kortekickass
2006-11-01, 09:16 AM
Howdy Folks,
I've been working on a homebrew idea for awhile now, and would very much like the input of the "OotSers". Now, I was known as kkortekaas before the board switch, but for some reason it doesn't recognize that user name anymore...meh.
Now for your viewing pleasure below "The Savage Coast"
(please be gentle as this is a rough draft)
--------------------------------------------
Your world is at war – it has been for close to a century. You’re not actually sure how it started; either the elves did something the humans didn’t like or maybe it was the dwarves who pissed off the elves. Doesn’t really matter, the fact is the toll of the war on the land, people and civilization as a whole has been devastating. At some point, some ‘genius’ wizard thought it would be a good idea to summon demons to help his side of the battle. This, of course, was copied by the other side, until all hell broke loose, literally. All control was lost and it became a battle for survival only.
A small, interracial group decided that instead of fighting against increasingly unbalanced odds, they would find a way to flee. Two wizards, Parthan the, ancient, elusive eleven lord, and his unlikely partner and tenuous ‘friend’ Fenrix, the slightly unbalanced human mage, were brought together to work on a solution. They stumbled across a portal to another land – neither could tell where it lead - either to an unexplored area of this world, or possibly another place entirely.
Another year passed while the group hurriedly planed their exodus into this new and promising land. Supplies were gathered and people carefully chosen to form a viable community. While nobody expected the races to mingle happily as legend has it they once did, there are hopes for at least a peaceful coexistence. In this time, Parthan and Fenrix worked on a way to maintain the portal for long enough to allow their party to pass.
And so, 5 years ago, you and your people came to “The Savage Coast”
It hasn’t been an easy 5 years. In fact, it’s been almost the opposite. In all their preparations and research, the ‘all powerful’ mages somehow didn’t notice the giant, flesh-eating lizards that seem to roam the land in impossible numbers. Nor did they notice the biting insects, oppressive heat and the ever-present humidity that seems to turn steel to rust instantly.
The portal led the party to the swampy shores of a new continent. After their almost immediate initial contact with a huge and hungry lizard, the party began to fortify the area around the portal. It wasn’t long, however, before old racial mistrust took root and the exodus split along near-racial lines.
The majority of the dwarves and gnomes forged a straight line into the jungle headed for the mountains on the horizon.
The elves busied themselves building boats and rafts and took to the seas, settling a chain of small islands to the west.
The humans, along with the majority of the half-breeds (elves and orcs) made do with what they were given and began to fortify the area around the portal.
The only local inhabitants with which the party has made (mostly) peaceful contact are a race of halflings. These small versions of humans are banded into tribes that vary wildly from one to the next. Some have been openly welcoming of the party, and even assimilated into your society, helping to show the ways of this new world. Others, however, have not been so welcoming, choosing instead to attack and raid small groups whenever possible. They have all had varying degrees of success in taming some of the smaller and more docile lizards. They’re used for everything from work animals to formidable riding/fighting steeds, though not large enough for full sized men to ride.
Other local inhabitants have been less friendly. Humanoids roam the land, some familiar like Orcs, Goblins and Kobolds, with others more closely related to ferocious beasts.
HUMANS & co.
New Sanctuary
The portal opened onto vast swampy plains on the western shore of what is thought to be a large continent. The humans, for the most part fishers and farmers, thought this as good a place as any to settle. The marshes are fertile ground for cultivation, and with the low plant density, any hungry attacks can be spotted before it is too late. They founded the town of New Sanctuary around the portal and fortified it heavily. All citizenry live within the walls though their work may take them to the surrounding fields or waterways. Although the nearby fields all have quick and easy egress to the walled city, attacks by the giant lizards are common and usually deadly.
The town of New Sanctuary houses approximately 1000 citizens and is run by a council of 5 humans who planned and organized the human portion of the exodus. The council runs all but the private lives of townsfolk. It is they who dictate the fields to be worked and the distribution of the wealth. They are responsible for the wellbeing of the populace and control most, if not all, of the wealth of the citizenry. They argue, perhaps rightly, that in a land as perilous as theirs, the town must be run from above with the good of the many as a philosophy in order to ensure survival. In general the rulings of the council are fair and level-handed, but as always there are those who disagree.
The council has twice been challenged seriously. The first came about shortly after the founding of New Sanctuary. Fenrix felt that as he enabled the exodus in the first place, it was his due to become ruler of the land. He amassed a degree of support for his position, but after a brief confrontation, was ‘convinced’ to leave with his followers and the majority of the valuables the exodus had brought. They built a small armada and are believed to have sailed North.
The second confrontation came from the non-humans. While New Sanctuary is nominally a human town, there is representation from other races as well. Half-elves, half-orcs, and some of the ‘tamed’ natives make up almost a third of the population. In the year 2 AE (After Exodus) a minor uprising resulted from the slaughter of nearly 50 non-humans who were working the fields the furthest from New Sanctuary. They claimed that non-humans were regularly assigned the furthest and most dangerous fields and fishing areas while the humans took far fewer risks. In order to maintain the peace, three new seats were created on the council – one for each of the non-human races – to sit alongside the previous 5.
FORT LAST
New Sanctuary can provide for most of the needs of the humans, but not all. They don’t have the technology or ability to obtain minerals and metals needed for their tools. For this, they’re reliant on trade with the dwarves. The dwarves rely on this trade for fresh food and wood products. This trade occurs almost exclusively in Fort Last – a small human outpost on the slopes of Mt. Thunderbeast so named as it is the last outpost of human civilization. The dwarves, wary of allowing humans into their underground home, helped construct and fortify this outpost as a place for the humans to stay during trading missions.
A multi-racial garrison of about 50 defend Fort Last and patrol the immediate area. There’s a permanent population of about a dozen or so traders and peasants to maintain the outpost
STOPOVER
The trek from New Sanctuary to Fort Last is long and hazardous. The forest grows over the path almost overnight, and attacks by natives and wildlife are terribly common. Camping in the open forest is a risky business at best. To minimize the risk, Stopover was established on the border between the marsh and jungle: at about the midpoint of the day and a half trek between New Sanctuary and Fort Last.
Stopover is little more than an outpost. A garrison of about 100 protects the town and patrols the trade route in the immediate area. They are also charged with the protection of the 50 or so loggers in Stopover. The form of their protection, however, is generally simply to sound the alarm with the approach of giant lizards.
Stopover is essentially run by a group of rangers and druids that have, in a way, adopted the area around Stopover. They direct the logging in a way they are happy with – removing weaker trees and generally lessening the impact on the forest as a whole. The loggers gladly follow their advice. These logging practices also seem to attract the attention of the giant lizards far less than conventional logging.
While officially a logging camp and a rest stop for traders, Stopover serves also as a launching point and base for exploration missions as well.
Dwarves
The dwarves and gnomes, led by their Queen, Helga Rockhammer, were uncomfortable without the comforting weight of stone above their heads, especially with the added potential of being eaten by giant lizards or attacked by little men on little lizards. The dwarves along with the gnomes headed directly inland towards the large coastal mountain range and did what dwarves do best; they tunneled into the Mt. Thunderbeast and fortified their home, locking the world out. The colony of about 500 dwarves and 250 gnomes was established shortly thereafter calling itself Underholm.
The dwarves and gnomes rely on trade with humans for some luxuries like fresh food, cloth and wood, but feel they could quite happily do without as well. The humans, however, were insistent on trading for their metal and minerals. It is inconceivable for the humans to be permitted to know the location of the entrance to their home, let alone be permitted inside, but they kept on getting eaten outside. The humans made some feeble attempts at building on the slopes of Mt. Thunderbeast, but in an act of mercy, Queen, Rockhammer decreed they should be helped. A proper fortification was constructed, complete with hidden entrance and easily defended gates.
The citizens of Underholm have had some success in ‘taming’ local creatures. Some of the giant lizards are used as beasts of burden, but most impressively, they have developed a rapport with the griffons that roost along the peaks of the mountains. Some have even been trained to allow riders, know as the “Thunderriders”, who patrol the area around Underholm and Fort Last. They occasionally clash with native halflings mounted on giant flying lizards, but both sides prefer to avoid this conflict.
Elves
The elves took off. They always do that. They said almost noting, just built boats and sailed west. After ensuring that the magical portal was well and truly sealed behind them.
It is believed that the 600 or so elves colonized the small islands to the West. They maintain a limited contact with New Sanctuary. There is some minor trade as well as a diplomatic presence, but it’s safe to say that the elves have not integrated with the others.
I've been working on a homebrew idea for awhile now, and would very much like the input of the "OotSers". Now, I was known as kkortekaas before the board switch, but for some reason it doesn't recognize that user name anymore...meh.
Now for your viewing pleasure below "The Savage Coast"
(please be gentle as this is a rough draft)
--------------------------------------------
Your world is at war – it has been for close to a century. You’re not actually sure how it started; either the elves did something the humans didn’t like or maybe it was the dwarves who pissed off the elves. Doesn’t really matter, the fact is the toll of the war on the land, people and civilization as a whole has been devastating. At some point, some ‘genius’ wizard thought it would be a good idea to summon demons to help his side of the battle. This, of course, was copied by the other side, until all hell broke loose, literally. All control was lost and it became a battle for survival only.
A small, interracial group decided that instead of fighting against increasingly unbalanced odds, they would find a way to flee. Two wizards, Parthan the, ancient, elusive eleven lord, and his unlikely partner and tenuous ‘friend’ Fenrix, the slightly unbalanced human mage, were brought together to work on a solution. They stumbled across a portal to another land – neither could tell where it lead - either to an unexplored area of this world, or possibly another place entirely.
Another year passed while the group hurriedly planed their exodus into this new and promising land. Supplies were gathered and people carefully chosen to form a viable community. While nobody expected the races to mingle happily as legend has it they once did, there are hopes for at least a peaceful coexistence. In this time, Parthan and Fenrix worked on a way to maintain the portal for long enough to allow their party to pass.
And so, 5 years ago, you and your people came to “The Savage Coast”
It hasn’t been an easy 5 years. In fact, it’s been almost the opposite. In all their preparations and research, the ‘all powerful’ mages somehow didn’t notice the giant, flesh-eating lizards that seem to roam the land in impossible numbers. Nor did they notice the biting insects, oppressive heat and the ever-present humidity that seems to turn steel to rust instantly.
The portal led the party to the swampy shores of a new continent. After their almost immediate initial contact with a huge and hungry lizard, the party began to fortify the area around the portal. It wasn’t long, however, before old racial mistrust took root and the exodus split along near-racial lines.
The majority of the dwarves and gnomes forged a straight line into the jungle headed for the mountains on the horizon.
The elves busied themselves building boats and rafts and took to the seas, settling a chain of small islands to the west.
The humans, along with the majority of the half-breeds (elves and orcs) made do with what they were given and began to fortify the area around the portal.
The only local inhabitants with which the party has made (mostly) peaceful contact are a race of halflings. These small versions of humans are banded into tribes that vary wildly from one to the next. Some have been openly welcoming of the party, and even assimilated into your society, helping to show the ways of this new world. Others, however, have not been so welcoming, choosing instead to attack and raid small groups whenever possible. They have all had varying degrees of success in taming some of the smaller and more docile lizards. They’re used for everything from work animals to formidable riding/fighting steeds, though not large enough for full sized men to ride.
Other local inhabitants have been less friendly. Humanoids roam the land, some familiar like Orcs, Goblins and Kobolds, with others more closely related to ferocious beasts.
HUMANS & co.
New Sanctuary
The portal opened onto vast swampy plains on the western shore of what is thought to be a large continent. The humans, for the most part fishers and farmers, thought this as good a place as any to settle. The marshes are fertile ground for cultivation, and with the low plant density, any hungry attacks can be spotted before it is too late. They founded the town of New Sanctuary around the portal and fortified it heavily. All citizenry live within the walls though their work may take them to the surrounding fields or waterways. Although the nearby fields all have quick and easy egress to the walled city, attacks by the giant lizards are common and usually deadly.
The town of New Sanctuary houses approximately 1000 citizens and is run by a council of 5 humans who planned and organized the human portion of the exodus. The council runs all but the private lives of townsfolk. It is they who dictate the fields to be worked and the distribution of the wealth. They are responsible for the wellbeing of the populace and control most, if not all, of the wealth of the citizenry. They argue, perhaps rightly, that in a land as perilous as theirs, the town must be run from above with the good of the many as a philosophy in order to ensure survival. In general the rulings of the council are fair and level-handed, but as always there are those who disagree.
The council has twice been challenged seriously. The first came about shortly after the founding of New Sanctuary. Fenrix felt that as he enabled the exodus in the first place, it was his due to become ruler of the land. He amassed a degree of support for his position, but after a brief confrontation, was ‘convinced’ to leave with his followers and the majority of the valuables the exodus had brought. They built a small armada and are believed to have sailed North.
The second confrontation came from the non-humans. While New Sanctuary is nominally a human town, there is representation from other races as well. Half-elves, half-orcs, and some of the ‘tamed’ natives make up almost a third of the population. In the year 2 AE (After Exodus) a minor uprising resulted from the slaughter of nearly 50 non-humans who were working the fields the furthest from New Sanctuary. They claimed that non-humans were regularly assigned the furthest and most dangerous fields and fishing areas while the humans took far fewer risks. In order to maintain the peace, three new seats were created on the council – one for each of the non-human races – to sit alongside the previous 5.
FORT LAST
New Sanctuary can provide for most of the needs of the humans, but not all. They don’t have the technology or ability to obtain minerals and metals needed for their tools. For this, they’re reliant on trade with the dwarves. The dwarves rely on this trade for fresh food and wood products. This trade occurs almost exclusively in Fort Last – a small human outpost on the slopes of Mt. Thunderbeast so named as it is the last outpost of human civilization. The dwarves, wary of allowing humans into their underground home, helped construct and fortify this outpost as a place for the humans to stay during trading missions.
A multi-racial garrison of about 50 defend Fort Last and patrol the immediate area. There’s a permanent population of about a dozen or so traders and peasants to maintain the outpost
STOPOVER
The trek from New Sanctuary to Fort Last is long and hazardous. The forest grows over the path almost overnight, and attacks by natives and wildlife are terribly common. Camping in the open forest is a risky business at best. To minimize the risk, Stopover was established on the border between the marsh and jungle: at about the midpoint of the day and a half trek between New Sanctuary and Fort Last.
Stopover is little more than an outpost. A garrison of about 100 protects the town and patrols the trade route in the immediate area. They are also charged with the protection of the 50 or so loggers in Stopover. The form of their protection, however, is generally simply to sound the alarm with the approach of giant lizards.
Stopover is essentially run by a group of rangers and druids that have, in a way, adopted the area around Stopover. They direct the logging in a way they are happy with – removing weaker trees and generally lessening the impact on the forest as a whole. The loggers gladly follow their advice. These logging practices also seem to attract the attention of the giant lizards far less than conventional logging.
While officially a logging camp and a rest stop for traders, Stopover serves also as a launching point and base for exploration missions as well.
Dwarves
The dwarves and gnomes, led by their Queen, Helga Rockhammer, were uncomfortable without the comforting weight of stone above their heads, especially with the added potential of being eaten by giant lizards or attacked by little men on little lizards. The dwarves along with the gnomes headed directly inland towards the large coastal mountain range and did what dwarves do best; they tunneled into the Mt. Thunderbeast and fortified their home, locking the world out. The colony of about 500 dwarves and 250 gnomes was established shortly thereafter calling itself Underholm.
The dwarves and gnomes rely on trade with humans for some luxuries like fresh food, cloth and wood, but feel they could quite happily do without as well. The humans, however, were insistent on trading for their metal and minerals. It is inconceivable for the humans to be permitted to know the location of the entrance to their home, let alone be permitted inside, but they kept on getting eaten outside. The humans made some feeble attempts at building on the slopes of Mt. Thunderbeast, but in an act of mercy, Queen, Rockhammer decreed they should be helped. A proper fortification was constructed, complete with hidden entrance and easily defended gates.
The citizens of Underholm have had some success in ‘taming’ local creatures. Some of the giant lizards are used as beasts of burden, but most impressively, they have developed a rapport with the griffons that roost along the peaks of the mountains. Some have even been trained to allow riders, know as the “Thunderriders”, who patrol the area around Underholm and Fort Last. They occasionally clash with native halflings mounted on giant flying lizards, but both sides prefer to avoid this conflict.
Elves
The elves took off. They always do that. They said almost noting, just built boats and sailed west. After ensuring that the magical portal was well and truly sealed behind them.
It is believed that the 600 or so elves colonized the small islands to the West. They maintain a limited contact with New Sanctuary. There is some minor trade as well as a diplomatic presence, but it’s safe to say that the elves have not integrated with the others.