Campaign of the Month: March 2016
Ptolus, City by the Spire
Organizations
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Ptolus teems with various factions and groups with agendas and secret goals. In brief, these include (but are not limited to):
| Balacazar Crime Family |
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| Probably the most powerful crime family in the city, the Balacazars are certainly the oldest. Menon Balacazar is the aging head of the organization, with his son, Malkeen, serving as his second in command. Other siblings include at least two daughters. Arkhall Vaugn, an infamous wizard, works with the clan. The family funds a number of criminal endeavors, gaining profit from theft, extortion, smuggling, illegal gambling, assassination, and trade in slaves, drugs, and evil magic items. |
| Brotherhood of Redemption |
| An order of monks who believe that no evil is irredeemable, the Brotherhood of Redemption seeks to give any evil creature a chance to repent. Its members do not believe in “inherent evil.” Specializing in rehabilitation, they operate in the Dungeon out of the Fortress of the Redeemed but maintain a surface headquarters in the Guildsman District. They make it known that they willingly accept any prisoners who are not of the major races—in fact, they’ll pay a small bounty for evil creatures with a modicum of intelligence. |
| The Conciliators |
| The Church of Lothian runs an organization called the Conciliators, which consists of inquisitors dedicated to converting infidels, destroying Chaositech (which resembles both magic and technology), and stamping out evil. The group is headquartered in the Temple District. |
| Cults of Chaos |
| This catch-all term refers to a hundred or more tiny cults all worshiping chaos. It is technically incorrect to refer to the “Cult of Chaos,” for, in fact, there are many cults. While they are unified in overall belief, the groups are actually quite fractured. The different Cults of Chaos do not necessarily compete but often work together, trade members, and occasionally wholly subsume one another. |
| Delver’s Guild |
| For the last five years, the Delver’s Guild has grown in influence, becoming both popular to join and wealthy. The Delver’s Guild offers its adventurer members information about job opportunities and events pertaining to the exploration of regions below Ptolus. The guild also maintains the city’s most extensive collection of maps of the underground realm and an impressive library for research. The Guild Office is located in the Undercity Market. |
| The Dreaming Apothecary |
| The Dreaming Apothecary may be more legend than fact. Those in the know claim that a secretive group of spellcasters crafts magic items for people, making transactions with them magically in their dreams. Darker rumors accuse these powerful mages of keeping others in the city from making magic items for profit by coercion, backed up by their formidable magical might. Potential customers can reach the group at Danbury’s in Delver’s Square. |
| The Fallen |
| The Fallen are fiends also known as the “young demons,” though few people care to dwell long on the question of who the “old” demons might be. The Fallen live in the Dark Reliquary of the Necropolis with their allies, the Forsaken, and follow the leadership of two demons whose names are only whispered: Raguel and Lilith. Most people wish the Fallen were not in Ptolus but, for demons who dwell within the city’s walls, they actually cause surprisingly little trouble. Few speak of them, but when they do, they often claim these demons are either waiting for something or quietly looking for something. |
| Fate Weavers |
| The Fate Weavers are a small group of prophets and seers who claim the ability to tell people’s fortunes. Locals consider the group a front for prostitution. |
| Forsaken |
| Those who value death and undeath more than life are called the Forsaken. Necrophiles, necrophages, and necrophiliacs, these disgusting people worship dark gods and consort openly with undead and the Fallen. They base their activities in the Necropolis. The Forsaken are the sworn foes of the valiant Keepers of the Veil. A smaller subgroup within their ranks called the Licheloved carry out the will of dark death gods in ways that — it’s said — even the other Forsaken find difficult to stomach. Another subgroup, the Torrens, are specifically anti- Lothianite. Some of the Forsaken are living people who consort with the undead, while others are actually undead themselves. They particularly revere ancient undead called the Wintersouled, who reportedly built the Dark Reliquary. If any of the Wintersouled still exist, no one in the city knows about it. |
| Gutterkings |
| A small gang of young toughs, the Gutterkings lay claim to a few blocks in the middle of the Warrens. The Gutterkings are led by a youth named Scrud, who is all bravado and not much wisdom. |
| Healers of the Sacred Heat |
| Healers, physickers, and surgeons who use a magical process involving heat to heal wounds, the Healers of the Sacred Heat base themselves in the Temple District and offer inexpensive healing. It’s said to be painful, however. Theirs is not a place known to appeal to adventurers (who look for instantaneous and painless healing and have the gold to pay for it), but rather to locals for treating various chronic ailments. |
| Inverted Pyramid |
| The Inverted Pyramid is a mysterious and ancient guild of arcanists. Their membership roll remains shrouded in mystery, but it most likely includes the most powerful mages in Ptolus— and probably the world. For years they have wielded considerable influence in the city. Their headquarters is said to lie somewhere hidden from normal sight by powerful spells. In days past, the Inverted Pyramid was a great foe of the Church of Lothian. When the Edict of Deviltry was issued centuries ago proclaiming all arcane spellcasting to be an evil act, a number of mages gathered to form a secret society dedicated to preserving themselves and their lore. Within the Inverted Pyramid, the members of this guild meet, store their valuable books and supplies, and craft magic items and other creations. The Inverted Pyramid concerns itself with preserving magical lore and all things arcane from those it relieves would eradicate such knowledge. |
| Keepers of the Veil |
| The Keepers of the Veil is an order of holy knights dedicated to the destruction of undead, specifically free-willed spirits that should have remained on their own side of the great veil of death. Occasionally they ally with a smaller group called the Knights of the Pale. The Keepers of the Veil work from a fortress, the Siege Tower, on the edge of the Necropolis. They strive to eradicate the curse of the undead from the world forever. Their co-leaders are Sir Beck Von Tibbitz and a Lothianite priestess named Phadian Gess. |
| Killraven Crime League |
| Kevris Killraven arrived in the city only recently, but in that short time this mysterious woman has created the second most powerful criminal organization in Ptolus. The league deals in extortion, prostitution, and illegal drugs. A number of nonhumans work for Killraven— troglodytes, ogres, and many other creatures. Although early on Killraven was rumored to have ties with the Shuul technophiles and the Sorn mages, most now dismiss such tales as nonsense. |
| Knights of the Chord |
| The Knights of the Chord are a small knightly order dedicated to upholding freedom and protecting the innocent. The knights all have mastered, to some degree, the art of drawing power from music and song. While many may have at one time been bards, they are no longer minstrels. These knights are a martial order and focus heavily on combat skills. |
| Knights of the Golden Cross |
| An ancient order, the Knights of the Golden Cross has remained alive through the extreme devotion of its members and their descendants. They oppose evil in all its forms, although they have a particular hatred for the wicked House Vladaam. They also revere the mysterious Elder Gods pantheon and serve as a focal point in the re-introduction of those gods into society. The knights have a fortress in Oldtown. Their leader is an elf named Kaira Swanwing. |
| Knights of the Pale |
| The Knights of the Pale are a small order dedicated to combating supernatural threats, particularly demons and spellcasters. Although not an official organization of the Church of Lothian, they focus their whole organization on the veneration of Lothianite saints. Their leader, Dierna Hillerchaun, bases the order out of her home, a manor in Oldtown called the Bladechapel. The knights work with the Keepers of the Veil and the angelic Malkuth. |
| Longfingers Guild |
| This thieves’ guild has enjoyed a long tradition in the city, but many say its day has passed in light of the growing power of other, broader criminal organizations. Its headquarters is said to lie deep below the city. |
| The Malkuth |
| The Malkuth are a mysterious group of celestials and half-celestials who live in the Pale Tower in Oldtown. Little about them is known, as they keep to themselves and rarely come out of their impressive abode. |
| Order of the Fist |
| Calling themselves the Order of the Fist, a small band of monks and fighters believes in action: setting a goal and doing whatever it takes to achieve it. Although members may differ in their particular goals — even in their outlooks on the world — they all agree on the importance of going for what you want in life. Their leader is Wynn Rabinall, a male human. |
| Order of Iron Might |
| A guild of soldiers, mercenaries, gladiators, and anyone else who earns a living with sword or spear. This warriors’ guild is based in Oldtown. |
| Pale Dogs |
| A gang of young thieves based in the Warrens, the Pale Dogs paint their fingernails black and often wear double rings. They follow a mysterious figure named Jirraith and may have connections to the Balacazars or the Vai. |
| The Shuul |
| Once a simple organization created to uphold the concept of order, the Shuul has grown over the years into a powerful force attempting to restore the prominence of technological devices such as firearms, clockwork devices, and steam technology in the city. Despite a predilection for machines, the Shuul do not reject magic, as one might expect. Instead they embrace it and see the union of magic and machine as the ultimate accomplishment. Most members of the organization are humans and dwarves, particularly Grailwarden dwarves. The Shuul maintain close ties with the Temple of Teun (the Mother of All Machines), as well as with House Shever. |
| Sisterhood of Silence |
| Founded in Ptolus more than two hundred years ago, an all-female order calling itself the Sisterhood of Silence established itself as a major force for law and defense. While the order has since spread to other cities, the Priory of Introspection in Ptolus remains the central headquarters of the entire Sisterhood. As their name suggests, the Sisters of Silence do not speak. Instead, they employ a cadre of devout eunuchs to speak for them. Among themselves, they use a complex set of signs, postures, and expressions to convey vast amounts of information quickly. |
| The Sorn |
| Rumors say this quasi-legal spellcaster organization maintains a close association with the Shuul. Others say its real backing comes from Kevris Killraven. Its members favor the use of technology and mechanical devices to supplement their magic. |
| The Vai |
| The Vai is a wicked assassins’ guild in Ptolus. Each member takes an oath to kill an intelligent creature every day. They are tied to almost every evil organization in the city in some way. |
| Viridian Lords |
| The men and woman calling themselves Viridian Lords are powerful, twisted rangers who haunt the wilderness of Palastan. These rangers have learned a way to fuse themselves with plants to grant themselves greater power and a stronger affinity for nature and the land. |
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