Eurora/Temp
From AJS.COM
Eurora was originally the name of a fantasy / alternate history setting that I had created for Hero Games, however it should be noted that in some contexts, the name now refers to Than Greyhawk, the campaign that was run instead of Eurora.
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Eurora: Role Playing In a Fantasy Europe
Overview
Eurora is both an alternate history campaign setting in what would be Europe in our world and the name of the empire that spans the mainland of the European Continent from Olisipo (Lisbon) to Oslo to Athens. While the names are sometimes the same, and the primary campaign period is the "modern day" (i.e. 2002 AD, or ESC by the Euroran calendar), Eurora is actually a low-tech fantasy world.
The empire of Eurora spans all of what we call Europe -- except the British Isles -- plus the Nile River Valley. It has existed in that form since about the year 500 ESC. All of the history of our world is the same as Eurora's history up until 31 AESC (BC or BCE by our calendar). Jesus had not been born and the Romans were expanding into Gaul and Germania at that time. More importantly for Eurora, Egypt was in its death-throws and as the last remnants of the once mighty Egyptian Empire fell to the Romans, one of the nobility, a self proclaimed "Prince of Egypt", fled north into the sparsely populated regions of central Germania.
This noble's name was Namen-Ha and everything that is different about Eurora from our world started with him. In some ways, Eurora is the story of Namen-Ha and his achievements, but more on that later. For now, all that is important is that he discovered a magical artifact of tremendous power and used it to found Eurora, an Empire that would grow so powerful that even mighty Rome would become but a client-state.
Time-line
Here is the basic time-line of Eurora:
-31 Namen-Ha, a 20 year old noble, fled from Egypt
-30 Egypt's official fall to the Roman Empire. Cleopatra's death.
-25 Namen-Ha reaches central Germania and discovers Obelisk of Power
-20 A small area of Slavic farmers are conquered and Prague
founded. The Obelisk's use seems to trigger certain
sensitives. Mages begin to appear.
0 Official founding of Eurora, with Prague as capital
5 First magical disturbance. Eurora expands as result
- Here begins an intense period of magically augmented development where Eurora expands by conquering farming communities in the Germanic lands and develops basic fortifications and conscripts troops. Often resistance is minimal, as the reward for cooperation is support and reconstruction during and after any magical disasters.
20 Eurora begins antagonistic relationship with Rome
50 Namen-Ha's forces, armed with magic, engage Rome
55 Distracted, Rome withdraws from Britannia. Celtic barrier
appears and re-entry is impossible.
60 Conquest of Gaul.
70 Conflict with Rome ends in truce.
90 Namen-Ha declares himself the immortal representative of
Ra, the one true God of Eurora.
- This permutation of Egyptian mythology becomes the state religion of Eurora. Worship of other gods is tolerated, but officially they are all considered "lesser entities".
- Because of this religious tolerance, the polytheistic religions of Europe continue to flourish while Judaism, Christianity and Islam spread, but are relatively contained in small pockets within the Empire. The exception is Egypt, which becomes primarily Islamic.
100 War erupts with Rome once again.
110 Eurora takes Lusitania and fragments Rome in two. Constantinople
becomes capital of Second Roman Empire.
150 Rome officially agrees to accept client-state status to
Eurora in return for combined efforts against magical
events. The Roman Emperor becomes a figure-head of the Senate,
which actually governs the Roman Empire under Euroran
jurisdiction.
- In the years that follow this event, Roman engineering is combined with Euroran magic, which results in rapid consolidation of all of the European mainland. Still, whole cities fall under the constant presence of magical disasters. This prevents any long-term advances in engineering and architecture. A permanent fusion of Egyptian and Roman styles and technology is the norm in cities, while outside of cities, a primitive agrarian existence is the norm.
200 Eurora reaches truce with Constantinople and takes Egypt.
North Africa reclaimed by natives, Rome is contained within
European continent.
250 Byzantine Empire formed out of Second Roman Empire, capital:
Constantinople
500 Expansion period of Eurora ends. Namen-Ha adopts title,
Shahanshah (pronounced "sha-an-sha")
- Periods of forward progress and decline are punctuated by magical disasters all over the world now. Trade with Satvahana and the Han makes Egypt one of the most wealthy Areas of Eurora.
- The far east remains a land of mystery. Magic is said to have gone wild there, with fantastic creatures good and evil roaming every portion of the Han and Satvahana empires.
1000 Civil war in Lusitania is ruthlessly put down by Namen-Ha and his
elite mages with only minimal military involvement.
- As a means to resolve this sort of problem, Namen-Ha abolishes local militaries. The Romans are put in charge of the army (Centurions), the Lusitanians in charge of the navy (Armada), the Germanians in charge of The Hand of Eurora, which is the magical disaster branch that cleans up after and prepares for magical events. The Egyptians have no military of their own, and the French are responsible for the courier and escort system that the other military and government organizations use to communicate (Couriers). This division of powers between client-states is meant to prevent any one client-state from seizing power. It also results in cultural "pockets" within each client-state.
1400 Byzantine Empire falls to Ottomans, Eurora avoids involvement. 2000 The default time-period for campaigns set in Eurora.
A note on this calendar system: The Julian calendar is the one that is in use up until 1582 when Namen-Ha officially sanctioned a shortened year. The dates were re-set early in the history of the empire to coincide with the founding of Eurora. However, for many records the Romans still refer to the year as 753 years larger than the Euroran calendar. This means that according to the Romans, the year 2000 ESC is sometimes referred to as the 2753rd Year of Rome.
A Brief Overview of the Empire
Eurora is essentially a super-stable version of the Roman empire that covers all of Europe and which does not progress (much) technologically. When Namen-Ha founded Eurora in Prague, his intention was to secure enough power that the Romans could not easily haul him off.
Now, 2000 years later, Namen-Ha is still Emperor and Eurora covers almost all of the European continent. There is much speculation about how Namen-Ha maintains his immortality, but general consensus among mages is that without access to the Obelisk of Power, the effect is impossible to duplicate.
The client-states of the empire are:
- Lusitania
- This is roughly the area covered by Portugal and Spain in our world. It's capital is Olisipo, which in our world was later re-named Lisbon.
- Gaul
- Gaul is much smaller than the area that the Romans gave that name to. Most of Gaul is what we would call France. It's capital is Lutetia, later re-named Paris in our world.
- Germania
- Germania is a vast area, covering our Germany, Poland, The Czech Republic, most of Austria and the Scandinavian countries. Its capital, Prague, is also the capital city of Eurora.
- Rome
- Rome is made up of everything south of Germania. Our Italy and Greece are the bulk of its area. Rome, the city, is still the capital of the once-mighty client-state.
- Egypt
- Egypt was re-conquered after the founding of Eurora's state religion. It is seen as the birth-place of the religion, even though modern Euroran Ra-worship bears little resemblance to anything that Egypt produced. The capital is Cairo.
Magical Disasters
There are a hundred names for the magical disasters that plague the world. They began about 5 years after Namen-Ha began to use the Obelisk of Power. In that 5 year time Mages began to appear, and the oldest magical schools count these first-generation mages as their founders.
When the disasters first came (see further below for more details on the many forms they take), Namen-Ha assumed that they were a result of something that he had done. He locked away the Obelisk of Power and swore never to use it again. But after a year of continued problems and several of his fortified towns falling to the fury of these disasters, he began to use it again to protect his people and to help train others to do so. Soon, a small core of elite mages, directly under Namen-Ha's leadership began offering aid to towns that were suffering. This force would later be called The Hand of Eurora.
The Military
Because of the constant onslaught of magical disasters, the empire is much more decentralized than one might expect. Each client-state functions independently, with no central system of taxation other than paying for the military organization for which a given client-state is responsible. The glue of the empire is The Hand of Eurora. They hunt demons, rebuild cities, care for the injured and perform a variety of other services related to magical disasters.
The Hand is divided into three sub-groups: The Fist (the soldiers that fight demons and other entities), The Eagles (like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA, they fortify against and rebuild after disasters), and The Spirit Ranks (the mages and healers that work with the other two groups).
The other three branches of the Military are the Centurions (Rome), the Armada (Lusitania) and the Couriers (Gaul). Each major city will have an outpost for the Couriers and another for the Centurions. Any coastal city or a city on a major river will have a port which is used by the Armada. Each of these outposts will have a cultural "feel" to it which is different from the rest of the city, and yet is not entirely the same as any other outpost.
Every able-bodied male and magic-capable females are required to enlist into the military branch of their choice for 2 years. As a result, civic involvement is quite high in the empire. Each branch recruits locally in every client-state, but above a certain rank, officers must all be citizens of that branch's client-state.
Dealing With Disaster
Prague is probably the most successful city at dealing with magical disasters. The core government of Eurora actually has three separate set of buildings. Two are on opposite sides of Prague and one is about 50 miles away. The western and eastern campuses are rotated between each two years and the third remains unused except by a skeleton maintenance staff. If a disaster strikes one, then the other can be used. If something truly disastrous happens to Prague (and it does), the third site is used until repairs can be effected. While this does not always preserve perfect continuity, it does keep the empire sufficiently intact.
Beyond Prague, the rule of governing in the face of these disasters has been decentralization. Many cities enjoy almost total autonomy and interact with the outside world only for trade and support through particularly difficult times.
Gaming in Eurora
Eurora is a hotbed of gaming possibilities. A campaign could cover the exploits of characters in a single city, traveling through any one client-state or traveling far from their home. There are lost cities, magical upheavals, and a great deal of political and cultural intrigue.
Using Magic
A later article will cover the specifics of the Eurora magic system, but if you wish to jump right in, simply use the Standard Magic System from Fantasy Hero or have your players design their own spells. If they design their own, use these restrictions: spells may not be persistent; must have at least the Requires a Magic Skill Roll and Concentration limitations as well as one of Gestures or Incantations; and all spells are always subject to Game Master approval.
There are also very rare individuals in Eurora with special powers, referred to as charms. Both the power and the user of the power are referred to as a charm, but sometimes charm talent is also used. No one can have both a charm and spell-ability and no one can have more than one charm. A charm is always taken with the advantage Invisible Power Effect and the limitation Increased Endurance Cost: x2 END (if the power uses END). A charm must not allow the character to do anything that they could not do without it, though it may enhance an existing ability substantially. Charms must have an active point total of no more than 50 points.
A common form of charm (at least common, given that charms are very rare) is one that enhances the damage or accuracy of various forms of attack.
In some areas charms are openly and even warmly accepted. In other areas they are looked on with suspicion and perhaps even fear. They are tolerated to some extent everywhere, though. This is because of the reputation that The Hand has for scooping up oppressed charms, training them, and placing them in charge of defending the area from magical disasters.
Campaign Ideas
Running a campaign in Eurora will usually start with some essential decisions:
- Power level
- The normal power-level for Eurora is 75 points. A 50-point campaign would be appropriate for non-magical, intrigue and exploration oriented campaigns while swords-and-sorcery style campaigns will be 75 or even more points.
- Location
- Prague is the capital of Eurora, and so it has a strong appeal, but a coastal city like Rome or Olisipo could be great for city-based adventures. There's also the sea, or a traveling campaign (e.g. with a band of mercenaries or the military).
- Magic
- Do you want the party to use magic? This will definitely change the flavor of the campaign.
- Good vs. evil
- Some GMs may wish to run a campaign with characters that work to foster the destruction of the magical disasters or are simply bad people. This is not recommended, as it tends to lead to fractured parties. Still, the option is there. There are also grayer options such as a party of mercenaries who don't worry too much about the legality (and perhaps even morality) of the work as long as it pays.
Below are some sample campaign seeds which will get you thinking about what shape your campaign might take. Feel free to mix and match these ideas to create your own Eurora campaign.
- Adventuring Archaeologists
- Like the dashing heroes of the movies, Euroran archaeologists can meet with adventure and danger in their quests to explore abandoned cities and towns. Sometimes they are hired by Eurora to find out if a place is safe to move back into. At other times they are hired by individuals who think they know of the location of particularly valuable or powerful relics. Either way, delving into the site of magical disasters can be hard and exciting work.
- Bodyguards For Hire
- Since travel can be dangerous in the unprotected lands between cities, anyone who can afford it will usually hire bodyguards to make sure they and their belongings arrive safely. Magical pitfalls aren't the only sort of trouble such an group could run into, since there are bandits both mundane and magical as well as wild beasts, not to mention the fact that some customers are not all together honest with the people they hire.
- Dark Defenders
- Many of the darker forms of magic are outlawed and reviled within the empire. However, a party of do-gooders who feel that dark magics are the only resort to fight the forces of corruption and darkness might secretly defend a city. This would end up being a low-power fantasy supers campaign.
High Seas
- The players are all officers on a sailing ship in the Lusitanian Armada. Since the Armada is responsible for the protection of the entire empire's shores, they have ports everywhere. Some ships are stationed in a particular port, and only leave when they must. However, the characters are on a ship that travels throughout the empire, and even to some foreign ports. They patrol the seas and perform various missions for the empire such as transporting officials, diplomats and/or troops; rescuing stranded ships; dealing with pirates; etc.
- Remember that naval technology, like all other technology in the empire, has not progressed very far past Roman times. The galleons one might picture when thinking of an ``Armada are simply not available at this time.
- Mission Unlikely
- Various secret societies and organizations will be covered elsewhere. Many of them employ something like standard adventurers to accomplish their ends. Sometimes these hirelings will know what it is that they are being hired for, or even be a part of the organization. Sometimes just the opposite will be true.
- Obvious versions of this campaign include a local crime syndicate or a smuggling operation. This can also very easily cross with the Bodyguards for Hire scenario.
- Rain Nor Sleet Nor Snow
- The Couriers are a branch of the military who specialize in moving information, important parcels and even people between the client-states of the empire. They are soldiers, like any other branch of the military, and they take their work very seriously. A Courier is expected to die to ensure the safe delivery of their parcels, if such is required. This alone could be a fertile ground for campaign ideas.
- However, the Couriers have a less-public side. They are the spies of Eurora. Adventuring as a small group of spies in one of Eurora's neighboring states could be an excellent basis for a fairly low-powered campaign.
Templates
One Social Disadvantage that you will see in a few of these is Duty (Reactivation, Rare 6-, Involuntary) [-7]. This reflects the fact that any character who was in the Military can be called back into service in case of an emergency. Since almost all men and many women have been in the military, this is only worth the 7 points if the character has distinguished themselves in such a way that they would be a particularly ideal choice for reactivation. For example, the character may have fought in an important battle or have earned some medal.
Soldier
This package could be appropriate for a member of any branch of the military who has seen first-hand combat. A retired soldier might be ideal for a Bodyguards for Hire campaign or Mission Unlikely
Modify the cost of Rank as appropriate for the character's rank from 0 (fresh recruit) to 5 (commander of a city outpost) to 8 (commander of one of the branches of the service). This is all subject to GM approval, of course.
The Language skill is a reflection of the fact that the military will have to station many soldiers in client-states other than their home. A Roman Centurion might be stationed in an outpost in Lusitania and pick up the local language there, for example.
ST 11 [10] ; DX 11 [20] ; IQ 10 [0] ; HT 11 [10]
Advantages:
Additional language (where you were stationed, accented) [4]
Rank 2 (typical discharge rank) [10]
Combat Reflexes [15]
Disadvantages:
Code of Honor (military code) [-5]
One of:
Sense of Duty (military) [-10]
Honesty [-10]
Bad Temper [-10]
Bloodlust [-10]
Skills:
Select 2 from:
Axe/Mace, Bow, Broadsword, Lance, Rapier or Spear
all (A)
Skills and Talents
FAM w/Common Melee Weapons 2
FAM w/Common Missile Weapons 2
+1 w/ Chosen Weapon Group 3
+1 OCV w/Favorite Weapon 2
KS: Military Combat Techniques 1
KS: Military History 1
Language Skill 1
Choose two of:
Interrogation, Paramedics, Riding,
Shadowing, Stealth, Survival,Tactics,
Fringe: Rank, Teamwork 6
Disadvantages
Choose one of:
Reactivation, Military Code,
Reputation -5
Total package cost: 13
Combat Mage
The military employs many mages, and there are also free-lance mages who would fit this package. Usually a mage who has had combat experience will have learned some fighting skills as well.
Skills and Talents
FAM w/ Single Weapon Group 1
Magic Skill 3
KS: Particular Magical Tradition 1
KS: Magical Entities 1
Disadvantages
Choose one of:
Code: School of Magic, Reputation -5
Total package cost: 1
Healer
Healers are mages who practice healing magics. Most of these are monks who practice their magic as part of their devotion. However, there are some mages who choose to follow the path of healing.
Skills and Talents
Magic Skill 3
KS: Particular Magical Tradition 1
KS: Healing Techniques 1
Paramedic 3
Disadvantages
Code of Healing -5
Total package cost: 3
Sailor
While some of the Armada are marines who fall mostly under the generic Soldier package, a seasoned sailor has a very different set of skills. This package would also be appropriate for fishermen and explorers.
Skills and Talents
KS: Common Sailing Ships 1
KS: Meteorology 1
AK: Ports of Eurora 1
Marine Navigation 2
Survival 3
Disadvantages
One of:
Military Code, Reputation,
Reactivation -5
Total package cost: 3
Engineer
Engineers and skilled craftsmen (mostly men in Eurora) are needed all over the empire. From masons to architects to manual laborers, all of the construction trades are referred to as engineers. Because of the speed with which magical disasters decay cities, re-building is a constant necessity.
While this package may not sound exciting at first, any number of interesting characters can be built from it. For example, in a campaign where a group was sent to explore ruined cities for possible re-habitation, a stone-mason could be employed to determine what parts of the city were still safe. Since this is an inherently dangerous task, some survival and combat skills and perhaps stealth would be appropriate as well.
Skills and Talents
KS: Specific Trade 2
KS: Materials 2
Fringe: Guild member 1
Fringe: Industry contacts 1
Select two of:
Bribery, Bureaucratics, Climbing,
Lockpicking, Riding, Streetwise,
Trading, Perk: Wealthy 6
Disadvantages
Depending on military status (or lack)
choose one of:
Reputation, Reactivation,
Code: Military or Trade Guild -5
Total package cost: 7
Future Topics
Eurora is a giant project. Some of the world will never be fully described, but the following projects are planned, and Game Masters should anticipate the availability of these materials if they are running a game in Eurora:
- The second article for Digital Hero will focus on the magic system. There are two types of magic, spells and charms, which will both be covered. Also major magic-using organizations and the mysterious Sorcerer's Isle will be included. This article will be released around the same time as Fantasy Hero for 5th Edition Hero System.
- This will include spell colleges for each of the major magic-using orders and organizations as well as a bit more detail on magic in the military.
- A great deal of detail on how to build a campaign in Eurora is currently being developed, and a play-test campaign will begin soon.
- What martial arts are available in the world of Eurora? A tie-in to The Ultimate Martial Artist would be ideal.
- The African Nations, the Ottoman Empire, the Satvahana Empire (most of India), and the Han Empire (Southeast Asia) will all need to be further explored. While Eurora has a single, immortal leader to maintain its continuity, other nations are in a position much like ours. How has this changed their outlook and shaped their cultures? How do they deal with the magical disasters?
- Some of the information in this introduction to Eurora is slightly incorrect, and much of it is incomplete. It is, however, a good sampling of what player characters would know of the world. The secrets of Eurora's not-so-perfect history and its secret organizations are a topic that could fill several books alone.
- Why have the Americas, Antarctica and Australia never been discovered (or have they?) A full exploration of exploration waits in the wings....
Bibliography
The following books, Web sites and films have been inspirational in the creation of Eurora:
- The Hero System Books, from Hero Games of course
- Earthdawn, from FASA Games
- GURPS: Imperial Rome, from Steve Jackson Games
- The CIA World Fact Book, from the United States Government
- The Proceedings of the Friesian School, Fourth Series at http://www.friesian.com/
- The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Raiders of the Lost Ark, from Lucasfilm and Paramount Pictures
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