Halflings and other little people are looked down upon by humans. But they are ofter overlooked as well.
Hobotten is the seat of the griffon knights and has a large human population and a “human first” government.
Seal of Griffon knights needed to declare new leader to lead the griffon knights.
Magic can be stolen from spirits but this path of magic is fraught with perils because the spirits are vengeful and all spirits know who have stolen from any of them.
Phandelver has experienced orcish attacks and formed a Militia to protect against further attacks.
“Why is it that a band of halflings is so eager to leave a bustling metropolis like Hobboton to head to the relative backwaters of Phandalin?
Burden felt a disturbance in the spirits that direction
Ursa ran out of bars that would let her drink in Hobotton.
Rosie got a letter asking for help from a friend in Phandalin.
Who do you know in the town of Phandalin that told you that the town is growing and that there was a growing halfling community?
Ursa heard that a halfing runs the main inn in town.
Rosie - got letter from Clint, a contact that had helped her out in the past, but her responses letters have been unanswered so she is interested in finding out what is up with him.
A mage (Iarno Albreck) was discharged from the Griffon knights a few months ago after becoming embroiled in a political incident. What was that incident and how are you involved?
He lost the seal of griffin knights. He was charged with escorting the important relics when Bludo lifted the seal of the griffon knights from him leading to his ouster from the order. Bludo stole this seal from him as it was clearly valuable.
You heard a legend of something called the forge of souls known to be in this area. What was it you heard about it?
Rosie heard a song about it
Burden heard rumors that it would help him bind the spirits more effectively
Abe know that it a source of power
How do you know the recently retired griffin knight (Sildar) that is employed as bodyguard by Gundrin Rockseeker and why did he recommend you as caravan guard to his new employer?
Ursa was flying around as a griffin and befriended him
What desperate situation made you accept this job escorting a wagon of goods to the armpit of nowhere for a pittance of money?
Bludo needs to go somewhere to cool his heels after getting all the Griffon knights looking for him.
There is a druid (Reidoth) that lives around Phandelver that you once had a run in with long ago, what was that about?
Ursa was in a fight with him because lived in town and helped them fix issues she had caused. She is more of an anarchic environmentalist while he is more like a small town handyman.
Someone gave you a gift before you left on this adventure. Roll+CHA and tell us how much they love you. On a 10+ pick two heirlooms, on a 7-9 pick one. On a miss, well, good intentions count for something, right?
A vial of antivenom
A mirror that lets you whisper sweet nothings to your lover in moonlight.
SELECTED - A rusted old key in the shape of a lizard from a place their family had in Thundertree since you were going that way.
Before you set off you got really drunk and made an ill conceived bet with a priest. Roll+WIS and On a 10+ you are safe from repercussions, on a 7-9 pick one. On a miss, select two.
SUCCESS, NO CONSEQUENCES
You have sworn not to sleep until you sacrifice something meaningful to earn the rite of oblivion.
You follow a dark god that attempts to tempt you further into its service.
You have sworn an oath, what is this oath and how does it restrict you?
There is something about your past that you are trying to keep hidden lest your enemies find you. Roll + CHA. On a 10+ add three wealth, on a 7-9 add one. On a miss, you were able to grab nothing and your enemies were hot on your heels. Who is hunting you and why?
You can use a charge of wealth to describe an item you give away to throw money at a problem. Roll +CHA. On success you lose nothing as your family name was enough to get you what you wanted. On partial success your offering is accepted. On a failure your remaining wealth is no longer good here as your enemies have put the word out and will be here soon.
Character races are not as constrained as the character sheets imply.
Don't worry about the rules, worry about the fiction. Describe your actions like you are watching a movie and the rolls will come from the story. But do not roll without permission. Characters have died from triggering unnecessary rolls and generating additional threats when none were needed.
We will slowly replace Bonds / Alignment with Drives. We start by writing bonds/relationships with other players to describe motivations, and relationships but evolve them into statements of what is driving your character. These give me goals to explore and also may make it easier to pull in character story bits into the game and will evolve over time. Example a drive that starts as "I am an apprentice Weaponsmith under master smith Derrick Upgood" may become "I will surpass my master to restore our Smithy's honor" and could eventually become "I will learn to create the lost weapons of yore to help save the town from the encroaching Orcish threat"
Stole his energy from spirits to become a wizard and the spirits want it back. Protected by a charm from vengeful spirits.
Bond - Bludo
Bludo is keeping an important secret from me.
Bludo took my amulet and it is causing me problems with my magic
Bond - Rosie
Rosie will play an important part in events to come.
Has no audience anymore. First performed on a table at an inn.
Bond - Bludo
Bludo was my rodie back when I still used to play in bars
Bond - Ursa
I sang songs about Ursa long before i met them.
Ursa destroys bars and causes chaos wherever she goes
Bond - Pendleton
Pendleton is often the butt of my jokes.
Hails from Mountains wants civilization to return to harmony with the land
Bond - Abe
Spirits told me that a great danger is hunting Abe
Bond - Burden
I taught Burden a rite of the land.
Bond Pendleton
Pendleton smells more like prey than a hunter
Pendleton needs my protection
I have Pendleton's back
Channel via channeling spirits. Spirits want to get out. Only the right ones should. Self taught at channeling through pain and suffering. Lost many fingers and toes and is quite misfigured from the process. Still carry millstone as a reminder of his burden. It is as much as he can bear.
Bond - Abe
Abe is wary of my power for good reason
Bond - Pendleton doesn't respect the spirits I represent
Clumsy brute for halfing. 4'2" Comes from the Shire. Far away. Trained in the use of Oil of taggit - sleeping potion. Won’t steal from halfling - only big folk. Has signet ring he stole from a wizard in the Griffon knights in Hobotten.
Bond - stole a protection amulet from Abe
Bond - Rosie
Rosie knows something incriminating about me.
Rosie knows I stole the Sigil of the Griffon Knights
Rosie expects me to help her out in return for keeping quiet
Has oversized metal gauntlets. If he closes with you you have danger a foot.
Bond - Abe
I swore to protect Abe
Bond - Ursa
Ursa is soft and I will make her hard like me.
Gundren Rockseeker - AKA the employer. Now rotting in the back of a wagon with a couple redbrands. Some of whom are still alive.
Tharden Rockseeker - The eldest Rockseeker brother.
Gundren Rockseeker - AKA the employer. Now rotting in the back of a wagon with a couple redbrands. Some of whom are still alive.
Nundro Rockseeker - The youngest rockseeker brother
Pox - snot nosed kid. Punk. Pugnacious Stole the sigil of the Griffon Knights from a redbrand sergeant.
Maddie - former inn scullion now halfling inn manager. Gregarious but driven. Marvelous maker of muffins. Runs the inn
Frunk - half orc inn "owner" and partner and protector to Maddie and her friends keeping Redbrands ruffians away from the inn. Former prospector and a horrible cook. Bit of a bruiser but has a soft spot for folks in need. Enjoys petting Ursa's fuzzy bear belly when she passes out from drinking too much hard cider.
Titan (GOD) - god of growth empire and industry. "Might makes right"
Nature (GOD) - The essence of all living thing that surrounds us and flows through all of us except when technology damages the flow and breaks the bond between man and land.
Sildar Hallwinter - Gundren's Bodyguard and acquaintence of Ursa. Retired from the Griffon Knights.
Iarno Albreck - mage who was carrying the seal of the griffon knights when it was stolen. Discharged in disgrace. Apparently had rod of the Knights before it was in goblin hands.
Reidoth - Druid who has had arguments with Ursa before over his love of comfort and townships.
Theri Diidae - southern Belle seen skulking around on building roofs. Was able to see invisible when she is not in sunlight. She has lilac perfume and is wearing the Sigil of the Griffon Knights.
HQ of the griffon knights. Mostly human. Racist "human first" government currently in power.
Quiet backwater where the little people live mostly undisturbed. Homeland of Bludo.
Old abandoned town near Phandelver. Abe has a key to a place in the town center, The town was abandoned around when Phandelver fell to the orcs of Wyvern Torr as people fled to Hobotten for protection.
(frontier town) - Used to be more significant but then fell on hard times. Rumor is it is growing again and welcoming to little folks like the refugees form Hobotten.
Tags : Poor, Growing, Garrison, Oath [Support:Frontier, Support:Fort Tahaco], Market, Guild [???], Diverse:[Elvish,Dwarvish,Goblin], Lawless, Need [Food]
Prosperity: Poor
Population: Growing
Defenses: Militia – Redbrands
Tags : Lawless
Needs: Food
Other:
Resources: apples, fur, and lumber.
Trade: Hobotten
Enmity: Orcs of Wyvern Torr
History: Once prosperous due to its pact with the Phandelver Dwarves and their goods. The city was sacked by orcs and the dwarves were decimated and their famed forges lost leading to the destitution of this once great town. Rumors of riches in the hills around town have started a new population boom but many of those attracted to the area are opportunists and scoundrels.
Potion stolen from bugbear leader of Goblin bandits.
Rod of the Griffon knights - tied in some way to the sigil of the griffon knights.
Sigil of Griffon knights. Required to make official the new head of the order of griffon knights.