In the first episode of The Mandalorian, the titular character parks his ship and heads off on an adventure. In the second episode, he returns to find his ship being stripped for parts by opportunistic jawas. This prompts an incredible action/chase scene, followed by an adventure hook which results in some startling revelations.

While keeping in mind the Principle of Using Linear Mediums as RPG Examples, let’s assume that this isn’t just an example of the GM having a cool idea and making it happen. (Nothing wrong with that, obviously.) If we wanted stuff like this in our games, what could we do to make that happen?

Non-focal random encounters.

Random encounters, of course, can be used to achieve several different effects. But one of the ways they can be used is as a procedural content generator, providing a creative prompt to the GM for an interstitial event. Because the “camera” of our game session is virtually always focused on the PCs, we tend to think of the events generated by the random encounter tables as intersecting the path of the party; it’s something that happens randomly in the place where the PCs happen to be.

But it doesn’t have to be!

You can just as easily use procedural content generators to model events happening off-screen.

For example, if the PCs leave mounts and/or henchmen at the entrance of a dungeon while they go delving within, I’ll simply make random encounter checks for the group left behind. A notable example of this occurred when I ran The Sunless Citadel as part of my first D&D 3^rd Edition campaign. The PCs left their mounts up on the surface while they went down into the citadel, I rolled regular random encounter checks, and when they returned they found the horses still there calmly munching grass… surrounded by a dozen scorched goblin corpses.

What the hell had happened?!

Ultimately, what I’m suggesting here is pretty simple:

Roll random encounters for locations/people that aren’t the PCs.

That’s it. That’s the tip.

You can probably usefully generalize this by identifying what the PCs care about and then rolling encounters for those things. This might include people, places, organizations, etc. The rate and nature of these encounters will depend on what and where these things are. The henchmen at the dungeon entrance are easy because you can just roll on the dungeon’s random encounter table (perhaps at a reduced rate if efforts have been made to conceal their camp). But what about the PCs’ favorite tavern? Or their emotionally troubled ward? Or their political patron?

In the most generic version of this, however, you can just create the list of Important Things in the Campaign and then roll encounter checks for everything on the list as part of your session prep. If an encounter is indicated, that simply means that this element of the campaign world has seen some sort of interesting development: What is it? And, importantly, how will the PCs learn of it?

This can be a really easy way to keep a big, complicated campaign world in motion without needing to constantly grapple with the almost impossible enormity of the whole thing. It can also just be a good way of reminding the players that the campaign world does, in fact, continue to exist even when they’re not looking at it.

Magical Kitties Save the Day, the RPG I co-designed with Matthew Hanson (the game’s creator) and Michelle Nephew, has been nominated as the Best Family Game for the 2021 ENNIES Awards!

The nominations are juried, but the final awards are based on a people’s vote! That means we need YOU to vote for the game by August 27th!

A few things to know about voting in the ENNIES:

• You should only vote once.
• There are several different categories. You’ll vote in each category by selecting it. Magical Kitties is nominated in the Best Family Game category.
• You vote by ranking the nominees from 1 to 5. The best rank is 1 (that’s what you want to select for Magical Kitties). You can also select “No Vote” if it’s a game or book you’re unfamiliar with or don’t think deserves an award.
• Make sure you hit the “Vote!” button at the bottom of the page to register you vote for Best Family Game.
• You don’t need to vote in all categories. You also don’t have to vote in all categories at the same time! So if you want to wait to vote for Best Adventure until you’ve had a chance to check them out, you don’t have to wait to record your vote for Best Family Game.

Also take the opportunity to check out all the other great games, supplements, and books that have been nominated! There’s a lot of cool stuff to discover!

VOTE NOW!

Published in 2013, Legacy of the Crystal Shard was created as part of the D&D Next playtest which bridged the 4^th Edition and 5^th Edition eras. It was designed by R.A. Salvatore with Jeffrey Ludwig, James Wyatt, and Matthew Sernett, and originally sold as a bundle including a 64-page setting book, 32-page adventure book, and four-panel DM screen, supplemented with downloadable PDFs which contained all the stat blocks necessary to run the adventure with 3^rd Edition, 4^th Edition, or the D&D Next Playtest rules (which are now “close enough” compatible with 5^th Edition). It’s now available as a print-on-demand title from the DMs Guild, combining all of these elements plus a micro-prequel adventure that was released during the D&D Encounters Launch Weekend.

I grabbed a copy of Legacy to see if the material could be adapted to flesh out the sandbox of Rime of the Frostmaiden, and this review will be embracing that and, at least in part, assessing Legacy’s value to a Rime DM.

The first thing to note is that large chunks of Rime of the Frostmaiden’s text was actually lifted directly from Legacy of the Crystal Shard. For example, here’s the first couple paragraphs of the “Life Off the Lakes” section of Rime of the Frostmaiden:

Most of the ten towns except Bryn Shander are built on the shores of three big lakes. The largest population of knucklehead trout is in Maer Dualdon, the deepest of the lakes. Redwaters, the shallowest lake, almost completely freezes in winter, making the fishing there difficult. Lac Dinneshere catches the worst of the winds blowing off the Raghed Glacier to the east and thus has the roughest waters. Small thermal vents at the bottom of these lakes keep them from freezing completely, even in the coldest winters.

Ten-Towns fishing boats are simple affairs. The smallest are rowboats and single-masted skiffs that require careful handling to avoid capsizing. Larger, twin-masted cogs and keelboats with single decks handle the wind and waves better. These ships fly the flags of their towns and provide fish for the whole community, not for any individual fisher.

And here’s the “Life Off the Lake” section from Legacy of the Crystal Shard:

Except for Bryn Shander, each of the ten towns is built on the shore of one of the three lakes where knucklehead trout swim, surrounding the mountain of Kelvin’s Cairn. The largest population is in Maer Dualdon, the deepest of the lakes.

Ten-Towns fishing boats are generally simple affairs. The smallest are one-masted skiffs, which are rowed as often as oared – not least because the harsh winds of the dale can capsize each small craft. Larger, two-masted cogs with single decks handle the wind better, and their crews exemplify the neighborly cooperation that makes Ten-Towns function. These ships fly the flags of their towns and provide fish for the whole community, not for any individual fisher.

Rime of a Frostmaiden (1489 DR) canonically takes place a few years after Legacy of the Crystal Shard (1485 DR), so there are a few minor changes. But for the most part, Rime of the Frostmaiden largely assumes that the events of Legacy of the Crystal Shard will have had no meaningful impact on the Dale, and thus large swaths of text are either directly copied or lightly rewritten like a fraternity bro trying to dodge a plagiarism detector.

However, the material in Rime of the Frostmaiden is notably incomplete in several regards. So there’s still value to be had in scooping up the Legacy campaign guide. In particular, Legacy has sizable entries given for the Reghed tribes, Kelvin’s Cairn, the Arcane Brotherhood, and, strangely (given Rime’s titular focus), the worshippers of Auril, the Frostmaiden that are absent from Rime of the Frostmaiden.

THE ADVENTURE

As noted above, the current version of Legacy of the Crystal Shard includes a Launch Day micro-adventure that takes place immediately before the primary adventure kicks off. It takes place while the PCs are traveling to Icewind Dale as part of a caravan, but despite being sixteen pages long, it consists almost entirely of a single, notably overwritten, combat encounter with a crag cat. Its usefulness, therefore, is almost nonexistent.

The primary adventure begins as the PCs’ caravan arrives in Bryn Shander and is ambushed by yetis. This encounter is quite cleverly framed, forcing the PCs to make interesting choices about what to defend and how to strategically split up their efforts.

In the immediate aftermath of the encounter, the PCs are presented with three adventure hooks, each one pointing to a different crisis which is developing in the Dale:

• A member of the Arcane Brotherhood named Vaelish Gant is attempting to establish a mafia in order to seize political power.
• An Ice Witch in the service of the Frostmaiden seeks to bring frozen devastation to the people of Ten-Towns and the Raghed tribes.
• The undead Akar Kessel has escaped from his icy prison and is corrupting the Dale with black ice created from the ruins of the legendary Crystal Shard.

If you’re a long-time reader of the Alexandrian, you might immediately identify that as the textbook introduction to a node-based scenario. Unfortunately, Legacy of the Crystal Shard doesn’t quite follow through on that promise. While the scenario is obviously striving to be open and dynamic, the book struggles to clearly present it as such using largely linear techniques.

You can see this uncertainty and confusion manifest in several ways, but perhaps the most notable is the overall structure of the campaign. In trying to grapple with the diverse and divergent continuities possible with three villainous agendas and PCs free to choose which to confront, Legacy frequently becomes mired in contingency planning, but it crucially attempts to rise about this by implementing two incompatible approaches.

First, there is a timeline of how events will play out unless the PCs get involved. This is a venerable technique, although the execution here is a little problematic: The pace at which things happen on this timeline, combined with the stated travel times in Icewind Dale, makes it exceedingly unlikely that any of the plotted adventure material in the book will be usable as written.

Second, there is an alternative structure in which (a) the PCs get to pursue two of the three threats facing Icewind Dale in Act I and then (b) whichever threat they didn’t deal with advances their schemes in an Interlude before Act II begins. This is another solid way of presenting material like this (particularly in a published adventure), but the specific execution here is once again a little sloppy, with the primary problem being that the continuity of the villains’ schemes in the Interlude don’t consistently carry through into Act II.

The discord between these two approaches combined with the awkward, reflexive use of plotted scenario techniques in an adventure desperately crying out for non-linear design results in a number of weird continuity glitches throughout the text, the most notable of which is almost certainly the rather forced “finale” in which two of the villains are revealed to have been secretly teamed up with each other the whole time in a way which makes absolutely no sense until you realize that they’d probably run out of page count and couldn’t squeeze in a proper conclusion for all three threads of the adventure.

CONCLUSION

Laying all these caveats aside, Legacy of the Crystal Shard is a really good mini-campaign. The three independent crises, mixed with the rich setting of Icewind Dale, creates a really compelling premise, which is then stocked with individual scenarios which are delightfully varied and chock full of vividly creative material: mafioso protection schemes, corrupted ice pirates, undead dragons, dwarven zombies — it’s all the stuff that gets you excited when you think about running it for your players.

If you’re getting ready to run Rime of the Frostmaiden, these scenarios can be almost seamlessly dropped into the campaign, adding some really dynamic elements that will enrich the Icewind Dale sandbox. (The only thing you’ll need to tweak, as far as I can tell, is the “Behind Bars” scenario hook on p. 104 of Rime of the Frostmaiden, which features one of the villains from Legacy of the Crystal Shard. There will almost certainly also be ways in which you’ll want to tie the villains of Legacy to the ongoing events of Rime.)

In short, I recommend Legacy of the Crystal Shard for any D&D fans. And I strongly recommend it for those DMing Rime.

Style: 4
Substance: 4

Author: R.A. Salvatore with Jeffrey Ludwig, James Wyatt, and Matthew Sernett
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Cost: $14.99 (PDF) or $19.99 (POD)
Page Count: 112

Go to Icewind Dale Index

This post contains material which will be added to Part 6C of the Avernus Remix.

In addition briefing the PCs on the parts she needs, Mad Maggie can provide them with some initial leads on where they may be able to find some of them. The alphanumeric hex references below are map coordinates from the hex map in Part 7B, which you can use to quickly identify where these leads can potentially take the PCs.

Astral Pistons: She’s heard that an oni named Malargan — the forgemaster of Kolasiah, a local warlord — has a set of astral pistons in his forge. (Hex A5)

Astral Pistons: Uldrak the Tinker, whose shop is based out of a titanic helmet located in the western end of the Plains of Fire, had a set of astral pistons in stock a few years back when one of Maggie’s riders (now dead) needed repairs for an antique warmachine. It’s possible he might still have a supply. (Hex D5)

Heartstone: Mad Maggie and Red Ruth (Hex B4) were part of a coven along with a third night hag named Gaunt Gella. Mad Maggie believes that Red Ruth killed Gella and stole her heartstone. Maggie suspects that Red Ruth is still located somewhere in Avernus, but she doesn’t know where. However, she has heard rumors that Red Ruth has been seen at Mahadi’s Emporium from time to time, and the PCs might check there for a lead to Red Ruth’s current location.

Note: “Gella” means “the one with the golden hair.” Consider having a quiet, emotional moment for Mad Maggie where she remembers the beautiful hair of her fallen friend. It’s up to you whether or not Red Ruth was actually responsible for Gella’s death.

Alternatively, Gaunt Gella was bald, but collected the heads of blonde mortals.

Nirvanan Cogbox: Nirvanan cogboxes are a modronic technomancy. Maggie has heard that a modron ship crashed on the shores of the Styx contra-Dis from Fort Knucklebones. (The ship is located in Hex H5, but it’s actually an elemental galleon from Eberron and does not have a cogbox.)

Design Note: At least three instances of each component have been seeded into the Avernian hexcrawl. (The Three Clue Rule waves hello.) In Part 7I: Avernian Rumor Tables, you will find additional rumors that can lead the PCs to these disparate sources.

Mad Maggie gives four leads, and she should give them all at once. She gives two different sources for one component, one possible source for a second component (although she doesn’t exactly know how to track that source down), and an incorrect location for the fourth component.

This spreads four experiences across these leads:

For one component, the PCs have two leads and can choose one. (Establishing the idea that they have multiple options for finding the components.)

For another, they’ll have to follow up their lead to figure out where they can actually find the component. (Establishing the idea that they’ll need to actively investigate to find these components.)

For the third component, they’ll discover a dead end and need to find a different way.

For the fourth component, they’ll have no lead at all. (Establishing the idea that this isn’t just a “do what Mad Maggie tells you” fetch quest; instead, they’ll be in the driver’s seat for figuring out how to obtain these components.)

With no additional explanation, simply receiving these four leads from Mad Maggie will teach the players a lot about the form, structure, and expectations of the Avernian hexcrawl.

Go to Remixing Avernus

The Dweredell Project aims to expand the city-state of Dweredell, which originally appeared as a brief gazetteer you can find here, into a tri-crawl featuring a hexcrawl, megadungeon, and urbancrawl. I’m not ready to officially launch the Dweredell Project. This isn’t even really a sneak peek. But I had a request to share the gods from my campaign world, so I’m pulling this material out now.

THE PANTHEON

The pantheon of the Western Lands consists of the Nine Gods.

• Athor, the Father
• Crissa, the Mother
• Itor, God of War
• Itehl, The Trickster / God of Craft and Civilization
• Sarathyn, the Virgin Goddess / Goddess of the Void
• Sayl, the Sun Goddess / Goddess of Life and Sexuality
• Tohlen, God of Nature / God of the Harvest
• Bahl, God of the Dead
• Vehthyl, God of the Enigma / God of Knowledge (Magic and the Unknown)

The gods are commonly arranged into dualities:

• Athor and Crissa, Husband and Wife / Mother and Father. The head of the Pantheon.
• Itor and Itehl, the Twin Brothers. They have an antagonistic relationship. Sarathyn often intercedes to protect Itor from the machinations of his mischievous brother.
• Sarathyn and Sayl, the Twin Sisters. They represent the twin sides of love (chastity and sexuality).
• Bahl and Tohlen, Gods of the Climes and Seasons. Maintainers of the natural orders.
• Vehthyl, the Lone God. He set in contrast to the rest of the Pantheon.

In some teachings, alternative dualities are given. (Sarathyn andTohlen, for example, are seen as gods of ultimate negation, while Sayl and Bahl are, in some tales, locked in a forbidden love.)

Another common grouping are the Four Children (Itor, Itehl, Sarathyn, and Sayl).

PATRON ANIMALS

• Athor: Eagle
• Crissa: Hawk
• Itor: Stag
• Itehl: Snake
• Sarathyn: Dolphin
• Sayl: Wolf
• Tohlen: Bear
• Bahl: Owl
• Vehthyl: Cat

HOLY SYMBOLS

Athor – Cross. Also known as the Cross of the Father or the Knight’s Cross, Athor’s Cross is the standard badge of Pantheon worship. It is also used dominantly in many Barundian heraldries.

Crissa – Ankh. Also known as the Arms of the Mother, Crissa’s Ankh is a symbol of motherhood and compassion.

Itor – Sword and Chalice. Itor’s primary holy symbol is a sword, but when Itor’s Sword is inverted it becomes Itor’s Chalice. As the sword it’s a symbol of martial prowess. As the chalice it’s a symbol of comradery and friendship. The two symbols are often joined as one (a symbol known as the “hourglass”) in heraldry.

Itehl – Daggered Cross. More formally known as the daggered cross, Itehl’s Dagger is a symbol of practical thought and logic. It is also the symbol of betrayal.

Sayl – Sunburst. Also known as the Wheel of Light, the sunburst is a symbol of life, sexuality, and fertility.

Sarathyn – Starwheel. Also known as the Wheel of Night, the starwheel represents purity and perfection.

Bahl – Heart of the Diamond / Eye of the Veil. Although Bahl only has a singly holy symbol, it is known by two names: the Heart of the Diamond and the Eye of the Veil. It is more commonly known as the latter, with the former being an archaic usage.

Tohlen – Crescent Moon. Also referred to as Tohlen’s Scythe, the crescent moon is a harvest symbol.

Vehthyl – Silver Serpent. Vehthyl’s holy symbol is the silver serpent. It takes several forms, including the serpent doubled, the serpent rearing, the serpent crawling, the serpent winged, and ouroborus.

SAINTS & AVATARS

The Saintly Orders consist of the Living Saints who have served the Nine Gods throughout history. Each of the nine gods have a separate order. Also known as the Chosen, these devout among the faithful serve as powerful conduits for the gods to channel their influence into the world.

The saints are also thought by some to be reincarnated, or at least their portfolio of service is passed on.

The Avatars worshipped as divine heroes in the Five Empires. They are sometimes described as the first saints; sometimes as saints who served the Pantheon as the whole (instead of being chosen by individual gods). In some tales each is associated with one of the gods, making them more like other saints (and also giving rise to the legend of the Lost Two or Lost Twins, who are supposedly the missing eighth and ninth avatars).

• Taran, the King
• Khazel, the Warrior
• Dorien, the Mage
• Ratuul, the Guide
• Massahl, the Rogue
• Arathan, the Pure
• Oruk, the Barbarian

At one point the Imperial Church incorporated the stories of the Avatars into its orthodoxies, but over time a number of heresy cults came to worship the Avatars as gods themselves. In an attempt to root out these heresies during the Time of Reflection, the Church sought to sever all ties between the Avatars and the Pantheon. Once the Time of Reflection came to an end, however, this position eventually softened. The Avatars are now generally seen as servants of the Holy Order. (Although, of course, there are those who keep alive the Old Beliefs.)

THE IMPERIAL CHURCH

During the time of the Dominion, and the years of darkness which followed it, man’s memories of the gods grew dim. But the Pantheon was never truly forgotten: The power of the Nine could not be denied by even the strongest of dictators, nor their light quenched by the deepest of shadows. The old beliefs survived in rural cults and backwater rituals.

The origins of the Imperial Church lie in the tumultuous time of consolidation which followed the Wars of Empire. Hundreds of disparate fiefdoms had been roughly forged into new empires, and it remained to be seen whether they could be drawn together into a new society. Pockets of rebellion and resistance began to arise, and among the most dangerous of these were the resurgent Pantheon cults.

The resolution of this emerging crisis came during the reign of Atal the Second. Upon his deathbed, the Seer of Aldoreil, secret Master of the Crimson Cult of Vehtyhl, had prophesied the coming of the One Who Would Follow – a divine messenger from the gods who would bring form to their voiceless words. The Second Emperor, who was also a secret member of the Crimson Cult and followed the Seer as its master, formed the Council of Vehthyl and charged them with finding the One Who Would Follow.

The Council of Vehtyhl spent long years in their search before finally discovering the newborn One Who Would Follow. Atal the Second proclaimed the newborn babe Novarch, the Living Voice of the Nine Gods.

In the Novarch’s name, nine Councils were convened – one for each of the nine gods. These councils were made up of the greatest prophets, messiahs, and religious leaders of the age. Each council refined their teachings and rituals into a scripture, and at a grand Council of Councils these disparate scriptures were unified into the True Teachings of the Holy Order. Those who had refused to participate found their teachings ignored and, in many cases, deliberately suppressed. The Church, with the Emperor’s support, had declared itself the mortal will of the Holy Order upon the Many Worlds.

The next several decades saw the Church consolidate its power within the Seyrunian Empire: Countless trinity churches were built. The ranks of the priesthood swelled. The remaining Pantheon cults were ruthlessly stamped out for their heretical teachings. (It was also during this time that many of the druidic orders were forced to leave the Empire, either fleeing through the Imperial Pass or up into the barbarous lands of the north.)

Then, in 103 YD, at the dawn of the Second Imperial Century, three Merchant Princes of Arathia traveled to Seyrun in the guise of common merchant captains. They presented themselves before the Novarch and for three days they listened to his teachings. At the end of the three days, they had become faithful followers of the Imperial Church. It was the beginning of the Great Conversion.

The Imperial Church spread like wildfire through the Arathian lands. Within the decade every Arathian merchant caravan carried with it at least one priest of the Church — missionaries who spread the true teachings to every corner of the known world.

Barund’s outer lands had already become home to a significant number of the Church’s followers as a result of frequent travel beyond the Pythian. Now, with the Arathian merchants as a focal point, the faith was spreading through Barund’s inner lands as well. In 127 YD, at the request of the King, the Novarch came to Barund. After several weeks of discussion, the King, along with the entire royal family, officially converted to the true teachings of the Imperial Church. The Novarch then performed the Holy Coronation, anointing the King with his holy blood. The Line of Kings, like the Atalian Dynasty, was now recognized as a divine bloodright.

CHURCH HIERARCHY:

Robes:

• White with Blue Bands: Novitiates
• White: Priests
• Purple: Prelates
• Purple with Gold: Prelates of Barund
• Silver: Silver Fatar
• Gold: Gold Fatar
• Red: Novarch

Priests: Priests are also referred to as Fathers/Mothers, while Lesser Priests are known as Brothers/Sisters.

Chapels: Chapels are minor places of worship. They are watched over by Lesser Priests and typically dedicated to a particular saint.

Trinity Churches: Also known as the “lesser churches”, each trinity church is organized around a trinity of the gods. They are watched over by Priests or (in the case of more important churches) Prelates.

Solitary Churches: Unlike the trinity churches, the solitary churches (or cathedrals) are each dedicated to the worship of a single god. There are only nine solitary churches for each of the nine gods (for a total of eighty-one cathedrals). There is a solitary church for each god in each of the Seven Imperial Provinces, one within the city of Seyrun itself, and one beyond the borders of the Imperial Provinces. These last nine churches are also known as the Outer Churches, and although the original intent was to bring in an influence from beyond the heart of the empire, in practice the Outer Churches are viewed as the least among equals. The solitary churches in Seyrun itself are also known as the Imperial Cathedrals.

The Prelate of Barund: The Prelate of Barund is ostensibly the head of the Church in Barund, answerable only to the Council of Councils and the Novarch himself. However, as a result of the Twenty Year War, there are – in fact – two Prelates of Barund, one appointed by the Church; the other appointed by the King of Barund.

Nine Councils: The nine councils represent the third tier of the Church’s leadership. Each of the Solitary Churches is watched over by a Silver Fatar, and the nine Silver Fatars for each of the gods forms a council.

Council of Councils: Each of the nine councils is headed by a Gold Fatar, and the nine Gold Fatars make up the Council of Councils.

Novarch: The leader of the Church. The Living Voice of the Nine Gods.

VENNOC REFORMISTS

In 742 the King of Astalia accused the priests of the Imperial Church of espionage. After a quick trial and political stand-off, the priests were banished and the religious practices of the Church were outlawed. The charges were probably a pretense. One month later, the king issued the Reformist Proclamation, declaring that the Imperial Church had lost its way and become an instrument of Seyrun rather than the gods they were meant to serve. The Reformist Church of the Holy Order was formed shortly thereafter.

Quickly declared a heresy by the Imperial Church and banned in Seyrun, Barund, and Hyrtan, the Reformist Church nevertheless found great acceptance in Vennoc. Within a handful of years a number of other “reformist churches” had sprung up throughout the Protectorates – some seeking to “recapture” the “true meaning” of the Reformist movement, others simply seeking to reach out to the Pantheon in their own way.

Outside the Vennoc Protectorates, the Reformists were initially rebuffed – even in Arathia, although the Arathian government never banned their practices. In 751, however, after the outbreak of the Twenty Year War, Barund lifted its ban on the Reformists. Although the Barundians were still resistant to the Reformist beliefs, this meant that the end of the Twenty Year War opened a gateway to the Borderlands for the movement.

During the Twenty Year War, the Reformist movement had slowly grown strong in Vennoc. Now, in the Borderlands, as in Vennoc, the Reformists were able to take root. As the movement grew in the Borderlands, it also began to spread back into Arathia as Arathian merchants brought the movement back with them.

In recent years, the movement has even found adherents among the lands of the Hyrtanian Alliance, and Hyrtan’s outright ban on the Reformist churches has been weakened to a set of strict mandates. Only in Seyrun does the ban on the Reformists remain absolute, and even there the Reformists have been making inroads. Secret inroads, but inroads nonetheless.

EXAMPLE REFORMIST CHURCHES

Reformist Church of the Holy Order: There are no less than a half dozen churches known as the Reformist Church of the Holy Order. Many state-backed Reformist Churches were created by the rulers of the various Protectorates in the early days of the movement – either as a personal means of severing their ties to the Imperial Church, or as a direct response to Astalia’s actions. Many of these have faded away. Others became independent entities, and most of those have since joined with the original Reformist Church, still based in Astalia.

The People’s Councils: A recent creation of the Reformist movement are the People’s Councils. The People’s Councils believe that the Nine Councils should be true democracies, with all of the faithful participating in each decision. Although popular to some extent, the movement has currently stagnated on logistical problems: They can’t figure out how to organize themselves into anything other than a local group without sacrificing their tenets.

Reformist Church of the Mother and the Father: One of the earliest of the Reformist churches, the Reformist Church of the Mother and the Father believes that Athor and Crissa hold a pre-eminent place within the Holy Order. They believe that the only true means of reaching out to the gods is through the Mother and the Father.

Church of the Three Trinities: Believes that Athor/Crissa/Itor, Sarathyn/Sayl/Bahl, and Itehl/Vehthyl/Tohlen are each individual gods. The doctrine of the Church is confused, but since the religious practices include massive weekly orgies, it’s proven to be quite popular among certain segments of the population. It’s generally laughed at and ignored by the other churches (although the Imperial Church, of course, frowns on it particularly).

Church of the Twin Sisters: Worships Sarathyn and Sayl. Extremely matriarchal.

EXAMPLE REFORMIST CULTS

Order of the Oak: The Order of the Oak worships Sarathyn and Tohlen as harvest gods. (Their interpretation of Sarathyn is… odd.) The Order of the Oak is primarily known among the agricultural villages of Amsyr.

The Cult of Jade: The worship of the Cult of Jade revolves around tiny jade miniature of the nine gods. The cult recognizes nine different types of jade, and each of the nine gods is said to possess “nine faces” – the Nine Faces of the Nine Gods – each represented by a different type of jade. (Crimson Jade, Black Jade, Green Jade, Gold Jade, White Jade, Blue Jade, Violet Jade, Silver Jade, and Diamond Jade)

HOLY BOOKS

The first Council of Councils organized the scripture of the Pantheon into nine texts, each named after one of the gods: the Book of Athor, Book of Crissa, and so forth.

Design Note: By and large, I have intentionally left large swaths of these holy books as terra incognito, giving myself — and others now! — plenty of room to insert whatever we need. A good example of this is when the time came for me to flesh out the Orders of Knighthood.

ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD

Any order of knighthood has three things in common:

1. They follow the Code of Law as laid down in the Book of Athor.
2. They adhere to the Martial Code as laid down in the Book of Itor.
3. They honor the Seven Compassions as laid down in the Book of Crissa.

The Code of Law is your bedrock “thou shalt not” stuff: Don’t murder, steal, enslave your brother, and so forth.

The Martial Code is essentially your standard chivalric ideal: Face your opponent fairly and honorably.

The Seven Compassions are a bit more philosophically complex, and are also referred to in some commentaries as the Seven Cares. The compassions are of the self, the companion, the stranger, the task, the thought, the memory, and the true. In other words, care for yourself, for your companions, and for stranger. Take care with what you do and what you think, and it shall be remembered. And if you can do all of that, then you will know true compassion. (For most people, the Seven Compassions boil down to “be nice to people” and “think before your act.”)

Collectively these are also known as the Way of Knighthood.

THE DEEDS OF HONOR: Although not an official part of the Way of Knighthood, the Deeds of Honor are intimately tied to the popular conception of “what it means to be a knight.”

The Deeds of Honor, as written in the Book of Itor, are a collection of legendary tales of valor, honor, bravery, and faith. In some ways they serve as a kind of “scorecard” or exemplar of heroic actions. “He lives his life by the deeds of honor” is a common saying.