Who Wants a Faction Generator

You know what's great?  Faction gameplay.

You know what's less great? Having to come up with factions. At least for me. So I wrote some tables to help with that because apparently I have the kind of brain that finds it easier to create a complicated process for describing a thing instead of just... describing the thing.

So for as far as these rules are concerned, a faction is a group of people with a common goal to alter the realm/world/reality to their liking.

If a table has two sets of numbers, one is flat probability, the other is weighted based on my idea of what the weights should be.

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE

Seriously, who makes up this faction, and what are they generally all about?  Roll once on each table to generate a answer. This table was inspired by a tweet I saw many moons ago but have completely lost the link to. So if you recognize the idea and know where it came from lmk so I can attribute.

Emotion	Activity
1 - Angry 2 - Loving 3 - Envious 4 - Jealous 5 - Calm 6 - Happy 7 - Determined 8 - Disgusted 9 - Indifferent 10 - Fearful 11 - Curious 12 - Cautious 13 - Possessed 14 - Vengeful 15 - Ambitious 16 - Greedy 17 - Haunted 18 - Heretic 19 - Insurgent 20 - Nihilist	1 - Farmers 2 - Artists 3 - Astronomers 4 - Cultists 5 - Warriors 6 - Seafarers 7 - Builders 8 - Storytellers 9 - Healers 10 - Midwives 11 - Philosophers 12 - Mages 13 - Oracles 14 - Bankers 15 - Artisans 16 - Miners 17 - Revolutionaries 18 - Hunters 19 - Tanners 20 - Nobles

WHAT DO THEY WANT

Uh, yeah, what's their end goal?  What did they form this faction to achieve?

1 - Supremacy

2 - Money

3 - Political Power

4 - Regime Change

5 - Law Change

6 - Destruction of Enemies

7 - Social Change

8 - Chaos

9 - Tyranny

10 - Autonomy

11 - A Summoning

12 - Magical Power

13 - An Artefact

14 - Revanchism

15 - War

16 - Assassination

17 - Religious Change

18 - Resurrection

19 - Roll twice. First is their public goal, second is their actual goal.

20 - Roll twice & combine

HOW DO THEY GET WHAT THEY WANT

These charts are about what they focus on when pursuing their goals, and how they go about getting them.

Ends vs Means (d2):

1 - Ends. is the prioritization of goals over methods. This kind of organization will compromise their ethics and morality to accomplish their ends and afterwards justify it at will. 

2 - Means. The inverse - a preference to adhere to ethics and morality even when it compromises the achievement of goals.

Alignment (d3): 

1 - Benevolent. This organization is concerned with ensuring the maximum number of people benefit from its goals, even those outside the organization’s specific beneficiary. Note that what the faction considers a "benefit" may not be considered so by those outside the faction.

2 - Malevolent. The organization is interested only in the benefit of a select group, even (or especially) if it means others outside that group are harmed. If desired, roll a die. On low, the group is simply uncaring if others are harmed. If high, then the harm is part of the their goal.

3 - Passive. The organization will try to limit the harm it does to others when possible, but won’t make great efforts to ensure others benefit.

The Law (d4): 

1 - Legalist. This organization will make great efforts to always follow the letter of the law (though not always the spirit) and work within the system. 

2 - Law-Abiding. This organization will obey the law as much as possible, but will bend or covertly break the law if it must. 

3 - Law-Breaking. This organization operates outside the law as a matter of course, but will make a show of following and use the law when convenient. 

4 - Anarchist.This organization is fundamentally opposed to the law and acts against it and to break it.

HOW ESTABLISHED ARE THEY

A faction might be a small cabal of idealists, or a public institution with a widespread power base.

Decide if they are a public or secret faction. If you can't decide, there's a 4-in-6 chance they're secret.

Public factions roll a d6 on this, secret factions roll a d3.

1 - Obscure. Few have heard of this group or their goals. This may be because they are little more than a few like-minded people meeting for drinks, or because they make great efforts to keep themselves secret.

2 - Fringe. The common citizen may have heard of this group, but they are regarded by most as little more than an oddity or fringe group with limited goals or distasteful methods.

3 - Minor. This group is known by most, but draws its support from only a limited percentage of the population, possibly concentrated in a specific cultural, class, or professional stratum.

4 - Notable. This faction has significant public support and likely plays a role in realm-wide events. They may draw their support from almost the entirety of a single group, or from a broad but thin base of disparate supporters.

5 - Significant. This faction has supporters across the entire realm in almost all quarters of society, approaching the level of support for the realm’s government.

6 - Overwhelming. This group is more popular than the government and enjoys near-universal support.

Now decide if they're a Legal faction, an Informal faction, or an Illegal faction.

1-2 - Legal. This faction is a public institution or organization, such as a church, trade union, political party, etc. Regardless of their goals or methods, they are regarded as a legitimate part of society.

3-4 - Informal. This organization has no official structure and is not recognized as an organization. Secret society, student collective, social club, alliance of nobles, a group of shadowy figures in wing-backed chairs.

5-6 - Illegal. This faction is outlawed and forbidden by law. This may or may not have any actual impact on their operations, but they are not regarded as a legitimate part of society. Revolutionary committee, proscripted religion, anarchist commune, criminal syndicate.

HOW POWERFUL ARE THEY

This measures their available resources and their ability to materially advance their goals.

d6 / d4

1 / 1 - Flaccid. This faction is more talk than action, and is lacking the will or the resources to pursue their stated goals. Or both. This faction has 1 Strength and 3 Weaknesses

2-3 / 2 - Recovering. This faction has recently suffered a loss or other setback that has hampered their capabilities. They are 1 - resolute, 2 - embittered, 3 - vengeful, 4 - turning on each other. This faction has 1 Strength and 2 Weaknesses

4-5 / 3 - Growing. This faction is on the rise, gaining recruits, influence, and power. This faction has 2 Strengths and 2 Weaknesses

6 / 4 - Empowered. This faction is well-supplied and well-funded, with the personnel and material they need to actively pursue their goals. This faction has 3 Strengths and 1 Weakness.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Roll for the number of Strengths and Weaknesses based on the result on the table above. You can reroll duplicates, or find a justification for why something is both a strength and a weakness.

1 - Wealth

2 - Numbers

3 - Popular Support

4 - Secure Locations

5 - Allies

6 - True Believers

7 - Organization

8 - Security

9 - Military Strength

10 - Magical Strength

11 - Religious Support

12 - Broad support base

13 - Magical artefact(s)

14 - Divine or Supernatural Patron

15 - Influential Supporters

16 - Foreign Aid

17 - Recruiting

18 - Feared

19 - Loved

20 - Prophecy

HOW ARE THEY ORGANIZED

First, how is the faction organized? 

d10 / d6

1-2 / 1 - Cells. This faction operates out of independent cells, each with its own leadership and agenda, with minimal contact between each other and the central leadership.

3-4 / 2 - Hierarchical. This faction has a well-defined and largely rigid rank structure from top to bottom.

5-6 / 3 - Collective. This faction operates on consensus and communal decision-making, possibly using some form of committee or quorum.

7 / 4 - Cult. Members are judged based on how devoted their are to the cause and core beliefs, and will rise or fall in influence accordingly.

8 / 5 - Gang. Power and leadership is derived from violence and personal power. Murder and betrayal are common ways of rising in the organization.

9-10 / 6 - Acolytes. There is a single, supreme leader in the faction (who may or may not be otherworldly) who gives all orders and direction.

HOW DO THEY SEE THEMSELVES

How do they mythologize themselves? This probably impacts how they justify to themselves why they do what they do.

1 - Holy warriors.

2 - Necessary monsters

3 - Heirs to power

4 - Wronged, seeking justice

5 - Disenfranchised or oppressed, seeking equality.

6 - Restorers of the old order.

7 - Saviours.

8 - Business leaders.

9 - Smarter than everyone else.

10 - Revolutionaries.

There's no requirement that this is accurate, in fact it probably isn't. You can figure that out by comparing their alignment to their self-image. Malevolent doesn't exactly jive with "saviours". If you're unsure or want a prompt, roll on this.

1 - A lie, totally believed.

2 - A lie, used as a cover.

3 - Dubiously true, but firmly believed

4 - An earnest aspiration

HOW UNITED ARE THEY

Now how well are they organized? Are they factious and argumentative, or do they act in lockstep?

d12 / d6

1 / 1 - Chaos. There is little to no internal cohesion, and conflicts over resources, leadership, and direction are common. Branches of the faction may work in isolation or even at cross purposes.

2 / 2 - Schism. They have divided into two or more factions competing for control. The conflict might be ideological, political, or full civil-war. The sub-factions may regard themselves as entirely independent organizations.

3-5 / 3 - Loose. This faction is united more by ideals than structure. Ranks are not strictly enforced, different groups within the faction may not always work together smoothly, there may be internal disagreement over goals and philosophy, but they are still a single organization with a common goal.

6-8 / 4 - Cohesive.  The factions organization is not rigidly structured, but all the members have a clear vision of their goals and aims. 

9-11 / 5 - Ordered. This faction is tightly bound together. Members are obedient to the leadership, the goals and aims are widely understood.

12 / 6 - Tyranny. The faction's leadership is not questioned, and individual members work without autonomy or complete information. Obedience is complete, but members have little autonomy.

HOW DO THEY IDENTIFY EACH OTHER

Members of a faction need a way to identify each other. The larger the organization, the greater the need for this is. If the faction is a secret one, you can reroll inappropriate results or modify them to suit.

1 - Uniform

2 - Badge

3 - Accessory

4 - Tattoo

5 - Hand sign

6 - Call and response

7 - Graffiti

8 - Declaration

HOW DO THEY REGARD ADVENTURERS

To a faction with a political goal, adventurers, being armed and outside normal society, could be a serious threat. Or allies. Or useful tools. Roll on this chart to find out, if the faction's other details don't suggest an answer.

d8 / d6

1 / 1 - A Threat. Adventurers are regarded as a serious threat to the faction's goals and will be observed at all times, hampered when possible, and eliminated as soon as needed.

2-3 / 2 - A Petty Annoyance. Adventurers are largely disregarded as little more than a nuisance - to be ignored, unless they prove annoying enough to squash.

4-5 / 3 - Useful Tools. Adventurers are not to be trusted, or thought well of, or regarded as a beneficiary of the faction's goals. But they can be an effective, and thoroughly expendable, tool.

6 / 4 - Allies. Although not regarded as deserving of membership, the faction sees adventurers as allies who might be sympathetic to the cause.

 7 / 5 - Fellow Travellers. This faction regards adventurers as being innately part of the same cause, perhaps affected by the same injustices, or opposing the same enemy. The faction will often treat adventurers as though they were already members - at least as long as they prove trustworthy.

8 / 6 - Prey. This faction regards adventurers as meat, as sacrifices, as unwilling converts, or just easily manipulated patsies.

Okay, I think that's enough for this post.  Next one will be some tables 'n stuff for generating faction members and how they interact with each other & (more importantly) the players.

DRAG YOU TO HELL, or; Don't Eat the Food

Okay, so I did auguries and prayers. I did patron saints and heroes. Now it's time for Devils and Faeries.

Devils and Faeries are extradimensional alien creatures who are will to trade you something here and now for the chance to take your soul once you're done piloting a meat suit. The power or gifts they trade to you invariably come with a hidden cost and/or run dry before you're done needing them, and the more you call on them the easier it gets to do so - for a while.

These rules are intended to complement the entry about calling on gods for augury and divine intervention. Those require effort and spending on your part, and are limited in effect. Making a deal with a Duke of Hell or a Fey Lord is comparatively easy and rewarding. You just, y'know, have to go to hell afterwards.

Rather than keep saying "Demon or Faery" or whatever, I'm just going to refer to them collectively as Powers. You could probably use this to include gaining power from eldritch Elder Things and whatnot but I imagine that to be more the theological equivalent of sticking your finger in a light socket.

Also, these rules assume a game where you don't instantly die at 0 HP.

MAKING A DEAL

Step 1: Identify a Power and find out how to contact.

Step 2: Conduct the ritual, offer the sacrifice. If things go well, the Power will appear and offer you a gift. If things go really poorly they'll still show up but you're not going to enjoy it.

Step 3: Trade a sliver of your soul for the gift.

Step 1 - The Power and the Ritual

There are three components needed to summon a power: the Symbol, the Incantation, and the Sacrifice.  The Symbol must be drawn or etched on a surface - this is where the Power will appear. The Incantation is a ritual chant, song, howling, etc, that must be repeated while the sacrifice is made. Finally the Sacrifice must be made. Total up all the modifiers (given in the chart below) and roll a d20. If the roll is below the target, the ritual is successful and the Power appears. If a 20 is rolled, the Power still appears but they are bound by no ritual and will probably just drag your soul out of your body for fun.

Making a Deal Chart

Regular Sacrifice - Base target of 10

Rare Sacrifice - Base target of 15

Slivers Given - +1 each

Additional people conducting the chant - +1 each

Step 2 - The Bargain

Each Power has gifts they grant. The normal bargain is to trade Slivers of your soul for these gifts. You can always try to bargain for something else, but the Power will likely have more... exotic requests. Agree on the bargain, including specific terms for repayment. The gifts listed in the Power's entry are the most common things, but the list is not exhaustive.

Step 3 - The Price

If the price is one or more Slivers of your soul, payment is immediate. Mark them down on your sheet (or increase your running total). If the price was something, pay it now or arrange to pay it later under specific conditions.

PAYMENT COMES DUE

When you are reduced to zero hit points, or once per day while in the Power's home plane, roll a d20. If the result is under your current total Slivers given to that power a servant of their shows up to claim your soul. The servant's HD/CR/level is equal to the roll of the die. You ever die, then your soul is forefit and claimed immediately. You cannot be resurrected unless someone physically finds it and reclaims it (or makes another bargain to get it back). Some Powers only claim a soul for a given period, after which you can be resurrected.

If you have paid Slivers to more than one power, stack them when making the roll. So if you've paid 3 slivers to The White Prince, and 2 to the Fiachsidhe then upon being reduced to 0 HP if you roll a 1-3 a servant of The White Prince will appear, or a servant of the Fiachsidhe on a 4-5.

DESPERATE PLEAS

You can call out to a Power at any time for a gift. These gifts are usually much less potent than when making a sacrifice, but they can help in a pinch. The price is still the same, though.

When you make a desperate please, roll a d20. If you get over your total Slivers owed to that Power, the bargain is struck. You can increase the result rolled by up to +10 by offering a suitable sacrifice, in addition to the one or more Slivers spent as normal. Failure to follow through on the sacrifice generally has dire consequences.

THE WHITE PRINCE

King of Hell and All Demons, Wisest Teacher, the Sixth Pentarch

The White Prince is typically invoked through his greatest servant on the mortal plane, His Shadow. When he takes a soul, he binds it to the form of a familiar until they have tempted a wizard into the service of The White Prince.

Symbol: 19 white candles around a 19-pointed star drawn in red ink, red wax, or blood.

Incantation:

O Prince of Magic, hear us!

O Prince of Truths, hear us!

In the name of Your Merciful Shadow, I call to thee!

From the depth of this world of lies, I call to thee!

For the promise you made to all who live and die, I call to thee!

O Prince, who does not know of thy magic?

O Prince, who does not know of thy wisdom?

O Prince, open the door to the font of thy knowing

O Prince, let me bask in Your Divine Shadow

Holo dano dholo ka kaddk kluvd!

Holo dano dholo ka kaddk kluvd!

Holo dano dholo ka kaddk kluvd!

Sacrifice: Goat or sheep, a religious text, the blindfold of blind man

Rare sacrifice: A lamb, born with white wool and two heads

Typical Gift: A spell. Trades 1 Sliver per spell level. The new spell can be from any spell list, but must be of a level you would normally be able to cast.

A spell slot. You gain an additional spell slot. Costs 1 Sliver per level of the new slot. The slot can be one level higher than your current max, but this costs an additional 5 Slivers.

Rare Gift: Spellcasting ability. Choose a class. You can pick two 1st level spells that class has access to. You can cast these spells once per day, with the spellcasting ability of that class. You can only learn more by making further deals with The White Prince.

THE FIACHSIDHE

Mistress of the Wild Hunt, Immortal Hostess, Seneschal of the Green Court

The Fiachsidhe is a powerful Faery noble, said to ride across the realm of Faery on a bronze chariot pulled by eight enormous hounds. She leads the Wild Hunt on excursions into the mortal realms, and enforces the laws of hospitality in Faery. She binds mortals to the form of a hound, and keeps them to pull her chariot for 100 hundred years. Of course, the Feary understanding of linear time is... loose.

Symbol: Nine dog skulls, stacked in a pyramid and inscribed with the nine names of the moon.

Incantation: 

hairr suna feirr eddaldaiul du na

ai serr dha Fiachsidhe dha wairn hildas

ai serr dha Fiachsidhe dha hurdarr

ai serr dha Fiachsidhe dha ruilnas ull dsinfadr

ai serr dha Fiachsidhe du eain na

du daesh na

ai serr dha Fiachsidhe

Sacrifice: a fine feast, a bronze torc or trumpet, a stag heart freshly butchered

Rare Sacrifice: The heart of a man hunted and slain

Typical Gift: A point of Inspiration (or equivalent)

Roll one of your Hit Dice and increase your Max HP by the result. This cannot bring you above your maximum possible HP.

An Arrow of Slaying. The target type is of very narrow focus. If you know the True Name of the target, you get d3 instead of just 1.

Rare Gift: A Horn of the Hunt. You can sound this horn once per full moon to summon a 2d6 HD/CR/level servant of the Fiachsidhe. The servant will aid you for d4 hours and then return to Faery.

BATHIM, THE OPENER OF WAYS

Bathim is a duke of Hell, and knows the routes and ways between dimensions. He can speed travellers on their way, or mire armies for days. He appears as a muscular man with the tail and head of a snake, riding a roan horse. Souls he takes are bound to his horse's tail, to be dragged across the surface of one thousand roads.

Symbol:

Incantation:

Bathim, Bathim, open the way

Bathim, Bathim, show me the way

Bathim, Bathim, knower of doors

Bathim, Bathim, I call unto thee

Bathim, Bathim, show me the way!

Sacrifice: A soldier's foot, a horse, dust from another plane

Rare Sacrifice: The keystone of an interplanar doorway.

Typical Gift: Speeds your next journey to a known destination by d6 days (you will simply cover distance faster without seeming to)

Tells you the route to a named location

Opens a door, gate, or portal that no-one living has passed through

Rare Gift: Opens a stable gateway to another realm, OR, gives you access to a pocket dimension you could claim for your own.

BELHOR, THE MAKER OF CROWNS

Belhor is a powerful King of Hell, said to be second only to the White Prince himself. Belhor appears as stronger, more beautiful, more frightening version of the current monarch of whatever realm the summoner resides in, and is always crowned with fire. Belhor is said to have the power to raise the lowest commoner to the heights of power and nobility. Souls bound by Belhor are doomed to place ten thousand bricks upon the ever-growing walls of his infernal fortress.

Symbol:

Incantation:

Of all the Thrones and Princes, I exhort thee Belhor

Before all the Lords and Swords, I beseech thee Belhor

Belhor, maker of crowns

Belhor, breaker of kings

Belhor, who stands behind all thrones

Belhor, I call you!

Sacrifice: An eagle, the mane of a lion, the bones of a prince

Rare sacrifice: The head of a landed noble

Typical Gift: Tells you of a noble who will reward service with land and title, and the service they need.

Tells you of a noble who can be overthrown, and how it might be done.

Tells you of a title that lies vacant, and how it might be claimed.

Rare Gift: Belhor will tell you of a crown you can claim for your own, and how it might be won. The path will be hard, and there will be a condition you must meet lest Belhor reverse your destiny.

Saints and Heroes of Dunador, and their Cults

Okay, so Last Time In Dunador it was about auguries and sacrifices. This time it's patron saints and heroes.  The saints and shrines concept and rules come from here:

https://espharel.blogspot.com/2019/12/osr-shrines-and-patron-saints.html

https://espharel.blogspot.com/2020/01/osr-5-saints-and-shrines-for-your-game.html

For clarity, a "patron saint" is from the heliopapist religion and is, like, Saint Christopher or something. "Heroes" are the pagan equivalent, like worshiping Achilles or Asclepius. Functionally, they're the same thing. You could probably also go for a genius loci (protector spirit of a place), but that would probably necessitate staying in one place so I'm not going to do entries for any off the hop.

You can dedicate yourself to a saint or hero without becoming a full member of their cult, and you can freely change which saint or hero you're dedicated to (though your fellow adherents might be a bit miffed, especially if you were a regular donor to the shrine). You can become a proper member of the cult, though that is a somewhat more involved process.

Also I should clarify that herein I'm using cult in the old sense, a set of practices related to the worship of a specific divinity, rather than the modern pejorative sense. Don't worry, Dunador still has its fair share of that kind of cult, too.

To recap the rules:

If you dedicate yourself to a patron saint or hero by worshiping and sacrificing at their shrine, and live by their strictures, you gain access to a floating spell you can cast 1/day. Multiple party members can share in the dedication, but you only gain one casting of the spell. These spells are always 1st level (or equivalent). If the spellcasting modifier is needed, it is equal to the number of PCs in the party present who are dedicated to the shrine.

You can increase the number of times a spell can be cast in a day by making additional sacrifices at the shrine. These sacrifices cost 25gp * your level * each additional spell level gained (max of 4). The bonus spell levels last for one day. You can combine bonus spell levels to cast the spell at a higher level.

Shrine of Saint Spurius

Patron saint of healers, barbers, sheep-shearing, lost children, and florists.

Shrine: A statue of a lamb-headed man carrying a shepherd's crook and decorated with flowers

Cult: Saint Spurius is especially popular in rural areas where healers are rare, or in urban areas where healing and medicine are expensive. Particularly devout followers wear a sprig of local flower in their hair at all times.

Spell: Cure Wounds

Strictures of Saint Spurius: 

You must always give aid to children and the young.

Trust not the untrimmed and unkempt.

Carry flowers with you as you would carry the Saint.

A Favourite Prayer to Saint Spurius:

Gentle Spurius, guide our path to health as you would guide a child to its mother. Grant us your blessing, that we might forever bloom in your light.

Shrine of Saint Killhart

Patron saint of hounds, infants, heroic sacrifice, the falsely accused. She's a dog.

Shrine: A grave mound surrounded sheep or cattle bones.

Cult: New or expectant parents, rangers and soldiers, hound-keepers, convicts. The faithful wear a dried paw, usually from a beloved pet, or pawprint tattoo.

Spell: Heroism

Strictures of Saint Killhart

Defend the defenceless

Do your duty, even if it leads to your end

Take joy in the chase

A Favourite Prayer to Saint Killhart:

Faithful Killhart, guardian of souls, your humble servant calls to you. Grant me courage so I may do what is needed of me. I beg this of you as your faithful child, o eternal guardian. Empower me with your divine warmth.

Shrine of Hildegard the Fox

Hildegard was a minor queen who lived in the chaotic time between the fall of the old Empire and the founding of Dunador. Her realm was small, and poor, but she was cunning and staved off all conquerors with cunning and guile until she won a promise that her realm would never be invaded while her family ruled. After her death, her son married into the founding house of Dunador and united the two kingdoms. Hildegard is revered as a trickster, a hero for the underdog and overlooked.

Shrine: A menhir, hung with carved masks of many faces.

Cult: Hildegard is worshiped by thieves, actors, the poor and oppressed, and those facing impossible challenges. The cult of Hildegard dis often discouraged or even suppressed for its association with criminals and rebels. Each local cult has its own signs of recognition it shares only with the trusted.

Spell: Marble Madness: Your pockets are full of marbles, and will refill every round.

Strictures of Theobald: 

Where wolves fear, foxes dare

The boot that steps on a neck is a foot planted in the grave

Violence stains, cleverness lasts

A Favourite Prayer to Theobald:

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield

Shrine of Notos

The south-wind that blows from the desert. When he is gentle, he scatters the flowers and pollinates the fruit trees. When he is angry, he brings lashing winds of sand from the heart of the desert to destroy crops. Notos dates from the Old Empire, and continues to be venerated throughout southern Dunador.

Shrine: A log or tree, hung with bits of wood and stone with long hole bored through them to sing when the south-wind blows.

Cult: Farmers, traders, bee-keepers, explorers, guides. Whenever going indoors or underground, the faithful always bow to the south to ask Notos to welcome them back when they return.

Spell: Gust of Wind

Strictures of Notos:

Go gently when you can, harshly when you must.

Go where you will. Let nothing stop you, not even the mountain.

Be formless, shapeless, without a centre to attack.

A Favourite Prayer to Notos:

Rather than prayers spoken aloud, worshipers of Notos call on him by rattling windchimes and using bullroarers.

Gods of Dunador

Getting religion to have a proper role in my games has long been a want of mine. Fortunately, Goblin Punch made some excellent ways to do exactly that. I've reproduced them here with some modifications, and included the three gods and three saints I thought were mostly likely to be important to adventurers.

AUGURY

This is something anyone can do, and requires only going to a temple, church, or shrine and performing the correct ritual - and making a sacrifice, of course - to ask a divine power (a god, a saint, or a local spirit) if they approve of a given course of action or a person, place, or thing.  The important thing is that you're not asking the divine to predict the future or how likely a plan is to succeed, you're asking whether they will be pleased or displeased by something.

Gods and spirits will answer to anyone who performs the rituals correctly, but saints will only answer to heliopapists. Different entities want different things, and will respond differently depending on what you're asking about.

Performing Augury

1. Go to the entities shrine or temple, offer the sacrifice, undertake the ritual. The entity will tell you whether they approve of what you ask.
2. The referee secretly rolls a d100 on the chart below, with the given modifiers.
3. Receive the answer: auspicious, ill, or terrible.

If the roll is under your target value, the augury is accurate. Otherwise it will be random (odd result = ill, even = auspicious). If the augury fails and the dice show double odd numbers (ie 55) then the result is terrible and and you must do something drastic (a quest, a lot of sacrifices, etc) to avoid a horrible fate. If you were asking about a specific course of action then you should very much not do it. If you persist in doing that thing anyway then you /will/ encounter dire peril.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If the Referee does not already know 'true' answer to an augury, then they are required to roll for it and abide by the roll.

The Augury Chart

The sacrifice offered determines your base chance. Also all sacrifices must be given in pairs - one to be sacrificed, one as payment to the priests.

• Bottle of wine, roast meat, etc, worth at least 1gp - Base 40% chance
• Three chickens, a dog, a lamb, etc - Base 50% chance
• A cow, three goats or sheep, a horse, etc - Base 60% chance
• An exotic or monstrous animal such as an albino bull, live manticore, etc - Base 70% chance
• Human sacrifice - Base 80% chance but it automatically counts as a blasphemy (see below) unless you do it in a place where the gods cannot sea.

Bear in mind you can sacrifice just about anything - the above is a base guideline guideline.

Additional modifiers:

• Sacrifice has deep personal meaning to petitioner: +5%
• Favoured sacrifice: +20%
• Rare offering: Automatic success

Donation: +X% where X is the square root of the money donated. X is also the x-in-20 chance the high cleric, archpriest, or otherwise named head of the temple will take a personal interest in you.

You can perform auguries yourself outside of a temple or shrine, but you gain a -10% penalty.

If you don't have a sacrifice to offer you can promise one and use it as the base chance with a -10% penalty, but if you fail to offer the sacrifice there will be dire consequences.

All auguries must be accompanied by proclamations and praise to the entity.

BLASPHEMY

Whenever you blaspheme, mock the gods, doubt their existence, or otherwise invite a lightning bolt from on high, you have an x-in-20 chance of being cursed, where x = your level+Charisma modifier.

If you whisper it (in character and IRL), then this is negated.  This rule is also negated if you are doing something in service of one god against their enemy.

OATHS

An Oath is a binding contract enforced by divine wrath.  An Oath can be entered into by one or more parties.

To make an Oath, the participants must loudly state:

1. Which god they are binding themselves to.
2. What they promise to do.
3. What is the penalty for breach.

Then make a sacrifice using the Augury chart above with the following additions:

No sacrifice: Base 10% chance

Conducted by a priest or other officiant: +10% chance

Touching a sacred relic: +20% chance

The referee makes the roll in secret to see if the penalty will in fact occur should any party break the Oath.  If a group makes an Oath together, they will all suffer the penalty together.

DESPERATE PRAYERS

A party can attempt a desperate prayer once per session.

The praying character must loudly state:

1. What they want from the god/saint/spirit
2. What they promise to do if they get it.

The default chance of success is 0%. The intercession will only happen once and in the smallest way possible. The roll is made in secret and at the last possible moment.

If the request is something small that could possibly be explained away by coincidence they get up to +5%

If the promised is something generous they have the capacity to give, they get up to +5%

THREE GODS EVERY ADVENTURER KNOWS

Dokeia, the Antlered Goddess, the Wild Huntress, the Sounder of Horns

Hunting, Wild Places, Being Lost, Paths, Herbs, Beasts, Hounds

Favourite Offerings: A wild rabbit (still alive), amber, mistletoe berries

Rare Offering: the heart of a fawn, willingly given

Augury: the query is carved into a consecrated antler or horn which is then given to the temple dogs to chew. The augury is interpreted from the words left unchewed. Terrible omen: the hounds refuse to chew.

Approves: when you keep what you kill, but especially when the hunter becomes the hunted

Curse: Lycanthrophy.

Komawenteia, the Lion Goddess, She Who Massacres, the Red-Crowned One

War, Lions, Massacres, Bloodshed, Rage, Passion, Art, Poetry, Lust, Beauty

Favourite Offerings: the teeth of a hated foe, artwork, poetry stained with tears of love

Rare Offering: genitals

Augury: the offering is burnt and the ashes mixed with paint. A priest is worked into ecstatic frenzy and paints. Interpreting the painting reveals the augury. Terrible omen: the paint turns to sludge.

Approves: when you act out of passion, but especially when blood is spilled for it

Curse: whenever you are gripped by passion or strong feeling, you must save or slip into a berserk and ecsatic frenzy. You cannot go unconscious while in this frenzy, and feel neither pain nor hunger until it ends.

Mater Theia, the All-Mother, the Embracing, the Guardian of Gates

Death, Rest, Graveyards, Thresholds, Journey's End, the Hearth

Favourite Offerings: doors, food made from an inherited recipe, bone meal of an undead

Rare Offerings: grave-dirt from inside the rib cage of your mother

Augury: the query is written on paper, which is ground into soil mulch. A flower is planted in this soil. When it blooms, the number of petals reveals the augury. Terrible omen: the flower withers.

Approves: when you undertake a journey, but especially when you are unsure of the destination

Curse: whenever you see a door you have never gone through before you must save or suffer terrible pain until you pass through it. Doors unlock (but do not become untrapped) at your touch.

AND THREE SAINTS

All the Saints have the same augury process: fast and pray for a night and day and then until you pass out from exhaustion. When you awake, the augury will have granted to you. Being driven from the church, or failing to fast and pray for the full night and day are the terrible omen.

Saint Alypius the Gambler

Patron saint of gamblers, singers, treasure-hunters, and runaways

Favourite offerings: gold won in gambling, boots a long way from home, candles that have lit up a dungeon

Rare offerings: large treasure, claimed from a heathen hoard

Approves: when you take gold from nonbelievers by wit and guile, but especially when you give credit loudly to the Divine Daughter

Curse: Once per session the Referee may demand you re-roll a die. If ever you roll a total result of 1, increase it to 2.

Saint Vertranis the Judge

Patron saint of bounty-hunters, judges, executioners, and librarians

Favourite offerings: finger bones of the guilty, silver chains, ink

Rare offering: a book of laws

Approves: when you make a record of events, but especially of punishments

Curse: whenever you meet someone new you must save or confess to the last crime you saw committed. You have advantage on saves against mind-affecting magic.

Saint Placidia the Excoriator

Patron saint of demon hunters, exorcists, and forced conversion

Favourite offerings: garlic, quicksilver, and human effigies

Rare offering: Rock chipped from a menhir or stone circle

Approves: when you defend the faith, but especially against the supernatural

Curse: you recoil from holy images and sacred places. You can smell when demons or their servants are nearby

THE REST OF THE GODS

Iphemedeia, Goddess of the Moon, She Of Soft Wings and Sharp Talons

Mysteries, Revenge, Secrets, Prophecy

Diwia, the Changer of Seasons, the Giver and the Taker

Seasons, Change, Authority, Farming, Marriage

Dipsiol, the Two Who Are One, the Blood-Drinker, the Life-Giver

Alchohol, Birth, Murder, Medicine, Gender and Sexuality

Trisheros, the Triple-King, the Dragon-Slayer

Conquest, Punishment, Competition, Self-Improvement, Knighthood

Marineus, God of Time, Lord of Archers

Entrophy, Time, Archers, Erosion, Destruction, Deserts

Despotas, the Law-Giver

Order, Laws, Hierarchy, Writing, Memory, Money

Enesidaon, God of Fire and Storms, Shaker of the Earth

Deep Places, Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Caves, Storms, Keeper of the Dead

Diktaios, God of the Night Sky, the Walker in Dreams

Stars, Architects, Mathematics, Libraries, Maps, Navigation, Dreams

Posidaeia, Queen of Horses, She Who Treads on the Sea

The Sea, Winter, Peace, Tradition, Pain, Sleep, Horses

Drimios, the First Teacher, God of the Wheel

Magic, Teaching, Roads, the Wheel, Song, Lucky and Fortune

Another Twenty Questions: Kingdom of Dunador

Another set of worldbuilding questions, this time courtesy of Dungeon Antology

1. What is something that players can interact with that inspires wonder in your setting?

• The massive, cyclopean, impossible Dam that has created the Great Lake in the heart of Dunador and the seemingly endless dungeons beneath.
• The ornithomimid cavalry of the nobility.
• The millennia-old ruins of the old Elven Empire, buried by sand and time.
• The works of the Eld.
• The Grand Library, built by the Old Empire and maintained by a monastic order of librarians.

2. How does one religion in the world work? What rituals and observances are involved, and how does this religion play with other religions out there? Are gods real?

The two primary religions are the worship of the Thirteen Titans and the Church of the Sacred Daughter. The Thirteen are based heavily on religion in Ancient Greece. Rituals and observances are not standardized and there is no central, canonical dogma. Local variations of rites and practices abound, though things are relatively uniform across Dunador itself.

Larger towns and cities might have temples to some or even all of the Titans individually, while smaller locations might have a small temple dedicated to a single, patron deity or the pantheon as a whole. Rituals are conducted by priests, who are inducted and trained in the local practices, at the altar within a temple. Libations and votive offerings are standard, and burnt offerings are common for larger rites. To speak ill of the gods or refuse to partake in a ritual is considered highly impious and can lead to social and even criminal consequence, depending on the relative power of the local priesthood.

Festivals are also common, and are as much a social event as a religious function. Festivals vary by region and even by city, and many towns have their own distinct festivals. There is a major festival every month of the calendar, one for each of the thirteen titans, and then numerous smaller or localized festivals for demigods or minor deities, or for regional aspects of one of the thirteen. 

The worship of the Thirteen does not prohibit respecting other deities, and indeed the expected custom is that when in the lands of other gods to pay them homage as well. After all, they're just as powerful and to be respected. Relations with the Church of the Sacred Daughter is more strained, as the heliopapists regard the Thirteen as a heathen falsehood and tend to get rude about it.

The Church of the Sacred Daughter draws from Orphism and Christianity in late antiquity. It survived the fall of the Old Empire mostly intact, and set about enthusiastically converting the peoples and realms that replaced the empire. The Church is lead by the five popes, each based in one of the five key cities of the Old Empire, of whom the Pope Solar in Thule is the first among equals. Bishops hold sway over dioceses, and clerics hold parishes beneath them. Some particularly large dioceses, especially those containing major cities, may be referred to as an archbishopric.

Heliopapists are expected to attend services at least once a week, with morning and evening prayers taken either in the home or led by a cleric. There are major festivals roughly coinciding with the turn of seasons (more than one cynical pagan has pointed out how marvelously coincidental it is that so many major events in the canon heliopapcy line up with the festivals and observances they seek to erase). Heliopapists are expected to tithe a tenth of their income to their local church.

The central belief of the Church is that the soul must be purified and cleansed, which can only happen through the rites of the Church, until it can rise to join the Daughter in eternal rapture.

Heliopapists are explicitly enjoined to convert the heretic and the heathen, as the resurrection of the Sacred Daughter and the apotheosis of all mortal souls cannot occur until all souls have been purified, so they tend not to get along with followers of other religions. In rural areas Church practices have often syncretized with local folkways that it can be difficult to tell the difference between heliopapist and pagan, and in large cities the archbishops and high priests regard each other as rivals for power as much as for religion and interact through statecraft rather than belief.

And yeah, gods are real. Probably.

3.  How does one get access to goods and services in the setting? Will items always be available, will trade routes be jammed up by bandits, are their commissions for things, are magic items sold in regular stores, are hirelings available for hire or do we have to find them in the world?

Cities have artisan's quarters and bazaars, towns have permanent markets, villages have seasonal markets. Metal workers and craftspeople ply their trades everywhere. Things that only a wandering adventurer would need are harder to find as their manufacturing is specialized, and truly exceptional artisans are invariably working for some noble or another.

Major disruptions, like war and plague, can affect the availability of goods. Magic items are not available for purchase anywhere except the largest of cities and even then not freely. In towns and cities there are placing for finding hirelings - even if it's just that disreputable tavern outside the walls.

4.  What are some examples of people and creatures a commoner would be wary of in-setting? What are some examples of people and creatures a commoner could trounce without worry? What are some examples of people and creatures a commoner would trust?

Proper monsters (ie, things with wings and fangs and poison stingers) are always a threat to the common folk, as even the local soldiery will struggle to deal with such creatures. Anyone armed is likely to be regarded with wariness - soldiers enforce edicts and feudal rule and collect taxes, adventurers are invariably associated with chaos, and everyone else is probably a bandit or otherwise up to no good. Law is still very primitive and largely practiced at the discretion of the local lord (like a baron or bishop). Crimes against feudal lords are handled by a written code, but generally victims are expected to seek their own justice.

Commoners and peasants are particularly equipped to handle any proper fight, especially on their own. They could probably handle a cat, as in real life, or at least not a truly pissed-off cat.  Commoners who are organized and directed are much more capable. A bunch of peasants with spears and a good attitude can take on a bear, or horsemen, or even some of the smaller, more animalistic monsters.

Traders are generally well-regarded in Dunadon, particularly the great caravans that move east and west along the Spice Road, and a caravan arriving in town often takes on the air of a festival day. Travellers from the Despotates are welcome, if somewhat less exuberantly, both because the Despotates are closer at hand, and because most Dunadonians suspect everyone from "up north" of being a libertine regicide. Adventurers are most welcome in the north-east, where the heroic traditions and sagas are still a major part of common life. Knights are regarded with reverence in the north-west and the heartlands where they're mostly seen to engage in tournaments and the occasional counter attack against raiders from the mountains or wyverns - the south and north-east have keen memories of knightly reprisals against uprisings.

Orcs, hobgoblins, and goblins are not treated any differently than elves, humans, or halflings. Foreign hobgoblins are treated with some suspicion, due to the increasing conquests of the hobgoblin-dominated Writha Dominion.

5. Name a heroically slain dragon, or something comparable in threat. How was the creature slain, according to stories? How was it actually done? Was it a fluke or a well-executed slaying of a monster?

The great dragon Thunder-Haunts-The-Dawn was slain by Baron Leofric the Bald. The dragon wrought a path of destruction across eastern Dunador. The Baron took his household troops and a dozen adventurers and laid a trap for the beast. When Thunder-Haunts-The-Dawn landed to feast on a herd of cows, they attacked. In the first battle, they manage to cripple one of the dragon's wings at the cost of fifteen dead. For three days they followed the dragon, preventing it from resting until they finally cornered it in a deep valley. The story told by the five survivors is that although they mauled the beast it would not die. Eventually the Baron allowed himself to be swallowed whole and killed the dragon from the inside. He was posthumously declared a hero of the kingdom, and has a small cult in the lands touched by the dragon.

6. How do people who adventure (if there are even such people) get jobs and contracts in this setting?

The Adventurer's Guild provides training (apprenticeship, mostly) and contacts for would-be adventurers and patrons can approach the guild directly with contracts. Mostly, though, it's about approaching the locals and listening for rumours. Or just looking for trouble.

7. How do people convey their station/caste if such things exist? In particular, what intersections do station/caste have with the adventuring lifestyle (whatever the players are in the setting…guards, tomb raiders, bounty hunters, etc.)?

Long and unbound hair, sober colours - especially light ones that would show stains easily - and delicate or difficult to maintain fabrics are the usual fashion of the nobility. Semi-functional but always brightly polished armour is favoured by those who want to project a military air. Leathers, feathers, and foreign animal hides are considered acceptably rustic.

Common folk across Dunadon like bright colours, often in patchworks or plaids. Kilts and chitons (of linen in the south and wool in the north) are common to the rural areas, while townsfolk prefer tunics and loose trousers.

The arms, armour, and copious gear carried by adventurers tend to mark them out to casual observance. It is commonly believed, and largely true, that only the desperate and marginalized become adventurers in the first place, and they are usually regarded with a mix of fascination and disdain, even by commoners. Rich and famous adventurers can gain access to noble society, but unless they truly establish themselves within the feudal hierarchy they are unlikely to ever be considered more than a passing curiousity.

8. What privileges and prejudices exist in your world, if any do at all? For example: How does the world view LGBTQ identities, ethnic identities within each fantasy “race”, and race relations?

There is no structural marginalization of gender identities or ethnicity. The nobility are expected to produce children to continue the dynasty, but adoption and surrogacy are acceptable (though it's considered slightly gauche to discuss them in public). Long-standing conflicts between nations tends to bleed into public perception across borders, but those are not racism and the common folk tend to regard war as the business of nobles.

Privilege does exist, but it's largely restricted to class. Religion can factor in, especially in a region that is politically dominated by religious authorities that engage in the suppression of other faiths.

9. What is the distal view of the political system? Is it feudal, is there a suzerainty, do we have a triumvirate, etc.

Feudalism with limited elective monarchy. The ruling monarch nominates a successor, and the major landholders (both secular and religious) who sit on the council must ratify the choice. If the nominated successor is rejected (rare, but happens), another from within the ruling dynasty must be chosen. If there is no suitable option, a candidate is chosen from within another prominent family. In practice, every confirmation is a political nightmare as vote are bought and traded, and any real dispute over candidates or election of a new dynast is inevitable marked by violence. Joint monarchies are not uncommon, particularly when a monarch is attempting to strengthen their position. Although it has fallen somewhat out of practice, there have been several occasions in Dunadon's history where a monarch named their chosen successor as junior co-ruler to bypass the need for the council's confirmation.

10. What is a more proximal view of the political system? Who are local nobles or leaders that should be known about, and what are their reputations?

Hildegarde de Maromme, Duchess of Verdirmont is widely regarded as the most influential noble outside of the royal family. Verdirmont is rich, fertile, and well-supplied with castles. The de Maromme's have been in power since the founding of kingdom, though they've never held the throne. With the Queen ailing and her heir presumptive, a grandson, still young and untested, many are looking to Duchess of Verdirmont as the the power broker to the next succession.

Younette Voisin, Baroness of Redhollow. Redhollow Castle is a powerful bastion for Dunador's south-western borders and the Voisins have a long history of military service to the crown. Younette has thus far carried on that legacy, distinguishing herself in several of the minor wars that spring up among the petty kingdoms west of Dunador, leading troops to defend Dunador's clients and allies. The Voisins have often been named Marshalls of Dunador, and should a larger war ever threaten it is assumed by many that the Chainmail Baroness, as she is nicknamed, will be given that honour.  She has also been highly active along the southern border, putting down bandits and monsters that threaten trade and ensuring order in the border towns.

Rajan Novacek, Count of Bazrivere. South-eastern Dunador has been marked by increasing unrest, and Rajan, the fifth Novacek to be Count of Bazrivere, has been the face of it. The Count's faction claim that the ruling dynasty have lost the ability to govern effectively and change is needed. Most believe he is preparing to make a push to challenge for the succession, or least force concessions in exchange for his support. There have been quiet rumours that the Count and his allies have been building their military strength, including hiring large numbers of mercenaries and adventurers. Rajan, on the rare occasion someone asks him about it to his face, claims he is simply being prudent in case of disruption or attack in case of war among Dunador's eastern neighbours.

11. Do your players even need their rations and torches?

Yes.

12. How do you become a ruler of many?

Feudal privilege is guarded jealously by those already in power, and everywhere is claimed by somebody - there is no "unsettled frontier" here. 

Inside Dunador, proving you worth to an existing lord can lead to grants of land and title (in exchange for oaths of obedience, of course). Those closely affiliated with a church can earn stewardship of church land. Or you can head into the less centrally controlled regions, like the princedoms to the west or the northern mountains, and simply take it for yourself.

13. Are there social consequences for necromancy or other forms of forbidden magic? Do these consequences differ in the view of the common man vs. other people?

Necromancy and demon-summoning are pretty universally considered A Bad Thing. Which means of course that only the rich and powerful get away with it so long as they don't do it too publicly. Heliopapists consider necromancer particularly horrifying, as they believe a soul cannot continue the cycle of purification while it is trapped in flesh.

Mind-controlling magic is not specifically outlawed against beyond the normal laws against injuring persons, but it is a cultural taboo. More than one hedge mage or entertainer has wound up burned on the stake or buried alive by angry villages after a charm spell or hypnotism act gone awry.

14. What is the common man’s capability to distinguish the following things: a werewolf’s tracks vs. wolf tracks, a manticore attack vs. a lion attack, a demon attack vs. a gargoyle attack?

Minimal ability to tell the difference between wolves and werewolves. Generally speaking ANY wolf attack is blamed on werewolves. Lions are hated and feared by the common Dunadorian, and stories of any attacks are usually exaggerated enough that parsing the difference from reports alone can be difficult, but they can tell the difference by sight. The common Dunadorian wouldn't understand the difference between a demon and a gargoyle, even on sight.

15. What is the social position of rogues, within both history and in the current day? Within both thieves’ guilds and within the world at large?

While rogues can be romanticized if they target the privileged (see: Robin Hood, etc) or if they are treasuring-hunting tricksters, and especially if they do their nefarious deeds /somewhere else/, thieves are despised - especially by the common folk. Even accusations of theft can be enough to warrant ostracization from villages. There is no "Thieves' Guild" as an institution, though organized criminal gangs do exist and are considered part of life in urban areas (and in some cases provide more social support than any servant of the crown).

16. What is the role of dungeons within the world – are they a place where MacGuffins have been hidden, ruins of lost civilizations, unexplored caverns extending deep into the earth, Zelda-like puzzle dungeons that are more a player challenge than something that makes sense in-world, or something else entirely?

Most of the above? The buried cities, burial sites, and ruins of previous empires hold secrets and treasures. The Mythic Underworld awaits deep in the veins of the earth. Alien entities and prehistoric civilizations have left behind impossible constructions. Archamges, liches, and other powerful entities have left being strange lairs to entrap, entice, and bewilder. Generally dungeons are something that makes sense in the world, though the rules start to bend the deeper you go into the Mythic Underworld, or the more alien the builder.

17. How common are dungeons, how deep or large are they, and how much treasure might be expected within their depths?

Most dungeons are smallish constructions - buried ruins or sealed tombs that might hold grave goods. The more accessible they are, the more likely it is they've been looted and reoccupied. Larger dungeons hold commensurately greater rewards, and greater dangers.

18. Explain, if you could, the differences between magic-users in the world. For instance, how would wizards, sorcerers, miracle-workers, warlocks, witches, medicine-men, stage magicians, and the like differ from each other? Do all of those categories even exist?

Common folk don't have a clear understanding of the difference between wizards and sorcerors. They wiggle their fingers, say weird words, and fire comes out. They likely also wouldn't recognize a warlock to look at them or see them cast, but warlocks have a sinister reputation, most commonly being associated with The Prince or the much-feared Faery.

Witches, hedge mages, druids, and other rural wise-folk are an accepted part of life outside urban areas, even among heliopapists. Most would be surprised (and probably disbelieving) to be told that the folk-magics of the local wise woman or the druid the next valley over is the same kind of spellcasting as the fancy wizardry they've heard of in the tavern stories.

19. What are two examples of food culture in the world? Even if food isn’t a part of play, what dishes are people consuming in the world around the players, and what messages can be conveyed through food and drink?

Asking for fish is the fastest way to mark yourself as a foreigner. The only ready supply of fish in Dunador is from the Lake, and only the monarch (and those who have paid for a license) are permitted to catch them.

Although the traditional foods are basically the same across the kingdom, there are regional variations that locals recognize, and (mostly friendly) rivalry exist between regions over which is the best. Outsiders frequently can't tell the difference.

Food can only be given as a gift if it is eaten communally. Refusing to eat something you're giving freely to someone is considered extremely rude and possibly suspicious, as is offering payment for something that is being consumed communally.

20. What is the internal logic of the game world you are running, as far as players are concerned? When the players act and the world reacts, what principles do you hold to?

The world has plots and NPCs have agency and agendas they will pursue outside the activities of the players. If the kingdom goes to war, it may have nothing to do with what the PCs have been up to. The local nobility is going to think in terms of privilege and power and ambition. The necromancer two valleys over is going to keep stacking bodies on that tower until he becomes a lich whether the players care or not.

In general, I will err on the side of "what the reality of the world demands". A cruel, greedy baron will not suddenly become altruistic because it would make for better story pacing. I make use of reaction tables and generators to help build the world and guide the actions and agendas of NPCs.

That said, the game is focused on the players. There are quests available to undertake and storylines that can be engaged with, but the players are not railroaded and can pursue their own interests and agendas.

In arbitration, I aim to be a referee, portraying the world honestly but keeping the focus on the PCs and the style of play in keeping with what the players want.

TWENTY QUESTIONS: Kingdom of Dunador

Some guy whose name I don't wanna mention came up with these questions, questions that help guide worldbuilding. Since I'm building a new world, I figured I'd use them.

THE KINGDOM OF DUNADOR

Dunador is a realm built on the bones of a fallen empire, loosely based on some of the "Barbarian" Kingdoms that arose after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Very loosely. The players wanted a game in and around a desert (as that's a biome we've rarely used) so I'm taking some geography and the like from North Africa - a strip of settled land above a Great Sand Sea that is thinly populated but crossed by rich trade routes. Dunador is bordered by high mountains to the north (beyond which are a collection of coastal and island city-states), rocky desert to the south, two major (if troubled) kingdoms to the east, and chaotic minor princedoms and grand duchies to the west. 

Dunador is very much "Feudalism in a Hurry" I'm generally trying to strike a balance between my own need for some level of verisimilitude in politics and how pseudo-medieval nations work, and the core assumptions of D&D. Also, my previous campaigns have tended to go from zero to "Cthulhu wakes" before level 3 so I'm trying to keep this one more grounded and the stakes a little more earthly.

One other thing I'm trying to adjust in the way I set up the world is transitioning from "the Dark Ages are chaos and death and nothing good" to "yeah things are unsettled and violent but at least we're not ruled by those assholes with their slaves and imperialism". So the "Old Empire" goes from "I miss those guys who knew how to build stuff", to "good riddance".

1 - What's the deal with my cleric's religion

The Thirteen Titans

Worship of the Thirteen Titans is the predominant religion, practiced across most of the land. The grand temples of the Thirteen can be found in every city and town, and most villages have at least one shrine to sacrifice at. The Grand Clerics of the Thirteen are wealthy and respected, and some are as powerful as dukes.

The faithful believe the Thirteen affect all aspects of life, and must be propitiated to ensure good fortune and ward off ill in specific, practiced rituals that have been passed down for generations. Oaths (or curses) spoke aloud are regarded as especially binding as the power of speech is a gift from the Titans themselves. Public festivals are common and lavish.

The Thirteen are a pantheon of my own design I have details for elsewhere, but their worship is most directly inspired by ancient Greek and Roman polytheism, though preferably a little less No Fun Allowed than the Roman.

The Most Holy and Orthodox Church of the Sacred Daughter

Nicknamed "heliopapists" by outsiders, the worship of the Daughter has grown from a localized cult to a widespread religion after its adoption by the Old Empire. Heliopapists are strictly monotheistic, believing it their duty to 'enlighten' those still bound by the old ways. The Church itself has spawned numerous sects, schisms, and heresies, but still the Solar Pope in the ancient city of Thule is reckoned as powerful as any king.

Heliopapists believe that the Dawn had a Daughter who was so beloved and admired by all of creation that the old gods (commonly identified as the Thirteen) struck her down in jealousy. In sorrow, the Dawn struck down the old gods in turn and burned them as a pyre for her Daughter, and set the pyre in the sky for all to see. From the ashes of the old gods (body) and the divine breath of the Daughter (soul) was born the mortal folk.

For Heliopapists, life is a quest to purify away the physical taint of the old gods until the soul can be freed from the endless cycle of reincarnation and can dwell forever in light of the Dawn and the Daughter - who will be reborn when all souls have been purified and her divine essence rejoined.

The Church enjoins believers to live simply, without indulging in passions or the weaknesses of the flesh (including vegetarianism in the strictest sects) or enjoyment of world possessions. Prayer, fasting, purification rituals, and above all tithes to the Church. Temporal rulers are encouraged to donate land to the Church (and of course the ensuing tax revenues) to speed the purification of their souls. The fact that the hierarchy of the Church grows rich and powerful from tithes, indulgences, and donations does not go unnoticed, and has been the cause of external derision and internal schisms.

I stole the word "heliopapist" from Rakehell by Brian Richmond because, like, c'mon. It's an amazing word. Full credit to Rakehell for being amazing in general. The Church in general is a mix of Orphism and the early Christian church. I still want to create a quick list of the biggest heresies and schisms in the Church because who doesn't love a good heresy.

The White Prince & His Divine Shadow

Worship of the White Prince is thoroughly proscribed in every land and law - with varying levels of effectiveness. To most of the world, The White Prince is better known as the King of Hell and All Demons. To his faithful, he is Phosphoros, Son of the Dawn, a liberator and teacher whose will is communicated by his earthly incarnation His Divine Shadow. Accusations of worship of The White Prince is a frequent used as a political weapon and more than one war has been fought over it. It's even occassionally true.

Those who follow His Divine Shadow, through the many Lesser Shadows who lead regional cults, are taught that the mortal flesh is the true existance, that "do as thou wilt" is the only law, and that magic is the gift from The White Prince to mortals. Worship of The White Prince is by necessity clandestine, but the gifts and influence it can bring means it is found all levels of society - from the downtrodden seeking ease and liberty, to the mighty and powerful swollen with ambition.

If you recognize the phrase "His Divine Shadow" then you know me for the trash I am. The rest of the worship of The White Prince is a relatively straight take-off of pop Satanism.

The Green Faith

In the old times, before the Old Empire swept away cultures and gods and imposed its own, the peoples of this land worshiped the land itself and the gods born of it. Through their priests, the druids, they spoke with the spirits and gods of each place and sought balance. These old folkways still exist, particularly in the north-east of the kingdom, and have been syncretized with the traditions of the Thirteen and the Church. Many villages have local saints of wells or groves they pray to for health, fertility, and safety, and the Church is only too happy to absorb these customs, with some gentle corrections of course, as it spreads their influence.  There are always rumours of actual, surviving druids who have kept the old ways alive down the centuries hidden in the wildest of places - rumours that invariably come with warnings of human sacrifice and children sold to Faery and men transformed into beasts for a hundred years.

Druids are a core part of D&D so I need support for them, and the way folkways get syncretized into mainstream practices are endlessly fascinating for me. Plus this way I can make Saint Guinefort canon in my setting. In both meanings.

2 - Where can we go to buy standard equipment?

Towns+ will (usually) have (most) everything, villages will have only what's needed by villagers. Sundries stores are only found in towns and along major roads, otherwise you need to go to the maker

3 - Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?

You'll need to go to a specialist in a city

4 - Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?

Ustripeth The Hollow, who defeated the demon lord Grand Excruciator Ernarog and his infinite horse-demons. Ustripeth now dwells his tower in the caldera of Eastern Brother.

True names are A Thing, and wizards are Lawful Extra.

5 - Who is the greatest warrior in the land?

Nanba Tori, who alone humbled the Despot of Dodapolis and his army of 10,000 at the Innemar Gates and returned alive from the Misty Isles of the Eld with the secrets to repair the Great Dam. Now lives in hermitage on the slopes of Mount Innemar.

*whistles innocently*

6 - Who is the richest person in the land?

Hildegarde de Maromme, Duchess of Verdirmont. Her lands are the most fertile in the kingdom, and the streams that run down from the mountains are said to glitter with gold.

I decided that the names in the kingdom would roughly breakdown as pseudo-Norman in the west, and most of the nobility in the north, pseudo-Slavic (cough Slumbering Ursine Dunes cough) in the south-east, and pseudo-Anglo-Saxon among the north-eastern nobility and peasantry everywhere, with a healthy dose of bastardization when it comes to naming places.

7 - Where can we go to get some magical healing?

Temples of the Thirteen will provide it for a donation to the temple. Churches of the Sun Lady will provide it for the baptised only. Village witches and healers prefer to deal in trade and favours.

8 - Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?

Senior (more powerful) clerics of the Thirteen for a price, wise folk and druids if you can prove your worth. Heliopapist will probably tell you that you deserve it, and maybe try to burn you alive.

9 - Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?

The Adventurer's Guild can provide access for worthy (and wealthy) members.

The Adventurer's Guild is more correctly know as The Royal Dunadorian College of Gladiators, Slayers, and Knights-Errant and was founded by a monarch of Dunador who figured it would be better to regulate all these sellswords and wandering mages of negotiable morality and direct their energies towards monsters, each other, and the border marches. And as a bonus, they represent a powerful collection of trained fighters not loyal to any Duke or priest who are all sworn to a charter that includes provisions for being conscripted at royal demand.

10 - Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?

Towns might have one or two. Most true sages and alchemists require a noble patron, so the courts of the monarch and dukes are the most common location. The largest cities, too.

11 - Where can I hire mercenaries?

Hirelings can be found in any town and less-isolated villages. Common in cities.

12 - Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?

Bearing arms (including spellcasting) is prohibited in cities except to lands aristocrats and their households and soldiers. Temporary bans are added to anywhere the ruling monarch or member of the royal family is present.

13 - Which way to the nearest tavern?

All towns have at least one and so do most villages along roads. Smaller or more isolated villages may just have a rotating public house.

14 - What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?

• Wyverns are a persistant threat in the north. Manticores often haunt the southern road. Sea serpents have been known to harass boats on the Lake and terrorize fishing villages. There are frequent sightings of undead in the central highlands above the Lake, including wights and bog-mummies. Any of those will earn you local renown and free drinks for at least a few months. 
• Killing a worm (purple, sand, or river) is considered truly heroic. And there hasn't been a true dragon slain in at least a generation.
• Giants make periodic forays down from the mountains to raid farms and villages, and giantslayers are always instant celebrities.

15 - Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?

• Dunador has been at peace with the Achaean Despotates to the north ever since the Battle of 10,00 Against 1, but the despots themselves are ever at war with each other and in need of mercenaries. 
• To the east, the Acralan and Zazomid kingdoms have always been in a state of constant tension that flares into war on a regular basis. 
• To the west and south-west along the edge of the Great Sand Sea the minor princedoms are being swallowed up by the expansion of the Writha Dominion. 
• The Mountain Kings, a loose confederation of bandit-lords, exiles, fringe cultists, and would-be princelings, are a permanent threat to Dunador and often make war upon the duchies bordering the northern mountains.
• The Dukes and Counts of Dunador area fractious lot, and the Barons even moreso, and rarely a summer goes by without at least a few of them fighting. The Queen is old and weak, and her power base fragile enough that the northern and western lords in particular do as they will.

In my mind both Acralan and Zazomid are both larger than Dunador, forcing the monarchs of Dunador to balance the desire for stability on their borders against the very real possibility that if either neighbour gets bored they could invade. Or worse, they could starting working together. Maybe they were once a single, larger realm that was divided between two heirs or something.

16 - How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?

Duncaester, the largest city in Dunador, still has the (slightly ruined) arena built by the Old Empire where they forced slaves to fight mock battles for the amusement of the rich and powerful. The monarchs of Dunador have carried on the tradition, though now it's adventurers and convicted criminals who fight, against captive monsters and each other. These adventurer "bands" often go on tours through the kingdom, and neighbouring realms, battling for fame in pits and arenas built by dukes or just carved out of the land.

If you're wondering, yes, there are absolutely battle of the bands events.

17 - Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?

• Worshippers of the White Prince certainly qualify. 
• There are endless whispers of a cult dediced to an old, forgotten god of Chaos that seeks to tear down all nations from the inside. 
• In the days of the Old Empire, many soldiers were inducted into the mystery lodges of Mithras, the bull-god of warriors, and this secretive fraternity has persisted into the current day.
• There are many who believe the democracies of the Despotates or the republic from which the Old Empire sprang are superior forms of statehood than monarchs and tyrants and seek to bring their ideals to life.

Demon worshippers, republican revolutionaries, a mystery cult, and evil libertarians. I just wish I could find a good gender-neutral word to replace "fraternity".

18 - What is there to eat around here?

Northern Dunador, which is watered by snowfall and mountain runoff, and the area around the Lake are the breadbasket of the Kingdom, dominated by barley and sorghum. To the south, the land dries out as it approaches the Great Sand Sea and herding, particularly goats and sheep, is the primary agriculture industry. Vegetables such as cabbage, onion, garlic, and beans are grown by every family, along with keeping chickens. Goat cheese, fried flatbreads, smoked meats, and apples and pears grown on the mountain slopes are the staples of Dunadorian cuisine. Boiled or fried dumplings are also widely eaten, especially in south-eastern Dunador, and they are a key component of festival and religious meals across the kingdom.

Fish are a delicacy, as the Lake is restricted by ancient writ for the use of the monarch only and those few granted license to fish those waters price their catch accordingly. Hunting and large game meat is largely restricted to the nobility, as the forest preserves are held to royal and ducal prerogative. Small game such as wild fowl and rabbits are free for anyone to hunt, and thus seen as peasant food.

Dunador sits on the great Spice Road that leads east across the northern Great Sand Sea and as such salt, black pepper, coffee, and tea are readily available for those that can afford it. Olives, figs, grapes, and almonds are traded with the Despotates to the north.

Now I'm hungry.

19 - Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?

• The aristocrats of the Old Empire had a penchant for being buried with all their worldly goods, and they're only mostly cursed. 
• The elves tell stories of a time when the Great Sand Sea was much smaller, and they built cities that have since been swallowed by the sands. 
• There is a legend that when the legions of the Old Empire conquered this land, the last heathen king Caticorix, gathered up all the treasures of his people and threw them into the earth rather than let the Imperials claim and set his last one hundred loyal warriors to guard them for all time. 
• The northern mountains are replete with underground ruins, left by the goblins of ancient times and then dwarves who subjugated the goblins and built their own nations atop them.
• Early in the history of Dunadon, a great was fought against Faery - the fir bolg king Eochaid invaded and was only defeated with the aid of, it is said, the Thirteen themselves. There are still portals to Faery left behind by this war and the riches of the fey are said to surpass all earthly treasures.
• In the centre of the Lake are a small group of islands eternally blanketed in mist, hence the name "the Misty Isles" or more formally "Misty Isles of the Eld". Only a very few have ever gone there and returned alive, and those that do have spoken of strange, elf-like beings with alien magics and golden barges.

20 - Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?

• The most ancient dragon All-Withers-In-Time sleeps beneath North Mother, atop a hoard of nations. 
• The Old Empire had a treaty with a dragon named See-Excellence-In-Scales, said to rule large reaches of the Great Sand Sea, though it hasn't been seen since the time of grandmothers. 
• The sea-serpents of the Lake claim there is a greater dragon that lives in the deepest part of the lake, though everyone knows sea-serpents are liars and tricksters.
• When the Old Empire was breaking apart, an Imperial general named Syragius claimed the area that is now Dunador and declared a new empire - the Syragian Empire. His empire did not outlive his son, who was defeated by the ancestors of the current monarchs of Dunador. Legend says Syragius never died, but became an undead lord by foul magics and waits for the day he can reclaim his conquests. The legends are also quite specific as to the vast quantities of magic treasure he guards, of course.