Introducing Tier Temeroth
I've been GMing this Fantasy Craft campaign for quite some time now. The setting is one of my own creation, but I'm proud to say a great, great deal of it has been shaped by the players over the years. This campaign focuses on the great city of Tier Temeroth.
Winters are harsh here in Tier Temeroth. Located high in the mountains, the city has been buried floors deep in snow, even in recent years. Most of the kingdom of Zanarstate, of which Tier Temeroth is the capital, is uninhabited woodland, and thus the city feeds itself off of trade with other lands. The city's main life-line is the trade route to Tirden, an arcane realm of the elves to the north. The only route is through a narrow and unforgiving mountain pass, but it is well worth it for the elven treasures. Trade with the elves is brief, as the pass is opens for the summer and quickly closes as the colder months set in.
Tier Temeroth gets its name from the ancient dwarves that founded it long ago, but the humans who reside here now added the "Tier" after the way the city is laid out. The majority of the city is built at the top of a high cliff overlooking the Haunt of Greyfog, a deep forest thought to be the lair of many a dark beast. Built into the cliff face are several small districts, which divides the city into several tiers, hence the name.
The city is divided several times again by a number of rivers. The upper tiers enjoy remarkable bridges and a cool mist in the summer months. Several waterfalls make Tier Temeroth a spectacular sight.
Perhaps the city's most remarkable feature are the three massive stone statues of dwarves. Known locally as The Guardian Statues, these dwarves overlook the Haunt of Greyfog in their eternal watch. Some believe it is their vigil that protects the city against attack.
While Tier Temeroth is normally a fairly mild trade center, since the Great Betrayal of Tirranus something has not been right. Whether the Queen of Humanity's sudden attack on Pirador, the Divine Arbiter, is to blame is up for debate. Whatever the reason, the spirits of the realm are upset and Tier Temeroth is where they are gathering.
Monsters and necromancers have set their sights on the city and even Governor Marchan's vast resources are not enough to stop it all. The protection of the city seems to have fallen to a ever growing group of unlikely heroes...
Aylonwey, an Elven wizard from Tirden. Aylonwey briefly attended university in the City of Towers, only to drop out after a time and follow his family's expectations by joining the navy. He lived the life of a cabin boy for some time before he decided to leave Tier Temeroth and study magic at his own pace. After arriving he soon saved by Smomm, a Dwarven mugger/transient, and found his talent for summoning elementals.
Smomm Jarkle, a Dwarven barbarian from Zlight. Smomm battled for his ancestors and survival against Zlight's ancient foes - the Grey Elves. While his led the charge against one of their foe's secluded city-states, a freak accident of magic overcharged an elf's spell - teleporting Smomm to Tier Temeroth. Confused and alone in a crowd of thousands Smomm made contact with a wizard in hopes to teleport back to the fight. The conniving spell caster told him that Smomm's gear would endanger his life during the teleport spell and would have to be teleported separately, which resulted in the wizard vanishing with all of Smomm's worldly possessions. Desperate and with few options left to him, Smomm became a mugger and spent fifteen long years on the streets of Tier Temeroth before saving Aylonwey from rival muggers. At which point the city guard noticed his potential and hired him on for a job.
Gug, an Orc doctor with a dash of Troll Blood. Gug raised himself in the wild and lived alone for as long as he can remember. He began practicing medicine on himself, due in part to curiosity and in part to inherent regeneration. Eventually he found his way to Tier Temeroth where he stitched up hobos and criminals in exchange for booze and meat. During the Necromancer Crisis the heroes came to rely on Gug for his medical skill and robust health.
Magthor, a Orc Crusader from the Far East. Magthor is a veteran of many conflicts, hardened by the ceaseless wars of Far East Xsana. He is a devout worshiper of Zult-Shur - the First Ogre. Zult-Shur's followers are to make war in an effort to prove their worth to him. Worthy souls who die in battle will join Zult-Shur in their final attack against Xo - the Devil Smith - the First Ogre's most hated enemy. Xo shattered Zult-Shur's sword - Shur-Vol - thousands of years ago and shattered it's remains across the cosmos. It is these shards that the Cult of the Shattered Sword - Magthor's order - is seeking. And it is the quest for these shards that brought Magthor all the way to distant Tier Temeroth.
Assuming I can find the time I'll make posts detailing the Tier Temeroth campaign. It's definitely something worth writing more about. One of my players takes very excellent notes. Perhaps I can convince him to digitize them...