Notes on my current D&D campaign
I've been talking with some folks while fleshing out the world of my current D&D campaign. I'm focusing a lot on race relations, since this is a "fantasy crime adventure." I haven't run all these by the players yet, but I will tonight.
* The city they're in is billed as "fantasy San Francisco" -- a large, cosmopolitan port city on the edge of a great nation. The city's name in Oceandawn -- because the sun rises from the West on this world, and it's the city on the ocean that first meets the sun.
* The PCs are detectives in Oceandawn's city watch. As detectives, they wear blue sashes, and for all intents and purposes are regarded as one might the FBI. (Though, they have to from time to time -- by mandate -- patrol a beat, allowing for random encounters.)
* The nation they're in is currently nameless to me, but it's old and it's vast. Humans make up 70% of the nation's population, though they aren't the ruling class. That distinction goes to Eladrin, who make up 3% of the population (at best). Why? Because until 150 years ago (recent memory to Eladrin, generations to Humans), Eladrin kept Humans as slaves in their vast empire. Yes, I'm going there.
* The language most people use is referred to colloquially as "common" -- a hybrid of Elvish and the old Human tongue that over centuries morphed into its own language.
* Other than Eladrin & Human, the other people not though of as "immigrants" are Elfs and Half-Elfs. All other races are from the other nations of this world, and mostly stick to cosmopolitan cities.
* Oceanside has two docks: a sea-dock and an air-dock. As it's the best large harbor on the West coast, the fact that it's surrounded by high mountains & crags is seen as only a slight inconvenience to a race that invented magical air ships. (Thanks to Mick Bradley & Judd Karlman for putting this idea in my head.)
* The Captain of the Guard, a Tiefling Warlord named "Commander Krull" (yes, I also went there), loves the PCs. According to the last time I played him to the players, he has a Half-Orc herald who announces his departure from a room with "Krull Out!" I was in a silly mood that day.
* The mayor of Oceanside is an Eladrin Wizard named Eladria (and yes, that's intentional, and not for cheese). She loathes the PCs, though they don't yet know why. Krull often runs interference, being a good handler and keeping the PCs out of the mix of politics (not that that's going to last).
* Point of note: the players made up who the Captain & Mayor are, which informed a lot about the game given the encounter I had planned: a Human gang & a Tiefling Heretic. That's where this race relation dynamic started from.
* Tieflings are patterned after Klingons. Many are chasing after honor, as a sense of redeeming their bloodline. Krull is one of these Tieflings.
* Halflings...well, you don't fuck with Halflings. Seriously. Do not fuck with a Halfling. They're one-part Israeli Commando, one-part Armenian Mob from The Shield. They're all ex-pats from their homeland, under siege & surrounded by nations that seek their holy destruction. (Thanks to Jared Sorensen for the idea of a Halfling Israel. That made me love Halflings in my games.) The Watch have an unwritten rule: don't go into a Halfling neighborhood.
* Human Gangs, in typical rejection of the established culture, are all patterned after the old gods, from before most Humans adopted the Elven Cosmology. The gang that runs the sea-docks is called the Kraks, patterened Mother Kraken, Reaper of Hubris. Very few actually believe in these gods, but it is a good tool of fear.
That's what I have right now. I may edit with more details as I recall or invent them.
* The city they're in is billed as "fantasy San Francisco" -- a large, cosmopolitan port city on the edge of a great nation. The city's name in Oceandawn -- because the sun rises from the West on this world, and it's the city on the ocean that first meets the sun.
* The PCs are detectives in Oceandawn's city watch. As detectives, they wear blue sashes, and for all intents and purposes are regarded as one might the FBI. (Though, they have to from time to time -- by mandate -- patrol a beat, allowing for random encounters.)
* The nation they're in is currently nameless to me, but it's old and it's vast. Humans make up 70% of the nation's population, though they aren't the ruling class. That distinction goes to Eladrin, who make up 3% of the population (at best). Why? Because until 150 years ago (recent memory to Eladrin, generations to Humans), Eladrin kept Humans as slaves in their vast empire. Yes, I'm going there.
* The language most people use is referred to colloquially as "common" -- a hybrid of Elvish and the old Human tongue that over centuries morphed into its own language.
* Other than Eladrin & Human, the other people not though of as "immigrants" are Elfs and Half-Elfs. All other races are from the other nations of this world, and mostly stick to cosmopolitan cities.
* Oceanside has two docks: a sea-dock and an air-dock. As it's the best large harbor on the West coast, the fact that it's surrounded by high mountains & crags is seen as only a slight inconvenience to a race that invented magical air ships. (Thanks to Mick Bradley & Judd Karlman for putting this idea in my head.)
* The Captain of the Guard, a Tiefling Warlord named "Commander Krull" (yes, I also went there), loves the PCs. According to the last time I played him to the players, he has a Half-Orc herald who announces his departure from a room with "Krull Out!" I was in a silly mood that day.
* The mayor of Oceanside is an Eladrin Wizard named Eladria (and yes, that's intentional, and not for cheese). She loathes the PCs, though they don't yet know why. Krull often runs interference, being a good handler and keeping the PCs out of the mix of politics (not that that's going to last).
* Point of note: the players made up who the Captain & Mayor are, which informed a lot about the game given the encounter I had planned: a Human gang & a Tiefling Heretic. That's where this race relation dynamic started from.
* Tieflings are patterned after Klingons. Many are chasing after honor, as a sense of redeeming their bloodline. Krull is one of these Tieflings.
* Halflings...well, you don't fuck with Halflings. Seriously. Do not fuck with a Halfling. They're one-part Israeli Commando, one-part Armenian Mob from The Shield. They're all ex-pats from their homeland, under siege & surrounded by nations that seek their holy destruction. (Thanks to Jared Sorensen for the idea of a Halfling Israel. That made me love Halflings in my games.) The Watch have an unwritten rule: don't go into a Halfling neighborhood.
* Human Gangs, in typical rejection of the established culture, are all patterned after the old gods, from before most Humans adopted the Elven Cosmology. The gang that runs the sea-docks is called the Kraks, patterened Mother Kraken, Reaper of Hubris. Very few actually believe in these gods, but it is a good tool of fear.
That's what I have right now. I may edit with more details as I recall or invent them.