BW PDF - Midnight Campaign

The Great Game of HuntersEvery year, in the Gryphon Highlands, a group ofhunters, warriors, thrill-seekers, spectators, and allaround adventurers scale the cliffs leading up to thehighlands and attend the great game of Hunters.They gather in one large festival, several thousandstrong, and venture out into the highlands everyday for several weeks, returning with whateversupernatural prey they can find. Some come back withcreatures such as manticore and gryphons, the verylucky and very powerful come back with drakes oreven Sphinx, and most, year after year, don’t come backat all. At the end of the games festivities. Those whosurvive and bring forth the greatest prize sare givengreat fame and the rewards of pool betting.This is the closest thing to a human civilization thatcan be found in the highlands, and if rumors have it,is permitted and even encouraged by the sentientbeings who otherwise dwell there. It could be thatthey like the notoriety this brings to their species,it could be that they look forward to the challenge,to cull out the weak and stupid, or it could be that allof the treasure and arcane equipment brought into thehighlands ends up in the hands of the more powerful,and more deserving, monsters of the Highlands.Even if true, these rumors only seem to draw outmore adventurers, rather than frighten them away.The King’s Pass trading CampOn the southern border of Davir, between themountain ranges of the Leandari mountains andthe Grim Peaks is a pass that connects the northernnations to the Ethean plains. Here the Clans havestruck an arrangement with the King of Davir,in order to create a massive tent-city, a tradingsettlement where the two communities can meetand exchange goods. This is not a permanent city,which was unacceptable to the clans, but is insteada wide expanse of tents, that individual merchants setup for trade. Although Daviran horsemen and officialsare present to try and keep some semblance of order,aided by mages from the Tower of Majeir and sometoken warriors from the clans, this area becomesa hotbed for thieves and mercenaries, where eachindividul merchant is largely responsible for hiringtheir own protection. Significant mercantile fortunescan be made at the King’s Pass, but there is alsoconstant risk, between Kardan mercenaries andClansmen raiders are always at the ready to takewhat they want by force.