Hey all,
The decision has been made. Dragon Warriors (DW), from Serpent King Games, written by Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson, will be used to power my brand-new PnP RPG campaign that is currently in the story design process.
Differing from my previous practice of making an entire customised world for the players to quest in, I have decided to take the plunge and dive straight into the gritty Middle-Age European themed campaign setting of Legend that they have provided in the rule-book for us. Legend has a great feel about it, and leaves much to explore.
I feel excited, and I hope my players will as well, and look forward to the challenge as I have always enjoyed CRPGs set in that time and era (
Darklands, anyone?). I am also a fan of old-school grit and any sort of game system that provide an open rule-set that allows a GM the freedom to create and breathe life into stories for all to enjoy.
As I have mentioned earlier, the world of Legend is a thing of beauty. It is like watching Jet Lee act in Danny: The Dog aka Unleashed, which by the way was one of the worst movies of all time. Jet Lee might look and behave like a modern-day retard but when he was set free from his physical chains (thus Unleashed!), he wrecked poetic chaos like no other sane man on Earth could. Gems like "I like PIANO! Give me PIANO" or "Sugar is SWEET, Siao is SOUR" flowed from his mouth like shit from an open ass.
For starters, I kept the geography and the landmass of Legend.
| As Alex the Tard would say, "These look like pizza!" |
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The different regions has a certain familiarity to them, which is good and bad in their own way. One can find the "Unexplored Region", the" Harsh Faraway Desert Area", the "Faction-Warring Island Landmass", an "Icy Tundra area near the map border", so on and so forth. But what comes with new names tacked onto ideas tried and tested in other RPGs and fantasy books also means staying fresh at little to no risk.
Due to the history of the world being kept minimal in the rule-book, with only a few ultra-significant events (The Golden Era of Ancient Kaikuhuru, Invasion of the Selentium Empire, First Arrival of the True Faith, Age of Discovery) making its way into definitive lore, I could inject my own canon into Legend, easily making the world my own.
My eyes stopped roving at the top left portion of the map.
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| Pronounced "Air-Less-Land". True story. |
Albion is the largest territory on the northwest island-continent of Ellesland. It is a feudal society by name, with King Hadric IV running the show from his Royal Court in the southern capital of Ongus. He is a weak king and his ruthlessly self-serving advisers have caused untold damage to the land in the past ten years. Nearby, the peasants have suffered under a yoke of hard taxation, and unworthy men have been ennobled, stripping away loyal vassals and communication with the masses. The Lords up in Northern Albion (notably Montombre and Aldred) rule from their individual castles under the King's Banner, but never under his laws and rule. They themselves are bitter and jealous of the king, personally angry at the wealth and power he has without even needing to work for it.
Surrounding Albion are various territorial factions with their own agenda and landscape.
The High King, his few chieftains and his fiercely loyal Thane Warriors are located west in the lofty hill-forts of Cornumbria. They were the original settlers of Ellesland but have been pushed back by the rapid expansion of Albion. Staunch in the True Faith that was introduced to them during the days of Selentium, their secluded monasteries are found on chilly, windswept sea cliffs, caves and on barren islands. The friars and monks there are famous for their learning and their works of art. The best example is the illuminated manuscript known as The Book of Dathnan, of which there are only five copies in existence, and is widely considered the grandest masterwork of limnery.) Alas, the monastic Church of Cornumbria, being effectively autonomous from the Church of Selentine, is viewed suspiciously by many priests of the outside world.
Thuland, the country north of Albion is a high, craggy place split by deep river valleys and cold blue lakes. The people—settlers from across the Mergeld Sea, both from the Mercanian Coast and from the outer Thulan islands to the north—are barbaric and fierce, often at war with their neighbours. Lords sit out the winter in smoky mead-halls, surrounded by their housecarls, waiting for the summer months of reaving. Wandering priests brave hostility and harsh weather in order to bring the True Faith to the people, but most show no inclination to completely reject the old gods of their ancestors—Wotan, Tor, Loge and the others. The merchants here are also minstrels, welcome to barter their wares if they can regale the hall-heroes with stirring tales. The serfs who till the land have no rights. To their lords they are of little more importance than animals.
In the far north of Ereworn, the influence of law is scarcely felt at all. Brigands and masterless knights roam unchecked about the foothills of the Pagan Mountains. The racial stock is mostly native Elleslander, with an admixture of Mercanian and Algandian blood. The gods worshipped here are the strange primeval deities that the Druids called upon—Lahmfada, Kernanu, Morkaan; shadowy entities of the forest and mountains. The True Faith is not recognized at all. The lords of Ereworn are either mad or irredeemably steeped in evil. Some are both. Vendettas among themselves and wars against Thuland, Cornumbria and Albion form the yearly round. The throne lies empty while numerous claims to the succession are made. Assassination is the accepted means to advance one’s cause, and an entire subculture—the Clan of Harbingers, who live in solitary mountain villages and are roughly equivalent to Japan’s ninja—has developed to cater to this need. At present Duke Thom "D-Day" Darian holds the old king’s fortress,Castle Ereworn, but he is too canny to put his life at risk by claiming the crown.
Merchant-adventurers seldom brave the ports of Ereworn, for villains lurk as thick as shadows and one’s life may be lost as easily as one’s merchandise. Outside the towns, the countryside is bleak and scattered with crude forts and peasant hovels. Many villages are deserted because of the Black Death that has claimed many of the people in recent years. At night, the peasants shutter their windows and cower by the fireside. Deep within the Pagan Mountains, a number of proud Dwarves dwell. Rarely seen by people, these Dwarves are vaguely aware of the problems of Ereworn, and long ago withdrew from all diplomatic and mercantile contact with the humans of the kingdom.
So I hope I have given you, the readers and players, an idea of the world of Legend and where I will be focusing my attention on for now. The stage has been grandly set and we just require now is a couple of good scripts, ample lighting, drinks and most importantly, our actors and actresses.
Ladies and gentlemen. Lets get ready to rumble.
C'yall on the flip side, where my next article will discuss party participation size and
pizza delivery services an optimal session length.
