House of the rising Moonglum

I have been asked to run a game in the Steinhall universe again. Because I have some readers who may or may not be interested in this, I have made a new category specifically for game related material. Feel free to ignore it.

This new game will be set in Sandhaven, home of the Snake handling gypsy priests of Odin. TM. It is also home of the university of Sandhaven which we never ran into in the last game. Here is the history I handed out. For those keeping score, yes Draco did negotiate the entry of Sandhaven into the Kingdom 70 years before the start of the last game. Oh an if I forgot to invite you, please consider this an invitation.

The history of the region of Sandhaven, as of the year 302 in the Steinhall Era.

The city of Sandhaven lies on the northern edge of a vast expanse of swamp which marks the southern boundary of the Kingdom of Steinhall. Over the years Sandhaven has been the site of many battles due to its strategic position at the mouth of the Wide River which commands trade for the entire south eastern portion of the kingdom and even leads onward to the hellenic lands. Most recently it suffered from the slave wars and the Steinhall civil war. The many coves and cliffs, not to mention foggy bays in the region were excellent hiding places for slavers that operated out of Sandhaven. Much of that has been cleaned up at the end of the civil wars.

Both the Hellenic lands and Steinhall have suffered from civil wars precipitated by a drow invasion about thirty years earlier. The kingdom was hit less hard than the Greek cities and is once more ruled by a strong follower of Odin. The Hellenic lands by contrast have fragmented and become individual city states separated by lands roamed by barbarians, and there is very little land based trade or communication.

Sandhaven is known primarily for two things, trade and magic. It has a history of being ruled by the sea folk and as such has a strong trading tradition. Sandhaven was ruled by the sea folk for almost 75 years (to about 50 SE) The sea folk were never ones for ruling however and the land reverted to local rule for the next 150 years. During this time a tradition of land based gypsy trade formed influencing architecture and clothing to this day. (Locals prefer large tent like structures and bright clothing.) About one hundred years ago the city became part of Steinhall thanks to some clever legal wrangling on the part of an emissary from Lübeck. There was some talk of deals being made with demons to convince the local lords to swear fealty to the King of Steinhall. But really, why would some baron from the far away land make a deal with a devil for a small chunk of land? Sandhaven has continued as part of the kingdom ever since and has become the second most important trading center in the kingdom. Most recently the port was besieged and badly damaged by the sea folk when they destroyed Steinhall’s fledgling fleet turning the city away from their past engagement with the sea folk.

In addition to its location Sandhaven is also the home of the oldest center of learning in Steinhall and possibly in all the human lands. The University of Sandhaven recently celebrated its second millennium. This is not an institution that measures things in human years, and in fact it was founded by the grey elves that lived in the region since time immemorial. The university has survived the ravages of the years by making deals with the johnny come lately humans and powerful magics against the rampaging drow. (Not to mention the occasional deal with some unsavory characters.) The university itself is actually a good distance away from the town in the heart of the Drecksmaller swamps. An ancient deal with the local tribes of lizardmen keeps the grounds protected on a day to day basis, but most of the protections are not seen. The majority of the grey elves have left the region for the western lands even before the fall of Rome, but many can still be found in the environs of their great university. This is one of the few places in the eastern lands that the western grey elves still make pilgrimages to visit. And from this center of learning come many great sages and mages, though it produces few clerics. In fact there is some strife between the monotheistic grey elves and the local human who practice their own odd form of norse religions. (Though the local lizard folk have taken to their revivals, especially the snake handling portions of the ceremonies.)

Because of its distance from the city and dangerous environs, most of the attendants live at the university with their families. It is in these environs that the party finds itself. The party should consist of a least a number of people who grew up in and around the university so that certain protocols are known. Of course since it is a hugely famous university mages or some others could have simply come here to study.

One important note on the culture of Sandhaven, and the main item that sets it apart from other cities in the Kingdom, is that it is not what you would call a … good … city. The university itself is festooned with bas reliefs depicting the deeds of Vrba the great, which is hardly the fare for young impressionable children who wish to grow up as Thor’s Defenders. Odin’s perhaps. And he certainly approves of the university. Another oddity is the common presence of the lizardfolk guards. Duels to the death are not unheard of, and a fair amount of “cleanup” is done when the local baron comes to town. But at the end of the day the most important thing is learning, and people who mess that up are dealt with swiftly.

Another interesting note is that because of the university which outdates the kingdom by more than a millennium, and in fact outdates the PREVIOUS human kingdom, people in this region actually have a good sense of history that few humans share.

The university itself has three schools, a school of magic, a school of astronomy, a school of history and lore. In addition locals know (as in rumor) of a fourth school, but generally refer to it as the school whereof we shall not speak. The president of the university is generally a local lord, and is also the head of one of the schools. Currently the president is the head of the school of lore, one Lord Brahe. His son, Tycho, is currently the head of the school of astronomy. The school of magic, while powerful, currently has no nobility in its ranks and as such has not held the presidency for a number of years.