Title Change

 I can't change the URL, and switching over to my existing Library Ogre blog would be a PITA, but I decided to change from "The Cranky Gamer" to "The Ogre's Library", much as years ago I stopped using variations on "Nexx" to be the Library Ogre.

Quest for Savage Glory: Spielburg Valley

 So, a fun realization yesterday. Quest for Glory has a reasonably prominent ancestry known as "goons." They're defined as being bigger than a human, but smaller than an ogre, and smarter than an ogre, but dumber than a human. But, ya know, they're called "goons", and if I run this in the library for teenagers with summer, I'm going to have to rename them "brutes", or we will do nothing but giggle.

Next step? Figure out the rules for Mage's Maze.

 

The Valley of Spielburg
 

Spielburg is the name of the valley, the village, and the castle. It is not a large valley, being a tall oval about twenty miles in diameter, and only a little longer north-south. In better days, it was self-sufficient, with humans trading fruit and grains with goblins for metals, as well as some modest logging to meet local needs, and some quarrying in the pass. However, a series of events has upset this balance.

Current Events
About ten years ago, the Ogress Baba Yaga moved into the western side of the valley. Uncowed by her reputation, Baron Stefan von Spielburg sent a detachment of his guard to demand that she leave his valley. Only the captain of that guard returned. He gave the Baron a "gift" from Baba Yaga, a curse upon him and his line. The captain then dissolved into slime.
 

Soon thereafter, a winged creature flew over the walls of the castle and abducted the Baron's daughter, Elsa. A few years later, the Baronet disappeared while on a hunt; only his horse came home, and it was covered in claw marks. Since that time, few have seen the Baron; he has retreated entirely into the castle, and only a few remain to serve him and the castle.
 

The harvest last fall was modest, and the past winter was hard, which strained human food stocks, and resulted in less trade with the goblins. The goblins were, themselves, dealing with pressure from trolls moving into the local cave systems, meaning they had less metato trade for the less food that was available.  
 

Additionally, while there have always been bandits in Spielburg Valley, they have, in the last two years, become more bold and organized; a proper military operation, rather than isolated thugs. They have mostly concentrated on incoming caravans, but that's damaged the town's trade; no new goods, unless they can be made with the resources in town. The Baron has put a price on the head of the Brigand Leader, and the Brigand Warlock, hoping that their death or capture will splinter the brigands.

The Valley
The mountains on the east side of the valley are high and only lightly forested, with the Spielburg-facing side being in the rain shadow, so fairly dry (the Spiegelsee is glacier-fed). Those to the north are less forbidding, but also the home of giants and giant-kin... ogres, trolls, and goons among them. South and west, the mountains become rocky "badlands"; dry conditions, with many canyons and water-cut caverns. The Spiegelfluss drains this way, but it's route is unstable, and changes through a different canyon every few years.
 

The valley is temperate and wooded, with a cleared area in the center, where the town, castle, and associated farms are. Many small streams feed down to the Spiegelsee (Mirror Lake), but these are iced over in winter and early spring. The most common predator is the saurus, a bipedal reptile, but, as the temperature warms, the cheetaur (a feline centauroid) becomes more common. Cheetaur are sophonts... they're known to have language and use tools... but they're also highly aggressive, and largely refuse to communicate; they have never agreed with the maxim "Food which talks isn't food", and the baronial guard spends significant manpower guarding the flocks and herds of the town against them. Also of note are the mantray, small, flying, sting rays with an electricity-emiting organ on their tail. They are solitary, and don't often attack humans, but have been known to make a try for humans who are alone. Other predators include bears, foxes, and small (falcon-sized) pteradactyls. Prey animals include deer, squirrels, the occasional feral hog, as well as wild goats and sheep. 

Spielburg Town
Spielburg is home to approximately seven hundred people, with another three hundred spread through the cleared area on their small farms; those farmers without significant livestock prefer to live in town. While subject to the rule of the Baron, it is largely overseen by the Sheriff, Schulz Meistersson, a former adventurer, and his assistant, a formidable goon named Otto. Aside from Otto, most of the town is human; there is another goon, two katta who moved to town last fall, and there's something odd about the woman who runs the magic shop, but she barely interacts with people from the town.
 

Spielburg Town is largely self-sufficient, with shepherds in the mountains nearby bringing wool, and flax being grown for both linen and oil. Farmers near town erect stout fences of wood and stone around pig pen and orchard alike. That said, Spielburg imports many worked goods; it has no resident smith or carpenter, though journeymen come from the east each spring, and leave in the fall. Both the Sheriff and the Mayor have attempted to attract a master to stay, there hasn't been one since the Baron's curse more than ten years ago.
 

The town does have a butcher, a baker, a barber, and a weaver. Near the town lives a miller, who operates a windmill. A small dry goods store sells many imported items, and there is a weekly farmer's market. A magic shop is on the south side of town near the Adventurer's Guild, and the north side of town has a bar, mostly favored by laborers. Newly opened is the Hero's Tale's Inn, run by katta from the south. There's also word of a small guild of thieves, but the Sheriff has never been able to find them.
 

A significant feature of the town is the Aura, placed by Erana many years ago. The entire town is covered in an Aura of non-violence; for most parts of the town, one cannot perform violent acts. There are a few spots not covered by the Aura, but it does much to keep the town safe; even if the walls were breached, those inside would be safe. It is a true and potent enchantment, made by a powerful wizard, with no known way to resist it.

The Castle
The castle of Baron Stefan von Spielburg is north of town, amidst the fields and farms of the barony. It has been in his family for several centuries, but the baron himself was something of an adventurer in his youth, including being credited with the slaying of a dragon. While still sturdy, the castle is beginning to see the signs of ten years of neglect; vine-covered walls, a weedy courtyard, and buildings in the bailey that haven't seen proper maintenance in some time. The Baron himself has been seen by very few since the disappearance of his son.
 

The castle has about 50 guards, of whom 20 are in the castle at any time. Additionally, there's a hostler who was pressed into service as a farrier, then as a blacksmith, as the lack of a smith in the valley became more acute. He has very few horses to care for these days, it is reasoned, so he can make nails and sharpen blades. The Baron also employs a Weaponmaster, to train his soldiers in battle. The Weaponmaster is arrogant, but also highly skilled.

The Goblins
In the northwest side of the valley, there is a goblin settlement; no one from Spielburg is entirely sure where, but there's a heavily guarded clearing in the area. The goblins have never really been "allies" of the people of Spielburg; trading partners, certainly, and to the benefit of both, but not allies. The goblins come to the farmer's market, selling ingots of iron, sometimes steel and copper, to locals and visiting merchants in exchange for coin, and then buying food in bulk and hauling it back.
 

However, the last few harvests have been poor, and the last winter was hard, meaning that the people of Spielburg have little to trade, leaving the goblins hungry. As such, young goblin men have been seen abroad in the woods; hunters report goblins stealing deer the humans killed, or catching and butchering pigs that had been allowed to forage in the forest. There's been at least one fight, where a hunter and goblin came to blows over raided and destroyed traps. No deaths have happened, yet, but goblins are now going about armed and armored, and so it's only a matter of time.

Magic of the Valley
Several powerful wizards are associated with the Valley. Best known is Erana, who came through the valley more than a century ago, casting the Aura upon the town and enchanting a glade to the north of the valley. Mentioned before is the powerful witch Baba Yaga, who still lives in the valley; it is said that she has dealings with the goblins, but that may be a rumor started after the tensions rose with the goblins. There is also a Warlock among the brigands.

The eccentric wizard Erasmus has a house in the eastern mountains. He's known to be somewhat dotty, but charming and responding well to courtesy, but also not suffering fools.

Spielburg is lucky to have a resident Healer, Amelia Appleberry, who lives among the farmers, between the village and the castle. There is also Zara, who owns the magic shop in town; as there are few magic-users in town, she sees little business, but few see her.

The Bandits
Banditry has always been an option when a farmer doesn't want to farm, or an apprentice no longer wishes to labor for their master. However, in the last few years, a new leader has arisen among the bandits. Whereas before a few bandits would get together and rob some farmer of his coin, now they are operating in groups of 3-6, well-trained with their weapons, and attacking caravans as they come into the valley. It is said that there are more than 100 of them, but the guards say that number is much too high, and it is probably closer to 40. They have some sort of encampment in the southwest side of the valley, but none have been able to get close enough to learn much about it.