A small community of Humans and Halflings, Sundown is located near the end of the Cedar River, within the Gulthmere Forest and a bit north of the Orsraun Mountains. And although that seems a long way off the beaten path, frankly, it's inhabitants tend to prefer it that way.
The Dragon Coast, which lies on the southern shore of the Inner Sea, is infamous for its corruption and lawlessness. "Everyone has a price. But the price is more reasonable on the Dragon Coast," is a popular saying that speaks volumes of the people who live in the region. With no central government, the city-states are left to do as they please, usually falling under the sway of the most powerful group or individual motivated enough to grab the reigns of power.
Sundown, however, is nothing like that - ever since it's rather tumultuous founding 60 years ago by Molly Arahnrod, priestess of Lathander, god of sunrises and patron of renewal, the town has been a haven of peace and tranquility. Though being so far out of the way makes trading rare, it also keeps away the bad influences that are rife throughout the rest of the region. Aside from the occasional wild animal that settles too close to town, the residents have found very little to fear in their secluded haven.
A map of the Dragon Coast, including Sundown.
The Fourth day of Nightal, Year of the Bent Blade
(approximately the equivalent of December 4th)
As winter begins to settle in, the people of Sundown do their best to prepare for the hard months ahead. Crops have been harvested and stored as best they can, and meats have been salted and dried. This far north, snow has already begun falling, leaving its icy mark on the whole of the Gulthmere Forest. Most of the families are now gathering lumber and making repairs to their homes, as all work on the fields ended weeks ago.
Though a visitor would never notice, the townspeople are slightly on edge, gossip speaking of small footprints near the town which even the most skilled of trappers couldn't follow. The earliest stories began two weeks ago, and as of now they are little more than rumors. Though the people are wary, they haven't let what could be no more than stories and tall tales deviate them from their duties.
(This Campaign is played over the Fantasy Grounds Roleplaying Program in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting and using Don Senchuk's Cragore Ruleset Variation on D&D3.5)
Section Titles
For whatever reason, I find myself hilarious. Therefore, I've included my personal names for each section as the headers. I think most of them are funny, and sometimes there's a pun involved (Errand - Errant... hilarity!). So forgive me my sense of humor.
Also, if you're reading this - hiya! Feel free to make constructive criticism of the logs as you see 'em. I always try to do right by the players, but if I can do righter, well... that's always better.
~DD
Images
I've included all the images I use in the game to flesh out the world. I usually just Photoshop something online that I think best fits with what I'm going for. Sometimes this includes pictures from WotC's Monster Manual, if I feel that a little variation would be more interesting. Usually this is an incredibly simple touch-up. I can sorta draw cartoons. Anything else is beyond me, I'm afraid.
I've always felt that props add a lot to the session, no matter how minor. The fact that this campaign is online just means I have a much easier time making props than I would if this were a live campaign. Before I had to yellow paper if I wanted to achieve the effect. Now I just Google "scroll" and then Photoshop the sucker.
Ah, the wonders of technology.
~DD