So, to give a bit more meat to the game, I'm putting up a series of information on how the nation of Talingarde, which is the only setting for the entire game, is organized and populated, including notable features, locales and people, and a general sense of what the political and religious situation in it is like.

All of this information is stuff that anybody living in Talingarde would know, so I expect every player to read it at least once, and use it for reference whenever NPCs or events in the game seem a bit confusing; I'll be probably adding stuff to this as the game progresses, both to reflect your actions as PCs and whenever something new becomes relevant (also depending on how much time I have available), but what's here for now should work as a basic primer of what to expect.

Talingarde - a brief history.

The island of Talingarde was originally an area divided between a number of indigenous populations in a state of frequent warfare with one another; the most prominent races present were kobolds, bugbears & goblins, dwarves, jotun and natanuk. Despite the generically etnic composition of the various warring tribes, none of the races had an actual central authority to refer to, and it was just as common for kobold tribes to be fighting each other as it was to war with goblins.

This all changed when a colonizative expedition from the mainland landed in Talingarde, and the refugees (humans, orcs and half-orcs running from the losing war their homeland was embroidered into at the time), and decided to establish themselves in Talingarde as a new, indipendent nation. Rulership was granted to the most powerful of the noble families leading the expedition, that of Barca, but their power was greatly checked by the other houses.

With a mix of diplomatic deals with and military supremacy over the native inhabitant, the nation managed to conquer most of the islands, with only the northern, most savage lands still remaining in the hands of local powers and various monsters. Once the hold of the newly birthed nation on their freshly conquered land became more solid, the internal conflicts between the noble families on how the new nation should be ruled quickly bubbled to the surface, causing unending internal strife. Of particular importance was the conflict between the royal house of Barca, slavers and fervent worshippers of Asmodeus, and the house of Darius, which had converted to the local dragon god Mythra, who was dedicated to justice, order and the protection of innocents.

The clashes, while initially only political, continued to grow in size and violence until, about eighty year before the present time (and thus, roughly two centuries and a half after the initial founding of the kingdom), actual civil war erupted, a civil war that saw Markadian of house Darius emerge victorious. As a result, the cult of Mythra became the new state religion, while the cult of Asmodeus was outlawed, with followers being eventually actually subject to a proper purge roughly fifty years after the instatement of house Darius, a purge ordered by the fourth Darian king, Marcus, as reaction to the cult of Asmodeus supposedly causing the madness that caused the death of the previous king, Hallad.

In the present, the king is Markadian II, fifth of the Darian line, and called the Brave for the successful campaigns he conducted to repel attempted invasions from the wild north. He has sat on the throne for the latest twenty-two years with remarkable success at keeping the kingdom of Talingarde safe and at peace; in fact, this might well be the most prosperous period the island as a whole has ever found itself in.

Chronology of the Darian kings:

Markadian I, the Victor, ruled for 46 years
Antius, the Learned, ruled for 7 years
Hallad, the Mad (called himself the Immortal in life), ruled for less than 2 years
Marcus, the Zealot, ruled for 16 years
Markadian II, the Brave, current ruler from 22 years

Mythra, the Shining Lord, the Beneficient Sun, the Fire Undying
LG God of Justice, the Sun, Honor, Healing, Judgement & Mercy, Charity, Valor and War

Mythra was a local deity venerated by the majority of the Kobold tribes on Talingarde when the original refugees arrived; accordingly to their lore, Mythra was a dragon (although discussion still abound on wether it was a Golden, Silver or even a reformed Blue) who ascended to godhood by stealing a portion of Asmodeus' own power, after having surrended himself into his custody to save a host of damned souls. This is the cause of the constant enmity between the two deities and their followers, at least according to the tales.

The Darian family converted to the cult of Mythra initially as a ploy to unify the kobold tribes behind their leadership, to help in the conquest of the island, but eventually became true believers and started to expand its worship to other families. Currently, they have imposed the cult of Mythra as the state religion of Talingarde, meaning that the worship of other deities is only allowed in private, but no public place of worship to any god other than Mythra can exist, no proselitizing can be performed on behalf of other gods, and certain faiths (such as Asmodeus') are completely banned from even being practiced in private.

In general, Myhtra is presented as a benevolent god that look positively upon the protection of the week on part of the strong, and is in favour of swift judgment when faced with evil, but also for said judgment to be temperated by mercy and understanding for the guilty's situation. In addition, Mythra also believes that an orderly society is the best way to eradicate evil from the heart of people, and encourage all to contribute to the maintaining of such societal order by respecting the proper authorities and being willing to do one's part selflessly for the betterment of all.

Talingarde - political organization

While the kings of Talingarde claims rulership over the whole island, in truth they're fully aware that their power doesn't match their claims. The island itself is generally divided in seven main areas: the savage north, the Caer Bryr, the Borderlands, the Daver Coast, the Heartlands, the Southern Holdings, and the Sunrise Ports.

Of these, only five are fully under control of the kingdom; the savage north is a completely indipendent area where monsters, bugbears, nantanuk and jotun fight each other, while the Caer Brys is extremely dangerous and ruled over by a sect of hidden elves and their human and half-elven followers who, despite nominally aknowledging the Talingardean's crown authority, are entirely self-reliant and completely unwilling to allow any interference in their own private affairs.

The remaining areas are ruled over by four Dukes, except for the Heartlands (the richest and most bountiful portion of the island), which are the direct domain of the royal family itself. The nobility is otherwise organized in regional (counts, earls, marquis) and local (viscounts, margraves, barons) rungs, although the complex relationships between these are something that only actual aristocrats themselves are really knowledgeable about, with most people otherwise considering it sufficent to know that regional nobles are more important than local ones.

Knowledge (Nobility) 15

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)

The actual rungs of nobility in Talingarde are not very straightforward.

The various nobiliar titles all derive from an ancient tongue from the kingdom the Talingardean refugees originated from, and the positions themselves arkens back to those said kingdom offered, although filtered through a different worldview.

What is called "ranked" nobility consists of the rungs of Duke, Marquis, Baron and Margrave.

Duke comes from "commander", and the noble initially elevated to the rank of Dukes were the leader of the conquering army the refugees used to take over the island. They have both authority and rulership over very large areas and are only one step removed from kingship itself.

Authority and rulership are two different sets of rights that nobles can have. Rulership is the right of making laws, administering justice and collecting tributes from a land under the ruler's control, which makes the ruler also responsible for any crimes carried out within their domains. Authority is the power to bestow rulership of portions of said land to subordinates, to allow for better administration; also, the authority is not considered responsible for what happened under the rulership of a subordinate, other than in having selected the subordinate themselves.

This is important because it's the difference between full nobility and lesser nobility - lesser nobility has rulership, but not authority, over the territory assigned to them.

Marquis comes from a word meaning notable or important, and as a title, it was assigned to those who were leaders or officiers in the conquering army, but not absolute commanders of it. Marquis are named by the king, but put under the direct authority of a duke or another, and from that moment on answer to them. Marquis are also full nobility, so they can ennoble subordinates if they want.

Baron has its origin in a word meaning "soldier"; these titles were assigned by Dukes to grant reqards to those among their followers who distinguished themselves in the war, although the current use is as a simple reward for services, not necessarily for service in war. Barons are always lesser nobility, having rulership but not authority over the lands they govern, and are also always directly named by the Dukes they obey, rather than the king. As a result, it is not unhead of for Barons to have more actual power than Marquis in specific circumstances, depending on how close they respectively are to the Duke ruling over them.

Margrave is a combination of "marquis" and "grafted"; since the notables and officiers in the conquering army were often rich nobles who had their own private soldiery, they requested the same right to give lands to their own soldiers, much the way a Duke could. Margraves are thus exactly like Barons, except that they're directly loyal to a Marquis rather than a Duke - they still have to obey the Duke who commands the Marquis they're subordinate to, but it is rare for a Duke to overreach on a Marquis' authority in this manner, instead of simply giving their order to the Marquis themselves.

While Margraves and Barons are both lesser nobles, the fact that Margraves receives their nomination from a Marquis, while Barons from a Duke, means that they are generally considered the bottom rung of nobility, although it's not at all rare for individual Margraves to control richer or larger lands (and thus have more power) than a Baron, since it all depends on the generosity of the one who ennobled either.

While this is relatively simple, in addition to "ranked" nobility there is also "direct" nobility; these are nobles that answer directly to the king themselves, and thus can ignore a Duke's orders, although they also cannot command a Duke either, and will generally control much smaller partitions of land than most dukes world - but even that is not certain; Markadian I was a count when he waged war on the Barca royal line.

Count comes from "companion", and ideally it was meant to symbolize that the person receiving the land was ennobled due to special service or closeness to the king or the royal family. However, due to the fact that the King directly administer the heartlands, a number of the most important nobles in the original expedition, which could not receive the title of Duke due to the limited amount of land to go around, were also given this title in its stead. Even so, the practice still remains for the king to occasionally ennoble people who performed exceptional services for the crown, and when this is done, the person is made a count.

As a result, count tends to be a very fluid title in the perception of other nobles - some counts have very small holdings and less power than even the lowest Margrave, while the biggest and most powerful can well rival even a Duke in the amount of influence and power they can wield in the kingdom's politics. The general consensus is, when in doubt, to always treat counts as above Marquis but not as high as Dukes.

Vicsounts means "assistent to the count", and is basically the Count's equivalent to a Duke's Baron or a Marquis' Margrave - i.e. a lesser noble who is sword directly to the count themselves and wields power in their name. Even so, due to answering to a count, viscounts are outside the "ranked" ladder of nobility, making it difficult to decide their relative importance when compared to their peers.

Earl comes from the world for chieftain, and while also a "direct" nobility title, it is very different from count, in that it is an elective title ratified by the king, rather than a title the king confer themselves. Earls are choosen by a preexisting population as their leaders, and then aknowledges by the king as having rulership (but not authority) over whichever area the group that elected them happens to live in. One thing that sets Earls apart is that, unlike all other nobles, their succession doesn't progress through ereditary means, but rather through wathever means the population that selected them prefers. This is intentional, as the position was originally created to allow for the integration within the government of Talingarde of groups (particularly powerful dwarf clans) which would not subject themselves to full control.

While the Earl title is tecnically lesser nobility, as they have no authority and are only given rulership, they are generally treated as full nobility, equivalent to a Count or even Duke in their importance, since the mere fact of receiving a Earl title, with its greater authonomy, implies superior power in their relationship to the crown: the most notable example being that the nominal leader of the Caer Bryr is an Earl in Talingardean law.

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Savage North

This area is separated from the rest of Talingarde by the Lastwall, a nearly 100 KM long set of fortification meant to block invasion, the area is highly mountainous and very cold. It is inhabithed by a population primarily made of bugbears, althogh jotun tribes are also present and the nantanuk held the northeastern corner of the region as their own exclusive territory.

Overrun with many different type of monster, favoured hunting ground for the two evil dragons living in the area, and covered in wilderness that is extremely perilous to navigate, the area is not well suited to civilization. Combined with the aggressive attitude the locals tend to have, the many different tribes inhabiting it are in a constant state of strife for both survival and petty powerplay; even the most recent threat they posed to Talingarde, the one repelled over twenty years ago by Markadian II, only counted less than a fourth of the tribes in the area, and even that limited cooperation was, reportedly, riddled with inner strife.

Essentially, the area is more of an hiding place and battlefield for creatures uninterested in anything but near-constant slaughter, and no real concern for the Talingardean government.

Caer Bryr

Probably the most dangerous part of the entire island, this area of overgrowth jungle that clings to the nearby mountains and the weird spyres of stone that peppers it a locale of weird encounters and fae magic - many suspect that, somewhere in the dept of the jungle, is hidden a portal leading directly to the world of the fae themselves.

When humans arrived, the area was under the control of a isolationist sect of elves; those humans who attempted to colonize the area soon enough abandonded their brethen to turn into a cult dedicated to the worship of said elves, with a ruling caste composte entirely of half-elven druidess directing them. Not much more is known of the going-ons of the Bryr, as the locals do not share any knowledge they might have over what goes on inside.

The local Earl is always the current leader of the half-elven druidic group, which said druids choose themselves; the agreement by which the leader of the cult accepted this title, and thus put themselves (if barely in name only) under the Talingardean crown was signed under the Barca dinasty, and nobody seems quite sure what the deal was precisely. Regardless, what does is known is that what few communication existed between the locals and the crown ceased after the Darian family won the throne, making the Bryr more misterious than ever.

Heartlands

The largest, most prosperous and richest portion of Talingarde, this large area of fertile land hosts nearly two thirds of the kingdom's entire population, as well as producing over 80% of the food and being the primary provider of many other primarily agrarian resources.

Despite being so rich and filled with people, the area is actually quite scarse on actual habitation centers; almost the totality of the popolation lives on farms or near the keeps of the local nobles. This is due to a large number of exceptionally good roads and a local administration handled by a large number of nobles that respond directly to the crown rather than intermediaries, making it so that almost all of the areas' production is funnelled into the kingdom's capital, using a large number of small trade town that are less centers of trade and more pit-stops and stockage location for the stuff that is eventually taken to Matharyn.

While this large amount of resources makes the area potentially capable of fielding more soldiers than the all the others combined, the dispersion of the population make it actually take a very long time for such an army to mobilize. As a result, protection of the area is one of the kingdom's priorities, and the local nobles have quite a lot of influence at court.

Borderlands

Laying between the savage north and the Caer Bryr, with only an handful of passes through the Evergreen Mountains connecting it to the more civilized area of the Daver Coast, this area is tasked with being the bastion protecting the south of the islands from the threats laying to the north. This is not made easier by the area being mainly composed of rocky hills and its general lack of vegetation and arable lands, making it so that the population is small and concentrated around a small number of not-so-big town.

Perhaps because of this, it is not uncommon for the population here to be particularly pious, likely in the hope of benefitting from Mythra's protection. It's also easy to find especially martial attitudes among the nobles, with many volounteering to join the defenders at the Lastwall or otherwise make themselves useful to the defense of the kingdom.

Daver Coast

Sitting on the northwestern side of the island of Talingarde, the Daver coast is the closest one to the mainland the human colonizers came from and, as a result, is the center of trade for the kingdom's relation with its mainland. The area was also the first to throw their support behind the Darian dynasty and, as a result of their continuing support, the nobles in the area are among the richest and most important in the Kingdom. They also form the core of the royal-supporting faction in the kingdom's internal politics, and the city of Daveryn, capital of the area, is generally said to house the most fervent Mythran believers on the island.

Southern Holdings

This area is characterized by a generally hotter climate than the rest of the island, allowing for a number of exotic crops to be grown - while nowhere near as fertile or productive as the Heartlands, the area compensate for it by providing the majority of the most costly, luxury type of foods, particularly wines. Due to this, many of the older noble
families were installed here at the time of the colonization, and the area eneded up developing in a serie of fiefs who have especially poor peasants supporting especially rich nobles.

Due to the dynamics of the battles fought, this area was the less touched by the civil war that saw the fall of the Barca, despite providing the majority of the Barcan's troops; the nobles involved had thus enough power to weather what punishment Markadian I inflicted them, which consisted mostly of big fines. The area is thus currenrtly the primary bastion of Barca nobility remaining in the kingdom, and said nobles makes up the core of the political opposition to the Darian royal family.

Sunrise Ports

Generally considered the most exotic area of the kingdom, the Sunset Ports include the entirety of Talingarde's east coast and, as a result, handle the majority of the trade with the far-off countries to the east. Since this also makes Talingarde itself the primary channel by which the goods from these countries reach the mainland, this makes the area invaluable as the source of more than half the economic gains from external trade for the entire country.

Geographically, this is facilitated by the structure of the coast being mostly a handful of cities sitting on the mouth of rivers admist what's otherwise a very poor, mountainous area whose only other useful resources are the mines controlled by a number of local dwarven clans. Despite this apparently unappealing setting, the area nevertheless hosts the most varied population of the kingdom within its cities, mostly due to the Mythran praecept of justice and understanding making Talingarde itself an ideal place to stop at for outcast running away from problems in their eastern countries.

In order to avoid reducing the gains from the area, the kingdom's punishement for lawlessness are somewhat softer - not to the point of crime being overlooked, but more to the point of inflicting less severe penalties to minor perpetrators, while coming down much harsher on those who commit bigger crimes, in an effort to balance things out.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:15, Thu 04 Apr 2019.

Population distribution

While the most numerous subset of the population of the kingdom of Talingarde is human, the nature of how the land was unified means that several other races have a substantial presence as minorities within the kingdom. What follows is a breakdown of that.

Humans

As stated, they are the largest etnic group by far - after the initial group of refugees, which was itself quite substantial, a lot of people displaced by wars on the mainland moved to Talingarde to take advantage of its generally safest situation. Currently, humans make up about 43% of the total population.

Kobolds

The second most populous group, and constantly growing in number. While the initial clashes between the human refugees and the local kobold population were quite harsh and not at all favourable to the kobolds, their sheer number and skill at hiding made them a recurring problem for the humans, particularly when they were already focused on pushing the goblins and bugbears northwards. It was the House of Darius that first had the idea of reaching out to them, and which reached full assimilation through converting to the faith of Mythra, who was the most popular of the Kobold's gods.

Due to the worship of Mythra being an ingrained part of Kobold's culture in Talingarde, they've flourished after the Darian's line rise to power, and a great many of their number have important roles within the Mythran priesthod. It is commonly believed that Talingarde has the most well integrated population of kobolds in the known world, with the sight of kobolds walking down city roads being not just common but expected. Kobolds make up about 22% of the total Talingardean population.

Orcs & Half-orcs

While slavery is now illegal in Talingarde, that is a recent development - the homeland they came from was actually quite in favour of the practice, and a good deal of the armed forces the Barca used to conquer the island were made out of slave soldiers of various stripes. Among these, Orcs and Half-Orcs were by far the more numerous, a result of their homeland being at war with an Orcish empire back when the refugees left it.

With no native Orc population in Talingarde at all, nearly the entirety of people with Orcish background had ancestors who were enslaved, which made them a crucial element in the army of Markadian I when he rebelled against the Barca, since many of those he freed from slavery were quick to convert to Mythra and join into his fight. In the latest eighty years, Orcs and half-Orc as a group are generally considered to be aligned with the Darian dinasty, and many of their number have joined the kingdom's army and the Knight of Alerion to prove themselves loyal and make the most of their reacquired freedom.

Orc and Half-Orcs combined make up about 16% of the total population of Talingarde.

Tieflings

As should perhaps be expected of Asmodeus worshippers, a great number of members of the Barcan nobility had a penchant for summoning devils. Among the many different purposes they used them for, pleasure was naturally high on the list, and children oftentime resulting from said dalliance were integrated into the families just as often as cast away as bastards - in fact, several of the more faithful Asmodeus worshippers saw "spreading the blood of Hell in the world" as part of their religious duties. Consequently from all of this, a relatively big portion of the Barcan nobility is currently made of Tieflings.

Naturally, the practices that led to the birth of Tieflings were outlawed when House Darius rose to power, but the presence of an already large group of Tieflings in Talingarde (they make up about 11% of the total population) makes it hard to ensure these laws are respected, since Tieflings give birth to more of their own without need of more direct diabolic intervention.

As a result of this, Tieflings are in a situation where they're caught in a push-pull of being seen with suspicions and pity, with pious Mythran wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt that they've elevated themselves above their origins while at the same time worrying that they're staying true to their heritage and planning to spread misery around. Needless to say, more than one Tiefling is resentful of this situation, and Tieflings in general are more likely to oppose the Darian regime than any other etnic group.

Dwarves

Making up around 6% of the total population, most dwarves are concentrated into small tribal enclaves across the southeastern mountain range of Talingarde. After seeing the success of the "Integrating the Kobolds" strategy, the Talingardean rulership offered the dwarves deals where they could mostly self-govern themselves if they accepted a nominal submission and to pay taxes to the new regime. Since the dwarves accepted, they've been considered a portion of the kingdom, and while for the majority they keep to themselves in their ancestral lands, several smaller communities of them exists across Talingarde. Dwarves make up about 6% of Talingarde's total population.

Other Races

Due to the cosmopolitan nature of the Sunset Ports and the isolation from the mainland making it the ideal place for political exiles and refugees of war to run to, Talingarde has some small portion of nearly every known race living in it, mostly in the biggest cities - especially Daveryn (for mainland exiles) and Gastenhall (for eastern visitors). These other races are generally watched with curiosity and interest by the locals, and Mythra's belief in justice and equality for all tends to keep discrimination toward them to a minimum, even if some is nevertheless still present. Other races make up the remaining 2% of the kingdom's population.

Outside Talingarde (Savage North)

While not part of the kingdom proper, there are at least three population that have a notable presence on the islands north of the Lastwall, those being Bugbears, Nantanuk and Jotun.

Bugbears

The Bugbears are by far the most numerous of the savage races, and in fact, Talingarde is believed to be the country of origin of this goblinoid subspecies, as they are known to have the largest amount of it in the world. Whereas in normal goblinoid populations Bugbears are generaly less than 5% of the total population, in Talingarde it's the other way around, with over 80% of the goblinoid population being made of bugbears, and hobgoblins in particular being vanishingly rare. As a result, whereas normally Bugbears would have an easy time rising to the leadership of whichever tribes they were born into, in Talingarde there is a lot of infighting, and tribe leadership is known to change based on contests that are so frequent, allies can turn to enemies in the middle of a meeting without warning. This lack of cohesion is what kept back the generally physically superior bugbears from being a true threat to the other populations of the island.

Nantanuk

Not much is kown about the Nantanuk, other than they are a population of sentient, intelligent polar bears who have their own culture and tribal tradition which are in strident contrast (and cause unending conflict) with the bugbears. They are otherwise very secretive, and not much more is known about them.

Jotun

A variant of elfs (actually drows) which is adapted for living in the icy wastes; they have lightly colored hairs varying from light blonde to white, and skin in blue hues that can go from light cerulean to dark purple or even black. They have a matriarcal society that venerates a strange god that requires great sacrifices, and cutthroat political dynamics which make them unable to ever muster a proper leadership.


While other intelligent monsters (such as Ogres and Hill Giants) do exist, they do not form large communities nor are they numerous enough to warrant any more mention than that.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:51, Wed 17 Apr 2019.

This is a list of every important place and person that people in Talingarde would have at least heard something about. I will likely be updating this post as the PC learn more about stuff, so that it can remain an helpful resource for you all to use whenever you're confused about the specifics of something.

It's also probably worth noting at this point that I'm working from my own, heavily revised map of Talingarde, rather than the one the Adventure Path provided - that one just didn't work for me on a military/strategic level. I have put up a sketch version of it in the main game map section for reference, although it shows just coastlines, rivers and mountain ranges, and in a very stylized format at that. I'm working on making a proper, good-looking one, but if anybody has suggestions on how to go about making it, do feel free to share them. I'd much appreciate it. ^_^

Talingarde - locations of interest

Matharyn (1)

Capital of Talingarde, sitting at the mouth of the Maat river at the center of the Cambrian Bay's coast, almost precisely in the middle of the island. The center of political power of Talingarde, as well as the most architeturally advanced and a center of study and research, due to the effort made to expand and enrichen the city with new buildings, schools and historical archives made by King Antius Darius, "the learned". The city is also one of the primary centers of worship for the Mythran faith, housing the Catedral of the Beneficient Sun, one of the greatest religious buildings on the island.

Tarrington (1)

The second largest settlement in the Heartlands, this mid-sized town is more of a oversized granary for the northwestern portion of the area, collecting all the resources collected there to then send them to Matharyn. Still, the place is big enough, and holds at all times so much food, to warrant a stable military installation around it, which naturally attracted enough people to make for a settlement with the various trapping of a military town. In military times, it is generally here that half of the Heartland's army gathers, to simplify the logistics of it, which makes the place strategically important.

Cambrian Bay (1)

The largest body of water in Talingarde, sitting at the centre of the island, lapping the costs of the Heartlands at west while separating the Caer Bryr at north of it from the Sunrise Ports south-east of it. Being a very wide area of calm waters, it allows for especially fast navigation between all the small Heartland hamlets facing it, which is another of the many factors contributing to the area's richness.

The Scattered Fangs (2)

Sitting northeast of the Cambrian Bay, these islands act as a natural defense from, and funnel for, the cold oceans currents, keeping the Bay itself safe while making navigation through or past them very difficult. The area is mostly uninhabited outside of marine creatures, although tales about tribes of underwater dwellers in the area abound.

Stormhaven (2)

The name is shared by one island amidst the scattered fangs, the town which is the only settlement on said island, the castle which defends it, and the noble family ruling over it all. As the only safe port among the fangs, this is a crucial point of passage when going from the Heartland to the Borderlands or viceversa, which makes this small holding more important than its size and lack of resources would otherwise deserve.

Daveryn (2)

Ducal seat overlooking the Daver Coast, this large city is a hub of trade and travel for the rich people from the mainland, as well as the "door to the north", overlooking the primary road connecting the Borderlands to the Heartlands from atop the Ander river. While not as big as Matharyn and less important overall, the people here are generally richer, with higher standards of living than anywhere else in Talingarde.

Tamberlyn (3)

Sitting on one of the two passes leadgin from the Daver Coast to the Heartlands, this small fortified city is famous for being the place where Markadian I won the definitive victory in his way against the Barca regime. Built in what was a place of worship for the Bugbear tribes due to the presence of three awe-inspiring spyres of stone, the city is still today a personal holding of the Darian royal family, and its people are their most loyal followers.

Vasteen (3)

Ducal seat for the Southern Holdings, it also houses the headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Gryphon. The city is the strongest bastion of Barca nobility, and as such Mythran faith is particularly weak here. There's also a sharper divide here between the rich and the poor than in any other location of the kingdom, with richer quarter actively walled and warded to keep "rabble" from wandering in uninvited.

Barrington (4)

Quite likely the most fortified locale in Talingarde, this small city sits in the middle of the road leading from the Heartlands to the Southern Holdings, and is under the control of some of the fiercest among Barca loyalists. In truth, Barrington is more of a military encampent than a real population center, with a very limited ability to support itself, but in exchange its constant state of readiness for war ensures that it produces the highest quality of soldiery in the entire kingdom, making it a cornerstone of what little political opposition to the Darian regime there remains in Talingarde.

Gastenhall (5)

Ducal seat of the Sunrise Ports, and a center of trade and commerce, as well as the door to the east and thus overflowing with strange and exotic people. Due to a combination of the local Duke mental condition and a less strict oversight, it's also known as the one place with the highest amount of criminality in the whole kingdom.

Brandelburn (4)

Relatively small town in the northern portion of the Sunrise Ports area, it is most famous for being within one day of walking distance from Branderscar prisons. While small and not really remarkable outside of this fact, the city does houses an especially diverse population, as well as being the greatest producer of salt in the kingdom due to the free labor the prison provides them for this specific purpose. Most of the local economy revolves around profiting from the salt mines and keeping them in good working order.

Branderscar (5)

The most infamous prison in the kingdom, it is renowned for having never allowed anybody imprisoned inside it to ever escape. The most feature of it by far are its execution ground, which were built in a naturally magical spot that allows the executions conducted there to be shown on special mirror all over the kingdom. In this mannr, the punishment of the wicked can be displayed for all to see, and be used as an example of justice being carried out that will at the same time, hopefully, discourage any others from committing the same crimes.

Helmabryn (6)

Among the Sunrise Ports, this one sits on the shortest river in the area, and thus closest to the Godspine mountains. As a result, it houses the largest urbanized dwarven community in Talingarde, particularly crafters who relocated outside their caves in order to have better access to the materials imported from across the seas. As a result, the area also attracted skilled artisans, particularly blacksmiths and jewelers, from those very same countries, and the mingling of these different styles has made the city renowed as housing the best metalworks in the whole kingdom.

Elessylt (6)

Southernmost among the Sunrise Ports, this tend to be the ideal midpoint for exporting produce from the Southern Holdings, as well as bringing imports from the east to the same area. Added to the very varied population already naturally presents among the Ports, this makes the city one of the very few in Talingarde which can be said to be truly faith-indipendent, with the clash between Mythran followers and the representants of Barcan nobility polarizing things enough that worship of other gods tends to go overlooked more easily. As a result, it is a natural refuge for neutral, apolitic or atheist-leaning inhabitants of the kingdom.

The Godscar (3)

The largest and longest river in Talingarde, and really more of a large canyon with a river at the bottom; according to Mythran teachings, it was left by Mythra during his escape from Hell. The wellspring for the river is in the Vale of Valterna, while Gastenhall lies near the mouth of it.

Vale of Valterna (4)

The holiest place for the Mythran faith in all of Talingarde, it houses the Cathedral of Mythra Made Manifest, built by the Darian family on the exact spot where, reportedly, the god first revealed itself to the local kobolds. While originally part of the Darian family lands, upon his ascent to the throne Markadian I gifted the vale and everything in it, Cathedral included, to the Church of Mythra, as he attributed his victory to the god's support. The place sees dozens of pilgrimages every years, although due to its altitude and the narrow passes leading to it, the Vale becomes completely inaccessible during winter.


Ambryl (7)

Ducal seat for the Borderlands, the city is very martial and focused on its task as coordination center for the defence of the kingdom from northern invaders. Perched at the food of the Evergreen Mountains northern side, the city is the smallest and poorer of the ducal seats, yet nevertheless the people who live in it are prideful and firm in their loyalty to the royal family. The city is fortified enough to withstand a long siege, and most of the population has to undertake mandatory military service so that nearly every single inhabitant can be mobilized at once in the events of an emergency.

Westkirk (7)

One of the three mayor town/forts combination watching over the Lastwall - that is, settlements composed of a solid castle attached to the wall as well as a nearby town that provides for the castle's necessity - Westkirk takes its name from the church to Mythra built there, one of the very first in Talingarde, and its location at the western end of the wall. The fort focuses on defending primarily against the jotun, who are a stronger presence on the western side of the savage north, and due to its church, it is also a site of pilgrimage that skewed the local population more toward kobolds and Mythran priests than normal.

Lorringsgate (8)

Located at the center of the Lastwall, it acts as a coordination center for the defense of the Lastwall, with a larger garrison so as to be able to reinforce Balentyne, Westkirk or Ambril as needed, being within about five days of marching distance from all three. This makes it the most important post on the Lastwall in a strategic sense, and the only one to have a substantial permanent cavalry presence, which allows it to cut response times down to a third should a real emergency arise.

Balentyne (9)

Another of the Lastwall's fortified positions, Balentyne overlooks the eastern side of the defenses, which is the one most likely to be attacked by Bugbears invaders. It has never once been taken by any enemy, and Markadian II used it as his home base when repelling a northern invasion at the beginning of his reign, thus making it one of the localities with the highest loyalty to the Darian royal family in a region that is already very devoted to them and to Myhtra to being with. It is the most well known and famous of the three fort/towns.

Janderly (8)

The secondmost bigger settlement in the borderlands, this town is actually more of a military base commanding the Talingardean naval forces, as well as overlooking the most fertile farming area, in a the entire borderlands. It is surveillance by the forces here that keeps the western coast safe from naval invasion - the eastern side being in much less danger of such due to the bugbears general hatred of navigation and the natural difficulty crossing the easter Scardynn bay would present.

Farholde (9)

The northenmost settlement in Talingarde, it sits just along the border between the northern tip of the Caer Bryr and the eastern side of the Borderlands, and it is a last defence outpost against the extremely unlikely event of a sea attack from the Nantanuk. Due to its nature as a backwater border settlement, it is seedier than most others in the kingdom and generally a receptacle for danegerous individual, especially ones interested in exploring the Caer Bryr more. The most notable feature of the town is the Abber of Saint Cynthia-Celeste, housing an order of nuns whom patron died defending the town from devil encroachment over a century ago, and whom members now work to keep the local inhabitants from losing their faith in Mythra due to the less than ideal condition they have to live in.

Lake Tarik (5)

Probably the most notable known feature of the Savage North, this is the largest lake in the area as well as all of Talingarde. The lake is known to be a sort of neutral meeting place for Bugbears tribes to try and settle their scores without resorting to decimating violence. While this hardly ever work, the annual ritual of meeting at the Lake is known to be one of the very few unifying elements among the beliefs of the different Bugbears tribes.

Issengholt

The only actual population centre in the entire Savage North, this area houses the largest and most powerful of the Jotun tribes. Nominally, the Jotun who rules here has command over all others and is the equivalent of their king, but the ability of any such ruler to exert their power outside the city's perimeters is next to none, which results in said Jotun essentially retaining their independence, and with it the right to constantly war on each other.

Evergreen Mountains (6)

The mountain chain separating the Borderlands from the Caer Bryr and the Ander Coast, it takes its name from the multitude of pines and similar trees that grow very numerous on its southern side.

Dragonspine Mountains (7)

The tallest mountain chain in Talingarde, separating the Sunset Ports from the Heartlands and Southern Holdings, it is a very craggy and rocky area, largely lacking in vegetation of any kind.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:36, Sat 09 Nov 2019.

Talingarde - people of interest

King Markadian II Darius

Fifth of the Darian kings, he is known as the most military minded of them after the original Markadian. Famously, at the beginning of his reign he heped to repel an invasion from the savage north, and he has been attempting to assemble an expedition there to finally unify the island for some time now, but without yet managing to get the political backing necessary to it. He's generally considered a very good, just ruler, as well as a very devout believer in Mythra.

Princess Belinda Darius

Only daughter of Markadian II and heir to the throne, the princess is known to be reclusive and not really interested in court life or socialities, being more of a scholar - her father famously has had one of the more learned wizard from the mainland come to Talingarde specifically to be her tutor. Rumors also says she's incredibly beautiful, and statues of her seems to confirm it, but with so few puvlic appearances on her part, it's hard to be sure.

Knight-Commander Errol Gryemantle

The current leader of the Knights of Alerion, this Orc is not merely a prodigy of strenght and martial skill like many of his race are, but also an highly skilled tactician and military leader. Having risen through the rank from lowly volounteer to leader due to his skills and talents alone, he's a very humble individual, and he strongly believes that he could only reach so high thanks to Mythra's help and protection. He's very loyal to the Darian dynasty, and his leadership has seen a boom in the number of knights the Alerion can field thanks to his policies aimed to integrate as many people into it as possible.

Knights of the Alerion

The only knight order to fight on the side of Markadian I during the civil war, it was subsequently elevated into the most important knight order in the Kingdom. All its members have to take vows to Mythra to join (although the specifics can vary from member to member), but the order is famous for being the only one to allow knight to enlist who aren't born noble, which is why it saw a massive influx of Orcs and Half-Orcs after the war of succession ended.

Sir Balin of Karfeld, the witch-hunter

An anointed member and captain in the ranks of the Order of Alerion, Sir Balin is known as the most skilled and successful heretic hunter in Talingarde. He's captured over two dozens of witches, cult leaders, Asmodeus worshippers and others threats to the Myhtran faith across a span of four years of activity, and is easily recognized wherever he goes in Talingarde. He sees it as a duty to protect people from the encroaching of diabolic forces on the land, and his renown has lead to him often taking in scions of important noble families as squires, who then went on to become renowned figures in their own right within the Order of Alerion.

Viscount Vastenus Barca

Leader of Brotherhood of Gryphon, he's considered the most skilled general in all of Talingarde and a personal friend of Markadian II, having fought at his side multiple times in the past. He's probably the most well-regarded tiefling in the kingdom, often used as an example of how his race can be thrustworthy and pious, and he's certainly the member of house Barca who is currently closest to the Darian dynasty.

Brotherhood of the Gryphon

The formerly most prominent knight order in Talingarde, both due to their closeness to the Barca regime and their tactical importance. The order is famous for being entirely mounted on gryphons, forming the only flying cavalry in the kingdom. The order saw a sudden size increase after several members of orders dissolved by Markadian I after the war of succession, and this just increased the general sense of resentment the Gryphons have toward the Knights of Alerion for having replaced them in their primacy, although the two groups still manage to work together very well when it is required of them.

Count Leothyn Barca

Proably the most prominent political antagonist to the Darian family's rule, he is famously the nephew of the last Barcan king, and thus the one with the best claim to the throne should house Barca ever be restored. He's a generally shrewd political maneuverer and schemer, and tends to present his opposition in more indirect manner, but he's not afraid of butting heads directly with Markadian II on matters of policy, generally presenting his opposition as grounded on the rights and privilege of the nobility rather than any opposition to Mythra or the Darian themselves.

Haron Tatch

A very experienced wizard from the mainland who was summoned to Talingarde by Markadian II to be his daughter's Belinda tutor. He's very famous for his research into the difference between the various types of dragons and how they use their magic, generally considered the best treatise on the matter ever written; it's likely that Mythra's draconic nature played a part in why this one guy in particular was choosen as the princess' tutor.

High Cardinal Vitallia Dellis

The leader of the church of Mythra in Talingarde, this makes her probably the most powerful kobold in the kingdom, seeing as the soft power she wields could be enough to counteract an order from the king himself, in the right circumstances. Luckily, she's one of Markadian II most stauchest supporters, having been the Cardinal of Daverin before she was raised to her present position, and is one of the king's most trusted advisor. A conservative at heart, she believes that the church of Mythra should follow tradition whenever possible, and that any innovation in the way people practice the faith should be pondered over at lenght before being allowed. As a result, she's often slow to act, although when she does, her action usually turn out to be very effective and well thought out.

High Inquisitor Solomon Tyrath

The very definition of a fanatic, this half-orc is known to never stop when pursuing a sinner, and he's often shown a willingness to make use of any means at his disposal to remove the sinners, skirting as close to sin himself as any actual true believer of Mythra could ever come to. He harbors real resentment for the injustices his people had to suffer as slaves under the Barca rulership, and as a result slavers are his favourite targets, but he's equally rentless with any and all heretics, taking them all with the same lack of mercy regardless of their specific crime.

Lord Habbot Hermann Cathlain

A jovial man of gentle temperament, he is the leader of the Order of Saint Macarius and, while holding no real noble title, is the effective ruler of the Vale of Valterna. He's obviously a very deep faithful of Mythra, and has a passion for studying the past of the religion in the time before Talingarde to learn as much about his god as he can, as well as collecting any lost relic from past time that might relate to Mythra's worship.

Blessed Order of Saint Macarius

Founded by the followers of Saint Macarius the Mendicant, a pilgrim who went around healing ilness and diseases all across the island even back before the Barca had established a solid hold on most of it, this order is founded on the principles of charity, helping others and practicing an ascetic life voted to the service of others. The Order is one of the primary means by which the Mythran faith spreads itself throughout the kingdom, as their act of kindness and generosity toward people of all walks of life have often been the difference between life and death for many.

Sambethe the Oracle

Blessed with visions coming from Mythra himself, this Aasimar is known across Talingarde as the voice of Mythra, offering guidance and warnings (if cryptic ones) to all who comes seek her advice. She's one of the most important figures of the Mythran religion in the island, and about a third of the yearly pilgrimages to the Vale of Valterna, where she lives, are specifically made to meet with her in particular.

Duke Shawn Martin of Daveryn

Pompous and self-aggrandizing, he's probably the worst example of a stereotipical noble. While paying the proper respect to Mythra, his lifestyle is a rich, indolent one that has very little to do with helping others and being just, which helps make the man, if not despised, at least be regarded with contempt by many among both his fellow nobles and the populace. The only thing he has any passion about is his strong belief that wizards are not to be trusted and a plague on the kingdom, which is often reflected in the policies he endorses.

Cardinal Ignatia Bontes

The tieflin cardinal of Daveryn, she's a very soft spoken teologist. While wielding considerable influence as one of the only six cardinals of the Mythran faith, she rarely makes use of it, usually preferring to discuss theological matters with her fellow priesthood rather than dedicating serious effort to thing such as proselitizing or otherwise interacting with less learned members of the faith.

Polydora, the seer

A master diviner who is known as the greatest, most skilled wizards in Talingarde, she's been trying for years now to raise the regard with which people in the kingdom see arcanists, against the way the church of Mythra always tends to dismiss their contribution and mark their studies as lesser and potentially evil. Currently, she's living in Daveryn in an effort to change Duke Martin's opinion on wizard; she hopes that if she can change the mind of such a powerful noble among Markadian II supporters on the matter, she could initiate a change in policy for the better across Talingarde. She's so far been unsuccessful in this endeavour.

Verren Khanza Gharunen

This Tengu claims to be the best duelist in the world, and while that's a bold claim, it's certainly true that he's world-renowed and recognized as a deadly master of the rapier everywhere he goes. Arrogant and self-hassured, he's known to accept challenges to duels whenever they're made, and has yet to lose one; on the other hand, some of the people who challenged him disappeared shortly afterwards, although it's been impossible so far to prove any charges of deadly dueling on him. Despite (or perhaps because) of this dark reputation, his Ballerina school in Daveryn is a magnet young noble looking to make a name for themselves.

Duke Hadrian Gaster of Gasterhall

Probably the highest placed tiefling in Talingarde, the ruler of Gastenhall (and the entire Sunrise Ports area) was known as somewhat eccentric even in his youth, but things slowly worsened over time. For years, the tales of the many weird (if harmless) actions he constantly takes, often without justification, have circulated among the populace, and many commoners believe that the devil blood in him is probably slowly eating away at his mind. Despite this, he is still somehow capable of managing his domain within the bounds of what the crown consider acceptable, so he remains in his position of power despite being a generally somewhat abstentee and mercurial lord prone to unexpectedly random decision now and then.

Duchess Jeynee Barca of Vasteen

The ruler of the Southern Holding is a reclusive lady who prefers to focus on administering her lands than politics. While she officially supports the Barca party line, she prefers to let her cousin Leothyn take point in contesting Markadian II policies. It is hard to say how much she is involved in the general political going-ons of her nominal allies - she's most certainly the main source of their money and their primary financer, but her visible contributions are limited to just providing said economic support, and rarely anything more concrete than that.

Duchess Kora Herrigan of Ambryl

The ruler of the Borderlands, she's a headstrong, impetuos woman who's more of a soldier than she is a geneal or administrator. She's known for her hunting expeditions in the Savage North to expand her collection of monster heads - which includes several bugbear chieftains - as well as for always preferring to lead from the front. She is also not very religious, always declaring that she prefers the simplicity of martial matters to the complexity of overthinking the tenets of the faith.

Marquis Edmond Welshire of Farholde

The ruler of Farholde, he commands one of the strongest armed contingents in the Borderlands due to needing to be ready for both the (unlikely) possibility of a invasion from the nantanuk through the Scardynn bay and the (more likely, but less predictable) possibility of something dangerous suddenly crawling out of the Caer Bryr. What the man is most famous for, however, is for sharing the blood of the royal family - Welshire's mother was a daughter of Markadian I, making him (and his kids, Valin and Elsa) the closest noble relative of the royal family in Talingarde.

Baron Arkov Vandemir

While officially responsible for lands on the northern edge of the Caer Bryr, Baron Vandemir prefers to stay within the nearby Farholde rather than rule his territory directly from site. He is known as one of the most generous nobles in the kingdom, having financed several projects meant to improve the life of commoners, including the building of the largest orphanage in Talingard. He is generally considered another exemple of a "good tiefling" and a reformed Barcan noble who has found his place in the new regime.

Count Thomas Havelyn

One of the most well-known generals in Talingarde, he is the leader of the defensive forces on the Lastwall, sitting as the commander of the Balentyne Watchtower. He is a a personal friend and mentor of Markadian II, and is also known as an extremely zealous believer in Mythra, having personally consigned his own brother Samuel to the pyre when it was discovered the man had secretly been an Asmodean cultist.

Lady Erika Havelyn

Only daughter of Thomas Havelyn, she's an incredibly skilled paladin, and is already being hailed as the greatest, most capable hero of her generation despite her young age. Among the feats she's well known for is leading the defense of Janderly from an unexpected incursion force of summoned devils and personally slaying in single combat a chimera that had been haunting a few villages in the Heartlands for months. She's been extended invitations to join every single knight order in the land, but has refused them all, stating that her call to do good trascends the boundaries of what any individual organization can accomplish.

Inquisitor Mathias Harkon

One of the four highest ranking inquisitors of Mythra, Harkon is the kobold in charge of rooting out heresy within the Borderlands. One of the older inquisitors around, Harkon still remembers the days of the purges under king Marcus the Zealot, and is somewhat unhappy with the (relative) curtailing of the Inquisition's power under Markadian II. He does not blames the king for this, however, instead constantly hunting for some big heretic scandal that will allow the Inquisition to put pressure on Markadian II to reinstate the harsher investigation policies that his father had allowed.

Countess Gaia Richter

A scheming aristocrats who's always looking for the best angle to benefit her family; she's taken position on both the Barcan and Darian sides of political conflicts more than once, which would make her highly despised if not for the skill with which she always seems to end up siding with those who end up winning. Opportunist to the bone, she has also used these skills to invest in commercial enterprises, which has resulted in her family becoming incredibly rich, enough so to be often called the richest in Talingarde; this gives her an almost unmatched level of leverge in her political decisions.

Mathias Richter

A third son of the noble Richter family, this wizard was a famous researcher and scholar in Matharyn for a time, but after a scandal of some sort (details are scarce) he had to relocate, and his family managed to secure him a post at the head of Branderscar's defense. While very learned, he's been at his post for many years now, and is known to be well past his prime.

Chargammon

The oldest and probably most powerful creature in all of Talingarde, this ancient black dragon has his lair on a small island northeast of Talingarde itself, and his predations often make navigation in the area, as well as the nearby Scattered Fangs islands, a risky prospect. Markadian I tried to eradicate this dragon during his reign, but even with help from the good-aligned dragons Erimanthus and Antharia Regina, all he was capable of doing was forcing a pact with the creature that he would not directly attack the kingdom if his hunting grounds in the Savage North were left alone. He's still the most feared creature in the entire region, and his spawns, which surface with regularity, tend to create continuous problems for Talingarde until the next enterprising Mythran hero takes them down.

Nyttorgh

While not as powerful and old as Chargammon, this linnorm was on the island before the big black dragon, having built his liar in the Savage North long before even dwarf had come to the island, let alone humans. His presence there is the main reason the area was sparsely inhabited before the founding of the kingdom of Talingarde, and while he cares nothing for the kingdom itself, his random predations have caused more damage to the bugbears and jotun over time than their own infighting, seeing as he delights in striking down the strongest commanders for the mere pleasure of a good fight.

Antharia Regina

While Chargammon is probably more powerful, Antharia Regina is almost certainly the smartest dragon in Talingarde. She is also the most active; she's the one who introduced the faith of Mythra to the kobolds in the first place, often acting as the god's herald on the island, and she has been known to appear whenever the Mythran faith was in danger to help those who championed it. Despite this, her appearances are sporadic, as she spends most of her time hybernating to preserve her power for when it really needs to be used. The last time she was seen was during Markadian II's campaign in the Savage North, although even then it was only from afar, as nobody saw her take part to the fight itself.

Erimanthus

A copper dragon who lives on his own small, private island in the middle of the Cambrian Bay. The island was given to him by Markadian I as payment for his help against Chargammon, on the condition that he kept living in it to protect the kingdom should Chargammon ever leave his retreat and decide to bother Talingarde. Being a scholar of the planes, the dragon isn't always on the island, but he's there often enough to mantain his side of the deal, while using it as a base to store the extensive result of his researches and extraplanar journeys.

Agorassian

The son of Antharia Regina, Agorassian is the most active dragon in Talingarde, having a constant spot on the king's court in Matharyn as a knowledgeable expert on various arcane matters. Despite being a known personality, he often leaves the court to explore any interesting arcane events that draw his interest, disappearing for months as a time; in these excursions, he often takes time to capture any criminals or villains he stumbles across. This, combined with Mythra draconic nature, makes Agorassian a welcome and beloved sight for commoner across Talingarde wherever he happens to show up.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:19, Sat 06 Apr 2019.

Pact of Thorns

Under the Authority of Mighty Asmodeus, First Among The Fallen, Ruler of all Devils, Lord of the Nine Hells, Master of All Laws, Prince of Darkness, our Father Below (hereafter Asmodeus), a perpetual Compact is hereby made between the highest priest of Asmodeus in the land of Talingarde (hereafter the Master), title currently belonging to the Cardinal Adrastus Thorn, and those who would be bound to his goals and ambitions as the Nessian Knot (hereafter the Bound), as identified by their signature at the end of this contract.

Both the Master and the Bound surrender their souls to Asmodeus' custody should they break the terms of this contract in act or intention, to be effective from the moment of said breach; in exchange for this guarantee offered by Asmodeus, they remit said souls to Asmodeus upon their death, as determined by the moment their souls are no longer bound to a material body existing separatedly outside of the nine hells.

The function of this compact is to advance the goals outlined in the terms for as long as the compact between the Master and the Bound lasts.

Term #1 - Increase Asmodeus' glory and power

The Bound and the Master both shall act so that their every success brings greater worship and glory to Asmodeus; should they willingly take actions meant to lessen the greatness of Asmodeus, they shall be found in breach of the contract.

Term #2 - Obedience

The Bound shall respect and follow all orders and commands they shall receive from the Master, so long as those orders and commands would not go against one of the other terms of this contract; in turn, the Master shall not give orders or commands to the Bound that would go against any of the other terms of this contract.

Term #3 - Cooperation

The Bound and the Master both shall not take any action, nor directly refuse to act, if said action or refusal would cause harm of any sort to the body or free will of the Master or any of the Bound; an exception is granted for such situation where both the giver and receiver of the harm agree of their own free will and without cohercion to it being administered - such as in the situation outlined in term #4.

Term #4 - Loyalty

The Bound agree, in case of failure in successfully achieving a desired goal requested by the Master, to receive punishment of a commeasurate nature to the measure of their failure. In exchange, the Master agrees, upon successful completion by part of the Bound of a desired goal requested by the Master, to compensate the Bound in a manner appropriate to the measure of said success, within the limits of the resource and capabilities available to the Master. As for the stipulation in term #3, the Master and the Bound must agree on the proper measurement of said success or failure; said agreement can be reached at the time the goal is determined, rather then upon its success or failure, if so desired.

Term #5 - Ambition

The Master and the Bound both shall agree to work so as to increase the power and prestige of both themselves and each other, and strive for greatness and might in all things.

Thus it is written, and thus it shall be, by the will of Asmodeus.

By signing of our own free will, we swear to being of sound mind and to always uphold this compact to the limit of our abilities, regardless of tribulations or dangers.

A list of all the NPCs of any significance the group has either met or heard of in the town of Balentyne so far. Count Havelin and Lady Erika aren't here because they're already in the list of celebrities who everybody would know about. More information (either about the characters already here or about characters not yet on the list) will be added as the group finds out more.

- TOWER -

Father Akares Donnigan
(Kobold, age: 70+)
The Chaplain of the Tower Balentyne, and the chief religious authority of the area. According to anybody who's spoken about him, Father Donnigan is a kind person with a great understanding and love for the people in his care. Due to his duties, he rarely leaves the Tower, only visiting the town once a month, but the people still greatly respect him and look forward to his visits. Also, despite his quite advanced age (a 70 years old Kobold is the equivalent of a 120 years old Human), he still retains the great majority of his wits and his body is only somewhat weakened, to the point that many townfolks consider him uncommonly blessed by Mythra, which naturally enhance the respect he's given.

Brother Ekkhard Roth
(Human, age: 27)
The son of Vera and Ludger Roth, as well as the assistant to Father Donnigan and an ordained Cleric of Mythra. This would make him the second highest ranked member of the church in the area, and according to most, that's a good assessment, as he's known to be more skilled than any of Donnigan's other Acolytes. According to his mother, he's the best man to ever leave, a peerless example of the perfect son, full of virtue and lacking in sin, but she might be just a tiny bit biased. What seems more certain is that he acts as a go-between for Father Donnigan, coming to town once a week to provide support, bridging the gap between Father Donnigan's monthly visits and brother Travismere's daily work.

Captain Samantha Barhold
(Half-Orc, age: 54)
One of the four Captain of the troops guarding the Tower Balentine, she's the one who has been in service the longest, which makes her something of the Tower's second-in-command in military matters. She's known to have recently had a fight with her brother about wines, although details are scarce.

Knight Captain Franz Mott
(Human, age: 38)
Reportedly a dour, ugly and harsh man, but also an anointed knight and, reportedly, the most deadly fighter in town outside of Count Havelin himself. He's also known to have a temper and be very particular about what he consider an insult to his honor worth responding to with violence. Most people are just politely distant when interacting with him, which seems to suit him just fine.

Captain Leha Varning
(Tiefling, age: 27)
According to rumors, a very dutiful and dedicated soldier who strives to prove her commitment to Mythra and the town by running constant patrols, as the head of the Tower's rangers. This earns her a lot of respect as one of those Tieflings who rose above their base nature. Apparently, she's also a very experienced jouster, having won a winter tournament in Ambryl some months ago. Outside of being a dear friend of Ekkhard Roth, she's not known to have much of a social life, apparently seeing her work as her primary preoccupation, although some people have surmised that a love for the outdoors might contribute to her being so often patrolling the countryside instead of staying put at the tower. Recently recovered from a strong fever.

Captain Zacharias Eddarly
(Half-Elf, age: 22)
According to rumors, the most handsome, noble and gallant man in the town. With such skill, talent and good looks, many expected him to have sought, or have been sought for, marriage with some of the noblewomen from the Borderlands, but this has not happened; and it seems the reason for that is that he's in a star-crossed lovers relationship with somebody who can't yet publicly return his love.

Lady Moira Tafker
(Half-Elf, age: 28)
The spellcaster assigned to the Tower Balentyne. According to the rumors circulating among the town people and soldiers, she's a dangerous witch who rarely leaves her apartments; according to Scaramian, she's a perfectly nice woman who also happen to be an enchantress far more powerful than himself, at least in the Wizard's own opinion. Also according to Scaramian, she became fast friend with Tera Carwen once the Alchemist showed up in town, and will sometimes visit her, the only times she's known to ever leave her chambers in the Tower.

Martin Rayard
(Human, age: 41)
The man in charge of the Tower's rookery; according to himself, he can talk to the crows there, which is why a number of people call him "mad". He's certainly eccentric enough for people to remark on it.

- TOWN -

Ashaia
(Tiefling, Age 40)
Born in Balentyne Town, Ashaia left it at the age of 13; as a result, while she has little knowledge of the most recent happenings of the town, she has some small level of personal knowledge about anybody who is over 30 years of age. She seems to hate the town for yet-to-be-explained reason, and returned to it along with the rest of the Nessian Knot in their mission to raze it to the ground.

Vera Roth
(Human, age: 63)
Married to Ludger Roth (she took her husband's surname in a show of respect and piousness), she's one of the most active people in the community, taking a role as supervisor of the shelter and distributing alms to those in need, in addition to her actual work as a gardener who sells flowers for a living. She seems to know a lot about everybody, and has a lot of very strong ideas about how people should behave and what is proper, which she will speak of at length if given the chance. The only other thing she seems to speak at length about is her soon Ekkhard, which she describes as pretty much perfect in every way; she's very proud of his achievements and clearly loves him dearly.

Justin Travismere
(Human, age: 45)
A tall and thin man with a balding head and a nervous manner, Travismere is the person that has been put in charge of watching over the Church by Father Donnigan while he's not in town. He runs things and acts as a caretaker for both the church itself and the connected graveyard and homeless shelter, as well as a councilor of sorts for people who are having trouble of a religious nature. While most of the township seems to think the graveyard hunted, his reactions indicates that whatever's going on with the place is something he has at least some knowledge and, importantly, isn't worried about. He also seems to help people who need it find jobs, and seems otherwise quite happy with carrying out his tasks and helping people in general.

Thomas Black
(Human, age: 41)
Proprietor of the Black Brewery and every bee farm in Balentyne, which makes him one of the richest and most influential man in town; he's also physically impressive, being almost as tall and muscular as Adrika's human disguise, and with curly black hairs and beard that make him look bigger. He seems to have some sort of grudge with Vera Roth, who appears to dislike him equally.

Bellam Barhold
(Half-Orc, age: 50)
Owner of "The Lord's Dalliance", the only inn in town, he's a portly individual with a jolly personality and disposition; he seems to be very friendly and amicable to his clients, and very obsequious towards the nobility. He's married to a human woman named Alicia, a plump woman with blonde hairs in her mid-thirties, and their daughter (a green skinned girl with golden hairs) works in the inn as a maid. He's also reportedly known to have recently had a fight with his sister about wines, although details are scarce.

Dominik Vallison
(Human, age: 48)
The town's Reeve, in charge of maintaining order in town on behalf of Count Havelin, as well as dealing with the buying and selling of houses. He spend some years in his youth studying at one of Gasternhall's universities, and there he got an appreciation for the value of trained soldierly, which is why, once he was elected Reeve, he reached for a handful of mercenaries to train and command the otherwise shoddy militia that acts as a security force for the town.

Mama Giuseppe
(Human, age: 82)
An old woman who visits the Tower Balentyne every Fireday to prepare her apparently very good soup for the soldiers there. She often works at the shelter on other days of the week, but not always.

Edit & Jasper Iverson
(Human, age: 75 & 73)
An old couple who works as servants at the Balentyne Tower; apparently, they leave early in the morning before dawn, and return well after sunset at night, making it difficult for people to keep track of when they're home and when they're not. They're only in town during Sundays.

Kaytlin Moss
(Human, age: 26)
Reportedly the most beautiful woman in town, married to the knight whom surname she took. While the dream of many, she is known as a pious woman of meek character, as well as one who clearly enjoys the benefits and riches that comes from being married to a knight, even if reportedly Mott is quite cold with her. She seems to keep herself happy by making friends with the township's notables, and she likes to entertain people by inviting them to her beautiful house to show off, something known enough that anybody from the Tower who's visiting the town will find the time to visit her, if they have time.

The Morgensterns
(Kobolds of various ages)
A group of kobolds who run the town's general store as a family business.

Rita Von Kraig
(Half-Orc, age 56)
A rude, direct woman who's primarily focused on her job as Balentyne's lone blacksmith. She's currently employing Adrika as a chore girl, but didn't pay to her any special attention.

Jacob Scaramian
(Human, age: 55)
A wizard from Matharyn, he left the big city to live in Balentyne about ten years ago. He has a book shop, but apparently doesn't really makes much profit out of it, instead using the place as a school of sorts where he offers free lessons to the local kids. While likely independently wealthy, he also offers his spellcasting services, including to the Tower, and sells magical scrolls to those who can afford them.

Tera Carwen
(Human, age: 33)
Alchemist who arrived in town two years ago; apparently friend with Lady Tafker from the Tower. Also known to be always searching taste-testers for her experimental potions; the job pays handsomely, but it will often leave those who try doing it bedridden for weeks at a time.

Barnabus Eisenbauch
(Dwarf, age: 58)
The leader of a dwarfish crew of builders and engineers that has been hired to do some maintenance and improvement work on the Tower Balentyne.  He's also very protective of the secrets his profession, as they're the livelihood of his clan, which is further compounded by his deep dislike for non-dwarves in general and humans in specific to give him a very abrasive attitude. His only real weakness is his love for drinking.

Also, as additional information that will come in handy for some of you (Carver, for example, who is a Tiefling), long lived species like Tiefling and Half-Elf don't have a long infancy to match their long lives; instead, they'll develop the same as humans up until they're a given age, and then their aging will slow down to a fraction of what a human would have. For Tieflings, they develop normally until they're 15, then they age at half speed (so Ashaia, for example, is 15 + 25/2 = 15 + 12.5, making Ashaia the equivalent of a 27 year old), while Half-Elves age normally until 25, and then age at a fifth of the speed (so Cetaen, who is also 40, is actually the equivalent of a 28 year old).

Other long-lived species might age at different rates, but they're not relevant right now; I just thought this was something important enough to make a note of it where everybody can check easily.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:50, Tue 07 Dec 2021.

With Ashaia's check of the bounty posters, we now have the entirety of the team's current bounties, so I'm putting them here, to make discussions about them easier. I will be upgrading them as the game goes on, should you do anything that makes yourself more infamous (no chance of that happening, I'm sure).

For reference, 1 gp = 150 €; also, 1 gp = 10 sp and 1 sp = 10 cp, which means 1 gp = 100 cp, and so 1 cp = 1.5 €, which hopefully makes the values here clearer. Also, for the members of the team who prefer oversea currency, 1 € = 1.13 $, meaning that 1 cp = 1.7 $, and 1 gp = 170 $, with all other conversions flowing from there.

Anyway, bounties, starting with the current PC, in order from most to least:

Carmen Gorgon: 2500 gp, dead or alive
Ashaia Roth: 500 gp, +300 gp alive, +1550 with sword = 2350 gp total
Carver Merling: 500 gp, +1000 gp alive = 1500 gp total
Lilah "the Rose": 600 gp, +600 gp alive = 1200 gp total
Nothing: 200 gp, +1000 gp alive = 1200 gp total
Adrika: 700 gp, +100 gp alive = 800 gp total

Next, the NPCs, with those who aren't currently part of the knot marked in red.

Walder Ghale "the Wild Gale": 5000 gp, dead or alive
Dryssa Vernera: 3500 gp, dead only
Shaela Vaz: 1000 gp, dead or alive
Cetaen: 500 gp, +200 gp alive = 700 gp total
Erick Dockman: 500 gp, +200 gp alive = 700 gp total
Grumblejack: 500 gp dead or alive

I hope this reference note will be useful!