OOC Thread

In Search of Adventure
A B/X D&D adventure for six 1st level characters

You have come to Threshold hoping to find fortune and glory (or perhaps for a greater calling). Drawn by the promise of adventure, you have come here from around the Known World. Who can say what you will undergo in your quest, but your hopes and dreams lie ahead.

Karameikos:
The Duchy of Karameikos came into being when Duke Stefan Karameikos III of the Thyatian Empire traded his ancestral lands for control of a wild border region west of the Empire known as Tralandara. For the last 30 years, he has been trying to develop it into a modem nation. Much wilderness remains.

The population of the country is divided between the Traladaran natives, who form the bulk of the population; Thyatian nobility, who emigrated to the Duchy with the Duke; and small communities of friendly demihumans: dwarves, gnomes, elves, and halflings. Internal threats include tribes of humanoid monsters (goblins, hobgoblins, orcs, and bugbears) and the rebellious Baron Ludwig von
Hendriks, who controls an area of the Duchy known as the Black Eagle Barony.

Other important factions in the Duchy include:
Churches: The Church of Karameikos is the favored church of the nobility, similar to religious institutions of late medieval times. The Church of Traladara is the favored church of the natives, similar to religious institutions of early medieval times. The Cult of Halav is a fringe group that believes Stefan Karameikos is the reincarnation of an ancient hero who will restore the lost glory ofTraladara. The Order of the Griffon is a military order open to fighters and clerics that supports the Church of Karameikos.

Thieves' Guilds: Most thieves are independent. The Kingdom of the Thieves is strong in Specularum. It is for thieves specializing in complex burglaries. The Iron Ring is a secret society of slavers and assassins that is very widespread.

Taxes and Tithes: Four times a year, a 25% tax is levied on everyone in Karameikos by the Duke. Sales taxes run 5%, merchants pay 1% on all valuable cargoes. Clerics are expected to tithe 10% to the church, and many give more. This may seem harsh, but that is what pays for the military and for developing the Duchy.

ln the official coinage of Karameikos, a copper piece is a kopec, a silver piece is called a crona, and a gold piece is a royal.

Threshold:
Threshold is a logging community of about 5000, ably ruled by Sherlane Halaran, baron and Patriarch of the Church. The town is large for its population, filled with widely-spaced homes surrounded by vegetable gardens and livestock pens.

Local points of interest include:
Town Hall: This is a very large building in the center of town, used for confiscated weapon storage, town meetings, public declarations, trials, and entertainments.

Fogor Isle: This island is on the seamy side of town; it is not patrolled at night. On the north end of the island is the blackened ruin of the Old Mill, burned 15 years ago. The ruin often becomes infested by giant insects and must be cleaned out periodically.

Tamskeep: Baron Halaran's castle is a small, sturdy fortress, just north of town. It has a curtain wall, four towers, and a large manor house.

Dam and Weir: The dam keeps large boats from traveling upriver. The weir can be opened to allow lumber to be floated downstream.

Logging Camp: Most of the logs cut locally are floated downriver to Specularum, where they are used for building, ship construction, and so on.

Ruins: North of Threshold, on the west shore of the lake, are the quiet ruins of an ancient town where no one ventures.

Town Law: Threshold is usually peaceful, and its citizens want to keep it that way! Within town limits, no weapons other than daggers, swords, and staves may be carried. Other weapons must be turned in and will be kept in the town hall, to be returned when the owner leaves. Wearing armor, while not illegal, will result in repeated questioning of those not obviously arriving or leaving town. No public casting of arcane spells is allowed, and penalties for causing property damage or injury with magic are severe. The laws are enforced by the town guard. Most visitors mind their manners while in town--few places on this frontier can match the services provided by Threshold.

Inns: Threshold has many inns. Rates vary, but private adventurer lodgings average about 10 gp per week, including meals, while sleeping in the common room averages 1 sp per night.

Merchants: Most characters will already have equipment when they enter Threshold. For those who don't, many individual merchants sell their wares in Threshold, and trade with Specularum is lively.

Items imported into Threshold cost 100-200% of the list price, including metal armor/weapons, warhorses, and other trained animals, oils, exotic cloth, glassware, metal goods (locks, etc.), parchments and inks, wines, and ales. Magics, rarely available, are sold by private individuals; there are no magic shops. Merchants usually pay no more than half the value of an item brought in for sale by adventurers if they are interested at all. Ships other than rafts must be ordered in Specularu.m and brought upriver.

Thieves' Guild: Neutral thief characters can join the Thieves' Guild (part of the Kingdom of Thieves), which offers certain advantages: fairly trouble-free fencing of goods, some expedition backing, and other services, for which the thief is expected to turn over 15% of his or her income. Although most of the thieves in Karameikos arc independents, thieves who operate in town without
guild consent might run afoul of the guild as well as the town guard.

Training: Although magic-users are rare. at least two or three teachers are available in Threshold. These mages can also serve as expedition backers. Most other class-related special training is available here also.

The Church: The Church provides needed support for adventurers and is most important as a source of aid when the characters are badly wounded or find cursed items. The church may occasionally sponsor major expeditions. Clerical aid for those not in good standing is usually more: expensive, when available.

Banking: The standard fee for money-changing (including exchanging gems or jewelry for coins) is 10%. Funds can be stored without charge if they are left at least one month, otherwise, there is a 10% charge. Borrowing more than the most trifling amount (5 gp) requires the individual to put up an item of at least double value until the loan is repaid.

About Me: My name is John and I have been gaming (and GMing) since 1978. I usually check in once a day and I typically post as often as the players do, but it must be noted that my wife is blind and I am her eyes. I do all the driving, most of the cooking, and read and take dictation for her emails. She will always come first, so there may be days when I cannot post for a day or so at a time. This will seldom be more than a one- or two-day gap and I will inform you if it will be longer.

Character Creation Rules:
Characters will be generated in the recruitment thread using 3d6 (reroll 1s), assigning the attributes as desired. You receive max hit points at 1st level, roll for your gold (3d6) in-thread. Any alignment is permitted, but remember that this is a frontier and chaotic characters should at least pretend to behave themselves or risk becoming outlaws (or worse).

Play Style:
1. This game is going to be a mix of action scenes and dramatic scenes that will take place between delves. Expect both role-playing and roll-playing.

2. I will use maps to track the characters' progress.

3. The IC thread should be reserved for the story only. All other conversation is relegated to the OOC thread.

4. I will try to update three times a week, so long as the players can keep that pace. What I expect from my players is to be in it for the long haul and not to abandon me after a few moves.

How to Apply:
Make a post in this thread with the following:
1. A brief description of your character. Character portraits are fine, but I want a little detail as well (to include class, alignment, and any details you think are pertinent).

2. You may draw upon any of the Gazetteer (GAZ) series in developing your characters, or you may choose to stick to the basic rulebook. I leave the choice up to you. You may not use the PC series of books.

3. The Basic rulebook (available here) is necessary to play in this campaign. All other materials are optional, though you may wish to acquire the Expert Rulebook. For reference, the gazetteer series includes:

GAZ1 The Grand Duchy of Karameikos
GAZ2 The Emirates of Ylaruam
GAZ3 The Principalities of Glantri
GAZ4 The Kingdom of Ierendi
GAZ5 The Elves of Alfheim
GAZ6 The Dwarves of Rockhome
GAZ7 The Northern Reaches
GAZ8 The Five Shires
GAZ9 The Minrothad Guilds
GAZ10 The Orcs of Thar
GAZ11 The Republic of Darokin
GAZ12 The Golden Khan of Ethengar
GAZ13 The Shadow Elves
GAZ14 The Atruaghin Clans
Dawn of the Emperors

If you have questions, post them here. I'll leave this open to applications for about a week. Once I have decided which characters/players I think will be the best fit, I'll send out game invitations with a link to the forum.