The Gnomish Plutarchy

of
Gundaruk
Population: 51,611
Land Area: 13,111 km²
Location: 175, 56
Government: Plutocracy
Primary Culture: Gnomish
Ruler: Magnate Pajbus Flatchtwist
Motto: "Celebrate and welcome"

History
Year Event
191 Pioneers from Ekikh create the nation
of Gundaruk.
321 Several members of the Senate are
found guilty of attempting to
assassinate Prime Minister Pojnar
Smallcapper and are executed as
traitors.
421 Noodle is banned from every tavern in
Gundaruk.
505 Prime Minister Hesxum Spryblast
marries a commoner, only to later
discover that she is the ancestor of
the legendary hero Wetch Huttopper
the Obscene, and sole heir to an
immense fortune.
820 Harrynah Divvybreeder leads a secret
campaign against corrupt officials,
bringing every one of them down.
899 Harrynah becomes the target of a
relentless assassin.
955 McCoy becomes an academic legend
after solving a famous mathematical
problem.
955 McCoy accidentally marries a member
of the Senate.
956 A hungry ghost terrorizes the capital
city for an entire winter, despite the
best efforts of exorcists and priests.
977 Doc Bandit McCoy escapes from an
elaborate trap set by his enemies.
1157 The wealthiest merchants in
Gundaruk, led by Vorurizzy Ironclock,
bribe the Senate so thoroughly that it
ceases to have meaning.
1159 Boozzle Dazegleaner is rescued after
a storm at sea, his crib floating amidst
the wreckage.
1288 Boozzle Dazegleaner summons the
greatest demon that Gundaruk has
ever seen, binding it to his will forever.
1342 A powerful storm devastates the coast
of Gundaruk and sinks half its fleet.
1594 Magnate Cartox Diggerbracket ends
years of piracy off the coast by hiring
the pirate lords as privateers for
Gundaruk.
1863 Cloomble becomes the youngest-ever
head priest of the great temple in
Gundaruk's capital.
1871 Cloomble Quiy Fumbledrop recovers
the treasury of Gundaruk from a
notorious den of thieves.
1943 A renowned festival called the
Colloquium of wisdom annually brings
the world's greatest philosophers from
to the capital.
1954 Magnate Kozavary Lillpalls issues a
broad tax upon all tiers of society to
fund a vast fleet of exploration and
colonization.
2060 Cloomble Quiy Fumbledrop exposes a
secret agent who works for an enemy
nation.
2190 current date
 Cities
Bobbinrick (175, 56)
Population: 995
Motto: Glorious Daughters
Year Founded: 1834

Potential Plots
Safe Passage
The mayor of Bobbinrick is offering a reward to anyone who can find and
clear a new trade route through the rainforest.

Rumors
Theeldon Quaeshi Mottlecastle once saw the Magnate.

Burgleham (175, 55)

Population: 641
Motto: Prestige Or Death
Year Founded: 1300

Potential Plots
Snake Bounty
Concerned citizens have collected a sizable reward for anyone who can kill the
enormous constrictor snake that's already eaten two of Burgleham's children.

Rumors
Queewyn Dvooqil Gemchaser says that the Conclave is going to dam up all
the rivers and charge us to drink the water.
Bustlestone (176, 56)
Population: 698
Motto: Serve with Grace
Year Founded: 1576

Potential Plots
Friendly Competition
An adventuring group called "Wild Mage's Cross" are the new saviors of the
locals, and the usual heroes are no longer the center of attention.
The town folk are gushing about what wonderful things Wild Mage's Cross has
done recently, and how it's a good thing they showed up to save the day when
the usual local heroes weren't around.
Upon returning to a town where the group is well known and liked, they find a
new adventuring band has usurped their fame.
Wild Mage's Cross are arrogant, because they know they are as competent as
the characters, but they aren't evil, just glory hogs. They really are just an other
adventuring group with similar capabilities to the players. They are open to
any sort of friendly competitions the party may offer (e.g. drinking contests,
archery contests, duels (not to the death)) to prove their superiority, and
maintain the adoration of the town.
"Wild Mage's Cross" should be comprised of of an almost identical make up
of character classes as the characters' group. Each player should have one
fairly obvious counterpart in their rival group.
This plot is all about jealousy and envy, and how the characters deal with not
being the town's heroes for a while. The players may assume there is
something sinister afoot, but this really is just an other adventuring group,
comparable to themselves. If there are any other plots going on in this town,
Wild Mage's Cross should try to step in on them, complicating the character's
actions. Where ever possible, Wild Mage's Cross will try to take the credit.
This plot can be completely resolved via diplomacy if desired. Wild Mage's
Cross will eventually move on, but stories of their exploits should continue to
reach the party occasionally. If the players turn Wild Mage's Cross in to
allies, use them again as contacts in other plots, but they won't join forces with
the party in any meaningful way, as they are just too independent for that.
Rumors
The local graveyard has a dark secret. Everyone buried there is dug back up a
few days later, and their reanimated corpses become the newest recruits in a
private undead army the Mayor is building.

Fluglevas (175, 56)

Population: 717
Motto: Life is a Wheel
Year Founded: 2108

Potential Plots
Holy Treasure
The Conclave recently issued an edict that handsomely rewards those who
recover holy relics and donate them to the plutarchy. Explorers of all kinds
have been searching in every cave and under every rock in Gundaruk, hoping
to strike it rich. A woman named Sliezzley has a map to an ancient tomb that
she believes holds a relic of a renowned Gnomish priest named Dwaevoom the
Truthful. She is offering to split the reward with anyone who helps her find the
relic.

Rumors
Vieboomy can find anything for the right price, whether or not its current
owner wishes to part with it.

Frillrice (176, 56)

Population: 1,250
Motto: The Honesty of Gundaruk
Year Founded: 1763

Potential Plots
Enigmatic Tribe
A xenophobic, mysterious hunter-gatherer tribe called the Miserable Gnomes,
long thought extinct, have recently been spotted deep in the jungle.
Rumors
The constable is running a protection racket, and most of those in the jail are
people who would not pay the extortion he demands.

Fuddlefast (175, 56)

Population: 797
Motto: Beware Horrid Loyalties
Year Founded: 1219

Potential Plots
Ironwood and Blood
Local woodsmen are turning up dead or disappearing for months now, and the
mayor needs investigators to find out who is responsible and stop them before
tensions rise too high.
Tropical hardwoods are one of the main sources of Fuddlefast's income. The
most important of these is a species of ironwood prized for its unmatched
hardness, which grows nowhere else. Over the years woodcutters have
harvested nearly all of those trees and the town has thrived on the profits. Now
the only remaining ironwood trees surround a grove that is sacred to the forest
dwellers. Lately, woodsmen have gone missing or turned up dead, and a
bloody confrontation seems inevitable.

Rumors
Magnate Pajbus Flatchtwist plans to throw out the Conclave and declare
himself King.

Gussetcoates (175, 56) - capital

Population: 1,274
Motto: Gem of Gundaruk
Year Founded: 256

Potential Plots
Waking the Dead
The dead have awakened in the nearby cemetery, and villagers are asking for
help to return their fallen to rest.
A carriage crashed through one of the cemetery crypt's heavy stone doors. Its
cargo of alchemical ointments spilled and mixed, causing the corpses inside to
reanimate.
At night, the dead have begun walking the grounds, and word around the
nearby village is that those deceased family members are attempting to return
to their families. By morning, however, there is a relative peace, and the
shambling dead are all accounted for in the cemetery once more.
If the adventurers enter the cemetery during the daylight hours, they will
discover what may be the cause of unrest: a carriage crashed through an iron
fence and smashed into the doors of a crypt, leaving the way open for those
risen.
When of the adventurers' discovery reaches the ears of the other villagers,
they'll suggest that new doors be put into place upon the crypt, and will pay
anyone who is brave enough to set the doors in place. This will not truly put
the dead to rest, though.
The carriage that damaged the crypt belonged to Sheldona Thwackgirdle, a
traveling merchant who was shipping clerical supplies across the countryside
on behalf of a powerful priest. She decided to take a shortcut through the
cemetery that did not end well for her. Her goods spilled from the carriage and
broke upon the ground. With no cargo to sell, she is now indebted to the priest,
who does not suffer failure lightly. Thus, the merchant fled into the woods.
Of course, there is another way that the dead can be put to rest. If someone
ventures into the crypt, they will find the cause of the dead's unexpected rise.
Sheldona's goods collected in an open grave at the bottom of the crypt, where
they pooled together to create an odd concoction. This caused the tomb to be
polluted with necromantic magic, and the entire interior of the tomb glows
with an unnatural emerald light. If the concoction can be safely removed from
the tomb, the dead would cease to walk the earth near the villages.

Every Little Thing

Villagers are complaining about a terrible amount of noise from a nearby
wizard's tower. They wish for the wizard's rambunctiousness to be silenced,
and will pay handsomely for help convincing him to quiet down.
The wizard was attempting a dangerous spell that had an ill effect. Now, every
 item within his tower has come to life at the expense of his own.
A mage's spell has gone horribly wrong. At his age, Svaeldon Brandyteacher
knew that there were fewer days ahead of him than there were before, and he
attempted to learn some way to extend his life. There were rumors that a
fountain of youth existed somewhere in the world, but he never had enough
luck to find it. Instead, he'd been performing months of research on a ritual
that he believed would let him transfer his life force into another object.
Svaeldon was prepared to transfer his life force into a golem that he had
prepared with countless careful calculations, spells, and enhancements.
Unfortunately, none of his plans could have prepared him for the ritual's
failure. Instead of his life force traveling into the golem, it separated and
flowed into every item within the tower, with each object becoming animated
and taking on a part of his personality.
This has, in fact, become quite a problem for the people of the village. The
objects in the tower have become a quiet rambunctious bunch (all answering to
the name Svaeldon). With none of the villagers particularly fond of the idea of
inciting the mage's wrath, they've been hesitant to venture to the tower to ask
him to silence his prattling, but they'd be happy to pay a band of adventurers
for their trouble.
All the mage's possessions have come to life, and are actively celebrating their
newfound sentience. Each has personality based on a figment of Svaeldon's
identity and memories. A megalomaniacal spellbook, calling itself Hex, wishes
to add more incantations; a candlestick calling itself Vivificus is passionate
and debonair; Bihaldan the magnifying glass questions everything, and wants
to learn all it can.
They are not hostile to the investigators, but now that they are alive, they have
no desire to have the failed ritual completed. The investigators will have to
negotiate with the objects to get them to quiet down, and they will do so if
Gussetcoates formally recognizes them as the legitimate owners of the tower.

Barbarian Raiders
A bold tribe of migratory barbarians called the Pretentious Nihilists have been
raiding settlements and robbing travelers in the area.

Rumors
Phoozah Gnaiqal Bisquehugger is actually an illegitimate child of the Magnate
Pajbus Flatchtwist, hidden away in Gussetcoates to avoid scandal.
 The darkness is getting ready to counterattack.
Moxy Laceherder has won the annual Gussetcoates pie contest the last six
years in a row. he cheats by buying pies from the baker, and infusing them
with magic that makes the judges think they are far tastier than they really are.

Guzzlelake (175, 56)

Population: 594
Motto: Focused Cunning
Year Founded: 1616

Potential Plots
Crab Pot Stakeout
Lookouts are needed by a fisherman to catch his rival in the act of stealing his
catch.
Tcheetz Musecranker is a middle-aged fisherman who makes his living
catching and selling crabs. This puts him in direct competition with Llooble
Mottlecurd, a wily veteran crab fisherman who has long been Tcheetz's rival.
Tcheetz suspects that Llooble has been stealing crabs from his crab pots so he
can blackmail the older man. To this extent, he is looking to hire one or more
lookouts.
Tcheetz will eagerly explain his plan. The lookouts' only job is to hide and
watch his crab pots at night, when he suspects Llooble will come around to
steal any captured crabs. He reiterates with a stern voice: the lookouts are NOT
to interfere! Once the lookouts have confirmed the theft, they are to send a
rider to bring the news to Tcheetz, so he can be at Llooble's home, waiting to
catch him red-handed. When he does, he will offer the man a choice: he can go
to jail for being a thief, or he can agree to marry his daughter Dvierynah to
Tcheetz, as Tcheetz has long been in love with Dvierynah.
The stakeout is set to take place on a sandy bluff by a series of tidal pools
where Tcheetz typically leaves his crab pots. From the bluff, about eighty feet
from the water, the lookouts will have a great view of the area and can easily
remain hidden. The night of the stakeout is clear with a bright moon in the sky.
Just as predicted, a figure will emerge from the darkness to check the traps,
and open them to steal the crabs. This figure, it turns out, is none other than
Dvierynah herself. Her father has been stealing the crabs, but tonight he has
taken ill. As she does so, the lookouts notice a number of other figures
 approaching the tidal pools: three water-logged sea-ghouls, with pallid green
skin, a mouth full of needle-like teeth and barnacle-covered claws. The
lookouts will have to decide whether they are to intervene to try and save the
woman from the approaching sea-ghouls, or do as instructed and abstain from
interfering.

Rumors
The Conclave plans to exile everyone who cannot cast a spell.

Mangleclive (175, 56)

Population: 725
Motto: With Freedom
Year Founded: 1562

Potential Plots
The Silverback
Loggers are afraid to return to the forest to work after being attacked by a very
territorial silverback gorilla.

Rumors
The Magnate granted lands in the rainforest to the Thickshanty family 1999
years ago, and they founded Mangleclive upon them.

Pansyrill (175, 55)

Population: 982
Motto: First in Mercy
Year Founded: 1993

Potential Plots
The Bandit King
The Sheriff, Swiex Vampspoiler, has been having a bandit problem recently.
There have been attacks on travelers on the road about a day out of town.
The bandit leader, Black Scible, and his men have made camp in the old,
abandoned stone fort, about a week's travel outside of town, where they seek
an item of great power.
Swiex Vampspoiler would like help dealing with this bandit problem, as his
small force of deputies are needed as a militia to defend inside the town, and
can't be drawn off. The sheriff does have some information, from one of the
bandits the town caught and interrogated. The bandit leader is the self-styled
"Black Scible, The Bandit King." He and his men have made camp in an old,
abandoned stone fort, about a week's travel outside of town. The prisoner said
that Black Scible was looking for something valuable - or magical, he wasn't
sure - but if Scible found it, he would be unstoppable.
The specifics of what what Scible is looking for in the fort are uncertain. The
captured bandit heard other men speaking around the fire, sharing gossip and
rumors. He claims that one of the men swore the item was a magical crystal
hand which would replace the natural hand of its owner, allowing them to form
it into any weapon or tool desired. An other had speculated Scible sought a
map to a vast, lost treasure hoard, or armory of weapons. A third claimed he
sought a book of forbidden lore. Those are the only stories the prisoner had.
The sheriff sent some towns folk to investigate, and none came back, so now
he wants help.
The Abandoned Fort
Black Scible has set guards at the entrance to the fort. If anyone fights their
way in, enough noise will raise the alarm, and Black Scible will leave his
armor and equipment in the library where he is currently examining old
scrolls, sneak through a well concealed secret door, and into one of the fort's
jail cells to wait.
Within the dreary fort's jail and cruel cells, there is a lone old man named
Psaemble Summonbeak, who has clearly been starved and beaten and tortured
for the bandits' amusement. He is barely alive when found, knows nothing of
the bandits, and can only relay the story of how he was captured. Without
immediate healing, he dies pointlessly in the arms of his saviors, just as he is
about to be rescued.
Scible is found in the last cell, pretending to be a recently captured villager
named Lhiboom himself. He thanks his rescuers for saving him, and begs to be
given a spare weapon, and to allow him to help them search the rest of the Fort
for this "bastard bandit king." He comes off as a young hot head in search of
vengeance. He is cunning and believable in his ruse.
 Any surviving bandits will, of course recognize their leader. In any fight they
take pains to not actually hurt him, nor give away his true identity. They know
to behave as if he is an escaped prisoner, as this is all part of a rehearsed plan.
He, however, will show less restraint against his own men, as he has to make
this look good, though he does try to not kill any of them.
His ultimate game is not to defeat the heroes here and now, but to learn a bit
about them before getting away with the rest of his men to fight an other day.
Clearly, the group got in through his guards, so are a force to be taken
seriously. If able, he slips out during a later fight with the remaining bandits. In
an ideal case (for him) he finds an opportunity to reclaim his possessions from
the library, leave a taunting note at the front door for the group, about how
stupid they are, and how he will see them again, very soon, and get away
stealing the party's horses.

Rumors
Shmemble Njeewyy Wafflechef brings in extra coin by warming the bed of
any man who will pay.

Plunkwince (175, 56)

Population: 615
Motto: More Exemplary than a Behemoth
Year Founded: 1755

Potential Plots
The Wailing Well
A town is distraught over the terrifying noises they hear in the night. They
believe a haunted well is the cause.
A scorned woman, hung for alleged but false indiscretions, haunts the well
until false accusations against her are brought to light.
The local townsfolk have heard a terrifying distant cry that sends shivers up
their spines in the middle of the night. During the day, the hustle and bustle
renders the sound nearly silent, but as they settle down for the evening, the
baying always returns.
Word around town is that the place is haunted by an apparition. Years before, a
woman, Seeboomy, was ripped from her bed, given a hasty trial by the town
 well, and hung in the town square, a punishment for her alleged adultery—
allegations she vowed were false even as the noose cinched around her throat.
Before her final off the stand, she swore that she would return to enact
vengeance upon the people who had wronged her so.
Though no one has seen the apparition, many are convinced that it is
Seeboomy, restored in her manner of undeath to perform her acts of retribution
unto her aggressors. Some of the townsfolk have already packed and prepared
to leave their homes for good, while others hope that someone will be able to
encourage the wraith to move on.
In fact, Seeboomy can be coerced to abandon her curse on the town if her own
accusations are recognized as false, and if the one responsible for the
allegations is brought to light. Another woman in town, Whaizzley
Thorncutter, who fancied Seeboomy's husband Fethaevoom, planted the seeds
of doubt in the minds of the other villagers, and accused Seeboomy of sleeping
with a traveler who passed through town while her husband was gone.
If Whaizzley is brought to the town square, Seeboomy will emerge, and
attempt to take her vengeance.
The apparition can be positively identified as the alleged adulterer by way of
an ornate bracelet that she wore upon her death. It would be worth a significant
amount of coin to the right buyers.

Rumors
Devoomi and Phadle Grindgatter dote on their beloved pet dog, Daiboom. The
true reason for this is that the pup is actually the reincarnated form of their
poor son who died when he was four years old.

Quirkwras (176, 56)

Population: 897
Motto: Bring Prestige to all
Year Founded: 1464

Potential Plots
A Missing Scorpion
A gang of hapless thieves has stolen a powerful new weapon, and the mayor
wants it recovered discreetly.
 The Conclave commissioned a local artisan to craft a new weapon of war,
which its creator, Warryn Follycake, has dubbed a Rotary Scorpion. The
device is a siege instrument with a rotating cylinder attached to a launching
mechanism, The cylinder can hold up to ten 7-foot bolts, and after each bolt is
fired, the next bolt is immediately lined up in its place. The weapon is
lightweight, very mobile, and can fire bolts four times faster than any scorpion
known. A well-trained team can even reload the barrel as its being fired, which
gives it an unparalleled advantage on the battlefield.
The device was stolen from Warryn Follycake's workshop three days ago. The
mayor is worried who it might be sold to and how it might be used but is even
more worried that the Conclave will discover that the weapon is lost, and he'll
be held responsible. He is looking for a discreet team to find and return it
before anyone realizes it is gone.

Rumors
A satyr wizard has taken over a nearby abandoned tower and declared himself
Baron. He has demanded tribute from the local government, threatening to
raze Quirkwras if his "tax" is not paid.

Rivetgloss (175, 56)

Population: 763
Motto: Hope is the Pillar that Holds up the World
Year Founded: 1414

Potential Plots
The Wizard's Tower
The town wizard has been consumed by the dark magics. His tower is bursting
with eldritch energies, which are beginning to consume the town.
In the town of Rivetgloss stands a tall stone spire, the tower of Traetszaevoom
The Wise. This venerable wizard keeps to himself for the most part, but serves
as an advisor to the mayor, and is loved for hosting a harvest festival for the
town each year.
Rumors of some strange events were overheard in the town's local tavern for a
few months, but no one considered they might be real. That all changed four
days ago.
 Late one night a small earthquake shook the town. Most in the town had never
experienced such a thing. Later still, brightly-colored flashes of light were seen
about Traetszaevoom's tower. All that night the air was electric, and the earth
continued to shake beneath it.
The next morning was calm and quiet. The wizard would not come to his door,
and cautiously, the town returned to normalcy. At midday, the horses and other
animals in the town began to cry out, then tried to escape the town in a blind
panic. Shortly thereafter, a malevolent storm suddenly rolled in. Above the
wizard's tower, witnesses reported an eye in the storm. Though early in the
afternoon, the eye opened up into the black void of the night sky and a few
red, fiercely-burning stars.
The storm raged into the night, when things got calm again. Just after the
moon went down over the distant hills, an explosion rocked the town. A blast
leveled all buildings within two hundred feet of the tower, and the ruins
smoked with eerie green fire. Despite the blast, the tower remained, as if
monitoring it's doomed test subjects below.
Scraecket Steamwedge the mayor -- a towering former soldier with a
formidable handlebar mustache -- organized the militia. They broke the door
down and advanced into the tower. The entire town watched nervously through
the night until another blast wave shook the town. The door opened, and only
two of the militia emerged. Burned and injured, they stumbled out in a daze.
They muttered only nonsensical words and shortly thereafter, attacked their
caregivers savagely before they were killed.
Scraecket Steamwedge began to evacuate the town as the rumblings and
mystical energies continued to emanate from the tower, and wants to hire
adventurers to find out what happened.
The players enter Traetszaevoom The Astounding's tower and fight their way
up the numerous levels to the top. Magic works strangely in here, and the very
fabric of reality is twisted. At the top level, the players discover the body of the
wizard and are attacked by his malevolent spirit. His private chamber seems to
have no ceiling, but instead, a night sky filled with the horrible void of space.
Upon defeating the spirit, the tower begins to collapse, and the PCs must hurry
their way out, avoiding getting crushed. Once out of the tower it implodes into
a singularity and evaporates as if it never existed.

Rumors
Zheewynth Thliezoo Thingwriter has actually been to the capital.
Spritztell (175, 56)
Population: 668
Motto: Prestigious Salvation
Year Founded: 2081

Potential Plots
Hijacked
A desperate alchemist needs help. She leveraged her funds on a large shipment
of inventory, but it was hijacked.
Dwoovoomi Tangpitcher the Alchemist has barkeeps and shop-owners on the
lookout for anyone who seems capable of helping. Those merchants will refer
such individuals to her eclectic home near the edge of town. They are her last
hope to recover the shipment and avoid paying the penalty to the crime boss
she took out a large loan from.
She knows her shipment was hijacked because there was one survivor, named
Mooble Boodlepatch. He was a porter, and suffered massive injuries in the
fight with the bandits. He staggered down the trade-road until found by a
passer-by, and died shortly thereafter. His last request was to inform the
Alchemist that they were ambushed, and that the forces of the bandits are
innumerable, and armed with magical weaponry. The inventory was stolen by
bandits two days ago, several miles from town.
The remains of the caravan can be located rather easily, as the bandits burned
the wagon. In addition, the bandits burned their symbol, a clawed hand
clutching a bloody heart, into a nearby tree. Evidence of a fight is obvious, and
despite the time since the attack, they can be tracked, thought it may be
difficult.
The bandits are holed up in an old watermill and stone house not too far from
the ambush site. They are a small force, desperate and hungry. In their midst is
the survivor, who faked his death. He was a mole, planted in the caravan to tip
it off to the bandits, as his wife is the bandit leader.

Rumors
Sietzy can find anything for the right price, whether or not its current owner
wishes to part with it.
Tiltleigh (175, 56)
Population: 1,020
Motto: Sympathy is the Reward of Ambition
Year Founded: 1990

Potential Plots
That Familiar Feeling
A friendly local mage has not been seen in Tiltleigh for some time. Visits to his
tower have produced few answers, but a faint voice inside seems to indicate
distress.
The mage recently threw a celebration—one that he knew was to be his last, as
he was beginning to ail. The only one on hand who can speak the truth is the
mage's familiar, an emaciated cat that has been trapped in the tower since his
master's passing and seeks a return to its own dimension.
Recently, a mage, Thaiz Faey Squatcrusher, who is renowned in these parts,
held a huge celebration in his tower. He had grown sick, and he knew that his
time was short, though he had hidden the truth from his guests in the town.
Unfortunately, the end of his days came much quicker than he was prepared
for. At the end of his party, when the last guest left, he locked the door, as he
was oft to do. Succumbing to a severe pain, he clutched his heart and fell to
the floor.
The only being that can relate this final portion of Thaiz's sad tale is his
familiar, an old black cat named Brilliant that hasn't eaten since his master's
passing—though he has considered taking a nibble of the old mage himself.
Much to his dismay, the cat is trapped in the wizard's tower. The villagers have
investigated the Thaiz's absence, but because the tower is magically locked,
they've been unable to enter. The familiar's voice is too faint to be heard
clearly, but he desperately wants to be sent back to the extraplanar realm he
was summoned from.
The dilemma, then, is finding someone who can access the tower. There are
two of ways to enter the tower:
• Scaling its stonewalls to a window eighty feet above is difficult, as the
stone is very smooth, with no handholds. The only window is only large
enough for a tiny child to enter.
 • Someone can attempt to pick its complex lock. Thaiz also added another
layer of security on the lock, as it is protected by a magical acid trap.
Anyone who gets inside will find the cat explaining what happened and asking
to be sent back to his home, by way of a magic mirror in one of the mage's
many rooms. If a compassionate person promises to send the familiar back to
where it belongs, the familiar will reveal the secret alcoves that hide the
mage's treasures.

Rumors
Word is a giant has killed Lord Quooldon and taken up residence in his castle a
couple of days north. The giant is making all the locals bring him animals to
eat and threatening to destroy their homes.

Tulipchard (176, 55)

Population: 1,170
Motto: Never Again Imperious
Year Founded: 1191

Potential Plots
Friendly Competition
An adventuring group called "Wizard's Cross" are the new saviors of the
locals, and the usual heroes are no longer the center of attention.
The town folk are gushing about what wonderful things Wizard's Cross has
done recently, and how it's a good thing they showed up to save the day when
the usual local heroes weren't around.
Upon returning to a town where the group is well known and liked, they find a
new adventuring band has usurped their fame.
Wizard's Cross are arrogant, because they know they are as competent as the
characters, but they aren't evil, just glory hogs. They really are just an other
adventuring group with similar capabilities to the players. They are open to
any sort of friendly competitions the party may offer (e.g. drinking contests,
archery contests, duels (not to the death)) to prove their superiority, and
maintain the adoration of the town.
"Wizard's Cross" should be comprised of of an almost identical make up of
character classes as the characters' group. Each player should have one fairly
 obvious counterpart in their rival group.
This plot is all about jealousy and envy, and how the characters deal with not
being the town's heroes for a while. The players may assume there is
something sinister afoot, but this really is just an other adventuring group,
comparable to themselves. If there are any other plots going on in this town,
Wizard's Cross should try to step in on them, complicating the character's
actions. Where ever possible, Wizard's Cross will try to take the credit.
This plot can be completely resolved via diplomacy if desired. Wizard's Cross
will eventually move on, but stories of their exploits should continue to reach
the party occasionally. If the players turn Wizard's Cross in to allies, use them
again as contacts in other plots, but they won't join forces with the party in any
meaningful way, as they are just too independent for that.

Rumors
Ljix is planning to flaunt their newfound wealth by constructing a lofty
building in the center of town. It will be not one but two stories tall, so it
towers over all others.
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