Kingdom Divided (RPG)

<p>The party left Spedgenium, a small coastal town in Lulumia, traveling inland toward Oraqurinavi by cart. After exchanging goods with moneychangers and outfitting themselves for the road, they set out across hilly terrain in heavy rains. Their journey was rough—muddy roads bogged down the cart, forcing them to push it free—but they pressed forward, eventually reaching terraced farmlands. Along the way, the group agreed on a cover story: they would pose as imperial envoys conducting an informal inspection to avoid suspicion. Key Encounters The Helior Clan: The party met Tiberia, a seven-foot-tall Helior matron, her husband Quintus, their children, and extended kin. They welcomed the party into their home and later into a stone-built geothermal bathhouse, a cultural experience that highlighted Helior communal living and clan traditions. Cultural Tension: Nikos clashed with Quintus, whose dragon tattoos revealed mystical power passed through generations. When Nikos dismissed their value compared to Worm God blessings, Quintus nearly attacked him, restrained only by self-control. This revealed the Helior’s volatile, passion-driven nature. Village Exploration: Thorn investigated the village and uncovered: Communal buildings, including a meeting hall and stables. A locked hall containing colossal statues of Kadalian senators, some worn as though used, with masks covering faceless wooden planes. Thorn deciphered the word “Sipak” on one, linking the site to Kadal’s Senate of Taskmasters. A hidden chest of Kadalian armor, confirming foreign influence. He concealed the discovery to avoid provoking violence. The Great Project: Both villagers and militia spoke of a massive public works project in Fidusk, recruiting Helior youth with promises of silver wages. Adults were wary, believing it dangerous. The Esten officer Petros Behelman revealed its true nature: A noble house of Hanan was funding excavations into the Maw realm, believing the underground civilizations dead and ripe for plunder. This divided opinion: Worm Priests preach the Maw are long conquered, while others (especially Esten) fear the tunnels will awaken horrors.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://avorial.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">avorial.substack.com</a>

<p>Banished from the Belllands by imperial decree, our unlikely ensemble of noble outcasts sets off aboard a repurposed Mikado river barge, headed downriver toward the uncertain refuge of the southern coasts.</p><p>We meet our core party as they split across carriages: Diogenes, the learned Esten scholar; Mei Ling Maj, the calculating diplomat of the Worm God court; Thorn, the deadly shadowblade of the Emperor; Nikos, the blessed badger priest of change; and Reina Toab, noble of House Thao, torn between two worlds.</p><p>The group navigates tense carriage conversations, cultural rifts, and theological debates, arriving at a crowded dock where the social collapse of Oldwyn plays out in real time — Mikado house staff and refugees being denied passage, exiled alongside their noble masters.</p><p>Onboard the riverboat, we're introduced to Captain Mikhail Varel, a saltblood loyal to the Imperial Seal, and meet Lady Eloise Kulak, a hidden Covenguard knight revealed only after a violent ambush by fedor raiders attempting to assassinate the exiles. The ensuing battle becomes our first real taste of chaos — Reina and Eloise cut down attackers, Nikos unleashes his inner beast, and Thorn dramatically shadow-jumps through a man mid-air, solidifying his terrifying mystique.</p><p>The players navigate post-battle revelations and political tensions. Mei Ling and Nikos debrief the throne room events and voice concern over the Belllander’s manipulative agendas. Diogenes is mistaken for an auspicious omen as the crew begins to mythologize the party. Eloise’s warning to Thorn — to kill himself before being compromised by the Worms — sets a chilling tone for what lies ahead.</p><p>The group transfers to a Mikado warship captained by the jellyfish woman Hanye Korzu, and chooses to head south, toward the Esten region of Lulumia, rather than the volatile Helior heartland of Dast.</p><p>The sea journey proves grueling. The ship endures storms, broken masts, and a haunting encounter with a leviathan bearing a weapon in its flesh. At one island stop — in Rogue Mark, the fabled Prison of Giants — the group experiences an earthquake-like tremor and wisely decides not to explore the jungle. They later spot Kadalian griffins circling ominously, and Reina uncovers a crew member’s traumatic past as a slave of Kadal.</p><p>Nikos climbs to the crow’s nest to commune with the spirit inside him and hears a terrifying omen: “The crack of the world is visible to all.” He learns other spirits investigating the spiritual disturbance never returned.</p><p>After a final storm nearly sinks the ship, Nikos uses divine Worm magic to reshape the ship’s hull and seal it. They finally make landfall at Korbegalis in southern Lulumia — battered, weary, and deeply changed — with hard choices about their next steps and uncertain alliances awaiting them on land.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://avorial.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">avorial.substack.com</a>

<p>With character creation complete, the party steps into the world of <em>Kingdom Divided 2</em> for the first time—not with blades drawn, but with letters sealed by Imperial hands. Each character, scattered across the city of Oldwyn, receives a summons to a villa belonging to House Kasamante, a name whispered in both political circles and conspiratorial back rooms. As they gather, questions rise: Who called them here? Why now? And why does the seal bear the mark of the Sedai throne?</p><p>What unfolds is a tense diplomatic encounter that reveals cracks in the current balance of power. The group—comprised of nobles, exiles, assassins, and visionaries—is informed they are to be exiled from Oldwyn. But instead of punishment, they’re offered an opportunity: to return to the Mikado Empire as agents of change. With backing from the King of Bells and a surprise appearance by a veteran from <em>KD1</em>, Duke Louis Covenguard, the path ahead is uncertain but full of possibility. Shadows stir, alliances begin to form, and a new chapter is ready to begin.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://avorial.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">avorial.substack.com</a>

<p>Welcome to <em>Kingdom Divided 2</em>, our political-fantasy RPG campaign set in a world of ancient rivalries, divine transformation, and imperial ambition. In this Session Zero, the players dive deep into character creation, world-building, and mechanics—laying the groundwork for the conflicts to come.</p><p>We explore the core mechanics of Fate, break down skills, stunts, and aspects, and connect each character to the larger political landscape. From a shadow-jumping assassin blessed by saltblood magic, to an Esten scholar haunted by glassbound spirits, to a noble exile carrying a stolen relic of imperial conquest—each character’s past and purpose is forged in conversation.</p><p>You'll also hear discussions on the tension between cultures (Bellringers, Mikado, Esten), the dark temptations of the Worm Gods, and what it means to fight for unity—or use unity to seize power. It’s worldbuilding, drama, and just a little chaos.</p><p>Whether you’re a Fate Core fan, a worldbuilder, or just here for the roleplay—this is where the story begins.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://avorial.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">avorial.substack.com</a>

<p>Game Zero of <em>Kingdom Divided Chronicle 2</em> introduces five core characters preparing to set forth into a world divided between imperial loyalty, religious awakening, and radical transformation. Set against the simmering tension between the Salamander Throne, the rebellious Shogunate, and the strange truths of the Worm Gods, this session is a slow-burn tapestry of political intrigue, fractured identity, and metaphysical discovery. This recording focuses on character creation and interweaving backstories, highlighting ideological divides and shared secrets.</p><p><strong>Player Characters & Core Concepts:</strong></p><p><strong>Peter</strong></p><p><strong>Race/Origin:</strong> Esten, Minimar lineage (House of Stone), born in Thaphicarea.</p><p>* <strong>Concept:</strong> A young firebrand missionary of the Worm God <em>Varaxia</em>, transformed into a badger-like being through divine revelation. He was formerly a promising Esten priest before abandoning his culture, now hunted and haunted by his spiritual seed.</p><p>* <strong>Conflict:</strong> Betrayed his Esten roots and is now resisting his embedded ancestral soul that wants him to return to the Old Gods.</p><p>* <strong>Connection:</strong> Hidden in a Worm God temple by Laura's character, evading Esten pursuers using both mystical shielding and the ambiguity of his new form.</p><p><strong>Damon</strong></p><p>* <strong>Race/Origin:</strong> Esten, House Angolassi (Obsidian).</p><p>* <strong>Concept:</strong> Formerly tested during a time when his house was outlawed, Damon survived and entered the imperial bureaucracy. Now the voice of the King of Bells, he is both scholar and shadow-wise lorekeeper.</p><p>* <strong>Role:</strong> A philosophical figure who believes the Esten carry the wisdom of many worlds. Has ties to both the Tested and the Worm Gods, and acts as a bridge between empires.</p><p>* <strong>Connection:</strong> Former professor at Icehaven and mentor to Jenn's character. Advises her diplomatically and politically in Oldwyn.</p><p><strong>Jenn</strong></p><p>* <strong>House:</strong> Toab; genetically <strong>Thao</strong>.</p><p>* <strong>Concept:</strong> Political envoy raised in Montmer under the influence of Silverridge and Monti. Seeking to reclaim power for House Toab and remove House Abion from the Shogunate.</p><p>* <strong>Conflict:</strong> Caught between allegiance to the Belllands and Mikado; cannot marry her Red Spot fiancé unless her house rises again.</p><p>* <strong>Connection:</strong> Trained at Icehaven under Damon; protected by Kolb from an assassination attempt by House Durand.</p><p><strong>Kolb</strong></p><p>* <strong>Lineage:</strong> Saltblood; possibly descended from former assassin cults.</p><p>* <strong>Concept:</strong> An imperial assassin and <strong>Thorn of Shadows</strong>, trained in shadow-jumping and identity theft. Takes on the personas of those he kills and serves as the Emperor’s blade.</p><p>* <strong>Role:</strong> Executes political targets and shapes history through murder. Believes each kill is a sacred transformation.</p><p>* <strong>Connection:</strong> Saved Jenn from assassination and assumed the assassin’s identity to cover her escape. Learned of the plot through Red Spot intel.</p><p><strong>Laura</strong></p><p>* <strong>House:</strong> Maj; genetically <strong>Thao</strong>.</p><p>* <strong>Concept:</strong> A mystic poet and diplomat for the Salamander Throne. Naively believes in the Emperor’s divine vision and spreads propaganda in his name.</p><p>* <strong>Spiritual Belief:</strong> Heard the song of the Vortex Beast and believes the Pellists serve a Worm God. Supports both House Taravoich and the Belllands against the Shogun.</p><p>* <strong>Connection:</strong> Hid Peter from Esten hunters in her temple. Receives prophetic visions and may be spiritually guided by the Vortex Beast.</p><p><strong>Key Lore and Setting Reveals:</strong></p><p>* <strong>Worm Gods:</strong> Embodied change and chaos; Varaxia is worshipped by Peter as a liberator from stagnation.</p><p>* <strong>The Esten:</strong> Ethnic culture defined by spiritual binding rituals. Peter's soul seed continuously tries to call him back. Damon was born during the outlawing of his house.</p><p>* <strong>Shogunate vs. Emperor:</strong> A theological and political war. The Shogunate is seen as stagnation by some, while the Emperor’s strange transformation suggests divine awakening.</p><p>* <strong>Giants (Helior):</strong> A cursed and divided people who could tip the balance of power if unified. Some players support freeing them as agents of change; others view them as dangerous.</p><p>* <strong>The Vortex Beast:</strong> A creature relocated to Oldwyn, now worshipped or interpreted as a divine guide by Laura.</p><p>* <strong>The Red Spot:</strong> A revolutionary movement in the Belllands. Jenn is promised to one of its leaders; Kolb uses it as an information source.</p><p><strong>Themes Emergent:</strong></p><p>* Identity versus transformation</p><p>* Political idealism versus pragmatic espionage</p><p>* Prophetic mysticism versus historical determinism</p><p>* Forbidden heritage and cultural rebirth</p><p><strong>Next Steps:</strong> Game One will begin in Oldwyn, where all characters are now gathered. Expect growing tensions between the Empire’s factions, deepening magical revelations, and the looming question of whether the Worm Gods’ liberation is salvation—or damnation.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://avorial.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">avorial.substack.com</a>