On Becoming an Adventurer
Introduction
This campaign starts on the far eastern edge of the Empire of Kyrnia in the border town of Nedev. This region of the Empire has long been ignored as other matters were deemed more important by the Empress, both near and far from this dangerous land. In the past generation, heroes and nobles looking for opportunity have started pushing eastward into this forgotten land. One of the more successful has been Baron Zazar Nocroth, who with his followers struck out from civilization to claim the lands in this river valley and build the town of Nedev where your parents settled and brought you into the world.
You are part of the second generation of those first heroes, adventurers, and pioneers who followed Baron Nocroth into the wilderness twenty-five years ago. And now you are coming of age. Your parents, your elders, your friends and family, all look to your generation to see what you will accomplish. Will you take over your parents business and perhaps become a great craftsperson? Perhaps your life as a farmer's child has filled you with a love of the land, and a desire to see next fall's harvest. Or are you one of the few whose hearts beat for more than this simple agricultural lifestyle on the very edge of civilization?
The campaign starts in the year of your coming of age. You have spent your youth learning, and participating in your families trade, but now you must decide for yourself what your future will bring: Will you take up you heritage, or will you seek something greater? Many paths lie before you, and you must decide at the Mid-Summers Day Festival, when all the other youths of Nedev will be making decisions about their future. You may take the easy choice and stick with your family's trade, or boldly approach some other master or mistress to gain an apprenticeship with them. Your fate is your hands!
What this campaign is going to be like
You start this campaign as a half level apprentice to your new Master or Mistress. Since Mid-Summer's Day you have been studying hard learning the skills and talents that they have decided you are ready to learn. You have also spent many hours each day doing the menial tasks that all apprentices work on as payment for the knowledge that is being imparted to you.
You will start the game with only a few of the skills and proficiencies of a first level character. Your Master or Mistress will give you those first set of skills, and then after that you can negotiate with them over what you will learn next.
This game will be dangerous. You will start the game with full hit points and your Constitution bonus. You will roll HP at every level after that, but you will not get your Constitution bonus at each level. This means a fifth level fighter could end up with less than 30 HP.
But that is only the first part of the danger. Outside of the town walls, life is dangerous. Nearby farms are relatively safe, but once out of sight of the walls, monsters roam the lands freely. The monsters have been roaming the lands since time began. You are not the first townsfolk that they have encountered. They know you are dangerous, and they know that you are a threat. They are not stupid, and they will protect their lands, just as you strive to protect yours. There are no low-level encounters or high-level encounters, there are only encounters, and if your first level characters wander into a dragon's cave, you will be that dragon's lunch. Caution, planning, scouting, and retreating will all be important aspects of your life. Yes be bold! But know that punches will not be pulled.
Nedev is a town in the wilderness. The nearest other village is a week (10 days in Kyrn) away, and the nearest town of any size is close to two weeks away. The people of Nedev do not look to others for help - they rely on each other and their leaders to keep them safe. Supplies are limited to what can be made here, or on the infrequent merchants who risk all to travel to and from Nedev. There are not large cathedrals full of clerics to heal you. There are not Arcadiums full of wizards to make magic items. The people of Nedev have experience, but not the kind that makes one a Hero of the Ages... But maybe, just maybe... You could be that person.
This is going to be a slow campaign. Your characters will not advance quickly in terms of class level. In between levels they can gain other proficiencies to increase your skill sets. Your character can also advance in renown. For each success your character has during the campaign, their renown grows. Gaining favor amongst the townsfolk, leads to bigger and better things for you. You can expect bigger rewards, more respect, deference, and opportunities. Perhaps a chance to gain a title and lands of your own. The possibilities are endless.
The Truths of the Campaign
Here are the Truths of this campaign. Read them! Memorize them! There is nothing else more important than these!
- This is a low-level, grimdark campaign. Just surviving can be considered a victory! The NPCs are low-level as well.
- You gain experience points by completing quests, not by killing things. Engaging in combat needlessly, or recklessly will get you killed. Not all quests can be completed without bloodshed, and finding ways to avoid risk is important.
- True mages and clerics are rare, and magic is dangerous. Most of the Priests in the Temple are not clerics, and most of those performing tricks for coins in a tavern are just charlatans. True spell casters are rare, respected and/or feared.
- The monsters are never what you think they are. What the townsfolk call goblins are not what is listed in the Monster Manual. If you think you know what a monster is, you are probably incorrect. Monsters are masters of their environments, and they are not stupid.
- Encounters are not balanced. If you see a monster that does not mean you have a good chance of defeating it. If you wander into the cave of the Great Wyrm instead of the cave of the cuddly puppies, that is on you.
- Relationships are important. The NPCs in the game are there for you to interact with. You can have them as your friends or your enemies, but one group is going to be helpful and one is going to be opposing you. You can make friends, but it takes time and effort. Enemies are much easier made.
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