Lord of Shadows
2012-05-02, 02:24 AM
A little introduction first...
Set on the World of Ursoule, the Tears of Blood Campaign Setting was a project here on the Forums that ended in 2009 after several years without achieving a proper compilation of the material. There are likely those around who still remember those magic-filled days. In late 2010 I created a thread in the World-Building forum dedicated to bringing that material together into a usable form. Since then I have had to change where the files were stored, started a local playtest, and created a simple website devoted to this material. To avoid any "necromantic entanglements," the old thread will be left as is, although the file download links have been updated. For reference, the old thread is here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181394&page=2).
The Tears of Blood Campaign Setting
The new Tears of Blood website can be found here (http://tears-of-blood.weebly.com/) with all the current files for download.
Please check it out and post any feedback here, or on the website. Updates to the material are continuing. The material has been (mostly) optimized for Pathfinder rules, but should be able to be played in most any D20 RPG rule system. (The descriptions and background could probably be used in any rules system)
Tears of Blood is a high-fantasy, gritty, and dangerous place. It is a world in which magic is common, but suspicious, and not outrightly accepted by all. Magic proved useless against a devastating and unnatural Plague, leaving damaged or shattered civilizations in its wake and twisted wrecks of some of its survivors.
The core D20 races have near equivalents in this world, but with altered characteristics and history. Humans have new cultures and religions, Dwarves here are Mercenaries, and in place of Half-elves we have the Feldarin, once the Imperial Overlords of the continent, now reduced to a fraction of their former power. Elves were created from the Feldarin by a bargain some of them made with a malevolent being with devastating consequences. Halflings are the Lords of the Seas, Gnomes ride great mechanical vessels and populate the realms both far beneath and high above the surface, and "Orrks" are deeply religious jungle dwellers with a penchant for sacrificial offerings. New in this setting are the reflective Giantkin, the twisted Plaguetouched and the still less natural Fleshwrought.
Behind the scenes, other factions come into play. An ancient Dracolich plots underground, and has in her long history helped shape the essential nature of at least one of the world's core races. The nature of the gods and other fundamental forces behind the world is disputed between cultures, but is almost invariably defined according to five concepts - War, Life/Death, Magic, Travel, and Nature. And in addition to these forces, the existence of another god-like entity is undeniable - the Plague Fiend, the being who by its deal with the Elves gained power to cause suffering to all races. He is rumored to have brought the Plague to the world, but, truly, nobody knows the source of the Plague the people call "The Weeping".
Thanks to Alarra for the original version of the above description.
Set on the World of Ursoule, the Tears of Blood Campaign Setting was a project here on the Forums that ended in 2009 after several years without achieving a proper compilation of the material. There are likely those around who still remember those magic-filled days. In late 2010 I created a thread in the World-Building forum dedicated to bringing that material together into a usable form. Since then I have had to change where the files were stored, started a local playtest, and created a simple website devoted to this material. To avoid any "necromantic entanglements," the old thread will be left as is, although the file download links have been updated. For reference, the old thread is here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181394&page=2).
The Tears of Blood Campaign Setting
The new Tears of Blood website can be found here (http://tears-of-blood.weebly.com/) with all the current files for download.
Please check it out and post any feedback here, or on the website. Updates to the material are continuing. The material has been (mostly) optimized for Pathfinder rules, but should be able to be played in most any D20 RPG rule system. (The descriptions and background could probably be used in any rules system)
Tears of Blood is a high-fantasy, gritty, and dangerous place. It is a world in which magic is common, but suspicious, and not outrightly accepted by all. Magic proved useless against a devastating and unnatural Plague, leaving damaged or shattered civilizations in its wake and twisted wrecks of some of its survivors.
The core D20 races have near equivalents in this world, but with altered characteristics and history. Humans have new cultures and religions, Dwarves here are Mercenaries, and in place of Half-elves we have the Feldarin, once the Imperial Overlords of the continent, now reduced to a fraction of their former power. Elves were created from the Feldarin by a bargain some of them made with a malevolent being with devastating consequences. Halflings are the Lords of the Seas, Gnomes ride great mechanical vessels and populate the realms both far beneath and high above the surface, and "Orrks" are deeply religious jungle dwellers with a penchant for sacrificial offerings. New in this setting are the reflective Giantkin, the twisted Plaguetouched and the still less natural Fleshwrought.
Behind the scenes, other factions come into play. An ancient Dracolich plots underground, and has in her long history helped shape the essential nature of at least one of the world's core races. The nature of the gods and other fundamental forces behind the world is disputed between cultures, but is almost invariably defined according to five concepts - War, Life/Death, Magic, Travel, and Nature. And in addition to these forces, the existence of another god-like entity is undeniable - the Plague Fiend, the being who by its deal with the Elves gained power to cause suffering to all races. He is rumored to have brought the Plague to the world, but, truly, nobody knows the source of the Plague the people call "The Weeping".
Thanks to Alarra for the original version of the above description.