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  1. #1
    Site Moderator kgauck's Avatar
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    Fulgar the Bold had died IMC. He was old. A serious threat to Stjordvik

    when the campaign started, the PC`s have grown in power, now occupy key

    possitions in the court of Stjordvik as eorls, marshal and chamberlain. The

    serious threats have moved on to greater villains, like the White Witch. So

    Fulgar has passed on to what ever life awaits him in the halls of his

    ancestors. In part from the description of Cormyr in FRCS, I have opted to

    leave Rjuvik as a power vacuum. Local Rjurik who had rejected the

    corruption of Fulgar`s bandit rule are re-asserting themselves. The old

    bandit law holdings are thrown aside and noble and druidical law holdings

    are popping up in their place. There will be some jockying for possition

    before the athing is called to elect a new king. Even then, the roles of

    Quirad and Adriala will need to be worked out in the new scheme. The White

    Witch was already finding Rjuvik to be fertile ground, so one might expect

    her power to grow.



    The PC`s made there way there to establish new diplomatic relations and get

    a lay of the land. A few marriage alliances were worked out. They met some

    of the new heroes defending the people from bandits and the blood skull

    barony. Up and comming aristocratic sons and nephews untained by Fulgar.



    Kenneth Gauck

    kgauck@mchsi.com

  2. #2
    Senior Member RaspK_FOG's Avatar
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    B) I like it a lot as a development, and would like to read more, if you are up to giving out more, that is.

  3. #3
    Site Moderator kgauck's Avatar
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    Under Fulgar, Rjuvik had abandon the old tradition of the raid, but in its

    place came the pratice of the bandit. The raid was a practice that had not

    only captured loot from others (mostly lifestock) but was pratice for the

    traditional style of Rjurik warfare. The bandits robbed travelers on the

    roads and demanded protection money to prevent raids. They wanted coin.

    The values of aristocratic Rjuvik were supressed in favor of the bandits who

    now ran the country. An ethos of parasitism was practiced by Fulgar and his

    agents. The law holdings protected no one, they just preyed on the weak.

    The guild holdings produced only a minimum, they mostly just distributed the

    loot. In the early years of Fulgar, a few of the eorls stoof up for the

    aristocratic values of honor and justice. They resented the way every man

    was out for himself and the strong, far from protecting the weak, preyed

    upon them. The number of thrall increased by an order of magnitude. But

    Fulgar isolated, assasinated, and harrased the nobles, weeding out the

    proudest and most honorable. Over the years some of the eorls put their

    organizational skills to work for Fulgar, others just retreated to the long

    houses. Few were not comprimised by the bandit ethos in some way, even if

    it was just accepting Fulgar`s coin to free captured bandits preying on the

    noble`s community.



    The skalds had kept the old aristocratic ethos alive in song and poem. The

    young nobles, born during the reign of Fulgar were inspired by these tales

    of purpose and nobility. They young dryten would form counter-bandit hirds

    (warrior bands) and hunt the bandits. When they had too much success and

    retributions began, they often went to other Rjurik realms to serve in

    honorable households as huskarlar (housecarls) where they saw the Rjurik

    traditions in full flower.



    Fulgar had never named an heir, to prevent that heir from plotting against

    him and replacing him. He had always hoped to be able to designate an heir

    at a point close enough to his own death to ensure a natural death, but no

    closer than neccesary. It didn`t work out that way. Fulgar died

    unexpectedly (lets call it an aneurysm) and his realm became uncontrolled.

    (see page 76 of the BoP) Right away, two of Fulgar`s lieutenants began to

    vie for control of the realm. Because local eorls contested control of the

    local law, the two factions only got a portion of the guild holdings (some

    they both claimed). As it happened neither faction was able to sieze

    Fulgar`s realm, and it quickly became apparant that the eorls were gaining

    control of their local provinces. What happened next was unexpected. Local

    young men of noble upbringing, inspired by the skalds began purging the

    local law holdings of those who where supporters of the bandits and Fulgar

    loyalists. Young men who had gone to other realms began returning home and

    a strong (well armed) anti-Fulgar political faction was ascendant.



    When the PC`s visited Rjuvik, a few of the older eorls who were compromised

    by Fulgar`s activities were stepping down in favor of their sons. These

    were men who took organizational roles in Fulgar`s kleptocracy. Those eorls

    who had retired to their longhouses now claimed the mantle of government

    along with the new younger eorls. Of course the bandits still existed.

    While their leadership was dead or pre-occupied, the bandits were still able

    to prey upon their victims. Also, the collapse of the central government

    encouraged the Blood Skull Barony, so goblin and orog raiders were out in

    the countryside as well as bandits. The young dryten formed bands to

    confront these problems locally. The skalds who had done so much to

    encourage a revolution supported these dryten and a few druids also lent

    themselves to ending the bandit and blood skull menaces.



    Interestingly, the role of the druids ran the full spectrum. Some druids

    hated Fulgar and supported the traditional order. Some druids felt that

    Fulgar`s policies were favorable to the natural world, since it focused on

    inter-human parasitism rather than trying to make nature yield a greater

    bounty. Farmland acreage declined under Fulgar and forestry was ignored

    (the foresters were on their own, without guild or royal support). Some

    druids took no interest in what should be (should Rjuvik be aristocratic or

    should Rjuvik be less intrusive to nature) and just went about their

    business as things were. Typically I have the Oaken Grove control temples

    with just a smattering of sources where they are strongest, while the

    Emerald Spire mostly controls sources and only holds a few temples where

    their hold is strongest. The RH sourcebook identified the Oaken Grove as

    the only temple in Rjuvik, so while I assume the ES occasionally tried to

    pick up some of the sources that where available, Quirad al-Dinn and Adriala

    the Dark kept them locked out of the sources and mostly just struggled

    between the two of them for control. A traditionalist government in Rjuvik

    will not be happy with Quirad and Adriala, both because of their ties to

    Fulgar and because of their arcane magic. But both are too powerful to just

    crush.



    Currently, the law has been settled, and is in the hands of the provincial

    eorls. The guilds are gradually being taken by local, prominent guilders,

    mostly the master craftsman. The merchants are too associated with the

    reign of Fulgar and are mostly bowing to the control of the craftsmen. The

    nature of the guild situation still remains to be seen. Further, if people

    like Storm Holtson and the White Witch are moving in, they aren`t doing it

    openly.



    Once the Athing is called, a king will be elected and as a result there will

    probably be a bit of a shake out in the Oaken Grove as well. In theory

    anyone could stand for election as king, but three of the eorls and possibly

    the eldest son of Olfjor Ylvarrik (now also dead) eorl Runolf of Arvaald

    will seek election. Runolf is a great, great grandson of the old royal line

    of Rjuvik.



    The PC`s are mostly interested in a friendly king in Rjuvik. I am not

    anticipating much involvement of the PC`s unless it looks like a candidate

    they don`t like looks like he has a good chance. I think they realize that

    the influence nobles and office holders from Talinie and Stjordvik will be

    small.



    Kenneth Gauck

    kgauck@mchsi.com

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    Impressive. One thing, didn`t Fulgar have a daughter? Or was that only

    IMC? If so, where does she figure into this.

    I also saw your line that "if the White Witch were moving in, it has not

    been detected yet." I preferred to play it that she was very good at

    disguising her moves, and used vassals (puppets) to advance her holdings, absorbing

    them later.



    Lee.

  5. #5
    Site Moderator kgauck's Avatar
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    ----- Original Message -----

    From: "Lee Hanna" <LeeHa1854@AOL.COM>

    Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2004 7:52 AM





    > Impressive. One thing, didn`t Fulgar have a daughter? Or was that

    > only IMC? If so, where does she figure into this.



    I went back and looked, I didn`t see any reference to a daughter. If I had

    given Fulgar children, he still would have had to have designated them as

    heirs.



    > I also saw your line that "if the White Witch were moving in, it has not

    > been detected yet." I preferred to play it that she was very good at

    > disguising her moves, and used vassals (puppets) to advance her holdings,

    > absorbing them later.



    Yes, the White Witch does everything through intermediaries. When the

    Rjurik guilder moves into town with a few GB and sets up a holding trading

    herbs, vegetables, and nuts, it isn`t even remotely obvious that he is

    actually an agent of the White Witch. I don`t neccesarily have her use

    vassals, because front men work just as well. Her local sheriffs, guilders,

    and what have you claim to be independent operators. Who is to say

    differently? Through this link,

    http://home.mchsi.com/~kgauck/taelshore/svafnir.htm you can see how the

    agents of the White Witch have been at work in Stjordvik. By sending the

    agent, Toki, called silkbeard, the White Witch has gained control of the law

    and guild holdings in Hogby in Saerskaap in Stjordvik. The AEG

    Swashbuckling CS has a chapter (4 pages) on secret societies. The Dynasties

    and Demagogues PrC Conspiracy Leader is good for the leader of the White

    Witch activity in a realm. I picked up some of the Lankhmar materials

    produced by TSR for ideas on secret organizations and the like for just such

    purposes as running the White Witch. Adventures involving the White Witch

    are a bit in the the X Files or conspiracy series direction. This is the

    only time I introduce NPC`s who will double cross PC`s from the get go with

    pre-established provocations and the means to get away with it. Normally a

    double cross requires the PC to mistreat someone or I drop hints. Not so

    with agents of the White Witch. While I have never used a doppleganger in

    BR, I don`t reject player speculation that the White Witch might have an

    agent who is one.



    Kenneth Gauck

    kgauck@mchsi.com

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