Last Scion Discord

Campaign Guide "Last Scion Discord"

BACKGROUND/HISTORY/EXPOSITION

PRIMARY ADVENTURE REGION BACKGROUND

• In past Goblin Wars, the settlement of Cerdwigg was overrun and its clan leadership fled to Gwindnyr and was subsumed as lesser member branches of Clan Mabryn. Over the intervening years several attempts were made to fully re-establish Cerdwigg under the full protection of a Queen, or at least strengthen the settlement.
• However, "Bereft of a strong Queen, only receiving blessings of the more distant Mabryn Queen, and left without a Sept family to lead the other clan branches splintered and there was no sept or clan just a collection of small barons and settlements.
  • The hills and river valley leading down to Cerdwigg are now filled with disgruntled/black sheep clans, bandit lords, and possibly at least one branch of heretics ('they get strange further up the river')."
  • The signs are on the land and the Priests of the Circle have let it be known that the omen say that there will soon be a new Queen.
• Any female Angharad with Devine or arcane magic may also have the Queen trait, which may also come and go, but most often comes out after puberty.
  • Nestled among Sept Mabryn, the remnant of the old clan (?) has a daughter that shows the signs.

Rumbles from Cerdwigg are that there may be more than one girl amongst the families that may have the spark of magic and of age.

If there is more than one candidate, a Court would be convened at Cerdwigg, with a regent sponsored by Mabryn. The candidates would start forming a court and begin establishing themselves as potential Tanists (heirs) to be Queen of these lands.

(I have not actually figured out yet how the "competition" works, but the candidates have to survive and win the confidence of the clan elders, the families that run/work the land that she will rule)

Last Scion Campaign Region

Cerdwigg Region Player Map

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. It overlooks rich river farmland has a view at additional farmlands south across the river. 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 between Cerdwigg and the Agyn River.
2. The un-named river going north wends through several valleys where there is good farmland north to the hills.
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.

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 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 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

NOTES AND DISCUSSION

DENNIS - This person might be using https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brood_parasitism as a inspiration for advancing their daughter's and their family's fortunes within the clan hierarchy. They're a bandit or heretic family, but they pretend to be faithful to the Angharad religion as a way to advance themselves within the clan heriarchy.

LUG - 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.

LUG - 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 candidate. 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.

DENNIS - 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 this explicit Snidely Whiplash thing where he looks right at the audience / into the camera and tells the audience how villainous he is, reveling in it. But, I don’t think my character would be that cartoonish.

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.

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.

LUG - 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.

LUG - 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 his 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.

LUG - Cassiterite (SnO2), oxidized tin, most likely was the original source of tin in ancient times. Cassiterite often accumulates in alluvial channels as placer deposits due to the fact that it is harder, heavier, and more chemically resistant than the granite in which it typically forms.[8] These deposits can be easily seen in river banks, because cassiterite is usually black or purple or otherwise dark, a feature exploited by early Bronze Age prospectors. It is likely that the earliest deposits were alluvial and perhaps exploited by the same methods used for panning gold in placer deposits.

While not bronze age, tin would still be a valuable resource. For a hills barony it would make sense to have some type of placer deposit, water would be required for ore processing, perhaps a settlement named after that? Darkwater, Azure Falls...

Concept art for the settlement Duncassit in Cerdwigg

DENNIS - 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.

LUG - For Eradain fiction and Angharad culture, lets look at the matrilineal relationships. You would be the legal heir only if the female line failed, such as your sister died, or you were an only male child, some some such. If you are a solo male parent, your eldest daughter would be your inheritor and carry on your line. So as far as an "heir and a spare" you are covered and you have an unusually large family, divine blessings no doubt in compensation for your own situation as sole heir. In this society, generally only the eldest inherits the real property rights. Having that many children takes your financial situation into the negative.

I have not considered how dowry might work here. I am thinking that the parents/family of the woman would be the recipients of any such custom here. So, you have a lot of expensive children and would like to get top dollar in dowry, but you live in BFE and probably have baggage with others of your social standing.

So, your daughter Lily being charmless might not be a trouble as she is a prize for the station and lands alone. Now getting a proper marriage dowry and someone suitable you can stand coming in to your household might be another story.

LUG - Random reading about lesser known historic outlaws:
Led by James Coterel and three of his brothers, outlawry was just another part of the Coterel’s business portfolio. Although they were only younger son’s, the Coterel’s had their own land and property, even receiving rents while they were hiding out in Sherwood forest. The gang’s first recorded crime was in in August 1328. Robert Bernard, the ousted parish priest of Bakewell in Derbyshire, paid the Coterels to beat up and rob his successor.

#ls_game_01

LUG - 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 milder 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.

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. (and delegation, WHO IS IN THE KNOW for anything in the darker side of the law)

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.

LUG - Does Rian know immediately what families / girls might be in competition with Hari for the queenship?

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.