This is a Homebrew game, in the  LAnd Beyond  The great Mists. THose who have  traveled here, find  the lands hard and warlike. The bastion  for good  in these  lands is Ironmound. A large  city that strattles  the Storm River, MAny of  the smaller cities  and towns   are allied with Ironmound, but  the Dark City over  the High Peak Mountains...HArte..has its  share of  allies as well. Constant battles on the rivers  and the  sea, in the forests  and plains help  to deciede which side of  the  line  will prevail, Darkness, or Light.

   To add to this, si  Ironmound's chief rival, The Red Isles that are controlled  by the  evil Red Isle Halflings..they travel the seas  as pirates, and not a ten day goes by, there is not  some  Naval  conflict in the surrounding ocean.

  The  Red Elves, whose home lands sit off the southern end  of  the Landmass  know  as LAynak. are also deep into to evil and slavers are  a common sight.Add to that  , your  normal mix of creatures and the lands  seem far too harsh  for folks to make it a home...But they have, for  centries....

  NOw, YOu enter Ironmound...you must  make your choices...go it  alone...find a Company to join...but most  of all? Stay alive, so you do not  get "to ride  the orc cart........."

  This  is  a 2e game

  characters  start  at 4th level. almost  any class, but would  like only normal classes and races.


 This  is meant to  be a RP heavy game. Dice  rolls   ect ect  will be handled  by DM.

  Though there are plot lines, the  players  , themselves, can easily add a side plot, just through  RP and  the reactions or  consquences of  actions.

  Posting  every day  would be welcome ...slow on weekends...but at least  a few posts  a week  at mininmum, this is  a "living  world"...once the game  starts, events  will be taking place with  or  without  the PCS...it  will depend on how the game play goes, to see what role  the  characters  will have in  the game.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:57, Wed 17 Nov 2010.

  though we  are slowly going away from the 2e , and become  total homebrew-semifree-form..we will still be suing   spoells effects..and pricing from D&D books..I prefer you use  2e or 3e books  for  buying stuff..however..if you find something and have the price for it..send it to me in a PM  and we'll has it out.

 Brief History of Laynak

  The Old  man at the tavern sits quietly eating some Stew  By the fire. A Group of  sages  and Clerics  from, some land on the other side of the Great Mists, make their way into the Inn, ordering   what hot  food and  cold  drink they may have.

 They  ask questions about this land, as  their ship had  been tossed off  course, and they barely managed to sift  through  the Huge  Rocks and mighty whirlpools  , that where shrouded in the Mists

 The Halfling with them was not afforded  much manners. Until one of the Humans in Plate, spoke for him. The elder Sage, the Leader of the group  began to ask questions aBout the Land,  One of the waitresses, pointed to the old man by the fire.

The Older sage  said,we were told, you could  tell us of these  lands, for they are strange to us...and our  comrade the Halfing  seems ...unwanted..at best?

 The Man nodded,..for the price of  some wine, and  another  bowl of  stew?..I will answer and try to give you a brief  rundown, For if you cannot  pass through the Mists again?..You will  be here, until the end of your days...

 The Old Fellow  Unrolls a Map of Laynak,..this is not all of the land....but i doubt if you will venture  much further then the  Boundries it shows?

  He Nods to the Halfing,..Halflings   are not a liked  race here. They are seen as infestations , from the Red Isles... Pirates they are, and slavers as  well..and they have Joined  Force  with   the Red Elves, Those who are the Most evil of  folk we know...They sail the seas, attacking all other ships  not  allied  with them...now and  again the sail the Rivers... and woe be those  on board when they meet with Ship of the Iroundmond  Empire..

 Sipping his wine, Ironmound  grew out of the  tiny Village of Bowshot..the Village stands  to this  day in the shadows of the mighty walls... A trading Post where Elves ,Dwarves and HUmans  would meet, That's when the First Emperor Lod, a  Mere warlord then,  Managed to get the Dwarves, Elves  and Humans to Join  forces...  with help from each other , the  three races built Ironmound, around a  Large Hill of  Sky iron...  The Dwarves were  given the right  to live in, and around the Mound... and elves  free to come in  go in the city, each race  extending   free travel to each..

 Nodding to the Halfling,..save..Halflings. Now and then odd   halflings show on the shores of Laynak.. Once  they are seen, not  to bear the MArk of Red Isle  Halflings, they are allowed to travel, though..in truth, they will, forever be distrusted.

 The Middle of the Lands where divided by those who signed the treaty... The Ironwood  Elves  had thier forests and most of the Plains, down to where The Trade  Road  was layed out,  with  fort-like  way stations  to keep the  travelers   somewhat safe..Humans  and  Ironwood  Elves patrol the plains and roads .

 High Peak Dwarves  settled into the  Mound, not only help building the City, but  a Huge  tunnel that goes under the Mighty Storm River... They  patrol the tunnels to fight of Drow and Gnomes  and Goblins and such...

 The Furman's chain is also  Under an Overlapped protection of the  Ironwood  elves and the Highpeak dwarves  who still live in the Mountains...those dwarves   fight   slavers, orcs, goblins   and the  CAt-folk...those who live near the river, must also deal with the lizard folk...

 he takes  a few spoonfuls of  stew  as   the Younger  Sages  copy down what he says, and the warriors  of the group listen.... All is  not as bright as it seems  though. The Black Timber Elves who Held  a Good section of the Empire's lands.. did not join the treaty  for  some 50 years. Even then, only to secure  more trading with  the  people of these  surrounding towns....

 Shaking his head as he looked at the map,..It was the  1st Emperor's  grave mistake, that could not, cannot be undone....They took the lands , all the way to the Tou river...and the   wood elves  from the Trace Woods, were only given they very own woods, as their own?..the plains  turned over to Humans for use.

 The Dwarves, to thier  credit, fought against this...the  Elves of Ironwood, who's trees are much  valued  for  the strong hulls of the Ironmound  Navy.. fought just as hard to 'punish' thier cousins  for not  joining  right away.

 ..There  are No, more fierce, people, then the Black Timber Elves...located  near the desert, they fight the CAt folks, the dark skinned raiders of the  sands... Orcs, Goblins and the Lizard folks of the swamps.

 ..what of the Dwarves  and the other  elves.... asked   one of the warriors.

 The  Old man just  waves  a hand to dismiss the thought,..The Dwarves  are strong, and Loyal to thier  friends... but  few have the skills  to  fight in the plains or the trees.... The Ironwood   Elves  are the best horsemen in the lands,  and maybe 2nd, only to the Black Timber  elves with the Bow....The trace wood elves  are great bowmen, But  rarely are seen Unless the Black Timber  elves call upon them... No  race in the Land, know   the use of bow and Blade, better then the elves of the Black Timber....

 Lowering his head, he sounds  remorseful,..Then, it was  found, the Black Timber had ironwood  trees...even  better, older, then those  of Ironwood herself... Plans were made. treaties  signed... The  Black Timber opened its   trails  for   Humans  and dwarves to  come in...but only allowed to Cut  marked trees.....Then... The slavers  Hit..using  woodcutting as a cover, the trusting elves let too many folks in, and  Elves   were  taken as slaves  or  Killed out right.. iron wood  did not send  aid... The dwarves  from the High peaks  send  what they could... the HUmans...only with drew thier  people...It was the  wood elves  from the Trace  Woods  who showed, 1000 strong...and the Blood bath began... no human lived.. Gnomes and halflings  were  cut to Ribbons... and the trace Elves, Highpeak Dwarves  and BlackTimber Elves, forever..became friends.

 ..To this  day..caravans  that  seek trade with the Black Timber, must wait for  escort..those who enter without, are never seen again.... slavers who dare used the roads, or plains rarely make it  unscathed..Most are  brutally  killed  and  displayed  for others  to see.  The Largest settlement in the BLack Timber is  Razorhawk Village ..Their   Totem  of the savage little hawk that flies and attacks in packs, suits them well..it is also , the only Village that allows people , other  then elves or Dwarves to live there...for...they  taken in Slaves  who have lost everything, to give them a new life.

 ..From  this... many things have sprung.... a  rivalry , boardering on hate, between the Ironwood elves and those of the   Trace Woods , or Black Timber... and  a strong  Bound  between the   Highpeak Dwarves and the Black Timber Elves....on a smaller  scale, but of  interest, should you dare to  continue upriver?....

 he takes a Dramatic pause  as   he finishes his wine, and the older  sage  signals the  waitress for more. Once it is  filled he  smiles his thanks, and adds,..The Land is   run , by the Emperor, and they do not  deal lightly with those  who break the law... You would be wise to see the  town guard, and charter yourself as a company..... the Lands now  have the  threat of the Hargen Empire ..and  more  and more  folks, are trusted less..and less.And Should you Come  across  a Unit of Crimson Arrows?...Pray to your gods, they did not come seeking you...

 The   older warrior in Plate  asks,..why?....Do they Follow the dark Path?

  The Old  man laughs a bit,..they follow thier own path... they will deal thier own Justice..and it is ...forever..harsh.  There are Many a Story, of   Arrows Killing 'good  folks' who worked with slavers... and working with, Evil, folks  who aided the helpless..it is said, they have  2 rules.......

 The Younger warrior laughs,and what rules are they, Old Man?

 The Old one looked the  Young   warrior in the eye, hard enough   to steal his smile. rule 1. never  leave a live enemy, behind you....2...Be the fire, that fights the fire... he finishes   the  other glass of wine,  and stands  with help of a battered looking bow.

  as he bends over  to  pick up his  soft hat,  a glimpse of a tiny red arrow  charm is hidden , just under  his threadbare cloak.

  while he walks out, a BArd comes in, soaked to the skin, but a smile on his face, ready to  tell stories  and sing songs...
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:50, Wed 24 Jan 2018.

Gambling Games:

 All bets  are announced  ..BEFORE.. you play

 You can do this  among yourselves, just keep your   Coin balance honest on your  CS.
............................
 Ironmound Stud:

  5 Cards  are Dealt the highest had  wins.

(( roll 1 d10 Five  times..10s  are aces 1 through 9  worth their face value..winners  are as in real poker.. Highest card..or best hand ..pairs 3 of a kind..straight... ))
.........................
 Navy Strike:

  the  player with the highest total wins..

(( roll  1d10  , five times... add the scores..highest score is winner..if there is a tie..you roll one time each until a winner is found.
........................
 DICE:

 Urchin Roll

 Common in the streets  and cheaper bars and Inns.. soldiers  may play as well...

 Roll 5 1d8.... any doubles roll again..add  the total of the dice ( including  extras) highest number  wins.
..................
 Assassin:   roll 1d8 until you get a 1... 1 is the assiassin nad has stopped you.. then the other players  roll..add the scores  together  for all rolls you made  ..high score wins..

...................

Ship Captain and Crew?

The object of the game is to roll a six (the "ship"), a five ("captain"), and a four ("crew") with three dice, and get the highest score with the other two dice ("the ship's cargo"). Alternatively, the game may be played for antes placed in a pot.

6,5,4,6,6 would be highest hand possible with ship (6) Captain (5) Crew (4) and the cargo (6, 6)

I assume 5 rolls if 1d6 would do it?...not sure, with dice you get 3 tries to get ship, captain and crew.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=003D1CHLnQs
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:04, Sat 26 Aug 2017.

  Just for Book keeping purpose....

   This is a world a bit  different  from others...magics  work a bit different, Gods   are fewer , though many cover the same aspects  as gods of ...whatever  Realms.. the PCs  came from.

  Coin is, indeed important here...the coin  is low, prices high which?.. makes anything you find, worth finding... below is the  list of Coins of the realm

...........

Mithril Crown (MC)...Very rare given ny leaders of   cities  and lands.. they are ( worth 5 PP each)..A star on the front...and  a crown on the back

Plat Griffin (PG).. alsmot as  rare as the MC..but  can be found easy enough, though , perhaps, not in great  quanities ( worth 10 Gold)... A Moon on the front.. a griffin on the back)

Gold Dragon (GD)...  the  highest coin, most common folks will have...easier to  find the   the higher two...( worth 10 silvers)  ...a sun on the front.. a dragon in flight..on the back

Siler Serpent ( SP) .. the most widley used , and carried Coin ( worth 10 Coppers) a ship on the front..a serpent's head on the back

Copper Cat ( CC)... plenty of these  around.. ( world  10 Brass Bits)..a tree on the front..a Lion on the back

Brass Bit (BB)..... cheapest of all coins.. they are not  struck, Much any more..but  still can be  found... a 1 on the front. a hammer on the back.

.....

One Note  for all players?... Ironmound is  set up with 2 giant Avenues  that go, east and  west,  all other streets   are very much smaller and   feed off the  'main flow" like  streams.

  so as not to Confuse  folks...

  where the Drawbridges  split,  the names  change By direction... on the east side of the Brides   the   Avenues  are named.. ' south east way"..and North east way"... on the other side  it is 'south west way'  and Northwest way"  on the  far east side   the 'main street'   is  called 'Coffin Street'..it is  about   a thrid  as wide, as  the  Aveunes .  On the Newer..'richer' side to the west.. is another Avenue called  " road of Wisdom".. the temples  and Guilds   helped  pay for it to be as wide   as the   Main avenues.. figuring   they  would have more  traffic  with pilgrimages, relic hunters , high end merchants  ect ect

Differences  ( in this world) of 'holy warriors'

 Priest:    single classed Cleric  who spends  most of thier  time tending thier church, seldom venturing outside their  compounds.. they tend  to  deal with  thier   gods praises  and political rise  ( and coin!)... of course there will be small town priests that will wield  a weapon to protect thier village  and temple.

 Clerics:..Halfbreed of a Paladin and a priest. More apt  to take to weapons , missions and protection, as well as  'going out in the world' to spread the fame of thier god..some of the higher priests may be  Clerics of great fame, who can no longer travel, but lend their name to thier god.. Coin still can raise  a non-combatant above a stout  cleric.

Paladins:   Though they are  faithful to thier god... they are more  restless  and eager to go out and   do quests... Missions and  attack those  who stand against thier   god..regardless of  which side of the line they are..they will protect those they feel are followers  of thier  gods..or need protection..(( IE:  A Paladin of the Red Isles would protect Halflings  from  the Empire Nay, regardless of if those  halflings are a slaver ship... to them, they are protecting thier own ))...Paladins rarely make it to the higher  reaches   of thier  faith's  leaders ...indeed. most of the leaders   may be jealous of those  who go out and fight for thier gods.

first off  the   elves  range  from   Good to bad..like this..


 Forest elves

 Plains elves

 Water elves

 Mountain Elves

 Drow

Red Elves


 Drow  often work  for Red Elves as  Mountain elves  sometimes  work  for  Drow.

Water elevs will help peopel in need....unless you 'steal from them'..then they mark you  for life.

 all are fairily Common  except  for the red evles  in the  Empire lands... futher  South west  and  near thier homeland  they are abundant.

Drow will work with Miners  and Dwarves... but hier allies  are the Gnomes who hate just about veryone.

weapons and goods...for now? use these   weapons and such..there is a filter..the prices    for the list will stay the same..but keep in mind, these are 'poor' lands.

https://www.dndbeyond.com/equipment

 this gives us an idea where are people are..and..perhaps  an Idea when they can post
.............

  GM..Kree ect...PA

  Vilmund... Washington State

  Elandra...Mass

  Tyri....Idaho

 Luthien..Washington state

 Envlo...Canada

 Krywn....The Netherlands

Lysander...Australia
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:23, Fri 10 July 2020.

In reply to Players (msg # 11):

Also Washington State!

Where?

The Netherlands (Gouda)

In reply to Vilmund Bloodaxe (msg # 13):

Seattle, more or less. Bellevue, to be precise.

ah well.... Walla Walla

I used to live in Blaine, WA. Lived in 10 US states and 2 foreign countries, moved 29 times.  Retired to Brisbane,  Australia.  All of 63.

always wanted to go there..but i'll be in PA  all my laife...My cousin who is only a year older then you and a  year younger them me..retired to Uruguay..he sued to work  for the airlines..now he spends  6 months there..and  6 months in new York..but?.. inbetween they travel all over.