Difference between revisions of "NPCNWO/RiseOfTheAirKingdoms"

Latest revision as of 15:44, 4 February 2012

Rise of the Air Kingdoms

Welcome, players, to what I expect to be a long campaign. I'm going to start by asking a few favors of all of you - first, stay in the North. There are great heroes and foul villains, world ending calamaties to be stopped, and kingdoms to be forged all right here. There are byzantine politics enough in the upper echelons of Cherak and the Haslanti League, I'd prefer to stay out of the Thousand Scales of the Realm. There's adventure enough to be had, and world of different settings and climates - all that's missing are the deserts of the South. Second, I don't really think I need to say this, but don't bask too much in the evil. It's a brutal time, with systematic oppression being the back upon which society is built. It's a world where you can be a slave owner and be considered a pillar of the community. Embrace the differences between Exalted culture and the real world, but I'd really rather not roleplay out your character's child skinning fetish, you know?

While the start of the campaign, three years in the Colleges of the Fivefold Path and the North Wind, will have alot of times when events are dictated (when your Rector says its time to go on a field trip, it's pretty much time to go) upon graduation the world of the North will be open to you. Sure, there's going to be plenty of NPCs who are going to want to fit you somehow into their plans, with offers of Artifacts and Manses to which you can bond, so there will definately be some obvious paths you can follow. But give a thought to what your characters might want for their lives. You're Dragonblooded, the Immaculate Princes of the Earth, and Proper Rulers of All Creation (tm). You generally aren't the type of heroes who will take being given a fedex quest lying down. I can see you becoming the grand heroes of the North, or possibly, as suggested by the campaign's title, rulers of a powerful new faction of Creation.

Welcome to Cherak

Cherak is a major port city of the North, a thronging metropolis through which much trade between the Realm and the North flows. Cherak is aligned with the Realm and currently overseen by House Ferem, whose rule is subtly challenged by mercantile concerns, some of which can be traced back to House V'Neef and others to the minor House Margard, which bases its operations in the city. Several major houses of the Realm have holdings in the city, but the largest obvious presence is from House Ragara who often represent the Realm in negotiations.

Cherak is a walled city with a good harbor, but it has been a victim of it's own success. Growth has meant the city has sprawled beyond it's old walls twice so far and a large population lives beyond even the current walls. The town itself is divided into sections separated by the inner walls, with movement between the different sections somewhat restricted. With the growing threat of the Bull of the North, House Ferem has begun a major new fortification project to build yet another set of defensive walls around the new city boundaries, using both free and slave labor. It is difficult to say which group is treated worse: free laborers work alongside slaves from as far away as Harborhead, suffering the same dangerous, back-breaking conditions. Though the slaves are locked back in their pens at night while the free laborers can stagger home, their life expectancy is about the same.

The stresses of urban life in Cherak are relieved by a thriving drug trade. The Guild finds Cherak a profitable location, and acts both openly (bringing in slaves for work on the walls) and in secret, supplementing locally grown crops of qat with small amounts of opium and other hard drugs. Cherak is home to some powerful practitioners of First Pulse Style martial arts, who favor it's brutality in the gang wars that rage through the poorer quarters of the town. Gang related killings are almost a daily event in some quarters, and some areas are dangerous even for exalts to enter.

(Note: The above is from the Exalted Wiki)

The Colleges of the Fivefold Path and the North Wind

The Colleges of the Fivefold Path and the North Wind have tens of thousands of mortal students, and usually around a score of Dragonblooded in attendance at any given time. The Five Enlightenments of the Path are Athletics, Academics, Civics, Diplomacy, and Warfare; and the Colleges strive to challenge the four prediminant secondary schools of the Realm, and it is generally thought of to be among the best educations that one can receive in the Threshold.

The campus has dozens of buildings - classrooms, libraries, laboratories, dormatories, and dining halls, and the Dragonblooded are encouraged to interact with the children of patrician and wealthy merchant families in attendance, and to observe classes that interest them. Each class year of Dragonblooded are assigned a Rector, an adult Dragonblood who is responsible for overseeing their education. These Rectors are usually personages of some imporance in Cherak, and have vast powers over their Dragonblooded students. Some Rectors offer their students a gentle guiding hand, and others dominate the student's academic lives.

Dragonblooded students reside in The Palace of Len Occam, where they each have a suite of rooms where they live and may entertain guests. The furnishings of the suites of room are lavish, but represent the sensibilities of House Ferem. Often, Dynastic students usually redecorate their suites in the tastes currently popular in the Realm, and the suites of Outcastes often end up reflecting their varied pasts. The Palace has its own staff of servants, headed by Auspicious Dusk - a man to whom major domos everywhere may aspire.

NPCs of Note

NPCs were updated after Game 14

In Cherak

The Roseblack - In Cherak with two legions, planning for the seige of the Bull of the North
Ferem Amosa - Head of House Ferem, Satrap of Cherak, fire aspect
Ragara Takar - Senior Trade Legate (one of the Four Advisors to Ferem Amosa), water aspect (water, p 87)
Peleps Danic Damanchina - Former Rector, Now Wise and Knowledgable Advisor to the Satrap, fire aspect (fire, p 83)
Ragara Jasir - Humble and Honest Assessor of the Imperial Tax, (one of the Four Advisors to Ferem Amosa) earth aspect (earth, p 87)
Margard Nastani - Prime Legate of Cherak, (one of the Four Advisors to Ferem Amosa) air aspect
Ferem Helkar - Admiral of Cherak Navy, fire aspect
Ferem Malkator Yesihau - Commander of Cheraki Guard, earth aspect
Ferem Modina Wiso - Commander of the Cherak Watchers, earth aspect
Losayu Funidone Peocho - Quartermaster General, fire aspect
Hunting Spider - Ferem Amosa's Spymaster, air aspect
Ferem Havelock - Master Sorcerer, air aspect
Margard Merta - Head of House Margard
Margard Trevail - House Margard Minister of Warfare, fire aspect
Cynis Denovah Avaku - Dragonlord of Imperial Legionaires in Cherak, fire aspect (fire, p 87)
Cathak Meladus - Winglord in the Cherak Legion, Artificer in Avaku's headquarters, air aspect (air, p 83)
Tepet Elana - Imperial Magistrate, air aspect (air, p 89)
Cynis Takgana - Immaculate Monk, Sublime Abbot of the Fifth Coil, earth aspect (earth, p 83)
Peleps Japhen - Ship Captain, water aspect (water, p 83)
Deadly Rose Lord - Guild Ambassador, Wood aspect
Servant of Jade and Iron - Bodyguard to Deadly Rose Lord, wood aspect
Cynis Yorake - Crimelord of Cherak, Water aspect
Tevaned - Lieutenant to Yorake, Water Aspect
Gitato Faneluyo - Merchant Prince specializing in occult, taipan of Golden Firefly Association, water aspect
Unrepentant Jade - Former Student, Cheraki Magistrate, Water Aspect
Ferem Quintero - Former Student, Subaltern Minister of the Interior, Wood Aspect
Tiger of the Heavens - Former Student, Captain in Cheraki Guard, Air Aspect
Virtuous Cloud - Travelling researcher who is assisting in sorcery intruction
Margard Saiki - Monster Hunter, water aspect
Reflection of Chaos - Outcaste Adventuress, Earth Aspect
Ferem Esley - Provincial Member of the Lesser Deliberative, Air aspect
Margard Mier - Arrogant Adventuress, Earth aspect
Ragara Fallows - Bloodthirsty Member of Ragara Jasir's staff, Water Aspect
Cynis Soosilus - Goofball Student in Post Graduate Year, Wood Aspect
Kuk - Outcaste Mercenary in the employ of the Roseblack, Fire Aspect
Tanika - Tanika the Golden Whisper, enhanced essence mortal
Sad Sapphire Lance - Legate of the Artisan's Collective, god-blooded
Margard Pinchard - Cheraki Deliberator and Moro's father, mortal
Ferem Arrain - Cheraki Deliberator and trade magnate, mortal
Brilliant Tooth - Merchant Prince, mortal
Rotigohi Retichu - Master Engineer of the New Babylon project, mortal
Margard Rikayt - Minister of Education, mortal
Amethyst Scholar of the Golden Sky - Heretical Revolutionary
Glorious Serpent - Title given to a mortal servant of an Deadly Veiled Forge

In the Colleges of the Fivefold Path and the North Wind

Crow - Chancellor, earth aspect (earth, p. 85)
Ferem Lasha - University Sorcerer, Fire Aspect
Cynis Belar Norrin - Rector to Current Freshman Dragonblooded class, wood aspect (wood, p 85)
Nellens Malaki - Rector for current senior class, fire aspect (fire, p 85)
Jolsen - Current Senior playboy from Glittering Smoke District, Fire Aspect
Margard Rika - Current Senior aloof martial artist, Saiki's sister, Water Aspect
Soaring Wolf - Current Senior daredevil, Wood Aspect
Ferem Zulla - Current Senior bookwork sorceress, Air Aspect
Peleps Wannik - Current Senior, Latecomer expelled from Realm school, now a local hero too, Earth Aspect
Ferem Derson - Meddling regent, retired heroic mortal
Sagacious Garnet - Head Librarian, ghost blooded
Undefeated Raven of the Ice Forests - captain of university black helms, mortal
Chef Huey - Chef de'Cuisine of the Palace of Len Occam, mortal
Auspicious Dusk - Major Domo of the Palace of Len Occam, mortal

In The North

V'Neef Chead - Former Student, Location Unknown, Earth Aspect
Margard Miyako - Envoy to House Ragara, Air Aspect
Kasif - Missionary to Gethemane, air aspect (air, p 85)
Margard Moro - Margard representative Gethemane, Wood Aspect
Ferem Haining - Bishounen Sorcerer, location unknown, Air Aspect
Cynis Elin - Senior Trade Legate to Whitewall, Fire Aspect
Yurgen Kaneko - The one, the only Bull of the North
Peleps Deled - Shaolin Torquemada
Peleps Aramida - Admiral of the Realm
Ranya Petris - Haslanti airship captain, water aspect
Rutanjali - Bride of the Forest, wood aspect
Sleeves of War - Lunar exalt
Lumizent - Fairy Queen of the Winter People
Greyna Thold - Oligarch of the Haslanti League
Margard Kriez - Imperial Magistrate in Wallport
Morning Frost Willow - Former assassin known as Mother of Ash, ghost

Deceased

Master Cran - Sensei of the First Pulse Style, necromancer servant of the Bishop of the Chalcedony Thurible
Incomprable Ebony Comet - University Thaumaturge
Ragara Sai Yiimon - Preceptor Fell - The High Preceptor
Ragara Kollus - Preceptor Dark - Chancellor Dark
Ragara Delina - The Ivory Preceptor - Member of Deliberative from the Blessed Isle
Regara Tacy - The Jade Preceptor - Chief of staff to Ragara Delina
Ragara Jos - Preceptor Iron - Master of the Five Dragon Style
Cacaphony at Dusk - Preceptor Cemo - Ghost Blooded Allumni of The Institute
Distant Vulture - Wild Blooded Allumni of The Institute
Tsunami Sky - God Blooded Student of Preceptor Iron
Deadly Treasure - Wild Blooded Student of The Jade Perceptor
Tepet Martelli - Traitor to the house - Member of the Ragara Chantry
Deadly Veiled Forge - Abyssal exalted slain in Cherak by Peleps Deled's Wyld Hunt
Red Fist Hayoo - Dragonblooded, then ghost servant of Deadly Veiled Forge. Slain by Deled's Wyld Hunt
V'neef Tegraat - Wise and Knowledgable Advisor to the Foreign Tributary (one of the Four Advisors to Ferem Amosa), wood aspect. Assassinated by Lucien, summoned second circle demon
Steel Hand - First Age Automaton, destroyed by Nea (Virtuous Cloud's Superior)
Guardian of the White Forge - Alchemical Boosted Mortal

Campaign Events

Session One - Welcome to Secondary School! What!? A Haunted Dorm?

Kazuki's OOC Synopsis

Mizugami's Journal

Mizugami's Page - Additional character info can be found here.

Kazuki's Sister's Diary

Kazuki's Sister's Diary - Session One - An in-character diary written by Kazuki's sister, Mahiro. Read everything else before reading these.
Kazuki's Sister's Diary - Session Two
Kazuki's Sister's Diary - Session Three
Kazuki's Sister's Student Festival Committee proposal report - Supplemental to the Session 3 journal.
Kazuki's Sister's Diary - Session Four
Kazuki's Sister's Diary - Session Five

Kazuki's Page - Additional character notes can be found here, including information on the 4 Idiots.

House Rules

NPCNWO/WushuHouseRules

Credit Where Credit Is Due

In addition to quite a bit of the Exalted first edition material and stuff from this and the White Wolf Exalted Wiki, I'm pulling inspirations for this campaign from the animes Naruto, Ruroni Kenshin, Bleach and Twelve Kingdoms, as well as the Champions New Millennium, Alliances, and Teen Champions sourcebooks. Finally, I'd like to give a nod to Voidstate's Exalted Name Generator - coming up with NPC names is a weak point of mine, and that generator became an invaluable tool.

Comments

The huge battle in Session Fourteen wasn't Fast, Furious, and Fun. It was just long. Epic things happened, and I think that I as GM was more disappointed in the way that things went than the players were - but it became clear to me at the powerlevels that I was wanting for this game, Savage Worlds wasn't the system we should be using. Up until this point, I'd resisted buying much for Exalted second edition - I had the main book and the Dragonblooded book, and wasn't enamored with much of what I saw. But, the timing of the big errata release for the Dragonblooded book couldn't have been better for our group. By Session Seventeen, we had completely transitioned the campaign to Exalted 2nd Edition, even though there are some NPCs still languishing with only a Savage Worlds write up.