Skip to content

Crooked Crown Rules

Welcome to the Crooked Crown, a shadowed reflection of medieval Europe in the year 1200 CE, twisted into a realm where the myths and legends of old are grim reality within the Perilous Adventures Warbands Guide (PAWG). Up until that fateful year, history marched as it did in our world—kings ruled, churches rose, and knights clashed. Then, the Crooked Crown emerged, a relic of divine and cursed power, shattering the continent into a land of warring factions, monstrous perils, and darkened skies. This is no tale of chivalry or golden ages—here, survival is a brutal struggle, and your warband, heroes like Torren, Lira, Eryn, Kael, and Veyra, must carve their path through a world overrun by legend. This page dives deep into the lore, geography, and factions of the Crooked Crown—your campaign’s crucible of grit and glory. Step into the darkness, and forge your legend!

Background and Lore

Before the Fall

Until 1200 CE, Europe mirrored our own medieval past. The Holy Roman Empire sprawled across Germanic lands, England trembled under Norman rule, France simmered with feudal rivalries, and the Church’s crosses loomed over every village. The Crusades raged in the East, knights bore lances for honor, and peasants toiled under the weight of tithes. The myths—dragons, fae, and restless dead—were tales to scare children, not truths.

Then came the Night of the Shattered Crown. On a storm-wracked eve, a celestial omen—a comet with a crooked tail—blazed over the continent. In Rome, Pope Innocent III crowned himself with a relic unearthed from the Vatican’s depths: the Crooked Crown, said to be forged by angels and tempered in the blood of saints. It promised divine dominion, a unification of Christendom under one ruler. But the crown was flawed—tainted by pride or darker forces—and when Innocent invoked its power, it split asunder. A thunderous crack echoed from the Alps to the North Sea, and the land darkened as if the sun itself recoiled.

The shattering unleashed a cataclysm. Fissures tore through stone, black mists rose from the earth, and the monsters of legend—wyrms, wraiths, and worse—spilled forth. The Church fractured, kings fell to madness or blades, and the once-stable realms of Europe dissolved into chaos. The Crooked Crown’s fragments scattered across the continent, each piece a beacon of power and peril, drawing factions to claim them and plunging the land into a new, cursed age.

Before the Darkening

Before the fall, key players shaped Europe:

  • The Holy Roman Empire: Emperor Frederick II vied for supremacy, his knights and scholars a force of order.
  • The Church: Innocent III’s Papacy wielded spiritual and temporal might, uniting kings under faith.
  • The Normans: England’s rulers, like King John, held iron grips over their isles, eyeing France.
  • The Norse: Scandinavian jarls raided coasts, their longships a fading echo of Viking glory.
  • The Peasantry: Serfs and freemen toiled, their lives a quiet backbone to noble ambition.

Post-1200, these powers crumbled. Frederick’s empire splintered into warring duchies, the Church’s clergy turned heretic or hermit, and the peasantry rose or fled as monsters ravaged their fields. The Crooked Crown’s shards became the new grail—sought by all, understood by none.

Geography of the Crooked Crown

The Crooked Crown reshapes medieval Europe into five perilous regions, each a blend of real history, myth, and the darkening’s aftermath. Your warband—Torren’s strength, Lira’s stealth, Eryn’s intellect, Kael’s mysticism, Veyra’s leadership—will face unique challenges here.

1. The Fractured Highlands (British Isles)

  • Lore: Once England, Scotland, and Wales, now a jagged land of mist and ruin. The Normans’ castles crumbled when the crown split, and Arthurian legends—like Merlin’s magic and Mordred’s treachery—awoke. The shard that fell here is said to rest in a drowned Camelot.
  • Environment: Fog-shrouded moors, crumbling cliffs, and storm-lashed coasts. Rain turns earth to mire, slowing travel.
  • Dangers: Spectral knights roam, seeking Excalibur’s heir—Torren might face their blades. Kelpies lure travelers into bogs, testing Kael’s Survival. Fae tricksters twist paths, challenging Eryn’s Knowledge.
  • Factions: The Pendragon Remnant (nobles claiming Arthur’s blood) and Druids of the Old Ways (pagan mystics) vie for control.
  • Mechanics: Stealth checks to evade fae illusions; Endurance to withstand cold and wet; Perception to spot spectral ambushes.

2. The Blackened Marches (Northern France and Low Countries)

  • Lore: Once fertile fields under Capetian kings, now a scarred wasteland where Roland’s horn echoes in the wind. The crown’s shattering birthed a black mist, and tales of Charlemagne’s paladins turned dark—heroes now haunt as wraiths.
  • Environment: Ashen plains, choked rivers, and shattered keeps. The air stings with soot, taxing breath.
  • Dangers: Wraith-paladins guard lost relics—Veyra’s Leadership might sway their honor. Plague-born ghouls roam, requiring Lira’s Sleight of Hand to avoid. The mist blinds, dulling senses.
  • Factions: The Order of the Ashen Blade (fallen knights) and Mistborn Scavengers (survivors) clash amid the ruin.
  • Mechanics: Resilience against miasma; Investigation to find hidden caches; Persuasion to parley with wraiths.

3. The Iron Spine (Holy Roman Empire/Germany)

  • Lore: The empire’s heart, once ruled by Frederick II, now a jagged spine of mountains and forests echoing Beowulf’s grim tales. A shard landed in the Black Forest, birthing wyrms and rival duchies.
  • Environment: Towering peaks, dense woods, and icy gorges. Avalanches and frost bite at the unwary.
  • Dangers: Wyrms coil in caverns—Torren’s Melee Weapons could slay them. Witches of the Wild Hunt curse travelers, testing Eryn’s Spellcasting. Bandits prey on the weak, ambushing with crude steel.
  • Factions: The Iron Dukes (feudal lords) and Hexenwald Coven (dark witches) seek the shard’s power.
  • Mechanics: Athletics to climb cliffs; Survival to endure cold; Spellcasting to counter curses.

4. The Veil of Shadows (Italy and the Papal States)

  • Lore: Rome’s glory faded when Innocent III broke the crown, unleashing Dante’s inferno as reality. Vatican ruins whisper of angels fallen to wrath, and a shard lies buried beneath St. Peter’s rubble.
  • Environment: Cracked hills, ashen vineyards, and sunken cities. Heat shimmers with infernal taint.
  • Dangers: Demonic shades stalk—Kael’s Healing Touch might banish their wounds. Sirens sing from the Tiber, luring with CHA checks. The ground quakes, splitting stone.
  • Factions: The Broken See (heretic priests) and Tiberine Sirens (mythic seducers) vie for control.
  • Mechanics: Resilience vs. heat; Deception to resist sirens; Knowledge: Arcana to decipher Vatican secrets.

5. The Frostfang Reach (Scandinavia)

  • Lore: Norse lands of jarls and sagas, now frozen and fierce, where Odin’s ravens watch a shard in a glacier tomb. Beowulf’s Grendel kin and Viking ghosts roam, unbound by the darkening.
  • Environment: Icy fjords, snowbound forests, and howling winds. Blizzards bury paths and chill bones.
  • Dangers: Frost giants crush intruders—Torren’s Endurance could hold. Draugr rise from barrows, testing Lira’s Stealth. Jotunn storms rage, blinding all.
  • Factions: The Ravencloaks (Norse survivors) and Jotunn Kin (giant-worshippers) battle for supremacy.
  • Mechanics: Survival to navigate ice; Perception to spot draugr; Athletics to withstand storms.

Factions of the Crooked Crown

The Crooked Crown’s factions blend historical roots, mythic echoes, and the darkening’s chaos—each a potential ally or foe for your warband.

  • The Iron Dukes (Holy Roman Empire Roots):
  • Origin: Splintered nobles from Frederick II’s empire, now feudal warlords in the Iron Spine.
  • Goal: Claim the crown shards to forge a new empire—Torren’s warrior code aligns, but their tyranny chafes.
  • Traits: Armored knights, ruthless ambition—think Teutonic Order gone rogue.
  • The Broken See (Papal States Roots):
  • Origin: Clergy shattered by Innocent III’s fall, now heretic priests in the Veil of Shadows.
  • Goal: Rebuild the Church with the crown’s power—Eryn’s arcane insight might sway or unravel them.
  • Traits: Dark miracles, zealot fervor—Inquisition twisted by despair.
  • The Pendragon Remnant (Norman/Arthurian Roots):
  • Origin: Descendants of Norman kings in the Fractured Highlands, claiming Arthur’s legacy.
  • Goal: Restore Camelot with a shard—Veyra’s leadership could unite them, or clash with their pride.
  • Traits: Chivalric relics, noble decay—Knights of the Round gone grim.
  • The Ashen Blade (French Paladin Roots):
  • Origin: Fallen knights from Roland’s lineage in the Blackened Marches, cursed by the mist.
  • Goal: Purge the land or claim its power—Kael’s mysticism might redeem or defy them.
  • Traits: Spectral honor, martial prowess—Paladins turned wraiths.
  • The Ravencloaks (Norse Roots):
  • Origin: Viking survivors in the Frostfang Reach, guided by Odin’s ravens.
  • Goal: Survive and wield the shard’s might—Lira’s cunning fits their raid-and-trade ways.
  • Traits: Longship raiders, runic lore—Norsemen hardened by ice.

Your Warband in the Crooked Crown

Torren, Lira, Eryn, Kael, and Veyra fit this world’s brutal tapestry. Torren could duel Iron Dukes or spectral knights, Lira slip through the Veil’s shadows, Eryn unravel the Broken See’s rites, Kael mend wounds in the Marches, and Veyra rally Ravencloaks or Pendragons. The Crooked Crown’s shards drive the tale—will you seek them for power, destroy their curse, or simply endure the chaos? Each region’s lore and factions offer hooks, and its dangers demand every skill your warband can muster.

Newbie Note: It’s a dark Europe—stick together, and face the myths head-on!

For Experienced Players

  • Depth: Factions shift—Ravencloaks might ally with Ashen Blade against giants. Shards are boons or banes—curse mechanics could twist stats.
  • Lore Ties: Use Knowledge for history (e.g., Roland’s fall), Survival for monster tracks—build on 1200 CE’s roots.
  • Dangers: Tailor threats—wyrms for warriors, sirens for charmers. Environmental checks (e.g., Endurance vs. frost) shape travel.

That’s the Crooked Crown in PAWG! A medieval mirror warped by myth—forge your saga in its shadows. Work with your GM to weave the tale, and brace for the darkness!