The Host of Nid Arach

The mould of Gillsmouth is that of a subtle eeriness. Where Nid Arach was in-your-face viscera gore, sprawling chaos, and disease, Gillsmouth will have an inkling of being watched, a drop of hairs standing up, and a good measure of unsure-what’s-going-on-here. The strength of Nid Arach was its untamed, obvious, evil wilderness. The strength of Gillmouth will be the constant feeling of there being more to it all than meets the eye, while constantly feeling like you're out of place.

The Host of Gillsmouth

A new age has dawned and with it, a shamble town is pulled from the brackish clay! Here, at the mouth of the river Gill, the puddles are deep and the sludge is unyielding. It takes a certain type of stubbornness to carve out an existence on these muddy flats, or is it folly? One thing is for sure; the citizens of Gillsmouth are a shady bunch at best…

Fish. It has to be something about the fish. Or perhaps the wafts of fermenting sea wrack on the breeze. You’re sure something is off, but the more you try to get a grip on what that is exactly, the more of it slips through your fingers like the stinking marshland mud. All the while, the civilians gaze at you with their unblinking round eyes, greasy skin, and oddly wrinkled necks…

Gillsmouth will test your mental fortitude to its limits! Are you up to the task at hand?

Events in Gillsmouth

All of the events in Gillsmouth revolve around mysteries to solve. You'll find that with every question answered, two new queries arise. And as you delve deeper into Gillsmouth's history and lore, you begin to slowly understand that the eerie feeling of the place only increases with each bit of knowledge you gain…

Why go to Gillsmouth and solve mysteries? Enter the newly elected mayor of the town, serving his own masters in turn. This mayor is in way over his head. Every time the mayor starts a project to expand the town, repair a building, or create logistics, he is met with disaster. It is as if the town is fighting its own development in some sinister sort of supernatural way. The mayor calls out to adventurers who dare solve these obstructions.

Of course, there is fair compensation from the mayor in terms of coin and future favors. There will also be lore to gather and each event will yield something uniquely tied to Gillsmouth’s legacy!

Events

Soundtrack of Gillsmouth

The town will have several ‘quests’ (aka events or event series) active at once. Before hosting the Gillsmouth event, the attendees will vote/choose which quest they’re interested in. Every time an event is completed, a new event will be revealed, keeping the total number of events to choose from at 3. This goes on until 9 events are completed, after which the finale (event 10) is revealed!

Village Gloom - ACT 1

Spooked Mayor - 27th of April 2026
Vacant Expressions - 8th of May 2026
Putrid Paths - 10th of May 2026
Creaking Construction Site - 17th of May 2026
Muscles Needed - 23rd of May 2026
Smokey Larry - 29th of May 2026
Weird Wayne - 30th of May 2026
Market Disrupted - 2nd of June 2026
Greta's Predicament - 3rd of June 2026
A Smell From The Well - 5th of June 2026 - FINALE

INTERMEZZO
Gillsmouth's Subjugation - 12th of June 2026

Mysterious Malady - ACT 2

To Find A Cure - 14th of June 2026
Fiendishly Cruel - 16th of June 2026
Finding Larry - 17th of June 2026
Lust At First Sight - 23rd of June 2026
Finding Greta - 24th of June 2026
Who's For Dinner - 30th of June 2026
Book of Fungi - 1st of July 2026
Stopping Garren - 2nd of July 2026
From Spore To Cure - 15th of July 2026
The Reason They Chose Gillsmouth - 16th of July 2026 - FINALE!

Survival In Gillsmouth - ACT 3

Taking Stock - Ongoing, starting 17th of July

How to participate and complete your event

It boils down to keeping your eyes open and following the clues laid out. Do not rush into things, because more often than not there is some level of knowledge required to tackle the challenge ahead. Your goal is to solve the mystery by fully understanding it, so you understand how best to continue and confront the problem that you're trying to solve.

If you've solved the mystery correctly, it will be obvious what you need to do to successfully finish the event, unlocking the reward. If you missed something important or made mistakes, the confrontation will be much harder (or sometimes impossible) to deal with at that moment. Badly confronted mysteries will have bad consequences for Gillsmouth. Still, the event ends when the mystery is confronted, successfully or otherwise.

Running away screaming is also a way of confronting a mystery.

GILLSMOUTH TOWN PROGRESS

As events are hosted, played, and completed, the mysteries that are stopping the town from expanding are solved and taken care of. I will be building and expanding in between events as you unlock those parts of the town, so every bit of Gillsmouth will be built upon the efforts of the players attending these events and I like that a lot. Each building will be there for a reason, or a purpose, and stands as a monument to that one event with those specific people who attended.

The Mayor's Office

Halvar, Tekoa, and Kari have lifted the curse upon the Mayor's Office, allowing the mayor to move in. This building is now the central starting area of each new event, where you can find clues from past events that might aid you in solving your current mystery.

The Trade Hub

This building serves as a storage for quest items from solved mysteries that were not taken by characters, nor are needed for future quests. Players can trade any of their own items of 'equal(ish)' value with any of the items on display in the trade hub.

The Workshop

The workshop allows players to repair "Gillsmouth Fragments" by combining 3 fragments into 1 loot item. These loot items are as much a fun souvenir to have, as they are a part of the fabric of Gillsmouth, unveiling its mysterious story bit by bit.

GILLSMOUTH INSTITUTIONS

The Salvage Yard

This is the place where infernal items get scrapped into base components.
The output of this yard can be picked up at a chest on sight, allowing players to make use of the material individually.

Current Yields
TIER I - 1 Hellmetal scrap per OOC day, which amounts to 1 hellmetal ingot when processed.
TIER II - 1 Embersteel scrap per OOC day, which amounts to 1 Embersteel ingot when processed.

The Cemetery

Initiated by Kari and supported by the mayor, a place for the deceased to rest and for the living to contemplate.

Current Yields
TIER I - CALM - 5 souls interred
There is a perpetual thick dark fog, the heads of the gravestones sticking out like islands.
EFFECT:
Those who dwell within the fog find solace, peace, and rest in this otherwise eerie and miserable town.
YIELD:
Anyone can harvest small amounts of ectoplasm (spawning in itemframes at the graves sporadically) and use 1 ectoplasm to cast Ghostly Illusion; any illusion themed around ghosts, max the size of a human. It dissipates on touch.

TIER II - SEANCE ARCHWAY - 15 souls interred
The dead may choose to cross to and from their realm into ours within the confines of the cemetery.
EFFECT:
An archway to the realm of the dead opens in the centre of the graveyard. You are not able to enter it, but instead the dead can visit the graveyard. All of the spirits buried here may now be seen and interacted with.
YIELD:
None

TIER III - SANCTUARY - 30 souls required
Effects: ???

TIER IV - DARK TIME - 50 souls required
Effects: ???

Gillsmouth Citizens

Smokey Larry

Art by Odinoir

A stoic fisherman with a pale complexion. His gaunt features and observant demeanour has many squirming awkwardly beneath his silent gaze. He is one of the few people with good relations with past mayors, as the mayors brought some level of trade to the town, which he has capitalized upon by selling his fish.

Greta Gossip

A woman who likes to be in the know and achieves such by talking to the citizens of Gillsmouth daily. She has been accused of slander and blackmail, but those charges have never been proven. Unfamiliar faces will find it hard to believe she's such a talker, as those are greeted with the typical silent "Gillsmouth Stare"

Wonderful (Weird) Wayne

Art by dScryb

An atypical Gillsmouth resident. Doesn't stare and doesn't stay silent; this pale stranger knows the people need his products and sells them for unfair rates, because they're in such desperate need for it. He doesn't seem to care about the moral implications of ripping off the poor, yet he's an invaluable asset to the town; always having for sale what the people require.

Mayor's Favor

Characters that attend an event get 1 favor from the mayor in thanks

"Favor" is how I measure the influence and connection you have with the mayor of Gillsmouth.
Should your character at any point need something (also unrelated to Gillsmouth) you can collect favors.

This system is rather freeform and instinctual, the categories below are only an indication.
You can think of anything outside of the named things and I'll see which category it belongs to.

Characters can fall out of favor by actions that damage Gillsmouth or by calling in too many favors, max (- 1/2 * total favor)
When favor is negative, the villagers will curse at you, spit at you, toss fish at you, all the way to trying to physically hurt you.

CATEGORY I
[1 favor]
Some basic equipment you may need
A recommendation letter from the mayor
Monetary compensation for solving a mystery
A piece of Gillsmouth loot without needing fragments
Claim a market stall to sell your wares to PCs and NPCs alike

CATEGORY II
[3 favor]
Construction of your own home to be built within Gillsmouth
Expanding your own home (workshop/observatory/cave/wine cellar/etc)
A shipment of basic Gillsmouth-themed supplies brought to your town
Commission any of the Gillsmouth citizens for a custom tailored set of something
A Gillsmouth representative to join you once (guard/scholar/etc that I'll temp at your RP)

CATEGORY III
[7 favor]
Trade contract for regular shipments of Gillsmouth themed supplies to your town (Connect your town to Gillsmouth by ship)
Allow 1 Gillsmouth ambassador inside your town (and I host a Gillsmouth mystery in your town)
Political visits of the mayor to attempt enacting change at a location of your choice on your behalf
Construction of a GW building of your choosing within Gillsmouth
A custom tailored quest for your character

CATEGORY IV
[15 favor]
(Automatically become a Gillsmouth official and gain the power/prestige that comes with such function)
(Automatically be able to salvage Gillsmouth loot for 2 fragments instead of 3)
Receive 1 unit of wealth
A custom Gillsmouth NPC to follow you on all of your adventures
Receive a copy of every book from the full Gillsmouth series
A large monument dedicated to your character and their role in Gillsmouth

User - Character - Available Favor / Total Favor

@Fronslin - Kari | 11/20 favor
@SkelepunBeanie - Trefor | 6/12 favor
@Sekcii - Lucian | 4/10 favor
@astal - Aster | 7/8 favor
@Meilline_Sasame - Larimar | 6/7 favor
@AionTbird - Halvar | 6/6 favor
@Pan_12Q - Dayton | 6/6 favor
@Cho - Titania | 5/5 favor
@Heie_ - Illario | 4/4 favor
@Kurzik - Melarue | 4/4 favor
@CatalysTftw - Storm | 4/4 favor
@Tomtomgags - Glory | 4/4 favor
@Kurzik - Lacuna | 3/3 favor
@astal - Cian | 2/2 favor
@EldritchDescent - Haswald | 2/2 favor
@blargtheawesome - Asher | 0/2 favor
@SkelepunBeanie - Ophelia | 1/1 favor
@EmberSprite - Vita | 1/1 favor
@Wolfsjoy - Caspian | 1/1 favor
@clownrabies - Vexira | 1/1 favor
@Mr_00Slime - Zik | 1/1 favor
@chimp - Briarwood | 1/1 favor
@VinnyCall - Eoforwine | 1/1 favor

DEVELOPING GILLSMOUTH TOGETHER

During act 3, we will alter the town, also in my absence.

The first rule here is; do not use /fly under any circumstances that your character would not be able to fly.
We're going to go for a realism approach and being attached to the ground has its merits.

WHAT CAN YOU DO HERE?

Without a DM present, you may do a lot, your actions boil down to four groups:
GATHERING - Gather resources; dig trenches, fell trees, salvage from buildings, mine for stone, etc.
TRANSPORTING - Transport resources and items by hand, cart, or boat from within or outside of Gillsmouth. 
CONSTRUCTING - Build structures that will benefit the town, from defences to workshops, I'll supply GW where needed. 
CRAFTING - Create tools, weapons, armour, doors, windows, etc. to benefit the citizens and the town itself.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The four actions have rules to follow. Please follow the rules as strictly as possible.
By following the rules, the need for a DM disappears in most cases. 

EMOTE EVERYTHING
Emote everything from start to finish. Also if there's nobody there.

You may cut down trees to use the lumber. Picking up the axe. Checking its edge. Hacking at the tree. Taking a breather and a drink. Continuing the chopping. The tree falling. The chopping of the branches from the main trunk. The chopping of the logs in good-sized chunks. The clearing of the branches.

This goes for every activity, be it the example above, or mining stone, using the smithy to create a tool, digging a ditch, etc. Whatever you think of while in Gillsmouth, you emote every step. The goal here is for it to take a while, which will trickle drops of dopamine into your brain as you complete the task!

CRAFTING ITEMS
Check online how people would craft this item in medieval times.

To make it more fun, it's interesting to search online for ways medieval people made whatever you're trying to make, and emote the steps. I promise you, this is a lot of fun to do! You may assume you have basic tools with which you can work on your project. Be that ironwork, stone, or wood. 

On top of this, keep in mind that crafting difficult things requires more steps. You may first need to make planks, nails, and wheels before you can construct a cart!

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

ACTION SPECIFIC EXAMPLES

GATHERING
When you fell a tree, use creative to remove the tree, but count the amount of logs, then spread those logs out horizontally in the direction the tree fell (you can optionally use a d4 (N,W,E,S) to determine which direction it fell. 

When you dig stone from a mine, get logs to create supports in the tunnel so you can keep mining without a cave-in happening. I'll log in from time to time to check progress on the town. Any unsupported tunnels will collapse!

TRANSPORT
You build a cart next to your storage pile of stone. You can then start loading that cart with stone. Once it's full, you can then take all those stones from the chest and put them in your inventory to work with, as if you've brought the cart with you.

You may want to transport the bodies of the fallen to the cemetery. Just use common sense here. If you're really strong, you may carry two, but otherwise, that's one per person at most.

CONSTRUCTING
You may use any gathered materials to construct anything you like. Just as long as the materials you use have an origin. If your build requires fresh lumber; cut enough tree to suffice. If it is made from salvaged materials, you may need to salvage one of the vacant houses!

CRAFTING
A cart needs a wheel. You may use wood you gathered, emote your actions, and turn a plank into a wheel.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

ADDED FAVOR SYSTEM

THE WORKSHOP has been built! You can now repair 3 broken "Gillsmouth Fragments" to discover a mysterious item!

Salvage yard was added about a week ago, but I only now had the time to describe it in the thread

Addition of the cemetery!