The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

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Crossroads of the World
In this chapter, the Player Characters arrive at Xoth
Sarandi, which has been an elven colony for over
2,000 years. Around the island, the elves have
created huge magical gateways through which ships can
reach distant lands. Thanks to their ingenious sorcery, a
vessel and its cargo can move halfway around the world
in the course of a single day.
At Xoth Sarandi, the Player Characters can meet with
the High Council and with Archimandrus’ conclave of
wizards. They may learn the full truth of the Starborn
for the first time: how the elven magicians, allied with
Nuith, first channelled the souls of the stars into mortal
bodies so there would be champions on Ashfar to oppose
the Dark. They can also hear the origin legends of the
drow, find out about their deities and their organisational
structure and discover the reason for their assault on
Jehannum.
Xoth Sarandi is also the location of the Halls of Concord,
a critically important institution in the campaign. The
Halls of Concord are where the ambassadors of the
various nations of the world meet in order to discuss
treaties, allegiances and wars. The Player Characters
can use this building to talk to the direct representatives
of heads of state, involving themselves deeply in the
politics of Ashfar and the progress of the Drow War.
Note: This chapter’s events are weighted towards
roleplay and intrigue. There is some combat to be
found but discussion and negotiation are much more
important. This means that the Player Characters may
not gain much experience from fighting. To compensate
for this, story awards are given for the achievement of
diplomatic objectives, whether combat was involved or
not.
Xoth Sarandi
There is no other place like this in the world. What
other island is presided over by the most graceful and
grave of races and yet boasts the most raucous taverns
and overcrowded flophouses this side of Crescent
City? Xoth Sarandi is like a mediaeval microcosm of
the world, with the undisturbed paradise of the elves’
dwellings at the centre falling away to the bustle and din
of the market traders in the outer city, the internecine
politics of the Halls of Concord, the brothels and inns
that never need to close and ultimately the darkness
under the wharves where the dregs sleep.
Xoth Sarandi is crammed with disparate groups of
people, forced to rub shoulders with one another.
Gnome artisans play chess on pavement café tables
with retired generals. Merchants prosper one day and
are ruined the next, while their mistresses keep sailors
company as they gamble away their pay in a haze of
alcohol. Nobles hundreds of years old, who have seen
empires rise and fall, pass by children in the streets who
were born less than a mile away and will die without
ever seeing another place than this.
Xoth Sarandi
Size: Metropolis
Population: 55,000
Racial Mix: 45% elf, 35% human, 10% half-elf, 5%
gnome, 5% other races
GP Limit: 150,000
Power Centre 1: The High Council of Xoth Sarandi
(LN)
Power Centre 2: The House of Trade (N)
Executive Authority: Chief Constable Haveranti
Brythna (Rgr 5/Arc 15)
Information: Rumours in Xoth Sarandi
Player Characters can glean basic information about the
city without needing to make a check, as it is common
knowledge.
Basic Information: Xoth Sarandi is really two cities,
an inner region for the elves and an outer region where
all the other races mingle. It was not originally intended
to be a city where people settled down and is more of
a way station that has grown into a city over time. It is
the richest city in the world but has some of the poorest
people in its dockside regions: stranded travellers who
were robbed and cannot afford to leave; stowaways
who were discovered halfway through a sea journey
and abandoned here; wharf brats of tavern prostitutes
fathered by sailors; even bankrupt merchants who have
been driven out of business by ruthless competitors.
• Xoth Sarandi’s geographic centrality and its unique
role as a global crossroads have made it a focal point
for politics as well as trade. The Halls of Concord,
which were originally assembly halls for non-elven
Ibon Presno Gonzalez (order #73006) 8