Lorien Trust
Encyclopedia
Lorien Trust is the trading name of Merlinroute ltd., a live action role-play
organisation that runs LARP events in Locko Park
, Derby
, UK. It runs Britain's largest Live Roleplay events, attracting around 4,000 people to the larger events. It was formed in 1992, originally as a charitable organisation (hence "Trust" in the name), in response to perceived problems with the Summerfest (LARP)
event. The Lorien Trust uses its own set of LARP rules, known simply as the "Lorien Trust rules system". In addition to the four events held per year, the Lorien Trust also sanctions many smaller events to use the same system and game world.
The Lorien Trust's flagship event is The Gathering. It is held over the August bank holiday weekend. The final battle of The Gathering normally draws over 1200 players on each side. Lorien Trust claims that these are the largest live action battles in Europe.
These events are set in the fictional world of Erdreja. The Erdreja setting is described as "high fantasy/medieval".
In 1995 Curious Pastimes
broke away from Lorien Trust due to internal schisms.
belongs to one of the ten Factions. Characters may also be members of none/any/all of the ten Guilds.
The ten factions and their main inspirations are:
The ten guilds are:
Within the Factions, players organise themselves into semi-independent groups. Each group usually has some kind of common purpose (a military unit, for example, or a trading company), and many players will put great effort into giving their group a strong identity.
In addition to the Factions, there are also a number of international Guilds, whose In Character role is to provide training and support for members of different professions. Out of Character, the Guilds also help to administer the LT system - the Mages' Guild, for example, handles the distribution of spell-cards (OOC items needed by players of magic-using characters).
In the early years of the LT, Erdreja was conceived as an open gameworld: players were allowed to play any kind of character they wished. Over time, the problems of maintaining continuity in such a free-flowing system, coupled with the growing prevalence of larps with closed gameworlds, led the LT to exert some control over the types of character permitted in the system. That said, there is still a wide variety of races and character roles available to players. The races, like much of the rest of the gameworld, are drawn from fantasy literature:
Erdreja is saturated with magic
of various kinds, and spell-casting characters are common. In-character rituals are often carried out by players to create magical items or to further an ongoing plot. Religion is universally based around ancestor worship.
Live action role-playing game
A live action role-playing game is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world, while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may...
organisation that runs LARP events in Locko Park
Locko Park
Locko Park is a privately owned 18th century country house, near Spondon, Derbyshire. It is a Grade II* listed building.The estate was acquired by William Gilbert from William Byrde in 1563. The oldest part of the house is the chapel of 1669. The main south facing block of the present house, built...
, Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, UK. It runs Britain's largest Live Roleplay events, attracting around 4,000 people to the larger events. It was formed in 1992, originally as a charitable organisation (hence "Trust" in the name), in response to perceived problems with the Summerfest (LARP)
Fools and Heroes
Fools and Heroes is a non-profit fantasy live-action role-playing game which was started in the autumn of 1985 by John Naylor, who placed a small advertisement looking for players in TableTop Games, Daybrook Nottingham...
event. The Lorien Trust uses its own set of LARP rules, known simply as the "Lorien Trust rules system". In addition to the four events held per year, the Lorien Trust also sanctions many smaller events to use the same system and game world.
The Lorien Trust's flagship event is The Gathering. It is held over the August bank holiday weekend. The final battle of The Gathering normally draws over 1200 players on each side. Lorien Trust claims that these are the largest live action battles in Europe.
These events are set in the fictional world of Erdreja. The Erdreja setting is described as "high fantasy/medieval".
In 1995 Curious Pastimes
Curious Pastimes
Curious Pastimes is an organisation that runs one of the best known Live Roleplaying campaigns in the UK. CP is a private, profit-making company head-quartered in Moreton in the Wirral in Northern England...
broke away from Lorien Trust due to internal schisms.
Lorien Trust Events
- The Great Edrejan Fayre (GEF)- A sports competition themed event, previously known as the Heartland Games
- Spring Moot
- Summer Moot
- The Gathering - Lorien Trust's flagship event
Erdreja
Erdreja is a relatively free-form fantasy world which imports its concepts from numerous sources including D&D and fantasy novels. The LT's campaign focuses around a small region of the Erdreja, known as the Heartlands. This region is divided into ten separate kingdoms, each governed by one of the Factions of Erdreja. Each Faction takes its name from an animal associated with the country. Every player characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
belongs to one of the ten Factions. Characters may also be members of none/any/all of the ten Guilds.
The ten factions and their main inspirations are:
- The Bears (primarily Scottish clansmen)
- The Dragons (based on Celts from Ireland and Wales)
- The Gryphons (French and Spanish noblemen)
- The Harts (English in the tradition of King Arthur)
- The Jackals (Arabic and Ancient Greek people)
- The Lions (also English, sharing the Harts' background with Viking Roots)
- The Tarantulas (mainly Drow from the UnderdarkUnderdarkThe Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
) - The Unicorns (seafaring traders)
- The Vipers (Teutonic people including many Goblins and Orcs)
- The Wolves (based on Viking cultures)
The ten guilds are:
- The Healers
- The Incantors
- The Bards
- The Alchemists
- The Militia
- The Bank
- The Archers
- The Scouts
- The Mages
- The Armourers
Within the Factions, players organise themselves into semi-independent groups. Each group usually has some kind of common purpose (a military unit, for example, or a trading company), and many players will put great effort into giving their group a strong identity.
In addition to the Factions, there are also a number of international Guilds, whose In Character role is to provide training and support for members of different professions. Out of Character, the Guilds also help to administer the LT system - the Mages' Guild, for example, handles the distribution of spell-cards (OOC items needed by players of magic-using characters).
In the early years of the LT, Erdreja was conceived as an open gameworld: players were allowed to play any kind of character they wished. Over time, the problems of maintaining continuity in such a free-flowing system, coupled with the growing prevalence of larps with closed gameworlds, led the LT to exert some control over the types of character permitted in the system. That said, there is still a wide variety of races and character roles available to players. The races, like much of the rest of the gameworld, are drawn from fantasy literature:
- HumanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s - Beastkin BeastmenBeastmenBeastmen can refer to: -*Beastmen in Final Fantasy bestiary *Beastmen in the Warhammer Fantasy setting*A Beasts of Chaos army in the Warhammer setting*Beastmen in Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun...
, etc.) - ElvesElfAn elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
- Urucks (GoblinGoblinA goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
s, OrcOrcAn orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
s, etc.) - Ologs (OgreOgreAn ogre is a large, cruel, monstrous, and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore, and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature...
s, TrollTrollA troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
s, etc.) - Dark ElvesDark elfDark elf may refer to:* Dökkálfar or dark elves, a type of elf in Norse mythology* Svartálfar or dark elves, a type of elf in Norse mythology* Moriquendi, a fictional race of elves in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium...
- Dark Elves, DrowDrowThe drow or dark elves are a generally evil, dark-skinned subrace of elves in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game.-Publication history:...
and NornsNornsThe Norns in Norse mythology are female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men, a kind of dísir comparable to the Fates in classical mythology.... - Dwarves
- FeyFairyA fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
- Wild Fey, SeelieSeelieIn mythology and folklore, fairies are classified in a variety of ways.Two of the most prominent categories, derived from Scottish folklore, are the division into the Seely Court and the Unseely Court...
, Unseelie - Wee folk (HalflingHalflingHalfling is another name for J. R. R. Tolkien's Hobbit which can be a fictional race sometimes found in fantasy novels and games. In many settings, they are similar to humans except about half the size. Dungeons & Dragons began using the name halfling as an alternative to hobbit for legal reasons...
s, etc.) - Other (Which encompasses anything else a player can make an acceptable costume for, including; GolemGolemIn Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
s, GenieGenieJinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
s or Garthim. Though only in very special cases are the related attributes of these races applied to the character.)
Erdreja is saturated with magic
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
of various kinds, and spell-casting characters are common. In-character rituals are often carried out by players to create magical items or to further an ongoing plot. Religion is universally based around ancestor worship.