Oct 6, 2019 7:22 pm
The Path Of Kane
This next section assumes your Game Master is using The Path of Kane, the Plot Point campaign detailed in Chapters 9 to 12 of this book. If that’s the case, every hero has already crossed paths with Solomon Kane and he or she is now considered a "Wanderer." The time is the early 1600s, and Kane has completed the events detailed in the poem Solomon Kane’s Homecoming. His hair is white now and his skin weathered, but he has lost none of his passion for fighting the good fight.
The Wanderers are not an official order of any sort, but a collection of very special souls—some pure, some still striving—who have been touched by our rangy Puritan and begun a journey that will lead them from the highest mountains to the darkest jungles. Some may have fought beside Kane in a previous battle, like John Silent. Others may have been rescued by him, or simply encountered Kane and been inspired by his presence. Another might even have been a dastardly villain given a chance to atone for his misdeeds (these reluctant heroes can be particularly interesting characters to play!). This may have happened as recently as a week ago (most likely in Devon if that’s the case), or decades ago when Solomon was younger (but certainly after he came into possession of the strange cat-headed staff he now carries). Spend a few moments deciding where your character met Kane, and why he became a Wanderer.
Whatever the circumstances, after your hero’s encounter with Solomon Kane, he was visited in his sleep by a strange African shaman who he eventually came to know as N’Longa. The "ju-ju man" seems to know Kane well, and perhaps may be connected to him through the strange cat-headed staff. At least that is the feeling you get from the strange dreams.
N’Longa has nudged your character onward, slowly and subtly in some cases, with near-perfect directions in others, until your hero finds himself on the shores of Devon, England, where the campaign in this book begins.
If your character wouldn’t willingly follow N’Longa’s urgings, he was eventually forced here by terrible nightmares, sleepless nights, and incredible runs of supernaturally bad luck. These ill omens cease only when you finally follow the ju-ju man’s direction—though your actions remain free to you otherwise.
To be clear, N’Longa’s black magic will lead your adventurer to be in certain places, but it will never force him to act. That is up to you and how you want to roleplay your Wanderer.
After you’ve determined why your hero or heroine wanders and what Solomon Kane meant to him or her, fi nish with any history or background you care to create. What’s your hero’s nationality? Does he have family? Does she have a home, or is she truly a wanderer? What is his religious background?
These extra details help your GM to weave stories that include elements of your hero’s background, making your adventurer’s tales more compelling and exciting.
This next section assumes your Game Master is using The Path of Kane, the Plot Point campaign detailed in Chapters 9 to 12 of this book. If that’s the case, every hero has already crossed paths with Solomon Kane and he or she is now considered a "Wanderer." The time is the early 1600s, and Kane has completed the events detailed in the poem Solomon Kane’s Homecoming. His hair is white now and his skin weathered, but he has lost none of his passion for fighting the good fight.
The Wanderers are not an official order of any sort, but a collection of very special souls—some pure, some still striving—who have been touched by our rangy Puritan and begun a journey that will lead them from the highest mountains to the darkest jungles. Some may have fought beside Kane in a previous battle, like John Silent. Others may have been rescued by him, or simply encountered Kane and been inspired by his presence. Another might even have been a dastardly villain given a chance to atone for his misdeeds (these reluctant heroes can be particularly interesting characters to play!). This may have happened as recently as a week ago (most likely in Devon if that’s the case), or decades ago when Solomon was younger (but certainly after he came into possession of the strange cat-headed staff he now carries). Spend a few moments deciding where your character met Kane, and why he became a Wanderer.
Whatever the circumstances, after your hero’s encounter with Solomon Kane, he was visited in his sleep by a strange African shaman who he eventually came to know as N’Longa. The "ju-ju man" seems to know Kane well, and perhaps may be connected to him through the strange cat-headed staff. At least that is the feeling you get from the strange dreams.
N’Longa has nudged your character onward, slowly and subtly in some cases, with near-perfect directions in others, until your hero finds himself on the shores of Devon, England, where the campaign in this book begins.
If your character wouldn’t willingly follow N’Longa’s urgings, he was eventually forced here by terrible nightmares, sleepless nights, and incredible runs of supernaturally bad luck. These ill omens cease only when you finally follow the ju-ju man’s direction—though your actions remain free to you otherwise.
To be clear, N’Longa’s black magic will lead your adventurer to be in certain places, but it will never force him to act. That is up to you and how you want to roleplay your Wanderer.
After you’ve determined why your hero or heroine wanders and what Solomon Kane meant to him or her, fi nish with any history or background you care to create. What’s your hero’s nationality? Does he have family? Does she have a home, or is she truly a wanderer? What is his religious background?
These extra details help your GM to weave stories that include elements of your hero’s background, making your adventurer’s tales more compelling and exciting.