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Deep_Impact
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Importance of 300 years of Blood Mist?

Thu 21 Mar 2019, 10:39

To be honest, I hadn´t cared about the duration of the Blood Mist till a podcast rant told me so.

Yes, 300 years or 12-15 generations of isolated villages seems to be quite much, may be to much to explain the actual status of the communities.
Is there any importance of these 300 years? References in any campaign? Or could these be in YOFLTM (Your Own Forbidden LandsTM) just 50-80 years / 2-4 generations?


1 Gauntlet Podcast - and beside some right things, they are getting some things wrong, too. e.g. I didn´t find any clue that Legends & Adventures said something about being at war with giant armies.
 
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Addramyr
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Re: Importance of 300 years of Blood Mist?

Thu 21 Mar 2019, 17:25

Actually, before listening to this podcast, I assumed that the game would start a few days after the Blood Mist had set off.
I'm actually not sure if and where the lore actually says that it's been 5 years since the Blood Mist lifted, but if it's the case, I'll have to agree with him that it's not really well exploited in the game.
It would nullify all the originality and fun that is tied to the Blood Mist "apocalypse".

Personally, I'll stick to my first reflex of starting my campaign a few days only after the Blood Mist lifted.
To me, this is a lot more interesting to play in a setting where all communities that managed to survived through the 300 years isolation are much different from each other. They probably don't even talk the same language anymore (look at all the different dialects that developped through the middle ages simply because of isolationism, and that wasn't even complete cutoff). I also like the idea that almost nobody knows what else there is outside of their settlement, that knowledge been lost or heavily altered by 300 years of isolation. Maybe there's an old tale that has been passed from generation to generation about a splendid fort owned by a rich noble standing a few km up the hill and when the PC heard about it, the tale is so heavily modified and exagerated that it is now: The legend says there is a floating castle in the clouds up the Green Hills made entirely of solid gold!
I find it makes exploration even more dangerous and exciting because the PC probably can't rely on villagers to point them out to the next town.

As for your question, if you wanted to go the other way around, sure, do it!
If you feel it would suits best your game to change the duration of the Blood Mist to 80 years, go on!
I'd ask myself "Why?". What purpose are you trying to achieve by changing the duration. If it makes sense in your game, by all mean stick to that!

EDIT: Ah yes, found it. 1160 the mist lifted. 1165 is present day.
So yes, it implies that it's been 5 years.
I'll stick to "it's been a few days" or even the very first day  "something strange is happening, tonight there seems to be no Blood Mist that rose"
 
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Re: Importance of 300 years of Blood Mist?

Fri 22 Mar 2019, 14:31

Actually in the Swedish version there are hints that he mist didn't go away overnight but gradually and now finally it is lifted totally (or is it).
So it started to grow weaker 1160 and now 1165 it is gone. 
 
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Sherman
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Re: Importance of 300 years of Blood Mist?

Mon 25 Mar 2019, 08:42

It's three hundred years of not being able to travel further than you can return from in one day. This is not the same thing as totally walled into your town. That means that communication was entirely possible between villages, and ultimately across the length of the land.

Additionally, there is a critical story element here, the Rust Brothers are (in part) able to travel. That gave them stranglehold on the entire land. If you piss them off, guess who gets reinforcements when you're stuck with nothing more than your birthrate? People are willingly giving their family over to the Rust Brothers as sacrifices for a reason, they had an obvious and incredible power that no one else has had for 300 years. 

Aside from the Rust Brothers, Wolfkin had substantial power for those 300 years. Obviously, it did little to give them a reputation as "not demons", since they're the only "kin" that have that ability... There were of course the blood sacrifices in the woods and affinity for the Rust Brothers, so that's all very complicated. I imagine Wolfkin held an interesting role as messengers for those centuries. 

Finally, here's why you do not want to be in the "opening days" of the lifting of the Blood Mist. Plain human psychology. It might seem interesting to be the post-apocalyptic explorers, but honestly, nothing has had a chance to develop yet. People are just considering leaving their homes at that point. And why should they? For centuries, every parent has told every child, if you leave, you will die. Barring conflict with the Rust Brothers or natural disaster, most of these communities are stable if poor. They've managed to put something together that worked for centuries. That's not something you just abandon by sending your best and boldest out into the world to see what's there... Five years after, young adults have grown into their own and maybe not been told that there is no future other than within the house they were born in. Those are the people I imagine are wanting to see the world!

If you do the opening days, you have more "discovery", but it's insular discovery. You have no political intrigue between the factions, you don't have Yawim with his established beer boat business, no one is considering putting together armies to challenge the Rust Brothers, etc. For me at least, this is way more interesting than "Look, a new town, I wonder what kind of weirdness they got up to for the last 50-300 years..." The latter feels like Star Trek, and I'm more a Star Wars guy, so that's probably the difference. I see merit in Star Trek too, so have fun if that's what you're looking for.

I had the exact same knee jerk reaction to the basics of the setting. Three-hundred years?! That's ridiculous! No one would put up with that. Once I really started reading the material though, it started gelling in my mind. Ok, not every did put up with it. People fled south and were cut off. People fled to the ocean, and again, were cut off. They were slowly pushed into their communities. Larger communities collapsed from the strain of not having an agrarian base to sustain them. For every village that survived, I assume a dozen or more were swallowed up over the years. Dark gods like Rust and Heme were launched into ascendancy as their followers were granted powers that no others possessed. The people who were most likely to do something about the situation either did (and left) or died trying. Everyone else has just been trying to survive. Generation after generation of hopelessness where the big excitement was having a couple Rust Brothers show up to take some taxes, find new recruits, and maybe grab a sacrifice or two. All that makes me feel like five years is about perfect. People are maybe starting to think about opportunities that haven't been discussed in generations. Maybe the Rust Brothers shouldn't be in charge? Maybe we should start really trying to form alliances with our neighbors? Maybe all this inbreeding isn't the best thing for us? (on that, I'm pretty sure there needs to be allowance for marriage allowing people to change villages or we pretend all the characters aren't totally inbred... I'm sure religious ceremonies were devised precisely for this).

Anyway, is the 300 years of Blood Mist super important? Probably not really, but I do believe that if you're in that "no on alive has seen the land before the Blood Mist" range of years, then the five years after is important. Or at least, there is a lot you need to change if you're doing a "first people into the world" campaign. Sorry for the novelette, but I've actually thought a lot about this...
 
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Brior
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Re: Importance of 300 years of Blood Mist?

Mon 25 Mar 2019, 12:40

Anyway, is the 300 years of Blood Mist super important? Probably not really, but I do believe that if you're in that "no on alive has seen the land before the Blood Mist" range of years, then the five years after is important. Or at least, there is a lot you need to change if you're doing a "first people into the world" campaign. Sorry for the novelette, but I've actually thought a lot about this...
I basically agree with Sherman on everything he (she?) says above, and this is how I pictured things myself.

But why choose? What's stopping you from playing adventures just after the blood mist lifted and playing other adventures five years later? Just do whatever adjustments you see fit for the scenarios.

Also as Gangir points out, I don't think the mist disappeared all at once, which makes sense if you know why it lifted. Some would probably venture out too early, celebrating, just to find themselves engulfed one night. Stories about them would make others more careful. Another things: I assume that the mist wasn't 100% present every night even at its peak. This would make people even more suspicious: ”Make no mistake – it's alive and waiting and it's trying to lure us out!”
 
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Sherman
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Re: Importance of 300 years of Blood Mist?

Mon 25 Mar 2019, 22:27

Sherman, male name, for the general from the American Civil War originally, and more notably for Europeans, the tanks that can undoubtedly be found in various states of decay everywhere since WWII. 

Yes, I was thinking about how slow the process to even want to "test" things would be. I mean, how many times would you have to see that the Blood Mist hadn't settled on a nearby hill top before someone was like, "Ya know, I think I'll try spending the night up there tonight..." Seeing as a failed test is still certain death, I'm guessing it would be a few months, especially for people who were brought up to never even consider the possibility.
 
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Rymdhamster
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Re: Importance of 300 years of Blood Mist?

Tue 26 Mar 2019, 00:36

and more notably for Europeans, the tanks that can undoubtedly be found in various states of decay everywhere since WWII. 
And even more notably for europeans: mainly a surname, not a given name ;)
 
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Sherman
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Re: Importance of 300 years of Blood Mist?

Tue 26 Mar 2019, 08:37

Hah, totally derailed. Surname here too, but first name since the Civil War as well... Meaning Sheep Shearer, or, Shear Man, if we're being thorough.
 
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Brior
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Re: Importance of 300 years of Blood Mist?

Tue 26 Mar 2019, 09:11

Sherman: I was going for consideration, not offence. People are not always what they seem to be – not even in the RPG-world ;-). Sorry if I insulted you. My intentions were the best.
 
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lupex
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Re: Importance of 300 years of Blood Mist?

Tue 26 Mar 2019, 09:56

One thing the blood mist has a direct impact on is the wars and battles mentioned in the character backgrounds in the adventurers and legends booklet.

I am curious how this has been rationalised by other players, where were these battles/wars fought and by whom? And how many battles realistically were fought in the last 5 years, or were there some ongoing skirmishes where two kin travel out of thier homes for half a day and then have a quick battle only to retreat before the blood mist?

I also have it in my head that there may have been some unexplained lulls in the blood mist which allowed for some tentative travel, and the setting up of new settlements, and battles between kin.
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