Donnies Xeph Campaign


The name of the Xeph outpost the group starts in bears the name Kurush. Having read a bit about the Xeph, refreshing that information just now, the party holds the role of a group who have decided to set out to explore the world together. Wanderlust holds a great deal of respect in Xeph society, seeing as how the Xeph as a race have chosen Farlanghan as their patron deity. The party has no set destination, hence the term WANDERlust. However, nearby to the west lies a hodgepodge kingdom of humans and many Xeph begin their adventures there as it has always been a place of great strife.

The Xeph outpost does have some problems locally with some denizens of the underdark, the members hearing some talk of dueargar in the area. As a result the entire outpost of late has been in a flurry of activity since all know the only semi-local duergar are ruled over by mindflayers.

Perhaps instead of setting out to see the world and discover new sights the party will decide to stay local, assisting their own home against a possible duergar-illithid force.

Kurush Outpost(Hamlet)

Gold piece limit 200

Community Wealth 3500

Population (Isolated)

92% Xeph 322

3% Human 10.5

5% Other 17.5

Power Centers

Appointed Mayor

Allied with Military Commander

Distrusts Ogre Tribe

Military Commander

Allied with Mayor

Distrusts Ogre Tribe

Ogre Tribe

Extorts Mayor

Hates Military

The military commander is a retired Xeph general, named Asseem, who holds great influence with the local populace and has many connections with the overall power structure in the kingdom that Kurush falls under. While he technically holds no direct authority his connections and reputation make him a power center. Entirely my fault for labeling him a military commander, he is technically an aristocratic power center since he no longer holds any direct command.

The Mayor, a Xeph named Goron, holds the honor of being the representative of the afformentioned kingdom that Kurush falls under, the Xeph kingdom of Alesage. While the Mayor holds all the direct power in Kurush he heeds closely the counsel of Asseem. Also the Mayor works hard to keep the Kingdom of Alesage out of the affairs of Kurush, hence his decision to pay the ogres rather than call in the military. Kurush's independence keeps the Alesage tax collectors at bay, an arrangement that everyone in Kurush enjoys.

The ogre tribe, who bear the name Skullsmashers, are a large tribe that live in the nearby area. They represent a non-traditional, or monstrous, power-center that holds indirect influence over Kurush. They are lorded over by an unusually intelligent ogre that many claim is actually a half-ogre. He decided to extort the town in return for keeping his ogres in line and out of the town's affairs. I believe I have applied this type of power center correctly as described in the DMG, however I am open to reinterpretation if I have deviated incredibly from the actual way it is meant to work.

Kurush came into being as a mining outpost, however the mine ran out within only a few years of being opened. Kurush now serves the role of a way station on a trade route with the hodgepodge of kingdoms to the west. This would place the bulk of the kingdom of Alesage to the east. The kingdoms to the west are a chaotic bunch and trade with them is often considered unreliable. The people who continue to inhabit Kurush have mostly come to enjoy the independence they receive by being so far from the bulk of the government.

If the gold piece limit leaves a horrible taste in the mouths of the players we can easily house rule it to no limit. Though the traders passing through are infrequent they tend to be wealthy, so it wouldn't be an incredible stretch to say there is much more wealth in Kurush than a typical Hamlet (which is the DMG entry I'm using for an outpost). Or the players can just leave. I am already aware that too much preparation on my part will only lead to frustration so I try to remain flexible. Just thought I would post a few details.

So a portion of the other in the population are ogres who have taken up with the xephs of the outpost. However, the bulk of the Skullsmashers are still thoroughly evil just far more lawful than a typical bunch of ogres. So long as the money they extort from the Mayor arrives promptly there are no problems.

The ogres who have taken up in Kurush serve the role of muscle for the locals for the most part. However, all the ogres are part of the militia and one holds the full-time position of a guard. I think I'll place the number of ogres in Kurush at ten. I'm aware that this throws the numbers off from the formula found in the DMG for determining the number of militia but who cares. Also the full-time ogre guard exceeds the number of full-time guards by one. Actually, he holds the honorary title of Captain of the Guard and the people all address him as Captain. At this point he has actually forgotten his original name and will only answer to Captain.