Creating a New Campaign

Not that my old campaign is over I have started to work on what might be my next campaign.

I am looking at Swords & Wizardry or Adventurer, Conqueror, King

I like ACKs world building capabilities, but I like the Class and Races of Swords & Wizardry better.

So I started putting pen to paper with ideas I have had rattling around in my head for several years now.

I have always be intrigued by the Myth Cycle of Ireland and stories and mythology.

I am building a world modeled on it and some Sumerian/Babylonian aspects.

It is not meant to be Medieval Ireland or Europa.

On my Campaign Map I have drawn out a small realm covering 159 24-mile hexes. This qualifies it as a “kingdom”.  At the 4,000 families per 24-mile hex, the kingdom has a population of 636,000 families. Following the Political Divisions of Realms table, I decided the kingdom is ruled by a High King and is divided into 4 “provincial kingdom” (princedom), each controlling 159,000 families and spanning 40 24-mile hexes (14,964.48 sq. mi.). I decided that one of these provincial kingdoms will be one of the starting regions for the adventurers. My regional map should show the provincial kingdoms at about 640 6-mile hexes of settled land (approximately 14,964.48 sq. miles).

The next step is to determine the realm of Lord Wulfa, the Low King of the Provincial Kingdom of Hyre. I decided that Hyre has a population of 795,000, which equates to 159,000 families. Reviewing the Realms by Type table, he sees this is about 50% of the maximum size of a principality. 

Exactly 50% of 1,296 Max Numbers of Baron Domains is 639; I decided that the Provincial Kingdom of Hyre will consist of 640 domains. On the Revenue by Realm Type table, I estimate that Lord Wulfa should earn about 31,620 gp per month from his domains and another 7,186 gp per month from various urban settlements.

Lord Wulfa’s realm, the Provincial Kingdom of Hyre, consists of 640 domains with a total population of 159,000 peasant families (795,000 people). According to the Villages, Towns, and Cities Placement table, it has an urban population of 15,900 families and One City of 3,180 families. 

His realm is divided up into Five Earldoms, each ruled by an Earl with a population of 31,800 peasant families. Each Earldom has one Large Town of 636 families. 

Each Earl’s realm is divided into Four Counties ruled by Sheriffs, each with about 7,950 peasant families.Each County has One Village of 159 families. 

Each Sheriffs County is divided between Five Baronies, each with about 1,590 peasant families. Each Baron’s realm has one hamlet of 31.8 families. Each Baron’s Realms are divided between Four Stewards, each with about 397 peasant families. The Steward’s Holdings, and their subordinate Squire’s Lands, has nothing larger than isolated homesteads and small hamlets. 

Thus the Provincial Kingdom of Hyre has one city (3,180 families), 5 large towns (636 families each, or 3,180 total), 20 villages (159 families each, or 3,180), and 100 hamlets (31 families each, or 3,100). This accounts for a total urban population of 12,640 families, or 8% of the total population. 

The Cursed Sword of the First Centurion

I think am not a big fan of generic magic items, weapons or armor. For my campaign I created a number of unique magic items for the players to find and use.

Most of these items have some kind of catch too them. They often have to be turned "on" which requires some kinds of quest or adventure. Sometime turning "on" a items can have difficult choices.

The Cursed Sword of the First Centurion

This once great sword has been tarnished by the misdeeds of Antioch, former Senior Centurion and now leader of the Legion of the Damned. The metal of the blade is blackened and the grip rotted. Its scabbard is worn and cracked.

The Sword is a magical sword that is -2 to hit and -2 to damage. Whoever draws the sword is cursed to redeem the honor of it. They are under a geas to redeem the honor of the blade. This can be done in several ways

1) Slay Antioch with the sword. If fighting Antioch with this sword it becomes a +5 Demon Slaying Sword
2) If the welder of the sword can locate the missing golden eagle of the 5th Legion and touch the two together, The sword will be restored to its former glory
3) If the welder of the sword leads an army that conquers the Roverdowns and crushes the halfling population, The sword will be restored to its former glory

Legion of the Damned and the Cursed Sword of the First Centurion

When the sword is studied, indexed and cross referenced the history of the sword is revealed. This sword once belonged to the Senior Centurion of the 5th Legion, one of the Lost Legions.

During the great western expansion of the Empire of Thrace, the empire had sent its legions far and wide. After the first conquest of Traladar, it had set its sights on conquering the Rover Downs. The Empire sent three legions into the Rover Downs, The 5th, 12th, and 18th Legion. All three legions were under strength after decades of war. They faced many hardships in the Roverdowns; heavy rains, mud, and constant guerilla attacks by the halflings of the Roverdowns. They had fought deep into the countryside and eventually found themselves cut-off from supply and under constant attack driving morale even lower.

Eventually a mutiny began; lead by the 1st Centurion of the 5th Legion and the army was split in half. The mutineers switched sides, betraying their comrades. The loyalists in the legions were decimated. 3 months later a ragtag group of legionnaires marched back across the border into the Empire. All told, fewer than a hundred loyal legionnaires made it back. They carried with them only one of the three legion eagles, the eagle of the 12th Legion.

The Emperor went in to a rage when he received news of what happened. He was said to have cursed and damned the mutineers, promising them a slow death. He recruited the twelve best assassins in the world to hunt down the traitors. To escape the Emperor’s wrath the legionnaires are said to have made a pact with a powerful demon. The demon was said to have taken the traitors to Pantera, the demon moon, where they fight in his name as the Legion of the Damned.

It is said that these cursed men have become demons in their own right and often return to the Known World to slaughter and kill in their patron’s name. It is also said that the twelve assassins still hunt for them, collecting the bounty on the head of each legionnaire they bring to the emperor.

The Helm of the Lord of Horses

The Helm of the Lord of Horses

The Horse Lord, Lord of the Grass Sea, Master of Horses, Widow maker

One of the legendary Immortals who appeared after The Crucible gutted the heart of the Nethyr Empire. He is credited with uniting the scattered tribes of the Boundless Greensward and launching a bloody pogrom that saw cities burn and the death of millions. He disappeared over 500 years ago never to been seen again. He was said to have possessed four powerful magical items, known as his Glories. Legend holds that whoever possesses all four will be granted immortality.

The Helm of the Horselord

Forged from a single piece of Bronzium, the helm has a peaked bell shape that encompasses the entire head of the wearer. There is a t shaped opening for the front to see out of that is framed by downward sweeping bull horns

The Helm grants the user a number of powers but these powers can only be unlocked after a special rite is performed.

The Baptism of the Bloodline

Under the light of the two full moons, the owner must draw a magic circle using salt from the Bitter Lake. At the apex of the two moons while standing naked in the circle they must sacrifice a close family member by cutting their throat and filling the helm with their blood. They must then place the helm on their head letting the blood run over them.

The powers granted depends on the closeness of the family member who is sacrificed. Some of the powers attributed to the helm are:

Name	Relative	Powers (Progressive)
The Gouged Eyes of the Old Ones	Cousin, Grandchild	The user is granted superior sight along with Infravision and Darkvision. They can also see things that are invisible or cloaked by illusion
The Tongue of the Prophet	Sibling	The user is able to speak and understand any language
The Iron Gate of the Mind	Parent	The user is immune to all versions of ESP, Charm and Illusions
The Aura of the Old Ones	Child	The user has magic resistance (30%)

The Full Glory of the Horse Lord

When all four items has been baptized and the items are worn, the wearer will become immortal. Unfortunately at the same time the wearer is possessed by the spirit of the real Horse Lord who was slain by his own family and his spirit was trapped in his items.