Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2015 9:55:50 GMT -6
These audio files begin when the group of characters leave Orbania and head north in search of a magical crown and the boy king who wears it. The crown stops any magical scrying, detection, and magical effects on the boy king. The boy king is supposedly the next step in the eventual take over of the realms by a group of individuals known as the Sword Rulers.
A Brief Treatise on Law and the Sword Rulers
by
Kreflo Cranberry
Written to Vellum in the year 3807, Nors Reckoning
As the continent of Mikhal lives and breathes it sometimes appears to have a life of it's own. Yet we all know the rock and mud of this world are not alive but under constant pressure from nature and from sentient beings who shape it to their own ends.
This would lead one to believe that Mikhal might be under subjective ruel of the most dominant species that inhabits it, so let us say for the sake of argument that the man rules the land and by acclimation the ruler of men must also rule the land. This is a basic tenet of most religions here on Mikhal. It is taught to every child who can hear and those who can not are shown how to make the land do his bidding by usage of plow or pick.
The Sword Rulers are a pantheon of gods that the nobility or gentry of Renalse pay homage to in word and deed, corruption not withstanding. Making the land your own, then showing fealty to one's lord is how the Sword Rulers keep the people on the straight path to the afterlife, along with other various teachings or canon law that is shouted from pulptis, holy knights, or simple nuns every day.
How did the Sword Rulers gain such an advantage over previous religious affiliations in such a short time? How do they maintain their place of superiority among the general populace who have next to nothing except a hovel and a parcel of land, especially when said peasants only one generation ago were devout Nors worshippers?
This work is by nature subjective but research and extensive interviews with laymen, the eccliastical society, and those of the ruling class that gave me parley are to be used as a basis in fact.
Let us begin with a brief history lesson. In the middle of the last century the Nors gods were the primary state religion of Renalse. King Meeno had just been invested within Torles Cathedral in Abbot, Renalse. The ceremony went well up until the king was given a new kingsowrd by his loyal subject Viscount Jacara. Jacara had traveled far and wide and had returned with a sword. This sword was remarkable in appearance and ability. It replaced Tempest, the previous kingsword when it was taken and never returned. It is unknown who stole the sword.
Unknowingly the new kingsword began to influence Meeno. The sword was taken from a far away castle. Legends say the castle was from the future and a being known as Corum helped Jacara retrieve the sword from an ancient circle of swords. Alas, Viscount Jacara never kept written accounts of his adventures and we may never know more than what we have learned from interviewing his contemporaries, most of them now dead.
The details that I have gathered indicate that the circle of swords was comprised of seven with a place for an eight in the middle. Lonmg has it been known that the eight pointed star was a symbol of chaos. Perhaps Jacara figured taking a sword would do no harm, seeing how in his mind he perceived it to be as booty from a victorious campaign. Whatever the reason, Jacara's group left the ancient castle with that sword. They also did not reveal the weherabouts of the castle to anyone and non still living know or are willing to talk about it.
When the sword, aptly named the Sword of Law by Jacara and Meeno, became part of Meeno's investiture it also became one with the land and it's ruler. Meeno's disposition was ordinarily peaceful and chivalrous but soon he was aggressive against several things. Practicers of magic were outlawed. He resumed fighting with the Mancorians. He encouraged his two sons, Crindl and Casselia, to
consider what the Rule of Law meant and how it could help the people. His elder son Crindl took to the idea like a fish to water. Some say his closeness with the king and therefore the Sword of Law made Crindl more open to embracing the rule of law. Casselia, however, took a different path. .
In a single moment of lucidity Meeno sent his young son to live within the household of Sunvin. The Sunvin were famous for their horse breeding and they were also known to be ardent Nors worhipers. They also had enough mean at arms and money to protect Casselia should he be found.
Casselia was quickly forgotten about, or so I can tell. He was given the common name of Casomir, after the Sunvin patriarch and recently deceased Nors priest Cas Sunvin. Cas was known throughout the realm as a staunch ally of the king and his widow, the Lady Betty, raised Casomir as her own. Claw Ranch, as it was known, was safe and secure.
With Casselia safely gone Meeno allowed Crindl to take more and more of the reigns of the kingdom.
In one offical visit from Mancoria a priest of the Celts made an offering to Meeno. A sacred relic that the Mancorians hoped would stop Meeno from continuing on with his war.
The Mace of Divinity was a splendid gift and Meeno stopped the war for a brief time. The Mace of Divinity allowed its bearer to free his mind and communicate somewhat with a higher power. It was an item of power as well, and it fought with the Sword of Law, invisibly, for many years.
Soon Meeno reformed his laws to exclude magic weapons from his "no magic" ban. This was again the Kingsword's doing as it coninued to manipulate Meeno.
After a time, Meeno tried to enforce his laws upon the indiginous elven state of Graystone. The elves would not bow down to this man.
The elves declared the Stone Forest off limits, including travel upon the Azlotian River through the forest. Open hostility soon followed.
Before the elves completely shut down north and south travel routes, Casomir was sent to learn the ways of Thor in the southern coastal city of Warisht. He was given tutelage from Dule Alajar, a ships captain blessed with Aegir's mana, the Nors god of the sea.
This left Meeno no choice but to declare elves outlaws as well. He did not attack Claw Ranch
The southern city of Warisht entered it's slow decline. Today the city is barely half of what is was when Duke Alajar ruled in Meeno's name. Alajar had left when Meeno outlawed magic, going north to live with the Hybornians. This was a death blow to Warisht. But it did allow the young acolyte of Thor, Casomir, to gain understanding of his god without interference from Meeno's inquisition.
Meeno instituted a general phasing out of the Nors religion. He politely asked the priests of the Nors to convert. He could not understand why they were so hesitiant. Clearly the tomes his scribes and new priests gave to the old priests were not all that different. The Rule of Law was better, surely the Nors worshippers must see that.
The people resisted. This was met with taxes, fines, burned villages, and worse.
Priests of the Norse were formally declared outlaws and charged with heresy.
Meeno was getting old now. He was tired as well. Deep down he knew what he was doing was wrong. He fought the Sword of Law in his mind and his councillors and friends thought he was mad.
One day Meeno grabbed the Mace of Divinity and his mind cleared. He threw down the the Sword of Law, took the mace, and fled south. He managed to find some friends he still had with the elves, convince them he was not worth killing, and he ended up along the southern coast. He wanted to find his son. He ended up living in an abandoned village east of Warisht. He had spells of madness followed by delusions, so strong was the after effects of the Sword of Law. Only the Mace of Divinity kept his from dying.
During the years of Meeno's reign many northern cities were conquered and taken in by Renalse. Chief among them was Auronia, the traders city, the ancient city of the druids, and city of the trees. Also conquered were Cumberline.
Finally, with Meeno gone but for a short time from the capitol city of Orbania, Crindl took the crown. He had any remaining priests of the Nors put to death in grisly public executions.
Many people began to fall in line after that and many young priests converted before they lost their lives.
So the worship of the Sword Rulers grew with great speed, seemingly taking over the old churches with new monuments and consecrated with new oaths and ceremonies.
Now, let us delve deeper into the Sword Ruler religion. It has a pantheon similar to the Nors, including many regional gods. The secular laws have not changed so much as been renamed, while the eccliastical laws have been reworked and spread by monastics working day and night to get out the holy canons to all the clergy of the land.
As far as I can tell without being invited to any church meetings the pantheon of the Sword Rulers consist of Mabelode- King of Swords, Slortar the Old, Chardros the Reaper, Hionhurn the Executioner, Ximbarg- Sword Queen, Pyaray- Tentacled Whisperer of IMpossible Secrets, Balaan the Grim, Arioch- Duke of Swords, Eequor-Blue Lady of Dismay, Narjhan-Lord of Beggars, and finally Balo the Jester.
It has come to my attention that Balo has been on Skell before masquerading as a swamp living vampire giant, and ancient smith in the Kingdom of Drezba, and an accomplice to the Sword King and Queen's manifestations in Greyhawk.
This caught my interest. It seems there are other powers that the people of the Domain of Greyhawk worship that are by some called Sword Rulers. These powers tend to be more peaceful and their followers are often seen as postive members of society. Some of these powers names are Pholtus, WeeJas, Renho, and Nerull.
Presently there are no known avatars of any of the Sword Rulers on the continent of Mikhal.
The laws of the Sword Rulers state that expansion is an honorable endeavor for any kingdom. Expansion means more whorshippers, and more power for the Sword Rulers.
It would seem then that the goal of the Sword Rulers and in this case Renalse, is to take over as much land as possible. This has brought them into conflict with several cultures and religions. The clergy do not preach this openly to the common man and woman. To the common man and woman they proselytize that Renalse can be strong enough to bring peace and good fortune to all of it's citizens. To the fighting man the Sword Rulers promise land, title, and all that brings. To the Sword Rulers, conquering territory is the penitential act! To go to the glorious afterlife is to give the king and his kingdom more land and cities, this is what is preached and written in the Canon of the Sword Rulers.
It is a powerful message, one that many young men listen to with great interest.
Considering the state of Renalse, one would find it hard to argue with the Sword Ruler doctrine. New money, new lands, new opportunities abound and with the people see their fortunes rise.
Even the peasant is promised good health and bountiful food should they support the war effort. They have not been misled. Only those unfortunate to have been caught worshipping the old faith or the Nors have been punished.
This work is by no means complete but it should allow those who read it to gain a limited understanding of what the Sword Ruler religion is about.
Any and all comments appreciated, to get indepth answers or to ask any of the players what the hell they were thinking, please go to the World of Skell forums and register. There you can get more of a full explanation to your questions and you can make some more nasty comments or criticize more freely to anyone you wish! The players might appreciate some kinds words along the way as well.
worldofskell.freeforumscom
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With this entry we begin the epic storyline of heroes who are in the middle of Renalse and in the middle of discovering more about the Sword Rulers and the boy king. This takes place after the assassination of King Crindl and the attack of the Renalsites on the elven refugees encampment near the city of Lankhmar and the Kingdom of Hybornia.
The heroes are:
Scott as Slag
Dan as Sylviste (not present for this session)
Sean as a new character who joins during this session
Several non player characters leave the group to seek their fortunes elsewhere but:
Nogel the Hybornian Battlemaster remains to lead the group
Zemus is a priest of Heimdall, the bridge guardian of the recently replaced Nors religion
February 3, 2005
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Sorry about the crying child in the background, but shit happens.
A Brief Treatise on Law and the Sword Rulers
by
Kreflo Cranberry
Written to Vellum in the year 3807, Nors Reckoning
As the continent of Mikhal lives and breathes it sometimes appears to have a life of it's own. Yet we all know the rock and mud of this world are not alive but under constant pressure from nature and from sentient beings who shape it to their own ends.
This would lead one to believe that Mikhal might be under subjective ruel of the most dominant species that inhabits it, so let us say for the sake of argument that the man rules the land and by acclimation the ruler of men must also rule the land. This is a basic tenet of most religions here on Mikhal. It is taught to every child who can hear and those who can not are shown how to make the land do his bidding by usage of plow or pick.
The Sword Rulers are a pantheon of gods that the nobility or gentry of Renalse pay homage to in word and deed, corruption not withstanding. Making the land your own, then showing fealty to one's lord is how the Sword Rulers keep the people on the straight path to the afterlife, along with other various teachings or canon law that is shouted from pulptis, holy knights, or simple nuns every day.
How did the Sword Rulers gain such an advantage over previous religious affiliations in such a short time? How do they maintain their place of superiority among the general populace who have next to nothing except a hovel and a parcel of land, especially when said peasants only one generation ago were devout Nors worshippers?
This work is by nature subjective but research and extensive interviews with laymen, the eccliastical society, and those of the ruling class that gave me parley are to be used as a basis in fact.
Let us begin with a brief history lesson. In the middle of the last century the Nors gods were the primary state religion of Renalse. King Meeno had just been invested within Torles Cathedral in Abbot, Renalse. The ceremony went well up until the king was given a new kingsowrd by his loyal subject Viscount Jacara. Jacara had traveled far and wide and had returned with a sword. This sword was remarkable in appearance and ability. It replaced Tempest, the previous kingsword when it was taken and never returned. It is unknown who stole the sword.
Unknowingly the new kingsword began to influence Meeno. The sword was taken from a far away castle. Legends say the castle was from the future and a being known as Corum helped Jacara retrieve the sword from an ancient circle of swords. Alas, Viscount Jacara never kept written accounts of his adventures and we may never know more than what we have learned from interviewing his contemporaries, most of them now dead.
The details that I have gathered indicate that the circle of swords was comprised of seven with a place for an eight in the middle. Lonmg has it been known that the eight pointed star was a symbol of chaos. Perhaps Jacara figured taking a sword would do no harm, seeing how in his mind he perceived it to be as booty from a victorious campaign. Whatever the reason, Jacara's group left the ancient castle with that sword. They also did not reveal the weherabouts of the castle to anyone and non still living know or are willing to talk about it.
When the sword, aptly named the Sword of Law by Jacara and Meeno, became part of Meeno's investiture it also became one with the land and it's ruler. Meeno's disposition was ordinarily peaceful and chivalrous but soon he was aggressive against several things. Practicers of magic were outlawed. He resumed fighting with the Mancorians. He encouraged his two sons, Crindl and Casselia, to
consider what the Rule of Law meant and how it could help the people. His elder son Crindl took to the idea like a fish to water. Some say his closeness with the king and therefore the Sword of Law made Crindl more open to embracing the rule of law. Casselia, however, took a different path. .
In a single moment of lucidity Meeno sent his young son to live within the household of Sunvin. The Sunvin were famous for their horse breeding and they were also known to be ardent Nors worhipers. They also had enough mean at arms and money to protect Casselia should he be found.
Casselia was quickly forgotten about, or so I can tell. He was given the common name of Casomir, after the Sunvin patriarch and recently deceased Nors priest Cas Sunvin. Cas was known throughout the realm as a staunch ally of the king and his widow, the Lady Betty, raised Casomir as her own. Claw Ranch, as it was known, was safe and secure.
With Casselia safely gone Meeno allowed Crindl to take more and more of the reigns of the kingdom.
In one offical visit from Mancoria a priest of the Celts made an offering to Meeno. A sacred relic that the Mancorians hoped would stop Meeno from continuing on with his war.
The Mace of Divinity was a splendid gift and Meeno stopped the war for a brief time. The Mace of Divinity allowed its bearer to free his mind and communicate somewhat with a higher power. It was an item of power as well, and it fought with the Sword of Law, invisibly, for many years.
Soon Meeno reformed his laws to exclude magic weapons from his "no magic" ban. This was again the Kingsword's doing as it coninued to manipulate Meeno.
After a time, Meeno tried to enforce his laws upon the indiginous elven state of Graystone. The elves would not bow down to this man.
The elves declared the Stone Forest off limits, including travel upon the Azlotian River through the forest. Open hostility soon followed.
Before the elves completely shut down north and south travel routes, Casomir was sent to learn the ways of Thor in the southern coastal city of Warisht. He was given tutelage from Dule Alajar, a ships captain blessed with Aegir's mana, the Nors god of the sea.
This left Meeno no choice but to declare elves outlaws as well. He did not attack Claw Ranch
The southern city of Warisht entered it's slow decline. Today the city is barely half of what is was when Duke Alajar ruled in Meeno's name. Alajar had left when Meeno outlawed magic, going north to live with the Hybornians. This was a death blow to Warisht. But it did allow the young acolyte of Thor, Casomir, to gain understanding of his god without interference from Meeno's inquisition.
Meeno instituted a general phasing out of the Nors religion. He politely asked the priests of the Nors to convert. He could not understand why they were so hesitiant. Clearly the tomes his scribes and new priests gave to the old priests were not all that different. The Rule of Law was better, surely the Nors worshippers must see that.
The people resisted. This was met with taxes, fines, burned villages, and worse.
Priests of the Norse were formally declared outlaws and charged with heresy.
Meeno was getting old now. He was tired as well. Deep down he knew what he was doing was wrong. He fought the Sword of Law in his mind and his councillors and friends thought he was mad.
One day Meeno grabbed the Mace of Divinity and his mind cleared. He threw down the the Sword of Law, took the mace, and fled south. He managed to find some friends he still had with the elves, convince them he was not worth killing, and he ended up along the southern coast. He wanted to find his son. He ended up living in an abandoned village east of Warisht. He had spells of madness followed by delusions, so strong was the after effects of the Sword of Law. Only the Mace of Divinity kept his from dying.
During the years of Meeno's reign many northern cities were conquered and taken in by Renalse. Chief among them was Auronia, the traders city, the ancient city of the druids, and city of the trees. Also conquered were Cumberline.
Finally, with Meeno gone but for a short time from the capitol city of Orbania, Crindl took the crown. He had any remaining priests of the Nors put to death in grisly public executions.
Many people began to fall in line after that and many young priests converted before they lost their lives.
So the worship of the Sword Rulers grew with great speed, seemingly taking over the old churches with new monuments and consecrated with new oaths and ceremonies.
Now, let us delve deeper into the Sword Ruler religion. It has a pantheon similar to the Nors, including many regional gods. The secular laws have not changed so much as been renamed, while the eccliastical laws have been reworked and spread by monastics working day and night to get out the holy canons to all the clergy of the land.
As far as I can tell without being invited to any church meetings the pantheon of the Sword Rulers consist of Mabelode- King of Swords, Slortar the Old, Chardros the Reaper, Hionhurn the Executioner, Ximbarg- Sword Queen, Pyaray- Tentacled Whisperer of IMpossible Secrets, Balaan the Grim, Arioch- Duke of Swords, Eequor-Blue Lady of Dismay, Narjhan-Lord of Beggars, and finally Balo the Jester.
It has come to my attention that Balo has been on Skell before masquerading as a swamp living vampire giant, and ancient smith in the Kingdom of Drezba, and an accomplice to the Sword King and Queen's manifestations in Greyhawk.
This caught my interest. It seems there are other powers that the people of the Domain of Greyhawk worship that are by some called Sword Rulers. These powers tend to be more peaceful and their followers are often seen as postive members of society. Some of these powers names are Pholtus, WeeJas, Renho, and Nerull.
Presently there are no known avatars of any of the Sword Rulers on the continent of Mikhal.
The laws of the Sword Rulers state that expansion is an honorable endeavor for any kingdom. Expansion means more whorshippers, and more power for the Sword Rulers.
It would seem then that the goal of the Sword Rulers and in this case Renalse, is to take over as much land as possible. This has brought them into conflict with several cultures and religions. The clergy do not preach this openly to the common man and woman. To the common man and woman they proselytize that Renalse can be strong enough to bring peace and good fortune to all of it's citizens. To the fighting man the Sword Rulers promise land, title, and all that brings. To the Sword Rulers, conquering territory is the penitential act! To go to the glorious afterlife is to give the king and his kingdom more land and cities, this is what is preached and written in the Canon of the Sword Rulers.
It is a powerful message, one that many young men listen to with great interest.
Considering the state of Renalse, one would find it hard to argue with the Sword Ruler doctrine. New money, new lands, new opportunities abound and with the people see their fortunes rise.
Even the peasant is promised good health and bountiful food should they support the war effort. They have not been misled. Only those unfortunate to have been caught worshipping the old faith or the Nors have been punished.
This work is by no means complete but it should allow those who read it to gain a limited understanding of what the Sword Ruler religion is about.
Any and all comments appreciated, to get indepth answers or to ask any of the players what the hell they were thinking, please go to the World of Skell forums and register. There you can get more of a full explanation to your questions and you can make some more nasty comments or criticize more freely to anyone you wish! The players might appreciate some kinds words along the way as well.
worldofskell.freeforumscom
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With this entry we begin the epic storyline of heroes who are in the middle of Renalse and in the middle of discovering more about the Sword Rulers and the boy king. This takes place after the assassination of King Crindl and the attack of the Renalsites on the elven refugees encampment near the city of Lankhmar and the Kingdom of Hybornia.
The heroes are:
Scott as Slag
Dan as Sylviste (not present for this session)
Sean as a new character who joins during this session
Several non player characters leave the group to seek their fortunes elsewhere but:
Nogel the Hybornian Battlemaster remains to lead the group
Zemus is a priest of Heimdall, the bridge guardian of the recently replaced Nors religion
February 3, 2005
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Sorry about the crying child in the background, but shit happens.