Advanced Rulebook
SETTLEMENTS
GUILDS
GODS & PHILOSOPHIES
PHILOSOPHIES
ORGANISATION POLITICS

ORGANISATIONS

The following Organisations are separated in to settlements then Guilds and finally Gods (Temples). An Organisation consists mostly of likeminded people who have grouped together to increase their power base.

Whilst the Organisations are global they are split up into Settlement-States and even individual settlements sections, and thus the local Organisation members usually have local concerns that may cause them to ignore what is best for the Organisation globally. It is possible for an Organisation to carry out actions, such as issuing Quests, that are actually detrimental to the settlement that the issuing Organisation is in, but this is the cost for greater world power. However, the local area's interests are more often placed above that of other areas.

Many citizens believe that the harmony of a worldwide Organisation is a myth despite the propaganda saying otherwise.

SETTLEMENTS

Most settlements are extremely well defended and their citizens are able to use a wide range of techniques to protect their homes. Especially in the big cities, the general citizens may have backgrounds similar to those of the normal adventuring party but they have done their part for society and now live less dangerous lives and raise families. Adventurers themselves are not that uncommon, and are held in varying views by different people. Some see them as annoyances, whilst others see them as heroes, but most view them in a more balanced light. Due to the presence of Gods and magic in particular, the homes of the powerful and wealthy are not easily infiltrated. With the ability to become invisible and fly, etc deterrents like counter-spells, traps, and guards are common security. Therefore it is extremely dangerous to even attempt to go places where you are not invited. This extends to the market place - if Thieves were able to just rob powerful merchants, then these merchants just wouldn't bother trading anymore. So the Thieves of the world have learnt not to be too greedy and therefore avoid the attention of potentially powerful enemies.

The most important people in a settlement are referred to as Officials, be they Settlement Officials, Temple Officials, etc.
Settlements are ruled by Settlement Officials. The Officials may rule the settlement via a method similar to democracy, or just one person could rule a settlement due to being the head of the royal family or a conquering tyrant. The Settlement Officials can be from any walk of life such as military officers, members of a Guild or Temple, civil servants, members of the noble families, retired adventurers or even just someone that was once an ordinary citizen and has since risen to a position of power by some means.

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SETTLEMENT SOCIETY

Another problem different from our real life history is in court life. Some people are able to detect when truth has not been spoken, or persuade someone to do something and rumours are that a few rare individuals can even read the surface thoughts of a target. But, as with all things, counter-measures have been developed to block, hide or reverse such effects. This has created a complex society, as anything of a magical nature is renowned for being unstable, and one can never guarantee if the various abilities will work correctly. Thus those trained in the ways of court interaction still hold the majority of power, as they do not need to rely on magic (although many use it to enhance themselves, just in case…). The best thing to remember is that if it can be done; there will be something to counter it, thereby keeping society reasonably stable.

Some settlements have every Organisation present in a major way, whilst others only have only a few Organisations present in a major way; it is important to keep in mind that the other Organisations are still present. Citizens are often surprised when they find out just who is really a member of a Guild. For example, an Innkeeper may have been a Thief previously, and could still be part of the Thieves Guild. In comparison to Settlement Officials the Temple and Guild Hierarchies can operate across the settlement borders, and are often well informed of the global goings-on. Although trying to get such valuable information out of them is unlikely to be successful unless you have the highest Rank.

No party or Alliance is totally settlement based, as, after all, they are adventurers. Alliances are generally respected, but even the most powerful are not considered totally suited to running a settlement. Each settlement has its own relationship with other settlements. Most of the settlements are under the control of a Settlement-State, and thus pay taxes and expect protection in return. In most, the Officials are made up of at least a few representatives from the various Organisations (see Gods and Guilds for more information) that hold the most sway in the settlement. However there are some that have very little to do with most, or possibly even any, of the Organisations. In an ideal world an Organisation in one settlement would talk to their members in another. Unfortunately paranoia is a major problem, based on the countless times that someone has betrayed their Organisation in favour of themselves or their local area. For example: If the minions of Garthrana heavily influence two nearby settlements, many would assume that they would communicate with each other on a regular basis. The problem is that the Priests in Settlement A might not trust the Priests in Settlement B. This could be for a number of reasons, such as Settlement B has a strong Thieves' Guild presence, or that Settlement B has been making hostile threats to Settlement A. The reasons often quickly mount up and result in a complex relationship requiring careful diplomacy to avoid violence.

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SETTLEMENT-STATES & SETTLEMENTS

The civilised areas of the world are ruled by the cities, which have generally been involved in power struggles with other cities since their origin. The result is that some cities have managed to conquer and hold settlements belonging to another Settlement-State and, in some cases, more than one. The countless scheming of various people keeps the political map of the world constantly changing, and thus the Settlement-States are always on the lookout for signs of trouble. Each settlement has its own over-view description. These descriptions may change over time, depending on what events have happened in and around the settlement.

Each settlement has several key things to keep an eye on, Fortification, Food, Magical Energy, Maintenance, Trade and Morale. Drops in any of these can cause severe problems, whilst good ratings in any of these are beneficial. It is possible that a settlement might be so badly damaged or undermined in some way that it drops in standing, thus a city becomes a town, a village, or is maybe destroyed outright. However this is a rare event. Parties and Alliances can and do effect the various aspects of a settlement for the better, or for the worse.

GUILDS

It has often been debated that the various God Temples are also Guilds, but there will be more information on the Gods in the next section.

There are three Guilds, the Thieves Guild, Magic Cyrcle and the Bankers & Merchant Guild. Each of the Guilds is mostly made up of members of the different professions of the same Class, but they are all tied with a similar goal, for example, Thieves Guild with Pickpockets, Rogues and Scouts. This often creates problems, as the different members try and pull the Guild in different directions.

Each of the Guilds has access to specialised magical rituals and items that are predominately based around their main interests. There are several Organisation specific rituals and items that have even been developed that even the Magic Cyrcle knows little about.

Since the Guilds and Temples have such huge and widespread power bases, they are able to bring a lot of influence to bear on any settlement, and also each other. It is a combination of size, bureaucracy, corruption, internal power struggles and time that limits any of the Guilds and Temples from gaining too much global power. If someone crosses a Guild or Temple in a big way, they will need powerful allies to enable them to stand up to the likely repercussions. People have successfully used this system of diplomatic pressure to their own advantage

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THIEVES GUILD

The Thieves Guild by and large holds Novala in the highest regard, but they also generally try to keep religion out of the mainstream of their politics. They have a presence everywhere; all settlements have at least a few members in their midst. They are more concerned with personal wealth, and the Status that comes with it. As such they tread a fine line that involves robbing from the rich and powerful, whilst not picking on anyone who is too powerful. Each settlement has its own Master Thief. This way they control their own area, and outsiders are not allowed to operate in any major tasks in the area, or risk the Thieves Guild's wrath - which is often quite subtle but can be exceedingly deadly. There are times when members from another settlement's Thieves Guild may be operating in a different settlement, this may be because the action was sanctioned, but then again it may not. There are rumours of a King of Thieves, but of course this is considered by most citizens to be pure speculation. Special Quests tend to be very subtle and low key. It is likely that the Quests are just to further the local leader's goals and no one else's. Common Special Quests are carrying out sanctioned robs on powerful targets, collecting information on people, or maybe even planting evidence to frame someone.
The Assassins Sub-Guild is a secret sub-sect of the Thieves Guild. It is unique amongst the Guilds in this regard. They hold Ythcal in high regard, creating an odd mix, as Novala and Ythcal do not normally get along. In a few settlements the Assassin Sub-Guild operates quite openly, but in most places the Assassins Sub-Guild operates in secret, usually using the Thieves Guild as a front. Although difficult to contact, the majority of people know that the Guild is lurking nearby somewhere in the shadows. The reason for the Guilds continuing survival is speculated, some saying that it is most likely due to some conspiracy of mixed Organisation members protecting it, or that there are more pressing matters to attend to, or that the Guild occasionally works for some Officials and is protected from the law in the process; it is probably a mix of all three reasons. Unlike the Thieves Guild, the members of the Assassins Sub-Guild often operate in other settlements, although this is normally carried out in secret. As a member of the Thieves Guild Rank increases, members of the secret Assassins Sub-Guild may approach and ask them to join. Not all candidates prove to be suitable, but most that are chosen are usually good candidates.Special Quests are very subtly carried out; to do otherwise is to invite death. These Quests are usually information gathering or an actual assassination contract, once the Guild considers it has enough information on the target. The very important contracts are rare, due to the high profile nature of their targets, and their ample protection, but it is possible that even the most powerful NPCs can be killed. Uncommon Quests are the deaths of failed or traitorous members.

BANKERS & MERCHANTS GUILD

No one God is held in high regard by the Bankers & Merchants Guild; they are all worshipped so as to not offend any of them, although many point out that a lot of members more actively follow Phyloqure or Novala. In the ever-changing world of Kharne it is difficult to keep reliable trade going. Too many political upheavals and monster invasions affect the market place. After the long wars of old, the Merchants & Bankers have organised themselves into a Global Guild, and now use their influence to stabilise the Settlement-State economies, for their own profit of course! Out of all the Organisations it is believed that the B&M Guild is the most globally stable.Special Quests are quite varied, but can all be traced back to the same motivation, safe and profitable trade

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MAGIC CYRCLE

Practitioners of magic, although not common, are also not that rare. Just about everyone in the world will have been in a situation where magic has been used, even if it was minor magic. This has led to magic being accepted into society as just another part of the world. Thus the general population, although fearful of the power of magic, does not panic at its mere mention or sight.The Magic Cyrcle has its own agenda, that of personal power. This agenda is not hidden or politely kept out of sight; this has been described as both reassuring and unnerving for those that deal with the Magic Cyrcle, that they know roughly where they stand. Some Cyrcle members are devout followers of a particular God, whilst most just follow a Philosophy. Since the leaders of the Magic Cyrcle have access to incredibly powerful magic, they have a lot of tangible power, but they are curiously not interested, generally, in fleeting status and thus do not regularly get involved in the politics of the Settlement-States. It has been known for a powerful Mage to go rogue, attempting to use his powerful magic to give himself great influence in the day-to-day running of his area of the world; this sort of rogue action could result in a bounty being placed on the rogue Mage, then again it may not. Due to the general distance from settlement politics the Magic Cyrcle has nearly always been strong, even despite some harsh global events. This means that they are generally not able to take advantage of the political climate as much as others, however their careful distancing also gives them a useful advantage in that the other political players normally become very cautious when the Magic Cyrcle gets involved in a political matter.
The Magic Cyrcle is considered to be a very dangerous group of people. The different specialist professions pull and push the Guild in several directions; this distribution of the guild's interests has resulted in a few cases where they have been blatantly drawn into the internal disputes of other Organisations. The worst aspect of the Magic Cyrcle, to many of the normal citizens, is the paranoia that the plots of the Magic Cyrcle are actually more commonplace than just a few cases and that Kharne has been under their sway since the Guild's forming thousands of years ago.
The powerful magic of the Cyrcle is the primary reason for the Guild staying strong. Due to this the Magic Cyrcle guards it powerful magic carefully, making the acquisition of new spells a very drawn out process. Members have to spend a long period of time, or gain a lot of Status, to get access to even the most basic of the superior spells or rituals. Even after a lot of hard work, many members of the Magic Cyrcle given the blessing to learn the superior spells and rituals find that they are beyond their control.Special Quests from the Magic Cyrcle may be to bring rogue members back - or kill them, to search for clues to the locations of rare and powerful artefacts, or the acquisition of uncommon ingredients such as monster parts, magic items and NPC items.

GODS & PHILOSOPHIES

With the Gods granting power to their Priests and, even occasionally interacting on an almost personal level via an Avatar, the general population has learnt to respect all of the Gods. It is unwise to spurn any of the Gods, even if, for example, the person is a devout Garthrana follower, they will still pay Fleyshur a bit of respect, if only out of fear! For this reason all the Temples have a small area set aside to pay passing respect to all of the Gods, not just the God the temple is dedicated to. Respect and loyalty are not the same thing: so although a Garthrana follower may speak out openly about the minions of the Evil Gods, they are unlikely to directly speak of the Gods - plus the very devout feel safe in the knowledge that their God will help them in times of need

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ALIGNMENT

It is important to note that the characters in your control are not slaves to your every whim. They do have ideas of their own and this is indicated by the alignment of the party. If you order actions that are strongly opposed to your party's alignment, it is possible that your characters will not co-operate. Alignment is especially important to any Priests in your party. Priests are the servants of the Gods. They are trained to spread knowledge of the Gods and are gifted with special powers to help them in their work. The extent of these powers is largely dependent on their dedication and experience, but the nature of the powers they receive depends on their alignment.

It is quite possible with prayer to become dedicated to one particular God and so be far over to one side of the alignment chart. If you do this and then decide to worship another God, you will not be accepted at first and your alignment will drift from your first God back towards neutral. Once you have become neutral, regular prayer will move you in the direction you wish to go. Certain Priest professions pray only to a single God or follow a belief. Should you wish for one of these to join your party, you may find that they restrict future actions of the party. These are generally detailed in the information token corresponding to the profession at the time of recruitment. With the set alignment setting it is possible to have a lot of control over your alignment.

GODS

The eight Gods are the same ones mentioned in the basic rulebook. Being Gods they do not think the same as mortals, and as the millennia have gone by, historians have tried to fathom the reasons for many of their actions. Their plans often take generations to unfold and many people are surprised when there 'appears' to be a sudden burst of activity.

1. Baldor, Lord of Healing - Good

Baldor is a kind God and his Priest must always be prepared to provide aid to the weak and the sick. Followers of Baldor are greatly respected by common folk and because of their alignment are often called upon as judges in non-religious disputes.

Symbols associated with Baldor are: - Ankh, Chalice

Colour: - White

2. Garthrana, The Avenger - Vengeance

Garthrana is a Goddess of vengeance against evil. Although of good alignment, she is war-like and prone to great rage - especially against the followers of the evil Gods. Her followers must campaign constantly against the evil creatures of the wilderness.

Symbols associated with Garthrana are: - Cross(various designs), Flaming Sword(or other item), Fire(whether torch or bonfire)

Colour: - Gold

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3. Sundonak, Warrior Lord - War

Soldiers throughout Kharne worship the God of war. Courage and honour are highly valued, while cowardice and treachery will earn his eternal contempt. His followers believe that there is no greater honour than to die in battle.
Symbols associated with Sundonak are: - Fortifications, Weapons & Armour
Colour: - Metallic Grey

4. Fleyshur, The Destroyer - Destruction

Fleyshur is a God of devastation and violence. Fleyshur delights in conflict and battle. While he does not object to slaughter, he prefers a more even battle, where both sides take damage.
Symbols associated with Fleyshur are: - Blood, Mangled Body, Barbed Weapons and Armour
Colour: - Dark Red

5. Ythcal, Lord of Death - Evil

Ythcal is less violent than Fleyshur, but evil to the core. He likes pain and death. He is probably the most feared of the Gods, and all other Priests usually shun his followers who are encouraged to injure and kill whenever they get a chance.

Symbols associated with Ythcal are: - Skull and Bones (anything skeletal), Diseased Body(boils and sores), Swarm of Flies
Colour: - Black

6. Molwanh, Goddess of the Fields - Nature

Although a nature Goddess, Molwanh is far from benevolent. She resents the order which civilisation brings to the wilderness and takes pleasure in killing crops, sending evil spirits, and making foul weather. Peasants and farmers pray to her constantly in an attempt to appease her.

Symbols associated with Molwanh are: - Plants, Animals, Farming Tools, Weather
Colour: - Green

7. Novala, Lady of Fortune - Luck

Novala is the queen of trickery, wilfulness and deceit, worshipped by Thieves, charlatans and lovers. She often acts on a whim, sometimes to aid, sometimes to hinder. Her followers are natural suspects whenever a robbery or swindle has occurred.

Symbols associated with Novala are: - Spinning/Flipping Coin, Dice, Cards, Ample scene of Food and Wine
Colour: - Rainbow

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8. Phyloqure, Master of Scrolls - Knowledge

As a God of knowledge and wisdom, he believes that knowledge will ultimately overcome ignorance and that violence is folly of the worst kind. Scholars have found that study and research come easiest to Phyloqure worshippers.

Symbols associated with Phyloqure are: - Scrolls, Books, Open Eye
Colour: - Purple

ORGANISATAION RELATIONS

It can be hard to work out the relationships of the various Organisations due to many events characters are likely not aware of, but the following provides a generic basis.

Due to the different natures of the Organisations they do not necessarily have the same relationship with each other, and things do not always have to end in violence. Also due to the nature of self-preservation, and/or strange bedfellows, these stereotypes are not as true as some might think.

The following table shows an Organisations perceived opinion of the other Organisations, the table is read horizontally from left to right with the vertical columns containing the current horizontal lines Organisation's opinion.

F = Friendly - the minions of the Organisation are on good terms and are likely to be quite friendly to the minions of the designated Organisation.
T = Tolerate - the minions of the Organisation tolerate minions of the designated Organisation, although things may not always go well.
I = Indifferent / Neutral - the minions of the Organisation do not go out of their way to socialise, and most meetings are kept very formal and to the point.
H = Hostile - the minions of the Organisation have a strong dislike of minions of the designated Organisation. When they do meet, it is likely that things may quickly become hostile.
L = Loathe - the minions of the Organisation strongly dislike, or, in some cases, have outright hatred for the other. Any meetings of these minions are almost certain to end badly

Bal Gar Sun Fle Yth Mol Nov Phy TG Mag B&M
Baldor NA F T L L H T F H T F
Garthrana T NA T L L L L T L I F
Sundonak H T NA T H H H H L H F
Fleyshur L L T NA H T L L H H I
Ythcal L L H H NA H L H H H I
Molwanh H L H H H NA I I H I L
Novala I I I L L T NA F F I F
Phyloqure F T I L H T T NA T F F
Thieves I L H L I/H I F T NA H L
Magic T I H H H I I F H NA I
B&M F F F I H L F F L I NA

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PHILOSOPHIES

Instead of just worshipping one of the eight Gods, it is possible to follow a Philosophy. The four philosophies are Good, War, Evil and Peace. You can see which Gods apply to which Philosophy on the alignment table shown on your turn. By choosing to follow a Philosophy instead of a single God, the party or Alliance is not restricting itself, but have more direction than if they remained neutral. Anyone that chooses a Philosophy will have dealings with all three of the Gods concerned with that Philosophy.
For Example: an Alliance following a Philosophy of Good will generally have dealings with Phyloqure, Baldor and Garthrana.

ORGANISATION POLITICS

Politics envisions different ideas to different people, like most things in life, so some players may consider it important to define what is meant by Quest Politics. Politics is the study and practice of public affairs. Politic means prudent, cunning, opportune, expedient. Whilst Quest Politics tries to portray a similar in-depth society it does so in a way to try and limit the individual players requirement of high-level understanding of psychology, sociology and economics. There is however still some knowledge basis required to be able to play the game at the higher levels of political power, which the section endeavours to provide.

MOTIVATIONS & PERSONALITIES

The most important consideration when dealing with any Organisation is to remember that everyone in that Organisation, be they a PC or NPC, has their own personalities.
This means that when dealing with an Organisation the player needs to find out more information about a character, which is normally achieved via the use of a SA, although other means such as newsletter information is possible. Things to ask yourself and to try and find out about members of an Organisation are:

  • What motivates the character? Answers could be things like:
    • Greed for power/wealth.
    • An ethical calling such as wanting to do what is beneficial for their friends/family. This ideology leans towards the good Gods, but can be followed without being devoted to a God.
    • Devotion to a God/Philosophy, possibly to the point of having to choose between their friends and family.
    • Emotionally Driven. For example the character could be seeking revenge in retaliation to friends/family being killed.
  • How best can the character be manipulated or befriended. If you know what motivates someone then that knowledge usually forms the basis of how to manipulate them or befriend them. For example:
    • Knowing as little as that someone follows Garthrana will give you a general idea that they stand for Good but are not afraid to fight for what they think is right. To take this a stage further, a common stereotype of Garthrana is that they are too fanatical and often start fights - the question here would be, should the character be treated as this sort of Garthrana follower? The answer could be to take the risk and do so, or get more information about them, or do neither and hope no problems arise.

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DIPLOMACY

The following are labels that people usual put on the diplomatic relations between settlements, and occasionally the other Organisations. As with all moderation the information could be wrong and it is only a label, so it is quite possible to have two merged Organisations and the Officials to work against each other.

MERGED

The Organisations have reached a point where it is decided that it is highly desirable to actual join the Organisations together, or something has provided a strong enough reason to do so. Merged Organisations share the running of their individual interests and in the long-term likely end up being run as a single Organisation.
If Organisations merge it does not change the official goals of an Alliance, the Alliance can of course change their goals. It is possible that the merging of the Organisations affects the Alliance's Rank and Status. If this is the case the Alliance will be notified
.

ALLIED

The Organisations are on excellent relations with each other. If someone crosses one of the Organisations it is highly likely that the other Organisation will provide some sort of assistance. This sort of relational state is not easy to sustain, as each Organisation has its own agenda, but it can be very profitable if it is with trade goods and information.

FRIENDLY

The Organisations are on pleasant terms with each other. The Organisations can likely request assistance from each other, although usually at a price. Trade relations often flourish between the Organisations, but not always.

NEUTRAL

The Organisations are neither on friendly or hostile terms with each other. In this sort of diplomatic state the Organisations could sustain profitable trade dealings and avoid any hostility for a long period of time, and even develop new trade agreements

HOSTILE

The Organisations have very difficult relations. Those involved in dealing with each other likely have to be extra careful to avoid the slightest cause of offence.

WAR

The Organisations are at war; relationships are very strained to say the least. It is possible that a more diplomatic resolution can be found to outright violence, but it usual takes a pinnacle event or a third-party to intervene to initiate diplomacy.

VENDETTA

The Organisations are not only at war, but the war is extremely personal and often results in very extreme actions being carried out during the conflict. The chance of a diplomatic resolution to the war is unlikely due to the obsessions of those involved.

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