On the Shores of Lake Quag; The Warehouse at Piketon Way

In the 1980's my imagination wandered the shores of Perrenland's Lake Quag, a watery expanse in the northwestern portion of Greyhawk. I revisited the area for a brief time ten years ago when I ran a short-lived campaign called "On the Shores of Lake Quag" that resulted in a TPK.

     The campaign began with the player characters being given the deed to a warehouse, a boon from a recently retired relative. My goal was to begin play with the PCs having a base of operations and a bit of economic good fortune. The warehouse, its contents, layout and single employee are presented below.

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     The warehouse, located in Traft, is modest in size. It is 40' in length, 25' wide and the walls are 10' high. Constructed entirely of wood, it is accessible via double doors in the front and a service door in the back. There are no windows. Illumination is provided either by leaving the doors open during the day or with lamps at night. The back door does not have a lock, but it can be secured with a sliding bar. The front doors can be locked with a length of chain and a sturdy padlock.

     The warehouse was originally owned by Dellor Flynnex, a mercenary captain. Dellor used the building to store arms and supplies for his small warband. From Traft, Dellor and his men made frequent forays into the surrounding lands. The warehouse is stocked with arms and armor useful to longbowmen and bow-armed cavalry.

     The inventory includes:

     Armor: 2 chain shirts, 2 suits of studded leather, 3 suits of leather and 5 suits of padded;

     Weapons: 4 longbows, 80 longbow arrows, 5 short bows, 100 shortbow arrows and 5 longswords;

     Riding Gear: 3 riding saddles, 2 military saddles, 5 bits with bridles and 5 saddle bags; 

     Adventuring Gear: 3 backpacks, 5 winter blankets, 2 bullseye lamps, 3 common lamps, a 50' hemp rope, 2 tents, 5 waterskins and 3 map cases. Each map case contains a map of the northwestern Vesve, the Sepia Uplands, and the Canton of Traft;

     Transport: 1 wagon. A draft horse is stabled just outside the town walls at a cost of 1sp/day;

     Coin: In a small wooden box on the table are 10 gold marks, 25 silver hafmarks and 50 copper pfennigs.

     The warehouse is guarded by Matthias Vinder, a former soldier once employed by Dellor. After being badly wounded by euroz (orcs) in the Vesve, Mathias decided to stay at home. (Mathias was a mounted bowman at the time and was skewered by a spear-wielding euroz of the Vile Rune tribe.) He lives just around the corner from the warehouse, which enables him to keep an eye on things seven days a week. Mathias is usually present for two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon, and for four hours at night. While on duty, Mathias tends to sit inside the warehouse sipping ale and mending his fishing nets.

     Mathias is an avid fisherman, able to supplement his income by selling fish to his neighbors. When not performing his guard duties, Mathias will be on Lake Quag, casting nets from his small boat. Mathias is married to a kindly woman named Ava, who brings him brandy and hot soup on cold nights. Ava barely - just barely - tolerates Mathias' fishing, but she's happy to have him home after that nasty incident in the forest. If Matthias is paid on time and treated with respect, he'll be loyal to a fault. Under no circumstance will Mathias compromise the warehouse's security.

The Warehouse      Wooden Walls: 6” thick, Break DC 20, Hardness 5, Hit Points 60 (per 10x10 section);      Front Double Doors (good wooden doors): 1.5” thick, Hardness 5, Hit Points 15, Break DC Stuck 16/Locked 18;      Padlock on Front Double Doors: Hardness 15, Hit Points 30, Open Lock DC 20;      Back Door (good wooden door): 1.5” thick, Hardness 5, Hit Points 15, Break DC Barred 25. At night, the door is secured with a wooden bar.

Mathias Vinder, male human War3; Medium humanoid (5’ 11”, 185lbs); CR 2; HD 3d8; hp 16; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AL LG;       Armor: AC 16 (+4 chain shirt, +2 dex), touch 12, flat-footed 14.      Attacks: Base Atk +3, Grp +4; Melee: Longsword +4 (+3 BAB, +1 str) (d8+1, 19-20/x2); Ranged: Shortbow +5 (+3 BAB, +2 dex) (d6, x3).      Saves: Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +1.      Abilities: Str 12 (+1), Dex 14 (+2), Con 11, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10.      Languages: Common.      Skills and Feats: Handle Animal +2, Intimidate +4, Profession (fisher) +2, Ride +5, Spot +1, Swim +4; Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, Point Blank Shot.      Possessions: Chain shirt, short bow, 20 arrows, long sword, common lantern, whistle, keys to warehouse, flask of brandy, 3 sp.

     Below is a copy of the letter the PCs in my campaign received.

     Lads, I am taking my leave of the soldier’s life, having grown weary of sleeping in the rain and risking my life for a few gold marks. I leave it to you, a younger, more durable generation, to carry on the family trade. To help, I am giving you my warehouse at Piketon Way in Traft. Present this letter to the guardsman – Mathias – so that he knows you are kin. Mathias is a good man, so pay him his 5 mark salary on time, every time. When you need the wagon, you can fetch Greta. She is stabled at a nearby farm. The warehouse is in good repair and can also provide shelter if need be. The annual property tax is 12 marks, so make a note of it.

     May Zilchus bless all of your ventures.
     +Dellor Flynnex, captain of mercenaries (ret.)