Category: Houses of the Blooded

“Isn’t this where we came in?”

Way back in the ’60’s, Michael Moorcock created Elric. He did so with a specific purpose: to create a hero who was the polar opposite of Conan.

Conan is big and strong.
Elric is an albino who needs drugs to live.

Conan fears magic and sorcery.
Elric is a sorcerer who makes bargains with demons.

Conan is a barbarian, uneducated and savage, who wins his own kingdom by his own hand.
Elric is an Emperor who throws away his kingdom because he’s bored.

And that’s how Elric was born. Inspired by Mr. Moorcock’s lead, I wanted to design a fantasy game. Specifically, I wanted to design a fantasy game that was the polar opposite of D&D. A game that would address all the things I thought were vital, and yet missing, from the world’s most famous fantasy game. Specifically, I wanted to make mechanics out of things that weren’t important in Dungeons & Dragons.

I’ve played a lot of D&D. Probably more than I should have. I took a long, cold, objective look at it, found the things I thought were missing, and went at it.

I took the same philosophy I had with Wilderness of Mirrors. I looked at the other spy games, found what I felt was missing, and made mechanics out of them.

And here’s what I came up with.

In D&D, there are certain elements of your character that just aren’t important. You can tell because they don’t give you any kind of bonus on your rolls. Your character’s name. Your character’s gender. Your character’s family. Your character’s past.

I played in a weekend of RPGA events with a character named “Fighter.” (Pronounced “Fite-Or.”) Fighter was a Thief. (Not a rogue. I hate rogues.) Fighter’s gender was “thon.” An old White Wolf April Fool’s Day joke. Fighter spoke in third person (like Cerebus and The Rock) so I never had to refer to Fighter’s gender at all. And whenever we encountered anything that was threatening, Fighter killed it and took its stuff.

I played in a whole series of RPGA events this way. Not once did anyone say anything about my character’s oddities or behavior… because they were never an issue. Not once. Fighter was a nameless, sexless killing machine with no past, no friends, no family, no history. And Fighter thrived.

I also noticed the characters were, essentially, psychopaths who killed their way through life for gold and profit. Their actions had little, if any, consequences. There were no laws, let alone law enforcement, and the world’s “culture” was anything but. Regardless of their alignments, my playmates were, for all intents and purposes, chaotic evil. Chaotic neutral, at least. They did what they wanted, when they wanted, how they wanted to do it and there was no authority at all to stop them.

No magistrates, no sheriffs, no upper class at all. The only people we ever encountered were serfs and peons. The entire upper class was gone. MIA. Vanished. Invisible.

The money we acquired had nothing at all to do with the economy. In fact, the world had no economy. Just piles and piles and piles of gold. And it seemed we had all of it. As soon as Fighter acquired enough gold to buy a castle (by the end of one weekend of gaming), I said, “Fighter retires.” The rest of the group looked at me strangely. “Fighter takes Fighter’s gold, buys land, builds a castle around some farms, and declares himself King of Fighterland.”

There was no system in place to handle this choice. The other players just looked at me strangely. But I had enough gold to last the rest of my life and no real need to put myself in physical danger ever again. Fighter retired to the Bahamas and was never seen again.

I came away from the experience with the following conclusions. My game needed the following things:

• Your character’s name is a mechanic that gives bonuses to your rolls.
• Your character’s background is a mechanic that gives bonuses to your rolls.
• Your character’s family is a mechanic that gives bonuses to your rolls.
• Gender is (if not a mechanic) a crucial element of play.
• Economy is a mechanic your character can interact with and influence.
• The upper class is the focus of the game and crucial to the world’s survival.
• The law is not only present, but a mechanic players can interact with and influence.

These were my starting goals.

I was also inspired after playing Spirit of the Century (a great &^%in’ game) to employ the open licensed FATE system. While I’ve taken many liberties with it (which I shall be making OGL myself), the system of Aspects and Phases was so much fun, I just had to use it.

Based on all of that, behind this cut-text link is the beginning of the character creation system for Houses of the Blooded. I hope you enjoy it.

And that’s it for today.

See you tomorrow when we go over Phases and Aspects!

So, next week, starting on Monday and ending on Friday, I’ll be posting the rules for creating a character. If you follow along, by the end of the week, you will have a complete character.

Be ready.

VIRTUES & LESSONS
The best of us are always looking to take care for the worst of us.
–    Virtues, Cassias Aldophus

Everyone is always looking for a place to put the knife.
– Lessons, Cyrin Ildelvi
 

The virtues of chivalry can be traced back to the dark times after the fall of the Old Empire. They were rules to guide the fighting man, to give him a sense of right and wrong. What they have developed into is a way of life to guide those who hold thousands of lives in their hands.
When questions of honor arise, the ven turn to a single book, the official treaties on the subject. Virtues, a treatise on honor and chivalry was written by a man named Cassias Aldophus. A document over two hundred years old, Virtues directs nobles through the dark morass of moral ambiguity.

(You can read the entirety of Aldophus’ text later in this book.)

The purpose of chivalry is to maintain society, to inhibit the wicked, and empower the righteous. It is a goal, not a destination. The ven are flawed, imperfect creatures, and chivalry gives them an ideal to aspire to. The notions of chivalry can be traced to those dark times when no government or social order stood, when warrior-kings ruled at whim. Thus, chivalry is in direct opposition to “might makes right.” Instead, chivalry espouses the notion of “noble obligation,” that is, the strong have an obligation to protect the weak.

Only the ruling class is expected to be chivalrous; the peasant out in the field is too busy to concern himself with matters of honor and duty. But to what was quickly becoming known as the “nobility,” this code of ethics was seen as the only thing keeping them from falling back into a world of chaos.

In the courts of the ven, they tell stories of noble knights and modest ladies. Tales of chivalry and romance. Stories. But we all know the difference between stories and reality.

Knights are trusted to self-monitor their behavior, the ultimate “honor system.” The truth of the matter is far from the ideal. Knights and ladies operate under the veneer of chivalry, but in fact, the realities of court life demand an entirely different kind of code.

This alternate code was first publicly addressed in an anonymous book entitled Lessons. The sheer boldness of the volume caused a near panic in the Senate as the nameless author used real Senators (under thinly veiled pseudonyms) to illustrate his points. The book advocated a philosophy we would call real politic. It advocated dishonesty, deception, and even murder. While Virtues clearly stated that one’s methods were just as important as the outcome, Lessons disagreed entirely. The ends were all and the means were nothing.

The anonymous author of Lessons was eventually revealed after his death. His name was Cyrin Ildelvi, a man with no title or claim of Blood: he was a lowly clerk working in the Senate. His position gave him the means to learn all manner of secrets and his lowly position gave him perfect anonymity. His daughter found her father’s original papers and delivered them to the Senate, hoping to gain some manner of favor for her discovery. She died shortly thereafter with no official investigation.

Since then, the Senate and courts have played out their dramas with two philosophies, using them both as weapons in their private wars.

AELDANA DE SHANRU TALA
“The world has no mercy.”

The world that surrounds the ven is full of danger. The jungles are populated with deadly creatures—some of which defy reason. The Season of Storms lasts more than half the year. Skimming the seas are leviathans, just waiting for the unwary sailor or fisherman. Travel requires bodyguards, roadmen, trained in the ways of the world.

When the ven speak of the world, they call her Shanru Tala, “the merciless mother.” The ven pray to many spirits, but not to Shanru Tala. She will not hear prayers. Scholars cannot agree on whether or not she even cares for her children. Some say she treats them harshly so they may grow strong. Others argue that she cast her children from her bosom because she hates them and wants them to suffer before they die. Petitioning her with prayer is useless. Only fools whisper her name for help.

This attitude of self-reliance has found its way into the very heart of ven culture. Every child is expected to stand on his own. Those who rely on others are weak and worthy of ridicule, scorn and even violence. Those who cannot protect themselves do not deserve mercy or justice. Even the ven legal system reflects this callous attitude (see below).

Those who are strong, those who grow from their suffering, those who prove themselves worthy may gain a blessing from the cruel mother, but none dare thank her. Speaking her name will only draw her attention and no sane man wants that.

While Shanri is filled with exotic fauna and flora, most of it is incredibly dangerous. Knowledge of what a ven can and cannot eat, where he should and should not go are invaluable. Fruits and vegetables are in abundance although collecting seeds is a risky venture. Also, mining is much riskier on Shanri than it is over on our side of the pond. Things live in the ground, drawn by sound and vibration. This makes most precious and semi-precious stones and minerals incredibly rare. Iron is a luxury as are gold, silver and copper. Most stones strong enough for architecture are also in scarcity. Not because they are hard to find, but because the world does not give them up without a fight.

Fortunately, the remains of the sorcerer-kings take up the need for most architecture. The ven prefer living in the ancient mansions of their masters, reveling in the homes where once they were slaves. The buildings themselves stand with the aid of sorcery unknown to the ven. Hallways that seem to go on forever, rooms too large for the structure to hold, secret passages, invisible doors. The buildings have secrets the ven are only beginning to discover.

VANLU DE URAN
“History is watching.”

What the ven can see is only half the world. There is also the uran shanvu, “the invisible world,” the world of ghosts, spirits and specters. The ven know these things surround them all the time. The invisible world influences the visible world in real and powerful ways.

When the ven say their history is watching them, it is not a colorful metaphor. Unless a ven is murdered, he does not truly die. Instead, as he ages, his blood cools, his reflexes slow, his mind becomes jumbled with dreams, and his body begins secreting a thick substance not unlike a spider’s web. The ven call this process “seeking solace.” Ven lifespan is about 150 to 200 years. Solace begins anywhere within that time.

The process can take anywhere from a year to fifty years. When it is complete, the ven is wrapped in a thick cocoon, completely cut off from the rest of the world… except for his mind. A mind under the effects of solace is powerful—more powerful than before—but it is also in a different state. The solace mind speaks in metaphors and symbols, unable to utilize waking speech. But it can communicate, and often does, to family members and friends through visions and dreams. A ven who is trained to do so may send signals back to a mind in solace, although communication is difficult at best.

To a ven, one of his foremost concerns is keeping the favor of his ancestors whom he feels watch him from solace. The power of their semi-conscious minds can bless him or curse him, depending on his behavior and how he maintains the good name of his family. As such, the ven practice elaborate rituals to keep those in solace happy and content. Letting an ancestor go without praise or worship is a sure way to draw that ancestor’s wrath.

The presence of such beings deeply influences ven culture. They use rituals to please kind spirits and wards to keep evil spirits at bay. The ven have enormous tomes of spirit names, giving them access to powerful magics, binding spirits to objects and places, whether they are cooperative or not.

VRENTAE
“Holding my heart.”

The word vrentae is best translated as “obsession,” although the literal meaning is “holding my heart.” Depending on the accentuation, the word has two connotations. The first is “love.” The second is “revenge.” If the first syllable is accented—vren-tay—it means “love.” If the second syllable is accented—vren-tay—it means “revenge.”

In the minds and hearts of the ven, these two things are nearly identical.

First, let us explore “revenge.”

The concept of war, as we understand it, is completely alien to the ven for many reasons. First among them is resources. While the ven are not a culture of scarcity, there is not enough dry land to support a standing army. The ven did inherit the ideas of warfare from the aelva danna, but it is no longer considered a practical method of resolving dispute. The ven adapted and evolved, developing a style of warfare that fit their circumstances.

Unable to wage war on a large scale, the ven have mastered waging war on a small scale. The most common way to settle a dispute is private duel. One-on-one combat. The two combatants agree on terms through a disinterested third party, meet at a predetermined time, select weapons, then ceremoniously try to kill each other. The winner is considered “correct” in the dispute.

However, despite all of this formal combat, deaths occur outside the parameters of legal duel all the time. We would call this “murder.” The ven call it uvanla: “a moment of opportunity.” When a ven is killed outside the scope of legal murder, the relatives of the deceased are obliged to call vrentae. The process for calling vrentae is complicated and must follow the correct procedure. If it is not correctly followed, the vrentae is not considered “official” and may carry dire consequences.

When a ven calls for vrentae, he marks himself in a distinct manner—usually with the color red—and is considered immune to almost all other procedures and bureaucracy. No other matter is more important than avenging the wrongful death of a relative. He is considered free of sin until the vrentae is carried out. However, if he fails to carry out the vrentae in the proper amount of time, or does not carry it out in the proper fashion, his reputation will be severely damaged. More on duels and formal combat can be found in a later chapter.

And now, let us talk about the other side of vrentae. Let us talk about “love.”

While many have translated vrentae as “love,” it is not a fully correct translation. “Romantic love” is closer, but still not completely correct. The ven do not view love as eternal, nor do they understand the concept of a “soul mate.” Marriage does exist in ven culture, but as a bargaining chip for settling land disputes, inheritance and for making heirs. All of this is rather cold, but vrentae is anything but. It is hot. It is the passion that drives men and women mad. As one ven poet wrote, “It is the sickness for which the only cure is the cause.”

For the ven, vrentae is a cause for poetry, for song and for story. It makes us unwise, drives us to tragedy, and blinds our reason. This is vrentae. And, just as those who are driven by revenge wear a color to distinguish themselves, so do those who have fallen under the mad spell of love. While wearing such a distinction, a man or woman may expect a bit more tolerance from those who understand the sickness of love. Those under its sway act madly and do foolish things. They cannot be held responsible for what they do: they are in love!

But love, like revenge, does not last. It fades like the seasons. Eventually, an affair grows cold and becomes like the marriage the lovers fled from. Marriages last forever, but affairs come and go. This is the way of love: powerful but fickle, passionate but passing. And while it may make us mad for a time, we cannot be fools forever.

This chapter details the ven and their culture, giving you an idea of what it is like to live in the courts of Shanri, under the shadow of the Houses. I have taken this information from various ven documents, translating them as faithfully as possible.

Translating this text from the original ven has proven difficult for a few reasons. The ven often sacrifice grammar for poetry, a stylistic choice many readers find confusing and disorienting. Also, simple ven words often carry immense meanings, depending on the context. While translating these documents, I have found one small fact most useful in illustrating this curiousity.

The ven have only one word for both “love” and “revenge.”

That should be enough to get you started.

Ven society is rife with contradictions. On one hand, they espouse virtue and chivalry, but on the other, they practice deceit and treachery. They are ruthless, yet deeply religious. They love with all their hearts and hate with equal passion. They are a complicated people, easy to misunderstand, but I have done my best to present them here as accurately and fairly as possible.

To explain the world around them, the ven use a sophisticated and nuanced language, reflecting their complicated culture. Like most languages, ven words and phrases have deep history, often explaining the context of seemingly simple turns of phrase as what they truly are: the keystones to ven philosophy.

Instead of presenting a long, dry diatribe on ven culture, I’ve organized a series of phrases and words key to understanding the ven and their world. I believe the best way to understand a foreign people is by understanding their language. For example, you could illustrate much about American culture just by giving a lengthy description of the various meanings and usages of the word “cool.”

The words and phrases listed below are not in alphabetical order, but instead, in contextual order. Starting at the beginning—with aelva danna de nuru—you will begin to see the world through their eyes, hopefully giving you a living understanding of their complicated and amazing culture.

AELVA DANNA DE NURU
“The wicked ones are only sleeping.”

The history of the ven is tied into the demise of Shanri’s previous masters: the mysterious aelva danna (aelva meaning “wizard” or “sorcerer” and danna meaning “ruler”). Aelva danna can also be translated as “the wicked ones,” and is sometimes used as a pejorative against those who study the forbidden art of blood sorcery. These “sorcerer-kings” ruled Shanri for… well, no ven knows for certain how long they ruled Shanri. For all the ven know, the aelva danna have always been. And for all they know, they will return again one day to rule again.

Before the ven had a culture of their own, these sorcerer-kings ruled Shanri. The ven were nothing more than a servant race, created by sorcery to fulfill specific roles. The ven were soldiers, servants, and lovers—all tailor-made to task. And they served the sorcerer-kings as the aelva danna made unspeakable war upon each other on an unimaginable scale. Using vast armies and eldritch sorcery, the sorcerer-kings almost destroyed the world, but instead, destroyed themselves. What they left behind was a shattered remnant of the world they created.

The servitor race called dug themselves up and out of the rubble. The world they found was nothing like the world they knew. At long last, they were free from the aelva danna, free from magical slavery, free to make their own destiny, but the world they found was dangerous and deadly.

The Shanri of today looks completely different from the world of the sorcerer-kings. During their time, the land was rich and plentiful, a vast pangaea full of life and wonder. Now, the world is shattered, torn and mutated by sorcerous warfare. All that remains is a spiraling chain of archipelagos filled with mutant flora and fauna: the remains of sorcerous experiments, some of which went horribly awry.

Since then, the ven have reconstructed the world around them, although vast tracks of unexplored wilderness remain. The ven live in the ruins left behind by the sorcerer-kings: incredible mansions and castles kept standing by a fading sorcery. On the outskirts of civilization, the beasts bred during the wars lurk in the shadows. And the ven whisper that perhaps the aelva danna are not dead at all, but merely sleeping, trapped in magics to great for them to break. Perhaps one day, the sorcerer-kings will return, enslaving the ven once again.

Perhaps…

from the forthcoming Houses of the Blooded, I give you…