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Frandalf’s Adventure Guide:
The Realms of Ex-Machina
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“History is rumors.”
-Genghis Flan, food-kin Warlord
Long ago, before the third Goblin Empire, there was a shining, glittering
land known as Magisterica. It was ruled over by a council of powerful WizardKings. It was a wonderful place. No one ever got old, and no one ever died,
until the world was broken. No one who was alive then remains to tell the tale,
but it is said the day the world was broken the skies grew dark, and the night
was lit by the glow of one thousand fires. Folk today call it the Great Sundering
and the Night of a Thousand Fires. Whatever the name, that day Magisterica
died and Ex-Machina was born. Rising out of the ashes of the old world came
a new one, where magic and super-science meet. It’s a land where mythological
monsters and mysterious mutations roam a post-apocalyptic landscape. Where
heroes are needed on a daily basis, enter if you dare.
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The Continent Of Ex-Machina
“I am a stranger in an even stranger land.”
–Bruin False Foot, Bard of the Boiling Bog
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The land mass of Ex-Machina is interlaced with many bodies of water,
and hosts a large underground sea that stretches from the Crystal Caves to
the Foot Hills of Fungus. The temperature of the continent ranges from bitter
cold regions in the north to oppressive heat in the south. Although the entire
continent is affected by seasonal changes, the climate of the extreme north and
extreme south of Ex-Machina rarely varies.
Most of Ex-Machina is green and fertile, having recovered long ago from
the Night of a Thousand Fires, but there are still certain areas that are barren,
and will never be fertile again. Embedded in the sedimentary rocks of the
continent are a network of ancient pneumatic tubes. The tubes are less than
two inches in diameter and show a great deal of wear, but are still in use by
those that seek the help of Adventure Companies.
The land of Ex-Machina is populated
by many races and breeds of
creatures. Humans, Elves,
Dwarves, Giant-kin, Dragon-kin,
Minotaurs, Food-kin and
Goblins are the major
races of Ex-Machina.
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Spires of the Verte City
“Every city is always changing, in its own direction.”
–Captain Cornelius Cookies of the Verte Tollhouse
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In the middle of rolling green hills
and fertile farms are the glittering majestic
The Spires
Spires of the Verte City. They rise nearly
of theVerte
3,000 feet above the broad River of
C ty
Tears, and on a clear day the spires can
be seen from as far away as Mount Emo.
Sprawling out on all sides of the crystal
towers is the Verte City. Populated by
every race of Ex-Machina, its streets
are constantly filled with the rush of 5
million creatures going about their dayto-day lives. When the sun sets, there is always a festival or fair
to be found going on in one of its dozen or so districts.
The city is ruled over by The Baron, a benevolent ruler who never made
time for a wife, but he does have a royal ward, the young Isabella Baroness.
The Baron is advised by a bickering council of district leaders. The Baron’s
laws are enforced by the twelve courts, one to oversee each of the districts: The
Court of Candles, The Court of Miracles, The Court of Crows, The Court of
Pennies, The Court of Barnacles, The Court of Vanities, The Court of Embers,
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Rumors of the Spires of the Verte City
There is an active Thieves’ Guild in the city that waits for the unwary
traveler to let his guard down, but they don’t always steal gold or items, they steal
youth. Once a year the city holds a month long festival building up to Gate’s Eve.
On The Day of Gates, the streets are cleared and doors and windows barred as a
parade of otherworldly Emissaries march to the Baron’s Spire. There they renew
a treaty, keeping peace between their world and Ex-Machina. What would
happen if one of the Emissaries was kidnapped?
There are those that say a Thirteenth Court holds sway, in the deepest
catacombs of the Verte City. The Daily Tattler is offering a reward to anyone who
can prove the existence of The Court of Bones.
The true height of The Spires of the Verte City can never be known. Once
a measurement is taken, the next measurement is always different. There is a
rumor that the Spires are growing, always growing. They say that just last year,
mystic runes were discovered at the base of the largest crystal tower. Amitus
Lickety, a goblin linguist, was called in by the Baron to translate the runes.
Shortly after beginning his research, Amitus went stark raving mad and fled
the city. The Baron has ordered the base of the largest spire to be sealed behind a
brick wall.
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The Court of Ash, The Court of Brooms, The Court of Fumes, The Court of
Swans and the Court of Masks.
The Verte City is a model of civilization in the brutal land of ExMachina. In the sewers and ancient catacombs of the city, there are many
places where dark deeds can hide from the light of the law. Only the bravest
Adventure companies choose to visit the under-city. The under-city isn’t the
only place where trouble comes to the Verte City. The spectacular Spires are
honeycombed with secret passageways and hidden rooms. Some of these secret
rooms hold wonders and others contain horrors.
The Valley of Fire
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“We’re adventurers; running into the fire is what we do.”
–Slylo Donk, Giant-kin Warrior, Leader of the Big Foot Adventure Company
Beyond the Dungeon of Dread, and south of The Foot Hills of Fungus,
is a blasted and desolate land, The Valley of Fire. Only the
heartiest dust-weed plants can grow in the sandy
ashen ground. No woodland animals reside here,
not even birds. The sky is broken constantly by
sputtering jets of flame that shoot high into the
air. These jets shower the soil with sooty clots of
ash and molten ingots of metal. There is a path
through the valley that can be safely navigated
but it’s filled with so many twists and turns that
only the most brave (or foolhardy) try.
The Valley of Fire was formed when the
dreadful dragon Smog plunged from the sky,
after being slain by The Most Righteous Roy.
Smog’s impact exposed a volcanic fissure, which
has burned ever since.
There is a small mining town called
Frying Panville on the western edge of the valley
rim. This town is the base of operations for
prospectors that brave the flames and
lava, searching for the
The Valley o
f Fire
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Rumors of the Valley of Fire
Deep in the Valley is a volcanic vent. Dragons use this vent as an incubator
for their eggs. Dragon eggs are very valuable!
There are guides that will pretend to take adventurers on a safe path through
the Valley of Fire. These guides are leading them into an ambush.
The volcanic vents in the Valley of Fire are going out. If a solution isn’t found
soon, the miners will all be out of work and their families will starve!
R k Candy Mountain
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valuable metals that are spewed out on a daily basis. Dragon-kin, Goblins,
Humans, Dwarves and Minotaurs come to Frying Panville to try their luck at
striking it rich. Many Minotaurs rent out their services as guides. They lead
newcomers through the maze-like paths in the Valley of Fire. Frying Panville’s
Mayor is a Giant-kin named Missy Quick, who runs the Flash in the Pan
Sarsaparilla Saloon.
There are few creatures that make their home in The Valley of Fire.
Salamanders, Elemental Emissaries of the Fire World and Fire Breathing
Dragons can all be found in the valley.
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“Learning is not compulsory,
neither is surviving.”
–Klivickka the Magnificent
At the Eastern edge of the ThreeWay Mountains, just south of the
source of the Snake Bite River, is a
faceted peak whose sweet aroma can be smelled from miles away. This is
the Rock Candy Mountain.
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Rumors of Rock Candy Mountain
The Dwarves and Goblins living in Chizzex City are really slaves of the
Queen, forced to work the mines when the weather gets too cold for the Hive-kin
to work.
There are secret caves that lead into Rock Candy Mountain, but these caves
are protected by an invisible guardian.
The Hive-kin Collective spends a great deal of effort shaping the crystallized
sugar of Rock Candy Mountain, not just for food but for other, more sinister
reasons.
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