Resource - Stormreach

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Vardaen
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Re: Resource - Stormreach

Post by Vardaen » Thu May 22, 2014 9:48 pm

The Giant's Span

The trip from the Grey Tower to the Giant's Span takes you in an odd direction. Instead of navigating through all the districts and roads and ruins of Stormreach, you circle around the outside of the city. You see signs of the Giant culture that once controlled the city visible as you go. You leave Whitewash and Oldgate and keep the city on your left and the jungles of Xen'drik on your right. Eventually you pass the Tents of Rusheme, where Werz and Shard have been before. You stay clear of Southwatch district with the Ship's Cat and the Black Freighter taverns.

Then you are outside the walls of the Harbor District and the Styes just over the walls. You stand with your back to the slums as you come very far to the east and look out at the Giant's Span. One of the lone piling that stands up hundreds of feet is your goal.
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"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Re: Resource - Stormreach

Post by Vardaen » Tue May 19, 2015 6:19 pm

The Crow:

The Crow is a massive stone monument that rises from the waters of Stormreach's harbor. It was once a support for the Griantspan, but with that monument's collapse, the Crow is nothing more than an immense freestanding piling. As with every one of the Giantspan's columns, the Crow is intricately carved and embossed with ancient statuary and bas-reliefs featuring the motif of a specific animal or monster-in this case, hundreds of crow like gargoyles and carvings and decorations. Like all of the surviving pilings, the Crow is 200 feet wide along its midsection (widening to over 250 feet at the upper section where the piling once supported the Giantspan above). The Crow extends 220 feet above sea level, and extends another 50 feet underwater to the harbor floor.
A tall lancet arch at water level leads into a chamber at sea level within the side of the Crow. Inside is what was once a small, stepped terrace, now filled with sea water to the level of its top step. Three rowboats are tied off to heavy stones placed on this step. Above, the ceiling rises almost all the way up to the top of the monument -- an opening leads off this shaft to the west near the ceiling. At the west end of this room lies a small alcove where floor shows the stain of countless campfire -- the back wall of this alcove has broken through, revealing a passageway beyond.
The Crow itself is located just under half a mile from the Dockway. The ruined piling itself is most easily reached by boat. Rowing out to the piling is a relatively simple task even for someone who has no training in Profession (sailor), although without training it takes 30 minutes to make the journey from the shore to the Crow because of the trickiness of the tidal currents (with a successful DC 12 Profession [sailor] check, this time is halved).
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"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Re: Resource - Stormreach

Post by Vardaen » Thu May 26, 2016 3:44 pm

District: Southwatch

Population: Mostly human with a majority of Karrns.
Character: Paranoid and dangerous.
Businesses: Small market stalls, cottage industries, laborers for other districts. 1,000 gp limit.
Key Personalities: Berrinessa, Drago Thul, Gaulronak, Harysh, and Captain Smargat.

As you pass through the gates and enter Grindstone, the air takes on a different feel. People glower at you from doorways or shutter their windows. Children stop playing their games, and only street vendors look you in the eye. These people seem more taciturn than usual for Karrns, but why?

Citizens from other districts move quickly, as if eager to be away from here. They seem a little fearful, and that gives the residents some measure of pride.


With only the Koronoo River between it and the jungle, Southwatch is exposed to the wilds. Over the centuries, the district’s older buildings have been dismantled to provide other districts with building material, and only fragments remain of the great wall that used to defend this stretch of the city’s southern face. Across the river, the Tents of Rushemé lie ready to trade with the city.

Southwatch is home to those not afraid to live on the edge, whether pariahs, poor people with no choice, or those who have dealings with giants. Among these people are many settlers from Karrnath. The freedom to worship the Blood of Vol openly has drawn many Karrns to the city, and the Last War sent its share of expatriates. Justice here is rough, enforced by the Swords of Karrn under the leadership of Drago Thul If the Storm Lords think they need to intervene, they are more likely to send in House Deneith mercenaries than the Stormreach Guard, which would be outmatched by the Swords.
SUMMERFIELD
Karrns might dominate much of Southwatch, but they are not the only settlers within the area. The Summerfield ward contains a large amount of the district’s housing, and many of the residents are not Karrns. The ward has a mix of poor people who cannot afford to live elsewhere, or choose not to squeeze into an overcrowded district such as Cross, and well-to-do explorers and pirates who would rather live in the open than with the wealthy folk of Respite. Summerfield is therefore welcoming to almost anyone, and many of the residents do not take kindly to the Swords of Karrn throwing their weight around in this ward.

The Ship's Cat
A tangle of densewood twigs that have been thatched together, the Ship’s Cat is an inn run by Harysh (female shifter), who has a reputation for honor, hospitality, fairness, and discretion. This makes her a valued intermediary for many. The inn takes its name from Harysh’s dozen cats, which share the place with guests. Familiars and animal companions receive excellent care at the inn, as long as they do not raise the resident cats’ hackles.
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"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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