This Week’s post looks at alternative rulers for Mythic Bastionland.
Mythic Bastionland suggests that Holdings are commonly ruled by a Knight. Last time I spoke about this I had one of the four Holdings in a Realm ruled by a non-knight, in that case a religious leader, but what other sort of person could be ruling a Holding?
Well, Seers obviously, but I personally think of that being a pretty rare situation. I imagine most Seers would rather be interfering from a slight distance.
Squires? First instinct is no, but that makes me want to try it out some time. Perhaps some twist of inheritance means that the group are charged with protecting such an important, but fragile, ward.
More commonly I expect Holdings wind up in the hands of Vassals, owing at least some loyalty to the ruler of the Seat of Power.
Let's roll up 3 potential leaders. I'll assume they all owe fealty to a Knight who holds the Seat of Power of the Realm as a whole.
We'll use the "Person" prompts found on the bottom of the Knight pages, and then the People Spark Tables to flesh them out. You could just use one of these methods instead of both, but we'll work around any contradictions that come out of the combination.
I'll dump the raw prompts and sparks for each and then work it into something useful.
Ruler 1 - Wodwale Person Prompt: Hardened Scavenger Appearance: Haggard Physique, Decorated Dress Voice: Weak Tone, Intense Manner Personality: Melancholic Demeanour, Art Interest Relationship (with Ruler 2): Estranged Guardian Desire: Mastery for Recognition Task: Conceal Ruin Background: Nomadic Upbringing, Memory of Injury Ailment: Growing Shaking Heraldry: Light Tree (White Tree on Gold Field)
We don't need to take "Scavenger" literally here. Perhaps they're seen as having Scavenged the Holding itself. Let's say they cosied up to the previous ruler, a generous Knight without an heir, and was able to claim rulership after the Knight died.
He's hardened and haggard, but dressed in the finery of a ruler. Weak tone combined with intense manner and melancholic demeanour paints a sort of dourly threatening character, driven by wanting to prove himself as a rightful ruler.
Conceal ruin, memory of an injury, and growing shaking, could be combined to something more sinister. An old injury that never healed, leading to a weakening heart. Let's say he suspects he doesn't have a long life ahead of him, but wants to conceal it from everybody, driven to achieve the recognition he craves before he dies. He was once a guardian to the next ruler, but "estranged" suggests he may not consider her to be an heir.
Ruler 2 - Tresera Person Prompt: Zealous Student Appearance: Short Physique, Gaudy Dress Voice: Flat Tone, Relaxed Manner Personality: Ambitious Demeanour, Animal Interest Relationship (with Ruler 3): Adoring Friend Desire: Travel motivated by Guilt Task: Transport Animals Background: Drudgery, Memory of War Ailment: Intermittent Lethargy Heraldry: Jewelled Star (Emerald Star on Silver Field)
She studied under Wodwale, who treated her like a daughter, even helping her gain a Holding of her own, but that relationship has since broken down.
She wears her ambition openly in gaudy dress, appearing most relaxed when holding court or leading hunting parties. She has the look of somebody born to rule.
Still, boredom stirs inside her, sometimes feeling that she's achieved everything she can here, or perhaps that she didn't really achieve it for herself at all, owing too much to her former mentor. Sometimes she dreams of riding off into a new Realm to start anew, earning a position she can be truly proud of, taking just her prized hunting dogs with her.
Clearly from a humble background, she was anointed by a Seerafter serving as their acolyte, placed in rule of a modest holding, but told that she was doomed to eventually lose it to a siege. She defiantly prepares to face this threat, courting the service of any Knights that travel through the Realm, and hiring mercenaries that her coffers cannot afford.
She adores Tresera, in awe of her seemingly effortless nobility, and swore her support to Wodwale in part as a way to emulate her.
Her task of "Breaking Gold" could represent her spiralling debts, and her need to find some way to be rid of them. Maybe she really needs a mercenary company taking out of the picture entirely.
Elsewhere
Crab Dungeontalks about the transfixing power of maps and gazetteers
Weird Wonder digs into working social dynamics into the core of your locations
Goblin Punch asks what RPGs can learn from Elden Ring, and what they should leave behind
Coming Soon
Over on Patreon I talk about whether imbalance is always a problem in a wargame.
This is even more of a stream of consciousness than normal, sparked by a recent playtest of MAC Attack.
When we finished the game my friend asked:
"Why would I ever take a Short ranged weapon? I'd just make every weapon in my force Long ranged if I was building a new force"
Expect the full post here and on the blog next week.
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Arnold posts are always really good. We should get that guy on Substack so he has to post more and it's easier to pay him for it.