Backford Aeolian Campaign

[Erol of Backford]

So what would be any reason a company from the Blackhorse Troop be near the Print or Jab Hills whereby one or two of the demonic steads would be captured and Gagix or another lessor queen would utilize them in her breading program?

What would the outcome be?

Is it possible that Ethilrist is drawn into some of the Heortland battles and or is near Backford at some time? I recall him acting as mercenary for the Lunars but not sure as to the details?

[Erol of Backford]

Would the Blackhorse Troop have been involved with the Lunars conquering the Heortland? Maybe as early as 1616, the Evil Year? I looked through the GtG but couldn't locate the cool colored Lunar Heortland invasion maps I recalled seeing somewhere?

1620 Holy Country: Lunar Empire conquers Heortland

[mfbrandi]

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

I recall him acting as mercenary for the Lunars but not sure as to the details?

There was an earlier period of service with the Lunars:

Quote

Ethilrist dutifully served the Red Emperor and fought at the Battle of Grizzly Peak. But in 1597, his 30 years of service expired without a renewal, and the next day he offered his services to the Feathered Horse Queen. Together they sacked Dunstop and halted Lunar expansion until 1602.

I don’t know whether there was a later one. Possibly.

———————————————————————
Edit: Harrek and Argrath definitely fought against the Black Horse Troop, so Ethirist must have been on the Lunar side again, but I don’t have dates at the moment.

Edited October 6, 2022 by mfbrandi
footnote

[Erol of Backford]

I found the map!

p.773 in GtG

[Erol of Backford]

1 hour ago, mfbrandi said:

Edit: Harrek and Argrath definitely fought against the Black Horse Troop, so Ethirist must have been on the Lunar side again, but I don’t have dates at the moment.

But they would have been conditional allies to the Queendom of Jab but that doesn't mean she may not have eaten one of them (the demonic horses) for her breeding program! Thank you Mr. Brandi.

Edited October 6, 2022 by Erol of Backford

[jajagappa]

7 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

Is it possible that Ethilrist is drawn into some of the Heortland battles and or is near Backford at some time? I recall him acting as mercenary for the Lunars but not sure as to the details?

Ethilrist (once his original commission was done and he settled into Black Horse County) did not seem to be one to particularly hire out unless there was some specific treasure to be gained for his personal benefit or to decorate Muse Roost.

However, he might well have been pulled into one of the Tournaments of Luck and Death whether by accident (and then have to extract himself, with some treasure) or on purpose (to gain some treasure most likely locked away either in the Shadow Plateau or the City of Wonders.  Not much need, I suspect, to actually go to Heortland.  But the Tournament in 1616 (occurring on the magical side of the Holy Country) could bring Ethilrist and some of the Black Horse Troop into proximity with Gagix.

I don't see Ethilrist as one who would necessarily let one of the invaluable demon horses just get eaten - they are sentient, and Ethilrist has a very precise number of them.  Losing one might force him to go back to Hell for a replacement. 

[jajagappa]

7 hours ago, mfbrandi said:

Edit: Harrek and Argrath definitely fought against the Black Horse Troop, so Ethirist must have been on the Lunar side again, but I don’t have dates at the moment.

Would have been the Battle of Heroes in 1628.  If I recall correctly, Ethilrist kills Gunda by releasing the Hound on a Doom Run, and Harrek subsequently sacks Muse Roost.

[mfbrandi]

8 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Would have been the Battle of Heroes in 1628.

Thanks. I had seen a Battle of Heroes reference, but didn’t have a date. Argrath and Ethilrist must have clashed before, as the KoS section on that battle gives us this (which happens before the battle proper, with the death of Jar-Eel):

Quote

Harrek the Berserk marched first against Black Horse County, whose lord had fought against Argrath years earlier. Harrek and his men ruined it, and plundered great treasures from its bottomless basement. But in the task Harrek’s best friend was killed, and so he was very unhappy.

Footnote 69 says that the best friend was “an unknown individual” — though I would have guessed his best friend was Gunda — but this is KoS (even if 2nd edition), so take that with a [pinch|bucketload] of salt. However, it does explicitly say that Gunda helped in the later actual battle:

Quote

Nor was Argrath without help. Harrek the Berserk and Gunda the Guilty, a valkyrie woman from Fronela, led the Free Army to help their old comrade.

… whether she survived it and whether Ethilrist was there, it doesn’t say (though you would think he’d be licking his wounds). The Guide doesn’t help: it has a lot of the KoS text but in a different order, making it seem that Harrek marches against Ethilrist after Argrath pulls the Wolf Pirate protection racket on Kethaela — but the KoS order seems to make more sense. WBRM/Dragon Pass might help, but I don’t have that.

Then, after Jar-Eel’s seeming resurrection (or a variant text not recognising her death at the Battle of Heroes) and Argrath’s marriage to the Queen of Holay, there is another confrontation, precipitating Argrath’s Lightbringers Quest:

Quote

[The Lunars] brought the giant Crimson Bat, which ate battalions at a time; the Bombardiers, who called down stones from the sky; the soldiers who could turn themselves into stone; the Black Horse Troop, demigods riding upon demidemons; the crimson ghosts; the Knockdown Machine; the Unheard‐of Wind; the scarlet specters; the red phantoms; the Empty Wind; and the Goddess of Six Arms.

After Sheng Seleris is retrieved from Hell (and returns to his people), there is the Battle of Dantolfol (trad. date 1680, revisionist 1646), where:

Quote

Argrath, inflamed into heroic proportions, slew the enemy king, and drove away the horse demons, even though they were invisible … Perhaps the demon steeds of Sir Ethilrist, who could cast a cloak of darkness to hide himself and his company.

… and there my Argrath vs. Ethilrist references run out.

So from Erol’s point of view, we want to know about the pre-1628 clash. With any luck, it is undocumented and can be whatever suits.
 

 

[Erol of Backford]

5 hours ago, mfbrandi said:

Battle of Heroes

Was that at/near Bagnot? Also it seems Ethilrist wasn't killed when Moost Rouse was sacked in 1628 as he's around after?

[jajagappa]

5 hours ago, mfbrandi said:

Argrath and Ethilrist must have clashed before

I've not seen any evidence of an earlier clash.  Ethilrist is not noted at the Battle of Pennel Ford or at Argrath's battles in Prax.  This may be a confluence of Argrath = Arkat where Ethilrist may have encountered/fought Arkat in his trek through Hell, or even in Ralios.

It could be that the "Argrath" reference here should really be to the kings of Sartar as Ethilrist served the Lunar Empire in the 1580s/1590s.

Of course, Ethilrist also counts Arkat among his ancestors. (see Guide p.750 sidenote)

8 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

Was that at/near Bagnot? Also it seems Ethilrist wasn't killed when Moost Rouse was sacked in 1628 as he's around after?

Bagnot was sacked after the Battle of Heroes - it was one of the followup events.

And, yes, Ethilrist knows how to crawl out of/escape from Hell after being killed.

He is around later - see the Guide p.750 where Ethilrist is writing from the mid-1640s.  "The war between the Red Moon and Argrath had raged on for over twenty years. Argrath conquered Saird, the Empire reconquered it, and then Argrath took it back yet again. My Black Horse Troop fought in each of those campaigns, as directed by the path of my soul" and "As a Hero, I was always welcome in Argrath’s court, even though I fought against him more often than not."

[Erol of Backford]

So Ethilrist and his Black Horse Troop would be like the Sun Dome Templars, they flow to where the coin but are not hated.

[jajagappa]

5 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

So Ethilrist and his Black Horse Troop would be like the Sun Dome Templars, they flow to where the coin but are not hated.

More-or-less, but let's say the "coin" is whatever Ethilrist finds of personal interest.  It is completely mercenary in that regard.  

As for "hated" that all depends on whether he lets the demon steeds feast upon a few local souls or not; or lets the Hound off its leash.

[jajagappa]

Btw, given many of your prior questions re: Londra, Quests of the Wooden Sword, etc. you will probably find this new release of use:

 

[Erol of Backford]

Was looking for that since I missed the Michigan Con!

[Erol of Backford]

Previously we moved away from idea of there being "knightly tournaments" on the Heortland Peninsula.

Curious as to anyone's thoughts on arena or gladiatorial games, exhibitions there, possibly in the big cities?

There would be circuses or entertainer troupes, traveling shows besides Trickster events? Does anyone have a list of possible troupes that might move through the Peninsula?

I am also thinking that there wouldn't be anything like a zoo on the Plateau as none of the cities there are large enough to support such a thing at lease compared to modern examples.

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Erol of Backford

[jajagappa]

36 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

Curious as to anyone's thoughts on arena or gladiatorial games, exhibitions there, possibly in the big cities?

There are no arenas in any of the cities of Heortland (I think you have to go to Furthest for that where Hon-eel patronizes such "blood" sports to fertilize her fields).  

But, yes, expect there will be festivals and tournaments at regular intervals around the cities or at certain sites in Heortland where clans gather to celebrate.  Most likely in Fireseason.  Expect to have contests in racing and horse-racing, wrestling, archery, maybe javelin throw.

40 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

There would be circuses or entertainer troupes, traveling shows besides Trickster events? Does anyone have a list of possible troupes that might move through the Peninsula?

Entertainers can be found in the cities and the caravanserais along the Heortland Road.  At some infrequent interval, I'd expect a Puppeteer Troupe to come through (or suddenly appear - they are masters of illusion after all).  

You could certainly have Bundalini's circus travel through.  

Otherwise it will be up to troupe leaders to determine if it's worthwhile traveling through.  But I don't think anyone has documented any.

[Erol of Backford]

I would have Bundalini on the list for sure. Who doesn't love dancing skeletons...

How is he animating the skeletons? Animate Skeleton Sorcery?

[jajagappa]

20 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

How is he animating the skeletons? Animate Skeleton Sorcery?

Unless you're playing Bundalini, I don't think it matters.

[mfbrandi]

21 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

How is he animating the skeletons?

He promised them Grateful Dead tickets, of course.

[Joerg]

On 10/16/2022 at 6:02 PM, Erol of Backford said:

I would have Bundalini on the list for sure. Who doesn't love dancing skeletons...

How is he animating the skeletons? Animate Skeleton Sorcery?

The dancers might be living people with a modified Invisibility spell cast on them.

 

[jajagappa]

50 minutes ago, Joerg said:

living people with a modified Invisibility spell cast on them

or Illusion Sight spells.

[Erol of Backford]

On 10/17/2022 at 1:24 PM, Joerg said:

The dancers might be living people with a modified Invisibility spell cast on them

On 10/17/2022 at 2:15 PM, jajagappa said:

or Illusion Sight spells

Animate Dead is cheap , you have to pay performers and feed them, etc. etc. They get upset, go on strike, leave and mess up your show at critical times... The margins are thin with traveling shows the way it is...

Also if someone cracks the skeleton up (Storm Bull or maybe more like Humakti) you should be able to repair them?

I have a new found respect for Bundalini who I think is actually both a spy and a merchant so to speak as he uses the skeletons as bests of burden between venues and the giant does most of his recon via illusionary sight and makes the giant look like a small tree when sneaking around? Could do a snatch-and-grab with those big hands...

a bald satyr with a monocle recognized later as Hairball, agent of Bundalini... in the Duke's party in the Hollow during Betty's test? The Stafford House Campaign

Edited October 20, 2022 by Erol of Backford

[Erol of Backford]

So the trade triangle is established via the Capratis family no-names and a marriage to the Eorl of Backford's cousin/something. Capratis Family is looking to formalize the wool trade with Seapolis. How many sheep, cattle, goats, horses, etc. would anyone guess in the Heortland as there seems to be ample pasture at the foothills from north to south and plenty of arable land between there and the coastline to the east?

[Joerg]

11 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

So the trade triangle is established via the Capratis family no-names and a marriage to the Eorl of Backford's cousin/something. Capratis Family is looking to formalize the wool trade with Seapolis.

Would the islanders import or export wool?

Depictions of Islanders show them usually in the (absence of) summer dress, with no indication of woolen tunics or mantles. The latter wouldn't be too practical when fishing in Dark and Storm Season, which is spawning season for quite a few commercially important fish and hence high season for getting into the boats, even in the face of storms and tidal surges.

Sheep are one of the most common beasts to graze on tidal flats. On some of the Atlantic islands north of Scotland (Orkneys, Shetlands, Faeroes) there are sheep kept entirely in the tidal zone, subsisting on sea grass and sea weed.

Colder climate sheep like the ones from Frisia have itchy wool, but that might be good for felting. Did anybody export raw wool?

 

11 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

How many sheep, cattle, goats, horses, etc. would anyone guess in the Heortland as there seems to be ample pasture at the foothills from north to south and plenty of arable land between there and the coastline to the east?

I would take the Sartarite numbers (presented in the GM Screen Adventure Book in the Cattle Raid scenario, IIRC), with about 80% as many cattle as there are (rural) humans.

Jeff's recent map of tidal flats shows a vast area between the Syphon and Bullflood estuaries that remain dry for most of the tidal cycle, and sometimes entirely during a cycle. This would be great grazing land for sheep, if the Frisian inhabitants of the Hallig small islands with artificial hills for housing are anything to go by. (Such artificial hills were there already during the Roman Iron Age, possibly earlier.)

 

11 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

Where is this from?

[Erol of Backford]

18 hours ago, Joerg said:

Would the islanders import or export wool?

Import, its cold out on the bay early morning, they all need knitted sweaters and hoodies when fishing.

18 hours ago, Joerg said:

Colder climate sheep like the ones from Frisia have itchy wool, but that might be good for felting. Did anybody export raw wool?

Just like the Heortland Plateau closer to the mountains, plenty of grazing. Itchy as part of some penance, like wearing burlap?

18 hours ago, Joerg said:

great grazing land for sheep

And so many many sheep there, goats, horses, cattle, especially dairy cows, the best Heortland cheese is actually the Syphon Salted Cheese from near Backford.

Can you guess which one of these guys below is the the Eorl's own Fromager?!

 

The Backfordians have a specialty aged cheese similar to hardened Dutch gouda made especially for the earth priestesses in Notchet. Its funny how the new trend in 1600 is to pair it with Clearwine, its very popular in circles with Western influences... who would have guessed? A more odiferous blend is actually used as stink bait by the folks in Seapolis with great success during fishing tournaments there.

18 hours ago, Joerg said:

Where is this from?

Its from TotRM 17 p.15. I like the Capratis connection to Nochet best for this campaign starting in 1600. Cheese and wool to Seapolis and cheese and salt to Nochet... still working it all out but there was a good bit on trade in this topic much earlier on.