# Dark Dungeons Runs Deep: Dark Deeps tags: #articles/dark-deeps ![[Dark Dungeons Panel 1.png]] It's no surprise at all that I am fascinated by the Jack Chick tract **[[black-leaf-noooooo|Dark Dungeons]]**, to the point where [[More Thoughts About Black Leaf and Implementation|I've written about it multiple times before]]. In fact, I've broken down the people sitting at the table along with the bits of dialogue that we see to try and figure out what classes are in the party. Yes, it's a surprisingly large party, though not that shocking for **D&D**, and yet I have put in the effort to trace the whispers into the, well, dark. What did I decide the final lineup was? I'm glad you asked. ![[More Thoughts About Black Leaf and Implementation#^black-leaf-party-comp]] On reconsideration, I'm making Elfstar a bloody Wizard, because it makes sense.[^1] Besides, I have a better idea for something like a cleric. And to borrow from one of my favourite bits: ![[Stumbling Down the Long Stair into Fantasy Fucking Vietnam#^blackleaf-from-waterdeep]] What say we combine all of these ideas, slam them together in a blender, and then actually make it a playable and enjoyable setup. We have the tools, tools in fact. I've been thinking about it pretty heavily, and the obvious tool is not the obvious one. In this case, it's **[[Ironsworn - Starforged|Starforged: Sundered Isles]]**. Now, I know what you're thinking. Why **Sundered Isles** and not just straight-up **Ironsworn**? Firstly, I want a broader array of available assets. And between the two of them, **Starforged** and **Sundered Isles** have just about everything I need. Secondly, I really like the way that **Sundered Isles** expands on the exploration theme, which strikes me as a good thing for these characters. If I were being restrained, then sure, go as close to purist **Dungeons & Dragons** as possible. But I'm *not* restrained! I am so not restrained. Thirdly, Waterdeep is a port city, and it would be a terrible shame to pass up on that opportunity. Perhaps not strictly by the book, but when have I ever been by the book?. ![[Waterdeep - City (illo).webp]] No one's going to own a boat right out of the gate. These guys can't be trusted with a ship. But we might as well set things up so that that kind of exploration comes along in time. I'm here for it. Now this isn't the first time I've wandered into these deep waters, pun fully intended. Previously, I tinkered with doing **[[Thoughts on Dungeons and Dragons 2483|Dungeons & Dragons 2048]]**, a take on the classic **D&D** cartoon, reimagining it 20 years later with our familiar adventuring party, older and wiser, and this time sucked into the Magitech Future. It was very fun to do, and I believe it would be quite playable. We're not going to get quite that extreme with this one, though there was some temptation. There is an obvious place to start. It's where you always start when you're playing the **Sundered Isles**: setting things up.[^2] ## Worldsmithing It's time to sit down and start assembling all the bits and pieces that go into making things tick. As much as it would be fun just to jump into character creation, that would be short-circuiting things, and I'm not going to do that. Instead, let's start at the top on page 68 of **Sundered Isles** and work through getting the world established.[^3] ### Pillars of the World One of the first things that we figure out is something that's not strictly on the checklist, but one of the first things listed in the Your Character section in **Sundered Isles**. And that is, what *kind of character are we?* Are we a classic Ironsworn from the RPG of the same name, from a grim and cold pseudo-Northern Europe, and which swears vows on iron? Are we seafarers who are sailors and focus on the sea itself, exploration, and discovering lost secrets on hidden shorelines? Or are we rebels, pirates, insurgents, spies, kicking down doors on the path away from authoritarian powers? Given that this is a **D&D** party, we're going to be something a little in between. I don't see the **Dark Dungeons** group being *capable* of owning their own ship, and frankly, I want to save that concept for another game. They're not exactly rebels, though a lot of **D&D** parties would declare themselves to be the opposition of tyranny while they go around extorting people and being murder hobos. They're not exactly Ironsworn either, but that's the closest thing that we have. I like the idea of them making fervent promises to people and using that to drive them into the usual shenanigans of exploring dungeons, sailing the high seas, and being plagued by the undead. They certainly will get around to sailing the high seas at some point, but we're not going to start there. I have an idea. ### Select the Realm This one's quick and easy. We know that we want to lean into the classic fantasy tropes, and that means that the world is not floating fragments of a shattered continent, nor are we going into deep space. We'll save that for doing a full **[[Spelljammer]]** implementation at some point. For us, right now, we're sticking to the seafaring realm, and we're going to enjoy it. ![[Sundered Isles - Seafaring Realm (illo).webp]] ### Choose your Truths As usual in this game series, we have to select our truths, decide on several points how this world works, what it looks like, part of what its history is, etc. Keep in mind, "preparation is play." We are playing right now, despite what it might look like. When you're setting up for your own game, you can pick whatever truths you want from the lists provided or even drop something completely out of your head. The customization of the world is one of the great things that makes every game your own. We are going to start with the assumption that this is the [Forgotten Realms](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page), but not necessarily the Forgotten Realms as you know it. [Waterdeep](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Waterdeep) exists, the [Sword Coast](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Sword_Coast) exists, and then the waters to the west spread out further and further with less and less population. Waterdeep, in this take, doesn't exist on a continent but rather a large island. The Sword Coast extends north and south away from it. We are inspired by the original but not bound by it. You may make other decisions for your version. #### Sundering The default setting for **Sundered Isles** has there only being islands, and an event called the Sundering caused them to be rent apart. The usual choices are a Great War, which broke things up pretty aggressively, or some sort of vast cataclysm which shattered continents, or strange technologies unleashing a reality-fracturing wave of cursed energy. As much fun as it would be to go with any of those, none of those are the case here. The Sundered Isles got their name because the seas are dangerous, and it's very difficult to keep communication or consistent trade across them. Near the Sword Coast is easier, but of course threatened by high winds, jagged coastlines, few coves, and the like. There are surprisingly few rivers which go deeper into the island that Waterdeep stands watch on. The islands beyond are relatively frequent close to the coast, but still treacherous, and as you go further west, things get weirder. #### Relics What remains of lost or fallen people? That would be a far more important question to ask if we were dealing with the aftermath of a cataclysm or war. But in this case, it's always been this way. That said, what can we expect to see when we venture beyond what we know? What kinds of things of a prior and foregone age might we stumble on? I like **the long history of the Isles is marked by disaster, war, and exodus. Abandoned and ruined sites are grim monuments to those events.** Dungeons, vaults, and other things? Absolutely. If you don't have a copy of **[[Ironsworn|Ironsworn: Delve]]**, this might be a good time to pick one up. Generating dungeons dynamically with the systems in that book is fantastic, though there are sufficient mechanics here and in **Starforged** to do it as well. It just doesn't quite have the same notes. Why not make it easy on yourself? #### Modern Era What is the state of technology? This is kind of an interesting question when it comes to the Forgotten Realms. Truthfully, it's a bit all over the place. However, we are actually going to select one of our options here, which is: **it is an age of sail.** Ships and trade, despite the dangers, are pretty accessible. Hugely risky, but sometimes you can make it pay off. The technology level is what you would expect of midline **D&D**, in that the majority of people live a fairly feudal existence, though large coastal trade cities like Waterdeep have the occasional spike up into magically assisted Renaissance here and there. #### Iron Vows What is the significance of iron in sworn vows? In **Ironsworn**, this is a big deal. You swear your vows on iron blades, and it's a massive ritual thing that's of obvious importance. While I want to maintain a sense of vows being a *big deal*, I'm willing to snap it loose from iron itself in a literal sense. We'll take: **Some see iron vows as a vestige of a more superstitious age, but the tradition persists.** Vows are literally the beating heart of the Ironsworn-descended systems and bring into mechanics something that is critical for having characters who actually go out and do something. That is, it makes you declare what the character cares about. You know at any given time what you should be doing. And if you don't have something that you should be doing right now, you know that you need to go out and find something to be doing. Swear a vow to pursue it and drive on. Odds are good you're going to have multiple vows going simultaneously, which is the way it should be—juggling priorities, taking opportunities, getting involved. I'm pretty happy with this one. #### Navigation How are people and places connected? This one's easy. We don't need anything crazy, supernatural, or over-the-top. We're going to go very grounded in low magic. **We are scattered to the winds, but our connections persist.** Sailing is sailing, friends. It's a dangerous world, the seas are capricious, and if you want to go tackle the Salt Mother, you better know what you're doing. #### Empires How great is the threat of colonization and conquest? Alright, it's the elephant in the room. There are a lot of threads in this game that are explicitly anti-colonialist, which, in fairness, resonate with many classical 18th-century piracy and sailing stories. Of course, it being a fiction-first, highly narrative game, nothing keeps you from being on the side of the colonialists and conquerors either, if you have a mind toward the historical. If you like winning, that's the way to bet. But that brief aside, taken care of, we're just going to take the top option, which is **the Sundered Isles are free from Imperial control—for now.** Eventually, the **Dark Dungeons** crew may decide that they want to set up their own pocket empire, and then they may run into some opposition. But for the moment, it's not a narrative consideration—we've got other fish to fry. #### Piracy It's impossible to have an Age of Sail game that doesn't want to talk about piracy, thus there is a Truth which directly addresses the question: what influence do pirates wield? I'm going to expand this a little bit since we aren't just going to be talking about hitting the high seas, but also going inland in order to deal with things on the island of Waterdeep. Piracy, then, is more than just guys in ships with cannons, but raiders, brigands, slavers, and other such savory folk, all over the place. I have no interest in a pirate nation or trying to play up the fiercely independent anti-hero pirates, because that's been done. It's kind of boring. Instead, we're just going to put out there that **pirates and bandits are merciless raiders.** They will fuck you right up. They're into things like ritualized duels and living fast and dying young. An old pirate is a terrifying thing. I think that puts us in a good place. #### Religion What is the role of faith? This is a pretty good question because, in a sense, it leads into the next one, which we'll deal with when we deal with. But for the moment, let's think about the religions of the Forgotten Realms—the hundreds of temples and dozens of gods, some of which are going head-to-head against one another in various proxy wars. Pretty much every culture and civilization believes in the gods because they are active and occasionally manifest entities. Cool, we can do this. There's an entry for that: **the gods enact their will through manifestations and miracles.**[^4] #### Magic What is the impact of supernatural forces, or more succinctly phrased, it's the age-old question: how high is your magic? That's not *"how high can you get using your magic,"* because the answer to that question is *pretty goddamn high*. In this case, given our source material, we know that it can't be non-existent. We have a wizard and a cleric in the party. I don't like it being an ever-present elemental force, because that gets a little bit much for this kind of setup. It's doable, but I don't enjoy it as much. So, we'll take the middle road: **magic is rare and mysterious.** That there are multiple magic users in the party makes them stand out more than a little if they start getting rambunctious. On the positive side, if it turns out that the source of a problem is magical, there are only a handful of people in any particular area that could be responsible for it. There are trade-offs. #### Beasts What is the nature of extraordinary creatures? That is to say, natural beasts. They may be unnaturally large or strange compared to the animals of our world, but they are just beasts. I want these fuckers everywhere. Monster hunting should be a perfectly reasonable thing to get up to. Villages and islands have to deal with all kinds of crap. There's a setting for that: **here, there be monsters**. It's going to be full of good times. I can't wait. #### Horrors What dreadful forces haunt the Sundered Isles? How horrific is the setting, is what we're asking here. Given that our source material is all about witches, mind control, and the evil, corruptive power of Satan, I think we just have to take the dial and crank it all the way up to the top, which reads: **The damned and the dead are a plague upon the isles.** Ghosts, monsters, necromancers, horrific occultists, weird cults. If there's anything the **Dark Dungeons** guys deserve in life, it's this. Let them have it. ### Set Your Factions This is actually one of my favorite parts of the **Sundered Isles** mechanics and doesn't actually exist in **Starforged** or in **Ironsworn**. Systems for generating factions and oracle arrays in order to kick them off in different ways is something I think a whole lot of games can make use of. Sitting down and figuring out what the major forces are socially, culturally, politically, organizationally, in wherever you happen to be is such a big hook for deciding what kind of things are going to be going on outside your immediate control. It's a shame more games don't spend as much time on putting them together. It's also a really good idea that you put together some factions before you start making characters because sometimes you just want a weird connection to an already existing organization. Maybe they hate you and want to hunt you. Maybe you secretly work for them. Maybe you overtly work for them. There are so many possible interactions and ways that it can make your relationships to the world and to other characters in the party, if there are any, that it is worth doing in every single game you sit down to play. Alright, let's get to it. We're going to have at least three or four, and this is probably the section where I go a little bit more tongue-in-cheek—or a lot more. Look, it's going to get kind of horrific in a lot of ways. Go with me. We're also going to go ahead and put in a few NPCs right where they belong within the faction as possible contacts and bonds for the characters to come. Or just as spice. Come on, there had to be some NPCs in here. We'll just nip over to p176 and get a few things down with a mix of ideas I already have and a bit of random generation. #### Church of Christ the Navigator - *Type:* Organization (Religious disciples) - *Influence:* Dominant - *Methods:* Idolizes a long-dead founder, Recruits members far-and-wide - *Secrets:* Suffering incompetent leadership - *Quirks:* Ancient or coded language The Church of Christ the Navigator is the dominant religion and cultural touchpoint of the Isle of Waterdeep. Obsessed with veneration of the founder of the religion, who was sacrificed millennia ago by being broken on a St. Catherine's wheel. The subsequent religious rebellion largely destroyed the empire and almost entirely effaced any visual record of their existence. Today the church is a vast engine of wealth, recruiting members as far west as the margins. Unfortunately for the church, at almost every level, the organization has turned inward as a result of their success and rips at one another politically, socially, economically—all but physically, at least without a proxy. Dominance is maintained primarily by inertia, but that can't last forever, and it's an open question which will be worse: the complete deconstruction of the church or its balkanization into competing sects. ##### Cardinal Father Guido Salamanca - *Description:* Sorcerous ☠, Proud - *First look:* Attractive, Imposing - *Role:* Statesperson - *Role detail:* Tax collector - *Goal:* Defeat or undermine a faction, Escape or undo a curse ☠ - *Activity:* Tricking Time - *Disposition:* Indifferent - *Motivations:* Reveal Navigation, Hide Language, Withdraw Fellowship Guido Salamanca is a very proud man. He intimidates most everyone he encounters, not the least reason being that his is the hand that reaches into the pockets of noble and commoner alike, extracting for Christ the Navigator what is His. As such, he has access to unbelievable wealth. Unfortunately, he does *not* have access to unbelievable time. Quite the opposite. It is said that *he looks so tired*[^5] lately. The years are catching up to him, faster than he can run away from them. Some have suggested that the years are accruing faster than they should, but as far as the purse of the church is concerned, he appears to give it no countenance. Instead, he has largely withdrawn from the public eye. #### West Waterdeep Company - *Type:* Organization (Couriers) - Influence: Localized - *Methods:* Idolizes a long-dead founder, Guided by a distinguished leader - *Secrets:* Operates from a secret location - *Identity:* Federation - *Projects:* Repay a debt, Obtain crucial data or information - *Quirks:* Animal or creature motif used as a faction symbol - *Rumors:* Vulnerable to attack or aggression A federation of smaller merchant guilds which date back at least a hundred years. The West Waterdeep Company venerates the man who finally put the deal together Wellen Arcos. Widely considered to be an eccentric millionaire by the standards of the day, his cunning investments in Sword Coast gun running gave him significant leverage to bring together a diverse group of cargo interests, which managed to survive even his death. The current Castellan of the company, Bill Arcos, is not in fact a descendant of the founder, but as is customary when an opening is likely to be nigh, a suitable inheritor is adopted into the family. The company headquarters is actually located on an enormous sailing ship, which moves from port to port up and down the Sword Coast. Its schedule is only semi-regular, but appearances are common enough that the further flung outposts can never quite gamble the head honcho won't show up when they least expect. Due to a bit of an economic reversal about 75 years ago, the company went into significant debt with the Church of Christ the Navigator, and paying that off is still one of the primary efforts. In the meantime, they act as transports for church missionaries and even island colonization efforts at a significant discount. One of those colonization efforts is underway to an island in the margins, which might seem to be easy pickings for raiders along the way. ##### **Aisha Nuno** - *Description:* Boastful, Talented - *First look:* Mystical, Ghostly ☠ - *Role:* Agent - *Role detail:* Spy - *Goal:* Travel to a location, Slay a creature - *Activity:* Inspecting Problem - *Disposition:* Friendly - *Motivations:* Blockade Decay, Betray Price, Guard Warning You would think that a spy would have a taste for being circumspect, keeping their head down, their mouth shut, and ears open. Aisha manages to do one of those things. She does keep her ears open. She also keeps her mouth open quite a lot. Luckily for West Waterdeep, that more often makes her a target than it does give away their interests. Also luckily for Aisha, she is an extremely talented agent of destruction. The pale complexion, the dark hair which always seems to be blowing in an unfelt breeze, the gray penetrating eyes—it all comes together to create an ethereal but almost surreal experience. Nuno's current problem is the church colonization effort. Things aren't proceeding nearly as well as they should, in part because of some sort of horrific creature, which has already killed 15. She would love to put together a group to go with her and help out. But who is she really working for? And are her boasts as meaty as they sound? #### Kanori Crows - *Type:* Society - *Influence:* Notable - *Chronicles:* Suffered the loss of a respected leader, Faced a troubled succession - *Overseers:* Artisans or trade guilds - *Touchstones:* Guided by superstition or prophecy - *Identity:* Clan - *Cursed role:* Ghost hunters or occultists - *Cursed aspects:* Empowered or bound by the wilds, Forsakes the sunlight - *Cursed goals:* Control a monstrous beast - *Projects:* Prevent a prophecy, Establish a safe refuge or headquarters - *Quirks:* Trains in a demanding physical discipline or martial art - *Rumors:* New belief or religion is creating a schism among members The Crows originated on a small island out in the reaches. A small clan of insular families, their island was overrun by the undead and forced them from their ancestral lands over several generations. Their burning hatred of the undead led them to focus on a personal vendetta with unquiet ghosts. Wandering ghost hunters, now they are almost never seen in the sun. It is rumored that they wish to eradicate hungry ghosts altogether, and to that end, seek control of spiritual predators which consume the souls of the dead. Why they may wish to do this, or how, remains a mystery. What is known is that they have sought a place to settle for many years without much luck. A new island to call home would allow them to consolidate their wandering family and perhaps strengthen the bulwark of unraveling reality against the shamblers. Some of the family have become tired of the endless wandering and want to settle in among the population and lose their cultural identity while trying to forget their losses as a people. ##### Sujin Kang - *Description:* Connected, Driven - *First look:* Haggard, Tattooed - *Role:* Outlaw - *Role detail:* Burglar / Thief - *Goal:* Follow the tenets of a faith - *Activity:* Recovering Ruin - *Disposition:* Unfriendly - *Motivations:* Bolster Superstition, Deliver Wealth, Follow Ability Not all of the Crows were cut out for the lives they are forced to lead. Sujin is a 36-year-old man of clear Far Islander descent who has fallen on harder times. He has no interest in laying ghosts to rest. In fact, he's terrified of them. He obsessively attends the services of the Church of Christ the Navigator to cleanse himself of imagined sins and ones which he has very clearly committed. Once upon a time, he used to be a drunk, but the spirits attracted spirits, which made it all the worse. Now Sujin is a decent second-story man who just wants to make enough money to move inland as far from the coast and the ghosts that haunt him, both real and imagined, as he can get. #### Brothers of the Divine - *Type:* Society - *Influence:* Established - *Chronicles:* Lost a notable artifact or treasure, Recorded a fateful prophecy - *Overseers:* Appointed local leaders - *Touchstones:* Shuns modern technology or weaponry - *Identity:* Brethren - *Projects:* Incite conflict among rivals, Transport a valued asset - *Quirks:* Distinctive or elaborate clothing The Brothers of the Divine are a splinter sect, which broke from the church about a century ago. While the Church is deeply enamored of its hierarchical organization, the Brothers of the Divine seek a more personal connection with Christ and eschew a rigid hierarchy of responsibility or even expectations of absolutely rigorous doctrine. Some would say it's more like a terrorist organization with a cell structure than a coherent set of believers, but they would only be partly correct. The Brothers of the Divine do not attempt to conceal themselves among any population, instead preferring to wear visibly antiquated clothes and, at least publicly, swearing off the use of weapons. While they are no strangers to proselytization, they are better known for simply living simple, visibly wholesome lives, to which they invite their neighbors to participate however they like. The recent fall of what is thought to be a piece of the sky, which shot across the evening horizon in a blaze of electric green, seems to have energized and focused the group as a whole. It is suggested they are actively agitating one faction of the church against another. The purpose is murky, but what is known is that they are aggressively seeking fragments of the sky for their own purposes. ##### **Solana Edris** - *Description:* Deceitful, Lonely - *Race:* Dwarf - *First look:* Concealed, Scarred - *Role:* Combatant, Outlander - *Role detail:* Mercenary, Fisher / Hunter / Trapper - *Goal:* Dismantle an unjust power, Follow the tenets of a faith - *Activity:* Preserving Time - *Disposition:* Indifferent - *Motivations:* Guard Disease, Avoid Decay, Focus Peace Solana is a bad Brother. Not because she's a woman. Many brothers are women. It's not because she's a dwarf. The Brothers accept anyone who is willing to join them in worship and independence. No, Solana is a bad Brother because she is unable to accept the Brotherhood's guidance on swearing off weaponry. There is no prescription against fights or warfare, only weapons. Solana's dwarf heritage and upbringing would not allow her to find comfort without a hammer in her hand. She is a true believer of the faith. Many nights she stays up in silent meditation, her hammer clutched between her hands, perhaps on a battlefield where she has taken coin to kill another man's enemies, or deep in the woods in self-isolation. There is also the small matter of the leprosy, which she conceals beneath wrappings around her hands and an old deep hood. One day she hopes to reconcile her faith with her beliefs. That day is not today. #### The Black Band Society - *Type:* Organization (Mystics / seers)[^6] - *Influence:* Dominant - *Methods:* Uses a system of coded messages - *Secrets:* Holding leverage against a rival faction - *Identity:* Coven - *Cursed role:* Necromancers - *Cursed aspects:* Practices dreadful rituals - *Cursed goals:* Resist the call of a malevolent power - *Projects:* Expand operations to a new location or sector, Obtain a needed commodity - *Quirks:* Resolves disputes through formal duels - *Rumors:* Preparing a major offensive or operation If anything, they can be said to worship the idea of death as a process rather than as an entity or as a desired end state. It is *dying* which they venerate and which they seek to subvert. While they may not be great in number compared to the other organizations in and around Waterdeep, the Black Band Society cares nothing for social class when it comes to their membership. All of mankind is dying, and thus all of mankind may join their ranks. This attitude is serving them well as they attempt to take greater control of the local political and social organizations. Their infiltration seems to be piecemeal, but many members are not just politically well placed, but within guilds which focus on slaughterhouses and grave digging. The church seems suspiciously inactive in defending or protecting their interests from the Black Band. Rumors abound as to why that might be. Some have gone so far as to suggest that the secret cant that the society uses to mask its communications is closely related to the language of the high liturgy that the church offers up during every Mass. ##### Arissiana Frost / Countess Condoleeza Agato - *Description:* Cautious, Obsessed - *First look:* Swaggering, Commanding - *Role:* Aristocrat / Cult Leader - *Goal:* Infiltrate a faction, Wield an object of terrifying power ☠ - *Activity:* Ambushing Protection - *Disposition:* Threatening - *Motivations:* Find Deception, Explore Strength, Avoid Nature Only the highest ranking members of the Black Band recognize Arissiana Frost, and when they do, it is with a certain amount of fear for their souls. When she appears before gatherings, she is a tall, powerful, sexually compelling entity who is as quick with a cutting comment as she is the ritual blade. She enjoys nothing so much as seeking the lies people tell themselves and exposing them, exercising the darkest of necromantic powers. And like the rest of Society, fleeing the onrushing curse of death. What is generally unknown is that she has long been a member of Waterdeep's aristocratic elite as *Countess Condoleezza Agato*, a charming, handsome woman who moved from the island interior to Waterdeep a mere handful of years ago. She is known for throwing staggeringly expensive parties at which the nobility are rumored to participate in truly unwholesome acts. ## Create Characters Perhaps not surprisingly, this is where the rubber is about to hit the road. Or the wood is about to hit the high seas. Or the sandal leather is about to hit the barely paved cobblestone. Whatever image you need. We have a suite of characters, some of which are more important than others. We have plot elements. We have possible contacts. Undoubtedly, we're going to put some more together as we go, which is going to be fantastic. You know what, let's start with the one that can't seem to disarm a trap. ### Marcie "Black Leaf" Anderson #### Character Details - **Origin:** Isles - **Type:** Hero - **First Look:** Fit, Concealed - **Role:** Outcast (Fugitive) - **Backstory:** Marooned by former shipmates - **Notes:** Connection: [[#Sujin Kang]], another thief she's run a few Waterdeep gigs with. #### Stats |Stat|Value| |---|---| |**Edge**|2| |**Heart**|1| |**Iron**|2| |**Shadow**|3| |**Wits**|1| #### Tracks |Track|Value| |---|---| |**Momentum**|2/10 (Reset: 2)| |**Health**|5| |**Spirit**|5| |**Supply**|5| #### Assets ##### Cutthroat (Path) - **Description:** If you wield knives… - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you *Strike*, add +1. When you make a move using a knife not as a weapon to attack or threaten, but as a tool to cut an object, gain leverage, or grab hold, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. - [ ] **II:** Once per situation, when you make a move to ambush an unaware foe, or perform a feint or misdirection to draw someone off their guard, reroll any dice. If in a fight, mark progress on a hit. When you hold an ambushed foe at knifepoint and make a move aided by the prospect of violence, add +1. - [ ] **III:** When you *Take Decisive Action* without mercy or restraint, you may reroll one challenge die. If you do, *Endure Stress* (-2). If you then choose to resist the stress, roll +iron instead of +spirit or +heart. ##### Jinx (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** You are cursed by ill luck, but persisting offers its own rewards. If you score a miss with a match, this asset counts as an impact for you and your allies. You may undo this only by scoring a strong hit with a match; if you do, you and your allies each clear the impact and mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track. - [ ] **II:** When you score a weak hit on a progress move, you may test your luck by reducing the progress score by 1 and rerolling all dice. - [ ] **III:** When you roll matched 1’s on your challenge dice while suffering from this asset’s impact, you may activate this ability at no cost. If you do, you are favored by fortune; you and your allies clear the impact and mark 1 box on your bonds legacy track. Then, discard this asset and increase your momentum reset and max momentum (if less than 10) by 1. ##### Infiltrator (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you make a move to break into a secure site, infiltrate a protected area, or hack or manipulate a secure system, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. On a strong hit with a match, access is easier than expected; take another +1 momentum. - [ ] **II:** When you *Face Danger* or *Secure an Advantage* to establish a false identity, add +1. On a hit, you may add +1 when using that identity to deceive or influence others. If you score a miss with a match when using that identity, your deception is completely and dramatically undone. - [ ] **III:** When you *Check your Gear* for a device with a specific function to aid in infiltration, espionage, or sabotage, add +1. On a hit, reroll any dice the first time you make a move aided by the device. #### Vows - **Get revenge on her old crew of The Switchblade.** - **Type:** Progress - **Rank:** Epic - **Progress:** 0 - **Notes:** They abandoned her. She'll see them bleed. #### Notes We know what happens to Black Leaf in the original story. A bit of fumbling when it comes to disarming a trap, and then it's lights out. In this case, we're going to go a slightly different direction. Well, it could still end the same way. It made perfect sense for Black Leaf to be a thieving, conniving, breaking-and-entering expert who loves her knives, so we took Cutthroat for the knives and Infiltration for the thieving. But I figured there needed to be a good reason that nobody really wanted her to stay around and why she blew that trap check. So she became a Jinx, which folds neatly into the randomly generated backstory of her being marooned by her former shipmates, mainly because she keeps bringing them terrible luck. I'm betting that's not going to change anytime soon. By default, I've set her up with a contact on the streets, a down-and-out guy with connections to the ghost hunters. If nothing else, this could get a little spicy if he just happens to know a job she could help out with. ### Debbie "Elfstar" Wilson #### Character Details - **Origin:** Isles - **Type:** Hero - **First Look:** Innocent, Youthful - **Role:** Mystic (Sorcerer) - **Description:** Aggressive, Rebellious - **Backstory:** Fled a cruel upbringing - **Goal:** Serve the will of a leader - **Motivations:** Serve Greed, Debate Religion, Attack Legacy - **Inciting Incident:** Natural disaster - **Notes:** *Connection:* [[#Arissiana Frost / Countess Condoleeza Agato]], who's trying to subvert/recruit her. This bitch loves casting Mind Bondage. (Secure an Advantage before a Compel using Sorcerer AND Empath. Nasty.) #### Stats |Stat|Value| |---|---| |**Edge**|3| |**Heart**|1| |**Iron**|1| |**Shadow**|2| |**Wits**|2| #### Tracks |Track|Value| |---|---| |**Momentum**|2/10 (Reset: 2)| |**Health**|5| |**Spirit**|5| |**Supply**|5| #### Assets ##### Sorcerer (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you *Secure an Advantage* or *Gain Ground* by creating a minor mystical effect, roll +spirit. On a strong hit, take +1 momentum. On a weak hit, take the standard benefits of the move, but first *Endure Stress* (-1). On a match, you learn something of magic’s nature through an unexpected boon or harrowing backlash; mark 1 tick on your discoveries legacy track. - [ ] **II:** You may purchase assets of a supernatural nature for 1 experience (instead of 3). - [ ] **III:** When you *Swear an Iron Vow* (extreme or greater) to gather the components and lore of a complex and powerful ritual, reroll any dice. When you *Reach a Milestone* on this quest, take +2 momentum. When you enact the ritual to *Fulfill Your Vow*, you may reroll any challenge dice to draw on unknowable powers at the risk of your soul. If you do, *Face Desolation*. ##### Seer (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you envision experiencing a prophetic dream, you may *Ask the Oracle* for details using an interpretive oracle such as Action/ Theme or Descriptor/Focus. If you record the answer, and later face a situation which gives truth to the vision, take an automatic strong hit (one time only) when making a move to act on your foresight. Then, clear the prophecy. Only one prophecy can be active at a time. - [ ] **II:** When you focus or meditate to *Gather Information* about a place, being, or situation (in person or remotely), roll +spirit and +1 momentum on a hit. - [ ] **III:** When you or an ally roll a match as you *Sojourn* in a community or *Undertake an Expedition* within a site, you may envision gaining sudden and unbidden insight about the location. If you do, take +2 momentum. ##### Empath (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you read the intent, emotions, or memories of a nearby being, roll +heart. On a strong hit, you glimpse a helpful aspect of their inner self. Envision what you learn, take +2 momentum, and add +1 when you make moves to interact with them in this scene. On a weak hit, the visions are murky; take +1 momentum. On a miss, you reveal a troubling motive or secret; Pay the Price. - [ ] **II:** As above, and if you score a hit as you read them, you may subtly influence their attitude or actions, such as making a hostile being hesitate. Take another +1 momentum. If in a fight, mark progress. - [ ] **III:** When you *Face Danger* to soothe a being's distress by creating an empathic bond, roll +spirit and take +1 momentum on a hit. If they are an ally, also give them +2 spirit on a hit. #### Vows - **Become truly disgustingly rich** - **Type:** Progress - **Rank:** Epic - **Progress:** 0 #### Notes Good old Elfstar, willing to treat with incredible cosmic powers to learn the *real magic*. Far be it for me to keep her from indulging her pleasures, in a very literal sense here. She looks innocent and youthful. In practice, she's aggressive, rebellious, and looking to subvert people at any turn. She's interested in her own pleasure and gratification before anything else. Of course, that means that she has to be in bed—literally or figuratively, your decision—with Ms. Frost. Frost had to make an appearance—as did *Mind Bondage*, because there was no way I was going to let that go. It's actually funny how well that turns out with using Sorcerer and Empath to get a +2 to Secure an Advantage before you Compel somebody to do what you want. With a +shadow of 2. Elfstar here was already pretty persuasive, in a sneaky way. This just gets more ugly. ### Sherrie "Sora Tenzin" Chien #### Character Details - **Origin:** Isles - **Type:** Hero - **First Look:** Slight, Youthful - **Role:** Combatant (Monk) - **Description:** Resourceful, Proud - **Backstory:** Entrusted with a valuable secret - **Goal:** Gain glory or fame - **Trademark Accessories:** Shirt with no sleeves #### Stats |Stat|Value| |---|---| |**Edge**|2| |**Heart**|3| |**Iron**|2| |**Shadow**|1| |**Wits**|1| #### Tracks |Track|Value| |---|---| |**Momentum**|2/10 (Reset: 2)| |**Health**|5| |**Spirit**|5| |**Supply**|5| #### Assets ##### Overlander (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you *Undertake an Expedition* through uncharted or unfamiliar overland territory, you may reroll one challenge die. - [ ] **II:** When you find or make shelter in the wilds, roll +wits. On a strong hit, you and your allies envision how you pass the time and each take +2 spirit or +2 health, or +1 to each. In addition, any companions in your company take +1 health. On a weak hit, the comfort is fleeting; you and your allies take +1 health or +1 spirit. On a miss, you encounter hardship or a new danger; *Pay the Price*. - [ ] **III:** When you *Resupply* by searching out a source of food, water, or other natural resources in the wilds, add +1. On a strong hit with a match, you encounter an unusual or extraordinary location; you may *Explore a Waypoint* (even if not on an expedition) and reroll any dice. ##### Brawler (Path) - **Description:** If you fight unarmed or with a close quarters weapon… - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you *Gain Ground* by attempting to disarm, trip, shove, grapple, or stun your foe, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. - [ ] **II:** When you *Clash* in close quarters, you may draw on your momentum to gain advantage. If you do, *Lose Momentum* (-2) and choose one (before rolling). - Aggressive: Count a weak hit as a strong hit. - Defensive: Count a miss as a weak hit. - [ ] **III:** When you *Enter the Fray* already positioned in close quarters against your foe, mark progress on a hit. On a strong hit with a match, your initial assault leaves them stunned; also take +2 momentum. ##### Hound (Companion) - **Name:** Watchman - **Description:** Your hound is your steadfast companion. - **Track:** 4/4 - **Tiers:** - [ ] **I:** **Sharp:** When you *Gather Information* using your hound's keen senses to track your quarry or investigate a scene, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. - [ ] **II:** **Ferocious:** When you *Strike* or *Clash* alongside your hound and score a hit, inflict +1 harm or take +1 momentum. - [x] **III:** **Loyal:** When you *Endure Stress* in the company of your hound, add +1. #### Vows - **Found a new Way of the Open Hand temple** - **Type:** Progress - **Rank:** Extreme - **Progress:** 0 #### Notes Having covered the big two, now we're off in the weeds because, aside from a little bit of judgment based on the character in the comic, we've got nothing. However, looking at the party, we definitely could use someone who likes to give it right to someone in the face with a fist, and Sora here will work just fine for that. Sleeveless? You must be a monk. Do I know what valuable secret she's been entrusted with? No idea at all. Luckily, I don't have to. You can just bring it in when it seems appropriate. Of the group so far, Sora is the one most likely to be able to have a normal human conversation with other people. She's a very steadfast, stable creature who just wants to get out there and spread the good word of the Temple of the Open Hand. Yes, that's exactly as kung fu as you think it is. She needed a little extra something, though, so I broke out a faithful dog. She's a wanderer. She spends a lot of time going from place to place. If I'm going to do a **Kung Fu** [^7] pastiche, I might as well give her a companion. And a loyal dog is a good choice. ### Jimmy "Solomon Ix" Palmers #### Character Details - **Origin:** Isles - **Type:** Hero - **First Look:** Slight, Furtive - **Role:** Mage - **Description:** Infamous, Loyal - **Backstory:** On the run with a stolen object of great value - **Goal:** Complete a work of artistry or craft - **Motivations:** Resist Duty, Bolster Discovery, Abandon Life - **Inciting Incident:** Raiders prey on the weak #### Stats |Stat|Value| |---|---| |**Edge**|1| |**Heart**|3| |**Iron**|1| |**Shadow**|2| |**Wits**|2| #### Tracks |Track|Value| |---|---| |**Momentum**|2/10 (Reset: 2)| |**Health**|5| |**Spirit**|5| |**Supply**|5| #### Assets ##### Necromancer (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** While in the presence of the remains of an intelligent being, you may *Gather Information* by summoning their spirit to answer your questions. If you do, roll +heart and take +1 momentum on a hit. - [ ] **II:** When you *Face Death*, or if you *Aid your Ally* by serving as their guide as they face death, mark 2 ticks on your bonds legacy track. - [ ] **III:** You may *Face Danger* (+heart) to animate a corpse with soulless life. On a hit, it is under your control. When it aids you through force, threat, or fear as you make a move, add +2 and fill one segment of a 4-segment clock. You may also suffer the cost of a move by filling a segment. When the clock is full, the corpse crumbles to ash. You may control only a single corpse at a time. - **Track:** 0/4 ##### Sorcerer (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you *Secure an Advantage* or *Gain Ground* by creating a minor mystical effect, roll +spirit. On a strong hit, take +1 momentum. On a weak hit, take the standard benefits of the move, but first *Endure Stress* (-1). On a match, you learn something of magic’s nature through an unexpected boon or harrowing backlash; mark 1 tick on your discoveries legacy track. - [ ] **II:** You may purchase assets of a supernatural nature for 1 experience (instead of 3). - [ ] **III:** When you *Swear an Iron Vow* (extreme or greater) to gather the components and lore of a complex and powerful ritual, reroll any dice. When you *Reach a Milestone* on this quest, take +2 momentum. When you enact the ritual to *Fulfill Your Vow*, you may reroll any challenge dice to draw on unknowable powers at the risk of your soul. If you do, *Face Desolation*. ##### Fugitive (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** You are hunted by a power or authority. When you make a move, you may improve the result to a strong hit. If you do, fill one segment of a four-segment clock to represent hunters closing in. When the clock is filled, a notable foe or force has tracked you down. If you overcome them or escape, reset the clock and mark 1 tick on your quests legacy track. - [ ] **II:** When you make a move by hiding, concealing your identity, or fleeing from a pursuer, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. - [ ] **III:** When you *Fulfill Your Vow* (extreme or greater) by clearing your name or defeating the power or authority who marked you as a fugitive, gain this ability at no cost. You may then exchange this asset for another with the same number of marked abilities. - **Track:** 0/4 #### Vows - **Escape the Hunt of the Black Band Society** - **Type:** Progress - **Rank:** Extreme - **Progress:** 0 - **Notes:** The Society takes it poorly when you steal from them. It's probably in your best interest to run and hide as best you can. #### Notes Ix isn't a coward, exactly. In fact, he's a fairly accomplished necromancer in a society which is ambivalent at best toward those of his particular inclination. He combines that with a knowledge of magic in general, which is more than a little competent. It's his impulse control that's a bit of a problem. The Black Band Society does not look well or favorably on those who steal from it, even if those who do so don't know that they have. There's something in his head that Ix would love to be rid of if he knew what it was. He wouldn't particularly care for it to be his head that went missing. All these are really good reasons to get out of town and stay out of town. It might even be a good idea to find out what it is that he knows that he shouldn't. Note to past Ix: don't start sleeping with the head of a secret society. It's a bad idea. ### Bruce "Hardland Tyr" Pinklestein #### Character Details - **Origin:** Isles - **Type:** Hero - **First Look:** Brutish, Alluring - **Role:** Attack Protection - **Description:** Faithless, Honorable - **Backstory:** Joined a secret society - **Goal:** Settle a dispute or rivalry - **Inciting Incident:** Dangerous discovery, Reckless warmongering #### Stats |Stat|Value| |---|---| |**Edge**|1| |**Heart**|2| |**Iron**|3| |**Shadow**|1| |**Wits**|2| #### Tracks |Track|Value| |---|---| |**Momentum**|2/10 (Reset: 2)| |**Health**|5| |**Spirit**|5| |**Supply**|5| #### Assets ##### Armored (Path) - **Description:** If you wear your finely crafted set of personal armor… - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you *Face Danger*, *React Under Fire*, or *Clash* against physical attacks or impact, you may put trust in your armor's strength. If you do, preset your action die to 4. On a strong hit with a match, take +2 momentum as you build confidence, make an impression on your foes, or improve your position. - [ ] **II:** You add an important new piece to your set of armor, or upgrade its materials. As above, but preset your action die to 5 instead of 4. - [ ] **III:** When you must *Endure Harm*, you may instead let your armor take the hit. If you do, roll your action die. On a 4 or greater, ignore the harm. On a 1-3, ignore the harm but your armor is now broken; you must Repair and spend 5 repair points to bring it back to working condition. ##### Blademaster (Path) - **Description:** If you wield a bladed weapon… - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you *Clash* or *Strike* in close quarters, add +1. On a strong hit with a match, you are unstoppable; mark progress. - [ ] **II:** When you *Gain Ground* by moving into close quarters against a foe, choose one. - Charge: Roll +heart, and mark progress on a hit. - Evade: Roll +edge, and take +1 momentum on a hit. - [ ] **III:** You wield an iconic blade. Give it a name. When you *Swear an Iron Vow* by binding your promise to this blade, add +1. On a hit, fill the box below. If you make a move (including a progress move) using your oathbound blade and score a miss, you may clear the box to reroll any dice. ##### Bannersworn (Path) - **Name:** Church of Christ the Navigator - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** You are bound to a clan, faction, or creed. When you *Swear an Iron Vow* in service to this ideology, reroll any dice. On a hit, mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track. - [ ] **II:** When you or an ally *Sojourn* and score a strong hit with a match, you may envision meeting someone of the same ideology. If you *Make a Connection* with them and score a hit, mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track. When you *Forge a Bond* with anyone of your ideology, make the legacy reward one rank higher (1 extra box if already epic). - [ ] **III:** When you make a progress move in direct service to your ideology, you may reroll one challenge die. If you score a strong hit with a match, your reputation grows among those who share your ideology; mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track. #### Vows - **Bring the Brothers and the Church back together** - **Type:** Progress - **Rank:** Extreme - **Progress:** 0 - **Notes:** Unifying the Mother Church and a splinter sect seems almost impossible, and it probably is. #### Notes Hardland comes from the east of Waterdeep, from among the Bedin people of Anauroch. The Brothers of the Divine had quietly followed the lines of caravans and spread their message of personal agency and responsibility among the trading tribes. Some were converted. Hardland found himself curious about the West from which he had come, so made the trek, only to discover the deep schism between the Church of Christ the Navigator and the Brothers of the Divine. Perhaps surprisingly, he discovered that the church was more to his inclination. What he wants is to rejoin the splinter to the body of Christ, which is going to be quite the effort. ### Michael "Rowan Thorne" Haren #### Character Details - **Origin:** Isles - **Type:** Hero - **First Look:** Grim, Youthful - **Role:** Agent (Investigator) - **Description:** Faithful, Dangerous - **Backstory:** Guided by a dream or prophecy - **Goal:** Settle a dispute or rivalry - **Motivations:** Distract Enemy, Focus Strategy, Communicate Culture - **Inciting Incident:** Stranger causes discord #### Stats |Stat|Value| |---|---| |**Edge**|3| |**Heart**|2| |**Iron**|2| |**Shadow**|1| |**Wits**|1| #### Tracks |Track|Value| |---|---| |**Momentum**|2/10 (Reset: 2)| |**Health**|5| |**Spirit**|5| |**Supply**|5| #### Assets ##### Swashbuckler (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you make a move with outrageous style, and do not roll a 1 on your action die, you may reroll that die. If you burn momentum to improve your result on this move, roll your action die again; on a 5 or 6, do not reset momentum. - [ ] **II:** When you *Enter the Fray* in personal combat, or when an ongoing fight transitions to personal combat, you may envision up to three useful aspects of your surroundings. Take +1 momentum for each. Then, when you make a daring or unexpected move incorporating one of those aspects (once per aspect), add +1. - [ ] **III:** When you *React Under Fire* in close quarters by parrying, and score a strong hit, you counter or turn your foe’s attack against them; mark progress. ##### Slayer (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you make a move to investigate, track, or stalk an inhuman foe, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. - [ ] **II:** When you *Swear an Iron Vow* (formidable or greater) to slay a inhuman foe in service to a community, reroll any dice. When you Fulfill Your Vow and score a hit, also mark 2 ticks on your bonds legacy track. - [ ] **III:** When you *Enter the Fray* with an objective to slay an inhuman foe, take +2 momentum. If you choose to face your quarry on its own terms as you begin the fight, envision the crucial weapon, protection, or aid you set aside, and set the objective one rank higher. If you *Take Decisive Action* after making this sacrifice and score a strong hit, take a trophy of your victory and mark 2 ticks on your quests legacy track. ##### Sleuth (Path) - **Tiers:** - [x] **I:** When you *Swear an Iron Vow* to solve a murder, disappearance, theft, or other mystery, make the rank of the quest no greater than formidable. Then, when you *Gather Information* in the course of the investigation, roll three challenge dice and choose two. If any challenge dice match, you must use those values. On a miss with a match, envision what you learn of a deepening conspiracy or betrayal, make the rank of your quest one higher (no greater than epic), and use the new rank when marking future progress. - [ ] **II:** When you make a move to avoid detection as you put a person or place under surveillance, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. - [ ] **III:** When you *Make a Connection* with a potential informant, you may (instead of rolling) take an automatic weak hit. #### Vows - **Stop the undead nightmare that has been taking caravans inland.** - **Type:** Progress - **Rank:** Extreme - **Progress:** 0 - **Has Threat:** True - **Threat Name:** Waterdeep's supply lines are seriously damaged #### Notes Every party needs someone who loves the flash and panache. And for this crew, it's Rowan Thorne. Some refer to him as *"a ranger,"* but that really understates the case. Sure, he can make a bow shot while hanging upside down from a tree that's trying to eat him, and do it as he laughs. He probably spent a day and a half tracking that tree just from the way the other trees nodded along the path. He's no less a threat in an urban environment where he has been known to charm witnesses to almost any crime with a combination of sheer bravado and panty-dropping whispers. He's exactly the kind of guy that the West Waterdeep Company would hire to help run down what's going on with caravans coming in from the east. ## Take Command This lot can't be trusted with a ship. *Are you kidding me?* Nobody is starting with command of a ship. One will become necessary eventually, I'm sure, but for the moment, no such thing. Besides, they would probably hire one before having the materials to buy one. ## Chart Your Course We have some steps to run through in order to set up things like the local area that we're starting out from. Now, we've already determined that that is Waterdeep. If you want to know every what and wherefore of Waterdeep, go check out the wiki entry and extrapolate from there. Plenty of good stuff. But we are going to cover a little area beyond that because that's the way this goes. Yes, there will be a map. You should be shocked. I'm kind of shocked that I'm going to provide a map. But here we are. ### Starting Region As was mentioned before, we are going to start in what the Sundered Isles refers to as the Myriads, which is the densely populated area with a fair number of islands in close proximity. ### Set Faction Influence We've gone through and made a good number of factions, though we could probably add a few more. Where would we do such a thing? On the Faction Influence Grid. Basically, we just populate a random table to help us pick factions who are in charge of things or at odds, if need be. There will need to be. Luckily, I have the starts of one right here. ![[Dark Deeps Faction Influence Table.png]] Is that set up with all of the factions in Waterdeep? Absolutely not. The *[Lords of Waterdeep](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lords_of_Waterdeep)* should probably be on that, as well as some other random bits here and there, but there are open slots. The ones that are populated are in places where I thought it was appropriate. When you set up your faction influence tables, give preference to the factions that you want to deal with the most in your gameplay. Don't be afraid to change the table around as your characters influence things in the area, or as you move from area to area. This is a tool to help you, not a tool to constrain you. The mess that is the interaction between the Church of Christ the Navigator, the West Waterdeep Company, and the Black Band Society is going to be pretty exciting overall. You just know a good third of the Lords of Waterdeep are members of the Black Band Society but don't recognize each other. It's going to be *massive*. ### Reveal Islands Alright, being in the myriads, we know that we are going to take four islands as our starting set. One of them is going to essentially cover the east side of the map. That is the rather larger territory on which Waterdeep itself sits. So now we get to run through generation for three more islands, and I get to put them on the map. #### Talon - **Island location**: Myriads. - **Island size**: Small. - **Island terrain**: Rugged. - **Island terrain detail**: Varied terrain of craggy hills and dramatic rock formations. - **Island vitality**: Devastated. - **Island vitality detail**: Ravaged by natural forces or razed by despoilers. - **Nearby islands**: Isolated. - **Nearby islands detail**: No other islands in sight. ##### Notes A small island of craggy hills and quite pointy rocks, which acts as a bit of a storm buffer for more of the southern islands. As a result, it's been stripped of topsoil for the most part and is entirely uninhabited. #### Emerald - **Size:** Small - **Terrain:** Rugged - **Vitality:** Dying - **Visible habitation:** No signs of habitation - **Nearby islands:** Isolated - **Coastline aspects:** Sandy beaches and dunes, Sea caves - **Offshore observations:** Sailing Ship (at anchor), Active lava flow Emerald lives up to its name by being covered with bright green grasses and bushes above the sandy beach lines and surrounding the sea caves, which press deeper under the water surface. No one lives there, though they have in the past, because of the active volcanic outgassing coming from the center of the island. Still, there are always people interested in acquiring bits of volcano for research or sorcery. #### Kairos - **Size:** Large - **Terrain:** Sodden - **Vitality:** Lush - **Visible habitation:** Coastal boats - **Nearby islands:** Isolated - **Coastline aspects:** Shallow waters sheltered by sandbars, Sandy beaches and dunes - **Offshore observations:** Thick kelp forests under the surface, Sharks prowl coastal waters The largest island nearest the port of Waterdeep. It is beautifully lush and wet, but there are no permanent dwellings there. Boats make use of the generous fishing waters, which are easy to be found thanks to the vast number of sharks. Thick kelp forests could hide anything under the surface. ### Build a Seaside Settlement It's not enough to have islands. You actually have to have some habitation. By default, we need to generate the settlement that we're inhabiting, or would if we didn't already know that we were starting in Waterdeep and the general size and composition of the city itself. This is just fine, because it's easy enough to express it within the context of the tools that we have. Let's get that on the map. #### Waterdeep - **Settlement location:** Shore - **Population:** Hundreds of thousands - **Size:** City - **Aesthetics:** Grand, Practical, charming structures - **Controlling faction:** Known faction - **Disposition:** Friendly - **Authority:** Ambivalent - **Focus:** Crafts, Trade - **Settlement trouble:** Someone is captured We can pretty much ignore the settlement trouble for Waterdeep because there's someone captured every day in that city. You could spend your entire life just chasing missing people. I'm sure some people would, and some people have. That's not today, thankfully. Normally we would determine who is in charge here, but it's the Lords of Waterdeep. However, we don't really care about that. As far as we're concerned, the primary faction of interest is the Church of Christ the Navigator. And that's all we need to know. ### Add Notable Locations And now for the fun randomness part of the moment. We are just going to roll up some notable locations and put them on the map in reasonable places. There's a chance that it could be a cursed location, which has an entirely different table to look at. Let's see what kind of spicy we get. #### Expansive Cave - **Description:** Expansive, Defended, Corrupted - **Place:** Cave - **Region:** Highlands - **Region landmark:** Cavernous opening in cliff face As always, there is talk of shenanigans inland from Waterdeep, and one of the most persistent rumors at the moment is that there is a massive cave somewhere to the northwest in the foothills, in which great treasures may lie or simply great danger. Bit of a mess, really. Step one would be finding out who is hanging about, and step two would be to relieve them of whatever pleasures they've determined to acquire. #### Ongoing Naval Blockade - **Description:** Contested, Wild - **Waters:** Known - **Seafaring waypoint:** Sailing Ship - **Descriptor focus:** Secret Cargo Emerald, not an island known for much other than easy resource availability and hard living, is currently interdicted by a naval blockade. Some smuggler attempted to take something from the island the Lords of Waterdeep were deeply uninterested in having come to the mainland. How that's going to shake out in the long run remains unclear. ## Close the Chapter ![[Dark Deeps - Sword Coast Map.png]] There we go. We can close up shop now. If we were actually starting to play here, we would get a couple of contacts (which I've largely already done for most of the characters), set the scene, figure out what kind of shenanigans the crew is dropped into the middle of with a very loud plop. If you're interested in taking this entire campaign with all the stuff that's been put together and fed into the system, [you can download it as a JSON file](https://odysee.com/@GrimTokens:2/Starforged-Sundered-Isles---Dark-Deeps:c) and upload it to your own **[PocketForge](https://pocketforge.rockpaperstory.com)**. Feel free to make changes, expand it, and make it your own. If you play with it, that's inevitable. Tell me about your campaign. - https://odysee.com/@GrimTokens:2/Starforged-Sundered-Isles---Dark-Deeps:c ## Exunt Shocking takeaway here. As much as I wanted this to be a goofy, in-joke-laden, religion-critical screed, the truth is I was not particularly good at doing that part of it. As much as I love **Dark Dungeons**, the setup is sufficient in terms of being so slim that if I wanted to play with it, I had to take at least some of it seriously. And by taking some of it seriously, I ended up taking more of it seriously. Are the characters a bit ridiculous? Yes. And you could absolutely play them utterly over the top and have a great time. Elfstar and Black Leaf alone would give [Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/FafhrdAndTheGrayMouser) a run for their money. The setup of the Church of Christ the Navigator as a truly degenerate, falling apart Catholic pastiche, and their off-split, which are essentially terrorist Amish that is full of opportunity for ridiculousness. Hardland is essentially the moor from *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves*.[^8] Solomon Ix is your twitchy hacker on the run who just happens to be a necromancer and sorcerer and not much else. There's a lot of really funny material here that you could run with and get crazy. But I also couldn't help getting sucked into thinking about the politics and dynamics of the setting and the legitimate pathos to be had. You know you're leaning into pathos when you give a dwarf leprosy. That's how you know I'm having a good time, I guess. It's a fascinatingly screwed up place to kick off. Everybody is at odds with everybody else, with plenty of built-in character tension ready to explode, which makes for compelling drama. The real measure here is that I would actually enjoy playing with this setup. I don't even care for Waterdeep as a **D&D** setting, and yet, reimagined in this lens, there's all sorts of things to do and all sorts of things to see. It would just be one more generator to use to come up with my own experience, dipping into the already long-established fiction. This is always the danger when you want to do something funny. Because funny is hard. Comedy is really challenging. My idea of funny is more subtle, underhanded, and subversive than **Dark Dungeons** actually is as a title. It's broad, silly, and overblown. If you were picking a system to play it out, you would be better placed to pick **[[Toon]]** than **Starforged: Sundered Isles**. Which is kind of terrifying when you get down to it. Anyway, I've spent a *week* on this article, on and off, around interruptions, and it's time to put it in front of people. We shall see what we shall see. Maybe we'll get back to it. [^1]: There's always one guy in the party playing cross-gender. It's probably you. [^2]: I'll bet you expected this article to be full of ridiculous in-jokes and sideways slams against the original tract and not a serious take on the setting. Joke's on you—it's both! [^3]: We are going to try to use the **[Iron Vault](https://ironvault.quest)** add-on for **[Obsidian](https://obsidian.md)** here to see if we can manage the elements of this campaign. Wish me luck. I think we're going to need it.[^9] [^4]: Don't worry, I have a surprise planned for later when we start talking about the kinds of people that you can run into in the world. I'm not bailing out of the concept, or of being sarcastic, or ironic. It's going to be okay. [^5]: *Don't you think Cardinal Salamanca looks tired lately?*  For the record, the Doctor is an utter cock-bite here. Always around just in time for someone else to clean up after. [^6]: Look, you all knew that there were going to be some *cultist necromancers* in here somewhere. I have a reputation to maintain, and I'm not shy about doing it. Here are the cultist necromancers. They are going to be awesome, because cultist necromancers, that's why. [^7]:  [^8]:  [^9]: Interestingly and amusingly enough, it turns out that we *aren't* going to use it because it doesn't actually work with **Obsidian Publish**, which, considering that's how this site goes up, is kind of a downer. I was hoping to have an integrated solution that would work for sharing things publicly. That's okay. We have straight-up old-school tables and technology, so all is well.