Queen Samastina

[Martin]

I noticed Jeff mentioned in another thread that  Queen Samastina spent time in Dosakayo in Melib.

I would like to ask...when and why did she go there? and what happened while she was there?

[metcalph]

Possibilities:

• Checking out Belintar's old stamping grounds.
• Merchant venture
• Shanghaied by cirrupt minions of Queen Hendira.
• Made an official magistrate to Dosakayo for a few years.
• Retrieving the remains of a high-ranking female relative who had been sunk by the Kralori.
• Had an oracle to find Kylerela.

 

[jajagappa]

4 hours ago, Martin said:

when and why did she go there?

Dosakayo is a Kethaelan/Nochetite colony and settlement, and the primary eastern port shipping trade goods back to Nochet. Lots of reasons to go there and the major houses probably all have family/connections there.

Since the event presumably occurred in his house campaign, you'll need to ask @Jeff when and why it occurred.

[Martin]

4 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Dosakayo is a Kethaelan/Nochetite colony and settlement, and the primary eastern port shipping trade goods back to Nochet. Lots of reasons to go there and the major houses probably all have family/connections there.

Since the event presumably occurred in his house campaign, you'll need to ask @Jeff when and why it occurred.

So why did it happen Jeff and what did she do?

[Goldennose]

I would like to know more of what happened in war against Red-Earth faction? What are the major key points? What did Samastina gain from Gragspider? How big forces fought on either side and where did the big fights happen? Who were commanding warriors on both sides? These informations would be great in our campaign right now. But if there is not informmation about it anywhere, I have to just make it up.

[jajagappa]

2 hours ago, Caras said:

I would like to know more of what happened in war against Red-Earth faction? What are the major key points?

The main events are the Siege of Nochet and the Battle of Pennel Ford.  The Red Earth faction is pretty well crushed at the battle and left in disarray.  Queen Hendira and her husbands die there. 

The focus of the Red Earth is protecting their lands from the "Western Barbarians", aka Greymane and the Solanthi/Ditali Orlanthi.  That is paramount in Hendira's thinking, and the Lunars are good allies to help them there (as well as other allies of the Lunars such as the Grazelanders).  In 1621, Hendira is trying to develop this alliance in anticipation of yet another great raid by Greymane.  The Old Earth focus on opposing the Lunars and aiding Sartar seems like a folly to Hendira (plus Hendira is of House Norinel and thinks Samastina's House Delaeos is something of an usurping faction that will expose Esrolia to the barbarian hordes).  As of 1621, the Warm Earth faction is focused on Porthomeka, and the Demivierge cares little for the schemes between Hendira and the Old Earth faction.

There's really no battles per se after that - just Warm Earth and Old Earth factions ransacking and pillaging the Red Earth faction lands (during 1624).  Good time to stir up hatreds between cities and houses/clans. 

At that point (i.e. 1625, post-Dragonrise), you've got Queen Samastina in Nochet and North Esrolia with the Old Earth faction dominant; and the Demivierge of Rhigos with her Caladran allies and the Warm Earth faction dominant in South Esrolia.  Something of a wary battle of intrigue at that point.  Within that House Norinel and the remnants of the Red Earth faction begin to rebuild, probably starting at Mylagos in the heart of the old Red Earth territories (remembering that land is controlled and somewhat parceled out by the Earth temples based on many old, conflicting claims). 

You can get some feel for the balance of power reading the Esrolia Homeland overview in the RQG Core book. 

2 hours ago, Caras said:

What did Samastina gain from Cragspider?

Unknown.  Visions of the Future?  Prophecies?  Keys to get her to the throne in Nochet?  Suggestions to ally with Broyan and/or Argrath?  Unless you are playing Samastina, it probably doesn't matter (and probably only covered initial events to defeat the Red Earth given that the meeting occurs somewhere between Samastina's flight from Nochet ~1621 and the Siege of Nochet in 1623).

2 hours ago, Caras said:

These informations would be great in our campaign right now. But if there is not informmation about it anywhere, I have to just make it up.

What timeframe for your campaign? 

[Goldennose]

13 hours ago, jajagappa said:

What timeframe for your campaign? 

Start of year 1622 and Windstop is on. Our group are allies of Queen Samastina, from a help gained from her in the past. Our group consists of a princess of Greenstone Ernalsulva as leader of the group (NPC). Windlord thane of Greenstone (gained from Colymar Campaign), young vingan, Lankhor Mhy ally of Minaryth Purple called Jorjera Latish (NPC), Storm Voice of Orlmarth clan and Issaries trader... I am trying to make them somehow part of something intresting in this conflict.

Edited February 16, 2021 by Caras

[David Scott]

19 hours ago, Caras said:

What did Samastina gain from Gragspider?

If you look carefully at the four parts of Confronting the Firewitch in HQG, you will see that the reason she went there was that Cragspider had summoned her in her dreams.  She'd beed shown the Three Pronged King and the Lost Soul and was command to to visit Cragspider to learn the future (of the Hero Wars) - page 75. She commands Cragspider to stop the Blue Moon assassins plaguing her, and Cragspider tells her the prophesy. Craigspider is the source of the Black Dragon Mountain Pictoglyphs (GtG page 750). I suspect that she reveals the contents either in verse (like the Völuspá) or takes her somewhere to show her what will become the pictoglyphs - maybe even to the edge of the future to look forward. Either way she has some idea of what's coming. I suspect that the three pronged crown is the serpent crown in 15.

[Scorus]

And what does Samastina owe Cragspider for this great service?

[jajagappa]

3 minutes ago, Scorus said:

And what does Samastina owe Cragspider for this great service?

I'm sure supporting the plans of the Shadowlords and the leaders of the Shadow Plateau (which is very much in keeping with the Old Earth, but also a point of contention with Queen Hendira as she had troll bodyguards and likely some alliance with some troll leaders).

Note that in 1623, Broyan's route to Nochet is not over the seas, but through the Shadow Plateau, from where he engaged and defeated the Lunars' Grazelander allies near Valadon.  This defeat of the FHQ may have been critical to Samastina's success as a new FHQ arose who helped bring about the Dragonrise.

[jajagappa]

11 hours ago, Caras said:

Start of year 1622 and Windstop is on.

So this is very much a period of the Old Earth working in the "shadows" so to speak.  (There is no outright war, but clearly the Red Earth was in the ascendancy up until the fall of Whitewall.)

What happens next is the Great Winter, and that is a major blow to Red Earth power.  Of course, the cities have great stores of grain (and refugees from the country will flee to those when their local supplies run out), but the crops can't get planted/grow in 1622 and Hendira is unable to do anything about it - she is Ernalda's representative in Esrolia, but Ernalda is dead and so are Hendira's powers. 

I think much of the maneuvering between Hendira and Samastina is likely to occur in the Gods World, in the Great Darkness (or in the Gods World manifested in the Holy Country).  Hendira is relying on Lunar aid, and I'm sure is still concerned about Manirian raiders, particularly as they may go after the granaries of Red Earth allied cities.  Samastina will likely focus on embodying Ernalda to help her return from the Underworld/the dead.

The culmination happens the same day as the Battle of Auroch Hills.  Samastina emerges in the palace of Nochet (we're not sure from where, but perhaps climbs the stairs of the palace basement?), and casts down Hendira and seizes the throne.  Hendira and her allies flee the palace and Nochet. 

Samastina has twins later in 1623, probably fathered by Broyan.  Did this happen before or after Auroch Hills?  My guess is before as pregnancy would help prove that Samastina is now Ernalda, bringing life out of the Underworld.  And that means she must meet Broyan somewhere.  Perhaps returning from Cragspider, but I think more likely in the Underworld where Orlanth and Ernalda are "dead".  I'd vote for them being chained in the Halls of the Maggot Liege (aka Dead Yelm) as this makes a nice contrast to the Wooing of Ernalda by Orlanth in Yelm's Golden Palace. 

How that fits into events for your campaign is hard to say, but likely Samastina needs relics, tools, allies, etc. to prepare for or aid her Underworld quest.

[Goldennose]

These are all VERY useful and interesting informations. Thank you very much.

[Jim]

On 2/15/2021 at 1:26 PM, Caras said:

I would like to know more of what happened in war against Red-Earth faction? What are the major key points? What did Samastina gain from Gragspider? How big forces fought on either side and where did the big fights happen? Who were commanding warriors on both sides? These informations would be great in our campaign right now. But if there is not informmation about it anywhere, I have to just make it up.

Send me a direct message is you’d like to get some notes on Samastina and a group of adventurers visiting Cragspider, just in case it’d be of help.