A quick personal note: I had anticipated that I'd be both too stressed and too busy with job-hunting to blog much. That hasn't really been the case. I have been busy, but I've been somewhat less stressed than anticipated. I'd seen other people in prior waves of layoffs struggle for months to land on their feet. I'm now at about two weeks since my last paycheck (although I got another last paycheck for my unused vacation; I haven't even had my severance arrive in my direct deposit yet, and I'm sitting on enough money for some time... although we're obviously being more careful with it than we used to be.) It's just over three weeks since I was told that I was going to be laid off. In the meantime, in the last seven business days—since after Labor Day, I guess—I've had nine interviews; one of which was a second interview, and one of which was a third interview. I've got another first interview tomorrow, I'm traveling on Friday, and I have an in-person second interview on Monday, and two more second interviews scheduled for early next week, even though I'll be out of town. Now, granted, I haven't had any conversions (yet) to an offer, but I'm quite encouraged by what's happened so far. The one I had a third interview with today will likely make an offer, I think, and one of the first interviews I had today told me that if it were only up to her (and she's the one that I'd report to directly) she'd hire me on the spot. I think both of those guys will try to lowball me a bit on salary, but we'll see. I'm also thinking that the in-person second interview I have on Monday will likely convert, unless I blow something badly in person, but I'm experienced enough not to make that likely. The other first interview I had today was also extremely promising, and a job that I'd very much like to have. On top of that, I've got a couple of other guys who've told me outright that they want to schedule an interview, I just haven't done it yet. In any case, my stress is significantly relieved, although I'm busy fielding all of these interview requests and calls from recruiters. I never thought I'd be glad to get a job just so I can finally turn off all of these notifications and phone calls that I don't want.
So, I'm feeling a bit encouraged to blog more than I expected to. Here's the next column in the 5x5 front for CHAOS IN WAYCHESTER, and today's column will focus on the Northumbrian orcling pirate threat. But first, as is my wont, some setting background. I thought it appropriate to talk a bit about the northern Hill Country border region just a bit. I need to draw a specific CHAOS IN WAYCHESTER map, but until then, I'll use my earlier draft, cropped just a bit, to showcase the area; it'll still be close enough.
The northern edge of the Hill Country is partially made up of some other cultural entities. The Wolfwood is a significant barrier (I haven't even bothered to develop what lies beyond it except in the very vaguest of terms), and the Plateau of Leng is, as you can probably imagine, hostile to all human and demihuman life. I think it's worth taking just a second to detail what Lovecraft himself (and a few other writers in his oeuvre) said about Leng
- inhabited by a human corpse-eating cult ("The Hound")
- inhabited by degenerate satyr-like "Men of Leng" as well as The High Priest Not To Be Described and his prehistoric monastery (The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath)
- possibly the location where the frozen Antarctic city of the Elder Things was located, before being abandoned to shoggoths and weird gigantic blind albino penguins (At the Mountains of Madness)
I've also had the Plateau of Leng in my setting since at least Dark Heritage Mk. IV as well, although there is starts to coincide a bit too much with the source of the Cursed, who became the Hyperboreans. I don't want those two to converge too much. Suffice it for now to say that the Plateau of Leng is some seriously bad medicine, and you don't want to go there. But the malign influence of it does occasionally spread to its closest neighbors, which in this case would be mostly Lomar and Bucknerfeld.
Bucknerfeld is an interesting place; although adjacent to the Hill Country, and a city of Hillmen, geographically it's just beyond the Hill Country, being sandwiched between the Plateau, the Indash Salt Sea, the Sabertooth Mountains and the lands of Lower Kurushat to the north. Hillman also have significant settlements along the north shore of the Darkling Sea, like Cayminster especially and the more far-flung city of Burlharrow. However, smack in the middle of this is Lomar, which has some hillmen, but is not part of their nation.
Lomar was founded by Hyperboreans fleeing the destruction of their far northern city-state of Zobna some generations ago. Whatever the culture of the Zobnans once was, it's become syncretic now, and the Zobnans have traded with and been influenced by the Hillman for some time, adopting their language, many of their fashions, traditions and even structure of government. Many of them have also converted to the Christian faith of the Hillmen, although Lomar officially has no state religion of any kind.
However, there's another population of Hyperboreans living among the Zobnans of Lomar, and they maintain a significant plurality. Their original homeland of Nyx was also destroyed by the savage Inutos, but their culture seems to have been significantly different than that of the Zobnans, and they have also resisted integration of Hillmen culture of any kind, or even to the Zobnan culture. This tension between the Nyxians and the Zobnan elements of Lomar has been the source of considerable cultural and social conflict in Lomar. The Nyxians still maintain their ancient cults, and are seen as extreme and potentially violent, or at least those political factions that refuse integration. Lomar is almost at the point of open civil war in the streets.
Iconic character Kimnor "Kim" Rugova is a great example of a Zobnan, highly integrated into Hillmen-like lifestyle, who actually left Lomar in disgust over the socio-political situation there, but a great many other Zobnans are much like him, except that they remain in Lomar and refuse to give it over to the Nyxians. The Zobnans originally welcomed the Nyxians as fellow outcasts and brothers, but have gradually lost a great deal of patience with the stubborn hold-outs who refuse to integrate to the Zobnan majority culture of Lomar, and many have now come around to being in favor of forcibly expelling or even simply exterminating the Nyxians if they continue to threaten the peace of the Lomar lifestyle.
I've included a few new Hero Forge Nyxian models. My original plan was to simply take and slightly modify Shadar-kai models out of the library, but I found that I didn't like them as much as I'd thought I would, and that my own creations looked better and more in mind with what I had. The selection below is a bit mixed. I never liked the white dreadlocks and ridiculous piercing look that Wizards of the Coast thought was so cool for the Shadar-kai, for one thing, so the Nyxians have a somewhat more subtle barbarism to them; although many of them are perfectly capable of mingling in high society as well. The violence and savagery of certain castes in their society is more a cultural affectation for those castes than for the entire Nyxian population.
The Tazitta Death Cult second column will have the PCs most likely getting at least a little bit involved with current events in Lomar, as will this orcling pirate one, but in neither case are they expected to really tackle it head-on. Official hillmen rangers, of course, have no authority or jurisdiction whatsoever in Lomar, and while freelance Shadows like Ragnar and Stefan don't actually have any jurisdiction anywhere, they are usually deputized and happily by those who do. The Zobnans, at least, are aware of the reputation of the Rangers, and have even come up with an organization of their own that mimics it to some degree for the countryside around Lomar.
The final area which needs to be discussed, at least a little, is Chersky Island itself. A the name somewhat implies, it was named by the hamazin when their empire stretched its farthest colonies this far, but it has been largely abandoned except by a handful of secretive fisherfolk, hermits, pirates and runaways or criminals who have lived a precarious life on the island. Now, however, as the migrant crisis from Gunaakt has grown, many of the orclings (again; a common term for both morphs of the race; orcs and goblins) have decided not to try and force their presence on people who's way of life would be harmed by their presence, and have sought out Chersky Island as a refuge where they can live in peace and friendly relationships with the other city-states around the Darkling Sea such as Cayminster, Lomar and Waychester. For about ten years now, streams of orcs and goblin settlers have moved to the island and established small ports, fishing villages and farming hamlets. However, this is somewhat threatened by those who arrive and decide that fishing, farming and trading are less effective than piracy. Now the friendly relations with their neighbors are souring, and the piracy problem threatens to become a major international incident between the orclings and the hillmen and the Hyperboreans of Lomar. With that, let's get to the column, which deals, in fact, with exactly this piratical problem.
First, the PCs should be approached in one of the port cities that they are in. It could be Burham's Landing or Benchley, where they are trying to book passage to Waychester, or alternatively it could be in Waychester itself trying to book passage to Cayminster to follow up on the Morcant Gunderic clue. Or, if you've decided to make this a late game front, it could be in Cayminster or Lomar trying to get to Waychester back again, or even just in any one of those towns without the PCs necessarily looking for passage to anywhere. Here they will hear rumors all over the place of the latest ship to limp into port in the last day or two with its cargo stolen and its crew reduced significantly either because they fought or were taken prisoner by the orc pirate captain Taurak. There's another ship anxious to leave with cargo, but worried about the safety of the sea-lanes, who are looking for extra protection (I know, I know, it's a tired RPG trope, but it'll work.) This is especially helpful if the PCs are trying to book passage somewhere; just make sure that your own ship captain Borus is heading to the same place the PCs are headed. Naturally Borus' ship will be attacked by Taurak's, and there's be ship to ship boarding action and swashbuckling combat for the PCs to engage in. I envision that the most likely outcomes are that Taurak is driven off, but as he leaves he swears revenge on the PCs and the captain that thwarted him, or Borus surrenders before he's left with too few crewman to get the ship in to port, and the ship (and the PCs, probably) are robbed by pirates. But if you want to do something more dramatic, or if the dice and the PCs crazy plans head that way, awesome.
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| Captain Borus |
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| Captain Taurak |
Secondly, it seems likely that the PCs will be irritated at the villain that dared to rob them, but if that's not the way it goes, then the villain could well be irritated at the PCs that thwarted him. Spies from the Chersky settlement, usually corrupt goblins who can blend in easier than most, but possibly some paid humans or demihumans as well if that works better, will be keeping a watch on ships arriving in the various important ports, looking for the PCs arrival. Then, via messenger bird, quick communications will be sent to Chersky Island's pirate haven, Calak, where agents of Taurak or the pirates at large will send waves of thugs or assassins to kill them.
Meanwhile, regardless of what does or doesn't happen to the PCs, Waychester, Lomar and Cayminster and other port authorities are losing patience with the increased piracy and are talking of mounting a military expedition to wipe the orcling settlements off of the island, since they don't realize that the majority of the orclings are simply peaceful farmers and fishers, rather than pirates. There may even be an approach made to the PCs to scout the island before an invasion, but perhaps the PCs just want in on the action because they've been involved already. There are a number of peaceful settlements on the island, all relatively small, such as Wrynn, Edenna, Roclus and Barion. Even a quick and casual reconnoiter mission will demonstrate that only Calak is where the pirates are from, and that the majority of the orclings are very nervous and hesitant about the pirates; they are as much victims as the people of the other port cities, but are in less of a position to do anything about it.
A deeper reconnoiter mission will prove that Calak has an even more sinister side to it than simply piracy, although naturally that's bad enough. A priest of Dagon has started the violent and depraved cult of said daemon among the pirates. While not all pirates are members of this cult, enough of them are to make the pirates a force to be reckoned with because of their occult sorcery and zealot approach, as well as the sacrifices that they make on a regular basis. Those who are part of the cult also take a Deep One on as an officer, and this underwater perspective of the Darkling Sea makes them especially dangerous to the ships that they would target. Taurak and his crew are among the strongest supporters of the priest of Dagon, who's name is Guarg Dreghu.
Fourthly, whether the PCs reconnoiter on the island or not, there will be an eventual invasion; a joint operation coordinated between the Harbor-Master of Waychester, a self-styled "admiral" of privateers, who's the brother of the Lord Mayor of Lomar, and the ships of a consortium of merchants and marines from Cayminster, with a few additional boats or troops from other smaller port-cities all along the Darkling Sea. Without the PCs to direct them to the right targets (Calak and the pirate ships vs the other towns and the fishing and merchant fleet of the orcling civilians, they'll probably mostly just kill innocent civilians, farmers and fishers, while giving the actual pirates and cultists ample time to make their escape (mostly, anyway.) With any luck, the PCs could actually muster a militia of local orclings to assist in the cleansing of the pirate cove of Calak. Regardless, Guarg Dreghu isn't there when they attack, having been given advance warning of the approach by the Deep Ones. Although he wasn't given enough advance notice to evacuate most of the pirates, so he escaped with Captain Taurak's flagship to an even more remote cove with an even more remote temple to Dagon in it where...
Fifth, Guarg will summon a Ketos (or the Ketos, perhaps) to attack Lomar, which is the closest target. After that, if he isn't defeated or otherwise stopped, he'll continue to attack coastal cities, including eventually Waychester itself, until the PCs either do something about it, or Guarg and the cult of Dagon are the undisputed rulers of the Darkling Sea's waters.
As you can see, I've done my best to interweave this column with stuff going on in the two bigger, "major" columns, to reduce the temptation to ignore this one as a smaller threat that deserves to be ignored. It isn't, but I can see the players thinking that if they don't have really immediate reasons to get involved with it directly.
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