Bogatyr on the Dimniyi Frontier

Game details

Rules and System

This is game will be played using Torchbearer.

Campaign Background

The game is set on the Dimniyi Frontier of the Tsardom of the Sun, East of the Sea of Kalmius, on the shoulders of the Dimniyi Mountains. The Tsardom is recently founded and expanding rapidly, but focused away from the East.

The characters are bogatyrs, persons who seek out a life of adventure and hardship on the frontiers of the Tsardom. Part medieval knight-errant, part Old West frontiersman, part scoundrel and ne'er do well, bogatyrs are admired by the locals when there is danger threatening, resented and feared in times of peace, and always distrusted as outsiders and wanderers.

Linguistic Touchpoints

With respect to thinking of names, consider the following cultural touchpoints.

• Humans = Ukrainian/Russian
• Dwarves = Hungarian
• Elves = Finnish/Estonian
• Halflings = Georgian (e.g. the country, not the state)

The Map

Characters will be aware of at least these locations at the start of the game.

• Sea of Kalmius - a large inland sea, roughly the size and orientation of Lake Michigan. It forms a natural barrier on the Eastern edge of the Tsardom.
• The Dimniyi Mountains - a mountain range East of the Sea of Kalmius. A band of fertile land stretches along the coast between the Sea and the Dimniyi.
• The Psel - a river that winds between the Diminyi and the Sea of Kalmius.
• The Golmosha Pass Road - A road that travels from Nova Uzharod through the Golmosha Pass of the Dimniyi Mountains and into the plains beyond.
• Melitopol - a Bustling Metropolis on the Western side of the Sea of Kalmius, and the nearest thing to a major city near the Dimniyi Frontier. It takes a few days by ship to reach it from Nova Uzharod, and many days on foot.
• Nova Uzharod - a Busy Crossroads on the Eastern coast of the Sea of Kalmius. It is the doorway to the Tsardom for all the settlers on the frontier.
• Zhovti Vody - a Religious Bastion southeast of Nova Uzharod. A holy site of the Three Facers, the state religion of the Tsardom, that worships the triune deities of Dazbog, Stribog, and Simargl. Similar to both Christianity and Hinduism. Dazbog is a culture hero associated with the sun, Stribog a sky god of winds and rains, and Smargl is a winged dog-like protective spirit. Visually and ritually, very much like the Orthodox Church. (Clerics will likely be of this religion)
• Jvari - a Remote Village, at the base of the far side of the Golmosha Pass. Mostly populated by Halflings.
• Brovary - a Wizard's Tower, south of Jvari. Brovary is a place of power, recently wrested by Tsardom's magicians and sorcerers from some local magical types.
• Vörös Kő Csarnokok (the Mansions of Red Rock) - Dwarven Halls dug into the foothills of the Dimniyi. They have existed for hundreds of years before the Empire, but are recent by Dwarven standards
• Kukallinen Koti (the House of Flowers) - an incursion of Elfland into the world, found north of Nova Uzharod.

Characters

A blank character sheet is available here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7jppmC2fsDfS3N6WnA5cHpzRW8/edit?usp=sharing | Blank Torchbearer Character Sheet]