OOC Thread

Cool, I’ll join the group, with Balan, and see what I can find out there first. Thx. :)

Where do you guys want to proceed from here? I will open a short thread to complete Humphrey's interaction with Will, but we can run it in parallel. Where would your next adventure take you?

Will to Humphrey to see if he can ID some magic swords please.

Halav said that the curse can be lifted at Lav (aka, Kelvin). That is a long journey from Threshold. Nothing was said about the (re)awakening of the old gods. Boudica knows, however, that according to the myth, Zirchev never died. He turned into a flock of ravens on his deathbed, who have since multiplied and spread out throughout the known world. It is said that 'Zirchev' can see through the eyes of any raven, and each of them carries a shard of his soul. The Faith considers them sacred.

I feel like Kelvin is Will’s next stop. I don’t know that he’d necessarily expect the whole group to automatically want to come along. Hey I had a spirit tell me I’m a diety, it’s gotta be true, and I need to take a long trip in order to find myself, wanna come with? :). Maybe it all dovetails into things more neatly than I realize or immediately recall though. But I think that’s where I’m landing right now.

Enjoying our game! :)

I'm enjoying it too! And Boudica would want to follow up -- she saw Halav's burial mound and wants to believe what Will says is true, so she will help.

I am enjoying the game as well, and I am keen on finding out more about these curses that we are under. I am assuming that by now, she has noticed that she is cursed as well, though she believes that the hag did this to her, less that she might be the cohort of some long-dead hero. :)

I've really been enjoying the game so far as well ;)

I set you on the road to Kelvin. It is a long walk, about ten days travel in total, but at least it is along the well-maintained Duke's road.
@WhtKnt - still no sign of your curse.

Certainly, you can purchase a sheath for it.

My posting delayed until tomorrow.

Curiously, how peacefully and happily do Traladarans and Thyatians coexist here? Is there still simmering hostilities or resentments? Or is it for the most part all in the past? The differing languages and faiths suggest a lack of assimilation, at the very least.

I could write an entire essay on that, but here’s the ‘short’ version:

First, demographics and geography.

The Thyatians are a small, small, minority in Karameikos. The country is vast, larger than modern-day France, and heavily forested. When the Thyatians arrived, they settled mainly along the coastlines and major rivers. There are Traladaran villages deep in the interior where people have never even seen a Thyatian, and for all intents and purposes, are hardly aware their land is "occupied."

Second, it depends who you ask.

Coexistence varies widely depending on social class, religious affiliation, and personal history. Traladara was only beginning to emerge from a long dark age when the Thyatians conquered it a few decades ago. The land was a patchwork of independent lords and free cities, with little trade or communication between them. Travel was dangerous, and people lived in isolated pockets. Over time, Traladaran nobles began to intermarry and consolidate lands, creating the foundation for a more unified realm, but it was still a bleak and harsh existence for the common man.

It’s an undisputed fact that the Thyatians dramatically improved security and prosperity for nearly everyone. They brought more advanced technology: metalworking, agriculture (heavy plows, crop rotation), architecture, watermills, engineering. Their system of government was more organized and efficient, with a uniform criminal code and taxation used to build roads, bridges, and forts to protect trade routes. They established schools and introduced literacy in the major cities—for all citizens. They explored wild regions, curtailed monster threats, and brought order to a lawless frontier. For most commoners, life is simply better, and they often don’t care whether their lord is Traladaran or Thyatian.

Of course, not everyone is happy. There are Traladaran patriots who yearn for self-rule. The Thyatian Church of Karameikos, zealous and proselytizing, is viewed with suspicion, especially by followers of the old Traladaran faith. The dispossessed Traladaran nobility still harbor resentment. Though they haven’t openly rebelled, they dream of the day the Thyatians vanish from their homeland.



As for the Thyatians:

The "old guard", those who came with the Duke, remain proudly Thyatian. And who can blame them? They hail from the greatest human empire in the world: vast, wealthy, orderly, and civilized. Nobles like Hans Bowell don’t assimilate. They believe Traladara should adopt Thyatian customs and religion, not the other way around. But the younger Thyatian generation, born in Karameikos, are different. They speak Traladaran, are more willing to embrace local culture, and form friendships across the divide. They’re the ones slowly blurring the line between occupier and native.



What happens at the end will be up to you.

Karameikos can become a cultural and religious hybrid, like Norman England. The Traladaran people can rise up and reclaim their land in a bloody revolt. Or maybe Thyatian culture and religion prevail, and the old ways will be all but forgotten and set aside?



And don’t forget, if ‘Halav’ is to be believed, a greater threat is stirring in the deep forests. One that hates all mankind, Traladaran and Thyatian alike.

Thanks! This is all lifted from the Grand Duchy of Karameikos gazetteer, btw. It’s an old-school supplement, incredibly well-written, with a mature setting and tons of plot hooks (which I'm using, so no peeking until this campaign is over ;) )

I only made minor changes here and there, mostly thematic. The cultural and religious tension, the historical background, major NPCs, all of that comes straight from the original supplement.

I'll continue you on your journey by tomorrow, unless someone says they want to spend more time interacting IC (and I can always open a parallel thread if you want, for 'sitting by the campfire')

Good to go. Sry I kind of phoned it in for Will today, busy start to my week.

Trying to figure out, if Will truly believes You Are he is Halav. He’s not much a spiritually minded person (sort of Han Solo in New Hope). But given the developing story I think I will try going more with it.