Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Market
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

Gateway hosts an open market in the south-western section of town. Numerous small stalls and booths sell everything from produce, cloth and even a selection of weapons and armour. Various guilds also have small stalls set up to sell their most sought-after wares.

In addition, loud and garish street performers compete for shoppers’ attention (and coin). (Pick pockets hang around such folk in small numbers at times - when they are not sitting in jail for robbing people).

The most famous of these is the mysterious Zado (see "Notable Folk”). Other traders wander the market either carrying their few wares or pushing them about in handcarts. Refreshments can also be had from several handcarts and stalls.

By day, the Gateway market is a busy place. Some local artificers and trade folk have permanent stalls while others are taken by visiting merchants, folk visiting from nearby villages, and others just trying to sell their junk and tat. Town folk and visitors to Gateway come here to buy that which they cannot get at home.

At night, the market is quiet—but far from empty. Some stallholders employ folk to watch their merchandise overnight so they don’t have to pack it all away and keep it safe from the roaming beggars, thieves and drunks that infest the place after dark. A few stalls—fortunetellers and the like—stay open late, while others use the unoccupied tents and stalls as places for their trysts or secret colloquies.

A random fellow that can be seen within the marketplace during the day time house is Zado. Zado is a strange individual dressed in black who wears various feathered masks while juggling and doing magical tricks. Zado hears and sees more than he lets on, information he sells to both nobles and merchants. Little happens without Zado somehow knowing it. Some suspect there might be multiple “Zados” throughout town working together. While the market is usually open throughout the week, once each week, the "official Market Day" acts as a siren’s song, calling most of the local folk to shop and socialize in the market. Farmers sell produce, hunters hawk smoked meats, villagers sell crafts, and sometimes a trader from distant locations sells implements or costly goods.

This one day each week is when one will find merchants visiting from other locations to sell wares. This is the busiest day of the way in the marketplace. "During this particular day, there is a 50% chance that items from the adventuring gear list in the Player’s Handbook are available for sale here". Adventurers will almost never find armor, weapons, implements, or magic items in the market square, however.

Use this table with a D20 to determine what a stall sells:
1) Miscellaneous Objects & Ornaments
2) Fruit & Vegetables
3) Bread
4) Ale & beer
5) Clothes, Mundane
6) Clothes, Woolen
7) Iron Ware Goods
8) Small Livestock
9) Simple Toys
10) Candles
11) Pots, Pans and Cooking Wares
12) Belts, Boots & Shoes
13) Jewelry
14) Furniture, Woodwork
15) Simple Weapons
16) Pets
17) Clothes Woolen
18) Fortune Telling
20) Players Choice (Within Reason)

Monday, November 4, 2024

Watch House
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

Located in the settlement of Gateway sits a large building where the captain of the Gateway town guard, coordinates his detachment of soldiers, and where miscreants serve their sentences. The Fallcrest Captain of the Guard is Randd Talwren, a serious looking younger man, when on duty he is always dressed smartly in his guard uniform. Plate epaulets and higher quality arms and armor easily make him distinguishable from the common city militia. He commands a force of guards who keep Gateway relatively safe.

The Gateway Watch House stands at the intersection of main street and High Road. The watch house is a base for the Gateway Regulars and also serves as a barracks for some of the militia themselves. Also a part of the building "in the basement" is the Gateway jail. The watch house also has a rather large armory "which is located in the back of the main floor and very well secured". Usually, four, sometimes six Gateway militia are present in the watch house at any given time, either hearing public complaints, guarding the jail, or sleeping.

The barracks is located on the second floor containing multiple bunks for sleeping. The jail which is located in the basement has a dozen cells. Each cell is approximately 20 square feet in size.

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Gateway Bank
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

The Gateway Bank is a banking business in the settlement that offers money-lending and secured storage to the merchants and traders that come through Gateway. It is owned and operated by a man by the name of Jaime Starn who came to the settlement of Gateway several years ago.

The bank is located on the north side of the settlement and has been well established since the early days of Gateway. It carries a good working reputation with it's customers and the people of Gateway. The bank is established within a well-secured building that is said to have magical wards placed all through the structure by a wizard that passed through the region years ago to assist in the location remaining secure at all times.

It is said this wizard has various magical items stored in this bank that are very powerful, but of course these are mostly rumors amongst the townfolk.

This local bank is endorsed by mayor Alrick Mangaloe and during all business hours one can always find at least two guards stationed inside as well as outside the bank at the entrance.

The bank offers a fairly straightforward service. Individuals can deposit their hard-earned coin within the secured building and withdraw the same amount at a later date. Information about the amounts of transactions and the bank's clientele are kept secret. The banks handling fees are 3% for all coin deposits and storage (no matter the length of time the bank holds a customers coin and valuables) and 4% are non coin valuables stored within the bank.

The Gateway Bank does not offer loands to customers. It is strictly a location within Gateway that exchanges coin and stores valuables for this in need "at a small fee of course". Storge of items has no time limit but the storage fees ddo adjust with the length of time the items are stored here.

Saturday, November 2, 2024

The Steel Piece Inn
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

This building is one of the oldest buildings in Gateway. The structure is a three story stone building that withstood the dragonarmy destruction of the town. It is run by Stan Whiteguard, formerly from village of Ravenvale, and it rarely has a free room for the night. This inn is also famous for its Dragon Stew that is rumored to be made from dragons. Stan has a cousin named Toby Whiteguard that runs an inn in the settlement of Esker.

The Steel Piece is a quaint inn in the settlement of Gateway. Outside the inn, hanging over the entrance, is a square wooden sign that shows a buxom and smiling girl holding a flagon of beer with a customer handing over his coins. The Steel Piece, is a place renowned for its good food and excellent drink! Passing merchants make a point of stopping, as do many other sorts of wayfarers, and it is said that the place is always filled with patrons.

The Steel Piece is owned by Stan Whiteguard, who operates this establishment in Gateway. He is polite and smiles often to customers, but one can tell he does not tolerate visitors who do not respect the taverns rules. He is friendly enough "for the most part" and is always welcoming to those entering his establishment.

Stan came from the east seeking opportunity in prospecting like some others. He soon found that he knew more about running an inn than mining, and so he established the inn.

The Steel Piece is a nondescript everyday Inn one might find in any mid-sized town or village in Abanasinia - actually it is rather large for the small settlement of Gateway. The main floor in the inn consists mostly of open area filled with small round tables with chairs and a half circle bar located along the left side on the main floor as you enter the establishment. Bar stools have been placed at the bar itself. The inn is clean and very well maintained, you can tell Stan takes great pride in his business. During most times during business hours, you will see several young ladies waiting tables with Stan either behind the bar or out amongst the customers making small talk.

Prices at the Steel Piece are fairly standard even if it is the only inn for many miles and the meals that are prepared here make up for the long traveling times. Choice venison, mutton, poached salmon, trout stuffed with specially prepared mixtures, goose roasted to a golden brown, pork, steaming sausages, steak and kidney pie with mushrooms or truffles, squab stuffed pheasant and boiled crayfish in drawn butter are just a few of the delights which are served here alongside the inns famous dragon stew.

The people of Gateway, from hunters to farmers, enjoy relaxing in the common room, which has become a good place to hear local gossip and stories. The inn is kept neat and clean, and is a generally pleasant place to visit. The inn provides twelve rentable rooms on the upper floor, plus alcoholic beverages and food. A bed is six silver pieces a night, and prices are fairly standard for food, ale, and cider, with meals coming to standard prices. The bar is usually manned during business hours by someone.

Stan arrived in Gateway from the north, and founded the inn. With the random problems happening throughout the region it has become a welcome rest stop for many, as well as many locals that live in the settlement of Gateway.

Business continues more-or-less as usual during these times. The inn plays also host to various important visitors at times. The inn's common room also became a favorite location for various local folk. For larger meetings that take place at this inn, the inn has a room in the back with a large table and many chairs placed around it to hold Council meetings and such.

As of now, the inn remaines prosperous and largely unchanged. However, recently Stan was forced to secure a loan to help keep the establishment running but things have sense turned around for the inn and Stan. Stan is very happy with how the townsmater is running the settlement and how he has done many things to help the community grow and prosper. Stan feels, with the rumors that are starting to circulate around Gateway that trouble is coming - he hopes this is just rumors and everything will remain peaceful and calm as it has for many years.

Meals are served on pottery or pewter or copper services according to the customers order. Various leather jacks, pottery mugs, wooden tankards, pewter steins, glass flagons, crystal goblets, or silver chalices are used for the beverages.

The locally brewed ale and beer is supplemented by brews from other places, and wine, mead and brandy from all over the realms make their way to the boards of the Steel Piece.

(All full meals served with bread and honey, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, cabbage, carrots, or spinach)

BREAKFAST MEALS
Peppered Bread: 12cp
Oatmeal: 8cp
Chicken Eggs: 5cp
Fruit and Cheese: 10cp
Pork Sausages: 15cp

AFTERNOON MEALS
Dragon Stew
Game Pie: 12cp
Boar Steak: 2sp
Venison Stew: 1sp
Beef Stew: 1sp
Parsnip, Mutton & Nettles Soup: 1sp

DESERTS
Cloudberry Pie: 8cp
Old Granny's Cinnamon Apple Pie: 15cp

BEVERAGES
Pear Cider: 6cp
Apple Lemonade: 5cp
Goat Milk: 2cp
Cloudberry Cider: 2sp
Wild Strawberry Black Tea: 2cp
Apple Lemonade Juice: 5cp
Ashbrew Bitter: 2cp
Ashbrew Stout: 2cp

TRAVEL RATIONS
Dried & Smoked Meat, Goat Cheese, Dried Berries, Oats and Honey (wrapped in waxed paper): 2sp

The upper rooms are very clean, and all of the rooms are heated. Each room has a fine bed, many covers & blankets, a wash stand, chamber pot, towel, pegs for garments, and several chairs and stools.

ROOM NIGHTLY PRICES
Guest Room: 6sp

Friday, November 1, 2024

Council Hall
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman
This small building is the location where Alrick Mangaloe, and the small council members meet and it is the center of government in Gateway which is where one might find mayor Alrick Mangaloe during the day time hours when he is not out and about the settlement. This location is also the public meeting place for any important meeting that requires the ruling governments attention. Members of the small council include prominent business owners and merchant guild members.

The hall is used for multiple purposes but is mainly used for meetings and such with a sturdy oak table with chairs seated around it. A large hearth warms the entire office during the colder months of the year. The mayor will meet here monthly with most of the prominent business owners in Gateway to discuss matters of importance. A large designer rug lay across most of the center of the room with well-made furniture and such spread across the room.

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Gateway Provisioners
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 851 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

This trading post is located on the south side of Gateway. It is the first shop that would be seen when entering the settlement from the North. Virtually every sort of saleable goods are sold here. Rare and/or unusual items might be obtained at a price and in time (and will often be spurious or faulty). Magical items are NOT sold here ever!

Jorah Morment, a male human, runs this business, in a large structure rebuilt after a fire a few years ago. It still bears the original name in honor of its long service providing the community with supplies of all sorts.

Although other shops and merchants have operated in the settlement in the past, this old trading post remains standing and a favorite of adventurers and travelers due to its proximity to the Steel Piece. This shop has stood throughout the lifetime of Gateway and been the main location for buying trade goods.

The establishment seems to always be well stocked. The store itself is medium sized to large with a single floor but it does have many alchoves along the upper walls that are accessed with ladders. The trading post is owned and operated by Jorah Morment.

This trading post acts basically as a general store, and is open from dawn until dusk. It sells low-cost trade wares, such as adventuring gear, as well as rations and other simple goods, and is perhaps the only place in the region that carries specialty skull-shaped butter from a local farm not far from the walls of Gateway.

The trading post also serves as a trading hub. Clerks Andal and Thistle (two more younger boys) unload and load carts of goods and resources that come into, or go out of Gateway via wagon. Jorah Morment also brokers deals for large sales of livestock and similar goods, bringing together local sellers from around the region with buyers from far off towns and cities.

1. Clothing and Packs: peasant equipment is about 70% of list price, rounded down; dungeoneering items are 100% rounded up.

2. Footwear, Gloves & Belts: Prices to adventurers is 125% of list, 80% to villagers.

3. Lighting Equipment: Tinderboxes, candles, oil, lamps, wicks, lanterns etc are 110% of list, rounded up.

4. Hand Tools: Hammers, adzes, planes, nails, saws etc. A file sells for 1sp and up. Saws cost cost about the same as a hand axe or hatchet.

5. Food & Herbs: Rations packed to go are 120% of list, and herbs are 150% of list.

6. Ropes, Chains & Dungeoneering Gear: (including writing materials and religious items) 110% of list. 7. Polearms & Shields: 120% of list.

8. Other Weapons, Missles and Associated Gear: 140% of list.

9. Armor & Helmets: Padded, studded and leather armor are always in stock. There will be a 70% chance that ring mail is currently in stock, 50% for scale mail, 30% for chain mail, and 10% for a set of banded mail & above. These are all 160% of list. All orders will be at 200% of list. (use d6, 1 being to small, 6 being too large and other rolls will fit).

10. Tack, Harness, Wheelbarrows & Dungeon Carts: All in stock will be at 75% of list.

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Temple of Mishakal
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

The Temple of Mishakal is a magnificent cathedral built with contributions from the town’s affluent citizens. Gateway still mourns the recent death of the former high priest of Mishakal, Taistro Rintala. His successor, the young priestess Vuokko Laiten, now heads the temple due to the support of influential merchants who seek to use her as a political pawn for power, particularly against the mayor, Alrick Mangaloe.

Alrick relies on the Temple of Mishakal for public support. Alrick Mangaloe was scheming with the high priest to wrest complete control of nearby Longbridge from his rival, Hilduin Lorsch, a plan now disrupted. Alrick seeks to expand his power to stymie the growing power of the merchant class flush with gold from the profitable lumber industry.

A recent push by the guilds calls for the establishment of fair and impartial (or easily bribed) courts of law with stricter oversight. Vuokko Laiten finds herself in the middle of this feud as the merchants petition the Temple of Mishakal for support, which was previously denied by the former high priest. Vuokko struggles to consolidate her own power and find a satisfactory resolution to the problem. She favours having the faithful—under her guidance— take on a larger role in judging legal matters. However, both the nobles and merchants fear granting the temple too much power.

One of the earlier structures built in Gateway, the Temple of Mishakal, is undergoing another bout of renovation and expansion thanks to generous donations from its increasingly loyal followers. The tall, elaborate stone cathedral dominates the town; from its magnificent bell tower rings a new silver bell. Another recent contribution paid for elaborate stained glass windows. A well-tended grove separates the cathedral from the well-appointed houses used by the clergy.

Less than a year ago, the beloved and respected high priest, Taistro Rintala, died unexpectedly. Some believe foul play was the cause, while others blame a sickness from the Salt Mire. A schism in the clergy between the Alrick Mangaloe supporters and those of the merchant guilds resulted in Vuokko Laiten, an inexperienced priestess in her twenties, becoming the new high priestess.

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Stables
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

The stables are owned by Gentry Benton, an elderly man who has gotten too old to maintain them so he lets his grandson, Samuel Benton handle day to day operations. Mounts and such stabled here are well taken care off and groomed on a regular bases. Gentry and his grandson do not have set rates for stabling mounts, Samuel usually works off of tips since he finds he earns a better living doing business this way.

Monday, October 28, 2024

Smithy
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman
Repairing and forging arms and armor is the job of the town smithy, a male Hill Dwarf named Bennefre (Benne) Ironhammer, who owns a smithy in the town of Gateway. He is a dwarf male in his mid-fifties . . . he has long hair, an equally long beard and a matter-of-fact attitude. A large collection of armor hangs from the walls. This building is a single story building with several stained-glass windows and a smoothstone floor.

The shop specializes in metal fittings, such as bolts, nails, and other connectors, and also repaired small arms and armor. The smithy also provided axeheads and hammerheads primarily for use as tools, but it could also be a source of weapons and arrowheads.

Sunday, October 27, 2024

White-Rage River
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman
The White-Rage River, also called Whiterage, is a river that ran through Abanasinia before draining out into the New Sea. It was known to have only one bridge that crossed it.

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Gateway Pass
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman
Roughly four miles wide, Gateway Pass was the only known path through the Kharolis Mountains that followed the Solace Stream (a branch of the White-Rage River that flowed noth through Gateway Pass past Solace) from Solace to Gateway. This pass acts as a trade route between Solace and Gateway.

Due to the extremely impassable terrain that constitutes the majority of the mountain range, the pass is the easiest "not always the safest" route and is of great strategic importance to both Gateway, Solace and beyond. Traveling through the pass is not always safe. This region is an untamed, wild region with various hostile threats that at times have been known to attack caravans traveling the pass from the mountains.

Friday, October 25, 2024

Sentinel Peaks
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman
The Sentinel Peaks is the name for the northern fork of the Kharolis Mountains that is comprised of small ridges. These peaks are dwarfed by the larger mountains to the south, and have several key passes in them to enable travelers to move further southward. The passes tend to snow over in the colder seasons, and can often become blocked. The closest of these peaks to Solace is known as Prayer's Eye Peak.

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Darken Wood
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

North of the White-Rage River is the mysterious Darken Wood. Long protected by a great unicorn called the Forestmaster. Darken Wood has been home to the followers of Chislev.

For a long time, Darken Wood was also home to a large number of undead and was avoided by most of the living, other than the Forestmaster and her followers. With the removal of the undead, it occasionally has the odd traveler, foolhardy enough to try and brave its depths.

Also dwelling within the woodlands are several clans of centaurs and satyrs who serve the Forestmaster and tend to the forest. The centaurs are highly protective of their woods and prove to be fierce guardians who repel most outsiders from entering. Aspen Trees are one of the known plants to thrive in these woods. Aspen Trees are one of the known plants to thrive in these woods.

Overhead, the leafy canopy thickens. Sunlight dims, then fades. Gnarled trees, armored in blackened bark, stand sentry. A presence lingers here, a presence dark and fearful. This is a fearsome place. Dark shadows slink beneath the tall gray firs, and dread fills the air. The spirits of ancient warriors guard these forests from all intruders.

The forest has its own way of keeping those who they do not wish to enter outside of its borders. A mysterious woods located southwest of Solace, Darken Wood is populated by seven centaur clans, the Forestmaster (a unicorn which protects the forest), and undead warriors who forsook the Forestmaster in the past and are doomed to protect the forest forever as a punishment. Giant owls are native to this region .

No light source, not even a magical one, can cast light in Darken Wood farther than 40 ft. (20 ft. at night) the air hangs thick and heavy, seeming to diffuse even the brightest illumination. Neither elvensight nor darkvision work inside these woods, so even elves and dwarves entering must rely on ordinary vision.

All Spot checks are made with a -5 penalty, even within the radius of illumination of a light source. The forest is blanketed by a confusion effect. While in the forest, all attempts at tracking, including retracing the path by which one has arrived, suffer a –5 penalty due to the mysteriously shifting trees. Attempts to tell exact time usually fail. This is a mind-affecting enchantment effect.

At the north end of the wood, near the Twin Peaks that guard the New Haven Road, lies the Starlight Canyon, home to the largest population of pegasi in Krynn. Most of these magnificent winged horses make their lairs in the network of caves that dot the canyon, though some live in ground camps or elsewhere. The canyon takes its name from the soft haze of starlight that blankets it. As a result, this part of the wood has better illumination than the rest, and light sources cast light up to 80 ft.

The east of Darken Wood is comprised of the Dryad Forests and oak trees instead of aspens. The dryads are nonconfrontational, leaving their safety in the hands of the centaurs or the spectral minions, but they are not above charming one of the heroes to help them protect their groves—or to serve as their slave labor.

The central part of the wood is named Unicorn’s Grove and is considered the domain of the Forestmaster. Very few creatures enter the Grove, and few stay very long. An atmosphere of awe permeates the Grove, which contains a clearing and a ledge, aptly named the Forestmaster’s Ledge, on which the unicorn prefers to lounge.

As someone enters the forest, they travel for only a few hundred feet before they’re suddenly aware that they’re not alone. Unless they take steps to conceal themselves (such as moving silently or spells), a troop of spectral minions, consisting of one captain and ten soldiers, will creep up on them surrounding them.

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Prayers Eye Peak
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

Prayer's Eye Peak is a mountain that looks like two praying hands from afar, and is rumored to be the place where Paladine guided Huma Dragonbane in the form of a white stag, and also the Heroes of the Lance. This peak is the tallest mountain of the Sentinel Peaks and is near to Solace.

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Cemetery & Catacombs
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

Just outside of Gateway, on the highest hill nearest the settlement stands a massive long closed cathedral: a gigantic structure of stone that stands in the center of the Cemetery, and it reaches fifty feet up into the air. Even though this structure is no longer used, it still has a magical light that appears right after dark which shines over the Cemetery until the sun returns each morning. The cathedral sits within a large grove which makes up the city Cemetery.

Legend has it that if one were to pledge his or her love to someone while standing on the main platform within the cathedral they would magically fall in love with them. This was no small feat since the cathedral was once always closely watched and looked over "being the noble cathedral of Gateway that it once was" by the groundskeepers that once maintained the location.

The seemingly harmless legend turned deadly one night when a young maiden named Erika braved the eerie night time glow of the cemetery in order to properly speak her loved one’s name so that they may be eternal. She climbed to the top of the cathedral near the everglowing night time light so that she could both stay out of sight of the nearby Cemetery Groundskeepers and bodly pledge her devotion to her love’s name highest that has ever been done. Unfortunately for Isadel, when she nearly completed her task, she slipped and fell from her high up perch at the top of the cathedral and fell to her death upon a magnificent grave stone resting near the structure.

When Erika let go of her last breath upon the grave of a stranger a dark energy burst into existence that cursed the poor girls soul to forever haunt the grove that surrounds the ancient cathedral. And through the generations, as her spirit wandered the dark, people learned to fear the area so much in fact that night time visits to the Cemetery came to a stop over time for no one could visit and feel safe with the spirit’s dark love songs dancing on the winds of the night.

The earthly remains of common citizens are interred below the cemetery in the catacombs, built upon the ruins of a former settlement. The clergy at the temple itself only maintains one section of the rambling catacombs; numerous tunnels branch out like a hive, burrowing ever deeper into the ancient ruins below. People exploring these tunnels often disappear.

Monday, October 21, 2024

Let's Get Something Straight
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

I understand this is a D&D TTRPG blog and "after this post" it will remain a D&D Blog that is free from any outside political news/views but I have something I want to put out to make it perfectly clear who this group is, what we stand for and what we refuse to allow in our group. I've already made a post talking about the pronoun idiocy here so we will not rehash that in this new post.

What I will do is inform anyone who is new here what we have zero tolerance for. We don't want anything to do with leftwing politics and anti-American points of view . . . kind of like what is going on in California right now. It's really sad what is going on in the state, but let us point something out, it's a Democratic state, or a "blue state", and if you notice all this stupidty that is going on in the United States is being done in blue states, not red states. This should tell you something.

If you agree with what is going on in the picture I dropped here, then please find you another D&D blog to visit because we don't want you here. It's just sad to see people that "claim" to be Americans doing this kind of shit, or supporting it in any fashion. Democrats will always tell you that they are the side of peace and love and that Republicans are hateful and racist but across the US in multiple blue states, it's the Democrats that are rioting in the streets, keep that in mind.

Every one of these idiots needs to be arrested and locked away in prison for the rest of their life or deported to whatever flag they are waving in this riot, yes I said riot because "this" is not what a protest looks like. I don't care if you disagree with what I just said here, you can just leave and never return because we don't suport this stupidity and don't want to have anything to do with anyone who does support this stuff.

Let us put things into perspective shall we? These people in this picture are rioting because they do not supprt ICE arrecting/deporting illegal immigrants that crossed into our country "illegally". Now let's break it down even further. Illegal immigrants "snuck" across our borders and entered with going through due process. This is a "crime". Let's break it down even further . . . what is the difference in breaking into our country with permission than breaking into someones home without permission . . . *oh oh, raises hand, pick me, pick me*—there is no difference, both are crimes. Either way is perfectly acceptable if you get permission first, not kicking down the door and forcing your way in like illegals did. All of these "idiots" waving the Mexican flag around so proudly, take your asses back to Mexico then.

To make it as clear as I can possibly make it . . . fuck your pronouns, fuck anyone who hates America, if you support this kind of violence shown in the picture here, we don't want you here and yes, I voted for Trump "as did our American group members, we also fully support him and his policies—if you don't like or approve of this . . . not a single fuck is given across the land. If this offends you, well, I guess you'll just have to be offended.

We are "normal" people here, we are not trying to force out p[olitical ideals on to anyone else, as a matter of fact, we have a standing rule in our Discord server that says "No politics is allowed" so keep it to yourself. As I said, if you don't like what we stand for here, then leave and never come back. God bless America and god bless President Trump. Keep sending ICE in to get these criminals out of our country. If someone wants to enter the US, then do it legally otherwise . . . we'll be seeing you lol.

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Ravenvale
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

Slightly south of the town of Tantallon, nestled quietly in the arms of a calm and peaceful vale lies the settlement of Ravenvale. The settlement is populated "mostly" by human farmers and laborers who toil the earth and live out a quiet peaceful existence, free of the turmoil in the more populated regions of Ansalon.

The settlement sees a bit of traffic from travelers "who usually stop at the Ravenvale Inn but shortly after are moving on", and is used more as a crossroads between Tantallon and the other larger towns than anything else.

Ravenvale grew considerably after the War of the Lance from a small village to a mid sized settlement. It is a community where everyone knows one another and everyone is friends. A small river flows softly past the settlement to the east. Krynn has many beautiful locations and the settlement of Ravenvale is one of them with it's well built homes with a heavy nature aspect "trees and shrubbary growing throughout the settlement" gives it a peaceful look and feel. The Eastwall Mountains cradle this village in its arms on all sides with several waterfalls. Low hanging clouds gives this region a cozy feel. This is truly a remarkable sight. Several waterfalls fall from the cliffs surrounding the village, supplying the river with fresh water for the much need fishing that is done in its waters.

The settlement is governed by a man named Tallos Witherspoon "the mayor of Ravenvale". The village has a small standing miltia, with a few towns guard that maintains security inside the settlement, and Ravenvale has seen no trouble in a very long time. The settlement has a local watch, made up of members of the Ravenvale itself which makes this job all the more serious since these people are literally protecting the homes and families they personally have. They are led by The Master of Arms. Their are a few shops and stores located here as well as the Ravenvale Inn "which serves some of the finest food in Abanasinia" .

Farming and fishing are the primary source of income for Ravenvale although the location does have a smithy, blacksmith and woodworking shop which sometimes trades with outside settlements. Ravenvale also has a small temple devoted to the worship of Mishakal.

At the Midsummer Solstice, Ravenvale holds a festival that runs all week, during which all forms of traditional entertainment are found. People come from all over Abanasinia and sometimes beyond "within traveling distance of course" with the pretext of sampling the good food, buying fancy clothes but above all to participate in the Auction at the close of the festivities. After the War of the Lance, several upperclass families have moved into Ravenvale and set up shops. This greatly helped the economy of Ravenvale and assisted it in even more people coming to the area to settle.

Like many small settlements across Ansalon, Ravenvale has autonomy in how it governs itself, electing its own officials and imparting its own brand of justice. Only when issues go outside their expertise or infringe upon another jurisdiction are they prone to ask for aid or upscale the matter to outside sources. Ravenvale is a small, tightly packed town with a few important locations.

Notable Locations
Ravenvale Inn
Mayors Office
Market Square
Ravenvale Parchment and Binding
Traders Establishment
Smithy
Tenements
Ravenvale Postal
Alchemy Shop
Ravenvale Patisserie Shoppe

Notable Locations
Eastwall Mountains

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Ravenvale Inn
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

Quin Sizargo opened the Ravenvale Inn 10 years ago. In the old days, he was an important figure in the region. The Ravenvale Inn quickly grew in reputation as a place of great comfort and quality, but one whose patrons should expect to pay well for the excellent service and fine food and lodging. Quin is close friends with mayor Tallos Witherspoon and the two are often seen sharing a meal together in Inn.

Nowadays, Quin takes it easy, enjoying the life of an innkeeper and an honored citizen of the settlement of Ravenvale as best he can. Quin has slowed down over the years and his health has degraded somewhat but he remains the same good spirited fellow he has always been and he maintains a well ran establishment even to this day. His heart is weak "probably due to his weight gain", but he is always on duty at the Inn when the doors are open, always welcoming patrons with a hard "welcome friends" and a grand smile on his face.

Mori, the barkeep, is a young woman who has worked at the inn for two months and knows the town fairly well. She is short-tempered, when it comes to anyone disrespecting Quin, he is very protective over the young lady - he looks upon her as a daughter.

The Inn houses and employs several serving girls, cooks and a stableboy to assist with keeping the inn running. The dining room, well-appointed if a little old, is clean and quiet. The clientele of the Ravenvale Inn are well-mannered folk who enjoy fine food and drink. Drunkards and louts are not welcome. They are dealt with quickly but it has been quite some time since anything like this has happened in this establishment.

Two private dining rooms exist for meetings or distinguished guests. The kitchen beyond is spacious, with steps leading down into the cellar and up into the Sandoren's private apartment. A small stable is on the side of the inn that can stable up to ten horses.

This large structure is the center of the settlements life, bustling with visitors from morning to night. The food is good, with specials such as poached salmon and stuffed pheasant and trout. Most locals can be found here at various times. Candles have been place throughout the dining area which keep the bottom floor well lit. Bar stools have been placed at the bar itself.

The inn is clean and very well maintained, you can tell Quin takes great pride in his business. At most times during the day, several waitresses can be seen waiting tables and Quin himself is usually here as well, standing behind the bar assisting Mori or walking around speaking with customers.

Prices at the Ravenvale Inn are reasonable and the meals that are prepared here make up for short comings the Inn might have. Choice venison, mutton, poached salmon, trout stuffed with specially prepared mixtures, goose roasted to a golden brown, pork, steaming sausages, steak and kidney pie with mushrooms or truffles, squab stuffed pheasant and boiled crayfish in drawn butter are just a few of the delights which are served here. The inn is well ran and has earned its good reputation it currently has.

Meals are served on pottery or pewter or copper services according to the customers order. Various leather jacks, pottery mugs, wooden tankards, pewter steins, glass flagons, crystal goblets, or silver chalices are used for the beverages. The locally brewed ale and beer is supplemented by brews from other places, and wine, mead and brandy from all over the region make their way to the boards of the Ravenvale Inn.

(All full meals served with bread and honey, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, potatoes, and string beans, yams, rum-boiled artichokes, cabbage, carrots, or spinach)

BREAKFAST
Peppered Bread: 7cp
Oatmeal: 3cp
Boiled Goose Eggs: 4cp
Chicken Eggs: 2cp
Fruit and Cheese: 3cp
Beef Steak: 2sp
Fried Potato Wedges: 2cp
Pork Sausages: 1sp

AFTERNOON MEALS
Beef Stew: 1sp
Boiled Crawfish with Drawn Butter: 1sp
Poached Salmon: 8cp
Spiced Sausages: 9cp
Stuffed Pork Chops: 1sp
Stuffed Black Trout: 1sp
Steak and Kidney Pie: 2sp
Venison Steak: 2sp
Stuffed Pheasant: 1sp
Roast Duck with Apples: 1sp
Roast Goose: 1sp
Cheese rolls with a Filling of Nuts, Honey and Vegetables: 9cp
Smoked Salmon Salad: 9cp
Apple Stuffed Mushrooms: 5cp
Roast Beef with Cranberry Sauce: 9cp

BEVERAGES
Whiskey: 6cp
Rum: 7cp
Beer: 2cp
Heavy Beer: 3cp
Ale: 4cp
Spiced Ale: 7cp
Mead: 9cp
Local Wine: 9cp
Fireamber Wine: 1sp
Local Brandy: 1sp

The upper rooms are very clean, and all of the rooms are heated and with the inn only having seven standard rooms and seven private suites, they are easy to maintain and keep comfortable for the guests. Each room has a bed, many covers & blankets, a wash stand, chamber pot, towel, pegs for garments, and several chairs and stools.

ROOM NIGHTLY PRICES
(12) Standard Suite: 8sp

Friday, October 18, 2024

Market Square
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

The market square in Ravenvale is basically a small clearing in the center of the settlement where carts and wagons gather and offer goods to the people of the locals. Once each week, the official market day acts as a siren’s song, calling most of the local folk to shop and socialize in the market. Farmers sell produce, hunters hawk smoked meats, villagers sell crafts, and sometimes a trader from distant locations sells implements or costly goods.

"On any given day, there is a 50% chance that items from the adventuring gear list in the Player’s Handbook are available for sale here". Adventurers will almost never find armor, weapons, implements, or magic items in the market square, however.

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Ravenvale Patisserie Shoppe
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

The Ravenvale Patisserie Shoppe is the bakery and home of Rika Haley, a young, brown haired woman who opened this Patisserie Shoppe some 2 years ago after traveling from Haven. She left Haven to find a smaller community to tend to with her baked goods. She wanted to have a more personal feel with her customers and in a larger city like Haven, this was impossible to do. When seen working in her shoppe, she will be seen carrying several of her various cookbooks, pouring over new recipes. This patisserie shoppe is all she has so she puts fourth a serious effort to make her customers happy.

The shop stands next to the Ravenvale Inn which gives this establishment a lot of business. The building is a small bakery, and surprisingly well stocked for a settlement of this small size, with the front of the shop facing the main street that goes through the center of Ravenvale. It has a small cellar for storing supplies, with the ground floor given over to the business and upper floor used as the home of Rika.

The ground floor has two main sections. The front of the building is the store and is open to the public. Here, a counter ringed the room with large cabinets displaying the day's wares; there is also a bread bin. A corridor leads to the back of the building. The cellar of the building is used for storage, holding ingredients. At the rear was the kitchen and preparation area, with a large oven, cooling racks, and work bench. She had her own personal oven sent to Ravenvale to her new shop . . . she is rather fond of that particular oven, and she believes her oven is just as good as this so called "magical" oven in Haven.

The bakery has a small dining room at the front of the shop. Upstairs is a small living area, furnished with two couches, rug, and bookcase with a small bedroom in the back. In the back is a bathroom with bathtub. The shop as a whole is very cosy and confortable and it is very popular with the residents of Ravenvale. At times the shop has been known to have customers from outside the settlement . . . the Ravenvale Patisserie Shoppe is known throughout Abanasinia.

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Tenements
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman
This large tenement structure features several apartments for the Ravenvale residents who do not own farms or who work in the businesses within the settlement who do not have a permanent residence. Several families also live in the homes on the west side of the town. Most of the people who live outside Ravenvale are farmers and crafters who bring their wares to the Market to sell or trade.

The tenements belong to the Ravenvale government, they are not independently owned and operated by any individual. The weekly rent starting at 10sp/week is sent to the office of Lord Mayor Tallos Witherspoon and is then used to maintain structures within Ravenvale, pay the local guard and other things that keep this settlement flourishing. Rent is mostly dependent on what profession the person(s) is/are. People that have higher incomes will be rented to for an elevated rent fee (in other words, adventurers will be able to pay a lot more since they are usually "well off"). It does however have an individual that administers the weekly funds, a kindly woman by the name of Marita Olven. She runs a nearby office during the day that handles all business for the tenements.

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Traders Establishment
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

Virtually all sorts of saleable goods are offered here. Rare and/or unusual items might be obtained at a price and in time (and will often be spurious or faulty). Magical items are NOT sold here ever! The current stock is limited due to this location being in a small village. The store itself is medium sized at best. This business is own by Jelren Artson.

1. Clothing and Packs: peasant equipment is about 90% of list price, rounded down; dungeoneering items are 100% rounded up.

2. Footwear, Gloves & Belts: Prices to adventurers is 125% of list, 80% to villagers.

3. Lighting Equipment: Tinderboxes, candles, oil, lamps, wicks, lanterns etc are 110% of list, rounded up.

4. Hand Tools: Hammers, adzes, planes, nails, saws etc. A file sells for 1sp and up. Saws cost cost about the same as a hand axe or hatchet.

5. Food & Herbs: Rations packed to go are 120% of list, and herbs are 150% of list.

6. Ropes, Chains & Dungeoneering Gear: (including writing materials and religious items) 110% of list. 7. Polearms & Shields: 110% of list.

8. Other Weapons, Missles and Associated Gear: 120% of list.

9. Armor & Helmets: Padded, studded and leather armor are in stock. There will be a 70% chance that ring mil is currently in stock, 50% for scale mail, 30% for chain mail, and 10% for a set of banded mail. These are all 150% of list. All orders will be at 200% of list. (use d6, 1 being to small, 6 being too large and other rolls will fit).

10. Tack, Harness, Wheelbarrows & Dungeon Carts: All in stock will be at 75% of list.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Ravenvale Postal
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

The Ravenvale post office has fast horseback courier services that run all along the roads within Abanasinia and with approval outside of the region as well. It has a several couriers that handle the transporting, they wear wear leather armor, and weapons and are well stocked for long trips if needed. Ravenvale also has several others that volunteer to transport for Ravenvale Postal "but calling upon additional riders is a very rare thing".

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Alchemy Shop
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

Walking into this small shop customers are instantly bombarded by an array of colors and, more importantly, smells. On the walls are glass jars full of herbs. The larger jars full of the more colorful herbs are only for show...and to sell to unwitting adventures. They have no real medicinal purpose. The shop also stocks a wide variety of potions "the majority are non magical". There are cures for insomnia, upset stomach and headache. There are stimulants to keep one awake. Under the counter, likely behind various spell traps, sit the most powerful tonics: those which close wounds, cure most poisons and let one breath as if a fish. Most patrons never buy any of this latter most group. They come simply to buy their cure-alls and maybe ingredients for their own medicines.

The owner of this shop is a middle ages man going by the name of Elden Riley. He will greet all who enter his shop with a warm welcome and do what he can to assist them in whatever needs they might have. His pricing is reasonable for the region.

Monday, October 7, 2024

Mayor's Office
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm".
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

This small building is the Mayor's office in Ravenvale, the center of government in the settlement which is where one might find Mayor Tallos Witherspoon during the day time hours when he is not out and about the settlement. This location is also the public meeting place for any important meeting that requires the mayor's attention. The mayor's office is located in the center of Ravenvale.

The structure is a small two story building made of good quality stone and wood. The roof is made of wood with a bell tower rising from the back of the building. A noticeboard near the front door displays bulletins and information for residents and newcomers to Ravenvale, some are even jobs offering rewards for certain tasks. The second floor of this building is where the mayor lives and is a modest living space.

The office is used for multiple purposes but is mainly used for meetings and such with a sturdy oak table with chairs seated around it. A large hearth warms the entire office during the colder months of the year. The mayor will meet here monthly with most of the prominent business owners in Ravenvale to discuss matters of importance. A large designer rug lay across most of the center of the room with well-made furniture and such spread across the room.

All rewards for completed jobs are paid out of the mayor's office by the mayor himself. Outsiders will never gain access to the office without first getting permission. The second floor is mainly used as the lord mayor's home. A small hearth is in the back of the room which is independent from the one downstairs. The upstairs room is a simple room, with only the basic necessities. Tallos Witherspoon spends very little time here except for getting needed sleep.