Category Archives: Erinbour

Erinbour, News, Places of Power

Erinbour updates

Leave a comment

At this point, you’ve probably heard me talk about, Erinbour, Heroic Journey’s new massive fantasy setting. With this post, my hope is to lay out our plan and get you excited about what we believe will be a fun way to present the setting that also allows us to create the game we always wanted.

With that said, let’s look at Erinbour, the last free nation in a world that is rotting from within. The wild is encroaching and this nation holds the final light in the darkness.  Despite the rot, there’s also hope.  Many races have found a home here after being driven from their ancestral lands by the Otherkin.  These races, if they band together, can rally against decay and rebuild their world to its form glory.  Erinbour, then, is the story of exploring ones past to reclaim its future.

Our plan is to tell the story two ways simultaneously. 

First, we are planning a series of campaign books that follow a year-by-year explanation of each phase in the Erinbour myth cycle. This is similar in construction to the “Pendragon: Grand Campaign” in that it will allow GMs and players to interact with the world in a way that allows for their actions to mean something as well as include generational play.

All adventure and support material will be time stamped to fall within this structure. Much of this material will be self-contained, but each adventure will suggest ideas for how the PC’s actions can affect the structure of the narrative for the better or for ill. GMs can ignore this the metanarrative and run any and all adventures within Erinbour and make it their own fantasy setting.  That’s great, too.

Currently, our plan is to have Four Phases of narrative. Phase One is where we will begin. At the start of the Phase, Erinbour is still shuddering under the effects of the war against the Otherkin, though society has reached a level of social development roughly equal to World War I Europe, with magic-based technology somewhere between a standard fantasy campaign and a high-tech magic/steampunk world.

During Phase One, PCs will experience the exploration of the wilds of the “Lost Continent” as the nation of Erinbour discovers the Places of Power.  This will lead to the flames of an ancient war with the Ogres and Goblinkind which introduces us to Phase 2 and the return of the Lost King. Phase 3 will be more introspective as the quest to find the new god/goddess reborn will take center stage and, ultimately, lead to the reawakening of the Otherkin in Phase 4.

Each phase will consist of a Campaign Guide Book which outlines the year over year activities of important people and things happening and gives adventure seeds for things to do. In addition, we have planned several support books for cities and places of interest and several standalone adventures.

I know you are asking how we can support such a massive undertaking. Well we can’t without you. This is why we’ve decided to produce this setting and all ongoing support through Patreon. As long as we have a Patreon going, we will produce support for this setting.  The plan is to release to our patrons first and eventually release via Pay What You Want roughly two months later.

Even more exciting, we are planning on producing this using the 13th Age Archmage system and are in works of procuring the licenses to do that. We will be launching the Patreon as soon as we get the final authority to use the 13th age Archmage engine license.

Thoughts questions and feedback are always welcome. Do you like 13th Age?  What do you want to see from our massive fantasy world?

Dynasty, Erinbour, Places of Power, Uncategorized

Dwarves of Erinbour

Leave a comment

I want to discuss the Dwarves for a moment. They are not native to Erinbour but instead were brought here by the Otherkin primarily by Azure. They came over as slaves, workers and fodder for Azure’s armies. It was their revolt against Azure that allowed Mai and her companions to overthrow Azure and the rest of the Otherkin.

The Dwarves live by a formal Caste System. One that was established long before they came to Erinbour. There are 6 Castes if you include the Castless. They are Farmers, Shielders, Miners, Forgers and Noble.

Farmers: This is the lowest caste. They are charged with maintaining food supply, dealing with the dead and anything relating to growing living things. Dwarves see themselves as elements fo the earth therefore above “living” things. This caste is respected for the importance it plays in keeping the clans fed and clean of disease.

Shielders: These are the protectors and warriors that defend the Clans from intruders and the darkthigns of the mines.  The Casts is the only cast that openly accepts members of other castes. Many a farmers son or daughter has upped their status by joining the ranks of the military.

Miners: This cast delves deep into the earth searching for the raw elements hidden beneath. The Miners are revered for their dedication and skill to find that which is hidden. The Mining Castes is also the religious center for the clans and the bring the word of their strange gods to the dwarven clans.

Forgers: These artisans are reveared for their skill to create from which the miners find. Weaponsmiths, armourers, jewelers and other craftsman. Blacksmiths and others enjoy a bit of reverence even from the Nobel Castes.

Nobles: These are the leaders of the clans. They make the decisions that lead the clans forward into time. They decide when they go to war and where. They are also tasked with protecting the Clans from internal and externalthreats.

Dynasty, Erinbour, Places of Power, Uncategorized

Elves of Erinbour

Leave a comment

I talked earlier about the Elves are true Ogres from Erinbours History, and as such they retain the same as that culture did milenia ago. Wiped out by disease from the Otherkin the ones to survive  took the Name Elven or Survivor.

Elves live and work within a matriarcal hierarchy of families. There is no noble or Commoner in Elvish society. As an elf you belong to a Family. There are currently 15 Families that make up the Elven nation. Each Family is lead by a Matriarch that oversees the families affairs. She makes all decisions.

She is suported by her immediate family. Each Family is loyal only to themselves and while they have kinship with the other families they are seen as rivals. Each house has a goal to out do their rivals, this sometiems spills into open aggression, but ussually is usually  reserved for backroom operations.  Many a thieves guild can find hidden backers within the Elven families.

Dynasty, Erinbour, Places of Power, Uncategorized

Erinbour Next Steps

1 Comment

I am writing this update to all of our backers and people that have shown us support for Erinbour these last few weeks. It does not look like we are going to get to where we need to be. Do not fret Erinbour is not going away. The gang and I still see this as a setting that is our love letter to Fantasy so we will go back and develop more re package our marketing and be back very soon to try again.

Erinbour did not lose on Ideas, the support we have seen and the comments we have gotten both publically and privately show us that it hasn’t failed. The kickstarter didn’t succeed but that just tells us we need to build from where we are and try again soon. Between that time though we are going to run a smaller more directed campaign for our Mecha Kaiju book which is a part of an established line and something that we can build off of to bring Erinbour out. You will be able to get contiual updates here at www.myheroicjourney.com as Erinbour grows.

Again thank you so much for your support stay in touch and we will be back very soon with a changed focus and more directed approach. This is a delay not a defeat.

Dynasty, Erinbour, Places of Power, Uncategorized

Knights Magus

Leave a comment

The Knight Magus is an order of knights that stand at the ready for the Wizards Council of the College of Magic. They are typically scholars, researchers, teachers and advisors in their normal functions.  However do not take them for anything less then knights.  Each is combat trained to use magic and steel with deadly accuracy.

Secondly and most importantly the Knights Magus enforce the magical law. They are the arm of the wizards council designed to be weilded like a  scalpel to defend mages even from themselves. The Knights train more then a typical wizard as they are skilled in both the arcane and armements of typical knights. One thing that seperates them from other knights is that they tend to favor study in one weapon. This allows them to split their focus and master the martial as much as the arcane. Each knight chooses a weapon upon induction to the knights and spends the next year mastering that weapon before they see active duty. This is usually in a Wizards 3rd year at university.

Knights Magus in keeping with their wizardly personalities tend to be calclating, logical as well as having a strong independent nature and curiosity. Most oporate alone or in pairs and have the freedom to interpret orders as they see fit except in case of War.

If you have any questions or comments about the Knights Magus or Erinbour please feel free and share them.

Dynasty, Erinbour, Places of Power, Uncategorized

Kickstarter Backers get an upgrade

Leave a comment

Visit the Kickstarter Here

I am currently working on a Mini-Campaign/Stand alone adventure set in the Wilds of Erinbour. This adventure “Th Villiage of the Damned” was written by David Hill and is a good example of the strangeness that can be found in Erinbour. This will be sent out to all current and future backers. It is fully playable for Pathfinder. I need to rework stats to work in Bare Bones Fantasy, that is the hold up at the moment. It should be available by Wednesday this week and will be a DRM free PDF pre production adventure. We have it on the table for a post production version and all backers will receive the post production version once we have the art finished and final layout done.

A bit about the Adventure…

 

“I’ve had this ale before. I had it last night. I had it the night before. I don’t know how many times I’ve had this same damned mug of ale, but I know it’s been the same stale mug for years. I know that every night, I’ve told all the patrons here. I know that every night, they laugh. I know that every night, they worry for my sanity. I know that I can’t leave. So tonight, I’m just going to drink. I’m going to drink to lost loves, to lost lives and to lost futures. I also know that you’re new. You weren’t here yesterday. Would you care to join me?”

-Dane, Proprietor of The Mayfly’s Arms

Dynasty, Erinbour, Places of Power

Erinbour: Magic (preview)

Leave a comment
As we prepare for a successful Kickstarter I’ve been roughing out ideas for how magic will be handled in this product. Since we want to make character actions influence the setting directly I will be exploring ways to play off of the existing kingdom building rules in Ultimate Campaign, as well as devising new and interesting meta magic that harnesses the power of the land and the bloodlines it is tied to.
The magic system will include support for all character types through the use of new feats, traits, and archetypes as well as new “classless” arcane and divine items. Prestige classes will be crafted for those who wish to focus on the new forms of magic presented, and new monsters utilizing these rules will be unleashed from our menagerie.
While I am inspired by the old TSR setting Birthright, I think our final product will be solidly different. The Pathfinder rules allow for a much greater level of customization which will allow us to make this magic truly permeate the land!
This was written by George “Loki” Williams
Erinbour, Races

Erinbour: Sirens

Leave a comment

Written by Chris Perrin this is planned as a Playable Race in Erinbour

 The Sirens of Erinbour

One of the things we wanted to do with Erinbour was step outside the established fantasy races. Sure, we wanted to include humans, elves, dwarves, halflings and so on, but we also wanted a new playable race for our game. So, while I was standing in a mall in Omaha, Nebraska, we came up with the idea for sirens.

(Of course, why the mall is important or what got the idea rolling is a secret that I probably won’t be sharing anytime soon…)

What is a siren?

Sirens are a water-loving race that primarily reside along the southeastern coast of Erinbour. Though the sirens of (Earth) myth are often given fish tales (or made merfolk outright), the sirens of Erinbour mostly arose from their oceanic origins around the time of the otherkin invasion and quickly gained sentience, language, and culture. They were largely neutral at first, though many were quick to fight for Mai.

What does a siren look like?

For the most part, sirens stand anywhere from about four-and-a-half feet to a little over five feet tall. Their skin has, for the most part, lost the scales it shared with their watery ancestors. However, they have not lost the bright colors of blue, gold, and red for which many water creatures are known.

Hair, on the other hand, is pretty rare amongst the sirens who have only had the ability to grow it since the curse. For the most part, many sirens continue to be bald while a few now have full heads of luxuriant hair, normally colored red, blue, or dark brown.

What can a siren do?

Physically, sirens tend to be strong and have an innate sense of magic. This magic manifests itself in the fabled siren’s song which is normally used for calming siren youngers and for retelling siren history. However, the siren’s song can also have more nefarious purposes and has been known to enrapture weaker willed humans, dwarves, etc. Also, if sirens are angry, they can send out a sonic blast capable of breaking glass, ear drums, and occasionally, bones. In other words, it’s not good to get too close to a siren, nor is it a good idea to make them angry.

Types of sirens

There are several groups of sirens, all of which share a common genetic lineage. The most common sirens are those seen walking the lands of Erinbour. They tend to need to drink higher amounts of water than a human or dwarf, but other than that, they could pass as brightly painted young humans.

There is also a group of sirens that have not grown hair, nor have the shed their scales. These humans are still bipedal and capable of traveling the whole of Erinbour, however, they must immerse themselves in water at least once a day to prevent their scales from drying and eventually flaking away.

Lastly, a few sirens never managed to develop legs. These sirens are almost indistinguishable from merfolk except that they are completely covered with scales and must stay in water to breath. These type of sirens are much less common today than during the time of the otherkin’s arrival and given their low birthrates, may disappear from the lands of Erinbour forever.

Erinbour, Places of Power

Knights Mechanica

Leave a comment

First I want to give credit to Wayne Hum fleet for the beginnings of this Order of Knights found within Erinbour. Just like the Knights of Luminescence the Knights Mechanics are an order devoted to the High Church however this is the order devoted to be the weapon of the church in battle.

This Order is devoted to the aspects of perfection of the Mother and Father of the trinity. So much so they train to be perfect in combat weapon use. The have gone above just training in that they have a tradition of replacing their bodies using clockwork and magic to be stronger and more efficient in combat.

This is the second of three orders of knights of the High Church.  Again thanks to Wayne for his great mind.

Dynasty, Erinbour, Places of Power

Erinbour: Evil for Evils sake

Leave a comment

This is a topic that means a lot to me. As I have conceptualize Erinbour I wanted to have enemies antagonists and wandering monsters for players to deal with. What I’ve never wanted was “oh they are evil ..just because”

In Erinbour the Erinbour nation is at war with Orcs/Ogres. The Orcs are seen and presented as evil because they will generally attack Human and Elves etc on site. Not because they are evil but the Orcs are at war. They have a different culture but they are only evil from a certain point of view. From their perspective they are the good guys because the war is about their independence as a nation.

Erinbour Places of Power will include some of this but Erinbour Dynasty will explore this war and fallout much more in depth. Nothing in this setting is evil just because. The closest things are the Other in but it’s less about evil as they are so alien to the world it’s easy to classify it as evil.

I wanted to share this to help show my vision of this setting and plans of development.