Player Character Information for the March of Bissel

This text is taken from the Living Greyhawk campaign information from Bissel produced by Wizards of the Coast:

Welcome to the March of Bissel, the crossroads of the Sheldomar Valley, the gateway between three very different regions of Oerth (the Sheldomar Valley, the Baklunish West, and the rest of the Flanaess). The lands that comprise Bissel have been repeatedly settled and invaded by Baklunish, Oeridians, and Suloise peoples throughout their history. Bissel is a hodgepodge of many cultures, but centuries of invasions have made the citizens of Bissel fairly untrusting of foreigners. The recent invasion by the forces of Ket, which have since been forced out of Bissel, and the selection of the new Margrave by the Gran March-based Knights of the Watch have brought the people of Bissel to a crossroads in history, a potential turning point in the lives of all its citizens. Who knows where it may lead?

It is 591 CY, and much is afoot in Bissel:

• Thornward has been occupied by forces from Bissel, Ket, Veluna, and Gran March since the end of the Ketite occupation of Bissel in 589 CY. Bissel’s eventual recovery of Thornward is a major goal of the Margrave and the Bissel Ruling Council.
• Tensions are high in Bissel. The Baklunish of Bissel are blamed by some for actions by Ket during the war. There are rumors of a new proposal by the Margrave to tax citizens of Baklunish descent to pay for the destruction caused by Ket. And the Margrave has already approved a policy of homesteading in the north for exiles of the Ketite occupation, which has resulted in the reassignment of many tracts of land that formerly were possessed by Baklunish citizens.
• The appointment of new barons by the Margrave to replace those killed during the Ketite invasion has met with much opposition, since the appointments were made without the approval of the Ruling Council. Furthermore, the fact that all of the appointees are pro-Knights of the Watch is not lost upon the pro-Veluna and Baklunish barons.
• Bissel’s defenses are in serious need of repair. The Border Companies, Bissel’s four famed mercenary forces, are being reorganized after their defeat and disbanding during the war. Many fortifications destroyed by Ket need to be rebuilt. The Knights of the Watch are heavily involved in this ongoing project.
• Many barons (and their unmarried sons) are pursuing the hand of Jasmine Besselar, daughter of Baron Darius Besselar. The Besselar women are famous for their beauty and business acumen, and men who marry them usually find their own power and wealth increased tenfold soon after the marriage. Invitations to the gala ball at the end of the Grand Festival, an immense public festival held by the Besselars, will be even more sought after than ever before.

For your characters:

• They do not need to be native born to Bissel, but if not you should decide why they are there.
• Characters might receive the opportunity to join the Knights of the Watch or a Border Company.
• Bissel is a predominantly human nation, evenly split amongst people of Baklunish, Oeridian, and Suloise descent. There are a number of mountain dwarf communities in the Barrier Peaks and hill dwarf communities in the Lorridges. Gnomes and stout halflings are found in the Lorridges as well. Sylvan elves are found in and around the Dim Forest. If you want to create a character of any other race, it should be considered an immigrant to Bissel rather than a native-born character.
• Half-orcs and Half-ogres are rare and untrusted.
• Barbarians of Bissel come from the Barony of the Horsehills and are specialists in mounted combat.
• Most citizens of Bissel worship one of the following deities: Heironeous, Zilchus, Fharlanghn, Geshtai, Rao, or Istus. PCs can worship other deities and clerics can follow other deities, but only the powers mentioned above have significantly organized religions in Bissel at this time. Paladins have special Oaths associated with Greyhawk dieties.