Eh, three's a good enough start I suppose
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The City
Farawlen, a sprawling harbour city on the edge of the Ankaran Sea that is well known for being a key trade hub. This also makes it an attractive home to a large number of wealthy noble families, enterprising merchants, and criminal gangs. It has a bureaucratic government, however rumours say that pretty much every major official is either a powerless figurehead, in the pocket of someone else, or both.
The Carmichael Family are the most powerful and successful nobles within it's walls, with a history in the city reaching back almost 300 years. They have a very close relationship with the Guardsmen who patrol the more prosperous parts of the city, particularly Chief Guard Roberts. The only real check to their power is the combined influence of various other families, and the Merchant's Guild, which controls the flow of goods and money through the city. An uneasy truce exists between all the groups, with none of them overtly extending outside of their area of influence. Most disagreements are solved either politically or in the shadows. Even the various criminal gangs in the Slums keep to themselves...for the most part.
The Map
The Harbour [Blue]
- Divided in half by the river, the northern side generally deals with trade, while the south handles construction (plus the occasional smuggler or two).
Market Quarter [Orange]
- The trade centre of Farawlen, location of a range of markets and specialist stores. Generally, the more expensive and premium goods can be found to the north of the Quarter, while the south end (over the river) handles cheap food and less "legitimate" goods.
Upper Quarter [Purple]
- Also known as the "Up Top". Home to the richer citizens of the city, along with various banks, courthouses, and city offices. Sits atop the hill that the rest of the city is built around the base of. Surrounded by 40ft tall stone walls, the only way in or out is via one of three gatehouses at the borders with the Harbour, Market, and Middle Quarters.
Middle Quarter [Red]
- Houses most of the city's middle-class, as well as various taverns and hostels for travellers to put their feet up. Also home to the main Guard Barracks.
Lower Quarter [Brown]
- Aka "Stinkstain Slums". Named as such due to the faint stench of decay that comes downstream from the marshes to the south. Most criminal gangs work out of these streets, as the Guardsmen rarely venture this far from the safety of the other Quarters. Separated from the Middle Quarter by a 25ft tall wall that stretches from the river around to the Upper Quarter.
The River Len
- Cuts through the Slums, Market Quarter, and Harbour. At the southern marsh it splits into two rivers for a mile or two before reconnecting. Colloquially, these smaller rivers are known as "Big Len" and "Little Len".
The Heist
You have been recruited by an intermediary of the Stable Boys, a minor merchant group. While mainly comprised of legitimate businessmen, they are known to act as middle men for fencing off stolen art and jewellery. However, they have recently become aware that Arandale Bank, located in the Upper Quarter, is holding a collection of highly valuable magical items, as well as a significant amount of gold coins and bars within one of their vaults.
The Carmichael Vault, to be exact.
Their sources say that the Carmichael's plan to sell the magical artifacts within the next few weeks, likely to some of their Elvish allies over the sea. The shadowy leader of the Stable Boys, "Davy", has decided that he would like a cut of those profits instead. As such, he's asked you and a handful of others to help him "procure" the loot, before it can leave the city limits and be lost forever.
The Contact
You've been told to convene at a small shoe shop in the Market Quarter, where you'll meet your Contact within the Stable Boys and the rest of your group.
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So, that's all the general background information. Pretty sure it covers everything you need to know for now. Anything else you can learn directly from the NPCs.
Character will start at Level 5, and with 300 gold to spend on starting equipment (plus whatever you get from background/class).
For backgrounds, you guys are free to choose pretty much whatever and tie it into the setting however you want. You could be a member of the Merchant's Guild, someone with a grudge against the Carmichael's, or just a freelancer looking to make a quick buck while passing through the city.
For Classes and Races, anything from the published books is automatically valid. Multiclassing and feats are also fine. UA stuff isn't
completely out of the question, but I'll need to consider it first. So let me know your ideas and I'll say whether it's fine or not.
(Also, keep in mind that while I'll allow pretty much anything, there's probably plenty of in-game reasons not to pick certain classes/races. A Bugbear Ranger, for example, might struggle to use their Favoured Enemy: Giants feat inside of a city, and will probably have a bad time if spotted by a Guard. Just something for you guys to keep in mind!
)
I've wanted to play a heist style game for a while, and a one-shot sounds ideal.
. No idea what class(es) I'll go for.
