal, Healing, Plant, Protection, Sun.
Subdomains: Day, Feather, Fur, Growth, Insect, Restoration, Thorns.
Favored Weapon: Club (or shillelagh).
Sacred Animal: Squirrel.
Sacred Colors: Green, yellow.

Azeesh
CE Greater God
The BlazeBorn; The Immolator

Portfolio: Sun, flames, drought, volcanoes, magma.
Symbol: Searing black skull impaled on trident, with two eyes on the trident barbs.
Worshipers: Arsonists, cultists, farmers, fire type creatures.

Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE.
Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Fire, Sun.
Subdomains: Arson, Ash, Catastrophe, Day, Light, Smoke, Thirst.
Favored Weapon: Trident.
Sacred Animal: Phoenix.
Sacred Colors: Red, yellow.

Bartan
LE Greater God
The WarBastard; The Storm of Strife

Portfolio: Slaughter, war, violence.
Symbol: Bearded helm with one shorn horn, above 5 bloody drops in a 'v' pattern.
Worshipers: Barbarians, emperors, kings, soldiers, evil humanoids.

Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE.
Domains: Destruction, Evil, Law, Strength, War.
Subdomains: Blood, Fear, Ferocity, Hatred, Rage, Tactics, Tyranny.
Favored Weapon: Battleaxe.
Sacred Animal: Warhorse.
Sacred Colors: Black, red.

Daematra Lyzande
CE Greater Goddess
The Queen of Hell; The Devil-Mother

Portfolio: Hell, devils, temptation, dominion.
Symbol: Six-breasted, six-armed succubus with goat skull head, wielding lashes, daggers and blooded hearts, two each.
Worshipers: Cultists, devils, masochists, the ambitious and corrupt.

Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE.
Domains: Darkness, Evil, Fire, Law, Nobility
Subdomains: Arson, Corruption, Devil, Fear, Hubris, Night, Tyranny
Favored Weapon: Scorpion whip.
Sacred Animal: Bat
Sacred Colors: Black, red

Denzemuth
LE Lesser God
The Man-Thrasher; The Lost Maw

Portfolio: Wild beasts, hunger, cannibals.
Symbol: Chimeric, three-headed beast (hawk, tiger and wolf) with slathering, entwined tongues.
Worshipers: Beast folk, cannibals, primitives, feral humans.

Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE.
Domains: Animal, Evil, Law, Strength.
Subdomains: Cannibalism, Fear, Feather, Ferocity, Fur.
Favored Weapon: Claw razor.
Sacred Animal: Hawk, tiger, or wolf.
Sacred Colors: Brown, gray.

Deovast Parthalyn
LG Greater God
The King of Heaven; The Angel-Sire

Portfolio: Angels, heaven, mercy, atonement, redemption.
Symbol: Symmetrical, conjoined Cyclops/angels, one wielding a sword, the other a flame.
Worshipers: Clerics, supplicants, preachers, healers.

Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG.
Domains: Air, Charm, Glory, Good, Law.
Subdomains: Archon, Captivation, Charm, Heroism, Judgment, Love, Redemption.
Favored Weapon: Lance.
Sacred Animal: Eagle.
Sacred Colors: White, gold.

Edifice
LG Greater Goddess
The Shieldmaiden; The Unbreachable

Portfolio: Structures, defenders, protection, shelter.
Symbol: Clutched gauntlet over tower.
Worshipers: Castellans, lords, kings, soldiers, cityfolk, townfolk.

Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG.
Domains: Artifice, Good, Law, Protection, Strength.
Subdomains: Defense, Fortifications, Industry, Loyalty, Redemption, Resolve, Toil.
Favored Weapon: Shield.
Sacred Animal: Ox.
Sacred Colors: Gray, gold.

Elendrykar
CG Greater Goddess
Queen of Tempests; The Cloud Burst

Portfolio: Clouds, rains, wind, air.
Symbol: Eagle with spears crossed in talons.
Worshipers: Aeronauts, aerial humanoids.

Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG.
Domains: Air, Animal, Chaos, Good, Weather.
Subdomains: Azata, Cloud, Feather, Monsoon, Storms, Wind.
Favored Weapon: Dart.
Sacred Animal: Condor.
Sacred Colors: Green, blue, white.

Eshebel
NE Lesser Goddess
The Sinstress; The Witching Womb

Portfolio: Pleasure, pain, lust, rape, sexual torture.
Symbol: Crooked saber with phallic shaped hilt between bared breasts.
Worshipers: Cultists, sex slaves, corrupt nobles, prostitutes, perverts.

Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, N, NE.
Domains: Charm, Destruction, Evil, Liberation
Subdomains: Captivation, Corruption, Freedom, Lust, Torture
Favored Weapon: Cat-o'-nine-tailes.
Sacred Animal: Fox.
Sacred Colors: Black, red, pink.

Favikh
NE Lesser God
The Prince of Lost Purses; The Shadow-Baron

Portfolio: Thieves, liars, swindlers, burglars.
Symbol: Black cat wearing a coat of dangling coins and baubles.
Worshipers: Rogues, charlatans, con men.

Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, N, NE.
Domains: Darkness, Evil, Luck, Trickery.
Subdomains: Corruption, Espionage, Imagination, Night, Thievery.
Favored Weapon: Dagger.
Sacred Animal: Cat.
Sacred Colors: Black, gray.

Flume
N Greater God
The Brine Lord; The Keeper and Weaver of Currents

Portfolio: Oceans, rivers, lakes, sailors.
Symbol: Crab clutching a ship in a bottle.
Worshipers: Sailors, marines, aquatic humanoids, fishermen.

Cleric Alignments: CN, LN, N, NE, NG.
Domains: Animal, Plant, Strength, Travel, Water.
Subdomains: Exploration, Ferocity, Flotsam, Flowing, Growth, Oceans, Rivers.
Favored Weapon: Cutlass.
Sacred Animal: Fish.
Sacred Colors: Blue, green.

Gidyon
CG Lesser God
The Righteous Fist; The Street-Saint

Portfolio: Courage, humility, self-sacrifice, every man heroes.
Symbol: Profile of man impaled with seven spears.
Worshipers: Heroes, folk heroes, penitents, do-gooders.

Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG.
Domains: Chaos, Glory, Good, Strength.
Subdomains: Fist, Heroism, Honor, Resolve, Riot.
Favored Weapon: Brass knuckles.
Sacred Animal: Ibex.
Sacred Colors: White, brass.

Glare
N Lesser Goddess
The AeonSight; The Dream Teller

Portfolio: Fate, omens, dreams, prophecies, time.
Symbol: Staring female eyes within hourglass.
Worshipers: Oracles, prophets, adepts, mystics, kings, emperors.

Cleric Alignments: CN, LN, N, NE, NG.
Domains: Knowledge, Luck, Magic, Repose.
Subdomains: Aeon, Ancestors, Divine, Fate, Memory.
Favored Weapon: Light mace.
Sacred Animal: Peacock.
Sacred Colors: Blue, white.

Luure
CG Lesser Goddess
The Child-Giver; The Love of All Who Spy Upon Her

Portfolio: Romance, fertility, lovers, newborn children.
Symbol: Infant suckling mother in the arms of two men that form a dais.
Worshipers: Mothers, lovers, breeders, sex cultists.

Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG
Domains: Charm, Chaos, Good, Healing.
Subdomains: Captivation, Friendship, Love, Lust, Restoration.
Favored Weapon: Sap.
Sacred Animal: Flamingo.
Sacred Colors: Red, white.

Miraglee
NG Lesser Goddess
The Hearth-Lighter; The Hearts' Bond

Portfolio: Kindness, compassion, good will, friendship.
Symbol: Clasped hands bearing star pendant.
Worshipers: Townsfolk, cityfolk, commoners, friends, altruists.

Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, N, NG.
Domains: Community, Good, Healing, Protection.
Subdomains: Cooperation, Family, Friendship, Home, Purity.
Favored Weapon: Short sword.
Sacred Animal: Dog.
Sacred Colors: Red, white.

Molvanir
NE Lesser God
The Lightning Liege; The Hoard-Lord

Portfolio: Greed, wealth, lightning.
Symbol: Smiling skull with a golden crown, gold coin eyes, and a necklace of lightning bolts.
Worshipers: Misers, nobles, princes, kings, crime lords.

Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, N, NE.
Domains: Air, Evil, Nobility, Trickery.
Subdomains: Corruption, Deception, Greed, Hubris, Lightning.
Favored Weapon: Javelin.
Sacred Animal: Shrike.
Sacred Colors: Gold, silver, blue.

Mourn Dryr
LE Lesser God
Subjugator Prime; The Lord of the Leash

Portfolio: Dominion, slavery, oppression, torture.
Symbol: Scowling mammoth with spiked chain hanging between tusks.
Worshipers: Bigots, slavers, evil humanoids.

Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE.
Domains: Destruction, Evil, Law, Strength.
Subdomains: Corruption, Hatred, Slavery, Torture, Tyranny.
Favored Weapon: Mancatcher.
Sacred Animal: Elephant.
Sacred Colors: Black, gold.

Odhinnei
CG Greater Goddess
Mother Moon; The Soul-Stalker

Portfolio: Moon, hunters, wolves.
Symbol: Crossed arrows behind a wolf's head with crescent shaped eyes.
Worshipers: Hunters, woodsmen, trappers, moon cults, beast folk.

Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG.
Domains: Animal, Chaos, Darkness, Good, Trickery.
Subdomains: Ambush, Fur, Loss, Moon, Night, Redemption.
Favored Weapon: Longbow.
Sacred Animal: Wolf.
Sacred Colors: Green, black, white.

Odystos
LN Greater God
The Celestial Mechanic; The Great Design

Portfolio: Progress, invention, machinery.
Symbol: Man spread and splayed across the face of a gear.
Worshipers: Inventors, entrepreneurs, architects, builders, dwarves, gnomes.

Cleric Alignments: LE, LG, LN, N
Domains: Artifice, Community, Earth, Knowledge, Law.
Subdomains: Construct, Cooperation, Education, Industry, Legislation, Metal, Toil.
Favored Weapon: Light crossbow.
Sacred Animal: Spider.
Sacred Colors: Gray, blue.

Prizm
NE Lesser Goddess
Great Goddess Hex; The MoonSpell

Portfolio: Sorcery, spells, witchcraft.
Symbol: Crow slain and pinned to a pentagram.
Worshipers: Witches, warlocks, sorcerers, evil magic users.

Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, N, NE.
Domains: Darkness, Evil, Luck, Magic.
Subdomains: Arcane, Curse, Fear, Moon, Night, Rites.
Favored Weapon: Sickle.
Sacred Animal: Owl.
Sacred Colors: Purple, white.

Pspew
CE Lesser Goddess
O Formless One; The Quiver-Queen

Portfolio: Vermin, oozes, low things.
Symbol: Arm emerging from puddle, wrapped in slimy tendrils.
Worshipers: Amphibious humanoids, cultists, alchemists.

Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE.
Domains: Chaos, Earth, Evil, Vermin
Subdomains: Caves, Corruption, Demodand, Entropy.
Favored Weapon: Net.
Sacred Animal: Toad.
Sacred Colors: Green, purple.

Sanctos
LG Greater God
The Night's End; The Sacred Blade

Portfolio: Healing, resurrection, holy light, destruction of the undead.
Symbol: Robed, hooded man bearing a lantern & sword.
Worshipers: Exorcists, healers, preachers, inquisitors.

Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG.
Domains: Glory, Good, Healing, Law, Sun
Subdomains: Heroism, Judgment, Light, Redemption, Restoration, Resurrection, Revelation
Favored Weapon: Longsword.
Sacred Animal: Firefly.
Sacred Colors: Crimson, silver.

Sha-Adiin 
LG Lesser God
The Eye of Heaven; The Desert Wind

Portfolio: Sun, stars, nomads, dervishes, deserts.
Symbol: Daystar ascending behind stylized, squarish rukh.
Worshipers: The Solar Temple, nomads, dervishes, Tartiin, desert folk.

Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG.
Domains: Good, Knowledge, Law, Sun
Subdomains: Day, Judgment, Light, Redemption, Thirst
Favored Weapon: Scimitar.
Sacred Animal: Camel.
Sacred Colors: White, gold.

Shroud
N Greater God
Veil-Lifter; The Visitor of Shades

Portfolio: Death, souls, afterlife, silence.
Symbol: Pendulum hanging from a skeletal, outstretched hand.
Worshipers: Necromancers, death cults, those honoring their dead.

Cleric Alignments: CN, LN, N, NE, NG.
Domains: Darkness, Death, Knowledge, Repose, Void.
Subdomains: Isolation, Loss, Memory, Night, Psychopomp, Souls, Undead.
Favored Weapon: Butterfly knife.
Sacred Animal: Moth.
Sacred Colors: Black, silver.

Sigurd
CG Greater God
The Storm Hammer; The SunderHeart

Portfolio: Strength, storms, forges, battle.
Symbol: Skeletal smith beating sword with hammer.
Worshipers: Soldiers, officers, heroes, adventurers, smiths.

Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG.
Domains: Chaos, Glory, Good, Strength, War.
Subdomains: Competition, Duels, Heroism, Honor, Legend, Resolve, Tactics.
Favored Weapon: Warhammer.
Sacred Animal: Bull.
Sacred Colors: Blue, silver.

Sleeper
N Greater Goddess
The Gemstone Bride; The Great Leveler

Portfolio: Caverns, stone, earth, minerals, gems.
Symbol: Impassive, statuesque woman's face with brow and chin of stalactites.
Worshipers: Dwarves, underground races, miners, jewelers.

Cleric Alignments: CN, LN, N, NE, NG.
Domains: Artifice, Darkness, Earth, Ruins, Strength.
Subdomains: Caves, Fist, Metal, Petrification, Resolve, Toil, Trap.
Favored Weapon: Pick.
Sacred Animal: Mole.
Sacred Colors: Brown, silver.

St. Acres
NG Greater God
The Crop-Master; The Lord of Plenty

Portfolio: Crops, harvest, travelers, fortune.
Symbol: Spade wrapped in ribbons including bouquet of fruits.
Worshipers: Farmers, travelers, merchants, commoners, rural folk.

Cleric Alignments: CG, LG, N, NG.
Domains: Good, Healing, Plant, Sun, Travel.
Subdomains: Day, Friendship, Growth, Medicine, Restoration, Trade.
Favored Weapon: Scythe.
Sacred Animal: Crow.
Sacred Colors: Orange, brown, green.

St. Rictus
CE Lesser God
The Grinning God; The Living Mockery

Portfolio: Chaos, insanity, madness.
Symbol: Cleft, cracked, smiling skull.
Worshipers: Anarchists, harlequins, madmen.

Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE.
Domains: Chaos, Evil, Liberation, Madness.
Subdomains: Fear, Insanity, Nightmare, Revolution, Riot.
Favored Weapon: Flail.
Sacred Animal: Hyena.
Sacred Colors: Any which contrast or contradict.

Stryde
CG Lesser God
The Reveler; The God-Muse

Portfolio: Song and dance, poets, drunkenness, revelry, feasts, celebrations.
Symbol: Grapes and lyre.
Worshipers: Musicians, poets, artists, drinkers, celebrants.

Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG.
Domains: Chaos, Charm, Glory, Good.
Subdomains: Captivation, Friendship, Legend, Revelry, Whimsy.
Favored Weapon: Rapier.
Sacred Animal: Canary.
Sacred Colors: Purple, yellow.

Suluk
LE Lesser Goddess
The Coiled Queen, The Gorgon-Mother

Portfolio: Serpents, dragons, reptiles.
Symbol: Winged serpent around crooked dagger.
Worshipers: Cultists, evil dragons, scalykind.

Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE.
Domains: Animal, Evil, Law, Scalykind.
Subdomains: Dragon, Fear, Saurian, Tyranny, Venom.
Favored Weapon: Spiked chain.
Sacred Animal: Snake.
Sacred Colors: Red, green.

Taalon Qesh
CE Lesser God
Father Misery; The Bane of All Flesh

Portfolio: Plagues, pestilence, sickness, suffering.
Symbol: Desperate hands grasping out from a heap of intestines.
Worshipers: Necromancers, shamans, evil humanoids.

Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE.
Domains: Animal, Chaos, Death, Evil.
Subdomains: Corruption, Entropy, Fur, Insect, Plague.
Favored Weapon: Morningstar.
Sacred Animal: Rat.
Sacred Colors: Red, brown.

Talastir
LG Greater God
The Oath-Lord; The Judge Over All

Portfolio: Justice, judgement, oaths, honor, laws.
Symbol: Wheel of hands clasping gavels.
Worshipers: Judges, magisters, constables, barristers, cityfolk.

Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG.
Domains: Community, Good, Law, Nobility, Rune
Subdomains: Aristocracy, Education, Judgment, Leadership, Legislation, Redemption.
Favored Weapon: Light hammer.
Sacred Animal: Lion.

Sacred Colors: Cream, slate.

House Rules

Called Shots: We will be implementing the Called Shots system from Ultimate Combat, P. 193. It’s relatively easy, you can make a full-round, single attack at a penalty to hit a target in a specific location, which might have added effects based on your success (or critical success). There are also various modifiers to other existing combat conditions, but that is the gist of it.

Cantrips: To better suit the Low Fantasy theme of the setting, characters with Cantrips will be restricted to total castings of 3 + the appropriate spell casting ability modifier.

Hero Points: We will be using the Hero Points system from the Advanced Player’s Guide, P.322. Players start with 1 point and can gain more through leveling, feats, and achieving goals within the campaign.

Young Characters: If you choose to begin play as a ‘youth’ of your race, you can use the table from P. 194 of the Ultimate Campaign book to adjust your scores.

Character Generation

Classes: You'll begin play as commoners, per pages 449-450 of the Core Rulebook, a class which is normally reserved only for NPCs but suits the low power level and 'rags to riches' aesthetic of this campaign. In short, this grants an initial +0 BAB, +0 to all Base Saving Throws, a d6 for Hit Dice, and the following Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Swim (Str). Skill Ranks per level are 2+ Int modifier. You will begin with proficiency in a single simple weapon of your choice, or you can choose proficiency with the light pick instead (a martial weapon). You begin play with such a light pick, an explorer's outfit, and 5d4 gp to spend as you see fit on weapons and equipment from the Core Rulebook. Other classes will become 'unlocked' as the players gain levels.

Races: PCs can be built from the human, halfling or dwarf races in the Core Rulebook, or the oread from the Advanced Race Guide. There will be a restriction of one oread, and two non-human PCs overall to reflect the demographics of the labor commune they originate from.

Ability Scores: You'll be using the Point Purchase system as per pages 15-16 of the Core Rulebook, set at the Low Fantasy setting with 10 points to spend. Remember that you can drop base abilities below 10 to receive extra points for use elsewhere.

Alignment: All alignments will be permitted apart from Chaotic and Lawful Evil, which will prove too meddlesome within the parameters of this campaign.

Levels: Characters will be required to take at least three levels in commoner before multi-classing off to another specialty, and thus PCs entering at higher level must also fill this requirement. PCs joining later will begin at one character level below the average (which will be tracked here on the blog).

Wealth: 1st level commoners receive 5d4 starting wealth with which to purchase goods from the Core Rulebook. PCs starting at higher character levels will use the NPC Gear Table 14-9 from the Core Rulebook, using the 'Basic Level' column, to organize their starting gear.

Naming Conventions: The Ekrysian Empire is loosely based on Greco-Roman culture and customs, and these humans derive their naming traditions largely from an amalgam of ancient Hellenic and Roman traditions. Provided here are several samples you can use as guidelines.

Ekrysian Male: Aegisthes, Antipho, Crethean, Evandros, Isokrates, Kerkyon, Megistas, Mnester, Nikeros, Periphas, Prokleon, Scythas, Simonax, Theomon, Tychae.
Ekrysian Female: Atalanta, Chryse, Eudokia, Hecuba, Hellanike, Iola, Iomene, Oenone, Phaedra, Polydamna, Stratonice, Thalassa, Thetis, Tryphene, Zenobya.
Ekrysian Surnames: Audens, Eclectus, Festus, Flavina, Galvas, Lucan, Malcha, Marinas, Nazaria, Synistor, Tantalos, Tiburs, Triaria, Vestorea, Vio.

Within the lower rungs of the social order, such as laborers, commoners, farmers, and mercenaries, nicknames are often adopted and used with priority over the given name. These will often feature a phonetic or alliterative similarity, but will be objects, verbs and adjectives rather than just a shortened name. A Diophantus might be dubbed 'Diamond', an 'Eucarpia' might be called 'Carp', an 'Euripides' could be 'Ripper', and so forth. This is not at all a requirement, but quite common.

Dwarves and halflings retain the more common naming conventions more typical in fantasy, as they are usually only a few generations at most removed from their nearby civilizations of Bazalt and Ambruz. Both might also prefer to use nicknames similar to the lower caste Ekrysians.

Dwarven Male: Gurd Greytoe, Handel Beastbraid, Umnar Kragsword, Yorn Forgeheart.
Dwarven Female: Bratra Kegbellows, Coin Cragwalker, Nozna Bronzeleg, Wilna Orebrow.
Halfling Male: Abba Gamut, Gerold Grubb, Olo Longfoot, Samson Riverhair,
Halfling Female: Jemmi Barrows, Pansy Daggit, Ruby Rumblehill, Yolanda Dirtwort.

Oreads use given names comparable to their Ekrysian kinfolk, but often include harsher or 'rockier' consonants that reflect their elemental nature. Some will have one or two human parents, perhaps even a dwarven parent, and their oread traits are inherited from previous generations.

Oread Male: Kyrillos, Pallaz, Stratiar, Teukros.
Oread Female: Aeroppe, Hekke, Khloris, Orithya.

Traits: You can choose two Basic or Racial traits for your character, as per the Advanced Player's Guide or any other official source book. You can also take Regional traits which belong to the 'desert' or 'mountain' classification.

Favored Class: A character's commoner levels will not count as his/her favored class unless he or she so chooses, so you can ignore the favored class leveling bonuses until you've selected your first 'real' character class, after which point they function as normal.