Dolmenwood Factions #06: House Harrowmoor

21 Jul, 2024

A central player in an impending conflict, House Harrowmoor is not only handicapped but also the first line of defense against the forces of chaos.

Goals

House Harrowmoor is a fascinating faction because for them we will defy some established rules of the procedure. Lady Harrowmoor's preoccupation with her missing daughter¹, Violet², deeply impacts the faction's actions, occupying one action slot with missions to find Violet until it's resolved.

The main goals of House Harrowmoor revolve around the Nag-Lord. They aim to defend against the Crookhorns, retake the occupied lands, and learn more about Atanuwë to ultimately drive them out. This makes House Harrowmoor essential in educating other factions, except for the Drune, about the potential dangers the Nag-Lord poses to the status quo of Dolmenwood.

Finding a third goal was more troublesome than I'd like to admit. However, linking Lady Harrowmoor's historical aptitude³ with an archaeological twist was appealing: finding old human settlements, learning about them, and restoring them. This also adds an economic and expansionist angle that fits well with the Human Nobility⁴.

• 🐵 Protect their Lands Against the Crookhorns: This includes restoring parts of House Harrowmoor's domain now in the Nagwood⁵.
  • Successfully defend Prigwort against the Crookhorns⁶.
  • Muster forces and alliances for an offensive into the Nagwood.
  • Expel the Nag-Lord from the Sargstone⁷.

• 🙈 Learn about the Truth behind the Nag-Lord: Lady Harrowmoor's curiosity drives this goal⁸.
  • Confirm the Nag-Lord's existence and leadership of the Crookhorns.
  • Learn about its power and followers.
  • Discover its goals and motivations.

• 🙊 Reclaim and Restore Old Sites of Human History: House Harrowmoor aims to rediscover forgotten villages.
  • Learn about Cobton⁹ and free the Cobbins¹⁰.
  • Reclaim the town of Midgewarrow¹¹.
  • Restore the village of Chancton¹².

Resources

We will conduct another rule break in the Resources section. Utilizing the treacherous Forroth will have a chance of negative consequences¹³. Each time this resource adds a bonus to a roll, there is a 1-in-6 chance it affects Lady Harrowmoor negatively. After three such instances, Lady Harrowmoor will succumb to delusions and waking nightmares, leading to various potential outcomes for the faction, such as halting progress while replacing Lady Harrowmoor with an heir or regent, or changing their goals and becoming more chaotic.

• Small Cortege of Knights: Loyal and expertly trained¹⁴.
  • Lead soldiers to battle.
  • Act as bodyguards.
  • Undertake trusted missions and quests.

• The Forroth: A telepathic, jelly-like monstrosity lurking in the Groaning Loch¹⁵.
  • Grant clues and insights to problems and puzzles.
  • Access ancient knowledge.
  • Predict future events.

• Control over Prigwort: A lucrative trading town at the center of Dolmenwood.
  • Secretly protected by the Earl of Yellow¹⁶.
  • Provides good income through taxes.
  • Can muster a decently sized militia.

Actions

Lady Harrowmoor's focus is on finding Violet. To reflect this, all tasks and missions related to finding Violet have double the chance to be picked during a turn, reducing the chances for other missions.

• 📔 Locate Lady Violet's whereabouts.
  • 🕵️ Sir Harrold Twinsor
  • 📝 Hang up posters and collect rumors.
  • 📝 Hire adventurers to follow up on the rumors.
  • 📝 Discover she is at the ruined Abbey of St. Clewyd.

• 📔 Finish construction of the fortified garrison in Prigwort¹⁷.
  • 🕵️ Daphnemene Hedger
  • 📝 Collect the remaining materials.
  • 📝 Build the garrison.
  • 📝 Muster enough people to fill its ranks.

• 📔 Find the location of an old village along the Shiver (Cobton).
  • 🕵️ Cailin Blackwood
  • 📝 Send a scouting party to the Valley of Wise Beast.
  • 📝 Avoid capture and detection by the Crookhorns.
  • 📝 Learn about Cobton and the Cobbins.

Further Thoughts

Resolving the quest to find Lady Harrowmoor's daughter should be prioritized. This quest is also a great opportunity to introduce rival adventuring parties. The quest for finding Lady Harrowmoor's daughter should be resolved quickly. The approach here involves two missions, but it can be done in one if you prefer. Players can expedite the resolution if they get involved directly. This quest is also a great opportunity to introduce rival adventuring parties.

Once Violet is found, the faction can shift focus to more pressing threats from the Nag-Lord and his Crookhorns. House Brackenwold's reinforcements will be crucial, and House Harrowmoor will need to build alliances, prepare defenses, and muster forces quickly.

I really like the bit about Cobton because the potential outcomes are compelling. Lady Harrowmoor could support the Cobbins' resistance movement by sending weapons or supplies, eventually inciting a revolution and supporting it with troops. This could significantly impact the region, connecting Cobton with the Duchy, developing new infrastructure, and fostering trade.

Reaching other settlements like Chancton or Midgewarrow is possible, contingent on the Nag-Lord's defeat. Restoring these towns aligns with House Brackenwold's goals, potentially leading to alliances or conflicts.

Potential Alliances

House Harrowmoor has several potential allies:

• The Pluritine Church: Lady Harrowmoor's sister, commander of the Order of St. Sedge, could be a powerful ally despite their strained relationship¹⁸. Both share a common enemy in the Nag-Lord.
• House Brackenwold: The Duke's support is vital for defense against the Crookhorns, and their shared goals could foster a strong alliance.
• The Witches: Lady Haeroth might broker an alliance¹⁹, although Lady Harrowmoor's piety could complicate this, especially if aligned with the Church.
• The Earl of Yellow: Prigwort's secret allegiance to the Earl means elven aid is likely, though costly.
• House Hogwarsh: A deal with the Baron could involve Lady Harrowmoor leveraging her historical expertise to help find his lost family heirloom in exchange for military support.

Other noble houses might offer help, but only by decree of the Duke. It's unlikely they will align officially with House Harrowmoor.

Example

Doubling the chance of locating Violet's location makes the faction seem hyper-focused on the task. Nearly every turn, they chose to find her. The faction itself makes steady progress, the rolls always landing on a 4. I've sent out three adventuring parties in my game to follow up some rumors, and one is heading to the ruined Abbey. This will be interesting because my players are currently on site, and they have met Violet but haven't realized who she is. They will likely encounter the other party either on the Abbey grounds or on their way back, depending on how long they continue exploring the site.

As expected, all of this "wasted time" will hurt House Harrowmoor as the Crookhorns continue to prepare for an assault. Only through the actions of the players, who disrupted the western Crookhorn forces and killed Captain Snarkscorn, can House Harrowmoor catch a small break, hopefully using the chance to catch up.

Conclusion

House Harrowmoor breaks the rules! As a central player in the Nag-Lord situation, Prigwort has a high chance of becoming a battlefield. Whether it stands or falls depends on how quickly House Harrowmoor can build defenses. This vulnerability also means they might be the first faction to be eliminated.

Both outcomes—destruction or victory—will significantly impact the setting and change the dynamics in Dolmenwood.

Hope you found this dive helpful in showcasing how you can adapt the procedures to force thematic changes! Next time, I will talk about House Hogwarsh!

References

#dolmenwood #faction turns #legwork