The Fall of Vandor’s Prominence and Rise of the Ten Princedoms
The autumn following Vandor’s death brought new peril to the land he left at death’s door. His ten princely heirs could not agree as to how they wanted to rule the land. His eldest son Hanik fell into an unknown illness, and could not keep the other brothers from squabbling over the remaining land. They argued, armwrestled, boxed, fenced, and displayed feats of archery to contend for the prize. The boys were at the edge of bringing their house down in complete war, when Djander, the trusted counsel to their father the king, suggested that they each have a turn at running their own region of the kingdom. He gave them each a year to prove their worthiness as king by ruling a single Princedom.
In the end, the islands were given self-governing status, and each son took control of one of the administrative regions of Vandor, in the hopes of proving their worth to each other and their people. This has proven a difficult challenge, as the people have begun to move away to the Republic of Esrun with its doctrine of individual freedom and merchant riches, the Kingdom of Altæa with its charismatic Queen Aeynn, and to the Phyloctæte, as it moves into a new era of promising peace under the half-elven mage Feryn Dyndle.
This exodus means that the once-kingdom’s power is being drained by these neighboring nations, either to fight their wars, colonize new lands, or to strengthen their markets at home. The next months will see a tenuous peace as the boys try to follow in their father’s footsteps as ruler of Vandor. Djander will be watching, trying to minimize the meddle while preventing all out war.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged event, history by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Vandor’s Memorial Service
All of Vandor’s seven thousand residents, peasants and knights alike, gathered for the memorial service for King Han Vandor. The service ran three days, the first of which was a fast, the second a feast, and the third the burial. The event took place just outside of Vandor Estate outside of Hanton, the capital of the present-day Vandorn province.
Under the towering castle, the festivities ran the full three days — even though the first day was one of fast, the butchers worked hard slaughtering pigs, and the prep-work was completed for the rich dough used in the gigantic savory pastry known as Vandor Pie. The second day saw many toasts, as all in attendance were asked to say a few words, if even within their local groups. On the third day, the prayers were said, his body was lowered into a site in the family mausoleum at the back end of the Vandor Estate.
Over each of the three days, his ten sons, the future rulers of their own provinces, gave speeches praising their father and honoring his memory. His daughter was nowhere to be seen at the festivities, and various rumors circulated as to her whereabouts, ranging from her being a vagabond living in the streets of the neighboring Phyloctæte to her being dead.
The following are excerpts from the Ballad of Vandor
(as sung by the bard Torsten Danattaway)
this land had never a leader
not of the kind of man before
a man who would drink a liter
then outwit invading hordes
han vandor, han vandor
van-dor, van-dor,
left his life at death’s door
tomorrow will never be more
happier than the days of
van-dor, van-dor
left his life at death’s door
yesterday will never be more
happier than the days of yore
with you, as goes our land
into the hands of squabbling sons
who in your wisdom know must stand
hand in hand brother in brother
van-dor, van-dor…
Torsten is still working on a version of the song for print, a new technology emerging out of the industrious merchant class of the Republic of Esrun to the southwest.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged event, history by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Guacna: ancestor stones
The presence of these idols allows these ancestors to protect and care for their descendents through various magical abilities. As the guacna are sometimes carried into battle as a type of magical standard, they can be useful for offense or defense.
The powers of the different guacna vary depending on the qualities of the ancestor to which they are linked. For example, a guacna made for a mighty hunter in a village might provide the hunters of that village with a +2 profound bonus on survival checks when hunting, or provide the benifits of the endurance feat. If he was a skilled archer, the guacna might provide a +1 profound bonus to attack and damage rolls with bows made in it’s presence. If the ancestor was a skilled healer, it might provide a bonus to heal skill checks, or perhaps automatically stabilize wounded and unconscious members of the tribe in it’s presence.
Crafting a guanca upon the death of an important person follows the standard rules for wondrous magic item creation.
Presented below is an example of a Naahaogo guacna.
Guacna of Baniha Long-horn
Baniha was a warrior of great renown, and over his lifetime defended his village of mountain goat people against the ice kobolds from the east, the humans from the south, and the dwarves from the west. So numerous were his battles against these people that he became very skilled at hunting and killing them. Upon his death a guanca was constructed to honor him, and to let him continue to help his descendants.
Any Naahaogo within 60 feet of Baniha’s guacna is granted his bonuses to damage against his favored enemies. They receive a holy +3 bonus against kobolds, a +2 bonus against humans, and a +1 bonus against dwarves. Additionally, sentinels near his ancestor stone receive a +2 bonus to spot and listen checks.
Posted in Character, Magic Item and tagged wondrous item by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.