Interim 1

Dark Thrones as a "campaign" has always been designed to be EPISODIC, not EPIC.

I know the D&D norm of planning out long campaign-long story arcs and making everything perfectly interconnect along a long road, picking up clues and development along the way, with a final goal or at least general final scene/adventure sesh in mind as a climactic event that in hindsight stretches backwards through all previous adventures. I run many live games that way for sure, and I like that too. It's really cool. But Dark Thrones world is not built on a vision like that.

As you guys know, I want our stories to have a retro Sword and Sorcery feel that is maybe nostalgia to old pulp genre short stories. A lot of the old stuff in pulp fiction, sci-fi, westerns, samurai stories, and "Weird Tales" type fantasy (and yes Conan!) was all episodes. No Trilogies. No endless narrative over every move. The progress in that style is more like a "Monster of the Week" show rather than a 10-season of a show that runs longer than it should and has to come up with weirder and weirder reasons why everything keeps doubling down in some interweaving ramp-up arch week after week (Friends, The Walking Dead, X-Files, Breaking Bad).

So with that in mind, our Episodes are going to continue to be moments where the camera comes in to view the team as they deal with noteworthy area-centric confrontations. They are meant to be short stories, with an assumption that there is some background and history and life of the characters that are not covered in the Episodes at all. So that means there is down time. There are "off screen" developments. There is even advancement of the characters outside the scope of our gameplay.

So, I’m embracing that idea entirely. The goal is not at all to dismiss continuity or belittle any management of the characters by the players. The opposite is true.

There will be continuity, but in a realistic way and not some fake serendipity and contrived commitment to connectivity between every freakin scene that ever happens.

I also want a way for players to have MORE or at least a DIFFERENT KIND of control over the pathway of the characters BEYOND normal game time. I want to set up ways for you guys to tell us about how these guys are progressing to fit a vision that you have, without being entirely constrained by the long hard slog of gameplay combat and classic adventure sessions.

Lastly, I hope to build a framework that supports a realistic vision of character advancement. I want you guys to have at least the chance to shift these characters from low to mid (done), then mid to high, then high to regional badass, and then regional badass to worldwide PHENOM LEGEND.

BUT we have to do this in a way that makes sense, that is consistent with the world they live in and the other levels of people around them (NPCs). That would involve the building up real-world experiences over many iterations, over a considerable span of gameworld time. By that, we are talking not days or weeks – we are talking years.

High level characters in the Dark Thrones setting, PC or NPC, don’t get there by having a half dozen or so really tough half-days. They do it by living a large part of their lives gutting it out in the brutal knife fight - by committing to improvement, training, and expansion of their capabilities year after year. We can’t reasonably cover that in in-game time that spans round-by-round by day by week to reach the years that it would take to move from Upstart to Legend, especially not in PBP. Episode 1 was a huge exception, but we won’t be doing multiple Level advancements over the course of 24 hours ever again.

What we can do is build up story of advancement that fits your vision of the character, that stages each of them up in a moment in time when the camera comes back close for an Episode that delivers a pivotal moment when these guys faced a story-worthy set of challenges and a chance to make another step forward.

So that’s what I’m opening up for all of us to work together and do. This is going to be off-screen intermission, character advancement and story progression, between Episode 1 and Episode 2.

For those of you who might be skeptical about this idea, feel like it won’t work, it’s too weird, game-breaking, not enough player control over destiny, off the rails of traditional XP earning, etc. - I’d just like to ask that you play along for a bit before finalizing judgment. I really think that you might see that it is a realistic method of storytelling, experience, and character advancement that can work just fine. And then you might even see that you end up liking it.

I’ll also tell you that I have used this sort of process many many times over different decades in live game campaigns, both back in my early days and in recent years since my return to gaming. I can’t think of 1 player ever that didn’t have a good time with it.

Plus to me, this is just more of the same of what we have been doing in the past, just inserted in at different moments. We did original Background info. Then we kind of expanded Background more to explain why these guys started at Level 4 instead of Level 1. What we are doing during Interim 1 is just explaining another small advancement.

Next post will describe the specifics on the Interim 1 transition from Episode 1 to Episode 2.

Here’s the Game Time shift:

Episode 2 will begin about 14 months after the end of Episode 1.

Seasonally that means a later moment in the spring, of the following year.

So in the Nadrilian-Youric calendar, we are picking up active play during Osomarn 861 DV.

Here’s the Big Reveal. Advancement:

Characters will all shift up to Level 7.

Yes, that does mean that some PCs (Bryn, Maeriks) get 2 levels, while others (Kray, Ivor, Thorn) just got 1.

Is that controversial? Yes again, but here’s my thoughts on the ruling.

This group is the original 6 people who started Dark Thrones, and I want that to mean something about keeping things even. Qiu and Talius died during Episode 1, and Ox and CB paid a price for that. They had to suffer the frustration of character loss, plus enter back with new characters 1 level reduced. And they finished out the Episode just like everyone else, gutting it out, taking the wins and the losses.

But Qiu’s and Talius’ deaths were part of the most memorable scene of our game. They went down hard, in dramatic and unforgiving fashion. And they didn’t complain about it one bit. The scene demonstrated the extreme danger of the setting, and I think it changed the stance of the whole party forever. That was a major, costly contribution to the game.

Death is a part of the Dark Thrones setting. It’s part of our game. In fact, character life is pretty cheap, and sometimes it gets cashed in for a good story. I don’t always want that cold, hard fact to translate into a permanent setback for IRL teammates at the table.

So I pretty much want Ox and CB to catch back up. They took their licks in Episode 1. Paid dues. Now it’s time to get them back in the even rank. I don’t think anyone will have a problem or a grudge on that, but I did want to talk it through instead of just ignoring it or dismissing it non-chalantly.

So WTF, bro?! What the fuck happened in a year plus?!

What about Zaituc and the contract?
What about Sorcha Rhone?
What about all of our other mercenary work?
What did my character do to get a fucking level when I didn’t even get to see it?

Well, I don’t know exactly. I have some ideas. I have some things going on in the world and the region that characters may have gotten involved in.
Maybe. Maybe not. Up to us together to hammer it out.

But mostly it’s up to you. What should the story be? Take some leeway to fill in the gaps.

And to be clear: We'll work this out over a reasonable amount of time IRL. This isn't a quick turnaround assignment and there will be some cooperation the whole while.

To promote this, I do have simple framework that I want to use to build at least a minimal review for each character’s new expanded background info.

See next post for specifics.

Interim 1 Character Advancement and Development Program


I break this down into 4 inputs that I need from you.

Input Responses:
1) An Overview
2) A Confrontation
3) A Loss
4) A Success
(More instructions to follow on each in upcoming posts)

There are also 2 inputs that I will send to the group that all characters were either involved in or heard about and may be influential.

Important: For all of the upcoming inputs, keep all scenes and background stories in the Alornic Sea region local to Jeres. That means actions should mostly be in Jeres or the eastern Danneinkiff. Outings beyond that should be limited to the following nearby accessible regions: Korvar, Kortella, Pylos, Hesbha, Jbail (port cities only), Voldruv (port cities only).

In case you need to review the Regional Map.
Or the Borderland Map.

Important Also: I’ll be sending out some info about Episode 1 resolution topics. Some news about Zaituc, Sorcha, etc. So don’t worry about diving into those things. We’ll work through those together. There will not be a huge Ep 1 drag pulling down as a major influencer on Ep 2. So don't focus excessively on Episode 1 related items in your responses. They can be in there and linked in the right way for sure, no doubt about it, but don't try to drive down deep and figure out exactly the epilogue of confrontation vs. Zaituc as example. We'll get to those things in some manner outside of your inputs.

Input Requirement 1: An Overview

Complete these sentences.

1) In the simplest terms, my character advanced a level in the _________ Class by ……
(This is meant to be mainly 1 sentence. Maybe 2 max.)

2) Most of the time, he has been living in 1) Jeres or 2) the "Gaplands" of the Danneinkiff (choose 1 location)


Answers could be extremely short:
"My character advanced a level in the Fighter Class by training and pit fighting."

Medium Input:
"….by ranging in the Danneinkiff borderlands, hunting for Gandish raiding parties and Ingvaelor spies along the Naas River."

Or a little longer:

"…my character advanced a level in the Rogue Class by expanding contacts in criminal elements of the Jeresian cities and launching several projects of high theft. He went on a spree of burglary in a major Jeresian port city and then spent several months at sea as a corsair on a longship, joining a raiding crew that waylaid ships coming out of Jbailian ports heading westward to the larger ports of the Alornic Sea."

Input Requirement 2: A Confrontation

Pick a minor to low-major noteworthy confrontation that your character had during the time. A problem that came to blows, either personal or professional. Weapons were drawn. One or more people bled, or worse.

Talk a little bit about the fight, who it involved, what the result was, and what it meant to the character.

Input Requirement 3: A Loss

Describe a problem, loss, frustration, setback, regret, or at least an unsolved mystery that the character faced during the timespan. Again, try to make it have nothing (or at least very little) to do with anything from Episode 1.

Create something that we haven’t heard about before. Something that stings a little or a lot. Minor or major, your choice.

Input Requirement 4: A Success

Describe a win, a problem solved, a new resource gained, a character shortcoming overcome (or improved upon), a contact made, an opponent beaten or foiled, or any other occurrence that is interpreted by the character and maybe others around him as a successful accomplishment.

This is purposefully open-ended. It can be another confrontation or fight, a more cerebral victory, or anything that you think would be a cool story boost on the side of good news.

All of these can be as short as you want them to be, or as long as you want them to be.

You can post them up here on the boards for the whole peanut gallery if you want. I think everyone would enjoy it.

Or if you are hesitant or if you want to game out something that is purposefully more hidden or secretive, then you can also PM me. That’s absolutely fine and welcomed.

No hardcore time limit due date -- maybe we can just rope them all in within the next week or so?
If you need more time or less time, we can keep talking about it.

I will send another post soon. There is one major event that the group faced together. If they were not united before, they were reunited for this event.

But overall, the 4 input items aren’t necessarily exhaustive. Those are just some minimal; the edges of all this are flexible. I invite you guys to develop anything more that you want. Feel free to talk among yourselves to coordinate as much or as little as you want.
These guys could have all been together the whole time for all I know. That seems believable to me, not required, but believable.
But if they were, what were the circumstances?
What was the general feel of all this?

This is all up to you guys.
What makes a good story overall?
What has been happening on the idea of a "team" or "the party"?
What supports your vision of the character that you want individually?

DM Generated Interim Input 1: Episode 1 Epilogue topics

After the escape from the Borgh Riac, everyone regroups first in a Jeresian outpost called Merewatch and then moves to Poyam as soon as possible. There at the port city, everyone can completely recover at a Mercon House property.

Others may come and go as they please of course; you guys will determine the finer details if you want or if it is even necessary. But Kray and those who stay close to updates on the situation begin to gauge a response about if, when, or how to start up communications with Nemes Zaituc about the disposition of a now-safe-and-sound Sorcha Rhone. Kray works through a family mediator who can go out to Baoill, treat with Padrig, and get word out to Zaituc that House Mercon wants to talk.

Messaging is slow, given the normal limitations of transportation. Kray and Thorn move back to Caerlleon, their usual base and home near the new East Draw Gate on Kingswall. Word eventually gets back to Kray and his leadership that Nemes Zaituc is dead!

Details about it are unclear, but apparently he was killed near Baoill. Reports say that it was some sort of mutiny.

Still cautious, Kray holds position and continues communications through intermediaries, inviting Zaituc or Ruacht or any of Zaituc’s crew to come as a guest to Caerlleon to talk business.

Eventually Kray gets a visit from Ruacht, called Anfa Rada ("Storm Runner" in Dannein, one of Zaituc’s lieutenants, a Dannein originally from the Saroach clan, also the original guide that brought Kray, Thorn, and Talius from Fishport (Baoill) to the Longhouse, also the guy who was supposed to manage the shipment of captured goods from Baoill to Caerlleon through the East Draw Gate). Ruacht brings with him several Murrough clansmen, one of whom is Feargan known to be an inner guardsman of Padrig, Chief of the Murrough in Baoill.

The long and short of it is that Nemes Zaituc was killed by Rori, called Ru Lanskkeld, who Ruacht had always known as Zaituc’s most loyal lieutenants. Beryx Iliescu, Nemes’s cousin and first mate, was also slain by Rori. After the knife killing spree, Rori departed into the woods and has not been seen since. The Voldruvan’s of the crew all left the Longhouse, apparently heading back to Voldruv. There was a challenge for ownership of The Blackfin, but the Voldruvan faction did not win that duel.

Ruacht himself has laid claim to the Longhouse. Shen Lain has taken over as Captain of The Blackfin, The Capcaun’s infamous knar ship.

Shen Lain and Ruacht want to keep the deal alive that was originally established between Kray and Zaituc. They want to ship in captured goods through the East Gate at Caerlleon. They will be working with Padrig and the Murroughs to get across Lake Azan, and have deals already in place with the Bardh clan to travel through the Draw Gap. They just want Kray to cover getting through the gate and avoiding the skim taken from the guardhouse. Everyone from The Blackfin crew, the Murroghs, The Bardhs, The Mercon’s can all make money. It is a good deal.

In the end, Ruacht and Shen Lain don’t care anything one way or another about Sorcha Rhone. They make very little conversation about it, and do not bring up anything about a contract. In Ruacht’s mind, that deal died with Zaituc.

Kray knows that Shen Lain’s father is Chingas, another well-known Alijanian longship captain who had been allied with Zaituc in the past. Kray hears that Chingas and Shen Lain are taking over many of Zaituc’s old operations in Heshba and Kortella.

Sorcha Rhone has been living as a guest at Armathain Camp, a House Mercon property in Caerlleon where both Kray and Thorn live with other House Mercon staff. Suddenly the debate on whether or not to take Rhone to Zaituc is definitively over, and the question of the 11 year old Dannein girls future falls squarely in the hands of one Lukrayides Lord Mercon.

Not sure what everyone's plans are, but all are invited to chill with the Mercons and pick up retainers. To be clear, as Thorn knows, Kray's immediate crew, essentially his friends, are treated as equals. Decisions are made via board room type discussions etc.

Kray values group insight and multiple heads are better than one. For those interested, I'm also planning on Kray being part of yet another glorious military campaign.

If it works with J, I'm sure we can cook something up.

On military campaigns

Funny you should mention it. My other major DM-directed Input, forthcoming within the next couple of days I hope, will detail some serious armed conflict on the northern Jeresian border. It's getting pretty bad up there, starting to affect the whole region. PCs' stories will necessarily be influenced by related developments.

Yeah... I do not want to game a large scale battle in D&D.

If Thorn is in Caerlleon when this military campaign starts, I think he'll head out with Kray and do what he does best.

I would like to know what happened to Big Man Maeriks, though. Giant Danneins would stick out a little this far into Jeres, I would guess? I can imagine Thorn taking the Former Adept under his wing and showing him how things work on this side of the lake.

What do you think, CB and DMJ?

On Maeriks

I too wonder about how Big Maeriks is planning to spend the time. Dang, this poor guy 100% lost the most in Ep 1 and even so much more off-screen before we tuned in. It was nothing short of devastating in the end, and CB shared that with us in that final scene that we saw of Maeriks after the escape from the Ziggurat. I thought that was at least in the competition for one of the most important and deep posts of the whole Episode (though there are quite a few competing for that prize I know).

Maeriks did gain some too, in some ways. But most of what he gained was quickly taken away from him too by the end. The loss of the last remnant of Bat Hannoc women and especially the brutal fall of Boann were some of the saddest and most shocking losses I've watched and played through maybe, being that they are embedded in the very specialized backstory and play style that CB put together with the character. Maeriks did fuck Rigin Felinsson up once and for all, no robbing him of that! And he did get a taste of respect that it seemed he had never had before, and maybe a glimpse of what it is like to be a hero or a warrior. It will be up to CB of course to tell us what all of that means to Maeriks and how he responds.

I do think it is entirely possible, as Ez has suggested, that Maeriks could integrate into the House Mercon mercenary retainer program, based in Caerlleon right on the inside of the gate at the East King's Wall. Of all Jeresian cities, Caerlleon and Poyam are the top 2 when it comes to having a Dannein presence in the community. I don't think that Maeriks would be ostracized, especially not if he was in the employment of a noble house. In such a program, he could start making some headway on learning the Yuoric language in a controlled environment. He could also get some formal combat training, which he may have never gotten as a kid (not sure on that exactly, but even any Dannein/Bat Hannoc training is more like Barbarian training and nothing like the military style designed soldier fighting programs that Jeresians can put together). Maeriks is also an exceptional cook, so I could see him being able to parlay that skill into employment in Jeres, certainly within the Mercon House and possibly to another Jeresian employer in Poyam or Caerlleon.

On the other end of the spectrum, if Maeriks wants to lean more towards maintaining immersion in the broader Dannein culture, I could see him establishing some way to integrate somewhere in the Draw Gap region, which is east of King's Wall but west of the Naas River and Lake Azan. Settlements like Melig Trade and Low Creek would be solid candidates for joining an alternate Dannein community that would be different for Maeriks, but far less change than full culture shift into Jeresian culture. The Draw Gap also is an area that Kray, Thorn (and maybe others) have come to travel in more and more. It is generally controlled by the Bardh Clan, and commanded by Chief Rine, with whom Kray and Thorn are building an increasingly strong relationship with as they continue to become regulars in the Draw Gap as rare Jeresian foreigners. With that in mind, it seems that Maeriks could still stay in touch with his Jeresian friends from time to time even if he wanted to withdraw a bit and make his way outside of Kingswall.

I think the one thing that Maeriks would want to avoid is going back west across the Naas River and Lake Azan. That is Murrough territory in the northern stretch of it. They are at blood-feud against Bat Hannocs. Maeriks alone in that region? He would probably be under constant threat of being tracked and murdered.

The clan that claims much of the south end of the Drakkenmire is the Maudder Clan. They are not as hateful against Bat Hannocs, but they do not really like them. They have been happy to hear of the demise of the Bat Hannoc clan as a whole. If they were to find a male straggler survivor, they would probably see some wisdom in just eliminating him to make sure he didn't mix in with any of their women.

These are just ideas. Again, of course CB will direct here, I'm just sending comments and trying to paint some picture about the communities that are in play.

On gems, coin, and stash
Or should I say...On those gems, (and all gems that may show up in our game), are variable on cash value depending on what deal you can make with a buyer. I always want to guard against gems turning into just a another coin of currency, just at a higher locked in rate that can always be liquidated at the drop of a hat. Most people will take them gladly on bartering, but getting exact money's worth may be difficult or variable, depending on the settlement/town/city.

You guys have been in a civilized area, so it's relatively easy to turn into some currency coin. But it is still a debate with each haggling buyer. For (not so) simplicity's sake, I'm establishing those Sky Gems as a base price with a plus or minus variance.

So each Sky Gem is 150 gp + or - (50/50 roll) 2d12 CM (gp).

Yes. More complicated. Annoying. But still, you know, I love the pain of realism. And I think gem ownership would be ownership of variable wealth.

Loose change picked up in Gorolach's harem room: various coins, cheap stones, and metal items. For total value, roll 3d3 x 10 CM (gp).

Stuff left at Zaituc's Longhouse: I say you get it back. Shen Lain had accountability on that. She and Ruacht are working with Thorn and Kray to import goods through the Caerlleon gate. I say they just bring it back and hand it to you on one of the trips in, as a display of good will.

You guys did NOT get the rest of the payment from Zaituc on the contract, but Kray reached into his own Noble pockets and paid out cash to Thorn and Ivor to live up to the deal that you would have gotten paid for (correct me if I am wrong here, Ez).

You can look back in the Ep 1 story notes (or I think Ez's story journal log) to see what value that means. I have it written somewhere as well, but can't have access to my notes right now.

UPDATE: Found that spot on Ep 1 Thread, talking about payment for the contract with Zaituc, right here.


Review on local currency.
Broader review on regional topics.