Travar Preview – Grexian Redrock and the Edge of Travar

The next release for Earthdawn is imminent.

Travar: The Merchant City has been through multiple revisions, art has been procured, layout has been done, and the book is waiting for final approvals before the button is pushed and it is made available to the public (as well as our wonderful and patient Kickstarter backers).

We’ve been a little bit quiet about this book, with only one or two previews having gone up before. This is a shame, and a shortcoming, since it means we haven’t been generating the interest the new book deserves.

Let’s remedy that.

In case you aren’t aware, Travar is ruled by a triumvirate of magistrates, each of whom serves a three year term, with one seat up each year. These positions are earned not through elections or inheritance, but through a rather unconventional method. Candidates who seek to become Magistrate — a highly coveted position — sponsor one or more champions to compete in an elaborate, multi round tournament called the Founding. The winner earns the seat, and all the privilege that accompanies it.

In this preview, we present one of the current Magistrates, whose background connects to one of Travar’s past heroes in ways few can appreciate.

Several years ago, Grexian Redrock arrived in Travar searching for clues to the final resting place of Brand Flamefounder, a Weaponsmith from before the Scourge who forged the legendary Edge of Travar. Reportedly a Nethermancer of some skill, Grexian discovered a head for business when some investments — intended to finance his research — made him a very wealthy man. He seems to have abandoned his quest in favor of enjoying the life of a wealthy merchant, and recently became a magistrate.

While he appears as an elderly human, what nobody in Travar knows is Grexian is much older than he looks. He was one of Brand’s companions from before the Scourge, and helped the Weaponsmith create the Edge of Travar. Unfortunately, a Horror interfered with the enchantment process, and Grexian appeared to die during the ritual.

Grexian woke up some time after the ritual, confused and alone. He managed to find shelter in a kaer, and as the centuries passed, he came to realize that, somehow, his life had become bound to the blade. Unfortunately, the blade’s fate — and Brand’s — were unknown. When the Scourge ended and Grexian’s kaer opened, he set out in search of the sword, hoping that by finding it he could determine how and why it sustained him.

In Travar, Grexian felt truly alive for the first time in many, many years, and it has led him to set aside his quest for the Edge of Travar. If the sword — rumored to be somewhere in the Badlands — is found, it’s full power might only be unlocked by Grexian sacrificing what he has gained.

For more… you’ll just have to pick up Travar: The Merchant City when it’s released. Stay tuned!