Regions
Barons of the March
Chiefs of the North
Counts of the East
Grandees of the South
Patricians of the Coast
How it Works:
First Dynasty to include all 5 regions; not the new standard
There will be some rebalancing for things that interact with the treasury and possibly some schemes
The Dynasty will last between 5 and 7 episodes, and will end when one of two conditions is met:
Reign 7 ends
The Common Quests are completed
Goals:
Test some new modding things
Try a set number of reigns
Try inserting lore that takes place at the start of the dynasty and not before
Try conflict between common and regional goals in a more explicit way
Try having a predetermined outcome for the dynasty, and not a vague ending
Background Lore:
An entity designated as the “Sleeping Ember, Veiled in Smoke” manifests after a long slumber. One night, everybody in the Kingdom suffers horrible nightmares, and when they wake up the King has disappeared leaving only black soot in his room.
By gathering info from ancient holy texts of all the main faiths of the Kingdom it has been possible to identify a common figure that corresponds to the signs seen in the dreams. It’s not the 7th nor one of his servants. It’s a new independent entity, the name of which is unknown. It is very ancient, and it brings no good. The old tales tell us that once it wakes up, it will devour the world in a gulf of flames and choke all life out of it with acrid smoke.
The good news is, there is a way to prevent its arrival: protecting the Kingdom following old rituals and tales. If the old rituals are completed successfully, the entity will stay asleep and the Kingdom will be safe.
Each region also has its own traditions that it may follow to protect itself: they aren’t as certain to work, but arguably easier to achieve, and would only protect the region itself.
The regional traditions and rituals involve some very drastic lifestyle changes, and warp the way the regions see themselves and their values. They don’t necessarily affect every noble of that region, but they are meant to be a prompt for interesting roleplaying.
The uncovered regional traditions answer a simple question: "How do we survive the impending doom?"
Barons: We go unnoticed. When the beast awakens, it will smother any opposition and perceived threat. The strong will be swept away. This is a fight we cannot win. We must give up our weapons and tend to our flocks, so that we may be deemed insignificant, a mere part of the landscape. In weakness lies salvation.
Chiefs: We thrive in the new hostile world. We were born in a deadly environment, the very air we breathe tries to kill us from the moment we take our first breath. The North has always been inhospitable, yet we still stand. If we cultivate our roots, we will find the strength to survive.
Counts: We retreat from the mundane. A hermitic life spent in contemplation is how we shield ourselves from adversities. Learn the old chants and incantations, that we may be sustained by their enchanted words. If we isolate ourselves from the material world, we will be less affected by its demise.
Grandees: We fight back, at any cost. Prayers won’t be enough this time. We have to give up all that is non-essential, and rest our faith in our own hands more than anything else. The Ninth triumphed over the Deposed Gods using violence. We will have to do the same.
Patricians: We trust each other. The Coast is a liminal space, a threshold between land and sea, imbued with magic. We have to channel that energy in an articulate system of arcane countermeasures, spread across our former city-states. Everyone will have to do their part, or we won’t make it.
Mechanics:
Afflictions
At the start of every reign, starting from the first one, the Kingdom will suffer the consequences of an Affliction.
All Afflictions affect the Kingdom stats, lowering their current score and affecting their maximum cap PERMANENTLY.
Afflictions have both a mechanical effect and a narrative effect.
Some Afflictions happen at a predetermined time, others are drawn randomly from a selection of options.
Quests:
Quests are a series of objectives that can be completed in order to prevent the impending doom.
Quests are public, can be completed in any order and at any time (unless specified), and are divided into Common Quests and Regional Quests.
Once completed, Quests cannot be undone: their completion is permanent.
Common Quests can be pursued by all the nobles of the Kingdom. They are a collaborative effort to prevent the awakening of the “Sleeping Ember, Veiled in Smoke”.
There are 7 Common Quests, and they involve controlling the Kingdom’s stats and/or building specific buildings.
Defiance doesn’t count as a stat for the purposes of Quests.
All 7 Common Quests have to be completed in order to achieve success. If all 7 Common Quests are completed, the Kingdom is saved.
Regional Quests can be pursued by each region individually. They are a way for each region to try to save itself, independently of the others.
There are 3 Regional Quests for each region: 2 of them are the same for every region, 1 is unique to each region.
Unlike the Common Quests, Regional Quests do NOT guarantee salvation.
Each completed Regional Quest grants the region 2 Salvation Dice (2d6) to roll at the end of the dynasty.
If the Common Quests are NOT completed, at the end of the dynasty each region rolls its Salvation Dice and obtains an outcome based on the number of successes (5+ results).
Possible Outcomes:
0 Successes = DESTRUCTION: The region ceases to exist and suffers the impending doom; all of its inhabitants die or are driven away, all that is left are blackened ruins and a charred landscape.
1 Success = Heavy damage: The region barely survives. Most of its inhabitants die, and few structures remain standing. The local culture, traditions, and institutions succumb. Whatever comes next will have to take a different form than the current one.
2 Successes = Moderate damage: The region is struck by great calamity, but somehow manages to stay intact. Most buildings are gone, and more than half the population dies. It takes a long time to rebuild and there is a lot of struggle, but the survivors find a way.
3 Successes = Light damage: The region’s defenses work as intended. Most of its inhabitants survive, and only minimal damage is suffered. Their reclaimed traditions endure, and will help them survive in the new hostile world.
Quest List:
Common Quests:
Procure Arcane Reagents: At the end of any reign, have at least one region with Trade at MAX.
Stockpile Offerings: At the end of any reign, have at least one region with Farming at MAX.
Fortify The Ley Lines: At the end of any reign, have at least one region with Military at MAX.
Gather Holy Records: At the end of any reign, have at least one region with Faith at MAX.
Coordinate Efforts: At the end of any reign, have at least three regions with the same non-0 value in the same stat.
Call Upon The Ninth/Conquer The Stars: Build a Cathedral OR an Observatory in any region spending at least 20k gold.
Weather the Afflictions: At the end of reign 5 or later, have no stat lower than 3.
Regional Quests:
Self-Preservation: Have a stat at MAX at the end of two consecutive reigns; it has to be the same stat.
Seek Lost Knowledge/Establish Places of Power: Build a Library OR a Monument in your region spending at least 10k.
Unique Regional Quests
Barons - Swords To Plowshares: At the end of the dynasty, have 2 or minus Military and MAX Farming.
Chiefs - Born In Hardship: At the end of the dynasty, have at least 5 Military, and Farming and Trade equal or higher than Military.
Counts - Ascetic Retreat: At the end of the dynasty, have Faith equal or higher than the combination of your other stats, and no stat at 0.
Grandees - Militant Martyrdom: At the end of the dynasty, have Military as your highest stat, and at least one other stat at 0.
Patricians - Tidal Gamble: At the end of the dynasty, have all stats at exactly 3.
A Note on Claimants:
Monarchs and Claimants will indirectly play a pivotal role in the nobles’ attempt to save the Kingdom or their own regions.
Each Claimant’s traits and the Scheme that was used to put them on the throne will contribute to determining how they behave once they become Monarch. That means that picking a specific Scheme might lead to the Monarch picking a specific Ambition and/or aiding the Kingdom over a specific region or vice versa.
Keeping this in mind, the Nobles might want to vote to help a different region’s Scheme over their own in order to help another region’s Claimant, who could in turn pursue a favourable agenda once on the throne.
Current Afflictions:
Reign 1 - The Nightmare
Authority -1
Stability -1
Reign 2 - The Ash
Farming -2
Military -1
Reign 3 - The Boiling Water
Stability -1
Trading -1
Military -1
Reign 4 - The Burning Prayers
Authority -1
Faith -2
Reign 5 - The Cracked Earth
Authority -1
Stability -1
Trading -2
Farming -1
Military -1
Faith -1
Reign 6 - The Fire
Authority -1
Stability -1
Trading -1
Farming -1
Military -1
Faith -1
Reign 7 - The Dying Light
Authority -2
Stability -2
