In reply to GM (msg # 25):

There's an irony. The Faith is far more visible and organized in the West, and that means that the West is also a lot more ripe for an aggressive reaction against the Faith entirely :)

@Drann: I've been thinking of you as Merlin and Roland as King Arthur in my notes for your intro. I would prefer to you and Roland to be on good terms. I can see him seeing you as a mentor, and friend. I'm imagining Roland's Court being comprised of:

1. Lord Maxwell Dunlin, aging Lord of Dunland. Sir Maxwell was a Hedge Knight who gained notoriety in the Civil War, eventually rising to command as the Kingsmen kept losing officers. His political acumen isn't great, but being from poorer background he has an eye for people's true motives. Note that he didn't have a last name prior to being risen to the Lord of Dunland, that's how poor he was. He is the the current Commander of the King's Army, and has slowly been building it up as Roland came to adulthood. He values Calus' counsel, but doesn't trust him. This isn't specific toward Calus, Maxwell doesn't trust anyone after the many betrayals during the Civil War. Expect him to be a fairly competent military commander, but a bit too straight forward and cagey for good politics.
   
2. High-Priest Pietro Candalus, previously the High-Priest in Ringford, he moved into Roland's court in Dunland to act as Roland's religious advisor. He is a man from the Wyrmheart and has a foreign feel to him. Some even claim he was kicked out of the Obsidian Sophia in Bran Bal over some scandal. He will be your biggest adversary on Roland's counsel. He will feel threatened by you, and constantly plotting to undermine your goals in regards to the Kingdom. He also is there to be the conservative voice on the counsel, attempting to push Roland from making too many changes to the order of things.
   
3. The last two major voices are also members of the Keepers of Arcana, and are also opposed to you. The first being Suidger of Occitan, a nobleman from West Belrand who became obsessed with the magical arts at a young age. So much so that he bankrupted his own family in search of tomes and artifacts. He's pretty damn jealous of you for your skills and is leader of the faction in the Keepers that is composed of higher born mages. Lastly is   Sybilla, the Witch of the Briarwoods. Sybilla is leader of the darker and more heretical members of the Keepers. She is not adversarial to you per say, but sometimes you feel like she maybe on to your true nature. You three are considered the leading members, with Suidger as the official leader. But Calus would be the one who Roland favors, and takes counsel from the most.

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:12, Sat 14 Aug 2021.

Sounds good to me!

In reply to Nu (msg # 18):

That sounds like a plan! Toraas is all about the epic projects and collaboration.

I rolled for my stats because I like to gamble haha. I think I did okay though.

I'm interested to see how Toraas will treat the Faith because I'm quite not sure yet - on the one hand, he could use the Beldor the Godsmith figure as a way of connecting to it and potential followers, maybe say he's a reincarnation? But on the other hand, he sees how the Faith has ripped the land apart and would likely side against it if he's asked to by the others. However, while Toraas is charitable, he's also selfish, so he'll consider what's best for his goals too at the end of the day.

In reply to Toraas Veer (msg # 30):

Heh, you're braver than I then I think. Feels like most times if I go the rolling route, I end up worse off than if I had taken the assigned stats. Good potential for some great ones, but Luck is obviously not one of my personal Words. ;)

Finally back home so I can respond to stuff easier.

@Toraas I'm still writing the Gunzagrad infodump, but Dwarves have an interesting relationship with Religion, and they are probably as close to Atheists' as can exist in this setting. So most of the Dragon Empire (or w/e you want to call Cridhe's hold over the Dwarf Clans), was super tied into worship of the All-Mother as a living god. When Ulfric returned to the Wyrmspine Mountains, he began a revolution that flipped Dwarven society upside down.

I'm gonna cut to the chase, and say Ulfric's Revolution was a socialist one. Ulfric had begun life as a common miner, and he hated the ruling class. The way he retook the Dwarven Holds from the Dragons was by getting the lower classes to turn on the upper class, the supposed "Collaborators". The truth is more complex, and a lot of those dwarven nobles were innocent, but that really didn't stop the revolutionaries. The Caste that was hurt the most were the Dragon-Priests who were mostly killed, except for a few who escaped and were some of the descendants of Gunzagrad. Afterwards the Dwarves established a form of Syndicalism where a Dwarven Hold was governed by Guilds. Each Guild head is part of a council that governs a Hold, and the Great Holds come together to form a Council of Seven that governs the Dwarven Race as a whole. Guilds are based on profession, and no Guild sits above the other. A Dwarven Hold can have anywhere from 3 Guilds to upwards of 20 (in Mjolnigrad, the largest Dwarven Hold, there are 22 Guilds).

Gunzagrad also eventually adopted this system as more outcasts from other Dwarven Holds arrived. They have 4 Guilds, the Crafter's Guild, the Miner's Guild, the Warriors Guild, and the Trader's Guild. Gunzagrad also has a dark secret that there are still Clans that secretly continue Dragon Worship in secret dens of the Underground City. The Faith is recognized in Gunzagrad, and they accept Missionaries who venture to spread the Faith. But any Priest will tell you Dwarves are not a pious bunch, that the Dragon's rule over them was the harshest, and the Dragon Flame burned the faith out of them.

In the Seven Great Holds they venerate Beldor above the other three, but more as a State Hero then a God. Even his statue in Sturmcasse (A Hold deep in Nastrondir's earth where they uncovered a giant shard of Graveryl), he's simply referred to as the First Dwarf. This shows Dwarves see Beldor as not a God, but a Primordial Ancestor.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:03, Sun 15 Aug 2021.

Are you guys interested in Elvish racism and asset bubbles? Then head to the now completed entry on the Principality of Gancanagh!

Edit: I plan on opening CS's tomorrow.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:12, Sun 15 Aug 2021.

Before I open CS Editing I wanna get some more input from some of you.

---

@Toraas still writing Gunzagrad entry, should be done this evening, but I didn't wanna leave you hanging too long. My idea for your intro section is you are working with the Craftsmen Guild to create something in tribute to King Roland. The idea is that the Dwarves are assembling some of their best materials in order to initiate legitimate trade between Gunzagrad and Belrand. Think of it like how the English sent an envoy with British goods to convince the Chinese Emperor to increase trade between the two Empires...but hopefully this won't end in the Opium Wars. I imagine Toraas will also be asked to join the expedition.

I'm wondering how highly you want Toraas to in Gunzagrad's hierarchy. Like I said earlier, it's basically fantasy Syndicalism, so the Guilds function like Worker Unions. So the guys in charge are really meant to just being making decisions in the best interest of the Guild they represent, BUT people are corruptible and corruption does happen. Also wondering how you want to handle the secret Dragon-Worshippers that exist in Gunzagrad. They are more like a secret society, or illuminati. It's less shadow lords, and more eyes wide shut, so don't expect them to be all powerful within Gunzagrad. Probably more a collection of hidden shrines, and dwarven hedonistic orgies. So think popular culture Satanists.

Wondering if this would work for you, and if you have any stuff you would want me to focus on as well.

---

@Erra My current idea for your intro is you are actually a newcomer to the Wyrmtail. Depending on how you feel you can set your place of origin as one of the other regions. The reason you are heading to the Wyrmtail is that you were following a set of Dragon remains being transported to a human city. This was an incredibly rare occurrence as most of the Dragon bones you have found were either deep within ruins, or locked away from you deep in Elvish Havens. You were tracking it when you sensed it being placed on a ship and sailing out of your reach. Unsure of where the ship was going and fearing you would lose it on the Lir, you decided to ask some Mortals in your Elvish guise. You learned of Ringford and of the Elvish Prince making economic waves around human trade ports. You would have simply flown there yourself, but wanting to get more information and maintain secrecy, you decided to travel by ship.

The ship you are on, The Drowning Dragon, is preparing to port at Ringford. The trip has been long, but you have learned much of the place you are heading toward upon "befriending" two fellow Elrhandir. Toruviel Half-Elven, and her twin brother Isengrim are the co-captains of the mercenary company Mungisi (Elvish for Mongoose). They are both Elrhandir due to their Human father not being able to support them after his death, and their Elvish mother disowning them after her remarriage. They are coming to Ringford to offer their services to Prince Lucien... and they are both incredibly interested in Erra joining them (as the Elf they think her to be of course).

Would this work for you?

---

@Nu I have to head back to work, but I also have some stuff to ask you. I didn't want you to be in Elizabeth's inner circle yet, I wanted the intro scene to be the first time your characters have met. I'm picturing Tanith de Severine having had to slowly rise her way up social circles to finally receive an invitation to attend the court in Attindore. It is likely she could have gotten things done faster, but restraint is necessary for manipulation at this scale, and honestly she's been having a little fun getting Mortals to do things she wanted without even using any of her powers. The intro is the main event for her though. As he carriage makes it's way toward Attindore on the Eve of Saint Marina's Brithday. The date just so happens to coincide with the Spring Equinox (it still happens on Nastrondir, it's just that the Sun is moving, not the Earth...it's magic), and is one of the most beautiful moments of the year in Western Belrand. I assume your goals are to gain the ear of the Grand Duchess herself, but I'd like to hear from you on what your short term goals would be at this event so I can set things up for you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:40, Sun 15 Aug 2021.

Okay, I like that idea a lot. When you mentioned that the government was based on the Guilds I assumed that Toraas would involve himself closely with the Craftstmen guild and would be helping with the tribute project. I anticipate he has been with them for a while (in Mortal years) so he has some kind of say in the Guild's affairs but maybe nothing too overt or direct. I would want him to work his way up the leadership ranks as discreetly as possible, as he knows if he climbs too fast it might arouse suspicion. Eventually he'll want to rework the entire government but I imagine that will take a significant amount of time, effort, and resources. So he wants to be very involved in the hierarchy because he knows that with his power and influence then the Dwarves can actually become a prominent and significant force with their own military and economic might, and that will be useful for him too.

My idea for the secret Dragon-Worshippers is that he wants to keep them covert but reach out to them and turn them into his personal espionage/security/intel force behind the scenes and underground. Earn their allegiance at the cost of revealing his true identity to them - maybe he creates a fancy story that ties their origins together with his re-emergence. Toraas would not be offended at the sect and would even walk among them and participate to learn more before finalizing his plans, because he is free-spirited and and will follow his desires on a whim and he likes that about the Dragon-Worshippers too. And he realizes the importance of having eyes and ears everywhere, especially if they are fiercely loyal to him and his goals.

Would this be feasible? They could be useful to my fellow dragons too, if they become formidable and useful enough. Definitely a little cultish, but also like the Blades from the Elder Scrolls series if anyone is familiar.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:32, Sun 15 Aug 2021.

I can definitely go with that. Tanith is probably (at least overtly) seeking to make potential business deals with indebtable nobles, since her estate is one of coin rather than land. And watching a beautiful equinox is awesome too!

Goals: Tanith's a busy bee on this end, but right now...

1: She's stockpiling financial debts from the nobility (who make useful tools until she needs to break them), particularly nobles with close ties to the Archbishop. She doesn't want the Archbishop's ear (too dangerous) but she does want the ear of the people who he has to work with.

2: At Level 2, Nu is also likely to take a side trip in another guise to start up her own Dragon Worship, if the conditions are right.

3: Nu wants another holy war, preferably with the Kingdom. She wants an ugly, messy stalemate, with the noble knights all focused on fighting the Kingsmen and taxing the peasants into starvation to pay for it.

4: If she learns about the conspiracy to topple the Archbishop, she's going to want to stop it, because she wants the paranoid fanatic exactly where he is until curtain call.

5: Once the war's underway, meet with allied wealthy merchants, petty nobles and firebrand commoners in the capital and the Holy City. Hire some mercenaries who aren't already joining the war.

6: Storm the Cathedral, and start a very bloody and radical revolution.

She's happy to help other dragons with their goals, but is probably going to conceal the full extent of what she's doing out of caution, and because she's pretty sure some of the others will consider her plans dangerously reckless and destructive.

Hehe, loving the sound of where we're all starting out too. I can so easily see some connections and ties playing into things on all fronts. Even if our initial gathering isn't "right away", it certainly seems likely at least at some point during our endeavors!


Though the mention of Dragon worship also makes me curious if any such groups exist in the Kingdom territories. Or even within the Keepers. Perhaps not quite yet, but I could see some aspiring magic users lamenting the days of the Dragon-Sorcerers who could teach them greater magics. Hehe.


[Private to GM: And as an aside, it'd be extremely amusing if Sybilla turned out to be part of a Dragon Worshipping group. Which would be extremely amusing as it would explain why she was not strictly adversarial towards Calus and seemed to have 'suspicions' - but kept them to herself the whole time. Perhaps secretly hoping it were true. ]

Yep with a little culling you could make them into something very similar to the Blades. The main issue in your way is the fact that the current leaders are simply using the Old Beliefs as a way to assert some authority over specific people, and indulge in sin not normally accepted in typical Dwarf culture. Basically with no "God" to follow the cult became corrupt and is need of new management. The current hierarchy within the cult likely would not follow you out of faith.



This is a very prudent view, and will serve you well over the course of the game. I will get you a list over some NPC's you should be aware of:

1. Duke Aramis de Aisne: The Duke of Aisne is an ancient house by human standards. As old as House Bismarc, and one of the few Crusader Bloodlines not to join the Kingsmen. Duke Aramis is one of the younger nobles who is of age with the Grand Duchess. Many agree that the two would make a good match, but ever since setting eyes on Baroness de Severine he has had eyes for no other. It is through his invitation that Tanith has gained entry at the largest celebration of the year.
   
2. Vicar Hildegard von Wolfkrone: The Red Wolf. The title of Vicar in the Faith is a military one, designating the Commander of the Archbishop's Army. She replaced Vicar Cornelius and instigated the removal of the the impoverished from Carthus when her predecessor refused the order. A harsh woman who is a trained Templar of Saint Ulfric's Order. She is in charge of Attindore's defenses, but is really there to keep the Grand Duchess and the nobility in line.
   
3. Cardinal Anushirvan of Bran Bal: One of the men sent by Archbishop Augustine to ensure Belrand's Faith did not falter, he chose to stay and help govern the war torn nation. In many ways he acts as Prime Minister for Grand Duchess Elizabeth, and has her ear in most issues. A handsome man with a charm not usually seen in a man of the cloth, the Cardinal and Grand Duchess have become good friends since her ascension. In fact their closeness has lead to rumors that the two are secretly lovers. A rumor that gains traction each year as Elizabeth refuses to show favor to any suitors.

Also will give you the basic hierarchy of nobility in Western Belrand.

1) Grand Duke/Grand Duchess (was King/Queen but...oh well).
2) Duke/Duchess
3) Count/Countess
4) Baron/Baroness
5) Knights/Dames

In reality there is no real distinction between the titles below that of Duke. A Knight/Dame could have more Precedence than Tanith for example, and Tanith herself could have more precedence than some Counts/Countess'. Duke/Duchess is actually the only title with legitimate Precedence over other titles, and thus you would be forced to give them deference in a social situation.

One quick way to know if someone has Precedence over you is whether their Bloodline is of the Sword or the Robe. Duke Aramis's Bloodline is of the Sword, cuz his ancestor was a Crusader Knight in the Age of Fire. Meanwhile Tanith would be considered a Bloodline of the Robe, due to buying her title. Generally speaking Sword>Robe, BUT nuance is everything. There are some old bloodlines that are just flat ass broke, so who cares if they are ancient? They got bills to pay and will kiss that draconic ass.

Character Sheets should be available to edit, so tell me if they aren't. Been awhile since I've done this.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:29, Sun 15 Aug 2021.

He probably hasn't noticed that Tanith has never married, and tends to be surrounded by attractive servant women. :) Then again, the nobility of the Grand Duchy probably assume that her preferences won't get in the way of her getting married.



Which means anyone who doesn't owe Tanith money looks down on her as uncultured, even by the standards of first-generation Robes.



They aren't :(
This message was last edited by the player at 23:37, Sun 15 Aug 2021.

What about now?

Open now. *goes to work*

Sheet should be copied over now and good for review. Hopefully I didn't miss anything! :)

Is the "Overt Effort" thing a rule from another game?

Yeah I think it's from when this game was made to play like Exalted...knew I should have looked it over again.

Edit: Where do you see that by the by?
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:48, Sun 15 Aug 2021.

In the character sheet after Vitals. I left it in and blank since I wasn't sure if it was a house rule or not myself.

Yeah it's from when certain abilities would cause you to "Anima Flare" like in Exalted. Umm...just delete that portion that talks about "Overt Effort", but keep the Open Effort portion.

Sheet's done.

The Western Consortium are a group of merchants and petty nobles of the Robe (like Tanith). Generally most interested in making money and maybe earning nobility of their own, and Tanith's main ties to them are in shared investments, loans and shipping insurance, but many harbor...complaints about the heavy taxes the realm extorts from them.

I think I have everything on Drannathorin's sheet updated as well. Fixed the Overt entry and listed the details of stuff a bit more. At least enough for the initial review.

I'll take a look at them later tonight. Wanna check on Erri, to see if they are doing ok, and finish the entries for Elfame and Gunzagrad.

[Secret to Drannathorin: Saw your SM about Sybilla, and I can work with that. I will say one aspects I had planned for Sybilla is that she believes that she can become a Dragon herself. Which is unlikely, without something super drastic, so expect her to be a lil crazy.]

Haha, delusions of grandeur as it were!

Retcon Alert: Only 100k Elves in Eastern Belrand. Don't know what I was smoking with those original number.