Chapter 5: Bridgemoor: Difference between revisions

[[Cloven Lands Playtest Material|[back to Cloven Lands playtest material]]]

== The Meritocracy ==

|-

|5

|-

|10

==== '''Kendartown Locations''' ====

'''Kenmoor Market.''' While it pales in comparison to the city markets, the Kenmoor stalls are a strip of small merchants with semi-permanent stations that offer basic [[equipment]] and goods at a 20% discount from their standard prices. This market is unregulated, though, and there’s a 50% chance that the purchased goods are defective in some way. Food can be spoiled, [[weapons]] deal less [[damage]], or armor pieces can offer less protection. This is where farmers and small-time Kendarian traders often end up.  

''Arcane lamps mark the stone ground of the bridge as the city of Bridgemoor is never without activity. Between endless travelers and persistent merchants, the song of Eastbridge is one of pioneering spirit: wealth and ambition, a buzz of excitement and the clink of coin amongst heated debates and excited conversations.''  

==== '''Tollgate''' ====

==== '''Major NPCs''' ====

'''Senisalia Corifax.''' As the Magister Superior, Senisalia is one of the most important officials in Bridgemoor. She is a tall, thin dragonfolk with severe features, her scales red and sharp. She has delicate wings and curled horns. Senisalia has devoted five decades of her life to the magistrate, having tried thousands of cases, and is considered incorruptible. With a fearless reputation, she is unpopular amongst the Meritocrats, as she is as likely to bring charges against them as a criminal, but holds the favor of the people and several key Premiers, making her unimpeachable. She is ultimately fair, eschewing morality in favor of the law, and makes it a point not to interfere with politics. Not only a legal talent, Senisalia started her career as a Bridge Knight, having ascended to the rank of captain before becoming a magister.

|}

While navigating the endless sewer corridors, the players come upon a small, empty storage room, the iron-joints of its doors gnawed off. Inside the room are piles of refuse and rotting food liberated from trash cast-aside from above the bridge, along with 10 '''Dire Rats'''. These rats are sitting in a circle around a massive [[Dire Rat]], one that can speak. This rat refers to herself as Queen Ratina, and is content with her small kingdom of rats within the Underbridge. She is rather regal, and will ask players if they wish to pay tribute to the Rat Queen.

{| class="wikitable"

|

''Helm, Rare, Essence 30''

|}

Amidst the roving sewage of the sewers the occasional item goes missing. While traveling the depths, the party comes across a strangely vibrant glint with an exposed water way. Beneath the muck and grime, something shines within.  

|-

|51-70

|-

|71-90

|}

In a distant corridor the sounds of a husky, bellowing voice echoes off the earthen stone in the form of a terribly out of tune melody. Should players explore this, they’ll come across what appears to be a creature risen out of the sewage. Created from stray Arcane magics imbued into the Underbridge’s foundations, the source of the voice is a fondly named Excrement Elemental, or has they like to call themselves: Mordecai. Mordecai is friendly, and has nothing but respect for humanoids that traverse the sewers, as they envy the adventurers’ intrepid spirit.

If necessary, Mordecai has the stats of a '''[[Water Elemental]]''', only they deal toxic damage in place of cold. Mordecai can be met multiple times.

A strange, squawking cry rebounds from the stone stones; shrill, it pierces the eeriness of the sewer with a curious tone. The flickering shadow of a massive, winged creature appears at the edge of the light, its harrowing gait approaching ever faster. As it nears, the full form of the beast manifests. No larger than a cat, the creature’s feathers are disheveled and dismayed, its wings flapping in anticipation of its approach while the elongated rat-like tail flickers behind its thin frame.

While traveling the sewers, if this event is rolled again, the heroes will stumble upon the nest naturally. They may rest here safely, protected by the gryphons if they helped the stray.

A series of flickering flames in the distance alerts the heroes to the presence of some forgotten dregs of society. Within one of the freshwater basins an assortment of dozens of urchins, maybe even hundreds, have set up a series of lean-tos, tents, cookfires, and wall-mounted torches for light, using the city’s waste and trash to get by. The urchins use the basin for their water and occasionally venture into the streets of Westbridge to steal, forage, and search for others that may be lost above-bridge. Most of the children here share the same story: either they were separated from their parents during a toll crossing, or were left behind after an arrest or Underbridge Cult attack.

The colony is led by fraternal twins, Spicket and Widget, a human brother-sister pair that take no nonsense and are strangely good at what they do. Spicket, the brother, has the stats of a '''[[Physician]]''' (with +1 INT and rolls INT/Medicine at +10), and Widget, the fiercely protective sister, has the stats of a '''[[Hex Witch]]''' (both from ''CC,'' chapter 4, “NPCs”), though she keeps her powers a secret. They will be suspicious of the heroes at first, as they are of all adults, but CHA or INT checks of 15+ will convince them to allow the heroes access to the colony. Once in, there is a fair amount the heroes can do here. If it becomes necessary, use '''Thug''' or '''Bandit''' stats for random urchins.

If the heroes wish, they can aid the colony in a myriad of ways.

|}

Within the colony, the heroes can find Bramblepatch, an auspicious [[Bhrunai]] 10-year old and merchant extraordinaire. If the heroes spend 2 of their Urchin Colony Goodwill, Bramblepatch will open up their store. Bramblepatch sells all basic equipment (no weapons, armor, or food) at 50% of its normal value, and has the stats of a '''[[Dwarf]] Navigator''' (''CC'', chapter 4, “NPCs”) with a +2  to their AWR. More importantly, though, Bramblepatch will offer their black market goods. When heroes open the black market, have them roll a d100. Bramblepatch will have the following available depending on the roll, which refreshes on spending Goodwill every 24 hours:

{| class="wikitable"

'''Writ of Credit.''' Bramblepatch doesn’t know the value of the writ. On purchase, you or the adventurers roll 5d10 then multiply the result by 10 for the value (in sc) of the writ.  

If players wish, they can reveal the location of the colony to city officials. The Bridge Knights, Magistrate, Meritocrats, and Trade Consortium will be interested in this information. Reporting the colony grants the heroes +3 Goodwill with that organization and removes the urchins from the event list, as most scatter. Doing this removes any Urchin Goodwill, and if an adventure possesses a poppet doll from Widget, it will explode in a purple [[mist]].

The sewers are prone to strange events from stray Arcane magics borne into its foundations to random extraplanar visitors. This can manifest in any number of ways, and the following options are provided for you, as the MythCrafter, to develop and create your own. Use any number of the below suggestions for prompts:

'''The Sewer Knight.''' Above-bridge may be ruled by the Bridge Knights, but the sewers are the domain of Ser Bartholomew of Bridigins. Ser Bartholomew is a strangely intelligent '''[[Gretchling]]''' (''CC'', “Gretchlings”). He possesses an INT of 2 and a STR of 4, wields a Hero’s Standard (''Mythcrafter’s Guide,'' chapter 7, “Magic Item Codex”) and wears a suit of gilded plate. Bartholomew believes in righteousness, and vows to aid those deemed worthy (he is a ranking Vigilant, somehow). If poor Bartholomew is killed, his standard becomes mundane, as its powers were born only of his fervent goodness.

If you roll for combat you can use the following for prepared encounters. These are suggestions, and may need adjustment depending on the strength of the party and number of players. Difficulty is based around a party of 4, with levels ranging between 4-8.  

From individuals chased from the city into the sewers, to mages dabbling in the profane, occult encounters are rare but are known to happen within the sewers. These encounters are '''difficult''' due to their strange natures.

{| class="wikitable"

|}

Maybe the most common incursion within the sewers. Rats, spiders, and other vermin thrive in the waste-filled Underbridge.

{| class="wikitable"

|}

Many criminals escape to and live in the Underbridge while cultists are a common inhabitant. They’ll often ambush anyone they can in the darkness in an effort to gain an upper hand.

{| class="wikitable"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Use the stats of a Bridge Knight.

Between the occasional occultist and the dabbling of the Underbridge Cult fiendish creatures of Inferno  make their way into the foundations, sewing devastation and chaos.

{| class="wikitable"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Corrupted Gretchlings use standard '''Gretchling''' stats, but are under the control of the fiendish Gratchen, making them hostile.  

A strange and mysterious section of the Underbridge, the Rust Gate lies between four central water basins beneath Westbridge. These basins are empty, and no pipes or waterways feed into them, as if intentionally designed to be separate. The gate itself is a massive constructed wrought from iron and covered in Arcane wards and runes. It is impenetrable by spells, divination, or teleportation, and physical attempts to breach it result in an equal degree of force blown back at the offender. No scholar or mage in the known history of Bridgemoor has been able to open the gate, and no one living has any clue to its purpose.  

The gate can be used for any number of encounters. Anyone that spends more than 24 hours here, though, must make CHA checks or slowly lose their mind. Any spells or items that protect against [[Psionic Spells|Psionic spells]] will remove the need for these rolls. The DC starts at 5, then increases by 1 for each day spent within sight of the gate. The DC decreases by 1 for every 24 hours spent away from the gate.

{| class="wikitable"

|

Whenever an adventurer fails a CHA check by the gate, they temporarily decrease their INT by 2 and increase their AWR by 1. Should their INT drop to -4, the adventurer becomes incapable of coherent speech and their WILL defense becomes 0. They will refuse to leave the gate then, and if they remain in the gate’s presence, they will become a '''[[Hungering Shade]]''' in 1d6+1 days.  

|}

=== Westbridge ===

==== '''Temple District''' ====

The Bridge Knights keep a tight and close eye on the operations, going so far as to run daily patrols around the mine’s exterior. While undoubtedly they do this to prevent theft or malfeasance, practicing vigilance so close to the chasm is necessary—as one never knows what might crawl its way out of the depths. Only the most secure Bridge Knights are authorized to watch the mines, as there are thousands of sc worth of material carted to the surface daily, and the temptation can be too much for some.

The compound possesses its own walls and is set up like a small fort, complete with a barracks, armory, and granary. It acts as the seat of power in Nalatown, with Karak assuming his position as a local “governor”, employing anywhere between 50 to 60 Bridge Knights in its regular garrison. While Karak can be abusive in his power, he does retain order, and does not actively harass locals—so long as they stay in line, and ensures that mercantile traffic is well protected.