The promised part two of setting information to the Gulf of False Hope is finally here. It’s taken a while, but the Gulf has never been far from my mind when daydreaming about roleplaying ideas or for my next game. It is definitely high up on the list of games I want to run, but I ended up starting up the one on one Burning Wheel games instead because my current schedule required something fixed and consistent. I’ll get to it, but it might not be as soon as I would like. I’ll keep posting my ideas as soon as I have enough that are both A) typed up and B) I am okay with my future players reading. This post concerns the major settlements in the Gulf as well as the dominant religion among the Settlers.
The Settlements of the Gulf
In the decades since the people of Asila began returning to Pericolosa, each new batch of settlers tends to either stick to the relatively safe coastal settlements, or strike out on their own and found their own new village out in the wilds. Even the largest towns of the gulf can hardly compare to Asila’s sprawling major cities, but they have been growing at a rather impressive rate. This collection of towns was inspired by the “Prepare Thyself” section of Torchbearer.
Ashford’s Folly: The largest and oldest of the new wave of settlements in the Gulf (although there are some isolated hold outs from previous attempts that are older), and is the major port for trade with Asila. It was named for Timothy Ashford, captain of the ship that brought the first batch of settlers (who is rather old, but alive when the game starts), and intended as an ironic jab at the naysayers of the time. Ashford’s Folly is a hub of imports and exports, of both people, goods and information. Any requests from patrons (or potential patrons) in The Salvatian League or newly rediscovered information/rumors about the gulf from Salvatian achieves come through Ashford’s Folly first.
Citadel of the Saints: Nestled high on coastal cliffs, the Citadel is an ancient building that has been claimed by a more orthodox sect of The Way (see below) as a base for their Pericolosan ministry. A prolonged renovation effort is being undertaken on the Citadel itself, both to restore the damage of time has done to it, and to strip any remaining remnants of objects of worship that predate the way. As a result, around the Citadel has developed a small boomtown full of artisans, builders, craftsmen, and the various support services that they require. All of this falls under the jurisdiction of the clergy, which do their best to maintain strict order. The Citadel is always in demand for rare building materials from brave souls willing to go find them. In addition, while the church does not officially buy artifacts, those that can retrieve lost relics of the Saint-Heroes and “donate” them to the church are frequently rewarded with “Gifts of Gratitude” which conveniently is often cash.
New Callumsville: A Trading town located at the crossroads of the route between Ashford’s Folly, the Citadel, and Dalmand. New Callumsville is the largest Halfling majority town in the region, and the second largest settlement overall. The majority of the buildings are uncomfortably small for Humans and Elves, although a Dwarf can make do just fine. The area around New Callumsville is often troubled by bandits, who think the small stature of the residents, combined with the wealth that flows through it, makes it a tempting target.
The Elda Spires: Unquestionably the oldest still active settlement in the Gulf, the Elda Spires is a hidden village of elves. Protected through obscurity and glamours, the Spires have lasted through many disasters that have otherwise wiped out the previous inhabitants of the Gulf. The way to the Spires is only known by the elves, and even then, only among the elves who were born there. As such, much about this town is surrounded in mystery. It is likely that the residents of the spires would know a great many secrets about the surrounding area.
The Mine of Dalmand: The Mine of Dalmand is, by Dwarven standards, an outpost at best. By the standards of the Gulf, it is a fairly respectable town in its own right, and the largest concentration of Dwarves in the Gulf. Dug centuries ago by Dwarven miners, the Mine of Dalmand was an iron mine, a spin off of a lost Dwarven Hold much deeper inland. Recently, a new vein of ore has been discovered, and the Mine has become the Gulf’s primary source of iron and steel. Still, most of the Dwarves in Dalmand see it as only a staging area until they can rediscover and reclaim their lost hold. As such, brave explorers will be paid good coin for useful information about the location and state of said hold.
Tower of Vazadrax the Mad: Vazadrax’s Tower is a magical research facility that was set up in the Gulf shortly after the founding of Ashford’s Folly. Magical research is not exactly safe, and as such, Vazadrax’s patrons (which are rumored to be one or more of the dukes themselves) in the League preferred that he did it as far away as possible. Contrary to the image of the recluse wizard, Vazadrax’s work takes a number of apprentices, scholars, and laborers, and the Tower maintains a small attendant town for that purpose. Vazadrax and his apprentices are very interested in the dangerous specimens of the Gulf, and there is money to be made in delivering persevered bodies of such creatures, or even better, live specimens.
Outlying Villages: In addition to those listed above, there are several dozen smaller Salvatian settlements populated by brave souls willing to venture farther inland than most presently dare. These settlements range from log cabins of recluse hermits, to up and coming villages of around 200 people. Some of these villages were established this far out precisely because they wanted to be left alone, while others like nothing better than to see some of their fellow countrymen. Still, all these outlying settlements, even more than the major ones listed above, are at risk from the fell beasts and dangerous monsters of the gulf.
Monster Villages and Holdouts: Some of the more intelligent and social creatures of the Gulf form into communities not unlike the small villages the Salvati have formed. Depending of the temperament of the creatures (which can vary even among those of the same kind), they might be hostile, or they might be willing to attempt to communicate (although they are unlikely to speak Salvati, which would make such attempts difficult without specialized knowledge). If communication can be established, such groups may be willing to trade or providing lodging to traveling adventurers, however, such offers may also be a ruse with the intent to devour, replace, or otherwise take advantage of such travelers.
While their numbers are few and far between, there are also small surviving communities of previous attempts to settle the Gulf. They are slightly more likely to speak Salvati, but these people have spent many generations in a very dangerous environment, isolated from Asila. These holdout settlements have as more in common with the description of monster villages than they do with the newer Outlying Villages. If brave explorers can find trustworthy ones. both Monster and Holdout Villages might have plenty to teach about survival in the Gulf.
The Divine Way of the Saint-Heroes
The largest religion in Asila (and, therefore among the settlers of the Gulf) is the Divine Way of the Saint-Heroes. The Way practices a tradition of worshiping great holy men and heroes of ages past who they believe have ascended into Saints, either during their life or upon their death. They do not worship any gods, believing them to have long left the world, but through the history of The Way, many gods or other religions have been “reinterpreted” as Saint-Heroes in order to bring its practitioners into the fold.
The Way believes that the next world is a hierarchy, under the Saint-Heroes, with the rest being ordered by how closely they followed the Saint’s teachings in life. The orthodox teachings involve strict discipline, self-denial, and pursuit of perfection in your chosen profession or craft, in order to best emulate the suffering and the struggle the Saint-Heroes underwent in their lives. The actual lives of those that ascended to Sainthood are rather varied, and as such, there are a large number of heresies of The Way, that argue for a different (often more hedonistic) path. The orthodox and unorthodox sects are often in conflict, sometimes armed, and other times simply ideologically. The orthodox sects tend to be larger, and aligned with Law, while the Chaos aligned sects tend to be individually smaller, but are more numerous. The Saint-Heroes as a whole however, run the gambit of alignment, and there are plenty of local and itinerant preachers who preach The Way without regard for such things.
I think that’ll do it for now. I still want to make a calendar for this world, and I am work shopping dungeon seeds/ideas but those I’ll probably keep secret (at least until such a time that my players have cleared them out to such an extent that sharing them would no longer be a spoiler). I’ll post more when I got more that I think is post able!
You All Meet in a Tavern 