0

History of Rookroost 2 Outwall 58

Current State of Rookroost 3 Rookroost Undercity 60
Night of Silent Death 4
Festivals and Holidays 61
Power Structure of the
Rookroost Places of Interest
The General 6 The Peak 63
The Council of Lords 8 Inner-City 66
Chartered Guilds 14 Outer-City 69
Outwall 72
Power Brokers
The Brae Clan 15 Important People, NPC’s 77
The Congress 16
The Guard (Talons) 17 Gods of Rookroost 101
The Bagmen 19
The Red Guard 20 Monsters of Rookroost 104
The Night Merchants 21
The Army of Iuz 22 Adventure Hooks 109
The Merchant League 23
Guild of Wizardry 25
The Temples 27
Furyondy 29
Shield Lands 30
Horned Society 31

The Rule of Guilded and 32

Unguilded Law
Crime and Punishment 33
Guilds of Rookroost 37
Groups of Note 52
Districts of the City
The Peak 55
The Inner-City 56
The Outer-City 56

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 A Guide to
Rookroost
The Guide to Rookroost is a fan publication meant for
personal use only. It is imperfect and lacked a professional
editor’s touch but is a labor of love. The Bandit Kingdoms
are my favorite place in the World of Greyhawk Setting,
and Rookroost is its heart.

Written By
William Henry Dvorak
Cover Art By
Kamil Sroka

Once again thanks to everyone that has given me

inspiration from Nigel Findley, Erik Mona, Gary Holian,
Sean K. Reynolds, Frederick Weining, Casey Brown, and
all the fabulous BK authors and lastly Gygax himself.

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The History of Rookroost
The history of Rookroost goes back several hundred years to 329 CY, a
time when the region was beginning to get its notorious reputation as the
home of bandits and brigands. One of these bandits, Latavius, founded a
camp where bandits could meet, barter, and sell goods they had plunder.
The camp was an instant success, and Latavius soon found that he could
make more gold through his camp than he ever did raiding. The camp
quickly grew into a small town, and it took its name from a large congress
of ravens that nested on a nearby rock outcropping. The descendants of
those same ravens live in Rookroost till this day. A legend surrounding the
ravens of Rookroost has grown as the city has, stating that so long as the
ravens roost there, the city will never be conquered. This association with
ravens has also given rise to legends of the race of magical beings that can
take on either a raven or a birdlike humanoid form. It is considered bad
luck to kill one of the Rookroost ravens because of the legends, and fear of
reprisals from the bird people. Latavius never got to see Rookroost grow
into a city having died only a few years after its founding under dubious
circumstances.
Over the next couple of centuries, Ravensrook changed and evolved as did
the lands around it. Soon petty bandit leaders and warlords were staking
out their own claims and territories. At the same time, collectively, the
region was referred to as the Lands of the Free Lords. Some areas grew
into small kingdoms. In contrast, others remained lawless regions. During
this time, Rookroost turned into a proper city with more residents living off
the trade of banditry than actual raiding.
Until the Great Old One's invasion, the lands of the Free Lords enjoyed an
unspoken alliance between each other. They would band together and help
defend each other against hostile aggression from their neighbors when
needed. While many united to fight the Great Old One, others afraid of his
demonic power, allied with him. The Free Lords only stood a chance
against Iuz united but fractured as they were the whole region soon fell.
Fortunately, Rookroost avoided being sacked as the ruling factions decided
to ally with the evil overlord to spare the city and themselves.

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Once the fighting was over, life under the heel of an overlord began,
something the Free Lords were unaccustomed to. Rookroost was forced to
pay a quarterly tribute of coins and fight men or slaves to bolster Iuz's war
machine. In addition to tribute, the city was occupied by forces of the
Great Old One. Also, Rookroost was turned into a provincial capital, and
Lord Marshall Arus Mortoth arrived with a garrison of Iuzian troops to
watch over the city.
The final blow to Rookroost's authority came when General Pernevi was
assassinated along with several members of the Council of Lords, the ruling
elite of the city, during the Night of the Silent Death. The vacant seats on
the Council were quickly filled, but the time-honored tradition of electing a
new General was turned into a sham. Lord Marshall Mortoth ran for the
Generalship of Rookroost unopposed. He won in the smallest margin of
victory in Rookroost history.
With his new authority, Mortoth moved his personal troops into the city
and disbanded the Rookroost army. His actions went unquestioned as the
Council knew to do so was futile. Those foolish enough to speak out
against Toth disappeared or turned up dead. The Rookroost thieves guild,
called the Congress, watched quietly calculating their options. Elara
Mornstar, the head of The Congress, had not the men, or the weapons to
oppose Mortoth or the horde of evil humanoids bivouacked outside the
city. Which lead to rumors of Mortoth and Mornstar possibly having come
to an understanding. Overnight Rookroost became wholly under the control
of the minions of The Great Old One.
While life has not returned to normal in Rookroost, it has fallen into a new
pattern. Trade and smuggling have resumed in earnest with a cut of the
profits being funneled back to Iuz. The raiding and marauding into
neighboring lands have continued, but only on a smaller scale not to break
the treaty that ended the Greyhawk Wars. The kingdoms of the Free Lords
that were wiped out have been settled by humanoids and Iuz's allies to
ensure that a military presence remains in the Bandit Kingdoms.

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The current State of Rookroost
Lord Marshall Mortoth has settled in comfortably as the new General of
Rookroost and started mending fences with the locals. While he kept the
city guard, known as Talons, intact, his own Red Guard took over the
Army's role. Resistance towards Mortoth rule from the Council of Lords
eroded as it became apparent, he wanted to keep the city's structures
intact. Mortoth is shrewd and calculating and shows surprising restraint for
a cambion.
The popular belief is that Mortoth plans to break away from Iuz and set
himself up as the ruler of Rookroost and its surrounding lands. The Red
Guard is made up exclusively of humans and half-orcs and is well trained.
While many of Rookroost's army were released into the general public, a
substantial amount was folded into the Red guard, helping to swell its
numbers. The Red Guard is stationed inside of Rookroost while the horde
Mortoth lead from the north is located several miles outside of the city.
Despite Mortoth's efforts, Rookroost is still a powder keg waiting to blow.
The flood of refugees now living in there includes troublemakers and rebels
from many different factions. Fortunately, for Mortoth, old rivalries still run
deep between Rookroost's old guard, keeping them from banding together
to challenge him.
While in charge of Rookroost, Lord Marshall Mortoth is not in charge of the
Bandit Kingdoms, that command falls to Cranzer with resides in the fortress
of Riftcrag at the lip of the Rift Canyon. The Lesser Boneheart wizard has
his hands full with rebels in the Rift Canyon, The Tangels Forest, and the
Fellreev Forest, giving him little time to be worried about other portions of
the Bandit Kingdoms. Mortoth has taken full advantage of this and has
even gone as far as to completely ignore Cranzer. While it infuriates the
wizard, Cranzer can do little about it.

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Night of Silent Death
On the night of the 12th of Sunsebb, many citizens of Rookroost were
assassinated. Nearly all, save a handful, were assassinated with poison. All
those slain were also high-ranking members of well-established chartered
guilds and even a few Lords from the Council of Lords. The most
prominent of the murders was General Pernevi, the Lord of Arms, and the
Lord of Letters. While no one took credit for the assassinations, the blame
was laid squarely at the feet of Lord Marshall Mortoth. Mortoth quickly and
publicly addressed the remaining Council of Lords and the heads of the
chartered guilds stating that he, nor any of his men, had a role in the
killings. Of course, this was ignored as little more than talk, but those
remaining Lords and heads of the respective chartered guilds couldn't help
but notice that none of those killed were from The Congress, Rookroost's
thieves guild. Elara Mornstar has never denied or confirmed any of these
rumors. Instead, uses the uncertainty of it to her advantage. The truth is
that the Congress was paid, and paid well, for committing the murders for
Mortoth.
The importance and long-lasting effects of this night cannot be
understated. Before the Night of Silent Deaths, Mortoth and his occupying
force, while not opposed openly, were opposed by every other means the
leading citizens of Rookroost had. After the Night of Silent Deaths, that
opposition evaporated, and all those that remained sought to win his favor.
Even when he dismantled the army and reformed the city guard into an
organization not under the direct control of the Council of Lords, it drew
little more than grumblings.

The Power Structure of Rookroost

As the lands of the Bandit Kingdoms evolved, so did Rookroost. The power
structure within the city initially was focused on Latavius and his men, until
he was overthrown and replaced by another strong-armed brigand. This
became the blueprint of the succession of power for the next hundred

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years. Still, eventually, the city became a more complicated place. It could
not support such a drastic shake-up of its power structure every handful of
years. The Guilds and the strongest of the marauding gangs worked out a
compromise that saw the birth of the Council of Lords and the formation of
the first city guard.
After the Council and the city guard's creation, an election system was
designed to elect a new Generals for the city and its surrounding lands.
Those that sought the position would petition the Council of Lords for
approval. Those that were approved could then run for the Generalship.
The General was given authority over all matters of the state outside of
Rookroost. The General oversaw the cities defense and became the
primary diplomat for the city toward all other organizations and kingdoms.
The day to day workings of the city itself was transferred over to the new
Council of Lords and Rookroost as we know it today was born.
When the General's position becomes vacant, the Council of Lords declares
a time for Making of Announcements has begun. All those wishing to run
for the position have one week to appear before the Council and say so.
The next phase lasts for thirty days and is called The Rally. The Rally is for
those who have officially entered consideration to be the new General to
rally their support. Nothing is off the table during this 30 day except open
violence on the streets. All attempts to influence those on the Council for
their votes and efforts to eliminate their rivals are encouraged. After the
Rally Period has ended, the Council of Lords elects the next General of the
city.
Currently, the ruling elite that makes up the Council of Lords is wondering
what might come next. Since the purge of the Council of Lords, and the
city's army, Rookroost has fallen into its old ways once more, but for how
long? The current structure will only remain intact so long as Mortoth is in
command. Iuz is notorious for having truly evil and chaotic people working
for him, which makes Mortoth an anomaly. The Lord Marshall, who is far
from chaotic and needlessly evil, could get replaced by a bloodthirsty tyrant
without warning. Any new overlord appointed by Iuz might strip everything
away from guilded members of Rookroost, which are what the city's real

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citizens are called. This uncertainty has forced the ruling elite of Rookroost
to rally around Mortoth, including Elara Mornstar and The Congress
The General
Traditionally the figurehead of the city, The General, was nearly always one
of the high-ranking members of a guild or one of the power groups of
Rookroost. With the position having become an actual job with
responsibilities, the marauding gang' leaders had stopped vying for it long
ago. These days, who will become the next General, is usually decided
upon long before the Rally Period's spectacle begins. Those elected to the
position are often nothing more than yes men, people who will not get in
the way of business. All the Council of Lords wants from a General is a
figurehead that the common rabble will listen to. Over the years, there
have been plenty of men and women to sit in the General's palace, and not
all of them were simple yes men, even if they started out that way. Despite
usually coming from one of the factions within the city, the General gives
up all property and rights to any guild memberships when accepting the
position. This was done to give the impression of being unaffiliated, even if
that was not the case.
Pernavi, the last General, was a competent man that had come up through
the Merchants Guild before being voted into the General's office. Men of his
caliber were usually given respect for the influence their coin afforded. Still,
Pernavi was ruthless, and he outspent everyone when it came to
eliminating his opponents. The Congress was more than happy to take his
coin in exchange for removing serious competitors.
Rookroost prospered under Pernavi, but despite the prosperity, no one saw
the invasion coming. In the early stages of the Greyhawk Wars, the Free
Lords began devising plans of how best they could benefit from it. Still,
those plans quickly changed to ones of defense and how to survive the
hoard that swept down upon them. The Council of Lords, with the urging
from the General, accepted an offer of alliance from the Iuz, a decision
that Pernavi would later come to regret.
Two weeks after the troops of the Great Old One camped outside of
Rookroost, in a show of force, Pernevi died at the hands of assassins. The

7
following week the notices for the coming election were posted seeking
those interested in the position to come forward and announce their
intention. Only Mortoth proclaimed his intention to run. The response from
the city was unanimous and silent. They could not deny Mortoth the right
to run as it would delegitimize their whole structure of government. No one
wanted to run against him because they knew they would get no support
from the city's traditional power players. That was the day that the citizens
of Rookroost knew they had been conquered. The reins of power had been
handed to the Great Old One's minions, and not one battle for the defense
of Rookroost had been fought.
Despite being a half-fiend, Mortoth is not like most officers under the
command of Iuz. Standing six and a half feet tall, he is massively built, and
his skin is a deep crimson. Large ram-like horns curl out from the side of
his head, and he has a mane of jet-black hair. Mortoth also has a
pronounced under-bite with jutting tusks like a half-orc. He always dresses
in pristine armor and suits almost entirely in shades of red. Mortoth hates
humanoids, and demons even more, but tolerates them enough to work
with them. While his voice is deep and resounding, he does not raise it
without reason. While he seems a fair and even-minded man, he has been
known to fly into fits of rage, rages that he sometimes regrets after he has
calmed down. Mortoth fights with magic as well as melee prowess and
prefers to use a short spear in combat.
Mortoth did not wait long to begin exercising his authority as the new
General. His first act was to disband the Rookroost army, putting many
trained soldiers out of work. Then he marched his own personal troops, the
Red Guard, into the city to enforce the disbandment. The Hilltop Keep, the
traditional home of the officers of the army of Rookroost, now became the
headquarters of the Red Guard. It was feared that the unemployed soldiers
presented a serious threat to the stability of Rookroost, but Mortoth began
hiring on the best of these candidates into the Red Guard to swell its ranks.
Seemingly overnight, a large portion of men that had been dressed in the
black uniforms of the Rookroost army now wore the red uniforms of the
Red Guard.

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Kostana, Mortoth's second in command of the horde he led to Rookroost
for Iuz, began sending weekly reports of his activities to his superiors
Dorakaa. Despite this, Mortoth still remains in power. Kostana has heard
nothing from Dorakaa, or the Supreme Commander of the conquered
Bandit Kingdoms, Cranzer. Despite his fiendish side, Mortoth hates chaos
and despises the Iuz's empire. This leads to many questions of why he was
chosen as a field commander. It's a well-known fact that The Great Old
One's armies suffer nearly as many casualties from fighting amongst
themselves as they do fighting the enemy. Many point to this as the reason
Mortoth was given this command. The Wealth of Rookroost and the lands
of the Free Lords are valuable to Iuz's long term goals. The resources that
he pulls from these lands help to fuel his war machine on other fronts.
Seeking to strengthen his position, Mortoth has been in secret negotiations
with Chief Ulgun, formerly of the Horned Society. Ulgun leads one of the
largest and fiercest Hobgoblin tribes in the Horned Society's now-defunct
lands. Using the confusion of the coup that overthrew the Hierarchs, Ulgun
attacked rival Hobgoblin tribes catching them unaware. When the dust
settled, Iuz was in control of the lands of the Horned Society, but Ulgun
was the supreme commander of its hobgoblin armies. Not ready to take on
the Great Old One's hordes, Ulgun made an alliance with him, an alliance
he intends to break one day. Mortoth is close to convincing the orderly and
efficient hobgoblins to move into his lands and become the backbone of his
new kingdom. Until Mortoth has Ulgun's backing, however, the new
General of Rookroost waits and bides his time.

The Council of Lords

The secret to Rookroost's success was their three tiers of government. The
General is the figurehead of the city and the go-between for the marauding
gangs that founded it. The thieves guild, or Congress as they call
themselves, and is the only organization above the Council's authority. And
lastly, the guilds that make up the Council of Lords. These three factions
represent the most powerful groups in the city.

9
Unlike most cities, where the government tries to protect all their citizens,
the Council of Lord's only objective is to protect the city's guilded
members. The Guilds form the Council of Lords, and the Congress itself is a
recognized guild. Guilds pay dues to the city to be acknowledged as
chartered guilds, membership in one of these guilds are referred to as
being guilded.
Only guilded citizens have protection under the law. Only guilded citizens
can freely come and go, or live within, the Inner-City, or the Peak District.
Only guilded members can own property in these districts. Only guilded
citizens can engage in mercantile activities in these districts. Trafficking in
certain controlled goods and services such as alcohol, drugs, and weapons,
is also restricted to guilded citizens. Unguilded citizens caught trafficking
these items in quantity are severely punished unless they buy writs of
permission from the Council of Lords. This structure of government builds a
type of controlled lawlessness within the city. It also allows the Council of
Lords and the Congress to both operate and thrive within it.
Surprisingly, since the occupation, things have been running smoother than
ever before, as Mortoth's steady hand leads the city. He has enacted
changes that have all been unanimously approved by a Council too afraid
to say no. Where corruption was rampant and driving up costs, new
regulations have stifled these practices and increased productivity. Most
notably, changing the Talons, as the city guard is called, from the guilds'
personal guards into a legitimate peacekeeping force and giving the
Commandant of the Guard a seat at the Council of Lords.
All laws are made by and passed by the Council of Lords. They can also
strike down, amend, or change any laws that they find not working to their
liking. This is done with a simple majority vote of the Council. The Council
now has eight seats with the addition of the Lord of the Watch. So far, this
has not led to any deadlocks since the majority vote in line with Mortoth.
The Council of Lords is untouchable except by fellow council members. If a
council member is believed to have broken the law, other Lords of the
council have to level charges against them. To physically harm or steal

10
from a Lord is an automatic death sentence. This does not prevent Lords
from being assassinated if the price is right.

Who can be on the Council of Lords

When a vacancy opens on the Council of Lords, those interested in the
position declare themselves to the Council. These names are then posted in
Raven's Square, and after one week, a vote is held with all the guilded
citizens in the city getting one vote. After the voting is done, the results are
tallied, and the new council member is declared. Council members on the
Council of Lords hold their position for life, or until they retire, so the vote
is taken very seriously. Despite the seriousness of the event, there is a
large amount of vote-buying, promise-making, and intimidation
accompanying each election. Violence has broken out in the past, but the
Talons are there to ensure that large scale riots or brawls are put down
quickly.

The seats on the Council of Lords

The General: The General not only acts as the city's figurehead, but the
General is also its chief ambassador. Most importantly, he oversees all the
marauding gangs that are based out of Rookroost. In addition to these
responsibilities, the Governor is the top military commander of the
Rookroost army, which is now defunct. The army was a separate
organization from the city guard.
The 1st Lord of Merchants: The 1st Lord of Merchants is simply a cover
name for Rookroost's thieves guild, or as they call themselves, the
Congress. The oldest institution in Rookroost the Congress makes sure that
no illegal operations are being conducted against the Council of Lords or
chartered guilds without council approval.
The 2nd Lord of Merchants: The 2nd Lord of Merchants is the actual Lord
who oversees the merchant activity of Rookroost. They make sure that
trade is flowing and that no one guild can put together a monopoly on

11
trade within the city. The 2nd Lord of Merchants travels extensively to
other countries. He has even been to the domains of The Great Old One to
meet with their trade representatives.
The Lord of Arms: The lord of arms oversees the guilds and companies of
sellswords and mercenaries that call Rookroost home. The Lord of Arms
almost always comes from one of the established mercenary troops. This
was a lesson learned the hard way. Once a Money Lender bought his way
into the position, years ago, and was promptly killed in the street by
guilded mercenaries.
The Lord of Brick: The rather unflattering title of the Lord of Brick, is very
misleading as the Lord is one of the most influential and powerful members
of the Council. The Lord of Brick oversees the infrastructure of the city
itself. Called the hardest working Lord, the Lord of Brick has a steady list of
projects that he must find funding for. The Lord of Brick's real power lies in
the fact that the Bagmen, as the tax collectors are commonly called, all
report to The Lord of Brick. With the mundane nature of the job and its
need for bookkeeping, most people who end up filling this position come
from the tradesman class.
The Lord of Letters: Another seat on the Council of Lords with a less than
illustrious title is the Lord of Letters. In a city where the illiterate far
outnumbers the literate, it might seem like a useless position, and it would
be if all it had to do with were reading and signs. However, the Lord of
Letters oversees all communications and correspondents on an official
level. Still, more importantly, it manages the arcane practitioners of the city
and the mighty Guild of Wizardry. The Lord of Letters is always a member
of the Guild of Wizardry, although there has been an odd bard or priest in
the past to hold the position. The Lord of Letters' main concerns is making
sure that some fool wizard does not blow the place up or unleash a
magical plague.
The Lord of Tradesmen: The backbone of the city is its tradesmen. These
blacksmiths, fletchers, tanners, and a host of other tradesmen provide the
necessary skills to make Rookroost more than just a collection of brigands
and bandits looking to sell and trade ill-gotten gains. While the merchants

12
move the goods, the tradesmen transform the booty brought back to
Rookroost from raiding into things more easily sold in neighboring
kingdoms. The smiths who operate smelting forges are incredibly adept at
turning precious metal into bars. The Jewelers are highly skilled at cutting
gems into smaller stones. While the brigands and the bandits of Rookroost
could care less if their stolen merchandise is noticeable in neighboring
markets, the buyers do.
The Lord of Temples: This Lord Councilor is elected exclusively from
among the religious class's priests and clerics. Many of the city's temples
have open grudges against each other, and some deities even have an
open doctrine that is hostile to other religions. Despite this, there is one
god that all are indifferent towards or actively acknowledge the divinity of,
Istus, the goddess of fate. Since the beginning of the Council of Lords, the
Lord of Temples' seat has been filled by a priest or priestess of Istus.
The Lord of the Watch: The Lord of the Watch is the newest seat on the
Council of Lords and has upset many because it declawed the Council by
taking away its muscle. While the city guard's mission has not changed,
they are no longer under the command of the Council. The Lord of the
Watch has his own position among them and can now interpret the laws
and rulings of the Council as he sees fit. The city guard now has its own
source of revenue derived from the taxes levied from entry tolls paid when
entering the Inner-city and Peak districts. The city guard is no longer at the
whim and mercy of what the Council decides to give them for outfitting
and paying their guards.

Tips on Running Rookroost

Rookroost is a dangerous place and always has been. The home of bandits
and brigands it was founded by hard men and women who wanted to
enjoy their ill-gotten gains in peace. The most influential citizens and
businessmen banded together to form guilds. From those guilds, a
government was developed to ensure that everyone could do business in
Rookroost. While this government system is sufficient for the guilds, it did
little to protect those unaffiliated with them. This simple truth holds true

13
even today. Rookroost is a city for its guilded members. Those who are not
part of the system live without the benefits of citizenship.
The game master should keep this in mind whenever player characters
interact with NPC's and when NPC's interact with each other. All citizens
within the Peak, Inner-City, and Outer-City districts are supposed to be
guilded members. Unguilded members can purchase a pass for the day to
enter the Outer-City, but, only guilded members have access to the Inner-
City and Peak districts. Outwall is a whole other story as this section of
town is not patrolled or policed and is lawless. If an unguilded citizen were
to rob or assault, a guilded citizen, the penalty would be death. This helps
to keep people from blatantly attacking others if they are unsure of their
guild status.
Guilded citizens get special treatment in the city in the form of price breaks
and the law's protection. This distinction should be made apparent to
players right away. When shopping, looking for information, or selling
items, not being a guilded citizen will be evident in the price differences.
Unless the players plan on only staying for a short period of time, mostly in
Outwall, they should consider becoming members of a guild. Outwall is
larger than the other three districts combined. Still, despite the size
difference, the best shops and merchandise are found inside the city's
walled sections.
Most people in Ravensrook are paranoid and cautious by nature. Taking
someone just on their word is rare, and proof of one's intentions is
paramount. The presence of Talons is not a guarantee that violence will
not erupt if the violence is directed towards unguilded citizens. Squads of
Talons have watched robberies, and even murders occur right in front of
them if they knew the victims were unguilded.
During the day, Rookroost still has its share of disturbances and problems,
but these mostly occur in Outwall, and to a lesser extent, the Outer-City.
Violence in the Inner-City, and the Peak, is not tolerated even by guilded
citizens. Only the wealthiest and most powerful guilded citizens can get
away with it, and even then, it would draw a considerable amount of ire
from the Council of Lords.

14
Rookroost, after dark, is an entirely different city, as outlined in that
section. It should be made clear that no one likes to be caught out after
dark alone. Businesses close sharply at dusk with only taverns staying open
later. It is essential to impress upon players the change in the city's entire
demeanor after dark. Even the Peak district is not unaffected by this
change as no one travels by themselves after dark in Rookroost. Those
that must be out after dark generally do so accompanied by two to three
armed escorts or companions.
Another ever-present aspect of the city is the fact that the city is occupied
by enemy forces. The Red Guard can be seen moving about the city in
groups. Red Guards are treated with respect, but no one goes out of their
way to be overly courteous. Red Guards are never seen in a group smaller
than four, and they are always armed. Fortunately, Mortoth makes sure the
Red Guard are well behaved, and those that get out of line are punished
appropriately. The horde of humanoids that Mortoth commands is camped
several miles outside of the city, but only a limited number of them are
allowed into the city at any one time, and then only into Outwall.
Despite Mortoth's strict orders which keep his troops in line, there is still a
large amount of violence and sabotage against his forces. These acts are
usually performed by rebels and are outlined later. Because of this, citizens
are uneasy anytime the Red Guard or the humanoids of Iuz are about.

Chartered Guilds and Organizations

While the top of the political food chain is the Council of Lords and the
General, the foundation upon which it is built is the Chartered guilds.
Becoming a chartered guild requires the interested party to pay a fee, and
then the Council of Lords will vote on whether to grant them a charter. The
cost is not refundable, even if the applicant is denied. The fee generally
runs around one thousand gold pieces. The voting process is its own
powerplay because new guilds can erode the influence of existing guilds
and bolster others' positions. Because of this, bribes are often paid to the

15
Lords of the Council to help sway their vote. Bribes generally cost more
than the application fee. If approved, the guild will be put into the annuals
and gain the privileges of being a chartered guild. The most important
benefit of being a chartered guild is the tax break on their goods and
services, and access to the walled districts. Also, all their guild members
will now have protection under the law as guilded citizens.
Guilds generally charge a quarterly fee for membership. The benefits
beyond membership vary greatly depending on the guild. Most provide
work and resources to their members. However, there are some guilds that
exist simply to grant members the benefits of being guilded.

The Power Brokers

While the guilds of Rookroost rule the city through the Council of Lords,
some groups and organizations that are not guilds wield considerable
influence. Members in these groups are treated like guilded citizens even
though they are not simply because of their association with that group.
Influential groups like these are few, as the city, and the guilds, dislike
them being outside of the city's established power structure.

The Brae Clan – Halflings for Hire

The notorious Brae clan moved to Rookroost from Urnst roughly a hundred
years ago, fleeing the kingdom's authorities. The Brae Clan were not
unknown in the city as they had been funneling stolen goods to it for years
before moving there. The clan's arrival was no surprise as they had made
arrangements and sent gifts to the Congress, Rookroost's thieves guild,
letting them know they were coming. When they arrived, however, no one
expected the influence they would end up having. The Brae's as they are
known are not your average Halflings. True, they like the finer things in life
like most halflings, but they are not willing to work for it if they can use
their natural gifts to take it for themselves. Halfling thieves are not
uncommon, but what is uncommon about the Brae's is their tenacity.
Brae's are willing to fight anything or anyone that is in their way. Brae's are

16
fearless, and when mixed with their race's natural luck, they can be deadly
enemies, especially since there are so many of them. At last count, the
Brae clan numbered nearly two hundred in Rookroost, with smaller
branches of the clan found throughout the Bandit Kingdoms.
Once in Rookroost, they went right to work, and their reputation as
mercenaries grew quickly. The Brae's have never liked working for anyone
except themselves, still, the clan elders knew they would have to relocate
the clan again if they challenged Rookroost's power structure. As a result, a
deal was struck with the Congress allowing the Brae Clan to operate freely.
The agreement required that they not target Congress members and
cleared questionable jobs through them first. The Brae's disliked the
arrangement, but it quickly turned to their advantage as they became the
Congress's number one contractor.
Most people assume that a Halfling in Rookroost is a Brae, and most times,
they are correct. Those halflings in the city that are not a Brae will
eventually receive a visit from them, as the clan is always recruiting, and
they only hire halflings. These meetings are always cordial, but the Brae's
will let the halfling know that the only halflings that can work in town are
Braes. The Brae's will keep an eye on the halfling to make sure they
comply, and if they do not, it will trigger a less friendly visit from them.
The Brae Clan are currently on high alert because of the war and the
occupation of the city. There is even talk amongst the elders about possibly
moving back to their old stomping grounds down south. It has been so
long they feel that it's likely no one will remember them, but they have yet
to act on that plan.

The Congress - Rookroost's Thieves Guild

The first and oldest organization in Rookroost is the thieves guild or the
Congress as they call themselves after the term used for a ravens' flock.
Besides the standard brigands and bandits that flocked to Rookroost, a fair
number of individuals were skilled in more than just killing and beating a

17
man over the head. These men and women would make up the backbone
of what would eventually become the Congress.
Today the primary front for the Congress is the Benedict's Trading
Company. The trading company is a legitimate chartered merchant guild
and is staffed mostly by non-members of the Congress. Still, the back
rooms hide the inner working of the criminal organization. Besides
Benedict's the Congress has two dozen other safe-houses and storage
facilities throughout the city.
The current boss of the Congress is Elara Mornstar. While she pretends
that she is a simple merchant, everyone knows her real role within the city.
The recent war and subsequent occupation of the city took Elara by
surprise. In the end, it taught her just how unprepared the Congress was
for large scale calamities. She realized that she needed allies, so she
started looking for them within Rookroost and throughout the region. A
tense but stable relationship has formed between Elara and Mortoth, both
realizing neither are prepared if Iuz decides to change the current
situation. Mortoth realizes the Congress is the glue that keeps the city
together and functioning. Elara realizes that no one is coming to help them
or liberate them from the current situation. Mortoth might have wrestled
some power away from the Congress and the city, but he is still the enemy
in the end.

The Guard (Talons)

The third-oldest institution in Rookroost is the city guard, more commonly
called Talons. The Talons are unlike guards found in other cities because
their primary objective has never been to protect the citizens. Instead, the
Talon's duty is to protect the property and persons of guilded citizens.
Visitors to Rookroost who feel they have been slighted, robbed, or
assaulted, are shocked to find out the guard unwilling to help and
unsympathetic to those who are not guilded.

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The Talons' ranks have never been filled by the most adept or well-trained
individuals for the position. Mostly recruits have been those that received
their job through association to high ranking guild members. Others gained
their position through their reputation on the streets as someone to not be
messed with. This mixture made them unpredictable when it came to their
effectiveness. Corruption within their ranks was legendary and heavily
infiltrated by Congress stooges. In the early days, the Congress members
made it a point to cover up this connection, but things had grown so lax
that members of the Congress no longer cared. The Talons were supposed
to be the merchants' enforcement arm, but they never liked paying for it.
So, over the years, this led to an extremely corrupt institution even by
Rookroost's standards.
If you ask citizens today if any good has come out of the city's occupation,
most will say the reform of the city guard. Under Mortoth, the ranks of The
Guard were purged and refilled mostly by ex-members of Rookroost's
defunct army. In addition to purging the dead weight from its ranks,
Mortoth changed the command structure and removed it from answering
directly to the Council of Lords. A new Commandant was installed along
with his own seat at the council table. The position of Commandant was
filled from within, and not through election but by appointment from
Mortoth. These moves have changed a once laughable city guard into a
force that is respected and even feared to some extent.
The biggest loser in the reform of the Talons was the Congress. For the
most part before Mortoth's reform, they could conduct business unhindered
because the Talons were deep in their pocket. Little could be done about it
unless the General mobilized the army. Now they must be careful of the
Talons when conducting their nefarious work or run the risk of being
arrested. Members of the Congress arrested by the Talons are almost
always released but being detained can ruin a job.
The Talons' mission has not changed, and their primary duty is still the
protection of the persons and the goods of guilded citizens. Of course, they
might break up a mugging or a fight to check and see if anyone can prove
they are a guilded member, but then leave those participants alone if no
one is. Talons live either in barracks at The Nest, as the Guard Keep is
19
called, or have private housing subsidized by the city. The pay for Talons
was also increased by Mortoth to ensure loyalty and to try and help
prevent bribery. Each guard is outfitted with leather armor, a club/baton,
and a spear. Before Mortoth reorganized them, guards, simply wore black
armbands to distinguish themselves. Talons now wear a black surcoat with
the city's raven insignia emblazoned on the front in silver thread.

The Bagmen (Tax Collectors)

By far, the most hated of all organizations in Rookroost are the Bagmen.
They are called Bagmen because they always have several empty burlap or
leather sacks on their persons for collecting valuables from the residents of
those they visit. Bagmen report directly to the Lord of Brick, and only the
Lord of Brick knows their true identities. Bagmen wear burlap sacks on
their heads with eye holes cut into them when conducting official business
to conceal their identities. Bagmen come from all walks of life, and there is
no set type of person recruited into their ranks. The organization is mostly
covert with the bulk of its members merely spying on targets to track
assets and to make sure they know where and when to strike.

Among the Bagmen, a select group of thugs is tasked with the physical
extraction of wealth from guilded citizens delinquent on their taxes. These
goon squads are a mix of people and are chosen not just for their ability to
crack skulls, but also their ability to be discreet. While forced tax collection
is not uncommon, the dragging of a guild member's name through the
mud because of tax evasion is avoided when possible.
Recruits to the Bagmen are also the most vetted of all the official
organizations in the city. The Council of Lords realizing they need to keep
infiltration from the Congress down to a minimum. Bagmen are meant to
be impartial, and the collection of taxes is to be kept separate from current
politics.

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Bagmen generally wear no armor and carry nothing more than clubs and
daggers as their primary goal is not to inflict bodily harm but to collect
taxes. Each Bagman carries a unique silver coin with the Seal of their office
as an official Tax Collector. Not a foolproof method of identification and
counterfeit coins can be found, especially among those looking to
impersonate Bagmen to rob others. Impersonation of a Bagman, however,
carries the ultimate punishment in Rookroost, death.

The Red Guard

The Red Guard is a new addition to Rookroost and is the personal army of
The Lord Marshall Mortoth. In the Great Old One's realms, Mortoth is a
minor lord with lands and thus has his own army. Unlike the hordes of Iuz,
they are well trained and wear a standardized uniform of red. Because of
this, the Red Guard soldiers are easily distinguishable from the rabble that
makes up the bulk of the Great Old One's army. Another difference
between Mortoth's army and those of the Great Old One is that the vast
majority are either human or half-orc. While humans are not unknown in
the lands of Iuz, they are not the majority, and because of this, the bulk of
Mortoth's Red Guard has been recruited from lands outside the kingdom of
Iuz. Their weapons, armor, and fighting styles vary wildly, but all of them
are loyal to Mortoth. In addition to the ranks of armed mercenaries in the
Red Guard, Mortoth employs several wizards and a handful of priests of
Hextor, a god of war and battle.
Members of the Red Guard realize their lord is a power player within the
hierarchy of both the lands of Iuz and now Rookroost. Still, they have no
loyalty to either of those organizations. The Red Guard is loyal to Mortoth
and only Mortoth. There have been several attempts to infiltrate the tight-
knit organization by the Congress. Each time, it has led to public hangings
in Raven's Square. While a common sight in the city, the Red Guard does
not get involved in city affairs unless ordered. They do not act as a
secondary watch for the city and will not attempt to break up crimes if they
see them being committed.

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The Red Guard is stationed at The Slab, the old Rookroost army fortress
just outside of Outwall. A smaller contingency of Red Guards and the bulk
of the wizards, priests, and high-ranking officers live inside The General's
Tower in the Peak District, which they patrol and guard for Mortoth.

The Night Merchants

The night merchants are the name given to the teams of licensed collectors
of the dead. So-called because they mainly ply their trade after dark when
most deaths occur in the city.
To become a Night Merchant, the interested party much first buy a license,
which costs between 10 to 15gp for a year. This gives the licensed
individual the right to collect cadavers from the streets and turn them into
the House of the Dead at a 1gp per corpse rate. Night Merchants also
make spare coin from selling whatever they find on the bodies, which is
not much. Still, every now and again, some choice items are found.
The night merchants are feared like boogie men, and it is not totally untrue
that some of them have been known to murder people simply to turn their
bodies in for coin. The business is so good that competition between
groups of Night Merchants is not uncommon, and the body of a licensed
Night Merchant can be turned in for payment like any other.
While those who become Night Merchants don't have a uniform, most have
taken to the habit of wearing masks. These masks are usually of skulls,
demons and devils, and other scary creatures. The tradition goes back to
the earliest of the Night merchants and their desire not to be recognized
while doing their macabre work. Being known as a Night Merchant tends to
have an ill effect on one's social life as they are considered murders and
supernatural killers. At first, Night Merchants simply covered their faces
with scarves, but over time the tradition evolved into masks playing off the
natural uneasiness people have towards them. Night Merchants find that
playing up their bad reputation keeps others from interfering in their work.

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In addition to their masks, nearly all-Night Merchants have a small cart.
They either pull these carts themselves or have them drawn by pack
animals. These carts have also evolved from simple wooden carts into
elaborately decorated affairs with paintings and carvings, generally
depicting the afterlife. Some of the carts are even enchanted with runes of
protection against the undead
Not surprisingly, a fair number of Night Merchants are followers of Nurell,
and Wee Jas, two gods of death. There are rampant rumors of Night
Merchants collecting bodies to raise them later as undead, but if such a
thing were occurring, the city would put a quick stop to it.
Regardless of how or why a person becomes a Night Merchant, they are
nearly always very competent individuals, at the least the ones that last
are. Rookroost, after dark, is a perilous place even with their reputation to
help protect them.

The Army of The Great Old One

Grand Marshall Mortoth only leads one of four armies that invaded the
Bandit Kingdoms. One was designated to invade the western lands, one
headed to the Heartlands and the Rift Canyon region. At the same time,
another was tasked with trying to clear out the giant forest of the Fellreev,
leaving Rookroost to Mortoth. Of these four armies that invaded, only two
remain. The army that attacked the west was withdrawn after treaties with
Chief Ulgun, head of the Hobgoblin confederation, secured their western
border. The army tasked with the emptying of the Fellreev was annihilated,
leaving only Mortoth's and the army lead by Cranzer, which destroyed the
heartlands and is camped around the Rift Canyon.
Officially, Cranzer, a dark sorcerer, is the commander for all of the Bandit
Kingdoms, but Mortoth pays the wizard no attention. With the departure of
the demons that had been so effective in subduing the Free Lords now
banished, Cranzer's forces are little more than a horde of unruly
humanoids. Cranzer would love to beat Mortoth into submission or even

23
crush him and his private army, but the rebels and freedom fighters in the
Rift Canyon and the Fellreev keep him fully occupied.
In addition to bands of former bandits, Cranzer is dealing with insurgents
from the lands of Furyondy, The Shield Lands, Urnst, and remnants of the
Horned Society looking to undermine the region and deny the Great Old
One the resources they plunder from it.

With Mortoth busy controlling Rookroost, his horde's running fell to his 2nd
in command, Kostana. Staying with tradition, when it comes to assigning
command of armies, Mortoth was paired with a power-hungry subordinate
to keep him on his toes. Within the chaos that is the lands of the Great Old
One, there is a firm belief that the best results come when fear is a
motivator. Despite Kostana's ambition, Mortoth has no fear of her and has
shown open contempt towards her, while fear of Mortoth undermines
Kostana's attempts to sew dissension among its ranks.

Kostana has tried setting up a spy network within Rookroost to keep tabs
on Mortoth, but those few she has been able to place without the Congress
finding out about have given her minimal intelligence. The ambitious half-
orc reports all that she thinks might be traitorous back to Dorakan;
unfortunately, she has yet to hear anything back or be given permission to
oust Mortoth. Not even Cranzer trusts in her ability to spy on Mortoth and
refuses to join her in these attempts.

Kostana spends most of her time leading detachments of Mortoth's horde

on various sorties into neighboring lands and putting down uprisings within
the eastern half of the Free Lords' Lands. Toth has even sent her on
several occasions into the Fellreev forest, missions that always lead to high
casualties hoping that Kostana might fall to the rebels hiding there.

The Merchants League

The Merchants League of Rookroost lost much of the influence they once
had, but their coin can still buy a lot, making them dangerous to cross.
Many of the precautions they installed in the government to ensure their
authority endured have eroded. Infiltration from the Congress and
corruption from within was inevitable. Things have become so bad that
most of the high-ranking guilds in the league hire their protection in the

24
form of mercenary troops and spies instead of trusting the government
they were instrumental in forming.

The Generalship had always been a staunch ally of the Merchant League,
and the two worked hard to help counterbalance the power of the
Congress. This tactic sometimes worked if the sitting General was like-
minded, but not all were, and some preferred the easy coin of looking the
other way. Despite the back and forth power struggle with the Congress,
the thieves guild never strangled the Merchants League to the point that
they were not profitable. The Congress always knew that they thrived
when the Merchants League thrived.

The Merchants League, which is a collection of the most prosperous and

merchant guilds in the city, has always been the destination of merchants
looking to strike it rich. The wealth that one can make in Rookroost is well
known, and it attracts thousands of merchants from neighboring and far
off nations. Most of them end up destitute, and a fair amount end up dead,
but the allure of fast money keeps a steady stream of them coming. The
flow of these merchants slowed considerably during the war. Still, now that
it's been over five years since the treaties were signed ending it, they have
been coming in even higher numbers as the war created a more significant
amount of desperate men and women looking to earn fortunes.

Merchants coming to Rookroost looking to strike it rich have first to find a

guild willing to take them on or have enough resources of their own to
start a guild and go freelance. The Merchants League funnels the ill-gotten
goods from the bandits and brigands back into the very nations they
plundered.

The power brokers within the Merchants League is in constant flux as

merchants come, strike it rich, and leave. Merchants also tend to get killed
in deals gone bad or merely rubbing people the wrong way. Even the most
influential merchants are not immune to this, although it is rare.

While the Congress is always looking for muscle to employ, so is the

Merchants League. The League funds expeditions and raiding parties if
they feel like the return is worth it, and they are continually looking for
guards for their caravans leaving Rookroost.

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The Guild of Wizardry
One of the later additions to the power structure in Rookroost was the
Guild of Wizardry. While there had always been the odd spellcaster in the
city, the most famous being Uhltrix the Unwise, they had been more a
motley collection of wizards and sorcerers looking out for themselves.
Uhltrix worked with many of the brigand and bandit groups and regularly
dealt with Valtavian. Uhltrix outlived Valtavian, though, and his original
tower in the Peak is still standing and acts as the Guild of Wizardry's
headquarters. No one knows what happened to Uhltrix, but his apprentices
are the wizards that formed the Rookroost’s Guild of Wizardry.

Once Uhltrix disappeared, his apprentices soon found the respect they had
enjoyed previously was because of the fear the brigands had of their
master. Once enough time had passed, and everyone had become
convinced Uhltrix was not coming back, the pressure was put on his
apprentices to join other guilds. Questions over ownership of Uhltrix's
tower arose as many of the powerful guilds sought to claim it. The
apprentices knew to ensure their freedom; they would need to stick
together, so they declared themselves the Guild of Wizardry and began
conducting business as such.

Elshore, Uhltrix's senior apprentice, took control of the guild, and began
offering services at standard rates. Still, in a place like Rookroost, your
credibility on the streets means everything, and the wizards at the new
guild were more academic. Because none of the current members of the
guild had fried anyone on the streets with magic, they were still hounded
by those looking to get at the treasures supposedly in Uhltrix's tower. With
so much attention targeting them, they rarely left the tower, and when
they did, it was under heavy escort.

As word spread of the new Guild of Wizardry in Rookroost, the Bandit

Kingdoms' wizards flocked to join a guild of like-minded individuals and
have some semblance of safety. One of them was named Razohr the
Grim. Not long after Razhor joined the ideas of pilfering the tower and
bullying, the guild's members changed. Razohr was not just the most
powerful wizard in the lands of the Free Lords; he was also one of its most
notorious assassins. A deadly half-elven man with a reputation for being

26
ruthless when paid, Razohr saw the value of an active Guild for Wizardry in
Rookroost. When he became a member of the guild, the guild
automatically got a degree of respect that the city's roguish types could
understand and respect.

The Days of Elshore and Razohr are long gone, but Riziln, the head of the
Guild of Wizardry and the Lord of letters, has led the guild for fifty years.
Riziln has taken painful steps to ensure that the Guild of Wizardry remains
neutral and above the everyday struggle that is life in Rookroost. The
conquest of the city by Mortoth and the Great Old One's minions has tested
this stance. Riziln was unsure if they would throw in with the city to defend
it, or simply pick up and leave for other less volatile lands. Fortunately,
they never had to make such a choice as the city agreed to sign a peace
treaty. The peace treaty allowed her to begin making plans for a possible
future departure if necessary.

Rizlin has been pleased with Mortoth's changes, and the two have a
mutually beneficial relationship, much to the chagrin od Elara and the
Congress. Riziln has taken all of these possibilities into consideration, and
while she has not given her complete backing to Mortoth, she has allied
with him in keeping the city safe.

The goal of the Guild of Wizardry is to become a place where practitioners

of the arcane arts can gather and conduct their experiments and studies
unhindered. Necromancy, mind control, and a list of other magics frowned
upon in other lands are considered simply different magic forms to be
learned and studied at the guild. Wizards who desire this type of freedom,
and camaraderie, still move to Rookroost to conduct their studies.

The Guild of Wizardry sells their spells to those who can afford them and
are in good standings with them. Like most things in Rookroost, you need
to be a guilded citizen for a request for a spell even to be entertained, and
even then, there is no guarantee that you will be able to purchase one.

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 Spell Level Spell Cost
Cantrip 50 GP
1st Level 200 GP
2nd Level 400 GP
3rd Level 850 GP
4th Level 1,000 GP

*NOTE: Spells above level 4 can be acquired, but there are no set rates or
prices. Spells of higher than 4th level need to be negotiated if allowed at
all. The Lord of Letters having the last word on these transactions.

The Temples

Wherever people gather, the gods they worship are not far behind, and
Rookroost is no exception. While the gods worshiped in Rookroost are a
motley bunch, they are openly worshiped. One might think that this type of
religious freedom is refreshing, but it has led to open hostilities between
different faiths. This hostility, which could flare up at a moment’s notice,
was the main reason the Council of Lords added the Lord of Temples' to
the council. This figurehead helps them to mediate differences and settle
qualms between the faiths nonviolently. Of course, this does not mean that
the animosities between rival gods have disappeared, just that it has
become more discrete and gone underground.

Initially, no such position was considered for the Council of Lords because
no one believed priests would listen to anyone except their patrons on how
to conduct themselves. Of all the gods worshiped within Rookroost, only
one is acknowledged by all the faiths; Istus, goddess of fate. Being in her
graces is said to open more doors of opportunity for a worshiper, while
angering, or mocking her, limiting one's possibilities. Regardless of the
validity of these beliefs, no one wishes to have a life of limited opportunity.
Since she speaks nothing against other deities, she is worshiped widely
even by those that venerate other gods. Because of this, the position of
the Lord of Temples has been held by a priest of Istus since its inception.

The Lord of Temples helps to make sure that all holy days and festivals do
not impede the city's everyday traffic and business. While some religious

28
rites can be unsavory, none are outlawed so long as they are performed in
private. The Lord also helps organize all large festivals and gatherings, with
the majority held outside the city walls.

There are occasions when the different religions unite to throw their
collective force behind a cause, usually in opposition to some religion's
rights being taken away, like worshippers of Nerull right to give blood
sacrifices in public. All the faiths realize that once one of them loses their
rights, it could cause a domino effect. Despite these odd moments of
solidarity, the temples are a diverse collection of independent churches and
temples.

The Rebel Scum

Rookroost being the largest of the cities found in the Free Lords lands is
considered the unofficial capital of the region. The Great Old One realized
this and placed high importance in taking it intact. Iuz had no desire to see
this gem destroyed when he could reap the benefits of its resources. The
sensitivity of capturing and holding the city is believed to be why Mortoth
was handpicked to capture it. Most of Iuz's other generals could not be
trusted not to destroy it in the process. Rookroost's strategic importance to
the Great Old One's empire is not lost on his enemies either. Because of
this, several resistance and rebel groups operate within the city.

While Iuz is a foul and evil being that commands hordes of terrible
humanoids and demons, not all his foes are fighting for justice and
freedom. The resistance groups that sprung up from the Free Lords'
destroyed kingdoms were far from shining examples of good. Unlike in the
Rift Canyon, and the Fellreev Forest Rookroost has no significant resistance
group made up of local fighters.

The Congress tries to keep tabs on the rebel groups as best they can, and
when possible, they will pass on the locations of any resistance groups to
Mortoth. To the Congress, it is in their best interest to keep Mortoth in
power, at least for now. If the winds should change, and it appears that
the minions of the Great Old Ones might be ousted, they would most
certainly turn from hampering these resistance groups to helping them.

29
They currently allow some groups to exist in Rookroost, but only so long as
their influence and numbers are not significant. If one begins to get out of
hand, the Congress takes measures to keep them in check.

Below are the major factions in the resistance that are currently active and
attempting to destroy or interfere with all Iuz's plans whenever they can.

Furyondy

Chief among the Great Old One's rivals on the battlefield is the kingdom of
Furyondy. Located southwest of the Free Lords' lands, Furyondy interacted
little with them. Now with the Bandit Kingdoms helping to fuel the armies
of Iuz they have become a major target of covert operations to disrupt all
assistance flowing from there.

To help destabilize the region, bands of spies from Furyondy, often lead by
paladins and priests of Trithereon, the god of freedom, have moved
infiltrated the city. A group headed by a paladin named Arnol Marsh leads
the freedom fighters within Rookroost. Marsh's main job is to destabilize all
aid that would be heading from Rookroost to the empire of Iuz. Including
the quarterly tribute collected in the region and sent to Dorakaa. In
addition to hampering with the delivery of tribute, the Furyondian
resistance fighters act as saboteurs. Marsh also attempts to gather as
much intelligence on the Free Lords' realms' activities and send it back to
Furyondy.

While Marsh hates the people of Rookroost and the Free Lords, he hates
the Great Old One's minions even more. Despite this hatred, he realizes
that his mission comes first, and all under his command realize that tipping
their hand of being Furyondy agents is not acceptable. Marsh and his
people often will plant evidence at the scenes of their attacks to mislead
Mortoth's men into thinking it is either the Horned Society's agents or even
sometimes the resistance fighters from the Shield Lands.

Marsh knows Beanor Borralis, the Shield Land's resistance fighters' leader
in Rookroost, but has only met him twice. Marsh does not coordinate jobs

30
with Borralis as he thinks that the man is far too wild and unpredictable
and would draw undue attention to his people.

The Shield Lands

One of the worst-hit lands during the Greyhawk Wars was the kingdom of
the Shield Lands. The Shield Lands' lords rose from a collection of smaller
nations that banded together to protect themselves from their neighbors.
The glue that kept them together was the widespread worship
of Heironeous, a god of justice, honor, war, and courage.

More than half of the Shield Lands now lies in their enemies' hands and has
been for nearly seven years. While the war is technically over, skirmishes
along the border are frequent. It is a well-known secret that both sides are
merely licking their wounds and preparing for future hostilities.

The Shield Lands sends small bands of agents into their former lands to
fight a continuous subterfuge and resistance battle. The occupying
humanoids easily root out most. The Bandit Kingdoms are far easier to
infiltrate and operate in with its high volume of rebels and resistance
fighters. These resistance fighters either join forces with or simply merge
quietly with these rebels to help them carry the fight to Iuz.

In Rookroost, one such band is led by a fiery and hot-tempered fighter

named Beanor Borralis. Beanor is a man with a death wish, and he intends
to go out in the biggest ball of destruction that he can orchestrate. Despite
this death wish, Borralis, realizes that he still has a job to do in Rookroost,
and until he can find a suitable way of accomplishing his mission, he bids
his time and tries to disrupt as much of the Great Old Ones plans as
possible. Borralis has attempted to waylay the tribute caravan to Dorakaa
seven times and failed each time at great cost.

Borralis sees the use of fear as a weapon, and unlike his counterpart, Arnol
Marsh from Furyondy, Borralis, and his people often leave a calling card in
the form of the symbol of Heironeous carved or painted onto the corpses
they leave behind.

31
The Horned Society

The Great Old One's demon and humanoid hordes were not the only feared
nation in the region before the Greyhawk Wars; the lands of the Horned
Society had grand plans of empire themselves. A more orderly land than
the Empire of Iuz, the Horned Society, was methodical in its preparedness
and conquest plans. Run by a council of 13, known as Hierarchs, they also
employed armies of humanoids but preferred the more organized and
reliable Hobgoblins over orcs. Many considered them a greater threat than
Iuz, at least until most of the thirteen were assassinated and the whole of
their lands taken over in a nearly bloodless coup.

While the coupe eliminated most of the Hierarchs, a few were able to
anticipate or survive the assassination attempts and flee. No one is sure
how many survived, but Hierarch Nezmajen, a priest of Nerull, fled to the
Fellreev with a small band and has been recruiting and reorganizing there.

Nezmajen sees the Bandit Kingdoms as a linchpin to helping regain the lost
territories of the Horned Society. The Free Lords provide needed supplies,
resources, and more reliable troops for the Great Old One's war machine.
Without them, Iuz's plans for domination would fall flat and grind to a halt.
Wishing to destabilize the region, which needs little encouragement,
Nezmajen has sent small groups of saboteurs and assassins to critical
locations in the Bandit Kingdoms, with Rookroost being of particular
interest.

Heading Nezmajen's efforts inside the city is Karst, a half-drow assassin.

Karst is sly and cunning and recruits via third person most of her
operatives. She relies on small bands of loyal Horned Society operatives to
help her coordinate them. Rookroost is ideal for this kind of tactic as the
city is overflowing with desperate men and women looking to make quick
coin. Karst's favorite tactic is having her operatives pose as members of the
Congress when recruiting for missions as it redirects attention and helps to
sow the seeds of dissent.

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The Rule of Guilded and Unguilded Law
The Bandit Kingdoms' lands are a chaotic place at best, and Rookroost is a
prime example. While some places have a semblance of law and order,
none would be your typical law and order found in other places of the
Flanaess. Rookroost has plenty of laws and regulations, but none of them
apply to everyone in the same fashion. There are two completely separate
sets of laws: one for guilded citizens, and one for everyone else.

Guilded Law
The laws passed by the Council of Lords are not designed to benefit
ordinary citizens but the members of guilds instead. The guilds and
factions want to ensure that no one can take their possessions or harm
them without repercussion; they also don't want to include everyone in
their little club. Robbers and thieves founded the city, and the idea of not
being able to steal from someone legally was unappealing to the cities
founders.

Anyone that steals from a guilded member, and gets caught, must return
or reimburse the victim for the total amount of stolen or damaged
property. In addition to the reimbursement, the magistrates of the Courts
of Rookroost can levy a fine. Fines are determined by the magistrate, with
half of the fine going to the city coffers, and a half to the victim of the
crime. Those who cannot pay will either be sentenced to forced labor or,
more likely, sold into slavery. At no time will a criminal be in danger of
going to jail if they have the resources to pay everyone off. Even in death
cases, the offender will be forced to pay the amount determined by the
magistrate. With most minor crimes, the capture and payment of fines can
all occur on the streets or where the crime occurred. Guilded members are
only taken to jail when the crime is severe or do not have the coin to pay
the fine. Guilded members are allowed to send a message to have the
funds delivered to the jail so they can be released. When a crime is
committed between a guilded member and an unguilded member, the
punishment is usually the same, except there is typically a period of forced
labor accompanying the fine for the unguilded.

Due to the unfairness of the system and the steep cost of seeking legal
justice, assassins are in high demand for dispensing vengeance for those
who feel the courts can not satisfy them.

33
Crime and Punishment
The courts of Rookroost are headed by magistrates appointed by the
Council of Lords and are, of course, guilded citizens. Most cases rarely go
to trial, having fines paid out instead. Magistrates cannot have membership
in the same guild as the plaintiff or defendants in a trial they oversee.
Magistrates are appointed to terms of three years, after which they must
be reappointed. How much coin a magistrate generates for the city through
their rulings has a direct influence on their being reappointed. Heavy-
handed Judges generally do not work out as well as those that are willing
to find common ground. The city always has thirteen active magistrates.

With the legal system being such a sham, there are no lawyers in
Rookroost because there is no real litigation, only compromise. However,
some legal scholars that can advise clients how best to bribe their way out
of their charges do exist.

The following list of crimes are punishable when committed by either a

guilded or unguilded citizen. Each offense has a fine connected to it, along
with a possible work sentence and other punishments.

Arson – In arson cases, those charged with a crime are forced to pay for
damages and a fine of 50 to 100gp. In arson cases with losses greater
than 20gp a sentence of 1 to 4 years of forced labor, or a penalty of 100gp
per year sentenced may be levied.

Assault – Assault is a common crime, especially in a city like Rookroost

full of brigands and bandits. Most assaults will generally result in little more
than a fine of 1 to 20gp and a night in jail, but for more serious assaults,
which usually means influential people were hurt, the fine can be as much
as 100 to 200gp and up to 1 to 2 years of forced labor.

Burglary and Theft – Crimes of burglary and theft are only enforced
when the victims are guilded citizens. If convicted of this crime, the
condemned must repay the stolen items' value, and any property damaged
a result of the burglary or theft. Fines range from 50gp to 100gp, and

34
forced labor is generally only enforced with the inability to pay fines. The
minimum time sentenced is one year, with additional years added per
1,000 gp of value stolen.

Damaging Property – The crime of property damage is only enforced if

the property is that of a guilded citizen. Those convicted of this crime must
pay the cost of repairing or replacing said property and pay a fine of 50 to
100gp.

Importing of Controlled items – The term, controlled items, refers to

things that cannot be imported into the city to resell. These items are the
sole domain of guilds that have obtained a charter to do so. These items
are as follows.
· Magical Items
· Drugs
· Slaves
· Consumables – Drink/Food/Spirits
· Weapons and armor
Anyone caught smuggling in these items without the proper authority will
have all the items confiscated without compensation. A fine of 10gp per
100gp of value in goods smuggled into the city is also levied. Permission to
deal in these goods is obtained through the Council of Lords in the form of
a writ of import. A Writ of Import generally costs either 100gp per
shipment or 1,000gp for a full year. A writ can be obtained through the
offices of the Lord of Merchants.

Practicing Magic Within the city in public- The use of magic is

controlled within the city since the time of Latavius. Public displays of
magic are illegal without the Lord of Letters' permission in the form of a
Writ of Practice. Getting a Writ of Practice is relatively easy, provided the
magic performed is not dangerous and easily contained. A Writ of Practice
is good for one day from sunup to sundown. The writ's cost depends on
the type of magic performed, in other words, the level of the magic. The
charge of the writ is 100gp per level. With 1st level magic being 100gp,
2nd level being 200gp, and so on. Purchasing a Writ of Practice at a third
level will allow you to perform magic of lower levels on the same day as
well. Performing cantrips has a cost of 50gp for the day.

35
Casting within the privacy of one’s own home is allowed if that person is a
member of the Guild of Wizardry.

Casting of magic that directly or indirectly affects others - If

someone casts magic that directly affects another person, then the victim
is entitled to a settlement of roughly 100gp per level of the spell provided
they were not a willing participant. The caster will also suffer a fine of
100gp per level of the spell and pay for any damages. If a guilded citizen's
death occurs from an unauthorized spell, the spell's caster will be hanged.
The death of an ungilded citizen carries an additional fine of 500gp. These
strict sentences, of course, depends on those involved. Members of the
Guild of Wizardry have some leeway and are rarely held accountable for
this behavior unless it is against other guilded citizens. If the caster is
guilded and the victim an unguilded citizen, then only a fine is levied.

Magical Interference of Authority – Surprisingly, the use of magic to

impede or interfere with the functions of the Rookroost government has a
much stricter punishment leveled against it than the casting of magics in
the city against citizens. The Council of Lords agrees that the greatest
threat to it, at least after the hordes of Iuz, is allowing magic to go
unchecked when it comes to the collection of taxes. There is a strict ban on
glamours, illusions, and all mind-altering magic outside of spells sanctioned
by the Lord of Letters.

The typical fine of 100gp per level of the spell still applies, but a minimum
of one year of forced labor is attached to these fines per level of the spell.
Thus a 3rd level spell would have a three-year sentence and a 4th level
spell a four-year sentence.

Scrying, illusion, and non-detection spells are only permissible if authorized

with a Writ of Practice. When petitioning for these spells the council will
usually only permit the casting to be performed by a member of the Guild
of Wizardry.

Murder – Murder is common in the Outer City and Outwall but uncommon
in the Inner City and rare in the Peak. Those guilded citizens, with
membership in a well-established guild, expect a fair amount of protection

36
for the coin, which translates into an increased presence of Talons in the
Inner-City and The Peak.

Unsurprisingly, if a guilded citizen murders a non-guilded citizen, there is at

best only a fine levied against them. This fine is usually no more than
50gp. However, it depends on where that murder occurred. While it’s
harder for non-guilded citizens to gain access to the Inner City and the
Peak, they are safer there regardless of their citizenship status. A murder
carried out in the Outer-City would be 100gp fine while in the Inner-City,
the fine would be 200gp and a year of forced labor. In the Peak, the fine
jumps to 500gp and six years of forced labor. Non-guilded citizens
sentenced with committing murder in the Inner-City and the Peak are
hanged.

CHART OF CRIMES AND FINES AND PUNISHMENTS

Incarceration – When charged with imprisonment, or forced labor,

prisoners are taken to the Slab. Originally built to house Rookroost's army,
the walled was eventually transformed into a prison as the army outgrew

37
it. It is a sturdy structure constructed out of large granite blocks shipped in
from the Rift Canyon. It gets its nickname from the fact that it is a rather
plain-looking keep with no adornments or style to it. Located in Outwall,
the Slab looms over the nicest neighborhoods of that district. The proximity
to the prison and the comings and goings of the Talons stationed there
makes this section of Outwall less chaotic than the rest. A detachment of
Talons is stationed here as the guards of the prison.

If the convicted cannot pay off their fines at the time of their trial, they are
taken to the Slab to work off their fines or serve their sentence. Even after
entering the Slab to serve their sentence, a convict can still pay off any
labor sentence.

Guilds
While the Congress might be the power behind the scenes, the guilds are
still the lifeblood of Rookroost. The city would be nothing more than a
collection of tents, brothels, and taverns if it were not for the guilds who
helped turn the place into what it is.
It is a common misconception that there is only one guild for a craft or
service. The truth is many guilds make up the larger super guilds that
dominate the city. There are also many smaller stores and shops
unaffiliated with the guilds in Outwall, and some in the Outer-City. The
super guilds are, however, the ones that are detailed below in greater
detail, while the smaller ones are left up to the judge or game master to
flesh out and use as they see fit.
Unaligned guilds are far more likely to fall victim to being robbed and
bullied by the city's criminals. Those owners who can hire guards, but most
simply live in their stores and guard them themselves. Those who live in
Outwall are in constant vigilance and fear of someone kicking in their door
to rob them. The best security for the money is dogs, and the Rookroost
Hound is a breed of dog that has been bred over the centuries to be a
fierce and loyal guard dog. Unfortunately, no matter how well trained a
hound is, it is still no guarantee that they can keep every burglar at bay.
The hounds themselves can be a burden, and there are packs of stray dogs

38
that roam Outwall and can be dangerous to children and smaller
humanoids or solitary citizens.

The Apothecaries and Herbalists Guild – The apothecaries and

herbalists guild are highly regarded and respected by all the other guilds in
Rookroost. In a highly divided city such as Rookroost, the guild is known
for its neutrality when dealing with the public, something that cannot be
said for most other guilds. Their potions and poultices are for all that can
afford them. While most of their wares are not cheap, they tend to keep
the prices fair, which surprises most in a city known for its greed. The
guild's fairness is attributed to Mauldren Borrow, a kind and elderly druid
who has been the guilds leader for the past thirty years.
The Apothecaries and Herbalist’s Guild is on good terms with the Guild of
Wizardry, and several residents hold membership in both organizations.
Usually, this would be a problem in other guilds, but the wizards and
apothecaries are not rivals.
While the apothecaries and herbalists produce many magical items, their
main stock in trade is non-magical remedies and products. These non-
magical remedies are bought in significant quantities by the city's barbers
and dentists, which is another guild they have a strong relationship with.
The Apothecaries guildhall, which doubles as their storefront, is in the
Inner City. The guild also employs a wagon that acts as a mobile
dispensary that travels through Outwall and the Outer-city several times a
week. The wagon, of course, is well guarded.

39
Non-Magical Substances
Substance Cost Per
Dose
Anti-poison 100 GP
Common
Anti-poison 500 GP
Uncommon
Anti-poison Rare 1,000 GP
Balm 100 GP
Elixir 1,000 GP
Fortifier 100 GP
Liniment 50 GP
Philtre 500 GP
Restorative 100 GP
Spirit 500 GP
Stimulant 100 GP

Anti-Poison: In a city full of shady individuals as Rookroost, poison is

easy to come by, and poisonings are an everyday occurrence. Common
toxins are from local sources, and symptoms and side effects are well
known, and anti-poison to counter these poisons are relatively easy to
make. However, poisons with harder to find ingredients will, of course,
drive up the price. If the anti-poison is taken within one round after
exposure, it can counteract the poison removing the poisoned effect.
NOTE: anti-poisons will always work against common poisons, but there is
a 10% chance that it will be ineffective against an uncommon poison, and
20% it could be ineffective against a rare poison. The reason for this is the
vast number of poisons that the apothecary must try and counter, of which

40
no apothecary is 100% aware or versed in. In addition to this, the poison
dosage can drastically affect the way an ant-poison might work. These
variables are summarized in the percentage chance that the rarer the
poison, the greater the possibility that the anti-poison might not work.
Balm: A balm is a fragrant or aromatic ointment spread upon the skin to
dilute a topical poison spread. When applied, it will give a +1 to poison
saves, and can 1/2 the duration of the poison effect, and provide the
patient resistance to the poison damage. The balm results last for the
duration of one long rest before needing to be reapplied.
Elixir: A tincture or medicine consisting of a sweetened alcoholic solution
of a small quantity of the drug or drugs, thus compounded. Patients who
ingest an elixir will receive a +1 to saves vs. poison and diseases and
decrease the duration of the poison or disease's effects. Patients taking an
elixir will have resistance to damage taken from the poison or disease
during the period while they have ingested the elixir. If taken over two
days, it will cure the poison or diseased patient if the substance's duration
has not run its course. The elixir can only be administered once per long
rest.
Fortifier: A medicine that fortifies the patient taking it from contracting a
disease or ailment. Patients taking the fortifier will receive a +1 to any
saving throw to resist the effects of a disease or illness for the duration of
one long rest before needing to be reapplied.
Liniment: An oil medicine, a type of liquid ointment, used to treat
ailments of the skin such as bruises, lacerations, or burns. If applied to an
affected area, it will increase the area's healing by allowing the reroll of a 1
or 2 for the number of hit points regained by the patient. This applies to
magical healing and the taking of hit dice during a rest. The liniment can
only be used once per short or long rest.
Philtre: A potion or type of charm used to bring about magical effects and
cures. While wearing a Philtre to ward against a specific kind of effect or
ailment, the character will receive a +1 to saving throws against the type
of effect that the philtre is specifically designed for. Examples of common
Philtres aid in saving throws against poison, disease, cold, fire, acid,

41
physical exertion (strength checks). Philtres will retain their potency for one
month's time per 1,000gp spent on the philtre. Philtre's that have lost their
potency can have them rejuvenated by an alchemist at the cost of 500gp
for each additional month.
Restorative: A lotion, poultice, potion, or similar substance that restores
the loss of sight or hearing due to a disease or ailment. The patient
receives a +1 to all saving throws to recover from their vision effects once
per application. Applications cannot exceed more than one dose per 24
period. Only one bonus per save per application occurs.
Spirit: A spirit is a substance consumed usually in a liquid form that allows
the patient to ignore the effects of an injury or ailment during the duration
of the spirits' effect. The spirit does not aid in healing the injury or ailment
but will allow the patient to ignore its effects for the duration while the
spirit is taking effect, which lasts no longer than one short rest. Each
subsequent use of the spirit requires an additional dose to be effective until
a maximum of three treatments have been reached, after which time the
spirit will no longer retain its potency. Spirits do not mask the effects of
blindness or deafness or any magically induced side effects such as charm,
hold person or feeble mind.
Stimulant: A lotion, poultice, potion, or similar substance that, once
applied, induces an effect that bolsters their ability to perform physical
saving throws for the duration of one long rest. During this time, the
patient will receive a bonus of +1 to any STR, CON, or DEX saving throw
that they perform for the duration that they are under the stimulant's
effects. A period of one long rest without use of the substance must be
allowed between applications to avoid a wisdom saving through to resist
becoming addicted to the substance. Each period of use without a long rest
will require a DC 10 +1 per use without a long rest to avoid becoming
addicted. For example. Using the stimulant three times in a row will require
a DC 13 saving throw to avoid becoming addicted. Multiple uses of the
stimulant do not increase the potency of the saving throw bonus above the
+1. Patients becoming addicted to the stimulant will suffer a -1 to all INT,
WIS, and CHR saving throws until a period of time equal to the number of

42
does taken consecutively in long rests has elapsed. At that time, the
patient returns to normal.

The Architects Guild – This small and exclusive guild has an office in the
Inner City and works exceptionally close with the Lord of Brick, who is the
guilds, principal employer. The Architects guild is known for its simple yet
highly functional designs. In a city like Rookroost, it is essential that your
buildings last with only intermittent repairs at best, and the Architects guild
specializes in such structures.

The Assassins Guild – The assassin's guild has been a part of the
Congress in the past, but each time the assassin’s guild is assimilated by
them, another one pops into existence to take its place as an independent
entity. Despite the Congress' desire to have a monopoly on the professional
killing business, there are far too many organizations that need these kinds
of services, and many of them are not on the best of terms with the
Congress.
The current assassin’s guild has been in independent operations for just
over twenty years, and it appears the inhabitants of Rookroost wish to
keep it that way. The Assassins Guild takes significant steps to ensure that
they stay independent from the local political scene because being seen to
favor any organization is bad for business. It is commonly believed that the
assassins guild carried out the deaths during the Night of the Silent Deaths.
Of course, no proof was found to prove this, and no one is willing to
publicly accuse them of it and draw the ire of these professional killers.
A building known as The Black House is the public office of the guild. It's a
small, unassuming building in the Outer-City. The people that work there
are go-betweens that relay the work to the assassins through drops and
couriers. The actual members of the guild are secret, and if a particular
member is outed, they are dismissed from the guild. While a rare
occurrence, those ousted usually find employment with the Congress or are
killed by their former guild members.

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Assassination Cost
Level of Victim Cost Secret/Public
1 to 3 100gp / 500 GP
4 to 8 1,000gp / 3,000 GP
9 to 15 4,000gp / 8,000 GP
16 10,000 / 25,000 GP
NOTE* For contracts for targets above level 17, the cost must be
negotiated.

The Bakers, Butchers, and Cooks Guild – The bakers, Butchers, and
Cook’s guild is one of the larger guilds in the city as their services are used
by many of the city’s citizens. The guild tries to ensure that prices are
reasonably set, but the guild's primary purpose is to provide safety to its
members. It also gives them the buying power to ensure that the
necessary ingredients for their jobs flow into the city and at a price they
can afford. The guild has close ties to the Lord of Brick, who usually is the
one that champions their causes.
The main guildhall is known as The Kitchen, and is in the Outer-City, but
their members can be found throughout Rookroost. Those who work in
Outwall, or the Outer-City, often wear an armband with the hearth symbol
of the guild on it to readily recognize that they are part of a guild and not
someone to be lightly trifled with.

The Barbers and Dentists Guild – The barbers and dentists guild are
another highly respected guild throughout the city. They offer services that
are used by most that can afford them, and there are several clinics
located even in Outwall where most novices will ply their trade to hone
their skills. While the apothecaries and herbalists deal mainly with internal
medicine, the barbers, and dentists guild deal mainly with helping to heal
physical trauma. Removing of arrows, sowing up of wounds, extracting
teeth, and setting broken bones are common services.

44
While magical means of healing are available to the rich even, they will
frequent the barbers and dentists first if they can. Magical healing is
awfully expensive and sometimes reserved for members of temples only.
The cost of healing through the Barbers and Dentists Guild is 10gp per
point of health or hit point recovered. The amount of health or hit points
recovered in this way caps at 10. The remainder of lost hit points or health
needs to be recovered through rest.

The Beggars Guild – The beggars guild is the largest in Rookroost, and
while most people don't think of it as a real guild, they do have a guildhall
located in Outwall, and they provide some services for its members.
Despite the animosity shown toward the Beggars Guild by other guilds, it is
recognized by the Council of Lords, and for a good reason, the taxes from
the right to operate as a guild is a hefty sum.
Started initially by Tarzin Peddelquick, to help give the street level cut-
purses and pickpockets protection from being shaken down by the
Congress and the Talons, it quickly evolved into an institution that tried to
provide an affordable alternative for those that couldn't get into other
guilds. To be a member costs a 5gp entry fee followed by a 5cp a quarter
fee. While still a sizable amount for the poor, the costs are far less than
other guilds. Membership gets the citizen the gilded rank and access to the
guilds soup kitchen at the guildhall.
The beggar’s guild is also a front for illegal activity, but they are careful to
limit this activity to Outwall and unguilded citizens to avoid the wrath of
not just the Congress but also the other guilds.

The Cartographers and Academics Guild – The cartographers and

academics guild is very small, and most citizens are unaware that one even
exists. Their guildhall is in The Peak also doubles as the cities only library.
The library is private, but nonmembers can pay a yearly fee of 10gp, which
allows them access to the general area. In addition to the general area,
there is also the private library for guild members only.

45
Despite the guild's anonymity with the public, it is well known to all of the
brigands and bandits that raid into neighboring kingdoms. These bandits
know that the cartographers and academics guild will pay well for the right
kind books. Most raiding parties will make it a point to bring back any
books that they come across. Of course, most of these brigands are
illiterate, and the books they get are worthless. Even worthless books will
fetch a minimum of 1cp to help ensure the flow of books continues. The
most prized books sought out by the guild are rare histories and
nonmagical studies. All books that are arcane in nature are taken to the
Guild of Wizardry, where they are sold at a discount for future
considerations. The guild will pay upwards of 500gp for spell books and up
to 200gp for rare histories and the like.

The Gravediggers Guild – Another small guild is the gravedigger’s guild,

which is located well outside the city in the official cemetery of Rookroost.
The cemetery is a small city of its own with rows of mausoleums and
underground crypts. Only the rich have separate burials while the rest of
the bodies brought to the cemetery are placed into mass graves.
Some Nerull and Wee Jas priests are part of the gravedigger’s guild and
help keep the area free of the undead, at least undead they do not control.
These priests employ a small army of zombies that perform most of the
physical labor in the cemetery, but they hire out zombies to those willing to
pay them the cost of animating them. The House of the Dead is the name
of the guildhall of the gravedigger’s guild, located in the cemetery, and
resembles an old Keep.
Besides the cemetery's care and upkeep, the gravedigger’s guild works
hand-in-hand with the Night Merchants, the licensed collectors of the dead
that roam the city streets. Many of the Night Merchants are also members
of the Gravediggers Guild, but only about a quarter of them. The city gives
the Gravediggers guild 2gp for each body they dispose of, one for the
Gravediggers Guild, and one that is paid to the Night Merchants for
collecting them.

46
The Jewelers and Gem-cutters Guild – Another small guild is the
Jewelers and Gem-cutters guild. Located in the Peak District, the guild is
the go-to place to unload gems and jewelry for the best price. While they
do run a shop in the Peak, they also have shops located in the Inner-City
and Outer-City districts. Their main trade is the re-cutting of gems to move
them back to markets outside of the Bandit Kingdoms.

The Laborers Guild – Second only in size to the Beggars Guild is the
laborers guild. Made up of the common laborers in the city, it has the
second-lowest dues membership fee. The guild members provide physical
labor for most of the city-run projects and everyday activities. The Talons
hire foremen from this guild to oversee their work details of prisoners
sentenced to forced labor. The League of Merchants also employs
members of the Laborers Guild to load wagons, dig trenches, or any other
mundane work that might be needed.
While Rookroost has a larger population of brigands and bandits, over half
of the people within these lands are ordinary folk. Workers, farmers, and
the like and the laborers Guild is their representative. Even in a notorious
city such as Rookroost, there are farms in the countryside. Joining the
laborers guild is the number one way of deterring bandits from pilfering
their crops. Punishment for those that prey upon the working class of
Rookroost is severe if they are guilded citizens.
The Laborers Guild is the only guild with no main guildhall, but instead, it
has chapter houses spread throughout the city. While considered an
unskilled guild, the Laborers Guild has strong ties to the Lord of Brick that
heavily relies on them.

The Leatherworkers and Masons Guild – The Leatherworkers and

Masons guild has a strong affiliation with the Lord of Brick, who uses their
services on projects. Along with other artisans’ guilds, this guild makes up
the backbone of the guild structure that the city operates on. While more

47
specialized than the Butchers, Backers and Cooks Guild, or the Laborer’s
Guild, the Leatherworkers and Masons guild still considers itself among the
working-class. Their guild hall is found in the Outer-City and is a practical
stone house.

The Mercenary and Free Swords Guild- To newcomers of Rookroost,

this might seem like a prestigious guild, but it is not. Rookroost has many
Mercenary Troops and Companies that call it home, and these groups all
file for separate guild recognition. For those mercenaries that are not part
of one of these troops or companies, there is the Mercenary and Free
Swords Guild. Members rely on the guild to help them get work and help
them to maintain arms and armor. While members are generally employed
together in groups, there is no real cohesion among them like traditional
mercenary troops and companies. Because of this, the work that a member
of the guild gets is generally nothing better than routine guard work.
Despite their poor reputation, the Mercenary and Free Swords Guild still
has a considerable sway because of their large membership, which swelled
in numbers after the Rookroost army disbanded. Mortoth has also been
keen to utilize them closer to home when he needs extra manpower
instead of relying on the humanoid forces, he commands for the Great Old
One.

Troop Type Cost for Services

Lone Mercenary 1gp a day 6gp for
per week
Troop of 5 5gp per day 30gp
mercenaries per Week
Troop of 5 archers 10gp per day 60gp
per

48
Troops of 5 Heavy 25gp per day 150gp
Armored mercenaries per week
Troop of 5 Mounted 50gp per day 300gp
Mercenaries per week
Troop of 5 Heavy 75gp per day 450gp
armored Mounted per week
Mercenaries

The Messengers Guild- The messenger guild is a highly specialized

collection of talented rangers, rogues, and spellcasters that have a knack
for moving about unnoticed. Those that can disguise themselves or use
magic to travel great distances are highly sought-after recruits for the
guild. The Messenger’s Guild is one of the few guilds in Rookroost that
have guildhalls outside of the city and throughout the Free Lords' lands.
Founded over 100 years ago after the city had become well established
and a hub of influence. The guild formed to fill the need to deliver
messages in a land of constant turmoil and shifting alliances. Magical
messages can be tricky at best, as the Free Lords' wizards have become
very adept at intercepting or blocking magical communications.
Because of this, Silva Torren, a master thief from the Congress, began his
service of delivering messages. Agreeing to pay a monthly tribute to the
Congress, he was allowed to separate from them and fully develop his
organization. The fact that Silva had amassed tons of blackmail material
over his fellow members in the Congress did not hurt either.
Today, the Messengers guild's offices can be found in all the cities and
towns within the Bandit Kingdoms' lands. They also have offices in both the
Urnst states, Furyondy and The Shield Lands. The Messengers guild has
never worked with or for Iuz or his minions. While several offices have
recently closed due to the war, their services are still in high demand.

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Type of Cost
Message
Letter ground 1cp per word 1sp
per mile
Letter air 1sp per word 1gp
per mile
Coded message 1gp per word 1gp
per mile
Memorized 1pp per word 1gp
message per mile

The Moneychangers and Pawnbrokers Guild – Rookroost has never

had an official currency or mint because the city has never had a shortage
of coin flooding in with the brigands and bandits from their raids.
Merchants and shop owners will accept any currency, but that is not where
the problem lies; the problem is for the merchants that come to Rookroost
and into the Bandit Kingdoms to do business. Merchants Caught with
coinage from several nations might tip-off authorities they were doing
business in the Bandit Kingdoms, a moniker that could severely damage
their reputation. Merchants can use the moneychangers to swap out the
coin they might acquire during a stay in Rookroost for their homelands
before heading home.
Foreign Merchants sneaking into Rookroost to buy illegally stolen goods is
a tradition as old as the city itself. Still, they are not always in the city in
large numbers, especially during the winter. During these leaner times,
bandits can go to pawnbrokers to sell their goods or pawn a sword they
might not need until raiding season comes around again, or even settle a
gambling debt. These middlemen can keep the wheels of commerce
running smoothly even if at a discounted cost to their customers.

50
In earlier years, competition between Pawnbrokers was as fierce as the
rivalries between competing bandit groups, and those rivalries would often
turn violent. Eventually, as the guilds took hold in Rookroost, the
pawnbrokers banded together into a guild for its benefits. Today, their
shops can be found in all the city districts, and they have a monopoly on it.
Anyone that wants to open a store must get approval from them first. If a
foolish person opens a pawnshop without permission, they soon realize
that no one will go there for fear of being banned from guild pawnshops.

Cost of Services
Pawning items - In Rookroost, pawning is a way to get some quick cash
but allow you to get it your items back. As a rule of thumb, a character can
get up to 50% of an item's value in a loan. The rate of interest varies
depending on your status, but there is a cap to it. The total amount of
interest will need to be paid to retrieve the item from pawn, and this
includes the interest which is tacked onto the total regardless of whether
the item is taken out of pawn immediately. To find your interest rate roll on
the chart below, adding in any charisma modifiers of appropriate skill
modifiers such as persuasion and the like.

Roll for Interest Rate on

Interest Rate Loan
16-20 5%
11-15 10%
6-10 15%
1-5 20%

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Purchasing Items from a Pawnshop: The other benefit of a pawnshop
is finding useful items cheaper than the going market rate. The downside is
that sometimes those items are not of the best quality. Pawnshops are also
poor places to find more mundane objects, as they only want items with
decent value to them. Because of this, if the item is under 5gp in value,
pawnshops will not bother with them. The chart below shows the
possibility of an item being found in a pawn shop and how its value
modifies that. Items purchased from a pawn shop can be bought at 60%
of the current market value, but there is a chance that there is something
wrong with it. Each Item purchased by a player requires a roll of a 1D100,
and on a result of 10 or lower, there is something wrong with the item.
What exactly is wrong with it will be up to the GM’s interpretation, but
whatever it is not noticeable.
Value of % Chance in
Item Stock
5-20 GP 30%
21-50 GP 40%
51-100 GP 30%
101-500 GP 20%
Over 500 10%

The Smiths and Armorers Guild: The Smiths and Armorers guild has
several forges and shops located throughout the city and provides
everything from nails to brilliantly crafted swords. The only two forges
allowed to operate outside of the guild belong to the Rookroost army,
which is now used by Mortoth’s Red Guard and one used by the city guard,
the Talons.
There was a time when many independent forges were in the city, but that
changed with Ollie Clanless. The dwarven master smith climbed his way up
the guild ladder until he was head of the organization, and he did so by
any means necessary. Ollie soon started forcing unguilded smiths into the

52
guild, and those that refused soon found themselves minus a hand as an
example of what happens when you refuse Ollie.
The Council of Lords almost broke up the guild when Ollie fixed prices
higher than most could afford after he had established a monopoly, but
Ollie relented and brought the prices back down. After Ollie's death, his
son, Morley Clanless, took over the guild and is grooming his
son, Targin, to eventually take his place. Morley is just as ruthless as his
father was, but Targin takes after his mother and is more levelheaded
dwarf.
Cost of Services
Good quality metalworking is not standard in Rookroost, and those who
have some talent with it are snatched up and given positions right away
within the city. Only a handful of stubborn smiths work outside of the guild,
and because of this, all metal goods are 10% more expensive in Rookroost.
Including items such as arrows, nails, carpentry tools in addition to the
more apparent arms and armor. Selling metal items brings a higher price
as well. While the standard amount given is usually 50% of resell value,
metal items are purchased at 60% of the resell amount.

Other Groups of Note

The Thousand Faces:

The most powerful of the Outwall street gangs is the Thousand Faces. Like
all street gangs from Outwall, the Thousand Faces got their start as a
small-time gang known for wearing white handkerchiefs over their faces to
hide their identities. They enacted this precaution for the gang's
indifference of targeting guilded or unguilded citizens. These earlier
members' skills are undeniable as they were able to avoid capture from the
Talons and even privately hired mercenaries by some of the guilds. The
gang's reputation grew, and so did the intensity of the Congress and guilds
looking to put them out of action. Eventually, a deal was struck with the

53
Congress, and the Thousand Faces were given the unprecedented freedom
to target whomever they wished, so long as it remained within the Outwall
district.
The white handkerchiefs that the gang wore evolved into featureless white
masks, which quickly became the gang's trademark. The anonymity gained
by members of the gang from hiding their identities added to the gang's
mystique. Unlike most gangs in Outwall, the Thousand Faces had no
claimed territory and did not commit petty crimes. The Thousand Faces
only took on large operations like stealing from merchants and robbing
guild businesses located in outwall.
Also, unlike other gangs, one cannot simply seek out membership by
approaching gang members. Members are sought out by the Thousand
Faces and approached secretly for recruitment.
Despite the change of leadership in the city, the Thousand Faces still
conduct business as usual, but they have avoided targeting Mortoth's
people or the Red Guard.

The Johrase Confederation:

Many Kingdoms in the Bandit Kingdoms were smashed during the war, and
those lucky enough to escape the slaughter found their way to Rookroost.
Johrase, one of the oldest, proudest, and most recognized of the Bandit
Kingdoms, was one of these unfortunate nations. This proud mercenary
kingdom was beaten on the battlefield and their lands claimed by the Great
Old One. Unlike other conquered territories, their army and the bulk of
their nobility eluded total annihilation. The Johrase mercenaries soon
regrouped and reformed, but instead of fighting a losing war, they became
a people without a homeland.
With their king dead and lands lost, the Johrase mercenary confederation
of lords became the most sought mercenaries in the Bandit Kingdoms. The
Johrase Confederation was in Rookroost when it signed its treaty with Iuz's
representatives. They were even at the table, and signed the treaty as

54
well, agreeing not to pick up arms against Iuz's forces or allies in exchange
for their continued existence.
Despite a burning desire to ride forth from Rookroost and continue the war
against the forces of Iuz, the reality was simple, the confederation did not
have the manpower to take back their lands. Instead, the Johrasians
decided it best to bide their time and see what would come next. The
Johrasian lords fully intend to throw in with the first serious contender that
should arise to fight the Iuz. Until then, they will continue to fill their war
chests by contracting out their forces and recruiting those they feel meet
their requirements in preparation for that day.
The Confederation has a permanent camp outside of Outwall, and while
surrounded by defenses, there are no walls or stone fortifications as
outlined in the treaty they signed. Johrasian mercenaries are a common
sight in Outwall wearing surcoats with the yellow and white crest
emblazoned with a black morningstar.
While Johrasian mercenary troops are in service throughout the Free
Lords' remaining lands and even in some neighboring nations, they will
never raise arms against a fellow Johrasian.

The Districts of the city

The city itself is situated on a hill surrounded by a relatively flat plain. The
city radiates out in walled rings from its central location called the Peak,
because it covers the top of the hill. While not high in elevation, only a
mere hundred and fifty feet at its highest point, it still provides a
commanding view of the surrounding country. The city walls are maned
and patrolled night and day and act as an observation platform for the
Talons. These Talons keep an eye out for flares that can be shot into the
sky by the city's patrols if additional help is needed.
Starting from the Peak, the city's rings radiate outward, and the city
becomes less affluent the further away from the Peak. There are three
walled sections of the city, the Peak, the Inner-City, and the Outer-City.

55
The sprawl outside the walls is known as Outwall. The total area of Outwall
is larger than the Peak, Inner-City, and the Outer-City districts combined.
The materials used in constructing buildings change from mostly stone in
the Peak to a mixture of stone and timber in the Inner-City. The Outer-City
is mainly built with timber, while Outwall uses whatever can be found.
Suitable building materials are hard to find and must be transported into
the city from forests to the north and quarries to the east and south.

The Peak:
The Peak under fifty square city blocks in size but packs into that area the
most important places in Rookroost. The Peak is home to the Palace of the
General, the Council Hall, and high-end housing and apartments. Other city
buildings of note here are the old Generals Tower, which is now occupied
by the Red Guard officers, and The Crystal Palace, the most elegant Inn
and Tavern in the city.
The Peak has a special unit of city Talons stationed there made up of their
best units. Before Mortoth took control of the city, even these Talons were
Easily bribed, but since Mortoth revamped their ranks, they have become
the most reliable Talons in the city.
Entry into the Peak is restricted to guilded citizens, and the gate is manned
by sharp-eyed Talons that will stop and question anyone they think does
not belong. After sundown, the peak gates are closed, and all traffic in and
out of the district must have the doors opened for them. A set of smaller
doors is inset into the larger gate doors to accommodate this traffic without
swing the larger ones open every time someone needs to come or go.
The Lord of Brick has laborers who work in the district around the clock,
picking up and removing all garbage, making it the city's cleanest.
The Peak has its own well that services only the Peak. A manual pump
station operated by the same clan of Kobolds in charge of Rookroost's
Undercity. This pump station provides water for all the Peak buildings, the
only such system in the city.

56
With Mortoth and his Red Guard usurping power in the city, little has
changed in the Peak beside the fact that the General's mansion is now the
personal dwelling of Mortoth, and the general's Tower houses the Red
Guards officers.

The Inner-City:
The Inner-City is the heart and soul of Rookroost. This is where the bulk of
all the chartered guilds have their guildhalls. The average citizen who lives
within the Inner-City is well-off and makes up the middle and upper-middle
class. The mid-level bureaucrats, the Talons of the Guard, and guilded
citizens are not just the common workers in guildhalls all live in the Inner
City.
Entry into the Inner-City is not as strict as the Peak, but the guards here
are vigilant about who is coming and going, and those that appear out of
place will be stopped and questioned. A few coins can still smooth over
most of the guards despite their vigilance. Patrols of guards are frequent
inside the district, and the Talons generally move in squads of four while
they make their rounds. Crime is not as prevalent in the Inner-City as in
the Outer-City or Outwall, at least not on the surface.
The Inner-City has changed little under the occupation of Mortoth as he
wishes to keep the city functioning as normal as possible.

The Outer-City:
The last ring of walls encompasses the Outer-City. The inhabitants of the
Outer-City are the common workers and citizenry that don't hold influential
positions within their guilds but are still guilded. The second-largest district
in Rookroost, the Outer-City, is where the lawlessness that is Outwall
mingles with the law and order in the cities' guilded system. The Outer-City
is a mix of residential and guild shops and even a few guildhalls, along with
the more high-end brothels, gambling halls, and taverns that cater to the
brigands and bandits that the city is known for.

57
Most of the roads in the Outer-City are paved, and four wells provide the
district with its water, wells that have a full-time complement of Talons on
duty to make sure the water is shared. Gangs of ruffians in the past used
to shake down the more genital citizens for a few coins for access to the
wells, forcing the detachments of Talons to be stationed there. That post is
assigned to the lucky Talons that find themselves not in favor with their
current commanders. The large Rookroost Bizarre is also situated here and
is where the bulk of the goods taken in raids are sold to visiting merchants
from neighboring lands from late spring to early fall. Unlike the Inner-City
and the Peak, the Outer-City has no sewer system, and refuse is thrown
into the allies and the streets. During the spring and summer, the stench
here is nearly as putrid as in Outwall. It is prevalent for individuals to carry
scented handkerchiefs with them to block out particularly strong odors.
Raven's Square, the cities' largest place for the public to gather after the
bizarre, is where the city's gallows are also found. Cages for those
sentenced to death by prolonged exposure dangling from hooks around the
perimeter of the square. Executions are carried out on the weekends and
serve as a sort of sick entertainment with large turnouts. This is one of the
few rare times that the Night Merchants of the city can be seen doing their
jobs during the day as they whisk away bodies of those executed.
Patrols of Talons are frequent in the district during the day, usually in
groups of four, with their main priority being to keep the flow of goods and
commerce from being interrupted. The gates in and out of the district are
manned by a garrison of Talons at all hours of the day and is considered a
choice assignment. Those looking to enter the Outer-City must pay a tax of
one copper day or night, but in the evening, it's not uncommon for the
Talons on duty to be lax and or unwilling to confront large groups. Exiting
from the Outer-City to Outwall has no fee, and those leaving are rarely
stopped. Those pulled aside can easily forgo any sort of delay by paying a
bribe or producing guilded credentials. If neither is provided, then the
unfortunate souls are in store for at least a good ten minutes of pointless
questions before being let go.
Much like the Inner-City, the Outer-City remains mostly unchanged since
the occupation. The only difference here is that some of the army's higher-
58
ranking officers bivouacked outside of the city can be found in this district.
However, none of them are in the city for long as Mortoth makes sure to
continually rotate out those units into the field on various assignments.

Outwall:
While many consider the districts inside the walls of Rookroost to be the
seat of power of the city, Outwall, the city that sprawls out all around it, is
larger than all three of the walled districts combined. Since the war, it has
grown even larger with waves of refugees coming to the city. Looking for
the most competent brigands for your raids, they can be found here.
Looking for out-of-work craftsmen, you can find them here. There is an old
saying that everyone ends up in Rookroost, but not everyone leaves.
Outwall has always been full of brigands, bandits, humanoids, and all
manner of nasty people, but the bulk of those that live here are just
average citizens looking to make a living.
Parts of Outwall appear to be like your typical city neighborhood, while
other parts are full of hovels and shacks and is little more than a
shantytown. The only guild of any importance in Outwall is the Beggars
guild, where it exclusively operates. Because of this chaos, Outwall has
experienced several major fires over the years that have burned down
large district sections. Only those buildings situated in and around the
irrigation canals that bring in water diverted from the Artonsamay
River surviving.
Outwall is a wild and semi-lawless area as the Talons are only present in a
few places, and they do not patrol the district except to make sure the
roads leading into the city remain clear for traffic to come and go. Gangs of
mercenaries, bandits, brigands, street thugs, and street urchins are
plentiful in Outwall, and very few people move about the district on their
own. Out wall is a patchwork of these different gangs claiming territory in a
constant chess game to stay on top. Regular citizens who live in the city
are left alone for the most part if they pay tribute to the gang currently
running their neighborhood. This doesn’t have to be always in coin either,

59
but services and goods can take its place. Not all gangs are oppressive
either, and some areas are fiercely loyal to their gang overlords.

One of the most prominent structures in Outwall is the Arena. The Arena is
where many different competitive sports are held, but the gladiatorial
fights are the most popular. Over the years, it has become organized, and
several schools now train and recruit gladiators. These professional
gladiators mix with the slaves that are brought back by raiders and sold to
the Arena. There is a lot of money that exchanges hands at the bookies for
the Arena, and performances are held twice a week. The Arena has
become so popular and makes so much money that the City stepped in and
took control of it. A fulltime regiment of Talons is stationed there to ensure
the peace and to transport winnings and sales to the city coffers.
Also located in Outwall, and another of the city's main revenue streams is
the Slave Pens. Slaves are brought back regularly from raiders and stocked
with offenders from the Rookroost courts. Those who find themselves
unable to pay off fines or debts through the courts are often sold into
slavery if there is no room for them in the forced labor gangs or if their
sentences were life imprisonment. Gaining one’s freedom happens in one
of two ways, the owner lets them go, or the owner dies before they are
sold off to another party.
Of all the districts in Rookroost, Outwall has changed the most since the
war. The bulk of the refugees that flooded into Rookroost ended up here.
These refugees injected new blood into all levels of the city's social
structure, but the majority of them were not skilled enough or had enough
coin to join most guilds. Even the Beggers Guild, the traditional guild of the
poor, found themselves inundated with membership applications. The
shantytowns and poorest sections doubled in population overnight. This
influx led to violence as the traditional lawlessness of Outwall was put to
the test.
The number of armed and out of work was turning the streets into chaos.
The city had to do something about it as the violence was affecting the
legitimate businesses that were significant contributors to the city's coffers,

60
mainly the Marketplace, the Arena, and the Slave Pens. Detachments of
Talons were increased at all of these places, and the main thoroughfares
saw regular patrols for the first time in the city's history. Despite this
increased presence of Talons, their job remains the same: to protect the
city's interests and property of guilded citizens only.
Several large riots also have erupted in Outwall, riots that could not be
ignored. These riots were so large in fact that Mortoth deployed his own
Red Guard to put them down. Even the Congress has found it harder to ply
their trade in Outwall since the war with such an influx of unaffiliated
swords looking to make quick coin. Outwall had always been a dangerous
place, but it has become even more so since the end of the war.

Rookroot’s Undercity
The hill upon which Rookroost was built has been honeycombed with a
labyrinth of tunnels, passages, and secret rooms by many different people.
From the Congress to smugglers and a host of others looking to make their
way about the city unseen. The first tunnels were part of the first sewer
system, but others quickly added onto them, creating the tangled mess
beneath the city. The digging of tunnels became so common that a
building collapsed into a hole due to a lack of proper support on more than
one occasion. Eventually, the Council of Lords passed laws banning the
digging of tunnels and bricked up most of the ones they could find. An
agreement was worked out between the Council and the Congress,
allowing them to continue using some of their tunnels, so long as they
helped the city police what was now being called Under-City.
After bricking up of tunnels, a clan of Kobolds was introduced into the
sewers to be their custodians in exchange for them being able to declare
the Under-City their official domain. The kobolds keep the sewers clear
enough so that when the spring thunderstorms occur, the sewers can
handle the runoff. The kobolds have a love-hate relationship with the
Congress, and it has erupted into small turf wars in the past forcing the
Council of Lords to intervene and negotiate a peace between them.

61
Besides the kobolds, the Undercity is the home of Rookroost's Ratlings.
Unlike wererats, the Ratlings of Rookroost are unique to the city and a
handful of surrounding areas. They are small, halfling sized intelligent
creatures. The Ratlings have their own language, which sounds little
nothing more than click, growls, and squeaks to the untrained ear. Master
scavengers that pilfer the city at night and have evolved into surprisingly
good tinkerers and their warrens are littered with traps. The Ratlings have
worked out a mutual peace with the kobolds, and while they still fight each
other from time to time, they mostly live in peace. All the sewers and
official city tunnels are under the kobolds' control, while the Ratlings live in
small tunnels systems they have dug out themselves.

Festivals and Holidays

Rookroost is home to many gods, and while they each have holidays and
days of celebration, only two holidays are observed in the city, Darkest
Night and Unity Day.

Darkest Night:
Celebrated on the 11th of Goodmonth, at night, the Darkest Night was one
of the city's scariest times. As the name implies, the festival is held on the
longest and darkest night of the year. The Darkest Night was traditionally
an evening for settling scores and taking out rivals. It had once been so
bad that the Talons themselves were afraid to patrol the city on that night.
Setting fire to homes and businesses of competitors became common on
the Darkest Night, leading to several district-wide fires in the past. Seeing
this as a problem, the Council of Lords began organizing public bonfire
gatherings to hand out free beer to help stem the violence. The Talons
came out in full force during the celebrations to help enforce a more
orderly chaos. Eventually, the night turned into an all-night celebration,
with most of the population either too intoxicated or busy with merriment
to cause trouble.

62
There is still a fair amount of violence and chaos on Darkest Night, but its
more easily managed now. The local traditions of scanning the stars for
portents and getting one's fortunes told are big business for local
fortunetellers.

Celestian, the god of the stars and night sky, Telchur, the god of
winter, Nox, the dusk goddess, and Tharizdun, the void creeper, all
consider the night a holy time, and followers of these gods conduct rituals
on the Darkest Night in public or secret depending on the rights. While
followers of these gods are worshiped on this night, their celebrations are
not sanctioned by

Unity Day:
The second observed holiday in Rookroost is nothing more than an
organized celebration of the cities victory over Tenhite forces early in the
city’s history. Started by a long-Forgotten governor, who wanted a reason
to celebrate city pride like other cities, he picked the date when all of
Rookroost's past achievements can be celebrated. Today it is nothing more
than an excuse for the populace to get drunk and the rich and influential
people of the city to hold parties.

Rookroost after Dark

Since the inception of Rookroost, the city has had two separate and distinct
personalities, the Rookroost that everyone saw and moved about during
the day, and the much more dangerous Rookroost after dark. Rookroost
during the day can be a dangerous place, especially in Outwall, but after
the sun sets, the underbelly shows itself and drives most inside behind
locked doors. Even in the Outer-City district, it is not uncommon for fights
between the rough and tumble brigands and bandits, but after dark, even
the Inner-City becomes lawless. Taverns and Inns tend to do a thriving

63
business during the night as many patrons spend the entire night there for
the safety in numbers provides. Travel in Outwall, the Outer-City, and the
Inner-City is done only in groups of four or more to avoid the dangers that
roam the streets.
Only the Peak seems to be immune to this up-tick in violence after dark,
undoubtedly because it is the best lit and most guarded place in the city.
The Inner-City and Outer-City have some lights around the more important
buildings and the main streets but are predominately dark. The only
lighting in Outwall is provided by the citizens, and the Talons at the city
gate.
The reason Rookroost is so deadly after dark is simple, it is full of bandits,
cutthroats, and brigands. Since its earliest days, the settling of scores,
robbing, and stealing goods has waited until night. As the city grew and
became more civilized, the number of people willing to do dastardly deeds
did not shrink; it grew. Attempts have been made to curb the spike in
crime and violence after dark, but the cost and the commitment was not
something the Council of Lords was willing to undertake. Easier to keep the
Peak well-guarded and make sure that you have good locks on your doors
and windows.
The chaos after night in Rookroost has become an accepted way of life,
and those that must venture out after dark need to learn to conduct their
business during the daylight hours.

Places of Interest

The Peak
1) The Governor's Palace: The Governor’s palace is more of a fortress
than a traditional palace. The Palace is by far the oldest building in the
Peak, and possibly the entire city, as it was the first stone fortress
constructed on the hill that would become the center of the city. Mortoth

64
lives here, keeping with its tradition being the sitting General's residents
going back to the founding of that position.
2) The Mulden Arms (Tenement): As the city grew and the area known
as the Peak turned into the lavish section of the town where the rich and
influential people lived, luxury tenements were erected to house the influx
of people that sought to live there. The Mulden Arms is currently
considered the most lavish place in the city where those who are not part
of the Council of Lords can live.
3) Uhltrix’s Tower (Guild of Wizardry): Uhltrix’s tower is the tallest
structure in the Peak and has a rather dull appearance to it. A rather large
tower, it is rumored to have many entrances into pocket dimensions inside,
as well as many magical defenses. Despite it being the Guild of Wizardry's
home, none of its members are ever seen using the entrance to the tower,
except when they are escorting visitors in and out of the tower.
4) The Cartographers and Academics Guild: Rookroost is not a city
known for its architectural beauty. Instead, most buildings here favor a
practical design, except for the Peak. In the Peak District, the city has
beautifully designed buildings and gardens. The guildhall of the
Cartographers and Academics guild is by far the most stunning of all the
buildings in the city. Made of rose marble, the only building in the city
made of such material and decorated with engravings and statues. The
guild is proud of its hall and ensures it is kept in the best of conditions.
5) Architects Guildhall: While the guildhall of the Cartographers and
Academics is the most beautiful building in Rookroost, the Architects
guildhall is second. One would feel that the architects might feel a desire to
outdo the Cartographers and Academics guild, but they designed the
building, so when people comment on the beauty of that building, they are
still tipping their hats to the Architects Guild. Their own guildhall has a
simpler design with flowing and elegant curves. Unlike the Cartographers
and Academics guild's grounds, the Architects guildhall has no garden to
speak of.
6) Jewelers Guildhall: While the jeweler's guildhall looks like nothing
more than a large manor house, it is heavily defended, and a keen eye will

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be able to pick out the security beyond the bars over the windows and the
walled and gated entrance. Doors are sturdy and made of metal, not wood,
and the walls of the place are several feet thick. The grounds and the
interior are also patrolled by armed guards and packs of Rookroost
Hounds.
7) Elara's Mansion: While space is at a premium in the Peak District,
there are homes here as well, and the most notable of those homes is the
one belonging to Elara Mornstar, the head of the Congress, Rookroost's
thieves guild. The mansion is large, three stories all told, with a rooftop
garden. Patrolled by at least twelve thieves guild members at all times and
two packs of Rookroost hounds. The mansion is a mix of elegance and
practicality. Elara spends surprisingly little time here though, instead
preferring to be mixing among her fellow members of the Congress in the
field.
8) Council Hall: The council hall for the Council of Lords is a small
mansion that was converted into the council hall when the city was still
young and was the General's first residence. The most impressive part of
the council hall is its grounds. A lavish garden with a hedge maze,
fountains, and groves of trees. The entire compound is walled and
patrolled by a special detachment of Talons. If the council is in session
during nice weather, they often meet in the garden where marble tables,
benches, and shaded pavilion doubles as the council's assembly hall.
9) General's Tower: The general's tower is a small fort with a large
tower. The tower itself is shorter than Uhltrix's tower but older. The
General's tower housed the officers’ quarters of the Army of Rookroost and
their staff. Since the army was dissolved, the Red Guard has taken up
residence there now.
10) The Crystal Palace: While the Peak is the seat of Rookroost's power,
it is still a district of the city with residents and people living there, and
those people enjoy a drink as much as the next person. The Crystal Palace
is a massive Inn and Tavern that caters to all the district's high-class
people. Four stories with the top floor reserved for the most opulent of the
city visitors, the Crystal Palace also functions as a proxy guest house for

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visiting dignitaries that are not important enough to stay within the
Governor's mansion.
The common rabble is not allowed into the Crystal Palace, and the front
door is guarded, and entry is by reservation only. The Crystal Palace gets
its name from the dozen crystal chandeliers that hang from the common
room's rafters, which doubles as it's dining area. The establishment has
many private rooms and meeting rooms and a lavish garden rivaled only by
the one found in the city's council hall.
The Crystal Palace has had several owners, the most recent being Bertrum
Glitterstone, a gnome with an eye for the finer things in life, and a knack
for providing it for others with discretion. Bertrum is an ex-member of the
Congress and is good friends with Elara Mornstar.

The Inner-City
11) The Merchant's League Guildhall: By far, the biggest guildhall in
the city is the massive complex of the Merchant's League. It not only
functions as a typical guildhall but also as an inn and tavern for traveling
merchants. A vast staging area for merchants preparing caravans for
departure dominates its inner compound ringed by warehouses for arriving
caravans to store goods. The entire complex takes up more than four city
blocks, is walled with towers, and dotted with guard stations.
The Merchant's League employs a small army of workers that stay in
dormitories on the grounds itself or live in nearby tenements. In addition to
the dormitories, there are barracks located on the site for the nearly one
hundred men at arms hired from the mercenaries and free-swords guild
that guard the entire compound.
In addition to the living quarters, there are stables for horses and pack
animals. A blacksmith, cartwright, and several other craftsmen needed to
help keep the caravans operational. Behind the stables are the kennels
housing more than three dozen Rookroost Hounds that are also bred
onsite.

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12) The Rookroost Courts: The courts of Rookroost are a series of drab
buildings always in need of repair, adding to the somber atmosphere
around them. Open only three days a week, the courthouse is shuttered
and locked the rest of the time with a handful of guards on duty to
dissuade theft. A small dungeon can be found under the main courthouse,
where those found guilty and in need of being transported to other
facilities await their departure date. These dungeons are guarded around
the clock as it can take up to several weeks for those convicted to labor to
be taken away. The courtrooms themselves are small, stuffy, and have
several benches for witnesses and the judge's seat, placed upon a dais.
Those presenting cases to the court are expected to stand.
13) Temple of Istus: While the city is home to several temples, only two
of them have grand buildings of consequence, the temple of Istus and the
Temple to Hextor. The temple of Istus houses more than two dozen
priests, with only a fraction of them able to cast any kind of divine magic.
The building is large and cathedral-like, but with simple architecture and
designs. The main chapel is divided into several private rooms for
sacrifices, which is the temple's primary stock in trade. Those wishing to
gain the goddess's blessing come to the temple to donate to her church
and make sacrifices on consecrated grounds. All forms of sacrifices are
permitted to the goddess, even human sacrifices, but those are conducted
in private chambers.
14) Temple of Hextor: Hextor, the god of war and plunder, is by far the
most popular god worshiped in the city, and the temple to the Red God as
he is often called, is proof of that. The temple itself doubles as a fortress,
but the doors and compound are open day and night for visitors. In
addition to two dozen priests, there is a small army of zealots that act as
the church's acolytes and double as the temples own personal guard.
The clang of steel and the grunts of fighting can often be heard from the
temple as followers in good faith can come to the temple to train with the
Battlemasters, the highest-ranking non-priest position in the religion. These
Battlemaster’s practice martial arts and study tactics and conduct mock war
games outside of the city and inside the temple using miniatures and sand

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tables and complicated rules to simulate units' movement and abilities. The
chief Battlemaster is called Graxton and is an imposing half-orc.
15) The Bank (Pawnbrokers and Money Changers Guildhall): Called
the Bank because it is built like a vault and contains the third-largest
concentration of wealth after the City Vault and the Jeweler's guild house
located in the Peak, it is also the only one open to the public. While the
bulk of Pawnbrokers transactions are conducted at satellite locations
throughout the city, exceptionally large transactions occur at the Bank
itself.
The Bank is staffed round the clock even though it is only open for
business during the day. A compliment of fifty guards hired from the
Mercenaries and Sellswords guild are always on duty. The vault is rumored
to also be guarded by several gold golems.
16) City Sewer Works: Located in a tucked-away corner of the district is
the maintenance entry into the sewers and the control station. All of the
mechanical valves and levers controlling the diversion of the city’s runoff
and waste. The Inner-City and the Peak are the only parts of the city fully
serviced by the sewers and a small portion of the Outer-City. A kobold clan
operates the sewers and can be found here, but they rarely can roam
about the district and then only to repair the sewers many exits and
entrances for runoff.
17) Greymist's Arms and Armor: Greymist's Arms and Armor shop is by
far the most famous weapons dealer in the city and is well known for
dealing with the most exotic and even magical weapons. The shop is
unaffiliated with any guild in the city and functions off a private writ it has
arranged directly with the city. All the city's elite shop at Greymist's, and
Greymist, the owner from which the shop gets its name, is said to have a
network of adventurers that bring him his stock. While past his prime,
Greymist and his employees are all masterful warriors, and only the
foolhardiest of thieves would attempt to steal from his shop.
18) Barbers and Dentists Guildhall: This large and simple guildhall also
doubles as the cities only official hospital. Staffed with a guards'
detachment, the guildhall is stocked with healing potions, herbs, and other

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medicines. While smaller shops can be found throughout the city, the
guildhall is where all the severely wounded and ill people are taken. There
are some alchemists, druids, and priests of various deities that are part of
the guild. While the building is locked up during the night, those in need
can come to the front gates and gain entry if the guards allow them to
pass. They will often simply tell those who bring wounded or sick people to
the entrance to leave them there with a payment, and the guards will then
open the gates and gather the individual after they believe the coast is
clear.
19) Messengers Guildhall: The Messengers guildhall is a small building
that is merely a collection point where those who need to have a message
delivered will come, meet with a representative, and leave their message
and payment. How the message gets from there and into the hands of an
actual messenger is unknown, but no messengers are seen leaving the
building.
20) Mercenary and Free-Swords Guildhall: Despite its name, the
Mercenaries and Free-Swords guildhall is not a large fortress, keep, or
tower as some would suspect; instead, the guildhall is a three-story
building that looks more like a tavern or inn. Used as a meeting place for
members to mingle with prospective employers and fellow members. The
place is called the Hall by locals and is usually packed with guild members.

The Outer-City
21) The Nest (City Keep): The main base for the city's watch is officially
called the City Keep, but unofficially called the Nest. It is a small keep
outfitted with a dungeon and swarming with Talons at all times. Connected
to the Nest is a stable, blacksmith, and a barracks to house up to 300 of
the Talons. The Nest used to keep provisions on hand in case they would
need to close the gates in the event of a siege or major riot, but the stores
haven't been refilled in recent history.
22) Benedict's Trading Company: Benedict's trading company serves
two distinct purposes, the first being it is the largest general store in the

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city. They carry everything that can be found in the player's handbook, and
if they do not have it in stock, then no one has it in the city. The second is
being a front for the Congress, the city's dominant Thieves Guild. By
outfitting bands of bandits and brigands, they can find out where and
when they are planning on marauding, and they can even foretell the plans
of some of the other guilds by what they are stockpiling.
23) Raven's Square: The city's main square and gathering place is the
Raven's Square. The square is decorated with statues and a graffiti-
covered fountain but is still an impressive place. Permanent scaffolding is
erected at the center of the square, where those condemned to death are
hanged. Around the perimeter are large posts over fifteen feet tall with
cages dangling from hooks where those not fortunate enough for a quick
death die slowly from starvation and exposure to the elements. The square
is where all major announcements are made, and all city-sanctioned
festivals are held.
24) The Black House: This unassuming two-story house blends perfectly
on the street where it is found, but it doesn't get its name from the color of
the stone it’s made from but instead from the deeds bought inside. The
black house is the home of Rookroost's assassin’s guild. No assassin can be
found at the house, at least according to those inside, and all those people
appear to be unassuming clerks. If a commission is desired, a customer
leaves a description of who they want to be eliminated and how with a
representative. The information is then passed onto the associates as the
assassins are called. Once the associate reviews the commission, a
message is delivered to the customer, letting them know if the commission
was accepted, the commission's final cost, and where payment can be
delivered is then determined. Once the final payment has been delivered,
no further contact is made between the associates, the guild, and the
customer.
25) The Kitchen (Bakers, Butchers, and Cooks Guild): Despite the
nickname given to the guild house of the Bakers, Butchers, and Cooks
guild, there is no kitchen on the premises. In fact, the entire guildhall is
nothing more than an office keeping track of paperwork and members. A

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common joke is that someone stops and asks a stranger where they can
find the Kitchen, and they are standing in front of it.
26) Smiths and Armorer's Guildhall: The house that Ollie built as it is
called is more a factory than a traditional guildhall as it is also the personal
forge of Morley Clanless, head of the Smith and Armorer's Guild. The
guildhall's entire bottom floor is home to four active forges with all of the
guild’s offices located on the second floor of the facility. In addition to the
two floors above ground, it is known that there are several sub-levels to
the guild house, mostly used for storage of their creations and a vault for
extremely prized creations.
27) Leatherworkers and Masons Guildhall: Another guildhall that has
no manufacturing on-site, especially the foul-smelling tanneries of the
Leatherworkers. The guildhall is strictly an administrative office that helps
coordinate work and sets up jobs for its members. The guildhall is easily
identified by the leather-covered and studded door and its temple-like
columned building.
28) The Apothecaries and Herbalists Guildhall: One of the most
unique and readily identifiable guildhalls in all the city is the Apothecaries
and Herbalists Guilds. The building is made of white marble and has the
look of a sanitarium, except for the garden that dominates its entire roof
and the vines and creepers growing down the building's side. Even more
impressive that the garden is that a huge tree over one hundred feet tall
grows in the middle of that garden and towers over ever other structure
around it.
The garden is not just for show but is full of rare herbs and plants used in
poultices, salves, and potions. Like most everything else in the city, the
guildhall is only open for business during the daytime, even though it has
people working there around the clock.
29) The Green Egg Inn: The Green Egg has the reputation of being a
fine Inn accepting everyone who can behave themselves but is widely
considered the best restaurant in the city. The place is packed from sun-up
to sun-down during the day, and it, like most common houses, remains
open for business after hours, but the front door is heavily guarded.

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The Green Egg’s main claim to fame is its menu, which has the widest
variety of things that one can order in the Free Lords' lands, and probably
the Flanaess. Rookroost imports nearly all its foodstuffs, and because of
this, stocks are never reliable or the same day to day. Because of this,
cooks at the Egg have been experimenting with new dishes for thirty years,
which is how long the Crabden family, a wily family of gnomes, has owned
it.
30) Wila’s Apothecary and Specialty Shop: Characters can find many
strange things in Rookroost to buy, but the weirdest shop in the whole city
is Wila’s. The three-story wooden house looks more like an aged haunted
house with its weathered iron fence and gate. The sagging house is
rumored to be animated and said to defend Wila if the need arises. Those
who shop in the place can hear low breathing and feel a slight change in
the wind as if a giant monster is just in the next room and breathing in and
out. Doors open and close on their own accord, or even simply vanish and
appear on other walls. Windowsills, railings, and molding detach and move
about on its own, and holes can appear on the floor, allowing items to rise
from lower floors. The wood is not flammable, although it can be hacked
apart.
There have been instances where some customers have entered the house
and have never been seen again. There have been rumors in the past of
destroying the house and Wila, and If her wares were not so strange and
wonderful, they might seriously consider it. The number of stories of
customers finding rare and amazing magic inside her house for sale far
outnumbers the stories of people disappearing.
Willa is a very unassuming woman, with long dark hair that favors dark
clothes, but not just black. She is a soft-spoken, polite, and petite. She is
also known to be a spell caster, but what kind or how potent her magic is
no one knows. Where she gets all her wonderous items is also unknown as
the only people seen coming and going from her place are customers.
Outwall
31) The City Bazaar: While the Outwall district of Rookroost is the most
chaotic and dangerous part of the city, the city bizarre is the exception.

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During the day, the bazaar is crawling with Talons, and the Congress has
made it well known that they will accept no interference with the legendary
Rookroost bazaar.
The bazaar predates the city itself and is where the ill-gotten goods
pilfered by bandits and brigands eventually end up after being sold to local
merchants. As the bazaar grew, it drew the interest of morally flexible
merchants willing to travel to Rookroost and partake in the great deals the
bazaar offered. You cannot find everything for sale there all the time, but
what you do find will be at the best prices.
In the beginning, wares were sold by the same bandits and brigands that
stole them, but men of action are ill-suited to such work, which lead to the
rise of the merchant class to take on that trade. These merchants bought
their goods, then stockpiled them to haul to foreign markets. Today the
Merchants League has a stranglehold on the local merchants. It is fully
supported by the city, and the other guilds, as the bazaar is the lifeblood of
Rookroost's economy.
Many were unsure how the new overlords would treat the bazaar, and
during and after the war, the foreign merchants had stopped coming. Still,
only a few years afterward, it was evident that the minions of Iuz, or at
least Mortoth, had no intention of interfering with it. With regular tribute
needing to be sent back north to feed the horde and the evil empire that
belongs to the Great Old One, great pains have been taken by Mortoth to
ensure that the bazaar continues to thrive.
The grounds upon which the bazaar is held is a great expanse of open
ground that erupts into a tent city at the break of dawn as merchants and
the guilds open for business. Then, as quickly as it is erected every
morning, the entire thing is pulled down an hour before nightfall, and the
merchants and guild members hurry back home before darkness falls.
32) The Slave Pens: Slavery is legal in Rookroost, like most of the Free
Lords' lands. One of the most lucrative trades in the city is the slave trade,
especially since the war has driven up demand. The Slave Pens is where
slavers bring their wares in the morning to show them off to potential
buyers. Each morning slaves are marched out of their stockades and

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holding cells into the slave pens to wait their turn on the auction block.
During the day, the slave pens are packed with people, and at night, the
area is devoid of life as unsold slaves are taken back to the Slavemasters
homes.
A detachment of Talons is stationed here during the day, but not to protect
citizens from the slaves but to ensure the rowdier of the slavers do not
disrupt the slave market. Slavers are notorious for shaking down rivals, and
some even make a practice of waylaying slave trains and seizing their stock
before it reaches Rookroost.
33) The Fish Mongers: While Rookroost does not have much in the way
of local produce, the fishmongers bring in wagon loads of fish from the
nearby Artonsamy River daily. The fishmongers have a regular spot just
outside of the bazaar where they sell their fish, but it is rarely fresh unless
it is winter or autumn. During warmer months, the fish that is brought up
is already salted and or dried. Sometimes, it is still alive and in barrels.
34) The Black Swan Inn: The most notorious inn and tavern in the city,
the Black Swan is the place to go when you're looking to either join or
recruit a marauding band going raiding into the neighboring kingdoms.
Even before the refugees and the war, the Black Swan was a place to find
the roughest and meanest bandits and brigands in the city. The Black Swan
is owned by a former marauding half-orc named Beltran and his partner; a
half-ogre named Gevin. They employ a squad of roughnecks to make sure
the place does not get broken up in addition to the regular staff.
35) Seltin’s Livery Stables: Seltin's stables are located on the outskirts
of Outwall and are the one-stop-shop for all your horse and tack needs.
They sell all kinds of horses and repurchase them at a discounted price if
they are still serviceable. They sell wagons, and all your caravan needs as
well. In addition to horses and wagons, Seltrins also has the finest guides
and scouts in all the Bandit Kingdoms available for hire. These guides and
scouts can lead your caravan or your marauding party as well. Seltin is also
one of the most informed men, outside of the messenger's service, as has
his guides and scouts regularly bring back news to him. Seltin knows so

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much that he periodically supplies information to the Congress for a small
fee and added protection.
36) Last Chance Tavern and Inn: On the main road, called the
Western Road, out of Rookroost heading into the heartlands is the Last
Chance Tavern and Inn. Run by a personable ex adventurer named Chance
Lucas, his place is considered the last chance to turn around before
heading into Outwall. Many merchants stay here while conducting their
business at the bazaar, so they do not have to stay in the city. In addition
to merchants, many adventurers making their way to Rookroost stop at the
Last Chance. Chance is known for being on good terms with nearly
everyone in Rookroost and is a friend of Elara Mornstar. Chance's
connections are usually enough to keep the riffraff out of his place, that
and the guards he has on the payroll.
37) The Dregs: Outwall has always been where the poorest of
Rookroost's citizens end up. Even here, the division between the haves and
the have nots is apparent. The lowest of these citizens live in the Dregs.
This shantytown has no real borders as its growth and population is in
constant flux. Fire, disease, and just the hard living in the Dregs keeps it
that way. Talons never patrol here, and the only authority recognized there
are the gangs. Divided up amongst ever changing numbers of gangs. The
gangs of the Dregs are the least influential in Outwall and Rookroost.
38) Fountain Number One: Besides bars, taverns, and drug dens,
Outwall has little in the way of clean water except for Fountain Number
one. All the fountains in the city have a number designation to them, and
the only one in Outwall being the largest. The fountain is more than just a
place to gather water; it is also a place to relax catch up with neighbors.
Because of the importance of Fountain Number One to Outwall, it is the
only place in the district that has round the clock talons stationed there.
The Talons' job is to ensure that no one attempts to foul the water or uses
it as their personal bathroom. Being stationed at the fountain is considered
a punishment assignment or reserved for those new to the Talons.
39) The Beggars Union: When it comes to large institutions in Outwall,
there is only one, the Beggars Union. The guildhall that houses the union is

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often described as a perfect reflection of the guild itself, large and run-
down. The building is brimming with people at all hours of the night and
day, with members taking advantage of the services they provide. Violence
between members on guildhall grounds is not tolerated, and those guilty of
breaking that rule are thrown out of the guild.
40) The Slab (Prison): The prison known only as the Slab is an imposing
building on Outwall's outskirts. Brooding and unadorned by statues or
embellishments, the prison's exterior reflects the prisoners' hopelessness
within. Besides the main keep, there are four large stone barracks and a
dungeon below for prisoners not assigned to forced labor.
Columns of Shackled chain-gangs are led out of the Slab to work
surrounding fields or loaded into wagons and taken to locations throughout
the city to work. These gangs are heavily guarded by the Talons.
41) Cemetery and the House of the Dead: Just north of the Outwall
district lies the Rookroost cemetery and the House of the Dead. The
cemetery has been in this location nearly as long as Rookroost has been a
city. The House of the Dead started out as nothing more than a shack
where death priests lived and has grown into a cathedral dedicated to
death in all its forms. Most people from Rookroost never visit the cemetery,
and the rumors about the place are many.
42) The Pits: Outwall might be the slums, but it is also home to the city’s
most popular entertainment, the gladiator fights. It is said that the pits
originally were a way for the gangs of bandits and brigands to settle their
disputes. As the city evolved, so did the gladiator pits, growing from simple
pits dug into the ground into a stone arena with seating for thousands.
Beneath the arena is a maze of living quarters for gladiators and holding
pens for monsters to be used in the arena.
Besides gladiatorial bouts, the arena also holds fights between monsters,
or monsters, and slaves. These slaves are usually poor slaves of less value,
and then there are still the traditional Trails as they are called. Trials is
where two sides can enter the arena to settle a disagreement with a trial
by combat, just like the city’s founders used to do. These can be to the
death or first blood and can be fought between the two disgruntled

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opponents or professional stand-ins. While not an officially sanctioned form
of justice through the magistrates, most in the city honor these matches'
results and look down on those that do not honor them.

Important People
Below you will find a list of some of the important people in the city. This is
far from a complete list, but instead a list of NPC's intended to give you an
idea of the types of people that can be found in the city and inspire you to
create your own memorable ones.

Elara Mornstar: (Leader of the Congress) Elara appears as an elf, but

her features are not distinct enough to pin down what kind of elf. If ever
asked this question, she responds with a wry smile and a comment about a
girl not giving away all her secrets. Tall for an elf at 5'8” in height, Elara
has raven hair, green eyes, and a dancer’s build. Many speculate that she
is really a half-elf with dominant elven features. Of course, the truth is that
Elara is actually a Greyhawk Dragon that has assumed this form to interact
with the lesser races. Elara dresses for the occasion and is never seen
wearing the same thing twice as she enjoys new clothes and being
fashionable.
Elara has been a fixture in Rookroost for over 100 years now, and the
Congress leader for 70 of those years. Before she assumed Elara's persona,
she had lived in the city as a human warrior named Belara. She used this
persona to get accustomed to her new home and then laid it to rest and
took up Elara's identity. Of the inhabitants of Rookroost only Riziln, and
Neros, her sometime lover, know of her true identity, but even they do not
know her true name.
Elara stands out with her lighthearted demeanor and personality in a city
full of bravado and hard men. She is always smiling and polite to all those
that she meets. She has ordered assassinations and war upon other guilds,
all the while smiling as if it was nothing. Elara enjoys her position as the
most powerful person in the city, and all the excitement it gives her. Like

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all Greyhawk Dragons, she lives for the small moments and the interactions
between these lesser beings.
Elara is protective of her city and her people and has genuine affection for
them, much like one has for a beloved pet. She is concerned about the
current state of affairs since the war, and she is working hard to form a
lasting bond between herself and Mortoth. She trusts Mortoth to act in his
own self-interest, but she is happy that he is far more intelligent than most
minions of the Great Old One. Elara knows that if he could, Mortoth would
have her replaced with one of his own, but they both know that will never
happen, so they work hard to form a working relationship that helps them
both.
Elara is a mature dragon and an accomplished swordswomen and caster in
her elven form. She never wears armor; instead, she relies on her abilities
and the fact that she is far stronger, faster, and tougher than nearly all
that she encounters even in her elven form.
If Elara is said to have a weakness, it is her affection for Neros. Even
though she does not know what it is about this human male that fascinates
her, she spends what free time she can in his company. Their relationship
is a well-known fact in the city, and some foolish individuals have tried to
use Neros to get to Elara in the past, only to wind up dead by the
swordsman's own hand.
Tips on Running Elara: In reality, adventurers might be able to catch
glimpses of Elara from time to time at a distance, but until they are
substantially high enough level to have a reputation that warrants her
attention, they wouldn't have any contact with her. As adventurers gain
levels and reputation, or if they are already of a high enough level, usually
tenth level and above, she will request an audience with them when they
arrive in the city. The reason for this is so that Elara can size them up and
get her own opinion of them. If she likes what she sees, she will more than
likely try to employ them, and if they are amiable to the idea, maybe even
try to recruit them into the Congress.
Of course, if the characters are already members of the guild, Elara will
start paying attention to the characters by the time they become 5th level.

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She may directly interact with them at that time as she believes in being a
hands-on leader.

Arnol Marsh: (Leader of the Furyondian Rebels) Arnol is a middle-

aged man still in his prime, and his posture and demeanor speak volumes
even when he is not saying a word. Being a man of few words, when Arnol
does speak, he is direct and to the point. Despite his imposing nature Arnol
is of average size and height. His greying hair is thin, and his hard face has
several small scars from a lifetime as a paladin of Trithereon. His armor
and weapons are of good quality but not flashy or flamboyant, and he
looks every bit the mercenary he claims to be.
Arnol has been leading the Furyondian rebels in Rookroost for three years.
During that time, he has been able to hamper that city's ability to supply
goods and resources to the Great Old One empire, but only minimally as he
refuses to waste his men on plans that do not have a high chance of
success. Arnol realizes that he can do far more good in the long run if he
fights a battle of attrition. He waits for the day when the cold war turns hot
once again.
Arnol dislikes what Rookroost stands for and hates his time here but knows
it is for the greater good. Even though he hates Rookroost, he hates Iuz
and his empire even more, and the knowledge that they continue to fight
against him is what allows him to carry on.
In the city, Arnol is known as a mercenary, and he is a member of the
Mercenaries and Sell-swords guild. While he and his cell make plots against
the minions of Iuz they also work in the city, usually as guards arranged by
the Mercenaries and Sell-swords Guild.
Arnol currently has a group of half a dozen men and women under his
command. Despite his cell members' insistence, he refuses to recruit or use
locals, seeing it as too much of a security risk.
Arnol does not lie, ever, but he will not be forced into divulging information
either. He will simply refuse to answer a question or respond with

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information that means nothing to the question. Grumbling under his
breath is a favorite answer when he can think of nothing better to say.
Tips on Running Arnol: It is possible that the characters have been sent
to Rookroost to help Arnol, but only if the party is not full of loose cannons
and can be trusted. Even if that is the case, Arnol will be reluctant to use
them for significant assignments until they have won his trust, which
comes slowly. Arnol is cautious and always keeps a stone of masking on his
person to hide his paladinhood. Arnol will never reveal that he is a
Furondian agent unless a character has documentation of some sort that
he can verify. If the characters are sent to work with Arnol, he would have
already received word before they arrive in the city and will be watching
for them, but he will never approach them.

Beanor Borralis: (Leader of the Shield Land Rebels) Beanor is the

rebels' flamboyant and dangerous leader from the Shield Lands in
Rookroost. Beanor is young, handsome, and quick-witted. Before the war,
he was a squire but quickly proved his mettle and became a knight.
Physically Beanor appears to be torn from a storybook of heroes with his
athletic build, winning smile, and chiseled good looks, but he is rash and
impatient. It is believed that these qualities are why he was given the
assignment in Rookroost, so they could get rid of him and still possibly
have him do some good.
Beanor is by far luckier than competent, and many feel that he must be
blessed by Rudd herself. Beanor has been in many situations that seemed
utterly hopeless and has prevailed with only scratches. He is lucky in battle
and with everyday encounters, be it barely missing an enemy patrol, or
stumbling onto a crate of flame pots when storming an enemy fortress
guarded by trolls. Beanor himself believes that he is destined for greatness,
what this greatness is he has no clue, but greatness none the less. The fact
that he is not pious enough to be blessed with a paladin's abilities does not
even phase the man as he simply states that he is gifted in other ways.
Since arriving in Rookroost, Beanor's luck has held out as his raids and
sabotage are daring and often foolish, but he remains uncaptured. He has

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eluded assassins and the best efforts of the Talons to find him and capture
him. His reputation has grown to the point that Mortoth himself has noticed
and wants him and has assigned a special unit of his Red Guards to the
task. The few men he brought with him and those few who were already in
place when he arrived have mostly died. Now he gathers their
replacements from among the disenfranchised of Outwall. Everyone feels
that it is only a matter of time before his legendary luck runs out and is
killed, but so far, he has eluded them all for over a year.
Tips on Running Beanor: Beanor is dashing, gallant, and jolly at the
worst of times. At the best of times, he might be considered insufferable
because of his positive attitude. If approached, he will gladly accept the
adventurers to his banner, and to prove their loyalty, he will have them
conduct a raid of some sort, a raid that he will gladly join. Beanor rarely
thinks things through, but when flaws in his plans are pointed out, he is
willing to change it even on the fly if he thinks it’s better. Beanor truly does
think he's untouchable, and characters should witness this firsthand, but
whether it's true or not remains to be seen. Beanor's superiors in the
Shield Lands are as stunned by the man's inability to die as everyone else
is. They have recently been sending some more assistance his way as they
cannot deny that he is producing results. Beanor does not like to sit idle
and is constantly hatching one scheme to hamper the troops and attempt
to disrupt the tribute shipped out of the city to Iuz, a feat he has yet to
accomplish.

Beltran (Owner the Black Swan): A place like the Black Swan has
existed in one form or another since before Rookroost was a city. The
owners of those past taverns and alehouses were mean and tough, but
none have been as mean and tough as Beltran. Before taking over the
Black Swan Inn, Beltran had a fierce reputation as one of the most
notorious marauders to raid into the neighboring kingdoms. His reputation
became so great that the bounties on him were so high that even his
fellow bandits were eyeing him for the reward. Knowing he had to lay low
for a while to let things cool off, he set down roots in Rookroost and took
over the Black Swan Inn after killing the original owner.
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Beltran is a big, burly, and mean half-orc with plenty of scars and a short
temper. Fortunately, he does not run the inn but is just a go-between for
those looking to outfit marauding bands and those looking for jobs.
Since Beltran has owned the Black Swan, he has had plenty of fun, but he's
been getting the itch to go raiding once again, but he doesn't trust anyone
to watch his tavern while he's gone. He cannot leave Gevin behind because
he's his right-hand man, and too stupid to do it.
Tips on Running Beltran: Beltran is a brute and used to getting what he
wants through intimidation and violence. Despite his tendency towards
violence, Beltran is not stupid, and he knows when to try and keep his
bravado and temper in check, but he struggles with it.

Berda Brae: (Brae Clan Elder) Since the Brae Clan set up shop in
Rookroost, there have been three different heads of the family. Commonly
referred to as either a matriarch or patriarch. The clan is divided into
smaller groups called families, and these families have their own power
structure, and each led by a family elder. The collection of all the elders is
simply called the heads of the family, and amongst them, they elect one
overall elder that leads the whole clan. The current Brae Family elder is
Berda Brae.
And older halfling, Berda was never one for padding across rooftops or
second-story work. She was only a passable cutpurse, and her lock picking
skills were adequate at best. However, where she did excel was in the
planning, and it was because of this, she was able to make her way to the
top elder position in the Brae clan.
Soft-spoken and polite, many people have mistakenly thought that they
could intimidate her. A mistake that few live to regret. Berda is ruthless,
cunning, and highly intelligent. She has worked hard to maintain the clan's
independence from the Congress while at the same time making them
invaluable to Elara. The clan means everything to her, and if necessary, to
ensure its survival, she will say and do anything.

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Tips on Running Berda: It is unlikely that a party of adventurers will
ever meet Berda, unless one of them is a halfling and high level. While the
Brae's try to keep track of any halfling coming into the city, if any with a
reputation comes to Rookroost, they are often invited to meet Berda. This
meeting is for Berda to feel out the character and see why they are in the
city and see if they might work together in the future. She is rarely alone
and usually is accompanied by three to four bodyguards.

Cedric Valest: (Mercenaries and Sell-Swords Guild Master) Cedric is

a man of many talents and has served in several other organizations and
guilds in Rookroost. He was a Talon for a short period of time, served in
the now-defunct Rookroost army, and has been a guard and on the payroll
for the Merchant's League and the Lord of Brick. Eventually, he settled in
as a member of the Mercenaries and Sell-Swords guild and soon found
himself rising up the ranks quickly until he became head of the guild.
Cedric is not the best swordsman, but he is smart and knows when
opportunity knocks and how to take advantage of situations, a skill that
has served him and his guild well.
Cedric is a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a pudgy midsection. He
has not taken an active contract himself in several years, and rumors are
running wild within the guild that those interested in taking his place are
jockeying for the position. It is also a well-known fact that Cedric has little
faith in most of the guild's high-ranking members to be able to run it
competently. There are even rumors that Cedric is looking at possibilities
outside of the guild for a successor.
Tips on Running Cedric: Cedric is always looking for recruits to bring
into the fold of his guild, but now that he is looking to retire, he is taking
closer looks at the adventurers that pass through Rookroost. Cedric is no
fool, and even has the ear of Mortoth and will not think twice about
reporting anyone that he feels is a threat to the tumultuous peace in the
city. Cedric often will solicit those he sees on the street that he thinks could
be an excellent addition to the guild, but he also believes that everyone
needs to work their way up the ladder as he did. The Mercenaries and Sell-

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swords guild is a great way for characters to get work in the city, leading
to adventure hooks for later. Members of the guild are offered contracts on
how well they perform their duties, but if the characters are busy with
other endeavors, they can turn down the contracts. But turning down too
many contracts will lead to less work being offered.

Chief Rugga: (Kobold Tribe Chief) The current chief of the Red Scale
tribe, the kobolds who have been in charge of the Rookroost sewers, hasn't
been chief for long. Rugga is large for a kobold, which isn't saying much,
but it was enough for him to bully his way into becoming chief. Never one
for hard work, he leaves the running of the sewers to his subordinates and
only makes an appearance when dealing with the topsiders is called for.
The kobolds take great pride in their work and have kept the undercity and
sewers in check and clean. They report anything out of the ordinary
immediately to the Lord of Brick's office. The odd monster and infestation
of the undercity are usually handled by hired adventurers. Still, their
constant competition with the ratlings has traditionally been their
responsibility. Nevertheless, under Rugga's control, the kobolds have lost
ground to them, and he has had to go to the Lord of Bricks requesting help
several times now since he has been in control. Usually, the monsters that
turn up in the undercity are found in the main passages or sewer tunnels,
which are accessible for adventurers to get at. However, the ratlings use
smaller tunnels, limiting those who can fight properly in them other than
halflings and gnomes.
Tips on Running Rugga: Rugga will only be encountered in and around
the sewers or the sewer works in the Inner-City. If adventurers do meet
Rugga he will try to hire them into helping with his ratling problem. He will
make promises of letting them keep whatever they find, but if this is not
enough, he will offer a bounty of 2gp per ratling tail that is brought to him.

Bertrum Glitterstone: (Owner of the Crystal Palace Inn and Tavern) The
first impression most have when meeting the strikingly handsome and

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lavishly dressed Bertrum is that he is out of place in Rookroost. Rumors
abound that Bertrum is royalty from the Flinty Hills that fled to Rookroost
to escape a murder to treason charge. If there is any truth to these
rumors, Bertrum will not say. The truth is that he took over an old guildhall
in the Peak and turned it into the most decadent place in the city some five
years ago after appearing from out of nowhere with a lot of coin to spend
establishing his new life in Rookroost.
Bertrum is approaching middle age for a gnome, but has not lost a step
and is often said to be blessed with the grace of an elf. He is always
elegantly dressed and never travels outside of the Peak if it can be
avoided. The truth of Bertrum's past is that he was a member of a thieves
guild somewhere outside the lands of the Bandit Kingdoms, and his fortune
was made at the expense of others and he has powerful enemies abroad.
To counter this, Bertrum has made it a point to become an associate and
friend of Elara Mornstar. The two are spotted often at the Crystal Palace
dining or having drinks and chatting.
Tips on Running Bertrum: Bertrum welcomes all new customers
warmly, provided they fit the requirements to stay or eat at the Crystal
Palace. He does not allow roughhousing, overly loud, or boisterous
conversations, and customers must be adequately dressed. Wearing armor
is frowned upon but can be overlooked depending on the guest. Bertrum
hires only the best guards that don't mind wearing the house uniform while
on duty, but there is rarely an opening as it is a highly sought-after job.
Adventurers might know about Bertrum's past, which would mean that
they know where he is from and his real name. Those who would attempt
to use this information to blackmail him would soon find the Congress
looking for them.

Graxton Battlemaster: (Head Battlemaster of the temple of Hextor) The

war god Hextor is worshiped by warriors, especially warriors that lust for
the thrill of combat and overcoming their foes, Rookroost, and the lands of
the Free Lords, has more than their fair share. Second, only to the priests
of Hextor are the Battlemasters. Battlemasters are teachers of tactics and

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martial skills, and the Battlemaster of the temple of Hextor in Rookroost is
Graxton.
Graxton lives for the fight, and when he is not training warriors at the
temple, he can be found in the field, fighting in any skirmish, battle, or
combat that he can find. Graxton, much like the church, does not choose
just one side; they choose the side where they can most likely see combat.
The destruction of the main temple of Hextor in the heartlands and the
complete disregard for the edicts of combat has left a bitter taste in
Graxton's mouth. The forces of Iuz have become his enemies, and he has
sworn to see them pushed back to their own lands. Graxton was dismayed
when Rookroost signed the peace treaty with Iuz and would have left if the
head priest at the temple in Rookroost had not ordered him to stay.
Despite his hatred for Iuz, Graxton has a begrudging respect for Mortoth
and his Red Guard.
Graxton is a large man and tall with a long reach. He carries a wide array
of weapons and wears highly stylized full plate armor. He is trained in the
use of bows, and they serve a purpose, but he prefers to be up close and
will take the opportunity to close ranks whenever he can to fight in melee.
While he has a passion for the fight, he is not stupid and knows tactics and
mastery of them. He will not rush a group if it will leave his flank exposed
but will attempt to lure his enemies closer. Graxton has a very dry
personality and only seems to have a passion for war and combat.
Tips on Running Graxton: Graxton's no-nonsense attitude does not
make him a likely source for interaction as he does not frequent taverns or
spends time wandering the streets, enjoying other forms of leisure. If a
character wishes to train, they can do so at the temple for a fee, but he is
not available for hire and does not partake in subterfuge acts. If some of
the characters are worshipers of Hextor they could run into him at the
temple where he would be training, reading about war, or inspecting and
improving the temple's defenses.

Gunseli, or The Spider: (Chief Assassin) Those of the assassin’s guild

take painful steps to make sure that their identities are not well known.

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Popularity works contrary to an assassin’s goal of moving about the city
unknown and unobserved. The Assassin’s Guild's chief assassin has two
names, neither of which are connected to a dependable description of what
she looks like. There have been sightings of Gunseli, on those rare
occasions where the assassin meets with his employers, but all those
reports are contrary to one another and lead many to believe that these
are simply stand-ins playing the part of the real assassin. No one knows if
Gunseli is human, elf, dwarf, or some other race, male or female. Many
theorize that Gunseli is a Drow because of her love of using spider poison,
and thusly she must be a female Drow. This, too, is just conjecture
surrounding the mystery of Gunsseli. The guild officials are just as in the
dark as everyone else as they work with the assassin through
intermediaries. Gunseli, poisons food and drink, will use contact poison on
doors and items that the assassin knows that her victim will pick up and
use, and her weapons are all poisoned weapons.
On the streets, Gunseli is more commonly known as the Spider since the
assassins preferred method is through spider poison. Poison is a prevalent
method of disposing of adversaries in Rookroost. Because of this, many
countermeasures have been devised to combat it, but Gunseli does not use
common poisons but only rarest and hardest to find poisons. Many of these
have been studied by Wizards from the School of Wizardry and have been
determined to originate from the Underdark. Many have tried to find the
assassin by tracking the import of such rare ingredients, but none of the
rare ingredients have been found entering the city.
Tips on Running Gunseli: Gunseli is like the boogieman of Rookroost.
Despite many efforts by a good many competent people, the assassin
remains an enigma, which has turned Gunseli into a favorite for conspiracy
theorists. The assassin’s fees are double the going rate and she has yet to
leave a contract unfulfilled. Gunseli is also no fool and has turned down
contracts to kill the council Lords and the General in the past. This handful
of people seem to be the only ones safe from her, and only so long as they
are in office as she has killed several former council Lords. It should also
be impressed upon adventures that angering the Rookroost elite could
cause Gunseli to be hired to take care of them.

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Harald Grimm: (Commandant of the Talons) Harald Grimm, often
referred to as Harald the Grimm behind his back, is a dower man that
never seems happy and is constantly scowling. Harald is an imported man
that came to Rookroost a few years before the war from lands unknown,
but it is believed to be from Tenh. Not long after arriving in Rookroost, he
found work in the Talons, which he took very seriously. Unfortunately, he
was relegated to the worst details as he was not willing to partake in
bribes. However, his reputation served him well, and since the reordering
of the Talons by Mortoth, Grimm rose through the ranks quickly until he
became the commandant.
Harald is a competent swordsman and has no illusions about what he is
and is not capable of. Still in the prime of his physical life, Harald trains
regularly with his men. Grimm has the full respect of the Talons. Grimm’s
philosophy is simple, they protect Rookroost, and without Rookroost, he
has no career anymore.
Tips on Running Harald: Adventurers might meet Harald as he goes
about his work in the city, and he is constantly looking for competent men
and women to add to the ranks of the Talons. He is no-nonsense and
seems to care for little else besides his job. Attempts to bribe or intimidate
him will fall flat, and while he might not attempt to arrest anyone who tries
it when it happens, he will make a mental note of it and do so when it's
more to his advantage.

Harmaz: (Gravediggers Guild Master) While Harmaz does not

volunteer the information, it is a well-known fact that he is a necromancer
of sorts. A worshiper of, Nerull, Harmaz is considered a scholar when it
comes to his god and worship of him. Harmaz has spent his entire life in
the Rookroost cemetery, having been adopted by the priests when he was
just a street urchin with a fascination with death.
Harmaz is mild-mannered and sees death as just a part of the great cycle.
He does not wear armor or wield weapons but instead relies on his god's
gifts to help in times of need. Most would take Harmaz for a librarian or an
accountant if it weren’t for his black robes decorated with skulls.

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As the head of the Gravediggers Guild, Harmaz also controls the cities
cemetery and works directly with the Night Merchants in the collecting of
the dead. The city's affairs concern him only slightly as it is where he and
his associates get the things, they cannot manufacture themselves.
However, he is concerned for the restrictive nature of Iuz and the
possibility that they might outlaw the worship of Nerull, something that he
would not abide. If forced Harmaz and his fellow priests and members of
the Gravediggers Guild would be forced to unleash their undead army upon
the Great Old One’s minions to ensure their ability to continue to worship
as they saw fit.
Tips on Running Harmaz: The only way that adventurers would meet
Harmaz would be to venture into the cemetery where the Gravediggers
guildhall is located as he rarely ventures into the city, and even then, it is
in a windowless black coach. However, if there are characters interested in
death or are possibly worshipers of Nerull, Harmaz will always have time
for them. While Harmaz is sympathetic to fellow worshipers of Nerull, his
generosity will only go so far, and requests for undead or other spell like
abilities will be politely turned down.

Karst: (Leader of the Horned Society Rebels) Karst is, unfortunately,

easy to spot no matter where he goes, and he takes caution to hide his
heritage of being a half-drow. Universally hated by nearly all surface
dwellers and most in the Underdark, hiding is a way of life for any half-
drow that is ever sired. When moving about the city, he usually wears a
disguise. His average build, bald head, and dark eyes provide him with an
adequate palate to blend in, with his purplish hued skin being the only real
giveaway.
Rumors are that Karst, along with several other of his kind, are the result
of an abandoned project of the Horned Society to breed Drow males with
human females to produce an army of crossbreeds. The inconsistency of
the offspring led to the cancelation of the project. It is also rumored that it
had drawn the Drow's attention who wanted to shut it down.

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Karst prefers to engage in combat at a distance with a short bow or
throwing daggers before closing the gap where he uses light weapons to
make pinpoint strikes. When not in combat Karst relies on his silver tongue
and mind-altering magic to get his way in hopes that he can avoid
violence.
Karst is loyal to the Horned Society and is their top agent in the city. Unlike
the others who oppose the forces of Iuz, Karst's main duty is to gather
information from the region and funnel it back to the remaining Hierarchs.
This does not exclude him from the odd assassination if the opportunity
presents itself, but like most of the city's rebels, his main goal is to
intercept the tribute sent from the city north to Iuz.
Tips on Running Karst: Karst tries not to engage with people directly.
Instead, he relies on intermediaries and go-betweens. Most of them think
that they are helping the Congress as Karst often pretends to be one of
their members to interact with others. The adventurers could come in
contact him when he tries to employ them for a job as he prefers to use
those new to the city and unfamiliar with those in charge.

Kostana: (Second in command of Mortoth's host of Iuzians) Kostana is a

fierce fighter and loyal to the Great Old One. Her loyalty is not based out of
love of the half-demon but simply because she feels that she can gain far
more within Iuz's power structure than in the human-dominated lands that
treat half-orcs like herself poorly. Kostana hates Mortoth and will do
anything to usurp his command of the host of humanoids that he
commands for the Great Old One.
Kostana is a superb fighter and is strong and agile, but she is very clever,
unlike the stereotype of most half-orcs. She wields two long swords and is
a whirlwind of steel able to cut down numerous opponents in combat. She
has survived numerous wounds that would have permanently put others
out of commission because of her iron will and determination. Kostana is a
shrewd and to the point type of person, but she can pull it back a bit if she
needs to.

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The host of humanoids commanded by Mototh encamped outside the city
are far more loyal to Kostana than they are to Mortoth, but they all fear
opposing the Great Old One's will to openly defy him.
Tips for Running Kostana: Against Mortoth's wishes, Kostana frequents
Rookroost instead of staying in the horde's camp outside the city. She tries
to make new contacts and build her network of spies inside the city.
Adventurers could be recruited by her, but they will need to be cautious as
she will slay them without a second thought to keep her secrets.

Mauldren Borrow: (Guild Master of the Apothecaries and Herbalists

guild) Mauldren stands out in a city like Rookroost, not because he is a
powerful druid, but because he is a genuinely nice and caring person. In a
place full of cutthroats and evil people, he is out of place. Mauldren is also
given a lot of respect because he is considered one of the most powerful
people in the city.
While a caring and friendly person, he is more concerned with the world's
balance and is a devoted follower of the old religion. The fact that he lives
in a garden atop the Apothecaries and Herbalists guild is strange unto
itself, but he sees cities as just another extension of nature through man.
That being said, it’s a common belief that he'd burn the place to the
ground if he thought he needed to.
Mauldren does care about people and helps those that he can, but he is
very selective as to who he will help with his own magic. Bandits and
brigands can purchase healing through the guild, but there is no free
healing for them or other guild members, even the guild masters. If asked
why he is in the city, he simply ignores the question. If asked if he is part
of a circle, he ignores the question as well. One of the most popular
rumors about Mauldren is that he often travels to the Fellreev forest, where
he is friends with the ancient green dragon there named Venthrimirax.
Some stories say that he is even the dragon in disguise, but that is not true
because Elara would know about it if it were true.

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Physically Mauldren is a small and old man with flowing gray hair and
beard and dresses in earth-colored robes. He walks with a staff that
appears to be nothing more than a sizeable gnarled stick. Soft-spoken, he
refuses to raise his voice to be heard, forcing those who wish to speak with
him to listen and come in close.
Tips on Running Mauldren: Getting to speak with Mauldren is not easy,
and unless an adventurer is a druid or priest of nature, the chances are
even less. He does not seek out others but instead keeps his own counsel
and is a mystery to nearly everyone in the city, even Elara.

Morley Clanless: (Guild Master of the Smit hand Armorers guild) The
Clanless dwarf family is well known in Rookroost, and they have been
doing business in the city for centuries in one form or another. Morley is
the latest in a line of greedy yet skillful smiths that make fine weapons and
armor. Morley’s personal forge is a masterpiece and responsible for most of
the weapons used but those in the city that can afford them.
Morley is in his prime and is a stereotypical example of a dwarf with thick
thews and a barrel chest. His fiery red beard is bushy and tucked into his
belt, and his head always clean-shaven and covered in tattoos.
The Clanless family is not large, but they habitually buy any dwarven
slaves that come into the city. These slaves are put to work in Morley’s
personal forge and allowed to work for their freedom. Those that gain their
freedom tend to stay with the Clanless family as those that seem too
uppity or think that they are too good to be a Clanless usually end up dead
from an accident before they ever gain their freedom.
Tips for Running Morley: Getting to meet Morley is easy; all
adventurers have to do is visit his forge. But he has no time for those with
no coin to spend and will remember those who have wasted his time in the
past and will refuse to see them again. Special items can be commissioned
from Morley, but the cost is five times normal and takes twice as long to
complete, but the results are worth it. Armor and weapons crafted by
Morley or his sons or apprentices are ready for enchanting and are twice as

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strong as other similarly crafted items. Morley cares little for the city's
politics but is concerned about the place being destroyed by an invading
army. If a battle that could destroy the city did occur, Morley would
reluctantly open his stores to be used in the city's defense. Of course, he
would expect them all back afterward if not paid for.

Neros: (Best swordsman in Rookroost) Rookroost has a long history of

hard men and deadly men. Those who live and die by the sword choke the
streets, and one's reputation means a lot. The title of the deadliest person
in Rookroost is currently held by a rangy man named Neros. His easy-going
nature hides a deadly disposition. Originally from the Heartlands, Neros
made his way to Rookroost early and put his natural swordsmanship
abilities to good use. Never one to take things from the defenseless or the
poor, Neros began a very profitable career of killing those that had already
done the dirty work and taking it from them. This deadly work quickly
made him a target of others, and when this lone swordsman was able to
defeat all challengers, his reputation began to grow. Neros never started
the fights but instead put himself in a position to rub the bandits and
brigands of the city the wrong way, either by beating them at cards or
leveling some choice words at the right bandit to get his ire up and force
him to draw first.
As the bodies stacked up, so did his reputation to the point that no one in
Rookroost would dare challenge him to a fair fight. Then came the waves
of assassins and daggers in the night looking to score a quick blow and end
him, but they too soon came to realize that Neros was no fool and far
smarter than most gave him credit. After surviving no less than twelve
assassination attempts, the word on the street was simple, don’t mess with
Neros if you want to stay alive.
One of Neros’ most straightforward tactics was the sharing of his loot to
win friends and allies. He would give away half his loot to street urchins,
tavern, and shop keepers asking them to keep him informed of possible
threats and other possible scores. By doing this, Neros has remained well
informed and has been able to stay one step ahead of his adversaries.

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Neros’ has always stayed clear of the guilds, never joining one, and never
picking a fight with a high-ranking member. When he did run afoul of a
guild member, he would simply go to the guild master and ask for them to
stop it or get permission to kill the guild member before doing anything. To
emphasize his stance, Neros became skillful at defeating his enemies with
non-lethal force as lethal. While being dead was no state that a person
wanted to be in, being a cocky guild member that was beaten down and
left alive was a severe blow to one’s reputation.
Today Neros simply makes a living off his reputation and his presence. He
is often hired to attend parties and escort the highest-ranking individuals to
important meetings as a personal bodyguard.
If there were not already enough reasons to not bother Neros, the fact that
he is openly involved with the head of the Thieves guild makes the idea of
bothering him even less appealing. How long the two have been dating is
unknown, but they have been a couple for the past two years. The truth is
that the two have been a couple for far longer, having met not long after
Neros came to the city. Elara is also behind the potions and magics that
have drastically extended his life span, which has not gone unnoticed by
some of Neros' rivals.
Tips on Running Neros: Neros is exceptionally talented warrior and is
considered to have no rivals within the city and possibly all the Bandit
Kingdoms. Neros thinks it is a bunch of nonsense and often says there is
always someone better or luckier. He is a fair man but merciless against
those he deems his enemies. He is quick-witted and full of dry and morbid
humor and one-liners.
The adventurers could run into Neros anywhere in the city because he has
business in all the districts. He can be found in Outwall watching the
games to the Peak where he might be visiting Elara. He is not rude or
boisterous when confronted, but he will not allow some two-bit punk to
give him a hard time either. If the adventurers’ insult Neros, he will most
likely attack them but will do non-lethal damage. Neros carries a vorpal
sword and wears fine mithril armor, but his dress and style are not flashy
or expensive. Neros can be hired, but his price is steep, very steep.

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Pinder Peddlequick: (Guild Master of the Beggars Guild) Pinder was once
little more than a halfling cutpurse living in Outwall, then he had an idea.
Like most in Outwall, Pinder was not a guilded citizen and had little
prospect of ever becoming guilded because he had no real skills besides
stealing, and not a very good one, so the Congress wasn’t interested in him
either. In all honesty, Pinder’s idea should have never succeeded, but
Pinder is persuasive and lucky.
Pinder’s idea was simple, he’d start his own guild and reap the benefits of
being guilded, like access to other parts of the city where the purses are
fatter, and the people are not paranoid as they are in Outwall. Pinder’s
plan was simple, and surprisingly, it worked. To everyone’s surprise, a
large number of the poor in Outwall did what they had to do to scrape
together enough coin to join the Beggar’s guild. If it had been anyone else,
it indeed would not have worked, but in Outwall, Pinder was known as the
rouge with a heart of gold. Eventually, Pinder had enough to apply for
guild membership, and after he had submitted the request, he packed and
waited to see if he had more work to do or would need to leave as soon as
possible.
There are many theories about how and why the Beggar’s Guild was
approved, but the real reason was the Council of Lords saw it as another
source of revenue. Even if it was to go belly up after achieving guild status
didn’t matter. Despite the odds and everyone’s expectations, the guild has
survived now for nearly twenty years.
Pinder is now a middle-aged halfling that is not as spry as he used to be.
While he no longer cuts purses or helps in any heists or other nefarious
business, he still knows everything the guild is involved in. In recent years,
he has become close friends with several Brae clan members, and the two
groups share information and employ one another when they need
assistance.
Tips on Running Pinder: Getting to meet Pinder is easy; all an
adventurer need do is visit the Beggar's Guild. Pinder lives in a suite on the
buildings top floor and is always busy about helping those that he can. His

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reputation of having a heart of gold is on display every day, and the
halfling rarely has more than a few coppers to his name as he gives away
his money to others a quickly as he gets it. Joining the Beggar's Guild is
easy and a great place for making valuable contacts in Outwall.

Riziln: (Guild Master of the Guild of Wizardry) Riziln has been a member
of the Guild of Wizardry since the days of Elshore and was his apprentice
before rising in skill and becoming a member of the guild herself. Her
appearance has changed little in nearly two hundred years, and the only
sign of getting older are streaks of gray hair at her temples. Many have
often mistaken her as a servant when visiting the Guild of Wizardry. She
rarely smiles or shows any emotion, which has gained her the nickname
the “Cold Hearted One.” She favors plane robes and wears only magical
jewelry.
Riziln has held her Guild Master position for over fifty years, and during
that time, the guild has become the strongest it has ever been. Organizing
the guild into a safe place where wizards can experiment without
government interference or overly interested parties snooping into their
business has drawn many wizards to the guild. Membership has
plummeted since the war, but with a semblance of stability coming back to
Rookroost, many of those who fled are returning.
Before the Arrival of Mortoth, the Guild of Wizardry had a stranglehold on
magic in the city and performed many minor magics and some advanced
magics for the ruling elite and high ranking guild masters. By making
themselves indispensable to business in Rookroost, Riziln ensured their
position of power within the city. When the wizards perform these tasks,
they often weave backdoors into all the spells. These secret passwords
disarm wards or turn them against their owners. The guild has also secretly
cast many scrying magics throughout the city, allowing them to gather
much information.
The Guild of Wizardry, particularly Riziln, has a cordial relationship with the
Congress and Elara. Despite her best efforts to persuade and even
intimidate the guild, the wizards remain neutral towards the thieves. Riziln

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knows that becoming allied with any faction would undermine their overall
standing in the city. Despite this, Riziln is afraid of the possible chaotic
mess that could be unleashed on the city if Iuz wishes it. Sensing Mortoth's
wish for independence from Iuz, Riziln has been secretly building a stable
alliance with Mortoth.
Tips for running Riziln: Meeting Riziln will not be easy for characters as
she does not meet with the general public, and when she does, it’s only
with wizards. A wizard would also have to show promise and have already
met with the wizards in charge of recruitment first. Looking to hire the
guild's wizards would not even gain characters access to a meeting unless
the amount of coin involved was substantial. She might, however, hire
characters to do an odd job for her. Still, even then, their reputation would
have to be such that they would be considered better than what she could
hire from the local guilds. Riziln is calculating and cautious in her moves.
Her primary objective is to ensure that the guild and her guild members
can survive the current crises. She is even considering a possible
movement of the guild to a secret location outside of the Bandit Kingdoms.

Seltin: (Owner of Seltin’s Stables) Seltin the half-elf is the best-known

scout in Rookroost. Having led countless bands of brigands on raids for
years, Seltin was in high demand up until his retirement. Even after his
retirement, this knowledge has brought him much wealth as he hires and
trains other scouts that he hires out to raiding parties. None of the scouts
he trains know all his secrets, and those he does teach jealously keep what
they've been shown a secret.
Seltin is a middle-aged half-elf, and his once blonde hair is now streaked
with gray. His features are still handsome, and his easy nature and quick
smile hides a dangerous man. He is skilled with a bow and is still a deadly
knife fighter. Never one to take a problem head-on when he could ambush
it, Seltin is still well respected, especially among the bandits of Rookroost.
Seltin called it quits just before the war and sunk all his money into his
Stables and scouting business. Seltin's Stables sells and rents horses and
scouts for marauding parties and merchant caravans year-round. His inn

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and stables are a couple of miles outside of town. Far enough from
Outwall, he does not have to worry about the riffraff that lives there. Seltin
has become the first stop for most caravans either coming into or traveling
out of Rookroost.
Seltin knows a lot of people, and not just in Rookroost. He keeps in touch
with all his contacts outside of the lands of the Free Lords and exchanges
information with them regularly. He does not sell the information but uses
it to help his scouts do their job to the best of their abilities. Seltin’s scouts
are so renowned that generals in neighboring kingdoms have attempted to
bribe him to help plan possible invasions into the Bandit Kingdoms.
Seltin realizes that the days of living like a king in Rookroost are coming to
an end. He has been hoarding coin and grooming several his scouts as
possible replacements if they can afford it. Still, Seltin will most likely sell
his business to Serinar when he leaves.
Tips on running Seltin: It is easy for adventurers to meet Seltin. All they
have to do is stop by Seltin’s Stables. He will be wandering the compound
greeting customers and pumping them for information while being a
gracious host. Besides the teamsters, scouts, and other work hands Seltin,
employs mercenaries to guard his compound.

Serinar: (Guild Master of the Merchant’s League) Serinar, the head of the
Merchant’s League, is a relatively recent transplant to Rookroost. A
pompous high elf, Serinar is a rare sight in the city. Rumors are that
Serinar is on the run from his folk and picked Rookroost because of its
location in lands inhospitable to his kin.
Serinar could have sought admission into the Guild of Wizardry upon
arriving in Rookroost as he is a very accomplished wizard but elected not
to. Instead, he set himself up as a merchant and joined the Merchant's
League. Serinar’s hates inefficiency and is a master at organizing and
streamlining procedures to suit the situation. Because of these skills, he
rose through the ranks quickly. Then with some well-placed bribes, and
assassinations he became Guild Master. The fact that Serinar did so during

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the turbulent years at the onset of the war and after the city's occupation
helped him tremendously.
Tall for an elf, and always dressed in the finest clothes, Serinar is a
handsome elf and has no end of suitors looking to draw his attention. But
his cold manner usually turns those interested in his company away.
Serinar’s main goal is amassing as much wealth as possible and working on
his constructs. He is extremely bitter about his banishment from his lands
in the West, and revenge against his family is a driving force for him.
Serinar’s has substantial influence as the Guild Master of the Merchant’s
League. Only Mortoth and Elara Mornstar have more influence in Rookroost
than Serinar. He will work with anyone, and while he drives a hard bargain,
he is not unfair. Serinar realizes that he will be spending many years in the
city and making enemies while he is here will only hamper his agenda. If
he is said to be friendly with anyone in the city, it would be Mortoth. He is
his biggest supporter, openly and privately. Serinar’s realizes that his plans
would be struck a severe blow if another of Iuz's subordinates were
assigned to rule Rookroost.
Tips on running Serinar: Adventures will have a hard time meeting
Serinar, unless of course they are also merchants or posing as merchants.
Serinar meets potential members in his office, which is heavily laden with
scrying and other magics to determine when someone is lying to him. He
also has magical items on his person that allows him to see through
illusions and other magical disguises but not physical ones. Two of his
personally constructed Iron Constructs always guard him.

Arus Mortoth: (Governor of Ravensrook, General of Izmul) After

Rookroost signed their treaty with Iuz none thought any good would come
of it. It might not have seemed like it to the conquered, but Mortoth is not
your typical minion of Iuz and is far less chaotic in his style and demeanor
than expected. And after scheming his way into the political scene has
enacted many changes to strengthen Rookroost.

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Mortoth, like Iuz, is a half-fiend, and because of his infernal blood is a large
and very imposing figure with scarlet skin, jet black hair, horns, and
cloven-hooved feet. Dressing in dark crimson clothes and armor, he wields
a spear and a wicked morning star in battle. His natural fiendish abilities
and freakish strength make him more than a match for any foe he has met
on the battlefield. Unlike most of Iuz’s commanders, he also sees the value
in strategy and loyalty. His personal troops, the Red Guard, well are
fanatical in their devotion to him and obey him over even Iuz. He has been
known to fly off into rages but only in battle. Mortoth despises Iuz and his
realm. He was born and inherited his father's holdings after killing him, not
a simple task as his father was a demon bound to Iuz’s service.
Mortoth knows he was assigned occupying Rookroost because he has the
temperament manage it and not turn it into a pile of smoldering cinders.
He also knows he gained the position to test his loyalty and tempt him into
betraying Iuz. Mortoth looks forward to doing just that when the time is
right despite the Demi-lord’s anticipation of it.
Treason has been on Mototh’s mind since before the war when he went
about building his personal army. Even when in the capital of, Dorakaa,
Mortoth, was respectful, but only to Iuz. This attitude has made Mortoth
many enemies amongst the Boneheart, many of whom scheme to topple
him out of Iuz’s favor, where he remains even to this day. Cranzer, the
overall commander of Iuz's forces in the Bandit Kingdoms, hates Mortoth
with a passion. He would be scheming himself to bring down Mortoth if he
wasn't so busy with trying to stomp out rebels in the Fellreev Forest and
the Rift Canyon.
Tips on running Mortoth: Adventurers in Rookroost will find it hard to
meet with Mortoth, but not as hard as meeting Riziln, Serinar, or Elara.
Mortoth is continually looking to recruit as many competent swords as
possible into his Red Guards for the inevitable war he will need to fight. If
adventurers with sufficient reputation seek an audience with him, he will
most likely grant it if he thinks there is a chance that he might recruit
them. Mortoth runs a tight ship, and Rookroost has seen many positive
changes since he has become the General. Those changes have won him
some respect amongst the common folk, especially those not of the
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guilded elite. These changes have also won him many enemies among
those very same guilded elites. Mortoth is working hard to forge alliances
with those elites that he can while quietly trying to replace those that
remain defiant.

The Gods in Rookroost

The influence of the gods in the Flanaess runs deep, and Rookroost is no
exception to this. However, the city is not dominated by any one specific
god or pantheon but instead is a cherry-picked assortment of gods that
suits the city. While the worship of gods in Rookroost is common, actual
temples to them are not. Most services are held wherever they can find
space. Below is a list of the most widely worshiped gods in the city,
although they are far from the only ones.

Istus - The goddess of fate found root in the city early on and is
considered one of the most widely worshiped gods in the city, but not in
the traditional means. Early on in the cities founding there were a couple of
Istus priests that found their way there, and one of the priests had the idea
of accepting donations from the bandits to ensure that fate did not turn
against them during their raids.

Through the influence of Isutus herself, or by simple dumb luck, those that
donated to the priests seemed to have better luck avoiding trouble.
Contributing to the priests soon caught on and quickly became a well-
established superstition that remains to this day.

The priests put their growing fortune to good use and broke ground on one
of the first temples in the city, and there has been a temple of Istus in the
city ever since. Despite the temples' wealth and influence, the priests did
little to throw around their weight in attempts to influence local
government. They adhered instead to the doctrine that everyone's fate is
in the hands of the goddess, and there is little that can be done to change
that.

Hextor - The second most visible religion in Rookroost is that of Hextor.

Many who conduct their raids into other lands perform them like military

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operations instead of marauding like a horde. These bandits gravitated
toward the worship of Hextor. With the grand Hextorian temple of the
Midlands just across the Artonsomay river from Rookroost, the religion was
heavily represented.

While the Worship of Hextor is widespread and one of the few religions
with an actual temple, it was still a small temple until the Iuzians destroyed
the Midlands' grand temple. While a significant number of their followers
died on the battlefield, there were still sufficient numbers that escaped and
made their way to Rookroost to swell the numbers of the priests and
acolytes in the city.

With the influx of the Hextorians from the Midlands, the temple has seen a
drastic overhaul. It has undergone several renovations turning the fortified
temple into an actual fortress in preparations for the next round of fighting
against the Iuzians.

Kurell - If there is one god that embodies the spirit of Rookroost, it is

Kurell. This Oeridian god of Jealousy, revenge, and theft was worshiped
amongst the bandits that founded Rookroost far before the rise of the
temple of Istus. Kurell is also considered a more influential god than any
other in the city. While many worship Kurell, the church within the city is
less influential than the Church to Istus or Hextor because of its doctrine.
Priests of Kurell are often too busy plotting against one another to organize
the temple to influence local politics.

Despite the church's fractured state, they have the third-largest temple in
Rookroost. As well as being a place where followers come to seek their
god's assistance in their mischievous deeds, the temple has become a
place where likeminded individuals come to make contacts. The temple is
not a place for recruit brigands, but instead for swapping information on
who is buying what types of stolen goods and who is bribing who.

Zilchus - The temple of Zilchus is a small affair and has moved inside the
Merchant League compound at the blessing of Serinar since the Iuzian
invasion. Most of those that worshiped at the temple being the merchants
that lived or traveled to Rookroost for business. The temple's use is

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permitted to guilded citizens during business hours but is closed when the
Merchant's League compound is closed for the night.

Rudd - Rudd is another widely worshiped deity in Rookroost but has no

temple dedicated to her, but there is a covered alter to her in the Inner-
city. A handful of priests to Rudd take care of the alter and collect the odd
coppers left behind by worshipers for good luck. The donations are then
used to help maintain the alter, and there is talk of eventually erecting a
proper temple, but this talk has been going on for nearly twenty years.

Ralishaz - The worship of Ralishaz is popular in the city. Many of the

bandits and brigands pay homage to the god either in helping them sow
the seeds of chaos or in attempts to appease the gods from causing
confusion in their riads. There are a handful of priests in the city, but as
expected of a god of chaos, there is no organization to speak dedicated to
the god's worship.

Nerull - There have been temples to Nerull in Rookroost in the past, and
there is a small one in the City of the Dead, the city's cemetery, but there
is none within the city itself. In the past, the temples of Nerull seemed to
follow the same pattern of attracting those fascinated with the dead or
plain evil types that were more interested in seeing others suffer. Needless
to say, even in a city like Rookroost, this eventually brings them into
conflict with those that wish for a more orderly and stable city.

The last temple, located in Outwall, was ransacked, and burned to the
ground by several Outwall gangs in retribution for their stealing citizens of
Outwall for sacrifices. This interfered with the gang's business, so the
temple was torn down, and all the priests and acolytes were killed.

Wee Jas - Wee Jas has a small following in the city, and a temple exists to
the goddess in the City of the Dead. The bulk of those who work in the City
of the Dead and the Night Merchants worship Wee Jas. The Council of
Lords encourages this as they are afraid of what might happen if the City
of the Dead fell under the total control of priests of Nerull.

Iuz - Even before the war and the Bandit Kingdoms' invasion, there were a
few worshipers of Iuz sprinkled throughout the city. Some acted as spies

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for the Old One, and others just identified with his commitment to deceit,
pain, and oppression. Since the war, the worship of Iuz has risen
dramatically.

A temple to Iuz was erected and staffed by priests loyal to the Old One as
a sign of loyalty. These priests are in direct communication with Iuz and
keep him informed of all the city's goings-on.

Despite attempts by the priests of Iuz, they have yet to win over many
converts from the local population that still look upon them as invaders.
Mortoth himself rarely deals with them directly unless he is commanded to
by Iuz himself.

Monsters of Rookroost

Rookroost Hound
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Solitary/Pack
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Semi- (2-4)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: Variable
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVEMENT: 16
HIT DICE: 3
THACO: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8 (2d4)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSE: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (4’-6’ long)

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MORALE: Steady (11-12)
XP VALUE: 75

In a town such as Rookroost, protection is something that does not come

easy. With so many rogues and cutthroats skulking about through the
streets finding good, and affordable protection is a hard thing to do, and
that is where the Rookroost Hound comes in.
Originally hounds and war dogs were common amongst the raiding parties
that would spill over into neighboring lands. It was common for a raiding
party to have a pack to help with hunting and herding targets that the
raiders might wish to take back as slaves. Back home in Rookroost,
however, they served a different purpose, guard dogs.
To be effective guard dogs, loyal and not easily duped, Hound Masters in
the city were continually breeding them to come up with a hound that
served all those needs. After several hundred years, we have the common
Rookroost hound. While cheaper than hiring a man at arms to guard your
home or business, Rookroost Hounds cost double the amount of a regular
war dog.
Highly trained, Rookroost Hounds know who their masters are and what
people they can trust. Rookroost Hounds will not eat food given to them
unless they are starving, or it comes from their master. Through several
weeks of training, Rookroost Hounds learn to recognize one human as their
master and obey their commands without question. Rookroost hounds will
willingly give up their lives to protect their master and or follow their
orders.
It is common for shop owners and merchants to have one or two hounds
guarding their businesses after dark, especially if they do not live on the
premises. Those who can afford to might have a pack of them for guarding
the grounds of estates.
While it is common, especially in Outwall, to see packs of stray dogs,
Rookroost Hounds are never among their numbers. If a Rookroost Hound
is seen to have gone rogue or feral, they are killed immediately to help

106
ensure that their DNA does not become mixed among the general dog
populace, creating packs of formidable dogs. The city pays a bounty of 5gp
for the carcass of rogue or feral hound.
Ratling
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Tribe
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8-10)
TREASURE: J,O(Qx5)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 5-20 (5d4)
ARMOR CLASS: 8
MOVEMENT: 6
HIT DICE: 1
THACO: 20
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4 or 1-6 (by weapon)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSE: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: S (3’ tall)
MORALE: Unsteady (7)
XP VALUE: 10

Ratlings are native to Rookroost, although groups of them, are called a

mischief, have begun turning up further afield from the city. There are
reports of them appearing in the Fellreev, Stoink, the Rift Canyon, and as
far south as Redspan. Generally accredited to the former Archmage
Asenneas, a member of the Rookroost Wizards Guild between 459-466 CY,
Ratlings were another of his creations.

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Ratlings are small, halfling sized, rodent humanoids. They are intelligent
but have many of the same characteristics as normal rats. A few of the
creatures escaped Asenneas’ laboratory and made their way into the
Rookroost sewers and underground. Once there, they began multiplying at
an alarming rate.
 Ratlings are only surprised on a roll of 1
 Ratlings also have a 45% chance of tracking a target by their scent.

The lifespan of a Ratling under the best of circumstances is 5 to 10 years.

Still, average Ratlings in the wild live from 1 to 3 years. With such short
lifespans, they do not really have much of a culture of their own besides
finding food and reproducing. They try and steal what they need and can
use rudimentary tools and weapons, but they do not craft anything
themselves.

Ratlings have developed their own language, but it is little more than a
sophisticated series of squeaks, squawks, and hissing. The language is too
rudimentary to convey complex ideas. A comprehend languages spell will
not work on them, although a speak with animals spell will.

While they can be encountered in the sewers or the undercity at all times
of the day, they are rarely seen in the city during the day. After sundown,
groups of Ratlings some out into the city to scavenge whatever they can
find before returning to their homes under the city before dawn.
Ratlings dwell in clans with ever-changing dynamics. Leaders are usually
the strongest Ratling in the clan, but this might only be for a few days,
weeks, or months before being killed by a rival, the kobolds, or
ratcatchers.

The city pays out a bounty of 5sp for each Ratling tail that is turned in.
Because of this, there are groups of ratcatchers that roam the streets at
night looking for them. These groups generally number around 4 to 6
people armed with crossbows and spears.

Rookroost Ravens
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any

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FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Flock
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8-10)
TREASURE: J,O(Qx5)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 2-8 (2d4)
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVEMENT: 1, FL 27 (C)
HIT DICE: 1-1
THACO: 20
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-2 (1-4 special)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Special see below
SPECIAL DEFENSE: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See Below
SIZE: S (2’ long)
MORALE: Average (10)
XP VALUE: 55

The Ravens of Rookroost are a common sight everywhere in the city.

Flocks of the birds called either a congress, an unkindness, horde, or a
murder are found everywhere. The birds predate the city's founding,
having lived upon the small hill upon which the city was built. A myth has
even grown up around them, stating that the city of Rookroost will never
fall so long as the ravens roost there.
Living among these flocks is a larger raven variation far more intelligent
than the average raven. A Rookroost Raven has a normal human's
intelligence and can speak and even use rudimentary tools that can fit in
their talons.
Picking them out from among the hundreds of thousands of regular ravens
in the city is not too hard if trained in what to look for but communicating
with them is difficult. Rookroost Ravens are reluctant to contact humans,
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demi-humans, or humanoids and keep their distance. However, one can
win the trust of them by feeding them regularly and talking to them over
time. While Rookroost Ravens live amongst the larger raven population,
they usually live in small family units.
Rookroost Ravens generally live by scavenging what they need, and their
diet is the same as a normal raven. They love to play practical jokes like
stealing small items from one person and placing them in another persons'
home. Stealing laundry left out on a line to dry, or heckling people in
crowds to try and cause fights.
Rookroost Ravens pick up languages easily and speak up to eight of them.
They also can imitate perfectly voices that they hear. Even if they only
listen to the person speaking for as little as a minute, they can perfectly
replicate it.
The Guild of Wizardry has many Rookroost Ravens that work for them as
spies. These ravens will hang out in places where they might overhear
important information. Thus, it is general practice to have all conversations
of a sensitive matter indoors if they can be. Despite this, many people
forget because the city is crawling with them, and they are just part of the
background.

Rookroost Adventure hooks

1. The Council of Lords has a vacant seat, and the notice has been posted.
If not already affiliated with a faction within the city, the characters are
hired to deliver bribes, rough up the competition maybe even eliminate the
competition.
2. The party is approached by a known merchant lord that dropped a key
to his strongbox into the sewers. He saw one of those cursed ratlings in
the sewer run off with it, and he wants you to find it.
3. Someone is killing high ranking Iuzians. First is a priest of Iuz, then a
Captain of the Red Guard, and now an Iuzian merchant. Elara Mornstar
and the Congress have had no luck finding out who it is. They want the

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player's help finding the murderers before Mortoth cracks down on the city
for the murders.
4. One of the Night Merchants approaches the party, asking if they can
investigate a string of body thefts. A strange, winged creature has been
seen collecting corpses off the streets at night, and it’s cutting into their
business.
5. Dogs have been gathering in larger and larger packs in Outwall. If that
was not bad enough, they have been systematically hunting down the
gangs there. Some gang leaders have scrapped together some coin and
want to hire the characters to figure it out.
6. A friend of the party's has come to them asking for their help. Bounty
Hunters are after him, and he does not know why.
7. A friend of the Party's turns up in leg irons at the auction block. The bad
news is that they were just bought and taken in a group back to the Iuzian
hordes camp outside of town. The real bad news is most of the slaves
bought by the Iuzians end up in soup pots.
8. An old lady has shown up in every quarter of the city selling pastries
that are to die for. Everywhere she goes, there are long lines of people
waiting to get one. The oddest part about this peddler is that
Rookroostians are polite and patiently wait their turn in line no matter
where she sells her pastries. Even when the pastries run out, the crowds
only groan in disappointment.
9. The party has angered someone with enough funds to pay off the courts
and the Talons. The party finds out they are wanted by seeing a wanted
poster with their images on it.
10. A famine has gripped the city, and the characters have been hired to
catch ratlings, but not just for profit, but so they can be cooked up and fed
to the masses in Outwall.
11. The party is relaxing in a local tavern when a bard starts singing a
song. Quickly the characters realize that the tale he is singing is about

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them, and he is giving out details the party might not want public. How
does he know what happened?
12. The party is hired to help the kobold clan that takes care of the city’s
sewers. The kobolds found something in the undercity that has changed a
few of them into dangerous and deformed monsters.
13. As the night falls and the celebration of Darkest Night begins, one of
the characters is a pickpocket victim. Still, they notice in time to see the
thief run off into the night. In its place is a note challenging the characters
to catch the thief if they can.
14. People recruiting bandits and brigands for a raid into the surrounding
kingdoms is no big deal is Rookroost, but the Iuzians are doing the
recruiting. Is this just a raid, or do they have something else planned?
15. Several NPC’s that the characters are familiar with have recently
turned up with a small scar on their right temple. Each has a simple story
explaining it away, like tripping and falling into cabinets. Other than that,
all seems fine.
16. A group of wyverns brought to Rookroost for the gladiatorial games
has broken free and are terrorizing the city. The owner has paid off the city
to give him 24rs to collect his investment. The slaver wants to hire the
party to capture them and bring them back…alive.
17. A man condemned to die by hanging from a gibbet cage in Raven’s
Square is taking a long time to die. In fact, he has been hanging there for
over a year now. Despite looking sickly and emaciated, the man is still
clinging to life. The Talons hire the party to watch him at night for 4 days
to help figure out how he stays alive.
18. Several street urchins have been caught in the past two days with their
hands in the pockets of all kinds of Rookroost residents. They are not
stealing anything. Instead, they are giving away one copper coin to these
people, but why? None of the children know why they are doing it, even
under magical questioning.

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19. A city guard that works the Outer-city gate approaches the players and
offers to let them know when the tribute shipments are being taken out of
the city to the Iuzian army. All the guard wants is a cut of the profit if they
can waylay the shipment.
20. The party is approached by one of the many rebel factions within the
city. It could be Arnol Marsh with the Furyondians, Beanor Borralis with the
Shield Landers, or Karst with the Horned Society for recruitment. To prove
their sincerity, they will have to undertake a simple mission, of course.
21. A street performance with a stage magician and dancers has drawn a
large crowd, including a guild leader or two. During the show, a demon
pops into existence, seemingly summoned by the stage magician. After
appearing, the demon wades into the crowd going after the guild leaders.
One of the characters notices that a spectator cast a spell just before the
demon appeared.
22. A Rookroost Raven approaches the players and asks for their help
getting rid of someone killing some regular ravens and one of its extended
family. The Raven promises to pay them with trinkets pilfered in the city.
When the party confronts those responsible in Outwall, those responsible
are a gang of kids armed with slings.
23. The party is approached by the thieves guild, the Congress, and wants
them to waylay an incoming shipment destined to the temple of Iuz and
turn it over to them. If the party accepts and captures the wagon, they find
out the cargo is a half dozen slaves.
24. The party is hired to take a shipment of supplies secretly to rebels in
the Fellreev Forest. They will have to avoid, bluff, or bribe their way past
the Iuzian checkpoints along the way.
25. The party is hired to kidnap an important official in the city and turn
them over to one of the rebel groups. The deal was set up through
intermediaries, but when the party brings the official to drop off, Iuzians
are waiting to accept the official.

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