This is an example back story for the D&D 5e campaign, Slaves of Troustar.
You in the World
Leaping from the crammed rooftops of Raglow you turn briefly to glimpse the torch flames attached to the clanking sound of guards as they attempt to chase you across the rooftops. A bolt flies by your right ear and clangs onto to tiled roof before arching over the gutter and into the street below. You take a gulp of air to control your ragged breathing and hurtle forward into the night.
That poster advertising adventure seems like the next best step, but right now you need to make your escape from Raglow.
You speed ahead, taking gaps between buildings in graceful bounds. The light from the torches and the clamour of pursuit finally vanish. You prepare to make your way from the rooftops to the street near the northern gate of the city. You turn your head at the thud of a shuriken, the signature of the Raglow branch of the Assassin’s Guild. This is a message. You are no longer welcome.
You make your way down to the street and easily slip through the gate and begin your long journey north to Ac Rumb. You change quickly and set off along the coastal road. To your right are the low Truat Ranges which eventually roll into the Orcan Planes. To your left flows the Bellofaster Sea.
You sense a freedom you have had never before experienced in your young life confined to the city of Raglow and it’s surround.
What has your life given you? What secrets do you hold? Why did you decide to take this journey?
Ac Rumb
Understanding the Machiavellian intrigues and politics that govern the world&’s cities is something more reserved for spies than novice assassins and thieves, but you do need to know enough to survive.
Fifty odd years ago, Ac Rumb was a far more different place than the bustling multi-cultural hub that it is today. There is no doubt that the Mad King Jelofar plagued the kingdom of Vesluvia with war due to his cruel violent directives. Rumour has it that if it wasn’t for the kings spymaster, it may well have come to war and undoubtedly, the end of the Vesluvian Empire. Others suggest that it was a faction within your former Assassin’s Guild known as the Administrators who had a hand in ending the conflict. Ironic, you think.
After the king’s unusual disappearance, no known heir could be found (or perhaps more likely, willing) to replace him. As opposing dutchies prepared to fight for the throne over the battle field, almost out of thin air, a relatively unknown lord, Lord Vescevious, took control unopposed.
Rumors run wild of Vescevious‘ origin. Some say he was the former spy for the Administrators, while folktales among the young Raglow Assassin’s Guild novitiates believe that he is the famed Black. A fearless assassin who claimed over 1,000 undetected contracts and an elegance for death like know other in the Guild’s long history.
Your story begins
You have arrived untroubled at the south eastern gate of Ac Rumb. The sight of sailing vessels in harbour and docked are a telling note to the size of the city. All around you people run goods and cargo through the iron Gray gates to the protected dock entrance and the warehouses beyond.
You know the Ac Rumb Assassin Guild’s headquarters are somewhere in this district and you must take care to give it a wide berth and a wary eye.
Your careful eye notices a young street girl delicately reaching for the purse of an unsuspecting merchant.
The merchant turns and the girl is almost caught until a flicker of nostalgia from your childhood reaches out to you and you smile an wave at the merchant, briefly getting his attention long enough for the girl to make the take. The girl smiles in recognition of your assistance before vanishing into the crowd. You smile and continue towards the gate. After all, it is getting late and your meeting at the Butcher’s Arm approaches.
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