Greythorne
Rocky coast and salt marshA drowned customs house surfaces at low tide, still holding disputed land deeds.Where: Western shore and broad island centerNext to
Greythorne
World · A round world
Greythorne
Every safe passage has a price, and every map has an owner.
Overview
Greythorne is a broad, nearly round island ringed by treacherous water, with a single narrow land bridge, the Grey Gate, joining its upper-right edge to a much larger mainland. Its ports grew rich guiding ships through reefs, and its survey maps became instruments of law. Now the old crown's grip has faded, leaving island councils, chartmakers, and mainland traders to argue over who controls safe passage, land, and the magic that keeps the channels readable.
The world
ShapeA round world
What it is likeA nearly circular inhabited island surrounded by reefs and small outlying islands, joined at its upper-right edge to a much larger mainland by the Grey Gate.
How people travelTravel within Greythorne is mostly by coastal road, cart track, and short crossings; the Grey Gate is the sole land route to the mainland, while reef pilots and changing tides govern sea travel.
Themes
Seafaring adventure, Civic intrigue, Discovery, Hard-won community
Laws of the world
The rules
MagicMagic is common and practical, taught in guild rooms and village shrines; spells draw on study, divine favor, or bargains with local spirits.
TechnologyRenaissance craft supports printing, glass lenses, clockwork, and reliable firearms, alongside sailing ships and common spellwork.
Death and soulsSouls pass beyond the world after death, though proper rites help them find the way; drowned dead sometimes linger near the reefs until named and mourned.
Special rules
Strong tides can distort teleportation and other long-distance spells near the coast.
A chart sworn before witnesses is magically difficult to alter, though it can still be wrong.
The skies
SkiesSalt haze often veils the horizon, and green auroras sometimes shimmer over the outer reefs before storms.
Moons and stars
the moon, the sun
SeasonsThe year has four familiar seasons, but sailors divide days by tides; spring tides make the Grey Gate road briefly dangerous.
Ages
3 agesThe crown's authority has weakened, while mages, merchants, and local councils dispute who owns the island's roads, harbors, and magic.
Powers
4 powers · 2 conflictsPowers
- Gate WardensBorder authorityReach: The Grey Gate and its mainland approachesKeep tolls flowing and prevent island councils from controlling the road independently.
- Sounding GuildTrade guildReach: Ports and chart houses across GreythorneSell reliable charts and preserve their legal monopoly over navigable channels.
- Greythorne councilsCivic allianceReach: The island's towns and coastal villagesWin local control of harbors and end crown-era land claims.
- Reef crewsRaider bandsReach: Outer islands and dangerous sea lanesProfit from disrupted shipping and force captains to buy their protection.
Conflicts
- The Gate Toll DisputeSidesControl of the narrow land bridge could starve the island's ports or let mainland troops cross at will.
Grey Gate wardens, Greythorne harbor councils, merchants from the mainland
- The Soundings WarSidesNewly revealed channels promise riches, but false charts and competing claims are already costing lives.
licensed chartmakers, independent captains, reef raiders
Atlas
6 regionsSecrets
Secret 1 · GM only
Secret 2 · GM only
Secret 3 · GM only
Plot hooks
4 hooks- 1The Wrong SoundingInvestigationA surveyor's newly printed chart shows a safe channel through reefs that have never moved, but ships following it vanish.
- 2Under the GatePoliticalThe Grey Gate wardens close the road after finding a hidden chamber beneath it, and both island councils and mainland officials demand access.
- 3Names at Low WaterRescueA village asks the party to retrieve the names of drowned sailors from a reef shrine before the next spring tide.
- 4The Gray RollHeistA mainland merchant offers a fortune for an obsolete survey roll that could invalidate hundreds of island land claims.
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