Pirates of the Bronze Sky, or POTBS, has been under development for several years and now looks with the help of Patreon, this campaign setting will be coming to the fans of Spelljammer and Pathfinder Role Playing Game. We have done everything we could to keep the inspiration and disincentive of Spelljammer while at the same time creating something exceptional and unique. Click here to learn more!
Showing posts with label Pirates of the Bronze Sky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pirates of the Bronze Sky. Show all posts
Friday, April 17, 2015
Pirates of the Bronze Sky is now being funded on Patreon!
Pirates of the Bronze Sky, or POTBS, has been under development for several years and now looks with the help of Patreon, this campaign setting will be coming to the fans of Spelljammer and Pathfinder Role Playing Game. We have done everything we could to keep the inspiration and disincentive of Spelljammer while at the same time creating something exceptional and unique. Click here to learn more!
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Pirates of the Bronze Sky Playtest 1.01 FOR FREE
OK Pathfinder RPG by Paizo, Pathfinder and Paizo fans, if you have been wondering about our project, Pirates of the Bronze Sky, wonder no further. This video tells you of our plans and better still, where you can get the Pirates of the Bronze Sky Playtest PDF. Enjoy!
By the way the link is at the Louis Porter Jr. Design Facebook page! Talk to you later...
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Saturday, August 23, 2014
The image that made me want to create Pirates of the Bronze Sky...
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Cross of Fire Saga - The FINAL Kaylethon image
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Cross of Fire Saga - More Kaylethon artwork!
Monday, April 28, 2014
Cross of Fire Saga – The new rough draft of the Kaylethon
So our character design artist send us a new rough draft artwork
of the Kaylethon for the upcoming Cross of Fire Saga adventure path
kickstarter. I think the Kaylethon are going to be a great addition to this
adventure path. The situation of how they arrive on Obsidian Apocalypse makes a
lot of sense, and if people like them we can also keep expanding them by doing
the Pirates of the Bronze Sky campaign setting. But let’s deal with one issue
at a time. So enjoy the rough draft and expect to see the final artwork done in
the very near future. Talk to you later…
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Cross of Fire Saga - The Kaylethon make their return for the first time!
I love this one! I will start with the sketches on Monday so I can do a few studies of real rhinos for the face during the weekend.
Nothing like an artist who takes his work seriously. And that is why he gets a lot of work from us. Talk to you later...
Thursday, October 3, 2013
These images have me thinking about insect humanoid races...
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Looks like Pirates of the Bronze Sky is back on…
Chris Field emailed me this week and said he was about to
start releasing material for Pirates of the Bronze Sky. That made me very happy since people keep
asking me, “When are you going to release something for Pirates of the Bronze
Sky? I so want to buy it.” I am glad for all the interest in the project, but
since I have been focusing on NeoExodus many of the other side projects like
Obsidian Twilight and Xao: Island of Iron and Silk have taken a back seat. But with the release of The Sky Sailor -A NewCore Class for the PFRPG it looks like Chris is moving into a very active release
schedule. So if you are interested in
Pirates of the Bronze Sky, I suggest you start saving your money. Talk to you later…
Monday, March 5, 2012
Friday, March 18, 2011
History and Geography of Nova Avalon for Pirates of the Bronze Sky Part 6
The Empty Sky
The nations of Nova Avalon have become excellent navigators and use a three dimensional system of coordinates to fix locations in the sky. Latitude and longitude are described as 360 sections of a gigantic sphere, and are further subdivided into minutes and seconds of distance. Altitude is known as sky-depth and is measured linearly, in miles above the Tumult, as the endless atmospheric storms of Nova Avalon are commonly known.
The world of Nova Avalon is impossibly huge, and though navigators realize there are 360 degrees of latitude and longitude, they have only mapped a relatively small fraction. The Monarchy’s expansive territory, the new continent of Avalon and the Shan-Wei’s empire sprawl across only a little more than thirty degrees of sky! The entire known world, all its mysteries and wonders, is less than a twelfth of Nova Avalon’s living sky.
The known world is bordered by huge expanses of empty sky, stretching for thousands of miles. With few islands to resupply or find water, few skyships could survive a journey into the unknown. Skystories and tavern tales speculate wildly what a brave crew could find “out past the Empty”, promising everything from demon palaces or djinn princes that grant wishes to lands of giants where time runs backward, water floats up hill and ice burns. One thing all the tales agree on is there is always more to be discovered in the great, seemingly endless sky.
SIDEBAR
Skybuster Humans
Skybusters are men and women born on the deck of a sky-ship, way out somewhere in the trackless Empty Sky. These nomads live, work, brawl and love, and eventually die aboard a sky ship, only touching dirt for brief R&R stops and to take on supplies. Skybusters have no tie to any faction, but will fly the colors of any nation they need to, when times get hard. Skybusters are half-hearted pirates, hermits, mad explorers, prospectors and treasure hunters, who constantly push back the boundaries of the in hopes of striking it rich. These rugged folk prize cocky courage, a knowledge of the wind, and handiness with lines and knives. Skybuster humans who assign their ‘floating’ attribute modifier to DEX, WIS or CHA receive the following national trait.
Prospector’s Luck (SU): Skybusters grow up with a sixth sense about where to find valuable resources across the empty sky. By succeeding at a DC 20 Survival check, the skybuster can guess the distance and general direction to any valuable untapped natural resource (water, a habitable sky-island, food supplies, gold, sulfur or other valuable mineral deposits) within a 200 mile radius. This check may be attempted once per day, and the Skybuster cannot take 10 or take 20 on this check.
Living aboard skyships their whole life has given Skybuster crews a knowledge of weather and rigging that’s second to none. Skybusters receive a +2 racial bonus on Survival checks and Profession (sailor) checks.
The Winds of Nova Avalon
Wind is as much a part of a Nova Avalon campaign as any of the heroes or the villains. The wind never really stops. There is always at least a faint breeze stirred by the Tumult far below, and the sky is almost never calm. Those rare instances where the wind ceases to whine and howl are disturbing in their quiet and sullen stillness. The men and women of Nova Avalon have a word for such rare moments of quiet- ‘dulled’ as in doldrums. Dulled moments are unlucky and quietly fearful, an expectant pause in the life of the world.
Nova Avalon has seasons, but they are short and tend to be unpredictable. Weather patterns are warped by the Tumult below, and rain is rare and precious. Erosion and runoff from the sky-islands mean standing water is rare, and rain and morning dew are collected by sky-ship crew and land-bound peasants alike. The sky-continent Avalon is so valuable in part, because it has true lakes and long, deep rivers.
Most of Nova Avalon has a relatively temperate climate, though some regions, especially islands floating high in the Living Sky, like Shan-Wei and the Monarchist city-state of Magistera experience bitingly cold winters. Climate is determined more by sky-depth than latitude or longitude, with the higher sky islands having a colder year-round climate and lethal winters.
Winds on Nova Avalon are almost always at least of Moderate Strength. Gamemasters should check for wind speed every 1d4 hours of travel, or as often as every hour when within a few miles of the upper Tumult. Winds increase off shore, and so cautious skippers follow the coast lines of sky-islands hoping to avoid the worst of the chop. Treat a result on the chart as being +20% higher more than 10 miles from the coast.
The nations of Nova Avalon have become excellent navigators and use a three dimensional system of coordinates to fix locations in the sky. Latitude and longitude are described as 360 sections of a gigantic sphere, and are further subdivided into minutes and seconds of distance. Altitude is known as sky-depth and is measured linearly, in miles above the Tumult, as the endless atmospheric storms of Nova Avalon are commonly known.
The world of Nova Avalon is impossibly huge, and though navigators realize there are 360 degrees of latitude and longitude, they have only mapped a relatively small fraction. The Monarchy’s expansive territory, the new continent of Avalon and the Shan-Wei’s empire sprawl across only a little more than thirty degrees of sky! The entire known world, all its mysteries and wonders, is less than a twelfth of Nova Avalon’s living sky.
The known world is bordered by huge expanses of empty sky, stretching for thousands of miles. With few islands to resupply or find water, few skyships could survive a journey into the unknown. Skystories and tavern tales speculate wildly what a brave crew could find “out past the Empty”, promising everything from demon palaces or djinn princes that grant wishes to lands of giants where time runs backward, water floats up hill and ice burns. One thing all the tales agree on is there is always more to be discovered in the great, seemingly endless sky.
SIDEBAR
Skybuster Humans
Skybusters are men and women born on the deck of a sky-ship, way out somewhere in the trackless Empty Sky. These nomads live, work, brawl and love, and eventually die aboard a sky ship, only touching dirt for brief R&R stops and to take on supplies. Skybusters have no tie to any faction, but will fly the colors of any nation they need to, when times get hard. Skybusters are half-hearted pirates, hermits, mad explorers, prospectors and treasure hunters, who constantly push back the boundaries of the in hopes of striking it rich. These rugged folk prize cocky courage, a knowledge of the wind, and handiness with lines and knives. Skybuster humans who assign their ‘floating’ attribute modifier to DEX, WIS or CHA receive the following national trait.
Prospector’s Luck (SU): Skybusters grow up with a sixth sense about where to find valuable resources across the empty sky. By succeeding at a DC 20 Survival check, the skybuster can guess the distance and general direction to any valuable untapped natural resource (water, a habitable sky-island, food supplies, gold, sulfur or other valuable mineral deposits) within a 200 mile radius. This check may be attempted once per day, and the Skybuster cannot take 10 or take 20 on this check.
Living aboard skyships their whole life has given Skybuster crews a knowledge of weather and rigging that’s second to none. Skybusters receive a +2 racial bonus on Survival checks and Profession (sailor) checks.
The Winds of Nova Avalon
Wind is as much a part of a Nova Avalon campaign as any of the heroes or the villains. The wind never really stops. There is always at least a faint breeze stirred by the Tumult far below, and the sky is almost never calm. Those rare instances where the wind ceases to whine and howl are disturbing in their quiet and sullen stillness. The men and women of Nova Avalon have a word for such rare moments of quiet- ‘dulled’ as in doldrums. Dulled moments are unlucky and quietly fearful, an expectant pause in the life of the world.
Nova Avalon has seasons, but they are short and tend to be unpredictable. Weather patterns are warped by the Tumult below, and rain is rare and precious. Erosion and runoff from the sky-islands mean standing water is rare, and rain and morning dew are collected by sky-ship crew and land-bound peasants alike. The sky-continent Avalon is so valuable in part, because it has true lakes and long, deep rivers.
Most of Nova Avalon has a relatively temperate climate, though some regions, especially islands floating high in the Living Sky, like Shan-Wei and the Monarchist city-state of Magistera experience bitingly cold winters. Climate is determined more by sky-depth than latitude or longitude, with the higher sky islands having a colder year-round climate and lethal winters.
Winds on Nova Avalon are almost always at least of Moderate Strength. Gamemasters should check for wind speed every 1d4 hours of travel, or as often as every hour when within a few miles of the upper Tumult. Winds increase off shore, and so cautious skippers follow the coast lines of sky-islands hoping to avoid the worst of the chop. Treat a result on the chart as being +20% higher more than 10 miles from the coast.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
History and Geography of Nova Avalon for Pirates of the Bronze Sky Part 5
Shan-Wei
Shan-Wei is the oldest civilization in Nova Avalon, predating the Monarchy’s history by millennia. Already ancient and well established on Year Zero of the Sky Reckoning calendar, Shan-Wei’s very existence calls the Monarchy’s history of the world into question. In turn, the Monarchy calls Shan-Wei’s very humanity into question, a millennia old prejudice that has chilled relations between the two great empires. The Shan-Wei’s many sky-islands lay pole-ward of the Monarchy’s islands, and sit much higher in the living sky, a fact no Shan will ever let a Monarchist forget.
The Shan, as the people of the great empire are known, claim descent from the Mother of Seven Snakes. The Mother of Seven Snakes was the first being to open her eyes at the dawn of creation, and her complex schemes placed the heavens in their current order. She is the mother of all dragons and the Shan consider the great wyrms their kin. The Shan laugh at the Monarchy’s faith, mocking the worship of Justar Worldbreaker as peasant superstition. By refusing to consider the world is more than six millennia old, and refusing to accept the Mother of Seven Snakes as the true progenitor of mankind, say the arrogant and imperious Shan, the Monarchists prove themselves little better than the Orcs they conquered. Barbarians. Children. Gullible fools to be rooked at the bargaining table, nothing more.
To a Shan, holding non-Shan in contempt is right and natural. The scaled, amber eyed Shan are the most beautiful people to ever live. Shan geniuses invented writing, tea, gunpowder, surgery, calligraphy, the cannon and the skysail. Shan courtesans first described the 9,999 ways of pleasure. Shan-Wei is the center of the civilized world.
Shan-Wei is ruled by an Imperial Dynasty whose heritage stretches back more than ten millennia. Even compared to the rigid and tradition-bound Monarchy, Shan-Wei culture is caste-bound and resistant to change. The same dozen great bloodlines have ruled the Shan for most of its history. Which bloodline currently rules is decided by its courtier’s skills at politicking and building alliances, and the strength of the sorcerer-nobles born to the house. Raw and naked magical power is a sign of the Mother of Seven Snakes’ favor. Shan nobles rule by the strength of their spells… and their skill at manipulating the other noble houses.
Shan-Wei is isolationist by nature, though it engages in limited trade with the Monarchy and Avalon. Since Shan nobles are concerned primarily with internal power struggles, conflict with outsiders would only weaken their position and possibly lead to their destruction at the hands of their vengeful countrymen. As such, the great strength of the imperial military is chained. The Shan use a cunningly conceived network of traitors, spies and catspaws in every port to manipulate world affairs. Shan diplomats fan conflicts, while Shan merchant houses sell weapons and broker mercenaries to all sides of a war. Killing an enemy with honeyed words and clever promises is a more fitting strategy for a Shan than the brute force tactics practiced by lesser nations.
The recent Avalonian Mutiny has given Shan-Wei an oppritunity to scheme like never before. Though the Avalonians mistrust the Shan, and rightfully so, Shan-Wei is one of the only nations to formally recognize the colony as an independent power and to sell needed weapons and troops. Meanwhile, Shan advisors whisper in King Harold III’s ear urging him to crush the upstart peasant rebellion across the sky. And through all the tumult, the Sovereign Empress laughs.
SIDEBAR
Shan Humans
The cold and scheming Shan claim descent from the first and most beautiful serpent. The Shan value logic, dispassion and skill at manipulation above all things. A hero with flashing sword may win the respect of the peasants, but the Imperial Court respects those who kill with words far more. Humans born in Shan-Wei who place their ‘floating’ ability score modifier into either INT or CHA receive the following national traits.
Speak with Lesser Cousins (SU): Once per day, a Shan with a CHA score of 11+ may cast Speak With Animals to communicate with any reptilian animal. The caster level is equal to the Shan’s level.
All Shan characters begin speaking Draconic and Common.
Shan cultivate informers and are adept at gathering information. Shan humans receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (local) checks.
Chao-Chin Humans
The Chao-Chin Armory City is forbidden to outsiders, and its inhabitants are barred by Imperial Decree from ever leaving their province. Chao-Chin is fortified and garrisoned by a full battalion of Imperial soldiers. The populace, virtual slaves who toil to refine the gunpowder and assemble the legendary guns Shan international power is built upon. Despite their bondage, the men and women of Chao-Chin hold on to hope, and the cult of the Little White Snake is strong in the prison-city. Humans from Chao-Chin (including the rare escapees) who assign their ‘floating’ attribute modifier to DEX, INT or WIS receive the following national traits.
Hands Familiar With Lead (EX): Adults of the Chao-Chin Armory City are expected to produce weapons for Shan-Wei. Citizens of Chao-Chin are proficient with all firearms, and receive a +1 morale bonus on ranged attack rolls with firearms assembled in their home province.
Chao-Chin are well trained in metallurgy and engineering, and receive a +2 racial bonus on Craft (gunsmith) checks.
Indomitable (EX): Chao-Chin are tough minded and difficult to bully, even by Shan magistrates! The character receives a +4 racial bonus on checks made to resist being Intimidated.
Shan-Wei is the oldest civilization in Nova Avalon, predating the Monarchy’s history by millennia. Already ancient and well established on Year Zero of the Sky Reckoning calendar, Shan-Wei’s very existence calls the Monarchy’s history of the world into question. In turn, the Monarchy calls Shan-Wei’s very humanity into question, a millennia old prejudice that has chilled relations between the two great empires. The Shan-Wei’s many sky-islands lay pole-ward of the Monarchy’s islands, and sit much higher in the living sky, a fact no Shan will ever let a Monarchist forget.
The Shan, as the people of the great empire are known, claim descent from the Mother of Seven Snakes. The Mother of Seven Snakes was the first being to open her eyes at the dawn of creation, and her complex schemes placed the heavens in their current order. She is the mother of all dragons and the Shan consider the great wyrms their kin. The Shan laugh at the Monarchy’s faith, mocking the worship of Justar Worldbreaker as peasant superstition. By refusing to consider the world is more than six millennia old, and refusing to accept the Mother of Seven Snakes as the true progenitor of mankind, say the arrogant and imperious Shan, the Monarchists prove themselves little better than the Orcs they conquered. Barbarians. Children. Gullible fools to be rooked at the bargaining table, nothing more.
To a Shan, holding non-Shan in contempt is right and natural. The scaled, amber eyed Shan are the most beautiful people to ever live. Shan geniuses invented writing, tea, gunpowder, surgery, calligraphy, the cannon and the skysail. Shan courtesans first described the 9,999 ways of pleasure. Shan-Wei is the center of the civilized world.
Shan-Wei is ruled by an Imperial Dynasty whose heritage stretches back more than ten millennia. Even compared to the rigid and tradition-bound Monarchy, Shan-Wei culture is caste-bound and resistant to change. The same dozen great bloodlines have ruled the Shan for most of its history. Which bloodline currently rules is decided by its courtier’s skills at politicking and building alliances, and the strength of the sorcerer-nobles born to the house. Raw and naked magical power is a sign of the Mother of Seven Snakes’ favor. Shan nobles rule by the strength of their spells… and their skill at manipulating the other noble houses.
Shan-Wei is isolationist by nature, though it engages in limited trade with the Monarchy and Avalon. Since Shan nobles are concerned primarily with internal power struggles, conflict with outsiders would only weaken their position and possibly lead to their destruction at the hands of their vengeful countrymen. As such, the great strength of the imperial military is chained. The Shan use a cunningly conceived network of traitors, spies and catspaws in every port to manipulate world affairs. Shan diplomats fan conflicts, while Shan merchant houses sell weapons and broker mercenaries to all sides of a war. Killing an enemy with honeyed words and clever promises is a more fitting strategy for a Shan than the brute force tactics practiced by lesser nations.
The recent Avalonian Mutiny has given Shan-Wei an oppritunity to scheme like never before. Though the Avalonians mistrust the Shan, and rightfully so, Shan-Wei is one of the only nations to formally recognize the colony as an independent power and to sell needed weapons and troops. Meanwhile, Shan advisors whisper in King Harold III’s ear urging him to crush the upstart peasant rebellion across the sky. And through all the tumult, the Sovereign Empress laughs.
SIDEBAR
Shan Humans
The cold and scheming Shan claim descent from the first and most beautiful serpent. The Shan value logic, dispassion and skill at manipulation above all things. A hero with flashing sword may win the respect of the peasants, but the Imperial Court respects those who kill with words far more. Humans born in Shan-Wei who place their ‘floating’ ability score modifier into either INT or CHA receive the following national traits.
Speak with Lesser Cousins (SU): Once per day, a Shan with a CHA score of 11+ may cast Speak With Animals to communicate with any reptilian animal. The caster level is equal to the Shan’s level.
All Shan characters begin speaking Draconic and Common.
Shan cultivate informers and are adept at gathering information. Shan humans receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (local) checks.
Chao-Chin Humans
The Chao-Chin Armory City is forbidden to outsiders, and its inhabitants are barred by Imperial Decree from ever leaving their province. Chao-Chin is fortified and garrisoned by a full battalion of Imperial soldiers. The populace, virtual slaves who toil to refine the gunpowder and assemble the legendary guns Shan international power is built upon. Despite their bondage, the men and women of Chao-Chin hold on to hope, and the cult of the Little White Snake is strong in the prison-city. Humans from Chao-Chin (including the rare escapees) who assign their ‘floating’ attribute modifier to DEX, INT or WIS receive the following national traits.
Hands Familiar With Lead (EX): Adults of the Chao-Chin Armory City are expected to produce weapons for Shan-Wei. Citizens of Chao-Chin are proficient with all firearms, and receive a +1 morale bonus on ranged attack rolls with firearms assembled in their home province.
Chao-Chin are well trained in metallurgy and engineering, and receive a +2 racial bonus on Craft (gunsmith) checks.
Indomitable (EX): Chao-Chin are tough minded and difficult to bully, even by Shan magistrates! The character receives a +4 racial bonus on checks made to resist being Intimidated.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
History and Geography of Nova Avalon for Pirates of the Bronze Sky Part 4
Lady Port
Founded in 5,980 S.R. just far enough off the main trade routes to avoid Monarchy patrols, Lady Port has become a haven for privateers and freebooters of all stripes. The town’s governing council claims the name is a homage to Mother Liberty and the freedom for which she stands; most visitors figure the name refers to the port town’s countless whore houses. Lady Port is officially a free city. Even before the Mutiny began, the town had no love for the Monarchy, and those with enough gold could disappear there, no matter what their crimes or how high the bounty.
Sheltered in hard to navigate coastline, Lady Port is difficult to find. Almost invisible from the sky, most Lady Port’s docks are hidden inside a deep, artificial cavern cut into the side coastline. Newcomers require a native guide to find their way to the free port, and even veteran sky-sailors have difficulty finding their way back.
Lady Port is ruled by a governor, at least on paper, but crime cartels and thieves guilds make all the important decisions concerning the city’s welfare. The Perfumed Guild, which controls the sex trade in the city, is one of the loudest voices on the crime council. No outside power has control over Lady Port, though all the nations- even the Elves!- have spies and listeners scattered across the free city. For adventurers and privateers, Lady Port is a place to rest and resupply, to spend their gold and fence their loot. For anyone sane, though, Lady Port is a good place to get a cut throat.
SIDEBAR
Lady Port Humans
The citizens of Lady Port are mongrels from a hundred different nations and races, the unwelcome refuse of the living sky. Lady Port is a den of thieves, liars, pirates and whores, which makes it an ideal place for adventurers to visit. The men and women of the port city respect nothing more than they do skill with a rapier and a quick, scheming wit. Humans from Lady Port who assign their ‘floating’ attribute modifier to DEX or CHA receive the following national trait.
Chaotic (SU): Lady Port’s citizens have no time for laws. As fundamentally Chaotic creatures, even if an she another alignment, she is affected by spells and effects targeting alignment as if she were Chaotic in addition to her true alignment.
False Colors (SP): Once per day, a citizen of Lady Port with a CHA score of 11+ can cast undetectable alignment on herself. Her caster level is equal to her character level. Lady Port’s citizens usually reserve this useful trick for when they’re tying to pull off the big cons.
Gambling is everywhere in Lady Port, from card games to dice to pit fighting. Lady Port’s scum receive a +2 racial bonus on Profession (gambler) and Sleight of Hand checks made to cheat at games of chance.
Witches fled to Lady Port from the Black Season- a bloodline feat available only to Lady Port humans
Port Regal
Port Regal has remained firmly in Monarchy hands, even during the worst of the fighting. This wealthy port city lays a few days windward of High Harbor. Before the Mutiny, Port Regal was always second-class in comparison to High Harbor: a smaller port, shoddier shipwrights, fewer great theaters or opera houses, no cathedrals worth mentioning. But since the Mutiny began, the ‘second city’ of the colonies has become invaluable to the Monarchist war effort.
The citizens of Port Regal are loyal to the Monarchy, and the port town has no time for rebels or iconoclasts. Revolutionary sentiment by a neighbor is quickly reported to local Crown Marines, and strangers are viewed with suspicion, unless flying Monarchy colors. The once quiet port town has become a bustling military garrison, which has brought both prosperity and pressure to Port Regal. Day and night, ships unload guns and off load Monarchy marines. Every inn and private home is crowded with Crown Marines under temporary garrison. Soldiers are as common as mayflies on Port Regal’s streets. More Kaylethon marines walk the streets here than anywhere else in Avalon.
SIDEBAR
Port Regal Humans
The citizens of Port Regal consider themselves citizens of the Monarchy first and foremost, and take any opportunity they can get to spit on the Avalonian tricolor. Most have some militia training, and every able bodied Port Regal man has been pressed into duty with the Monarchy’s Crown Marines. Port Regal values loyalty above all, and strength and discipline somewhere after that. Humans born in Port Regal who assign their ‘floating’ attribute modifier to STR or WIS receive the following national trait.
Loyal to the Crown (SU): Belief in the superiority of their way of life gives Port Regal’s citizens strength in the face of adversity. When using the Aid Another action to assist another Port Regal or Monarchy citizen, or a Kaylethon loyal to the Monarchy, the bonus provided is +4, not +2 as normal.
Citizens of Port Regal begin speaking Common and Kayleon, as a result of the city’s influx of Kaylethon shocktroops.
Founded in 5,980 S.R. just far enough off the main trade routes to avoid Monarchy patrols, Lady Port has become a haven for privateers and freebooters of all stripes. The town’s governing council claims the name is a homage to Mother Liberty and the freedom for which she stands; most visitors figure the name refers to the port town’s countless whore houses. Lady Port is officially a free city. Even before the Mutiny began, the town had no love for the Monarchy, and those with enough gold could disappear there, no matter what their crimes or how high the bounty.
Sheltered in hard to navigate coastline, Lady Port is difficult to find. Almost invisible from the sky, most Lady Port’s docks are hidden inside a deep, artificial cavern cut into the side coastline. Newcomers require a native guide to find their way to the free port, and even veteran sky-sailors have difficulty finding their way back.
Lady Port is ruled by a governor, at least on paper, but crime cartels and thieves guilds make all the important decisions concerning the city’s welfare. The Perfumed Guild, which controls the sex trade in the city, is one of the loudest voices on the crime council. No outside power has control over Lady Port, though all the nations- even the Elves!- have spies and listeners scattered across the free city. For adventurers and privateers, Lady Port is a place to rest and resupply, to spend their gold and fence their loot. For anyone sane, though, Lady Port is a good place to get a cut throat.
SIDEBAR
Lady Port Humans
The citizens of Lady Port are mongrels from a hundred different nations and races, the unwelcome refuse of the living sky. Lady Port is a den of thieves, liars, pirates and whores, which makes it an ideal place for adventurers to visit. The men and women of the port city respect nothing more than they do skill with a rapier and a quick, scheming wit. Humans from Lady Port who assign their ‘floating’ attribute modifier to DEX or CHA receive the following national trait.
Chaotic (SU): Lady Port’s citizens have no time for laws. As fundamentally Chaotic creatures, even if an she another alignment, she is affected by spells and effects targeting alignment as if she were Chaotic in addition to her true alignment.
False Colors (SP): Once per day, a citizen of Lady Port with a CHA score of 11+ can cast undetectable alignment on herself. Her caster level is equal to her character level. Lady Port’s citizens usually reserve this useful trick for when they’re tying to pull off the big cons.
Gambling is everywhere in Lady Port, from card games to dice to pit fighting. Lady Port’s scum receive a +2 racial bonus on Profession (gambler) and Sleight of Hand checks made to cheat at games of chance.
Witches fled to Lady Port from the Black Season- a bloodline feat available only to Lady Port humans
Port Regal
Port Regal has remained firmly in Monarchy hands, even during the worst of the fighting. This wealthy port city lays a few days windward of High Harbor. Before the Mutiny, Port Regal was always second-class in comparison to High Harbor: a smaller port, shoddier shipwrights, fewer great theaters or opera houses, no cathedrals worth mentioning. But since the Mutiny began, the ‘second city’ of the colonies has become invaluable to the Monarchist war effort.
The citizens of Port Regal are loyal to the Monarchy, and the port town has no time for rebels or iconoclasts. Revolutionary sentiment by a neighbor is quickly reported to local Crown Marines, and strangers are viewed with suspicion, unless flying Monarchy colors. The once quiet port town has become a bustling military garrison, which has brought both prosperity and pressure to Port Regal. Day and night, ships unload guns and off load Monarchy marines. Every inn and private home is crowded with Crown Marines under temporary garrison. Soldiers are as common as mayflies on Port Regal’s streets. More Kaylethon marines walk the streets here than anywhere else in Avalon.
SIDEBAR
Port Regal Humans
The citizens of Port Regal consider themselves citizens of the Monarchy first and foremost, and take any opportunity they can get to spit on the Avalonian tricolor. Most have some militia training, and every able bodied Port Regal man has been pressed into duty with the Monarchy’s Crown Marines. Port Regal values loyalty above all, and strength and discipline somewhere after that. Humans born in Port Regal who assign their ‘floating’ attribute modifier to STR or WIS receive the following national trait.
Loyal to the Crown (SU): Belief in the superiority of their way of life gives Port Regal’s citizens strength in the face of adversity. When using the Aid Another action to assist another Port Regal or Monarchy citizen, or a Kaylethon loyal to the Monarchy, the bonus provided is +4, not +2 as normal.
Citizens of Port Regal begin speaking Common and Kayleon, as a result of the city’s influx of Kaylethon shocktroops.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
History and Geography of Nova Avalon for Pirates of the Bronze Sky Part 3
The Avalonian Mutiny
Tensions between Avalon and the Monarchy were increasing even before the brash Harold Retarius III took the throne, and his ascension only worsened the split. Over the three centuries of its existence, the Avalon colony had developed its own unique character, as different from its Monarchist beginnings as a daughter is from her mother. In the colonies, instead of the cold and fearful worship of Justar, Jada Rainbringer was venerated in her guise as Mother Liberty. Unlike the stodgy, traditionalist Monarchy, the citizens of Avalon had little time for class distinctions or for the old prejudices. New opportunities and new dangers meant the old prejudices held little meaning, and many Redeemed Monsters flocked to Avalon, hoping to stake a claim to a patch of land and win a reputation slaying dragons and Drow. Often considered heretics by their parent nation, the young Avalonian nation chafed under the old rules.
The colony’s lack of representation in the House of Freefolk had been a sore point for decades, but when King Harold III passed an unpopular series of new tariffs upon the colony to punish them for one imagined heresy or another things reached a boiling point. Intensely religious, King Harold III saw it as his duty to eradicate the worship of Mother Liberty. Where his mad grandfather had tried and failed to eradicate the new faith with witch burnings and a short lived but bloody spate of executions a century before, Harold III strove to do the same through economic pressure.
Formerly genteel protests in hand printed broadsheets and quiet debate in gentlemen’s clubs quickly turned angry. Soon after King Harold III was crowned the colonists began talking seriously of seceding from the empire. A new generation of Avalonian heroes began considering a new form of government- a great republican experiment where all men were equal and the country had no need of Kings.
In 6,103 S.R. years of political infighting and increasingly militant protests in the crown erupted into true violence. General Arthur Gruenwald, once a revered Crown Marine and now commander in chief of the Avalonian Militia, and a small band of followers seize the Monarchy port at High Harbor. Loyalist troops are executed, and Gruenwald seizes the Monarchy’s ships to form the backbone of his armada. Gruenwald’s colors- the Liberty tricolor, a bold and instantly recognizable symbol of the utopian ideals sweeping Avalon.
SIDEBAR
Avalonian Humans
Rugged, individualistic and unwilling to compromise in the face of injustice, the men and women who proudly call themselves Avalonian are a diverse lot. These proud rebels are united by revolutionary passion and a dislike for the rigid and often cruel laws of the Monarchy. Unlike the class-conscious Monarchy, Avalonian respect hard work, common sense and courage. Humans born to the colonies, who assign their ‘floating’ ability score modifier to either CON, WIS or CHA receive the following national traits.
Fearless in the Fray (EX): Avalonian souls are tough and indomitable. When actively engaged in combat, Avalonian humans receive a +4 racial bonus on WILL Saves against fear.
Avalonian colonists have to know the land and seasons to survive. Avalonians receive a +2 racial bonus on Survival checks.
High Harbor Humans
High Harbor is Avalon’s largest and busiest port, a bustling city that never seems to sleep. Night and day, skyships disgorge cargo from across the Living Sky, unload weapons and deliver fresh troops to Mutineers. Currently, High Harbor is in Avalonian hands, and is a proudly rebellious town. The Mutiny began here, with General Gruenwald’s impressive victory over an unprepared Monarchy fleet. The citizens of high harbor are proud and hard working, and won’t tolerate any slight to their bustling city. Suggesting that High Harbor is any way inferior to Magistera is a good way to start a tavern brawl. Any human born to High Harbor who assigns their ‘floating’ ability score modifier to either STR, INT or CHA receives the following national traits.
Pride of the Sky (SU): High Harbor is home to most of Avalon’s ship-wrights, and the city is known for its sprawling, efficient naval yards. High Harbor citizens are at their best with a skyship deck beneath their feet, and receive a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws when aboard a skyship.
Tireless Workers (EX): High Harbor’s citizens are strong and healthy, unafraid of a little sweat. They receive Endurance as a bonus feat.
Sunfall Township Humans
The Sunfall Township is the oldest human settlement in Avalon, and today’s Township is built roughly five miles, as the crow flies, from the original settlement. The first colonists were annihilated by Drow raiders, not realizing they had built their settlement almost directly caverns leading to the Drow’ undercities. The offensive against the Drow began at Sunfall, as new generations of colonists came to avenge their forebears and reclaim their settlement. Men of Sunfall Township are tough and battle-hardened, and view the Drow with absolute, unreasoning hatred. Humans born to the Township who assign their floating ability score to either STR or WIS receive the following national traits.
Hatred (EX): Men and women from Sunfall Township receive a +2 racial bonus on attack rolls against Drow, as a result of special militia training against these hated foes.
The men and women of Sunfall Township have better eyes than normal humans, as a result of generations of night warfare against the Drow. They possess lowlight vision and can see twice as far in starlight or dim illumination as an ordinary human.
Tensions between Avalon and the Monarchy were increasing even before the brash Harold Retarius III took the throne, and his ascension only worsened the split. Over the three centuries of its existence, the Avalon colony had developed its own unique character, as different from its Monarchist beginnings as a daughter is from her mother. In the colonies, instead of the cold and fearful worship of Justar, Jada Rainbringer was venerated in her guise as Mother Liberty. Unlike the stodgy, traditionalist Monarchy, the citizens of Avalon had little time for class distinctions or for the old prejudices. New opportunities and new dangers meant the old prejudices held little meaning, and many Redeemed Monsters flocked to Avalon, hoping to stake a claim to a patch of land and win a reputation slaying dragons and Drow. Often considered heretics by their parent nation, the young Avalonian nation chafed under the old rules.
The colony’s lack of representation in the House of Freefolk had been a sore point for decades, but when King Harold III passed an unpopular series of new tariffs upon the colony to punish them for one imagined heresy or another things reached a boiling point. Intensely religious, King Harold III saw it as his duty to eradicate the worship of Mother Liberty. Where his mad grandfather had tried and failed to eradicate the new faith with witch burnings and a short lived but bloody spate of executions a century before, Harold III strove to do the same through economic pressure.
Formerly genteel protests in hand printed broadsheets and quiet debate in gentlemen’s clubs quickly turned angry. Soon after King Harold III was crowned the colonists began talking seriously of seceding from the empire. A new generation of Avalonian heroes began considering a new form of government- a great republican experiment where all men were equal and the country had no need of Kings.
In 6,103 S.R. years of political infighting and increasingly militant protests in the crown erupted into true violence. General Arthur Gruenwald, once a revered Crown Marine and now commander in chief of the Avalonian Militia, and a small band of followers seize the Monarchy port at High Harbor. Loyalist troops are executed, and Gruenwald seizes the Monarchy’s ships to form the backbone of his armada. Gruenwald’s colors- the Liberty tricolor, a bold and instantly recognizable symbol of the utopian ideals sweeping Avalon.
SIDEBAR
Avalonian Humans
Rugged, individualistic and unwilling to compromise in the face of injustice, the men and women who proudly call themselves Avalonian are a diverse lot. These proud rebels are united by revolutionary passion and a dislike for the rigid and often cruel laws of the Monarchy. Unlike the class-conscious Monarchy, Avalonian respect hard work, common sense and courage. Humans born to the colonies, who assign their ‘floating’ ability score modifier to either CON, WIS or CHA receive the following national traits.
Fearless in the Fray (EX): Avalonian souls are tough and indomitable. When actively engaged in combat, Avalonian humans receive a +4 racial bonus on WILL Saves against fear.
Avalonian colonists have to know the land and seasons to survive. Avalonians receive a +2 racial bonus on Survival checks.
High Harbor Humans
High Harbor is Avalon’s largest and busiest port, a bustling city that never seems to sleep. Night and day, skyships disgorge cargo from across the Living Sky, unload weapons and deliver fresh troops to Mutineers. Currently, High Harbor is in Avalonian hands, and is a proudly rebellious town. The Mutiny began here, with General Gruenwald’s impressive victory over an unprepared Monarchy fleet. The citizens of high harbor are proud and hard working, and won’t tolerate any slight to their bustling city. Suggesting that High Harbor is any way inferior to Magistera is a good way to start a tavern brawl. Any human born to High Harbor who assigns their ‘floating’ ability score modifier to either STR, INT or CHA receives the following national traits.
Pride of the Sky (SU): High Harbor is home to most of Avalon’s ship-wrights, and the city is known for its sprawling, efficient naval yards. High Harbor citizens are at their best with a skyship deck beneath their feet, and receive a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws when aboard a skyship.
Tireless Workers (EX): High Harbor’s citizens are strong and healthy, unafraid of a little sweat. They receive Endurance as a bonus feat.
Sunfall Township Humans
The Sunfall Township is the oldest human settlement in Avalon, and today’s Township is built roughly five miles, as the crow flies, from the original settlement. The first colonists were annihilated by Drow raiders, not realizing they had built their settlement almost directly caverns leading to the Drow’ undercities. The offensive against the Drow began at Sunfall, as new generations of colonists came to avenge their forebears and reclaim their settlement. Men of Sunfall Township are tough and battle-hardened, and view the Drow with absolute, unreasoning hatred. Humans born to the Township who assign their floating ability score to either STR or WIS receive the following national traits.
Hatred (EX): Men and women from Sunfall Township receive a +2 racial bonus on attack rolls against Drow, as a result of special militia training against these hated foes.
The men and women of Sunfall Township have better eyes than normal humans, as a result of generations of night warfare against the Drow. They possess lowlight vision and can see twice as far in starlight or dim illumination as an ordinary human.
Monday, March 14, 2011
History and Geography of Nova Avalon for Pirates of the Bronze Sky Part 2
Monarchist Humans
The men and women of the Monarchy are proud and cultured, and prize athleticism without a laborer’s unsightly bulk, decorum and intellectual achievement. Humans born to the Monarchy who assign their ‘floating’ ability score modifier to either DEX or INT receive the following national traits.
Proud Child of the Monarchy (EX): You are a citizen of the greatest and most powerful empire of mankind in the broken sky, and you conduct yourself as such. You receive a +2 racial bonus on CHA-based skill checks made against ‘the rabble’… that is, humanoids with NPC class levels other than levels in Aristocrat.
Monarchist humans receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (history and nobility) checks. History and genealogy are national obsessions, and the common folk are fascinated by royal gossip.
Magistera Humans
Though proud of their heritage as citizens of the Monarchy, the inhabitants of the grand and historic city of Magistera consider themselves “Magisters” first and foremost. Chief virtues for city dwellers are quick hands, open-mindedness, pluck and ambition. Humans born in Magistera who assign their ‘floating’ ability score to either DEX, WIS or CHA receive the following national traits.
Gift for Conversation (EX): Magisters are a talkative lot, always quick with a joke or a story or a confidence scheme. Once per day, when making any Bluff or Diplomacy check, the Magister may roll 2d20 and take the better result. The character must declare the use of this ability before making the check.
Citizens of the greatest city in Nova Avalon know how to lose themselves in a crowd. Humans hailing from Magistera receive a +2 racial bonus on Stealth checks made in urban environments.
The Avalonians
In 5,721 S.R., a Monarchy windship was blown far off course by a freak hurricane. When the Merriment’s exhausted and starving crew finally sighted land, they gave thanks to Jahal Windsong for blowing them right where they needed to be. An exploratory party went ashore and quickly realized that the newly discovered sky-island, one of the largest and richest in human history, was uncatalogued and unclaimed. Quickly claiming the massive sky-island for the Monarchy and its Blessed King and Queen, the Merriment’s crew began to explore.
What they found astonished them: an enormous mass of land, a floating continent so gigantic it would take days to cross even with the swiftest sky-corvette, a land teeming with game, with un-human but undeniably sentient life, a land richer in ore and gold than any previously discovered. There were apples aplenty, moist, plump and red, true to the name Avalon, which in the old tongue meant Apple Place. By Jada and Jahal, there were even rivers- true rivers that stretched for many miles, not the stunted acre-long trickles of the Monarchy’s sky islands! The newly discovered sky-island was christened Avalon, because it echoed the beauty and richness of the world before Justar shattered it.
The heroes of the Merriment became legends throughout the Monarchy’s domain, and many of the townships erected on the new continent bear their names. The sky-island Avalon became a protectorate of the Monarchy, one of the brightest jewels in the Monarchy’s crown. The Monarchy’s poor crowded onto overloaded sky-ships, indenturing themselves to pay for passage, in hopes of building a better life for their children in the new land. Avalon became a symbol of hope, pride and progress for all citizens of the Monarchy.
Then things changed.
The men and women of the Monarchy are proud and cultured, and prize athleticism without a laborer’s unsightly bulk, decorum and intellectual achievement. Humans born to the Monarchy who assign their ‘floating’ ability score modifier to either DEX or INT receive the following national traits.
Proud Child of the Monarchy (EX): You are a citizen of the greatest and most powerful empire of mankind in the broken sky, and you conduct yourself as such. You receive a +2 racial bonus on CHA-based skill checks made against ‘the rabble’… that is, humanoids with NPC class levels other than levels in Aristocrat.
Monarchist humans receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (history and nobility) checks. History and genealogy are national obsessions, and the common folk are fascinated by royal gossip.
Magistera Humans
Though proud of their heritage as citizens of the Monarchy, the inhabitants of the grand and historic city of Magistera consider themselves “Magisters” first and foremost. Chief virtues for city dwellers are quick hands, open-mindedness, pluck and ambition. Humans born in Magistera who assign their ‘floating’ ability score to either DEX, WIS or CHA receive the following national traits.
Gift for Conversation (EX): Magisters are a talkative lot, always quick with a joke or a story or a confidence scheme. Once per day, when making any Bluff or Diplomacy check, the Magister may roll 2d20 and take the better result. The character must declare the use of this ability before making the check.
Citizens of the greatest city in Nova Avalon know how to lose themselves in a crowd. Humans hailing from Magistera receive a +2 racial bonus on Stealth checks made in urban environments.
The Avalonians
In 5,721 S.R., a Monarchy windship was blown far off course by a freak hurricane. When the Merriment’s exhausted and starving crew finally sighted land, they gave thanks to Jahal Windsong for blowing them right where they needed to be. An exploratory party went ashore and quickly realized that the newly discovered sky-island, one of the largest and richest in human history, was uncatalogued and unclaimed. Quickly claiming the massive sky-island for the Monarchy and its Blessed King and Queen, the Merriment’s crew began to explore.
What they found astonished them: an enormous mass of land, a floating continent so gigantic it would take days to cross even with the swiftest sky-corvette, a land teeming with game, with un-human but undeniably sentient life, a land richer in ore and gold than any previously discovered. There were apples aplenty, moist, plump and red, true to the name Avalon, which in the old tongue meant Apple Place. By Jada and Jahal, there were even rivers- true rivers that stretched for many miles, not the stunted acre-long trickles of the Monarchy’s sky islands! The newly discovered sky-island was christened Avalon, because it echoed the beauty and richness of the world before Justar shattered it.
The heroes of the Merriment became legends throughout the Monarchy’s domain, and many of the townships erected on the new continent bear their names. The sky-island Avalon became a protectorate of the Monarchy, one of the brightest jewels in the Monarchy’s crown. The Monarchy’s poor crowded onto overloaded sky-ships, indenturing themselves to pay for passage, in hopes of building a better life for their children in the new land. Avalon became a symbol of hope, pride and progress for all citizens of the Monarchy.
Then things changed.
Friday, March 11, 2011
History and Geography of Nova Avalon for Pirates of the Bronze Sky Part 1
History and Geography of Nova Avalon
The world of Nova Avalon is like no other in all the myriad universes. Uncounted thousands of sky-islands float in the warm upper atmosphere of a goliath world without true ground. Some of these floating islands are massive enough to contain whole nations, while others are just clumps of dirt no bigger than a baby’s hand. On Nova Avalon, the wind endlessly howls, low and mournfully, and the breezes felt by the world’s many races and nations are merely the weakest echo of the endless hurricanes raging far below.
The Men, Elves, Gnomes, Kayletheons and other races that call the sky islands home are caught in the relatively thin habitable zone of Nova Avalon’s tumultuous atmosphere. Often referred to as the living sky, this region is bordered by the airless freezing blackness of space the crushing heat and pressure and lethal hurricanes of the lower sky. The living sky stretches for hundreds of vertical miles, from black space above to crimson winds below.
Skyships roam the winds between the islands, connecting the many peoples of Nova Avalon in a complex web of trade, warfare, diplomacy and conquest…. a web that sways and shifts as the winds change.
The Winds of History
Once upon a time, Avalon was a world like any other. Men built great cities that reached the heavens, and in their pride, defied heaven. Tempted by the ‘snakes of the earth’, humanity learned much and reached far, but its greed and hubris eventually became too great. The god Justar, Avalon’s sky-father and creator, unleashed his wrath and shattered the world he created. Explosions shredded Avalon, boiling away oceans and throwing continental shards high into the sky.
It was only the intercession of Jada Rainbringer, Justar’s consort, who begged for humanity’s life that stopped the upheaval. Justar Worldbreaker relented, and hung the shattered continents upon the living sky. The ruins of Avalon vanished into mist and memory, becoming the endless crimson storm of the gas world Nova Avalon. A new race of mankind, cowed by the great upheaval and properly appreciative of Justar’s mercy emerged on the islands.
In time, mankind and the other sentient races rebuilt what had been lost during the upheaval.
The Monarchy
The Monarchy are possibly the most powerful nation in the living sky and certainly the proudest and most ambitious. The Monarchy’s reach extends far, and the empire encompasses many of the races of man, as well as members of the savage races. Ancient and powerful, the Monarchy’s history stretches back to the famed Conquest of Draaz, in 3,405 S.R. A band of brave humans overthrew the Draaz Horde, winning true freedom for the men and women of a half dozen sky-islands. The warrior-king Thomas Sextus I was crowned ruler of the Monarchy, lawful and only master of both humanity and the monstrous races of the Draaz Horde. The victory over the orcs and bugbears of the Horde was the dawn of the most powerful nation in history.
Utherlon
The Monarchy is a proud but fundamentally divided country. Even the lowest born Monarchy human can trace his or her lineage back to Thomas Sextus I’s legendary Utherlon. Even the Monarchy’s chimney sweeps and doxies know they are descended from heroes. Genealogy is a national obsession, and marriages are arranged as often to gain a claim to noble lineage as for more tangible financial or political reasons.
Modern historians realize that Sextus’ Utherlon was a bare confederation of rocky, inhospitable sky-islands, where early men eked out a bare, subsistence level existence. To the average citizen of the Monarchy, historical truth does not matter. The men and women of Utherlon stood up against the Draaz Horde, winning freedom for all mankind. To hear the bards tell it, ancient Utherlon was as lush as Nova Avalon itself, blanketed in apple orchards and veined with deep shafts of gold and ore. It was a land worth fighting for, worth dying for, and certainly worth conquering the beasts of the Horde for.
Truth and myth have become hopelessly tangled where Utherlon and the deeds of Thomas Sextus I are concerned. Was he a warrior-king touched by Justar Worldbreaker himself? Or was Sextus just a bandit with a better than average grasp of tactics? Modern Monarchists know the answer: he was the half divine king who founded the greatest nation the sky has ever kissed, and will pull their flintlocks at any suggestion otherwise.
Today, Utherlon is the heart of the Monarchy and the seat of its government. The Monarchy’s impressive capitol city, Magistera is built upon the ruins of Thomas Sextus I’s boyhood home. The House of Freefolk, parliament of the Monarchy, looms heavily over the ground where the Draaz Horde formally surrendered to its conqueror and new master. A gold and adamantine statue of a fearsome orc warlord kneeling and presenting his blade to a triumphant Sextus I watches over the House’s entry arch.
Any “Redeemed Monster” passing beneath the entry arch must bow slightly and touch the toes of Sextus’ image. The statue’s feet are all but worn away by generations of heavy fingers making this tribute. Any “Monster” that fails to abase him or herself before the statue is punished by public scourging.
The world of Nova Avalon is like no other in all the myriad universes. Uncounted thousands of sky-islands float in the warm upper atmosphere of a goliath world without true ground. Some of these floating islands are massive enough to contain whole nations, while others are just clumps of dirt no bigger than a baby’s hand. On Nova Avalon, the wind endlessly howls, low and mournfully, and the breezes felt by the world’s many races and nations are merely the weakest echo of the endless hurricanes raging far below.
The Men, Elves, Gnomes, Kayletheons and other races that call the sky islands home are caught in the relatively thin habitable zone of Nova Avalon’s tumultuous atmosphere. Often referred to as the living sky, this region is bordered by the airless freezing blackness of space the crushing heat and pressure and lethal hurricanes of the lower sky. The living sky stretches for hundreds of vertical miles, from black space above to crimson winds below.
Skyships roam the winds between the islands, connecting the many peoples of Nova Avalon in a complex web of trade, warfare, diplomacy and conquest…. a web that sways and shifts as the winds change.
The Winds of History
Once upon a time, Avalon was a world like any other. Men built great cities that reached the heavens, and in their pride, defied heaven. Tempted by the ‘snakes of the earth’, humanity learned much and reached far, but its greed and hubris eventually became too great. The god Justar, Avalon’s sky-father and creator, unleashed his wrath and shattered the world he created. Explosions shredded Avalon, boiling away oceans and throwing continental shards high into the sky.
It was only the intercession of Jada Rainbringer, Justar’s consort, who begged for humanity’s life that stopped the upheaval. Justar Worldbreaker relented, and hung the shattered continents upon the living sky. The ruins of Avalon vanished into mist and memory, becoming the endless crimson storm of the gas world Nova Avalon. A new race of mankind, cowed by the great upheaval and properly appreciative of Justar’s mercy emerged on the islands.
In time, mankind and the other sentient races rebuilt what had been lost during the upheaval.
The Monarchy
The Monarchy are possibly the most powerful nation in the living sky and certainly the proudest and most ambitious. The Monarchy’s reach extends far, and the empire encompasses many of the races of man, as well as members of the savage races. Ancient and powerful, the Monarchy’s history stretches back to the famed Conquest of Draaz, in 3,405 S.R. A band of brave humans overthrew the Draaz Horde, winning true freedom for the men and women of a half dozen sky-islands. The warrior-king Thomas Sextus I was crowned ruler of the Monarchy, lawful and only master of both humanity and the monstrous races of the Draaz Horde. The victory over the orcs and bugbears of the Horde was the dawn of the most powerful nation in history.
Utherlon
The Monarchy is a proud but fundamentally divided country. Even the lowest born Monarchy human can trace his or her lineage back to Thomas Sextus I’s legendary Utherlon. Even the Monarchy’s chimney sweeps and doxies know they are descended from heroes. Genealogy is a national obsession, and marriages are arranged as often to gain a claim to noble lineage as for more tangible financial or political reasons.
Modern historians realize that Sextus’ Utherlon was a bare confederation of rocky, inhospitable sky-islands, where early men eked out a bare, subsistence level existence. To the average citizen of the Monarchy, historical truth does not matter. The men and women of Utherlon stood up against the Draaz Horde, winning freedom for all mankind. To hear the bards tell it, ancient Utherlon was as lush as Nova Avalon itself, blanketed in apple orchards and veined with deep shafts of gold and ore. It was a land worth fighting for, worth dying for, and certainly worth conquering the beasts of the Horde for.
Truth and myth have become hopelessly tangled where Utherlon and the deeds of Thomas Sextus I are concerned. Was he a warrior-king touched by Justar Worldbreaker himself? Or was Sextus just a bandit with a better than average grasp of tactics? Modern Monarchists know the answer: he was the half divine king who founded the greatest nation the sky has ever kissed, and will pull their flintlocks at any suggestion otherwise.
Today, Utherlon is the heart of the Monarchy and the seat of its government. The Monarchy’s impressive capitol city, Magistera is built upon the ruins of Thomas Sextus I’s boyhood home. The House of Freefolk, parliament of the Monarchy, looms heavily over the ground where the Draaz Horde formally surrendered to its conqueror and new master. A gold and adamantine statue of a fearsome orc warlord kneeling and presenting his blade to a triumphant Sextus I watches over the House’s entry arch.
Any “Redeemed Monster” passing beneath the entry arch must bow slightly and touch the toes of Sextus’ image. The statue’s feet are all but worn away by generations of heavy fingers making this tribute. Any “Monster” that fails to abase him or herself before the statue is punished by public scourging.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Is LPJ Design's CwF + RtB=$$$ as strong as it really should be?
For those that don't know, CwF + RtB=$$$ means Connect with Fans (CwF) and give them a Reason to Buy (RtB) equal Success ($$$), but I have to wonder am I doing enough CwF? I mean, I know I have RtB section covered. That is something I personally think I excel at. When I make products for LPJ Design, I am always making things that I would use specifically for me. Obsidian Twilight is my vision of how I would do a survival horror and post-apocalyptic setting. Pirates of the Bronze Sky is my vision of a steampunk and pulp setting. NeoExodus: A House Divided is my version on a neo-modern influenced fantasy setting. Here is a little secret about me that you might not know, but I am horrible at doing and designing game mechanics. No really, I suck. No bullshit. Game balance has no meaning for me. I just make things I like, rules be damned. But since I want to actually make balanced races, classes or what ever I usually ask people to help me with the gaming mechanics on my work. Hell, the main reason I created the original Race Creation Cookbook and the Pathfinder edition is because I NEEDED a book to help me create races. Same thing with the Prestige Class Creation Cookbook. These products are my RtB books. But when it come to CwF, am I doing enough?
My friend Steve Russell over at Rite Publishing is a grand master at CwF. His business model is based off of CwF. The same thing can be said about Wolfgang Baur with Open Design and Kobold Quarterly. Gareth Skarka of Adamant Entertainment has been doing CwF for the last 10 years and he has proven it works ands works well. Some people are very good at this and these are all people that I emulate when I want to do thing to help me connect better. I am a better in-person, one-on-one kind of person. Over the internet some of the nuance is lost and that is where I suffer the most I think. Now don't get me wrong I can and HAVE been an ass. Sometime with reason and sometimes just because I need to be a ass. As with the personal mantra I use, "When I have to decide which is mightier the pen or the sword, I let the situation dictate;" it all depends. The internet has made it possible for the message that people want to get out to be heard by millions if not billions, I just don't want to what I do be just more "noise versus signal". So my focus this year will to become more CwF. What does that mean for those who are not out fans yet? I guess you will have to wait and see what we do. But as always if you have some good ideas, let me know. Talk to you later...
My friend Steve Russell over at Rite Publishing is a grand master at CwF. His business model is based off of CwF. The same thing can be said about Wolfgang Baur with Open Design and Kobold Quarterly. Gareth Skarka of Adamant Entertainment has been doing CwF for the last 10 years and he has proven it works ands works well. Some people are very good at this and these are all people that I emulate when I want to do thing to help me connect better. I am a better in-person, one-on-one kind of person. Over the internet some of the nuance is lost and that is where I suffer the most I think. Now don't get me wrong I can and HAVE been an ass. Sometime with reason and sometimes just because I need to be a ass. As with the personal mantra I use, "When I have to decide which is mightier the pen or the sword, I let the situation dictate;" it all depends. The internet has made it possible for the message that people want to get out to be heard by millions if not billions, I just don't want to what I do be just more "noise versus signal". So my focus this year will to become more CwF. What does that mean for those who are not out fans yet? I guess you will have to wait and see what we do. But as always if you have some good ideas, let me know. Talk to you later...
Sunday, January 23, 2011
LPJ Design is going to PaizoCon 2011...what should do as an exclusive...
Since LPJ Design is going to PaizoCon, I think we need to do something special for our first time to PaizoCon. Maybe a exclusive limited edition hardcover full color book? Maybe $25 - $30? Maybe something you can only pick it up exclusively at PaizoCon? What do you think?
By then the Pirates of the Bronze Sky release will be a month away and NeoExodus: A House Divided campaign setting will be two month away from release. So I wanted to know what you though about it? I have a "vague" idea but tell me what you would want. Talk to you later...
Saturday, January 22, 2011
LPJ Design is going to PaizoCon 2011
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