Campaign Setting

Gantara was the least explored of the four continents of Oerth until 1000 years ago when the first monster races first set foot upon the land.

Humanoid and non-humanoid species found a safe haven while traveling by magical and non-magical means. Populations grew and newcomers were able to carve out their own living space without threat of the more civilized lands of Flanaess. Territories were settled as each race was able to expand its influence upon the unexplored continent.

That is, until man arrived.

Stories of land and wealth beyond belief had trickled back over the Ocean Sea to the north to Oerik, reaching the ears of the Sea Barons, and then spreading further throughout the realm. Wanting an opportunity to expand their power base, principalities sent explorers, adventurers, and mercenaries south to the new continent to return with fame and treasure for their masters. The kingdoms of man made several attempts to establish a base on the other side of the Ocean Sea. Many failed as the epic storms of Gantara, known as Bale Tempests, destroyed many excursions along the coast.

One group of merchants from Nyrond received a contract to “make habitation into the interior of Gantara”, and acted quickly by sending 432 settlers on 13 ships to build a new settlement on the new continent. The settlers were supposed to look for gold and attempt to establish trade with the indigenous races of the area. In 426 C.Y, the ships entered Opxe Bay and then sailed down the river flowing into the bay. The colonists named the river the Candelfeld to honor of the King of Nyrond. The new settlement was named Hightower, as “a bastion of civilization”. The site had the advantages of an accessible water supply, which was surrounded by good farmland.

Without the strong leadership of the settlers, Hightower would not have survived. After facing hardships for the first few years, the citizens of Hightower began to prosper and grow. Organized government was set up naming the country, the Empire of Gantara, and allowing a head of state, the Overlord, to rule. The surrounding territories were conquered and lands were partitioned off into duchies, which were subdivided into baronies. Soon after, ties between the Empire and Nyrond diminished as the practicality mercantilism was not feasible.

Centuries have passed since the day man first set foot upon the continent. The Empire of Gantara has grown considerably and several additional duchies had been established. The most recent state is the Grand Duchy of Valderin, southeast of the most established areas. It is considered a backwater region as it is still plagued by various monster races and is the farthest duchy from Hightower. Valderin is partitioned into eight baronies to help maintain control of the duchy: Thuciend, Dailsun, Conderight, Shiramet, Merinarn, Fanderword, Galunid, and Aloraghen.

The seat of the duchy is Fulmont in the northwest, and the islands of Newstark and Melekure are currently being populated as part of the duke’s colonization plans. Aspenbrook in the northwest is the largest city of the duchy, although Celesthem in the south in the Bay of Valderin is growing rapidly because of its natural harbors. Saltmarsh is the most enchanted city, as many a practitioner of magic has made the area their home. Yorkwater and Eshelvadon are small cities located near the coast, while Steelgate, Enstol, and Dubton lie in the mountainous western regions.

Player Characters

Main Article: Player Characters of Revenge of the Lich

The main function of this campaign was a plot-base storyline that was character-driven by the actions of the party. In order to add a new concept to the campaign, players had the option of running one or two characters simultaneously. This concept would allow for a primary PC and a secondary PC, with the hope of allowing players to play whatever main character class they desired while contributing with support characters that every well-rounded party needs. Only a handful of players chose to go this route, while many started with two PCs, but later chose to downsize back to one primary character with which they could focus the energies upon.

At the outset of the campaign, each player started with one character. Stats were issued and not rolled: 18, 17, 16, 14, 14, and 12. All hit points were considered maximum up to and including level 3. Any race was allowed; as long as there were no racial adjust penalties to contend with. Characters were allowed to be any non-evil alignment throughout the entirety of the campaign. Character classes, feats, and skills were allowed from any D20 3.5 core book or supplement book. Special caution was asked by players who are considering options from D20 3.0 materials. Any player who started a character after the campaign had begun would start at two levels below the highest level character; lowest level being Level One. Any player who was able to make it on a regular basis, would be level adjusted by experience points as to be no less than two levels below the highest level character.

Episode Guide

Main Article: Episode Guide for Revenge of the Lich

Each weekend, the players assembled to play what has been designated as an episode. The characters initially assembled to assist with the explorations of Thomas Newhouse in this sparsely explored area of Gantara. Later, the group decided to assemble themselves together as a mercenary company known as the Order of the Red Star. Each week, a recap of the most recent episode’s happenings was posted to allow those who have been missing for many or few episodes to get a feel for what they have missed. Any postings on this website were the same information given out each week via email, although much of the personal commentary was left out.

Rules and Redundancy

Main Article: Rules and Redundancy for Revenge of the Lich

The main goal of the campaign is to have fun. Unfortunately, there are times when rules can come into conflict when players are attempting to achieve their goals. House Rules allow for situations like these to be mitigated when there is insufficient information to deal with specific encounters.

Weapons Locker

Main Article: Weapons Locker for Revenge of the Lich

Core rule books contain a plethora of melee and ranged weapons for the players to choose from. However, there are times when the characters encounter weapons and items of power that go beyond the scope of what is readily available for purchase. Herein lies an inventory of non-standard items encountered throughout the campaign, from the mundane to the spectacular.

Revenge of the Lich by James Bates, Important NPCs by Tuan Duong Chu, Places of Note by Ben Galley.

Artwork for Tuan Duong Chu falls under the Paizo Inc. Community Use Policy.

Artwork for James Bates & Ben Galley on this page falls under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.