Ramon's Travels: Aldair

In the Nam Hai desert sits the ruined layout of a once huge city.  Aldair is at least the size of Nicholshire, however most of the city is ruined and even buried under the sands of the desert.  It is not known the size that this city once was,  but chroniclers are finding more each year.

The inhabited portion of the city is primarily composed of Azarans who fled from failed policies during the settlement era.  Temple to ancient Egyptian gods are active within the walls of Aldair, Castellan Ka knows that while the Kingdom and Society of St Paul may object, they are too far from the rest of the Kingdom for any objections.  As such Aldair is a haven for those who eschew that faith.

While Aldair is politically aligned with Krymm, geographically it is located on the coast of the Balboan Ocean in the territory of Azaran Nam Hai.  The same treaty that divided Nam Hai also gave Krymm possession of the city.

Around the Principalities: Whispers of the Woods

There is a reason we call the Drakwald home.  It allows us freedom to be ourselves.  We as a family can escape through the dark boughs into anonymity.

The woods are respected and they shall be protected.  We call Drakwald home, but it is not our only home.  The woods are full of our people.  We are outcasts but everyone knows us.  Many claim their houses and castles as domain.  Ours is the land itself.  For we are the blessed people and in the Drakwald we have freedom.  The Gadjo fear the woods, for the darkness and the creatures of the wild are everywhere, but what they really fear are we.  We are the unknown that looks like them.  We are at home in the woods, easily navigating the brambles and finding our way to secret glens that no map of the city folk would show.  We are familiar with the paths that shelter and those that imperil.  

On the Field: Shield Safety

Over the 34 years we have been involved in Sports Reenactment, a lot of gear has come across our field.  We have tested and experimented with everything from wood, aluminum, plastic and foam shields.  The sides have been open, filed, wrapped in padding, vinyl tube covered, cloth and tape and even foam covered.  

With all of this research backing us, and our examinations of what the rest of the community is doing with their gear, we have ultimately come up with what we consider a great system for safety.  

We now know that the surface of the shield matters less if it is metal, wood or plastic, so long as it is not jagged.  The primary reason for this consideration is to allow the weapon gear to last longer.  It has very little to do with safety for combatants being shield bashed as the area of impact is spread evenly.

The sides need sufficient padding, once again to protect the weapons from getting broken down hitting the edges of the shield.  There is a slightly greater chance that the attacker might hit his hand on the edge of the shield, but that is a considerably rarer situation than some might think.

In the end the heavy restrictions on shields we once had, such as padding the front or covering them in cloth, became unnecessary restrictions.  when done right, a Melee shield can have minimal padding and coverage and still offer superior efficacy and safety.  

Lore Du Jour: The Nether Realm

This week we discuss the Nether Realm.  A dark and horrifying place, many refer to this as the land of the dead.  The Nether is a place where the soul is said to travel after death before Return. Although the church does not officially recognize this land, many of other faiths, including the Altarians, revere it as a holy world.  

Those who claim to have seen this realm describe it as a decaying version of Alluvium.  Whereas the Shade Realm can appear with similar or vastly different geography, the Nether Realm is the ghostly reflection of the living land of Alluvium.  The same buildings exist, but they are older and decrepit in appearance.   The sky is dark and lit by moonlight all of the time and the spirits of the dead wander in wait to Return.  

Necromancers are said to be able to tap into this land and use its powers to bring about their dark undead magic.  Needless to say this land is prohibited by the Law from visiting purposefully under pain of heresy.   

The Trading Post: Granite Spire Krug

Granite Spire Krug

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No need to steal them from Filch's Inn, now you can own your own official Granite Spire Brewery Krug.  

Bardic Chestnuts: The Scoleris

Stephen and Harris Scoleri made their presence known in Praelia as a pair of low level hoodlums.  They were consummate pick pockets traveling with the various Faires across the Kingdom.  It was in 23 ACI, during the Breitenburg feast of autumn that they were first arrested.  The pair somehow came across the jeweled scepter of castellan Amanda Kendall from her personal chambers.  When they tried to sell the scepter to a merchant they were captured by the Order.  

In and out of the gaols, the Scoleris life of theft began to take a turn for greater threats and more valuable items.  The attention of the investigators came when they started signing their crime scenes with a special ‘S’ badge, a note to everyone that they were indeed responsible.  The badge is not always obvious, as they appear to like to make a game out of their thefts.  

The duo has even gone so far as to announce their crimes in the form of puzzles and word games that they have paid the Bards to publicize in the local taverns before their theft.  The puzzles leave clues when deciphered as to the location of the signature.   This brazen mocking of authority is quite disconcerting to the Order.  

When the twins stole the LaPeto staff, it was their first foray into political sabotage.  The staff was broken when a fight broke out at a noble council meeting between the nobles of Sulphurdale and the nobles of Wulpert.  Feeling the importance of maintaing diplomatic relations with Wulpert the castellan of Sulphurdale, James Bonham offered to repair the staff.  Castellan LaPeto of Wulpert was weary of trusting CastellanBonham, but seeking to avert trouble agreed.   Somewhere along the road back from repair the staff was stolen by the brothers.  Wulpert of course blamed Sulpherdale and the two counties went to war.  Hostilities only ceased when an Order investigator discovered the signature ‘S’ and informed both parties.  This caught the eye of the Order as the actions of these two were no longer simply confined to theft, they were creating instability within the Kingdom. 

The Scoleris also initiated a conflict between the Counties of Nicholshire and Fallsburn as well as the factions Nemea and Clan Chattan when the Lion of Nemea statue was stolen and the next day seen in Fallsburn carried around by Castellan Wallace of Clan Chattan.  Duke MacGreggor of Nemea was prepared to launch an attack on Fallsburn until Castellan Wallace appeared in Nicholshire.  Clearly unable to be in two places at once, the investigators returned the lion statue, as predicted it contained a tell-tale ‘S’ on the base.  

The final crime that put the Scoleris on the Iscariotes list was when a riddle appeared scrawled upon the interior chambers of Nicholshire Manor’s Hall of Nobility.  

“A robber tried to steal the crown jewels. He got caught by the King's guards and was taken to the king. The King was feeling generous that day and asked the robber how he wanted to die. A few minutes later the king let the robber go punished yet alive. 

How did the robber want to die?”

The chancellors immediately ran to the crown chamber to find the Crown of the first King, Altarius, missing and replaced with a wooden crown with that ‘S’ on the band.  This was the last straw.  That crown represents the first King of Praelia and is a Kingdom treasure - not to mention the riddle’s answer “natural causes” is a mocking comment at the ineffectiveness of the Order.  The brothers are saying that they, like the thief in the riddle, have outsmarted the Order and will continue to do so in perpetuity.  

Proving Grounds: Area of Effect

Sometimes an attack is not as easily outlined as a sword strike.  What happens when a boulder or some boiling oil falls upon the battle field?  What about those mythic dragons and their fire breath?  More realistically, what happens when that musket or cannon misfires and explodes sending shrapnel all around?

The answer to these and other questions is the Area of Effect rule.  This rule is modifiable by each attack using it, but for the most part follows one of two rules.

Equal Impact - this form of Area of Effect presumes that the entirety of the attack will be the same across the entire are.  Things like falling boulders, felled trees, caltrops and so forth fall into this category.   Simply measure out the radius or other predesignated area (some even suggest templates, which are great!) and lay it onto the field.  Wherever the template covers is affected.  Any player models underneath suffer the full damage of the attack.  If a player's model is less than 25% within the area, they may attempt to use Acrobatics or some other Aptitude to dodge out of the way, otherwise they are hit.  Simple and easy.

Point of Emission - this form of Area of Effect presumes that there is a point where the effect is stronger than another point.   Things like fires which may be hotter at the core, explosions which may deal greater damage the closer to center yet trail off the further you get from the center, and rushing water and the like are all examples of Point of Emission.  The template is laid out appropriately, and depending on the attack or the arbitrator, the damage effect is lessened every inch on the game table or every 5 feet in game from the Point of Emission.  While this may vary depending on the strength of the attack, a good rule of thumb is to drop off 1d6 of damage effect per 1" from the Point of Emission.  

Ramon's Travels: Peacepoint Lighthouse

Rising off of a little island in Hancock Bay, the Peacepoint Lighthouse works to keep travelers safe by sea in the Bay and along the waterways toward Farhampton.  While not the first lighthouse in Tor, this is the first one to serve in Hancock Bay and points west.  The lighthouse was built by the order of Edward Dragomir for the Granite Spire.

The Granite Spire operates this lighthouse and maintains a small garrison and camp of troops at its base.  The lighthouse is positioned to serve the bay but also to give the Granite Spire an outpost in Tor, where they had not previously held one.   

Rumors, often spoken by those who find the light to be a nuisance and a “threat to scare off the fish” claim that the lighthouse houses a great number of powerful weapons of war.  They claim that the Granite Spire is positioned to lay assault on Tor or perhaps Falkenburg.  Most disregard these rumors, although when asked about it Lord Kelly replies, “we are always prepared.”

Around the Principalities: Exorcism?

Seemingly out of nowhere, the city of Nicholshire is chattering about the call for exorcism in the Kaylinn Swamps.  Known for being a cursed land, this call for the Society of St. Paul to send an exorcist to purge the demons from the land in unheard of.  Rarely will the church involve itself in such a tainted land, let alone send valuable parishioners to said land.  

Rumors abound that a member of the church itself has been possessed by a devil.   Paladin Phillip Stephenson leads this expedition to oversee the construction of a church at the site of Castle Nocturne built in the area by Lord Mendoza of The Noble House of Sutton.  Lord Mendoza hired somewhere near 3,000 workers from neighboring Azara to build this new settlement.  Many question the logic of building a castle in such a cursed land, but the price was good for the poor ranchers of the region.

No word from Lord Mendoza about the rumors of a demonic presence on the site of his new Castle. 

On the Table: Books and Aptitudes - how rare is rare?

Many times a party will come across a puzzle in some old temple that requires the understanding of some ancient language or some Aptitude that is not as common as say acrobatics.  So they wonder, how rare is this information?

Certainly somebody had to have this knowledge to build said puzzle.  So we must look at rarity with perspective as to the people that hold knowledge.  The everyday Praelian, learns their job and the appropriate Aptitudes therein, maybe an occasional hobby or other Aptitude in their spare time, but most of their lives are spent working for their living.  

Adventurers are a rarer breed.  They pick up things along the way that others may not.  So when they find a book, the Arbitrator must determine how rare this book is.  Generally one should think that if an Aptitude is not in the job set of most jobs, then it should be rare.  If it is a specialty version of an Aptitude, such as Celestial Navigation vs Navigation, it should be even rarer.  

For each rare level, consider increasing the comprehension by a factor of 6.  The closer the player is to understanding the knowledge, that factor can be reduced.