The Glories of the Empire

The Glories of the Empire is a campaign lasting from the characters' initial days as commoners all the way until we tire of it, essentially.

These house or alternate game rules are being used in addition to the DnD 3.5 RPG system, as they help to set the desired tone for the game.

• House Rules

Those who are (or have been) active members of the party, including NPCs that the party has travelled with as companions.

• Amber Stone: Laura's character, a half-elf. Both parents live in town, and are merchants - bakers, specializing in elven breads. She currently helps as a baker but is looking to explore. She has an older married sister and a younger brother who loves the bakery. She is hoping they won't miss her help if she wanders. Mom's brother is an archer and she hears stories from him when he visits and writes. She practices with one of his old bows at targets, but doesn't hunt because she likes the animals. She likes herb and cheese bread and may in fact be a vegetarian. She has done a lot of swimming.
• The Captain (Tom Francis): Selena's character, a human 'sea captain'. He can't sew, isn't an actual sea captain, knows nothing of the trade or of shipping. He is about 55 or so, and was nicknamed Bud as a youth. He has a decent relationship with the town guard, and knows a few low-level disreputables, but has never actually left Shoreside. He tells a lot of tall tales and stories, and often forgets ones he's already told. Amber thinks he's the real deal and that he is Important and Impressive. Children are often impressed or intimidated by him, as are passersby and gullible sorts. Longtime residents don't bother to point out that Tom doesn't actually have a ship, and that he spends most of his time at home or at the Swashed Buckler, the town's only inn and as such a frequent point of contact for visitors. He has a dog named Maelstrom.
• Marilana Chester: Daughter of a gnomish blacksmith.
• Scarlett Willis: Wanderer from out of town.
• Sensie: Wanderer from out of town.

These are things any commoner would probably know about the world they live in, particularly the Empire of Astor.

• The World of Dorine: The world the player characters live in.
• The Empire of Astor: The country the player characters live in.
• The Imperial Army: Responsible for battles overland, as well as land invasions of other territories.
• The Imperial Navy: Responsible for naval warfare, as well as controlling piracy and privateering.
• The Port City of Cragworn: A bustling small city roughly thirty miles northwest up the coast from Shoreside.
• The Port Town of Shoreside: The sleepy seaside town where the player characters grew up.
• The Glory of the Empire: The official organization for training would-be heroes and adventurers and confronting monstrous threats to the realm.
• The Guild: Not beholden to any specific merchant house, the Guild is a deniable asset of all of them, and the Empire, at various times.
• Gnomish Technology: A short treatise on gnomish technology.
• Pirate Folklore: A short treatise on pirate folklore.

These are things most commoners don't have time to learn, but that scholars would readily be able to discuss.

• The World of Dorine
• The Empire of Astor
• The Port City of Cragworn
• The Port Town of Shoreside

These are things most people in general don't know, but the party has learned about anyhow.

• The World of Dorine
• The Port Town of Shoreside

These are links to other materials, or material copied from other sources and provided for convenience, to prevent shuffling through books during play, etc.

• D20 SRD: The d20 System Reference Document.
• D20 Pathfinder SRD: The Pathfinder Variant System Reference Document.