North Watch is a fairly standard high fantasy role-playing campaign. It is probably more Lord of the Rings than Game of Thrones in tone. The players are playing characters that live in a frontier region between declining and feuding kingdoms to the south and barbarian and monstrous hordes to the north. The villages and towns are points of light in the dangerous wilderness that surrounds them. The characters in this game are the ones Fate has chosen to decide whether civilization and safety are established in the region or whether everything descends into chaos.
North Watch is a campaign I started by inviting anyone in my neighborhood who wanted to learn how to play D&D over to the house for a single session. Several of those who came that night were interested in a longer running game. So, twice a month we meet and play around my dining room table. The game system we’re actually using is Castles & Crusades, which is more of an old school style game.
A Brief History
Long ago, the area known as North Watch today was The North Watch Military District. It was a borderland between the Telurian Empire and the barbarians and humanoids of the Dawnforge Mountains and Winterbole Forest. The District was ruled by the Lord Warden, who also happened to be the military commander of 4th Expeditionary Legion. 200 years ago, that all changed with The War of the Twins.
With the Telurian Empire divided by civil war and in rapid decline, the North Watch was all but forgotten by the wealthy and powerful in Koningstad. Left unsupported and ignored, The Lord Warden took charge and instituted his independent rule of the region. With the legion gone, he raised local militia to guard the roadways, villages, and towns of The North Watch. He established cordial relationships with the Dwarves of Hammerfast and the Winterbole Tribes. Things went quite well for a while.
80 years ago, the Bloodskull Orcs poured out of the Dawnforge Mountains in a horde. They sacked Fastormel, which remains a ghost town to this day, and swarmed across the region. They were finally stopped at Fallcrest by an alliance of Hammerfast and Fallcrest troops. Much of Fallcrest was damaged or destroyed but the orc horde was turned back and disappeared into the mountains once again.
Today, North Watch is still recovering. Fastormel is a ruin. Nenlast and Harken have been repopulated but are a shadow of their former selves. Fallcrest still hasn’t completely rebuilt its walls or many of its buildings. The North Watch was taken to the brink of utter destruction and is still clawing its way towards something resembling civilization once again. It’s a time of opportunity for those with the courage and foresight to take advantage. Succeed and be remembered as the architects of a new era. Fail and be just one more set of bones moldering on the refuse heap of history.
Cast of Characters
- Agatha – 2nd Level Female Dwarven Cleric
- Kvothe – 2nd Level Male Gnome Bard/Arcane Thief
- Bethorn – 2nd Level Male Human Ranger
- Joscelin – 1st Level Male Human Knight
- Zarah – 2nd Level Female Half-Orc Monk