The Lunaedriac

[MacConnell]

Homebrew Setting:
This is a magic infusion, early technology, fantasy world populated by men and monsters. Of course, some men are monsters. The particular technological age is deliberately set during the early Iron Age, progressing toward the Age of Discovery, so that the actions of characters, outside of those dedicated to combat, have a direct effect on the political, societal, and technological advancement of the various communities throughout the land.

 

[MacConnell]

The Lunaedriac:
This very large lake in the southern part of the Dragon’s Spine Mountains is about the length of a seven days’ walk at its longest from northeast to southwest and a four day’s walk in width from west to east at its widest. Though the lake is considered to be high in the mountains, it is not above the treeline and the communities are surrounded by conifers, some of which can be quite large. The northern half of the lake is much wider than the southern half. The lake is high in the mountains and as deep as the peaks are tall. Though its waters are clear enough to see down 20 strides or so, it is far too deep to know anything of what secrets it may hold in its depths, but superstitions exist. Despite the southern latitude, the elevation gives the region much more dramatic fluctuation in seasonal changes and far cooler temperatures than the surrounding lands, which are subtropical.

The lake is filled by the melting snow during the late Shifting Season and is drained by eight rivers. The headwaters of most of these rivers is the location of a developing community. There are more communities on the outward side of the rivers and falls, as the rivers leave the mountains. The communities of the lake are mostly unaware of the world at large but are friendly with one another and conduct trade by various types of water vessel, except for Bergbaulager, the Maldrog community, which has had contact with explorers from South Road Fair and now conducts trade with the outside world.

The lake region experiences fairly significant fluctuations in temperature but very little wind or rainfall with the seasonable weather changes. The Chilling Season brings freezing temperatures and snow to the higher elevations of the mountains and sometimes to the surface level of the lake. The Shifting season blows snow from the peaks into the communities, which can create an odd phenomenon when the sky is clear and the Daylight seems warm yet fine snow is falling from the sky and covering the ground. During the Drenching Season rains come into the eastern face of the mountains across the Szis’wa’alo Jungle but rarely ever reach over into the lake itself.

Peoples:
The area is mostly inhabited by tribes of the Mhytre species on its western shores and tribes of Faethrin species on its eastern shores, though there is a community of Aedamans of the Hebrian tribe on the second eastern river, north from the southern tip of the lake. These Hebrians have the most advanced textile skill and use silk cloth to make sails for their twin-hulled trading vessels. The Maldrog tribe of Mhytres who inhabit Bergbaulager, which is located at the head of the second western river, south from the northern tip of the lake have advanced skill in smithing and trade tools with the other lake communities. They travel the water in barges powered by oarsmen. A tribe of Orngaddrins of the Mhytre species resides at the headwaters of the very north-most river and are the most adept metallurgists. The river outlet immediately to the east of this location does not have a community as there is no suitable site, for the cliffs are too steep. On the river south of Bergbaulager is a community of Kozzogs, a tribe of Mhytres, who are the best masons. On the river south of the Kozzog community, is a village of Ekkimards, also of the Mhytre species, who mostly keep to themselves. On the river north of the Hebrian village is a community of Faethrins of the Spiofthests tribe, who are the best carpenters and woodworkers. On the river south of the Hebrian village is another Faethrin community, but this one is of the Rheini tribe, who are the best leatherworkers.

 

[MacConnell]

Theology:
All peoples of the region believe in a benevolent deity who bequeaths life and in a malevolent enemy of this god. For the Mhytres, the life god, who is believed to be masculine, is called the Foundation. He is respected and revered. He is honored with works of labor in the fields of smithing, forging, and masonry. His symbol is simply a square. Pieces dedicated to Earth are displayed in hollowed locations and never used for their practical purpose. Masons dedicate statues or entire structures to hold works of metal. There is a universal shrine on a small island, close to the western coast, between Bergbaulager and the Kozzog village.

For the Mhytres, the malevolent god who plagues the people and controls the Confinement and Quest aspects of afterlife is believed to be female and is called Glacier. She is believed to bring the snow and ice of the Chilling season in an attempt to break the foundation of civilization. Her symbol is a jagged line. There are a few minor deities for more specific aspects of life.

For the Faethrins and the Aedamans, the life god, who is believed to be masculine, is called the Wind. He is honored with works of art specifically designed to dance in a breeze or make sound. Some of these mobiles and chimes hang in the shrine built by the Mhytres. Though the aspect is very different, each tribe respects the beliefs of the others and figures that there is some overlap of which the mere people are unaware; after all, the actions and thoughts of gods are beyond the understanding of people. The symbol for the Wind is a swirled line.

For the Faethrins and Aedamans, the malevolent god has the same functions as that of the Mhytre’s, but she is called Darkness or simply Malevolence. Her symbol is concentric circles with a solid one at the center.

Government:
Each village has its own system of leadership and societal expectations, but they are all some form of oligarchy based upon tradition rather than anything orchestrated or highly structured. The titles vary based upon native language and primary commercial technology.

Levels of Technology:
The overt indicators for the expression of technology within any given society are represented by construction, fashion, and weaponry. The subtle indicators are communication and art. Timber is the primary building material of all the lake villages, though the Mhytre communities also use cut stone. Fashion from all communities is much more practical than artistic and primarily manufactured from leather, though many will also wear fabric when not laboring.

Commerce:
There is no system of remuneration for any of the lake communities, and all trade is conducted on a barter system, though Bergbaulager has now been exposed to coins due to its contact with peoples of South Road Fair. The majority of mined ore is taken to Marmeren Heavel, the Orngaddrin community, especially anything other than iron, where it is smelted into various alloys. This material is then taken to Bergbaulager, the Maldrog community, where it is smithed into tools and weapons, which are then traded to all other communities. Vit Spira, the Kozzog community trades labor for goods, especially with regard to masonry and stonework. Ceannbhrat Buaircineach, the Spioftest community, that others call Caennbhrat because the name is too long, trades labor for goods with regard to commissioned carpentry projects, mostly types of boats. Recompensa do Rio, the Rheini community, trades leather goods, and Yamamidori, the Hebrian community, trades silk fabric. The Ekkimard community, which has no known name, is far less advanced than the others, because of the inherent reclusiveness of the people. As they do mine, they will trade ore and minerals for things delivered by the other communities.

 

[MacConnell]

Characters:
This game is designed, primarily, for five participants. Player characters are beginning as adolescents and may be from any of the tribes of established communities. As considerable interaction exists between these villages, the party can be composed of multiple tribes and both genders. For this campaign, player characters should all be played as one of the more benevolent personality types but not necessarily altruistic. Choose from Pragmatic Altruist, Protectorate, Whimsical Entertainer, or Pragmatist.

Pragmatic Altruists: (Stoic)
Tempering a benevolent disposition with a heavy dose of logic, representatives of this personality type are often called stuffy, aloof, or prudish by other people. Individuals will be charitable, but the offer of charity must fit within a certain code of ethics. They believe that people who cause their own plight deserve no assistance, unless the loss of life or detriment to another is imminent. Sacrificially, individuals tend to have little regard for their own safety and will endanger themselves to help others, deemed worthy or if the act is ethical. Despite such benevolence, individuals can and will kill in defense of themselves or others but will offer quarter if asked.

Protectorates: (Dutiful)
Considering themselves to be inherently suited to watch over others, representatives of this personality type tend to be rigidly aligned to a particular code of honor, unswayable and indomitable. The matter of benevolence or malevolence does not weigh into their decisions for action. Their concern is that a task needs to be done, society needs to be protected, and to maintain their code. Clans of this nature are often considered by others to be boring and monastic, though trade and other negotiations with them will be offered fairly. Individuals will initiate violence, if deemed unavoidable, and can defend with avarice, having no aversion to killing an enemy.

Whimsical Entertainers: (Prankster)
Fundamentally benevolent but lacking in restraint or wisdom and usually being highly extroverted, representatives of this personality type are considered to be good natured but can be overly rough or sarcastic, sometimes to the point of injury. Individuals are always focused on personal gratification, looking for a good time. They tend to drink too much, party too much, and fight too much, but they never intend to do any real harm and feel genuine remorse if any is caused. They are often forgetful and never hold grudges. While being rather unreliable with regard to prolonged tasks, they are often fun to be around, as their behavior can be infectious.

Pragmatists:
The best way to describe this personality type would be dull. Individuals with this personality type are completely guided by necessity, having little motivation and almost no aspiration. They can kill or spare life, in the course of an action, without thinking of much difference between the two, preferring whichever seems to afford the least amount of future effort or confrontation. Representatives of this personality type often live away from society, finding nature to be more stable of an environment or remand themselves to mundane labor, if residing within civilization. Individuals will never initiate violence but do have the ability to defend with avarice.

GM: Players should select a species, gender, and tribe from those mentioned above, describe their character, and post a plausible back story. Character records will be kept in a Google Document in which all players have editing privileges. Data for character statistics will be added, based upon this description. Message me with any questions.

 

[Eric Zephlaer]

Brook Mist or Ceo Broc in Spiofthest, pronounced Kio Brock, is the daughter of two insignificant fish trap makers from Caennbhrat Buairceneach. Her parents are both quiet and contented. Their daughter is something of an anomaly. Though born of mundane origin, she manifested the talent to manipulate waylines when she began the process of adolescence. This drove her to venture away from the shores of her home village in search of others in whom she might find a kinship not borne of blood, taking rides with the Hebrians or Maldrogs, whomever happened to come calling. Being far more outgoing than her parents, she readily made friends wherever she found herself.

 

[Eric Zephlaer]

Falcon or Falk in Kozzog is the son of a simple mason who began following in the common labor of his people until he realized that he could sense things that other could not. By the time adolescence manifested he could do things with fire that his parents could not understand but knew was a form of magic, some residue from the time of the Yahdram. This talent was rare and mostly feared. Kozzogs are a disciplined people as a whole and Stenen was taught to control his impulses and not display his talent in front of others in order to maintain peaceableness. His parent found it extremely handy that their son could start a fire by touching the kindling, but his true desire with this special talent was to learn how it might be used to help himself. He also like being on the water and would often ride with trade expeditions of any community, becoming well-liked with those he traveled.

 

[Eric Zephlaer]

Jay or Jei in Hebrian is the son of silk collectors, which is a full time profession for the Hebrian village of Yamamidori and somewhat dangerous as it involves long treks through the lowland forest looking for spider webs. Jei began to overanalyze everything shortly after he was old enough to accompany the silk collectors. Unlike others of his kin, he is also rather talkative, hoping to discuss his mind’s own logic with anyone in company. Because of this he took to sailing with the traders and proved to be good at it. His mind developed tactics which compensated for his lack of physical strength. He especially liked visiting with adolescents of the other communities, trying to learn all of the languages.

 

[Eric Zephlaer]

Jade is the daughter of oarsmen from Bergbaulager. Oarsmen is not a gender specific term, for males and females both man the oars on the trade barges. Most teams are composed of couples, which seems to make the labor easier. Jade had been on the boats since she was an infant. She loved the water. Even as a small child, she loved meeting the other peoples of the lake. Even before she reached adolescence, she started to develop exceptional musculature. Maldrog are naturally muscular. This is not limited by gender and she was one of those who showed pronounced strength early. Her muscular did not detract from her beauty, especially in the opinion of male Maldrogs, but she had not yet found any of them interesting.

 

[MacConnell]

Cycle: 497. Season: Rebirth. Day: 13
A single barge built by the Spiofthest of Ceannbhrat Buaircineach has the value of A Cycle’s worth of tools to the maldrogs of Bergbaulager. The boat is given its name because of its structure and the fact that it must be moved by oars instead of sails. The Maldrogs are more trusting of their own physical strength. Like most larger boats on the Lunaedriac, the barges have two hulls. The very rigid structure between the hulls holds the cargo for transport. Oarsmen have stations along the edges of the platform to propel the boat. The barges are the largest vessels on the lake, being at least 20 strides long and five strides wide, able to easily carry 40 people plus cargo.

On its regular route, traveling east then south upon the lake, a barge leaves Bergbaulager with cargo and Jade, headed for Marmeren to trade raw ore for forged alloys. From there it continues on to Ceannbhrat Buaircineach to deliver tools. The Spiofthest have an extra mission. Having built a new sailing vessel for the Hebrians at Yamamidori, it needs to be towed, as it does not yet have a sail. At Yamamidori, Jei, the avid talker, convinces the harbor master to let him pilot the new catamaran for trade. Sensing his inherent mystical skill, Jade convinces her parents to let her join the Hebrian on his own vessel. Ceo, who had accompanied the boat from her home village, joins the other two youths.

Instead of following the route of the barge, the youths take their boat straight across the lake to Vit Spira to deliver some fruit and retrieve a mason to build an oven back in Yamamidori. Meeting a young Kozzog of a kindred spirit in Falk, he befriends the other youths and joins them on the return trip. At this point the four adolescents have a catamaran at their disposal and no obligation on their time.

Spoiler: Character data

Ceo: full wellness
Falk: full wellness
Jei:
Jade:

OOC: Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions. Provide 2 random rolls.

 

[Eric Zephlaer]

As Rebirth is not yet the time of the Cycle for for plants products to be available, since the plants are only beginning to flower and put on leaves, the youths discuss options. It is known that there are several uninhabited islands of various size on about the centerline of the lake. These islands do contain vegetation and likely animals. Rather than start on a bigger island, the party decides to sail to the smalles known island near their current location.

OOC: 50, 62