Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Jade Regent, What Came Before


Rillka Troutwood
Original image Neverwinter Nights
It's rare for a halfling family to settle in one place for long, much less be accepted in the role of noble. Twenty five years ago: The human nobelman Lonjiku Kaijitsu, thought lost at sea during the most violent hurricane in decades, was found adrift in the Varisian Gulf by the eldest sons of the Troutwood clan. The Troutwoods were a small family, eking out a living fishing the deep and dangerous waters of the gulf. Weeks of dehydration and starvation had taken its toll on Lonjiku, but the gentle healing skills of the matriarch, Lily Troutwood, nursed the nobel back to health. Lonjiku returned to Sandpoint several months later to rebuild his shattered family. As thanks for saving his life, Lonjiku gave the Troutwoods a home to live in and two fully stocked ships. The Troutwoods have since grown into one of the most respected traders and fisherlings in Sandpoint. Though not every member of the family is happy about it.

Two years agoRillka Troutwood inexplicably left her family's fortune behind to live and train with her childhood hero, the elven ranger, Shelalu Andosana. 

Antax
Click for original image
Three months ago: Antax, a deformed ophidian, was brutally beaten and left for dead in the swamps near Sandpoint. He would have died if he hadn't been found by Ameiko Kaijitsu, daughter of Lonjiku and owner/proprietor of Sandpoint's Rusty Dragon Inn (as well as the town's renowned Sandpoint Glassworks). For reasons yet to be uncovered, Ameiko took in the wounded ophidian and nursed him back to health. Antax recovered, at least physically, and has repaid Ameiko's unexpected kindness with odd-jobs around the Dragon. At first reluctant for the help, Ameiko quickly discovered Antax to be invaluable. His lithe body has allowed him access to areas desperate for repair, and his delicate sense of smell gives him a mastery of flavors that the Dragon's kitchen has never seen. Unfortunately, the ophidian's innate psionic abilities, fed by a life of fear and abuse, manifest themselves as a palpable unease in those around him.

Pasara "Paz" Elezandru
Original image Wizards of the Coast
Meanwhile: The charismatic Pasara "Paz" Elezandru signed on for a three-month trade caravan with his dear friend Sandru Vhiski. Paz was born with an unquenchable curiosity and a deep connection to the otherworldly. Raised in Sandpoint and guided by the teachings of Koya Mvashti, Paz has cultivated a bond with families of celestial wolves and eagles from the wilderness plane of Nirvana. Paz's near-constant companion, though, is the curious and insightful serpentine spirit known as Adrezi. Paz and Adrezi fight like an old married couple, but it's unusual to see them apart for long. Sandru took Paz under his wing not long after his brother Alder died, and though uncomfortable around Adrezi, Sandru reluctantly accepts the giant snake's insight and welcomes Paz's planar allies on his longer trade missions.

Two months ago: Ameiko's father suffered a debilitating stroke after hearing of the death of his only living son, Ameiko's half-brother, Tsuto. Now the eldest of her line, Ameiko sent word to her younger sister in Magnimar, hoping she would return home and help rebuild their shattered family.

Keiko "Locke" Kaijitsu
Yesterday: Keiko Kaijitsu returns to Sandpoint a changed woman. Keiko, now going by the Varisian name Locke, spent years studying the sciences in and around Magnimar. Locke is not the smiling, introspective, bookish little girl Ameiko chose to remember. Living in a cosmopolitan and often violent city, along with years of medical and biological experimentation, has left Locke changed, physically and mentally. Needless to say, the joyful reunion Ameiko dreamed of faded after the first awkward hug.







Today: The Jade Regent begins.








Images in this blog have been collected from a variety of sources over decades, including screen-captures from video games such as Neverwinter Nights, support products for 3rd and 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons, open-source sites, artistic friends, and who knows where else. Some have been modified by players using Photoshop and other programs. No copyright challenge is meant by the posting of any images in this blog and links to original source material will be provided whenever possible.

2 comments:

  1. Interesting, do events in Jade Regent take place after Rise of the Runelords? If so, wouldn't Lonjiku be dead, since Tsuto killed him in the Glassworks? Funny, in the RotRL AP, they never mention Ameiko having a younger sister. This looks to diverge from events greatly. What are the circumstances of Tsuto's death in Jade Regent?

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    1. Technically, Jade Regent takes place after RotRL. They spend quite a bit of time discussing how to adapt Jade Regent to your world whether or not you ran RotRL. No game will turn out the same, so Tsuto and Lonjiko may or may not have died in your groups original story. In short, since my players have never played RotRL, it's storyline can easily be ignored. For the purposes of my campaign, RotRL never happened.

      For my game, I've had Lonjiku suffer from a massive stroke at the news of Tsuto's mysterious death. At this point, Ameiko, and therefor Keiko, don't know anything else. The circumstances may get folded into my version of the storyline if able, but the focus of Jade Regent isn't on either Tsuto or Lonjiku directly.

      In Jade Regent, the players start with one or more Campaign Traits that tie them to the four main NPCs in the campaign: Ameiko Kaijitsu, Shelalu Andosana, Sandru Vhiski and Koya Mvashti. I link to my PCs' specific traits on the "Welcome to Pathfinder" page above. One of the traits is Younger Sibling, allowing the PC to be related to Sandru, Shelalu, or Ameiko. One of my players chose to be Ameiko's younger sister.

      You can find new traits I created for the campaign under the blog "New & Updated Campaign Traits" below.

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