A medieval fantasy roleplaying world for use with the Duration RPG system By Colin Stewart Designer Notes: This work commenced late summer of 1988 (around January). t has !een my medie"al fantasy world for all games e"er since# no matter what the system of game mechanics were used in the session. hope it inspires you to many hours of enjoyment. Throughout this work you may notice that focus on the countries of ron &law and its 'orderlands# (hilo# )rakmoor# and to a lesser e*tent# +ekong ,eldeng# -ast slands# .erromaine and Norg /olvm. This is a !ias to cultures that ha"e a more open $olicy to tra"ellers# e"en if it is gold that makes the !orders o$en. The reason is that it makes a tra"elling campaign (ie. 0 game where characters are not o$erating solely in one domain) a great deal easier to construct and play. )hara Thel's shape has !een re"ised a few times o"er the decades and now am ha$$y with its shape and si2e. The world!ooks try to outline the regions# kingdoms and em$ires with enough fla"our and detail to allow others to create gaming e*$eriences of their own. ha"e no way of knowing if it is my setting or my 3+1ing that makes this world so much fun to come !ack to. +y sincerest wish is that you# reader# gain en%oyment from "isiting )hara Thel. KHARA THEL HISTORY THEL’ S REVELATION The age of the 4ail is marked !y the appearance of Thel to peoples of .erromaine and (hangan. The recei"ers of the holy "isage were instructed to 54ail where the sea meets the mouth of a great ri"er through fangs of granite# here shall !e the holy land of my chosen people. 6ou who recei"e this truth must ins$ire as many as $ossi!le to settle here in peace and harmony with the land itself5. The people instructed to lead the e*$loration were also gi"en a glimmering sense of direction to this land and they undertook their journey without fear. t is said that some# such as )hafkhan of (hrad# e"en knew what trou!les they would encounter on their "oyage and thus how to defend themselves. +any people found ri"ers that passed through granite fangs (chunks of granite rock on the shore of the ri"er) and settled there thinking that was the chosen site in Thel7s re"elation. 4ome cities that come out of this e*ploration: (hrad# .erris# 4alt89# Da Dong# (ort :enongard# Nihles and (ort .ennen. PRELUDE TO THE GREAT PLAGUE ;rought with the conflict of settling new lands and the "ying for these lands control the (relude to the 3reat (lague was rife with small wars and skirmishes fuelled !y greed or hunger. +any were killed and many more star"ed. (oor planning# under8 su$$ly and new diseases took a hea"y toll on the settlers and colonials from the old countries of .erromaine and (hangan. <ut of such settlement the )ingdom of ron &law was forged as a country rich with ore and mining towns seeking this commodity spread like fungus through the mountains and to the edges of the 3reat (lains. The encroachment on hill giant territory !egan wars and skirmishes. 0 !order was forced near the northern coast and with it recognition of hill giant so"ereignty. ;ithin the century $eaceful trade was esta!lished !etween the kingdom and the 3iants. .urther e*ploration encountered the Deep :akes and drakes were seen fathoms !elow the surface of the dark still waters. 0 trail was made to the -ndear ,i"er where a trading $ost was esta!lished. -nterprising groups founded a "allenwood milling operation and the tim!er !uilt .ielding into a town# and e*panded the capital ron &law &ity !ack on the !ay. New towns spread along the south coast from east of the Deep :akes until a region of downs dotted with ancient !arrows was encountered. No settlement on the 'arrow :ands could sur"i"e the winter solstice. 4torms that raged u$ from the great !ay of &arnar"on caused flooding in many of the new towns and this com!ined with the 'arrow :ands pre"ented the south coast from !ecoming pacified. The pestilence that followed these e"ents !roke the settlers7 spirits. +any returned to the capital carrying disease and insanity. 0 pass through the central mountains to -ndear was found and the esta!lishment of .ielding as a major agricultural centre and !ase point for more inland e*ploration lead to more growth. 4ea8!ound e*plorers disco"ered the .erris ,i"er delta. The worn spires of old "olcanoes inspired the crew to stay !ehind claiming that this was the holy land as prophesised in Thel’s re"elation. +ere days after the ships departed )rakmoor e*plorers located the delta and then slaughtered the settlers in the !elief it was the holy land !ut deser"ed !y them alone. This escalated to a full war !etween the still-young kingdom of ron &law and the esta!lished might of )rakmoor. 0ttrition was costing the ron &law side terri!ly and it only let up when ci"il war erupted !etween the two cities that co"ered the )rakmoor ,i"er: )rakmoor and (hilo. The &hurch of the ,ose !ecame in"olved in the ci"il war !etween (hilo and )rakmoor. They sided with the $oor in (hilo and# after the incident at the Na"igator7s 3uild# the higher priests !uried the )rakmoor &airn of Destiny. <"er the coming weeks a foundation was laid and then the faithful !uilt a &athedral atop the &airn7s site to pre"ent another king completing the ,itual of &rowning. To this day there has still ne"er !een a mem!er of )rakmoor royalty to claim the title of )ing for without the ,itual of &rowning it is a false claim that can easily !e contested under )rakmoor traditional law. 0ll rulers of )rakmoor ha"e settled with the title of Duke. .rom those woeful times the 3reat (lague issued forth from the piles of dead in (hilo and )rakmoor. t tra"ersed the many oceans on merchant "essels and rogue ships. No countries were spared its wrath= the &ult of 6arggut ensured this# !efore it was destroyed. THE EMPIRE OF RED BLUFF Decades after the 3reat (lague the colonists of (hrad !attled a 'ehemoth dragon. 0fter )hafkan7s great sacrifice to protect the city state of (hrad the militia managed to dri"e !ack the 'ehemoth dragon into the !adlands. Thousands were slain and the creature ra2ed all of (hrad on the west of the ri"er and a great portion of that on the east. Thereafter &offin /ill was transformed from a tiny copper mining settlement to a hea"ily fortified town to watch and warn should the !east return. The surprise attack of 3o!lin /ordes on .erromaine7s capital -*celsior marked the !eginning of the ,ed 'luff -m$ire7s rise to domination. The $eriod that followed was one of darkness and war for those surface $eoples who cra"ed peace and prosperity. The 3o!lin /ordes rose up from their deep fortresses and con>uered all surface ca$itols. 'acked !y the might of -!ercal’s magic and scores of powerful demons they were unstoppa!le in their seemingly limitless thirst for con>uest. +any surface lands were con>uered or forced to ca$itulate to the ne"er8ending tide of 3o!lin troops. ron &law# )rakmoor# (hilo# +ekong ,eldeng# and .erromaine were paying great tri!utes to li"e without hordes of 3o!lins ra2ing their lands. 0ll this wilted as !aseless good fortune compared to the -ast slands. They did not pay tri!ute and armies of automatons and magical siege engines ruined their cities. Terri!le stone juggernauts under -!ercal’s command destroyed the ca$ital of -ast slands# +etropolis# and e"ery last settlement within twenty leagues. 4tatesmen remaining on the -ast slands saw fit to pay tri!ute e"en if only so they could li"e and their progeny fight the 3o!lin /ordes some time in the future. 'ut for many decades thousands of tons of precious metals# gems and goods flowed !y sea# magic or road# to the coffers of ,ed 'luff= home of the 3o!lin /ordes. The ,ed 'luff -mpire had !een esta!lished for fifty years when guerrilla fighters harassing forces from ,ed 'luff found information on a dead 'lakh that re"ealed -!ercal had taken payment and left the ,ed 'luff dee$s for 0rntha*. The terri!le mage was no longer part of the ,ed 'luff forces. ;ith newfound hope the ;ar for .reedom !egan. +ighty !attles raged across many lands# fighting !ack the orcs# go!lins and trolls# to free the surface peoples from their yokes. 0 com!ined army of ron &law ? .erromaine regulars# (hilo hire8swords and +ekong8,eldeng no!le warriors forced the go!linoid forces out of the ;ilds of ron &law and !ack into their mountain citadel. The march was ended there in a three8week standoff that left many of the attackers dead. n those three weeks only a handful of warriors managed to enter the ,ed 'luff citadel and none of them re8emerged. t was !arely a year later when food in )rakmoor grew scarce as !light wreaked ha"oc with their cro$s. <"erta*ed farmers could not feed themselves and a famine erupted spreading terri!le epidemics amongst many star"ing people.