This post is the next in a series, where I describe the adventures created for a 5th Edition D&D campaign I ran a little while ago, and some of the crazy things that happened during it.
The first three posts gave some details on the setting, the Principality of Tarak. Now, we move on to the briefing that I gave the players.
The Coat of Arms of Tarak University - created with the Worldspinner Fantasy Heraldry Generator
Character Creation
- Characters are all 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, starting at first level. To keep them from being too crazy, we used Adventurers' Guild creation rules; Players Handbook plus one other source, and used the elite array for ability scores (hey, they're supposed to be heroes !).
- The characters are all graduating students at Tarak University.
- They have not necessarily all been studying at the same class or know each other, but all graduate in the same year group.
- Each character will need to have a sponsor somewhere in their backstory who has paid the outrageous cost of their education. It is up to the player to write up how/if they are expected to repay that sponsor.
The characters we ended up with were Roland (human ranger), Nairo Akshal (Aasimar mage), Barrow Yazir (human cleric), Morson Blackmont (human paladin), and Scarlet (human bard).
Morson Blackmont wrote into his backstory that he was a descendant of a distant branch of the former ruling family. With some cautiousness I allowed it (there was potential for some good adventure hooks), but made sure he knew that there was no money, privilege or connections that came with it, and people finding out were more likely to lynch him than obey him !
Graduation
When students graduate from Tarak University, there is the normal public graduation ceremony in the Great Hall. But just as importantly, there is a nominally informal graduation briefing for student, carried out in small groups.
The graduation briefing is conducted by Master Kauma-Turaga, senior tutor responsible for upper year students. He is a diminutive fellow with unusual brown skin. Not the swarthy brown of the Sarassids, but more of a sallow, yellowish brown. He is, in fact, originally from Tuajal (a place not seen on any of the maps the players have access to at this stage). He speaks with a great deal of precision, which is often interpreted as nit-picking, but with a Wisdom of 20, he is rarely wrong about anything.
The briefing from Master Kauma-Turaga will congratulate them on their successful graduation. He then reminds them that it is the custom for students to offer service to the Principality of Tarak for a period of time after their graduation in thanks for their education. This is of course, totally voluntary, but it can be quite well paid or rewarded and there are tales that those who have chosen not to have been shunned in later life by their former classmates. Those who wish to can see him during the course of the next day or two.
Image by Alistair McLellan from Pixabay - I found the image on Pixabay, and it's exactly how I picture Kauma-Turaga
In addition to the briefing, each player is asked to roll on their prime stat – it's treated as a stat check (with proficiency).
Anyone passing as if it was a DC10 check will get proficiency in regional history.
Anyone passing it as DC15 will gain an additional language from Sarassid, Varenian, Dwarven, Elven, Ingrim orcish, or Abyssal. This reflects the fact that they were clearly paying attention during class !
Unsurprisingly, all the characters agreed to do some voluntary service. Master Kauma-Turaga was pleased with this, and asked them as a group to go to the town of Tuadun to help the mayor there solve some local difficulties he was having.
To be continued... next time the players head for Tuadun.
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