Greetings Lords and Ladies.

May Haelyn smile upon you.

Although I am new to this list, I have been reading up a bit about it in
the archives. I am really excited to have the opportunity to talk about
Birthright ideas with someone outside of my gaming group. It kind of
kills the story line when they know what is going to happen next!

Unlike the groups that I have read about in the archive, my group
consists of blooded and unblooded characters. Currently there are no
regents, but one character will be before long! Here is a brief
description of my party:

Gillack - dwarven fighter/cleric. Gillack is a most unusual dwarf. He
is well trained and quite bright. He has been ordered by Grimm
Greybeard, the current regent of Baruk-Azhik to venture in the outside
world: to find out about what the humans are up to and to make new
political, and economic contacts that may be favorable to the nation.
Gillack does not know that he has been selected to be the next regent of
Baruk-Azhik. Grimm Greybeard and the priests he has researching the
spell that will make him a part of the mountains are about ready to
perform the ceremony. Gillack will be a witness and will be informed
before the ceremony that he is to be the next ruler of B-A. He has two
years in which to be trained in the art of ruling. Wish him well. (for
details on Grimm Greybeard, see the Baruk-Azhik domain profile)

Ian - Brecht thief, spy kit. Ian is a blooded son of a middle class
merchantman. He was selected to become part of Keirgard's elite spy
corp. He was orphaned after a tragic fire and found himself invited
to serve the government. Only later did he discover that his parents
were killed by the same agency he was working for! Now he is a renegade,
plotting revenge for the death of his parents.

Olan - Elven mage (not a great name, but hey) Olan is a blooded elf who
has been given the auspicious task of escorting a small group of dwarves
and humans through the Seilwode. He has managed to offend nearly all of
the humans, and has managed to lead the party into an ambush set up by
some gnolls at the edge of the Seilwode. He is doing a marvelous job.

Gabriel - Human Paladin from Aduria. Gabriel is not blooded, but does
provide a lot of muscle and some definite sanity to the party.

Thak - Dwarven fighter. Body guard for Gillack.

??? - Rjurik Druid. Another fairly new member to the party. Head
strong. Deathly afraid of elves. He sees them as "baby killers" a
phrase which greatly enrages Olan.

Although not everyone is blooded, it does provide for an interesting mix
of talents, jealousies, and potential alliances.

Currently, this party is running all over Cerillia! They encounter a
servant of Ulfdan, Jarl of Hogunmark (Rjurik) in Northern Coeryans. This
servant was violently ill and was sent after a rare herb, conjuvarly,
that was needed to heal Ulfdan of a violent illness, which no one knows
was actually hand picked by the White Witch to kill the Jarl. The only
place that this herb could be found is on the Isle of Ghosts in Khinasi,
off the coast and two days east of Zikala. While journeying to the Isle
of Ghosts and back, the group had an encounter with the Grand Vizier of
Zikala, and one party member succombed to a charm spell of the Vizier's
coniving Uncle. They have returned to Coeryans, healed the servant, then
returned to B-A to consult with Grimm Greybeard. There they secured safe
passage through the Seilwode and are now preparing to cross Markazor in
hopes that Olan can secure them passage through Tuarhievel rather than
travel through the Gorgon's Crown and Mur-Kilad.

If they survive their journey to Hogunmark, the druid, who REALLY wants
to be blooded, will discover that his bloodline was stolen through the
adventure _Njalgrim's Doom_ at the end of the Rjurik Highlands expansion
module.

After this, I am planning a war that will involve B-A, under the
leadership of Gillack, the Seilwode, Coeranys, attempting to fend off the
onslought of Jaison Raeneck of Osoerde. Perhaps after this campaign
either succeeds or fails, the group, if they are still together, and if
Gillack can find a way to get the other dwarves to accept these
foreigners as allies, will turn their eyes, at the encouragement of Ian,
to the destabilization of Keirgard. Then again, there may be an orog
invasion. Gillack dreams of bribing the Chimeron into taking on the
Gorgon, but she is not that dim-witted.

Overall, I am really enjoying this setting. It is definitely stretching
our skills as role-players and as GMs.

If I got a little long, sorry! :) But please, offer an suggestions that
you may have for story ideas, especially in regards to an artifact that
the elves may have developed soon after Desimaar to reduce the cost of
realm magic (this artifact is the reason the elves are even remotely
concerned with the activity of Jaison Raenech).

Jonathan

pick@csm.astate.edu