Merchant Mages of Honor Island

 Honor Island is an island in the Ierendi chain that is occupied by mages - over 2000 of them plus 4000 goblin "servants" that are effectively slaves dwelling principally in the sole town of Filtot. The island does not have significant topsoil for growing crops so all food has to be imported from elsewhere. Fortunately Honor Island is well placed for trading with the southern coast of Brun. Another complicating factor is the mages are quite secretive and territorial and rarely allow visitors, therefore nearly all trade with other nations is done by merchants of Honor Island visiting other ports. 

To this end there has arisen a company of 43 spellcasters of various levels of power who are also merchants. They generally work together, with different mages specialising in different food stuffs and beverages, and usually developing contacts and trading partners in different ports, thus minimising competition within the company. They describe themselves simply as the Merchant Mages of Honor Island, though there are a few clerics mixed in among them. 

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Filtot has a harbour that is primarily for keeping the fireships safe - these are the 12 naval combat ships that are capable of incinerating their opponents with powerful magic and alchemy, clad in iron and propelled by magi-tech. However, there is also room for other vessels, and the merchant mages operate a fleet of 20 or so craft, about half of which are normal surface sailing ships but the rest are skyships, capable of flying over land or sea. 

Notable NPCs

Exendamius

21st level magic user, human male, align neutral

Str 8, Int 18, Wis 12, Dex 12, Con 10, Cha 15

Exendamius is from Thyatis and is proud of his heritage. He moved to Honor Island mainly to be with those who understood his obsession with magic, and he is still very much a scholar of the arcane arts. However, his father was a merchant who travelled northern Thyatis (Kerendas, Thyatis City and Port Lucinius), transporting goods from city to city. He has inherited some of his father's business sense, and sails his ship, The Sapphire Swordfish, between Thyatis and Honor Island. He spends so much time at sea that his ship has a library and study built into it so that he can continue his magical research even when away from Honor Island. When in Thyatis he will often seek out and talk to mages about their magical research, spells and items. Although he does this out of curiousity, some Thyatian mages wonder if he is a spy from Honor Island or even spying for Alphatia. Other Thyatian mages will happily chat to Exendamius as he is not very discrete about Honor Island and the magical research going on there. 

Tarrama the Swift

11th level magic user, human female, align chaotic

Str 10, Int 16, Wis 14, Dex 13, Con 10, Cha 11

Tarrama is shifty and some would say amoral. However, this makes her blend in well in the pirate ports of Ierendi, particularly in Vlaad, though she also frequently visits Ierendi City. She mostly trades in fruit and vegetables grown in the Ierendi Islands but she has enough shady contacts that she can get her hands on anything (as long as she can make a decent profit). Her skyship, The Nightflyer, is originally from Alphatia but was taken by Thyatian adventurers over the Isle of Dawn (some would say by piracy and hijacking) and then sold to Tarrama. She has a mixture of human and goblin crew - the goblins are clearly subservient and the officers are all human but nonetheless the goblins are treated as crew, not slaves. 

Lucius Blagavescu

14th level magic user/elemental mage, human male, align neutral

Str 13, Int 16, Wis 9, Dex 14, Con 13, Cha 14

Lucius grew up in Specularum and started his training in the Magicians Guild. However, he quit and moved to Honor Island when he found that mages of Karameikos were not interested in elemental magic. He plies his normal sailing ship between Honor Island and various ports around the northern Sea of Dread, particularly Specularum but also Shireton in the Five Shires and Athenos in southern Darokin, picking up various beverages such as elven wine, dwarven beer, Thyatian brandy and halfling mead. Although he behaves well while onboard his ship, he has been known to get completely drunk while at port, and his first mate, an Ierendian mage called Vierex (8th level MU, human male, neutral) has to haul him back to his quarters.  

Nalthargia

5th level magic user, human female, align neutral

Str 8, Int 14, Wis 13, Dex 11, Con 13, Cha 17

Nalthargia is a native of Honor Island. Although she can cast some basic spells and is therefore accepted into Honor Island society, she finds her real talent is in talking to people. She uses this primarily for trade and bargaining, but she also sometimes finds herself as an informal diplomat, passing messages and requests on from Honor Island's ruling council. Her skyship, Filtot's Hand, often travels further than most merchant mages - she will sometimes travel to Alphatia, Glantri and Ochalea.  

Venthan of the Ocean

15th level cleric, human male, align neutral

Str 14, Int 11, Wis 17, Dex 9, Con 9, Cha 13

Venthan is a reminder that not all the spellcasters of Honor Island are magic users - a significant number are clerics, and Venthan is a follower of Proteus, the Immortal of the Oceans. His voyages in his ship The Song of Proteus have taken him south and east, and he has developed trade contacts in the Thyatian settlements on the northern coast of Davania, particularly Cittinova, where he buys various tropical fruits, spices and herbs only found in the Davanian jungles. His expeditions have also taken him to Ochalea (excellent for tea, rice and noodles) and the southern Isle of Dawn. The Song of Proteus has a crew of 20, of whom 10 are goblins. Unusually for an Honor Islander, Venthan treats them well although never as equals. The goblins realise that compared to their fellows back on Honor Island they are in a very good situation and thus are surprisingly loyal to Venthan. His bo'sun, an elemental mage called Saskallia (human female, 12th level magic user/elemental mage, align neutral) is not so sure of this liberal management style but keeps her mouth shut.

 

Caltoni Inkwell

16th level magic user, human female, align Neutral

Str 8, Int 16, Wis 14, Dex 10, Con 8, Cha 14

Caltoni is a native of Honor Island and well-respected in Filtot. She owns and runs a skyship, the Joyous Dolphin and is now middle-aged with silver-grey hair in a bun and several pairs of spectacles perched on her nose or forehead at the same time (one pair lets her Read Magic at will). Caltoni has left the food trade to younger merchant mages and now specialises in stationery and magical supplies, particularly scroll vellum, spellbooks, quills, ink and spell components. These are all things that cannot be created on Honor Island without magic. She has dabbled in alchemical supplies and does still occasionally trade in glassware and straightforward laboratory equipment but has had to draw the line at refusing to trade in ingredients and reagents. Things like petroleum, green dragon chlorine and black pudding acid are dangerous to her and her crew, while others are repugnant (otyugh faeces? Nope, it stinks out the whole ship no matter how it is stored) or morally unacceptable (elf blood for a potion of longevity, when she has several elves from Minrothad in her crew). 

X3 Curse of Xanathon - Notes and Ideas

 

I like this module. It is a good compromise between the event/plot based investigations of B6: The Veiled Society and more traditional map-based modules such as B2 and X1. It takes place in and around Rhoona, in the Northern Reaches, an area I have touched on but not really done many posts for. 

The plot revolves around the Duke of Rhoona going mad and making insane decrees, including upsetting the neighbouring dwarves of Rockhome. The Ethengarian cult of Cretia and a treacherous right-hand man called Draco are behind this and it is up to the PCs to investigate. It is primarily a matter of following clues in documents from one location to another. If the PCs need help, either healing or advice, the Temple of Forsetti  (a lawful norse immortal) is their best ally in resolving the situation

The Ducal Barracks

The Ducal Barracks are where the PCs start off thanks to an angry dwarf and a cleric of Forsetti in disguise.   In most adventures, PCs are discouraged from picking fights with the town guard, and this is no exception. I would treat this as an exercise in stealth, diplomacy and roleplaying. If it turns into mass combat then I would consider something has gone wrong. 

One thing I would have liked to have seen in the barracks is an indication of the loyalties and motivations of some of the NPCs. My suggestions in this regard would be:

• Magic User in room 19: Genthar (align Chaotic) is in on the plot with Draco and will attack any intruders or anyone investigating the plot. He is quite paranoid and the soldiers in the barracks don't like him. He is sure they are all plotting to kill him anyway. 
• Weaponmaster in room 20: Arrakanthus (align Neutral) is just a professional doing his job. He is actually from Thyatis. He has no knowledge of Draco's plot but is paid well so has no reason to hurt his employer. 
• Thief in room 21: Murgillen (align Chaotic) is in on the plot with Draco but rather than attacking straight away he will feign cooperation until he has good opportunity to strike with surprise. 
• Officer in room 22: Lieutenant Worben (align Neutral) is ignorant of the plot and only cares for the welfare of his men. 
• Captain in room 25: Captain Vernheim (align Neutral) is ignorant of the plot and only cares for the welfare of his men. 
• Commander in room 27: Commander Berrelin (align Chaotic) is in on the plot and will try to attack those asking awkward questions or those who do not give sound reasons for being in the barracks. 

The regular soldiers and sergeants know nothing of the plot and are not particularly hostile though they may ask the PCs what they are doing here. 

The Temple of Cretia

I find the open presence of a chaotic temple in a civilized town quite unusual although it is probably tolerated due to cultural allowances for the Ethengar enclave in Rhoona. At least on the outside the chaotic church is behaving itself, though investigation will reveal the insidious plot to undermine the duchy. My suggestion is that the majority of townsfolk don’t consider Cretia and her followers to be outright chaotic like the notorious cult of Chaos that bedevils many other realms - these Cretia folk seem to be a lot more reasonable. Although not the same cult of Chaos as that found say in Hule or the Caves of Chaos, nonetheless the cult of Cretia considers them allies and occasional rivals, with similar goals and philosophies.  They are just better at fitting into polite society. 

In terms of adventure, the Temple of Cretia is a little more combative than the Ducal Barracks, and although roleplay and negotiation can get the party past some NPCs, others will treat the PCs as threatening intruders and fight regardless. The fight with Xanathon at the end of this location is one that the PCs cannot win - let’s hope the PCs realise this in time before too many of them die. It is quite convenient that he offers clues to overcoming his invulnerability as arrogant boasts. 

The Shrine of Cretia and Beyond

It would have been nice to have a wilderness map here, but I understand that there may not have been enough room in the book. The PCs need to travel out of Rhoona into the nearby mountains to find the Shrine of Cretia (not the same as the Temple of Cretia!). I have modified a map from the Vaults of Pandius to indicate where I think the Shrine of Cretia should be.  This does not match up perfectly with the description of the journey but I think it will do for some DMs. 

based on cartography by Ramelin and
Thorfinn Tait (source)

This is even more of a conventional dungeon than the Temple, with carrion crawlers, undead and ogres among the potential encounters. In here is the diamond that holds Xanathon’s essence and therefore enables the PCs to actually harm him. 

 Once the PCs have this they must return to town and defeat both Xanathon and Draco in a final showdown at the Ducal Palace. If successful the Duke is restored to sanity and he can start to repair some of the damage done by the Curse of Xanathon. 

After the adventure I have ideas of adventurers being asked to investigate the Ruined Temple of Loki to the southeast of Rhoona which will lead onto the Lost Runestones of Soderfjord. 

The Lost Runestones of Soderfjord

source: Wikipedia

Soderfjord has long been a fractured land, with no overall rulership, just different jarls competing, fighting and occasionally allying with each other in their small fiefs. Compared to Ostland and Vestland, Soderfjord is a lesson in why strong kingship is important for a realm. And yet, it need not have been that way. 

Nearly three hundred years ago in 614AC the Kingdom of Vestland was formed. Around the same time, clerics of the Norse pantheon of immortals had created a stone circle in the forests outside Soderfjord city. Each stone was dedicated to a norse immortal, and if a prospective ruler stood in the centre of the circle while clerics conducted a special ceremony, each stone would glow with its immortal's approval or stay dark and dull if the would-be ruler was considered a poor choice. 

• Odin's stone glowed when the candidate was wise and capable at rulership
• Thor's stone glowed when the candidate was competent in war and generalship
• Tyr's stone glowed when the candidate could dispense justice and establish good laws
• Balder's stone glowed when the candidate was articulate, charismatic and diplomatic. 

The high cleric of Loki, Gulli Garnesson, argued that a stone for his patron should be erected, to detect if the candidate was capable of trickery and deception, but the other clerics refused and declared such traits were unseemly for a king of the Northern Reaches. High cleric Gulli took this as a personal slight and as a slight against Loki and so plotted revenge.  

In 623 AC the stone circle had been completed and a gathering of the Jarls at the stones was organised, to find the best new king for the land of Soderfjord. But the night before the ceremony, the four stones were ripped out of the earth where they had been set, and were nowhere to be seen. These stones were about 6ft high and weighed about a ton each, so either powerful magic or monstrous strength must have been involved. Giant-sized footprints around what was left of the stone circle suggested the latter. The ceremony was abandoned and the jarls went back to fighting each other while Soderfjord stayed in near-anarchy. 

This of course was the work of agents of Loki, orchestrated by high cleric Gulli Garnesson. After the rejection of his proposal of a stone for Loki, he went to various bands and factions that would be threatened by a strong unified Soderfjord, and asked them to help steal and keep hold of the stones. 

The hill giants had taken the stone of Thor, the trolls had taken the stone of Balder, the cult of Chaos had taken the stone of Tyr and the stone of Odin was now held by the red dragon Vraximar the Flamescourge.  Four separate foes, and four separate hiding places. To keep the stones extra secure, the cult of Loki had hired the molder dwarves, the Modrigswerg, to construct cunning vaults within each lair that the monstrous inhabitants would not have been able to craft by themselves. 

For over two hundred and seventy years the stones have been forgotten while the Jarls of Soderfjord squabble between themselves. 

However, adventurers have been directed to a ruined temple of Loki after finding clues in a Shrine of Cretia (a chaotic immortal of the Ethengarians). If the temple of Loki is investigated, the adventurers will find the old journal of Gulli Garnesson, including his account of what happened to the runestones that he and his monstrous allies stole. 

The adventurers may either figure out for themselves or ask advice from a priest (such as Erik of Forsetta) about what the journal is about and its significance. 

Author's Notes 

I envision this as a possible follow-on from X3: The Curse of Xanathon. The cult of Loki and the cult of Cretia in Rhoona (currently led by Xanathon) are allied in causing problems and mischief in the Northern Reaches, both the town of Rhoona in Vestland and the Soderfjord Jarldoms. If the adventurers successfully thwart the cult of Cretia and Xanathon, then they have the opportunity to find and retrieve the Runestones using the journal as their main guide. Of course the journal was written 270 years ago around the time the stones were stolen, so things may have changed significantly but it is at least as starting point. 

Ideally I'd like to do this as a series of scenarios here on the blog, with a progression something like:

• The Ruined Temple of Loki and Garnesson's Journal
• The Trolls and the runestone of Balder
• The Hill Giants and the runestone of Thor
• The Cult of Chaos and the runestone of Tyr
• The Red Dragon and the runestone of Odin

However, we shall see how things develop. As can be seen from the foes I am contemplating mid to high level adventures. 

If successful, and all four runestones are recovered then ceremonies can begin to take place to find a suitable high king of Soderfjord. 

What if certain jarls are against finding the runestones? They know they don't measure up to the standards of the immortals of the runestones (although they might find favour with Loki). And they don't want to be held accountable by a high king - they would rather be petty tyrants in their own Jarldoms than vassals to a liege lord. This could result in these jarls sending their own adventuring bands to either destroy the runestones or destroy the journal and anyone who carries it. Rival adventuring parties are an interesting twist I have not yet written about. 

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