The Devour-er Saga

[sammyp03]

The Devoure-er is God of Uncreation, and the driving force behind the Devourer Saga. He travels the multiverse searching for division and chaos and, should he find a world which has an excess of these traits, he uncreates the inhabitants to allow the world to begin again, cleansing the world, as he views it. Due to this, he has come to be known as The Devourer, The Uncreator, The Destroyer of Worlds, among other names.

[Sullivan]

So is the devourer going to be the chef antagonist in the story?
Also is him showing up something only the players know about or is this a really big deal that every knows about?
how about cults or off shoot religious sects? is this what they've been waiting for and they're not going to let anyone screw it up?

[sammyp03]

His manifestation would be within the last few adventures of the campaign.

Aiding him in his search is an organization known as the Network(need a better name), composed of beings who have opted to follow him for one reason or another. Coincidentally, many of these beings are chaotic in nature, letting the Devour-er fight chaos with chaos, testing worlds he visits. It is important to note that the actions of the Network do not always represent the wishes of The Devour-er (he needs an actual name), as the degree to which members of the Network understand or agree with The Devour-ers ideology can vary greatly.

The Network is trying to break the enchantment around Lorien (the name of my world) that prevents him from returning. Through different rituals they would each break a Seal

[Sullivan]

okay so it sounds like this cult will be the driving force behind a lot of the events within the campaign.
If thats the case then I would spend some time hashing out there hierarchy, general organization, and people inside of the cult. Maybe they could view what they do with a sort of genocide dilemma, "This is evil, but it must be done to make the universe a better place..".
also since this is your first campaign i'd start small. Make a villain, a few small places with NPC's, and color in the environment.

I would advocate working from the inside out (This is just how I do it). Create the villains, heroes, and characters you want to see in you're world then paint in the backdrop. Once you have a good bad guy and some larger than life people, then give them a world to play in.

so, so far we have a god, a cult, and a mission for the cult; they're trying to break some seals. So some ideas I'm having are.

1. our bad guy or his lackeys are trying to break an earth seal, the repercussion of breaking it is that major parts of the world will flood.
(So maybe the story starts near the ocean)
2. the players are going to be there for some reason. Maybe there is a festival or they're all archeologist looking for an ancient talisman from a long forgotten civilization.
(for the latter then a backdrop of many ruins could be a compelling motif for the story. cities could be built out of old ruins and no one knows where they came from or who built them. "Living in the shadow of the monoliths makes one think, from time to time; giants must have lived here.")

[sammyp03]

I like the ruins idea. But why would they be there?

[Mr.Cobalt]

I like the ruins idea. But why would they be there?

Perhaps set by the gods to keep him from eating their stuff while they still wanted it?

[Sullivan]

I'm thinking that since these seals exists some one must have created them. well maybe they're old, like really old and an ancient race of monsters, maybe bird men or something made them. fast forward 100,000 years and no one has ever heard of these people, but the gigantic cities they made are still around and their seals from the last time they squared up with the devour-er.

So the earth seal (Really pushing the Earth seal) might be in a huge subterranean city that our player happen upon or maybe people squat there all the time and it's ran by a 40 thief's like syndicate. The city might be the size of New York or something so people really just live on the edge of it, because they start running into monsters if they go to far in and who needs that Sh@# in there life.

But check this out! So there's this crazy mage Palindrome who hired some foolish adventures to go deep into the city and scope out a building for him. Bam Cultist! So why would the adventures try and fight these dudes, because earlier they found some carvings on the wall's that had some 8 foot humanoids enslaving birds or something and the marks on the seal are the same one's on the wall.. That worth some money or glory for some up and coming archeologist. They can get to it in time and the cave starts falling in, massive whole the size of New York, it's a big deal people are freaked.

Enter the King. Good guy wants to help his people and puts a lot of money and man power into the disaster relief, names Stewart the Clean (Thats what I get for not putting away the Lysol).

[sammyp03]

Maybe the one who made it is still alive, waiting for the return. Call him, the eternal

[Sullivan]

So this is my way of writing up places. This was't really meant to be shown to anyone so mind any spelling errors and my grammar. I thought of this as a good example of about how much I get done with a place before I know my players are going to be there. It's enough that if they get a wild hair and feel like traveling half way around the world i'm not forced to completely wing it and it's enough that if I have a week I can make it a real working place.

basically it works like this.
People

5x5: 5 ideas about 5 possible plots involving people

Places: people love taverns and some people that might be hanging out there.

High Elf-
The High Elf Council
Background- The High Elf Consulate is comprised of five major ruling members. The council works on a rotation of a two year term. The newest of which is Diallo. After the Kingdom of Lothessia lost the black water territories the Dawn Casters have been capitalizing on the power vacuum. With rumors of the Dawn Casters ambitions to claim Black Water and The Great Hall for their own, the High Council has began to ramp up their war effort to stop the Kingdom Dawn from spreading their influence.

Diallo(M)- Height- 5'8” weight- 150 age- 275 looks- well groomed speech- Come and collected
Diallo raises winter wolves and was born in Wolf's Den. Great fighter, Diallo loves to spar and challenge his piers when appropriate. He is a crafty politician with great power, influence, and loyalty in Wolf's Den, as well as a growing base of support with in the continent.

Cian(F)- Height- 5'6” Weight- 125lb Looks- attractive, with a dominate presence. Speech- authoritarian with to the point
About- Cian has held multiple terms as a council member. She has become know as a figure head and a source of stability with in the capital.
Her favorite sport is trellng(tennis with portals).

Cort(M)- Height- 5' 9” Weight- 145lb Looks- he looks like an eagle Speech- quiet and humble
About- considered one of the greatest orator in the High Elf Kingdom.

Evian(F)- Height- 5'8” Weight- 135lb Looks- disheveled and aloof while on other matter than the one at hand Speech- intelligent, disjointed, and aloof
About- a great mage Evian is respected highly for her contributions to public services. Serving her 2nd term she was almost forced into her 1st becouse of her proficiency in the arcana

Gillian(M)- Height- 5' 5” Weight- 155lb Looks-venerable Speech-pious and devout
About- Gillian had single handedly created the large following to (Servomnis) with in the Capital City.

High Elf 5x5
One of the high elf council(Cort) is being paid to allow contraband to be shipped to the black water territories.

One of the high elf council(Cort) is being paid to allow contraband to be shipped to the black water territories.
The goods are going to Worlds end
Figg's bitterlow is the cheaf smuggler
His aim is to arm the people of the Black Water Territories.
Figg's has agents trying to undermine the Dawn Casters claim to the Thrown.

(Cian) is beginning diplomatic relations with the Dawn casters. As preventative measures, but mostly espionage.
(Cian) has found and hired two members of the Picket Hill Gang (8 of hearts) and (jack of dimonds)
(Cian) is scheduled to leave on the 15th day of the 3rd month.
(Cian's) first meeting is in Paav with Istus regarding Servomnis
The (8 of Hearts) & (Jack of Diamonds) are awaiting orders and payment in Blue Field

(Evian) is gearing up the war effort in preparation for the upcoming war. Evian is a powerful mage.
(Evian) is constructing 4 secret Towers to protect the coast from a Dawn assault.
(Evian) has also sent out The Paladin (Scarlet) in secret to find the Onyx Witch (a cloth of great power)
The Onyx Witch was last rumored to be in Ice Bridge
In her search for the onyx witch (Scarlet's) searches has brought her through Worlds End and finally to Anoku

(Gillian) a cleric of (Servomnis.) Has become worried about the longer than usual absence of his patron.
(Servomnis) is consulting with his two brothers (Fharlangh) & (Katay) in Undergrowth.
(Servomnis) has become acutely aware of the Old Ones awakening.
In a desperate attempt to bering the gods together they are seeking the aid of (Homer)
(Celestian) has a hand bringing back the old gods.

(Diallo's) first action as a council member was to go to Wolf's Den in order to oversee the ground forces.
An army has began to mass in Wolf's Den.
Security is tight and nothing is missed under (Diallo's) watch.
(Diallo) a meticulous note taker has the full assault plans written out.
(Diallo) is working closely with (Cian) too build an opening in the Dawn lines for a quick victory.


About the City-

Places-
1. Loplow's emporium(Shop)- Owner- Loplow(Big man, bold w/beard)
Looks- stone building with thatch roof. Water flows down the ally adjacent to the building. Inside it is adorned with all maner of adventuring gear with a modest collection of weapons Loplow has all manner of clothing sleeping gear and sorts. In the far corner is a stuffed beholder.
About-

2. The Hanging Lantern(Shop)- Owner- Teresa(30ish, physically strong, friendly, keeps a crossbow under the register)
Looks- A wooden building the Hanging Lantern sell all lot's from furniture to antiques to the occasional piece of the arcana. THL is a modest shop known for it's wide collection of fine wines and eclectic foods brought in from all over the world.
About-

3. Strongbrick Warehouse(Warehouse)- Owner- Bigg's StrongBrick( smaller man he stands shoulder height to most, he has a pleasant disposition) Looks- a massive building located by the docks always smell of salt water, made of sturdy wood the southern wall opens to allow cargo in and out. Brigg's is know for losing a few pieces of merchandise here and there.
About-

4. The Jade Dancer(Tavern\FestHall)- Owner- Michell & Michel
Looks- an open tavern with the best shows and dancing girls in High Elf. One a traveller cuts through the smoke and chatter all manners of individuals can be found here. It is said that it's the favorite hall of Picket Hill Gang members when they are in town.
About-

5. The Good Spirits(Tavern)- Owner- Lucy(quick to anger she is a favorite of High Elf)
Looks-A wine dispensary the Good Spirits is the main distribution hub of High Elf it serves all classes from the meek to the well to do. The walls are constantly stocked with the finest wines and a health staff stays busy with distribution.
About-

6. The Chancellery(Admin)- Owner- Trillian (busy and impatient)
Looks- The Chancellery is a large administrative building and is the acting courthouse for all business matters in High Elf. It also handles the grain dole.
About-

7. The Dole Silo(Food Dispensary)- Owner- Gruff(a older man has a dog named muff)
Looks- a massive building that holds 4 months of food in case of siege.
About-

8. The Gental Rest(Inn)- Owner-Nrim(used to be a dancer at the Jade Dancer)
Looks-This is a cosy inn with a warm hearth welcoming to all weary travelers
About-

9. Chelor's(Inn\Tavern)- Owner- Landrell
Looks-an opulent inn with rich purple tapestries it is a favorite of the well to do in High Elf. The tavern is well staffed and the seating is conformable with both secluded and social seating.
About-

10. The Player's Gambit(Festhall)- Owner- Lucius
Looks-A massive drinking hall this is the best-loved local of the guards after their shifts.
About-

11. The Crazy Sage(Wine)- Owner- Waverly
Looks- a modest one story building made of stone masonry, adorned with sculptures of all sorts from depictions of gods to gargoyles. This is the house and shop of the sage Waverly who has been known to council many of the well to do in High Elf
About-

12. Serpent's Bazaar(Market)- Owner- NONE
Looks- an open air market by the sea port it is the life blood of High Elf as it facilitates the sell of fish and other imported good.
About-

13. The Spear Manor(House)- Owner- Spencer Spear(a quiet genital man he wons most of the port of High Elf
Looks- The Spear Manor is a tall building made of stone with wood trimming as the frame. The building itself is a beautiful piece of architecture that has both a public garden to the east side of the building and a privet one to the south.
About-

14. The Hidden Lass(Brothel)- Owner- Melissa (Melissa a young woman is very friendly till tried or disrespect.
Looks-The Hidden Lass caters to all classes in High Elf. To the particularly wealthy at home services are given, but to the commons more than adequate accommodations are made. Their is always a standing guard of personal body guards and bouncers in the building.
About-

[sammyp03]

I like those. very nice

[Sullivan]

My whole theory on world building is that the people make the place. I could figure out Diallo's bloodline since adam, but if he is a boring dude with no personality then the whole "lore" thing is walking on egg shells, and the story come off a little thin. I'd love to help grind out some junk NPC's and random shops to help populate a city if you want. IDK if actually going to a haberdashers makes the story better or just knowing you could does the trick, but my players seem to like the option to meet random people, when interacting with the worlds i've made. Volo's Guide to Waterdeep is an great tool for world building too. If you can find a free PDF it is worth a read. The whole thing is written from the first person account of a bard Volo and his experiences of different places in Waterdeep.

[sammyp03]

Id love it. Those could always be handy. You never know what PC's are going to do so having that stuff handy would be good.

[sammyp03]

Each seal that is broke must do something that defies the natural order of things. IE a good man goes to hell (pandemonium on my world) and tortures souls, a teacher turns and kills the students he is responsible for

[sammyp03]

I have a land on my map called the wastelands. Maybe the PC's got captured by accident and marooned on that island. Where the agents of the devourer try to twist there way into the PC's because they are the only one who can break the seals to bring the devour-er here. Then we can do a Supernatural type type showdown towards the end of the campaign. where the Devourer tries to manifest inside a PC and the god of creation inside another.