Introduction
Dark times have come to the city of Ashara—the capital of the ancient Thannish Kingdom of Gwynne. The frail and sickly King Garik Eridani II hovers near the verge of death, surrounded by his much-younger second wife, Queen Ileosa and his eldest son, Prince Gerold. Rumors abound that neither will mourn the passing of the ailing King, and that a power struggle over succession currently rages behind the scenes between the Queen, the Prince and Neolandus Dhoru, the royal Seneschal. The outcome of this power struggle has yet to unfold!
Welcome to the Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path, adapted for use in the Corwyn Game Setting! This campaign is set completely within the grand city of Ashara. The Adventure will take your characters from the dirty, back alleyways of the city all the way to the inner halls of Castle Manticore as you ultimately confront those who hold strong ambitions to sit upon the infamous Crimson Throne!
As you begin this adventure, it is assumed all player characters are native-born residents of Ashara and that each one of them has been wronged in some fashion by a local crime lord named Gaedren Lamm.
The City of Ashara
Located on a series of grassy bluffs and gentle hills along the eastern banks of the Myrival River, Ashara is Gwynne’s largest and oldest city, tracing its roots back to the distant years of the Third Age when it was nothing more than an Ashanti trading post. Today, the city is one of the largest Thannish population centers on the continent of Corwyn. Sadly, this once-great city is currently plagued with corruption and poverty. For many of its citizens, it is a miserable place to live.
The city has always benefited from its ideal position at the junction of the Myrival and Ghastonne rivers. The Myrival then flows south and empties into the Sea of Orel. For many centuries, merchant vessels have sailed up and down the river, and made Ashara a thriving seaport.
Ashara is an important road junction as well. Everyday dozens of merchant caravans arrive at the city via the Stoneway, which runs west to the neighboring city of Kholis and east toward the nation of Üthrar.
Many travelers from Drakhara also arrive via the Ansilay Road, which runs south over the Frostcrown Mountains, through the Freehold of Trevalia, and then winds its way southwest to Ashara.
The first thing visitors see when approaching Ashara are its high stone walls and towering battlements; a grim reminder of a long and bloody history of warfare in this region. On a great hill located in the center of the city, is the imposing fortress of Castle Manticore; home to the Gwynnish monarchy. This massive castle dominates the city skyline, and is easily the largest structure in Ashara.
The city sprawl fills both a spit of land formed by two sharp turns in the Ghastonne River and Ezrin Isle, with about one-quarter of the city’s population living on the eastern shores of the Ghastonne. A shallow waterway called “the Narrows” separates Ashara from what is colloquially called “the Old City.” Barely thirty feet wide, both sides of the Narrows are covered in a jumbled mass of rickety buildings, and intersected by more than two dozen flimsy wooden bridges.
Off the riverbank, along the southern end of Citadel Hill, rises Shipwreck Isle; a dangerous outcropping of jagged rocks that jut from the fast-moving waters of the Myrival, and provide a sturdy foundation for the ancient Ashara Lighthouse.
City Gazetteer
Administratively, Ashara is divided into eight Districts: East Shore, Graystone, the Heights, Midland, the Narrows, Old Ashara, South Shore, and West Shore.
East Shore
The only district beyond the channel of the Ghastonne River, East Shore is home to a handful of noble houses closely tied to various Merchant Guilds of Ashara, as well as the struggling Nexus College.
East Shore is also the most diverse of the city administrative districts, and its residents see themselves as somewhat separate from other Asharans who live across the river. Many merchants make their home here because the huge caravan parks are located here, bringing a multitude of trade goods into and out of the city.
Graystone
Unlike all other districts in Ashara, Gray’s residents mostly stay to themselves and are generally well-behaved. Of course, many of Gray’s residents are dead. The district is largely made up of the city graveyard, as well as a few noble houses and a mixture of tenements. Most residents here belong to the Temple of Nerydia.
The Heights
Standing atop Citadel Hill, the Heights District has a commanding view of the rest of the city, which its residents look down on—both figuratively and literally. As the city’s wealthiest district, the Heights are home to more than a hundred of the most powerful Gwynnish noble families and twice that many, wealthy merchants.
The cost of land in the ward is more than twice that of other city districts. Violent crimes rarely occur here, although property crimes, especially burglary, do occur with surprising and unfortunate regularity. Nearly all of Ashara’s powerful and influential citizens reside in the Heights, including the City Overlord. This district is home to many of the city's wealthiest families, but most are still considered "new money."
Midland
When most people think of Ashara, they think of the cosmopolitan and friendly district of Midland. Situated on the leeward side of Citadel Hill, Midland stretches from the end of the city wall south to Graystone District and the Pillar Wall. It rises from sea level to climb the eastern slope of Citadel Hill, where it ends just below the summit line.
Midland encompasses the teeming, seedy city harbor. Because of its raucous nature, Midland is seen as the most dangerous in the city, even though crime is higher in the Slums. It is here that most outsiders and city visitors can be found.
The Narrows ("the Shingles")
Sometimes called "Bridgefront," this district is Ashara’s worst slum. This district occupies a narrow spit of land at the southern base of Ezrin Isle. The Narrows is home to “the Shingles,” a cramped, jumbled mass of rickety wooden buildings which sprawl many blocks along both sides of a small canal called "the Narrows."
Despite its cramped conditions, nearly a tenth of the city’s population lives here, including most of its poorest and most destitute residents. The Shingles came into being only a few decades ago, when urban renewal projects on Ezrin Isle pushed Old Ashara’s poorest people into its southern edge along the canal. As people flooded into the area, they quickly ran out of room.
Taking a cue from the ancient Ashanti slums, they built upward, with lean-tos and shacks creating impromptu third stories on many of the ward’s buildings. These temporary third stories gave way to more permanent additions, which in turn received tents and shacks atop them.
Over time, this progression of haphazard permanency gave rise to a ramshackle wall of residences reaching as high as five floors in some places. These cramped and irregular roof lines are homes to the city’s poorest and most desperate people.
The children of these impoverished people grew up on the roofs of the Shingles and thought little of traversing the ward by moving above it. Over time, they learned that other sections of the city with equally dense roof lines could also provide hidden and convenient paths.
At first, these young daredevils only used the roofs as highways and called running along the rooftops “shingle dashing.” As the practice became more common and different underworld elements saw potential in its use, permanent and semi-permanent way points, structures, and safe houses appeared on roofs throughout the most crowded parts of the city.
Eventually, these rooftop communities became known collectively as the Shingles. No accurate map of the Shingles exists, as the entire neighborhood and its population are in a constant state of flux.
When the people of Bridgefront ran out of room to erect more buildings, they started adding makeshift floors to extant structures. Over time, these makeshift floors gained their own rooftop lean-tos. Spaces between buildings became fair game as well, with many ladders and walkways crossing gaps over increasingly narrow roads.
Interspaced between the mass of structures are more than two-dozen rickety wooden bridges, most of which cannot support the weight of either horses or wagons. Some are so narrow, only two or three persons can walk on them abreast. There is only one sturdy bridge, located at the crossing of Mainshore Boulevard. This sturdy, iron and oak drawbridge is part of the city's fortifications, and is always heavily guarded.
Old Ashara (the "Old City")
As its name implies, Old Ashara is indeed, quite old. It covers all of Ezrin Isle, which rises from the southern riverbank of the Ghastonne to the northern edge of the Narrows, a small canal which separates it from the remainder of the city. Along the southern edge of the island sits the beehive-like hovels of the Shingles.
The Old Harbor stands on the relatively flat eastern protrusion of the island. Atop Garrison Hill stands the ancient stone walls of the Ashara Keep, completed in the Fifth Age. The imposing Arkhona Manor dominates Old Ashara, while the remains of the original wooden palisade slowly rot near the gate into the ward.
Southshore
This ward is a mixed residential and commercial district, which serves as home to many Asharan armor and weapon-smiths. These skilled smiths are clustered together in the, so-called, "the Avenue of Arms." Southshore is, by far, the most economically diverse ward in the city. The large temple to Etahr is also located here.
Westshore
The first Thannish encampment on the eastern side of the Myrival River was located on the grounds of modern-day Westshore. Several early battles took place here between the Thannish settlers and the Ashanti to establish control of the land.
Following these conflicts, the Thannish settlers erected a wooden palisade, which was later replaced by a stone wall. Sections of the first stone wall still stand and mark the boundaries of the ward.
City residents still honor the Thannish blood spilled to establish and hold the territory, and dozens of statues and other memorials pepper the ward.
This relatively crowded residential district houses many of the city’s professional class and their underlings. Westshore’s most important landmark is the Citadel, home of Ashara’s City Guard and its Chief Magistrate
Important Locations
Six massive landmarks give Ashara its distinctive skyline. All six iconic structures have survived for millennia and some trace back all the way to the earliest days of the Third Age, when Ashara was little more than a caravan stop for traders heading for the East.
Ashara's first and largest landmark is Castle Manticore, which looms large over the city; standing atop a massive hill that rises to a flattened top.
The city's second landmark is the "Pillar Wall;" which stretches across most of the southern end of Citadel Hill, a 75-foot-tall remainder of what was once a magnificent stone fortification; most of which was destroyed in the fall of the city during the horrible War of Annexation.
Just beyond the western terminus of the Pillar Wall stands the city's third major landmark; “The Foot," a massive carving which was originally part of a gigantic statue of Rhodan Mallistäer, the city’s most cherished hero. The great statue was pulled down in the final, bloody days of the War of Annexation and all that remains today is a single foot. The city's other three major landmarks, while impressive, do not come close to the size or grandeur of the above.
Fourth is the impressive Rose Academy, Ashara's most prestigious educational institution. Located in the Heights, the Academy is surrounded by a massive curtain wall, and its imposing architecture stands out. This lavish building is the most expensive structure ever built within Ashara's walls.
Fifth, is the massive temple to Myrival; Corwyn's Goddess of the Sea. Located on the riverfront, this massive, star-shaped building is clad entirely in green marble. Its central audience chamber can hold up to 5,000 persons. It is truly a magnificent piece of architecture and one of the largest temples found anywhere on Corwyn.
Ashara's final landmark is the Citadel; an imposing stone fortress located in Westshore. Today this massive castle is home to the City Guard. Besides its impressive landmarks, Ashara’s other famous man-made features include its impressive walls, its beautiful bridges, and its famed Vaults.
These landmarks are a source of city pride, although the lesser-known ones do not attract as much attention of potential visitors and residents.
The Shingles: Permanent and semi-permanent homes, roads, and safe houses appear on roofs throughout the most crowded parts of the city. These rooftop communities and the pathways that connect them are collectively known as the Shingles.
The Vaults: Most cities have sewers. Some can even claim dungeons beneath them. Yet few have as complex a system of subterranean tunnels quite like the underground sewers of Ashara.
The Military
Three distinct groups protect the city of Ashara: The City Guard, the army garrison, and the elite Sable Company. Each group focuses its efforts in different areas and has different duties and responsibilities. First, are 400 officers of the City Guard, who patrol the streets and investigate crimes. These lightly-armed watchmen answer to the city Overlord; Duke Jhoros Delavan, and his deputy, Commander Cressida Kroft. Second, a garrison of 300 soldiers is based at Castle Manticore. These well-equipped troops answer to both the Overlord and the King himself. Third, the 50 knights of the elite Sable Company serve as palace guards and answer directly to the Royal Seneschal, Neolandus Dhoru.
The Underground
Ashara’s most powerful crime-lord is DeVargo Barvasi, who monitors, controls, or influences almost all organized illegal activities within the city. Below the level of organized crime, nearly half a hundred gangs work the various streets and back-alleys of Ashara, but most of them pay Barvasi some sort of kickback to be allowed to operate unmolested.
Adventurers
Ashara is a cosmopolitan place. Wizards brush shoulders with barbarians in the city markets, fighters and monks work as guards and mercenaries, rogues and paladins vie for time among the city’s elite, and it’s even said that a sect of renegade druids operates in some of the waterfront districts. Yet with this diversity comes conflict—not every person in Ashara is as welcoming as the next.
For additional information about the player races and classes, consult the Corwyn Player’s Guide. The following information supplements that, and gives particular details about how these staples of the game function in the city that serves as Curse of the Crimson Throne’s foundation.
PLAYER RACES
Look at any cross-section of the city’s population and you will find that for every ten inhabitants you see, nine are human. Humans dominate the city in every way, and comprise an overwhelming majority of the population. Yet humans are not the only denizens of Ashara, as any visitor soon comes to learn.
Humans
Most of Ashara’s citizens are Thannish, descended from the original settlers of Gwynne. Most of Ashara’s human population is proudly Gwynnish in nationality, and look unfavorably upon other ethnic Thannish folk from neighboring countries; such as Orel or Eldara.
The largest ethnic minority in the city are the Ashanti peoples; although they barely represent one human in twenty. Most of Ashara’s population consider the Ashanti little more than poorly dressed beggars and thieves, and prejudice against this group sometimes flares into outright discrimination, or occasionally, an ugly lynching.
Dwarves
Because of their contracts with the city and the noble houses, dwarven merchants from faraway Orrek always have buyers lined up for their wares, including prized weapons and armor. Once their contracted buyers choose the wares they want, the dwarves sell the rest in various city markets. Dwarven brokers exist in all of the city’s major markets, and dwarves in general are often held to be the most reputable and honorable of the city’s merchants and tradesmen.
Elves
In Ashara, elves are very rare. Most of the elven citizens of the city originally hail from the Melinar Forest. A small enclave of elvish citizens has lived peacefully within the city for as long as anyone can remember. This small enclave is located in South Shore, where local elves often serve as scholars, sages, and advisors for those who would seek magical or natural advice.
Halflings
As in many parts of Corwyn, Halflings have always made a niche for themselves in human society. Most halflings are merchants, sages, and specialists. Their charming nature makes them particularly adept at business interactions with the human population, and their diminutive size prevents the small-folk from being seen by the majority human population as a threat.
Half-Elves
Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither, half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elven and human parents: curiosity, inventiveness, and ambition, tempered by the refined senses; love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elves. Half-elves are natural leaders and negotiators, and, perhaps because of their reality of living in two worlds, are unusually open-minded. Some half-elves manifest this leadership through confidence and bravery, while others are cordial and polite, manifesting their force of personality in a subtler but no less effective manner.
Half-elves share a love of the natural world and art because of their elven blood, but like their elven parents, are often free-spirited and chaotic, with a distaste for overbearing rules and regulations. However, similar to humans, half-elves lean neither towards good nor evil. Because of their shared heritage, Half-elves typically get along well with both elves and humans, and often make excellent intermediaries between their two parent races. Although, both sides often suspect half-elves of favoring one or the other.
Half-Orcs
Because they dwell mostly in the border regions of Gwynne, many Ashanti are forced to live in close proximity to the orc-tribes of Drakhara, resulting in an almost constant state of battle between the two groups. These battles sometimes grow exceedingly personal, resulting in the occasional half-orc. Few of these half-orcs survive to adulthood, and fewer still live among their human cousins, but despite that, a handful of half orcs make their homes in Ashara. Most half-orcs in human society use their great strength to their benefit, either serving as mercenaries, guards, or as paid labor in harsh, back-breaking trades.
PLAYER CLASSES
As the largest city in Gwynne, Ashara has a little something for everyone. Further, there seems to come a point in everyone’s life where something is desired which can only be had in the bustling metropolis of Ashara. As a result, all eleven standard adventuring classes have a level of representation in the city—some more so than others.
Barbarians
Almost all of Ashara’s barbarians hail from Ashanti lands—those few who choose to stay in the city do so usually because they have little other choice, having been exiled or forced to flee the Border regions for various reasons. Barbarians tend to find jobs as bouncers, dockworkers, thugs, or mercenaries for Ashara’s shadier operations, and are generally not welcome in the more affluent sections of the city.
Bards
Bards are well-loved or well-hated in Ashara—it’s tough to maintain a low-profile as a bard here, as the locals enjoy their entertainment almost as much as they enjoy their gossip about entertainers. Several taverns, inns, playhouses, and other establishments provide stable venues for bards. Overall, the city always welcomes traveling entertainers.
Clerics
Although the number of deities worshiped on Corwyn is vast, the faiths of several deities stand head and shoulders above the others. It’s generally possible to find clerics of any of these faiths inside of Ashara’s walls, although in certain cases (one might have to look long and hard. The most popular deity worshipped in Ashara is Myrival, Goddess of the Sea, and her temple is built upon the banks of the river named in her honor. Other large faiths include: Aleyssia; Goddess of Healing, Nerydia; Goddess of Magic, Etahr; God of Strength, and Berevrom; God of Truth.
Druids
Druids are not generally trusted or thought of well by Ashara’s citizens, and because of the urban setting, very few druids choose to live or even visit Ashara. Most prefer to dwell in the surrounding forest of Ravenwood.
Fighters
There are countless opportunities for fighters in Ashara, who often serve as private bodyguards, bouncers, or students and teachers in one of the city’s many fighting schools. Many other local fighters have careers in either the Gwynnish army, the Sable Company, or the City Guard.
Monks
Few monks dwell in Ashara, although many have heard tales of Daroon mystics or martial artists from the distant Far Eastern lands of Kurand, and of the incredible feats they can accomplish with their bare hands. Although no monastic order is currently based in Ashara, there is much to attract a monk’s interest in her libraries and churches.
Paladins
Ashara is an extremely lawful city, but one that isn’t generally interested in the justice, but rather maintaining order. If anything, the city government’s often impartial stance on matters regarding the law skew toward evil. As a result, most paladins find Ashara too stifling a place for them, and they often grow frustrated with the city’s overwhelming bureaucracy and willingness to accept the corrupt politics of the city, or the random cruelty of its soldiers, guards, and government officials.
Rangers
Because of the urban setting, very few Rangers choose to live or even visit Ashara. Most prefer to dwell in the surrounding forests of Ravenwood and the Melinar Forest.
Rogues
Ashara has a thriving underworld both above and below its streets. Dozens of gangs of thieves, thugs, and troublemakers rise and fall like the tides in the city’s low-rent districts. The Black Hand Thieves’ Guild holds sway most of these local street gangs, who play a large role in making local merchant’s daily lives miserable.
Sorcerers
Sorcerers are extremely rare on Corwyn, and Ashara is no exception. Looked down upon, discriminated against, and even outright hunted, these natural spell-users usually avoid large urban centers such as Ashara for their own safety.
Wizards
Wizards are both feared and respected in Ashara, especially if they hail from the Veiled Society; the most powerful and prestigious Mage-guild on the Continent. Other wizardly schools exist in Ashara, notably the Nexus College and the Rose Academy, but these schools pale in comparison to the influence and prestige of the Society Magisters.
THE TIE THAT BINDS (Player Hooks)
Ashara, like any city, has its share of undesirables. Cutpurses, thugs, thieves, burglars, assassins, and lowlifes of every sort can be found in waterfront slums, creeping in the sewers, or hiding in the tangled Shingles above ground. The City Guard does what it can to keep the city’s criminals from causing too much harm, but the cold reality is that crime will always be present. As a result, many crimes go unpunished and some local criminals have achieved great success.
Worst of these, perhaps, are the city’s crime-lords. Dozens of them operate in Ashara at any one time, from the secret leaders of the Back Hand, all the way down to the local street thugs who terrorize night-time streets and alleyways. These minor crime figures are often, ironically, the ones who do the most damage to Ashara’s law-abiding citizens, as larger organizations have little need to bother commoners.
One such petty crime figure is Gaedren Lamm, a despicable low-life who missed his chance at rising high in Ashara’s murky underworld. Well past his prime, this decrepit thief abducts orphans and forces them to support his despicable lifestyle with petty crimes.
Many of Ashara’s lower class have had dealings with Lamm, and even a few of the city’s middle class and nobility have had their lives complicated by this despicable man. Yet no matter what he does, he has always managed to avoid answering for his crimes.
Gaedren Lamm’s luck is about to change, though. For among those his actions have recently touched are several men and women destined to become some of Ashara’s greatest heroes. And one of those heroes is you.
Background Traits
Even before Curse of the Crimson Throne begins, you and the other PCs have a shared trait—you’ve all been wronged, in some manner, by a despicable local crime-boss named Gaedren Lamm. This campaign begins as you and several other promising young heroes are brought together to do what the City Guard cannot, or will not do; to see that Gaedren Lamm answers for his crimes, be that in a court of law or at the edge of a vengeful blade.
Presented here are five ties to Gaedren you can choose for your character, historical snippets that explain how this detestable figure has affected you in the past. Each trait presents an unfortunate event, painted in broad strokes so you can customize it to your needs, which helped shape your character.
Once you’ve selected a trait, pick a benefit that matches your own concept for your character. Feel free to adapt and rework the particulars of your chosen trait to fit your history. So long as you have a reason to see Gaedren pay for his crimes, you’ll have a built-in reason to take up a life of adventuring and, more importantly, a reason to bond with your new companions.
Framed
Someone you know and love was accused of murder. A supposed eyewitness account from a local fisherman seemed to be enough to seal the case, but the accused had enough alibis that sentencing wasn’t immediate. Someone confronted the fisherman and discovered he was intimidated into providing false witness and forced into planting the murder weapon by the actual murderer— a man named Gaedren Lamm. Lamm’s thugs killed the fisherman before he could recant his testimony. Although this removed the key witness and resulted in the accused being set free, the stigma was enough to badly damage his reputation. If you can find Gaedren, you’re sure you can find evidence that ties him to the murder and can clear the accused’ name.
Family Honor: The person framed was a family member, perhaps a father or brother. You managed to trick the fisherman into revealing the truth with your skilled tongue, and thus gain a +2 bonus on Bluff checks.
Dropout: You were the one accused. Although you were eventually freed when a friend confronted the fisherman and got the truth, the damage had been done. You were forced to leave your school (perhaps the Academy) or church. As a result, you were forced to self-train and promised yourself you would become better at your chosen profession despite the spurning of your peers. You gain a +2 bonus on Spell craft checks.
A Lost Love
Someone you loved was knifed to death in a dark alley one night. You were called to the scene by the City Guard to identify the body, and as rough as that was for you, you also noticed a ring was missing from the body. Whoever murdered your loved one stole that ring—you’re convinced of it. You’ve done some investigation on your own and recently found the ring for sale at a local merchant. Although, to your great frustration, you can’t afford yet to buy it back, the merchant did tell you from whom he purchased the ring: a man named Gaedren Lamm. It seems likely to you, this despicable man is the one who killed your loved one, or at the very least, knows who did.
Orphaned: The murder victim was your only surviving parent. You had to grow up fast to take care of your siblings or to handle your family’s matters and were forced from an early age to support yourself. You gain a +2 bonus on one of the following skills: Craft, Perform, or Profession.
Widowed: The murder victim was a lover. With your lover’s death, a part of you died as well, leaving you haunted, grim, and prone to dark musings. You gain a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks.
Missing Child
You suspect that a child you know has been abducted by Gaedren. Whatever the relationship, you’ve heard rumors about Gaedren’s “Little Lambs,” and of how the old man often uses children as pickpockets and scouts for his crimes. You’ve even heard rumors that the child you’re looking for has been spotted in the marketplaces in the company of other known to be cutpurses and pickpockets. Although the City Watch has been understanding of your plight, it always seems to have its hands full with “more important” matters. Since no one else seems interested in bringing Gaedren down and rescuing his victims—that task falls to you.
Missing Sibling: The missing child is a brother or sister. Although everyone else has given up hope, you believe your sibling still lives out there. Your constant search for the missing sibling has developed into great skill at rumor mongering and finding information from others. Gather Information and Sense Motive are always class skills for you.
Missing Son or Daughter: The missing child is your own son or daughter, a niece or nephew, or the son or daughter of your superior or employer and one you had been charged with protecting. The child was abducted during a trip to the market or some other daily event. Long hours spent searching for rumors and your stubborn will to continue grant you a +1bonus on Will saves.
Unhappy Childhood
You spent a period of time as one of Gaedren Lamm’s enslaved orphans. Maybe you were abducted from your parent’s home or during a trip to the market. Perhaps the irresponsible matron who ruled your orphanage traded you to him in return for a few desperately-needed coins. Or perhaps you, like most of Gaedren’s slaves, were merely a child of the street who succumbed to his promise of regular meals and a roof in return for what he said would be “a little light work.” Whatever the case, you spent several years of your childhood as one of his “Little Lambs” before escaping. You’ve nursed a grudge for the old man ever since.
Tortured: Gaedren tortured you and left you for dead on a garbage heap after you made one too many errors. Your scars and memories have honed your reaction speed and make you rather jumpy. You gain a +1 bonus on Reflex saves.
Religious
You found a holy symbol of the god you worship while on a job for Gaedren Lamm and, intrigued by it, you snuck off to attend services. When Gaedren found out, he beat you to within an inch of your life and broke your holy symbol. Your faith let you block out the pain, and you eventually escaped his control and took shelter in a local Temple, where you spent the rest of your youth. You gain a +2 bonus on Concentration checks.
