TEXT: Setting Primer
  by Eli Kurtz
  
  2
  AUTHOR
  Eli Kurtz
  LOGO
  Elizabeth Galindorf
  INTERNAL ARTWORK
  Julia Metzger
  Eric Quigley
  LAYOUT DESIGN
  Nathan D. Paoletta
  All unique characters, names, and locations, the Mythic Gazetteer logo, and the Blackwood logo are © 2017 Mythic Gazet-
  teer, LLC; DBA The Mythic Gazetteer. All Rights Reserved.
  The Mythic Gazetteer grants permission to print and distribute this document, in whole or in part, for personal use.
  For more information about this work, visit The Mythic Gazetteer at www.MythicGazetteer.com. 
  This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. 
  Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with per-
  mission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.
  
  The Way and Its Margin
  3
  behind as they seek out the faults at the Way’s Margin. 
  Each errant swears this upon their badge, a personal 
  symbol that could be jewelry, clothing, or heraldry. An 
  errant’s badge is often a source of intense pride.
  Errants are granted certain immunities from the 
  Way. Generally, errants are free to pursue lives of 
  duty and righteousness however they see fit. They 
  are permitted to bring justice to anyone beyond the 
  law’s reach. Should an errant take issue with another 
  errant’s actions, she may challenge him to “answer 
  the Call.” This honorable duel is usually to first blood, 
  but errants are granted the freedom to kill one anoth-
  er if needed. Anyone—from the highest born lady to 
  the lowliest pauper—can choose to answer the Call 
  of Errantry.
  The Bad Year
  It was the Year of the King 1440 when our current 
  troubles began. Not even the wisest Classicists can 
  discern why, but that was the year the Elder King 
  and his family disappeared from their home, the re-
  splendent Starry Meadow Palace. Suddenly free from 
  fealty to his wisdom, many nobles succumbed to the 
  temptation of their wealth and power. The taxes and 
  demands these nobles placed upon the common peo-
  ple sent the Elder Kingdom into disarray. Food stores 
  dwindled, villages collapsed, and cities were choked 
  with refugees. And all the while, the wilderness 
  loomed just beyond every wall and hedge.
  Elves and Pagans
  A distant and dormant threat, believed to be real 
  only in children’s tales, the elves began to return just 
  years after the Elder King’s disappearance. First came 
  L
  ong ago, the Elder King put forth a great work-
  ing of wisdom known as the Five Classics of Lore 
  and Reason. Their harmony is perfect, but the 
  Blackwood is vast and terrible. The Way of the Elder 
  King can only push back the wilderness so far. The 
  Way protects many, but it will always have a margin 
  where life is difficult, where too many cries for help 
  go unheard.
  Settled Folk, Outlaws, and Errants
  In the Blackwood, the settled folk of the Elder King-
  dom are all subject to the Way. Every noble, common-
  er, and pauper who lives behind the safety of a hedge 
  owes fealty to the Elder King and his laws.
  Those who break the Elder King’s laws are subject 
  to the hand of justice. When a fine of coin or labor will 
  not satisfy the Way, the governing lord, lady, or coun-
  cil of a settlement can level the King’s Ban against the 
  guilty. Removed from the Way’s protection, these out-
  laws are considered legally dead. There is no penalty 
  for  robbing, harming, or even killing them. 
  Since the Elder King’s disappearance, the rot of cor-
  ruption seeps into more and more settlements. Many 
  folk are outlawed unjustly, and many others become 
  outlaws out of desperation.
  The Call of Errantry
  “Even as my Way provideth for the many,” said the Elder 
  King, long ago, “Ever shall there be those at the Way’s 
  Margin also, whom I could not foresee and cannot protect. 
  And thus, into this land of lakes and rivers, I hereby decree 
  the birth of a new order…”
  The Call of Errantry asks the brave and clever to 
  give up their settled lives, to leave hearth and kin 
  W
  elcome, errants, to The Blackwood, a setting of folkloric fantasy for Savage Worlds! It 
  requires the Savage Worlds Core Rules and the Fantasy Companion to play.
  Upon these pages you will find a glimpse of an ancient forest. A place where warriors flit 
  through the trees like squirrels, and storytellers can be found in every tavern and noble court. 
  Inspired by Grimm’s Tales, American folklore, and high-flying wuxia action, the Blackwood 
  is a daunting frontier of outlaws, pagans, and strange, meddlesome elves. You are errants 
  searching the forest for a way to save the settled people of the Elder Kingdom despite a land-
  scape of deadly beauty and a crumbling ruling class. 
  So, errants: go forth and walk the Way’s Margin!
  The Way and Its Margin
  
  Blackwood Setting Primer
  4
  their pagan worshipers, no more than eyes glinting 
  near the treeline on moonlit nights. In time, pagans 
  grew emboldened to attack caravans. Soon after, the 
  elves themselves joined the fray. The kingdom’s fron-
  tier became a charnel house as the elves began to re-
  claim their forest.
  Unity From the Widelands
  Into this chaos, foreigners arrived from beyond the 
  Blackwood’s distant border. The Widelanders brought 
  food, martial aid, and divine salvation when the Elder 
  Kingdom needed it most. Now, many Widelanders 
  have settled and prospered all throughout the king-
  dom. But how many come in peace, and how many 
  come with a mind to conquer a weakened realm?
  The Magic Forest
  E
  ven many people who can’t formulate spells 
  or summon aid from out of the wilds still 
  know a magical trick or two. Magic has made 
  life in the Blackwood possible, but it is not strong 
  enough to make it a comfortable life. That is (or was) 
  the duty of the Elder King.
  Ancestors Be Praised
  In a realm where every acre is hard-won from the 
  jaws of the wilderness, community is a bond stron-
  ger than life itself. The Elder King taught hu-
  manity to hallow memorial shrines, to anchor a 
  tether between themselves and the ancestors. It 
  is this bond that grows and fortifies every set-
  tlement’s hedge. The ancestors’ otherworldly 
  wisdom even teaches the crops to grow 
  faster and healthier than normal.
  By Pestle and Pact
  Ancestors are not the only way 
  to draw magic from the Blackwood. 
  Many roots, herbs, and other materials can 
  be combined to create magical brews and home 
  remedies. Herbalists are often mistrusted due to 
  their familiarity with natural magic.
  Far worse than herbalists, some draw magic 
  from the forest by making pacts with the elves. 
  These pagans gain great power, but at the 
  expense of shackling themselves to an elf 
  for all time. A dangerous bargain.
  The Holy Faith of Unity
  The ancestors, according to the Holy Faith of Unity, 
  are real. They wield great power, but they gain that 
  power from an even greater source. The Unified 
  say the ancestors are Orishas, supplicants to the god 
  Oruneal, whose voice is Light and Sound. Every cul-
  ture’s gods and spirits were once servants of Oruneal, 
  but were struck dumb from his brilliance and fled to 
  the far corners of the world.
  Through music and faith, the Unified try to rejoin 
  all the sundered Orishas of the world. Not every realm 
  accepts the Unified, but only rarely does a realm live 
  in such darkness as to be condemned by the church. 
  These are the realms of demons. These realms must 
  be cleansed.
  Unified priests, called Celebrants, have condemned 
  the elves as demons. By battling against the wilder-
  ness, the Unified 
  have become wel-
  come defenders 
  all across the 
  realm. In fact, 
  some cities are rais-
  ing Celebrations of 
  Unity, the religion’s 
  temples, within 
  their walls.
  
  Year of the King, 1454 YK
  5
  Arcane Backgrounds
  Classicism
  ArcAne Skill: Knowledge (Classics) (Smarts)
  StArting Power PointS: 10
  StArting PowerS: 3
  SPell liSt:
  All the Elder King’s wisdom is contained in the Five 
  Classics: the Book of Lore, the Book of Rites and Mean-
  ing, the Summer Record, the Iron Doctrine, and the 
  ancient Leaves of Change. These collections of story, 
  edict, and song are curated by the Wise Order of the 
  Classics with such skill that deep magic can be discov-
  ered in the illuminated text and lofty wisdom upon 
  their pages. Classicists can draw upon this magic with 
  their voices, a musical instrument, or straight from the 
  pages of their own manuscript notebooks.
   
  y Unfocused: Flat notes and the slightest stutters of 
  speech can ruin a Classicist’s concentration. On 
  a roll of 1 on the Knowledge (Classics) die (re-
  gardless of Wild Die), you automatically become 
  Shaken (this does not cause a wound). Conjur-
  ing magic from the Classics can be done sever-
  al ways, but always requires a combination of 
  manuscript, instrument, or hand gestures. Both 
  of your hands are occupied while casting powers.
  Elven Pact
  ArcAne Skill: Pact (Spirit)
  StArting Power PointS: 15
  StArting PowerS: 2
  SPell liSt:
  Pagans live by the strange ways of the elves. The to-
  tems they carry are imbued with magic from the wild-
  est heart of the Blackwood. Each elven totem hints at 
  the nature of the elf that claims it, from crude lashings 
  to intricately carved wood, stone, and bone. Pagans 
  are the antithesis of the Elder Kingdom, so they each 
  receive the Outlaw Hindrance.
   
  y By Oath and Totem Bound: Pagans must make 
  a pact with a new elf for each of their powers, 
  represented by either oaths or totems. If you 
  have a high-quality totem, you may spend a full 
  round to focus its power (no movement or other 
  actions allowed), receiving a +2 bonus to your 
  Spirit roll in the following round. A high-quality 
  totem costs at least $1000. You suffer a -2 penalty 
  if you attempt to cast a spell without the appro-
  priate totem.
  If you choose to take an oath instead, take Quirk 
  as a minor Hindrance and give your character a 
  rule to follow at all times. Throwing spilled salt 
  over your left shoulder, or staying under a roof 
  from dusk until dawn are both fine oaths to take. 
  If you should ever break this oath, the elf will 
  show up to find out why. This is never a good 
  thing, but clever characters may be able to nego-
  tiate some kind of boon from the confrontation.
  Pagan magic is rekindled by dancing around a 
  fire every night at midnight. Pagans must dance 
  for 10 minutes per spell rank among their powers. 
  Communing with elves is dangerous, so make a 
  Spirit roll during your dance. If you fail, you can-
  not withstand the weird power of the elves and 
  suffer one level of fatigue. If you roll a 1 on the 
  Spirit die (regardless of Wild Die), suffer one roll 
  on the Injury table. This injury lasts for  24 hours. 
  After preparing your powers, they may be un-
  leashed as actions any time within the next 24 
  hours. When casting, a roll of 1 on your Pact roll 
  (regardless of Wild Die) causes you to become 
  Shaken. This does not cause a wound.
  Year of the King, 1454 YK
  F
  ourteen years after the Elder King and his family disappeared, the Blackwood is rife with tumult and op-
  portunity. There are rumors of wealth and wisdom hidden in the Blackwood, in the towns and fortresses 
  ruined by the ravages of recent memory. There are also rumors that the Elder King is not dead but lost. 
  The most cunning and honorable errants alike ponder how they might be the ones to find him. Glory, wealth, 
  harmony, and power await the true of heart, if their will is strong enough to grasp for them.
  New Edges & Hindrances
  
  Blackwood Setting Primer
  6
  Unified Faith
  ArcAne Skill: Faith (Spirit)
  StArting Power PointS: 15
  StArting PowerS: 1 (plus see below)
  SPell liSt:
  Praise be to Oruneal, God of Unity, whose 
  voice is light and sound. The Unified faith has 
  spread to every corner of the world in recent 
  years. Most of the faithful worship Oruneal 
  through Orishas, the former gods of their own 
  cultures. Whatever their domains before they 
  joined Oruneal’s host, their chief concern is 
  now the unification of all peoples under his 
  peaceful banner.
  Unified carry holy symbols—usually a 
  hand bell or pendant of colored glass—which 
  they use to channel the power of Oruneal. 
  Unified with a high-quality holy symbol 
  may spend a round focusing their power (no 
  movement or other actions allowed), receiv-
  ing a +2 bonus to their Faith roll in the fol-
  lowing round. A high-quality focus typically 
  costs between $1000 and $2500. If a Unified 
  doesn’t have access to a holy symbol, she suf-
  fers a -2 penalty to her Faith rolls. It takes 2 
  weeks to attune a new holy symbol. 
  Music is an important spiritual rite for the 
  Unified, so they often chant, sing and dance 
  when invoking their god’s power. They may 
  take no other actions and their Pace is halved 
  when casting a power. Finally, Unified suf-
  fer a -2 penalty to Faith rolls if they commit 
  minor sins against the ideal of unity. Major 
  sins rob them of all powers for one week, and 
  mortal sins make them forsaken until they 
  undergo a quest or task of atonement.
   
  y Oruneal’s Light, Osudo’s Slumber: All 
  Unified begin blessed with Oruneal’s 
  Light, Osudo’s Slumber as a bonus spell. 
  This functions as per the Light/Obscure 
  power in the Savage Worlds core rules. A 
  raise on this roll imbues your voice with 
  Oruneal’s power as well. You gain +2 
  Charisma for the duration of the encoun-
  ter or scene.
  
  New Edges & Hindrances
  7
  Fighting Schools
  J’Osudeau
  Requirements: Agility d8+, Knowledge (Music) d8+, 
  Acrobat
  The people of the Widelands beyond the forest love 
  music and dance, and those of the Unified faith glorify 
  their god with these acts. A sect of the Unified who 
  dedicate themselves to Osudo, the protector Orisha 
  who lives in the moon, have modified the flow of 
  dance into a deadly combat art. J’Osudeau, or “Dance 
  on the Moon” in the common tongue, performs best 
  when working with a team of fellow combatants.
  Aspiring Students are possessed of a Rocking 
  Rhythm, and grant their adjacent allies a +1 Gang 
  Up bonus.
  Stag’s Crown Treatise
  Requirements: Spirit d8+, Healing d8+, Two-Fisted
  Alone of all the other styles, the teachings of the 
  Stag’s Crown Treatise have never been adapted be-
  yond their original weapons. Practitioners attack 
  with their bare hands, fingers arrayed as a stag’s 
  crown to strike at the body’s natural pressure points. 
  Knowledge of the body and close harmony with one’s 
  spirit are necessary in every student of the Stag’s 
  Crown Treatise.
  The basis of the school is the Crown Palm Nerve 
  Strike, learned by all Aspiring Students. They may 
  make a two-handed attack for no damage. On a suc-
  cessful hit, the target must pass a Vigor check at a -2 
  penalty or be Shaken. This check is opposed by the 
  student’s Spirit check.
  Red Bear School
  Requirements: Agility d8+, Climbing d8+
  They say red bears are the offspring of cats and 
  elves, for their nimble movements and their meddle-
  some spirits. Pagan Covens were the first to observe 
  red bears and refine their secrets into a system of fight-
  ing with their notorious antler knives. Many outlaws 
  and hunters have found the techniques useful with the 
  more traditional weapons available to the errantry.
  The Way of the Twisted Branch is studied by all As-
  piring Students of the Red Bear School. They gain +1 
  to Agility Tricks, their Pace is increased by 1, and their 
  Running die increases by 1 step.
  Tortoise School
  Requirements: Vigor d8+, Knowledge (Battle) d6+, 
  Brawny
  Wise and patient is the way of the tortoise. The 
  Sentinels first developed this school for falchion and 
  buckler, though many errant Masters have adapted its 
  techniques over the centuries. Regardless of the weap-
  on used, the Tortoise School has never lost sight of its 
  original use as a shield for those who have none.
  Aspiring Students learn Patient Steward’s Progress. 
  The +2 Parry bonus from their Defend action extends 
  to 1 adjacent ally. The Worthy Student is known as a 
  Stalwart Sentry. She gains +1 to Soak rolls and ignores 
  1 point of Wound penalties.
  Blackwood Bowman
  Requirements: Seasoned, Shooting d10+
  This skilled archer can loose arrows with unerring 
  speed and accuracy. When using the Aim maneuver or 
  Marksman Edge, he halves all range penalties.
  The character may also make two Shooting attacks 
  at a -2 penalty, or three Shooting attacks at a -4 penalty, 
  although this is still considered a single action (Wild 
  Cards roll a single Wild Die with their Shooting dice), 
  and cannot be combined with Aim or Marksman.
  Celebrant
  Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Unified 
  Faith), Spirit d8+, Persuasion d6+
  Preachers, prophets, and other leaders of the flock 
  often seek to unite the world under the banner of a 
  common faith. Such individuals are usually charming 
  and manipulative, deriving power and influence from 
  their charismatic authority.
  This character receives a +2 bonus to Charisma 
  when dealing with those of the Unified Faith. She may 
  also use Persuasion to make Tests of Will, as long as 
  her opponent is capable of reasoning and able to un-
  derstand what she says. The opponent may attempt to 
  resist with an opposed Spirit roll.
  Distracting Technique
  Requirements: Novice, Smarts d8+, Fighting d6+
  This unpredictable warrior has learned to utilize 
  all manner of feints and distractions during combat, 
  incorporating a range of bewildering movements and 
  gestures into her fighting style to confuse and con-
  found her foes.
  
  Blackwood Setting Primer
  8
  The character receives a +2 bonus to Smarts Tricks, 
  and if she is successful her opponent suffers -3 Parry 
  until their next action instead of the normal -2.
  Leaf Step
  Requirements: Seasoned, Agility d8
  You are close enough to the Blackwood’s magic that 
  you’ve learned to flit through the trees like a leaf on 
  the wind. When you use the Run action, you gain the 
  Wall Walker ability for 1 round. If you are in combat, 
  you may also make an Agility Trick as a free action.
  Sentinel
  Requirements: Novice, Strength d8+, Fighting d8+, 
  Knowledge (Law) d6+, Persuasion d6+
  The Valorous Knights-Errant of Sentry Grove, 
  known to most as the Sentinels, have sworn to up-
  hold and enforce the Elder King’s laws. Wandering 
  the Blackwood, the Sentinels dispense justice with 
  word and deed. They receive a +2 bonus to Charis-
  ma when dealing with those who obey the laws of the 
  Elder King.
  The Sentinel also receives a masterwork falchion 
  and plate corselet, both marked with the Elder King’s 
  seal. The falchion inflicts +1 damage, while the corse-
  let provides +4 armor instead of the usual +3, however 
  anyone other than a Sentinel caught using these items 
  will suffer the King’s Ban.
  Whereas most errants are free to pursue their own 
  ends, Sentinels are required to live up to the Mandate 
  of Justice (treated like the Vow Major Hindrance) to 
  uphold and enforce the law. They still follow the er-
  rant’s way of duty, vengeance, and righteousness, 
  but they further swear to follow the knightly virtues 
  of honor, generosity, valor, wisdom, and excellence. 
  These are the qualities needed to dispense the Elder 
  King’s justice. Any Sentinel found unworthy of 
  the Mandate is stripped of their status and hunted 
  down mercilessly; the character loses their Charisma 
  bonus, and receives both the Outlaw and Wanted 
  Major Hindrances.
  Trapper
  Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Notice d6+, 
  Stealth d6+, Survival d8+
  Many hunters, trappers and poachers live off the 
  bounty of the Blackwood, and the various traps they 
  employ can also provide an effective defense and de-
  terrent for their enemies.
  It requires a successful Survival roll to set a trap; on 
  a raise the character discovers a particularly well con-
  cealed location, which incurs a -2 penalty to attempts 
  to spot or avoid the trap. Characters can only make a 
  Notice roll to spot the trap if they are actively looking, 
  or if they have the Danger Sense, Woodsman or Trap-
  per Edge.
  The trap works in a similar way to either blast, 
  blind, entangle, havoc or stun—chosen when it is set—
  although it isn’t magical and doesn’t require Power 
  Points or an arcane skill roll. The effect of the trap 
  only fills a Small Burst Template, centered on the vic-
  tim, and can be avoided with a successful Trait roll, 
  made at -2 if the trap was set with a raise. Havoc traps 
  are resisted with Strength, stun traps with Vigor, and 
  the others with Agility. Entangle traps fully restrain 
  victims who achieve a total of 1 or less on their Agil-
  ity roll.
  Most traps take at least a few minutes to prepare. 
  If a character wishes to set a trap in a hurry, treat it as 
  a five-round Dramatic Task, applying the normal -2 
  difficulty penalty.
  
  9
  New Gear
  Ancestor Beads: ($10) Crafted of wood, stone, or 
  (rarely) precious metals, ancestor beads are a sign of 
  ancestral pedigree carried by almost everyone in the 
  Elder Kingdom. Nobles and prosperous folks might 
  have two dozen or more beads on their strand, where-
  as paupers may not have any notable ancestors to 
  their name. Beads are often no larger than grapes, and 
  strands are typically worn as necklaces or bracelets.
  Antler Knife: (Str+d6, 3/6/12, +1 Parry when wielded in 
  pairs, $200) Curved, almost circular blades inspired by 
  the antlers of deer in mating season, these knives are a 
  traditional pagan weapon that have seen widespread 
  adoption in the Elder Kingdom. Pagans often shape 
  their antler knives from iron-hard sentrywood, though 
  the Elder Kingdom uses more traditional materials. 
  These knives are designed for dual wielding, and are 
  balanced for throwing.
  Climbing Gear: (Str+d4, $100) This kit includes 
  a climbing pick and crampons. It takes 
  5 minutes to equip, and provides a 
  +2 bonus to Climbing checks. The 
  pick can be used on its own for a +1 
  bonus, and makes a fine weapon in 
  a pinch.
  Clockpick Set: ($100) A pouch of 
  long, crooked metal tools used to ma-
  nipulate clockwork devices. Provides 
  a +2 bonus to Repair checks to craft or 
  maintain clockwork, and a +2 bonus to 
  Lockpicking checks.
  Elven Totems: ($5) These maligned effigies 
  and fetishes are physical tokens of the pacts 
  between pagans and elves. They are carved from 
  wood or stone to symbolize the elven power secured 
  by the pact.
  Lancing Sword: (Str+d6, 2/4/8, +1 Parry, $350) The fa-
  vored weapon of Widelander bravos, a lancing sword 
  resembles a rapier with a long dagger protruding 
  from the pommel. It can be wielded in standard or 
  reverse grip, and can even be thrown short distances 
  like a javelin.
  Lap Fiddle: ($5) A long-necked string instrument with 
  a sonorous tone, the lap fiddle’s song can soothe the 
  spirit or rouse one’s courage as needed. It is a favorite 
  instrument of Classicist storytellers.
  Unified Bell: ($15) These handbells, often with a 
  separate clapper, are imprinted with the emblem of 
  Oruneal, god of Light and Sound and lord over all the 
  Unified. Used as a spell focus by many Celebrants, it 
  creates a remarkably clear and resonant tone.
  
  The Blackwood Errantry Codex 
  Will Contain:
   
  y 18 new Edges and 9 new Hindrances
   
  y 5 new Races and 5 new Arcane Backgrounds
   
  y 4 new Setting Rules full of folkloric whimsy and wuxia action
   
  y 39 new creatures and foes
   
  y A full Plot Point Campaign, The Way of the Elder King
  Coming May 2nd to
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Blackwood/Savage Worlds - Blackwood - Setting Primer.pdf