TEXT: BOND OF DELCHARD 
   
  A Scenario for Godbound  
  (an RPG by Sine Nominee Publishing) 
  By Luke Walker 
   
  This scenario was generated using the Court 
  random generators in the Godbound Beta 1.0.  
  Words that are italicised and bolded are the first 
  instance of important elements. 
   
  HOOK 
  The duchy of Delchard stands inside the borders 
  of Ancalia, at the junction with the Atheocracy 
  of Lom and the Oasis States. Like much of 
  Ancalia, it is much diminished from its former 
  glory. However, the duchy continues to survive, 
  even though its twin sovereigns, the Duke and 
  Duchess, fall to ever increasing decadence and 
  decay. 
   
  Despite the proximity of the other two nations, 
  it has managed to maintain its sovereignty due 
  to a powerful magical ward called the Bond of 
  Delchard. Though the origin of the ward is now 
  lost, the legends say that it enables the Duke 
  and Duchess to retaliate against a single 
  invading foreign state with devastating impact.  
   
  From the safety of the Bond’s threat, the duchy 
  has borrowed much from its neighbours. So 
  much so that it has now defaulted on its 
  payments and the Oasis States have foreclosed 
  and taken control of Delchard’s treasury. 
  Everyone holds their breath waiting to see 
  whether the Duke and Duchess will use the 
  Bond in retaliation. 
   
  There are a number of ways that the PCs can 
  become involved in this scenario. The default 
  assumption is that the PCs are invested in 
  Delchard in some manner. In this case, the PCs 
  will want to stop with the foreclosure action, 
  and more importantly restore the capability of 
  the Bond. However, doing so may well tear the 
  duchy apart, or at the very least cause a change 
  of the guard. 
   
  Alternatively, the PCs could be aligned to the 
  foreign power who has taken foreclosure action. 
  This is assumed to be the Oasis States, but it 
  could be whatever foreign power that suits your 
  campaign. The PCs goal is to ensure that the 
  Bond of Delchard isn’t deployed.  
  BACKGROUND 
  The duchy of Delchard is ruled by twin 
  sovereigns entitled the Duke and Duchess. They 
  are elected by the Guada and Insuloso families 
  from their members on a regular basis. Most 
  decisions can be made by one of the sovereigns, 
  and often they spend much of their effort 
  unwinding what the other has done. However, 
  major decisions, such as those that have effect 
  beyond the duchy’s borders require the 
  unanimous decision of both. 
   
  The foundation of the sovereigns’ power is the 
  Bond of Delchard. The origins of the Bond are 
  lost in myth, but it is a single use magical ritual 
  that can lay waste to significant portion of any 
  neighbouring state. To activate the Bond 
  requires the combined use of a crown and a 
  sceptre, which are held by the Duke and 
  Duchess respectively. Since the Ancalia’s fall, the 
  Duke and Duchess have become ineffectual 
  rulers, relying on the Bond’s threat to borrow 
  heavily from neighbouring states with little 
  concern of repayment.  
   
  Though this has seen a rise of corruption and 
  racketeering in the duchy, this has also seen the 
  local criminal guild come together under the 
  direction of Rozario the Father. Ever the 
  opportunist, Rozario has used his newfound 
  support to make a bid for power. He has set the 
  Duchess up as being responsible for the terrible 
  scandal of losing the sceptre, and is now 
  blackmailing her into marrying him. From there, 
  he is viable to become the next Duke. 
   
  Unfortunately, Rozario’s attempts have 
  coincided with two other events that have set 
  Delchard at crisis point. The first is that the 
  crown was stolen from the Duke by the 
  Godbound, New Moon, who abhors the 
  devastation that it can bring and has vowed to 
  prevent it from ever being used. Also, the Oasis 
  States have decided to call Desharn’s bluff and 
  foreclose on its unpaid loans. By the terms of 
  the agreement, the Oasis States have sent their 
  agent, Ambassador Sabheem, to take control 
  over Delchard’s treasury. 
  
  Delchard is frozen and what little stability it had 
  has begun to crack under the pressure. Many 
  plans are afoot to deal with the deadlock, but 
  with the devastation of the Bond threatened, 
  the stakes are high.  
   
  BOND OF DELCHARD 
  So what is the Bond of Delchard? It is analogous 
  to a nuclear weapon system, capable of 
  delivering one instance of devastation and 
  controlled by two “keys”. However, it is 
  essentially just a MacGuffin and as such the 
  specific details have been kept vague. If the GM 
  decides it best, the Bond could even prove to be 
  nothing but a myth and no longer operational.  
   
  ENTER THE PCS 
  Given the open nature of this scenario, the first 
  scene will depend on the way PCs have become 
  involved in the situation. Of all the people in the 
  scenario, Lady Portia is likely to be the one who 
  contacts the PCs or has previously been in their 
  employ. As spy master and favoured courtier, 
  she can quickly bring the PCs up to speed and 
  present options should they be needed.  
   
  Lady Portia is clever and will seek to take 
  advantage of the PCs and her association with 
  them. To this end, she will organise a ball in 
  which most of the notable individuals will likely 
  attend, including Ambassador Sabheem and 
  Rozario the Father. This may make it difficult for 
  the PCs to enter the duchy unnoticed, but it 
  should allow them to hit the ground running.  
   
  If the alternative entrance is chosen, in which 
  the PCs are aligned with the Oasis States or 
  whichever foreign nation is seeking foreclosure, 
  then the GM will need to consider how 
  advanced that action is before the PCs enter. It 
  is possible for the PCs to accompany 
  Ambassador Sabheem when he arrives and the 
  first scene will be taking control of the treasury. 
  This will be initially resisted by General Avanfeld 
  and Advocate Turiel. The PCs will need to be 
  forceful but also be careful not to escalate the 
  situation too early into an all-out war. At this 
  stage, the PCs will not be aware that the Bond of 
  Delchard is currently unable to be deployed. 
   
  If Ambassador Sabheem has already taken 
  control of the treasury, he will be in a somewhat 
  besieged state, both physically and 
  bureaucratically. He will be much relieved for 
  the PCs’ support and will seek to make their 
  arrival as public as possible, using the treasury 
  to hold a gala that serves a similar purpose to 
  the ball hosted by Lady Portia above. 
   
  THE COURT OF DELCHARD 
  The court of Delchard is filled with decaying 
  opulence. The Guada or Insuloso families seem 
  oblivious of their fate and are surprised at their 
  ineffectualness at responding to the insolence of 
  the Oasis States’ action. As such, they remain 
  filled with self-importance, but with sense of 
  bewilderment at dealing with people that it 
  never expected it would need to deal with.  
   
  THE GUADA AND INSULOSO FAMILIIES 
  The Guada family believes itself to be superior 
  even to the Insuloso family. It is the wealthiest 
  of the two by a slight margin and had old 
  alliances throughout Ancalia.  It is truly on the 
  decline, held up only by the loyalty of General 
  Avanfeld and the ambitions of Advocate Turiel, 
  and unable to admit its doom. 
   
  The Insuloso family has an almost equally long 
  history. However, it is consistently referred to as 
  the “newcomer” as it is not as old as Guada. The 
  Insuloso family often eschews wealth for 
  influence and is the most connected of the two 
  families, both inside the duchy, with the seedier 
  elements, and outside with other nations, 
  particularly with Vissio and Nezdohva. 
  Unfortunately, these connections have 
  corrupted the family to the point of rot. 
   
  Though both families follow lineage to 
  determine its members, they both accept 
  spouses as members of the family as well.  
   
  Duke Ornsa Guada 
  Duke Ornsa has been the Guada family’s choice 
  for several years now. He is an insufferable ass, 
  made worse by the fact that he is incapable of 
  seeing any of his own flaws. He considers 
  himself the true leader of Delchard and will not 
  back down even in the face of undeniable 
  evidence or irresistible force. 
   
  New Moon stole the crown from Ornsa a week 
  ago. However, he has not yet discovered that it 
  is missing and has no means to track down who 
  is responsible. As such, he is likely to claim that 
  the first person to bring its theft to his attention 
  is the thief. 
  
  Duchess Gadflora Insuloso 
  Duchess Gadflora is a newcomer to the role of 
  Duchess. Her family saw her as being able to be 
  manipulated, allowing it to spread the position’s 
  influence amongst the family. However, this 
  flaw has been exploited by Rozario. Under 
  pressure from both, Gadflora has become like a 
  wild animal trapped in a corner, willing to do 
  anything to survive and strike out at those who 
  harm her. 
   
  Gadflora often frequents the Brass Pot, a 
  brothel run by Canten Oba. There she fell in 
  lust/love with Upalsa. Though a minor noble by 
  day, his sexual addiction has brought him ruin at 
  the design of Rozario, and he now spends his 
  nights as a prostitute. Gadflora was ably 
  manoeuvred by Upalsa to give him access to the 
  sceptre. Ashamed by the betrayal and the loss 
  of her love, she is now being blackmailed by 
  Rozario to marry him. 
   
  General Avanfeld  
  General Avanfeld is the commander of the 
  duchy’s army. Though it has had little purpose 
  with the Bond’s threat doing much of its work, it 
  is a sizable force. Given the state of the two 
  families, Avanfeld has earned the soldiers’ 
  loyalty direct. She would be well positioned to 
  take power for herself, but she holds an old 
  fashioned sense of loyalty to the Guada family, 
  and would like nothing more than to see the 
  two families joined in marriage. 
   
  Given the recent action by the Oasis States, 
  Avanfeld is livid. She understands the reluctance 
  of the two families to deploy something as 
  devastating as the Bond. This is her time for 
  action to unite the duchy against the foreign 
  enemy. She plans a pre-emptive strike against 
  the smaller Oasis States force in Delchard, 
  regardless of the declaration of war it will make.  
   
  Advocate Turiel 
  Advocate Turiel is an advisor to the twin 
  sovereigns. It is a position that has been around 
  for generations and, as the two sovereigns are 
  often at odds, it holds considerable power. 
  Advocate Turiel is a very intelligent man. He is 
  loyal to the duchy purely as it provides him with 
  his own power, and perversely he is now the 
  one person that both the Duke and Duchess 
  trust to any extent.  
   
  He has recently been in talks with the 
  Atheocracy of Lum to cede the duchy to them in 
  exchange for making him its governor. 
  Converting to True Reason proves no issue to 
  him given the madness he is presented with. He 
  is waiting for the opportune time, to present an 
  “alliance” with the Atheocracy as an alternative 
  solution to the current crisis. Turiel may also 
  have access to both Mundus and Empyrean 
  Wards as desired by the GM to impede the PCs 
  in resolving the situation too swiftly. 
   
  Ambassador Sabheem 
  An agent of the Oasis States, Sabheem is a 
  capable man and loyal subject of the God-
  Sovereigns. However, he is also a pragmatist 
  and knows that he needs to protect himself 
  where possible.  
   
  The Ambassador has been gifted with magic and 
  should be treated as a Lesser Eldritch, unless the 
  PCs are also agents of the Oasis States. In this 
  case, treat Advocate Turiel as a Lesser Eldritch 
  instead. 
   
  Lady Portia 
  Lady Portia has a mixed heritage with potential 
  connections to both of the twin families. Due to 
  these connections and her own wit and 
  resource, she has developed the only functional 
  spy network in the duchy.  
   
  She is concerned with the rise of the crime 
  guilds and in particular Rozario’s plan to 
  sovereignty. However, Rozario has already made 
  moves to undermine her by offering her most 
  trusted agent, Batra, a position in his new 
  regime. 
   
  OTHER COURTIERS 
   Tronan, Duke Ornsa’s plaything who saw 
  New Moon take the crown. He has kept this 
  secret as revenge against his master. 
   Joquil is the court musician and, despite all 
  the ugliness in the duchy, is capable of great 
  beauty with his song. Though not Godbound, 
  his gifted with limited access to the Passion 
  Word and will seek to capture the heart of 
  the one person he deems most suitable. 
   Batra, a servant in the employ of Lady Portia, 
  but considering offering her services to 
  Rozario or other highest bidder. 
  
  THE ROZARIO FAMILY 
   
  Rozario The Father 
  Rozario is a formidable man with a lean build 
  and intense eyes. He has the knack of seeing 
  into the heart of others and situations with 
  scalpel like precision. He holds together a fragile 
  alliance of criminal guilds, which effectively run 
  the duchy from the ground up. 
   
  Despite his power, Rozario wants more. He has 
  convinced his supporters that unless he is 
  elevated to one of the twin sovereigns, their 
  hard work will be for nothing. Whilst there is 
  some truth in that, he also does it to cement his 
  power. Rozario is able to bring several large 
  groups of thugs to bear on his enemies if 
  required, including any intrusion by the PCs. 
   
  Canten Oba, the Brothel Owner 
  Canten Oba is a kindly old woman who runs the 
  most successful brothel in the duchy. Though 
  she is aware of the machinations of Rozario and 
  others, she has no issue with them provide that 
  her prostitutes come out on top. She has taken 
  a liking to Gadflora and would like to see her 
  happy after hearing Upalsa’s confession of love 
  for her and may seek to hide her from harm. 
   
  OTHER CRIMINALS 
   Upalsa, a minor noble who satisfies his 
  sexual addiction as a prostitute at the Brass 
  Pot. Despite betraying Gadflora, he is now 
  madly in love with her. 
   Lana, a roving pickpocket, who has her ear 
  on the streets and is willing to tell for a little 
  coin. 
  NEW MOON 
  New Moon is a newly ascended Godbound. She 
  has access to the Deception, Fertility and Time 
  Words. Born a peasant, she developed her skills 
  to become a midwife of such reputation that the 
  Guada family employed her exclusively. There 
  she befriended Tronan.  
   
  However, shortly after ascending, she received a 
  vision of the future, showing her the Bond in 
  action and the devastation it would cause, not 
  only in people bit also in nature. Vowing to 
  prevent this disaster regardless of the cost, she 
  went about locating the crown and stealing it 
  from Duke Ornsa. 
  New Moon is aware of the impact of her actions 
  on the current situation and sees this as the 
  start of her visions and justification for what she 
  has done. However, Lady Portia is on her trail 
  and is close to uncovering her identity. Once 
  done, it will not be long before Portia will track 
  down New Moon’s family and be able to exert 
  considerable personal pressure on her. 
   
  New Moon will prove elusive prey for the PCs, 
  thanks to her access to Deception and Time 
  Words, and will need to be goaded into coming 
  forward. She is even able to subtly strike back at 
  anyone hunting her with the Gifts of Fertility. If 
  she feels she is not suspected, she may make a 
  move for the crown in Rozario’s possession. 
   
  OUTCOMES 
  How this scenario ends is open and as is typical 
  for Godbound. Here are some suggestions for 
  how to wrap things up and further adventures 
  this may lead to. 
   
  If the Bond of Delchard is restored it can be 
  used to force others to agree to terms. 
  However, given the current situation, the truth 
  of the Bond may not be believed unless used.  
   
  If Advocate Turiel survives, he will seek to move 
  the duchy under the sway of the Atheocracy of 
  Lom in time.   
   
  If Rozario becomes the Duke, then the duchy 
  will become stable once more for the near 
  future. Over time though, it will devolve into a 
  cesspit of corruption and racketeering, a centre 
  of black market trade between various nations. 
   
  If the Duke and Duchess are restored, then the 
  immediate crisis will be averted, though things 
  may end up back where they started, unless the 
  PCs shift the blame for the events onto 
  themselves by earning the ire of the foreign 
  nations who are owed money.   
   
  If the Oasis States take control of the duchy, the 
  mad God-Sovereigns will now have access to the 
  Bond, which may be brought to bear on any 
  number of conflicts. 
   
  Finally, if the PCs take control of the Bond, this 
  will garner them much attention.  Though it only 
  has a single use, the power will put great 
  responsibility in their hands.  
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/1st Edition (ODD, D&D Basic, AD&D)/1st Edition/3rd Party/Sin Nomine Publishing/Godbound - Bond of Delchard.pdf