We wear it whether we wish or we wish not. The cowl of sleep and dreams envelops us all time and time again. Those who ward against it, by blood or by spell, cannot know the dreams of our Middle-World. They cannot know why some stars shine and why some stars fall. Priests, witches, sages, and scholars have sought to know its threads, but even the slumber-given whimpers of simple farmers teach us.
In these days and nights, The Cowl is a sort of curse for many Zobeckers. It seems to favor neither the highborn nor the lowborn, and even bedevils sentient undead and constructs who have an active interest in the Clockwork City. A mighty law has been handed down since the affliction began and all of the city’s rulers, guilds, nobles, and most honored guests have vowed it will be upheld with severe prejudice.
Those enduring The Cowl shall be met with no ill treatment, no theft, no physical injury, and no shame. Any who know any secrets of the Unwanted Dreams are required to share that knowledge with the Lord Mayor and his counsel. Rava herself bears witness to these proclamations and any who act against them earn the ire of all lawful citizens of the Free City of Zobeck.
Note: This story is in a long-term preparation phase. It is intended to employ themes, concepts, and material from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Midgard Campaign Setting (published by Kobold Press).
The Free City of Zobeck
Ruler: Lord Mayor Karillian Gluck and the Free City Council
Population: 14,000 (11,000 humans, 400 dwarves, 2,200 kobolds, 200 gearforged)
Great Gods: Rava (patron), Lada, Ninkash, Perun, Porevit and Yarila, Svarog/Volund
Rava, the patron goddess of Zobeck, shines her blessings daily on the hard-working Zobeckers, giving them the gift of the clockwork knowledge fueling the Clockwork City’s ticking heart, and protecting them from a host of neighbors who seek to subjugate the city. Under Rava’s aegis, Zobeck’s population has burgeoned and the city has blossomed into a thriving trade hub, with land access along the Great Northern Road and the Great Southern Road and river traffic up the River Argent.
The Free City of Zobeck lies at the heart of the Crossroads region of Midgard, an area that includes the Margreve Forest, the Ironcrag Cantons, the Magdar Kingdom, the Duchy of Perun’s Daughter (Perunalia), Krakova, and the undead lands of Morgau and Doresh and the Ghoul Imperium. Zobeck’s citizens, with help from Rava’s gearforged and the city’s kobold miners, overthrew the despotic Stross family some 80 years ago, thereby gaining their freedom. The revolutionaries executed or exiled the Stross loyalists, most of whom were nobles, and established a Free City Council, with a sitting Lord Mayor, to govern them.
Disclaimer:
The narrator and all players signed on to this story stake no personal claim, for profit or any other reason, to any text or concepts borrowed from Paizo Publishing’s or Kobold Press’ works or the works of any of their freelancers. You can learn about Kobold Press’ wonderful products, and the Midgard Campaign setting in particular, at http://koboldpress.com/.
Hosted and narrated by:
Chris "Truman" Aitken (Truman)
Started 10/20/15.
Scenes played: 0
License: Community License
