The Barony

[MrZJunior]

The Barony is an island floating in an endless sky. It is surrounded by cliffs, looking over the edge of the cliffs only reveals clouds below.

The Baron rules his dominion with absolute power. He is an old-fashioned man, obsessed with the feudal past; he became frustrated with the present and the slow degradation of the rights of the traditional nobility. One night in 1740’s he made a deal with The Powers That Be. No one knows quite what this deal entails, but when everyone woke up the next day the barony was hanging in mid air.

What followed was known as the Years of Darkness. All sorts of creatures and ancient magic was released and proceeded to wreak havoc. It became difficult for farmers to work their fields and get their produce to town. Society began to crumble as people became increasingly isolated and squabbled with each other over what the monsters hadn’t devoured. Much knowledge of life before the change was lost at that time. Finally, after many years, the gates of the Baron's castle opened for the first time since that fateful night years ago and an army of dark creatures poured out, driving the forces which besieged the villagers back. No one knows what this army is; they are referred to as The Baron's Men.

It has been many decades since the barony was moved, no one remembers quite how long. Today people live in small fortified villages; the gates are locked at night to keep the creatures which stalk the night at bay. The most dangerous creatures were almost all wiped out by The Baron’s Men, but still anyone out after dark is taking their life in their hands. The barony is a land of dark forests, high mountains, and deep ravines. Somehow, it always feels dark in the barony, even at high noon the shadows are sharp and black.

The party is hired by The Baron to act as "Ritters" to fight some of the things which his Men are incapable of dealing with; he also seems to like the idea of having his own band of knights. He is vague about what exactly the limits of his Men’s power are; he hints that there is some great price which is extracted from him when he makes use of their abilities.

The group doesn’t see The Baron directly at first; he always addresses them from the interior of his carriage. The carriage is black as midnight, which silver highlights. The Baron's coat of arms is on the side, a double headed bat. The Baron will reach out of the coach to shake their hands, letting them feel how bony and lifeless it feels through the white gloves. The Baron’s health is directly tied to the well being of his lands: as the party solves more problems for him his hand gains flesh and becomes warmer.

Locations:

The Baron's Castle: A massive gothic pile sitting on a bluff at one end of the barony. The bluff projects out over the edge of the island and parts of the castle sit perilously close to the edge. It has hundreds of towers and several concentric walls. It is made of either black stone, or stone which has grown black with age. At night the castle is almost completely dark except for the occasional ghostly blue light which wanders through it. People who have visited it say that the layout is different every time they visit, and that rooms seem to move about the castle when you are inside them.

The Bridge: This is half of an old fortified bridge which once connected the barony with the outside world; it sits at the far end of the Barony from the Baron’s castle. It was grabbed along with the barony; however, the Baron has no power over the bridge, since it technically belonged to the next lord over. The Baron's Men cannot pursue people onto the bridge. For this reason a tavern has been built on the bridge using the old tower as part of its fabric, it is called the Sundered Bridge.

Zitzschen: The main town in the Barony. Thanks to the Barons interest in antiquities it kept its medieval walls so when the Years of Darkness came the town was relatively able to withstand them. When a villager wants to go to the big city to make their fortune this is where they go. The Zitzschen militia is the closest thing to an organized military The Barony has at this time, at least a military composed of humans.

Priory of St Benedict: A nominally catholic monastery, they put the militant back in church militant. The brothers of the monastery fight the evil creatures that inhabit the world, especially the sort of things which like to prey on people or infiltrate towns. The current prior is Hugh Pelzer; he essentially acts as the unofficial head of the clergy in the Barony, he and the Baron don’t get along. Hugh doesn’t approve of The Baron consorting with dark forces while The Baron feels that Hugh doesn’t appreciate all that he does for the people of The Barony.

[Nobot]

Sounds pretty cool!

So what makes you think the PCs will want to work alongside the Baron? The first impression I get is that he might be evil, what with his dark minions and lifting his barony and its (probably non-consenting) people in it from the world and all... In terms of alignment, if I were a PC of the 'good' inclination in this setting, I wouldn't be easily convinced to become the Baron's Ritter, which sounds to me to be a neutral thing to be at best.

Also, It seems like it's going to be a dark gothic, maybe even horror-themed game. In my experience, atmosphere is vital in that kind of game, so I'd give special thought about conveying the 'feel' of this setting to your players. I wouldn't be afraid to whip out the candles if that's your group's kind of thing!

Finally, 'Zitzschen' is a bit hard to pronounce. I understand the Germanic look and feel you want to give the place, but I would definitely consider changing the name to something that's easier to pronounce and still German-sounding (without resorting to the cliched '-heim' suffix). Unless of course this is only going to be run for people who have no trouble with the pronunciation.

Do you think you'll post more on this or is this all you'll let us into for now?

[MrZJunior]

So what makes you think the PCs will want to work alongside the Baron? The first impression I get is that he might be evil, what with his dark minions and lifting his barony and its (probably non-consenting) people in it from the world and all... In terms of alignment, if I were a PC of the 'good' inclination in this setting, I wouldn't be easily convinced to become the Baron's Ritter, which sounds to me to be a neutral thing to be at best.

The Baron isn't evil, just incredibly selfish and self absorbed. He will generally do what he thinks is in the best interests of his subjects because that is what good lords do and he considers himself to be a good lord. Being benevolent feeds into his fantasies otherwise he probably wouldn't care.

I hadn't really considered the party refusing to work for The Baron, I would probably just play that by ear.

Also, It seems like it's going to be a dark gothic, maybe even horror-themed game. In my experience, atmosphere is vital in that kind of game, so I'd give special thought about conveying the 'feel' of this setting to your players. I wouldn't be afraid to whip out the candles if that's your group's kind of thing!

Definitely, I want the setting to feel Gothic, like a Hammer Horror movie with a bit of Castlevania and World of Darkness mixed in. I have some doubts about my ability to provide an appropriate atmosphere.

Finally, 'Zitzschen' is a bit hard to pronounce. I understand the Germanic look and feel you want to give the place, but I would definitely consider changing the name to something that's easier to pronounce and still German-sounding (without resorting to the cliched '-heim' suffix). Unless of course this is only going to be run for people who have no trouble with the pronunciation.

Do you think you'll post more on this or is this all you'll let us into for now?

Do you think Dappach would work better as a town name?

I'm not really sure what more I could tell you about the setting. Is there anything you would like to know?