The “World of Black Watch” page offers a window into the rich and diverse continent of Altheria, featuring kingdoms like Vainer and exotic locations such as the Varakali Archipelago. It delves into the strategic depths with “The Scrolls of Shuya,” provides extensive lists of character names for different regions, and outlines key elements like myths, legends, and the Black Watch Organization. The page introduces a captivating cast from “Ascension of Legends,” including Beorn, Sakshi, and a host of intriguing characters, each with their unique backstory and role. This detailed world-building sets the stage for an engaging RPG campaign, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the multifaceted stories and personalities of the World of Black Watch.
Story Resources
- The Scrolls of Shuya is a collection of strategic insight (with historical examples) I’ve been working on for my stories set in the world of Black Watch.
- Black Watch Names. Lists of character names for various regions in the world of Black Watch.
Kingdoms and Nations
- The Continent of Altheria is home to the following kingdoms and neighboring island nations.
- Traveling Altheria’s Expanse [Reckoning Distances When Traveling]
- The Luminar Empire [The History of a United Altheria]
Kingdom of Vainer
- Vanier occupies the central west coast of the continent.
- People: Vainerans
- Adjective: Vainerian
Nishan Federation
- The Nishan Federation is a loose joining of city-states.
- People: Nishanese
- Adjective: Nishanese
Vishodan Empire
- The immense Vishodan Empire stretches from east to west across the entire north of the continent.
- People: Vishodans
- Adjective: Vishodian
Kingdom of Chandan
- Chandan lies east of Durshan and forms the southeastern coast of the continent.
- People: Chandans
- Adjective: Chandanian
Kingdom of Durshan
- Durshan is situated on the extreme Southwestern end of the continent.
- People: Durshaneers
- Adjective: Durshani
Kingdom of Hanan
- Hanan shares a long border with Vainer to the West and Kiran to the East. Its southern border is shared with Darshan.
- People: Hanans
- Adjective: Hanani
Kingdom of Kiran
- Kiran is situated East of Hanan, with Chandan to the South. The Nishan Federation lies to the east, as does the sea.
- People: Kiraneers
- Adjective: Kiranian
Kingdom of Zora
- Zora is an island kingdom to the Northwest of Vainer. Little is known about this exotic place as the people do not welcome outsiders. Legend has it that the inhabitants of the island are formidable warriors and powerful mystics.
- People: Zorans
- Adjective: Zoran
Varakali Archipelago
- Nestled in the embrace of azure seas, the Varakali Archipelago is a mosaic of tranquil islands, each radiating a profound harmony between nature and culture.
- Inhabitants: Varakalians
- Gentilic Adjective: Varakalian
Janshi
- Janshi is …
- People: Janshians
- Adjective: Janshian
Get the crappy map here: Black-Watch-Map-V2.0
Myths, Monsters, Legends and Lore
- The Vetala
- The Spirit Veil
- The Super Natural
- The Black Watch Organization
- The Vokara
- The Order of Sevak
- The Ships of Black Watch
Character Sketches
[Book 1: Ascension of Legends]- Beorn
- Sakshi
- Cullen
- Elara, The Witch Queen
- Almitra
- Draegar the Mad
- Liora
- Brother Brendan
- Brother Karl
- Sarge (Horbeb)
- Parry – Beorn’s loyal young farmhand who takes over the farmwork.
- Enid – Parry’s wife.
- Carys – Parry’s young red-haired daughter.
- Giles – Portly village official who challenged Beorn’s authority.
- Lady Marianne – Influential noblewoman Cullen secretly meets with to gain support.
- Captain Brago – Notorious pirate with maritime intelligence who meets Beorn in a tavern.
- Vishoden Emissary – An elegantly dressed shadowy figure representing the enemy empire, harboring thinly veiled threats when presenting a treaty.
- Prince Lorian – Disillusioned prince who flees court life but is captured.
- Kuyo – A wandering warrior with great strategic wisdom who earns Cullen’s trust.
- Rehan – Sakshi’s mentor. An older wandering warrior exiled from his southern homeland. He sees Sakshi’s potential and trains her in combat and survival skills. Wise, introspective, and a gifted storyteller.
- Varok – Sakshi’s ambitious elder brother and head of House Kashan. Ruthless and controlling.
- Lira – Sakshi’s childhood friend. Compassionate and graceful. Forced into an engagement as punishment for Sakshi’s defiance.
- Lord Drakan – The fearsome warlord Sakshi is supposed to marry. Known for his cruelty, cunning and treachery.
- Anaya – A scout and wanderer. formed a bond with Sakshi during her desert journey. World-weary but sympathetic.
- Leora – Leader of the Banadi desert tribe. Fierce and proud. Provided temporary refuge and aid to Sakshi during her flight.
- Jareth – Varok’s ruthless tracker known as the Sand Viper. Relentlessly pursued Sakshi through the desert. Defeated by Sakshi in a duel.
My Black Watch RPG Campaign
Black Watch is a gritty, ‘low magic’ setting by D&D standards (think GoT and Gemmell’s Dreani books). All player characters must be human.
This campaign will run in the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition system. Only the 3 core books will be used from the system: The PHB, DMG, and MM. There will also be extensive modifications provided by the DM.
House Rules
All PCs must be currently living in the kingdom of Vainer, but can be from other places. Languages in the game are regional, save for the Elder Tongue (a dead language known to scholars and priests).
Before play begins, PCs need to develop a backstory. The DM is happy to help! It should include at a minimum
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- Where you grew up
- Why do you support the Vainer cause
- How you came to know the skills you have
- How you became friendly with at least 1 PC
- Why you are willing to take on the dangers of adventuring
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Since this is a low magic world, spell casters need to be carefully constructed working with the DM. Mages [arcane casters] don’t really exist. Most magic is priestly or elemental. Character classes with an arcane ability will be severely curtailed. You’ll need to get with the DM to determine how arcane spells/abilities work. Mystical character types will want to review the information on the Spirit Veil.
All PCs should be of good alignment, loosely applied in play. Don’t be evil.
The pantheon is primarily binary, with a neutral good deity followed by most. Don’t choose PHB gods, as these don’t fit the campaign world. See The Supernatural topic for more backstory.
Generate your stats by placing the following scores where you want them: 16, 15, 14, 13, 11, 9
As a Human, you get a +1 to ALL stats, or 1 skill proficiency and 1 feat of your choice and only 2 ability score increases of +1
Backstories will be important, so be able to explain how you came by your skillset and experience.
- Fighters will most likely be veterans.
- Priests will likely be associated with a temple.
- Rangers will likely be military scouts or self-sufficient woodsmen.
- Rogues will likely be self-made or aligned with a pirate captain, depending on skills/back story. Assassins exist but aren’t prevalent enough to have guilds and the like.
Arcane caster classes are generally not allowed. A few subclasses with spell abilities have/will be modified to have spell-like abilities that suit the world. I’ve worked up version 1.0 of a paladin subclass called the Order of Sevak. This hasn’t been playtested yet, so if you decide to play one of these, changes will likely be coming.
There are good and bad officials/nobles, but it may help to think of the overall political system as Lawful Neutral. Justice is swift and brutal if you aren’t nobility. PCs can’t be nobility in good standing.
Ancient place names come from Sanskrit, as do “old” names for people in the Southlands. In Vishodan, both place names and the names of people are Sanskrit (what we’ll call the “Elder Tongue” in gameplay). Modern names for people in Vainer come from Saxon. You can search by origin and by gender at: https://www.sheknows.com/