Religion in Umbria: Part 2

The Old Faith


The primal power and life-giving fertility of nature have long inspired the devotion of its people. The druidic cult once dominated all surrounding lands as advisors and leaders of the ancient Duann people, and the traditions of their worship persist in the customs and superstitions of rural folk in many lands. The present hierarchy of the Old Faith is built upon the ancient religion of the druids and a primal connection to the land they claim is older than the gods, though deities such as the Earth Mother (Beory), the Shalm (Obad-Hai) and sometimes Ehlonna are worshiped. Of course, other “nature” religions exist outside the Old Faith, even different branches of the druidic heritage, but these are few and scattered in the surrounding lands.  The druids of the inner circles of the Old Faith gain far more prestige and respect than these other groups.

Mistletoe, oak leaves, and holly leaves are their common emblems.  As a whole,

druids of the Old Faith are completely neutral in philosophy and personal alignment. While some druids gather in communal circles, some tend to local communities with little contact with others of their order and still others live in complete isolation, guardians of places of wild beauty and primal secrets. While such druids might live out almost their entire life without encountering another of their order and other druids may view other druids as vicious rivals, battling for position in mimicry of nature, all are bound in hierarchy and yield to the world-spanning authority of the legendary Grand Druid.

The Old Faith is still widely practiced and not only in those regions dominated by

descendants of the Duann peoples. The age-old sacred oak groves, monolithic circles, inexplicable rock formations and mysterious hot springs which are sacred  to the Old Faith may

include shrines dedicated to any nature deity the resident druids permit, but most often they are

unadorned.  While Beory the Earth Mother and Obad-Hai are the best known deities associated with the Old Faith, any druid of neutral alignment may matriculate through the Nine Circles of Initiation, regardless of which nature god that druid venerates.  The Primal forces of nature are said to be older than even the gods. 

The most junior druids often first serve as simple administrators and readers of auguries who

govern only the aspirants who seek admission to the hierarchy. Above them and the Initiates are those who may claim the title of Druid. They, together with the three Archdruids and the Great Druid, provide tutelage to their underlings (there is a Great Druid for each geographical region, typically spanning several kingdoms). Legends also speak of a Grand Druid and a cabal of ascended mystics called the Hierophants, but complete knowledge of these masters is hidden from those outside the inner circles of the hierarchy.

Races in Umbria 2: Humans

Ambitious, driven, pragmatic, imaginative – a race of heroes, and a race of villains

Of the civilized races, humans are the most adaptable and diverse. Humans are the dominant population in most civilized lands and human settlements can be found almost anywhere. As such, human morals, customs, and interests vary greatly. The great realms of recent history such as the Old Kingdom of Yvvony are ruled by humans, and while these kingdoms languish on the brink of ruin many still look to humanity as the best and last hope against encroaching darkness.

 

More info on pgs. 12-14 of the PHB.

Play a human if you want...

*to be a decisive, resourceful hero with enough determination to face any challenge
*to have the most versatility and flexibility of any race
*to be able to excel at any class you choose

Humans in Umbria:

Of the civilized races humans have long been the dominant population of the March of Umbria. It is suspected that humans of the Old Faith dominated the March in the years since the fall of the great dwarf kingdom; grassy hill-mounds, weathered standing stones mute witness to their passing.

More recently Umbria was peopled by adventurers, merchants and settlers from the kingdom of Yvvony who eventually coalesced into a margravate with loose fealty to the Old Kingdom. The margravate too has long since fallen, but many of the settlements along the Dawn Way and their petty rulers have survived and now they mostly look after themselves.

Humans in Umbria might be descended from those who peopled the margravate or from the vale's previous inhabitants of the Old Faith or from more recent immigrant stock from the kingdom of Yvvony or beyond. Such is the human propensity for travel, adaptability and opportunism it is likely that most folk of the Marches are a mix of several or all of these ancestries.

More then any other race, humans in Umbria can be found in a range of occupations: farmers, shepherds, carpenters, blacksmiths, mercenaries, priests, merchants, miners, nobles, wizards... short-lived but with boundless energy humans turn their hand to and excel at any endeavor.

Indeed, humans are more likely to take to adventuring then any other race.

Races in Umbria 1: Elves

Elves

Graceful warriors and wizards at home in the eldritch twilight; quick, wary archers who freely roam the forests and wilds

Elves mingle freely in human lands, always welcome yet never at home there. They are well known for their poetry, dance, song, lore and magical arts. Elves are more often amused then excited, more likely curious then greedy; they favour things of natural and simple beauty. With such long lives elves tend to keep broad perspective on events, remaining aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal or acquiring a skill, however, they can be focussed and relentless. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. 

Elves are short and slim, graceful but frail.  They tend to be pale-skinned and dark haired, with deep green eyes and pointed ears.  They possess unearthly grace and fine features, and many humans and members of other races find them hauntingly beautiful.  They prefer simple, comfortable clothing, especially in pastel blues and greens, and favour simple yet elegant jewellery.

For more on elves see pages 15-16 of the PHB.

Play an elf if you want to:

*to be otherworldly and mysterious

*to be graceful, quick and quiet

Playing an elf in Umbria:

Along the Dawn Way:

Elves are relatively rare in Umbria: though they can be found in most of the significant settlements along the Dawn Way they tend to represent the smallest proportion of the civilized races and many come from outside the Marches, to the west and the north. Those elves living along the Dawn Way are sought after for the quality and exquisite aesthetics of their crafts, for their unmatched skill as guides, trackers and scouts and for the beauty of their songs, poetry, music and dance. Their longevity, beauty and connection with nature and the arcane is generally regarded with a mixture of wonder, reverence and fear by many folk.

The elves, for their part almost always pleasant, seldom form strong bonds in such settlements, even when they stay for many years. An elven master bowyer might craft bows of exceptional balance, function and beauty for three generations of hunters in a village only to suddenly leave forever with few farewells and no explanations. It is not completely unheard of for elves, especially younger ones, to form close friendships with those of other civilized races - and this is particularly true amongst those elves who take to adventuring.

Religion in Umbria: Part 1

The gods are many, and rule the various aspects of existence: good and evil, law and chaos, life and death, knowledge and nature.  A few, such as Pelor, god of the sun, have grand temples and sponsor mighty processions through the streets on high holy days.  Others, such as Erythnul, god of slaughter, have cults only in hidden places or evil lands.  The gods are worshipped not only by clerics, through whom the deities make their presence most obvious, but by a range of lay worshippers.  The typical person might have one or perhaps two deities whom they consider to be their special patron, but it is only prudent to be respectful toward and pray to other deities of the pantheon when the time is right. 

Below are the common deities suitable for adventurers’ devotions (good and neutral deities).  Clerics obviously choose a patron deity, druids tend to revere either nature in its more primal form or Ehlonna, or Obad-Hai, or both.  Other adventurers may pick patrons which reflect race, class, and alignment but may offer respects to other gods based on the situation.  For more (including Holy Symbols and Titles) see pages 90-92 of the PHB.

The Human Pantheon:

This loose pantheon of deities are prevalent throughout the human dominated lands in Umbria and surrounding lands – suggestions are given for worshippers but these are by no means set in stone.

Boccob (Neutral): god of magic and knowledge, often worshipped by wizards, sorcerers, sages.

Ehlonna (Neutral Good): goddess of woodlands, animals and those who live there, often worshipped by rangers, elves, half-elves, gnomes, halflings and druids.

Fharlanghn (Neutral): god of roads, journeys and travellers, often worshipped by bards, adventurers, merchants and travellers.

Heironeous (Lawful Good): god of valor, justice, chivalry, honour, often worshipped by paladins, knights and good fighters.

Kord (Chaotic Good): god of strength, challenge and courage, often worshipped by athletes, good fighters, barbarians and rogues.

Obad-Hai (Neutral): god of nature and the wilderness, often worshipped by those who live in the wilds, barbarians, rangers and druids.

Olidammara (Chaotic Neutral): god of rogues, wine, women and song, often worshipped by rogues and bards as well as revellers and gamblers.

Pelor (Neutral Good): god of the sun, a creator god, the most commonly worshipped god amongst ordinary humans, also often worshipped by rangers and bards.

St. Cuthbert (Lawful Neutral): god of retribution, vengeance and just punishment on those who transgress the law, often worshipped by lawful fighters, bounty hunters, judges, and those who have been wronged or seek vengeance.

The Non-Human Deities

Each of the other common races has their own pantheon of deities, most of whom are little known in human lands.  The deities listed below are the chief gods of the non-human common races – each a mighty creator god and the best known in human lands.  Note that Ehlonna (see above) sits somewhere between the human and elven pantheons.

Corellon (Chaotic Good): god of elves, magic, music, crafts, poetry and warfare, often worshipped by elves, half-elves and sometimes non-elven bards

Garl (Neutral Good): god of gnomes, humour, wit, gemcutting and jewelry-making, worshipped by gnomes and sometimes non-gnome jewellers and fine craftsmen

Moradin (Lawful Good): god of dwarves, smithing, metalworking, engineering and war, worshipped by dwarves and some non-dwarf smiths and masons

Yondalla (Lawful Good): goddess of halflings, prosperity, worshipped by halflings and some non-halfling farmers

Character Development: Alignment

Good and Evil, Law and Chaos are forces which define the universe in this setting, and while abstract they can have some rather concrete effects, especially as the campaign progresses.


Your character’s general moral and personal attitudes are represented by alignment.  Each alignment represents broad range of personality types or personal philosophies, so two characters of the same alignment can be quite different from each other.  In addition, few people are completely consistent: good characters can lose their tempers, neutral characters can be inspired to noble acts, etc.

Each character’s alignment is made up of his/her position on 2 dimensions: Good, vs. Evil (with neutral inbetween) and Law vs. Chaos (also with neutral inbetween).

Law vs. Chaos (Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic)

“Law” implies honour, trustworthiness, obedience to authority and reliability.  On the downside lawfulness can include close-mindedness, reactionary adherence to tradition, judgementalness and lack of adaptability.  “Chaos” implies freedom, adaptability, and flexibility.  On the downside, chaos can include recklessness, resentment toward legitimate authority, arbitrary actions and irresponsibility.  People who are neutral with respect to law and chaos have a normal respect for authority and feel neither a compulsion to obey nor to disobey.  Neutrality with respect to law and chaos is usually just a middle state, but some few neutrals espouse neutrality as superior to law or chaos, regarding each as extreme with its own blindspots and drawbacks.

I am happy for your characters to pick either Lawful, Neutral or Chaotic for this dimension of alignment.

Good vs. Evil (Good, Neutral, Evil)

“Good” implies altruism, respect for life, and a concern for the dignity of sentient beings.  Good characters make personal sacrifices to help others.  Evil implies hurting, oppressing, and killing others.  Some evil characters simply have no compassion for others and kill without qualm if doing so is convenient, others actively pursue evil, killing for sport or out of duty to some evil master.  People who are neutral with respect to good and evil have compunctions against killing the innocent but lack the commitment to make personal sacrifices to help others.  Neutral people are committed to others by personal relationships: they may sacrifice themselves for family but not unrelated strangers.  Being neutral between good and evil usually represents a lack of commitment one way or the other, but for some it represents an active commitment to a balanced view (eg. Druids).  These folk maintain that a balance between the two is the proper place for people, or at least for them.

Your characters should be either Good or Neutral (Evil is not allowed for player characters).  Given that D&D adventures generally involve a certain amount of heroics, a Good alignment is often the easiest to justify taking part in many quests – a good character will have no issue claiming a reward for the rescue of the Talgen and Kerowyn Hucrele, but they might be further motivated by the opportunity to rescue Sir Braford and the ranger Karakas even though no reward has been offered. 

Neutral alignments can often work with a bit of thought, however.  Most neutrals would rather see good prevail than evil, and often rewards (see above) can stimulate their more altruistic sides.  Because evil is more likely to despoil nature than good, neutral druids may well ally with good adventurers.  While a Lawful Neutral cleric of St. Cuthbert may not have the compassion of a good aligned character their uncompromising battle against evil is likely to ally them with good heroes also.

The Nine Alignments (in brief, see page 89 of PHB for Detail.).

Lawful Good: combines honour with compassion.  Eg. All paladins, most dwarves.

Neutral Good: does what is right without bias towards or against order.

Chaotic Good: combines a good heart with a free spirit.  Eg. Most elves

Lawful Neutral: reliable and honourable without being swayed by demands of those in need or temptations of evil.

Neutral: Either a lack or conviction or bias or an active commitment to a balanced approach.

Chaotic neutral:  freedom from both society’s restrictions and the do-gooder’s zeal.

Lawful evil: represents domineering, intentional and hierarchical evil.

Neutral evil: evil without honour and without variation.

Chaotic evil: destruction not just of beauty and life bit of the order on which beauty and life depend.

Where We are At:

As a human fighter, Tam can choose any non-evil alignment. (None currently chosen)

As an elven wizard, Lareth can choose any non-evil alignment. (You have currently chosen Chaotic Good, which makes sense given elves are generally Chaotic Good and the chief Elven deity, Correlon the good of art, war, and magic, is chaotic good.)

As an elven druid Oreth can be either Neutral, Neutral Good, Chaotic Neutral or Lawful Neutral.  (Currently chosen Chaotic Neutral.  Elves are generally Chaotic Good).

As a human cleric of St. Cuthbert, Gregory can be either Lawful Neutral or Lawful Good.  (Currently chosen Lawful Neutral, which matches the alignment of St. Cuthbert himself)

Rules Clarifications: Spells

Memorizing/Praying for Spells (see pages 154-156 of PHB)

Wizards require 8 hours of rest in order to memorize their spells, even if they are elves (you otherwise only need 4 hours of ‘trance’ or ‘reverie’ in order to physically recover.  They then spend between 15 minutes (minimum – for a portion of their spells) to an hour (for ALL of their spells) studying their spellbook – in effect they are casting the spell up to a point shortly before completion such that, when under pressure, they only have to complete the final aspects of the ritual to unlock the spell.

Clerics and Druids are similar but do not study their spellbooks and instead spend a particular time of each day (usually morning or noon for good or neutral deities) in prayer.  Divine spellcasters do not have the stringent requirement of a period of rest to memorize their spells, so an elven Druid or Cleric only need ‘trance’ or ‘reverie’ for 4 hours so long as they pray at the proper time.

Casting Time: (found in each spell description)

Spells with a casting time of 1 action count as a standard action, just like an attack, which means you still have a move action remaining.  Eg. Lareth can cast magic missile and still move.

Spells with a casting time of 1 round (6 seconds) obviously don’t allow you a move action.

Other durations are worked out accordingly: eg. a spell which has a casting time of 1 minute takes 10 rounds to cast (remember, 1 round is six seconds).

See also 'Casting Time' on page 148 of PHB.

Range: (found in each spell description).

The maximum distance a spell’s effect can occur.

• Personal (only effects self)
• Touch
• Close (25 ft and 5 ft for every 2 levels)
• Medium (100 ft and 10 ft per level)
• Long (400 ft and 40 ft per level 

See also 'Range' on page 148.

Spell Components:

Each spell has a combination Verbal (V – magic incantations - abracadabra?), Somatic (S – this means gestures) and Material (M – eye of newt kind of thing) which are required in order to cast the spell. 

If you are silenced you cannot use (V) spells, if you do not have a hand free you cannot use (S) spells and if you cannot access your material components you cannot use (M) spells.  You are assumed to have the required material components for a spell in your component pouch UNLESS a price is listed in the spell description, in which  case you have to buy the component before you can cast the spell.

More is at 'Components' on page 151 of the PHB.

Rules Clarifications: Session 2

Changing Weapons in Combat:

• Drop an item: a free action, does NOT provoke an attack of opportunity.
• Sheathe a weapon: a move equivalent action, provokes an attack of opportunity
• Draw a weapon: a move equivalent action, does NOT provoke an attack of opportunity, HOWEVER, if you have a base attack bonus of +1 (currently only Tam does but you all will eventually) you can draw a weapon at AND move as part of a move action
• Ready a shield: a move equivalent action, does NOT provoke an attack of opportunity.
• Loose a shield (and presumably then drop it as a free action): a move equivalent action, does NOT provoke an attack of opportunity. 

For more info (and an excellent list of actions in combat) see PHB page 128.

Repeating Failed Skills Checks:

I remembered this wrong: in general you MAY retry a skill check if you fail, though in some circumstances and skill types (should mention in the description) when this will not help you.  Also it will not help you to succeed BETTER if you have already succeeded at a skill check.

Outside of combat the repeated use of skills is streamlined with the following:

• Taking 10: If you are not in a rush, the task is fairly routine and not being threatened you may choose to take 10 – effectively instead of rolling a D20 you just assume you rolled a 10, add your skill modifier and then compare it with the DC (difficulty check).  This is particularly useful to avoid drawn out rolling for routine, tedious tasks - and therefore streamlines the game to the good bits.
• Taking 20: If there are no penalties for failure and no time constraints you can ‘take 20’ – effectively you multiply the time taken to perform an activity by taking 20 times as long as a check normally takes (in effect you keep on rolling until a 20 comes up).  Thus a skill which is normally a full round action (1 round or 6 seconds) would take 20 x 6 = 120 seconds (2 minutes) to complete with taking 20.  This is useful if you feel a skill check is crucial to your goals but 'in game world' time is not at a premium.

See 'Retries', 'Taking 10' and Taking 20' on pages 60 and 61 of the PHB.

Assisting others' skill checks

You can (depending on the skill and context, as always) assist another on a skill check.  For example, Oreth and Tam are lowering Oreth's wolf into the ravine by a rope.  Tam is the stronger of the two so he is the driver - success and failure is based on his skill check.  Oreth makes a skill check against difficulty 10 - if he passes he can add a +2 bonus to Tam's check, and therefore help him to better lower his wolf safely to the ravine floor.

See page 62.

Searching

Probably the most commonly used skill, searching is not quite the same as looking.  

For example, having discovered the black stone altar, decorated with evil looking draconic bones, skulls and teeth, and holding a whistle, a candle and a candle with a green burning flame you do not need to make a search check to ask me what shape the whistle is (a dragon, curling snail like) or whether the candle sits on a candalabra (yes, a serpentine, twisting dragon) - you can ask me these questions as reasonable clarifications of my description of a room (since I am not a virtual reality machine, I might not use the words you need and you should feel free to ask about details I miss out, whether they be sight, touch, smell, sound, etc.)

On the other hand something which is (often, but not always intentionally) hidden requires a search check to find.  This represents focussing beyond the immediate/apparent sensory representation of a scene or object.  For example the hidden compartment in the skeletal dragon altar (above) or the draconic ruins hidden behind a goblin corpse skewered by a spear.

• You can either search particular objects (altars, corpses, sarcophagi, ruined cages) or areas designated by 5 foot squares.  
• Searching takes 1 full round per 5 feet square/5 foot volume searched.

Eg. Lareth searches the dragon altar and finds a secret compartment containing a small chest, which takes him 1 round (6 seconds) - probably helped by his high intelligence and keen elven eyes (heaps of search bonuses).

Oreth searches the five sarcophagi from which horrific skeletal figures have just emerged.  5 sarcophagi x 5 rounds = 30 seconds (probably double that given movement between, but one needn't be pedantic) and he finds nothing.  Oreth is also pretty confident about his searching ability but wants to be sure he hasn't missed anything so he declares he is searching VERY thoroughly (perhaps picking through the bones littering the floor) - ie. he is taking 20.  This now takes 5 x 6 seconds x 20 = 600 seconds (20 minutes!) but he is quite sure he hasn't missed any vital clues when he is done.

Search is covered for players on page 73 of the PHB.

Rest and Recovery

Elves do not need to sleep but sit or recline in ‘reverie’ a sort of trance-dreamlike state in which they relive their long-years.  They do this for a period of four hours in which time they have the benefits of 8 hours rest.  

The rules of HP recovery for 3.0 are a bit muddled but after a bit of internet searching and adapting the 3.5 edition modification this is what I have decided: 

Uninterrupted rest for 8hrs: restores 1 hp / lvl

Full day's (24 hr) bed rest: restores 2 hp / level

Sunless Citadel: Overland Map

Oakhurst and surrounds, overland map.

Descent into the Sunless Citadel...

The Old Road

A mile or so after leaving Oakhurst the terrain around the seldom used Old Road changes markedly from bucolic farmland to drier, more barren terrain.  The overgrown Old Road winds through rocky downs, through stands of mournful, withered trees and thorns and past burnt out and abandoned farm shacks.  The Old Road passes by the Withered Heath, an even more desolate blackened expanse.

The Ravine

The Old Road passes to the east of a narrow ravine.  At the road’s closest approach to the cleft, several broken pillars jut from the earth where the ravine widens and opens into something more akin to a deep, but narrow, canyon.  Two pillars stand straight, but most of them lean against the sloped earth.  Others are broken, and several have apparently fallen into the darkness-shrouded depths.  A few similar pillars are visable on the opposite side of the ravine.

Sunless Citadel: Rumours so far...

• The Old Road ran right past the nearby ruins of the Sunless Citadel, but fell into disuse because of goblin banditry.  No one knows for sure what the Sunless Citadel once was, but old legends hint that it served as the retreat of an ancient dragon cult.

• The Old Road skirts the Withered Heath, a lifeless land.

• Cattleherders don’t graze their stock too far afield these days.  They’re frightened by stories of new monsters that maraud by night.  No one has seen these creatures, nor do they leave a discernable trail; however cattle and people who have been caught out alone have been found dead the next day, pierced by dozens of needle-like claws.

• The missing adventurers include the warrior Talgen Hucrele, the wizard Sharwyn Hucrele, Sir Braford a paladin of Pelor and the ranger Karakas.  Sir Braford was not a local, and carried an enchanted sword called Shatterspike.

• Garon, the innkeep of the King’s Rest Inn, remembers that the last time anyone, aside from Talgen and Sharwyn, asked questions about the Sunless Citadel was about thirteen years ago when a grim man named Belak stopped by. 

Sunless Citadel: Character Hooks/Quests so far...

Contracted (Tam and Gregory):
Another party of adventurers, locally based, delved into the Sunless Citadel a month past.  They have not been seen since.  Two human members of adventuring party were brother and sister, Talgen Hucrele (a warrior) and Sharwyn Hucrele (a wizard).  They are part of an important merchant family based in the town of Oakhurst.  Kerowyn Hucrele, the matriarch of the family, offers salvage rights to you and your companions if you find and return with the two lost members of her family – or at least return the gold signet rings worn by the missing brother and sister.  She offers a reward of 125 gp per signet ring per adventurer.  If you bring back the Hucreles alive and in sound mind and body she offers to double the reward.

Solving a Mystery (Lareth and Oreth):
The goblin tribe infesting the nearby ruins (known as the Sunless Citadel, though no one knows why) ransom a single piece of magical fruit to the highest bidder in Oakhurst once every midsummer.  They’ve been doing this for the last twelve years.  Usually, the fruit sells for around 50 gp, which is all any of the townspeople can bring themselves to pay a goblin.  The fruit, apparently an apple of perfect hue, heals those who suffer from any disease or other ailment.  They some-times plant the seeds at the centre of each fruit, hoping to engender an enchanted apple tree.  When the seeds germinate in their proper season, they produce a twiggy mass of twisted sapling stems.  Not too long after the saplings reach 2 feet in height, they are stolen – every time.  The townsfolk assume that the jealous goblins send thieves out to ensure their monopoly of enchanted fruit.  You are interested in piercing the mystery associated with how wretched goblins could ever possess such a wonder, and how they steal every sprouting sapling grown from the enchanted fruit’s seed.

Oakhurst: People and Places Part 1

Oakhurst:

A sleepy country town of quaint half-timbered cottages and simple folk, the settlement of Oakhurst is the centre of a small rural community of less than a thousand.  Most are farmers, shepherds and cattle-herders whose modest holdings stretch across a relatively little used trade trail and gradually cluster closer together around an old crossroads.  The populace is mostly human, but there are a goodly number of halflings, some dwarves and a smattering of the other common races as well.   

The Hucrele Manor:

Though smaller than the manor of the mayor, the ancestral home of House Hucrele is clearly the home of Oakhurst’s pre-eminent family with fine glass windows, tiled roof and walls of dwarf-cut stone decorated with verdant stone tracery.  A dark green polished door dominated by a great brass door-knocker bearing the Hucrele sigil leads to a finely if somewhat austerely furnished interior. 

Kerowyn Hucrele:

A tall, stern looking woman with eyes cold as flint and thin lips, Kerowyn Hucrele dresses in plain, sombre garb of exceptional quality and workmanship.  Her only ornamentation is a gold signet ring bearing her sigil: a stylised tree bearing six red fruit.

Kerowyn Hucrele is the matriarch of House Hucrele, a wealthy merchant dynasty with origins in Oakhurst but whose trading caravans and commercial interests are now spread throughout the Marches.  Two young scions of her House, Sharwyn and Talgen Hucrele, recently took part in an expedition to the ruins of the Sunless Citadel and have yet to return.

The King’s Rest Inn:

An old, rambling stone and half-timber structure with a thatched roof pierced by a great stone chimney.  Light and warmth from the great central stone fireplace invite local and traveller alike into the rustic furnishings of the cheery common-room, smelling of old oak, ale and hearty food.

Garon:

A stocky, barrel-chested man with a bushy auburn moustache and sideburns, Garon’s garb is much like his inn: simple home-spun clothing which has seen many years but is always clean and in good repair. 

Garon is the innkeeper of The King’s Rest, Oakhurst’s only inn, and as such one of the most knowledgeable of the goings on in and around the rural settlement and rumours from the lands beyond.