Campaign Pitch #2 - The Fey Border

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It is Christmas, 800 AD. In the holy city of Rome, Pope Leo III has crowned the Frankish king, Charles the Great (Charlemagne), as the first Holy Roman Emperor, in recognition of his success against the heathens. On the eastern borders of what is now his Empire, Charlemagne has finally pacified the heathen lands and pushed the borders of Christendom to the banks of the Elbe.

To the west lay the settled Christian lands of Europe; to the East the darkenss of the fey realm. Between them lay the border, anything but strictly defined and fixed. It fluxes and flows as the power of Christendom and Fey wax and wane. The border region is land where miracles of the church stand against and alongside the darker magic of the fey.  Where the 12 Peers of Charlemagne  carry the cross against the heathen. And where opportunists from the settle West come looking for power and glory.

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This one is a little different; a pseudo-historical campaign set in an alternate northern Europe.  The heathens of this world are not Saxons, Slavs and Danes, but forces of dark fey. Dark elves, witches, goblins, werewolves, etc.  In Christian lands to the west, it's just like historical Europe; no magic, dull, boring, peasants in the mud type of stuff. The Fey lands to the east are essentially some equivalent of Hell. In between, in the Fey Border, the two realms meet. And it's like D&D, but with a Grimm's Fairy Tale twist (the originals, not the Disney versions).

Locations, NPCs, and so on will be lifted straight from the history books. All suitably twisted to fit into a game of D&D of course. Elves, dwarves and halflings will still be playable, just in slightly different forms. There will definitely be a new paladin class, a witch class, and maybe more to suit to milieu. 

There are basically two ways this could play out. You could take on the role of paladins and crusaders, out to fight the powers of the dark fey. Or vagabonds and desperadoes out to seize wealth and power in a chaotic world. Or a little of both.    

The basic idea I'm stealing wholesale from Poul Anderson's "Three Hearts and Three Lions" [Fun trivia. The D&D troll is stolen directly from this book, as is the Law-Chaos alignment system]. Throw in some old English concepts of the fey and elves, a bunch of Arthurian legends and "The Matter of France", and John Borman's "Excaliber". And whatever histories of Charlemagne and the Saxon campaigns I can read.

Campaign Pitch #5 - Saltbox

Langushur is known as the "Far Shore" for good reason. Isolated from the rest of the civilized world, on the far eastern edge of the eastern continent of Easrae, the city states and towns of the region make a living from and on the sea. But always within sight of land. For as long as the memories of men allow, offshore lay a permanent bank of mist and fog. Ships that entered it never return. Always it lay, just on the horizon, a reminder that there were some places mortal men were not meant to travel.

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Until six months ago, when suddenly one morning, the people of Langushur awoke to find the horizon clear. The crew of one brave ship hoisted sail and headed east. And returned several days later with an unbelievable tale to tell. They told of a previously unknown archipelago of hundreds of islands, stretching across the eastern sea. On some could be seen fantastic ruins of a unknown age and provenance. On others could be seen strange creatures, and tribes of strange men.  Landing on one island, the crew explored some ruins and found it scattered with treasures and curiosities, examples of which they scattered on the docks as proof of their tale.

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As word spread, ships from all over the Wesrae and Easrae began to flood the once backwater of Langushur. All eager to explore new lands, and to wrest from them treasure, wealth and power. On board with the crews who sailed the ships were bands of hardened warriors, desperate cut-throats, questing acolytes and mages in search of lost magics. To these lay the task of landing on the dangerous new shores . . .

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On the surface, this one is a bit like the first pitch, the "Fist of Wotan". Except rather than a big mountain to climb and explore, it's a big archipelago. Characters start out as the hired 'away crew' on board a vessel. Think 'Star Trek', but hopefully with fewer redshirts dying. At first the campaign will be directed by the ship's captain, who decides what and where the PCs explore. With some influence and prodding from the PC's of course. Eventually though, I expect the PCs will be buying a ship and assembling their own crew to go wherever they want. Or stage a mutiny and take over the ship they're on. Whatever.

Again like "Fist of Wotan", most of the action will be away from civilization. The ship is the basic home base for rest and supplies. There will also be an island or bay where all the exploring ships tend to gather, and that  can act as a larger town for accessing clerical healing, special services, etc. There is the option to go back to the mainland as well, but that will be limited until the PCs are masters of their own destiny's. You can also expect to discover lost civilizations, crazy tribes, and other fun folks to deal with on various islands.

What kind of game? A mix of everything. Possible intrigue among the ships captains and crews. Dungeons to loot on some islands, overland exploration, interacting with all the new folks you meet. In addition, I'm going to work in some sort of XP for exploration and discovery of new things, to give the game a bit of an "Age of Discovery" feel. I'm also thinking in terms of Late Medieval - Early Modern technology and culture. So break out your cannon and cutlass.

And just to add a little mystery. What was the fog bank? Where did it come from? Where did it go? Will it be back? What happened to all the ships that disappeared over the years?    

Campaign Pitch #4 - City of Bridges

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When the Imperator Jorax defeated the armies of the Olmen Insurrection and brought the conspirators to bay, he swore by Velas they would not live while they stood foot on the soil of the Imperium. The leaders of the insurrection, however, outwitted the Impiriator. They withdrew to the nearby HighBridge, an impressive span across the deep canyon of the Hquali River, and technically not on the 'soil' of his realm. After consulting the priests of Velas, the furious Imperator had to concede the clever move and leave them unmolested. And so The City of Bridges was born, a haven for those on the run, who no where else to go, and where no questions are asked.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thieves%27_World

Today, 300 years after its founding, the city spans 4 bridges across the river. It is watched over by soldiers of the Despot of Huzail, inheritors of the imperator's charge to isolate the city and keep it's strong minded independence and anarchistic from 'infecting' the lands and peoples around. Any who reach the City of Bridges are given leave to stay, but must stay and never leave. All manners opportunists, cutthroats, runaway slaves, crazed wizards, scheming crime lords, mad monks, twisted half breeds, and still darker beings inhabit the towering, teetering, and labyrinth structures of the four bridges.

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Another campaign set in the Westmist campaign world, at roughly the same time as the current campaign, but at some distance removed from Westmist (on a different continent to be exact).  This one will be quite a bit different than the other options, as it will probably have little 'classic' dungeoneering and monster punching. More skullduggery and sneaking about, trying to claw your ways to the top of the social and wealth heap in an extreme Dickensonian world. And some cool weird stuff (of course) like zip lines to get between bridges, magical zoos, more strange people and 'people' than you can shake a sword at. A good campaign for thieves, thuggish fighters, and malicious magic users.

Inspiration? Fritz Leiber's city of Lankhamar , Robert Asprin's Thieves World. Whatever I can get my hands on about Old London Bridge. And a bunch of other stuff I can't really seem to recall right now.

Campaign Pitch #3 - Crusaders and Sorcery

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When the Third Imperium tumbled into ruin, the chivalric orders who supported the Imperitor were blamed for the fall, and many were forced to flee the lands of the old Imperium and into exile. Some boarded ship and, trusting in the grace of Velas, sailed for the legendary south, to seek atonement and new lands to conquer and rule. And so they did, their fleets landing on the northern shores of the fabled southern continent, Azaria. The cities of the Pearl Coast fell quickly to the crusaders, and the northerners pushed inland over the mountains and across the plateau of Styria. There they stopped, their advance halted at the city of Kel Hazza by a vast sea of sand, the Great Thooz Desert.

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The crusaders settled down to rule their conquered lands and peoples, and more refugees and fortune seekers from the north joined them as rumors spread of their success.  Many ended up in the melting pot of Kel Hazaa, and listened to the wild tales of the desert related by turbaned men in the shadows of bustleing souks. Tales of savage cults who sacrifice humans to their foul beast gods, of ancient civilizations buried in the sands, of mysterious realms across the vast expanse of desert, of dark sorcery and cruel kings, and the siren call of legendary riches beyond the dreams of men.

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This campaign is set in the same world as Westmist, but some 250 years earlier than that campaign. It's part sword and sorcery, and part chivalry and crusade. Think Conan with the Knights Templer bolted on. Outremer meets Hyborian Koth and Zamora [go ahead, Google them. I'll wait]. All players characters start as new arrivals from the north. In keeping with the sword and sorcery feel, the campaign will be demihuman and humanoid light. No orcs, goblins, kobolds, or other 1HD humanoid cannon fodder. Players may take elves, dwarves, and halflings from the north as characters, but there are no 'indiginous' groups of these demihumans in the southern lands. At least not that you know of ...

The campaign starts out in the city of Kel Hazza. This is going to be a “sandbox” type campaign. unlike Westmist/Stonehell there isn't going to be one obvious place to start. You'll have lots of options to go do what you want. I expect it will be typically dungeon or city centered for the first bit, but ultimately I see it becoming more about heading out across the desert and exploring whatever can be found. Want to explore old tombs? Sure. Hire out as caravan guards and see where you end up? You bet. Follow-up on rumors of lost cities in the desert? Lead the way. Take on the local bandit king? More power to you. Become the local bandit king? Fill your boots. Play the lawful good paladin and right the wrongs of the world under the banner of your god in heathen lands? Do it. Wander where you will, and find adventure where you will.

Inspiration? Read a couple of Conan stories (No, don't watch the movies. read Tower of the Elephant or The Slithering Shadow or Red Nails). Anything about the Crusades. The movie Kingdom of Heaven is  decent background; it gives a feel for the the uneasy mix of cultures, and for the visuals.

Campaign Pitch #1 - Fist of Wotan

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The other Skaarling ship-jarls had long thought Othgar the Mad to be ... well, mad. Constant raving about voices in his head, a tendency to slip into a berserk rage, and conversing with old gods long dead; Woten, Thor, Loki. But they were convinced of his madness when, at the beginning of the last raiding season, he announced Wotan had told him to sail west and north rather than the customary (and rewarding) raiding and trading trips to the south and east. Nothing lay to the east but the Spine of the World Serpent, a mountainous peninsula that stretched from the mainland to the utmost north and the Sea of Ice.  A trip there was madness at best, and death for all concerned was the most likely reward.

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They were proved right that the trip could be fatal when Othgar's longship limped into port just ahead of the winter storms, with the jarl raving into the north wind and just a handful of men at the oars. But while a lack of strong arms to to sail her certainly slowed the vessel, it was the treasures piled to the gunnels that was mostly to blame. Once ashore, Othgar's men told of a mountain higher than any seen before, the summit lost in constant cloud. Dubbed the Fist of Wotan by Othgar, the slopes were littered with ancient ruins and cave entrances.  Guided by the voice of Woten,Othgar lead them into the depths. Tales are told of mist filled halls that drove men mad, tunnels through ice that held cruel & cold abominations, vast cavernous worlds ruled by giants, strange metal chambers guarded by statues come to life. And gold ... enough gold to sink a ship.

Othgar could have stayed in the Skaarl Islands and lived a life of luxury with the treasures he had won. But instead, he set sail at the start of this season to place his standard on the shore below the Fist of Wotan, and bade all men and women of courage and honor to join him there under the eyes of the All-Father, Many heeded the call, you among them, to wrest a fortune from the mountain at the call of the All-Father.

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The Skaarl Islands and the Skaarlings are the Scandanaia/Vikings of the campaign world in which Westmist is set (Bjorn's homeland BTW). So if you haven't guessed already, this is going with a Viking theme. Fur clad warrior (with or without horns on their helmets), skalds chanting paeans as they charge into battle, clerics of the Norse gods, etc. I'd like most PC's to have a Viking flavor, but I'm open to scimater wielding Zevestian warriors al la "The Thirteenth Warrior" and other exceptions to that rule.  It will be a low civilization campaign. The only "town" is Othgar's Trade Town, a seasonal and temporary base at the foot of the mountain. But this is D&D, so there will be somewhere to sell your treasure, heal your wounds, quaff your ale.

Gameplay will be dungeon oriented, but I'm going to try to make it  more 'alive' than Stonehell. More rival adventures (the other crews) in the dungeon, more chance for events in the dungeon to affect relations outside (and vice versa). This won't be a megadungeon like Stonehell so much as a collection of smaller, sometimes interrelated, dungeons. Go further up the mountain and the greater the dangers. There will be the chance to explore the area immediately around the Fist of Wotan, and actual figuring out the best/safest way to get higher up the mountain will be important too. Think of climbing Everest in armor and you get the idea.

Oh, and did I mention the thing about the old gods? Where do you suppose they came from all of a sudden? And why have they drawn you to this god-forsaken land? Could this be the chance to discover the true meaning of the gods?