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| Posted on Wed, April 06, 2005 by Dongul |
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MerricB writes "Once a small insignificant town near the coast of Old Medegia, Cofston has grown into a thriving small city since its rulers made good decisions for rebuilding following the Greyhawk Wars.
Unfortunately, success breeds attention, and the attention on Cofston is such that the Flanaess may be the worse for it.
An Overview of Cofston
By: MerricB
Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.
Within the borders of what once was the See of Medegia, the general chaos that erupted following the Greyhawk Wars caused many of the established centers of power in the See to be abandoned or destroyed. However, the chaos has also allowed other centers to grow into their own. Such a place is Cofston.
Cofston stands on the trade route between the heart of Ahlissa and the port cities of Medegia. It primarily was used to host the caravans as they traveled along that route, but with the disruption of trade following the wars, began to slide into a decline.
This was arrested by the machinations of one Evvan, a wizard of noble descent. Using his contacts, he arranged for protective patrols to guard caravans through Cofston, and extended their range to the lumbermills, mines and farms in the area. With his foresight, the area quickly became prosperous again. Evvan took the position of city "mayor" and slowly spent less time interested in managing the city, and more in his magical researches – funded by a tax on the merchants.
Evvan, however, was an excellent delegator. His choice of city treasurer was a man named Harvin, a foundling raised by the priests of Zilchus. Although Harvin had not taken holy orders, he had well absorbed the lessons of the priesthood, and his skills in financial and business management were exceptional. Evvan remained the titular head of the growing city of Cofston, and Harvin kept everything running smoothly.
The priesthood of Hextor, still strong in the shattered lands, was bought off by command of the armed forces and the reinstitution of slavery.
This stability and prosperity drew, as it had to, the attention of other forces to Cofston. Three forces, in particular, arrived: The Scarlet Brotherhood, the Merchant Alliance, and a young sorceress named Cassandra d'Felis.
* The Scarlet Brotherhood, in the form of the merchant-emissary, Marten. Marten's brief was to subvert control of the town for the Brotherhood. His initial offering to Cofston was access to the spices and slaves the Brotherhood controlled to the south. Harvin, unconcerned with the rumors of the Brotherhood's actions during the war, welcomed Marten to the town and set about negotiations with a will.
* The Merchant Alliance, in the form of the half-elven merchant Talien. The Merchant Alliance had been formed during the final years of the Great Kingdom by principled businessmen who were very concerned as to the madness of the Overking. It was a combination of those who did not want trade disrupted by the increasingly erratic proclamations from the throne and those who want a tyrant on the throne. From the end of the Greyhawk Wars they have been sponsoring adventurers and trying to rebuild the world from a business standpoint – something that Evvan, unconnected to the group, had done more successfully.
* Cassandra d'Felis was an adventuring sorceress and ostensible head of a group of adventurers at the time. Her talents were concerned primarily with mental manipulations – charming, dominance and such. Although Lawful Neutral when she came to the town, she was tending towards a streak of cruelty and malice that would be brought out by her dealings with the Church of Hextor. In fact, she had been working for Talien in the past, but her sympathies did not lie with the Merchant Alliance – which had been keeping itself secret in its dealings with her in any case.
With these groups moving into Cofston, it was only a matter of time before engagements began. It was Evvan who made the first move, sending a group of Destrachans to kidnap Talien and then Cassandra. This move was foiled by Cassandra's adventurers, although at this stage they had no inkling that Evvan was behind the attack. Talien, sensing that he was no longer safe, went on an extended trip to other parts of the old Great Kingdom.
Marten's contacts in the Brotherhood then introduced Evvan to a strange relic – the Crimson Claw, connected to the ancient red wyrms of the world. All of the Brotherhood who had attempted to use it had died horribly, and it was hoped that Evan would suffer the same fate.
This backfired badly, however. The Crimson Claw did not destroy Evvan but instead corrupted him to the service of the Wyrms. His alignment changed from Lawful Evil to Chaotic Evil and his long-term patience deserted him. Precipitously acting to imprison Cassandra d'Felis and her adventuring allies worked briefly, but then the Church of Hextor stepped in. The Resurgent Patriarch of Hextor sent a detachment of his elite troops to free the adventurers, and Evvan was declared traitor and excommunicate.
Cassandra d'Felis then assumed the role of Mayor of Cofston. Her fellow adventurers, who had more sympathies for Talien's role than the church of Hextor, were no longer convenient. They gratefully accepted a mission to track down and eliminate Evvan, and some sort of stability was restored to Cofston.
Unfortunately, the Crimson Claw led Evvan directly to a strange buried construct – the Fane of Tiamat. There, he faced off against the adventurers with the aid of a fiendish red dragon that had been imprisoned there. The adventurers, realising they were overmatched, fled the area and were last heard of heading to Irongate. Evvan remains in the Fane, plotting revenge against Cassandra d'Felis and the Church of Hextor.
Cofston remains an important town in the new Medegia. Its current ruler is supported by the Resurgent Church of Hextor and it has a good mercantile class running things.
The situation with the Fane of Tiamat and the Scarlet Brotherhood remains unresolved and will probably remain so for the near future as a consolidation of forces is undertaken.
Important Characters
Evvan, male human Wizard 13, CE – currently in control of the Fane of Tiamat, Evan has been warped by the Fane and is utterly obsessed with regaining control of Cofston and making his enemies pay for their misdeeds. His chief target at the moment is Cassandra d'Felis.
Lady Cassandra d'Felis, female human Sorceress 6/Mindbender 6, LE – the current mayor of Cofston, Cassandra has strong allegiances with the Church of Hextor and with Harvin. Her bodyguard are eight Skullcrusher Ogres, a gift from the Resurgent Patriarch of Hextor. Cassandra is the bastard daughter of Baron Malkonian; her mother is unknown, but is believed to have links to the Catlord.
Marten, male human Warlock 10, NE – since the debacle with Evvan, Marten has been keeping low and acting primarily in his role as a merchant-emissary. Cassandra and Marten have a wary respect for each other, but are by no means friendly.
Harvin, male human Expert 4, LN – the treasurer of Cofston, is continuing to effectively run the finances and businesses of the city, whilst Lady Cassandra is involved in diplomatic negotiations.
Talien, male half-elf Expert 5, NG – emissary of the Merchant Alliance, Talien is a skilled diplomat and merchant, and genuinely interested in helping the plight of the common people. The fact he has been able to overcome the prejudice of the common people to those of elven blood is a testament to his diplomatic skills (Wis 14, Cha 15; Diplomacy +20, Sense Motive +12). His primary role is an observer, and since Evvan's attempted kidnapping of him, has curtailed his activities sharply. He remains friendly with Cassandra d'Felis, however.
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Average Score: 3.94
Votes: 19
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Re: An Overview of Cofston (Score: 1)
by Crag on Sat, April 09, 2005
(User Info | Send a Message) | Interesting, how does the Royal Guild of Merchants of Aerdy or the Solonor Compact feel about this "Merchant Alliance"?
What is their relationship as both Ahlissa and Rel Astra desire to expand their sphere of interest into Medegia once some semblance of order has been restored, which your article appears to suggest in happening.
Also, neither the Royal Guild of Merchants of Aerdy or the Solonor Compact would allow the SB too gain a foothold in Medegia without some serious plans to expell them in the works.
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