Fridays in AEthrem returns once more! This week's episode: The High Kingdom of Thassyl!
Thassyl's history dates back to the liberation of humanity from ghond enslavement, beginning as a city-state in northeastern Pelifor. A long line of hereditary thandi warlords used the city as a base of operations, raiding and conquering the surrounding lands. As each successive warlord handed their territory to their child, early Thassyl expanded just a bit more, and the city itself became an island of stability in a tumultuous historical period.
The modern history of the High Kingdom begins with the Order of Establishment. As proposed by the city's merchants and craftsmen, the order suggested sweeping changes to how the territory would be governed. To appease the rapidly-growing Peloric Church and its devout adherents, who were uncomfortable with the idea thandi ruling over Thassyl, the warlord and their thandi lieutenants would be given civic and military leadership positions, while legislative and judicial authority would rest with the conclaves - bodies of non-thandi members elected by vote of the population. This would give those without pacts some oversight of the current leaders. In exchange, noble titles and rules of inheritance were established for thandi - most of whom were already passing their pact on to their firstborn children anyway - with the position of warlord becoming that of the High King or Queen. The Order of Establishment recognized pacts as a special burden personally granted to the nobility by Pelorus the Crafter, securing their power base and outlawing rogue thandi in a single stroke.
As the High Kingdom of Thassyl, the new nation expanded even further in power. The laws of inheritance eliminated most of the infighting over changes in leadership, and trade prospered in the resulting stability. Random raiding gave way to more organized military action, and the High Kingdom became a serious threat to neighbors which had previously only dealt with limited, sporadic raids from its lands. Noble military leaders began establishing the wesheni orders - elite units of battle-trained noble thandi that became the most feared opponents in their time.
Thassylian diplomats were the first humans to establish relations with the native acilon of the Sillindri Wildlands, to the east of the High Kingdom. They enabled the signing of the passage agreement, creating the only overland route to the Valerican subcontinent. This route was immesurably safer than travelling to the subcontinent by sea, and while Thassyl was not allowed to claim any territory within the Wildlands, their control of the western terminus of the route ensured a constant stream of taxes for those returning from the Valerican colonies in the east.
For nearly two centuries following the conquest of the neighboring Kingdom of Exelos, Thassyl became the dominant world power, with the High King taking on the title of Emperor. Its occupied territories and colonies gave Thassyl more territory than any human nation before or since, and rival even the holdings of the ancient ghond civilization.
Unfortunately, this height was unsustainable. The Empire eventually pushed its borders too far, and citizens in many of its colonies and occupied territories rose up against its local representatives. Constant fighting on multiple fronts exhausted even the Empire's colossal reserves. In the end, only a slightly-expanded High Kingdom of loyal territories remained, along with a patchwork of new and resurgent nations.
Today, Thassyl's former global prominence has left it as a center of culture, politics, and learning in the civilized world. Many businesses and causes headquartered themselves within the city of Thassyl itself during the height of the Empire, and still remain there to this day. Likewise, the foremost universities in the world lie within Thassyl's borders, and the Royal Museum is the foremost repository of archaeological relics in the world.
With the loss of their former territories, courtly politics among the noble families has turned particularly vicious - unfortunate outsiders a likely to find themselves pawns in a generations-long game between two or more families. While the wesheni still exist, many of their orders have turned from martial pursuits to the fields of politics or business. Those nobles without a pact often find their own manipulative niche in the High Kingdom's infamous diplomatic corps, maneuvering events in the outside world for their nation's greatest advantage.
While a shandow of its former self, most of the citizens of the High Kingdom remember its glory days, and fervently await their nations return to power.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Friday, August 14, 2015
Ss'ra OR Ancient Marvels of the Lost Reptilian Civilization!
It's time for another exciting installment of Fridays in AEthrem! This week's episode - ss'ra: ancient engineers or future foes?!
In the modern day, ss'ra seem a small threat to all but the lone and helpless explorer. Standing only about a meter tall, with a typical understanding of only the most basic of technology, members of this scaly species exist in small tribes or clans far from human populations, engaging in regular skirmishes with outside groups of their own people. Ss'ra populations can be found scattered over nearly half the globe, some friendly to humans, others vehemently hostile to outsiders.
How could such a species once have controlled half the world, and rivaled the ghond culture as a world power, as archaeological evidence indicates? The secret to their former strength lies in a unique quality of the ss'ra: while an individual ss'ra is not particularly intelligent by human standards, they have the uncanny ability to share thoughts an knowledge with other nearby ss'ra. As a communal population of their species grows in size, so too does their individual mental faculties and their capacity for innovation.
During the time of their conflict with the ghond, the entire ss'ra species was apparently linked as a single culture. From their shared knowledge, they had engineered technologies far beyond the capabilities of modern human society. Artifacts and legends speak of light and sound being harnessed by the ss'ra of that time to provide communication, defense, and to power transports and other fantastic machines. While some of these tales are certainly misrepresented or outright fabrications, relics recovered from the ruins of that civilization have inspired the creators of modern technologies, such as radio broadcasting and the airplane.
This golden age for the ss'ra came crashing down with the final strike of the ghond. Few historical records remain of the alleged thandi act that destroyed the unified ss'ra culture, but its impact was clear - the once connected, singular population was fragmented into myriad small enclaves. These smaller groups lacked the knowledge of how their species once remained connected over long distances, keeping each cluster of ss'ra isolated. However, another oddity of the ss'ra mind was their real undoing.
While individual members of the ss'ra species incorporate into the shared thoughts of an established group easily, it appears that established groups cannot connect with other communities of the species. It is possible that each group functions slightly differently, and they cannot "talk" to others. Ss'ra who have worked with humans have problems explaining the experience (as they do when describing most complex things verbally), but have compared it to hearing incomprehensible gibberish or radio static when foreign ss'ra are nearby.
The smallest communities of ss'ra are incapable of understanding this effect, but very easily determine that eliminating rival groups of nearby ss'ra stops the irritant. This has led to the current stagnation in ss'ra culture - as a group of their species grows in number, so too does the area over which they can be "heard" by others. Any enclave sufficiently large enough to form the foundation of a new unified culture inevitably draws the ire of numerous smaller gatherings of their species as they expand, and are worn down in unwanted skirmishes over a period of years.
Rumors still persist of closed communities of ss'ra in isolated areas, remnants of the former civilization with technology still far beyond modern human innovation, who have yet to be broken into small, squabbling tribal communities. Some stories claim that these lost ss'ra are simply building their power until they can reemerge whole into the modern world, the rival of every human nation across the globe. Others tell that they are already actively opposing human civilization in secret, quietly organizing their people and preparing for a lightning strike before the humans can counterattack with whatever power the ghond once used to fragment the ss'ra in antiquity.
Archaeologists and treasure hunters alike have found no true proof of these tall tales, but they still seek out the ruins of the ancient ss'ra culture. A well-preserved find could provide invaluable historical information or be the hiding place for a plethora of devices large and small, any of which an inventor's guild would gladly provide a small fortune to acquire. A researcher or an entire venture company could retire on a single discovery like that, if either were likely to ever actually give up their world-hopping careers.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
In the modern day, ss'ra seem a small threat to all but the lone and helpless explorer. Standing only about a meter tall, with a typical understanding of only the most basic of technology, members of this scaly species exist in small tribes or clans far from human populations, engaging in regular skirmishes with outside groups of their own people. Ss'ra populations can be found scattered over nearly half the globe, some friendly to humans, others vehemently hostile to outsiders.
How could such a species once have controlled half the world, and rivaled the ghond culture as a world power, as archaeological evidence indicates? The secret to their former strength lies in a unique quality of the ss'ra: while an individual ss'ra is not particularly intelligent by human standards, they have the uncanny ability to share thoughts an knowledge with other nearby ss'ra. As a communal population of their species grows in size, so too does their individual mental faculties and their capacity for innovation.
During the time of their conflict with the ghond, the entire ss'ra species was apparently linked as a single culture. From their shared knowledge, they had engineered technologies far beyond the capabilities of modern human society. Artifacts and legends speak of light and sound being harnessed by the ss'ra of that time to provide communication, defense, and to power transports and other fantastic machines. While some of these tales are certainly misrepresented or outright fabrications, relics recovered from the ruins of that civilization have inspired the creators of modern technologies, such as radio broadcasting and the airplane.
This golden age for the ss'ra came crashing down with the final strike of the ghond. Few historical records remain of the alleged thandi act that destroyed the unified ss'ra culture, but its impact was clear - the once connected, singular population was fragmented into myriad small enclaves. These smaller groups lacked the knowledge of how their species once remained connected over long distances, keeping each cluster of ss'ra isolated. However, another oddity of the ss'ra mind was their real undoing.
While individual members of the ss'ra species incorporate into the shared thoughts of an established group easily, it appears that established groups cannot connect with other communities of the species. It is possible that each group functions slightly differently, and they cannot "talk" to others. Ss'ra who have worked with humans have problems explaining the experience (as they do when describing most complex things verbally), but have compared it to hearing incomprehensible gibberish or radio static when foreign ss'ra are nearby.
The smallest communities of ss'ra are incapable of understanding this effect, but very easily determine that eliminating rival groups of nearby ss'ra stops the irritant. This has led to the current stagnation in ss'ra culture - as a group of their species grows in number, so too does the area over which they can be "heard" by others. Any enclave sufficiently large enough to form the foundation of a new unified culture inevitably draws the ire of numerous smaller gatherings of their species as they expand, and are worn down in unwanted skirmishes over a period of years.
Rumors still persist of closed communities of ss'ra in isolated areas, remnants of the former civilization with technology still far beyond modern human innovation, who have yet to be broken into small, squabbling tribal communities. Some stories claim that these lost ss'ra are simply building their power until they can reemerge whole into the modern world, the rival of every human nation across the globe. Others tell that they are already actively opposing human civilization in secret, quietly organizing their people and preparing for a lightning strike before the humans can counterattack with whatever power the ghond once used to fragment the ss'ra in antiquity.
Archaeologists and treasure hunters alike have found no true proof of these tall tales, but they still seek out the ruins of the ancient ss'ra culture. A well-preserved find could provide invaluable historical information or be the hiding place for a plethora of devices large and small, any of which an inventor's guild would gladly provide a small fortune to acquire. A researcher or an entire venture company could retire on a single discovery like that, if either were likely to ever actually give up their world-hopping careers.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Ghond OR: The Terror From Below!
Daring devourers of dangerous data of the world of AEthrem - prepare yourselves! Fridays in AEthrem has returned with grim tidings from the very ground beneath your feet! We're speaking of the ever-present boogeyman of human societies, lurking in forgotten ruins and deep caverns - ghond!
In ancient times, before humans had mastered writing or agriculture, ghonds lived as a unified species and culture, dominating nearly half the world. They covered the landmasses of Pelifor and Otaru in their colossal stone cities. Members of their species were the first to form pacts with ryn, making ghonds the first thandi in AEthrem.
Early humans could not compete against the advanced ghond society, and their early hunter-gather tribes were forced to the wildernesses of the world or bound in servitude to ghond masters. If modern archaeologists are correct, ghond civilization flourished for over three centuries on the backs of human laborers. However, their rapidly-growing culture came into sudden decline following its first encounter with the reptilian ss'ra.
The ss'ra were expanding into new lands just as the ghond civilization was growing into the same regions itself, and had technological marvels that the ghonds could only dream of. (Marvels, dear reader, that we will read about in the next thrilling installment!) The two species almost immediately began conflicts over vital resources necessary for their respective new settlements. Over the course of a century, these early skirmishes blossomed into a massive and devastating war.
In the end, the ghond population had been reduced to a tiny fraction of its former size. Early human legends claim that a desperate, powerful ghond thandi made a terrible bargain with their ryn, fragmenting the communal society of the ss'ra beyond repair through arcane means. As a sacrifice worthy of this act, central Pelifor, once a fertile land and the core of the ancient ghond civilization, rapidly shifted into the arid Lahana Desert as it exists today. While modern scientists scoff at this as superstition, a rapid change in the local climate did occur (whether natural or mystical), and devastated the ghond culture even further.
Reeling from war and disaster, the ghond were no match for an uprising among their human slaves. Ghonds had been using humans to bolster their waning forces in battles against the ss'ra for decades, and human veterans shared their knowledge of fighting and tactics with others on their return home. Local rebellions turned into regional movements of liberation, with humans easily outnumbering the weakened ghonds.
Humans eventually claimed the surface world for themselves, while the ghond that did survive the human retribution were forced underground, besieged in the underground storehouses of their cities. Those in the core cities fared the best, as the surrounding land turned inhospitable prevented vengeful human armies from prolonged sieges. In time, these survivors expanded their tunnels into the store rooms and caverns in neighboring cities, contacting other remaining ghond survivors.
As the human population exploded on the surface, flourishing in the wake of their former masters' departure, ghonds slowly rebuilt some semblance of their former glory underground. They now dwell in a warren of natural and hand-carved caverns, living a harsh life under the Boudon, a caste of philosopher-priests. For centuries, the leaders of their new, subterranean society have kept one goal in mind - retaking the surface world from the human usurpers.
Luckily, human civilization and technology advanced by leaps and bounds while the ghond culture was still rebuilding. They are no match for humans in weaponry (most still use spears, bows, or scavenged human rifles) or numbers (the limited resources underground prevent much population growth). Instead, they have had to express their hatred indirectly - striking out at targets of opportunity or subtly manipulating things within human society to their advantage. Many of the worst disasters in human history are supposedly the work of a ghond thandi agent, or a human pact-bearer trained by one, according to paranoid gossip.
Actual encounters with ghond are rare, and mostly limited to archaeological expeditions below their ancient cities deep in the Lahana Desert. The few accounts on record describe them as tall and lanky by human standards, with lantern-like faces and large, black, pupilless eyes. The ages spent underground have left the hairless bodies of the ghond with a pallid complexion, and they wear hand-woven headdresses and body wraps for warmth in their subterranean environment.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
In ancient times, before humans had mastered writing or agriculture, ghonds lived as a unified species and culture, dominating nearly half the world. They covered the landmasses of Pelifor and Otaru in their colossal stone cities. Members of their species were the first to form pacts with ryn, making ghonds the first thandi in AEthrem.
Early humans could not compete against the advanced ghond society, and their early hunter-gather tribes were forced to the wildernesses of the world or bound in servitude to ghond masters. If modern archaeologists are correct, ghond civilization flourished for over three centuries on the backs of human laborers. However, their rapidly-growing culture came into sudden decline following its first encounter with the reptilian ss'ra.
The ss'ra were expanding into new lands just as the ghond civilization was growing into the same regions itself, and had technological marvels that the ghonds could only dream of. (Marvels, dear reader, that we will read about in the next thrilling installment!) The two species almost immediately began conflicts over vital resources necessary for their respective new settlements. Over the course of a century, these early skirmishes blossomed into a massive and devastating war.
In the end, the ghond population had been reduced to a tiny fraction of its former size. Early human legends claim that a desperate, powerful ghond thandi made a terrible bargain with their ryn, fragmenting the communal society of the ss'ra beyond repair through arcane means. As a sacrifice worthy of this act, central Pelifor, once a fertile land and the core of the ancient ghond civilization, rapidly shifted into the arid Lahana Desert as it exists today. While modern scientists scoff at this as superstition, a rapid change in the local climate did occur (whether natural or mystical), and devastated the ghond culture even further.
Reeling from war and disaster, the ghond were no match for an uprising among their human slaves. Ghonds had been using humans to bolster their waning forces in battles against the ss'ra for decades, and human veterans shared their knowledge of fighting and tactics with others on their return home. Local rebellions turned into regional movements of liberation, with humans easily outnumbering the weakened ghonds.
Humans eventually claimed the surface world for themselves, while the ghond that did survive the human retribution were forced underground, besieged in the underground storehouses of their cities. Those in the core cities fared the best, as the surrounding land turned inhospitable prevented vengeful human armies from prolonged sieges. In time, these survivors expanded their tunnels into the store rooms and caverns in neighboring cities, contacting other remaining ghond survivors.
As the human population exploded on the surface, flourishing in the wake of their former masters' departure, ghonds slowly rebuilt some semblance of their former glory underground. They now dwell in a warren of natural and hand-carved caverns, living a harsh life under the Boudon, a caste of philosopher-priests. For centuries, the leaders of their new, subterranean society have kept one goal in mind - retaking the surface world from the human usurpers.
Luckily, human civilization and technology advanced by leaps and bounds while the ghond culture was still rebuilding. They are no match for humans in weaponry (most still use spears, bows, or scavenged human rifles) or numbers (the limited resources underground prevent much population growth). Instead, they have had to express their hatred indirectly - striking out at targets of opportunity or subtly manipulating things within human society to their advantage. Many of the worst disasters in human history are supposedly the work of a ghond thandi agent, or a human pact-bearer trained by one, according to paranoid gossip.
Actual encounters with ghond are rare, and mostly limited to archaeological expeditions below their ancient cities deep in the Lahana Desert. The few accounts on record describe them as tall and lanky by human standards, with lantern-like faces and large, black, pupilless eyes. The ages spent underground have left the hairless bodies of the ghond with a pallid complexion, and they wear hand-woven headdresses and body wraps for warmth in their subterranean environment.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Design Philosophy - Advantages and Disadvantages
Welcome to our first post on design philosophy, where we'll be talking about the choices made in creating the rules and setting for Venture! Unlike Fridays in AEthrem, these posts will appear irregularly, as topics present themselves and time permits.
In this post, we'll be discussing Advantages and Disadvantages. These are a staple character option in many systems (although some will use alternate terms for them, such as Benefits and Afflictions, Boons and Hindrances, Traits, Qualities, and so on), giving options to advantage and disadvantage characters in small ways. Advantages and Disadvantages are well-established and widely-accepted within tabletop RPGs, and are included within the OpenD6 rules on which Venture! is based. So, why are we talking about these today?
Venture! does not include Advantages and Disadvantages within its core rules.
Now, please give us a chance to explain this before firing up your torches or running for the nearest pitchfork. We love advantages and disadvantages. They are one of the most reliable options to tweak your player character to be just the way you want it to be, on top of encouraging roleplaying of characters at the table - since many disadvantages introduce character faults or limitations to be portrayed at the table (such as with Devotion or Prejudice in OpenD6), or story elements (such as Employed or Infamy).
However, we feel that Advantages and Disadvantages best serve the game as an optional rule. While many games now include these within their core rules, if you look back about twenty years or so (around the height of the D6 system) you will see that it was very common to include Advantages and Disadvantages within a rules supplement or compendium as one of several options that players and game masters could choose to include in their games. We believe this has several benefits:
1) Ease of access.
Although Advantages and Disadvantages may be a good and useful part of the rules, they are still additional things to be aware of within the game system. The game master must take time to be aware of their effect in the game system, and the players must be aware of the function of those they've chosen and when they apply in the game. This also calls on the issue of system mastery, where an experienced player (or just one that is better at optimizing characters) would know to make a character with Advantage X, making their character superior at Skill or action Y than any other character that neglected to do so. For a new player, it can be disheartening to be outdone by another player character due to a simple lack of familiarity with the rules.
2) Speeding up character creation.
This is tied to ease of access somewhat. In our experience, character creation for a player new to any system goes fairly easily and quickly, except for two standard steps: selecting Advantages and Disadvantages and purchasing equipment. Why is this? Because in both of these steps, the player needs to look through a large list of options, weigh them, and select only a few that are appropriate for their character. If the player wants to make the "best" character they can, they will want to spend quite some time in these steps. This slows things down in even the most comprehensive systems, but in OpenD6, with its otherwise rapid character creation, it can be similar to hitting a brick wall.
3) Avoiding default use.
By including Advantages and Disadvantages in the core rules, you are assuming default use. If the game master doesn't want to use these rules (such as for the above reasons), they will have to point this out to their players, and this may involve revising already-completed characters in cases where a player creates their character without the GM's involvement. ("But it says here: 'select Advantages and Disadvantages'.") This isn't a huge concern, but if these are provided as an optional rule, the players typically feel more positive about their lack of inclusion.
4) Organization and page count.
This is primarily a concern just on our end of things. If we wanted to include Advantages and Disadvantages, we could either include all of those we want to include in Venture! or just the most common or representative ones, providing others in a supplemental book. Including everything uses up a big chunk of the core rulebook's precious page count (would those 20 pages be better served with setting details?), while splitting them between the core rules and a supplement can complicate referencing rules for these at the table ("What book was that in, again?") and still use up page count (although much less).
In this post, we'll be discussing Advantages and Disadvantages. These are a staple character option in many systems (although some will use alternate terms for them, such as Benefits and Afflictions, Boons and Hindrances, Traits, Qualities, and so on), giving options to advantage and disadvantage characters in small ways. Advantages and Disadvantages are well-established and widely-accepted within tabletop RPGs, and are included within the OpenD6 rules on which Venture! is based. So, why are we talking about these today?
Venture! does not include Advantages and Disadvantages within its core rules.
Now, please give us a chance to explain this before firing up your torches or running for the nearest pitchfork. We love advantages and disadvantages. They are one of the most reliable options to tweak your player character to be just the way you want it to be, on top of encouraging roleplaying of characters at the table - since many disadvantages introduce character faults or limitations to be portrayed at the table (such as with Devotion or Prejudice in OpenD6), or story elements (such as Employed or Infamy).
However, we feel that Advantages and Disadvantages best serve the game as an optional rule. While many games now include these within their core rules, if you look back about twenty years or so (around the height of the D6 system) you will see that it was very common to include Advantages and Disadvantages within a rules supplement or compendium as one of several options that players and game masters could choose to include in their games. We believe this has several benefits:
1) Ease of access.
Although Advantages and Disadvantages may be a good and useful part of the rules, they are still additional things to be aware of within the game system. The game master must take time to be aware of their effect in the game system, and the players must be aware of the function of those they've chosen and when they apply in the game. This also calls on the issue of system mastery, where an experienced player (or just one that is better at optimizing characters) would know to make a character with Advantage X, making their character superior at Skill or action Y than any other character that neglected to do so. For a new player, it can be disheartening to be outdone by another player character due to a simple lack of familiarity with the rules.
2) Speeding up character creation.
This is tied to ease of access somewhat. In our experience, character creation for a player new to any system goes fairly easily and quickly, except for two standard steps: selecting Advantages and Disadvantages and purchasing equipment. Why is this? Because in both of these steps, the player needs to look through a large list of options, weigh them, and select only a few that are appropriate for their character. If the player wants to make the "best" character they can, they will want to spend quite some time in these steps. This slows things down in even the most comprehensive systems, but in OpenD6, with its otherwise rapid character creation, it can be similar to hitting a brick wall.
3) Avoiding default use.
By including Advantages and Disadvantages in the core rules, you are assuming default use. If the game master doesn't want to use these rules (such as for the above reasons), they will have to point this out to their players, and this may involve revising already-completed characters in cases where a player creates their character without the GM's involvement. ("But it says here: 'select Advantages and Disadvantages'.") This isn't a huge concern, but if these are provided as an optional rule, the players typically feel more positive about their lack of inclusion.
4) Organization and page count.
This is primarily a concern just on our end of things. If we wanted to include Advantages and Disadvantages, we could either include all of those we want to include in Venture! or just the most common or representative ones, providing others in a supplemental book. Including everything uses up a big chunk of the core rulebook's precious page count (would those 20 pages be better served with setting details?), while splitting them between the core rules and a supplement can complicate referencing rules for these at the table ("What book was that in, again?") and still use up page count (although much less).
So, we will most likely be including Advantages and Disadvantages in Venture! at some point, contained within an optional rules supplement. This simplifies things for both us and for new players, and frees up space within the book for more setting details, which are really the draw of the game (as the majority of its rules system is freely and publicly available online). There were pros and cons to consider when coming to this ultimate decision, but we feel that it best served the style of game we wanted to create to proceed in this way.
Agree? Disagree? Have a question? Leave a comment below!
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
Friday, July 31, 2015
The Mystical Thandi OR: the Power to Cloud Men's Minds!
Faithful followers, prepare yourselves for another titillating installment of Fridays in AEthrem! Turn your secret decoder rings to setting six, because in this special Gen Con weekend post, we're delving into the mystical powers available to characters in Venture!
In AEthrem, those that call on supernatural powers are known as thandi. They are not born with these abilities, nor can they be gained through study alone. No, each and every potential thandi can become one only by making a pact with an incorporeal spirit - referred to as a ryn. Numerous ryn exist in the world, but only a few agree to forming pacts. Each ryn is as unique as any other character, and their pacts are just as unique. While some thandi track down their ryn and convince them to form a pact, others enter into an agreement with the capricious entities when randomly encountering them, while still others become thandi due to some pattern the ryn itself follows - such forming pacts with the successive members of a human family.
The benefits granted by a pact are subtle powers - thandi do not hurl fireballs or raise skeletons from the grave. Instead, a thandi may have the ability to sneak past observers without being noticed, to fight with the strength of ten normal individuals, or to influence others with hypnotic suggestions, among other talents. This is not to say that the abilities of a thandi are insignificant - powerful pact-bearers have survived falls from skyscrapers with little injury, perceived things no normal mortal could have noticed, and moved through battlefields as nearly-unstoppable blurs of steel.
Pacts are not without their costs, however. Every use of their powers weakens the spirit of a thandi and strengthens their ryn through their shared bond. Eventually, even the most prepared thandi is pushed to their limit, unable to call upon their talents further. The pact itself also bears a terrible cost - requiring a sacrifice from the new thandi to first form the pact, and further sacrifices as its powers develop. The nature of these sacrifices are ultimately up to ryn itself. Lucky thandi might be able to proceed by giving up a portion of their own blood, or by agreeing to perform specific actions for their ryn in the physical world. More than one villainous thandi in history has agreed to malicious acts, up to human sacrifice in the worst cases, in search of more power.
Just calling upon the powers of a pact is not without a risk. The thandi channels the power and essence of their ryn through their own bodies when using one of their abilities. If their will falters at the wrong moment, the entity can pour in, possessing the thandi's body for a time. Even the most benevolent ryn has no qualms about taking over a body, and they seem to find the experience of having a physical form euphoric - almost intoxicating. Unfortunately, they also have no real understanding of how the human body is affected by things in the physical world, and risk harming the thandi or innocent bystanders through no ill will of their own. If the thandi is lucky, the ryn might simply violate several social mores while in residence, leaving them with much to account for once they regain control.
Thandi find varying degrees of acceptance within society. While they are openly outlawed in some nations, in others they might be accepted only within certain social circles. In Valerica, the Bureau of Esoteric Registration and Management requires registration for all thandi within the nation - and keeps a staff of thandi agents on hand to investigate crimes where a pact has been used and to pursue criminal thandi. Even in the most accepting locations, many find thandi and ryn unnerving, and official Church doctrine decries their powers as unnatural, casting ryn as agents of chaos - working to unmake the world Pelorus created.
Player characters may choose to be thandi - gaining invaluable abilities to help them succeed as a member of a venture company. They must walk a treacherous path to do so: risking becoming a social pariah, possibly loosing control of their own bodies with every use of their powers, and agreeing to ever worsening sacrifices for more power. Many are tortured souls, but they are bolstered along by the good they've accomplished through their rare talents.
Regarding thandi, one should also consider the old legends about those who lost themselves in a pact after sacrificing too much in pursuit of power. These corrupted thandi are said to have become something strange and unnatural after completely losing control of themselves. Of course, there couldn't be any truth to these old monster stories...
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
In AEthrem, those that call on supernatural powers are known as thandi. They are not born with these abilities, nor can they be gained through study alone. No, each and every potential thandi can become one only by making a pact with an incorporeal spirit - referred to as a ryn. Numerous ryn exist in the world, but only a few agree to forming pacts. Each ryn is as unique as any other character, and their pacts are just as unique. While some thandi track down their ryn and convince them to form a pact, others enter into an agreement with the capricious entities when randomly encountering them, while still others become thandi due to some pattern the ryn itself follows - such forming pacts with the successive members of a human family.
The benefits granted by a pact are subtle powers - thandi do not hurl fireballs or raise skeletons from the grave. Instead, a thandi may have the ability to sneak past observers without being noticed, to fight with the strength of ten normal individuals, or to influence others with hypnotic suggestions, among other talents. This is not to say that the abilities of a thandi are insignificant - powerful pact-bearers have survived falls from skyscrapers with little injury, perceived things no normal mortal could have noticed, and moved through battlefields as nearly-unstoppable blurs of steel.
Pacts are not without their costs, however. Every use of their powers weakens the spirit of a thandi and strengthens their ryn through their shared bond. Eventually, even the most prepared thandi is pushed to their limit, unable to call upon their talents further. The pact itself also bears a terrible cost - requiring a sacrifice from the new thandi to first form the pact, and further sacrifices as its powers develop. The nature of these sacrifices are ultimately up to ryn itself. Lucky thandi might be able to proceed by giving up a portion of their own blood, or by agreeing to perform specific actions for their ryn in the physical world. More than one villainous thandi in history has agreed to malicious acts, up to human sacrifice in the worst cases, in search of more power.
Just calling upon the powers of a pact is not without a risk. The thandi channels the power and essence of their ryn through their own bodies when using one of their abilities. If their will falters at the wrong moment, the entity can pour in, possessing the thandi's body for a time. Even the most benevolent ryn has no qualms about taking over a body, and they seem to find the experience of having a physical form euphoric - almost intoxicating. Unfortunately, they also have no real understanding of how the human body is affected by things in the physical world, and risk harming the thandi or innocent bystanders through no ill will of their own. If the thandi is lucky, the ryn might simply violate several social mores while in residence, leaving them with much to account for once they regain control.
Thandi find varying degrees of acceptance within society. While they are openly outlawed in some nations, in others they might be accepted only within certain social circles. In Valerica, the Bureau of Esoteric Registration and Management requires registration for all thandi within the nation - and keeps a staff of thandi agents on hand to investigate crimes where a pact has been used and to pursue criminal thandi. Even in the most accepting locations, many find thandi and ryn unnerving, and official Church doctrine decries their powers as unnatural, casting ryn as agents of chaos - working to unmake the world Pelorus created.
Player characters may choose to be thandi - gaining invaluable abilities to help them succeed as a member of a venture company. They must walk a treacherous path to do so: risking becoming a social pariah, possibly loosing control of their own bodies with every use of their powers, and agreeing to ever worsening sacrifices for more power. Many are tortured souls, but they are bolstered along by the good they've accomplished through their rare talents.
Regarding thandi, one should also consider the old legends about those who lost themselves in a pact after sacrificing too much in pursuit of power. These corrupted thandi are said to have become something strange and unnatural after completely losing control of themselves. Of course, there couldn't be any truth to these old monster stories...
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
Friday, July 24, 2015
SCIENCE! OR: Where Are My Rocket Pack and Death Ray?!
Welcome back to Fridays in AEthrem, intrepid explorers of the unknown! Today, we'll be talking about the engine that powers human society in AEthrem - science and technology.
While not the most technologically-advanced species to ever inhabit the world, humans in AEthrem have advanced quickly from their primitive beginnings. In just over 1,500 years, they've gone from using stone weapons to constructing airplanes. New advancements are made every day, and lauded in research journals and newsreel footage alike.
For most of human history, the Peloric Church was the driving force behind research and innovation. Established to support the followers of Pelorus the Crafter and study the divine workings of the world, the Church has sponsored countless researchers and engineers throughout the years. World leaders wanting the latest advancements for their grand works have long been forced to pay lip service to the church and make sometimes exorbitant donations to its priesthood - all serving to slowly push other faiths to the fringes of human society.
Today, the Church is well-established, with Cathedrals in most major cities and smaller houses of the faith in virtually every significant settlement. In addition to functioning as centers of worship, anyone can come to their local church for a variety of services - repairs and maintenance of machinery are provided by the members of the Order of Priest-Technician for the price of a small donation, as are telegraphing services. Those needing more complex assistance can employ those belonging to the Order of Priest-Engineer, who undertake the design of new devices and most larger public works projects, such as bridges, dams, and power generators.
In spite of its central role in society, the Peloric Church has been falling behind the cutting edge in technology in recent years. Private businesses have taken the lead by offering greater creative and personal freedoms for prospective inventors over the church, and edging into areas that the church has traditionally avoided becoming too involved with - such as weaponry. Inventors guilds and modern industries are experiencing a boom as a result, with all the expected infighting and backstabbing. While some push for a lead by hiring away their rivals' best and brightest, others aren't above resulting to more nefarious practices - such as mudslinging or corporate espionage and sabotage.
Transportation, entertainment, and communication are all undergoing huge changes in the modern day. Trade and travel has been facilitated by the rigid airship, with any community of note providing a dock for the vessels, while the airplane has caught the world's imagination - a machine controlled by courageous explorers, daring racers, and steel-willed combatants alike. The film industry is in full swing, and nightly radio broadcasts provide entertainment at home - both industries are home to a whole sky of rising stars, some willing to risk anything to make their name. While the Church's telegraphs can still reach almost every corner of the globe, the telephone has been implemented for a few decades, providing service to all but the most rural areas - although air mail can provide contact for even those in the deepest wildernesses.
Even these advances are not enough for some - those with the imagination and drive for it work tirelessly to design entirely new creations - personal rocket packs for flying through the air, electrical death rays for revolutionizing the military, even robots - tireless mechanical persons capable of carrying out simple tasks. Actually implementing these inventions on a wide scale is a huge challenge for industry - many are still not reliable or affordable enough for the mass market.
Until they become publicly available, fringe scientists and engineers construct and test prototypes of their latest inventions. Just building a device can be a huge undertaking, sometimes requiring rare and exotic components from across the globe. Reliability for these unproven inventions is also a huge concern - more than one wild-eyed young researcher has perished when their creation detonated in a huge fireball and a cloud of shrapnel, and even somewhat reliable devices require regular care, maintenance, and re-calibration to keep in working order.
So, yes, of course you can build a rocket pack and a death ray. It just might require a trip to the deepest jungle in search of rare gems and some tropical tree resin. Try not to explode, if you can help it.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
While not the most technologically-advanced species to ever inhabit the world, humans in AEthrem have advanced quickly from their primitive beginnings. In just over 1,500 years, they've gone from using stone weapons to constructing airplanes. New advancements are made every day, and lauded in research journals and newsreel footage alike.
For most of human history, the Peloric Church was the driving force behind research and innovation. Established to support the followers of Pelorus the Crafter and study the divine workings of the world, the Church has sponsored countless researchers and engineers throughout the years. World leaders wanting the latest advancements for their grand works have long been forced to pay lip service to the church and make sometimes exorbitant donations to its priesthood - all serving to slowly push other faiths to the fringes of human society.
Today, the Church is well-established, with Cathedrals in most major cities and smaller houses of the faith in virtually every significant settlement. In addition to functioning as centers of worship, anyone can come to their local church for a variety of services - repairs and maintenance of machinery are provided by the members of the Order of Priest-Technician for the price of a small donation, as are telegraphing services. Those needing more complex assistance can employ those belonging to the Order of Priest-Engineer, who undertake the design of new devices and most larger public works projects, such as bridges, dams, and power generators.
In spite of its central role in society, the Peloric Church has been falling behind the cutting edge in technology in recent years. Private businesses have taken the lead by offering greater creative and personal freedoms for prospective inventors over the church, and edging into areas that the church has traditionally avoided becoming too involved with - such as weaponry. Inventors guilds and modern industries are experiencing a boom as a result, with all the expected infighting and backstabbing. While some push for a lead by hiring away their rivals' best and brightest, others aren't above resulting to more nefarious practices - such as mudslinging or corporate espionage and sabotage.
Transportation, entertainment, and communication are all undergoing huge changes in the modern day. Trade and travel has been facilitated by the rigid airship, with any community of note providing a dock for the vessels, while the airplane has caught the world's imagination - a machine controlled by courageous explorers, daring racers, and steel-willed combatants alike. The film industry is in full swing, and nightly radio broadcasts provide entertainment at home - both industries are home to a whole sky of rising stars, some willing to risk anything to make their name. While the Church's telegraphs can still reach almost every corner of the globe, the telephone has been implemented for a few decades, providing service to all but the most rural areas - although air mail can provide contact for even those in the deepest wildernesses.
Even these advances are not enough for some - those with the imagination and drive for it work tirelessly to design entirely new creations - personal rocket packs for flying through the air, electrical death rays for revolutionizing the military, even robots - tireless mechanical persons capable of carrying out simple tasks. Actually implementing these inventions on a wide scale is a huge challenge for industry - many are still not reliable or affordable enough for the mass market.
Until they become publicly available, fringe scientists and engineers construct and test prototypes of their latest inventions. Just building a device can be a huge undertaking, sometimes requiring rare and exotic components from across the globe. Reliability for these unproven inventions is also a huge concern - more than one wild-eyed young researcher has perished when their creation detonated in a huge fireball and a cloud of shrapnel, and even somewhat reliable devices require regular care, maintenance, and re-calibration to keep in working order.
So, yes, of course you can build a rocket pack and a death ray. It just might require a trip to the deepest jungle in search of rare gems and some tropical tree resin. Try not to explode, if you can help it.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Venture Companies - the Venture in Venture! OR: Meet the Staff of the Southern Star Company
This is our first post in the "Fridays in AEthrem" series, where we'll be detailing another facet of Venture!'s setting each week, time permitting. Today, we're writing about venture companies, which play a big role in the world of AEthrem.
Venture companies first appeared during the colonial expansion into territories now belonging to modern-day Valerica. From their earliest days, venture companies were hired for the most dangerous work: exploring new territories, providing security for settlers or companies, or investigating mysteries on the frontier, where the government could provide little support. Their employees earned a reputation as hardy trailblazers and courageous fighters, and venture companies have had a part to play in many major historical events.
In the modern day, venture companies are still hired for risky endeavors. Although colonial expansion is a thing of the past, they are still considered the best option for academic expeditions to remote or hostile areas. Security is still a common job role for venture companies, and they might be hired on as extra guards in extreme circumstances or serve a more active role, such as hunting down pirates or other criminals in a region. Venture companies also provide private investigation services, much like a detective agency, but with a more diverse skill set.
Licensing is required for a venture company to legally operate. This provides some accountability for these businesses, and reduces the risk for those looking to hire them. Any venture company with a history of unsavory dealings or too many official complaints filed against them can have their license revoked at an annual review, so companies or employees engaging in bad business or getting in too much trouble with law enforcement do get closed down rather quickly. Licensing also offers these businesses certain advantages: the right to arm their employees, legal sanction to engage in private investigation and bounty hunting, and the immediate trust a well-established venture company can receive from potential clients.
Venture companies within the setting provide a ready-made reason for groups of player characters to exist. They tend to attract outcasts as employees, and have a need for a diverse set of skills and backgrounds. Tales of excitement and danger are part of the daily operation of these companies, providing a quick way to involve the player characters (as the staff) in any variety of stories. Planning an archaeological expedition deep in the jungle? Hire a venture company. Trying to track down the base of the sky pirates that have been raiding your shipping line? Hire a venture company. Stumped trying to solve a series of strange murders in the city? Hire a venture company.
We're going to close this post by looking at a sample venture company and its staff. The Southern Star Company is used as an example player group throughout the core rules, and shows what a typical group of player characters might look like in Venture!
The Southern Star Company is a newly-established venture company, based out of Koriden City. Its founder, Nell Carten, is still trying to build up the Southern Star's client base and reputation. Currently, she is taking on any job she can find, putting the young company front and center in one risky endeavor after another and providing just enough to pay the rent on the company's downtown office.
Nell Carten is a Koriden City native, raised in the dockside neighborhood alongside the Beglif twins. From a young age, she yearned to see the world, and learned to fly from her mother while listening to stories of the woman's experiences as an airship escort pilot for Dursmann Industries. As an adult, though, the limited route of an escort pilot wasn't enough for Nell, and she signed up with the Condracean Grey Legion to travel abroad at the earliest opportunity. Service in the Legion was dangerous, but it taught her to how to handle herself in a firefight and gave Nell the chance meet Bronnan during the evacuation of Ederif. Nell still despises the Ferridi after fighting their ruthless soldiers for every inch of that colony as the Legion fell back. While Nell technically earned her Condracean citizenship following her tour of duty, she's avoided that unstable nation, instead investing her pay by founding the Southern Star Company in her home city.
Tren Beglif is Lida's twin sister, born in Koriden City to Exelosian immigrants. He's never been able to stomach common work - not that anyone has been able to tolerate him as an employee for long. Instead, Tren has made a living off his wits and loose morals, running cons and gambling. The latter has earned him a huge debt to Blind Antali, a Kierre with the local Gavierna. After receiving his latest beating at the mobster's hands, Lida forced Tren to sign up with the new company of their childhood friend, Nell Carten. Tren resents his younger sister (by seven whole minutes) ordering him into the job, but he genuinely enjoys his work with the Southern Star Company, and his social talents there might finally get him out of the hole he's dug with Blind Antali.
Lida Beglif is the moral compass for her twin brother, Tren. While he was off getting into trouble with the local criminals, she joined the priesthood, becoming a member of the Peloric Church's Order of Technicians. Lida loved working with machines and helping the communities she visited as a part of her duties, but felt forced to take a temporary sabbatical upon hearing of her brother's latest run-in with the Gavierna. She has kept in touch with Nell Carten over the years, and agreed to sign on as a mechanic for the Southern Star Company provided Nell also hired Tren. Lida is very personable, like her brother, but lacks his duplicitous nature. She also tends to act like she knows whats best for everyone in the company, especially her twin brother.
Bronnan Mieriton has the official title of Duke of Aredral, a duchy in Thassyl. He gained the title upon his father's death, along with a stranger inheritance: a thandi pact handed down to the firstborn son of the Duke of Aredral for seven generations. Bronnan wants nothing to do with the scheming of the Thassylian nobility, and left his home country to travel the world just after being named Duke. Since then, he has mostly squandered his money and his mystic talents with a purely hedonistic existence. His story would have ended in tragedy when he was cornered by Ferridi troops during the evacuation of Ederif, if not for the timely arrival of Nell Carten. Since then, he has felt a debt to Nell for his life, and was the first to sign on with her new venture company when she decided to found it. Quint, the ryn holding Bronnan's pact, loves travel and new experiences, reveling in them with a childish glee - apparently it was kept on a tight leash by Bronnan's predecessors, and Quint wants to make up for lost time. Bronnan tolerates Quint stoically, though their personalities clash, the ryn grants the wayward noble with the ability to sneak past others without detection and makes him deadly in a fistfight.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
Venture companies first appeared during the colonial expansion into territories now belonging to modern-day Valerica. From their earliest days, venture companies were hired for the most dangerous work: exploring new territories, providing security for settlers or companies, or investigating mysteries on the frontier, where the government could provide little support. Their employees earned a reputation as hardy trailblazers and courageous fighters, and venture companies have had a part to play in many major historical events.
In the modern day, venture companies are still hired for risky endeavors. Although colonial expansion is a thing of the past, they are still considered the best option for academic expeditions to remote or hostile areas. Security is still a common job role for venture companies, and they might be hired on as extra guards in extreme circumstances or serve a more active role, such as hunting down pirates or other criminals in a region. Venture companies also provide private investigation services, much like a detective agency, but with a more diverse skill set.
Licensing is required for a venture company to legally operate. This provides some accountability for these businesses, and reduces the risk for those looking to hire them. Any venture company with a history of unsavory dealings or too many official complaints filed against them can have their license revoked at an annual review, so companies or employees engaging in bad business or getting in too much trouble with law enforcement do get closed down rather quickly. Licensing also offers these businesses certain advantages: the right to arm their employees, legal sanction to engage in private investigation and bounty hunting, and the immediate trust a well-established venture company can receive from potential clients.
Venture companies within the setting provide a ready-made reason for groups of player characters to exist. They tend to attract outcasts as employees, and have a need for a diverse set of skills and backgrounds. Tales of excitement and danger are part of the daily operation of these companies, providing a quick way to involve the player characters (as the staff) in any variety of stories. Planning an archaeological expedition deep in the jungle? Hire a venture company. Trying to track down the base of the sky pirates that have been raiding your shipping line? Hire a venture company. Stumped trying to solve a series of strange murders in the city? Hire a venture company.
We're going to close this post by looking at a sample venture company and its staff. The Southern Star Company is used as an example player group throughout the core rules, and shows what a typical group of player characters might look like in Venture!
The Southern Star Company is a newly-established venture company, based out of Koriden City. Its founder, Nell Carten, is still trying to build up the Southern Star's client base and reputation. Currently, she is taking on any job she can find, putting the young company front and center in one risky endeavor after another and providing just enough to pay the rent on the company's downtown office.
Nell Carten is a Koriden City native, raised in the dockside neighborhood alongside the Beglif twins. From a young age, she yearned to see the world, and learned to fly from her mother while listening to stories of the woman's experiences as an airship escort pilot for Dursmann Industries. As an adult, though, the limited route of an escort pilot wasn't enough for Nell, and she signed up with the Condracean Grey Legion to travel abroad at the earliest opportunity. Service in the Legion was dangerous, but it taught her to how to handle herself in a firefight and gave Nell the chance meet Bronnan during the evacuation of Ederif. Nell still despises the Ferridi after fighting their ruthless soldiers for every inch of that colony as the Legion fell back. While Nell technically earned her Condracean citizenship following her tour of duty, she's avoided that unstable nation, instead investing her pay by founding the Southern Star Company in her home city.
Tren Beglif is Lida's twin sister, born in Koriden City to Exelosian immigrants. He's never been able to stomach common work - not that anyone has been able to tolerate him as an employee for long. Instead, Tren has made a living off his wits and loose morals, running cons and gambling. The latter has earned him a huge debt to Blind Antali, a Kierre with the local Gavierna. After receiving his latest beating at the mobster's hands, Lida forced Tren to sign up with the new company of their childhood friend, Nell Carten. Tren resents his younger sister (by seven whole minutes) ordering him into the job, but he genuinely enjoys his work with the Southern Star Company, and his social talents there might finally get him out of the hole he's dug with Blind Antali.
Lida Beglif is the moral compass for her twin brother, Tren. While he was off getting into trouble with the local criminals, she joined the priesthood, becoming a member of the Peloric Church's Order of Technicians. Lida loved working with machines and helping the communities she visited as a part of her duties, but felt forced to take a temporary sabbatical upon hearing of her brother's latest run-in with the Gavierna. She has kept in touch with Nell Carten over the years, and agreed to sign on as a mechanic for the Southern Star Company provided Nell also hired Tren. Lida is very personable, like her brother, but lacks his duplicitous nature. She also tends to act like she knows whats best for everyone in the company, especially her twin brother.
Bronnan Mieriton has the official title of Duke of Aredral, a duchy in Thassyl. He gained the title upon his father's death, along with a stranger inheritance: a thandi pact handed down to the firstborn son of the Duke of Aredral for seven generations. Bronnan wants nothing to do with the scheming of the Thassylian nobility, and left his home country to travel the world just after being named Duke. Since then, he has mostly squandered his money and his mystic talents with a purely hedonistic existence. His story would have ended in tragedy when he was cornered by Ferridi troops during the evacuation of Ederif, if not for the timely arrival of Nell Carten. Since then, he has felt a debt to Nell for his life, and was the first to sign on with her new venture company when she decided to found it. Quint, the ryn holding Bronnan's pact, loves travel and new experiences, reveling in them with a childish glee - apparently it was kept on a tight leash by Bronnan's predecessors, and Quint wants to make up for lost time. Bronnan tolerates Quint stoically, though their personalities clash, the ryn grants the wayward noble with the ability to sneak past others without detection and makes him deadly in a fistfight.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Venture! Thrilling Adventures in the World of AEthrem and its associated characters are the property of Weird Science Games, LLC, Copyright 2015.
West End Games, OpenD6, and The D6 system are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
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