Castle Galent (Octzel, Gremna Province, Halale Wilderness, ca. 2092 AW)
Although Gerton to the north is the capitol
of Gremna Province, Galent is a more robust castle, and has long served as a
center of trade for the farmers and ranchers of the southern province. The Barony is ruled by House Kratim, of which
Baron Hroder Kratim is the most
respected member in the community. He is second in command behind Duke Kalios
in Gerton should a defense need to be mounted against foreign or monstrous
invasion.
Baron Hroder has a secret, however. East of
his lands is the vast and untamed territory of Mitra’s Forest, and within that
forest is the ruinous domain of Old Chegga, once an ancient bastion of chaos
cultists and orcs, now dominated by the mysterious power of the vampiric
Karukithyak. Some years ago Hroder sought to extinguish the vile forces that
operated within the ruins of Chegga, and he failed, narrowly escaping with his
life. What is not known is that he was bitten by the vampire lord, and is now
in thrall to Karukithyak. For this reason along Galent proves to be
exceptionally resilient against invasion from the orc-dominated woodlands, as
Hroder’s inside knowledge of the monstrous lands gives him an edge.
Hroder’s effectiveness against the orc
warlords is what makes him so valuable locally, but behind the scenes he is
really being used as a pawn by Karukithyak, slaughtering the enemies of the
vampire lord so that Chegga may be strengthened. Mindful of his tool’s
usefulness Karukithyak keeps Hroder’s position as a reliable agent safe, to
avoid suspicion.
Hroder is weakened in sunlight but does not
suffer damage like regular vampires, for the curse of vampirism he received comes
from a serpent man who was cursed by Set himself. Karukithyak’s kin are feared
by many of the hidden vampire and undead enclaves throughout the land for this
reason. However, should Karukithyak ever be slain, Hroder will no longer be in
thrall to the vampire lord, but he will also lose his special resilience,
becoming a normal human vampire as a
result.
Secretly Hroder despises Karukithyak’s hold,
and worries that he is funneling great power in to the hands of a madman, one
which worships a dreadful subterranean and aquatic being called the Kraken. He
has, and will, continue to find quiet ways to defy the vampire lord, including
hiring adventures discreetly to carry out assaults and raids against Old
Chegga.
Galent is a military town, and it shows.
Though only two regular garrisons of militia are maintained here (approximately
300 soldiers) it also hires and maintains an active mercenary company, and is
one of the safe harbors for the rogue orcish mercenaries of Halshaggin’s
Raiders. Three local knighthoods claim Galent as their home city, including the
Order Triumphant, the Order of the Eternally Vigilant and a local office and
tower for the Order of the Crown.
There are numerous inns, hostels, taverns
and brothels, as well as spots of entertainment, including:
The Boar’s Tusk
The Riverside Tavern (more of a creek,
though)
Ancheron’s Noble Hostel
Fletch-Feathered Inn
Abroshe Gambling Hall
Arena Sports Pits
Crossroads Tavern
Serpent’s Coils
Before Chenetoz Forks became the popular
place to hang criminals, there was the Crossroads of Galent. A long while back
someone bought up the land and turned the region around the old hangman’s tree
in to an inn and tavern called the Crossroads.
The establishment is currently run by an ogre mage of indeterminate origin and
who goes only by the name of Gus.
Rumor is the ancient tree at the heart of the building is still haunted, and
that a malevolent specter of a dead diabolist named Histior Lokenze
manifests at least once a year, on the Eve
of All’s Darkness, a night when the tavern never gets any visitors past
midnight, except on a dare. In the last decade at least five foolhardy souls
who paid to brave the tavern on that night and apparently perished of terror,
or so it is said.
The truth is even spookier; this spirit of a
mad diabolist does indeed haunt the tree, and Gus has sealed up the rooms and
chambers immediately adjacent to its vast trunk, and warded them against the
dead. Histior’s spirit manifests on the night of each new moon, though he is
able to pass the wards only on the Eve of All’s Darkness, said to be the night
when even the stars are eclipsed by the vastness of Death’s Realm.
The Serpent’s
Coils is another well known establishment,
run by the enigmatic half-elf woman Histeria,
who raises snakes and dances a mysterious eastern dance with them. She trains a
small group of professional dancers, and puts on shows that the local merchants
and mercenaries pay good money for. Besides its dances, wine and drink the
establishment is a renowned brothel, and it has its own secrets as well. At the
center of the building is a great pit with an ancient giant serpent, said to be
a pet and perhaps even a lover transformed of Histeria. Histeria herself is a
mystery, exceptionally long-lived and of unusual nature; she is in fact a
were-serpent, and once was one of the greatest assassins of distant Galonia.
Even now she trains her finest women to serve as agile assassins for hire,
using the serpent as their key weapon. She is also one of the few citizens of
Galent to know that Hroder is actually a vampire.
Encounters
in the Galent:
Encounter 14+
D20 Encounter
1-5 A major seasonal market and fair is
underway for farmers, ranchers and villagers in the region
6-10 Galent’s mercenary company is hiring
after rumors of orcish war parties surface
11-12 A local merchant is felled by a serpent’s
bite; rumors suggest he died at the Serpent’s Coils, but Histeria seeks the aid
of adventurers to prove this is not true
13-14 A band of local blades seek to rough up the
fresh new faces in the city
15-16 Hroder is recruiting mercenaries for a
special task; he reveals he intends to send them to Old Chegga to gather
information on the cult of the Kraken
17 A wealthy nobleman intends to stay in
the tavern on the Eve of All’s Darkness, and his wife hires the adventurers to
protect him
18 The local graveyard is apparently
having troubles with ghouls and risen dead, and needs help
19 The Halshaggin’s Raiders arrive in
town on call from the baron, causing a disruption
20 Rumors of catacombs beneath the city
draw the attention of a priest of Enki, who seeks adventurers to escort him to
find and sanctify these catacombs
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