Seaquen
North Coast
Slightly over a thousand people live in old neighborhoods here, most of them fishermen, sailors, and their families. Numerous small docks string out into the sea, and dozens of horns and bells sound up and down the coastline. Public opinion is divided – many dislike Acheron and appreciate the rebellious attention their town is receiving, but few like the chaos the refugees have brought with them, or the implicit threat that eventually Acheron will come looking. The town is presided over by Magistrate Lorb Votberd, who rumor says used to be a pirate. People on the streets after sunset are questioned by the local militia, and if they do not have a place to stay they are asked to leave. Hostile persons of uncanny combat prowess are reported to the magistrate so elite town guards can handle the situation.Harbor District
Many warehouses, inns, and businesses surround the north harbor. This bay was magically excavated over decades by students of Lyceum, and most buildings here are adorned with carved stone decorations designed by artistic mages. The harbor is currently full, and further ships are being redirected to the South Harbor. Two squat, magically illuminated lighthouses overlook the entrance to the harbor, one on either side. In the harbor’s center floats the Wayfarers Theater, a massive galleon painted gold and red, with banners streaming dramatically from its masts. The Guildmistress of the Wayfarers, Sheena Larkin, has announced her troupe is preparing a performance intended to promote peace and cooperation among the refugees. They have a few more weeks of rehearsal, but then every day fifty people will be invited from each of the regions of Seaquen for a free showing of The Spectacular Trial of Toteth Topec. Another fifty tickets are available for 8 silver pieces each.Tattoomancy
Dimly lit by hundreds of candles in windows and on shelves, the darkly veiled shop Tattoomancy attracts many customers with its mystery. Only open after sunset, the shop offers unique magical creations, courtesy of its owner Tenga Litaranesh, a dark-skinned Elf with short, jagged black hair and delicate, nimble hands. In her rare public appearances, Tenga disguises herself as an drow, and wears a cloak that sheds an aura of shadows. Tenga and the small crew of wizards and clerics who train with her use their magic to craft tattoos that function like magic items, and they take great pride in their art.Lyceum Academy
The walled compound of Lyceum Academy lies amid several steep hills along the North Harbor. A few hundred students and teachers live here, plus numerous common laborers and guards. Visitors undergo a rigorous security screening before being allowed on campus grounds. The Lyceum compound is surrounded by a low stone wall, and consists of a half dozen class buildings and dormitories on a hill near Seaquen’s north harbor. Most of the buildings are built of moss-coated gray stone, with wide covered walkways and broad fields filled with trees that droop with golden moss. The central tower – a five-story, ninty-foot diameter pillar of weathered stone and thick windows called the Aurad Tower – is used for major events, and contains the offices of the professors. However, all the professors have their own homes along the north shore.Sunken Ruins
An old city that predated Seaquen lies on the east coast, and its ruins stretch from the shore to a half mile off the coast. The place has long since been plundered, though a few people have set up bath houses amid the ruins that have not yet fallen into the sea. Numerous rocky crags steam with natural warm water, and at low tide the coastline is blanketed with steam from caves that are normally submerged.The Royale
The relatively wild areas on the eastern shore and just off the coast provide an easy place for wouldbe heroes to gather practice their skills against each other. While mages duel each other at Lyceum Academy, warriors or even entire parties looking to show off their talents meet here once a week, swapping stories and occasionally getting up the nerve to fight each other after having a lot of drinks. There is one tavern here, the notorious Royale, which offers to cater to “persons of uncanny prowess.” The proprieter of The Royale is the curmudeonly Valdr Galga. Three stories tall, The Royale is slowly establishing a pecking order, with only the more dangerous or esteemed warriors being allowed to the lavish upper floors. Across the street is an ancient colliseum where warriors and parties can spar and wage war upon one another. Meanwhile in the fields and forest surrounding the tavern, numerous obstacle courses are being developed, and dozens of rumors of drama and romance circulate through the clientele. The whole compound is scattered with walled and well guarded hot springs, some intended for prudish bathing, others for more salacious activities. The most famous aspect of The Royale's repution is The Pit, a dark shaft in the center of the tavern that is a direct link to the Tombs of the Gentle Warrior and rumored to be a link to the Endless Dark . Would be adventurers can be lowered down on a winch into the dungeons below for 1 gp each. Also, denizens of the Endless Dark have been known to emerge from The Pit, often adding to the entertainment for the evening as hapless patrons are eaten amidst the revelry. Sadly, though, most of the patrons of The Royale are inappropriately sure of their own superiority. None have seen as much danger as they claim, and many of them come across simply as poseurs enjoying that they can pretend to be accomplished warriors. Most importantly, none of them are motivated to actually do anything other than drink and live out their own little dramas here. Magistrate Votberd regularly sends observers here to make sure a bit of restless sparring doesn’t develop into bloodsports. If the heroes befriend either Xavious Foebane or Laurabec Adelsburg from the refugee camps, they may want to come here to recruit allies. During the course of this adventure it is unlikely that anything the heroes do can rouse the patrons of The Royale to action, but it could be a source of cohorts, new PCs, or magic items.Refugee Camps
Several thousand refugees live in three main clusters. The northern camp is home mostly to Dasseni and Sindairese refugees, while the other two consist primarily of Acherons, with some Ostaliners.- The Dasseni refugees – approximately 400 humans and dwarves, most of them hailing from the lands of a noblewoman named Lady Timor – recognize the authority of Xarvious Foebane, a veteran of Dassen's army who is looking to pick a fight with the Acherons. Conditions here are the best among all the refugee camps.
- The Sindairese refugees – 400 humans and Gnomes who have long opposed Acheron’s control over their nation – are splintered into numerous groups, divided by race and religion. Numerous clerics and druids are hostile to each other. Laurabec Adelsberg is trying to maintain harmony among the refugees, but is not interested in taking control herself. One group, the Monks of Echoed Souls, led by Dreams No Sorrows, are particularly persecuted, since their people were already refugees to Sindaire from distant Shahalesti.
- The Ostaliner population along the south shore – about 200 humans and half-elves – consists of few refugees. Most are sailors or merchants looking to profit during the war. Makung Shaftobem is the leader of 50 mercenaries who fled their country after the ruler, Khagan Onamdammin , grew displeased with the mercenaries’ former commander and had him executed, along with the company’s hippogriff steeds. They have three ships, and there are rumors they are pressuring other captains to ally with them.
- The majority of the refugees are Acheron – nearly 2,000 humans and half-orcs, with a few of other races. Most of them fled frantically with very few provisions, and so they live in terrible conditions. Most of the mages and their families lack skills that are needed or wanted in Seaquen, and the majority of them live in tents. Most townsfolk and other refugees avoid the Acheron sections of the camp, for fear that inquisitors may be hiding among the refugees. Only a handful of refugees managed to get out of Gate Pass. There are no clear leaders among these refugees.
South Harbor
Originally just a seldom-used secondary port home mostly to fishermen and a few farmers who took advantage of the strong winds to construct windmills for pumping water, today the South Harbor is overrun by ships, many of them simply sitting off shore with no place to dock. The wealthiest of the refugees usually move here, and there is a booming home-building industry. One prominent house is the mansion of the Halfling Cernaban Gremman, who arrived from Sindaire with three ships and forty loyal thugs and scoundrels who now serve as his bodyguards. There have been many reports of people – mostly young women – vanishing from the muddy, rat-infested streets near the south harbor, and with no formal law enforcement there seems little chance the mystery will be solved. Garnering more interest, however, is a spate of fires that have destroyed several recently-built homes. Alarmist Dasseni refugee Pickens Frankart has a base of followers who believe the students of Lyceum are trying to keep them homeless, so they can be more easily controlled.Majestic Creations
There is a shop on the South Harbor named Majestic Creations, owned by Paradim Dogwood, whom the heroes might run into if they visited Paradim's friend Lee Sidoneth. Paradim is something like a mad scientist, prone to rambling and exotic claims of brilliance, such as that his ancestors created the owlbear. He offers to create custom animals for those who can pay. He effectively can create any aberration, animal, or magical beast with a Challenge Rating of 5 or less, though his creations never have an Intelligence score above 2. A few mages visit him for unique pets, and he is busy working for Makung Shaftobem to create new hippogriffs for the captain’s soldiers. His base price is 2,000 gp for a creature of CR 2 or less. The cost increases to 3,000 for CR 3 creatures, 5000 gp for CR 4 creatures, and 9000 gp for CR 5 creatures. Designing and growing a creature takes him one day per 1,000 gp of the price. He does not guarantee the creature’s obedience, though he assures customers that all creatures he designs can be trained as easily as a dog or a horse. He also offers to perform permanent physical alterations on customers, altering flesh, appearance, and even race or sex for 2,000 gp and a painful two-day submersion in biomancy fluid. The two people who were brave enough to try the procedure report being thrilled with the results, one a half-orc man who became a Human, the other a Human woman who wanted to grow fur, a tail, and cat-ears. All these changes can be reversed if the creature willingly submits to a dispel magic or break enchantment. Otherwise they are as permanent as a magic item.Maps
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Seaquen
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