Let’s learn all about the feminine ritualists known as the Krollus Kar of DireLands. Join Adam as he explores his DireLands fantasy campaign setting. You can learn more about DireLands here: https://reverendcampbell.com/direlands/
About DireLands Fantasy Campaign Setting
DireLands is a system agnostic, dark fantasy tabletop roleplaying campaign setting. It was created by Adam P. Campbell in 2024. DireLands is set in a land that is in the final century of an ice age that saw the rise of the Witch-Queen who subjugated the three realms’ populations and cast out the demi-human races. The Triumvirate rose in the last century and liberated two of the three nations, but after their victory, they have become corrupt themselves.
Transcript
Cold Open
This feminine order represented empowerment and the protection of Ciar-mhonadh (kierd-vonnig) through Màthair (Maw-Her), the mother goddess.
Intro
Welcome to this continuation of my DireLands system agnostic, dark fantasy campaign setting! My name is Adam and in this episode I will be discussing the Krollus Kar in DireLands. If you appreciate the development of this campaign setting, or the features of other games on this channel, I would like to invite you to consider becoming a patron on Patreon. You can even purchase tabletop roleplaying games or get $10 by signing up to StartPlaying.Games using my affiliate links in the description below.
Details
The origins of the Krollus Kar are tied to the creation of the first mortals by the gods. It is said that when the gods created mortals, they imbued them with the power to connect with the natural pathways of the gods through the wildlands. As the wildlands began to retreat with the actions and interpretations of mortals, groups were formed to preserve their connections to and draw power from the gods. The Krollus Kar is one such group. No one knows who the first Fuileoir (FWIL-oh-ir) was, but she led the feminine understanding of the Màthair goddess and their gifts which they in turn return to her. The first-nations people are born of tradition and tribal unity, but the Krollus Kar have representation in every tribe.
The sacred Krollus Kar are structured so that every tribe in Caelia (kay-lee-uh) has one Fuileoir, or ritual leader, who represents Màthair in the mortal realm, and three Biadhtaiche (bee-ah-hee-cheh), who disseminate her truths and enforce her dictates. Every tribe has their own Krollus Kar Fuileoir and Biadhtaiche, and each Fuileoir communes with her Fuileoir sisters from other tribes through a ritual which transmits their spirit into the wildlands where they are in communion with Màthair. What no-one in the individual tribes know is that their coven is located in the ruins of Cahalutu, north-west of Querel. This is where they made their pilgrimages on a semi-annual basis to and aided the gods in their struggle with the Aeriof Waters (air-ee-off).
The Krollus Kar use their rituals, which are seen by outsiders as primitive witchcraft, to divine the future. While they are incapable of seeing specific outcomes, they can direct the strong through their wise council and divine knowledge. The Fuileoir must be replaced when they begin menopause, as their menstruation is key to their divination. Their monthly blood is a gift from Màthair which is combined with rare herbs from the wildlands. When consumed, it transports your spirit into the wildlands, forcing a vision. The results have not been able to be reproduced by anyone else, leading to those who seek their council to see the Krollus Kar as a direct representation of the gods not through creation but through the shedding of creative force.
The Biadhtaiche are often kept in a state of pregnancy, in order to disseminate the life giving mothers milk to those in need of spiritual guidance. This comes at a cost. As any woman who seeks instruction must sacrifice her own monthly blood, and any man must provide his seed as sacrifice to the Biadhtaiche. This keeps the cycle of creation and destruction of life alive in the Krollus Kar, and their connection to the Màthair pure. When the Fuileoir passes on, she is sacrificed through a rite called the Uiqor-Figh (wee-core fi). This ritual concludes with the removal of the reproductive organs of the Fuileoir which are consumed by the new Fuileoir.
When a new Biadhtaiche is required, the tribe will have the Krollus Kar select from their youngest who have begun menstruation, and the tribe will perform a funeral as if they have lost, and indeed behave as if they have lost, the young woman to death. This young woman is reborn as a Biadhtaiche and impregnated as part of the funeral. The male seed is typically given by the chieftain or his progeny. In rare cases warlords, or tribal heroes are offered the honor. All offspring from this and future unions are given to the tribe and raised by a surrogate mother as their own.
While the Krollus Kar remain as important tribal members all across Caelia, after the fall of the Witch-Queen, when women were no longer trusted to perform magic, the Krollus Kar were seen as heretics. They were forced out of the tribal units, and now dwell amid themselves in the ruins of Cahalutu. Each tribe grants one of their offspring from their unions as a warrior protector and slave to the Krollus Kar. The ruins were once a home to a lost ancient fey race who dwelt there when the wildlands covered Ciar-mhonadh. Now their sprawling ruins which include spiraling temples overgrown with vegetation, and deep underground caverns, are perfect for defence and privacy in practicing their arts.
There were members of the Krollus Kar who operated in Locaston (low-cast-on) and Bressus (bress-sus), as the nations were formed after the sect had been established for untold generations, but even they have retreated to Cahalutu since the Witch-Queen’s defeat. The world has turned against magic and distrusts women’s use of it after so many were subjugated and murdered by the Witch-Queen. As the world continues in ignorance to the true mission of the Krollus Kar, they continue their efforts in supporting the gods through their worship, and are actively working toward returning Ciar-mhonadh to its natural state, with the wildlands covering the planet and mortals sharing their world with the divine.
Even with the mistrust of the Krollus Kar, they are still seen as oracles of great importance, able to tap into the divine consciousness. Pilgrimages to Krollus Kar outposts deep within the earth have been made in recent years due to the spreading of the wildlands of tribes seeking counsel. The Krollus Kar have begun to shift their directive from providing impartial counsel to directing those who seek their council to help fulfill their own desired goals. While those seeing their wisdom are unaware of the change, there are those within the tribe who have also begun to distrust the Krollus Kar’s council and warn against seeking it.
Will the Krollus Kar realise their goal of having the Wildlands spread? Can they still provide valuable insight without the greater world at large trusting them? And finally will they ever be welcomed back into their tribes? Only your home campaign can answer these questions, as the future of these DireLands are in your hands.
Outro
Thank you for watching today’s DireLands Fantasy Campaign Setting episode. Please consider subscribing to this YouTube channel, liking and commenting on this video. And if you enjoyed this episode, consider becoming a patron on Patreon. Always remember that evil spelled backwards is live, so get out there and be evil!