Boom Town Bash
The boom town of Kombolia is located in the foothills of the southeastern Yatil Mountains near the fork of the Velverdyva and Fals Rivers. Although the small town sprang up only about a year ago, it has attracted considerable attention in recent months. Its chief claim to fame is the report--circulated widely--that a lode of the much coveted bloodshards has been discovered in the area. Bloodshards have long been known as very rare minerals containing potent magical properties of great value to masters of the arcane, who are willing to pay a bountiful sum for them. Travellers who have returned from the town tell tales of prospectors emerging from the mines with more than a mule's load of bags full of the shards. Despite the fact that nobody has substantiated the truth of these claims, adventurers and those drawn by the appeal of easy money have gone, and continue to go, to Kombolia on a regular basis. Not many return, but this does not seem odd to most people, since it is generally thought that such individuals decided to continue at the boom town to pursue yet more wealth. On rare occasions a prospector will send back a letter describing the immense success of his endeavors.
Unfortunately, not all that is said about Kombolia is good. The town's remote location from other civilized areas leaves it without protection by the king's men-at-arms. For all that anyone knows, there is not much of a law-keeping force there, either. Without a rule of law in place, there is no telling what criminal elements have decided to make the town their home.For reasons known only to your character, you have decided to see if the rumors about Kombolia are true. Perhaps you would also like to strike it rich. Maybe you would like to provide your combat services to town residents in need of protection. It could be that you are running from some bad element of your past and see the boom town as a good place to start over. Whatever your reason, you feel irresistibly drawn to the location.
This is meant to be a sandbox-style game in which the party of PCs are free to wander off the pages of the GM's adventure notes if they wish, interacting with NPCs, exploring the surrounding environs, and so forth. I have story hooks and overall campaign ideas, but I don't railroad players into following these paths.
It is extremely desirable in a game like this to be willing to get into character, having your character say and do things that potentially move the plot along in new directions. There will be combat, of course; but passively reacting to everything I throw at you is not the kind of play style this game is about. I'm giving you a buffet of choices, so eat hearty, go out on a limb and do some imaginative things with your character (within reason, of course).
