The Campaign Builder's Guild

Cosmology
Gwynvyd: The Sky; Home of the Gods
Home to gods of the Sun, Moon, & Stars, and the Spirits of the dead who have transcended the cycle of death and reincarnation.

Abred: The Land; Our World.  
It is in Abred that the souls of the living migrate and transmigrate, progressing through the cycle of life, death, and rebirth until their souls are perfected for Gwynvyd.  The joys and sorrows of life'"its trials and travails'"are all a part of the soul's journey to perfection.  Because the form of a soul may change from one life to the next, it is important to respect all life.  There will always be conflict, fighting, and death, but respect and honor must be kept in all.

Annwn: The Sea; Otherworld, Underworld, and Home to the Sidhe.
The Souls of the dead come here to the Cauldron of Life to await rebirth.  The Sidhe live here, as do the Tuatha.  It is a land where dreams are made real.  It is the stuff of visions and magic.  It has several guardians, and can be entered through the liminal places at liminal times.  Twilight is the time most associated with the fae.  Time runs differently in Annwn.  You can spend a day there, and find that several years have passed in Abred.  Occasionally the reverse is true, and you can spend a lifetime in Annwn and when you return home, no time has passed at all.

Annwn: Getting There
Annwn is a land of borders and paradoxes.  It lies beneath the hills and across the sea.  It is a world of in-between, lying cosmically between Abred and Gwynvyd.  Accessing the realm of Annwn is a difficult proposition: Abred and Annwn are different worlds with few, if any, permanent links.  Even if one finds a gateway to Annwn, nothing guarantees that it will still be there when you go looking for it next day.  In fact, many are only open on particular days, or at certain times of day.  

Paths to Annwn involve paradoxes: places that are in between'"that are both and neither location.  Shores, which are neither Sea or Dry Land.  Rivers, which cut between realms.  Caves and thresholds of all kinds, which are neither indoors or outdoors.  Paradoxical times may also be important: twilight, which is neither day nor night; midnight, which is neither one day nor the next.  And some days are simply more amenable to entering Annwn than others.  The Feast of Samhain* for instance, marks the transition into the dark half of the year, and it is a time when the veil between the worlds grows thin, and travel between them becomes possible.

If you are intent on making it to Annwn, look out for the places and times that are most conducive, watch out for signs of the fae, try to acquire a guide, and hope for the best.  The GM, of course, is the final arbiter of whether Annwn can be found or not.  Presuming that there is an entrance to be found, locating it requires a DC 40 Perception roll.  The following conditions modify this DC:
 [ooc]This Table is taken largely from The Little People by Avalanche Press.  I have changed the % chance of finding Fairyland to the DC modifier for finding Annwn, and I have added and subtracted some modifiers, but I want to give credit where credit is due.[/ooc]
 ]

Circumstance	DC Modifier
Liminal Time (Twilight, Midnight, etc.)	-3
Liminal Place (Shore, cave, river, etc.)	-3
Feast Day	-2
Feast of Bealtine**	-2
Feast of Samhain**	-4
Equinox**	-2
Solstice**	-1
Full Moon	-1
Sidhe-Blooded	-4
Fomorian-Blooded	+4
Seeking Faerie riches	+2
Searcher has a faerie magic item	-6
Searcher wielding or wearing Cold Iron	+4
Searching grove of faerie tree triad (Ash, Hawthorn, and Oak in same grove)	-6

*Samhain is the name of the real world Celtic festival.  I will probably have an equivalent festival, but haven't come up with a separate name yet.
**These bonuses stack with the bonus for being a feast day.

Standing Stones, Stone Circles, and Nemetons
The landscape is speckled with stone monoliths sticking straight up out of the ground as though standing.  There is no record or erecting these  and they most likely are the relics of past civilization'"possibly made by the gods themselves.  They carry powerful draoíchta, or magic, and spellcasters may take advantage of this.  Druids, bards, and ovates may use standing stones to apply metamagic effects to their spells.  They may not choose which effect to apply, as the effect is tied to the stone in question.  They need not possess the associated metamagic feat, and the use of a standing stone to augment a spell does not use up a higher level spell slot.

The GM is free to determine the nature of any particular Standing Stone.  If no metamagic effect is specified, roll 1d10 on the following chart to determine a random effect:
 

d10 Roll	Result
1	Empower Spell
2	Enlarge Spell
3	Eschew Materials (Not technically metamagic)
4	Extend Spell
5	Heighten Spell
6	Maximize Spell
7	Quicken Spell
8	Silent Spell
9	Still Spell
10	Widen Spell

Head Hunting and Action Points
[ooc]In d20 Celtic Age, A mechanic is presented for severed heads, wherein the straight level of the beheaded opponent gave you a certain amount of "Power" that could be used for various benefits, such as extra spells per day, bonuses to initiative, temporary access to feats, and so forth.  It felt to me, in spirit, pretty similar to the concept of Action Points, though, so it made more sense to me to not complicated things by adding extra ambiguous terminology.  I might have to write in ways to expand the use of Action Points, though.[/ooc] The head is the resting place of the soul, and the house of a person's power.  A man can be killed any number of ways, but when you take his head, you take his power.  It is a common practice among the warrior class to behead a powerful enemy and claim his head for a prize.  In so doing, the victor claims ownership over the power of the defeated.

Claiming the head of a vanquished foe can provide a small boost to action points.  When you have claimed the head of a foe, you gain a certain number of Action Points determined by the relative level of the enemy to your own.  The more powerful the opponent, the more action points you gain.  As with all Action Points, you are allowed to hold onto them as long as you like, but once you use them, they are gone forever.  Beheading another foe can always grant you more, however.  It is important to note, however, that Action Points from multiple heads do not stack.  You only gain Action Points from the most powerful head in your possession.  You have to use up the points from a head before you can gain any more.

Example: Feargus is a Lvl 2 Fighter, and starts the game with 5 Action Points.  He defeats a Lvl 1 fighter, and thus gains an action point.  He now has 6 Action Points.  He then defeats a more powerful Lvl 2 Fighter, and takes up his head, which provides 2 action points.  He cannot have action points from 2 heads, though, so the points from the first head go away, and now Feargus has 7 action points.  Even if he uses these 2 up, he does not get back the action point from the first head, but a new Lvl 1 head would earn him another point.

 

Enemy Level	Action Point Reward
Character level -3 or less	0
Character level -1 or less	1
Same as character level	2
Character level +1 or more	4
Character level +3 or more	8
Character level +5 or more	16

I am pretty sure the equanoxes and solstices have no meaning in Celtic culture, the whole calendar after all was based on the phases of the moon, and the 13 moon months of the year. Its only in modern day reflections on Stone Henge that the idea of solar based importance as being a Celtic thing.

It was never the sun, it was always the moon.

The holy days of Imbolc, Bealtane, Lughanssey (?), and Samhain are all important days for a pastoral society. Imbolc is when the ewes first lactate prior to giving birth. Bealtane is sending the flocks/herds through fire as they good to summer fodder areas. Samhain is their return to winter fodder at the farm.

Lughanssey (unsure of the spelling on this) came much later in Celtic time keeping, its the harvest festival. Since agriculture is fairly 'young' in Celtic society.

Not necessary for you, but I try to stay true to historic accuracy when I can, and never adopt modern conceptions.

GP

Quote from: Gamer PrintshopI am pretty sure the equanoxes and solstices have no meaning in Celtic culture, the whole calendar after all was based on the phases of the moon, and the 13 moon months of the year. Its only in modern day reflections on Stone Henge that the idea of solar based importance as being a Celtic thing.

It was never the sun, it was always the moon.

The holy days of Imbolc, Bealtane, Lughanssey (?), and Samhain are all important days for a pastoral society. Imbolc is when the ewes first lactate prior to giving birth. Bealtane is sending the flocks/herds through fire as they good to summer fodder areas. Samhain is their return to winter fodder at the farm.

Lughanssey (unsure of the spelling on this) came much later in Celtic time keeping, its the harvest festival. Since agriculture is fairly 'young' in Celtic society.

Not necessary for you, but I try to stay true to historic accuracy when I can, and never adopt modern conceptions.

GP

My understanding about Solar vs. Lunar thing is that while they definitely were interested in the moon, it was constantly debated how much the Sun was important or not.  We have fairly little to go on in regards to the Celts, which has led a lot of neopagans to fill in the blanks.  This is occasionally problematic, as it confuses some of the idea of the Celts, but can also be somewhat useful if you can find neopagan beliefs that fit.

Neopagans, particularly Wiccans, have come up with "The Wheel of the Year," which starts at Samhain, then moves to Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane (or whichever spelling you prefer), Litha (or Midsummer) Lughnassad, and Mabon.  Midsummer and Yule are the Solstices, and Ostara and Mabon are the equinoxes.

Now the having of the Solstices and Equinoxes be relevant to finding "Fairlyland" (or in this case Annwn) came from The Little People supplement for Celtic Age.  Perhaps because of my knowledge of Neopaganism, It didn't strike me as too odd, even though I'd never heard SPECIFICALLY of it being any easier to find the Otherworld on those days.  So, it probably would not be historically accurate to provide a DC modifier on those days.  The question is whether I care or not.

Just chiming in to say that this is awesome! I'm a huge sucker for fairytale type stuff and anything to do with Celtic mythology. Keep it up!

Instead of doing a single review I figured I'd ask you some questions and we could have a bit of back and forth.

First off I really love the whole concept of the fey land where souls go before being reborn. It seems to me like this opens up the possibility for a grand quest into the fairy realm to find a particular soul either to retrieve or even simply to ask questions of. So what do you picture Annwn as being like? In what manner do the Sidhe and the Tuatha live here? Do they have kingdoms of their own? Are you considering something like the wild hunt with the dead and/or the fey visiting Abred and sowing fear amongst the living?

[ooc]In response to Nomadic's Question:[/ooc]
Annwn
Annwn is many things.  It is the land across the sea, and the land under the Sídhe.  Sídhe means "mound" or "hill."  When the Tuatha left Abred for the Otherworld, they became known as Aos Sídhe, or "Those of the Hills." The Tuatha, who are often capable of changing their forms in numerous ways, gave birth to whole races of beings that are not mortal, but not quite gods in their own right.  These are the Sidhe, being synonymous with the world to which they belong.

Annwn is a land of extremes and paradoxes.  It is everywhere and nowhere.  It is under every hill, across every ocean, and on the other side of every forest, and yet it exists nowhere on the physical plane.  Time stands still here.  It is the land of the ever young.  There is no aging, and no disease; no thirsting or starvation.  It is filled with vibrant colors, but the place lacks substance.  It is a place of intense freedom and intense restriction.

Geographically, Annwn resembles a Triskele

It has three arms, each of which wraps around a plot of earth featuring a massive spiraling tower.  In the center of Annwn lies Magh Mell, the Plain of Delights, onto whose shores the ships bearing the souls of the dead land. Atop a plateau in the center of Magh Mell is Tech Duinn, the home of Donn, horned god of the Dead and lord of the hunt.  It is within Tech Duinn that the Cauldron of Rebirth lies.  

 [note]The Unseelie Sídhe are known to launch raids against the Sidhe, the mortal spirits making their way to the next life, and on to Gwynvyd, and occasionally even against the Tuatha themselves.  When capable, they cause mischief and attempt to harm mortals in Abred.

More on Seelie and Unseelie Sidh later[/note] Caer Sidi: Its name means 'Turning fortress' but this is thought to refer to the turning of the stars around it, rather than to any revolutions of the castle itself.  Caer Sidi is the spiral tower to Gwynvyd, and is home to the Gods, or Tuatha, who can freely commute between the two worlds via the spiral fortress.
Nenníus:The Gloomy Castle is home to Unseelie Side of many varieties.  They keep as their slaves human children stolen to replace their own dwindling numbers, those mortals who have been dragged into the otherworld from the Wild Hunt, and those souls kidnapped on their way to the Cauldron of life.
Caer Fedwyd: o   The Castle of Revelry is a vast drinking hall and the home of the Court of Seelie Sídhe.  Like the others, it is a spiral castle, but Caer Feddwyd leads upward to Abred.  It is tied most strongly of the three to the hills of Abred, though it sometimes links to the thresholds of homes.  Seelie Court Sídhe are sometimes known to be a boon to the people of Abred, performing household chores, offering gifts, or pointing the way for travelers at a fork in the road.  They are sometimes known to play tricks on mortals, but these are generally harmless.  While not often known to be warlike, Trooping Faeries of Seelie Sídhe are sometimes seen patrolling for their Unseelie counterparts, or for such menaces as Fomorians.
Tech Duinn:The House of Donn, the horned god of the dead.  It is the resting place of the Cauldron of Life.  It rests atop a plateau overlooking Magh Mell, the Plain of Delight.  From here, Donn oversees the journeys of the mortal souls and rules the animal world, which is better in tune with the world of Faerie.  He serves as an intermediary of sorts between the worlds.  He is the gatekeeper.  He leads the Wild Hunt, and he commands the Cwn Annwn hounds.
 [ooc]I am sure there are important details I am leaving out, and I will definitely expand later, but right now I am tired, and this is the most I can provide.[/ooc]

Awesome, looking forward to more. A few more questions for you.

First what exactly is the cauldron of life and what functions precisely do it and Donn serve? And secondly when you say raids against the mortal spirits heading to the next life what exactly does this entail and what purpose does it server for the unseelie?

Donn
Greater god
Symbol: A Ram-horned Snake
Home Plane: Annwn
Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Death, Animals, the Hunt, Healing, Rebirth, Fidchell
Holy Days: Samhain
Favored Weapon: Dergallta (Long Spear)

The antlered Lord of the Dead, Donn guards the Cauldron of Life atop Tech Duinn in the realm of Annwn.  He is the keeper of the cycle of souls. He leads them to the cauldron and ushers them away.  He guards the gateways of Annwn against those who seek its spoils.  He possesses 3 beautiful cows whose milk never run out, the pack of red-eared hunting dogs known as the Cwn Annwn, and a trio of cranes who guide departed souls to the gates of Blessed Isle.  A ram-horned snake is his constant companion.

He is an avid fidchell player, and is well known for playing the game at high stakes.  It is said that one can gain favors from him, or even forestall his death if he can defeat Donn in a game of Fidchell.  

One of Donn's main duties, besides the guarding of the Cauldron of Life, is to lead the Wild Hunt.  Traditionally held on Samhain, the Wild Hunt comprises Sídhe of both Seelie and Unseelie courts, and sometimes is attended by members of the Tuatha as well.  The Wild Hunt seeks game to bring back for feasting in Annwn, as the fruit of that land, though lovely to look upon, and delicious to taste, offers no nutrients.  The Wild Hunt is not aimed at causing harm to mortals, but if mortals interfere or cross the path of the Hunt, their lives are forfeit.  Furthermore, Unseelie Sídhe often use the Wild Hunt to drag souls of mortals back to their fortress of Nenníus to be their slaves.  It is said that for a mortal to witness the Wild Hunt is an omen of death, but whether the Hunt is the cause of death, or merely the signifier of this death is uncertain.

The Cauldron of Life
Donn's Cauldron is a potent magical artifact carrying powers of restoration and life.  Those who are injured, diseased, or suffering some malady or curse can bathe in the waters of the cauldron and be healed.  More famously, however, the cauldron brings new life to the dead.  Departed souls in Annwn make their way towards the Cauldron of Life.  Those souls who reach the cauldron atop Tech Duinn will be given life again'"not their old life, but a brand new one.  They may not even be human in their next life, if the path of their soul has something else in mind.  

In Game terms, Donn's Cauldron of Life is a large bowl, big enough to fit a human inside.  Those who bathe in the water are affected by their choice of greater restoration, heal, remove disease, or remove curse; drinking the water can provide the effect of neutralize poison; and fully immersing a soul or corpse in the cauldron has the effect of the reincarnate spell.

Quote from: NomadicAnd secondly when you say raids against the mortal spirits heading to the next life what exactly does this entail and what purpose does it server for the unseelie?

I wanted to give this its own reply, since it didn't fit in quite right with the more formal layout of the previous post.  

Of the Seelie and Unseelie Court Sidhe, neither is entirely good nor entirely evil.  Most Sidhe regardless of Court are in the neutral range, and tend more towards chaos than law.  Of the two, the Seelie are more likely to be good, and the Unseelie are more likely to be evil.  Most of the harmful mischief done on humans is done by Unseelie.  This ranges from property damage, to kidnapping, to the occasional murder.  Unseelie more frequently replace human babes with changelings, and in the Wild Hunt, will go out of their way to find mortals and drag them off back to Nennius to serve as slaves to the Unseelie Sidhe.

In Annwn, there is very little difference between a living mortal and a dead mortal.  The soul is all that matters.   This means that many of the Souls of the dead are easy targets for the Unseelie to capture and press into service.  This is a dangerous proposition, as the souls of the dead, once in Annwn, are under Donn's protection.  It is an offense and an insult to Donn when this is done, therefore, it must be done with care, to ensure that the guilty parties are not discovered.  When Donn finds that he has been robbed of his flock, his wrath is terrible to behold.  More than once he has stormed Nennius and taken Unseelie Sidhe as slaves in recompense.  

The raids are usually composed of small bands of Unseelie Sidhe riding out on white horses over the plains of Magh Mell in search of lone spirits who have become lost, or indolent in the pleasures of the Plain of Delights.  

Annwn is certainly coming together for me in my mind's eye as a place that would be interesting and dangerous to venture within. I am assuming that the fey follow their own obscure rules that humans would consider strange (but that it would serve a human to know when meeting fey). Or are your fey not like that?

As an aside I am also reminded of Adam Phillips of Brackenwood fame who had a short animation (and a written story) on a strange group of creatures called the Yuyu which live in the place between wakefulness and sleep and abduct and enslave the souls of children who venture through their realm as they go to sleep.

Quote from: NomadicAnnwn is certainly coming together for me in my mind's eye as a place that would be interesting and dangerous to venture within. I am assuming that the fey follow their own obscure rules that humans would consider strange (but that it would serve a human to know when meeting fey). Or are your fey not like that?

That sounds about right.  Despite the predilection of the fae towards personal freedom, and their general aversion to laws, they have strong senses of honor, conduct, and reciprocity. This makes it very easy for someone who is ignorant of them to arouse their anger.  And when the fae get angry, making peace with them can be challenging, to say the least.

Annwn is a paradise.  Except when it isn't.  It is home to the gods and the fae, and one never grows old, or sick, or feeble there.  It is beautiful to look upon, and alive with sensation.  It is an intoxicating realm.  While they are expected to move on, Annwn is a place where one could feasibly spend their afterlife happily, as long as they stick to its rules and avoid its dangers.

(1)Iron is strictly forbidden.  The Fae are repulsed by iron, especially Cold Iron.  If you wish to meet any of the Sidhe peacefully, bring none with you when you enter this land.  The lesser fae will hide and flee from you.  The more powerful ones will attack you.  Entering Annwn with Iron, is practically a declaration of war on the entirety of the realm.  None will offer you safety if you come bearing this material.  Seelie and Unseelie Sidhe alike will hate you, possibly forever.  It is an intense insult, and a sign of enmity with the fair folk.  Do not cross them.  If you must bring weapons, make sure they are made of bronze.

(2)Don't eat or drink anything you didn't bring with you.  The Fae are used to their own fruit, but it can be devastating to mortals.  While not poisonous in the literal sense, it is devoid of any nutritional value, and highly addictive.  Those who taste of the fruit may never want to eat anything else again, which becomes problematic should you ever wish to leave Annwn, and go back to the world where such succulent but empty treats do not exist.  Additionally, if one eats a fruit from a tree that belongs to another, and did not have permission, they may take it as an insult.  

(3)Gifts and insults are repaid strongly.  In our world, Enech, or honor, is of extreme importance.  In faerie, it is supreme.  It cannot be adequately stated how important it is to follow through on every debt, and to repay every favor graciously.  The Sidhe have not only their sense of Enech but a geasa as well to repay gifts with equal or greater gifts. If you are good and kind to them, they by necessity must do you a service in return.  But if you slight them, even a little, they will pay you back ten fold at least.  So be kind and courteous, offer help,  repay the favors you've been given, and make sure to always stay on their good side.

(4)Follow instructions.  Annwn is a strange land, but when you are told to do something, it is best to do it.  To the letter.  Often times your survival depends on it.

(5)Don't stray from the path.  Time and space in Annwn are fluid.  Much like on can enter Annwn one day and the next day they can leave only to find that a century has passed in Abred, when you stray from the path, the path tends to stray from you as well.  Forests have been known to shift, landmarks vanish.  Travelers become hopelessly lost, and either wander into some dangerous area, break some other rule of Annwn, or exhaust their supplies and start to look longingly on the fruit of the Sidhe. . .

Love it. The more and more I read the more and more I really want to play something like say a child who got lost there by stumbling through a portal to the realm and now must survive using only the knowledge his grandmother gave him about the fair folk and their strange lands in her daily stories.

I'll be keeping up with this more as now that I've read it in depth it really seems like the kind of thing that would interest me. So expect to see me back for more questions and comments should you post some more content :)

Sounds rather like Pan's Labyrinth.

I was actually thinking about running an adventure in this setting soon.  Setting a game around the adventures of a Boy Troop has some potential. . .

I think this will be the ultimate name of the setting.  I present to you my Work-in-Progress map for the setting.  It is pencil-on-paper, colored with coffee (and apparently some accidental, but fully embraced grease spots).  I made heavy use of the Dodge/Burn tool in image editing this map.  The Compass-Rose is a modified Brighid's Cross, and the Symbols are Ogham characters for the initial letters in the Gaelic words for each direction.  In this version I am making use of some castle and grass brushes that I am not certain I will keep.  I am aware that you can't read the names of most of the places.  It is meant to be viewed at a larger size, but this is the biggest image that I seem to be able to get Flickr to provide.  When I get a more final version of the map, I will be able to provide a larger image.

That is a really lovely map! What sort of scale is it meant to be on?