The Veil of Zeph’rys

At the edge of every map, past the known world, there stood a wall of storm—black, endless, and forever churning. When the first explorers breached the Stormwall they expected an empty ocean. Instead they discovered a continent.

They named the new land after their ship: The Veil of Zeph’rys.

Its jungles breathe an accursed mist. Its skies hold stars no navigator had yet named. Its coasts are stalked by megafauna out of prehistory.

At its threshold stands Port Meridian, a fragile foothold carved into the coast by those first explorers, built around a henge of stone monoliths etched in a language no one can read.

From here explorers, mercenaries, scholars, and fortune-seekers venture into the unknown. Some return with maps, relics, and fragments of understanding. Most do not return at all.

What is West Marches?

This “West Marches” campaign is a living, shared frontier where multiple parties explore from one shared home base—Port Meridian—mapping a lethal, uncharted continent where compasses fail and the cursed mist keeps expeditions short. Each party, licensed by the Meridian Charter, maps new ground and leaves knowledge behind for those who follow.

There is no central storyline, no guaranteed safety, no DM railroading. Instead:
– Each party chooses where to go and what to pursue.
– Each expedition begins and ends at Port Meridian.
– The cursed madness of the miasma fog must be cleansed before psychosis sets in, keeping expeditions short.
– Each party lives or dies on the strength of their decisions, and the knowledge that guides them. Bad information leads to bad decisions. Bad decisions WILL result in party wipes and rolling new characters.

Every discovery, route, ruin, or secret can be shared, traded, sold or fought over. Dangers awakened by one party may threaten all.

This continent does not scale to level or balance for difficulty. It waits—patient, uncaring, and full of secrets.

And deep in the jungle, something stirs….

WHAT IS A HEX CRAWL?

A west marches campaign is usually a hex crawl: a wilderness map filled with a hex grid instead of a square grid. Hexes more accurately represent overland travel than a square grid, which highly distorts diagonal distances relative to orthogonal. In a hex crawl players have an empty map to be explored one hex at a time. In a west marches campaign this information can be shared with other parties, spreading the jobs around as the map starts to take shape.

DISTANCES & Travel times

1 hex = 2 miles flat-to-flat (or center-to-center). Area = 3.5 square miles .

• On foot through swamp/dense jungle: 18 miles/day = 9 hexes/day.
  Under the 2024 rules, day-scale overland travel uses the Travel Terrain table, and swamp caps travel at Slow pace. Heavy jungle uses swamp.
• Light jungle is classified as forest: 24 miles/day = 12 hexes/day.
• By ship along the coast: 2 mph.
  That becomes 16 miles = 8 hexes in an 8-hour day, or 48 miles = 24 hexes in a full 24-hour sailing day, which the 2024 rules explicitly allow for ships. Against a strong wind, halve those numbers.

Summary:
1 Hex = 2 miles / 3.5 square miles
9 hexes/day on foot in heavy jungle or swamp
12 hexes/day on foot in light jungle
24 hexes/day by sailing ship in normal coastal conditions

HEX EXPLORATION

In deep jungle or swamp, a 2-mile hex takes 2 hours to scout, 4 hours to properly explore, or 6 hours to survey. Thus:

• Scout 4 hexes in a full day
• Explore 2 hexes in a full day
• Survey 1 hex in a full day

Scout — 2 hours

A quick sweep meant to identify whether the hex is worth returning to. Scouting automatically reveals obvious landmarks, shoreline, river, ridge, major ruins, smoke, etc. Additional discoveries require a skill check.

• Disadvantage on Perception / Survival / Investigation checks.

Use when: scouting, mapping, route-finding

Explore — 4 hours

The default standard for proper exploration of a hex. Automatically reveals everything from Scout plus notable signs such as spoor, campsites, narrow trails, broken masonry, blighted ground, minor ruins, etc. Additional discoveries require a skill check.

• Straight roll for Perception / Survival / Investigation checks.

Use when: normal expedition searching, ruin-hunting, reliable mapping

Survey — 6 hours

A deliberate, careful survey for lost or hidden secrets. Automatically reveals everything from Explore or Scout, plus likely hazards, suspicious areas, significant structures, obscured or overgrown ruins, obvious signs of activity, etc. Additional discoveries require a skill check.

• Advantage to Perception / Survival / Investigation checks.

Use when: searching ruins, careful mapping, rescue missions

Which Skill Applies?

• Wisdom (Perception): hidden objects, concealed doors, movement, visual clues, ambushers.
• Wisdom (Survival): tracking, spoor, trails, travel routes, campsites, signs of passage, fresh water sources, shelter.
• Intelligence (Investigation): understanding mechanisms, trap mechanics, opening secrete doors, how to access a found site.

“Search” action: Perception/Survival to find something.
“Study” action: Investigation explains or opens something.

Daily Expedition Capacity

A day’s travel assumes about 8 hours of actual movement, while the rest of the time is taken up with mundane tasks such as eating and resting. Traveling more than 8 hours is taxing. At the end of each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours, each character must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or gain 1 Exhaustion level. The DC is 10 plus 1 for each hour past 8 hours.

COORDINATES

Hex grids are read in a similar way to a standard Cartesian x,y square grid, except that instead of the rows and columns being at 90 degrees to each other there are two columns that extend diagonally top left to bottom right or vice versa, each 30 degrees from the vertical in a grid with pointy tops. For the Port Meridian map the vertical q-axis is represented by letters and the r-axis runs diagonally from top right to bottom left and is represented by numbers along the top and right margins of the map.

Here is the hex crawl starting map for Veil of Zeph’rys, with Port Meridian occupying the N14 and N15 hexes:

Port Meridian

Port Meridian is your home base on the continent of Zeph’rys. It is a single safe hub from which expeditions can depart and return.

Port Meridian sits in a protected cove sheltered by a narrow peninsula, its seaward side busy with docks and its landward side braced with a thick wall forming a frontier fort.

At the heart of town is the Meridian Henge, a ring of standing stones and obelisks carved in the same mysterious script found on other ruins nearby.

Port Meridian Population: ~190-280

Garrison & Security ~40
Wall guards, gate crews, patrols

Dock & Maritime ~30–60
Sailors (off-duty crews staying in port)
Dockworkers, crane operators, shipwrights

Charter & Governance ~30–50
Archons + aides + scribes + agents
Includes faction representatives and logistics staff

Chapel & Cleansing ~10
Clerics, attendants, ward-maintainers

Expeditions (Active Pool) ~40-60
Scholars, mercenaries, treasure-hunters, explorers.

Trades & Services ~20
Innkeepers, cooks, smiths, outfitters
Quartermaster network support

Miscellaneous ~20-40
Assistants, labourers, etc.

GENERAL EXPEDITION OBJECTIVES

– map ruin locations
– explore ruins
– gather rune rubbings
– gather information about the indigenous ruin builders
– map local points of geographic note
– map and flag dangerous locations
– learn about the miasma
– learn about the Henge
– learn about the current jungle occupants
– rescue lost Charter Members

The Meridian Charter

The Meridian Charter is a formal coalition of mercenaries, scholars, fortune-seekers, adventurers and scoundrels.

It acts as both a local government and guild of explorers, exercising a monopoly on all activities in and around Port Meridian, the only known settlement on the newly discovered continent of Zeph’rys.

Membership in the Meridian Charter is mandatory for anyone who sets foot in Port Meridian or embarks on expeditions. All members must follow the Meridian Code that regulates who can go on expeditions and what they can or can not do.

Various patrons and sponsors fund expeditions out of Port Meridian. There are several factions in Port Meridian who variably cooperate with and compete with each other, but all must adhere to Charter rules or risk sanctions, up to and including hanging.

The Meridian Code

– Never sleep or trance in the miasma fog.
– Attacking or hindering another member is strictly forbidden and punishable by exile or death.
– All members must uphold the code and are charged with enforcing it against violations.
– Every expedition must log a declared objective prior to departure. If possible, rescue forces will be sent after overdue parties.
– Every expedition must file a log (maps, rune rubbings, sightings, casualties) upon return.
– Any individual showing signs of the miasma psychosis must be IMMEDIATELY sent to the chapel for quarantine and cleansing, then reported to the Port Authority for monitoring.
– Anyone ducking or breaking miasma quarantine will face summary execution.

Charter Duties

– Obey the orders of Charter Officers.
– Monthly fee of 50 gp/creature for lodging and use of Port Meridian and its services. All creatures must be members and are subject to membership fees, obligations and duties, including familiars, thralls, mounts or any other creature that may accompany a party.
– Membership fees may be deferred while adventuring but must be paid immediately upon return.
– Failure to pay debts may result in expulsion from the Charter and ostracism from Port Meridian.

Charter Benefits

– Shared defence and security in the event of attack.
– Embarking upon expeditions to and from Port Meridian.
– Access to free miasma cleansing services at the chapel.
– Access to Charter maps and records from past expeditions and other parties.
– Emergency rescue and/or resurrection services if an accurate expedition report is logged prior to departure.

The Port Authority

Port Meridian and the Charter are both governed by the Port Authority, which is ruled by the Areopagus Council. The Council consisting of 7 members known as Archons, charged with setting, enacting and enforcing the Meridian Charter. The Areopagus Council has broad authority to make life or death decisions in Port Meridian.

The Port Authority also designates Officers, who act like police or sherifs, keeping the peace and enforcing the Meridian Code. Disobeying the orders of an Officer is punishable by summary execution.

The Areopagus Council & Factions

Character Rules

The Veil of Zeph’rys is a setting-agnostic campaign, where characters and other game features from any of the official D&D 5.0 or 5.5 campaign settings can be used. That means rules from Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Greyhawk, Eberron, Ravenloft and all other campaign settings may coexist on the continent of Zeph’rys. Character creation rules follow the Griffons Den Shared Campaign.

Character Leveling

In the Veil of Zeph’rys campaign characters will not earn XP, they will instead gain milestone levels when their party hits certain secret benchmarks known only to the DM. Combat is not the key to gaining levels, exploration and discovery is. If a party chooses to, they could hypothetically play a pacifist party that never fights and yet succeed as well as a more typical murder-hobo party. The choice is up to the party members themselves. Many different abilities will be required to survive the wilds of Zeph’rys, a diverse skillset is recommend for all parties.

Port Meridian Quartermaster

The Quartermaster in Port Meridian has a special contract with Glavius the genie, but charges a markup. He sells all items available in the 5.5 Players Handbook at double the cost. Uncommon magic items from the 5.5 DMG or other valid sources listed in the Shared Campaign are also available to buy at double Glavious prices. Magic items can be sold to the Quartermaster at standard Glavious prices. No other items are available.

The Miasma Fog

– The miasma is everywhere beyond the walls of Port Meridian.
– It seeps out of the jungle and down onto the shoreline.
– The fog affects everyone differently but prolonged exposure can drive a person mad. Sleeping or trancing in it causes psychosis and madness. Miasma madness typically leads to the individual harming themselves and others, or wandering off while raving unintelligibly, never to be seen again.
– After exposure to the fog one must cleanse the miasma upon return and before taking a long rest.
– The walls of Port Meridian keep it at bay with wards and charms built into them.
– Expeditions into the wilderness from Port Meridian must either return after only one day or make Constitution saving throws for exhaustion each 24 hour period without a long rest. The DC to avoid exhaustion starts at 10 after the first 24 hour period without a long rest and goes up by 5 for each additional 24 hour period.

MIASMA MADNESS

Each character has a Miasma score from 0 to 6.
0 = clear
1–5 = progressive psychosis
6 = Lost, permanent identity death
Each Miasma level imposes a cumulative -1 penalty to mental saves (Intelligence, Wisdom & Charisma).

• Miasma 0 — Clear
  No active effect.
• Miasma 1 — Murmurs
  Whispers at the edge of hearing. Intrusive thoughts. Small memory slips.
• Miasma 2 — Frayed
  Dream and waking begin to blur. Judgment becomes unreliable.
• Miasma 3 — Cracked
  The self begins to split under stress. The character must make Dissociation checks.
• Miasma 4 — Breached
  A new, psychotic personality begins to emerge. The character must make Dissociation checks. Failed Dissociation checks also inflict +1 level of Exhaustion.
• Miasma 5 — Hollowed
  The character identity is standing at the brink. The character must make Dissociation checks. Failed Dissociation checks also inflict +2 level of Exhaustion.
• Miasma 6 — Lost
  The character suffers permanent identity death. The body may still live, speak, wander, or act, but the original self no longer exists in recoverable form. No magic can reverse this state. PCs are retired or euthanized.

CHARACTER DEATH

– Resurrection, Revivify, Raise Dead or Reincarnation does not remove Miasma Madness; the character returns with the same Miasma score they had before death.
– If a character dies with a Miasma score above 0 then each death suffered by that character imposes a permanent +1 Miasma level that can not be cleansed by any means, thus permanently increasing baseline Mindblight level.

The Meridian Henge

– The henge hums with vibrations.
– It is covered in runes and glyphs no one understands.
– Strange sounds can sometimes be heard near it.
– Erratic and unpredictable pulses of light erupt from the engraved runes.
– At least one person, confirmed and witnessed by Charter members, vanished after a close investigation of the henge obelisks. They were never seen again. No one knows why.

MOUNT CINDER

The dominant geological feature of the landscape near Port Meridian is the stratovolcano named Mt. Cinder by the first explorers. With an estimated height of 10,000 feet and roughly 12 miles across, the dormant volcano is an imposing sight.