Tales from the Hearth Wiki

Adventures in Land's End
Welcome to the wiki. We’re a collaborative community website about your topic that anyone, including you, can edit. Click the edit button at the top of any page to get started! This is West Marches style campaign set in the land of Aityr. The wiki will endeavor to organize the characters, player and otherwise, and their adventures within. This wiki will largely address roleplaying accounts and summaries, not mechanics. If you have a question about whether something is appropriate, ask in the discussions tab. This wiki is a reference; the authoritative accounts and bookkeeping will continue to be hosted on Roll20.

What is “Land’s End”?
Land’s End is an unremarkable, dwindling coastal city that just so happens to be the focal point of this adventure. A fishing town, Land’s End is said to have in years long past been a busy point of commerce between Orcs, Dwarves, High Elves and Tieflings. Those days are long gone and in the time since the city has withered. Beset on all sides by the “Curse,” travel to and from Land’s End is rare beyond the occasional Orcish Legion patrol and the rare lost ship or group of Tiefling adventurers coming from the far North.

Home to just over 300, Land’s End harbors mostly farmers and fishers now, wanting greatly for quality merchants and artisans. The city is ruled by a Sheriff who runs for election every eight years. The town Sheriff handles all lawful disputes, makes decisions for the town, and is responsible for keeping the town safe. The current  Sheriff  is  Orland, an elderly human paladin who wears faded purple armor and wields a greatsword called  Ex Parte. Most people regard him as fair and wise, albeit conservative.

The local Inn, “ Sleeping Sickness ,” is run by another greybeard people call  Simon the Historian. Many claim he hails from the faraway lands of Asherdale and used to be a renowned author. He now lives in seclusion, but is well liked for his stories. He makes by despite the lack of regular guests by selling books to those who can afford them.

The town also houses a tavern, which some say used to be a  guild hall  for some faction or another, back when such groups were common. Its halls are long empty and its mugs are long dry, sadly, as what wheat the townspeople do grow is saved very stingily on orders from Orland.

Beyond that there are few buildings of note. A merchant’s alley which used to thrive is now an empty string of vacant shops. Many residential buildings that used to house blooming families are home to lonely widows or no one at all. Some are even home to vagabonds or worse.

Suffice to say, the city does not have a promising future. But that is where you come in. Too small a band to even call yourselves an adventuring guild, you together met at the large table in the center of Sleeping Sickness, and over a pint of ale decided you wanted more for yourselves than what this small town you all happen to live in has to offer you. Each perhaps for his own reasons has decided to band together in common purpose. Rumors have begun to stir: nearby goblins have become more aggressive, more desperate; cultists have stolen away the blacksmith’s daughter; a strange count who lives near town is closely connected to a string of disappearances. It is like you have suddenly woken from a dream, realizing that if you are going to make something of yourselves, the time to start is now. Taking a knife, you carve on the large wooden table a map of the city and the surrounding area, then decide where to start.

What is “Aityr”?
"“ The DEVIL has been placed in shackles, but he does not suffer them silently. Tied to our plane as punishment, he has endured an insufferable humiliation. Imagine near infinite power, and beyond infinite rage… with nothing other than the souls of men to release your frustrations upon. Asmodeus is defeated, but it is we, poor children of Aityr, who are cursed .”"

"- Simon, the Historian"

The skalds sing that Moradin, god of creation, regretted his work almost as soon as he finished Aityr. He turned away from his newly formed world to the next project he would undertake, a plane inspired by the mistakes he made in building Aityr. He left only the shadow he cast behind in his wake, and many of the gods followed him on to his next world. Though abandoned by its creator, Aityr flourished in peace under the influence of the gods who stayed behind. That time was known as the “Pre-Curse” Era, during which the sun shone, the grass grew, disease was rare and water was plenty. Peace ended abruptly, though, when the evil god Asmodeus was banished from planes unknown by gods native to other worlds, and Aityr was chosen as his prison. What followed was an unprecedented age of anguish and ruin in Aityr. Asmodeus was trapped in this plane, but his power and will were still fully intact. The gods in their “infinite” wisdom saw just to seal him away from all other planes, but in doing so submitted Aityr to his unending cruelty. Since he arrived, Asmodeus set himself to the task of conquering and subjecting all of Aityr to his merciless reign. He started by destroying what existed of the Dwarven church of Moradin, leveling their walls, turning their cities to rubble, and burying even their roads. He then sealed off all of Aityr’s fonts of mana, making magic rare in the world, shriveling plants, drying up rivers, and filling the soil with thorns. He unseated the Orcish gods and used them for his plans, aiming to lay siege against every civilization on the planet. All these were child’s play for him, though, mere biding of time until he could discover a way to escape this world. But with so escape to find, he has settled for now to crush all who live in this world.

RELIGION
Religion is one of the “central tensions” of the world of Aityr. Most everyone knows the fable of Moradin’s creation of the world listed above, and that after he left, times were good until the evil Asmodeus arrived. This all happened long ago, so there are no humans around who actually remember the “good old days,” but everyone agrees that Asmodeus brought with him a terrible curse on the world. No one doubts his existence; the world is riddled with his fingerprints. The orcs and goblins of Aityr worship his orders and serve under his demonic lieutenants. Fiends, fey and other malignant abominations of his creation roam the lands not far from the beaten path. In the shadows and darker places adventurers tell campfire tales of creatures gargantuan in size and unsated in hunger. Legend speaks of a set of “mana fonts” Asmodeus seized when he came to Aityr, from which all good magic flowed into the world. Some say he sealed them off to capture their power; others say he did it just to watch the sun beams intensify, the plants shrivel, the streams weaken, and the thorns grow. Their locations are long forgotten as is any description of their true nature.

RACE
Every  race  is represented somewhere in Aityr, but free travel between sovereigns ended so long ago most people only know the names of the lands races come from, if that. Few know even the general direction such lands are located.
 * Dwarves  of Aityr are nearly extinct; their capital city was burned to the ground when Asmodeus arrived and set the Orc armies upon them. Those that still live refer to their former capital city as “ Morden’s Grave .” They call themselves “The Remnant,” and surprisingly enough, mostly worship Moradin, believing one day he will return to his creation to save it – this is merely a test of the faithful. Dwarves are mostly nomadic now and spread across the world, spending much of their time fleeing Asmodeus’ pursuit. There are few theories as to why Asmodeus sought out the Dwarves so specifically for destruction. But there is no question that he hates them above the other races. Some even conjecture they have dug underground to get away from him.
 * Elves  are from a mountainous region called the “Andals.” Their capital cities are  Falestasia ,  Andalia, and a place called the “ Nest ” for the  Draw ,  High  and  Wood Elves , respectively. They are all notoriously xenophobic races who have their own religious stories of the world’s creation which varies as much in form as substance from that which Dwarves, Humans, Gnomes and Halflings are taught. Some say they have fought back the darkness of Asmodeus to their own borders, constructing giant walls or barricades and that they live untouched by his curse. But most dismiss such as rumors and stories made to comfort hungry children.
 * Tieflings  hail from a capital city known for an incredibly high tower that juts from its center. They call it  Wing Tower  and it is said it can be seen for miles. Embroiled in a civil war that has waged for hundreds of years, Tieflings allegedly did nothing despite prior alliance with the Dwarven Kingdom when the Orc ships landed. For this reason most Dwarves resent tieflings in Aityr. Seen as cowards by the all but destroyed Dwarves, Tieflings were and possibly are still too busy with their own inner turmoil to address the state of decay around them.
 * Orcs, it is said, originate from a string of volcanic islands known now only as  Hell’s Throne . From there Asmodeus sits and rules over his pawns as he bides his time. The Orc Empire has spread far and wide, though, and controls most of the eastern lands. In fact, those who do travel by sea in these dark times often look to the shores for billowing Orc fires to see whether they’ve reached an eastern or western coast. Orcs are hateful, rude, arrogant, and smug. They hate most races and kill Dwarves on sight. Almost all of them belong to their namesake’s empire and those that don’t are outcasts. Orcs are most of all violent and live by the tenant that your superior is only as such until you can best him in combat.
 * Humans  are settled in an unremarkable kingdom to the West known as  Asherdale . There’s not much of interest to say about them other than that, besides Orcs, they are the most widespread and adventurous of the races. Their kingdoms are also the most known for trade, travel and political progress in these days. Sometimes it seems only humans believe there can be an end to Asmodeus and his reign of terror. They routinely work towards functioning roads and lines of commerce but have so far been unsuccessful in treating with other races.
 * Halflings  come from a small settlement called  Joyhill . It was more aptly named before the Curse. Halflings are friendly and hospitable, but as a race generally adverse to danger. They welcome travelers and will listen to their stories eagerly, but most prefer the stories to the experience of meeting Asmodeus’ minions face to face.
 * Gnomes  find their origin in the island nation of  Viridia . Their government is complex and the seas and obscure location have spared their civilization the brunt of the Curse. Curious and intelligent, Gnomes are said to have spent much time researching and investigating the events surrounding Asmodeus’ arrival and nature. While friendly, they are also secretive. Whatever knowledge they possess on the subject, and whether it can be used to shield against Asmodeus’ power, no one knows.
 * Dragonborn  are natives of a coastal kingdom called  Dragonpact . They worship the gods of good and evil, Bahamut and Tiamat. Little is known of their culture as they are not highly divulging on the matter and their books are written in draconic. Few have attempted to study them. They are regarded as a people of honor and integrity. While they may come across as gruff and they are easily offended, most assume a dragonborn’s first offer is fair. It is also likely his last offer. Dragonborn often smirk at the stories of Asmodeus; quick to balk at challenge or warning, they consider Asmodeus a foe unworthy to bemoan. “If he is so bad, why has he not assaulted the gates of Dragonpact? Because while a little extra sunlight might scare humans, it wouldn’t frighten even a dragonborn hatchling.”

POLITICS
Politics  in Aityr exist for the most part at the local level only. In capital cities counsels, emperors and voting bodies make decisions, but even in such places the rule of law extends no farther than the city gates. The influence of Asherdale, for example, slowly makes its way to the edge of human territories, but only in word. News spreads, albeit slowly. Most cities, big and small, are closer to city-states in that they rely on themselves for protection, food, and other resources. Outside of the several capital cities, most cities also contain some type of diversity. Most dragonborn, for example, know of Dragonpact from their parents and from stories. But very few born outside its gates have ever traveled to see what actually lies inside. For this reason, power and good information are largely localized. Factions too are limited to specific areas.

What is “West Marches”?
This DnD campaign will be run in what is called a “West Marches” style. Just what is that? Well, a good (but long) explanation can be found here. The shorter explanation is as follows:
 * Unlike a traditional campaign that follows a linear progression through a story written by the DM where players may travel through a sequence of set places and events, a West Marches game revolves around a central “hub city” from which the players venture out on episodic quests . Instead of a winding path, imagine a wheel-and-spokes structure to the story. If a normal DnD campaign is like Kingdom Hearts, West Marches is like Grand Theft Auto (I may regret that comparison. The takeaway is that instead of the DM prodding the party forward towards the places and things the DM wants the party to accomplish, the onus is on the players to organize themselves and seek out the adventures and objectives they are interested in. One party may be interested in investigating what the evil Asmodeus did to limit magic in the world and how it may be restored while another group may want to seek out allies and build the starting town into a kingdom with the aim of conquering the nearby Tiefling Empire. In a normal game the DM would try to steer the party back towards the objectives he has written as part of the story. In West Marches it is up to the players to decide what their objectives are.


 * Instead of a small party of 4-5 players, there is no upper limit to how many players can be in a West Marches campaign.  Typically this style involves 8-12 players . Of those party members, though, typically only 4-5 may show up for a particular quest night. This difference in game size creates a much more flexible group where one person not being available for game night does not derail the party’s plans (personally, as long as I’m free, I can run a normal session with as few as three players).
 * The typical DnD campaign involves a connected, civilized world where travel is safe for the most part. In West Marches, the wilderness is dangerous. Cities and towns are like points of light in a dark and chaotic world.  Outside the hub city walls no one is safe . Some consequences of this include that different civilizations, cities and races are not very well connected. Roads are dangerous. Travel is infrequent by non-adventuring types. Monsters and danger abound. Most importantly,  maps are rare and valuable artifacts mostly long lost to a time before when the world was safer . It is up to the party to work together and piece together an understanding of the lay of the land from their various adventures. Players will never have an “omniscient” view of the world. Players are encouraged to share information and work together on this point.
 * Some battles will not be fair. As the party ventures farther from the hub city, the danger grows. Sometimes the only way to survive a fight is to avoid it. The party will usually have some indication that they are outmatched or in grave danger, but the DM will not save the party from encounters they are not prepared to conquer. Most quests will come with some indication of difficulty, but even in a level 3 dungeon the party may discover a treasure room guarded by a treasure golem they cannot defeat. One interesting aspect of West Marches is that you can always leave the dungeon, return to town, and see if some of the higher level players would be interested in coming back with you. Players don’t have to play fair – if there is a strong monster guarding a dungeon nothing is stopping you from coming back with a few extra friends next time. The bottom line is, use your brain if you don’t want to re-roll.
 * Along similar lines: while not all battles are deadly, all battles are taxing. It may very well be that the final encounter in the goblin tower wouldn’t be much of a challenge to your party at full health with potions and all your spell slots charged. But if you slog through every guard on the way up, fight their wargs in the basement, and trip through every trap in the dungeon, suddenly that final boss may be more than you can handle. At every step, ask yourself what your current state of health and rest does to limit your combat readiness. Because there are enemies out there watching and waiting for you to walk into a fight blue and bloody. And they will not be weakened just because you are.

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