Here we're continuing the quest started in this thread. We'll keep the heroes from the last book, of course.
We're now reading the second book in the series, The Kingdom of Wyrd.
Apparently, they didn't find any inspiring image for this place. Here are some covers from the book:
That's s better suited for the Sorcery! book "The Severn Serpent"s. The Kingdom of Wyrd is the most desolate place in the land of Legend. Honestly: Kracht was not-Russia, with like 7 months of winter, and if you go even deeper, you reach the sea, and an island where the Kingdom stands, ruled by a lieutnant of the True Magi (who once ruled over Kracht from their citadel of Spyte). In one sentence: it's not-Siberia. And you don't see many cobras in not-Siberia.
A newer edition, depicting a minor scene from the book. It's at least relevant, but it still doesn't evoke the kingdom of Wyrd and you can't get any information from the cover.
Lastly, the French edition (the cover from book 1 was just the team of 4 heroes).
It's my favourite, because it (1) display the landscape of desolate steppe that is supposed to be the Kingdom of Wyrd (or is it the Kyngdom of Wird?) (2) it is titled "The master of dreams" which is... actually spoiling us on who is the main opponent in this book and on his favorite modus operandi, controlling dreams. Lastly, it is the one I had when I was a young teenager. The style isn't wonderful, though.
What do we know with the title? Well, from the lore that isn't mentionned in this book but one can glean by reading the RPG's campaign world book, the Kingdom of Wyrd was a principality of old Kracht.
Here is a map to help locate it.
For the last 600 years, it has been ruled by the Warlock-King[*]. HIs reign is stable and peaceful, mostly due to the fact that he can use magic to enter the dreams of his people, and detect if they dream of him losing his throne, so he can have his soldiers remove them before they even have a chance to hatch a plan, and plague them with nightmare so they die of fright if needed. The climate is even more desolate than in Kracht. The sea is covered in ice during winter. Nice place isn't it?
There is only, from the lore, one source of opposition: while there are rulers, administrators and a mass of peasnt as the three castes of society, there are the Seers. They are wandering prophets, revered by the peasants, and they seem to openly defy the Warlock-King power. Nobody knows why he doesn't have them killed, but they soothe the life of the peasants as they go.
Of this, however, we will know nothing if we just pick the gamebook series. Like the first book, exposition is scarce. We learn that we had a few weeks of rest after our victory, so our wounds are healed. Apparently, we also spent all the gold we supposedly gained in the Battlepits since we get no new gold.
[*] I guess it's because Joe Dever has already created a Wytch-King, Shasarak, for Grey Star to fight.
We're now reading the second book in the series, The Kingdom of Wyrd.
Apparently, they didn't find any inspiring image for this place. Here are some covers from the book:
That's s better suited for the Sorcery! book "The Severn Serpent"s. The Kingdom of Wyrd is the most desolate place in the land of Legend. Honestly: Kracht was not-Russia, with like 7 months of winter, and if you go even deeper, you reach the sea, and an island where the Kingdom stands, ruled by a lieutnant of the True Magi (who once ruled over Kracht from their citadel of Spyte). In one sentence: it's not-Siberia. And you don't see many cobras in not-Siberia.
A newer edition, depicting a minor scene from the book. It's at least relevant, but it still doesn't evoke the kingdom of Wyrd and you can't get any information from the cover.
Lastly, the French edition (the cover from book 1 was just the team of 4 heroes).
It's my favourite, because it (1) display the landscape of desolate steppe that is supposed to be the Kingdom of Wyrd (or is it the Kyngdom of Wird?) (2) it is titled "The master of dreams" which is... actually spoiling us on who is the main opponent in this book and on his favorite modus operandi, controlling dreams. Lastly, it is the one I had when I was a young teenager. The style isn't wonderful, though.
What do we know with the title? Well, from the lore that isn't mentionned in this book but one can glean by reading the RPG's campaign world book, the Kingdom of Wyrd was a principality of old Kracht.
Here is a map to help locate it.
For the last 600 years, it has been ruled by the Warlock-King[*]. HIs reign is stable and peaceful, mostly due to the fact that he can use magic to enter the dreams of his people, and detect if they dream of him losing his throne, so he can have his soldiers remove them before they even have a chance to hatch a plan, and plague them with nightmare so they die of fright if needed. The climate is even more desolate than in Kracht. The sea is covered in ice during winter. Nice place isn't it?
There is only, from the lore, one source of opposition: while there are rulers, administrators and a mass of peasnt as the three castes of society, there are the Seers. They are wandering prophets, revered by the peasants, and they seem to openly defy the Warlock-King power. Nobody knows why he doesn't have them killed, but they soothe the life of the peasants as they go.
Of this, however, we will know nothing if we just pick the gamebook series. Like the first book, exposition is scarce. We learn that we had a few weeks of rest after our victory, so our wounds are healed. Apparently, we also spent all the gold we supposedly gained in the Battlepits since we get no new gold.
[*] I guess it's because Joe Dever has already created a Wytch-King, Shasarak, for Grey Star to fight.