Neon Knights has group setting creation, with each player (including the GM) answering some questions from this list:

1)Who is the Lord of the Realm?
(is it a single person, or maybe a small group? Did they get that position by inheritance,election, or something else? As Knights, you have sworn fealty to them - what did they do to earn that from you?)
2)Besides the Knights, what is something or someone else the Lord can count on?
(their religious beliefs? A network of spies? The love of the populace?)
3)What is something everyone knows about the Realm’s history?
4)What is something everyone has forgotten about the Realm’s history?
5)What is something from Before that still remains and is known in the Realm?
6)What is a notable landmark or location within the Realm?
7)What is a notable landmark or location outside of the Realm?
8)How big is the Realm?
(do you want to measure it in miles, or in how long it takes to cross it, or some other way?)
9)What is one thing the Realm needs but is lacking?
10)Who or what is one of the biggest threats facing the Realm now?
(has it already made itself known, or is it still lurking in the shadows, waiting for theright moment to strike? If you want to leave it vague for now and only let the details come out in play you can do that, but if you want to define the details now that's fine too, even if the characters don't know them yet?
11)Who or what is another potential threat?
12)What makes the Realm such a desirable target for either (or both) of these threats?

1. King Varrik Ashburn (no reason why it can't be a queen, but I'm just running with my first thought)
1a. The Manyfold Council hold various civic responsibilities. But for matters concerning the security of the realm, king Varrik has the final say.
1b. I remember being much younger, the kinds men came to our village after a bandit raid, rebuilt the farms, re dug the well. It was a surprise to be sure.

2. Lady Meridian Theel. Many expected the two to be married, but in spite of their respect for each other, they have decided to maintain their own power bases, though their interests often align.
In general, the population are happy with their king.

3. We are a relatively young realm. The borders are expanding slowly, and there is generally an air of optimism about the future.

4. We were refugees, we were fleeing the growing darkness in the realm beyond the mountains.

6. The Watchers Wood. Not a true wood, but a collection of enormous metal statues, mosses and fungus have inhabited them and over time animals have built homes in their looming presence. It is not normally a place many linger long, especially after dark. Folk tales have grown up around it, some may even brush at the truth.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:57, Tue 31 Jan 2023.

D'oh, meant to post this once some players were in but before the conversation got started, and Prydain beat me to it - since we're doing this over PbP and not actually sitting around a table with easy flowing conversation, probably the best way to handle the setting questions would be if everyone just puts out some suggestions for a couple of them (including alternate suggestions for a question that someone else answered, if you want to do that).  I'll be the final arbiter in case of any disagreements that don't resolve easily enough without my use of the GM Hammer.

And, now that we're here, I will say that I love the "darkness beyond the mountains" as a starting point :)

So, when I sent an RTJ, I accidently answered all these questions. I'm sharing them not as the final answers but just to share, maybe there are some interesting ideas in there.


1)Who is the Lord of the Realm?
The Orphan King is not elected to rule - his role is hereditary, and while he may or may not be worthy of the title, his father was. And it was his father who made Chroma want to swear fealty in order to protect the infant. In the Orphan King, Chroma sees the eyes of the man she served faithfully and with devotion, as one of his Battle Maidens.

2)Besides the Knights, what is something or someone else the Lord can count on?
Though it might sound less than effective, the college of bards has turned out some particularly savvy lyricists who wander the town keeping the old king's memory alive and reminding the population of all the great work of the Neon Knights.

3)What is something everyone knows about the Realm’s history?
How about the most recent event? Where the Megapod attacked the city and was only driven off when the old king personally led a boarding party to its control toom an destroyed the captain of the unusual sea vessel, receiving a mortal wound in the process.

4)What is something everyone has forgotten about the Realm’s history?
The Timeless Ones who reside in a Pocket Dimension and who twist the events of the world to suit a timeline that only they know. They go by many names, but all of them are forgotten to men.

5)What is something from Before that still remains and is known in the Realm?
Men tell tales of the Before, when great metal birds flapped across the sky and carried hundreds of people on their backs. Of course, it has to be a myth, but with some element of truth, right?

6)What is a notable landmark or location within the Realm?
The Lady of Flame stands at an angle, holding her book and her torch to warn people of the rocks on which their ships my run aground. She is from the Before times, an ancient queen - she wears a crown upon her head.

7)What is a notable landmark or location outside of the Realm?
The Mountain Gods - faces of pig-faced beings etched into the stone of a mountain to gaze out upon their twisted minions and speak words of doom for the realm of man.

8)How big is the Realm?
The realm is as large as the race of mankind - for it is not a geographical kingdom but a genetic one. Where a man stands, his feet mark the extent of the Realm.

9)What is one thing the Realm needs but is lacking?
Neon knights are few in number. The Megapod Incident was only the last in a long list of terrible battles the brave circle of knights has had to undergo. Without a king at his age of majority, no more neon knights can be recruited - for they must best him in personal arms.

10)Who or what is one of the biggest threats facing Realm now?
None know it but, manipulated by the Timeless Ones, a new kind of human evolution is taking place - called neogenesis, this cult uses thaumaturgy and profane ritual to remake mankind into an idealized (and blasphemous) new form. All the physical points of perfection, and none of the moral fiber. Rumour has it, a member of the royal court is one of the leaders of this hideous movement... but none know who.

11)Who or what is another potential threat?
The Vulture of Nine Hearts has already made his demands - the metallodragon of the Nicine Plains of Salt and Ash has said that, should he not receive a king's ransom before the Orphan King's tenth birthday, he will devour the entire royal line and the neon knights. The Neon knights think they can slay him... but he is not a being that understands death.

12)What makes the Realm such a desirable target for either (or both) of these threats?
In a closed system, all things tend towards entropy. Or at least, so says the Virdigris Creed. It seems simple enough - the Realm offers order and a new civilization of humanity on a world already broken by the first civilization in the Before. The Timeless Ones wish to prevent this for it does not fit their preferred timeline. Others seek to subvert the idea of hard work to make this happen by taking shortcuts to power and exceptionalism. And some just seek power for its own sake. The Realm is the natural enemy of all of these groups.

3)What is something everyone knows about the Realm’s history?
The Legacy of Kings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o3vVwxPeHY
The Realm was founded by brave and courageous warriors, fighting against all odds and coming through victoriously

6)What is a notable landmark or location within the Realm?
The Killing Road:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh0S9Uw0hrc
Something terrible happened along this path; a Trail of Tears sort of thing, I think

7)What is a notable landmark or location outside of the Realm?
The Hall Of The Mountain King
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdGD3Ukb3Q0

10)Who or what is one of the biggest threats facing the Realm now?
Armata Strigoi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zx1ZtxUbGE
An Army of the dead, lead by religious zealotry, seeking to destroy the realm.

Spitballs:

1)Who is the Lord of the Realm?
There's definitely a royal family. The bloodline is important because the monarch is tied to the land. The blood was vital to founding the realm and continues to be an important aspect of its sustenance. This bond to maintain the realm is why they are the "Lord". It is in many ways more a burden than a privilege.

2)Besides the Knights, what is something or someone else the Lord can count on?
The Shogun, Commander-in-Chief of his guards and foot soldiers. Despite his stalwart loyalty, he believes the king over-relies on his knights, seeing them as mavericks.


3)What is something everyone knows about the Realm’s history?
In the early generations of the realm's current monarchal line, there was a massive succession crisis which almost tore the realm apart. The new Queen was assassinated by her half-sister and afterwards each of their ten siblings attempted to take the throne for themselves. This led to the tradition that monarch's should only bear no more than two heirs (and preferably only one).

4)What is something everyone has forgotten about the Realm’s history?
Though the claimants who did not become monarch were all executed, each had surviving children. These branched bloodlines persist to this day.

5)What is something from Before that still remains and is known in the Realm?
"Chromatic Threads"- psychically sensitive strings used in musical instruments which allow the user to distort the sound in various ways, such particular amplifying its volume.

6)What is a notable landmark or location within the Realm?
Fool's Rock. A mesa in the middle of a salt flat. Said to be haunted, the top and exterior contains evidence of a truly ancient stone age civilization dwelling in the area ages ago. Most of the entrance deeper inside have been sealed up; strangely, these seals appear more consistent with artifacts from "Before".

7)What is a notable landmark or location outside of the Realm?
Some leagues outside the realm's most remote borders, there is an abandoned village. Its well leads down to an underground lake that has long since been drained away. Ventures into those drainage holes has led to the discovery of deeper caverns where all light is snuffed out - except that from the armor worn by Neon Knights.

8)How big is the Realm?
Eight Steed tanks of fuel.


11)Who or what is another potential threat?
Recently there has been some increasing factionalization. Where once everything was under the monarch's direct control, some organizations are achieving greater autonomy and power. These include the Metallurgists' Guild and the general military. With the king as a youth, there is a risk some other faction could take control of the realm and utilize him only as a figurehead.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 00:45, Wed 01 Feb 2023.

1) Someone who did something heroic for the realm, and basically got the position without really wanting it. They got the love of the people out of it, and that includes the Knights.
2) See above about the love of the people.
3) I like Prydain's take.
4) Also like Prydain's take here.
5) Devices that, when you put a black disk in them, have recordings of the past on them.
6) I like Player 3's take.
7) I like Chroma's take here.
8) A few days' walk.
9) Due to the young age, we need organized agriculture.
10) I like the idea from Player 3 of an army of the dead, but one that we don't know about currently.
11) The neighbors of course.
12) The Realm has rich soil and, while small, was formed around a Before city that is possibly containing more Before things.

Yeah, everybody's been offering different ideas, which are all great, but I think it's time to decide on which bits to keep so we have one coherent Realm we're working with.  Player 4 has gotten this started, so thank you for that.

My own votes at the moment would be:

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
1. Combining Chroma's "Orphan King" and P2's "tied to the land" ideas
2. Prydain's idea for Lady Meridian
3. Chroma's "Megapod" idea
4. Sticking with Prydain's "darkness beyond the mountains" - not that that excludes any of the other suggestions...
5. P2's chromatic threads and P4's history diskettes both sound cool
6. Combine P3's "Killing Road" and P2's "Fool's Rock"
7. Combine Chroma's "mountain gods" and P3's "Mountain King" - madness could definitely reign there
8. P2's idea sounds nice, as long as you're not abusing the "Steeds don't run out of fuel during the game" rule :)
9. Of the two suggestions here, I'm leaning toward P4's agriculture idea
10. P3's undead army should be fun to mow down - plus P4's suggestion that you don't know about them yet
11. P2's faction splitting sounds good here
12. P4's rich soil and rich ruins

---

I think most people's ideas are better than mine. The only one I really dislike, and that's more a boredom/personal dislike than an actual problem with the idea. Is the army of the dead. I just see it everywhere these days ><

Don't sell yourself short, you had some cool stuff there.

I've got no problem with going a different direction instead of undead hordes if other folks are against that one as well.

1)Who is the Lord of the Realm?

The true lord of the realm is Captain Ozroads, who returns periodically from across the Sea of Light when the land is in danger in this particular time.  It is rumored that he is always guarding the realm in different universes and dimensions.

2)Besides the Knights, what is something or someone else the Lord can count on?

A reagent rules in his stead while he is gone (which is most of the time).  Sometimes he can be counted on; sometimes he can’t.

3)What is something everyone knows about the Realm’s history?

Everybody with a brain knows that the Realm began with a geological catastrophe: rock gave way to metal, and now the great mountains of madness tower over the land, drawing endless vast electrical storms.

4)What is something everyone has forgotten about the Realm’s history?

That good times never last.

5) What is something from Before that still remains and is known in the Realm?

There are still Giants of Rock roaming the lands, always hungering for an opportunity to overthrow the towering mountains of metal madness.  And there are are strange new beings as well…

6)What is a notable landmark or location within the Realm?

The City of Fairy Boots, from which few mortals have returned.

7)What is a notable landmark or location outside of the Realm?

Port Iommi, where Captain Ozroads dwells in ship the size of a thousand fleets outside of regular time and space.  It may just be a myth.

8)How big is the Realm?

Roughly the size of North America, with a nearby island roughly the size of Great Britain.

9)What is one thing the Realm needs but is lacking?

A great metal mountain climber.

10)Who or what is one of the biggest threats facing the Realm now?

A strange people calling themselves the Children of the Sea have come, claiming to be the true owners of the Realm.

11)Who or what is another potential threat?

Lady Evil, a mysterious creature who fancies herself the true queen of the realm, has ensnared the Reagent’s son in her web of lies.

12)What makes the Realm such a desirable target for either (or both) of these threats?

The Realm is the land of metal, and as such has come closer to love than any other location in the cosmos.

****

A lot of good stuff already posted before, of course.  I especially liked Chroma’s evil mountain of pig gods.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:46, Fri 03 Feb 2023.

In reply to Geezer Ridire (msg # 11):

I’m getting the impression that someone is a Black Sabbath fan. Just a wee bit of one, at least. I could be wrong…

There is no such thing as a Black Sabbath fan - there are just people who like Black Sabbath, and then there are people who are just wrong and should like Black Sabbath...

Right?

In reply to Chroma (msg # 13):

I like the way you think. You are very right.

Chroma's Law has been formulated.

I mean, the name of the game is derived from a Black Sabbath tune, so that's kind of a requirement.

I'd be okay dropping Armata Strigoi if it's not floating other people's boats.

This is correct.  First time I heard that song, that's what planted the seed for this game in my head.  It just took a little while to turn it into coherent text.

This needs to be somewhere in the game world:

This message was last edited by the GM at 00:12, Sun 05 Feb 2023.

I think that needs to be in the "endorsed by the following musicians:" edition of the book...

May as well go for broke and just have a Brutal Legend game

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/bb/8...5ecad86843630446.jpg" data-lightbox="images-msg-20">https://i.pinimg.com/564x/bb/8...5ecad86843630446.jpg" alt=''>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlzumGiJOZE

In reply to Chroma (msg # 18):

Oh, I like you.

Okay, it looks like the main discussion has more or less wrapped up, so here's my Official GM Decision on how all the bits go together:

1)Who is the Lord of the Realm?
The Orphan King, whose bloodline is tied to the Realm by magic as well as tradition.  Most people agree that his father was a good king, and there is a lot of pressure on him to live up to that precedent.

2)Besides the Knights, what is something or someone else the Lord can count on?
Lady Meridian Theel, a young but influential noblewoman with some degree of autonomy in the Realm

3)What is something everyone knows about the Realm’s history?
That the previous king died heroically while leading an attack on the fearsome Megapod.

4)What is something everyone has forgotten about the Realm’s history?
That the Realm was established by refugees fleeing from the darkness beyond the mountains.

5)What is something from Before that still remains and is known in the Realm?
"Chromatic Threads," psychically sensitive strings used in musical instruments which allow the user to distort the sound in various ways, such particular amplifying its volume.  Also, devices which can play video recordings of the past when a black disc is inserted in them.  Only a small number of these devices or their accompanying discs has been recovered to date.

6)What is a notable landmark or location within the Realm?
Fairy Boot City, a lakeside ruin which has never been successfully explored, and the Killing Road which connects it to the sea.

7)What is a notable landmark or location outside of the Realm?
In the mountains that form part of the border, there are the pig-faced statues of the Mountain Gods, and the castle of the Mountain King who lives among them.

8)How big is the Realm?
A Steed could ride across on eight full tanks of fuel.

9)What is one thing the Realm needs but is lacking?
Agriculture has been hampered by the incursions of the Realm's enemies, and has not yet recovered.

10)Who or what is one of the biggest threats facing the Realm now?
The Children of the Sea, a strange people who claim ownership of the land.  Their assaults have paused since the destruction of their Megapod, but this is assumed to be only temporary.

11)Who or what is another potential threat?
Increasing division between various factions within the Realm, presumably due to (and possibly trying to take advantage of) the instability that came with the old king's death and the new king's youth and lack of experience.  The factions which have most clearly been part of this struggle are the army and the Metallurgists' Guild, though others are involved as well.

12)What makes the Realm such a desirable target for either (or both) of these threats?
Rich soil for food, and rich ruins for salvage (or plunder).


Now there's one last step to define the setting - based on the answers to the setting questions, we come up with three Aspects that apply to the Realm itself.  Right off the bat I feel like Rise of the Orphan King would be a good contender, referring to the king himself and also the social/political atmosphere.  What ideas do you all want to add?