Saturday, December 22, 2018

Worldbuilding: Weird West for Shadow of the Demon Lord

At the moment I have my hands full with Undermountain for DnD 5E and a second 5E game I'm running for my son, daughter, and their friends.

But I really miss running Shadow of the Demon Lord. Its on my brain quite a bit and possibly because of the success of Red Dead Redemption 2 (not that I've played it), I've been thinking about running it in a Wild West setting.

First, I'm not sure this game will be set on Urth, SotDL's default setting. I'm still working that out.




Fort Khopesh is the westernmost military outpost. Its there to guard the railroads, government interests, and the pilgrims who have found their way there. 

The Fort is run by Major Helena Hunt, a rough and tumble veteran who has problems with pissants who have never been out on the Range and try to tell her how to handle the everyday threats from all the way back East. She's a good leader and her men respect her. She tolerates the local sheriffs and mayors and had been able to intimidate Governor Lonnie Hoke with ease. Hoke however passed away about four months ago from a heart attack (while on top of a whore). Hunt is uncertain what the new Governor, Diggory Spruce, will be like. Uncertainty puts her in a bad mood. She's organized and likes to have back-up plans for her back-up plans. Helena was instrumental in brokering peace between the Shawsook and Kewoenotay tribal war several years ago. She knows the peace is tenuous and also knows that many of the pilgrims endanger it as much as anything else. Because of her relationship with Chief Loping Fox and Chief Womac, she is aware of the Blackfeathers, a tribe who have been attacking both tribe's hunting parties. She knows its a rare threat indeed that would make both Chiefs contemplate working together and that has her very worried. On top of everything else, Loping Fox has privately shared concerns with Hunt that a skinwalker, a shapechanging sorcerer, made lead the Blackfeathers.

There are several small towns within a day's ride of the Fort. The largest is Enoch. Its run by an elected Sheriff, Matteo Gonzaga, and has about 200 souls within its borders. The town square is an ancient circle of standing stones that local tribes of natives shunned, making it, initially, a safe haven for the pilgrims who settled here. Matteo's mother, Margarita was the leader of their group of settlers and she recently died of consumption. Matteo was very close to Margarita, his father having passed when he was only two. She was a competent, patient, and strong woman who provided him good counsel. His fiancee is Polly Morganstern. Margarita didn't like her and she has a desire for status and power. She also has a strong dislike for the local native tribes, viewing them as souless savages. Her counsel is starting to affect Matteo's policies and he has enacted an extra tariff on trading with both the Shawsook and Kewoenotay tribes. 

The tariff is not popular with Enochians and they have been outspoken about their disafavor of it. They already have to trade outside of the town, due to the standing stones, known as locally as the Devil's Square.

3 comments:

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Micheal Jackson said...

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kevinnelson said...

The article explores the worldbuilding for Shadow of the Demon Lord's Weird West setting, highlighting the author's understanding of storytelling and character development. It highlights Fort Khopesh, Major Helena Hunt, towns, Matteo Gonzaga's leadership, and mystical elements. The article captures the essence of Weird West storytelling, making it a compelling choice for future gaming sessions. wills and estates lawyer near me

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