21 Jun Warring Kingdoms Preview – Hero’s Breviary

Players (and gamemasters) who enjoy immersing themselves in the world of Aventuria will love The Hero’s Breviary of the Warring Kingdoms! This journal-sized book is a series of in-character writing similar in style to On Aves’ Path.

Here are a few excerpts from the journal:

Tomorrow I shall leave the court of Trontsand and travel up the Ingval River. I look forward to it with great anticipation, for it is a journey I have always wanted to make. Before I set out, I will make one last stop at my parents’ fortified farm to pick up the horse they promised me. I want to name it Lucharna, after the terrifying creature from the Lakelands region. The mere sight of my Lucharna will drive my enemies mad with fear.

The blood-curdling Lucharna, which dwell in the deepest lakes, are hippocampi, which is to say half horse and half fish. Even though their head, neck, chest, and forelegs are that of a proud steed, the back half of their body is that of a gigantic fish, and they speed through the water as swiftly as a bird flies through the air. Sometimes, if you stand on the shores of one of their lakes at night, you can see the eyes of the hippocampi sparkling in the depths. I don’t know of any Lakelander who will do so during a full moon, for that is when these steeds of the deep rise to the surface to beguile innocent humans with their gaze and drag them down into the water to be devoured—for their favorite meal is human flesh.

While traveling through Thurania one sees traces of battle everywhere. The area remains split into two: we control the north, while the Nostrians have settled for the poorer south. Locals think that it’s only a matter of time until the Nostrians decide they want more, and act to take it. Oh, how I would have loved to travel near Lakemeadows, as south of it lies the field of the Battle of Tarlynsheight, which is considered to be the highpoint of the War of Tears. There is a glorious chapter of Andergastan history—and its misleading name is due to the whiny Nostrians.

Back then, while rummaging through old ruins, a witch woke an entity from ancient times. Afterwards she dedicated herself to dark magic and acts of evil. Emboldened and strengthened, she thought she could finally overcome our proud army. Nostrians flocked to her in droves and together they marched up the river Tommel. But when they reached Tarlynsheight, this louse-ridden band of warriors found the brave prince of Andergast blocking their path.

For more of these personal histories of the Warring Kingdoms, be sure to check out our Kickstarter, launching Friday, June 23rd!