How the War for Old Grekia ends is decided here, at this Baevonian War Camp poised to take control of K’Tarik Sanctuary and massacre the Chonians living there.
Baevonian War Camp
The path through the valley ahead is closed off by a hillfort large enough to be a village. Protected by pitfalls and pike clusters, the regiment stationed here can travel a day’s ride away and return here to safety before the Chonians can muster a force large enough to threaten the fort. The camp is the forward position in the ongoing war against Chonian aggression.
High Baron General Ignatius Glatmoor has called forth regiments from across the mountain range. The camp is alight with anticipation for the battle ahead, but his lieutenants and commanders do not know this battle began weeks ago. Their part is but the final sword stroke. They are strong willed and serve the Lord of War in all things, but he wonders if they can foresee the metropolis this tiny backwater village could become.
Lieutenant Baron Gaius Cadmoor, whose barony has recently expanded to include three new Wellsprings in sight of Ogre Canyon, brings with him a hill tribe of half-orcs known as the Horntusk, armored and mounted in the Baevonian way. Cadmoor will have a fourth new settlement from this alliance, whether the Horntusks adopt their ways or not.
His men guard the dam built to stifle the flow of water to K’Tarik. Left unattended, the dammed spring waters will lose itself beneath the mountain in a matter of years. In the meantime, K’Tarik will become arid. The lowland dowsers will be forced to abandon the ruins, where his army will find them.
High Lieutenant Baron Chryseis Daltmoor, whose barony has grown larger than that of Isav’s Gate, brings nearly one-hundred mounted knights and thrice as many footmen. The weight behind the final sword stroke will be mostly hers. Her scouts know this area well, from Wo’Mataja to the Lake of Ghosts. The dowsers will not escape.
The baron over Isav’s Gate, High Gatekeeper Baron Dorus Elmoor, refused the General’s call. He will not risk his men for territory that will not be his and glory that will fall to another. Nor will he open his walls to a competitor. He sends merely a retinue of knights and soldiers to serve in the vanguard; their presence is symbolic more than useful.
But it matters not. The General’s plan is well under way. The gathered army is but the final sword stroke.
Entering the Camp
Unless the party is somehow already allied with the High General or one of his lieutenants, before they can enter the camp itself they must first make it past mounted patrols, pike clusters that prevent Chonian archers strafing the palisade, and footmen on guard duty.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of tents and pavilions make up the war camp. Streets and alleys have been worn into the hardpacked earth between the temporary dwellings. Each tent and pavilion is marked with a sigil denoting its purpose. There are open-air workshops, quartermasters, training grounds, stables, no less than three command tents, and row upon row of two or four person barracks tents. The palisade hides all but the largest pavilions from view, but within the war camp one sees only canvas, sky, and ground.
Camp Adventure Seeds
Call for Heroes. Word has spread that the General calls for volunteers to prove their heroism. All know that missions such as these are often deadly, but those who return victorious earn status amongst their peers, and gain the notice of the General himself. Daltmoor’s scouts report seeing Chonians in the ruins of the Lake of Ghosts. The mission: discover what it is they’re doing there, recover any Grekian artifacts they may possess, and drive them out of the ruins.
Dowser Tricks. The war camp has an infestation of kobolds, numerous soldiers report. Quartermaster Kel Enyo has been tasked with defending against their midnight raids. The rodents construct traps of the very ropes and tents that make up the camp. Last week an entire regiment was ensnared in a cascading tent collapse. It took half the day to untangle, and the other half to rebuild. How are they entering the camp and moving about unseen?
Witch Palmistry. The infamous Klavek witch, Nadia Tolsuanarr, known consort to General Galtmoor, arrives in camp with her white-robed retinue of palmists. In the evenings her acolytes read the palms of commander and soldier alike. At midday she parades amongst the troops, her acolytes laying palm fronds to guard her feted steps. Anyone in camp who is not a true Baevonian is brought before her—at the General’s command—to have their fortunes divined. What quests are revealed in their heartlines that will allow them to prove themselves to the General?
Developer’s Note: The Final Battle
Let the players guide the story that unfolds after they’ve been introduced to the Baevonian War Camp. The General’s strategy may proceed as he has planned, or the political squabbles of the Baevonians might crumble under the weight of so many gathered in one place without a ready source of water. The players may seek a peaceful resolution: a difficult prospect, but not entirely impossible, especially if they are already familiar with K’Tarik Sanctuary. Any result is possible; the conflict that defines this region will subside for a time, regardless of the outcome, only to resurface in a generation or two.
Next week we continue setting support for Rultmoork with quick primer for the Chonian people, following by the same for Baevonia. If you haven’t read Jonathan’s original design notes for these clashing cultures, check that out here. As always, our Discord community is the go-to place for questions and feedback!