Tim's Outlanders: Campaign Status Update – June 20 IC

[What’s going on around the campaign in June 20 IC.]

[This update was technically given at the beginning of the next adventure, but I'm making it a separate update.  It is much smaller than the last one.  We were playing Champions 5th Edition with the Second Edition Fantasy Hero supplement.]

Player Characters

Tim, a Wizard - male human from the Free City of Freegate, graduate of Outlands University

Dangar Stonekleaver – male dwarf from the Northern Dwarven Kingdom

Mord Worldfist – Deceased

Wendell Dorshield III – male gnome, Captain and Architect of the Yardbird

Malwyn – male High elf fighter and military expert

Darkfox – female human thief from Freegate, secret ID of socialite Karlyn Gryphshaw

Gnomes

This is the status of the various Gnome construction projects as of June, 20 IC.

• The Yard refit was complete.  There were now five construction bays built into the wall of the Canyon’s north rim with the above ground structures converted into hangars.
• The Berkheim Flight School was under construction and on schedule to complete at the very end of the year (December 31, 20 IC).
• Merchant airships had been developed and orders were being taken (notably from the Kingdom of Silverloc).  The first Fortuna-class airship would launch soon.
• The rebuilding of Fordsway was progressing, with an estimated completion in November of the following year (21 IC).
• Wemmel Water Works, Phase 1 was nearing completion.  Its estimated completion date was July 20 IC.
• [Gnomes Eyes Only] Aetherstone supplies were running low.  The Gnomes had scouting teams out looking for a new supply.

Politics

The following political issues were being discussed.

• There was a great deal of tension between the Free Bayern League and Greater Lundania.  It was expected that the Duke of Lundania would attempt to annex the remainder of Bayern before the Emperor resolved the war with the orcs and lizardmen.  The barons of the League were still working out how to resist the Duke and not become beholden to someone else (like Freegate for instance…).
• Tensions between the two dwarven kingdoms were rising.  Raids were happening across the border between the two dwarven kingdoms with Uplander villages were attacked as well.  Both sides denied they had anything to do with the raids, but both sides said, “If it happens again…”
• The Empire was too busy dealing with the Lizardman Horde and the dragons to spend any resources dealing with the Silverloc or Syrak Alliance rebellions or the Mountain War.  For the moment.

Military

• What was being called The Mountain War was in full swing.  The Uplanders took the High North Trade Route north of the Citadel of the 4th Imperial Legion.  It was confirmed that the Uplanders had help from the Northern Dwarven Kingdom in the form of an airship.  That being the case, the 4th Imperial Legion’s Citadel might fall to Uplander attack sooner rather than later.
• Syrak Alliance forces were coping with raids from the Hordes and the Khanate.  No dragons were involved yet, but improved bat-rider units were reported operating against the Grand Duchy of Mercia and the Sterich District.
• Imperial forces stabilized the borders [read: stopped losing land] with the Dragon Lands (as they were being referred to), but fighting continued with raids by both sides.  The Dragons were active there, but the Legions were gaining experience in defending against them.
• There were no reports of fighting from the area near the Kingdom of Silverloc.  The war there still seemed to be on hold as the Legions responded to the Khanate and the Mountain War.  The rumor of an armistice between Silverloc and the Legions seemed to be true.
• Pirate activity was rumored to be on the rise on all coasts of the continent.

DM Discussion

[I was experiencing GM burnout at this point but I was not fully cognizant of the fact yet.  The different power levels between characters was making my job very difficult.  I had allowed the players free reign when spending Experience Points and not set caps on anything which ended with Dangar having in OCV of 18 with his axe but a DCV of 6 or less, depending on his combat maneuvers (he was specializing in doing sweep attacks at this point, often on a single target).  He also had enough armor that anything that could actually harm him would flat out kill any other two members of the party in one attack.  Worse, he had no non-combat skills, so when I shifted to a more political/negotiation type game, he had little to do and bored combat players are always an issue at the table.  This (power balance among the players) is one of the areas where the HERO System requires the GM to do a lot of work and reign in things.  I learned that here.]

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