ATOE history and strategy guide

[Pfr_Fate]

Hey, all....

I was wanting to write both a more detailed history (combining what i gathered of the game bits) and a strategy guide (so players don;t feel that the locations are random and that there is a strategy to the map and game-play). I figured I could combine both with a 'gazetteer' - sort of a travel guide. This is it so far....

...but am i being too subtle - the clues on what do search for and what to expect are within the text. For example: if you are fighting the Vampire, the Manor has a chapel and some crosses, bibles, or holy items.

Here it is so far. Please tell me of your opinions!!!!!!!

Hanbrook Manor
Nestled on a small hill outside of the main township, the Manor is the Ancestral Home of the Hanbrooks, the last prominent surviving family of the three founding families of Shadowbrook (what became of the Cardinals and the Grymes is unclear, to this day). The Manor has existed since the mid- to early- 1700s and now houses the third generation of Lord and Lady Hanbrook, their teenage daughter, Lucy, and several servants, notably their faithful Housemaid Selena and the mysterious Servant Girl, Delani.
Important travelers to Shadowbrook are almost always invited to the Manor to visit with the Hanbrooks, usually through one of the many parties, formal town meetings or secretive private visits that occur at the Manor. A tour of the Manor can be had on such occasion, viewing the study (well-decorated with family military souvenirs), the ballroom, the guest quarters, the small chapel, and the well-stocked library, all revealing the great pride Lord Hanbrook displays of the honorable service to the village, God and country that makes the Hanbrook name synonymous with valorous souls, sound purpose and durable health.
The Lord, himself, is a gregarious fellow, though he exhibits the trademark authoritarian temperament of his fathers with all but his wife, Lady Hanbrook. Though far more demur, it is she who is the more dangerous of the two – more bite than bark, as it were. Whether she is the cause of the intrigue and secrets that haunt the Manor or simply reacting to them, Lady Hanbrook is subtly testing all and preparing her defenses. She should not be blamed for this attitude, however – the Hanbrooks (like most wealthy families) have made some dangerous enemies over the last century and rumors abound of revenge, hauntings, secret passages built by smugglers or highwaymen and a terrible evil that lingers in the shadowed corners. Is it any wonder that the Lady protects her young, as fair Lucy is (so far) unaware of and untroubled by these local legends.



The Abandoned Keep
Just beyond the wheat fields and above the marsh, there lingers the Abandoned Keep. Most say that it existed long before 1700 and Shadowbrook was founded using its partly crumbling walls as a map marker. The Keep is a large castle in dangerous disrepair with stone towers, courtyards, defensive walls, banquet halls, an old dungeon below and (reportedly) an ancestral tomb.
Jack, the Servant Boy, is probably the most knowledgeable of the Keep in all Shadowbrook, and he has not fully explored its darker rooms. He will excitedly tell tales of how the Keep is used by local highwaymen for a base and storehouse for their weapons and treasures. He will even tell of spotting the mythical highwayman, the Scarlet Shadow, on its walls (though Ben the Watchman, pointedly insists that tale is pure childhood fantasy like the Scarlet Shadow, himself). But what is not to be refuted is the tale of the professor from the city that sought to unearth the history of the Keep from its sunless rooms and how he disappeared, leaving only his equipment behind. It is that tale that keeps Jack from exploring the Keep too deeply, while the thrill of the highwaymen lures him back every time.



The Olde Woods
Primal, ancient and overgrown, the Olde Woods lurk by the Crossroads to Echo Lake, cutting Shadowbrook off from the Coast. Most avoid the Woods, leaving the gnarled trees to the woodsmen of Shadowbrook and to any that look for rare herbs and game. For the least courageous, the Olde Woods is a place for Timber Wolves and vermin, while only the Smugglers and Highwaymen that use the Woods for a meeting place can follow secrets paths to avoid getting hopelessly lost. The far more superstitious entertain themselves around the hearth fire with tales of twisting malevolent trees and undergrowth that are under the magical command of the Witch of the Woods and they hear the howlings of what must be werewolves, to be sure. The hunters and woodsman laugh this off as the howls of Franklin the old hound, biggest of the hunting dogs in town…but they do not speak lightly (if at all) about the Witch. Even Ben the Watchman, well familiar with the Woods, tells of finding far stranger evidence than lost axes, a brigand’s pistol or saddle, or even bones – far, far stranger stuff, indeed.



The Windmill
High upon the highest hill by Shadowbrook, the near abandoned Windmill watches over the lives of people below and fulfills a very practical role for the town: community storage. It is here that ‘community property’ like pitchforks, rope, hunting gear, lanterns, blacksmith tools and general tools are stored. Carla, the Blacksmith’s wife is often here gathering some tools for her husband (one supposes) and the Coachmen is well used to the path to town and back. The local militia keeps the township’s gunpowder and some basic weaponry under lock here, as well. In fact, there are so many used, useful and cast-off items, the Windmill has become a maze of boxes, making for many a hiding place.
Perhaps it is the abundance of hiding spots or it is that lofty position that draws people there, for many confess to a visit the Windmill when the mood is upon them – a wayward, thoughtful mood to ponder one’s life and draw up plans for one’s future, to grasp at possibilities, both subtle and gross and a chance for a person to get away from the pull of the community and face the nothingness of a future to be writ large. One can almost feel that if the walls could talk, what secret desires would the Windmill share? The Windmill very well stores more than just Shadowbrook's items – it stores their history of secret dreams and, perhaps, all that bottled up decades of reaching plans and empty futures lingers...something almost alive, in itself….

[munkymuddface]

Well done!

I have yet to play my first game of ATOE (hopefully it will happen this weekend!), but I have read over the rules multiples times. This write up adds some nice flavor to the background of the game. Thanks for taking the time to put this together!

[Old Dwarf]

Nice,I like the style and think it strikes a good balance between GO HERE DO THIS and just giving a general background of the location.

OD

[vikinglad]

Super eloquent. Your love for and understanding of the atmosphere of this game is very apparent. I really like what you have done.

[Pfr_Fate]

Thank you so much...two more opinions in the positive and I shall continue on in this manner with Shadowbrook in general, the town center and then on to Echo Lake! I then shall turn it into a nice colorful PDF and put it into the Downloads section. After such, i shall see about the characters themselves.....

[gavindowning]

Nice work! I'd love to see what else you come up with!

[xraine69]

Well, here's your second postive response, so get to work. Seriously, that is a great read and can't wait for the complete works.