History and Reference Information

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History and Reference Information

Postby badams30 » Tue Jun 16, 2015 3:26 am

The History of New Gornia – Land of Opportunity and Adventure

The story of New Gornia starts roughly 250 years earlier and many leagues to the West, across the treacherous North Sea, far from the civilized world and the 7 Kingdoms. The largest of the kingdoms (Gornia) frequently sent trade expeditions to the uncharted wilds in search of land, gold and trade goods. One of these expeditions, beset by a ferocious hurricane, was blown ashore far from the trade lanes of civilization – deposited upon the shores of a large continent, apparently once civilized, but long abandoned by those who dwelt there.

After a fruitful expedition turned up fertile lands, vast mountain ranges, and intriguing ruined cities of old, the expedition leaders hurried back to the King of Gornia and civilization, anxious to present this new land for the glory of Gornia. The King hurriedly assembled a large fleet of ships, complete with soldiers, masons, farmers, and all the needed implements of colonization and conquest. This initial party landed at the ruined coastal fortress city now known as Rynd Hold and began at once to repair the ruins and colonize the land in the name of the King. The efforts of the early colonists and the King were successful beyond their wildest expectations, and slowly but surely, civilization started to spread across the land now known as New Gornia.

Fast forward 250 years.

Several Kings have ruled since New Gornia’s discovery and initial colonization. As the colonization proved successful, the King sent his two most trusted nobles, Duke Ferren Uberroth, and Duke Kirin Rynd to establish centers of trade and to put order to the wilds, and more importantly, to begin to extract riches from the wilds and press further inland to expand the kingdom.

The two Dukes, while loyal to their king, harbored an intense hatred for the other, and a competitive drive that led them to start a race to tame the wilds and gain the favor of the king. Duke Rynd established his Duchy at Rynd Hold, the largest city yet discovered on the continent, and Duke Uberroth established his claim at Uberroth Hold, a smaller coastal city to the West of Rynd Hold. Both Dukes found the business of colonization to be relatively easy, and both marveled at the pace that their troops began to reclaim the land. But after a little more than 200 years of unchecked success and growth, suddenly things changed. Hostile humanoids appeared and wreaked havoc upon the forces of New Gornia, routing the complacent troops and burning, pillaging and ravaging the small settlements of man.

Not all the stories were dark, however. In their struggles, the men of New Gornia found allies in the reclusive Halfling folk of Hill Gap – the ancestral land of the halflings, long secluded and wary of man until the attention of the forces of evil drew the two races into an alliance and mutual respect for the other. With the help of the Halfling people and reinforcements from Gornia, the forces of good were able to push the humanoids and forces of darkness back into the recesses and the north land beyond the Blood Tooth Mountains, where they have stayed unseen for the past decade. The process of colonization resumed, albeit at a more cautious and measured pace, and several forts and outposts have been constructed to aid in the defense of the populace, and to provide a sign to the forces of evil that the colonists were here to stay.
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Re: History and Reference Information

Postby badams30 » Tue Jun 16, 2015 3:27 am

New Gornia: What you know, what you DON'T know, and where to begin

I will be posting a map and a list of important people shortly. In the meantime, here's some basic info on the current situation of New Gornia, and how you come to be here.

The King of Gornia has sent a call for adventurers across the realm. His offer? Free passage to New Gornia, and an adventurer's charter. Once in New Gornia, adventurers are to report to the officials in the governing Duchy for their charter (basically a simple registration as adventurers in service to the crown. A charter conveys no real authority, but it implies a level of confidence from the government, and allows parties to be hired by the government for missions and other work as needed. A charter may have other benefits in a pinch, but that's the skinny of it)

You have decided to leave the relative security and predictable nature of the kingdoms for the lure of adventure, riches and glory. After a grueling 3 week voyage on the pitching North Sea, you've arrived at the port city of Rynd Hold. We will start our adventure on municipal docks of the city.

What you know (Keep in mind, this is common info, it may be true, partially true, or somewhat exaggerated. But it is common knowledge of this wild land.)
- New Gornia was dotted with the ruins of small towns, and a handful of large cities. The two largest fortified cities, Uberroth Hold (to the West) and Rynd Hold (in the East) are the largest in New Gornia. Going inland the cities are progressively smaller. In a nutshell, you can get most anything in these large cities, and things get more sparse the farther inland you go. The roads throughout the area are dirt tracks and sometimes little more than ruts in the plains.

- Halflings are occasionally seen about the land, but in general they are located to the West in Hill Gap, located adjacent the Grand Forest. Halflings are rumored to be closely tied to the new inhabitants, and are stalwart allies.

- Elves are rumored to dwell to the northwest in the Mistwood, to the south of the dreaded Blood Tooth mountains. Some adventurers and soldiers have reported seeing elves from a distance, but no one to date has made contact with any, if they do indeed exist.

- Dwarves are equally elusive. According the the Halflings, the dwarves inhabit the Stonehalls, in the far Eastern Obsidian Peaks. Dwarves retreated from the affairs of men (and halflings) over 500 years ago, and haven't been seen since. Several parties, some large, some small, have sought the entrance to the halls unsuccessfully. About 1/4 of all expeditions to the area have never returned. Occasional statues and structures across the realm are evidence that dwarves once dwelt among men, but no clues exist as to why they withdrew.

- Minimal evidence of the previous culture of the land has been found. Scholars estimate that there has been no civilization for between 500 and 1000 years. Extensive exploration has yielded NO clues to where the population went, or what caused them to go.

- Humanoids are found throughout the land, although much less frequently within 2-3 days travel of the large cities. The farther north one travels, the chances of encountering humanoids increases. The military generally avoids all out conflict with the humanoids, but if small villages or camps are found, they are swiftly eliminated. Goblins, kobolds, orcs and ogres are the most referenced monsters that plague the land, but they are certainly not the only ones.

- To the far north behind the imposing Blood Tooth mountains lie what is reported to be the home of all manner of evils - monsters, demons, and supposedly - WORSE. (think of Mordor from Lord of the Rings, but with less known about it) None of the kings forces have ever entered the mountains, so little is known of this area aside from legend and tall tales.

- Toward the Grand Forest and the Obsidian Peaks lie two outpost fortifications, advance outposts for the forces of New Gornia. They are large stockade fortifications, and have just begun to be converted to stone walled strongholds. This will take many years, but in the meantime, they are outposts for the army, and are the last garrisons before the wilder areas to the north except for one place...

- The Borderlands. To the north lie the fierce area known only as "The Borderlands." This area borders the Bloodtooth mountains, and is filled with natural resources including veins of gold, silver, and gems. The area is key to the future plans of the King, and a solitary stronghold known as "The Keep" holds the line between good and evil and marks with tenacity the claim of man to the area. The garrison is relatively small, but elite in nature and with superb equipment. Only the most hearty and adventurous journey this far north. As the Keep is only recently completed, the area is basically unexplored and a big question mark to the realm. The king and the dukes are very keen to learn what this area holds and what lurks in it's vicinity.

That is the gist of what new arrivals to the realm know. One can ask inhabitants questions, and the validity of answers is only limited by the type of person queried. I may also seed some rumors among the PCs depending on background and profession.
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Re: History and Reference Information

Postby badams30 » Tue Jun 16, 2015 6:24 pm

Player Info and Fast Facts

I'll provide the current status of the campaign world in the previous post, and I'll post all that you know as a new arrival to the land. In general, this info should give you some background and get you started thinking of characters.

PC Creation Background: None of the player characters are from New Gornia. All are from one of the 7 Kingdoms, the largest being Gornia. I haven't developed the other kingdoms at all, and don't really intend to at this time, so there is some creative license to come from one of the other kingdoms, but most common would be a resident of Gornia, which is climate and terrain similar to Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms. Elves, Dwarves and Halflings all live in Gornia, and are on good terms with humans. The 7 Kingdoms enjoy prosperity, famine, war and all the other issues that civilization does, and in general, all the Kingdoms are reasonably peaceful to each other, at least at this time.

Non-Humans: Elves, dwarves and halflings are all as described in the LL Basic rules. You are free to make their background colorful in general, but the usual nuances apply (Halflings live in a shire-type environment, elves live in the woods, and dwarves drink beer and live in the mountains.) The exception to the rule are adventurers and those who choose to live among man for their own reasons. While not very common, just about everyone in the kingdoms have seen demi-humans and are comfortable around them. Normal racial bias and all that exist, but everyone plays nicely together in the kingdoms.

Classes: All classes are represented well here.
Fighters: Anyone can become a fighter, many of the adventuring fighters from Gornia are veterans of the King's Light Infantry or the King's Archery Corps. The light infantry and archers of Gornia are well known and represent the most numerous and well-trained in the kingdoms. Most warriors serve a single two year enlistment and are discharged with equivalent experience as a 1st level fighter with the possibility of some bonuses for certain weapons. If you are a fighter, and choose to be a former soldier of Gornia, make that known to me and I'll fill you in.
Magic Users: While magic is readily available in the kingdoms, wizards are fairly uncommon in Gornia, and no guilds exist, making wizards typically solitary types who are cloistered sages or adventuring wizards. Some hire their services as guards, fix it men (using practical magics) or any occupation requiring magic. Wizards are usually viewed with curiosity in most locales.
Clerics: Priests are generally regarded as healers and community leaders in the kingdoms, and occasionally as missionaries to other lands. Adventuring clerics are as diverse as their deity and parties, and can be a moral leader of the group, a healer, or a back up fighter/healer. Priests of "good" faiths are generally viewed with favor and the populace is outgoing toward priests. Conversely, priests of more sinister gods can expect to be shunned, singled out and even attacked in some places. The folks of the kingdoms have no time or patience for gods of evil and their servants.
Thieves: Thieves are a diverse lot in the kingdoms, and they operate solo or as a member of a guild. As you might expect, larger locales tend to have organized guilds in place, and these guilds frown upon non-members operating in their area. Adventuring thieves are usually ignored unless they are observed practicing their trade in the area of a guild, in which case they will be contacted by the local guild. You get the picture. Thievery is looked down upon in the kingdoms, and depending on the law in the region, punishment for various offenses can range from flogging, imprisonment, forced servitude, maiming, or in the worst instances - death.

Stats and hit points: I don't require proof of rolls. For this campaign, please roll 4D6, dropping the lowest die. No shuffling of points or that sort of thing, but I will give 2 points to humans, and 1 point to demi-humans to place where you will. For instance, you roll a 14 for your human PC, and you can choose to increase that score by 1 or 2 points. For a demi-human, you can add 1 to any score you wish. Of course, this is capped at a max of 18 on any score. As for hit points, begin with the maximum for level one (including CON bonus) and roll normally thereafter.

Skills: Each character begins with one background skill if you wish. This would be something like Teamster, brewer, farmer, blacksmith, etc. This is just for flavor, and gives you some mundane knowledge of a certain area - as much as a person would have being employed in such a trade for a few years. Demi-humans get one skill as well unless you choose to play an aged non-human. In this case, you may have two or three, depending on your age. This is all optional, no one MUST have a skill.

Weapons & Armor: Usable weapons per class are as standard in the LL Basic Rules. No proficiencies needed. Keeping it simple here. I won't say a wizard backed into a corner couldn't use a longsword if it was a last resort, but he would be at a tremendous negative modifier in doing so. Armor is set in stone though, as per the rules.

Death: If damage reduces you to LESS than zero HP, you are a goner. RIP, feedin' the worms, heading to the pearly gates. If you are reduced to zero HP and can be attended to by a healer within one round, you'll live to fight another day. Resurrection is rare and when available is costly and usually involving of a major quest on behalf of the servant deity. If you need it, you will pay for it... in more ways than one.

Critical Hits: I use an old table that came from Dragon magazine back in the day. A one is always a fumble, a 20 is always a critical hit. The hits run from double or triple damage to spectacular displays of horrific death - lopped arms, cleaved heads, crushed skulls, a regular horror-show of blood spattered coolness (cool if you are the damage dealer, NOT so cool if you are the recipient...)

Background: As I mentioned earlier, my goal for this game was to keep it super simple. You can add more detail to your characters, or minimal detail. Personality and role playing are great, and I'm fine with a one or two paragraph background if that's what you want. You are welcome to provide a quick description of your character's mannerisms, quirks and nuances. That way if I have to NPC them at any time, I've got some stuff to work with. If you post a character photo (no Rembrandt's are needed, but prob a little more than a stick figure would be best) and I'll give you 100XP as a bonus.

If there is something I haven't covered here, ping me and I'll address it and possibly add it to this list, as it's not meant to be the final word or all-inclusive.
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Re: History and Reference Information

Postby badams30 » Tue Jun 16, 2015 6:32 pm

Pantheon of the 7 Kingdoms:

I've mainly detailed the gods of men, but will intro Demi-human gods in time... if you have to have a god for your demi-human, just let me know and I'll do it now.

Odin: Supreme ruler of the gods
Worshipers alignments: Lawful and neutral
Symbol: watching blue eye

Balder: God of beauty and charisma
Worshipers alignments: Lawful and neutral
Symbol: Gem-encrusted silver chalice

Bragi: God of poetry, eloquence and song
Worshipers alignments: Lawful and Neutral
Symbol: Harp

Forseti: God of Justice
Worshipers alignments: Lawful
Symbol: Clenched fist superimposed with a scale of justice

Frey: God of sun
Worshipers alignments: Lawful and neutral
Symbol: Rising sun

Freya: Goddess of love and fertility
Worshipers alignments: Lawful and neutral
Symbol: Falcon

Heimdall: God of duty, guardians, obedience
Worshipers alignments: Lawful
Symbol: Horn

Hel: Goddess of Death
Worshipers alignments: Chaotic
Symbol: Black skull

Igmar: God of Chaos and strife
Worshipers alignment: Chaotic
Symbol: Flame encircled skeleton

Tyr: God of War and law
Worshipers alignment: Lawful and neutral
Symbol: Sword

Uller: God of hunting, nature, rangers and outdoorsmen
Worshipers alignment: Lawful and neutral
Symbol: Longbow
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