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5th Movement - Inselburg

Adapted from the Finnish edition of Clinton’s book, with original additions.

The great island fortress of Inselburg lies midway between Near and the inhospitable southern continent, built as the lock and the bar to the Southern Sea, the only mediterranean sea of Near before the Skyfire. Now ships sheltered in the large cave harbors below the island sail out with technology unknown to modern Near.

People of the scattered Vadenite archipelago are independent to a fault, bickering among themselves and suspicious of power vested on a central government. In the Inselburg fortress the islanders have a near unparalleled defense against anything mainlanders of the modern era could throw against them. In the old High Seas Fleet they have the tools to elevate or subjugate the coastlines of Near. The only issue is how and when this power might be used.

Rebels That Won

The Vadenite archipelago was colonized by the Empire early due to its important position as a supply base and military installation in the southwestern waters of Near. With time the installations on the island were enlarged; both the Hamodine wars and ocean exploration efforts initiated by the celestial bureaucracy warranted substantial improvements to the naval capacities of the Inselburg fortress, making it the largest operative nexus of imperial naval activities.

At the time of the Skyfire, however, Inselburg had already been a decade into a rebellion against the Empire. The original reasons for the rebellion are largely forgotten outside the islands; the islanders themselves cite a palace coup that closed off oceanic exploration, corruption of the imperial bureaucracy, and their unquenched thirst for freedom. The reasons for the original betrayal of the naval command, which made the rebellion possible, remain a mystery and a popular topic of stories.

When the Skyfire appeared and the world trembled at the omen, the Vadian islanders interpreted the growing glow favorably for their hard-pressed, waning rebellion. The attitude is held to this day: anything lesser than the Skyfire could not have destroyed Absolon’s Empire, they say.

Scattered Houses

The Year of Shadow was not as hard on Inselburg as it was on many other peoples, thanks to the thick walls of the fortress and the war-time discipline already in place. When the Shadow receded, what had been a minor rebellion was now a self-sufficient, isolated nation.

The modern Inselburg is a poor nation scattered on a hundred islands and a thousand islets in the Vadenite archipelago. The people dress modestly in thick black felts that protect them against the cold winter storms of the southern sea. A free man is expected to own his own boat, so as to be able to join in the fishing. Others have to know useful trades or hire on as boathands.

The islands were incredibly poor after the Shadow, all but the largest being scoured clean by the cataclysm. Inselburg itself cannot hold the steadily climbing population, however, so the most adventurous families moved early to stake claim to the best islands. Typically a family would be careful to remain in contact with the fortress residents through close familial relationships with those remaining inside.

Today Inselburg is a convoluted decentralized democracy stretching several days of good sailing from the fortress proper. The individual islands are self-governing: originally this was because a single family would live on one island, later because no agreement on common government could be established. Each island sends a representative to the annual Congress at Inselburg; the most important decisions concern voting for Prefects who maintain the fortress, allocating desirable living space inside Inselburg proper and deciding on the deployment and captaincies of the High Seas Fleet.

Trade and socializing have the archipelago bustling with activity through the summer. Disagreements are common as well, but trouble is handled very courteously; ostracism of community is a threat, and the elected Prefects of the fortress can bar entrance to trouble-makers at will. As honorable marriages and other celebrations are held exclusively at the fortress, being barred from entering is a heavy threat to honorable islanders.

Still, what most holds the people of Inselburg together and on the islands may not be mutual love and fascination with the sparse livelihood: the heritage of the rebellion weights heavily on their conscience, and as long as the High Seas Fleet remains, it defines the nation as surely as any ruler.

Black Ship Fleet

Inselburg proper arches over five closely-spaced islets. In between the cliffs lie dark entrances into the bowels of the stone fortress, entrances usable by the largest of ships. In these cave harbors the imperial High Seas Fleet wintered, safe from the savage southern winter storms. And there they yet remain, those that have not succumbed to age.

The ships of the line are large, technologically superior to anything modern Near knows. They have multiple masts and complex rigging, and no oars, for they are far too large to move about with mere muscle. The ships are too tall to board from all but the largest galleys, and what must be the most frightening, they have slots for cannons that belch smoke, fire and lead.

The ships of the High Seas Fleet are black from tar-based paints they are treated with to prevent aging of the wood. The Black Ships, as they are known to outsiders, are a matter of great fear and superstition on the Ocean. The only major engagement of the fleet a few years ago resulted in a crushing defeat for the first son of an Ammeni house; only two ships of the fleet were mobilized then, and both returned without losses.

What the High Seas Fleet has done to Inselburg cannot be underestimated: the solid fishermen and traders of the islands do not know what to do with what they have, but they are utterly committed to preserving the legacy their forebears fought for. Every family sends a son to learn the sailing skills required to crew a black ship; every woman of the islands knows how to weave the thick sails used in the salty ocean breezes. Regardless, a certain awe and superstition surrounds the ships on the otherwise indigent islands.

A major reason for the Inselburg Congress, and a primary responsibility for the Prefects, is the safeguarding of the High Seas Fleet from sabotage, larceny and coup d’état. A congress action is required to crew and send out the ships, except for two that are kept in permanent readiness by the Prefects. So reluctant are the islanders to risk or misuse the Fleet that they actually organize a merchant flotilla out of lesser boats and newly built ships to reduce the usage of the Fleet. Even knowledge of where the black ships come from is not easy to come by in most parts of Near.

Hundred Islands, Hundred Cults

The islanders are socially very conformist and proper, to such a degree that it is not unknown for a family to oust members who bring shame to them. The only exception to this comes in the activity of so called COLLEGIUMS, cults and guilds islanders support. Absolute freedom of thought is prized in Inselburg, perhaps as a compensation for the arid and routine life they have to endure. While people are expected to follow the social code in public, in private they can do almost anything they like without censure; rather, anybody trying to blackmail another for their private choices would surely be shunned themselves.

While some of the collegiums are professional in nature, most are essentially mystery cults: prospective members joining a collegium (which often happens at various festivals at the fortress) are promised hidden lore and various concrete benefits for joining the collegium. Collegiums do not necessarily require much of their members, but revealing their secrets to outsiders is a major offense punished by cult magics, more or less effectual.

Membership in a collegium is exclusive unless the collegium MAGISTER gives permission for multiple initiation. Holding a magisterium is considered a public office due some respect, as many of the collegiums are important for the everyday life of the islands. For example, the Star Captain Brotherhood has cult magic of such importance to navigation that membership is considered practically mandatory for anybody wishing to captain a ship of the High Seas Fleet.

One of the most unfortunate crimes in Inselburg is the breaking of collegial vows an initiate takes when entering the collegium. A legendary stormcrow figure in Inselburgian lore is the collegial ECLECTIC, a magician who steals collegial secrets and avoids the retributive curses with magics of his own. While breaking collegial vows is not a civil crime in Inselburg, the eclectic is shunned: his magic turns the retribution directed against him towards others, causing storms, poisoning of the earth and worse for those associating with him.

Actual Play

I’ve yet to play a campaign with significant play in Inselburg itself. If somebody does, I’d love to hear about it. I imagine it as a cross of classical Greek city-state, Protestant Germans and Switzerland.

The real mileage I get from Inselburg is as a sort of world police. The Black Ships can show up almost everywhere, and the Inselburgians are considerably decent compared to many larger nations in Near. When it seems that a player character has burned all his bridges in the focal point of the campaign, a Black Ship might be the ticket to a new life if he’s willing to cooperate at all. The beauty if it is, of course, that the Inselburgians are also pretty impotent when you get over those cannons.

If Maldor and Ammeni (and some parts of Old Goren) are considered comparatively civilized next to the various barbarian cultures of Near, then Inselburg can be counted in that group as well. It is, however, a different sort of animal in this era of warlords and empires.

Ideas

Ideas - Inselburg

Serving the Fleet is such an overbearing consideration in Inselburg that refusing to do it or being too good at it can be interesting, especially when we remember that there is probably just less than a dozen career officers in the whole country.

The political system of the fortress is in reality a secret, unacknowledged battleground for the various collegiums and their magisters, some of which wield the collegiate vows as threats against their own members. The collegiate magic will prove the undoing of the Vadenite democracy.

Names in Inselburg

Names - Inselburg

Vadenites use a mix of Maldorian and Gorenite names, or that’s the theory. When I play they always end up British to some degree, probably because of those sailing ships they make an appearance with. Don’t let that throw you off, though.

Cultural Strengths

Cultural Strengths - Inselburg

Typical Ability SPECIALIZATIONS for Vadenites involve fishing, crab farming, mapping, politics, esoteric philosophy, making bottles, surviving storms, smoke signals, light signals, flag signals.

Typical Pool CONDITIONING for Vadenites is in Instinct, from being constantly at sea.

Typical Ability ENHANCEMENTS for Vadenites comes from Collegial magic.

Typical Ability SYNERGIES for Vadenites are different sailing skills with command, social skills for political purposes, prayer with everything else.

Typical Ability RETRAINING for Vadenites involves doing crafts by instinct and vigor.

Typical EQUIPMENT for Vadenites is junk washed to the shore, black felt clothing, nice underwear, unassuming weaponry, black powder grenades, colorful hats, collegial rings, boats, ships.

Abilities - Inselburg

Glass-blowing (R)
The fortress of Inselburg produces glass, a rare substance elsewhere. It is one of the few native products shipped by the trade flotilla of Inselburg.
Signaling (R)
Vadenite islands are in many places close enough to see each other, or at least hear. An elaborate system of light, flag or sound signals is used, conditions permitting, to communicate with other ships and islands. This Ability can be used to compose and interpret these messages, to recognize who sends a particular message and to understand the various shorthand expressions used on the islands.
Dueling (V)
Inselburg is very peaceful in comparison to most of Near, but there is a martial tradition upheld by the few Fleet officers, some collegiums and hot-headed youngsters. The preferred weapons are knives and short swords, often dual-wielded with a coat or cloak. A Vadenite fighter is very certain of his feet, as he expects to fight in or from his boat.
Demolition (R)
Fleet crews in Inselburg are trained to handle the black ship cannons and other explosives; specialist marines are trained as grenadiers as well.

Secrets - Inselburg

Secret of Magistery
The character knows how to create COLLEGIUMS by investing holy vows that bind. The vows are created by one or more PRAY (V) checks made into Effects which determine the power of the vows and the consequences for breaking them. The collegium is created by choosing a Secret the character knows, renaming it appropriately, perhaps changing some Abilities it requires and reducing its Pool cost by one point per vow connected to it. (The vows can also provide bonus or penalty dice as appropriate to Secrets that do not have a Pool cost.) The magister can now teach the new Secret to his collegiates without caring for any requirements the Secret used to have. The magister can have the collegial magic strike anybody who knows the Secret with the power of the Effect to cause the consequences indicated by the vows to befell him, but only once per Effect per target. The target may RESIST (R) the magic. This does not expend the collegial Effect; it (and the discount on the Secret) remains as long as the magister continues to maintain the collegium.
Secret of the Skyfire Cult
The Skyfire Cult is native collegium of Inselburg. It believes that the Skyfire was a fortunate event that saved the world from tyranny; Skyfire cultists tend to argue for liberty even at pain of death in the Congress. The first degree initiates learn to shape “skyfire”: the initiate’s touch is sufficient to ignite things, and he may shape fire by hand, even making it cling to empty air for a while.
Cost: 1 VIGOR (1 vow)
Secret of the Star Captain Brotherhood
The Star Captain Brotherhood is a native collegium that only initiates captains, pilots and hopefuls. Its members usually vote for increased trade and Fleet patrols. The initiate can use a compass or other divining tools to find his way towards a clearly visualized goal.
Cost: 1 INSTINCT (1 vow)
Secret of the Wind Scout Collegium
Despite its name, this collegium is actually a cult worshipping Lady of Wind, a minor aspect of the Goddess. Only women are initiated. Members vote with the Star Captain Brotherhood in Congress. The initiate can fly on the slightest winds.
Cost: 1 INSTINCT (1 vow)
Secret of the Eclectic
The character is skilled at predicting and avoiding bad magics. He needs a metal staff and gloves to do his trick. A successful PRAYER (V) check transfers an incoming magic’s power through the staff into the earth, the sea or into another person, depending on where the eclectic roots his staff. Success levels equal to the eclectic’s check are diverted from the opposing magician’s check before it reaches its target. This trick suffers a circumstance penalty die against Three-Corner magic and two against any other magics, except collegial arts of Inselburg.
Cost: 2 REASON
Secret of High Seas Fleet
The character has been taught how to sail the black ships, and he is thus capable of using his appropriate Abilities for the purpose. The ships and their equipment are a technological aberration at present time, so operating them ranges from difficult to impossible without in-depth tutelage in various applied sciences. Characters with this training may consider any High Seas Fleet equipment to have an appropriate EXPERT IMBUEMENT for free.
Black Sail Imbuement
The black ship sails are superior to modern solutions, being usually the only propulsion such a ship uses. The ship with this rigging can compete or overcome galley arrangements in most winds, especially when it has room to maneuver. It has SUPERIOR LEVERAGE against galleys on open sea when it comes to maneuvers or long journeys; the black ship chooses whether to engage and how in those conditions.
Black Hull Imbuement
The larger black ships are much taller than most modern ones, except perhaps for the giant galleys of Ammeni. This is not entirely beneficial in shallow waters, but in close engagement it makes boarding action impossible for an unprepared enemy. The ship may also have an unlimited number of other imbuements thanks to its size.
Cannon Imbuement
The black ship has cannons. There is very little that lesser ships can do against them at range: when the cannons are used with DEMOLITION (R) (or COMMAND (I) if directing fire for a battery), normal Ability checks cannot be used to resist them at all. An opposing ship or coastal target needs magic or other equivalent leverage to defend or counterattack meaningfully, otherwise a simple check suffices for the cannons. Cost: 1 Vigor per shot
Explosive Imbuement
This single-use imbuement can be used with a DEMOLITION (R) check. One equipment rating in the equipment gains a +2 to its value for this roll; however, if the check is opposed, the character suffers an additional Harm equal to the check difference (towards his actual check, not the equipment rating). The imbuement is removed after use.

Keys - Inselburg

Key of Liberty
The character believes in liberty at any cost.
1xp: Enjoy your liberty.
3xp: Refute an authority.
Buyoff: Compromise on your principle.
Key of the Fleet
The High Seas Fleet concerns the character.
1xp: Discuss the fleet.
2xp: Prevent the usage of the fleet.
5xp: Use the fleet for something.
Buyoff: Allow a ship to fall in strange hands.
Collegial Key (specify)
The character’s collegium has a solid collegial spirit.
1xp: Socialize with your colleagues.
3xp: Work together with the college.
Buyoff: A betrayal between colleagues.