Side post

Welcome travelers,

Some things to know about these seas is that these islands loosely are based around the islands of southern Greece.

Hesperose came from the island of Karpothos (Carpathos) and the city he hailed from was also called Karpothos (Poseidium).  The kingdom of Madea where the tournament took place is on Crete where Phaestus is located.  The Oracle of Premulus is located on the same island where Cydonia is located.

Hesperose has only knowledge of lands to the east such as Rhodes and Cos and has no knowledge of these other lands.

This is the beginning idea for a map and new game masters may drastically alter the map.

Further, I've begun with the calendar based on the Sicilian Hellenistic calendar:

• Thesmophorios (~October)
• Dalios
• -
• Agrianios
• -
• Theudasios
• Artamitios
• -
• Badromios
• Hyacinthios
• Carneios
• Panamos

These are not necessarily months of a year but rather periods of traumatic times during the year.  Panamos is marked by strong storms and angry seas and usually lasts about two weeks.  Then, for a few weeks calm weather is the norm until the Thesmophorios begins, when another calamity takes place.  Shipping, trade, exploration and war usually takes place during these epic event periods.  What causes these events to happen is unknown.  Some say the the gods are fighting, other say great beasts are the cause.  Yet others believe there is a rip in reality under the seas and chaos spews forth like geisers when the pressure has grown too strong.  Whatever the reason, the islanders judge time by when it's safe to travel by sea and when it's time to hunker down and take shelter when the world becomes cranky.

Coins, coins, coins.  Different kingdoms only allow certain coins to be used as money.  You have a could stash of gold coins but if they do not have the right heads and tails upon them, they may be denied, considered contra-ban or even a reason for imprisonment.  The practice of melting coins is greatly frowned up.  Changing and sculpting metal is often left up to guilds and special practitioners.  One may melt a lump of silver and make a cup but appraisers may discover this fraud and contact the authorities.  It has also been said the coins from one island and taken to another island bestow curses upon the owner.  But these may just be rumors.

This world is old, but new to our characters.  The ideas of this post are not to be considered as a framework but as the beginning pieces to an expanding universe.  Where one game master adds a kingdom, another may introduce an invading force.  Where another game master adds a dragon which is mighty and rare, yet another game master will have a realm where dragons are constantly used as domestic forms or transportation.  The world may change in confusing ways but the main constant are the characters in the story.  Some spells will change depending on the game master's whim.  AKA the great emanation/burst debate.  :)

Game masters will hopefully announce limitations, exceptions and alterations to canon rules.  I, for instance, give out re-roll rewards, exact attack rolls to AC do half damage, bless is a burst effect that lingers when characters are out of range from the caster and allow 3 critical checks to be an instant kill/KO.

So with this I give some overview of the world that I have started and some inclination of how things work.  Clint, the next grand poobah for the game, may turn everything upon its head and have a new calendar system, a new way the money works and may (gasp) change the bless spell to be a moving emanation spell.  With this, I hope, everyone playing easily bends to the direction the wind is blowing and will refuse to break.  Even if one becomes quite despondent, please be patient.  Here in Shiffit's world the winds will change... but still be right in your face.  :D

It's not about the world we're creating, it's about the characters and a series of stories.  The over-arching world is going to have a lot of inconsistencies but for the most part we should be able to say, "Remember that one time when..."

~SCI