Much of the lower level adventures will take place in the Amberstead region, the northern-most city-state of the human-occupied Steadlands. This page provides some basic background for the area, for the purposes of developing characters with compatible backgrounds.
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Major Cities/Townships: Amberstead; Grenward, Nordenward, Oxward, Seaward, Thaerenward, Vinward.
Population: 537,350
Government: Feudal; Lord Dominar Daeren Torroth II (Human male LG Ari6/Ftr4)
Predominant Religion(s): Sky Father, Hearth Mother
Resources: agriculture, cattle, wine
Common Language(s): Steadlander; Chimeran, Olven, Trade
The northern-most of the Steadlands, Amberstead is a rich, fertile region known for its wines and agricultural products. Amberstead's northern territories risk attack from the tribes of the Plains of Talandine, while the southern territories must defend themselves from Krulosian expansion.
Historically, the Steadlands were originally human colonies from across the Great Sea, settled long ago by explorers from the Eludar Dominate after the destruction of the Dendradi Empire. Some colonies died out and some went on to prosper. Collectively, these human-dominated settlements are known as the Steadlands. City-states from the original colonies bear the suffix -stead as a part of their name. Most older townships and villages bear the suffix -ward, indicative of their station as wards under the protection of the massive city-states.
Amberstead is typical of the Steadlands. Like most of the Steadland city-states, the City-State is ruled by a Lord Dominar, Draken Torroth II. Numerous townships and villages within a day or two's ride of the City-State provide support for its immense population, and some of those townships are further supported by a multitude of villages and hommlets easily within a half day's ride. The leader of each community under Amberstead's protection is called a Lord Warden, who reports directly to the Lord Dominar. In turn, Wardens are the minor nobility that support Lord Wardens, or who govern the smallest of thorps and hommlets.
City-State of Amberstead (large city): Conventional; AL LG; 16,971 gp limit; Assets 13,957,825 gp; Population 16,455; Isolated (92% human, 3% halfling, 2% dwarf, 1% elf, 1% tarthani, 1% other races)
Authority Figure(s): Lord Dominar Daeren Torroth II, male human aristocrat 6/fighter 4.
Important Characters: Sir Lorell Swiftsword, male human fighter 8 (Lord-Master of the Guard); Revered Speaker Baerne, male human bard 9 (Herald of Amberstead); Father Nigel Dawnherald, male human cleric 10 (High Priest, Temple of the Holy Light); Tanuko Brightsun, tarthani male monk 10 (Grandmaster of the Monastery of Divine Light); Mother Tara Heartsworn, female human cleric 9 (High Priestess, Sanctuary of the Sacred Hearth); Sir Nathaniel Hearthguard, male human fighter 5/holy warrior 4 (Master Defender of the Sacred Hearth); Elder Sasha Treestrider, female human druid 10 (Tender of the Three Circles); Warden Jasper Treestrider, male human ranger 9 (Warden of the Three Circles); Sir Marcus Dain, male human fighter 5/knight-marshal 5 (Dean of Amberstead's War Collegium); Mistress Sylvaen of Amberstead, female halfling rogue 11 (Guildmistress of the Shadowlords); Ringbearer Helena Silverstaff, female human battle sorcerer 6/mithral ringbearer 4 (Member of the Lord Dominar's War Council); Commander Sayuri Dreamdancer, female tarthani soulknife 3/psychic warrior 6 (Mercenary Commander of the Crimson Skulls); Michelle Elfbane, female human psion 8 (Owner/instructor of the Crystal Halls); Wyrdsman Lucian Stonecutter, male dwarf cleric 3/wizard 3/wyrdsman 4 (Proprietor of the magic shop Lore & Loot).
Notes: The temples of two patrons grace the City-State of Amberstead. The Temple of the Holy Light, dedicated to the Sky Father, supports the Monastery of Divine Light. The Sanctuary of the Sacred Hearth, serving the Hearth Mother, contains an orphanage as well as a hospice for healing. Only a few miles beyond the gates stands the Three Circles, a druidic site of three concentric stone rings located on the edge of the only conquered Dendradi ruins within the City-State.
The City-State of Amberstead employs 164 guards full-time, with a standing militia of 822.
Six primary townships support the City-State, two somewhat larger than the others (~6000 pop., the rest ~3-4000.) Grenward, below, is an example of the larger townships found in the Steadlands area.
Township of Grenward (small city): Conventional; AL LN; 8,905 gp limit; Assets 2,858,184 gp; Population 6,425; Isolated (95% human, 2% halfling, 2% elf, 1% other races)
Authority Figure(s): Lord Warden Brahm Coreanther, male human aristocrat 7; Minister Tawna Gavensdotter, female human expert 9
Important Characters: Marshal Celandine Warblossom, female human fighter 4 (Master of the Guard); Lady Roxana, female human bard 8 (courtesan of Lord Warden Brahm Coreanther); Father Cassius, human cleric 8 (Priest of the Shrine of the Sky Father); Sharona Gavensdotter, female human druid 8 (reclusive sister of Minister Raeleria Gavensdotter); "Master Zahir, Lord of the Bottle", halfling fighter 7 (a local warrior known for his warskill and his drunkenness); Lindon, male human monk 8 (a hermit of the local hills); Sir Ferdinand Firebrand, human fighter 5/holy warrior 1 (Defender of the Shrine of the Sky Father); Swaran Leafwarden, male elf ranger 7 (official ambassador of the Blood Elves); Cymeron Blacksash, male human rogue 8 (public contact for the Dark Sashes); Neville Ravensong, male human battle sorcerer 7 (arcanist and defender of the Lord Warden); Gustav Lightfoot, male halfling soulknife 4 (sword-for-hire often employed for mercenary services); Magus Langeirre, male human wizard 9 (a master artificer); Gaven Burleson, male human psion 5 (a semi-successful mind-mage that often hires adventurers for special projects, father of Minister Tawna and Sharona Gavensdotter).
Notes: The western-most township protected by Amberstead, Grenward serves as the primary entry point for trade goods from Hagerstead. Within the walls of Grenward, the Minister controls almost as much respect and authority as the Lord Warden.
The Township of Grenward employs 64 full-time guards, with a standing militia of 320.
Below are a list of the other five major townships under the protection of the City-State of Amberstead.
Nordenward holds the northern borders via the defensive stronghold Castle Nordengard.
Oxward, the largest township under Amberstead's control, provides much of the cattle for export.
Seaward serves as one of Amberstead's northern ports, and the base of operations for the City-State's first line of naval defense against Chimeran pirates.
Thaerenward is the home of the Temple of Orderly Light, a large sanctuary/monastery devoted to the Sky Father. The War Collegium's main campus lies within Thaerenward's walls.
Vinward, a southern holding of Amberstead, is reknowned for its exquisite wines and extensive vineyards.
Counting townships, villages and hommlets, there are almost seven hundred communities (avg ~700 pop) under the protection of the City-State of Amberstead. Roughly a third of the region's countryside is devoted to farming and agriculture in support of the populace. Brookhaven, a small village a day's ride northeast of Grenward, is an example of such communities:
Brookhaven (village): Conventional; AL LG; 132 gp limit; Assets 4,884 gp; Population 739; Isolated (98% human, 1% elf, 1% other races)
Authority Figure(s): Warden Morgen Redbeard, male human aristocrat 1/expert 2
Important Characters: Marshal Vincent Saddleborne, male human warrior 2 (Master of the Guard); Acacia Steeltalon, female human fighter 3 (retired veteran and proprietor of the Blue Griffin Tavern); Sister Meghan of Brookhaven, female human cleric 4 (Priestess of the Hearth Mother's Shrine); Brother Indigo, male human druid 1 (local apothecary and woods-tender); Anand Truehart, male elf ranger 2 (guardian of the local woods); Jeremiel Longarrow, male human rogue 5 (proprietor of the Brookhaven Trading Post); Talitha Erinsdotter, female human battle sorcerer 3 (custodian of Magus Langeirre's tower).
Notes: Magus Langeirre, a master artificer living primarily in Grenward, maintains a tower for research and seclusion outside of Brookhaven. Although he visits the village perhaps once or twice a year, at best, he is regarded as a local hero by the villagers.
Brookhaven employs seven seasoned veterans as full-time guards, with a standing militia of 36.
Given the state of affairs with the neighboring lands, Amberstead culture and society has a strong awareness of their need for a determined and disciplined military force. Typical of the military forces found within the Steadlands, Amberstead's armies are controlled by Grand Marshals, who report directly to the Lord Dominar. High Marshals control individual battle companies under the Grand Marshals, which in turn are comprised of regiments led by Lord Marshals. There are two ranks below Lord Marshal: Marshals, who lead small units, and Swordsman, the rank-and-file armed warriors.
Given the strong sense of civic duty, it is common practice that military victories are recognized by the Crown. In some cases, the non-hereditary title of knighthood is awarded, placing these individuals within the peerage just below Wardens. Specific orders continue to serve the City-State in various manners. For example, Knight-Marshals are individuals who serve the High Marshals and Grand Marshals as independent operatives, while Knight-Wardens are individuals who serve the Lord Wardens and Lord Dominar as independent operatives.
The Lord Dominar's court, as well as lesser courts held by other nobility, require additional support staff. Such positions within the Lord Dominar's courts are referred to as Ministers, though the leader of the Ministers is entitled Vizier. Most Lord Wardens and Wardens also have a Minister to help with the administrative tasks of running a small community.
The City-State of Amberstead maintains eleven strongholds dedicated to the defense of its lands.
Amberstead is bordered by a number of lands, from the Plains of Talandine northward to the other Steadland City-States to the south.
The mounted tribes of nomadic barbarians known as the Five Tribes control the interior of the great plains. Members of these tribes, as well as others, raid as often as they trade with the northern communities of Amberstead. Indeed, families of numerous northern communities have become tainted with the berserker blood of trading and raiding tribesmen.
Hagerstead lies to the southwest, furthest from the shores of the Great Sea. It is perhaps the most dangerous to live in, but has limited trade established with the woodland races of the Bloodborder Woods, giving it a somewhat strong trade position in the general Steadlands market.
The Sovereignty lies in the midst of the Steadlands, and for that reason is perhaps the most prominent due to control of the most direct overland trade. Originally known as Marstead, the Sovereignty recently suffered from a civil war almost a decade ago, and is now being controlled by Overlord Krulos. Krulos's Lord Wardens are termed Dominar as a sign of disrespect for the other Lord Dominars, but otherwise he follows the traditional Steadland nobility. In his lands, slavery is practiced.
A secretive movement dedicated to restoring the displaced Lord Dominar of Marstead occasionally causes some internal problems for the Overlord's Forces.
The southernmost of the Steadlands, Rhinestead also engages in trade with the lands that border the land-locked Sea of Myrrgor to the southwest of the Steadlands.
A land of mixed population, Wickerstead is the home of both humans and the Steadland halflings, exiled from the Chimeran Isles en masse over a century ago. Wickerstead lies somewhat between Hagerstead, Rhinestead and the Sovereignty of Krulos. Their people have suffered at the hands of Krulosian aggressions in recent years.
The City-State of Amberstead has a number of distinctive features.
The Old Druid's River marks the northern boundary of the City-State of Amberstead. The Grand Marshal's forces of Nordengard frequently patrol the River Road, which travels along its length.
Lake Halcyon, the largest body of water within the City-State, can be found due west of Nordengard. Merchant houses have established a small trade enclave on the northern shore, offering opportunities to exchange goods with the more civil of the nomadic barbarian tribes.
South of Grenward and west of Vinward, the dank presence of the Dead Beggar's Bog serves as a natural boundary marking the southwestern extents of the City-State of Amberstead. Abberations occasionally raid the villages along its edge, at the behest of an unseen leader known as the Lady of the Marsh.
A vast amount of land within the City-State has been cleared for farmland and raising cattle for food and export. Despite those efforts, two large woods still dominate the land in certain regions. Although not nearly as impressive as the elven forest known as the Bloodborder Woods to the west, these woods bare mentioning.
To the north, the Hunter's Wood covers the last of the rolling hills from the Plain of Talandine, covering much of the River Road and the Old Druid's River area with its thick canopy, extending no more than ten miles into the City-State itself from the river's edge.
Much of the Darkenwood to the south has been burned or cut back, in response to Krulosian invasions over the last few years. Some say that the bloodshed within the forest has angered ancient spirits long dormant in the heart of the woods. Fortunately, these are only rumors compared to the very real threat of the Blood Elves when angered.
There are three known Dendradi ruins located within the region. The first, and most extensive, are the ruins of the City of Three Circles, located almost five miles northwest of Amberstead, beyond the druidic sacred site known as the Three Circles. The City of Three Circles has been conquered at great expense by the City-State of Amberstead, and its Stone Portal gives the City-State access to a small network of portals used long ago by the Dendradi. Passage to and from Enhaven can be purchased for 150gp per person. The cost is about two and a half times what it would cost to travel there by ship, but the travel time is practically instantaneous, making it a preferred means of transport for affluent arcanists.
The other two ruins have not been conquered as yet. Indeed, every year foolhardy youths, fresh from their Coming Of Age rituals, travel to these places seeking treasure and fame, only to return on their shields or with empty pockets. Occasionally, a band of adventurers return with treasure and great tales, but few have been completely successful. The Lord Dominar does offer impressive rewards for those that would conquer either of these two sites, assuming they can present proof of their conquest before his most noble throne.
One of these Dendradi sites, the Greenfell Outpost, is what appears to be a small outpost along the northern borders of Amberstead, a few miles into the woods across the Old Druid's River from the village of Brookhaven. The other, located near the border of Amberstead and Hagerstead to the south, resembles a large manor complex. Called the Broken City of Screams, the site is oft avoided due to the loud yells and screams that echo through the ruins at night.
Raids from the barbarian tribes to the north have recently increased in number. The tribesmen claim it is response to black-armored horsemen attacking them in their lands, but no proof has been brought forward to support their allegations.
Farmers of northern Amberstead have suffered a blight upon their lands over the course of this last year. The more superstitious feel that perhaps Overlord Krulos has somehow cursed Amberstead, and that his forces to the south are preparing for a massive invasion.
Lord Dominar Daeren Torroth II anxiously awaits the birth of his first grandchild. Despite reduced crops, the Townships and the City-State prepare to celebrate the future heir's birth.
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