Page 43 - Critical Role: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting

tal’dorei campaign guide

The Lucidian Coast

The stormy Lucidian Ocean crashes furiously against the rocky coasts of eastern Tal’Dorei, chewing inlets into the coast-
line and waving vast banks of impenetrable fog across the waters. Most ships rightly avoid the more volatile northern
waters, instead docking at southern ports like Stilben, or brave the Mooren River Run to Drynna. Yet even there, the
Lucidian Coast is not without its dangers; vicious wildlife stalk the wilderness and flocks of harpies have harried the shores
since time immemorial, drawing lost sailors to their doom upon the rocks.
drynna of terrible beasts, including venomous flying snakes and
man-eating giant frogs.
Bands of frog-men occasionally harry the edges of Stilben
Town • Population: 2,230
from their deep-marsh encampments, while a vicious school
(80% Human, 8% Gnome, 8 % Halfling, 4% Elf)
of swamp-faring sahuagin keep the shoreline of K’Tawl for
Along the shore of Mooren Lake rests the sleepy lakeside themselves. The edges of the marsh are often used by orc
town of Drynna. The community thrives on the bounti- marauders to ambush caravans or messengers traveling to or
ful wildlife around the lake, and is responsible for most from Stilben, so travel is rarely made without armed escort.
of eastern Tal’Dorei’s freshwater fish supply. The social
guidance of the city revolves around what’s called the K’tawl adventures
Sunrise Lodge, or simply “the Lodge,” a membership of
community leaders who will meet and vote on important they Shamble
delegations and law-oriented decisions. The law enforce- For mid-level characters: People have been disappearing from
ment is largely volunteer-run, and internally policed both the small swamp villages within the K’Tawl. The PCs, per-
by senior enforcers and the Lodge. haps en route to Stilben, spend the night in the swamp town
of Dunghill. After hearing tales of the disappearances, the
drynna adventures PCs awaken the next morning to screams—as a half-di-
gested human is carried off within the rotting orifice of a
unfriendly waterS
shambling mound of swamp vegetation.
For mid-level characters: Recently, the town has suffered
a number of losses, with fishing boats being attacked monolith of the hellS
and their owners dragged under waters. Worse still, the For high-level characters: Why have the Knifemouth orcs
supply of fish itself seems to be declining rapidly; without been found dead, their hearts exploded and their teeth
this supply of fish, towns across eastern Tal’Dorei will plucked from their mouths? Why have the stagnant
certainly starve. The PCs hear the call for mercenaries K’Tawl waters suddenly begun flowing towards dismal
reaching as far as Westruun and Stilben. The culprit is center of the swamp? A divine messenger of the Dawn-
a hydra within the lake that has gained intelligence by bringer visits the PCs, beaten and bloody, and dies before
living for so long in the residuum-infused waters. It com- it can impart its request. On the angel’s lips is a single
mands a tribe of lizardfolk from its aquatic home. dying phrase: K’Tawl’s Heart.

a mind waSted
mooren laKe
For characters of any level: Last year, Rensten Woll, an
elder member of the Sunrise Lodge, made a pact with
the Moon Mistress, unbeknownst to his peers. Rensten’s North of the Summit Peaks is a crystalline lake fed by
brother Kyle died in his sleep shortly thereafter, leaving the snowmelt from the Alabaster Sierras by the Mooren
his wife Lissana, whom Rensten covets, vulnerable. How- River Run. Mooren Lake is a shining expanse of water
ever, nightmares now haunt Rensten every evening, and surrounded both by bountiful wildlife and the frightful
a violent madness is beginning to take hold of him. The creatures attracted to such a thriving ecosystem, including
Lodge is beginning to notice, and word reaches the PCs tribes of lizardfolk, flocks of harpies, and several hydras
through their political allies or simply through hearsay. that lurk in the deepest depths of the waters.
Centuries of whitestone runoff from the Alabaster Sierras
K’tawl swamp has allowed deposits of residuum to collect at the bottom of
the lake—and the residuum has formed into a thrumming
organ of raw magical energy has begun to gain sentience. A
The sprawling swamplands of K’Tawl cover much of the pair of twin islands in the center of the lake are blanketed
southern Lucidian Coast, enveloping Stilben and the by an ever-present mist, and folk tales tell of a beautiful,
K’Tawl Bay. The marsh is thick with cypress and tupelo ageless woman known only as the Moon Mistress who
trees reaching up from muddy waters that range from watches over the island shores. It’s said that any mortal who
one to ten or more feet deep in places. The hot, muggy air seeks an audience is judged by her, being granted a boon of
and thick, sludge-covered landscape is host to all manner unveiled knowledge, a favor, or a swift and terrible end.

42 chapter 2: gazetteer of tal’dorei