Gor'Fon Uplands Player's Guide
This guide will help you create a character that is appropriate for the Gor’Fon Uplands Campaign in the World of Hythal. Review this document carefully before creating a character to ensure the character you are creating is suitable for the campaign.
Please note that all the information in this document is known to you, the Player, but not necessarily to your characters. It is provided here so you can get a good idea of the expectations of the game or to provide inspiration during character creation. Your characters may have a different view of the world and may begin the game ignorant of some of the particulars expressed in this document.
The information below is presented in three sections. The Campaign Overview provides a brief description of the campaign. The Gor’Fon Uplands section contains background setting material. Finally, the Character Creation section describes the way characters will be built and the races and classes suitable for play.
Campaign Overview
The campaign focuses on a region known as the Gor’Fon Uplands, a vast swath of territory in a northern climate consisting of open moors, steep hills and rugged mountains blanketed by a dense pine forest. The campaign style is a player-driven sandbox, so various themes may emerge, but the groundwork is in place to explore themes of survival in an untamed wilderness, ancient civilizations, religious, racial and political conflict, the Feywild, the Lower Planes, and powerful, ancient magic. Extended play in civilized areas and cities is not expected but could emerge depending on player preference.
The Gor’Fon Uplands
The Needlewood
The Needlewood is a great forest consisting of closely-spaced fir,spruce and other evergreen trees interspersed with stands of aspen and birch. Clearings and other openings do occur, but they are uncommon. The forest floor is thickly carpeted with layers and layers of brown pine needles and pine cones. Visibility is very limited under most conditions since the branches of the trees descend to the ground. The denser regions of the forest are considered difficult terrain from the point of view of overland travel.
The Horntusks
The Horntusks are steep hills blanketed in the Needlewood. They get their name from the many orcs, goblins and other intelligent foes to be found there, with the sound of battle horns being blown an all too common occurrence. The Horntusks sport outcroppings of granite and the occasional cliff face, but are typically just steep, rolling, forested hills. The forest tends not to be quite as dense as it is in the lower regions, but the ruggedness of the hills makes the entire region difficult to travel.
The Goblinteeth Mountains
So called because of their resemblance to the broken, jagged teeth of goblins, these snowy peaks hold all manner of threats. Lower portions of these mountains are just tall hills, covered in the thinning Needlewood, but the mountains grow more bare, steep and treacherous as one travels northward. Travel in the mountains varies widely from almost normal terrain in the passes to impassible cliff faces. The Goblinteeth are riddled with passes that start promising but that dead end into lakes, sheer rock walls or that narrow into mere cracks. True passes through the mountains are not known but almost certainly exist.
Yeager’s Fist
Yeager's Fist is the furthermost outpost in the Gor'Fon Uplands. It is located in the center of a wide gap in the Needlewood and situated along the Frostflow River. The outpost is built atop a steeply sloping piece of land that provides a natural barrier on all but the south side, which is protected by a thick wall of stone block pierced by a single, iron-reinforced, wooden gate.
Yeager's Fist derives its name from Yeager Flinteye, a dwarven adventurer that first claimed the area some 90 years ago. He built the southern wall and several of the principal buildings out of granite he had quarried out of the Bitter Hills. During the later years of his life, the outpost continued to grow and was further expanded with wooden houses and small shops that catered to the explorers and fortune-seekers headed deeper into the Uplands. For some years after Yeager's death, the small village continued to thrive. Fourteen years ago, a sudden attack by a horde of goblins overran the place, killing all inhabitants. The goblins of the Kurchag-Ga (Limbripper) Tribe inhabited the place for nearly a decade and were a source of raids, banditry and other troubles in northern Gor'Fon. When Gor'Fon's interests finally turned back to the Uplands and the riches therein, it sent a sizeable force of Gor'Fon Regulars to reclaim the outpost. Once free of goblins, the outpost was partially restored and reopened. It has remained a bastion against the creatures in the Uplands for more than five years now.
Lord Alcon Thentel, a minor noble, oversees the outpost.
Shadre
Shadre is a small farming village of about 100 inhabitants. The principal crop of the region is a hearty winter wheat, but bison and the caribu-like gorn are also domesticated by these strongly independent farmers. Both of these foodstuffs are sold to the inhabitants of Yeager’s Fist.
The Cutwood Camp
Situated on the shores of frigid Lake Yeb is the Cutwood Camp. The camp is the home of a few dozen loggers and their families.
Oclyda’s Tower
Oclyda is a powerful wizard that built this tower during the final years of Yeager Flinteye’s life. The tower is sometimes present and at other times vanishes from the hilltop overlooking the river. Some say the tower actually disappears and travels with its maker, others say the tower does not travel but is instead hidden by a powerful illusion that must be occasionally renewed whenever Oclyda returns to her home. No one dares approach her property, for it is said she is mentally unstable and will destroy trespassers that dare disturb her or her property.
Brief History of Gor’Fon
The table below provides a rough timeline of major events in Gor’Fon. This is player information; many characters will have only a vague knowledge of these historical events.
| Years in Past | Historical Note |
|---|---|
| 437 | Hoards of humanoids, giants and monsters pour out of the Goblinteeth and overrun gnome, dwarf & elf settlements throughout the Gor'Fon Uplands. Thousands perish in the slaughter |
| 434 | Dwarves and gnomes establish enclaves in the Bitter Hills, elves reduced to mistrustful tribalism in pockets of the Needlewood |
| 413 | Religious pilgrims, believers in the old (Darian) gods, establish Thapha to free themselves from persecution in Thrindaria |
| 404 | The White Death: a mysterious plague nearly destroys the fledgling colony at Thapha |
| 390 | Thapha becomes the capital of Gor'Fon Province |
| 105 | Plains War begins: human barbarians resist incursion into their lands, unite under Umkar Eaglefist |
| 96 | Plains War ends: Human barbarians agree to nominal rule of Gor'Fon and cease hostilities with the death of Umkar Eaglefist |
| 90 | Yeager Flinteye establishes Yeager's Fist - meant to be a staging point to retake the dwarves' ancestral homeland |
| 38 | Yeager Flinteye dies |
| 15 | Twenty Gods' War with southern neighbor, Thrindaria |
| 14 | Kurchag-Ga (Limbripper) Tribe goblins overrun Yeager's Fist |
| 6 | Truce signed with Thrindaria - end of Twenty Gods' War |
| 5 | Yeager's Fist cleared of Kurchag-Ga (Limbripper) Tribe goblins by Gor' Fon Regulars |
| 0 | Campaign start in Yeager's Fist |
Gor’Fon’s Political Landscape
Thapha is the capital of Gor’Fon. It is located on the edge of the plateau that separates Gor’Fon from the Zushun Wastes. Thapha is the traditional seat of the High Counceller, the nominal leader of the Free Council. The Free Council is comprised of heroes from the Twenty-Gods War as well as influential noble families. The Darians that rule Gor’Fon are freedom-loving and fear a strong centralized rule. The Council agrees to work together to ensure common defense and to prevent squabbles, but in many other ways, the various cities of Gor’Fon are ruled by the regional Councellor with little interference from the others save in times of war or if complaints about corruption or other abuses reach the Council.These are treated very seriously and are cause for the stripping of lands, title and wealth from the Counsellor committing these acts.
Counsellors invest lesser noble families or war heroes with the maintenance of part of their domains and hold these appointees to high standards of conduct, ask them to levy and collect taxes and perform other administrative duties necessary to maintain order. For this service, these leaders receive a stipend, housing or land grants and other privileges.
Organizations Based in Yeager’s Fist
The following organizations are based in or near Yeager’s Fist. It is unlikely that your characters know about these organizations, but you should be aware of them as they can be joined (or opposed) during the game.
Black Arrows: A secret group of rangers operating in the Needlewood. They have a tenuous relationship with the Gor’Fon Regulars, who dislike what they see as the Black Arrows’ meddling in their affairs. Some see the Black Arrows as saviors, others as little more than bandits.
Seekers of the Stone Flame: A group of scholars and mages that are deeply interested in Welcavian history, artifacts, sites and other lore related to the vanished Welcavian people.
Gor'Fon Regulars: The soldiery of Gor’Fon. Can only join by selecting the Soldier background during character creation and then only with DM approval.
The Circle: The real name of this druid group is expressed only in Druidic, the secret language of druids. It is called simply “The Circle” by the few that know of this organization’s existence. This group of druids is studying the connection of the Gor’Fon Uplands region to the Feywild.
Rumors and Legends
The following are rumors or legends your character may have heard concerning the Uplands. There may be truth to these, or they may be complete bunk.
- A huge goblin known in Yeager’s Fist as the Goblin King is gathering all goblin tribes to him to retake Yeager’s Fist.
- The Needlewood is the domain of druids that worship a being called The Green God. They create plant creatures to kill all trespassers.
- The Welcavians delved deeply into fleshwarping - the merging of flesh of different creatures.
- Demons and other fell creatures from other planes roam the moorlands at night.
- Portals connect the region’s ruins to other planes and times. The magic of these portals is failing and can leave any that dare to enter them trapped forever.
- A giant stone and iron bull wanders the moorlands, killing all it meets.
- The barbarians of the region believe they must make sacrifices to the Witch Queen of Winter or their tribe will perish.
- Lord Alcon Thentil, Lord of Yeager’s Fist, is scheming against the Council. He intends to separate the Uplands from southern Gor’Fon and create his own kingdom.
- Slavery and the slave trade is alive and well in Yeager’s Fist. Bandits, unscrupulous trappers and even fortune-seekers have been known to spirit away the unlucky or the unwary. Such folk are sold to the humanoid bands that fill the forests, who work them to death and then eat them.
- The barbarians of the plains and forests venerate ancient ruins and will kill or drive away any treasure hunters that venture too near.
Climate
The Gor’Fon Uplands are in a northern climate, at the borderland between a northern temperate forest biome and a taiga (boreal forest) biome. Fall and Spring are short, summers are quite warm (and can be humid) and winter is long.
Spring (~60 days): High: 45F Low: 32F
Summer (~90 days): High 68F Low: 48F
Fall (~60 days): High: 55F Low: 42F
Winter (~150 days): High: 32F Low: 20F
The cold is an almost ever-present danger. In all but the Summer, temperatures can dip below 40F. While the inhabitants wear suitable clothing to deal with the cold climate, rain, snow, or high winds (or all three) can be deadly without proper shelter. During the Winter months, snowshoes and teams of sled dogs make travel possible (though not necessarily advisable).
The Spring and Fall are the wettest months for rain, with monthly accumulations matching that of the Midwest United States. Snow is a possibility in all but the summer months. Winter snowfalls average 25-30 inches per month.
The Night Sky
Hythal has no moon, it is a moon. The night sky is dominated by a great blue gas giant much like Neptune. It rises and sets, shedding a cold blue light over the nighttime landscape. Thousands of planetoids sparkle in the great gulf between Hythal and its huge parent. Each culture has its own tales about the giant and its mysterious swarm of glittering followers.
The Welcavians
The Gor’Fon region was once the home of a human civilization known as the Welcavians. Little is known about them, but their ruins are found here and there across Gor’Fon. Much of the ancient magic in the region is attributed to their culture. It is believed that some great catastrophe ended the Welcavian civilization more than a thousand years ago.
Character Creation
Races of the Gor’Fon Uplands Campaign
Dragonborn
Dragonborn are extremely rare in Gor’Fon and are not suitable for play as starting characters. It is conceivable this may change once the campaign is underway.
Dwarf
The Dwarves living in Gor’Fon can be found in the Bitter Hills, where they are organized by clan. These clans are the remnants of the great Dwarven strongholds that were destroyed more than 400 years ago by the rampaging hordes of humanoids and giants that poured out of the Goblinteeth. Dwarves regularly leave the Bitter Hills in order to reclaim their ancestral homelands or seek a better life for themselves. Both Hill and Mountain Dwarves are available for play.
Elf
The elves of the Gor’Fon Uplands are tribal and insular. A great portion of the so-called High Elven culture was destroyed more than 400 years ago when vast hordes of humanoids swept out of the Goblinteeth and overran the Elven, Gnomish and Dwarven enclaves in the Needlewood. Elves living in Gor’Fon are only of the “Wood” variety and are mistrustful even of other Elven tribes. Elven PC’s may be outcasts from their village or may be emissaries sent by more open-minded tribes to learn what they can of Gor’Fon’s people.
Gnome
The history and motivation of the Gnomes in Gor’Fon mirrors that of the Dwarves and Elves. Gnomes hail from the Bitter Hills and long for their hidden homelands deep in the Needlewood. Both the Forest and Rock Gnomes are available for play.
Halfling
The ancestral homeland of the halflings is the Zushun Wastes, a once-pastoral land said to have been cursed by various gods for crimes committed by the halfling race thousands of years ago. Since the Wastes are home to brutal tribes of these savage folk, halflings have a black reputation in Gor’Fon. However, there are those tribes that were said to have left their homelands as the great calamity befell it and these landless tribes have wandered both Gor’Fon and Thrindaria for hundreds of years. These halflings are somewhat tolerated in Gor’Fon, but prejudices still exist. Halfling characters must be of the Lightfoot type as their hardier Stout brethren are the ones that still haunt the Wastes.
Half-Elf
Half-Elves are quite rare in Gor’Fon though some do exist. Playing a Half-Elf will be challenging. See the DM if you are intent on playing a Half-Elf.
Half-Orc
Half-Orcs are extremely rare in Gor’Fon and are not suitable for play.
Human
Humans are currently the dominant race in Gor’Fon and thus can be found anywhere. Humans are divided into a few sub-types, one of which must be chosen at character creation and cannot be changed thereafter.
Thrinn: The Thrinns are of slight build but stronger than their frame would indicate. They have skin of light olive to soft peach and tend to have darker hair and eyes. Culturally, they are the victors in a long war that saw their society conquer that of their one-time neighbor, the Darians. They believe in A’zi, the One God, and tend to look down upon the Darian culture, which they have attempted to assimilate since their victory. They hail from the country of Thrindaria and would come to Gor’Fon only in extreme cases since the journey is dangerous and the Darians that moved to Gor’Fon to escape the domination of the Thrinns would likely view them with suspicion. A few Thrinns live and are born within Gor’Fon, making an awkward situation where the Thrinnish culture is the one dominated by the Darians, an inverse of the situation in Thrindaria.
Darian: The Darians appear identical to the Thrinns. They lost their country and much of their culture to the Thrinns though they have done their best to keep their language and culture alive even as they live under Thrinnish rule in Thrindaria. The Darians worship the so-called “Old Gods”, the deities they venerated before their loss to the Thrinns. Many Darians eventually fled Thrindaria and established a colony in Gor’Fon where they could live freely once more. Darian PC’s may hail from Thrindaria and be seeking a new, freer life in Gor’Fon or may be born in Gor’Fon to Darian parents that made the journey previously. The Darians make up the vast number of the humans found in Gor’Fon.
Achaka: The Achaka people are tall, fair of skin with blue or green eyes and blonde or even white hair. They are the ancestral owners of the Gor’Fon region and resent the intrusion of the Darians into what they view as their lands. They have largely migrated northward, into the Uplands, to escape the creeping advancement of Darian civilization. They speak their own language (which has no written form) and worship animals spirits of the forest, plains and sky. The Darians view them as dangerous barbarians. The Achaka people shun the formal study of magic, but sorcerers and warlocks are occasionally born. These unhappy folk are treated with great suspicion if not outright driven from their tribal lands.
Tiefling
Tieflings are very rare in Gor’Fon though some do exist. Playing a Tiefling will be challenging for you and for the party. See the DM if you are intent on playing a Tiefling.
Character Class Suggestions
All character classes in the Player’s Handbook are available for play and technically all races can be of any class. However, it is probably a good idea to work with the DM on your class/race combination to ensure it meets the flavor of the campaign or to learn anything especially important about your chosen class.
Obviously, playing a character that can get along in the wild would be handy, but keep in mind that not all activity will be outdoors and that character advancement in 5e does not allow a character to specialize in many things, so choose your character’s skills and other abilities wisely.
Character Backgrounds, Traits and Flaws, Final DM Review
Carefully review the Backgrounds available for your character and consider how the character ties into the world of Hythal. Backgrounds, Traits, Flaws and the other aspects of character background have an important and lasting impact on the character. The goal is to create a convincing character that fits well with the setting. Review your completed character with the DM before considering it complete.
A Note on Languages
Please review the page on Languages to ensure you select appropriate languages based on the background of your character. Language is an important part of your character's background and has a measurable impact on how others view your character.
Ability Score Generation
We will be doing this old-school: roll 4d6 dropping the lowest die, then arrange to suit. We will not be doing a point buy.
Starting Gold / Gear
We will be using the “starting gold” method for buying gear. Do not acquire gear from your Class or your Background; buy all gear using starting gold. All characters begin with the maximum starting gold for their chosen class.All prices are per the PHB.
Note that climate and survival plays a big role in the campaign. Please read the rules at Camping and Supplies to get an understanding of the kind of gear you will need to survive in the harsh climate. Having access to a mount or pack mule is also helpful but not a necessity at the start of the campaign. Mounts are available in Yeager’s Fist should you decide to acquire one later.
Starting Level and HitPoints
All characters start at level 1 with maximum hit points for their die type and constitution modifier.
Multiclassing
Note that 5e allows multiclassing but keep in mind that your character must have a 13 in both his first class’ primary attribute AND in any secondary classes’ primary attributes before multiclassing is allowed. Furthermore, review the PHB for implications on spellcasting related to multiclassing.
Campaign Kickoff
The game begins in early Spring. You should create your character such that the character has a good reason to go to Yeager’s Fist but your character should not actually be a native of Yeager’s Fist nor a native of the region immediately surrounding the outpost. The game will begin with your character in transit to the outpost, which you have only heard about but never visited. The details of this trip will be revealed during the first gaming session and may depend on your character’s background or homeland.
Playing a “Murder Hobo” / “Neutral Mercenary”
In some games, players create characters with no ties to anyone or anything - no family, no religion, no affiliations, no friends and a dark past. This is not the game to build this kind of character for at least two reasons. First, this game is intended to have a heroic feel to it where the characters are at least in part motivated by altruism and a desire to tame a frontier rather than simply by monetary gain. Playing a “what’s in it for me” type character is against the spirit of this objective. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, purchasing magic items is in large part governed by how the residents of a settlement view your character. You will be judged by your appearance, your behavior, your reputation, past deeds, family name, your associates and their reputation and deeds, your apparent wealth, contributions to the community and many other factors. Snubbing your nose at society by acting like an outcast, scofflaw or associating with the same will just about ensure that no one trusts you enough to do business with you and may get you branded as an undesirable or even an outlaw. There are plenty of these in the Uplands, and your character may have to overcome prejudices to show he or she can be trusted.
In short, your image and how you manage it is very important to success in this campaign and can affect not only you but also impact your companions as well.
The table below gives some specifics for being accepted in a community:
| Do This | Not This |
|---|---|
| Be polite and well mannered | Be gruff, angry or rude |
| Live as well as you can afford, live and look the part of a pillar of the community | Live as cheaply as possible, “roughing it” outside town, or living in poverty |
| Cultivate influential friends and aid them if asked | Demand payment for services, form no bonds of friendship |
| Associate with organizations with a good reputation or with upstanding members | Deal with secret or otherwise suspicious organizations or persons |
| Maintain ties with your family, kin and clan | Disassociate yourself from family, clan or other bonds |
| Buy a residence, show commitment to the settlement | Avoid settling in any one place, be ready to move on with no regard for stability |
| Maintain some amount of piety and respect for a god | Snub gods or insult them or their worshippers |
| Show respect for the laws of the land, pay your taxes | Live as if the laws don’t apply to you, avoid paying taxes |
| Aid others or the community in material ways | Avoid aiding the community or only offer services as a “sellsword” that is motivated by greed over ideals |
You can learn more about buying and selling magic items by reading Buying and Selling Magic Items.This article provides an extended example of how perception and behavior affects the character’s ability to trade in magic items.