Dungeons and Dragons: Part 1
This week, Gap in Expertise plays Dungeons and Dragons! I know right?! It's about time. This is a long one so we've divided them into 4 parts. Below is the intro to our journey through Ossetia. Enjoy! 4:32: Intro to Ossetia (yes I pronounced it wrong in the intro) 8:32: Cresthaven Tavern 20:11: An Offer For Adventure 34:20: To Falshire! 53:50: Circling the Wagon Welcome to Ossetia. This continent is divided both my dangerous terrain and political powers. The Arathi foothills bisect the continent in the south while the Kel’nia marsh lands divide it to the north. To the east lay the blasted lands of the infernal expanse overrun with all manner of beasts and terrors; to the northeast lies the unclaimed wilds of the Valenwood Forest. A haven for those who choose to live a more uncivilized lifestyle. Our story however begins in western Ossetia. It is the year 828 PC post calamity. This year marks the centennial of the final battle of the War of shadow. 100 long years ago War raged in the lands of the west. A great host of orc, gnoll and demon spawn flooded forth from the infernal expanse, covering the lands of the west in a sea of carnage and destruction. Under the direction of the great elven warrior Aldrith Othgard, the 5 nation states of the west forged an alliance to combat the unstoppable host. This was known as the Othgard accord Lead by Othgard and his Legion of the Sun, the 5 nations turned the tide of the war and eventually pushed the evil host eastward back through the Jordash passes and finally crushing them in one final blow on the plains of the infernal expanse itself. Ending the war and ensuring all that was good and holy remained in the west Following the end of the war, again at the direction of Othgard, a counsel of mages and wizards was formed. Elected by the citizenry of the nations this group of learned men became known as the Counsel of the Moon. Their first act ; to create the great floating city state of Skyhold the crown jewel of Western Ossetia Under the Accord the nations are generally left to their own devices. All are encouraged to live and govern as they did before the war. The Legion and Counsel take only a small tithe of what you produce and earn. In exchange, the counsel acts as mediators or judges, settling land disputes and trade agreements, as well as sentencing those who break the laws. The legion acts as the peacekeepers; Enforcing the laws, patrolling the borders and ensuring the roads are safe for travel and open trade. The Accord has lead to a time of relative freedom and prosperity over the last century. However, tensions now brew between the nations. Old rivalries and past bigotries forgotten during the war have taken root once again. Rumors of military clashes at the borders of Ill’irion and Gervior as well as caravan raids as far west as Ju’Desh have many folk on edge. Some say the Accord hangs by a thread and that civil war is inevitable. Our story however begins much smaller. Here in the central nation of Allendor beyond the entrance to the Gulgarg valley lies the village of Cresthaven. Nestled on the banks of a small branch of the Dellwine River, this small fishing village has enjoyed relative peace and freedom from the politics of Skyhold. To its east and south acres of rolling hills of farmland. To the North the spattering of trees and ferns marking the beginning of the Birchbloom forest. The moonrise road cuts the village in half, leading westward towards Morrowdale, Falshire and eventually Skyhold itself. It is late afternoon and the sun sits in the sky to the west . Fishermen and farmers bustle about the small market in the center of the village gathering their unsold wares and heading to their homes mostly dotted around the outskirts of Cresthaven. From the east you see two figures appear on the horizon. One towering over the other. They slowly stroll through town towards the largest building in the market square. Above the sturdy door of the building a small sign lazily swings in the wind. It’s a picture of a young man asleep on a riverbank, a fishing pole thrown haphazardly next to him. As the figures approach the wooden door of the establishment the sound of laugher and music can be heard from within.
