This post is the next in a series where I describe the adventures during a 5th Edition D&D campaign I ran a little while ago.
I've spent a few posts describing the setting, character creation and player briefing, now we're finally getting onto the adventure itself.
There will still be plenty of worldbuilding info scattered into the posts, it was intended to be a very sandbox type campaign, which meant I built a bunch of stuff then let the characters pick which bits they wanted to explore and which story threads they wanted to pull on.
I'll admit that I did sometimes drop them hints to convey the message that they were following up something I'd readied for later which was tougher than their current ability to handle. If they then chose to follow it, any unfortunate consequences would be entirely their fault although the rewards would be suitably impressive if they succeeded.
The Coat of Arms of Tuadun Town - created with the Worldspinner Fantasy Heraldry Generator. Also yes, the town is all about sheep and trees....
Journey to Tuadun and First Impressions of the Town
After agreeing to serve a term as volunteers as a way to thank the University of Tarak for their splendid education, the neophyte characters are each gifted a horse for the journey to Tuadun.
The journey itself is relatively uneventful. The lush green grasslands of Tarak are reasonably safe and civilised, at least in the central parts, so although it's still a good idea to set a watch just in case of small parties of opportunist locals, there isn't too much of a threat from organised bandits and monsters. That changes near the borders, of course, and Tuadun is near one of those borders.
Tuadun is a medium-sized town close to the edge of Heimial Forest, situated very much in “sheep country” in The Principality of Tarak.
With the main threats it faces being monsters rather than the armies of opposing states, it doesn’t need a strong, high city wall. Instead, it has a long earthwork rampart surrounded by a palisade wall with internal walkway and occasional watchtowers. The two gatehouses (the Filrath Gate and the Tarak Gate) are of stone rather than wood, and look sturdy and defensible.
Within the palisade there is not just the town, but a sizeable park containing a grove for the Druids of Taranis, and a significant area wattle-fenced as sheepfolds. The town itself is relatively low density, with tree-lined avenues and open squares interspersed between the mostly wooden houses.
As the party enters the town, they see an example of local justice. It's clearly of the rough and ready type, but they get the impression that it is likely to be effective in deterring crime.
A set of stocks near the gate contains a man with a deep facial branding. The sign hanging from his neck indicates he was found guilty of theft, fraud and use of offensive magic within the town walls, and will be in the stocks for a week for those who have some rotten vegetables to dispose of. They overhear a passing citizen comment on the crimes and that he was lucky he was dealt with by the Watch rather than one of the Guild Constabularies.
Mayor Gerd Ardrix
As soon as the characters arrive in town, they seek out an audience with the mayor, Gerd Ardrix. Clearly our budding heroes were very task-focused !
Mayor Gerd Ardrix is a large, jolly man of middle years. He was once a renowned warrior, but it looks like too many years of comfort and good living have taken their toll.
He has a number of mysteries to solve and is concerned that with them all coming at once, they may be linked in some way. He appreciates the party are fresh out of University and may lack experience, but recognises that as University graduates, they are the among the best and brightest in the land and is grateful for their help.
Mayor Gerd will offer a reward of the free lodging at the Fuller's Barrel Inn, potions of healing, plus 50 gold stallions (the local coin - having different coinage in each area rather than just generic "gold pieces" is a little detail that I think really helps to bring a D&D world to life) per person per mystery solved. So it turns out that going to see him first saved them the cost of finding and paying for lodgings on their own !
To be continued... next time the players hear about the Mayor's problems.
Previous posts in this series;
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Setting Part 1
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Setting Part 2
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Setting Part 3
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Player Creation and Briefing