Grindelrath (W.I.P)

[Seraph]

Wow, Grindelrath is awesome!  I'm not sure if I just missed it completely before now, or if I saw it in its early stages and forgot to keep track. 

I really like the "Dark Fairy Tale" tone.  The "Van Helsing" influence can be valid too, as many aspects DO fit into the framework you have created.  Just make sure not to lose the dark feel. 

Now I want to make something for Grindelrath in one of the monthly contests.

[O Senhor Leetz]

I may just have to now that I have time (read: Winter Vacation!)

[O Senhor Leetz]

Religion in Grindelrath

The Abbey of the Martyred Savior
More commonly known as just 'the Abbey', this religion was founded some 1,000 years back in a land far to the south and to the east. Many scholars once argued that the Abbey in the past, as opposed to itself in the present, was once a faith founded on pacifist, humanistic, and communal values. The faith of the Martyred Savior arrived in the Occident around 500 years ago, and within a few centuries, installed itself as the only legitimate faith in all the west as many flocked to this new, caring faith, turning their backs on the fickle Night Gods of old. However, as the Abbey grew in power and reach, it slowly became but a shadow of its former self. The Abbey and it's labyrinthine hierarchy and bureaucracy, became more concerned what people shouldn't be doing than what they should be doing. Wealth trickled from the bottom up, leaving the peasantry However, that is not to say the Abbey hasn't done decent things or that decent people are absent from their ranks. The Abbey, along with the Guild in it's glory days, was instrumental in arranging and financing the Seven Great Hunts two centuries ago that decimated all manner of monsters, beasts, and fell men. There are some decent men and women within the clergy, but they are usually, sadly relegated to nunneries or monasteries while the corrupt and cunning rise to the top.

Today however, despite its humane past and deeds of valor, the Abbey is nothing but a hollow building of stone and mortar and misery. The Abbey hates and fears all that is strange and ancient and old, in particular what remains of the Guild, and inquisitions and purges have become more common in the last few decades as Abbey leaders seek out heretics and heathens, often finding them were they do not even exist. They are consistently seeking out old temples dedicated to the Night Gods and hidden shrines devoted to the Other to put them to the flame and chisel. Esoteric knowledge is forbidden and archaic scrolls and tome are frequently burned at large gatherings where the Abbey-Fathers, bestowed in regal purple and gold, whip the crowds into frenzy with promises of rewards in the next life and bread tomorrow.

[spoiler]I can see the PCs dealing with the Abbey as tentative allies or full fledged enemies, with masked inquisitors interfering with the PCs at best or actively hunting them at worst. Corrupt Abbey-Fathers could also play the roles of manipulative villains, pushing the truce between the Guild and the powers that be to the breaking point.[/spoiler]

The Night Gods
A strange and undefinable pantheon of benevolent nature spirits, fickle emotions personified, and vengeful celestial deities, the Night Gods were worshiped since time immemorial in Grindelrath and other lands of the Occident before the arrival and spread of the Abbey of the Martyred Savior. Few who follow the Night Gods remain, as the Abbey did its job in rooting them out and putting them to the fire exceedingly well. Most people in Grindelrath, through the teachings of the Abbey, believe that the Night Gods are nothing but fairy tales and myths told by tired mothers to scare their children into behaving. Yet still, in the darker, older corners of the world, shrines and small, crude temples can be found to the Night Gods. Even in the choked, crowded cities of Nurren, Renna, or Marrionwold, small shrines to fertility spirits or death protectors are still periodically found, much to the fear of the city-folk.

[spoiler]I imagine the PCs searching out old Night Gods temples to search for knowledge or artifacts or descending through them to hunt monsters that have made these places their lairs. Small Night Gods cults could also be potential allies or enemies, depending on the situation and which Night God is being worshiped.[/spoiler]

The Other
The Other is the patron deity of the Guild, if the Other can be said to be either a deity or to be an active patron. A mysterious being, neither good nor evil, the Other, as seen by the Guild, is a weaver of fate, a keeper of secrets, and the watcher of some great, overarching cosmological balance. The Other has no tenets nor does he hold his followers to a certain code of conduct - in fact, he probably does not care who follows him at all. For the most part, he is aloof and flighty, but occasionally will take an active hand in shaping events. Several artifacts that belong to the Guild are said to be gifts from the Other in order to further some goal beyond the understanding of mere mortals. Yet even those within the Guild fear him to an extent, his help often comes at a price...

[spoiler]The Other, for the most part, would be removed from the PCs in almost every instance, although 'clerics' of the Other would allow the PCs to choose from a divine-casting class, although it would be more focused upon knowledge and divination than healing and buffing.[/spoiler]

The Exotic Faiths
There are indeed numerous other faiths spread across the world. In the far north, it is said they worship the great ice-bears with offerings of ghost-whale flesh. In the even farther east, all manner of peaceful and violent philosophies exist. Far to the south, beyond the lands of the Salt Kings and over the Mountains of Myr, the people consume the ashes of their ancestors and war over blood-lines and talk to spirits. While some of these religions sometimes make it to Grindelrath through foreign merchants or scholars, they are looked upon with disgust and loathing, and it is well known that the Abbey does not burn them on sight only because of the large bribes that find their way into Abbey coffers.

[spoiler]The PCs in certain instances may have to seek out foreigners for particularly long-lost knowledge or they could even serve as villains, bringing evils to bear never before seen in Grindelrath.[/spoiler]

[O Senhor Leetz]

So, I should probably describe the realm of Grindelrath as it's the setting of the, uh, setting. Note: in this setting, all the real world influences that you all will no doubt pick up are purposeful. This is not a particularly 'original' setting, so if you think of Russia when I mention the northern kingdom of Muscova or of the Renaissance Italy when I mention the City-States of Tyrrusca, it saves me on filling in lots of the little details.

Grindelrath

For a realm that rests in the middle of the Known World, Grindelrath knows little of it. Walled by cloud-wreathed mountains, sickly moors, and labyrinthine forests, it is an ancient, if backwards land. Long isolated, it has resisted or ignored the great changes that are afoot in many nearby lands. In Grindelrath, the old ways still run deep, much unchanged since the elder days. Even the great Abbey, so intertwined with kings and lords in other lands, has a strong but still tentative hold and it is constantly on the offensive against the few remaining heretics and pagans.

A desolate but beautiful land, it is sparsely inhabited. The summers are cloudy and rainy and the winters brutal and bitter. The soil is poor more often than not and the rocky mountains and foothills are fit only for scraggly goats. What few farms exist barely subsist on barley, wheat, and whatever other cultivars they can coax from the soil. Yet within this harsh realm several cities have managed to be born, due entirely to the lodes of ore, gold, and gems that sleep deep within the mountains of Grindelrath.

To the peasants and serfs of the hinterlands, these cities - Rhenna, Nurren, and Aadenburg in particular - represent all that they aspire to. But to travelers of other lands, this is not so. To the roaming gem-merchants of the Tyrruscan Cities, these three 'towns' are nothing but humble, quaint, and rural way-stations. To the wandering scholars and scientists of Carolingia, Merolingia, Albian to the west, they are backwards and uncouth. For the great northern warriors of Muscova, the measly stone walls are worth scoffing over and for the decadent poets and mercenaries of Empire of Ecea to the south think of Grindelrath as realm of dirty shepherds and illiterate shit-shovelers. 

[O Senhor Leetz]

So I've decided to stick with some version of D20 for Grindelrath, as it's the most familiar to me and because it actually makes sense in this setting where the PCs are the elite with access to advanced training instead of the magical "level up" progression out of this air. Anyhow, I'm stuck between two approaches. The first is the easiest, where I tailor the core DnD generic classes to fit Grindelrath somewhat better. Also, I'm leaning heavily towards an E6 route to up the lethality and keep the real-world, visceral feeling of mere mortals, albeit highly able, going against the unnatural.

In the first approach, I think the Generic Classes work well in this setting, as it is much less defined by crunch than many other settings. Using E6 and the Generic Classes variant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/genericClasses.htm) would work well in letting the PCs be flexible  in their character design as well as keeping them free from some of the 'baggage' that comes along with some DnD rules - "My Wizard cannot possibly sneak well because she is a Wizard!" or "My Fighter cannot possibly be well-schooled in ancient magic because he is a Fighter!"

The other approach, which would be a lot more work, a LOT more work, would be boiling down D20 to a point buy system where PCs can pick and choose various things at every level accordingly. Even as I type this, it seems like the lesser of the two ideas.

Thoughts?