Midian
Precis: A degenerate
family feuding amongst itself for control of a fractured kingdom
amidst a backdrop of traveling carnivals, fanatical inquisitors,
and duelists looking to prove their skill.
Conspectus: Ruled in the east by
Prince Medrose II and ruled in the west by Princess Avengelina—two
siblings who contest the other's right to sit upon their father's
throne; traveling carnivals and fortune tellers; fanatical worship of
a goddess known as The Lady of the White Way (a warrior-mother
goddess whose faith was spread by the sword in ancient ages);
inquisitors, witch-hunters, templars, and flagellants; settling
matters of honor with rapier and dagger duels; fencing schools;
dustbowl-roaming bandits and bugbear thugs, Southern Gothic
atmosphere
Taste, Sound, Image: Rotgut
tequila and beef jerky, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds's "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry,” Jerome
Jean Leon's Duel After a Masquerade Ball.
I like the combination of elements here. It reminds me of the AD&D duelist class from Dragon which (as a player) I was a big fan of.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll have to take a look for that duelist class. I've been making due with plain-jane fighters, but it would be cool to see if there are any mechanical abilities I might be able to steal.
DeleteSomeone may have put it online here:
Deletehttp://www.bobsenk.com/rpg/rules/chclass/duelist.html
I don't remember the particulars well enough to know if that's the same. It was in Dragon#73 and Best of Dragon Vol. IV.
Awesome, thanks!
DeleteWhen I first scanned the blurb
ReplyDelete"Midian...A degenerate family feuding amongst itself for control of a fractured kingdom...."
on my Dashboard, my immediate reaction was that you were doing Clive Barker's city of monsters from Cabal / Nightbreed.
And then I was sad. (But not that your version isn't awesome or anything....)
Well, I didn't say what was beneath Midian in my setting, right? Could be all Nightbreedy down there...
DeleteYeah, this is one of my favorites for flavor and feel - I like the idea of the lightly armored duelists - really perfect for the LOTFP flavored fighter class. The combination of American Gothic with dueling bravos and the Inquisition is pretty interesting - a mix of Carnivale, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Solomon Kane, and The Count of Monte Cristo.
ReplyDeleteOh crap... it's happening again... the GAME ADD...
I'm glad the Carnivale feel came through, that is definitely something I had in mind!
DeleteHmm...maybe it would be fun to dissect one of these write-ups and show where all the bits and pieces of my pastiche came from.