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
Helga Trollslayer
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Hero Status | Hero (46% Divinity) |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Skyss |
| Role | Second Sea Lord / Future First Sea Lord |
| Apparent Age | 23 |
| Year of Birth | 634 AM (140 at 774 AM) |
Stories/Function
Helga Trollslayer is a pivotal figure within the Skyssian naval and administrative hierarchy, serving as a bridge between the kingdom's divine heritage and its modern maritime dominance. As the biological mother of Yngvild the Fierce, her narrative function involves the management of high-level state intelligence and the strategic preparation of Skyss for the inevitable confrontation with the renegade hero Rojden. Helga is currently central to a long-running contingency plan orchestrated by Old Bjorn to secure her ascension to the position of First Sea Lord, thereby centralising heroic power within the Council of Electors.
Description
Helga is a Hero of high standing, possessing a 46% divine blood quotient. Her lineage is primarily defined by her grandmother, the Goddess Kari, and her great-grandmother, Malfin. Physically, she manifests the glacial ageing typical of high-status Godbloods; despite being 140 years old, she maintains the athletic physique and appearance of a woman in her early twenties. She is traditionally characterised by her auburn hair and her preference for sea-green attire, often wearing a tabard embroidered with two blue ships over her iron mail.
Her personal history is defined by her tenure as a senior special agent for the Board of Trade. During this period, she was mentored by the late King's Justice Oddmundr. Together, they formed an “ideal team” for over a decade, utilising Helga’s unique ability to navigate any maritime weather—a direct gift from Kari—to outpace pursuit and achieve rapid littoral deployment. Her moniker “Trollslayer” and her reputation as an elite field agent were earned during these years of covert stabilisation across the continent of Osnines. Following Oddmundr’s murder, she transitioned into senior naval command, becoming the youngest Second Sea Lord in living memory. She currently commands the kingdom’s most magnificent flagship, the Triumph.
Personal Life
Helga’s life is defined by her clandestine partnership with the Hero Oddmundr, with whom she spent nearly ten years solving international crises. Their relationship resulted in the birth of Yngvild in 750 AM, a fact that was kept secret from the broader Skyssian court to ensure the child’s safety. Following Oddmundr’s decapitation in Trollheim, Helga was passed the sentient sword Jafnadr to hold in trust for Yngvild when she came of age, though Helga could not personally wield it.
Skyssian social mores allowed her to maintain her public standing while grieving Oddmundr, but the discovery of her biological daughter remained a point of extreme personal sensitivity. For twenty years, she allowed Yngvild to be raised on the isolated isle of Straven by Old Bjorn and Helga the Red, maintaining a “cover” that prioritised Yngvild's development away from the political volatility of Kronstadt.
Relationships
People
- Daughter: Yngvild the Fierce
- Partner: Oddmundr (deceased)
- Mentor and Ally: Old Bjorn ( Johansson)
- King: King Thirfinn
- Associates: Olaf Ragnarson (Captain of the Seagull)
Places
- Kronstadt (Official residence and palace)
- Straven (Raise-site of her daughter)
- trollheim (Theatre of her former agent operations)
- Grand Duchy of Dael Riata (Where she conducts diplomatic-naval oversight)
- estreham (Site of her daughter's ritual development)
Kari
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Hero Status | Goddess (100% Divinity) |
| Allegiance | The Nine Gods |
| Role | Goddess of the Sea and Wind |
| Apparent Age | Variable / Ageless |
| Year of Birth | Pre-history |
Stories/Function
Kari serves as the primary metaphysical anchor for the maritime identity and economic hegemony of the Kingdom of Skyss. As the sovereign of the oceans and the atmosphere, her narrative function involves the facilitation of global trade and the protection of the Honourable Company of Mariners. Her divine intervention is the fundamental variable that allows Skyssian hulls to outmanoeuvre rivals, as her favour ensures that the wind and sea remain “good” for those bearing her blood or her Runes. Historically, her interaction with the mortal Freya transitioned her from a reclusive littoral deity into a proactive patron of oceanic exploration and ship-building.
Description
Kari is traditionally manifested as a green-eyed woman with wild, windswept hair, characterised by the pervasive scent of salt and sea-wrack. Her divine tincture is sea-green. In the primordial era, following the creation of the world by the Mother of All and the Father, Kari was the fourth-born child. Initially, she found delight in splashing in the freshwater lakes, which led to the creation of cetaceans and fish to provide her company.
The transition of the world's waters from fresh to salt is attributed to Kari’s profound grief; after Meniaxter introduced chaos and destroyed the creations of Frijdodr and Kari, her voluminous tears transformed the lakes into the salty sea. Furthermore, Kari was instrumental in the establishment of the seasons. When Fafnir cast the sun into the sky to restore light, Kari blew the celestial body into a great arc, ensuring that the warmth was distributed unevenly, thereby creating the climatic cycles that govern modern navigation.
Kari’s influence over the physical world is mediated through three tiers of magic:
- Rituals and Runes: Mariners must carve Kari's runes into the keels and planking of every vessel to ensure safe passage.
- Words of Power: Devout practitioners or those with Heroic levels of divine blood can utilise words of power to still a storm or command a gale.
- Divine Intervention: High-status descendants, such as Helga Trollslayer, can achieve nearly any imagined maritime effect, such as navigating through supposedly impassable weather conditions.
Marriage and Scandal
Kari’s relationship with the mortal world is defined by a historical covenant of hospitality. For centuries, she remained below the high tide mark, distant from human affairs, until she was drawn to a farmhouse by the fervent prayers of the mortal woman Freya. Accepting an offer of hospitality—a fundamental tenet of civilised behaviour—Kari relented to Freya’s passion for exploration. This meeting resulted in the design of the *Adventurer*, the first ship of its class, and established the requirement for all subsequent voyages to be bookended by prayers and sacrifices to her name.
In the modern era, Kari's lineage is a significant factor in Skyssian politics. Her granddaughter, Lady Helga Trollslayer, the Second Sea Lord, is a direct conduit of her power. Helga’s ability to “take a ship out in any weather” is a literal manifestation of Kari’s favour, which will be formally integrated into the Council of Electors when Helga assumes the role of First Sea Lord at the new year. Kari's blood also flows in Yngvild the Fierce, providing her with a natural, if secondary, affinity for wind and sea.
Relationships
People
- Parents: The Mother, The Father
- Descendants: Helga Trollslayer (Granddaughter), Yngvild (Great-granddaughter)
Places
- The Sea: Her primary domain, specifically the waters surrounding Osnines.
- Kronstadt: Site of the Royal Navy and the Board of Trade, whose operations rely upon her favour.
- Straven: Where her name is invoked during the First Night prayers.
- western_isles: The traditional heartland of her most devoted mariners.
Concepts
- Kari's Amulet: A silver band with waves and a ship, used for protection and communication.
- Runes of the Sea: Essential inscriptions for naval architectural stability.
- King's Ship Seagull: A vessel whose speed and clean lines are seen as an embodiment of her affinity for the wind.
Yngvild Helgasdotir
Yngvild is also known as Yngvild the Fierce, and she's the title and POV character for Fierce. She was adopted into Old Bjorn's household on Straven. Her biological parents were lady_helga and oddmundr. Oddmundr weilded Jafnadr the Sword before Yngvild was born.
Appearance
Yngvild
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Hero Status | Hero (56% Divinity) |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Skyss |
| Role | Keeper of Secrets / Wielder of Jafnadr |
| Apparent Age | 16 |
| Year of Birth | 750 AM (24 at 774 AM) |
Stories/Function
Yngvild, known formally as Yngvild the Fierce, serves as the primary heroic protagonist within the Skyssian theatre. Her narrative function is defined by the restoration of divine justice and the containment of the renegade hero Rojden. Raised in the isolation of Straven, she acts as a bridge between the humble maritime commons and the high political-mystical echelons of the College of Heroes. She is specifically special-purpose in the removal of involuntary geasa, a capability derived from her direct communion with the Goddess Malfin - Goddess of the Darkness.
Description
Yngvild possesses a exceptionally high divine blood quotient, inherited through a complex lineage of the Skyssian Pantheon. She is the biological daughter of the late King's Justice oddmundr and Helga Trollslayer, the current Second Sea Lord. Her ancestry includes Fafnir (Justice), Malfin (Darkness), Kari (Wind/Sea), and Frijdodr (Creativity).
Physically, she is characterised by braided red-golden hair and grey-blue eyes that reflect her shifting affinities. Like all high-status Heroes, she ages with glacial slowness; despite being 24 years old, she maintains the appearance of a girl of sixteen. That said, she is a shapeshifter and she can look like anything she can imagine and over the course of the story she takes several forms, mostly human. Her moniker “The Fierce” was earned at age fourteen when she successfully repelled a raider captain using her bow, stringed with her own hair.
Her standard equipment is highly distinctive:
- Armour: A bright red padded wool coat worn under a shirt of iron mail, accompanied by a full-face helmet with hinged cheek pieces.
- Shield: Yngvild made her own shield as a teenager, with the help of Old Bjorn. It's a slightly curved rectangular shield that covers knees to shoulder featuring a red field with an inverted green triangle.
- Jafnadr: The sentient “Sword of Justice,” featuring a blade as black as a slice of darkness. Yngvild is the only individual currently living capable of wielding it, as it requires the blood of both Malfin and Fafnir.
- Amulets: She wears a silver coin amulet inscribed with Malfin’s face, which serves as a conduit for the goddess's protection and a psychological anchor for her “Keeper of Secrets” geas.
- Clothing: Her favourite colour is red, with green a close second.
Amulet
Gifted to her by Old Bjorn her amulet is in the shape of a silver coin attached to a silver chain. “It looked freshly minted and polished, shinier than most silver coins I'd seen. Not that I'd seen very many. The side facing me had the standard crest of Skyss, a circle of nine circles, gold coins when painted, and crossed axes in the middle with a boat prow underneath. Usually a blue circle with coloured paint. The boat was green and the axes red. This coin had a small hole drilled where the top-most of the nine coins went. Old Bjorn turned the coin round. The other side had the face of the Goddess Malfin. The runes Bjorn had cut round the edge read “Malfin, guide and protect your loyal servant and champion Yngvild the Fierce, Helgasdottir and Keeper of Secrets”.
Marriage and Scandal
Yngvild’s early life was defined by the secret of her parentage. She was raised on Straven under the belief that Old Bjorn and helga_the_red were her parents, only to discover her true heritage upon her arrival in Kronstadt.
While Skyssian culture eschews formal marriage, Yngvild has declared Noren as her intended life partner. Their union is a significant geopolitical event, as it aligns two of the most potent heroic bloodlines of the current generation. Their relationship faced its ultimate test when Yngvild was forced to perform a harrowing ritual at the Temple of Estreham. To save Noren from a terminal geas laid by Rojden, Yngvild sacrificed Noren to the Goddess Malfin, cutting his throat with Jafnadr to “kill” the geas. Through divine intervention, Noren survived the sacrifice, effectively reborn and free from his father’s compulsion.
Relationships
People
- Mother: Helga Trollslayer (Second Sea Lord)
- Father: oddmundr (deceased)
- Partner: Noren
- Foster Parents/Mentors: Old Bjorn, helga_the_red
Places
Rojden
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Hero Status | Hero |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Cottalem (formerly Kingdom of Skyss) |
| Role | Antagonist / Ruler of Cottalem |
| Apparent Age | 35 |
| Born | 567 AM |
Stories/Function
Rojden serves as the architect of geopolitical consolidation and the primary antagonist within the narrative of Fierce. As a renegade Hero of Skyssian origin, he functions as a systemic threat to the established maritime order, leveraging his mastery of clandestine statecraft to unify the southern realms of Osnines into a singular power bloc. He is the biological father of the protagonist Noren, and his obsession with securing a loyal heir initiates the conflict that drives the central characters from the isolation of Straven into the wider world.
Description
Born in 567 AM in the royal palace of Kronstadt, Rojden is the son of the legendary warrior Noren the Elder and the royal advisor Magnhildr. Descended from Meniaxter, the god of war and death, he possesses the divine traits of significantly extended longevity and strategic brilliance. Despite being over two centuries old, he maintains a vigorous, athletic physique and the apparent age of a man in his mid-thirties.
Rojden’s personal history is defined by his tenure as the head of the Department of Resolutions within the Board of Trade. During this period, he mastered the art of the ruse de guerre and covert stabilisation, which he eventually subverted for his own ends. He chosen to defect from Skyss to Cottalem, arguing that the Skyssian policy of maintaining numerous small, competing states was economically inferior to a unified empire. He is a strategic genius who prioritises surrounding enemies and causing political capitulation over tactical battlefield skirmishes.
To manage his vast interests, Rojden employs “The Three Rojdens” protocol, utilising two low-level Heroes as magically disguised doubles, allowing him to appear in multiple locations simultaneously—such as the Citadel, Beretha, and the front lines of his army. He is a prolific user of the geas, binding both his doubles and a pervasive network of subverted Board of Trade agents, such as ormrun, to his absolute will. His ultimate motivation is the accumulation of sufficient temporal power and religious devotion to facilitate his ascension to godhood.
Marriage and Scandal
Rojden’s personal life is a series of calculated political scandals and betrayals. He is responsible for the alienation of the demi-god Alfarinn, whom he impregnated through the use of tainted wine to bypass her divine control over her own fertility. This resulted in the birth of Noren and led to Alfarinn’s century-long reclusion in the round-leaved forests.
Furthermore, Rojden is the biological father of King Alasdair V of Dael Riata, having previously entered into a clandestine union with Queen Caoimhe. This secret lineage positions Rojden as the silent power behind multiple continental thrones, a fact that remains a point of acute concern for the College of Heroes and the Skyssian Small Council.
Relationships
People
- Father: noren_the_elder (deceased)
- Mother: magnhildr (deceased)
- Children: Noren, Alasdair V, King of Dael Riata
- Former Associates: Alfarinn, Queen Caoimhe Ranald