Life in Hell [Community Worldbuilding Project]

[akma]

I also like how you did Phasma Pyre. I like how each emotion leads to negative emotions. But I'm thinking that it might be better if Phas just only covered the negative emotions. So rather than having love, joy, and surprise, you would have envy, misery, and anger. But people still get hooked.

I disagree, I think basing emotions off of positive emotions is better then basing them on negative ones (but there should be one of guilt).
For exemple, hope sounds like a good feeling, but false hope is dangerous. The best exemple I found for this is a reballion. Every participent hopes that their reballion will succseed and takes great risk. If the reballion fails, they end up worse then how they started - dead or imprisoned. Hope can push people to act in a destructive manner if there is a slim chance of succsess, and lead to their downfall.
Courage can lead to self destruction in a similiar way, but technically not an emotion but ignoring fear.

[Pyre_Born]

Ok, just replying to stuff in the short window of free time I have.

Thanks, for doing the archive Pyre, I'll edit it into the OP tomorrow.

No problem, I was plagued by insomnia so I figured I'd be productive

I like what's being done on the fabric power thing except I'd rather we came up with specific effects for the energy rings, rather than just powering spells. Even if it's just force and fire damage or whatever.
I also think we need to come up with a name for this rather than just saying power or energy.

How about something like Cosmic or Aetherial damage, it's 1/2 Force and 1/2 Divine or Regular Fire?

For a name, Aetherial/Aetherium (mixing Astral and Ethereal), Aeterial/Aeternum (Play on Latin for Eternal) I'll try to think up some more. It seems like everything is overused anymore!

Another thought on the Fabric and strands holding the planes together. I was thinking, what if plane shifting doesn't doesn't work not at all since the threads holding reality together are too weak. This would leave planar travel dangerous but possible, you enter the space between planes and must follow the strands to their destination. This would be very hazardous, since it is a new way of travel, and hasn't been mastered yet. It would also limit major planar travel since you don't want to sever the connections any more, and you really don't know where you are headed. This would limit the planes you can connect to for fear of getting lost in the multiverse!

I also like how you did Phasma Pyre. I like how each emotion leads to negative emotions. But I'm thinking that it might be better if Phas just only covered the negative emotions. So rather than having love, joy, and surprise, you would have envy, misery, and anger. But people still get hooked.

I disagree, I think basing emotions off of positive emotions is better then basing them on negative ones (but there should be one of guilt).
For exemple, hope sounds like a good feeling, but false hope is dangerous. The best exemple I found for this is a reballion. Every participent hopes that their reballion will succseed and takes great risk. If the reballion fails, they end up worse then how they started - dead or imprisoned. Hope can push people to act in a destructive manner if there is a slim chance of succsess, and lead to their downfall.
Courage can lead to self destruction in a similiar way, but technically not an emotion but ignoring fear.

What if we limit the pleasant effects to a very short time, making people want it more, also changing the time before withdrawal to complement the need. By the time people realize the negative effects that last far longer, they are already addicted. Something like getting Happiness, that will last for an hour or so, but the negative effects still last for the entire length of time. That way if you want to bypass the negative you have to take more in a shorter amount of time, thus increasing the likely hood that you will become addicted?

I've got some stuff to do, but i might get some more up later tonight.

Peace,
Pyre

[akma]

What if we limit the pleasant effects to a very short time, making people want it more, also changing the time before withdrawal to complement the need. By the time people realize the negative effects that last far longer, they are already addicted. Something like getting Happiness, that will last for an hour or so, but the negative effects still last for the entire length of time. That way if you want to bypass the negative you have to take more in a shorter amount of time, thus increasing the likely hood that you will become addicted?

Sounds good, but why limit it on positive emotions?
Anger can get people to stand up for themselves and improve their situation,.
Guilt can lead to understanding what you did wrong and what you should do to fix it, at first. I also thought about an idea of a serial killer that got addicted to guilt, but couldn`t get the drug anymore, so he started killing innoccents becuse of his addiction.
Deppression could lead to thinking about your life, and what`s wrong with it (and when you`re not sad anymore, you might act to improve your life and know what to focus on, becuse you spent hours thinking about it).

[IcarusWings]

For a name, Aetherial/Aetherium (mixing Astral and Ethereal), Aeterial/Aeternum (Play on Latin for Eternal) I'll try to think up some more. It seems like everything is overused anymore!

Hmmm, I like Aeternum. What does anyone else think?

Another thought on the Fabric and strands holding the planes together. I was thinking, what if plane shifting doesn't doesn't work not at all since the threads holding reality together are too weak. This would leave planar travel dangerous but possible, you enter the space between planes and must follow the strands to their destination. This would be very hazardous, since it is a new way of travel, and hasn't been mastered yet. It would also limit major planar travel since you don't want to sever the connections any more, and you really don't know where you are headed. This would limit the planes you can connect to for fear of getting lost in the multiverse!

Yeah, good idea. Do you think we should express this by making them roll every time they use planar travel, and if they roll too low then roll on a table of random results?

I disagree, I think basing emotions off of positive emotions is better then basing them on negative ones (but there should be one of guilt).
For exemple, hope sounds like a good feeling, but false hope is dangerous. The best exemple I found for this is a reballion. Every participent hopes that their reballion will succseed and takes great risk. If the reballion fails, they end up worse then how they started - dead or imprisoned. Hope can push people to act in a destructive manner if there is a slim chance of succsess, and lead to their downfall.
Courage can lead to self destruction in a similiar way, but technically not an emotion but ignoring fear.

Ok, if everyone else thinks it's better with positive emotions then we'll go with that. I do think that it should be the negative emotions which come after the positive one that causes the addiction.
I'd also like to point out that the repercussion of Hope is more likely to be Dissappointment than Self-Destruction.

[akma]

Hmmm, I like Aeternum. What does anyone else think?

It`s ok, I think it should remind me of something.

I'd also like to point out that the repercussion of Hope is more likely to be Dissappointment than Self-Destruction.

I guess, but self destruction would make better stories then dissappointment.

Here are some abilities I thought could be good to add to demons:
Speak with a voice of another: Ability to mimick any voice perfectly.
Control scent: An ability to control how you smell.
Crippling: Through various magical torture techniques, certain demons can remove abilities from creatures permanantly. They could remove the regeneration ability from a troll with this ability, for exemple. The process is very painfull and takes hours.
Inspire: The demon inserts an idea into a mortal mind - it could be a way to "invent" a new powerfull spell, or the realization that the red that will most fit the painting the mortal works on will be blood red. The victim becomes obssesed with that idea. Works like suggestion, but instead of hours it works for days.

[Pyre_Born]

Sounds good, but why limit it on positive emotions?
Anger can get people to stand up for themselves and improve their situation,.
Guilt can lead to understanding what you did wrong and what you should do to fix it, at first. I also thought about an idea of a serial killer that got addicted to guilt, but couldn`t get the drug anymore, so he started killing innoccents becuse of his addiction.
Deppression could lead to thinking about your life, and what`s wrong with it (and when you`re not sad anymore, you might act to improve your life and know what to focus on, becuse you spent hours thinking about it).

I'm thinking that the since it is produced by demons the negative will be the main focus, however, once they decide to get mortals addicted they kind of sugar coat it. You get an hour of bliss, then x hours of anger or something like that. This means if you want nothing but the positive you have to buy more, but if you want the negative, you've got it too. Covering all the market type of deal.

Basically have positive and negative drugs, each for it's own group of buyers, however have the positive lead to negative after a short time. This means positive would really only be needed for a short time to get most mortals hooked, then pop them over to the negative

Yeah, good idea. Do you think we should express this by making them roll every time they use planar travel, and if they roll too low then roll on a table of random results?

Yeah something like that, the first time you travel to a plane, it's difficult, and you can get lost, but after a while it gets easier to travel to certain planes you've visited often. This will make planar travel difficult at first but slowly get easier, although still having a chance of danger.

Here are some abilities I thought could be good to add to demons:
Speak with a voice of another: Ability to mimick any voice perfectly.
Control scent: An ability to control how you smell.
Crippling: Through various magical torture techniques, certain demons can remove abilities from creatures permanantly. They could remove the regeneration ability from a troll with this ability, for exemple. The process is very painfull and takes hours.
Inspire: The demon inserts an idea into a mortal mind - it could be a way to "invent" a new powerfull spell, or the realization that the red that will most fit the painting the mortal works on will be blood red. The victim becomes obssesed with that idea. Works like suggestion, but instead of hours it works for days.

I like them. I was looking through the demons in some books...and they all seem cookie cutter to me. I think we need to come up with ideas like this, find out some rules for it and just make a creation rule after we've got some ideas.

Peace,
Pyre

[DragonOfUndeath]

=IcarusWings;9683658]Hmmm, I like Aeternum. What does anyone else think?

i like Aetherium as it sounds more like a liquid while Aeternum sounds more solid.

[Pyre_Born]

Just a quick thought...how are the poor druids going to react to being thrown into hell?

Peace,
Pyre

[DragonOfUndeath]

Just a quick thought...how are the poor druids going to react to being thrown into hell?

Peace,
Pyre

Nature is Nature no matter if its on the Prime material Plane or Hell. the Druids who got transferred against their will would probably go crazy from being torn from Nature but Druids who didn't live in the Prime Plane would be more sane but would be tough and less likely to save sentient beings from harm.

[Pyre_Born]

Nature is Nature no matter if its on the Prime material Plane or Hell. the Druids who got transferred against their will would probably go crazy from being torn from Nature but Druids who didn't live in the Prime Plane would be more sane but would be tough and less likely to save sentient beings from harm.

Yeah, I figured having new Druids just adapt...but I might have to work up a Druid group full of insane Druids now

Peace,
Pyre

[LOTRfan]

If fiendish animals are the norm on this Lower Plane, the tainted druid feat may be useful. Just change the prerequisite to having to live on a Lower Plane.

[DragonOfUndeath]

Yeah, I figured having new Druids just adapt...but I might have to work up a Druid group full of insane Druids now

Peace,
Pyre

Druids of the 9Circles: in the vast lands of hell there live a group of ancient crazy druids. they are some of the only living inhabitants of Hell that had lived through the Cataclysm. being ripped from their beloved plane and deposited in a hellish place (THE hellish place). their ears deaf to calls of Nature for the first time. the sudden silence of life drove them crazy. desperate to hear the calls of pain for them to defend, the calls of joy that said all was well. whenh they see living things they might pamper them or mutilate them just to hear the call of Nature however faint.

[akma]

Just a quick thought...how are the poor druids going to react to being thrown into hell?

Maybe someone already made a fitting variant druid in the forum or somewhere else.

What if the druids consider the demons to be natural, and the humans being intruders who ruin nature?

[DragonOfUndeath]

Maybe someone already made a fitting variant druid in the forum or somewhere else.

What if the druids consider the demons to be natural, and the humans being intruders who ruin nature?

they would have to be an NPC group cause unless its an all-demon party the Druid wouldnt fit in (and would have to not be any of the traditional races)

[Pyre_Born]

The Purifiers:
When many think Druid, they think of tree hugging, leaf wearing forest dwellers. However, not all books match their covers. The Purifiers are the perfect example of why you shouldn't stereotype a group.

The Purifiers were founded by a local coven of pyromancers. Originally the organization sought to spread fire for no reason other than their fascination. This all changed however when a powerful fire mage introduced herself to the group. She told them of the *Insert Fire God Name*, who told his children to burn down the world itself, and leave nothing of the old behind. The dogma of the Purifiers is simple, without a clean slate to work from, the world can never be perfect.

When the catastrophe hit the Purifiers saw their new world as a godsend. The chaotic and apocalyptic plane they saw before them was like something from a divine vision. The Purifiers saw this as an unfinished project from their god, and set out to gain favor by finishing the job.

The Purifiers seek to burn everything within their power so that their god may look upon the world and begin to build his utopia, rising from the ashes of old.

Needless to say the Purifiers view the phoenix as a holy animal never to be harmed.

Figured I'd get some stuff up and keep the thread from falling too far into the depths of the forums.

Peace,
Pyre

[DragonOfUndeath]

The Center: Hell is an enclosed place with up and down being relative to your POV. some Demons and other assorted beings wondered what was in the center of this sphere. the managed to get up there (really high, required some epic (not Epic, epic) magic item or something). it was actually a portal to a demi-plane. this demiplane was ruled by a new race of demons called Thegu (plural: Thegese). the demons were highly intelligent and pacifistic in nature. the Demons quickly decided to enslave the race. though the demons were powerful (read: high-level) the Thegese were stronger and obliterated the demons easily. Many years later the Thegese noticed the sudden influx of living humans and the subsequent massacre from their lofty position in the heavens. they felt pity on the various races and allowed some of them to live in their demi-plane provided they follow certain rules.
1) no violence EVER
2) try and be productive (no sitting doing nothing for life)
3) no plotting to overthrow them
4) no prejudices
everyone is allowed as long as they follow the rules. the Thegese have set up an airship (not like the ones in the Shattered Plane) to go too and from the demi-plane to Hell.

[akma]

The centar sounds too much like utopia, I don`t like it.

*Insert Fire God Name*

I like the purifiers, what if their god is a demon lord? Also, fire elementanels could be demons under his command.

[DragonOfUndeath]

so does communism on paper. no violence means NO violence EVER. a single punch= 'disappearing'. no prejudice means no arguments about philosophy or even heated discussion without being carted off.

[Pyre_Born]

so does communism on paper. no violence means NO violence EVER. a single punch= 'disappearing'. no prejudice means no arguments about philosophy or even heated discussion without being carted off.

I do like the infallible law idea for an area. It may seem like Utopia to them at first, until they realize that the rigid unbending structure of the law doesn't suit most mortals, especially humans that prefer choices over complete structure.

In essence it seems like a utopia for the lawful aligned creatures only. While some mortals may seek it out as a haven, they soon come to terms with the fact that it clashes with their very nature as creatures of change.

And from the looks of the rules, their would probably be a 1984 feel to the place, seeing as you can't be violent, or plot a revolt their would probably be some type of mental screening/mind reading. Being productive and such may also lead to a branding/tattoo system where the lords of the Center can keep tabs on their populace.

At least that's what I got from your posts, sound about right?

Don't forget that Utopia can mean a perfectly peaceful place in many ways, each species would have their own versions of utopia, many of which would not look anything like humans.

As for the purifiers, yeah I can see that, possible having the fire god being part of the same species that one of the Demon Lords originally came from. While the Demon Lord was trapped in hell, this being, with the same attitude and outlook went on to godhood. In essence nothing more than an ascended Demon.

Peace,
Pyre

[DragonOfUndeath]

I do like the infallible law idea for an area. It may seem like Utopia to them at first, until they realize that the rigid unbending structure of the law doesn't suit most mortals, especially humans that prefer choices over complete structure.

In essence it seems like a utopia for the lawful aligned creatures only. While some mortals may seek it out as a haven, they soon come to terms with the fact that it clashes with their very nature as creatures of change.

And from the looks of the rules, their would probably be a 1984 feel to the place, seeing as you can't be violent, or plot a revolt their would probably be some type of mental screening/mind reading. Being productive and such may also lead to a branding/tattoo system where the lords of the Center can keep tabs on their populace.

At least that's what I got from your posts, sound about right?

pretty much. 24 hour magical surveilance, Tier/Caste system of 'usefulness' to the country, heavily censored news and public debates etc.

[Pyre_Born]

I've been pretty busy, so not much crunch stuff to post just yet, insomnia is my friend here so I'm gonna work on some stuff tonight.

Fluff on the other hand is on it's way.

If anyone has ever seen the anime Kekkaishi I'm thinking of an idea that popped into my head from it. In the show they use magical barriers called Kekkai to capture and destroy demons. I'm thinking the opposite, a slaver race of Demons that can make magical barriers around their prey. Basically a demon that hunts its prey and uses a magic cage to capture them, leaving little chance for "accidental" death and thus punishment from the purchaser. Maybe even a group of humans that have studied the technique to become bounty hunters for the Demons.

I'll definitely get some more up tonight!

Peace,
Pyre

[DragonOfUndeath]

Basically a demon that hunts its prey and uses a magic cage to capture them, leaving little chance for "accidental" death and thus punishment from the purchaser. Maybe even a group of humans that have studied the technique to become bounty hunters for the Demons.

Magic Item or Class ability? i can see a Slaver homebrew class that gives this with a cleric turning progression.

[Pyre_Born]

I've been working on a classless system, and I was thinking of taking that and adapting it to make a class out of it for demons.

Basically you'd take the base class for being a demon, after that you can choose your abilities and "powers". This way you could have some basic demons or make your own. Something like a warlock's invocations for abilities that are like spells and generic class style for choosing abilities at each level. This could also help make every level able to have a demonic counterpart for adventures if needed.

So if i could get that working rules wise the Kekkai would be one of their "invocations" and a turning ability would be a class ability to choose. That way you could determine how much you want to focus on it without multiclassing rules. So a high ranked demon might have an affinity for shadow abilities, but could have a little set aside for other things such as the Kekkai as a just in case measure.

Basic table to start brainstorming:

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The Demon

Hit Die:d8

Skill Points at 1st Level:(8+Int Mod)x4
Skill Points for Additional Levels:8+Int Mod

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:?

{table=header]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Level Bonus|Demonic Power
1|+1|+2|+2|+2|Demon Traits|1
2|+2|+3|+3|+3|Ability|2
3|+3|+3|+3|+3||3
4|+4|+4|+4|+4|Ability|3
5|+5|+4|+4|+4||4
6|+6|+5|+5|+5|Ability|5
7|+7|+5|+5|+5||6
8|+8|+6|+6|+6|Ability|6
9|+9|+6|+6|+6||7
10|+10|+7|+7|+7|Ability|8
11|+11|+7|+7|+7||9
12|+12|+8|+8|+8|Ability|9
13|+13|+8|+8|+8||10
14|+14|+9|+9|+9|Ability|11
15|+15|+9|+9|+9||12
16|+16|+10|+10|+10|Ability|12
17|+17|+10|+10|+10||13
18|+18|+11|+11|+11|Ability|14
19|+19|+11|+11|+11||15
20|+20|+12|+12|+12|Ability|15
[/table]

Design Notes: I took the Outsider type and put it in chart for per level, I used the Warlocks Invocation progression bumped up a little. This is just a rough draft, we'd need powers and abilities for them overall. The outsider HD is d8, not sure if it should stay that way though. For the 1st level Demon Trait part, I think that should be a group of abilities to choose from depending on what the demon was created for. Berserkers would get Rage like abilities and could improve them as they level. Shadows could gain...well Shadow abilities that they could improve upon, Seducers could gain alternate forms and so forth.

Overall looking at Demons/Devils in the sourcebooks...I think it'd be easier for us to create our own and just use what we like from books as a starting point...because it may just be me but few of the Demons seem truly Demonic!

Alright, I'll try to get some more ideas organized to post, take a look at the Demon "class" and see if we can do anything with it. On a side note, I'm thinking that anyone with demonic blood or some type of ritual could take this class to try and mimic Demons...slowly losing their original personality as they progress, until they become a Demon, mind and body.

Peace,
Pyre

[akma]

Will we base the demons on how they could corrupt mortals, or how they could be useful to their lords? Because the second one makes more sense, but the first is cooler (we could do both). I think we`ll get more participation in demon creating if someone will post a separate thread for demon creating.
Some months ago I thought about an idea of messengers of the god of manipulation, and if I`ll change the fluff a bit and decide there is only one of those he could make a great demon lord.
Anyways, here is the general idea:
Appearance:

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He got two wings, scales, dark skin and two sides. The wings make it impossible to see that he is symmetric - his other side is identical, beside his face. In one side, there is a face of a man, and on the other side a face of a woman, both inhumanly beautiful. Also, he is 60 feet tall.
If it wasn`t clear, he got 4 hands and 4 legs, but only 2 wings.

Personality:

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He sees everyone but the demon lords and some powerful demons as toys, and he plays cruel games. He favors subtle manipulation, which he is incredibly good at. If anyone annoys him he will break him.

Abilities:

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He can shapeshift, but to do it he have to tear to face of the creature he wants to shapeshift to. Becuse of his size, sometimes he have to tear the faces of a few of creatures of the same type to shapeshift to that kind of creature (but he can shapeshift to a smaller creature and then wear smaller mask). He can also wear masks made of metals, and become completly made of that metal, and have custom masks that grant him gaze attacks and true sight.
He can create pushing winds by flapping his wings quickly. He can split his body in two, each part gets a wing.
He can summon his equipment, one of which is a colossal weapon that can attack on his own, create walls, very powerful and very inteligent, and completely loyal to his master.

Possible names:

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1. Lord of manipulation.
2. The one who wears masks.
3. The one who plays with mortals.
4. The childish king and queen.

Also, here are some demon class abilities:
1. Possesion. Will fit more incorporal demons.
2. Shapechanging.
3. Controlling someone`s movements without controlling him. Somehow I feel the demons with this ability should look less round.
4. Seeing someone`s mental weaknesses.
5. Attacks based on demonic energies.
6. Enslaving victims.
7. Framing other beings as being demonic.
8. Creating and controlling undead.
9. Making someone`s shadow attack him.
10. Hiding in someone`s shadow.
11. Causing insanity.
12. Whispering into minds.
13. Causing/taking away emotions. Causing emotions would be problamatic since it would completly change the emotion drug industry.

P.S. I think the demon class abilities should be based on charisma.

[DragonOfUndeath]

Demonic Creation Thread is up. the link is here:

[Pyre_Born]

Demonic Creation Thread is up. the link is here:

Sweet thanks, hopefully we'll start getting some mechanics going!

Will we base the demons on how they could corrupt mortals, or how they could be useful to their lords? Because the second one makes more sense, but the first is cooler (we could do both).

I'd say go with both, the more options the better, even if we don't openly use all the options we have available, it'd basically be a plug and play system for DM's to alter the encounters. For what we'd use, I'd say have a bunch of generic niche demons that fill generalized military roles, and a few more unique demons to satisfy areas that a Demon lord would only need a few members for (corruption, assassination, etc.)

Peace,
Pyre

[Snowfire]

Just noticed Pyre's banner on one of the threads here. This is very interesting.

Hope you don't mind me adding my own ideas to the mix.

Spoiler for size

The Presidium Circle

(Commonly known as either The Chosen of Soulheart or The Shining Isles depending on which plane you're in.)

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"All of you know what these spells are doing to our reality, and yet you still ignore the truth before your eyes! We see the effects every day, ever increasing as our own power brings the world crashing down around us. Maybe you can't see, maybe you just don't care but my followers and I do. We won't stop you, but we will be ready when our world dies. And on that day, as you will not, we will be prepared for what awaits us.

- Cerys Erimenthia, High Archmage of the Presidium Circle

The Chosen - as they are now known to most - can trace their existence back over a millennium, to an Archmage by the name of Cerys Erimenthia. Cerys was the head of a circle of incredibly powerful mages who foresaw the coming Catastrophe and the reasons behind it. They tried to convince their compatriots in the arcane, but few would listen, many choosing to ignore the Circle's warnings as nothing but disinformation to try and keep ways of travelling between the planes hidden. Many believed though and in the centuries leading up to the Catastrophe the Circle and its followers prepared for what they knew was the inevitable.

The city of Soulheart was the Circle's bastion even before they cut themselves off from the world around them, but in the centuries between then and the Catastrophe it become something far greater. Every member of the Circle, since time beyond reckoning, swore their soul to the protection of their order. Knowing what was to come and knowing they were sorely unprepared for it, Cerys and her colleagues spent most of the rest of their collective lives crafting a spell that would give to them the guides the needed to be able to prepare. It took the lives of the entire High Council, but for them it was worth it.

The spell tore the souls of the Circle's founders from Hell itself and returned them to the Material Plane. But it had consequences that reached far beyond that as well. By its very nature, the spell manipulated the soul, but none of the High Council expected its other effects. They gave their lives, yes, but their spirits were caught by their own spell and bound into the very foundations of Soulheart along with the guides they had freed. On that day, Soulheart became in truth what it was in name. The spell wrought by the High Council was bound inextricably to the oath they had sworn on entering the Circle and it now bound the souls of all who died in sworn service to the Circle to the stones of Soulheart.

With the help of the Founders - who had somehow survived within the hells without losing themselves - they built a great citadel within the lands they had claimed, warding it with powerful protections. And when the day of judgment finally came for their plane, they were ready.

Soulheart had resided beneath the effect of a Dimensional Lock ever since the Cerys and her Council realised what they were doing to their world. So when the Plane began to collapse around them, Soulheart and the lands around it were largely spared. However, thanks to the Founder Guides, they knew where they would have to go and accepted it freely. All eight of the High Archmagi since Cerys gave their souls in a simultaneous act of sacrifice to safely transport Soulheart into the heart of Hell. The demons expected them to be easy prey, disorientated by the strange new surroundings and still trying to work out what happened. They quickly learned otherwise when the first group to assault the city was annihilated by the city's defences.

More demons were sent by their lords, scores, hundreds, wave upon wave of them but Soulheart was a citadel almost seven hundred years in the making and her defences were simply too strong. So, in an action that has been rarely repeated, one of the true Demon Lords took the field and was beaten back. There are many theories regarding the outcome of that battle, a battle that took place even as the portal to Hell snapped shut behind them and the inhabitants of the Prime found themselves in a completely new world. Some say the Circle struck a deal with the Lord for varying reasons, others say that the Gods, in a last desperate act to save their creations, breached the boundaries of Hell to safeguard their chosen champions. Still more cite that the Circle was actually founded by a Demon Lord and he intervened on their behalf. The truth is very different and relies on the nature of Soulheart herself.

When Cerys and her companions cast the spell that returned the soul's of the Circle's founders to the Material Plane, they changed the nature of Soulheart itself. As members of the Circle died, their souls were absorbed in the city, turning it into a nexus of soul energy. The great defences of the city were powered by this energy, a constant unrelenting stream of life given freely by those within it and the power of an individual in life was reflected in the strength of their soul. So when the Demon Lord assailed Soulheart, the Circle's founders combined their power with that of every Council within Soulheart's walls and struck back at the being who sought to destroy and enslave their creation.

The Circle also have a presence in the Shatterlands, although the reasons for it are still not fully understood. Regardless, a portion of the Circle stayed behind on the Material Plane when Soulheart transported herself to the Hells and when the planar link to the Shatterlands was opened the Chosen sent a small group through to see how their brethren had fared. A few thousand of those who chose to remain behind managed to survive the Material Plane shattering into the Shards and unlike many, they managed to hold on to a semblance of order and as time passed they bound several score of Shards together to form the Shining Isles. And that, the fact that the Circle has survived within both Hell and the Shatterlands, is their most closely guarded and most dangerous secret.

Soulheart now exists as a bastion of hope to the free peoples of Hell. Within Soulheart's walls, even the damned can find peace and new purpose. The Shining Isles are a similar, albeit larger citadel where personal freedoms are respected and rejoiced. But by their very nature, both the Shining Isles and Soulheart existence have made powerful enemies far quicker than allies.

Diplomatic Relationships

Soulheart has especially close ties to Salvation's Bastion, Fort Eternity, the Literals and certain branches of the Morlocks. Diplomatically and - when the need arises - militarily, the Shining Isles support the Grey Legion and are one of their more powerful living allies. Taken together, the Circle is probably one of the most powerful organisations currently in existence, but they guard that secret well.

Soulheart actively supports the The Lambs of Blissful Agony and The Black Blood Citadel, a decision that has won them friends and enemies in equal parts. In The Black Blood Citadel, they see what they might have become had their Council not realised what was coming and been able to prepare for it. And in the Lambs they see a group similar to themselves in intent, albeit not in action. The Chosen supply members of both organisations with safety an support when it is needed and they return the favor. There are rumors and hearsay that speaks of the possibility of a truly formal alliance between the Citadel and Soulheart, but for now such words remain simply rumors.

The Children of Limbo have a rather strange relationship with Soulheart and her Chosen, but it boils down to a mutual - patently unofficial - agreement to leave the other alone. As such, the Chosen can operate with relative safety within areas claimed by the Children. The Children dislike the agreement but Soulheart is not 'human' enough to truly rouse their ire.

The Spikers do not exist within Soulheart's boundaries as the Blood Leeches that facilitate the introduction of Phasma to their system simply disintegrate when brought within the city's defences. Certain aspects of the Chosen also administer to the Spikers and a small, but growing, group of Past Council members work tirelessly to discover some way to reverse the addiction safely and restore the soul of the person beneath the drugs.

Soulheart has an 'arrangement' with the True Lords of Death akin to the one they share with the Children of Limbo. Each side leaves the other alone. There are, inevitable, conflicts of interest, but such things most of the time fear of Soulheart's power allows such conflicts to be resolved peacefully.

The Circle's true enemies are few when listed, but incredibly powerful. The Demon Lords hate Soulheart with immense passion, but none are prepared to risk their own destruction to destroy the place. And as their Lords, so to do the Demons fear and hate The Chosen of Soulheart and the city that forges them. And though they dare not attack Soulheart herself, the Demons will do almost anything to destroy one of her Chosen.

But the true danger to Soulheart's existence is not the Demons or their Lords, it is the Church of the Walker. Soulheart is a thorn in the side of their control over the human settlements of Hell, their fierce adherence to there being no one true path a slap in the face to the Church's supremacy. But the Chosen are too well loved amongst the mortal population of Hell. The Chosen are healers, teachers and protectors to all who truly require their aid and they have been the shield against which many demonic assaults have been blunted. They give their lives freely and without pause to protect those who for centuries regarded them as power-hungry fools and regardless of the Church's wish to destroy them, there is not nearly enough hatred of Soulheart or her Chosen for them to attempt to do so.

However much this may sound strange, this isn't fully fleshed out. But I'm not going to stay up the entire night writing it down and I'd also like your views on the Circle before I do so. I'm basically trying to put in a 'good' faction. They're powerful, yes, but the vast majority of their power is concentrated in a single, stationary location. Thoughts?

[DragonOfUndeath]

The Circle sounds good but i have one thing that clashes with what we already have: "Soulheart was a citadel almost seven hundred years in the making". the Tech that cause the Catastrophe was discovered recently (as in less than 100 years). i'm happy to change this if other people agree i just thought i should bring it up before i forget it

[Snowfire]

The Circle sounds good but i have one thing that clashes with what we already have: "Soulheart was a citadel almost seven hundred years in the making". the Tech that cause the Catastrophe was discovered recently (as in less than 100 years). i'm happy to change this if other people agree i just thought i should bring it up before i forget it

They built Soulheart on the Material Plane initially. Cerys' council foresaw the Catastrophe about seven hundred years before it actually happened. They also got an idea of how it was being caused. They didn't full understand that bit, but they knew magic - specifically teleportation and plane-shifting magic - was basic cause. Unfortunately there was no real way to stop it as far as they could see so they retreated into their lands and prepared for the day they knew would inevitable come when the Prime began to collapse.

[Pyre_Born]

Just noticed Pyre's banner on one of the threads here. This is very interesting.

Hope you don't mind me adding my own ideas to the mix.

Spoiler for size

The Presidium Circle

Glad the banner is drawing attention and help is always welcome.

I like the Circle a lot, with the posts after that I don't think it should have any problems fitting into what we have so far. Having the Catastrophe recent, but a group with a vague premonition of it far before hand, and sealing themselves off for protection definitely works.

Overall good stuff, feel free to help out/add stuff if you want, we've got a good basic setup going but new ideas are always good too.

When I get a chance I'll stop back and try and get some more work up, for now though...

Peace,
Pyre