Thread by @KKRP2

Today, I've manifested a readthrough of a #dnd #dnd3e classic: GHOSTWALK!

This setting book by @MonteJCook & @seankreynolds is based around a simple premise: "When you die, you don't have to stop playing"--your PC can come back as a GHOST!👻So, dead or alive, let's walk the walk

Unlike other #dnd settings, in Ghostwalk, the afterlife is a physical place beneath the earth. Most spirits travel directly there, but humanoid souls can endure as ghosts. The city of Manifest was built atop the entrance to the land of the dead, where ghosts can, well, manifest!

It's common knowledge that the dead linger in Manifest, so agreements are often made to meet there if a person dies.

Ex. A woman hides a treasure, telling friends on her deathbed that she'll reveal its location to the first person to find her ghost. LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN!

It'd believed reuniting body + soul helps in the afterlife, so many make the arduous trip to Manifest to deliver corpses, say goodbyes, & settle affairs with the dead.

"Monsters" (like lizardfolk & gnolls) come for the same reasons, though often lay low to avoid discrimination.

Yuan-ti hold a special place in Ghostwalk, serving as one of the greatest threats to Manifest.

"As abominations in humanoid shape rather than true humanoids," they CANNOT manifest as ghosts. This means they HATE Manifest. Trying to destroy the city is a favorite pastime.🐍

Undead are seen as "spiritually-revolting", whereas ghosts are souls of living creatures in another state.

All kinds of undead are drawn to Manifest, perhaps instinctively carrying souls to the afterlife, or seeking revenge on those who would revile them while revering ghosts.

No two ghosts are the same. Looks, behavior, & abilities all vary. 6 main "paths" exist:
👉Corruptor (harmful touch)
👿Dominator (possession)
👻Haunt (frighten/alter looks)
📺Poltergeist (move distant objects)
🕸️Shaper (manipulate ectoplasm)
🚶Traveler (movement of all sorts)

Ghost appearances fall into 4 categories, based on cause of death:
😐Normal (old age, choking, phantasmal killer)
😬Disturbing (hanging, stabbing, disintegration)
🤢Repulsive (decapitation, behir stomach acid, fireball)
🤮Gruesome (illithid brain extraction, mummy rot, implosion)

Ghosts have attachments to an aspect of their former life:
👂Auditory (surf, arguing, music)
🫂Flesh (massage, sex, mutilation)
🏡Home (specific site/person)
👄Hunger (strong tastes, exotic food, poisons)
👁️Ocular (plays, flames, certain creature)
👃Scent (cinnamon, incense, tea)

Ectoplasm is the supernatural goo that makes up a ghost's body. It is naturally sticky or slippery (and can be used as adhesive, lubricant, etc.). A creature's ectoplasm has a unique smell they can be tracked by, but if separated from the body, it will disappear after 10 minutes.

Since they live among ghosts, the people of Manifest fear death less than others. The pain of dying though? YIKES!

A subculture of "jumpers" exists--folk who willingly go back & forth between the two states. Adventurers often find certain jobs work better alive or as a ghost.

Manifest itself is built on a double-humped hill, atop the ruins of two previous cities that once stood here. Though there are the remains of an older city wall, the only real barriers around Manifest are the Morvanthalus ("river of dead friends") & the surrounding Spirit Wood.

"Not born of the earth", elven & half-elven souls don't go to the same afterlife as others, instead entering trees in the Spirit Wood! Many souls inhabit each tree, which can act w/ its own will.🌳

Think weirwoods from ASoIaF, or an au naturel version of Eberron's Undying Court.

Arboreal Guardians are dedicated to protecting a specific tree via the Green Bond, which forms an emotional link stronger than between twins! Guardians of the same tree act like a family. They guide people through the woods, but aren't well understood & are ruthless in their duty

There's a fun plot hook: a newly-awakened spirit tree is seeking its first Arboreal Guardian. It's vulnerable & lacks the wisdom of fully mature specimens, so whoever takes up this mantle as its guardian can help shape the tree’s personality.

I love using impressionable NPCs!

Below the city is the actual entrance to the True Afterlife, the Veil of Souls, protected by the Deathwarden dwarves.

Were they tasked to do so by the gods?
Does it net them a better reward in the afterlife?
Are they atoning for sins committed by their forebears?

No one knows.

Speaking of gods, 3 are of special note.

The first is Aluvan, Keeper of the Eternal Path & Warder of Death's Children.👴Quiet, gentle, and benevolent, his clergy protect bodies along the Ghostwalk & help ghosts adjust to their new existence. He's a staunch enemy of the undead.

2nd is Dracanish, the Eater of the Dead.🪙 He's said to absorb all who die to protect them. His clergy believe in the finality of all things & "do not take well" to ghosts or raising the dead; they seek to maintain "the world's innate order." Remind me of Planescape's Doomguard.

3rd is Orcus--YEAH, you KNOW that name!🐏The Demon Prince of Undeath rose to divinity via his mortal cult. He hates all life & seeks to turn them into slaves. His clergy like to turn followers of other gods into self-loathing undead during a vile ritual known as the Unhallowing.

Other gods:
⏺️Chaniud the Lawkeeper; followers oversee Manifest City Watch + keep records of dead
🔨Durann the True Guide; followers act as teachers, healers, lawyers; Durann's hammer "seals oaths, shatters bonds, & crushes lies"
🧿Eanius--"foster father of everything ever born"

🌳Galaedros the Sorrowful King; civilization has forgotten its roots + is self-destructive; death & decay are natural, making way for new growth
♦️Phaant the Dark Fate; embittered wife of Galaedros, killed his brother 1200 years ago; "inevitable decay of things from bad to worse"

🔥Nessek the Bright Flame (changes name/form every few centuries); fire is a tool to be loved + feared; can't perceive Soggelos, only infer he exists
🐙Soggelos the Blue; friendly water god who appreciates wit, creativity, & intelligence; becomes lethargic in Nessek's presence

🪓Tephaneron the Iron General; scoffs at "book learning", but favors all who strive for greatness; encourages action over planning
📜Uhanam the Master Strategist; opposite of ^^, said to be literal other half; knowledge + skill=victory (magic's the ultimate combination of both)

🪳Khostren the Fetid Breath & Scuttling Darkness; spread disease + scavengers; fears of world where preservation of bodies is important
🧭Wyst the Wanderer; guardian of caravans, deity of liberation, & lover of new sights + experiences; life itself is the greatest journey of all

With that groundwork, let's get into some history.

1000 years ago, after elves discovered the Spirit Wood & the Veil of Souls on the Hikirian Peninsula, Manifest was born. The church of Aluvan + Deathwarden dwarves built a tower-temple at the city's heart: The Grand Portal.

930 years ago, the hordes of Durgerth the Conqueror invaded from the south. He believed that by conquering Manifest, he could subjugate the god Aluvan & conquer DEATH ITSELF!

When that failed, his army sacked the city instead & torched the Spirit Wood. "Aluvan wept that day."

750 years ago, the living returned + rebuilt Manifest around the Grand Portal. King Illustram of Salkiria began demanding tolls on caravans carrying bodies to Manifest.

Ghosts helped sneak these caravans through the king's lands along the so-called Ghostwalk (TITLE DROP!!!)

After the War of Turrin River between Salkiria + Tereppek, Manifest was recognized as a free state.

600 years ago, followers of Aluvan clashed with those of Dracanish during the Dead War. A huge battle involving planar allies laid waste to Manifest, but there was no true winner.

300 years ago, the living returned again, led by a pilgrim named Pahrash + a new religious order called the Yisa-komas, dedicated to both Aluvan AND Dracanish. They swore to protect the ghosts, who had set up their own governing body in the intervening time: the Khardon Court.

In the modern day, the Yisa-komas + Khardon Court have merged into the Yisa-khardomas, who govern Manifest's ghosts. But there are still divisions.

Rin Yomas's faction think no living being should be a member; Kara Pahrash (descendent of the pilgrim) believes integration is key.

The Piran Sedestadel ("Spirit Guides"), a loose coalition of mages working to further the art of ectomancy, was founded by scholars from Tereppek around this time. They have no formal leader, but the Horned Staff--an intelligent staff of power--assumes control in dire times.

I have theories about this frickin' staff! Usually, it's silent for decades, but the mages have come to accept this strange arrangement & trust the Horned Staff's wisdom.

There's no overt suggestion of a connection in the book, but I'll post this side-by-side art comparison:

100 years ago, the island of Inuitea was transformed into an undead haven by an avatar of Orcus named Xaphan. Xaphan's forces attacked Manifest in the Liche War. The Piran Sedestadel created Seven Crowns, which granted the defending generals the strength to destroy Xaphan!

The Seven Crowns are treasured artifacts, but at least one has been stolen!👑

Each acts as a belt of giant strength, amulet of health, ring of fire resistance, & ring of protection. They have unique powers too--launching fire bolts, anti-energy drain aura, empowered turn undead.

30 years ago, yuan-ti from Sura-Khiri tried to invade Manifest. After their army was scattered by Ashtagra the hermit's meteor swarms, adventurers hunted down the serpentfolk alongside a general of the Liche War (Chorubar Tosh).

Adventurers are beloved today for averting a war!

You may ask "why does this history matter?"

When you walk the streets of Manifest, the past is alive in more ways than one! Ghosts, elves, & dwarves might've lived through these events. Wherever you go, there are statues, busts on pedestals, & reliefs carved on every building.🗿

PORTAL WARD🚪is the city's central hub, surrounding the Grand Portal atop the hill. Statuary is classical, depicting hale folk; & the streets are always filled w/ people.

Jaesicha Millicen, a follower of Aluvan & advocate for the living, represents Portal on the Warder Council.

The Registry is often the first stop for visitors. Every inch of the structure is covered in messages left by ghosts for anyone who might have followed them to Manifest. Without these clues, it could take decades to track an individual down; with them, it can still take weeks!🔍

The House of Sanctuary is a tall structure of white marble pillars & painted statues of saints devoted to Aluvan. The staff will help anyone, particularly ghosts.

High priest Johm Quiston is soft-spoken + dutiful, but secretly would rather explore the Undercity or fight undead.

The Ship of Souls is a palace of obsidian & bronze, covered in frescoes of wild-eyed Dracanish cultists marching to Manifest before the Dead War.

High priestess Mearlis Stormshroud is clone created by Weur the Ancient ("most powerful mage in city") after OG refused resurrection.

The Watch House is City Watch HQ.👮

Its facade resembles pyramid of soldiers standing on one another's shoulders. About two dozen of 120 regular watchmen are stationed here, half of whom are on patrol. 1/4 of the Watch are ghosts. A half dozen watchmen staff posts in every ward.

The Bank of Manifest is an impressive marble structure engraved w/ protective imagery. Wealthy peeps make deposits here they can withdraw after death; the bank makes loans, but only to ghosts who didn't invest funds in life. Security's run by half-elf rogue/sorcerer Jao Gadaen.

The Armed Yard is a local training ground that doubles as an arena 3 nights a week. If you're looking to hire mercenaries, then the woman you're looking for is the dwarf ghost who runs the place: Aarom the Cleaved, a tough but fair dealmaker.

Inns include:
👼Angel's Wings; lavish; handcrafted fixtures & furniture bearing images of founders + beloved patrons
🦢The Magic Swan; raucous; named for a local legend & run by a trio that includes a pixie
🌿The Leafy Branch; quiet & private; where serious discussions take place

Portal Ward also has:
✨Dras' Wondrous Devices; sells wizard owner's creations, protected by shield guardian found in Undercity
🧰Eariun's Trinkets; short half-orc often mistaken for dwarf, loves to haggle
⚔️Deric's Weapons; ghost can identify magic weapons by heft, isn't a smith

Now's a good time to talk about magic weapons, because in Ghostwalk, they ALL have names, a process that cements the item's power. Gaining additional powers will expand the name. Identify reveals current + past names.

Ex. Bakara's Blade (+1 longsword) + 🔥 = Bakara's Brightblade

Others:
⚖️Due Process (+2 lawful longsword)
😋Fate of the Undevoured (undead bane scimitar)
♨️First Thaw (frost quarterstaff; cold resistance)
⏩Rapid Wrath (mighty cleaving spear; doubles speed; draws Wyst's symbol if unattended)
🦈Sharkjaw (wounding mace; leaves teeth in wound)

More items:
🍬Bloodsweets are candy that inflict wounds when eaten! That's a bad Halloween
🃏Chaniud's Placards; commune w/ servant depicted on card
📿Driftwood Amulet; speak Aquan; resist cold; cast chill metal
🕊️Feather Mask grants feather fall; you can transform into big raven

🔐Lawkeeper's Lock grants chaos protection; key can be turned to hurt nonlawful in burst OR summon hound archon/achaierai
🧟‍♀️Living Mask makes undead appear as a living person in theater mask
🏹Message Arrow flies to recipient when fired
🪨Phasestones can trap any ghost they touch

THE TOMBYARDS🪦 are a place of peace & morbid statuary, where bodies lie in state in warehouse-crypts until the Deathwardens come to cart them down to the Veil of Souls.

The Guild of Morticians has a lot of influence; Warder Savra deSahn is a member, often mistaken for a vampire

The Morticians are closely tied to the church of Dracanish; many are sympathetic to the Knights of the Quiet.

Their leader is the Chill Gray: Phineod Charaston. Below him are 20 elders, some of the most wealthy, respected, & feared citizens of Manifest. Lowest-rank="Barrow Boys"

The Knights of the Quiet are a secret society who despise the existence of ghosts, as it blurs the line between life & death. Cells are led by Quiet Shepherds, who report to the Hushed Mistress. Her identity is a closely-guarded secret.🤫

The "Necromancers of Night Alley" are named for an infamous backstreet between the Tombyards & Phantom Hill where necromancers + tombrobbers used to ply their trade before it was "cleaned up". Today, it's an evocative term for any such criminals, whether acting in concert or not.

Some of these necromancers come together in a dismal chamber in the Undercity known as the Gathering of Thanatos.

There, they work with forces of Xaphan, have a temple to Orcus, & deal with a lich named Rissachatiros, who likely plans on taking over the entire complex.

Another locale of note in the Tombyards is the Lair. Hidden below an otherwise normal crypt, it's a sanctuary "monstrous" visitors to Manifest.

The owner, a half-orc named Tayr Yunnis, extorts exorbitant fees to use his facilities--a price many are all too willing to pay.

PHANTOM HILL👻is ward of choice for ghosts, with statuary that reflect their appearances. It's filled with stone row houses, though many spirits rent "living" spaces as small as a closet or drawer. Poor areas at foot of the windswept hill at risk of becoming "bad neighborhoods".

The warder for Phantom Hill is Tyrus Dean, the first living person to take this position... before he was killed in an accident shortly after taking office. He returned to work as a ghost. He's a member of the Yisa-khardomas & "one of the ghosts' staunchest defenders".

Phantom Hill services include:
🖼️Heldon's Dreams; where ghosts satisfy their desires via illusions
🍻Ren's Place; shady bar covered in drawings “scrawled under the influence of a few too many ales”
🍞Ustis's Bakery; renowned for best breads in Manifest; run by a gnome poltergeist

🎭The Tower Theater; weekly performances; decorated with statues of actors dressed as most famous role
👥The Riding Guild; ghosts can hire people willing to be possessed; usually "riding" along, but sometimes in control; some hosts groom themselves to be more attractive choices

MERCHANT WARD💰was formed in the aftermath of a fire that ravaged part of Phantom Hill 8 years ago. Local statuary depicts daily life, often people shopping (usually for goods available inside).

Warder Hervest Mul stays away from hot button issues in favor of making money.

Shops of note:
🛡️Shellhand's Armor; smith is anti-ghost, but still accepts their cash
📨The Callers; messenger delivery service; owner is young, intelligent Quiet Shepherd
🧪Yurnst Sisters; alchemy shop run by two sorceress sisters & new elf business partner--could be hags imo

👢Leather Goods (creative); mentions tannery in the Tombyards, which could be a cool location for a set piece
🐴Green Livery; caravan supplies, from wagons to hirelings to beasts of burden (horses, oxen, riding dogs, etc.); statuary has subject riding or tending to mounts

🎎The Tinshop; make shellcraft manikins--new invention of unsure legality that resemble articulated doll, which ghosts can possess as a body
🧀Chason's Cheese; statues have Scooby-Doo eye holes; front for a criminal gang (Darkness Over Daggerford?!) who aren't part of the Golden

The Golden are Manifest's thieves' guild, who don't tolerate freelance criminals. Their leader, Penl Varth, hasn't let her stature or compassion get in the way of ruthless cunning.

Varth's instituted two rules:
1. "Only draw blood in self-defense."
2. "Never steal from a thief."

The Golden have a hideout in a buried city block. Here, they live, collaborate, & train new thieves.

A secret group of assassins known as the Golden Knife exist within the Golden. They can be incredibly thorough: killing a person, their ghost, & destroying their body.🗡️

Other Undercity areas:
⏰Chimes of Time; illithid temporal device
🕳️The Devil's Cellar; deep shaft yuan-ti are trying to open portal into
🐲Xastarcholos' Hoard; rumored black dragon (actually gold)
🌬️River of Wind; invisible river
🚫Null Zone; anti-magic ring around Veil of Souls

Fun facts:
🦎troglodytes pass through Undercity in annual migration
👺large construction sites attract attention of umber hulks or trolls
🐜tunnels collapse, causing sinkholes filled with gray oozes or giant ants
🗣️Spirit Wood has unusually high reports of harpies & destrachan

There's a 4th-level paladin spell called "Door to Great Evil", that transports people to nearest location a holy soldier is needed. It's a favorite of Aluvan, Dracanish, & Durann.

Once per year in Manifest, senior paladins send others on "door crusades" into the Undercity.

If you're traveling w/ ghosts through the Undercity, watch out for ghosteaters! These naturally incorporeal aberrations feed on ectoplasm. If they eat a ghost spellcaster, they can cast the victim's spells! They're otherwise benign & smart, but have never been communicated with.

FORESTVIEW🌲is mostly residential & built from wood. Modern sensibilities tend to shine through more here, as new residents can carve the facades to their liking.

Warder Milla Kreshton gave up her life as the daughter of a Salkirian duke & has no bias towards living or dead.

Forestview's on the edge of the Spirit Wood, which has some locales of its own:

Hidden Palace Glen; a "multistory maze of living trees"; each room has a unique scent used to navigate, as the layout shifts with the seasons; the druid master of the Arboreal Guardians dwells here

Howling Vale is home to bitter elf spirits & monsters; a mysterious wooden statue is at the heart of the vale.

The Monastery of Kreel where the monks contemplate the meaning of life & death. They stay out of worldly affairs, as their founder was disintegrated in the Liche War.

Hooks:
🧟‍♂️Centuries-old ghoul enclave discovered below city
🚱Yuan-ti's potions cause GHOST MADNESS
⚰️Empty coffins arrive; cleric intends to raise them all
😷Escort diseased corpses w/o spreading infection
🔪A ghost forces possessed people to kill
🎯Warder targeted by an assassin

As you can see, Ghostwalk is built to accommodate lots of different styles of play!

Do you delve into political & religious tensions?
Explore dungeons in the Undercity or Spirit Wood?
Toe the line of life & death?

There's plenty more to the world than just Manifest though...

IMPORANT NOTE: the countries around Manifest aren't "generic European fantasy".

The region's tropical, & locals largely have "tan", "reddish-brown", or "rich brown" skin.👨🏽‍🦱🧔🏾👩🏿‍🦱

The Tashalar (FR) & Amedio (Greyhawk) are the main suggested Ghostwalk inserts for other #dnd worlds.

The HIKIRIAN PENINSULA is where Manifest is at. It has rocky, sandy soil & many beaches (Vestarn=favorite of nobles + ghosts--gimme ghost surfers🏖️🏄).

Ships from all over the world bring bodies through the port of Chulla, which trades w/ fishing villages on 3 islands off coast.

Pretty chill lizardfolk live on the islands + eastern coast. Scrags & "strange aquatic monsters" are primary threat along the mainland coast.

Nila, a seemingly-immortal white hound, has saved drowning people, fed hungry families, etc. She's believed to be servant of Eanius.🐶

The Tyuug-Numau tribe are the lizardfolks' opposite. These orcs are unruly & "place almost no value on life", but the Spirit Wood terrifies them. Their chief wears a ring of mind shielding.

The Piran Sedestadel are courting them, as they may know where one of the 7 Crowns is.

Metallic gold Skystones fell to earth 1000 years ago (around Manifest's founding). They lie in a straight line towards the city & have a similar effect on ghosts. Aluvan + Eanius consider them holy.

In a way, you could say the Hikirian Peninsula is "Space Ghost Coast to Coast".

Clergy of Nessek carved shrine into the Steam Pit; gouts of steam are created as sea water flows into lava cave.

Stone feet emerge upside-down from sea, believed to be remains of Argalos, a passionate god who died from heartbreak. Cults have tried to revive him/siphon his power.

West of the Hikirian Peninsula, we enter SALKIRIA.

It's a cosmopolitan land due to its position on the Ghostwalk, but its fortunes rise & fall depending on the monarch. King Illustram & his taxation of the dead caravans was their lowest point, but other rulers have had problems.

The last king transformed the Salkirian people from "decadent hedonists to good-hearted lovers of life & liberty".

His young son Larrison took over a year ago, after the king died in his sleep. Larrison encourages worship of Durann the True Guide, a faith espoused by his mother.

Humans have lived in Salkiria for millennia. A tradition of conflict resolution via energetic dance (rather than war) helped unite the tribes.💃 Even today, every community has open space for music & dance. Salkirian fighters often mix dance & swordplay--kids mimic this w/ sticks

The native Salak language is well-suited to poetry & song.

During King Illustram's reign, rebellious bards passed along coded messages for the Ghostwalk using bells. Bells are much beloved today; Durann's holy texts have even been converted into hymns w/ bell accompaniment.🔔

Excellent food is a cornerstone of Salkirian culture--"restaurants, bakeries, & confectioners can be found on almost every corner". A gift of food is expected when visiting someone's home.🍲

Happiness in marriage is said to stem from the partners' skill w/ food, music, & dance.

Salkirian families typically consist of parents, 2 or 3 kids, & grandparents who live in the home (fit, healthy 80+ year olds).🧓

Sharecroppers & migratory laborers are used on Salkiria's many plantations & vineyards. Traveling laborers often have their own song & dance styles.

Salkiria has a social stigma against sorcery--said to lead many down dark paths, including King Illustram & his 3 sons.

"Corrupt Arcane Studies" feat - sacrifice WIS for bonuses, as long as 3/4 of your clothing is black or gray. Nightmares plague your sleep. Dare you go goth?

The Hills of Baanth are the backbone of Salkiria. Diamonds, opals, & sapphires mined are at astonishing rate. Halflings migrate between small caves here; most have family running dead caravans. Dire animals, small giants, & flying beasts from the mountains are the main predators.

👑Salkiria's capital of Donaree has largest-known temple to Durann
💎Road through the hills connects Donaree to Ridou, frontier town dealing in gems
🏯Shedarik is fort established after Durgerth the Conqueror's defeat; they trade w/ mountain tribes & beef caravans from Bazareene

🦪Oyster beds recently found off-shore near Wialto. Clergy of Soggelos trying to prevent overharvesting, some think they're trying to hide a huge blue pearl. A cleric of Phaant is trying to exacerbate the conflict, while a nest of water naga live nearby & haven't taken sides.

⛵️Deraant is Salkiria's primary port, w/ fleet of fishing vessels; military officers are stationed aboard if they need to take charge.
🍇Bouldoh is known for its light, sweet wines, perfect for marinades. They feel lucky for avoiding Tereppekian army during War of Turrin River.

Durhan Coast has tall cliffs, but fight between half-dragon wyvern & bard Adsaulk 150 years ago caused collapse, allowing founding of Nonaull.

Magic pillars sound alarm when giants come ashore; fishermen have experience fighting sea monsters. Nonaull has cold/water magic school

🌾Shetourn is surrounded by cotton plantations & has textile mills; Salkirian cotton is favored in clothing in this tropical latitude; many homes here are frames w/ cloth walls, as its hot, even at night.
🏰Leburn is fort marking Salkiria's SW border w/ our next stop: Thurkasia

THURKASIA is a grassland where packs of krenshar hunt game & human nomads follow suit using archers mounted on large horses. Women are considered better riders, men better archers. Thurka have big families--reunions=story-telling time. They often foster kids from other villages.

Thurka are deeply spiritual. Druids form backbone of their religion. They make prayers to Eanius before meals & at sunrise.🙏

The adulthood ritual (at 16) involves drinking berry wine; most who leave home carry bottles as a parting gift from family--as a libation & for trade.

Arcane magic is uncommon. Rare sorcerers may be due to "intermingling w/ the people of Bazareene." They're often shunned, scarring themselves in an attempt to purify their magic--when that fails, they continue to decorate their bodies w/ scars + tattoos, becoming twisted punks.🧑🏽‍🎤

292 years ago, the Thurka swore fealty to Salkiria. When these "barons" started dying, however, the tribes elected new ones instead of the titles becoming hereditary. They embrace the changes brought on by this contact. 8 years ago, Salkiria's king granted Thurkasia independence.

Bards=living records of Thurka history. Two songs (w/ paired dances) are most important:

👵🏽Song of the Old - history of tribes up to arrival of Salkirians
👧🏽Song of the New - continues from founding of baronies to present

Another world-changing event could lead to a new song.

🎁Chellon is the "capital" of Thurkasia, serving as meeting place that every tribe passes through each season, leaving news & gifts for relatives.

One of the 13 tribes vanished a month ago (What is this? Eberron?!). The only clue are 8 unique hoops found at their last campsite.

🐊Valarn is port founded by Salkirian traders & Thurkasia's "door to the world" (Thurka dislike open water). It's at mouth of swift, cool Dunn River, home to shocker lizards + crocodiles (including half-dragon spawn of Saurivadarrak the Green). One tribe pilot cargo river rafts.

🐴Thurkasia's greatest horses come from Jajin (south off of map). Best specimens are usually sold before they ever reach Salkiria.

Might be interested in valicorns, offspring of unicorns + horse-like beings. Many exist b/c undead & yuan-ti winnowed unicorns in the Spirit Wood.🦄

🥤Bizarre creatures (like athach) sometimes emerge from Chenurall Forest. It's believed this is due to magic pools within.

🏔️Varlin Mountains densely populated by bugbears, ogres, & orcs. Dug-in "hill tribes" (dwarves & gnomes) agreed to friendship treaty w/ Thurka 91 years ago.

Across the Varlin Mountains is BAZAREENE, a militaristic matriarchy ruled by green-eyed sorceresses known as the Sherem-Lar.

Poverty & crime have nearly been wiped out, but this was achieved through "an almost cruel level of oppression & rigidity" (on top of plenty of magic).

Descendants of political fugitives from the west (beyond land of Durrath), the Bazareene pushed native tribes into mountains to claim the rich Renlar Fields. Children were magically altered in the womb to defend this land--female Sherem-Lar & their male Kihu-Sherem monk guards.

It's highly illegal to perform this ritual on non-noble kids. Weaker lines were culled by 2 bloody revolutions in past 800 years--now the Sherezem-Lar, "the greatest generation of sorcerers", have come of age. They'll one day drive Bazareene "to do something great & terrible."😈

Bazareene nobility fun facts:
💇🏿‍♀️Each family has a unique hair style; typically adopted by commoners
🗣️Often learn Heshar, archaic tongue of OG settlers
🧙🏿‍♀️Win authority in magic duels. Because of large families, many must find work outside govt. (like adventuring)
🎨Patrons of art

Bazareene art=nudes (male & female), battlefield landscapes, & patriotic songs. Being asked to model is a great honor. Every city has martial arts school, w/ dancing based on abstractions of the forms.🥋

Contracts (like marriage) are only legal if witnessed by cleric of Chaniud.

🕌Capital of Hazuk has:
- palace of shining marble
- inflexible laws + frequent patrols residents bypass using ID passes
- huge culinary scene due to Bazareene's rich soil
- idle nobles take on students to teach in magic
- one noble family teleports goods + people across country

The Varlin Mountains are home to magic-distrusting tribes pushed there by Bazareene flatlanders. They still trade leather goods, carvings, & unusual items they have no use for at the town of Dalagath, taking beef, glass, & high-quality iron mined in the lower slopes.🥩

🌋Brunwall houses such a mine, known for its yellow diamonds. Buildings all have basements for when Mount Brun (only volcanic peak in the Varlins) erupts every 7 years. A minor noble family's given near-autonomy for defending the town, such as magic stone wall that redirects lava

⛏️Throngeth was once a dwarven city, but its inhabitants vanished before the first humans arrived, leaving their goods scattered throughout the subterranean levels. Human settlers explore the dungeons for valuables & have sealed off portions of the old mines to keep out monsters.

🌁Fog-shrouded Sengult lies on unnaturally warm Lake Dallin. A 20-mile strip of barrens lie to the SW--a scar left by a magic duel for control of the country. Local fishermen & glassblowers go about armed, for mutants emerge from the scar, often provoked by gallivanting nobles.

⚔️Falar (west off map) marks border with Durrath; it's a beautiful retreat, but has a hidden military presence to watch neighbor
🐮Doru stinks of cow dung, as the surrounding land is perfect for grazing cattle. Ogres magically enslaved by the government to perform menial labor.

🧼 Logging + soap are big in Theno; former mayor was exiled to Sengult barrens, is raising mutants as undead for revenge
🧝🏾‍♀️Khiras began as trading post w/ Sura-Khiri elves, but relations are chilly; yuan-ti attack a lot; nobles planning unwise counterstrike into demiplane of Coil

🪵Belark often doesn't see benefits of Bazareene taxation & hold back dangers from Sura-Khiri themselves, so they are testing the waters for secession. The local nobility seem to have a failing bloodline; most commoners are loggers, herders, & soldiers.

Speaking of Sura-Khiri...

The elves of SURA-KHIRI ("holy gem" in Elven) no longer dance & sing beneath the stars, & the taste of fruit is bitter in their mouths, for they're beset on all sides by yuan-ti. The grimly face the coils of doom, hoping their kids will be able to "afford such idle luxury again".

Desperation is a constant undercurrent, for the elves are terrified they'll go extinct in a generation.

Now their dances mime war; their songs cry out for revenge. Kids are raised to hate the yuan-ti who stole paradise--one keeps the old ways alive so they can someday return.😢

The elves are nomadic by nature (this is a pattern in the lands near Manifest), & consider agriculture unnatural.

Due to yuan-ti's innate spell resistance, there're more elven warriors than wizards. Mages create items & research ways to pierce the scales of the serpentfolk.🖕🏾🐍

Because of their ties to Galaedros, Sura-Khiri elves often use Circle Magic, which allows multiple individuals to use their bond w/ the land to produce spells greater than any could cast alone.

Xaphan's trying to develop their own form using negatively-infused giant bone frames.

Long ago, a smith (Mithralilthar Kerythal) forged a blade (Starfire) out of "skyborn adamantine" to unite his people, swearing no elf would die in a meaningless battle like his dad. For 4 generations, his family's protected the land from humans, demons, & Saurivadartak the Green.

The current scion is Dalaglis Everwood (maybe call a doctor about that), prematurely aged, for he fears "the twilight of his people has come".

He rules from a living palace w/ a grand courtyard in Corenial Maskanastcia ("castle of Starfire") that none but elves have entered.🌌

Starfire is a +5 holy keen mighty cleaving defending adamantine longsword! WOW! Fitting for a royal meteor sword, I guess.

The blade's wielder can invoke daylight at will, and when it strikes something, it creates a clear note of such beauty that it dazes the weak of will.🧝🏾⚔️💫

Thalath Lanialusa is said to be where Eanius & Galaedros gifted elves speech, beauty, & longevity, leaving a tree w/ blue healing fruit + pool so beautiful it makes anyone sob as proof of their power.🌳🌊This is yuan-ti's main target; they've opened a new hakararenil to the west.

"Wait, what the heck is a hakaraenil?" Good question!

These are "doors of the enemy"--black portals created over the past 500 years leading to the yuan-ti demiplane of Coil. They can only teleport a handful before shutting down for days, but elves failed to permanently seal any.

To see the threat of hakararenil, look to Kavaniivaediir (”branching brightstone”), ruined heart of a principality founded 200 years ago by off-shoot of Sura-Khiri's royals.

80 years ago, yuan-ti butchered the entire city. News of her brother's death killed Queen Silienipho.☠️

Old elves sometimes carry out suicide attacks to Kavaniivaediir to defy the yuan-ti.

Recently, poison gas-breathing creatures resembling undead "limned w/ cold green flames" (GREEN FLAME) have been ranging south from the ruins. One elf claims to have seen his cousin among them.

The green flame & poison gas are interesting--they remind me of green dragons, like Saurivadartak!

This 1000-year old beast spends decades asleep, using minions & magic to alert him to intruders. He's allied w/ (even bred w/) yuan-ti in the past. It's feared he's stirring again.

Beyond the hakararenil is the demiplane of COIL--homeland of the yuan-ti.

Surrounded by a shifting dark stone wall (some say it's a giant, writhing snake), Coil is a jungle w/ lowland floods. The sun burns directly overhead, but greasy clouds can blot it out for days at a time.

3 mountain ranges rise from the jungle. There's a lake of aquatic serpents & a river of ravenous snakes easily mistaken for water at night.

A "deer" in Coil has brown scales; a "griffin" a pterosaur's head + wings. Snakes up to 30-ft long sprout from the cursed soil like plants.

Six huge ziggurats are homes to most of the yuan-ti, alongside the palace-fortress of Traagash Daur, their human-headed abomination leader, who uses sorcery to help open portals to "nearby" (in a planar sense) Sura-Khiri.

I'd make her a yuan-ti anathema (3e Fiend Folio) instead.

Sandwiched between Bazereene & Salkiria is TEREPPEK, "a nation of philosophers & intellectuals."🤓

They're "ruled by bureaucrats who prove their qualifications through study & learning"; even the lowest commoner receives schooling. People proudly wear course-completion badges.

Clerics of Uhanam & Chaniud serve in all walks of life, especially as educators & in government.

Over 1000 years ago, Tettok, a charismatic Chaniud wizard, founded Tereppek & ruled for 62 years. It evolved from tribal govt. to monarchy to republic to 300 years of bureaucracy.👨🏾‍🏫

Over 700 years ago, King Illustram of Salkiria's 3 sons raised armies to stop the Ghostwalk. That proved impossible, so they invaded eastern Tereppek instead, sparking the War of Turrin River.

Tereppek crushed the unskilled princes, sacked Salkiria's capital, & killed the king.

After the War of Turrin River, the Tereppekians turned from violence, "except under the most extreme circumstances". They used their legacy of battle magic to beef up their border security & deter aggression. Abjuration & Enchantment are more common than Evocation.🛡️

♟️"Duels" are settled by "debates, word contests, or other intellectual sports."
🥨Thin mustache & goatee is traditional facial hair. Long hair is tied up or elaborately woven.
👄Pek is "a rich tongue w/ many open vowels"; often study languages (no matter how obscure) as a hobby.

Every major Tereppekian community has an arts college. Painting, dancing, & oration=common studies.

Dance involves "logical movement problems (such as performing a type of spin without using the arms for balance)". Blending mind & body said to create "a more balanced intellect".

Wraithweed is a plant found only in Tereppek.

Recently, it was found that, when alchemically-treated, powdered, & dissolved in liquid, it causes euphoria & relaxation in ghosts. It's also addictive, & will actually break down their ectoplasm til they become incorporeal undead!🍁

🕵️Trin is big for smuggling across Bazareene/Tereppek border.

It sits amid 5 forts magically raised after the defeat of Durgerth the Conqueror: the Gray Towers. Guards=sworn to secrecy. They may be linked by teleport circles & their arrow slits enlarge spells cast through them!

Heppara is link between Bazareene & Salkiria. Cattle drives pass through, & barbarian artifacts from when city was raised by Durgerth's hordes still turn up in fields.

Ferry across broad Turrin River here & in Teruek. Local bard college focuses on music, particularly strings.🎻

Corn & rice are grown on Plains of Graumar that form Tereppek's heartland. Goats, sheep, cattle are also raised.

Lots of rain comes in from the sea, & some regions are prone to flooding. Meanwhile, insects (ex. ankhegs) terrorize south due to magic unleashed to defeat Durgerth.

Lake Kerl is remarkably deep, but huge fish have prevented in-depth exploration (rumors say it reaches into the Underdark). A shrine of Wyst sits on the longest dock in the city of Kerl (a waypoint on the road to Bazareene). Many try to catch fish trophies & die in the attempt.🎣

The Thanaurmar Hills in northern Tereppek are home to the red-haired Grumnyr dwarves. They send caravans to Manifest, replete w/ young adventurers.👨🏼‍🦰

Hurmerbor is built in shadow of a dwarf fortress. Sevvil is defended by gnome siege engines. There's gold in them there hills!

NE of Sevvil (off map) lies Porrune. Citizens trade w/ the Temaaki, who dwell in northern grasslands.

We can follow the shallow Rekkin Coast back south. It gets annual tropical storms. An extended water naga family + their locathah followers live off-shore & trade w/ fisherfolk.

🌽Reldek is known for its spirit of altruism. Its tall granaries can be seen from a mile off-shore; many lands depend on exports of rice & dried corn "to avoid starvation in lean years." Chaniud's temple helps the poor in Tereppek & abroad, sponsoring a charitable theater troupe.

Paluak is a busy capital--largest in this part of Ghostwalk's world:
🧙🏿‍♂️full of amphitheaters & colleges (2 major wizard academies)
🎭regular tours of artists & performers
🛍️anything can be found in the city
📄powerful bureaucrat pushing to expand Tereppek's influence in Manifest

❄️Teruek is trading hub between Tereppek & Salkiria. A family of Grumnyr dwarves craft goods here. Strangely, it snows here in winter (despite being tropical), "probably because of some long-buried, mysterious artifact under the city". Home to a large dance company, the Kitat.

📚Tirappa is Tereppek's main port. Small defensive fleet that also serves exploratory & diplomatic purposes. The city library holds lore from distant lands & is staffed by retired explorers. The library doubles as a poetry college + school for calligraphy. (Candlekeep Mysteries?)

Off the coast of Tereppek, in the seas north of the Hikirian Peninsula, festers the island of XAPHAN.💀

Since the death of Xaphan himself (avatar of Orcus), a strife-riven council of his vampire lieutenants have ruled. Living beings are chattel for the majority undead populace.

The vampires grant parcels of land to favored spawn & other intelligent undead, who subdivide it further. Demonic rites to Orcus are common, and each monthly vampire council meeting begins with human sacrifice (yes, I picture the vampire council from What We Do in the Shadows).🧛

Artaagliths are ram-headed demons of Orcus who create & command undead armies for their master. They use cleric spells to bolster servants & often use poison attacks that their allies are immune to.

They like killing the fallen, "even while other foes remain standing." NASTY!

Naturally, Xaphan tends to work through intermediaries.

Blood Ghouls are right out of VTM--mortals temporarily altered by drinking vampire blood. Only tell is red gleam to their eyes in low-light. They're alive, but dazed by cleric's turn undead; they can supernaturally rage.🩸

Xaphan's flatlands are decaying into dry, gray dust that is blown up into blinding clouds by the sea winds.

The waters around the islands are foul & polluted; thousands of dead fish pile up on the beaches. Vermin & quick creatures are the only native animals yet to be wiped out.

Xaphan was once the peaceful kingdom of Inuitea, but its large navy didn't save it, for its doom came from within. King Oryn still exists as a vampire spawn.

Xaphan fell in the Liche War, but one vampire has his skull; a ghast named Turrekh has a splinter of his thighbone.🦴

Vampire council built great villas amid ruins of the capital (Inilith) & meet here. They rotate casting control weather so that the city is cloaked in clouds that prevent direct sunlight.🌥️

Living slaves struggle in villa gardens, turning to cannibalism when times are TOUGH.

Only a few slaves escape each decade, usually sorcerers who use their natural talents to cross the sea. New slaves are brought in from outside lands, & the only living beings given any power are necromancers.

Ghoul barbarians who don't get fatigued from rage are shock troops.

The Phyrrian Isles off west coast of Xaphan are remnants of civilization that predates Manifest, but apparently had no interaction w/ Deathwarden dwarves. Old curses & warding magic have prevented in-depth exploration, though vampires are always looking for leg up on competition.

Hints of the time before Manifest are interesting.

The Phyrrian Isles & Throngeth; the mystery of the Deathwarden dwarves; Phaant's murder of Galaedros's brother (which seems to parallel the elf siblings Thaerana & Thaedon; Thaerana discovered the Spirit Wood after Thaedon died)

Given all the love bards get in Ghostwalk, it's no surprise that there's a template for creating an undead bard known as a Bonesinger!

Their bones are carved w/ grooves & holes like an instrument, which creates a haunting keen because they are surrounded by a constant breeze.

I'm a big fan of example PCs. I find they help people understand what's possible!

They're to players what adventure hooks are to GMs--putting puzzle pieces together into a picture you can appreciate.

Luckily, we have some PCs used to playtest Ghostwalk from online sources!

Traden Soulreaver is Salkirian ghost bounty hunter.
Prefers hunting evil spirits, but any will do in a pinch. He has Arboreal Guardian pals. Tall w/ long black hair + mustache. Wields Ghost Stabber & Haunt Slicer; wears silver-lined trenchcoat.🕵🏽‍♂️⚔️👻

Furka is an elf wizard from Sura-Khiri who was slain by yuan-ti & became ghost. Doesn't mind creating undead, but careful who sees him. Short, scrawny, & androgynous; dark brown hair + eyes. Weasel familiar = Silver. Wields Shadowbolt (+1 mighty composite longbow). 🏹🧝🏽🦦

Antillaros is inquisitive Salkirian bard killed by flame trap. Exploring ghostly form. Doesn't reveal much about herself, using Control Visage to wrap form in exotic outfits. Wields Bullroarer (+1 silvered screaming bola flail). Really wants a set of mithral bells.🔔👩🏽‍🎤🩺

Telden Fect is cleric born in Manifest. Raised by mom's ghost; after she passed on, church of Aluvan took him in. Supports ghosts & looks forward to becoming one before rejoining his parents in the True Afterlife. Hates undead. Tall, thin, black hair going gray at temples. 👨🏾‍⚖️👍🏾👻

Mellik is Kihu-Sherem from Bazareene; pursued his sorceress to Manifest after she ran away w/ common-born lover. Broad, bald, clothes covered in arcane sigils + symbols of his noble family. Quiet & headstrong. Wields silver kama & nunchucks; wears magic AC amulet + bracers.🛡️🥷🏿✨

We have a few more from Sean's website:

- Demere is Tereppekian convert to Dracanish; she passionately hates undead, coming to Manifest to protect dead caravans
- Jundar is Kihu-Sherem from minor Mundar family; similar to Mellik--pursuing sorceress who ran off to marry mercenary

- Kana is confident 17-year old orphaned when family locksmith shop burned down; ran afoul of the Golden, so traded robbery for adventuring
- Petrek is wizard developing theory about how schools of magic affect mood + personality (LOVE THAT); came to Manifest to consult others

- Shallar came to Manifest to find spirit tree holding the spirit of his grandfather, Dathalar, who holds key to unlocking power of heirloom sword; his "black sheep" sister, Terella, also seeks the secret, which he fears she'll use for personal gain rather than to help Sura-Khiri

See what I mean? Great ideas to jumpstart thinking about a character of your own!

Sean's site also has NPCs, including a specter assassin who likes impaling hearts; torture-loving half-fiend twins; a thug turned undead by a cursed sword; & a cold-hearted demon general of Orcus.

What's most fascinating to me is that you can see Ghostwalk's DNA in more recent works by our authors, like Invisible Sun & Stay Alive! Ghost stories, continuing play after death, exploring worlds beyond our ken--it's all there.

You can 100% see it here:
montecookgames.com/invisible-sun-…

Ghostwalk may've only been one book, but there's so much to love packed within! The world dances off the page &, despite coming out in 2003, its spirit endures.

But this chapter is closed & it's time for me to pass beyond the Veil, friends. 👋

So what do you think of Ghostwalk?