Drachenward

[stv2brown1988]

I always thought it was odd that Drachenward worshiped Cuiracein (sp?). To me it would seem like a land that cold and desolute would worship Kriesha/Kriestal. Danigau has some Brecht worshipers for Kriestal so do you think a whole (sparsely populated) Brecht nation could worship Kriestal? What about the idea of making it the same church from Danigau. Maybe it started out in Drachenward and expanded into Danigau?

[ArchScarlettie]

Kreisha is a "dark" and evil Goddess, and the "values" her priestesses would preach likely aren't in tune with the Brecht religious values and may hold no spiritual benefits for them. Since Drachenward is hardpressed by the gnolls, the hag, and garbentod, it's likely the people themselves find strength in worshipping the god of battle.

The church in Danigau is underground and seen as an infection (by the ruler) so it's unlikely it has any type of real popular support among the people.

[stv2brown1988]

I guess I view Drachenward as a Brecht realm de-evolving (if you will) to a more barbaric/nomad (or Vos-like) state. I picked up the DnD Frostburn book recently and I'm thinking of running an adventure using some of this material. Drachenward seems a good candidate for this type of location.

[Lee]

I guess I view Drachenward as a Brecht realm de-evolving (if you will) to a more barbaric/nomad (or Vos-like) state. I picked up the DnD Frostburn book recently and I'm thinking of running an adventure using some of this material. Drachenward seems a good candidate for this type of location.

It certainly would be, as it has actual glaciers. I'm kicking around a Grabentod game someday, myself. A partial theme would be scions looking to take advantage of the absence of King Albrecht-- the suddenly /late/ King, that is-- and at least one of the opportunity-seekers should be coming from Drachenward.

[stv2brown1988]

It certainly would be, as it has actual glaciers. I'm kicking around a Grabentod game someday, myself. A partial theme would be scions looking to take advantage of the absence of King Albrecht-- the suddenly /late/ King, that is-- and at least one of the opportunity-seekers should be coming from Drachenward.

I think I remember an ice pirate theme in the Frostburn book that could work nicely with a Grabentod game.

[Lee]

To me it would seem like a land that cold and desolute would worship Kriesha/Kriestal. Danigau has some Brecht worshipers for Kriestal so do you think a whole (sparsely populated) Brecht nation could worship Kriestal? What about the idea of making it the same church from Danigau. Maybe it started out in Drachenward and expanded into Danigau?

A later thought on this: if the Kriestal priestesses showed that they could significantly better the lot of the people, they could win temple holdings. They could do that by either alleviating the pinch of the long winters, or by making life so miserable for followers of other temples that they would want to switch.

IMO, Kriestal`s temples in Brecht lands are divided, because they are so weak and far apart. Better that they should stick to their grass-roots. There are small temples in Danigau, Vampire's Hold and Grabentod. Danigau's are in the least-developed provinces. The one in Grabentod is right up against the southwestern corner of Drachenward, this might be a better place to set up.

I`ve often wondered, though, if the scattered Kriestal temples around Cerilia might benefit from some help from the Winter Witch-- training of priestesses, money, etc., all delivered covertly. The founding priestesses might have been trained and/or recruited by the White Witch or her agents. A "college" run from that country is an appealing idea to me. There is no control, just seeds scattered abroad.

Lee.

[stv2brown1988]

A later thought on this: if the Kriestal priestesses showed that they could significantly better the lot of the people, they could win temple holdings. They could do that by either alleviating the pinch of the long winters, or by making life so miserable for followers of other temples that they would want to switch.
Lee.

Well this is a great idea! After reading your post I imagine priestesses of Kriestal wandering around villages late at night casting spells to extinguish the fires of non-worshipers or spoiling their food supplies. Worship or your family will never be warm again! Maybe I can use this as a random event, people start suffering from cold/flu reducing income (-1 GB/turn) and it spreads to other provinces. The only provinces immune are the ones with only churches to Kriestal in them. Possibly the PC will caught up in trying to discover a new way to keep his people warm before he discovers the truth. Does that sound sufficently evil?

By the way, the college idea from the White Witch is a great way to expand this campaign.

Steve

[AndrewTall]

One way to use Kreisha in play without needing an unrelentingly evil campaign is to see Kreisha is as 'winter' to Erik's 'summer' - a nature goddess who focuses on the tough side and ruthlessly winnows out the weak to ensure the strong survive (read the BRCs comments in her write up on Erik). She can easily be worshiped therefore in tough lands as it could easily be seen in those lands that winter dominates summer, and that one has to be tough and brutal to survive.

Another possibility is recognising Kreisha as head of a pantheon - if Erik, Belink/ etc form part of her pantheon (only Avani, Cuiraecen, Haelyn and Laerme are listed as foes or see her as a foe per BRCS) then people part of her temple holdings could follow any of these gods easily - nothing in the rules says that a temple holding has to consist 'one and only one' god afterall - the mechanics follow the money and influence, so just as a realm ruler can have dozens of vassals between them and the people and a guilder can co-ordinate a dozen different guilds, the winter witches could easily dominate a number of other faiths - particularly less political ones.

[cccpxepoj]

To me it would seem like a land that cold and desolute would worship Kriesha/Kriestal. Danigau has some Brecht worshipers for Kriestal so do you think a whole (sparsely populated) Brecht nation could worship Kriestal? What about the idea of making it the same church from Danigau. Maybe it started out in Drachenward and expanded into Danigau?

A later thought on this: if the Kriestal priestesses showed that they could significantly better the lot of the people, they could win temple holdings. They could do that by either alleviating the pinch of the long winters, or by making life so miserable for followers of other temples that they would want to switch.

IMO, Kriestal`s temples in Brecht lands are divided, because they are so weak and far apart. Better that they should stick to their grass-roots. There are small temples in Danigau, Vampire's Hold and Grabentod. Danigau's are in the least-developed provinces. The one in Grabentod is right up against the southwestern corner of Drachenward, this might be a better place to set up.

I`ve often wondered, though, if the scattered Kriestal temples around Cerilia might benefit from some help from the Winter Witch-- training of priestesses, money, etc., all delivered covertly. The founding priestesses might have been trained and/or recruited by the White Witch or her agents. A "college" run from that country is an appealing idea to me. There is no control, just seeds scattered abroad.

Lee.

if priests of Kriestal start to make the life for the all other people too miserable, the other temple, the ruler and the people will overrun them, there is no priest immune to the sharp blade, and bloodsheds in the name of the God,King and country are not unknown thing's.

[Lee]

In a message dated 11/16/2007 2:03:41 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, brnetboard@BIRTHRIGHT.NET writes:

By the way, the college idea from the White Witch is a great way to expand this campaign.

Thanks. I was inspired by recent reading about Elizabethan England. Apparently, there was a Catholic college/seminary set up in France (?) to train priests to be smuggled into Protestant England. I could see the WW building a similar training school to turn out priestesses. It would probably work better among the Vos (either torva or nona), but it could have uses among any of the other human cultures. Ruornil or Avani might do the same thing, too.

Lee.

[Lee]

In a message dated 11/16/2007 11:13:09 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, brnetboard@BIRTHRIGHT.NET writes:

if priests of Kriestal start to make the life for the all other people too miserable, the other temple, the ruler and the people will overrun them, there is no priest immune to the sharp blade, and bloodsheds in the name of the God,King and country are not unknown thing`s.


Right. But if any temple/guild/regent can "prove" to the people that they are better off under their rule than under their rivals, they will win the loyalty of the people. That`s the underlying principle of any insurgency.

<< AndrewTall wrote:
One way to use Kreisha in play without needing an unrelentingly evil campaign is to see Kreisha is as `winter` to Erik`s `summer` - a nature goddess who focuses on the tough side and ruthlessly winnows out the weak to ensure the strong survive (read the BRCS comments in her write up on Erik). She can easily be worshiped therefore in tough lands as it could easily be seen in those lands that winter dominates summer, and that one has to be tough and brutal to survive.

Another possibility is recognising Kreisha as head of a pantheon - if Erik, Belink/ etc form part of her pantheon (only Avani, Cuiraecen, Haelyn and Laerme are listed as foes or see her as a foe per BRCS) then people part of her temple holdings could follow any of these gods easily - nothing in the rules says that a temple holding has to consist `one and only one` god afterall - the mechanics follow the money and influence, just as a realm ruler can have dozens of vassals between them and the people and a guilder can co-ordinate a dozen different guilds so the winter witches could easily dominate a number of other faiths - particularly less political ones.>>

These are good possibilities, too.

Lee.

[stv2brown1988]

In a message dated 11/16/2007 11:13:09 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, brnetboard@BIRTHRIGHT.NET writes:

if priests of Kriestal start to make the life for the all other people too miserable, the other temple, the ruler and the people will overrun them, there is no priest immune to the sharp blade, and bloodsheds in the name of the God,King and country are not unknown thing`s.


Right. But if any temple/guild/regent can "prove" to the people that they are better off under their rule than under their rivals, they will win the loyalty of the people. That`s the underlying principle of any insurgency.

<< AndrewTall wrote:
One way to use Kreisha in play without needing an unrelentingly evil campaign is to see Kreisha is as `winter` to Erik`s `summer` - a nature goddess who focuses on the tough side and ruthlessly winnows out the weak to ensure the strong survive (read the BRCS comments in her write up on Erik). She can easily be worshiped therefore in tough lands as it could easily be seen in those lands that winter dominates summer, and that one has to be tough and brutal to survive.

Another possibility is recognising Kreisha as head of a pantheon - if Erik, Belink/ etc form part of her pantheon (only Avani, Cuiraecen, Haelyn and Laerme are listed as foes or see her as a foe per BRCS) then people part of her temple holdings could follow any of these gods easily - nothing in the rules says that a temple holding has to consist `one and only one` god afterall - the mechanics follow the money and influence, just as a realm ruler can have dozens of vassals between them and the people and a guilder can co-ordinate a dozen different guilds so the winter witches could easily dominate a number of other faiths - particularly less political ones.>>

These are good possibilities, too.

Lee.

These ideas are good enough that I could let a PC become a temple regent of Kreisha. Thanks!