Sunday, October 15, 2017

The Elf Empire


Deep in a radioactive blue jungle lies the oldest standing empire in the world. It exists in a constant state of decay and decadence. Some say it survives because, not in spite, of its rampant political backstabbing and moral decrepitude.

Elves are magical, mischievous, charming, and deeply untrustworthy. Elves love fine food, spirits, clothes, and weapons, but hate work. The empire's greatest artisans, like its snail shell carvers, are pitied more than admired; they have mastered their craft so others don't have to.

The two finest military traditions are the acid knights and the raptor knights. Elves ride dinosaurs, did I neglect to mention that? The oldest magic schools in the world are in the capital, Five Leaves. The most prestigious accept only elves, but others attract students the world over. Elves have enslaved the lowly crab men and treat the lizard men (who held an empire in the same jungle ages ago) as second-class citizens. Slug men are highly valued as bureaucrats and functionaries.

These are the tables I use to run this region of my campaign setting. I fill in any gaps with Yoon-Suin and Cobalt Reach. I hope to make this a sorta-kinda weekly or semiweekly thing until I've finished up the tables for the other 11 regions I've got out there. Enjoy.

Encounters by Terrain Type (d100)

Roll once per day of travel, more if you want. Re-roll after rolling weather events. Rolling over the highest number listed means no encounter.

EncounterJungleMountainWaterWind-sculpted Rock
storm1-81-101-91-8
mist9-1511-2010-179-16
radiation16211817-18
earthquake1722-241919
jaguar18-2025--
python21-23-20-21-
stegosaur24-25-22-2320-21
poison frog26-27-24-25-
gas spore-2626-
blue knight (cobalt)2827-22
jelly29-27-
parasaur30-31-28-2923
brachiosaur32-33-30-3224
tyrannosaur---25-27
ankylosaur---28-30
raptor----
Ferox-283331
plesiosaur--34-35-
barracuda--36-37-
elf palanquin34-38-
elf hunters35293932
elf soldiers36304033
elf entertainers37-41-
lizard men38314234
slug men39-43-
crab men403244-
pterodactyl-33-35-35
triceratops41-45-4636
elf magi423647-
toxic fumes----

EncounterSulfur PoolsTall GrassBismuth Outcropping
storm1-81-81-8
mist9-169-169-16
radiation171717-18
earthquake181819
jaguar-19-20-
python---
stegosaur19-2021-2220
poison frog---
gas spore21-23-21-22
blue knight (cobalt)24-23
jelly25-24
parasaur26--
brachiosaur2723-
tyrannosaur---
ankylosaur28-25
raptor-24-2726
Ferox29-27
plesiosaur---
barracuda30--
elf palanquin-28-
elf hunters312928
elf soldiers3230-
elf entertainers-31-
lizard men333229
slug men343330
crab men353431
pterodactyl--32-33
triceratops3635-3634
elf magi373735
toxic fumes38-45--

Treasure/Search the Body (d100)

(Switch up the ones not in bold every so often if you want.)

d100Treasure
1Night Wood black candle, darkens room when lit
2d8 orcish nuclear beast eggs, explode when thrown
3Primeval Forest moss baby
4icon of the Twilight Grail, ends one curse or affliction
5northern whale lamp oil, burns underwater
6Southern Isles lizard man rum
7Lotus Straits bathyscope
8goblin key
9jeweled marionette from the Reach
10account of a doomed expedition to the Land of Shadow and Flame
11Rusted Land clockwork lamp, rubbing grants one very minor wish
12Voivodjan mince pie
13elven opium (Yoon-Suin p. 283)
14-63gold equal to 3x dice roll
64elven brandy
65tea (Yoon-Suin p. 287)
66dinosaur bone statue
67snail shell armor
68siver dagger
69baby pterodactyl
70t rex tooth mace
71raptor claw climbing boots
72crab man pheromone gland
73vial of acid
74elven palm wine
75black iron, burns elves and goblins
76poached grubs in banana leaf
77dates
78vial of frog poison
79treatise on dinosaur taming
80minor wand
81rumor dust, sprinkling over yourself prevents others from remembering you
82carved alabaster idol of mystra
83trick deck of cards
84spellbook, d6 random decipherable spells up to level d6
85ritual tattoo needles
862d20 finely made arrows
87Codex Jaguar Rakshasa, summons the Jaguar Rakshasa
88vial of slug man slime
89elven violin
90carmine beetle dye
91dried mango
92pocket hide canoe, grows in water
93flailsnail shell armor, reflects spells
94random scroll, level d8
95d6 days of water and rations
96stolen opium pipe, prized possession of a great house
97dinosaur whistle, drives nearby dinosaurs crazy
98highest quality silk worms
99seeds of the strangler vine, grows overnight to smother an area the size of a bed
100bone of a long-dead wizard, some magic left in it

NPCs (d20)

  1. hunter
  2. fisher
  3. sailor
  4. crab man slave
  5. distiller/vintner
  6. slug man bureaucrat
  7. lizard man
  8. musician
  9. thief
  10. priest
  11. dinosaur trainer
  12. merchant
  13. wizard
  14. shell carver
  15. acid knight
  16. raptor knight
  17. concord of the moon
  18. wizard-guru
  19. Tymora cultist
  20. imperial family

Wilderness Locations (d10)

  1. lake
  2. wind-sculpted rock
  3. sulfur pools
  4. tall grass
  5. bismuth outcropping
  6. hot springs
  7. natural fission reactor
  8. tentacle grass
  9. lone castle
  10. wizard tower

Settlement Locations (d10)


  1. seafood shop
  2. observatory
  3. bazaar
  4. brothel
  5. tea house
  6. opium den
  7. fighting pits
  8. exotic gardens
  9. dinosaur training pens
  10. magic school

Dungeons (d8 or place around your map)


  1. mountain fortress of Ferox the Incinerator
  2. acid knight citadel
  3. caves of the raptor knights
  4. step well home to a great and terrible oracle
  5. den of the tyrannosaur Old One Eye
  6. ruins of a long-abandoned elf city (Old City from Yoon-Suin)
  7. The New School for Magick, oldest magic college in the empire
  8. Lyches Scar, wasteland of a supposedly long-defeated necromancer

Events (d10)

  1. Merchants with strange appetites from the Southern Isles arrive to negotiate opium and tea trade.
  2. Assassins of the Concord of the Moon plot the demise of important citizens unfaithful to Mystra.
  3. The grande dame of a noble house, barely holding her bitterly divided family together, finally dies.
  4. The empress's favorite fool is discovered tossed down a well with the note, "Thus drowns wisdom," pinned to the body.
  5. Heavily armed collectors enforce a snails tax: d100 gp for each snail shell possessed.
  6. Raiders from the Goblin Wood steal elf babies to further their race.
  7. A traveling entertainer troupe and menagerie arrives in the city, while reports of nightly murders begin.
  8. A magic school hosts a debate between two famous wizard-gurus. Tension mounts between partisans of each.
  9. Feast day of a saint of Mystra, complete with dinosaur jousts.
  10. The acid knights announce a crusade against the orc barbarians to the east and will pay for advance scouts.


Customs (d8 or choose for particular locations)

  1. Beggars are highly regarded, always shown deference on the street and frequently sought for counsel.
  2. All business of note is conducted in the tea houses and opium dens, so those who do not partake are excluded from power.
  3. Exotic botany is almost a sport for the aristocracy. Collectors will go to any length for rare and unusual specimens from parts unknown.
  4. Elves constantly try to trick and cheat one another as a matter of course. Complaining about this is extremely bad form.
  5. The moon is considered beautiful and holy, the sun garish and vulgar. Religious ceremonies are held only at night.
  6. None but the local nobility is permitted to carry weapons in public.
  7. Babies must be marked with a crescent moon in pig's blood on the forehead nightly, or be stolen by goblins.
  8. Flailsnails are both worshipped and feared for their ability to reflect spells cast on them. It is forbidden to kill one, but their shells make powerful, magic-defying armor.

Next up: the Great Goblin Wood.




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