Campaign of the Month: April 2011
Planejammer: The Spelljoined
The Striding Fortress
I The Striding Fortress
Card: The Keep (+2 to Perception and Survival while in this location)
An unsettlingly yet regal fusion of masonry and mechanics, this citadel of white stone and gleaming bronze marches proudly through the trees and ruins beneath. The Striding Fortress hails from a Varisian fable about pursuing the unreachable and cloaks itself in a permanent nondetection effect (CL 20). It is impossible to find for all but the Harrowed Realm’s creator or the rulers of the demiplane. After devouring Sonnorae’s brain, Zassrion gained mastery of the structure, providing him an unassailable throne from which to rule. When The Spelljoined overthrew him it became their new stronghold, which they often keep near The Dock (location C) when not striding across the plane.
The Striding Fortress itself stands 60 feet above the ground on two massive metal legs. Once the PCs reach the castle, they may access its main gate via flight, spells such as dimension door, or even throwing up a rope and climbing to the keep’s platform above.
I1 Courtyard
Brilliant banners of a splendid variety of colors flutter in this picturesque courtyard of white flagstones and carefully tended gardens. Alternately a courtyard and a grand ballroom depending on the ruler’s whims. The massive, wooden doors on the courtyard’s outer edge are magically enhanced having hardness 10, hp 100, and a Break DC of 35.
I2 Celestian Temple
Redeemed and reconsecrated by Lenata, this room is now dedicated to the travelling god. Candles, scrolls, and statuettes fill the nooks lining the walls here, all facing toward an alabaster altar near the room’s center. A stone stairway runs along the room’s outer wall, spiraling upward.
I3 Lenata’s Quarters
I4 Kitchens
A narrow, empty hallway on the keep’s main level leads to a stairway up to the fortress’s kitchens. These massive kitchens could service a castle twice this size.
Breads and pies heap the nearby counters
I5 Tannery
I6 Honeymoon Suite
Stairwell leads up to I7
I7 Prison Tower
I8 Former Ogre Barracks
I9 Aetherium
Hanging silks and overstuffed pillows liven up this warm, white chamber. Pipes lead into and out of the side walls, while an immense, shallow bath fills the center of the lounge. Despite appearances, the citadel’s aetherium is more than a mere harem. The pool serves as a battery, storing electrical energy to power the keep’s clockwork engines and must periodically be recharged with a spell or effect that deals electrical damage.
I10. Machine Rooms
These rooms house the mechanisms that allow the Striding Fortress to walk. Each leg can be disabled with a series of four DC 30 Disable Device checks or through violence (hardness 10, hp 250)
I11. Bridge
A ship’s wheel and complex helm dominate the center of this posh office. Tall windows look out over the landscape surrounding the Striding Fortress. The bridge controls the movement of the Striding Fortress when direction matters, otherwise the castle wanders wherever it wants. Controlling the helm requires a DC 20 Craft (alchemy) or Knowledge (arcana) check.
I12. The Grand Library
Wraparound stairways give way to an immense library and observatory. Shelves stuffed to bursting with tomes, scrolls, and loose scraps of paper line every surface, while bottles and obscure tools crowd tabletops. Towering stacks of books reach to the ceiling like parchment columns. In the center of the library, aimed into a tattered and torn silk tapestry, sits an immense golden telescope.
This library was originally the entirety of the Harrowed Realm. It was from here Sonnorae expanded outward to create the entire pocket dimension. After her fall Zassrion spent most of it’s days here pouring over the ancient tales and arcane knowledge daily, trying to find a way to escape the Harrowed Realm. Most of Sonnorae’s archive remains here even now, transcribed in a variety of unfamiliar languages. The library has 80-foot ceilings.
I13 The Captain’s Quarters