Morgansfort Campaign Journal: Setting/Races/Classes, fitting it all together
Setting
The Morgansfort region.
Morgansfort is a newly build, by local standards, fortification near a village. It sits on a bluff overlooking Southreach Bay to the east. The fort is near the southernmost part of Southreach Bay. It exist independently of any governing body and is ruled by a Baron, Morgan Rathwynn . Baron Rathwynn is the first baron of Morgansfort, but he rules in absentia and his son Halden is Baronet.
To the north of the fort, off the bluff but not far, is a stretch of good farm land and a small fishing village. This village is quite old by local standards. It was very self supportive before the fort and is now growing into something of a local hub, as the fort sees more traffic from Slateholm (see below) and local good are going out and foreign goods are coming in.
To the south of the fort is a swamp and across from it is the Old Island Fortress. The locals do not know if it was built by the Urd or if it is an older location. Monsters hie out from it sometimes to plague the area. A reward for its mapping and clearing is being posted by the Baron. This may well have drawn some of your party to the area.
The Southern Reaches.
Two days sailing with good wind, from the southern point of Southreach Bay, would take you to the free city of Slateholm. This city is a small city state ruled by a Duke, Helsung II, whose line has ruled since the throwing off of Urdish yoke centuries past.
From that point and south to Morgansfort is the area known as the Southern Reaches, or Southreach. This is an ungoverned territory according to the Duke of Slateholm, though many barbarian chieftains, petty lords, village councils, and monsters would disagree with that assessment
This area is sparsely populated by human villages, with smatterings of Demihuman presence, who show no allegiance to any greater body. Though occasional they do war on each other in a petty way, it is largely internally peaceful. It faces external dangers from humanoid races and clans, monsters, and the environment. Morgansfort protects the furthest edge of Demihumanities presence the best it can, frequently enlisting Ranger bands or Adventuring parties, and occasionally conscripting a small army of a a few hundred militia men to drive back dangerous marauders or monstrous beast.
No one, save a few scouts and rangers, know the lands well, and the Rangers still know it best on the paths between the villages.
Humanity is split between two racial stocks. The native folk are called the Covari (the Urd named them after the first tribe they encountered), though as a whole they had no name for themselves, or many hundred names of clans and tribes. They are pale skinned, rough boned folk, frequently with pale hair or eyes. Even before the arrival of the Urdish Empire they had split into village dwelling farmers and the older traditioned Wildfolk. The Wildfolk herd a little, farm less, hunt and gather some, and raid often. Though the later comes more down to tribute and they do guard the lands that pay them homage from both humanoids and monsters.
Before the arrival of the Urd these were bronze age people who were organized into clannish groups. They had no overarching government, but instead were bound by culture.
In contrast are the Urdia are the descendants of conquers from the Uridish Empire. These folk sailed from across the sea centuries ago and conquered much of the coastal lands of the Southern Reach, as well as many more lands to the north. Only the island of the Elves withstood their war ships and warriors. Then just a century after they conquered, the greater part of their forces withdrew to deal with strife in their home country, never to return.
These peoples were of a dark haired swarthy faced breed, both more slender and shorter than the Covari, but no less fierce in battle.
At present, in places where the two peoples touched there is plenty of mingled blood and culture. The battles of old are largely forgotten save as stories; though bad blood and culturalism do flair on some holidays. The general attitude is that some neighbors look different, have odd names, and a strange faith, but they are neighbors. Deeper into the interior and in a few villages and small towns that never lost touch with the north, feelings are somewhat different.
Elves
The true home of the Elves is the island of Avenrho, north of the Reach and accessible only to Elven ships. Elves in the Southern Reaches are from roving bands, exploring the land with no care to border, as is the Elven way. The Southern Reaches, in the an ancient past so distant that not even elves recall it, had Elven settlements. Though most of these sites don’t even have ruins remaining on them, wandering Elves find and stay in these old "woodhalls" activating the magics of them to make a cozy shelter, though it is just a glade ringed by over arching trees. These woodhalls are sanctuaries and only elves and elf-friends are welcome. Elves can very testy about it. A band may stay at a woodhall for a night or for a human generation, but they always move on eventually. Humans know Elves as magical folk, and from human perspective this is true, but the magic of Elves is nature charms (such as woodhalls), craft magics (such as their fabulous clothing, ropes, and foods), and certain lore mastery. Few actually go out for wizardry despite their reputation for it. (PCs are adventures, and will have little access to these craft magics. If you want to bake limbas, you should have stayed home and learned to bake).
Dwarves are seen, by their human neighbors, as less magical than elves, though are seen almost as rarely. Studded throughout the Southern Reaches are Dwarven outposts. These are not ancient Dwarven holds (though humans may think them so, as some are hundreds of years old). These are mining fortifications.The Southreach is a land rich in minerals and it has many a large cavern complex or small mountain. It is far from the homeland of the Dwarven people, though, and for them it is just a place to gather wealth and have “youthful” adventures,
(Largely involving mining and toil, but that is dwarves for you. This has given way to the theory that there are no dwarven woman, which dwarves will not speak of, both because discussing woman is slightly too personal, and because it is just an bizarre concept. They wouldn’t know how to broach it without being rude. After all how do you tell your local host they are so uncouth you would never consider letting your sister or daughter walk amid them?).
The Dwarves seen in this area are typically using human roads to pass areas where there are no dwarf roads (unseen underground tunnels connecting nearby dwarfholds), so they seem to appear from nowhere and disappear again.
Dwarves are known, to those few wealthy enough to appreciate it, for making the finest metal goods, and the dearest merchants in raw iron or ore. Despite their shrewdness, or maybe because of it, it is rare a dwarf merchant wouldn't part with a little ore for a poor village at a reduced price or on loan, though they would make note of the favor owed, and collect it with interest down the line.
Dwarfcraft arms, tools, or armors are prized for generations, and frequently are of a "magical" quality. (PCs do not have this quality of smithcraft. Maybe when they grow up and stop adventuring they will settle down and learn to do such things, but being an adventurer is a full time job)
The humans of this region don't seen Halflings as exotic, though the are fairly rarely seen. There are few Halfling adventures because Halflings, as a rule don't adventure. There are few Halfing travelers, as a rule, because halflings don't travel (or at least not amid big folk), but they are not hard to find. Halflings can be found near every major human settlement (a day or two out usually), be it Urdish, Wildfolk, or just a large village. They are good neighbors, adopting some of the look and feel of those around them and yet remaining Halflings. (Likewise Halflings near dwarfholds are a touch dwarfish, and those near woodhalls are a bit elfish.)
Halflings are well loved because they are extremely talented farmers, for both crops and kine, and are given to reasonable prices for trade when their neighbors fall on hard times (though usually only a little surplus leave their shires). In exchange they become semi vassals of the humans on their borders and call on them when things get rougher than the Halflings can handle. In exchange they pay a tithe in agricultural bounty to the local lord or village council.
The traveling Ranger bands (see below) are especially fond of Halfling villages, stay in those regions when they rest, and thus protect them fiercely.
Halflings love nothing more that to gossip about and with each other, so though few of them travel (though more than the big folk suspect) often they know what goes on with other Halflings and their neighbors even at a distance.
Gnomes are not a player race but are in the setting. They are a clever, curious race that spends much time in scholarship and discovery. They have few adventurers, but many loremasters. Their homes are places of odd wonders as they are clever with devices and illusions. Likewise they homes are almost impossible to find. Some think they are a fey people or at least fey touched, but they are accepted in the Demihuman Alliance for their wisdom and wit (when the bother to show up and give it).
Bards are a general class. Three examples of a bardic origins in this setting could be; Heraldic training in more powerful courts to the north; Wandering Minstrels in between the villages of the south; Skaldic singers of the barbarian tribes.
Clerics: Code of Conduct (also Druids, Paladins, and any other users of Divine power) A Code of Conduct is an agreement between a power and mortal that dictates behavior in exchange for divine favor. Though Alignment rules are not being used, the simplest codes are to abide by the alignment of the deity, and to promote its ethos. Such oaths create magical auras than can be detected. Non divine powered characters may have opportunity to take such oaths in game, but the effects would be minor (occasional +1 to +3 on an ethos appropriate roll). They too would be expected to live up to their oaths.The Powers get grumpy when their followers stray.
Human Clerics in the setting fall into two broad groups. Priest of the Urdish Monotheistic God Tah, and local priests of the Hundred Gods. The Priest of Tah are Monotheistic and fight an evil, but lesser, opposite "god": Shaitah or Mephistus. The Orthodoxy of the old Imperium, (called Bethites, for the location of their High Priest is the city of Beth to the north) are considered corrupt by most outside the religion. The Church of Tah Reformed, a reform branch largely followed in former Uridsh provinces and outpost influenced by them such as Morgansfort, are humbler but very zealous as a whole about the subject converting and saving souls.
The Priests of the Hundred Gods, represent a collection of different, and generally benign faiths, of the pre Urdish local clans. Though these draw on the same mythology as the Druids (see below) the ideology, and interpretations are very different. Druids and the Priest of the Hundred had split ages before the arrival of the Urd. In many ways these priest have more in common with Tahist than Druids. Though the monotheists of Tah and the pantheists of the Hundred have long since stopped practicing open hostility (in most places), one or the other is the stronger faith in any village or town.
Druids represent an ancient religious perspective within the fantasy setting. Though they have the same gods as the Priests of the Hundred Gods (see above) they see them in a more abstract way, and incorporate many darker powers, lesser powers, and genius loci into their practice. And they can possibly control bears. I think that is worth mentioning.
Fighters are a very versatile class. They tend to be more widely traveled than some other classes, as their background involves a lot of combat training in many situations. Weapons specialization makes this class very customizable . Focus on armor, shield, sword, and lance would fit a nobles squire. Crossbow, bow, and spear would fit an archer from many armies. Someone trained to be a man at arms would know a variety of easy to acquire weapons
Barbarian: Amid the Wildfolk who still live in clannish holdfasts (who never were under the Urdish yoke) the Barbarian is a warrior elite. These youths, of both genders, are chosen at a young age and taught nearly mystical arts of combat. This class is only available (for humans characters) to people from this social structure.(Other races make take it and explain it in a background appropriate to that race). Barbarians are feared amid those of cities on par with humanoids and respected by their own as are knights amid the more urban classes.
Paladins are warriors trained to the cause of protecting others from evil. Some do serve a church, such as Tah or a more heroic patron from the Hundred (see clerics above), but others are part of ancient orders sworn to protect the innocent and fight evil without a deity's backing. Still, some Power still gives them their abilities. Such a Power counts the Paladin's Oath to the Code of Conduct (which must include Law, Good, and some Knightley provisions) as their Oath of Loyalty. These Orders take in Urdish, Covari, Wildfolk (though rarely,) and Demihumans (also rarely). Thus far no Orcs have joined any Order that anyone is aware of.
Rangers are almost unknown in urban areas, but they are the most common home grown adventuring warriors of the deep forests north of the Morgansfort and south of Slateholm. Both the Wildfolk and the villagers produce these warriors, and Rangers see each other as having a brotherhood that cuts across all such lines. They are reverent to the Druids, but respectful of Priest of the Hundred that focus on nature, and followers of Tah who preach that nature is sacred (only found amid the reform branch). Bands of non adventurer Rangers act as specialized militia protecting this area from the worst dangers. They frequently hire adventurers to pick up where the leave off.
Magic Users are an extremely variable class in the setting. When the Urd came the brought an arcane magical tradition, which was very excited by the riches of this land, only to find a pre existing magical society, which it clashed with immediately. The Druids, it seemed, were not the only keepers of old lore in the Southern Reaches. The local magic users had there own traditions and trappings, but were outsiders and oddities to the locals who distrusted there strange ancient powers. After the dust settled in the clash of magicians, comparisons found that many ancient spells and odd Entities that Magic Users call on were the same on each side of the sea.( Likewise Elven, Dwarven, and Gnomish magi all admit that they use similar entities of unknown providence. Halfling wizards were not consulted.)
Spellbooks are one of these commonalities. All are written in odd arcane codes, with words and symbols unknown anywhere else. Read Magic helps untangle this mess, but to use a spell requires time, energy, and experimentation. The listed spell cost for adding a spell to a spellbook takes these considerations into mind and is the cost of learning the spell. It isn't just expensive ink.
Most mages are trained by one Master who passes his or her knowledge to one to three students. Wildfolk wizards have adopted some of the Urdish ways, and mages of Urdish lineage, who live in the Southern Reaches, use some trappings from Wild Wizards. Wizards have some pragmatism and are as a whole ruled by ambition. This can make them very cosmopolitan despite their odd ways.
Some cities, rural strongholds,and very large villages do have Orders (never guilds) of Magic Users, but these tend to be magi of middling power and much political ambition. They are dangerous in their numbers even with their weaker magics. More dangerous still is when an wicked enchanter starts or takes over such an Order. These are few and far between in the Southern Reaches. More common, but far from common, are individual masters in hovels, towers, or dungeons. (Note: most do not like unexpected visitors or groups of more than three persons with torches.)
A trained Thief is a largely urban phenomenon and is rarely found in any part of the Southern Reaches that is not a coastal town. Many do come to adventure in this region though, and some take apprentices while they are in the area. In Slateholm there is a powerful thieves guild, with many members who are skilled in the subtler art (as thieves mockingly call their skills). Some buy free their “contracts” and become independent adventures in the Reaches interiors. Others just run away, which leaves an angry thieves guild expecting half of their earnings in perpetuity.
Scouts are a more common roguish profession in the Reach. Many train along side of rangers and are members of Ranger Bands. Though naturally there are many that arise from the ranks of Wildfolk, Elves, Halflings, and the Corvari, plenty of villages produce Scouts as well. Dwarves not so much.
