Some of you don't know anything about Salushen's Seven, the original adventuring group who changed the very face of Toveil... before and after the Recreation.

It all started in a small farming community called Garssin. Six of the Salushen's Seven came from there and had been friends since early childhood. One of the oddities of Salushen was that there existed two races of minotaur. One race was the savage monster seen in the books, and another were civilised, but only as tall as a normal human. Goredo was such a minotaur, growing up in Garssin as a foundling. He grew up strong, but occasionally doubting of his strength. However, his greatest attribute was his loyalty.
The community of Garssin was within The Free State of Onnwal. Onnwal had long had excellent relations with the dwarves of Sapphire Hold, and many of the dwarves would spend years, even decades, with the communities in order to better know the aboveground inhabitants. Liam of Sapphire Hold was one such dwarf. Young, surprisingly agile for his race, and possessing a keen mind for tactics, Liam was a brave dwarf who often placed himself in danger so that others may be saved.
Another foundling was Liaga, a half orc with two very different sides. In times of peace she was charismatic and surprisingly gentle. But in war, her use of the spiked chain coupled with her fury made her into a terrifying storm in which no enemy could hope to live for long. Liaga was dependable, and possessed a good ability to do not what was easy or expected, but what was right.
Onnwal, like the rest of Salushen, kept the traditions and beliefs that the Elements were the most powerful of the forces in the world and that all of their ilk were possessing of immense power. So perhaps it is unsurprising that Cam, an orphan, would grow to be one of the most powerful arcane users in the world. See, Cam had a special heritage. His association with Air was not only spritual... it was in his blood. Cam was often the enigmatic one in the group's adventurers, preferring to keep his thoughts to himself and have others do the talking. When he did speak, you knew you had to listen. And what he said was usually the difference between life and death for the group.
Two people were homegrown in Garssin. One, was a human named Raal. Raal was training to be a cleric of Fire, and proved to be an adept in the mysteries of the Divine. Like most fire-dominant people, Raal was always quick to action and decisive thought. As the group grew closer together, it was Raal who kept them functioning as a group and quickly became the unspoken leader. Yet for all this, he was unassuming, and humble. Never in a million years would he have imagined the destiny that lay before him.
Finally we come to the smallest of the group, Chime the elf. Chime was frailer than the others but never lacked in courage. Oftentimes his bravery and curisoity would lead him into trouble, but he never backed down from a challenge and he never abandoned his friends. In life everything was a mystery waiting to be discovered, and he was of all of them the most likely to want to explore ruins, pick things up, or press the big red button. But behind his frailty lay untapped power, and his destiny would prove to be the strangest yet most pivotal of them all.

The following is an abridged account of their main adventures. To say evgerything that happened would take more time than I have in a year.

The six explored around their community and found that a large wolf had been stealing livestock and later found that one of their friends had been slaughtered. The wolf attacked them and for a while things looked grim but eventually the group was victorious.
As a reward for their bravery and teamwork, not to mention having saved the community more deaths, the six were chosen to represent Garssin and the greater county of Hyacil in the Great Race, an event that occurred once every 3 years and pitted groups of adventurers against each other in a giant maze. The team named themselves Team Garssin and took the wolf's head in a silver circle as their symbol.

The team was one of the first to uncover the riddle for where the entrance to the Great Race lay, and proceeded to race ahead of the competition. Highlights:

• Meeting a team that included a human bard, and a human sorceror named Riktor. Riktor was quite powerful for his age and the team got on well with him.
• Meeting Riktor later on the maze. The team had just gotten past a trap where if you went forward too far you would be teleported 20ft back. They had temporarily changed the mathemagical writing which froze the trap long enough for them to get past. Riktor saw them ahead and winning and in desperation flung a fireball at them. The fireball hit the trap, appeared 20ft behind Riktor, hit him and detonated. The last Team Garssin saw of Riktor was the bard hitting him repeatedly over the head with her mandolin.
• Team Garssin found a pair of golden scarab beetles that have gems inserted and released. They inserted a red gem into the beetle and released it. This caused the scarab beetle to fly away through the maze and fireball the closest team. The golden scarab then returned.

As they were close to winning, a major earthquake struck the area. At this point part of a hillside was destroyed and the team found an entrance to a cave that warned of death to those who were not powerful enough. At this point the teams were teleported back to the ruins of the community that hosted the Race. Team Garssin was declared the winners by being the closest to the end and were each given a WISH. Goredo wished that the community around them be rebuilt, and the power of the wish made it so. This was a pivotal point in the story, because it showed a huge amount of people from various countries of Salushen exactly how generous, kind, and strong this group was.

As they left for home, they met Tanessa, a human paladin who expressed an interest in traveling with them for a while. Tanessa proved to be... interesting. At times she was selfless and adhered religiously (for want of a better term) to the paladin tenets, and other times she could flare in temper and act a bit childish. But she was as dependable as the others and over time became a part of the team.

Thus ends Part 1. Read Part 2 in a few days as I remember how the story went from there.

(real names changed to protect the innocent)

Ricardo Montoya - Fire Genasi Wizard
Born in Eastgate, adventures so that he can further expand his knowledge of alchemy. So far has shown a dislike for alcohol, or perhaps is haunted by some past experience of it. Being a Genasi, Ricardo will be something of a celebrity in Rockhold
Fire Dominant

Dolgen - Dwarven Cleric
Grew up in the Dwarven District an orphan and no memories of his childhood. Dolgen adventures in the vain hope that he can remember his past.
Water Dominant

Thorfin - Dwarven Rogue
Grew up in Ceruun down by the river docks. Thorfin appears to be something of an alcoholic, but still has nimble fingers with which he steals from the general public in order to drink another day.
Earth Dominant

Tiddy - Aquiri Ranger
Born in Balance, her parents are retired adventurers. She always has by her side a Labrador that she saved from a group of cruel children when he was a puppy.
Dominant in both Wind and Earth

Exxar - Dragonborn Fighter
Born to Zemia, was meant to be a guardsman but things... went wrong. Is now adventuring to find himself and his Destiny.
Fire Dominant

Glarn - Gladiator
Glarn is a minor celebrity within Rockhold due to his few fights in the Arena. Has convinced his new-found friends to join him as an Arena Team. Glarn is especially proud of the large Executioner's Axe that he has learned to wield in battle.
Not Dominant in any of the Elements, though sometimes leans more towards Water


( The Story So Far: )

Within this page reside the final plans for Rockhold. Most of of it is stuff already covered in the other entries and so I will be glossing over those. By the way I'm warning you now: this is huge.

( THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID )

Hello, and welcome to a late-night addition to Rockhold. Tonight I'm going to be doing the rest of the map because I'm not sure when I'll have another chance in the next few weeks to do these again (Tech this week and WRATH OF THE LICH KING AFTER THAT!!!)
Ahem

( Sorry, I forgot how long this was. Districts are under the cut and colour-coded for your convenience! )

This is the Islands District, named for the eight artificial islands in the middle of Rockhold's Harbour. These islands hold the rulers of Rockhold, the old money, and the new money. This is a starting zone for adventurers, and you'd be the child of of the "new money" families. Basically, your parents will be successful heroic-tier adventurers. But enough of that for now. Let's move onto the highlights of the Islands District

(1) is a school! Yes, everyone is entitled to an education in Rockhold. Um... as long as you were born in Rockhold... and as long as there is no war going on currently against your race... oh! and as long as you're rich. Yes, the majority of the students at the school are rich, allowing for social stratification to continue. However, there are 4 students from Eastgate and 6 students from Lowdown who attend because of their gifted intelligence. Their fees and even an allowance for food are funded by the Harbourmaster. Aint he a nice guy!

(2) is actually the wizard's school. Doesn't look so big, huh? Well there's actually a large chunk of it underground, AND the complex is largely extra-dimensional. Sorry guys, but my worlds will always be high fantasy and this school is no exception. There are a myriad rooms to this place but most of them are empty. Seems the place was built to accommodate almost 3000 people but only 750 students and teachers are here. You won't find many people here with PC classes, rather the people who study rituals and learn arcane theory and history. But anyways, the wizards always have need of exotic ritual components for hypothetical rituals... and there are rumours of an entire Lost Wing somewhere in the grounds that holds an ancient danger and a reward so great that the Gods tremble. But then it could also be a prank by the chancellors!

(3) is a bazaar. Each weekend the buildings are opened to people invited in from the rest of the city by the nobility. These people then have the chance to sell their wares to the rich, and many live for a single opportunity to do so. Some lucky few are even sponsored by the gentry to work exclusively for them. Adventurers can often be found here as buyers (there are a great many things that will be found here and nowhere else in the city) and sellers (selling something wondrous and unique will bring many well-connected eyes on you).

(4) is the watch house for this District's arm of the Law. Inside the District they are tough but fair, well-disciplined and a credit to the city. But outsiders view them as corrupt, prejudiced, and more interested in the well being of the nobility as opposed to the poorer people who find their way inside. On bad days any fight between nobility and a normal citizen will lead to that citizen spending up to a week in prison or even a few solid days in the stocks. And everyone knows that the situation won't change as long as the nobility have enough money to bribe the government. Adventurers should always be polite to nobility...

(5) are the government buildings! There's a few of them for health, administration, trade, and the diplomats all live here too. Despite the drawings, they're spacious and multi-storeyed. The brown ones are devoted to the clerks. Oh! And the justice system is here too. The justice system was created with a statute that everyone within the city of Rockhold has the right to a fair and free trial. One thing I forgot to mention previously is that to enter the Islands District there's a fee of 10 silver. Those people who are on trial for anything have to show up if they're wanting to defend against the charges. See that? Any nobility being charged effectively get free defense, but anyone else has to pay almost a full day's wage (or a week's wage if you're from Lowdown) to even get a fair trial. There is a noble Eladrin woman called Otrelle Sullastrian who is (in)famous for paying the fee for any person she is supposed to defend but she is only one of many who does this.

(6) This is a tower of mages and priests who are devoted to divination and talking to the Kami. They predict weather, fishing, outside dangers, and the like but they are rather... unhinged. Many times they have predicted doom but it has not come to pass. However, the statutes of Rockhold say that they must stay, and these cannot be changed for another 490 years.

(7) is a secure warehouse. It is owned by a company with the bizarre name of Niggle's Whet Gums. Despite this oddity, the company is exceptional at storing things within its warehouse and transporting them to other places within Rockhold or to one of the ships within Rockhold's limits. All items can be retrieved at any time before the transportation using a metal docket given out at the time of the deal. The service is usually bought at the time of the deal, but will sometimes accept IOUs. If an IOU is not paid within a month, the company gets to keep the items. Once a month a small auction is held to sell off items obtained in this way.

(8) This collection of buildings is special only for housing the various crafting guilds.

(9) This island is devoted to entertainment and luxury. At night it is the island for carnal delights, foods, drink (lots of it), and any number of exotic / expensive past times. By day it is a place for family fun, exhibitions, food, drink (lots of it) and any number of exotic / expensive ways to have clean wholesome fun. It is the only place in all of Rockhold to have a curfew for children. They are not allowed in between the hours of 7pm - 8am. Any found will be taken to the school and someone from the watch will notify the parents if they can be found. This island will be the main hub for the quests that honest people don't deal with. There will be more on this island at a later stage.

(10) is unknown to the players. You will not have any information about it until you have reached 6th level. After that, it will be unlocked.

(11) and (12) are unlockable following the completion of a quest chain.

(*) is the home location of any players who start here. They will be sons and daughters of retired adventurers and begin with an extra 25g and the added bonus that they are respected by the Watch and can call in one favour at any time during the campaign without the associated skill challenge. (Yes, there will be the calling in of favours!)


And those are the Islands.

Next on the agenda: the Liberty District, aka Lowdown

I've mentioned fragments before, and that they're a banned item within Rockhold. And for very good reason.

( Here's why! )

On the map of "Sasserine" from a previous entry, if you look at the top left district... that's Westgate.



So named because of the large structure on the far right, jutting out into the harbour mouth. (8) That is the "First Gate of Rockhold". Well, it was designed and constructed years after the first actual gate was made, but it's called that because of its importance. This gate is a mechanical wonder. With the simple push of a rather large button, the entire gate unfolds and lengthens to join up to the other side of the harbour mouth. It then locks down like a portcullis into 10 anchorage docks along the sea floor. What you can't see is the Second Gate, which joins using magic and strengthens the whole thing. So you have a whole mechanical-magical synergy going on. The Gate system has only been used twice in the history of Rockhold, and needs the approval of 11 or more of the 14 Lords OR the unanimous approval of the 5 Church Leaders

That isn't the only defense of Westgate. The two outlined towers form part of the defense against attackers coming from the lake. (1) The towers are the most elevated structures in all of Rockhold and contain 8 ballistae each and 4 magical cannon that fire streams of energy. Trained professionals operate these weapons at all times, and Westgate has 30 of these professionals, called the Highguard, stationed in this district. All Highguard are human, as the weapons were designed to be only functional in human hands. Half breeds could possibly use them, but the Highguard follow the human-only tradition with a fervour that borders on open racism.

Westgate is the district of adventurers and gladiators. It is the rowdiest district owing to the many martial and magical types that hang out and live there. With the ports right next door (the lake actually encroaches of the borders of five distinct countries) and the propensity for adventurers to explore ancient ruins and fantastic pocket dimensions, it used to be impossible to take a step without stumbling over a merchant selling a fragment of the Sword Of Treloch or a chip off the Obsidian Statue Of Frestia (said to contain the petrified tears of a thousand demons!) or one of a thousand other useless (or not-quite-so useless) items and artifacts. However, the sheer abundance of merchants coupled with the great numbers of adventurers looking for anything remotely shiny made the district a nightmare to govern and watch over. Thus, the 14 Lords of the city (one for each district, incidentally) decreed that the purchase, sale, and trade of all 'artifacts' must be done through a city-owned business and event. Thus, the Market of Antiquities and Curiosities was created. (2)
The Market consists of several outside gala ensembles, a few large pavilion tents, and a huge manor which is stacked to the brim with odds and ends. Obviously to begin with each item was catalogued, tested, and categorised, but it seems the sheer number of junk pieces that merchants insisted were valuable tried even the patience of the archivists. Nowadays the archivists buy every item presented to them for 10g, as long as it isn't very obviously magical... in which case the price is higher. It is then dumped somewhere on the manor grounds and it is up to the skill and luck of those who enter the grounds to find it and buy it. In all fairness, they really did try. But at some point someone got lazy and the work slid away from them and...well, you know how it goes. On a positive note, the manor is always free of dust, although in all probability there's an item lying hidden away somewhere that's the cause of that.
The Market these days does not allow just anybody in. No, now adventurers must receive an invitation from the city guard, the Swords and Staves, or the 14. These usually come by way of reward for serving the city in some way...

(3) is the Dragonborn Enclave. It's there just so any interested Dragonborn can more easily join

(4) THE ARENA. Here's a brief and not-complete rundown of how it works:

Anyone can join the Arena. From the simple farmer dreaming of a better life to the ex-Paladin exiled from his church because he stole from the "Save Our Roof" Fund.
All inductees are trained for 3 months in the use of weapons and then given over to the Arena proper. There are schools for martial, divine, and arcane training... although the simple Farmer Joe will probably be taught how to use farming implements with deadly force. Food and lodging is free, but the main reason most people join is because you are outfitted with gear and are paid a 1g allowance per WEEK. Most people send this back to their families.
After the 3 months of training, each person must fight a minimum three times. Each battle they win, they are allowed to take an item from the loser. The Arena always replaces the lost item with a basic non-magical duplicate. During slow times fithers may be set against wild beasts or even savage humanoids caught attempting raids. It was suggested at one time to make prisoners fight in the Arena, but the 14 decided against training the delinquents of the city how to fight better than they already did. If people fight against beasts and the like, they gain 25g as there is no item to take.
After the three fights they people can choose to go home, although many prefer to stay and try and become Arena Champion. Those who leave are given to the chance to join the Rockhold militia as corporal.
Rockhold hosts an Arena once per week, with main championships for Arena Champion held once every six months. The massive influx of trade during an arena event more than pays for the training of the gladiators. It is also good for diplomatic relations... and everyone knows that the Arena is the gambling hub of the world, right up there with the Glass Labyrinth.

(5) Is an interesting building. It is a healing center but one owned by the Mathews Foundation. It catalogs illness and the objects that can treat them. Really handy to have an the district that caters solely to adventurers. Players can be cured of illnesses using the health center, but it's a bit touch and go for a while as some experimental items and herbs will be used at first.

(6) is the castle headquarters for the Swords and Staves, a guild of adventurers charged with keeping the peace regarding things beyond the knowledge of normal citizens and the city watch. Over the years what started as a friendly rivalry between the watch and the S&S has turned into a private feud, with the city watch looking now for any excuse to legally shut down the guild operations. So if you're lucky enough to be asked to join, don't make them look bad! Currently the S&S is composed of 22 people, the highest of which is level 12.

Finally, (7) is simply a hostel... free lodging for the family and loved one of gladiators fighting in the Arena within 48 hours.

Westgate will be one of the places for the players to start. My intent is for about 6 districts to be starting locations, with each location following a different game theme. So Westgate has the characters most probably starting (or finishing) in the Arena on the first game and the campaign's theme (at least for the Heroic tier) will be primarily combat. That's not to say that there won't be breaks from that theme... but it'll be the dominant discourse.

Just a small note on the Market: I'm creating a table for it. Roll a d% to determine what it is you find. Some will be useful, most will be interesting, and a rare few will actually be forgotten artifacts. But because of the mess, it's totally random.

And that... is Westgate.

There's a problem with the Gods. The books assume that you'll use the Gods and if not, then you'll use facsimiles that have the same powers, use the same feats, etc. Why is this a problem for my game?
Because the inhabitants of Salushen worship the four basic elements: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. That's all.
Back in 3.5 I took all the domains and split them into the various elemental groups. Water had Water, Healing, and Magic, for example. But with the Gods of 4th edition there's little things, like the feats, that assume you'll use them. So here's one idea I've come up with.

There are 11 Gods in the world of Salushen. Of those, 3 are introduced Gods. Corellon was introduced with the arrival of the Eladrin. Bahamut came with the Dragonborn. And knowledge of Moradin was given to the dwarves by these two races and was quickly adopted as the Dwarves took great pride in having their own God.

Of the eight remaining, four are Greater and four are Lesser Gods. The Greater Gods hold the Keys...

Salushen was created not only by the hands of the Gods but also by the power of the elemental chaos. The Four Elements are very powerful on this world. But these primordial Lords are locked away from the world lest their constant need for chaos tear it asunder. Instead, their power is kept under control by four Keys, items of such magical power that to call them Artifacts would be like calling a nuclear missile a toy. They give Salushen the elemental power it needs. The Keys are controlled by the Greater Gods. They alone have the strength of will necessary to prevent the Keys from breaking. But don't worry: they keys will never be more than flavour text. The power needed to challenge a Greater is beyond any mortal comprehension. So don't anyone worry that one will be stolen and the heroes have to get it back or the world is lost. Even at level 30 you would have. no. chance.

Anyways... the Greater.

Melora is the Goddess of the Wilderness and carries the Earth Key.
Avandra is the Goddess of Travel and Luck and carries the Water Key. (this was almost Air and I have to admit I changed it only because Belchimuraal could not be opposed to Fire)
Ioun is no more. Instead, Belchimuraal (Bell CHIME u rahl) is the God of Knowledge, Magic, and Prophecy and carries the Air Key.
Pelor is no more. Instead, Raal (Rahl) is the God of Time, Fire, and the sun, and carries the Fire Key.

The Greater do not have oppositions to each other. They understand that there is balance between the elements. That is what differentiates them from the primordials. What I said above concerning Air and Belchimuraal was because of the real-world distinctions people make. People can worship the Greater by their names, but the majority worship them for their elemental nature and often call them by their element too.

The Lesser are the more 'humanist' deities. Sehanine is the Goddess of trickery and love. Erathis is the God of Civilisation. Kord is the God of Strength and Battle, and the Raven Queen is the Goddess of Death and funerals.



As for the Evil Gods... many of them have snuck upon the world from distant worlds or dimensions. Beforehand, clerics of evil worshiped ideals or icons and were completely unable to cast healing spells because of the dictates of the God Overseer. But after the Recreation, the titanic amount of energy required drew the attention of a few good gods and many evil gods who wished this power for themselves. These evil gods promise power much like that given by the gods of good and have begun to bring in many followers.


So that's all I have right now. It's not at all polished but it'll get better as time goes on. What do people think... as a starter?

Rockhold has been found. I'm not a good map designer so I've taken one that someone else has drawn. It suits my needs perfectly, having definite sections of the city planned out as well as several ways to get there.


Not much to see in a picture that size, but trust me: it's good. Really good.

Now, the city is called Rockhold because of the object that will be placed at the bottom of the map: a massive rectangular stone block that juts out of the earth... like a domino block that has been tipped over. This stone block is clearly carved as most of the edges are smooth and pointed, but it's almost as big as the city itself. Over the centuries the people of Sapphire Hold (more on that later) have carved out vast expanses of the inside of the block, making it habitable... and defensible. There's more than enough room for the people of Rockhold to shelter inside it and underground artesian wells have been built to ensure a fresh supply of water at all times. The only entrances to the block are through the main gate from Rockhold, and from a few underground entrances located in the vicinity of

Sapphire Hold

This city is a mile underneath Rockhold, and is the home of the Crown Prince of the dwarves of Salushen. All dwarves, be they city-born or from their mountain holdings, swear fealty to the Crown Prince. The Prince is the highest in the dwarven heirarchy, on the understanding that Moradin is King. Sapphire Hold is a large city, built mostly within three behemoth pillars of rock that support a great cavern. A second city structure stands on the floor of the cavern but is almost totally empty; it acts as a decoy for would-be attackers.
At one stage Sapphire Hold allowed free passage between it and Rockhold via a magical elevator and later permanent teleportation circles, but this free passage was stopped with the advent of the Purity War. Sapphire hold was attacked, with one of the pillars badly damaged, by a group of dragonborn and eladrin commoners. Though the dwarves bear no enmity for the two new races, they have not forgotten the danger of being so trustworthy and now only allow access from above to those who have permission from the leaders both above and below
Now back to Rockhold.

I'm not yet sure where Rockhold is in regards to nation or stuff like that, but in the original Salushen it was to the eastern middle part of the country, 1.5 days ride from Garssin, so I think that's where it should stay. I'm putting it on the edge of a lake, and this lake will be the power center of the halflings of this area.

Population: Somewhere around 25 000, so a medium city according to the PHB. It'll be slightly richer than a normal city of that size.
Government: A single noble family who answers only to the government of that region's capital city. Thanks to a book I've found, I'll be resurrecting the old Lord of that city from 3.5: Lord Drenma Arwaether. Lord Arwaether is in charge of the city's justice, defense, and laws, but appoints a town council of seven to look after routine commerce and public projects.
Defense: Over a thousand men and women of Rockhold have been trained to defend the city, with a further 500 given the power to investigate and apprehend. Thus, we have the military, and the watchmen. Military and Watch are both voluntary, and numbers aren't where they should be. If the city came under attack, they'd need Sapphire Hold to protect them.
Inns and Taverns: Not yet implemented. Please wait for another patch.
Supplies: Halfling produce (traded for stone, wood, and minerals), fishing, and meat from the Eladrin (given freely as long as Rockhold honours the Treaty that allows their forests to remain standing)

Religion, temples, and the rest will be discussed another time.

Any other questions?

So this is the first of many entries detailing the creation of Salushen. It's open for anyone to see for the whole process. There will be a few private entries for things like the details of organisations such as Titan Institute and The Mathews Foundation, but on the whole people will be most welcome to watch, take notes...
And critique or add to it.
This world will be primarily my design but if people want to add details or go "It may be better if you did this instead" then by all means do so. Just no comments that have nothing good or constructive to say.

So where to begin?
Salushen is the name of the main continent on the world of Toveil. It was the home of my greatest 3.5 campaign, but the conclusion of that game saw the world destroyed. However, there was the promise that over time the world would be recreated. And now it is back.

I've retained the basic shape of the continent and the general locations of some of the cities and geographical features. That's. About. It.

So the first question I have to ask is: start small and work out? Or start big and work in?