Tal'Dorei Campaign Guide PDF

48 Chapter 2: Gazetteer of tal’Dorei

The Salted Bluffs

The tumultuous waters of the Lucidian Ocean that encom-

pass the northeast edge of Tal’Dorei end at the towering

seaside cliffs called the Salted Bluffs. These cliffs mark the

outside of the Alabaster Sierras, housing an endless series

of cliff-side caverns that drop off into the ocean, sometimes

hundreds of feet up. The waters along the base are rocky

and dangerous to traverse by boat, and only the most skilled

of captains will even consider travel nearby. Due to their

treacherous nature, many outlaws and seafaring pirates

have taken to these bluffs to hide away their riches, or build

a base of operations. However, a dense colony of harpies

found the coastline perfect for their lifestyle and hunting

techniques, often sweeping up unsuspecting creatures and

dashing them against the cliffs and rocks, recovering the

broken corpses to feed upon safely within their nests.

salteD bluffs aDventures

ye’D best start believ in’ in Ghost stories

For low-level characters: Pirates are one thing. Undead

pirates are another. A group of swashbucklers have will-

ingly turned themselves in to the Chamber of Whitestone,

begging for absolution from the Dawnfather for thieving.

They refuse to return to their cove to retrieve their stolen

treasure from the bones of not just their risen comrades,

but the undead that first killed them. Perhaps a group of

adventurers can save the day?

croW’s nest

For low-level characters: The Ashwing harpy tribe that

roost among the Salted Bluffs have recently comman-

deered the galley owned by the group of penitent corsairs

and starting raiding coastal villages. They are led by Cap-

tain Silvercomb, an arrogant, dashing, and well-spoken

harpy grandmother. The other harpies are just pillaging

for fun, but Silvercomb seems to be searching for some-

thing, and she always wears a pendant with a black feather

around her neck. What could it be?

The Shearing Channel

Where once was a land bridge between what are now

known as Tal’Dorei and Wildemount, the catastrophic

forces of the Calamity eroded it away, leaving jagged

rock, winding rapids, gale-force winds, and broken cliffs.

Numerous ships have been ruined against the tides of the

channel, and sea creatures that thrive on wreckage have

taken up residence beneath the waters. Considered by all

but the most desperate as impassable, the rumors of what

secrets lay sunken or hidden within the channel only con-

tinue to spread and grow.

shearinG Channel aDventures

scion of obliv ion

For epic-level characters: The Chained Oblivion has no

physical form, but some residue of its power was cast

into the ocean when the Dawnfather pursued it from the

Alabaster Sierras to Gatshadow. This seed of evil has had

eons to gestate in the tempestuous womb of the sea—and

now it rises. A kraken, mutated by the Oblivion’s aberrant

power, is haunting the Shearing Channel; the flesh and

minds of sailors fuse to their ships, sea creatures hideously

mutate into humanoid abominations, and the clouds above

rain thick, ichorous black droplets. It seems to be building

an army here for some larger attack. What is it planning?

Whitestone

Small City • Population: 4,230

(83% Human, 7% Halfling,

6% Dwarven, 4% Other Races)

Nearly two hundred years ago, the de Rolo family

helmed an expedition from Wildemount to the shores of

Tal’Dorei. When their vessel wrecked upon the stones of

the Shearing Channel, the de Rolos and their remaining

crew survived for weeks in the Alabaster Sierras despite

the tempestuous weather and slavering beasts. After a

time, they stumbled upon a glowing tree—the majestic

Sun Tree, a blessing from the Dawnfather himself—and

built their home around it.

Since then, the de Rolo’s pioneering settlement has

grown into a robust, if isolated, city. The cityscape varies

from quaint homesteads to dingy hovels, and the majority

of the populace sits somewhere in between. Limited in

fertile farm land, locally grown produce is scarce, leading

to the necessity to develop a good trade relationship with

the rural communities of the Turst Fields.

Though the region’s scarcity of vital resources made

for a harrowing first few years, the de Rolo family stum-

bled upon a miraculous mineral they called whitestone.

This geological marvel both gave their city its name

and quickly became its most important and sought-af-

ter export. Before long, the de Rolo’s sale of whitestone

allowed them to quickly amass a significant fortune and

construct a princely keep within their city.

sCars of the briarwooDs

Lady Delilah and Lord Sylas Briarwood are no more, but

the evil they committed still lingers. The six years they

ruled Whitestone sapped life and hope from its people.

Though homes have been rebuilt and the Briarwoods’

undead monstrosities have been eradicated, the trauma of

the vampires’ reign of terror will linger for generations.

Some people of Whitestone were so deeply affected that

they turned to necromancy themselves, and have fled into

Among the fluted white bones, serenaded by siren’s call,

I did bury my treasures, one and all.

But deaf and blind must the finder be, lest a briny death be

the last ye see.

—From a fragment of a treasure map