Megalarmolagrax

Megalarmolagrax is a very ancient green dragon who dwells in the Danuvian Forest.

STR 93
CON 39
SIZ 93
INT 13
POW 20
DEX 14
CHA 18
Hit Points 132
Armor 18 points of scaly hide
Move 4, Flying 10

Claw 15d6 SR 3 55%
Bite 13d6 SR 3 55%
Tail 13d6 SR 3 55%
Corrosive Acid Breath 6 POT SR 3 50 foot cone 100% 

Knows at least 3 spells, one of them suggestion.

Takes 1d4 hours for his gas to dissipate.  Costs him 1d6 POW to use it.

Like all such dragons, Megalarmolagrax is a nasty piece of work.  Utterly cruel, deceitful, conniving  and manipulative.  To him, all other life forms pawns, prey, or both.  He lives in the darkest, densest part of the forest, and patrols the area, flying above the canopy, on a roughly monthly basis, looking for potential food, travellers or adventurers, or anything else useful that may have entered the area.

If he sees adventurers, he is likely to check them out to assess their actual power.  If he has no reason to think that they could be a threat to him (and usually, they can't), he will likely terrorize them, swooping down and then away, striking and then flying off, using his poisonous breath, in general toying with them cat-and-mouse style before finally killing them off when he gets bored.  

If he thinks they may have useful information (what's going on, who are they, etc), he may interrogate them either by intimidation of magic or both.  If he considers them a threat, he is likely to use magic, or stalk them, waiting until they are vulnerable.  All typical green dragon tactics.

Treasure Hoard (d20 terms): 74,000 in silver, 33 in platinum, and 40 gems worth 2,000 in gold total.

Territory 6:4 miles (1 full hex on Regional or Local scale maps)

City of Redwater

Redwater is basically a rip-off of Waterdeep, from the Forgotten Realms.  I wanted a model for a big, flashy city and it fit the bill perfectly.

A major trading hub, with trading resources coming in from all compass directions.  It's authority extends 30-40 miles outside its walls. The road in is well-kept, and patrolled. Local population density is over 100 per square mile. It spreads out from the sea and the deep, natural harbor, along the flanks of the nearby mountains, once home to dwarven clans and now riddled with caves, passages and tunnels, many of them occupied by fearsome monsters who have dwelt there since ancient times.  The abandoned dwarven kingdom is now a dungeon called Undermountain.  At least three major trade routes spring from its gates.

Location:

Population: 100,000
Demographics:  Humans (75%), Dwarves (10%), non-humans (15%) 
Languages:
Cultures:
Imports: Grain, livestock, leather, ore, timber, and exotic goods from other lands
Exports:  Ale, arms, cloth, furnishings, leather goods, pottery, refined metals, and all other sorts of finished goods
Governance: the city-state is governed by a council whose identities are a closely-guarded secret.  Agents of the council oversee judicial and administrative matters, with high-level decisions made by the council.  
Defenses: there are two separate armed forces - the City Guard and the City Watch.  The City Watch are basically the local police force.  The City Guard are soldiery and staff garrisons, road patrols, and watchposts, and serve as bodyguards and gate guards. Redwater has strong walls on its landward sides and was protected in part b the mountains on the seaward side. The mountains are studded with watch towers and defensive positions, and patrolled by special guard units. 
Law:  Justice is dispatched by the Magisters, who direct the common courts of the city. These Black Robes, as they were often called, were empowered to pass sentences.  They are always accompanied by six members of the guard.  Any individuals found guilty could appeal to the Lord's Court, ruled over by the mysterious council.
Guilds: several guild have considerable power in Redwater, including one for practically every profession to be found in the city (some are little more than a joke or a social club, others wield real influence).
Other Organizations: also having influence, including at least one vigilante group, an organization of thieves and assassins operating in the Dock Ward,  secretive magical orders, criminal/thug gangs, and a black magic organization based in the sewers.
Nobility: at least 76 rich noble families have power here, some of them tracing their bloodlines back to the founding of the city.
Merchants: the city is home to a growing merchant class of shopmen and caravan owners.
Adventurers: are drawn to Redwater for its many entertainments.

Layout: the city is divided into "wards".  Castle Ward includes the mountainsides, the ruling castle and palace, and is the seat of government.  The City of the Dead is the city's necropolis, a giant graveyard.  This ward is gated and guarded, especially at night.  Dock Ward sits on the Great Harbor and holds  the docks, shipbuilding yards, and warehouses for the sea trade. Downshadow, actually the uppermost level of Undermountain, is the "undercity".  

Field Ward is the ward between North Trollwall and new city walls. Home to many demihumans.  Mistshore is the ruined naval harbor, home to outcasts and criminals who live along the shoreline or on wrecked ships half-sunk in the harbor.

North Ward is the home of the nobility and their villas. The moneyed classes make their homes here, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the lower classes by the docks and in Southern Ward. Sea Ward contains many of the temples, along with a good helping of the newer noble families and retired adventurers who could afford the odd villa or two. The arena is located here. South Ward is the place of caravan masters and traders, for it was close to the South Gate, the opening to a trade route.  Trades Ward is the commercial section. Undercliff sits at the base of the eastern cliffs. It is connected to the rest of the city through subterranean tunnels.

Religion: pretty much any socially acceptable faith is allowed in Redwater, and there are many temples there.  There are also secret shrines and temples to not-so acceptable faiths.

 

The city of Waterdeep form the Forgotten Reals, upon which Redwater is modeled. 

Church of the Celestial Hebdomad

Although the books state that the Celestial Hebdomad are emphatically not gods, I think they make good ones - so in Drakkarin, they are indeed gods and have domains and can grant spells.  They are, in fact, the major "good" religion.  Domain info is drawn from both D&D and Pathfinder.  Info on the Celestial Hebdomad is mostly drawn from The Book of Exalted Deeds.

There are two major symbols of the church, both simple and charged with meaning. 

Followers use them pretty much interchangeably.

The number seven is sacred and important.  The seventh day of the week, the seventh day of the seventh month - these are sacred times.  Less sacred but still important are any iterations of the number seven - 14, 21, 28 etc.  Anything related to seven is important.

The church values strict honesty, respect for others, reliability, wisdom, mercy, accountability and integrity.  They oppose injustice, cruelty and tryanny.   Good followers keep their word, tell the truth, help those in need, oppose injustice, cruelty and tyranny.  The strong and powerful are expected to use their strength and power to protect the weak and defenseless. 

They teach that one must guard against self-righteousness and judgmental thinking.  Fanatical self-righteousness and intolerance are sins. 

Followers produce statues and art depicting the Paragons, and  they pray to and make offerings to them.  Religious practices are very like Buddhist practices - heavy on chanting and meditation.  Their temples are similar to Buddhist wats. 

The church basically venerates the whole hebdomad, but there are offshoot sects devoted to specific paragons.  Larger temples honor the whole hebdomad, but smaller ones may be devoted to one paragon.  All temples will have icons related to the whole hebdomad, however.

Clerical Info
 
Domains: Law, Good, Air, Archon
Spells: access to all the usual spells plus spell lists in Book of Exalted Deeds
Favored Weapon: broadswords, greatswords, quarterstaff, clubs.  
Prestige Classes: Celestial Mystics, Emissary of Barachiel, Prophet of Erathaol, Slayers of Domiel - all from Book of Exalted Deeds
 
Paladins

Paladins are ideal for the Church

Spells: access to all the usual spells plus spell lists in Book of Exalted Deeds
Favored Weapon: broadswords, greatswords, quarterstaff, clubs.  
Prestige Classes: Defender of Sealtie,Emissary of Barachiel, Fists of Raziel, Slayers of Domiel

Monks

There is a monk order centered around the paragon Pistis Sophia, known as the Indigo Order.  

Monks of Pistis Sophia have a tendency to eschew possessions as much as possible and feasible, keeping only the bare minimum that they need.  They also eschew clothing whenever feasible, such as meditating or ritual, and thus perform these acts while naked.  They often dye their skin blue.
 
Prestige Classes: Initiate of Pistis Sophia 

Notes on the Paragons: 

Zaphkiel
Perfection, protector of the newborns, light, spiritual mystery, wisdom, protection
Domains: Community

Barachiel
Guardian and defender

Domains: Community, Nobility, Wards

Favored Weapon: Broadsword
Clothing: Violet Robes
Symbols: Lion, Trumpet 
Artifact: Holy Water from Lunia

Domiel
Mercy,  protector of the dead, opposition to all tyranny

Favored Weapon: Greatsword
Domains: Community, Liberation, Protection, Healing, Wards, Defense, Fortification

Erathaol
Prophecy and divination, knowledge, the ocean
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Domains:  Community, Knowledge, Protection, Education, Memory, Prophecy

Pistis Sophia
Truth, spiritual purity and self-realization
Favored Weapon: Unarmed Strike 
Domains: Community, Self-Realization, Purity

Raziel
Crusading, judgment, protector of the defenseless, overthrow of tyranny, 
Favored Weapon: Greatsword
Domains:  Community, Liberation, Ferocity, Fire

Sealtiel
Guardian and leadership
Favored Weapon: Club
Domains: Community, Wards, Defense, Fortification

Races of Drakkarin: Gnomes

Gnomes gave me some trouble, for the same reasons they do most players.  They're either just knocked-off Dwarves, or interchangeable with Halflings.  I actually am the only one who ever played Gnomes when I played D&D.  But play them I did and they made for some good characters.

 I liked the attempts in Races of Stone et al to make Gnomes more unique, and to that end, I have accepted them as part of Drakkarin.
 
Stereotype:  Impulsive little people with a trickster-ish sense of humor and a love of practical jokes.  Artists and tinkerers.  Those who become adventurers do so out of curiosity, thrill-seeking, or duty.  They are very artistic, good crafters and engineers, excellent with alchemy and potion-making, and have a talent for illusion magic.

Common Outlook and Attitudes: Possessed of an almost catlike curiosity.  They are suspicious of taller races, but not hostile to them.  In fact, tend to be interested in and curious about them.

Their communities are competitive, but in friendly ways, attempting to outdo one another in artistic or craft abilities, or quality of life.   They do not make war on each other, nor engage in feuds, and they avoid war or needless mass combats with any other race.  They will, however, fight like demons to protect their own selves, lands and communities.  

They particularly like playing mind games and complex practical jokes, especially against enemies.  And they use humor and trickery as tactics.

Habitat:  They like green, hilly, heavily wooded areas.  They make their homes in burrows beneath the hills, or on the sides of riverbanks.  Their home communities are well-camouflaged - you won't find them if they don't want you to.  There are those who dwell deep in the earth, deep in remote forests.  Some live in human cities or other races settlements, forming small communities of their own.

Communities are small, rarely exceeding 2,000.  All are independent.  Centralized government is not a thing with Gnomes. 

Sample/Known Communities: Kibosh (Races of Stone).  

Spirituality: Gnomes believe in a "Great Spirit", a powerful force for wisdom and survival, which manifests in all things.  In death, the departed return to the Great Spirit and are reborn.  They do not depict the Great Spirit with idols or shrines, as there's no need - it's everywhere already.  Their spiritual festivals celebrate beauty and joy.

Life-Span: Adulthood at 45.  Lifespan 350-500.

Sub-Races:  "Deep Gnomes" dwell deeper in the earth and shun the surface world, and a smaller "Deep Forest Gnome" breed (reduce SIZ by 1) who avoid all non-gnomes.  "River Gnomes" are also smaller, very graceful and excellent swimmers.  

BRP:

STR 2d6          (8)
CON 3d6         (10-11)
SIZ 1d3+3 (-1 for underground, deep forest, or river gnomes)    (5)
INT 2d6+6     (12-13)
POW 2d6+8   (14-16)
DEX 2d6+6    (12-13)
CHA 3d6         (10-11)

Hit Points: 10

Skills: Appraise 50%, Art 50%, Bargain 40%, Climb 35%, Craft 50%, Dodge 45%, Fine Manipulation 60%, Hide 35%, Jump 30%, Knowledge (Gnomic Lore) 35%, Literacy 40%, Sleight of Hand 35%, Stealth 35% (for River Gnomes, Swim 65%).  Mimic Animal 55%, Communicate With Animal 45%.  All are good at languages and will learn a smattering of local tongues as well, at the very least.

Magic: All gnomes with a POW over 9 can have a number of spells equal to their INT / 3.  All gnomes with a POW over 12 get an automatic bonus on any illusion-based magic, equal to their POW -10. 

Powers: Gnomes are especially resistant to illusion-based magic, adding 5 points to their POW when resisting illusion magic.

Can see as well in dim light (say candlelight) or moonlight as clearly and as far as in daylight.

Are good with all animals, able to win their trust and communicate with them in various ways, including mimicing their sounds.

Armor Preferences:  Leather, Hard Leather, Ring, Chain or Plate - depending on need and rank (more experienced warriors have better stuff); Small Shield

Weapon Preferences:  Short Sword, Spear, Club, Sling, Short Bow

References/Inspiration:  NPC's Drew Hayes, Paksnarrion series Elizabeth Moon, "A Gnome There Was" Henry Kuttner, Nome Trilogy Terry Pratchett, Rough Magik Kenny Soward, Three Hearts and Three Lions, Enchanted Pilgrimage Clifford Simak

Races of Stone D&D supplement

Dragon Magazine: "The Gnomish Point Of View", "Gods of the Gnomes" (61), "All About Krynn's Gnomes" (103), "Folk of the Underworld" (131), "Study and Jest: The Secret Life of Gnomes" (291), "Bazaar of the Bizzare" (262, 291, 294), "Treasures of the Gnome Hills" (333)