The Daily Detail

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Daily Detail

A collection of descriptions... organized as best as I am able to.

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The City of Overlook

Location: The Western half of the Southern Continent, nestled in the Stonehome Mountains

The city of Overlook stands on the eastern slopes of the Stonehome Mountains, a hoary range of crumbling peaks as old as the world. The city's founding lies sometime far back in the mists of time, at a point after the Dwarves in this region threw off the shackles of slavery and chased the Giants and Orcs west across the mountains at the end of the Age of Chains.

Overlook, and the fastness of Bordrin’s Watch, were raised to safeguard the liberated Dwarf peoples and to be the first line of defense should their ancient enemies forget their defeat and seek to enslave them once more.

Since its founding, Overlook has never come under attack, though Bordrin’s Watch has time and again, at least once every century. Overlook supplies the mountain pass with soldiers, supplies, and needed resources, ensuring the Watch is never without the goods they need to live up to their ancient responsibility. While doughty Dwarf warriors hold the Watch, the city is far more cosmopolitan and includes people of nearly every race and culture known in this corner of the world. Dwarves are still the dominate group, but Humans and Halflings make up a close second... followed by a smattering of elves and an assortment of other, less familiar, races.

Overlook is largely a trading center, and people on both sides of the mountain come to the city to exchange goods, rumors, and information. The city’s numerous markets and bustling streets makes it the ideal place to do business, thus someone in search of a particular tool or device is more likely to find it here than anywhere for miles around.

Supplementing the city's trade is a robust mining industry. The mountains are rich in iron, silver, tin, and no fewer than a dozen varieties of gemstone. Dwarf and Human miners and prospectors set out from Overlook each day, some working in the blackness of the deep mines, while others scour the heights in search of treasures—some succeeding, others failing, and others still vanishing in the misty peaks never to be seen again.

Although the city depends on Bordrin’s Watch to endure most of the attacks from the west, the city is not without its own defenses. The Dwarves erected steep walls to protect themselves, but as the city outgrew its original protections, the inhabitants raised more walls to encircle the growing population. So far, this has happened four times, giving the city four sets of walls, one inside of the other. The unofficial ninth district of the city, grows beyond the eastern walls. It's only a matter of time before the Council decides to raise another wall and add those squatters to the rest of the city. Piercing each wall, on both the western side and the eastern side, is a large gate flanked by two square stone towers. Most times the gates stand open, even in the dead of night. However, when trouble looms, such as now, the gates are closed at dusk. Additionally, the inner gates—the ones leading into High Hall—might close even earlier.

The outer walls are 100 feet tall and even taller where they travel over higher elevation. Each inner wall stands an additional 20 feet taller than the last. Guards patrol the walls rather infrequently, though the gatehouses themselves are each held by a half-dozen Dwarven warriors at all times.

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The Monastery of the Broken Chain

Location: High above the City of Overlook, at the peak of the Fastness of Bordin's Watch.

Constructed centuries ago to house an elite fighting force of Moradin dedicates, the Monastery of the Broken Chain preserves the memories of the hardships endured at the hands of the giants, and it trains initiates in fighting arts useful for battling these foes. For generations, the monastery has stood as a symbol of Dwarven perseverance and expertise in the fighting arts and one who trains there not only receives an excellent education in religion and combat, but also gains a mark of pride and honor. The monastery is about 10 miles from Overlook, much higher up in the mountains, and just beneath "The Hammer", a great peak that loosely resembles a down-turned hammer.

Inside the Walls

This area includes the monastery, the courtyard, and the outer walls. The entire site butts up against the mountains, which serve as the fourth wall. The outer walls stand 50 feet tall and pylons spaced at regular intervals reinforce it. Access to the courtyard comes by way of a pair of 30-foot tall double doors, which are never locked and as is the case today, wide open. Inside the walls is the Hall of Moradin and the surrounding courtyard. Fine sand covers the courtyard and the spaces between endless rows of statues, each carved to commemorate the deeds of an ancient Dwarf hero.

The monastery is a looming structure capped with a red-tiled roof. Reliefs adorn its exterior, capturing religious events and heroes in perfect stone carvings. Feral Goblins have overrun the place, with a band outside in the courtyard and a second group holding up in the Hall. The former appear to have slain numerous members of the monastery and lain waste to the normally peaceful setting. Billows of thick black smoke ascend from several large bonfires and the smell of burning flesh permeates the air.

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The Dwarfroad

Location: Running From East to West through the Southern Continent. It serves as one of the main roads through the vast countryside.

The old Dwarfroad emerges from the mainland and climbs the slopes of the Stonehome Mountains, moving through Overlook and ascending up to Bordrin’s Watch and down the other side into the lands beyond. The old road is far older than Overlook, having been paved during the Age of Chains by Dwarf slaves for their Giant masters. After the Dwarves successfully rebelled, the Dwarfroad served as a primary trade route for the old Dwarven kingdom that followed, but over the last century or so, Goblins, Bandits, and worse, have made travel along it increasingly dangerous. Still, closer to Overlook, the road is somewhat safe and folk near the city still make use of it.

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Points of Interest

Overlook: Overlook is one of the most interesting features of the Stonehome Mountains, but it isn’t the only one. Ruins of the old Dwarven kingdom dot the peaks for hundreds of miles to the north and south, while old caves lead to tunnels worming through the rock. Closest to the Overlook, though, the land is safer and is home to numerous villages and other places of interest.

Armistice: Purported to be the site of victory of the Giants and Orcs, here the freed Dwarves signed a compact of peace that would bind them into one nation. Now the kingdom is no more, so Armistice is just a relic of the past filled with old codgers who think back on better days.

Bordrin’s Watch: Straddling the old Dwarfroad is a mighty fortress that was raised to control traffic across the mountains and protect the Elsir Vale from attack. Bordrin’s Watch contains one of the three access points to the tunnels beneath the mountains. The stronghold consists of a long wall, which is 150-feet tall and over 80 feet thick at the base, and it is punctuated with steep towers fitted with arrowslits. Battlements cap the wall, allowing sentries to watch the pass and defend the fortress from attack. Atop each tower is a pair of catapults. Ballistae and scorpions are positioned every 40 feet along the wall’s length. In the center of the pass is a massive gate. Its doors stand 100-feet tall, and it takes 40 men to pull them open. The gatehouse surrounding the doors consists of two towers, each as tall as the wall and wider than three standing towers together. Bordrin’s Watch can accommodate 3,000 soldiers on the walls and in the towers, but the grounds on the eastern side of the pass can hold up to 100 times this number if need be. Granaries are replenished each season, fed by towns, hamlets, and communities all under Overlook’s protection. The stores can keep a modest-sized force fed and watered for up to six months without needing to resupply.

Elsire River: The headwaters of the Elsire River flow in a series of waterfalls that drain the mountains back into the valley to the east. West of Sodden, the river is too rough and hides too many rocks for boats to navigate, though from Sodden, one can travel across the valley, going as far East as Brindol.

Feud: Two Dwarf families dominate this tiny hamlet and, as their name indicated, they are prone to violence. The only thing they can’t stand more than one another is outsiders.

Hope: Another speck of a town, Hope appeared after prospectors found a vein of silver nearby. Once the vein played out, most of the miners moved north to Armistice, but a few stubborn folk live here still, working the mines in search of precious metals.

Lantern: A minuscule settlement of just fifty souls, Lantern is little more than a logging camp.

Monastery of the Sundered Chain: About eighteen miles southwest of Overlook stands the old Monastery of the Sundered Chain. Raised to house an order of holy warriors in service to Moradin, the templars have largely withdrawn from Overlook, seeing the city as having lost its identity. Even though the relationship is strained, the monastery and the city remain allies.

Myler’s Stone: This town was once a large city, but years of decay, disease, and tragedy reduced the place to a handful of desperate people eking out an existence in the ruins of the past.

Old Den: A trade depot used by rangers and elves alike, this site is not much more than a cluster of wooden buildings surrounded by a palisade.

Shackles: Overlook’s sister city, Shackles was a powerful city and was the former capital of the fallen Dwarven kingdom. It fell nearly two centuries ago when the Orcish hordes sacked it before the kingdom could respond.

Sodden: A small town at the headwaters of the Elsir River, this is a quaint community of farmers and fishermen. They work well with the elves, which is perhaps the only thing that stops the Elves from erasing Lantern from the threshold of the forest altogether.

The Vents: Natural fissures vent steam from a super-heated underground lake. The tunnels themselves are said to be dangerous since they are allegedly riddled with foul monsters, dangerous flora, and vicious fauna.

The Westdeep: This dense forest grows in the narrow depression between the Stonehome Mountains and the lands to the East. A dangerous place where several tribes of xenophobic elves live, and they do not take kindly to trespassers. Conflict between the loggers at Lantern and the elves has come close to open war. The only thing keeping such a war in check is the Elves knowledge that should they attack, the Dwarves will be left with no choice but to respond with force.

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The Sharp End of the Tusk

In their efforts to seal off the Nexus chamber from enemy forces, the party confronted Tusk, the the commanding general of the Goblin army laying siege to Bordin's Watch and the City of Overlook. While calm and composed throughout the majority of the confrontation, his passion for battle showed near the end as he leaped from the balcony and engaged the party in a whirlwind of goblin rage. In time, the party sent him packing from the material realm to join his other fallen brethren in whatever afterlife the wretched creatures believe in.

With their General slain and their primary access points to the underbelly of the city cut off, the Goblin forces were left with no choice but to attack the fortress head on from the main gates. The fight itself lasted 5 days and saw many casualties on both sides, but in the end the fortifications lived up to their reputation and prevented yet another attack.

At the battle's conclusion, the residents of the city rejoiced and the elder council held a ceremony to commemorate the victory and those individuals who proved key to it's success . Among those present, the PCs and the Far-Striders received special recognition for their spectacular mercenary service in this time of need. Each member of both parties was gifted a Medallion of service to the city to be worn as a badge of distinction. In addition, a purse of 10,000gp was given to each party for their efforts along with a heartfelt thanks from the Elder Council themselves.

"May the gates of our city be ever open to you! For this day you have served us beyond that which we could ever have expected! These Medallions, should you choose to accept them, shall serve as recognition of your deeds! Hail to to the Dragon Riders!!! Hail to the Far Striders!!! HAIL TO THE KEEP!!!" - Elder Cadrick

Amidst the celebrations that followed the ceremony, Edgar Sommerfield, the Rough-cut Leader of the Far Striders approaches Cid and in a Gruff voice that drips of arrogance and self-confidence says "You and me gotta talk" after which he marches out of the hall and through the gates leading into the city.

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As dusk falls on the mercenary camp, the party is awakened by a claxon call of horns sounding out from the west. A haze of red light glimmers against the clouds as the cascade of the magma shadow rift flares. Just as Leena predicted, a huge force of mercenaries is on the move, heading out along the eastern road. The area around the foundry is deserted; the guards at the tower and the bridge above have turned eastward to watch as Sarshan’s forces move out. You can't help but feel a sense of pity for the people who have to face such a monstrous army.