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Brior
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Posts: 934
Joined: Sat 09 Apr 2011, 10:59

Re: History

Tue 06 Mar 2018, 08:29

Who says it hasn't been explored? Just because no one survived to come back or tell the tale doesn't mean that exploration hasn't happened. It just means that they failed or chose never to return.
Agree to this and even if explorers did came back to their home village, word about what's going on hasn't spread yet while rumours abound. Twenty years to me isn't that long in an early medieval setting where there is no infrastructure including no roads and organized trade. Add to this that the older generation is conditioned to fear of travel, so it's probably the younger ones that dare venture out eventually.
 
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King_Kull
Posts: 396
Joined: Wed 22 Feb 2017, 16:11

Re: History

Tue 06 Mar 2018, 09:03

I agree with the above. I think that only the most foolhardy, despaired or courageous are ready to explore the FbL. I think this world is rooted in superstition and therefore most people will be afraid of what happens if they travel.
I am king!
 
Simpa
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon 22 Dec 2014, 10:23

Re: History

Tue 06 Mar 2018, 17:21

Hello again!

Thanks for the fast answer Brior (and others)! I will try to elaborate a little (also on the related subject "300 years in isolation"):

1) My main problem with the "20 years" is that then the player should be far from some of the first to exploring the FBL again. I really liked the feeling that the PCs are "in the frontline", some of the first getting out there for a try on the spoils and riches and stories of "what really happened". Now it´s more like the ruins and the aftermath of the war are already explored of somone else? The feeling of exploring and excitement of the unknown went out of the window when I heard of the "20 years since the bloodmist lifted". On all other places it says "recently"... and I don´t think 20 years ago equals recent even by the dark ages? :)

2) Was the lifting of the mist quite abrupt (I know it´s still out there at random encounters!) or was it more gradual? If it was more gradual, I can bye the 20 years-time-span.

3) If it as so murderous as written, and killed so many of them that not spent night at home, it will have really grave consecuenses for the peoples (at least humans!). According to my play-groups archeological expertice, if a group of people is under 500 persons, the get in-breed quite quick. And as I interpreted it, not many villages are over 500 persons i Ravland? As I like the inbreed-thing, it´s maybe a little harsch to have all PCs over 20 years really in-breed?  

4) Trading/roads and so on. Long disctance trading networks were in effect during the early-stone-age. Roads wide-spread during early iron age. So certianly there was roads before the mist at least, the could of course be destroyed depending of the environment. If people discover that the mist is gone (Wolfkin and other nomads/Aslenes sure will do that) I think it will be a fast process to build up trading and communication. Everyone wants it because it really make it easier to survive.

5) 300 years of in-breed total isolation, what does it do with people? Here I think we can get good input from things that actually happened, the Lykov family in russian for example (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ ... i-7354256/) The stories of the families way to entertain themselves, barefoot elk-hunting and the lone rye-corn is just to good to not be ripped of and carried away to Ravland! At least for me this kind of questiones needs to be discussed/answerd if I shall be able to "bye the story" and  more important, convince my players of it!

6) One idea after all this questiones is that every summer there is a few weeks (maybe only two or so) of midnight sun. During this time, everyone can travel. With this "window of oppertunitiy" people has had some contact during this 300 years. Maybe festivals where people could meet and trade things, get pregnant and return home with some new blood to their communities (the father will of course need to return home an may only se the offspring maybe a week each year). Don´t know if this fits with the secret back-ground but it may loosen up some things in the history of Ravland!

Cheers and thanks for listening/Simpa
 
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Klas
Posts: 322
Joined: Sun 04 Nov 2012, 19:17

Re: History

Tue 06 Mar 2018, 19:59

Regardless of how much 20 years really is, there are some good points raised here. Then again, if a critical wound to the stomach can heal in 3 days, maybe inbreeding isn't much of a problem either? ;)
 
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Brior
Topic Author
Posts: 934
Joined: Sat 09 Apr 2011, 10:59

Re: History

Tue 06 Mar 2018, 22:11

Hello again!

Thanks for the fast answer Brior (and others)! I will try to elaborate a little (also on the related subject "300 years in isolation"):

Brior: I'll briefly comment in bold below as I don't know how to get rid of the indentation.

1) My main problem with the "20 years" is that then the player should be far from some of the first to exploring the FBL again. I really liked the feeling that the PCs are "in the frontline", some of the first getting out there for a try on the spoils and riches and stories of "what really happened". Now it´s more like the ruins and the aftermath of the war are already explored of somone else? The feeling of exploring and excitement of the unknown went out of the window when I heard of the "20 years since the bloodmist lifted". On all other places it says "recently"... and I don´t think 20 years ago equals recent even by the dark ages? :)

Well, maybe the PC's are not the very first ones everywere, but there should still be a lot of unexplored places and the dangerous places probaby are untouched to a large extent. It's not that bad to be able to place some remains or seriously f-cked up people as a warning as you'll notice ;-).

2) Was the lifting of the mist quite abrupt (I know it´s still out there at random encounters!) or was it more gradual? If it was more gradual, I can bye the 20 years-time-span.

Gradual lifting, probably over several years and also not evenly spread (there's an in-game explanation)

3) If it as so murderous as written, and killed so many of them that not spent night at home, it will have really grave consecuenses for the peoples (at least humans!). According to my play-groups archeological expertice, if a group of people is under 500 persons, the get in-breed quite quick. And as I interpreted it, not many villages are over 500 persons i Ravland? As I like the inbreed-thing, it´s maybe a little harsch to have all PCs over 20 years really in-breed?

A valid point, but perhaps not one to topple the setting? Also I'm pretty sure you friend – with all respect – didn't visit Ravenland nor any place with magic. Also the mist might not have been that murderous.

4) Trading/roads and so on. Long disctance trading networks were in effect during the early-stone-age. Roads wide-spread during early iron age. So certianly there was roads before the mist at least, the could of course be destroyed depending of the environment. If people discover that the mist is gone (Wolfkin and other nomads/Aslenes sure will do that) I think it will be a fast process to build up trading and communication. Everyone wants it because it really make it easier to survive.

I actually suggested old worn and broken dwarven roads to FL on the map. Second this if you like the idea.


5) 300 years of in-breed total isolation, what does it do with people? Here I think we can get good input from things that actually happened, the Lykov family in russian for example (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ ... i-7354256/) The stories of the families way to entertain themselves, barefoot elk-hunting and the lone rye-corn is just to good to not be ripped of and carried away to Ravland! At least for me this kind of questiones needs to be discussed/answerd if I shall be able to "bye the story" and  more important, convince my players of it!

Personally I don't have much of an issue with this in a fantasy setting, but OK, the isolation wasn't necessarily total.

6) One idea after all this questiones is that every summer there is a few weeks (maybe only two or so) of midnight sun. During this time, everyone can travel. With this "window of oppertunitiy" people has had some contact during this 300 years. Maybe festivals where people could meet and trade things, get pregnant and return home with some new blood to their communities (the father will of course need to return home an may only se the offspring maybe a week each year). Don´t know if this fits with the secret back-ground but it may loosen up some things in the history of Ravland!

Might actually be a good idea and it would be totally compatible with the Blood mist and the rest of the setting. The basic reason for long time lock-down of the Blood mist was to let the country get worn and forgotten (it wasn't there in my first draft)
 
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Tomas
Site Admin
Posts: 4895
Joined: Fri 08 Apr 2011, 11:31

Re: History

Tue 06 Mar 2018, 22:18

Hi all,

The way we see it, the lifting of the Blood Mist was not a sudden event, but a gradual process. Most villagers still don't travel far from home, if they travel at all. The PCs are not the first "explorers", but there is no central government that can provide maps or information about the land - such knowledge is passed between travelers. This is represented by the system of legends in the game - legends are rumors about places and people that the PCs can hear during their travels.
Fria Ligan
 
Simpa
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon 22 Dec 2014, 10:23

Re: History

Tue 06 Mar 2018, 23:10

Ok Brior and Thomas, thanks for the answers! 

I will go with the midnight sun to have things running a little smoother during the 300 years of blood-mist. An gradual lifting will also make it easier to get the 20 years going so things have picked up speed a little with some local power structures and trade and crafts (and gifts to men who produce offspring at the festivals... otherwise they get nothing out of it! So you can work in local culture in it as well. Adultery is not a big deal for example. Every woman do it at the festival, and everyone know it´s for a good cause). 

This said I think there need to be logic, even if twisted in some way by magic, gods or else. Humans are diverse but some things stays the same, so it´s much easier to get into the illusion of the game if humans work the same way as on earth... :) maybe the inbreeding thing is to take this little to far, but at least for me it will get in the way of my experience if I know that all humans in Ravland should really be disturbingly inbreed! Now I have a good way, not conflicting with back-ground story that will solve this issue, and still leave some dangerously isolated places to explore... let´s play the banjo!

Keep up the good work, were soon in for play-test!
 
User avatar
Klas
Posts: 322
Joined: Sun 04 Nov 2012, 19:17

Re: History

Tue 06 Mar 2018, 23:33

let´s play the banjo!
One of my players-to-be might actually master that cursed instrument. I shall endeavor to convince him to play a orcish poet.
 
Simpa
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon 22 Dec 2014, 10:23

Re: History

Wed 07 Mar 2018, 19:19

let´s play the banjo!
One of my players-to-be might actually master that cursed instrument. I shall endeavor to convince him to play a orcish poet.
Hehe, yes, and I have already convinced one of my players that his PCs siblings, they are not so fun to hang around with... (he is one made at a festival, the others are "inter-marriage") and this is one reason to leave home! His brothers and sisters are just not really getting along and will never understand him anyway :)
 
User avatar
Klas
Posts: 322
Joined: Sun 04 Nov 2012, 19:17

Re: History

Wed 07 Mar 2018, 23:06

Plus it's complicated to be a double uncle? ;)
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