What's the deal with my Cleric's
religion?
A slight majority of Mistlanders are
Celtic Christians, the rest are Celtic Pagans. The Christians are
centered around monasteries, the Pagans have temples, shrines and
holy wells & springs. Your Cleric's religion is probably based on
what Clan he comes from, although there are some Pagan hold outs in
Christian Clans and the occasional Pagan in a Christian Clan. The two
religions get along better here than they ever did on Earth, probably
due to the need to be allied against a common Evil foe. That doesn't
necessarily mean they like each other, but there isn't any real hate
either. It probably doesn't hurt that Celtic Christianity has a lot
of Celtic Paganism left in it.
Where can I go to buy standard
equipment?
That's tougher, this is a rough
country, with no real cities to be found. If you find yourself in the
Mistlands and you are not a native, you are probably screwed. If you
are a native most stuff can only be gotten at your own Clan's
villages or strongholds, or at those of allied Clans. Additionally,
all of the weapons not made of wood are made of "Mistlander
Steel" and cost twice as much as standard weapons. The mists
"rot" normal steel in anything from a few days to a few
weeks.
Where can I get custom platemail fitted
for this monster I just befriended?
That's not going to happen. Mistlander
steel is too hard to work and too expensive, it is mainly used for
weapons, occasionally for armor for Clan Chiefs and War Chiefs or
Heroes; but most Mistlanders fight wearing either no armor or just
leather, everyone uses wooden shields, usually with a bronze boss,
but, if they can afford them, with a Mistlander Steel boss as the
most expensive part.
Who is the mightiest Wizard in the
land?
Fíorcheann fiothnais nan clanna mac
Mathghamhain, his studies into the arcane are legendary and he has
protected the Mistlands from all manner of threats, from Giants to
Humanoids to invasion from Garnia and Ming Liang. It is said he is
over two hundred years old.
Who is the mightiest Warrior in the
land?
Baothghalach Ó Dochartaigh, his
personal prowess is impressive, but he is also a great leader of men;
as a young warrior of the Ó Dochartaigh he took it upon himself to
lead the other young men of his Clan in a cattle raid against the
neighboring Mag Aonghusa Clan. Not only was the raid an astounding
success, but in the battle that followed, he fought a rear guard
action against the warriors of the Mag Aonghusa and slew both their
War Chief and their Clan Chief's eldest son. He was fourteen years
old and had only just begun weapons training. He is also a natural
tactician. The war that followed had him leading his "Boys
Troop" to victories in skirmish after skirmish, with few or no
casualties. The Mag Aonghusa were utterly defeated and became
tributary to the Ó Dochartaigh. Baothghalach has since traveled the
Mistlands seeking out the best weapons masters and mastered their
techniques; furthermore he has gathered followers from many Clans and
has accepted broken men (Clanless) into his personal service.
Furthermore, he seems to understand long term strategy. He has made
great raids into both Garnia and Ming Liang successfully, and some
say he is trying to become High King of the Mistlands, a position
rarely held in it's history and rarely for very long or very
successfully. Probably his greatest single achievement though, was
destroying the nest of Baobhan Sidhe at Réimse na Ríthe.
Who is the richest person in the land?
Baothghalach Ó Dochartaigh although
Mistlanders measure wealth a little differently than most countries
do, they measure it in Cattle and Fighting Men and he is well ahead
of most Clan Chiefs in either one or both. He also has the love of
the people, because he shares the wealth of his raids rather than
hoarding it, whether it's cattle, coin or jewels or other valuables,
everyone, whether they're under his protection or not, as long as
they're not an enemy, gets something from him when he passes by, and
he has a great, and honest, network of distributors working under
him. People under his protection receive coins and exotic goods from
foreign lands and no on goes hungry.
Where can we go for some magical
healing?
In this, you are lucky. The Mistlands
has a plethora of magical springs, many of which have healing
properties. Otherwise, every village has a Priest, either Pagan or
Christian that might be able to help, depending on your status
vis-a-vis their Clan. Monasteries will certainly have someone that
can help, but are often reluctant to heal non-Christians, at least
not without either a great contribution of some form of wealth or
favor to the monastery or a conversion to Christianity. Most Clan
Strongholds will have a Priest, again either Christian or Pagan, that
will be able to heal you, but then you need to have the favor of the
Clan. There are no Druidic colleges present in the Mistlands, the
Pagan Priesthood either learn from their predecessor or leave to
study elsewhere, usually at Dun Math on the Steppes, the oldest
"Druidic" college in Garnia world.
Where can we go to get cures for the
following conditions: Poison, Disease, Curse, Level Drain,
Lycanthropy, Polymorph, Alignment Change, Death, Undeath?
Pretty much the same answer as above,
with a few exceptions. With Poison there might be an anti-venom that
a local herbalist might know, and since Poison is a cowards way to
kill a foe, it really doesn't matter what your status with the clan
is, anyone will try and help, even an enemy; because he doesn't want
to be blamed for the foul act. Alignment Change, no one is going to
help you turn back to Evil if that's where you started. The only cure
for Undeath is the True Death, may you rest in peace.
Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to
or that I can join in order to get more spells?
No, nothing so organized here. If a
child is recognized as having the potential, he or she will be taken
on as an apprentice to a Master Wizard in the Clan.
Where can I find an Alchemist, Sage or
other Expert NPC?
There are not a lot of them in the
Mistlands, but the Monasteries keep good records and have some
trained historians. Every Clan Stronghold will have at least one
Seanchai. These are a largely non-literate people, so they remember
everything through songs and poetry; it's also how they entertain
themselves most nights. So, Sages, of a sort, kind of common, in a
Bardic way, less common at the monasteries. Not many Alchemists to
speak of, maybe among the great Wizards, but alchemy is really for
richer, more developed lands. They don't have too many roads here.
Other experts? Depends on what you're looking for. Plenty of
herbalists and brewers and leather workers, not so many siege
engineers.
Where can I hire Mercenaries?
That really depends, you can pick up
broken men lurking about and form your own company, but if you are a
foreigner, or not seen as strong enough, you'll probably face a
mutiny eventually and discipline may be tough since some of these
guys might have come from Clans that were feuding. What's worse with
broken men is that they might have been cast out of their Clan for a
reason, and not be broken because they have no kin. The other route
to take is to boldly "Make an Alliance" with a Clan Chief,
and use his army. This can backfire too, because they might not like
following the orders of a foreigner, or the Chief might decide that
too many of his men have been lost in your cause and just leave. Both
the Garnians and the Ming Liang have used this tactic to keep the
Mistlanders fighting amongst themselves for centuries, it cuts down
on the raiding.
Is there any place on the map where
swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles
from Johnny Law?
In the Mistlands every Clan is it's own
Kingdom and so is every Monastery, so the rules vary from place to
place, but in general it's considered poor manners to keep anything
bigger than an eating knife on your person when you enter a private
house. Hospitality means a lot here, if they let you in, you'll make
it out alive. For centuries the Christians argued about the use of
Magic, their own spells were clearly miracles from God, but Wizard's
spells might be an Evil thing. Ultimately it was decided to follow
the old Roman law and just condemn Maleficium (Magic used for Evil
purpose), although some more conservative Priests and Monks still are
uncertain about this decision.
Which way to the nearest Tavern?
This is a good news/bad news situation.
Mostly, there aren't any taverns in the entire Mistlands, but pretty
much every single village has an alehouse. This is literally
someone's house where you can come in for some ale and it's usually
cheap. Quality and welcome vary. The other thing about the Mistlands
is that they are alone in all the lands of the Celts for having
discovered distilling, so sometimes you can get Uisge Beatha (Whisky)
which is usually expensive and mostly only available in Clan
Strongholds. It is a key trade item for the Mistlands at their border
trading posts, along with Cattle, Copper, Tin, Tartan Plaid Fabric and Wool. They also
produce significant amounts of Silver, but prefer to keep it, and
never trade Mistlander Steel.
What monsters are terrorizing the
countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
There is always some odd hellish beast
crawling up out of the great rift. Giants and their kin are all over
the Northlands along with tribes of Humanoids that serve them. The
mists themselves seem to call to all manner of Unseelie Sidhe,
sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes they set up to stay.
Are there any wars brewing I could go
fight?
Always. Mistlanders are a quarrelsome
lot, and hold grudges for centuries.
How about gladiatorial arenas complete
with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
Not so much Gladiatorial games, but
Sword Fighting with Wooden Wasters, Bare-Knuckle Boxing, Wrestling,
many different types of feats of strength, Archery and other martial
contests take place at Clan gatherings where Glory and prizes can be
won. Of course you can also win for song and poetry, or dancing if
that's your thing. Drinking contests are popular too.
Are there any secret societies with
sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
It wouldn't be much of a secret if I
went and told everyone on an open blog post, now would it? Seriously,
this the kind of answer that I prefer to develop in actual play,
rather than plan ahead and then maybe never use. That said, the only
possible option I could think of would be smugglers moving Mistlander
Steel out of the country.
What is there to eat around here?
That really depends on where you are
and who you are, but beef, mutton, pork, chicken and all manner of
wild game are on the menu, as are fresh water fish. Dairy products,
they are a milk drinking, butter loving, cheese eating people. Oats,
barley, rye, apples, plums, cabbages, onions, carrots, turnips,
(potatoes), various herbs and seasonal greens. Think snout to tail,
nothing wasted, cooking, mostly boiled in a pot or fried in a pan.
Spit roasted food is an extravagance for the wealthy. Beef or game
are the preferred foods of the warrior aristocracy.
Any legendary lost treasures I could be
looking for?
The Cave of Céadach Ó Baoighill is
said to be full of gold and ancient Sidhe treasures. Céadach Ó
Baoighill led his band of men to the nest of Unseelie Sidhe and
destroyed them all, but the dying curse of the last one made them all
forget the location of the cave, which had taken them the better part
of a year to find when there were active Unseelie Sidhe operating out
of it. Now, centuries later, it's a legend, just "Someplace in
the eastern Mistlands".
Where is the nearest Dragon or other
Monster with Type H treasure?
Sleeping in the Great Rift, waking the
Dragon would be a fool's quest.
Bonus descriptor- these guys wear kilts made of Tartan Plaid although there is no universal Clan tartan for any Clan, it's pretty much whatever your wife or mother or grandmother weaves for you.
