It is a time of CIVIL WAR! The Grand Duke of for a decade and a half.
He was once engaged to the Grand
Waychester has imprisoned his own wife in the highest
tower. The nobility that favor her over her husband have
retreated to their country estates to plot their next moves,
and the Lady’s Guard have become desperate and
dangerous outlaws. Accusations from the Grand Duke that
she is guilty of the most vile witchcraft have inflamed the
passions of the common people against her. Mobs are in the
streets every day, and riots are common. The countryside is
inflamed with anti-nobility sentiment. Travel in the area is
dangerous and tense.
The Lord Mayor of the rival city-state of Dunsbury
in the South is breathing a sigh of relief. The Grand Duke
had made clear his intention of annexing by force, if
necessary, the entire Hill Country area and promoting
himself to King. His troubles at home will end that ambition,
at least for a time.
YOU are traveling northwards from Dunsbury. Your
mission is to determine what to make of the chaos in
Waychester. Is there a supernatural threat in the form of the
Grand Duchess or her allies? Is there a political threat in the
form of the Grand Duke to the lands southward? The fate of
the entire Hill Country hangs in the balance of events
happening now, and you are to be at the center of them…
The game will be played using the Dark Heritage 2
m20 rules. Hardcore Mode optional rules will not be used.
No customized races are allowed. There are no other
houserules in effect. Characters may pick any race or class
from the book, and we will create level 1 characters at the
first session together and then jump right in! If you don’t
know the rules, they’re not that hard and I can walk you
through it as we play.
It is expected that the first leg of the game will take
place solely in the Hill Country region of the setting. This is a
frontier area like the Old West if it had been settled by Robin
Hood era British. The northern half of the Hill Country is
under the control of Waychester and its Grand Duke
Edmund Rewald. Waychester is the major city, but a number
of other towns, trading posts, villages and hamlets rely on
the strength of Waychester for protection. The southern half
of the Hill Country looks for protection to the less
heirarchical government of the Lord-Mayor of Dunsbury. You
will begin play en route from Dunsbury to Waychester.
Your characters might all be here with slightly
different goals depending on their patron. You may pick
patrons from the following list, and that will have some
impact on the game early on. If you wish, everyone can pick
the same patron, or you can pick different ones.
Lord Anstal Tane: This middle-aged noble is a
Waychester native, but has been living in exile in Dunsbury
Duchess, before her involvement with the Grand Duke made
that impossible, and he had to flee a bad political situation.
He is desperate to know what is happening with her and if
she is in need of rescue from the Grand Duke or his
subjects.
Gnumus Silusus: A representative of a powerful
trading syndicate from Lomar in the north that has a great
deal of money tied up in Waychester is concerned about its
investment; including bribes to the Grand Duke for prime
land on which to build a caravanserie and dock on the
Darkling Sea. Rumors are that in the chaos, the Grand Duke
may seize all lands not already under the control of his
allies. Silusus will pay handsomely to protect the syndicate’s
investment.
Sir Liamond Wrelley: The Hill Country Rangers are
not loyal to either of the two rival city-states, but rather
directly to the people of the Hill Country. Sir Wrelley
represents the rare and secretive Shadow Division of the
Rangers, who concern themselves with supernatural threats.
He has credible reports of suspicious and dangerous activity
in Waychester, but contrary to the reports of the Grand
Duke, he’s not so sure that the rumors of their nature are
true, or if some other source is to blame for the shady
goings-on in Waychester.
Lord-Captain Embric Stane: A retired commander
of the Lady’s Guard, the Grand Duchess’ personal
paramilitary organization, Lord-Captain Stane is still hale
enough to wield a sword, and along with some of his other
compatriots living quietly in Dunsbury is considering a
dramatic return to active duty to save Waychester from itself.
However, given the rumors and what he knows of both the
Grand Duke and his wife, he’s not sure which of the two of
them it needs saving from and is hoping your report can
convince his forces which way to throw their weight if they
decide to enter the fray.
The themes of this campaign will include intrigue,
horror, investigation, and swashbuckling action. Imagine a
combination of supernatural horror and fantasy, with no
doubt a fair bit of dry gallows humor, not unlike the Brendan
Frasier Mummy movie combined with a fantasy Jason
Bourne movie in tone. This is not a pre-written campaign, so
your choices will drive the direction that it goes, and
elements of your character design and background are
expected to play an important role.