EDSG Episode 275 - Vrontok

* Exploring Vrontok* This is our second go at this topic* Located in the shadow of Sky Point* Desperate, lawless, crowded town built on the slave trade* Not a vacation spot!* Like Bartertown... but darker* Combination of town, slave market, and military base.* Stealing slaves is the most serious crime.* Only punishments for crime are enslavement or death.* Fortified by a high wall and dry moat with sharpened stakes.* Three gates: Empire Gate (SE), Vivane Gate (NE), Outlaw Gate (NW)* Theran citizens are not subject to laws in Vrontok* Mayor T'rask, former slaver with large force of thugs.* Taxes: House Tax, Guest Tax, Exit Tax* T'rask focused on keeping the Therans from getting upset.* Lots of business that serve the slave merchants: taverns, gambling halls, brothels.* Result of imperialism; empires thrive on exploited labor.* Reflections on Thera and Vrontok in light of present-day economic and political systems.* "Keep politics out of rpgs!" is a crock.* Contrast of Sky Point's wealth and power to Vrontok's "wretched hive"* Fourth Edition changes and updatesFind and Follow:Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcastFind and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchantGet product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.comFASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesincOfficial Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawnFASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9uEarthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

* Mailbag!* Email from Eli: More about the winged t'skrang?* Do t'skrang and windlings derive from human stock?* What about their falling birthrates?* Email from Matthew: NPC based on Dan to introduce legends?* Email from Chris: Thanks for the show!* Blades: Handling different PC approaches to the curse.* Email from Nicholas: Question about Extended Pattern Spike knack * Email from Frank: Clarification of Bleed talent knack* Email from Bernhard: More thanks for the show from a new listener* Wrap up musing about long-term future of the showFind and Follow:Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcastFind and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchantGet product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.comFASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesincOfficial Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawnFASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9uEarthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

* Blades: Pure Liquids* Interlude: Last Words* Rank 8 Key Knowledge and Deed* Very open framing; PCs just need to get the info in some way* Prophetic vision by the last surviving member of the Seven Spokes* Deed: Visit site of the last battle against Betrayer by the Seven Spokes* Adventure by Robin Laws* Destination: Pale Ones dome below the Tylon Mountains * Escorted by the Vodanicus family* True Water miners, strongly disliked* Opportunity for dark comedy; poor, hillbilly-style * Overland trek with large rafts* Dangerous journey; ork scorchers, underground rivers, rapids, waterfalls* Betrayer pits the Vodanicus against each other just before encountering the Pale Ones* Meet with the Shivalahala; she had a dream about the group's arrival* PCs must learn a blood ritual to summon Betrayer out of the Blades* During the week the group spends with the t'skrang, Betrayer continues to work* Uprising against the Shivalahala led by Vodanicus* Complete the Deed and may weave the last thread.* Escorted by adolescent t'skrang to the ritual site* Face the ghosts of the Seven Spokes, now under the Horror's influence* Ghosts can only be harmed by the Blades* Breakdown and analysis of Betrayer's game stats and combat tactics* Play Betrayer intelligently; make it a difficult fight* Climax of the story arc, could be a strong campaign ending* Discussion of Karma Tap* Closing thoughts about adventure difficulty* Final thoughts about the overall Blades campaignFind and Follow:Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcastFind and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchantGet product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.comFASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesincOfficial Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawnFASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9uEarthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

* Blades in Depth: With an Axe in Hand* Interlude: With a Tale to Tell* Liferock corrupted by a Horror that resembles the way the Horror operates* Objective: Find a Troubadour who can provide information about the liferock* Campaign context and purpose of the interlude* Open format -- can easily substitute with an existing NPC or change location* Adventure written by Nicole Lindroos* Josh talks about his acquaintance with Nicole* Josh talks about the weirdness of being a "peer" in the RPG industry* Reminding Dan he has also contributed to Earthdawn* Act 1: Journey through the Tylon Foothills* Encounters with villages on route to the liferock* Purpose of this stage of the adventure* Darkest adventure of the campaign* Narrative importance of the curse and its consequences* "The only way out is through"* Summarize the three encounters in Act 1* Act 2: The Corrupted Liferock* Asmersious, the lone survivor* Message from the Seven Spokes* Wait for Asmersious to wake up from hibernation* Attack by obsidiman Horror constructs* Objective other than simply killing the PCs* Act 3: Return Journey* Consequences of the curse* Reason for the tragedies and character motivation* Pacing of the later adventures* Take care with the dark themes, but Josh advises not overly downplaying them* Lots of material in a relatively small spaceFind and Follow:Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcastFind and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchantGet product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.comFASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesincOfficial Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawnFASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9uEarthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

* Fortress of Sky Point* Josh avoids gushing about Expedition 33* 800 feet tall* Founding of Sky Point before the Scourge* Comparisons of Sky Point to existing buildings and structures* Context for impressive architectural presence* Basic structure; five pillars around the outside and one central pillar* Constructed over 50 years* Deserted during the Scourge* Base of operations for incursions after the Scourge* Conceptually similar to a military base outside a city* Main platform is 2000 feet across* Pillars are 300 feet in diameter* Alternate between solid stone and hollow structure* Comparing Sky Point's "footprint" to real world scale* Impressive magically reinforced engineering* Demonstration of Theran military might* Northern pillar is airship hanger and repair* Southwest tower is slave pens* Southeast tower is Overgovernor's palace* Wall around entire platform except northeast edge for airship launching* Elemental elevators only non-airship access from the ground* Secure fortress; very hard to sneak in or infiltrate* Elevators are guarded, vedette and kila patrols* Fourth edition timeline and destruction of Sky Point* The ruins and comparison to Ground Zero of World Trade Center* Engineering discussion of the collapse; forces out of balance* Sky Point and Parlainth; military vs cultural might* Quick overview of stationed Theran fleetFind and Follow:Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcastFind and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchantGet product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.comFASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesincOfficial Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawnFASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9uEarthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

* Mailbag! We asked, you delivered!* Email from Elie: Alternative mechanics to play in Barsaive?* Cortex -- https://www.cortexrpg.com/* Earthdawn: Age of Legend -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/176986/earthdawn-the-age-of-legend-english* Earthdawn: Savage Worlds -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/100174/earthdawn-player-s-guide-savage-worlds-edition* Also discussed: Cypher, Genesys* Problems with Horror marks as a concept (from player perspective)* Other active Earthdawn podcasts?* Email from Maggie: Changes to the Mad Passions' temples or shrines when they went mad?* Symbols and iconography of the Mad Passions from before the Scourge?* Email from Scott: Follow up to Mailbag 268 about Beast Spirits* Another Email from Maggie: T'skrang and Obsidimen as trans metaphors* Email from Simon: Many questions about the Gate Hound magic drain power* Range of chakta birds' Mental Assault power?* Range of the crakbill's paralyzing breath?* Is there a maximum Circle (0-thread) spell that a manticore can learn?* Constrict and Grab & Bite maneuvers for the porcupine snake and troll snake?* Engulf power from an air elemental?* Descriptions of true element kernels?* Awareness vs Perception (and limits of Awareness)?* Spending Karma on secret tests (especially Awareness)?Find and Follow:Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcastFind and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchantGet product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.comFASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesincOfficial Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawnFASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9uEarthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

* Blades in Depth: A Traitor's Fate * Interlude: Lighting the Way* Visit Questor of Mynbruje* Darkness and paranoia start to intrude on the campaign* Questor communes with the Passion to find location* Provides a magical "compass" to point to the traitor's tomb* Main adventure written by Teeuwynn Woodruff* Travel to Liaj Jungle* Encounter with Lightning Lizards* Encounter Tamers* Background on the Tamers* Tamers don't want the group in the jungle* The curse affects the Tamers* Potential tweaks to the Tamers' motivations* Handling the curse appropriately; escalation* Arriving at the crypt* Kragen Overtall: The Dark Fetch* Dealing with Overtall and learning the Name* Loose ends and follow-ups* Linear, self-contained adventureFind and Follow:Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcastFind and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchantGet product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.comFASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesincOfficial Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawnFASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9uEarthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

* Year End 2025* Spotify for Podcasters Wrapped* Numbers breakdown: Followers, listening time, etc.* Analytics* Thanks and looking back* Mailbag!* Email from Frank: Kind words and thanks* Email from Jesse: Beast spirit questions* Invertebrate beast spirits (e.g. octopus)?* Edge cases, writing inconsistencies and oversights* Where to draw the line on categories?* Happy New Year! See you in 2026!Find and Follow:Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcastFind and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchantGet product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.comFASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesincOfficial Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawnFASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9uEarthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

* Vivane Province: Travel and Encounters* We're wrapping up our sixth year!* Great Roads: Heavily traveled* Some elemental earth built into them to help ease travel* Real world parallel: Roman roads* Vivane is (overall) more developed than Barsaive* Real world parallel: Pioneer-era United States West vs East* River travel* Vivane t'skrang compared to the Serpent River aropagoi* Musing on Riverboats and t'skrang culture* Piracy* Theran military patrols; where and how often* Reasons for military encounters* Typical patrol composition* Non-military members: Kedate and Praetori* Coaching hostelries* Earthdawn equivalent of a "truck stop"* "Not Tolkien" sidebar* What you can find at a hostelry* Outlying areas around the cities* Reactions to adepts walking around armed* Thoughts on updates for Fourth Edition* Highlighting differences between Vivane and BarsaiveFind and Follow:Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcastFind and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchantGet product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.comFASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesincOfficial Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawnFASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9uEarthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW

* Blades: Grave Wisdom* Interlude: In Search of Knowledge* Timeline and time limit discussion* No specific location; just in a library* Connected NPC: Vanyk Auldsinger* Like the previous interlude: Points the PCs in the direction of the answer.* The Adventure: Travel to Cara Fahd to find the Hold of Courage* Suggested travel encounters.* How post-Krathis Gron Cara Fahd can change things* Finding the Hold of Courage* Entering the Hold* Problems with the "rules" of entering the Hold* Statues and Soul Stones* Description of other aspects of the Hold* Attack by corrupted spirits* Answering the question* Destruction of the Hold* Capsule review: Straightforward location-based encounter* Possible tweaks and expansionsFind and Follow:Email: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@EDSGPodcastFind and follow Josh: https://linktr.ee/LoreMerchantGet product information, developer blogs, and more at www.fasagames.comFASA Games on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fasagamesincOfficial Earthdawn Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/officialearthdawnFASA Games Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/uuVwS9uEarthdawn West Marches: https://discord.gg/hhHDtXW