Bob Aberton
First Post
'Zactly what the title says. I've often wondered what happened in Avalon post-Arthur. Here is my version:
(Note: time is reckoned in Anne Rex (Year of Kings), or A.R. A.R. 1-50 was the Arthurian times. A.R.D. (Anne Rex Deuce), or the second Age of Kings, was from the time when Owain Nheriathir (Uwaine of North Wales) took the kingship of Avalon.)
"After the death of Arthur, or the seeming death, for the Rex Quondam Rex Futuris (Once and Future King) was taken to Avalon by Morgana LeFay and the Lady of the Lake, where some say he yet sleeps by the lakeshore, to awake again one day and once more lead England and Avalon to peace and prosperity, there was no one to take the throne of Avalon (The throne of England at this time was held by a Saxon king).
However, one did come forward to lead the Isle of Apples. The son of Urien Rheged of North Wales and Morgan LeFay, Uwaine (Owain, in the Welsh language), came forward, heir to Avalon by blood (Morgan was the half-sister of Arthur, and Owain was her son.), and took the name Nherianthir, and began the Nherianthir line, an offshoot of the Pendragon line, which ended with the death of Arthur.
And so there was peace and prosperity for a time, save that the Druids and the Christians were opposed in their teachings, the Druids seeing the Christians as narrow-minded and the Christians seeing the Druids as devil-worshippers and sorcerers. There looked to be a struggle that might tear Avalon apart, save that a wise, holy, broad-minded, and far-seeing priest named Father Ursian laid down his life as a peace sacrifice, and so he became St. Ursian, and both Druids and Christians hold him in high regard for bringing peace and tolerance between the two faiths, for, though he was a Christian priest, St. Ursian saw much good and worthy of merit in Druidical teachings as well.
But a score of decades later, the Merlin of Avalon, Arolas (for Merlin was not a man, it was an office held by the highest-ranking Druid, and Arthur's Merlin was but one Merlin), resolved to teach others, for he was of the opinion that Magic was the patrimony of all, even those not of the Druid faith, of the secret Durid arts, which some call "sorcery," or "magic." He taught the magics of plant and stone, of wood and water, and even the magic of spirits, for indeed magic doth come from the Land Beyond, Faerie, the Spirit-world, which, though it always surrounds us and is with us, we may not see or contact unless we know of the secret arts of Magic, and through the spirits, who are beings beyond our knowledge for the most part.
And so the march of years continued, and Avalon became separated from the lands of mortals, save to those who know magic, who can percieve the world of spirits as only one versed in Magic can, for indeed Avalon has become more like to Faerie, to the Realm of Spirits, than to any mortal land."
-Excerpt from "The Merlin's History of Avalon," which is an ongoing history added to by each Merlin to hold the office, attributed to the Merlin Arolas, around the year 234 A.R.N.
Basically, Avalon's relation to England is this:
England-----Avalon----Faerie (Realm of Spirits)*
However, after the Wisdom of the Druids was lost (About the time of Arthur), the connection of England to Avalon became much more tenous, while the connection between Avalon and Faerie was strengthened. Note that Faerie does not directly correspond to "The Afterlife," although it can.
"Many spirits there are in those realms, and some serve God and could be termed 'Angels,' and some are malevolent and serve Satan, and could be termed 'Devils,' and still others serve themselves and could be termed 'Fey.' But the realms of God are not Faerie, and neither are the realms of Satan. The spirits of Faerie are not mortal, nor ever were."
- Arolas, Merlin of Avalon, 257
A.R.N.
Faerie is a specific place - the realm of the Fey, spirits that do not serve any master but themselves, and answer to know one save the King of Faerie.
The realms of the Spirits is a general term for anything that is not the realms of mortals - in other words, Hell, Heaven, Faerie, etc.
These are not "planes" in the D&D sense. Hell and Heaven are places no living person may tread, but Faerie can be visited. There are no Elemental Planes. There are, however, elementals, and it is not known from whence they come.
There are no psionics, and no plane travelling, although Faerie can be accessed.
Avalon is a low-magic setting. Wizards use the Witch spell list from the DMG, sometimes containing one or two low-level offensive spells. Spellcraft checks are required to cast all spells above cantrip level. There is a new class - the Christian Priest. This class has special turning abilities, Divine Favor, and a few other special powers to balance off the HD d4, poor BaB progression, lack of armor proficiencies, and possibly a prohibition against shedding blood.
The combat is based on a skill-based system. there are more revisions in the works.
Anyone want to hear more?
(Note: time is reckoned in Anne Rex (Year of Kings), or A.R. A.R. 1-50 was the Arthurian times. A.R.D. (Anne Rex Deuce), or the second Age of Kings, was from the time when Owain Nheriathir (Uwaine of North Wales) took the kingship of Avalon.)
"After the death of Arthur, or the seeming death, for the Rex Quondam Rex Futuris (Once and Future King) was taken to Avalon by Morgana LeFay and the Lady of the Lake, where some say he yet sleeps by the lakeshore, to awake again one day and once more lead England and Avalon to peace and prosperity, there was no one to take the throne of Avalon (The throne of England at this time was held by a Saxon king).
However, one did come forward to lead the Isle of Apples. The son of Urien Rheged of North Wales and Morgan LeFay, Uwaine (Owain, in the Welsh language), came forward, heir to Avalon by blood (Morgan was the half-sister of Arthur, and Owain was her son.), and took the name Nherianthir, and began the Nherianthir line, an offshoot of the Pendragon line, which ended with the death of Arthur.
And so there was peace and prosperity for a time, save that the Druids and the Christians were opposed in their teachings, the Druids seeing the Christians as narrow-minded and the Christians seeing the Druids as devil-worshippers and sorcerers. There looked to be a struggle that might tear Avalon apart, save that a wise, holy, broad-minded, and far-seeing priest named Father Ursian laid down his life as a peace sacrifice, and so he became St. Ursian, and both Druids and Christians hold him in high regard for bringing peace and tolerance between the two faiths, for, though he was a Christian priest, St. Ursian saw much good and worthy of merit in Druidical teachings as well.
But a score of decades later, the Merlin of Avalon, Arolas (for Merlin was not a man, it was an office held by the highest-ranking Druid, and Arthur's Merlin was but one Merlin), resolved to teach others, for he was of the opinion that Magic was the patrimony of all, even those not of the Druid faith, of the secret Durid arts, which some call "sorcery," or "magic." He taught the magics of plant and stone, of wood and water, and even the magic of spirits, for indeed magic doth come from the Land Beyond, Faerie, the Spirit-world, which, though it always surrounds us and is with us, we may not see or contact unless we know of the secret arts of Magic, and through the spirits, who are beings beyond our knowledge for the most part.
And so the march of years continued, and Avalon became separated from the lands of mortals, save to those who know magic, who can percieve the world of spirits as only one versed in Magic can, for indeed Avalon has become more like to Faerie, to the Realm of Spirits, than to any mortal land."
-Excerpt from "The Merlin's History of Avalon," which is an ongoing history added to by each Merlin to hold the office, attributed to the Merlin Arolas, around the year 234 A.R.N.
Basically, Avalon's relation to England is this:
England-----Avalon----Faerie (Realm of Spirits)*
However, after the Wisdom of the Druids was lost (About the time of Arthur), the connection of England to Avalon became much more tenous, while the connection between Avalon and Faerie was strengthened. Note that Faerie does not directly correspond to "The Afterlife," although it can.
"Many spirits there are in those realms, and some serve God and could be termed 'Angels,' and some are malevolent and serve Satan, and could be termed 'Devils,' and still others serve themselves and could be termed 'Fey.' But the realms of God are not Faerie, and neither are the realms of Satan. The spirits of Faerie are not mortal, nor ever were."
- Arolas, Merlin of Avalon, 257
A.R.N.
Faerie is a specific place - the realm of the Fey, spirits that do not serve any master but themselves, and answer to know one save the King of Faerie.
The realms of the Spirits is a general term for anything that is not the realms of mortals - in other words, Hell, Heaven, Faerie, etc.
These are not "planes" in the D&D sense. Hell and Heaven are places no living person may tread, but Faerie can be visited. There are no Elemental Planes. There are, however, elementals, and it is not known from whence they come.
There are no psionics, and no plane travelling, although Faerie can be accessed.
Avalon is a low-magic setting. Wizards use the Witch spell list from the DMG, sometimes containing one or two low-level offensive spells. Spellcraft checks are required to cast all spells above cantrip level. There is a new class - the Christian Priest. This class has special turning abilities, Divine Favor, and a few other special powers to balance off the HD d4, poor BaB progression, lack of armor proficiencies, and possibly a prohibition against shedding blood.
The combat is based on a skill-based system. there are more revisions in the works.
Anyone want to hear more?