It is advisable to all players and BMs of Skure to read the storyline and the timeline to get an understanding of Skure as a whole.
1.b - It is noted in the class lists that all humans and animals appear slightly larger than they would be known on Earth. For example, if a fighter of "normal" height in our minds would be six feet in height, in Skure they would be about six and a half, and of about 20% more weight.
2. - If the character is good or neutral, they have a shard of Nexus (even if a neutral character sides with the Minions). This shard will be about the size of a finger nail and a bright yellow-white in colour (although it cannot be seen). It will appear either near their heart, the exact middle of their body, or on the forehead, and cannot be seen by the eye.* (exception here, read (4) below)
3. - If the character is evil, they have a shard of Voleron. This shard will be the same size and appear in the same characteristic spots as a shard of Nexus would. It will a brilliant deep red in colour.
4. - If the character is a Follower of Nexus (except a monk) or a Minion of Voleron, the shard appears about four times normal size (so about the size of a golf ball) and may actually be visible. Angels, for example, are sometimes seen as having a shining white light protruding from the center of their forehead.
5. - The character has had the shard within them for no longer than 5 Darlow years and the length of time is up to the player (exception here, read (6) below). This would go under background below.
6. - All characters must be relatively young since they are new to their world. Here are some guidelines:
- No human can be older than approximately 30 Darlow years in age.
- Followers and Minions (except for monks) have ages based on their length of having their shard, since this is what created them in the first place. These characters may be up to 50 Darlow years in age.
- Dragons can be no older than 10 Darlow years in age. They are "babies".
- Undead are an exception. They have only had the shards for a max of 5 years, but their length of being undead is up to the player - within reason. No undead would be 5000 Darlow years in age, but 300 is certainly acceptable, although high. Their age in life is also up to the player.
- Animals are a little different. They can be of any age in "animal" years. Since each animal is different, if the player wants to be really precise (and impressive), they can figure out the longevity of their animal (on the internet or in a book, for example), and use those figures to determine their age.
7. - Everything else about the character is up to the player. The BM will fill in the blanks as the game goes on. If you are unsure about adding a piece of information to your character, talk to your BM.
- Suggestion for Players: Create a thorough background of the character, at least a couple of paragraphs. It would be good to include where they were born, their culture (for humans this is essential: Anaran, Lirean, Daine, or Hassite), where they were when they found their shard and the circumstances behind that (was it curiosity that compelled them to take it?), and specific details relating to their class might change these options. For example, a player with a zombie character should have a background on them including things like when they died and why, how long they were dead and unintelligent before they found their shard, and so on. Players playing angels and demons (and other Followers and Minions) should write down the circumstances of their creation, remembering of course that these classes are created solely by the shards themselves as a separate intelligent being. Other background information is not essential but makes the character more interesting and certainly worth role-playing.
- Suggestion for Players: Give your character a well-developed motivation for what they are doing. If your character is part of The Followers of Nexus, they should have a reason for being there. If your character is neutral and claims loyalty to a city, why is that? This sort of information makes the character more real in the eyes of the culture of Darlow. It also makes role-playing more fun.
2. - Individuals of corporeal, living nature (humans, animals, etc., not undead) containing a shard suffer from a contrary event. As they age, they become larger and stronger, instead of becoming weaker and feeble. The appearance of aging still exists, so that an elderly human would still have gray hair, for example. But the physical strength and size of the human would appear extremely large relative to the average human.
3. - The state of Darlow, and the continent of Skure, is awful. The world is basically dead and simple activities like growing food is difficult. Constructing equipment, like weapons and armour, is almost impossible. People spend the majority of their resources trying to survive. Therefore, equipment for battle must generally be found, not purchased. Currency is no more. The economic systems of The Four Kingdoms no longer exists. People are, on the whole, depressed, but hope continues to exist based on the motives and spirit of The Followers of Nexus.
4. - There are small areas, pockets, in Skure where the shards of Nexus and Voleron have influenced. These areas appear heavenly and hellish, respectively.
- In areas where the Nexus shards have proliferated, life abounds equal to or even more so than it did on Darlow before The Age of Death. Animals of all sorts that have not picked up the shards live in perfect harmony with their surroundings. These animals are incredibly tame and the balance of nature exist with a spirit of unending peace. Trees have grown to enormous sizes. Although the sky is always dark and the sun never enters, these places flourish in magnificent beauty. In grassy, more arid areas (including deserts), the effect is equally apparent. Life flourishes.
- In areas where the Voleron shards have agglomerated, life exists in a degenerated and sickened state. Animals that do manage to survive are deformed, hideous, maniacal, and violent. The balance of nature on Darlow is horribly twisted. Trees look like living nightmares, and the ground is dead, black, and generally lifeless. Spurts of fire spring out from the ground every so often.
- In areas where no shards have landed, the effect is equivalent to the sun being blocked out and very little rain, which happens to be the case. Trees usually die and only grasses remain, which are usually are light brown in colour due to a lack of moisture. Agriculture is possible but difficult and usually results in a very meagre food supply. Animals may live in these areas but often migrate almost continuously to find more hospitable areas. They sometimes survive, but in a weakened state.
5. - The goal of The Followers of Nexus is to rid Skure of all traces and influences of The Minions of Voleron by somehow vanquishing them. A firm plan of action has not yet been determined by the year 830 N.R., when the game begins. There are only groups of scouts moving about, sometimes encountering their foes. The only thing that The Followers understand for sure is that, eventually, the war will break out into violence between themselves and their evil opposites. Therefore, The Followers are preparing and bracing for such an event.
6. - The goal of The Minions of Voleron is to wreak havoc and spread as much of the influence of evil, death, and destruction as possible upon Skure. The Minions are, to be frank in accordance with the cultures, mad and insane. The Minions are not primarily concerned with destroying The Followers but with destroying the world. The Followers, in their eyes, are simply an obstacle that should be eliminated. The Minions have affirmed a plan of action to acheive these goals by continuously and aggressively invading territories closer and closer to the territories of Nexus, and eventually into those territories of Nexus where The Followers would be destroyed.
- Suggestion for BM campaigns: When creating a campaign, bear in mind that what occurs during the course of that story has an effect on the overall story of Skure. The actual story of events for this game, Skure, THG2, has not yet been written. There is a general theme to the overall picture but no sequence of events has been recorded (by me, Dagolar) beyond 830 N.R.. Therefore, your campaign will shape the story of Skure. Make it relevant, logical, and realistic to the environment of Skure.
If you plan on making your campaign have a large impact on the world, speak with The Brotherhood as a whole about it. For example, if your campaign involves a large, direct conflict between The Followers and The Minions as a result of a planned invasion by the latter, that would constitute a large impact on the story of Skure and needs to be discussed.
If your campaign remains in relatively small circles, you may do so freely. An example would be a group of neutral characters trying to defend an independent town in the northwest.
- Suggestion for BM campaigns: Create your campaign based on a progression similar to that of a story, because that is essentially what it is. You are writing a story. The whole story is the campaign and the length of it can vary greatly. I, personally, use chapters to separate long campaigns. Here are some examples of campaign lengths:
- A long campaign could run for about 50 games, each 10 games being a chapter - 5 chapters. Campaigns of this length will undoubtedly have a large impact in Skure and the completion of the campaign usually means retirement for the characters.
- A standard campaign (the popular choice) would be about 20 games long with 4 chapters. These campaigns often end with the idea of continuing on with another one, maybe of equal length. They CAN have an impact on Skure, but don't always.
- A short campaign would be no more then 10 games in length and can be as short as 5. These campaigns are just for fun or practice, usually for beginners. They will not have an impact on the greater picture of Skure.
- Suggestion for BM campaigns: Here are some examples of campaigns that will hopefully give you an idea of how to construct your own:
- 1) [Short] An adventure from Vynn to the fallen city of Lirea to investigate and report back.
- 2) [Standard] A journey into the Dal'r Desert from Anara to find an ancient artifact that will release a substantial amount of power in an area within the Vorisian Mountains to favour The Followers. This could lead to differing results if the group is, say, successful in finding the artifact or not.
- 3) [Long] The planned invasion by The Minions of Voleron. The group would have to travel through points in central Skure to find where it is that The Minions should spread. Once complete, they would be one of the groups to spread Voleron's wrath, protect it, and continue onward. The campaign could go in numerous directions.