Riftcrag, City of
Population:
Exports: furs and leathers
Imports: precious gems, silver, gold, precious metals, gems, iron, metals, textiles, wood, herbs, spices, livestock, grain, unique metals for swordcraft, marble, alabaster, horses, paper, fine pottery, silk, jungle spices, jungle gems, fish, seafood, boats, Gibbil’swood, flintstone, Girru’soil, weapons, bows, glass, hourglasses, maps, printed materials
Ruler: Erind Shartru
Religious Leader: Nagh Bitum su’Anthraxus
Description
Locations: walls, markets, trade, buildings, surrounding lands, people, government, rulers, militia, coins, prosperity
Encounters:
Guilds:
Legos - cambion
male in charge of a thieves guild in Riftcrag.
interested in the
potion to gain plane travel powers...
will kill, main,
or do anything to get what he wants.
perfers to be very mean & very evil.
always seeks more power.
Kisharra Shartru
- fighter, mercenary,
interested in
returning potion to
Sendi Shartru -
wants potion to increase his own dare devil abilities.
the church -
wants to potion formulae for personal gain, lying about being Portias patron.
Nagh Bitum su’Anthraxus
The High Church of Irra, a cocoon shaped structure built upon the center of
Churchbridge spanning the
Church hierarchy:
The church accepts as clerics only those people with life threatening diseases.
These people. ‘bearing the touch of Irra’, recieve no benefits against their
ailment until attaining the title of High Priest at 9th level. Thus, as clergy
may die of their own disease earlier, this provides anincentive for quick
progression through the ranks. Slow progression often means death. While having
a high attrition rate, this creates committed, dedicated and motivated clerics.
City Miracle:
The
Church Policies:
The Church has instituted the famous ‘death tax’. Anyone bringing a dead body
to the church will earn 1 gp. These dead bodies are animated by the clerics as
servants and to form a part of the cities army used in times of war or
commotion.
The church is really not in the business of healing people sick with disease. They will cast miracles allowing people to endure their ailments, even feel good, but seldom is the ailment cured. Those treated as such are usually blessed to be carriers for the disease although they may not be told this. Clergy do have the right to cure people of diseases and will do so when it is in the clear benefit of the church but such is rare and those clergy who do such are looked down upon.
It is often true that clergy will cause horrible diseases to inflict people in order to convince them to perform services. Clergy may heal such caused diseases but doing so always reduces their experience point totals.
City Trade:
The chief exports of the city are furs and leathers. Many of these the city
acquires through trade with the surrounding nomadic bandit kingdoms. Being the
only true city in the area has its benefits and many of these barbarians and
bandits and otherwise nomadic peoples will bring in their furs and hides in
return for the items that only cities may offer. In turn, the city trades such
goods abroad and ekes out a steady source of income. The north is rich in furs.
Population:
Not all of the citizens of Riftcrag suffer from disease. in fact, many do not.
Such are mainly the descendants of families that have emigrated here
previously. The town houses a number of Noble families that have gotten rich
off of the trade and the high attrition rate of trading organizations and
skilled laborors that have found themselves here. The city’s populations are
often geographically separated. Being constructed along the face of two great
cliffs, the cliffs have a number of alcoves, caves, plateaus, and large tunnels
that are often difficult to get to. Thus the city has divided itself into a
number of neighborhoods. Some of these neighborhoods have instituted tolls for
entrance with the idea of keeping impoverished rabble out. Others even bar the
sick from entering, lest their diseases become spread into non-sick areas of
the city.
Neighborhoods:
Scurvytown
Great Plateu
Downtown & the Old City
Minnersville
Leper’s Leap
Inns
Redspanner - built upon an iron bride spanning the chasm, the Redspanner is perhaps one of the safest inns within the city. This double decker building has a bar, dinning areas, and a number of rooms. Upon purchasing a room for the night (two day minimum), the customer is given a key with a symbol that matches the door to their room. The hallways to the rooms are patrolled and bouncers will ‘bounce’ loiterers or people whom do not have keys to a room in that area.
The Bloody Vengence - known for its very spicey hot chili, the bloody vengence is located in Scurvytown. The inn has only a few high priced rooms - each with two entrances from behind and in front of the building. Contact with the Scarlet Brotherhood may be made here discretely.
Church Layout:
As mentioned previously, the church is built at the center of church bridge,
the largest bridge in Riftcrag. The bridge is made of iron and is highly bowed
- with its entrances built at the lowest points in the canyon and its center
reaching above the top of either cliffs. The church is built at this central
apex, and gives the clergy a view of the flat terrain beyond the city in all
directions. The church itself looks like an oblong egg with the bridge connecting
into it below its center. On Holy Days, ritual ceremonies are performed not
only in the church but all along the bridge so the citizens may be spectators
from their cliff dwelling balconies.
The church itself has 6 levels. Two levels below the entrance, one at the level of the entrance and three above. The church bears the symbol of many snakes upon it. The churches symbol is alternately a black hand or mulstiple venemous snakes.
The entrance level is built as a cathedral like room with altar and pews. The Nobles and VIPs of the city enter here to worship. The place is laiden in gold and black candles. It has a large blood stained altar beneath the large image of their god, a sickly crone of a man. This room also acts as an audience chamber. Nearer the altar where the priests may meet with visitors is a large pool of rot grubs. Approaching too close may cause grubs to leap out and attack the visitor. Angered priests have been known to throw people into the pool of grubs - a BAD BAD thing for the victim but the pools do need to be fed.
The Ghobnie-ga’Dhoom
powerful undead soldiers created with the heart of paladin and the body of
a soldier treat as mummies with rot grubs (as per rot grub zombies). These
Ghobnie’ga’Dhoom soldiers also have the magical powers of dimension door 2/day
(into shadows), may folow orders and are somewhat spell resistant (24).
We meet five people with pikes coming from Riftcrag. They say we can return with heads of wanted bandits in order to get $$ reward. I talk to the guy and find his name is Katraken of Riftcrag, works for Lord Enbir, a noble favored of the House Shartru, headquartered in the sculpture district.
Katraken says we
can get healing from the
Riftcrag doesn’t
look like much of a settlement, but some buildings on both sides of the great
rift. We are told to go to the clerical bridge, the bridge that reaches the
greatest height (but actually starts near the lowest in the city). The
We start down the iron work path into the rift canyon and find the rest of the city built into the sides of the cavern. Riftcrag filled with shadows, very easy to hide. As we go down to the church, we encounter Master Rolo (rodent face, bad temper, law enforcement guy with scale armor) chasing after Malavere, an out of favor cleric of Irra with a ponytail, jewelry, rod, holy symbol of Irra (black hand with snakes around it). We pass a tower with a horse’s head and a Z (House Barad Bortu, controls streets in the city, cleaning the dead wagons). City militia guard the bridge.
As we cross the bridge, we pass three clerics. There is a Buddha-like statue with snakes crawling all over it. Humans with collars lie in the temple area bleeding. The “emperor” greets us. The cleric trades for Portia’s body (worth more because already diseased) and heals Rispa.
We go to
For the next three days, there will be great cliffdancing and cliffboarding competitions (ski down the slopes of cliff faces on a wooden board). Events take place on the far side of the city.
The
The
At the
On the way back
through the Sculpture District, we are approached by a snake guy and have to
give 1 gp to the
While we’re out,
the
At the Redspanner an unhealthy gas from below fills the rooms. People in Redspanner are from Stoink, and a city with the symbol of a castle with chains around it (Greyhawk).
Shirsa Shartru (the Chicksa) hands us a wooden shield and tells us to jump down the ravine. We go down… cliffsurfing is very difficult and complicated.
By talking to Cronin, one of the street cleaners who owns the balcony, we learn a little about what’s up. On the flat area, we find that no one helps if you’re stuck there. The balcony above us belongs to Bartan the Dog Trainer. House Shartru also lives in the area. Downtown is $$, the oldest part of Riftcrag.
Below is the
In Downtown, we
stay at the “
The Order of the Red Hand (symbol, red tower) is run by Scellis (looks like Scorpius). They run competitions at the Thunderdome. Scellis runs this event which is vicious and serves as an occasion for gambling. Shartru is not here this time, but the Bishop of Riftcrag bets with Scellis about who will win. The House Raval fighter wins.
At the Bloody Vengeance, you can meet contacts in the Scarlet Brotherhood.
Thunderdome is having a slave auction. One slave has almost black skin (a Narian—tough and strong) Big guy at auction (9 ft. tall) maybe part ogre with plate mail armor. Auctioneer has lots of hair moving through the market on a lizard like a steed. People are up in the stands to watch and gamble over prices.
We take the stairwell up. We go to the Bloody Vengeance. Steam collects in Scurvytown and warps the buildings. B.V. is a two-story wooden building, set out from the walls. It’s not large. The barkeep is 5’8, late 20s, average looking, messy hair. No one else is there when we arrive. He is looking at drawings of cards (Unspeakable Terrors of the Tarot). Darmak asks for the “green chili and wintermead.” He replies “but it’s spring.” Darmak says, “but I love wintermead.” He has initiated the contact with the Scarlet’s safehouse.
The chili is
good, Lucius’ own recipe, spices from Ket and some elvish spices. The place is
100 years old. The family goes back to the days of the city’s founding by the
original Shartru. One grand-dad was a page with the St. Anda party searching
for the
Bartender tells us to ask for Darmak with “mango chutney.”
Cousins of Shartru live below downtown in several places throughout town. It’s a rich house, but has no export or trade. They are all adrenaline junkies who like gambling and daredeviling in all forms. Erind in his 20s is the heir to House Shartru. His father is losing his mind. Shartru is not allied with the Order of the Red Hand. Scellis and Shartru gamble together. Shartru rules by his balls and will climb the dragon’s throat to get at you. They are involved in cliffdiving, cord jumping, cavefisher cord leap into ravine—bad things down there.
Don’t go out at night on the 14th. People summon demons that day and make it a busy night. 10% of summonings go awry.
We go out hunting for alchemists. Belchor is dead, replaced by Grak Devilstooth. The alchemist shop is a weird white building, one-story tall but two buildings wide. Inside is a one-room lab with a firepit. There are odd people around the cauldron (goblins?). Grak is a big, fat orc, 6 ft. 4 in. tall. The area is very dirty and messy and smells like urine.
Other alchemists in town:
EM’Quaradam (House Shartru master alchemist trained by Asa Quardaman… specializes in heroism, super heroism). His place is a mansion with grounds patrolled all the time located in Downtown near the Red Spring.
Genta Su’Bansher (master or close) part of the Nin’Asagasartu Su’Mord Relmordian guild, trained by an older alchemist. Specializes in elixirs of health and longevity
Vershame the Ugly is Scellis’s poisoner. He was trained in Nellix and specializes in poisons, including those as dangerous as Anzid.
Votsi Su’Corum (freelancer)—came here when young, specializes in poison, drugs, psychedelics
Rashy (freelancer)—found at Leper’s Leap, specializes in salves, ointments, herbology, trained by druids in Celadon, has the shakes
One of Scellis’s tricks is the test by the Golden Apple. 8 guys with crossbows guard those who must take the test. They apparently killed Occifer and are sentenced to a test by the Golden Apple. They are held in cages dangled over chasm. They all get attached to bungee cords (cavefisher ropes), and have to leap out 30 ft. and bring back an apple. There are only four, but there are several people. Each is given a boomerang with sharp edges. Chicksa, the badlands Red Fox, Shirsa Shartru, bets with Scellis, goes to 8000 gp. We see a cavefisher who comes up and eats half of one of the people.
In the crowd… pikes with snake, red banner, skull with red eyes on banners. Leper guy is an operative and one of the long ponytail and tunic, all have winged ram daggers and ponytail wears a skull with ruby-eyes dagger. Leper buying nice leather pouches, chatting about leather guy—”getting a ruby in your back” is something that initiates thieve’s cant here. They’re talking about Sayshak—who owes someone a lot of $$ and is now dead.
Those who do favors for Scellis go to the casino Betsu Blood (Scellis’s gambling house).
13 Miner’s Row is the place where Reselka went crazy and killed his family and friends and miners. It’s in Minersville—low ceiling area, many goblin miners. Street runs along the side of the cliff. Cleric of Irra and several guards clubbing someone, lepers with burning torches, creepy ceremony with lots of eyes; people manacled to walls and symbols of chaos. Cult of the Hand and Cult of the Eye (secret). See many pigmy (goblins) bastards from the mummy returns people. They have picks and axes, bringing stuff into one large building. Caves where people go in and out—hauling charcoal ore. Street signs (nightcrawler, night walker, night wing, miner’s row). Buildings made of bones. One building made of a red gem stone.
8 Miner’s Row is a small mansion with gated area around it. 9 two-story, thin, symbol of a rat no lights, no windows. Not too far up is a large well, then 13 Miner’s Row is deserted and bad.
The sentry building is here, part of an old House Raval building. Two guards live inside and they may have underground labyrinths (30x30 building, 2-stories). Votsi the drug guy is in the warehouse. Donkey symbol, boarded up, padlocked, nobody around. I go on roof: 5 spears, 2 quivers of arrows, 3 crossbows, 3 sets of bolts. Trap door, crossbow rises out of floor.
We search through the top floor and find barrels. I search one with a spigot and find a secret door with stairs leading down. Several goblins are down here, and they don’t like us. Rezshark is one of them. One has a mace, and we hear wimpering at the door, sensitve to smell of meat.
Room one: someone cranked on a rack, being tortured. There are manacles and torture devices on wall. Torturers are at the door, dressed in shiny, silver, studded leather.
Room 2: ?? (where Jenna is hiding)
Room 3: throwing, cackling, double doors, herbs drying. One guy with braided beard, short human (Votsi the alchemist), 8 goblins around the room, one huge ogre with a big club by the door.
There’s a pipe in the room that goes out of the rift, with steam into stone sculpture with locked hands, grates on the cave.
There are 2 major betting houses that do credit for gambling in town. One is House Raval and one is House Betsu blood. I ask about how you get a line of credit, use collateral—usually the max. is 7 sp (with 1gp collateral from your body).
There’s Suboomi’s House of Pleasure near Leper’s Leap.
House Shartru puts us in hiding at Madame Sosay’s House of Repute within sight of the cliff, but up above where the healthier people go. It’s a house for men and women.
Great Hunters lost their soul and the hunt is to regain their sould. They aren’t expected to stay long. Scellis won’t even go toe-to-toe against the guy who owns it.
Two Riftcrag citizens:
First,
Veoden—male human, 40s, long blue jacket, tunic, pouch, dagger on hip, brown
hair parted in middle, has a Riftcrag dagger (special). Daughter has gone
missing to find out where. Some crowns, daughter going to market in
Second, Slender woman, 5 ft. 2 in. ears pointy, blonde, light hair, blue eyes, Shirsa sends her greetings, time run its course, thanks and offer job to wipe out Bartholemew.
The stables and guards are into scams. Carrak the stable guy has sold our horses, says you can’t pay in advance. Master Rollo shows up (the guy who chased Malavere). He’s bad and keeps charging us for violations. Guards still chasing us with book to identify us from pictures.
There’s one other cloud giant city in Riftcrag, but it’s dead. The entrance is in Minersville. There’s a clearing near the rift and a rope leading up.