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[Let's Read] The Koryo Hall of Adventures
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 8291042" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/pRXi9qW.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Chapter 3: Agencies & Factions</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Note:</strong> This chapter had no heading image, so I used the one for the Koryo Hall of Adventures proper in Chapter 5 given it is the most relevant.</p><p></p><p>This section covers the major institutions of Jeosung. These tend to be ‘big picture,’ covering organizations that have an effect on the national or international level.</p><p></p><p><strong>Agencies</strong> are institutions dedicated to serving a larger interest beyond just one kingdom. Geumyongcheung is an agency in charge of keeping records of yangban families as well as those who were stripped of their status and why. Their records aren’t available to the public, and it’s a closed circle for the aristocracy. Gomnaru Port Authorities are a maritime merchant consortium which has its own private army and in some port cities is the de facto government. Jaeichcheong is an agency for entertainers of all stripes, but is currently suffering an internal rift between practitioners of Jongak music (preferred by high-class formal types) and Minsogak music (working class traveling musicians). Sangincheong is an agency for traders which provides various financial services and networking for members. Seongsucheong is a guild for shamans which keeps a registry of all known shamans in Jeosung and whose records provide details on rituals and spells. They have offices in every single village in Mudangguk, and in spite of their proclaimed political neutrality having a member sitting on said nation’s Council of Five. This has caused increased scrutiny of their order in Daewanguk and Haenamguk.</p><p></p><p><strong>Criminal Factions</strong> represent those few crime syndicates that got powerful and lucky enough to have agents all over Jeosung. The Brethren of Bulkutt specialize in stealing magical items to sell on the black market, with their base of operations in the city Huju. As to why, the town has a magical academy and also a network of secret tunnels and passageways which is effective for their trade. The Eyes of Käl broke off from the Shadows of the North due to anger at the reinstatement of old aristocracies, and specialize in committing terrorist actions against the government of Daewanguk. The Palm is a more traditional crime syndicate and specializes in theft of all kinds, but also oversees other illegal activity which can turn a profit.</p><p></p><p><strong>Farmer & Fisher Guilds</strong> are predictably the most mundane of the groups save for aspects of political intrigue and conflict growing to dominate their affairs. The Fishers’ Guild of Nakshi Yeonan provides most seafood for Haenamguk, and its brisk trade with other nations means that many spies seeking to penetrate the country’s authoritarian curtain often disguise themselves as guild members. The Rice Farmers’ Guild of Ssalbada (located in Daewanguk) are a tremendously powerful organization given their control over the canal which feeds countless rice paddies. This is causing discontent among farmers unable to afford guild dues, and the appearance of soldiers making sure that farmers are meeting their quotas is only making matters worse. The Tea Farmers’ Guild of Boseong has a tidy relationship with Mudangguk’s Council of Five, but as the town where their HQ is located joined the Gaya Confederacy this may hurt their coffers no matter which side they choose or don’t choose.</p><p></p><p><strong>Political Factions</strong> detailed here are those dedicated more to an ideology rather than a specific government. The Gaya Confederacy is headquartered in the city of Saenam of Mudangguk. Unsatisfied with the decisions of the Council of Five, the city government and allied families seek to use their regional power in the timber and iron trade to gain legitimacy from Daewanguk and Haenamuk in their goal of becoming an autonomous nation. The Saenam Separatist movement has similar grievances, although they want the creation of a yangban system and all the privileges that come with it, pointing to the actions of their ancestors during the Winds of Darkness as claims that their families deserve more for their aid in rebuilding society. The Shadows of the North were founded by Käl as a post-war peacekeeping force to hunt down and guard against monstrous remnants. Over time they became more self-interested, which caused disillusioned members to break away into the Eyes of Käl.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Religious Factions</strong> cover more specific institutions beyond the broad animism/purism belief systems. The Sect of Changjo pay fealty to neither religion, instead wishing for a return of the gods of old. However, they believe that the gods view mortals in their current state as unworthy of their love and thus seek violent revolution against the system and eradication of non-believers. As such they’re a villainous group who also devote time and resources into finding and stealing magical artifacts, particularly any rumored to be the Heavenly Heirlooms of old which disappeared long ago. The Sect of Yoggu Haneul, meanwhile, is a purist group who believes that the best way to overcome worldly attachments and desires is to overconsume on such desires until the body and mind are sick of them. This ideology was quickly taken advantage of by predators who turned the Sect into sex trafficking ring patronized and supported by wealthy yangbans.</p><p></p><p>Overall, the organizations strike positive for me. A few make logical sense in the context of the world but provide less adventure fodder than others. The Gaya Confederacy and Saenam Separatist Movement feel that they could be one organization instead. I was impressed that the otherwise mundane-sounding Farmers’ & Fishers’ Guilds had grist for conflict instead of being a dry economic treatise, and the rival musician groups of the Jaeichcheong are an interesting bit of cultural world-building that can also provide excuses for PC hijinks.</p><p></p><p>There’s quite a bit of antagonistic factions here beyond the typical criminal groups. The Sect of Changjo is cool, although the Sect of Yoggu Haneul will take careful consideration to use in most gaming groups given some triggering themes.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/DTuEdZV.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Chapter 4: Visualizing Jeosung</strong></p><p></p><p>This illustration-heavy chapter goes over material to better immerse players in the world of Jeosung, drawing heavily from pre-modern Korea.</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/CU1rpF5.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/xK0HgwT.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Houses tend to use the placement of kitchens as a heating system and as such said room is often lower than the rest of the house. The foundations are made of thick stones covered by a wooden floor to create a sort of floor heating, and during the summer months it is typical to cook outside instead. The construction of buildings differs depending on social class and wealth, although only larger buildings have corridors; most houses prefer roof-covered walkways connecting buildings.</p><p></p><p>Regarding common social services, agencies have local offices in just about every town within their domains of influence, with only very small and isolated villages lacking them. Daedonghae are local authority figures representing the interests of a community, and their appointment differs based on the political system. Options range from being democratically voted, appointed by a lord, being part of a council rather than an individual, and so on. Inns are uncommon, and most travelers rely upon local hospitality and empty rented rooms in houses for cheap accommodations. Public baths are free and appear in larger cities, with more elaborate ones providing special rooms with herbal and heated baths.</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/trF3uvu.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Jeosung culture is full of versatile cuisine and shiktangs are restaurants that appear just about everywhere. There are no indoor bars and taverns in Jeosung; instead, sooljibs are outdoor drinking places with tables. Just about every village has some local specialty in which they take pride, and travelers are fond of keeping foodie journals of such specialties which they share with others on the road. We also have a list of the most common crops farmed and the kingdoms known for certain staples, along with common meals, food, and drinks from local households to restaurants.</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/IpKNIcM.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/611mDdq.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>When people die it is customary to bury the dead. Mounds, graves, and mausoleums are popular based upon available physical space and wealth. It is also a universal practice to build Jangseungs, totems representing spirits and famous figures which can manifest spiritual energy to protect an area from evil spirits. The totems also bear markings of more mundane matters, such as directions to nearby settlements and their distance. Shrines are also important, used by animists and purists alike to perform religious ceremonies. They can be small simple affairs, such as a tree with colorful decorations and stones stacked upon each other, or huge buildings with their own rooms.</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/fTAAZKs.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Jeosung uses a “common currency” which was created after the Winds of Darkness to help facilitate inter-kingdom trade and cooperation for rebuilding. The copper/silver/gold coin standard endemic to D&D is the most common, although they bear holes in the center so that they can be easily strung together. Older forms of currency exist, such as jade coins and copper/silver/golden knives used by the Dragon Kings of old, and are prized for their historical value. The most recent kind of currency is paper money, favored by merchants of Sangincheong who make use of blood to identify one’s soul as a sort of magical banking ID system for easy transfer of liquid assets.</p><p></p><p>Overall I’m a big fan of this chapter: visual inspiration goes a long way to immersing players in a world, particularly in a culture which isn’t that well-covered in tabletop gaming.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/QElFK2d.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Chapter 5: Jimyeongsajeon, the Gazetteer of Jeosung, Part 1: the Koryo Hall of Adventures</strong></p><p></p><p>This chapter is by far the largest in the book, spanning 141 pages out of the book’s 275. It covers the Koryo Hall of Adventures as its own entry along with the four kingdoms of note: the forested pseudo-egalitarian realm of Mudangguk, the icy frontier that is Noonnara, the regimented and formal aristocracy of Daewanguk, and the militaristic Hermit Kingdom of Haenamguk. For obvious reasons I’m going to handle them all as their own entries rather than doing them all at once.</p><p></p><p>We start out with a discussion of the realms of reality. There are <strong>two known planes of existence:</strong> first is Iseung, the material plane and home of mortals. Then there is Shinseung, also known as the spiritual plane but what foreigners would recognize as the Ethereal Plane. Shinseung is only accessible by spirits, the dead, and mages with the right spells. Most spirits have the ability to go back and forth between Iseung and Shinseung. Jeosung observes a <strong>lunar calendar</strong> that has an annual total of 240 days. The four seasons are recognized, and each season (and quarter of a season) are associated with one of the four elements: Spring and first quarter with Earth, Summer and second quarter with Fire, Autumn and third quarter with Water, and Winter and the fourth quarter with Air. Jeosung also has a monsoon period which strikes annually at the beginning of summer, lasting three to six weeks.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Koryo Hall of Adventures</strong> was created by Yül after the Winds of Darkness as an international group of soldiers, mercenaries, shamans, and other specialists who’d protect people and places in need of them during the chaotic period of rebuilding society. She chose the Sanshinamü, the headquarters she used to summon the great spirit to return magic to the lands, as a center of operations for building the Hall. Although originally a volunteer organization, the growth in numbers and rising prosperity of the realms who felt less need for them turned the Koryo Hall of Adventures into a for-profit business.</p><p></p><p>The Hall is a self-sufficient fortress reached via a mountain pass in Mudangguk, with its own shops, restaurant, scholarly archives, and training centers for a variety of skills. People in need of members’ services post notes on a public board with details on the job and rewards, and there’s a sample map, list of shops and services, and locations of note within the complex. Adventurers who are members can stay for free up to 2 nights per visit between Jobs, and also have free access to the practice grounds for improving their skills and can conduct research in the Study for free. They cannot take out manuscripts for any reason, as they’re often old, fragile, and/or rare.</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/N6GoB7F.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>This sidebar is but one of many examples of others of their kind within the book. The following sections of Chapter 5 provide sample hooks relevant to locations of note, which is a pretty good way of inspiring GMs for adventures.</p><p></p><p>Following the details of the Hall as a location are the various rules and regulations. Newtime adventurers register for membership when picking their first job, getting 40% cut of the profits and the Hall uses the 60% portion to help process registration. Afterwards, members take 90% of the profits for every job. Beyond this, the Koryo Hall of Adventures has some broad terms for conduct of behavior:* they don’t take responsibility for what types of jobs are posted, although acts of genocide, those which put the balance of the material/spiritual worlds in jeopardy, and actions which can have repercussions across the realms are refused on principle.** Members cannot steal, kill, or do general trouble-making while within the Hall’s premises, must respect fellow members, and once they accept a job must finish it or die trying. All sorts of jobs are posted, although the Hall splits some jobs as being “for Heroes” or “for Scoundrels” based on the ideal morality for job-takers. And yes, this setting does have a bean-counting morality system determining one’s Heroic/Scoundrel nature.</p><p></p><p>*although only those relevant to gaming sessions are detailed.</p><p></p><p>**this last one may be hard to enforce.</p><p></p><p>Those who post jobs are known as Requesters, and must pay the reward in advance in order for the job to be completed. To ensure that the Hall is not seen as usurers, they send additional teams to complete a failed job at no extra cost, and a full refund if the job is time-sensitive. Desperate Measures are rare exceptions where a requester is short on funds and the trouble is significant. The method of authenticating a completed job is laid out in the job description, and adventurers collect their payment back at the Hall after showing their proof. Adventurers who fail a job suffer punishment depending on the circumstances and expense: unpaid labor at the hall for a period of time, a fine, and doing missions for free are common, although those who make a habit of sloppiness or engage in forbidden activity become targets of the Hall who send out hit squads to kill them. The terms of punishment are detailed in the Appendix, so the GM is not left to gut feelings and fiat.</p><p></p><p>The last part detailing the Hall has write-ups for 9 NPCs. Each entry shows a scene entirely in-character with them interacting with someone as a means of showing their personality. No stats are provided beyond their race and gender, and in one case noting that they possess shamanic magic.</p><p></p><p><strong>Thoughts So Far:</strong> The concept of the Koryo Hall of Adventures is a strong appeal to the adventurer’s guild concept as seen in many video game RPGs, up to and including a notice board of quests. This is more an aesthetic thing, but the artificial nature of the Hero/Scoundrel system rubs me the wrong way; even though the Hall is an isolated fortress it makes me imagine that “scoundrel jobs” effectively advertising the Requester’s evil plans to an audience of any passersby who cares to read the notice board.</p><p></p><p>Furthermore, the Koryo Hall’s location in Mudangguk’s mountain range is a bit problematic. The necessity of going to the Hall and back with every completed Job sounds rather onerous, particularly for quests located in Daewanguk and Haenamguk. A way around it would be if the Hall had localized branches much like agencies, although if this is the case the text does not imply this. That being said, the core concept of an organization of adventurers for the PCs and base of operations is a great way of providing plot hooks and replacement characters for those who get killed in action.</p><p></p><p><strong>Join us next time as we cover the nation of Mudangguk, a near-classless society of arboreal beauty and omnipresent spirits!</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 8291042, member: 6750502"] [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/pRXi9qW.jpeg[/IMG] [B]Chapter 3: Agencies & Factions[/B][/CENTER] [B]Note:[/B] This chapter had no heading image, so I used the one for the Koryo Hall of Adventures proper in Chapter 5 given it is the most relevant. This section covers the major institutions of Jeosung. These tend to be ‘big picture,’ covering organizations that have an effect on the national or international level. [B]Agencies[/B] are institutions dedicated to serving a larger interest beyond just one kingdom. Geumyongcheung is an agency in charge of keeping records of yangban families as well as those who were stripped of their status and why. Their records aren’t available to the public, and it’s a closed circle for the aristocracy. Gomnaru Port Authorities are a maritime merchant consortium which has its own private army and in some port cities is the de facto government. Jaeichcheong is an agency for entertainers of all stripes, but is currently suffering an internal rift between practitioners of Jongak music (preferred by high-class formal types) and Minsogak music (working class traveling musicians). Sangincheong is an agency for traders which provides various financial services and networking for members. Seongsucheong is a guild for shamans which keeps a registry of all known shamans in Jeosung and whose records provide details on rituals and spells. They have offices in every single village in Mudangguk, and in spite of their proclaimed political neutrality having a member sitting on said nation’s Council of Five. This has caused increased scrutiny of their order in Daewanguk and Haenamguk. [B]Criminal Factions[/B] represent those few crime syndicates that got powerful and lucky enough to have agents all over Jeosung. The Brethren of Bulkutt specialize in stealing magical items to sell on the black market, with their base of operations in the city Huju. As to why, the town has a magical academy and also a network of secret tunnels and passageways which is effective for their trade. The Eyes of Käl broke off from the Shadows of the North due to anger at the reinstatement of old aristocracies, and specialize in committing terrorist actions against the government of Daewanguk. The Palm is a more traditional crime syndicate and specializes in theft of all kinds, but also oversees other illegal activity which can turn a profit. [B]Farmer & Fisher Guilds[/B] are predictably the most mundane of the groups save for aspects of political intrigue and conflict growing to dominate their affairs. The Fishers’ Guild of Nakshi Yeonan provides most seafood for Haenamguk, and its brisk trade with other nations means that many spies seeking to penetrate the country’s authoritarian curtain often disguise themselves as guild members. The Rice Farmers’ Guild of Ssalbada (located in Daewanguk) are a tremendously powerful organization given their control over the canal which feeds countless rice paddies. This is causing discontent among farmers unable to afford guild dues, and the appearance of soldiers making sure that farmers are meeting their quotas is only making matters worse. The Tea Farmers’ Guild of Boseong has a tidy relationship with Mudangguk’s Council of Five, but as the town where their HQ is located joined the Gaya Confederacy this may hurt their coffers no matter which side they choose or don’t choose. [b]Political Factions[/b] detailed here are those dedicated more to an ideology rather than a specific government. The Gaya Confederacy is headquartered in the city of Saenam of Mudangguk. Unsatisfied with the decisions of the Council of Five, the city government and allied families seek to use their regional power in the timber and iron trade to gain legitimacy from Daewanguk and Haenamuk in their goal of becoming an autonomous nation. The Saenam Separatist movement has similar grievances, although they want the creation of a yangban system and all the privileges that come with it, pointing to the actions of their ancestors during the Winds of Darkness as claims that their families deserve more for their aid in rebuilding society. The Shadows of the North were founded by Käl as a post-war peacekeeping force to hunt down and guard against monstrous remnants. Over time they became more self-interested, which caused disillusioned members to break away into the Eyes of Käl. [b]Religious Factions[/b] cover more specific institutions beyond the broad animism/purism belief systems. The Sect of Changjo pay fealty to neither religion, instead wishing for a return of the gods of old. However, they believe that the gods view mortals in their current state as unworthy of their love and thus seek violent revolution against the system and eradication of non-believers. As such they’re a villainous group who also devote time and resources into finding and stealing magical artifacts, particularly any rumored to be the Heavenly Heirlooms of old which disappeared long ago. The Sect of Yoggu Haneul, meanwhile, is a purist group who believes that the best way to overcome worldly attachments and desires is to overconsume on such desires until the body and mind are sick of them. This ideology was quickly taken advantage of by predators who turned the Sect into sex trafficking ring patronized and supported by wealthy yangbans. Overall, the organizations strike positive for me. A few make logical sense in the context of the world but provide less adventure fodder than others. The Gaya Confederacy and Saenam Separatist Movement feel that they could be one organization instead. I was impressed that the otherwise mundane-sounding Farmers’ & Fishers’ Guilds had grist for conflict instead of being a dry economic treatise, and the rival musician groups of the Jaeichcheong are an interesting bit of cultural world-building that can also provide excuses for PC hijinks. There’s quite a bit of antagonistic factions here beyond the typical criminal groups. The Sect of Changjo is cool, although the Sect of Yoggu Haneul will take careful consideration to use in most gaming groups given some triggering themes. [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/DTuEdZV.jpeg[/IMG] [B]Chapter 4: Visualizing Jeosung[/B][/CENTER] This illustration-heavy chapter goes over material to better immerse players in the world of Jeosung, drawing heavily from pre-modern Korea. [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/CU1rpF5.png[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/xK0HgwT.png[/IMG] Houses tend to use the placement of kitchens as a heating system and as such said room is often lower than the rest of the house. The foundations are made of thick stones covered by a wooden floor to create a sort of floor heating, and during the summer months it is typical to cook outside instead. The construction of buildings differs depending on social class and wealth, although only larger buildings have corridors; most houses prefer roof-covered walkways connecting buildings. Regarding common social services, agencies have local offices in just about every town within their domains of influence, with only very small and isolated villages lacking them. Daedonghae are local authority figures representing the interests of a community, and their appointment differs based on the political system. Options range from being democratically voted, appointed by a lord, being part of a council rather than an individual, and so on. Inns are uncommon, and most travelers rely upon local hospitality and empty rented rooms in houses for cheap accommodations. Public baths are free and appear in larger cities, with more elaborate ones providing special rooms with herbal and heated baths. [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/trF3uvu.png[/IMG] Jeosung culture is full of versatile cuisine and shiktangs are restaurants that appear just about everywhere. There are no indoor bars and taverns in Jeosung; instead, sooljibs are outdoor drinking places with tables. Just about every village has some local specialty in which they take pride, and travelers are fond of keeping foodie journals of such specialties which they share with others on the road. We also have a list of the most common crops farmed and the kingdoms known for certain staples, along with common meals, food, and drinks from local households to restaurants. [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/IpKNIcM.png[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/611mDdq.png[/IMG] When people die it is customary to bury the dead. Mounds, graves, and mausoleums are popular based upon available physical space and wealth. It is also a universal practice to build Jangseungs, totems representing spirits and famous figures which can manifest spiritual energy to protect an area from evil spirits. The totems also bear markings of more mundane matters, such as directions to nearby settlements and their distance. Shrines are also important, used by animists and purists alike to perform religious ceremonies. They can be small simple affairs, such as a tree with colorful decorations and stones stacked upon each other, or huge buildings with their own rooms. [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/fTAAZKs.png[/IMG] Jeosung uses a “common currency” which was created after the Winds of Darkness to help facilitate inter-kingdom trade and cooperation for rebuilding. The copper/silver/gold coin standard endemic to D&D is the most common, although they bear holes in the center so that they can be easily strung together. Older forms of currency exist, such as jade coins and copper/silver/golden knives used by the Dragon Kings of old, and are prized for their historical value. The most recent kind of currency is paper money, favored by merchants of Sangincheong who make use of blood to identify one’s soul as a sort of magical banking ID system for easy transfer of liquid assets. Overall I’m a big fan of this chapter: visual inspiration goes a long way to immersing players in a world, particularly in a culture which isn’t that well-covered in tabletop gaming. [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/QElFK2d.jpg[/IMG] [B]Chapter 5: Jimyeongsajeon, the Gazetteer of Jeosung, Part 1: the Koryo Hall of Adventures[/B][/CENTER] This chapter is by far the largest in the book, spanning 141 pages out of the book’s 275. It covers the Koryo Hall of Adventures as its own entry along with the four kingdoms of note: the forested pseudo-egalitarian realm of Mudangguk, the icy frontier that is Noonnara, the regimented and formal aristocracy of Daewanguk, and the militaristic Hermit Kingdom of Haenamguk. For obvious reasons I’m going to handle them all as their own entries rather than doing them all at once. We start out with a discussion of the realms of reality. There are [B]two known planes of existence:[/B] first is Iseung, the material plane and home of mortals. Then there is Shinseung, also known as the spiritual plane but what foreigners would recognize as the Ethereal Plane. Shinseung is only accessible by spirits, the dead, and mages with the right spells. Most spirits have the ability to go back and forth between Iseung and Shinseung. Jeosung observes a [B]lunar calendar[/B] that has an annual total of 240 days. The four seasons are recognized, and each season (and quarter of a season) are associated with one of the four elements: Spring and first quarter with Earth, Summer and second quarter with Fire, Autumn and third quarter with Water, and Winter and the fourth quarter with Air. Jeosung also has a monsoon period which strikes annually at the beginning of summer, lasting three to six weeks. [B]The Koryo Hall of Adventures[/B] was created by Yül after the Winds of Darkness as an international group of soldiers, mercenaries, shamans, and other specialists who’d protect people and places in need of them during the chaotic period of rebuilding society. She chose the Sanshinamü, the headquarters she used to summon the great spirit to return magic to the lands, as a center of operations for building the Hall. Although originally a volunteer organization, the growth in numbers and rising prosperity of the realms who felt less need for them turned the Koryo Hall of Adventures into a for-profit business. The Hall is a self-sufficient fortress reached via a mountain pass in Mudangguk, with its own shops, restaurant, scholarly archives, and training centers for a variety of skills. People in need of members’ services post notes on a public board with details on the job and rewards, and there’s a sample map, list of shops and services, and locations of note within the complex. Adventurers who are members can stay for free up to 2 nights per visit between Jobs, and also have free access to the practice grounds for improving their skills and can conduct research in the Study for free. They cannot take out manuscripts for any reason, as they’re often old, fragile, and/or rare. [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/N6GoB7F.png[/IMG] This sidebar is but one of many examples of others of their kind within the book. The following sections of Chapter 5 provide sample hooks relevant to locations of note, which is a pretty good way of inspiring GMs for adventures. Following the details of the Hall as a location are the various rules and regulations. Newtime adventurers register for membership when picking their first job, getting 40% cut of the profits and the Hall uses the 60% portion to help process registration. Afterwards, members take 90% of the profits for every job. Beyond this, the Koryo Hall of Adventures has some broad terms for conduct of behavior:* they don’t take responsibility for what types of jobs are posted, although acts of genocide, those which put the balance of the material/spiritual worlds in jeopardy, and actions which can have repercussions across the realms are refused on principle.** Members cannot steal, kill, or do general trouble-making while within the Hall’s premises, must respect fellow members, and once they accept a job must finish it or die trying. All sorts of jobs are posted, although the Hall splits some jobs as being “for Heroes” or “for Scoundrels” based on the ideal morality for job-takers. And yes, this setting does have a bean-counting morality system determining one’s Heroic/Scoundrel nature. *although only those relevant to gaming sessions are detailed. **this last one may be hard to enforce. Those who post jobs are known as Requesters, and must pay the reward in advance in order for the job to be completed. To ensure that the Hall is not seen as usurers, they send additional teams to complete a failed job at no extra cost, and a full refund if the job is time-sensitive. Desperate Measures are rare exceptions where a requester is short on funds and the trouble is significant. The method of authenticating a completed job is laid out in the job description, and adventurers collect their payment back at the Hall after showing their proof. Adventurers who fail a job suffer punishment depending on the circumstances and expense: unpaid labor at the hall for a period of time, a fine, and doing missions for free are common, although those who make a habit of sloppiness or engage in forbidden activity become targets of the Hall who send out hit squads to kill them. The terms of punishment are detailed in the Appendix, so the GM is not left to gut feelings and fiat. The last part detailing the Hall has write-ups for 9 NPCs. Each entry shows a scene entirely in-character with them interacting with someone as a means of showing their personality. No stats are provided beyond their race and gender, and in one case noting that they possess shamanic magic. [B]Thoughts So Far:[/B] The concept of the Koryo Hall of Adventures is a strong appeal to the adventurer’s guild concept as seen in many video game RPGs, up to and including a notice board of quests. This is more an aesthetic thing, but the artificial nature of the Hero/Scoundrel system rubs me the wrong way; even though the Hall is an isolated fortress it makes me imagine that “scoundrel jobs” effectively advertising the Requester’s evil plans to an audience of any passersby who cares to read the notice board. Furthermore, the Koryo Hall’s location in Mudangguk’s mountain range is a bit problematic. The necessity of going to the Hall and back with every completed Job sounds rather onerous, particularly for quests located in Daewanguk and Haenamguk. A way around it would be if the Hall had localized branches much like agencies, although if this is the case the text does not imply this. That being said, the core concept of an organization of adventurers for the PCs and base of operations is a great way of providing plot hooks and replacement characters for those who get killed in action. [B]Join us next time as we cover the nation of Mudangguk, a near-classless society of arboreal beauty and omnipresent spirits![/B] [/QUOTE]
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