High up in the Del Mountains the beautiful city of Lorel exists. The city was actually established just months before the end of khaost, but it is considered the first post-khaost city established on Shalor. The city is very well protected in a strong defensible vale. The vale is rich with abundant farms and well maintained by Del Druids. Lorel Keep is home to Arradel’s Guild, and college of bards said to be wise in lore and able to command powerful magic with their music. The citizens of Lorel are composed of about 50% human, 25% elf, 10% brownie, 10% dwarf, and 5% other races. The city and vales combined population is about 35,000. Lorel has a strong military of seasoned soldiers well versed in anti siege tactics. The most unique aspect to Lorel is its government. The Steward Counsel of Arradel’s Guild governs Lorel. To explain how a college of bards came to rule the first established post-khaost city one has to look at the cities history.

Long before khaost began the god Arradel created a guild devoted to music, tales and lore. This guild was situated in the heart of the Del Forest on the banks of the Stranford River. For about 300 years the guild was a place of higher learning, music and entertainment. The bards of the guild were masters of lore, and were said to be able to charm and beguile with the music they created and tales they told. Arradel taught the bards how to weave magic with their music. They could raise or lower the emotions of sentient creatures with a song. Many traveled great distances to either learn in the free atmosphere of the guild or simply to be entertained by its bards, and sometimes both.

In the year 2735 the god Arradel was slain by Ulgezin and the guild was left without a master. Since the beginning of the guild Arradel had been its master and had never made any preparation for his absence. Gods rarely consider their lives as finite. There were three competent and charismatic bards of high standing that offered to take over leadership of the guild. The guild was completely paralyzed by equal divisions of supporters for each master bard. Whereas the bards of the guild could not decide upon a new master they were among the first to foretell the coming of khaost. In actuality it was Arradel who foretold the coming of khaost years before. The bards knew they had little time before the world’s nations fell to war, disease, famine, and the hordes of demons from other planes. In light of this they decided a counsel of three stewards, the three master bards, would control the guild until the crisis passed. The Steward Counsel of Arradel’s Guild was born because the crisis was not going to pass. The stewards’ first order was to wisely ally themselves with the Del Druids, a powerful druidic cabal who inhabited the Del forest.

Once this alliance was made they set upon creating one of the firsts and most ambitious delves constructed upon Shalor. The Del Delve was huge, hidden and well defended, it took 15 years to finish and for the most part was a success. The bards and druids invited thousands of delans to take refuge in the delve. Among those who took refuge were legions of seasoned delan soldiers from the Ejen War. These battle hardened soldiers added greatly to the defensive constitution of the delve and were largely responsible for its survival in the later years. There were over 45,000 original inhabitants of the delve and its population actually grew to 46,000 during its period of isolation. The Del Delve was completed and sealed off in the year of 2752.

The delve remained hidden for 45 years and outlasted the darkest days of khaost. During this peaceful period the inhabitants did not remain idle and prepared for the day when they might again rejoin the outside world. The bards trained and heightened their ability to blend magic with music. The druids prepared new magics for reseeding and regenerating the dying world above. The delan soldiers prepared masterful anti-siege techniques to be used if the delve was ever breached, and theorized clever battle tactics for combating demons in the world above. The delve during this period remained under the wise leadership of The Steward Counsel of Arradel’s Guild and was greatly assisted by the Del Druids. The bards made peaceful music in their little underground lair while the world wasted away above.

In the year of 2797, just 2 years before the fall of Ulgezin, the Del Delve was breached. It is unknown how the demonlord Bulhorst discovered the delve but in that fateful year the delves wards crumbled and broke open. Bulhorst wishing to enslave the delves inhabitants attacked to capture and not to kill. He greatly underestimated the determination and defenses of the inhabitants. The Delve inhabitants unlike Bulhorst’s minions fought to kill and not to capture, and they were well defended inside their lair. Bulhorst recalled his minions after having suffered great losses in the deviously constructed murder holes and oil traps built to defend the delve. This was the beginning of a great siege that would last 1 year. The delves defenses were slowly being chipped away. Over the months swarms of suicidal demons were sent against the delve in wave after wave by their persistent and stubborn lord. It was very clear to the stewards they were going to eventually lose the delve, their only true lasting defense was secrecy and that was gone. Bulhorst was about to finally route out the delve when he was attacked by another powerful demonlord on the flank of his own zone.

Taking advantage of Bulhorst’s divided attention the inhabitants wasted little time and made a quick exodus out of the delve in desperate search of a safe land, a new haven to start again. This was the period where the guild and those under its protection suffered its greatest losses. Thousands were lost to disease and demon attacks. The people of the delve moved with determined desperation in a hostile world. They traveled the dying forests of Del with as much stealth as possible. Quite often right under the nose of a demonlord. Early in the year of 2799 they found Lorel and its protected vale. Lorel Keep was an old pre-khaost keep in the Del Mountains. It was originally constructed by well paid commissioned dwarves for the Lareuxe family, a rich powerful and paranoid Delan merchant family. Luck was again in favor of the wayward people. Later in the same benchmark year of 2799 Ulgezin was defeated, and khaost ended. With the defeat of Ulgezin the zone lords fell into even greater wars with one another and gave little attention to the new occupants of Lorel.

This was the beginning of Lorel and how it was built out of the ashes of khaost. The Steward Counsel of Arradel’s Bards still rules Lorel. It is an awkward position for the bards but as they are still the strongest organization of charismatic leaders in the region to have survived khaost they have maintained the duty. The Del Druids have no desire to lead any sentient race as their interest is as always only in nature and its cycles. Lorel is an extremely well defended keep surrounded by farmlands nurtured by the druids.
 
 

The Lorel Bard (5 points)

The unique magical skills that Arradel taught his guild have been well suited to the corrupted mana of khaost and post khaost. The bard is able to command powerful magic through the use of his music but never touches the mana that he directs. The bard uses his instrument to control and filter the mana. So removed from the mana is the bard that the bard has no use for magery. The bard can be likened to an alchemist in how he creates and controls magic. The alchemist mixes magical ingredients and the bard mixes magical sounds.

The leaders of Lorel are wisely as cautious about their brethren as they are of the dangers in the outside world. Almost all citizens of Lorel are fiercely loyal to their city, but there are rare individuals they may not be. All citizens of Lorel must undergo the blood oath of Lorel. The Del Druids administer the blood oath to all residents of Lorel that are of age. Every new year on the first new moon the blood oath ceremony is given by the druids. Citizens of Lorel are expected to renew their vow every 5 years even though the vow is permanent until broken. The blood oath of Lorel entails drinking a secret druidic herbal elixir and swearing an oath to Lorel. "If I should ever bring willful bring harm upon Lorel or its people may fires cleanse my blood, the earth reclaim my flesh, the sky take my breath, and the tears of my painful shame rejoin the sea." It is possible to survive breaking the vow but it is not likely. Few citizens of Lorel would want to actually harm their beautiful life-giving haven, and doing so would probably kill them.

Prerequisite Skills: History (MH) sk 12, Bardic Lore (MH) sk 12, Bard (MA) sk 15, Poetry (MA) sk 12, Musical Instrument (MH) sk 15, Singing (PE) sk 12, Music Composition (MA) sk 12.

Option Skills: (a bard must have 3 of these at sk 12): Music Notation (ME), Punning (MA), Fast Talk (MA), Carousing (PA), Savoir-Faire (ME), Performance (MA), Acting (ME), Occultism (MA).

Prerequisites: Literacy 5 pts, Charisma +1 5 pts, and Music Ability +1 2 pts.

Unusual Background: (A member of Arradel’s guild, and a citizen of Lorel) 10 pts.

Quirks: Sense of duty to Lorel –1 pt, distinguishing mark (tattoo of harp on left shoulder to identify the bard as a member of Arradel’s guild, and a citizen of Lorel) –1 pt.

The Blood Oath of Lorel: If a bard breaks the oath in spirit they immediately suffer 10d6 damage as their blood burns, their flesh rips, their lungs collapse, and they dehydrate. The oath entails that one never acts in any way that would bring harm to the guild or the citizens of Lorel. If one is tricked or inadvertently harms Lorel he has not broken the spirit of the oath and does not suffer the penalty of breaking the oath. Only a conscious willful act that harms Lorel breaks the oath. In a sense ignorance is the only defense. If a bard breaks the blood oath and survives he is free from it but must pay the disadvantage off. (–15 pts)

There are 5 unique skills that are only taught to bards of Arradel’s Guild.

Battle Song (MVH) (prerequisite: Musical Instrument sk 15, Singing sk 15, Music Composition sk 15)

In battle a bard has the ability to play a magical harmonic tune that can have one of two affects on listeners within range. Every bard has his own unique battle song, which they compose and improve as they raise their skill in the song. Playing the battle song requires both hands for the instrument and singing in harmony. The bard must concentrate while playing the tune and must roll for success every round for continued affect. The range of the song is a radius in yards equal to the unmodified skill of the bard’s battle song. A bard’s chance of success in battle song is modified by -1 for every creature within range that is to be affected by the song. Though the battle song can affect the bard himself he is never included in the penalty. If a bard is hit or forced to make a defense he must make a will -3 roll to continue playing without interruption. If the bard is injured while playing, the total number of hits he suffered lowers his effective skill for success by the same amount, unless he has high pain threshold.

A bard with this skill may target one subject and attempt to enthrall it with his music. It takes 2 full rounds of concentrated playing to attempt to enthrall a subject. The bard’s range is equal to in yards one half his skill in enthrall, round down. The bard makes a contest of will between the bards enthrall skill and the creatures will. A subject may add strong will or magic resistance to his contest of will. Magic resistance is not however subtracted from a bard’s skill in battle song; this is unlike magic spell casting. If the bard succeeds the subject is enthralled and will do nothing but listen mesmerized to the bards beguiling music. The bard must continue to play his music to keep the subject enthralled. Every minute of continuous play cost the bard 1 fatigue and requires another contest between the bard’s skill and the subjects will. A bard can take no action, other than use of the suggestion skill (see below), or the subject will immediately break out of enthrallment. If a subject under enthrallment is hit or greatly disturbed he immediately gets a will roll to break the affects of the enthrallment and is at a +4 on will for this contest. If a bard is hit or forced to make a defense he must make a will -3 roll to continue playing without interruption. If the bard is injured while playing, the total number of hits he suffered lowers his effective skill for success by the same amount, unless he has high pain threshold.

Suggestion (MVH) (prerequisite: Enthrall sk 12)

A bard can give a powerful hypnotic suggestion to a subject that has been successfully enthralled. While attempting to suggest an enthralled subject the subject will and must remain enthralled. The range of affect is equal to half the bard’s skill in suggestion. It takes 2 full rounds of playing to plant a suggestion in a subject. A contest of will is then made between the bard’s suggestion skill and the subjects will. If the caster succeeds he can give a simple yet powerful suggestion with one verb and one noun and no clauses. Possible suggestions could be, "kill Pat", "run away", "attack your leader", or "jump off the cliff". The suggestion can be anything but the bard is not allowed to point and a subject will never directly attack himself or herself. The subject will continue to attempt to follow the suggestion as long as the bard continues to play and maintain the effect. If the bard wishes to plant another suggestion in the same subject he may maintain the effects of the previous suggestion and maintain the enthrallment. If the bard does any other action other than maintain the suggestion or enthrallment in the same subject that subject is freed from the effects immediately. Every minute of continuo play and maintenance of a suggestion taxes one fatigue from a bard. A subject is allowed will check to resist every minute. If the bard wishes to plant another suggestion in the same subject he may maintain the effects of the previous suggestion and maintain the enthrallment.

Persuade (MVH) (prerequisite: Bard sk 15)

A bard may attempt to persuade an individual or group to his way of thinking by use of magically eloquent words. His words will have an intoxicating and mind numbing effect upon his subjects. Magic is interwoven in the glib poetic words he uses. This skill is more powerful than fast talk. It is delicate mind control. It takes at least 60 seconds of uninterrupted speech and the complete attention of the subject(s) for the bard to use this skill. A contest of will is made between the bard’s persuade skill and the subjects will. The bard is at a -1 for every subject beyond the first that he wishes to affect. The range of the affect is equal to half the bard’s skill, double this if the bard has the voice advantage. If the bard succeeds the subject’s will be very disposed to the ideas the bard. The subject will act upon the suggestions the bard has made as long as they are not truly contrary to the subject’s nature. If the bard succeeds at the skill but tries to persuade the subject of something that they would never normally do, they will simply refuse but otherwise not suspect the bard has used any tricks upon them.

The affects of the persuade skill last 1 full hour and cannot be maintained. If the subject was convinced of something quite contrary to his normal thinking he will likely be upset and suspect the bard of mind tricks. If the subject was convinced of something not that out of the ordinary then he may not even think twice about it. If a subject resists the affects of the persuade skill he will notice that the bard is trying to use mind tricks on him and will likely not appreciate it. A subject who is familiar with the bard’s methods and suspecting the bard will attempt to use magic eloquent words on him gets a +4 on resistance. Also if the subject interrupts or ignores the bard while he is attempting to persuade then the bard automatically fails. A greedy dwarf will not give the bard his gold, but can easily be persuaded to help the bard steal some gold from a sleeping friend for a share of the purse. A guard who is persuaded to let a bard pass but is under strict instructions to not let anyone pass without the proper identification will probably alert his superiors if he is not too afraid of the trouble he might get into. This can be a very powerful skill in the right circumstances.

Artifact Lore (MVH) (prerequisite: History sk 15, Bardic Lore sk 15)

A bard with this skill is able to discern information about an item. This skill is used to learn information about an item that would not be regularly known. Artifact lore may not be needed with some items with relatively noted or distinguished history, and with such items the history skill can suffice adequately. Artifact lore combines the bards advanced knowledge of lore with the ability of the bard to magically attune to an item in question to learn much more than normally possible. The bard must hold or touch the item for 1 minute and spend 2 fatigue points. The bard is not affected by mana corruption by use of this skill unless the item he is studying is itself corrupted. The bard then rolls against his skill in artifact lore. The bard’s skill is modified by how arcane and powerful the item is (GM discretion).