坎塔瑞亚
啊，第一次来到这座城镇，是吗？很好，我可以告诉你所有有关坎塔瑞亚的事情与她伟大的历史。这里一开始是为古塔尔多军队而建造的营地，坎塔瑞科斯将军与马纳多山脉——就是那些你能看到的山峰——的兽人作战，而塔尔多则用这片土地感谢他的付出。不久，我们有了一座真正的城镇，并以将军本人的名字命名为坎塔瑞亚。
“But that’s not why you’re here, now is it? No, you’re wanting to know about the goddess that walked these same streets. That’s right—while she was still as mortal as you or I, the Inheritor lived in Kantaria, and saved the town from faceless horrors and shapeshifting monstrosities. It was a miracle, I tell you, her Tenth Act. Aye, that’s the house she called home, right up the street, and for just a single silver, I’ll give you a tour and the whole story—including things you won’t hear about in church, if you know what I mean!”
—Pious Pete, Kantarian local and amateur historian
The town of Kantaria rests atop a hill overlooking the Sedna River in the Archduchy of Menador. Surrounded by fertile farmland and the rich lumber of the nearby Barrowood, Kantaria provides a waypoint for travelers between Nidal and the Chelish heartlands, and for miners and slave trains heading to and from the excavations in the Menador Mountains. The only settlement of note for miles, Kantaria serves as the ducal seat of House Narikopolus, which has ruled Kantaria and the Archduchy of Menador for centuries. However, the town is now most famous as the site of the goddess Iomedae’s Tenth Act.
Sheltered between the northern mountains and the southern forest, Kantaria is protected from the worst effects of the area’s seasonal weather, which fluctuates between striking sunny days and dismal periods of rain. Although recurrent flooding threatens the farms in the nearby hinterlands, Kantaria itself is spared such a calamity thanks to its location on the hillside above the river.
早期历史
Soon after Cheliax was officially founded as a province of Taldor in 3007 ar, a Taldan army led by General Kantarikos came to the region to address a growing orc threat in the nearby Menador Mountains. Kantarikos established a command post above the Sedna River, where he could clearly view much of the surrounding region. When Kantarikos retired in the aftermath of the long campaign against the orcs, Taldor rewarded the general and several of his officers with honorable discharges and land in Cheliax. Most of these retired soldiers settled near the command post that had been their home, and dozens of residences and businesses soon sprang up around the former military fortress. This settlement formed the foundation of the modern town of Kantaria, named in honor of General Kantarikos.
Kantarikos led the town until his death, but left no descendants, so a governing council took over Kantaria for the next few centuries. The town saw a drastic change in leadership after the Shining Crusade ended in 3828 ar. An aged Taldan knight named Fiona Narikopolus gained the attention of the empire when she personally battled one of the Whispering Tyrant’s generals on the shores of distant Lake Encarthan, defeating the unholy abomination and scattering an army of undead before her. For her valor in the face of such horrors, Fiona was granted a noble title and the town of Kantaria and its hinterlands as her family estate.
Fiona Narikopolus ruled Kantaria for only a single year before she died of natural causes, passing her title and leadership of the region to her only son, Arakhan, the result of a brief tryst with a fellow soldier during the Shining Crusade. Arakhan had only visited Kantaria a handful of times before Fiona’s death and, following that tragic event, the Narikopolus heir vanished, not even deigning to attend his mother’s funeral. Lacking any true leader, Kantaria entered a short period of chaos and confusion as its citizens attempted to reinstate the town’s former governing council with varying levels of failure.
艾奥梅黛的统治
Fortune smiled on Kantaria in 3831 ar, when the thenmortal Iomedae visited the town following her recent defeat of the vampire-mage Basilov. While resting on her way to Absalom, Iomedae perceived a strong emanation of evil from several of Kantaria’s governing council members. Iomedae and her entourage confronted them, only to be taken aback when several of the accused revealed themselves as shapechanging faceless stalkers. Battling the horrific aberrations throughout town, Iomedae and her retinue eventually defeated them, only to leave Kantaria leaderless. Believing that whatever was behind the infestation might soon return, Iomedae offered to defend the town and assist in creating a stable government. Her suspicions were confirmed when an army of faceless stalkers almost immediately attempted to invade the town.
For months, Iomedae repelled constant incursions, eventually facing the true leaders behind the assault—a cabal of veiled masters. The siege culminated in a great battle on the day following the one-year anniversary of Iomedae’s arrival in Kantaria. Pressed on all sides, Iomedae and the town’s surviving defenders retreated into the old command post built by General Kantarikos. The veiled masters discarded any attempt at subtlety and assaulted the fortress directly. Only the timely arrival of Arakhan Narikopolus, the long-missing rightful lord of Kantaria, at the head of a host of adventurers, mercenaries, and soldiers saved the people of Kantaria and restored peace.
In recognition of his valor, Iomedae gifted her sword, Heart’s Edge, to Arakhan to help defend the town should the veiled masters return. She also handed over leadership to him, restoring House Narikopolus’s rule of Kantaria. Iomedae then departed and resumed her journey to Absalom. Soon after, she ascended into the ranks of divinity, and Kantaria became a sacred site for the goddess’ nascent church.
特鲁恩家族
Kantaria changed little over the intervening centuries, though it slowly grew in affluence due to the fame from its direct association with the goddess Iomedae. Even Cheliax’s declaration of independence from Taldor in 4081 ar had little impact on the town. The leaders of House Narikopolus became archdukes of Menador during this time, but Kantaria otherwise remained distant from the politics of greater Cheliax. During the Everwar, Kantaria saw an influx of soldiers passing through on their way to subjugate Nidal, and the town remains a stopping point for those traveling between the two nations to this day.
The outbreak of civil war following Aroden’s death in 4606 ar dramatically impacted Kantaria. While the town remained untouched by the war itself, when House Thrune seized power and took control of Cheliax in 4640 ar, Kantaria contended with the rise of diabolism and the state worship of Asmodeus. Being distant from the new capital of Egorian allowed Kantaria to maintain some independence from Thrune’s various edicts, but Kantaria’s holy significance to the church of Iomedae drew unwelcome attention. House Narikopolus became a loyal supporter of Thrune, and to appease the throne, ordered that Kantaria’s former chapel of Aroden be converted into a temple of Asmodeus.
Nevertheless, Kantaria retained its status as a sacred site of Iomedae in the aftermath of House Thrune’s ascension, and even enjoyed a modicum of prosperity as the growing slave economy resulted in regular caravans passing through the town as they moved between the cosmopolitan cities of the south and the Menador Mountains, Nidal, and points farther north.
辉煌光复军
劇透 - :
When the Glorious Reclamation launched its crusade against House Thrune to restore the faith of Iomedae in Cheliax, the dormant tensions between Kantaria’s Asmodeans and Iomedaeans flared into life. Fourth Sword Knight Oppian Nevilindor, the local leader of the town’s church of Iomedae, worked to avoid any potential crackdown on those disloyal to House Thrune by mediating these conflicts. Due to its status as a sacred site, Kantaria presented an important military and religious objective for the Glorious Reclamation, which had secretly contacted Nevilindor weeks before to prepare for the town’s conquest.
Once House Thrune declared martial law in Cheliax’s major cities, the members of House Narikopolus left Kantaria for Egorian to present themselves to the imperial court. Seeing the family’s departure as an opportunity, the Glorious Reclamation launched a precision strike on Kantaria, seizing the town in a single day with minimal bloodshed. To maintain order, the Glorious Reclamation appointed Oppian Nevilindor governor of Kantaria, supported by a council of local Kantarian advisors.
Today, Kantaria is adapting to a new way of life as the just and merciful teachings of Iomedae replace the tyrannical edicts of House Thrune. Gone are the public displays of torture and humiliation in the old town square, replaced with a flourishing farmers’ market. No longer are the needs of the people decided by a decadent noble house, but by a kindhearted leader who seeks the advice of the town’s own citizens. It is a new age for Kantaria, as the forces of the goddess who once saved the town seek to secure its auspicious future under their guidance.
坎塔瑞亚的流言
小乌斯克森林旅店的保镖：据说是考虑现在坎塔瑞亚的局势，小乌斯克森林旅店的老板洛蕾达娜最近雇佣了一队冒险者，他们现在刚刚入驻小乌斯克森林旅店之内。有人在纳里科波罗斯庄园门口见过他们——洛蕾达娜带着他们来参加这里进行的早午餐，听说里面有一个小孩子、一位魔裔，甚至还有一位从天夏来的人，真是奇怪的队伍。
被囚禁的地狱骑士:许多抵抗辉煌光复军解放坎塔瑞亚的特鲁恩支持者被囚禁在城外一个名叫做艰苦壁炉的工作营地之内。在这些囚犯中，有一位地狱骑士
魔鬼铁匠：坎塔瑞亚现在的镇长奥皮安·内维伦多在辉煌光复军解放该镇的期间杀死了他最好的朋友，镇上的铁匠泰克斯·格罗特。如今，格罗特铁匠铺的废墟上仍然燃烧着火焰；据说，格罗特的灵魂化身成一个可怕的魔鬼回来了，他会挥舞他的魔法铁锤对付任何胆敢扰乱他领地的人
伊格赞普洛斯(Exemplar)：在艾奥梅黛还是凡人统治着坎塔瑞亚的时候，她在当地照顾着一只狗，她将其命名为“伊格赞普洛斯(Exemplar)”。在她登神之后，“伊格赞普洛斯(Exemplar)”也去世了。几个世纪过去后，有人声称在英勇堡垒外面的庭院看见过与“伊格赞普洛斯(Exemplar)”很像的幽灵猎犬守卫着这处堡垒。
残酷的腐化：费德雷斯·赞恩，一位在坎塔瑞亚解放中提供了帮助的半精灵法师，住在旧纳里科波罗斯庄园，纳里科波罗斯家族因为迅速适应了特鲁恩家族向魔鬼的忠诚而闻名，越来越多的人相信赞恩成为了纳里科波罗斯图书馆中隐藏的黑暗秘密的牺牲品。
港口管理者：乔纳斯·雷克曼是一位臭名昭著的河盗，他在坎塔瑞亚找到了庇护所并为特鲁恩家族工作成为该镇自称的港口管理者。尽管他非常残暴，但在辉煌光复军解放城镇后仍然保留了他的位置。如今他负责监督对停泊在坎塔瑞亚码头的船只进行搜索——众所周知的这些搜索是为了确保船只没有为特鲁恩家族输送物资或者武器，并且在此停泊开始收费以用于对坎塔瑞亚民兵加强训练以帮助辉煌光复军保护小镇。
失踪的家庭：通常会在坎塔瑞亚每周的周四市场出现的布雷顿一家已经有好几个星期没有消息了。大多数人认为这个家族可能是在内陆地区与纳里科波罗斯家族的效忠者发生了冲突，可能是在小镇西北部绽放洞穴之内，但目前辉煌光复军还没有开始派人进行调查。
奥皮安的感情：一个众所周知的秘密，坎塔瑞亚现在的镇长奥皮安·内维伦多对小乌斯克森林旅店的主人洛蕾达娜·维奥里卡所怀有的感情超出了一位牧羊人对照顾羊群的感情。艾奥梅黛的神职人员不会按照他的意愿行事，但他会尽其所能的保护洛蕾达娜，使其免受辉煌光复军狂热与好奇的影响
无情的使者：正义的凯瑟拉是辉煌光复军的一员，也是奥皮安·内维伦多的顾问。做为托拉格的审判者，这位火药味十足的矮人负责将坎塔瑞亚古老的阿斯莫迪斯教堂圣化以用来供奉创世之父。她目前正远离小镇，与麦纳多山脉的各个矿山建立贸易伙伴关系。
失踪的猎户：最近时常会到坎塔瑞亚的猎户失去了下落，辉煌光复军试图寻找失踪的人但却一无所获。
被劫掠的物资：来自麦纳多山脉的货物在即将抵达坎塔瑞亚的时候被劫走了，很多人认为这里残存的纳里科波罗斯家族所干的事情。不过更多的人在这件事情上得到的结论是坎塔瑞亚周边不再安全，这引起了许多镇民的担忧。
蔓延的火焰：格罗特铁匠铺废墟一直在燃烧的火焰有蔓延的趋势，路过那里的人还受到的伤害，人们对那里更加害怕和担忧。或许辉煌光复军会很快介入这件事情。
绝望值：16
坎塔瑞亚的镇民开始怀疑最近发生的一些事情背后存在着联系，奥皮安·奈维林多开始对最近来到这里的人产生怀疑并安排了一些监控。
