Campaign created Tuesday, May 20, 2008 10:49:09 AM by Kamarathin

It is the day of the first new moon of Summer, it is time to celebrate its beginning. Here in the small burgh of Mendaley the celebration of Low Summer has begun. For many the celebrations represent new contracts between merchants and suppliers and the Nobles have begun their games of sword and word.

It is the day of the first new moon of Summer, it is time to celebrate its beginning. Here in the small burgh of Mendaley the celebration of Low Summer has begun. For many the celebrations represent new contracts between merchants and suppliers and the Nobles have begun their games of sword and word.

It is this latter part that brings the Grey Crown mercenaries to Mendaley. Baron Kaven is having some difficulty with some bandits and has lost contact with a waystation in the foothills of the Olemecan Highlands. The waystation isn't particularly important since trade with the Ennas Commonwealth has all but dried up, but it could mean an imminent invasion from the Enni or maybe the Dirissland bandit kings are getting their nerve up again.

Regardless, he can't risk his house guard on such an endeavor.

The players will all be members of the newly founded Grey Crown mercenary band. In fact, they are the founders and sole members. The Grey Crown has no specialty as yet, so I would like to see a well rounded party. The adventure will be a mix of wilderness and urban adventure with fairly little political intrigue. Combat will be present but will not be the focus of the campaign.

Interested players should register at www.d-3games.com/forum where character creation and overall campaign discussion will take place. This is a semi-playtest situation so changes to the characters could occur as changes to the game world and rulesets occur.

This is Low-Fantasy setting with a heavy emphasis on skills. The GM will maintain the HDV3 files and will "direct" character creation. "Beta" copies of the book will be available for perusal and it is highly encouraged that it is read as much as possible.

This campaign will take place in the same kingdom as my other campaign 'The Highlands of Tursh' which can also be found here at Hero Central. Character Creation guidelines are further covered in the Campaign Messages area.

This campaign will take place within the Duchy of Jisan and more specifically the Denneth Barony. The following is a brief overview of the duchy.

Duchy of Jisan
Current Ruler: Duchess Tirlessa
Capital City: Sesley
Languages: Gibberish and Highlander predominate, while Cadic and Mariner can be found along the Queensreach, even Tollic can be found in her coastal ports. Further north you'll find Atharan, Simeret and Slave Pidgin. Go inland and Kvonite can be found among the few tribes that roam the open spaces.

Major Resources: Naval yards and hard woods are the duchies main exports, supplemented by a few iron and stone quarries in the foothills of the Olemecans.

Religion: The Old Faith is far and away the dominant religion. A few small Asunite churches can be found, mostly in the larger towns along the Nirian Sea.

Racial Mix: Jisan is home to many of the Dirissland races in addition to the Kvonite and a few Aigulf clans. It is heavily Tursh, as are all of the duchies, but can claim the dubious fame of the only duchy with a Simeret Warband.

Overview
The Duchy of Jisan is one of the youngest duchies in the Kingdom, but it has a long and storied past. During the Great Darkness her lands were part of the Principality of Ossai, the center of a great evil that terrorized the surrounding lands.

Later she became a loose coalition of human tribes, united in their defense against hordes of Beastmen that used to run rampant throughout northern Hylrexia. This alliance would form the foundation of what is now House Jisan.

During Queen Aslyn's rise to power and her crusade to form a single kingdom, it was House Jisan that helped ferry the various bandit kings and rebels across the Queensreach. Despite the families own belief in Queen Aslyn's cause, they could not raise a hand to strike down those who did not wish to fight her armies and not live under her rule.

For this the Jisan bloodline was struck from the Annals of Heritage for several generations. It wasn't until after the time of the Robber Barons that House Jisan would reclaim their titles and lands.  Through assassinations, political maneuverings and outright war did Lady Lexa finally complete the reinstate of her family name, becoming the first Duchess of House Jisan.

In the present day, the duchy is only partially civilized. The baronies along the Queensreach and Nirian Sea being far and away the safest and most cultivated. The further one gets from the river the more wild and untamed the land becomes.

Trade through the duchy is done along the coast and river. It takes a brave or foolish caravan-master to cross the duchy by land. There is one path which begins at Joracy and is comparatively safe; the Northroad as it is properly called runs from Joracy and follows the foothills of the Olemecans until it ends at the city of Riverford in the Clah duchy. About midway lies the fortified town of Rolas, under the effete and politically slippery rule of Baron Fina. This town has long been a bone of contention between House Jisan and House Clah and has been under the supposed rule of both duchies for longer than anyone can remember.

Joracy lies at the point where the Queensreach exits the Olemecans and is a major trade hub for those that wish to travel to the lands west of the Olemecans and south of Dirissland. Joracy is the Seat of the Denneth Barony which is currently ruled by Baron Kaven.