Udolpho; Polycarpo and Notari Goblins; Etc
@The Basilica of Polycarpo
The Golden Age of the Exchange
Long before the Potentate united the sword and the scripture, and centuries before the city of Stella Maris rose to become the Queen of the Coast, the heart of Velorian commerce beat within the Basilica of Policarpo. Founded during the era of the Velorian City-States, the structure was a sanctified warehouse. Its architecture spoke of a time when the southern continent of Erythraia held dominion over the trade winds; the Basilica was a marvel of horseshoe arches, intricate geometric stonework, and open courtyards designed to cool the air for foreign merchants. In those days, the coast was deeper, and galleys could dock directly at the temple’s water-gate to tithe their spices and silk before the eyes of the priests.
The War of the Three Cousins
The Basilica’s golden age ended in blood. Around eight hundred years ago, following the infamous "War of the Three Cousins"—a fratricidal struggle between the fractured noble houses of the coast—the fragile stability of the region collapsed. Seizing the opportunity under the guise of peacekeeping, the Dakolos Dynasty of Alendria launched a naval intervention. They seized the Basilica, fortifying it as the seat of their colonial governor. For nearly two centuries, the Alendrian Eagle flew over the Velorian coast. The occupation was not without resistance; the northern walls of the Basilica still bear the jagged scars of impact where the heavy cavalry of Arinn—allied with rebel Velorian nobles—smashed against the stone in vain. It was a clash of eras: the rigid shield-walls of the Alendrian legionnaires against the thundering charge of Arinnese knights, grinding the trade hub into a fortress of stalemate.
The Slow Drowning
Ultimately, it was not war that conquered Policarpo, but the earth itself. As the Dakolos line faltered in Alendria due to famine, replaced by the Landon dynasty, their colonial grip loosened. Simultaneously, the geography of the coast began to shift. The harbor silted up, turning the sparkling bay into a choking salt marsh, while the deep-water harbor of Stella Maris to the north began to draw the world's trade. The merchants left, then the priests, and finally, the soldiers. The Basilica was never formally decommissioned; it was simply surrendered to the rising mud. For generations, it stood as a hollow, sinking ghost—a reminder of a time when Veloria was merely a prize to be fought over by greater empires.
Notari Goblins — The Basilica of Polycarpo: The High Court of the Dropped Coin
Today, the silence of the ruins has been broken by a grotesque parody of civilization. Travelers on the Via Veloria report that the Basilica is no longer abandoned. The Notari—a tribe of goblins obsessed with the pageantry of "law"—have claimed the sinking cathedral as their "Capital." Where Erythraian merchants once traded diamonds and Alendrian governors once signed treaties, the Grand Audit now sits upon a throne of rotting tapestries, screaming nonsensical statutes at his subjects. They have turned the history of the coast into a weapon of bureaucracy, enforcing tolls on a road that leads nowhere and hoarding the "legal authority" of a kingdom that turned to dust centuries ago. Notari goblins stock the @Via Veloria and @Polycarpo.
Types of Notari Goblins
@Notari Goblin Strangler
@Notari Goblin Wax-Scrivener
@Notari Docket Master (Formidable master of road tolls)
@The Grand Audit (Head Goblin located in @The Basilica of Polycarpo)
Udolpho of Veloria; Udolpho Monestary
(Relates to @Udolpho Monastery , @Montoni, Inquisitor Revenant of Veloria, & @The Veiled Portrait of Udolpho)
Udolpho was once a sanctuary for the weary, a holy intersection of monastery and manor. Yet, under the rule of Count Montoni, it became a fortress of judgment. Montoni was a paradox—half worldly noble, half fanatical spiritualist—who believed himself to be the divine gatekeeper of the western coast of Skybride. His pursuit of purity was terrifyingly rigorous; pilgrims were turned away, diplomats interrogated, and the 'impure' purged by his decree.
His obsession culminated in the commissioning of The Veiled Portrait of Udolpho. Painted by a blind prophetess, shrouded in silk, and sealed with saltwater rites, the canvas was said to hold a terrible mirror. It did not reflect the sitter’s face, but the viewer’s corruption. Those who dared gaze upon it saw their deepest betrayals and forbidden desires laid bare. Madness followed; some cast themselves from the cliffs, while others simply walked into the sea and vanished. Montoni himself is said to have drowned—claimed, perhaps, by the very waters he sought to command. The manor was sealed, but the Portrait remains. Legends whisper that Montoni, bound by pride and divine wrath, still stalks the flooded lower halls, an eternal inquisitor demanding confession from any who trespass.
@The Veiled Portrait of Udolpho
A flooded basilica chamber carved into a cliffside, with salt-stained marble columns, broken stained glass windows casting colored light across the water, celestial mosaics faded and cracked on the vaulted ceiling, ritual altars half-submerged, candlelight flickering on damp stone walls, mist curling through open archways, relics and scrolls floating in the shallows, atmosphere of sacred ruin and Gothic mystery.
Traits
Silken Veil. Any creature that looks directly at the portrait must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On failure, they experience one of the following effects (roll d4):
Salt Guilt: Take 4d10 psychic damage and become frightened for 1 minute.
Mariner’s Temptation: See an illusion of a loved one offering false guidance (DC 15 Insight to disbelieve).
Drowned Shame: Become restrained by spectral chains for 1 minute (save ends at end of turn).
Spiritual Collapse: Lose ability to distinguish illusion from reality (disadvantage on Insight and Perception for 1 hour).
Tide of Revelation (Recharge 6): The portrait emits a wave of psychic energy. All creatures within 30 ft. must make a DC 17 Intelligence saving throw or take 22 (5d8) psychic damage and be stunned until the end of their next turn.
Montoni’s Link: If @Montoni, Inquisitor Revenant of Veloria is destroyed, the portrait loses its magic. If the portrait is destroyed, Montoni loses his legendary actions for 1 hour.