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Party Bonds
For those who prefer to establish party bonds prior to commencing play (or when a new PC joins the party), roll 1d20 or select an appropriate entry. The examples provided may be used as is or leveraged for inspiration.
1d20 BOND WITH PARTY MEMBER
1 Raiders, slaves or captives aboard the notorious Varnori longship Barator, under the command of Drar Sigvir, plying the waters of Lake Argos.
2 Sailors, guides or guards for Master Garcilo, a Karok merchant who toured the lake cities.
3 Students or employees of the Royal College of Inquiry in Northgate, perhaps under the same tutor or boss.
4 Indentured/free gladiators or pit sweepers of Melek’s dreaded Ogorien Fighting Pits.
5 Translators, etiquette aides or slaves for nomadic thuels of the Great Plains, travelling to a remote outpost to trade.
6 Lone survivors of the Blackbrand Mercenary Company, destroyed in a recent engagement with their bitter rivals, the Wolfcrag Riders.
7 Conmen, muscle or other agents working closely with Torvir “the Vice”, best thief in all of Vorngard (even if he does say so himself).
8 Ex-prisoners of Dol-Karok, working the mines under the whips of House Tergoza, or failed prospectors of the Lost Roads.
9 Bodyguards or other aides to Lady Hamil of Crow’s Keep, a prominent widow and noble of the city, of good standing in the Royal Court.
10 Sentries, scouts or herbalists of Melek’s borderlands in the Trackless Moors.
11 Mercenaries, survivors or looters of the Argos Plateau Massacre, when three rival barbarian tribes decimated each other over a long standing blood feud.
12 Siblings or cousins (adopted or otherwise). With a (roll 1d6): (1) evil, (ii) bankrupt, (iii) sick, (iv) missing, (5) interfering, or (6) filthy rich parent or other close relative.
13 Drinking buddies from way back, frequenting Vorngard’s popular Salty Strumpet tavern. Well known by the proprietor Yinvild.
14 Current or ex-members of House Vorrox’s extensive spy network (see Dol-Karok).
15 Previously worked for, or indebted to, the same crime boss: Guildmaster Marakett (of the Red Hooks gang, in Port Brax).
16 Vermin exterminators in Melek’s or Port Brax’s extensive sewer systems.
17 Prisoners of the Skull Drinkers thuel clan of the High Plains, before escaping together.
18 Monster hunters who dispatched the much maligned ogre twins, Sorg & Grunkor, who had been terrorizing a city’s borderlands, remote outpost or thuel hunting grounds.
19 Partners in Rotgut’s Brewbarrel; a failed (or otherwise disappointing) ale and spirits business. Smuggling unrelated contraband may or may not have been part of the business model.
20 Explorers, herbalists or surveyors of the Wistwood, Drelnor Forest or Suurat Jungle.
Midlander Pantheon
Midlanders venerate the Seven Ancients, most with established clerics and temples. Belief in the gods is well established and a fundamental part of Midlander life, incorporating common sayings, feast days, etc.
1. Argona
Argona is the goddess of health, wealth, happiness and hope. In addition, she is venerated as a fierce protector of families, especially children, elderly and other vulnerable. She is usually depicted as a beautiful, raven haired woman with a trail of stars in lieu of legs.
Related Activities: Weddings, births, carousing, trade deals, healing and illness recovery, defending kith and kin. Her feast day is Thanksgiving.
Common Phrases: Argona protects. Starmaiden keep you. Health, wealth and happiness.
Common Icons: A star or stars. Shield with a star motif.
Organisation: Argona’s temples and priestesses are the most common, found in all cities and most fortified outposts.
2. Baal
Baal is the god of decay, suffering, disease and death. His name is commonly uttered to ward off his unwanted attention. Baal is usually portrayed as a floating skull, a murder of crows or an animate ooze.
Related Activities: Funerals, executions, palliative care, ancestor worship, spreading or resisting disease, torture, managing or ending suffering. Baal’s feast day is the Day of Dust.
Common Phrases: No life without death. Bones and dust, blood and rust. All are equal before Baal. Baal’s Balls!
Common Icons: Skull chalice. Crow(s). Ooze.
Organisation: Baal’s cultists are few in number, often middle aged or elderly, and found in most settlements. Their shrines are small but respected (and/or feared, not wanting to draw his attention).
3. Fenrir
Fenrir is the god of skill, luck and fate. His name is invoked in times of contest, danger and blind fortune. He is most often depicted as a quicksilver wolf, a pair of dice with sixes on all sides, or a celestial comet.
Related Activities: Gambling, competitions and contests, risk taking, dangerous tomfoolery, turns of weal or woe, well wishing, curses of ill fortune. Fenrir has no feast day.
Common Phrases: Fenrir’s luck! The silver wolf is with ye. Fangs of fate!
Common Icons: Silver wolf. Animal Fang. Pair of dice. Comet.
Organisation: Fenrir has no organised clergy; the mercurial wolf comes and goes as he pleases. Shrines courting his favour appear in gambling dens and places of professional skill, such as barracks and guild halls.
4. Graxus
Graxus is the god of war, courage, struggle and glory. He is called upon in times of conflict and strife, either to rally strength or deflect his wrath. He is frequently depicted as a juggernaut of destruction; a towering half man, half iron fusing of steel and flesh.
Related Activities: Warfare, combat, fisticuffs, arm wrestling, exhortations of grit, bestowing of accolades. His feast day is Ironvow.
Common Phrases: By blood or blade! Victory and death! The Iron God cometh!
Common Icons: Anvil and skull. Iron fist. Crossed swords with a central eye.
Organisation: Graxus’ shrines and monuments are found in all cities and outposts, especially watch houses. True devotees however are very rare and commonly employed as soldiers, city guard, mercenaries, pit fighters, and so on.
5. Shennog
Shennog is the goddess of night, darkness, mystery, deceit and madness. She is whispered to in times of treachery, despair and clandestine activity. Most descriptions of Shennog suggest a formless shadow, a broken mirror or a giant spider.
Related Activities: Tending the mentally ill, false dealings, double crosses, stealth and infiltration, nocturnal affairs, subterranean exploration. Shennog has no known feast day (if there is one, it’s kept secret).
Common Phrases:
The darkest corners conceal the greatest secrets. Reject the mundane and embrace revelation. Mystery is the font of wonder.Common Icons: Slender crescent moon forming a circle. Giant spider or webs. Cracked mirror.
Organisation: Shennog’s temples and asylums are rare in outposts but present in cities. Her clergy are few in number and tend towards eccentricity and seclusion.
6. Soliri
Soliri is the goddess of the sun, weather, nature and creation. She is implored to bless harvests, encourage fertility, and to repel darkness or ferocious beasts. She is commonly depicted as a female faced sun, a swarm of leaves, or a giant world tree.
Related Activities: Planting, harvesting, breeding, weather ceremonies, hunting, camping, raising bonfires. Her feast day is Long Harvest.
Common Phrases: The World Tree provides. Man too is a force of nature. Burn back the shadow!
Common Icons: Flaring sun. Stylized leaf. Colossal tree with great roots.
Organisation: Her priests, the 'druids', are not as common as one might expect. They are likely to reside on fortified outskirts, making rare sojourns to nearby natural wonders such as ancient trees, ponds or clifftops (which serve as their “shrines”).
Wodon is the god of knowledge, art, wisdom and justice, beseeched when seeking insight, inspiration or truth. He or she (sex uncertain and used interchangeably) is portrayed as a giant owl, or a wizened human with two heads, one male and one female, leaning on a runed staff or stack of tomes.
Related Activities: Seeking or giving advice, study, investigation, meditation, artistic endeavours, justice. Wodon’s feast day is Reverie.
Knowledge is power. One cannot hide from one’s self. Vengeance is a pit, justice a door.
Common Icons: Stack of tomes. Dual headed bust. Giant owl with a set of scales.
Organisation: Disciples of Wodon typically serve in cities as magisters, librarians or justicars, or fill the role of sages, artists and hermits. Libraries, workshops and court houses double as their temples and shrines.
The Deep One
Like many aspects of Varnori culture, religion centres on the cold and the sea, with a mixed bag of river and lake spirits lorded over by the Deep One; an all powerful tyrant god, said to have butchered its sibling deities before the dawn of time.
The Deep One is known by other, secret names, none of which may be uttered on pain of death. Sexless and colossal, the tyrant god slumbers in the inky depths, its great gills responsible for the rise and fall of the tides.
The Mountain
Karoks venerate the spirit of the Mountain, a symbol of the prosperity and indomitability of the Ironhull people. If there is another force truly worshipped by the mountain folk, it is the power of commerce. In Karok society, amassing one’s fortune enriches both coffers and soul.
Karoks believe that their ancestor spirits merge with the Mountain when they pass, imbuing the fortress city with their protection. When Karoks travel, they often take a piece of the Mountain with them (usually a precious stone) to ward off evil. Ornate tombs, mausoleums and burial chambers are common as enduring symbols of ancestral respect. Needless to say, tomb robbing is considered a particularly grave crime in Karok society.
Thuel Animism
Barbarian tribe beliefs are as varied as their number and homeland, but most tend towards animism, finding spirits in every rock, plant and living thing. Some adopt one or more totemic animals or elemental forces as their favoured patron.
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Political, Pious, Melek Conflict
Culture: Midlander
Languages: Argosan, Common
Population: 11,000
Ruler: King Uldred
Exports: Soldiers, Food, Fashion
Climate: Moderate climate
Holiday: King’s March
Overview
Crow’s Keep is the capital of Midlander society,
situated on a high plinth of rock overlooking the
Great Lake, Forest of Drelnor and the Trackless
Moors. Within these fortified walls, the elderly
King Uldred holds court, thwarting the schemes
of rivals whilst struggling to fend off incursions
from imperial Melek.
The city is built in familiar western medieval style,
architecture reminiscent of the Middle Ages, with
a moderate to warm climate. As might be
expected, the most powerful noble families are
here in great numbers, manoeuvring for position
before Uldred passes. The gods, and their mortal
representatives, also wield great influence, with
throngs of faithful attending the great temples,
bolstered by the current tensions with Melek.
Soldiers are prevalent, a necessity brought about
by increased conflict with the Nydissian Empire
to the south. Contrary to the twenty year truce,
escalating border skirmishes and trade sanctions
are a cause of great concern; many of the Royal
Court consider Crow’s Keep on the brink of war.
Factions & NPCs
King Uldred (Fighter 5)
King Uldred, Shield of Argos, the
Southern Doom, Last of His Line, was
one of the great generals of his
generation. Now in his 70s, Uldred’s
fighting days are long past, but the people
recall his victories fondly. Most famously,
he was the general responsible for the
sacking of Kadimos thirty years earlier,
curbing Nydissia’s northern expansion at
the time.
Uldred’s wife and children died in a
horrific fire five years ago, leaving the
throne vacant when he passes. The
winter warrior now spends most of his
time at Castle Greyloft, treating with
highborn, fending off rivals and ferreting
out usurpers who refuse to wait until his
natural death. Uldred’s primary concern
is Melek, with whom border skirmishes
and trade sanctions are escalating.
Lady Rinwolde
Lady Rinwolde is the young matriarch of
an old, wealthy and respected noble line
with extensive alliances. Superficially
subservient to her elderly husband Lord Egbert, she is rumoured to in fact
control the family.
Lord Jaykin Hargraves (Fighter 3, 60’s, towering
6 ft 6”, heavy set with dark eyes and an
impressive silver beard) came from a poor
background. He built his wealth year by year,
daring the wilds to lead trade caravans between
the Argosan cities and beyond. Trading was lucrative but hard; Hargraves lost many friends in his travels and quickly found solace in the bottom of a bottle. Despite young Lady Eleanor Hargraves’ best endeavours, the old trader was never able to shake the habit, and is now an entrenched alcoholic.
The Royal Court
The King’s Court is filled with scheming
nobles, powerful merchants, revered
clergy, foreign ambassadors and other
notable personages most days of the
week. On occasion, commoners might
also gain an audience if the issue is
especially great. Presided over by King
Uldred and/or his magisters (advisors),
court politics are fluid at the best of
times. Spies abound, and more than one
poisoner and assassin stalk the corridors,
waiting for the opportune moment.
Order of the Iron God
Recognised by their black and white
tabards, the Knights of Graxus swear
fealty to the Iron God first and King
Uldred second. Lead by Sir Garrett
(Fighter 8) from Ironhold (the Temple of
Graxus), these sacred warriors sally forth
into the wilds, thundering across the
borderlands like death itself. The only
heavy cavalry in the region, they are a
force both terrifying and magnificent to
behold. As the blessed scriptures profess,
a knight of Iron God knows victory in
every battle but the last, and in that one,
he dies.
The Priestesses of Argona
In the domed Temple of the Starmaiden,
the priestesses of Argona tend to the
spiritual needs of the faithful. Renowned
apothecaries, they treat the ill and
physically stricken, mitigating suffering
where they can. High Priestess Racea
(50s, long silver hair, plump, joyful eyes)
manages the church and clergy. In recent
times, the support of the priestesses is
more important than ever; many families
having lost loved ones to Melek
incursions.
Taverns & Inns
Rumpletons
Double storey, stone. Standard rooms
with expensive food and cheap ale. The
expansive common room is lined with
shelves containing books, maps and
curios from across the region. Most of
the items are of little value. The owner is
Rumpleton, a tall and dextrous barkeep
with a flair for pouring drinks. Rumples
(as the locals call him) loves a chat,
especially about the wider world, and will
invite travellers to donate a curio for a
discount or free meal.
Silver Gallows
Single storey, wooden. Small rooms with
cheap food and quality ale. Steps lead
down to an excavated ground floor,
above which hangs an oversized, silver
painted noose. The ceiling beams are
inscribed with names, purportedly those
executed by the king during his reign.
Despite the sombre accoutrements, the
staff are friendly, seats comfortable, and
the bards pleasant. Jurric, the manager, is
an ex-guard (Fighter 2), slim with a lazy
eye. He often complains that his woeful
profits bear a physical toll and have
already turned one of his eyes bad.
Two Hounds
Two storey, stone. Large rooms,
standard food, excellent ale and spirits at
good prices. The Hounds’ staff tend
towards the attractive side (male and
female), the common room always
crowded. Twin statues of 4 ft armoured
war hounds flank the entry. A favourite
of the city guard, the proprietor
Mendelson (40’s, stocky, quick to swear
and curse) never worries about
drunkards getting out of hand.
The Rat Trap is a squalid den of mostly cheerful inebriates.
Bunderstone’s is a large, airy inn with an enormous and very crowded common room. The clientele here are a mix of wealthy and less affluent folk, sprinkled with a handful of guards.
The Fox & Raven; hang out of the local Gilderfunk Girls, an all female gang, specialists in smuggling and fencing.
The Farmer’s Lament is a raucous,
bellicose bar of yelling, laughing and
back slapping.
The Horny Toad is well known for its regular fisticuffs between drunk and disorderly patrons.
Nobby’s Alehouse caters to the well to do professionals and merchants of the city.
Corner of Lowbrook is a charming, older pub decked out in quality woodwork and comfortable seating. A hand painted sign by the door declares “No Foreigners”.
The Gravy Barrel is known for its hard
liquor and harder clientele. Favourite
haunt of the Bloodnut Bandits.
Forkenspoon’s is famous for its food first
and entertainers second (primarily bards, but prostitutes are not uncommon). Dice
games are a feature.
At The Pickled Boar, one thing is first
and foremost: boozing.
The Violent Vagrant has a decent sized common room surrounded by lots of intimate booths.
The Black Tankard is famous for two
things; its cheap ale and the illegal card
room out the back.
HISTORY
The history of the Midlands may be divided up into three broad ages.
The First Age
Almost nothing is known of the First Age, also known as the Age of Immortals, which predates the current era by at least 10,000 years. With no written records known to exist, legend and myth abound, offering precious little insight into primordial antiquity. Theologically speaking, the Midland cultures believe the gods fashioned the world during this time, imbued men with free will, and fought over their souls. Second Age scriptures suggest the wars that followed were cataclysmic, and that the gods agreed to withdraw and observe from beyond the Veil, rather than risk the complete destruction of their creation.
The Second Age
The Second Age, also known as the Age of Mortals, spans approximately 9,100 years, ruled by humans and non-humans in turn. Records are patchy at best; only the tip of the iceberg has been rediscovered and most centuries remain a mystery. Nevertheless, those few who study the remaining evidence have gleaned some insight into the distant past. At least two ancient human societies are known to have persisted for several hundred years; Ramoran slavers who buried their mummified dead in ornate underground tombs, and the Suun, a jungle kingdom abundant in gold, blood rituals and stepped pyramids. In other periods, monstrous dynasties prevailed. Cruel serpentmen enslaved the warmbloods until the world suddenly cooled, forcing a southern retreat to more humid climates. Warring cyclopes almost wiped men out entirely before a
virulent plague drove them to the highest peaks
to escape illness. Even the dwarves once ruled,
using tempered iron against more primitive
human societies, until men too unlocked the
secret of steel.
In the last centuries of the Second Age, skorn
dominated, mercilessly razing rival settlements
and feasting on nomads. At their peak, the skorn
numbered more than all the other humanoids
combined. Then Mount Rokan exploded.
The Third Age
Some 924 years ago Mount Rokan erupted in earth shattering fashion; searing the earth with fire and fume, blackening the sky with thick ash, and blasting the Midlands into the Third Age. Rokan
was an unparalleled natural disaster, wiping out most life in the region. Weeks later, when the skies finally cleared, desperate skorn and thuels fought for survival across the scorched plains, forests and mountains. Humans clinging to the inland sea took the opportunity to fortify and consolidate their defences, founding what would eventually become the enduring bastions of Northgate, Port Brax and Crow’s Keep. Approximately sixty years ago, the first Nydissian forces invaded from the south, establishing Melek as their northernmost city. Thirty years later, their second settlement of Kadimos, deep in the Trackless Moors, ended in ruin; sacked by waves of skorn, barbarian and Midlander forces. For the last twenty years, an informal truce with the Midlanders has prevailed, permitting trade and limited migration. The last score of years also consolidated the first Varnori city of the region; Vorngard, a wooden settlement expanding with more northerners every year. Heralding from Varnor, across the Boreal Sea, the raiders navigate the treacherous Siltwater to reach Lake Argos and the interior proper.
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