The residents of the world of Delta do not have a name for the area between Atlantis and Omnatia. As far as they are concerned, it is a wilderness dotted with independent cities.
The cities include:
Caljanat
Old Jantheny and New Jantheny
Karianton
Marcon
North Suhewab and South Suhewab
Xenby
Zeljan
More cities may be added (there are dots on the map for which no city is listed yet).
Travel between the cities is mostly by stagecoach.
Ruritania resembles the parody of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, also called Ruritania, in The Prisoner of Zenda. Any player character with Ruritanian ancestry is virtually certain to have a lookalike who is Prince of Somewhere or Other.
The wilder parts of Ruritania, especially the north-east, resemble the Transylvania of the classic horror films. Vampires, mad necromancers and werewolves do not exactly abound (they are top of the food pyramid, so cannot be more abundant than ordinary humans), but they are there if you look for them.
Ruritania is divided in two by North Gods River, which flows from north to south.
West of North Gods River, there are mountains and river valleys dotted around the landscape in no obvious pattern. Away from the main roads, there are monsters.
East of North Gods River, there are also mountains and river valleys dotted around the landscape in no obvious pattern, but they look different from those in West Ruritania. They look more sinister. Two of the rivers, Zombie River (which can be considered to mark the eastern border of Ruritania) and Spider Venom River, are longer and wider than the rest. There are monsters, and (particularly in the north) there are very few main roads for them to avoid, so they don't get into the habit.
North Gods River flows from north to south, starting at an unidentified source in the Arctic waste. It passes somewhat to the east of Xenby and Caljanat, and to the west of Zeljan.
At latitutes south of Xenby, North Gods Valley is deep and steep-sided. There are bound to be monsters living in caves at the bottom of the valley, but they can't get up the sides of the valley, so they do not bother anyone. Besides which, it is nearly as difficult for adventurers to get down to the monsters as it is for the monsters to climb sheer-sided cliffs.
At latitutes north of Xenby, North Gods Valley is wider, as the river is joined by many tributaries, all carrying cold water from the surrounding arctic wasteland. The water of North Gods River itself is warmer, and parts of North Gods Valley are warm enough to be fertile. It is here that adventure is to be found.
People in villages in the southern part of this area, about a hundred miles north-east of Xenby as the crow flies, are being plagued by goblins. The player characters could simply go there and kill goblins. Getting from Xenby to the southern part of the valley along country roads is time-consuming but not problematic.
People in villages in the middle part of this area, about eighty miles further up the valley, are being plagued by hobgoblins. If the player characters get bored with killing goblins, they could travel north and kill hobgoblins instead.
People in villages in the northern part of this area, about another hundred miles up the valley, are being plagued by gnolls. If the player characters get bored with killing hobgoblins, they could travel further north and kill gnolls instead.
All the monsters are being pushed south by bigger monsters to the north, and it doesn't stop with gnolls. The goblins are being pushed south by hobgoblins invading their territory. The hobgoblins are being pushed south by gnolls invading their territory. The gnolls are being pushed south by ogres invading their territory. The ogres are being pushed south by trolls invading their territory. The trolls are being pushed south by frost giants invading their territory. The frost giants are being pushed south by a family of white dragons invading their territory.
If the player characters leave the borders of civilisation and follow North Gods River into the arctic wilderness, they can keep working up through the list. If they are having fun, it needn't stop with the family of white dragons.
Chronologically, this scenario takes place a month or two after that of Temar the Robinhood. It assumes that the player characters somehow missed out on the exciting part of that scenario, although they may have been involved in the build-up. There is no limit to party level or party size, except that a party of more than ten cannot get to Silver Dragon Watchtower by stagecoach and must find some other way there.
The background is this:
Tannekar the Brave, a paladin of Teus the Wise, attempted to arrest a highwayman known as Temar the Robinhood. His reward for his courage was that he was slain by Temar's band, the drunken louts.
The only witnesses to this act, apart from Temar and his henchmen, were Ocket Loudevon and his wife Zixza. Loudevon is an Atlantean citizen, and his failure to give support to Tannekar when it was required is treason under Atlantean law.
Loudevon has since shown up in Sickle Granary and been confirmed as the new Great Druid under his religious name, Poris the Great.
The investigating magistrate in Adorgos, the nearest city to the location of the crime, has ruled that (a) Loudevon and his wife are guilty of treason and (b) as all druids on the continent regard him as their leader, all druids on the continent, whether Atlantean citizens or not, are also guilty of treason against the Atlantean Empire.
The punishment for treason is death. However, as the magistrate is not a vindictive man, he has ruled in favour of decimation (execution of one tenth of all druids, selected at random) rather than extirpation (execution of all druids). Although his ruling could, in principle, be challenged in the courts of Atlantis, there is no doubt that it is correct in law and would be upheld. All of the Temples in Atlantis have pledged their support for the magistrate's decision, except that St Jealjamas of the Temple of Akshar the Maleficent has complained that it was too lenient and called for extirpation.
Several druids have been arrested in Atlantis and its surrounding area, and a few have been executed. Several more have fled to cities outside the Atlantean Empire, where they are being given shelter.
The magistrate of Adorgos, together with all the fighting men he can raise, is on his way to Marcon to demand that all druids in that city are handed over for decimation. A refusal by the authorities in Marcon to agree to this, or (even worse) any violence against a police force acting in accordance with Atlantean law, will be considered to be an act of war against the City of Atlantis.
No-one in Atlantis actually wants a war. Wars are expensive and bad for business. However, most people in Atlantis are coming around to the view that war is inevitable. Someone in Marcon will throw the first stone, and that will be that.
If you want a war at this point in the campaign, someone in Marcon throws a stone, and war breaks out. If you don't want a war at this point in the campaign, someone in Marcon throws a stone, but Dius Retashaza comes up with a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Either way, lots of druids die. Remember, when making your decision, that although a city-state can hold out successfully against the Atlantean Empire in the early days of a war, as soon as the bulk of the Atlantean mercenaries currently serving in foreign armies answer the call of their native city, any resistance will be crushed quickly and viciously.
If you do start a war, the player characters can play their part in it in due course. But they have another mission to complete first.
Several months ago, the residents of Silver Dragon Watchtower declared their town independent of Atlantis. The immediate effect of that is that they stopped paying rent to absentee landowners. At the time, it was not worth the while of the absentee landowners (mostly Atlantean aristocrats) to do anything about it. However, now that there is probably going to be a war, taxes in Atlantis have increased, and the absentee landowners are having to rethink their position.
A group of Atlantean aristocrats has obtained a legal judgement entitling them and any agents they authorise to collect unpaid rent, using any methods they deem necessary. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
The aristocrats are happy to authorise the player characters to collect unpaid rents on their behalf. The aristocrats will offer the player characters ten per cent of the take. If the player characters haggle, the aristocrats will agree to fifteen per cent.
Once in Silver Dragon Watchtower, the player characters are on their own. If they travel via Adorgos, they will be aware of the situation: all fighting men in Adorgos are on their way to Marcon. The magistrate would like to offer help to the player characters, but there is no help left to be offered.
The bottom line is this: the player characters can do anything they like in this scenario. Whatever they do is legal and has the express approval of temples of all alignments.
It's time to skewer some peasants :-)
The geography is this:
Silver Dragon Plateau is a large agricultural plateau to the north-east of Adorgos. It is a peculiar shape, about a hundred miles from north to south and about forty miles from east to west.
A cliff towers above the north-east corner of the plateau. It is not quite the highest point in Ruritania - Gold Dragon Watchtower is higher - but it is the highest point close to the border. There really is a watchtower on top of the cliff, and it remained in use until the Revolting Council declared independence. The Revolting Council does not keep proper watch, and allows monsters to sneak into the Empire, and it is this, rather than anything to do with unpaid rents, which makes the Atlantean authorities so hostile to them.
A town has grown up in the cliff below the watchtower. The town is also known as Silver Dragon Watchtower. Apart from being vertical rather than horizontal, it is not all that different from any other town.
The Revolting Council now occupies the Council Chamber, about two thirds of the way up the cliff.
The politics is this:
Everyone in Silver Dragon Plateau and Silver Dragon Watchtower wants to kill the player characters. However, they will use some cunning. Unless the player characters use violence first, the locals will not be overtly violent until the player characters enter the cliff face.
In particular, very many druids have fled to Silver Dragon Plateau. If they recognise the player characters as coming from Atlantis, they will do their very best to kill them. Although most residents of the plateau are 0th-level humans, every now and then, one of them will be a druid of level 1-8. The druids are indistinguishable from peasants until they open fire.
The player characters are not entirely without support. Firstly, if they enter the wilderness to the east of the watchtower, sooner or later, they will meet up with the people whose job it used to be to keep watch. Some, but not all, of them will be rangers. All of them realise how important it is to keep watch over the wilderness, all of them want their jobs back, and all of them will do whatever it takes to get their jobs back.
Secondly, if the player characters enter the icy wilderness to the north of the watchtower, sooner or later, they will meet Hlom. Hlom is normally a pacifist, but if he learns that druids stood by and watched while a paladin of Teus the Wise was slain, he will be outraged.
The locals:
Verare Meluman is the true leader of the revolution. He hates cities, and the larger the city, the more he hates it. He particularly seeks the destruction of the largest city of all, Atlantis.
Meluman is normally to be found in the farmlands of the plateau, not in the town or watchtower.
[AD&D-Specific:] Verare Meluman, Half-elf male, Str 15 Dex 17 Con 15 Int 15 Wis 16 Cha 16, Align N, Hp 58. Multi-classed Druid, level 8 / Meistersinger Bard, level 9.
Iderl Calmazi is one of the leading members of the Revolting Council. He is a close friend of Verare Meluman.
[AD&D-Specific:] Iderl Calmazi, Half-elf male, Str 15 Dex 15 Con 15 Int 16 Wis 14 Cha 15, Align N, Hp 37. Multi-classed Fighter, level 6 / Thief, level 7 / Mage, level 6
Rodis Lasopre is another of the leading members of the Revolting Council. He is a friend of Iderl Calmazi.
No-one on the council knows that Lasopre is also a member of Temar the Robinhood's outlaw band, but no-one would be particularly worried if they found out, since Temar is known to be an enemy of Atlantis.
Lasopre is a priest of Nobody.
[AD&D-Specific:] Rodis Lasopre, Half-elf male, Str 15 Dex 13 Con 13 Int 16 Wis 16 Cha 13, Align CN, Hp 21. Multi-classed Fighter, level 4 / Cleric, level 4 / Mage, level 4.
Most of the rest of the Revolting Council are 0th-level, local businessmen who objected to paying taxes to Atlantis.
The "secret headquarters" of Temar the Robinhood and his drunken louts is somewhere in the southern part of Silver Dragon Plateau. Most of them will have gained a level since we met them last:
Temar the Robinhood, human male, Str 12 Dex 9 Con 13 Int 12 Wis 10 Cha 8, Align CN, Hp 74. Fighter, level 13.
Miat Smallpenis, human male, height 6'8". Str 16 Dex 12 Con 11 Int 13 Wis 14 Cha 12, Align CN, Hp 38. Fighter, level 7.
Aimedsus the Fat, human male, Str 13 Dex 15 Con 14 Int 12 Wis 17 Cha 10, Align CN, Hp 40. Cleric (of Nobody), level 7.
Lazaur Redface, human male, Str 13 Dex 11 Con 15 Int 11 Wis 11 Cha 13, Align CN, Hp 51. Fighter, level 6.
Parnyva the Mouse, human female, Str 11 Dex 9 Con 15 Int 16 Wis 14 Cha 15, Align CN, Hp 20. Transmuter, level 5.
Temar's band of outlaws, the drunken louts, comprises:
ten 4rd-level fighters, male, armed with longsword and longbow
two hundred 0th-level bandits, male, armed with shortsword and longbow
More adventure settings may follow in due course.
The bottom section, about a quarter, of Spider Venom River is navigable. The riverboats on it are part of the transportation network around Omnatia.
Spider Venom is so-called because drinking its waters is not conducive to longevity and good health. You'd be better off drinking spider venom.
Adventure settings may follow in due course.
The bottom section, about a half, of Zombie River is navigable. The riverboats on it are part of the transportation network around Omnatia.
Zombie River is so-called because sections of it run slow and straight, the way zombies walk (straight rivers are usually fast, slow rivers are usually bendy).
Adventure settings may follow in due course.
The observant will have noted an isolated city on the map, not connected by road or river with any of the other cities. There is a reason for this.
The name of the city is Rhikkeder. If you say the name aloud anywhere in Eastern Ruritania, superstitious peasants will reach for a geometric symbol appropriate to their religion.
The city of Rhikkeder is dominated by Castle Rhikkeder, where Count Rhikkeder lives. In due course, I may write it up. If, in the mean time, you imagine Count Rhikkeder coming out of his castle at night to sink his fangs into the local peasantry, you won't be far wrong.
Count Rhikkeder constitutes an ethical dilemma. There is no doubt that he is as chaotic evil as they come. However, as a highly intelligent monster, he protects his food supply from other monsters, so the peasants of his city are better off than they would be without him. So, for that matter, is the rest of Eastern Ruritania, as if Count Rhikkeder were not where he is, Eastern Ruritania would be overrun by monsters from the arctic wilderness.