Apr 14, 2022 12:46 am
Quote:
The bonds of kinship are put asunder, brothers and sisters defile crowns with blood. The world turns cruel, treachery rife. It is a sharp axe age, a ready sword age. Shields are riven, vows broken and noble lines cut short. It is a raging storm age, a hungry wolf age. It is the age of the Lords of Misrule.~ Foretelling of Wythling by-Refn
The Terrwyn Isles have seldom known peace. Invaders as implacable and endless as the waves of the tempestuous sea have come at its shores - the sly, mystic, woodsy Muredalish; the warlike, unyielding Waerric with their blue hair and warpaint; the imperious Kraetons on their holy mission to conquer the furthest corners of the world; the resolute and loyalty-bound Ulthern; and the haughty Connolk, as adept in the ways of court and chivalry as swordplay and battle.
But now, a century after the bastard Duke Cruancorr of Parnessy crossed the Dragonback Strait and brought unity and rule to much of Terrwyn at the point of a sword, it seems an age of stability, if not peace, has dawned. King Haemark Fairhand, grandson of Cruancorr is renowned as a stern but effective ruler who has strengthened the institutions of justice and taxation, promoted men and women of talent first rather than mere good breeding, and balanced the ambitions and petty rivalries of his magnates to keep their feuds suppressed. Certainly, the clanlords of the Waerric highlands and free princes of the Muredalish woods and valleys are as insubordinate and prone to raiding and revolt as ever, and many of the Ulthern commonfolk and lesser nobles chafe at their Connolk overlords. The royal cadet branches of Harlaeth and Orenvin unsheathe tongues rather than blades to cut each other down and the great houses of Kellthorn and Gauntyke are at one another's throats as always, all rallying their vassals and sworn knights to back their cause, yet some chroniclers dare to hope that this is the dawning of a golden age of peace and prosperity.
They are wrong. This is the age of the Lords of Misrule, as spoken of by the prophetess Wythling by-Refn. Disaster is coming, and with it chaos, disunity, war - and opportunity. Can you taste it on the wind? It tastes of salt, of blood and sea-foam.
The game is set in a homebrew, fantasy realm called the Terrwyn isles inspired by England and Europe circa 1100-1200, a period known as the Anarchy.
System: Sword Chronicle is a gritty, moderately crunchy system by Green Ronin – basically the Game of Thrones RPG they published previously, sans license. It includes a system for dealing with the governance and tribulations of a noble house, its lands and retainers, which provides a central spoke for the PCs to orbit around.
Adult Content/Controversial Themes: Similar to ASOIAF/Game of Thrones, though hopefully lighter on the rape, incest and child-murder. Feudalism is ugly, combat is muddy and bloody, morality is murky; though not to the point of GRIMDARK exaggeration or misery for misery's sake. Any explicit sex or violence against hard to stomach targets will have a curtain drawn over it.
Character Restrictions: None beyond those implicit in the system and setting; humans only, and PCs should be members, vassals or associates of the PC noble house.
Game Duration and Post Frequency: I have no set end-date in mind; the campaign may cover the glorious rise to rule or ignominious grinding into the dirt of the PC house over the long or short term. The hoped for post rate is 1-3 a week.
Specialized Software and Resources: None, GP forums only.
Player Experience Requirements: I would prefer players with access to the SC rules, but I realise it's not the most widely-known of systems, so enthusiasm, interest and decent writing/creativity chops are acceptable substitutes.
How to Apply: Drop a post here. I'm looking for one to three players, in addition to a legacy player from the first go-round.
This game is explicitly friendly to LGBT and any other minorities or marginalized groups.
