While moving
about Mauriatown ‘on official business’ can be relatively safe and easy, moving
about Mauriatown while ‘not on official business’
isn’t. The area is heavily patrolled, not only to keep out invading
monsters and humanoids, but also to suppress the work of spies from rival
settlements, (especially Helltowne) as well as to keep down any pesky gnomish uprisings.
ZONES
Mauriatown
has a variety of area types to which the locals refer to as ‘Zones’. Though
their land is often characterized as being dominated by ‘militaristic humans
bent on killing all other races, each area demonstrates its own local flavor of that
stereotype.
Mighty One Trail
The main
thoroughfare of the Vale and therefore Mauriatown, many still travel this age
old path, just as the Ancients did in centuries past. Though folk may no longer
hurtle down the roads in their magic drive-cars, it remains a good trade route
and method for adventurers to get to other lands quickly, even if it is only
now via horse and foot.
1d8
1-3. 1d10 Foreigners from (roll 1d12): 1. Middlechest
(a feudal monarchy), 2. Stephania (an
amazon matriarchy), 3. Strass Hill
(viking warbands), 4. Columba
Furnace (dwarf miners and smiths), 5. Fjord
Vallee (human noble savages), 6. Caelum
Mount (Olympian human magocracy), 7. Monjaksen
(undead-overrun society), 8. Narquay
(Frankish nationalists), 9. Timber Fell
(Celtic hamlet), 10. Madisonburg (cosmopolitan
duchy), 11-12. Other (per Referee). Wherever they may hail from, foreigners have a base 85% chance of traveling on ‘‘official business’. (Helltowners are arrested on site, though they sometimes pose as folk from other lands while spying on Mauriatown- a 10% chance of any Foreigner encounter actually being the case)
4-7. Maurians (roll 1d12): 1-2. 1d4 Greyshirt Scouts, 3-5. 2d6 Greyshirt Farmers or Workers, 6-7. 3d6 Blueshirt Soldiers, 8-9. 3d4 Leader Scouts, 10-11. 1d4 Black Hat Constables, 12. 1d2 Secret Police (Black Hats disguised
as other types of Maurians or Travelers)
8. Weather change or Notable view (per
Referee)
Elder Pike and other roads that wind
through Mauriatown
Use the
following encounter matrix instead:
1d8
1. Foreigners
2-7. Maurians
8. Weather Change or Notable View
Farmlands
Despite
being a major industrial power (at least for the Vale during this period of
history), much of Mauriatown remains farmland.
1d6
1-2. Empty field (10% chance of Nature spirit, Ancestral spirit, or other being is present)
3-4. 1d10 Greyshirt farmers at work
5-6. 3d12 Gnome slaves with 1d4
Maurians supervising them
Clutch Houses
Following in
the teachings of the Great Philosopher Plat, the Maurians do not have families per se. Instead, they are grouped
together, based on the dictates of the Maurian Wizards, never really knowing
who their real parents are. Such an arrangement certainly helps solidify
citizens’ loyalty to Mauriatown, but also gives them somewhat of a sense of
loss for never knowing a nuclear family. Children then forge close bonds with
their clutch mates that include the same Caste (Greyshirts, Blueshirts, or
Black Hats), as well as others they meet in the Leader Scouts that come from
any Maurian Caste,
1d6
1-4. Greyshirt Clutch House (1d20
residents present)
4-5. Blueshirt Clutch House (1d20
residents present)
6. Black Hat Clutch House (1d10
residents present)
Town Holds
Including Old
Mauriatown in the south, Brookstown further north, and Exitia to the west of
that, these hamlets give Mauriatown the appearance of having a similar
arrangement to other lands, though they are mainly locales for the manufacture
of Maurian arms and other equipment, as well as fronts for the Maurian Secret
Police, rather than being any actual social entities of their own.
1d6
1. Tavern
2. General Store
3. Smithy
4. Carpenter
5. Hopeful Mother (courtesan licensed
to breed with fitting fathers)
6. Other (per Referee)
(Secret Bases)
Though they officially
aren’t supposed to exist, a number of secret bases are rumored to be found
throughout Mauriatown, offering anything from keeping their land on the cutting
edge of arms, working their strange magic, and especially keeping their gnomish
slaves in check. How else will they keep their society together?
1d6
1. Weapon development
2. Maurian Wizard Temple
3. The Leader’s Headquarters (one of many)
4. Secret Weapon (too secret to even
describe)
5. Other (per Referee)
6. Gnomish torture black site (don’t
ask!)
Coliseum Park
Once a great
reserve of the Ancients, the Maurians have converted the place to a spectacle
of blood and valor. Here the various castes of Maurian society can compete for
the privilege of having the Leader wear their color as his uniform for a time (if
he is so inclined, of course) not to mention practice using the more unusual
Maurian weapons on each other. Rebellious gnomes can even attempt to win greater
(temporary) rights in gladiatorial combat- a true extravaganza to behold..
1d6
1. Jousting with tank barded horses
(yes)
2. Maurian dive-glider competition
3. Repeating crossbow ‘tag’
4. Foot race
5. Wrestling match
6. Gnomish Gladiatorial combat!
