New Blackmoor RPG Sourcebook in the works from TFotF

 

Over the past few weeks, the various social media accounts associated with TFotF, the company working under lisence of the Arneson Estate have been posting images teasing a new Blackmoor project the company is working on. 

These great illustrations by artist Phil Stone will aparently be part of a new RPG Sourcebook the company is producing as official Blackmoor (TM) material. It has also recently been revealed that Dan Boggs is involved in writing the book. Boggs (Dragons at Dawn, Champions of Zed) should be well known to the readers of this blog and is a long time Blackmoor fan. 

Some interesting terminology is also accompanying these images. Baldraug is apparently Dan Bogg's new name of Balrogs, known from the original Blackmoor campaign, but problematic when it comes to copyright. The Red Coven is known from older Arneson maps and has been expanded upon in different ways by different fan groups in the past, so it will be interesting to see what this new take will involve. Duraven Forbears is another term that I have not seen before, but the image shows dwarves, so could be linked to their origins which was explored to some extent in the D20 Dave Arneson Blackmoor line. 

This new sourcebook seems to be a departure for TFotT whose previous RPG work has been strongly tied to the visions of Dave Arneson (Blackmoor Foundations) and that of his players (Tonnisborg), but this time it looks like they are allowing new creators to develop Blackmoor further. 

So far no release date or book title has been released. 

Personally, I think these illustrations look great. What do you think?

-Havard

Realm of the Egg Part I

The Realm of the Egg

Overview
• Location: North of Blackmoor.
• Area: 7000 sq. mi. Population: 20,000. Languages: Thonian. Coinage: Egg (pp), Prince (gp),
• Government Type: Dictatorial Magocracy. The Egg is the law within its realm.
• Industries: Piracy, slavery.
• Notable Sites: The Egg's Nest (pop. 6000), capital city.
• History: About 25 years ago, the seas to the north of Blackmoor mysteriously receded, as a rocky peninsula rose from its depths. Shortly thereafter, messengers bearing tidings from the Egg of Coot, lord of the northern peninsula, traveled to all the major cities in the North.
• Important Figures: The Egg of Coot (MU?). Moorkok the Slayer (F17), Prince of the Egg, Soukup (Balrog), Abler (MU)
• Flora and Fauna: Due to the experimentations of realms sorcerers, and the nature of the realm itself, encounters with nearly any sort of monster imaginable are possible.

Background
The origins and true nature of the Egg remain a mystery. For centuries, it rested deep underwater. Untill something, or someone awakened the evil entity from its slumbers. Some sages speculate that it was the sea folk who first discovered the Egg somewhere within their realm. Others claim that evil wizards, perhaps from the Red Coven, or even Abler the Demonologist himself.

The men of the Duchy of the Peaks were the first who reported to have made contact with the servants of the Egg, as early as in NC 970. The Egg used its powers to raise its city, Coot’s Nest, from the bottom of the Black Sea and at the same time made the surrounding lands sink below the level of the ocean. This greatly reduced the kingdom of the Redwood Elves. The changing of the landmass also connected the Black Sea to the North Sea which in turn gave access to the Black sea to the Skandaharian Raiders of the East. It is unknown what havoc these dramatic geological upheavals caused for the Black Sea Merfolk, but they have obviously no love for the Egg.

(Notes: Some of this information was based on the works of Andrew Theisen and David Ross)

-Havard