City League
Regional capital for city and environs
The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,When a major trading route crosses another, merchants soon gather. When one of those routes is a river then villages and eventually towns swiftly grow. Such a town grew here. From early times the merchants formed guilds and sects and appointed a Clerk-at-Arms to organise their well being and protection. The Clerk and after him his son and then his son's son, performed his duties excellently and caused the town to prosper and grow into a city. Time passed. The city thrived in amazing fashion. Subsidiary towns were formed on the city's borders; villages appeared near those towns. Trade and industry flourished, turning what was once just one city into a group of cities cooperating and trading under the eye of the Clerk and his increasing bureaucracy. This vast edifice is now a full league (3 miles) and more across. And as the city grew so the post of Clerk grew with it. The Clerk became the heriditary ruler of this League of Cities, named after both its nature and its size. He also acquired a new name - unable to cope with his (by now) lengthy title, the people referred to him simply as 'The Katar'. The Katars accumulated fantastic wealth and built themselves 'The Punctilio' - a stupendous palace in which courtliness and etiquette became the norm. Outside, the League also grew. Its byzantine bureaucracy was unable to prevent trade from flourishing in relative calm and security, so attracting merchants of all races and beliefs. Today the League of Cities is a unique pot-pourri of cultures and styles. Cities and sub-cities jostle cheek-by-jowl with each other; the whole being lorded over by the grandly titled Knight Puissant, Clerk-at-Arms, First Servant of the City League, his vizier and his court. Order is kept by the ubiquitous Knights Ocular, who watch and report and punish on behalf of the bureaucracy - a bureaucracy where anything can happen, given time. What of names? No single name could stand the strain of being stretched over the unimaginable size of the place. Within the League lie Punctilio, the courtly centre; The Hill, a community that grew around Punctilio: the Capitol, seat of the largest library in this part of the world; the Temple of Ten Thousand Ravens, where the Redemptors administer city justice, the Docklands, a bustling riverside commuity; The Borough, thick with streets of commerce; the New City, now centuries old, with wide avenues choked with the detritus of periodic riot: and the streets of the Communities, the southern reaches peopled from far and wide. Names? The inhabitants call it t'League. Felix Pursuivant, First Assistant to the Junior Herald
The solemn temples, thegreat globe itself.
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. The Tempest (Act IV, scene I)
The City League, the heart of industrial Cerwyn, is a sprawling metropolis of commerce, culture, and intrigue. Encircled by imposing stone walls that speak of its storied past, the city is a patchwork of districts, each with its own character and purpose. From the bustling docks along the River Lygol, where ships from distant lands unload their treasures, to the labyrinthine Borough teeming with artisans, traders, and secrets, t'League is a city of endless activity. Its towering spires and domes glint in the sunlight, symbols of its wealth and ambition, while its streets hum with the energy of merchants haggling, performers enchanting passersby, and guards patrolling diligently. At its core lies the Arena and the Capitol, home to the city's grand institutions: the Fighters' Guild, the Merchants' Guild, and temples to deities of judgment and romance. Overlooking it all is the Punctilio, the seat of the enigmatic Katar, whose presence looms over both the city and its politics. Outside the walls, burgeoning districts spill into the countryside, adding to the sense of a city constantly expanding, its people driven by ambition, opportunity, and a hint of danger in the shadows. The City League is a place where fortunes are made, alliances are forged, and secrets abound, drawing adventurers, merchants, and rogues alike into its vibrant and unpredictable fold.
Major NPCs
Whenever NPCs are introduced, they will be described in a standard format. While all the stats will be for the AD&D game, the general information about each character will allow referees of other systems to quickly extrapolate whatever they need. The characters will be presented as follows:Additional information about characters will also be found in the general description of their 'haunt'.Ref Number - NPC Name
Class & Level; Alignment; Hit Points; Armour Class; Race; Ability Statistics - Strength; Intelligence; Wisdom; Dexterity; Constitution; Charisma; Weapon
- Bullet point of relevant facts
- Appearance
- Occupation
- Characterisations
- Contacts
Minor NPCs
Less important NPC s will be described merely with their name and a few descriptive sentences. All are NM/FO HP4 unless otherwise defined. It is of course, possible that an otherwise unimportant NPC gains undue attention in a game, in which case the DM should add whatever stats are required.Abbreviations
The following abbreviations will be used in the NPC stats, in addition to the normal: Classes: Assassin; Acrobat; Barbarian; Bard; Cleric; Cavalier; Druid; Fighter; Freeman; Illusionist: Monk: Magic User: Paladin; Ranger; Thief. Races: Dwarf, Elf; ½Elf; Gnome: Hobbit; Human: Orc; ½Orc;Spellbooks
Spellbooks show level, followed in brackets by the spell as numbered in the rule book, with an asterix if it is currently memorised; eg 1(2,3*) means that the MU has the first level spells numbered 2 and 3, in her spell book and that number 3 is currently memorised. Full spell memory will not normally be allocated, to allow the DM flexibility.The FREEMAN or FREEWOMAN
A new NPC character class for use in towns and cities. Cities are not just populated by a mixture of exotic adventurers and thousands of zero level fighters (NM/FO). There will be many representatives of the adventurous classes, and there will also be the social also-rans, the low-lifes, but a great many of the people will be Freemen and Freewomen, representing merchants, business people. functionaries, clerks, bankers and many other mundane trades. In order to allow these people a little more depth in this campaign, we suggest that DMs make use of the Freeman character class hereafter detailed. Note that this is not intended to be a class available to player-characters and after a quick look, very few of your players will be that keen anyway! Character abilities The abilities are as normal and are rolled as normal. There is no reason why these people should be any less or any more able than the average adventurer. In certain circumstances, the DM should reduce some ability scores to allow for the less-than-strenuous training that non-adventurers may have had. Bonuses due to character abilities- Strength: No attack/damage bonus, others normal
- Intelligence: Normal language bonuses
- Wisdom: Normal Saving Throw bonuses
- Dexterity: No missile bonuses, others normal
- Constitution: Ordinary (non-fighter) hit point bonuses
- Charisma: Normal
- Hit die type: d6
- Max no hit dice: 9 (+1hp for each level above 9)
- Spell ability: nil
- Level limit: none
- Armour: any, but rarely worn
- Shield: possible
- Weapons: any, but only ever proficient in one (-5 non-proficiency penalty)
- Combat table: use magic-users combat results table
- Oil? yes
- Poison? yes
- Racial restrictions: none
- Swordstick: A walking stick that holds a thin, rapier-like weapon.
- Staff mace: Like a quarter-staff with a heavy, ornate head that is both decorative for public appearances and dangerous.
- Knobbed stick: Like a short staff-mace - a walking stick whose handle is strengthened and weighted to act like a club when required.
| Weapon | Weight | Damage | Length | Speed | Adjustments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swordstick | 20 | 1-6/1-8 | 3' | 3 | as dagger |
| Staff mace | 60 | 2-7/2-8 | 6' | 8 | as mace (foot) |
| Knobbled stick | 30 | 1-6/1-3 | 3' | 4 | as club |
Maps
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City League
The City League, the heart of industrial Cerwyn, is a sprawling metropolis of commerce, culture, and intrigue.
Alternative Name(s)
t'League
Type
Large city
Included Locations
Bundock: 2mi (n/a)
Hyrpum: 30mi (1.5d / 1d / 1.5d / 2d / 0.8dd)
Ivybridge: 40mi (2d / 1.5d / 2d / 3d / 3d)
Juhil: 20mi (1d / 0.7d / 1d / 1.3d / 2du)
Halfway House: 60mi (3d / 2d / 3d / 4d / -)
Defence
Stone wall (40') and towers (60') Ruler
To be clarified Suzerain
To be clarified Population
25,000 Race Mix
N40% Class Mix
F20 MU20 C20 T20 Wealth
3 Source of Wealth
Trade Garrison
500 / 500 Constabulary
400 Religions
10 Notes
Cosmopolitan, news travels fast, sophisticated population, efficient law-enforcement if required, mixed alignments (average N),
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