Editing Campaign Overview

<noinclude><!-- Source: POTA vault readme.md, NOTE_SETUP.md, Factions/Cults readmes, Sessions/readme.md. Paste into MediaWiki page "Campaign Overview". --></noinclude>
[[Main Page|← Main Page]]

= Campaign Overview =

This page explains '''what this wiki is''', '''how it is organized''', and '''how to maintain it''' as the campaign progresses. For live status (party level, current hook, session list), see the '''[[Main Page#Current campaign state|Current campaign state]]''' section on the Main Page.

----

== What this wiki is ==

A working game-master reference for running ''[[Princes of the Apocalypse]]'' in the '''Dessarin Valley'''. It combines:

* '''Official source material''' — the published module, D&amp;D Beyond references, and chapter text.
* '''A living table layer''' — session recaps, prep plans, player-character dossiers, and homebrew that has diverged from the book.

The adventure pits a small party against four '''Elemental Evil''' cults (air, earth, fire, water) whose prophets seek to unleash destruction through the temples beneath Tyar-Besil. Five major '''[[Factions]]''' (Harpers, Emerald Enclave, Lords' Alliance, Order of the Gauntlet, Zhentarim) compete for the party's loyalty along the way.

----

== Two layers: canon vs. this campaign ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Layer !! Meaning !! Where it lives
|-
| '''Canon''' || The module as written — intended plot order, published NPC roles, recommended level for each site. || [[Module Chapters]], cult/faction/location reference pages tagged as book content.
|-
| '''''This Campaign''''' || What has actually happened at our table — including off-book choices and reconstructed early notes. || [[Sessions]] recaps, [[Player Characters]], tagged homebrew pages.
|}

'''Tagging rules''' (use these consistently):

{| Tag !! When to use it
|-
| '''[HOMEBREW]''' || Table-created or heavily altered content (e.g. Feathergale return assault, Ilmeth amnesia mystery).
|-
| '''[DM-INSERTED]''' || Deliberate DM additions that aren't in the book (e.g. traveling Zhentarim agent [[Davron Maerl]]).
|}

When canon and table history conflict, '''session recaps win''' for *what happened*; '''module chapters win''' for *what the book says should happen*.

----

== Site map ==

Each major section has an index page (create these as you migrate content from the vault):

{| class="wikitable"
! Wiki section !! Contents
|-
| '''[[Player Characters]]''' || [[Genericus Maximus]], [[Kiara]], [[Togar]] — stats, hooks, relationships, session developments.
|-
| '''[[Sessions]]''' || Prep plans and table recaps; '''source of truth''' for updating everything else.
|-
| '''[[NPC Index]]''' || Every named NPC + consolidated cultist/monster stat references.
|-
| '''[[Locations Index]]''' || Regions, towns, Haunted Keeps, temples, nodes, side treks.
|-
| '''[[Factions]]''' || Five major organizations + [[Minor Factions]] (cult fronts, regional powers).
|-
| '''[[Cults]]''' || Four Elemental Evil cults — prophets, weapons, tactics, symbols.
|-
| '''[[Items]]''' || Magic items, elemental weapons, relics, loot ledger by location.
|-
| '''[[Maps]]''' || DM-keyed and player/unkeyed map images.
|-
| '''[[Module Chapters]]''' || Raw chapter reference text (Chapters 1–7, [[Appendix]]).
|}

'''Suggested page structure for entities'''
* '''NPCs''' — one page per named character (e.g. [[Kaylessa Irkell]]).
* '''Locations''' — hub page per place (e.g. [[Red Larch]]) with subpages for shops/sites as needed.
* '''Sessions''' — one page per session with subpages or sections for Plan / Notes / Encounters if prep is heavy (see [[Session 06 - Back on Track]] as the model).

----

== Workflow: prep → play → reconcile ==

This is the maintenance loop the whole wiki is built around.

=== 1. Prep ===

* Create or open the session's '''plan''' page (copy [[Session Template]] structure when available).
* Mine '''[[Player Characters]]''' for personalized hooks.
* Cross-read relevant '''[[NPC Index|NPCs]]''', '''[[Locations Index|locations]]''', and '''[[Factions]]''' pages.
* Heavy prep (like Session 06) may add: run-sheet, encounter scaling, cast list — all linked from the session hub page.

=== 2. Play ===

* Run the game. Capture decisions, combat outcomes, and NPC interactions in the session '''notes''' page during or immediately after the session.

=== 3. Reconcile ===

Each session recap should end with a '''''Canon Updates to Apply''''' checklist. Work through it:

# Update '''[[NPC Index|NPC]]''' pages (new allies, deaths, revealed secrets).
# Update '''[[Locations Index|location]]''' pages (discovered sites, changed control).
# Update '''[[Factions]]''' / '''[[Cults]]''' (standing, intel gained).
# Update '''[[Items]]''' (loot taken, consumables spent).
# Update '''[[Player Characters]]''' (developments, debts, level-ups).
# Tick checklist items off when done.

'''Rule of thumb:''' if it isn't in a session recap yet, it isn't table canon — even if it's in the module.

----

== Conventions ==

=== Linking ===

* Cross-link liberally between people, places, and plot threads — navigation is the wiki's main value.
* Use descriptive page titles: `Kaylessa Irkell`, not `NPC/Kaylessa_Irkell.md`.
* Link the first mention on a page; repeat links only when it aids navigation.

=== NPC pages ===

* '''Named NPCs''' get their own page (shopkeepers, guards, villains — no matter how minor).
* '''Generic groups''' (bandits, unnamed villagers, rank-and-file cultists) live on consolidated stat/reference pages (e.g. [[Crushing Wave Cultists]], [[Generic NPCs]]).

=== Player characters ===

* One page per PC. Mechanical stats sync from D&amp;D Beyond; narrative sections (backstory, relationships, DM hooks) are maintained by hand.
* See '''[[Player Characters]]''' for the roster and active hooks.

=== Maps ===

* Pair '''DM''' (keyed) and '''Player''' (unkeyed) versions where both exist.
* Link maps from session prep and location pages.

----

== This table: setting & status ==

=== The Dessarin Valley ===

The campaign is centered on the Dessarin Valley and towns like '''[[Red Larch]]''', with hooks radiating to '''[[Beliard]]''', '''[[Womford]]''', the four '''Haunted Keeps''', and eventually the temples of '''Tyar-Besil'''. The party's stated goal: '''find the missing Mirabar delegation and learn about the cultists'''.

=== Party (level 4) ===

{| class="wikitable"
! PC !! Player !! Summary
|-
| [[Genericus Maximus]] || Caleb || LE Champion fighter; noble; frontline tank; Ewan debt; Zhentarim angle.
|-
| [[Kiara]] || Ryun || CG Wild Magic sorcerer; Sage; grudge vs. Genericus; fragile blaster.
|-
| [[Togar]] || Carter || NG Land (Mountain) druid; astronomer-scholar; Enclave fit; nonlethal instincts.
|}

=== Major divergences from the book ===

{| Divergence !! Impact
|-
| '''Early Feathergale clear''' '''[HOMEBREW impact]''' || Party stormed [[Feathergale Spire]] at level 3–4 (book expects ~level 3, but they skipped delegation breadcrumbs). [[Ewan McFeathernuttz]] survived and rebuilt the spire → '''Reckoning of Red Larch''' homebrew arc.
|-
| '''Sessions 01–05 reconstructed''' || Original notebook lost; early recaps rebuilt from memory (see [[NOTE SETUP]] for the intake record).
|-
| '''Ilmeth amnesia''' '''[HOMEBREW]''' || Session 02 hunting-cabin rescue — ties to [[Believers]] / [[Tomb of Moving Stones]] thread (deferred).
|-
| '''Current rail''' || Session 06 prep steers back to the '''Missing Delegation''' → [[Rivergard Keep]] (water cult, level-appropriate next dungeon).
|}

=== Canonical level guide (don't fight this) ===

{| Site !! Intended level
|-
| [[Feathergale Spire]] || 3 (cleared early)
|-
| [[Rivergard Keep]] || 4 ← '''next'''
|-
| [[Sacred Stone Monastery]] || 5 (delegates held here)
|-
| [[Scarlet Moon Hall]] || 6
|}

----

== Reference: the four cults (canon summary) ==

See '''[[Cults]]''' for full detail. Quick reference:

{| Cult !! Element !! Prophet !! Haunted Keep
|-
| [[Cult of the Howling Hatred]] || Air || Aerisi Kalinoth || [[Feathergale Spire]]
|-
| [[Cult of the Black Earth]] || Earth || Marlos Urnrayle || [[Sacred Stone Monastery]]
|-
| [[Cult of the Eternal Flame]] || Fire || Vanifer || [[Scarlet Moon Hall]]
|-
| [[Cult of the Crushing Wave]] || Water || Olhydra's prophet || [[Rivergard Keep]]
|}

All four serve the '''Elder Elemental Eye''' — their symbols combine into a fifth sigil (see [[Cults#The Combined Symbol]]).

----

== Reference: the five factions ==

See '''[[Factions]]''' for renown, contacts, and methods. Party-relevant hooks:

{| Faction !! Red Larch contact !! PC angle
|-
| [[Emerald Enclave]] || [[Haeleeya Hanadroum]] || [[Togar]] — elemental corruption
|-
| [[The Harpers]] || [[Endrith Vallivoe]] || [[Kiara]] — books, Bruldenthar, cult lore
|-
| [[The Zhentarim]] || [[Davron Maerl]] '''[DM-INSERTED]''' || [[Genericus Maximus]] — profit, ambition
|-
| [[Order of the Gauntlet]] || [[Imdarr Relvaunder]] || Anyone — smite-the-cults mandate
|-
| [[Lords' Alliance]] || (no fixed RL contact) || Trade / delegation politics
|}

----

== Maintenance notes (DM) ==

These tools live in the markdown vault; mirror key outputs here as wiki pages when useful:

* '''D&amp;D Beyond PC sync''' — roster in `dndbeyond-roster.json`; updates mechanical blocks on PC pages.
* '''Chapter deep-dive playbook''' — procedure for extracting NPC/location/faction records from each module chapter into wiki-ready pages.
* '''[[NOTE SETUP]]''' — historical intake form used to reconstruct Sessions 01–05 after the original notebook was lost.

----

== See also ==

* '''[[Main Page]]''' — dashboard, session progress, active hooks
* '''[[Sessions]]''' — full session roster
* '''[[Session 06 - Back on Track]]''' — current forward prep
* '''[[Princes of the Apocalypse]]''' — adventure summary (module layer)

[[Category:Campaign]]
[[Category:Princes of the Apocalypse]]
[[Category:Meta]]