Thinking of another mash-up, putting together two of my favorite games, Dungeon World and Legend of the Five Rings. My current DW / HF PBP is stalled, and my face to face group is about half way through the campaign I'm running, so in the new year, I might do some work on running L5R using the DW rules.
Some parts will be easy to deal with - for stats, use Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Void. In place of races, use clans (or families), and for classes, use Bushi, Shugenja, Courtier, Monk etc at a basic level, or in a more specialized form, use eg Crane Duelist. It would a considerable amount of work though. Alternative paths could become advanced moves, and the advanced classes could be compendium classes.
It'll take quite a bit of work, but it looks promising.
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Monday, 17 September 2012
Dungeon Frost Hell World Part Seventeen: A Map of the Known World
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| The Known World |
This map shows the extent of the Known World. In the southwest is Alantaris Isle, with Aspiria and Chalcis above it. To the east from the Isle is the Magocracy, and further west are the Marklands. The areas under the ranges of mountains seen about 2/3 of the way up are the Hearthlands, the lands above them the Winterlands, and at the very top of the map can be seen the Ice Wall that defines the boundary of the Hellfrost.
The campaign will mainly take place in the Freelands, immediately beneath the Icebarrier mountains (the long chain on the east of the map), occasionally going into the Winterlands realm of Heligioland immediately to the north, and occasionally to the more centralized Marklands to the south and east.
A closer (though more blurry) look at the Freelands:
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| The Freelands |
The towns and cities of the Freelands (and those of Heligioland to the north) are generally independent, mostly Saxa, but with an infusion of Anari. No centralized leader rules these realms, but they do form trading partnerships with each other. Within the Freelands are the headquarters of the Reliquary (The Citadel), the Sisterhood of Mercy (Sanctuary, the Sisterhood are a group of healers not affiliated with the Cult of Eira), and the Hearth Knights (Hellfrost Keep).
Dungeon Frost Hell World Part Sixteen: A Brief History
The devastation following the rise of the Hellfrost and the Ice Wall has caused many older records to be lost; in the Saxa lands, oral history was the norm, and the widespread destruction of the Saxa Marklands saw the deaths of many bards, who were tasked with keeping the history of the Saxa people alive. In the west, the destruction of Alantaris Isle and the libraries of the imperial capital left few written sources. As such, the early history of the world is fragmented and the dating given below is hazy at best.
@1100 years ago: The Convocation was founded.
@1000 years ago: The Anari Empire was founded.
@900 years ago: The Black Gate was unlocked by cultists and demons poured into the world.
@850 years ago: The Black Gate is locked and almost all the cultists are found and executed. Most of the demons let loose have been destroyed.
@800 years ago: Hela goes mad and opens the gates to the Underworld, allowing undead souls entrance into the world. Scaetha, a shieldmaiden to the gods, is promoted to major god when she takes over Hela's role and firmly shuts the gates.
@750 years ago: The Liche Lord in the north east rises to power and sends hordes of undead across the north towards the west.
@650 years ago: In the Hearthlands, the Anari subdue the last of the Saxa Marklands, under the pretext of defending them from the forces of the Liche Lord and to bring "civilization" to them.
@600 years ago: The armies of the Liche Lords are finally beaten, and the Liche Lord himself entombed in a secret location for the rest of time.
@550 years ago: Contact is lost with the northern realms of the Selari and others. Merchants and messengers do not return; eventually a scout manages to return, saying that the once fertile lands of the Selari kingdom are now an icy waste.
@500 years ago: The denizens of the Hellfrost, the icy waste that covers the old Selari kingdom, rampage southwards, their armies a mix of Frost Giants, Hellfrost Dragons, savage Vendahl warriors, ice Goblin foot soldiers and all manner of vile creatures led by the first of the Frostborn Hrimwisards. In their wake come severe blizzards, even in the spring.
@475 years ago: Contact is lost with the Dwarven city of Karad Khan, the greatest of all the Dwarven cities. The Anari Empire falls when a huge number of Hellfrost dragons utterly destroys the Imperial capital city on Alantaris Isle.
@450 years ago: The Saxa and Anari manage to fend off the Hellfrost hordes and begin to push them back. In the winter, massive blizzards descend that last for weeks on end; when they finally let up, a huge wall of ice has appeared to the north. Beyond it, the blizzards continue to whirl, and have not let up to this day. Each year since, the ice wall has crept forward slightly as winter begins earlier and lasts longer. The Saxa throw off their chains, freeing themselves from Anari rule as many Anari flee back to their own lands having heard of the devastation there.
@400 years ago: The Magocracy is founded as the inheritor to the Anari Empire.
@350 years ago: The Hearth Knights are founded.
@300 years ago: Hellfrost Keep is built, a massive structure that guards the main land route into the eastern Hearthlands from the Winterlands.
@250 years ago: Visitors find that the great Morenelion Forest, home to thousands of Taiga Elves, has become the Frozen Forest, and all its inhabitants killed. Some say that despite being dead, the elves there still walk their frozen homes...
@200 years ago: The Golem Uprising. Anari wizards have often used golems to carry out menial or back-breaking work. Over the space of one week, these golems turn on their masters, killing many before they are destroyed. A ban is made on the creation of golems, and all texts relating to their creation are destroyed too.
@60 years ago: Karad Marn is attacked by Orcs, and the Dwarves flee, returning with greater numbers to recapture their city. The siege continues to this day as the Dwarves and their allies battle to retake their home.
@50 years ago: Frost Giants and their armies from the Giant's Throne start raiding the local area.
@45 years ago: The Roadwardens are founded.
@30 years ago: Silverdale, one of the Saxa Marklands, is covered with mist which lifts once, revealing the realm to be completely deserted, before falling again, never to lift since. It becomes known as the Mistlands and is avoided.
@25 years ago: The Siphoning takes effect, affecting magic.
@23 years ago: The Raven Knights are founded.
@20 years ago: Orcs pour from the Mace Mountains and capture the southern half of Vestmark, renaming it Orcmark. Battle still rages between the remnants of Vestmark and the new Orcish realm.
@10 years ago: The Barony of Cul is founded, where the Frostborn can live in peace. Shortly afterwards, rumors spread that the Frostborn are treating their "normal" citizens in much the same way as the other realms treat Frostborn.
@1100 years ago: The Convocation was founded.
@1000 years ago: The Anari Empire was founded.
@900 years ago: The Black Gate was unlocked by cultists and demons poured into the world.
@850 years ago: The Black Gate is locked and almost all the cultists are found and executed. Most of the demons let loose have been destroyed.
@800 years ago: Hela goes mad and opens the gates to the Underworld, allowing undead souls entrance into the world. Scaetha, a shieldmaiden to the gods, is promoted to major god when she takes over Hela's role and firmly shuts the gates.
@750 years ago: The Liche Lord in the north east rises to power and sends hordes of undead across the north towards the west.
@650 years ago: In the Hearthlands, the Anari subdue the last of the Saxa Marklands, under the pretext of defending them from the forces of the Liche Lord and to bring "civilization" to them.
@600 years ago: The armies of the Liche Lords are finally beaten, and the Liche Lord himself entombed in a secret location for the rest of time.
@550 years ago: Contact is lost with the northern realms of the Selari and others. Merchants and messengers do not return; eventually a scout manages to return, saying that the once fertile lands of the Selari kingdom are now an icy waste.
@500 years ago: The denizens of the Hellfrost, the icy waste that covers the old Selari kingdom, rampage southwards, their armies a mix of Frost Giants, Hellfrost Dragons, savage Vendahl warriors, ice Goblin foot soldiers and all manner of vile creatures led by the first of the Frostborn Hrimwisards. In their wake come severe blizzards, even in the spring.
@475 years ago: Contact is lost with the Dwarven city of Karad Khan, the greatest of all the Dwarven cities. The Anari Empire falls when a huge number of Hellfrost dragons utterly destroys the Imperial capital city on Alantaris Isle.
@450 years ago: The Saxa and Anari manage to fend off the Hellfrost hordes and begin to push them back. In the winter, massive blizzards descend that last for weeks on end; when they finally let up, a huge wall of ice has appeared to the north. Beyond it, the blizzards continue to whirl, and have not let up to this day. Each year since, the ice wall has crept forward slightly as winter begins earlier and lasts longer. The Saxa throw off their chains, freeing themselves from Anari rule as many Anari flee back to their own lands having heard of the devastation there.
@400 years ago: The Magocracy is founded as the inheritor to the Anari Empire.
@350 years ago: The Hearth Knights are founded.
@300 years ago: Hellfrost Keep is built, a massive structure that guards the main land route into the eastern Hearthlands from the Winterlands.
@250 years ago: Visitors find that the great Morenelion Forest, home to thousands of Taiga Elves, has become the Frozen Forest, and all its inhabitants killed. Some say that despite being dead, the elves there still walk their frozen homes...
@200 years ago: The Golem Uprising. Anari wizards have often used golems to carry out menial or back-breaking work. Over the space of one week, these golems turn on their masters, killing many before they are destroyed. A ban is made on the creation of golems, and all texts relating to their creation are destroyed too.
@60 years ago: Karad Marn is attacked by Orcs, and the Dwarves flee, returning with greater numbers to recapture their city. The siege continues to this day as the Dwarves and their allies battle to retake their home.
@50 years ago: Frost Giants and their armies from the Giant's Throne start raiding the local area.
@45 years ago: The Roadwardens are founded.
@30 years ago: Silverdale, one of the Saxa Marklands, is covered with mist which lifts once, revealing the realm to be completely deserted, before falling again, never to lift since. It becomes known as the Mistlands and is avoided.
@25 years ago: The Siphoning takes effect, affecting magic.
@23 years ago: The Raven Knights are founded.
@20 years ago: Orcs pour from the Mace Mountains and capture the southern half of Vestmark, renaming it Orcmark. Battle still rages between the remnants of Vestmark and the new Orcish realm.
@10 years ago: The Barony of Cul is founded, where the Frostborn can live in peace. Shortly afterwards, rumors spread that the Frostborn are treating their "normal" citizens in much the same way as the other realms treat Frostborn.
Dungeon Frost Hell World Part Fifteen: Magic
There are several types of magic in the world. Those available to players are outlined in several sections, including under the relevant Factions and Professions entries. This post gives a brief run-down of the types of magic available, some that are not available, and some effects such as the Hellfrost effect and the Siphoning.
Playable Magic
Clerical: Divine magic, granted by the gods. Use the DW rules for clerics, with notes found in the sections for Priests and Paladins in their Factions and Professions entry.
Druidical: Druidical magic is nature-based, and uses the excellent spell list created by a poster on the DW forum. See Old Order Druid for details in the Factions and Professions entries. Humans cannot practice the primal magic that goes into druidical magic, and some druids prefer to focus instead on shapeshifting.
Skaldic: Skaldic magic is song-magic, less powerful and narrower in focus than other types, but it still has its uses. See the Skald in the Factions and Professions entry for notes.
Heahwisardry: Also know as High Magic, this form uses the DW rules for wizards, with notes found in the section for High Wizards in the Factions and Professions entry.
Elementalism: A more primordial magic, elementalism has fewer spells, and most elementalists specialize in one or two elements, thus limiting their spell choices even more narrowly. It can be quite powerful, however, and is the most common form of magic practiced in the world. See the Factions and Professions entries for Convocationist and Unaffiliated Elementalists.
Rune Magic: Used entirely by Frost Dwarves, rune magic depends on having time to carve or draw runes on objects or walls, the ground etc, in order to take effect. It is usually very temporary, but skilled adherents to the art can sometimes make their runes permanent. See the entry for Rune Mages in the Factions and Professions post.
Non-Playable Magic
Hrimwisardry: Also known as Ice Magic, this is the magic used by the Frostborn sorcerers that accompany the Hellfrost hordes. It is often destructive, based on effects relating to ice, cold and snow, and its practitioners often find they face outraged and terrified mobs when they cast their spells in the civilized realms. Its effects are affected by the ambient temperature, and so as the Hellfrost creeps gradually closer, it becomes more powerful.
Solar Magic: Believed to be a dead art, solar magic was practiced by the Selari people, a dead kingdom now, and would have been perhaps the best defense against the Hellfrost. That the Selari were destroyed first by the Hellfrost hordes suggests that Thrym realized this and made them his first target, wiping them out before they could organize against his forces.
Necromancy: The Liche Lord and his followers were masters of this dark art, and with his imprisonment, the practice of this unholy magic has been thoroughly banned, its texts destroyed wherever they are found, and its practitioners put to death (and their corpses burnt). Still, within the shadows, a few necromancers are found...
The Hellfrost Effect
With the coming of the Hellfrost and decreased temperatures, some magic has been waning. The clerical spells of Sigel and Kenaz, and the elementalist Fire school are suffering the most, while Ice Magic is seeing its power increase. The following rules are in effect for these magics:
Hearthlands in Winter (now 4 months of the year) and Winterlands in the rest of the year: All the above named spells are cast at -1, except for hrimwisardy, which is cast at +1. All damage dice are reduced by a dice type (eg D8 becomes D6), with hrimwisardry spells increasing by a dice type.
Winterlands in winter (now 6 months of the year): All the above named spells are cast at -2, except for hrimwisardry, which is cast at +2. Damage dice are reduced or increased by 2 types (ie D8 becomes D4).
Hellfrost lands: All the above named spells are cast at -4, except for hrimwisardry, which is cast at +4. Damage dice are reduced or increased by 4 types.
In all the above cases, a D4 is reduced to D3, D2 and then 1 point of damage. Any further reduction causes no damage at all to be done.
The Siphoning
A more recent magical effect has been named the Siphoning. Sometimes when a wizard casts a spell, it takes more out of him than it previously did. Thus, whenever a mage casts a spell and rolls either a 7-9 or a natural 2, one of the following occurs:
Playable Magic
Clerical: Divine magic, granted by the gods. Use the DW rules for clerics, with notes found in the sections for Priests and Paladins in their Factions and Professions entry.
Druidical: Druidical magic is nature-based, and uses the excellent spell list created by a poster on the DW forum. See Old Order Druid for details in the Factions and Professions entries. Humans cannot practice the primal magic that goes into druidical magic, and some druids prefer to focus instead on shapeshifting.
Skaldic: Skaldic magic is song-magic, less powerful and narrower in focus than other types, but it still has its uses. See the Skald in the Factions and Professions entry for notes.
Heahwisardry: Also know as High Magic, this form uses the DW rules for wizards, with notes found in the section for High Wizards in the Factions and Professions entry.
Elementalism: A more primordial magic, elementalism has fewer spells, and most elementalists specialize in one or two elements, thus limiting their spell choices even more narrowly. It can be quite powerful, however, and is the most common form of magic practiced in the world. See the Factions and Professions entries for Convocationist and Unaffiliated Elementalists.
Rune Magic: Used entirely by Frost Dwarves, rune magic depends on having time to carve or draw runes on objects or walls, the ground etc, in order to take effect. It is usually very temporary, but skilled adherents to the art can sometimes make their runes permanent. See the entry for Rune Mages in the Factions and Professions post.
Non-Playable Magic
Hrimwisardry: Also known as Ice Magic, this is the magic used by the Frostborn sorcerers that accompany the Hellfrost hordes. It is often destructive, based on effects relating to ice, cold and snow, and its practitioners often find they face outraged and terrified mobs when they cast their spells in the civilized realms. Its effects are affected by the ambient temperature, and so as the Hellfrost creeps gradually closer, it becomes more powerful.
Solar Magic: Believed to be a dead art, solar magic was practiced by the Selari people, a dead kingdom now, and would have been perhaps the best defense against the Hellfrost. That the Selari were destroyed first by the Hellfrost hordes suggests that Thrym realized this and made them his first target, wiping them out before they could organize against his forces.
Necromancy: The Liche Lord and his followers were masters of this dark art, and with his imprisonment, the practice of this unholy magic has been thoroughly banned, its texts destroyed wherever they are found, and its practitioners put to death (and their corpses burnt). Still, within the shadows, a few necromancers are found...
The Hellfrost Effect
With the coming of the Hellfrost and decreased temperatures, some magic has been waning. The clerical spells of Sigel and Kenaz, and the elementalist Fire school are suffering the most, while Ice Magic is seeing its power increase. The following rules are in effect for these magics:
Hearthlands in Winter (now 4 months of the year) and Winterlands in the rest of the year: All the above named spells are cast at -1, except for hrimwisardy, which is cast at +1. All damage dice are reduced by a dice type (eg D8 becomes D6), with hrimwisardry spells increasing by a dice type.
Winterlands in winter (now 6 months of the year): All the above named spells are cast at -2, except for hrimwisardry, which is cast at +2. Damage dice are reduced or increased by 2 types (ie D8 becomes D4).
Hellfrost lands: All the above named spells are cast at -4, except for hrimwisardry, which is cast at +4. Damage dice are reduced or increased by 4 types.
In all the above cases, a D4 is reduced to D3, D2 and then 1 point of damage. Any further reduction causes no damage at all to be done.
The Siphoning
A more recent magical effect has been named the Siphoning. Sometimes when a wizard casts a spell, it takes more out of him than it previously did. Thus, whenever a mage casts a spell and rolls either a 7-9 or a natural 2, one of the following occurs:
- You draw unwelcome attention to yourself or put yourself in a spot. The GM will tell you how.
- The spell disturbs the fabric of reality as it is cast - take -1 ongoing to Cast a Spell until the next time you Prepare Spells or Commune.
- After it is cast, the spell is forgotten. You cannot cast the spell again until you Prepare Spells or Commune.
- All your ongoing spells are cancelled immediately (you can only choose this if you have ongoing spells active).
The last one is an addition to the normal rules. On a 7-9, you choose, on a natural 2, your GM chooses.
Dungeon Frost Hell World Part Fourteen: Languages
There are seven groups of languages; if you are fluent in one of the languages within a group, and hear or read something in another of the languages within that language group, you may make a roll of 2D6-2 + Int in order to be able to understand it according to the following chart:
Aspirian: The language used in Aspiria, a remnant of the Anari Empire, and closely associated with Anari and Classical Anari, but with several dialectical changes.
- 6- You have no idea what it says.
- 7-9 You can just about get the gist of it, you think. Your GM may, at his or her discretion, keep some information from you or mislead you slightly.
- 10+ You can fully understand what is being said / written.
Each character starts with a number of languages equal to 2 + Int mod. If you have a -1 Int mod, that means you start with your native language and maybe a few words in Trader. Your first and second languages must be your native tongue and Trader respectively.
Anari Language Family
Anari: The language spoken in the Magocracy and Alantaris Isle, and spoken by many of Anari background throughout the lands.
Aspirian: The language used in Aspiria, a remnant of the Anari Empire, and closely associated with Anari and Classical Anari, but with several dialectical changes.
Chalcian: The language used in Chalcis, another remnant of the Anari Empire, again descended from Classical Anari and with borrowed elements from Anari and Aspirian.
Classical Anari: The ancient language of the Anari Empire, though even there towards the end of the empire's days, Anari, Aspirian and Chalcian were more in common use except amongst the nobles and scholars. Effectively a dead language, though often used by Anari priests, wizards and scholars. Many noble documents are still written in Classical Anari.
Trader: A pidgin language based partly in Anari and partly in Saxa. It was originally used by Anari slavers to their Saxa slaves, but for centuries has been used more by merchants of both races in order to conduct deals. The non-human races have often picked up the language not through trading, but because it is an easy language to learn, and thus they can communicate with humans of all varieties.
Saxa Language Family
Auld Saxa: The ancient form of Saxa, mostly oral, with few written forms of it. A more poetic sounding language, but one more difficult to master.
Saxa: The modern form of the Saxa language has several loan words from Anari and other languages, simpler rhythms and grammar, and a more extensive written form.
Trader: A pidgin language based partly in Anari and partly in Saxa. It was originally used by Anari slavers to their Saxa slaves, but for centuries has been used more by merchants of both races in order to conduct deals. The non-human races have often picked up the language not through trading, but because it is an easy language to learn, and thus they can communicate with humans of all varieties.
Vindari: The language of a related group to the Saxa, the Vindari, who inhabited the lands now covered by the Cairn Lands, Trond and Heldalund. The Vindari as an individual culture gradually died out, as they intermixed with the larger Saxa culture, and the language is all but dead now.
Northern Language Family
Finnari: The language spoken by the nomadic Finnar peoples who wander the northern Winterlands. It is mostly oral, but a rudimentary written version does exist.
Tuomi: Tuomi is the language spoken by the northern Tuomi tribes. It is mostly oral, but a rudimentary written version does exist.
Vendahl: The language spoken by the savage Dargar-worshipping barbarians of the Winterlands. It exists only in an oral form, the Vendahl being well-known for their destruction of any sign of civilization, such as books and writings.
Dead Language Family
Heligi: The Heligi were a culture that thrived in what is now known as Heligioland. Little is known of their culture, and few can read what few texts remain of their language.
Selari: The Selari kingdom was found in the north, partly in the unclaimed lands below the Hellfrost but mostly within that icy realm. When the Hellfrost hordes appeared, their realm was utterly destroyed, and there are few remnants of their culture. It appears that they were a sun-based culture, Sigel being their patron, and their magic being solar-based.
Vindari:The language of a related group to the Saxa, the Vindari, who inhabited the lands now covered by the Cairn Lands, Trond and Heldalund. The Vindari as an individual culture gradually died out, as they intermixed with the larger Saxa culture, and the language is all but dead now.
Elven Language Family
Fey: The language spoken by the intelligent denizens of the forests, the fey folk, those strange multitudes of myriad creatures that inhabit the elven woods, the treefolk and the like.
Halfling: The language of the Halflings, a lilting tongue that has borrowed from the Trader language, but which has a non-spoken element that can affect the meaning of the words used.
Hearth Elven: The language of the Hearth Elves, based on the Fey language but with a wider vocabulary and an elaborate written form.
Taiga Elven: The language of the Taiga Elves, very similar to Hearth Elven, but with elements similar to those used by the Frost Dwarves and even some of the northern human races. Simpler than Hearth Elven in many respects, but more easily understandable and quicker to speak.
Dwarven Language Family
Dwarven: The language spoken by the Frost Dwarves, accompanied by a Runic alphabet thought to be descended from the Old Runic language family but still quite different. Despite being spread over a large part of the world, Dwarves from various Holds can easily understand each other, regional and dialectical changes being few.
Orcish: The language of the Orcs and the goblins, also spoken by many trolls, ogres and giants. Thought to be descended from Dwarven, and sharing much in the way of common terms, though with a debased grammar, and a more violent and simplistic pictographic written form.
Old Runic Language Family
Black-tongue: The language used by demons and by the sentient undead, an archaic language that hesitates on the cusp of comprehension, even to those who do not know the language - as if there were something primal to it.
Drake-tongue: The language of dragons. Seldom heard, sibilant, and often accompanied by untold devastation of the surrounding area.
Frost-tongue: The language used by the hordes of Hellfrost creatures that descended into the world to do the unholy bidding of their icy god, Thrym. Often used by the Frost Giant lieutenants of the Thrym, the Hellfrost dragons, and even by some of the evil god's minions (frequently in ritual worship, for example).
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Dungeon Frost Hell World Part Thirteen: Hellfrost
Since this is part thirteen, I figured I'd go over some stuff on the Hellfrost itself. There'll be more of this in a later post on history of the world, but for now...
About five hundred years ago, a horde came from the north, strange creatures not seen before, in their vanguard Hellfrost Dragons, huge creatures, belching a strange fire that burned like ice, since named coldfire. Other fell creatures accompanied them, Frost Giants commanding them, strange composite armies of Orcs, men and Ice Goblins fighting together under a single banner. Some of the men had a bluish cast to their skin, and seemed impervious to the cold, others were simply tribes of northern barbarians. The armies of the Hellfrost marched south, shattering the Anari Empire in the west, and striking the killing blow when several dozen of the behemoth Hellfrost Dragons utterly destroyed the imperial capital at Alantaris Isle. The capital's buildings were ruined, the imperial family killed to a man, and over 90% of the isle's population succumbed to the destruction wrought by these creatures. In the east, the Saxa, newly free after revolting against their Anari masters, fought back but were steadily pushed back until they were almost at the edge of their lands, with only the sea behind them. Incredibly, they stood and fought, and brought the Hellfrost armies to a standstill. Eventually, they even prevailed, driving the creatures and their armies back, until they turned and fled.
Victorious, the Saxa and their Anari allies pursued them, but as they neared the most northern parts of the world, they came across complete and utter devastation. The northern reaches of the Selari and Vindari, thriving empires themselves, were no more, their lands desolate and covered with snow and ice, with no sign of their former inhabitants. As the vanguard of the allied southern armies approached the rear of the fleeing northern Hellfrost army, the earth itself shook for several days, the skies were blackened, and massive blizzards swept the north. When, after a few days, the blizzards had cleared enough for scouts to venture forth, they discovered that were once had been open plain was now a wall of ice, hundreds of feet high. Beyond it, the land was frozen tundra, and the creatures of the Hellfrost roamed across those icy plains, occasionally descending an attacking the northern realms below the Ice Wall.
A stand-off ensued, the southern armies eventually drifting back to their homes, the Hellfrost armies testing the defenses of the northern realms, but every year since then, the winter has seemed harsher, has started earlier, and has lasted longer. The lands above the Hearthlands are now called the Winterlands, as fully half the year they remain locked in snow and ice, while the warm southern Hearthlands are starting to feel the chill earlier too each year. How long before the Hearthlands are as icy-cold as the Winterlands, and the Winterlands as frozen as the Hellfrost above the Ice Wall?
Frostborn
In the years after the Ice Wall rose and the Hellfrost arrived, several of the pale, blue-tinged men that accompanied those first armies appeared here and there. They were usually killed on sight, but after a few years, when the Winterlands started to suffer and received their name, several children were born with the same bluish skin. Most were put to death as abominations, but some survived, and as the years have passed, more have been born throughout the lands, and not just to humans, but to elves, dwarves and halflings. All seem impervious to the cold, and despite being seen with suspicion, some have claimed that they are normal people, with no more liking for the Hellfrost than 'normal' people. Superstition and paranoia die hard, though, and the Frostborn, as they have come to be known, are almost always distrusted, even in areas where they have grown from childhood, and even where they have led productive lives. In most areas, they are second class citizens, in others hatred and fear of them has led to their exile or death. Only in one realm, the tiny Barony of Cul, have they prospered, and reports by travelling merchants say that as the Frostborn are taking power for themselves and slowly growing into a majority, that the tables are turning and those not born with the bluish tinge to their skin are becoming enslaved to the ice-blooded despots. But then there are many with a bias against the Frostborn, and who is to say whether they are not just encouraging hatred against a misunderstood people?
Thrym, Sigel and Kenaz
The Sun god Sigel and his son, the Hearth god Kenaz, went silent after the rise of the Ice Wall and the coming of the Hellfrost. The priests of both cults have not had any of their usual prophetic dreams, the usual route through which the gods make their wishes known to their mortal followers, and the powers of their magics is starting to dim. Even the sun itself appears to be fading and growing weaker, its rays not as warming as before, and people fear that the two gods are either being held prisoner, slowly wasting away, or are already dead, their divine corpses rapidly cooling. The blame for this state of affairs, it is said, lies with Thrym.
Once a lowly minor god of snow and ice, Thrym has shown his true power and gained standing alongside the major gods. It is he, it is believed, who has captured Sigel and Kenaz, and despite the Compact - an agreement between the gods that they not interfere directly in mortal matters - that he has set foot in the world himself, the Hellfrost his realm, and the Ice Wall his diabolical work. Not only that, but those able to cast ice-based magics, the so-called Hrimwisards (Ice Mages), have seen their powers grow as those who use fire-based magic have seen theirs weaken. Many of the Frostborn are Hrimwisards, and the ice mages are as distrusted as that blue-skinned race. They are found in plentiful numbers amongst the armies of the Hellfrost, and even the most strenuous of the pleading of innocence does little to halt the mob when they find a Hrimwisard in their midst. There are few in the southern realms, but they have learned to remain silent.
The few captured priest and priestesses of Thrym that have talked have boasted that the Fimbulwintr - eternal winter - is the goal of their god, and that with Thrym's aid, the entire world is destined to become like the Hellfrost to the north - nothing but swirling snow and ice, constant blizzards, and civilization utterly destroyed by the roaming Hellfrost creatures. As the snows descend further each year and remain longer every winter, they might be right.
About five hundred years ago, a horde came from the north, strange creatures not seen before, in their vanguard Hellfrost Dragons, huge creatures, belching a strange fire that burned like ice, since named coldfire. Other fell creatures accompanied them, Frost Giants commanding them, strange composite armies of Orcs, men and Ice Goblins fighting together under a single banner. Some of the men had a bluish cast to their skin, and seemed impervious to the cold, others were simply tribes of northern barbarians. The armies of the Hellfrost marched south, shattering the Anari Empire in the west, and striking the killing blow when several dozen of the behemoth Hellfrost Dragons utterly destroyed the imperial capital at Alantaris Isle. The capital's buildings were ruined, the imperial family killed to a man, and over 90% of the isle's population succumbed to the destruction wrought by these creatures. In the east, the Saxa, newly free after revolting against their Anari masters, fought back but were steadily pushed back until they were almost at the edge of their lands, with only the sea behind them. Incredibly, they stood and fought, and brought the Hellfrost armies to a standstill. Eventually, they even prevailed, driving the creatures and their armies back, until they turned and fled.
Victorious, the Saxa and their Anari allies pursued them, but as they neared the most northern parts of the world, they came across complete and utter devastation. The northern reaches of the Selari and Vindari, thriving empires themselves, were no more, their lands desolate and covered with snow and ice, with no sign of their former inhabitants. As the vanguard of the allied southern armies approached the rear of the fleeing northern Hellfrost army, the earth itself shook for several days, the skies were blackened, and massive blizzards swept the north. When, after a few days, the blizzards had cleared enough for scouts to venture forth, they discovered that were once had been open plain was now a wall of ice, hundreds of feet high. Beyond it, the land was frozen tundra, and the creatures of the Hellfrost roamed across those icy plains, occasionally descending an attacking the northern realms below the Ice Wall.
A stand-off ensued, the southern armies eventually drifting back to their homes, the Hellfrost armies testing the defenses of the northern realms, but every year since then, the winter has seemed harsher, has started earlier, and has lasted longer. The lands above the Hearthlands are now called the Winterlands, as fully half the year they remain locked in snow and ice, while the warm southern Hearthlands are starting to feel the chill earlier too each year. How long before the Hearthlands are as icy-cold as the Winterlands, and the Winterlands as frozen as the Hellfrost above the Ice Wall?
Frostborn
In the years after the Ice Wall rose and the Hellfrost arrived, several of the pale, blue-tinged men that accompanied those first armies appeared here and there. They were usually killed on sight, but after a few years, when the Winterlands started to suffer and received their name, several children were born with the same bluish skin. Most were put to death as abominations, but some survived, and as the years have passed, more have been born throughout the lands, and not just to humans, but to elves, dwarves and halflings. All seem impervious to the cold, and despite being seen with suspicion, some have claimed that they are normal people, with no more liking for the Hellfrost than 'normal' people. Superstition and paranoia die hard, though, and the Frostborn, as they have come to be known, are almost always distrusted, even in areas where they have grown from childhood, and even where they have led productive lives. In most areas, they are second class citizens, in others hatred and fear of them has led to their exile or death. Only in one realm, the tiny Barony of Cul, have they prospered, and reports by travelling merchants say that as the Frostborn are taking power for themselves and slowly growing into a majority, that the tables are turning and those not born with the bluish tinge to their skin are becoming enslaved to the ice-blooded despots. But then there are many with a bias against the Frostborn, and who is to say whether they are not just encouraging hatred against a misunderstood people?
Thrym, Sigel and Kenaz
The Sun god Sigel and his son, the Hearth god Kenaz, went silent after the rise of the Ice Wall and the coming of the Hellfrost. The priests of both cults have not had any of their usual prophetic dreams, the usual route through which the gods make their wishes known to their mortal followers, and the powers of their magics is starting to dim. Even the sun itself appears to be fading and growing weaker, its rays not as warming as before, and people fear that the two gods are either being held prisoner, slowly wasting away, or are already dead, their divine corpses rapidly cooling. The blame for this state of affairs, it is said, lies with Thrym.
Once a lowly minor god of snow and ice, Thrym has shown his true power and gained standing alongside the major gods. It is he, it is believed, who has captured Sigel and Kenaz, and despite the Compact - an agreement between the gods that they not interfere directly in mortal matters - that he has set foot in the world himself, the Hellfrost his realm, and the Ice Wall his diabolical work. Not only that, but those able to cast ice-based magics, the so-called Hrimwisards (Ice Mages), have seen their powers grow as those who use fire-based magic have seen theirs weaken. Many of the Frostborn are Hrimwisards, and the ice mages are as distrusted as that blue-skinned race. They are found in plentiful numbers amongst the armies of the Hellfrost, and even the most strenuous of the pleading of innocence does little to halt the mob when they find a Hrimwisard in their midst. There are few in the southern realms, but they have learned to remain silent.
The few captured priest and priestesses of Thrym that have talked have boasted that the Fimbulwintr - eternal winter - is the goal of their god, and that with Thrym's aid, the entire world is destined to become like the Hellfrost to the north - nothing but swirling snow and ice, constant blizzards, and civilization utterly destroyed by the roaming Hellfrost creatures. As the snows descend further each year and remain longer every winter, they might be right.
Dungeon Frost Hell World Part Twelve: Factions and Professions W
The last of the Factions and Professions posts. Introducing the Watcher of the Black Gate, the White Ranger, and the Wood Warden.
Watcher of the Black Gate (Req: Any race Bard, Fighter or Wizard)
Almost a thousand years ago, a group of cultists attempted to summon demons into the world to do their bidding, creating a gate with the use of an artifact known as the Black Key. They were eventually defeated, but not before many demons had entered the world through the gate they created. Having eradicated all those who know of the location of the Black Gate, the victors managed to lock the portal. Attempts to destroy the Black Key only shattered it into a thousand pieces, which were flung throughout the world.
Since that day, other cults have risen with similar aims to the original demonic cultists, and they search for the shattered key. In order to thwart them, the secretive Watchers of the Black Gate were formed, their roles to keep the Black Gate under their control, to hunt down and destroy demons wherever they might be found, and to stop these new cults dead in their tracks. Taught special techniques in defeating demons, the Watchers may be all that stops them from pouring into the world and destroying it utterly.
Initial Move: Demonic Lore
When you Spout Lore about demons, on a 10+, you gain insight into a particular demon's weaknesses, and you treat a 6-9 as a normal 10+ roll.
Move (level 2-5): Stoic Mind
Treat your Wis mod as Armor when you are the target of demonic powers, even those that are not affected by armour.
Move (level 6-10): Stoic Body
When you are fighting a demon, take +1 ongoing to any roll you make, and add +1 to Armor.
White Ranger (Req: Any race Ranger)
As the Hearth Knights patrol the borders of the Hearthlands, and the Roadwardens watch the roads of the Hearthlands, the White Rangers patrol the Winterlands to the north. They help stranded travellers, track Hellfrost creatures that make it past the Ice Rise wall, and protect the Winterlands from evils of all kinds. Some will occasionally track Hellfrost creatures to the Hearthlands, and will often work with their comrade Hearth Knights and Roadwardens, but they usually return to the Winterlands when their job is done.
Initial Move: Winterborn
You are at home in the snow and ice. Whenever you need to make a Defy Danger roll that concerns ice, snow or the cold (including sliding, slipping, survival etc), add +1.
Move (level 2-5): Snow Trekking
When making a Perilous Journey in snow, if you take charge, everyone adds +1 to their rolls.
Move (level 6-10): Hellfrost Lore
When you Spout Lore about Hellfrost creatures, add +1 to your roll. If you roll 10+, the GM will give you an idea about its weaknesses.
Wood Warden (Req: Taiga Elf or Hearth Elf Ranger or Druid)
The Wood Wardens are the forest defenders, sworn to the Shining King (the Hearth Elf ruler) and found in all major elven forests. Some operate in groups, usually several rangers and a druid, but others work alone, constantly on the move and with an eye out for possible trouble, interlopers and anything out of the ordinary. They excel in guerilla warfare, hiding and ambushing, then disappearing back into the trees, and using the denizens of the forest and even the very forest itself to aid them.
Initial Move: Beastfriend
Normal animals are friendly towards you unless you do something to hurt them, in which case they will revert to their normal attitudes.
Move (level 2-5): Fauna and Flora
Take the Bardic Lore (Fauna and Flora - natural) Move.
Move (level 6-10): Plantfriend
Entangle becomes a rote spell for you. If you are a Ranger or a Druid who only has Shapeshifting, you are limited to being able to cast this one spell only.
Watcher of the Black Gate (Req: Any race Bard, Fighter or Wizard)
Almost a thousand years ago, a group of cultists attempted to summon demons into the world to do their bidding, creating a gate with the use of an artifact known as the Black Key. They were eventually defeated, but not before many demons had entered the world through the gate they created. Having eradicated all those who know of the location of the Black Gate, the victors managed to lock the portal. Attempts to destroy the Black Key only shattered it into a thousand pieces, which were flung throughout the world.
Since that day, other cults have risen with similar aims to the original demonic cultists, and they search for the shattered key. In order to thwart them, the secretive Watchers of the Black Gate were formed, their roles to keep the Black Gate under their control, to hunt down and destroy demons wherever they might be found, and to stop these new cults dead in their tracks. Taught special techniques in defeating demons, the Watchers may be all that stops them from pouring into the world and destroying it utterly.
Initial Move: Demonic Lore
When you Spout Lore about demons, on a 10+, you gain insight into a particular demon's weaknesses, and you treat a 6-9 as a normal 10+ roll.
Move (level 2-5): Stoic Mind
Treat your Wis mod as Armor when you are the target of demonic powers, even those that are not affected by armour.
Move (level 6-10): Stoic Body
When you are fighting a demon, take +1 ongoing to any roll you make, and add +1 to Armor.
White Ranger (Req: Any race Ranger)
As the Hearth Knights patrol the borders of the Hearthlands, and the Roadwardens watch the roads of the Hearthlands, the White Rangers patrol the Winterlands to the north. They help stranded travellers, track Hellfrost creatures that make it past the Ice Rise wall, and protect the Winterlands from evils of all kinds. Some will occasionally track Hellfrost creatures to the Hearthlands, and will often work with their comrade Hearth Knights and Roadwardens, but they usually return to the Winterlands when their job is done.
Initial Move: Winterborn
You are at home in the snow and ice. Whenever you need to make a Defy Danger roll that concerns ice, snow or the cold (including sliding, slipping, survival etc), add +1.
Move (level 2-5): Snow Trekking
When making a Perilous Journey in snow, if you take charge, everyone adds +1 to their rolls.
Move (level 6-10): Hellfrost Lore
When you Spout Lore about Hellfrost creatures, add +1 to your roll. If you roll 10+, the GM will give you an idea about its weaknesses.
Wood Warden (Req: Taiga Elf or Hearth Elf Ranger or Druid)
The Wood Wardens are the forest defenders, sworn to the Shining King (the Hearth Elf ruler) and found in all major elven forests. Some operate in groups, usually several rangers and a druid, but others work alone, constantly on the move and with an eye out for possible trouble, interlopers and anything out of the ordinary. They excel in guerilla warfare, hiding and ambushing, then disappearing back into the trees, and using the denizens of the forest and even the very forest itself to aid them.
Initial Move: Beastfriend
Normal animals are friendly towards you unless you do something to hurt them, in which case they will revert to their normal attitudes.
Move (level 2-5): Fauna and Flora
Take the Bardic Lore (Fauna and Flora - natural) Move.
Move (level 6-10): Plantfriend
Entangle becomes a rote spell for you. If you are a Ranger or a Druid who only has Shapeshifting, you are limited to being able to cast this one spell only.
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