148 CHAPTER 6 | STARTING POINT: CALLESTAN
Starting Point: Callestan ............................................
The Sharn Watch won’t set foot in Callestan.
Located at the base of Lower Dura, it’s been
abandoned by the city above. Colors are faded,
stones are cracked, and half the buildings should
be condemned. The closest thing this district has
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being challenged by the monsters of Daask.
Every day there’s the chance that a war will
break out on the streets.
A Callestan campaign combines gritty dark
fantasy with the classic Western. Callestan
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Sharn. The law is what you make it and brigands
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WXXWZ\]VQ\QM[aW]_WV¼\ÅVLQV\PM\W_MZ[IJW^M SETTING THE TONE
Callestan is a district shaped by poverty and
neglect. People come to Callestan to engage
in criminal activities: visiting dreamlily dens,
buying or selling stolen goods, negotiating with
a Boromar lieutenant or hiring a Tarkanan
assassin. The thing that holds the district together
on a daily basis is personal reputation and
relationships. The reason no one robs the Anvil is
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know Ilsa Boromar would hunt them down.
Poverty is a part of a Callestan campaign. Most
of the people in this district have never seen
a platinum piece, and a single gold piece has
considerable value. Maintaining a comfortable
lifestyle can be a challenge, and an uncommon
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rewards of adventure should be lower than in
a heroic fantasy campaign. But reputation and
relationships are the true treasures of this style of
campaign. If you save Ilsa Boromar, she might
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but her favor may provide you with far more
protection than a set of IZUWZ.
An important piece of the tone is that no one
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here that would never happen in the uppertowers. Daask might release a gorgon into the
streets. The necromancers of the Emerald Claw
could test a necrotic weapon or a new form of
undead. A pack of wererats could take root,
unnoticed by the Church of the Silver Flame. It’s
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but it’s also a great source of adventure.WHY ARE YOU HERE?
What brought you to Callestan, and should your
fortunes change, why would you stay?
You may have roots in the district. Perhaps
your mother ran a small gang that was wiped out
when you were a child. Maybe your family still
lives here, running a struggling business.
For many people, the appeal of Callestan is
its freedom. If you’re a criminal or a charlatan,
you’re likely connected to one of the gangs and
you appreciate the opportunity to ply your trade.
As a sage you could be engaging in research that
your compatriots feel is dangerous. As an acolyte
you might harbor heretical beliefs.
A variation of this is that you’re hiding.
As a devout cleric or paladin, you may have
made enemies of the corrupt authorities in
the local churches. If you use the haunted one
background, you may have seen something in
the upper wards that has driven you into the
darkness. Any character could have run afoul of
the Sharn Watch, a powerful noble, or a sinister
conspiracy; if you leave the lower wards, you may
have to evade this enemy.
Another option is that you’ve taken on a role
in the community. Your cleric is the preacher for
the district, trying to help these troubled people
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best you can. You might work as a ratcatcher, a
healer, or a private inquisitive solving mysteries.
Callestan may be miserable, but it’s your home
and these are your people.WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Once you know what you’re doing in Callestan,
the next question is where you want to go from