Thursday, October 9, 2025

The Eveningstar Gazetteer

I have a bad tendency to tinker with systems and settings so long that I never end up actually running/playing the game. To combat this, I started my solo D&D game with a deliberately zero-prep approach, relying on a module and my own particular sense of vernacular fantasy to fill in the gaps on a strictly as-needed basis. Nevertheless, lore accumulates fast, and as the game has progressed I’ve steadily built up a picture of the world (or at least this part of it). It's all Vanilla Fantasy of course, but I happen to think vanilla is a fine flavor and everyone's fantasy vernacular is a little bit different. Hopefully mine is a nice vanilla bean (it makes better rootbeer floats than french vanilla, in my opinion).

Eveningstar

A small valley province on the border of the Realm, just south of the inhospitable Stonelands. In ages past Eveningstar was a petty kingdom ruled by a line of bandit kings who used the black star as their sigil.


Eveningstar’s current ruler, Lady Winter, is the king’s former lover and was installed here as a form of soft exile from court. Fortunately for the people of Eveningstar, she is also a powerful wizard and has transformed her domain into a garden on the edge of the wild waste. 


Aided by her spells, the valley is full of flowers, fruit trees, and magical animals. The most notable of these are Eveningstar’s famous winged cats, but most of Lady Winter’s designs are less ostentatious, such as helpful bees, livestock that rarely sickens, and cold-resistant fruit trees that graft easily.


Eveningstar Abbey

The monks of Lathander own a fair proportion of the land around Eveningstar. Relations between the abbey and the town are generally good, as Lady Winter is careful to honor the abbey’s rights and privileges. The abbey’s beer is famous.


The Two Rivers

A stream of clear water, the Starwater, flows through Eveningstar from its source in Lostar Lake in the Stonelands, forming a picturesque waterfall along the way. A second stream of foul, sulfurous water, known as the Goblinwater, runs out of Eveningstar Gorge and into the Briarwood. The two eventually meet by the town of Toadmarket, where they join the mighty Realmstream River.


Eveningstar Gorge

The old heathen kings of Eveningstar were laid to rest in tombs carved into the gorge walls. Monsters from the Stonelands have moved in or dug new caves in the years since then. Collectively this network of dungeons is known as the Caves of Chaos.

    The Haunted Halls

The last redoubt of the old kings of Eveningstar. The last king’s army fell to starvation and foul magic in a war with a witch-queen out of the stonelands. Old spells and cursed, immortal soldiers of that barbarous era still haunt the halls.


The Killing Keep

An old ruin that overlooks Eveningstar Gorge. A mad vampire and his small army of kobolds occupy it now, and have protected it with traps and the severed, animated hands of intruders. The keep is connected to the Haunted Halls in several places, most of which are guarded or trapped.



The Stonelands

Rocky highlands to the north of Eveningstar. A haunt of orcs, goblins, stone-trolls, mad wizards, and mud-brown dragons. Lady Winter and her knights often ride the borders, repelling goblin raiders or going dragon-hunting.


The Briarwood

A patch of old forest that has resisted all attempts to tame it, whether by axe or orchard-spell. It is home to colonies of giant spiders of both the hunting and web-spinning varieties, and great flocks of stirges nest by the banks of the Goblinwater where it runs beneath the Briarwood’s tangled boughs. Despite these dangers, Lady Winter often hunts here, as the pigs of the Briarwood are famous for their ferocity and excellent flavor.


It is rumored that the heart tree at the center of the wood was grown from an archmage’s magic wand.


Nearby


Molehill is basically a Scoured Shire...
Molehill

A halfling mining town that supplies iron ore and pipeweed to Eveningstar. The halflings of Molehill are unusually sober and unfriendly. They dress in dark colors, smoke heavily, and have a reputation for covetousness and industry.


...while Merry Meadow is like if the Shire were one little village
Merry Meadow

A halfling village noted for its rich fields of wildflowers. Dandelion wine and strawberry cordial from Merry Meadow are sought after throughout the Realm.


Greydelve

A “new” dwarfhold, only settled ~200 years ago. Greydelve’s mines produce mostly rock crystals, and the hold has been forced to become more self-sufficient than some older and richer settlements. Many Greydelve dwarves are forced to work in food production rather than in mining or crafts. 


The deeper tunnels, crystal caves, and mushroom groves are plagued by subterranean pests, such as slimes and fire beetles. 


Toadmarket is the sort of place you could get a quest from a hooded stranger at an inn

Toadmarket

A crossroads trading town on the border of the Great Swamp. There is a thriving community of Exile dwarves here, and Toadmarket is a popular location for dwarf-made goods. Lizardmen out of Great Swamp are a fairly common sight as well, trading monster hides and swamp plants for dwarf-made pots and halfling wines.


Further Afield


Great Swamp

A vast, miserable expanse of muck and mire. While the local lizardfolk are peaceable enough, the bog serpents, swamp harpies, fire-toads, basilisks, and flocks of stirges make the region all but impassable. If the monsters don’t eat you, then some sprite’s fairy lights are liable to lead you astray or a bog-wraith will panic your horses. The only semi-reliable passage is by riverboat, but even then you have to stay sharp to keep from running aground on a dragon-turtle’s shell. Best to avoid it if you can.


Bogrest

A small village on the outskirts of Great Swamp. Primarily a stopover point for riverboats and caravans, Bogrest is sometimes known as “the last dry house east of the river”.


Farbog

An even smaller village in the depths of Great Swamp. The inhabitants build their huts on stilts above the water, fish out of their windows, and paddle between them in little coracles. Nobody knows why they bother to live there.


The Listing Tower

A crooked stone tower rises out of the waters of the Great Swamp. Weirdly-colored lights are sometimes seen in its windows (or through gaps in the crumbling stone), and passing riverboats are sometimes struck by lightning bolts. Just one more reason for avoiding the place.


Deep Den

The largest lizardfolk burrow whose location is known to outsiders. Large parts of Deep Den run under the surface, and many sections are off-limits to foreigners, but when the lantern poles are lit and the log drums sound, travelers can be assured of a warm welcome and a feast of good (if strange) food.


Imagine this guy, but way more chilled out


Otterhall

The home of minor country nobles who control one of the crossings of the Realmstream River. The lord of Otterhall has seven daughters (three from his first wife, three from his second, and one bastard), and even with a wealth founded on timber, furs, and crossing-tolls he despairs of ever finding matches for all of them.


Misthollow

A hidden halfling village. Troubled by griffins, river merfolk, and rotten-hearted treants. Recently a sorcerer and his band of ruffians have been seeking for the hidden paths that lead to the village.


Ninemoons

A large port town on the far side of Great Swamp, where the marsh water turns to salt. Travelers’ tales report that Ninemoons is full of ghosts, green-cloaked moon-priests, and the scent of frying snails. 


Firedeep

An old dwarfhold, continually inhabited since before this age of the world. Its folk stick to the Old Ways, and many do not know the common tongue. Firedeep’s mines produce the rare firedim jewels, tame salamanders roar in its forges, and mischievous imps play ball games with flawed or discarded gemstones.


The North

Inhabited by grey-clad elves, talking owls, and ogres with long shaggy white hair. The ogres like to hide in deep snowdrifts until travelers pass by and can throw snowballs hard enough to knock a man off his horse. There are also fairy frosts — enchanted snowfields whose shimmering rainbow colors can lull the unwary to sleep — and sinuous crystal-scaled ice dragons whose songs fill the mountain passes when the moon is high.









Sunday, October 5, 2025

Delve 10 – Hobnobbing With Orcs

A reduced party sets out for the Haunted Halls: Gimwort, Tansybell, Eldred, and Old Dolf. Sassaran has left on her journey with Taravol, and Trigg is on his brief honeymoon with Emelda.

THE LOG


TURN 1 – A8: Welcoming Trap

The party heads to bronze doors that guard the inner halls and the now-routine dash past their blocked lightning trap.


TURN 2 – B31: The Room of Pools

The party turns south to explore some of the side passages of the mysterious Room of Pools.

TURN 3 – B23: Storage Chamber. “This room is used primarily for furniture storage, although it is mostly empty. There are three large oaken tables, a number of chairs, and fourteen wooden stools stacked against the walls.”


A search of the room fails to turn up anything interesting.


TURN 5 – SP31: Gaming Room. “This small, quaint little room has a game table in the center. A chess set, with a game apparently in progress (or never finished), sits upon it. A large map of a world unknown to the adventurers has been painted on the floor.”


Some of the orc survivors of Ivy’s party’s attack on the Caves of Chaos fled to the Haunted Halls. Three of them were holed up in here, gambling on chess matches and debating about what to do. They heard the PCs approaching and ambush them.


TURN 6 – Combat!

Gimwort takes a nasty sword wound in the initial ambush. On the following round Gimwort repays the wound with interest, and Tansy kills another orc. The third orc scurries behind the gaming table and begins speaking rapidly in harshly accented Common. He’ll fight for them if they don’t kill him! Or maybe they’ll just let him go? They can have all of the stuff, he just doesn’t want to end up like Lokug and Skraglurk.


While Dolf is mistrustful, the others agree to let the orc (Mothclaw) go. Gimwort tells him that the Halls are no place for orcs, and he should head for the Stonelands. Mothclaw lopes off down the tunnel. Will the party live to regret their mercy, or will they be rewarded for their good deed?


The PCs loot the room of the chess set, a bottle of fine brandy, a carved pipe, and 8 silver pennies.


TURN 7 – B31: The Room of Pools

With Gimwort wounded and enough loot to get Eldred to level 2, the party heads for the exits.


TURN 8-9: Escape!


THE TALLY

  • 2 orcs: 20xp

  • Gold chess set: 250 xp

  • Anterian Brandy: 200 xp

  • Carved pipe: 30 xp


The party receives 125 xp each.

Eldred achieves level 2! He rolls extremely well on his stat increases, earning +1 Constitution and +1 Strength, and now has 3 whole HP.

He also learns the spell Spook.


Downtime in Eveningstar – Mell Joins Up!

July 25–27


Gimwort sells the chess set, but keeps the carved pipe as a souvenir. They split the proceeds (43 gp and 77 sp each), then split the bottle of brandy at the Golden Unicorn. Over drinks they discuss their adventures to date and their plans for future delves. 


With Sassaran gone and Trigg a married man now, they need another fighter. They decide to recruit Mell of the Moonwood, a huntress and adventurer who has recently arrived in town.


Mell of the Moonwood

Fighter 1 HP: 7 AC: 15 XP: 200/2,000

Str 13, Dex 16, Con 6, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 8

Gear: crossbow, 20 bolts, shortsword, leather armor, coat of mail





Thursday, September 18, 2025

Downtime in Eveningstar 9C – The Wedding!

Hooray!

The big day finally arrives! Trigg and Emelda, wearing crowns of wildflowers, meet outside of the abbey. The Abbot comes out to greet them and asks them (before the crowd of assembled witnesses) if they freely consent to enter into marriage, then leads the two of them before the altar to exchange vows.

The ceremony is brief, but between the feasting, drinking, and dancing the affair still manages to last all day and most of the night. The Inlow’s feel that the yard of the Golden Unicorn is too small for their only daughter’s, so the wedding feast is held on the village green. There are long tables laden with food and barrels of abbey beer, all decorated with a profuse assortment of flowers (many of them magically conjured by Lady Winter for the occasion). After the main feast there is a considerable amount of less organized eating and drinking, along with a great deal of dancing lit by scented bonfires.


Emelda’s bridal chest contains her fabrics (which Emelda and her female relations have been assembling and embroidering since she was a girl), some cookware, a set of painted plates and cups, and her few small pieces of jewelry. Her father gives Trigg several sheep (nominally, anyway: they’re still pastured on Farmer Inlow’s land since Trigg lacks a sheep pen and any pasturage), along with a bottle of good wine and a bedframe. The bedframe is the most expensive item in the lot, and apart from a chest and a couple of stools is the couple’s only piece of furniture.



The Feast [Mechanics]

Trigg, Gimwort, Tansybell, Old Dolf, Sassaran, and Taravol each spend 500 gp on the feast and receive 500 xp. Eldred has a place of honor at the table but gains no XP, as he has no money to spend. 


Gimwort finally achieves level 3 and rolls well on his stat increases, netting +1 Dexterity and +1 Constitution!


Feast Events

As always I’m interpreting the results from HERE, using a softer tone for a bucolic village rather than a Viking mead-hall.

  • Trigg foolishly attempts a feat of strength and fails, not realizing that the beer barrel he was given to carry in the footrace was packed full of earth and stones (thanks to his new brothers-in-law).

  • Gimwort, having been given a real beer barrel to carry, easily wins the race.

  • Tansybell knocks Errol Inlow to the ground after he tousles her hair. To everyone’s surprise, Emelda’s hot-headed brother immediately takes to Tansy after this and the two become fast friends.

  • Old Dolf enraptures everyone with his tales of fighting the undead side-by-side with the brave Trigg Sunbold. To his friends’ slight surprise, Dolf makes Trigg out to be the hero of the story and downplays his own role to a sort of squire.

  • Garlan Inlow, Emelda’s poetical older brother, becomes infatuated with Sassaran. She does not reciprocate and it takes some time to actually explain the situation to her, by which point the young man is thoroughly embarrassed.

  • Taravol ends up drinking with the Abbot (as an educated man the Abbot speaks Elvish and has a taste for the stronger elf-wines) and for his role in the destruction of the evil relics he receives a Ring of Protection marked with the symbol of Lathander.


Lady Winter gives Emelda a winged kitten and formalizes the gift of Trigg’s strips in the fields. She also receives his oath at this time – he’ll owe his first month’s taxes next week!


To the party’s disappointment, Ivy Almyr does not attend the wedding.


The Old Thaddath Farm (now the Sunbold Farm) is still in bad shape despite all that Gimwort and Emelda’s brothers could do. Trigg will need to purchase tools, material for more extensive repairs, and other sundries before it can be a properly functioning farm. But for the night of the wedding it is clean, swept, and decorated with garlands of flowers.


NPCs About Town

The Ringlad Brothers’ party (consisting of the twin rangers, Pious Oddle the cleric, and the dwarf Flarkin of Toadmarket) returns from an expedition to the Haunted Halls. They recovered a silver mirror and a few gems. Flarkin is later overheard boasting about how he destroyed some living statues that nearly killed all of the others. Elm Ringlad, who previously lost an ear and a finger fighting skeletons in the temple of chaos, has had most of his hair burnt off and smells strongly of smoke.



ElfQuest

At the end of the week Sassaran and Taravol finish purchasing and packing their supplies, saddle their new horses, and say farewell to the party before setting out on their journey.


Readers may recall that after the first assault on the temple of chaos Taravol failed his morale check. Normally this would result in his refusing to adventure again, which would have been a disaster for the quest. Since other rolls from previous downtimes had indicated that he wanted Sassaran to join his party, I decided that she would convince him to see it through by promising to leave Eveningstar with him afterward. I thought more characters would die before the quest was achieved, but even in victory it feels appropriate that the solemn, silent Sassaran would prefer to stay with a friend that she can speak to. I may run the pair of them through some adventures if I get tired of Eveningstar before I run out of steam on this solo campaign – perhaps the elves will even pass this way again! But for now I think Sassaran is retiring on a happy note.


Behind the Curtain

So ends this extensive episode in post-adventure bookkeeping! The campaign has certainly grown in scope, as solo gaming allows me to indulge in NPC activities. I’m now tracking two NPC parties with three quests amongst them (Ivy’s campaign to rule Eveningstar, the Ringlads' somewhat cowardly attempt to earn fame and fortune, and Flarkin’s desire to earn enough to retire and go into business with his cousins back in Toadmarket), a magic shop, and a half-ruined farm. Plus there’s whatever’s going on with the elves, and Lady Winter, and the evil priest who escaped from the temple…


I played two more expeditions before work and life put the game on a long hiatus, so regular readers can look forward to a new PC joining the cast, Eldred the Enchanter finally reaching level 2, and an eventful encounter where the sword Scalebane earns its name!



Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Downtime in Eveningstar 9B – Tale of the Black Sword


Week 2: July 11–17

The Inlows need some time to arrange the upcoming wedding. Trigg, Gimwort, and Emelda’s brothers Errol and Garlan spend the week restoring the Old Thaddath Farm.


Dolf, Tansy, and the two elves mount another raid on the ogre cave. They find it eerily silent and empty, but discover the monster’s secret treasure:

  • 6 arrows +1

  • Potion of Invisibility

  • Scroll of Cure Light Wounds

  • Scroll of Hold Person


They divide the spoils, with the arrows going to Sassaran, the scrolls to Taravol, and the potion to Old Dolf. Declining to venture further into the cave, they return to town.


Ivy Almyr: Tale of the Black Sword 1

Ivy recruits Nogi of Firedeep. Under the influence of the Old King’s Helm, she is no longer concerned about the deaths of her followers, and Nogi sees a chance for a heroic death in service to the grim swordswoman.


On the evening of the 13th, Nogi tells the story of their first adventure to Gimwort and Flarkin over ales in the Golden Unicorn. He is covered in bandages and is missing an eye.


The two went to the Goblin Cave and came upon six guards. Nogi manages to wound one before going down with a crossbow bolt and three goblin spears in him. With his remaining eye Nogi watches as Ivy kills twelve goblins (six guards plus reinforcements) without taking a wound. She walks off into the darkness. Nogi hears sounds of battle in the distance, and some time later four goblins emerge shrieking out of the darkness, running pell-mell past him. A moment later a battered and bleeding Ivy returns, hauls him to his feet, and tells him to help her loot the cave. Nogi sees the headless corpse of the Great Goblin amongst the bodies of his guards and concludes that the fleeing goblins he saw must have broken after the death of their chief. They return to town with an ornamental tapestry and a small hoard of mixed coins.


NPCs About Town

The Ringlad brothers recruit Pious Oddle to their party. They hunt giant spiders in the Briarwood. They manage to kill four of the beasts but return without any treasure.


Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Downtime in Eveningstar 9A – The Return of Eldred the Enchanter

He's back! And he still only has 2 HP!

 Week 1: July 3–10

The victorious party returns to Eveningstar. Trigg brings the shattered fragments of the evil vessels to the Abbot and recounts the tale of their quest. The Abbot performs the magic to revive Eldred the Enchanter. Our heroes have a tearful reunion with Eldred. They explain to him (with some difficulty) the situation regarding his death, their quest, and his return to life.


Early the next day the party is summoned to Eveningstar Castle to make a report to Lady Winter. They stand in awkward silence in her solar while she works at her loom, ignoring them. The Lady’s winged cat familiar plays with the yarn at her feet while two scarred and grizzled purple dragon knights stand guard. When she deigns to notice the party, she informs them that she is displeased. She has received a letter from the Council of Molehill informing her that the son of their Thane, one Berrybert of Molehill, was murdered by adventurers. His faithful cousin Leegild escaped their cruel blades to bring the tale. 


As Molehill supplies Eveningstar with iron ore and pipeweed, diplomatic tensions could become a serious annoyance. While she has already spoken with the Abbot and believes their tale of a curse, the party’s failure to recover Berrybert’s body makes things more difficult for her. Lady Winter does however give Trigg her blessing to marry Emelda Inlow and take up residence in the Old Thaddath Farm, provided he pays his taxes and swears oath to serve in the muster at need.


Afterwards in the common room of the Golden Unicorn, the party talks to Trigg: they’re willing to help him pay for the farm and the wedding (even Sassaran, who still intends to leave Eveningstar with Taravol the NPC elf). They cough up 500 gp each, plus 500 gp from the party’s “common fund”, and the Inlows begin wedding planning.


Ivy Almyr

Ivy spends most of the week in a black mood, recovering from her wounds. Having lost two parties, she resolves not to burden anyone else with her oath: she will drive the monsters from the caves on her own.


On the morning of the 10th Ivy leaves town on her own and returns to the temple to explore the last few rooms. I ran this section turn-by-turn rather than using my NPC adventurer procedure because I wanted to count each energy-draining blow from the wight. As it turned out the wight never landed a hit, so I didn’t need to do any XP adjustment.


She dispatches the cult’s torturer in the torture chamber after taking a wound, claiming 135 gp and a gold bracelet worth 700 gp. In the crypt she is able to fend off the wight’s deadly blade with her enchanted shield, and her rune-scored axe crashes through withered flesh and brittle bone. She emerges with a sword +2, a scroll of protection from undead, a raven-winged Helm of Alignment Change, and a jewel-encrusted silver dagger worth 800 gp.


I haven’t really been using alignment in this game, so I decided that the wight was the body of the old king of Eveningstar, from the days before the land was absorbed into The Realm. The sword (Blackstar) and helm were his, and a remnant of his cruel spirit lingers in the helm. The old king’s personality merges uneasily with Ivy’s – she still intends to hold to her oath to drive the monsters out of Eveningstar Gorge, but now intends to set herself up as queen of the old king’s realm. She becomes harsh and cold, and will begin hoarding treasure.


NPCs About Town

Elfarran Half-Elf completes the Scroll of Light that she was working on as a thank-you present for Sassaran saving her life. Taravol commissions a Potion of Healing from her, and Elfarran officially opens her magic item shop:


Elfarran’s Shop

Weekly Business – 2d6

5- : loses 2d6 gp

6-8: break even

9+: gain 2d6 gp


Spells Known: Light, Read Magic

Stock: none

Commissions:

  • Scroll: 250 gp, 1/week

  • Potion of Healing: 250 gp, 1/week


Elfarran spends 100 gp to make the item, invests 100 gp into expanding her stock, and makes 50 gp in profit. When she has 1,000 gp banked she plans to research another 1st level Magic-User spell to improve her inventory.


The Ringlad brothers and Flarkin the dwarf go hunting in the Briarwood. They meet a strange hermit, who tries to murder them along with his giant cat. They return to town with a meager haul of coins and the hermit’s dagger +1.


The cleric Pious Oddle and the dwarf Nogi of Firedeep arrive in Eveningstar, looking for adventure.