The Legend of Esarlon Design Thread

[sanadnon33]

-The lands of Esarlon have been shaped throughout their history by music -- the imprisoned gods of light are members of the Orchestra of the Seven Heavens; the dark gods of discordant sound and pain, including Zon-Kuthon and Loviatar, are members of the Dark Symphony. Each god is associated with a musical instrument and or style.
-The major races of the land each have a specific cultural association -- the grey elves are athenians/atlanteans, the high elves romans, the wood elves gaulic celts, the drow spartans; the orcs are chinese/mongols and elementally focused; the dwarves are arabic/persian/ottoman and genie binders; the halflings are Native Americans and have a high incidence of lycanthropy, another group are cowboys; the gnomes are swiss mountaineers; the human civilizations are based on Levantine crusader kingdoms/high; renaissance Italy; the War of the Roses England; the Teutonic Knights; Reconquista Spain; medieval Poland (winged hussars), Byzantium (alchemists and fire ships); Napoleonic France, the Prussia of Frederick the great, Regency England; and Keivan Rus; the kitsune are based on Tokugawa Japan and 3 Kingdoms Korea

To summarize -- available races are grey, high, dark elves, and halfbreeds, orcs, half orcs, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and kitsune -- or something close in concept (unicorn-people knights, for example).

The enemy races are goblins; hobgoblins; bugbears, barghests, ogres, kobolds, troglodytes, lizardfolk and other servants of the blue dragon vampires that stand at the head of the forces of the Dark Symphony. The grunt forces and cannon fodder include mahrog (neanderthals), dinosaurs, and megafauna that are interbred with dragons. The upper echelons of the Dark Symphony are shadow sorcerers and other shadow-aligned and negative energy concepts.

The main campaign conceit is that the gods of light were imprisoned by the gods of darkness in a great war, and the heroes have to locate the harp of heaven to play the symphony of the seven fates and release the imprisoned gods. Until then, the gods of the dark symphony will attempt to conquer all the free peoples -- the songbearer races -- of Esarlon. The action begins in the city of Eboncross in one of the crusader states, which is under siege by the endless armies of the dark symphony. The heroes have to investigate an ancient city cursed by the gods to find the key to lifting the siege. It's going to be similar to the Xak-Tsaroth episode in Dragonlance.

You can obviously see some influences from Dragonlance Age of Mortals and other Hickman works.

For rules, the main thing is I want to stick to the races I identified above, though they could be built mechanically in a number of ways, and I want to incorporate musical forms of magic like bards of various sorts or composition magic from interjection games http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/strange-magic; the other forms of magic I have in mind are orc elementals/shujenga and dwarvish snake charmers and genie binders, and elvish seers that would use ether magic. http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/strange-magic. I also imagine the gnomes using alchemy, some kind of technician class, and cartomancy.

World was created by a mother dragon goddess who sang the music of the spheres into the primal void. The song awoke the eggs of the mother goddess, but her shadow emerged as a discordant opponent of her song from the void. The shadow tainted several of the eggs of the dragon goddess so that, when the hatched, they began to sing a discordant strain against the music of the spheres.

The Age of Wonders

A war in heaven erupted between the music of the spheres and the dark symphony which concluded with the death of the mother goddess. Her corpse fell into the primordial sea and became the fundament upon which the lands of Esarlon were created. Lost without their mother, the dragon gods descended upon her corpse, each on one side. Each refashioned their domains according to their wishes. In imitation of their divine mother, the dragon deities had their own children, who created the various mortal races. For a long age, each pantheon nurtured their own creations. After a long age of serving as teachers, the dragons of light either departed this plane or went to sleep. The continents are the sleeping forms of several great dragons. In their wake, the forces of the mortal races arose. After the fall of the elven and titan civilizations, the humans inherited the mantle of rulership and established a vast empire of magical power ruled by the fabled Empermancers. This realm was eventually overthrown during the great war between light and dark at the end of the Age of Wonders.

On the light side, the first age was dominated by the elves of the lost lands of Asteria and the noble Titans. The elves eventually destroyed themselves in a magical disaster and the Titans were cursed and became the ancestors of ogrekind when they rebelled against their divine creators and attempted to storm the heavens. The dark side was dominated by the scaled races in the first age, but the younger gods of darkness allied and overthrew their draconic masters, establishing the age of the goblin. For a long age, the goblin general gods plotted their assault on the light side of the planet and dug a great tunnel through the center of the world with the power of their greatest elementalists. When they emerged through a sink hole in the capital city of Empermancers, the great war began which would conclude the Age of Wonders.

The Age of Agony

For a long age the goblins and their allies among the servants of the Dark Symphony ruled the Lands of Light. Eventually, they were overthrown when a civil war erupted between the returned forces of the scaled races and dark draconic gods and the goblins, a conflict which allowed the songbearers who serve the Orchestra of the Seven Heavens to regain their freedom and drive the forces of darkness back through the sink hole to the far side of the planet.
The sinkhole is a mile or greater wide tunnel that literally goes straight through the planet. There are magical elevators and dragons and other flying creatures can soar through it. It's incredibly eerie, and the termination of the sinkhole is the former capital of the human mageocracy that used to rule the main continent.

The Age of Glory
The Age of Disordance


Geography - the planet of Esarlon has a light side and a dark side -- the light side is illuminated by a normal sun, but the dark side if illuminated by a black/eclipse sun that dispenses vril energy upon which the dark channelers of the Dark Symphony draw on for power. All of the continents on both sides of the planet have unusual resemblances to objects or creatures -- all the continents on the light side look like dragons or musical instruments. One of the continents on the dark side looks like a goblin. Each side of the planet has 6-12 major continents and many islands chains. The light side and dark side of the planet are divided by a massive wall, thousands of miles tall and wide, which rises out of the ocean. The only reliable route between the light and dark side is the sinkhole the forces of the Dark Symphony dug through the center of the planet.

Orcs -- originally began as a horse archer Turkic/Mongol culture thousands of years ago that contested the Empermancers for control of the eastern grasslands of their continent. They eventually conquered a group of kingdoms that ruled several river valleys in the 'Tail' of the dragon continent -- a long peninsula. They have ruled a sedentary, urban culture for thousands of years.

There are elemental lords but the orc religion is slightly less personalized than the religions of the western songbearer races. The elemental lords are seen as the greatest custodians and intermediaries of impersonal elemental powers -- so they are venerated more as saints or intercessors of a sort than as the originator or supreme authority of a specific element. The various dragon gods have a similar position, but are seen as the first children of given elements, and personalizations of the nascent intelligence of each plane. The elemental lords are their greatest deputies or associates, but ones with a less personal, direct origin in the plane itself. An elemental lord could be an ascended mortal, a god who migrated to that plane, or lower level elemental or outerplanar native that ascended to a higher divine status.

No the orcs are one of the original songbearer races -- they've always been one of the good races. The goblins are the traditional enemy race -- they were cursed by the dark gods with lycanthropy (many/most are barghest/worg hybrids), and replace orcs in many worlds as the principle opponents. The kobolds and troglodytes are the other major enemy races, and are the scaled faction of the Dark Symphony forces.

giants and ogres are both degenerated titans of a sort. The ogres were the first generation, and the giants developed from ogres that dedicated themselves to dark gods to get elemental powers.

The orcs have elemental dragon gods -- the evil powers are sort of associated with earth and darkness, but there's no more connection than that.

There are many philosophies of the elements that are taught within the Orcish lands, from the Essentialists who look at the elements as atomised building blocks, to the Empowerites who solely study the ways that elemental control can grant one power. Wu Quan Jichu, known as the Seventh Immortal of Five Fundamental Fists, is an adherent to the Phasist philosophy. Rather than viewing elements as individual and divided, the phasists explain that each element is only distinguished with its relationship to the others. Fire heats. Water douses Fire. Earth soaks up Water. What is key to enlightenment within the elements is to understand that relationship and movement, a dialectic understanding of form and unform.



Kitsune -- the isles of the Kitsune lie off the coast of the peninsula that contains the orc empire. There are two separate kitsune cultures, each with a rival emperor. The northern one is ruled by a false emperor who is a figurehead for warlords. The false emperor is really empowered by the forces of the Dark Symphony. The southern kingdom is ruled directly by the true emperor, who is a child of the sun goddess.
The Kitsune originally had a prominent sailing culture, but have become isolationist after the disruptions of the end of the Age of Glory when their society was ripped in half and most of their gods went to sleep.

They do extend to tech level.



The dwarves gods were the gods of the lute and drum -- their divine pets, the snake and bear, remain and continue to hold some part of their former power. The snake in particular has become avaricious and seeks new avenues of power and to grow the number of its followers.

The imprisonment was about a generation ago -- there has basically been one generation without the gods of light.

So with a high incidence of lycanthropy among Halflings, would it fit with your vision to have that be a curse imposed on them by their god for aiding the Titans in their war on the heavens? I am imagining the halflings as a symbiotic race with the old advanced Titan civilization who, in the wake of their loss and punishment, renounced technology and the trappings of civilization, only relatively recently converging into larger tribes that are moving back towards a kind of sustainable society in balance with nature, but with a cultural focus on not claiming ownership over anything but themselves. These would be the traditionalist halflings, who accept the lycanthropic curse as their just punishment and simply work to help the cursed sufferers and keep them from causing too much damage. I imagine they would have been the significant portion of druidic-style magic during the recent war, and some of the first to jump at the chance to expiate their ancestors' sin. The Primordial Dancer class or possibly Cantor would reflect their devotion to their individual melody in the Orchestra.

Then the "cowboy"-type halflings would also be a relatively recent phenomenon, started by young halflings who are resentful of what they see as the collectivist, self-flagellating nature of the tribes, and see the curse as something to be fought and either misotheist (hating the gods because of the pain they visited in disproportion to the crime of their ancestors) or thinking that the gods meant for the curse to be a test for halflings to have overcome by now. They may have come by this belief themselves, or after contact with human civilizations during the war which forced the Dark Symphony back to their side of the planet. Either way, they have a more individualistic bent, and treat the lycanthropic curse as something to be cured if possible, having succeeded a few times, and creating towns and settlements in the style of humans. These would be more likely to use Maestro or Ethermagic classes, owing to the human influence.

The traditional Kitsune gods were the mother goddess of the sun Amerasu, who was also the patron of the imperial house. The sun goddess was associated with this instrument https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xun_(instrument). The rest of the pantheon were basically Japan X as a pantheon -- a drummer god, an 'electric guitar' god, a composer god etc. However, with their banishment/imprisonment, the society has changed to basically venerating millions of 'small gods' of different brooks, mountains etc., as well as 'inevitables' -- the lingering spirits of great warriors. The current two emperors claim to still be respresentatives of the Sun Goddess, but in reality their power comes from different sources.

The Elemental Princes and Princesses of the Elemental Strongholds

The God Dragons of Esarlon

Gods of the Celestial Orchestra

Cael, the God of Knowledge and Names, is blindingly beautiful, with ashen skin, short, curly light grey hair, and eyes the color of tree bark. He is average height and slender, and usually has a guarded expression. He usually wears formal attire dyed grey-blue.
He is also associated with jesters and prophecy. He is often worshipped by merchants. His numerous followers can be primarily distinguished by the weapons they bear. There are a respectable amount of offerings to him on islands. There are many myths involving his affectionate relationship with Kaev. He is the brother of Kaev. He is known to give advice to charismatic mortals.

Draimri, the Goddess of the Undead, Battle and Duels, is surprisingly plain, with pale skin, long, curly medium brown hair, and eyes the color of the blue ocean. She is average height and very slender, and sometimes seems very sad. She usually wears armor and a helmet dyed pale yellow. She is also associated with the desert. She is often worshipped by warriors. Her many followers can be primarily distinguished by their hairstyle. There are more than a few sacrifices to her in the foothills of mountains. There are many myths involving her adventures with Dorinoh. She is the cousin of Ilencenah. She is known to sometimes place obstacles in the way of mortal heroes.

Gitelri, the Goddess of Light, is very plain, with brown skin, short, flowing dark brown hair, and eyes the color of storm clouds. She is very tall and solidly built, and often appears angry. She usually wears simple robes dyed dark brown and dark red-violet.
She is also associated with the sea, rain and nightmares. She is often worshipped by youths. Her many followers can be primarily distinguished by the symbols they wear. There are quite a few altars dedicated to her in large cities. There are many myths involving her ill-fated romance with Kaev. She is the sister of Voakil. She is known to have relationships with charismatic mortals.

Dorinoh, the God of Time, is shockingly beautiful, with dark skin, long, light grey hair, and eyes the color of purple flames. He is very tall and of average build, and often seems angry. He usually wears formal attire dyed grey.
He is also associated with dreams and the stars. He is often worshipped by city dwellers. His numerous followers can be primarily distinguished by the rites they perform. There are a few depictions of him near bridges. There are many myths involving his constant scheming with certain mortals. He is the brother of Trinder. He is known to give advice to mortals in dire need.

Voakil, the God of Armor, is somewhat plain, with ivory skin, long, flaming red hair, and eyes the color of amethyst. He is tall and of average build, and usually has a guarded expression. He usually wears little clothing, dyed gold.
He is also associated with poetry, justice and innocence. He is often worshipped by the poor. His surprisingly few followers can be primarily distinguished by their secret language. There are many statues of him in meadows. There are many myths involving his tempestuous relationship with Draimri. He is the brother of Ilencenah. He is known to pose riddles to mortals in dire need.

Idit, the Goddess of Science, is very beautiful, with brown skin, short, flowing light brown hair, and eyes the color of new-forged copper. She is short and broad-shouldered, and is usually frowning. She usually wears worn, ragged clothing dyed medium blue and brown. She is also associated with knowledge and snow. She is often worshipped by village folk. Her vast flocks of followers can be primarily distinguished by their secret language. There are many sacrifices to her in forests. There are many myths involving her great debates with Gitelri. She is the cousin of Draimri. She is known to help mortal warriors.

Trinder, the God of Youth and Friendship, is extremely beautiful, with ivory skin, shoulder length, swirling auburn hair, and eyes the color of dark rubies. He is of average height and solidly built, and usually has a guarded expression. He usually wears light armor dyed medium yellow and blue-violet. He is also associated with death, tricksters and lust. He is often worshipped by priests. His almost fanatical followers can be primarily distinguished by their jewelry. There are many statues of him at crossroads. There are many myths involving his competitive relationship with Gitelri. He is the brother of Ilencenah. He is known to give some help to great mortal heroes.

Ilencenah, the Goddess of Resurrection and Fear, is very beautiful, with ivory skin, long, flowing dark red hair, and eyes the color of polished oak. She is tall and slender, and seldom smiles. She usually wears peasants' clothes dyed dark grey and light grey. She is also associated with disease. She is often worshipped by merchants. Her surprisingly numerous followers can be primarily distinguished by the ritual greetings they use. There are quite a few carvings of her on lonely roads. There are many myths involving her great debates with Draimri. She is the mother of Kaev. She is known to give some help to mortal heroes.

Kaev, the God of Beauty and Sorrow, is shockingly beautiful, with ashen skin, waist length, straight flaming red hair, and eyes the color of summer sky. He is average height and very slender, and looks rather smug. He usually wears scant clothing, dyed bright blue and golden-brown. He is also associated with warriors and thunder. He is often worshipped by nobles. His numerous followers can be primarily distinguished by the clothing they wear. There are widespread shrines to him at the edge of forests. There are many myths involving his affair with Ilencenah. He is the husband of Ilencenah. He is known to help mortal leaders.

Velene is a much obeyed and greatly adored goddess. Thoughts, time and rhythm are the main three elements this divine being is associated with and most would describe her as loyal and flexible. Often depicted as a human with the body of a rhino Velene is usually worshipped through pledges and chants. There's all sorts of places for those seeking the aid or guidance of Velene, but natural altars and dedicated clothing pieces are a mandatory form of worship to some. Worshippers are infrequently encountered and tend to come in the form of trackers and advisors and no others are usually welcomed among followers of this goddess. Sometimes even when the right pledges and chants are not met. Velene has many lovers, but the main one is Sudona. This just empowers the guidance Velene may provide, but it's the strongest gods that require no aid after all.

Telara-Niara, Goddess of Beauty and the Dawn
Imos-Ismir
Endall
Fetaos
Khijun
Byjun, Goddess Of Logic
Ozjun-Nuella, Goddess Of Life & Death
Philin, Goddess Of Law
Duvian, Goddess Of Medicine
Kityx, Goddess Of Hope
Gyrtyx, Goddess Of Battle
Zition, God Of Resistance
Negyn, God Of Blacksmiths
Kiphion, Goddess Of Day
Xubris, God of War
Vunaris, Goddess of Prosperity
Seneus, God of Penance
Dephion, Goddess of Destiny
Bapara, Goddess of Dreams
Ridlan, God of Peace

Tedona is a greatly feared and deeply esteemed goddess. Change, luck and darkness are dominant elements this divine being is associated with and people tend to see her as scornful and capable. Often depicted as a somewhat humanoid dragon Tedona is usually worshipped through offerings and atonements. There's no preferred place for those craving the power potentially given by Tedona, but pagodas and small altars are ideal to increase your connection. Worshippers are few and tend to come in the form of masters and scholars and only those who truly put their faith in this goddess. Sometimes even when the right offerings and atonements are not met. Tedona has no need for lovers. Granted this changes nothing to the power Tedona could potentially provide, but lovers too need help in times of need, whether they're a god or not.

Lylous is a deeply admired and greatly trusted god. Wealth, smoke and peace are common elements this divine being is associated with and he's often considered to be demanding and crude. Often depicted as tall, large, youthful and colorful Lylous is usually worshipped through offerings and sacrifices. There's a few main places for those in need of the wisdom of Lylous, but worn symbols and handheld symbols are a good way to show your dedication. Worshippers are few and tend to come in the form of slaves and heralds and no others are usually welcomed among followers of this god. But make sure the right offerings and sacrifices are followed. Lylous has one lover: Datia. This changes little in regards to the aid Lylous may or may not provide, but even gods stand vulnerable when on their own.

Qumjir is a highly respected and vastly favored god. Science, gold and darkness are principal elements this divine being is associated with and people tend to see him as childish and disturbing. Often depicted as incredibly tall, athletic, mundane and colorful Qumjir is usually worshipped through oaths and alms. There's a few types of places for those in need of the wisdom of Qumjir, but small shrines and carried symbols are part of every day life by now. Worshippers are abundant and tend to come in the form of minstrels and fighters, but when in need you're always welcome to seek the help of this god. But only ever if the right oaths and alms are adhere to. Qumjir has countless lovers, but the main one is Hydum. Fortunately this just strengthens the aid Qumjir can provide, but lovers can become rivals too.

Gods of the Dark Symphony

Kogtis, God of Envy
Amon-Xysyn, Goddess of the Ostracized

Negther-Nurdar, God of the Abyss, This god of death takes the form of a teenage boy. He is short and has a feminine build. He has no hair, but instead his head is covered in tentacle-like appendages. His beady eyes are green. His outfit is that of a gladiator, is covered in bone designs, and it is mostly ash-gray in color. He also wears a monocle. He has tanned skin. He carries an axe. He can slay anyone with a touch. He sometimes takes the form of an alligator.

Sorchassar, Goddess of the Hook and Flail
Bethar-Egdur, Goddess of the Dark and the Underworld
Vikamuth-Xogakon,
Torraz-Magrillar
Xirthromal
Durkannuz
Brolvur
Obsidian Brack
Shadow Keeling
Khokrun

Rerus is a greatly celebrated and highly praised god. Nightmares, dance and rewards are crucial elements this divine being is associated with and most would describe him as narrow-minded and balanced.
Often depicted as a more powerful looking bat Rerus is usually worshipped through chants and sacrifices. There's one main place for those yearn for the blessings of Rerus, but natural altars and worn symbols are a good way to show your dedication.
Worshippers are numerous and tend to come in the form of slaves and travelers, but appreciated are all those who seek the aid of this god. Provided the right chants and sacrifices are made. Rerus has a handful lovers, but the main one is Xiella. Which only fuels the power Rerus could potentially provide, but without allies you're on your own in times of peril.

Rarasil is a deeply honored and greatly regarded god. Darkness, jewels and thoughts are but a few elements this divine being is associated with and many think of him as objective and dishonest. Often depicted as a form of a jackal Rarasil is usually worshipped through pledges and gifts. There's a few types of places for those yearn for the blessings of Rarasil, but small altars and dedicated clothing pieces are a good way to start connecting. Worshippers are infrequently encountered and tend to come in the form of the young and servants and few others seem to be welcome among followers of this god. As long as the right pledges and gifts are abided by. Rarasil has no desire for lovers. This only helps focus the power Rarasil may or may not provide, but only the mightiest and the overly proud gods dare stand alone.

[sanadnon33]

Domains of Western Saradon

The Seven Crusader Kingdoms

Celothia
Herment
Jehannette
Rykeld
Mighel
Seraphinus
Perchavel

The Six Duchies

Duchy of Khodour
Duchy of Charith
Duchy of Zeketish
Duchy of Vudora
Duchy of Visea
Duchy of Sepan

Crusader City of Eboncross

The City of Eboncross was founded by the barghest shadow mage Lassolk Iltur during the Age of Agony. During this period, it served as one of the primary ports of western Saradon, the continent of Esarlon where the invasion of the forces of the Dark Symphony commenced through the World Maw. The city is built on the western and eastern banks of the wide waters of the Hudter River. In the midst of the Hudter River is the Isle of Waljour, which contains the central district of Eboncross. The eastern portion is that founded by Lassolk Iltur, and its haphazard street design reflects the influence of goblin city-planners, who designed the district to be a dense warren that was both difficult to navigate by attackers and easy to defend. The western district is built of the ruins of the ancient city of Iyrirora, a center of magic learning in the former Vrulidor Empire, realm of the fabled Empermancers. Up until the beginning of the Age of Discordance, when the Dark Symphony conquered the gods of the Celestial Orchestra, Eboncross was a major city of the Crusader Kingdom of the Celothia Dynasty -- in the last years of the Age of Glory, during the decline of Celothia and the other Crusader States of the Graven Steppes in the face of assault by the forces of darkness streaming from the World Maw, Eboncross became partially independent along with the realm of its hereditary ruler, the Baron of Surea. It has remained the second great city of the Barony of Surea besides its capital at Vam-Osatin, which is located further in the hinterlands. However, Eboncross has come under assault by the forces of the blue dragons known as the Azure Tyrants, servants of Amon-Xysyn, Goddess of the Ostracized and Negther-Nurdar, God of the Abyss, two prominent deities of the Dark Symphony. The Azure Tyrant Zakorth-Imentairth the Sky Shearer, a vampire and priest of Amon-Xysyn and Negther-Nurdar, has gathered a vast host of goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, ogres, giants, kobolds, lizardfolk, troglodytes, and many others and laid siege to the great city. Already, the eastern districts of Eboncross have fallen to the attackers, and the forces of the Legion of Ash, the name given to the army of Zakorth-Imentarith, have occupied the eastern shores of the Hudter River. The seemingly endless pinpoints of their bonfires threaten the western districts of the city day and night. The defenders have destroyed the bridge that once united the Isle of Waljour with the eastern districts, but it is feared that the forces of the Legion of Ash will soon build enough battle barges to renew their assault on the western districts of Eboncross.

Citadel of Summerswind

The chief stronghold of the Isle of Waljour, the Citadel of Summerswind began its life as a temple to Telara-Niara, Goddess of Beauty, the Dawn, and the Flute; it was eventually fortified by the knights of the Order of the Serenity, one of several chivalric orders devoted to Telara-Niara. They, along with the order of warrior priests of the goddess known as the Dawnbreakers, fortified the Isle during the declining years of the Age of Agony, when the forces of the Dark Symphony were in retreat, and the armies of the Crusader Kingdom of the Celothia Dynasty reclaimed this portion of the Graven Steppes from the armies of the sworn enemies of the various peoples of the Songbearer races.



Maps

Western Saradon

Eboncross West
Eboncross -- Isle of Woljour
Eboncross East

Eboncross Combined Map

[Genth]

Do the Kitsune Nation also have the isolationist policies of Tokugawa Era Japan?

Related question - do the cultural comparisons (High Elves Rome, Orcs Han Era China etc) also extend to their general technological level? So the Elvish cultures being Swords and Shields, Orcs having cannons and gunpowder but not small arms, and parts of the human Kingdoms and kitsune having firearms etc?

[sanadnon33]

Do the Kitsune Nation also have the isolationist policies of Tokugawa Era Japan?

Related question - do the cultural comparisons (High Elves Rome, Orcs Han Era China etc) also extend to their general technological level? So the Elvish cultures being Swords and Shields, Orcs having cannons and gunpowder but not small arms, and parts of the human Kingdoms and kitsune having firearms etc?

The Kitsune originally had a prominent sailing culture, but have become isolationist after the disruptions of the end of the Age of Glory when their society was ripped in half and most of their gods went to sleep.

They do extend to tech level.

[Genth]

I suppose what we need to ask is what changes/points do you want us to develop with our backstories?

Just to reference:

Backstory

There are many philosophies of the elements that are taught within the Orcish lands, from the Essentialists who look at the elements as atomised building blocks, to the Empowerites who solely study the ways that elemental control can grant one power. Wu Quan Jichu, known as the Seventh Immortal of Five Fundamental Fists, is an adherent to the Phasist philosophy. Rather than viewing elements as individual and divided, the phasists explain that each element is only distinguished with its relationship to the others. Fire heats. Water douses Fire. Earth soaks up Water. What is key to enlightenment within the elements is to understand that relationship and movement, a dialectic understanding of form and unform.

Wu Quan has been around for a long time, long since finding the path to immortality through asceticism, and for the past decade has been a valued member of the Imperial Court, offering his wisdom and insight into the flow of elements to the court. Wu Quan is no mere scholar however, as he has mastered the martial forms of the Phasists as well, manipulating his own body and energy to constantly shift between and within the elements, using his body, whatever shape it is in, to bring swift ends to conflict.

Now, Wu Quan has seen fit to make his way to Eboncross, to assist in the city - and the Songbearing alliance's - time of need. He is willing to put himself on the line against the forces of discord and darkness, and although the deities of his home land remain free, the sage hopes that through his wisdom, he may be able to find a way to free the Orchestra.

[sanadnon33]

I suppose what we need to ask is what changes/points do you want us to develop with our backstories?

Just to reference:

Backstory

There are many philosophies of the elements that are taught within the Orcish lands, from the Essentialists who look at the elements as atomised building blocks, to the Empowerites who solely study the ways that elemental control can grant one power. Wu Quan Jichu, known as the Seventh Immortal of Five Fundamental Fists, is an adherent to the Phasist philosophy. Rather than viewing elements as individual and divided, the phasists explain that each element is only distinguished with its relationship to the others. Fire heats. Water douses Fire. Earth soaks up Water. What is key to enlightenment within the elements is to understand that relationship and movement, a dialectic understanding of form and unform.

Wu Quan has been around for a long time, long since finding the path to immortality through asceticism, and for the past decade has been a valued member of the Imperial Court, offering his wisdom and insight into the flow of elements to the court. Wu Quan is no mere scholar however, as he has mastered the martial forms of the Phasists as well, manipulating his own body and energy to constantly shift between and within the elements, using his body, whatever shape it is in, to bring swift ends to conflict.

Now, Wu Quan has seen fit to make his way to Eboncross, to assist in the city - and the Songbearing alliance's - time of need. He is willing to put himself on the line against the forces of discord and darkness, and although the deities of his home land remain free, the sage hopes that through his wisdom, he may be able to find a way to free the Orchestra.

You need a reason to be on the frontlines of the new battle -- as an ambassador, sent by a dream, emissary of a sleeping god, etc. I'll add some more stuff, but I'm trying to give some broad cultural concepts for everyone to have space to develop specifics within

There was another question about basis -- think the Hollywood/made up version of whatever it is 'Spartans' means 300, not real spartans, 'Han China' means croaching tiger/hidden dragon/Wuxia, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, 'Greece' means Clash of the Titans, 'Egypt' means 'Gods of Egypt' and Stargate, etc.

Also, everyone is going to need an account for Astral tabletop VTT. Astral Tabletop. It's free but you'll have to get over learning the little we need to use it. I don't like Roll20, so don't ask if we can switch to that instead. I have stuff loaded to Astral, it lets you use bigger images, as an infinite grid space, and I already am comfortable with it, so that's what we're using, and if they go out of business we'll use Foundry. We're not going to load sheets or do anything fancy, we're just going to use it to display the maps and tokens for positioning.

[Genth]

Given that the Orcs are the only ones with their Gods still free, I think I'd want to draw on that. Wu, being a Xian/Immoral Sage, would have regular contact with the Elemental Bureaucracy - Perhaps he was asked to journey to Eboncross and seek a way to free the Dragon Gods Orchestral allies?

Alternatively, it could be somewhat more political - with the danger of this fresh invasion, and the False Kitsune Emperor off the coast, the Orc Emperor doesn't feel like he is able to commit his forces to breaking the siege at Eboncross. He knows, however, that this is a crucial stage, and that something must be done. So he asks the Elemental Sage, who is well known for his prowess and wisdom, to head for the city alongside a group of court officials. The officials will work to establish new supply lines - the Empire has plenty of food even if its soldiers cannot be spared - but Sage Wu himself will join the quest to free the gods.

I've set up an account on Astral, all good to go there ^_^

[paradox26]

Just a heads up. I am going out of town for a few days as of tomorrow. I have a funeral to attend out in the bush, and I won't have access to a computer while I am away.

[droobles]

I am reading on the lore and will make some adjustments to Baller's background.

[Da'Shain]

Thanks for selecting Eztli. I will review the existing lore and revise/expand his backstory. Glad you liked my idea for hafling society enough to incorporate it.

Happy to play with you guys!

[sanadnon33]

Astral is now down and I wonder whether they're coming back up -- they already had to shut down active development for now, and I wonder if this will kill them off. Thankfully, we can try owlbear rodeo, tableplop, and I have Foundry too, so I'll just need to upload some stuff to another platform. I did like and was comfortable with the astral interface, but whatever.

Also, if players want to ask questions I'm going to be fleshing out the lore some more while angelpalm helps us get the sheets in order. This may take a couple of weeks. This is kind of an ambitious campaign, so I feel it's necessary, to do all the balancing, and explain the lore sufficiently before we get started so it doesn't dissolve right away.

EDIT: I've figured out a new work around to get some of my bigger maps uploaded -- based on my experience of VTTs, I think we'll do the following: the immediate area we're using for combat (like the tile or whatever) will upload to a VTT -- astral or otherwise. I'm going to post images of the WHOLE dungeons (which will be big)/city etc. and highlight the are where we are. I find it's difficult to do maps past a certain size in VTT because you can't back out far enough to see the whole thing -- fog of war is great in theory, but to keep things easier I'm just going to show you the map of the entire dungeon level/wilderness areas you're in to make navigation easier.

[Genth]

I suppose it is worth asking about lore-related modifications go things

1) Orcs. Rules-Wise, Orcs get Light Sensitivity, which doesn't make too much sense. Would you rather it just be deleted? Also is there an issue with Orcs having a penalty to all mental ability scores, or are we just handwaving that a little?

2) My infuse self ability from Huay normally would have them take the form of a Native Outsider, many of whom do not exist in this setting like Aasimar. I am wondering given the Dragon theme, if this ability should make Wu a Half-Dragon instead. The only mechanical change I'd suggest is that his type change to Dragon rather than native outsider. But even that I don't mind too much I just want to get the visuals right.

3) Given the total incongruity between Classical and Taoist views on the elements I'm going to be mostly refluffing how elements work for Elemental Flux. For example the "air" effects dealing electrical damage are about "metal insulting fire", cold damage from "Water Overcoming Wood" and further relational definitions. I won't be asking for any mechanical changes, just explaining my mental approach for this issue.

4) Lore question: how do the Orcs relate to the elements? Is it purely philosophical or do they also have some Elemental Lords on the Draconic Divine payroll?

[sanadnon33]

I suppose it is worth asking about lore-related modifications go things

1) Orcs. Rules-Wise, Orcs get Light Sensitivity, which doesn't make too much sense. Would you rather it just be deleted? Also is there an issue with Orcs having a penalty to all mental ability scores, or are we just handwaving that a little?

2) My infuse self ability from Huay normally would have them take the form of a Native Outsider, many of whom do not exist in this setting like Aasimar. I am wondering given the Dragon theme, if this ability should make Wu a Half-Dragon instead. The only mechanical change I'd suggest is that his type change to Dragon rather than native outsider. But even that I don't mind too much I just want to get the visuals right.

3) Given the total incongruity between Classical and Taoist views on the elements I'm going to be mostly refluffing how elements work for Elemental Flux. For example the "air" effects dealing electrical damage are about "metal insulting fire", cold damage from "Water Overcoming Wood" and further relational definitions. I won't be asking for any mechanical changes, just explaining my mental approach for this issue.

4) Lore question: how do the Orcs relate to the elements? Is it purely philosophical or do they also have some Elemental Lords on the Draconic Divine payroll?

The mechanical changes should be fine

There are elemental lords but the orc religion is slightly less personalized than the religions of the western songbearer races. The elemental lords are seen as the greatest custodians and intermediaries of impersonal elemental powers -- so they are venerated more as saints or intercessors of a sort than as the originator or supreme authority of a specific element. The various dragon gods have a similar position, but are seen as the first children of given elements, and personalizations of the nascent intelligence of each plane. The elemental lords are their greatest deputies or associates, but ones with a less personal, direct origin in the plane itself. An elemental lord could be an ascended mortal, a god who migrated to that plane, or lower level elemental or outerplanar native that ascended to a higher divine status.

[Genth]

The mechanical changes should be fine

There are elemental lords but the orc religion is slightly less personalized than the religions of the western songbearer races. The elemental lords are seen as the greatest custodians and intermediaries of impersonal elemental powers -- so they are venerated more as saints or intercessors of a sort than as the originator or supreme authority of a specific element. The various dragon gods have a similar position, but are seen as the first children of given elements, and personalizations of the nascent intelligence of each plane. The elemental lords are their greatest deputies or associates, but ones with a less personal, direct origin in the plane itself. An elemental lord could be an ascended mortal, a god who migrated to that plane, or lower level elemental or outerplanar native that ascended to a higher divine status.

Huh, so that could be a neat addition to why Wu is doing this - it's a test for him to be given a position in that Elemental Bureaucracy, since he's already immortal and learned in the philosophy of elements.

[sanadnon33]

Just reassuring everyone I'm still here and getting material together I'm currently uploading thousands of assets from https://www.forgotten-adventures.net...t-integration/ to make a map for the first leg of the campaign. I need to make a big wooden fort and nothing available is quite what I need.

[paradox26]

Just to let everyone know I am back. I was busy after I got back from my trip, but things should be settling down again now.