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Otari

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Otari is the coastal logging town that serves as the party's home base throughout the campaign, founded by the Rose Guard heroes from Absalom after they slew the evil Belcorra, and named for the fallen hero Otari [S1; S5; S8]. Its economy is anchored by the Plume of Otari, a log-flume that floats lumber to the mill and docks; the current mayor descends from the founding Menhemis line [S8; S30]. The town's infrastructure includes the Rowdy Rockfish tavern, the Crook's Nook, the Dawnflower/Donflower Library, Rin's Wonders (occult shop), the market with a recurring 20% discount for the party, the garrison, the fishery and docks, two blacksmiths, and the Menhemis manor and mausoleum [S11; S24; S27]. A cryptic wall inscription found below the Gauntlight — 'I was Otari... Save me from below' — links the town's name to a being trapped in the depths [S5]. Over the campaign Otari bears the direct brunt of the Gauntlight's curse: the graveyard dead rise [S4], farms and the Flume burn and people vanish [S14], and the library is set ablaze during the theft of the Rose Argent [S19]. After the early crisis the town stabilizes enough to host a public trial in the town square [S25] and serve as a reliable resupply stop across dozens of dungeon runs [S38; S43; S50]. Sabotage continues in later sessions — another flume fire and crops rotted overnight leave townsfolk visibly distressed [S52]. As of S61, the enemy's war-cache and forge are explicitly being readied for an 'inevitable assault on Otari,' and the party is gathering holy water in town before returning to press the attack underground [S61]. S64 is a town-base interlude: the party reaches Otari at sunset, checks in at Menhem Manor and the Dawnflower Library, shops and commissions rune work, researches Uravian and the grave knight, then returns to the Gauntlight on Desnus 26.

Recorded status active · Last seen [S64 · 03:59:45 · turn 4735 · scene 009]

Why this matters now

Latest recorded development
  • S61 The town above the Abomination Vaults. This session the enemy's war-cache and forge are explicitly being prepared for an 'inevitable assault on Otari'; the party plans to return to Otari for holy water. [S61 · 01:43:45 · turn 0851]

2 open hooks remain on this record.

Recent appearances

Open hooks

Relationships

Full history

Show the complete record (46 sessions)
First seen [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037] · All sessions S1 S2 S4 S5 S6 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S18 S19 S20 S21 S23 S24 S25 S26 S27 S28 S30 S32 S34 S35 S36 S37 S38 S39 S40 S43 S47 S49 S50 S51 S52 S54 S55 S56 S57 S58 S60 S61 S64

Story

Founding and Setting

Otari was built on the memory of sacrifice. The Rose Guard — heroes originally from Absalom — slew the evil Belcorra and settled the coast, naming their new town for their fallen companion Otari [S5; S8]. The Menhemis family line took root as the founding dynasty, and later the Plume of Otari, a log-flume threading the forest to the mill and docks, transformed the settlement into a prosperous lumber-export economy [S8; S30]. A cryptic wall-inscription encountered beneath the Gauntlight — 'I was Otari... Save me from below' — suggests the original Otari's spirit or essence lingered in the depths long after the town above bore his name [S5]. The party later met a ghost identified as the Rose Guard hero Otari in those same depths, who directed them to recover the Rose Guard relics to break a magical barrier [S29].

Early Crisis: The Gauntlight Lights Up

From the campaign's opening sessions Otari is already anxious. Strange occurrences and rumors circulate before the party even enters the vaults [S1], and once the Gauntlight beacon ignites, the consequences are immediate: the town mobilizes with torches and armed guards as the graveyard dead rise [S4]. 'Almost a month' into the crisis the town is ringed by a stone wall that proves only a partial comfort; people are leaving [S11; S15].

The situation escalates sharply through the mid-teens. Fires break out at the farms and the Plume — the town's economic lifeline — a building collapses, and residents go missing [S14]. When the danger peaks, Otari is placed on lockdown: guards patrol, civilians are barred indoors, and the town is braced for direct assault [S18]. The library is then burned and the Rose Argent relic stolen in a targeted raid on the town itself — the invasion the party had feared arriving from within [S19]. A villain's taunt in the vaults makes clear that the resurrection plot is explicitly aimed at building 'her work' over Otari's grave [S23].

Stabilization and the Town as Base

Despite the trauma, Otari finds its footing. The town government recruits the party formally and runs mayoral elections; the flume is described as its lifeblood [S20; S34]. A public trial — Carman Rajani's — is held in the town square, with three judges, a Head Priestess, and the Mayor presiding, showing the town's institutions still function [S25]. The party uses Otari's amenities consistently: a 20% market discount parchment, Rin's occult shop, two blacksmiths, the Dawnflower Library, and the Menhemis manor become routine stops between dungeon runs [S26; S27; S36; S39].

Character histories are rooted here too. Veve was orphaned and raised on Otari's streets; Venris grew up in caves nearby [S34]. In a later emergency, Venris ran to Otari solo via the cave exit and beach just to have Carman repair his injured arm [S47], underscoring how much the town functions as the party's anchor.

Later Sessions: Ongoing Sabotage and Mounting Threat

The surface peace remains fragile. A full downtime session devoted to quarantine, library research, and careful shopping shows the party still worried about inadvertently spreading contagion into town [S38]. A newer, scrap-assembled map of Otari and its surroundings is found among enemy loot — suggesting foes are actively studying it [S55].

Overt sabotage returns in earnest around S52: another fire destroys part of the flume and crops rot overnight at the farms; townsfolk are visibly sad and the town's mood is grim [S52]. The Gauntlight's beam is also tied to monsters resurrecting inside town limits [S60].

As of S61, the threat has become explicit: the enemy is stocking a war-cache and forge in preparation for what their plans describe as an 'inevitable assault on Otari.' The party, aware of this, returns to town specifically to gather holy water before heading back underground to stop the attack at its source [S61]. Otari's fate and the campaign's endgame are now directly linked.

S64 shows Otari functioning as an endgame staging ground. The party reaches town at sunset after avoiding the grave knight, uses Menhem Manor as lodging and gear storage, checks on Doriana's recovery, warns Carman about Uravian's bounty, obtains holy water and lore from Bandy, and spends a full shopping/rune-work day before returning to the Gauntlight [S64, 00:43:53; S64, 00:50:30; S64, 01:09:28; S64, 01:19:53; S64, 03:40:03]. The town is no longer a pause between adventures; it is the logistical base from which the party is trying to survive the last doors.

Recorded beats

  • S1 Introduced as the party's home town and quest hub, founded by the legendary Rose Guard; already beset by strange rumors. [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037]
  • S4 The town mobilizes with torches and guards as the dead rise in its hilltop graveyard. [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037]
  • S5 Town lore deepens: founded by the Rose Guard after slaying the evil Belcorra, and a wall message below the keep ('I was Otari... Save me from below') ties the town's name to a being trapped beneath. [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037]
  • S8 The party learns the town was named for the fallen Otari and its economy was revived by the Plume of Otari log-flume; the mayor descends from the founding family. [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037]
  • S11 Used as a downtime base; townsfolk grow nervous after the Gauntlight business and some begin leaving town. [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037]
  • S14 The town turns tense as fires hit the farms and the Flume, a building collapses, and people go missing under the lit Gauntlight beacon. [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037]
  • S18 Braced for attack during the crisis: guards patrol and civilians are barred indoors. [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037]
  • S19 Struck by the library fire and the theft of the Rose Argent, exactly thirty days after the invasion. [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037]
  • S25 Hosts a trial in the town square, revealing its justice system, judges, head priestess, mayor, and head guard. [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037]
  • S30 Returned to as a coffee-obsessed export town founded/revitalized by the Menhemis line, with its graveyard and the Menhemis mausoleum. [S1 · 00:03:37 · turn 0037]
  • S32 Named as the town above the Abomination Vaults, restored by McLani after the Rose Guard died. [S32 · 02:51:26 · turn 1583]
  • S34 The party's hometown above the Abomination Vaults, which they are trying to save. Veve was orphaned and raised on its streets; Venris grew up in caves near it. The Otari government recruited the party to deal with the vaults. [S34 · 00:44:19 · turn 0152]
  • S35 The party's home base above the Abomination Vaults. Source of Cid's errand to Absalom and of one of the four relics (the key). The party intends to return to use the four relics on a locked door at Otari. [S35 · 00:34:34 · turn 0215]
  • S36 The town above the Vaults. The party rests and runs errands here this session: paying the mayor, light shopping, and Abbas consulting a scholar before heading back to the Gauntlight. [S36 · 00:40:29 · turn 0172]
  • S37 The town above the vault; the party plans to return here for ~2 downtime days to rest, shop, sell loot, and update NPCs. 'Hotari' is an ASR mangle. [S37 · 00:23:42 · turn 0113]
  • S38 The town above the Abomination Vaults, and the setting for this whole town session — quarantine, library research, blacksmith visit, market shopping (20% discount), and wanted posters. The party is careful not to spark a contagion in town. [S38 · 00:02:49 · turn 0012]
  • S39 The town the party is based in this session, doing downtime: visiting the library, the smith, the manor, and Wrin's place before departing for the Gauntlight. [S39 · 00:00:42 · turn 0003]
  • S40 The town above the dungeon, where the party shops, drinks, and talks with NPCs before heading in. [S40 · 00:23:25 · turn 0107]
  • S43 The town above the vault. The party portals back here to rest at the inn, shop for Anti-plague, and catch up on reading a recovered diary before returning to the dungeon. [S43 · 00:18:16 · turn 0109]
  • S47 A hidden Darklands speakeasy/haven deep in the Gauntlight's Abomination Vaults, reached via a secret door near the poltergeist/music room and down a foul, trash-choked stairwell (greater difficult terrain). It has a stage, a bar, a private dining room, a 'performers only' dressing room, a… [S47 · 01:36:39 · turn 0831]
  • S49 The town above the vaults, where the party returns for downtime: shopping (Rajani, the market), the Dawnflower Library, the Menham manor, and Wrin/the Starseer. Matches canon loc-otari. [S49 · 04:28:49 · turn 2314]
  • S50 The town above the Abomination Vaults where the entire session's downtime takes place (manor, library, market, Rin's). The GM notes various locations in town grant research/shopping bonuses to friendly party members. [S50 · 00:02:32 · turn 0010]
  • S51 The town above the Abomination Vaults, where the whole session takes place: the Menhems manor (edge of town), the Crook & Nook, and the Rowdy/Raldy Rockfish inn. The party rests, investigates, and runs errands here. [S51 · 00:07:45 · turn 0068]
  • S52 The town above the vaults, where the party shelters Doriana in the manor and takes downtime (retraining, shopping, earning income). The town is suffering ongoing sabotage this session: another fire at the flume and crops rotted overnight at the farms; townsfolk are visibly sad. [S52 · 00:01:08 · turn 0009]
  • S54 The logging town above the vaults, where the party does downtime: markets close around 8 PM, the smith Carman, Rin the psychic, and the Menhems manor are all here. [S54 · 00:40:06 · turn 0246]
  • S55 The home town above the vaults. A newer map of Otari and its surroundings was recovered; the party considers heading back there to check on Dorianna and regroup. [S55 · 02:01:29 · turn 0962]
  • S56 The home town the party retreats to after fleeing the dungeon. Site of the Menhem manor, shops (blacksmith, talisman merchant), and NPCs the party consults. Note: ASR sometimes renders the town and an NPC named 'Otari' interchangeably. [S56 · 03:35:38 · turn 4507]
  • S57 The town where the party shops and rests. This session they bought potions and resistance gear here and asked the shop to recover a previously sold Ring of Wizardry. [S57 · 00:11:16 · turn 0103]
  • S58 The town above the vaults, attacked when the Gauntlight fired; the party bought potions of emergency escape here and keeps a pending plan to visit. Distinct from npc-otari, the Rose Guard ghost. [S58 · 00:00:13 · turn 0002]
  • S60 The town above the vaults. Referenced in the recap (the party had been hanging around Otari) and in the lore about monsters resurrecting in town under the Gauntlight's beam. [S60 · 00:04:01 · turn 0025]
  • S61 The town above the Abomination Vaults. This session the enemy's war-cache and forge are explicitly being prepared for an 'inevitable assault on Otari'; the party plans to return to Otari for holy water. [S61 · 01:43:45 · turn 0851]