Bolthaven Folio #1: Coming Soon

Draft of Bolthaven Folio #1

I've been fighting with myself for a long time. I'm just an editor (even though it's never "just" editing). I'm not a game designer (even though I've been doing it since I started playing, and I even have a card). I'm not good enough (even though friends keep asking for me to run more games for them).

It took time and effort, but I can finally talk over my Brain Weasels.

I have ideas. Given the 240ish posts here about Fellport over the past 2 years, apparently I have plenty of ideas. That's never been the issue. Developing the idea and sticking with it until there's something solid that can stand on its own has been my stumbling block. Now, I think I have something worthwhile. I thought I'd start a series of zines to start getting these ideas out into the world, called Bolthaven Folios.

Cass Flamespitter

Cassandra De Groot grew up in the Barbary capital city of Grondstad, learning how to make jewelry and carry on the family business. She lived up to her family name, her orcish body growing tall early and earning her share of teasing from the other children in her neighborhood. She always met teasing head-on, giving as good as she got. When her magical abilities started manifesting, she learned to cause pain with her words through vicious mockery. Her favorite prestidigitation trick involved setting her tongue on fire, just to intimidate her bullies into silence. Soon everyone called her Cass Flamespitter.

She had a talent for words from a young age, employing colorful and complex insults in both Brak'val and Common. She's starting to branch out into Occam, Steinrede, and Gladlam, though fluency still eludes her. Cass found jewelry making tedious, preferring to talk with people and boost their confidence. She found a Bratach merchant from Dunhill selling cosmetics, and she never looked back. She left her parents at age 15, after they gave her the ultimatum to join the business or get out.

Eye Candy

A 30 foot tall, polished marble building stands on the Cliffside of level 12, once the tallest building on the street, but newer construction makes it feel somewhat quaint in an archaic elegance sort of way. In Old Imperial times it served as a temple to Venus, but now vibrant paint, shining tinsel, and colored scarves wrap around the tall columns visible on the facade. A large sign in the shape of a glittering eye hangs out front, reflecting sunlight and moonlight at all angles, and highly visible from both directions. A similarly-sparkly sign above the double doors spells out "Eye Candy" in Common.

A counter greets visitors just inside the massive double doors (use the right one, as the left one sticks and screeches when opened), gracefully funneling people to a comfortable and posh waiting room on the left. Soft music with a driving beat filters in from places unknown, making the reception area feel like a private VIP room at the most exclusive dance club in town. A constructed second floor lies above the waiting room, with a grand staircase leading up from the waiting area. The roomy second floor has several seats and work areas for people receiving haircuts, nail work, and skin treatments, and doors in the back lead to a few private soundproof rooms outfitted for full-body massages. The work space to the right of the reception desk remains at full 30-foot height, where Cass Flamespitter holds court, waving to everyone coming and going.

Ahktu

Ahktu grew up on the southern coast of the Middle Sea. He spent much of his youth helping humans along the coast of what is now Andalusia, wandering from area to area without ever setting down roots. He was especially busy keeping the Ionian legions in check as they conquered new people and occupied lands. He spent most of his adulthood traveling the world and helping people overcome oppression wherever he went. He flew over the Blue Abyss and spent years among the islands, learning harmony with nature and the joy of simple purpose as part of a fishing boat's crew. He flew on across jungles, deserts, and another ocean before learning self-reflection in the mountain monasteries of the Yamagura Empire.

When the call came to head to Dragon Peak and leave the humanoid realm, he obeyed, coercing other dragons along the way to come with him. Many other dragons regard him as a straight shooter, if not an outright friend. Many owe him favors or life debts, but he never intends to collect. Ahktu believes if everyone focuses on making themselves the best they can be, then injustice and iniquity will perish from the face of Beneterra.

Alter Bar

Just across The Lift from the College on level 10, a light and airy coffeehouse with windows shares a wall with what looks like a dark and cozy bookstore. A single long wooden sign spans both entry doors, reading "Alter Bar" in a faux runic font that glows pale green after dark. A cramped bar dominates the entry room on the bookstore side leaving room for a few coffee tables, couches, and chairs, and a barely-adequate grey wool curtain hangs over an unfinished hole leading to the coffeehouse side. A smaller counter serves coffee at all hours overlooking a scattering of bistro tables in the single open space.

The name means "old money" in Steinrede, so there's a story behind that which many never learn. The sharp-eyed see a sign above the bar that reads "Dein Blut Gehört Dir" in Steinrede, which translates to "Your blood belongs to you." Wild Magic Sorcerer and Alchemist Kornelia Sonnenstein bought these properties and opened Alter Bar two years ago now. It still has the not-quite-finished feel of a new establishment, and the clientele remains eclectic. Bored nobles from Topside come down to slum it with College students looking to blow off some steam, and adventurers revere the novelty of a drink that can alter the drinker's face or body.