Campaign XV Prep Sheet
The World Since Last You Saw It
Eleven years have passed since the end of the Great War, thirteen since the end of Cam- paign XII. That isn't to say the world has gone still. The world's economies were left reeling. The communists in Enzim and Upper Chazderma consolidated power by the end of the century, as Lower Chazderma (and its oil) came under Tira Vellan control. Dvekmenia, despite having been on the winning side of the war, descended into ethnic violence and broke into four. In the wake of Ros' defeat, its colonies in Ulera declared their indepen- dence, backed by Vasmark and Is Nagain, with wars lasting until 2903. Last year, right-wing demagogue and Enzimian Civil War veteran Aeso Vandul took power in Taminily,
Campaign Hook and Details
Illismene, 2 Deadfire[1], 2906. Is Nagain was a closed place, with no contact with the outside world until 2823 (83 years ago), when the Othians, from their island south of the mainland, who had secretly opened their ports to outside trade a few years prior, invaded Darnau to their north and began the Time of Tumult, going on to conquer the entire continent and push back the Oecumenian powers attempting to colonise Nagain (with Vessian help). Prior to this shock, the elves of Nagain lived in the bronze age, in either tribal societies or palatial absolute monarchies. In short order, all of society was upended, zooming into the modern world, with the Othians forcing a programme of modernisation in both the economy and society. Wide, sweeping changes were made: the various states and tribes were unified under the Othians' new state of Is Nagain, the power of the monarch was limited and a democratic assembly created, the nobility lost many of their privileges though gained others, people switched from subsistence farming to training for industrial work, even just dealing with humans was new. The Time of Tumult officially ended in 2845 with the Othians' final conquests, but the tumult certainly continued in peacetime. Of all the states in Is Nagain, Darnau has become the most outward-looking and friendly to foreigners, even more than Otha. Darnau, long Otha's rival to the north, in the wake of the government's "Othianisation" measures across the country, has looked outward, positioning itself as the most cosmopolitan place in Nagain. Bearing in mind it has been 83 years since Darnau was first forcibly opened to the world, and elves are considered adults at 75, the first elves to have been born into an open and rapidly changing Nagain are only just coming of age, with a wildly different per- spective on life and the outside world to their parents (the so-called "World Generation"), this combination has made Illismene in particular a global centre for elvish bohemians, with a wild, unconventional, and unrestrained art and culture scene. Part of that cultural scene involves mind-altering substances: alcohol, cocaine, safrole; all illegal in Nagain. This is where your character comes in, as part of the machinery that keeps illicit substances flowing in the streets of Illismene. Maybe you're a dealer, a warehouse worker, a mule, a ships-captain, etc. Maybe you're from the city; maybe you aren't. Maybe you've been involved with the cartel for years; maybe this is your deal- ing with them. All that needs to be true about your character is that they're to be party to the handoff of a big shipment, the first through a new route from the territory of Revel to the northeast, acquired by Is Nagain from Ros a couple years ago and potentially the perfect mid-point, both geographically and governmentally, for illicit imports. The handoff: this afternoon, 161 Orthunn St, a warehouse just off the docks. Addi- tional details can be furnished, or you can make them up as part of your character's backstory. This campaign is going to be structured differently from previous campaigns. I want a tighter scope and more player freedom. Don't expect to save the world or make some incredible magical discovery or achieve apotheosis, this is a crime thriller. What kind is up to you. I don't want to reveal any more than I think is necessary to make informed decisions regarding your character and backstory, so what I will say is there will be three sides in conflict: two cartels and the police, and you will be able to join/assist any side.
As for Illismene itself, the city is divided into several neighbourhoods, which you can ex- plore in the map at left or read the article.
Money
No more dealing with cents. The currency of Nagain, the lem, is just the lem. If something costs ½ lem, just buy two. The equipment list has been updated with prices in lem.Languages
Darnian is the majority language in Illis- mene and has official status within Darnau, while Othian has official status federally, but the two are close enough that you only need one of the two. Other languages commonly spoken in the area are Gothic, the language of Vasmark, one of Is Nagain's key trade part- ners; and Tira Vellan, an important global language and general lingua franca.Starting Inventory
As like in Campaign XII, you start with money (3500 lem) to spend on equipment, armour, and weapons. Any unspent money is retained by your character as cash. For weapons and armour, to convert to prices in lem, multiply the price in fotims by 62. For weapons, however, you will likely start without a firearm. It's possible to start with a firearm if your character is from Is Nagain, but you will still have to make your case. Don't worry, you'll have a chance to buy a gun very early on. Melee weapons are unrestricted for starting equipment, but if you are interested in a firearm, it's advisable to retain a substantial amount of your starting money. In this campaign, given you will be mostly in a city in which the carrying weapons is prohibited, weapons with the Compact or Concealable property will be important. More concealable versions of some weapons will be available. There will still be scenarios in which non-concealable weapons can be used.ATTENTION! Monks
I've added some perks and mechanics (and some unique items you might be able to acquire) to make unarmed/hand-to-hand/martial arts viable. There's no requirement anyone play a monk, this is just to inform you the option is now available.NOT REQUIRED READING — Some Notes About Illismene and Is Nagain
Alcohol & drugs
Climate
Fashion
Federalism
Foreigners
Inland
Crime & justice
Mammals
Religion
Weapons
Alcohol, tobacco, and other mind-altering substances are illegal. Exceptions are marijuana, psilocybin (both native) and caffeine. Low-proof (so-called sevens, brewed to a max of 7 proof/3.5% ABV) beers, cidres, and wines are available for purchase, but by design their low proof makes it difficult to achieve tipsiness. There is, of course, an underground trade in illicit drugs.
The campaign is starting in Deadfire, which is basically equivalent to October, but Is Nagain being in the southern hemisphere, that's Spring. Expect it to be warm-to-hot and somewhat but not overly humid. The region is grassy woodland/chaparral.
Native Darnians have adopted Oecumenian-style dress to a greater extent than Otha, but culturally, piercings (including ear) and tattoos remain very taboo. The cherlludoo, a peplos-like garment, and leather sandals, are the traditional Darnian dress for both men and women. Views on Oecumenian dress as well as piercings and tattoos vary wildly across the continent.
Is Nagain is a semi-consitutional federal monarchy. It's made up of 15 federal subjects, mostly former independent kingdoms and city-states conquered by the Othians. In addition, there is a large, sparsely populated Directly Administered Territory (DAT) covering much of the interior of the country. Each federal subject has different powers and status, and of all of the subjects, Darnau, where you will be, has the most federal carve-outs.
If you aren't an elf, people will know you're a foreigner (even if you live in Nagain), and they will treat you as such, though outright pre- judice is uncommon in Illismene, which tends to be quite friendly to foreigners. Non-elves should avoid wearing the cherlludoo, the tradi- tional Naganian peplos-like garment.
The Naganian government limits access to various parts of the country. Outside of a few mostly port towns, access to the Directly Admi- nistered Territory is forbidden for foreigners. Access to parts of the deep interior is limited even for native subjects. Infrastructure in the interior is practically nonexistent, anyway, though their is a road from Shifferth in the north of Darnau to Wilcuma in the DAT which is open access.
Carceral punishments are rare in Is Nagain, with most crimes begetting pecuniary, corporal, or capital punishment. Carceral punishment (with hard labour) is used as an alternative to pecuniary punishment for those unable to pay the incurred fine. Mutilatory punishments have been abolished, but caning and lashes remain on the books. (This is to say, in-game, if you get in trouble with the law, your character won't go to prison.)
The only familiar mammals present on Nagain are rats, bats, horses, and some marine mammals. Import of animals, not limited just to mammals, is highly controlled. This also means staples like beef or pork are near impossible to find. There's plenty of poultry, both familiar (chicken, duck, turkey) and exotic (kivy, genny, Nagainian quail).
Naganians are largely animists, and religion is not a particularly important or contentious topic, but proselytisation is illegal, and the faiths of Furanism, Shant Karotu, and Octonism are on the so-called "register of foreign faiths", which prohibits dedication of public space to them (no temples, public ceremonies, etc.).
The carrying of weapons (guns, blades, and truncheons), either openly or concealed, is illegal in Darnau, punishable by up to 5000 lem in fines and 10 lashes by cane. Ownership of firearms, including muzzle-loaders, is highly restricted, and most privately-owned firearms are fowling and hunting pieces.
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