CELTRICIA- Steel Isle Online Dungeon crawl

[LordVreeg]

I'm at work, so this might be added to later.  
Due to my frustration at my old-school online group, I'm starting a new online game.

I am also setting some very particular parameters.
1) This is a Fucking Dungeon Crawl.  Getting into the adventure is a goal.  Yes, there is a close 'home base', and yes I have made sure that there willbe some basic supplies.
2) I am using Guildschool, but stripping down some of the rules to streamline character creation and combat.  Beginning characters can only use 'basic/commonality 1 ' skills.  Subskills will only be available in gameplay.  And Only one comabt skill can be used per attack, so I am avoiding tanks rolling for damage bonus, multi attack, etc.  Just one at a time.
3) short regular sessions.  Wednesday night, 9-10:30 eastern.  I want to be fresh and alert and then we go to the next week.  So not as much time investment. ( I still expect combats to take a session or 2, at 1.5 hours, but with 50-52 sessions in a year, we'll make some progress).
4) there will be a leader or caller player.  I have no idea how that will be chosen (probably by highest social skill), but players can argue on different channels.
5) Dungeon crawl, and replicating the Old School feel.  I will be playing every die roll as real.  Lethality, and stupidity will kill you.  I have already created the adventure, and some bad rolls will kill players.  Oh well, Monday night Mirc may be used for making a lot of new characters.  And that certainly gets easier every time you do it.

[ic=So we need a few more players]
Nomadic and Llumaliscious are already making characters, needing weaps, armor , spells, and CC rolls.  But I am running this for 5-8 PCs.  A group will need 5-8 to even have a chance.  
And they need some meat shields.  and Thieving.  and healing...
Update, Eladris has added a little muscle and underworld knowledge.
Healing and muscle are at a premium now.
update 7/31-Eladris, LLum and Nomadic are onboard.  Jaerc has said he wants to try to get in, and Sarisa has mentioned it as well/
update 8/10...Eladris, Llum, Nomadic, and Meanest have all rolled their own characters.  I am assuming right now if Jaerc and Sarisa are still interested, they'll grab a pregen (though there is still time to roll a chaarcter for the 8/12 session)

Update 11/16/9  Llum, Meanest and Nomadic are actually up to session 13 or 14, I believe.  They are planning to head back to Steel ISle Town, so it would be a good time to join in if someone has been waiting to add a new character.

Update 4/15/10  Steel Isle group is going on session 33.  There have been a few losses, but the explorers are suprisingly self-sufficient in this second trek into the subterranean area under the pyramidal temple.  They moved through an area mainly inhabited by the Beast men and one old plastered-over old area.  Now, they seem to have found an area held by the cultists...

And on 08/30/10
going on session 47 tomorrow.  The spookiness continues.

Updated 2/14/11--We had session 64 last week, back in Steel Isle Town.  Current Group is Hamish, Max, Moss, Maz, Carmen, Astell, Vermortis, Wurnick, and Cameleye.

update 9/13/11  just had session 91 last night.
And update 4/20/12, we're over 117 sessions now.
Moss continues...
[/ic]

[LordVreeg]

Steel Isle

Here is where the crawl takes place.

Steel Isle Town

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The Steel Isle lies off the south-western tip of the Bright Lands Plutocracy, around 80 miles off the mainland at the closest point.  It guards the northern entrance to the Tarn Bay, and also acts as an unfortunate breakwater in the Noreasters that would othewise roar right up the bay, Perhaps all the way to Orbi.  The Steel Isle is 94 miles from north to south, roughly it's longest dimension, but no more than 42 miles east to west.



The Steel Isle has been home to quite a few settlements in it's history, but it is best known as one of the primary receptacles of the Venolvian cultural remains.  Steel Isle was one of their earliest and longest lasting settles areas, with some historians giving it precedence as the original birthplace of that old island empire.  In any case, ruins still dot much of the island, though sometimes they are newer, Marcher-era ruins atop the older Venolvian ones.


It has a number of large hills in the center of the western coast, while much of the rest of island is covered in moor. The hills are called the Ensight Hills.  The southern moors are much more overgrown and wet, while the northern ones are drier, covered in Vneersberry and Reddle.  There is also one large green forest just south of the Ensight hills.  The Forest is called Cherio, and the whole southern part of the Forest, and much of the south-western tip of the isle, is covered by the Velonici Swamps.




Like much of Celtricia and the Cradle area, there are large areas of open wilderness.  Lizardmen, trogs, and gnolls wander in tribes and build rude settlements, while tales of insect-armored skeletal figures haunt the fireplaces late at night.  Small wonder that most sane folk stay close to the settled, protected areas

[LordVreeg]

I'll say this again, I need a few more players online for Wednesday nights.  
Dungeon Crawl.  How can you say no?

[LordVreeg]

The Venolvian Empire
In the third century before the 'modern' age, [note] the Modern age is often the term used for everything after the founding of the Theocracy of Nebler, year 0.  The current year is 895 RON, though gaming in Celtricia started in 888.[/note]the trade between on the Argonia Ocean was burgeoning.  The Argussian Empire's northern trade routes became heavily laden, with the Blue City Plutarchs (which would become the Bright Lands) and the Arcane City States (that would become Orbi) by sea, and they Traded with the Astrickon Traders and the Onoconians by land.  The Ancient cities of Hagenos and Lestchian created mysterious artifacts, and all the northern groups risked much for access to the power and splendor of the State of Winter, further north.

Pirates started operating in the quiet areas between the Tarn Bay and the Argussian ports to the south, and so the merchant ships became convoys, complete with triremic warships, though heavily sailed to take advantage of any air mages or weather mages.  Though some operated from the coast, most of the pirates came from Grace Island and Steel Isle, two very large islands that bracketeted the entrance to the Tarn Bay.  Larger Coom Isle, to the south, also was a jumping off point.
           
                                                                           



Both of these islands were large enoguh to support decent sized population, and their proximity to the Tarn Bay, the 'Golden Ship Road' made it perfect for waylaying ships and then escaping back to the mist-shrouded islands.


The Tarn Bay itself was a large inlet, one that cut a swath between the Northern Argussian marches (Today's Trabler) and the Blue Cities (Toaday's Bright Lands), then elbowed north, allowing sea access to the Arcanic city states (Now Orbi), and the northern tip of the Tarn bay extrends within 140 land miles of Fabled Winterloo.  So for the sea traders, the Tarn bay was a goldmine, and for the priates, it was a spiderweb, they felt, and they were the spiders.


The next centuries found the Far North fighting each other and an army of Undead , while the Argussian Empire battled Gastax to the South.  Shipping and mercantile activity increase, as did the piracy.  Coom Isle became more of the pirate Haven, while Steel Isle and Grace Island started to become more traditional ports, albiet with a still strong bucaneer influence.  By -100 RON, the pirates and the some ports on the islands were working together under what they called 'the Sea Lords' and what the Argussians and the other trading empires called the 'Pirate Lords'.




In -94, the growing town of Velonici became the capital of the Sea Lords Holding, and in -90 the Sea Lords took on the name of the Venolvians, which translates into "The Uniters" in the Anarch language.  The Pirate Lords of Coom Isle were loosely allied to the more official grouping of the other two islands. By -50RON, they have a flag, and the Amererian religion and the Entropic religion are fighting for control.  The population is burgeoning, and they have taken on an architectural style similar to the Wintric/suprosian era.  It is at this time that the wire sculptures of insects and birds begins on the Steel Isle as well, spurred on by the entropic influence.

In -16RON, the last independent holding on the Steel Isle, Tal Irishi, falls to the Venolvians (See the Story of Meganna, the Fairy Queen), and even the Coom Isle pirates fly the flag of the Venolvians,

 

This was a time of rapid expansion for the Venovians, a golden age of economic and cultural enhancement and nationalism. At the same time that the North was imprisoning the Dreadwing and the Theocracy of Nebler was officially founding their country, The entropic churches forced the capital to move from Velonici to Kulranik City, on Coom Isle.

 

History is never a vacuum, and eveything that happens has a ripple effect.  The first century in the Reckoning of Nebler was a turmultuous time throughout the cradle area.  The Astrickon Traders came into being to the west of the new Theocracy of Nebler, the Arcanic Table in the Mystic City states combined, and started to force out the old Devilkin backed families, Atros Beasthurion Armed the Omwo~ of the Black Forest, and the State of Winter moved slowly into the former Igboniat areas.  The Venolvians were incredibly busy as well, expaning onto the western Coastal mainland of the Cradle area.  These areas were wild and empty, and for decades other countries were almost unaware that the Venolvians were creating settlements in what was nominally in their borders.

 

Venolvia continued to expand over the next few centuries, and their navy controlled and tithed the areas their ancestors had plundered.  Their entropic water magic was extremely puissant, and their merchant guilds were lossely controlled by their governtment.  Labor was taken care of by their slaves, called the 'Beast-men', gnolls, Lizardmen, and Korang's Fratrecanis. They minted coinage, and were very active mining on the mainland, as well.  The wealth and expansion also served to exalt the upper class, and Steel Isle became the gathering spot for the well to do, with vacation Villas and pleasure palaces.

 

In 240RON, the Venolvian navy (still called the 'Reavers', in honor of their past) crushed the militant merchant fleet of 'The Inn', the main Blue City, and this officially declared the venolvians to be the major empire along the Western coast.  The Other countries saw their expansion but did not want to confront them directly.  The Northern coastal part of their empire (now the western coast of the Grey March) had expanded into 4 major settlements and dozens of minor ones.  By 390RON, the Blue Cities officially joined together to form the Bright Lands Plutocracy, to stand against the Venolvian sea power.

 

In 418RON, there was a major disaster in the north, and over half of the military power of the Venolvians disapeared almost overnight.  No records survive from it, but the 'disaster' is noted in many secondary sources.  Also notable in this time was The Argussian Empire becoming a real ally of the Venolvians, though this may be in part to protect their somewhat fragile holdings in the Northern Argussian Marches.

 
In the late 400's, Sir Jon of Triston, of the State of Winter, led the Wintric Army against the Venolvians in the North.  Details are hard to come by, but by all reports he destroyed their main temple complex first, then marches with sword and fire thorugh the Venolvian settlements.  Before 500RON, he has sacked and salted every one of their settlements, on his way to earning the title 'Saint Jon' by the Lawful Triumverate.

Reeling from this, the Venolvians tried to recover and recouperate, but the Marcher fleet of Wind followed the retreating forces to the Islands, and combined with the Bright Lands forces, they sacked both Velonici and Kulranik City, essentially destroying the Venolvians completely by 515 RON.  

The Marcher forces actually left colonies on Grace Island and the Steel Isle.  By the 700s, the venolvian settlments were all ruins or coopted into local governments.  Their stonework was coopted for new work, their statues pulled down, the temples now housed different Gods.  

[Tangential]

What sort of time committeemen do you envision this requiring?

[LordVreeg]

What sort of time committeemen do you envision this requiring?

once per week, wednesdays, 1.5 hours plus a little for overflow.  I want this to be a fun little dungeon crawl.  Not a stress issue.
the character creation is the only fly in the ointment, as due to unfamiliarity, playrs take a few nights online to get that done.  But that is the only real commitment, and that gets a lot easier with practise.
And I'm thinking of making some partial templates to make it easier, but I have noted that despite the frustration, the LPayers seem to enjoy making the characters.  Llum's joy over realizing his Spirit level would have made GM proud.

[Eladris]

Interested.  I'll see what my schedule looks like on Ws.

[Tangential]

I forgot to query about the timezone.

[Llum]

From what I understand 9:00-10:30 EST.

[Mason]

Hi. This is interesting. Is this for friends only or would newcomers be welcome?

[LordVreeg]

Good Lord, I'll kill anyone.

[LordVreeg]

Umm, I mean, open to anyone.
*cough*

[LordVreeg]

List of Playable Factions so far in Steel Isle Town.
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Warrior

The Order of Stenron
The Scarlet Pilums--the mercenary group recently hired.
Armor of Trade-Ogleic's Knighthood
Bowyers of Ceminiar--Ceminiar's honor guard
The Mysteriarchs of Lathe-Martial Brotherhood
The Blue Turtle Samurai-Honorable brotherhood
BoneKNights of Orcus-Wardens of the Boneyard

 

Mystic

Collegium Arcana-The Huge multinational Mage Guild
The Tower-weather mages of Air and Water
The Steel Libram-A small outpost of the Igbarian Sages
Vasko's Brew--Alchemic branch of the Blackstripes

 

Bardic

Trombic Fanfare--Brassy and bold
 
 

The Underworld

The Eye of Steel--Kasaraks local Eye
The Karin Machination--The Assassin branch of the Eye.
The Blackstripes--Heliopolis' Coom Isle group
Holders of the Straight Way-Belial's Assassins
The Laughing ones-Pilferers and influence peddlers
Burrow Boys-Dockside bulleys.

 

The Churches

 The Church of The Solid Earth (Madrak the Mighty)
The Church of Balck Humor (Jubilex of Chaos)
The Grey Church (Amerer, the Balance)
The Church of Obscurity and Fate (Darklingm Lord of the Night)
The Church of Direction (Alrieng, the Guide, and Oblimet, DevilDuke of Direction)
The Church of the Green Mother (Vernidale)--Nature mothers.  Very popular church
The Church of Belial the True and Clear (Belial)
The Shrine of Ogleic, the Tradelord

 

 

 

Mercantile

Gurellium Traders--Merchant Marines
Schen Traders-Exporters with branches all over the Island
Vaarstead fine Liquor imports
Hamis Bowyery-The finest bows, metalrecurves a specialty, as are crossbows.
Grisley IronMongers-Guild of 6 Blacksmiths

[LordVreeg]

Sarisa, do you know how to get on the IC chat?

[LordVreeg]

More on Steel Isle Town

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There are 6 real population centers on the Steel Isle, but the largest is Steel Isle Town.  Build on top of Stonto, a Venolvian town, there are still some older sections and buildings, old white fidikmarple structures in the old Venolvian/Wintric fashion, as well as many in the Marcher architectural style.
[note=Adventuring base]
yes, this is the adventuring base for the dungeon Crawl.  The adventure itelf is a 16 hour hike away, and this will reduce with familiarity.  Steel ISle Town is not new to me, so it makes for an excellent center, though It was created 15 years ago and has not been used in almost 9 years.  Certainly big enough to find most common and uncommon items, and even some rare ones.[/note]
Over twelve thousand souls make Steel isle Town their residence, built on the western center of the island, nestled into a cove, with a pair of hills behind the buildings (north-east and south east), with a swampy area to the south.


Steel Isle town was originally a captured port called Stonto,  repopulated by the Grey March after they broke the Venolvians Power.  However, the immense distance between the Island and the Grey March quickly dissolved direct control.  And while it has been a property of the Bright Lands, Argus, and even Coom Isle at different times, Steel Isle Town is currently an independent city-state, albeit one that is a supporting member of the League of Stenron.

Baron Vor of the Order of Stenron is the leader of the town, and he has a council of twelve town leaders he works with, as well as a few commitees. They recently got permission from Steward Julian of Trabler to hire the Scarlet Pilums to be the town guards here, supplanting the former militia.  Sir Essan holds the rank of captain of the Scarlet Pilums.

The Largest church in town is that Lawful Triumverate, followed by the the Church of Madrak of the Earth and then Arlieng the Guide. Many other smaller ones are also present.  So the daily observances found in the rest of the cradle area are no less present here.  Also, there are rumors of a hidden cult, the Dark Way.  While it is only a tale for most townsfolk, the eclesiastic community is a little less pleased about it .  The Churches hold almost as much power as the government.


There are a number of wealthy families, some with historical placement in the area, some new money.  Steel Isle's particular political situation, currently independent but protected by the Stenronian Alliance (due to it's proximity to Coom Isle) makes it a haven for independent businesses