Throughout February, we turn the spotlight on the various culture and race options for PCs in Dead Queens of Morvena. Today we have the citizens of the Republic of Marchland, commonly known as Marchlanders.
Marchlander: Educated
Nalbin, the capital city of The Marchlands, grew out of close-knit farming communities. As agriculture advanced and the old towns became interconnected, the city of Nalbin was built and expanded. Today, the city covers roughly ten square miles and produces the finest steel weapons and tools of the eastern nations. High taxes and compulsory education and work serve to maintain the city and surrounding farmlands. Marchlanders are proud of their common cultural heritage.
- Blind Trust: Marchlanders are embedded in a culture of cooperation and mutual aid. Wariness in dealings with others is foreign to them, as is the concept of a secret. The flip side of their cultural gregariousness is a transparency and openness around others that can lead to trouble. Marchlanders share information freely, because this is the essence of their culture. All Marchlander characters have the Big Mouth hindrance.
- Heat Sensitivity: The Marchlands are cool and dry. Even in summer, the temperature rarely climbs above 75 degrees. Except for in the eastern woodlands that border on the Forests of Nris, precipitation is rare. In swamps and other lands where it is hot or humid the character suffers a -4 penalty on Fatigue checks.
- Skilled: The Social Education system of the Marchlands has made the character knowledgeable in practical matters; choose 2 of the following skills for a free d4 rank: Climbing, Healing, Notice, Persuasion, Repair, Riding, Shooting, Survival, Swimming, Tracking.
- Social Culture: The Social Education system of the Marchlands encourages cooperation and amenability; character has +2 Charisma, and all Marchlanders effectively share the Common Bond edge with one another.
Marchlander: Hilldweller
"Holyrood Palace From the Public Gardens Under Calton Hill" via fromoldbooks.org
A majority of the Marchlands are hills rich with iron ore, and many folk earn their living in the iron mines of the Republic. These people, while not as educated as those of the northern plains, are tough, practical, and robust.
- Blind Trust: Marchlanders are embedded in a culture of cooperation and mutual aid. Wariness in dealings with others is foreign to them, as is the concept of a secret. The flip side of their cultural gregariousness is a transparency and openness around others that can lead to trouble: Marchlanders share information freely, because this is the essence of their culture. All Marchlander characters have the Big Mouth hindrance.
- Heat Sensitivity: The Marchlands are cool and dry. Even in summer, the temperature rarely climbs above 75 degrees. Except for in the eastern woodlands that border on the Forests of Nris, precipitation is rare. In swamps and other places of heat and high moisture, the character suffers a -4 penalty on Fatigue checks.
- Hilldweller Toughness: Accustomed to hard life in dry, rocky terrain, Hilldweller characters receive +1 to their Toughness.
- Practicality: Although they don’t receive the formal education of the Northern Marchlanders, Hilldwellers have their own culture of learning and practical knowledge. They are a very well-rounded folk with rich traditions, folklore, and oral history, and receive +1 to all Common Knowledge rolls. In addition, Hilldwellers take a free d4 in one of the following skills: Climbing, Fighting, Gambling, Healing, Intimidation, Repair, Shooting, Survival, Taunt, Tracking.
- Social Culture: Although they do not have access to the education system of the northern Marchlanders, Hilldwellers share the rich social heritage of all Marchlanders. Hilldweller PCs have +2 Charisma, and all Marchlanders effectively share the Common Bond edge with one another.
