Lords and Regents

Oddly enough Ardell and I have spoke only briefly about the setting and what the ultimate goals were. Most of this is my own initiative as far as style and the type of play. One thing that was expressed is some political regency play down the road. That is, allow the option for a PC to become a lord in his own right and establish a realm. We have done this sort of thing before to some extent. There is no shortage of land by any means so it is really a matter of followers, money and clout.

I will be roughly following the B/X model in that name level (level 9) will be the threshold for gaining followers, at least a good deal of them. Actual play on the regency level will be very rules light and I will be only supplying a modest amount of direction; such as castle costs, staff costs and the like. Everything else will just be too dependent on circumstances to write rules for. A Dwarf Thief with a little guild in Bohtan will be vastly different than an Elf Fighter lording over a large kingdom.

I expect this sort of play to be its own mini-game with its fair share of intrigue, politics, mass warfare mixed in with your standard D&D adventures as it suits the game. The wheels can get rolling around level 6 or so I would say, when the PCs are definitely becoming reputable and powerful. At level 9 is when it really takes off though. It would be possible to buy off title, land, and gain clout any time of course but a serious population would likely only start then.

I have plenty of experience with Birthright so this sort of game is pretty intuitive for me (in fact I am playing in a BR pbem now). Having one or just a few players will make it easier in fact, since one of the problems in Birthright is having many PCs all doing separate things. So, a solo direction will allow for better concentration of my efforts. The setting has a lot of opportunity for a fledgling lord who can perhaps make his name into a legend. I will eventually be adding in opportunities here for potential areas to ‘realm up’. Nasty places that once cleared are actually nice trading crossroads, npc that are suitable allies or enemies, lucrative ore-filled mines, a swampy-nest filled with tame hydras, and so forth.

I may eventually opt in for some more elaborate rules if indeed the game is leaning that direction heavily. This will not be in the first release of Valley of Blue Snails but it may seep in later if I find myself creating the rules for practical play. Something like influence points to manage and better allow for the player to direct his attentions, overland mage spells, faith and its power on the people, and perhaps some rough army vs army rules.

Old Age and Death

Old Age

I wanted to briefly touch on old age in Valley of Blue Snails. Old age really is only felt by Humans. Elves do not die natural deaths. Dwarves are usually quite healthy until the very end of their life. Halflings likewise sense the dread sickness and wander alone into the deep wilds to meet their doom. Human on the other hand grow sick, and slowly die over a period that could take months or years.

This is mostly a foreign concept among the other races. Non-humans treat the impaired, physically or mentally, as broken things. That is things to be cared for, but put in their place of disuse. Sort of like a broken toy to a child that lays in the chest forgotten. Most non-humans do not like to be reminded of frailty so they keep it out of sight. There are a few exceptions, notably those who still produce a valuable service, such as advice or wisdom.

For humans, old age is a family affair and the solely the families responsibility. Those without families are much worse off. Old vagrants simply live where they can; begging, thieving, catching rats and so forth. Few human realms offer any sort of funded aid for the old. Within large cities this is obvious. Old folks as well as children are very visible plucking around the streets aimlessly. The folk who are able to work are usually doing so. Non-humans find the plethora of old vagrants particularly unnerving in large human settlements.

Death

Death is slightly different in Valley of Blue Snails because of the role that spirits play. Flesh is fallible and is malleable, while on the other hand spirit is permanent and in not malleable. Men operate in a strange dichotomy since they have both. When one dies, this ends the flesh and only the spirit remains which from that point forward is an unchanging thing. Most spirits move beyond the world into the divine. Some however do not for a variety of reasons, and so most races devise traditions and rituals to prevent a spirit from lingering in the world. Various customs are involved to protect the spirit and protect the living around it:

• The Elves buried their women, but suspended their men from trees. There is no clear reason why this is so. Elves do not die naturally and very rarely from disease or other contagion. Most Elves die through war, accident or intentional acts that lead to their death.
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• Halflings believe anyone who touched a dead body would be powerless in ‘mind, tongue, and hand’. This paralysis can be inflicted by the evil spirits which were associated with the dead body. Most Halflings loath to touch the dead because of this and so their slave usually handle and bury the dead (sometimes the slaves along with them). Halfling prescience will sometimes allow them to predict their own death. When this occurs they simply wander off alone into the wilds never to be seen again.
  
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• Humans bury their men with their faces to the North and their women with their faces to the South. Small sacrifices are usually placed with the body, both by family friends and foes (who fear the spirit may return to terror them). More primitive humans will simply let the dead rot where they lay and flee in fear. Cemation is rare but not unheard of.
  
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• Dwarves will mixed the ashes of their beloved with mead and drink it. This is said to allow the spirits to recognize they are dead and move along. Dwarves also ring bronze chimes that are said to incite terror in spirits.

This does not always succeed in placating spirits and they may linger to haunt, terror or even kill. This is very dependent on the person’s life, personality and how they died. War, murder, and a host of other heinous crimes will often breed hateful spirits to tread the world. This is one reason why most races have laws in regards to foul play, deviant behavior, or crimes that could eventually allow such a thing to happen.

Death of PCs

Death for the PCs (or PC) is a bit of a conundrum in Valley of Blue Snails. If you have only one player then death ends the campaign and a lot of work along with it. Sure you can start over, but it is a lot more punishing when its all of the PCs instead of one of six PCs. Because of this I made PCs a bit more durable with allowing multi-classing and slightly better stats. I also removed save or die scenarios which I never liked anyhow. I plan to use npcs to bolster the ranks and I also plan on being more lenient on raising dead*. Still the sting of death has a good chance to show up and even with some DM fiat, things would just end. Don’t get me wrong, the PCs should feel the risk but there needs to some practicality too.

I remember an old NES game called Romance of the Three Kingdoms where PCs intentionally had large families with children so that the game could continue when the main PC died. This worked pretty well for the game in my opinion. It went so far that if your PC ignored your kids, when your kids took over they were freaking worthless mongers that would doom your game. On the other hand if you paid attention to your kids, trained them and so forth, they became worthy heirs. In some cases better than their progenitors.

So, a noble goal but hard to pull off in D&D and I will have to mull it over more. Dark Sun had character trees but the concept seemed silly to me. Something like, ‘our world is so deadly, you are likely to go through 4 characters a session!’. I am sure other games have something similar though off hand nothing comes to mind. Allowing a designated set of potential alternates of npcs whom the PC trusts seems doable though. Perhaps someone whom the PC kept up to date with, told his tales too, and likewise trusted. Old henchmen is a good idea as are followers. Children to some extent too, but that is very dependent on if the PC wanted to get into that sort of thing. It would be interesting to have the PCs plans and actions effect these alternates in a meaninful way as well. I'm not sure if any of that will happen. I suppose I will just have to see how the game goes and keep it in the back of my mind.

* Raising dead is usually very rare in my games, but another article for a later time. I will probably be allowing it, but also allow for things to go very wrong (Kadorto!). Indeed, a ritual that could led to some very nasty spirits indeed. Speaking of which, I will be going more into the malign spirits at a later date as well.

Money and Training

Money will be rather straightforward in Valley of Blue Snails. I don't care to use alternate currencies much and 1g = 10s =100c is pretty easy to remember. I probably will not use platinum except for jewelry. Value is by weight and purity, most actual prints on the coins are interchangeable in most locations. Dwarves in particular are fickle about purity. Dwarves may also alloy their gold and silver with other metal to keep them safe, then separate them at a later point.

Large denominations are usually not passed along often since they are things like plots of land, houses, titles and so forth. When they are gold bars could be pressed to weight, usually 250gp or 500gp. Peasants usually do not deal with hard currency and favor to barter. If they do have coin it is usually a small amounts to be used in dire times. Merchants and nobles use coins often and also write each other writs of property, value of title. These writs are stamped by the local lords and are essentially a written contract to be fulfilled - breaking the contract is punished harshly. Peasants and the like would never come across such a writ.

The PCs will likely have both coin and barter material. I am fond of non-coin treasure, should it be furs, gems, arts, pottery, narcotics, wines, noddles, harlots, jewels, trained squirrils and so forth. PCs could easily barter this among the general populace for whatever they need. Money can buy just about everything - land, titles, wives, slaves, assassinations, children and just about anything else. Most noble lords will tax excessively and PCs had best be wary if they intent to simply take on a huge load of treasure and walk away without paying the local lord his due. I will leave this part vague for now since it will certianly vary from place to place heavily.

As a side note training is a matter I'm considering when a PC would level up. Adding a cost involved seems to be a time-honored tradition although I'm fairly apathetic to be honest. My main interest is to keep some role-playing value involved for major occurrences. Lets say if a 2nd level Fighter picks up a level in Thief. Clearly some role-playing would be involved, and likely an entire adventure. Normal in-class leveling I will likely keep it as DM fiat. New materials will need to be bought, time to train will be devoted towards and so forth. Loose figure, 20g and 1 week per level - hardly something to worry about in terms of breaking a PCs bank.

Travel in Valley of Blue Snails

Travel in Valley of Blue Snails is usually a communal affair if one if going outside of the immediate area. Even when commoners walk to work it is usually in groups for safety. Safety from robbers, pilgrims, spirits, monsters and other malefic factors. Those who travel by themselves are seen as deviants and up to no good. Exceptions would be hermits, holy men, bards and the insane.

Commoners could expect to walk 10 miles or more per day to work and back. On rare occasions a communal wagon will be used or a donkey. Commoners almost never have a proper horse. They rarely travel more than a day or two from their home. They will on some occasions go to neighboring villages for weddings, festivities or to trade and this is usually a season event at best. The exception are Halflings which routinely wander in large groups of commons living a more nomadic lifestyle.

Nobles most often ride, and stable-craft is a serious respectable trade. Dwarven nobles usually ride carts pulled by Coelodontas, a sturdy but small variant of a rhino with a clubbed horn. Elven nobles travel far and wide, but usually do so on foot unless it is well outside of the deep woods in which they are acclimated too. Nobles usually travel more often than commoners and consider it one of the things that separates the two. Many travel simply to travel, and will pick any mundane reason to do so.

Those traveling from village to village or realm to realm could expect several options depending on the location, race and the density of populace:

Nobles Troupe - Nobles will group together for travel in well armed and ornate groups. These can come in any shape, race or size. Approaching them is usually a cautious event, as nobles are accustomed to taking slaves of those who displease them. Those who are obviously not a peasantry are occasionally invited to travel with them.

Caravanasi – Merchant clusters often as large as a village themselves have well known travel paths. They cater to all civilized realms for trade and usually allow travelers to accompany them.

Tread Toils – A traveling work community. Usually a group of villagers that travel to a work site that is a day or more from their homes. A camp is usually at the work site and they often make several stops at safe areas on their journey. The end destinations are usually quarries, mines, or other location not suited for a village.

River Barges – Seasoned and well respected barges will carry groups up and down rivers. These are usually well known operations who carefully follow the dogma of the river as to not upset the spirits therein. They can unpredictably be shut down by such dogma.

Pilgrimage – Pilgrims wander hither and too for a variety of reasons, and often to remote locations of lost battle fields, holy sites, benign spirits, or seeking knowledge of hermit-sages. They will take travelers under some conditions.

Bardic College – Small groups of Bards will travel with news, tales and song. They rarely contain more than a dozen members and are often seen as aloof groups who practice highwaymanship on the road, which is partly true. Still, they welcome travelers for a price.

Fernweh – Halflings and Elves in particular succumb to a type of wanderlust to explore the deep wilds. These groups are usually well seasoned travelers often not stopping by villages or civilizations for weeks or months. They will occasionally take on company assuming they are carrying a light load and competent.

Acadiea – Traveling Dwarven apprentices spend a year or more on the road. It is usually a mandatory to thing to see outside of ones workshop to better understand the world. They usually cluster under a chief instructor into groups of 20 to 30 apprentices. Those returning are usually granted mastership shortly thereafter and it is a time of great celebration. They troupes will take on travelers if they have some knowledge or craft to share.

Brigands – Thieves travel in groups in a number of disguises, or even openly acknowledging that they are thieves if sufficiently strong. Thieves will sometimes have a code that may or may not allow travelers to accompany them. It is still of course usually not wise to do so as these codes are likely one-sided.

Wildren – On rare occasion a large group of animals will group up and travel with towards or away from 'seomthing'. While this would certainly be an odd climate to travel among, it has been known to happen. As to why this occurs, who can say? ¹

These large groups are both a blessing and a curse. A large Caravanasi that gets little trade from a village have been known to rob the place blind and even take slaves. Pilgrims are just as likely to be brigands in robes than they are to understand any true calling. Because of this most villages are weary of outsider groups or travelers who are not expected. Especially if recent events have been unkind to a village.

Travelers who tag along with group are expected to offer a service as well as provide for themselves. This could be as simple as cooking or talking to a wagon driver, or something more involved. All passengers are naturally expected to defend the group from threats.

As for distances, 20 miles a day on foot or 40 miles a day on horse or wagon is reasonable. River boats vary heavily as to sea going vessels. The Dwarves have other complex machinery for travel but this is rarely used. Exotic mounts are not uncommon among Halflings, Elves and Dwarves although these would rarely go faster than a horse. Sea going vessels are also available, but these are usually operated by realms or very well off merchants. Few sea going vessels strictly cater to travelers.

¹ Note that animals in Valley of Blue Snails are a fair bit more intelligent than our counterparts. As for why they gather and travel, likely for the same reasons people do. If they seem intent on reaching or escaping a particular destination it is usually wise to heed their example.

Headers and Footers

Fairly busy at work for a change so I have not had time to do much. I have been thinking some headers and footers and how I want them look. I drew up an example here (click to enlarge):






Basically just a little hand sketch to go at the top of a page of the 4 season with the Oculus in the center with a blue snail. I may do something similar for the bottom if I'm ambitious. I wanted something amateurish and not overly polished since I think any artwork that goes in will clearly follow that motiff. Also I wanted some color since text can be drab page after page and I don't figure I will get a whole lot of art going. An example page is here. I will probably apply a light blue gradiant on the bottom half of the page that gets darker the further it goes down. Adobe Pro is easy enough to use that it makes such things relatively easy to change around as you go.

- OF FIGHTERS

Journal of Khazrel Nakhu “Journey to the Cities Afar” 32’s93

- OF FIGHTERS

“There are few things in this world that can not be done or undone by a group of well armed and grizzled veterans. I do not speak of levies and other armies that simply stand in line waiting to be broken, but rather the wholesome warriors who find death seemly. These are the ones that stand firm and change the world with the swing of their blade. These are the ones who find swords and blades a good alternative to otherwise vulgar affairs.”

“Among the civilized races there are some commonalities among the professional fighters. Most work for profit, and most fight for a cause. Note that these two things are hardly mutually exclusive. Most follow a liege or other strong authority. Most follow a code of conduct, although this is often very one-sided. Most find camaraderie among their sword-bearing peers, and likewise may be uncomfortable among peaceful folk. Most are a superstitious lot and pay particular attention to portents. And finally most train and hone their skills ceaselessly.”

“Aside from these shared traits I should note the many differences of warriors of the different races. Let me begin with Dwarf fighters, as they are what I am most familiar with. Most career fighters carry three weapons; one from their ancestors, one from their father in-law, and one from their spouse. The first is usually the most prized. It can take any form, but short sword, hatchets, short spears and flails are the most common. The second weapon is always a gift from a spouse’s elder or in the case of bachelors, a gift from ones mother that is often called a mellownail or a green-man’s blade. The third weapon, the one from a spouse, is likely a small blade or token weapon. These are usually returned to the spouse as proof that the mate has been slain in battle. They are also close quarter weapons where other weapon may be impractical.”

“Dwarf warriors train from early ages, although most of those who train eventually move onto other walks of life. All male Dwarves have a rudimentary understanding of warfare. Females rarely do so, although some exceptions are abound. Training consists of ancillary skills, there were long-distance foot races to teach him endurance, and races in cartwheels and somersaults to teach him balance and agility. It is not uncommon for the front row of a Dwarven line to act as shock troops and somersault and cartwheel towards an enemy. Veteran warriors are highly respected and treated with the utmost of courtesy. They are never one to be taken for granted or slighted and his dignity was to never be questioned or doubted. To do is a gross act of disrespect. After all, these fighters are the first ones to be called upon should a threat arise.

“Elves are a strange ilk and their womenfolk do most of the fighting. The men are lethargic and seem more interested in frivolous tasks and prancing rather than tasting blood. As I spoke of in my previous notes on Elves, the female are far more inclined to attempt to gain the notice from their prospective mates if they set themselves apart from their peers. Women warriors often do so with insanely foolish acts of bravery that more often sends them to an early grave. This makes them unpredictable and vicious foes. These fighters follow an agile style names Kauni, or ‘standing in ones shadow’, which is a combination of stealthy attacks, hitting vulnerable targets, and then vanishing before a counter can be launched.”

“Warrior-women have little notion of mercy. They never take slaves and only rarely take prisoners. Interlopers are usually hunted to the last man, or a few are maimed and left to escape so they can spread the tale. Elves do not have standing armies, only small tactical squads that are between 3 and 20 strong. They may have several of these per village and compete with one another often – for centuries. Thus they are among the most deadly and highly trained fighters in the world, and adept at thwarting large numbers of foes. Villages will band together in times of large strife. Elves are usually not aggressive occupiers of territory, thus have no reason for large standing armies.”

“On rare occasions a male warrior or a rogue female warrior will not participate in these assault squads. They are often seen as eccentrics, but not necessarily outcasts. More than one folk-legend is centered on a Elven hermit-warrior with unparalleled skills. Other times fighters simply move on and take their skills elsewhere. In particular recently when Elfish civil warfare has become commonplace and some view it as a pointless conflict.”

“Halfling folk operate in cavalier units and slave infantry. They usually drive their slave forces directly into harms way while harrying foes with arrows on quick moving steeds. Almost all Halfling warriors are skilled horse men and archers, and they loath melee combat due to their small stature. These tactics are undoubtedly effective albeit somewhat dishonorable to outsiders. Halflings are fond of terrorizing lesser humanoids for little reason or perhaps do so to simply be rid of unwanted slaves. In rare occasions Halflings will war against Human, Dwarf or Elf but these are thankfully uncommon and only when their sheriffs decree some need to do so as a portent. Halflings rarely seek to expand their territory as they require little space to begin with.”

“Halflings take slaves when they can and force them into an indentured servitude. While the promise of freedom is present, it rarely actually happens. Those refusing to do labor will have their feet torn off which are placed upon the boarder fences. In times of widespread conflict it would not be uncommon to have piles of feet placed upon a noticeable stone wall or the like.”

“Humans are by far the most war-like with a thirst for endless conflicts between their kind and just about anyone who boarders them. Their armies are usually ill equipped, easily broken, and prone to take heavy casualties. The exception is when a particularly strong ruler is properly motivated and has the means to raise a frighteningly large force with sufficient veterans to be a serious threat to any foes. These large armies can cause swath of unparalleled destruction even though they are short lived.”

“Human villages prize individual champions which fight solo battles versus other village champions. This is done to avoid prolonged or large scale conflicts. These fighters are highly prized and are the best trained the best equipped fighter of the village. On the other end of the spectrum, landed noble men are usually trained in battle as knights and are adept at forming and leading levied armies. Knights may homage to a futher liege and eventually the emperor – until recently that is.”

“Human tend to be expansionist and are usually check my other races when they move their gaze outwards. This so far has wrought a grudgingly mutual respect among the civilized races. It has also caused most human conflicts to be directed internally rather than towards other races. The deep wilds also tend to thwart most attempts at claiming new territory. Old forbidding threats in the deeps will quickly break even the best trained force pushing too deep, and so most of the world’s land is free of civilized men.”

From a mechanical point of view, Fighters will be changed little from their B/X core. I will allow them to roll 2 damage dice and pick the highest for two-handed weapons or using two weapons. In the case of two weapons, the appropriate die type would be used. Since so few things change Armor Class I think this is a good trade out for a shield. Critical hits I am still mulling over but I will likely use double damage on a natural 20. It just seems intuitive for me even though it was never really intended for B/X.

Raelenac – Village in the Sand

Raelenac is one of the few Halfling villages that is well known to travelers and openly welcomes them. The village is part of the Halfling enclaves east of the Plateau of Gnaeun and the roads that go to and fro can be treacherous for the ill prepared. Merchants, nobles, pilgrims, and those seeking worldly pleasures risk the journey at all times of the year however. Raelenac is not a thriving trade port, nor is it in a particularly good crossroads. It is however renounced for its mineral hot springs and strange metals that seep into the water and sands.

Raelenac sits on the shores of a large lake in a deep wintry valley. The hot springs thaw the valley and form numerous natural pools that are speckled with metallic flecks. The sandy beaches are partially mineralized and most of the village structures use a combination of hard woods and sand. This creates the appearance of well crafted and life-sized sand castles. The structures are remarkably resilient and very malleable to different shapes and types of architecture. The weight of the sand does not permit buildings to be built on anything but the strongest bedrock however, so space is limited and only about two dozen sand structures exist. A good number of decorative sand sculptures landscape the area which depict famous Halfling folk-lore.

While the buildings of Raelenac are definitely an oddity, the true prize within is the large deposits of loadstone beneath the village deep under the sands. The quantities are so high that in some places that metal will be repelled and blocks of nickel hover silently above the ground. The loadstone is so prevalent that the air is constantly saturated with static electricity. Every unpadded footstep upon the flecked sands brings a mild shock, as does touching any metal surface or any person. The dwellers of Raelenac are all but ignorant of the effect after a lifetime of contact with it. Travelers consider the effect exotic and mildly intoxicating, at least at first. Over several days the effect quickly turns annoying and downright maddening.

This has turned Raelenac into a mysterious attraction among wealthy human nobles, well to-do merchants, and Elf courtiers wishing to gain the notice of their prospective mate. Some come for the supposed health benefits of the pools, some come for the grand amenities, and others come for the exotic mild shocks of physical contact in Raelenac. Whatever the reason the Halflings of Raelenac are happy to oblige and welcome visitors with many amenities for noble tastes. Lodges, wine galleries, exotic foods, strange slaves, and lake side tours are all common place. There is said to be elements of forbidden pleasures, but these are naturally not advertised – nymph baths, water-monkey duels, laced deathcaps, and the most exotic joy-girls one could imagine. Of course this is but speculation and rumor.

The wilderness around Raelenac is primarily taiga mixed with silver trees and high snow-topped peaks. The lake marks the bottom of the valley and is several miles across. The far side of the lake is considered deep wilderness and dangerous terrain. Lake side tours usually go no more than a mile, and even then a couple never return. Small rivers, boiling pots, mineral pools, geysers and other thermal sites coat the landscape. No grass grows and shrubs are rare in favor of lichens and moss. The deep steam pools are faintly electric. An unprepared dip into a pool can be painful if one is not carefully acclimated first. This is true with the lake itself to a lesser extent and it is known to have some particular ‘hot spots’ in the deeper reaches where the electric properties can kill. Other hazards are also present in the form of bubbling pots, sulfurous geysers, and boiling mud pools. These are usually easily avoidable but strange creatures occasionally lurk within and are known to drag wanderers to their doom. More than one tale of moss monsters and geyser-morays exist in Raelenac folk-lore.

Of particular note are the carp-creatures of the lake. These large boneless fish with flabby flesh and yellow-gold scales. They are elegant creatures in the water but awkward and writhing upon the land. They are highly protective of their egg clusters which they seem to lay in random areas along the lake and lake shore. This has created many accidental conflicts with the creatures, which attack in bezerk masses using sharpened abalone shells to hack apart their prey.

In the deeper recesses of the lake, meglo-coy drift aimlessly in the heated waters. The upper bridge of their body remains above water and is an ideal habitat for the carp-men to dwell. Although not terribly large, it does serve as a mobile floating island and it is large enough for a dozen muddy pods and egg pools to sit upon. The meglo-coy do not seem to mind and in fact seem to encourage the dwellings as it prevents painful parasites from infesting them. The meglo-coy are otherwise harmless creatures, albeit frightening to behold.

Steam turtles also inhabit the lake and will attack those who stray too near with heated steam blasts and sharp beaks. Their shells are high prized as cooking utensils since they are very durable among the heat. Their meat is quite scrumptious and is usually served in their own shells with a mix of shellfish, butter, and garlic. Turtle hunting expeditions are common excursions in which to take the adventurous nobility upon. The turtles sun themselves on large rocks and are usually easy pickings. Usually but not always, and some of these expeditions never return thus well armed escorts are often in demand. Some of the more ambitious expeditions hunt more formidable prey.

This is loosely modeled after Harrison Hotsprings in Canada which I visited. The Canadians are similiar to the carp-men of course.