Angharad Campaign ("Last Scion")

Adventuring in Eradain

Under Construction
Eradain is a homebrew campaign world with elements taken from many different sources- fiction, movies, history, gaming materials, etc.

Game play is a low fantasy, open ended sandbox style with a focus on combat. As a low fantasy setting, adventures in Eradain will attempt to capture some grittiness and moral quandary.

Eradain is also a low magic world where some items defy full identification. Adventures will be primarily overland in temperate woodlands and rural towns. Encounters are location based and are not necessarily scaled to character level.

Campaign House Rules Outline Notes

World Setting Themes (general thoughts under construction)

• Angharad Human Centric
• late bronze age/early iron age celtic feel, axes and daggers and spears are most common weapons (alongside some D&D 'simple' weapons and depending on the local customs, etc.)

General notes for planning a new campaign some day.

• Sandbox Homebrew Campaign Level 1-7 "Low Fantasy" campaign.
  • Campaign Setting Irish Celtic (TBD tribal/medieval/renaissance) culture in a pastoral, densely forested wilderness and river filled land.
  • Characters that make a setting appropriate background and tie ins are given an heirloom magical item.
• Rules System: D&D 5th ed.
  • E6 Campaign - A Campaign for Levels 1 through 7 where other 'normal' human mortals in the world have a maximum of 6-7th Level.
• No Alignment. Current edition of D&D seems to support this play style. For example, Protection from Evil is actually protection from summoned and undead, etc.
• Races - Angharad Human Only. Other races or human ethnic backgrounds become available later in campaign if new characters are introduced.
  • The Angharad language is "Common". Any Harad branch people on the continent can communicate in basic terms with each other using "Trade" (a learned argot related to all Harad branches).
  • There are limitations on languages that may be learned based on class and background.
  • Angharad Pantheon only. This is the dominate religion of the land. The Circle is the ruling body of the religion which is made up of coalitions of clerics, druids and other divine casters, centered in one of many religious centers.
• Classes
  • Divine Casters in general and special divine caster or those that rely on patrons will all have obligations, as their gods and patrons will have requirements for the power they give.
  • Wizardry. In Angtiria, Wizards and other classes that rely on spell books are rarer than others with divine or sorcerous powers.
    • Traditional Wizards (any class that has spell books) may face difficulties finding spells (but will find other perks in their adventures if they study the magic of the Ancients).
• Magic
  • The supernatural in Eradain has elements that relate to Shadow and the Ancients. The Shadowlands are a conglomeration of the Ethereal, the Feywilds the Shadowfell (Feydark), the negative material plane, etc. Everything is surrounded and permeated by the Astral Sea. Only very very knowledgeable experts would know any significant details about Eradain cosmology (in character). The magic of the Ancients, their lost ruins are the foundations of current mortal magic.
  • Magic that causes light effects are removed or weakened (adapted as necessary to reduce light effectiveness or increase the levels required to cast or both).

Campaign Game Zero Notes

12/29/24

• I'm also interested in some of the more mysterious things -
  • In this specific region is the lost Temple of Selene. The Seeresses of Selene were a powerful sect, but their lands and temple were overrun by goblins and from within the temple by mysterious creatures of shadow and horror and without by hostile goblin tribes. That is located some 40-50 miles to the southwest. I like mysterious ancient magic and will place that wherever I can cram it too. If you want to master mysterious powers of the Ancients, discovering the secrets of the Lost Temples is a way. There is a dangerous artifact "recovery" team at the Sun Temple of Lugh complete with the secret vaults where those the artifacts are stored.
• Will this be an E6 game?
  • Yes, NPC's the the worlds balance of power of creatures in general is based around human mortals being around 6th level with magic objects or abilities that would allow 7th (or higher for special NPC).
• Can arcana magic users (or non-magical classes) become members of the Circle?
  • Straight arcane casters can become lessor members of the circle, higher stations require patron or devine, highest require devine magic for the connection to deities of the pantheon and tend to be straight cleric or druid levels.
• Who is the current Great Druid, and/or what god/goddess is he/she aligned with?
  • The current Great Druid of Dana resides at the Temple of Dana far to the East. Nearby is the Sun Temple of Lugh, where resides the Arch Druid of the West, Neal Readda and this region lies under his hand and the Light of Lugh.
  • If you are a member of the Circle or a devine or patron type spell caster you will be subject to the laws of the Circle.
• The Circle leadership divided between those factions or just the rank and file?
  • These are supposed to be strictly for the lower levels of the organization where things like voting may be used and there is discussion and dialogue and compromise. Higher stations are supposed to maintain neutrality and generally does a good job due to devine influence, but all the gods of light and dark aspects and sometimes in the past such as the Blood Druids, darker paths dominated the Circle.
  • “It is part of the ongoing politics of the Circle what aspects of each deity are predominant based on the beliefs and attitudes of those in power.” The Blood Druids incident/schism is an example and there were others in the past, where the Arch Druid may as well have been the wicked witch of the west as far as the rest of the Circle was concerned.
• Reading what you wrote again, it would be interesting if a girl from the "disgruntled/black sheep clans, bandit lords, and possibly at least one branch of heretics" around Cerdwigg, who has magical ability and the queen trait, comes forward to contest for the queenship of Cerdwigg.
  • This is it exactly, there will be one or more such a girl. The starting "favored/shoe-in" candidate is a daughter from the old clan bloodline ensconced at Clan Mabryn and her father has used all of his resources to secure the Regency through is Mabryn Clan patrons. The Mabryn Queen sees only opportunity in stabilizing the area with any new Queen as she would be their nominal ruler in a vassal/feudal sense, as a Queen of higher station among the Clans.
• it might be interesting for the father/mother/some other relative of the girl to be the PC, working to advance her.
  • Yes. I am trying to save some facts for gameplay lol. The Mabryn Regent is the Father of the most promising and highly backed candidate and his tenuous male blood is all that connects his daughter to the old bloodline. This brings to me visions of dueling fathers, manipulating from the background, or like the sub-plot in Braveheart where the leprous father was whispering politics to his son and manipulating things in the background.
• Maybe the PC is himself / herself a druid, looking to promote themself in the druid hierarchy while promoting their girl relative in the clan hierarchy.
  • It makes sense to me that one pathway to power for yourself and your clan/family/faction would be to secure a Queen and have her be your ruler/ally/friend/patron/puppet.

01/08/25

Lugoun: For a male Angharad who is the acknowledged father of a possible Queen is indeed a potentially powerful position and contending with those of higher clan status in the Sept and backed by Mabryn is likely to be a challenge even if the girl has the blood and the magic. Such a person would likely be a or the leader of his minor clan/faction and as such would have the ordering of his household and followers and assets and responsibilities. If you are not currently a leader, you would be expected to become one once your daughter's status becomes known known.

The clans of the House Tiran (which your clan would likely be distantly related to and could count back however many generations) - House Tiran "COMMON TRAITS: AIR, LIGHT, SORCERERS, SWORDSMEN, MARCHER LORDS" A gentleman of any remotely noble lineage would generally be a classical fighter type unless he had other aptitudes. I was planning on creating a generic "Angharad Noble" NPC class as basically a simplified fighter with additional skills in diplomacy and for things like agriculture or engineering, whatever. Sorcerers will be a more common arcane class type overall among locals in the region and certainly a sorcerer knight type would be a deadly foe, but you can be whatever class has features you would enjoy using and we can figure out an interesting story. [11:29 PM]Lugoun: For a PC to be a potential Queen, she would have to have devine magic from a deity of the Angharad pantheon or have arcane magic, and would be noticed as soon as displaying a first cantrip. Otherwise any class and background can be had by a possible Queen. Those of the blood usually found in the higher status bloodlines/leaders of their groups/factions, as those that have it are adopted into the leader factions and pass along their genes there. This is a weakpoint in my imaginary culture as I do not understand how this process works for picking a new Queen by the Elders. Potential Queens here are all basically "Tanists" or heirs to power of this region and would become instant nobility and potentially gain access to significant resources, etc. (with plenty of strings). They would be expected to take on leadership duties and make decisions to get things done and improve the status of the clan while being observed by the "Clan Elders" who will ultimately decide who they are want to bend the knee to. They NEED the Queen. Life is hard on the frontiers without the blessings upon the land they provide... but there have been bad Queens.

I pictured the process could be as benign as simple chores and quests all the way to deadly intrigue and assassination depending on the local socio/political environment and the capabilities and maturity of the candidates. Perhaps a Tanist PC would be sent by the Elders to negotiate with a recalcitrant branch of hill clanners. Depending on the nature of the Queen (or the hill clanners), perhaps the issue could also be put to bed by the sword or whatever the PC decides to do to succeed. There will also certainly be supernatural and other threats coming through to civilized regions that they will be looking for users of magic to help deal with. [11:36 PM]Lugoun: If you like the black/sheep/heretic angle, you would have to decide how black and disgruntled you are in advance. If you are a full heretic, they still burn those sometimes even if they have not committed crimes. [11:54 PM]Lugoun: A druid would be a powerful choice as well, they were my favorite class before I became obsessed with rogues. (There is another book series (Roberson, Jennifer – Cheysuli Series) which has animal type shapeshifters mixed in with bloodline succession and mysterious magic, short books but there are a lot of them. I like how the world building and storytelling improve over the series.) As a Druid, you would be beholden to the rules of the circle (basically be a good druid whatever that means).

I don't know if I narrowed it down for you 🙂 I think I am intrigued most with the idea of setting you up as a baron type with holdings and some serfs and warriors basically being one of the Clan Elders that will decide who will be the Queen. [12:04 AM]Lugoun: For me generally in D&D, a PC would never have any consequences for their age, unless they chose to have that for roleplaying purposes or as a consequence of events in game (supernatural aging in a fight or something).

01/13/25

I like low-fantasy, but I am not swapping to running a Harn game just yet. This will include all the standard D&D type fare and memes. Written descriptions exposition may allow more cultural flavor and ambience.  

General Character

Dennis: “I don't know if I narrowed it down for you I think I am intrigued most with the idea of setting you up as a baron type”:

• Totally up to you. If you would rather be an arcane archeologist in Eradain looking for the Book of Infinite Spells, then do that. Your trail would start here and there would be complications and side plots based on events with the new Queen and other things that happen on a general timeline (planned, not written). If you leave the area based on your quest, that is where the focus will shift.

Dennis: “For a male Angharad who is the acknowledged father of a possible Queen…”: I think I like this kind of character the most, can we go with this? And then from Game of Thrones, he could also have some Belon Grayjoy and/or Walder Frey in him, in terms of how dour he is. Walder Frey is also kind of interesting in that he has a whole cottage industry of producing daughters that he has to marry off. And from House of the Dragon, Ser Otto Hightower has a story similar to this character in terms of using his daughter to advance his house.

• Great, I like the angle. I had planned to have several candidates for Queen, so this fits nicely if you like this angle.

“For a PC to be a potential Queen…”: Assuming we go with the father as the PC, I guess this would all apply to the daughter NPC, and he’d probably get pulled into all of that though her?

• Yes, I would say that even if you wanted to hand this off to someone else, such as the mother or other responsible person, you would have some responsibility and interaction based on your relationship.
• A mother would be a powerful presence in the girl's life if alive in this society with the matriarchal primogeniture.

Class

Class: I think a muggle class rather than a magical class is most natural for this character? Re: the Fighter-like noble class, Fighter is actually the only 5e class that I disliked playing. This character could be very (“small r”) roguish - how about Rogue instead? I’ve never played a Rogue before but I think it could work for the character and be fun.

• Play whichever class has the features you would enjoy for an endgame maximum 6th-7th level. The only ones I can think of as "inappropriate" would be monk or paladin and maybe barbarian if you go for any level of gentry.

Noble vs. everyman

I’m open to either, whatever you would like. For everyman, I do like the idea that this hardened nobody discovers that his daughter has surprising abilities and decides to use her to climb as high and as fast as he can. In this case, “If you are not currently a leader, you would be expected to become one once your daughter's status becomes known” would be just up his alley.

• If you are open to either, I recommend either a Baron or a Yeoman social class level.
  • As a Baron (of a backwoods clan, black sheep or not), YOU are among the Clan Elders (confederation of barons) who's election will pick from among eligible Queens (if more than one). You shall have lands, servants, men-at-arms, tenants, etc., in a very feudal system (but no one is bound to the land or a lord, no serfs), a settlement of at least a hundred. It would have to be a larger settlement or more of them if you wanted to have more soldiers on your own resources. For your household all the niggly details are taken care of by your Steward, whom you trust and at the start of the game is completely trustworthy. Your other household includes a cook, baker, alewife and one domestic. Your settlement has a weaponsmith, an extremely valuable resource in this region. You have two men-at-arms, soldiers who also fill the roles of settlement police and bodyguard. A settlement that size can summon up 10 militia for defense. Since most transactions on the manor are in kind, the privy purse contains 500gp and you have positive income with the modest household outlined, you but are more "land-rich", so converting that positive income and kind into coins can be a challenge here. You have one "yeoman" loyal to you with 1-2 levels in any class and they are one of your henchmen.
  • As a Yeoman, you are the barest sliver of gentry above commoner and are they typically warrior/knightly type (but could be a scholar, expert craftsman, or wizard, ranger monster hunter or anything) with their own small holdings and men-at-arms and owe fealty to whatever Clan Elder (baron) rules 'their' lands. I think it would be best if you were on good terms with this person but let me know what you have in mind for a nominal overlord and what their attitudes would be like. Their holdings are more like a large ranch or small hamlet.

I’m OK doing that instead of strict “everyman” if you want, let me know how strongly you’re leaning toward that. If he is a Clan Elder deciding who will be the queen, can he still have his own daughter in contention, still be a black sheep from one of the backwoods clans?

• Yes, and would have all the more support for being a local even if they have hated your family's guts for ten generations (maybe).

Blacksheep/Ambition

Either bandit everyman or bandit chief depending on whether we go everyman or noble. Variety of black sheep: maybe he’s from the bandit clans around Cerdwigg? Dealing with the hill clans would be a pretty natural task to fall to him, since he’s of their ilk as a bandit chief.

• Yes you would be from Cerdwigg or living there now.
• The highest station you could obtain would be with an office in your daughter's court and her advisor and through her power in the local region and possibly beyond.
• Here is a book quote that I pictured as something of the attitude of the most extreme outsiders/criminals. "We are outlaws. Our people have been fighting and killing for hundreds of years. We've been cattle rustlers; we've been highway robbers; we've raided Indian camps for their women, army barracks for their guns; we've robbed banks for their money. '...but I don't care. I am a warlord. I don't give a damn about the money. It is the fight that I love."

I think being a black sheep would be fundamental to his character, but I don’t see him as a full heretic.

• Heretic with a Queen for a daughter could be an interesting angle, but just being a good Angharad will probably be complex enough.
• If you had a more heretical bent, you could be full on dedicated to the downfall of society all the way to just being an ally of heretics, but in this fantasy world faith matters if you come to the attention of the divine.

Richard III

And then Thinking about some existing characters who have some of this character in them: I often pull bits of Richard III into characters, that could be true for this character too, although I probably wouldn’t play him as Snidely Whiplash as Richard III is. Richard III basically uses his family, lies and misinformation, seduction, betrayal (even of his own family), and even murder to navigate shifting alliances, and has no problem associating with or employing the worst people to do it. Richard III also has a severely crooked spine and withered arm that Shakespeare uses to good effect. So, assuming we go this way I might want to think about whether he has any outward thing like that.

• I pictured the hill clan barons are like mafia families mixed with daytime soap opera.
• Those barons look upon the old clan bloodline Regent sponsored by Clan Mabryn as the Richard III type, he may be of the old bloodline, but he and hist family have been gone many a year back East and their ancestors abandoned us to our plight back then...
  • I had specifically intended the Regent to be a cartoonish Richard III type.

The Circle

The Angharad religion is his nominal religion, but as a backwoods outsider, he’s always been apathetic about the Circle and in his own thoughts, he’s always held out the possibility that the pantheon gods and the Circle are bullshit. Now that his fate is tied up with his daughter’s divine magic, though, he will toe the line carefully in public.

• No bullshit for the Angharad society. Divinity is verifiable scientifically and the gods have made their presence known more than once. Currently they are very distant and beneficent but have had periods where they are more meddlesome like the Greek gods.
• It is precisely their divine blessings that you seek to obtain through the vessel of the Queen as a surrogate for the land.
• You definitely know to be careful in your public even if you are on board with the Gods and just not with the Circle.

Rules System

You said D&D 5e right? Are we going to use the new 2024 rules?

• I will just stick with the 5th version we have been running currently. Honestly the system does not matter just the pool of players using it and those are the most current rules I have.
• I plan to use "Take 10" a lot and assume Proficiency+Bonus+10 as a baseline for skill/knowledge and only have rolls if DC is higher than the baseline.

Start Working

Depending on your responses here, let me start working on the specifics of his house and backstory and possibly come up with some more ideas for his personality and story for color (consistent with the black sheep father we’re discussing here)?

• Totally experimental and when ready we can discuss a regular schedule such as weekly?
• In your background, please order your life however seems appropriate for your station and character including the people around you such as anyone you are beholden to if you choose not to be an Elder.
• Level 2 for this established/mature character.
• A simple heirloom magical item of around +1 power level.
• Background - The usual any two skills plus a Bonus Intelligence Skill Proficiency "Nobility" (sub-skill under History).

I also might need an extra weekend to actually make the 5e character sheet…I have a good process for making a 5e character sheet, but it takes a few hours.

• I have a wonderful last of its kind excel spreadsheet that I can enter a full 20 level character plan and it (mostly) calculates your sheet for the level of xp you have it set at. Multiple full pages including rules summaries for spells, etc., and I have exported the character summary sheet as pdf to send to you. Let me know if you are interested and I will either upload or attach in email It is 4mb.

01/17/25

Cool, I have some random thoughts about the local area people and politics to share below that might help you.

Basic Background

The people of this region generally associate their lineage with House Tiran and their previous Queens have been of that House.

Cerdwigg was razed to the ground during a past Goblin war, its queen and court lost. Only a non-magical blooded heir to the Clan name remained and their branch faded in importance over time and eventually were mostly absorbed into the remaining clan families and into the Sept of Clan Mabryn.

Without the blessings of a Queen, the region has suffered from constant incursion by creatures of the darkwood and remained generally disorganized against threats. The locals are all tough, many are dour. Everything is kept locked tight and secure against attack from man or beast. You do not travel after dark. Even to the other side of the village at least not casually, get an escort and a light. Each settlement and house is a little bastion.

Clan Mabryn in Gwindnyr has been nominal overlord and ally of the Cerdwigg minor clans and region, providing warriors for protection and healers other support for succor during hardship, a market for goods, mostly fair trading, etc.

Despite these honest efforts by various Mabryn Queens, there have been troubles and as is typical, a fragmented weaker party in a transaction will continually get the worst end of a deal. I did not picture the particulars, but there are treaties/contracts in place that are somehow both fair and too onerous, perhaps there is some graft or exploitive factor that only impacts some Clan Barons. And so divided as they are, the others see that as an advantage against their rivals. These would have to be related to the basic resources where the real money/wealth lies, products & goods and what is owed under a feudal type system. I still need to sort this underlying contention as it should come up in the background and events and dialogue.

• Basics of industry would be sheep and farm products with a few specialty products. In the past, Cerdwigg specialized creating glass from special sands upriver. Currently they made a lot of meade for export (they call their variety "metheglin"). That industry is gone now the furnaces and workrooms remain (dilapidated). The sand itself remains a valuable resource and there are "smuggler" types that brave the goblins to harvest it and will sell the sand downriver. There is Blueleaf in the forest and a Queen would guarantee better access to this resource. The mountains have some type of to be determined valuable mineral.

The Local Region

1. Cerdwigg sits at the top of a bluff in the middle of a V of the Prywn River and a small craft navigable not-yet-named river going north through the valleys and up into the hills. Downstream the Prywn River joins the Great Sinann River which traverses virtually all of the Angharad lands and changes its name only once on its way to the sea. Reaching Cerwigg by river actually requires a portage somewhere before the Agyn River.
2. The un-named river going north wends through several valleys north to the hills where there is good farmland.
3. The hills/mountains area has some type of valuable mineral, most likely something precious enough to be a source of income/stability for a non-bulky raw ore export (kind of like the special glass sand), but not wealth-inducing due to limited quantity and/or difficulties in obtaining.
4. The forests provide a variety of resources, timber, meat, furs, herbs, spices, nuts, berries, etc., including the precious Blueleaf.

I pictured 1 to 3 Clan Barons of consequence per region for a total of 3 to 9, but basically boiling down to the one top dog in each of the 3 regions being the primary deciders (but when the time comes each vote still counts the same for Queen). My basic plan was to beef up the number of barons for whichever faction was antagonist to the PC's faction, as generally I expect the PCs to win so they need the additional fodder.

Areas outside the light blue line is in goblin territory.

A - The Darkwood all manner of creatures from basically a level 7 wandering monster chart are there, a particular random threat are the Jurassic Raptor like Forest Drakes.

B - Once the settlement of Twynoch. Also destroyed by goblins and a giant resides in the ruins. This region has Serpent goblins.

C - Territory of the Krissblade Goblins that use poison and ride giant spiders.

D - The region of the Lost Temple of Selene, overrun by goblins and creatures of darkness.

E - Clan Dunrain, puppets of the generally hostile Clan Heth and rivals for claims on the territories of the Agyn River.

F - Clan Heth, enemies of Clan Mabryn.

G - Clan Fionn, allies of Clan Mabryn

H - The haunted Cynon Hills. Banditry is best exported lest you foul your own nest. This is a place they go for the traffic between Gwindnyr and Ceirin.

• Banditry in general, there would be two branches, those that prey on the roads and those that prey on the rivers. River bandits of course have greater logistical challenges.

I - The Nathair Picts. Once they were friendly and traded with the Angharad. They were fearsome warriors and some rode Forest Drakes as mounts. Something has changed, the trading stopped and then relations. Fewer Drake Riders have been seen and now strangers in their territory risk being attacked now without parley.

J - I think I skipped J for some reason.

K - Gwynledden Hills - like the Cynon Hills there are all types of tales of strange things in the hills of the darkwood. There is known to be periodic noxious and deadly yellow clouds that occasionally emanate from the area.

L - Source of the special glass sand and territory of blue skinned Jagged Spear mountain hobgoblins, known to use elemental lightning magic.

02/02/25

OK, so here's a tentative character writeup based on what we discussed:

The clan baron Rian rules the hills north of Cerdwigg and the Not-Yet-Named River that flows south from the hills to join the Prywn River at Cerdwigg.

Rian’s clan mines tin from placer deposits in the Not-Yet-Named River. The clan’s main settlement Stanton and Rian’s manor Duncassit are near the largest deposit.

Rian’s folk are also bandits. Among other dubious practices, they collect protection money from merchants travelling the Prywn, and his people have a permanent camp on the Prywn east of Cerdwigg, where they monitor traffic and collect.

(Although note that Keith says “H - The haunted Cynon Hills. Banditry is best exported lest you foul your own nest. This is a place they go for the traffic between Gwindnyr and Ceirin.”)

Of course, Rian maintains that the money goes to keeping river trade safe.

As a baron, Rian is a Clan Elder, but as a bandit Rian is a black sheep among the Elders.

Still, he is entitled to a voice in choosing clan queens in the Gwindnyr watershed.

Cerdwigg needs a new clan queen, and Rian’s own daughter Hari has shown the magical ability required to become a queen.

Despite the conflict of interest, and expected resistance from Clan Mabryn, Rian is bent on making Hari Cerdwigg’s new queen and on profiting from her accession.

Rian is fifty and has three sons and seven daughters - that he acknowledges.

He is determined to marry off the daughters to his advantage, but his oldest daughter Lilly is charmless and has no suitors.

Frustrated, in an effort to break the logjam, Rian has announced that Lilly must marry before any of the other daughters.

Although Rian appears gray and haggard - a Walder Frey type - he is still quicker and more dangerous than the younger men around him.

--

Notes:

I think that your notes on a baron’s household describe things pretty well. I could go ahead and find names for the folks you describe there (the stewart, man at arms, weaponssmith, etc.)

Also, I guess Rian’s clan need a last name or clan name, I can come up with that.

Stanton is my alternative to Darkwater - “stan” meaning tin. And similarly for Duncassit - “dun” meaning fort and “cassit” from the tin ore cassiterite.

02/18/25

Gwindnyr Watershed

02/21/25

04/19/25 Turn 1 Response

Part1a

Dennis: This is great, really much richer of a campaign kick-off than the normal "your four murder-hobos are at the tavern." I still like how non-cartoonish it is, although you've said it will also have stock fantasy elements. Thank you. I felt the "Event" was a little campy/trite/meme, but my goal was to show the "Queen Glow" or whatever that maguffin should look like within the bounds of cantrip level magic (not getting burned). I just considered it some type of trait similar to having the ability to do magic or not that is both inherited and 'environmental', I had not considered how it actually manifested, so just decided to have a god do it for this one.

Re 'richer'/non-cartoonish -waves vaguely in the direction of Hollin. I admire your world building and I like how you incorporate Hollin into your games.

I think of my background as the 'straight-man' I guess. I do prefer more serious "low fantasy" situations and making a world max 7th level (articles/supplements named "Grittier") helps maintain that flavor and keep the power levels manageable for me as a DM. I get to still use standard D&D for higher power special magic or forgotten lore (i.e. having a 9th Spell level scroll would be like having a nuke).

There is usually plenty of camp available from the players and I enjoy the banter. But I do like things a bit darker if it can be achieved. I would like to have players make "grey" decisions where right and wrong are not clear or involves morale dilemma that the PC's actually care about. I think you like that type of quandary in your game as well. I have rarely been able to really achieve it... maybe only with the stable D&D partners & multi-year 'campaigns' I had in my youth.

Part1b

Campaign Status: I am literally using your character and input to make this story that I have only conceived of as phases and scenes with no details for the story I was vaguely imagining.

I am beginning to conceive as we are writing this campaign story that it could be as a prequal to a situation where heroes gather and we bring in PC's for a quest similar to your short term games (still having a hard time figuring out how to do a text based multiplayer version), or possibly we continue and I use your collaboration to actually write out the campaign as we go.

I don't really know what may come since this is Turn 1. I am enjoying this and would look forward to your thoughts on how the game should be managed or changes you would like, whatever.

I am going to break the responses down to "background/technical/notes" and then I would convert your stated actions into a brief narrative and then we clarify or build on that narrative with comments until "done". I want to include some skill rolls that may be desired by you (for favorable outcomes). For example, I think you will need some type of social skill roll for your conversation with Lilly (I have just skimmed so far). Perhaps I may even propose possible outcomes like a traditional text based or choose your path story might offer to see how that works or a range of possible outcomes based on your total DC roll in channel... "DC25 results in Lilly proactively agreeing to what you would like her to do". I may experiment.

Part1c

HERE WAS THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT FOR THE UPCOMING STAGES ACTUAL FIRST PLAYER ADVENTURES. The players were to do the bidding of the court (and be members of it) and support finding the "true Queen" that would rule wisely in a series of little quests that tour the area and solve troubles, make allies and enemies and move on to the middle phase of the campaign to more mystical higher power conflicts from a secure base of operations with higher regional stakes.

"You are here by intent or circumstance, due to obligation, because you were always here, because you were chosen to be here, or because you wish yourself to be here, and you all will serve in this Court of a future Queen in one capacity or another. Every station conceivably required to support a ruling household would be available for a player to choose. Some roles may have responsibilities. Everyone answers to the (Regent NPC) whatever their station and to the Queen after she assumes the mantle."

Part 2 Background & Notes

Dennis: OK, so some other questions: Generally you've painted a pretty peaceful picture of Duncassit.
Your general fortunes have been on the rise since/despite your wifes passing and you becoming Elder until Lilly or another Baed assumes that role (or another of the families of clan blood be adopted to succeed if your daughters passed). This has been due to the hidden Queen trait influence on Duncassit. While not greatly over your peers, you have nevertheless prospered more or weathered hardship better than most of the other Elders and that has been supplemented by your criminal activities to build assets and infrastructure and exercise influence despite their hinderancesas. Duncassit is small enough you can oversee all details as you wish and you know the qualities of the inhabitants as a resource you draw from and despite hard living and necessary harshness you have a stubborn people proud to be Stanton and Clan Baed and many are in on your criminal activities to one degree or another.

Part 3 Background & Notes

Sounds like Elgan is the steward - does he also report up to me about the camp, or is that maybe someone else?

Elgan your Steward is older than you and a scribe not particularly fit or classed. He has complete knowledge of your activities and participates as needed for paperwork, planning, logistics, etc.
Who you have handling that would depend on how/who you delegate to.

Part 4 Background & Notes

What about Rian's camp on the Prywn that collects protection money - are things going smoothly there?

I do not know exactly how you manage your more criminal activities, in particular how you may delegate. See separate post. Here is what I pictured your situation to be:

Under current politics Clan Baed cannot receive any "river taxes" for the burden it takes protecting the river trade in lands it lays some claims to, but it is allowed for you to collect directly from the traders and merchants and travelers on a stretch of road/portage to Cerwigg on those lands.

Part 5 Background & Notes

Hunting Manor

Baed Hunting Manor

I picture that Clan Baed has a known 'hunting' manor in a particular section of the hills and forests above the river and that is your 'false-true front'.

• You DO legitimately patrol for bandits as part of the price for laying claims to those lands and your hunting manor areas you must protect it.
  • Merchants pay you protection money directly to you for that and you cannot be denied based on ancestral land heritage upheld by the Circle.
• Due to the strange conditions some are resentful of this payment.
  • "Clan Baed is at the portage entrance, all is clear ahead.." and then coins and possibly contraband exchange hands and everyone moves along for no trouble and sometimes someone has to be explained how things work around here.
  • You have to be careful about not pissing off someone or the wrong person too much to risk costly retaliation or harass your own shipments.
  • Of course, you may WANT to piss someone off or selectively interfere with shipments to harm your enemies (a possible threat to the Elders).
• The disagreement you have with the Elders/factions/traders is about price and payment time and method which are not codified in any way.
  • Some people really cannot afford an additional tax and may also try to bypass you as smugglers.
  • Some may want credit, or to pay less, blah blah.
• It pisses you off you cannot get this handled better and you know it's because they (everyone else in power) don't want you to have it.
  • The other Elders due to the threats to their trade and their suspicion of you but also needing the protection.
  • Mabryn would be happy to take this money, but the Elders don't wish to cede that to them either and you are already doing it so why spend resources to argue that?

Part 6

Will reviewing the camp be part of the spring review? - are things going smoothly
Spring Review Everything is going smoothly there as far as you know and would expect, unless you had other activities you wanted done, only the 'legitimate extortion' at a seasonal discount happens during the cold and snow months with whatever little trade and travel is done on the roads and river.

Spring rains means that river travel will be disrupted somehow at first and then smooth out which will be weeks into the future, but the river road will be used more as weather permits.

The Angharad use the rivers where possible for cargos like keelboats and longboats of various types on the Mississippi.  Cerdwigg lies way near the headwaters of the Mississippi equivalent that the Prywn feeds above rapids that must have portage and generally there are roads and trails of various state all along the rivers in the lands.  

Unless you deem otherwise, I excluded any marines from your gang, you don't operate on the water directly and rely on hirelings or others for your boating needs and have some modest contacts, including a fence in Rhyas some 125 miles downriver with contacts in Tarin (the port city) that handles sensitive shipments whether mundane or grey but at a price.

For the Spring Review - The review would include you going to your hunting cabin/manor as part of viewing all of your domain.

• It lies in the hills above the river and the portage for the rapids that all goods must pass.
• It is a modest long-hall type structure being reopened after being shut down in deepest winter. This easily can be more elaborate if it should be more.
  • The review would include some of your buried food reserves/caches. They would be taken from their caches and used to supplement spring festival and cycle them. There will be fewer reserves until the fruitful seasons arrive.
• It is 5-6 miles as the crow flies up into the forested hills to their generally low elevation maximum before reaching the Hall and the steeper drop-off down to the Prywn river valley/gorge-ish where there are rapids requiring portage some 2 or 3 miles down a steep hill.
• The river road spans east-west and you can patrol the north or the south bank. The north hills being your preferred territory vs. the more dangerous south, but you have to be wary of D&D random encounters and dangerous threats even within your local known territories (although now that you think of it, the last 13 years have seemed more mild and maybe you know why now).

There is more business due for Spring Review that has been interrupted, but will come up in due course.

Part 7 Background & Notes

Criminal Activities
For other criminal activities, you would have to be specific on Rian Baed's style or how much you may use protection rackets in other areas.

I have pictured these scenarios:

• Your legit/known protection money operations are separated from the other and provide cover for it. You would never be bandit on those vaguely claimed lands. Elsewhere however...
• How you might use your protection or other rackets in other ways I have only conceived that you would have some other persons under your thumb due to physical or other threat.
• You could keep your criminal activity buttoned up tight under your control or delegate.
• You would have other working camp sites where you may have shelters or stashes up and down the river and in the hills including secret supply caches.
• I guessed that you would prey on other bandits and also have your own banditry where (depends on how you would handle yourself):
  • none survive the sometimes-dangerous trips to the borderlands,
  • or if they survive just poorer and you are doing it anonymously/in disguise,
    • perhaps under a specific bandit alter-ego.

Part 4

Also Rian's internal monologue is surprisingly level, more of a Ned Stark and less Walder Frey. That's good, I like it.
I will try to leave motives up to you. I tried to be neutral in your outlook and to portray you as a wise ruler able to get what you need most of the time, who commands respect and able to be a tyrant when it suits. There have been times when you had to decide who got enough to eat and who did not kind of decisions and I assumed Frey like attitude with "You will brook no insolence" type thoughts.

Although from your description it sounds like at one point he escalated the violence on some more timid folks. So, there still might be opportunity for some Walter-Frey or Richard-III-type actions.
I pictured during past conflicts with the other Elders that you would have extorted someone so extremely that outside all of your calculation you did not have them just where you wanted, but they suicided themselves on you instead giving you that old wound. More tragic than you intended and ruined your plans as well (whatever those may have been).

You say, "You leave the door open for the bedwarmer." Is the bedwarmer a device, like a pan full of hot coals, or a person, like maybe a girl from the country around Stanton?
That was left deliberately vague and open to interpretation. I have no idea what Rian's love life has been like since his wife's passing.

What are slingers? Are they fighters training with slings?
I am thinking about imposing a more supernatural bent to the concept of lands not protected by a Queen (which I have generally described as a less favorable/civilized wandering encounter chart).
Those slingers could be your militia farmers clearing the "night haunt"-figments from the fields early in order to start work, or
simply to scare morning birds and/or to train.

Do Rian know immediately what families / girls might be in competition with Hari for the queenship? Does he know any young noblemen who he might try to match to Lily?
The Gwynan impossible heir has magic and you can be certain she will be presented as a possible Queen regardless of whether or not she qualifies now if she has any magical ability. Gwynan Sept are the clan family/branch of the former leading clan that had Queens here before the Goblin Wars and who have been mostly living in Gwindnyr since those times as part of the Mabryn Court.
The "impossible heir" is that I will use that alternate parentage scheme we considered for you. The last Gwynan of the bloodline was a man who had a daughter who has magical talent and may be a Queen and he is a "known" manipulator/ has a reputation. He would be an enemy possibly a deadly one (not necessarily his daughter who could be a queen or a queen in waiting).

I will say that historically there are typically 2-3 candidates but there have been as many as 5 or 6 potential queens at one Court in the past, so there may be more that will be revealed. The Clan Elders would ideally want the most magically powerful and potentially wise Queen possible, but I think that could be many different things to different people who want power to fall their way. I have not figured out how the selection process specifically works yet and will probably have to do hand waving logic to fit.

Dennis: Related to that last question about Hari, does Rian have any network of whisperers in the lands? If so can he discretely reach out to them to find out if there have been any notable events related to magic / other possible queens?

• It is a half day journey from your lands to Cerdwigg. You have two runners in Cerdwigg that keep an eye out for anything going on that needs to be reported to you or to run messages, etc.
• You have some previously proven sources of inside information from your local connection to your traders and black market. They are a lesser player than you in many ways in that area and do not know your full scope but will have fresh news, possible coded messages, etc.
• You have a frenemy among the Elders who you share information with on a quid pro quo basis mostly, a peer with which you have mutual admiration, but you know wants you dead.

I had not considered what else you may have for an intelligence network so if you would have something else in place, let me know.

Part5

Dennis: My knee-jerk reaction is two things: (1) Obviously the development with Hari is the most important thing right now.

Around the forge, tell the people who could have seen what happened, sternly but calmly, not to discuss what they've seen with anyone.

Then take Hari to a secluded place - her room, or Rian's own room if Hari doesn't have her own room - and ask her what she experienced, and if she has had any similar experiences like that before.

Potentially bring Lily and Cadun (the Circle priest) to the discussion with Hari.

Part6

(2) Tell Lily that it's time to put off the black, 13 years is long enough.

Tell her that we'll be going to town soon to deal with Hari's situation and she should see it as an opportunity meet some eligible men. Tell Lily specifically that I would like her to put off the black for the public events of the festival in a few days.

Will revisit again tomorrow, along with the game 0 discussion, and see if there's more I can send. Thanks for sending this!

Dramatis Personae

Revaled or immediately relevant persons and factions.

Region

• Clan Mabryn
• Clan Dunrain
• Clan Heth
• Clan Fion
• The Circle
• Trade
• Military

Cerdwigg

COPY PRIMARY IS ON DM PAGE

• Cerdwigg Mabryn Regent
  • Mabryn presence, soldiers, traders, a marshal or whomever is managing that.
• Cerdwigg Elders
  • Stanton - Rian Baed "Hill Clan"
  • 2 - Frenemy over the river (strong militia and holding due to fertility of land)
  • 3 - Farmer (primary mead producer outside of Cerdwigg settlement itself)
  • 4 - Farmer (backbone of the land farmer)
  • 5 - Forester (Ranger Goblin Specialists)(supported by the other Elders and supplemented by Mabryn, vs Goblins)
  • 6 - Mountain Clan - No more known tin ore, but some gemstones, contraband(?) and stubborn inbred people in a defensible location.
    • Previously have used the name x or something for illicit drugs, I should name that "Tabac" and how could a mountain clan be a source of that? Hmmm.
  • 7 - Forester Clan - Badass sorcerers who like to be left alone.
  • 8 - Asshole Mountain Clan

Examples of Elders at Council in Cerdwigg

https://www.midjourney.com/jobs/7fd0ab97-ab78-44e7-838d-26084b4440d6?index=0

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1007110721173200956/1364040163654897716/lugoun_A_group_of_minor_midieval_barons_clustered_around_a_tabl_a3873a8e-864c-4c8f-a7c6-44cd02b07361.png?ex=680838e5&is=6806e765&hm=77d9562686f93e822897242d86363321ca8381ea6923674ff96e04926ed265d3&

https://www.midjourney.com/jobs/00fad77c-4c98-48e4-8f98-47d588914624?index=0

https://www.midjourney.com/jobs/a06971dd-2dbd-4d37-a50d-bea1030f915d?index=0

https://www.midjourney.com/jobs/5a127b3a-ba36-49bb-a1ec-5540c357f3f8?index=0

Clan Baed

Cerdwigg/Stanton

Manor Name: Duncassit

House Symbol/Heraldry: Boars Head

Colors: Orange on Black.

Elder Rian Baed
Heir/Tanist Lily Baed

doubling up their roles as both Rian's relatives and having a function at the manor would be good. How about if the sons are called Rodrik, Brand, and Leif, and they are some of the older children so they are old enough to have roles in the household. Would it be more fun to make them the more senior folks in the household - stewart, man-at-arms, weaponsmith?

Clan Baed Elder Family

• Elder Rian Baed (m)(50)
  • Rodrik (m)(29)
    • "Man-at-Arms". Farmer/soldier
  • Brand (m)(28)
    • "Man-at-Arms". Farmer/soldier
  • Heir Lily Baed (f)(26)
  • Leif (m)(20)
    • Leif the weapon master. At a young age he was entranced by a tinker showing him copper and tin and then bronze. He is a journeyman smith in Stanton after an apprenticeship. Leif is supposedly ignorant of the family's criminal activities, it is understood that he would never accept that life and Rian knows he will need to take his smithing elsewhere eventually.
  • Maelona (f)(18)
    • Alewife. Maelona has a talent for brewing and manages that where the settlement itself is concerned. This is mostly the household and any exports for coin.
  • Enid (f)(13)
  • Hari* (f)(13)
    • While not a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, a seventh child is significant for its mystical significance and in a society that usually only sees families of 3 or 4 children (amend that, in the border regions the birth rate is higher).
• Household
  • Steward (Elgan, Rian's suspected half brother) (m)(55)
  • Men At Arms (Rodrik and Brand?)
  • Weaponsmith (Leif)
  • Alewife (Maelona)

Immediate Family History

Rian met his wife Kiera the Elder of Stanton in his teens. She is practically royalty compared to his birthright and the affair was forbidden by her mother.

Rian excelled at his style of banditry and had accumulated assets/resources on his own, but he sought to get for himself everything that "they" had. Whether or not he intended to take advantage of her, Kiera and Rian were a successful power couple. She had a streak of ruthless practicality a mile wide with a touch of bloodlust added in.

Male children kept coming and after the second the Clan started discussion who would take over as Elder, as it is uncommon for Angharad to have more than three children. Rivals started to form among the families for who would be next in line and naturally this involved other Clans and their Elder's influence. But then before anything heated up, Lilly was born the third child 26 years ago.

Lilly was ill as a child, some ill humors of the un-blessed lands you lived in perhaps. Her illness also permanently affected her constitution. Lilly can wield a wicked dagger but will never carry a sword except to someone else. Being descended from a practical warrior goddess mother reputation this is another letdown.

Talk among the Clan was still looking for alternate more robust heirs and things turned ugly. By Lily's 5th birthday, a significant marker in Angharad society as a viable child and potential heir, there was severely reduced the number of robust cousins to compete with the girl. After a particularly brutal fight Rian's surviving gang became settled as militia farmers in Stanton. Rian's bloody or black reputation among the Elders became cemented then as did his more dour nature, which only grew fiercer after Kiera's passing.

It is at this stage that covert banditry became part of the actual Clan heritage. Some sort of outlawry was already part of the clan reputation and Rian and Kiera had been active for years and resourcing out of Stanton (and reinvesting the rewards back into the settlement) and Keira's allied family members were part of that life in addition to running the Clan.

Surprisingly, soon after solidifying rulership of the Clan, Kiera had another child, yet another boy Leif and two years later, finally a spare daughter Maelona, who was of excellent health. Five children are uncommon enough that the Circle sent an actual priest out to visit and provide blessings. Stanton prospered and the family grew older. Both Rodrik and Brand joined the covert family business in addition to farming and manor management.

Then out of nowhere Kiera became pregnant again this time with twins. Somehow, despite the availability of healing magics, Kiera passed away during that birth perhaps in some manner to ensure the survival of both daughters.

The Stanton Clan families by this time are all solidly satisfied with Rian's leadership and rally behind the family having seen how other settlements fared under other leadership. For the last thirteen years Rian has fought to maintain the settlement though various trials and challenges, but there have been no other significant events in the family history since Kiera's death.

Since her mother passed away Lilly has taken to wearing black and she is nearly as dour as her father. Rian would like to see Lilly married to a rich or capable husband that can be introduced safely to the family business. Operating a crime gang keeping the consort in the dark? Impossible. The other alternative is to go legit which is attractive, but that would potentially cut off an income stream that has allowed survival and prosperity where others have failed.

Beginning Draft

Basic Background

The people of this region generally associate their lineage with House Tiran and their previous Queens have been of that House.

Cerdwigg was razed to the ground during a past Goblin war, its queen and court lost. Only a non-magical blooded heir to the Clan name remained and their branch faded in importance over time and eventually were mostly absorbed into the remaining clan families and into the Sept of Clan Mabryn.

Without the blessings of a Queen, the region has suffered from constant incursion by creatures of the darkwood and remained generally disorganized against threats. The locals are all tough, many are dour. Everything is kept locked tight and secure against attack from man or beast. You do not travel after dark. Even to the other side of the village at least not casually, get an escort and a light. Each settlement and house is a little bastion.

Clan Mabryn in Gwindnyr has been nominal overlord and ally of the Cerdwigg minor clans and region, providing warriors for protection and healers other support for succor during hardship, a market for goods, mostly fair trading, etc. Clan Mabryn would be a senior clan to whatever forms in Cerdwigg under House Tiran would be owed for their support.

Despite these honest efforts by various Mabryn Queens, there have been troubles and as is typical, a fragmented weaker party in a transaction will continually get the worst end of a deal. I did not picture the particulars, but there are treaties/contracts in place that are somehow both fair and too onerous, perhaps there is some graft or exploitive factor that only impacts some Clan Barons. And so divided as they are, the others see that as an advantage against their rivals. These would have to be related to the basic resources where the real money/wealth lies, products & goods and what is owed under a feudal type system. I still need to sort this underlying contention as it should come up in the background and events and dialogue. (edited)