This is a test run for the Amphitheater proposal, which uses the DramaSystem. See here.
For those interested in participating in the test run, just join in.
I will go first to set a precedent and example.
We are using the Hillfolk setting, created by Robin D. Laws.
It is detailed below in the "The Land and Its People" section.
- Names are metonyms ("Tall, Bigchin, Stick")
- Culture/player group is an Iron Age tribe in a fictionalized 10th Century BCE Levant.
- Oh yeah, and there's no magic in this. We're taking a historical stance on that.
- Don't be afraid to take bold moves, like taking the role of Chief or suggesting to be the the lover of another character.
- "John says his character is Alison's lover. Alison doesn't like that, so they see about finding a compromise." Relationships and unfitting roles (and so on) can be challenged.
Creating Characters
Step By Step To create the protagonists who make up the key ensemble of a series, the group follows these
steps in a moderated sign-up thread. When a step is not quite self-explanatory, a fuller
description appears in a subsequent section.
Character Creation thread is not a formal sign-up, but rather a discussion where the details are hammered out.
1. A Game Moderator briefly encapsulates the series setting and premise, as seen in “The Land and its People” and the example "Hillfolk" setting.
2. First player to post proclaims his/her character’s name and role in the group. Names should depend on the setting decided above,
and example names should be included in the Series Pitch.
3. Second player proclaims his/her character’s name, role in the group, and relationship to first character. Players notate relationships on relationship maps.
4. Third player proclaims his/her character’s name, role in the group, and relationship to all other proclaimed characters.
5. All remaining players repeat above step.
6. Starting after the third player posts their character, players proclaim their characters' desires.
7. First player defines what his/her character wants from any other
player’s character.
8. The player of the other character defines why they can’t get it.
9. Both players adjust the statement as needed to reflect first character’s understanding
of the situation.
10. Repeat steps 7-9 for each remaining player in precedence.
11. Repeat steps 7-9 until all characters are named as objects of at least two other
characters’ wants. (Any unaddressed relationships are defined during play.)
12. The players define their characters’ dramatic poles.
13. Each player ranks his character’s action types, sorting them into Strong, Middling, and
Weak.
14. Players apply “How I Do It” descriptors to any or all action types. Or they may pass on
defining any or all descriptors until needed in play.
15. Based on what they now know about their characters, especially their dramatic poles,
players complete the statement, “My story is of a man/woman who...”
16. With a renewed order of precedence and an initial scene framing, play begins.
17. For players who join the game late, they should first see the "NEW PLAYERS LOOK HERE" sticky.
Order of Precedence
From time to time, the GM determines precedence—an order in which the players act. It is randomized.
Unless otherwise stated, there is no precedence, and players may post in the "first come, first serve" format.
Role in the Band
The main cast of player characters (PCs) are usually influential members of a grouping of people, be it a tribe, family, or otherwise party of loose companions. The group works as a team in some regard.
In the Hillfolk example setting, the group is a band of raiders or a tribe.
"It offers protection and patronage to a dispersed territory of farmers and herders. It attacks and steals from the farmers and herders of other territories.
Together you probably comprise the leader of the band, and his or her inner circle. You are either related to one another by blood, or so close—for good and ill—that you might as well be. "
Players are free to define their characters’ role in the group however they choose.
They decide whether leadership is formalized, with a clear leader and followers, or proceeds by consensus. Role-players normally avoid definite chains of command, but here you’ll find that the emotional bonds of the drama system prevent a leader player from unduly dominating the story.
The decisions you make about your roles may or may not define the standards of your culture.
When you meet neighbors and rivals, you decide whether they follow your leadership structure, or obey sharply divergent traditions.
Some characters might take formal roles, while others are defined by their blood relations to them.
In a tribal situation, such as in Hillfolk, sample roles might include:
- Chief
- Elder
- Adviser
- Scout
- Raid Commander
- Priest
- Oracle
- Mother/Father/Brother/Sister/Son/Daughter to the Chief
- ...or to any other important figure
- Husband/Wife/Lover of the Chief
- ...or to any other important figure
- Healer
- Talker
- Ambitious aspirant to the Chief’s position
There are sometimes more roles than PCs. You don’t need to fill all of them. Instead, the assortment of roles you choose tells you what roles your group values. You might decide later, as recurring characters are established, that some of the above positions are filled by recurring characters (NPC's controlled by GM's). They might be important but not as crucial to the storyline as the main cast. Or they might not be part of your group structure at all. You answer these questions yourselves, over time, using the collaborative process explained
later in the rule set.
Defining Relationships
When you define your relationship to another PC, you establish a crucial fact about both characters. You can make it any kind of relationship, so long as it’s an important one. Family relationships are the easiest to think of and may prove richest in play. Close friendships also work. By choosing a friendship, you’re establishing that the relationship is strong enough to
create a powerful emotional bond between the two of you. Bonds of romantic love, past or present, may be the strongest of all.
As in any strong drama, your most important relationships happen to be fraught with unresolved tension. These are the people your character looks to for emotional fulfillment.
The struggle for this fulfillment drives your ongoing story. Defining one relationship also determines others, based on what has already been decided.
Adrian decides that his character, Axehandle, is the husband of Bladesinger (played by Beata).
Later, Claude specifies his character, Crow, is Axehandle’s brother. That makes Crow Bladesinger’s brother-in-law.
You can always tighten the web of connections between the characters by specifying multiple relationships to a given character.
Claude decides that Bladesinger is not only his sister-in-law, but his battle partner. They always fight together when they raid, and feel a sense of protectiveness toward one another that transcends their relationship by marriage.
Players may raise objections to relationship choices of other players that turn their PCs into people they don’t want to play.
When this occurs, the proposing player makes an alternate suggestion, negotiating with the other player until both are satisfied.
If needed, a GM assists them in finding a choice that is interesting to the proposing player without imposing unduly on the other.
Delia says that Axehandle is the lover to her character, Darkeye. This rubs Adrian the wrong way.
“That’s not my guy,” he says, going on to explain that he wants to play a noble man felled by ambition, not a sneaking betrayer.
Delia modifies her idea to say that Axehandle is the object of Darkeye’s unshakeable infatuation.
This preserves a version of her idea while still protecting Adrian’s conception of Axehandle. He agrees to the change, which Delia then enters on her character sheet.
Keep track of relationships as they are established during character creation with the Relationship Map thread.
Label relationships with the nature of the relationship. As relationships between other PCs are established, connect and label them as well.
Your Desire
A PC’s desire is the broadly stated, strong motivation driving his actions during dramatic scenes. The desire moves him to pursue an inner, emotional goal, which can only be achieved by engaging with other members of the main cast, and, to hopefully rarely, with NPCs run by the GM's. Your desire might be seen as your character’s weakness: it makes him vulnerable to others, placing his happiness in their hands. Because this is a dramatic story, conflict with these central characters prevents him from easily or permanently satisfying his desire. Think of the desire as an emotional reward your character seeks from others.
The most powerful choices are generally the simplest:
- approval
- acceptance
- forgiveness
- respect
- love
- subservience
- reassurance
- power
- to punish
- to be punished
You may be accustomed to thinking of character goals in practical terms, reachable by physical action or by participation in abstract activities.
The pursuit of these procedural goals may take a key role in the story, but only in so far as it reflects an interior, emotional objective.
It’s okay to use a practical goal as a starting point, provided you delve past it into the deeper dramatic goal beneath.
Achieving the practical goal gets you nowhere, until others around you grant you the emotional reward you hope it will pry from them.
“Axehandle wants to conquer the kingdom of the north,” says Adrian, as he proposes his desire. “That’s a practical goal,” replies a GM. “Axehandle can certainly want to conquer the northern kingdom—that’s a big enough story hook to drive a whole campaign. But we need to know the inner reason that drives him to do this. What emotional reward does he seek?” “When Axehandle was little, they called him a weakling. His older brother was supposed to be chieftain. Only when he was killed by a lion did Axehandle win his father’s grudging acceptance. He still remembers the taunts, the doubts. By conquering what his father failed to conquer, Axehandle will show them all.” “So your desire is to win respect?” “In a way. Really I want to show them all. To prove them wrong about me.”
As further examples, here are some other practical goals reconfigured into suitably emotional
desires:
Your Dramatic Poles
Driving any compelling dramatic character in any story form is an internal contradiction. The character is torn between two opposed dramatic poles. Each pole suggests a choice of identities for the character, each at war with the other. Events in the story pull the character from one pole to the next.
Were your character’s story to conclude, his/her final scenes would definitively establish one of the identities as the definitive, conclusive one. With the help of a GM, make your poles as clear, and strongly opposed, as you can. That makes it easier for you and other participants to create entertaining scenes involving your
character. They increase your chance of winning bennies (see the Scenes section), granting you additional power in the narrative. These depend on other participant’s perceptions of your character and his/her actions. Favor the emotional over the abstract, the simple over the complicated.
The dramatic poles of famous fictional characters might be expressed like this:
- Rick Blaine (Casablanca) selfishness or altruism?
- Nora (A Doll’s House) subservience or selfhood?
- Tony Soprano: family man or Family man?
- Nate Fisher: (Six Feet Under) freedom or responsibility?
- Frank Gallagher: (Shameless US) dissolution or dignity?
- Walter White: (Breaking Bad) virtuous weakness or anti-social power?
Stop here if you prefer to come up with character concepts on your own.
In many cases, you can conceive your dramatic poles as your desire, on one hand, and, on the other, the character trait that makes you least likely to attain it.
If your desire is to gain the rightful chieftainship that was snatched away from you, your poles might be expressed as leadership vs. bitterness.
If you need further inspiration, example dramatic poles for characters in a tribal setting might include:
- Warrior or peacemaker?
- King or tyrant?
- Member of the tribe or destroyer of the tribe?
- Earner of respect or a demander of respect?
- Safety or adventure?
- Loyalty or ambition?
- Visionary or madman?
- Upholder of tradition, or upender of tradition?
- Spirituality or carnality?
- Wisdom or folly?
Or borrow the dramatic poles of any established dramatic character, perhaps even those listed above.
After transposing them into the specific setting and bouncing them off the rest of the cast, your character will quickly develop into a unique creation, leaving your original inspiration
behind. Your dramatic poles may redefine themselves during play, as your character develops away from your original conception, or as you deliberately steer your PC on a new course after exhausting the possibilities of the old. Change them at any time by announcing the change to the rest of the group.
If you find yourself wanting to change them often, seek a GM’s aid in arriving at a deeper choice that will last through changing circumstances and many sessions of play.
What You Want From Others
Now bring your dramatic poles into specific focus by declaring what they lead you to seek from particular other PCs.
(Your character might find it easy to earn the desired emotional reward from other people around him—perhaps even other PCs. But we don’t bother to note this on the character sheet, because there’s no drama in it. This step is about finding the most acute sources of dramatic conflict between your character and the other key ensemble members.)
For example, you might seek:
- approval from your father
- love from your mother
- to punish your brother
- to be punished by the ex-lover you betrayed
- to achieve dominance over a competitive rival
You then confer with the player of the other character to work out why it’s hard for you to gain this emotional reward.
The easiest way for the other player to do this is to draw on her own character’s desire and contradiction.
This process fills in the troubled history you share with another cast member.
The other player in each of the above examples might say:
- “I withhold approval because I want you to keep striving.”
- “I could never love you as I should have, because when you were born I was still in mourning for your brother.”
- “Who wants to be punished? I’ll resist your madness, as anyone would.”
- “Even if you were to best me, which you never will, I’d rather be struck mute than admit it."
The sooner you define a want, the more important it is to you. The first and second PCs you name as your withholders of emotional reward are your fraught relationships.
The importance of your fraught relationships may fade during play, in favor of others. Still, the process of defining them will help flesh out your character initially, which is very important. You may want your character sheet to reflect changes in your fraught relationships, or just keep track of them in your head.
More than two characters may wind up wanting something from yours.
Action Types
Although Hillfolk focuses primarily on dramatic scenes, you’ll still occasionally want your characters to achieve practical goals in the external world. The game breaks practical actions down into seven broad types.
In this stage of character generation, you designate two of them as your Strong types and two as Weak. The rest are Middling.
Here’s what you can do with each of the Action Types:
- Enduring: You resist physical ill-effects of all sorts. Wins with this ability allow you to
overcome, or at least reduce the impact of, exhaustion, injury, sleep-deprivation, Hillfolk / Robin D. Laws / p. 23
hunger, poisoning, thirst, heat stroke and the like.
- Fighting: You overcome others in physical combat, and avoid injury in other
dangerous athletic situations.
- Knowing: Your head buzzes with useful information.
- Making: You build, craft, and repair physical objects.
- Moving: Under difficult circumstances, you run, climb, jump and swim and otherwise
travel from place to place, over distances long and short.
- Talking: When seeking practical advantage from negotiations and other verbal
interactions (as opposed to dramatic conflicts, where you seek emotional reward), your
skill at reading and playing to other’s desires allows you to prevail.
- Sneaking: You’re good at skulking around, hiding items, concealing your activities and
moving in a manner that minimizes the chances of observation.
You can create your own, narrower action type and make it one of your Strong types.
Do this to make a clearer, more specific statement about your character. The type name should be one or two words long.
Run it by the rest of the group or at least the GM's to make sure everyone finds it readily understandable.
Examples might include:
- Horses
- Archery
- Religion
- Hunting
- Myths
- Reedbeards
A custom type allows you to overlap several of the existing types, though only when the action directly relates to your specialty.
Horses might allow you to talk about horses, ride horses, and sneak well while on a horse. A Reedbeards ability would allow you to talk to these particular foreigners, operate their strange chariots, and recount their odd myths.
When you take a custom action type, 3 instead of 2 of the standard action types are treated as Weak types.
For each of your strong action types, write a short phrase (or single word) describing your specialty within the type.
In a situation where it fits to describe yourself as employing your distinctive talent, you gain an additional advantage.
Use specific detail; don’t just find a synonym for the broad category. A GM may ask you to adjust an overly vague, broad, or dull action descriptor.
Descriptors distinguish main cast members from one another. If two players pick similar descriptors, negotiate to decide who keeps the current idea and who picks a new one.
Given what you’ve now discovered about your character, complete the sentence: My story is of a man/woman who...
The sentence should evoke your desire, and possibly your central relationships and contradiction.
It serves as a reminder to keep you focused on the story you, taking into account the collaboration of other group members, have resolved to tell.
If your sentence is more than 25 words long, your idea isn't simple enough. Adjust the introductory clause a little if it makes for a clearer, shorter sentence.
My story is of a man who would be king. My story is of a woman who yearns for revenge. My story is of a fighter with a man of peace hidden inside him. My story is of a woman who sees no difference between what is good for her, and what is good for the people.
Expect character generation to take quite some time. Don’t be surprised if players start slipping into character and speaking in dialogue, especially when explaining why they’re not prepared to grant desires. In the DramaSystem, character generation is play—the group is collaboratively creating, and discovering, a main cast and a world.
They enjoy the chance to imagine and become comfortable with their characters before jumping into the drama.
The Land And Its People
The DramaSystem comes with an example setting known as Hillfolk. Follow its example on creating settings.
Hillfolk provides a loosely sketched setting for its dramatic saga of Iron Age banditry.
It gives your group a foundation of choices to build on. After a few episodes, each Hillfolk setting will have diverged from this basic starting point to its own sharply divergent combination of elements.
Introducing Background Details
As with details of established location, facts about the cultures, histories, politics and geography that forms the context for your saga can be introduced and built upon by any participant. These details can be player-driven or GM-prompted.
Player-Driven Background Details
Introduce a player-driven background detail by making an assertion in dialogue or description.
In a scene set in an encampment of the enemy Trident people, Axehandle is served a sumptuous feast. “I pretend that it tastes good,” says Adrian, “although the food of the Tridents is notoriously salty.”
Exposition Challenges
Any participant can challenge a newly introduced player-driven background detail. The GM allows the challenge if the detail fails any of the following tests:
- Consistency: The detail is out of keeping with a non-fantastical, if ahistorical, Iron Age culture. It might:
- indisputably establish the existence of fantastic magic or creatures (as opposed to distant rumors of same, which are acceptable)
- include post-Iron Age technology
- include elements from other genres: aliens, time travelers, superheroes (this would likely also fail the tone test, below)
- Continuity: The description clearly contradicts a previously introduced background detail in a way that can’t be written off to imperfect knowledge. (See below.)
- Tone: The description is somehow ridiculous.
- Believability: The description defies common sense.
Imperfect Knowledge
The characters are well aware of their own culture, including the essentially similar ways of their northern neighbors.
However, their acquaintance with other cultures is glancing and distorted by fear and hostility.
Players introducing new facts about foreign cultures that seem out of continuity may fend off challenges by arguing that the previous fact was a mistaken belief, born of ignorance and prejudice. To contradict an already established detail on grounds of imperfect knowledge, the player must show her character discovering the deeper truth.
If the GM buys the player’s reconciliation of the discrepancy, no challenge occurs.
A previous episode demonstrated that the sacred prostitutes of the Trident people must sleep with any man who asks them. Delia now wishes to specify that they are only obligated under particular ritual circumstances, which Axehandle just happened to invoke when he drunkenly stumbled into a priestess’ arms on festival night. She calls a scene in which she extracts holy secrets by Talking to Nala, a Trident novitiate she has befriended. Beata, who introduced the prior fact, would like to challenge this, but Delia has covered her bases.
The GM rules that the fact, as she introduced it, reflected imperfect knowledge.
GM-Prompted Background Details
When introducing new information about the setting, the GM prompts player engagement by asking them to answer basic questions about it. These questions appear throughout the rest of this section, indicated by boldface italics. These are called prompts.
The GM poses each question when it first arises in play. The initial question is posed to the caller of the current scene.
After the caller answers, introducing that fact into your collective version of the Hillfolk setting, the GM invites the player sitting to the left of the caller to supply an additional amplifying detail. As usual, both answer and amplifying detail should be brief: a single sentence consisting of no more than two or three clauses.
For the first time, cast members travel to the inland sea, cuing you to ask its associated prompt: The sea is named for a famous, extraordinary quality. What is it? You pose the question to Franca, the current caller. “It is known as the Sea of Ghosts, for fearsome spirits sometimes rise from its depths at night, to assail the guilty,” says Franca. If taken as literal truth, this detail is more fantastical than the setting supports. As is nearly always the case, it can be chalked up to mistaken belief of characters who attribute all kinds of phenomena to supernatural forces. You write down “Sea of Ghosts” in your setting notes, and on your area map.
Ditching the Prompts
After using the prompt system to get players started, you may find that the group finds its own natural groove in introducing new information about the world.
When this happens, set the prompt device aside in favor of the organic process. Use this section as inspiration for scenes and situations to call when and if the main cast goes exploring. When a player description contradicts information given here, but which has not been introduced into play, go with that and ignore the text. Adjust details given here as needed to fit what’s already been established by the group.
For example, the players in the in-house playtest established the Kingdom and its central town as much grander than the text below suggests, after setting the northerners up as the series’ key threat. Your group might do the same, or instead make the Tridents or Reedbeards the most important external rival.
Geography
This section briefly outlines the physical conditions that spur your people to a life of banditry.
The Southlands
You live in the rugged southern highlands, where the strong and self-reliant prosper. Jagged hills cut them off from the rest of the world. They shelter you and daunt your pursuers. A distinctive natural formation marks the hill on which your band’s fortress is built. It lends its name to both your band, and to the fortress itself.
What does the formation look like, and what is that name?
A narrow strip of flat land, raised on a plateau, sits in the middle of these hills. Your farmers work its poor soil.
Uncertain rainfall soaks their fields one year, and leaves them to parch the next. In the rolling zones between hill and flatland, your herders pasture hardy sheep, scrawny
cattle, and impudent goats. They graze on its weeds and grasses. The land begrudgingly grants you grains and meat sufficient to a meager existence.
To enrich yourself, it demands that you go elsewhere, to raid. In bad times, like now, you raid each other. In good times, when a strong chieftain unites the hillfolk, you band together to raid more distant neighbors. Many clans like yours inhabit the Southlands, each with its own distinct variations on a set of common customs and beliefs. Who are your toughest local rivals?
The Desert
To the east the hills drop away to an arid plain where nothing grows. No one lives here but crazy hermits. Nothing grows here but dry and stunted weeds.
The Inland Sea
To the east of the desert lies a large inland sea. It is named for a famous, extraordinary quality. What is it?
The Kingdom
To the north lies the so-called kingdom. Sometimes you call it the northlands, to deprive it of the glory its boastful residents claim.
It is a little flatter and a much more fertile than the southlands.
It is famous for its big town, which the puffed-chest northlanders call a city. The town is named for its most famous physical feature. What is it?
The Belt
To the west, the land grows flatter and wetter as it slopes down to the great ocean. The middle zone is called the belt.
For several generations, it has been controlled by the Trident People.
Farmers live here. They retreat to forts and walled villages when you come raiding.
The Coast
The coast is the heartland of the Trident People, home to their great cities. (A city is a wondrous thing to behold! It can house up to a thousand people!)
The Hillfolk
Whenever you have to lump the northerners and southerners together, you simply call them “the people.”
In other languages you are collectively known by various names, all of which mean “Hillfolk”, or sometimes “the rude ones.”
Although differences of detail separate you from your northern brothers, you follow the same religion.
1. Who do you worship?
2. Do you worship one god or many?
3. Are the gods of other peoples real?
(a) If they’re not real, do they exist at all, or are they demons in disguise?
(b) If they are real, is it okay for foreigners to worship them, or would it be better if they worshiped your god instead?
i. If foreigners should worship your god, is it your business to convince them?
A. If yes, is it right to force the reluctant?
4. Whose job is it to lead worship?
(a) What are their duties?
(b) What authority do they command?
5. Can you communicate with divine forces? If so, how does that work?
6. What holy stories do you tell about:
(a) how the world came to be?
(b) how people came to be?
(c) the right way to behave?
(d) who your enemies are?
1. What weapons are you famous for wielding?
(a) Is this the signature weapon of all hillfolk, or just your band?
2. What design or insignia symbolizes your band?
(a) Where does it appear?
Your band is like an extended family. You run your household according to the eternal customs of your people.
Some foreigners write down their knowledge, which is stupid. It is better to just remember.
1. Do men and women share authority?
(a) If not, who’s in charge?
2. Do tasks divide into women’s work and men’s work, or do people learn to do what they are best at?
(a) If tasks are divided, who does what?
3. When a couple gets married, does the groom move into the bride’s mother’s household, or does the bride move into the groom’s father’s household? 4. Which family line is of primary importance—paternal or maternal?
A bandit chieftain sees to the welfare of his people, by distributing goods between them. All goods belong to the band, through the person of the chieftain.
You own what the chieftain gives you. Once the chieftain gives you something, he can’t take it back.
1. When you die, who gets your goods?
(a) Whoever you designate in advance
(b) The chieftain
(c) Your first-born child
(d) Your first-born daughter
(e) Your first-born son
(f) Some other arrangement
2. How are chieftains chosen? 3. Can chieftainship be taken away, while the chieftain still lives? If so, how? 4. Does custom limit the chieftain’s authority, or are all decisions made at his/her whim?
(a) Does custom or political reality require the chieftain to consult with others before making important decisions?
5. Is the chieftain the leading authority in all matters, or is power distributed among leaders with various areas of responsibility?
(a) If the latter, who are those leaders and what are their areas?
(Some of these answers may already be implicitly answered by roles players assign to their hillfolk during character creation. If a player declares her character the counselor, she’s
establishing that there such a position, and that it’s somehow important. Modify these queries accordingly.)
Rivals
You share a worship, language and a way of life with the other Southlanders, but that does not mean they are your friends. They raid you, and you raid them.
If you united, you would be stronger, and could raid further and more effectively. To hear the elders tell it, unity comes to the Southlands when a strong chieftain forces the others to bow down to him.
Northlanders talk like you do, though with a funny accent. You worship as they do and share the same holy stories—though they sometimes stray from the true rituals and get the details of the stories wrong. They claim that the holiest place is in or near their town. They would say that, of course. What is the place, and why is it holy?
They organize themselves differently than the southlanders, though. They have a king, for one thing. In what other way does the social organization of the north differ from the south?
Outlanders
While you share a religion and language with the northern kingdom, other lands around you are populated by people whose languages, customs and gods are very different from yours.
Shell-Grinders
The Shell-Grinders live in fortified cities on the coast, from which they launch great fleets of white-sailed vessels. Some trade, others raid ships from places so far away they aren’t worth caring about. When they write something down, it is not with the little pictures of the Reedbeards or the squiggles of the Brick-Squarers, but with something called an alphabet.
The ruler of each city styles himself a king. Sometimes they act together, sometimes against each other. Just like us, in other words, but on a bigger scale. What is the name of the most famous Shell-Grinder city, and what is it known for? Who is its king, and what is he famous for?
Shell-Grinders acknowledge more gods than anyone else. Each is worshiped in a different way.
Some are not worshiped at all. Describe the most terrible of the Shell-Grinder gods.
They sacrifice babies to this god. Most of the time they sacrifice captured babies, or the children of captured women forced to breed in their slave pens. When times are dire, they
sacrifice a royal child. Shell-Grinders raid only by sea, so they are a danger only to the Tridents. Occasionally one of
our people will wind up in their hands after first being enslaved by the Tridents, and then traded or stolen away from them.
They speak their own language, but we think it sounds like the Tridents; the Tridents disagree. If you ever have to deal with them, they also speak Domer.
Though they are evil, they make many beautiful things, from pots to statues. One of your band’s treasures is a Shell-Grinder artifact. What is it?
Domers
The Domers are named for the rounded helmets they wear when they go raiding. They do not share your ways, gods, or language, but are in other ways similar to you. Some of them farm, others roam about, driving herds of cattle or sheep. Each domer follows a king, who protects them from the raids of other kings, and shares with them the spoils of their own raids. Some dwell in half-ruined cities, built when they were enslaved by the Eye-Burners, and allowed to crumble when the Eye-Burners retreated. What strange custom are the Domers most known for? Who do the Domers worship, and how? Though Domer life is much like yours, there’s a big difference in the way families govern themselves. What would that be? Their raiding tactics differ from yours in one notable way. What would that be?
Their language is foreign but easy to learn, so everyone around here knows it. When you talk to someone else whose language is not yours, and does not resemble yours, you undoubtedly talk in Domer, whether it is to a Trident or a Shell-Grinder. Sometimes it is easier to talk Domer to a Rockhead or Thresher than it is to talk their weird version of your language.
Iron-Makers
The Iron-Makers have no land of their own. Instead they are servants, vassals and wanderers in the lands of other peoples.
They used to run everything around here. From their land to the north of the Shell-Grinders, they conquered it all, thanks to their invention of iron.
Five or six generations ago, their empire died. It either fell apart, rent by internal disunity, or was taken apart, by their rivals, the Eye-Burners.
Whatever happened, the Eye-Burners took over the Iron-Maker homeland, murdering and enslaving its people. Some escaped south, where they persist as a landless remnant.
Their story is a fable against pride, or the pursuit of power, or trying to make an empire, or something like that.
They’ve lost their own language and now speak the tongue of whatever place they live, and usually Domer besides. A few of them worship their old bull god, but most have converted to local religions. Despite the name, only a few of today’s Iron-Makers are blacksmiths. More often they’re swords for hire.
A few Iron-Makers live among the Southlanders. They are never allowed to lead a band, but are sometimes its strongest warriors. If an Iron-Maker came to you and asked to be allowed to worship as you do, would you let him, or consider it wrong?
Rockheads
The Rockheads control the land to the west of the Northlands. As long as there have been people, the Rockheads have been your enemies. Your earliest stories tell of their antagonism toward you. What made them your enemies?
Their language is a strange and corrupt version of your own. You can understand each other when you talk, but with difficulty. What do you know of the Rockhead religion?
They are named for their quarrying activities. The stones of the Rocklands are coveted by builders from all the big distant empires. What other goods are they famous for? Who rules the Rockheads, and what is the root of their authority? How is a Rockhead household set up?
Saltmen
The Saltmen are raiders and traders united under a single king. You know the king by his nickname, which refers to his most famous personality trait. Who is he?
Saltmen are named for the salt plains that form a protective border around their more fertile central lands.
They speak their own strange language amongst themselves and the Domer tongue among outsiders.
They maintain their unity even in hard times and never let you forget it. Saltmen say that they were civilized when everyone else around here was living in caves.
Their wise folk know more than everything else, but of course they see things from their own skewed saltman point of view. Who are their strange gods? Through what weird rite are they worshiped?
Because they are traders, saltmen will befriend anyone and rip off anyone. Their king is sometimes allied with the Tridents, and sometimes with the Threshers, but never with us.
They say we have nothing to offer them. Yet they will accept our goods when we have them. Your band remembers a terrible slight received the last time they sought audience with the Saltman king. What was it? Aside from their general haughtiness and unfamiliar gods, a major gulf separates your culture from theirs. What big difference divides you?
Threshers
The Threshers live to the east of the Inland Sea. Rivers cut through their flat plateau, feeding vast fields of wheat and barley. Their grain vaults are good to raid, if you can make it through the intervening desert and back in one piece. The Threshers have always hated you. When you come to raid them, they attack you with spears and flails. Why, according to your ancient stories, are the grainbacks set against you?
They do not worship as you do. Who do the Threshers worship, and how?
They stole your language and remade it, so you can understand them, when you have to. How are they Threshers ruled? What do you know of Thresher households?
When the Eye-Burners came to conquer the land, the Threshers befriended them. That tells you what kind of people they are.
They still trade with the Eye-Burners.
Tridents
Your richest and closest foreign enemies are the Tridents. They arrived here only four or five generations ago, quickly settling the rich coastal lands to the west of you.
Anyone could do that, especially with outside help from the mighty Reedbeard Empire.
The Tridents worship three gods: the sky king, the ocean king, and the earth whore. Men there worship by visiting sacred prostitutes. Trident religion is famous for something else, too. What is it?
Just because they’re enemies doesn’t mean you can’t team up with them when it suits your purposes. The grandfather of your band chieftain allied with the Tridents and used their help to raid his neighbors, both in the south and north. Your neighbors sometimes throw this ancient fact in your face, as if there is something wrong about being clever and making yourself stronger.
Each Trident town is ruled by its own king, who also protects and taxes the surrounding countryside. How do Trident kings resolve disputes among themselves? What does the power of a Trident king rest on? Who else is powerful among the Tridents?
Distant Outlanders
Some Outlanders are so foreign you have only heard about them. Their lands, which you can only imagine, are so far away they do not appear on your map.
To the north and east is found the terrifying empire of the Eye-Burners, known for their grim habit of blinding conquered foes. They worship an eagle god and live in huge cities. Luckily their power is now in decline, though many fear that they’ll rise again.
The Reedbeards, also known as the Sisterers (because their kings marry their sisters), dwell in a fabulous land to the south and west of Tridentia.
There, the fortresses of living kings are dwarfed by monuments to dead ones. Stories of Reedbeard riches must surely be exaggerated.
They used to be even mightier than they are now. Supposedly the Tridents live where they do today because the Sisterers conquered and resettled them.
To the south and east lie the monumental cities of the Brick-Squarers. They say they’re the oldest civilization, older even than the Reedbeards.
Brick-Squarers take credit for inventing numbers, writing, and the study of the stars. A lot of good that did them when the empire of the Iron-Makers crushed them and installed foreign kings over them. Since the Iron-Makers were themselves crushed, the Brick-Squarers are now again ruled by their own kings.
Sample Names
Hillfolk names are metonyms: descriptive words that tell you something about the people who bear them. As such they should be easy to think up on the fly.
When stuck for inspiration, resort to the following list.
Afflicted
Answer
Ascension
Attacker
Baldhead
Bashful
Beholder
Blessed
Boar
Breath
Cactus
Calf
Carrier
Changer
Charger
Cloud
Copperhair
Crown
Daisy
Defender
Delight
Demure
Dog
Eagle
Endurance
Establisher
Exalted
Faith
Fig
Fire
Firstborn
Firstson
Forsaken
Fragrant
Fruitful
Gift
Glory
Goat
Goldpurse
Goodbride
Grace
Grapevine
Greenshoot
Grower
Happy
Healer
Helper
Hewer
Hill
Hillwalker
Holiday
Horn
Horse
Joy
Judge
Jug
Kinsman
Lefthand
Light
Lion
Longhair
Lucky
Masterer
Memory
Mole
Mountain
Myrtle
Nationmaker
Nectar
Nightdew
Oathkeeper
Olive
Palmgrove
Pious
Priest
Raider
Raven
Red
Reliable
Righthand
Rope
Runner
Shaggy
Sheaf
Shepherd
Silvertongue
Slender
Southerner
Spear
Star
Stone
Stout
Strongthew
Swift
Sword
Talker
Tree
Trouble
Trunk
Unity
Victor
Vigilance
Wander
Watcher
Water
Whitetooth
Wild
Willow
Wind
Wolf
Worthless
Worthy
Why a Fictionalized 10th century BCE Levant?
Hillfolk encourages you to take a fascinating and underexposed period of human history and use it as the basis for your own invented imaginary world. The result will bear about as much historical fidelity to the original as George R. R. Martin’s Westeros does to Tudor-era England. Through his act of imaginative transformation, any resemblance to the foundational events of Western faith will become strictly coincidental.
What happens in your Hillfolk game tells you about your own sense of invention, not about what really happened at that time. It becomes a comment on the origins of Western faith only if you all decide to make it that—which most groups won’t.
GMs sensing that their players will find the parallel, as obscured as it is, uncomfortable, can easily remove it by remaking the map.
I chose the period for its balance of the familiar and the exotic. The fuzzy sense most gamers will have of this era is a feature—the typical group knows enough to riff on details and make stuff up, but not so much to be tied down to specific details. Many basic facts of the period remain opaque even to archaeologists, leaving even expert players wide latitude to invent. Finally, the period offers multiple potential conflicts, giving each group freedom to choose between plot possibilities. Four great empires at various stages of their vaunted histories perch on the margins of the map, threatening the scrappy tribesmen in the center. They might ally with their cousins to the north, fight with them, or oscillate between the two. Minor cultures on their borders might be lorded over. A smaller but potent enemy encroaches from nearer shores.
Additional Settings
The Hillfolk setting is designed to give your group an ideal first experience with DramaSystem. By cutting out the fantastical, supernatural elements roleplaying fans tend to
gravitate toward, it gets you quickly to grips with the dramatic core of the system, lessening the temptation to invoke the procedural elements that characterize other games but are less important here. The isolation of the characters in their badlands home village keeps the players interacting mostly with one another, another central component of the game experience. Once the group gets into the habit of privileging dramatic over procedural scenes and intra-PC interaction over scenes with supporting characters, they’ll be able to import those assumptions into settings featuring aliens, monsters, costumed heroes and other geek-culture staples. The fantastical elements may feature in descriptions during procedural scenes, but the main event will remain the emotional exchanges between central characters.
Series Pitches
This section presents Series Pitches, inspiring you to run DramaSystem games in other times and places. Some are fantastical, others not. The pitches appearing in this section come from some of our favorite game designers. Think of a Series Pitch as a proposal for the types of characters the players might portray, and the sorts of events that might unfold as the story arises during play. Once the series gets rolling, you may periodically reach to the pitch for inspiration, or set it aside entirely, in favor of moments created spontaneously at the table. You don’t need to compose a Series Pitch to launch a DramaSystem series of your own creation. All you require is enough of a verbal description to get the players started. However, especially where your series departs from familiar time periods and genre tropes, you may find it useful to compose notes to help your players along.
If so, the loose format you'll find here for Series Pitches shows you the factors you'll need to consider. Series Pitch authors have been encouraged to adjust the order in which entries appear, and the relative weight given to each, as the needs of their concept dictates. Give yourself the same freedom when creating your own.
The key entries are: Nutshell
(This always comes first.)
The exciting and dynamic one-sentence logline you'll use to introduce your series to players. If your game were a TV show, this would be the description that shows up in the preview listings. Examples from real shows might read as follows:
- A mobster prone to panic attacks navigates the tensions between his family and The Family. (The Sopranos)
- In a poor Chicago neighborhood, a young woman saddled with a spectacularly irresponsible father struggles to care for her fractious brood of siblings. (Shameless)
- A loosely connected group of New Orleans residents tries to rebuild their lives after theKatrina disaster. (Treme.)
- Through intrigue and warfare, members of various noble families fight for control of a fantastic kingdom. (Game of Thrones.) Characters
Indicate to players the sorts of roles the characters might take on within the ensemble cast.
These can be quick phrases arranged in simple bullet points or (as in historical series where players might take on the roles of actual figures) lengthier descriptions.
Be aware that players may combine and alter the concepts you come up with. Really you’re selling them on the fun and possibility inherent in the basic concept, and letting them go off in their own direction with it. If one or more specific characters has to be present for the concept to work, note that they are obligatory. Keep the number of obligatory characters as low as possible. Zero is best; one or two is okay. More than that and you’re encroaching too much on player freedom. Even with specific characters, leave room for the players to define what makes them tick. Some relationships between must-have characters might be inherent in what you establish. Dictate relationships as sparingly as you can. DramaSystem characters are primarily defined by dramatic poles—an internal conflict or paradox that drives behavior and makes pivots in emotional position credible. Always leave these for the players to define. Setting
Describe the qualities of your pitch’s time and place that will most directly impact the action. Always leave elements open for the players to define as they set scenes in the course of play. You can format these as bold-faced questions interleaved with your text:
The rival spice mine is called the Leviathan. What quirk is its unscrupulous manager known for?
In play, the GM uses these questions to prompt the players to sketch in details of the setting as relevant scenes unfold.
The most economical way to keep details open is to simply leave them unaddressed. Themes
In bullet points, list likely themes for episodes of your series, with or without explanatory notes indicating how they might be expressed in play.
Although each Pitch implies certain obvious themes, many themes will recur in any setting. There are only so many classic, powerful themes in narrative literature. Tightening the Screws
Describe situations the GM might introduce during scenes to reignite tensions within the main cast.
Here you might describe recurring characters (NPCs) that advance or personify these events, in loose detail. Names
Provide a list of sample names for people, places, and (where appropriate) things in the series.
Participants use these when stumped for suitable names when inventing people and places on the fly. Additional Elements
If you need to add another element to this format to make your Series Pitch work, do it.
Last edited by Dirty Chai; April 04, 2014 at 09:53 PM.
My character is named "Gaunt" and serves the role of a Priestly figure for the band.
(I guess this role would usually mean being an authority on mystical, theological, and written language, as well as representing the divine beings for our band, but that all depends on how we develop this)
Relations: Older Brother of Ironheart (Ace), the Warchief;
Character: Reserved, literate,
Last edited by Dirty Chai; April 04, 2014 at 11:59 PM.
Lol, with that name, I would have you be our commisar and leader. Im tempted to name myself Colm corbec, but instead am just going to make a ancient version of him
My character is named Ironheart, and is the War chief, and the younger brother of Gaunt.
(alot of the time in tribal societies, authority was divided between a religious, civil leader, and a more secular war cheif who was not an absolute ruler, but was first bad ass among equals to describe it in my own ways.)
Appearance and personality: A tall, earnest and direct, kind hearted bearded burly guy with blue tribal tattoos. A great wrestler and hunter, and wishes to solve his problems head on
Last edited by Ace_General; April 04, 2014 at 11:36 PM.
Other players thinking about joining in should just jump in.
The more players join, the easier it gets for the hesitant ones to join in.
(More people to choose from, more possible relationships to make. "Friend" or "Aquaintance" is an O.K. relationship to state, because we expect that that character will get deeper relationships added once more players join after that player.)
If anyone is troubled about how to go about this, just ask for help.
-------------------------------------
While we're at this, each succeeding player should answer two questions on this list (ex: you answer the first question and then direct next question on the list).
1. Who do you worship? 2. Do you worship one god or many? 3. Are the gods of other peoples real?
(a) If they’re not real, do they exist at all, or are they demons in disguise?
(b) If they are real, is it okay for foreigners to worship them, or would it be better if they worshiped your god instead?
i. If foreigners should worship your god, is it your business to convince them?
A. If yes, is it right to force the reluctant?
4. Whose job is it to lead worship?
(a) What are their duties? (b) What authority do they command?
5. Can you communicate with divine forces? If so, how does that work? 6. What holy stories do you tell about:
(a) how the world came to be? (b) how people came to be? (c) the right way to behave? (d) who your enemies are?
1. What weapons are you famous for wielding?
(a) Is this the signature weapon of all hillfolk, or just your band?
2. What design or insignia symbolizes your band?
(a) Where does it appear?
Don't be afraid to just answer them on whims.
Last edited by Dirty Chai; April 04, 2014 at 11:46 PM.
My character's name shall be Falcon and his role is a raid commander.
His name gives Falcon the reputation of an important war leader, one who is respected by friends and feared by his foes.
Question 1: Who do you worship?
- A God of Order and Ambition, Triath.
Creed: "Through Ambition comes Order and through Order comes Ambition.
May the Sword enable Ambition and the Shield protect Order.
May the Sword strike down Chaos and Sloth.
May the Shield protect against the attacks of Chaos and Sloth.
May Ambition thrive and Order remain under the watch of these Noble Trinity."
Question 2: Do you worship one god or many?
Answer: There are a handful of gods that are worshiped.
- The chief of them is this God of Order and Ambition, Triath.
- There are two deities who help the God of Order and Ambition, they are the Shield and the Sword. The Shield protects Order while the Sword enables Ambition.
- There are a couple lesser deities who counteract those above. A God of Chaos who seeks to dismantle Order and a God of Sloth (Laziness) who seeks to lessen Ambition.
Names will be decided later
Last edited by Lucius Malfoy; April 05, 2014 at 12:52 AM.
Gaming Director for the Gaming Staff
Gaming Director for the Play-by-Post Subforum and the RPG Shed
Hmmm, Well, I just watched Conan the Barbarian a few days ago, so the god my character worships would be Crom, a great warlike Thunder god who cares little for the affairs of men, but shows favor on those who are honest, brave, and strong. Crom is not to be an all encompassing god, but almost more like a catholic saint or semi-divine mythical hero, but of being a badass. You can worship other gods, or have foreigners pray to him, its all good
I would also like to have a very strong animist and ancestor worship side to it. Like the trees and the land and animals and streams etc all have spirits. And also that your ancestors are to be honor and they watch over you and protect you and the people derive comfort from it
And my character wields a rather heavy bronze warhammer. But I think for the band for close combat, axes and maxes would work, because of the pyschological impact of the axe, along with its usefullness, and Maces becasue they are cheap to make, but also still effective against armor
Ill leave ranged weapons to LM's character, because that seems to be the natural domain of a dude named the Falcon
And the Falcon I believe should be my cousin
Last edited by Ace_General; April 05, 2014 at 12:12 AM.
We answer the questions for the whole group. So the answers LM made encompass the whole Hillfolk.
So you would answer questions 3 and A/B then.
And the next player can answer the next two questions after those depending on how you answered.
And so on.
This is how the lore of the game is filled out. We all make it up together.
Last edited by Dirty Chai; April 05, 2014 at 12:20 AM.
1. What weapons are you famous for wielding? (a) Is this the signature weapon of all hillfolk, or just your band?'
Clubs, axes and javalins, in the tradition of hilltribes of history 2. What design or insignia symbolizes your band? A bull banner, to represent vitality and strength (a) Where does it appear?
A banner, also perhaps have some tribal style tattoos reminiscent of the celts
Ace, you answer question 3 (parts A and B). The questions are answered in order.
Ignore the break between them. Something that happens and can't be fixed.
3. Are the gods of other peoples real?
(a) If they’re not real, do they exist at all, or are they demons in disguise?
(b) If they are real, is it okay for foreigners to worship them, or would it be better if they worshiped your god instead?
i. If foreigners should worship your god, is it your business to convince them?
A. If yes, is it right to force the reluctant?
Last edited by Lucius Malfoy; April 05, 2014 at 12:27 AM.
Gaming Director for the Gaming Staff
Gaming Director for the Play-by-Post Subforum and the RPG Shed
Name : Dusk
Role : Oracle (or healer)
Background : wip. Probably going to be the child of the prior seer who replaced the parent after their death or if the parent was discredited as Seer for some reason.
Relationships : wip
Question(I wouldn't mind feedback on this, and it's a wip) : Whose job is it to lead worship?
It is the duty of the tribe's shaman/priest/high priest to lead formal worship rituals and rites along with the Seer, although informally anyone can worship to the gods at the lowest degree
(a) What are their duties?
The duties of the priest are to prepare the rituals and preside over them along with the oracle, and provide religious advice to the tribal leaders. The duties of the Seer/Oracle are to interpret the signs from the rituals or omens(Example : comet, lunar phases, animal behavior like an eagle circling overhead a number of times), and to use her visions to interpret the will of the gods in tribal decisions(Do they approve of a raid, disapprove, etc.) (b) What authority do they command?
The Priest and Oracle command a moderate amount of authority (Okay, honestly I don't have a definitive answer to this subsection of the question as it can vary in terms of authority. If we are very religious tribe, these two would have a lot of power, but if not, then it may be more ceremonial than actual power.)
We should now start defining "Desires", "Dramatic Poles", and "What You Want From Others"
So, for Gaunt, let's say.. Desire: Love? Or maybe reassurance? Dramatic Poles: Spirituality/Celibacy v.s. Lust? What I Want From Others:
- Ironheart: Acceptance? (Reprieval of religious celibate laws)
- Falcon: Forgiveness for something?
- Dusk: To be reciprocated?
- Grief: Approval of behavior?
Originally Posted by Xion
Whose job is it to lead worship?
It is the duty of the tribe's shaman/priest/high priest to lead formal worship rituals and rites along with the Seer, although informally anyone can worship to the gods at the lowest degree
(a) What are their duties?
The duties of the priest are to prepare the rituals and preside over them along with the oracle, and provide religious advice to the tribal leaders. The duties of the Seer/Oracle are to interpret the signs from the rituals or omens(Example : comet, lunar phases, animal behavior like an eagle circling overhead a number of times), and to use her visions to interpret the will of the gods in tribal decisions(Do they approve of a raid, disapprove, etc.) (b) What authority do they command?
The Priest and Oracle command a moderate amount of authority (Okay, honestly I don't have a definitive answer to this subsection of the question as it can vary in terms of authority. If we are very religious tribe, these two would have a lot of power, but if not, then it may be more ceremonial than actual power.)
I guess that means we interact rather regularly.
Here's a suggested relationship: "Peers", but Gaunt has feelings for Dusk. Their religious roles hugely conflict with that, so that easily provides his dramatic poles and internal conflict.
Originally Posted by Ganbarenippon
My character is named Grief. He will fill the role of tribal elder. I suppose this would mean he is responsible for a lot of the governance of the tribe (laws and traditions), and continues the oral traditions of the people. He would also act as a teacher and mentor to the younger tribe members.
Relations: Grandfather of Gaunt and Ironheart.
A seemingly gentle, benign man. He has served his people as both a raid and warleader in the past. He was briefly enslaved in his youth by the Shell-Grinders and learned a little of the outside world as a result. He has served as elder for many years now, and is by far the oldest member of the tribe. He is chiefly driven by the desire to nurture his people, though whether that is to grow and become all they can be or to fashion them into a tool to survive is unknown even to him. I would describe his internal conflict as being that of gentle teacher/father vs. ruthless manipulator.
(On the assumption that Xion will answer question 4).
5. Can you communicate with divine forces? If so, how does that work?
Triath is remote and inaccessible to all but the Priest and the Oracle, the Priest speaks to Triath through his prayers on behalf of the entire people. The Oracle speaks to the people from Triath through her visions. (Genders here are for the sake of convenience) The Sword and The Shield are worshiped by all, and all members of the tribe may pray to them directly through animal sacrifice.
How's this? And Ace, let's just follow procedure for now, you never know the weapons question might fall on your turn but it might fall to somebody else. The shared world is what really matters. BF, I assume you will handle question 6 as you haven't done one yet?
Hmm, you may want to explain that desire more.
How does that goal effect him personally, emotionally? What internal goal does he satisfy by fulfilling that somewhat practical goal?
And, for dramatic poles, how do they make it difficult to reach that emotional desire?
I answered 3 and its subquestion, but I can answer 6 too, to get the ball rolling.
Ace's answers for the last two questions would then be valid.
Here:
Originally Posted by Skjöldr
6. What holy stories do you tell about: (a) how the world came to be? (b) how people came to be? (c) the right way to behave? (d) who your enemies are?
Answer:
(B) Most of our stories, passed down by elders, tells of how people came to be.
Triath, feeling quite honestly bored, decided to create something new after all the animals and creatures of the world had been created. He climbed down from his holy mountain and walked to a clay pit, from which he pulled enough to sculpt two figures of the creations he wanted. He sculpted Man and Woman, two equals of the same species, how he wanted them; humble, diligent, and good-willed. He left them to sit and dry overnight, and Sword and Shield added in their own effects, giving Man and Woman the ability to think and use tools. When night came and all left, however, Sloth and Chaos crept over to Man and Woman and gave them their own effects.
When morning came, Man and Woman took in their first breaths and walked the earth. Triath was at first happy with his creation, but soon realized it had been sabotaged by his enemies, and so quickly informed Man and Woman of the existence of Sloth and Chaos and of how they should conduct themselves against such evil.
And so it was that people came to populate the earth, with so many faults and gifts.
Last edited by Dirty Chai; April 05, 2014 at 02:48 PM.
My character is named Grief. He will fill the role of tribal elder. I suppose this would mean he is responsible for a lot of the governance of the tribe (laws and traditions), and continues the oral traditions of the people. He would also act as a teacher and mentor to the younger tribe members.
Relations: Grandfather of Gaunt and Ironheart.
A seemingly gentle, benign man. He has served his people as both a raid and warleader in the past. He was briefly enslaved in his youth by the Shell-Grinders and learned a little of the outside world as a result. He has served as elder for many years now, and is by far the oldest member of the tribe. He wishes to be respected and revered by his tribesmen, especially his grandsons. The biggest fear he has is to be seen as old and useless (especially as he can no longer wield an axe and must wield a sling with the young boys and other elders) particularly as he is chiefly driven by the desire to nurture his people. Though whether that is to grow and become all they can be or to fashion them into a tool to survive is unknown even to him. This need has left him with a compassionate streak, however at times he can demonstrate considerable ruthlessness especially if he believes it is for the good of the tribe. I would describe his internal conflict as being that of gentle teacher/father vs. manipulator.
(On the assumption that Xion will answer question 4).
5. Can you communicate with divine forces? If so, how does that work?
Triath is remote and inaccessible to all but the Priest and the Oracle, the Priest speaks to Triath through his prayers on behalf of the entire people. The Oracle speaks to the people from Triath through her visions. (Genders here are for the sake of convenience) The Sword and The Shield are worshiped by all, and all members of the tribe may pray to them directly through animal sacrifice.
How's this? And Ace, let's just follow procedure for now, you never know the weapons question might fall on your turn but it might fall to somebody else. The shared world is what really matters. BF, I assume you will handle question 6 as you haven't done one yet?
Last edited by Ganbarenippon; April 05, 2014 at 02:54 PM.
1. What weapons are you famous for wielding? (a) Is this the signature weapon of all hillfolk, or just your band?
Well, what worked for hillfolk for years and years were javelins, axes, maces, and hide and wood shields. For the older, more experienced and wealthy warriors, swords and leather armor are in use, as is whatever metal armor can be looted from the more wealthy and settled peoples
Basic warrior
Advanced warrior,
2. Symbol of the band
As I mentioned before, I would like to keep a bull motif to repsersent strength and vitality, like have auroch skulls over the doorways of houses and have a clan Vexillion in the roman style with a bull painted on it and a bull skull above it
Also, this is a slightly unrelated note, but I would assume like other hill people, a good ammount of our economy and food will come from herding, mostly cattle, sheep goats, along with some hunting, lumber harvesting, and raiding.
Last edited by Ace_General; April 05, 2014 at 03:52 PM.
Amphitheater: Experimental Test Run
ers (because their kings marry their sisters), dwell in a fabulous land to the south and west of Tridentia.
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Originally Posted by Xion
