Circe Road

Circe Road

The Circe Road Campaign is a Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons Adventure setting currently active in a campaign that began in December, 2024. The campaign used the "Kingdom of Aarbat" setting first developed in the 1980's for 1st Edition play within the family. The Genrick campaign discribed on the D&D page was a test run of this campaign. The Jonathan campaign described at the same place was a 3rd Edition campaign sited just to the south of Aarbat. Across the sea is the Kingdom of Xrune, the site for various previous campaigns. This web page will be used to post maps, descriptive materials about various places, house rules for the campaign, and other documents.

Large scale map showing campaign focus area

Circe Road Campaign History

The file below is a compilation of what has happened in the campaign so far. This will be updated biweekly as the campaign progresses. This is intended to be an available reference resource for players. The Accounting file tracks character cash in gp. (These files are not guaranteed to be without errors, but as errors, additions and comments are received, updates will be made.)

Circe Road Campaign History
Circe Road Accounting
Episode 10 (at Dervish)
Episode 11 (at Dervish)
Episode 12 (at Dervish)
Episode 13 (Dervish, to Sundown)
Episode 14 (at Sundown)
Episode 15 (at Sundown - Sea cavern)
Episode 16 (at Sundown - The Lurker)
Episode 16.5 (Sundown to Guardraw)
Episode 17 (Equinox, Lurker)
Episode 17.5 (In Guardraw)
Episode 18 (Scouting for Orcs)
Episode 19 (The Crag)
Episode 20 (On The Crag)
Episode 21 (The Orc Fort)
Circe Road Relations among NPC's (current)
About Circe Road Relationships (First resolution)
Party and Romance Processes
Items Available for Purchase in Selleze
Last updated 10/2/25

Various documents describing the Kingdom of Aarbat

The following files are a player level description of various cities and regions of Aarbat. This is all 'common knowledge' that any character might not know but could easily find out. The description represents the state of things as of the beginning of the campaign, 1 January 1313. (Yes, Aarbat uses the common calendar with various other settings, including at least somewhat similar other cultures.)

Kingdom of Aarbat Background A good place to start

Town of Guardraw This is where the campaign really begins, as player characters sign on to work for Lord Grantt

Town of Tonstol Tonstol is the nearest town to Guardraw, south about 8 miles. The seat of the Earl and Archbishop.

Other villages near Guardraw Rivendown, Exroads, Forkend, Torquis, Ripeview, Standpipe, Strabis, Topaltown, Gildegulch, Nextonover, Freshkill, Bedrest, Partweigh. Most of these are of incidental importance.

City of Selleze Selleze is the biggest city in the kingdom. That's where you go to buy or sell unusual items and get the best deal. It's the southern terminus of the Circe Road trade route. A somewhat independent city, not completely under the authority of the King. The party will occasionally go there to trade, seek information, or see important people.

City of Aahfundit This is the capitol of the Kingdom of Aarbat, and also the port which communicates with neighboring kingdoms by sea. For this campaign, it will likely seldom be visited.

Village of Sundown This is the next town on the Circe Road north of Guardraw. It is the site of considerable activity in this campaign, especially early on.

Fortress Dervish Dervish is about 40 miles north of Sundown along the Circe Road, and is also a site heavily featured in the campaign.

Town of Orctown North of Devish about 60 miles, Orctown is also a site of considerable importance to the campaign. Together with Dervish and Sundown and Guardraw, it is under the authority of Lord Grantt even though not properly part of the Kingdom of Aarbat.

Documents concerning campaign rules adaptations

The Kingdom of Aarbat campaign setting was first active in the 1980's using 1st Edition Rules. The intent of this campaign, even though using 5th Edition (2014) rules, is to stay true to that original setting to the extent possible, with some adaptations from Third Edition. That will extend to the treatment of religion, the availability of masterwork items (From 3E), pricing of magic items, and limitations on player character races and backgrounds. I'm using this as a place to describe how I plan to adjudicate sighting and surprise and initiative, all key concepts for 5E and somewhat differently than the normal 5E rules. The intent is especially to streamline combat, for online play using virtual tabletop methods (D&DBeyond, Roll20, Discord). To some extent all this is work in progress.

Rules Adaptations

Aarbat Backgrounds On Races and Backgrounds for the Campaign

About Sighting (and surprise, etc.)

Movement and Cover

Tumor gang Fight in Tonstol. A brief example of conducting combat.

Fight at Gold Mine Camp, N flank (NPC's)

Rat Fight at Gold Mine Camp (NPC's)

Consideration of the Glamour Bard

Using the Performance Skill in DnD 5E

Various Maps

The maps shown here are places that the characters in the campaign would know of, even if not visited yet. Other maps will be added as needed as characters get to other places, and those here will be more fully revealed as characters visit and see various places. For example, most tavern common rooms are shown, but individual rooms are not, except for, currently, the bunkrooms in which the characters are using. Not all maps in use in Roll20 will be posted here, only the ones anticipated to need use or reference.

Aarbat low resolution map