Rumpus
2007-03-25, 01:47 AM
I've recently been asked to DM a newly-formed gaming group, and this is my first time creating a world (and first time DMing in nearly a decade). Feedback/ideas/critiques appreciated.
Short history of the region for setup: 200 years ago, the region was fairly technologically developed (say, Early Medieval) with a network of city-states, each with its own cultural identity, including demi-human cities. The only surviving city (“City” for now) is isolated from the others by a mountain range with only one heavily fortified pass large enough for an army, and City is the only port in this region and served primarily as a trade conduit. The people of City never really developed their own seafaring capabilities, relying primarily on traders from other nations coming to them.
200 years ago, the region on the other side of the mountain (“Overmountain”, for now) was overrun by an Orcish horde. As far as anyone knows, no civilized settlements staged a successful defense. A few refugees (of all races) made it over the passes to City, but most were slaughtered by the Orcs. The Citizen Army (the Bluecloaks) eventually made a stand at the pass and broke the will of the orcs, but the Bluecloaks lack the numbers to take the fight back over the pass. The orcs now remain on the far side of the pass, divided and lacking the strength to force the passes.
Because the city fathers feared losing control of their lands, being outnumbered by the Refugees, they passed various laws making the Refugees second class citizens (at best). These included a prohibition on refugees owning weapons, no voice in government, and a ban on literacy. Most Refugees today work as small farmers or laborers, though some serve as craftsmen, artists, or even small businessmen. Citizens largely remain separate and have maintained their own traditions, while the small groups of Refugees have merged to form a polyglot underclass. They live in separate quarters of the city. Citizens only form about a third of the population, and serve primarily in the Bluecloaks and government.
Citizens are generally olive-skinned with dark hair. Refugees vary greatly in appearance, but the humans are all light-skinned and easily distinguishable from Citizens. Refugees have generally not been overtly abused, but they are constantly reminded that their ancestors would have been wiped out if not for the protection of the Citizens, and that the Orcs still froth on the other side of the Pass, held back only by the Bluecloaks. Citizens vary in their treatment, ranging from treating them as near-equals (rare) to low-expectations (typical) to outright contempt (unusual).
Since City primarily served as a trade thoroughfare, the destruction of the cities of Overmountain crippled their economy. Since there are no goods to trade, ships no longer make the long journey to City, and contact with the outside world has largely been lost. Nothing larger than a fishing boat has been seen in City in over a century. They have fallen to a Iron Age technology level as knowledge was forgotten in the years after the Orc War in favor of survival. Old architecture still stands, including aqueducts and a functioning sewer system, but newer construction is much simpler.
Okay, enough background, on to the course of the campaign. The PC’s are all Refugees, and have one or two adventures (maybe an urban murder mystery or sewer crawl) to introduce them to the setting. Early on, the Old King (who is generally beneficent toward Refugees) dies and is replaced by Son. Son is not overtly evil, but is generally racist and has no sense of humor. Son spent several years commanding the Bluecloaks in the Pass, and thinks that Citizens are owed deference, if not awe, from Refugees. Conditions become tense in the Refugee Quarter as the Watch (Citizens all) becomes less respectful of Refugee rights, and new taxes are levied to support the Bluecloaks. The PCs interrupt what looks like a mugging, but turns out to be a Refugee being roughed up by a few drunk off-duty Watchmen. This is a serious offense, but their identity isn’t known. Unfortunately, a budding resistance takes the "unknown rescuers" up as a symbol (willing or not). If they are willing, they may become masked champions of the people (think Daredevil or Zorro), or public agitators for reform (MLK Jr or Ghandi). If they want no part of it, an unscrupulous Resistance leader will leak their identity and they’ll be hounded until they have no choice but to join the resistance. The plot goes rather freeform at this point, as I let the PCs decide what course the Resistance takes. They may decide to completely overthrow the Citizens (even the most enlightened of whom have little interest in sharing power), eliminate Son and try to put a more friendly Citizen on the throne, or settle for some measure of self-government (Various NPC comrades will try to persuade the PCs in each of these directions). Methods may range from the peaceful up through guerilla insurgency, depending on the tastes and abilities of the PCs.
Once the Revolution is approaching resolution, the Orcs will attack the pass, having noticed that Son was forced to pull most of the Bluecloaks out of the Pass in order to deal with the Resistance. Whatever government is in place will be unable to stop them, and City will eventually fall. If the PCs overthrew the Citizens, this will be largely their fault. Once it becomes clear the city cannot be saved, a massive shipbuilding project commences to evacuate as many people as possible. At this point, I expect the PCs to lead their new nation off in search of a new homeland, and after a number of exploring adventures, they get to set up a new nation-state from scratch.
Obvious inspirations abound, ranging from the Aeneid to the Spartan/Helot relationship to Marvel’s Civil War. I'll discuss race and class options in a later post, it's late and I'm going to bed.
Short history of the region for setup: 200 years ago, the region was fairly technologically developed (say, Early Medieval) with a network of city-states, each with its own cultural identity, including demi-human cities. The only surviving city (“City” for now) is isolated from the others by a mountain range with only one heavily fortified pass large enough for an army, and City is the only port in this region and served primarily as a trade conduit. The people of City never really developed their own seafaring capabilities, relying primarily on traders from other nations coming to them.
200 years ago, the region on the other side of the mountain (“Overmountain”, for now) was overrun by an Orcish horde. As far as anyone knows, no civilized settlements staged a successful defense. A few refugees (of all races) made it over the passes to City, but most were slaughtered by the Orcs. The Citizen Army (the Bluecloaks) eventually made a stand at the pass and broke the will of the orcs, but the Bluecloaks lack the numbers to take the fight back over the pass. The orcs now remain on the far side of the pass, divided and lacking the strength to force the passes.
Because the city fathers feared losing control of their lands, being outnumbered by the Refugees, they passed various laws making the Refugees second class citizens (at best). These included a prohibition on refugees owning weapons, no voice in government, and a ban on literacy. Most Refugees today work as small farmers or laborers, though some serve as craftsmen, artists, or even small businessmen. Citizens largely remain separate and have maintained their own traditions, while the small groups of Refugees have merged to form a polyglot underclass. They live in separate quarters of the city. Citizens only form about a third of the population, and serve primarily in the Bluecloaks and government.
Citizens are generally olive-skinned with dark hair. Refugees vary greatly in appearance, but the humans are all light-skinned and easily distinguishable from Citizens. Refugees have generally not been overtly abused, but they are constantly reminded that their ancestors would have been wiped out if not for the protection of the Citizens, and that the Orcs still froth on the other side of the Pass, held back only by the Bluecloaks. Citizens vary in their treatment, ranging from treating them as near-equals (rare) to low-expectations (typical) to outright contempt (unusual).
Since City primarily served as a trade thoroughfare, the destruction of the cities of Overmountain crippled their economy. Since there are no goods to trade, ships no longer make the long journey to City, and contact with the outside world has largely been lost. Nothing larger than a fishing boat has been seen in City in over a century. They have fallen to a Iron Age technology level as knowledge was forgotten in the years after the Orc War in favor of survival. Old architecture still stands, including aqueducts and a functioning sewer system, but newer construction is much simpler.
Okay, enough background, on to the course of the campaign. The PC’s are all Refugees, and have one or two adventures (maybe an urban murder mystery or sewer crawl) to introduce them to the setting. Early on, the Old King (who is generally beneficent toward Refugees) dies and is replaced by Son. Son is not overtly evil, but is generally racist and has no sense of humor. Son spent several years commanding the Bluecloaks in the Pass, and thinks that Citizens are owed deference, if not awe, from Refugees. Conditions become tense in the Refugee Quarter as the Watch (Citizens all) becomes less respectful of Refugee rights, and new taxes are levied to support the Bluecloaks. The PCs interrupt what looks like a mugging, but turns out to be a Refugee being roughed up by a few drunk off-duty Watchmen. This is a serious offense, but their identity isn’t known. Unfortunately, a budding resistance takes the "unknown rescuers" up as a symbol (willing or not). If they are willing, they may become masked champions of the people (think Daredevil or Zorro), or public agitators for reform (MLK Jr or Ghandi). If they want no part of it, an unscrupulous Resistance leader will leak their identity and they’ll be hounded until they have no choice but to join the resistance. The plot goes rather freeform at this point, as I let the PCs decide what course the Resistance takes. They may decide to completely overthrow the Citizens (even the most enlightened of whom have little interest in sharing power), eliminate Son and try to put a more friendly Citizen on the throne, or settle for some measure of self-government (Various NPC comrades will try to persuade the PCs in each of these directions). Methods may range from the peaceful up through guerilla insurgency, depending on the tastes and abilities of the PCs.
Once the Revolution is approaching resolution, the Orcs will attack the pass, having noticed that Son was forced to pull most of the Bluecloaks out of the Pass in order to deal with the Resistance. Whatever government is in place will be unable to stop them, and City will eventually fall. If the PCs overthrew the Citizens, this will be largely their fault. Once it becomes clear the city cannot be saved, a massive shipbuilding project commences to evacuate as many people as possible. At this point, I expect the PCs to lead their new nation off in search of a new homeland, and after a number of exploring adventures, they get to set up a new nation-state from scratch.
Obvious inspirations abound, ranging from the Aeneid to the Spartan/Helot relationship to Marvel’s Civil War. I'll discuss race and class options in a later post, it's late and I'm going to bed.