A Westerrain Adventure: The Making of a Shaman

Have you ever pictured in your mind what would have happened if J.R.R. Tolkien and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow would have met for a D&D gaming session? Have you ever imagined yourself slaying a fearsome skin-walker with a gemstone tomahawk in the midst of a dense sequoia and maple forest? Or would you rather head further north to encounter arctic sea monster and sentient polar bears, or enter the underworld dimension via a shamanic trance with a fellow angekok? Sounds appealing? If so, my adventure would be just your cup of sassafras and sage tea!

Personally, I have always thought that both Native American and Inuit mythologies and folklore were tremendously underrated as sources of inspiration for fantasy role-playing adventure campaigns and have great potential for supplying a healthy dose of variety regarding races, classes, monsters, deities and weaponry. We have to admit that the more orthodox staple of Euro-centric medieval-esque dragons, swords, chain-mail armour (including the infamous fan-service bikini) and unicorns can sometimes get a little old…

Since Amerindian cultures and civilisations underwent a separate and distinct “evolutionary path” from the old world, the characteristics and statistic data for equipment, weaponry, classes, races and, of course, monsters, have been adapted and suited to a Native American based fantasy universe, with plenty of tender love and care. For instance, the vast majority of weapons aren’t composed of iron or steel and means of transportation include sledges and dogs instead of the usual wheeled vehicles and mules.

It is important to mention that just like classic fantasy games are not an accurate historical representation of the actual medieval period, this book doesn’t aim to realistically depict historical Native American cultures. I admit to have used an artistic licence on several occasion. After all, this book includes sasquatches and wendigos as well as other fictional monsters, so fantasy does not aspire to represent reality..

I hope this book will capture your imagination and also inspire you to write and play your own adventures in the future!

Disclaimer

As a non-Amerindian person who considers herself to be an admirer and appreciator of Native American cultures, the author does not claim to make an accurate depiction of cultures which have inspired the adventure world in this book. This role-playing game book is merely centred around fantasy, and therefore artistic licence has been taken regarding the depiction of various cultural aspects of the different races and nations in this adventure world. If any readers of this book have found certain elements offensive, they are more than welcome to contact the author, and she will do her very best to make the relevant corrections.

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