“One must always keep the tools of statecraft sharp and ready. Power and fear – sharp and ready.”
– Frank Herbert, Dune
Struggling noble houses are a fantasy trope, so you want to create a few for your fantasy story. Who wouldn’t?
The Sword of the Crown
The crown needs to represent everybody and stay above mundane struggles to maintain the divine right to rule. This calls for loyal supporters both in the Crown’s Inner Council and in the field. Advisers and agents of the Crown to deal with the dark times at hand. This is the Great Game, my friends.
Who could be a better protagonist in your story? Continue reading “The Sword of the Crown”
Planar Adventures
Planar adventures are fantasy tropes that build on a rich tradition: religion, myths, medieval sources like Dante’s The Divine Comedy, celestial spheres, and modern sources like Moorcock’s Elric or Marvel’s Doctor Strange. Everything was poured into fantasy roleplaying in the 1970’s and remain part of the genre.
These sources build on the idea that the cosmology is a multiverse, meaning the universe is part of a larger multiverse of multiple planes and parallel universes. Continue reading “Planar Adventures”
The Way of the Sellsword
“Back to the company. Back to business. Back to the parade of years. Back to the annals. Back to fear.”
– Glen Cook, The Black Company (1984)
Mercenaries and mercenary stories are probably the most basic fantasy tales in a world with lots of rain and morally dubious characters. Sellswords are mercenaries – soldiers for hire. The way of the sellsword – a life of war on the road – is a hard one, but offer a high reward for those who survive. Continue reading “The Way of the Sellsword”
The Secrets of the Demon Hunter
The demons have lingered on the fringes beyond the border of your reality since the Dawn of Time, and the Demon Hunters may be our last chance. One day the gates will burst open the gates and the world will end, or at least that is the beliefs of many loremasters. Continue reading “The Secrets of the Demon Hunter”