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  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
  The Head that Bears the Crown  . . . . . . . . .4
  Humans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
  Elves  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
  Dwarves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
  Halflings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
  Humanoids  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
  A Final Note on Government  . . . . . . . . .15
  The Blood of Kings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
  Passing Bloodlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
  Increasing Bloodline Strength  . . . . . .16
  R e p e rcussions of Increasing a Bloodline17
  Blood Ability Tables (Tables 1–7)  . . . . . .17
  New Blood Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
  Signature Abilities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
  Becoming an Awnshegh . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
  The Short Road  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
  The Path of Evil  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
  The Call of the Ehrshegh . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
  Anatomy of a Law Holding  . . . . . . . . . . . .29
  The Influence of the Law Holding  . . . . . .29
  Law (0) Holdings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
  Law (1) to (3) Holdings  . . . . . . . . . .30
  The Power of the Law  . . . . . . . . . . . .31
  Law (4) and Higher Holdings  . . . . . .32
  Character of the Law Holding . . . . . . . . .33
  Law Holdings and Alignment  . . . . . .33
  The Character Class Influence  . . . . .36
  Law Regents vs. Province Ruler  . . . . . . .37
  The Power of Law  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
  The Provincial Power  . . . . . . . . . . . .38
  A Final Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
  Domain Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
  Employing Specific Actions . . . . . . . . . . .39
  New Domain Actions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
  Strategic Planning  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
  A Final Word on Domain Actions  . . . . . .54
  Strategies of Empire  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
  Regal Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
  Gavin Tael, Baron of Ghoere . . . . . . .55
  Uldviik, King of Hjolvar  . . . . . . . . . .57
  Richard Talbehr, Count of Müden . . .59
  Alnor, King of Jankaping  . . . . . . . . . .61
  Beysim ibn Faroud el-Duatim, 
  Emir of Sendoure  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
  Able Assistance  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
  Lieutenants  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
  Acquiring Lieutenants . . . . . . . . . . . .71
  Advisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
  Creating Advisers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
  Paying Advisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
  Promoting an Adviser to Lieutenant  .76
  Henchmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
  Types of Henchmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
  Acquiring Henchmen  . . . . . . . . . . . .78
  Paying Henchmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
  Using Henchmen in the Campaign  . .78
  Player Characters as Henchmen  . . . .79
  Dynasties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
  Building a Dynasty  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
  The Heir  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
  Establishing the Heir  . . . . . . . . . . . .81
  Role-Playing the Heir  . . . . . . . . . . . .81
  DM Tips Regarding Heirs  . . . . . . . . .82
  The Heir as Full-Time PC  . . . . . . . . .82
  The Branches of Dynasty . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
  A Final Word on Dynasties  . . . . . . . . . . .83
  Extending the Branches  . . . . . . . . . .84
  The Foundation of Empire  . . . . . . . .84
  Military Matters  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
  Training an Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
  New Domain Action: Improve Unit  .85
  A Sample Improved Unit  . . . . . . . . .86
  Improving Units as a Realm Action . .88
  Named and Renowned Units . . . . . . . . . .88
  Creating New War Cards  . . . . . . . . . . . .89
  Paying the Price of Success  . . . . . . . . . . .89
  Table 8: Military Statistics  . . . . . . . . . . . .90
  Blank War Cards  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
  Regent Kits  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
  Regent Character Kits  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
  King Errant  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
  Merchant Prince  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
  Warrior-King  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
  Additional Rules  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
  Magical Items and Artifacts  . . . . . . . . . . .99
  Regents and Starting Magical Items  . . . .99
  Selection Guidelines  . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
  Specific Items and Suggestions  . . . .100
  Acquiring Magical Items Without Adventuring102
  Unforeseen Benefits  . . . . . . . . . . . .103
  Unforeseen Drawbacks  . . . . . . . . . .103
  Encouraging Magical Tithes  . . . . . .103
  Heirlooms and Artifacts of Today  . . . . .104
  Armor  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
  Weapons  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
  Rings  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
  Miscellaneous Magic . . . . . . . . . . . .110
  Creating New Magical Items . . . . . . . . .112
  2
  
  The Cerilian map shows borders criss-cro s s i n g
  the continent’s surface and strange names identi-
  fying its regions. Even the nearly unexplore d
  lands to the north have been divided into realms,
  and those realms into provinces. The bord e r s
  re p resent centuries of war and diplomacy,
  treaties and intrigue.
  But they represent so much more as well.
  Every border defines a realm, but each realm is
  also defined by its ruler—or lack thereof. These
  realm regents,as they can be called, rule the land
  of Cerilia—not just a guild holding or a magical
  source, not only a holy temple or enforcers of the
  law—but the l a n d itself. Tied to Cerilia by their
  b i rthrights and their bloodlines, they govern the
  continent’s realms and people.
  This, then, is a book for them—a tome of infor-
  mation directed at realm regents, the men and
  women who govern the land. They might be war-
  riors, priests, wizards, or thieves, but they influ-
  ence the events of Cerilia and draw its ever-
  changing map boundaries.
  A realm regent probably has at least one law
  holding to his name, or he likely won’t be a realm
  regent for long. Because of this fact, The Book of
  Regencyalso discusses law domains and issues re-
  lated to their rulership.
  The Book of Regencyisn’t just directed at players
  i n t e rested in realm or law regent characters.
  Much of this book can be used by the Dungeon
  Master (DM) as well. The BI RT H R I G H T® s e t t i n g ,
  in which player characters can become rulers of
  realms or even emperors of whole regions, em-
  phasizes the regent character, and any player or
  DM interested in exploring the concept of re-
  gency (in this or other settings) can find useful
  information in these pages.
  This book holds compiled information fro m
  some other sources, including the Rjurik High -
  lands, Tribes of the Heartless Wastes, Havens of the
  Great Bay, and Cities of the Suncampaign expan-
  sions. It also collects and expands upon some
  vital information from the BIRTHRIGHT Rulebook.
  However, readers of this text need to be familiar
  with only the BI RT H R I G H T campaign setting and
  the basic rulebooks of the ADVANCED DUNGEONS
  & DR A G O N S® game: the DU N G E O N MA S T E R®
  Guide(DMG) the Player’s Handbook(PHB).
  The Book of Regencypresents new options for
  Dungeon Masters and players of the BIRTHRIGHT
  setting, but all rules found within its pages
  should be considered optional. The DM and the
  players should decide for themselves which parts
  to use, which parts to consider, and which to set
  aside.
  Cerilia holds as many different types of rulers as
  it does domains to rule. However, rulers can be
  classified into several general categories.
  A regent rules at least one province or holding
  ( l a w, temple, guild, or magical source). He may
  rule multiple holdings, diff e rent types of hold-
  ings, or both holdings and provinces, but he must
  rule at least one thing.
  A landless r e g e n t rules o n l y holdings; he has
  no land under his rule, no place he can point to
  on the continental map and say “That’s mine.”
  A landed r e g e n t , or realm r e g e n t , rules at
  least one province. He may rule more, and he
  may rule other types of holdings as well, but the
  fact that he has subjects and land under his con-
  trol is what sets him apart.
  Throughout this book, references are made to
  province and holding levels. For a full discussion
  of provinces and holdings, refer to the
  BI RT H R I G H T R u l e b o o k. However, a quick re v i e w
  of notations associated with holdings is in order.
  The relative strength of holdings is denoted by
  levels; the higher the level, the stronger the hold-
  ing. Holding levels are noted in parentheses: a
  law (2), for example. Province levels and magic
  potential are also noted in parentheses following
  the province name. Thus the notation “Allesrecht
  (6/1)” indicates that Allesrecht’s province level (a
  measure of the amount of civilization in the prov-
  ince, its population, and the maximum level for a
  law, guild, or temple holding) is 6, while its magic
  potential (the maximum possible level for a
  source) is 1.
  3
  
  N
  “Many different cultures live and thrive on the con
  -
  tinent of Cerilia. Five human races and at least five
  nonhuman species maintain communities, laws, cus
  -
  toms, and traditions. All have leaders. All have their
  own methods of governance.
  “Diversity of society, government, and culture ex
  -
  ists even within these surface divisions. Not all
  Anuirean realms have kings or warrior-lords at their
  heads. Not every Rjurik regent answers to a council
  of jarls. The Brechts value mercantilism and trade
  but have ancient lines of lordship as well. The Khi-
  nasi states and the tribes of V
  o s g a a rd have their
  overweening characteristics, but no two domains ar
  e
  ruled in exactly the same way. The elves, dwar
  v e s ,
  halflings, orogs, goblins, and gnolls of Cerilia gov -
  e rn themselves—and sometimes each other—with
  methods that defy generalization.
  “It is said that in the days of the Anuirean Empire,
  more than one emperor tried to bring a single system
  of government to all the lands under his charge. Peo
  -
  ple who otherwise respected, feared, or even loved
  him rebelled at this attempt. Willingness to bow to a
  foreign overlord was one thing—changing their sys
  -
  tem of governance was quite another.”
  —Oervel Osserlun, Introduction to
  The Font of Authority, the Fall of Empire
  N
  o two races or species in Cer-
  ilia govern themselves in the same
  manner—but similarities do exist.
  When the Flight From the Shadow
  and its subsequent colonization
  of the continent threw half a
  dozen human races to-
  gether with nearly the
  same number of
  nonhuman
  species, some blending of governments, soci-
  eties, and philosophies was bound to occur.
  Today, Cerilia’s people divide the land and them-
  selves along cultural, racial, and political lines.
  But they learn from each other and adapt, some-
  times unknowingly, to the forces of history.
  The cultures of Cerilia have changed since hu-
  mans first emigrated from Aduria over two thou-
  sand years ago. The Masetians are no more .
  Their civilization and style of government de-
  p a rted this world in the wake of the Battle of
  Deismaar, though many of their customs and be-
  liefs live on in the Khinasi. The Brechts and the
  Rjuven (now Rjurik), dominated for centuries by
  the Anuireans, learned lessons of empire fro m
  their masters. And the Vos, who once worshiped
  the god of moon and magic, have become the
  most barbaric of Cerilia’s human races.
  Each culture, and each individual realm within
  those larger societies, developed its style of gov-
  ernment over many centuries. The political struc-
  t u res that govern them today derive from their
  histories and adaptations made through the years
  to meet the changing needs of their people.
  The Anuireans maintain an almost romantic view
  of their various forms of government. Most re-
  gents hold titles passed down to them thro u g h
  generations of leaders, and they take great pride
  in the origins and histories surrounding individ-
  ual titles and lines of descent.
  This romanticism derives from the ancient
  tribes of the Andu and their migration fro m
  Aduria to Cerilia. While the history of the Andu
  emigration was never documented fully, some
  legends combined with known facts can be taken
  as truth.
  The original five tribes of the Andu ro a m e d
  n o rt h e a s t e rn Aduria until the Shadow (Azrai)
  came among them. Resisting his evil influence,
  they moved toward the land bridge connecting
  Aduria and Cerilia. Anuirean bards sing that the
  tribes fought Azrai fiercely and fled only when
  they could hold out no longer. As history portays
  the Andu as a vigorous and naturally aggre s s i v e
  people, this assertion does not seem unlikely.
  Once in Cerilia, they organized their five tribes
  into military-like orders, each with a primary
  4
  
  leader and a hierarchy of lieutenants and war-
  chiefs. Early leaders of the Andu earned their po-
  sitions through accomplishment and clevern e s s .
  As the tribes moved farther north on the conti-
  nent and grew complacent in the belief that they
  had distanced themselves from the threat of
  Azrai, the leaders and lieutenants appointed
  their own successors rather than leave the elec-
  tion up to the general populace. They generally
  chose members of their families—warriors and
  leaders they could trust and train in their own
  ideologies.
  By the time the Deretha, the fifth tribe of
  Andu, perished in repeated confrontations with
  the Spiderlord (around –300 HC), the tribes had
  a l ready begun settling southwestern Cerilia. No
  longer uprooting and moving north every few
  years, the Andu turned their thoughts toward
  p e rmanent borders and governments. Since the
  elves of Cerilia hardly welcomed them as immi-
  grants (partly thanks to Azrai’s influence and
  p a rtly because of the Andu’s own warlike na-
  t u re), the tribes retained their military - s t y l e
  chains of command. Each settlement had an
  overall leader or lord, and that leader appointed
  several subordinates, or vassals, to help govern
  the growing populace and defend the community
  from the elves and other dangers of Cerilia.
  When the Battle of Deismaar erupted on the
  land bridge, the remaining four tribes of Andu
  constituted the largest resistance to Azrai. Draw-
  ing on their already-militaristic organization, the
  o v e r l o rds summoned support from their vassals,
  who in turn mustered the Andu people. They
  m a rched to battle under diff e rent banners but
  stood as one force against the Shadow.
  After the War of Shadow, the survivors stopped
  calling themselves the Andu and became instead
  “Anuireans.” Roele, the last surviving overlord of
  the tribes, united the remaining vassals and
  began building the political and military forc e
  that became the Anuirean Empire. Before his
  death, he conquered nearly half the known conti-
  nent. The empire he founded ruled nearly the en-
  tire civilized world.
  M o d e rn Anuire does not model itself after the
  now-fallen empire. Even before the death of
  Michael Roele, the last emperor of Anuire, the
  i n t e rnal domains of the great empire had begun
  to fragment. The empero r’s vassals—counts,
  dukes, barons, knights, governors, and other no-
  bles or civil authorities—had more direct power
  over their subjects than ever before. When the
  emperor died, the empire died with him. Individ-
  ual realms sprang up all over Anuire, ruled by
  “regents,” originally appointed as guardians over
  t e rr i t o ry governed by the emperor but now an-
  swerable to no man.
  As a result, the various titles and orders of no-
  bility in Anuirean lands range widely throughout
  the realms. A mere baron governs the sizeable
  domain of Ghoere, while a duchess rules the
  small realm of Brosengae. Theocracy emerged in
  Medoere, while monarchy remains strong in per-
  son of Darien Avan, Prince of Avanil. And a few
  strange, unconventional titles exist—the Mhor of
  Mhoried, for example. He traces his title back to
  Endira Mhoried, a female ruler who received her
  appointment from the second Emperor of
  Anuire.
  This ability to trace lines of descent thro u g h
  centuries of history distinguishes the titles and
  g o v e rnment of Anuire from those of other re-
  gions. Anuireans remain proud of their lost em-
  pire and consider older titles more worthy of re-
  spect than any others in the land. As a result, a
  duke of one of the empire’s 12 duchies outranks
  the king of an upstart realm. Being able to trace a
  title back to the days of empire is more important
  to an Anuirean lord than the appellation itself—
  be it it count, prince, or king.
  Typical Forms of Government:
  The Anuireans
  favor feudalism and monarc h y. Regents of most
  realms tend to have the power normally associ-
  ated with kings, though some engage councils of
  advisers and a few boast parlimentary structures.
  Notable Forms of Gover n m e n t : S e v e r a l
  theocracies exist within Anuire. The Anuire a n s
  take great pride in the worship and reverence of
  their gods, Haelyn especially. Although priests
  often eschew political power, some believe the
  marriage of church and state crucial to the spiri-
  tual lives of their followers. Others have been
  known to step in and serve when adequate
  rulers could not be found among the laity.
  Weaknesses of Gover n m e n t : The Anuire-
  ans look backward instead of forward. While
  few commoners or nobles believe their
  rulers infallible, they resist the thought of
  revolution. The old ways built an em-
  p i re for the Anuireans—one that
  lasted nearly a thousand years—
  and many feel certain that if a
  new emperor were to re c l a i m
  the Iron Throne, the em-
  pire could be reborn.
  As a result, few
  governmental
  changes of
  any
  5
  
  significance are likely to be introduced in Anuire.
  Commoners and nobles remain completely di-
  vided in almost all the realms. The Anuire a n s
  consider enlightened feudalism the highest possi-
  ble form of government.
  Always a fractious race, the people who became
  the Brechts of Cerilia arrived on the continent
  primarily by ship and over the course of several
  decades. They settled the lands around the Great
  Bay of Cerilia—the bodies of water known as the
  Krakennauricht, Dauren Arm, and the Black Ice
  Bay—and forged their own nations out of noth-
  ing.
  The piecemeal histories that describe the
  B rechts’ exodus from Aduria account somewhat
  for the development of their governments. Most
  B rechts fleeing the Shadow avoided the Andu
  tribes settled in the south of Cerilia (or became
  v i rtually enslaved by them) and sailed nort h
  a round the western coast. They anchored in
  many harbors along the way and, while a few set-
  tled and either became part of Rjuven nations or
  d i s a p p e a red into history, most found the land
  along the Miere Rhuann inhospitable. They
  avoided the elves and the Rjuven clans and con-
  tinued north, through the Thaelasian Passage
  and toward the mouth of the Great Bay.
  As they arrived, group by group, on the shores
  of the Krakennauricht, each ship of immigrants
  established its own system of rule. The Bre c h t s
  settled their lands one at a time, independently of
  each other, creating no overall empire or political
  entity.
  But this journey does not in itself account for
  the development of Brecht government. Most
  historians believe the old Brecht tribes, while
  still in Aduria, actually belonged to an an-
  cient empire—one built primarily aro u n d
  an impressive naval power. This cert a i n l y
  could account for the fact that the early
  B rechts developed ships at least as
  good as those possessed by the
  Masetians and the Basarji—and
  maintained a strong naval tra-
  dition even after they set-
  tled on Cerilia.
  If this theory is
  t rue, the gov-
  ernment
  of
  the ancient Brechts may have controlled mercan-
  tilism and expansion to a great degree. Ancient
  s c rolls passed down through generations of
  B recht noble families tell of the basic principles
  behind all Brecht laws. These ancient laws and
  customs promoted trade—with other Bre c h t s
  and other cultures—and disparaged imperialism.
  This philosophy, as well as their settlement in the
  mountainous bluffs elves seldom populate, might
  have helped the Brecht settlers avoid the worst of
  the gheallie Sidhe(the Hunt of the Elves) when
  other human races had to battle for every inch of
  Cerilian ground they tried to inhabit.
  Like the Basarji and the Rjuven, the Bre c h t s
  also fell prey to the imperialistic Anuireans. After
  the Battle of Deismaar, the Brechts lost their
  taste for fighting and looked forw a rd to a long
  peace. They hoped to be left alone around their
  Great Bay—to explore and contact other races at
  their leisure. It was not to be.
  The Anuireans took over Brechtür as easily as
  they invaded the Basarji region. Unprepared and
  decentralized, the merchant Brechts could
  mount little resistance when the Anuirean armies
  and navies arrived. The northern states—particu-
  larly Danigau (which had a strong military tradi-
  tion)—stopped the invasion at their borders, but
  most simply accepted the new overlords.
  However, the Brechts eventually dealt with the
  invasion in a more insidious manner than the
  Anuireans ever expected. While a few Brecht na-
  tions rebelled and gave their overlords tro u b l e
  every step of the way, the more prosperous states
  accepted—and later a b s o r b e d—their conquero r s .
  Within a few generations, Brechts and Anuireans
  lived together as one.
  When the Anuirean Empire collapsed, only a
  few Brecht nations actually ousted Anuirean no-
  bles. Most realms had already re v e rted back to
  Brecht control, and the people bore no ill-will to-
  ward the descendents of the invaders. The gover-
  nance of each state had evolved over time, and
  each had its own unique culture and flavor.
  The rulers of Bre c h t ü r’s individual realms have
  no interest in combining to form one empire .
  H o w e v e r, they have little objection to powerf u l
  regents within particular domains. Many re a l m
  regents take an interest in holdings other than
  those of law, but in many cases they employ vas-
  sals or allies (much like the Anuirean lords do) to
  control those holdings.
  If the Brechts ever held ambitions of empire ,
  those dreams dissolved along with the Bre c h t
  League of 1136 HC. This loose alliance of Brecht
  6
  
  realms had no clear leader; as a result, its at-
  tempts at imperialism proved disastrous. After
  its forces were routed from Vo s g a a rd, the
  Brechts wisely returned their attention to the im-
  provement of their individual realms and the de-
  velopment of their own governments.
  The Brechts took what they liked of Anuirean
  custom (including many of the noble titles),
  brought back a few of their ancient customs, and
  built their own, unique governments. Few na-
  tions across Cerilia have adapted as well to their
  situations as some Brecht nations have. Müden,
  for example, has two realm regents ruling side-
  by-side and working with the other regents of the
  domain to make the nation as prosperous as pos-
  sible. In Danigau, where ancient bloodlines ru n
  deep, the realm is as steeped in tradition as any
  A n u i rean nation—a condition which helps them
  stand fast against their enemies.
  Typical Forms of Gover n m e n t : R e p re s e n t a-
  tive monarchies and feudal governments are
  common in Bre c h t ü r. The nobles of the re a l m s
  often gain their positions through inheritance,
  but have to reassert their right to them every day
  while working with the other regents of the
  realm. Since the Brechts have a sizeable middle
  class, the leaders of most states find they have to
  answer to a large and vocal populace.
  Notable Forms of Government:
  Capitalism is
  not unknown. While most nations have nobles for
  realm regents, a few look to guildmasters or
  other profit-making regents as leaders. Seldom
  does one monarch stand alone in Brechtür.
  Weaknesses in Gover n m e n t : D e c e n t r a l i z e d
  and haphazard, most of the Brechtür states can-
  not respond quickly to outside crises. An inva-
  sion by a strong, dedicated power could sweep
  over many of the Brecht realms without pause—
  and before most Brechts could decide what they
  want to do. Even the most powerful Brecht lords
  hesitate to interf e re in the workings or dealings
  of other realms—none want to reawaken the
  brief but doomed dreams of empire espoused by
  the Brecht League centuries ago.
  Regency in Khinasi draws largely on the tradi-
  tions of the Basarji, not the Masetians who pre-
  dated their influence on Cerilia’s southern coast.
  The rise of the Basarji corresponded with the de-
  s t ruction of the Masetians as a people. Most of
  the Masetians who survived the Battle of Deis-
  maar became part of the Basarji culture; after
  only a few generations, the Masetians as a unique
  race became little more than a memory in all but
  the Island States.
  The Basarji came from Djapar, a land beyond the
  Sea of Dragons. They wandered southeastern
  Cerilia as a nomadic people until after the War of
  S h a d o w, when they rebuilt and settled depopu-
  lated Masetian cities. But as their race gained
  p rominence and power in the region, another
  race coveted their territory.
  While the Basarji grew as a race and expanded
  their holdings, the new Anuirean Empire
  pounced. Even though the Basarji and the
  A n u i reans had fought side by side against the
  S h a d o w, Emperor Roele had no compunctions
  about “including” the Basarji in the empire. Out-
  numbered and unprepared for full-scale war, the
  Basarji lost ground steadily for years. Soon most
  of Basarji, save Ariya and the Docandragh, had
  fallen under Anuirean rule.
  After the initial invasion, the Anuirean over-
  l o rds did not strain the Basarji states unduly.
  Many achieved a semblance of self-rule within a
  few generations. The Anuireans discouraged co-
  operation between the city-states (to avoid a
  united rebellion) but encouraged trade and fre e
  enterprise.
  Eventually, the Basarji threw off the yoke of the
  A n u i reans and reclaimed their nations—re n a m-
  ing their people “Khinasi” after the Great King
  el-Arrasi who led the Basarji Revolution.
  The Khinasi states remain individualistic, with
  few solid, permanent alliances between them.
  Their realm regents often take a hands-off ap-
  p roach to government or involve themselves in
  other interests as well. In Binsada, for example,
  the well-respected and active Queen el-Reshid
  rules with a gentle hand. Her law holdings re-
  main low in power, but she encourages the
  guilds and temples in her state to advance
  faster than their competition. In Ariya, the
  prince rules more directly but concern s
  himself at least as much with the Ariyan
  Temple of Avani as with politics.
  While the Khinasi respect lineage
  and history in the same way the
  A n u i reans do, they allow more
  possibilities for advancement
  within their societal
  ranks. Perhaps this at-
  titude developed
  during 
  the
  Anuirean
  Oc-
  7
  
  cupation. Unable to rule or to serve their rightful
  lords, the kings and vassals of the Khinasi states
  t u rned to other pursuits. They found power in
  the temples and the guilds—and, most especially,
  in true magic. Intern a l l y, the Khinasi award e d
  those who became practitioners of magic (as well
  as those who worked hard at other crafts) and
  the various states began recognizing ability as a
  possible qualification for nobility.
  When the Anuireans left, the Khinasi lords who
  ruled the lands could, for the most part, trace
  their heritage back to happier times. However,
  some gaps existed. Many guildmasters, temple
  regents, and wizards came from less noble stock,
  and the Khinasi recognized that these individuals
  had special gifts. They became the minor nobility
  of the latter age. In present-day Khinasi, many
  rulers can trace their lines to such humble begin-
  nings.
  Typical Forms of Gover n m e n t : M o n a rc h i e s
  and dictatorships exist within Khinasi. Still, most
  of the enlightened and popular rulers of Khinasi
  states hold high titles but less power. They allow
  a little anarchy to exist within their domains,
  s p u rring other holders on to greater deeds. As
  often as not, realm regents involve themselves in
  holdings (other than law and province rulership)
  not normally associated with realm rulership.
  Notable Forms of Government:
  The Khinasi
  recognize divine right as a possibility—but not an
  absolute. They tend to value skilled commoners
  and do not dismiss the importance of ability over
  lineage. As a result, many city-states of the re-
  gion have one realm regent—but that re g e n t
  weighs carefully the opinions of others who con-
  trol holdings within his domain. Some city-states
  maintain parliments and councils of authority.
  Weaknesses of Government:
  The Khinasi do
  not like strong, centralized government. They
  d o n ’t like it within their smaller realms, and
  they certainly dislike the notion of a Khinasi
  e m p i re. When el-Arrasi organized the Basarji
  Federation, he did so to provide more fre e-
  dom for his people—not to replace the
  A n u i rean overlords with overlords of a
  local nature. As a result, Khinasi states
  tend to be decentralized and, quite
  often, havens for intrigue and politi-
  cal machinations. While one re a l m
  regent might hold sway in a king-
  dom, he must always watch
  his back or the other re-
  gents might strip him
  bare.
  The Rjurik have departed little through the cen-
  turies from the forms of government their
  Adurian ancestors maintained.
  Like the Brechts, the Rjuven people migrated to
  Cerilia by boat, avoiding the Andu tribes and
  coming north along the western coasts of Cerilia.
  They arrived clan by clan, each an extended fam-
  ily sovereign unto itself and led by the head of
  the family, called a “jarl.” The jarls answered to
  no one save the god Reynir, though they repected
  the wisdom of his priests, the druids.
  These nomadic folk generally avoided the land’s
  native elves and lived primarily in the areas along
  the Tael Firth. Cities developed out of mutual in-
  t e rest rather than necessity. Rjuven clans inter-
  acted with each other when they met in the
  forests or on the plains, but the cities sprung up
  when these extended families started to trade
  regularly with each other and the outside world.
  A few “urban Rjuven” permanently settled in the
  cities, but even these communities maintained a
  transient population.
  As the Rjuven population grew, political bound-
  aries were drawn. The clans negotiated territories
  for their populations; some banded together and
  chose “kings” to rule over the jarls. Their domain
  boundaries became lines of defense against at-
  tacks of the gheallie Sidhe.
  After the Battle of Deismaar, the Rjuven (now
  Rjurik) re t u rned to their holdings and settle-
  ments to resume their ancient ways. Living in rel-
  ative harmony with the elves, and possessing
  m o re firmly established realm borders than be-
  fore, the Rjurik enjoyed the peace after the war.
  But it didn’t last.
  The Anuireans (again) caused the new era of
  peace to end. Roele attacked the Rjurik High-
  lands. Though the people successfully defended
  their domains, the southern realms eventually
  joined the empire of their own volition. The
  A n u i rean overlords further solidified the re a l m
  borders and built up the trading settlements into
  “real” cities—from which they ruled.
  This situation further re i n f o rced the nomadic
  n a t u re of the Rjurik. If they wanted to re m a i n
  free, they had to keep moving. They did not emu-
  late their overlords when Anuire finally retreated
  from the Highlands—though they kept the cities
  as trading centers and havens for the urban
  Rjurik.
  8
  
  The clans continue to be led by kings, queens,
  and jarls. The latter generally serve as pro v i n c e
  rulers, while the former two govern whole do-
  mains. The Rjurik resist the thought of central-
  ized government (witness Jankaping, for exam-
  ple, which totters on the brink of civil war), but
  they understand the need for an overall leader.
  Still, unilateral government is not the way of the
  Rjurik—the kings and queens answer to the jarls,
  and the jarls answer to their people.
  Above all the kings and jarls sit the druids. As
  the sailors of Rjurik fishing boats say, the druids
  “prefer to navigate, but not steer” the realms and
  clans. They concern themselves with the politics
  and governing of the realms when they believe it
  necessary. Usually, they offer advice when asked,
  or when they feel a decision should be influenced
  by Erik’s will. Often, they speak in riddles or va-
  garies, trying not to side against the regents they
  advise or the people they protect.
  Typical Forms of Gover n m e n t : While the
  Rjurik have monarchs (kings, queens, etc.), jarls
  and lords—often chosen by the people—rule the
  realms and nomads. True, the blooded and the
  nobility seldom give up their power completely to
  the commonfolk, but a Rjurik king must work to
  please his jarls, and the jarls must please their
  clans.
  Notable Forms of Gover n m e n t : The Rjurik
  a re “god-ridden” to the extent that they re s p e c t
  and revere their druids, turning away from other
  magics and declaring them unnatural. Yet they
  avoid theocracies. Each individual Rjurik be-
  lieves Erik has a place in the government of the
  land and the clans, but a place right at the top. A
  king or jarl cannot ignore a dru i d ’s advice—it
  comes from the gods—but the druids exerc i s e
  enough wisdom to interfere with day-to-day gov-
  e rnment on rare occasions only. As a result, the
  d ruids continue to appear wise and gain re v e r-
  ence, while the kings and the jarls manage the
  less popular aspects of rulership.
  Weaknesses in Gover n m e n t : The kings and
  queens, and even the jarls, tend to gain their po-
  sitions through appointment or here d i t y. This
  practice often leads to squabbles among the
  clans—Rjurik ascension seldom goes smoothly.
  And even though they appoint most leaders for
  life, dissension does not end with the appoint-
  ment. In some realms, every major decision must
  be ratified by a council of jarls.
  The self-governing nomadic clans of the Rjurik
  Highlands present other problems. While most
  stick to traditional territories, re t u rning to the
  same provinces each winter and summer and
  having established understandings with the jarls
  who rule them, they are not required to do so. A
  nomadic clan that unexpectedly arrives in a prov-
  ince can create problems for kings and jarls who
  try to exercise their rightful authority.
  In no other human race of Cerilia do leaders
  wield power as absolutely as do the t s a re v o so f
  Vosgaard.
  The original Vos, when they lived in Aduria,
  could have been called mystic warriors. They fol-
  lowed the teachings of Vorynn, the god of magic,
  but also valued military prowess. Primitive in
  their ways of life and forms of government, they
  had a simple process by which they chose new
  leaders: a duel of strength and sorc e ry, surv i v o r
  take all.
  When the Vos fled the Shadow, they made a
  longer journey than any other human race. The
  s o u t h e rnmost of the five Adurian races, they
  moved through Anuire once they reached Cerilia
  and continued northeast until they reached the
  lands they still occupy today.
  But moving as far as possible from Azrai’s
  shadow did not help them. Though only the
  s t rongest survived the trek, its arduous nature
  left them weak in spirit and vulnerable to malev-
  olent influences. Azrai appeared and worked his
  evil on them; isolated from other human contact,
  they fell. Azrai played upon their primitive fears
  and desires, corrupting their love of magic into a
  brutal pursuit of power.
  The Vos fought against their human brethren in
  the War of Shadow. Later, they continued to
  battle with the other human races and among
  themselves, following the war gods Belinik
  and Kriesha and splitting into factious tribes.
  Leaders retained power only so long as they
  could defeat pretenders in mortal combat.
  War priests became powerful tribal ad-
  visers, seizing the status once held by
  those who wielded Vorynn’s magic.
  The Vos also battled the very cli-
  mate in which they lived.  Un-
  like the Rjurik, the Vo s
  never saw beauty in Cer-
  i l i a ’s 
  nort h l a n d s .
  Many grew to de-
  spise 
  their
  brutal
  ter-
  9
  
  rain and envy those who had better. Yet they
  fought fiercely to save their new homeland from
  those who would take it. In the last years of his
  life, Emperor Roele turned his imperialistic eye
  northeast and led a campaign to annex Vosgaard.
  Though heavily outnumbered and armed only
  with primitive weapons, the Vos fought back vi-
  ciously. However, while the Vos militarily turned
  back the Anuirean forces, Vo s g a a rd itself finally
  defeated the foreign threat: The Anuireans lost
  the battle against the elements. Roele’s re m a i n-
  ing troops retreated, leaving the wild men of the
  north to themselves.
  So the Vos never came under the rule of the
  A n u i rean emperors. Yet although they managed
  to unite (somewhat) to repel an outside invader,
  they quickly broke back into quarreling tribes and
  w a r-bands. The strong survived but seldom pro s-
  p e red. The work of each chieftain generally col-
  lapsed upon his death and bloodlines grew thin.
  Today, most Vos nations stay together only out of
  habit or tradition. A wild folk, the Vos follow
  s t rength alone. Though not all Vos worship Be-
  linik or Kriesha, they all fear and respect these
  gods—and their priests hold considerable sway.
  Typical Forms of Gover n m e n t : In Vo s g a a rd ,
  the measure of a re g e n t ’s law holding is how
  tightly he controls the actions of his people. Bro-
  ken up into small tribes, most of Vosgaard’s peo-
  ple suffer under the constant threat of war. Duels
  for leadership of a tribe are common, and few
  Vos realms respect the concepts of heredity or
  free election.
  Notable Forms of Gover n m e n t : As in the
  Rjurik lands, the Vos gods play a great part in the
  rulership of the realms. But Vos priests seldom
  stay in the background. While war chiefs and
  tribal leaders may share the holdings within
  some individual realms, in others the priests
  rule them all. Vos priests use the power of
  their gods to subjugate their peoples.
  Weaknesses in Gover n m e n t : The Vo s
  fight against each other more often than
  not. Vendettas and feuds keep even
  moderate Vos tribes from evolving
  into anything approaching civiliza-
  tion. Only a few of the southern
  Vos kingdoms, like Ko-
  z l o v n y y, have overc o m e
  their barbaric ways
  and become civ-
  ilized.
  Several elven nations still exist on Cerilia. They
  rule themselves and remember the old times,
  when they alone walked the forests of Cerilia as
  f ree people. Many continue to look into the
  past—either in remembrance and mourning, or
  with thoughts of vengeance and recovery.
  Most of Cerilia’s elves share similar attitudes
  toward and systems of government, though varia-
  tions do exist. The following are a few examples
  of elven rulership and regency.
  This great forest once sheltered thousands of
  c a re f ree elves; now only one elven nation re-
  mains. Tu a rhievel, like most elven kingdoms, is
  ruled by a monarch. The queen or prince tradi-
  tionally has the last say in all affairs concern i n g
  the kingdom. However, a council of nobles—the
  Council of the Moon—advises the regent on
  state matters.
  G e n e r a l l y, elf regents pass on their monarc h i e s
  to worthy successors only after centuries of ru l e .
  In Tu a rhievel, the Thorn Throne itself decides
  who should or should not sit upon it. Candidates
  for rulership, there f o re, try to make themselves
  w o rthy of re g e n c y. Prince Fhileraene, for exam-
  ple, became a powerful warrior and form i d a b l e
  w i z a rd while preparing for the thro n e .
  Rhianna Waymuun takes the title of Protector of
  Coullabhie, though she has earned the rank of
  queen many times over. The realm of Coullabhie
  is all that remains of an ancient kingdom that
  once filled a larger Coulladaraight with elven
  laughter and song. Now the elven realm contains
  only the memory of former glory.
  Unlike the sad Emerald Queen of the Siel-
  wode, the Protector of Coullabhie does not take
  the burden of the world upon her own shoulders.
  She does look to protect her borders fro m
  human encroachment, but keeps her folk aware
  of the outside world—and ready to deal with it.
  The Sayer of Coullabhie, her powerful court wiz-
  a rd, keeps the realm safe from human magics.
  Like the Prince of Tu a rhievel, the pro t e c t o r
  has opened up her realm—slightly—to nearby
  humans. Though she does not suffer them to
  walk beneath the eaves of the Coulladaraight (at
  least within the borders of her realm), she does
  allow elves to wander the world and come back
  10
  
  with re p o rts and news. Her guildmaster and sec-
  ond adviser (after the wizard) keeps her updated
  on the happenings of Cerilia.
  Though the protector sees herself as a serv a n t
  of the elven realm, she does hold final say in all
  matters. She seeks knowledge and advice, know-
  ing the wisdom of good advisers, but makes for
  herself any decisions that affect her re a l m .
  Little is known of the Faerie Court of the Siel-
  wode. Its ru l e r, Emerald Queen Isaelie, seems
  to hold great power in her kingdom, but sheuses
  it sparingly. She sealed off the borders of the
  Sielwode to humans (even though she truly feels
  no direct animosity toward them), and her
  stealthy hunters enforce her will as law. Still,
  they do not kill humans on sight—though the
  elves refuse to suffer them walking fre e l y
  t h rough the re a l m .
  It seems in this elven kingdom, rulership is a
  b u rden, not a privilege. The Emerald Queen
  s p a res her elves the worries of the world by tak-
  ing them all upon herself. She uses her re a l m
  spells and conventional magics to keep humans
  f rom encroaching on the re a l m ’s borders, but
  knows full well that the Sielwode cannot re m a i n
  inviolate fore v e r.
  One of the great elves out of the distant past,
  Rhoubhe Manslayer continues his own private
  gheallie Sidhe against humanity. While most
  other elven realms have made peace (however
  uneasy) with the humans, Rhoubhe’s domain is
  populated by elves who still desire the utter de-
  s t ruction of humans.
  In order to keep his elves’ hate flowing,
  Rhoubhe has established a near-complete dicta-
  torship in the realm that bears his name. No ad-
  visers hold sway, and he has no thought for an
  heir or a dynasty. He trusts in his own hate and
  his elven immortality to outlast the humans who
  invaded and changed Cerilia fore v e r.
  In Rhoubhe’s realm, what he says goes. Some
  of his greater henchmen (he holds none dear
  enough to appoint lieutenants) may question
  him, but only very care f u l l y, for Rhoubhe’s awn-
  shegh blood drives him to acts of violence
  against any who gainsay him.
  As the examples indicate, most elven realms em-
  ploy monarchy as their primary form of govern-
  ment. Since elves do not have their own gods and
  do not worship human or other deities, they do
  not believe in divine right. Elf regents sometimes
  have to prove their worth to their populace—be-
  f o re and after donning the crown. Still, here d i t y
  does play a part in the lineage of most elf regents.
  This fact does not disturb most elves, as they
  d o n ’t necessarily consider kingship and re g e n c y
  as privilege. Ruling a kingdom is a hard job to
  which few elves aspire. While a human peasant
  might fantasize about someday becoming a
  knight or even a lord, and a knight or lord might
  a s p i re to re g e n c y, elves generally long for more
  f reedom and time to enjoy the wonders of the
  world. The rulers of the elves have less fre e d o m
  than their subjects and must live with re s p o n s i-
  b i l i t y. The chaotic nature of most elves must be
  suppressed in a would-be king, or he will run his
  domain into ruin.
  While several dwarf communities exist on the
  continent of Cerilia, three provide adequate ex-
  amples of truly dwarven realms. These re a l m s
  are, and always have been, ruled by dwarves who
  hold 
  their 
  race’s 
  ancient 
  traditions
  sacrosanct–but in slightly different ways.
  Grimm Graybeard has served for many years as
  o v e rthane, or king, of Baruk-Azhik. His
  thanes, or lieutenants, rule four of the five
  p rovinces in his realm for him. While the
  o v e rthane has the last word in all deci-
  sions, the council of thanes seldom lets
  any decision pass without discussion.
  Dwarves are a lawful folk who have
  very conservative ideas about gov-
  ernment. Each dwarf in Baruk-
  Azhik knows his place in so-
  ciety, and each expects all
  the others to fulfill
  their places. The
  overthane
  makes
  de-
  11
  
  cisions based upon this belief, and Baru k - A z h i k
  is an orderly, well-run realm because of it.
  Those who control temple and guild holdings in
  B a ruk-Azhik seldom trouble the overt h a n e .
  While guildmaster Diirk Watershold sometimes
  flaunts the traditional “closed border” policy of
  the overthane, both he and the high priest stand
  firmly behind the overthane when it counts. Oth-
  erwise, they do not interfere in the realm regent’s
  governance of the kingdom.
  To the dwarves of Baruk-Azhik, the govern m e n t
  of Daikhur Zhigun may seem a little primitive.
  The clan leaders of the dwarves in the Tw i n
  Fortresses have more say in the government and
  p a rticipate more actively than do the thanes of
  B a ruk-Azhik. The king of Daikhur Zhigun ru l e s
  because he heads the largest clan in the re a l m .
  Traditionally, the leader of the church of Moradin
  comes from the second-largest clan, and that
  dwarf serves as the king’s second-in-command.
  Tradition governs Daikhur Zhigun as tightly as
  its realm regent governs the kingdom. While the
  d w a rves of the Twin Fort resses interact more
  with the outside world than do those of Baru k -
  Azhik, they tend to be even more conservative in
  their internal dealings. The government re s e m-
  bles that of the Rjurik humans: Individual clan
  leaders speak nearly as loudly at council as does
  the king.
  Unlike the other two dwarven kingdoms de-
  scribed here, Khurin-Azur maintains a tru e
  h e re d i t a ry monarc h y. Stonelords have ruled the
  t h ree provinces of Khurin-Azur for uncounted
  generations.
  Beset by enemies on many fronts, Khurin-
  Azur has become a very militaristic kingdom.
  It maintains a strong army and Tjorg r i m
  S t o n e l o rd, the ancient battle-scarred war-
  r i o r-king of the realm, has two dukes
  (vassals) who help keep the pro v i n c e s
  s e c u re. If Tjorgrim were not such an
  accomplished warrior himself, the
  people would demand he appoint
  a warlord to lead the armies.
  Even though the
  S t o n e l o rd rules his
  kingdom 
  ab-
  s o l u t e l y, he
  fosters
  the support of the priesthood of Moradin and the
  guilds. Both the temple and guild holdings of the
  realm are more military-oriented than those of
  other dwarven realms. In fact, the Stonelord en-
  courages the priests in his realm to maintain a
  small standing army.
  H e re d i t a ry governments depend on tradition,
  but Khurin-Azur demands competency as well.
  Many appointed positions exist within the
  realm—dukedoms and lieutenancies must be
  e a rned. Weak Stonelords have existed in the
  past; their rules have been short and unpleasant.
  D w a rves tend to be family-oriented, traditional,
  and conservative—and they like to be left alone.
  While dwarves may trade with other races, they
  prefer to keep their own dealings (particularly in
  government) to themselves. The dwarves of Mur-
  Kilad have been dominated by the Gorgon for so
  long they have lost much of their identity, but
  this is an exception to the dwarven rule.
  More pockets of dwarves and dwarven commu-
  nities exist in Cerilia than anyone suspects.
  E v e ry region of the continent has at least one
  g roup of dwarves somewhere. Single clans or
  even families compose most of these tiny settle-
  ments, and much of their energy seems devoted
  to going unnoticed by the humans and other
  races of the area.
  Some dwarves do live among men, elves, or
  even the humanoid races. In the Brecht realm of
  D a u ren, for example, dwarves fleeing the domi-
  nation of the Gorgon set up a small colony many
  centuries ago. When they encountered the
  human miners of Brechtür in the mountains,
  they quickly learned to work together and better
  each other’s techniques. Now, though they live
  under the aegis of human rule, the dwarves of
  D a u ren maintain their own traditions and their
  own leaders.
  The dwarves of Cerilia tend to be hot-blooded
  but stubborn, conservative but inventive, and
  greedy but fair. Dwarves often have complicated
  traditions and laws meant to defeat their own
  inner natures. Rather than fight endless feuds or
  hold grudges into the next millenia, most
  d w a rves would rather submit to a complex but
  complete set of laws. Such a code keeps the indi-
  12
  
  vidual clans from fighting among themselves and
  keeps the business of the dwarves on track.
  As a result, dwarves tend to think of their clans
  first, their kingdoms second, and their individual
  i n t e rests last. While it is true that a lone dwarf ,
  adventuring or trading on his own, can seem self-
  centered or easily bruised by insult, that attitude
  arises out of his belief in tradition. The individual
  d w a rf, out in the world, thinks of himself as a
  re p resentative of his people—and those he en-
  counters as re p resentatives of t h e i r peoples. So,
  when one dwarf has a bad experience with, for
  example, a Rjurik trader, he spreads the word
  that Rjurik traders are bad. The same thing holds
  t rue for governments. If the dwarves of Baru k -
  Azhik have a negative encounter with guilders
  from Rohrmarch, they will hold a grudge against
  all the people of Rohrmarch—and perhaps all the
  Brechts as well.
  Since these opinions can be formed out of sin-
  gle encounters, dwarves have complex traditions
  and pro c e d u res re g a rding contact and dealings
  with peoples of other races. Only through slow
  and careful interaction can human or other gov-
  e rnments make alliances with dwarven king-
  doms. And dwarves never forget a pro m i s e
  kept—or a promise broken.
  Though halflings live all over Cerilia—in all the
  human regions and even among some of the
  elven domains—they maintain only one known
  realm on the continent. This realm must suff i c e
  as an example of typical halfling govern m e n t ,
  though the government may be a product of the
  realm’s surroundings.
  This five-province realm existed long before the
  humans, or even the elves, of southern Brechtür
  and northern Khinasi noticed it. Quiet and pleas-
  ant, the Burrows does not close its borders to
  outsiders, but it somehow discourages the types
  of problems frequently encountered by other
  small kingdoms.
  An outsider visiting the Burrows—especially a
  human outsider—would have a hard time notic-
  ing the halflings’ government. A council rules the
  realm, headed by an elected leader; others who
  c o n t rol holdings try to support the council and
  the realm regent on those few occasions when
  their backing becomes necessary.
  The halflings, however, have a strong ability to
  make other races underestimate them. Looking
  back through the past few centuries, wars and
  political conflicts have swept over the re g i o n
  a round the Burrows, yet the halfling realm re-
  mains markedly untouched. Coincidence can ac-
  count for only so much good fortune.
  For the most part, the individual halflings of
  the realm govern themselves. They farm, they
  fish, and they build, giving little thought to gov-
  e rnment or defense. Still, they respond quickly
  when they have to—the last halfling mustering
  took less than a day and discouraged raiders dri-
  ven out of the Sphinx’s realm from preying on the
  “defenseless” halflings.
  Halflings make their homes—as individuals, as
  small families, and even as tiny communities—in
  all parts of the continent. They usually ignore
  human or elven law as long as it ignores them,
  but they respect its presence and take care not to
  cause disruptions in its practice. When halflings
  do get noticed by their neighbors, they pre s e n t
  themselves as cooperative, energetic, and cheer-
  ful.
  It isn’t surprising, then, that more than a few
  halflings have found places of importance in sev-
  eral realms. In Müden, for example, a halfling
  guildmaster serves as a lieutenant to the Count of
  Müden, and his niece runs a small temple (not to
  mention a secret guild of thieves). Other halflings
  work their way into human dealings as well, usu-
  ally as merchants or scouts. While some humans
  may have trouble accepting the diminutive folk as
  f i g u res of authority, the exceptional halfling that
  becomes one seldom needs to prove himself a sec-
  ond time.
  Gnolls, goblins, orogs, and a few other
  humanoid races live in organized soci-
  eties throughout Cerilia. Their main
  goal seems to be the destru c t i o n
  of other peoples—and if they
  c a n ’t destroy their neigh-
  bors, they quickly go to
  work on each other.
  13
  
  P e rhaps the most numerous of the social hu-
  manoids, the goblins also tend to be the best or-
  ganized. Individually small and unimpre s s i v e ,
  they breed—and fight—like rats, with little or no
  remorse for their lost comrades.
  Though humans know little of Thurazor, the
  goblin kingdom in Anuire, it does appear to be
  the most civilized of all the known goblin king-
  doms. Driven by necessity and the unusual wis-
  dom of their leaders, the goblins of Thurazor
  maintain their kingdom care f u l l y. They focus on
  making their realm strong and safe for gob-
  linkind—in the hope that someday they can ruin
  their neighbors through cunning and goblin-
  strength.
  The King of Thurazor rules by virtue of being
  old, canny, and dangerous. He keeps his lieu-
  tenants close; they keep their enforcers even
  c l o s e r. They punish those goblins who re s o rt to
  chaotic and destructive ways, and the king fo-
  cuses all goblin aggression into other passions or
  outwards.
  Fortunately for Thurazor’s neighbors, even civ-
  ilized goblins cannot cooperate completely. The
  k i n g ’s main occupation involves keeping his re-
  gency. His most trusted advisers and lieutenants
  a re also his most bitter rivals—as expected. The
  goblin king wants only the smartest and toughest
  goblins by his side—and he anticipates that they
  will want his throne.
  Regicide is the prefered method of passing on
  the kingship in Thurazor, and no goblin wants to
  change that. In a way, Thurazor’s method of se-
  lecting a leader seems more enlightened than
  that of many lands. If a goblin proves smart
  enough, fast enough, and strong enough, it
  d o e s n ’t matter who his parents were or
  whether he can win favor with a collection of
  nobles. True ability (and more than a little
  luck) wins the monarchy of Thurazor.
  The orogs of Cerilia maintain few
  known kingdoms. Organized in
  bands and small clans
  t h roughout the conti-
  nent, the fierce and
  independent na-
  t u re of the
  orogs keeps them from building secure domains.
  Their realms seem to thrive only in places where
  they can maintain constant war with their neigh-
  bors.
  Such circumstances exist within the Iron Hand
  Tribes of Khinasi and in the Blood Skull Barony
  of the Rjurik Highlands. Orogs also maintain a
  s t rong presence among the Urga-Zai goblins,
  within the Gorg o n ’s Crown, and in the Or-
  lenaskyy Mountains among the Sword Rust
  Tribes.
  O rogs have a very primitive view of govern-
  ment: The strong rule, the weak obey. A corollary
  to this rule seems to be: The weak plot to become
  the strong so that they can rule. Stable govern-
  ment has never been a trademark of orog society.
  Thrakkazz the Scarlet Baron (of the Blood
  Skull Barony) has kept his rule for 10 years—
  longer than most orog chieftains can conceive
  possible. He somehow managed to find trustwor-
  thy lieutenants and vassals among his followers
  and uses them to subjugate the lesser orogs and
  other humanoids in the area. It helps that the
  Blood Skull Barony is literally surrounded by en-
  emies. Its only “safe” border seems to be the
  small southern one abutting the Giantdowns–and
  rumblings from the awnshegh Ghuralli have
  made this safety questionable.
  Gnolls, like orogs, tend toward brutal governance
  and unstable realms. The Black Spear Tribes of
  Khinasi actually serve the Lost sorc e rer el-
  Sheghül. Garak zul Turbun, Great Yhan and
  chieftain of the Black Spear Tribes, believes him-
  self to be the ruler of the chaotic gnoll bandits of
  this region, but he deludes himself. Without the
  s o rc e rer behind him, Garak’s realm would have
  dissolved into chaos years ago.
  O rganized groups of gnolls do form re a l m s
  from time to time. The Gnoll Fells humanoids in
  Vo s g a a rd actually have a permanent temple to
  Yeenoghu, run by a gnoll priest. They maintain
  constant conflict with most of their neighbors,
  which allows their leaders to “weed out” potential
  troublemakers by sending them to the front lines.
  Gnoll realms, when they do exist, assume
  p re d a t o ry roles. As long as the gnoll leadership
  can direct its warriors’ chaotic and destru c t i v e
  energies outward, the domain survives. When the
  gnolls fail in their conquests (or succeed too
  well), hostilities turn inward, usually with disas-
  trous consequences.
  14
  
  Trolls, giants, and other humanoid races main-
  tain little if any social stru c t u re. Even the very
  small domains are the exception rather than
  the rule. 
  Often, solitary or small groups of humanoids
  can be found dominating or serving goblins or
  evil humans. Sometimes, whole bands of tro l l s
  might enlist as mercenaries, fighting under the
  flag of the Gorgon or another powerful awn-
  s h e g h .
  When the humanoids of Cerilia form govern-
  ments, they often follow the “strongest will ru l e ”
  method of kingship. Their tenures as kings tend
  to be brief, and their kingdoms last about as
  long as their lives.
  In Cerilia, governmental evolution has been
  s l o w. Often dependent upon strong traditions
  and the passing of divine bloodlines, govern-
  ments remain much the same as they did hun-
  d reds of years ago. In some lands, part i c u l a r l y
  in Brechtür and Khinasi, the common folk have
  begun to raise their voices and be heard by the
  nobles. But it is a slow pro c e s s — t rue democ-
  r a c y, socialism, and other forms of govern m e n t
  seem far in the future of Cerilia. Enlightened
  and feudal monarchies, parlimentary aristocra-
  cies, and similar governments will rise and fall
  many times before more advanced ideals can be
  e m b r a c e d .
  15
  
  N
  “The blood of Anuire, of Cerilia, flows through your
  veins, my son. You and the land share the same his
  -
  t o ry, the same blood, and the same life. If you die,
  the land dies and the empire falls.
  “Unite the land, nurt u re it, and care for it, be -
  cause when a man is separated from the land, he is
  nothing.”
  — The last words spoken by Roele,
  first Emperor of Anuire
  N
  loodlines and blood abilities mean more
  than power to the Cerilian scion. They imbue
  each blooded character with distinction—a sign
  that proclaims to the world that this person is
  destined to do something. For good or evil, better
  or worse, a scion links himself to the land the day
  he inherits a bloodline.
  His actions will affect the world.
  The blood of Cerilia affects the scion as well.
  Regents, especially, find themselves manipulated
  by their bloodlines. Few scions of Anduiras can
  resist the call to battle; those of Reynir’s blood
  hearken to the trees and animals of the forest. 
  And of course, Azrai’s evil taint compels the
  u n w a ry and unfortunate, corrupting their
  hearts and minds against the good of the peo-
  ple Cerilia.
  This chapter presents some new and re-
  vised information about bloodlines and
  blood abilities. It also provides easier- t o -
  use blood ability tables, organized by
  bloodline and strength, that include
  abilities not detailed in the
  BI RT H R I G H T R u l e b o o k. Finally, it
  explains long-range eff e c t s
  bloodlines can have on their
  scions—especially scions
  of Azrai. 
  When a scion has a child, that child gains a
  bloodline with a strength, score, and derivation
  that reflects those of his parents.
  If two scions have a child, his bloodline score is
  d e t e rmined by averaging the scores of his par-
  ents. The child receives the bloodline stre n g t h
  and derivation of the parent with the highest
  bloodline score. So if a scion of Brenna with a
  g reat bloodline and a strength score of 30 has a
  child with a scion of Reynir who has a major
  bloodline of 40, the child has a bloodline of
  Reynir, major, 35.
  Should a scion have a child with an unblooded
  person, the child gains the bloodline strength and
  derivation of his blooded parent, but only half the
  p a re n t ’s bloodline strength score (round up).
  This number results from averaging the two
  bloodline strength scores—one a number greater
  than zero, the other zero.
  Bloodlines are measured by s t re n g t h (a word :
  tainted, minor, major, gre a t , or t ru e) and s c o r e ( a
  number). The score is a rules mechanic used by
  players; the strength is largely a role-playing term
  for reputation used by characters. For example, a
  player would attempt to increase his PC’s score
  to 29 so he could roll on a table to gain additional
  blood abilities or reap some other measurable re-
  ward. His character, on the other hand, perhaps a
  noble arranging a marriage for his daughter,
  would not look favorably upon a pro s p e c t i v e
  g room for his “bloodline of 46” but for his fam-
  ily’s “great bloodline.”
  Scions may increase their bloodline scores by
  committing bloodtheft or careful ru l e r s h i p
  (spending Regency Points); this much is known.
  Other methods for increasing scores may exist as
  well. However, no purely mechanical means can
  increase a scion’s bloodline strength(from tainted
  to minor, for example, or minor to major).
  Yet many scions aspire to better bloodlines.
  One might want to re s t o re the grandeur of a
  noble family whose bloodline strength has suf-
  f e red over the years due to ill-considered mar-
  riages. Another might want to increase his blood-
  line strength for status. Such an accomplishment
  16
  
  is possible, though very difficult.
  The first step toward increasing a scion’s blood-
  line strength lies in his bloodline score. The scion
  must somehow increase his score past the maxi-
  mum possible for his current bloodline strength.
  ( To find this number, see Table 10: Bloodline
  S t rength in the BI RT H R I G H T R u l e b o o k.) In doing
  so, he must also increase his bloodline score by at
  least 10 points, a symbol of his increased reputa-
  tion.
  For example, Kael has a tainted bloodline with
  a strength score of 12. Normally, he would have
  to increase it to 17, since the maximum tainted
  bloodline score is 16 (4d4). However, he has to
  work harder because he already had a re l a t i v e l y
  high tainted bloodline score. He must incre a s e
  his bloodline score to at least 22.
  Once the scion raises his score sufficiently, he
  then must prove to the DM that he is worthy of
  i n c reasing his bloodline strength. If the scion
  goes on heroic quests (or, if he is evil, perf o rm s
  infamous deeds) and accomplishes legendary
  feats that help tie him to the land and legend of
  Cerilia, the DM allows him to increase his blood-
  line strength. So, after Kael raises his bloodline
  s c o re to 22, if he completes heroic deeds he
  could increase his bloodline from tainted to
  minor.
  Of course, the DM might require special, spe-
  cific services from the scion before allowing this
  to happen. Think of the quest to increase one’s
  bloodline strength as a particularly notable
  deed—it happens infrequently and always con-
  tains the stuff of legend. Advisers and seers can
  point out how other scions may have accom-
  plished this feat, but no one can say for sure what
  caused the increases to occur.
  N o t e : No bloodline can be increased in
  s t rength more than o n c e per generation; this
  should indicate how difficult a feat it is to
  achieve. The quest or deeds that cause this in-
  c rease to happen should reflect a lifetime of
  achievement—though the scion may continue ad-
  venturing afterw a rds. (At the DM’s discre t i o n ,
  scions with the long life blood ability can increase
  their bloodline strength more than once, but
  each increase should require several centuries.)
  Special Note: Under no circumstances can a
  g reat bloodline be increased to true. The only
  t rue bloodlines come from heroes and villains
  that were actually at the Battle of Deismaar. True
  bloodlines may be found among scions born to
  the current generation of Cerilia, but these
  should be rare and special occurances.
  Scions who increase their bloodlines cause rip-
  ples on the surface of Cerilia. Only characters
  with special abilities or spells can detect a blood-
  line—not to mention its strength or derivation—
  but when someone increases a bloodline, the
  change becomes known. The scion’s impro v e d
  reputation impresses most people—it incre a s e s
  the number of henchmen he can have, the upper-
  level limit on lieutenants he can recruit, and gen-
  erally makes him more famous throughout the
  land.
  But bad things happen as well. The blood
  hunters—characters like the Gorgon or lesser
  awnsheghlien who seek out scions and kill them
  for their bloodlines—find out about the scion’s
  change in status and are attracted by it. They see
  a bloodline that has just increased as a potential
  supplement to their own.
  B e f o re using these new blood ability tables, one
  must first ascertain the character’s bloodline de-
  rivation and strength as described under “Blood-
  lines” in the BI RT H R I G H T R u l e b o o k. Then simply
  roll on the correct table to determine which
  blood abilities the character possesses.
  These tables have a key that explains where to
  find the description of any blood ability:
  • Unless otherwise noted, the blood ability is
  explained in the BIRTHRIGHT Rulebook.
  • * S t a rred abilities are described in the
  BLOOD ENEMIES accessory.
  • B o l d f a c e entries are new abilities de-
  scribed in this chapter.
  • I t a l i c i z e d entries are considered sig-
  n a t u re blood abilities. (See discus-
  sion later in this chapter for more
  i n f o rmation about signature
  ablities.)
  17
  
  Subtable A (Anduiras, Minor)
  d100
  Ability
  01–11
  Animal Affinity
  12–18
  Bloodmark
  19–25
  Courage
  26–31
  Detect Lie
  32–37
  Detect Life*
  38–49
  Enhanced Sense
  50–57
  Healing
  58–69
  Heightened Ability
  70–75
  Iron Will
  76–84
  Long Life*
  85–91
  Major Resistance*
  92–98
  Resistance
  99–00
  Unreadable Thoughts
  Subtable B (Anduiras, Major)
  d100
  Ability
  01–13
  Animal Affinity
  14–21
  Battlewise
  22–25
  Bloodtrait*
  26–32
  Courage
  33–38
  Detect Life*
  39–43
  Divine Aura
  44–49
  Divine Wrath
  50–62
  Enhanced Sense
  63–70
  Healing
  71–82
  Long Life*
  83–89
  Major Resistance*
  90–93
  Protection From Evil
  94–00
  Resistance
  Subtable C (Anduiras, Great)
  d100
  Ability
  01–12
  Animal Affinity
  13–16
  Bloodtrait*
  17–26
  Courage
  28–40
  Detect Life*
  41–46
  Divine Aura
  47–48
  Elemental Control
  49–60
  Healing
  61–78
  Long Life*
  79–88
  Major Resistance*
  89–90
  Regeneration
  91–00
  Resistance
  Subtable A (Azrai, Minor)
  d100
  Ability
  01–04
  Alertness
  05–16
  Animal Affinity
  17–25
  Bloodmark
  26–29
  Death Touch*
  30–32
  Detect Illusion
  33–38
  Detect Life*
  39–51
  Enhanced Sense
  52–64
  Heightened Ability
  65–70
  Iron Will
  71–82
  Long Life*
  83–88
  Major Resistance*
  89–91
  Poison Sense
  92–98
  Resistance
  99–00
  Unreadable Thoughts
  Subtable B (Azrai, Major)
  d100
  Ability
  01–04
  Alter Appearance
  05–15
  Animal Affinity
  16–22
  Battlewise
  23–47
  Bloodform*
  48–52
  Charm Aura*
  53–55
  Death Touch*
  56–59
  Detect Life*
  60–69
  Enhanced Sense
  70–71
  Fear
  72–82
  Long Life*
  83–88
  Major Resistance*
  89–92
  Persuasion
  93–98
  Resistance
  99–00
  Wither Touch*
  Subtable C (Azrai, Great)
  d100
  Ability
  01–08
  Animal Affinity
  09–16
  Berserker’s Blood
  17–34
  Bloodform*
  35–39
  Charm Aura*
  40–45
  Detect Life*
  46–49
  Divine Aura
  50–53
  Invulnerability*
  54–65
  Long Life*
  66–71
  Major Regeneration*
  72–77
  Major Resistance*
  78–79
  Regeneration
  80–85
  Resistance
  86–87
  Shadow Form
  88–90
  Touch of Decay
  91–98
  Travel
  99–00
  Wither Touch*
  18
  
  Subtable A (Basaiä, Minor)
  d100
  Ability
  01–05
  Alertness
  06–16
  Animal Affinity
  17–23
  Bloodmark
  24–26
  Detect Illusion
  27–29
  Detect Lie
  30–35
  Detect Life*
  36–47
  Enhanced Sense
  48–55
  Healing
  56–67
  Heightened Ability
  68–72
  Light of Reason
  73–80
  Long Life*
  83–91
  Major Resistance*
  92–98
  Resistance
  99–00
  Unreadable Thoughts
  Subtable B (Basaiä, Major)
  d100
  Ability
  01–12
  Animal Affinity
  13–16
  Bloodtrait*
  17–21
  Character Reading
  22–27
  Charm Aura*
  28–33
  Detect Life*
  34–37
  Divine Aura
  38–42
  Divine Wrath
  43–56
  Enhanced Sense
  57–65
  Healing
  66–70
  Light of Reason
  71–82
  Long Life*
  83–89
  Major Resistance*
  90–92
  Protection From Evil
  93–00
  Resistance
  Subtable C (Basaiä, Great)
  d100
  Ability
  01–12
  Animal Affinity
  13–17
  Bloodtrait*
  18–24
  Charm Aura*
  25–33
  Detect Life*
  34–37
  Divine Aura
  38–39
  Elemental Control
  40–49
  Healing
  50–55
  Invulnerability*
  56–66
  Light of Reason
  67–80
  Long Life*
  81–88
  Major Resistance*
  89–95
  Resistance
  96–00
  Travel
  Subtable A (Brenna, Minor)
  d100
  Ability
  01–05
  Alertness
  06–17
  Animal Affinity
  18–22
  Blood History
  23–29
  Bloodmark
  30–33
  Detect Illusion
  34–37
  Detect Lie
  38–44
  Detect Life*
  45–57
  Enhanced Sense
  58–70
  Heightened Ability
  71–82
  Long Life*
  83–89
  Major Resistance*
  90–98
  Resistance
  99–00
  Unreadable Thoughts
  Subtable B (Brenna, Major)
  d100
  Ability
  01–05
  Alter Appearance
  06–17
  Animal Affinity
  18–21
  Bloodtrait*
  22–26
  Character Reading
  27–33
  Charm Aura*
  34–42
  Detect Life*
  43–54
  Enhanced Sense
  55–62
  Home Hearkening
  63–77
  Long Life*
  78–84
  Major Resistance*
  85–88
  Persuasion
  89–92
  Protection From Evil
  93–00
  Resistance
  Subtable C (Brenna, Great)
  d100
  Ability
  01–14
  Animal Affinity
  15–20
  Bloodtrait*
  21–28
  Charm Aura*
  29–37
  Detect Life*
  38–47
  Home Hearkening
  48–67
  Long Life*
  68–77
  Major Resistance*
  78–87
  Resistance
  88–90
  Shadow Form
  91–00
  Travel
  19
  
  Subtable A (Masela, Minor)
  d100
  Ability
  01–15
  Animal Affinity
  16–20
  Blood History
  21–28
  Bloodmark
  29–32
  Detect Illusion
  33–27
  Detect Lie
  28–35
  Detect Life*
  36–42
  Direction Sense
  43–60
  Enhanced Sense
  61–81
  Long Life*
  82–88
  Major Resistance*
  89–97
  Resistance
  98–00
  Unreadable Thoughts
  Subtable B (Masela, Major)
  d100
  Ability
  01–15
  Animal Affinity
  16–19
  Bloodtrait*
  20–27
  Detect Life*
  28–32
  Divine Aura
  33–39
  Divine Wrath
  40–54
  Enhanced Sense
  55–72
  Long Life*
  73–76
  Major Resistance*
  77–80
  Protection From Evil
  81–90
  Resistance
  91–00
  Sea Song
  Subtable C (Masela, Great)
  d100
  Ability
  01–20
  Animal Affinity
  21–29
  Bloodtrait*
  30–40
  Detect Life*
  41–46
  Divine Aura
  47–50
  Elemental Control
  51–69
  Long Life*
  70–74
  Major Resistance*
  75–85
  Resistance
  86–00
  Travel
  Subtable A (Reynir, Minor)
  d100
  Ability
  01–03
  Alertness
  04–15
  Animal Affinity
  16–20
  Bloodmark
  21–23
  Detect Illusion
  24–26
  Detect Lie
  27–31
  Detect Life*
  32–33
  Direction Sense
  34–44
  Enhanced Sense
  45–54
  Forest Walk
  55–62
  Healing
  63–74
  Heightened Ability
  75–78
  Iron Will
  79–89
  Long Life*
  90–93
  Major Resistance*
  94–95
  Poison Sense
  96–99
  Resistance
  00
  Unreadable Thoughts
  Subtable B (Reynir, Major)
  d100
  Ability
  01–13
  Animal Affinity
  14–17
  Bloodtrait*
  18–26
  Detect Life*
  27–31
  Divine Aura
  32–45
  Enhanced Sense
  46–58
  Forest Walk
  59–67
  Healing
  68–82
  Long Life*
  83–87
  Major Resistance*
  88–92
  Protection From Evil
  93–00
  Resistance
  Subtable C (Reynir, Great)
  d100
  Ability
  01–14
  Animal Affinity
  15–18
  Bloodtrait*
  19–26
  Detect Life*
  27–32
  Divine Aura
  33–34
  Elemental Control
  35–47
  Forest Walk
  48–57
  Healing
  58–73
  Long Life*
  74–79
  Major Regeneration*
  80–87
  Major Resistance*
  88–90
  Regeneration
  91–00
  Resistance
  20
  
  Subtable A (Vorynn, Minor)
  d100
  Ability
  01–14
  Animal Affinity
  15–20
  Blood History
  21–28
  Bloodmark
  29–32
  Detect Illusion
  33–36
  Detect Lie
  37–49
  Enhanced Sense
  50–62
  Heightened Ability
  63–70
  Long Life*
  71–78
  Major Resistance*
  78–86
  Mebhaighl Sense
  87–96
  Resistance
  97–00
  Unreadable Thoughts
  Subtable B (Vorynn, Major)
  01–05
  Alter Appearance
  06–23
  Animal Affinity
  24–29
  Bloodtrait*
  30–35
  Character Reading
  36–43
  Divine Aura
  44–58
  Enhanced Sense
  59–66
  Long Life*
  67–75
  Major Resistance*
  76–84
  Mebhaighl Sense
  85–89
  Protection From Evil
  90–00
  Resistance
  Subtable C (Vorynn, Great)
  d100
  Ability
  01–15
  Animal Affinity
  16–26
  Berserker’s Blood
  27–31
  Bloodtrait*
  32–38
  Divine Aura
  39–45
  Invulnerability*
  46–52
  Long Life*
  53–61
  Major Resistance*
  62–75
  Mebhaighl Sense
  76–90
  Resistance
  91–00
  Travel
  Each new blood ability described here may be
  c a rried by any character of the appro p r i a t e
  bloodline. These abilities appear on the tables in
  this book, but at the DM’s discretion may be sub-
  stituted for blood abilities rolled on other tables.
  Berserker’s Blood
  Great
  Derivations: Azrai, Vorynn
  Few on Cerilia doubt that this blood ability ini-
  tially came to the Vos as a gift from Azrai. Still, it
  somehow managed to manifest in Vorynn’s heirs
  as well. The Vos blessed with this blood ability
  see it as a sign of strength, and those who still
  worship Vorynn perceive it as a mark of forgive-
  ness for their race’s past transgressions.
  Scions with this ability can surpass the limits of
  m o rtal endurance and battle after other mort a l s
  would have died at the hands of their enemies.
  When a scion with the berserker’s bloodability suf-
  fers enough damage that his hit points fall to zero
  or lower, he can make a saving throw vs. death
  magic in an attempt to keep fighting. The scion
  may add 1 point to his saving throw for every two
  levels of experience he has achieved.
  If the saving throw is successful, the scion goes
  into a berserk fury. The scion may fight only with
  melee weapons or bare-handed, and will attack
  the nearest opponent single-mindedly. When he
  defeats that opponent, he moves on to another.
  When he runs out of opponents, he must make a
  saving throw vs. petrification or continue attack-
  ing the nearest living being (friends included).
  The scion continues to fight until he runs out of
  people to attack, he is somehow healed to above
  zero hit points, or he suffers damage beyond zero
  equal to his bloodline strength score. Should this
  last condition occur, he falls into a coma. If he
  cannot be brought to positive hit points within
  two rounds, the scion dies.
  If the scion receives enough healing to bring his
  hit points above zero, he lapses into a deep—but
  n o rmal—sleep. He must rest for twice the num-
  ber of rounds he spent fighting at zero or fewer
  hit points, or make a system shock check every
  round he acts. If he fails the check, he dies im-
  mediately.
  After recovering from the berserker fury, the
  scion must make a final saving throw vs. paralysis
  to determine whether he suff e red any long-term
  damage. If he fails, he loses one point of his
  bloodline strength perm a n e n t l y. (It may be
  e a rned back in the normal course of game play,
  but cannot be brought back by a re s t o r a t i o n
  spell.)
  Forest Walk
  Minor, Major, Great
  Derivations: Reynir
  Scions can use this ability to harmonize with
  the forest, moving through it without affecting it.
  A character with the minor ability may pass
  through any light, medium, or heavy forests at no
  penalty to his normal movement rate. No normal
  tracking ability (such as that of rangers) can dis-
  21
  
  cover his trail—as per the priest spell pass without
  t r a c e. All natural tracking abilities, such as the
  sense of smell possessed by hunting hounds, are
  also useless.
  At major power, this ability grants the scion re-
  sistance to magical forms of tracking. The scion
  gains 5% resistance per experience level when-
  ever he is in forest terrain. This resistance applies
  equally to spells or magic items (such as a crystal
  ball) that could be used to locate or track him.
  As a great ability, forest walk enables a scion to
  enter the edge of any forest and, after walking
  t h rough it for a certain number of hours (24
  minus one-half his experience level), emerg e
  f rom the same forest at any point desired. For
  example, a 10th-level character entering the Ael-
  vinnwode in northern Taeghas could walk for 19
  hours and emerge anywhere along the Aelvinn-
  w o d e ’s borders—as far away as nort h e rn Tu-
  arhievel or even back where he started.
  During the time the character moves thro u g h
  the forest, he travels in a normal manner. He may
  make rest stops (for no more than fifteen or so
  minutes at a time) and have encounters, and he
  will pass through provinces one at a time. But at
  the moment his walk ends, he instantaneously
  teleports to his chosen destination.
  N o t e : The scion must decide his destination
  when he enters the forest. If he changes his mind
  during his forest walk, he may continue traveling
  normally or reenter the forest to begin a new for-
  est walk.
  Scions possessing this ability at major or great
  power gain the benefits of the lesser powers as
  well.
  Home Hearkening
  Major, Great
  Derivation: Brenna
  A regent with this blood ability has an even
  stronger connection to the land and holdings he
  rules than do most regents. As a major ability,
  home hearkening remains a mostly dorm a n t
  ability while everything goes well in the re-
  g e n t ’s domain. However, if any of the hold-
  ings experience a challenge or threat (such
  as a contest domain action or monster
  random event), the regent immediately
  feels uncomfortable and needed. The
  feeling persists until the regent (or
  someone else) settles the matter.
  No range limit for this ability
  exists—as long as the re-
  gent lives and has ac-
  cess to this blood
  a b i l i t y, he’ll
  know
  when trouble threatens any of his holdings.
  As a great ability, home hearkening enables the
  regent to do something about the situation fro m
  a f a r. Pre s u m a b l y, the regent maintains ties with
  family members, extremely close friends, vas-
  sals, and lieutenants within his realm. The re g e n t
  can, after feeling the disquiet caused by unre s t
  in a province or holding he controls, project this
  feeling and his desire for action to one of those
  people. No two-way communication is possible,
  but the regent empathically may make his
  wishes made in a general way. As a result, the re-
  gent can respond to threats in his realm while
  h u n d reds—or even thousands—of miles away.
  Note: Nonregent characters, too, may possess
  this ability. They initially feel a tie to their home-
  lands but can, over time, re d i rect this tie to any
  semi-permanent base (the scion usually must live
  in an area for at least six months before the tie
  binds). The scion, of course, cannot perform do-
  main actions and has links to family members or
  e x t remely close friends only, but he still experi-
  ences disquiet when trouble appears.
  Light of Reason
  Minor, Major, Great
  Derivation: Basaiä
  Characters with this ability can use the power
  of the former sun goddess to light their surround-
  ings. A scion who calls upon this ability actually
  radiates light as described below.
  At minor power, this ability functions as a light
  spell with the scion as its center. The character
  can create a sustained glow of artificial light for a
  number of turns equal to the character’s level.
  Scions may call on this ability up to three times
  per day.
  As a major ability, light of reason functions as
  above. In addition, once per day the scion can
  generate a brilliant instantaneous flash of light.
  Anyone within a 30-foot radius must succeed at a
  saving throw vs. paralyzation or suffer blindness
  for a number of rounds equal to half the charac-
  ter’s level (round up). Scions with the light of rea-
  son at any degree (minor, major, or great) are im-
  mune to the effects of this flash when generated
  by themselves or another scion with the same
  ability. Other characters who anticipate the flash
  (such as fellow adventurers who have been
  w a rned) can avoid the effect by averting their
  eyes.
  Scions with this ability at great power can gen-
  erate both the sustained glow and the flash as de-
  scribed above. However, in doing so they actually
  radiate sunlight. This light affects undead and
  other creatures hindered by sunshine exactly as if
  it came directly from the sun itself.
  22
  
  Mebhaighl Sense
  Minor, Major, Great
  Derivation: Vorynn
  Scions with mebhaighl sense are particularly in
  tune with the natural magic of Cerilia. With a
  minor ability, the character can tell whenever
  someone casts any type of wizard or magician
  spell within a 100-yard radius. He feels a tug in
  the general direction of the spellcasting, but
  gains no more information.
  With the major power, the scion has access to
  the minor power but also gains the ability to de-
  termine what school of magic has been cast—im-
  mediately and instinctively. If the character has
  no real knowledge of magic (in other words, he
  d o e s n ’t know the names of individual schools of
  magic), the DM should describe to him the type
  of magic he feels. For example, if someone were
  to cast a spell from the school of divination, the
  DM could say that he feels as if someone were
  watching him or probing the area in which he
  stands.
  With the great power, the scion gains both of
  the above abilities and can also perceive whether
  magic has been cast in a certain area in the re-
  cent past. The scion can attune himself to an area
  up to 100 yards in diameter. He can feel whether
  any spells have been cast in the area and of what
  school. The scion can sense magic cast within a
  period of one week per experience level.
  This ability enables a scion to sense realm spells
  as well as conventional magic. If a realm spell has
  been cast on a province the scion is in (or to
  which he attunes himself within the time limit
  above), the character learns that a realm spell
  was cast, and from what school the magic de-
  rives.
  The scion cannot detect the casting or presence
  of priest spells using this ability.
  Sea Song
  Major
  Derivation: Masela
  Characters with this ability have a part i c u l a r
  a ffinity for the water and the sea. They can, on
  occasion, interpret the “song of the sea” to gain
  news and information from bodies of water.
  The scion must stand near or in a large body of
  water—such as a bay, sea, ocean, lake, or larg e
  r i v e r. The scion can then ask questions of the
  w a t e r, in much the same manner a priest asks
  questions with a c o m m u n espell. The questions
  need to have simple answers (preferably “yes” or
  “no” answers; otherwise the response will be
  vague), and they must pertain to the water itself
  or lands touched directly by the body of water.
  N o t e : The ability’s area of effect is limited to
  single bodies of water, not other bodies they
  might empty into or adjoin. For example, using
  sea song to talk to the water in the Dwarf h a m e
  (an inlet on the eastern coast of the Krakennau-
  richt) does no good if the scion seeks news con-
  c e rning the coastal provinces of Kierg a rd — h e ’ d
  have to talk to the waters of the Dauren Arm in-
  stead.
  The scion may invoke this ability once per week
  for every three levels of experience he has at-
  tained, and ask one question per experience
  level. The water answers as truthfully as it can,
  but sometimes errs. In general, the water
  “knows” more about water- related things:
  whether ships sail on its surface, certain fish
  swim within it, or whether a sea storm is brewing.
  The stamp of the old gods remains strong on the
  scions of Cerilia. A few blood abilities may be in-
  herited by scions of only a particular bloodline:
  b l o o d f o rm (Azrai), courage (Anduiras), death
  touch (Azrai), fear (Azrai), forest walk (Reynir),
  home hearkening (Brenna), light of reason (Ba-
  saiä), mebhaighl sense (Vo rynn), sea song
  (Masela), touch of decay (Azrai), and wither
  touch (Azrai). These blood abilities most closely
  reflect the nature and concerns of the old god
  who passed the blood ability on to his champi-
  ons.
  Some scions believe that a person possessing
  one or more signature abilities of his bloodline
  has some special gift or mission from the gods.
  Since most signature abilities belong to the hated
  bloodline of Azrai, however, this theory does not
  bode well for Cerilia.
  As a result of possessing a signature ability, a
  scion may feel certain “pulls” toward or away
  f rom actions of a particular nature. Some-
  times, these mystic tugs steer the scion into
  situations where he might use the ability in
  a manner that seems fitting to the old
  god from whom it is derived. In more
  general cases, the pull simply guides
  the character toward actions that
  would seem consistent with the
  old god’s nature.
  This tendency can often
  cause problems for
  characters whose
  personal mis-
  s i o n s ,
  23
  
  alignments, or character classes do not harm o-
  nize perfectly with the bloodline they possess.
  For example, a dwarf scion might have the
  bloodline of Masela and the sea song blood abil-
  i t y. Although Cerilian dwarves do not have a
  fondness for water, this particular dwarf might
  “hear” the call of a babbling brook or the crash
  of waves on a shore when his bloodline wants
  him to get close to the water—an uncomfort a b l e
  situation for the dwarf .
  Good role-players whose characters possess
  bloodlines probably already attempt to work with
  any dichotomy in their natures. Wa rriors with
  Vo ry n n ’s bloodline could develop an interest in
  the workings of magic, or in the strategic applica-
  tion of spells on the battlefield. Rogues possess-
  ing the Anduiras bloodline derivation might de-
  cide to become “honorable” thieves, stealing
  f rom only the evil or “those who can aff o rd the
  loss.”
  The pull of a signature blood ability can be used
  to emphasize this possible contradiction. The
  player might choose to use his signature ability
  (or abilities) only when he thinks it should be
  used—in a role-playing, rather than practical,
  sense.
  DMs should not be shy about suggesting uses of
  s i g n a t u re blood abilities that support the nature
  of the god who supplied the bloodline in the first
  place. They needn’t force players to go along
  with these suggestions, but might indicate when
  something “feels” right or wrong to the charac-
  ters.
  H o w e v e r, DMs should never allow the
  bloodline to take the place of pro b l e m -
  solving or moral debates. Players should
  come to realize that the bloodline is n o t
  a cognizant entity within them, but
  rather a part of their own nature s .
  And it might not always encour-
  age PCs to act in their best in-
  t e re s t s .
  The tug of Azrai’s bloodline may not be subtle.
  Characters need not be born with signature
  blood abilities of Azrai, or even Azrai’s bloodline
  flowing in their veins, to be corrupted into
  awnsheghlien. Any character touched by the
  blood of Azrai—from within or without—risks
  evolving into a monster of horrific power, regard-
  less of his initial alignment or bloodline deriva-
  tion.
  Two clear ways exist for a character to become
  an awnshegh. The first method has been docu-
  mented only a few times—but perhaps has oc-
  c u rred more often than people realize. When a
  non-awnshegh kills one of these powerful mon-
  sters, that character’s own bloodline (if any) can
  succumb to that of the awnshegh, provoking a
  frightening transformation.
  The second method takes more time but has
  produced many more awnsheghlien. By giving in
  to the blood of Azrai and acting in an evil (or
  even merely a chaotic) manner, characters begin
  to transform into a terrible monster. Aw n s h e g h-
  lien produced this way may develop quickly or
  s l o w l y, depending on the strength of Azrai’s
  blood in their veins, the way they use their blood
  abilities and bloodline, and the alignment to
  which they adhere.
  Facing an awnshegh in battle may be just the be-
  ginning of an adventure r’s worries. If the awn-
  shegh possesses great power and a high bloodline
  s t rength, that cre a t u re ’s power could, upon its
  death, overcome the resolve of the truest hero
  and cause a commoner, scion, or regent to be-
  come an awnshegh himself.
  No one is certain exactly how a character be-
  comes an awnshegh through this method, but
  rules can be extrapolated here. Use the following
  guidelines to determine whether a character who
  kills an awnshegh and commits bloodtheft on the
  c re a t u re (in other words, stabs it through the
  heart for the death blow) becomes an awnshegh.
  •
  If the awnshegh’s bloodline score is equal to
  or greater than its slayer’s, there is a chance
  the character will become an awnshegh. If
  the slayer’s bloodline score is greater than
  the awnshegh’s, no chance exists.
  •
  Divide both characters’ bloodline scores by
  6 (round up). Record the awnshegh’s num-
  24
  
  ber as attack diceand the slayer’s number as
  defense dice.
  •
  The character’s alignment affects his num-
  ber of defense dice. If the character is good,
  add one die to his number of defense dice. If
  he is neutral, add nothing; if he is evil, sub-
  tract one die from his defense dice. (N o t e :
  If, in the DM’s opinion, a PC has not acted
  in accordance with his alignment re c e n t l y,
  that may alter this modifier.)
  •
  Both the character’s and the awnshegh’s
  bloodline strength affects the number of
  dice each will roll. If either has a tainted
  bloodline strength, subtract one from the
  number of attack or defense dice that char-
  acter has. Apply no modifier for a minor
  bloodline. For a major bloodline, add one
  die; for a great bloodline, add three dice.
  •
  The awnshegh (probably the DM) rolls a
  number of eight-sided dice equal to his modi-
  fied attack dice; the slayer rolls a number of
  six-sided dice equal to his modified defense
  dice. If the total number generated by the
  awnshegh e q u a l sor e x c e e d sthe number gener-
  ated by the slayer’s dice, the slayer becomes
  an awnshegh (see below). If the slayer’s num-
  ber is higher than the awnshegh’s, bloodtheft
  occurs normally and the character retains his
  c u rrent bloodline derivation.
  Becoming an Awnshegh:
  If a character loses the
  defense of his bloodline, his bloodline derivation
  immediately changes to that of Azrai. He gains
  twicethe number of bloodline strength points he
  would normally gain from commiting bloodtheft
  against the awnshegh, but pays a terrible price.
  First, unless the character is of good alignment
  and (in the DM’s opinion) has acted scrupulously
  in accordance with that alignment during his ad-
  venturing care e r, his alignment immediately
  changes to that of the awnshegh he killed (or
  some evil alignment, if the awnshegh was one of
  the rare neutral abominations of Cerilia). This
  change may not be permanent (that’s for the DM
  and player to decide), but it does happen now.
  Next, the character could gain one or more blood
  abilities from the awnshegh he slew. Consult Ta b l e
  12: Blood Ability Acquisition in the BI RT H R I G H T
  R u l e b o o k, using the scion’s new bloodline score. If
  the bloodline strength points acquired by the scion
  push his score past a new break point, roll to see if
  he gains any new blood abilities.
  If the scion does gain new abilities, they should
  be those of the awnshegh he slew, if possible. The
  strength of the ability may differ, but it should be
  the same ability. (For example, if a scion kills an
  awnshegh with the animal affinity ability at great
  level, but rolls only a minor ability on the table,
  he acquires the minor version of animal affinity.)
  The DM may decide to give the character other
  blood abilities instead of those possessed by the
  defeated awnshegh, of course—but the pro c e s s
  usually occurs in this way.
  U n f o rt u n a t e l y, the scion may also lose some
  blood abilities. Any abilities not available to the
  character’s new bloodline disappear immediately.
  Some abilities may change (the totem animal for
  the animal affinity ability would change to a ser-
  pent, for example). However, the scion gains re-
  placement abilities. The player can simply re-roll
  for blood abilities he lost (at the same stre n g t h )
  on the Azrai tables included in this chapter. The
  DM, however, may decide to choose blood abili-
  ties for the character.
  R e g a rdless of how the character’s blood abili-
  ties change, the scion goes through a physical
  transformation almost instantly. The PC takes on
  monstrous characteristics, usually determined by
  the DM (with the player’s input), and may gain a
  few special abilities. The specific changes often
  reflect some of the character’s personality traits
  or the abilities possessed by the awnshegh he
  s l e w. A warlike character could gain natural
  w e a p o n ry (such as claws, fangs, or a tail
  weapon), while a stealthy scion might grow fur or
  change his skin color (for camoflage). Most of
  the game mechanics of these modifications
  should be minimal (weapons might add 1d6 or so
  points to hand-to-hand damage; stealth col-
  oration could add 15 percentage points to a
  thief’s hide in shadows chance or give a non-thief
  that ability).
  Over time, the DM may wish to increase some
  of these abilities (fangs grow longer, fur gro w s
  thicker) as part of the character’s development.
  As always, however, there is a price. Newly
  t r a n s f o rmed awnsheghlien who use their abili-
  ties in an evil or chaotic manner and do not
  fight against the pull of Azrai’s bloodline con-
  tinue to change dramatically. The Gorg o n ,
  for example, began as a handsome human
  man and degenerated over centuries into
  a hideous monster. Maalvar the Mino-
  t a u r, however, still retains human
  characteristics—though with horn s
  and the body of a horse. Natu-
  r a l l y, exceptions to this ru l e
  exist, but in general, the
  o u t w a rd appearance of
  an awnshegh reflects
  its inner nature.
  25
  
  Characters with the blood of Azrai in their veins
  seem destined to become awnsheghlien. The
  blood tugs at them, tempting them to evil and
  chaotic acts. The DM should “role-play” the
  blood of Azrai in a character, advising the scion
  to evil and chaotic deeds—at first subtley, then
  s t ro n g l y.
  The blood re w a rds its victims. When a scion
  with the blood of Azrai commits an evil or
  chaotic act (or even just an especially brutal or
  violent deed in the name of neutrality or good),
  he may find himself “re w a rded” by Azrai’s blood
  in one of several ways. Some examples include:
  •
  Characteristic incr e a s e : On rare occa-
  sions, the blood may increase one of the
  s c i o n ’s lowest ability scores (seldom
  Charisma) by one point. This change rare l y
  happens more than once—unless the char-
  acter gives himself over wholly to evil. The
  scion, of course, does not know the danger
  he courts; he may commit more heinous
  acts in the hope of boosting his abilites yet
  again. This is the hope of Azrai’s legacy.
  •
  Bloodline incr e a s e : Scions usually in-
  c rease their bloodline scores by spending
  Regency Points (if they have any) or by
  committing bloodtheft. But Azrai’s blood
  can re w a rd its possessor for part i c u l a r l y
  vile acts by raising the bloodline score one
  point. This won’t happen often, but over
  time it might make a diff e re n c e .
  •
  Special abilities:
  The blood of Azrai might
  choose to award its bearer with new abili-
  ties. At first, these re w a rds manifest sub-
  tlely—the character might gain an ability
  similar to a blood ability but much less pro-
  nounced than one of even minor stre n g t h .
  For example, scions of Azrai could have
  the blood ability enhance sense. With this
  ability they could see into and thro u g h
  shadows without diff i c u l t y, decreasing the
  chance that someone could hide in shad-
  ows to surprise them. The blood might
  begin to develop this ability in a charac-
  t e r, gradually enabling him to see bet-
  ter in darkness or making the ability
  come and go when the occasion
  seems appro p r i a t e .
  The DM may choose to
  c reate other sorts of
  “ re w a rds” 
  to
  s c i o n s
  tempted toward evil. The re w a rds should sel-
  dom be as powerful as those gained by actual
  blood abilities—and may be only story - o r i e n t e d
  in nature .
  U n f o rtunately for the scion, the blood exacts a
  price for its re w a rds. The bloodform ability,
  which engenders the physical transformation of
  an awnshegh, can manifest at any time in a
  scion of Azrai. Upon failing his first temptation,
  the doomed scion begins a physical transform a-
  tion. Usually, this transformation reflects the
  n a t u re of the re w a rd. (Increased strength might
  make the character look unnaturally large, while
  a scion with a new perception ability could have
  bulging or glowing eyes.) It should n o t be as in-
  stantaneous a change as the transform a t i o n
  caused by killing an awnshegh and being over-
  come by its power, but it should be immediately
  n o t i c e a b l e .
  These transformations may at first be easily
  masked or hidden by wary scions. Those who
  embrace the blood of Azrai may choose to bear
  them as a badge of distinction—but most PCs
  will try to hide Azrai’s taint.
  T h e o re t i c a l l y, characters who begin this sort
  of transformation can take it as a warning and
  back away from the temptation of Azrai’s blood.
  H o w e v e r, seldom in Cerilian history have peo-
  ple “gifted” with the blood of Azrai made their
  situations known before transforming irre v o c a-
  b l y. If any scions have re t reated from the path
  of evil fully and successfully, it has not been
  re c o rd e d .
  If a character possesses a signature ability of
  A z r a i ’s bloodline, it may hasten his corru p t i o n .
  E v e ry time the budding awnshegh uses a signa-
  t u re ability, his transformation should acceler-
  ate dramatically. Even if he uses the ability in
  the cause of good, he’ll find his body trans-
  f o rming more rapidly and his willpower being
  challenged more re g u l a r l y.
  Abstaining from the use of one of Azrai’s sig-
  n a t u re abilities causes the pull of the bloodline
  to become more intense—but it does slow
  down the transform a t i o n .
  26
  
  The existence of the e h r s h e g h l i e n( a l t e red, non-
  humanoid cre a t u res of good whose name de-
  rives from an elvish word meaning “Blood of the
  Light”) has been confirmed only re c e n t l y. Few
  ehrsheghlien exist; fewer still maintain as public
  a profile as their counterparts, the awnshegh-
  l i e n .
  Most people believe the ehrsheghlien are the
  last gift of the old gods who united to defeat
  Azrai at Mount Deismaar, sacrificing them-
  selves to bring down the evil Shadow at the last.
  The bloodlines they gave to their champions
  p roduce heroes of light who war with the cre a-
  t u res of darkness.
  Becoming an ehrshegh is, not surprisingly,
  much more difficult that becoming an awn-
  shegh. The blood of the other gods does not
  tempt like Azrai’s does, and it does not domi-
  nate its host. Instead, like the gods themselves,
  the bloodlines of Anduiras, Basaiä, Bre n n a ,
  Masela, Reynir, and Vo rynn only give mort a l s
  the tools they need to fight the Shadow.
  Scions are rarely born with bloodtrait, the
  ability that enables erhshegh transform a t i o n .
  Far more often, characters manifest this ability
  only after intense devotion to their chosen
  a l i g n m e n t s .
  N
  One legend told in Khinasi suggests an amazing
  t r a n s f o rmation. It speaks of an ancient awn-
  shegh, the U l s c a t h a (“Man-eel”), a Masetian
  who survived the Battle of Deismaar only to
  succumb to Azrai’s blood.
  The Man-eel swam the coastline of the Baïr el-
  M e h a re and the Gulf of Coeranys, using his
  half-man, half-eel form and his other abilities to
  l u re unsuspecting bathers and sailors to their
  dooms. A hideous cre a t u re, he became more
  c ruel and destructive as the seasons passed.
  But one day, as he trolled the coastlines for
  p re y, he came upon a beautiful Basarji maid
  bathing in the shallows. Rather than attempt to
  trick her into the deeper water, he chose to
  come out of the sea and assault her on the
  beach. She was alone and would be no match
  for his stre n g t h .
  As he swam stealthily up to the beach, how-
  e v e r, she turned and gazed directly into his
  eyes. Surprised, he re t u rned her gaze.  He saw
  no fear there—no terro r, no loathing, no hate—
  only pity, compassion, and an offer of friend-
  ship. Instead of fleeing, she approached him—
  s l o w l y, as if he were a rabbit, corn e red and
  a f r a i d .
  Seeing the dark, beautiful woman walk toward
  him scared the Man-eel more than he’d ever
  been frightened before. He re t reated quickly,
  never looking away. She kept moving toward
  him, saying something, but her voice was lost in
  the waves. Eventually, the Man-eel turned and
  fled back into the depths of the ocean, where he
  d i s a p p e a red fore v e r.
  Yet that is not the end of the story. Some
  months later, a terrible storm swept over the
  coasts. Many ships crashed on reefs or were
  t o rn apart by the winds and the waves. Hun-
  d reds of sailors dro w n e d .
  But not all. Many mariners re p o rt e d
  that a cre a t u re of the deeps, looking much like a
  c o l o rful, giant ribbon-fish with a man’s arm s
  and torso, came to their rescue. He dragged the
  sailors, dazed, from the surf and placed them
  safely on the shore. He used his great stre n g t h
  to free makeshift rafts from the shoals, and
  dove time and again into sinking ships to fre e
  those trapped by the water. The mariners called
  him e p - A j a r i f a, or “Water Sprite,” and held him
  in great esteem.
  When an artist among the mariners drew the
  Water Sprite and compared it to the lexicons of
  known undersea life, they found it re s e m b l e d
  the Man-eel most of all. Certain facial charac-
  teristics were unmistakeable—but the cru e l t y
  and hate were gone, replaced with compas-
  s i o n .
  No one knows whether the Water Sprite
  was truly the Man-eel, transformed by
  pity and kindness from an awnshegh
  monster to an ehrshegh re s c u e r. The
  Water Sprite appeared many more
  times over the next few years, and
  the Man-eel never re a p p e a re d .
  Both, however, have been
  lost to time.
  N
  27
  
  No rules exist for becoming an ehrshegh. The
  p rocess is similar to the second method of be-
  coming awnshegh—only it takes much, much
  longer and is brought on by the will of the scion.
  One must work for many years in the cause of
  good before a transformation begins.
  Unlike transformations caused by the blood of
  Azrai, the outward signs of the ehrshegh often
  make the character more attractive and impre s-
  sive to others. Even those scions who underg o
  e x t reme, bizarre transformations—like Bore l a s
  the Badger, a human ranger who seems to be
  t r a n s f o rming into an animal—seldom inspire
  t e rror or loathing in those who see them. While
  “beautiful” awnsheghlien such as the White
  Witch cause fear or disquiet in those they en-
  counter (unless they work hard not to),
  ehrsheghlien inspire calm and goodness in like-
  aligned individuals.
  As stated above, many scions believe characters
  possessing signature abilities have been marked
  by a greater destiny. If a scion uses his signature
  abilities in a manner closely tied to his align-
  ment a n d in accordance with the general beliefs
  s u rrounding the old god whose bloodline he in-
  herited, he may slowly begin the process of
  t r a n s f o rming into an ehrshegh. Of course, if the
  character misuses a signature blood ability (ei-
  ther in an action not consistent with his align-
  ment or one not corresponding to the nature of
  the god), he sets himself back greatly in his
  quest to become an ehrshegh.
  28
  
  N
  “ S i re, I am pleased to re p o rt that your sheriff has
  at last driven the bandits out of your r
  e a l m ’s nort h -
  e a s t e rn corn e r. Her victory lends a stability to the
  p rovince already recognized by the peasants. Even
  n o w, settlers are beginning to construct homesteads
  and farm the land.
  “Soon, you may wish to consider appoint -
  ing a stronger authority in the region. As the popu -
  lation increases, you will want to ensure that the
  c rofters of that outlying area continue to r
  e c o g n i z e
  the long arm of the law as your own.”
  —Druand Resurvont, legal adviser
  N
  n the surface, law holdings may seem the
  most mundane of the four types of holdings a
  BI RT H R I G H T regent can possess. After all,
  s o u rces’ mystical nature makes them appealing,
  and temples and guilds seem more tangible than
  something as nebulous as “law.” But those who
  c o n t rol law wield a unique kind of power in Cer-
  i l i a .
  Law holdings do not of themselves confer
  realm regency–just because a regent contro l s
  the law of a province does not mean he rules the
  land (or vice versa). A character who contro l s
  any or all of the law in a province may dictate
  and enforce the laws of the land, or he may bow
  to a higher power.
  The law regent is not necessarily a mere law-
  e n f o rcement agent or a lackey. Likewise, law
  holdings do not necessarily constitute police
  f o rces or codes of conduct. Law holdings appear
  in diverse forms, and can be wielded in a variety
  of ways.
  As stated in the R u l e b o o k, a law holding is any
  entity that affects a ru l e r’s ability to control a
  province and the loyalty of his governmental ser-
  vices. The actual make-up of the law holding can
  v a ry widely, depending on its level of influence
  and relationship to the realm.
  A holding (0) is usually found in low-level pro v-
  inces where law has hardly had a chance to form.
  In a province (1) to (3), such a holding re f l e c t s
  the beginning of law and order. Usually, a law (0)
  indicates that a moderately powerful character,
  p robably a regent who controls law holdings in
  neighboring provinces, has reached out to try ex-
  tending order to a new territory. His representa-
  tives are probably a few sheriffs, perhaps hench-
  men or even hirelings. Their main job is to lay the
  g roundwork for future improvement by making
  the area safe and ready for law.
  In populous areas, law (0) holdings usually con-
  stitute an alternative or a challenge to law of an-
  other kind. Since there may be any number of 0-
  level holdings in a province (re g a rdless of its
  level), a law (0) in a mid- to high-level pro v i n c e
  that also supports law holdings of higher levels
  usually reflects some very specific influence
  wielded by an individual or very small group. Per-
  haps the regent of the law (0) has control of a
  local judge, sheriff, or constabulary. He has the
  power to influence a very narrow sphere of con-
  t rol within a limited area and the nature of his
  influence is probably pretty specific. For exam-
  ple, such a regent might have a local judge “in
  his pocket.” Any case that comes before that
  p a rticular judge will probably go the re-
  g e n t ’s way (maybe with a few bribes or
  a rm-twists), but the regent can’t aff e c t
  any other public service or law-ori-
  ented activity.
  DM tip: If a character controls a
  law (0) holding, he’s right on the
  edge of disaster—or of cre a t-
  ing a brand new power
  base. Left unchal-
  lenged, he will
  p robably in-
  c rease the
  h o l d-
  29
  
  ing level and order the province to meet his
  needs. Until he does so, however, you should se-
  v e rely limit his ability to make decrees or award
  grants based on the law (0) holding. Cert a i n l y, he
  can publish any sort of legal papers he wants, but
  the residents of the area probably won’t honor
  these orders unless they wish to do so.
  A ruler controls a fairly wild province (1/7). Vir-
  tually all the inhabitants of the province live in a
  tiny village, but no law holdings order their lives
  (they just live there without any real rules or laws
  governing them). The province ruler creates a law
  (0) holding by sending his rangers to order the
  f o rest. The villagers don’t care one way or an-
  other, so the regent acts unopposed.
  H o w e v e r, the regent decides to award one of
  his henchmen with a grant of land—coinciden-
  tally, the land on which the village sits. Now, even
  though no other law exists in the province, the
  DM declares this action ineffective; in story
  terms, when the henchman rides in to take over
  the village, the villagers see his scrap of paper
  (the actual grant) and laugh him out of the prov-
  ince. Basically, the province ruler/law regent still
  d i d n ’t have enough authority to make his grant
  stick automatically. The DM rules that the regent
  must increase his law holding (presumably by
  sending in more rangers and, perhaps, some
  s h e r i ffs or henchmen) if he wants to dictate his
  laws to the inhabitants of the province.
  Holdings of levels 3 and below are called “low-
  level” for a very good reason; the regent who
  controls law holdings of this size has built only a
  foundation of law and order in his province and
  must still work toward increasing the holding
  level if he wants complete control.
  When a low-level law holding exists
  alone in an equally low-level pro v-
  ince, its presence means that the
  small population generally re-
  spects the authority of the
  regent. The higher the
  p e rcentage of con-
  t rol the re g e n t
  has, 
  the
  m o re authority the people give him—a law (1) in a
  p rovince (3) isn’t particularly influential, but a law
  (3) in a province (3) is. However, the law re g e n t
  must take into account the rest of the pro v i n c e .
  What is the potential province level? If this were a
  p rovince (3/4), where the regent has a law (3)
  holding, over half the province (the rest of the
  p ro v i n c e ’s potential) remains wild and lawless.
  Generally speaking, over half the terr i t o ry has no
  law and—probably—no civilization.
  On the other hand, what happens when a re g e n t
  c o n t rols the only law holding in a h i g h - l e v e lp ro v-
  ince, say a law (3) in a province (7/0)? In that case,
  v i rtually all of the province has been “civilized”
  and is heavily populated, but the re g e n t ’s law influ-
  ences less than half the citizenry. In the former ex-
  ample, wild, untamed wilderness took up a major-
  ity of the province; in the latter, anarchy ru l e s
  rather more effectively than the law re g e n t .
  DM tip: Since no other regent controls the law in
  the province, the law regent faces only disorg a-
  nized challenges to his rule. When much of the
  p rovince remains wild, the DM may want to in-
  c rease the chance of monsters or other cre a t u re s
  causing difficulty in the law re g e n t ’s area. When a
  significant part of a heavily-populated province re-
  mains uncontrolled by law, bandits and challenges
  to the re g e n t ’s rule show up with greater fre q u e n c y.
  In order for two or more regents to control hold-
  ings of the same type in a single province, the
  p rovince level must be (4) or greater (except in
  the case of 0-level holdings, which were dis-
  cussed above). Where multiple law holdings
  exist, two or more regents compete for influence
  in a relatively populous area.
  Often, at least one of the competing law hold-
  ings is considered illegal or even rebellious. In a
  l a rge, heavily-populated province (8), for exam-
  ple, up to three regents may have law holdings
  (per the guidelines presented in the R u l e b o o k) .
  The province ruler may control none of these
  holdings, one of them, or all of them (directly or
  i n d i rectly). Those he does not control may be con-
  s i d e red illegal or rebellious, or could simply be
  parallel legal systems, depending on the situation.
  To determine how much effect any one law re-
  gent has on the populace of the province, simply
  determine the percentage of control he has. Even
  the ruler of the province cannot influence legal
  matters (directly) unless he has a significant law
  holding as well. The higher the percentage of
  c o n t rol any law regent has, the more likely peo-
  ple are to listen to him. This could either mean
  that a percentage of the people follow the law re-
  30
  
  gent’s rules all the time, or each individual has a
  p e rcentage chance of obeying a given law. In
  both cases, the percentage is equal to the percent
  of rulership the law regent wields in the province.
  DM tip: With two or more law regents trying to
  enforce authority in the province, things can get
  interesting. Play the regents off each other. Even
  if all the law regents consider themselves allies
  and act in accordance with each other all the
  time (extremely unlikely, even if they are PCs
  trying to get along), their lieutenants, henchmen,
  and hirelings—not to mention the general popu-
  lace—likely will compete with each other and fol-
  low only one ru l e r. Each side may believe the
  other(s) to be less important and possibly illegal
  or treasonous. Use NPCs from the province, and
  even from other realms, to stir up trouble.
  In a province (9), three regents control the exist-
  ing law. One, the province ru l e r, controls a law
  (1). The second, the province ruler’s ally, holds a
  law (3). The third regent, who does not re s p e c t
  the province ru l e r’s authority, actively contro l s
  another law (3). This leaves two levels of the
  province uncontrolled by any law.
  The province ruler publishes a decree stating
  that no citizen may be on the street after 10 p.m.
  H o w e v e r, since he has only a small law holding
  (probably an official constabulary or some sort of
  g o v e rnment offices tied to law holdings in other
  p rovinces), he has few police or constables in
  place to enforce the curfew. So, unless he brings
  in his army to enforce the decree by occupying
  the province, this new ordinance has only a mar-
  ginal effect. Either a mere 11% (one-ninth) of the
  population obeys the decree, or a particular indi-
  vidual has an 11% chance of respecting it. Re-
  g a rdless, the new law hardly cuts down on the
  number of people staying out at night.
  But the situation changes if the province ruler’s
  ally supports the decree. (He does so by issuing
  one of his own to make his feelings known.) All
  the people who respect the second re g e n t ’s au-
  thority follow the dictate of the province ru l e r.
  Now the new ordinance has a 44% (4-in-9) rate
  of compliance.
  Perhaps, however, the third law regent doesn’t
  like the ordinance. Maybe it affects his allies’
  holdings, or maybe he’s just ornery. He issues his
  own decree stating that people can stay out as
  long as they wish, and that his law enforcers will
  p rotect them. One-third (33%) of the pro v i n c e
  follows his lead (or, individuals have a 33%
  chance of actively disobeying the first two re-
  gents). Recall that the province still has two un-
  used levels of potential law holdings, so some cit-
  izens will ignore the bickering regents altogether.
  So, on a d100 roll, with all three regents in-
  volved, 1–44 means that an individual obeys the
  o rdinance, 45–77 means that an individual goes
  out of his way to disobey it, and 78–00 means
  that the character pays no attention to any of the
  regents and does whatever he pleases.
  N
  How much status does a law regent command
  within a province? It depends on holding level.
  Level 0: Beginnings of law. The regent, and
  p e rhaps a few henchmen or hirelings (or allies),
  enforce the law themselves where and when they
  can (usually as adventurers would).
  Level 1: First establishment. The regent has
  some primary base of operations and some help.
  He probably has a defined terr i t o ry or some
  “route” known to the people of the province.
  Level 2 or 3: The primary base grows. The re-
  g e n t ’s laws still cover only basic behaviors, but
  they become more widely known throughout the
  p rovince. The regent may still enforce the laws
  personally, but he has something of an organiza-
  tion behind him.
  Level 4: B u reaucracy begins. The base be-
  comes an established network. More people than
  not consider the regent an authority (legitimate
  or otherwise) in the province.
  Level 5 or 6: The bureaucracy spreads. The re-
  gent heads a large organization, comprising
  mainly law-keepers and law-makers, but also
  some sort of law interpreters as well. The regent
  is removed from personally enforcing the laws
  except in special cases or at his whim.
  Level 7 or higher:
  The law defines the na-
  t u re of the province to a great extent. Even
  the province ruler becomes directly affected
  by the law (though he may not be subject
  to it—the law does not have to be bene-
  ficial or even fair). The law re g e n t ’s
  network is so extensive that he can
  v i rtually control other holdings
  t h rough decrees and law hold-
  ing claims if he wishes.
  N
  31
  
  After a law regent begins to maintain law hold-
  ings of (4) or gre a t e r, he is into “high-level” law
  management. In all but a very few cases, he prob-
  ably controls a majority of the law in the pro v-
  ince. He might control all of it, and could even
  control the province’s entire potential for law.
  Whenever the regent of a law (4) or higher con-
  t rols the majority of law in a province, his dic-
  tates should be given extra weight. It doesn’t
  matter if he is a benevolent or tyrannical ru l e r ;
  the people either respect or fear him enough to
  listen. Even if other law regents exist in the prov-
  ince, he has the majority and can back up his dic-
  tates.
  Law (4) holdings don’t just have sheriffs or a
  “city watch” under their control; they have the
  beginnings of a bureaucracy and a legal system.
  Laws become more intricately detailed, like a spi-
  der web, where each strand supports many oth-
  ers.
  This does notmean the law regent must become
  some sort of tyrant—nor does it indicate incor-
  ruptible law and ord e r. The re g e n t ’s own align-
  ment more directly affects the legal system under
  his thumb, since the law of the land all generates
  f rom his attitudes and tastes. Essentially, he ex-
  tends his values and beliefs outward, aff e c t i n g
  everyone in the province to some extent.
  DM tip: Someone has to be the bad guy. When
  one regent stands out from the others, he usually
  gets the job. Every “bad” or “harsh” law gets
  blamed on the top man, even if he had nothing
  to do with it. While the other law regents might
  go along with his laws and decrees (though
  they are just as likely to team up against him),
  they should always be looking for ways to in-
  crease their influence at his expense or the
  expense of their other competitors. The
  highest-level regent will usually find
  himself distracted by matters of law
  while the others coast along, wait-
  ing for an opportunity to strike.
  When two or more law regents control identical-
  strength holdings of level 4 or higher, clashes on
  legal and even moral grounds become more sig-
  nificant and pronounced. Again, even if the two
  regents work together in harmony, their subjects
  won’t. Whenever one regent makes a decision or
  p e rf o rms any action not immediately support e d
  by the other regent(s), dissention will arise.
  Of course, in many cases the regents start this
  dissention themselves. When two regents control
  high-level law holdings, they generally have
  p retty strong attitudes re g a rding how “their”
  province should be policed and run.
  DM tip: This situation usually arises only when
  one regent manages to out-maneuver another
  and “catch up” with his level of holdings. In this
  case, competition is bred into the re l a t i o n s h i p .
  On the off-chance that the two have an amicable
  relationship, it will only enflame their supporters
  and sycophants. Each side will attempt to paint
  the other as the “bad guy,” unless the re g e n t s
  take action to keep this from happening. Even
  so, any occurrence that makes one regent look
  bad usually makes the other look good—and vice
  versa.
  When the regent of a law (4) holding (or higher)
  controls all the existing law in a province, he sud-
  denly becomes incredibly effective. Even in the
  most developed province, a single regent deter-
  mines what is lawful and what is not for over half
  the populace.
  With great power, however, comes a gre a t
  headache. Suddenly, the regent becomes respon-
  sible for everything “legal” within the re a l m .
  Every crime, every infraction, and every loophole
  in the law becomes his personal problem and,
  even though he has a bureaucracy to help him
  solve these difficulties, his visage is the one
  e v e ryone thinks of when considering the face of
  law in the province.
  The regent’s decrees become much more pow-
  erful. While in reality a law (4) holding in a prov-
  ince (4/4) means the regent’s legal power extends
  to only half the province (leaving the other half
  “untamed”), his re p resentation remains pro-
  nounced. Those who do not wish to subject
  themselves to the regent’s law must actively avoid
  it.
  DM tip: When a law regent becomes this pow-
  e rful—alone—he makes enemies. The people of
  the province may consider the law regent a
  tyrant, even if he is actually a lawful good paladin
  32
  
  with only the best of intentions. This feeling
  peaks every three months or so, when they have
  to pay taxes and tithes. Add to that decrees and
  grants re g a rding new laws or re w a rds for select
  individuals, and the possibility of re b e l l i o n
  seethes. When a regent has no competition, he
  often finds himself competing with himself.
  Make his people harder to satisfy and more will-
  ing to grumble against the laws of the land and he
  has something to worry about.
  The nature of the law regent defines the nature of
  the law holding. For the most part, the atmos-
  phere derives from the regent’s alignment, but it
  might also reflect his character class, general out-
  look, and personal tastes. It is important that a
  law holding mirror the character who controls it,
  since law holdings greatly affect the people who
  live under them.
  Alignment affects the nature of law holdings just
  like it affects a character. When a player chooses
  an alignment for his character, he chooses a pat-
  tern of behavior for that character to follow. For
  regents, this pattern will influence the law hold-
  ing he controls.
  The alignment most often associated with law
  and order, lawful good actually can prove a diffi-
  cult alignment for players of law regents. Players
  often associate the lawful good alignment with
  “good guys” and “heroes,” thinking of such char-
  acters as self-sacrificing, noble, and kind. But en-
  forcing the law in a lawful good realm isn’t always
  easy and often doesn’t win friends.
  The lawfulness of a lawful good regent inspires
  him to set up a code of rules he expects his sub-
  jects to live by. His goodness means he’ll proba-
  bly expect himself to live by these rules, which
  isn’t always easy for a ruler who is also an adven-
  turer. Lawful good characters often become ham-
  pered by their strict observance of the law on one
  hand, and their general desire to do good on the
  other. Add to that the fact that they hold all their
  subjects (even the non-lawful, non-good ones) to
  the same moral and legal standards and problems
  can arise.
  For example, a lawful good character is the one
  most likely to defend an evil character when
  everyone else wants to punish or destroy him for
  being evil—even if he has not committed a crime.
  Lawful good characters tend to set up fair legal
  systems and a series of checks and balances that
  prevent “witch hunts” and lynch mobs, prohibit-
  ing any citizens (even themselves) from taking
  the law into their own hands. When they en-
  counter a character known to be evil, they do not
  act against him until he does something to break
  the laws of the land.
  On the plus side, when a lawful good re g e n t
  rules up his law holding high enough to domi-
  nates the law of the province, most people in the
  realm feel fairly well-disposed toward the law and
  the regent. They recognize that even if the re-
  g e n t ’s laws are strict, they tend to be enforc e d
  fairly and equitably, even when it isn’t conve-
  nient.
  Lawful good regents want an ideal set of laws
  everyone can understand and respect. They don’t
  want to be above the law, or even the main focus
  of it. They believe the province’s order and good
  to be more important than anything else.
  The chaotic good regent may have a little trouble
  being a law regent, but not as much as one might
  expect. Chaotic good law regents tend to empha-
  size the good of the individual over the good of
  society when they make and enforce laws. They
  often sacrifice strict interpretations of the legal
  code in favor of moral standards, following the
  spirit over the letter of the law. Chaotic good re-
  gents leave some room for “give” within their
  laws.
  This tendency makes most average NPCs
  friendly toward the law of the land. As the
  law regent rises in power, they know he
  will always try to act in accordance with
  his conscience and protect his subjects
  as individuals, not just consider the
  province as a whole.
  Unfortunately, any law regent
  is often called upon to make
  judgements re g a rd i n g
  legal issues and estab-
  lished traditions—
  and a chaotic
  good re-
  gent
  33
  
  could end up contradicting himself based on per-
  sonal feelings during given instances. The re-
  gent’s agents have the same power, which allows
  for more contradictions. In short, the populace
  may like and respect the chaotic good regent, but
  they won’t always know where they stand under
  the law.
  Chaotic good regents shy away from cre a t i n g
  wide-sweeping laws and permanent decre e s .
  They much prefer analyzing specific situations
  and reacting accordingly. Individuals should have
  their say under the law, and the good of the prov-
  ince should not outweigh the good of the individ-
  ual.
  The most important thing to a neutral good law
  regent is the achievement of good ends. Anything
  that promotes good works; anything that does
  not promote good, doesn’t work. This world-view
  does not mean the neutral good law regent draws
  from both law and chaos to structure his domain.
  R a t h e r, he abandons b o t h s t ru c t u res as inade-
  quate and tries to define his own.
  The end justifies the means. If the regent must
  pass a law that hurts a third of his subjects to
  help half of them, he’ll do it—if no other alterna-
  tive exists. All laws, decrees, and domain actions
  become mere tools toward promoting good.
  This approach can leave the subjects of a neu-
  tral good law regent somewhat disconcert e d .
  They often aren’t sure where they “rate” in their
  ruler’s order of importance. While lawful good re-
  gents put the province before the people, and
  chaotic good regents regard the individual as the
  most important entity, neutral good law re g e n t s
  rank an idea—”good”—above everything else.
  Without some clear direction, neutral good re-
  gents unintentionally can promote general apa-
  thy in their provinces. Their laws often don’t
  make a lot of sense to the common man, be-
  cause they are crafted to serve an ideal, not a
  person or a province. Many laws get ignored
  or misinterpreted not out of malice, but ig-
  norance.
  In short, neutral good law holdings
  serve good. While the regent tries to
  t reat his people fairly and equi-
  t a b l y, he always looks toward
  the ideal, rather than the
  concrete.
  The true neutral alignment does not lend itself to
  law regency. As in the case of neutral good char-
  acters, law regents with true neutral alignments
  tend to serve an ideal. Often, this approach pro-
  motes a laissez-faire attitude among the people
  and a somewhat ambivalent set of laws. The law
  regent wants everyone to have a “fair shake,” but
  doesn’t always want to define “fair.”
  Neutral law holdings and their laws generally
  do not try to restrict anyone or anything, except
  when that person or thing interf e res with some-
  one else. The ultimate arbiter, the neutral regent
  tries to posit himself, and his law holdings, as
  compromiser.
  The subjects of a neutral law holding must be-
  come masters of balance to survive and prosper.
  They must weigh their actions against counterac-
  tions and try to walk the line between them. For
  the average NPC, this isn’t very hard. If a charac-
  ter shows favoritism to another, he may be forced
  by the law to establish some sort of equanimity;
  should a character harm another, he must correct
  the damage or pay an equitable penalty. Of
  course, the law regent himself, or his representa-
  tives, must be called on to judge this equity—and
  it can become a long, arduous process.
  In general, neutral law regents try to leave
  things alone until they need balancing—not nec-
  essarily f i x i n g, but b a l a n c i n g. They want their
  people to see them as fair, in the sense that they
  do not act f o r anything (except to achieve bal-
  ance), but against those who disrupt the neutral-
  ity of the province.
  Like the neutral good regent, the lawful neutral
  regent focuses on an ideal. He wants his domain
  to achieve balance and fairness, and he’ll use the
  order of law to accomplish this objective. As with
  a true neutral leader, the moral aspects of good
  and evil do not enter into the equation. The law-
  ful neutral regent devotes his law holdings to es-
  tablishing balance through order.
  Quite often, lawful neutral law holdings have
  extensive legal systems and an amazing set of
  checks and balances set up so that no one re-
  mains above the law. Their enforcers are the “eye
  for an eye” folks who make certain that the cor-
  rect “eye” gets paid to the rightful recipient.
  Subjects of a lawful neutral realm always know
  w h e re they stand. They have to keep the status
  quo, and they probably have several pro s c r i b e d
  ways of doing it. The lawful neutral regent does
  not welcome change in his laws, unless the
  34
  
  change manifests itself as a more effective way of
  p romoting the order of the domain. This leads
  subjects of lawful neutral realms to believe that,
  as long as they act in certain manner and pay at-
  tention to every new order or modification in the
  l a w, they can get by without any real diff i c u l t y.
  The law may interf e re and intrude in their lives,
  but it won’t disrupt their existence as long as
  they pay attention to it.
  The regent wants things to work this way. His
  laws promote balance and ord e r, without med-
  dling in moral standards or disputes. As long as
  e v e ryone can exist under the law without inter-
  fering with anyone else, the domain is ru n n i n g
  fine.
  The law holdings of a chaotic neutral realm may
  appear to be in disarr a y. The regent believes in
  the importance of the individual (as in chaotic
  good domains), but places no moral stru c t u re
  upon him.
  The few laws that exist in a chaotic neutral
  realm emphasize the individual’s role in the ideal
  of neutrality. Everyone, the chaotic neutral re-
  gent believes, has a role in the domain and
  should be free to pursue it. When one person’s
  role interf e res with another (either for good or
  ill), a law or judgment may be necessary to inter-
  pret the effects.
  The chaotic neutral re g e n t ’s subjects have to
  react moment-to-moment to the law holdings’ dic-
  tates. They may be left alone for years at a time,
  then suddenly have to embark on a major change
  of lifestyle in order to promote the balance of the
  domain. Usually, the chaotic neutral regent tries to
  make everything work for the individuals in his
  realm, but whatever he does affects everyone, and
  that could mean lots of little decrees and new laws
  rather than one or two big ones.
  A lawful evil realm may appear lawful neutral or
  even lawful good at the beginning, but as the re-
  gent grows in power and influence, the darker
  n a t u re of the law becomes apparent. The lawful
  evil regent desires laws that promote his interests
  (since he believes his interests and the intere s t s
  of his domain should coincide exactly). Any
  other interests become subservient to his own—
  and then they become illegal.
  Lawful evil law holdings become tools of terror.
  While the lawful evil regent may not care one way
  or another about his subjects’ happiness (as long
  as they do what he wants), his desires and inter-
  ests almost always conflict with their general
  well-being. Subjects who play along and follow
  the lawful evil regent’s dictates and desires nearly
  always end up using the law of the land as he
  does—to oppress and destroy their fellow sub-
  jects.
  The perversity of the situation, however, mani-
  fests itself most strongly when the lawful evil re-
  gent reaches the pinnacle of his power. He has
  c reated his laws to benefit himself (he isn’t just
  above the law; he i s the law) and now he uses
  them to expand his control to absolute ends. If
  he cannot extend his influence beyond the bor-
  ders of his domain, he begins eliminating all
  those within his control who would oppose him.
  He starts with those who actively hinder him (if
  there are any left), then moves on to the weak or
  innocent (especially if they are unpopular), and
  finally destroys his own loyal servants before they
  think to do the same to him. If left unchecked,
  the lawful evil regent, contained within a defined
  a rea, eventually destroys everything within his
  domain so that nothing will ever bring him down.
  U n f o rt u n a t e l y, most lawful evil regents re c o g-
  nize at least the potential for this conclusion to
  their efforts and seldom confine their activities to
  their own lands. They expand, using fear and ha-
  tred to drive their subjects, and they employ prej-
  udice and avarice as powerful motivational tools.
  With their command of their own legal structure,
  they can become impressive threats to their
  neighbors quickly and eff e c t i v e l y, before their
  true natures are fully detected.
  On the surface, there isn’t much diff e rence be-
  tween a chaotic evil and a lawful evil law holding.
  Both put the good of the regent above the good
  of the province, but the lawful evil regent actu-
  ally equates the good of the province with his
  own well-being. Chaotic evil regents harbor
  no such illusions.
  A chaotic evil law holding emphasizes
  individual strength and power. The
  chaotic evil regent promotes the
  “might makes right” ideal that got
  him where he is right now. Of
  course, the chaotic evil re g e n t
  also defines what “right” is,
  so one cannot expect a
  level playing field from
  him.
  The re g e n t ’s
  subjects
  live
  35
  
  in fear. They are afraid to act for fear of violating
  some “law” they probably know nothing about.
  The regent’s laws and decrees are often left inten-
  tionally vague, so he can interpret them any way
  he sees fit. Unlike even the lawful evil ruler, the
  chaotic evil law regent gains as much control over
  his realm through confusing his subjects as
  through terrorizing them.
  Even the most devious chaotic evil regent must
  channel his desires into domain management. To
  an outsider, a chaotic evil realm may appear inde-
  pendent and well-managed, but anyone spending
  any time under the law holdings learns the tru t h .
  Fear and ignorance are the tools of this law re g e n t .
  Chaotic evil law holdings are terrifying and un-
  p redictable; lawful evil law holdings bear the
  mark of fascism and tyranny. Neutral evil law
  holdings, however, maintain the purity of tru e
  evil.
  The neutral evil regent revels in evil for its own
  sake. The balance between law and chaos takes a
  distant back seat to the promotion of the evil
  ideal. The most unselfish of the evil regents, the
  neutral evil law regent serves a more insidious
  master.
  The subjects of this domain probably know that
  every law and every decree passed by their regent
  is intended to make their lives miserable. Only
  those who glorify evil can exist comfort a b l y
  within an area dominated by a neutral evil law
  holding, and only for as long as they continue to
  s e rve evil consciously. One slip, and the neutral
  evil regent sacrifices them to the evil he serves.
  A neutral evil regent seeks to actively create a
  legal stru c t u re that traps the individual and the
  province alike. The laws that do exist bend back
  on themselves, serving not the public good, but
  the public evil. They are not as obvious as the
  fascism of the lawful evil province, nor as di-
  rect as the chaotic evil one, but more com-
  prehensively evil than both.
  Te c h n i c a l l y, any regent can
  c o n t rol law holdings,
  though warriors gain
  the most benefits
  f rom 
  these
  do-
  mains. In any case, the character class of the con-
  t rolling regent may affect the nature of the law
  holding.
  Since warriors gain the most benefits from con-
  trolling law holdings, fighters probably rule most
  of the law domains on Cerilia at any given time.
  When they do not also rule the provinces where
  their law holdings exist, they tend to turn their
  militaristic impulses inward. They take a great in-
  t e rest in policing the physical terr i t o ry of their
  domains, scouring the area for those who act out-
  side their law.
  Fighter law regents (in the same terr i t o ry )
  often clash with each other, even when their
  alignments and general motives agree. Often,
  h o w e v e r, they are able to forge strong alliances
  and police their domains that much more eff e c-
  t i v e l y. These law regents tend toward the more
  d i rect approach—whether in rulership or diplo-
  macy, they use the power of their position to get
  things done.
  A typical fighter-controlled law holding tends to
  have a central power base (the fighter’s home in
  small domains, or a castle in larger ones). The
  fighter probably has at least tacit control over
  some military units (if he isn’t the province ruler,
  these may default to the realm regent, but he
  could have command of some of them), or at
  least a band of henchmen or hirelings he can
  count on. Sheriffs, knights, and constables tend
  to be fighter law regents.
  Both paladins and rangers run their law domains
  in much the same way their fighter cousins do,
  but with a few added twists.
  Paladins, being either lawful good (following
  Haelyn) or chaotic good (Cuiraécen), put their
  alignments and beliefs forth as moral standard s
  they use to measure the inhabitants of their do-
  mains. They crusade, inside their own domains and
  out, with the intent of swaying toward the “right”
  those who do not agree with their beliefs. Since
  paladins are good characters, they usually perse-
  cute only those who actively pursue evil goals.
  Rangers often focus their efforts on the protec-
  tion and ordering of the wilderness within their
  domain. While they may have no legal influence
  in such areas, they seek to extend their contro l
  and protection outside of their law holdings and
  t o w a rd the wilderness. This does not mean they
  want to increase the level of the province and
  “civilize” the area—they just want to know more
  36
  
  about all areas of their domain.
  Te rr i t o r i a l l y, rangers tend to have the safest
  w i l d e rness areas of all the law regents, but the
  wildest “civilized” areas as well. Their law hold-
  ings begin as fairly informal gathering areas and
  seldom progress much beyond that. Even when a
  ranger law regent’s domain extends to all corners
  of his province, he seldom likes to build a recog-
  nizable focus for his law, tending to spread it
  throughout the realm.
  Characters from the priest class can be very ef-
  fective (and sometimes very scary) as law re-
  gents. While they aren’t as talented as fighters re-
  g a rding law management (they receive only half
  the Regency Points), they do have other apti-
  tudes. Usually, when a priest controls a law hold-
  ing in an area, he may have a temple holding
  nearby as well. If he doesn’t, he probably follows
  some temple as a vassal or an ally.
  Priests order their law holdings after the ideals
  of their patron deities. Haelyn’s priests, for exam-
  ple, may be of any lawful or good alignment, but
  they tend to rule their law holdings in a way they
  think Haelyn would approve (in other word s ,
  both lawful a n d good). While a lawful neutral
  priest of Haelyn may not be able to keep up this
  e ff o rt on his own, his followers will pro b a b l y
  make up as much of the diff e rence as they can.
  Priests become frightening theocrats when they
  confuse their faith with the law. Often, law hold-
  ings ruled by priests emphasize worship of the
  “right” deities by their subjects—using legal
  means. When the priest is of good alignment, this
  emphasis might stop at encouragement. Neutral
  and evil priests use the powers at their disposal,
  with few, if any, scruples.
  Within the rogue character class, usually only
  thieves can control law holdings with any eff e c-
  tiveness. (Bards generally don’t have the tem-
  perament for it). They can become effective ad-
  ministrators but, more often than not, they lean
  toward corruption and profiteering.
  A thief law regent will probably turn his law
  holdings into another way to make money. This
  strategy isn’t necessarily bad (especially when
  the thief has a good alignment), but it does cause
  some confusion among the populace. A neutral
  good thief regent who controls the law holdings
  of a province, for example, will focus on the laws
  of commerce, promoting the good of free enter-
  prise rather than addressing the troubles and
  tribulations of the individual or the society.
  As with priest regents, thieves tend to control
  law holdings only where they have other interests
  as well. When a thief regent controls law and
  guild holdings in the same area, conflicts of inter-
  est become evident. It would not be unusual for
  even a good thief regent to issue decrees making
  it illegal to buy goods from any guild other than
  the ones he controls. He might do this because
  all the other guilds are illegal cheats, but he prob-
  ably does it because he can.
  Although wizards generally have little innate abil-
  ity to manage law holdings (they gain absolutely
  no Regency Points from such holdings), they can
  control law holdings if they so choose. Usually, a
  w i z a rd holds law interests to complement a
  rather powerful source network. He gains Re-
  gency Points from his sources and uses the influ-
  ence of his law holdings to gain Gold Bars.
  Wi z a rds can become powerful law re g e n t s .
  They tend to concentrate their holdings aro u n d
  their own bases of power, seldom ruling more
  than one or two high-level law holdings (since
  that would re q u i re high province ratings and,
  necessarily, low source levels). Still, the influence
  they wield through use of their spellcasting abili-
  ties more than compensates for the relative inef-
  fectuality of their decrees.
  Wi z a rds seldom share control of law in any
  given province—at least, not by choice. Powerful
  w i z a rds may (and often do) employ vassals who
  actually gain more benefits from running law
  holdings than they do, but they don’t like to split
  up the law holdings in individual provinces. That
  would mean higher province levels and less meb-
  haighl for their spellcasting use.
  In most cases, the most powerf u l
  law regent in an area also ru l e s
  the province. Law is sup-
  posed to be a tool by
  which the pro v i n c e
  regent enforc e s
  his will. How-
  e v e r, po-
  l i t-
  37
  
  ical situations and the division of power don’t al-
  ways work out that way.
  For whatever reason, sometimes the law of a
  realm becomes divided between the pro v i n c e
  ruler and the law regent. The question of who is
  m o re powerful in the area becomes an impor-
  tant, and not easily answered one.
  Think of the law regent as the head of the civil
  authority (or, in the case of many law regents, a
  civil authority). The law regent has local power. 
  He polices the province in which his holdings
  lie, and makes law and policy for those people
  who respect his holding. He might be a local
  s h e r i ff, a knight of the realm, even the lord of
  the land, but his power derives from local au-
  t h o r i t y.
  Because of this local authority, the law re g e n t
  can make very specific laws and decrees that af-
  fect the internal workings of a realm. He can
  contest others’ holdings, declare activities legal
  or re q u i red, and file claims against other re-
  gents. He has the power of interf e rence on a
  local and powerful level.
  When a character rules a province, he assumes
  c o n t rol over the e n t i re p rovince and treats it as
  one entity comprising many parts. He can tax
  the province and can even make his own laws
  and regulations within the province, but without
  the local power of law, he has nothing to dire c t l y
  back him up.
  He can, however, bring in the army.
  In a way, that’s about as subtle as the province
  ruler can get. He can threaten to occupy his own
  p rovinces and close down any holdings within
  them or trade routes going out, but he can’t per-
  form smaller, more direct operations on his own.
  His decrees should not have nearly the effect of a
  law regent’s, unless he is willing to risk a shift in
  loyalty by calling in troops.
  H o w e v e r, the province ruler often can deal with
  the world on a macro scale more effectively than a
  regent who controls only law holdings. In a way,
  the local law regent fits the “big fish, small pond”
  a n a l o g y. Within his domain, he is very powerf u l ;
  without, he cannot affect much on his own.
  For this reason, law regents generally at least try
  to work with their realm regents. They know that
  their authority is local and that, without the pro v-
  ince ru l e r’s good will, they could be shut down in
  a few months. Likewise, the province ruler knows
  that, if he did shut down all the law holdings in his
  domain, he would just have to rebuild them again
  or do without any local authority.
  While it may be easier and more practical to con-
  sider a pro v i n c e ’s strongest law regent also its
  ru l e r, it isn’t entirely realistic or even more fun.
  As an historical/legendary example, think of
  Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Both
  worked toward the same, basic goals (the domi-
  nation of England and the pursuit of Robin
  Hood), but both had different means and consid-
  erations for achieving their desires. Sometimes,
  even though the sheriff was the prince’s vassal,
  they came into conflict, got into each other’s way,
  and generally made the legends more fun than if
  they had been one entity.
  38
  
  N
  “The art of diplomacy is really quite simple, your
  highness. You merely determine what your adversar
  y
  most wants out of the exchange, and then devise a
  way to make himthink that’s what he’s getting.”
  —Karrel Bernschwafer, diplomatic adviser
  N
  e a rning how to use domain actions eff e c-
  tively makes a regent a successful regent and his
  realm a powerful realm. Throughout Cerilia’s his-
  tory, many regents have settled for merely keep-
  ing their realms together and performing only the
  most obvious (or easiest) domain actions for
  minimal gain at minimal risk. While this strategy
  works in most cases, when events and circ u m-
  stances (not to mention other rulers) conspire to
  make life difficult for a conservative or beginning
  regent, that character finds himself in a world of
  trouble.
  To be successful, a regent must be aggre s s i v e
  but not overbearing, diplomatic but firm, strong
  but yielding. The following section describes
  some strategies for regents who would be more
  than caretakers for their realms.
  The domain action remains the most powerf u l
  tool a regent possesses within the frame of the
  BI RT H R I G H T game. Even armies cannot accom-
  plish all the goals of a regent, while domain ac-
  tions, properly applied, can. A wise regent knows
  how to most effectively use each domain action
  available to him.
  Most regents win renown as adventurers and he-
  roes before they assume the throne of a king-
  dom—at least, most NPC regents do. Player
  character regents often begin the game at first
  level. They must establish themselves as powerful
  individuals if they want to deter challenges to
  their authority and honor.
  Province rulers, and regents in general, should
  try to adventure often—with an eye toward quests
  that further not only their own personal con-
  c e rns, but those of their realm and the domains
  of their allies. Once a regent sweats blood with
  an ally, fighting back-to-back against a common
  foe, he knows the mettle of his friends.
  Adventuring regents stand a stronger chance of
  attracting powerful allies and henchmen. If a PC
  regent wants to create lieutenants he can tru s t ,
  and entice other regents into trusting him and
  believing in his personal strength, he adventures.
  Adventuring regents also benefit domestically:
  When a regent personally leads the party that
  eliminates a band of monsters and saves a town,
  w o rd gets around. The regent should see an up-
  swing in loyalty and an increase in the amount of
  taxes or tithes he collects (at least temporarily).
  Agitation can be a powerful weapon. Only prov-
  ince rulers—kings and queens of realms—have to
  worry about the loyalty of their charges, but any-
  one can agitate for or against them.
  Unfortunately, most province rulers have better
  things to do than agitate on their own behalf: It’s
  expensive (if done right) and it has a real eff e c t
  only if the province ruler is already in trouble (or
  looking for it). Defensively, positive agitation
  keeps a realm secure but it also “wastes” an en-
  tire action.
  Landless regents (those whose domains com-
  prise only holdings, not the provinces in which
  they lie) should offer to agitate for their pro v-
  ince rulers if they want to strengthen alliances.
  Landless regents tend to have fewer demands
  on how they spend their domain actions, and
  they can benefit from the goodwill of their
  p rovince rulers. A realm regent, in turn ,
  should encourage those with holdings in
  his realm to agitate on his behalf. The
  ruler thereby spends no money or
  time on the action but gains the
  benefit. He can then engage in
  a few less popular actions
  or raise taxes without
  fear of reprisal fro m
  his subjects.
  39
  
  When regents build things, they should do so for
  a purpose. Realm regents tend to build roads and
  bridges for the benefit of other regents in the
  province as well as themselves—guildmasters, for
  example, need roads to run trade routes even as
  armies benefit from roads when they move.
  As a result, only realm regents interested in
  gaining favor with other regents tend to build en-
  tirely on their own initiative. After all, if a guild-
  master wants a road so he can establish a trade
  route, let h i m pay for at least part of it—either
  with gold, Regency Points, or some other consid-
  eration, or by expending his own action instead
  of the realm regent using his. Province ru l e r s
  should support their allies, but they also have to
  think toward building a future for themselves.
  Creative regents can build all manner of inter-
  esting structures. A regent might choose to build
  an edifice or “work of wonder” to attract trade or
  s u p p o rt for his holding. For example, a re g e n t
  who controls a trade port might choose to build a
  giant lighthouse. He could have to spend up-
  wards of 3d6 GB to construct the “work of won-
  der,” but he could gain a modifier to the number
  of Gold Bars he receives in taxes or trade, and
  the DM might increase the amount of Regency
  Points he gains per turn because people flock to
  see the edifice—and support him for building it.
  A particularly vicious attack in some circ u m-
  stances, the c o n t e s taction needn’t cripple a de-
  fending ru l e r. Realm regents, for a small price in
  l o y a l t y, can bring in their armies and occupy their
  own provinces—shutting down their enemies’
  holdings. While this response might not work as
  e ffectively as resisting the contest action, it
  could be less expensive in the long ru n .
  G e n e r a l l y, contesting another’s holding is
  like declaring war. A successful contest action
  robs the victim of Regency Points, Gold
  Bars, and other support from that holding.
  A bidding war can get ugly and expensive
  very fast. In most cases, regents can use
  the contest action as a threat or nego-
  tiating tool, rather than actually
  performing it.
  Realm regents should rule more than just their
  p rovinces. If possible, they should rule most or
  all of the law holdings in the area. If they do not
  personally rule the law of their provinces, they
  should encourage their allies and vassals to do
  this for them.
  Of course, creating lots of holdings is expensive
  and time-consuming. In several regions of Cer-
  ilia, realm regents have found certain methods
  m o re expedient than others. For example, in
  Rjurik, realm regents often have vassals or allies
  (jarls) who rule law holdings. Granted, these jarls
  keep many of the Regency Points they collect as
  law regents, and sometimes need support fro m
  province taxes, but they look after their holdings
  closely and manage all internal affairs. The king
  or queen of the entire realm has only to watch
  out for internal disruptions and outside pro b-
  lems.
  Still, if a realm regent does not establish some
  holdings of his own, he can quickly find himself
  beholden to many subordinates. He won’t gain as
  much regency as he needs, and he might find his
  most powerful allies and vassals looking at his
  rulership with hungry eyes. A realm regent who
  doesn’t actually rule anything within his own do-
  main becomes a political puppet.
  Too many regents think war solves all their prob-
  lems. Attacking and conquering other re a l m s
  might bring benefits, but it also violates a certain
  code among rulers. Other realm regents see a
  conqueror as a threat, and unless the conquering
  regent settles down quickly, he can make unnec-
  essary enemies out of formerly disinterested par-
  ties.
  Still, war sometimes can be the only way to ex-
  pand a realm or defend a political or economic
  position. If possible, a ruler should gain the sup-
  p o rt of all landless regents in the area. If the
  rulers of guild, law, source, and temple holdings
  support an invader or defender—even if the sup-
  port extends only to keeping out of the fight en-
  tirely—the war becomes much simpler.
  With luck (and a little firm negotiating), land-
  less allies can be more powerful weapons than
  a rmed units. A guildmaster, for example, can
  p rovide much-needed espionage (spying, assas-
  sination, and terrorism) for a military campaign.
  Priests can rally the commonfolk to support the
  war (with agitation and their own levies), and
  w i z a rds can cast realm, battle, and conventional
  spells to support the war eff o rt. And in many
  40
  
  cases, allied landless regents gain the gre a t e s t
  re w a rds. The military-minded regent who gains
  their support will re w a rd them (if he’s smart) by
  eliminating or suppressing their competition
  and supporting their own nonmilitary expan-
  s i o n .
  More than any other lord, the realm regent issues
  decreesthat carry weight. While a guildmaster or
  even a law regent can issue important political
  statements, the realm re g e n t ’s decrees affect an
  e n t i re land, not just a holding or group of hold-
  ings. The word of a king echoes loudly across the
  realm, unlike the voice of a landless regent.
  Since decree is such a catch-all domain action,
  it can be exploited or virtually ignored. Creative
  regents use the decree action to solve or institute
  solutions to problems that might otherwise seem
  virtually unsolvable.
  Decrees often take the form of laws—whether
  laws for the realm or for particular holdings. The
  player and the DM should both keep track of all
  decrees made by a regent because they can affect
  future actions directly. For example, a law regent
  might decree it illegal to enlist in a realm regent’s
  a rm y. If the law regent controls all the law in a
  p a rticular province, virtually all of the people in
  that province will recognize the law (they might
  not follow it, but they’ll recognize it), making it
  v e ry difficult—if not impossible—for the re a l m
  regent to recruit troops in that province. As long
  as the decree stays in effect, the pro h i b i t i o n
  holds.
  In some cases, the DM might consider cert a i n
  d e c rees to lose effect over time. In the above ex-
  ample, the law regent might have something
  against that particular realm regent. If the law
  regent who made the decree dies and his suc-
  cessor doesn’t repeal the decree with a new law
  of his own, the DM might state the people
  begin ignoring the old law, since the two re g e n t s
  seem to have nothing against each other now.
  This domain action can make for excellent
  role-playing opportunities. If the DM and the
  players write up several decrees already in ef-
  fect at the beginning of the campaign, and keep
  track of those they make later on, characters
  (both PCs and NPCs) can find themselves in in-
  t e resting situations as they adventure in the
  a rea. Ancient laws might be ignored until a par-
  ticular PC (unknowingly) breaks one—then
  chaos eru p t s .
  In general, regents are well-advised to spend at
  least one action every domain turn engaged in
  d i p l o m a c y (unless they have compelling re a s o n s
  not to do so). Once every season, regents of all
  kinds should talk to at least a few of their neigh-
  bors, making deals or at least making contact.
  As an optional rule, DMs might allow players to
  set up embassiesthrough use of the diplomacy ac-
  tion. An embassy, staffed by a lieutenant of the
  realm or holding, can be considered in perm a-
  nent contact with the realm it occupies. If a re-
  gent establishes an embassy, he can conduct
  diplomacy between the embassy and the realm in
  which it is located as a free action once per do-
  main turn.
  Establishing an embassy costs 1 GB plus half
  the expense of a regular court. (See court main-
  tenance costs under “Domain Sequence of Play”
  in the BI RT H R I G H T R u l e b o o k.) For example, set-
  ting up an average embassy costs 1 GB plus 3
  GB (half the cost of an average court), for a total
  of 4 GB.
  Maintenance each domain turn costs half that
  of a regular court, with proportional modifiers to
  diplomacy actions. For example, spending 2 GB
  on maintenance for a “barely acceptable” em-
  bassy would generate a –2 penalty to diplomacy
  actions conducted in the embassy). Modifiers
  apply only to diplomacy actions involving off i-
  cials of the realm in which the embassy lies or
  other holdings in that province.
  Note: DMs may allow embassies to serve mul-
  tiple functions. For example, the Baroness of
  Roesone might set up an embassy in her own
  capital of Proudglaive (in Caercas) to keep open
  p e rmanent negotiations with el-Hadid’s Port of
  Call Exchange, one of the largest guilds in
  A n u i re. The DM might allow the embassy to
  also serve as a contact for other holdings lo-
  cated in the same province—the Impre g-
  nable Heart of Haelyn temple, for example.
  H o w e v e r, the regent (in this case, the
  b a roness) must pay an extra 1 GB per
  domain turn for every additional hold-
  ing or province ruler the embassy
  s e rves (to cover additional facili-
  ties, staff, entert a i n m e n t ,
  etc.). So if the baro n e s s
  wants to establish an av-
  erage embassy to
  s e rve both the
  P o rt of Call
  Ex-
  41
  
  change and the Impregnable Heart of Haelyn,
  she must pay the base embassy cost of 4 GB (1
  GB plus half the cost of maintaining an average
  c o u rt) plus 1 GB for the extra coverage, for a
  total of 5 GB. In subsequent domain turns she
  will pay 4 GB to maintain the embassy at average
  level.
  The DM may re q u i re the regent to tailor the
  embassy to handle specific contacts or types of
  holdings. For example, Roesone’s embassy serv-
  ing the Port of Call Exchange could be inappro-
  priate to handle diplomacy with the Impregnable
  Heart of Haelyn (guildmasters and priests might
  prefer different surroundings in which to conduct
  business). Or the DM could decide that the Port
  of Call Exchange and the other guild holdings in
  C a e rcas (the Spider River Traders) compete too
  d i rectly to negotiate in the same embassy. The
  DM can, at his discretion, re q u i re the regent to
  set up two separate embassies.
  When regents don’t expect war, they often d i s -
  band all or part of their troops in particular prov-
  inces. This tactic saves money but makes the re-
  gent slow to react if an aggressor strikes without
  w a rning. Still, regents who maintain gigantic
  armies often have to hoard their gold or tax heav-
  ily to support them.
  Regents can disband holdings or fortifications
  as well. In some cases, a regent may disband a
  holding rather than fight repeated contest ac-
  tions to keep it going. The regent stays ahead in
  his maintenance costs but loses out on Regency
  Points and tax or tithe collection in most of these
  cases.
  In general, regents should look at all possible
  solutions before disbanding armies or holdings.
  While the disband action is free, recruiting new
  t roops and building new holdings or fort i f i c a-
  tions isn’t. If the regent can come up with cre-
  ative ways of paying his bills that don’t un-
  duly strain his holdings and provinces, he
  should do so before disbanding anything.
  Good, reliable information is
  c rucial to making intelligent
  decisions when running a
  realm. The word e s p i -
  o n a g e—spying, as-
  sassination,
  terror-
  ism—rings uncomfortably in the ears of most
  rulers, but the action is necessary. Protecting his
  kingdom should be the regent’s first duty; obtain-
  ing reliable information makes that possible.
  Thief regents have the best resources to spy on
  other regents and as a result can conduct espi-
  onage as a free action. All regents re c e i v e
  bonuses to their chance of success based on how
  many guild holdings they have in the area.
  Regents who wish to use the espionage action
  can choose to set up spy networks. A spy network
  consists of people willing to reveal information to
  the re g e n t ’s operatives (or the regent himself),
  often for little or no re w a rd. Establishing a spy
  network re q u i res time and eff o rt, but can yield
  significant payoffs.
  To establish a spy network, the regent must
  succeed in an espionage action in a part i c u l a r
  p rovince. The player must tell the DM before-
  hand that his sole objective is to set up a spy net-
  work, not to perform any other sort of espionage
  operation.
  If the die roll exceeds the success number by 10
  or more (after all modifiers have been added in),
  the regent has established a spy network in that
  province. He must pay 1 GB or 1 RP per domain
  turn to maintain the network (to “fund” his oper-
  atives) but as a result he can doubleall beneficial
  modifiers applied to espionage actions in that
  province.
  For example, perhaps Orthien Tane of the
  Southern Anuire Shipping and Imports guild de-
  cides to set up a spy network in Roesone’s prov-
  ince of Abbatuor. He has three guild holdings in
  Abbatuor, so he always gets a +3 bonus to his die
  roll (or –3 from the success number). No one else
  has any significant guild holdings there (el-Hadid
  has a level 0 holding). If Orthien Tane success-
  fully sets up a spy network in Abbatuor, he can
  perform espionage actions as if he had a guild (6)
  t h e re. When he spends Regency Points or Gold
  Bars to affect his success number, he doubles the
  modifiers he “buys.”
  The regent who possesses a spy network can
  also double the effectiveness of his guild holdings
  and/or RP and GB expenditures to assist other
  regents in espionage—or to block their attempts.
  Regents gain money and treasure from a variety
  of sources—taxes, tithes, trade routes, adventur-
  ing—and they need to keep careful track of their
  funds. The f i n a n c e domain action allows re g e n t s
  to convert cash and other goods (magical items,
  barter from tithes) into Gold Bars or gold pieces,
  depending on what they need at the time.
  42
  
  Regents should try to distinguish their domain’s
  treasury from their own. Many subjects, particu-
  larly nobles, believe the tre a s u ry belongs to the
  realm, not the individual. They prefer to consider
  the regent a guardian, or custodian, of the do-
  main’s resources. Enlightened regents believe the
  same—or at least conduct their financial aff a i r s
  as if they do.
  A regent who maintains a distinction between
  his own treasures and those of his realm can use
  the financeaction to actually turn a profit—occa-
  sionally. An adventuring regent might, for exam-
  ple, come upon a large hoard of gold and other
  treasures worth 10,000 gp (5 GB). If that regent
  makes a habit of segregating his personal tre a-
  s u res from the kingdom’s tre a s u ry, he might
  make a personal loan to the treasury should cir-
  cumstances warrant it. Under the finances do-
  main action, the rules state that realms can bor-
  row money from other realms or characters, and
  pay them back with interest. The regent could
  loan his realm money from his personal funds—
  and make a profit when the realm pays interest.
  The standard rules for this process are simple.
  The regent needs to make a base success roll of 0
  or higher to loan his own realm money (in other
  words, automatic success). Add +1 to the success
  number for every 1% in interest (over the course
  of a year) he wants to charge. For example, if the
  regent wants to charge 10% interest, he needs to
  roll a 10+. The regent can spend Regency Points
  on this action.
  If the regent succeeds at the roll, the re a l m
  owes him the principal amount plus interest after
  one year passes. The regent can opt not to collect
  if the domain experiences financial diff i c u l t i e s
  (and might have to—he certainly shouldn’t bank-
  rupt his own realm). However, he cannot lend his
  realm any more money until the initial loan has
  been paid back. The regent, of course, can always
  give his own realm money from his personal trea-
  sury whenever he desires.
  If the success roll fails, some explanation
  should be made for why the regent can’t loan his
  own domain money at this time. In most realms,
  it means the regent’s advisers or council of nobles
  d i d n ’t accept the off e r. The regent can try again
  next domain turn, or lower the interest rate to 0%
  and automatically succeed.
  In more despotic realms where the regent has
  the final say on everything, a failed roll means the
  loan goes through but causes the populace to
  lose faith in the crown. The commoners and no-
  bles see the regent as merely profiteering at their
  expense and, during the next taxation or tithe at-
  tempt by the regent, they contribute up to 20%
  less gold and regency than expected (rolled).
  When wizards rule provinces rather than just
  maintain source holdings, they become their own
  best allies. Wizards should forge ley linesin every
  p rovince they control, from every source they
  hold. Creating such a vast network may be ex-
  pensive, but redundancy pays off. (For more in-
  f o rmation on forging ley lines, see The Book of
  M a g e c r a f ta c c e s s o ry). Using ley lines and re a l m
  spells as defensively as possible keeps other
  rulers from interfering with wizard regents.
  In addition, wizard realm regents should set up
  ley lines into neighboring territories, if they can
  do so without provoking a hostile re s p o n s e .
  When a neighboring regent decides to meddle in
  the wizard’s affairs, he can show that meddler the
  price of interf e rence—on the meddler’s own
  home ground.
  Ley lines make effective weapons in many
  ways. Because only other wizards, or those with
  w i z a rdlike abilities, can detect ley lines (and
  then, only when they look for them), a wizard
  realm regent can keep his enemies afraid, his
  neighbors nervous, and his allies respectful. The
  wizard regent with an extensive ley line network
  can create a reputation of power that few oppo-
  nents want to test personally.
  Establishing f o rt i f i e dholdings, especially in bor-
  der provinces, makes sense. Every realm re g e n t
  should have at least one castle as well—one as
  strong and defensible as possible. Unfortunately,
  c reating fortified holdings and castles might
  bankrupt the regent trying to protect his domain.
  If at all possible, realm regents should try to
  encourage other holding rulers to pay for some
  of the construction of their castles and fortifi-
  cations. Realm regents can do this remarkably
  well—guildmasters shouldn’t mind supply-
  ing a few Gold Bars every turn to construct
  a castle if the realm regent will agree to
  build actions that promote trade. Loan-
  ing a guildmaster the use of the
  realm’s ships (again, for trade pur-
  poses) can have the same effect.
  Temple regents might agree
  to contribute for the privi-
  lege of being allowed to
  c reate their own
  t roops. 
  Most
  temples in
  Cer-
  43
  
  ilia have some interest in military activities, but
  they usually need the permission of their re a l m
  regents to build their own armies.
  Optional Rule #1: To cut down on the time re-
  q u i red to fortify a holding or build a castle, the
  DM may allow the contributions of additional re-
  gents to shorten the time necessary for construc-
  tion. For example, if two regents agree to cooper-
  ate in building a castle (2), which costs 8 GB per
  level for a total of 16 GB, their work progresses
  at a rate of 1d6 GB per domain turn. If each
  a g rees to contribute re s o u rces, the DM might
  allow bothregents to roll 1d6 each turn, to reflect
  the increased effort.
  Optional Rule #2:
  Cooperation could make
  building castles even more effective. If the DM
  allows this rule, multiple holdings could be forti-
  fied by the same castle or other fort i f i c a t i o n .
  When two or more regents decide to fortify their
  holdings at the same time (and to the same
  level), they can save Gold Bars and time building
  a linked fortification.
  The cost of fortifying holdings is reduced to 3
  GB per level per regentparticipating in the linked
  holding construction. The cost of castle construc-
  tion is reduced from 8 GB to 7 GB per level
  when two or more regents cooperate in this way.
  C o n s t ruction of the fortification begins and
  continues as normal. All regents part i c i p a t i n g
  must build to the same level of fortification. Dur-
  ing construction, however, the fortified holdings
  are only as complete as the lowest level achieved
  by any one regent.
  For example, a guild regent, a law regent, and a
  temple regent each decide to fortify their hold-
  ings—a guild (3), law (2), and temple (2). They
  decide to build a linked fortification (2). Each
  must pay 3 GB per level, and work progresses at
  a rate of 1d6 GB per domain turn.
  On the first turn, the guildmaster rolls a 6 and
  pays 6 GB—he has successfully completed his
  p a rt of the work. Unfort u n a t e l y, each of the
  other regents rolls a 1, so neither of them ac-
  complish much. Overall, the linked fortifica-
  tion is still level 0.
  On the second turn, the guildmaster
  can only wait while his partners work
  on their parts. The law regent rolls a
  5, completing his section. Unfortu-
  nately, the priest rolls another 1,
  meaning he still hasn’t fin-
  ished even one level of
  construction. Although
  t w o - t h i rds of the
  linked fort i f i-
  cation
  is complete, it’s still a level 0 fortification.
  In most cases, this stalled construction pace
  w o n ’t happen. On average, three domain ru l e r s
  cooperating to create a linked fort i f i c a t i o n
  should save at least one domain turn when creat-
  ing level 2 or higher fortifications. But accidents
  happen.
  Note r e g a r ding both options:
  Whenever re-
  gents cooperate to fortify holdings or build cas-
  tles, they lose the option of spending extra Gold
  Bars to increase the building rate.
  Regents often award grants to their loyal servants
  in re t u rn for successful service. Regents can be-
  stow grants on anyone, anywhere, at any time
  and for any reason. However, the more a regent
  restricts the distribution of grants, the more spe-
  cial they become.
  The grant domain action seldom has a direct ef-
  fect on the campaign. Oftentimes, the grant
  awarded does little more than give a PC or NPC
  some sort of tre a s u re, title, or award. However,
  for DMs and players concerned with re a l i s t i c
  roleplaying, grants should be cherished as excel-
  lent role-playing opportunities.
  For example, the PC ruler of Hjolvar might rule
  all the provinces and all the law holdings in that
  Rjurik realm. When one of his henchmen saves
  his life during an adventure, however, the regent
  might grant the NPC the title “Wa rrior of Kop-
  ingdal.” The regent designates the henchman as
  someone special in the annals of the re a l m — a
  protector of the city, perhaps—and this can have
  campaign re p e rcussions. It should make the
  henchman feel pride and loyalty toward his ruler,
  and it could even increase the general goodwill
  and loyalty the regent receives from his nobles
  and commoners. The regent shows with his grant
  that he rewards loyal service.
  Grants can have a more direct effect on the
  game, however. The henchman, for example,
  might be made the province ruler of Kopingdal.
  This means he, not the PC regent, controls that
  p rovince. Of course, the henchman still serv e s
  the regent—but has a degree of autonomy as
  well.
  Holding a domain action allows the acting regent
  to watch and see what other regents do during
  the game. This choice grants to PC an advantage,
  enabling him to respond to actual events instead
  of trying to predict them.
  44
  
  R e a l i s t i c a l l y, since PC regents shouldn’t re a l l y
  know what other regents are doing unless the
  action is fairly obvious, the Dungeon Master
  might restrict use of the hold action o p t i o n .
  Above all, regents who hold actions should re-
  member to use them—no regent should waste a
  domain action.
  When a regent i n v e s t sanother character with a
  province or a holding, he probably wants to gain
  that person as a vassal or, perhaps, an ally. While
  the regent gives up some of his own power, he
  benefits from having an ally with the ability to
  p e rf o rm domain actions as often as the re g e n t
  can. Depending on the re g e n t ’s home re g i o n
  (Rjurik, Anuire, Vosgaard, Brechtür, or Khinasi),
  the practice of investing vassals is more or less
  common.
  Other forms of this action—investing pro v-
  inces, holdings, and bloodlines—takes place as
  c i rcumstances warrant. For more inform a t i o n
  about investiture, see The Book of Priestcrafta c-
  cessory.
  As explained in the “Able Assistance” chapter of
  this book, using the l i e u t e n a n tdomain action to
  c reate a trusted henchman who can help the re-
  gent run his domain might possibly be the best
  domain action the regent can initially perf o rm .
  Having a lieutenant means having an extra do-
  main action, an adventuring companion, and an
  independent adventurer all in one.
  Most regents move tro o p sonly in preparation for
  w a r, or after war has begun. This practice can be
  a mistake for several re a s o n s .
  First, when a regent moves troops, re g e n t s
  with holdings in the affected provinces notice
  this movement. They might not know how many
  units are moving or where, but they should have
  a good idea. These regents can then tell anyone
  they choose about this activity.
  H o w e v e r, if a regent moves troops thro u g h o u t
  his domain regularly (say, at least once a year),
  this movement might be overlooked by the ca-
  sual observ e r. If Hogunmark wants to eventu-
  ally invade the Realm of the White Witch, for
  example, the Queen of Hogunmark should
  move troops near the border and back again a
  few times. Eventually, the witch’s inform e r s
  might see this as an ord i n a ry pattern of activity
  and stop re p o rting it. Either that, or the White
  Witch herself might discount reports of “impend-
  ing invasion,” thinking Hogunmark merely toys
  with her again.
  Moving troops on a regular basis can also de-
  flect espionage attempts. If a regent moves his
  a rmies in and out of diff e rent provinces, along
  with any lieutenants or henchmen he has com-
  manding these troops, up-to-date re p o rts of his
  armies’ strengths will be more difficult for foes to
  obtain. Since espionage takes at least a month to
  perform successfully, the wary regent can change
  the strengths of his armies two or three times a
  year and throw off the re p o rts just about every
  season. Then other espionage attempts—actually
  t a rgeted at the armies or the commanders—
  might fail simply because the operating re g e n t
  has no idea where his enemy is at any one time.
  F i n a l l y, troops can engage armies that enter
  their provinces (using War Moves). An invading
  regent probably wants to get as deep into his
  enemy’s territory as possible before engaging his
  e n e m y ’s arm y. If the troops move around often
  enough, an invader could stumble upon a point
  of strength while hoping to catch his enemy un-
  awares.
  When a regent musters arm i e sin a province, he
  re c ruits from his own populace and perh a p s
  f rom traveling warriors who hear his call to
  a rms. He can raise a significant number of units
  (in pro p o rtion to the level of the provinces he
  rules) quickly. As a result, regents with primar-
  ily nonmilitary goals should keep the sizes of
  their armies to a minimum during peacetime.
  R e c ruiting can be costly, but maintaining units
  just for the sake of having an army isn’t cost-
  e ff e c t i v e .
  As a general rule, regents probably want
  to maintain at least one “average” unit
  ( i n f a n t ry, or the equivalent) for every
  p rovince they rule. While each pro v-
  ince doesn’t need to have one unit
  stationed in it at any given time,
  the borders should be pa-
  t rolled. Regents worr i e d
  about their neighbors
  might also choose to
  keep one above-av-
  erage 
  unit
  (elite in-
  45
  
  f a n t ry, cavalry, etc.) on hand for every thre e
  p rovinces they must defend. Large re a l m s
  should consider keeping cavalry and other fast-
  moving units centrally located so that they can
  respond to outside threats quickly.
  Few regents will engage in the ply trade a c t i o n
  on a regular basis. Nonregent characters might
  do so (since it is a character action, and costs
  nothing to perf o rm), but regents have more
  weighty matters competing for their allotment
  of actions each domain turn. Still, a re g e n t
  might perf o rm these services to increase his
  own personal tre a s u ry. Wi z a rds and priests do
  this more often than any other character class.
  Wi z a rds and priests perf o rm re s e a rch actions as
  outlined in the BI RT H R I G H T R u l e b o o k ,the P H B ,
  and the D M G . For more information, see also
  The Book of Magecraftand The Book of Priestcraft
  accessories.
  Realm and nonrealm regents alike may ru l e ( i n-
  c rease the levels of) their holdings as often as
  they want; realm regents may rule pro v i n c e s
  once per domain turn .
  If a regent has no competition for holding or
  p rovince spots, he should consider spending at
  least one action per domain turn ruling up his
  holdings or provinces. They generate more
  m o n e y, more Regency Points, and more “clout”
  for the regent; the higher a holding’s level, the
  m o re the regent can do with it.
  If a realm regent wants to rule up a pro v-
  ince, he shouldn’t pay for it himself. Granted,
  the increased province level yields addi-
  tional tax revenue for the realm regent, but
  others who control holdings in the pro v-
  ince have the potential for gain as well.
  Since the realm regent is the only one
  who can increase the level of a pro v-
  ince, he should make the other re-
  gents in the area (who all bene-
  fit by being able to incre a s e
  their holdings beneath
  his “cap”) contribute
  to the eff o rt .
  They might
  n o t
  a g ree to foot the entire bill, but they should
  contribute something.
  At times, ruling provinces or holdings can
  work against regents in their relations with o t h e r
  regents. Wi z a rds, for example, get annoyed
  when realm regents rule up their province lev-
  els—automatically decreasing the magic poten-
  tial of the province(s) in the process. If a ru l e r
  wants to keep the source regents in his are a
  happy (a v e ry good thing), he may want to nego-
  tiate beforehand. In many cases, realm re g e n t s
  give their wizard allies a relatively uncivilized
  p rovince or two. The mages establish high-level
  s o u rces there and use them to fuel ley lines into
  m o re civilized terrain. One province in a larg e
  realm, protected as a natural and magical “re-
  s e rve,” strengthens alliances all aro u n d .
  If a nonrealm regent rules up his holdings in
  an area, he may take prospective holdings away
  f rom his competitors. While this effect is nor-
  mally considered a good thing—making oneself
  s t ronger while keeping the other guy at the
  same level—it can cause problems. If one par-
  ticular regent in an area seems to increase his
  power more quickly than others, alliances
  spring up overnight. Suddenly, the successful
  regent finds his holdings contested and his
  other interests in trouble. Negotiation, again,
  can prevent this.
  Only regents with guild holdings can use the
  trade ro u t e domain action. However, guildmas-
  ters sometimes find themselves at the mercy of
  realm regents for the wherewithal to set up
  these lines of gold.
  In order for a guilder to set up an overland
  trade route, all provinces it crosses must have
  roads. To pay for them, realm regents should
  c h a rge some sort of consideration or tolls for
  the use of these roads. They also might attempt
  to persuade local guilders to pay for all or part
  of the build action necessary to create a road in
  the first place.
  Overseas trade routes can be exploited in the
  same way. Ships are military units, and re a l m
  regents tend to discourage other regents in their
  p rovinces from having military units without
  their permission. As a result, realm regents can
  c h a rge fees for use or operation of ships at port
  c i t i e s .
  F i n a l l y, the trade route thrives off pro v i n c e
  levels, not the level of the guild holdings in-
  volved. Since the realm regent assumes re s p o n-
  sibility for raising and/or maintaining pro v i n c e
  levels, he should receive some re m u n e r a t i o n
  46
  
  f rom the trade route made possible, or more
  p rofitable, by his eff o rt s .
  Realm regents can reasonably charge guild-
  masters up to 25% of the Gold Bars generated
  by a trade route beginning or ending in one of
  their provinces. They can charge more from a
  guildmaster who is not an ally (though more
  than 50% likely would make the guildmaster
  wonder whether the trade route is worth main-
  taining), or less if they want to help the guild
  along. Guildmasters, in turn, should expect this
  s o rt of capitalization—they should understand
  that every ruler wants to have a nice, sizeable
  t re a s u ry.
  Tr a i n i n g is often dismissed as an action used by
  regents who cannot think of anything else to do.
  While this generalization might be true, a good
  regent might have one action every few domain
  t u rns where, because of good management and
  planning, he doesn’t have to do anything. As a re-
  sult, he can reap the benefits of his own care f u l
  administration and use the resources of his realm
  to enhance his existing skills.
  L e a rning new nonweapon proficiencies (espe-
  cially those described in the BI RT H R I G H T R u l e -
  b o o k) always benefits the ru l e r. Improving other
  proficiencies certainly doesn’t hurt either. And if
  the regent chooses to “work out” and increase his
  hit points, he’s one step farther from “involuntar-
  ily abdicating.”
  Consider these new domain actions optional and
  subject to DM approval. In some cases, the DM
  may wish to consider them “new knowledge”
  available only to certain realms (until other
  realms discover them through observation, trade,
  or espionage).
  Most of the new domain actions contain exam-
  ples suggesting their best use; many were created
  with specific strategies in mind. Some of the ac-
  tions can be found individually in other
  BI RT H R I G H T accessories; they have been com-
  piled here for ease of reference. If a new domain
  action also appears in another source, that
  source is listed in the description.
  N
  Exploratory Trade
  Success: 20+
  Type: Domain, Character
  Base Cost: 1
  RP, 5 GB
  Havens of the Great Bay
  Any regent with a guild holding in the same
  province as a seaport (a coastal province rated 4
  or higher) can use this domain action to take a
  speculative leap into the unknown realm of ex-
  p l o r a t o ry trade. The regent loads trade goods
  ( re p resented by the total number of Gold Bars
  invested) onto one or more ships and sails away
  or sends them off, hoping to encounter someone
  on a distant shore who is willing to trade for
  goods that are rare and valuable to the guildmas-
  ter. A regent can engage in exploratory trade no
  more than once in four domain turns from a sin-
  gle province (a regent with guild holdings in mul-
  tiple seaports may attempt this once per four do-
  main turns from each province).
  Certain modifiers apply to these efforts:
  • Members of the guilder subclass receive an auto
  -
  matic +1 to the success roll for this venture.
  (This
  action represents what guilders do best.)
  • If the regent accompanies the voyage, he gains a
  +2 bonus to the roll.Personal attention in nego-
  tiations is beneficial.
  • If a guilder lieutenant accompanies the ship, add
  a +1 bonus to the ro l l . This modifier counts
  only if the regent does not travel with the ship.
  Multiple guilder lieutenants do not incre a s e
  the modifier further.
  Unlike most domain actions, many outcomes
  a re possible. The regent can spend Regency
  Points and Gold Bars to help ensure the success
  of the voyage, but the action is quite risky.
  On a natural roll of one,disaster occurs. The
  ships sink, are attacked, or disappear along
  with all cargo. The regent re t u rns safely after
  two months, but lieutenants and ships are
  probably lost (DM’s fiat).
  If the die roll fails,the voyage fails to pro-
  duce a profit. Perhaps no one could be
  found to buy the merchandise, or per-
  haps the goods could not be sold for
  a profit. The Gold Bars invested in
  the cargo (but not the voyage)
  a re re t u rned after two
  months. Any Gold Bars
  and Regency Points
  spent to influence
  the die roll and
  e n s u re a
  suc-
  47
  
  cessful voyage are lost.
  If the die roll beats the success number,
  the re-
  g e n t ’s gamble pays off. The regent receives a
  p rofit: Multiply the level of the seaport by the
  number of Gold Bars invested. The regent re-
  ceives that number of Gold Bars from the voyage
  after two months of exploring and trading.
  E x a m p l e : Theofold, guildmaster of Müden’s
  B recht Seelundkaufen, decides to hire a ship and
  send his wares on an exploratory trade mission.
  He sends the ship out of Allesrecht, a level 6 pro v-
  ince. Theofold can aff o rd to fill a standard Bre c h t
  roundship with 6 GB of cargo. He spends his ini-
  tial 5 GB and 1 RP to initiate the voyage, 6 GB on
  c a rgo, and another 10 RP to ensure success. Theo-
  fold also sends a guilder lieutenant on the voyage.
  He adds a total of 11 (10+1) to the success ro l l .
  He needs a 9 or higher on the die to succeed.
  Theofold rolls a 14; the voyage is a success. Two
  months later, his lieutenant re t u rns with a ship
  packed full of rare herbs, silks, and gemstones—
  all unheard of in Brecht lands. By multiplying
  Allesrecht’s province rating of 6 by the number of
  Gold Bars invested in cargo (also 6), Theofold
  d e t e rmines that his ships re t u rn with 36 GB of
  rare merchandise. Considering he invested 7 GB
  and 11 RP in the project, that’s a healthy profit.
  The DM is encouraged to describe the ships’
  voyage to the players, detailing ports the ships
  visited and persons encountered. DMs may also
  opt to abandon the die roll mechanic altogether
  and create an adventure around the exploratory
  trade action.
  Note: The exploratory trade domain action re-
  quires two months to be resolved. The ships must
  travel great distances to make such expeditions
  pay off, and sometimes must stop several times
  to bargain, restock, and refit. As a result, if a re-
  gent accompanies a voyage personally, he should
  be considered out of touch with his domain dur-
  ing that time. He cannot perf o rm domain ac-
  tions or resolve random events for two
  months. His lieutenants and vassals, however,
  can act on his behalf.
  N
  Improve Unit
  Success: Special
  Type: Domain, Realm
  Base Cost: 1RP, 1 GB
  The improve unit action is so
  detailed, it takes up most of
  the “Military Matters”
  chapter of this book.
  See that chapter
  for a descrip-
  t i o n .
  N
  Ley Link
  Success: Automatic
  Type: Free
  Base Cost: 1 RP
  The Book of Magecraft
  This action enables a regent wizard to tem-
  porarily transfer control of one or more of his
  sources and/or ley lines to another regent wizard.
  The lending wizard must specify which source(s)
  and/or ley line(s) he intends to share with the
  borrower.
  The borrowing wizard must meet two criteria.
  First, he must obtain permission from the wizard
  who controls the source(s) and/or line(s) he wants
  to borro w. (This permission can be coerced.) Sec-
  ond, he must already have a connection with Cer-
  i l i a ’s mebhaighl by controlling at least one sourc e
  of his own somewhere on the continent.
  This action forms an immediate link between
  the borrowing wizard and the sources/ley lines.
  The link lasts for two action rounds, during which
  the lending wizard cannot access the borro w e d
  s o u rces and lines. The lending wizard still re t a i n s
  c o n t ro lof his holdings and network—he is just al-
  lowing the other wizard to borrow the energ y.
  Should the lending wizard want to break the
  link before the end of its duration, he can do so
  by perf o rming another ley link action, this time
  linking himself to the holdings.
  N
  Move Ships
  Success: Automatic
  Type: Free
  Base Cost: None
  Cities of the Sun, Naval Battle Rules
  A regent can order his ship to sail anywhere he
  wants. Since a vessel’s maintenance cost includes
  provisions, ordering it to move costs a character
  nothing. Ships can move to support trade by sea,
  f e rry troops, take characters on adventures, or
  perform other missions.
  N o t e : Once a regent has committed ships to
  n o rmal movement, they become ineligible for use
  during War Moves that follow that action ro u n d .
  H o w e v e r, if someone else uses the declare war ac-
  tion to attack the re g e n t ’s ships or provinces, he
  may choose to re t u rn a ship to the position it held
  at the beginning of the action round by paying a 1
  GB penalty. The ship cancels its intended move
  and becomes available for fighting in the war that
  follows the normal action round sequence.
  N
  Move Troops by Sea
  Success: Automatic
  Type: Free
  Base Cost: 1 GB
  Cities of the Sun, Naval Battle Rules
  A regent who wants to move his troops via ship
  d o e s n ’t have to risk a success roll for ship avail-
  48
  
  ability and the other factors mentioned in the
  move troops action in the BIRTHRIGHT Rulebook.
  He can use his ships to transport companies of
  troops automatically, up to the ship’s normal ca-
  pacity for troops and movement. (Mounted
  f o rces such as knights or cavalry count as two
  units each.) The troops must embark at a port ,
  paying 1 GB per five units; the cost doesn’t de-
  pend on how far the ships move, since the regent
  a l ready owns them. (A ship can carry its maxi-
  mum troop and cargo capacity simultaneously.)
  Once the troops are aboard, the regent uses a
  move ships action (above). The troops can disem-
  bark at any coastal province. However, landing
  t roops in enemy-held provinces re q u i res a de-
  c l a re war action and the execution of four Wa r
  Moves, just like a normal land invasion would.
  Each full week at sea prevents the troops in ques-
  tion from participating in one land-based Wa r
  Move that action round.
  Ships that move troops by sea face the same
  limitations imposed by the move ships action;
  c a rrying troops during an action round makes a
  ship ineligible for movement during any Wa r
  Moves later that round.
  Rivers: Regents can move troops along rivers,
  as long as one bank is friendly or they have per-
  mission from the ruler of one bank.
  N
  Progress
  Success: Special
  Type: Realm
  Base Cost: 1 RP, 1 GB
  Any regent can attempt to introduce progress
  to his domain through numerous means. The use
  of a pro g ress domain action reflects the govern-
  m e n t ’s support of eff o rts to advance the re a l m ’s
  knowledge and/or worldly power. Social, techno-
  logical, economic, and magical pro g ress can all
  occur through this action.
  Progress of any type can (and should) be diffi-
  cult and time-consuming. The pro g ress action
  re p resents bre a k t h roughs of (possibly) Cerilia-
  shaking influence. The DM and players must ex-
  e rcise good judgment and restraint when using
  this domain action.
  Social advances: Any new form of government
  or social construction not generally known to
  Cerilia could be considered an “advance.” The
  advance might hold some drawbacks, but bene-
  fits someone. (The regent probably hopes it
  somehow benefits himself.) Dictatorships, for
  example, allow the ruling regent to be more
  f o rceful and direct with decrees, diplomacy, and
  rule actions (gaining pluses to these actions) than
  most royal figures, but they might decrease loy-
  alty ratings and the overall amount of Regency
  Points and Gold Bars that can be collected.
  Democracy, on the other hand, increases produc-
  tivity and morale among the peasants, but causes
  problems for hereditary rulers.
  Technological advances:
  Advances such as de-
  veloping better metallurgy or new mining tech-
  niques could increase the abilities of army units,
  better trade, and increase the amount of taxes a
  regent can collect from his domain. They might
  make the domain a target for espionage and even
  War Moves, however, as neighboring regents at-
  tempt to learn the secrets of new technology. Ex-
  treme advances (like the invention of gunpowder
  or the steam engine) that could radically change
  the face of Cerilia are discouraged.
  Magical advances:
  Spellcasting re g e n t s
  (priests and wizards) and those who employ
  magic-wielding lieutenants and advisers could
  use this action to create better versions of exist-
  ing spells or incorporate magical processes into
  normally mundane operations to make them run
  more smoothly or quickly.
  Economic advances:
  Establishing a better,
  m o re standardized currency keeps forg e ry and
  “coin-shaving” at a minimum. Creating or discov-
  ering new markets and products for trade could
  increase the value of all the regent’s trade routes
  and/or holdings.
  The DM determines the success number, which
  in general should be a daunting 50 or higher (un-
  less the advance can be logically achieved by a
  simple improvement of existing standard s ) .
  Progress on such a large scale is difficult and ex-
  pensive, requiring considerable govern m e n t a l
  subsidies—in the form of Gold Bars and/or Re-
  gency Points.
  However, when a ruler spends regency or gold
  to reduce this number, he does not lose all of his
  e x p e n d i t u res should he fail the roll. Instead, he
  can keep h a l f of the bonus he generates for as
  long as he spends at least the 1 RP and 1 GB
  base cost to maintain the attempt at progress.
  Each action round that a ruler maintains the
  progress attempt, he receives another suc-
  cess roll without it counting as one of his
  actions alloted in the domain turn .
  Even if the success number is higher
  than a 20, a “natural 20” always
  succeeds.
  If the regent chooses, he can
  spend more regency or gold
  in later action rounds to
  i n c rease the bonus
  to his success
  roll, 
  pro-
  vided
  49
  
  that he has maintained the attempt since his ini-
  tial pro g ress action. By spending the additional
  resources the regent gives the project his full at-
  tention for that month—in other words, the at-
  tempt counts as his action for that round.
  Should a regent fail his first attempt at progress
  and cease maintaining the effort for even a single
  action round, any Regency Points or Gold Bars
  invested is lost. He must start over from scratch
  the next time he attempts progress.
  The DM and the player should discuss different
  types of pro g ress and the effect any advance
  would have on the game. In general, game me-
  chanic modifiers should be small—adding +1 to
  the success chance of certain domain actions, for
  example, shouldn’t unbalance the game. In gen-
  eral, all progress should pay off—over time.
  As with all advances, no guarantees exist. The
  player may tell the DM what he hopes to achieve
  with the advance, but things might not always
  work out the way the player expects. Pro g re s s
  can bring problems as well as boons. A re g e n t
  who decides to create a social advance—like in-
  t roducing low-level democracy to a re g i o n —
  could hope to bolster the loyalty of his people
  and the overall success of his realm (with positive
  modifiers to diplomacy, decree, and trade ro u t e
  actions) could end up fashioning a knife for his
  back if the people decide they really like democ-
  racy and don’t want him as hereditary ruler any-
  more.
  E x a m p l e : The Emira of Khourane wants her engi -
  neers to devise an alternative to the har
  d - p a c k e d ,
  d i rt road—one that will allow her armies to move
  faster over land and increase the effectiveness of her
  guilders’ trade. The person playing the emira states
  that she, essentially, wants to “invent” paved or cob
  -
  bled roads (or if those exist already in the area, bet
  -
  ter versions of the same).
  The DM determines that the goal isn’t too far a
  leap in pro g ress, so he assigns a relatively low
  success number of 30.
  On the emira’s first attempt at progress, she
  goes all-out, spending 1 RP and 1 GB for the
  base cost, and another 20 (RP and GB com-
  bined) to give her a +20 bonus to the roll.
  She needs to roll only a 10+ to succeed.
  Unfortunately, she rolls a 3 and fails
  m i s e r a b l y. The DM tells her that
  the engineers must develop some
  new roadway base unknown
  in Khourane, and need
  more time.
  Still, since
  she
  made the initial investment, the emira decides to
  continue her support of the project. For the next two
  action rounds, she maintains the progress attempt by
  paying the base cost each time. She gets to keep half
  of the +20 bonus she bought already (+10), mean-
  ing she needs a 20+ on either roll (which she does
  not get) to succeed. Meanwhile, because she is only
  maintaining the attempt and not giving it her full
  attention, she is able to perf o rm two other actions
  that domain turn.
  H o w e v e r, when the next season rolls around, the
  emira collects more Regency Points and Gold Bars
  in tribute and taxes, and can improve her chances
  once again. She pays the base cost to continue the
  re s e a rch, and spends another 10 RP to bump the
  modifier for success to a +20 bonus again—meaning
  she needs to roll a 10+. She rolls a 14, and the engi-
  neers create the new roadway technology.
  The DM declares the emira will have to rebuild all
  her old roads if she wants to get the bonus of new,
  paved roads in her domain, but he decides the ad -
  vance allows her to move troops faster over any ter
  -
  rain that features the new road (all movement costs
  are reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1 per province).
  He also declares that any trade route established
  using these roads benefits from the new technology,
  increasing the profitability of the overall trade route
  by +1 GB. While it may take the emira a long time
  to pay for the advance, eventually she will make a
  profit.
  Acquiring another ’s advances: The secrets of
  progress cannot remain secret for long. In many
  cases regents try to recoup the cost of their
  p ro g ress by selling the secrets to other re g e n t s .
  This can be done easily as a diplomacy action.
  Of course, some regents might not want to pay
  for another’s hard work and expenditures. Ad-
  vances can be stolen; rules for stealing an ad-
  vance vary with individual circumstances. A re-
  gent might simply perf o rm a successful espi-
  onage action to gain the “plans” for the advance
  and then attempt to duplicate it in his re a l m
  ( t h rough a pro g ress domain action of his own,
  with a large reduction in the success number). Or
  the DM might determine that the attempt re-
  q u i res an adventure—or a war, or some other
  means.   
  N
  Sea Trade Route
  Success: 10+
  Type: Domain, Realm
  Base Cost: 1 RP, 1 GB
  Cities of the Sun, Naval Battle Rules
  The BI RT H R I G H T Rulebook uses a simple ab-
  straction to re p resent sea routes: any coastal
  province (4) or higher can have a trade route to
  the nearest sea lane worth half the province’s rat-
  50
  
  ing or to another province worth the average of
  the two ratings. The following material expands
  the create trade route action.
  P o rt s : Any coastal or river province (4) or
  higher counts as a port and can constitute one
  end of a sea trade route. The other end of the
  route must be a coastal province within one
  month’s sail of the port and must have a different
  terrain type or be occupied by people of a differ-
  ent culture. For purposes of this action, players
  should assume a ship can travel 30 maritime
  areas in one month of sailing.
  A port can support as many sea trade routes as
  land trade routes, so a coastal province (7) can
  s u p p o rt three land and three sea trade ro u t e s .
  The regent of a port with a designated sea trade
  route can bar the trade route with a decree action
  at any time. A sea trade route can never start
  from any coastal province (3) or lower.
  Value: A sea trade route is worth the average of
  the two provinces involved, rounded up. A sea
  trade route to “parts unknown” (as described in
  the R u l e b o o k) is worth half the level of the port
  province.
  S h i p s : N a t u r a l l y, sea trade re q u i res ships capa-
  ble of carrying cargo. Every ship has a cargo ca-
  pacity described in terms of Gold Bars. To collect
  all the money a sea trade route creates, the ro u t e ’s
  owner must have ships able to carry enough
  c a rgo. Additional GB worth of cargo, in excess of
  the ships’ cargo capacity, are lost until the re g e n t
  gets more or bigger ships. (A ship can carry both
  its maximum cargo capacity and troops at the
  same time, if necessary.) The trade ro u t e ’s owner
  does not have to own the ships involved in a trade
  route—just have the use of them.
  Availability: A regent should allocate ships to
  sea trade routes during the “taxation and collec-
  tion” step of the domain turn. These vessels are
  c o n s i d e red occupied with move ships actions
  each action round to carry out the turn’s trade. If
  a ship leaves its trade route for another purpose,
  the regent must repay the money he collected
  this domain turn from cargo his ships never actu-
  ally carried to port.
  N
  Trade Chain
  Success: 10+
  Type: Domain
  Base Cost: 2 GB, 2 RP
  Havens of the Great Bay
  Regents with established trade routes may use
  the trade chain action to extend their re a c h
  across the continent of Cerilia and beyond.
  To create a trade chain, a regent forges a new
  trade route originating from the terminus of an ex-
  isting trade route. This extra link increases the
  value of the trade route and may increase the dis-
  tance a trade route can reach. Under normal cir-
  cumstances, a sea trade route cannot extend more
  than 30 maritime areas; the trade route is limited
  by the time re q u i red to sail between the two points.
  In a trade chain, multiple cities, each 30 or fewer
  maritime areas away from each other, can be con-
  nected in a long, unlimited series of trade links.
  Example: Theofold has holdings in the seaport
  p rovince of Allesrecht, in the Brecht realm of
  Müden. Leivika, in Svinik (on the western coast
  of the Rjurik lands), is a city about 30 maritime
  a reas from Allesrecht and roughly the limit of
  Theofold’s sea trade route. But Theofold wants to
  trade with the City of Anuire in Avanil (on the
  s o u t h e rn coast of Anuire). He cannot reach the
  City of Anuire with a conventional trade ro u t e ,
  but he can create a trade chain.
  Theofold forges a sea trade route between
  A l l e s recht, a province (6), and Leivika, a pro v-
  ince (4). This nets Theofold 5 GB per domain
  t u rn. Theofold spends his next domain action
  building a trade chain from Leivika to Anuire .
  For the cost of 2 RP and 2 GB, he has a chance
  to link the City of Anuire to his trade route from
  Allesrecht.
  To determine the value of any trade chain, cal-
  culate the average of all provinces involved in the
  chain, then add 1 GB for every province beyond
  the second. In the example above, Theofold
  linked three provinces: Allesrecht (6), Leivika (4),
  and the City of Anuire (10). The average is 7 (20
  divided by 3, rounded up). One province is added
  beyond the second, so the 7 is increased to an 8.
  Thus, Theofold (who initiated the route) gains 8
  GB every domain turn. In addition, the guilders
  who agreed to the trade routes collect 1 GB per
  p rovince beyond the second each domain turn .
  If another province is linked to the three al-
  ready joined (at an additional cost of 2 RP and 2
  GB), all fourprovince ratings are averaged, then
  2 GB are added to the result.
  Like a simple trade route, the provinces in-
  volved in a trade chain must be of diff e re n t
  t e rrain types or belong to diff e rent culture s
  ( B recht and Rjurik, or Anuirean and dwar-
  ven, for example). The DM may also
  allow links between provinces sepa-
  rated by great distances (signifying
  e x t reme changes in climate or
  c o n d i t i o n s ) .
  Trade chains are vulnera-
  ble to conditions in all
  connected 
  pro v-
  inces. If one of
  the 
  trade
  links is
  51
  
  eliminated (for example, the guild holding in
  Anuire is contested successfully in two consecu-
  tive actions), they all suff e r. The original trade
  route from the guild re g e n t ’s home pro v i n c e
  would survive, but all forw a rd trade links dis-
  solve. In the case of Theofold’s three-link exam-
  ple, the contesting of Anuire would leave the
  A l l e s recht-Leivika route intact. If Leivika or
  A l l e s recht were contested, however, the entire
  trade chain would dissolve.
  N
  Trade Service
  Success: 10+
  Type: Domain, Realm
  Base Cost: 1 RP/holding
  A regent with any type of holding or province
  can exchange special services for gold, much as a
  guildmaster with a trade route can earn gold for
  goods. A regent with a holding in a part i c u l a r
  province can make an agreement with any other
  regent in the same province (including a province
  ruler) to form a temporary financial alliance.
  Both regents gain gold if the enterprise succeeds.
  Any types of holdings may cooperate. In story
  terms, the regents agree to use their strengths to
  complement each other’s abilities—a wizard re-
  gent, for example, might ally with a law holder,
  using his spells and magical abilities to cut down
  on the amount of resources the law regent must
  expend to enforce his laws and maintain his hold-
  ings. In re t u rn, the law re g e n t ’s troops or other
  followers protect the wizard ’s tower (or perh a p s
  the wizard himself) from physical assault during
  a critical spellcasting period, thereby freeing the
  wizard of the need to hire his own guards or con-
  j u re them magically. Both holdings save money
  and resources; the resulting gain in Gold Bars re-
  flects this cooperation and savings.
  This domain action holds a few prohibitions:
  • No regent may engage in a trade service agree-
  ment with his own holdings or those held by a
  vassal. It is assumed that his holdings already
  cooperate to their fullest extent.
  •
  No holding (or province level) may par-
  ticipate in more than o n e trade service ac-
  tion per domain turn.
  •
  Both regents must agree to trade
  s e rvices for the action to succeed. If a
  PC tries to trade services with an
  NPC, the DM might re q u i re him to
  engage in diplomacy first.
  The amount of gold gen-
  erated by a successful
  trade service ac-
  tion is deter-
  m i n e d
  by averaging the levels of the two holdings (or the
  p rovince and a holding within it, if the pro v i n c e
  ruler is one of the parties). Round up fractions.
  The regents jointly receive this number of Gold
  Bars, to divide in whatever manner they see fit.
  For example, Gerad ibn Farid el-Arrasi, Prince-
  Paladin of Ariya, rules the province of Ariya (7).
  He reaches a trade service agreement with Omadi
  the Quick, guildmaster of the Gold Coast Coster, a
  level (3) holding in the province. The province and
  holding levels average 5, so the two regent receive 5
  GB to share. Per the terms of their agr
  e e m e n t ,
  Gerad receives 3 GB and Omadi receives 2 GB.
  N
  Domain actions work to best effect when they
  form part of a cohesive plan. Many regents think
  ahead one or two action rounds when determin-
  ing how they will use a particular domain turn .
  H o w e v e r, a few farsighted rulers approach their
  administration like a chess game, plotting many
  moves in advance and combining diff e rent do-
  main actions to achieve large-scale results.
  H e re, two of Cerilia’s regents explain in their
  own words how they wove multiple actions into
  intricate plans to attain complex goals. 
  Note: So as not to interrupt the narrative struc-
  t u re of these re p o rts, all game terms appear in
  brackets [like this].
  “I have always found that diplomacy and negotia -
  tion work best when accompanied by a solid pr
  o f i t
  motive. I prefer to conduct negotiations with regents
  when I can present a clear object of gain to all par-
  ties involved. Though the unrefined diplomat may
  engage in cutthroat negotiations, achieving a suc -
  cessful outcome for as many parties as possible re -
  quires subtlety and skill.”
  —Richard Talbehr, Count of Müden
  Müden may be one of the most pro s p e ro u s
  realms in Bre c h t ü r, but it costs considerable
  amounts of gold to keep it that way. When I di-
  vided rule of the kingdom between myself and
  Captain Reaversbane (in the interests of making
  Müden a more secure realm) I knew we would
  face problems that re q u i red joint attention. In
  this case, the cost of maintaining our combined
  armies and navies almost got the better of us.
  52
  
  Müden had experienced a hard winter. The
  Black Ice Bay remained frozen for nearly a
  month longer than usual, and after our seizure of
  the pirate-king Albrecht we had considerable ex-
  penses outstanding. Theofold, my lieutenant and
  the chief guildmaster of the realm, informed me
  that my treasury might not withstand a fiscal cri-
  sis. He suggested that I disband a few of my
  a rmed units (particularly the dwarven guard so
  graciously provided by King Graybeard of Baruk-
  Azhik) and focus on increasing taxation.
  While this idea had merit, I shied away from it.
  We had just won a victory against piracy on the
  G reat Bay, and the people were recovering from a
  p a rticularly cruel winter. If I raised taxes to pay for
  the popular campaign against the pirates, it might
  no longer be re m e m b e red as a popular campaign.
  So I called upon Theofold and Captain Reavers-
  bane, and we contacted the rulers of Berh a g e n
  and Rheulgard [diplomacy action]. I thought
  about inviting Justina, the ruler of Pashacht, but
  with hard feelings between her and Rheulgard
  still extant, I decided to leave her undisturbed for
  the moment.
  We discussed trade. Theofold has made gre a t
  innovations in sea trade re c e n t l y, having negoti-
  ated from my ally Captain Reaversbane the use
  of royal naval vessels for long voyages, yet we
  maintained virtually no trade with our neare s t
  land neighbors. I proposed a deal.
  I, along with the rulers of Rheulgard and Berha-
  gen, resolved to build roads and bridges through
  our provinces [build action]. We would talk to our
  various guildmasters and persuade them to sup-
  ply the monetary outlay [Gold Bars] while we
  p rovided the workers and popular support [ R e -
  gency Points]. We would do this in enough prov-
  inces so that our guildmasters could then extend
  overland trade routes [trade route and trade chain
  a c t i o n s ]. The guilders would assume the cost of
  establishing the routes and supply us each with a
  small tithe to cover road maintenance [1 to 2 GB
  per trade route per domain turn, depending on the
  worth of the route].
  In exchange for this cooperation, I would lend
  the Baron of Berhagen two units of Müden’s in-
  f a n t ry. He could use these units to scour his
  mountains and, ideally, shut down Auslawsen
  and her Mountain Brigands. He would pay for
  the upkeep of these units while I continued to
  pay their salaries. [For the next domain turn, the
  b a ron and the count split the maintenance cost of
  the two infantry units.]
  For Rheulgard, I agreed to use my contacts
  with the Banshegh—excuse me, Justina of
  Pashacht. Rheulgard wanted a treaty in which
  Justina agreed to contain the Banshegh’s destruc-
  tion in her own domain, or pay damages should
  the unfortunate re g e n t ’s alter-ego cross into
  Rheulgard. [The count performs a diplomacy action
  on Rheulgard’s behalf.]
  As a result of this negotiation, I was able to
  s t rengthen my realm and broaden its influence
  by building roads for the movement of trade and
  troops to the interior. I also helped Berhagen and
  R h e u l g a rd begin to resolve some of their own
  problems. By assisting my lieutenant in creating
  several trade routes and trade chains (which he
  accomplished handily), I gained a steady income
  from trade that I would otherwise have no claim
  upon. I made sure that Captain Reaversbane was
  adequately compensated for her support as
  well—some of the roads would go through her
  p rovinces—and everyone made out with a slow,
  steady flow of cash and support. Everyone, of
  course, except the Mountain Brigands of Berha-
  gen, whose predations have been neatly cur-
  tailed. [ M i l i t a ry units occupying a province can
  shut down holdings of any type—see “Conquest and
  Occupation” in the BIRTHRIGHTRulebook].
  “Even if you value peace in your land, do not allow
  your foes to marshal against you. A wise r
  e g e n t
  takes steps to keep her foes off-balance at all times—
  and preferably at each others’ throats.”
  —Marlae Roesone, Baroness of Roesone
  I pride myself on my honor, but I do not deceive
  myself into thinking personal honor and the honor
  of a regent are the same thing. A regent does what
  she must to keep her realm secure—to do less
  would be dishonorable and dangerous. As a re-
  sult, a regent may re s o rt to what seem like dis-
  honorable or questionable actions in order to
  p re s e rve the integrity of her re a l m .
  Though Gavin Tael has never taken obvi-
  ous offensive action against Roesone, I
  have known for years that the Baron of
  G h o e re intends to invade and conquer
  Roesone—when he feels he has
  achieved the requisite strength of
  a rms and the political climate
  ripens. I am forever en-
  gaged in actions that
  delay this invasion,
  for a war with
  G h o e re
  w o u l d
  53
  
  at best leave both our realms devastated. At worst,
  he could sweep through Roesone to the sea, gain-
  ing a large portion of the empire he seeks.
  Using the re s o u rces of my southern allies in
  Medoere and Ilien, I managed to instigate a plan
  to keep invasion a long way off—assuming Ta e l
  never finds out who orchestrated it.
  I contacted my friends in Medoere and Ilien
  and asked for their aid [diplomacy action]. First, I
  needed the services of a guildmaster—someone
  whose agents could pass unhindered into and out
  of Ghoere. At first, I proposed contacting el-
  Hadid or Siele Ghoried, but my friend Suris En-
  lien of Medoere advised against it—if I wanted
  intelligence in the realm of Ghoere, only one per-
  son could be relied on to provide it: Guilder
  Kalien of Endier.
  Neither I nor Suris Enlien trust Guilder Kalien.
  Refined and subtle, he has a habit of making cer-
  tain everyone in the region owes him a favor—
  and I worry about the day when he’ll call his fa-
  vors home. Still, Enlien has an uneasy alliance
  with Kalien, and contacted him on my behalf
  [diplomacy action].
  I asked Kalien to use his guild holdings in Ghoere
  to spy on the armies marshalled there. If possible, I
  wanted to know who headed the forces stationed in
  the provinces bordering the Spiderfell. In re t u rn
  for this favor, I off e red to use my influence with el-
  Hadid and Siele Ghoried to set up some lucrative
  trade routes between the three guildmasters.
  Though Kalien assured me I needn’t tro u b l e
  myself, I insisted and he relented. I contacted the
  two traders and arranged for a trade route on
  K a l i e n ’s behalf [trade route, built by Kalien but
  paid for by Roesone]. He, in the meantime, set his
  spies to work [espionage action].
  Within a month, Kalien’s agents provided me with
  a detailed description of the lieutenant Ghoere
  placed in charge of its eastern armies. I contacted
  Rogr Aglondier of Ilien [ d i p l o m a c y ]and told him
  the rest of my plan. Chuckling, he agreed to help.
  Aglondier forged a ley line into the Ghoere
  p rovince of Rhumannen [ f o rge ley line ac -
  t i o n ]. The following month, he cast a spell
  he calls “Rogr’s Mighty Influence” [ s u b -
  version realm spell]on the lieutenant
  Kalien had pinpointed for us.
  Under magical influence, the lieu-
  tenant believed he had been or-
  dered by Gavin Tael to attack
  the Spiderfell. The lieu-
  tenant led several units
  of cavalry and in-
  f a n t ry into
  the Spi-
  derfell [move troops action]and set about “cleans-
  ing” it for his overlord.
  Naturally, when one attacks the Spiderfell, one
  can expect a single outcome: The lieutenant and
  many of his troops were destroyed; the rest fled
  back to Ghoere, disheartened and disturbed by
  their re g e n t ’s apparent suicide ord e r. Many de-
  s e rted and fled to Endier and even Alamie. All
  told, Gavin Tael lost at least three units, possibly
  as many as five. To prevent discovery, Rogr
  Aglondier dissolved his ley line.
  I then charged Guilder Kalien with one more
  commission [diplomacy]. I asked him to have his
  guilders spy on Ghoere and find out what was
  happening there [espionage action]. Keep in mind
  that I never told Guilder Kalien why I wanted
  any of this intelligence—I led him to believe I
  feared enemy action coming from the army com-
  manded by the lieutenant. To the best of my
  knowledge, he still believes that.
  A c c o rding to Kalien’s spies (who had to do little
  spying, I am told), Tael erupted into a mindless
  f u ry when he heard the news about the march on
  the Spiderfell. Some of his best troops were in-
  volved, and he will re q u i re a long time to re p l a c e
  them. Also, Kalien told me that Tael seemed even
  m o re infuriated than one might expect—perhaps I
  i n t e rrupted some plan of the baro n ’s with my own.
  As a result, Gavin Tael should spend the next
  year or so training and re c ruiting re p l a c e m e n t s
  for his troops—and watching the Spiderfell bor-
  der. He doesn’t know why his lieutenant attacked
  the awnshegh. According to rumor, he thinks the
  c re a t u re itself lured Ghoere ’s forces. This situa-
  tion should keep the would-be emperor nerv o u s
  and defensive for quite some time.
  DMs and players alike should keep in mind that
  no domain action can replace creativity and good
  role-playing. The actions included here and in the
  BI RT H R I G H T R u l e b o o kshould be considered con-
  venient tools for use by players and DMs alike—
  but they should notsubstitute for role-playing ex-
  citement. Anything that can be accomplished by
  a domain action, accompanied by the expendi-
  t u re of re s o u rces and the rolling of a few dice,
  can also be accomplished (probably better and in
  a more cost-effective way) by an adventure. Do-
  main actions should be re g a rded as shortcuts to
  aid role-playing, not replace it.
  54
  
  N
  Any fool can inherit a kingdom. Only a competent
  ruler can bequeath one.
  —Anuirean proverb
  N
  egents of Cerilia take on great re s p o n s i b i l i-
  ties when they assume the governance of pro v i n c e s
  and holdings. Most focus on maintaining their
  realms and keeping problems from overw h e l m i n g
  them, while a few endeavor to expand their do-
  mains—either by improving their own holdings and
  influence, or at the expense of others.
  The following section discusses the strategies and
  tactics of several Cerilian regents. Some of them
  may be allies or enemies of player characters,
  while others may have preceded PC regents in
  their own realms. None of them fit completely
  into a “conservative/aggressive” dichotomy—suc-
  cessful regents find out quickly that they cannot
  allow themselves to fall into such a trap if they
  want to survive.
  9th-level Anuirean fighter
  S:
  18/25
  D:
  14
  C:
  16
  I:
  12
  W:
  13
  Ch:
  11
  AL:
  LE
  AC:
  –2
  hp:
  73
  MV:
  6
  THAC0:
  12 (10)
  #AT:
  3/2
  Dmg:
  2d4+2 (Warstar)
  Bloodline: Reynir, major, 49.
  Blood Abilities:
  Iron will, long life (major).
  Special Equipment:
  Wa r s t a r (m o rning star +2) ,
  Crown of Ghoere (provides 25% magic resistance
  when worn), field plate +1, shield +1 (with raven
  symbol of Ghoere emblazoned on a red and
  green field).
  P ro f i c i e n c i e s :
  Battle Axe, Cro s s b o w, Lance,
  Long Bow, Long Sword, Morning Star, Spear,
  Etiquette, Law, Leadership, Siegecraft, Strategy,
  Reading/Writing.
  D e s c r i p t i o n / H i s t o ry :
  The ruthless Baron of
  Ghoere (first mentioned in Ruins of Empire) took
  over the rulership of that realm a little over two
  decades ago and has turned it from a collection
  of provinces only loosely allied to an imperial in-
  terest, lacking little in strength and unity.
  The baronets, knights, and other lords of Ghoran
  p rovinces once ruled their small lands and united
  only to keep their realms from breaking into
  smaller and weaker states. Even though Ghoere it-
  self was formed out of two lesser kingdoms, the
  realm lay truly in chaos when Gavin Tael, a ro y a l
  soldier and heir- a p p a rent, assumed the thro n e .
  No mysteries surround the iron-handed baron’s
  c o ronation. The late regent died of natural
  causes, and no arguments over right of ascension
  ever occured. Still, the new baron used his armies
  to bring the other lords of the land to heel.
  Gavin Tael first formed the Iron Guard, a com-
  bination police force and arm y, before he as-
  sumed the throne. Knowing he was heir- a p p a r-
  ent, Tael surrounded himself with trusted men
  and women who distinguished themselves in
  campaigns Tael himself led. He wanted only
  those few he could trust close to his banner.
  When the old baron died, these men and
  women made certain no opposition to Tael’s
  ascension existed.
  Early on in Tael’s reign, however, a few
  of the barons did object to his heavy-
  handed approach to rulership. They
  suggested the Baron of Ghoere set
  up an advisory panel—a council
  of lords—to oversee his politi-
  cal decisions and ratify
  them or reject them ac-
  c o rding to majority
  vote.
  The Iro n
  Guard
  55
  
  surprised the nobles in their beds, dragging them
  from their castles, and whipping them soundly in
  the public square. The baron had heard that such
  a tactic might prove an interesting diverg e n c e
  f rom civil diplomacy; appare n t l y, the nobles
  a g reed, as no mention of an “advisory council”
  was ever heard again.
  Now, the baron rules Ghoere with a literal iron
  fist. All his elite units and cavalry must spend
  time serving in his Iron Guard, and those who
  distinguish themselves gain honors and pro m o-
  tions. The baron rewards commoners and nobles
  alike—and the punishments he deals out over-
  come all class prejudice.
  Strength and power fulfill the baron’s needs. He
  does not want to shepherd his realm along, build-
  ing a nation for a son, daughter, or other heir to
  inherit. He wants to take over the world (or as
  much of it as possible) now, so that he can enjoy
  it.
  But Gavin Tael knows patience. He learn e d
  many things from his initial years in power. His
  ascension succeeded so smoothly because he
  t rusted minions and lieutenants to carry out his
  wishes—his foes did not have protectors of the
  same stature, or armies to defend them, and so
  he won their first round of “negotiations.”
  The realm of Ghoere always fell short of con-
  quest—or even true unity—because it never had
  a strong head supported by a network of stro n g
  lieutenants. Gavin Tael moved to correct that
  lack. He sees himself as the strongest ruler in
  A n u i re—an obvious choice for empero r, should
  the occasion arise—and he encourages his lieu-
  tenants and vassals to serve him faithfully and
  gain reward.
  Gavin Tael uses survival and fear as motiva-
  tors. Cross him, and you won’t survive. Serv e
  him well, and you have nothing to fear. He
  uses the law of his land to protect those who
  do not oppose him—and to motivate people
  who may wish to stand aside.
  Gavin Tael’s strategies can be summa-
  rized as follows:
  Be patient—put yourself in the
  right position, and then wait.
  While Tael may be evil, he
  knows how to follow the
  rules when he must. If
  Tael had taken the
  t h rone of Gho-
  e re pre m a-
  t u re l y, he would have set himself up as an obvi-
  ous usurper and despot, provoking and unifying
  his minor nobles and causing a popular revolt. In
  the years since his ascension, Tael hasn’t so much
  conquered or destroyed his rivals as he has intim-
  idated them. Roesone, to the south, and
  Mhoried, to the north, could be threats to his
  d reams of conquest, but by not provoking them
  until he is re a d y, he makes them play the game
  on his field instead of theirs.
  Direct action speaks louder than words.
  By
  quickly chastising the nobles who proposed the
  council of advisers, Tael opened himself up to
  some trouble, but mostly impressed the com-
  monfolk more than he disturbed them. If the
  baron had decided to go up against the dissident
  nobles militarily, he might have won an absolute
  victory, but he would have decimated part of his
  realm, lost practiced lieutenants (some of whom,
  granted, have had to be disposed of since), and
  killed off a large number of peasants on either
  side. As a result, the peasantry got to look on
  while the nobles suff e red the punishment they
  deserved—instead of paying for the nobles’ pride
  with the peasants’ lives.
  You have to trust someone.
  Many a stro n g -
  willed leader has been brought down by mistrust
  and betrayal. Distrust breeds disloyalty. If you re-
  w a rd and encourage subordinates, they tend to
  perform better and are less likely to betray you—
  especially if you punish betrayal personally and
  h a r s h l y, but re w a rd loyalty with equal ferv o r. A
  leader who cannot trust his subordinates is no
  leader at all.
  Control your own kingdom before you try to
  control another . While Gavin Tael does not con-
  trol all the law within the provinces he rules (he
  h a s n ’t even managed to push out all outside
  rulership), he works toward this end. The Baron
  of Ghoere likely won’t invade anyone until he
  feels certain that the land under his feet won’t
  shift beneath him.  But once he’s sure, the re-
  gents of the Heartlands should watch out.
  If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
  Early on in his rein, Gavin Tael studied a map of
  A n u i re and saw how his kingdom compared to
  those around him. He glared hungrily at Endier,
  thinking that the rich, tiny one-province re a l m
  would make a nice southern province for his bur-
  geoning empire. But he hesitated for good re a-
  son. If Gavin Tael had invaded Endier early on in
  his rein, the move might have proven as disaster-
  ous as starting a civil war in his own kingdom. An
  invasion of Endier would provide the neighboring
  realms with the motivation they needed to ally
  against Ghoere and reduce his kingdom to anar-
  chic provinces again. By waiting and strengthing
  56
  
  his position, he’s watched Medoere and Diemed
  square off, and he finds it amusing that Boeruine
  and Avanil cannot settle their squabbles. Only
  Mhoried perceives him as the threat he truly is,
  and he needs to deal with the Mhor somehow be-
  fore things get out of hand.
  No one is perfect, and the Baron of Ghoere
  p roves himself no exception. He has made mis-
  takes, and they make good lessons for beginning
  regents.
  Direct action provides a loud lesson.
  When
  Gavin Tael dealt directly with his nobles, he may
  have spared and pleased the peasantry, but he
  a l e rted his own remaining nobles and his neigh-
  bors. The baron declared through that action his
  choice not to work within conventional rules of
  diplomacy. He would be obeyed, or else. Nobles
  p roved slow to offer him true allegience after
  that, and seeking vassals from other countries be-
  came more difficult.
  A show of strength provokes a show of its
  own. Before the barony of Ghoere became an ex-
  pansionistic, unified power, the Mhor, the Baron
  of Roesone, and most of the other regents in the
  area seemed content to rule their own realms and
  i g n o re their neighbors. Wars occured and terr i-
  tory exchanged hands, but never on more than a
  p rovincial basis. Gavin Tael, however, re m i n d e d
  everyone in the area that the Iron Throne still sits
  e m p t y, and someone may soon make a play for
  the empire.
  B r utality may be efficient, but it costs as
  well. The most noble and respected aristocrats of
  the land had to be put to death or driven out by
  the Iron Guard after Gavin Tael’s nature became
  apparent. Not all would bend knee to a tyrant, no
  matter how lawful or orderly his nature. Evil can-
  not forever placate good, and only attracts evil in
  the end. The baron might learn that his “loyal”
  s u b o rdinates are actually biding their time until
  he makes a critical mistake.
  While Gavin Tael may change his plans according
  to the actions of the realms around him, he con-
  tinues to keep going as he has been up to this
  point. Slowly, he will build up all his law holdings
  and provinces to near their maximum levels, he’ll
  intimidate the other regents of domains within
  his provinces into following his lead (or, in the
  case of the powerful Sword Mage, he will negoti-
  ate), and then he will make his army the most
  powerful in Anuire. Then, and only then, he will
  systematically conquer or otherwise contro l
  e v e ry realm within reach of his own kingdom,
  forging a new empire out of the fragmented ruins
  of the old.
  6th-level Rjurik fighter
  S:
  15
  D:
  12
  C:
  16
  I:
  14
  W:
  15
  Ch:
  12
  AL:
  LN
  AC:
  3
  hp:
  46
  MV:
  9
  THAC0:
  15 (14)
  #AT:
  1
  Dmg:
  2d4+1 (broad sword +1)
  Bloodline: Reynir, major, 22.
  Blood Abilities:
  Forest walk (minor), resistance
  (major).
  Special Equipment:
  B road sword +1, half plate
  mail +1, long bow, 12 arrows +1, +3 against orogs.
  Proficiencies: Broad Sword, Claymore, Dagger,
  Harpoon, Long Bow, Sling, Fishing, Hunting,
  Languages (Brecht), Law, Leadership, Read-
  ing/Writing, Set Snares, Survival.
  D e s c r i p t i o n / H i s t o ry :
  King Uldviik (first men-
  tioned in The Rjurik Highlands) followed his fa-
  t h e r, Lord Va rrig, from the relative safety of
  the more civilized Rjurik kingdoms to the tiny
  n o rt h e rn port of Kopingdal. They bro u g h t
  with them a few loyal warriors and settlers,
  and Lord Varrig built the tiny settlement
  into a city—and the surrounding pro v-
  inces into a realm.
  L o rd Va rr i g ’s primary concern
  soon became the Urga-Zai gob-
  lins. He managed to close the
  Hjolvar Pass and the moun-
  tains to the west shielded
  his slowly-gro w i n g
  realm from their
  i n c u r s i o n s .
  K i n g
  57
  
  Uldviik took over rulership of Hjolvar and the
  building of Kopingdal when his father died some
  years ago. Uldviik keeps the small realm secure
  against the goblins and orogs of Urga-Zai and
  has established trade and friendship with most of
  his nearest neighbors. Remarkably, he somehow
  manages to be on good terms with realms that
  have strong enmity for each other. The Count of
  Danigau admires Uldviik’s determination even
  though the king trades with the pirates of Dani-
  gau and has relations with the Vos of Rzhlev.
  Perhaps King Uldviik projects an inherent no-
  bility in his struggle against nature and his ene-
  mies. Where other nobles would have to choose
  sides to gain allies, Uldviik gains respect from all
  sides and has not been forced to ally against any
  of his chosen friends.
  Uldviik rules his family this way as well. He has
  three strong-willed children. When Reyna, his fa-
  vorite, chose to become a druid of Erik—thereby
  putting aside any chance of becoming the ruling
  Queen of Hjolvar after Uldviik’s death—Uldviik
  encouraged her and still trusted her to perf o rm
  her duties as his daughter, though she could take
  her final vows at any time. As a result, Erik’s
  priesthood looks kindly on the king, and he gains
  the support of a grateful daughter and an approv-
  ing populace.
  But Uldviik, old and wise as he is, does have
  some flaws. The other Rjurik kingdoms in the
  area seem to think that ego motivated his father
  to carve out a realm of his own—and they might
  be right. They scarcely acknowledge Hjolvar as a
  legitimate kingdom, and treat it as a tiny, de-
  tached settlement. As a result, Uldviik cannot
  count on their aid if ever the Urga-Zai goblins at-
  tempt to invade.
  The King of Hjolvar wants his realm to gro w
  and stand against the anarchy he sees plagu-
  ing the nort h e rn states of Rjurik. He de-
  s i res nothing more than the building and
  strengthening of Hjolvar, and has a sin-
  gle-minded determination toward this
  end. Uldviik’s strategies can be seen
  as follows:
  Build rather than conquer
  .
  L o rd Va rrig instilled this
  philosophy in his son at
  an 
  early 
  age.
  Rather than
  use his
  influence and popularity to take over an estab-
  lished kingdom, Lord Va rrig chose to build his
  own. He took those who would follow him to an
  a rea considered uninhabitable by most Rjurik
  and began the forging of a realm. Uldviik has
  stayed on this course. When he sees the advan-
  tages possessed by his neighbors, he does not set
  out to steal these advantages or conquer his
  neighbors—he learns from them and builds up
  his own strength.
  Do not overstep yourself.
  If King Uldviik de-
  sired, he could probably rule up the province and
  holding levels of his kingdom by depleting his re-
  sources. He could spend all his power on recruit-
  ing new peoples and offering incentives to immi-
  grants. The king might enjoy some success—but
  it would leave him with little strength to defend
  himself against his enemies. So instead he hoards
  his support and his power (Regency Points) and
  builds what he can, when he can.
  Encourage those loyal to you, even if they
  d o n ’ t do what you want.
  By “allowing” his
  daughter and heir- a p p a rent to give up her claim
  on the throne to join the priesthood of Erik, Uld-
  viik gained more than he lost. Had he pressed, he
  might have convinced Reyna to turn away fro m
  the priestly life and assume her “rightful” place as
  his first lieutenant. But he might have failed,
  might have driven her away. In any event Uldviik
  p robably would not enjoy the goodwill of the
  powerful Emerald Spiral temple, as he does now.
  And as a side benefit, Uldviik’s remaining two
  sons have seen that he won’t pressure them to do
  anything they don’t want to do—and have be-
  come all the more loyal.
  Don’t discourage heroes: Make them.
  Many
  regents might become jealous when one of their
  lieutenants outshines them in any way. Elka Tha-
  juula, Uldviik’s primary lieutenant and a clever
  r a n g e r, has made herself so popular among the
  people of Hjolvar (and so hated among the gob-
  lins of Urga-Zai) that the king of Urga-Zai has
  offered 5,000 gold pieces for her head. The peo-
  ple of Kopingdal take her every visit as a cue for
  celebration, and she takes most of the credit for
  keeping the goblins from over- running the
  Hjolvar Pass. Instead of reassigning her to other,
  less obvious duties, or trying to claim more of the
  c redit for himself, King Uldviik honors her
  g reatly and publically aclaims her a hero of the
  realm. As a result, his subjects aspire to serv e
  Hjolvar valiantly (to gain like recognition and re-
  ward), and they all talk about how good a leader
  the king must be to inspire such a faithful and
  valiant lieutenant.
  Friends can be more valuable than allies.
  Though King Uldviik has no formal alliances with
  58
  
  any Rjurik, Brecht, or Vos states, he has won the
  respect of most realms with which he has con-
  tact. Even the southwestern Rjurik, who don’t
  consider Hjolvar a “real” realm, respect his deter-
  mination and the loyalty he gains from his peo-
  ple. The king seems satisfied with respect and
  friendship—for now. He believes that until he
  can offer some service (or potential for serv i c e )
  to another realm, he shouldn’t enter into a formal
  alliance with one. He does not want to risk owing
  a more powerful realm anything he would hesi-
  tate to pay back.
  King Uldviik may be known for his determ i n a-
  tion and the loyalty he inspires in his subjects,
  but rumors of mistakes and errors in judgment
  c i rculate in his realm, as in any other. The king
  could learn a great deal from his own mistakes:
  No realm can truly stand alone.
  As proud as
  the King of Hjolvar is of his people, he cannot, or
  should not, truly believe they can stand against
  an outright invasion of Urga-Zai goblins—and
  such an invasion could occur at any time. Wi t h-
  out true allies and support (especially from his
  n e a rest neighbors), the king cannot hope to re-
  sist a full offensive. He must swallow his pride
  and negotiate some sort of alliance with another
  Rjurik kingdom, or perhaps Danigau.
  Conservative building could result in stagna
  -
  tion. Lord Varrig might be proud of Hjolvar if he
  could see it today, but he would be concerned as
  well. Though both the lord and the king have
  made tremendous progress in carving out a realm
  in the midst of nowhere, much more needs to be
  done. Again, if Uldviik swallowed his pride and
  asked for help, he might be able to gain support
  f rom his friends and build a little faster. At the
  v e ry least, he should build up the pro v i n c e s
  a round Hjolvar pass and fortify his holdings
  there.
  D o n ’ t provide anything for nothing.
  G r a t i-
  tude can be a cloak that wears thin and begins to
  smell over time. The king does what he thinks is
  right for his kingdom and his family, but doesn’t
  always exploit his every re s o u rce. When Reyna
  asked to be released from her commitment to re-
  g e n c y, and Uldviik granted the request, both
  Reyna and the Emerald Spire were pleased and
  grateful. They expected to pay the king a hand-
  some “dowry” for the royal daughter, but he
  made them pay nothing. While Uldviik won their
  gratitude and respect, he could have had more at
  no cost to their continuing friendship and loyalty.
  At the same time, Uldviik should recognize that
  he keeps the Urga-Zai goblins distracted fro m
  another of their hated enemies, the Count of
  Danigau. The count is grateful, but the king
  could ask him to help support their joint effort to
  contain the evil of Urga-Zai. Even though King
  Uldviik would defend the mountain pass anyway,
  it wouldn’t hurt to get paid for the effort.
  Uldviik knows he cannot live fore v e r, and, even
  now, he prepares to pass his kingship on to some-
  one. The loyalty of his children cannot be ques-
  tioned, but he wanted his daughter Reyna to rule
  after him. Now, he must make up time if he
  wants to groom one of her brothers for kingship.
  Meanwhile, he also wants to leave a stro n g
  realm behind in his passing. Lately, his mind
  strays west, over the mountains and into Urg a -
  Zai. The King of Hjolvar would give a lot to know
  what Urga-Zai is planning. If he could time a
  coastal attck to coincide with a sortie from Dani-
  gau, he might cripple the goblins and keep them
  off his successor’s back for the first few years of
  his reign.
  Count of Müden
  4th-level Brecht fighter
  S:
  15
  D:
  16
  C:
  10
  I:
  15
  W:
  15
  Ch:
  16
  AL:
  LG
  AC:
  4
  hp:
  30
  MV:
  12
  THAC0:
  17 (14)
  #AT:
  1
  Dmg:
  1d6+4 (rapier +3)
  Bloodline: Brenna, major, 30.
  Blood Abilities:
  Detect lie, home
  hearkening (major).
  Special Equipment:
  R a p i e r
  + 3, leather armor +1, l i v i n g
  tapestry (see the “Magical
  Items and Art i f a c t s ”
  section of this
  book).
  59
  
  Proficiencies: Lance, Main-Gauche, Rapier, Ad-
  ministration, Diplomacy, Etiquette, Languages
  ( A n u i rean, Khinasi), Leadership, Reading/Wr i t-
  ing (Anuirean, Brecht).
  D e s c r i p t i o n / H i s t o ry :
  R i c h a rd Talbehr rules the
  land-bound provinces of the great Brecht state of
  Müden. His family is old and his bloodline
  strong, and Richard has had a relatively easy time
  as Count of Müden. When a popular captain of
  the Royal Navy, Melisande Reaversbane, distin-
  guished herself as more than just a warr i o r, he
  made her an ally in charge of not only his navy,
  but several provinces within his kingdom. Now,
  the two work as allies and co-rulers of Müden.
  Richard Talbehr grew up knowing he would in-
  herit the lordship of Müden, one of the most
  p ro s p e rous realms surrounding the Great Bay.
  His parents and tutors trained him in diplomacy
  and leadership, and he took an interest in econ-
  omy and political tactics. Generally a re l a x e d
  ruler, the Count of Müden delegates his author-
  ity to many subordinates, not the least of whom
  is his primary lieutenant and vassal, Theofold the
  guildmaster.
  If the count has any real weakness, it is his lack
  of ambition. With a vibrant ally like Melisande
  Reaversbane, a trained army and a legendary
  navy, and the resources of a powerful domain all
  at his command, he could probably dominate the
  Basin States and much of the rest of Bre c h t ü r.
  But Talbehr has developed a “live and let live” at-
  titude toward rulership—and it has kept his
  realm free from war during his entire tenure.
  While Richard Talbehr cannot be called lazy or
  uninvolved with the politics of the world, he
  does seem unambitious. He also seems, to
  some extent, to ignore the development of his
  own provinces. Though his family has ru l e d
  Müden for generations, room for impro v e-
  ment of province and holding levels still ex-
  ists. Yet he has not pursued their develop-
  ment as fervently as many nobles and
  commoners might wish.
  The Count of Müden’s basic gov-
  e rning strategies can be summa-
  rized as follows:
  Develop a r e p u t a t i o n
  for consistency and
  s t re n g t h .
  Vi rt u a l l y
  e v e ryone in
  and
  around Müden knows how the count will react to
  any inside or outside stimulus. He has declare d
  his intention to send Melisande Reaversbane
  after any pirates preying on ships voyaging to or
  from Müden or any of that realm’s allies, and he
  will react forcibly against any aggression toward
  his realm or the domains of his allies. He leaves
  the training and dispersion of his armies and
  fleets in the hands of those who know how to use
  them, and he gives them support in training and
  upkeep. As a result, Müden has one of the most
  respected (and feared) navies in the region. No
  one, not even the Swordhawk of Massenmarc h ,
  wants to risk awakening the sleeping giant of
  M ü d e n ’s military—but everyone in the re g i o n
  knows to tread lightly around his realm.
  Respect goes further than fear
  . Fear of an in-
  t e rnal or external threat might bring a populace
  or a hostile realm into line—for a time—but re-
  spect makes friends and allies. Richard Ta l b e h r
  has proven an able politician and negotiator.
  While the Swordhawk and the pirates of Graben-
  tod have consistently proven themselves his ene-
  mies, others in the region have responded favor-
  ably to his tactics. Should missteps in negotiation
  o c c u r, Talbehr has a knack for making sure face
  is saved all the way around. If rulers of other
  countries feared Talbehr personally, he would not
  have the influence he does over other kingdoms:
  Few states of Brechtür will casually refuse a “re-
  quest” of the diplomatic count—whereas they
  might fight back against a demand by a ruler they
  feared.
  Develop allies in the strangest places.
  Some-
  how, the Count of Müden has made friends with
  Justina Heulough (also known as the Banshegh)
  and the dwarves of Baruk-Azhik. Both have, on
  occasion, aided him in minor ways (the dwarves,
  long known for their isolationism, actually sent a
  contingent of mercenaries to Müden), and every-
  one in the region knowsTalbehr has made friends
  with these strangers.
  Make sure everyone wins.
  In a war, there
  should be only one winner—according to most
  popular wisdom. Unfort u n a t e l y, many Cerilian
  regents consider all negotiation as a war of some
  kind. The Count of Müden does not. He believes
  that for a negotiation to work, everyone should
  come away from the table with something. On
  occasion, he has used his influence (most often
  with the guildmaster Theofold) to provide less-
  equipped negotiators with levers they can use
  against those who would take advantage of them.
  The count’s profit is the respect and gratitude
  of others. While gratitude will, in the political
  a rena, seldom be re w a rded, respect goes a long
  w a y. Few diplomats enter into negotiations with
  60
  
  the Count of Müden (or his allies) with the intent
  of besting him. Instead, most take on his attitude
  and try to make a good deal for all around.
  Even the ablest ruler makes mistakes some-
  times, and the count does have a few actions on
  his re c o rd that point to errors in judgment or
  execution. A few of these mistakes may, of
  course, be judgment calls, but many ru l e r s
  would agree Richard Ta l b e h r’s rule is far fro m
  p e rf e c t .
  Giving up power seldom wins you anything.
  While allies and vassals should be valued by all
  rulers, actually giving up part of your kingdom to
  someone, just because he or she may be more
  able to rule that portion, generally isn’t wise.
  Melisande Reaversbane certainly earned her po-
  sition in many ways—a competent warr i o r, an
  able and aggressive sea captain, and a surpris-
  ingly wise leader, she has made Müden’s coastal
  p rovinces the success they are today. However,
  the count could have made her a lieutenant or
  even a vassal, rather than a full ally, and gained
  the same effect. By giving up part of his realm, he
  admits to the world that he has weaknesses in
  rulership he does not intend to correct. He limits
  himself by not growing or delegating, but appar-
  ently giving up.
  Non-growth appears to be stagnation.
  While
  no one would want the Count of Müden to emu-
  late the imperial designs of the Gorgon or the
  S w o rdhawk, many nobles and even a few mem-
  bers of the realm’s burgeoning middle class won-
  der why Richard Talbehr has not begun expand-
  ing his realm or increasing his holdings at a faster
  rate.
  Talbehr himself often wonders this as well. He
  has not ruled up his provinces as quickly as he
  might mainly because he likes having a somewhat
  u n d e rdeveloped realm. While the two cities of
  Müden sparkle as gems in his crown, the pastoral
  regions of the country shimmer with the summer
  of Brechtür’s prosperity.
  Still, the Count has had more than a few op-
  p o rtunities to expand. If he does not want to vi-
  olate his neighbor’s realms (though Tre u c h t ,
  B e rhagen, and Rheulgard all were once Müden
  colonies or protectorates), he could take over
  Grabentod and no one would fault him. The pi-
  rates of the nort h e rn realm have provoked his
  navies re p e a t e d l y, and as a result, his navy has
  imprisoned their king. Many people believe
  Müden would be doing Grabentod a favor if the
  count gave the word to take it over.
  An iron fist can crush a velvet glove.
  W h i l e
  the count’s win-win negotiating tactics do pay off
  more often than not, Talbehr seems to ignore the
  fact that many of those he negotiates with have
  disguised future goals. Too often, he agrees to
  treaties or plans that benefit him not in the least,
  but set up others to make grand, sweeping moves
  on the chessboard of politics. While these deci-
  sions seldom come back to haunt him directly, it
  is only a matter of time before someone out-ma-
  neuvers the political genius.
  If Richard Talbehr has his way, everything will
  continue as before. He hopes to placate Rheul-
  g a rd (its leaders and people were upset at his
  nominal alliance with Justina) and help Theofold
  i n c rease inland trade. As far as his military might
  goes, he wants Melisande Reaversbane to make
  the Great Bay safe for all shipping and travel
  while still a free-trading area for all. Ideally, he
  would like to see the Swordhawk in Massenmarc h
  focus on some other target for his aggre s s i o n s
  ( p e rhaps Kierg a rd, since it’s controlled by the
  G o rgon anyway), but he will remain watchful.
  Regent of Jankaping,
  6th-level Rjurik fighter
  S:
  16
  D:
  10
  C:
  10
  I:
  11
  W:
  9
  Ch:
  14
  AL:
  N
  AC:
  4
  hp:
  41
  MV:
  9
  THAC0:
  15
  #AT:
  1
  Dmg:
  2d4+1 (claymore +1)
  Bloodline: Basaiä, major, 22
  Blood Abilities:
  A n i m a l
  affinity (major).
  Special Equipment:
  C l a y m o re +1, b o o t s
  of varied tracks,
  improved
  mail.
  61
  
  P ro f i c i e n c i e s :
  C l a y m o re, Dagger, Hand Axe,
  Harpoon, Long Bow, Pike, Animal Handling, An-
  imal Lore, Animal Training, Direction Sense,
  Hunting, Reading/Writing, Riding (land-based).
  D e s c r i p t i o n / H i s t o ry :
  Alnor grew up in and
  around the city of Stornomark in Karlskaang. He
  never desired rulership of Jankaping or its law
  holdings, though he might not have minded a
  small jarldom around the city. Alnor grew up as
  one of the “urban Rjurik,” prefering life in the
  small capital city to the nomadic life his father
  and brothers led.
  But fate does not respect a young man’s wishes.
  Alnor grew to manhood in his aunt’s city home,
  venturing outside the city walls only to hunt and
  fish. His father and older brothers roamed the
  provinces of Jankaping, overseeing the law of the
  land, until they died in a summer squall off the
  northern coast. Quite abruptly, Alnor found him-
  self king over the entire realm.
  Almost from the start, King Alnor made his
  subjects uneasy. While he enjoyed hunting and
  fishing—and excelled at these activities—he won
  no respect with his deeds. King Alnor saw hunt-
  ing and fishing as sports, not day-to-day means of
  s u rvival. He discouraged clan migrations, won-
  dering aloud why the nomads of his realm didn’t
  simply settle in the southern provinces, leaving
  the icy northern lands to the glaciers and the sea
  lions.
  Two dissaffected jarls, Bjark of Aaldvaar and
  Olam of Aaldnjor, rejected their new regent’s au-
  thority in those lands and assumed control of the
  law and province rulership in their pro v i n c e s .
  They managed to convince several dozen families
  and a few entire clans to defect to their rulership,
  and King Alnor reacted by calling for a gre a t
  feast in Stornomark. Most of the loyal jarls and
  clan leaders attended, and he surprised them by
  wishing both renegade jarls well, jesting that
  he’d see their followers in and around the city
  come winter.
  King Alnor seems blind to the friction be-
  tween the various Rjurik factions present in
  his realm. He looks on many of his own
  people—even his own advisers and lieu-
  tenants—as backward yokels who can-
  not learn from history or from the
  successes of other realms. If he
  must rule Jankaping, Alnor has
  decided, he will drag its peo-
  ple into the sixteenth cen-
  tury or die trying.
  Despite the obvious blunders King Alnor has
  committed since his acension to realm rulership,
  he does have a basic plan for controlling his hold-
  ings and provinces.
  The King of Jankaping’s basic strategies for
  governance can be summarized as follows:
  Lead from the fr o n t . King Alnor truly prac-
  tices what he preaches. He lives in the only city
  in Jankaping and spends most of his time there .
  He encourages others of his people to form per-
  manent settlements in the southern pro v i n c e s ,
  and wants them to go north only in the summer
  on fishing and hunting trips.
  R e w a r ds are more effective than punish-
  ments. Even though two prominent jarls have es-
  sentially rebelled against King Alnor’s rules and
  his wishes, he hasn’t sent his army after them or
  tried to break the people to his will. He declared,
  early on, that he had little interest in the nort h-
  ern provinces, and when some of his subjects ex-
  p ressed a pre f e rence for their nomadic lifestyle,
  he did not force them back into the fold.
  Confidence is key . While King Alnor may not
  be popular with all of his people, he does not
  back away from a challenge. Essentially, by re-
  belling against his new ideas and new way of
  doing things, the jarls of Aaldvaar and Aaldnjor
  have said they can provide a better life for their
  people. King Alnor wants to see them put their
  tradition where their mouths are—he thinks the
  Rjurik people are ready to move into permanent
  settlements and that his side will win the war of
  comfort and stability.
  While true kingship may not be a popularity con-
  test, few regents of Cerilia have achieved such a
  lofty goal. The people of Jankaping, Rjuriks all,
  tend to take a “show me” attitude toward their
  young king. If he does not win their trust and re-
  spect, his rule won’t last long. The mistakes King
  Alnor has made might come back to him in no
  uncertain ways.
  No one should be allowed to flaunt the
  power of the true king.
  Even if King Alnor be-
  lieves his ways can triumph over the old ways of
  the Rjurik, he can’t allow open rebellion to exist
  within his kingdom if he wants to rule. While a
  few enlightened subjects might see his unwilling-
  ness to attack the rebel jarls and their followers,
  the masses believe he is a weak king with no real
  motivation to lead—and they aren’t far wrong.
  If you lead from the front, you may leave
  someone behind.
  Kings of Cerilia, as well as
  62
  
  other rulers, tend to be conservative. They might
  introduce change or invite progress, but they sel-
  dom advocate it as strongly as King Alnor has.
  E s s e n t i a l l y, the young regent of Jankaping has
  said to his people, “this is my policy; love it or
  lump it.” Too many of his own jarls and the com-
  moners they represent do not love it and the re-
  gent may take a few lumps of his own. They feel
  Alnor isn’t remaining true to the traditions of the
  Rjurik people and that he can’t be trusted with
  the rulership of the kingdom.
  Advisers ar e n ’t just drains on the tr e a s u r y.
  King Alnor practically ignores the advice of his
  lieutenants and advisers. He chose a lonely path to
  walk and doesn’t want to hear dissent from his
  own staff. That’s fine—but if a king doesn’t like the
  advice he’s getting, he should replace his advisers.
  Having popular, powerful, political foes in his own
  cabinet does the king no good at all. If King Alnor
  l e a rns to listen to those who offer dissenting ad-
  vice, they might prove to be allies. Otherwise, like
  Sir Thorgrim, Alnor’s cousin, they’ll grow discon-
  tented and desire power for themselves.
  Don’t disparage tradition—it got you there.
  Kings and other regents shouldn’t ignore how
  they got to be rulers of their realms. King Alnor
  became regent of Jankaping through inheri-
  tence—a tradition not held in all realms. If the
  king wants to dispose of some traditions, regard-
  less of the desires of his people, he might put into
  question all traditions, including respect and de-
  votion to one’s king.
  King Alnor doesn’t want Jankaping to continue on
  its current course of development. He sees the
  t h reats posed to the northlands by the White
  Witch and the Blood Skull Barony (not to men-
  tion some of the evil rulers in other Rjurik
  realms). He wants to establish a defensible, solid,
  and pro g ressive kingdom. The time for nomadic
  tribes on Cerilia is over. Jankaping’s populace
  should plant firm roots and build walls to weather
  the storm that will soon ravage the nort h l a n d s .
  Emir of Sendoure,
  7th-level Khinasi wizard
  S:
  8
  D:
  12
  C:
  10
  I:
  17
  W: 14
  Ch:
  13
  AL:
  NE
  AC:
  8
  hp:
  20
  MV:
  12
  THAC0:
  18
  #AT:
  1
  Dmg:
  1d4+1 (dagger +1)
  Bloodline: Brenna, minor, 19.
  Blood Abilities:
  Enhanced sense (minor).
  Special Equipment:
  Dagger +1, cloak of pro t e c -
  tion +2, scarab of protection, ring of neutralize poi-
  son (1/day), spellbook.
  P ro f i c i e n c i e s :
  D a g g e r, Administration, Ancient
  H i s t o ry, Astro l o g y, Languages (Anuire a n ,
  B recht, Ancient Masetian), Reading/Wr i t i n g
  ( A n u i rean, Ancient Masetian, Khinasi), Riding
  (land-based), Spellcraft.
  Spells commonly memorized
  ( 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 ) : 1 s t —
  Khinasi trade tongue (BoM), read magic, sleep,
  s u b v e r s i o n *; 2nd—c o ffer credit* (BoM), invisibil -
  ity, locate object; 3rd—demagogue* (BoM), protec-
  tion from normal missiles
  ; 4th—i m p roved arm o r
  (BoM).
  *Realm spell; B o M=Spell found in the Book of
  Magecraft.
  D e s c r i p t i o n / H i s t o ry :
  The emir Beysim ibn
  F a roud el-Duatim, Absolute Monarch of the
  N o rt h e rn Marches, became “absolute monarc h ”
  when his brother perished on a hunting trip. The
  new emir assumed the throne of Sendoure amid a
  wake of controversy, and even now many nobles
  thinly veil their displeasure at el-Duatim’s posi-
  tion. Only his power as a wizard and his allies in
  the Ghoudaiä Coster keep him secure in his rule.
  Living in a realm once famous for its trader-
  and bandit-kings, the emir has created an ex-
  alted position for himself. Perhaps he created
  all his titles and honorifics (he has over 70 of
  them) to increase his claim to the legiti-
  mate rule of Sendoure, but most people
  believe he’s just got an imperial-sized
  ego.
  S e n d o u re benefits from its loca-
  tion and its terrain. Lying in the
  only decent land route be-
  tween the Khinasi states
  and Anuire, Sendoure
  also trades with the
  agrarian 
  and
  peaceful
  63
  
  halflings of the Burrows and the Brechts of
  R o h rm a rch and Rheulgard. Beysim el-Duatim
  makes sure that all wealth passing through his
  realm touches his hands as well.
  But the emir owes much to the avaricious head
  of the Ghoudaiä Coster, the Brecht Helmut Gru-
  ber. Helmut, a self-made crime lord, resents the
  fact that he needs the egotistical emir at all, and
  takes pains to remind el-Duatim that the Khinasi
  regent needs the Brecht guildmaster more than
  ever.
  After establishing his right to rule Sendoure (a
  long and arduous process), the emir felt he de-
  s e rved a break. Unfort u n a t e l y, his disgru n t l e d
  nobles and his aggressive neighbors haven’t let
  the pre s s u re ease on the Khinasi regent and he
  hasn’t been able to enjoy his rule as much as he’d
  hoped. Still, the emir of Sendoure doesn’t let
  weighty concerns get in the way of his plans:
  Use the traditions and laws of the land to
  your advantage.
  Even though regents make
  their own rules, an emir ignores tradition at his
  peril. The emir el-Duatim used the traditions of
  the Khinasi realm to his advantage. When his
  b rother died, he appeared to be the only logical
  heir and he seized the throne despite the objec-
  tions of the nobles. He revived the old titles and
  honorifics attached to his family name (some
  refering to lands and offices not part of Sendoure
  for centuries) to bury his detractors in legal
  p recedent and confusion. The commonfolk of
  S e n d o u re, seeing the overwhelming “evidence,”
  sided mostly with el-Duatim and he became the
  ruler of the realm before anyone could re c o v e r
  and mount a counter-argument. Now, when the
  emir wants to do anything to increase his hold
  on the realm, he instructs his advisers to
  s e a rch through ancient scrolls and texts to
  find historical precedence to back him up.
  The other nobles, whoses lines come fro m
  the selfsame precedence, dare not oppose
  him.
  Use both sides of the law . For a re-
  gent to be effective, sometimes he
  has to put himself above the law
  while appearing to conform to
  its rules entire l y. The emir
  re c ruited Helmut and
  his thieves’ guild
  before he took
  over
  S e n d o u re ’s rulership and used the Ghoudaiä
  Coster to eliminate or blackmail his most potent
  rivals. Since Helmut does all the dirty work, no
  direct blame can be placed on the regent.
  Anticipate your enemies’ strategies.
  In Khi-
  nasi, where daggers in the dark and poisons in
  the wine can be used in place of diplomacy, a re-
  gent has to stay three steps ahead of his rivals.
  The emir depends on the Coster’s spies and as-
  sassins to keep his enemies off-balance. Since the
  nobles who oppose el-Duatim have no such re-
  sources, they cannot anticipate the regent’s own
  actions.
  Location, location, location.
  While el-Duatim
  had no control over where he ruled, he could not
  have chosen better. He continues to exploit
  S e n d o u re ’s position between three Cerilian re-
  gions, keeping it a thriving trading metropolis. If
  the emir desired to make Sendoure a military
  power, or a center for diplomacy and intrigue, he
  could be torn apart by his neighbors. However, as
  a trading center, Sendoure proves itself much
  more valuable to its neighbors than it would be if
  conquered or destroyed.
  The emir of Sendoure hasn’t made himself popu-
  lar with his nobles or his people. Even his ally in
  the Coster isn’t satisfied with his actions. Most
  o b s e rvers believe the emir thinks of himself as
  the “Absolute Monarch of the Nort h e rn
  M a rches” first, and someone with a re s p o n s i b i l-
  ity to his subjects second. Here are some of his
  mistakes:
  Confidence is good, ego is bad.
  When the
  emir set himself up to resist claims against his
  t h rone, he did so by cloaking himself in every
  title and precedent he could think of—and it
  worked. His enemies could not refute all his
  claims (most of which were entirely legitimate, if
  outdated), but when they conceded publically, he
  continued to rub their noses in his royalty. Now,
  he seems increasingly alone at the top of a realm
  once known for its egalitarian capitalism. More
  and more, el-Duatim cites “divine right” as prece-
  dent for his decrees and decisions, and his people
  grow tired of their monarch.
  Opulence is good, decadence is bad.
  Again,
  the emir oversteps himself. Sendoure has always
  been a relatively rich country, and its nobility
  lives well. However, in an effort to out-do his no-
  bles and his predecessors, el-Duatim spends
  e v e ry spare gold piece on improving his court
  and making himself look rich and powerful. The
  people want to feel proud of their wealthy regent
  and visitors want to be entertained in an opulent
  64
  
  c o u rt, but when the emir throws away more
  riches in an hour than a hundred commoners will
  see in a year, he invites scorn and envy.
  Keep your friends close, your enemies
  closer, and your allies on a leash.
  The emir has
  few friends and his enemies are, for the most
  p a rt, known to him—but his powerful ally, Hel-
  mut Gruber of the Ghoudaiä Coster, needs to be
  defused. Helmut secretly despises the emir and
  wants to make sure el-Duatim knows he needs
  Helmut more than Helmut needs him. Recently,
  he has gone so far as to set up law holdings in the
  region, and he uses extortion and threats to bend
  the emir to his will. No longer does Helmut pose
  as the faithful lackey—he has become a rival, and
  since he was once the emir’s most powerful ally,
  he knows el-Duatim cannot stand against him for
  long.
  Your neighbors can see you.
  The Hydra and
  the Sphinx see how prosperous Sendoure has be-
  come. They want a cut of the action—or they
  might cut el-Duatim out entirely. The Sphinx has
  already snipped off much of Sendoure’s southern
  trade, and the Hydra has practically taken over
  two of Sendoure’s eastern provinces. All this hap-
  pened while el-Duatim arrayed himself in the 
  trappings of nobility and tradition—and fed his
  ego on sweetmeats and flattery. Even now, the
  e m i r’s nephew, the bastard son of el-Duatim’s
  b ro t h e r, lurks in the shadows, awaiting the
  chance to overt h row the emir. If the Sphinx or
  the Hydra, or any of the emir’s other enemies,
  learn of him, they might back the young man just
  to put Sendoure into chaos.
  S e n d o u re could recover from its troubles. The
  emir still has popular support with the people,
  and if he realizes what’s going on in his own king-
  dom, he could throw Helmut and the powerf u l
  Coster out using his army and some of the less-
  disatisfied nobles. Should he take action against
  the Coster (a known band of bandits and assas-
  sins), he might even gain the support of his
  nephew—at least temporarily.
  U n f o rt u n a t e l y, el-Duatim appears drunk on
  power and convinced of his own right to rule. He
  d o e s n ’t understand that, on Cerilia, he who has
  the might often finds a way to gain the right.
  65
  
  N
  “Lieutenants, advisers, counselors, and peers make a
  regent strong and wise .. . sometimes despite his own
  best efforts.”
  —Anonymous
  N
  hrough domain actions or over the course
  of adventuring and role-playing, a regent may at-
  tract lieutenants to help run his domain. He
  might also gather advisers and skilled persons
  about him, if he is wise, so that he can learn from
  them and use their knowledge to benefit his hold-
  ing. A regent who tries to do everything himself
  finds he cannot dance to several diff e rent tunes
  at once—and falls flat on his face trying.
  This section presents several forms of able as-
  sistance for the regent. Three types of NPCs fit
  into this category—the l i e u t e n a n t, the a d v i s e r,
  and the h e n c h m a n. Each has his own abilities,
  and each can add depth to a BI RT H R I G H T c a m-
  paign.
  The individual NPCs presented here are off e re d
  as examples of the many types of assistants a re-
  gent might want to include on his staff. Any part
  of an NPC’s description—such as experience
  level, alignment, or other characteristics—can be
  changed to suit DM, player, or PC needs.
  Generally considered the highest-rank-
  ing of assistants, the lieutenant must
  be a trusted individual, pro b a b l y
  one known by the PC regent for
  some time. A regent does not
  just go out and hire a lieu-
  t e n a n t — l i e u t e n a n t s
  must be developed
  t h rough years
  of loyal
  s e rvice and dedication.
  A lieutenant must earn this much trust because
  ofttimes he might rule a domain in his re g e n t ’s
  stead. Lieutenants can perf o rm domain actions
  on behalf of their regents—or on their own be-
  half, if their regents haven’t instructed or
  watched them closely enough.
  When a PC makes someone his lieutenant (usu-
  ally using the lieutenant domain action), he cre-
  ates a stand-in for himself. Should a PC re g e n t
  go adventuring for an extended period of time or
  other circumstances dictate his absence, he likely
  will leave a lieutenant behind to administer af-
  fairs of state.
  While the player usually determines the lieu-
  t e n a n t ’s activities during a domain turn (hence
  gaining an extra action every three months), the
  DM may have the lieutenant act on his own if he
  feels the behavior enhances the campaign story-
  line. 
  One can think of the lieutenant as something of
  a super-henchman. With more power and more
  individuality than most NPCs, he can affect a PC
  re g e n t ’s life dramatically and almost instanta-
  n e o u s l y. A betrayal or mistake made by a lieu-
  tenant can have drastic consequences for the PC
  regent, his allies, and his domain.
  The following descriptions detail “typical” lieu-
  tenants. Some of these NPCs already devote
  their talents to specific realms, while others
  could appear anywhere in Cerilia.
  Guildmaster of Müden’s Seelundkaufen,
  9th-level halfling thief
  S:
  9
  D:
  18
  C:
  15
  I:
  15
  W:
  9
  Ch:
  11
  AL:
  LN
  AC:
  2
  hp:
  42
  MV:
  9
  THAC0:
  16
  #AT:
  1
  Dmg:
  1d6+3 (Stuhlschek)
  Bloodline: Masela, minor, 18.
  Blood Abilities:
  Direction sense.
  Special Equipment:
  S t u h l s c h e k(“Steelspine,” a
  rapier +2), main-gauche +1,leather armor, ring of
  protection +1.
  66
  
  P ro f i c i e n c i e s :
  D a g g e r, Main-Gauche, Rapier,
  Sling, Administration, Blind-fighting, Intrigue,
  Reading Lips.
  Description/History:
  Theofold learned his trade
  on the wharfs of Brechlen, pretending to be a
  down-and-out halfling trader from the Burro w s
  t rying to earn enough money to get home. He
  specialized in scams meant to defraud wealthy
  fools, rather than burg l a ry or outright theft. He
  accidentally brought himself to the attention of
  Richard Talbehr, Müden’s heir apparent, when he
  almost swindled the young nobleman out of sev-
  eral thousand gold pieces with one of his more
  spectacular schemes. The unfortunate young
  halfling landed in the city gaol.
  Ta l b e h r, however, found himself intrigued by
  the audacity and skill of the thief. Looking into
  Theofold’s background, he found that the would-
  be scam artist had already amassed a small for-
  tune in tre a s u re, all appropriated through shady
  deals and trickery just shy of being illegal. In fact,
  Talbehr had to admit that the scheme Theofold
  used to ensnare him was subtle and devious—but
  technically legal. He ord e red Theofold re l e a s e d
  into his custody on the condition the halfling ex-
  plain to him how he generated ideas for his
  schemes.
  Theofold told the noble his theory: Every time
  the nobles and the merchants create a new law,
  they build a new business. He went on to explain
  several loopholes in Müden’s rather re s t r i c t i v e
  anti-smuggling laws that made an aspiring scam
  artist’s job easy.
  From then on, Theofold worked for Talbehr. At
  first, he accepted a rather hefty monthly fee to
  point out such loopholes, thinking the noble
  wanted to exploit them for his own benefit. He
  learned nearly a year afterward, however, that the
  young heir desired to clean up Müden’s muddled
  trade laws and divisive guild structure. The thief
  found Talbehr worked not for his own benefit or
  the benefit of the nobility, but to stre n g t h e n
  Müden’s emerging middle class.
  E v e n t u a l l y, Richard Talbehr became Count of
  Müden, and Theofold his chief lieutenant. Within
  a few months, Theofold established himself as a
  regent in his own right, unifying Müden’s guilds
  into the Seelundkaufen (“Sea and Land
  Traders”). He turned several tiny, unpro f i t a b l e
  guilds into a working network of trading and
  shipping holdings.
  Theofold still acts as Richard Ta l b e h r’s chief
  lieutenant, assisting in the governance of the
  c o u n t ’s provinces and law holdings when neces-
  sary. Most often, however, he comes to the aid of
  his friend when the count has economic con-
  cerns.
  Lieutenant notes:
  Theofold can be considered
  a s k i l l e d lieutenant when dealing with economic
  or espionage problems (such as common trade
  d i fficulties or the corruption/crime, assassina-
  tion, and intrigue random events). As a halfling,
  Theofold enjoys a naturally long life span; he re-
  mains in excellent health and can be lured away
  for occasional adventuring.
  5th-level Anuirean paladin
  S: 18/77
  D:
  15
  C:
  16
  I:
  11
  W:
  14
  Ch:
  18
  AL:
  LG
  AC:
  –2
  hp:
  46
  MV:
  9
  THAC0:
  16 (15 with morning star)
  #AT:
  1
  Dmg:
  2d4/1d6+1
  Bloodline: None.
  Special Equipment:
  Field plate, shield +2 ( w i t h
  Haelyn’s symbol).
  P ro f i c i e n c i e s :
  Composite bow, Dagger, Hand
  Axe, Law, Leadership, Long sword, Morn i n g
  Star, Strategy.
  Description/History:
  Araesane Rozel began life
  wanting to become a priest. For as long as he
  could remember, he believed his life dedicated to
  the glory of Haelyn and destined to be spent in
  cloisters. However, life did not work out the way
  Araesane planned.
  A commoner, Araesane worked the fields of
  s o u t h e rn Alamie. When his lord summoned
  him to serve in a levy raised to defend the
  borders against Ghoere’s incursions, Arae-
  sane went. He grieved, thinking he might
  have to use his god-given strength to
  end another human life, but he knew
  Haelyn encouraged defense and
  justice—and Araesane believed
  the Duke of Alamie followed
  Haelyn’s dictates.
  Araesane served as a
  border guard during
  t h ree turbulent
  months.
  No
  67
  
  war broke out, but Ghoere ’s cavalry and scouts
  could be seen in the distance, and rumors of skir-
  mishes along the border spread through the peas-
  ant levies.
  Meanwhile, Araesane talked to the priests sent
  to comfort the soldiers and tend to the wounded.
  They had little to do most days, since Ghoere ’s
  a rmies seemed content to stay on their side of
  the border. They instructed Araesane in the ways
  of Haelyn, continuing his rudimentary education
  f rom the point where his village priest had left
  off.
  Araesane enjoyed this period of his life. He
  learned the ways of a soldier during the day, and
  the ways of Haelyn at night. He thought the duke
  had done him a favor by taking him out of the
  farm fields for a few months.
  He was wrong.
  When tensions between Ghoere and Alamie
  settled, Araesane re t u rned home to find his vil-
  lage sacked and nearly destroyed. His family
  gone, Araesane wandered toward the capital
  hoping for some word.
  Eventually, Araesane went to the royal magis-
  trate and asked for help in finding his siblings
  and mother. The magistrate turned him away.
  “Bandits passed through two months ago raiding
  the settlements,” the magistrate said. The ban-
  dits, it seemed, knew that all the local men and
  women of fighting strength would be off in the
  levies, and they profited from this knowledge.
  The news enraged Araesane. His lord called
  him into service to protect the land, but his lord
  had not protected Araesane’s land or family in
  turn. For a time, Araesane contemplated revenge
  upon the Duke of Alamie. His innate sense of
  justice fueled his desire for vengeance, but the
  thought of rebelling against his sovereign dis-
  gusted him. He wandered the provinces of
  Alamie pondering his dilemma.
  Araesane believes Haelyn intervened then,
  saving him from a misspent life of banditry
  and vengeance. Araesane came upon a small
  settlement besieged by bandits. Another
  levy had been called, drawing the fighting
  men and women away, and the bandits
  knew it. They did not know about Arae-
  sane, however.
  I n s p i red by his anger, Araesane
  used his military training to
  sneak up on the bandit camp.
  He defeated the leader of
  the bandits in a fair
  fight (for his part ;
  the 
  other
  bandits
  tried to interfere). He then routed the rest of the
  dispirited band and saved the settlement.
  Since that time, Araesane has roamed Anuire
  and even Khinasi lands, righting wrongs and
  bringing the word and justice of Haelyn to those
  who most need it. Recently, local magistrates,
  province rulers, and regents have asked Araesane
  to mediate in matters of justice—his re p u t a t i o n
  for fairness has spread through the commonfolk.
  Some minor regents have off e red Araesane per-
  manent employment, but he hasn’t decided upon
  a post—yet.
  Lieutenant notes:
  A young man, Araesane
  Rozel would make an able adventuring compan-
  ion for any regent. He can also act on his own (as
  he has shown), though he won’t participate in
  any deceit or trickery. A regent who employs him
  under false pretenses shouldn’t expect a success-
  ful venture.
  Araesane can be considered a skilledlieutenant
  in any situation that involves adventuring or a re-
  spect for law and justice (virtually any random
  event, except natural event, diplomatic matter, or
  trade matter). He always acts in the best inter-
  ests of the common people—though that might
  put him into conflict with his regent.
  4th-level Khinasi thief,
  Secretary of Police in Mesire
  S:
  9 
  D:
  17
  C:
  13
  I:
  16
  W:
  14
  Ch:
  15
  AL:
  LN
  AC:
  3
  hp:
  18
  MV:
  12
  THAC0:
  19
  #AT:
  2 (daggers in both hands)
  Dmg:
  1d4
  Bloodline:
  None.
  Special Equipment:
  Leather armor +1,d a g g e r s
  (balanced for throwing), lock picks, badge of of-
  fice.
  P ro f i c i e n c i e s :
  D a g g e r, Disguise, Short Sword ,
  Sling, Law, Local History, Set Snares.
  D e s c r i p t i o n / H i s t o ry :
  Karida bint Deila learn e d
  her thieving skills on the right side of the law. A
  special operative in Mesire ’s small police forc e ,
  she often disguised herself as a thief or a smug-
  68
  
  gler, catching would-be criminals in the act.
  Karida grew up in a powerful ajazada family.
  Several years ago, her parents died at the hands
  of assassins working for the infamous Bro t h e r-
  hood of Khet. Karida does not hold a gru d g e ,
  however—she’d just like to see every member of
  the bro t h e rhood roasted over a slow fire in the
  public square. Nothing personal.
  But this attitude did not endear her to the wiz-
  ard Yousef ibn Reghíl el-Mesir, the regent of the
  realm. He, too, hates the brotherhood (its mem-
  bers assassinated his wife), but he never believed
  shared hatred ought to form a basis for trust. Re-
  luctant to put a woman in a position of authority
  over his small police force, he made cert a i n
  K a r i d a ’s appointments and promotions came
  slowly and with difficulty.
  F o rtunately for the realm and for el-Mesir,
  Karida ignored her re g e n t ’s old-fashioned ideals
  and continued doing the best she could at every
  job she had. Learning from the best stre e t -
  thieves of Mesire and making important friends
  in the Zhaïnge Merchant Guild, she gained abil-
  ity and allies quickly. Eventually, when the old
  chief of the police force re t i red under the black
  cloud of scandal, Karida’s influential family pres-
  s u red the regent to appoint Karida head of the
  force.
  The emir reacted with an unprecedented move.
  He appointed Karida secre t a ry of the police
  f o rce—on a trial basis. For centuries, no other
  public official had been re q u i red to serve a pro-
  b a t i o n a ry period. Usually, if the emir does not
  have a candidate in mind for a particular off i c e ,
  he leaves the post vacant until he finds a suitable
  official.
  But Karida ignored this insult. She coolly ac-
  cepted the position though her friends and col-
  leagues felt sure she would resign. She bro u g h t
  her first major case to a close in record time, out-
  witting a band of independent smugglers and as-
  sassins intent upon contesting the Zhaïnge Mer-
  chant Guild’s rightful holdings in the capital.
  Thenshe resigned.
  This step put the emir in an awkward position.
  Belatedly recognizing Karida’s competence and
  intelligence, he graciously accepted her re s i g n a-
  tion as Pro b a t i o n a ry Secre t a ry of Police—and
  immediately installed her as the official Secretary
  of Police. The emir took both actions publicly, ac-
  knowledging his error and apologizing for it
  (without actually re f e rring to his mistake
  openly). He also awarded Karida bint Diela a
  badge of s a y a r i m i n ( recognition) for her re c e n t
  achievements. Karida returned to his service and
  has worked faithfully for the emir and Mesire
  ever since.
  Lieutenant notes:
  Karida seldom acts on the
  emir’s behalf in any capacity other than as a po-
  lice off i c e r. Efficient, intelligent, and active, she
  takes a much more hands-on role in law enforce-
  ment than did her predecessors. Karida can act
  as a skilledrepresentative of the emir in any legal
  a rea, and might be persuaded to tackle adven-
  tures into the Direwood if necessary.
  3rd-level Vos ranger
  S:
  17
  D:
  15
  C:
  15
  I:
  12
  W:
  15
  Ch:
  8
  AL:
  NG
  AC:
  3
  hp:
  22
  MV:
  12
  THAC0:
  18
  #AT:
  2 (sword and dagger)
  Dmg:
  1d8 and 1d4
  Bloodline: Vorynn, minor, 9.
  Blood Abilities:
  None.
  Special Equipment: Leather armor, cloak of pro -
  tection +2, ring of protection +2.
  P ro f i c i e n c i e s :
  Battle Axe, Bowyer/Fletcher,
  Dagger, Long Bow, Sword, Endurance, Hunting.
  D e s c r i p t i o n / H i s t o ry :
  Neva grew up along the
  b o rders of the Icemarch, in view of both the
  northern glaciers and the great Grovnekevic For-
  est where the Vos and the elves of Tuar Annwn
  have fought a cold war for centuries. Hardened
  by the climate and the temperament of her peo-
  ple, Neva still managed to attain a peace—of
  s o rts—within herself. She longs to pacify her
  warlike people and end the war the Vos fight
  with all the other races of Cerilia.
  Still, Neva isn’t some idealistic
  dreamer. She left her frozen home and
  traveled south, east, and west, learn-
  ing about Vosgaard, Brechtür, and
  even nort h e rn Khinasi. She has
  battled orogs, ice trolls, and
  gnolls, and she has learned
  to hide from the ice gi-
  ants and gre a t e r
  beasts of the
  fells. Neva
  69
  
  knows when to fight and when to re t re a t — a n d
  s h e ’s tried to pass this knowledge on to the few
  friends she’s made over the years.
  Neva wants to become regent of a forest do-
  main. She realizes that existing regents fill even
  the frozen lands of Vo s g a a rd, but Neva believes
  she could do better for the people of those realms
  if only she could take over.
  The Vos ranger knows she has much to learn ,
  however, before she can take over a realm. Cur-
  re n t l y, Neva quests for a likely teacher—pre f e r-
  ably a regent of a province, law holding, or guild
  domain who can instruct her in the ways of re-
  gency. She knows her bloodline may be thin now,
  but she hopes to strengthen it by deposing an evil
  monarch and taking her place as a leader among
  the Vos.
  Initially, Neva wants to serve a good leader, so
  she can learn regency from a master. Eventually,
  she plans to ingratiate herself with an evil lord
  and perhaps turn his other lieutenants and advis-
  ers against him. If Neva can do this, she feels she
  can seize power and lead a revolution in a small
  domain. With luck, she can expand her realm to
  encompass other domains entrapped by the web
  of evil.
  Lieutenant notes:
  Since Neva desires to be-
  come a regent in her own right someday, she
  wants to learn how to perform all of a regent’s re-
  sponsibilities while serving another master. Un-
  fortunately, with her limited experience, she acts
  as an u n s k i l l e d assistant under most circ u m-
  stances, though she can be considered s k i l l e d
  when fighting monsters or dealing with bandits
  or brigands.
  When Neva decides to make her move on a do-
  main, she might be hindered by her native good-
  ness. She won’t commit an obviously evil act to
  ingratiate herself with an evil regent, but she can
  play-act fairly well. In all likelihood, she’ll try to
  take over the evil regent’s domain as quickly as
  possible—eliminating him and as many of his
  s u p p o rters as she can. Neva will then try to
  raise popular support for herself, having al-
  ready made contact with important people
  among the commonfolk.
  8th-level Rjurik magician
  S:
  12
  D:
  16
  C:
  10
  I:
  18
  W:
  15
  Ch:
  10
  AL:
  LN
  AC:
  8
  hp:
  23
  MV:
  12
  THAC0:
  18
  #AT:
  1
  Dmg:
  1d4
  Bloodline: None.
  Special Equipment: Spellbook (disguised as lore
  book), light crossbow, dagger.
  Proficiencies: Dagger, Light Crossbow, Ancient
  H i s t o ry, 
  Animal 
  Handling, 
  Astro l o g y,
  Reading/Writing Rjurik, Spellcraft.
  D e s c r i p t i o n / H i s t o ry :
  Alvin Devlin learned his
  trade in southern Rjurik lands and hides it well.
  In a region where magicians and wizards hang
  around a lot (mainly from trees), Alvin keeps his
  spellcasting abilities secret to all but a few of his
  most trusted friends—and, of course, the re g e n t
  he serves.
  Alvin grew up knowing he had elven blood in
  his veins. His mother looked elven, and, though
  she did not inherit her mother’s near-agelessness,
  she did pick up another “gift”—the ability to cast
  w i z a rd spells, which she used sparingly and se-
  cretly.
  His mother tried to teach Alvin wizard spells as
  well, but he could not manage to pull the meb-
  haighl from the land as easily as she did. Only il-
  lusions and divinations came to Alvin easily, and
  he soon abandoned his studies of other magics.
  U n f o rt u n a t e l y, Alvin’s practices led to suspi-
  cious rumors spread by his neighbors. Fearing
  “unholy” magics in the area, the local farm e r s
  and trappers summoned a druid to investigate
  Alvin and his mother’s secret meetings in the
  woods. Exposed as spellcasters, they fled into the
  Aelvinnwode only a step or two ahead of their
  pursuers. Exhausted and terrified, they waited
  for the end to come.
  Fortune smiled on the two spellcasters then. A
  band of elf warriors encountered the hunters and
  d rove them out of the wood, saving the young
  man and his mother. Recognizing her obvious
  elven blood, the warriors took the pair into Tu-
  a rhievel where, to their surprise, Alvin’s mother
  was reunited with her own parent.
  A l v i n ’s mother decided to stay, but Alvin himself
  g rew restless. Feeling like an outsider in a land
  that nevertheless welcomed him as a kinsman, he
  made his way back to Rjurik, avoiding his old
  homestead. He disguised his magical talents and
  went to work in Stjordvik, Halskapa, and even
  70
  
  Hogunmark as an adventurer and adviser.
  Eventually, Alvin distinguished himself enough
  as an adventurer to win the attention of noble ad-
  venturers in several realms. Now he has been of-
  fered a lieutenant position in at least one realm,
  but he hasn’t taken the office yet. He hopes to
  bring about a tolerance for nondruidic magic in
  Rjurik if he can, and he wants to make cert a i n
  whatever regent he serves feels the same way.
  Lieutenant notes:
  An experienced adventurer
  and diplomat, Alvin should be considered skilled
  as an assistant in nearly any endeavor. Unfort u-
  n a t e l y, if he serves as a lieutenant in the Rjurik
  region, there’s always a chance someone will find
  out about his magician abilities. If that situation
  arises, it could have dire consequences for Alvin
  and the regent he serves.
  As explained in the BI RT H R I G H T R u l e b o o k, re-
  gents can acquire lieutenants through use of the
  lieutenant action. The chance of success or fail-
  ure is left up to the DM. If this provision seems
  unnecessarily nebulous, consider the situation. A
  lieutenant should be a trusted henchman or ad-
  venturing ally the PC has known for years. No
  regent simply posts a notice with the local crier
  saying “Second-in-Command Wanted—Apply at
  Castle.” Lieutenants evolve out of years, or at
  least months, of service.
  But how can the DM reflect the evolution of
  such a relationship in the context of domain ac-
  tions? Should he penalize new regents, waiting
  until they have encountered and enlisted several
  NPCs to choose from, before allowing a PC re-
  gent to select a lieutenant?
  Perhaps. Perhaps not.
  The solution depends on the situation and the
  style of the campaign. If a beginning PC re g e n t
  really wants a lieutenant and can help the DM
  create a background story with a good reason be-
  hind the appointment of such a skilled and
  t rusted assistant, then the DM should pro b a b l y
  allow the commission. If the campaign focuses
  heavily on domain actions and less on adventur-
  ing (circumstances in which the PC might actu-
  ally encounter candidates for lieutenancy), then
  the DM should seriously consider this option.
  Ideally, PC regents won’t want lieutenants until
  they’ve experienced enough adventure to en-
  counter characters they trust with access to the
  powers of their domain. The lieutenant examples
  p rovided above—particularly the ones alre a d y
  linked to specific realms—describe NPCs who
  have long interacted with their regents.
  If a PC regent inherits a domain in which a lieu-
  tenant served the previous regent, the PC might
  a c q u i re the lieutenant along with the rest of the
  domain. This possibility is c o m p l e t e l yup to the
  DM. If he thinks the NPC lieutenant has a good
  enough reason to stick around and serve the new
  regent, he will. Otherwise, he departs for greener
  pastures or perhaps retires and takes the role of
  an adviser (see below).
  When a PC regent inherits a lieutenant, he
  might actually acquire a lieutenant of gre a t e r
  ability than he normally might be able to attract.
  For example, a 12th-level ranger serves as lieu-
  tenant. The domain’s ruler dies or steps down,
  leaving the regency to his heir (the PC). Presum-
  a b l y, the heir has been groomed for this contin-
  g e n c y. But the heir has achieved only 3rd level
  and, according to the rules, can’t have a 12th-
  level lieutenant. The DM can handle this compli-
  cation in several ways:
  • The lieutenant leaves.
  The faithful lieutenant
  steps down from his post, since he served the
  older regent, not the realm. He may or may
  not recommend a successor—perhaps one of
  his own trusted henchmen—to take over the
  lieutenancy.
  • The lieutenant stays on as lieutenant.
  H e
  desires to continue serving the PC regent and
  the realm in his full capacity. He still performs
  domain actions for the regent and deals with
  random events. The DM warns the player,
  h o w e v e r, that if the NPC lieutenant goes out
  on adventures with the PC, or starts to do all
  of the “hard” work of running the domain, the
  PC regent will stop gaining experience points
  and probably lose loyalty and support around
  the realm.
  • The lieutenant stays on as an adviser.
  H e
  voluntarily takes himself “out of action.” He
  re t i res from active adventuring or declare s
  h e ’s interested in only occasional adven-
  t u res or political moves, but agrees to
  stick around and use his experience to
  help the new regent as an adviser
  (see below).
  • The lieutenant becomes a vas-
  sal. As part of the PC’s ascen-
  sion, he grants the faithful
  lieutenant part of the
  domain to rule in his
  name. This solu-
  tion 
  works
  only with
  lieu-
  71
  
  tenants who have bloodlines. The NPC lieu-
  tenant sticks around (at least in the general
  area) and is considered a vassal of the PC re-
  gent, but has his own problems to worry
  about. The PC regent can go to him for help or
  advice, and the DM has an excellent opportu-
  nity to involve him in adventures and domain
  actions when he wants to—and even better
  reason for not involving the former lieutenant
  when he d o e s n ’t want to. This method also
  makes the new regent pay for the services of a
  high-level ally; he loses direct control over part
  of his realm in exchange for the high-level lieu-
  tenant’s loyalty and continued service.
  Of course, all of these solutions might pro v e
  t e m p o r a ry. When the PC regent pro g resses in
  level and experience, and has adventures of his
  own, he might choose to dismiss the older lieu-
  tenant (if he is still around) or call him back out
  of re t i rement (when the PC attains a high
  enough level to have him as a henchman).
  Player characters can serve other PCs and NPCs
  as lieutenants. In a cooperative BIRTHRIGHT cam-
  paign, this option proves an excellent way to get
  e v e ryone—blooded and unblooded characters
  alike—involved in domain actions. Any PC can
  s e rve as a lieutenant, from an unblooded com-
  moner to a blooded regent (generally, however,
  PC regents become vassals if they want to serve
  other PCs or NPCs). If a regent names a PC his
  lieutenant, the DM can choose to ignore the level
  limitations for henchmen and lieutenants.
  The DM should handle a PC lieutenant a little
  d i ff e rently than an NPC assistant. Most NPC
  lieutenants automatically perform services (suc-
  cessfully or unsuccessfully) for their re g e n t s .
  Player characters, naturally, have freedom of
  choice. When a regent wants his PC lieu-
  tenant to do something, he instructs him,
  gives him the resources necessary (Regency
  Points, Gold Bars, and/or other domain re-
  s o u rces such as armies or assistants),
  and sends him off to do it. The PC,
  h o w e v e r, might choose to do some-
  thing else entire l y. This decision
  p robably won’t please the re-
  gent he serves, but that’s the
  PC’s problem.
  Player character
  lieutenants, just
  like NPC
  lieu-
  tenants, can perform oneaction on behalf of their
  regents per domain turn. Should another lieu-
  tenant perform a domain action that turn, the PC
  lieutenant loses his opport u n i t y. This condition
  can give rise to some interesting role-playing: If
  several lieutenants work for an individual regent,
  they’ll probably lobby for the privilege of serving
  their lord to prove both their loyalty and their in-
  dispensability.
  The rules do not state how much gold or other
  wealth a lieutenant re q u i res to keep him in ser-
  vice. In most cases, lieutenant pay comes out of
  the re g e n t ’s domain maintenance and court
  costs. This does n o t mean, however, that a lieu-
  tenant can’t ask for (and receive) additional
  funds or considerations. The DM should decide
  this matter with the player on an individual basis.
  P a rticularly valuable or active lieutenants might
  re q u i re more upkeep than normal, and the DM
  might re q u i re the PC to actually pay his lieu-
  tenant(s) above and beyond normal domain
  maintenance.
  Keep in mind, however, that most lieutenants
  serve the regent because they want to do so. The
  regent should re w a rd them adequately—with
  m o n e y, small luxuries, and magical items when
  possible—but he can usually work these pay-
  ments into his domain maintenance costs, or
  role-playing sessions for special re w a rds. If the
  DM re q u i res additional payments to the lieu-
  tenant, they should reflect special service by the
  c h a r a c t e r. The 12th-level ranger from the above
  example might need an additional 1 GB per do-
  main turn partly because he’s such a high-level
  lieutenant serving a relatively inexperienced re-
  gent, but mostly because he has a whole network
  of followers and henchmen of his own to sup-
  p o rt—and they all work in the service of the re-
  gent. In re t u rn, the PC receives better serv i c e
  out of the ranger than he could expect from an
  average lieutenant.
  Spellcasting lieutenants often re q u i re supple-
  mental maintenance as well. A wizard, magician,
  or priest lieutenant likely will cast spells in the re-
  gent’s service. He needs money for components,
  assistants, and re s e a rch. In general, the re g e n t
  shouldn’t have to pay more than 1 GB every do-
  main turn to support a magic-wielding lieu-
  tenant, but the regent must expect to pay for any
  realm spells or special material components used
  in the re g e n t ’s service. The regent pays for the
  privilege of having a wizard, magician, or priest
  “on call.” Actually using the lieutenant might cost
  extra.
  72
  
  Often, advisers are 0-level characters with special
  knowledge or wisdom garn e red from years of
  c o u rt life and practice. Occasionally, a re g e n t ’s
  advisers might be re t i red or semi-re t i red adven-
  t u rers (military commanders often fit into this
  range) with a small amount of “field” experience.
  Only rarely do advisers actually have experience
  levels exceeding those of the regents they serve.
  The advisers detailed in this section can be used
  by the DM as “the voice of experience.” They
  cannot, except on rare occasions, perf o rm do-
  main actions for the regent. (A domain action
  might involve them, especially in a ro l e - p l a y i n g
  sense, but they are not lieutenants.) An adviser
  might be told to address a particular random
  event, depending on its nature. In most cases,
  h o w e v e r, the DM uses the adviser as a voice of
  reason to talk to the PC regent.
  But the counsel that advisers provide is not in-
  fallible. Far from it: A regent goes to advisers to
  get advice, not to give up his power. A particular
  adviser has specific knowledge the PC re g e n t
  lacks (otherwise he wouldn’t be necessary) and
  can offer a diff e rent perspective on pro b l e m s .
  But economic advisers see situations in financial
  t e rms, military advisers turn problems into war
  exercises, and civil advisers put everything into a
  social and political context. The regent himself
  must synthesize the conflicting counsel he re-
  ceives and make decisions from a holistic per-
  spective.
  Advisers, more so than lieutenants and hench-
  men, should serve as a tool of the DM. The Dun-
  geon Master ought to develop the PC re g e n t ’s
  advisers. He has to k n o w their areas of knowl-
  edge, interest, and personal agendas—so he can
  slant their advice accordingly.
  The following advisers serve as examples of
  these important NPCs. With a little modifica-
  tion, they fit into just about any environment in
  Cerilia.
  Race: Elf.
  Major Areas of Knowledge:
  Elven lore, human-
  elf relations, linguistics.
  Minor Areas of Knowledge:
  Diplomacy, general
  history, military strategy, monsters.
  P roficiencies (ratings):
  Ancient History (17),
  Diplomacy (9), Local History—the domain (15),
  Languages—all human (15), Languages—dwar-
  ven (12), Strategy (8).
  Role-playing Notes:
  An elf, Daeg Merw y n i d i n
  has lived for hundreds of years in the great woods
  of the continent, avoiding humans as most of his
  brethren do. Now he has taken an interest in ex-
  ploring the outside world.
  Naturally curious, Daeg uses his knowledge
  and adviser position to learn inform a t i o n — p a r-
  ticularly about the history of the region in which
  he currently finds employment. He could enlist
  in the service of a human, elf, or dwarf regent—
  so long as he feels he could learn something new.
  When consulted regarding his areas of knowl-
  edge, Daeg tends to be fairly patient and conser-
  vative. He favors diplomacy over warf a re, and
  caution over recklessness. However, if a re g e n t
  assigns Daeg a task normally outside his ability
  or asks advice on a topic with which Daeg is un-
  familiar, the elf rises to the occasion—often with
  disastrous results. His curiosity gets the better of
  him; in the past, he has caused more trouble by
  not admitting to his shortcomings.
  Special Strengths: Hale and hearty, Daeg has no
  fear of accompanying his regent on adventure s .
  While he won’t contribute much to a fight, he can
  provide up-to-the-minute advice, translation, and
  analysis.
  Special Weaknesses: As mentioned above, Daeg
  has an insatiable curiosity. He can be lured into
  traps by those who know him, and he often ex-
  tends advice not for the betterment of his regent
  but for the satisfaction of his own curiosity.
  Race: Human (Vos).
  Major Areas of Knowledge:
  M i l i t a ry strategy,
  Vos religions, other human religions.
  Minor Areas of Knowledge:
  Civil authority,
  diplomacy, weather and natural phenomenon.
  Proficiencies (ratings):
  Ancient History (10),
  Diplomacy (8), Herbalism (10), Law (9), Reli-
  gion—Belinik and Kriesha (18), Strategy
  (10).
  Role-playing Notes:
  The Vos seldom
  value advisers who cannot practice what
  they preach, but old Stanislaus Yu r i-
  vauch learned how to make his in-
  telligence work for him in a land
  that values the axe head more
  than the wise head. Yu r i-
  vauch thought early in
  life about entering
  the priesthood of
  Belinik, but
  found
  its
  73
  
  ways of worship too brutal and direct for his
  tastes. Instead, he became a rare theologian in a
  region of fanatics—studying religion and its ac-
  companying military strategy without actually
  becoming a war priest or fanatic warrior.
  Now, Stanislaus uses his knowledge in the ser-
  vice of his regent. His insights into Vos re l i g i o n
  provide him with wisdom about violence and fa-
  naticism. He prefers to observe and discuss solu-
  tions to problems rather than implement them.
  Under no circumstances can Stanislaus be
  counted upon as an adventuring companion—he
  might resign or desert before placing himself in
  direct danger.
  Special Str e n g t h s : The Vos threaten many
  realms, and Stanislaus understands their religion
  and the core of their being. He can observe vio-
  lence and fanaticism without being caught up in
  it, and as long as he personally isn’t thre a t e n e d ,
  he can think coolly and calmly.
  Special W e a k n e s s e s :
  T h reats of personal vio-
  lence to Stanislaus cause him to lose eff e c t i v e-
  ness quickly. He especially fears his own people,
  knowing their treatment of noncombatants often
  can be worse than their treatment of enemies.
  Whether Stanislaus serves a Vos or non-Vos re-
  gent, he will try to avoid any situation that puts
  him in contact with enemy Vos—even a diplo-
  matic setting.
  Race: Human (Anuirean).
  Major Area of Knowledge:
  Economics.
  Minor Areas of Knowledge:
  Finances, intrigue,
  law, taxation.
  P r oficiencies (ratings):
  Administration (17),
  Appraisal (15), Forg e ry (12), Intrigue (9), Law
  (12).
  Role-playing Notes:
  B o rn to a very minor
  noble family, Blaese Grumbahl found she had
  to begin working at an early age or lose what
  little social standing she might ever possess.
  Blaese began as a junior assistant to a fore-
  man in a local trade guild and worked her
  way up from there. She quickly took to
  reading and writing, and could do her
  sums accurately before she reached
  her teens. Accounting proved to
  be Blaese’s greatest love, and
  she created whole domains
  out of the numbers she
  l e a rned to manipu-
  late.
  R e c o g-
  nizing her value, the guildmasters trained Blaese
  in more complicated accounting pro c e d u re s .
  Eventually, she came to the notice of the local re-
  gent. She became his economic adviser the day
  she showed him how he could save nearly 25% of
  his normal domain maintenance costs without
  losing any of his realm’s effectiveness.
  Old and stooped from squinting over giant
  ledgers, Blaese seldom attends court functions or
  general meetings of the other regents’ advisers.
  G e n e r a l l y, she is seen as a coin-clutching cro n e
  with a heart as cold as gold. In reality, Blaese has
  dedicated herself to her work and serves her re-
  gent faithfully. She has no problem spending the
  regent’s money—but she always makes certain he
  gets what he pays for.
  Special Str e n g t h s : Blaese won’t be taken in a
  scam or scheme to defraud the regent’s treasury.
  She knows where the smallest coin in the most
  remote holding of the land should be, and her
  subordinates give tax evaders fits. Blaese seldom
  needs to consult her ledgers to state any eco-
  nomic figure her regent might re q u i re of her—
  she has a complete knowledge of her kingdom’s
  finances and economic futures.
  Special W e a k n e s s e s :
  The economic adviser dis-
  likes dealing directly with people—even the re-
  gent she serves so faithfully. She prefers her
  books and ledgers, and often acts coldly and
  rudely with those who might trouble her for ad-
  vice (even while she is flattered by their atten-
  tions). Blaese tends to think of everything in eco-
  nomic terms—a war might be fought for other
  reasons than safeguarding profitable holdings or
  achieving a profit in its own right, but Blaese
  won’t see it that way.
  Generally, a regent can use his adviser’s skills and
  knowledge whenever and however he wishes. For
  example, if a regent has an adviser with the Ad-
  ministration nonweapon pro f i c i e n c y, he can put
  his adviser in charge of paying the maintenance
  and court costs for his kingdom—thereby using
  the proficiency as if the regent had it himself. Of
  course, this strategy works only if the regent has
  the foresight to assign his adviser to the task in
  the first place.
  Advisers nearly always work on only one task at
  a time. Should an adviser be assigned to use his
  Administration proficiency to maintain the do-
  main more efficiently, he can’t also be assigned to
  assist his regent with a trade route action or to
  engage in intricate diplomacy with a foreign re-
  74
  
  gent. The DM might decrease the adviser’s profi-
  ciency ratings dramatically if he feels the adviser
  is being misused or overworked.
  Creating or attracting advisers is generally easier
  than finding a lieutenant. If the regent has an
  NPC in mind for the post, he can simply off e r
  the character a job and work out terms of pay-
  ment or service (see below) as part of a role-play-
  ing session. PC advisers can be treated in the
  same way—no special outlay of resources should
  be necessary to have another PC “on staff” unless
  the two players decide otherwise.
  If the regent does not have a particular charac-
  ter in mind for an adviser position, he can issue a
  d e c ree to search for an adviser. Generally, this
  d e c ree opens the way for advisers from other
  realms, or nobles and commoners from all over,
  to apply at the court for the position. The regent
  has little control over the types of people who an-
  swer his call—though he should probably find at
  least a few serious candidates from whom to
  choose.
  The base chance of success for finding an ap-
  propriate adviser through a decree action is 5+. If
  the regent fails this check, his decree wasn’t
  taken seriously or he simply didn’t appeal to the
  right people. If the DM wants to make a ro l e -
  playing session of the selection, the PC might in-
  t e rview several candidates and actually find
  someone among them who could serve his
  needs—though that person might not be e x a c t l y
  what he wanted.
  As with many other domain actions, the regent
  can spend Regency Points and Gold Bars to in-
  c rease his chance of success. This expenditure
  represents the amount of time and money he and
  his trusted subordinates spend to find just the
  right adviser. Again, the DM can have the player
  role-play the final interview process, but in this
  case virtually all of the candidates should be at
  least minimally qualified.
  As stated above, advisers tend to be 0-level char-
  acters with a few strong skills and areas of knowl-
  edge. They are n ’t competent lieutenants, and
  they probably never went on adventures. How-
  ever, they often know quite a bit about things the
  regent himself has no time to learn.
  H o w e v e r, a regent might attract a s p e c i a l a d-
  viser, someone considered “the best in the land”
  at what he does. With such an adviser on his
  staff, the regent gains special bonuses to domain
  actions perf o rmed in this NPC’s area of exper-
  tise.
  The success roll for attracting a special adviser
  is always 20+. However, when a regent expends
  Regency Points or Gold Bars to increase his
  chances of finding an adviser in the first place, he
  increases his chances for finding a special adviser
  as well.
  If the regent rolls a modified 20+, he gains a
  special adviser. If he exceeded the re q u i red ro l l
  by 1 to 4 points, he gains an adviser who gives
  him a +1 on the perf o rmance of o n e domain ac-
  tion every domain turn (or an equivalent bonus
  decided by the DM). This bonus should re f l e c t
  the adviser’s areas of knowledge and the focus of
  the decree. If the regent decreed that he was
  looking for an economic adviser, the special eco-
  nomic adviser might give him a +1 to performing
  a trade route action, or lower his domain mainte-
  nance costs by 10%—or help the regent out in
  other economic or financial ways. These bonuses
  compound with any other modifiers the re g e n t
  already has.
  When the regent exceeds the required roll by 5
  to 9 points, he gains a special adviser with either
  two separate +1 modifiers, or a +2 (or the equiv-
  alent) bonus. If the regent exceeds the re q u i re d
  roll by 10 or more points, the special adviser
  adds +3 to one action, or +1 to three domain ac-
  tions (or a +1 and a +2).
  Keep in mind that the adviser still can’t perform
  actions on his own. The regent (or the re g e n t ’s
  lieutenant) can seek his counsel on domain ac-
  tions and receive the modifier, but the adviser
  has no ability or authority to perform domain ac-
  tions himself.
  While player characters usually don’t serve as
  advisers, this role could satisfy many players
  (particularly those with long-time adventur-
  ers they wish to put into semi-re t i re m e n t
  in favor of younger PCs). A PC adviser
  could use his skills and knowledge to
  advise a PC or NPC regent, and
  then enter into adventures on his
  own behalf or his regent’s.
  75
  
  An average court probably has a large number of
  c o u rtiers and advisers whose expenses compose
  part of the domain and court maintenance costs.
  Only special advisers or notable NPCs or PCs
  need additional support. Basically, the more an
  adviser can do for a regent, the more upkeep he’ll
  need. Average advisers, with a few useful skills
  and specialized knowledge, don’t cost any extra.
  Those who contribute modifiers to domain ac-
  tions might cost an extra 1 GB every domain
  t u rn (or every other domain turn). Remember,
  advisers have to be cost-effective. An adviser who
  contributes a +1 bonus to one of his regent’s do-
  main actions might not be worth 1 GB per turn,
  since the regent could spend that much and in-
  c rease the modifier himself. Granted, he would-
  n’t have access to the advice and skills of the ad-
  v i s e r, but he might try getting along without
  them.
  After years of service, a regent might decide to
  promote a trusted adviser to the position of lieu-
  tenant, giving him the ability to perform domain
  actions on the ruler’s behalf. If that happens, the
  adviser retains all his skills and abilities and, if he
  was a special adviser, still modifies domain ac-
  tions in the same manner.
  The Player’s Handbookdefines henchmen as ad-
  v e n t u rers who serve PCs or NPCs out of loy-
  a l t y. They will risk their lives and fortunes for
  those they respect—and therefore are hard to
  find. Most lieutenants start out as henchmen,
  and should still be considered as such in
  most cases.
  U s u a l l y, henchmen should be of lower
  level than the PCs or NPCs they serve.
  Granted, in the BI RT H R I G H T s e t t i n g ,
  characters with powerful blood-
  lines can command great respect
  and power and thereby attract
  h i g h e r-level henchmen
  than PCs in other
  game worlds (see
  the 
  lieu-
  tenant
  domain action in the R u l e b o o k). Still, henchmen
  tend to be of about the same level as the charac-
  ters for whom they work.
  Henchmen are more important to regents than
  to the average adventure r. While a PC might
  t rust his henchmen with his goods and his life,
  the PC regent trusts them with his realm and
  holdings as well. Good henchmen should be hard
  to find—but invaluable, once found.
  Rather than supplying individual sample hench-
  men, this section discusses some typesof hench-
  men a PC regent might attract. Each is listed by
  the position or role he might fulfill in a PC re-
  gent’s domain.
  The title “Beater of the Bounds” actually de-
  scribes an active adventurer in the employ of the
  regent. The “bounder” patrols the borders of the
  realm (or visits the central sites of a domain) and
  keeps monsters, undesirables, and other physical
  threats away.
  Preferred character classes:
  Fighter, ranger.
  P re f e r red pr o f i c i e n c i e s :
  Any melee weapon,
  any missile weapon, Animal Handling, Animal
  L o re, Animal Training, Direction Sense, Fire -
  building, Hunting, Jumping, Languages (local),
  L a w, Local History, Mountaineering, Riding
  (land-based), Set Snares, Survival, Tr a c k i n g ,
  Weather Sense.
  Character description:
  The bounder operates
  by himself or with small groups of hirelings, and
  so must be tru s t w o rthy and self-motivated. He
  must also maintain a keen perspective and the
  ability to judge for himself whether someone or
  something poses a threat to the domain he pro-
  tects. The bounder needs self-confidence and as-
  surance to make decisions on his own—and to
  know when he cannot handle a situation by him-
  self.
  While most regents trust retainers or military
  personnel to guard their persons on a day-to-day
  basis, the wise regent places a loyal henchman in
  c h a rge of maintaining and watching these
  guards. A fixture in most domains, the captain of
  the guard keeps the court orderly and the regent
  safe.
  Preferred character classes:
  Fighter, paladin.
  P re f e r red pr o f i c i e n c i e s :
  Any melee weapon,
  76
  
  Blind-fighting, Disguise, Endurance, Heraldry,
  Intrigue, Languages (local), Law, Reading/Wr i t-
  ing, Riding (land-based), Set Snares, Tracking.
  Character description:
  Close to the regent at
  all times, the captain of the guard has to be at-
  tentive and imposing, while at the same time able
  to fade into the background and watch those
  around him. The captain must have a perceptive
  eye, able to discern suspicious actions at a glance
  and remember faces and mannerisms of people
  encountered only in passing.
  A loremaster nearly falls into the “adviser” ro l e ,
  but might make a valuable adventuring compan-
  ion for the regent. A loremaster does not have to
  be an ancient man or woman who spends all his
  or her time studying musty old books and nearly
  indecipherable scrolls. The loremaster might be a
  character seekingknowledge—and providing it to
  the regent upon request.
  P re f e r red character classes:
  Magician, wiz-
  ard, bard, priest.
  Prefer red proficiencies: Any “peasant” knowl-
  edge (Agriculture, Animal Skills, Mining, etc.),
  Ancient History, Appraising, Astro l o g y, Her-
  a l d ry, Herbalism, Languages (local, distant, and
  ancient), Local History, Reading/Writing, Reli-
  gion.
  Character description:
  The adventuring lore-
  master complements the re g e n t ’s own skills and
  those of his other henchmen by providing much-
  needed knowledge and advice as it is re q u i re d .
  H a rdier and more practical on adventures than
  typical advisers, the loremaster can make himself
  useful on important quests and take some of the
  b u rden off his regent. When they need it the
  most, he provides knowledge and skills most re-
  gents don’t have the time or inclination to learn
  themselves.
  A healer who might go into danger to protect and
  p re s e rve the re g e n t ’s life should have the status
  of a henchman. A personal physician should be
  valued greatly by adventuring and nonadventur-
  ing regents alike. Often the personal physician
  himself can become the target of assassins desir-
  ing to eliminate the regent by stealthy means.
  Preferred classes:
  Priest, paladin.
  P re f e r red pr o f i c i e n c i e s :
  Ancient History,
  B rewing, Fire-building, Healing, Herbalism,
  Local History, Religion, Spellcraft.
  Character description:
  The personal physician
  must be trustworthy in situations where a slip-up
  or inaction could cause the re g e n t ’s death—and
  no one would know the diff e rence. A mere
  hireling or court doctor might be fine for treating
  common illnesses, but in a crisis, the personal
  physician should be the only one trusted with the
  regent’s life.
  P a rticularly useful for law regents and pro v i n c e
  rulers, the sheriff finds employment under any
  regent. While most people associate sheriffs with
  upholding the law of a region, a sheriff might
  s e rve another purpose in other holdings. When
  working for a high priest, for example, the sheriff
  might oversee the collection of tithes. He could
  also mediate churc h - related disputes among
  commoners or help organize temple-funded
  levies.
  P re f e r red character classes:
  F i g h t e r, ranger,
  thief.
  P re f e r red pr o f i c i e n c i e s :
  Any melee weapon,
  any ranged weapon, Appraising, Hunting, Lan-
  guages (local), Local History, Mountaineering,
  Reading/Writing, Rope Use, Set Snares.
  Character description:
  The sheriff, like the
  beater of the bounds, must maintain a cert a i n
  amount of personal authority to be effective. The
  s h e r i ff, however, concerns himself with intern a l
  p roblems and the people and holdings alre a d y
  ruled by the regent. He maintains order and en-
  forces the regent’s rules.
  While tales around court malign the spy, he pro-
  vides a valuable service for his regent. Not only
  does the spy brave the dangers of other domains
  and realms to gather information, he also might
  be in charge of the security within the regent’s
  domain—since a spy stands the best chance of
  catching another spy.
  Prefer red character classes: Thief, bard,
  magician.
  Prefer red Proficiencies:
  Easily-con-
  cealable melee or missile weapons
  ( d a g g e r, dart, sling), “cover” pro f i-
  ciency (Dancing, Heraldry, Musi-
  cal Instrument, Singing, etc.),
  Appraising, Diplomacy, Di-
  rection Sense, Disguise,
  Etiquette, Forg e ry,
  Intrigue, 
  Lan-
  guages (local
  and dis-
  77
  
  tant), Reading/Writing, Reading Lips, Rope Use,
  Running, Tightrope Walking, Tumbling, Survival.
  Character description:
  Too often, unwise re-
  gents consider the spy a mere hireling or dis-
  tasteful tool. A successful regent recognizes that
  an able spy might be the most loyal retainer he
  has. The spy must often operate under deep
  c o v e r, perhaps in a lowly or maligned position,
  and can seldom accept outright reward or recog-
  nition from his employer.
  Players and DMs should use the basic rules pre-
  sented in the P l a y e r’s Handbookfor acquiring
  henchmen in a BI RT H R I G H T campaign. Regents
  and scions may attract more henchmen than can
  normal characters (per the rules listed under the
  lieutenant domain action) but players should
  keep in mind that lieutenants a n d h e n c h m e n
  count toward this total.
  Most regents acquire henchmen by promoting
  valued and talented servants or hirelings. If the
  DM feels comfortable running adventures with
  regents who bring along a few hirelings, he
  should start to develop the skills and personali-
  ties of those hirelings who survive.
  If the hirelings accompany the regent on multiple
  a d v e n t u res or impress him suitably, he can make
  them henchmen. This promotion generally means
  he charges them with some specific re s p o n s i b i l i t i e s
  ( p e rhaps assigning them one of the henchman ro l e s
  described above) and gives them some re w a rd .
  Quite often, a hireling becomes a henchman
  when the regent uses the grant domain action to
  give him a royal gift. This present could be a
  small tract of land, a special medal, a magical
  item, or anything else perceived to be of wort h
  within the realm. He elevates the hireling above
  his peers and begins to place trust in him. Not
  all new henchmen need as specific a role as
  those outlined above, however. A henchmen
  might gain only a minor token of appre c i a-
  tion from his regent—but be known as a
  “companion” of the realm.
  As always, the payment
  of henchmen should
  be left up to
  the re g e n t
  in question. Generally, the basic pay and upkeep of
  henchmen is included in domain and court mainte-
  nance costs—the regent doesn’t have to pay extra.
  H o w e v e r, if the regent wants a happy and satisfied
  henchman, he should consider other re w a rd s .
  Giving a favored henchman minor gifts of gold
  or medals goes a long way toward securing loy-
  alty. While mistreatment can never be bought off
  c o m p l e t e l y, a regent who treats his henchmen
  fairly and rewards them occasionally shows them
  he cares for them and recognizes the valuable
  service they do. The regent can choose to reward
  henchmen out of his own pocket or out of the
  royal treasury.
  Should the regent choose to re w a rd a hench-
  man with magical items or special tre a s u res, he
  might want to make a big deal out of the be-
  quest—perhaps by issuing a grant. Not only does
  this gesture make the gift seem more import a n t
  ( t h e reby winning the henchman’s loyalty even
  f u rther), but it tells all other employees of the
  realm that they can aspire to the same.
  When a regent presents a henchman with a spe-
  cial gift from the realm’s treasury, this act almost
  never causes problems with loyalty among the
  general populace (see the “Magical Items and Ar-
  tifacts” chapter of this book) because the hench-
  men are employees of the realm. However, when
  a regent presents a henchman with one of his
  own magical items—even if it is actually “hand-
  me-down”—that act impresses e v e ry o n e. The re-
  gent actually rewarded the henchman with some-
  thing out of his own pocket—something that
  probably can’t be easily replaced (unlike gold).
  The DM should encourage regents to gather
  henchmen about them. Not only is it re a l i s t i c —
  kings and other regents should have many
  h i relings as well as a few trusted henchmen—it
  makes good gaming sense.
  Adventuring in Cerilia can take many form s .
  The henchman can be used to provide the PC re-
  gent with adventuring motivation he might other-
  wise not have. If a trusted henchman—for exam-
  ple, the bounder—comes to the regent, tells him
  of a wondrous cre a t u re that has wandered into
  the realm, and begs him to investigate personally,
  the regent probably will go. This gets the regent
  involved in an adventure quickly and easily.
  S i m i l a r l y, some DMs might want to run their
  Cerilian campaigns on a number of levels. For
  example, if everyone in the campaign wants to
  play a regent PC, not every adventure the DM
  78
  
  wants to run might be appropriate. The DM can
  ask certain players to develop one or two of their
  henchmen as part-time PCs. That way, when a
  particular adventure comes up that wouldn’t log-
  ically involve the rulers of four or five diff e re n t
  domains—but could involve one or two and a few
  allied henchmen—the DM doesn’t have to work
  so hard getting the game together. Players can
  even play each others’ henchmen from time to
  time, allowing them to have diverse intere s t s
  within the game world.
  Player character henchmen fit into a Cerilian
  campaign like they do in no other game world. If
  someone wants to play a henchman PC in the
  employ of another PC or an NPC regent, that
  situation should work very well. It ties the PC to
  the campaign world, allowing him to engage in
  a d v e n t u res and quests in which he might other-
  wise have little interest. Playing a henchman PC
  p rovides role-playing challenges as well—most
  players like to run things or assume command,
  but the PC henchman has to take orders.
  If the PC henchman works for an NPC regent,
  this situation proves even more interesting. The
  PC henchman has responsibilities and a superior
  to answer to—he can’t simply hare off after every
  quest that comes along. He must find a way to
  reconcile his thirst for adventure with the obliga-
  tions of his job.
  Henchmen, advisers, and lieutenants serve to
  flesh out the world of Cerilia and the world of the
  PC regent. Friendly words and advice keep
  player characters on track, reminding them of
  their positions and responsibilities. Assistants
  also take up some of the slack, administering
  their employer’s kingdoms, providing needed
  knowledge, or just being there to help fight that
  big, ugly monster. Finally, a regent’s assistant can
  also be considered the DM’s assistant as well:
  His voice, his skills, and his sword-arm speak for
  the DM, providing guidance and help for the PC
  and player alike.
  79
  
  N
  “I build this realm selfishly, though not for myself.
  For neither I nor my people will reap the benefits of
  the realm that I sow today. I fertilize the land with
  my sweat and my blood, giving all my life to make it
  prosper. I do this without regret, hoping that some
  -
  thing of my realm shall remain, fit for a son to in -
  herit.”
  —From the diaries of Boragor,
  Duke of Wierech
  N
  egents do not live forever. Even if a regent
  comes from the immortal elven race or has spe-
  cial, magical abilities that keep him from aging,
  no adventuring regent truly expects to surv i v e
  e t e rn a l l y. The life of the Cerilian regent can be
  m e a s u red more by its accomplishments than by
  its length.
  This fact makes the re g e n t ’s realm import a n t
  to him. Not only does his domain proclaim his
  power and influence while he lives, but it be-
  comes a form of immortality when he dies. Most
  t rue regents desire immortality of this kind: To
  create a realm that lasts beyond the lifetime of its
  ruler is the ultimate goal of many kings and
  queens across Cerilia.
  Most true regents hope to create or pass along
  dynasties to their heirs. Regents who cannot look
  beyond their own lives and rules seldom leave
  stable domains behind them. Their heirs and the
  nobles of the realm squabble over the regency,
  destroying much of what the regent built over
  his lifetime. Only a strong, secure dynasty can
  handle the passing of its head and the ascen-
  sion of a new leader.
  No individual re g e n t
  builds a dynasty. A
  lucky re g e n t
  inherits
  the foundation of a dynasty, to which he con-
  tributes, and then passes it on to his heirs when
  their times come. A new regent might begin a dy-
  nasty, but it will be recognized as such only long
  after he has departed this world.
  A dynasty does, however, begin with one re-
  gent. The regent must have the ability to look to-
  w a rd the future and to analyze the past if he
  wants to create something lasting and important
  that can shape Cerilia long after he is gone. The
  A n u i rean Empire once dominated the world,
  with the Roele Dynasty standing atop it as the
  greatest dynasty in Cerilian history.
  O t h e r, lesser dynasties have existed and still
  exist today. The Avanils of Anuire have ru l e d
  their realm for centuries. In Bre c h t ü r, both
  Müden and Danigau’s dynasties survived the
  Anuirean Occupation and the wars with the Gor-
  gon and the Vos to thrive as examples of success-
  ful dynasties. In Rjurik lands, dynasties of fami-
  lies and clans have survived in Hogunmark, Hal-
  skapa, and Stjordvik for centuries. Some of the
  ancient dynasties of the Basarji in Khinasi can
  trace their lineage back to the time of el-Arrasi.
  These examples may seem incomparable to
  the types of dynasties a PC regent can expect to
  c reate over the course of a campaign, but that
  d o e s n ’t have to be true. When combining ro l e -
  playing and adventure with domain actions and
  war rules, players and DMs might find the years
  pass quickly—sometimes too quickly, aging char-
  acters past the point of adventuring.
  This problem can actually enhance the realism
  of a BI RT H R I G H T campaign. Rather than playing
  the same PC for years of real time without keep-
  ing track of his age in game years, players of Cer-
  ilian PCs have domain turns by which to easily
  mark the years of their characters’ lives. They
  know that eventually the PCs will be too old to
  a d v e n t u re—and the aging characters know that
  they must pass the torch to someone else, or die
  heirless.
  The most important thing a PC regent can do to
  begin a dynasty is to designate an heir. Usually,
  once a regent has established himself, he start s
  looking toward siring or selecting an heir to en-
  sure the continuance of his line of rulership.
  In most regions of Cerilia, the heir does not
  have to be the regent’s son or daughter. Most re-
  gents prefer passing on their power and domains
  to their children, but sometimes this tradition
  i s n ’t possible or desirable. In these circ u m-
  stances, the heir can be a trusted henchman, a
  80
  
  relative, or even an elected successor.
  Whatever the case, the wise regent begins tu-
  toring his heir in the ways of rulership well before
  that heir might logically take over the domain.
  Not only does this practice assure the regent that
  he won’t pass on his domain to an heir who does-
  n’t know how to run it, but it provides the regent
  with a living ally and lieutenant who can assume
  i n c reasing duties and responsibilities as the re-
  gent grows older.
  Players and DMs should begin talking about
  heirs early on in a PC re g e n t ’s care e r. In the
  DM’s case, the regent’s advisers should start pes-
  tering the PC about the issue within a few
  months of the new regent assuming his thro n e .
  Advisers worry about that sort of thing almost
  obsessively—they want to know who they’ll have
  to impress after the PC regent has passed on his
  leadership.
  This concern can, and should, lead to interest-
  ing role-playing, adventuring, and domain action
  situations. The PC regent can be prompted (and
  goaded) into attending festivals and celebrations
  he might otherwise find dull or distracting on the
  pretense that he must find a suitable mate to pro-
  duce an heir. Or, if the regent doesn’t desire a fa-
  milial heir, he can attend these events to meet
  and analyze the nobility of the surrounding do-
  mains—in the hopes of re c ruiting a tru s t w o rt h y
  and loyal heir.
  Both the player and the DM should have a hand
  in establishing the heir, or a few potential heirs,
  for a PC regent. Whether the heir is biologically
  related to the PC regent (a son, daughter,
  nephew, etc.), is someone the regent selects from
  a pool of likely candidates (an adventuring com-
  panion, henchman, lieutenant or the like), or
  both, the PC regent should select the heir he
  wants. In doing so, he gets to set up the yardstick
  by which the potential heir will be measured. If
  the heir apparent does not have certain skills or
  abilities valued by the regent, he might lose his
  chance to inherit.
  The DM may want to generate “heir candi-
  dates” as NPCs and introduce them to the PC
  regent over the course of a campaign. If the can-
  didates are the PC’s own offspring, they don’t ac-
  tually become much of a factor until they near
  adventuring age—then, the regent gets to evalu-
  ate their existing abilities, skills, and personali-
  ties for himself.
  The most unrealistic thing about this selection
  process has to do with future role-playing of the
  heir. Ideally, the PC regent eventually steps down
  or dies, leaving one or more of the heir candi-
  dates the rulership of all or part of his realm. But,
  the player does not re t i re from the BI RT H R I G H T
  c a m p a i g n —h e assumes the role of the heir, as a
  new PC. As a result, the heir may conform re-
  markably to the desires of the old regent (proba-
  bly in a much smoother manner than any heir
  ever conformed to the desires of his predecessor
  in the history of any real or fictional world).
  But this deviation from realism in the transfer
  of power can be forgiven because it promotes a
  greater realism. The lifespan of most role-playing
  characters in other settings can become astound-
  ing when finally tallied at the end of a long-term
  campaign. In a BI RT H R I G H T campaign, however,
  the passing of years is regularly measured by do-
  main turns and carefully-marked adventure s .
  After a while, even the players least concern e d
  with realism might begin to ask questions about
  lifespans and retirement.
  Once the heir (or candidates) reaches adventur-
  ing age, the DM should encourage the player to
  take him (them) on adventures—either as a
  henchman or lieutenant for the PC regent, or as
  a PC himself. This allows the player to get a feel
  for the new character (or characters) and develop
  an interest in playing what could be a drastically
  different character.
  During this transition period, the DM might
  find himself indulging in a little more re a l i s m .
  Heirs and PC regents become a little more ex-
  pendable when the players get used to develop-
  ing them. As a result, the adventures can become
  m o re critical and the escapes a little more nar-
  row. This doesn’t mean the DM has a license to
  kill off heirs and PC regents frivolously—but he
  can explore more dangerous territory, knowing
  the player has a back-up PC he can use in a
  pinch.
  The player should endeavor to make the
  heir, or heirs, unique in their personalities
  and goals. When the player assumes the
  role of an heir, he should realize that
  the heir’s interests and goals might
  d i v e rge from those of the re g e n t
  character he also plays, and
  those of any other heirs the
  DM may be allowing him
  to role-play (in most
  cases, however,
  the 
  player
  should
  81
  
  focus on one heir at a time, until the heir suc-
  ceeds to the throne, gives up, or dies trying). This
  o p p o rtunity can provide very interesting ro l e -
  playing and storyline situations for mature ro l e -
  players. Playing two characters with overlapping,
  but not necessarily identical, interests stre t c h e s
  the player’s abilities to the limit.
  As mentioned above, an heir becomes something
  of a tool for the DM. He can experiment with
  new types of adventures, keyed to the new PC’s
  i n t e rests and abilities, while still pre s e rving the
  integrity of the campaign. He can, if the story
  calls for it, kill off an heir without worrying about
  the overall campaign coming to a screeching halt.
  Best of all, he can help the player establish a real-
  istic line of succession that keeps the campaign
  focused in the same areas—even when the player
  wants to assume the role of a different character.
  The DM should re w a rd good role-playing of
  the heir by the player. Heirs of popular or power-
  ful regents gain benefits that other starting PCs
  never obtain. They may have access to magical
  items or NPCs their successors found for them,
  and they probably have higher bloodline score s
  and perhaps even more experience than the char-
  acters that came before. If the heir isn’t the off-
  spring of an existing regent, he might even have
  abilities and a background foreign to the existing
  campaign.
  Eventually, the DM and/or the player will want
  the heir to become the full-time PC of the cam-
  paign. This doesn’t mean the old regent dies or
  even passes on his regency—he could become
  an NPC ruler and the heir could take over
  some of the regent’s responsibilities (allow-
  ing the DM to experiment with a whole
  new type of campaign).
  Of course, the DM may have to
  encourage this transition. If a
  player has a particularly success-
  ful and interesting regent he
  likes to play, he won’t
  want to give him up
  for a new PC at
  the drop of
  a hat.
  The DM may have to offer the heir a few perks
  that make him seem more attractive as a candi-
  date for full-time adventuring.
  • Bonus experience:
  Depending on how long
  the transition period between old re g e n t / n e w
  heir was, the new PC might not have much ex-
  perience, and the player might not want to
  give up the power he’s already attained. The
  DM can award the new PC some experience
  points gained from studying at his pre d e c e s-
  s o r’s knee—though these points shouldn’t
  boost the heir more than one complete level of
  experience.
  • Trusted henchmen: While most regents begin
  the game with hirelings or followers, they sel-
  dom start with henchmen they can really trust.
  The heir might gain one or two fairly powerful
  henchmen from his predecessor as guides and
  watchdogs “to keep him out of trouble” while
  he learns the ropes of adventuring and/or re-
  gency.
  • Better magic: All regents have the option of
  beginning the game with a magical item. How-
  ever, since the heir has a predecessor holding a
  l i f e t i m e ’s achievement in magical items, he
  might actually begin the game with a few
  more, or one more powerful item. This advan-
  tage might make him a match for some of his
  m o re powerful adventuring companions—and
  inheritied foes.
  • Adventuring companions:
  In some cam-
  paigns, the DM might wish to have every re-
  gent begin fostering heir candidates at the
  same time. However, this isn’t always the case.
  If a low-level heir goes adventuring with a few
  mid- to high-level PCs, he’ll learn a lot while
  gaining their protection—and he might get a
  considerable amount of experience quickly.
  • Bonus loyalty/r e g e n c y : When the heir as-
  cends to the throne (which might not happen
  right away), the transition and its attendant
  pomp and circumstance usually boost the
  morale of the realm or domain he rules. Oft-
  times, royal successions are cause for celebra-
  tion. As a result, loyalty in most pro v i n c e s
  should be boosted beyond normal levels, and
  the new regent could receive a bonus in re-
  gency for his first domain turn.
  • A staunch ally:
  If the old PC regent doesn’t
  die or disappear, the new regent or heir appar-
  ent has a powerful and devoted ally sitting on
  or behind the throne. The old PC could step in
  at certain times (meaning the player doesn’t
  h a v e to re t i re his old character perm a n e n t l y ) ,
  or might become a valuable NPC adviser in
  his own right. Either way, the new PC has ad-
  vantageous resources.
  82
  
  The creation of a dynasty does not end with the
  appointment of an heir. True dynasties expand
  o u t w a rd, influencing and perhaps contro l l i n g
  more than is apparent at first glance. A true dy-
  nasty starts with a family and a succession—but
  ends only when the branches of the family tre e
  cannot stretch outward any further.
  For centuries, Cerilian lords often found the
  most destructive forces to a dynasty not in enemy
  a rmies or even friendly meddlers, but in the de-
  s i res of their own ambitious family members. A
  regent should cultivate or produce several poten-
  tial heirs to ensure one survives to succeed him.
  But when the regent finally designates one heir
  and steps down, what does he do with the other
  candidates? Trained and even primed for ru l e r-
  ship, are they left out in the cold—or possibly
  worse, to their own devices?
  S h o rt-sighted and evil rulers take the “easy”
  a p p roach. They eliminate the competition for
  their heirs. Killing family and friends for the sake
  of the dynasty is not a completely strange concept
  on Cerilia. The grandfather of Emperor Alándalae
  of Anuire is said to have done it—certainly his
  t h i rd daughter met no resistance from anyone
  upon assuming the Iron Throne. For over a cen-
  t u ry, the el-Arrasi dynasty in Ariya engaged in the
  public execution of each new heir’s siblings, and
  to this day confines them to house arrest for their
  e n t i re lives. Many Vos tribes hold the practice to
  be the final test of a re g e n t ’s right to ru l e — t h e
  elimination of his own family proves he puts the
  realm first and above all else. Poisoners, pro f e s-
  sional duelists, and assassins all have practiced
  their trade on royal blood—and still do. All in the
  name of peaceful ascension to the thro n e .
  But this method never truly works, not for
  long. Sooner or later, an heir candidate, fearing
  for his life, eliminates his pre d e c e s s o r, or his
  competition, or both, before he can be pro p e r l y
  trained in the arts of rulership. Other nobles get
  into the act, and soon anarchy reigns. Realms
  and domains divide and—in the case of
  R o h rm a rch and other such lands—waste their
  energies on civil war while their enemies wait for
  an opportunity to spring.
  Less wise but well-meaning regents leave disap-
  pointed candidates alive with token rulerships or
  pensions when they declare an heir. Some domains
  become burdened with whole cadres of Baronets of
  the Realm, all dedicated to holding the same off i c e ,
  all drawing the same huge sums out of the tre a s u ry
  e v e ry month. Other realms have been destroyed by
  this method: Granting a would-be regent only a
  little power makes him hunger for more, and gives
  him a seed with which to sow rebellion. The tru e
  heir never knows peace until he makes it himself.
  The wisest regents tend to be very selective
  when picking their heirs—even among their own
  c h i l d ren. They make certain, right from the start ,
  that their heirs want what’s best for the realm first,
  the family second, and themselves third. This isn’t
  an easy task, but true regency shouldn’t be.
  If the regent can train his potential heirs in the
  a rts of rulership without ever discussing ascen-
  sion to the throne itself with any of them, he can
  keep their minds focused on the tasks at hand. If
  an heir thinks he will be awarded with the ruler-
  ship of a particular province, or a lieutenancy, or
  an advisership, then he won’t be disappointed
  when that is all he gets. However, if the re g e n t
  dangles rulership of an entire realm in front of a
  c a b a ret of possible heirs, eventually, one will
  seize it—and the others won’t support him be-
  cause they will want it for themselves. The sur-
  prise of ascension should surprise only the one
  who ascends, not the entire realm.
  The development of a dynasty should be a cam-
  paign goal for most regent PCs. While the re g e n t
  may wish to conquer the world (or his part of it) in
  his lifetime, he should aspire to build something
  lasting—something that might affect the entire
  h i s t o ry of the world. Kingmakers come and go, but
  e m p i re builders are few and far between.
  The DM should promote this sort of goal. He
  ought to encourage the PCs, if they have an in-
  t e rest, in working together to build a dynasty or
  multiple dynasties. Using the “High King”
  campaign strategy discussed in the
  BI RT H R I G H T R u l e b o o k, one PC could even-
  tually become the head of a dynasty, and
  the others could become his heirs, vas-
  sals, and allies.
  Of course, the road to dynasty
  w o n ’t be a smooth one. The
  other rulers on Cerilia
  know the benefits of dy-
  nasties, and may
  choose to form
  their own.
  No re-
  83
  
  gency should remain static for long—if the PCs
  d o n ’t move to build their own strongholds of fa-
  milial power, the NPCs might beat them to it.
  If an ambitious regent plans well and achieves
  success during his lifetime, he may be able to re-
  ward his heirs better than they expect. The head
  of a dynasty might rule only one type of holding
  or one realm, but he might have enough power to
  influence succession within other domains in the
  same region. As a result, he could, conceivably,
  n u rt u re heir candidates for several diff e re n t
  types of realms.
  Consider the Count of Müden and his chief
  adviser, Theofold, as an example (detailed in the
  Able Assistance chapter). The count inherited
  rulership of the provinces of Müden. He did not
  have any guild holdings, but he became the most
  powerful man in the realm. As a result, he could
  help Theofold, his main henchman and lieu-
  tenant, become regent of several successful guild
  holdings, thereby increasing his influence and re-
  warding a loyal retainer.
  Player character regents should do the same
  s o rt of thing. When they get ready to pass on
  their regency to an heir, they might choose to
  split up their realm into parts, awarding the chief
  rulership to one heir and minor parts to other
  heirs who become his vassals. Or, if he has
  enough influence, the regent might decide to cre-
  ate new holdings for the other heirs with the pro-
  viso that they serve the new heir loyally. This
  w a y, all the heirs who proved themselves tru e
  t h rough their service gain re w a rd, and the dy-
  nasty expands outward, encompassing more
  than it once did. In Müden, the count actually
  gave up a small part of his realm (to the Cap-
  tain of Müden), but gained more through his
  vassal the guildmaster.
  T h roughout history, wise re g e n t s
  have found the ties of blood
  m o re binding than oaths of
  vassalage. True, familial
  betrayals have been a
  p a rt of Cerilian
  history
  e v e r
  since Prince Raesene became the Gorgon, but
  those famous betrayals are the exception, not the
  rule. Seldom do stories of quiet ascension and
  faithful service to family find their way into the
  legends surrounding the greatest dynasties. Only
  the exceptions cause bards to compose their tales
  of tragedy and woe.
  Ever since the dissolution of the Anuire a n
  E m p i re, each region has had its own pro b l e m s
  with centralized governance. The nomadic
  Rjurik, a significant portion of that region’s pop-
  ulation, seldom inhabit the same terr i t o ry for
  more than a few months at a time. Though they
  don’t change overlords as often, they do not trust
  a permanent power structure.
  The Anuireans, who once ruled half the conti-
  nent from a central, imperial base, look back with
  pride and fondness on their heritage—but cannot
  go back to it. Too many candidates for empero r
  exist, and the nobles have too much pride to bow
  to an overlord not of unanimous choosing.
  A loss of face would result if the Khinasi emirs
  and sultans gave up control of their realms to one
  regent. They rebelled against the Anuirean Occu-
  pation of their terr i t o ry and hold el-Arrasi, the
  organizer of the Basarji Federation, among their
  greatest heroes. He did not espouse one govern-
  ment for all Khinasi states.
  The independent Brechts would see central-
  ized government as a hinderance and restriction
  to their trade. They respect powerful, indepen-
  dent states, but grow wary of counts and princes
  who look too far across the waters. And the Vos
  have established such a long tradition of battling
  each other that the idea of uniting would occur to
  them only if they faced an outside threat.
  As for the nonhumans of Cerilia, the elves de-
  s i re no rulership over all—though many would
  like to see the humans gone from a continent
  that has grown too small. The dwarves concern
  themselves only a little with outside govern-
  ments, and prefer to keep their own governance
  to themselves. Halflings have little interest in
  rulership at all—they have only one known realm
  on Cerilia. The orogs, gnolls, and goblin re a l m s
  can hardly govern themselves, let alone an em-
  pire.
  So, how can a king become an emperor on Cer-
  ilia? Dynasty is the only answer. While one individ-
  ual cannot hope to rally all of his or her own people
  to the banner of empire, a talented regent c a n a s-
  p i re to create an empirical dynasty. Many rulers, all
  s p rung from the same dynasty, might forge a stro n g
  enough alliance to unite enough realms to take
  over a region—or perhaps, the entire continent.
  84
  
  N
  “They say that in Vo s g a a rd, the barbarians hunger
  for combat and thirst for blood. Get in the way of a
  Vos warrior, and you won’t live to take another step.
  “ T h e re are these cutthroat fighters called the
  Rovarsski who ride monstrous beasts that can rip
  your arm off with one bite. And if their mounts don’
  t
  get you first, the warriors will slice your head off
  with a single blow, then eat your innards.
  “Dekker told me the Rovarsski have been around
  since the Battle of Lake Laden. And I don’t mean
  the unit—I mean the warriors themselves. ‘Cor
  d i n g
  to his Uncle Eldred, the Rovarsski don’t get old and
  they don’t get sick and they never get injured in bat
  -
  tle. They’re so strong that nothin’ can kill ‘em. And
  they’re so tough they can slay you with a look.”
  —Kurt Alheim, 12, whispering to his younger
  brother, Willy, one night when both were
  supposed to be long asleep
  N
  rom sibling rivalry in the sandbox to armed
  s t ruggles on the battlefield, the Cerilian spirit
  seeks to resolve conflicts through physical fight-
  ing. Each day, the cry of “War!” rings out some-
  where on the continent. And each night, in coun-
  cil chambers and war rooms across the land, re-
  gents plot their military strategies.
  Some rulers feel the fire of combat boiling their
  blood, urging them to achieve glory through con-
  quest. These leaders take an active approach to
  war, waging it on others before it comes to them.
  They consider death on a battlefield the greatest
  honor to which a soldier can aspire, and give
  their troops ample opportunity to achieve it.
  Other rulers avoid war, believing that there are
  better ways (such as diplomacy or intrigue) to re-
  solve diff e rences and effect change. Such a re-
  gent sees his troops as more than mere fighting
  machines. Each soldier re p resents a life—a per-
  son with a family and a future and a contribution
  to make to the realm. Such an asset, they believe,
  should not be squandered on foolish campaigns
  or selfish pursuits. Yet even peaceful re g e n t s
  must periodically turn their thoughts to military
  matters. Though nonaggressive themselves, they
  must remain ever vigilant against the sleeping
  lions who surround them—lest one awaken and
  pounce.
  Some rulers have just a couple units of troops to
  defend their realms, while others command huge
  o ffensive miltary machines. Most, however, fall
  somewhere in between. Even regents who would
  like larger armies often are limited by the cost of
  maintaining one.
  A number of rulers, however, have stre t c h e d
  their military budgets by re c ruiting basic units
  and later improving them into unique forc e s
  t h rough specialized training. These distinctive
  units generally are named to reflect their status:
  the Hogunmark Dragons, the Quintain
  G u a rdians of the Burrows, Binsada’s Lions of
  Dusk, and so on.
  Table 8: Military Statistics, in this chapter, indi-
  cates mustering costs and other information for
  basic Cerilian units. A regent may re c ruit any
  unit listed in the table, assuming the ruler meets
  all the requirements (law holdings, access to the
  right regions/races of Cerilia, etc.) for obtaining
  that unit. He may then attempt to improve the
  unit to make his troops better than those of his
  rivals.
  I m p roving a military unit is not an easy or
  inexpensive task. It cannot be done auto-
  m a t i c a l l y, and does involve some risk. A
  regent could end up spending several
  months or even years training and re-
  training a unit, only to lose it in a
  minor skirmish.
  To attempt to improve a
  unit, the regent expends
  one domain action.
  M o re than one unit
  can be impro v e d
  at 
  once
  85
  
  regent failed the success check, the unit did not
  improve itself. The regent may continue to garri-
  son the unit (spending an additional 1 RP and 1
  GB every month) for another month if he wishes,
  or he can return the troop to active duty.
  If the unit remains in garrison for consecutive
  months, the regent may add a +1 modifier to his
  die roll for every month (after the first) the unit
  trains. As in the rules for training in new skills
  (see above), additional success rolls count as free
  actions until the unit improves.
  As in all military training, however, there is risk.
  If the regent rolls a modified 1 (or less) during
  the success check, a training accident occurs and
  the unit disbands.
  N
  The following example has been written in a role-
  playing context, with information about game
  mechanics given in italics.
  Laela Flaertes, Duchess of Tu o rnen, is ap-
  p roached by her military commander, Brae-
  donnal Tu a re. He re p o rts that Rhuobhe
  Manslayer has been quiet lately; he would like to
  use the lull as an opportunity to improve his sol-
  diers’ training. Tuare recommends that two units
  of pikemen receive instruction in arc h e ry ( a c -
  quire a new skill)to allow greater flexibility in tac-
  tical planning.
  The duchess consents. The two pikemen units
  a re garrisoned in Haesrien (at a cost of 2 GB, 2
  R P, and one realm action). To further show her
  s u p p o rt, the duchess allots 2 GB toward the
  training of each unit (bringing the success number
  down to 18 each).
  After one month, Laela summons Tu a re to
  report on the units’ progress (rolls for success).
  He informs her that one of the units has be-
  come proficient in archery (rolled a 19, giv -
  ing it a missile rating of “1”), while the
  other hasn’t mastered it yet ( rolled a
  12). As all remains quiet on the west-
  e rn front, Tu a re recommends that
  each unit continue the arc h e ry
  training for another month.
  The first unit can become
  still better archers (im -
  p rove an existing
  s k i l l ), and
  the
  second may yet become proficient (acquire a new
  skill).
  The duchess agrees to maintain the training (at
  a base cost of 2 GB and 2 RP to cover both units,
  and one domain action—improving an existing skill
  is a separate action from acquiring a new skill. The
  first unit continues on as a free action.)She also
  contributes an additional 2 GB per unit to the
  cause. (This brings the success number down to 8 for
  the first unit and 17 for the second.)
  After another month, the duchess receives a
  p ro g ress re p o rt ( rolls for success).U n f o rt u n a t e l y,
  neither unit has improved (rolled a 4 and 7). The
  duchess instructs Commander Tu a re to re t u rn
  the second unit to regular duty (take the unit out
  of garr i s o n ) . The first unit, however, shows
  enough promise that she decides to continue its
  training for another month. (She pays the base
  cost of 1 GB and 1 RP. Because the unit is attempt
  -
  ing the same action as last month, this is now a free
  a c t i o n . ) She does not, however, contribute any
  m o re financing (or RP) to the eff o rt (making the
  success number a 9).
  At the end of the month, Commander Tuare re-
  p o rts that the unit improved its arc h e ry skills
  ( rolled a 14, bringing its missile rating to “2”).
  Pleased with the troops’ success, the duchess
  names the unit Tuornen’s Terrors.
  N
  As a general guideline, no unit may increase any
  single skill by more than threeranks. So, no mat-
  ter how much that Khinasi archer unit trains, it
  will never have a melee rating of more than 4.
  The Dungeon Master may choose to waive this
  restriction under exceptional circ u m s t a n c e s .
  (For example, an extremely renowned unit with a
  long fighting history might be allowed to reenter
  training after a long period of active serv i c e
  again.)
  Units that already have excellent (4+) ratings
  may not be able to improve using these rules, or
  the DM may choose to make such improvement
  m o re time-consuming and more costly than for
  lesser units. Those Khinasi archers, for example,
  have a missile rating of 5: one of the best missile
  ratings of any human unit on Cerilia. The DM
  may decide that they just can’t get any better
  without some drastic change occuring some-
  w h e re else in the game. He could force the re-
  gent who wishes to improve the Khinasi archers
  to perf o rm other domain actions (re s e a rc h ,
  progress, etc.) that mightallow them to train be-
  yond their current capabilities. Or the DM might
  86
  
  t h rough a realm action. For information about
  this option, see “Improving Units as a Realm Ac-
  tion,” below.
  The regent must designate which unit(s) will
  undergo special training. Note that neither levies
  nor irregulars may be improved (they are not
  “ s t a n d a rd” units and do not normally benefit
  from training). The unit is garrisoned (set aside)
  and is not available for normal army activity dur-
  ing its training period. It must stay within a par-
  ticular province and may engage in battle only if
  another army attacks the province.
  The regent must decide how he will improve the
  unit. He may attempt to improve oneof the unit’s
  battle characteristics: move, melee, defend, mis-
  sile, or charge. (Morale may increase as a conse-
  quence of other improvements; see “Named and
  Legendary Units,” below.) The difficulty and cost
  of the improvement depends on the unit’s exist-
  ing rating.
  A regent may choose to teach and supply a unit
  in methods that members of the unit would not
  n o rmally learn. For example, Anuirean infantry
  units normally have no missile rating. A re g e n t
  may decide to instruct one of his units in archery,
  hoping that the troops can combine their infantry
  tactics with a surprise missile attack.
  The base cost to instruct a unit in a brand new
  ability is 1 Gold Bar and 1 Regency Point. The
  success number, however, is 20+. Trying to teach
  an entire military unit a completely new method
  of fighting (without losing any of their pre v i o u s
  training) can be extremely difficult. The re g e n t
  may spend either Regency Points or Gold Bars to
  i n c rease the die roll (1 point per RP or GB
  spent). At the end of the month of training, the
  regent rolls 1d20 to see whether the training has
  succeeded in improving the unit.
  If he rolls a modified 20 or higher, the unit
  gains the new ability (the player can create a new
  War Card using the blank ones in this chapter, or
  simply write on an existing card). If, however, the
  modified die roll was a 1 (a f t e r adding in any
  extra Regency Points or Gold Bars spent to in-
  crease the unit’s chances of improving), some ter-
  rible mishap occured during training and the unit
  must be disbanded. This event can occur only if
  the regent spends no additional gold or re g e n c y
  to improve the die roll.
  Should the re g e n t ’s success check fail (but
  without disbanding the unit), the regent can de-
  cide to continue garrisoning the unit for furt h e r
  training. The unit must remain in the curre n t
  province and may not engage in any military ac-
  tivity (unless attacked). The regent must con-
  tinue to pay 1 GB and 1 RP per month to main-
  tain the garrison and the training (in addition to
  whatever he pays the troops themselves).
  For each additional month the unit re m a i n s
  g a rrisoned, the success number d ro p s by one.
  So, after two months in garrison, a unit’s success
  number would be 19; while after 10 months in
  garrison, it would be 11. The regent must make a
  die roll every month to see if the unit improves or
  disbands (and he may spend more Regency
  Points or Gold Bars to increase his chances); if
  he fails, he can continue to support the garrison.
  Note that once the regent expends the initial
  domain action to garrison and train the unit for
  the first month, additional attempts count as free
  actions. If the regent succeeds the improvement
  attempt and wants to f u rt h e ri m p rove the same
  unit, or if he wants to improve an additional unit,
  he must expend another domain action to initiate
  a new series of attempts.
  A regent can improve a unit’s existing abilities
  m o re easily than training a unit in a brand-new
  skill. Khinasi archers, for example, already know
  how to fight in melee combat; they just can’t do it
  very well.
  To train a unit in an existing battle skill, the re-
  gent must garrison that unit (as described above)
  and set it aside for training. The regent then pays
  1 GB and 1 RP (to set up the garrison and pay
  for training), in addition to whatever mainte-
  nance costs he normally pays for the unit.
  The base success number the regent needs to
  roll at the end of the month of training is 10+ on
  1d20. For every point the unit already has in the
  battle skill, the success number increases by 2
  points. So, when improving a unit of Khinasi
  a rchers from a melee rating of 1 to 2, the re-
  gent must roll a 12 or higher. The regent may
  spend additional Regency Points and Gold
  Bars to increase his chances (each RP or
  GB gives the regent a +1 bonus to the
  die roll).
  If the regent’s die roll meets or ex-
  ceeds the success number, the
  u n i t ’s score improves. He can
  then record the new score on
  the War Card (or create a
  new War Card) and re-
  turn the unit to ac-
  tive duty. If,
  however,
  the
  87
  
  re q u i re the regent to enhance the unit’s alre a d y
  exceptional abilities with permanent magic or ex-
  pensive gear. While arming an entire unit of Khi-
  nasi archers with bows +1would certainly im-
  prove its missile rating, actually producing or ac-
  quiring that many magical weapons should be
  prohibitively expensive, if not impossible.
  I m p roving a unit’s move rating by more than
  one step should be almost impossible–improving
  an unmounted unit’s move beyond two ratings
  should re q u i re supplying the unit with mounts
  and training in their use. This can often (DM’s
  option) reduceone of its other skills temporarily,
  until the troop actually survives battle conditions
  with their new mounts.
  A related issue involves the charge rating. Cur-
  rently, only one “normal” unmounted, humanoid
  unit on Cerilia has a charge rating–the Vo s
  bersrk. Because of their inhuman ferocity and
  t e rrifying combat abilities, they can actually
  charge on foot. It should be nearly impossible for
  another unmounted unit to attain the ability to
  charge effectively in War Card combat.
  A regent can choose to improve multiple units at
  once through perf o rming “improve unit” as a
  realm action. He may establish one garrison for
  e v e ry three levels of a province, and train one
  unit per garrison. Thus, a regent who wanted to
  improve two units could garrison them both in a
  p rovince (5) or garrison one unit apiece in two
  l o w e r-level provinces. Each garrisoned unit re-
  quires its own base cost of 1 RP and 1 GB. The
  only limitations on how many units can be gar-
  risoned at any one time are the regent’s own re-
  sources.
  For each unit, the regent must attempt sepa-
  rate success rolls and make separate expendi-
  tures of Regency Points and/or Gold Bars to
  modify the success number. If some units
  i m p rove while others don’t, he may con-
  tinue to garrison the unsuccessful units to
  make further success attempts. As with
  the domain action, any unit that rolls
  a modified 1 during a success
  check is disbanded.
  When a military unit gains notoriety through per-
  formance on the battlefield or because of the spe-
  cial training it receives, it may earn a distinctive
  name. The “Blackgate Storm l o rds” of Danigau
  and the “Imperial Legion” of Anuire are two such
  renowned units.
  A regent may name his units anything he wants,
  but once he starts spending time and money im-
  p roving them—and sees that investment pay off
  in stunning defeats of opposing forc e s — t h e
  names begin to circulate across the land. This in-
  c reased reputation has several effects, most of
  them positive. A Dungeon Master might ru l e
  that a band of raiders, upon hearing that the
  Count of Danigau’s “Daniguards” have been dis-
  patched to deal with them, retreats—even though
  a unit of Daniguards isn’t realy that much more
  e ffective (on paper) than a standard unit of
  Brecht elite infantry.
  This respect must be earned on the battlefield,
  h o w e v e r. When a named unit survives a battle,
  the regent controlling the unit should roll a
  twenty-sided die. On a roll of 20, the unit gains
  an additional morale symbol if it can (a unit may
  have up to three morale symbols—one of each)
  and the DM should consider this a “re n o w n e d ”
  unit. The presence of the unit on the battlefield
  or even in a province may affect the outcome of
  certain random events that occur during domain
  t u rns, or perhaps even the outcome of a battle.
  These options, however, are left completely up to
  the Dungeon Master.
  If a named unit does not achieve notoriety after
  s u rviving its first battle, the difficulty of obtain-
  ing “renowned” status decreases by one after
  e v e ry subsequent battle. (The more fighting the
  unit does, the more people hear about it, and the
  m o re stories circulate.) So, if the new “Roesone
  Legion” survives three battles, the regent needs
  to roll an 18+ for it to gain renowned status.
  Note that the DM can choose to award or take
  away renowned status at will. If a unit–even an
  unnamed one–manages some sort of heroic de-
  fense or attack (say, a single unit of infantry dri-
  ves off three units of attacking knights and sur-
  vives), the DM may promote it to renowned sta-
  tus immediately, without a die roll. On the other
  hand, if a named unit attempts to achieve
  renowned status by accompanying many other
  units into completely one-sided battles that they
  can’t possibly lose, the unit may achieve the op-
  posite of notoriety—scorn and derision. This may
  88
  
  a ffect the unit’s morale in a negative fashion, or
  may even reduce one or more of its battlefield
  statistics. Again, this option is left completely up
  to the DM.
  Once a unit has been improved or named, play-
  ers will need a new War Card to represent it dur-
  ing battles. They may, if they choose, write any
  changes on existing War Cards. Or they can
  make use of the blank War Cards provided in this
  chapter. The page can be photocopied onto paper
  or cardstock.
  After copying the page, the player should select
  a blank War Card with the appropriate number
  of hits (using a similar existing unit as a model)
  and write in the unit’s name and statistics. Any
  special advantages, weaknesses, etc. should also
  be noted on the card. In the space provided, the
  player should draw in one (or more, where appro-
  priate) of the three morale symbols for use dur-
  ing battles.
  Naturally, better units deserve better equipment
  and more pay. However, some elite troops see
  their fame and service as sufficient re w a rd. The
  DM has to balance these factors when deciding
  whether or not to increase the maintainance cost
  of trained, exceptional units.
  One should consider a few key elements when
  deciding the maintenance costs of a unit. If a unit
  l e a rned a new ability (supplying normal infantry
  units with missile capability, for example), it will
  probably have to be maintained at a higher cost.
  Not only does the infantry unit have to take care
  of its armor and melee weapons, but now its new
  missile weapons have to be considered.
  In general, increasing a unit’s existing capabili-
  ties should signify a raise in maintanance
  costs–but not an unreasonable one. If a unit
  gains a brand new ability, the DM should raise
  the cost of its maintanance by 1 GB every do-
  main turn. If a unit increases any combination of
  existing abilities by three points, the main-
  tanance cost of that unit should be increased by
  another Gold Bar every domain turn. Tu rning a
  walking unit into a riding one will automatically
  increase the maintanance cost of that troop by at
  least one (probably two) Gold Bars.
  The DM, however, may wish to defer some of
  these costs. Units with three morale icons, for
  example, take great pride in serving their leaders
  and fighting for their realms. When a re n o w n e d
  unit gains its third morale icon, the DM may
  wish to d e c re a s ethe cost of its maintanance.
  H o w e v e r, this decrease should never push the
  renowned unit’s seasonal pay down below that of
  a similar, unrenowned unit. As a general guide-
  line, renowned units should be the highest-paid
  units in the land, according to type (the Dani-
  g u a rd of Danigau, for example, is probably the
  highest-paid infantry unit in the realm, but it
  does not expect to be paid as much as a cavalry
  unit, since the latter unit has to maintain its
  mounts).
  Good role-playing may offset costs as well. If,
  for example, a paladin regent of Haelyn decre e s
  (using a free action) that all the soldiers in his
  well-trained, battle-tested unit of knights–the
  Thundering Hooves of Haelyn–should be consid-
  e red Knights of the Realm and will be the only
  m i l i t a ry unit in the army to wear the paladin’s
  own coat of arms, then that unit may choose to
  perform for him at a reduced cost, regardless of
  what the regent is paying his other knights. If the
  paladin maintains high loyalty in his realm and
  continues to pay special attention to the Thun-
  dering Hooves unit, then the DM may continue
  defering the higher costs of trained and
  renowned units.
  Many of the named units included in the
  BIRTHRIGHT campaign setting and the campaign
  expansions have been dealt with this way. The
  Blackgate Stormlords of Danigau have all been
  granted orders of minor nobility by the Count
  of Danigau, while the Serpent Guard (special
  infantry units recruited and trained by the
  Serpent’s hand-picked captains) gains a larger
  share of all booty wrested from enemies.
  89
  
  Unit Type
  Move
  Melee
  Defense
  Morale* Charge
  Missile
  Muster (Law)
  Maint.
  ANUIREANS
  Archers
  2
  2
  2
  2
  —
  4
  2 (2)
  1
  Artillerists
  1
  1
  1
  2
  —
  5
  4 (5)
  2
  Cavalry
  3
  3
  3
  2
  5
  1
  4 (3)
  2
  Infantry
  1
  3
  3
  2
  —
  —
  2 (1)
  1
  Infantry, Elite
  1
  4
  4
  3
  —
  —
  4 (3)
  2
  Irregulars
  2
  3
  2
  2
  —
  2
  1 (1)
  1
  Knights
  2
  4
  4
  3
  6
  —
  6 (4)
  2
  Levies
  1
  2
  1
  1
  —
  —
  0 (1)
  1
  Pikemen
  1
  3
  3
  2
  —
  —
  2 (2)
  1
  Scouts
  3
  2
  2
  2
  —
  3
  2 (0)
  1
  BRECHTS
  Archers
  2
  2
  1
  2
  —
  4
  2 (2)
  1
  Artillerists
  1
  1
  2
  2
  —
  5
  4 (5)
  2
  Cavalry
  2
  3
  2
  2
  4
  1
  4 (3)
  2
  Infantry
  1
  3
  3
  2
  —
  —
  2 (1)
  1
  Infantry, Elite
  2
  4
  3
  3
  —
  —
  4 (1)
  2
  Irregulars
  2
  2
  2
  2
  —
  3
  1 (1)
  1
  Knights
  3
  4
  4
  3
  6
  —
  5 (3)
  2
  Levies
  2
  2
  1
  1
  —
  1
  0 (1)
  1
  Marines
  2
  5
  5
  3
  —
  —
  4 (4)
  2
  Scouts
  3
  2
  2
  2
  —
  3
  2 (0)
  1
  DWARVES
  Guards
  1
  3
  5
  3
  —
  —
  4 (4)
  2
  Crossbows
  1
  2
  4
  2
  —
  4
  4 (4)
  2
  ELVES
  Archers
  2
  2
  2
  3
  —
  5
  4 (3)
  1
  Cavalry
  4
  3
  3
  3
  5
  4
  8 (4)
  2
  GNOLLS
  Infantry
  2
  4
  4
  1
  —
  2
  2 (—)
  1
  Marauders
  2
  3
  3
  1
  —
  2
  3 (—)
  1
  GOBLINS
  Archers
  1
  1
  2
  1
  —
  3
  2 (2)
  1
  Infantry
  1
  2
  2
  1
  —
  1
  1 (2)
  1
  Cavalry
  2
  3
  3
  2
  1
  4
  4 (3)
  2
  KHINASI
  Archers
  2
  2
  1
  2
  —
  4
  2 (3)
  1
  Artillerists
  1
  1
  1
  2
  —
  5
  6 (5)
  2
  Infantry
  1
  3
  3
  2
  —
  1
  3 (4)
  1
  Levies
  1
  2
  1
  1
  —
  —
  1 (4)
  —
  Lt. Cavalry
  4
  2
  2
  2
  3
  3
  3 (3)
  2
  Md. Cavalry
  3
  4
  3
  3
  5
  2
  4 (4)
  2
  Skirmishers
  3
  2
  1
  1
  —
  2
  2 (1)
  1
  Spearmen
  2
  3
  3
  2
  —
  —
  2 (3)
  1
  90
  
  Unit Type
  Move
  Melee
  Defense
  Morale* Charge
  Missile
  Muster (Law)
  Maint.
  MERCENARIES
  Cavalry
  3
  3
  3
  1
  5
  1
  6 (—)
  2
  Infantry
  1
  3
  3
  1
  —
  —
  4 (—)
  2
  Irregulars
  2
  3
  2
  1
  —
  2
  3 (—)
  1
  Reavers
  1
  3
  3
  1
  —
  —
  4 (—)
  2
  OROGS
  Infantry
  1
  3
  3
  2
  —
  —
  4 (—)
  2
  Pikes
  1
  3
  3
  2
  —
  —
  4 (—)
  2
  RJURIK
  Archers
  2
  2
  2
  2
  —
  4
  2 (2)
  1
  Battle Ragers
  1
  5
  2
  3
  —
  —
  ? (?)
  ?
  Cavalry
  3
  3
  3
  2
  5
  1
  4 (3)
  2
  Housecarls
  1
  4
  4
  3
  —
  —
  ? (?)
  ?
  Infantry
  1
  3
  3
  2
  —
  —
  2 (1)
  1
  Irregulars
  2
  2
  2
  2
  —
  2
  1 (1)
  1
  Mariners
  2
  3
  3
  2
  —
  1
  ? (?)
  ?
  Scouts
  3
  1
  2
  2
  —
  4
  2 (0)
  1
  Shapeshifters
  2
  5
  3
  3
  —
  —
  ? (?)
  ?
  Tribesmen
  1
  4
  3
  2
  —
  2
  ? (?)
  ?
  VOS
  Archers
  2
  2
  2
  2
  —
  4
  2 (1)
  1
  Artillerists
  1
  2
  1
  2
  —
  4
  4 (3)
  2
  Berserkers
  2
  5
  2
  3
  2
  —
  2 (2)
  2
  Cavalry
  3
  3
  3
  2
  5
  1
  4 (2)
  2
  Infantry
  1
  3
  3
  2
  —
  —
  2 (0)
  1
  Infantry, Elite
  1
  5
  4
  3
  —
  —
  4 (1)
  2
  Irregulars
  2
  4
  2
  2
  —
  1
  1 (0)
  1
  Knights
  2
  4
  4
  3
  6
  —
  6 (3)
  2
  Levies
  1
  2
  2
  2
  —
  —
  0 (0)
  1
  Pikemen
  1
  3
  3
  2
  —
  —
  2 (1)
  1
  Scouts
  3
  2
  2
  2
  —
  3
  2 (0)
  1
  Varsk Riders
  2
  5
  4
  3
  5
  —
  5 (2)
  2
  Morale is represented on the War Cards by 1, 2, or 3 symbols.
  This category lists the number of morale symbols each unit has. 
  Law indicates the required law holding level a regent must control
  within the province in order to muster a particular unit. 
  Muster and Maintenance costs are given in Gold Bars per domain turn.
  91
  
  By permission of Wizards of the Coast, this page may be reproduced for personal use only.
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  Morale: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Melee: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _
  C h a r g e : _ _ _ _ _ _
  M i s s i l e :
  _ _ _ _ _ _
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Move: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Defense: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Morale: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Melee: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _
  C h a r g e : _ _ _ _ _ _
  M i s s i l e :
  _ _ _ _ _ _
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Move: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Defense: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Morale: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Melee: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _
  C h a r g e : _ _ _ _ _ _
  M i s s i l e :
  _ _ _ _ _ _
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Move: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Defense: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Morale: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  Melee: 
  _ _ _ _ _ _
  C h a r g e : _ _ _ _ _ _
  M i s s i l e :
  _ _ _ _ _ _
  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
  
  N
  Shaene, Prince of Diamond Falls, grew up knowing
  he was destined to rule. His parents knew it before
  he was born. His younger siblings—princes and
  princesses in their own right—realized it. His tutors,
  his trainers, and his royal playmates all knew it
  from the moment they were introduced to Shaene.
  Every lesson he learned as a child groomed him for
  rule. His parents trained him in the subtlties of
  c o u rtliness and kingship so that they became first-
  nature to him. The young prince looked at the world
  through a leader’s eyes—ready to choose and act in
  accordance with his responsibilities and upbringing.
  When it came time for the Prince of Diamond Falls
  to make a name for himself in the world, he had to
  choose his own way. He could adopt the role of a war -
  r i o r-king, a chevalier extraord i n a i re, or one of many
  royal “professions.” Each would present him with new
  challenges and new ways of looking at r
  e g e n c y.
  Whichever he chose, he knew the most important r
  u l e :
  Do not fail.
  N
  ealm regents can be of any character class
  and of any race. They can learn the way of the
  s w o rd as warriors, stand with their gods as
  priests, manipulate true magic as wizards, or ma-
  nipulate people as rogues. But whether they title
  themselves kings or guildmasters, high priests or
  w i z a rd regents, the class they choose indicates
  their natures and defines their abilities; their race
  in many respects influences their philosophies of
  rulership.
  T h e re exist, however, certain types of ru l e r s
  common to Cerilia. Perhaps would-be kings ob-
  s e rve their peers and adopt the attitudes and
  practices of those rulers they consider successful.
  Or perhaps the land itself responds favorably to
  p a rticular kinds of regents. Regardless, many of
  the continent’s realm regents learn certain skills
  and effect certain attitudes. After several cen-
  turies of refinement and tempering by the vol-
  cano of political, military, and social upheaval
  that is Cerilia, these methods and traditions can
  be categorized.
  This is not to say that regents who fall outside
  these categories cannot rule successfully—quite
  the opposite. Most subjects will respond well to a
  noble and just lord, no matter what his back-
  g round. But for players interested in creating a
  certain type of regent character, the “regent kits”
  offered in this chapter can provide good models.
  This section presents the regent kits in a stan-
  d a rd format. The n a m e of the kit appears first,
  followed by a brief d e s c r i p t i o n
  of the kit. The
  role of characters selecting this kit comes next.
  Possible secondary skills
  for these characters
  adopting each kit follow. While the Dungeon
  Master determines whether or not the secondary
  skills rules are used in his campaign, this listing
  o ffers an accurate view of what sorts of knowl-
  edge characters of that kit should possess.
  The w e a p o n and nonweapon pr o f i c i e n c i e s
  also indicate a character’s likely background, ed-
  ucation, and areas of expertise. If the Dungeon
  Master chooses to use the proficiencies rules in
  his campaign, characters using these kits must
  select the re q u i re d p roficiencies at the earliest
  possible time opport u n i t y. Characters are not
  compelled to select re c o m m e n d e dp roficiencies at
  any time, but they are strongly encouraged.
  The Dungeon Master also must decide how
  much e q u i p m e n t the player characters begin ad-
  venturing with, though regents should re c e i v e
  quite a bit of leeway (they have the re s o u rces of a
  realm at their disposal, after all). The re c o m m e n-
  dations listed here suggest adventuring equipment
  and possible magical items characters of each kit
  might possess at the start of the game.
  Each kit has its own special benefits and hin-
  drances . Some are oriented to role-playing and
  must be monitored carefully by the Dungeon
  Master and players. Others provide rules ad-
  vantages to adventuring situations, domain
  actions, or War Moves.
  Wealth options
  h a rdly figure into the
  building of most regent characters, but
  the kits offer some basic guidelines.
  No regent begins the game as a
  pauper (unless the Dungeon
  Master and the player decide
  on special circ u m s t a n c e s ) ,
  but not everything a
  player character may
  want is available
  to him—at
  first.
  93
  
  In some cases, regent kits may be adopted only
  by characters of particular r a c e s or c h a r a c t e r
  classes . The Dungeon Master must approve any
  kit for use by any race or class, but some pairings
  just fit better than others.
  F i n a l l y, n o t a b l e members of each kit serve as
  sample existing regents who fit the profile de-
  scribed. While possessing a kit seldom affects game
  play for NPC regents, the examples can give play-
  ers some idea of what their characters might turn
  out like should they choose particular regent kits.
  Because the regents of Cerilia strive for personal
  g reatness as well as greatness for their realms, ad-
  venturing realm regents flourish within the conti-
  nent. When the only hero of the land may be its
  l o rd, the king errant becomes vitally import a n t .
  The king errant trains himself not only for a life of
  leadership and lordship, but for the trials of adven-
  turing. He surrounds himself with other adventur-
  ers, valuing their skills and treating them as near-
  equals on the trail. Less interested in the bloodline
  or lineage of his adventuring companions than
  whether they can come through for him in a pinch,
  the king errant concerns himself with their abilities.
  These regents make great names for themselves
  by being heroes to their people. Instead of as-
  signing daunting tasks to their armies, or calling
  out for other adventurers to accomplish danger-
  ous feats, they gain the glory and experience
  themselves. More than any other, the adventur-
  ing regent learns to trust in his own arms and
  wits, and less in the counsel of cautious advisers.
  R o l e : Only a select few Cerilian nobles pro v e
  themselves capable adventurers. While most re-
  gents have the inner spark that could make them
  great heroes, many suppress that spark for their
  own well-being or for the good of their realms.
  The king errant fans that spark, building it into
  a blaze that can be seen across the land.
  The king errant pursues adventure. He
  deals with threats to his realm personally,
  using his own strength and his own wits
  instead of the abilities of others. The
  king errant desires nothing more than
  a fair chance at success on any ven-
  t u re—though he remains un-
  daunted regardless of the odds
  he faces.
  S e c o n d a r y skills: T h e
  king errant learn s
  skills 
  that
  s h o u l d
  help him on the adventuring trail. He might be a
  H u n t e r, or he could learn the skills of an Arm o re r,
  B o w y e r / F l e t c h e r, or Fore s t e r. Other secondary
  skills might be appropriate as well, depending upon
  his class or other background details.
  Weapon pr o f i c i e n c i e s :
  Any melee or missile
  weapons suitable for the PC’s character class are
  acceptable for a king errant. Because he has ac-
  cess to information and training not available to
  commoners, the king errant might even know how
  to use weapons not native to his home re g i o n .
  Nonweapon proficiencies:
  Required—Leader-
  ship, Survival. R e c o m m e n d e d —D i p l o m a c y, En-
  durance, History (local and ancient), Languages
  (local and nonlocal), Reading/Writing, Tracking.
  Equipment: The king errant may begin adven-
  turing with virtually any sort of nonmagical
  equipment. He might have armor from other re-
  gions, and weapons too. The king errant gener-
  ally tries to have the best horses and pack ani-
  mals available—though his horse might not be a
  war horse, depending on his style of adventuring.
  A king errant usually overpacks. In most cases,
  the character pre p a res for any contingency by
  bringing along a pack animal or two to carry
  food, extra equipment, and a few empty sacks or
  chests for treasure acquired along the way.
  The king errant who starts out adventuring with
  a magical item might have a weapon or arm o r,
  but would most likely carry an heirloom more di-
  rectly in accordance with his character class. He
  knows he will, eventually, encounter more magic,
  so he doesn’t always have a permanent magical
  item with him—potions and scrolls make handy
  additions to his mundane arsenal.
  Special benefits:
  Because of his penchant for
  acquiring glory and renown across the land, the
  king errant may add one to the number of hench-
  men (or lieutenants) he may acquire for every five
  levels of experience he achieves. In addition, the
  king errant can always add one to the maximum
  character level of his henchmen (or lieutenants) in
  relation to his bloodline (see the lieutenant do-
  main action in the R u l e b o o kfor details).
  When a king errant successfully completes an
  adventure set primarily within the bounds of his
  own realm, he gains a number of Regency Points
  based on the difficulty of the adventure. Most ad-
  v e n t u res net him 1d4+1 RP for successful com-
  pletions. A particularly difficult adventure gains
  the king errant 2d4 RP, and an adventure in
  which the difficulty “goes against all odds” nets
  him 3d4 RP. The people of the realm appreciate
  the heroism and romance surrounding the king
  errant.
  Special hindrances:
  The king errant cannot
  pass up an adventuring opportunity for any but
  94
  
  the most pressing reasons. If a random event oc-
  curs that could be handled by an adventure (the
  DM must agree) and the king errant chooses to
  delegate the mission to an underling (either as an
  actual adventure or to be resolved per norm a l
  random events), the king errant immediately
  loses 2d4 RP.
  When random events occur that do not require
  a d v e n t u res but could be solved by the king er-
  r a n t ’s personal attention, he must also take no-
  tice. If he fails to respond personally to the event,
  he loses 1d6 RP.
  Finally, if the king errant concludes an unsuc-
  cessful adventure within his realm (and survives)
  he loses the faith of the populace and can lose be-
  tween 1d4 and 3d4 RP. The Dungeon Master
  should decide how embarrassing the failure is.
  Wealth options:
  The king errant begins the
  game with a complete tack and harness, a good
  horse (or its equivalent), a pack animal and
  equipment, and (if the Dungeon Master permits)
  one magical item. Of course, the king errant also
  has the backing of an entire realm’s treasury, but
  all regents have that.
  Races: Humans of all types may become king
  e rrants. Nonhumans tend to shy away from this
  choice of kit, with the possible exception of
  halflings and half-elves. Humanoids almost never
  become king errants.
  Character classes:
  King errants come from all
  character classes. While warriors tend to become
  the most famous of the king errants, other classes
  p roduce fine examples of these adventure r s .
  Notable king er r a n t s : D a rold Wo h l k e rn of
  S e r a ’s Perfekt Symmetry (in Wi e rech) has become
  a famous adventuring priest, though he is not a
  realm regent himself. The barony of Roesone has
  p roduced more than a few king errants, including
  the present-day ru l e r, Marlae Roesone. Vladimir
  N i k a i l o v, the Vos baron of Kozlovnyy, has had to
  become a king errant to lead his people away fro m
  the worship of evil gods.
  In a land as rich as Cerilia, one should expect the
  development of economics-minded realm re-
  gents. The merchant prince learns the value of
  gold and barter at the trading centers of the
  world, parlaying this knowledge into wealth for
  himself, his nobles, and his people.
  While other realm regents concern themselves
  with the acquisition of direct power and the
  s t rengthening of their borders, the merc h a n t
  prince tries to dissolve those borders, at least as
  far as financial transactions are concerned. The
  m e rchant prince has an eye for profit and a de-
  sire for free trade. Quite often, merchant princes
  turn their positions of authority into positions of
  p roxy—acting on behalf of their re a l m ’s mer-
  chant class, they pass laws and engage in treaties
  solely for the purpose of promoting trade.
  But the merchant prince does not “sell out” his
  realm. He looks to forging an empire of his own
  out of trade routes, codependence, and enlight-
  ened self-interest. He needs others to need him
  m o re. He uses his influence to create and harn e s s
  new markets—and with the re s o u rces of a realm at
  his disposal, he can do this quite successfully.
  Role: While Cerilia’s borders still change from
  time to time, and certain realms threaten to oblit-
  erate others with a well-timed invasion, the mer-
  chant prince thrives on negotiation and trade.
  While he may not himself profit financially from
  his care f u l l y - c o n s t ructed agreements and deals,
  the merchant prince gains fame and power
  through his reputation at the bargaining table.
  Some might express concern that merc h a n t
  princes reflect the changing nature of Cerilia—
  f rom a land of noble families and concrete bor-
  ders to a world of merchants and silver- t o n g u e d
  traders. These romantics overlook the fact that
  the merchant prince strengthens his realm more
  in a year with “silver-tongued talk” than his an-
  cestors did in their lifetimes with a sword.
  The merchant prince sometimes grows out of a
  cultural tradition, but usually sprouts up as an
  a b e rration in a realm still recovering from war.
  After a long line of despots or nobles who only
  know the lessons they learned at a sword’s point,
  the merchant prince can turn a blasted and bat-
  tle-shocked realm into a profitable, habitable
  place once again.
  Secondary skills:
  The merchant prince usually
  has a passing knowledge of the trades native to
  his realm, 
  but 
  focuses 
  on 
  being 
  a
  Trader/Barterer.
  Weapon pr o f i c i e n c i e s :
  M e rchant princes
  usually learn the use of one or two weapons
  native to their realms.
  Nonweapon pr o f i c i e n c i e s :
  R e q u i re d —
  One occupational proficiency concern i n g
  the re a l m ’s trade (Fishing, Leatherw o r k-
  ing, Stonemasonry, etc.), Administra-
  tion, Appraising, Language (local),
  R e a d i n g / Writing. R e c o m m e n d e d —
  M o re occupational pro f i c i e n-
  cies, more languages, Diplo-
  m a c y, Etiquette, In-
  trigue, Riding (land)
  or Seamanship. 
  E q u i p -
  ment:
  95
  
  Merchant princes usually carry “samples” of their
  re a l m ’s products with them whenever traveling.
  They tend toward light armor and unimposing
  weapons, though they may have bodyguards with
  heavy armaments if they feel the precaution nec-
  essary. Merchant princes begin adventuring with
  pack animals or a small ship sufficient to carry at
  least 2 Gold Bars’ worth of goods to neighboring
  trade centers.
  When merchant princes begin the game with
  magical items, they usually have either a few less-
  p o w e rful items (like potions or scrolls), or one
  powerful nonweapon item.
  Special benefits:
  Even if a merchant prince
  does not have a guild holding, he can set up a
  p e rmanent trade route with a guild or another
  holding belonging to a merchant prince. The ac-
  tion can be perf o rmed only as a domain action,
  but in the same manner as a guild regent per-
  forms the trade route action (see the BIRTHRIGHT
  R u l e b o o k). The merchant prince may not have
  m o re than one such trade route for every thre e
  levels of experience (round up) he has obtained.
  In addition, merchant princes gain advantages
  in negotiation due to their notoriety. When nego-
  tiating on the behalf of a guild regent to establish
  a trade route, the merchant prince can add a
  modifier to the latter’s chance of successfully
  completing the trade route action. The merchant
  prince may choose to add one-tenth the total
  number of province levels he rules to influence
  the guild regent’s success roll. If both ends of the
  trade route lie within provinces ruled by the mer-
  chant prince, he can double this modifier.
  Special hindrances:
  Because of the generally
  nonviolent demeanor of the merchant prince, a
  character starting with this kit must transfer one
  of his initial weapon proficiency slots into a non-
  weapon proficiency slot.
  Wealth options:
  A merchant prince begins
  with the financial backing of a realm behind
  him, as do all regents. He seldom begins ad-
  venturing with war horse and a suit of impres-
  sive armor (though he may). Usually, how-
  e v e r, he has a magical item and at least 1
  GB of personal treasure (acquired during
  the practice of his trade before he be-
  came regent).
  R a c e s :
  Of the humans, the
  B rechts and the Khinasi pro d u c e
  the most merchant princes.
  Rjurik merchant princes
  a re 
  less 
  common.
  A n u i reans tend to
  think such
  a c t i v i-
  ties are beneath the notice of the nobility, and the
  Vos trade only seldomly with each other, and even
  less often with others.
  D w a rves make passable merchant princes,
  though their kings usually assign vassals or lieu-
  tenants to such actions. Halfings prefer to be
  m e rchant princes (out of all the kits). The elves
  on Cerilia seldom engage directly in trade with
  anyone.
  Of the humanoids, only the goblins ever pro-
  duce any merchant princes. Usually, these un-
  t ru s t w o rthy individuals rise far in the ranks of
  goblinkind before a more militant faction cuts
  them down entirely.
  Character classes:
  N a t u r a l l y, most merc h a n t
  princes tend to be rogues or guilders (see Havens
  of the Great Bay). Warriors and wizards make up
  the bulk of the minority. Priest regents seldom
  become merchant princes—though priests of
  Sera and Eloéle have been known to rule realms
  and engage in strong trade actions.
  Notable merchant princes:
  The Count of
  Müden, Richard Ta l b e h r, could be one of the
  most famous realm regents and merc h a n t
  princes. The emir of Sendoure, Beysim el-Dua-
  tim, is a marginally successful merchant prince.
  Halskapa, in the Rjurik Highlands, has had its
  share of merchant princes as well.
  The warr i o r-king learns his trade on the battle-
  fields and in the castles of Cerilia. He learns per-
  sonal combat from the best trainers in the re a l m —
  p e rhaps in the region or even the world. He stud-
  ies strategy from the words of generals and fro m
  ancient texts alike. He becomes a scholar of war
  and a doctor of strategy. The warr i o r-king cannot
  be called a brute or barbarian simply because he
  specializes in the logistics of armies locked in com-
  bat. He can be a defender or a destro y e r, avenger
  or looter, imperial majesty or rebel dog. The war-
  r i o r-king earns his reputation on the battlefield
  and history remembers him afterw a rds as winner
  or loser.
  Warrior-kings can develop in any type of realm.
  The uneducated man might place them only
  among the most barbarous or warlike kingdoms,
  but that simply is not the case. A warr i o r- k i n g
  l e a rns his trade like a scholar studies his books.
  He trains, practices, and learns to project and
  improvise. More often than not, the warrior-king
  becomes what he is to defend civilization, not to
  destroy it.
  Conquerors often begin as warrior-kings, how-
  e v e r. Sometimes, a regent trained for war finds
  himself in an unusual era of peace. Perhaps his
  96
  
  neighbors finally learned the folly of continuous
  w a rf a re, or perhaps the warr i o r- k i n g ’s pre d e c e s-
  sors made his kingdom so strong it frightened the
  s u rrounding realms into peaceful coexistence.
  Sometimes, this state prods the warr i o r- k i n g ,
  who sees his life’s training going to waste, toward
  forging an empire of his own.
  Warrior-kings make excellent war-time regents
  and can be powerful and influential peace-time
  l o rds. They understand the chain of command
  and vassalage, and respect strength of many
  kinds. Best of all, true warr i o r-kings actually re-
  spect peace and understand that war should be a
  means to an end, not something to start frivo-
  l o u s l y. Unfort u n a t e l y, few true warr i o r- k i n g s
  exist today on Cerilia. Too often, these well-
  trained strategists ache to put their knowledge
  into play, only regretting it too late when all they
  and their neighbors have built falls into ruin.
  R o l e : The role of the warr i o r-king in Cerilian
  society cannot be disputed. In many realms, only
  w a rr i o r-kings can hope to win and hold their
  thrones. War has always been a large part of Cer-
  ilia’s past. Skilled and educated warriors gain re-
  spect from those who follow them.
  In truth, the warr i o r-king most often symbol-
  izes a defender and a vibrant leader to his peo-
  ple. The warr i o r-king leads from the fro n t ,
  putting his re a l m ’s welfare above that of all oth-
  ers. He uses his knowledge and strategy even in
  peacetime. The warr i o r-king realizes he cannot
  win every battle, so he tries to defend his re-
  s o u rces with cunning and strength, minimizing
  any losses he is forced to take. He values
  s t rength in his people and ideally wants them to
  be able to defend themselves. No true warrior al-
  lows those under his command to suffer sick-
  ness, famine, or hurt without some plan for their
  b e t t e rment. A warr i o r-king feels the same way
  about his subjects. He leads them, defends them,
  and champions them in all cases—he looks to
  them for support and, if they cannot give it, he
  loses the war before he fights the battle.
  Secondary skills:
  The warrior-king might learn
  the skills of an Arm o re r, Bowyer/Fletcher,
  Weaponsmith, or even Sailor, depending on his
  realm of origin.
  Weapon pr o f i c i e n c i e s :
  R e q u i re d —A melee
  weapon standard to his culture or race. R e c o m-
  m e n d e d —As many weapons as possible. Special-
  izing in a weapon is also prefered.
  Nonweapon pr o f i c i e n c i e s :
  R e q u i re d —S i e g e-
  craft, Strategy. R e c o m m e n d e d —A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ,
  H i s t o ry (local and/or ancient), Law, Leadership,
  R e a d i n g / Writing, Riding (land-based). Also re c-
  ommended are cultural proficiencies (Bre c h t s
  learn Sailing, Anuireans learn Heraldry, etc.).
  E q u i p m e n t :
  Wa rr i o r-kings begin with the ad-
  vantages of all realm regents. As starting charac-
  ters, they may gain a magical item, but it should
  almost always be a combat-oriented heirloom of
  some kind. A warrior-king should, at his first op-
  p o rt u n i t y, acquire the best weapons and arm o r
  possible, as well as an able war horse, if appropri-
  ate. (Vos warr i o r-kings often ride varsk, while
  B recht warr i o r-kings may simply focus on sea-
  manship.) Any type of weapon or armor common
  to the warr i o r- k i n g ’s race and culture should be
  available. Of course, the warr i o r-king can use
  only weapons and armor allowed to his class.
  Special benefits:
  When adventuring, warr i o r-
  kings project an attitude of calm in the most des-
  perate situations. Their followers, henchmen,
  and hirelings gain a one-level bonus to their
  morale, as long as the warr i o r-king is in com-
  mand and relatively in control of the situation.
  If NPC followers, henchmen, or hirelings of a
  w a rr i o r- regent become subject to a magical f e a r
  spell or aura of some kind, they gain a +1 bonus to
  their saving throws as long as the warr i o r-king is
  p resent and succeeds at his own saving thro w.
  Player characters, however, gain no bonus from the
  w a rr i o r-king in this instance, even if they serve him.
  This morale boost translates to battlefield con-
  ditions as well. Whenever the warr i o r-king ac-
  companies a unit onto the battlefield and that
  unit routs for any reason, the warr i o r-king can
  choose to rally his troops and ignore the rout re-
  sult. If the unit routs twice in consecutive turns,
  h o w e v e r, the warr i o r-king cannot affect the sec-
  ond instance and the unit flees.
  When a warr i o r-king uses the muster tro o p s
  domain action, he can take advantage in two
  ways of his notoriety and keen eye for soldiery.
  First, the warr i o r-king may muster one unit of
  militia from any province he controls, without
  the province suffering the level reduction. The
  w a rr i o r-king simply figures out a logistical way
  to make the necessary men and women avail-
  able without handicapping the work-forc e .
  S e c o n d l y, whenever a warr i o r- k i n g
  musters troops, he can roll 1d20 and add
  a +1 bonus to the roll for every thre e
  levels of ability (round down) he has
  obtained. If the modified die re s u l t
  is 20+, he does not have to pay
  that unit its mustering cost.
  The men and women form-
  ing the unit have come
  f o rth to serve the
  w a rr i o r-king be-
  cause of his
  f a m e .
  97
  
  They bring with them their own armor and
  weapons, as well as food and other provisions for
  their first three months of action. After the first
  domain turn, of course, the warr i o r-king must pay
  their normal maintenance cost or disband them.
  Special hindrances:
  If the warr i o r-king flees
  f rom a battle (either during an adventure or during
  a war move), his subordinates lose confidence.
  Henchmen, followers, and hirelings left behind
  lose the warr i o r-king morale bonus and then lose
  one m o re level of morale. During a War Move,
  units that witness the warr i o r- k i n g ’s flight treat all
  hit results from then on as hit and rout results. 
  N o t e : This special hindrance does not come
  into play if the warrior-king isn’t abandoning his
  troops. If he retreats with his subordinates, or if
  he simply moves off the battlefield because his
  t roops have the day nearly won, the Dungeon
  Master may choose to not enforce this hin-
  drance.
  Wealth options:
  As with all regents, the war-
  rior-king has the resources of a realm at his dis-
  posal. He often begins the game with a war horse
  and fine armor, and sometimes has a family heir-
  loom—usually a magical weapon.
  Races: Of the human races, Anuireans and Vos
  produce the most warrior-kings, followed by the
  Rjurik. Khinasi lands raise up the next highest
  number, and the Brechts produce the fewest.
  Nonhuman warr i o r-kings don’t appear very
  often. The elves tend to rely on more subtle sorts
  of leaders, while the halflings seldom follow their
  own leaders into war. Dwarves produce warr i o r-
  kings when necessary, often excelling on the field
  of battle.
  The humanoid races actually produce only a
  few warr i o r-kings. They lack the scholarship of
  t rue strategists. Orogs tend to learn the most
  from the mistakes of their ancestors and, of the
  humanoids, produce the most notable warr i o r-
  kings. Often, these orog regents lead goblins
  and other humanoids into battle, surro u n d e d
  by a small cadre of their own kind as body-
  guards.
  Character classes:
  Most warr i o r- k i n g s
  train as fighters or paladins. A very few
  l e a rn ranger skills. Priest warr i o r- k i n g s
  a re not unheard of, and even some
  w i z a rd warr i o r-kings can develop
  (though they tend to be either
  dual- or multi-classed individ-
  uals, or they do not de-
  pend on their own
  knowledge 
  of
  weaponry).
  Rogues
  become warrior-kings seldom, if ever.
  Notable war r i o r- k i n g s :
  The Count of Dani-
  gau, Erik Danig, may be one of the only wizard
  w a rr i o r-kings in existence. The Captain of
  Müden, Melisande Reaversbane, follows a more
  traditional background, as does Gavin Tael of
  Ghoere.
  The DM and players should re g a rd these regent kits
  as o p t i o n a l. Depending on the style of campaign,
  they might overstep some role-playing boundaries.
  The DM should feel free to eliminate or modify any
  kits or create others based on the needs of his own
  campaign and the interests of his players.
  When a PC does choose a kit approved by the
  DM, he may not switch to a diff e rent kit during his
  adventuring lifetime. He may, however, choose to
  abandon the kit, and permanently lose any advan-
  tages (and hindrances) attached to the kit immedi-
  a t e l y. Or he might temporarily or permanently lose
  the benefits of the kit (but n o t the hindrances) in-
  voluntarily (by violating some aspect of the kit—
  knowingly or unknowingly—in a dramatic way).
  For example, a king errant might refuse to go on
  several adventures because he sees them as too
  d a n g e rous (or too much trouble). After he has been
  w a rned (probably by his henchmen or advisers) that
  his actions are taking a toll on his reputation, he’ll
  begin losing the benefits of his kit. His extra hench-
  men resign, and he gains no RP bonuses for those
  a d v e n t u res he does undertake successfully. He still,
  h o w e v e r, loses Regency Points for failing at adven-
  t u re (or failing to resolve random events pro p-
  erly)—his people e x p e c thim to perf o rm better.
  The king errant, in this case, can escape these
  penalties in one of only two ways. He can take the
  easy path and publically declare himself no longer a
  king errant. No shame should be attached to this
  decision—not every king adventures—but he loses
  all benefits and hindrances of the character kit im-
  m e d i a t e l y. He becomes a normal regent character.
  The other way to solve the problem is harder to
  implement. The king errant must go on a quest, or a
  series of quests, to re s t o re his good name. In gen-
  eral, he must perf o rm a number of successful ad-
  v e n t u res primarily within his realm to atone for the
  regency he lost by being untrue to his kit. He gains
  no bonus Regency Points during this “attonement,”
  and may lose more Regency Points if he fails, but he
  should be able to regain his good standing eventu-
  a l l y.
  Other character kits should have similar penalties
  and methods of attonement. The Dungeon Master
  can customize these to fit the situation at hand.
  98
  
  N
  The untamed magic of yesterday . . . remains.
  The schooled magic of today . . grows.
  The unknown magic of tomorrow . . . becomes.
  —Author Unknown
  N
  efore the Flight from Shadow and the Bat-
  tle of Mount Deismaar, elves and humans found
  ways to harness mebhaighl and priestly magic by
  binding it into swords, staves, and other items. In
  many cases, this magical binding proved to be
  the only way magic of the Old Time could be fo-
  cused and controlled.
  Spellcasters produced many powerful items.
  The Battle of Mount Deismaar and the destru c-
  tion of the old gods drained or changed most of
  these artifacts, even as the power unleashed
  t h e re changed magic itself. In the cataclysm’s
  wake, humans with bloodlines derived from the
  old gods’ power became capable of focusing and
  controlling the land’s mebhaighl, just as the elves
  could.
  Yet despite the addition of humans to the ranks
  of those able to cast wizardly magic, spellcasters
  remain rare in Cerilia. This fact makes the cre-
  ation of magical items an uncommon and special
  thing. Though scrolls and magical potions are
  produced by many a court wizard and priestly ad-
  v i s e r, more permanent magical devices are cre-
  ated much less fre q u e n t l y. And, because practi-
  tioners of true magic are few and far between, so
  are powerful magical items.
  A c c o rding to the BI RT H R I G H T R u l e b o o k, new PC
  regents have the option of beginning the game
  with a single magical item, or an excellent tack
  and harness that includes a trained warhorse and
  other adventuring accoutrements. Noting the
  rarity of magic items on Cerilia, many players
  will probably opt for the magical treasure.
  Dungeon Masters should carefully look
  t h rough the magic items presented in the DU N -
  G E O N MA S T E R G u i d e b e f o re assigning (or ro l l i n g
  for) a magical item 
  for a starting player character. Some items of ex-
  ceptional power exist on those charts, and many
  won’t be appropriate for Cerilia at all, let alone in
  the hands of a beginning regent.
  Most potions and scrolls presented in the DU N -
  G E O N MA S T E R G u i d e a re appropriate. Even if a
  potion or scroll useable by a PC regent is ex-
  tremely powerful, it can be used only once (per-
  haps two or three times, if the DM feels particu-
  larly generous). Naturally, the DM should disal-
  low wish scrolls and the like.
  The Dungeon Master should make sure that
  the item can be used, in some way, by the PC re-
  gent. While a warrior regent might inherit a wand
  of fire f rom his wizard father, the fact that he
  can’t use it tends to discourage the player, if not
  the character. Still, if the DM can think of a cre-
  ative for the wand of fireand reveal it to the
  player early in the campaign, he may wish to
  assign the item. For example, the wand might
  give the PC regent a reason for visiting a
  w i z a rd regent (perhaps another PC) to
  exchange it for something more useful
  or to use as a negotiating tool.
  The most important aspect of
  a w a rding a magical item to a be-
  ginning character, however, is
  the story behind the item.
  Magical items on Cerilia,
  because they are so
  r a re, tend to have
  storied pasts
  and in-
  99
  
  volved histories if they survive to come into the
  hands of a player character. The Dungeon Master
  should not simply give a starting PC regent a
  sword +1; he should create a history and a name
  for the weapon. DMs may want to involve their
  players in the creation of this legend or story to
  encourage role-playing.
  E x a m p l e : The DM decides that Lord Cer
  w i n ,
  new regent of Roesone and former captain of the
  g u a rd, inherits a s w o rd +1 upon assuming the
  t h rone of the Anuirean realm. How did he inherit
  the magical weapon?
  Since the DM wants Lord Cerwin’s ascension to be
  relatively free of trouble, he decides that the former
  regent, Marlae Roesone, was wounded in battle.
  Rather than entrust the barony to one of her incom
  -
  petent relatives, she chose Lord Cerwin to assume
  the throne and had her regency invested in him upon
  the spot. As a symbol of her trust and sincerity, she
  told Lord Cerwin a secret revealed only to the re -
  gents of Roesone. Defender, the long sword wielded
  by her great-grandfather the Black Baron, lies hid-
  den within the castle at Proudglaive. She tells him
  the secret of finding it and advises him to bring the
  legendary blade out to show the other nobles of the
  realm that he is the chosen ruler of Roesone.
  The stories behind other magical items given to
  starting PC regents should have the same level of
  involvement as the above example. The item in
  question may not be as important to the PC’s
  reign as Defenderis to Lord Cerwin’s peaceful as-
  cension, but it could be. But critical to curre n t
  events or not, the history should be significant.
  The reaction of nonplayer characters to the
  magical item can reveal its historical significance.
  Continuing the above example, the nobles of
  Roesone (particularly Marlae’s family) might not
  accept the captain of the guard as their new ruler.
  But when he emerges from a secret part of the
  castle with D e f e n d e r, they all kneel to him and
  believe Marlae chose him as her successor. This
  event might not convince the nobles of Lord
  Cerwin’s abilities as a ruler, but it establishes
  his credentials.
  Nonplayer characters should also react to
  the PC’s treatment of the item (assuming
  NPCs know the item’s significance). If
  L o rd Cerwin chooses to go hunting
  and straps on Defender, his advisers
  should gasp and mutter among
  themselves—Defenderis a leg-
  e n d a ry sword, tied to the
  nobility of Roesone.
  Using it in such a
  pedestrian
  way
  makes Lord Cerwin look like he doesn’t re s p e c t
  R o e s o n e ’s traditions. Likewise, if, in the course
  of an adventure, Lord Cerwin finds a nameless
  sword +2and discards Defenderin favor of the ad-
  ditional +1 bonus, the insult would strike at the
  heart of Roesone’s pride.
  The DM needs to show his players the signifi-
  cance behind their starting magical items. The
  m o re powerful or distinctive the item, the more
  l e g e n d a ry and precious it should seem. Perm a-
  nent magical items need histories like this, or they
  w o n ’t seem important. Charged items, like wands
  and staves, should have similar histories, though
  maybe not quite as distinctive. As mentioned
  above, scrolls and potions might not have more
  than a few lines of historical context—depending
  on the power of the item and the DM’s decision.
  Most Dungeon Masters won’t have diff i c u l t y
  looking through the charts in the DUNGEONMAS -
  T E R G u i d e and determining which items are and
  a re n ’t appropriate for beginning player charac-
  ters. Players should also realize that, if their
  characters start with powerful magical items,
  they won’t have much incentive to work for bet-
  ter items and go on dangerous adventures to at-
  tain them. Still, DMs can use the following lists
  as suggestions for items PC regents might (and
  might not) possess at the start of the game.
  Unless otherwise noted, even items on the
  “prohibited” list may be found or gained over the
  course of adventuring.
  Note: While cursed items may not be prohib-
  ited for starting PCs, they won’t be appro p r i a t e
  as starting items in most situations, unless the
  DM has a particularly interesting scenario in
  mind for the first few adventures that will com-
  pensate the PC regent for his apparently “un-
  lucky” heirloom.
  These items are described in the DU N G E O N
  MA S T E R G u i d e.
  • Any potion or oil not forbidden to the PC’s
  class or on the prohibited list below;
  • Any scrolls not forbidden to the PC’s class or
  on the prohibited list below;
  • Any ring not forbidden to the PC’s class or on
  the prohibited list below;
  • Rod of securityor splendor;
  • Staff or spear +1 or +2; staff of curing, slinging
  100
  
  (priests of Erik), w i t h e r i n g, or the woodlands
  (+2 only);
  • All wands not forbidden to the PC’s class or
  on the prohibited list below;
  • All miscellaneous magical items with an XP
  value of 2,000 or less not forbidden to the
  P C ’s class;
  • All armor with an XP value of 1,500 or less
  (maximum magical adjustment of +2, though
  the armor may have other characteristics) not
  prohibited to the PC’s class;
  • All weapons with an XP value of 1,500 or less
  (maximum magical adjustment of +2, though
  the weapon may have other characteristics)
  not forbidden to the PC’s class.
  These items are described in the DU N G E O N
  MA S T E R G u i d e.
  • Potion of dragon control:Cerilian dragons can-
  not be controlled by standard potions of dragon
  c o n t ro l. If potions of Cerilian dragon contro l
  exist, they have not surfaced into known leg-
  end;
  • S c roll of protection from dragon br
  e a t h : S u c h
  items may exist, but Cerilian dragons all seem
  to have unique breath weapons, and the scroll
  would have to address a specific dragon’s
  breath;
  • Ring of elemental command, mammal contro l,
  p ro t e c t i o n(+3 or higher), the ram, s h o o t i n g
  s t a r s, t e l e k i n e s i s(100 lbs. or more), w i s h e s —
  m u l t i p l e, w i s h e s — t h re e, or w i z a rd ry ( d o u b l e s
  better than 1st- and 2nd-level spells);
  • All rods not found on the suggested list
  (above);
  • All staves not found on the suggested list
  (above);
  • Wand of conjuration, earth and stone, or magic
  missiles;
  • All miscellaneous magic items with an XP
  value greater than 2,000 (DM’s option);
  • All armor with an XP value greater than 1,500
  or with an Armor Class adjustment gre a t e r
  than +2;
  • All weapons with an XP value greater than
  1,500 or with a combat bonus greater than +2.
  The recommended doses for potions and charges
  for rods, staves, and wands (listed in the DMG)
  may be appropriate for adventuring on Cerilia,
  but they might be excessive for “free” items given
  to starting PCs.
  In general, a PC regent could begin the game
  with a potion containing one to eight doses, de-
  pending on the power of the potion and the DM’s
  choice. Potions of healing, or other, similar po-
  tions of relatively containable power that may be
  used up quickly could have several doses,
  whereas more powerful potions, like potions of in-
  visibility or etheralnessmay come to the character
  with only one or two doses left.
  As for rods, staves, and wands, they should sel-
  dom contain more than h a l f or (for wands) o n e -
  q u a rter the normal number of charg e s — p e rh a p s
  f e w e r. Whoever had the item before the player
  character (perhaps several other regents bore the
  item) used many of the charges in great need—
  the PC regent should also use the item only in
  desperate circumstances, since by using it up he
  may destroy a family heirloom. Even though
  many of these items can be re c h a rged, the
  p rocess could prove difficult in a setting where
  true magic remains scarce.
  As mentioned above, unless the Dungeon Master
  has a specific scenario in mind, he should avoid
  giving new PC regents magical items they cannot
  use. On the other hand, the DM may wish to
  grant items to PCs who are likely to be the only
  characters in the party who can use them. This
  consideration extends especially to priest and
  w i z a rd PCs, to whom the DM may wish to give
  an edge in the area of magic. For this re a s o n ,
  p o w e rful wands of firehave not been put on the
  p rohibited list (since they can only be used by
  wizards and magicians), while the wand of magic
  missileshas, since it can be used by anyone.
  This judgment call extends to miscellaneous
  magic as well. The “2,000 XP” cap exists as any
  easy check for the Dungeon Master. However,
  if a priest regent begins the game with a phy -
  l a c t e ry of long years(3,000 XP value) or
  even a large necklace of prayer beads( a t
  500 XP per special bead, that could be
  3,000 XP) it probably won’t unbalance
  the campaign.
  If the Dun-
  geon
  101
  
  Master wants to use magical items from other
  s o u rces, such as the EN C Y C L O P E D I A MA G I C A™
  volumes or the Tome of Magicaccessory, he must
  make a judgment call. If the item seems to fit
  into the story he wants to create for his
  BI RT H R I G H T campaign, then it is appropriate for
  the world. If the item doesn’t seem too unbalanc-
  ing or powerful, it can be given to a starting re-
  gent. In general, the DM should use the guide-
  lines for suggested/prohibited magical items
  above. The overall XP value of magical item can
  provide guidance for most situations.
  As starting magical items undoubtedly have
  strong legends and stories behind them, they also
  create stories as they go. If the Dungeon Master
  ever feels he may have given a PC regent an item
  too powerful, he should feel justified in using the
  item in a “special” story — s a y, a random domain
  event where the item is stolen and the hero must
  engage in several adventures to recover it or win
  restitution from the thief. The player should not
  feel cheated; his character gained the item “for
  f ree,” got some use out of it, and now it contin-
  ues as part of the story of Cerilia. Perhaps the
  hero can win it back (maybe when he’s achieved a
  level of experience more appropriate in the DM’s
  eye), or can gain an item even more intere s t i n g
  and start a legend of his own.
  If the Dungeon Master and the players en-
  gage in extended domain turn play (that
  is, they often play out several domain
  t u rns in a ro w, or make a point of
  playing out domain turns as often
  as engaging in normal role-play-
  ing), PC regents might ac-
  quire magical items with-
  out actually going on
  an adventure or
  quest.
  The P l a y e r’s Handbookdetails special rules re-
  g a rding magical items for several player charac-
  ter classes. For example, paladins can possess
  only very few magical items, and must donate the
  rest of their magical gains to a temple or other
  o rganization linked closely to their faiths. In a
  BIRTHRIGHT campaign, player characters have the
  opportunity to rule these organizations.
  Of the five types of rulership (provinces and the
  four holding types), temple holdings have the
  most opportunity to garner magical tre a s u re as
  part of their seasonal tithes. Paladins and priests
  must donate a certain portion of their adventur-
  ing gains to temples of their faiths, and that in-
  cludes magical items.
  All other regents may come into possession of
  magical items through taxation, tithe, or trade as
  well. A province ruler or a law regent might re-
  ceive a magical item in lieu of Gold Bars when he
  taxes his domain. Guildmasters and wizard re-
  gents can receive magical items through trade.
  Of course, a regent can’t just sit back in his
  court and hope to rake in magical item after mag-
  ical item. Cerilia does not abound with en-
  chanted objects. Still, they may come into a re-
  gent’s hands from a variety of sources.
  If the DM wishes to use this method of distrib-
  uting magical items, he can assign a simple per-
  centage chance to determining whether or not a
  regent receives a magical item as part of a tax,
  tithe, or trade result.
  Priests have a percentage chance of gaining a
  magical item from a single temple holding equal
  to the number of Gold Bars they would normally
  receive from that holding. The DM may choose
  to check for each individual holding a priest re-
  gent collects a tithe from during a domain turn ,
  or he may check only those holdings he thinks
  most likely to contain magical items. When de-
  termining the percentage chance, he does notadd
  the total amount of Gold Bars the priest re g e n t
  receives during his tithe—he checks individual
  holdings separately. So, if a priest gains 2 GB
  f rom one temple holding, 3 GB from another,
  and 4 GB from a final holding, he does not have
  a 9% chance to gain a magical item this domain
  t u rn. He does, however, have three individual
  chances—at 2%, 3%, and 4%.
  Nonpriest regents have half the chance (round
  up) of receiving magical items in lieu of Gold
  Bars from their individual holdings. Players can
  figure out the percentage chance in the same way
  as for priest regents.
  Note, however, one important point: Should any
  regent receive a magical item in lieu of gold pay-
  ment, it i s “in lieu of” that payment. The regent does
  not collect the Gold Bars a n d the magical item. He
  102
  
  gains one or the other, or a combination.
  The relative worth of a magical item, for pur-
  poses of taxation, should be about the same as its
  XP value. So, if a regent would normally gain 2
  GB (4,000 gp) from a province, but the Dungeon
  Master determines that he receives a magical
  item, the DM can give the regent any combina-
  tion he wants. The regent might, for example, re-
  ceive a collection of potions with an XP value of
  2,000 (or 2 GB), and another 2 GB in taxes. Or
  he might receive a wand of fear( w o rth 3,000
  XP/3 GB) and 1 GB. Or he could collect a single
  magical item worth 4,000 XP.
  When a regent receives a magical item instead of
  Gold Bars as tribute or tax, he gains some addi-
  tional benefits. First of all, the regent does not
  have to accept a magical item unless he has a
  good idea of what it is and what it does. Cer-
  t a i n l y, a magical item such as a s w o rd +1 m i g h t
  have other pro p e rties (it could have a hidden
  curse or even be a s w o rd of sharpness)—but the
  regent should at least be told of its +1 bonus.
  The regent might also learn something of the
  i t e m ’s lineage or at least its recent past. If a re-
  gent receives a collection of magical potions, for
  example, he might hear they come almost di-
  rectly from an alchemist who just set up shop in
  his lands. In addition to gaining a collection of
  potions, the regent also learns of the existence of
  a powerful NPC in the region that he may want
  to contact in the future for advice or help—or
  keep an eye on.
  The Dungeon Master can use a scenario such
  as this to his advantage. A regent might receive a
  magical weapon as tribute from one of his hold-
  ings, and learn that an adventurer turned it in as
  p a rt of his payment for some service or other.
  The adventurer told a story about the item con-
  cerning a hidden treasure hoard and an evil mon-
  s t e r. This could prompt the PC regent to gather
  his forces (the other player characters) and inves-
  tigate on his own behalf.
  The possibities for jump-starting adventure s
  this way are endless. The Dungeon Master
  s h o u l d n ’t feel he is “giving away” magical items
  under these circumstances. Of course, he should
  avoid substituting very powerful magical items
  for taxes unless he has an extraord i n a ry re a s o n
  (for example, the s w o rd of sharpnessactually be-
  longs to another regent and he’s coming to look
  for it . . . with an army). In general, any item or
  collection of items the DM wouldn’t mind giving
  to a starting regent can be received in this man-
  n e r. Limited-use items (such as scrolls, potions,
  or nearly-depleted rods, staves, and wands) work
  best for these situations.
  Receiving a magical item in this manner actually
  can cause the regent some problems. The regent
  really ought to accept any magical items offered
  as taxes or tithes—with magical items so rare on
  Cerilia, he’d be a fool if he didn’t. However, he
  c a n ’t pay his troops, build roads, or otherw i s e
  maintain his domain and court with a collection
  of potions or some musty old scrolls. If he ends
  up short of cash, he’ll have to devise some other
  way of paying his bills or trim back expenses for a
  season. If he desires, he can use the finances do-
  main action to sell his newly-acquired magical
  items for Gold Bars at his first opportunity.
  When regents receive these sorts of treasures as
  taxes or tithe, they must remember that the
  items become the pro p e rty of their domain’s
  t re a s u ry or hoard. Of course, the regent does
  have the final say in what happens to the tre a-
  sury, but he can cause bad feelings among his fol-
  lowers if he takes all the magical items acquired
  in this manner and uses them for only his own di-
  rect benefit.
  If a PC regent begins to take all the best items
  for his own use, people should stop tithing them.
  In other words, the Dungeon Master should stop
  rolling for the chance of this to occur. If the PC
  regent, on the other hand, puts the items in his
  treasury “for an emergency” and conserves them
  or—better yet—gives them out to important lieu-
  tenants or allies (often NPCs) who have serv e d
  the realm in special ways, the commonfolk and
  nobility should see his actions as just and wise.
  The people at the bottom like to see the regent
  give out rewards to those who serve loyally.
  A regent may, if he feels his chance of
  receiving a magical tithe too small
  for it to happen in his lifetime, en-
  courage his subjects to substi-
  tute magical items for gold
  by granting tax breaks for
  them. Simply put, the
  regent decre e s
  that those of
  h i s
  103
  
  subjects who pay their taxes with magical items get
  their taxes reduced. In order for this method to
  work, the regent must count the value of a magical
  item as d o u b l eits normal worth. This act doubles
  the chance that a magical item will be tithed, but it
  can also leave the regent short of funds.
  A magic-greedy regent, however, can run into
  problems. For every domain turn (after the first)
  this “tax break” is in effect, the regent risks de-
  creasing the loyalty of his people (who see him as
  using his position to treasure hunt) and of falling
  prey to an elaborate fraud.
  After the first domain turn that a tax break is in
  e ffect, there is a 20% chance that fraud occurs. For
  e v e ry domain turn there a f t e r, the chance incre a s e s
  by 5%. So, after three domain turns with the tax
  b reak in effect, a 30% chance of fraud exists.
  This fraud can take many forms. The perpetra-
  tor might cast N y s t u l ’s magical aura on an item,
  or even continual light, to give it a “magical” ap-
  pearance. The regent himself does not have to be
  fooled—only his subordinates and tax collectors,
  who probably have very little experience with
  magical items. Under normal circ u m s t a n c e s ,
  when the regent doesn’t particularly care
  whether or not magical items come into his pos-
  session through taxation, his subordinates gre e t
  such offers with skepticism and take their time
  checking things out. However, when a tax break
  is in effect, they hope to impress their superiors
  by finding magical items and can be duped.
  As far as the decrease in loyalty goes, the re g e n t
  risks it only after he has started gaining magical
  items. If the regent receives magical items twice
  during a tax break period, a 10% chance exists
  that the loyalty level of the realm drops by one
  level o r (in the case of regents who don’t need to
  w o rry about loyalty levels) the regent gains 10%
  fewer Regency Points from his holdings.
  The regent can reverse this loyalty drop if he
  rescinds the tax break for a while (at least two
  consecutive domain turns) or if he buys the
  magical items from the tre a s u ry with his own
  personal wealth. Most PC regents should
  have separate treasuries of wealth and mag-
  ical items gained from adventuring—the
  regent can simply pay the tre a s u ry the
  amount of gold the tre a s u ry would
  have receieved in lieu of the magical
  item(s). This action immediately
  wipes out any loyalty drop if it
  is accompanied by a de-
  c ree proclaiming that
  the regent per-
  f o rmed it.
  Most powerful magical items in Cerilia have his-
  tories. Some of the most potent date from before
  the human tribes fled Aduria, bringing war and
  the Shadow to Cerilia. Dwarves toiled under-
  mountain long before humans arrived, and even
  elves, possessing a form of true magic unknown
  in present-day Cerilia, created items that cannot
  be replicated today.
  This chapter provides some sample magical
  items re g e n t s — p a rticularly warrior re g e n t s —
  might encounter sometime during their adven-
  turing careers. Most of the items listed here
  dwell largely in legend, and the stories behind the
  items often can be more powerful than the ob-
  jects themselves.
  In many cases, items of an earlier age inspired
  lesser copies, made for kings and adventure r s
  centuries after the originals. If an item has
  copies, the properties of the copy are listed most
  p ro m i n e n t l y, since adventurers have a gre a t e r
  chance of encountering them than the original.
  (Note that in some descriptions, such as the
  Sword of the Silent Watch,capital letters are used
  to differentiate between the original items and its
  copies.)
  Artifacts and legendary items have a great place
  in Cerilian lore and adventuring. Even if an item
  listed here no longer exists within the bounds of
  a particular BI RT H R I G H T campaign, it does exist
  in the imaginations of someone in the world. It
  might inspire adventures, more copies, or other
  exciting possibilities.
  Considering the devastation caused by the Battle
  of Mount Deismaar and the weapons used there,
  Cerilian’s leaders and heroes have always been in
  need of powerful armor and other pro t e c t i v e
  g e a r. Realm regents—at least in the early years
  after the battle—had access to exceptional pro-
  tections.
  When the Gorgon discovered bloodtheft and
  began employing it to increase his own power,
  he destroyed many of the most noble and power-
  ful heroes of the new age before they had a
  104
  
  chance to defend themselves. Those newly-in-
  vested scions had to discover a way to defend
  their bloodlines against bloodtheft—even if they
  could not protect their lives—so that the mon-
  s t rous Prince Raesaene could not gain their
  p o w e r.
  The wizards and priests of the new gods coop-
  erated to develop blood arm o r. Usually made of
  metal (possibly some tighmaevril-related alloy)
  and constructed as plate, chain, or impro v e d
  mail, these suits of armor protect a regent’s life to
  some extent—and his bloodline from bloodtheft
  completely.
  Most blood armorcreated in the early years had
  an Armor Class bonus of –2 to –5. If any lesser
  versions exist today, they probably have –1 to –3
  adjustments. In either case, however, a scion
  wearing blood arm o r cannot lose his bloodline
  t h rough bloodtheft. The metal and magic in the
  a rmor protects him from that eventuality, even
  though a strike through the heart could still slay
  the weare r. The blood arm o r, greater or lesser,
  disperses the bloodline without passing it on to
  the scion’s killer.
  Rumors and legends:
  Some blood arm o r m a y
  have the ability to store a killed re g e n t ’s blood-
  line, in much the same way a sword of blood(see
  below) does. Only a person of the same blood-
  line, donning the armor, could call forth and ab-
  sorb the former weare r’s bloodline and blood
  abilities.
  Other magics may have been incorporated into
  some of the more legendary suits of blood armor.
  G retta Danig, Countess of Danigau, may have
  possessed a full suit of field plate blood arm o r
  that actually enhanced her own blood abilities,
  i n c reasing their effectiveness by one step (her
  minor abilities became major and her major be-
  came great while she wore the armor).
  Most often made from seal or sea lion skin, en-
  chanted Brecht fine leatherarmor sheds water and
  allows freedom of action to its wearer. Shiny and
  black, this armor protects its wearer fro m
  weapons and the elements equally well. Most
  Brecht fine leatherarmor comes designed for hu-
  mans of Brecht stature (somewhat short and
  stocky), but it stretches admirably well (any
  human or elf should be able to wear a suit). It
  was originally manufactured for navy officers of
  the Brecht League in 164 MR.
  Brecht fine leatherarmor covers its wearer from
  neck to toe, providing AC 4 protection but allow-
  ing complete freedom of movement. Slick and
  smooth, it fits snugly. It provides protection even
  f rom the nort h e rn Brecht winters—while still
  c o m f o rtable in the hot summer months of the
  Basin States. In the water, it provides tempera-
  t u re protection (even the cold of the Black Ice
  Bay cannot penetrate it) and the ability to move
  easily (per a ring of free action). The armor pro-
  vides no protection from hold spells, however.
  Rumors and legends:
  While some Brecht ar-
  morers still hold the secret of making Brecht fine
  leather, only a practicioner of true magic can en-
  chant the suits. Still, many suits survive, as a
  memorial to the Brecht Free League, and many
  noble houses of Brechtür keep several among
  their treasure hoards.
  Some legends speak of white Brecht fine leather
  ,
  made from the pelts of white seals. This armor, in
  addition to its normal bonuses, is said to have
  provided 50% magic resistance to its wearer and
  the ability to hide in shadowsamong snow drifts
  or any other white background with a 75%
  chance of success.
  Brought to the Battle of Mount Deismaar by the
  few halflings of Cerilia willing to join the fight on
  either side, these suits of leather armor come in
  elf and human sizes as well—the halflings made
  them for their allies.
  A warrior wearing a suit of shadow arm o r c a n
  use the shadow formblood ability once per day
  for a duration of one turn. The shadow armoralso
  helps protect him from Shadow World creatures:
  While the armor normally carries a –1 to –3
  A rmor Class bonus, its protection doubles
  against creatures of the Shadow World.
  Rumors and legends:
  While the halflings of
  Cerilia fought on the side of light during the War
  of Shadow—if they fought at all—many people
  believe still more halflings existed (and may still
  exist) in the Shadow World. If so, they proba-
  bly have shadow arm o r that works much the
  same way—only protecting themselves and
  their Shadow World allies and serv a n t s
  from creatures coming from Cerilia.
  The orogs, goblins, and
  gnolls of Cerilia have
  their own magical
  items. The w a r-
  h o rns 
  of
  105
  
  B o e r a g may have been given to the orogs of the
  S w o rd Rust Tribes by an even wizard, perh a p s
  even the Raven himself.
  The war- h o rns attach to the traditional conic
  helmet of the orog war chieftain, giving him a
  fearsome appearance. Non-orogs within 50 feet
  of the wearer must succeed at a saving throw vs.
  spell or suffer quaking fear that causes a –2
  penalty to all saving throws and attacks while
  within range of the horns.
  C o n v e r s e l y, the war- h o rns provide their oro g
  wearer with a +2 bonus to all attacks and saving
  throws, and make him invulnerable to all fear at-
  tacks.
  Rumors and legends:
  The actual War-Horns of
  Boerag were named for the orog war-chief gifted
  with the initial set. Though Boerag died in battle
  against the Vos in what is now Rovninodensk, the
  original war- h o rns were never re c o v e red. It is
  said that anyone wearing the original Wa r- H o rn s
  of Boeragcould cause all orogs within a 100-foot
  radius to respond to the leader as if c h a rm e d,
  with no saving throw.
  Behind every magical weapon lies a story. Some-
  times, only legends or myths surround a weapon,
  while other times every battle the weapon’s
  wielders participated in can be traced thro u g h
  history as accurately as the Lord High Castellan
  tracks the monetary expenditures of his subordi-
  nates.
  Weapons have always been important in Cer-
  ilia. Not only used for fighting, they remain sym-
  bols of ideals and bloodlines that might be for-
  gotten or lost for a time, but never destro y e d .
  Even the most pacifistic rulers on Cerilia hear-
  ken to stories of mystical weapons and symbols
  of their ancestry.
  Supposedly created by elf wizards during
  the early days of the gheallie Sidhe, the
  shafts known as deathbolt arro w s c o n-
  tained powerful spells to ensure the
  deaths of those they struck. Typical
  d e a t h b o l t sgrant archers a +3
  bonus to both their chance of
  hitting a target and the
  amount of damage in-
  flicted, but they
  all bear a
  stronger spell as well.
  If a deathboltstrikes its target on a modified roll
  of 20+, the victim must succeed at a saving throw
  vs. death magic or suffer the consequences. The
  arrowhead of the deathboltdissolves instantly in-
  side of its victim, spreading like a cancer to the
  c re a t u re ’s bones and muscles. The victim loses
  one point of his Strength and Constitution scores
  every day thereafter until a neutralize poisonspell
  is applied. At that point, a c u re diseasespell can
  restore lost ability scores completely—otherwise,
  they re t u rn at a rate of one point each of
  Strength and Constitution per week.
  Rumors and legends:
  The elves part i c i p a t i n g
  in the gheallie Sidhelearned to their dismay that
  human priests could counteract the effects of the
  deathboltarrow with their strange magics. If the
  elves came up with a version of the deathboltim-
  mune to these spells, it has not been recorded.
  Developed during the Witch Wars of the Vo s ,
  straight arrows were used by the northern people
  to detect magical tricks and traps on the battle-
  field. When a straight arro w is fired into an illu-
  sion (such as h a l l u c i n a t o ry terr a i n), the illusion
  shimmers and, for a moment, the true nature of
  the situation can be perceived. The straight arrow
  need not be used on the battlefield, however—
  firing it into any spell of the illusion school causes
  it to activate.
  Rumors and legends: Straight arrowswere con-
  sidered relatively minor weapons by the Vos and
  few achieved any notoriety. Still, some believe
  the original straight arro w s (of which there are
  few, if any, left in existence) could slay practition-
  ers of magic with a mere scratch. If this is tru e ,
  when one of the original straight arro w s hits a
  w i z a rd, magician, or bard (or anyone else with
  access to the illusion school of magic), that char-
  acter must succeed at a saving throw vs. death
  magic or die instantly.
  The lance of the Gray Legion became the signa-
  ture weapon of an ancient warrior company that
  once fought on the side of Azrai in the War of
  S h a d o w. Brought from Aduria by a company of
  evil men and monsters under Azrai’s command,
  the lances struck terror into the hearts of the evil
  g o d ’s enemies—until the Gray Legion betrayed
  its evil master and came over to the side of good.
  Azrai and his Vos warriors destroyed the last of
  the Gray Legion at the Battle of Mount Deis-
  maar, but the lances disappeared.
  106
  
  No copies of the lance of the Gray Legionever
  saw the light of day. Some have tried to emulate
  its powers, but they all failed in some way or
  other and their lances perished with their wield-
  ers. Some say a curse surrounds those who would
  reawaken the magic of the lance Azrai gave to his
  champions.
  The original lances were +3 weapons that could
  be used either by a knight on horseback or a war-
  rior on foot (as a two-handed weapon, in the lat-
  ter case). Azrai granted it the power to slay any
  living cre a t u re (on a natural die roll of 20 the
  creature must succeed at a saving throw vs. death
  magic or be destroyed) and never took that
  power back. The god Anduiras, before he sacri-
  ficed himself to destroy Azrai, imbued the lance
  with the ability to slay undead as well (the same
  saving throw rules apply).
  The lance inflicts 1d8+4 damage points against
  small and medium creatures, and 3d6+3 damage
  points against large creatures (including the mag-
  ical bonus) when used by an unmounted wielder.
  When used by someone on horseback, it inflicts
  double damage. When wielded by a character ac-
  companying a War Card unit (or units), all
  friendly units in the same square receive a +1
  bonus to their attack and defense ratings, as the
  sight of the lance intimidates foes. Enemy units
  attacked by these units treat all H results as R re-
  sults.
  Rumors and legends:
  The lance of the Gray Le-
  gion may have come from another world and can-
  not be destroyed by any power of Aebrynis, nor
  p e rhaps even of the Shadow World. It may also
  have the ability to find a true warrior—Anduiras
  could have granted it a form of sentience that al-
  lows it to aid and advise a warrior dedicated to
  the destruction of the forces of the Shadow
  World.
  Some say a banner exists to go with the lance.
  The last banner of the Gray Legion paralyzed
  with terror the mortal armies of Azrai. If such a
  banner exists, and could be attached to the Lance
  of the Gray Legion, who knows what sort of pow-
  ers the artifact could have?
  Swords of bloodwere created shortly after the dis-
  c o v e ry of tighmaevril. Commissioned by a num-
  ber of regents in the first two centuries following
  the Battle of Mount Deismaar, these weapons
  protect a scion’s bloodline from the predations of
  tighmaevril weapons. Though only a few tru e
  tighmaevril weapons exist, early scions had no
  idea how common they were and feared them
  greatly.
  A sword of bloodcan, when handled by a willing
  wielder, absorb one character’s entire bloodline—
  all blood abilities and bloodline strength points—
  or any part of it. (If only a fraction of the blood-
  line is stored, a pro p o rtional number of blood
  abilities are transfered to the weapon along with
  it. The DM determines which ones.) As long as
  the wielder still possesses the weapon, he can ac-
  cess the benefits of his bloodline at any time and
  can transfer the bloodline back to himself auto-
  matically and instantly. However, if the weapon is
  separated from its owner while it contains part or
  all of his bloodline, the owner loses that part of
  his power.
  Any character wielding a sword of bloodimbued
  with a bloodline may gain the benefits of that
  bloodline and any powers imparted to the
  sword—as long as he does not use his own blood-
  line or blood abilities (if any) at the same time.
  For example, if a character holds a sword of blood
  with the shadow form ability and turns himself
  into a living shadow, he cannot use any of his
  own blood abilities while in shadow form. If the
  sword of bloodcontains any other blood abilities,
  however, he can use them as well.
  When a blooded character passes part or all of
  his bloodline into a s w o rd of blood, the sword
  holds it until he releases it—or, if he dies before
  he can release it, until a wielder of his same
  bloodline holds the weapon and states the name
  of the deceased character aloud. Then, the blood-
  line and all the blood abilities residing in the
  weapon pass on to the new heir.
  Note: If a character of a different bloodline fol-
  lows the same pro c e d u re, the bloodline passes
  out of the weapon and into the new wielder as if
  the holder had committed bloodtheft.
  Rumors and legends: Rumor has it that, rather
  than sacrifice a bloodline to an opponent, many
  w a rriors of old transfered their bloodlines into
  these weapons, which then were lost to time.
  S w o rds of bloodcontaining powerful blood-
  lines might lie hidden away in some deep
  places.
  Given to the first Baron of the
  Stille Wächter (“Silent
  Watch”) in Rheulgard by
  an elven lord of the
  C o u l l a d a r a i g h t ,
  the S w o rd of
  t h e
  107
  
  Silent Wa t c h re p resents one of many treaties be-
  tween the Brecht people and the elven realm of
  Coullabhie. The only humans not to come into
  d i rect conflict with the elves during the time of
  the gheallie Sidhe, the Brechts established a
  p recedent of peace between elves and men that
  has lasted for centuries.
  The original S w o rd of the Silent Wa t c h m i g h t
  have been a bro a d s w o rd, long and thin, such as
  the elves of Coullabhie use today. Made of a light
  and supple steel alloy, the weapons of the Coul-
  labhie elves proved nearly unbreakable in those
  days—and this gift to the humans bore that abil-
  ity well. The sword also granted its wielder a +3
  bonus to attack and damage rolls, and warn e d
  him of approaching enemies—it felt warm to the
  touch and hummed at a frequency only the
  wielder could hear when anyone he might con-
  sider an enemy came within half a mile.
  The elves have given copies of the original
  sword to other barons and members of the Silent
  Watch, to other Brechts and even to some Khi-
  nasi of Sendoure. They have found their way out
  into the rest of Cerilia slowly. These lesser swords
  of the silent watchoften come in the form of
  rapiers. They remain virtually unbreakable (re-
  ceiving a +10 bonus to all item saving thro w s ) ,
  and they give their wielder a +1 bonus to attack
  and damage. They also prove so light in the hand
  that a wielder proficient in rapier use and wear-
  ing light armor (studded leather or lighter) gains
  a –1 bonus to his Armor Class—the wielder can
  p e rf o rm a limited parry using the magic and
  lightness of the weapon. The lesser swords also
  w a rn of any undead or cre a t u res of the Shadow
  World approaching within 200 yards.
  Rumors and legends:
  Some say all the swords
  of the silent watchcontain an enchantment cre-
  ated secretly by their elven wielders: They do not
  allow themselves to be turned upon their mak-
  ers. If wielded against an elf or half-elf fro m
  any region of Cerilia, a sword of the silent watch
  must make a saving throw vs. crushing blow
  every time it is used in an attack, with a -10
  modifier to the roll and no magical
  bonuses. If the weapon breaks, it dis-
  charges a bright light and flame into the
  w i e l d e r’s face, blinding him for 2d3
  rounds and causing him 2d4 points
  of damage.
  The original S w o rd of Va s s a l a g e came into the
  possession of Ryullen Roele, Anuirean Overlord
  to the southern Rjurik kingdoms during the latter
  half of the ninth century HC. His court wizards
  c reated the first S w o rd of Va s s a l a g e as a peace-
  time weapon. True, it gave its wielder powerf u l
  magical attack adjustments in combat (and may
  have had other, secret powers as well), but it had
  another property that made it even more famous.
  No oath of allegience sworn on the original
  S w o rd of Va s s a l a g e could be broken. Even if the
  oath-taker wished, he could not act against his
  oath of allegiance. But the sword truly possessed
  a double-edge: The wielder of the S w o rd of Va s -
  s a l a g e could not betray his vassals either. Oaths
  of protection and overlordship could not be for-
  saken or broken.
  The original Sword of Vassalagedisappeared in
  the Giantdowns centuries ago. The war that ac-
  companied the re t reat of Anuirean armies fro m
  Rjurik lands made it impossible to search for the
  weapon, and even rumors of its possible location
  have been forgotten.
  Still, the S w o rd of Va s s a l a g e i n s p i red others.
  Lesser wizards created lesser s w o rds of vassalage
  for lesser kings, but they all bear some of the
  same power. Giving their possessor a +2 at-
  tack/damage bonus in combat, they can be found
  as broadswords and two-handed weapons on oc-
  casion. Rare and precious, their gifts do not end
  at the battlefield.
  If a person knowlingly and willingly swears an
  oath of vassalage on such a sword, he finds him-
  self under the effects of a spell similar to a geas.
  He must obey his oath of allegiance, in spirit as
  well as word, for one year, after which he is re-
  leased. He cannot, during that time, be com-
  manded to take another oath upon the sword, or
  to do anything against the best interests of the
  realm or lord he has sworn allegiance to, unless
  that lord betrays him or his oaths of overlordship.
  If an overlord betrays in word or deed a vassal
  who has sworn on a sword of vassalagebefore the
  year of service ends, the vassal finds himself im-
  mediately freed from his oath—though he does
  not know why. Should either the vassal or the
  o v e r l o rd die during the year of service, the oath
  automatically loses its power.
  Lesser s w o rds of vassalagemay contain oaths
  from up to five vassals at a time. If the wielder of
  a sword of vassalageso wishes, he may release an
  oath-taker from his oath at any time during the
  y e a r. If the wielder of a s w o rd of vassalagel o s e s
  the sword (but the weapon remains intact), the
  oaths remain until they would normally run out.
  108
  
  The sword can take oaths for a new wielder dur-
  ing that time, as long as it contains no more than
  five total oaths.
  Rumors and legends:
  Some say f i v e o r i g i n a l
  S w o rds of Va s s a l a g e existed—one for the Rjurik,
  B recht, and Khinasi lands (for each of the
  A n u i rean overlords), one for the Anuirean Em-
  p e ror himself, and one that was destined for a
  Vos overlord who never materialized. Each sword
  b o re diff e rent symbols and may have been of a
  different size or make (broadsword, two-handed,
  short, rapier, and scimitar), but they all bore the
  crest of the Anuirean Empire on their hilts.
  One of the last of the doomed Masetian war-
  lords, Oelde made a valiant stand for her people
  in the waning days of the War of Shadow. The Tri -
  dent of Oeldemay have been the reason for her
  success.
  Made of silver and blue steel mined, it is said,
  f rom beneath the waves of the Baïr El-Mehare ,
  the Trident of Oelde gives its wielder a +4 attack
  and damage bonus. It can be wielded two-handed
  by most warriors, but a character with an 18 or
  higher Strength score and a 15 or higher Dexter-
  ity score can use it one-handed. In melee, it in-
  flicts 2d4+6 damage points on small to medium
  creatures and 1d10+7 damage on large creatures
  (including its magical adjustment).
  The wielder of the Trident of Oeldealso gains
  the ability to breath underwater (per the w a t e r
  b re a t h i n gw i z a rd spell) and move freely (as if
  wearing a ring of free action) for as long as he
  holds the trident. The owner also can cast monster
  summoning IIIthree times each day to call water
  creatures. No true copies of this artifact exist.
  Rumors and legends: During the Last Siege of
  e l - P a h a e re, a coastal fort ress of strategic impor-
  tance during the War of Shadow, Oelde used the
  trident to summon forth three sunken ships of
  her fleet, along with undead crews, to fight on
  her side in the battle. This maneuver so terrified
  A z r a i ’s minions that an easy victory seemed
  within Oelde’s grasp. Unfort u n a t e l y, Azrai sent
  in undead re i n f o rcements, and the undead fear
  nothing. Though the Masetians eventually won
  the hard-fought naval battle that ensued, Oelde
  and her ship were destroyed—and the trident
  was lost.
  Rings have always been popular magical items on
  Cerilia. They are easily hidden easily, can be
  w o rn all the time, and seldom call attention to
  themselves (hence, they avoid the notice of
  thieves).
  When worn by a regent or a scion, a b l o o d s t o n e
  r i n g draws power from the land itself to trans-
  f o rm part of a re g e n t ’s bloodline into re g e n c y.
  The wearer can sacrifice one of his bloodline
  s t rength points and gain a number of Regency
  Points equal to his former bloodline stre n g t h
  s c o re. So, if a regent with a bloodline stre n g t h
  s c o re of 19 used the bloodstone ring, his score
  would drop to 18, but he would gain 19 RP. A
  bloodstone ringcannot be used more than once
  per month.
  Scions find this ring invaluable. It allows them
  to accumulate regency in the hopes of perf o rm-
  ing actions they otherwise could never do. Scions
  do not collect Regency Points norm a l l y, but a
  scion with a bloodstone ringcould gather enough
  popular support and power from the land to ac-
  complish a domain action.
  Unfortunately, since a scion has no permanent
  link to the land, if he does not control at least a
  holding (0) by the end of the current month (ac-
  tion round), he loses the Regency Points he pro-
  duced through his sacrifice.
  Rumors and legends:
  These rings first came
  into being during the fall of the Anuirean Em-
  p i re. Scions and minor regents, desperate for
  some way of amassing support against powerf u l
  rivals, developed these magical items as a means
  of translating their bloodlines into actual power.
  Some say many of the bloodstone ringshave been
  cursed and, once activated, drain a re g e n t ’s
  bloodline strength away slowly, month by month.
  A legendary item, the first Ring of Reversalis
  said to have been created by the Sorcerer, a
  mysterious regent who once ruled lands
  now controlled by the White Wi t c h .
  S u rrounded by the superstitious
  Rjurik people, the Sorc e rer feare d
  becoming the object of a blood
  quest. Though the threat of
  bloodtheft lingers in the
  minds of all scions, the
  S o rc e rer believed
  himself a prime
  t a rget—for a
  success-
  109
  
  ful adventurer would gain not only his bloodline,
  but also the prestige of having rid the land of a
  w i z a rd. So he crafted the Ring of Reversalt o
  thwart such attempts.
  The Ring of Reversalactivates when one scion
  attempts to commit bloodtheft on another. The
  ring reverses the process of bloodtheft, turn i n g
  the energy back upon the attacker—draining him
  of his bloodline and perhaps even his life.
  When a character wearing the Ring of Reversal
  is struck in the heart by a would-be bloodline
  thief, the victim must roll a saving throw vs.
  death magic. If he succeeds, the magic of the ring
  deflects the attack, preventing the wearer fro m
  suffering any damage and requiring the attacker
  to attempt the same saving throw. If the attacker
  succeeds, his bloodline is drained completely and
  passes on to his intended victim, as if the scion
  wearing the Ring of Reversalhad committed
  bloodtheft against him.
  If either character fails his saving thro w, that
  character dies instantly. Bloodtheft, one way or
  the other, occurs normally.
  Since the ring’s creation, other paranoid scions
  have made similar rings of re v e r s a l . These lesser
  rings function diff e rently from the original: the
  would-be bloodline thief can lose only his blood-
  line, not his life. A failed saving throw means the
  attacker loses his bloodline; a successful saving
  throw prevents the bloodline drain.
  Rumors and legends:
  Though the Sorcerer is
  no more and his domain has been taken over by
  the White Witch (see the H o g u n m a r kd o m a i n
  sourcebook), no one knows what happened to his
  Ring of Reversal.Some say it was stolen over a
  century ago by a Rjurik adventurer, thus leaving
  the Sorc e rer more vulnerable to the attack that
  ended his life.
  P roduced for the Sons of the Serpent by an
  ancient Masetian wizard long departed from
  this world, the rings of the Serpenth a v e
  passed from their original wielders and be-
  come part of treasure troves throughout
  Cerilia.
  If a character wearing a ring of the
  Serpentstrikes a target (making an
  u n a rmed attack, or simply
  putting the ring in contact
  with the victim’s skin),
  the target must roll a
  saving throw vs.
  poison. If
  the
  victim fails, he is exposed to magical poison, suf-
  fering 1d6 points of damage from wracking pains
  in his abdomen becoming unable to attack or de-
  fend himself well (his Armor Class suffers a +4
  penalty). The pain (and penalty) continue for 2d4
  rounds after the first, during which time the vic-
  tim suffers another 1d4 points of damage each
  round.
  Rumors and legends:
  The Serpent personally
  gave these rings to his worshipers, marking them
  as Sons of the Serpent forever. It is said that re-
  moving a ring of the Serpent(which looks like a
  s e r p e n t ’s mouth, with fangs hanging over the
  w e a re r’s knuckle) causes a wearer to suffer the
  same fate as those successfully attacked by the
  ring’s magical poison—no saving throw allowed.
  The Serpent may also have a special link to
  these rings. If so, he would know the exact
  whereabouts of anyone wearing a ring of the Ser-
  pentwithin a 50-mile radius of the Isle of the Ser-
  pent (or the Serpent himself, were he to leave his
  island).
  These magical items may prove useful for regents
  of any class. Some exist as known heirlooms in
  several realms, while others can be found in the
  treasuries of only the most legendary lands.
  When the armies of the old gods marched into
  battle against Azrai and his shadow legions, they
  did not do so as one great force. Each god’s army
  m a rched under separate banners, and not even
  all the followers of the same god united com-
  pletely before the great battle.
  To avoid direct conflict between their individual
  forces in the days leading up to the great battle,
  the gods created pickets imbued with the power
  to keep the different armies divided. When each
  army set up camp, sentries aligned these magical
  pickets, or b o u n d e r’s guides,to mark their terr i-
  tory.
  The guides contained enough magic to keep
  most normal humans, elves, and dwarves fro m
  c rossing them. They would destroy most minor
  undead or creatures of shadow that tried to infil-
  trate the camp, and they sounded a warning if a
  creature of power broke their line.
  Each guidepost carried or a symbol of the
  champion it re p resented, as well as a few mark-
  ings to indicate the major foes of that champion.
  Friendly troops from another banner felt uncom-
  f o rtable trying to cross the line, and had to suc-
  110
  
  ceed at a saving throw vs. spell or find themselves
  unable to cross the picket line. Enemy troops and
  c re a t u res had to succeed at a saving throw vs.
  b reath weapon or suffer 6d6 points of damage
  (success meant half damage).
  Surprisingly, many of these bounder’s guidessur-
  vived the Battle of Mount Deismaar and tro o p s
  fleeing the cataclysm brought them north, into
  Cerilia. Single guideposts often found their way
  into temple hoards, as symbols of the new gods.
  Unfortunately, a regent needs to assemble a com-
  plete set of bounder’s guides(at least four, usually
  six) to use them effectively.
  Luckily, priests of the new gods learned to du-
  plicate the spells placed into the original
  b o u n d e r’s guidesto create new ones. If a re g e n t
  places a string of these g u i d e s on his border (or
  a round his castle, or even around an armed en-
  campment), he can seal off that area to norm a l
  e n c roachment. Anyone who wishes to cross the
  picket line must succeed at a saving throw vs.
  spell or simply not be able to cross—in either di-
  rection. Only the regent can remove the pickets
  or cross them without rolling a saving throw.
  Individual bounder’s guidessave vs. magical at-
  tacks at the 12th level of ability and can endure
  50 points of damage before being destroyed. The
  magic of the pickets extends 50 feet straight up
  and straight down, as well as between the indi-
  vidual guides. If someone does manage to cro s s
  the picket line, the b o u n d e r’s guidesm a g i c a l l y
  a l e rt the regent who placed them. The re g e n t
  knows the boundaries he set up have been
  b reached, and where, but not by whom (or
  what).
  Rumors and legends:
  According to legend, if a
  regent includes an original b o u n d e r’s guide ( o n e
  c reated by the old gods) in a string of lesser
  guides, the entire boundary gains the attack
  against those who try to cross it, as well as the
  ability to distinguish friend from foe (as per-
  ceived by the regent who places the boundary).
  Basarji wizards invented the braziers of banish -
  ment,and many saw use in those lands before the
  A n u i rean Occupation. Unfort u n a t e l y, most of
  the braziers were destroyed or hidden during the
  empire’s rule, and when the Khinasi won control
  of their own lands back from the Anuireans, all
  record of their whereabouts had disappeared.
  Braziers of banishmentdid not look like “typical”
  Khinasi magical items. Plain and rough, they ap-
  p e a red to be large braziers much like those used by
  the city and town executioners of the day. Used for
  branding criminals in the marketplace, the braziers
  h a rdly needed much decoration.
  But a brazier of banishmentcould be used only
  under the auspices of the lord of the land. He
  could, by invoking his personal power of ru l e r-
  ship (1 RP), cause the magical properties of the
  brazier to activate.
  Anyone branded with an iron heated in a bra -
  zier of banishmentafter it has been activated must
  leave as quickly as possible the lands ruled by the
  regent who caused him to be branded. The regent
  can set a time limit—not less than a week—for
  the now-branded outlaw to flee the realm, or he
  can leave the decision up to the brazier’s magic.
  Should the branded outlaw dally in the regent’s
  lands, the brand mark becomes hot again,
  wounding the outlaw. On the first day of dal-
  liance, the outlaw suffers one point of burn i n g
  damage from the brand. No magical or natural
  healing can cure the outlaw while he remains in
  the provinces of the regent who branded him.
  The next day, the outlaw receives two points of
  damage that cannot be healed, then three, four,
  and so on. Accompanying these damage points is
  an excrutiating pain that will drive a man mad
  within a few days to a week—so the outlaw has
  every reason to flee the regent’s lands.
  Once the outlaw leaves, he can heal his damage
  n o rmally and the pain immediately subsides. If
  he ever crosses into the regent’s land again, how-
  ever, he picks up where he left off—possibly suf-
  fering four or five (or more) hit points of damage
  immediately.
  Should a regent expand his realm to include
  lands inhabited by branded outlaws, they realize
  the danger immediately and have a “grace pe-
  riod” to depart—usually equal to the original
  time they had after the initial branding. If they
  choose not to leave, they begin suffering the
  wounds and terrible pain.
  Rumors and legends: Many braziers of ban -
  i s h m e n tp robably still exist—but their owners
  d o n ’t know their powers. Some say that par-
  ticularly cruel regents (possibly Anuire a n
  overlords) used to brand rebels and crimi-
  nals, then lock them up so that they
  could not leave the provinces fro m
  which they were banished. The pris-
  oners died in terrible pain, and the
  rumor of these acts may have
  caused the magical braziers to
  be hidden from the general
  populace.
  111
  
  Manufactured first by elf wizards, living tapestries
  have since been commissioned by at least a
  dozen human regents. These t a p e s t r i e sallow a
  true regent to observe his realm as if from above,
  with all its borders and landmarks in place.
  Most living tapestriesm e a s u re about 8 feet by
  12 feet and were made to hang from interior
  c o u rt walls. So precious are they, however, that
  many remained hidden behind secret doors or il-
  lusion spells.
  Each tapesty is woven to depict particular areas
  of a re g e n t ’s realm. When the ruler looks at his
  tapestry, the shapes on its surface become three-
  dimensional and display the current status of that
  a rea. He can actually see rivers flowing or tre e s
  swaying in the wind. The scene appears far away,
  yet near, as if the regent were a bird, floating a
  few hundred feet above the earth.
  A living tapestryprimarily enables a regent to
  observe cities, towns, and settlements within his
  p rovinces—as well as the movements of arm i e s
  and even individuals. The regent can spot any
  armed unit within the realm automatically, unless
  they have been protected from magical detection
  in some way. Mass invisibilityspells work, but liv -
  ing tapestriescan display the interiors of build-
  ings, opposing sides of walls, and even activities
  u n d e rg round. While the ruler views this ani-
  mated depiction, anyone else present sees only
  an ordinary tapestry.
  To view an individual, the regent must either
  know the individual’s appearance fairly well, or
  have an accurate description. The ruler must con-
  centrate on the tapestry and think carefully of
  what he knows about the individual. He then
  makes a Wisdom check at a –4 penalty (–6 if he is
  just operating off an accurate description). If he
  succeeds, the individual becomes the central
  focus of the tapestry’s representation.
  U n f o rt u n a t e l y, the re g e n t ’s view still re s t s
  several hundred feet above the ground. The
  regent will certainly know what province the
  character is in, and even what town, forest,
  or plain. However, unless the individual is
  alone, it may be hard for the regent to
  pick him out of a crowd. The tapestry
  still penetrates all nonmagical at-
  tempts at hiding—but a good,
  mundane disguise could still
  fool the viewer.
  The regent cannot
  hear 
  anything
  viewed on the
  tapestry
  and cannot view specific targets for more rounds
  at a time than his Wisdom score.    Rumors and
  legends: Some of the earliest tapestries, made by
  p o w e rful wizard-kings, could be used to cast
  spells on individuals or even armies from the
  safety of the re g e n t ’s castle. The wizard could
  look through the tapestry, move his perspective
  to within a few yards of his target, and unleash
  any spell in his arsenal on the unsuspecting vic-
  tim.
  Not much magic exists in the BIRTHRIGHT world
  compared to some other game settings. However,
  what magic does exist can be powerful. A s w o rd
  +1 or ring of protection +1is a big deal in Cerilia,
  because they are so rare. However, every magic
  item needs a history and a story.
  The best way to create a magical item for use in
  Cerilia is to first think about the history of the
  continent. What events created the situations
  that exist today? What events could have occured
  to shape the current political, social, and magical
  hierarchy of the land?
  Danger and adventure motivate the humans,
  elves, dwarves, and other races of Cerilia. If con-
  fronted with a serious threat, they must think of
  ways to overcome it. The Battle of Mount Deis-
  maar threatened Cerilia like nothing before or
  since. Naturally, the most powerful magics sur-
  round that event in history. But other significant
  events have occured since—and probably before.
  The creation of the Anuirean Empire cert a i n l y
  caused ripples across the continent—its collapse
  formed tidal waves. Every human population has
  gone through upheavals in its histories—wars,
  political changes, and magical events.
  Dungeon Masters should not limit themselves
  to re c o rded events. Over 1,500 years have
  elapsed since the Battle of Mount Deismaar—
  certainly not all of the world’s events can be de-
  tailed in BI RT H R I G H T s o u rcebooks and acces-
  sories. DMs should create their own legendary
  battles, magical events, and incredible happen-
  ings.
  And, surrounding every historical event, there
  might be a rumor or legend of magic. . . .
  112
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/2nd Edition (AD&D)/Birthright/Adventures/3137_the_book_of_regency.pdf