Ravensgate City Watch

Overview:
The Ravensgate City Watch, a disciplined but underfunded law enforcement force, struggles to maintain order in Ravensgate’s plague-ridden streets, quelling riots and cultist uprisings amid the city’s lockdown. Loyal to Albion’s crown but skeptical of the Iron Quill’s nobles, they rely on Plague Doctors for support, assigning quests to hunt Ebon Star cultists and secure the Aetherian seal. Tainted by Eldritch Gods like Nyrathos, Zaladria, and Xulthar, their efforts are crucial to uncovering the plague’s source and preventing a second Calamity of the Void.

Description:
In Ravensgate’s fog-choked alleys, the City Watch patrols with dented brass armor, their boots echoing on cobblestones slick with plague ichor. Arcane lanterns flicker, casting shadows that writhe like Zaladria’s illusions, while the air bites with smog and ozone, stinging eyes. Officers, gaunt from sleepless nights, grip rune-etched batons, their hands trembling under Nyrathos’s whispers. The Watch’s aesthetic blends steampunk grit—creaking gear-belts, rusted blades—with cosmic dread, their posts haunted by Xulthar’s void rifts. Every riot quelled feels like a stand against the maw of chaos.

History:
Pre-Calamity: The City Watch’s precursors were the Aetherian Empire’s wardens, guarding Crownspire (modern Ravensgate) and enforcing Veil wards. Loyal to the empire’s crown, they distrusted arcanist nobles, whose experiments drew Nyrathos’s secrets and Zaladria’s deceit. Xulthar’s voids opened rifts in their ranks, while Morgrath’s madness sparked paranoia, weakening their defenses before the Calamity.

During the Calamity: The Calamity of the Void overwhelmed the wardens. Xulthar’s rifts spawned void-wraiths in Crownspire, Zaladria’s illusions turned allies into foes, and Nyrathos’s whispers drove officers mad, amplifying the Whisperplague. Ebon Star cultists exploited the chaos, spreading plague-like curses. The wardens aided Aetherian arcanists in sealing the gods beneath Ravensgate, but their numbers dwindled, leaving a fractured force in the aftermath.

Current History: In Ravensgate’s lockdown, the City Watch battles underfunded, their armories sparse and morale frayed. They quell plague riots in the District of Desolation and hunt Ebon Star cultists in the Veilcrypt, suspecting the Iron Quill’s nobles hoard resources like Starlight Ink. Relying on Plague Doctors for medical aid, they assign quests to secure tainted relics or stop rituals weakening the Aetherian seal. Tensions with the Ember Syndicate and distrust of the Council fuel their resolve, but eldritch influence threatens corruption, pushing adventurers to aid their fight to prevent a catastrophic resurgence.

Regions in Ravensgate:

  1. Watchtower Bastion: A fortified post in the District of Order, pulsing with rune-wards, where Watch plans operations.

  2. Fogbound Lantern: A shadowy tavern used as a Watch outpost, tainted by Zaladria’s illusions.

  3. Crownspire Barracks: A brass-plated stronghold, echoing Nyrathos’s whispers, guarding lockdown seals.

  4. Mistveil Pier Outpost: A foggy dock checkpoint, haunted by Zephyrus’s omens, monitoring smuggler rifts.

  5. Withered Watchpost: A decayed station in the District of Desolation, scarred by Xyraxis’s decay.

  6. Ashen Checkpoint: A scorched gate burned by Seraphel’s purges, defending against cultist incursions.

Characters:

  1. Captain Theron Stahl

    • Description: Stern human captain, polished helm, skeptical gaze.

    • Backstory: Watchtower Bastion leader, distrusts Iron Quill, assigns quests to hunt Ebon Star (Persuasion DC 15).

  2. Sergeant Gorran Slate

    • Description: Grizzled guard, dented armor, trembling hands.

    • Backstory: Fogbound Lantern officer, tainted by Nyrathos’s whispers, seeks plague relics. Guides players to rifts (Insight DC 14).

  3. Voidstalker Kael Duskveil

    • Description: Corrupted watchman, void-tattooed, manic eyes.

    • Backstory: Crownspire Barracks traitor, serves Xulthar, ambushes players (CR 3, Spy).

  4. Mistwarden Toren Fogveil

    • Description: Breezy scout, misty cloak, whispering voice.

    • Backstory: Mistveil Pier guard, hears Zephyrus’s omens, tracks smuggler rifts. Offers intel (Arcana DC 15).

  5. Witherkin Lyssa Ashveil

    • Description: Frail recruit, ashen skin, ravenous gaze.

    • Backstory: Withered Watchpost survivor, tainted by Xyraxis, seeks plague cures. Guides to ruins (Investigation DC 16).

  6. Dawnblade Elara Pureveil

    • Description: Radiant enforcer, glowing blade, scarred face.

    • Backstory: Ashen Checkpoint zealot, purges “traitors” for Seraphel, allied with Ebon Star (CR 3, Cult Fanatic).

  7. Runeguard Myron Shadeveil

    • Description: Pale officer, rune-etched armor, fractured eyes.

    • Backstory: Crownspire Barracks scribe, maddened by Morgrath’s mirrors, tracks plague tomes (Persuasion DC 15).

  8. Plaguewarden Sylva Thornveil

    • Description: Verdant Covenant ally, vine-wreathed, haunted gaze.

    • Backstory: Fogbound Lantern healer, aids Watch, torn by Xyraxis’s decay. Offers herbs (Nature DC 12).

  9. Whisperblade Ragna Mistveil

    • Description: Blind scout, misty armor, trembling voice.

    • Backstory: Mistveil Pier oracle, hears Zephyrus’s truths, warns of Syndicate rifts (Insight DC 14).

  10. Farseer Vionna Starveil

    • Description: Melodic officer, thorn-wreathed baton, haunted eyes.

    • Backstory: Watchtower Bastion tactician, sings to soothe riots, seeks Ebon Star clues (Performance DC 14).

Impacts on Denizens:
The Ravensgate City Watch’s denizens stand as a battered shield against chaos, their brass armor dented by plague riots and cultist blades. Zaladria’s illusions cloak Ebon Star ambushes in the Fogbound Lantern, while Nyrathos’s whispers sow paranoia in the Crownspire Barracks. Xulthar’s rifts threaten the Mistveil Pier, and Xyraxis’s decay taints the Withered Watchpost. Seraphel’s purges burn the Ashen Checkpoint, and Morgrath’s madness fractures their minds. Loyal to Albion’s crown, they distrust the Iron Quill’s hoarding, relying on Plague Doctors to quell unrest and hunt cultists. Their quests to secure relics and stop rituals are vital to uncovering the plague’s source, but eldritch corruption risks their collapse, urging adventurers to bolster their ranks to prevent a catastrophic resurgence of the gods.