The Campaign Builder's Guild

Within the cities life is a hectic mishmash of people, each looking to come out on top in an ever changing world. Outside the walls though, life takes on a much different hue. For reasons that many have speculated on but none have discovered, the natural life on Karros is for more savage than normal. Among the vast grasslands packs of ravening beasts prowl, ripping any living thing they may find. In the air soar all manner of creatures, some that would look upon a horse as an owl looks upon a mouse. Even in the ground below, creatures dig and crawl, hunting for fresh prey. Yet even such a perilous world is not empty of human life.

Nomadic Tribes:

It is said that when the first colonists traveled to the new world, yet unaware of its peril, not all ships arrived as planned. Tales are still told of the Arakan, which sailed from her port with 200 souls aboard, and was found drifting off Pikes Point, a derelict wreck. Yet another legend has circulated more recently, as merchants have increasingly come in contact with strange nomadic tribes. An entire fleet full of colonists was recorded as destroyed off Kharoyl. Yet, one cannot deny the uncanny similarity between the nomads, and the residents of the city states. Regardless of their origins, these wanderers have thrived in a land that few others dare to even tread. Extremely protective of their territory, many a merchant convoy has met its end from a nomad attack.

[note]Iradria is a gray-green rock with an appearance similar to limestone. Under heat it melts into a thick grayish liquid that can then be combined with various ores. In most cases the process is fairly effective at hardening smelted metals. However, for reasons not understood, it has an especially strong reaction to combination with impure iron. The Iradria seems to bond with the ore, greatly enhancing its strength. This has lead to weapons and armor far superior to that made within the city states.[/note]
The nomads of the great wastelands are comprised of some forty separate tribal groups. Each tends to keep largely to itself, though some have become largely interconnected. Some even have merged together (indeed at one point there were nearly fifty-five tribes). All tribes adhere to what they call the Parherhie. It is a set of rules that governs tribal relations and is built upon the central foundation. Namely that no tribe will encroach on the currently settled land of any other tribe. This has been a necessity as one of the primary resources the tribes seek is not water, but Iradria. A semi-rare mineral found only in the wastelands. Iradria greatly enhances the quality of impure iron ore to that of something for stronger than any standard refined metal. It was the focal point of bloody territory wars in the past. Since then the tribes have vowed to respect each others prospecting areas, in order to avoid such slaughter. The Parherhie has been largely successful. Even tribes who greatly hate each other will respect it and not venture into the others land. It has become a somewhat religious document for them over time. This has served to reinforce the sacredness of their lands, leading to conflicts of another type.

With the reemergence of trade came the use of merchant vessels built to transport goods through areas that were impassible by foot. One such route was the route along the Raimeil River between the cities of Exceil and Rivuir. The Raimeil is a major river that flows from headwaters far in the north, down south till it empties into the ocean between Kharoyl and Northhaven. Along the way the river splits the wastelands in two. For the nomadic tribes it has been a point of contention with these newcomers. To the merchants the nomads are raving savages looking to sink their ships and slaughter all on board. Meanwhile, the merchants are violating territory that the wandering tribes consider their sacred space. Trade goes on though, as the Raimeil is by far the fastest route between the eastern and western lands of Karros. Conflict has only continued to escalate, sometimes erupting into bloody battles with crusading mercenaries traveling the river, looking to actively wipe out any tribes in their path.

I like how you made the impurities of low grade ore a catalyst to the iradria. While the nomads still need access to iron ore itself, they don't have to compete with the cities then for the purer mountainous ore deposits and the cities wind up overlooking the process entirely since they can't actually manufacture that form of steel with the high grade ores they're using. It's funny since I'm currently working on some of the iron to steel advances on Panisadore, along with techniques in working the material. (I'll have a few more paragraphs up soon.) I've gotta say I really like what you're doing with this setting - I'm seeing the potential for a one I'd have a lot of fun playing in.

Thank you very much. I feel it the highest honor when a person says they could have fun using a campaign you have created. Brings me alot of joy hearing this (and encourages me to work diligently in completing the setting).

The Maeri:

Why that lass is as fond of water as any fish I ever saw. You could almost swear she was part Maeri from the look of her.

Those words and many like them have become common in modern speech. The Maeri of legend are a race of human like creatures that inhabit the open sea, dragging reckless sailors down to a watery grave. Tales of such a people have persisted since before written texts. Over the ages the word has been adapted to refer to anyone who is an avid swimmer, or shows a love of water. The tales of the Maeri are considered fairy tales by most, telling of fanciful underwater cities populated by equally fanciful people. They are generally considered nothing but a legend. Yet legend tends to have some foundation in facts.

[note]As you may or may not have noticed. The Maeri have a basis in merfolk legends. Unlike the classic merfolk though I wanted something that could connect to humans (as this is a setting focused heavily on humanity and its struggles). As such, the Maeri appear to most as any human would (excepting perhaps their somewhat enlarged pupils and a trace of webbing between fingers and toes that is a bit more noticeable than a humans). To be exact they are a branch of humanity that only recently broke away (in terms of the grand scale of things, in human terms recent here is actually more like far ancient times before recorded history). They took to the water and adapted, becoming drifters. When they rediscovered humanity the Maeri emulated them leading to the Empire of the Waves. It's collapse simply reverted them to their old way of life (though their numbers have greatly diminished since then). Their re-separation from humanity has made them into yet another legend. It is irony indeed that the humans are oblivious to this living legend within their ranks. The Maeri were always a private people, yet their fear of letting humans know who they were was so strong that their offspring (some even born of maeri/human couples) often don't even know they are maeri till discovering it themselves.[/note]
Indeed the Maeri do exist, and that old saying may hold more truth than most realize. In times long past the Maeri Empire of the Waves held claim of all beneath the ocean surface. Their cities, much like the ones in the tales, were grand constructs and a testament to their capabilities. While few humans ever glimpsed their settlements, many interacted with the Maeri themselves. The people of the waves and the people of the rocks prospered from each other for a time.

More recently though they are all but myth for most of the world. Their once glorious civilization crumbled and vanished long ago. Though they live on as a race, it is a drifters existence. Some however, have ventured onto land, drawn by human settlements. Sharing an ancestor with humans (a fairly recent ancestor in the grand scheme of things) the Maeri still appear very much human and found acceptance into human culture easy (especially as the fairly secretive race has always been good at hiding its secrets). Indeed they integrated so well as to escape notice by nearly all humans. A person now days calling someone a Maeri with any seriousness would probably be laughed at (much as anyone calling someone a fairy in a serious sense in our society would be). Yet they exist, persons with Maeri blood coursing through their veins. The girl swimming in the city fountain every day may well have more of a connection to the nickname then anyone realizes (including her).

The Maeri have become divided by all of this. Some have integrated into human culture, though many still remain at sea. In fact the sea between Kharoyl and Northhaven is well known to many Maeri drifters as prime hunting ground and is often visited by them. For the drifters life goes on, much as it has for ages past. The others though have taken up the guise of humans, showing a remarkable talent for learning other languages and melding into society. All around them the world at large remains ignorant of their existence, for how long though none are sure.

Trade Ships:

Ships made in different cities tend to have different design aspects. However, they all have a few things in common. First off, all Karrosian trade ships have a shallow draft thanks to a wide round hull (similar to the turtle ships of ancient Korea). This affords them maneuverability and, more importantly, the ability to easily navigate shallow rivers. The drawback to this is that they are somewhat slow and unwieldy in the open ocean, thus tend to stick close to the coast. For this reason they have earned the nickname of Shore Skimmers. Furthermore, they all are fully roofed, with a rounded roof above covering all of the ship below. This roof though is generally lifted up above the deck with supports. Instead of a wall, edge supports are positioned at intervals to give protection while allowing defenders to fire volleys of arrows and ballistae at attackers. Cargo is loaded in through a large rear hatch, and then the ship is sealed up and set off.

Pirate Vessels:

Piracy has become rampant in the sea around Karros. The coastal city states maintain navies, but only to keep pirates out of their territory, and to escort precious cargoes. Beyond the city states, pirates have free roam to prey on merchant vessels. Unlike merchant ships, pirate ships tend to have a deep draft (for better speed, though wider turns) and an open top. Common pirate tactics are to rapidly approach the slower ships while firing volleys of arrows and ballistae shot to keep the trader crews heads down. Then pulling alongside the ship, the pirates will grapple it and board, attempting to kill or capture the crew before taking all the supplies. Occasionally pirates will simply end up towing the ship back with them to put to use. However, most simply leave them drifting and head off in search of fresh prey.


Sea trade is a high risk business, and ships aren't a cheap commodity. It is for this reason that only the most wealthy of merchants will risk it. Even river trade is a great danger (though the risk of running into danger along the rivers is slightly less then at sea). Merchants will commonly hire mercenaries to defend their ships, and in the case of very precious cargoes, to crew their own ships in defense of the merchant ship. Recently as trade has become more prevalent merchant ships have had to be even more careful along the rivers. Nomadic raiders have been attacking any ship they see in their territory. Meanwhile, raiding groups from various city states have taken to plying the rivers, looking to capture merchants and their cargo.

Just a single comment Nomadic :)

What happens if a tribe violates the Parherhie?

You might well consider in many coastal areas the use (by pirates and later by navies in response) of low profile galleys. So long as there are sufficient islands (as the southeast coast) or rugged coastline features (as northeast and southwest and around the Norhaven island) a favored tactic would be to hide close to the coast and wait for the merchant caravels then rush out - a well made galley is extremely fast for short bursts and completely independent of wind direction - hiding upwind of expected (pre-scouted) shipping will drive the victims directly into the advancing pirates before they can even heel to and alter course. Naturally the navies will then adopt similar anti-pirate tactics with decoy vessels baiting their ambushes. . .

Also magic will naturally play a huge inherent role in naval combat - area affect spells are extremely potent in crowded decks, whether mind affecting or direct destructive power - fireballs becoming particularly devastating. The latter placed above the ship can force the merchants to chop down their own burning masts/sails/rigging to save the vessel from the fire. Obviously counter-magics begin to come in high demand as well.

About 3 years back when I was first considering the nature of the setting I wanted to create I spent a great deal of time looking at maritime concepts - a lot of that is still in hand written files. I'm still looking for a good ship design/naval combat system, but a lot of the principals this would need to reflect are pretty well mapped out at this time. If you're heading out this way at any point this summer give me a shout - I'd love to spend a weekend brainstorming.

Quote from: NeubertJust a single comment Nomadic :)

What happens if a tribe violates the Parherhie?

Probably the same thing that would happen if someone violated the sacred laws of a highly zealous religion. Aka - the other tribes would band together to "punish" them. That is actually the reason that several tribes wound up merged with other tribes.

Anyhow Snargash that is a good idea. Oar ships would probably make great pirate ambush ships. Furthermore magic certainly plays a role. Magic is common but rarely high powered. In general it is used to synergize with other things to increase efficiency.

So if you were to view a naval battle between merchant forces and pirates you would likely see ballistae shot sheathed in magical flames slamming into ships and arrows raining down with uncanny accuracy. A mix of the mundane and the arcane. This includes the aforementioned tactic of a fast pirate ship running alongside a merchant vessel and boarding her. When that happened you would see the standard close ranged magics being used to attack supplemented by melee fighting and bow and crossbow fire.

Also I wish I could come over to Portland, its alot of fun over there. Unfortunately I am pretty much stuck in Bend. I can't afford to travel sadly.

I've been trying to dig up stuff on medieval river traffic - big element in Panisadore (when it isn't frozen over. . .) and came across this reference that might be of some interest. The Salis river that I'm dealing with at the moment can't be navigated upstream by shore-tow since the cattail marshes extend out to a mile or more on each side (tho' this isn't the norm for the world), but I get the impression a lot the rivers you're looking at can - sail then being an option when the wind favors. . . I'm still looking for other examples of river craft for the period - I know they moved some very heavy loads against the current on a regular basis.

Yes, actually my trade map shows that trade roads follow some of the rivers for many miles and even when there aren't roads most still allow for horse or oxen towing of ships and barges. Alternately large slow moving rivers like the Raimeil can be rowed up if the wind isn't favorable.