[HMb] Record of Lodoss War

[Galadrin]

Here is where I'll compile any notes for my planned Record of Lodoss War campaign using HackMaster Basic (and Advanced, when it comes out). Questions and comments are more than welcome! I hope this will be helpful for other GM's that are considering a Lodoss campaign. Thanks to Eiyuu Kishi Den and Lodoss RPG for the text.

Welcome to Lodoss Island!

[Galadrin]

The Story

"The Age of the Gods was Closing. Eternity had come to an end. The heavens shook as the armies of Falis, the supreme God of Light, clashed with those of Falaris, the supreme God of Darkness. In the seemingly endless battle, the earth wept and the oceans boiled. The final battle between the survivors, Marfa, Mother-Goddess of Creation, and Kardis, the malevolent Goddess of Destruction, echoed to the ends of the earth.

At the climax of their fierce battle, a continent separated, creating a land on which both the goddesses of light and darkness perished like a flame and flickered away. Several thousand years later, the land to the south of the continent of Alecrast has become known as Lodoss, the Accursed Island." - Narrator, Record of Lodoss War

[Galadrin]

In the beginning...

"In the beginning, the Giant Atsuki came. For Atsuki, the Giant of Forcelia, life came to an end. But from him, all life began. His body formed the land and his blood became the seas. His angry wail became the winds and storm. From his final breath came flame that brought the fires of life.

"When the world had thus formed, the gods were born of the remains of Atsuki's body. From his right foot came Myrii, the God of War. From his left foot came Cha Za, the God of Trade. From his head came Rada, the God of Wisdom. From his body came Marfa, Mother-Goddess of Creation. The wicked God of Darkness, Falaris came from his right hand, and and from his left came Falis, the Supreme God of Light." - Lady of Pharis, Lodoss War Manga

Many thousands of years passed as the people and creatures of Forcelia prospered and worshiped their gods. Yet in time, the gods began to war amongst themselves. Gods of Light and Gods of Darkness fought to control the world of Forcelia. In the great war that spanned a thousand years the gods of Light and Dark were destroyed, and many hundred lesser deities perished in the furious battle.

In the final climatic battle, Kardis Goddess of Destruction, and Marfa, Goddess of Creation, destroyed each other with mutual annihilation. With her dying breath, Kardis cursed the land with her fury. Marfa, the last of her power burning away, separated the cursed land into the island of Lodoss, thus protecting the rest of Forcelia Marfa's spirit came to rest upon the island to protect it from the curse of the evil Goddess Kardis. The dark remnant soul of Kardis died upon the broken land of Marmo. Many thousand years later the spirits of the departed goddesses still watch over these lands which they once fought over in life. Even in death the two goddesses greatly influence the fate of both lands.

After the great battle between the gods of Light and Dark, the many neutral gods and goddesses, who held no loyalty to Light or Dark, escaped to the far away land where they discarded their bodies and reincarnated into numerous wild beasts,including the lion, snake, bear and fox. They isolated their land of Crystania from the rest of Forcelia by the creation of the Rampart of the Gods. None have entered Crystania. Those who try never return.

The Age of Chaos

In the two thousand years after the climatic battle between the last great goddesses, the land Lodoss was disordered and chaotic. Kingdoms and empires would rise and fall. Sorcerers and monsters from the dark island of Marmo would invade the lands of Lodoss, destroying villages and pillaging cities.

The Age of Magic

Eight hundred years before the Age of Enlightenment, there arose in Lodoss a greater kingdom the likes of which have never been seen again. Kastuul, the Kingdom of Sorcery, a might empire that united all of Lodoss but reigned with an iron fist. For hundreds of years, Kastuul dominated the lands. Great progress was made in magic and the kings and queens became unto gods in their power.

In the end, their powers of magic became even too much for them. In an attempt to unlock even greater power of magic, the greatest sorcerers of Kastuul invoke a grand spell of ultimate design. But it failed and destroyed much of their holy lands in a great cataclysm of fire. In the turmoil that followed, barbarian kingdoms rose up to destroy the nation that had oppressed them. In the wards that followed, the Kingdom of Sorcery collapsed.

But all was not lost, Governor Saluvan secured five great artifacts known as the Governor's Treasure to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. Each of the five surviving ancient dragons would guard one treasure, insuring it's absolute safety. To Bramd was given the Mirror of Truth. To Abram was given the Soul Crystal Ball. To Mycen was given the Staff of Life. To Narse was given the Ferroniere of Knowledge. Finally, it was the mighty Shooting Star who was charged with the most powerful of all magical item, the Scepter of Domination, the single relic which could control all the magic in Lodoss.

Only one great sorcerer survived the fall of Kastuul. The witch, Karla, was able to transfer her mind and soul into a magical circlet. Through her circlet she is able to control anyone who wears it. By this mechanism, Karla was able to transcend the physical limits of flesh and become immortal. She still lives on, half a millennium after the Fall, believing herself to be the singular guardian of Lodoss.

The Age of Enlightenment

For five hundred years, a new Dark Age consumed the land. Five Ancient Dragons had survived the Fall of Kastuul,two dragons of Light and three of Darkness. The Dragons of Darkness (Shooting Star, Abram and Narse) took to hoarding away vast and powerful magic treasures. The Dragons of Light (Bramd and Mycen) helped to rebuild Lodoss and bring people out of darkness. Mycen, the Golden Dragon, helped build the kingdom of Moss. Bramd, the Ice Dragon, lives in the Ice Caves of the Northern Mountains near Tarba, and is frequently visited by the holy priests of Marfa.

Only in recent times have the greater kingdoms of Lodoss come to be. Valis, the Holy Kingdom of Light, was founded in 249 New Royal Calender after a rebellion against the short lived empire of Elvec. Alania, a kingdom where peace and learning is prized above all, is ruled by the Kadamos line of kings. Kanon, another peace loving nation, was founded in the south of Lodoss, dangerously close to Marmo. In the south-western region of Lodoss is the kingdom of Moss, which is more of a collection of duchies and partially ruled by the dragon Mycen. Finally, off the southeastern coast of Lodoss, rests the island of Marmo, tainted by Kardis' evil spirit only until recently.

The War of the Demon King

It seemed a grand Golden Age was approaching. The lands of Lodoss were united; great progress was being made in science, art and magic. Peace reigned and the people prospered.

Yet, there came a great darkness from the west. A greedy duke, in his desire for power, summoned up a demon to grant him the blessings of the gods of darkness. What he summoned was no normal demon, but a demon god... a king of demons. This demon took the form of a young woman, and from her flesh she pulled the dreadful sword Soulcrusher. From her blood, legions of demons were spawned. First, they escaped from the labyrinths beneath Lodoss. Their first strike was on the dwarven Kingdom of Stone. The nation was destroyed, and it's survivors scattered to the wind,including the king, Fleve.

From the southern corner of Moss, demons rose up and began to spread across Lodoss. Next to fall was the Mirror Forest. The normally reclusive elves were rescued by humans, including an army of soldiers in Marfa's name. The battle for the Mirror Forest ended when Marfa descended into her priestess, Neese, and her power drove away the Demon King. After this battle, seven great heroes arose to be known by everyone in Lodoss; the warrior priestess of Falis, Flaus; the red haired mercenary, Beld; the holy knight, Fahn; the wizard, Wort; the Marfa priestess, Neese; the dwarven king Fleve; and a mysterious nameless warrior sorceress.

The heroes went on to free Lodoss from the demon blight. An army of knights and commoners, priests and mages, dwarves and elves, and anyone who could pick up a sword, a bow, an axe, or cast a spell, amassed behind them, and became known as the Hundred Heroes. The Hundred Heroes marched into the labyrinth to face the Demon King, and six returned victorious. Those six; Fahn, Beld, Wort, Neese, Fleve, and the nameless one were praised in story and song, tales that are still told and honored today.

Fahn would return to Valis and one day would take the throne of Valis. Beld returned to his homeland of Marmo, carrying his prize; the Soulcrusher sword taken from the Demon God herself. Neese would return to Tarba where she would become high priestess of Marfa. Wort would recluse himself and devote his time to knowledge in privacy. Meanwhile, Fleve and especially the nameless warrior sorceress, would disappear for a long time. Though fallen, the warrior priestess of Falis, Flaus, would also be honored by becoming a Saint.

The War of Heroes

In the thirty years time after the fall of the Demon King, the lands of Lodoss were at peace once more. But Beld had other ambitions. Beyond his small island of Marmo, the island continent of Lodoss awaited. He marched forth with his terrible armies of soldiers, dark elves, kobolds, goblins, and ogres to bring Lodoss under his control. And leading his monstrous army was Lord Ashram, the dark knight.

Karla, the Grey Witch, would not sit idly by. The Balance of Lodoss had once more been tipped, and all was in jeopardy. She set out to play both sides of the war, pretending to be allied with Beld, yet working with her own agenda. She helped guide a band of young adventurers, six new heroes, to the final battle with Beld's army.

King Fahn, hearing of Beld's invasion, sent his own army to face off with the Dark Emperor of Marmo. Time and again, their armies clash, but the war was quickly becoming a stalemate. Knowing there was but one way to determine the victor in such a battle, the two heroes of old marched out to face off in single combat. Enemies, who were once friends and comrades in arms, now battled to the death for Lodoss.

The elder Fahn was no match for Beld, and the good king was struck down by the demon sword Soul Crusher. The men in Fahn's army were outraged,even the valiant King Kashue of Flaim. In the ensuing battle, it is rumoured that an arrow loosed by one of Fahn's men struck Beld in the arm, and taking this opportunity to strike, King Kashue attacked and slew Beld while he was distracted. Whether or not the rumours are true, the forces of Marmo have retreated and been scattered since that battle, heralding the end of the War of Heroes.

[Galadrin]

Races

Humans

Humans are the most common and prolific race of Forcelia. They inhabit every continent and split the land into their nations and cities. They are a young race, and unlike the fae races and dwarves, evolved naturally. They were once nomadic hunter-gatherers, but now they attempt to control the land, instead of being controlled by it. Most modern cultures live in towns and cities within nations and cultivate the land to sustain themselves. However, there are still a few tribes that live with nature and hunt and gather.

Elves

The elves originated during the war of the gods. They were spirits of the air and water summoned by Falis and the gods of light as soldiers. The elves fought well for Falis, but a faction was seduced by darkness and sold their souls to Falaris to fight on his side. This was how the elven races was first split in two.

Dwarves

The dwarves were created by the gods during the War of the Gods, originally summoned as earth elementals and given flesh. At the war's end, they returned to the earth, but as mortals. They made their homes in the caves of Lodoss. While they could not use the shamanism that elves did, they became expert craftsmen.

Grassrunners (Halflings)

Created from air elementals, this diminutive race was one of many created by the gods. They are native to Alecrast, and once on Lodoss while it was a part of Alecrast. According to their legends, at the end of the War of the Gods, when Kardis used the last of her power to curse the land, it sent a firestorm across Lodoss. The elves, dwarves, and three tribes of grassrunners heard her scream her curse. The elves hid in their deep forests and the dwarves escaped underground. However, the grassrunners had nowhere to go. Only one thousand of their kind escaped from the curse, and the rest perished in flame. Thus, to grassrunners, Lodoss is cursed.

[Galadrin]

Characters
I'll be allowing the regular classes and races from HackMaster Basic. Halflings will be renamed Grassrunners, but will otherwise function identically. The Cleric class will support priests of five Lodoss deities, which function as their HackMaster equivalents, except for Rada. These are:

Falis the True (Lawful Good), Marfa the Caregiver (Neutral Good), Rada the Guardian (Chaotic Good), Falaris the Overlord (Lawful Evil) and Kardis the Creator of Strife (Chaotic Evil). Priests of Rada will function as Clerics of the Guardian, except their power will be as follows:

Once per session, a priest of Rada, the deity of wisdom, may ask the GM any question. If the answer can be found anywhere in the written annals and combined knowledge of Forcelia, the GM is compelled to answer the question in detail. The GM may defer, which may result in the priest gaining a bonus question next session.

For more on religion in Lodoss, please refer to the Record of Lodoss War Fansite.

[genghisdon]

I like the cartoon. Are you using it as a campain setting or running the story more or less as is?

[Galadrin]

Just as a campaign setting, although I am basing the game sometime after where the above history ends.

[genghisdon]

Cool, have fun with it Galadrin

[Galadrin]

I regret to announce that I have to cancel this game for personal reasons. I want to thank everyone that showed up the first time and wish you good gaming in the future.

[Omote]

Too bad. I was looking forward to reading the adventures in a land I always wanted to play/run in.

~O