Basic Info
Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 2:50 pm
Some basic ground rules.
First, any and all of the house rules I run in my other games still apply here. So that means, among other things, group initiative, XP is rewarded at the end of each thread, etc.
This game is set in 375 AC which means the gods have returned and the War of the Lance and the Blue Lady's War are over. Ansalon is in a period of relative peace at the moment.
A special note to Breila. Because this game takes place 25 years after the events of Chronicles, you'll likely see some big spoilers as a result. However, keep in mind, this game is following the timeline of the books. So just because something happened in the books doesn't mean it will happen in the Chronicles game.
Finally, a note about the Knights of Solamnia. They are important in this module, and so it's worth going over them a bit. First, the knights were created in 1775 PC (2150 years ago) by Vinas Solamnus. The legends say the man had a vision from three gods--Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, and Habbakuk. Paladine is the leader of the seven gods of light. He is sometimes called the Platinum Dragon. He is the god of light, hope, order, rulership and guardianship. Kiri-Jolith is Paladine's son. He is the god of war, justice, honor, battle, courage, heroism, and solidarity. Habbakuk is Kiri-Jolith's twin brother. He is the god of animal life, hunting, rebirth, water, the sea, creation, and passion.
The knights are divided into three factions, and each faction is dedicated to one of those gods.
The first faction are the Knights of the Crown, dedicated to Habbakuk. They are dedicated to the virtue of loyalty. All those who wish to become knights must first start in the Order of the Crown. From there, they may remain in that order or they may advance to another order.
The second faction are the Knights of the Sword, dedicated to Kiri-Jolith. They are dedicated to the virtue of heroism.
The third and highest order are the Knights of the Rose, dedicated to Paladine. They are dedicated to the virtue of honor.
Knights of all three orders live by a very strict code. There is the Oath and there is the Measure. The Oath is quite simply Est Sularus oth Mithas, or "My honor is my life." It is the code by which all Solamnic Knights must live.
The Measure is the set of rules by which a knight lives his life, giving instruction on how to live the Oath. The Measure spans over 30 volumes.
As an order that is over 2000 years old, they have a lot of history. I will just hit the highlights here, though:
*Under the leadership of Vinas Solamnus, the knights managed to unite all of what is now called Solamnia, one of the most powerful nations in Ansalon.
*While Vinas was a very important figure in the knighthood's history, there were three other knights of great importance: Bedal Brightblade, Human Dragonbane, and Sturm Brightblade.
*Bedal Brightblade was known to have single-handedly fought desert nomads that were invading Solamnia, and held the pass that they were trying to get through until help arrived. It is known that he wielded the Brightblade, a very powerful dwarven-made blade. When he died he was buried in a tomb in Solamnia's southern mountains. There is a legend that Bedal will return when there is great need.
*Huma Dragonbane is perhaps the most famous of all knights. He was said to have fought against Takhisis herself, the goddess of ambition and darkness, while riding atop a beautiful silver dragon and wielding a legendary weapon known as the Dragonlance. Although he died in the battle, he defeated Takhisis and forced her out of this world and back into the Abyss.
*Over three hundred years ago was the terrible Cataclysm. Mortals turned away from the gods and began worshiping one of their own. As punishment, the gods hurled a fiery mountain onto the world. On that day, the face of Ansalon was changed. Hundreds of thousands died, and all divine magic (including healing magic) vanished from Krynn.
*However, before this happened, the gods decided to give mortalkind one last chance. They went to a knight known as Lord Soth. They told him, if he would ride to the city of Istar and stop the Kingpriest, who had turned mortals away from the gods, they would stay their hand. But when Soth was half-way there, he heard a rumor that his wife had been unfaithful to him. Outraged, he rode back home. Just as he entered his keep, the Cataclysm struck. There are legends that say his armor became black and he became a horrible 'death knight,' a powerful undead warrior of great evil. Because of these events, many people blamed the Knighthood as a whole for failing to save them from the Cataclysm.
*About twenty five years ago, Takhisis returned to Ansalon. By that point, the knighthood had fallen into disgrace. Many knights cared only for their own prestige and power. But a young man named Sturm Brightblade, a descendent of Bedal, believed strongly in the Oath and the Measure. During an assault on Solamnia, he bravely sacrificed his own life to save everyone. Many were so inspired by this act, that the knighthood made some heavy reforms, got their act together, and now strive to live by Sturm's example.
*In present day (375 AC), people's opinions of the knighthood have changed. They are credited with helping to win the war against the dragonarmies and saving all of Ansalon as a result. The current leader of the knights, Grandmaster Gunthar Uth Wistan, is considered an honorable and kind man.
First, any and all of the house rules I run in my other games still apply here. So that means, among other things, group initiative, XP is rewarded at the end of each thread, etc.
This game is set in 375 AC which means the gods have returned and the War of the Lance and the Blue Lady's War are over. Ansalon is in a period of relative peace at the moment.
A special note to Breila. Because this game takes place 25 years after the events of Chronicles, you'll likely see some big spoilers as a result. However, keep in mind, this game is following the timeline of the books. So just because something happened in the books doesn't mean it will happen in the Chronicles game.
Finally, a note about the Knights of Solamnia. They are important in this module, and so it's worth going over them a bit. First, the knights were created in 1775 PC (2150 years ago) by Vinas Solamnus. The legends say the man had a vision from three gods--Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, and Habbakuk. Paladine is the leader of the seven gods of light. He is sometimes called the Platinum Dragon. He is the god of light, hope, order, rulership and guardianship. Kiri-Jolith is Paladine's son. He is the god of war, justice, honor, battle, courage, heroism, and solidarity. Habbakuk is Kiri-Jolith's twin brother. He is the god of animal life, hunting, rebirth, water, the sea, creation, and passion.
The knights are divided into three factions, and each faction is dedicated to one of those gods.
The first faction are the Knights of the Crown, dedicated to Habbakuk. They are dedicated to the virtue of loyalty. All those who wish to become knights must first start in the Order of the Crown. From there, they may remain in that order or they may advance to another order.
The second faction are the Knights of the Sword, dedicated to Kiri-Jolith. They are dedicated to the virtue of heroism.
The third and highest order are the Knights of the Rose, dedicated to Paladine. They are dedicated to the virtue of honor.
Knights of all three orders live by a very strict code. There is the Oath and there is the Measure. The Oath is quite simply Est Sularus oth Mithas, or "My honor is my life." It is the code by which all Solamnic Knights must live.
The Measure is the set of rules by which a knight lives his life, giving instruction on how to live the Oath. The Measure spans over 30 volumes.
As an order that is over 2000 years old, they have a lot of history. I will just hit the highlights here, though:
*Under the leadership of Vinas Solamnus, the knights managed to unite all of what is now called Solamnia, one of the most powerful nations in Ansalon.
*While Vinas was a very important figure in the knighthood's history, there were three other knights of great importance: Bedal Brightblade, Human Dragonbane, and Sturm Brightblade.
*Bedal Brightblade was known to have single-handedly fought desert nomads that were invading Solamnia, and held the pass that they were trying to get through until help arrived. It is known that he wielded the Brightblade, a very powerful dwarven-made blade. When he died he was buried in a tomb in Solamnia's southern mountains. There is a legend that Bedal will return when there is great need.
*Huma Dragonbane is perhaps the most famous of all knights. He was said to have fought against Takhisis herself, the goddess of ambition and darkness, while riding atop a beautiful silver dragon and wielding a legendary weapon known as the Dragonlance. Although he died in the battle, he defeated Takhisis and forced her out of this world and back into the Abyss.
*Over three hundred years ago was the terrible Cataclysm. Mortals turned away from the gods and began worshiping one of their own. As punishment, the gods hurled a fiery mountain onto the world. On that day, the face of Ansalon was changed. Hundreds of thousands died, and all divine magic (including healing magic) vanished from Krynn.
*However, before this happened, the gods decided to give mortalkind one last chance. They went to a knight known as Lord Soth. They told him, if he would ride to the city of Istar and stop the Kingpriest, who had turned mortals away from the gods, they would stay their hand. But when Soth was half-way there, he heard a rumor that his wife had been unfaithful to him. Outraged, he rode back home. Just as he entered his keep, the Cataclysm struck. There are legends that say his armor became black and he became a horrible 'death knight,' a powerful undead warrior of great evil. Because of these events, many people blamed the Knighthood as a whole for failing to save them from the Cataclysm.
*About twenty five years ago, Takhisis returned to Ansalon. By that point, the knighthood had fallen into disgrace. Many knights cared only for their own prestige and power. But a young man named Sturm Brightblade, a descendent of Bedal, believed strongly in the Oath and the Measure. During an assault on Solamnia, he bravely sacrificed his own life to save everyone. Many were so inspired by this act, that the knighthood made some heavy reforms, got their act together, and now strive to live by Sturm's example.
*In present day (375 AC), people's opinions of the knighthood have changed. They are credited with helping to win the war against the dragonarmies and saving all of Ansalon as a result. The current leader of the knights, Grandmaster Gunthar Uth Wistan, is considered an honorable and kind man.