The basics will be that the King has issued a call for the exploration and taming of the western wilderness after escalating reports of banditry.
It has been suggested (aka ordered) to Savio by Count Cadarro (aka his uncle) that after the events of his last adventure it may be wise to lay low for a while, and that dealing with bandits in the western wilderness is a great way to achieve this. His mother has agreed, seeing it as a way for Savio to earn increased lands and titles. The throne is pleased to have him involved, given the reports of his heroics in his last adventure (which some nobles privately question), his discretion in handling the matter of the cannibalistic nobleman in the western county (which only some know about), his previous experience dealing with bandits, and his success in keeping the dwarven "ambassador" Kestrel happy, healthy, and out of their hair.
Character Creation Guidelines:
No 3PP.
25 point stat buy.
Background Skills will be used, as will Unchained rules for skills; the Signature Skill feat may be taken multiple times and applied to a different skill each time.
Allowed Races: human, dwarf, orc, half-orc, gnome. Alternate racial traits may be taken if desired. As play progresses, new races will be made available for any new/replacement PCs (in case of character death or multi-party adventuring.)
Allowed Classes: any except Summoner and Gunslinger.
Starting Level: 3.
Hit Points: Max at 1st level, may choose to either take an automatic 1/2 + 1 of die (ie d6 = 4) or the result of a die roll at each subsequent level.
Traits: 2, may take a single Disadvantage. Will also have campaign traits to pick from/assigned to you.
Gear: 3,000 gp worth of gear, no single item may be worth more than 1,500. On top of this you may take up to an additional 500 gp in disposable equipment, ie potions, scrolls, healing kits, etc - anything with a limited number of uses.
Campaign Traits:
Savio: Scion of House Vipera. You deal +2 damage when attacking a flat-footed opponent while wielding a light or one-handed weapon.
Heinrich: Scion of House Koenig. You gain a +1 trait bonus on your CMD. In addition, choose Diplomacy, Knowledge: Religion, or Sense Motive — you gain a +1 trait bonus on this skill.
Campaign World
Geography:
The human kingdom, Erobern, is based on a medieval European feudal monarchy model, and dominates it's region.
Borders
North: A large mountain range, inhabited by the dwarves, whom are under the kingdom's control.
East: A sea/ocean.
South: Arid desert/badlands, uninhabited. The kingdom recently conquered the orcish tribes which lived in the hills just north of the desert.
West: Wilderness, known to be inhabited by strange and dangerous creatures. Until recently was largely ignored, however bandit activity across the western frontier has greatly increased over the past year, with the local authorities unable to effectively stop the attacks.
Other Regions
The only other known civilization is on the far side of the southern desert, another human kingdom similar in political organization, ie a feudal monarchy, but flavored more like feudal Japan. Relations with this kingdom are tepid, with infrequent communication between the two. The desert has proved too dangerous, due to climate and monsters, for any sort of regular trade route to be established. Currently your kingdom has a limited navy, and contact by sea is also infrequent, both due to the normal dangers of sea travel (weather, sea monsters, etc) and a general disinterest in showing them your naval capabilities.
The dwarves were once ruled by a dragon they worshipped as a god, but the current king's father slew said dragon and annexed the dwarves. As mentioned above, there were once orcish tribes to the south, but the current king conquered them within the past 5-10 years. It's not really known what lies in the western wilderness, nor what lies past the mountains to the north, nor quite how big the rival human kingdom to the far south is.
Noble Houses:
The kingdom is divided into 6 Duchies, each controlled by a different noble House. Marriage between houses is not uncommon, though is most often done between a high ranking and a low ranking noble, often as part of some alliance or treaty between the two families. There are also lesser aristocracy, generally related to one of the great Houses through a distant relative.
The Duke rules his duchy, with his wife being the Duchess. Counts rule their counties, reporting to the Duke, and their wives are Countesses. The direct male Duchal heir (aka the Duke's son) is a Prince; if there is no male heir, the female "heir" (Duke's daughter) is a Princess - while she will never rule her home duchy, her standing is worthy to marry into the highest ranks of the aristocracy. A Count's son who has land is an Earl. A Duke's daughter when he has one or more sons is a Marquesse; a Count's daughter who stands to inherit land is a Viscountess, and her husband would become Viscount of those lands, answerable to the Count of those lands. All other nobility without lands are Lord or Lady.
Minor aristocrats, those with wealth and breeding but without rule over any lands but their own homes, are referred to with a variety of titles based on their duchy of residence.
Noble houses each have a traditional specialty/area of expertise which they contribute to the kingdom, as well as traditional values which they aspire to.
Noble Houses
House Koenig, the Royal House. Specialty: Divine Magic and Cavalry. Values: Piety and Glory. Control the capital city and surrounding area, located on a large lake central to the kingdom. The royal line has been responsible for conquering/uniting the kingdom over the past three centuries. They worship a good-aligned god whose portfolio includes rightful rule, conquest, and conversion of heathens. Kings of old have included clerics, oracles, and paladins.
House Vipera. Specialty: Spying & Assassination. Values: Skill and Cunning. Traditionally the ambassadors of the kingdom, they were historically the first to willingly acquiesce to the rule of the royal family. They excel at diplomacy and spying (including information gathering, theft/kidnap, sabotage, and when needed, assassination). Understandably the least trusted by the other noble families. Savio is related to House Vipera through his mother and is 13th in line for the Duchal seat; as such, he stands to inherit nothing beyond what he already has, barring an unlikely genocide upon his uncles and cousins. Inspired by Renaissance era Italy/Venice/Machiavellian-types.
House Arcanos. Specialty: Arcane Magic. Values: Genius and Knowledge. Traditionally the suppliers of arcane power and knowledge when called upon. One of the last groups conquered, the Arcanos are by and large left to their own devices by the other families, including the royal line, and seem content to seclude themselves in the study of magic. Duke Arcanos is approaching his 100th year and has 27 official male heirs; Savio's friend Arcos Arcanos is among the youngest of these heirs and furthermore decided to buck family tradition and develop an irregular practice of arcane magic, and as such is in much the same boat as Savio, inheritance-wise. The House Arcanos also oversees the operations at Dwarfhome.
House Thargrum. Specialty: Infantry and Seafaring. Values: Honor and Duty. The first culture conquered, and one similar to the royal family itself. This family has supplied the kingdom’s elite infantry and the royal family’s honor guard, and follows a warrior's code of honor. They have seen their influence slowly diminish with each new conquest, however, and now fight vehemently against the inclusion of orcs in the kingdom's fighting forces, as well as against the creation of a dwarven nobility/county. Some, however, instead seek to develop their peoples' ancient traditions of fishing and sailing into a new position of strength and influence within the kingdom. Inspired by the vikings.
House Helmswright. Specialty: Wealth & Commerce. Values: Foresight and Insight. The wealth of House Helmwright is second only to that of House Koenig, and some would argue that’s only due to their relatively recent acquisition of a dragon’s hoard. The founders of this House were originally war profiteers, playing both sides when the kingdom went to war with their people; when the kingdom won, the king seized all their assets to fund his next campaign, but granted them lands and titles. They have since made back their money a thousandfold through shrewd management of various mercantile interests; it is said that they get a silver of every gold given to travelling merchants.
House Falstein. Specialty: Scouting and Hunting. Values: Strength and Self-Reliance. Originally an especially barbaric and heathen people, the members of House Falstein turned on their own people and aided the kingdom’s conquest in exchange for land and titles. Their lands remain somewhat wild, and seem unusually bereft of valuable resources save gemstones, until recently. It was in the Duchy Falstein that Savio slew a strange earth-spirit which transformed much of the Duchy’s mined gems into quartz, a blow which has sent them reeling economically.
House Smythe. Specialty: Agriculture and Labor. Values: Honesty and Industriousness. The peoples of House Smythe are the most recent humans conquered (just over a century ago), and gladly accepted the yoke of the kingdom’s rule in exchange for protection from the orcs that bordered them. A peaceful, hardworking people, known for their aversion to risk. The Duchy Smythe is not the most fertile, but produces the most crops in the kingdom due to their farming expertise.
House Vipera:
The current Duke has three children and three grandchildren in addition to two brothers, the Counts Cadarro and Rafael, one uncle, Count Carlo, and one sister, the Marquesse Isabella. Count Rafael has three children and one grandchild of his own, and Count Carlo has three children, while the Marquesse has two children: Savio and his sister Maria.
Variant Combat Feat Rules:
Any feat that normally applies to a single weapon instead applies to all weapons in that weapon group, such as Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization.
Combat Expertise, Deadly Aim, and Power Attack no longer exist, and are removed as a prerequisite for any other feats. Instead, the benefits of these feats are combat options open to all characters.
Point Blank Shot no longer exists; any feat which lists it as a prereq now requires Precise Shot instead (except, obviously, for Precise Shot itself.)
Weapon Finesse is no longer a feat; instead, all weapons the feat would normally apply to gain the 'finesse' quality, which allows a wielder to use their Dex bonus to hit if they so choose.
Agile Maneuvers no longer exists; instead, one adds their Dex bonus to their CMB when using a finesse weapon and applying their Dex bonus to hit, and their Str bonus on all other attacks as normal.
Dodge now gives the benefits of both the Dodge and Mobility feats; as such, Mobility is no longer a separate feat.
Deft Maneuvers(new!) replaces the Improved Trip, Improved Disarm, Improved Dirty Trick, Improved Feint, Improved Reposition, and Improved Steal feats, granting a +2 bonus on checks with these maneuvers and becoming the prereq for the relevant Greater combat maneuver feats.
Powerful Maneuvers(new!) replaces the Improved Bull Rush, Improved Drag, Improved Overrun, and Improved Sunder feats and functions in a similar manner to Deft Maneuvers above.
Languages:
The people of the kingdom speak what we'll call Common. By and large the people of the kingdom are serfs, and can't read or write, let alone speak some foreign tongue. The educated, however, may know several languages; below they are divided into categories, though a character may take any language which isn't stated as being unavailable.
CHURCH
Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal - languages by and large known only to members of the church and taught so as to identify and parley with otherworldly allies and enemies, they are rarely used, but certainly prove advantageous to know when the need arises.
HOUSES
Each House has it's own language dating back to their pre-kingdom era. While not exactly secret, it is rarely taught to outsiders, and some are not even shared outside the immediate ruling family.
Anyone may take:
Smythian, which is still in common use by the people of Duchy Smythe amongst themselves due in large part for it's specificity when it comes to soil, plants, and weather.
Helmish, which is the language of House Helmswright merchants, and is especially adept at conveying value and units of measure.
Savio may take Viperan if he would like, taught to him by his mother.
Heinrich is too far removed to have been taught Koenigsprache.
Draconic - not especially useful since the only known dragon was killed several decades ago, but a favorite of House Arcanos.
Dwarven - another House Arcanos favorite; dwarves are not seen outside their home county (Arcanos), and so this is only slightly more useful than Draconic.
Duchy Helmswright:
Auran - another language used mostly by merchants, this language is frowned upon by the church.
Duchy Thargrum:
Aquan - effectively the secret language of sailors, this language is frowned upon by the church, though any could learn it at the docks.
Duchy Smythe:
Terran - used amongst some farmers, this language is frowned upon by the church.
Orcish - having shared a border with the lands of the orcs for centuries, many have learned the language of their ancestral enemies.
Duchy Vipera has no particular regional languages, beyond that of Smythian, whose county borders them to the south.
Duchy Falstein:
Giantish - used primarily amongst hunters and trappers; a throwback to the days when ogres and hill giants were prevalent in the northwestern region over a century ago.
Earl Flavius Arcanos, powerful wizard, 7th in line for Duchal seat.
Lady Maria Arcanos (nee Ingannatore), Savio’s sister. (need brother-in-law)
House Falstein
Wagner Falstein, cannibal occultist (deceased)
House Helmswright
Kevin Helmswright, clever opportunist and merchant.
House Koenig
Jonas Koenig, royal heir and High Priest of Siegot
House Smythe
Brandon Smythe, orator and master negotiator.
House Thargrum
Hrolf Sturgrim, outcast bounty hunter.
House Vipera
Duke Martino Vipera,
Count Umberto Vipera, Grand Diplomat of the Kingdom.
Count Cadarro Vipera, Duchal Spymaster.
Count Rafael Vipera,
Marquesse Isabella Ingannatore, Savio’s mother.
Lord Santi Ingannatore, Savio’s father (deceased)
Horatio Ignassi, cousin and swordmaster of Count Cadarro; Duchal Assassin.
Savio's Adventures Thus Far:
In addition to errands for Count Cadarro involving the delivery of secret letters and packages, the details of which I have lost, the main events in Savio's adventuring career thus far are:
1. Autumn - Fort Venture Bandits. Called upon to investigate a lack of communication with the remote Fort Venture, a frontier garrison jointly funded by Duchies Vipera and Falstein, Savio and Kestrel discover the fort in the control of bandits. Savio challenges the leader to a duel, which is accetped; little did Savio realize that the leader's second possessed some sorcerous ability. The leader and Savio face each other after the leader has been enchanted, but nevertheless the young Ingannatore gets the drop on him, stunning him with a lightning-fast dash and stab to the chest and finishing him off with a slash to the throat before the bandit can even clear leather. Savio and Kestrel rout the remaining men, and the second escapes; in the fort they find the remains of the men stationed there and evidence that the fort's commander had been ordered to abandon the fort to the oncoming bandits several days before their arrival, which he refused to do.
2. Winter - Western Frontier Cannibal. People on the western frontier of Duchy Vipera are going missing, at first only hunters and travellers, now villagers from their homes. savio and Kestrel investigate, learning from and escapee that a crazed hermit is kidnapping and eating people. Savio determines to find and challenge this man, and Kestrel pens a letter with the details of their undertaking and leaves it with the escapee in case they are defeated. The cannibal in question turns out to be Wagner Falstien, who is ritualistically cannibalizing people to gain spiritual power. Though he seems preternaturally strong and resilient, Savio defeats him in single combat.
3. Spring I - Forgotten Treaties. A naive court official has discovered documentation of a century old secret treaty between House Vipera and House Arcanos which, if it came to light, would forfeit valuable Vipera lands to the wizard House. The official, a scholar of political history, is traveling to the Royal City; the Duke would prefer the documents never make it to court. Count Cadarro calls upon Savio to see that the documents are intercepted by any means necessary. The scholar is traveling with the merchant caravan of Kevin Helmswright, who through conversation has learned of the documents, though not their details, and sees the potential for profit. Savio befriends the scholar and steals the treaty without bloodshed, besting the Helmswright merchant in cunning and thereby earning his respect.
4. Spring II - Arcanos Wedding. Savio and Kestrel travel to attend Savio's sister Maria's wedding to one of the many Arcanos heirs, where they befriend Arcos Arcanos and discover the bandit leader's escaped second is in fact Closius Arcanos, yet another heir. Closius attempts to do away with the meddlesome pair, but with Arcos's help they survive and slay Closius.
5. Summer - Duchy Smythe Assistance. Villagers in duchy smythe have been going missing, and now a noble member of House Smythe has disappeared while traveling. House Smythe asks for Vipera's assistance, and Count Cadarro sends Savio to assist Brandon Smythe's investigation. In addition to his usual dwarven traveling companion, Savio isescorted by the half-orc bodyguard Henk at the Count's request. Brandon suspects bandits posing as merchants, and while such a group is apprehended, there is no sign of their involvement with the missing people. The immediate investigation of a nearby kidnapping leads to a bunker/cave complex with strange grasshopper-people and a druid, whose victims appear to have been sacrificed at a pagan altar. The heathen and his monstrous servants are slain, and the aftermath is left to Brandon and the church to deal with.
6. Autumn - Stoog Festival. The party, now consisting of Savio, Kestrel, Arcos, and Henk, travels to the northern frontier town of Stoog in Duchy Falstein during the town's annual Stoog Festival, where the story explaining M Stoog that is voted best receives a prize. The party uncovers a black market operation involving the secret trade of gems for magic items between Duchies Falstein and Arcanos; Closius's name is used to gain the black marketeer's trust. The investigation leads to a vast system of subterranean tunnels which may connect most mines in the duchy, created by a strange creature with gems for scales; said scales are shed as it travels. The creature is slain and upon it's death it's scales transform into quartz, and it's corpse appears to be made of earth & stone. Chaos ensues at Stoog as the black marketeer's payment in gems is suddenly rendered into quartz, and Savio and crew pit the black marketeers and Falstein militia against each other whilst managing to save a burning church full of people. All combatants save Savio and his comrades are slain, and the rescued commoners hail them as the heroes of Stoog. Is perception dictating reality the true meaning of Stoog?
7. Winter - Savio is called upon to accompany Count Cadarro's swordmaster, Horatio Ignassi, on a secret endeavor. With no details provided, Savio accompanies the masked swordsman to the ruins of a large frontier estate on the duchy's northwest border with Duchy Falstein. They uncover the entrance to an extensive cellar system, inside which they find a bevy of demonic guardians. The pair fight through their otherworldly opponents, in large part due to Ignassi's terrifying skill with the blade, and discover a secret, locked, trapped treasure vault. Contained therein are several lockboxes which Ignassi lashes together and carries out on his back in a display of supernatural strength. Also inside is a fine rapier decorated with a serpent motif, which Ignassi has Savio take. Though he doesn't know what exactly they recovered or why, the Count rewards Savio with the sword, a blade with which the young Lord feels an uncanny familiarity.
