Games, all sorts

The year is 1356 DR. The city of Phlan, built on ruins upon ruins, is a city at war. It is divided between the human forces of the Council, and those evil forces that hold a great deal of the old city under their sway. The human territories of Phlan are nestled behind a strong stockade of stone quarried from the ruins, and trees lumbered from the Quivering Forest. A substantial city guard patrols the walls at all hours, always ready to repel any attacks by the old city's evil inhabitants. The buildings of rebuilt Phlan are sturdy and ultilitarian, with little of the splendor of the ancient past. Those glories shine through in an ancient column now used to support a stable's wooden roof, or a faded fresco overlooking a tavern's taproom. The past is always with the inhabitants of Phlan, reminding them of what once was and could yet be again.

The natives of Phlan are a mixed group, including descendants of the families of Valjevo's day and returnees seeking to reclaim lands and treasure lost to the Black Horde fifty years ago. The city is also filled with adventurers seeking new fortunes and traders hoping to re-establish the old trading lines. Orcs and other generally evil humanoids are viewed with alarm within the city, though evil humans come and go unmolested with the ships. It is said that spies from the other cities of the Moonsea make regular calls with the ships, overseeing the progress of the Council in reclaiming the city. If the Council is too successful, some say, then sabotage may be in order to prevent Phlan from returning to its former power.

The lands beyond the civilized stockade are wild ruins controlled by whatever local faction or tribe holds that piece of land. Control lasts only as long as the reach of claw or blade. Petty bands of orcs, goblins, and men vie for dominance, some led by more sinister powers.

Much of Phlan's ruined greatness can be found in the Old City. The main sights include: the forgotten riches of the old noble houses; Podol Plaza, the center of the old trading district; and the Old Temple, now dedicated to Bane, the Lord of Tyranny. Mendor's Library, once a renowned center of learning in the North, sits mostly intact, yet somehow magically sealed from all entry. Abandoned Sokal Keep still guards the harbor, silent and eerily untouched by the fires of war. Valjevo Castle, the centerpiece of the Old City, has been refortified and is being used as a headquarters for one faction leader or another. And across the Barren River, historic Valhingen Graveyard, where generations of ancient Phlaners are interred, seems to brood under a gloomy overcast even on the brightest days.

Beyond the city's crumbling walls, the land is as wild as it ever was, and rumors are plentiful. The enchanted Quivering Forest has been fully restored, though the shadows beneath its boughs seem darker than they once were, and men who venture too deep do not return. North along the Barren River, in the center of Lake Kuto, the great shining pyramid atop Sorcerer's Island is said to be active once again. And, as ever, tale-tellers whisper of the Pool of Radiance and the limitless power, or unspeakable demise, that it offers.

Phlan remains now, as it has ever been, a city with the greatest of potential. In the cycles of its rise and fall, legends have arisen before. In engineering New Phlan's renaissance, new legends are sure to emerge.