Tag: arcavarlon

#Lore24 – Entry #263 – Fantasy Month III #20 – Another Horrible City

As Told by Kazumi, Druid of the Circle of Claw and Fang

“This one doesn’t like cities, never has, and Arcavarlon is no different.  Too many people, too little reverence for nature, too much distraction… Even the air coming in from the Great Canoma Bay does little to ease this one’s nerves in a place like that.  It was all this one could do to make herself go within its walls…so little in the ways of trees around, only a few small parks, nothing for miles around!  Terrible!

This one did not care what the others had been tasked to do; she was there to hunt those responsible for harming her forest first and foremost.  She knows not the details of the deal, only that we were to aid one of the influential persons in Arcavarlon with some task that could only come from the corruption born of the cities.  Has this one mentioned she doesn’t like cities?  You are aware of how sensitive a kerryn’s sense of smell is, yes?  This one’s is much stronger than that, you see, and this one struggles to ignore everything she doesn’t need to in large places like Arcavarlon.  Think of it like when a sudden flash blinds you, of when your senses are vastly overwhelmed and overpowered.  Yes, this one could learn to deal with it, but that means spending time in cities, and that is something this one never wished to do.

Once we had settled in at one of the inns, word was sent to arrange to meet the person in question, but that wouldn’t be until later.  This one had time to explore, try to make some sense of the chaos that is Arcavarlon.  She would spend much time in the shape of a regular cat, listening, watching, learning paths and routes through the mess, finding the pockets of nature she could in the parks, pondering why nature hadn’t reclaimed the abominable city by scouring it from the land through great storms or ice from the northern reaches of the sea.  This one saw many things while she watched, some good, some bad, many people just trying to survive.  This one may speak of dire matters and affronts to nature, but not all are capable of surviving as this one does amongst the druids.  There have been many debates in this one’s time about such matters in the circles, but this one wishes not to bring them up now.

This one would watch and wait while the others visited the temples to their gods in the time we had before we would meet with the one Lady Jade had sent us to assist.  This one reveres the spirits of the land above all, though this one admits to being curious of the nature of the lost kerryn mother goddess.  This one has had opportunity to speak with some of the nomadic kerryn clans that roam the land of their searching for the goddess, and until she came here, this one had no idea that such hopes still existed, for this one was raised to think that the kerryn were forsaken by the gods for past evils.  Nature is much simpler to understand than the gods.”

#Lore24 – Entry #262 – Fantasy Month III #19 – Cutting a Swath All the Way to Arcavarlon

As Told by Siduri Tamboura, Warrior for Hire

“You know, I’ve thought about what you said about Teelsa.  Does her keeping things from me bother me?  Yeah, no question about that.  I don’t like being jerked around and lied to, but she is a bard, and you can’t really trust them not to try something like that.  They’re almost as bad as thieves in that regard, only difference is you can usually hear them coming because they can’t shut their mouths, right?  Well, anyway, let her keep her secret a while longer; I’ll get it out of her eventually.  Sounds like she’s earned some time with my whip after this mess…

Well, after that dark elf ambush, we weren’t taking no shit from anyone on the way to Arcavarlon, I can tell you that.  You can thank us later for clearing up some of your bandit problem on the road between there and Greenspire, by the way.  Some coin would be fitting enough.  I’ll not hold my breath.  We must have killed nearly two dozen of them, kept thinking a bunch of women were easy pickings, I guess, but they weren’t prepared for us.  Would’ve taken time to clear out their dens, but we had more lucrative things on the menu. 

Cleared out one of them, though; got held up in Orzyn after it got raided and the ferry was burned, along with several other buildings in town.  Guess you’ve heard all about that situation already, though, you’re looking bored.  Guess you don’t really enjoy a good interrogation without a bit of torture, huh?  Not volunteering, just saying.  So yeah, that took us a few days, tracked them down, recovered what we could, brought in a mess of ears, that kind of thing, while we waited for the ferry to be rebuilt.  Doing a good deed, you know.

Anyway, we finally made it to Arcavarlon so we could get this business for Lady Jade settled, and that turned into another mess.  Guess that’s why I’m sitting here, huh?  Don’t know why, really.  I mean, it was legitimate business, a favor for a favor and all that.  Oh, that fire?  No, that wasn’t us, lady, and the fact that you’d try to pin that on us pisses me off!  Do I really need to spell it out?  It was the Twats again!”

#Lore24 – Entry #261 – Fantasy Month III #18 – An Illusive Deception

As Told by Teelsa “the Lively” Dawndancer

“It’s quite true, my fair Confessor, that I am something of an adept when it comes to the art of illusion, as any who have witnessed my performances can most easily verify!  For what is a spectacle that does not spark a sense of wonder, which lacks a grand flare to solidify it in the minds of those witnessing it, if not utterly and irredeemably forgettable?  Why, I have indeed used my talents with illusory magic to aid our escapes on several occasions as well, to draw attention away from us or make it appear that we have gone a different way, and for the most part, those knaves who pursue us have been fooled by them. 

Not so with the dark elves!  They have proven quite adept at peering beyond the illusory veil, and I daresay they’ve been granted an enchantment most magical to see through them, for in our brief encounter with them upon the road, my magic seemed quite ineffective.  Of course, that could have just been the fact I could barely speak or see for their foul poisonous mixture that they employed ruined my performance… But I ask you, good Confessor, what of the possibility?  Is it not possible?

I have given the matter which we had discussed previously some thought, and though I shall not reveal my true form to you just yet, I will admit that my usual appearance is drastically different than what you see before you now!  No, I shan’t reveal myself until the time is right, when my companions can witness it for themselves as well, for no doubt you’ve told them of my deception in an attempt to drive a wedge between us!  Only time will reveal the truth of the matter, I’m afraid, time and a most grand reveal!

Ah, it seems that chill has returned.  You um…aren’t going to try and torture the truth out of me by chance, are you?”

#Lore24 – Entry #260 – Fantasy Month III #17 – The Grand Game

As Told by Hatae Ulla, Exotic Entertainer, Dedicated of Yurisaya

“Being a Confessor, I suppose you’ve had plenty of experience navigating the ins and outs of high society.  Well, that kind of thing is on a whole other level when it comes to how it’s done in my homeland, we even call it the Grand Game.  Though the dark elves that managed to track us down and attacked us that night hid their house affiliations, I could still figure out some details about them that might be useful.  They’re from a very influential house, for one; their equipment was of the best quality, enchanted even, and they were highly trained for stealthy kinds of actions, the kind where you kidnap people and hold them for leverage.  Their use of that poison gas was a pretty clear indicator of that!

There were no women with them, at least not in that particular attack party, though the one in overall command would have to be female, probably a priestess, and in good standing with the Mantis Queen.  We were hidden from normal scrying at the time, so they still managed to find us somehow…that implies either stronger magic at work, possibly from the Mantis Queen herself, OR it means they’ve got a lot more resources at their disposal and have eyes everywhere, scouts spread throughout the whole region.  Could even mean both, really.  So, that narrows it down even further to only the highest-ranked houses, likely one of the Grand Convocation.  That could mean it’s either my family who is still upset that I’ve left, or one of their three main rivals, who wish to use me for leverage against them…or it could also be that one of the others has ideas for how they could use a rogue noble… Guess it’s good to be wanted so much?

That little attack also told us the two groups are likely not working together anymore.  I would have suspected some arcane assistance from those twins if they had been, but there was none of that, no signs of any mercenaries who were associated with them.  So…that meant we could potentially turn them against one another given the right situation, but it also meant that we couldn’t exactly predict when or if the other group would track us down.  It’s all the paranoia and plotting that really gets me about my homeland, you know?  I hate that my mind can still work like that after all these years, even though I’ve tried to forget all about it.  But they keep dragging me back in, I guess…

Well, we were on alert for any further attacks after that, and they knew it.  Even though we couldn’t spot them, I know they were following and watching; Kazumi knew it too, and she was getting pretty antsy about it the whole time.  Another thing about dark elves, and elves in general I suppose…we can be very patient.  They were waiting for a better opportunity to strike, one where they’d be assured success.  Eri’s a little on the brash side for an elf, though; I think that’s one of the things I really like about her!

No, no, I never got the impression that Siduri or Teelsa were working against us.  An illusion, you say?  Hmm, well, that’s unexpected, but I traveled with her a while before that night in the Bronze Unicorn, and I never got the impression that she was plotting anything.  Maybe she’s just not happy with her normal appearance?  No, I wouldn’t think she’s spying on us, I’d trust her with my life.  Siduri…well, I can’t say I know her that good, obviously, but I think she’s rather honest with her desires.  Although…she does have a very mercenary attitude at times, so if there was enough coin involved…maybe she would turn against us…”

#Lore24 – Entry #259 – Fantasy Month III #16 – The Dark Elves Strike

As Told by Erilantielle “Eri” Kitami, Champion of Erisaya

“Everyone has their secrets; that should be no big surprise to you.  I don’t know much about Kazumi, and I don’t go digging into people’s past.  They tell me what they will, and that’s fine for now.  Until I’ve got some kind of evidence of a betrayal, so what?  Teelsa’s a bard, illusions are a thing they do.  Ask about something else if you have to know, or let me out of here.  I’m getting real tired of this waiting.

That’s not changed; if I had any clue why a bunch of mercs were hunting me down, I’d gladly tell you.  I’ve asked Erisaya many times for guidance, but she kept urging me to Arcavarlon and staying light on the details.  I guess she wants me to discover my past for myself.  That’s fine too.  Everything happens as it does, even though I’m usually fighting against it somehow…

Yeah, we made it clear of Greenspire without trouble, even enjoyed almost a week of travel without sighting any followers.  Those dark elf hunters, though, they’re something else.  Hatae said it was something to do with training they’d kept from their days living in the really deep caverns, how going unnoticed was an absolute requirement or something; she’d know more.  They had picked one hell of a night for their ambush, I’ll give them that.  A new moon and a storm coming in.  Even Kazumi didn’t pick up on their presence till the last moment when she shouted out a warning to us while we were taking our turns sleeping. 

Bastards had planned it well, though.  First thing they did was toss some kind of concoction of theirs into the campfire that covered the area in a smoke filled with some kind of poison that slowed us down, making us very sleepy, and choked Teelsa out from casting her spells, to say nothing of clouding our vision.  Had Kazumi not been on the outskirts of the camp, I’d say they would’ve had us; she whipped up a good strong whirlwind to blow the poison cloud away and at least gave us a fighting chance; had they simply wanted us dead, it would’ve been a lot easier for them, but since they were trying to capture us alive, we had enough of a chance that things evened out once the air had cleared, even if we were moving slow.  The Sisters were watching out for us that night, I’d say.

Yeah, we drove them back, killed a few of them, and we weren’t too badly injured, and we knew they wouldn’t make the mistake of attacking with Kazumi on watch again; I’d say she put a big target on herself that night.  Still not rightly sure how they tracked us, though; I’m figuring the twin twats that are hunting me were the ones using the scrying magic Lady Jade told us about, and the dark elves were doing something different.  Pick Hatae’s brain on that one; she knows her people far better than I do.”

#Lore24 – Entry #89 – Fantasy Month #29 – Cult of the Unified Sisterhood

 

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos:

Apparently a rapidly growing movement, the Cult of the Unified Sisterhood, as it is known, seeks to unify the churches of Erisaya and Yurisaya, or at least, to promote the worship of both goddesses equally and simultaneously, rather than favoring one over the other.

Historically speaking, the goddesses and their associated worshippers have always been allied, but distinctly separate, groups.  The holy symbols associated with the goddesses of course reflect this, each one half of the same mask, the white half with the rose attributed to Erisaya, and the black half with the rose’s thorns to her sister Yurisaya.  Their practices are very similar to one another in general, though each has their own private rituals that are much more specialized and more closely linked to their specific beliefs. 

Each of the sisters emphasizes different aspects of love and passion in their beliefs and practices, Erisaya focusing more on innocent, pure love, while Yurisaya favors the more darkly erotic and carnal love.  It is this distinction between the goddesses primarily that separates them and their worshipers, and their churches have evolved in separate but often parallel ways because of it.

The Cult of the Unified Sisterhood seeks to reconcile these differences and merge the practices of both goddesses together into a singular church, supposedly with the intention to worship each goddess equally and simultaneously.  Speaking from an outside perspective, this seems logical and perhaps even natural, but thinking more deeply upon the goals of the cult, and having spoken to followers of each goddess regarding them, I can very much understand their concerns.  Is not worshipping each goddess equally and together simply trying to combine the two into a singular being?  Is this cult seeking to undermine the very foundations of each of the churches to form a new one, and while promoting equality of worship, ultimately diminishing the essence of each goddess?  Are their goals, rather than good natured, actually subversive and dangerous?  Worship of multiple deities is not uncommon, of course, but the individual usually picks one with whom their beliefs are most closely aligned as their true patron; what does worshipping both goddesses at once say about that?  What are the implications in the afterlife, when one must go to the realm of their god for their rewards?  Will they be welcomed by both, shunned by both, fought over, or will their very souls be torn in twain? 

Truly one, when taking time to think over the nature of religion and a cult of this nature, can begin to understand the reason the faithful of both Erisaya or Yurisaya approach the Cult of the Unified Sisterhood with some amount of concern and in some cases, outright hostility.  Any organized religion is built upon its faith, and to disturb the foundations of it can certainly have far-reaching consequences.  Is it possible that the two faiths will begin fighting one another over this cult?  Who can say for certain?

There are rumors of efforts to create a unified temple in the great city of Arcavarlon across the great Brineda Ocean, so the cult is not unique to the lands of the Empire, either.  Perhaps this is a schism that has been developing for some time and is just now gaining the prominence required for the average person to notice.  Or perhaps it would be more accurate to compare this situation to a volcano?  The pressure is building, there are ever increasing rumblings, but currently we cannot know if there will be a violent explosion or if it will simply calm down and go dormant once again.

LORE24 ENTRY #31 – Holy Order of Rashnikova

Category – Organization

Founded during the Age of Legends to combat both a resurgence in demonic activity and an upsurge of undead and other supernatural threats, this holy order was originally founded by the paladin Melisande no’Synstralia de’Rashnikova of Arcavarlon, upon the planet Andyllion, originally under the divine guidance of the goddess Lashana and her drive to punish evil in all its forms.  The Holy Order has survived to modern times and has since opened its doors to those of other faiths who have dedicated themselves to combating supernatural evil.

Though not a prerequisite, nearly all of the Order’s membership possess divine or natural magic abilities, divided mostly between the clergy and the paladins, with the paladins being the ones most often sent to the frontlines to deal with the threats, while the clergy handle healing, more complex rites of exorcism, and research.  In the current times, the most common threat the Order faces are the undead, though lycanthropes and other evil shapechangers and similar spirits are not entirely uncommon.  On rare occasions a true demon has been encountered, requiring a much more significant response to deal with.

Though a relatively small group, they are backed by multiple organizations and individuals across known space.  As such, the Order has access to some of the best craftsmen, mystics, and technology available to perform their holy exterminations, with its members possessing some of the most highly enchanted arms and armor available, including their customized Fenrir assault rifles, now something of an iconic weapon.  Trained in all forms of combat, not just firearms (because some creatures simply won’t die until their heads are removed with a silver blade or a stake to the heart), many of their members come from related backgrounds, such as mercenary or military groups, often with a particular incident they managed to survive driving them onto their new path as a holy slayer.  

 

Originally posted on the main Urbanverse site, December 19th, 2020.

 

Welcome back to the campaign design series!  The last entry was fairly basic as to what is discussed, but this time, we’ll be delving into something much more interesting (at least to a good portion of my readers, if I had to guess):  The whorehouse!

 

THE Whorehouse of Whorehouses

So, what’ the big idea here?  What makes this place renowned around the world as THE whorehouse?

Well, that’s exactly what we’re here to figure out!

The basic idea here is that the PCs are going to find their way to a whorehouse eventually, just as soon as they have some spare gold in their pouches, so why not make it something a bit more grand?  It should be a hub of adventure and intrigue, certainly, filled with unique personalities and a variety of entertainment to enjoy.  Further, it should be a place they’ll want to return to, will want to protect.  Given the larger campaign I’m developing based on the Mind Flayer trilogy, it seems very much like a place that would be a wonderful spot to bed down for a very prolonged winter, with no shortage of potential paranoia to build and develop during the height of the first adventure book.

To further develop the whorehouse, I’ve been thinking of the enchanter’s arcane school that’s also in the city, as well as the unique dual temple to Erisaya and Yurisaya (The Goddesses of Love and Carnal Desire respectively).  Both would seem to be very likely to be associated closely with the whorehouse, with some certain amount of crossover between personalities and functions. For example, maybe the arcane school students are allowed to practice their enchantment magic in the confines of the whorehouse, and the Eri/Yuri temple keeps the working boys and girls healthy.

Then there’s the very high probability of there being some gambling aspect to the place, if not a dedicated casino located nearby, so there would definitely be some crossover potential there.

And there’s likely going to be a theatre of sorts for the “high artsy” types, but with a kinky twist in that they host BDSM-themed shows with some audience participation aspects.  (In fact, this location and the casino were part of the same complex in a previous campaign!)

So, is the meat of the whorehouse simply a factor of location?  Is it central to everything else in Arcavarlon, perhaps?  Most of what I’ve mentioned so far seems fairly standard for a developed location in a campaign setting…and that’s not bad.  If it’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, you can’t plan your campaign around the actions of the players.  If you try that, you’re putting them on a railroad, and they’re not going to like you for it.  And I’ve got a particular player who excels in out of the box thinking and random acts of chaos, so I’ve developed my improvisation skills quite a bit over the years.  (I’m currently running a Call of Cthulhu campaign that takes place in the late 1990s that has been very much improvised game to game, so it’s taken on a less horror feeling, and more a 90s action movie feel, which is fine, cause the players are having a lot of fun with it).

Anyway, back on track (see what I did there?) to the whorehouse!  I’m not gonna lie; I’m struggling with developing this idea a bit (in fact, I’ve been working on this piece for about two months, and just haven’t made progress).  Part of it is the more improv nature of my DM style (getting used to following an adventure path again after so many years is going to be interesting), but the other part is simply the hype.  I mean, with a moniker like “The whorehouse of whorehouses”, you’re expecting quite a bit, right?  I know I am, and I’m just not certain I’m able to make it live up to my own hype.  A lot of it is going to be up to your own interpretation, and as I’m developing this for a larger campaign setting, there’s plenty of space for development down the line.  But, there needs to be some meat here, and not just the meat on display.  So, let’s go a bit deeper and focus on a few aspects of this place that we’ll continue to build off of down the line.

 

The Whorehouse (what’s in a name?)

So, what’s this place even called?  It needs a name…and I’ve already discussed how much I struggle with naming things in the last article. I suppose with a reputation like I’m going for, it could just get by being called ‘the Whorehouse’, but that just doesn’t sit well with me.  So, what to call such a renowned house of ill repute and intrigue within the walls of the City of a Thousand Delights? It’s kinda integral to the economy of the city, may have been one of the earliest businesses to form up in the city.  Perhaps it’s more than just a business…perhaps it has some amount of pull within the government in the city?  Is it part of the ruling council (or whatever type of government Arcavarlon has).

The House of a Thousand Delights would seem to be an obvious choice, but that seems a bit redundant given the nickname of the city itself.  Perfectly viable, perhaps it’s a nickname for the whorehouse, but I don’t want it to be the actual name.  Could go with a name relating to the Goddesses Erisaya and Yurisaya, but again, that’s going to be redundant with their shared temple somewhere within Arcavarlon.

In the interest of saving a bit of time, I’ll just say I’ve explored several keywords through the thesaurus to come up with a name I like with words that interest me.  With that in mind, I’m calling the whorehouse “The Palace of Boundless Felicity“.  Sounds grand enough, eh?

 

The Ladies of the Night (or any time, really)

Now that I’ve got a name, let’s get a few personalities into the Palace.

 

The Madame of the Palace
As of the current time within my campaign world, the head of the Palace is Madame Suzuka.  This character is actually one I’ve had brewing for a while and never fleshed out, so what better time than now?

Madame Suzuka appears as a shapely human woman with dark brown hair, wearing expensive, revealing silken kimonos with elegant designs woven throughout.  Though not a recluse, she is rather elusive, only making public appearances sporadically, though the workers of the palace seem to be quite familiar with her.  This has led her to have something of an unobtainable air about her, and her sporadic appearances tend to stir up a lot of talk amongst the patrons.  No small number of visitors have tried and failed to buy her for a night, though rumors abound that a lucky few have experienced her legendary prowess.

In truth, Suzuka is a kitsune bearing a curse.  She is a talented enchanter, amongst the most talented to have ever graduated from the local school in fact.  However, many years ago she ran afoul of a particularly powerful succubus who took particular pleasure in tormenting her victims, and her torments continue to linger in Suzuka’s case.  The nature of the curse was an overwhelming lust, a hunger for pleasure that could only be sated by nigh endless sex.  For a time, Suzuka was at a loss as to how to manage her affliction; no magic could relieve her desire for long enough to matter, and no spell could break the hold curse had upon her.  It was only through a series of novel magical devices that she could manage to function at all, though, over time, she has managed to mitigate the curse further to some extent, though she still searches for a way to break it completely.

And what are these magical devices?  Special chastity gear, tied to a series of magical crystals that absorb her lustful desires and diminish their effects to a bearable level.  One particular use for these crystals is to enhance the sense of desire throughout the Palace, which has had a very substantial effect of increasing profits to perhaps the highest they have ever been.  In some cases, additional sets of enchanted chastity gear with empty crystals are distributed amongst the younger members of the Palace, especially those who are adventuring or who are studying at the magic school, to act not only as a form of armor but as siphons that will draw off Suzuka’s lustful desires.  In practice, this serves as a method of teaching those wearing the devices to focus themselves in order to overcome the distracting nature of their (magically enhanced) lust.

 

The Wind from the Desert
Coming and going often without warning, never staying in one place for too long (usually only long enough to stir up passions, trouble, and usually both), the half-elven priestess of Erisaya known as Haluune Sirocco isn’t an uncommon sight in the Palace.  This dark-skinned, flame-haired elven woman hails from the southern deserts and travels frequently across the land, stopping at any Erisaya temples along the way, and frequenting most brothels as well.  Though more than willing to sell her services to customers in the brothels, Haluune’s preferred clients are actually the working boys and girls themselves.  Using her holy magic granted by her goddess along with various homemade concoctions, she helps to encourage a safe working environment by curing any illnesses the workers may have picked up.  She is also known to trade in jewelry and exotic perfumes she has picked up on her travels.

No stranger to adventure, Haluune is also an excellent traveling companion, well-versed in how to deal with various creatures that roam the roads and wilderness, especially undead and other supernatural threats.  She is frequently welcomed into caravans making long journeys, though she tends to avoid water-based travel if she can, feeling very uncomfortable if she’s away from solid ground (or mostly so, if she’s in the deserts she hails from).  Though well-traveled and knowledgeable of various cultures and customs, Haluune can be a bit dense at times.  For example, for the longest time, she thought that when orcs spit on her, it was a sign of respect, since they were sharing their precious water with her; she didn’t learn until later that it was actually the opposite and that many quite disliked her (mostly for her elven heritage).

 

Alisha (of the) Keys
Though not born in Arcavarlon, Alisha, also known as the Keeper of the Keys, has made the city, and the Palace, her home.  Though apparently human, she possesses a most unusual shade of light purple hair and brilliant purple eyes, indicating an unusual heritage, or some magical influence upon her blood in the past. She’s not telling, though, and nobody around the Palace seems interested (or perhaps they already know?).  Alisha’s duties are rather unique, as she is responsible for holding the keys for the various sets of enchanted chastity gear distributed by Madame Suzuka.  Not one to lord this fact over those who may be feeling rather desperate for release, she is never seen without a set of chastity gear of her own, though her set is much shinier and inlaid with gold and jewels.  She even has her own game that she likes to play, attaching dozens of keys to her chastity gear and various pieces of jewelry and offering patrons a chance to enjoy her pleasures for only a single silver piece…assuming they can pick the right key (and they only get one shot a day).

Alisha is known to be very evasive about her past, and rumors persist that there’s some great power hidden within the chastity gear she wears, though nobody has yet found the right key to unlock that particular secret. She acts as Suzuka’s eyes and ears around the Palace and often travels out into the city to discuss matters of a more boring (read: political) nature as a representative of the Palace itself.  She is known to be quite skilled with her hands and feet when it comes to delicate tasks (like picking locks or performing sleight of hand tricks), though she has never been known to carry a weapon, or even get into a fight.  She seems quite pleased to keep things peaceful and operating smoothly, though if you ask any of the girls and boys working at the Palace, her temper is to be feared, the stuff of legends.

 

Dungeon Mistress Zallista
As with the temple of Erisaya and Yurisaya, the Palace has a dark side, and its dungeons are regarded throughout the land as a place where one can experience the most intense of pleasures.  Though many of the workers here are worshipers of Yurisaya, there are more than a few who are not affiliated with the church, and simply enjoy walking the darker side.  Zallista Kaori is one such woman.  She is a tiefling, her blood tainted with a devilish heritage.  Though appearing somewhat elvish with her pointed ears and short auburn hair, Zallista bears a pair of curled horns upon her head and eyes that seem to dance with an inner fire, along with a long, slender tail. The multitude of piercings upon her face and body, some of them rather extreme, do little to improve first impressions.  Despite her hellish appearance, Zallista comes off as cold, detached, and uncaring, speaking and interacting little even when she is inflicting pain upon a client.

Though her past is a mystery to most at the Palace, she is known to be an archer of unparalleled ability and has spent some amount of time upon the seas, having arrived in Arcavarlon some years ago during a running battle with an opposing group of pirates.  It was during this heated battle throughout the city’s ports that she met Suzuka, and decided to stay at the Palace, though only they know the particulars of that arrangement.  Though apparently, it involved Zallista becoming the mistress of the dungeons, and she has garnered a reputation for strict discipline (of workers as well as clients) and giving only the most intense experiences.  It isn’t uncommon that a healer must be called to assist her clients in walking out of the Palace, though those brave enough to take her on are never left disappointed.

 

Adventure Hooks

Now that we have fleshed out some of the characters one may encounter at the Palace of Boundless Felicity, we’ll need some adventure hooks.  No way the players are going into a place like this without leaving with something else on their plates to draw them back in! Or draw them in for the first time, even!

  1. The party is traveling on a stretch of road a few hours outside of Arcavarlon when they come upon a body lying dead on the road.  The deceased traveler is covered in what looks like whiplashes and bruises, most noticeable around wrists and ankles as if they were bound.  A journal gives clues that they are a local noble, and the last entry mentions visiting Dungeon Mistress Zallista at the Palace.
  2. The party has just arrived in Arcavarlon and are in need of food and drink after a long journey.  Before they can even get their first pints of ale, the city guard comes in with a local woman, pointing at one of the PCs and swearing that they assaulted them the night before just outside the Palace.
  3. A local locksmith comes to the party, having heard of their capabilities from past exploits, asking for assistance with a problem.  He had been working on a special order of locks and keys for one of the ladies at the Palace, but thieves broke in the night before and stole them.  Due to some bad blood between himself and one of the guard captains due to a girl at the Palace, he can’t go to the guard for help.
  4. Love is in the air!  Literally, it seems, because a strange pink mist appeared around the Palace this morning, and ever since the locals have been going at it like rabbits.
  5. Brothels come and go in Arcavarlon, but not quite like this.  A smaller brothel that had been going through a recent surge in popularity suddenly vanishes, the building and everyone in it at the time.  The owner swears that it has to be the Palace’s doing, trying to make sure nobody else has a chance in the city.
  6. As the PCs traverse the city taking care of some mundane tasks, a young man approaches them and thrusts a pair of expensive panties into their hands, muttering “I’m sorry” before running off and getting lost in the crowd. Moments later a group of shadowy thugs appears, one of them yelling “Grab those panties!”
  7. A group of orc warriors shows up in town one day, looking for a dark-skinned, red-haired elven woman who they’ve been tracking for some time.  They intend to haul her back to their homeland for her crimes against the clan, having stolen several treasures when she passed through.  It just so happens that one or more of the PCs are with such a woman at the time.
  8. After clearing out a dungeon, the party finds a particularly ornate box containing an even more exquisite sex toy, with a note from an unnamed lover addressed to the Madame of the Palace.  While in their possession, any adversaries they encounter along the road seem to be more interested in making love than war.
  9. The party has been called upon by the Madame herself.  It seems one of the younger apprentices is overdue to return from their first adventure in the mountains close to a nearby mining town.  She’s worried that a particular gentleman caller who had been asking about them the previous week may be involved.
  10. One or more PCs awaken in one of the Palace’s beds one morning, feeling tired and sore, but they’re not sure why.  The workers who greet them tell of a night of wild pleasures, but the PCs have no memory of such things, nor do they seem to be short of coin or other valuables.

Originally posted on the main Urbanverse site on September 30th, 2020.

 

Welcome to the first in what will hopefully be a fairly long series of articles discussing my campaign creation processes.  In this particular case, I do have it a bit simpler than I usually do since I’m just going to be reworking and modifying a couple of existing adventures.  But, over the years, I’ve never tried developing my fantasy setting more fully; I’ve had bits and pieces somewhat fleshed out, written plenty of fiction set there, but still have a lot of gaps that need to be filled.

So, with that in mind, I’m starting off with some thoughts on the process of developing a particular city I’ve had in my head for some time.  Since the “Lost Mine of Phandelver” adventure is set near Neverwinter, and the Mind Flayer trilogy begins within a city of comparable size that wasn’t particularly fleshed out in the adventure books (though it is to some extent in other books, as I understand), it seems a natural place to begin.  My hope is to make this city a hub of sorts for the campaign I’ll be crafting, with various hooks for side adventures that may or may not relate to the ultimate goal of stopping the mind flayer scheme.

What I Want From this City
First off, what do I want this city to feature?

  1. A name.  This one may seem obvious, but given my historical difficulties at naming things, it’s a challenge that needs to be overcome.
  2. A lakeside/seaside location with a river flowing through the city proper.  Makes sense for a trade hub and cultural center to have good accessibility.
  3. THE Whorehouse of whorehouses.  This is the big idea that’s been bouncing around my head for quite a while; the most famous/infamous whorehouse in the land is located here.
  4. A magic academy (which may or may not be tied to the whorehouse) specializing in enchantment magic.  Seems appropriate, no? This way the girls and boys have multiple ways to practice their charms.
  5. A shared temple to the goddesses of love (Erisaya and Yurisaya, one light, one dark); again, may be tied to the whorehouse in some way.  But this shared temple will have some great significance to both faiths.
  6. A wide variety of NPCs, businesses, factions, plot hooks, etc.  Pretty standard stuff at its core; the trick is to make them memorable and important to the players.

What’s in a Name?
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of this kind of thing for me…what to name the city?  I’ve always struggled for names, and that’s usually the case 99% of the time; sometimes I just have something come to mind that fits perfectly, but most of the time not. It always seems like the names that I run through just don’t fit; it’s probably just me grasping for perfection, and eventually, I wind up going for some kind of randomly generated name.  I tried that here, but nothing stood out as what I wanted.  This time, however, I had a different train of thought that seems to have worked out.

I had a trio of names come to mind as I thought about the city the other night:  Avalon, Avarice, and Arcadia.  Great names, sure, with some mythological/historical and literal meaning behind them, but I didn’t want to just use one of them for this city.  So, I started playing around with them:

Avalonia Avadia Arcalon Arcadilon
Avaradia Avarilia Arcarice Arcadion
Arcavalon Arcavarice Arcavarlon Avaralonia

As you can see, there are now quite a few more names that sound fitting for a fantasy setting, more than I needed for this exercise, but that just leaves more for later.

With all those choices, it just comes down to which one I like the best…which wound up taking a bit longer to decide upon than I’d hoped it would.  Nevertheless, I’ve decided to go with Arcavarlon.

Arcavarlon – City of a Thousand Delights
Now that I have a name I can be satisfied with (and a few more I’ll likely use down the line), I can start fleshing out the city itself.  And to do that, I’m going to need to develop some idea of the general layout of the city, keeping in mind the particular geography I’ve mentioned, and the currently known important locations (THE whorehouse, magic school, and the Erisaya/Yurisaya temple).

Starting with the geography…I know it’s lakeside or seaside, with a river running through the city to meet the larger body of water.  It’s also located within a few days’ travel of a more mountainous region (conveniently enough to assist with my upcoming conversion work on the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure), and will likely have a few smaller communities in the surrounding region.

As luck would have it (perhaps bad luck in this case), I’d started a little campaign several years ago in which we played perhaps two or three games, and that was it.  I did, however, draw a few maps for this short-lived campaign, one of which was an area map.  As Arcavarlon was intended to be part of this campaign world, I’m pulling that map out of storage, and intend to eventually revamp it.  For now, though, here’s the rough map:

There are no doubt some issues with the placement of certain geologic features here, and that’s something to be looked into further down the line, but for now, the upper left area would be where I’m going to focus.  Seems to me like a perfect region for the great city of Arcavarlon and the upcoming campaign.  And as you can see, there are plenty of additional locations to flesh out in the entire region, if I so decided, or if the players veer waaaay off course.

But what are the chances of that?

…

You know what…I’m gonna flesh out the surrounding region a bit more…for reasons…

That’s two of the six big items on my list, and that’s where I’m going to leave things for now.  In the next volume of this series, I’ll be looking into some further development of the city proper, and on the attraction that put the place on the map… THE whorehouse of whorehouses!

Until next time!