Powderhorn

Just FYI, hoping to have the next mini(?) chapter up Friday morning. So a little bit of time to play things out, but just to kinda give an idea of a timeline (as Friday is the earliest I'll have to sit down with the map and things)

"Likely sniveling down below!" Astrid says. However, before looking to go down the stairs, she instead looks around the room - what there is of it before there are stairs. "It feels like this castle is bigger from the outside. Perhaps we might search for secret doors or rooms here?" She similarly taps her shield against the wall, listening for a hollow thunk.

Got it, thanks!

- I believe you already committed effort for the day for Mind Over Matter to heal 1d6 earlier in the scene? I believe you may need to be externally stabilized, but if I'm misreading something, feel free to correct me.

Late Summer - Day 84, Noon - Free Harbor It's not so much that Free Harbor has secrets and rumors - instead it is just the common talk of the town: At any given time, the flying lizards could go overhead and kill them all. Thus far, it seems that roofing over the entire town has been sufficient for the purpose, and out in the open simply laying down and not moving when one appears on the horizon has also minimized the risk. While they lacked the term "dragun" - they quickly found a liking for it and the term is adopted more broadly. There are also concerns about the dog-faced creatures. Lumber for construction is harvested from their domain, and it is unclear if there is a centralized government that will lead them to send a unified force against Free Harbor at any time in the future. Thus far, sniping from the Order of the Dragon seems to have been enough to keep them at bay, allowing the trees to be taken. The last major point of discussion is Kelmar itself. This group was largely part of the first sent out - exiled for various sins real or imagined to explore, but presumably die. The Glowing Expanse was not known to exist, so that they are alive today at all remains somewhat remarkable. But questions about if anyone from Kelmar knows they survive are quickly shifted when it is found out that Drokvian refugees were brought north by Lily Stoddert: Clearly, word of this land's existence is starting to spread. And so, the arrival of the group to Free Harbor brings a different question into sharper focus: Should Free Harbor reach out to Kelmar for additional supplies of powder, shot, guns, and the various implements of war which will clearly be needed, or will Kelmar view Free Harbor as a den of outlaws, having survived past their expiration date?

Day 5 - The Road North of Erilune, Late Night Suibne's axe drops one bandit, and then the quick pair of blows from Toktok and Otto drop the bandit leader perhaps shockingly more quickly than was anticipated! The bandit facing Xan sees her struggling under the blows, and, while he too struggled, decided the best option was to attempt to get one more hit before fleeing. The last cudgel came down, dropping Xan, but with the leader down, and comrades dropping like flies, he too thinks better of his odds and flees the ambush! Once more, the night is quiet, save for the heavy breathing of those so recently in the fight. Dungeon Master I figured the best way to handle fleeing was if they got to the edge of the map, successfully fled. Some of those are likely already much further than their location would indicate! I believe I have it right that Xan is down, I was tracking her at 2HP? If I'm wrong though, we can fix that easily enough. Looks like one was knocked unconscious with non-lethal damage. Final map just for everyone's edification, and the yellow X is the one unconscious as opposed to dead. Final Map

I, for one, hate how long lives break history, and generally every time I get too annoyed by them I slash the life expectancy of the races again I don't think any of mine live past 100 anymore, and if they do, I'll probably slash them again! That said, - I think you could very easily accomplish what you want where the conditions for coal and oil just didn't exist. All that ancient plant and animal matter just got processed / digested / recycled however, but it didn't turn into fossil fuels. Without that, no industrial revolution, no plastics, etc. etc.

Misc. roll.

One potential "quick" adventure - I would *swear* there were some cannon hidden away east of the Havenwood Union, but cannot immediately find that thread.

Late Summer - Day 84, Noon - Free Harbor Quickly, everyone finds that the food situation is on sure-footing due to the works of Iahalae, supported by the sure guidance and leadership of comrades past - not least of which Aephren and Elladra. While the promise of Drokvian refugee mouths to feed might have raised an issue, it is quickly recalled that they were sent to the Fortune, which in turn is likely to sail for Aweholme. As such, the only new mouths are your own. How they will be assimilated into Aweholme may need to be a question for the spring. The offer of repairing the Philadelphia is one that falls on welcome ears - but there is a question of if you repair and take it - what will Free Harbour have for itself? A compromise offer is made instead: The Order of the Dragon will harvest materials from the not-too-far distant forest to build a second hull, laborers will be provided, and in the end there could be two vessels - the Gunboat Philadelphia and a different hull. Which would go to who could be a matter of some discussion. Greta Starling, herself a bit of a polyglot, quickly finds herself offering to teach any who would desire to learn over the course of the winter, and, concerned about the rigors of campaigning, anticipates also remaining here in the spring.

All I can say is that I'm stoked that people are thinking of the world as a living thing where things are happening regardless of what you're doing. As to where theory meets practice, that seems like something that, if desired, could be pursued after winter encampment :)

Thus far, all encounters have been land-based. Maliente at sea are an open question for the group.

I wonder if a good use of that craft score is to build your own private warship? 🤔 Free Harbour has the dilapidated gunboat Philadelphia, Aweholm (I'm perfectly happy to make that name canon) has the Fortune - but in a way you're a bit tethered to other groups and their needs. There was also the Ghost Ship kicking around that might be an adventure in and of itself, and of course there are various Kelmarites who might make their way north as word spreads, as word inevitably does. Re: The Map - Something close to it is, though without New Haven labeled. Maps are all in "The World Thus Far."

At the risk of seeming like the meme of the crazed guy with the string board, let me start with the map (which I see left "New Haven" unlabeled, which has not been rectified) Kelmar Local Area Map The original group had settled Haven, then located a more advantageous position in New Haven - which had access to a river and forest. New Haven collapsed in what is termed by the players to be a tyrannical leader (Captain Lily Stoddert) and what is termed by the DM as "just a regular person sorely misunderstood!" Fleeing New Haven for the potential return of said Lily Stoddert, the group settled an abandoned town which I have named Free Harbor. After all that went down, Brother Koji's group settled to the nameless establishment in the east. They made their way north, in a narratively convenient way for me to consolidate groups. The refugees were found north of New Haven, where they had been deposited by a person I may have named IC - but if it didn't come up it didn't come up. Those refugees were sent south to find your own vessel, the Fortune - which in turn was anticipated to sail to the nameless location out east - not Free Harbor. I hope that makes things a little more clear (ish). Let me know if there's anything that I'm too muddy on :) Edit: The island in the middle is indeed where everyone came from - the island continent(?) of Kelmar.

Yeah, I kinda figured there was nothing ancillary about 20s beyond always hitting, but wanted to look it up when I got time. Sounds like you already did :)