Page 55 - Critical Role: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting

tal’dorei campaign guide

ironseat ridge base. Kymal began life as their base camp, and over the
next century grew into a lively, booming city. Gold and
minerals came out of Kymal, and creature comforts came
The gnolls say the the crooked, angular mountain that
in. Troupes of players and musicians, merchants peddling
juts out of the plains and foothills was once the throne of
food, liquor, and illicit goods arrived in force. Sex workers
a titan. From a distance, Ironseat Ridge does resemble a
quickly followed, and those who would abuse them and
crooked chair. Whether or not the gnolls’ and common
enslave them were close behind.
hillsfolks’ beliefs are right hardly matters; the legend of
Unfortunately, the veins began to produce less and less,
Ironseat Ridge permeates the folklore of the plains.
and in desperation, the mountain was ravaged by hungry
The mountains beneath Ironseat itself have been hol-
interests unwilling to accept the signs. Within ten years, the
lowed out over the centuries, and countless abandoned
mining industry in Kymal had died, poverty and hunger
mine shafts snake through the stone, like the veins of
becoming commonplace. Since then, the populace has
a dead titan. When the winds grow strong, you can
shifted to survival through farming, fishing within the
occasionally hear a terrible, growling moan from the
Foramere Basin, and trying to build interest as a trade center
air pressing through the empty channels. People from
like Westruun, without much luck. The community had
Kymal rarely venture close enough to the mountains to
remained stagnant for decades when an entrepreneur from
hear the noise, but sometimes on clear, silent nights, the
Ank’Harel named Calis Krishtan opened a small casino
monstrous sound echoes through the busy streets.
called “The Maiden’s Wish.” This gave the economy a vibrant
ironseat ridge adventures boost, interest in the city grew, and people returned to Kymal
as it rebranded as a haven for luck and quick currency.
the beaSt below Now expanded over the past two generations, Kymal
has now recovered somewhat due to this growing presence
For characters of any level: It is one of those still nights where
of sanctioned games of luck, even going so far as to name
the howls of the Ironseat echo across the plains. The next
Calis’ son, Jaktur Krishtan, heir to the Maiden’s Wish, as
time the PCs are in town, whether it is Kymal or any small
the Margrave of Kymal. While larger-scale gambling is not
plains village, they learn of disappearances—explorers that
illegal within Tal’Dorei, it is generally considered uncouth on
went into the caves, never to return—and the hefty reward
a social level, and the council within Emon is happy to keep
their grieving families are offering for their return. What is
the bulk of that element away from the capital city. This type
making that awful wailing in the caves? Werewolves? Kid-
of industry does draw the attention of opportunists, however,
nappers using the echoing caverns?
and many competitive gambling joints, loan sharks, and
criminal interests have sprung up in recent years.
ivyheart thicKet
government
Clustered at the western side of the Ironseat Ridge, this Jaktur Krishtan is a businessman and celebrity-turned-pol-
thicket contains the ruins of an ancient civilization that itician, unusual within Tal’Dorei. His extravagant lifestyle
still remains under study by the Alabaster Lyceum. Found is not unusual among Tal’Dorei’s leaders, but his flam-
among the scattered relics and rubble of forgotten villages boyant, showy behavior certainly is—and the people of
are references to the Founding, the first age of the world. Kymal love him for it. Instead of leading personally, Jaktur
The excavation pushes onward under the watch of the delegates most of his duties to his advisors, leaving him
Lyceum, with the promise of discovery looming, and a free to do what he likes best: being a fabulously wealthy
lack of understanding of what may be found beneath. public icon, making nightly appearances at the Maiden’s
The western edge of these ruins were mysteriously Wish, throwing magnificent galas, and organizing street
attacked by Thordak the Cinder King when he blazed fairs. Jaktur’s majordomo, an austere tiefling woman named
across Tal’Dorei before his initial attack on Emon. In his Prudence, wearily manages the day-to-day minutiae of run-
wake he left a fiery scar the Alabaster Lyceum calls the ning Kymal.
Blazing Foundry. Whether this attack was calculated or just
a release of the Cinder King’s raw power is still unknown. crime
Kymal is no longer the den of crime it once was, but
Kymal there is still scum beneath its glitzy surface. Small-time
cutpurses lurk in the shadows, waiting to make off with
the small fortunes won by the casinos’ luckiest patrons.
Small City • Population: 7,991
Though not as significant as their Emon headquarters,
(73% Human, 14% Dwarven, 13% Other)
the Clasp has a substantial presence in Kymal, and often
Glitzy. Gilded. Grimy. utilizes petty criminals as freelance operatives when
The city of Kymal stands as the grumbling ghost of a they need a job done quickly. Most covertly, the hostility
gold rush mining center now become a haven for gamblers between the Clasp and their rivals, the Myriad, mani-
and criminals; a city of gold built atop a mountain of mud. fests as a quiet proxy war, using these common thieves as
Over two centuries before, the discovery of rich gold veins fodder. The Clasp and Myriad both own casinos in town,
within the Ironseat Ridge sent a rush of eager folk to its the Wishing Well and the Dragon’s Hoard, respectively.

54 chapter 2: gazetteer of tal’dorei