Anti-climatic first blog post is mainly other people's shit.

Without any further ado, here's my first blog post. Since it takes me no time at all and it's pretty fun, I'll follow up on Zack Smith's suggestion of stealing Noisms' County of Leon and adding a couple of bits and bobs to it. Perhaps someone will see this; perhaps not. Either way I'll use it myself, though I suspect I won't be putting it in anything resembling the 'real world', so to speak. Anyway, take a look.

 

County of Leon

Ruled by: Aqable - Count of Leon (Liege: Duke of Brittany)

Vassals: Baron of Morlaix, Baron of Douarnenez, Baron of Plogonnec

Military: 15 Heavy Cavalry (Knights), 50 Light Cavalry, 50 Heavy Infantry, 100 Medium Infantry, 50 Archers. 5 Cyclops Cavalry.

Income: 8,828 livres (Total guess--Deep Evan help out?)

Major Towns

Brest (Hex 40)

Population: 800

Major Industries: Fishing, trade

Personages:

Count of Leon and family. All aristocrats in Leon are of a strange line of civilised, scrupulously polite cyclops. They rule benificiently over the human peasantry. These cyclops are about 7ft in height. Like that dude in Krull.

Ibn Al-Aziz - An Ogre Magi from the Sheikhdom of Catalyud, now a powerful merchant who owns five vessels, with lots of 'shady' contacts and a symbiotic eye still connected to his sister (an ogre witch) overseas. She is jealous of his conquests in the mortal world and secretly schemes to destroy his holdings. She's probably in love with him.

A wizard living in a lighthouse on the edge of town - advisor to the Count and ambiguous ally. The light is actually a hive of fireflies upon which the wizard experiments.

Juliette de Nevers, a dwarfess sage, researching in the old library - secretly a spy? Not actually, more just a concerned citizen worried she's more capable and informed on local threats than her lord. Still--she's suspected. The librarian, something of a busy body, is compiling files regarding her studies which he has been dilligently passing to an agent of the Count's. That agent is now dead and replaced by a doppelganger.

Circle of druids - headquarters somewhere in the forest, occasionally come to Brest. They gather information with the help of their owls. These druids smoke a sacred pipe which allows them to 'see the roots'. Their catchphrase is: "We are all trees".

            Locations

            Wizards Tower - lighthouse, on the rocks on the outside of Brest (Hex 40)

            Ibn's Mansion - also on the outside of town, but on the inland side. (40)

            The Castle - where the Count calls home. (40)The count has a huge, golden telescope which he peers through with his single great eye to enjoy/spy upon the lives of his peasantry.

            Old Monastery - housing a library (& Juliette)(40)

            Smuggler's Caves -  ancient cave system, now abandoned - except for monsters - and the smugglers' hoard? The smugglers remain, as skeletal undead. The actual complex somewhat resembles the layout and content Disney's Pirates of the Carribean ride with the revenant creatures still playing out dramas from past lives.(Hex 20)

            Meriadoc's Tomb - burial place of the semi-mythic founder of Brittany, watched over by an order of clerics. The tomb and the clerics' weapons are made of an eerily dense metal. (Hex 14)Indeed, this metal is known as Pig Iron, formed from the excrement of the Iron Giant's sow herd. Gathering this material is an exercise in sheer nerve.

            Conomor's Tomb - burial place of an ancient king, now haunted. It is in a swamp--the ghosts are not that of the king, but of his many lovers and victims. A lich is entombed in a bog nearby.

            Tower of Erispoe - once owned by a now extinct noble line, reknowned for the eccentricity. Glass cages are built into the walls, housing exotic reptiles.

            Giant's Cave - not apparently inhabited by a giant, but a clan of ogres. The locals suspect they are connected to the merchant Ibn Al-Aziz but they despise the foreigner.(Hex 49)That said, they colour their hatred with a healthy dose of fear, believing that the gaze of an ogre magi will curse them to wither. Thus they struggle to forumlate a plan that involves killing him without their direct participation: an unusal circumstance for an ogre.

            Oessant - island, uninhabited but excellent shelter for raiders. Contains two hidden objects--one blessed, one cursed.(West of Hex 31)

            Witch's Hovel - home of an enchantress. Her features are ever changing--her head bloats into a morbid caricature at whatever woman is most powerful in the county at the time. (Hex 27)

            Castle of Mauclerc - ruined castle, magic treasure inside? There is, but it's in the belly of one of the creatures (or pigs) inside. (Hex 14)This place is home to the Iron Giant, a sinister being with glowing orange or red eyes (depending upon his mood). He keeps a herd of metal pigs as big as elephants. He and the pigs enjoy eating rusty metal. Sometimes he stalks the hills on foggy nights.

     Maiden Rocks- A site of great natural beauty that is beloved by the county's cyclopean, water colour enthusiasts.  A kind of psionic siren called a Dream Whistler, lures sleep walkers into the waves and an unknown fate. (Hex 17)

           

            Adventure Hooks

·       One of Ibn's ships has gone missing and he's certain it's the wreckers in Plogoff, who have caused him trouble before. (It's actually the ogres of the Giant's Cave, but the wreckers are PC-level troublesome dicks--and have treasure. Plogoff is on the coast south of Leon)

·       Juliette de Fevers wants bodyguards to visit the witch with her. They will be alarmed to discover the witch currently wears Juliette's features--because Juliette is sitting on a terrible secret about the Count.

·       A band of gnolls are causing trouble around Morlaix. Their leader communes with the bog lich. (Hex 30) 

·       Pirates spotted around Oessant. They are actually Spanish privateers, including the daughter of a powerful Venetian. Foiling them could result in a full-scale international incident.

·       Druids concerned about a troll. The troll has pustules which burst when struck, expelling poison.

. Pigs are being born with scales like fish. There is something loose, a little like an aquatic Runequest Broo.  It can impregnate any living creature. It is the beloved pet of a distraught undersea demi goddess.

. The Baron of Douarnenez is rumoured to be negotiating for the return of his food taster from bandits holding him hostage.

                   .  Skeleton warriors around Conomor's Tomb. The bog lich sent them to retrieve an artifact buried with the king which will bring the lich back to life.