Here is a write up for one of the NPC villains mentioned above. I think he is a good example of letting the story play out naturally. Rothren was secretly working with the bad guys (goblins) against the party (humanity). I might have assumed that the party would figure that out leading to a cool confrontation and epic battle. Instead they kept helping him and by the time they figured it out he was inaccessible, and he later became on political enemy.
Rothren
Wizard
Year: c920 to 998
The principle leader of goblin forces in Delmorr during the First Goblin War, he was a Transmuter who magically altered goblins to be more effective combatants. During the early part of the war, he was assumed to be loyal to humanity and the Greater Soldiers actually led refugees to his stronghold for safe harbor, additionally Rothren tricked the Greater Soldiers into helping him create potions that he used to further augmented the goblins. He was never defeated, but military losses in the field caused him to abandon the goblins. He returned to active participation in the Conclave dying under suspicious circumstances in 998.
You know how your party is always finding ancient ruined libraries, or temple libraries, or sneaking into a merchant’s library. And someone picks up a book and want to know the title?
I want to have a list of in-world books some of whose titles, subjects, and author’s tie into the Lore of the world.
Ignimian Proverbs
Editor: Ignimius
Year: 18
A collection of short sayings that are meant to elucidate a point of wisdom or doctrine of the Church of Ignimius. Most of the sayings are not authored by Ignimius, but rather compiled and condoned by him. The work contains such saying as; “Greatness obscures many vices”, “The brave win the fight, the wise the battle, the meticulous the war, the intransigent an empire”, “Saying without doing is the greatest deception”, "Character is destiny”, "All that glitters is gold”, “Plans are worthless, planning is everything”, and “Fear the man in search of mercy.”
Day: 13b
I am adding a mechanic to my game where you can learn secret knowledge (generally from books) that gives you mechanical benefits (generally for wizards). This aren’t magic books, just books that contain information you didn’t have before and let you do something you couldn’t do before. Here is the rule and an example.
Arcane Secrets: Books of arcane secrets contain information about the workings of magic that is beyond what the average wizard knows. Once a wizard learns these secrets, they permanently gain some mechanical benefit.
The specific benefit granted will be given in the description of the book. The wizard may try to learn arcane secrets from the book as many times as he likes. The first attempt takes 10 hours of study, the second 100 hours, the third 1000, etc. After each attempt the wizard takes both an unmodified learn spell role and a spell casting check. If both pass the wizard learns the arcane secret and gains the mechanical benefit. If the wizard succeeds in learning from a book multiple times all benefits are doubled, or tripled, etc.
Conflagration
Author: Dlem
Year: 48
This book explains a strange, nonstandard, and reckless method for controlling magical energies meant to attack with fire. The language is flowery, even poetic, making the work pleasing to read while sometimes making it harder to understand.
Arcane Secrets: When casting a spell that directly attacks with fire, the caster may automatically pass their Spell Casting Check (or if using a scroll, their chance of failure) but there is a 1 in 10 chance that the spell affects the caster as well as the target(s). Learning from this book multiple times lowers this chance to 1 in 20, or 1 in 30. If the reader does not have a skill that gives them a solid understanding of poetry, checks to learn from this book are made with a -10%.
I was able to make up quite a few books today, but I’ll stop posting them.
The Insidious Good
Author: Pn. Orile
Year: 293
A dense and technical philosophical treatise, the thesis of The Insidious Good is that the inherent goodness of the elves allowed the world to degrade into vice and evil, but that the diligent effort of humans built a civilization where the innocent are protected. Secondarily, it states that man, unlike other races, is both intrinsically good and evil; having a conscious to guide them to virtue as well as base urges pulling them to vice. In its closing it uses all this to show that correct action motivated by inclination is undesirable compared to correct action motivated by duty.
Day 14
Here is a write up for Frizen the Coin Maker, mentioned above, and the story of how a PC was almost killed for making a magical item for his powerful patreon.
Frizin the Coin Maker
Dwarf
Year: Killed 993
A malformed and insane dwarf, Frizin was one of the major goblin leaders in the First Goblin War. Based in an iron, copper, and silver mine in the New Goblin Mountains he made weapons and armor for the goblin forces. He also minted coins, earning him his moniker. He used humans as slave labor, some of whom the Greater Soldiers rescued in 992. They later returned and killed Frizin (32 Num 994).
Gareth the Gnome
Gnome
Year: c993
Gareth was a Gnomish priest that traveled with the Greater Soldiers. Gareth proved very valuable during several of the Greater Soldier’s exploits including rescuing the survivors of the siege of Castlemaine, where he scouted the keep in the guise of a wren and located the survivors.
Gareth (the Gnome)'s Amazing Shortsword
Magic item
Year: Created Sept 993
While the Greater Soldiers were campaigning with the legions during the First Goblin War, Gareth offered to make a magical short sword for use in the war. With the permission of Imperator Rufus Tiberius Publius, the legions funded its creation and collected the required materials (losing several men in the process). One of the requirements for the sword’s enchantment was total secrecy about its construction and function. When the sword was revealed to Rufus it was sized for a gnome and its only magical ability was that when you looked at your reflection in its mirrored blade your reflection smiled dumbly and waved too enthusiastically back at you. Rufus threatened to Kill Gareth. The rest of The Greater Soldiers quickly ushered him away. Gareth maintained that it was just a misunderstanding, and he hadn’t had time to explain the obviously amazing property of the sword.
Here is another book write up that I particularly like, its a bit dark.
Banric’s Explorations
Author: Banric the Cursed
Year: 615
This book details discoveries concerning the nature of the soul and spirit, made by Banric the Cursed, a Necromancer, during and after his time adventuring in Gent. Much time is spent on how the soul can be manipulated by magical forces. Only halfway through reading this book does it become clear that the information within it was learned by vivisecting humans.
Arcane Secrets: If the target is an intelligent humanoid (not a dwarf) the duration of Magic Mark is increased by 4 days, and the targets of Damn, Speak with the Damned, and Soul Transfer receives a -10% to their Resistance checks.
Day 15b
Pn is an abbreviation for Paragon, a religious designation in the Church of Ignimius meaning that the person is a revered hero of the past.
Pn. Gosfrid
Priest
Year: c315
A virtuous priest who was unjustly buried in an unconsecrated cemetery. The injustice was discovered and remedied, after which visions of Gosfrid started appearing in other cemeteries. A custom of placing statues and images of Gosfrid in unconsecrated cemeteries to ward against the evil within soon started and spread from southern Gent to the rest of the world by 425.
HAH, I can see that. But in my world Dwarves doesn’t have spirits of souls so the benefits you get from “Banric’s Explorations” wouldn’t Affect Dwarves. You couldn’t even cast Damn, Speak with the Damned, or Soul Transfer on a dwarf anyway.
Since Todd talked about my Arcane Secrets rule I’ll post one of the other books I made. I might post a comment on the video explaining it more too.
The Frustration of Light
Author: Wastrum the Waning
Year: 265
This work delves deeply and broadly into the theory behind how non-magic light can be manipulated or redirected. Although it is not a work of moral philosophy, it couches that information in the moral language that hints that the author sees light of a force for good.
Arcane Secrets: +25% to lean spell rolls for Fade, Invisibility, Object, and Invisibility. When using Fade the chance of an automatic miss goes up by 5%.
Below is the most famous paladin in my world, at least until Bram the Malkavian hit the scene
Sir Curt Longfellow (Pn.)
Paladin
Year: -8 to 20
Sir Curt was a paladin and the bodyguard of Ignimius during his early campaigns. Sir Curt lost his faith in both Ignimius and Valroon faith after a powerful priest of Eshrenel was able to overcome his miracles. He was killed soon after by that cult. Because of this fall a custom started among paladins whereby they greet each other with the warning “Remember Sir, Curt.” It is a remembrance of human frailty, and how even the best of us can fail. It is extremely insulting for anyone else to say this to a paladin. Sir Curt’s platemail is a powerful relic that assists in protecting others. Brune Silversmith and Bram I wore this armor late in their travels.
I think I am going work on some demon/celestial being lore. I’m very pleased with this one.
Uxor
Greater Celestial Being
Year: NA
Called the Wife of All Kings, Uxor is the source of all legitimate human sovereignty. In the West the coronations of Kings take the form of a literal marriage ceremony between the new King and Uxor. The marriage is entirely real, a divorce is granted by the Church soon after. Sovereign Queens also go through a marriage to Uxor who is sometimes presented in a male persona, sometimes not.
DMMC couldn’t log into the forumn at work today so he emailed me the Lore24 posting.
Day 19
Another Celestial Being. This one really benefitted from this process of editing and compiling.
Ara
Greater Celestial Being
Year: NA
The construction of the Temple of Ignimius the Divine was a monumental cultural achievement of humanity, completed by the Church of Ignimius. Accomplished through force of will and ingenuity, it attracted the attention of Paradise. During the temple’s construction it was attacked several times by the Conclave. But at its completion the Celestial Being Ara swore never to leave the structure and protect those inside. In addition to defending the temple she is seen as a ward against wizards and their evils in general. Her iconography includes an Ionic column and an architect’s square.
A Celestial Being associated with warriors and personal combat, Cellik is said to physically oppose demonic action in the world. He is appealed to during exorcisms and when people suspect direct demonic influence. He is assisted by Temuluk, who is thought of as his squire or lieutenant. His iconography includes a claymore that’s blade glows like lightening and bronze breastplate.
Temuluk is associated with squires, shield bearers, and more abstractly with apprentices and assistants in general. He assists Cellik with the physical opposition of demonic influence in the world. Temuluk sometimes acts alone under Cellik’s orders but most often acts as his shield bearer/squire, physically assisting him in combat. According to legend, Temuluk personally protected and inspired Talis Lore. His iconography includes a large shield embossed with the image of a glowing claymore and an armored boot (a sabaton).
Working on some stuff that will actually be directly used in my next campaign.
Lighthouses of Attalis IV
Buildings
Year: c175
Called the Great Lighthouses of Attalis IV, or the Three Lighthouses of Attalis IV, they allow relatively save travel through the Straits of the Bull between the Second Sea and Ocean. One sits at each end of the strait and a third marks a dangerous middle section. Without these navigational aids the world’s trade network would be virtually cut in two.
Later thought of as a king, Attalis IV was actually a provincial governor of Minos who ruled at least 100 years before Minos became a Kingdom. He was gifted in both politics and administration. Several large maritime infrastructure projects were completed under his direction that calcified Minoan dominance over the seas, typified by the Great Lighthouses of Attalis IV. The first royal dynasty of Minos claimed descendance from Attalis IV.
On the Nature of Tides
Author: Pn. Orile
Year: 280
The first 3/4th of this book is a reference manual filled with practical information about tides, coastal weather, and the interactions between the two. The last quarter of the book is a metaphysical text dealing with the supernatural and the sea. It posits that tides are caused by the movement of the sea floor, contradicting the Church of Ignimius that teaches tides are caused by the breathing of the Dragon under the sea.
If a course can be plotted ahead of time and this work references, the GM may give Navigation Checks a +10%.
