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Call for Suggestions #99: Yazur Island's Factions
🕑 Added 2022-09-20 14:25:25 +0000 UTCWelcome to Yazur Island!
For those just learning about Omeria, Yazur Island is a 900-square-mile island off Omeria's northeastern coast. It's approximately 50 miles from Imfe Caan Asaari, the "capital" city of Vaskil Valley. Once the site of a few noteworthy Pressonian settlements, Yazur Island now serves as an arcane prison for Omeria's most dangerous spellcasters; that's because 20-foot-tall, mouthless, horned cyclopes that call the island home generate fields of antimagic that extend up to 15 miles off the island's shores. Furthermore, the quickest passage back to the mainland, the Straights of Libby, is riddled with dangerous creatures.
What are Yazur Island's Factions?
All of my adventures use factions to direct the flow of the adventures. They are classified into eight categories:
Academy. Scholarly types who are interested in learning new things.
Ancient Being. A vampire, aboleth, or some other powerful creature.
Aristocrat. Someone with some serious cash who sees the party as a way to increase their holdings.
Criminal Syndicate. They do crimes!
Adventuring Guild. The old-fashioned "because it's there!" group.
Military Force. Might makes right!
Religious Order. "We're on a mission from god."
Sovereign. The leader of a realm, city, etc.
Since Yazur Island is a bit more specific in its design, I figured it was time to actually give each of these groups a name. Likely, I will tie these to specific locations on the island, too.
Here's the map again if you don't remember what's where:
1) Baramis Ruins. Pressonian ruins at the north end of the island.
2) The Forest of Faces. A grove of dead treants.
3) The Mine. Rumors persist that it hides a deadly artifact.
4) Giannetto's Emporium. A ramshackle shop with weird inventions, fake magic items, and spell components (just in case).
5) Fury. One of the island's major prisoner settlements.
6) The Anorians. A cabin belonging to a pair of gun mage spies.
7) Kelinore's Hut. Home to a necromancer named Kelinore Smithson Brinewater.
8) The Star Menhirs. The territory of a druid circle called The Band of Stars.
9) Megegion Ruins. Pressonian ruins in a swamp on the island's west side.
10) Frankmoor. A town of former artificers, mostly gnomes.
11) The Wake's Aerie. Karsts at the island's center in which werevultures live.
12) Rot. Goblinoid village.
13) Ilikluty Tower. Home to a cult of evil former spellcasters.
14) Cemetery of Steel. Named for the rusty Deadrunner rigs stored here, this location is infested by Yazurian gremlins.
15) The Whistling Monolith. A big ol' monolith.
16) Tragylos Ruins. Pressonian ruins at the island's southeastern end.
17) Freedom. A prisoner settlement.
18) Dinzertown. A prisoner settlement consisting of predominantly Dinzers from Odonburg.
19) The Hags. Home to a trio of martial hags.
20) Stormpit. A lock-up for potent magic items.
Call for Suggestions
In the comments below, give a suggestion for one of the factions. Make sure to mention the following details:
- 1) Which of the eight categories does your faction fit into?
- 2) What part of the map does your faction come from? There are five villages on the island, but they can really come from anywhere so long as there's a good reason.
- 3) Tell me a little more about your faction. What are their goals? What do they want to do?
Remember to keep it brief and clean. Also, try to have only one suggestion per patron.
Best options get added to the adventures and become a permanent part of the adventure series.
Comments
Richard L'Abbé
Cowboy Drow elf
DM Dave
Yep
Sean Walsh
Are those dudes AI-generated?
Darion Nutter
Blood of the Cyclopes, a radical military force who have realized the danger of magic and banded together in worship of the Cyclopes to spread Antimagic wherever they go and rid Omeria of magic once and for all. They use weapons and armor carved from the bones of the Cyclopes and in some cases even ingest powdered Cyclopes bones to give themselves counterspell like abilities or strange antimagical null attacks.
The Empty Academy, founded by a group of former pexian scholars banished for unethical magic. Since arriving on Yazur, they have shifted focus, and seek to understand how magic permeates the world by experimenting on an area in its absence. They often hire more physically capable prisoners to gather samples or perform physical experiments for them.
James Umb
In Frankmoor, multiple groups of rival tinkers are competing for the annual extraordinary invention award "The Gloopie". This has set up a criminal faction called the Nudniks. They are a group of unaffiliated (and possibly disgruntled) ex apprentices and employees whose sole goal is to make inventing and engineering more annoying. They specialize in things like modifying design plans just enough that something doesn't work, deliberately "misplacing" necessary tools and hiding them somewhere where it would be reasonable for the tool to fall, or minor annoying sabotage (think stealing the batteries out of a remote). The Nudniks have a strong code of honor and will not deliberately sabotage things in a way that would harm someone. Their code of honor extends to a level of morality that prevents them from causing financial harm to someone in dire straits. They will not be responsible for someone starving or being kicked out of a house.
DM Dave
I love this
Gavin Felt
This would be a name they were given, but didn’t accept right away because of their pride in their former high statuses.
Gavin Felt
The Un-beguiled. A group of leaders from cities who had used Magical means to manipulate and lie their way to the top. Once found out they were cast out of their country into this prison. They are part of the sovereign faction.
DM Dave
Good one, C
DM Dave
Mmmm some delicious faerie paste.
Philip Mayhew
Ha! Yeah, it probably made more sense as a phrase before I broke it up with the "animal-riding" part, maybe "grounded pixies and fairies that ride animals" would have been better. Though that would have been hilarious if the mashed up misinterpretation made it in.
Charlie Rhodes
The Master of beasts- An Ancient and powerful being. It have a kin ship and a control over all the fauna of the island. Said to be humanoid but rarely seen, this so called Master of beasts lurks the islands most dense wooded areas, pushing back the civilization that pushes toward it. Often the blame for random animal attacks. Most say it's just a rumor but those that have seen this being are left forever changed.
DM Dave
lol, at first I thought you were saying "grounded up" as if they were mashed haha
Philip Mayhew
Last Smile - Religious Order out of The Forest of Faces made up of grounded animal-riding pixies and fairies (need magic to fly with that weight-to-wing ratio) that scour the island for the various sustenance and tinctures needed to preserve the oldest and last of the treants.
DM Dave
Nice
The Unfurled Fingers - Criminal Syndicate operating out of Freedom. Run by twin brothers, one who runs the business side of things and one who runs the violent side of things. They have their hands in a lot of different pies (including corrupt city officials) and have amassed an impressive fortune. Lately, their focus has been dealing in favors to force powerful people under their thumb.
