Fort Obsidian

Fort Obsidian is the capital of Creatis. It is built into a mountainside in the foothills of The Dragontooth Mountains, where the last battle of The Calamity was fought, and has grown up around the obsidian mass that Herentor made of Mol'maroch The Nethershaper. Its ruler is Heishen the 23rd.

Districts. The city's districts in campaign 2 are:

• the Spire and the Scale Keep;
• the Echelon, with the Grand Library and the Shrine of the Last;
• the Great Lift;
• Ebonstone and Gloomtown;
• the Agora and the Grand Bazaar;
• the Shards and the Favela;
• Smoke Town and the DEAD Tower (Duskmere Engineering, Aeronautics and Dirigibles);
• the Dragon's Gate.

Wyrmblood is the official potion supplier to the Creatis military. Tapestries in the Scale Keep show six of the first Fatemakers fighting a black beast.

• Campaign 2 (1034 PC):
  • The party arrived by Duskmere airship.
  • Ebony drew from a Deck of Many Things in the bazaar, which summoned an Avatar of Death.
  • SAM took revenge postings at the Temple of Hor, and bought 15 per cent of the Bizarre of the Bazaar.
  • Olaf visited the Temple of Myrkul, sacked in 1030 PC.
  • Scribble learned of the Shrine of the Last. A fishbowl in the bazaar shows the Wreck of the Covenant live.
• Campaign 3: the Scabard adventure Return to Fort Obsidian (played April 2025, set in 1040 PC) has "a new party" enter the city. It was part of campaign 3, not a one-shot: the new party came to hunt The Eightfold.
• Campaign 4: Heishen still holds King in Yellow contracts here. Brother Oils ran small grifts in the city, more than two weeks overland from Sandwater Slough.

The city (Scabard)

Fort Obsidian lays in the foothills of the Dragontooth Mountains where they come closest to the coast, set into a particularly tall segment with a singular tall peak which extends like a shard to the sky behind the keep. Overlooking a rambling suburban sprawl, The city is made up of multiple wards and travel between them is handled by a kind of paternoster/funicular hybrid, a series of chains run constantly, and the marshals engage and disengage a kind of hooking mechanism to traverse them. They charge a silver piece per passenger and will usually wait till they have at least 10 to leave. All the marshals appear to be arokkokra.

The city is home to Heishen the 23rd, primarch of Creatis.

Each month on the first day, a large caravan of livestock is taken east to a harbour town and loaded onto barges (which are also created every month, creating an entire economy for the small town of Arlingsard). The livestock is floated out to The Offering over a period of a couple of days, the current in the Arlingsea all see to mysteriously float towards the island. This tithe is tribute to the beasts of the wild, in particular the huge monstrosities and abominations that call The Beastlands home.

It does not feed the Beastlands' beasts, which are content in their forest and care nothing for Creatis: the tithe feeds Heishen himself, a fact that has stirred suspicions about what the primarch really is. The owl Sinatra told the campaign 2 party so before she was reabsorbed into the Feywild.

A regular sight on the roadways of Fort Obsidian are small contingents of dragon soldiers, human and dragonborn are the main members, very few elves are seen in the city, though halflings, gnome tabaxi and others make up the population. The small units consist of between 5 or 8, depending on what part of the city you visit.

The Spire

A restricted access tower that rises an additional 300 feet looking over the entire city, Heishen often spends time here, an office away from the Keep for when no diplomatic duties are required. There is a funicular inside the peak, and a hundred strong dragon guard posted by the entrance. On a foggy day, the tip peaks through the mist, while the rest of the city remains concealed/

The Scale Keep

A black and grey stone fortress at the highest level of the city. The door is Iron wrought and appears as 2 interlocking dragon wings. The keep is massive, but spartan in appointments. Ancient tapestries dot the walls and depict an enormous black dragon like beast engaged in combat with both an Army and 6 powerful heroes.

These heroes are:

• A dwarven fighter and gunsmith with an enormous rifle like apparatus on a tripod mount. This is Drawurum.
• An elvish shadow monk woman, Farberos, who appears in multiple places in her frames.
• A Snake woman with eldritch fire and a whip extending from her arm like a horrific tentacle. This is Zaleon.
• A Bird approximately the size of scribble in resplendent armour, emblazoned with a helmite symbol. This is Sploosh.
• An Elvish woman with an open spell book and arcane power depicted as flowing through her. This is Herentor.
• A Dragonborn Fighter with sky blue skin, Kilseth wears a white chain mail covering much of their body. A sword that seems like it should be too large for him to wield.

Spartan appointments exist for visiting dignitaries, and city officials.

The Echelon

A Parade field and event plaza outside the entrance to the Scale Keep, it is surrounded on the north by Military Buildings, including the legion headquarters and the combat academy. The southern side includes a panoramic park with café called the Dragon's Wing. An alchemist facility that is primarily for use of the government but may be interested in trade,

The Dragons Wing

A Tea and Coffee house with a large open courtyard, that sells cakes and drinks. The owner is a heavyset female halfling named Lily. She is a retired clerk from the military and opened the café here to service the large number of staff that support the military operations.

Wyrmblood

An alchemical production facility with a small shop attached. The shopkeeper is a hook-nosed and slumped human man named Linan, he is slightly absent-minded and often looking for some particular order. Has the following stock.

1. Greater Healing Potion x 2 (150GP each)
2. Supreme Healing Potion x 1 (1350GP)
3. Potion of Watchful Rest x 6 (120 GP each)
4. Potion of Poison Resistance x 2 (300 GP each)
5. Blight Ichor doses x 3 (200GP each)
6. Dust of Dryness x 1 (7 pinches) (120GP)

Shrine of the Last

A covered pavilion with bamboo partitions, heavily guarded at the centre in a slightly sunken down section of the exhibition is a large obsidian cube, levitated slightly off of the ground with many sections and pieces of it missing. Heavily guarded with a significant number of troops around, also a specialised troop of bugbears called the Servants of the Last. They have 2 powerful dragonkin on chains. This cube is the condensed and transformed remains of Mol'Moroch The Nethershaper. This is the source of the Shards Of Obsidian.

The Great Lift

The great lift is the tallest lift in the city. Inside the foundation stone and under Echelon a lot of apartments for the wealthier residents of the city, those that own stores in The Grand Bazzar or tend shrines in the Agora. The great lift is 200 foot of vertical terror and requires 2 Marshals to function.

The Agora

Small Churches, temples and Shrines to most of the gods, A large statue of a dragonborn at the centre , very managed rows of churches with curved roofs and vaulted ceilings in black and grey stone over the road in most places. A place of worship for most faiths can be found here.

Temple to Myrkul

Myrkul is considered a dead god, surpassed by the raven queen, Kelemvor, Cyric, So many others coming to take the throne of the Lord of Bones. The temple is heavily damaged and in disrepair. It was recently burgled and a relic, a black ebony skull was stolen. (This was stolen by the Cult of Deneir to keep from the Shards of Obsidian

The Gallery Majesta

A house of wonders and parlour trick magics but also a front for the cult of Deneir, Sam may recognise the symbol of the lit candle. The building is covered in wax from the burning of such candles.

Most of the Faerun pantheon have at least a shrine here. Notable examples are :

The Shrine to Mask.

With a full face mask laid in stonework on the ground, only a few feet across with red ochre showing through the eye slots. Someone has taken great pains to make this shrine appear neglected while keeping it well maintained. It is immediately next to the mural to Istishia.

Grumbar(North), Akadi(South), Istishia(East) and Kossuth(West) have carved murals at the cardinal points of the main thoroughfares

Helm -

Gond

Lathander

Leira

Mystra

Mask

Malar

The Red Knight

Selune

Sune

Talona

Tempus

Waukeen

The Grand Bazaar

A covered market that extends into the mountain and under the Agora.

General Store: Ovak's

Sells goods one would expect to see in a general trader.
Ovak is half orc, They seem to be well respected and respectful, and wear a brown overall and small pork pie hat with a white linen shirt underneath, sleeves rolled up.

Blacksmith: The Brass Grindstone

Run by a Red dragonborn named Uthemar he works over a tight forge in leather apron and exposed legs. Basic equipment and a few +1s

+1 Quarterstaff (1000GP)
+1 Handaxe (1000GP)
+1 Dagger (1000GP)

Jeweller: The Ruby Dragon

Run by Rosamund a ruby dragonborn, sells several magical rings

Ring of Water Walking (1500 GP)
Ring of Free Action (20000 GP) kept in a safe behind the counter locked with a magical enchantment 10d10 Poison damage and DC18 paralyse, DC 20 to disarm DC 20 to detect.

The Oracularity

Fortune Teller 10GP tarot but essentially a charlatan uses augury spell to answer yes no questions, their particular mechanism is tea leaves.
Shakahn a black dragonborn is said charlatan

Meatworks

A butchery, run by a halfling named Chumly, sells all manner of poultry and dried or cured meats, mostly lamb from the surrounding farms.

Spices

All manner of dried spices imported from far abroad, a human woman named Ginny runs this store, it has a wide variety including cloves, cinnamon, mace, dried lavender etc. it smells amazing. She has medicinal, food, and potpourri style offerings.

Bizarre of the Bazaar

A large flea market, several hundred feet in each direction, within the underground section of the bazaar.
Run by 3 satyr brothers, indistinguishable from each other without a 25 investigation or insight check. The brother's names are Birch, Basil, and Briar. The goods are full on hoarder mode. We can roll on the d100 table below to see exclusive finds. There are several things of consequence.

• Several boxes of candles specifically designed for use at the Gallery Majesta
• They had across the last few years sold any pieces of Obsidian to representatives of the scale keep and have a standing request to ship them, a good price is paid.
• There are a couple of black skull candelabras which match those the party will have seen if they have already visited the temple of Myrkul, These were sold to the triplets by some children in the Favela
• There is no Broomstone, they've had a few bits across the last 6 or so years, but no large pieces. All were sold to random visitors to the bazaar
• A purple cat called Juggernaut makes its home within the bazaar, it sleeps within the bric-a-brac towers of the Bizarre, it sees a lot of the goings-on and regularly steals some food from the butchery.
• 3 magical items exist in the horde.
  • A Deck of Cards (The Deck of Many things) DC 30 investigation, reduced to 20 with detect magic.
  • A Spell Scroll in a janky busted up lead case, it is the spell Borrowed Knowledge
  • A Psi Crystal that is currently on the collar of Juggernaut who can communicate telepathically
• A Small 8 inch fish tank with a sunken ship in it. a careful investigation will reveal it is The Covenant, The ship is obviously of Druidic design but it would takea DC25 Investigation check to see name. Attempts to pull the ship from the Tank are contested Athletics versus Kraken (+17) The ship sits on an underwater ledge and has an illusion of blackness deep to one side.

Bread Ahead

A baked goods stall with both unleavened breads and baklava style sweets. The head baker is a very thick Bugbear named Buzith, He is very jolly and gives out lots of free samples. he wears a lopsided chefs hat and what aappears grey uniform, that has singe marks and cuts in it in a lot of places.

Rock Candy

A gemstone and mineral store, with different types of gems of interest to the party they do have a few Diamonds. The owner is a Crystal Gem Dragonborn man named Tao

Tinker and Sons

A prepper supply store, selling dried food by the bucket, barrels of water and bulk sacks of salt. run by a gnomish family. The mother in charge who is Aripine Clockmort,

Pretz your luck

A pretzel strand near the entrance. run by a human man named Roddrick

Make it Sew

A custom coture facility that has a large range of off the shelf items and can also provision custom pieces. Significantly cheaper than the expereicnes in Luggard Dror. The head seamstress is a blue dragonborn woman called Clarice.

Fair Leather Friend

A leatherworkers facility run by a non binary human called Koda, she has a few pieces of leather armor and a couple of simple shields available

• Glamoured Studded Leather (2000 GP)
• +1 Shield (1500 GP)
• +1 Leather armour (1500 GP)
• Leather armour of Cold Resistance (6000GP)

The Hoard and Horns

A Bar and Inn located in the depest part of the Bazaar, a dozen rooms, across 4 floors a large beer hall and kitchen

Rooms are a gold piece each, And the Tavern is run by an unmarried couple, an elvish man Ellisar and a dragonborn man, Eskes. The Inn is decorated in what may have seemd stately 30 years ago, but decor has not been maintained. The food is a little expensive but huge servings. It is stews and roasted meats with vegetables. The ale is cold if uninspiring, and there are wines available on request. The atmosphere in the bar is voracious in the evenings as a lot of the bazaar workers will visit if they have had a good day.

Ebonstone

The more affluent northern suburbs of the city, there are several public squares and a couple of Inns here, as well as a general store and grocer. There are some community wells.

The Sour Hound

A large tavern with an outdoor beer garden set amid the parklands of one of Ebonstones many green spaces.

Run by a family of gnomes, Chadwick Sunkisser is the father and the barman.

Rooms are expensive, similar to the price at the Bazaar but of a high quality. The namesake is a pickled hounds head that sits behind the bar in a large glass bottle, preserved in some vinegar or some such. The legend tells tale of a hero of Ebonstone who killed the vicious beast that was killing orphans in the Favela.

Awedreamer

Biodynamic , farm to table offering locally sourced ethical produce , often from community gardens right here in Ebonstone. Run by 2 humans Creseda and Atticus , who don't label their relationship. Very expensive but also with commanding views to the north and very high quality "retreat centres"
During the time that the northern hemisphere celebrates the Honey Moon, Awedancer puts on a farmers market where some of the rooftop produce is sold. It is very popular.

Percys

A general goods store run by a Black dragonborn called Periclax, the name stuck when mispronounced early and now he leans into it. the store is split in 2 and the general goods are seperated from a grocer, run by an arokokra with an amputated wing called Doukkec. He was injured by one of the lifts when it failed and wasnt able to get clear and so retired on a militaary prension to open this grocery.

Gloomtown

A lower middle class area that is stuck in the shadow of the bazaar and upper city. home to many middle managers, labourers and soldiers. There is a general smell of mildew and dampness and mould is a common site in the more northerly parts of the district. This part of the city is pretty dense with buildings, less greenery that its noether counterpoint, and rather than wells there are a series of aquaduct troughs that run from a spring in the western part of the town.

The Watershed

Run by a water genasi named Tybalt, This bar sits in a particularly dark and damp quarter of the district. known for good banter, but not good rooms. Cheap and somewhat cheerful, with the constant sound of a dripping tap in every room.

The Blade and the Blade

A military themed tavern near the eastern quarter. strategically positioned near to the district lift and a few rows back from the row of houses where the captains live. Run by the state, they accept both coin and scrip and the bar tender changes regularly, but is usually a cadet in training. It is currently Laoshan, A white dragonborn. There is an enormous apparently disarmed dragon felling balista in the middle of the common room, and the rooms are small, spartan and (comparitively) clean and dry.

The Fox and Treacle

A nice and mostly non damp Bed and Breakfast. where the elderly owner Margaret a gnome claims to have fed the cities fox population right up until they were exterminated. She tells fantastical stories about riding foxes throught he country side and into battle and such. All flights of fancy. The meals at the BNB are all home cooked, and the rooms are full of doileys and fluffy comforters. It isnt too expensive and there are 12 rooms.

The Shards

Limited buildings exist in this bailey turned gardens. multiple restaurants and a Sporting arena as well as an opera house and a theatre.

The Omen Ring

A sporting ampitheatre where various ball games are undertaken. most matches are for exhibition though there are a few leagues for sports. The sports are :

• Bo-Taoshi
• Pankration
• Ostrich jousts
• Ostrich races
• Athletics competitons
• Jai Alai

Opera Obsidian

The current showing is for "The sneeze of the weasel" It is critically aaclaimed.

A con artist and a business man who volunteers with animals were swapped at birth and when discovered, the business man has to salvage his reputation. When the con artist gets sick and is left homeless he is invited intot he business mans home and they learn that together they can be better.

Mythic Theatre

The play currently showing is called The Offering. It is a dramatic retelling of the actions of Heishen the First, Who brought an end to the war with the beastlands through the establishing of the offering, and the monthy tithe of livestock. It is receiving mixed reviews.

Wyvern roosts

The elite troops of Creatis gather their wyvern mounts here.

Smoketown

The Tower is manned by one single halfling named Pimser he is now very old but still shows up to work every day for the past 10 years despite there not having been a ship in that time. He was astarting to wonder if he would ever see one again. The last ship he saw was overrun with zombies and was shot out of the sky miles south of the city.

The Favela

Slums leading off to the south, in the shadow of the Fortress. the poorest denizens of the city that cant even pay to use the First lift to enter the town . This is a home for the depserate.

The Badgers Knackers

A tavern run by a slightly racist seagull arokokra named Carl and his apologetic daughter Mindy.
Rooms are cheap and mostly safe, The true terros stay clear of the nue as its cloeset to the gate and the border with smoketown at the cross ways.

Turbert Verneys institution for neerdowells and itinerant youngsters.

An orphanage that runs if not by the motto then the belief, If we didnt train them to work in the factories , they would just as likely be sent to the offering.The orphanage is of course connected to the Thieves guild via the nearby Back Snack Tavern

The Bax Snax Tavern

A divey bar, but well maintained, the dingyiness is a facade and it is very obvious every piece of grime is sategically placed to lift fingerprints, or hide illicit actions. This is the headquarters of the theives guild in Fort Obsidian, they are know as Waukeens Shadow and have tunnels through the mountain to arrive at the tenmple of Waukeen in the agora.

It is not an easy trip and cannot be undertaken by large or noisy individuals as it would expose the pathway.

The bartender is a Tiefling named Ashes, she is agressively ascerbic. The guild master who will be present much of the time as a patron is changeling named Bax