G'day everyone. Recently I had the pleasure of being on the ARC podcast where I got to talk all things Fragged, dice, crowdfunding and why dogs are the best!
(Listening to myself I'm getting so embarrassed by my verbal ticks that I was unaware of. Such as saying "ok" way too much! ha ha! I blame exhaustion!)
The Timeline Between FK1 & FK2!
One of my core objectives with the creation of FK2 was the expansion and fleshing out of the setting. I'm really proud of 1st edition and it's 'fighting back the wilds to bring back civilisation' tone, but I thought the world needed a lot more components to flesh out its ideas and facilitate more campaign styles. I wanted more gods, species and places to explore. I'm not a fan of retcons and I avoid them as much as possible, but it was clear that the FK1 lore was not going to give me what I wanted.
So I expanded the timeline, both forward by almost 200 years, but also back into the Age of Creation and wider to include new lands.
I wont go into all of the new gods and nations here, but in short: there are now Twi-Far far off to the east on the islands of Fari and Eyna, the demigod Languorem has taken over Stronghold to created his Warped Kingdom, there are Creet nations to the far north and south, giants have moved onto the island of Tilward, pirates have re-taken the island of Kraken, kingless merchants and religious fanatics to the east.
But most importantly of all, the reformed King's Alliance that came out of the people of Stronghold (from FK1) split into two nations: the authoritarian Kingdom of Catla and the fragmented Kindom of Ire. Ire is where most games of FK2 will start, and new nation that is surrounded by enemies and full of potential.
But what of Neph?
“Here lies the head of Neph, hated goddess of nature. Her rage against civilisation was finally silenced by the fell blade of the meek Fik. From her green wylding blood arose her daughters Nijin and Jinin to take her place as wardens of life and death. Let us love these new gods as we did not love their mother, lest we bring about their rage and a repeat of history.” - Tlaloc Catla, expedition commander to Neph’s head.
The goddess Neph was the big antagonist in FK1, a source of endless trouble for the world (and adventures for the PCs!). If the world of Akharon was to now have more nations, then she had clearly lost her war against civilisation and her only option was to try and try again. This does not make for an interesting story to me, Akharon was in need of new stories. So it was time for her to die and be replaced.
In an attempt to manipulate the kindly god Dray, Neph was killed by the most unlikely of people, the silent and meek goddess Fik.
In an uncharacteristic display of determination, the goddess Fik took up her scissors and confronted the mighty Neph with shakey rage. With a stern face, she uttered the words that would come to be displayed in all future temples to the goddess of silence and the cosmos:
“Be silent wretched fiend, for anguish comes to those who can not hear beyond their own voice.”
Without hesitation, Neph roared as she lunged at Fik. With a single snip the head of the indomitable goddess of nature was separated from her neck. In a moment of impulsive revoltion, Dray kicked his sister’s head out of his workshop where it plummeted to Akharon in a ball of fire that was seen by all mortals who watched the skies.
To the envy of Nix, a kindly love was kindled between the handsome Dray and the unassuming Fik. The two were soon married and forever only had eyes for each other.
This set of a chain reaction of events that remade both the divine and mortal realms. Most importantly; Neph's fabled spear "Ire" was to be later found and sparked a civil war that created the Kingdom of Ire, and from Neph's blood two new goddess of nature were born - Nijin (life and death) and Jinin (death and life) - who have remained on Akharon and are watching over the tension between nature and civilisation.
In ages past, the now-dead goddess Neph occupied a strange place in the minds of the people. She was an eternal thorn in the sides of the other gods and all civilised rulers; she was the killer of the god Pol and the destroyer of the Empire of Catla, but also the god of life, death and nature. Her druidic servants were pushed out of society, but many prayed to her in secret for their crops to flourish and their children to be healthy. With the arrival of Neph’s daughters - Nijin and Jinin - the civilised nations are determined to learn from their past mistakes and foster a positive relationship with these new gods of the wild.
When Neph was slain by the goddess Fik and her severed head cast down to Akharon, there was a great effusion of wylding blood that pooled into a great lake. From this arcane fluid arose Nijin and Jinin, daughters born to carry Neph’s legacy. The explorers that journeyed to Neph’s final resting place were shocked to see the young person-sized goddess frolicking in the green blood of their mother. They were quick to scamper away from the imposing knights, but they would be seen many times over the years as they refuse to live in the heavens alongside the other gods.
Worship of the Wild Twins is widespread, especially in rural regions where lives are closer to nature. Worship of Neph was characterized by fear, while the Twins are worshipped with respect and gratitude for the cycles of life. The greatest ceremony for the twins is the two-part Feast of the Turns, held once upon the first falls of autumn, and finished later in the year at the blooming of spring. The earlier feast honours Jinin - goddess of death and life - with a time of reflection on the impermanence of existence, and the new beginnings brought on by death. The second is continued months later as if the feast had never ended in honour of Nijin - goddess of life and death - with lively celebration and a chance to ponder the gift of life in all of its forms.
In all other matters, the Wild Twins are venerated together, acting as dual patrons of temples, thanked for bountiful harvests and successful hunts, and enshrined in prominent places wherever physicians ply their trade. Midwives in particular are especially favoured by Nijin, and Jinin holds hunters in high esteem.
