NecroDancer
2017-01-14, 07:32 PM
Hey today was my first time DMing and it went great! The player picked up the rules quickly and they worked great together! I hope to continue writing their story in the future!
Here the world-guide.
Terraemotus
This world is scarred, It’s history beginning once again, the shattering will come again.
298 years ago the supercontinent known as Terraemotus was ruled by a emperor of unmatched power. The emperor’s word was law and the emperor’s enemies were none. Whenever a rebellion occurred the emperor would strike it down, whenever a hero challenged the emperor the emperor would annihilate the hero. The emperor crushed the old kingdoms and wiped their histories away. The emperor drove the dragon’s into exile. The emperor found and burned the great academies of magic. The emperor’s worst crime however was to challenge the heavens themselves, and for that the power’s above broke the emperor’s rule and the emperor’s existence. The wrath of the god’s was so great it forced entire region’s into pocket dimension (whether this was to protect the people or by accident is unknown), the elves fled to a dimension called the Feywild. The emperor’s name, race and gender, soul, personality, and history was wiped from existence to ensure the emperor would never return. The continent itself was cracked and the majority of civilization was destroyed, this event is called the shattering. The survivors started to rebuild and people trapped inside the pocket dimensions started to adapt.
20 years ago for some strange reason the people forced into the pocket dimensions were brought back to Terraemotus, they were changed, the nature of the pocket dimensions changed them and their children forever. Although they were shocked by the nature of their original home they joined in on rebuilding it and so far things seem be on track for the better.
Campaign Homerules:
No feats.
No multiclassing.
You can only be brought back to life once.
You can not be evil.
Facts about this world.
Very few “magical” races (dragons, giants, fey, elementals, demons, angels, devils, etc) are seen, even fewer are confronted.
The majority of the world is one supercontinent but some new islands do exist.
The number of cities is increasing although there are still only a few.
Most of the maps have been lost to time.
There are very few powerful people still alive (almost no npc has over 10 levels in a class).
There are cults that try to bring the emperor back but they are hated by everyone.
The gods are distant but there are exceptions every now and then.
People fear that another “shattering” will occur.
The city of Spera is the biggest and most well known city.
Very little information is known about anything older than 300 years.
The dark elves (or Drow) are shattered, their goddess Lolth is little more than a myth.
Humans:
The human lost 30% of their race during the shattering however they are recovering slowly but surely, so far their crowning achievement is the city of Spera, however they have set up the majority of small villages among Terraemotus.
Dwarves
The dwarves delved into the underdark to avoid the shattering, so far they have access to the majority of the remaining knowledge of Terraemotus. The dwarves have surpassed the elves in terms of metalsmithing thank to the help of their new allies the dark elves.
Elves
After fleeing into the feywild the elves came under attack from the Archfey (powerful creatures connected to nature). The feywild also shorten the lifespan of the elves to 100 years (give or take 20). When the elves returned to Terraemotus they were paranoid creatures still angry at the Archfey and untrustful of the other races of Terraemotus.
Their evil kin the subterranean dark elves tried to stay safe in their underdark cities. But the shattering caused multiple cave-in and forced the dark elves to flee to the surface. During the shattering the dark elves also lost their goddess, the demon lady Lolth, and the majority of their priestess disappeared into the abyss to find her. The dark elves were able to forge a shaky alliance with the dwarves by teaching them to forge elven weapons and armor.
Gnomes
The Gnomes were halflings who were pushed into a pocket dimension fraught with duplicity and illusions. The Gnomes quickly mastered the power of illusions and their villages are hidden well throughout Terraemotus.
Halfling
The Halfling race managed to recovery quickly from the shattering, they set out of re-map the world and are trusted guides. The Halflings are spread thin and it's rare to see more than 10 of them in one place.
Dragonborn
The Dragonborn were captured and enslaved by the dragons, the dragonborn soon became resentful of the gods for not freeing their race and have not worshipped them since. After a long and brutal struggle they escaped the dragons and have founded a city by a dormant volcano called Djred Thymar. They pride themselves in their mastery over ancient artifacts and call themselves “The Voltizer” (ash marked ones), They find the name Dragonborn to be an insult.
Half-Orc
The Half-Orcs are a split people, some take after the orcs and some take after the humans. However a small city of Half-Orcs has popped up by the swamplands and has made an alliance with the city of Spera and the returning elves.
Tiefling
The Tiefling are descendants of humans who made deals with fiends to escape the shattering. After a series of tense negotiations and secret deals 75% of the Tieflings escaped to Terraemotus and have become successful demonologist and diabolist (people who hunt demons/devils) who have gained the trust of almost everyone. The remaining 25% of Tieflings are servants of devils and demons and are feared by all.
God of Terraemotus
LAWFUL GOOD
Bahumut - Called the Platinum Dragon, Bahamut is the god of justice, protection, nobility, and honor. Lawful good paladins often revere him, and metallic dragons worship him as the first of their kind. Monarchs are crowned in his name. He commands his followers thus:
Uphold the highest ideals of honor and justice.
Be constantly vigilant against evil and oppose it on all fronts.
Protect the weak, liberate the oppressed, and defend just order.
Moradin - Moradin is the god of creation and patron of artisans, especially miners and smiths. He carved the mountains from primordial earth and is the guardian and protector of the hearth and the family. Dwarves from all walks of life follow him. He demands these behaviors of his followers:
Meet adversity with stoicism and tenacity.
Demonstrate loyalty to your family, your clan, your leaders, and your people.
Strive to make a mark on the world, a lasting legacy. To make something that lasts is the highest good, whether you are a smith working at a forge or a ruler building a dynasty.
GOOD
Avandra - The goddess of change, Avandra delights in freedom, trade, travel, adventure, and the frontier. Her temples are few in civilized lands, but her wayside shrines appear throughout the world. Halflings, merchants, and all types of adventurers are drawn to her worship, and many people raise a glass in her honor, viewing her as the god of luck. Her commandments are few:
Luck favors the bold. Take your fate into your own hands, and Avandra smiles upon you.
Strike back against those who would rob you of your freedom and urge others to fight on their own liberty.
Change is inevitable, but it takes the work of the faithful to ensure that change is for the better.
Pelor - God of the sun and summer, Pelor is the keeper of time. He supports those in need and opposes all that is evil. As the lord of agriculture and the bountiful harvest, he is the deity most commonly worshiped by ordinary humans, and his priests are well received wherever they go. Paladins and rangers are found among his worshipers. He directs his followers thus:
Alleviate suffering wherever you find it.
Bring Pelor’s light into places of darkness, showing kindness, mercy, and compassion.
Be watchful against evil.
UNALIGNED
Corellon - The god of spring, beauty, and the arts, Corellon is the patron of arcane magic and the fey. He seeded the world with arcane magic and planted the most ancient forests. Artists and musicians worship him, as do those who view their spellcasting as an art, and his shrines can be found throughout the Feywild. He despises Lolth and her priestesses for leading the drow astray. He urges his followers thus:
Cultivate beauty in all that you do, whether you’re casting a spell, composing a saga, strumming a lute, or practicing the arts of war.
Seek out lost magic items, forgotten rituals, and ancient works of art. Corellon might have inspired them in the world’s first days.
Thwart the followers of Lolth at every opportunity.
Erathis- Erathis is the goddess of civilization. She is the muse of great invention, founder of cities, and author of laws. Rulers, judges, pioneers, and devoted citizens revere her, and her temples hold prominent places in most of the world’s major cities. Her laws are many, but their purpose is straightforward:
Work with others to achieve your goals. Community and order are always stronger than the disjointed efforts of lone individuals.
Tame the wilderness to make it fit for habitation, and defend the light of civilization against the encroaching darkness.
Seek out new ideas, new inventions, new lands to inhabit, new wilderness to conquer. Build machines, build cities, build empires.
Ioun - Ioun is the god of knowledge, skill, and prophecy. Sages, seers, and tacticians revere her, as do all who live by their knowledge and mental power. Corellon is the patron of arcane magic, but Ioun is the patron of its study. Libraries and wizard academies are built in her name. Her commands are also teachings:
Seek the perfection of your mind by bringing reason, perception, and emotion into balance with one another.
Accumulate, preserve, and distribute knowledge in all forms. Pursue education, build libraries, and seek out lost and ancient lore.
Be watchful at all times for the followers of Vecna, who seek to control knowledge and keep secrets. Oppose their schemes, unmask their secrets, and blind them with the light of truth and reason.
Kord - Kord is the storm god and the lord of battle. He revels in strength, battlefield prowess, and thunder. Fighters and athletes revere him. He is a mercurial god, unbridled and wild, who summons storms over land and sea; those who hope for better weather appease him with prayers and spirited toasts. He gives few commands:
Be strong, but do not use your strength for wanton destruction.
Be brave and scorn cowardice in any form.
Prove your might in battle to win glory and renown.
Melora - Melora is the goddess of the wilderness and the sea. She is both the wild beast and the peaceful forest, the raging whirlpool and the quiet desert. Rangers, hunters, and elves revere her, and sailors make offerings to her before beginning their voyages. Her strictures are these:
Protect the wild places of the world from destruction and overuse. Oppose the rampant spread of cities and empires.
Hunt aberrant monsters and other abominations of nature.
Do not fear or condemn the savagery of nature. Live in harmony with the wild.
The Raven Queen - The name of the goddess of death is long forgotten, but she is called the Raven Queen. She is the spinner of fate and the patron of winter. She marks the end of each mortal life, and mourners call upon her during funeral rites, in the hope that she will guard the departed from the curse of undeath. She expects her followers to abide by these commandments:
Hold no pity for those who suffer and die, for death is the natural end of life.
Bring down the proud who try to cast off the chains of fate. As the instrument of the Raven Queen, you must punish hubris where you find it.
Watch for the cults of Orcus and stamp them out whenever they arise. The Demon Prince of the Undead seeks to claim the Raven Queen’s throne.
Sehanine - Goddess of the moon and autumn, Sehanine is the patron of trickery and illusions. She has close ties to Corellon and Melora and is a favorite deity among elves and halflings. She is also the god of love, who sends shadows to cloak lovers’ trysts. Scouts and thieves ask for her blessing on their work. Her teachings are simple:
Follow your goals and seek your own destiny.
Keep to the shadows, avoiding the blazing light of zealous good and the utter darkness of evil.
Seek new horizons and new experiences, and let nothing tie you down.
EVIL
Asmodeus - Asmodeus is the evil god of tyranny and domination. He rules the Nine Hells with an iron fist and a silver tongue. Aside from devils, evil creatures such as rakshasas pay him homage, and evil tieflings and warlocks are drawn to his dark cults. His rules are strict and his punishments harsh:
Seek power over others, that you might rule with strength as the Lord of Hell does.
Repay evil with evil. If others are kind to you, exploit their weakness for your own gain.
Show neither pity nor mercy to those who are caught underfoot as you climb your way to power. The weak do not deserve compassion.
Bane - Bane is the evil god of war and conquest. Militaristic nations of humans and goblins serve him and conquer in his name. Evil fighters and paladins serve him. He commands his worshipers to:
Never allow your fear to gain mastery over you, but drive it into the hearts of your foes.
Punish insubordination and disorder.
Hone your combat skills to perfection, whether you are a mighty general or a lone mercenary.
Tiamat - Tiamat is the evil goddess of wealth, greed, and envy. She is the patron of chromatic dragons and those whose lust for wealth overrides any other goal or concern. She commands her followers to:
Hoard wealth, acquiring much and spending little. Wealth is its own reward.
Forgive no slight and leave no wrong unpunished.
Take what you desire from others. Those who lack the strength to defend their possessions are not worthy to own them.
Torog - Torog is the evil god of the Underdark, patron of jailers and torturers. Common superstition holds that if his name is spoken, the King that Crawls burrows up from below and drags the hapless speaker underground to an eternity of imprisonment and torture. Jailers and torturers pray to him in deep caves and cellars, and creatures of the Underdark revere him as well. He teaches his worshipers to:
Seek out and revere the deep places beneath the earth.
Delight in the giving of pain, and consider pain you receive as homage to Torog.
Bind tightly what is in your charge, and restrain those who wander free.
Vecna - Vecna is the evil god of undead, necromancy, and secrets. He rules that which is not meant to be known and that which people wish to keep secret. Evil spellcasters and conspirators pay him homage. He commands them to:
Never reveal all you know.
Find the seed of darkness in your heart and nourish it; find it in others and exploit it to your advantage.
Oppose the followers of all other deities so that Vecna alone can rule the world.
Zehir - Zehir is the evil god of darkness, poison, and assassins. Snakes are his favored creation, and the yuan-ti revere him above all other gods, offering sacrifice to him in pits full of writhing serpents. He urges his followers to:
Hide under the cloak of night, that your deeds might be kept in secret.
Kill in Zehir’s name and offer each murder as a sacrifice.
Delight in poison, and surround yourself with snakes.
CHAOTIC EVIL
Gruumsh - Gruumsh is the chaotic evil god of destruction, lord of marauding barbarian hordes. Where Bane commands conquest, Gruumsh exhorts his followers to slaughter and pillage. Orcs are his fervent followers, and they bear a particular hatred for elves and eladrin because Corellon put out one of Gruumsh’s eyes. The One-Eyed God gives simple orders to his followers:
Crush your enemies.
See them driven before you.
Hear the lamentations of their women.
Lolth - Lolth is the chaotic evil goddess of shadow, lies, and spiders. Scheming and treachery are her commands, and her priests are a constant force of disruption in the otherwise stable society of the dark elves. Though she is properly a god and not a demon, she is called Demon Queen of Spiders. She demands that her followers:
Do whatever it takes to gain and hold power.
Rely on stealth and slander in preference to outright confrontation.
Seek the death of elves and eladrin at every opportunity.
The characters playing are
Red: Dwarf Warlock, new to the game but picked it up quickly. His patron is Cthulhu and he is a con man who intimidates people to get what he wants (not much of a backstory).
Thunder cloud on the mountain (Thunder): Tabaxi Warlock, he's played the game for a long time and is really helpful. His patron is an Ultroloth (secretly the Ultroloth is the General of Gehenna), Thunder's family was unjustly (by his point of view) slain by the tabaxi god, in order to get revenge Thunder gave his soul to the Ultroloth but soon regretted it. Thunder wants to avenge his family and kill the Ultroloth.
There was suppose to be another player but he couldn't make it.
Everyone is level one.
The Rocky Road to Spera
The players are currently making their way to Spera for various reasons, Thunder hopes to access it's library, Red needs a new place to con people. They have been traveling for one and a half days so far, their guide, a man called <500 Miles>, has been quite and gruff. The party is also concerned because they spent the last of their money to hire <500 Miles> and they will need to get some in Spera. Today they hope to cross the forest, reach the port town of River-tide and stock up on supplies before midnight.
As they enter the forest they travel for a few hours until they hear something growling from beyond their path. Before they can react two starving wolves leap from the forest (natural 20 on stealth) and attack. The party manages to kill the wolves and <500 miles> seems to take interest in the players conditions, asking multiple times if they are alright.
They continue traveling (much slower because of their wounds) until dusk and <500 Miles> tells them that he knows some old ruins they can sleep in for the night. When they get to the ruins <500 Miles> brings them to a hidden underground temple, when <500 Miles> is asked about the temple he becomes agitated but the party decides to spend the night after hearing more wolf howls.
They decide to split watches (reluctantly letting <500 Miles> take 2nd watch) and surprise, surprise <500 Miles> traps them with a scroll of wall of thorns. After taking some damage after Thunder tried to claw his way through the wall Red starts blasting away at. They get out of the trap but they can't seem to find <500 Miles>, the party decides to go deeper into the temple to get their revenge.
After exploring around for a bit they piece together that this use to be a temple of Moradin until a cult of elemental earth took it over. Red started to shot a spell down every corridor in case of an ambush, he inadvertently drew the attention of 5 zombies emerging from a tunnel.
After a tense but short battle they managed to defeat the zombies and learned that the zombies seemed to bleed a syrupy type of mud. They explored the tunnel a bit and found an open cage containing some more mud-oozing-zombies, they also found a container filled with the same mud that had chunks of onyx floating around in it. they took the onyx and decided to head back, as usual Red launched an eldritch blast to make sure the way was clear. What Red didn't expect was to hear an unknown voice cry out in pain.
Red: Whose there? Show yourself (intimidation).
A mud mephit stepped out of the shadows
Mephit: don't hurt me please! the priest forced me to spy on you.
Thunder: who are you?
Mephit: my name is <Dexys Midnight Runners>.
The party talks with <Dexys Midnight Runners> and learns the <500 Miles> is a priest of elemental earth who rediscover this temple and summoned <DMR> to serve him. Apparently <500 Miles> has been sacrificing travelers for a few months and Red and Thunder are next. Red intimidates <DMR> into helping them kill <500 Miles> and <DMR> reluctantly agrees.
<DMR> leads the party to the main shrine where <500 Miles> is preparing for battle. The party gets the drop on him and the fight is tough. After knocking out Red <500 Miles> traps Thunder in a stony fist, as he is preparing to sacrifice the party <DMR> steals a health potion while Thunder distracts <500 Miles> with taunting. <DMR> feeds Red the potion and Red blasts <500 Miles> to death (Red got some insane damage rolls).
After the party loots <500 Miles> they get the following items.
A cloak of hidden passage (gives the wearing +1 on stealth)
A sacrificial dagger
Three health potions
A map of the surrounding area
A letter that none of them can read
And assorted loot.
The party rests for a bit and sets out for Spera the next day (After killing <DMR> when they learn that he would also start sacrificing people to elemental earth).
The party advances to level two and that's where the session ends.
Here the world-guide.
Terraemotus
This world is scarred, It’s history beginning once again, the shattering will come again.
298 years ago the supercontinent known as Terraemotus was ruled by a emperor of unmatched power. The emperor’s word was law and the emperor’s enemies were none. Whenever a rebellion occurred the emperor would strike it down, whenever a hero challenged the emperor the emperor would annihilate the hero. The emperor crushed the old kingdoms and wiped their histories away. The emperor drove the dragon’s into exile. The emperor found and burned the great academies of magic. The emperor’s worst crime however was to challenge the heavens themselves, and for that the power’s above broke the emperor’s rule and the emperor’s existence. The wrath of the god’s was so great it forced entire region’s into pocket dimension (whether this was to protect the people or by accident is unknown), the elves fled to a dimension called the Feywild. The emperor’s name, race and gender, soul, personality, and history was wiped from existence to ensure the emperor would never return. The continent itself was cracked and the majority of civilization was destroyed, this event is called the shattering. The survivors started to rebuild and people trapped inside the pocket dimensions started to adapt.
20 years ago for some strange reason the people forced into the pocket dimensions were brought back to Terraemotus, they were changed, the nature of the pocket dimensions changed them and their children forever. Although they were shocked by the nature of their original home they joined in on rebuilding it and so far things seem be on track for the better.
Campaign Homerules:
No feats.
No multiclassing.
You can only be brought back to life once.
You can not be evil.
Facts about this world.
Very few “magical” races (dragons, giants, fey, elementals, demons, angels, devils, etc) are seen, even fewer are confronted.
The majority of the world is one supercontinent but some new islands do exist.
The number of cities is increasing although there are still only a few.
Most of the maps have been lost to time.
There are very few powerful people still alive (almost no npc has over 10 levels in a class).
There are cults that try to bring the emperor back but they are hated by everyone.
The gods are distant but there are exceptions every now and then.
People fear that another “shattering” will occur.
The city of Spera is the biggest and most well known city.
Very little information is known about anything older than 300 years.
The dark elves (or Drow) are shattered, their goddess Lolth is little more than a myth.
Humans:
The human lost 30% of their race during the shattering however they are recovering slowly but surely, so far their crowning achievement is the city of Spera, however they have set up the majority of small villages among Terraemotus.
Dwarves
The dwarves delved into the underdark to avoid the shattering, so far they have access to the majority of the remaining knowledge of Terraemotus. The dwarves have surpassed the elves in terms of metalsmithing thank to the help of their new allies the dark elves.
Elves
After fleeing into the feywild the elves came under attack from the Archfey (powerful creatures connected to nature). The feywild also shorten the lifespan of the elves to 100 years (give or take 20). When the elves returned to Terraemotus they were paranoid creatures still angry at the Archfey and untrustful of the other races of Terraemotus.
Their evil kin the subterranean dark elves tried to stay safe in their underdark cities. But the shattering caused multiple cave-in and forced the dark elves to flee to the surface. During the shattering the dark elves also lost their goddess, the demon lady Lolth, and the majority of their priestess disappeared into the abyss to find her. The dark elves were able to forge a shaky alliance with the dwarves by teaching them to forge elven weapons and armor.
Gnomes
The Gnomes were halflings who were pushed into a pocket dimension fraught with duplicity and illusions. The Gnomes quickly mastered the power of illusions and their villages are hidden well throughout Terraemotus.
Halfling
The Halfling race managed to recovery quickly from the shattering, they set out of re-map the world and are trusted guides. The Halflings are spread thin and it's rare to see more than 10 of them in one place.
Dragonborn
The Dragonborn were captured and enslaved by the dragons, the dragonborn soon became resentful of the gods for not freeing their race and have not worshipped them since. After a long and brutal struggle they escaped the dragons and have founded a city by a dormant volcano called Djred Thymar. They pride themselves in their mastery over ancient artifacts and call themselves “The Voltizer” (ash marked ones), They find the name Dragonborn to be an insult.
Half-Orc
The Half-Orcs are a split people, some take after the orcs and some take after the humans. However a small city of Half-Orcs has popped up by the swamplands and has made an alliance with the city of Spera and the returning elves.
Tiefling
The Tiefling are descendants of humans who made deals with fiends to escape the shattering. After a series of tense negotiations and secret deals 75% of the Tieflings escaped to Terraemotus and have become successful demonologist and diabolist (people who hunt demons/devils) who have gained the trust of almost everyone. The remaining 25% of Tieflings are servants of devils and demons and are feared by all.
God of Terraemotus
LAWFUL GOOD
Bahumut - Called the Platinum Dragon, Bahamut is the god of justice, protection, nobility, and honor. Lawful good paladins often revere him, and metallic dragons worship him as the first of their kind. Monarchs are crowned in his name. He commands his followers thus:
Uphold the highest ideals of honor and justice.
Be constantly vigilant against evil and oppose it on all fronts.
Protect the weak, liberate the oppressed, and defend just order.
Moradin - Moradin is the god of creation and patron of artisans, especially miners and smiths. He carved the mountains from primordial earth and is the guardian and protector of the hearth and the family. Dwarves from all walks of life follow him. He demands these behaviors of his followers:
Meet adversity with stoicism and tenacity.
Demonstrate loyalty to your family, your clan, your leaders, and your people.
Strive to make a mark on the world, a lasting legacy. To make something that lasts is the highest good, whether you are a smith working at a forge or a ruler building a dynasty.
GOOD
Avandra - The goddess of change, Avandra delights in freedom, trade, travel, adventure, and the frontier. Her temples are few in civilized lands, but her wayside shrines appear throughout the world. Halflings, merchants, and all types of adventurers are drawn to her worship, and many people raise a glass in her honor, viewing her as the god of luck. Her commandments are few:
Luck favors the bold. Take your fate into your own hands, and Avandra smiles upon you.
Strike back against those who would rob you of your freedom and urge others to fight on their own liberty.
Change is inevitable, but it takes the work of the faithful to ensure that change is for the better.
Pelor - God of the sun and summer, Pelor is the keeper of time. He supports those in need and opposes all that is evil. As the lord of agriculture and the bountiful harvest, he is the deity most commonly worshiped by ordinary humans, and his priests are well received wherever they go. Paladins and rangers are found among his worshipers. He directs his followers thus:
Alleviate suffering wherever you find it.
Bring Pelor’s light into places of darkness, showing kindness, mercy, and compassion.
Be watchful against evil.
UNALIGNED
Corellon - The god of spring, beauty, and the arts, Corellon is the patron of arcane magic and the fey. He seeded the world with arcane magic and planted the most ancient forests. Artists and musicians worship him, as do those who view their spellcasting as an art, and his shrines can be found throughout the Feywild. He despises Lolth and her priestesses for leading the drow astray. He urges his followers thus:
Cultivate beauty in all that you do, whether you’re casting a spell, composing a saga, strumming a lute, or practicing the arts of war.
Seek out lost magic items, forgotten rituals, and ancient works of art. Corellon might have inspired them in the world’s first days.
Thwart the followers of Lolth at every opportunity.
Erathis- Erathis is the goddess of civilization. She is the muse of great invention, founder of cities, and author of laws. Rulers, judges, pioneers, and devoted citizens revere her, and her temples hold prominent places in most of the world’s major cities. Her laws are many, but their purpose is straightforward:
Work with others to achieve your goals. Community and order are always stronger than the disjointed efforts of lone individuals.
Tame the wilderness to make it fit for habitation, and defend the light of civilization against the encroaching darkness.
Seek out new ideas, new inventions, new lands to inhabit, new wilderness to conquer. Build machines, build cities, build empires.
Ioun - Ioun is the god of knowledge, skill, and prophecy. Sages, seers, and tacticians revere her, as do all who live by their knowledge and mental power. Corellon is the patron of arcane magic, but Ioun is the patron of its study. Libraries and wizard academies are built in her name. Her commands are also teachings:
Seek the perfection of your mind by bringing reason, perception, and emotion into balance with one another.
Accumulate, preserve, and distribute knowledge in all forms. Pursue education, build libraries, and seek out lost and ancient lore.
Be watchful at all times for the followers of Vecna, who seek to control knowledge and keep secrets. Oppose their schemes, unmask their secrets, and blind them with the light of truth and reason.
Kord - Kord is the storm god and the lord of battle. He revels in strength, battlefield prowess, and thunder. Fighters and athletes revere him. He is a mercurial god, unbridled and wild, who summons storms over land and sea; those who hope for better weather appease him with prayers and spirited toasts. He gives few commands:
Be strong, but do not use your strength for wanton destruction.
Be brave and scorn cowardice in any form.
Prove your might in battle to win glory and renown.
Melora - Melora is the goddess of the wilderness and the sea. She is both the wild beast and the peaceful forest, the raging whirlpool and the quiet desert. Rangers, hunters, and elves revere her, and sailors make offerings to her before beginning their voyages. Her strictures are these:
Protect the wild places of the world from destruction and overuse. Oppose the rampant spread of cities and empires.
Hunt aberrant monsters and other abominations of nature.
Do not fear or condemn the savagery of nature. Live in harmony with the wild.
The Raven Queen - The name of the goddess of death is long forgotten, but she is called the Raven Queen. She is the spinner of fate and the patron of winter. She marks the end of each mortal life, and mourners call upon her during funeral rites, in the hope that she will guard the departed from the curse of undeath. She expects her followers to abide by these commandments:
Hold no pity for those who suffer and die, for death is the natural end of life.
Bring down the proud who try to cast off the chains of fate. As the instrument of the Raven Queen, you must punish hubris where you find it.
Watch for the cults of Orcus and stamp them out whenever they arise. The Demon Prince of the Undead seeks to claim the Raven Queen’s throne.
Sehanine - Goddess of the moon and autumn, Sehanine is the patron of trickery and illusions. She has close ties to Corellon and Melora and is a favorite deity among elves and halflings. She is also the god of love, who sends shadows to cloak lovers’ trysts. Scouts and thieves ask for her blessing on their work. Her teachings are simple:
Follow your goals and seek your own destiny.
Keep to the shadows, avoiding the blazing light of zealous good and the utter darkness of evil.
Seek new horizons and new experiences, and let nothing tie you down.
EVIL
Asmodeus - Asmodeus is the evil god of tyranny and domination. He rules the Nine Hells with an iron fist and a silver tongue. Aside from devils, evil creatures such as rakshasas pay him homage, and evil tieflings and warlocks are drawn to his dark cults. His rules are strict and his punishments harsh:
Seek power over others, that you might rule with strength as the Lord of Hell does.
Repay evil with evil. If others are kind to you, exploit their weakness for your own gain.
Show neither pity nor mercy to those who are caught underfoot as you climb your way to power. The weak do not deserve compassion.
Bane - Bane is the evil god of war and conquest. Militaristic nations of humans and goblins serve him and conquer in his name. Evil fighters and paladins serve him. He commands his worshipers to:
Never allow your fear to gain mastery over you, but drive it into the hearts of your foes.
Punish insubordination and disorder.
Hone your combat skills to perfection, whether you are a mighty general or a lone mercenary.
Tiamat - Tiamat is the evil goddess of wealth, greed, and envy. She is the patron of chromatic dragons and those whose lust for wealth overrides any other goal or concern. She commands her followers to:
Hoard wealth, acquiring much and spending little. Wealth is its own reward.
Forgive no slight and leave no wrong unpunished.
Take what you desire from others. Those who lack the strength to defend their possessions are not worthy to own them.
Torog - Torog is the evil god of the Underdark, patron of jailers and torturers. Common superstition holds that if his name is spoken, the King that Crawls burrows up from below and drags the hapless speaker underground to an eternity of imprisonment and torture. Jailers and torturers pray to him in deep caves and cellars, and creatures of the Underdark revere him as well. He teaches his worshipers to:
Seek out and revere the deep places beneath the earth.
Delight in the giving of pain, and consider pain you receive as homage to Torog.
Bind tightly what is in your charge, and restrain those who wander free.
Vecna - Vecna is the evil god of undead, necromancy, and secrets. He rules that which is not meant to be known and that which people wish to keep secret. Evil spellcasters and conspirators pay him homage. He commands them to:
Never reveal all you know.
Find the seed of darkness in your heart and nourish it; find it in others and exploit it to your advantage.
Oppose the followers of all other deities so that Vecna alone can rule the world.
Zehir - Zehir is the evil god of darkness, poison, and assassins. Snakes are his favored creation, and the yuan-ti revere him above all other gods, offering sacrifice to him in pits full of writhing serpents. He urges his followers to:
Hide under the cloak of night, that your deeds might be kept in secret.
Kill in Zehir’s name and offer each murder as a sacrifice.
Delight in poison, and surround yourself with snakes.
CHAOTIC EVIL
Gruumsh - Gruumsh is the chaotic evil god of destruction, lord of marauding barbarian hordes. Where Bane commands conquest, Gruumsh exhorts his followers to slaughter and pillage. Orcs are his fervent followers, and they bear a particular hatred for elves and eladrin because Corellon put out one of Gruumsh’s eyes. The One-Eyed God gives simple orders to his followers:
Crush your enemies.
See them driven before you.
Hear the lamentations of their women.
Lolth - Lolth is the chaotic evil goddess of shadow, lies, and spiders. Scheming and treachery are her commands, and her priests are a constant force of disruption in the otherwise stable society of the dark elves. Though she is properly a god and not a demon, she is called Demon Queen of Spiders. She demands that her followers:
Do whatever it takes to gain and hold power.
Rely on stealth and slander in preference to outright confrontation.
Seek the death of elves and eladrin at every opportunity.
The characters playing are
Red: Dwarf Warlock, new to the game but picked it up quickly. His patron is Cthulhu and he is a con man who intimidates people to get what he wants (not much of a backstory).
Thunder cloud on the mountain (Thunder): Tabaxi Warlock, he's played the game for a long time and is really helpful. His patron is an Ultroloth (secretly the Ultroloth is the General of Gehenna), Thunder's family was unjustly (by his point of view) slain by the tabaxi god, in order to get revenge Thunder gave his soul to the Ultroloth but soon regretted it. Thunder wants to avenge his family and kill the Ultroloth.
There was suppose to be another player but he couldn't make it.
Everyone is level one.
The Rocky Road to Spera
The players are currently making their way to Spera for various reasons, Thunder hopes to access it's library, Red needs a new place to con people. They have been traveling for one and a half days so far, their guide, a man called <500 Miles>, has been quite and gruff. The party is also concerned because they spent the last of their money to hire <500 Miles> and they will need to get some in Spera. Today they hope to cross the forest, reach the port town of River-tide and stock up on supplies before midnight.
As they enter the forest they travel for a few hours until they hear something growling from beyond their path. Before they can react two starving wolves leap from the forest (natural 20 on stealth) and attack. The party manages to kill the wolves and <500 miles> seems to take interest in the players conditions, asking multiple times if they are alright.
They continue traveling (much slower because of their wounds) until dusk and <500 Miles> tells them that he knows some old ruins they can sleep in for the night. When they get to the ruins <500 Miles> brings them to a hidden underground temple, when <500 Miles> is asked about the temple he becomes agitated but the party decides to spend the night after hearing more wolf howls.
They decide to split watches (reluctantly letting <500 Miles> take 2nd watch) and surprise, surprise <500 Miles> traps them with a scroll of wall of thorns. After taking some damage after Thunder tried to claw his way through the wall Red starts blasting away at. They get out of the trap but they can't seem to find <500 Miles>, the party decides to go deeper into the temple to get their revenge.
After exploring around for a bit they piece together that this use to be a temple of Moradin until a cult of elemental earth took it over. Red started to shot a spell down every corridor in case of an ambush, he inadvertently drew the attention of 5 zombies emerging from a tunnel.
After a tense but short battle they managed to defeat the zombies and learned that the zombies seemed to bleed a syrupy type of mud. They explored the tunnel a bit and found an open cage containing some more mud-oozing-zombies, they also found a container filled with the same mud that had chunks of onyx floating around in it. they took the onyx and decided to head back, as usual Red launched an eldritch blast to make sure the way was clear. What Red didn't expect was to hear an unknown voice cry out in pain.
Red: Whose there? Show yourself (intimidation).
A mud mephit stepped out of the shadows
Mephit: don't hurt me please! the priest forced me to spy on you.
Thunder: who are you?
Mephit: my name is <Dexys Midnight Runners>.
The party talks with <Dexys Midnight Runners> and learns the <500 Miles> is a priest of elemental earth who rediscover this temple and summoned <DMR> to serve him. Apparently <500 Miles> has been sacrificing travelers for a few months and Red and Thunder are next. Red intimidates <DMR> into helping them kill <500 Miles> and <DMR> reluctantly agrees.
<DMR> leads the party to the main shrine where <500 Miles> is preparing for battle. The party gets the drop on him and the fight is tough. After knocking out Red <500 Miles> traps Thunder in a stony fist, as he is preparing to sacrifice the party <DMR> steals a health potion while Thunder distracts <500 Miles> with taunting. <DMR> feeds Red the potion and Red blasts <500 Miles> to death (Red got some insane damage rolls).
After the party loots <500 Miles> they get the following items.
A cloak of hidden passage (gives the wearing +1 on stealth)
A sacrificial dagger
Three health potions
A map of the surrounding area
A letter that none of them can read
And assorted loot.
The party rests for a bit and sets out for Spera the next day (After killing <DMR> when they learn that he would also start sacrificing people to elemental earth).
The party advances to level two and that's where the session ends.