Le Bayou a Faim

The planet Terre takes 360 days to circle around Le Soleil. There are 12 months, each of which has 30 days in them and the days are simply named 1-10 in Franche. There are two moons, Mother and Father (Mère and Père), with Mother having a 28 day cycle and Father having a 20 day cycle. The current year is 1485, marked from the time of the destruction of the lich king Cesaire le Noir. The year begins on the first day of First Winter. Winter Spring Summer Autumn

     Sometimes areas of the bayou are so warped by the presence of a powerful bokor that it becomes tainted with necromantic energies and starts to arbitrarily raise those humanoids that die in the waters as zombies. Plant life grows onto, within and as a part of these undead creatures, and they constantly drip fetid, brackish water. Their rotting skin takes on a sickening, swampy green pallor, and their eyes glow red.     The worst part about these zombies is that they can make the bayou itself come alive, entangling their victims in vines and other plants. Their appearance also helps them to hide much more effectively, and they will frequently lay under the shallow water, within clumps of plants or in the hollows around the roots of a bald cypress and wait for prey to come near before attacking.     Although raised as undead by the bayou itself, these zombies are treated as normal zombies when it comes to turning and control. They are also vulnerable to spells that affect plants, as

Estelle and Valérie Nicolas      Estelle Nicolas, and her younger sister Valérie, run Nicolas Dry Goods, located in the poor Maçon District of Ville des Marai. A spinster by choice, Estelle hopes to one day have enough money for a dowry for Valérie and to find her a good husband that will take care of her. Friendly and hard working, Estelle is known for helping those in need by lowering her prices when someone doesn't have enough for needed goods.      Valérie is quite different from her older sister. She is flighty and fun-loving, and wishes to one day become an adventurer and find lost treasures of old so that her sister doesn't have to work so hard. She practices with a small wooden shortsword in the alley next to the store, much to the amusement of those passing by. She has actually developed some skill, and is collecting a personal savings to buy a real weapon and pay for some training.      Nicolas Dry Goods is actually haunted by the spirit of their great grandfather, Qu

Dame Émilie Lebeau     Dame  Émilie Lebeau is, without a doubt, a massive contradiction to all who know her. A paladin of the Temple of Cavdes, she is so unlike most other half-orcs. Dame Lebeau is genial, refined, calm and possesses a very gentle demeanor. She is also nearly 7' tall, incredibly strong and has bested the likes of Lord Gy Lévesque  in battle practice time and again. The Comtesse Laurent sings her praises regularly, much to the shy and humble paladin's chagrin.     Hailing from the orc lands far to the south, she came to  Ville des Marai to pledge her service to Cavdes, since the temple there is the largest in the region. Her parents understood her calling, but her orc mother fought against it literally tooth and nail. The headstrong  Émilie had her mind made up, however, and so she travelled to  Ville des Marai five years ago and quickly made a name for herself in the service of the Paladin God of Service.     In order to expand her horizons,  Émilie is learnin

Gigi Dubois      Gigi Dubois is, despite her young age, a fairly powerful woodwitch . Woodland animals seem to flock to her without hesitation, and it's an incredibly rare thing to see her without something furry or feathered cradled in her arms or walking along beside her. Her dire wolf companion, Félix, is awakened and capable of speaking common, and the two are often seen talking about the nuances of nature or spellcasting.     Gigi is incredibly curious about how everything works, even to the point of absentmindedly wandering off to examine something interesting that catches her eye. While this can be a problem at times, Félix is usually able to get her back on track with a nudge or a call of her name. This curiosity has helped her several times in the past, however, as she has managed to discover several lost magic items and a significant amount of treasure.     Gigi is a good friend to both  Jérémie Rey and his father  Pépin , and hopes to eventually learn bayou and swamp

     The Liber Populi (the Book of People in common, Le Livre du Peuple in Franche) is a magical tome that takes a constant census of the adventurers that call Ville des Marai home. Created by Kelwyn himself, the tome is both unusual and arcane in nature. Keyed to the spirit of the city, the book magically adds pages and general information about low-level adventurers that have moved into the city and established themselves as members of the community for one month.     If an adventurer decides to permanently leave the city the all basic information about them vanishes, but a name is automatically added to the appendix and sorted. If an adventurer dies, their page is ringed in gray and is moved to the back of the book automatically but it is not removed. Whenever changes take place, the book glows with a purple light sprinkled with golden motes of light. This glow lasts for exactly one minute, and then quickly fades. The Liber Populi      Marquise Désirée Fournier commissioned the boo

Lord Stéphane Barrere      Lord Stéphane Barrere is the primary personal assistant of  Mayor Fournier , and is the one that keeps her schedule tight and the riff-raff at bay. He is also the city's tax assessor, and as such knows the ins and outs of the political system in Ville des Marai better than the backs of his hands. Officious, distant, quite guarded and fairly callous, Lord Barrere cares little for the common man's needs. Whereas the mayor's bodyguard Timothée keeps the rabble away physically, Lord Barrere keeps them away socially. If you aren't of the noble class, or at the very least a well known and prosperous merchant, you are below notice and unworthy of an appointment with the mayor.      Lord Barrere absolutely despises the mayor's loving habit of visiting with the lower class, and finds the children that the mayor adores to be utterly revolting. While he won't act in the mayor's presence, he has been known to raise or impose taxes on those tha

Jérémie Rey      Jérémie Rey is the only son of the houngan   Pépin Rey  and the owner and proprietor of Magie des Marais, a vaudou  store that sells both sundry items suck as powders and herbs, magical trinkets of various sorts and a number of different potions. While not very powerful yet, Jérémie is learning to become a hougan like his father before him. He loves to brew potions of various sorts, and the air of his shop is a constantly changing experience.      Jérémie believes what his father says about  Baron Glegali haunting him, but as he's never actually ever seen the loa he is starting to think that his father might be starting to succumb to old age. He knows the way that turbulent loa work, however, so he continues to give his father the benefit of the doubt. He's actually working on a magical talisman that will make the Baron visible, and if it's successful he plans to confront the loa directly.     A very friendly individual,  Jérémie is more than willing to c

Damien Rousseau      Damien Rousseau usually appears to be a seemingly normal, red-haired Cajun male. His manner is polite, and he is relatively friendly in conversation. However, his rarely blinking eyes constantly follow you, and the smile that graces his face isn't that of a genial individual but one of someone that thinks so little of you that your life and death would both be amazingly insignificant. Damien Rousseau is a rakshasa.     Living a day to the east in the stinking, feted bayou, Damien has an uneasy truce with  Lord Gy Lévesque and  Mayor Marquise Désirée Fournier . He comes to the city regularly to purchase supplies and add a significant amount of gold to the city's coffers, and  Lord Lévesque allows him to go about his chores under the careful watch of the city guard. Damien has never even once raised a claw toward anyone in  Ville des Marai, and as far as anyone can tell he doesn't intend to.     If you meet Damien outside the city, however, you become fa

The  Rivière Tumultueuse raises dangerously every three years      La Fête Humide (The Moist Party) is a huge celebration that takes place once every three years in Ville des Marai. The entire city takes on a party atmosphere, music abounds and smiles are everywhere. Taverns offer reduced prices for alcohol (the difference in price is reimbursed through slightly lower taxes for the year), various types of competitions are held (including the Guerre des Bardes, or War of the Bards) and everyone is generally in a celebratory mood.      Twenty-four years ago the realm endured a massive series of earthquakes, the actual cause of which remains unknown. Theories abound, some of the most popular of which revolve around the black dragon  Shimrexxafaque  fighting against various bayou loa or dwarves mining too deeply and awakening an ancient evil. The wizard Kelwyn has claimed that he discovered what happened, but due to a multitude of reasons he is unable or unwilling to reveal the truth.  

     Ville des Marais is known for having rich and tasty food that is enjoyed by one and all throughout the city. Multiple restaurants and eateries throughout the city offer a variety of choices, and even though the prices depend on where you are in the city and the reputation of the establishment, the food tends to be fantastic no matter where you go. Here are some of the more common dishes. Gumbo      Gumbo is a hearty stew popular in the area. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly flavored stock, meat or shellfish (or sometimes both), a thickener, and the Creole "family" ― celery, bell peppers, and onions. Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used and whether okra or filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves) is added.      Gumbo can be made with or without okra or filé powder. The preferred method is with a dark even chocolate-like roux. The flavor of the dish has its origins in many cultures. Creole gumbo generally contains shellfish, and a dark roux

  Papillion Linville      Papillion Linville is the second personal assistant of  Mayor Fournier , and does his best to make sure that Lord Stéphane Barrere  is kept at bay when she makes the rounds in her city. This plumply-built man is also one of the most helpful people in all of Ville des Marai, seeking to make sure that things go smoothly for everyone. With a quick smile and an amusing joke or two, Papillion always tries to make sure that no one leaves his office without a good mood. He has been rarely seen to get upset, and has an incredibly even temperament.     When not assisting Mayor Fournier, Papillion can be found at  Le Café du Ris de Veau . Thanks to his assistance,  Robert Beaulieu was able to overcome some financial difficulty and as a reward Papillion is given two gros beignet and chicory coffees every day for free. He has also helped  Adrienne Montagne  in obtaining assistance from  Gibupgagool  in order to collect feathers and bones for her crafts, and Gib has become

Marie Hébert      Marie Hébert is, without a doubt, a singularly unpleasant woman. Middle class by birth, Marie suffers under the delusion that  Marquise Gaston Fournier  was in love with her and had planned to marry her before Désirée Fournier stepped in and took him from her. The reality is that Gaston didn't even know that Marie existed, and his only interaction with her was to smile at her on three separate occasions while he was meeting various persons at the Triangle Tavern for business.     A quick temper, a foul mouth and a through dislike of non-human races are Marie's hallmarks, and her tavern is suffering because of her behavior. The only reason it remains in business is because Marie hires the bard  Lucien Delacroix to play there every weekend and pays him handsomely as well. While not outright racist, she will frequently ignore non-humans, make them wait far too long for drinks or act as if their business were below her. She will often charge them nearly double, a

     La Cité des Morts, or City of the Dead in common, is the primary cemetery of Ville des Marais. Architecturally, they are predominantly above ground tombs, family tombs, civic association tombs, and wall vaults, often in neo-classical design and laid out in regular patterns similar to city streets. Ville des Marais is at or below sea level, resulting in a high water table in the soil. If a body or coffin is placed in an in-ground tomb in Ville des Marais, there is risk of it being water-logged or even displaced from the ground. For this reason, the people of Ville des Marais have generally used above-ground tombs. Over the years as designs have evolved, these tombs have become architecturally, culturally, and historically distinct.     Most of the tombs are large enough to accommodate four to eight bodies, usually placed 1x4, 2x3 or 2x4 with the individual coffins separated by thin concrete compartments. There are some small tombs designed to hold a single body, however, and these

This is the map of Ville des Marais. Please note that as locations are added, this map will be updated. To see the full map, click on the image, and then right-click and select "open the image in a new tab." Click on the image and it will be full size (3k x 4.5k). Map Legend: 1 - The Keep 2 - Royal Barracks 3 - L'elfe Dragueur 4 - The Bent Hammer 5 - The Temple of Cavdes 6 - The Triangle Tavern 7 - Le Café du Ris de Veau 8 - Perles et décorations d'Adrienne 9 - Magie des Marais 10 - Kelwyn's Tower 11 - Noble Estates 12 - Route du Nord 13 - Route du Ouest 14 - Route du Sud 15 - Route du Est 16 - Hovel of Pépin Rey 17 - La Boutique des Merveilles de Lavoie   18 - La Pipe à Fumer 19 - Le Chat Endormi 20 - La Cité des Morts

Éloise Bélanger      Éloise Bélanger owns and runs a fairly popular inn, Le Chat Endormi (The Sleeping Cat). Most people assume that Éloise named the inn after a regular housecat, but it's actually named after the fact that she's a werepanther. She was afflicted with lycanthropy when just a child, and for years had problems with the disease. Now, however, she wears a small magical charm (given to her by the wizard Kelwyn ) that prevents her from assuming her were form no matter the phase of the moon. If she removes it, however, she's able to fully assume both hybrid and animal form as she wishes. She makes no secret of her condition, but at the same time makes sure to let people know they have nothing to fear from her.      Éloise always makes sure that the rooms of her inn are clean and tidy, that the beds are soft and large enough to sleep two, and even offers a complimentary breakfast in the morning until ten. Her regular rooms are offered at 3 gp per bed per evening, bu

Gibupgagool      Gibupgagool ("Gib") is literally the only kuo-toa that is allowed within the walls of  Ville des Marie. Calm to a degree that is rarely ever found in his species, Gibupgagool is exceptionally intelligent and able to speak both common and Franche, although his speech sounds like dripping water or popping bubbles most of the time. Also unlike kuo-toa, Gibupgagool doesn't have an evil bone in his body and even  Sam Smorkle has verified this on several occasions.     Gib will hire himself out as a guide, and he's exceptionally familiar with the western bayou and the areas beyond. Kuo-toa won't attack if Gib is with a group, but they will remain on the defensive just to be safe. Gib knows the locations of several ruins that lay deep in the muck of the swamps, and he will lead interested parties to them but refuses to ever actually enter them due to superstition. He has never abandoned a group that has returned within a pre-set amount of time (usually

Lucien Delacroix      Lucien Delacroix is literally the most popular bard that Ville des Marie has ever known. Proficient with multiple instruments and born with perfect pitch, Lucien turns heads wherever he goes. He is also quite skilled at coming up with songs on the spot, improvising whatever is needed without difficulty whatsoever. Any tavern that is able to have him perform is due to have a full house and full coffers.     While this Creole beauty may be popular, his past is a complete mystery. Showing up in  Ville des Marie a mere three years ago, he has somehow managed to completely avoid revealing anything about himself, and even people like  Sam Smorkle are hard pressed to figure out anything about him. When asked, he will always go into a long, complicated but entertaining story that meanders everywhere and nowhere at once, completely avoiding any real information to the point that the asker is often unable to remember his original question.     When Lucien is done performin