Current Games
Birthright Mhoried
Introduction | The Realm of Mhoried | Torien's Watch | Clans | Creating a Character | Characters | World Lore of Cerilia | Story Log of Game Play
Birthright is an old, 2nd-Edition AD&D setting that had Player Characters taking on the role of rulers of Kingdoms and Realms in the world of Cerilia. Games therefore take on much more of a political aspect and my interpretation of that is very much in the vein of Game of Thrones. That means your actions have consequences, sometimes to do the right thing you will have annoy the wrong people.
Cerilia is a very interesting a different campaign setting. It has a lot of rich history that is different from other D&D settings. There are no Orcs or Trolls or Bugbears, just Goblins and Orogs, none of which are inherently evil and just want to survive like everyone else. There is even an indepentent Goblin kingdom. Elves do not like humans because they were driven from their lands by humans and are much more like the faerie of Irish folklore.
One of the most interesting concepts though is Blooded Characters and Blood Abilities. Certain people have blood abilities, that came about after a mystical, cataclysmic Battle of the Gods in the distant past. These abilities are passed down the blood line of a family and give characters special abilities, depending on the origin of the blood line power.
One blood line, originating in a dark god from the past, causes those with strong blood strength to become Awnshylin or Blood Abominations. They become twisted monsters, tainted by the dark power of their blood. These monsters are extremely powerful and some have risen to rule realms of their own. One of the worst of them is the Gorgan, a goat-like monster that have lived a 1,000 years and can turn people into stone.
More information on the World of Cerilia can be found here: World Lore of Cerilia
Mhoried is a former Duchy in the northern lands of Anuire. It is a large country with ten provinces and is in a way a frontier Realm, because it guards Torien's Gap, the only natural break in the Stonecrown Mountains that provides passage to and from the northern lands.
The game book hints that Mhoried has some similiarities to medieval Scotland. In this campaign, that similaritity will become more pronounced, so the names in the country will be based on Scottish clan names, so there will be lots of McDougalls and MacGregors etc.
Players in this campaign will not be the leaders of Mhoried. Instead, they will be the first born of the leading noble clans in the northern province of Torien's Watch in Mhoried. Players will be free to draw up as much detail as they like about the clan their character comes from, so long as it does not stray too far from the rest of the Realm.
Attention should also be given to family and the wider members of the clan. There will be friendships and rivalries and all the other things can come with a close family group. Who was your mother and father? What was your relationship with them? How many brothers and sisters do you have and what is your relationship with each of them. Is your character married? Betrothed? Has a mistress / girlfriend?
Remember - a lot of marriages in those days were arranged at young ages and for political or financial reasons. There is a lot to think about.
Players can also decide about what sort of Blood Ability they have inherited from the blood line of their clan and how that influences their character's personality, background and future plans. Blood abilities are special "powers" that a character has, that manifest usually in adulthood. There are many different ways they can manifest, from enhanced physical or mental abilities to being able to use magic or channel the power of the Gods.
Players are encouraged to think about interesting and different ways this could manifest and try to avoid basic, "game system" advantages, in favour of something more unique and interesting.
The campaign will definitely have a political element to it and the players will need to aware that their actions have consequences. While they are not currently leaders of their clan, they may be one day. Their family and their peers will look to them to show leadership and set examples, though they may all disagree on what those should look like.