Copyright © 1996-2001 by Ken St-Cyr.

The Goerthan Campaign was centered around a local conflict between the Resurrectionist Movement, whose members work toward reviving the dead god Malladun, and the enemies of Malladun, who would seek to gain all the power that the dead god controlled.

Action began in the Barony of Riudsech, in the Kingdom of Worlorn. Within Riudsech is the baron's castle, numerous manorhouses of various knights and untitled lords, and the fortified monastery of Goerbest. Goerbest is the headquarters of the Resurrectionist Movement in the barony.

The action moved to a trek across the Duchy of Brissenmor, with the group on their way to Prince Durn's court at Tredaen.

See the campaign chronicle for a look at what happened. More detailed information is available on the Goertha index.

The players were mortal agents working on the side of the Resurrectionist Movement, and heading for critical roles in both acquiring needed energy toward the revivification of the dead god, and in baffling the efforts of the enemy. Character social rankings ranged from peasant to knight.

All characters are human. There are no standard fantasy races (elves, dwarves, etc) in this setting. Most of the fauna and flora is non-Terran, with a few exceptions (no horses or dogs, for example).

Goerthan "knights" ride a bipedal creature called the gardell. This is a carnivorous hunting beast trained for battle. Iron mail is worn most commonly by knights, though plate armor exists. Double-edged longswords, maces, and javelins are popular weapons.

Magic is potentially powerful but rare. There are a few useful items scattered about. These are all sacred relics associated with some deity or another, so their use requires divine favor commensurate with the power of the item.

This was both a role-playing and a story-telling experience. Participation meant developing an interesting character and contributing to the plot. The game went on for almost four years but covered only about two weeks of activity. These were the rules:

Players are allowed to play bit parts non-essential to the plot. This allows a written turn to be longer when it might be otherwise interrupted by trivial interaction (like ordering a drink from the bartender). I reserve the right to modify such interaction when I deem it necessary. Also, if an unforeseen action occurs which aborts a player's turn, I will make it clear where the action starts.

Players may almost always insert conversations or questions, and sometimes actions, at any point during the course of a sent turn. Occasionally I may write a long turn and provide several opportunities to interact with NPCs. This is to help the flow of the game. Sometimes the character's actions may change the course of events written. No problem, new turn.

The last turn for the game was early 2000. It ended for lack of time on my part.