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Campaign Background
The Knights of the Order of the Crow are the highest ranking champions of the world-spanning empire of Crowdor. This order is as old as the empire itself, spanning over a millennium of heroes. As the current member of its ranks of two-hundred brothers in arms, your duty is no less than the defence of the entire realm and everyone in it from the vilest threats in the known world. Have courage, and show valour - and you too can be one of the empire's fabled heroes! Character Creation Character Creation uses the Greternesh CC documents I made for the previous campaign. You must be a human. You must be Nordreen (except where it has been discussed and agreed otherwise; ferhargo and thekrakenpup). You must choose 'squire', 'knight' or 'paladin' as your profession. It is acceptable to have two professions and these rules are explained in the CC document. Ferhargo and Talhajami have existing Knights of Greternesh characters. These have already approved backstories, and will have some of their xp carried over. Sheets should be edited so that traits follow the new CC guidelines as below Start here; docs.google.com/document/d/1ReioJRyCfQZMLAb9YmUB8H... Race and Extremes Traits: docs.google.com/document/d/1T5e_Wqv7KtHso7ev8rdCif... Professions; docs.google.com/document/d/1-6wl-1Y4pd6guBKhZp4pe5... Background reading / lore dump; tiny.cc/ehqiqz
Game Play Rules and Clarifications
For the most part, this is a core Fabletop game, but with an alternate CC with more traits. Power Points In ALMOST ALL cases power point usage should relate to a TRAIT you have on your sheet. (You may not 'just add PP to a roll for an extra star') Exceptions, where a trait is not needed; -anyone can attempt basic medical care. the PP star does not count, and only 1 life per star is healed. (Characters with a healing related trait or relevant magic heal at the usual 2 points per star, including power.) -an AOE attack can be made with any weapon, even if you're not proficient. -anyone may attempt to invoke divine magic of a god, but if you're not a dedicated follower, you usually won't have much luck. All blocks / dodges / other damage saves require the use of a power point. These saves must be made BEFORE rolling for armour. XP and Levelling Up Some character backgrounds will give a block of 'starting xp' you do not get a custom level up from your starting xp. The more starting xp you have, the slower you will gain xp and level. Level up is every 20xp. On level do ONE of the following; -Increase maximum life by 1 and fully heal -Increase maximum power by 1 and fully restore PP -Increase the level of any trait you have, other than 'proficiencies' by 1. If you have two racial traits or two profession traits, you can't ever level these traits up. You cannot level up any 'extremes' traits. -Add a new custom trait if you have fewer than 6 traits on your sheet. -Increase one weapon or two tool proficiencies by 1 level. (Magic proficiencies cannot be improved by xp). -Add a new +1 weapon or tool proficiency - this may only be for a tool or weapon you have been using in game. At 100xp, xp resets to 0, you keep all level ups, your xp modifier halves. Restoring Life and Power Restoring Life; -25% of maximum life is restored on a 'quick rest' this is simply resting for 3 hours anywhere in the world, you don't have to eat a meal, sleep or make camp. -50% of maximum life is restored for a 'long rest' this means make camp or stay somewhere with proper beds, sleep for at least 6 hours and eat a meal. -Rest for more than 1 day in civilisation to chain two long rests together and heal fully. Restoring PP; -50% of maximum PP is restored at midnight, every in-game day. Currency There are 12 pence in a shilling, and 20 shillings in a pound. To make tracking this old-time currency more easily, we will also track the equivalent wealth in just pence, and refer to this as cp. This also puts item values closer to what you would expect of an rpg.
Month of La'an - 1665
=== 1st of La'an The new year has begun, year 1665 of the Crowdorian Empire. The first of La'an is the holy day of the goddess of time and also celebrated widely as 'new years day'. === 2nd of La'an With the festivities of both Greterfest and La'an's day behind them, the 2nd of La'an marks the first formal event of the year for the Knights of Crow, with the important biannual event of a knight ceremony. It is in these ceremonies that the order's permanent roster of two-hundred knights is maintained. It is mandatory for all knights – except those away on the most important of quests – to be in the city for this event. Dressed in their formal plate-mail and knightly capes, you were required to attend St. Edward's cathedral, one of the tallest and grandest buildings in Crowdor, and the seat of The Shinian Church. You file into the grand room, with its colourful stained-glass windows and towering marble statues of some of the kings of old. You are forced to endure the discomfort of sitting for hours on a wooden pew in full plate, whilst listening to the sleep inducing sermon and speeches of archbishop Thomas Brightrock. After he is finished waffling, all rise to their feet as a trumpet blows and the main door of the cathedral is opened. An announcement is made! “Introducing, His Royal Highness, the King of Crowdor and of Dragoncroft. Emperor of the Nordreen and the Sondreki, defender of the faith. Nicholas of house Birdwrath, the fourth of his name.” The King looks far from enthused as he makes his way down the aisle of the church. Atop his slight frame, his balding head is only partially disguised with the grand white-gold crown of the empire, inset with fourteen sapphires equidistant around its edge. He is joined on a slightly raised platform at the front of the church by the Archbishop and by Warpole, head of the order. Two men kneel before this important trio of figures. The first is Johnathan Goldhalla, a boy of just nineteen years, he has been serving the order as a squire for five years now and is the second son of Harold Goldhalla, Duke of Petersland and General of the Crowdorian army. Next to him is Percival of house Seawarden, a moderately important house within the local politics of Landing, he was sent to the order many years ago and enrolled as a squire. Rumour of a disgrace of some kind back home followed him upon his arrival, but since then he has shown himself to be hard-working and dedicated. He has come to be an asset to the order in his time as squire, with nearly half his life now dedicated to that role, it has been decided he is deserving of a chance to prove himself properly. These two men shall complete the ranks of the order. Warpole speaks. He makes the same speech of each of the two men in turn. “I have in my hand a cloak. It was worn before you by countless brothers of this order, now fallen. Those who wear these cloaks are dedicated to the task of the defence of the entire realm, putting loyalty to the realm and to this sacred brotherhood before any other duty to lord or land or kin. Do you swear before god, and before the crown to accept and uphold these duties with honour, with decency, with compassion and with justice.” “I Will” responds each man in turn. They remain kneeling as the cape is draped across their shoulder by Warpole. “Then Arise.” Says King Nicholas, touching the shoulders of the knights with his sword “Sir Johnathan Goldhalla. Then Arise, Sir Percival Seawarden. Knights of the Order of the Crow.” === 5th of La'an Following the Knighting ceremony, and its after-party at Order Headquarters, most of the order leave the city again. Some have quests that were put on hold for the holidays that they now resume. Others had planned quests that would be deferred until the end of the holidays or the end of winter. Others return home to manage their estates for some time. The numbers at the headquarters dwindle to around fifty knights still in the city. A group of squires are sent to find each of the knight still in Crow City, they come with a message. At the start of the next week, the knights are to attend a meeting in Aleksander's Chapel, one of the headquarters' larger rooms. This meeting is mandatory for all knights still in the city. Whilst not said explicitly, it sound as though squires who wish to go away on 'field duty' (accompanying knights on real quests) should also attend this meeting. === 8th of La'an The day of the meeting arrives. Warpole is already in the room long before any other members of the order arrive. Paladin Stone, sworn to be his body guard, stands in one corner, stiller than the statue of Shinious in the corner opposite. 'The Right Honourable, Lord Sir Anthony Warpole, Lord Protector of Crowdor and of Dragoncroft, Guardian of the Nordreen and the Sondreki. Valiant Captain of that Most Noble Order, the Knights of the Crow', understandably does not use his full title very often. Partially, this is because such a remarkable title is so unfitting such an unremarkable man. He stands of average height. Neither skinny nor plump, with dark grey hair and side burns but no moustache or beard. Every hair is kept precisely to the same uniform length across both cheek and head. There is but one remarkable feature of the Lord Commander, that only reveals itself on close inspection. Whilst his right eye is a cool steel-grey, as stoic, cold and calculating as the rest of him, his left eye is vibrant, bright green. Whilst the rumours would have you believe this left eye is enchanted, and can see through solid stone walls, armour and flesh to peer right into the depths of the soul and mind of any mortal man, Warpole assures it is heterochromia, a simple birth defect and nothing more. The crowd of knights, somewhat chatty as they enter, fall silent and take their seats almost immediately as Warpole simply stands and looks ready to speak. Despite his unremarkable height, he seems to tower over the rest of the room, he speaks in a calm, friendly voice that somehow effortlessly commands all who hears it, and compels the order to sit and listen. “Thank you, my brothers, for giving me your time today and attending this meeting. There are some matters that need to be seen to, that came to my attention either over Greterfest, or just before it, but that I thought were better suited to spring than to winter. I thought it would be a good use of our time for me to explain them to all of you, that a party of knights may be dispatched to each as soon as is possible.” --BLOOD AND GOLD-- “This first matter” Warpole begins. “Came to me two days ago, directly from the King. It is on his direct orders that this must be seen to. To the South-West of here, in the county of Manfort, is a land called Redrock, an Earldom belonging to one Jesper Rudge. The land's wealth is in its gemstone mining, and a carriage laden with rubies was due to arrive at the capital by first of the year as half a year's payment of taxes to the crown. These gems have not arrived. Lord Rudge insists that the carriage was ambushed whilst still within his lands, and the cargo stolen by bandits. This may well be the case, however, word has also reached me via the Duke of Talonton that at a ball he hosted over Greterfest, Rudge had a cup of wine too many, and began to complain loudly to some lords of Talonton about what Rudge viewed as unfair tax tariffs within Dragoncroft. This somewhat muddies the water, and raises the possibility of conspiracy. Knights should be dispatched to Redrock, primarily to assist Lord Rudge in the recovery of this lost treasure, but also to investigate the possibility of conspiracy against the crown. --THE INQUISITION-- “The next matter is one that has been in my sight for a number of months now, but owing to its nature, the Archbishop and I decided it would be better left until after winter had passed. Near the southern border of Wington, not far at all west of the Great Marsh, is the.. 'charmingly' named village of 'Boghill-By-The-Border.' Just two weeks ago, I received a third report of witchcraft from within the settlement, to accompany four reports of unnatural creatures in the surrounding bogland. The Archbishop has asked us to conduct a good old-fashioned inquisition. A team of knights shall be sent to investigate the town, to route out any truth to these rumours of witchcraft, and put any practitioners of dark magics to death.” --THE LOST TEMPLE-- “I trust we all had a pleasant time over Greterfest? I was lucky enough to spend the last few days of it as a guest of His Royal Excellency, Duke Roland of Beaksburg, it was over dinner one night at his home in Pleasure that I became engaged in pleasant conversation with the Bishop. He told me of a map he had acquired at the start of the holiday, as a gift from a friend of his, a Baron in Wington, who had liberated it from some pirates. The map was seemingly ancient, and clearly of Elven design and told of the location of ancient Shinian temple of Elven origin, lost to time, in what is now a dangerous and foreign part of the world. The Bishop of Pleasure suggested – and I agree, that this temple may hold hidden treasures of Elven make and perhaps also works of art or literature of interest to the faith. I am seeking a team of Knights to pick their way across enemy territory to the temple's location, and search it for any such treasures.” --WHERE WOLVES HIDE-- “The final matter on my mind comes from Count William Blackshepherd of Talonton. He reports that he has lost livestock from two different fields in two separate attacks, each exactly a month apart. Blackshepherd says in a letter sent to me, that he fears Werewolves may have moved into a forested area along the River Birdmeet within his holdings. His reasoning for this, is that as well as bestial wounds upon what remained of some of his livestock, he also found some arrow-heads in the fields. Personally, I would like to think even Werewolves wouldn't be foolish enough to come so far south, and this is but the work of Gremlins who have tamed wolves to their own ends – but still, it would not do to ignore such a concern. I require a team of men to investigate the truth of these attacks, and to drive whatever is committing them out of the Blacksheperd Barony. – The meeting concludes, and with much to think about, the knights file out of the chapel, much conversation buzzing amongst some of their number, whilst others ponder these events more internally. === 9th of La'an The morning following the meeting, five knights come together and agree to investigate the missing Redrock gems, electing former guard captain Sir Waren Kilner as their leader. That afternoon, a different group have a less orthodox method of agreeing a commander. They set out to investigate the possibility of Werewolves in the Blackshepherd Barony. (Blood and Gold, Part 1: fabletop.com/chatlog/view/oman1666/20200708 ) (Where Wolves Hide, Part 1: fabletop.com/chatlog/view/oman1666/20200710 ) ===10th of La'an: Sir Osbeorn's knights continue to journey to the Blackshepherd Barony, they escort a merchant down a dangerous road, slaying four attacking Gremlins whilst two others escape. Sir Osbeorn's horse is nearly killed in the battle. (Where Wolves Hide, Part 2: fabletop.com/chatlog/view/oman1666/2020081 ) ===26th of La'an Sir Waren's knights complete their long trip, and arrive at least at Redrock. They are assaulted by extreme heat as they make their way to the town of Redcutter, they are welcomed by the town's lord before learning that the bridge over Scorpion's Put has been taken out by the rebels accused of ruby theft. It isn't long until the knights meet on these rebels themselves; (Blood and Gold, Part 2: fabletop.com/chatlog/view/oman1666/20200818 ) Please log in to add a comment. |
darthdracula as Sir Percival of House Seawarden, "Sir Percy the Merry"
edward as Cedric of House Talltree, "The Faceless Squire"
ferhargo as "The Mule" Sir Grigor Towers
hustle as Sir Osbeorn "The Blue" of Mahtaskr on Landing
jervaj as Sir Hanibal Goldenpeak "The Titan of the Golden Legion."
pyrak as Sir Caden Guide "The Old Pilgrim"
redriot as Sir Jadon of House Dempster, "The Mace of Zenus"
talhajami as Sir Alistair Pierce, "The Dark Swordsman"
thekrakenpup as Feroza son of Godwin, "The Sondreki Squire"
vechmaster as Sir Waren Kilner, "The Bonebreaker of Briar Street"
The purpose of this forum is to set out initial campaign background and CC information as well as game rules. It will also log a play-by-play of the campaign with in-universe dates, keeping the events of two different parties on a timeline that can be referenced.