gr8artist
2014-02-05, 10:00 PM
Italicized portions are dialogue and explanations. Feel free to skip if you don't have the time.
Gruber, KO, Sami, Tyrson, Zajas, Zainen... anyone who's ever played a campaign with me (or may play in the near future) needs to not read this thread, due to spoilers.
Anyone wishing to participate in my PBP version of this campaign needs to also not read this thread, due to aforementioned spoilers.
Intro
Hello. I'm one of those practical, visual/kinetic type problem solvers. If I simply ponder something without writing it down, I just go in circles. I'm trying to develop a world and campaign setting for my group, and I think I'd accomplish more with advice and critiques. Obviously I can't go to my group for help, so I thought I'd take a stab at getting support here.
I've had a few other threads working out single concepts, balance fixes, new mechanics, etc... but I need to consolidate all that information into one place. Putting it online makes it easily accessible from anywhere, makes getting advice and assistance faster and easier, and allows me to work on it in a tab-type format, without having to open Microsoft Word (or an equivalent program).
I'm going to list my ideas as I work on them, pulling them from the half-dozen notebooks I've been jotting down in, categorized by type. Comments, commentary, and dialogue from me will be italicized, to distinguish hypothetical conversations, notations and the like from my intended game rules and concepts. That being said, let's begin.
The Witherlands
The name "Witherlands" refers to all territories on the land mass west of the Charibdian Sea. The early majority of the campaign will take place in a relatively large portion of the Witherlands, known as the Great Plains, which includes roughly 8 different cities or towns. South of the Great Plains, there lies the Blackmire, a lawless zone home to vicious monsters and more vicious men. The Witherlands are so named because of a foul miasma that came from across the sea and destroyed most of their plant life. Plants withered and wasted away, but did not die, and continued to grow in ghostly colorless shades and twisted, unnatural forms.
The effects of this miasma are extensive. The air and water are toxic, causing a strange affliction in those that remain exposed to them for too long. Plants which grow in polluted regions are toxic as well, as are the animals which feed off them. Fortunately, most predators have developed a resistance to the toxins in their prey; the meat of carnivores is less likely to cause illness than the meat of herbivores.
The miasma obstructs the sky, blocking the view of all but the brightest stars, and giving the sun an eerie indigo-violet hue. Creatures vulnerable to sunlight suffer no penalties from the natural sun, though spells like daylight affect them normally. All natural light is reduced by one step, so normal light at noon, dim in the mornings and afternoon, and dark for 16 hours a day.
The miasma twists the nature of magic that flows within its reach. Casting spells while within the miasma requires succeeding at a spell resistance check at a relatively low DC. Rituals (described later) are performed in such a way as to ignore this "environmental SR." Because of the inherent danger present from the miasma, colonies were formed in caves and caverns, as a way to escape from its clutches. Such colonies often have strong barriers and enchantments to keep the illness at bay, or to at least weaken its effects. Since few are willing to risk their life travelling through toxin-infested wastelands unless absolutely necessary, most inter-colony communication and trade have come to an end. The exception to this are trade caravans from Horvos, and the nomadic tribes of Garl, which use anti-miasmic rituals to set up encampments with relative safety. With so little cross-cultural communication, each community has developed its own drastically different culture. Languages are regional at best, and even the same language can sound drastically different to those who speak a different dialect.
The Witherland colonies are:Thoros, the fortress buried in the north-western foothills. The people of Thoros respect skill and devotion above all else, and are renown for their bravery, generosity, talents and craftsmanship.
Thorans are divided by their Devotions, which serve as philosophy and inspiration. Young Thorans may intern with any Devotion they desire, but are encouraged to master the skills and talents of the Devotion they eventually choose. They believe in only one deity, a wicked trickster god of luck, who is constantly struggling in a spiritual war against their benevolent ancestors and masters.
Citizens of Thoros give willingly to their friends and allies, and rarely require a trade or compensation. Deals in Thoros are often made by the exchange of "favors," small metal tokens depicting the mark of a trained master. Each favor is worth one simple task or common item from that master. Favors are hard to come by, and are usually given as a reward for a job well done.Garl, the only above-ground colony, is divided into tribes and clans which roam about the surface, hunting and raiding as they please. In the center of their territory, to the west of most other colonies, lies a ruined castle, which serves as a yearly gathering place where all tribes come together to exchange knowledge and youths who are inclined for a different path than the tribe they are born into. The people of Garl are feared for their merciless outlook on life and their reckless lust for battle.
The tribes of Garl are divided by totem animals, which represent primal aspects they wish to emulate. They honor ancestral and animal spirits in place of gods, though they believe in demons that would influence them to unnatural perversions and behaviors.
Though they shy away from traditional methods of commerce, the warriors of Garl will occasionally trade the spoils of their victories with well-defended outsiders. Unarmed and inadequate caravans are normally raided and sacked, while stronger encampments meet a warmer welcome. Garlians are eager to trade for weapons, medicines, and any spiritually significant talismans that had been stolen from them.
Ancestral fingerbones inscribed with family runes are a favorite source of luck and mystical power, and fetch a good price from the warriors of that family or tribe.Ro'kas, a cesspool of depravity on the border of the Great Plains and the Blackmire. The people of Ro'kas idolize their own nature, indulging in sin and misguided zeal so deeply that most other cultures loathe them.
Most Ro'ka stand alone as unaligned and unaffiliated with any sub-sect or grouping, though they do value certain aspects of humanistic nature. Priests and petitioners undergo extensive self-mutilation in their perverse faith, and often gather into small cults of worshipers suffering though the same trials. Such cults are themed around their focus, such as Lust, Pride, and Wrath, and they share knowledge of their torments with those who follow their path. Ro'ka seek perfection in themselves, in order to emulate a great leader of their past who has now been elevated to a god-like status. Ro'ka believe in no common evils, though any force they themselves strongly oppose is regarded as a demon or evil in their sight.Seryn is the garden of hope, a vulnerable but well-liked community responsible for the production of most medicine and clean food. Situated underground in the Deepwood, their ceilings and structures are reinforced by the roots of the towering trees above.
There is magic performed in Seryn which provides clean life for their trees and plants, though they refuse to share this energy with the other colonies. Because of their dependence on the medicine and healing of the thriving colony, the other settlements maintain good relations with Seryn, though some may plot to steal the source of their power. When Seryn is attacked, the other colonies are quick to rush to their defense, and Seryn often houses a small platoon of borrowed soldiers for this reason.
Colonists in Seryn may follow any training they desire, though upon achieving appropriate rank in a vocation they earn a title respective to it. Such titles are often named for trees or plants (many of which they've never seen, but which live on in legend and herb-lore) such as Tigerlily (spellcraft), Sedar (architecture), and Blackthorne (apothecary). The great masters of Seryn often have a slew of such titles, and default to the moniker which denotes their favored vocation. They believe in a supreme deity of good who provides life and nourishment, and in a rival deity of evil who seeks to extinguish life with suffering and pain. Azhuri is the citadel of law and order, located in the north-east portion of the Great Plains. Azhurites value social order and expectations above individual desires and gain; only through cooperation and unity have they survived for this long.
Azhuri is home to the best library of magical resources, and as such derive most of their strength from spellcraft. Rituals are a product of Azhuri, which they've shared with the intellectuals of other colonies for a price.
[I need a good idea for what sub-cultural affiliations Azhuri would have. I'm thinking they would be defined by career, and forced into their optimum career at adulthood. Similar to Thorian Devotions or Seryn Vocations, but they don't choose their path] Horvos is one of the only colonies to still use a standard currency, and they've built their economy on the exchange of goods via caravans and sea-travel. Though not a port itself, Horvos is close enough to the sea that a day's travel can get you to the shore, where a small port can manage no more than two ships simultaneously. Horvos is home to most exiles from the eastern land across the Charibdian Sea, and boasts a wider collection of languages than any other colony, though they've established Olcar as a local common tongue.
Horvos holds wealth and monetary gain in high regard, and its primary factions are divided on how best to acquire and spend their coin. Joining a guild is a relatively effortless procedure, but ascending within its ranks usually involves a great deal of effort and labor. The guild leaders have a great deal of respect from their underlings, and from the common, unaligned folk of Horvos.Dymis, known as the Secret City, is located in the far south-eastern corner of the Great Plains, not far from the Blackmire. Cut off from the other colonies by a particularly dangerous stretch of land, not even the Horvio caravans dare make the dangerous trek to Dymis. Because of this, only Dymese refugees know the exact location of their city, and are unable to describe the location for lack of landmarks.
Civil upheaval in Dymis has created a great number of warring factions, with each losing group being forcefully expelled from their city. Dymese exiles value their secrecy, and go to great lengths to acquire strength or information which might one day allow them to return to their home.
[I need sub-cultures for Dymis as well. They don't have as specific a theme as the other cities, and will likely be fairly standard factions, like warriors, thieves, arcanists, merchants, etc.]Loggai is the primary city on the border of the Blackmire, directly south of Seryn and situated in a mighty mountain range. Loggai keeps fair relations with all the nearest colonies, but they harbor secret alliances with some of the monstrous creatures that dwell in the Blackmire. Colonists of Loggai will do whatever it takes to survive, and value their own lives and well-being over their communities, friends, and allegiances. Often treacherous and prone to treat with demons and monsters, the people of Loggai are always under a suspicious eye and kept at arms length.
Citizens of Loggai are divided by their allegiances and alliances, who-knows-who, and who-owes-who-a-favor. They use terms and titles that represent their alliances and associations, such as Beast-Brother, Oni-kin, and Herb-keep.
The campaign will be starting in Thoros, whose neighboring colonies are Seryn and Garl. The characters will likely never reach Dymis, as the campaign will draw them to Horvos, where they will set out across the sea. I'm fleshing out the cities mostly to provide character backgrounds and affiliations.
Across the sea, they will encounter the ruins of an older civilization, which will actually be the remnants of a campaign we started a few years ago but were unable to finish. What the players don't know is that this campaign is set to be the end for the unfinished story, set hundreds of years after their old characters failed to stop the BBEG.
As the characters travel east, they get closer to the source of the miasma, and the toxic and anti-magical effects will get stronger there.
Social Issues
I'm trying to categorize my thoughts and plans, and outlining has never been my thing. Anyway, there are a few social issues that need to be addressed. This is also a good way to go over the factions for each community. Timeline: This campaign includes and references information from 3 different periods in history. In the Age of Dragons, powerful interplanar beings came to this world and became primitive gods. These beings have gone by many different names in many different realms and planes, and here they were dragons. Nine such beings became nine powerful dragon-gods, with their own cults, champions, and magical resources. A feud broke out, with three brothers fighting three others, while the last three remained neutral. After nearly all their resources had been expended, one of the neutral brothers called for a truce, and each brother agreed to attend the meeting. However, the evil brother Kh'rane set a trap for his noble brother Ansyis, slaughtering him before he reached the meeting site. In a vengeful rage, his former allies joined with his living adversaries, and the seven living brothers cast Kh'rane into the void. To prevent further strife, they each agreed to bring their greatest weapon to a large vault, which would be sealed against all their efforts. However, a rebel arose from among the ruby dragon's worshipers, who slew the other champions and claimed all the weapons for himself. Weakened from their struggles against Kh'rane, the dragons resorted to imprisoning the turncloak champion in the bowels of his temple, and all memory of the ruby dragon's cult was destroyed. The Age of Dragons ended soon after, with each cult becoming little more than a small forgotten sect.In the Age of Myths, heroes arose from each culture and were elevated to a god-like status. Each race had its own such deity, and their own codes and temples. During this time, a civil war broke out among the elves, as the low-born bloodlines rebelled against the high-born masters they served. A secret cult was formed in the low-elven society, worshiping a dark new god of nightmares. This cult used dark curses on the temples of the other gods, stealing the divine power their for their own master. The ancient dragons saw this threat for its true purpose, a new cult under Kh'rane's influence, attempting to release him upon their realm once more. The seven gathered new heroes, granted them great power, and sent them against this cult in a final confrontation. Unfortunately, they battled to a stalemate, and a rift was opened, though Kh'rane himself was unable to pass through. Thus ended the Age of Myths.The Age of Darkness began when the dragons' champions sought to right their wrongs, travelling to each of the cursed temples in an effort to shut off Kh'rane's influence from the world. They succeeded in closing four of his "dark gates," but internal strife cost many of them their lives before they were able to close the last four. Hundreds of years later, new champions arise, and will be pulled from distant lands to finish the quest that the dragons' knights had left unfinished at the dawn of this age. The miasma and afflictions they deal with are a direct result of Kh'rane's realm leaking evil power into this plane through the four open gates. As each gate closes, the burden on the world will lighten, and the new champions will gain fame and power.
Races: Hundreds (perhaps thousands, I'm not sure yet) of years have passed since the Withering at the dawn of the Age of Darkness. Lifetimes spent underground, cowering in fear of the miasmic air has created new evolutionary bloodlines more capable of surviving in this harsh world. All races will be edited to reflect an underground lifestyle, gaining better night-vision and losing frivolous perks and boons. Heritage matters less than the culture where one is raised, and all races will have social traits removed as well (like elven weapon proficiencies or dwarven prejudices). However, each character will have a background specific to their origins which provides social benefits like this. A sample first level character would be a Thorian Elf Fighter, who would have class features of a fighter, biological traits of an elf (perception, ability scores), and the social traits of a citizen of Thoros (weapon proficiencies, skill bonuses).
Work in progress
Gruber, KO, Sami, Tyrson, Zajas, Zainen... anyone who's ever played a campaign with me (or may play in the near future) needs to not read this thread, due to spoilers.
Anyone wishing to participate in my PBP version of this campaign needs to also not read this thread, due to aforementioned spoilers.
Intro
Hello. I'm one of those practical, visual/kinetic type problem solvers. If I simply ponder something without writing it down, I just go in circles. I'm trying to develop a world and campaign setting for my group, and I think I'd accomplish more with advice and critiques. Obviously I can't go to my group for help, so I thought I'd take a stab at getting support here.
I've had a few other threads working out single concepts, balance fixes, new mechanics, etc... but I need to consolidate all that information into one place. Putting it online makes it easily accessible from anywhere, makes getting advice and assistance faster and easier, and allows me to work on it in a tab-type format, without having to open Microsoft Word (or an equivalent program).
I'm going to list my ideas as I work on them, pulling them from the half-dozen notebooks I've been jotting down in, categorized by type. Comments, commentary, and dialogue from me will be italicized, to distinguish hypothetical conversations, notations and the like from my intended game rules and concepts. That being said, let's begin.
The Witherlands
The name "Witherlands" refers to all territories on the land mass west of the Charibdian Sea. The early majority of the campaign will take place in a relatively large portion of the Witherlands, known as the Great Plains, which includes roughly 8 different cities or towns. South of the Great Plains, there lies the Blackmire, a lawless zone home to vicious monsters and more vicious men. The Witherlands are so named because of a foul miasma that came from across the sea and destroyed most of their plant life. Plants withered and wasted away, but did not die, and continued to grow in ghostly colorless shades and twisted, unnatural forms.
The effects of this miasma are extensive. The air and water are toxic, causing a strange affliction in those that remain exposed to them for too long. Plants which grow in polluted regions are toxic as well, as are the animals which feed off them. Fortunately, most predators have developed a resistance to the toxins in their prey; the meat of carnivores is less likely to cause illness than the meat of herbivores.
The miasma obstructs the sky, blocking the view of all but the brightest stars, and giving the sun an eerie indigo-violet hue. Creatures vulnerable to sunlight suffer no penalties from the natural sun, though spells like daylight affect them normally. All natural light is reduced by one step, so normal light at noon, dim in the mornings and afternoon, and dark for 16 hours a day.
The miasma twists the nature of magic that flows within its reach. Casting spells while within the miasma requires succeeding at a spell resistance check at a relatively low DC. Rituals (described later) are performed in such a way as to ignore this "environmental SR." Because of the inherent danger present from the miasma, colonies were formed in caves and caverns, as a way to escape from its clutches. Such colonies often have strong barriers and enchantments to keep the illness at bay, or to at least weaken its effects. Since few are willing to risk their life travelling through toxin-infested wastelands unless absolutely necessary, most inter-colony communication and trade have come to an end. The exception to this are trade caravans from Horvos, and the nomadic tribes of Garl, which use anti-miasmic rituals to set up encampments with relative safety. With so little cross-cultural communication, each community has developed its own drastically different culture. Languages are regional at best, and even the same language can sound drastically different to those who speak a different dialect.
The Witherland colonies are:Thoros, the fortress buried in the north-western foothills. The people of Thoros respect skill and devotion above all else, and are renown for their bravery, generosity, talents and craftsmanship.
Thorans are divided by their Devotions, which serve as philosophy and inspiration. Young Thorans may intern with any Devotion they desire, but are encouraged to master the skills and talents of the Devotion they eventually choose. They believe in only one deity, a wicked trickster god of luck, who is constantly struggling in a spiritual war against their benevolent ancestors and masters.
Citizens of Thoros give willingly to their friends and allies, and rarely require a trade or compensation. Deals in Thoros are often made by the exchange of "favors," small metal tokens depicting the mark of a trained master. Each favor is worth one simple task or common item from that master. Favors are hard to come by, and are usually given as a reward for a job well done.Garl, the only above-ground colony, is divided into tribes and clans which roam about the surface, hunting and raiding as they please. In the center of their territory, to the west of most other colonies, lies a ruined castle, which serves as a yearly gathering place where all tribes come together to exchange knowledge and youths who are inclined for a different path than the tribe they are born into. The people of Garl are feared for their merciless outlook on life and their reckless lust for battle.
The tribes of Garl are divided by totem animals, which represent primal aspects they wish to emulate. They honor ancestral and animal spirits in place of gods, though they believe in demons that would influence them to unnatural perversions and behaviors.
Though they shy away from traditional methods of commerce, the warriors of Garl will occasionally trade the spoils of their victories with well-defended outsiders. Unarmed and inadequate caravans are normally raided and sacked, while stronger encampments meet a warmer welcome. Garlians are eager to trade for weapons, medicines, and any spiritually significant talismans that had been stolen from them.
Ancestral fingerbones inscribed with family runes are a favorite source of luck and mystical power, and fetch a good price from the warriors of that family or tribe.Ro'kas, a cesspool of depravity on the border of the Great Plains and the Blackmire. The people of Ro'kas idolize their own nature, indulging in sin and misguided zeal so deeply that most other cultures loathe them.
Most Ro'ka stand alone as unaligned and unaffiliated with any sub-sect or grouping, though they do value certain aspects of humanistic nature. Priests and petitioners undergo extensive self-mutilation in their perverse faith, and often gather into small cults of worshipers suffering though the same trials. Such cults are themed around their focus, such as Lust, Pride, and Wrath, and they share knowledge of their torments with those who follow their path. Ro'ka seek perfection in themselves, in order to emulate a great leader of their past who has now been elevated to a god-like status. Ro'ka believe in no common evils, though any force they themselves strongly oppose is regarded as a demon or evil in their sight.Seryn is the garden of hope, a vulnerable but well-liked community responsible for the production of most medicine and clean food. Situated underground in the Deepwood, their ceilings and structures are reinforced by the roots of the towering trees above.
There is magic performed in Seryn which provides clean life for their trees and plants, though they refuse to share this energy with the other colonies. Because of their dependence on the medicine and healing of the thriving colony, the other settlements maintain good relations with Seryn, though some may plot to steal the source of their power. When Seryn is attacked, the other colonies are quick to rush to their defense, and Seryn often houses a small platoon of borrowed soldiers for this reason.
Colonists in Seryn may follow any training they desire, though upon achieving appropriate rank in a vocation they earn a title respective to it. Such titles are often named for trees or plants (many of which they've never seen, but which live on in legend and herb-lore) such as Tigerlily (spellcraft), Sedar (architecture), and Blackthorne (apothecary). The great masters of Seryn often have a slew of such titles, and default to the moniker which denotes their favored vocation. They believe in a supreme deity of good who provides life and nourishment, and in a rival deity of evil who seeks to extinguish life with suffering and pain. Azhuri is the citadel of law and order, located in the north-east portion of the Great Plains. Azhurites value social order and expectations above individual desires and gain; only through cooperation and unity have they survived for this long.
Azhuri is home to the best library of magical resources, and as such derive most of their strength from spellcraft. Rituals are a product of Azhuri, which they've shared with the intellectuals of other colonies for a price.
[I need a good idea for what sub-cultural affiliations Azhuri would have. I'm thinking they would be defined by career, and forced into their optimum career at adulthood. Similar to Thorian Devotions or Seryn Vocations, but they don't choose their path] Horvos is one of the only colonies to still use a standard currency, and they've built their economy on the exchange of goods via caravans and sea-travel. Though not a port itself, Horvos is close enough to the sea that a day's travel can get you to the shore, where a small port can manage no more than two ships simultaneously. Horvos is home to most exiles from the eastern land across the Charibdian Sea, and boasts a wider collection of languages than any other colony, though they've established Olcar as a local common tongue.
Horvos holds wealth and monetary gain in high regard, and its primary factions are divided on how best to acquire and spend their coin. Joining a guild is a relatively effortless procedure, but ascending within its ranks usually involves a great deal of effort and labor. The guild leaders have a great deal of respect from their underlings, and from the common, unaligned folk of Horvos.Dymis, known as the Secret City, is located in the far south-eastern corner of the Great Plains, not far from the Blackmire. Cut off from the other colonies by a particularly dangerous stretch of land, not even the Horvio caravans dare make the dangerous trek to Dymis. Because of this, only Dymese refugees know the exact location of their city, and are unable to describe the location for lack of landmarks.
Civil upheaval in Dymis has created a great number of warring factions, with each losing group being forcefully expelled from their city. Dymese exiles value their secrecy, and go to great lengths to acquire strength or information which might one day allow them to return to their home.
[I need sub-cultures for Dymis as well. They don't have as specific a theme as the other cities, and will likely be fairly standard factions, like warriors, thieves, arcanists, merchants, etc.]Loggai is the primary city on the border of the Blackmire, directly south of Seryn and situated in a mighty mountain range. Loggai keeps fair relations with all the nearest colonies, but they harbor secret alliances with some of the monstrous creatures that dwell in the Blackmire. Colonists of Loggai will do whatever it takes to survive, and value their own lives and well-being over their communities, friends, and allegiances. Often treacherous and prone to treat with demons and monsters, the people of Loggai are always under a suspicious eye and kept at arms length.
Citizens of Loggai are divided by their allegiances and alliances, who-knows-who, and who-owes-who-a-favor. They use terms and titles that represent their alliances and associations, such as Beast-Brother, Oni-kin, and Herb-keep.
The campaign will be starting in Thoros, whose neighboring colonies are Seryn and Garl. The characters will likely never reach Dymis, as the campaign will draw them to Horvos, where they will set out across the sea. I'm fleshing out the cities mostly to provide character backgrounds and affiliations.
Across the sea, they will encounter the ruins of an older civilization, which will actually be the remnants of a campaign we started a few years ago but were unable to finish. What the players don't know is that this campaign is set to be the end for the unfinished story, set hundreds of years after their old characters failed to stop the BBEG.
As the characters travel east, they get closer to the source of the miasma, and the toxic and anti-magical effects will get stronger there.
Social Issues
I'm trying to categorize my thoughts and plans, and outlining has never been my thing. Anyway, there are a few social issues that need to be addressed. This is also a good way to go over the factions for each community. Timeline: This campaign includes and references information from 3 different periods in history. In the Age of Dragons, powerful interplanar beings came to this world and became primitive gods. These beings have gone by many different names in many different realms and planes, and here they were dragons. Nine such beings became nine powerful dragon-gods, with their own cults, champions, and magical resources. A feud broke out, with three brothers fighting three others, while the last three remained neutral. After nearly all their resources had been expended, one of the neutral brothers called for a truce, and each brother agreed to attend the meeting. However, the evil brother Kh'rane set a trap for his noble brother Ansyis, slaughtering him before he reached the meeting site. In a vengeful rage, his former allies joined with his living adversaries, and the seven living brothers cast Kh'rane into the void. To prevent further strife, they each agreed to bring their greatest weapon to a large vault, which would be sealed against all their efforts. However, a rebel arose from among the ruby dragon's worshipers, who slew the other champions and claimed all the weapons for himself. Weakened from their struggles against Kh'rane, the dragons resorted to imprisoning the turncloak champion in the bowels of his temple, and all memory of the ruby dragon's cult was destroyed. The Age of Dragons ended soon after, with each cult becoming little more than a small forgotten sect.In the Age of Myths, heroes arose from each culture and were elevated to a god-like status. Each race had its own such deity, and their own codes and temples. During this time, a civil war broke out among the elves, as the low-born bloodlines rebelled against the high-born masters they served. A secret cult was formed in the low-elven society, worshiping a dark new god of nightmares. This cult used dark curses on the temples of the other gods, stealing the divine power their for their own master. The ancient dragons saw this threat for its true purpose, a new cult under Kh'rane's influence, attempting to release him upon their realm once more. The seven gathered new heroes, granted them great power, and sent them against this cult in a final confrontation. Unfortunately, they battled to a stalemate, and a rift was opened, though Kh'rane himself was unable to pass through. Thus ended the Age of Myths.The Age of Darkness began when the dragons' champions sought to right their wrongs, travelling to each of the cursed temples in an effort to shut off Kh'rane's influence from the world. They succeeded in closing four of his "dark gates," but internal strife cost many of them their lives before they were able to close the last four. Hundreds of years later, new champions arise, and will be pulled from distant lands to finish the quest that the dragons' knights had left unfinished at the dawn of this age. The miasma and afflictions they deal with are a direct result of Kh'rane's realm leaking evil power into this plane through the four open gates. As each gate closes, the burden on the world will lighten, and the new champions will gain fame and power.
Races: Hundreds (perhaps thousands, I'm not sure yet) of years have passed since the Withering at the dawn of the Age of Darkness. Lifetimes spent underground, cowering in fear of the miasmic air has created new evolutionary bloodlines more capable of surviving in this harsh world. All races will be edited to reflect an underground lifestyle, gaining better night-vision and losing frivolous perks and boons. Heritage matters less than the culture where one is raised, and all races will have social traits removed as well (like elven weapon proficiencies or dwarven prejudices). However, each character will have a background specific to their origins which provides social benefits like this. A sample first level character would be a Thorian Elf Fighter, who would have class features of a fighter, biological traits of an elf (perception, ability scores), and the social traits of a citizen of Thoros (weapon proficiencies, skill bonuses).
Work in progress