Le Bayou a Faim

Pépin Rey      Pépin Rey is a houngan that lives in a small shack to the northwest of the city where the western bayou begins. He provides guidance and wisdom to the vaudouists that live within  Ville des Marie and, even though he rejects the idea outright, he is their unofficial leader. He's exceptionally powerful, but rarely ever needs to demonstrate his power thanks to his reputation as the man responsible for killing  Baron Glegali  three decades ago.      Pépin  can often be seen sitting on his porch having animated arguments with thin air, the reality of which is actually Baron Glegali,  who appears as a translucent green human in ruined finery when he wishes to be seen. Constantly arguing with the loa has taken its toll, and  Pépin  has become quite jumpy and nervous among those he doesn't know. Once he considers you to be harmless, however, he warms up quickly and will often become quite protective of his newfound charges.     The old hougan has focused his magical tal

  Robert Beaulieu      Robert Beaulieu runs Le Café du Ris de Veau (The Sweetbread Café), the most popular café in all of Ville des Marais. Located just a short walk from The Keep, this open-air café is popular for the various types of coffee ranging from very mild to incredibly strong, with a dark-roasted coffee with chicory being the most popular. The café also serves multiple types of beignets and pastries, most of which are fairly sweet and covered with powdered sugar. Robert recently added an elven fritter, and this has definitely endeared him to the elven community.      Robert is a mountain of a man with long blonde hair, a full beard and deep brown eyes. He looks like he would love swinging an axe and bellowing a combat charge, but his exceedingly gentle nature vastly contrasts to his appearance. While he can be incredibly intimidating when it is needed, he prefers to handle his customers with warmth, humor and a graciousness not found many places. He is far from being a pacifi

Papa Abélard Delacroix      Papa Abélard Delacroix is an ever-present threat to Ville des Marai. Once an aristocrat, Abélard was seduced by malevolent loa, primarily Beraie. Finding discontentment in upper class life, Abélard started to study vaudou and soon became a bokor . He rejected his wealth and position and moved to the stinking bayou west of the city. This pleased Beraie, and she started whispering of even greater secrets into his ear.     For more than a decade  Abélard communed with the loa and the life within the bayou, eventually discovering the means to extend his life unnaturally. He made deal after deal with the various malevolent loa, allowing them to ride him whenever they pleased. After a multitude of dark rituals and ceremonies, he achieved lichdom.     Now  Abélard is seeking even more power, and is slowly building an army of zombies to do his bidding. A natural with the necromantic arts, he possesses a necromantic charisma that is rarely seen. He is also able to e

Comtesse Marjolaine Laurent      Comtesse Marjolaine Laurent is the head of the Temple of Cavdes, the largest and most influential church in the city of Ville des Marai. She is an exceedingly imposing individual, firm of faith and strong of skill. She is the head of the Order of the Silver Rose and one of the most powerful people in the city.     A very charismatic individual,  Comtesse Laurent oversees the day to day security not only of the city but also the Noble District and it's environs. A kind but fair woman, she sees to it that justice within the city walls is meted out fairly and impartially, no matter the social class of the accused.     Even though  Marjolaine is only in her mid-30s, she is starting to feel her age and has become concerned about her legacy. She has yet to find someone that is worthy of her attentions, but truly wishes to one day have children of her own. The security and faith of the city will always come first, but even this is starting to weigh heavily

Gerde Benthammer      Gerde Benthammer is the dwarven founder of The Bent Hammer metalsmithing shop and an exceptional worker of metal. Although she was born with a bent spine (congenital kyphosis), Gerde has never allowed it to hamper her or slow her down in any way. Mercilessly teased when she was younger, she developed an exceptionally friendly personality as a defense mechanism and now is treated well by everyone, even those who once derided her.      Armor and weapons made by Gerde are always of masterwork quality, yet she only charges 50% more for an item of this nature. She employs five apprentices, and standard caliber items are usually made by these apprentices with her supervision. The apprentices are given a quarter of the price of the item made, with bonuses often thrown in as incentives. Two of these apprentices are Gerde's own children (Niklaus and Juliane), but they are treated no differently than any of the other three.      Gerde may be a friendly sort of person,

Sam Smorkle      Sam (“Samantha iws too fowmaw!”) Smorkle is a goblin barmaid at one of the most popular taverns in town, L'elfe Dragueur. Overworked and underpaid, Sam is actually one of the most educated members of the middle class and is a top notch information broker. She intentionally misrepresents her intelligence by talking in an almost childish fashion, but her knowledge of the workings of the city is truly astounding.      Where Sam comes from is unknown, but it is thought that she’s originally from the Breakwater tribe of goblins far to the west. While she may know the truth, it isn’t something that she’s at all willing to divulge at any price. She sizes up all she meets very quickly, and is a very  good judge of character . As she is truly good natured she will aid good-aligned persons with incredibly accurate information, whereas those of an evil bent will get their (exorbitant) money’s worth but it will usually be missing some details that might be important (such as n

Marquise Désirée Fournier      Mayor Marquise Désirée Fournier is the widow of the original leader of Ville des Marai, Mayor Marquise Gaston Fournier. While she wasn't originally elected to rule the city, her popularity (as well as the sympathy for her loss) slid her into the position easily. The Marquise has proven to be a boon to the city, especially among the lower class peasantry as she has granted them a paid day off from their toils every week (usually amounting to a single additional copper piece). While you would think this would irritate the upper class nobility that lord over the peasants, it has in fact been accepted with open arms in the spirit of celebration that is at the heart of Ville des Marai.      Marquise Fournier can often be found wandering her city, talking with noble and peasant alike. She exudes a natural dignity and grace, even when covered in powdered sugar from munching on a beignet or singing a drinking song at one of the local taverns. Because of her p

Deity Worship      The people of Ville des Marie are quite religious, and follow many Gods and Goddesses. While there are quite a few churches in the city, certain Gods and Goddesses are considered too dangerous and there are no official churches that have been built in their name. These "outlaw" deities still have plenty of worshipers, but their worship is kept secret for the most part. They are denoted in italics on the following list. Amtia - Goddess of love and childbirth.  Alignment: Chaotic Good. Favored weapon: None. Domains: Family, Good, Pleasure Bridia - Goddess of sacrifice and protection.  Alignment: Lawful Good. Favored weapon: None Domains: Denial, Devotion, Protection Cavdes - God of paladins.  Alignment: Lawful Good. Favored weapon: Longsword. Domains: Exorcism, Good, Sun Danreus - God of the journey and animals.  Alignment: Neutral Good. Favored weapon: Staff. Domains: Animal, Travel, Wood Edmos - God of power and domination.  Alignment: Lawful Evil. Favored

     Humanoids of all sort can be found in Ville des Marai. An individual's skin color simply denotes where upon the globe they originally stem from, with lighter skinned individuals coming from the more northernly lands and dark skinned individuals coming from the equator (melanin protects the skin from the rays of the sun, causing it to be darker). The various different types within each race that can be found are as follows (and please note that there are zero physical, mental or social differences between each type within the human races, and as such the basic human character race applies to all ): Human • Créole - The créole are a beautiful blending of northerners that come from lands far across the great Atlantyke Sea and those from the southern reaches that settled in the area. They often have dark to light brown skin, bright blue, brown or green eyes and curly dark hair. Their accent is considered to be quite musical, and most names of people, places and things come from th

Local Fauna      Though the local swamplands are known for their plethora of interesting plant life, these ecosystems also house an immense amount of animal life. From native reptiles to invasive rodents, this region boasts a immense blend of wetland animals. The following is far from totality, and only represents a humble number of animals to be found in this wild and bountiful landscape. Alligator      The alligator is the most sought after inhabitant of the swamp and is the largest reptile in the area. The size of the alligator can generally be determined by the number of inches between its eyes and the end of its snout and their lifespan can reach up to 80 years. Amphibians and Lizards      Examples of amphibians are salamanders such as the eastern tiger salamander, southern red-backed salamander, waterdog, dwarf salamander and the three-toed amphiuma. There are also toads such as Hurter's spadefoot toad and southern toad, as well as frogs such as pig frog, striped chorus frog

Local Flora      Though the local swamplands are known for their plethora of unique animal life, these ecosystems also house various interesting vegetation. From trees and native plants to invasive and colorful flowers and weeds, this region boasts a beautiful blend of wetland vegetation. The following is far from totality, and only represents a humble number of plants to be found in this wild and bountiful landscape. Alligatorweed       Alligatorweed is a non-woody perennial plant that is considered an invasive weed in the area. It is found growing in waters or along aquatic shorelines but is not native to the area. It blooms from winter to spring with clusters of white clover-shaped flowers. Cypress Trees      The most common inhabitant of deep-water swamps, cypress trees are characterized by their beautiful tall trunks, thin branches, and bright green, pointed leaves. These trees act as shelter for many animals in the swamp ecosystem, and they provide food for certain species that f

The Lands      The city of Ville des Marai is set at a mean elevation of 5' above sea level, and many areas even drop below sea level. The average yearly temperature is 68.1° f, while the average yearly precipitation is 61.8", Ville des Marai experiences hot, humid, languid summers (94° f, humidity of 94%), and mild winters (58° f). It is located 105 miles upriver from the Gulf of L'eau Bleue along the Rivière Tumultueuse and near Lake Truite and is characterized by the river rushing through the city itself. There are natural levees along the Rivière Tumultueuse, making the region less vulnerable to hurricanes (although deadly hurricanes will still occur from time to time). However, the region is now showing signs of subsidence due to sentient interference. The effects of erosion and the loss of wetland have resulted in an unstable tectonic region, and mild earthquakes are fairly common.      Outside the city are very fertile grasslands, fed by the Rivière Tumultueuse. The