Campaign Settings - Synopsis

A D&D campaign in a unique setting, run by Plaidrhino.
Post Reply
Syns

Post by Syns »

Hope Steve doesn't mind me doing this... just wanted to have it in a central place.

The Story: The Dawn’s Age brought forth an immortal evil that orchestrated a great war between all of the lands until a group of peasants banned together with tremendous courage and forced the being known as Vog Mor back into the darkness from which he came.

The Age of Winds heralded change through the kingdoms and with that change Vog Mor rose again, this time, bent on the destruction of the mortal races for the defeat handed to him. The King of Stone rallied his best champions to face this monstrous evil that was turning the races against each other and to lock him away in a soul gem using the powers of the Rings of the Elemental Princes. The champions were victorious but not without a price. The magics used to trap Vog Mor tore the land asunder.

During the Age of Storms, a new world was discovered far to the north across the sea. In this new land, a band of heroes unwittingly released Vog Mor from his imprisonment and delivered him to the people of Stone’s Landing. The Council of Thirty, guardians of the Elven magics of old, were all but lost in a battle that led to the rebirth of Hallile, the goddess of secrets, and a portal was opened between the Goblinoid races and the power of the mind. The fall of civilization had begun for Vog Mor entwined his very essence with the land itself and with it corrupted nature and all close to it. The heroes fought side by side with the armies of the Ghost King but to no avail. Vog Mor had won.

Now it is the Age of Dusk. The Ghost King is dead, assassinated in what many say could only be an inside job, and his lineage has been severed. The rebuilt Council of Thirty is once again in ruins, this time by one of their own. Vog Mor has merged himself with the Abyssal realms and Infernal fires. He brought with him the Pax Dur, beings of immense power, and created a vile new race, the Malev, to help enslave the remains of civilization. Vog Mor has become a god. But his power is not absolute thanks to the sacrifice of the Church of Pelor who gave their lives allowing the pureness of the Elusial fields to seep into the lands. The fate of all life now sits in the hands of a group of slaves who must escape the grip of Vog Mor’s minions and find a way to release the lands from his evil shadow.

The First Story Arc: Our story starts in the city of Felstone, deep within the lands controlled by Vog Mor and his minions. The Fell Knights rule with an iron fist and work alongside the Malev to keep the public orderly. Most of the populace is forced to work in the “Mines” searching the catacombs for treasures of the past. Unfortunately, treasures are not the only things to be found in the “Mines”. Foul and twisted creatures that local dwarves have dubbed the Beasts of the Darque hide in the shadows waiting to prey upon any that pass by. Between the harsh punishments of the Fell Knights and the hunters below, the miners generally do not have a long life expectancy. Because of this more slaves are brought in from the lands the first Church of Vog Mor conquers.

No one has ever managed to escape from Felstone but there are rumors of a man who might know of a way. If only he could be found.

Historical Points of Note: At the end of the Age of Winds, there was a great war. The Dwarves of the Valley of Shar held the front lines against an onslaught of goblins, orcs, and giants. The Dwarves were crushed however when their allies from Altere, the Elves, betrayed them and struck from behind forcing the Dwarves to retreat from their lands to the bowels of the earth. This information was discovered during the Age of Storms when the Dwarves resurfaced after 500 years with a hatred for the Elves. Faced with a common enemy in the Fist Church of Vog Mor, the Dwarves have put their hatred aside though only until the threat is extinguished.

During the Age of Storms, something terrible happened that brought about the fall of magic though exactly what has been lost in the time past. The fall of magic has had many severe effects including the death of 2/3 of the elven populace and the near extinction of those creatures known as the Glamour Folk (the fey). In addition, it has brought about a race of goblinoids skilled in psionics known as the Glimmer Folk. They are the mortal enemies of the Glamour Folk and seek to hunt them out and finish the fey once and for all. The strong connection between the Elves and the Glamour Folk place them in jeopardy as well.

Another effect stemming from magic weakening is the availablilty and pricing of magic items. Things are tougher to come by and often cost much more than expected. Many of the items created now act more like a double-edged sword. They can incur some sort of curse in addition to the benefit of its magic.

Ever since Vog Mor has risen to power, the lands themselves have been corrupted. All creatures can succumb to the taint though it tends to affect those closest to the land itself. The initial effects of the taint vary but once the disease is set, it is only a matter of time before the victim becomes a mindless undead minion serving Vog Mor himself.

Character Generation: For stats, I think the suggestion made by Ed will work out great. Roll 7 sets of 4 dice, rerolling 1’s. Keep the highest 6. Characters will begin at 1st level but can be of any race and any of the core classes. Most prestige classes, including those from outside sources, will be used as long as the class requirements are met. If a race is chosen that brings a level adjustment, depending on how high the adjustment is, the rules regarding “monster levels” found in Savage Species might need to be used.

House Rules: There are a variety of house rules that I have used in past gaming groups. I will discuss these the first time we meet. Most of the rules are optional and I will leave the decision up to the group.

Finally, if anyone has any preferences or suggestions for improvement, feel free to let me know. I am always open to criticism and think that there is always room for improvement.
User avatar
plaidrhino
Bumpy-Headed Alien
Posts: 294
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2003 3:00 am
Location: San Diego (Clairmont Mesa)

Post by plaidrhino »

The Story: The Dawn’s Age brought forth an immortal evil that orchestrated a great war between all of the lands until a group of peasants banned together with tremendous courage and forced the being known as Vog Mor back into the darkness from which he came.

The Age of Winds heralded change through the kingdoms and with that change Vog Mor rose again, this time, bent on the destruction of the mortal races for the defeat handed to him. The King of Stone rallied his best champions to face this monstrous evil that was turning the races against each other and to lock him away in a soul gem using the powers of the Rings of the Elemental Princes. The champions were victorious but not without a price. The magics used to trap Vog Mor tore the land asunder.

During the Age of Storms, a new world was discovered far to the north across the sea. In this new land, a band of heroes unwittingly released Vog Mor from his imprisonment and delivered him to the people of Stone’s Landing. The Council of Thirty, guardians of the Elven magics of old, were all but lost in a battle that led to the rebirth of Hallile, the goddess of secrets, and a portal was opened between the Goblinoid races and the power of the mind. The fall of civilization had begun for Vog Mor entwined his very essence with the land itself and with it corrupted nature and all close to it. The heroes fought side by side with the armies of the Ghost King but to no avail. Vog Mor had won.

The Age of Dusk heralded the death of the Ghost King, assassinated in what many say could only be an inside job; his lineage has been severed. The rebuilt Council of Thirty once again in ruins, this time by one of their own. Vog Mor merged himself with the Abyssal realms and Infernal fires. He brought with him the Pax Dur, beings of immense power, and created a vile new race, the Malev, to help enslave the remains of civilization. Vog Mor became a god. But his power was not absolute thanks to the sacrifice of the Church of Pelor who gave their lives allowing the pureness of the Elusial fields to seep into the lands. The fate of all life rested in the hands of a group of slaves who escaped the grip of Vog Mor’s minions to find a way to release the lands from his evil shadow. Together, they forged a secret war to bring back the elder races and restore Vanai to her previous glory.

Here dawns the Age of Dust. An insurrection has occurred within the First Church of Vog Mor. They call themselves the Children of Slaceria and have emerged with a power found only in children’s nightmares. Lead by the Pax Dur and joined by the Shar Dwarves, this new force threatens all lands alike. A truce, stressed at best, has been forged between the Three Kingdoms and the remaining minions of Vog Mor. The Ostyrian brethren from the north have come to lend support, as have the Scarred Folk and the Glimmer, all realizing what lie ahead. Only time will tell what heroes will rally forth in this time of need.

The First Story Arc: All hail the Mother…magic has returned. Those who dabble in the arts find their strength rejuvenated and those with latent skill find wondrous and sometimes deadly effects coming to life within. Where does this source come from and what does it mean in the fight against the Pax Dur? The Triumverate has only begun to search for such answers. At the request of the Triumverate, a ship captain and crew are to travel to the island city of Yon located in the Bay of Magdellous. Once there, they are to take on a cargo that must reach the Abbott House in Gaerdal at all costs.

Points of Note between the Age of Dusk and the Age of Dust: The coming age is heralded 60 years after the Age of Dusk. New alliances have been forged and young nations emerged. Key within this development is the establishment of trade routes between the Three Kingdoms, Ostyr and the Glimmer Folk. While not entirely safe, passage either by sea or via the mountains has become well documented and much more common.

With Ostyr comes the introduction of gunpowder and flintlock firearms.

Helimdale and the Circle of Storms are no more and the Defender’s March is broken. It began with a few jailbreaks form Tanaze Prison and turned into a full on revolt. The contingent of Shar Dwarves stationed as the city guard and along the Defender’s March joined in the uprising to squash the remaining soldiers and gain foot in the mountains. The dwarves and prisoners have gathered within the fortress city walls flying a new banner. That banner belongs to the Darque Fist, an army dating back to the times of Slacerian rule.

Fellstone was the first city to disappear but others have followed, each replaced by a massive spire reaching into the clouds. The lands south of Fellstone and the adjacent areas of the Scarred Lands have suffered with the appearance of these mysterious spires. The sun is now blocked as the spires and surrounding settlements exude huge amounts of black and gray smoke from the factories where the Children of Slaceria create their vile abominations. Everyday, more victims are brought to the spires to become but an experiment for whatever foul quest the Children may have. The Netherspeak has dubbed these areas as the Bone Garden.

The Vanir have been proven to be but an illusion spawned by a strange dwarf. The people of Halo were outraged and ran the dwarf into hiding thinking he was involved with the rebellious Shar Dwarves. The Triumverate now searches for its third member but who will join Zsambrina Highflower of Altere and Sir Boltan Crasmere of Uthmere is unknown. Even now, there is an urgency to find someone to also replace Sir Boltan Crasmere for age is quickly catching up to him. If a suitable replacement is not found soon, the power behind Halo and the Three Kingdoms will fall solely to the elves.

When Fellstone disappeared, the Three Kingdoms saw the inherent dangers in arcane magics. In order to better contain such events, they created a commission known as the Abbott House. The Abbots were given jurisdiction over all things magical. Many laws have been passed requiring the registration of magic users within the Three Kindgoms as well as the implementation of a draft in the fight against the Bone Garden. Many other tenets have been introduced at the behest of the Abbott House all of which will be revealed in time.
Some people are like Slinkies ... Not really good for anything...... But they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Post Reply