Dark Fantasy England Campaign Pt.2
So, some very nice responses to my earlier post. So much so, that the players of my Starblazer campaign have decided they want to give it a try; so we're going, for the next while at least, to be splitting that campaign between Starblazer and this "Albion" campaign.
Time to add some material, then:
Additional Background: In the year before the campaign begins, the world finds itself full of dark omens. At the battle of Castillon, the last Anglemen holdings in The Continent aside from Calais were lost to the Frogmen.
For reasons no one knows, the skies were full of dark clouds for much of the year, and this winter has been the coldest in known memory.
The realm of Burgundia is caught up in a rebellion in the Ghent region, crushed by the end of the year by Duke Philip the Vile.
In Scots Land, the tribes are (as usual) at war; the two chief clans, the Bruces and the Douglases, meet for peace talks, and at the meeting High Chief James Bruce brutally murders chief William "Black" Douglas, eliminating the leader of the chief opposition to his rule of the Scots hordes.
And finally, and most shockingly, at the end of the year the news reaches Anglia that Old Byzantium is fallen, devastated by the Turk. At this point only the small mountain kingdom of Wallachia stands between the Turk armies and the Commonwealth.
Meanwhile, in Anglia, the claims of Richard of York become harder and harder to ignore. The Star Chamber has empowered the Duke of Buckingham to act as a negotiator, and he is trying to arrange a compromise to prevent the whole nation from slipping into war. There are already serious conflicts in the Northern Marches between the powerful and feuding Percy and Neville families, who despise each other. The Percys support the Mad King, while the Nevilles are supporters of York. Up till now, the conflicts between these families have been skirmishes reporting many injuries, but only deaths of a chicken here or a dog there. However, the conflict threatens to escalate as Thomas Percy Lord Egremont (age 32), the younger son of the 52-year old Earl Henry "Hotspurs" Percy, and sharing in his quick temper, has taken to raiding villages belonging to the Nevilles and destroying peasant property. He has gathered a gang of young knights, thugs, and malcontents, dressing them up in the red and black colours of his house; and they run havoc in the northern marches, challenging all who are on the roads, and picking fights with known sympathizers, retainers or even peasants pertaining to the Nevilles, as well as any who dares to wear the white rose of York.
Recently, he has met with a response from 23-year old Sir John Neville, third son of the powerful Earl of Salisbury (and younger brother of the Earl of Warwick), who has raised up his own band and is similarly raiding Percy holdings. Lord Egremont responded by menacingly surrounding the keep where John's older brother Thomas was having his wedding party, Egremont's 700-or-so men menacing violence for several hours, before finally killing two hens and a dog and leaving for the safety of a Neville castle. When he heard of this affront, Sir John responded by raiding the ancestral manor of the Percys (unoccupied for the season, as Earl Hotspurs was in the south) and setting fire to it. Lord Egremont and his cousin Richard Percy retaliated the next day attacking an unoccupied Neville manor.
Now, both families are calling together their retainers and bannermen, and all sides truly worry at the possibility of tens of thousands of soldiers murdering each other in the North. Both Queen Margaret and Richard of York are trying to calm their respective allies, to prevent things from spiraling out of control, but everywhere in the North there is anarchy and what amounts to medieval gang warfare.
Area Detail: The Eastern Coast
The eastern coast is a region consisting of the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent; the southern half of Albion's eastern coastline. It was where the Anglemen first arrived on the island over a thousand years ago, and is full of places of historical and religious significance, as well as modern economic and strategic import.
The limits of the eastern coast region are at its northernmost point the bay known as "The Wash", an estuary region with tricky tides and bordered by swampland known as "The Fens" (a wild area, commonly inhabited by bandits and more than a few swamp creatures), and at its southernmost point the White Cliffs, huge natural cliffs of chalk that provide an excellent natural defensive position against invasion from The Continent.
Norfolk: The northernmost county of the eastern coast, historically known as Angleland, it was one of the first regions occupied by the Anglemen when they arrived in Albion. Today it is the most populous county in the east coast, and holds the populous and important city of Norwich, as well as the important port of Yarmouth. Caister Castle overlooks Yarmouth, and is the manor of the legendary knight Sir John Falstaff, hero of Agincourt. This portly knight fought alongside the great Henry V (father of the Mad King), and later used his plunder from Frogland to build this mighty keep. He is now 76 years old, though still an imposing figure, and he favors the claim of Richard of York. The Duke of Norfolk, John Mowbray, likewise supports York.
Suffolk: South of Norfolk, this smaller county features the port town of Ipswich and a few historical sites of note. It was ruled by the Duke of Suffolk (William De La Pole, also known as "Jackanape" for his foolishness and incompetence), who was largely blamed for the recent disastrous losses of most of Albion's holdings in Frogland, was imprisoned and later murdered by Yorkists en route to exile on The Continent. His son John De La Pole is only 12 years old, and has been disinherited.
Aside from Ipswich, Suffolk also features the pilgrimage site of Bury St.Edmund, where the Angleman king Edmund was buried alive by Cymri barbarians after being defeated in battle; Edmund is considered a martyr of the church of the Unconquered Sun. Not far from Ipswich there is also the site known as Sutton Howe, the burial mound of Raedwald, first king of the Anglemen to invade Albion, and founder of Ipswich, his ancient capital. The area has of late become a haunted place, through dark sorceries or as an omen of the current troubles of the kingdom. It is said that ghosts or ghouls of ancient anglish raiders with axes and horned helms can be seen at night, stalking the area.
Essex: the third county in the eastern coast, Essex contains the peaceful quinqueroi forest, and the town of Chelmsford. It is ruled by the 50 year old Earl of Essex, Henry Bourchier, a Yorkist married to Isabella, one of Richard of York's daughters. His brother, Thomas Bourchier, is the Bishop of Ely and Henry is campaigning strongly on his brother's behalf to have him succeed the "Cursed Cardinal" Kemp as Archbishop of Canterbury on the latter's seemingly inevitable demise from the magical wasting disease he has long suffered. Further inland, the regions of Huntingdon and Hertford are governed by the knightly Devereux family, also Yorkists. Huntington is the site of Cambridge Collegium, the second and lesser of the universities of Albion, which has nevertheless produced many a noble Magister, using magecraft for the service of law (and of course, a few chaos-worshipping heretics and evil sorcerers). Hertford has the town of St.Albans, an important pilgrimage site featuring the tomb of Albinus, the first great saint of the Unconquered Sun in Albion.
Kent: The southernmost county of the eastern coast, this is the site of the White Cliffs, and the important "Cinque Ports", five port cities which receive the largest amount of trade from the Continent, as well as one of the most important bases of the Anglish fleet. The title of Warden of the Cinque Ports is a very important office in the land, currently held by the Duke of Buckingham, Humphrey Stafford, a strong supporter of the Mad King. The two most important ports in Kent are Dover (right on the White Cliffs) and Sandwich. These form the supply lifeline to the fortified city of Calais, the last of Anglia's holdings on The Continent. Kent is also where the town of Canterbury can be found; this is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest ranking priest of the Unconquered Sun in all of Albion, in direct line of episcopal descent from Augustine of Canterbury, the first Bishop of the Unconquered Sun in Albion. This town of about 3000 inhabitants features the incredible Canterbury Cathedral, which has been engaged in a constant process of construction for the last 400 years. It is a sprawling massive temple to the glory of the Unconquered Sun, and it is finally nearing completion (it is thought that the Great Bell Tower will finally be complete in another 50 years or so). It also features an abbey, a nunnery, and a Clerical Temple and priory. The current Archbishop of Canteruby is the ailing 74 year old John Kemp, known as the Cursed Cardinal. A lancastrian, he was a deeply political and corrupt clergyman who profited greatly in the past 16 years of his holding the see; in the last two years he has been suffering from a horrific wasting disease that most agree is of a supernatural nature. His allies claim it is a sorcerous curse brought about by Yorkists, his enemies claim that it is the Unconquered Sun punishing him for his wickedness. The "Cursed Cardinal" has sought desperately for some cure, but to no avail, and is has been the last several months lingering in his deathbed, his body already looking like a rotting corpse.
I want to thank my faithful reader "Walldock" for the tip on Sutton Hoo, and I would encourage others to share any ideas they may have as to developing this setting further; with the idea generally being to take elements from local lore, historical sites, or the history of this time, and twist them into concepts with adventuring potential.
Look for more updates in the future.
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