The Clan Burner

Originally created by Rich Soto and Luke Crane for 'The Blossoms Are Falling'. Adapted by Seraaron.

As things currently stand, there are no pre-set Nagavanṣi in the The Vritrian Dynasty. They will be created as and when needed using the following guidelines and questions. If a game is set in Yoljana itself, then some auxiliary clans might need to be burned up too. So the players and the GM need to sit down and put their heads together to plant the seed of conflict and grow the core of the concept into a playable situation. Yoljana is about to burst into the fire of a new age—the royal clans are about to reach critical power, the court is about to fall. The players need to determine where they want to play in this conflict. There are many options and it’s vital to discuss a starting point before you begin. That’s what this Clan Burner is for. (Over time, the canonised clans will be given full articles here on World Anvil, but since there are potentially hundreds of them, a bespoke system such as this is required).

The GM and the Clan Burner

The role of the GM here is to provide information about the setting and perhaps to plant a few ideas of their own, but mainly they should be the one asking the questions, and not the one directly answering them. The GM should sit down with the group before making characters. Discuss what sort of conflicts are most interesting. Then go through the questions for the burner. Read them aloud and give everyone a chance to discuss them. The GM and at least one other player should take notes.

Overarching Conflicts

There are currently four broad archetypes for a Yoljan campaign. They are as follows: Court Drama, Warring States, Life During the Troubles, and Perilous Adventures. Each of these describes an overall feel for the game, a source of inspiration, and a handful of possible situations. After you’ve chosen the general direction you want, use one of the specific burners to create a setting and situation for your game.

The Nail That Sticks Up Is Hammered Down

The group as a whole must agree to one direction and stick to it. One player cannot be knee deep in court drama while everyone else wants to go adventuring, for example. That doesn't mean that a game can't evolve from one type of game to another through play, but you should let that happen naturally rather than trying to go two ways at once. The errant player must bend his will to the group and fastidiously modify his desires and concepts until they blend seamlessly with the group. It is the only polite thing to do.

Court Drama

Court Dramas involve either the imperial court at Vritrapur, or an individual family's noble court in their home province. These stories encompass high-powered political manoeuvring, decadent wealth, and rampant use of the 'Duel of Wits' social-combat system. This type of game is primarily a kshatriya conflict, so almost all players are expected to have character concepts as royal scions of Mahatma Vritri, with a set of lifepaths that at least end in the court setting. And by powers invested in them by their Great Souls, the scion of court can bend the will of others using more than mere words.
The Dynast-Queen might be the supreme ruler of Yoljana, even in her semi-absent goddess-state, but the various branches of the royal families are constantly vying for power and favour. For some, this is a quest to put an heir on the azure throne and vouch for their legitimacy. For others, this is about expanding their borders, cutting new deals with each other, or settling age-old disputes over land use or business contracts. Perhaps you want to push for social reforms, or changes to the law. Perhaps you simple want to try and usurp your own family and take the power for yourself? This is a game of politics, marriage, and intrigue.
Inspiration: The Chronicles of Amber

Religious Drama

This is a slightly different take on the same concept: Since there are numerous religious thinkers in Yoljana and perhaps an equally numerous number of temples, shines, and holy places. Gods are worshipped, rituals are practised, and theology is discussed. You could instead focus the politics of your game on the religious aspect, making it a pedanda conflict instead, so that almost all players are expected to have character concepts as priests or shamen, with a set of lifepaths that at least end in the religious setting.

Warring States

Sometimes, all that court drama can bubble over into a full-blown civil war. This happens in two ways really, a single clan can't come to a consensus on an issue and splits; or multiple clans have a dispute over During Vritri's physical reign, this was uncommon. Disputes would usually be settled by the queen, and that would be that. But now there's ostensibly nothing to stop them. In the 5 years since the nagaraji's ascension there have already been 3 small border disputes and 1 clan split that saw kshatriya brothers faced against one another on the field of battle for the first time in generations. There have been no formal declarations of war yet, but some think it's only a matter of time, unless Vritri intervenes.
This type of game focuses more on the warrior aspect of the kshatriya lifestyle. Players will be expected to take on the roles of soldiers and likely do battle against other men in the name of their family's honour. Since most kshatriyas are now also dragon scions, these battles can get... messy. Burning Wheel isn't a war game game though, so this style of game would actually tend to focus on the moment-to-moment toils of such a war campaign and on the bonds of friendship and loss formed between comrades.
Inspiration: All Quiet on the Western Front

Life During the Troubles

The common era is a difficult one for the common people of the world, and while much Yoljana has since risen out of that strife, it's could easily slip back down now the empress is gone. The court schemes and the nobles war over the azure throne, but no one guards the roads at night and bandits waylay even the strong and well-guarded. The watchmen of the city are hopelessly outmatched by the gangs of thugs who roam the dark streets.
This sort of game can really be played in two ways: You decide that everything about the peace and prosperity is just puffery and propaganda and cultural bias, and that when push-comes-to-shove the whole country simply falls into war and turmoil. Or you set the game before Vritri's reign and start to build up the intricate and troubled history of the Yoljana that came before the light.
Either way, such a game is rife with drama: families teetering on the edge of destitution, bled dry by the nobility and the bandits; enterprising merchants selling their wares to the power-hungry warrior-kings, only to be robbed and threatened by the same men when fortune's gone against them; or honest priests trying their best to house and feed the tenants on their lands, all the while threatened by the depredations of warriors, co-religionists and angry spirits alike. There are lots of options in a game like this.
Inspiration: A Tale of Two Cities

Perilous Adventures

Yoljana is rife with ghosts, spirits, and monsters. Priests are called on to exorcise demons who inhabit forlorn places and lost people. Ascetic monks meditate in the mountains and do battle with the rakshasas and hantu who stalk up on dark paths from the veins of the earth. It is the royal duty of the kshatriyas to protect their fastnesses and fiefdoms clear of dire beasts and monsters. And many a young warrior-prince has cut their teeth hunting treasures in long-forgotten ruins in tucked-away valleys.
The focus of this game is far removed from court intrigue or the everday struggles of man. This is about swords and sworcery. You could ostansibly make a character with any background for a game like this, so long as they are an incarnate or a scion or otherwise have access to some kind of magic, but kshatriyas and pedandas would probably be best-suited.
Inspiration: Journey to the West

Burning Bloodlines

Any game set in Yoljana is going to need royal vanṣi. Regardless of the overarching conflict, the family is central to life in Yoljana. In the Perious Adventure and Life During the Troubles games they can be a more of a backdrop, but in the Court Drama and Warring States games they are front-and-centre. So it's time to narrow the scope. Unless you are running a full-scale Throne War, it's easier to stick to two or three clans at most; with up to five auxiliary families burned up by the GM as part of their campaign prep.

Concept

The concept is the most important step. It's a little tricky for a clan, and it can be easy to slip into a mind-set of making them all the same, but thinking about this properly will really help to give them character. What's the stereotype for members of this clan? What makes them stand out? What would be their 'cultural traits'? What is their typical elemental affiliation among the Scions of the clan (i.e. air, aether, earth, fire, metal, water, or wood)? What is a simple phrase or a 'TL;DR' statement that summarises them perfectly?

Name

You don't need a clan name immediately, but you'll need one before play begins so start thinking about it now. The names and heraldry of each royal kshatriya family is based on a biological genus or family of birds and translated to one the Yoljan Languages. This is because birds are considered ubiquitously sacred in almost all of modern Yoljana culture, and it sticks the names to a consistent schema. So when thinking of a clan name, first think of a bird that you think best symbolises your core concept.

Family

How big is your clan? Who is its head? What is your family known for? What is your family’s trade, vocation or birthright? Who was your mother? Who was your father? What does an affiliation with your family look like? What does a reputation with your family look like? How many noble houses are there in the clan (i.e. sub-clans)? How does your clan govern itself and it's subjects (e.g. code of honour, autocracy, meritocracy, etc.)? What are their religious views? How many of their members have left their family ties to seek a life as a pedanda? How many stick to their oaths? What's their general policy on adoption? Do they like to keep their bloodlines pure, or will they take on foreigners and peasant scions? Will they marry but not adopt? If you are a born into the vamza then take the Mark of Privilege trait, if you were adopted then take the Low Born trait.

Location

Which province, state, or city does your family come from and have jurisdiction over? What's the climate like there? What temples are nearby? To which shrine does the family go to make offerings? Are there haunted or mysterious locations near the family home? Are there wastelands or bandit-infested areas? Use the map provided to pick a general location and then add the specific details.

Resources

What resources does your vamza posses? Are they natural, monetary, academic, sorcerous, military, artistic, naval, cultural, etc?

Needs

What does your family need? What does it lack? Does it have ambition and lack power? Does it have resources and lack means to exploit them? Does it lack ambition and have power? Does it have talent but lack direction? Does it lack talent? Are the scion bloodlines strong or weak? is their elemental affiliation consistent or fluctuating? Write a Belief about something your family needs. Are the needs material? Does it need money, men, weapons, horses? Do not buy these with your resource points.

At this point you'll need to go through all of those questions for a couple of other clans, because now it's time to forge alliances and write history:

Allies

Who are your family’s traditional allies and friends? Whom can you count on to come to your aid should calamity strike? Does your family have allies in other castes—the warriors, peasants, artisans or priests? Do you have allies at court, at the temples, or perhaps even abroad? Do you have allies among the rakshasas and ghosts? Does your family have a good relationship with the gods? Take a relationship with an ally that reflects this.

Enemies

Who are your family's historical enemies? A warrior clan, relatives at court, a local temple, another family, members of your own family, or perhaps demons, the undead, or foreigners? What is the root of the enmity? Betrayal? Jealousy? Murder? Theft? Romance? When did the enmity begin? How does your family treat its enemies? Are they treated with compassion and kindness, rage and hatred, or indifference and disregard? Are there enemies within the family? Is the family divided and sides drawn up? Take a relationship with an enemy that reflects this.

Notable Members

Who are the notable living figures in your family? Does your family have any black sheep? Have any members of your family attempted to join another caste—artisan, monastery, court, warrior? Have any members of your family been outcast? What notable deed has a member of your family undertaken? Did they succeed honourably, or were they shamed? Have any members of your family risen to great power? Who are your family’s notable ancestors, if any, besides the Empress Vritri? What's their history? Take a relationship with a family member.

The Whirlwind

If you are setting the game on the cusp of great change in Yoljana: As it's brightest age to date is crumbling to a sordid conclusion, why is your family caught up in the middle of this whirlwind? What small thing has placed them at the crux of these events? Why is it impossible to escape without great struggle and cost? Right now: Your family’s enemies have just committed a great slight against you. What was it? What did it cost your family? What will you do about it? Write a Belief about it.

Family and Clan Characters

Players take on the role of notable members of the family or their immediate family and retainers, and also the family’s allies. When you build your characters, choose lifepaths from the appropriate setting: the Noble, Court, Religious, or City settings are best. Most of the player characters should come from the same setting. Allies and enemies of the family may come from other settings. All of your characters should be related—brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, cousins, aunts, and uncles, even if they are several times removed. You don't have to draw a huge family tree, but it might help.

Burning Religions

If you are playing a pedanda—a religious teacher, ascetic monk, warrior poet, or adventurous scholar—then think about some of these questions too:
What are your religious philosophies? Are they traditional or abnormal, are they tempered or radical? Do you believe in animism? Do you believe in the gods? Do you have a favourite god, or do you worship them all equally? Are there religious writings that you follow, or is it an oral tradition? Do you belong to an established temple or monastic tradition (if yes, see below), or is it more of an itinerant and ascetic practise? Do you practise magic? Are you 'tonsured' or 'vested'? What does that look like? What are your responsibilities as a priest? What are the tenants of your faith? How do you adhere to them? Write a belief or an instinct about them.

Temple Questions

Where is it? What's it called? How popular is it? What's its reputation? Who's in charge? What are they like? How did they come into their position? Are they ambitious? How big is the main temple or shrine? How many monks and priests can it support? Does it have a library? Is it a walled or fortified compound? Why? Does it control fertile lands? Does it watch over an important town or crossroads? Does the monastery take tithes? Does it posses an important artefact or relic? Is it religious or secular in nature? How did the temple come to possess this artifact? Is it built on an ancient ruin? What does the relic do? Does the temple guard a horrible power of terrible destruction? Or is the temple home to a benign source of good that flows through its gates? What sort of charity work does the temple perform? Is it a school, or an orphanage, or a poorhouse? Who are your temple's allies among the Kshatriya clans? Are you in competition or rivalry with any other temples? Are their rival factions within the temple itself? Are the priests trained to fight, or does it rely on the Kshatriyas for protection? How heated do the theological discussions get? Has anyone ever died for their beliefs? Has your temple performed any exorcisms recently? Have your priests exorcised any great or particularly troublesome spirits in the past? What is your temple’s relationship to the local kami? Is it on good terms? Do the local gods respect the temple? Is there a rivalry? Is there competition? Does the temple hold special celebrations for particular holidays? Is there a scholar or renowned sage currently in residence at the temple? Does the temple possess scrolls—writings of old sages—which contain vital teachings and profound philosophy? What do those philosophies and teachings encompass? Write a Belief about these mysteries of faith and philosophy, or take a relationship with the sage, or with the head of the temple, or with an ally of the temple.

Adventure Burner

Use the following questions to build a campaign or adventure based on the 'perilous adventure' conflict. It's good to go through this stuff with the players, so everyone has an idea about what they're getting into, but the GM can keep some secrets if they like.

A Great Evil, A Terrible Crime

An evil deed has been done, a terrible crime committed: a temple has been defiled, a virgin kidnapped, a lord betrayed, a holy artefact stolen, a city besieged, a calamity has occurred. What has happened?

Forlorn Places

Such matters transpire in the shadows and dark, damp corners of Yoljana. What forlorn places play host to these awful events? Lonely mountains, abandoned temples, overrun fortresses, scary forests, stark burial mounds, dangerous swamps, chthonic haunts, snow-covered coastlines, etc. Each player should choose a location that interests them and put it on the map near your starting location.

Nefarious Men

Who are the evil men involved in this deed? A corrupt abbot, a wicked overlord, wild bandits, a scheming courtier, a brooding sorcereress? What do these evil men hope to gain from their foul ways? Did they commit the foul act themselves, or are they just accomplices to some greater evil? Take a hated relationship with one of these evil people.

Angry Gods

The spirits are angry! They must be propitiated. Who has angered the gods? And which gods are they? What foul act has shaken them from their slumber? What do they haunt? How can the spirits be appeased? What are their names? What are their spiritual domains? What do they look like? Pedanda characters should write a Belief about this.

Foul Demons

There’s always a foul demon involved! A rakshasa, jinn, hantu, or bhoot, or even a horde of stormlings plaguing the holy mountains. What foul demon is it? Is it the mastermind of this evil deed, or is it a pawn of the nefarious men? What is the demon’s role in the plot? Did it commit the act? Does it guard the artefact? Is it an assassin sent to murder or an agent sent to kidnap? What’s the demon’s name? What does it look like? Write a Belief about this damn demon.

Unlikely Allies

The heroes will be aided on their journey in unexpected ways. Who might come forth to help them: a kindly hermit, a beautiful princess, a mysterious goblin, a noble dragon, an honorable warlord, a well-meaning courtier, a holy priest or something else? Take a forbidden, romantic, or familial relationship with this unlikely ally.

--Lost Artefacts::An item of great quality and power is entangled in this web. Is it implicated in the deed? Who wields it—the evil men or the foul demons? Or is the item being sought by the ne’er-do-wells? Is the artefact key to thwarting their plans? Must the artefact be stolen from them lest their victory be complete? What is the item? What shape does it take? What powers does it confer? Is it a gift from the gods, an Astra, or was it created with Enchanting? Or is it alive? Perhaps it's a sacred creature instead of an object? One of the players should take a mundane version of the artefact. At least one player should take a Belief about the artefact.

The Binding Thread

The heroes must all share a common philosophy. They must have a common thread that binds them all together. A set of unlikely events has drawn them all together. What happened? What is their common aim? Write a Belief about this common thread.

The Heroes

The characters are a motley crew of heroes—outcasts and wanderers who have left the day to day struggles of Yoljana behind them. Each hero must be unique. Each hero must come from a different walk of life and have his own speciality that sets him apart from his companions.