Lore of Ahneria: Faces Around the City of Garton

This is part of a series on the lore of my homebrew world, Ahneria. As I outlined here, much of this information will be pulled from existing D&D lore and tropes. At the end, I'll be including a section on how to use this sort of thing in your own games. 

Important NPCs

 

King Faustus

His Royal Highness is actually more of a figurehead within the government, but acts as a mediator and tiebreaker in rare cases. However, the lineage of the king is highly valued as an example to the people.

Few know that, for some time, he was replaced by a cunning Rakshasa named Sebastian. He was not responsible for the War of Fools, but is nonetheless taking steps to undo the damage caused by his doppelganger's decisions.

Like all Garlancian leaders, he does not use a last name, just his title.

Objectives: Help Garlancia heal from the War of Fools, gain the trust of the citizenry, stabilize the Garton government

Royal Advisor Archibald

Archibald arrived rather mysteriously after the War of Fools, and has been instructing King Faustus on the many ways of the Courts of Garton. He is incredibly knowledgeable, and sports some rather deep scars on his face and back. However, he refuses to speak about his past, and much speculation has been passed around the nobility about his true nature and origins.

Like all Garlancian leaders, he does not use a last name, just his title.

Objectives: Help Garlancia heal from the War of Fools, stabilize the Garton government, teach King Faustus to be a proper leader

Captain Floris

Captain Floris began his career after the former guard captain, Captain Barker, ended up dead in the Garton Sewers. Floris sees protecting the City of Garton as his duty, going so far as to treat his job like a paladin would treat their oath. He was considered an honorary member of the adventuring group C.H.A.O.S, and helped defeat the Cult of Kam during their ritual uprising.

His arms were turned ethereal by Mr. Lizard during an escape heist, but he got better.

Objectives: Keep his city safe, hire the best city watch gold can buy, root out evil before it rises again

Senator Sturly

Formerly Sturly Stempleburgess, she decided to become a member of the Garton Government after Parliament was massacred by the Cult of Kam. She is well-acquainted with C.H.A.O.S. and would never turn down a cup of tea with them.

Objectives: Help Garton how she can, assist those in need, enjoy a fine cup of tea

Oswald Lee Bailey

The portly and mustachio'd leader of the Garlancian Merchant's Guild. He has a fondness for rare artwork that often gets his guild in trouble, but inexplicably he finds ways to bounce back. His luck seems to kick in at just the right time.

Objectives: collect rare artwork, keep the economy stable, helps his friends get wealthy

Romero Calabra

Once a local tyrant in a nearby village, he was ousted and fled to Garton. He helped uncover the presence of the Black Hand in Garton, and assisted Voronion the Thief in the War of Fools. When it came time to select a new leader for the Thieves Guild of Garton, Romero was the natural choice. Especially because Voronion had been killed fighting demons a few days prior. Totally unrelated.

Objectives: provide shelter for the poor and downtrodden below the City of Garton, steal from the rich, sell "protection" to high-ranking individuals

Factions

C.H.A.O.S.

Though the famous adventuring group has disbanded and left the city, you can still join the C.H.A.O.S. division of the City Watch - in fact, that's where most adventurers get their start. King Faustus has a fondness for adventurers and has provided a large budget for mercenary work to Captain Floris. Those with skills in sword or spell can grab a piece of that very profitable pie.

The Guilds

There are three major guilds in Garton, and a few others worth mentioning. The Fighter's Guild, the Merchant's Guild, and the Mage's Guild have a strong presence in the city, and run training programs, commerce, and entertainment within their respective arenas. They each have a major guild house in the High District of Garton, as well as guild outposts and guild-approved shops spread throughout the city.

There are a few smaller guilds, such as the Theives' Guild, the Assassin's Guild, and various crafting guilds for particular professions. These guilds feature an out-of-the-way guild house in the Middle District (or the sewers), and generally don't have much influence in city affairs. They hold leverage as schools of their various crafts, and a highly recommended place to hire such a craftsman. A cobbler belonging to a guild would be quite skilled, and be able to use the Guild's connections and negotiators to obtain better prices on their goods.

The Cobblestones

Once the country's best-kept secret, they were exposed by the Rakshasa Sebastian during the days leading up to the War of Fools. In fact, he even implicated them in the Massacre of Parliament, though the truth has since come out (it was the Cult of Kam all along). The Cobblestones have a long and storied history, and their network runs deep. Even since their exposure, individual members are everywhere and choose to keep their role in the organization a secret.

The Cobblestones seek to keep Garlancia stable and in good hands. They are lead by the tiefling Orianna No One, a master assassin who went behind enemy lines to obtain intel that eventually ended the War. One of her first acts was to end the trade of Wyverns as pets and mounts among the rich in Garton, in memory of her own Wyvern Akumu.

The Black Hand

Not much is known of this shadow organization, except that they seek to disrupt certain parts of Garton commerce. Already, Black Hand shipments of drugs and illegal goods have begun to find their way onto the streets of Garton. Captain Floris is doing his best to root them out, but with little luck so far.

Other NPCs

Race: Roll 2d8
2. Tiefling
3. Half-Orc
4. Dragonborn
5. Human (Norstone native: blonde, muscled, barbaric ancestry)
6. Human (Native of the Forest: dirty strong, and skilled at survival)
7-10. Human (Garlancian: tan skin, dark hair, average build)
11. Human (Native of the Mountains: darker skin, agile and skilled at athletics)
12. Human (Distant traveler, from various lands on Eiselon)
13. Halfling
14. Dwarf
15. Half-Elf
16. Roll 1d10 below

1-3. Elf
4-6. Gnome
7. Genasi
8. Lizardfolk
9. Kenku
10. Other

Objective: Roll 1d20 unless the PCs seek out one in particular
1. Trinket Merchant looking to sell their wares
2. Beggar looking for food
3. Amateur Adventurer looking for a quest
4. Debtor looking for a scheme to pay what they owe
5. Lover seeking a gift for their partner
6. City Watch looking for troublemakers
7. Figher's Guild Member looking for someone to train with
8. Hunter/Trapper with furs to sell
9. Local Priest helping the needy
10. Established Craftsperson seeking new clients for their work
11. Merchant's Guild Member on the lookout for thieves
12. Artist looking for a good model or test subject
13. Local Banker looking for a new investment
14. Child who wants to play with you
15. Thieves' Guild member looking to make a quick getaway
16. Old person finishing their daily routines
17. Small-Time Mage who wants a quality tutor
18. Parliamentarian seeing how the common folk live
19. Mage's Guild Member trying to find someone to buy this cursed magic item
20. Cobblestone Agent wanting to strike up conversation without letting you know who they really are

Stats: Roll 2d8 unless a particular option makes more sense
2. Mage (MM pg. 347)
3. Knight  or Veteran (MM pg. 347, 350)
4. Priest (MM pg. 348)
5. Acolyte (MM pg. 342)
6. Guard (MM pg. 347)
7-11: Commoner or Noncombatant (MM pg. 345)
12. Bandit/Cultist (MM pg. 343)
13. Thug (MM pg. 350)
14. Scout (MM pg. 349)
15. Bandit Captain/Cult Fanatic (MM pg. 344-345)
16. Roll 1d10 below

1-5. Noble (MM pg. 348)
6. Archmage (MM pg. 342)
7. Assassin (MM pg. 343)
8. Gladiator (MM pg. 346)
9. Spy (MM pg. 349)
10. Druid (MM pg. 346)

Using This Material in Your Setting

• Who are the most powerful people in your world? What are their goals? How are they changing the world to reflect those goals?
• How do these people interact with each other?
• What factions exist in your world? What are their goals? How are they changing the world to reflect those goals?
• What are the demographics of your world? How common are various people/professions? If the players pick a random person off the street to talk to or fight, what are their stats?

Thanks for reading!