Imagine a feudal kingdom on a massive continent in a world
filled with many cultures and half-legendary lands and an ancient history.
Imagine a time where dragons once lived but magic is now dwindling, yet the
seasons can be long or short, bringing glorious summers or terrible winters that
last years at a time. Imagine a massive iron throne from which seven kingdoms
are ruled, with false knights and true all gathered about it in hopes of blood
or glory or profit, and shadows behind it pushing the pieces that make up the
game of throne.
Imagine
the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
The
North
“They say it grows so cold up here in winter that a man’s laughter
freezes in his throat and chokes him to death.
Perhaps that is why the Starks
have so little humor.”
-- Lord
Eddard Stark, Warden of the North
The
First Men, with their many gods of nature and simple ways, settled the north and
have never truly relinquished control of it. A wilderness filled with forests, swamps
and mountains, the land has turned the people into stern but honest folk, deeply
contrasting with the Southron Nations that have embraced the pageantry and
sophistication of chivalry.
Beyond the lands of the North lies theLand of Always Winter, populated by wild men,
shadowcats, and worse creatures thought to be myths. Only the Nightwatch, a band of selfless
men mixed with desperate criminals that have forsworn their past to man the
massive ice Wall between the wilds and civilization, stand vigil.
Westeros
so Far…
Three
hundred years ago, the Age of Dragons began when Aegon Targaryen landed on the
shores of Westeros. Vastly
outnumbered, the Targaryens routed every foe thanks to their dragons. The Seven Kingdoms quickly fell, and
despite the last dragon dying a century and a half into the Targaryen rule,
their family held the throne until thirteen years ago.
The
last king, Aerys II, was known as the Mad King, though in truth, inbreeding
within the royal family had left most of them tainted with some madness. Jon Arryn, Eddard Stark and Robert
Baratheon rose up in rebellion when Aerys put Eddard’s father on trial for a treason he
did not commit. The trial was
simple – if Rickard Stark could survive being roasted alive in his armor, he
would prove himself innocent.
Rickard
Stark’s death was avenged – Aerys’ son was slain by Robert Baratheon on the Ruby
Ford, and Aerys himself was murdered by one of his sworn Kingsguard. Only Queen Rhaella escaped the
systematic slaughter of Targaryens by fleeing across the Narrow Sea.
Robert Baratheon ascended the Iron Throne and rules to this day.
The
House of Flint
For
as long as the Starks have ruled the North, the Flints have been their loyal bannermen. The Mountain Flints are particularly
known for the purity of the Blood of the First Men in their family. Where the Starks are as fierce and loyal
as their sigil, the direwolf, the Flints are a family as cold and stubborn as
their namesake. Since bending knee
to Bran the Builder in the Age of Heroes, they have sworn fealty to no other
king or lord but a Stark. Their
loyalty is unquestionable; first to respond to any call of the banners and
remembered by the Starks for their willingness to surrender their ancestral
lands when their lands were needed to support the Nightwatch. They are still the closest house to the
lands gifted to the Nightwatch, and often trade and treat with them. Uther Flint is the current Lord of the
House.
Two years
ago, the Iron Isles chose to forswear the protection of Robert Baratheon I and
return to their ways of raiding the mainland, crowning Balon Greyjoy King of the
Iron Isles. Robert Baratheon
assembled an army, supported by his most loyal supporters, his brother Stannis
and Lord Eddard Stark and their bannermen.
Lord Flint’s eldest son Gerric was one of the first to respond to Lord
Stark’s call to the banners, and died in the Battle of Lordsport on Pyke, cut
down by one of the Botleys sworn to defend the port against the King. The port fell, Botley Castle and Lordsport was put to the torch,
and Pretender Balon Greyjoy surrendered shortly after. Peace has held the field
since the rebellion was put down, but as always men greedy for power work in the
shadows…
Castle
Flint
Castle
Flint is just
south of the lands granted to the Nightwatch in the mountains west of the
Kingsroad. Straddling an east-west
pass through the mountains to the Bay of Ice, the castle is little more than a
village bordered by two fifteen foot walls on either side and steep mountain
slopes. The keep itself is a small
3 story stone structure wit a wooden roof, holding only the Flints, the main hall, and
a few valued servants. The
remainder of the people in Flint castle are scattered about the yard in
several wood or stone outbuildings.
A small Godswood huddles close to one of the mountain slopes, notably
smaller and younger than most in the North. No sept of the Seven Gods is allowed in
the castle – it is reserved for the Old Gods. The nearest sept is in the village of Penrose, a good 3 hour ride away. Otherwise, sheep and goats wander
everywhere, and a steep quarter mile path climbs Mt. Shard to a combination lookout tower and
rookery where Maester Hargin resides.
Along the pass in the west is a small mine, providing coal and ores for
the Flints. The
living is not easy, but the Flints are proud northerners and seek little
more than the land and relative independence that they now
have.
Notable
Household Members
Lord
Uther Flint:
Lord of Flint,
it is told in northern taverns that Lord Uther is harder than flint, colder than
flint, and a more steadfast ally than flint. Now in his early 50’s, Uther was a
remarkable warrior and lieutenant during Robert’s War, but returned from the
south a changed man. Many say that
the war broke him, and taught him to fear death. Others say he was upset that Lord Stark
did not claim his rightful position as King in the North – or all Seven Kingdoms – after the war. Whatever the truth, Uther returned to
Castle Flint,
and hasn’t left his lands since.
When the call for men to put down King Greyjoy’s rebellion came just six
years later, Uther was in no shape to lead his men, and other claim that he
argued fiercely against his son leading them. When Gerric died on Pyke, Uther seemed
to die as well. In the two years,
his once proud beard has turned pure grey, his muscles have dissolved into
gloom, and he sits upon a throne in robes he no longer fits, never joining in
revelry. To say his time is past,
however, is a folly. His eyes still
take in all, and can stare down anyone when he desires to. His voice is still as hard and cold as
flint, commanding respect, and he still is The
Flint. Much of his efforts these days are in
ensuring that his heirs are settled before a winter he knows is coming – he will
have his new eldest betrothed before winter, and has much work to do in teaching
duty to the boy.
Gerric
Flint: A true warrior of the north, Gerric was
everything his father was on the battlefield and more. A skilled diplomat and charming man,
with Gerric ruling when Uther passed away, the Flint men saw nothing but a bright future
ahead. His father arranged a
betrothal to Wenda Greyjoy, a charming younger daughter of a major house –and a
family with strong blood of the First Men still flowing in their veins. When Balon rebelled just months before
the wedding, Gerric was torn between his father’s orders to send his man-at-arms
instead of his son and his desire to prove his loyalty to Eddard Stark. Loyalty to the Starks won out over honor
to his father, and Gerric sailed with Stark. Few Flints went with him, and fewer returned. Those that did don’t speak of Gerric
except when they are in their cups, and then only with superstitious
rumors. He bent his knee to the
Baratheon, they say, and not to Lord Eddard alone. The Flint Gods responded by bending his back
against the maul of a Botley warrior, and not a Greyjoy maid. None will dispute the truth that he was
the first mountain Flint heir in memory to not outlive his
father.
Maester
Hargin: A veritable hermit in his squat tower
high above castle Flint, Hargin was a childhood friend of Ulric
Flint, Uther’s father. Hargin
attended the Citadel to earn his chain – and once Ulric to the title of Lord, he
quickly went through six other maesters, refusing them or demanding ridiculous
tasks from them until the Citadel relented and sent Hargin to serve him. Wise in the ways of the north, it is
said that Hargin did not attend well to the knowledge of the south, and may not
have even finished forging his chain before being sent to the Flints. Still, he is an able and wise counselor,
and the Citadel is already fretting about who the Flints will accept when Hargin’s service
ends. Already, he is too weak to
make the strenuous climb down to the castle, but he refuses to leave his ravens
under the care of any other. Uther
has appointed him two young assistants to run messages and perform tasks for
him. The Citadel is currently
deciding if they have an appropriate candidate for his replacement, and talk
among the soldiers spreads the gamut from a replacement from the Arbor is
already on the way to the Citadel has decided that they have no maester to
send…
Ser
Javros in the Rough:
The head smith and smelter for the Flints, he splits his time between the castle
forge and the smelters at the mine. Javros is a highly skilled craftsman who
came back with Uther after Robert’s War.
A southron man, his mannerisms are far different from most of the
inhabitants. He tries to act gruff
and stern like most of the locals, but after a few minutes of conversation, a
bright and shining personality and lofty phrases soon spout from his lips. Standing proudly in his smithy is a
bronze and steel suit of armor of amazing quality, the breastplate a steel
mountain covering a shining bronze chain suit. Javros created it for Gerric on the
occasion of his first tourney.
Uther took one look at it and said he would not send a Southron knight to
fight for the Flints, as they were hardly worth squiring for a true Flint. In fact, Uther decided at that moment to
make Javros a knight, and sent him along with Gerric as his squire. The armor was set as a decoration
outside the plain grey Flint tent at the tourney, and to this day has
not been worn. Javros is also the
only knight ever dubbed by Lord Uther, as it is too southern a fashion for most
northern lords.
Arig
Botley: Botley is a house sworn to Greyjoy, and
until the rebellion was put down, they ruled Lordsport on Pyke, the main harbor
and gateway to Castle Greyjoy. Arig
was the eldest son and heir to the Botley title until Robert ordered him to
become a ward of the Flint – unaware of the affront sending Arig to Flint when
Lord Uther still expeced his son Gerric to arrive triumphant. No one knows why no ravens ever reached
Flint to prepare
him. Botley is a man of 15 years,
just one year shy of reclaiming his title as Lord Botley, which his uncle Sawane
currently holds in regency. There
is no love between Botley and Uther, and few of the household will show him any
favor, lest they anger their lord.
Neither can wait until Arig departs. Only the new heir to Flint has shown any
interest in Arig Botley – likely because Uther’s personality changed so sharply
when Gerric died. They have often
spent much time traveling away from Castle Flint, visiting the lands under rule, both old
and new. Arig has also demanded the
right to worship The Seven, and travels to Pembroke as often as possible to do
so.
Other
NPCs shall be added once the PCs begin development…
PC
Concepts:
What
I’m looking for anyone interested in playing is a fairly detailed description
(at least something similar to the ones above) of a character that would fit
into Flint
Castle in some way. The campaign will be based on a group of
Flint representatives hunting down a dangerous
fugitive to maintain the honor of House Flint – and possibly start or stop a
war…
Pretty
much anyone is acceptable. Numerous
characters could be filled in…
perhaps the Citadel has sent a maester to replace Hargin. Lord Flint surely needs an heir or two
to worry about, and perhaps a loving brother or sister in line to inherit the
title should the sons not outlive Uther.
As always, every castle needs its fill of guardsmen, loyal warriors, and
freeriders. Wards like Arig Botley
are common, and often from friends instead of as hostages. The Nightwatch regularly has men visit
for supplies, and wandering crows often stop in.
If
you know the series, feel free to suggest a specific house or family (although
it is unlikely to find a member of a major house assigned to such an out of the
way place). Otherwise, just use the
info above to put together a decent idea of an individual you might want to play
for several sessions.
For
those who have read the books, this is set seven years before A Game of
Thrones. Try not to deliberately
kill of any Imps, Hounds, or Wolf pups you might run
into.
The
game itself is a variant of D20, with more multiclassing and less fantastic
feats (classes are similar, although the priests have far less abilities,
magicians are non-existent, and social-focused classes have a significant
presence (maester, performer, noble…).
The world will be a bloody place where honor may protect you better than
a blade, there aren’t clear cut solutions, and every act you perform will be
judged by your Lord – and his Lord, for Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North
and liege house of the Flints from beyond written history is visiting in three
days, his first visit to Flint since Robert’s War.
Jeff
Nyriv1@gmail.com