Bleakwood?

[Yaztromo]

Can you tell me more about Bleakwood in AiF, apart that it is the default setting?
What could be salvaged for a Blackmoor game?

[Rafael]

Morning!

Well, it's twofold, and I am going to keep this real - those were not the most sophisticated of games:

First, I ran a short campaign there for two years, between 2009 and 2011, while my regular group was on semi-hiatus. I honestly don't recall if AiF gives more content than just the map, and, I think, the description of a tower. - Us, we played my trademark low-fi vanilla fantasy D&D, fought against a Gorgon, and then built a scenario around a JG adventure about a halfling magic book. ("The Book of Ancestry"?) I didn't keep any notes, though, and the only thing of note I really recall is that my players feared me playing the Gorgon, because apparently, I gave them a fair beating.

Second, AiF's basic setting is obviously the main inspiration for the "Cold River Riding", from my "World of Meleon". My group and I played a campaign there from... 2013? ...Until last summer. Here's some info, though I think Photobucket has eaten all the maps by now: http://odd74.proboards.com/thread/11224 ... res-meleon

Basically, "Cold River Riding" serves as "my" Blackmoor, with the stand-in for the dungeons being a place called "Firsthold", and a place called "Rochester Dwelling" serving as a place of operations. The BBEG of my setting is an entity called "The Troll King", but that one is not a response to Funk, or any other existing Blackmoor character.

(FWIW, right now, I am running a Thieves' World campaign; homebrew games are fine, but I see the advantage with published settings as well, given that the background info is accessible to everyone that way. - More than anything else, I hope it will allow me to switch to a player role, instead of having to DM just all the time. So far, it works out well, but... I miss "home".)

[Yaztromo]

I see, thanks!

[Havard]

AiF does include several items of interest on the Bleakwood setting, including references to various NPCS, organizations and a map with some evocative names.

IMC I decided to make Bleakwood a province in the Empire of Thonia.

In addition to the information given in AiF, I decided to include the following assumptions:

• Mike Carr’s Quasqueton is found in the region
  
• Mike Carr’s Ruins of Ragnar (Gamebook) is set in this region)
  
• Rhymers of Blackmoor - This group place an important role here
  
• Valemen Settlers have had a great influence on the region, dating back to the time of King Robert of Geneva.
  
• The Wizard Al-Haza (AiF) is an important character in the region
  
• Quag Keep is possibly located here
  
• St. Carmichael (B1) is a deity who is worshipped here.

I was working on a gazetteer for this region, but it is still in a very early phase.

-Havard

[Yaztromo]

I was working on a gazetteer for this region, but it is still in a very early phase.

That would be really interesting!


BTW it is curious that right before this post I read another one on another website, but still about Quasqueton Castle: http://www.arion-games.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2293

[Havard]

I was working on a gazetteer for this region, but it is still in a very early phase.

That would be really interesting!

I have mini gazetteers plannned for each of the 10 regions of Thonia. Where I got stuck was in mapping and making everything fit. But I have tons of ideas for each region.

The FFC states that one scenario they used for the Bleakwood setting was inspired by the battle of Bannockburn (of William Wallace fame). This gave me the idea of making this region into a Scottish/Celtic influenced area.

IMC, I made the Valemen fairly Celtic-inspired, so that provided the idea of a region in Thonia to which Valemen migrated during King Robert's reign, ca 1000 years ago. Valemen were the original human population of the "North" before the Thonians settled there.

Gary Gygax created something called the Rhymers of Blackmoor, which I have interpreted as a kind of Valemen Warrior-Poets.

I would also make the Bleakwood the last refuge of fairies. We know from DA1 that fairies are being purged from the Thonian Empire, many of them settling near Blackmoor.

According to AiF, Bleakwood is home to a powerful Law Sorcerer called Al-Haza. Al-Haza is in possession of the Green Talisman. I see him as a kind of protector of this region.

BTW it is curious that right before this post I read another one on another website, but still about Quasqueton Castle: http://www.arion-games.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2293

Wow, that is excellent!

-Havard

[Yaztromo]

Bannockburn is near Stirling Castle, a very nice place. If you have a chance to pass by, do spend a day there.

The connection with thefairies, you know, reminds me of the Wizard of the Woods and his army of fairies... the association between him and Bleakwood (that would become the Wood of the Wizard of the Wood) is quite intriguing for me...

[Havard]

Bannockburn is near Stirling Castle, a very nice place. If you have a chance to pass by, do spend a day there.

Cool. I have only been to Scotland once, but only got to see Edinburgh. Hope to go back some day!

Dave Arneson actually based the map of Bleakwood on the Bannockburn area. With significant changes of course!

The connection with thefairies, you know, reminds me of the Wizard of the Woods and his army of fairies... the association between him and Bleakwood (that would become the Wood of the Wizard of the Wood) is quite intriguing for me...

Well, these things are most likely connected, but I prefer keeping the Woods of the Wizard separate from Bleakwood. DA1 establishes that the Fairies are fleeing from Thonia. The FFC tells us that Pixies serve the Wizard of the Woods.

I assume the Wizard of the Woods is creating a refuge for the fairies.

Bleakwood OTOH is, at least the way I imagine it, the last refuge of the fairies within Thonia itself.

-Havard

[Yaztromo]

Cool. I have only been to Scotland once, but only got to see Edinburgh. Hope to go back some day!

I think all Norwegians should take at least a tour of Scotland in their lives, starting from Shetlands and Orkneys. Seriously.

[Rafael]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bard% ... ef_of_Fate