Saturday, May 25, 2024

The Elderberry Tales - Part 1 - Overview and Background

 The King is Dead, and the Bastard Reigns Supreme



It was not supposed to be this way.

Our King fought well, but he was already tired before the battle begun and a lucky arrow ended a dynasty.

Out lords have either turned coat or died within hours.

Now the Bastard is on a reign of entrenching his own power.

But all is not lost.

Our freedom will not be gained by nobles but by people of the land.

Peasants, townsfolk, and freeman have risen to the task and now declare war against the false King.

We have allies in strange places.

The divine creator has charged us to deal with the onslaught.

The bastard has betrayed the office and will fall and will are the divine creator’s mortal instruments.

************************************

This is a rpg of the peasants and the townsfolk who must fight their betters and now must rise to the turbulent times as heroes.  

Chapter 1: The World



The land of Adamar is a magical world.  It is a world created by the divine creator.  It is a gargantuan World is a hill.   it bulges from a flat surface and covers the earth.  It floats on an ocean in the smack dab in the middle of the province.  The top of the shining hill is literally the most important place in the universe and as you go further out, it gets more and more estranged because there be dragons and worst.  

Most of the land is temperate with all four seasons that are equal.  Rainfall is common and often gives the world a gloomy look.  

When you look up, you see the heavens that are affixed to the cosmic dome.  Normally a sun rises from the east and goes down in the west, but it will deviate during times of great turmoil.  Along with the stars, comets and other astral bodies letting their opinion be known to all. 

The dirt of the earth is a colossal patchwork of tunnels and locations that are the land of trials.  Whether it is a small barrow, to the in-depth labyrinths, these are the places where heroes are made.  Afterall such actions are necessary for simple actions of child procreation to acquiring relics, and even obtaining a divine mandate where heroes are forged.

An Accurate Measurement of Time…

The divine calendar of this world is identical of the Julian Calendar.  Holidays are days dedicated to the Martyrs:  people who have sacrificed everything to make the world better.  This causes a waxing and waning of magical energy that occurs due over time.

Chapter 2: Historical Events



The history of Adamar is a tapestry woven with divine interventions, mortal struggles, and the inexorable march of time. While many details are lost to legend, certain events stand out as pivotal moments that shaped the land and its people.

The Mythic Garden

In the beginning, there was the Garden of Adamar, a paradisiacal realm created by the Lord Creator. This garden was a place of perfect harmony, where the first beings lived in peace, guided by the Creator’s divine wisdom. It is said that all races of Adamar can trace their origins back to this mythical garden.

The Spread of Life

As time passed, the inhabitants of the Garden were commanded to spread over the land, to multiply and be fruitful. This divine mandate led to the founding of the first villages and towns, and the various races began to carve out their own territories and cultures. The world was young, and the land was bountiful.

The Divine Compact

The Divine Compact was an agreement between the Lord Creator and the rulers of Adamar, ensuring that as long as they ruled justly and upheld the Creator’s laws, the land would remain fertile and prosperous. This compact was the cornerstone of Adamar's prosperity, guiding the actions of its leaders.

The Reign of the Bastard

The Bastard, a tyrant of unparalleled cruelty, shattered the Divine Compact with his heinous actions. Originally a minor noble, he seized power through treachery and bloodshed, breaking the sacred covenant and plunging Adamar into chaos. His atrocities include:

The Burning of the Surrendered Keep: After taking over a surrendered keep, he set it ablaze, killing all within and sending a message of fear and domination.

The Razing of Villages: Entire villages were destroyed under his command, leaving swathes of land desolate and populations displaced.

The Wave of Dysentery: Through negligence and malice, he allowed disease to spread, decimating communities.

Noble Infighting: The surviving nobles, rather than uniting against him, were consumed by internal strife, leaving the land leaderless and vulnerable.

The Great Rebellion

The atrocities of the Bastard eventually sparked the Great Rebellion, a movement led by the common folk, peasants, and freemen. United by their suffering and driven by the hope of restoring the Divine Compact, they rose against the tyrant’s forces. This period saw:

Peasant Revolts: Armed with simple tools and a fierce determination, peasants fought against the Bastard's soldiers.

Alliances with Foresters and Druids: Former foresters and druids, hiding in the woods, joined the rebellion, using their knowledge of the land to great effect.

Noble Defectors: Some nobles, appalled by the Bastard’s actions, turned against him and provided crucial support to the rebellion.

Divine Interventions: Miracles were reported on the battlefield, believed to be signs of the Creator’s favor returning to the just cause.

The Rise of Doggerland



Doggerland, known as the Cradle of Hope, is a significant region that emerged from the depths of the sea through divine intervention. This event occurred in response to the tyrant giving the oppressed people a place to flee and start anew. Doggerland became a symbol of rebirth and resistance against tyranny.

Adamar is a land balanced on the edge of darkness and opportunity. While it is a place of great terror, it also brims with potential for heroism and renewal. In this era of uncertainty and upheaval, the player characters (PCs) find themselves at the cusp of profound change, where their actions can shape the future of this world.

Works Cited

Books – Historical and Literature

A_Medieval_Bestiary
L. Schrader, The_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art_Bulletin_v_44_no_1_Summer_1986

History of Animals
Aristotle., 4th century B.C.

Life in Medieval Europe - Fact and Fiction

Yorkshire : Pen & Sword History, Cybulskie, Danièle., 2019.

Life in a Medieval Village
Harper Perennial, 2016., ©1990.,Gies, Frances., 1990

Medieval Bodies
Jack Hartnell., Puffin Books., ©2018

Medieval Europe
Wickham, Chris, 1950-., New Haven : Yale University Press, [2016], ©2016

Medieval Panorama
Robert Bartlett., Los Angeles, Calif. : J. Paul Getty Museum, [2001], ©2001

Natural History (Pliny)
Pliny – 77 AD

The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer ., 1387

The Companion to Medieval Society.,
McGill-Queen's University Press., Cardini, Franco., 2012

The Medieval World - An Illustrated Atlas.,
National Geographic Society., John M. Thompson., 2009

The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville
Sir John Mandeville - 1357

Books - RPGs

GURPS Camelot
Robert M. Schroeck, Peggy Schroeck., Steve Jackson’s Games (1991)

GURPS Low-Tech 
Evan Jamieson., Richard Meyer, William H. Stoddard Steve Jackson Games., (2001)

GURPS Middle Ages 1 (Second Edition) 
Graeme Davis., Steve Jackson Games, (2002)

GURPS Robin Hood (1992)
Peggy Schroeck, Robert M. Schroeck, Steve Jackson Games, 1992

Rifts Dimension Book 1: Wormwood 
Flint Henry, Kevin Siembieda, Tim Truman, Palladium Books  (1993)

Strange Monsters of History
Jason Cable Hall., (2017)

Other inspirations:

Grailquest
The Smurfs

Movies

In the Name of the Rose
Monty Python's Quest for the holy Grail

TV Shows of note

Robin of Sherwood
The Worst Jobs in History
The Untold Story Of The 1381 Peasants Revolt 

Websites

https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2015/09/marvelous-malacomorphs.html
https://opendomesday.org/map/
https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/animals/page/14/
https://www.thecollector.com/medieval-manuscript-menagerie/

#DnD #TTRPG #Worldbuilding #Fantasy #MedievalFantasy #ChristianFantasy #Pilgrimage #DivineMagic #MythicalCreatures #Homebrew #RoleplayingGame #TabletopGaming #FantasyMap #Storytelling #EpicAdventure

No comments:

Post a Comment