CASTLES OF HARN, OVERVIEW.
"Castles of Harn", is a sourcebook designed for use with Columbia Games, 'Harn' generic fantasy setting. As might be guessed from the title, the book covers eight castles located on the island of Harn. Two castles (Quimen & Lorkin) are located in the northern kingdom of Orbaal, the remaining six (Geda, Geshtei, Gythrun, Ithiko, Qualdris & Sarkum) are divided evenly between the remaining states.
As with all of the 'Harn' material the book is divided into independently numbered articles, which were supposed to be removed and placed in a 3-ring binder to form the "Encyclopedia Harnica".
All of the articles follow the same format, the first page deals with the history of the settlment, then there is the GM map & key. This information is followed by a description of the keep & its inhabitents and the last page is devoted to other information of interest. This volume contains the following articles:
Geda (4 pages): This article deals with the second most important settlement in the tiny Kingdom of Chybisa, a stop on one of Harns' major trade routes. Its most notable feature is the baron, a former Ivinian mercenary who won his title when his drunken predecessor bet his title on the mercenary being unable to lift a full grown horse.
Geshtei (6 pages): One of the Thardic Republics' western settlements and capital of Gerium province, Geshtei is dominated by a feud between the provincial marshall who wishes to provoke a war with neighboring Rethem & the magistrate who is content to collect bribes. It is also the location of a legendary treasure lost during the Fall of the Corani Empire, one composed not of gold, but something more sinister...
Gythrun (6 pages): This growing port in the enigmatic kingdom of Melderyn, is home to some not so mysterious politics as the local baron expands his port facilities, syphoning traffic from the royal road, and revenue from the crown. The baron has another problem, once he supported the Laranian crusade against the barbarians of nearby Solora, however as that campaign has turned into bloody slaughter he has become its greatest opponent.
Ithiko (6 pages): Ithiko is home to Earl Barzak, one of the most feverent (and broke) supporters of King Chafin III of Rethem. His attempts to create an army to rival that of the Earl of Tormau has resulted in a major bandit problem as his underpaid mercenaries suppliment their income by 'toll collecting'.
Lorkin (6 pages): One of the few Orbaalese castles to fall into rebel hands during the Jarin Rebellion, Lorkin is home both to one of the more brutal Ivinian families in Orbaal and the 'Specter of Lorkin' a mysterious entity that has left a trail of headless bodies in its wake, starting with the Jarin rebel who successfully captured the castle from the Ivinians at the start of the rebellion.
Qualdris (6 pages): A powerful fortress in southern Kaldor, the lord of Quadris is currently absent hunting a killer, while at home a tapestry flushes red on the anniversary of a long ago murder, one that may be connected to the Church of Naveh, God of Death & Murder.
Quimen (6 pages): The second Orbaalese castle featured in this book, Quimen was given to the Agrikian order of the Crimson Dancer by the king of Orbaal. Their brutal slaughter of the original Jarin ruling family led to the great Jarin revolt against the Ivinians.
Sarkum (6 pages): This southern Kandayan castle is home to the King's father-in-law, an individual the other lords of Kanday feel has too much influence over the king.
CASTLES OF HARN, COMMENTS.
The cover picture to this volume is better cover pictures by Eric Hotz, it shows two guards standing at the gate of Lorkin Castle.
The background material provided makes each castle different and, aside from maps of both the surrounding settlment & keep, each castle article contains a Eric Hotz picture showing the keep, which is a help to GMs trying to visualise how the castles appear.
While all of the castles are designed for use in the Harn setting all of the castles could be easily adapted for use in another setting, especially Geda.
One thing GMs should look out for are a number of in-joke names spread throughout the book, the ones I have discovered are, Semwis of Gaemgy (Samwise Gamgee), Koqu of Shanal (Coco Chanel) and Tommas of Cuke (Thomas Cook). There may be others and GMs may wish to alter the names of these characters lest they distroy the mood.
As with all Harn products at present "Castles of Harn" is only available either second hand or as digital photocopies from Columbia Games.
CASTLES OF HARN, VERDICT.
"Castles of Harn" was one of Columbia Games better ideas, because it provided information on locations that were of interest but not covered in the kingdom books. This reviewer for one would like to see a "Son of Castles" or even similar books covering fortifications in Shorkyne or Ivinia.
If you are looking for a campaign base or an interesting place for characters to stay, then "Castles of Harn" could provide you with the answer.
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