GM's Eye View: Order of the Gold Mountain

This organization along with its Grandmaster is inspired by several sources. Starting with the character of Faelan who is in many ways a tragic hero, though his tragedy is of a more personal nature and directly tied to his upbringing and the “Curse of His Blood”. His tragedy occurs before the story, it is something that just is, and cannot be changed. The character channels the revulsion of his past, into producing something positive in the present. Achieving this transformation of consciousness requires a catalyst, which is present in the form of his mentor Krsnik of the Gold Mountain. Krsnik is meant to be an elemental force and he is directly lifted from regional myth. He is the world imprinting itself on the hot iron, which has been pulled from the forge of misfortune. Until this point Faelan can swing either way, striving to be himself, or strive to prove how he can be better than his siblings at emulating their father. Krsnik provides the discipline and guidance that any child needs. The manner of his training, the mentorship provided encourages the young Faelan to strive to aid others, the same way he has been helped.

Traveling away is meant to reflect the gathering of experience and knowledge. It honors the chosen ancestor (Krsnik), in a passive and youthful manner. His return to his homeland is the dawn of true maturity, because he has chosen to face his past. The Council Compact enters into this partly as a declaration of who he is, what he believes in, and is the public declaration of his respect for his mentor. The Order is formed as a manifestation of this.

The details of the Order its subsidiary arms, and members are loosely pulled from several sources. Naturally the Knights of the Round Table come to mind, based on the supported errantry, questing, and the theme of the rule of law, or rather might does not make right. Additional inspiration has come from the Song of Roland, assorted tales about Charlemagne and his peers, along with some modern fantasy writing. The purpose of the Order is to set a framework for the story, which in this case is similar to an age of enlightenment, a dawn on knowledge, and a beating back of darkness. This is in keeping with the horror dark ages background of the emergence from the Kaers and subsequent battles to tame the world. In this instance I have chosen to underplay the raw elements of horror in the game, with a veneer of civilized behavior particularly when related to what Thera does to the world. It should enhance the mood of the game when the ugly bits break through and wreak havoc.

Lastly the Order is there to provide an easy motivating factor for a group of characters, by having a member who belongs to the Order. When lacking a player motivated adventure, it is easy to substitute a more traditional, structured, point and shoot style story. In most instances these stories will be injected at appropriate times to progress the internal metaplot development of the game setting within the context of the campaign.

Campaign Themes

The overall theme of the campaign is one of growth and hope. Each of the characters should have personal, family, and community issues to overcome. Failures should happen and likewise they should be overcome. Starting at the Novice Circles of character development the adventures they will be involved in should be fairly straight forward in what their goals are, however they should hint at and have a backdrop that is much larger. The insidiousness of the horrors and even of what other namegiver’s do should become more and more evident as there level of involvement and exposure increases.

As the characters progress into the Journeyman Circles they should begin to have a true sense of what is happening around them, who is using them for good and who for ill. The players should by this point have goals of their own, and the scope of these goals should be transforming from purely personal to a desire to affect the world around them. Horror constructs, horrors, and conflicts with other Adepts should become more common at this point.

The progression to the Warden Circles should be a purely natural transition. At this point in time the characters are fully integrated and a vital part of the setting. They begin to produce the backdrop, to affect the world around them in increasingly obvious ways, and the adventures they are involved in should most commonly be related directly to their wants. Naturally they also come into conflict more and more often with the most dangerous of opponents.

Based on the themes, and guidelines for the different tiers of play, the campaign should progress in a more and more organic manner. Plots should be created by the player’s actions to a greater and greater degree. The adventures outlined below are merely milestone events and campaign arcs, which should occur at certain points of their development. As the adventures become harder there will be a transition from extreme detail, to a more narrative plot point, and suggestions.