DongShenYin
First Post
You are living in the land of Bresnal, a place covered with rolling hills, thick woods, and abundant lakes. Until the last five hundred years, your ancestors have depended on a more nomadic hunting and gathering existence. Only recently have the various tribes of peoples settled down to form a more agricultural life, but the hunting heritage is still strongly reflected in your deities.
The tribes eventually became kingdoms, dividing Bresnal into established, politically delineated fragments. You were born within King Einar the Elder's land, a rich kingdom interlaced with rivers. Because of the extensive river system, travel on boats is more common than on roads. Horses are reserved for King Einar and his warriors, used in border squirmishes against the other kings and queens. It is the job of the king and warriors to protect the common folk who would draw sustenance from the land, exchanging food and commodities in return for a stable life.
Churches as established institutions are relatively new. Worship had always been a personal experience, led by tribal chiefs and heads of households. Since people have settled down, priests and ritualized worship have become more common. For the most part, the common folk go along with whatever the priests have to say, but worship varies in each kingdom. Also, there are those who ignore the church entirely, preferring their own personal worship. The pantheon consists of:
High King Chander The Stag : hunting, death, home
High Queen Ammure The Shieldmaiden : war, the sun, storms
High Prince Durrow The Balanced : hospitality, justice, duty
High Princess Eldhei The Greedy : love, wealth, animals
High Prince Ushwin The Beautiful : mysteries, magic, destiny
High Princess Miaell The Wise : crops, fertility, the moon
High Prince Loughlan The Poet : livestock, stories, oaths
Along with the gods, there are fey spirits tied to the land, the rivers, the forests and animals. Neither friendly nor hostile to people, they are as likely to steal your food as to bless your crops. People tend to placate these spirits with small offerings as well as have festivals and holidays dedicated to them. On the other hand, there are giants who share Bresnal with people. Ten feet tall and robust, the giants are friends to people, rarely engaging in war with you. The giants are known for their songs, ballads, stories, plays and cheerful outlook on things.
Magic is in the possession of a vast family that knows no political boundaries. Those who are wizards are born into the family, married into it, or adopted. Often, a child who shows promise in such skills are given to the family, severing all ties with his former kin. There are many rumors about this family, including the most persistent one—that the founder is an ancient wyrm that lives to this day and takes new brides to strengthen his line. Their ways are secretive, and most folk are in awe of them.
Only until recently have battles taken place sporadically with the other kingdoms, because people do as much trading as they do arguing. However, a new threat has appeared in the form of goblin legions invading from the western seas. King Einar, twenty years old, has earned the title “the Elder” because he has aged since the wars against the goblins have begun. No one knows much of these invaders as they apparently have been building their numbers in secret for centuries, preparing for conquest.
With all the seasoned warriors, priests and wizards at the front lines of the battle, it is up to you as newly promoted warriors, wizard apprentices and novice priests to care for your homeland. King Einar, needing a steady flow of supplies as well as wanting to reward good service, has given a fief to one of his best warriors, Ulner the Axe. With the battle still raging, Ulner has placed his son as steward of the fief, which will provide food and supplies to him and his men if successfully run.
Players are encouraged to create the steward and the characters who grew up with him in King Einar’s Great Hall. PCs should be members of the gentry who are familiar with and involved in politics, either as relatives of major warrior families, talented wizards, or newly ordained priests. (GM will help with linking PCs and noble families.) They don't have to be friends but they know each other and their families/religious order/patrons are all loyal to the king (at least outwardly so) and they should be willing to work with each other at the king's orders.
Players should be prepared to face challenges that include a betrothal between the steward and the heir of the fief’s former lord; dealing with the witch who controls the forest surrounding the fief; the mayor in the town downriver who is pursuing the heir in marriage; raids on the fief by bandits who steal crops, cattle and women; restoring and increasing the fief’s productivity; and the king’s approval as to whether they are keeping the fief or not.
The tribes eventually became kingdoms, dividing Bresnal into established, politically delineated fragments. You were born within King Einar the Elder's land, a rich kingdom interlaced with rivers. Because of the extensive river system, travel on boats is more common than on roads. Horses are reserved for King Einar and his warriors, used in border squirmishes against the other kings and queens. It is the job of the king and warriors to protect the common folk who would draw sustenance from the land, exchanging food and commodities in return for a stable life.
Churches as established institutions are relatively new. Worship had always been a personal experience, led by tribal chiefs and heads of households. Since people have settled down, priests and ritualized worship have become more common. For the most part, the common folk go along with whatever the priests have to say, but worship varies in each kingdom. Also, there are those who ignore the church entirely, preferring their own personal worship. The pantheon consists of:
High King Chander The Stag : hunting, death, home
High Queen Ammure The Shieldmaiden : war, the sun, storms
High Prince Durrow The Balanced : hospitality, justice, duty
High Princess Eldhei The Greedy : love, wealth, animals
High Prince Ushwin The Beautiful : mysteries, magic, destiny
High Princess Miaell The Wise : crops, fertility, the moon
High Prince Loughlan The Poet : livestock, stories, oaths
Along with the gods, there are fey spirits tied to the land, the rivers, the forests and animals. Neither friendly nor hostile to people, they are as likely to steal your food as to bless your crops. People tend to placate these spirits with small offerings as well as have festivals and holidays dedicated to them. On the other hand, there are giants who share Bresnal with people. Ten feet tall and robust, the giants are friends to people, rarely engaging in war with you. The giants are known for their songs, ballads, stories, plays and cheerful outlook on things.
Magic is in the possession of a vast family that knows no political boundaries. Those who are wizards are born into the family, married into it, or adopted. Often, a child who shows promise in such skills are given to the family, severing all ties with his former kin. There are many rumors about this family, including the most persistent one—that the founder is an ancient wyrm that lives to this day and takes new brides to strengthen his line. Their ways are secretive, and most folk are in awe of them.
Only until recently have battles taken place sporadically with the other kingdoms, because people do as much trading as they do arguing. However, a new threat has appeared in the form of goblin legions invading from the western seas. King Einar, twenty years old, has earned the title “the Elder” because he has aged since the wars against the goblins have begun. No one knows much of these invaders as they apparently have been building their numbers in secret for centuries, preparing for conquest.
With all the seasoned warriors, priests and wizards at the front lines of the battle, it is up to you as newly promoted warriors, wizard apprentices and novice priests to care for your homeland. King Einar, needing a steady flow of supplies as well as wanting to reward good service, has given a fief to one of his best warriors, Ulner the Axe. With the battle still raging, Ulner has placed his son as steward of the fief, which will provide food and supplies to him and his men if successfully run.
Players are encouraged to create the steward and the characters who grew up with him in King Einar’s Great Hall. PCs should be members of the gentry who are familiar with and involved in politics, either as relatives of major warrior families, talented wizards, or newly ordained priests. (GM will help with linking PCs and noble families.) They don't have to be friends but they know each other and their families/religious order/patrons are all loyal to the king (at least outwardly so) and they should be willing to work with each other at the king's orders.
Players should be prepared to face challenges that include a betrothal between the steward and the heir of the fief’s former lord; dealing with the witch who controls the forest surrounding the fief; the mayor in the town downriver who is pursuing the heir in marriage; raids on the fief by bandits who steal crops, cattle and women; restoring and increasing the fief’s productivity; and the king’s approval as to whether they are keeping the fief or not.
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