Creating a Realm

Breaking the Rules

The guidelines on this page make for a typical Realm, but they can be bent or broken in creating your own Realms.

The Hex Map

A Realm is mapped on a hexagonal grid covering the loose rule of a Seat of Power. A 12x12 grid is typical, whether the Realm is landlocked, coastal, or an island chain.

Typically, players get a copy of the map with Holdings and general terrain marked. They cannot see Myths, Landmarks, and Barriers.

The distance covered by each hexagon is a Hecksleague, commonly called a Hex.

This distance represents a few loose factors:

• The area a hill fort can overlook

• The area that guards can patrol in a day

• A return hike to a neighbouring Hex gets you home before dark

Wilderness

Most Hexes are Wilderness, with a variety of terrain types. Spark Tables (p22) can help with this. As a general guide create clusters of d12 hexes of the same terrain type.

Some Hexes have a Barrier on one or more of their edges, typically a sudden altitude change or impassible feature. These cannot normally be travelled through. For a typical Realm, place a number of Barriers equal to one sixth of your total Hexes.

Most Realms have a navigable river passing through and a few large lakes spanning whole or multiple Hexes.

Holdings

Place 4 Holdings a good distance apart, typically castles, walled towns, fortresses, or towers, held by Knights or influential Vassals. Most of the Realm lives within their walls or the surrounding Hex.

Designate one Holding as the Seat of Power. This is the Holding of the ruler of the whole Realm, commonly a Knight.

Myth Hexes

Place 6 Myths (p27) in remote places. Number them as 1-6. The Hexes are clearly affected by the presence of their Myth.

Landmarks

Some Wilderness Hexes contain a Landmark. These are discovered when travellers roll 4-6 on the Wilderness roll. A typical Realm has 3 or 4 of each type of Landmark. Mark them with their initial or an icon.

Even characters who know a Landmark’s location must still make a Wilderness Roll to check for Omens as they travel there.

Each Landmark type covers a range of specific features, with prompts provided on Knight and Myth pages later in the book.

The course of the game may create new Landmarks or remove or alter existing ones.

• Dwellings: Humble homes amid the wilds.

• Sanctums: Each the sacred home to a Seer. Roll on the Knight table (p26), consulting their page to discover which Seer.

• Monuments: Sites of inspiration. Travellers may spend a Phase to restore SPI here as if they were consuming a Sacrament.

• Hazards: Nature fights every step. Devise a solution, push through (lose d6 in a Virtue, usually VIG), or go back the way you came.

• Curses: Blights on the land that throw you off course. If you travel in the next Phase it counts as travelling blind (p18).

• Ruins: Remnants of the past echo the future. These hint at a random Myth not currently active in the Realm, though it may return.

Adding Details

Spark Tables (p22) can add detail to significant locations and people in the Realm.

Distant Realms

Realms are usually bordered by water, mountains, or wasteland, though claims are often disputed. Travelling to a distant Realm normally sees you arrive in the next Season.