I. The Stolen Lands : 1.1 The party concept & the specific context

The cult of Erastil in Rostland

Temple of Erastil in Restov's outskirts

The cult of Erastil is poorly represented in the country of Rost (or Rostland) because it has been supplanted for a long time by that of Abadar. It is still present in the peasant population in the form of fertility rituals and popular festivals. These practices are considered retrograde, the "old ways" in opposition to the "new ones", supposedly more modern and more refined instituted by the clergy of Abadar with the support of the nobility and the trading guilds.

Erastil remains an officially respected cult because it still has followers in some areas where the local nobility keeps the old one eyed god as the main deity, where elsewhere in the country it is confined to a role of secondary divinity, if not folkloric. "Erastilians" truly are considered as a religious minority and the authorities treat them with suspicion despite a fainted benevolence.

It can be said without exaggeration that the decline of the church of Erastil was orchestrated to political ends, for two reasons. The first is commercial. Erastil presides over agriculture which is the main wealth of the country and traditionally, his priests were the arbiters of the trade of the agricultural goods and owned the organization of the fairs according to the religious festivals. These prerogatives were, of course, unacceptable to the Abadarians, as to the guilds of merchants who became more and more influential over time.

The ruling class has always feared the cult of Erastil to be a source of division within the nation of Rost, which already has much to do to contain the impulses of its neighboring and twin kingdom, Issia. The cult of Erastil is especially implanted in families of old Taldan stock, or who assert such a filiation. The ceremonies of worship are often rendered in archaic Taldan language, having regard to its supposed introduction into the region by settlers from Taldor who were allegedly the first inhabitants there centuries ago. Some Swordlords have therefore been afraid that Issia may exploit this specific identity in order to bring division within the Rost.

NPC

Patriarch Russev:

Patriarch Russev

Russev is the highest dignitary of the cult of Erastil in Brevoy even though its clergy is a very horizontal organisaition. Although very old, he remains very active and his influence with Restov's governing bodies is quite important. The ritual of fertility, the sanctification of sowing, which he performs twice a year, guarantees the food independence of the city, which gives him considerable power over the Sword Lords, which they do not always appreciate.

Despite a declining health, he still leads worship ceremonies in the ancient wooden temple of Restov which is located on the edge of the city. His succession is at the heart of all debates. He clearly designated Father Rurik as his choice, but the Council of the Wise is more shared because the of his controversial personality, considered too progressive and too committed to the World.

Father Rurik:

Father Rurik

Father Rurik, under the skin of a modest priest of Erastil, is in fact one of the most ardent and active agents of the old one-eyed's worship in Brevoy. He is an influential member of his community that he best defends through the many contacts he has across the country. His encyclopaedic knowledge of fauna, flora and all that is related to crops is highly prized by the landed nobility of the country. They seek his advice to improve the cultures or to fight an epidemic ravaging livestock. He is said to be close to the Patriarch Russev, to the point that he would be one of the favorites to succeed him. 

It is on his advice that the old pope has asked the Heroes to explore the Green Belt which is a legendary land for the faithful of Erastil. Centuries ago, it was the birthplace of Erastil's worship during the Taldan colonization and is known to hide many relics and forgotten temples. Rurik is highly unpopular among the members of the Abadar's cult.

The Militia of Arangin :

The Arangin militia is responsible for ensuring the security of the Restov temple but also that of the Rostian believers. It is a small group of about twenty paladins devoted to the cult of Erastil chosen by tradition among the cadets of the local nobility. Their missions are quite diverse. They are responsible for protecting the relics of the fathers of Taldor, the temples and the representatives of the cult, but also to arbitrate the different between believers. It is so as they are well versed in the legal exegeses of the parables of Erastil. Often times because of the recrudescence of land spoliations inflicted to the Erastilian minority, the militians put on the lawyer's robe and represent the believers during civil lawsuits.

The Heroes !

Evgeny Demitriev is a young man born in a poor Rostian noble family who lost most of their land and cattle (they raised horses)  to a local clan in bed with the Surtovas, the Sikorsky family. As a tradition, he joined the Militia of Arangin and became an esquire, then a paladin of Erastil. He's an ambitious, fearless and rightful character. When he saw Erastilian refugees gathering before the city walls of Restov, begging for food or work, he swore to find them a place to settle and live decently, without fearing to be expelled from their land.

Magda is a beautiful and fierce young priestess of Erastil. She's of mixed ascent, Rostian on her mother's side and Ulfen on her father's. She's always been the protege of Father Rurik who always appreciated her independence and strong will. Magda is a very gifted healer and knows a lot about agriculture and all things about nature. One day she was supposed to celebrate Alyssa's arranged wedding to a Sikorsky boy, but instead, she helped her escape and hid her in the Temple of Erastil's premises. Magda grows more and more frustrated by the rigid patriarchal authority in her religion and she looks forward to migrate in a land where she could have the opportunity to develop the feminine aspects of Erastil's worship. 

The Council of the Wise is furious and asked Rurik to discipline his pupil severely. "The girl is nowhere to be found, how could I punish her ?"

Alyssa Samarov, even though of noble blood, she has spent most of her youth hunting in the woods or taming horses. The young maid never showed any interests in dancing, singing, or any courtly activity girls of her age and her origin should crave for. Her alcoholic and violent father had managed to ruin the family through poor resource management and careless attitude towards money. Seeking for support and cheap loans, he more or less sold his oldest daughter Alyssa to the Sikorskys. He ensured them they would inherit his estates and lands even though they were already heavily mortgaged. Helped by Magda who refused to marry her, the young huntress and ranger fled and took shelter in the Temple.

Yegor was found in a dying Rogarvia soldier's arms in front of the door of a Rostian farm. The peasants couple adopted the baby boy who lived a good decent life until the age of 17. As he was supposed to marry a young maid from the surroundings, his bride and adoptive parents were mysteriously murdered, leaving no trace of the killers but a strange bird shaped dagger. He was then fostered by the Temple of Erastil and taken care of by the priests. He joined the Militia of Arangin as a brother inquisitor, in charge of investigating violence or injustice inflicted to members of the community.

Barwane Turen is an orphan gnome raised by his uncle and aunt, both merchants in the city of Restov. Their young nephew quickly proved to be of the adventurous kind and shown uncommon talents for magic. As he was earning a few coins working in his relatives hardware store, he saved money to buy second hand magic books, marvelling clients with his tricks. Once, he was noticed by Father Rurik who asked his uncle and aunt if he could take the young Barwane as his secretary. They were first reluctant to let their dear boy leave the shop but finally they accepted. The gnome became not only the priest's scribe but also his spy as he was perfecting his wizard skills as specialist of illusion.

Gretir Grimson (coming later in the game during the second book) is the second son of an renown Ulfen sailor and warrior called Grim who settled in Iobaria with his clan at a the Okorrus River colony. Gretir is Roald's younger brother but he has a very different character, much more impulsive and also more inclined to the good things of life. He went trading or raiding (according to the balance of forces) with his father and grand father at an early age and shown great qualities in combat. He became a promising warrior of the clan but preferred to explore the world and after a few mercenary gigs in Issia, he went South to find Roald and his family in the Stolen Lands. He was then quickly welcome by the party.

Next : I. The Stolen Lands : 1.2 And let the adventure begin