d20 Dark Portal Games Gateway The City of Living Waters.pdf

FS1

ateway

T H E C I T Y O F L I V I N G W A T E R S

An RPG city suitable for use with T HE L ANDS OF A REKOZ™ or any other d20 setting.

by Darrin Drader and Tony Bounds

Dark Portal Games

You Provide the Paper, We Provide the Adventure

™

Dark Portal Games, LLC 205 E. Dimond Blvd., Suite 459 Anchorage, AK 99515

The Lands of Arekoz, Gateway: The City of Living Waters, and the Dark Portal logo are trademarks owned by Dark Portal Games, LLC.

All Dark Portal characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by Dark Portal Games, LLC.

This Product Requires the use of the Dungeons and Dragons® Player's Handbook, Core Rulebook II, and Core Rulebook III, published by Wizards of the Coast®

The d20 system logo is a trademark owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America.

Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Dark Portal Games, LLC.

This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental.

Visit our web site at www.darkportalgames.com

Version 1.0

08/07/01

Credits

Editors: Tony Bounds, Darrin Drader

Creative Directors: Tony Bounds, Darrin Drader

Art Director: Michael Picagli

Cover Illustration: Juli Halbur-Herrera

Interior Illustrations: Juli Halbur-Herrera

Cartography: Darrin Drader

Typography: Tony Bounds

Production Manager: Tony Bounds

Project Manager: Darrin Drader

Graphic Design: Michael Picagli

Table of Contents

The History of Gateway...................... 3

Present Day Gateway.........................4

The Economy................................ 4

The Military....................................4

Places of Interest.......................... 5

The Underworld.............................6

Plots and Alliances........................6

Rumors, Legends, and Lore..........7

City Districts........................................8

Lairdtown.......................................8

Crafters Hold................................. 8

The Commons...............................8

Scrapper’s Row.............................8

First City........................................ 9

The City of Bones..........................9

Riverside....................................... 9

Gateway Protectorates..................... 16

Other Protected Territories............... 17

Map Key........................................... 18

Appendix...........................................19

Open Game License................... 19

Designation of Product Identity: The following items are hereby designated as Product Identity in accordance with Section

1(e) of the Open Game License, version 1.0: Any and all Dark Portal Games logos and identifying remarks and trade dress,

including all Dark Portal Games Product and Product Line names including but not limited to Arekoz, The Lands of Arekoz

and The Lands of Arekoz logo; any elements of The Lands of Arekoz setting , Gateway, or Gateway: The City of Living

Waters, including but not limited to capitalized names, names of artifacts, names of magic-items, spell names, characters,

countries, creatures, geographic elements, gods, historic events, magic-items, organizations, prestige classes; and any and all

stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, and dialogue; and all artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, illustrations, maps

and cartography, likenesses, poses, logos, symbols, or graphic designs, except such elements that already appear in the d20

System Reference Document (e.g. Nystul or Bigby) and are already OGC by virtue of appearing there. The above product

identity is not Open Game Content.

Designation of Open Content: Subject to the Product Identity designation above, all other portions of Gateway: The City

of Living Waters are designated as Open Game Content.

The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright

concerned.

“Dungeons & Dragons®” and “Wizards of the Coast®” are Registered Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, and are used

with permission.”

GATEWAY: THE CITY OF LIVING WATERS

The City of Gateway

Gateway: The City of Living Waters is primarily designed

as a relatively safe-area for characters to hole up, recover

from previous adventures, and resupply themselves; at

least as long as they keep their nose clean. Make no

mistake, under its pleasant benign facade there is plenty of

opportunity for adventure, danger, and intrigue. Game

masters are invited to use the adventure hooks alluded to

within this document as background and starting points for

their own city adventures. Consider The City of Gateway a

work in progress with much to be fleshed-out and added to

as time goes by.

Gateway (Metropolis): Conventional; AL NG; GP

Limit 100,000 gp; Ready Cash 525,000,000 gp;

Population 105,000 (This number swells to 3 times that

number in the early fall during heavy trading); Mixed

(Human 85%, elf 4%, half elf 2%, halfling 6%, and dwarf

3%); Highest Level NPCs: Barbarian 12, Bard 13, Cleric

13, Druid 11, Fighter 16, Monk 13, Paladin 12, Ranger 12,

Rogue 16, Sorcerer 12, Wizard 13, Adept 14, Aristocrat

12, Commoner 20, Expert 18, Warrior 17.

Authority Figures: Sovereign Selroth Bucada, male

Human Ftr4/Ari9, LN.

The Sovereign of Gateway is chosen by the guild

leaders from the noble houses, the guild leaders

themselves, or the population at large. The criteria for

being selected as the Sovereign are simply that he or she

must take an interest in the people, must be fiscally

responsible, and must have served in the militia or city

guard. The Sovereign can be unseated by a popular vote

from the people, or removed by the very guild leaders who

elected them. This system creates a balance of power

where sovereigns must not only look out for the well being

of the people, but must also avoid putting unfair taxes or

duties in place that would weaken the guilds that place

them on the throne. The Sovereign is then free to appoint

advisors to help him make sound decisions. The current

Sovereign is Selroth Bucada.

The second tier of rule in the city is given to the

nobles, who make up the ruling council beneath the

Sovereign. Nobility is determined by the overall amount of

wealth a family possesses and the number of generations

that family has had that wealth in Gateway. They are often

guild leaders, wealthy merchants, or people who have

attained affluence through various other methods. Their

function in government is to pass civil laws and convey

their needs to the Sovereign, who in-turn must keep them

happy to maintain their power base. If the nobles become

too selfish and the Sovereign begins siding with the upper

crust instead of the majority of the population, the people

of the city can call for a vote of “no confidence” in the

Sovereign. This vote is policed by the militia, and voter

turnout is expected from the population. If a Sovereign is

overthrown, a new candidate is selected from the usual

areas.

The third tier of rule is in the surrounding lands

where landed knights have under their purvey towns,

smaller villages, and populated sections of land. Landed

knights are generally selected from retired knights and

soldiers who have distinguished themselves over years of

service. Four times per year these knights are called into

the city where they discuss the needs and wants of the

outlying areas. The people who live in those regions

generally see the presence of the knights in a positive light

since it gives them representation, and strong protectors

who have experience commanding men in battle.

Important Characters: Deneira Borna female Human

Ftr11/Brd4; Egalmond the sage male Human Wiz11;

Hiergal Graymoore male Human Wiz11; Faefor Branos

Human Wiz9; Soros Gristwilven male Silver Elf Rog16

Deneira Borna (Ftr11/Brd4): One of the most

noteworthy adventurers currently residing in Gateway is

Deneira Borna (Ftr11, Brd4). Deneira began her career as

the captain of the 3rd militia. She came to the public’s eye

five years ago when her quick thinking kept the city from

being taken by a surprise invasion from an army of orcs.

Since then she married Duke Borna, who was slain by

poison four months later. For two years she tried to track

down her husband’s killers, but quit after unearthing no

leads. Today she keeps her ears open, but has taken no

action to pursue his killers. After his death she joined the

Company of the Golden Chalice, who disbanded after

almost all members were eaten by a red dragon. She has

traveled through many areas of the continent of A REKOZ™ .

Today at the age of 32, she is semiretired and living a

comfortable life in the house she once shared with Duke

Borna in the Noble district. Though she wants to avenge

her husband’s death, she realizes that this may never come

to pass.

Egalmond (Wiz11) is one of the better-known sages

that live in the city. He is consulted regarding a number of

different issues including history, magical research, and

magical artifacts. Though he attempts to conduct his

affairs in the city, he has hidden ties with the empire of

Mhul. Egalmond appears to be in his later years, though he

does not appear to be frail or weak at this point in his life.

He has gray hair that is shot with long streaks of white, a

gray mustache and beard, and brown eyes. He wears the

clothing expected for a learned man of his age: a long

flowing purple robe emblazoned with gold runes sewn

around the seams of the garment.

Hiergal Graymoore the Blue Wizard of Jhurnwal

(Wiz13) is another notable Wizard in the city. He is a

powerful mage who has lived in Gateway for the past

seventy years. His own life has so far lasted an estimated

300 years. He appears to be a middle-aged man with black

hair that is shot with streaks of silver. He is of light build,

wears thick spectacles, and sports a beard that falls

halfway down his chest. He has watched over Gateway for

a very long time, and often has a very influential voice in

the affairs of the city. In the past he has warned the guild

leaders and the Sovereign himself of mistakes he felt they

were making in their rule of the city. Fifty years ago,

ignoring him led to a successful vote of no confidence in

Sovereign Dorsad Kinneth. Since then they have learned

to listen to his warnings a bit more closely. In recent times

Hiergal has taken an interest in the affairs of Mhul and

Calrendia.

Faefor Branos (Wiz12): The official Wizard who

functions as the advisor to the Sovereign is Faefor Branos.

He is a strong magically gifted man in his late forties who

served fifteen years as a war wizard in the city’s military.

He has medium length brown hair and a short beard. He is

typically called upon if the city needs to speak with the

dead to solve a murder, if the king wants his food tested

GATEWAY: THE CITY OF LIVING WATERS

for magical impurities, if an artifact needs to be identified,

or if a special magic spell is needed. Often times he

functions as the chief interrogator when questioning high

profile criminal suspects. He makes his home in the spire

located within the castle grounds.

Soros Gristwilven (Rog9/Asn6): Leader of the

Scarlet Sashes, Soros is a silver elf with a reputation for

wickedness and evil. People estimate his age to be about

250 years, and he stands tall for an elf at 5 ft. 7 in., with

pale silvery hair and cold gray eyes. His history and

upbringing remain a mystery, but it is rumored that he is a

known criminal among his own people. Fifteen years ago,

he seemed the most likely candidate to take over the

Scarlet Sashes when their previous leader, a human thief

named Grick Swifthand, died suddenly of apparently

natural causes in the night. Soros’s bands of thugs have

been known to hold territory in the streets of the city –

challenging petty street thugs that would dare to compete

with them for it, extorting money from well-known

merchants and nobles, and conducting assassinations.

Many city nobles have called for Soros’s head, but the

silver elf seems to have great influence in the hierarchy of

the city. The few people who have tried to go after him

have ended up mysteriously dead before they even came

close to him.

He became angry with his brother’s lack of compassion,

and so he challenged him to a public duel, which he won.

Horath took his share of the family wealth and invested it

in the opposition to Mhulnish rule. Their movement grew

larger, eventually erupting into a long-lived large-scale

war between Calrendia and Mhul.

Mhul quickly realized that they could no longer rely

on the soldiers they had stationed in Calrendia, and so they

marched entire legions of the army normally used for

Mhul’s defense to quell any potential succession. During

this time Gillad Horando began spending some of the gold

he had been secretly hoarding to help Calrendia drive out

the soldiers of Mhul. On occasion he would also make

sure that certain companies heading south to Calrendia

never made it. He had established several popular inns

where the proprietors would attract armies by offering

them comfort and bedding at discounted rates. They would

be offered special rooms where they would be

“pampered.” The viceroy would then have a much larger

force of his own in waiting, which would slay the

unsuspecting soldiers.

As the war began to go against Mhul, Gillad

Horando, who was now in his fifties, openly opposed

Mhul’s oppression. His soldiers met the armies marching

down the road leading to Calrendia. The first ones were

not expecting an assault so close to Mhul’s new borders,

and were easily defeated. When the emperor heard of this

betrayal, he recognized his predecessor’s mistake in

sending Gillad to Gateway. Knowing that it was now far

too late to strip the noble of his title, he pulled much of the

army out of Calrendia to lay siege to Gateway. Because of

this withdrawal, Calrendia declared victory – a victory that

would be challenged several times throughout the course

of history.

Gateway withstood the carnage: the catapults of

burning pitch being flung over the walls, the battering

rams weakening their walls and gates, and the cold winter

when they could not leave the confines of the city for more

supplies. Ultimately, it was not the army of Gateway that

drove off the army of Mhul, but the army of Horath

Kinslayer. During the period of establishing their new

leadership, they turned their army to the north to help their

new friends at Gateway. The battle that followed was long

and bloody, with high casualties on all three sides. In the

end, the soldiers of Mhul, who had already been

disheartened by their retreat from Calrendia, buckled

under the combined might of Calrendia and Gateway’s

armies. Most fled the scene, some surrendered, and a few

joined the opposition.

Gillad Horando quickly became suspicious of the

presence of Calrendia’s soldiers within his city. Calrendia

had learned a lesson about unfriendly occupation and

subjugation, and so they left Gateway in peace, being the

first to sign a treaty with the newly liberated city declaring

Gateway and it’s surrounding territory as a neutral

territory between the kingdoms. In 3512 Gateway was

officially established as a free city-state. Vehrmon, seeing

that Gateway could be a valuable trading ally, also signed

the treaty. Mhul was the last to sign, forced to do so

because their army, economy, and very spirit had been

pushed nearly to the breaking point by their constant

feuding with their neighbors. Ultimately, Gateway was

recognized as an impartial crossroad between the

kingdoms. The terms of the agreements stated that if any

of the kingdoms warred with one another, Gateway would

peacefully allow soldiers from any kingdom to march

THE HISTORY OF

GATEWAY

Gateway had originally been established in 2567 as a

trading outpost for the empire of Mhul and had purvey

over what is now known as the kingdom of Calrendia.

Over the years the population of the city swelled. Initially,

Gateway had been under the direct control of the emperor

of Mhul, but as time went by emperor Hultek felt that the

city was becoming more and more difficult to tax and

police effectively. Also, there was an ambitious young

noble named Gillad Horando who was too close to the

emperor’s lineage for comfort. In a stroke of brilliance, he

appointed the young noble to the position of viceroy of

Gateway, giving him full authority to police, tax, and

maintain the city.

Though he initially considered his Expulsion from

Malthaga, the capitol of Mhul, as punishment, Horando

began to see that the fires of discontent were burning in

Calrendia, and he was in a perfect position to defy the

emperor and possibly survive. Gillad Horando met with

their guild-leaders in closed-door sessions, outlining a

dangerous plan, and arrived at a truce with the merchants,

artisans and craftsmen of the city.

For thirty years Gillad doubled the tax rate for the

wealthiest tradesmen. While the higher taxes were a

burden on the city, it allowed Gillad to build up a large

army, which he managed to keep secret from Mhul. The

emperor received his usual amount of taxes, and had to

expend far less money from his own coffers to maintain

law and order in Gateway, and so he was happy for a time.

It was also during that time that the people of

Calrendia were rebelling against Mhulnish rule. The local

militia, recruited from the ranks of the people who

originated from Calrendia, began to desert in record

numbers, flocking to the banner of the noble who went by

the title Horath Kinslayer. The legend was that Horath had

seen his brother viciously beating a slave from Calrendia.

GATEWAY: THE CITY OF LIVING WATERS

through the city and the surrounding territory, provided

that none of these armies attempted to occupy the area.

They backed this up by continuing to maintain a large well

trained standing army.

Given the fact that they were no longer paying taxes

to Mhul, the tax rate for the merchants was reduced by

half, which left most of these people freer than ever before

to offer their goods and services for high profits.

Meanwhile, Gateway was continuing to build its army to

enforce the newly established “goodwill” between the

kingdoms.

In the more than thousand years since Gateway

gained independence, its population and size have swollen

to the point where the city walls themselves have had to be

torn down, rerouted, built out, and enlarged. Now the city

boasts a population of over 105,000 people, with those

numbers tripling yearly during the heavy summer trading

season. Gillad Horando, after winning the war, established

himself as the first Sovereign of Gateway. Since then, it

was deemed that Sovereigns were appointed by merit in

the community as opposed to birthright or noble blood.

These leaders would be appointed by the heads of the

guilds who had once been Gillad’s strongest supporters.

The city is highly populated, but it is also very spread

out. Many families own their own homes and have large

lawns and outbuildings. About one quarter of the

population is densely packed into Scrapper’s Row, with

crowded dwellings stacked two or three stories high, and

multiple families per dwelling. Those who generally

inhabit these crowded areas are usually immigrants who

have come to the city in search of a better life, seasonal

merchants, and societal derelicts.

The balance of freedom and wealth in Gateway is

better than anywhere else on the continent, and the city is

mostly clean, with intricate architecture commonly found

in the family housing and strong proud architecture

involving domes, spires, and pillars used in the public

buildings.

Trade is conducted on several streets that are

dominated by shops, and in the grand market located in

The Commons district.

THE ECONOMY

The economy of Gateway is healthy with strong timber

and food Exports. It also maintains several privately

owned gold, silver, and steel mines in the surrounding

mountains. The metals extracted are sold within the city-

state for generally fair values. Gateway mints its own

currency. Gold pieces are called horandos, silver pieces

are called gillins, and copper pieces are called tins.

Platinum is not minted in Gateway, though platinum coins

from across Arekoz are commonly accepted in trade.

For large transfers of wealth trade writs are used.

Made of vellum, scribed with special inks, impressed with

an official seal, and often magically protected these writs

are available only to nobles, and the most successful

artisans, and merchants.

PRESENT DAY

GATEWAY

In recent years Mhul invaded Calrendia due to their desire

to recapture their lost glory. The war lasted for five years.

In the end, king Jorkath Hadrazar of Calrendia opted to

surrender, which resulted in him being publicly beheaded

and the rest of his family killed, scattered, imprisoned, or

enslaved. The current Sovereign of Gateway, a man named

Damarcir Bucada, is a fair man, who knows that the recent

events in Calrendia could again embroil his fair city in a

war with Mhul. He knows the treaty signed with Vehrmon

would require them to send aid to Gateway should Mhul

invade, but Vehrmon has always been known to take the

pragmatic way out of a situation, doing whatever it feels

will ultimately benefit them in the long term. Damarcir is

keeping a very close eye on the developments, and he has

a small army of rangers watching the passes between

Gateway and Mhul; constantly anticipating a large army’s

southern approach through the mountains.

Part of the popularity of Gateway lies in the fact that

the city sits at the intersection of the trade routes between

the empire of Mhul, the kingdom of Calrendia, and the

kingdom of Vehrmon. Speaking from a humanitarian point

of view, it is also very popular because it boasts the

freedoms found in Calrendia and some parts of Vehrmon,

with the wealth found only in Mhul. Though Calrendia has

historically been unrestricted by firmly established class

separations, it has also been living in the shadow of

Mhul’s oppression on and off for as long as it has existed.

Vehrmon, while wealthy on the whole, only benefits those

families that are actively engaged in trade. The people of

that kingdom who toil in the fields or find occupations

more geared towards servicing others tend to find

themselves on the very lowest rung of society. In Gateway

and the surrounding area, the gold is spread out a bit more

evenly among the populace. The successful merchants and

the landed nobles are still the most wealthy members of

society, but most others are not struggling to simply put

food on their tables.

THE MILITARY

It is considered to be a sign of weakness for a male not to

serve in the militia at some point in his life. Generally, the

enrollment in the militia is high enough to support the

large army the Sovereign must maintain, but in times of

peace they are often forced to resort to mandatory

recruitment. The city maintains a standing army of 10,000

soldiers, which are divided between cavalry, foot soldiers,

archers, battle wizards, and priests. Another 20,000 people

are part of the militia, and are trained as soldiers, though

they only assume active duty if the city is forced to defend

itself. If necessary, another 25,000 conscripts can be called

up from the surrounding territory under Gateway’s control.

The main threats to Gateway come from monsters

and bandits. Over the years it has been forced to defend

itself from both Mhul and Vehrmon on more than one

occasion. In all cases, these events led to embarrassing

diplomatic circumstances. Officially, overzealous military

commanders who were acting without authority were

determined to have caused the incidents. In the present

political situation, there is fear that Mhul may again turn

its eyes towards Gateway, seeking to conquer their one

time colony, and re-expand their shrinking empire.

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