The Sea Princes of Candis

When I placed the “Sea Princes of Candis” on my Mare Nostrum map the first thing that came to mind was a copy of the privateers, pirates of the Sea Princes of the World of Greyhawk. But after some thought I decided to make them a unique cosmopolitan race of merchants.

Origin
The islands of Candis were first settled at least 3000 years in the past. Only a handful of human scholars are aware of this fact. Few ruins or reminders of this time remain on the island. The fallout of Kem’s Horn, an active volcano in the center of the island, tends to obscure old ruins. Candis was settled by humans from the southern jungles. The humans on Candis led a peaceful agrarian life until invasion by the Cohorts of Vicentia 850 years ago. Candis became a client state of Vicentia and later a full province. The soldiers of the Cohorts often retired to Candis so it became a very mixed race population. Candis became a hub of trade in the provincial era. It was located in the center of the food and gold trade between Vicentia, the Southern provinces and Khemet. This led to the rise of a large, wealthy merchant class with independent fleets of trade ships.

Independence
The merchants of Candis formed their own Merchants council and were responsible for much of the safety and security of the inhabitants of the islands. Eventually they grew tired of the interference from Vicentia, and more importantly the taxes. A series of Merchant council heads negotiated more and more independence from Vicentia in exchange for gold until Candis was completely independent from Vicentia by the reign of Emperor Secestus. At first Candis continued as a Merchant’s council of the 12 most successful merchants but eventually the positions became hereditary. Over the years 2 of the families were removed from the council until today. Candis is now ruled by a council of 10 Merchants. The head of each of the 10 Merchant houses each sit on the council.

Economy
The wealth of Candis is based on the sea trade and the export of food grown in the great inland farms of the islands. There is a distinct split in the Council between the 6 city-based trading families with fleets of ships and the 4 inland-based agriculture merchant families. The Merchants of Candis monopolize trade to the ports of Khemet and the other western nations and are a major player in the northern ports. Only among the Eastern nations is their presence weaker.

Military might
Candis does not field and army of any consequence and few military ships. What they do have is an enormous merchant fleet capable of boycotting any nation threatening Candis. To date this has been enough to keep Candis safe. It has been helpful that Khemet has never had a strong navy. The ships of Candis are not the most advanced in the world of Mare Nostrum. That distinction likely belongs to the Northman and their longships. The ships of Candis are simple cogs that have not changed much in 100 years. What they do not have in technology level they make up for in numbers.

Adventurers
Due to its central location and varied population Candis is a frequent way-port for adventurers. That being said they are still rare in the inland areas. Magic use is rare but not necessarily feared. Aptitude of magic is not very strong amongst the people of Candis so magic-users are generally foreigners. Dwarves, Halflings and Elves are uncommon but not the subject of any more prejudice then stares. The people of Candis worship a mix of gods from other races and temples to just about every god or cult imaginable can be found in the seaports.

Classic Classes - The Fighter

The fighter is the basic class of B/X D&D and Labyrinth Lord. Every group of adventurers needs some tough fighters along to stand up front and take the hits. It could be argued that the Elf usurps some of the need for the fighter but as long as the experience gains are handled properly the Fighter should always be a level ahead of the Elf and have a solid lead in hit points due to his superior d8. In B/X D&D and Labyrinth Lord all fighters are simple humans but in the Mare Nostrum setting, get to choose from a myriad of ethnic backgrounds. Some already detailed.

1. Menetians (children of Menete) in Khemet. They are generally brown skinned with black or brown hair. There language is Yasi or Menetian.
2. Venedea in Vicentium. They are tan skinned with black, blonde, or brown hair. There language is common or elvish.
3. Northmen (Josniaks or Horyuns) they have pale skin, brown or blonde hair and speak common, Josni or Horyuni.
4. Heptian in the Ugu-Ilathi jungles. They are darker skinned brown or black with black hair. They speak common or a number of local dialects.
5. Balci (Balcians) in the distant north are very pale skinned and have blonde or red hair. Each tribe speaks its own, distinct language (examples are the aedui, helvetir, and icenui).
6. The sea people (olachian) are black skinned with curly black hair. They speak common or chianis.
7. The plainspeople (Alawi) in the southern plains are a red-skinned people with black or brown hair who speak many dialects or a rough trade language related to common.

Female Fighters
What about female fighters? Not a staple of fantasy novels but not completely uncommon. The Rules make no distinction for sex in Labyrinth Lord. In Mare Nostrum female warriors exist in most of the cultures but are fairly uncommon. They are most common in the Vicentium Empire and in Kingdoms to the south of Vicentia. Some or the tribes of the Ugu-Ilathi make no distinction between male and female warriors and have almost half of their number female. Finally, the ships of reavers of Candis are famous for their female warriors and captains.

German Castles on the Rhine

No I have not disappeared. I went to Germany on Vacation for a few weeks. Among the things I did was take a cruise down the Rhine. During the cruise I took pictures of a lot of the Rhineland Castles. I have attached some of the photos below.

On the left is Marksburg Castle built in 1117 AD. One of the only castles on the Rhine that has survived in its original condition.



On the right is the Ruines of Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar. Construstion began in 1245 AD and it grew to become the largest castle on the Rhine. The French Revolutionary Army destroyed the castle in 1797 AD.



On the left the walled town of Oberwesel. One of the 16 remaining towers in the town walls.







On the right Schonberg Castle in Oberwesel. Now it has been turned into a hotel.






On the left the amazing Pfalz Castle in the middle of the Rhine in the village of Kaub. Gutenfels castle is visible in the background. Kaub grew rich on tolls for ships travelling on the Rhine. They had a chain across the Rhine that they lowered once you paid the toll. They were so sucessful the Pope called from their destruction in 1504 AD and they withstood a 6 week seige of the town.

Sterrenberg (left) and Liebenstein (right) castles. The so-called "Hostile Brothers". There is a legend of 2 feuding brothers and a fair maiden they fought over. It is all a fabrication though the 2 castles were for separate familes. The castles date from the 12th and 13th century.

Temple of Kahotep (1-3)

I was reminiscing with a friend about some really bad early ‘80s adventures for Dungeons & Dragons. His “favourite” worst was the infamous Temple of Ra Accursed by Set by Judges Guild. The Gorgriffspidrascorp monster that closes the adventure made a lasting impression upon him.

Now I happen to have said adventure from Judges’ Guild but I had never played it. So I went back and read it and decided there is a good adventure here – a classic Rescue the Princess style adventure perfect for my retro Labyrinth Lord world of Mare Nostrum. I am writing it up for Fantasy Grounds II and we shall see how it runs when I spring it on unsuspecting players.

I am rewriting the adventure for Levels 1-3 and calling it the Temple of Kahotep (Accursed by Wati). The original was a mid-level adventure so almost all of the encounters need to be changed. One of the issues with the adventure is the lack of cohesive purpose for all the monsters in the Temple. Every room (but the penultimate room) has an encounter. This needs to be scaled back some. Nothing kills low level adventurers quicker then constant combat, they do not have the hit points to survive multiple hits and they do not have the healing capacity to offset this. I also want to include more of a purpose for kidnapping the Princess other then a demand for gold and sacrifices.

Any stocking suggestions?

Classic Classes – The Halfling

Why include Halflings in a B/X or Labyrinth Lord Rule system world? In most game worlds their influence is slight on the Grand stage of history. Probably all authors are cognisant of the central role played by Halflings in The Lord of the Rings.

The Rules
A Halfling is a fighter with fewer hit points (1d6 HD) and a few minor abilities; -2 to AC against large monsters, +1 to all initiative rolls, and +1 to all missile attacks. Personally I think that the classic Halfling class is the thief or fighter-thief but that is not an option in B/X rules. Halflings seem more like rangers with their ability to remain hidden in wilderness. Maybe their niche is sneaking around in dungeons and tracking outcasts in the wilderness. It seems at odds with the usual depiction of Halflings as corpulent country gentlemen. More to the point, in my Mare Nostrum setting the Halfling’s traditional gentlemen farmer lifestyle seems out of place. Rather than leave Halflings out I have decided to make them a secretive race of traders plying the rivers of the Eastern lands.

Riverboat Culture
Halflings are a race of nomadic traders who live in loose family units aboard riverboats in the western lands about the Mare Nostrum. They are commonly found trading goods to communities along rivers in the heart of the Empire of Vicentia. There can often be several families aboard a Halfling “home” on the river with no clear leader. Despite this they seem to be able to work as a unit without disagreement. Shirkers or troublemakers can find themselves exiled from the home. These exiles are the Halflings most often met working in human cities or travelling through human lands. Halflings have no nation of their own and rarely own property in any land. They have an interesting view on property; they will defend the property of the Home vigorously but seem to view property of non-Halflings as finders-keepers. Despite having no formal organization, Halflings do have gatherings where several Home boats will meet together. During these gatherings, marriages occur and members will often switch boats to join new families.

Interaction with other Races
Halflings are closest with the human race and the Venedae culture. Some human lands consider them to be thieves to be avoided by they do perform a useful service as traders amongst human cities. In the Western lands they are almost unknown – though one Khemet Pharaoh was delighted by Halflings and purchased more than 100 Halfling slaves as entertainers for his court. Elves are amused by Halflings and do allow them passage through their forest kingdoms. This is most apparent with the High Elves of Aelwynne. Several important annual Halfling gatherings occur along rivers in the forests of Aelwynne. Dwarves interact with a few Halflings along the gold routes in the north but generally view them with suspicion. No Halfling has ever visited a Dwarven Hold (that they are aware of).

Tribes of Man – The Northmen

Among the Venedae and other tribes of men to the south the people of the northern coast of Mare Nostrum will always be collectively known as “the Northmen”. However, in this region are two distinct cultures known locally as the Josniaks and the Horyuns.

The Josniaks
The Josniaks or Josni are found primarily in the Eastern nations of the North clustered around Lake Vulne – Numantia, Nornheim, and Alstena. This culture is noted for strong clan ties, pale skin and light hair color (brown or blonde). They traditionally built small villages surrounded by wooden palisades. Extended Josniak families live together in one lodge. This lifestyle changed when the Josniaks were subjugated by the Empire of Vicentia. A lot of Venedae people came to the north and settled marrying into the clans. Clan structure fell apart and larger settlements became common. This is most apparent in the Kingdom of Numantia where the culture is heavily influenced by that of the Venedae settlers. In the distant past the Josniaks were the weakest of the northern tribes when compared to the Horyuns or Balci, but contact with the Venedae has provided their nations with a structured military that makes them the strongest of the northern tribes. The Josniaks speak Josni with a lot of Venedae words mixed into their everyday speech. In the towns of Numantia, Venedae is the predominate language.

The Horyuns
The Horyuns or Horyuni are found in the western nations along the northern coast of Mare Nostrum. They are traditionally a sea-going people and members of this culture group can be found spread throughout the known world in the human port cities. The Horyuns did have a single nation in the north known as Limoghed up until fifty years ago when the Last King (Hrosus) died with no heir. The most powerful nobles each claimed the throne and Limoghed has split into four nations. The Balci nomads to the north have taken note of this and their raids south have become bolder in recent years. The Horyuns have their own unique language that is distantly related to old Josni and is less cluttered with Venedae (common) words. Because of their love of travel and trade common is often spoken by Horyuns. The Horyuns are similar in appearance to the Josniaks but have slightly darker skin and hair colours.

Gods
The gods of the Horyuni and Josni people are a shared pantheon. The Josni also incorporate the gods of the old Venedae pantheon into their worship.

Alaric - ruler
Haydn - fire
Timola - horse
Aigo - sea
Gawin - honour, combat
Gelthar - earth, agriculture
Hiruz - warm southern wind
Ulricus - magic, evil
Wurm - beasts
Wintar - cold north wind

The Josni incorporate the Venedae god Geta and his family into their pantheon as southern gods with influence but not at the head of their pantheon. They also venerate the unrelated Venedae gods but do not worship Koz or his family. The worship of Tem is also found in Numantia. Missionaries of Tem are common in Numantia and Nornheim. Tem missionaries in the Horyun nations can find themselves run out of town tied to a log.

Magic in the North
Both Horyuns and Josniaks believe that the god Ulricus stole the secrets of magic from the elven gods and tricked humans into using it to free demons. They believe that the use of magic is at best foolish and at worst evil. Magic-users will normally keep a low profile in the north. Casting spells on an unwilling person is an offense punishable by death in many of the northern nations. Clerical magic is considered a gift of the gods and is not viewed with suspicion.

Tribes of Man - Venedae

The largest tribe of men are the Venedae. It is their language that evolved into the common tongue or “trade-talk” and it is their Empire that once ruled the known world. Venedae originated in the Damas river valley in close contact with the High Elves and are heavily influenced by them. Many elvish and old venedae words are similar.

Vicentia
The greatest realm of man was the Empire of Vicentia which at its height (-100 to 200) ruled all of the eastern Mare Nostrum, much of the north and south and forced the west to pay tribute to the Empire. The Venedae were the originators of the Empire and Vicentia is their traditional homeland. They recruited all the races of man into their ranks and became a very diverse society. Still some features can be considered typical of the Venedae; tan skin, black to brown hair colour and darker eye colours. The Empire spread so far that their language became a common trade language.

Nations
The predominant nations of the Vendae are those nations which once comprised Vicentia at its peak, Vicentia, Tarvis, Belshore and Kalavria. Areas with substantial Venedae populations include Noumidis, Vessurra, Iaurinum and Benamas in the south and Numantia and Nornheim in the north. Venedae can be found as a small percentage of the population in all human lands.

Gods
As Vicentia expanded the original family of gods of the Venedae expanded to add popular local gods of the people they conquered. The total count of gods reaches over 50. However, the core gods worshipped in all areas of the Empire are noted below:

Geta - Father of gods, weather, water
Afer - wife of Geta, hearth
Esdras - son of Geta, wits, skill
Frugi - daugter of Geta, thief, merchants

Koz - brother of Geta, opponent, hunting
Jove - wife of Koz, agriculture
Magnus - son of Koz, strength
Mathus - son of Koz, speed

Asello - crafter
Brutus - war god
Dama - river goddess
Isatis - beauty, love, wealth
Nodens - sea god, beast, submitted to Geta
Orosius - magic

The original Venedae pantheon included Geta’s family and some unattached gods. When the Venedae mixed with the Alawi people they added in their gods which included Koz and his family.

The Church of Tem
The origins of the worship of Tem are uncertain, possibly coming from the hill tribes around Hammer’s reach. Whatever the origin of Tem, the worship came to prominence in Serdica around -50. The unique aspect of the worship of Tem was the insistence of his followers that Tem was the only true god and that all other gods were lesser beings then him. When Emperor Secestus converted to the worship of Tem in year 0 the church gained official sanction within the Empire. The church grew to become a powerful force in Vicentia and a major powerbroker for the throne. The worship of other gods in Vicentia is not openly tolerated.