At a Glance:
· The main religion influencing the game is the Twin Courts. The gods of this faith are two courts of royal fey, the Golden Court (day/summer) and Ebony Court (night/winter). They are fickle deities not unlike Greek Gods, both for good and ill.· A rationalist movement in the old country, the Iron Saints, rose up in the premise of eradicating the Twin Courts and all fey. They used killer constructs, mass executions, and razing ancient churches and sacred places to accomplish this.
· The refugees caused by this purge, religious or not, ended up besieged in the mountain fortresses of the largest dwarf nation. Things looked dire. One of the royal fey, the Wandering Knave, Fool of Crossroads and Gallows appeared among them and used an ancient artifact to open a portal to another continent. On the other side the refugees formed the Congress of Knaves, a noble representative 'nation'.
· The races of the Congress of Knaves include dwarves (hill and mountain), elves (eladrin, high, wood), goblins, humans, half-elves, half orcs, orcs, satyrs. They are starting their 4th generation in the Timberlands.
· The new area the survivors found themselves in, the Timberlands, was once the northern fringe of the Empire of Enuk'lun. The empire was a foreign terror known to the old world, but hadn't menaced its shores for several centuries. At some point the empire was wiped out by an unknown cataclysm. Ruins and remnants of the old empire remain, full of arcane terrors.
· The Timberland has some indigenous people left over from the eons-dead empire. There are the bearfolk Agriother Warlords (sumerian in feel), the otterfolk Mustel (strange underwater civilization) and the catfolk Tabaxi (nomadic forest folk). Some of these animal folk have joined the Congress of Knaves. Most continue to live apart and there are building tensions thanks to bad actors on both sides.
· Other threats include megafauna and monstrosities throughout the deep forests around the lakes. These massive creatures can be as deadly as any pistol. Lately they have become more aggressive toward all the various humanoids.
· Dark cults broke out when the refugees spread out to settle the area as celestials, fiends, and other strange powers. These cults caused quite a few problems before being squelched but not entirely eradicated.
· Many orcs, calling themselves The Free or the Loga , broke off from the Congress of Knaves to live a natural life in the forest. For the most part they don't interact with the Congress much, save some trade. However, some have taken up raiding over the last decade feeding into the worst stereotype from the old world.
· Black-powder weapons, a fantasy representation, are not uncommon in this setting. The average soldier would be trained how to use them, but they are not cheap enough to have edged out bows and crossbows. Aesthetically, the clothing and attitudes are that of the early colonization of the Americas. Note, that also means that generally colonists are split on the indigenous cultures. Some find them valuable allies and appreciate having them mixed into society. Others see them as a threat. Currently those who prefer peace outweigh those that do not.
Setting Documents [Google Docs]
Setting
Touchstones
Brotherhood of the Wolf (film)Brothers Grimm (film)
Errementari (film)
Eyes of Fire (film)
Grimms Fairy Tales (book)
Last of the Mohicans. (book and film)
Monster Hunter (game series)
Ravenous (film)
Sleepy Hollow (film)
Tales of the Great Lakes (book)
The Fisherman (film)
The Witch (film)
Third Party Content
Gunslinger from DnD BeyondThe Armorer’s Handbook [DMs Guild]
Nameia's Crimson Tome [DMs Guild]
House Rules
- Inspiration Points can use used to reroll an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. The second result stands.- Inspiration Points can be used as a bonus action to allow a character to spend up to half of their Hit Dice to regain Hit Points as if they Short Rested.
- Characters can attune to a number of magic items equal to 2 + their Proficiency Modifier.
- Characters start with a Feat at 1st level.
- Flanking a target grants Advantage on attack rolls.
- A character an either: drink a healing potion as an Action and regain the maximum amount of Hit Points the potion allows or drink a healing potion as a Bonus Action and roll as normal.
- These rules are in place to make the game feel more heroic in the face of terrible monsters and support a fair number of cannon fodder monsters in combat.
- As of Session 19, the game has moved to a troupe style campagin. Players are free to create other characters. While they are playing these other characters, the previous ones continue to accrue experience points to keep up in level as well as take actions in the background to effect the world. Whenever all the characters are gathered in the same place they are considered to have shared plot information with one another.
Heroes
Troupe One
- Aelric, satyr. Blood Hunter. A gruff killer of monsters. Aelric pays homage to the Ebon Court and is part of an order of bloodhunters. He has dedicated his life to destroying the Waning Court. Often butts heads with the other heroes.
- Ea, agrothier. War Wizard. An exile from the territory of the agriother warlords, Ea is unfamliar with the ways of the Congressional Congress and common tongue. However, he is determined to be the hero he is destined to be and weilds potent, unfamiliar magic. Recently, he revealed that he practices the lost art of blood magic.
-Last Wild Rose of the Longest Night, tabaxi. Fey Wander Ranger. Raised by a fey of the Ebon Court, Wild has found himself freed and is exploring the world he never got to see. Despite shunning his fey heritage, Wild has begun developing powers he is not sure of yet.
- Riley, changeling. Barbarian Devish. A former circus performer, Riely decided to put their skills to work as a mercenary to earn greater treasures than the big top could ever reward. They have become imbued with the power of the mysterious Devourer, a ancient spirit of beasts.
- Sykes, eladrin. Assassin Warlock. Sykes' awoke on the shores of Lake Reinhard with no memories. She seeks to find out who she is, and why she cannot assume her summer aspect. Sykes has tapped into some odd celestial power linked to her forgotten life and recently began a relationship with the runesmith Arvantel.
Troupe Two
- Gwaedd Aelthered, mustel. Bard of Valour. A former river-pirate who has turned over a new life and now tried to live up to a heroic ideal. He's been thrust into leading a second party of new heroes as the war against the Waning Court breaks out on new fronts.
- Cedwyn, mustel. Shadow Sorcerer. A mysterious otterfolk woman who speaks little and keeps a wary eye on everything. Cedwyn's origins are murkey and sinister. She claims to have little recollection of her past, but is that actually the case?
- Freya, rabbitfolk. Artificer. A happy-go-lucky woman of great technical skill and teasing wit. Freya harbors a deep-seated anxiety within her heart. She's seen the destruction the Waning Court can cause and will do everything in her power to make sure it never reaches the people she cares about, the names of which are tattooed on her skin.
- Naylth, eladrin. Echo Knight. A tomb raiding archeologist, Naylth has never been the sort of flee from danger. However, his daredevil lifestyle has left his saddled with a accursed weapon, the Feasting Maw.
- Shinâshè, rabbit folk. Paladin. Freya's best friend and protector. After losing an arm and eye to a megafauna attack, Freya was made whole thanks to Freya's mechanical skills. Still, she's been shunned by her people because of her mauled appearance and was eager to accompany the artificer on her quest. Other Heroes
- Eshker, agrothier. Nature cleric.* A traveling healer and devotee of the fey Golden Court. Eshker is worried about the Waning Court's meddling and prophecy has led him to the party in hopes of stemming the horror. He has stayed behind at the Convent of Quite Grace to help it recover from a Waning Court Siege.
- Orym, half-orc. Kensai Gunslinger.* Once a mercenary, Orym searches out rumors of the Waning Court after his brother's tragic fall. He left the party to travel to the far west and find out what is killing his orcish relatives.
- Peregrin, half-orc. Arbalist Warlock. A mysterious figure in stylized armor, Peregrin carries a heavy crossbow bound to him via pact magic that was made from a destroyed celestial. After discovering the origins and confronting the maker of the weapon, he's left the party to track down more information about the re-forged celestial he carries.
- Siegfried, satyr. Abjurer.* A lover of knowledge and wine, Siegfried travels the world to experience as much of both as he can. He has stayed behind at the Nightveil Tower to foster a deeper understanding of ancient magic.
* As this is a troupe game, these characters are or have become back ground characters for their players to be picked back up at a later date.
Sessions
Story Arc OneSession 2 - Screecher Hunt Continued
Session 3 - Deeper Into the Ziggurat
Session 4 - Deeper Into the Ziggurat, Fin
Session 9 - Shenanigans and Soothsaying
Session 11 - Rotten to the Core
Session 13 - The Will, Heart and Mind of Enuk'Lun
Session 14 - The Night of Barbs and Blades
Session 15 - Of Ebony and Gold
Session 17 - The Lord of Autumns End
Session 18 - The Bramble Coffin
Story Arc Two
Session 20 - Maximum Overdrive
Session 23 - Chaos Reigns and Manacles Break
Session 25 - Assault on the Smuggler's Boots Tarvern
Session 26 - The Blood-Soaked Woods
Session 27 - The Tomb of Ipqu-Annunitum
Session 28 - River of Blood and Honey
Story Arc Two (Second Hero Troupe)
Session 30 - What's Past is Prologue
Session 31 - The Clutch of Autumn
Session 32 - Dead Dwarves and Dry Leaves
Session 33 - The Wrathyrst Brothers
Session 35 - Leoleth, the Gorse Dragon
Session 36 - The Siege of Newpoole, Part 1
Session 37 - The Siege of Newpoole, Part 2
Session 38 - The Siege of Newpoole, Part 3
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