Table of Contents
Welcome to James Kemp's Wiki
This is a collaborative web platform that allows people to edit1) the web pages to provide additional content for some of the stories I have written and the roleplaying games that I am involved in, whether as a player or GM.
There are several namespaces operating slightly different wiki subjects. These are, in no particular order:
- Skyss - Story Background - a fantasy novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2016.
- Perfects - background for the near future story and some police roleplaying that I ran in that universe
- Theocracy of Daprav - A D&D campaign that I ran with Glasgow University Games Society around 2002-3.
- Jim Wallman's Universe - a roleplaying by e-mail campaign that I play in, this is an unofficial wiki and none of it is canon unless Jim says it is.
- Interstellar Freelance Unlimited - subset of the Universe pages covering the activities of a mercenary company that we are currently roleplaying every Full Moon.
- Earth Imperium pages. These cover the activities of the Government of the Solar republic (aka Earth Empire) in Jim's Humanity Will Prevail campaign, including the Earth Imperium News Items.
- Free Worlds Alliance - covering the activities of another emerging polity in the Humanity Will Prevail campaign. Mostly contributed by Eric Moroney.
- Universe Background - page collecting the various bits of background info that have come up in various e-mail discussions for the campaigns set in Jim Wallman's Universe.
- Master map of the Universe (6Mb PDF, as at 3212).
- Delta Green - some roleplaying campaigns about horror and conspiracy. The main one was set in Berlin in 1953.
- Free games rules - a collection of free rules for wargames and other sorts of face to face games that I have designed or run.
- Wargames rules - I'm not just a player of games, I also do rules for them from time to time as well as one-off games. A primary outlet for this is through Chestnut Lodge Wargames Group.
- Other free rules - at the moment just those for the 1689 (Orange or Lemon? and Bonnie Dundee, respectively about the debates in the Scots Parliament and then the military campaign of Viscount Dundee during 1689) and The Other Side of the COIN (about what makes people become insurgents). All games that I have have produced for Chestnut Lodge Wargames Group.
- Background for a near future universe where I have written some fiction and also run some roleplaying games in.
Comments and complaints to me at webmaster@full-moon.info please.
James Kemp
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Kronstadt
Summary
Kronstadt is the primate city of the Kingdom of Skyss and the undisputed nerve centre of global maritime commerce on the continent of Osnines. Situated at the foot of a mountain that grows directly out of the sea, the city is positioned where two major fjords converge, creating a strategic hub for the kingdom's naval and mercantile operations. With an urban population of approximately 250,000, it functions as the world's primary “middleman” port, facilitating the movement of high-value commodities such as jewellery, precision tools, and perishables. Historically, it is regarded as the largest city in the known world, having been co-founded approximately 800 years ago by figures such as Old Bjorn.
Geography and Defence
The city is defined by its dramatic littoral topography. Access is controlled via two primary approaches (the Western Approach being the most prominent) each of which is heavily fortified. The fjords are guarded by massive stone forts capable of launching jars of flaming pitch via iron-reinforced catapults. A central feature of the outer harbour is Castle Rock, an island housing a high watchtower, a fortified keep, and stone-built batteries. These batteries use glowing braziers to ignite pitch-filled jars just before release, ensuring the flames are not extinguished by air resistance during flight.
The city consists of tiered rows of houses and commercial buildings that line both sides of the fjord for a distance exceeding the length of the isle of Straven. These tiers follow the steep ascent of the mountain, creating a dense, vertical urban environment. As the seat of the non-hereditary monarchy, Kronstadt is the residence of King Thirfinn and the focus of the Council of Electors. The city supports a cosmopolitan population drawn from across the globe, including Daelians, Mangandalese, Berenicians, and people from the Southern Isles.
The population is organised into communitarian Households, often sharing space in large three-storey tenements. High-status Heroes reside primarily in the royal palace complex, while the “army of dock workers” and various professional guilds occupy the lower tiers near the jetties.
Governance and Law
Kronstadt is the administrative heart of the Skyssian hegemony.
- The Palace complex is a grand architectural achievement, featuring glazed windows and extensive parks designed to create a buffer against the pervasive urban stench. It contains the birch-panelled room where the Small Council of "Keepers" (such as the Keeper of the Keys and Keeper of Treasures) meets to manage strategic intelligence and taxation.
- Law is enforced through the House of Justice, where elite officials—often Heroes sworn by geas—compel truth from the accused. This institution ensures that community survival and the King's peace take precedence over individual disputes.
- The Board of Trade (BoT) maintains its primary headquarters here, often identified by its distinctive blue flags featuring a green ship and a circle of nine gold coins. The BoT manages international trade logistics and oversees the clandestine Department of Resolutions.
Culture and Infrastructure
The city's infrastructure reflects both its immense wealth and its demographic pressures. The streets are characterised by overlapping upper storeys that extend from three-storey buildings. Many of these overlaps feature round holes used for the disposal of “night-soil” and rubbish directly onto the street. Consequently, the city is noted for a powerful odour of rot and sweat that contrasts sharply with the salt and fish of the docks. To mitigate these conditions, the central administrative areas are surrounded by a large park, ensuring that the residence of the King and the high nobility remains isolated from the industrial and sanitary realities of the primate city.
Maritime Industry
Kronstadt is the world's pre-eminent centre for shipbuilding and naval maintenance. The city operates 14 massive, elite slipways capable of constructing 400-ton vessels. These yards have moved from artisanal methods to industrial assembly hubs, using standardised patterns to compress build times by 50%. The docks feature a sophisticated network of numbered warehouses, each containing pre-fabricated modular “kits” for masts, spars, rigging, and planking. Under the direction of the Keeper of the Dockyard, this system allows a damaged King’s Ship to be refitted and returned to service in as little as three weeks, a logistical capability that maintains the kingdom's influence over 5,000 merchant hulls.
Relationships
People
- Sovereign: King Thirfinn
- Naval Command: Helga Trollslayer (Second Sea Lord), olaf_ragnarson
- Council of Keepers: Harald Bjornson (Clerk of the Privy), Ingrid Kemisdottir (Keeper of the Keys)
Places
- Board of Trade Headquarters
- House of Justice
- Heimdal (Mainland Road)
Concepts
Department of Resolutions
Summary
The Department of Resolutions is a clandestine, highly specialised wing of the Board of Trade tasked with the covert stabilisation of international commerce. Operating under a veil of strict secrecy and “plausible deniability,” the department is mandated to resolve complex impediments to trade through any means necessary. Its operational philosophy is rooted in the Skyssian maxim that war and political instability are fundamentally “bad for business.” Consequently, its agents (frequently heroes) employ ruses, misdirection, and tactical subversion to maintain the maritime hegemony of the Kingdom of Skyss.
Description
Operational Doctrine and Methodology
The department operates under a veil of strict secrecy, with its activities explicitly omitted from official logs or merchant reports to ensure “plausible deniability” for the Skyssian Crown. It is the “hand in the shadows” for the Board of Trade. While the broader Board focuses on intelligence gathering and market trend analytics, the Department of Resolutions is deployed when standard diplomatic or economic measures fail. Their methods are characterised as “sneaky and devious,” prioritising the “ruse de guerre” over overt military engagement.
Agents are authorised to “clear obstacles” using a spectrum of interventions. This ranges from brokering strategic marriages and alliances to more lethal “other methods”—including targeted assassinations—should key protagonists refuse to talk down a conflict. The department maintains no official logs or reports that could be traced back to the Crown, ensuring that Skyss can distance itself from the more unsavoury aspects of its economic statecraft.
Personnel and the Heroic Legacy
Due to the demanding nature of clandestine work, the department has historically recruited individuals of divine lineage whose unique affinities provide significant advantages in espionage.
- Oddmundr: A legendary senior agent and “truth winkler” who served as a senior special agent with a roving brief to neutralise problems before they reached critical mass. He famously mentored Lady Helga Trollslayer, forming a tactical team that combined his interrogative prowess with her ability for rapid naval deployment.
- Inibrakemi Funeresdottir: A contemporary Resolution Agent and shapeshifter who continues to operate within the department's clandestine framework.
The Rojden Infiltration and Institutional Crisis
The Department of Resolutions currently faces a systemic crisis due to long-term infiltration by Rojden’s loyalists. Having headed the unit, Rojden successfully subverted numerous mid-to-senior level agents, binding many with voluntary or involuntary geasa. Following his defection, it became evident that Rojden had left behind a network of double agents, such as Ormrun, who operate with “more than one master.” This infiltration allows Rojden to feed Skyssian intelligence a diet of disinformation, effectively neutralising the department's ability to protect trade in southern theatres. The legacy of The Great Schism also persists within the unit, as different factions of Heroes continue to struggle for influence over the department's formidable resources.
In active conflict zones like Beretha, department teams are authorised to use “other methods”2) if key protagonists cannot be persuaded to de-escalate. Despite this lethality, the department's culture remains anchored in the belief that a calculated death is preferable to a trade-disrupting war
Relationships
People
- Former Department Head: Rojden
- Active Agents: Inibrakemi, Ormrun
- Associate/Former Trainee: Helga Trollslayer
Places
- Headquarters: Kronstadt
- Outposts: Numerous “Blue Huts” maintained by the Board of Trade across Osnines
Silent Service
Summary
The Silent Service is a historical and contemporary faction of Heroes within the Kingdom of Skyss that advocates for divine-blooded individuals to remain entirely separate from mortal governance. Emerging as a primary combatant during The Great Schism (c. 690–695 AM), the faction prioritises mortal autonomy, believing that Godbloods should act only as reclusive mentors or guardians from the shadows rather than active political leaders.
Description
Ideology and Philosophy
The foundational tenet of the Silent Service is the preservation of human self-determination. They contend that the active participation of Heroes in public office - even with the term limits proposed by the Covenanters - inevitably stifles the natural development of human society. They view the radical meritocracy of the Godbloods faction as a systemic threat to the world’s stability and believe that reality is nearly impossible to truly understand, making Heroes unsuitable as absolute arbiters.
Role in the Great Schism
During the factional warfare that characterised the Schism, the Silent Service shifted from a philosophical circle into a formidable paramilitary organisation.
- Tactical Skirmishes: They became notorious for conducting “night murders” and clandestine assassinations to neutralise Godblood leaders who sought to establish a divine autocracy.
- The Alliance: In the Spring of 695 AM, the Silent Service formed a pragmatic tactical alliance with the Covenanters. Together, they thinned the ranks of the Godbloods, eventually decimating their leadership and forcing the survivors into exile.
Post-Schism and Current Activity
Following the victory of the compromise factions and the implementation of the Covenant of Heroes, the majority of the Silent Service retired into anonymity. Many relocated to remote regions to escape the legacy of the violence and to adhere to their principle of non-interference.
- The Troll’s Head: A notable contemporary cell operates from the Troll’s Head inn in Cottalem. This establishment is run by Arinhildr and Eskil, retired members who maintain a quiet vendetta against Godbloods and their agents.
- Clandestine Oversight: Despite their “retirement,” members of the Silent Service are known to monitor Heroic activity globally, acting as a “Silent Service” that sorts out potential threats to the mortal order before they escalate.
Relationships
People
Places
- Kronstadt (site of early factional manoeuvres)
- Trollheim (the northern region where their death squads were most active)
- Troll's Head Inn (a current haven for faction sympathisers)
- western_isles (where many members retired to escape scrutiny)
The Great Schism
Summary
The Great Schism was a foundational ideological and physical conflict among the Heroes of the Kingdom of Skyss that occurred approximately eighty years before the current era (commencing c. 690 AM). What began as a binary debate regarding the role of divine-blooded individuals in mortal governance escalated into a three-way civil war characterised by clandestine assassinations, “night murders,” and tactical skirmishes. The conflict fundamentally reduced the global population of Godbloods and resulted in the current constitutional framework of the kingdom, where the power of Heroes is strictly regulated by the Covenant of Heroes.
Description
The Ideological Divide
The conflict emerged from a profound disagreement over whether those with divine ancestry should actively lead human societies or remain as reclusive mentors. The Heroic community split into three primary factions:
- The Silent Service: This faction advocated for complete withdrawal from public life. They believed that Heroes should remain in the shadows, acting as guardians or advisors only when strictly necessary, to allow mortal civilisations to develop their own autonomy.
- The Godbloods: A radical meritocratic faction that asserted the biological superiority and inherent wisdom of divine blood. They contended that the extended lifespans and superior talents of Heroes made them the only legitimate candidates for supreme public office and the administration of justice.
- The Covenanters: The moderate or compromise faction. They supported a middle path where Heroes could hold office but would be subject to strict legal oversight and mandatory term limits to prevent the establishment of eternal autocracies.
The Escalation (690–694 AM)
By 690 AM, the debate had moved beyond the College of Heroes and into the streets and halls of Kronstadt. The Godbloods were noted for their aggressive recruitment tactics, often targeting non-aligned Heroes. Those who refused to join the cause were frequently labelled as enemies of the divine bloodline. This period was marked by an increasing sense of mistrust, as even neutral individuals found themselves caught in the crossfire of factional rivalries.
The Covenant and the Spring of Blood (694–695 AM)
In 694 AM, Old Bjorn, a legendary figure and one of the founders of Skyss, intervened to halt the thinning of their ranks. He drafted the Covenant of Heroes, a formal treaty designed to standardise the conduct of all divine-blooded individuals and end the internecine violence. While many from all three factions initially signed the document, the peace was fragile.
In the Spring of 695 AM, the peace shattered. Violence resumed with renewed ferocity, leading to what would be the final, most brutal phase of the Schism. The Silent Service and the Covenanters formed a pragmatic alliance to neutralise the systemic threat posed by the Godblood faction. The resulting “night murders” and focused skirmishes decimated the Godblood leadership, forcing the survivors to flee into exile or hide their true identities.
Legacy and Modern Status
The conclusion of the Schism formalised the Covenanter victory. Today, most active Heroes are signatories of the Covenant, and their participation in the Council of Electors is a direct legacy of this era. The conflict explains why Heroes are now rare and why they generally avoid holding the crown themselves - with Helga Trollslayer being a notable contemporary exception in her pursuit of the role of First Sea Lord.
Relationships
People
- The Negotiator: Old Bjorn (Architect of the Covenant)
- Clandestine Adherents: Rojden (A former agent of the Department of Resolutions who harbours Godblood sympathies)
- Modern Exceptions: Helga Trollslayer (Rising to power within the naval hierarchy)
- The Younger Generation: Yngvild Helgasdotir and Noren (Raised in isolation to protect them from the remaining factional bitterness)
Places
- Kronstadt (The primary urban theatre of the conflict)
- Trollheim (A northern region where Silent Service death squads were active)
- western_isles (Where many Heroes retired to escape the legacy of the violence)
Concepts
- Geas (The primary tool of compulsion used by all sides during the conflict)
Godbloods
Summary
The Godbloods were a prominent political and social faction within the Heroic community of the Kingdom of Skyss. Emerging as a significant power during The Great Schism, the faction advocated for a meritocratic system where supreme public office was reserved exclusively for those of divine lineage. They were defined by their belief that the extended lifespan and inherent wisdom of Heroes made them the only suitable arbiters of human destiny. Following the violent conclusion of the Schism, the faction was largely decimated and its remaining members scattered.
Description
The Great Schism and Ideology
The Godbloods faction coalesced around 690 AM, during a period of intense cultural transition in Skyss. While the College of Heroes sought to maintain the King as a senior arbiter chosen by Electors, the Godbloods believed this was insufficient. They contended that Heroes should not merely serve as mentors or advisors but should actively occupy the highest echelons of power. This ideology brought them into direct conflict with two other primary groups:
- The Silent Service: Who advocated for Heroes to remain entirely separate from mortal governance.
- The Covenanters: Who supported limited, term-bound participation in public life.
The Conflict and the Covenant
The rivalry between these factions escalated into the period known as The Great Schism. The Godbloods were noted for their aggressive recruitment and were accused of assassinating non-aligned Heroes who refused to join their cause. In 694 AM, Old Bjorn introduced the Covenant of Heroes in an attempt to forge a compromise and end the internecine violence.
Although many Godbloods initially signed the Covenant, the peace was ephemeral. In the Spring of 695 AM, violence resumed with renewed ferocity. The Silent Service and the Covenanters eventually formed a tactical alliance to neutralise what they perceived as the systemic threat posed by the Godbloods. The resulting skirmishes and “night murders” significantly thinned the ranks of the divine-blooded.
Current Status and Clandestine Activity
In the modern era, the Godbloods faction is officially considered defunct, with its survivors living in exile or hiding their affiliations. However, the faction’s influence persists through clandestine subversion. Rojden, a renegade Hero and former leader of the Department of Resolutions, was a secret adherent of the Godblood cause during his youth. He continues to utilise the faction's methods—such as the laying of involuntary geasa—to build a personal empire. Clandestine agents, such as Ormrun within the Board of Trade, continue to harbour Godblood sympathies, waiting for an opportunity to realise their vision of divine rule.
Relationships
People
- Founding Influence: Old Bjorn (whose Covenant they ultimately rejected)
- Primary Opponents: The Covenanters, Members of the Silent Service
Places
- Kronstadt (The site of the faction's early political manoeuvres)
- Trollheim (A region where factional death squads operated during the Schism)
- western_isles (Current hiding places for scattered survivors)
- osnines (The continent over which they sought to exert influence)
Concepts
- Heroes (General term for those with divine blood)
- The Great Schism (The era of factional warfare)
- covenant (The failed peace treaty)
- Geas (The primary tool of compulsion utilised by the faction)
